#Ratchet and Clank: Back to the Nexus

[rex101111]

Ratchet and Clank size matters got added to the PSN store and I got a a major nostalgia pang so I went "eh, why not" and quickly played through it. And I do mean quickly, I know it was a PSP title but dang, last time I finished a R&C game this quick i played Nexus. Anyway, the thing that struck me about this game is that Ratchet is...a bit of an asshole here. And that struck me as odd because for the last few entries...he isn't.

Like this is still early series Ratchet, still on the PS2/PSP, released just before the first PS3 title, which was in retrospect a bit of an incredibly soft reboot. In the newer games, Ratchet is a fairly straight forward protag, nice, willing to help, only a little bit sarcastic if he's really strapped for time or dealing with someone especially annoying. Early Ratchet? Early Ratchet was a jackass, a dick, a selfish, quick tempered loner that only went on this quest because there was a tangible, direct benefit to him specifically. Seriously, in the first game Ratchet couldn't go two sentences without insulting somebody, and that's when he's in a good mood. In act 2 he's even worse, gnashing his teeth at everyone he talks to and threatening to sell Clank for scrap. It takes hours of in game time and half a dozen levels before Ratchet finally chills out, and a few more levels before he actually resolves to act like any sort of hero, and even that only happens after something he personally cares about gets threatened. Ratchet could give a damn, he can be convinced to help people, but he's still a selfish person who needs the situation rubbed in his nose before he realizes how dire it is. Clank having faith in him, throughout the entire game, even when he's being a dick, even when Clank himself is furious with him, meant something. When in the penultimate level he says "that's the Ratchet I always knew was there" and Ratchet brushes him off, you buy it, that beneath this sharp outside there's someone with the capacity to be a hero, an actual hero, a hero who isn't selfless, but one capable of overcoming his selfishness when it matters most.

Back when the first game came out, people complained about this, about their platformer mascot protag being a huge dick, and even the very next game addressed this by toning him down a smidge, but Ratchet in the PS2 trilogy is still very much not a perfect sunshine person. He's very sarcastic, pretty cynical, is very quick to call other people on their bullshit, and still has a very short temper. (Plasma city, anyone?) Ratchet had texture to him, he bounced off the much more straightforwardly nice Clank in a lot of ways, their friendship felt like it had weight and meant something because these two had so many differences between them that the fact they did get along so well and cared about each other so much showed that their friendship was genuine. I like the newer Ratchet and Clank games, played every one of them, but I've never been really happy with the direction they took with Ratchet. Each game made him nicer, friendlier, smoothing down his edges. And the reboot game had it the worst, they retold the first story, where Ratchet was at his worst and a major thread of the plot was him learning to get over his bullshit, but had the sanded down kitty cat of the later games instead of having confidence in their early work. Dickhead Ratchet worked, he had a place and it gave him a place to grow, while still maintaining his inherit sharpness. Ratchet should get to be an asshole again, just for a bit, let him get angry, properly. Sure, he's a hero who's saved two galaxies three times over and then some, but he did that while being a sarcastic little shit who made a joke about a plumber's ass crack showing and fired rockets at people while complaining about how high the prices are everywhere he went.

I dunno, maybe its a bit too late in the game to say this, but something got lost in the shuffle a while back, and getting a reminder of what was simply put it into perspective for me.

[aclevername8]

It's been a hot minute since I posted here lol, so I thought I'd share a bunch of art I've gotten of my AU over the last few months since then--starting with this piece (my now girlfriend) @aynek-draw drew for me back in October to celebrate the two-year anniversary of my AU!

And to begin, here's a 'quick' overview of all the currently planned main characters of my AU, all of whom were drawn/designed by my good friend @wolfcha1k!

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Ratchet and Rivet, the prime protagonists of my AU, who need no introduction.

Basically, everything happens as is in canon until before Rift Apart/after Into the Nexus, where Clank gives Ratchet the opportunity to meet the Lombaxes by privately giving him the repaired Dimensionator in their Veldin home, and Ratchet actually accepts it.

And upon meeting the Lombaxes, he finds that his father had been alive the entire time, and after reuniting with him, now spends time with the father and species he never knew, on top of being officially ordained as a fellow Keeper of the Dimensionator for his valiant efforts in defeating Tachyon and avenging their species.

In an effort to revitalize the since-defunct Interdimensional Divsion of the Center for Advanced Lombax Research, Ratchet and Kaden travel to the Archives a month after his arrival to grab some items before getting caught up in an adventure against Emperor Nefarious, and meeting Rivet and Kit along the way.

After helping her defeat Nefarious, they allow her to meet her birth uncle, Mags, on top of getting to know the Lombaxes as well--but developing a crush on Ratchet along the way, with the two having love at first sight.

After getting to know each other better (like building the brand-new RYNO 8 together), they would finally start dating to the obviousness of literally everyone around them, and eventually, marrying and having two children together, an older daughter and a younger son.

Ultimately, they'd retire from all the heroics, having had enough of an exciting lifestyle, and instead running a humble mechanic shop on Ratchet's home of Veldin, with the slogan of "Giving Your Ships A Little R&R!" and a greenhouse in the back for Rivet and Kit to partake in their favorite hobby of gardening.

Kaden, another prime protagonist and whole inspiration to even make this AU so that he can live and be the best dad he can, goddammit.

Described by many as a cocky smartass, no one can say Kaden is underdeserving of praise at being an accomplished Praetorian General, Elder Councilman, Cohead of the Interdimensional Division, and most importantly, Keeper of the Dimensionator. But even with so many renowned titles, Kaden's favorite one is the title of 'father'.

When Tachyon attacked and took nearly everything from him, Kaden was lucky enough to have his son spared, but at the cost of his wife's life, Marie, who with her last words, made him promise to do anything to protect their son. Following her words, Kaden left him on the planet Veldin for his own safety before fighting Tachyon to what he thought was his death after staying behind to protect the Lombaxes.

Although he lost, he was unexpectedly saved by his friends, Mags and Julie, when they built an illegal Dimensionator to retrieve him before he could die. Unfortunately, the Council was so spooked by Tachyon that they banned Dimensionators outright to prevent anyone from returning to the original dimension to eliminate any chance of Tachyon following them through--stranding Kaden from his son.

Even though Kaden did all he could to try and go back--even ending up in prison for a short time for being caught building his own Dimensionator--all he could do was appeal to them every single month for twenty years in the vain hope his son was still alive.

Thankfully, Ratchet would reunite with him when he returned to the Lombaxes, allowign Kaden to fulfill his promise he made to Marie all those years ago. And with Ratchet's arrival, came the unexpected consequence of being able to meet a new friend and eventual new wife, Chief Alice Wells, and later (accidentally) having a second child with her, their daughter Lucy.

Over the years, Kaden would find himself from making peace with the fact he'd die alone as a failed father to the patriarch and great-grandfather of a large and extremely crazy family that he wouldn't trade anything in the entire multiverse for loving every single one of them with all his heart.

Kaden's best friends, Julie and Mags, the head and cohead of the Center's Weapons and Interdimensional Divisions, respectfully, who saved Kaden at the last minute from Tachyon by building a dimensionator to retrieve him before death.

While Mags is known to everyone else as the Lombax that helped Kaden find their new home in the Great Exodus, those closest to him know him as one of the best, most loyal friends you can ever have. Intelligent, enthusiastic about both ships and the interdimensional, he can be a little awkward at times, but makes for a fun friend if you can understand half the jargon he talks about.

Although he once had a twin sister who he was close to that died in a freak accident during the Great Exodus, Mags was extremely lucky to eventually find out that her daughter, his niece, Rivet (or Rosie, as she would have been named) survived, allowing himself to be the uncle he always wanted to be.

And right alongside him is Julie (or Cool Aunt Julie, as she wishes to be called from both Ratchet and Rivet), who is aptly described as a living ball of chaos that if left alone would probably find a way to explode something in the name of science and badassery in an effort to find yet another insane idea for a gun.

But even her mere existence can be argued as a health hazard for others in the room, she is fiercely loyal to anybody she latches onto, being Mags and Kaden 99% of the time, even if she bickers with them both about nearly everything--especially on the topic of convincing them to build a gun into the Dimensionator "Because it'd be so cool, just think about it!"

Even despite the fact that she and Mags have been bickering nonstop for the years they've known each other, they eventually started dating and married after years of working at the Center made them undateable to normal people, which suited them just fine.

Along with Kaden, they are extremely close three peas in a pod that have an unbreakable bond after supporting each other through post-Tachyon misery for over twenty years.

Chief (Alice) Wells of the Lombax City Guard, who has a tough-as-nails attitude, but a secret softie side that only a few are permitted to see.

Sick of her mens' shit from growing extremely complacent over the years after the newly-bolstered post-Tachyon Praetorian Guard made New Fastoon one of the safest planets ever, Wells has grown one hell of a temper, being able to come up with very creative insults and punishments (including tazing her own men without hesitation after they call her a bitch under his breath), almost everyone who meets her is scared of her. Almost.

If there's anything she hates most, it is little punks who treat the law as a mere suggestion, and as such, it was natural for her and Ratchet (and eventually Rivet (AKA Punk and Missy)) to have an intense feud that make them hate each other's guts--especially Ratchet's, after his arrival to the Lombaxes caused a city-wide chase that made the City Guard look like fools.

But even then, she and Kaden soon found themselves in an unexpected friendship, and even more unexpectedly, a relationship that would eventually have them married and have a surprise daughter, Lucy.

Even though Wells would say she HATES being the Punk's stepmom out of technicality, deep down, she (and Ratchet) grow a soft spot for each other that would have them respect each other somewhat--as long as no one else would be able to see.

But if you asked her if she loved Ratchet's children, she would say with no hesitation that she loves her grandbabies with all her heart.

Ratchet's kind (and short) yet unfortunately deceased mother, Marie.

When she and Kaden first met as teenagers at the Academy, it was love at first sight, and after being sick of being forced to watch them awkwardly flirt and dance around their mutual crush, their best friends Lorna and Alister pushed them to finally date, and the rest was history.

Dating through the Academy, Kaden's Praetorian training and induction to the Center, Marie's graduation from Vapedia's college, the two married, and their lives couldn't be any happier.

But when Marie announced she was pregnant (by accident after a night of drunken celebration of Kaden's promotion to General), Kaden was admittedly scared and disliked the idea of being a father, but voiced no such thoughts at seeing Marie be so happy at being a mother.

But thankfully, when Ratchet (or Kipler, as he was to be named) was born, Kaden's fear turned to ecstasy and unspeakable joy, wishing right alongside Marie to be the best parent ever.

However, when Tachyon attacked, Marie died saving Ratchet from their collapsing home, and with her final words, told Kaden to promise her to protect their son, a promise Kaden upholds to this day, even as he sees himself become a great-grandfather.

And although Kaden now finds himself with a new wife and second child, he still loves Marie with all his heart, and now loves her through their son that shares her blood--and her height, never failing to make jokes at Ratchet's expense, as "If not even your mom never got to escape my jokes, then neither should you, shorty."

Rivet's deceased parents, Dex and Kayla, the respective head of maintenance and high-ranking interdimensional researcher at the Lombaxes' Interdimensional Research Colony on Savali in Rivet's dimension.

Back before Tachyon attacked, some Lombaxes lived and operated in a research colony on the planet Savali, home of the Interdimensional Archives, and headed at the time by Mags, being his responsiblity as cohead of the Interdimensional Division.

Although Kayla, his twin sister, was just as bright as him and fully capable of such a role, she was content with just being a researcher, always avid to learn about the next breakthrough. But as a result, she had a tendency to be quite awkward at times, especially when it came to her eventual crush on the colony's head of maintenance/local handyman, Dex, responsible for fixing anything that breaks in the colony, from integral machinery to coffeemakers.

Instead of trying to talk to him like a normal person, Kayla had an ingenious idea of intentionally destroying her appliances and calling him over to fix it, where they would 'happen' to chat as he repaired her stuff, which worked quite well for a while until Dex asked her out because "It sounds nicer to talk to you over a nice dinner than over me fixing your toaster that 'accidentally' fell onto a hammer about eight times for the third time this week, right?"

The two would go on to marry, and eventually, have a little girl that they and Mags absolutely adored. Disaster would strike during the Great Exodus, where while they were returning back to Savali from an off-planet trip, they would fly into the territory of a new 'Empire' and be shot down over Sargasso with Mags watching their final moments over a call urging them to come back home ASAP, leading him to believe his family had died in front of him.

However, while the call had ended from their crashing ship, they had placed their infant daughter in an escape pod in the nick of time, sacrificing themselves, but saving Rivet. She safely landed on Sargasso to be eventually raised by the Morts, and even later, aided by Ratchet and Kaden to overthrow the Nefarious Empire that unknowingly killed her parents, and allowed her the chance to meet her Uncle Mags that she never knew existed.

Ratchet and Rivet's (taller) firstborn child and rambunctious daughter, Mallet-Marie (nicknamed Mallarie).

When Ratchet and Rivet found out they were pregnant, they initially wanted to name their daughter 'Mallet' similarly to their own tool names they themselves had. Kaden, however, argued against it, saying that while they might not have grown up 'normally', their daughter will, and she 'at least needs a normal name to not be bullied with, please.' So, they compromised, and gave her both a tool name and a normal name, of which they named in honor of Ratchet's late mother--who she happened to have great resemblance to as well, to their pleasant surprise. Needless to say, Kaden was very happy with her name.

Growing up as the daughter to a family of renowned heroes from her intergalactically famous father, Ratchet, her mother that led a resistance to overthrow an entire galactic empire, Rivet, and her heroic grandfather that helped save and protect their entire species, Kaden, Mallarie sought to follow in their footsteps, thirsting for a life of adventure and--most importantly--fun.

As a result, she loves mischief and unwise ideas (with Ratchet and Rivet believing that it was karma against them for the hell they themselves raised growing up), always up for the first sign of adventure, no matter how dangerous or impulsive it may be.

And when her 'nerdy' brother, Miter-Mags, came along (via 4-year-old Mallarie poking holes in 'mommy and daddy's funny balloons' as a prank), her secondary objective was to 'de-nerdify' him by dragging him along on her adventures whenever she could, even if he protested against it, complaining that he wasn't into the idea of sharing their parents' exciting lifestyles.

However, Mallarie's impulsiveness to drag Miter on her dangerous adventures would catch up to her, and on an adventure gone wrong, Miter would lose his leg saving Mallarie from being killed. To say Ratchet and Rivet were furious is an understatement, and feeling ashamed and miserable that she nearly killed her brother, Mallarie would flee to Savali to be alone--but with her Aunt Kit following her.

Kit would help Mallarie deal with the all-too-familiar feeling of nearly killing a loved one and causing them to lose a limb--admitting the truth of her mother's missing arm was because Kit shot her a long time ago. And so, after a few weeks of talking and reflection, Mallarie came back home to face her family for forgiveness--only to find that her brother was not mad at her at all, saying he'd gladly lose his other leg if it meant his sister would still be alive. And upon seeing his forgiveness, Ratchet and Rivet apologized to Mallarie for unfairly blaming her completely for the accident, and the family would move on stronger than they were before.

Although the experience sobered Mallarie to her adventuring ways, it didn't kill her mischievous spirit, and upon meeting a wannabe rebel in Jett, a Lombax she met while sitting in jail yet again, proceeded to try and teach him the ways of being a rebel punk like her.

But what she didn't expect, however, was find a kind, loving gentleman in him that made her want to settle down with him, eventually becoming her boyfriend. And when her brother accidentally had a child, they both talked about their future together, and decided they wanted to marry and have a family.

As a result, Mallarie cleaned up her act and enlisted in the Praetorian Guard, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become a General like her grandpa to support her eventual twin daughters Allie and Rose, getting all the adventure she ever wanted.

But even grown up as a respected General and all they've been through, Mallarie still teases her brother about being a 'dumb nerd' to this day.

Ratchet and Rivet's second (just as short) child and intelligent, voice-of-reason son, Miter-Mags.

Named similarly after Mallarie, and in honor of Rivet's uncle, Mags, Miter takes much after him in terms of intelligence and curiosity. Unlike the rest of his immediate family, Miter enjoys a quieter lifestyle, interested not in guns and adventures, but in books and the unknowns of science.

With encouragement from his grandpa Kaden and great-uncle Mags, Miter graduated all the way from college with the Lombaxes to eventually work under them at the Center for Advanced Lombax Research in the Interdimensional Division.

However, this and his interested made him a 'boring nerd' in his sister's eyes, and as such, was unable to completely escape his family's lifestyle, finding himself begrudgingly dragged away on dangerous adventures by his sister in an effort to make him 'cooler', forcing him to learn a thing or two about fighting in the process.

However, disaster would strike one day when he lost a leg protecting his sister on an adventure gone wrong. Being blamed by their parents, Mallarie fled from home while Miter remained to recover from his injury, Rivet being there the most from him, and hating the fact that her son suffered the same fate she did, losing a leg while she lost an arm.

But while Rivet helped him get over the loss of a limb, Miter similarly helped his parents get over the anger they felt towards Mallarie, as he hated seeing her sister in so much distress, and seeing his family being divided, and slowly convinced them that it wasn't her fault since he could have simply refused to go, and saying that they should be thankful that they are both still alive.

Thankfully, Mallarie eventually returned, allowing everyone to make up and apologize for regrettable things that have been said, and to better help move on from the incident, everyone pitched in to help build Miter a yellow prosthetic similar to Rivet's, a symbol of their love overcoming a struggle as great as this one.

And as it turned out, his amputation was a blessing in disguise, as when he returned to work, a very shy coworker of his, Estelle, was the most concerned about his accident, asking if he was okay, and always being there to help him whenever he needed it, her worry overpowering her ordinary shyness.

After a while of getting to know each other, the two would start dating, and upon finding out and enjoying his new girlfriend's secretly extremely high libido, the two would accidentally end up having a child together--something that literally everyone expected Mallarie to do and not 'actually sensible and reasonable Miter'.

Thankfully, it was a happy accident, and Miter and Estelle would marry and happily raise their son, Jules, with Miter eventually being handed the mantle of Keeper of the Dimensionator after his grandfather retires from the profession.

And even though Miter found himself at the butt of his sister's short jokes for his entire life, with her escaping their parents' acquired genes of shorter height to his chagrin, he found that a second blessing in disguise of his amputation was that kicking his sister's shins in response was much more effective with a metal prosthetic than his natural foot.

Kaden and Wells' open softie yet fiery-on-the-inside daughter, Lucille 'Lucy' Wells.

Accidentally entering the world when her mother demanded Kaden a 'destressing' session after a particularly bad day, with Wells neglecting protection in her fervor because 'we're probably too old to have kids anyway, just get over here and take off your pants already', Lucy was quite an unexpected development in her family's life, but far from unwelcome.

Although, Wells initially feared being a mother (and Ratchet loathed the idea of getting a half-sister from The Bitch™) due to the responsibility that comes with it, with her always denying the fact that she was pregnant despite the obvious symptoms, like morning sickness (she just had a long-lasting flu), her strange nighttime cravings (it's totally normal to eat pickles and tutti-frutti ice cream at midnight, KADEN), and gaining some weight (it's just too many pickles and tutti-frutti ice cream). Eventually, though, thanks to many talks from Kaden and new mother herself, Rivet, Wells would come to accept her new daughter (who would earn the pet names Pickles and Tutti Frutti due to being the blamed cause of Wells' baby bump).

Due to the timing of her birth, Lucy grew up quite close with Mallarie and Miter (of whom would be her niece and nephew, despite the fact that Mallarie was older than her by a year or two), often being confused as their sister, although she honestly was close enough to be one.

And as Kaden and Wells would find out, even though Lucy was as cute as a button and outwardly very sweet and loving of cute things, she had also inherited her mother's Wrath of Wells, giving her a bit of a temperament and capacity to unleash hell on any unfortunate soul dumb who pissed her off.

In her childhood, Kaden got her a pink Protopet as a gift, given by Angela Cross (who had in fact fled to the Lombaxes years prior, working as a biologist at the Center), and Lucy immediately fell in love with her and named her Pinky. Wells, while initially irritated that Kaden got a pet without talking to her first, would come to actually love Pinky as well--especially once she saw how terrified of it Ratchet was due to his past experience with Protopets. Thankfully, Ratchet too would come to like Pinky--but only after they locked him in a room with her until he stopped screaming once they were tired of him refusing to let him or his children even step near their house after they got her.

And in her teenage years, Lucy eventually found herself head over heels with a girl in her class, Cecily, finding her goth fashion, intelligence in poetry and philosophy, and (most importantly) big breasts quite attractive. Unfortunately for her, just like her half-brother and father, she was an awkward mess with romance, and struggled to talk to her. Fortuantely, though, Cecily (or Cee Cee, as a nickname) loved Pinky, and the two eventually bonded when Pinky ran away from home with Cecily finding her, leading to them dating, and later on, marrying.

As for a career, Lucy wanted to follow her mother's footsteps in joining the City Guard to help make the world a safer place for the average citizen, sharing her family's willingness to do good, and found that her mother gave absolutely zero preferential treatment towards her daughter, treating her as just a normal recruit.

While it was a struggle at first adapting to her mother yelling at her after being used to her being sweet with her, it only served to make Lucy quite an effective officer, and with the edge that the Wrath of Wells gave her on her job to enforce order and justice, she quickly rose through the ranks of City Guard. Soon, she would be promoted to Chief of the City Guard to protect their sister dimension's city once Lombaxes return to the old Fastoon to rebuild their ancestral home, and even later on, fully succeeding her mother in leading the City Guard across two dimensions.

Even then, though, she never did escape Mallarie's teasing, from being called 'Copper' for both her fur color and profession, having to deal with constantly arresting Mallarie herself (alongside Wells) during her rebellious years, and once promoted to Chief, Mallarie teasing how she was just a 'lowly Chief' while she herself was 'an awesome General' in the Praetorians. Luckily for Lucy, though, she was raised by one of the biggest smartasses on Fastoon, so she'd always be sure to throw a comeback that'd make her father proud.

Born as Jeremiah, Jett wants nothing to do with the family he's been given, wanting to be as far away as possible from them.

Although one would think that being born in an elite, aristocratic family with its patriarch having a seat on the Council of the Center for Advanced Lombax Research would be a one-way ticket to an easy life, it is anything but for Jett.

Being raised by parents who don't want him and a grandfather that cares not about Jett's desires to be anything other than the future Councilman they all want him to be, to say that Jett hates his family is an understatement. Although he does want to do good to help people, with his family arguing that the best way to go about it is being a Councilman to enact laws and such, Jett wants to help people directly, and he feels as though being a Councilman only serves to help his privileged family remain privileged, helping the elite more than the people.

And between his loveless, misogynistic father that brings home a different woman every week, his perpetually drunken mother that numbs her life with luxuries, and his cold, elderly Councilman grandfather that seems to make decisions 'for the greater good' without caring about those that they hurt, and the slew of shallow aristocrates they all meet with, Jett is sick of the elite lifestyle.

So, stating that his name was no longer Jeremiah and now Jett, he entered a rebellious phase to finally gain all the freedom he ever wanted, trying to act as rebels are supposed to do, from joyriding his parents' stolen ships and graffiti. Only problem was that, quite franky, he sucked at being a punk instead of a gentleman, and didn't know what to do.

However, after sitting in jail from a joyride, he happened to meet Mallarie (who immediately nicknamed him 'Spot' over his fur marking on his eye), who upon learning his want to be a rebel to escape his 'asshole family', took him under her wing to teach him how to have real fun, making him tag along on her adventures and mischievous escapades to teach him how to be a rebel.

However, Jett found himself falling in love with Mallarie, especially after meeting her family and getting a taste of what it's like to have relatives that love you unconditionally--especially if she too had a Councilman grandfather that had the capacity to be a loving patriarch. And after opening up about his own loveless family, he was unofficially accepted into Mallarie's shortly after they started dating, who he now considered to be his real family now.

Once Jett's family learned of him and Mallarie dating, they sought to make him date 'within your own class' by trying to set him up with an aristocratic snob, Brittney. Jett, however, hated being forced on dates with her by his family, and it was the final straw to make him leave them all for good.

Now with a family where he was actually loved and accepted for who he was, he and Mallarie talked about their future together, and decided to have a family of their own, with Mallarie getting a career in the Praetorians to help support them.

When they had their twin daughters, Allie and Rose, Jett became a stay-at-home dad, wanting to be in their lives for as much as possible, wanting to be the best parent he never got, loving his children with the love he so desperately wished to have himself growing up.

But when they got older, and the task of being a full-time parent was no longer needed, Jett decided that he wanted to fulfill his desire to help people once more, but this time, instead of going on heroic adventures with Mallarie, he decided to pursue a career as a Councilman, now on his terms instead of his family's.

Although he wished he had a family like Mallarie's growing up, he is more than happy that he was able to ensure that his own daughters grew up with the happy childhood he never had.

Estelle--It's always the quiet ones.

Growing up with intense social anxiety all her life, being a quiet, shy, wallflower bookworm, no one would suspect sweet and intelligent Estelle to consistently have the highest libido in the room.

Whenever she isn't dedicated herself to the pursuit of interdimensional knowledge, quickly finding herself a job as a high-ranking researcher in the Interdimensional Division, she is indulging in her favorite hobby of reading smutty romance novels, having quite the collection.

While working in the Interdimensional Division, she found herself getting a crush on her coworker, Miter, always loving his charm and intellect, but always being to shy to say more than a few passing words to him. But after he suffered from his accident and not being able to show up to work for a month, only getting updates from his grandfather Kaden and great-uncle Mags who also worked there, Estelle grew very worried about him.

Luckily, he eventually came back, but upon seeing him missing a leg with a new prosthetic, Estelle's worry overpowered her anxiety, wanting to make sure that he was alright, sparking their first real conversation together. Ever since then, Estelle was always willing to help Miter out whenever he needed it, and being braver to actually talk to him now that they actually somewhat knew each other, allowing them both to work more closely together. And soon enough, Estelle mustered up the guts to ask him out--something that made Miter a bit sore because he too was trying to get enough nerve to ask her out only to be beaten by her.

He quickly found out just how much of a sex drive his seemingly innocent girlfriend had, on top of learning of her hobby for smutty and romantic novels, but luckily for her, he did not judge her one bit for her somewhat embarrassing hobby--especially when he found the smut she had secretly written about them as well. He was more than happy to help her indulge in her libido, however.

But it was said indulgence that led to an accidental pregnancy with their child, but thankfully, Miter and Estelle felt up to the task, and decided to marry and raise their unexpected son, Jules.

Although the incident served as a stark reminder for the importance of protection, it did nothing to stifle Estelle's sex drive, always loving the fact that she was able to find true love like all the girls of her smutty romance novels did--except her one true love was a short scientist instead of a broad, scantily-clad burly hunk.

Cecily is a true example of don't judge a book by its cover--nor by its taste in music and fashion.

Although one would think that with her goth outfit and many piercings that Cecily (or Cee Cee, as those closest to her also call her) is a punk, you wouldn't be further from the truth. In stark contrast to her fashion sense and preferred taste of heavy metal music, Cecily is often a quiet and stoic individual, not by any sense of anxiety, but rather from a mindset of not needing to speak unless she has something to say.

And thanks to her love of poetry and philosophy, much of what Cecily has to say is quite meaningful and full of beauty--which is exactly why Lucy fell in love with her in the first place, on top of finding her quite physically attractive as well.

Contrary to what Lucy thought, Cecily did know she existed, and also found her awkward attempts at getting to know her quite endearing. And luckily, Lucy's pet protopet, Pinky, similarly loved Cecily, and happened to run to her when she ran away one day, allowing her and Lucy a perfect opportunity to talk.

And much like Marie and Ratchet's partners, Cecily did too find Lucy's inherited romantic awkwardness very cute and charming, and soon began dating Lucy, finding her to be an extremely dedicated and loving partner.

While Lucy would go on to find a career in the City Guard as an officer and eventual Chief, Cecily instead pursued her passion in writing and poetry, and while not becoming as popular so as to go down in the history books, found enough success that she can be happy with a job, wife, and cute and cuddly pet that she loves.

From Kaden, his own family, and pretty much everyone else that meets him, they all agree on one thing; Harold is undoubtedly the epitome of a crotchety old man.

Already having a bit of gruffness to him in his younger days, it was only made worse when Tachyon attacked, killing his beloved wife, Cynthia, and nearly destroying the planet that he loved. As a result, Councilman Harold was the most vocal proponent to banning Dimensionators outright to prevent any chance of encountering Tachyon ever again.

As a result, however, him and fellow Councilman Kaden had a bitter rivalry, with Harold always standing as Kaden's biggest obstacle between him and retrieving his son for the twenty whole years they were separated. Harold did not care, however, as he always stood for doing what was for the greater good of all Lombaxes--even if it meant crushing the dreams of others.

When Ratchet arrived to prove Harold wrong that Ratchet was not in fact a 'dead and rotting pile of bones that Tachyon has undoubtedly dealt with by now, Kaden', it did nothing to change his attitude or demeanor, only making him agree that it was like father, like son: They were both smartasses that annoyed him to no end.

But while he was a respected Councilman, albeit agreeable, his home life fared no better, with the death of his wife making him a cold man towards his own family to their own detriment, especially towards his rebellious grandson.

As his son, Felix, and his daughter-in-law, Ophelia, were questionable in their parenting skills in the best of times, Harold was one of the most present relatives in Jett's life that showed him the most love--which was not saying much. Even though they used to be close, Jett's disillusionment to his family's lifestyle and expectations of him drove them apart, coming to a head when Jett firmly denounced his entire family to say that he was leaving them--for Kaden's family.

To hear his own grandson say that Harold's most bitter rival was a better grandparent than he ever was stung more than he thought, especially when Kaden himself reamed into Harold one time for squandering the family he had while Kaden fought him for the right to even have one for twenty whole years.

Having his most loved relative abandon him began a period of reflection in Harold's life, which was unfortunately not for much longer. On his deathbed, he asked for Jett to see him, and in an emotional conversation, apologized to Jett for not giving him the love that he should have been given, and even though he knew it was too late to give it now, he was happy to see that he had found it with Mallarie and the rest of Kaden's family, and made Jett promise to be a better man than both him and his father.

Although the experience would leave Jett with bittersweet feelings, it at least made him feel more at peace with his decision to leave his family with his grandfather's blessing and love, making the few happy memories he had with him all the sweeter.

The epitome of a dysfunctional and loveless family, Felix and Ophelia.

Thanks to his father Harold's more neglectful style of parenthood due to his wife's death during Tachyon's attack, Felix unfortunately grew up with some bad habits--particularly, having the same neglectful mindset of being a parent.

Ophelia was actually of a lower class than Harold's more aristrocratic background, and when the two started dating, she was pressured into marrying him to secure her own place with the elite, but finding out much too late that with Felix and his misogynistic beliefs and bitter attitude, she made a poor choice.

In an effort to save their marriage, the two had a child, Jeremiah (later deeming himself 'Jett'), only to find that it amplified the problems with Felix being an absent, harsh father that soon found a regular hobby of bringing escorts home, and Ophelia numbing her loathsome life with drinking and empty pleasures of a wealthy lifestyle, also opting to neglect their son.

While the two of them fell out of love long ago, now trapped in a loveless marriage, the only thing they could agree on was that their son would be a disappointment if he never became a Councilman to further secure their class status once Harold dies. They made sure to voice this to Jett for his whole life, on top of the odd insult and statement that they would have probably been happier if they never had him in the first place.

With parents like these, it was no surprise when Jett disowned himself and never looked back, and while Harold was the only one who was most hurt by it, Felix and Ophelia were simply annoyed and opted for a 'good riddance' attitude.

However, seeing Jett leave their family gave Ophelia enough courage to finally leave her loveless and long-since-dead marriage, and left Felix with his constant weekly escorts to try and find her own happiness in life.

Wherever she or Felix ended up after Jett left, however, he doesn't really know, nor does he care at all, only that they remain out of his and his children's life forever.

With the both of them being among the most insufferable and vapid people one can meet, Brad and Brittney truly are made for each other.

Ever since puberty, Brad's main goal in life is to get laid whenever he can--guys, girls, doesn't matter as long as he has a good time. As a result, he has racked up one hell of a body count over the years, and broken-hearted exes to go with it. And even though he gained a reputation from his countless conquests, that he cares more about maintaining his admittedly attractive looks than his actual partner for the week, Mallarie neglected to listen when he asked her out, believing that she could 'fix him'.

The fact that he flirted with both her parents, her brother, and her (lesbian) aunt Lucy upon introducing him wasn't enough to deter Mallarie despite literally everyone telling her she should run. But thankfully, the situation 'fixed' itself once she turned down Brad's instent offer to finally have sex--Mallarie arguing that if she was losing her virginity, it wasn't in the back of a ship after getting fast food--and upon seeing that Mallarie wasn't going to be an easy conquest, he dumped her, forever cementing the family's hate towards him.

Brittney, on the other hand, was born in a high-class family, and as such, finds anyone one poorer and/or of lower-class far beneath her, and has had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Her family tried to set her up to date Jett as a ploy from his family to try and get him away from Mallarie.

Unsurprisingly, Jett paid no attention to Brittney on their forced dates, both from the fact that he already had a girlfriend, and the fact that he hated Brittney's vapid, selfish, and elitist personality. So after one last date crashed with Mallarie's aid, Jett left Brittney behind, which upset her greatly in thinking that she wasn't good enough.

She decided to drown her sorrows in a high-class bar later that night, where she happened to run into Brad, who upon convincing her that he was totally some rich dude that's clearly in the same class status of her, they had a one-night stand. But after being so lucky for so long, Brad's luck ran out as Brittney ended up pregnant to both of their dismay.

However, as the reality of him being a father began to hit him, something changed inside of Brad, making him decide to try and turn around his ways to be the best dad he can be to provide for his family. Luckily, Brittney's CEO dad (who was very displeased about the pregnancy as well) got him a job at his company's mailroom, and thanks to Brad's natural charisma, managed to work his way up to a respectable managerial position in the company over the years to support their son, Oliver.

And although his and Brittney's relationship was rocky at the start, neither wishing for a relationship nor even a child together, they did all they could to try and make it work together, which thankfully, they did, their new child and marriage doing wonders to change their otherwise selfish ways and grow to be better people.

Brad and Brittney would even later run into Mallarie and Jett, respectively, and apologize to them for their shitty selves they had to deal with when they had to 'date' them, saying that they had grown up and matured since then.

To this day, the two couples are actually good friends, allowing their children to grow up playing with each other and becoming best friends--and even allowing a budding romance to blossom between them as well.

However, it doesn't make it any less awkward when Brad still runs into one of his many exes on his day-to-day.

Ratchet and Rivet's grandchildren; Allie, Rose, and Jules.

To be honest, I decided that this generation is my cutoff point for developing my AU, as if I went beyond this, I know I would never stop making this family huge, so not every much is decided on what they actually do as it doesn't really matter lmao

Allie and Rose are Mallarie and Jett's twin daughters, named after Wells and Rivet, respectively (with Wells' first name being Alice and Rivet's original birth name being Rosie). Allie would grow up to be more headstrong while Rose woudl grow up more shy and reserved.

Jules is Miter and Estelle's son (and the oldest of his cousins), and he is named after Julie--mostly because she was very butthurt that Kaden and Ratchet didn't name any of their children after her. Needless to say, she was very happy.

Brad and Brittney's son, Oliver, or 'Oli' as everyone calls him.

Similar to Allie/Rose/Jules, Oliver is in the generation that I am deciding not to develop to stop myself from going overboard, so not much is decided about him outside of the fact that he is Allie and Rose's childhood friend, and that he ends up in a relationship with one of them (probably Allie).

And don't worry, he isn't a vapid asshole like his parents were.

Jett's grandma/Harold's late wife, Cynthia.

Not much is developed of her because of the fact that she's been dead and honestly doesn't have much bearing on the AU as a whole, but Harold used to be not as crotchety and cold when she was around, and she was quite the gossip, but an otherwise sweet and kind lady.

Wells' late ex-Praetorian father, Ulysses.

Ulysses used to be a respected Praetorian captain back in his day before retiring to spend more time with his family, including Wells when she was a little girl, who looked up to him very much.

But when Tachyon attacked, while his family evacuated, he stayed behind to aid his fellow Praetorians in the evacuation, but unfortunately was killed by Tachyons' forces. As a result, Wells vowed to follow her father's footsteps in wanting to make the world a better, safer place, sparking her fire in pursuing a career in the City Guard--opting to enlist with them rather than the Praetorians because Wells felt as though the City Guard makes more of an impact on the average person's life, being able to better see the fruits of her labor for herself.

Wells' mother (or sister?), Sierra.

At first, Sierra was drawn to be Wells' mother (as my friend wanted to know more about Wells' backstory), and that she died with her father to better establish her motivations to want to do good--mostly by the fact that they accidentally instilled a workaholic mentality into Wells before they died.

But then another friend thought of the juicy idea of Sierra being alive purely so that she and Ratchet (and Rivet) actually bond so that Wells would have to watch with horror as her mom would become frineds with The Punk and Missy.

But then I had the idea of what if Sierra was Wells' older and more fun-loving sister for those juicy sisterly dynamics, still making her and Ratchet pals, but also so that Kaden can ask her for dating advice.

I am still on the fence about how she is related to Wells, so she's a work-in-progress lol

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so, that was the "short" character overview of all the (current) main characters currently planned in my AU!

If you're interested in reading more, read the series so far here on AO3!

[sonicasura]

For the Timeline Of Ratchet and Clank things are gonna have too be moved around. A 11 year time timeline for all the Ratchet and Clank stuff too happen with Kafka who got abducted around the age of 21 and meets a 7 year old Ratchet. The events of the first game take place when Ratchet is 15 in canon so that would leave around 3 years for all the adventures. I would say probably this needs too be changed a bit so there is more time for the story too unfold.

Also since Ratchet and Clank 2,3, and Deadlock don't really fit this new timeline well I will only be using 3 as it introduced Dr. Nefarious and can fit into this new canon

After that will be Tools of Destruction and A Crack In Time, then leading Into The Nexus and then A Rift Apart.

Of course there will be a lot of in-between stuff happening after each adventure and after A Rift Apart we go back too Earth too get started on Kaiju No. 8 canon

This is my idea for the timeline of events but if you have a better Idea I would like too hear it!

That's honestly perfect. Considering how odd Going Commando and Deadlock felt, those two games would go great with movie based shenanigans. Our heroes being asked to help make a few movies for a struggling movie producer. Plus it would be funny that Kafka casually mentions he worked on actual films once he's back on Earth.

Other shenanigans being an accidental species swap between the trio. Kafka gets turned into a Lombax, Ratchet a Zoni Robot, and Clank becomes human. A situation that does get resolved although our himbo finds out his suit now has a 'Lombax Mode' because the scientist responsible for the incident was like 'Why not?' (Plus Kafka getting hugged by Mina than just Ratchet is too funny to resist.)

Another shenanigan being our himbo's kaiju form is mistaken for a Leviathan by said beasts and hunters. Ratchet couldn't help but chuckle as Kafka shoos away like the 5th monster. Apparently kaiju cores can be mistaken for Raritanium since both produce very similar yet different signals.

[commenter2]

Insomniac Games giving the heroes Web Wings in Spider-Man 2 was a good idea as it was another fun way of traveling, and helped with how much bigger the game's map is compared to the previous IG Spider-Man games.

Personally I really love how they were like Clank's Robo-Wings from Insomniac Games Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, and I think it would be cool to see Insomniac Games use what they did to make the Web Wings to bring back the Robo-WIngs for a future Ratchet & Clank game. Combine the Robo-Wings with the Jetpack gameplay mechanics from Into the Nexus and the 2016 reimagining, and I can see it adding a bit more to open worlds which IG can make even bigger then before.

I can see you being able to switch between using the Robo-Wings and Jetpack as each has unique properties, the Jetpack would be used for flying slowly but allows you to use weapons on enemies or to destroy debris in the way, while the Robo-Wings would allow you to fly fast which is great for getting across levels faster or to get away from enemies. I think we got a sample of what that could be like in the Trudi missions in Rift Apart.

Would you like to see this in a Ratchet & Clank game one day?

[first-impressions-gaming]

Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart

Developed by Insomniac Games

Published by SIE

Release Date 2021

Tested on PC (16 GB RAM, Ryzen 7 7735, RTX 4060)

MSRP 59,99 USD

It’s a great joy, a rare one, to get the chance to play a non-frills singleplayer game with to-do-point mechanics. Mechanics are vital parts of a game, how it works and how the player is supposed to play the said game, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is on another level, it is super fun, mechanics are kept to minimum, and they don’t get in your way when you’re playing, and everything is steady and consistent. Rift Apart deserves all the praise I can present here and more.

As a gamer I have never played a Ratchet and Clank game before honestly, this is my first time going into the franchise, this title is one of the launch titles for PlayStation 5, which later released on PC with additional technical capabilities and features. In my playtime I tried to keep the game at steady 60 FPS therefore I did limit some graphical settings to medium, as a result of that, you may see some slight pixelated assets here and there, otherwise the game looks extra sharp and crisp. 

Rift Apart takes the story from the previous game of the franchise, Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus, which was released back in 2013, so it is highly likely that you are familiar with the franchise or the preceding game, the game opens with a short and concise tutorial section which plays as the sequence that sets the tone and scene for the rest of the game. Ratchet and Clank are galactic heroes and a parade is being held in honour of them, yet Ratchet and Clank acknowledge that they have been out of the game for sometime and haven’t done much since their last mission from the previous game. Right at this point the parade gets invaded by Doctor Nefarious, the long-time arch nemesis of Ratchet and Clank, during the fight between them and Doctor Nefarious’s goons, Clank surprises Ratchet by showing that he fixed Dimensionator recently, Nefarious grabs it and opens dimensions one after the other, and we get sucked into them respectively. As parallel universes are created and visited, we find ourselves in a parallel reality where Doctor Nefarious is the beloved and feared dictator of the entire galaxy. From this point onwards, we play as Ratchet, Clank and Rivet (who is another rebel in this parallel reality).

Now I’d like to share some gameplay clips, here is the first boss fight:

This is one of the high-action scenes, where you’re required to make quick decisions:

As can be seen in the clips, action-adventure spirit is greatly executed on gameplay level, backed up by superb environmental detail and vivid locations. One thing that stands out prominently is that, I never felt the need to interact with menus in this game, the game is always on-the-go, and the game always guides you to the next location without making you feel ‘okay I should arrive the targeted location’, that’s why the map that can be found in menu is never needed. The world is offered to you before you and the linear story progression takes you to the next place smoothly.

The game makes use of dual-reality setup as well in a number of missions, basically you switch between two dimensions and progress as they allow you.

Lastly, you can purchase and upgrade new weapons with the currency that you collect by destroying boxes around and killing enemies:

Also, the menu offers map, cosmetic items for the character and light codex entries that can keep you up with story of the franchise:

Rift Apart is a great family-friendly action game that will make you fall in love with, it is lively, enjoyable, teeming with energy all-around.

[99katarina99]

It has everything, but it's too short.

I just finished watching a full playthrough of Ratchet and Clank Into the Nexus by Full Playthroughs. I had also played that game back in 2013, just when it came out. I was very happy to be able to play another Ratchet and Clank game, and I really enjoyed playing Into the Nexus. This game has everything, but unfortunately, it's too short. I finished it in 1 day. I feel like the developers didn't try enough to release the new Ratchet & Clank in the same fashion as the previous games, not to mention that this game was released just a month before PlayStation 4 came out.

Let me tell you briefly about the plot with my own words: The game starts on a spaceship freighter that serves as a prison where Ratchet and Clank, along with their robot friends Cronk and Zephyr, need to escort Vendra Prog, the dangerous and cold criminal, to the prison, but they get attacked by Neftin Prog, Vendra's brother, who hired Thugs 4 Less, the guns-for-hire, to get Vendra out. The freighter explodes, killing Cronk and Zephyr along with it, and Ratchet and Clank are the only survivors. They manage to slip into one of Thugs 4 Less' ships that takes them all the way to Zarkov Sector, the sector that was declared abandoned and haunted. They land on one of the planets out there, Yarik or whatever it's called, and they find out that Vendra and Neftin contacted a monster being, called Mr. Eye, who they want to bring into their world, using a low-budget Dimensinator, the device that opens portals to other worlds. Ratchet and Clank manage to escape, and they need stop Vendra and Neftin from bringing Mr. Eye to their world. They track Vendra and Neftin on Silox (if I remember the name correctly), the abandoned urban planet. But they're late. Vendra manages to summon and bring Mr. Eye into their world. Instead of working with Vendra, Mr. Eye's minions capture and take Vendra into the Nether, their world. Ratchet and Clank team up with Neftin to get the real dimensinator, located in a museum on planet Igliak, so they can banish Mr. Eye and his minions from their world, and free Vendra.

After watching and coming back to this game, I had the idea: I could write a fan fiction of this game. I wouldn't change anything in the original, but rather expand the storyline. Like, how were Vendra and Neftin able to make their own dimensinator? How did Vendra get caught in the first place? How did she get into contact with Mr. Eye? (Well, that part is somehow explained by the number of dictaphones we find in the game). Ratchet & Clank is an adventure game, and adventure games have to be lengthy (10 hours or so). There's got to be more to this story than me, and other gamers like me, didn't get to see. I really want that to happen.

One more thing: at the end of the game, after Ratchet and Clank had a small talk in front of Cronk and Zephyr's statues in the museum, Ratchet leaves alone, and Clank picks up the real (and now broken) dimensinator, and takes it with him. Then the scene ends, and the credits start rolling. That actually makes perfect sense, given that in Rift Apart, Clank builds back the dimensinator by himself as a gift to Ratchet so he can find Lombaxes, his species. If anything, Insominac Games actually continued from Into the Nexus instead of the remake (and the movie).

If Insominac ever plans on remaking this game (it's only available on PS3), I'll send them the script of mine. If anything, I can at least show my writing skills.

[ao3feed-izch]

ユニバーサルクラッシュ - Universal Crash

by Pyxilate

A what if scenario: if all these characters from all these fandoms existed in the same universe, but in a desolate, destroyed one that couldn’t handle all of them being in it. Their history changed, and with it, the main characters… Kokoro, who is in love with a tax collector. Nyx, who is in love with Silver Wolf. Catalyst, who may or may not be Catra’s older sister. Arataki Nevou, the girl who wins the heart of Manaria and Philine. Pyxilate, the mermaid princess and archon of light in love with Furina. Shinpi Cheshire, jack of all trades, master of none. Aoi, the secret dragon girl. Dive into a world with everything combined, with its own equally immersive lore. One question remains: will they be able to put the universe back together?

Words: 1581, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: 捏造トラップ-NTR- | NTR: Netsuzou Trap (Manga), このはな綺譚 | Konohana Kitan (Anime), 私の推しは悪役令嬢 - いのり | Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou | I'm in Love with the Villainess - Inori, 私の推しは悪役令嬢 | Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou | I'm in Love with the Villainess (Manga), ささやくように恋を唄う | Sasayaku You ni Koi wo Utau | Whispering You a Love Song (Manga), Mage & Demon Queen (Webcomic), 転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命 | Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (Anime), 転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命 | Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (Manga), 転生王女と天才令嬢の魔法革命 - 鴉ぴえろ | Magical Revolution of Reincarnated Princess and Genius Young Lady - Karasu P, 原神 | Genshin Impact (Video Game), 崩坏3rd | Honkai Impact 3rd (Video Game), 崩坏：星穹铁道 | Honkai: Star Rail (Video Game), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Miraculous Ladybug, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018), RWBY, Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland, Ever After High, SCARLET NEXUS (Video Game), Ratchet & Clank, 请欺负我吧恶役小姐！- 赤色陷阱 | Please Bully Me Miss Villainess - Chise, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), Undertale (Video Game), Wednesday (TV 2022)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/F

Characters: Original Characters, Asanagi Yori, Clorinde (Genshin Impact), Satsuki (Konohana Kitan), Bakugou Katsuki, Katheryne (Genshin Impact), Rae Taylor | Oohashi Rei, Claire Francois, Manaria Sousse, Philine Nur, Malori Crowett, Velverosa Ghalaztox, Elsa Dorothy, Anisphia Wynn Palettia, Midoriya Izuku, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adora (She-Ra), May Francois, Aleah Francois

Relationships: Claire Francois/Rae Taylor | Oohashi Rei, Malori Crowett/Velverosa Ghalaztox, Euphyllia Magenta/Anisphia Wynn Palettia, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Elsa Dorothy/Yvonne Smollett, Ruby Rose/Weiss Schnee, Adora/Catra (She-Ra)

Additional Tags: What Have I Done, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, The main characters are complicated, I hc Wednesday as a delivery person idk y

source: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52682122

[assassyart]

Alright, I'll try my best :P

— R&C 1's ending

Honorable mentions:

Something about how Ratchet and Clank are separating, and how it's Ratchet that calls for Clank to join him? "We still need to fix that arm" is just so perfect. And, bonus, I love that this ending is paralleled in A Crack in Time, with Ratchet & Clank walking off into the distance. It gives the player a false sense of security that the game is over because of the fact it came full circle to the beginning of the series.

It does feel a bit bittersweet knowing the arm Ratchet repaired is now forever gone by RA, though.

— Ratchet & Clank physically reuniting in A Crack In Time

Don't have a lot to say about this one, it's just SO good. Ratchet jumping off the platform to certain doom, yelling Clank's name to wake him up, and then catching him and the SMILE they share as he has to quickly redirect himself before they crash... GOSHHHH, it's so gooood!!!!!

— That one scene in A Crack in Time

I loved seeing Ratchet support Clank despite obviously not wanting to let him go, and to finally see Ratchet & Clank hug was the best. And as I mentioned before, seeing Ratchet and Clank walk off in the distance like they did in R&C1 was also super cool. In general, the entire A Crack in Time ending is just phenomenal.

We don't talk about what else happens in this scene, though.

— Deadlocked's ending

The best way to end Ratchet's fame arc was definitely Deadlocked. Ratchet coming to terms with what being a hero really means throughout the game via Ace Hardlight's downfall was a treat, but his speech towards Vox at the end was the cherry on top. It really showed that he learned a lesson, and was ready to throw everything away to save the lives of the many.

Might be a bit grim, but I absolutely LOVE when a character accepts their own death. I eat it up every time. Self-sacrifice is the epitome of being a hero to me, and Ratchet checked that box in Deadlocked. It's easily one of my favorite Ratchet character moments and is made even better by the fact Clank had his back to save him from his own self-sacrificing mindset. Beautiful.

— Rift Apart's Savali hoverboot section

Not a cutscene, but damn, this part of the game was so cool to me. Despite having mixed feelings on Rift Apart and especially how they introduced the hoverboots in this game, I absolutely loved using the hoverboots, and being able to truly show off how cool the movement could be in the timed hoverboot section on Savali was awesome! It's one of the most fond memories I have of when I first played Rift Apart, and every time I play the game, I return to that section just for fun.

— The Comics.

all of it. but especially the part where talwyn crashed into a ship to save ratchet. that was gold. honestly. anytime i see talwyn. two big thumbs up.

— Courtney Gears' music video

It's a classic. 🕺

— Into the Nexus's beginning cutscene, and its ending

Such a bittersweet game with a bittersweet ending. I've talked about this ending a lot in the past and how crazy it makes me, but the line "There's more for me here than over there" lives in my brain. And then Clank grabbing the Dimensionator as well?? Such a good ending, and it honestly left me quite satisfied for the *checks watch* eight years i had to wait for a continuation of the main series.

I also smashed in the beginning of the game with this because I wanted to just quickly mention how absolutely adorable the beginning to that game is. Talwyn's so cute trying to make Ratchet laugh!! I just wish we could see more of her and her dynamic with Ratchet.

that'll be it for now! there's definitely moments i love in every game. these are just all the scenes my sleepy, half-awake brain can think of off the top of my head :)

Words can't express how happy I am to have found your blog.

Can't wait to see more. Expect hearts on old stuff.

Actually, maybe expect me to join in.

Oh, right, this is an ask box. What's your favourite scene from the entirity of the R&C franchise?

Thanks so much, you're so sweet!!! :D Feel free to spam, I definitely don't mind lol. It makes me happy to know people like my art!

As for your question, it's a difficult one! I could probably pinpoint a scene that stuck out to me in all the games because every game probably has at least SOMETHING I liked in it, but we'll just stick with the one!

I think the ending to A Crack in Time has got to be my favorite! Orvus's speech and his last words paralleling Azimuth's "the universe has a cruel sense of humor" line, Azimuth's sacrifice and redemption, Clank joining Ratchet right before he leaves... it's a beautiful ending to a beautiful game, and the franchise has never really reached that level of peak for me ever since, story-wise.

Not to say I don't enjoy the games that come after, but A Crack in Time is just on a completely different level.

[botmilf]

YES BITCHES I DID IT.

finally lawl.

Page 22.

[foxships]

hmmm thinking about shipping with vendra prog againnnn i still adore her

[smoochesforghost]

More ratchet and tails? I love them

what tails would give to check out the tech of ratchets world/the future,,

[theygotlost]

TWENTY. YEARS. OF RATCHET AND CLANK. LOOKS AT YOU WITH BLOODSHOT EYES. i really wish i had the foresight to draw something for the anniversary but it just didnt happen. i think i still will draw something but it will just be late and thats ok. anyway I would like to share MY experience with the series ❤

my first ever rac game was tools of destruction. my dad brought it home one day and i had no idea what it was, I dont think HE knew what it was, I have no idea why he bought it. we never had a ps2, only a ps3, so nobody in my family had ever played the og trilogy. I didnt even know there were earlier games in the series for several more years. idk exactly how old I was, maybe 8 or 9, so this was a few years after tod's release (2009-10??). I watched my dad play it, and I thought it was the most awesome shit ever. I rarely actually played it myself cause I was bad at video games but I had such a huge crush on ratchet i wanted him to be my catboy bf so bad (some things never change 😑....) but my little brother became OBSESSED with it and played it over and over and over. he was only like 6 so he couldnt even read and didnt know the actual title of the game so he just called it "THE ROBOT GAME". i remember being so fucking confused and pissed off by the ending LOL. we had quest for booty pretty shortly after that and played that a million times too. i dont even think i registered that it was a separate game from tod and tbh i still think of it as tod dlc.

next was the acit demo, which again we played a million times, until finally our parents got us the full game (again a few years after release so probably around 2011-12). I distinctly remember my brother and i thought qwarks line in the opening cutscene "space. its big. so big in fact, that if you lost your car keys in it, they would be almost impossible to find" was the funniest shit ever and we quoted it constantly.

(and when I say "we played", i mostly mean i watched my le epic gamer brother play while I pissed him off with my backseat driving the entire time. sometimes this ended in physical violence.)

then we got all4one, and i remember my brother and I begging our dad and a family friend to play it with us so we would have a full party. our friend was like "idk guys, this is kinda wacky and quirky 🤨". I always insisted on playing as ratchet cause he was my specialest little boy and my brother mained nefarious. he LOVED nefarious he would run around screaming ANNIHILATE HIM!!!!!!!!!!

our parents got my brother into the nexus for christmas 2013, but at that point i had kind of lost interest and didnt care so i didnt play it (or just watch him play it like i did most of the time). for the next several years I really didnt give the series much thought. I might have played some of tod or acit again, i dont remember, but it was just something I used to like as kid.

and then well. spring 2020. I think a lot of people returned to things from their childhood after the pandemic started because all that fear and uncertainty makes you want to return to a seemingly simpler and safer time, especially if you were living away from your family and had to suddenly move back in with them like i did. so during quarantine I replayed all the rac games we had just for kicks, and it reignited my passion for these games and reminded me just how special they were to me. i became so intensely obsessed with them (especially acit). MY HORRIBLE SON DEX WAS BORN. (dexo is 2 years old now awwwwwwwwww) and ciro lent me his copy of the og trilogy ps3 port and I played the original games for the first ever time. and as luck would have it, rift apart was announced at e3 during that same period. kind of insane to think about. there was no way I was gonna get a ps5 so I just watch other peoples playthroughs 1 million times. i still wanna play it so bad 😭

ratchet and clank isnt even a game series its like a brother to me. its everything. its so important. learn your herstory. for some reason I was under the impression for a long time that rac was a super mainstream series that everyone has played. that a playstation and a copy of acit was made free for all americans by the president. but unfortunately the fandom is so so small with barely any active members on tumblr. there was a HUGE surge in content last year cause of rift apart, but 90% of people quickly forgot about it and moved on. i am eternally grateful to my rac mutuals and followers that continue to post and talk about it. o7

[retro-vgm-revival-hour]

                                  RETRO VGM REVIVAL HOUR:                                            GAMES OF 2021

Last year may not have been a complete improvement over the previous one, if anything, It looks like certain areas of the world are right back at square one with just more precautionary measures to ensure people’s safety in an already hectic world.

In a year where so many things continue to go wrong, video games were pretty much one of the very few Highlights that stood out in 2021.

Providing much needed distractions from everything else that is currently happening in the world around us, Video games enabled us to visit far away places filled with colorful, unique and intriguing characters that made those stressful moments just subside…even if for a mere moment of time.

SO This is why THIS stage of the Retro VGM Revival Hour has chosen the 3 most amazing tracks from the various games released in 2021 to get you excited for what’s to come.

          ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Game – Composer – Title⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

1.) Monster Hunter Rise – Reo Uratani, Satoshi Hori & Nao Sato – “Where Wyverns go to Die, Barbarous Beast: Magnamalo (The Chase) & The Invading Tyrant: Bazelgeuse”

2.) Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX – José Ramón García – “Main Theme, Scopaco Cycle & Mt. Kave”

3.) Legend of Mana Remastered – Yoko Shimomura, Ryo Furukawa & Osamu Katsumori – “Hometown of Domina, The Darkness Nova & Pain of the Universe”

4.) Bravely Default II – Yasuo Kamanaka (Revo) – “Battle with Those Learned of the Stars, Sailing & The Bells of Battle Ring Out Again”

5.) Resident Evil Village – Marcin Przybyłowicz & Nao Sato – “Village of Shadows, Acid Rain & The Final Movement”

6.) Deathloop – Tom Salta & Ross Tregenza – “Welcome to Blackreef, Time Flies & Pitch Black”

7.) Little Nightmares II – Tobias Lilja – “One Step/Two Step, Bottom Feeders & Lost In Transmission”

8.) Far Cry 6 – Pedro Bromfman – “Anton, El Este & The Guerrilla”

9.) Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth – PEPOSOFT – “Cavaliere: The Proud Knight, Prologo: Breath of the Labyrinth & Fiamma del Caos: The Cave”

10.) Scarlet Nexus – Hayata Takeda & Masato Nakamura – “Dream In Drive, Faded Bustles: The other & The OSF: Advancing”

11.) The Medium – Akira Yamaoka & Arkadiusz Reikowski – “The Love That Was Lost, It Starts With A Dead Girl & Voices (w/ Vocals by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn)”

12.) Tales of Arise – Motoi Sakuraba – “Don't look back (Proceed), Night and Light & Flame of Hope”

13.) Guilty Gear Strive – Daisuke Ishiwatari – “Chase, Calm & The Roar of the Spark (w/ Vocals by Naoki Hashimoto)”

14.) Shin Megami Tensei V – Ryota Kozuka & Toshiki Konishi – “Jouin High School, Battle (humans/demons…and) & Tokyo (Daybreak)”

15.) Lost Judgment – Saori Yoshida & Hidenori Shoji – “Hydra, 1811 & K.O.G”

16.) Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection – Masato Kouda, Kento Hasegawa & Ryuta Hida – “Pick Your Poison, Zone 1 (Execution Grounds) & Zone 2 (Crystanlline City)”

17.) Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Mark Mothersbaugh & Wataru Hokoyama – “Rift Apart, Sweet Home Sargasso & Glitch in the System”

18.) Psychonauts 2 – Peter McConnell – “Psychonauts 2 Title/Prologue, Mal-BIG-ula & Panic Attack”

19.) Mario Golf: Super Rush – Motoi Sakuraba – “Bowser Highlands (Snow), Bonny Greens (Speed Golf) & Bowser Highlands (Lava)”

20.) Neo: The World Ends with You – Takeharu Ishimoto – “The Beginning of a Happy Life, Death Throes & Encounter”

21.) Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy – Richard Jacques – “The Cost of Freedom, Dweller in the Darkness & Gardeners of the Galaxy”

22.) No More Heroes III – Nobuaki Kaneko & Jun Fukuda – “Naomi's Lab, Phantom Skate (Gokko of Itachi) & Awesome Holyday in the Sky (Kimmy Howel/Kimmy Love Theme w/ vocals by Jennifer Hale)”

23.) Metroid Dread – Soshi Abe & Sayako Doi – “Theme of Samus, Quiet Robe & VS. Golzuna”

[lunarlitmuses]

You know, it’s kind of crazy how wonderfully done Insomniac Games, erm, games are in terms of graphics in both the past and currently. The more cartoony ones like Ratchet and Clank and Sunset Overdrive are the biggest proof of this. Like...A Crack In Time was a PS3 game. A PLAYSTATION 3 game, and I think the game still looks beautiful in both art style and animation even today, comparing perfectly to a Pixar movie (something that’s been done for years now, for good reason). In an age where games are looking a lot more realistic, it’s cool to look back and see games that are clearly ahead of their time graphically. Like look at these screenshots and tell me they wouldn’t have fit as an early/mid age PS4.

From how furry Ratchet’s ears and tail are, to the animations during the in engine cutscenes (and even the pre-rendered ones!), and I can’t stress enough how realistic the water is when you go through it. Dash through with hover boots? Water waves kick up and aside, and the water goes down behind you as the thrusters push forward. Walk around or even just stand around? Ripples follow and spread out behind Ratchet like they would an actual person walking through an actual body of water, and slowly move out when he’s standing and has his idle animations play..

I don’t think Insomniac gets enough credit in just how beautiful their games can be. Gameplay/story quality might have been debatable for a while (I liked the reboot but I understand why people don’t, and I think Into The Nexus, while short, is one of the best Ratchet and Clanks in terms of balance between platforming and action, something the games kind of lost over the years), but one thing you can always count on is Insomniac making super pretty games <3

[discosmackdown]

i found a really old piece i did back in 2013 that was done during my Nexus hype and with a new RaC game on the horizon i wanted to revisit it!

you can get the full, non-watermarked version of the image over on my patreon, this month is Ratchet and Clank themed!

[terra-drone]

Ratchet’s Age by Game’s Timeline since some people be calling people a child bonker over a goddamn ship (ffs you’d think this dumb shit would be over by now what is this 2015)

RaC 1: 5354 

According to a magazine unlock in-game, game happens on this year, 15/17 yo depending on which source you go with.

RaC GM: 5355 

We don’t know if it was still the same year but according to the intro 6  months has passed so we round it up, 16/18 yo.

RaC UYA: 5356

Gadgetron discount you get from having RaC 1 only applies in-universe for being w the Gadgetron company for 2 years, 17/19 yo.

Ratchet Deadlocked: 5357

According to Jak X: Combat Racing, Ratchet was stated as 18 in this game so in all likelihood Ratchet was 15 in RaC 1.

Juanita mentioned that Ratchet encountered Courtney Gears a year ago in one of the cutscenes, which sets UYA a year before Deadlocked.

RaC Size Matters: 5357-5358

According to devs SM happens after Deadlocked so if we want to stick w 1 year has passed for each game it happens somewhere between 5357-5358. 19 yo.

RaC Tools of Destruction: 5359

Following the 1 year scheme, 20 yo.

Secret Agent Clank: 5359

Since it launched concurrently w QfB, it can be assumed that this was a dream sequence Clank experienced while at the Clock.

RaC Quest for Booty: 5359-5360

QfB was shorter than most installments so it can be assumed this one didn’t take a full year. 20-21 yo.

RaC A Crack in Time: 5360

Sigmund mentioned that Neffy has been trying to get into the Orvus Chamber for over a year. 21 yo.

RaC All 4 One: 5362/5363

Intro sequence said that it’s been over 2 years since the duo beat Neffy but no definitive answer on whether it’s exactly 2 years or 2+ years. Probably in the middle of Qwark’s presidency. 23-24 yo.

RaC Full Frontal Assault: 5364/5365

Qwark stated he finished his public service as President. Assuming that they have a 4 year term we can surmise it has been an additional 2 years since A4O since he was still president at the time. 25-26 yo.

RaC Into the Nexus: 5365/5366

Since no timeframe was given for this game we’re using back the 1 year thing. 26-27 yo.

RaC 2016: 5364

The oh so famous reboot. Is said to be 18 yo in this but honestly he acts like he’s 10 but then again the canonity of this installment in the timeline is questionable at best.

RaC Rift Apart: ???? We have no context for this game yet whether it’s continuing the reboot’s or following up ItN so who knows really. All we know it’s been a few years since Neffy last showed.

________________________________________________________

Now, for the oh-so-controversial ship subject: Alister Azimuth.

He’s a general, so safe to assume he’s done service for roughly 20 years unless Lombax military fast tracks stuff. Operating under the assumption that it works like America by which you graduated at 18, finish college at 22, and immediately enlisted, Alister would be in his 40s by the time he got to that rank. Add 21 years to get to ACiT and that’d put Alister in his 60s.

Sizeable age gap? Sure. But it’s a goddamn fictional ship in a goddamn fictional world over two goddamn fictional space cats w weird ears and feet. At worst it makes Alister a foxy grandpa, and we can’t even know for sure since 

We don’t know what his actual age is.

Insomniac never provided details on how Lombaxes work as a culture so we don’t have a baseline to infer to, that is spitballing based on America and we could be totally wrong.

We don’t know what the average lifespan of a Lombax is. They could get up to 300 for all we know.

And last but not least; Ratchet is of consenting age at that point. If it was explicitly shipping w RaC 1 Ratchet then yeh. That would be unacceptable.

So please, for the love of god, stop calling people an istaphobephile just because you don’t like something. Seriously. You’re diluting the definition of the term and make people not take seriously when it’s actually true cuz people like you keep throwing it around like wet toilet paper that’s been stuck on a bridge troll’s ass cheeks. Grow up.