#he was just next to a Pokéstop

[gladiator-gladiolus]

Instead of house price being based on size/view, it should increase depending on how close you are to a Pokéstop. Imagine living right next to one, farming Pokéballs every few minutes- THATS not okay. I have to walk 20 minutes to get to the one closest to me.

[renaerys]

how about I thought you left.” with the greens?

50. “I thought you left.”

Co-opted for BTM universe, sorry not sorry.

This fic is part of a prompt challenge that is now closed to new requests, but you can read all the completed submissions here. Reminder that the challenge is to make everything SFW, so we’re getting creative here.

xxx

Peace and quiet were exceedingly rare in Butch’s home these days. Between Brisa in full-on sullen teenager mode, Bruce overrun with energy and exploding all her toys, and Bud teething on Butch’s shoes, he had a full plate as primary caregiver while Buttercup was out mommy’ing Citiesville solving all its murders.

Small wonder that he had learned to cherish the moments he had truly to himself late at night and early in the morning. He settled in for the early morning moment with his phone, set up a lure at the Pokéstop in the Cooper’s Market located on the first floor of his apartment building, and began his daily shit in the master bathroom.

A wild Treecko appeared against the closed toilet door, drawn to his lure, and Butch grinned. “Get in, you slimy little dude.”

It took a couple tries to catch Treecko, but he managed and sighed. The toilet water splashed as he dropped a satisfying deuce and reviewed Treecko’s information in the app.

“Jesus Christ, did you finish off the curry this morning?”

Butch startled and dropped his phone. “Buttercup, what the hell?!”

“Because it smells like a spicy diaper in here,” she went on.

“I thought you left!”

“I forgot my ring, so I came back. Could’ve warned me I’d be walking into goddamned Chernobyl. Would a courtesy flush kill you?”

Butch flushed, but not because she’d asked him to. His cortisol levels were up, his morning peace was ruined, and he was out of toilet paper. “Goddamnit—pass me some TP!”

“I’m not getting anywhere near that toilet!”

“Oh, for fu—I have poop in my ass!”

“Okay, Jesus!” Buttercup chucked a new roll of toilet paper over the top of the door, and it bounced off Butch’s head.

“Thanks a lot!”

“You’re super welcome!”

Butch grumbled a string of curses as he finished up in the toilet and let himself out to wash his hands. When he looked up, Buttercup had a can of Glade she sprayed everywhere. Somewhere in the apartment, something that sounded suspiciously like Bud hamster balling in an energy shield through the lego palace Bruce had managed not to explode yet echoed through the walls, followed by a very sleepy Brisa yelling, “Daaaaad, they’re awake!”

“Great,” Butch said. “All that yelling must have done it.”

Buttercup put the Glade away as he slipped past her to deal with their youngest, but she caught his wrist. “Hold up.”

“If I don’t stop her, Bud will blow a hole through the wall.”

“I’ll deal with her. Go make yourself some coffee.”

He peered at her, suspicious. “What about work?”

Buttercup shrugged. “I told Ty I’d be in a little late today.”

She never did that. Butch slipped his hands around her waist. “Really?”

She pinched his nose. “I don’t have all morning, but enough for you to get the most out of that lure.”

He grinned and hugged her. “I love the shit out of you.”

She winced at his unfortunate choice of words. “I’m going to let that one slide. Get your ass moving before our daughter razes the whole apartment.”

Buttercup went to deal with their rambunctious Super kids, and Butch passed the next ten minutes blissfully alone in the kitchen as the coffee maker sputtered and filled the space with the rich aroma of hazelnuts. He pulled out two mugs today instead of just one. Maybe, if he asked nicely, Buttercup would hang out for a few more minutes and have coffee together.

“Daaaaaad!” Brisa yelled. “Have you seen my Eleventeen hat? I can’t find it anywhere!”

“I found it!” Buttercup said. “Bruce had it under her bed!”

“Ugh, Bruce!”

Butch smiled and poured himself a cup of piping hot coffee and relished in a rare morning of not my problem.

xxx

If you enjoy my writing, check out more of my fics on AO3, link in my profile. I’m currently updating Trinity House and The Alchemy of Us. Thanks for reading!

[lycheesugar]

I Choose You

Jackson x Reader AU

Genre: Fluff? Crack?

Inspired by this post

Warnings: There’s a bit of a cringy sexual innuendo in the beginning, but it's not what you think... please bear with me

With that said...

“At this rate, we’re going to get nowhere.” You exclaim impatiently.

“Babe, have some faith in me.” he says, his voice dropping to a husky tone as he tries to concentrate.

Your heartbeat begins to quicken as you urge him to go faster, your senses overwhelming with exhilaration as adrenaline courses through your veins. The thought of Jackson coming through for you aroused great satisfaction in your heart, seeing the lengths he would go to ensure that both of you would be happy.

“We need to be fast. Keep going straight, don’t you dare slow down right now.”

Your excitement brings you towards the end of the seat as you two get closer.

You knew you were safe with him. He was protected and equipped with good insurance. Jackson was a responsible driver.

“Okay, so where is it?” he questions.

All night you have been countlessly checking your phone, watching the Pokémon GO avatar from the account that you shared with Jackson run across the screen as you drove between the busy streets of the city, milking out all the items you can from each pokéstop you pass.

Both of you were huge Pokémon fans since you were kids. Having almost completed your Pokédex in the game, this was the moment you’ve been waiting for, for years. You were one pokémon away from completing the Pokédex.

For some reason, Squirtles were extremely rare where you and Jackson lived. When you first saw it appear on the map, you quickly alerted Jackson and began your expedition to capture- er, befriend it. Since it was rare, you needed to be quick.

“Take a right. It should be by the park.”

Returning your focus to your phone, you went through your avatar's bag, going through your items- checking for berries, and using all your coins on purchasing ultra balls.

You use your last incense as you got closer to the park, willing to do whatever it takes to get that Squirtle. Its will be yours.

As the two of you reach the park, you quickly unbuckle your seatbelt and sprint to the swing set, when you see some kids swiping away on their phone, quietly and intensely.

You shake your head and remember that you are on a mission. And so you lift your hand to check your back pockets, only to find it empty.

You turn to face Jackson, rubbing the back of you head as if trying to soothe a sunburn

“You left your phone in the car, huh?” he says, a smile breaking through his features as his eyebrows creased.

Behind you, you could hear the kids cheering and talking excitedly amongst each other, as you let out a nervous laugh that lead to fake crying.

Jackson walked up to them.

“Hi there,’ he says sweetly.

“Did you guys just catch a Squirtle on Pokémon GO? That's really cool!”

The kids converse happily with Jackson and high fives eachother for a bit before he returns.

“They caught it right?” you question, already knowing the answer.

Jackson sends you a small smile chuckling lightly before throwing his head back in laughter and you join in as you both slowly walk back to the car, waving goodbye to the kids.

“I cant believe after all that chasing, you left your phone in the car.” Jackson giggles.

“Hey, don’t think that I didn't want that Squirtle! I was desperate, but maybe it just wasn't meant to be,” you shrugged, turning to face Jackson as you walk down the sidewalk.

“But seeing those kids happy makes me happy as well. There’s always a next time.”

“It’s okay y/n, you already caught me.” he says, throwing his arm over your shoulder and sending you his signature wink.

“Your Pokédex is complete.” he ends,

“Good grief, Jackson,” you chuckle.

Quickly, he runs and jumps onto one of the large stones that borders the parks, before turning around, throwing his arm back then forward again to point at you.

And in the most dramatic voice he screams to the top of his lungs:

“Y/N, I CHOOSE YOU!”

________________

Thoughts?

June 8/19

First one ayyyyyy

[blackuigryphonvr]

#Niantic #Wayfarer #PokemonGo -#Bullies #Harassment

Usually, when people get weird rejections it’s often passed off as “lazy reviewers” whom just pick something random. But, lazy people usually go for the things that are the least effort... they’re lazy JUST because they want to get an “Upgrade”. There’s a fundamental flaw in this process.... it’s also NOT as tho Niantic is unaware.....

But...... it’s funny how I’ve found a strong correlation to the PokéStops submissions I put through that got accepted, and the ones that didn’t.

I hereby testify that all of the ones that went through were ones I never mentioned on social media, and the ones that got rejected were ones I DID mention were my submissions.

Why?

Because we’re a community. We share the intel, the techniques, the methods, and resources.

I also noticed that intel I publicly gave out so others could also submit a nomination when Wayfarer went live, were also rejected under suspicious illogical reasons....

However, after multiple tries, and the glossy luster of the new Wayfarer wore off, those slacked off periods ended up having the submissions going through....

But, since everyone kept insisting it’s just “lazy viewers” I went along with it.... but I also noticed that areas that went through were usually places and areas I did NOT tell anyone about. But areas that I did publicly divulge WOULD get rejected because it was specifically something I PUBLICLY WANTED.

This pattern was very strong.

Then, when I got a rejection reason accusing me of harassing people, abusing Niantic’s system, and basically accusing me of being a Nazi, I blogged about it last week.

I also vented about it on social media.

1 key 🔑 point I said was that we knew months ago that the usual reason that a PokéStop submission could be rejected also according to OPR Ingress players was a bad photo. 📷 Being that I’m actually a photographer 📸 I worried about my exposures being bad, and often reshot the photos to be sure persons, minimal cars, and animals were out of the shots, lighting was good, composition was Level, etc...

And I mouthed off that if they’d just picked photo rather than accuse me of being a Nazi, plus the fact that it got rejected in hours when there was nothing wrong with my submission, I wouldn’t have caught on that a pack of haters were plotting to sabotage me.

There were other odd behaviors of people being rude to me since June, and it ramping up this month in Discord. People I didn’t even know, and weird inside jokes of people laughing at some kind of inside jokes, blocking me, and posting photos bragging about how I was blocked. People “liking” those posts and laughing at me because in their private DMs they are trashing me.... OBVIOUSLY. I also noticed there’s persons I can’t “like” posts to, nor reply to... and I don’t even know who they are. I can see their posts, but they don’t seem to see mine... and the head of the Discord was pressuring me to tell him who.... I just don’t want these punks to be kicked out. Yes, they’re jerks & immature.... but I don’t think they should shut out of the community over it... or banned from playing the game.

Well..... it’s been getting weirder...

After my post exposé of how people were ganging up on my nominations, probably scouring anything local to my area, presuming it’s mine, or connected to my intel, the very next day another submission went through within less than 2 hours!

So.... to me, it seems as tho they’re stalking my social media, realized they were busted, felt guilty, then pushed that other one through. I’d also publicly said THAT area was one I was currently suspending any further activity from submitting anything to....... I never said I didn’t have any left in my cue tho.... so, either that pack of them hanged up to push it through based on guilt.... OR THEY THOUGHT SOMEONE ELSE MADE IT.

But, get this.... I publicly TOLD everyone in the Discord server that it got accepted.... so, I kept waiting for it to show in game.... it usually shows either the following day at 2PM, or the day after that at 2PM.... but days went by, and NOTHING was there...

I wondered why.... because I so meticulously planned everything out... I left instructions in both submissions, because 1 was bear the previous one, but were near the edges of 2 different cells.....

So, by the end of the week, I checked the PokéStop......... AND IT WAS MOVED.... meaning SOMEONE MOVED IT AFTER IT HAD ALREADY BEEN PUT IN THE GAME.... THEY ALSO moved it into the OTHER CELL, which cancels out that other POI from showing in BOTH Ingress but ALSO Pokémon Go...

Then, I realized that ONLY OPR could do that....

But, didn’t OPR get shut down????

So, I publicly asked.....

Then, as I was outside playing Ingress I noticed that OPR shows that I have “agreements” in my stats and several, even tho my Level was only 6, then Leveled up to 7.... so, is OPR still there?

In OPR higher level players get personal preference biases to the final say of Portal/PokéStop submissions and can move them....

Apparently, we can suggest a PokéStop point to be moved also.... but, in Ingress if someone does it I CAN SEE THEIR USER NAME!

Oh! And I SAW WHO DID IT!

I recognize this player!

This player started used to have a lower level than mine, but is NOW Level 8... meaning they can move stuff, and change things...

But............... this person IS ON THE OPOSING BLUE TEAM. The Resistance Team. I’m on The Enlightenment Team.

So... is this whole thing based on a BEEF IN INGRESS???? Well, at least THIS suspect seems to be connected to it.

Well, I called this person out.

This person KNOWS that I play BOTH Pokémon Go AND Ingress as the same name AND my social media is the same name. Implying that they are cyber stalking me, and have an enterage.

This saboteur person ALSO can read the Discord and is in there.

I recently vented on social media that this person flubbed up. Because accusing me of abusing Niantic’s system, being a bully, a Nazi, and harassing people just by making a PokéStop submission, and it happening incredibly fast not only was dubious but it’s a TELL that I’m being actively sabotaged by a group of bullies that have it out for me, for some unknown reason....

Plus, I just HAPPENED to mention on Tuesday that I KNEW who the player was in Ingress, and I’m ONTO THEM, effectively calling them out....

Well, yesterday (Wednesday) in the evening THIS SPECIFIC PLAYER decides he wants to start playing again....

As you can see.... he hasn’t touched my portals much since November.... but, interestingly enough.... he did actually start playing THE MOMENT my new PokéStop by Marylou’s went up..... weirdly coincidentally.... but also, I added in 2 submissions there.... which 1 was a goddess and the other was a male Buddha... but SOMEONE combined them as a DUPLICATE even tho they ARE NOT. YET ANOTHER WEIRD COINCIDENCE..... oh, and it’s VERY OPR...

So.... when I’m in game, and I realize that THIS GUY was the one who MADE THE EDITS BECAUSE INGRESS TELLS ME WHO DID IT AND I CAN SEE HUS NAME, then I out him n call him out on Tuesday.... Wednesday he comes back out WITH A VENGEANCE!

Do u have any idea how much time it takes to put up all those portal fields in Ingress? But, it also takes quite a while to take out the opposing teams’ stuff. I know. I’ve been playing for a year. Well, there’s pages upon pages of him trying to take me down! He must’ve been out there for 2 hours in the sub freezing cold!

I use Mods on my portals.... maybe u should look that stuff up, dude. Just sayin’.... 😆

U guys aren’t even that good at sabotage. You constantly screw up.

What? You didn’t think that Ingress would tell me who did what edit?

I also put you, and like a hot head, you come after me for revenge basically ADMITTING that it’s YOU! You are SO BUSTED!

I KNOW ITS YOU!

I know u stalk me.

I know what you’re doing!

Oh.... and THEN THIS HAPPENED!

See.... u guys JUST CANT HELP THE FLAWS IN YOUR BRAIN. Typical bullies....

I got a rejection on something that was stuck in the cue for a long time... and honestly THAT ONE seemed fine and reasonable to me. It was one I submitted just to see what happened. To check quality control. It was the Satellite Radar Dish from the Cold War. I had a feeling it probably wouldn’t go through... and it didn’t. I’m OK with that. And the reasons given were all thoughtful ones.

But THIS yet again just shows how brainless, impulsive, reckless, and Sadist u are.

Remember when I said on social media that I wouldn’t have ever caught on that I was being sabotaged if they’d JUST picked Bad Photos as a reason? Yeah, I JUST recently publicly said that this week & last week.

But, since it’s CLEARLY a pack of bullies, and SOME can’t help themselves because they’re weak minded and have no self control over emotions, impulses, and ego, they ACCUSE MY SUBMISSION NOMINATION of a PokéStop AGAIN of being harassment.... which u can clearly see is no such thing.... but they ALSO accused me of having a bad photo!

BTW I’m a photographer and a cinematographer....

I’ve NEVER EVER had a rejection that claimed I had a bad photo EVER. I found that especially weird, since according to the several lives steams I sat through when Wayfarer went public was that it was the most common reason. So, I would and did worry about it often... then, I mouth off about this in the past 2 weeks, and ANOTHER STRANGE DIRECTLY CORRELATING COINCIDENCE just HAPPENS to be BAD PHOTO AND ACCUSE ME OF A CRIME AS HARASSMENT.

FYI: this type of photo is known as a backlit landscape l.

ARE U KIDDING ME?

Does ANYONE in ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM actually believe that this is Harassment???

OF COURSE NOT!

You guys ARE SO BUSTED!

FYI: Ingress isn’t actually real. It’s just a game. Grow up.

If I must say, I’ve noticed that several players that have access to Wayfarer often chicken out. So, there’s a small handful of us that collaborate and share input, intel, techniques, methods. We’re so good out scouting out POIs that it’s not even a contest. We’re wizards at digging through archives, resources, data.

It’s really a shame that there’s nasty folks out there screwing up.

If we get stuff in game, and we’re very good at troubleshooting and working around problems & obstacles, YOU could actually play on the POIs we added in game.

Honestly, we’re really good at it because we do our due diligence. If Niantic let us loose in a spot anywhere on the globe with unlimited submissions, we’d Turn This Mutha OUT!

You sabbatuer bullies can only stop us to a point. You can’t stop us forever, and you can’t keep us down.

I know who u r!

[memorylang]

L.A., Graduations and “La La Land” | #54 | May 2021

This May was such a packed month that for the first time in a while, I decided to take two blog posts to contain its adventures. I’d even planned to have some of its tales spill into my June post, making this really more of a 'Part II of III.' This specifically would focus on the graduation season, mid-May. And while I’d hoped to have debuted these stories six months ago (November 2O2I now), I’m glad to have at least gotten these together! From the end of these tales you’ll know why I’d that wait, though.

Previously On...

As I’d written in my first May 2O2I tales, I’d randomly seen an article on Friday, April 3O, noting how people can visit dozens of real places from the film, “La La Land.” I felt surprised to think that people can swing by my favorite film’s iconic locales. I found the prospect enchanting.

The next Monday, May 3, I received a message from my sister Becky requesting whether I or our siblings would come to Los Angeles for her graduation, May 15. I missed out on her high school graduation since I was abroad in China, so this time I offered to fly in.

A friend with whom I’d recently reconnected mentioned living in L.A., I remembered. Later, after an unrelated video call with her that Monday, I said I’d be in her city. I asked for recommendations. She suggested Hollywood.

Suddenly, her suggestion reminded me of that “LA LA LAND” article! I felt enthused. I could see not only my sister and my friend but also real locales used to film scenes from my favorite film. Somehow I hadn’t noticed before that the title’s name contains “L.A.” three times.

Reno Graduations

That Thursday before the trip, May 13, the family of my sister Vana’s boyfriend Ben came to visit us in Reno. The parents and oldest brother remembered me from my Class of 2OI9 graduation activities, for the middle son Nikko was one of my parish friends. I felt touched that they remembered. I suppose in hindsight that perhaps being memorable wasn’t so hard since only four or five of us graduated from the church that spring.

The next morning, Friday, May 14, I came to our campus parish to celebrate first the live-stream graduation of Ben. When Ben and I were in school together, he was my Knights of Columbus mentee and successor as both Chancellor then Deputy Grand Knight. He officially started dating my sister Vana after I graduated. So, our families have grown closer. His family ordered a hearty brunch from Taiwanese 1OI, where my family had gone last year after Vana’s confirmation.

Later that Friday, we celebrated the Baccalaureate Mass of student coordinators and friends from my undergrad. We celebrated Abui, Cristian, Jesús and Ben! The next morning, Saturday, May 15, my youngest siblings and I arrived at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport to fly to L.A. for our sister’s graduation.

As we waited at our flight's gate, I procured on my phone the livestream of our Kansan cousin Caleb getting hooded at the completion of pharmacy school. I took screenshots and shared these with our aunt. To my delight, when I commented I’d be willing to pay extra to trade someone to finally have my own $2 bill, my youngest brother Tony cheerfully accepted my offer, and we made the trade. Then we boarded for L.A. I’d scheduled to stay an extra day to see friends and embark on my “La La Land” adventures.

Lang Family in L.A. Lands

My siblings and I disembarked our plane at the LAX and made our way outdoors to the pedestrian waiting areas where we could stand. We waited there for Dad and Tita to drive to pick us up, as they had been driving from Reno to L.A. and were just arriving. I remembered trips abroad when I’d traveled alone. This time, I traveled with my youngest couple siblings. While we waited, I used my phone app to spin the daily PokéStops in our new city. Vana helped a Korean couple who approached her book an Uber.

After Papa and Tita picked us up, and we sat an awful' long time in traffic. If I hadn’t already, I finished my daily Duolingo lesson, read my daily Bible chapter and probably checked my emails and messages. I wish that I wouldn’t check my email so much, though. I try to work less when I travel.

We reached my sister Becky's school and began wandering. My folks and I found our sister in a public space she called the Rose Garden. She was taking photos with her fellow graduates from the University of Southern California (USC). Apparently white was a popular dress color for female graduates. I wasn’t aware till Sister pointed it out. We took family photos. Then my siblings and I bid our sister, Papa and Tita adieu, for Sister had only two guest tickets.

USC Side Stories

Our youngest brother Tony wanted boba tea, so we walked from campus while I live-streamed on my phone the graduation speeches. From Pot of Cha, we got our bobas then returned to campus. I showed my siblings the pretty exterior of the water and brick Leavey Library. I recalled spring 2OI8 when I had visited here with my sister Becky in our undergrads. I spent some time in this library working on projects. A USC student recognized me from my service to him as a Nevada Boys’ State counselor during his delegate year.

Our sister Vana wanted to use a restroom, so she visited a nearby Starbucks. There instead she received a map marking public restrooms on campus. So, we began navigating the campus in search of an open restroom. I enjoyed seeing between the buildings epic trees along the way. The Music Complex ultimately delivered us.

Business addressed, I decided to take my siblings to see the towering Annenberg Communication building that I found cool. Unfortunately one couldn’t see its absurdly large screens from outside, but I enjoyed at least finding it again. It was in there that I’d gotten to read online more about the Chinese university where I’d study through the U.S. Department of State that summer in Xi’an.

My siblings and I heard cheers nearby and saw track and field events happening behind a gate. We congregated by the fence for a time watching. I felt the campus odd to have field events concurrent to a commencement. Still, the metaphorical gladiators seemed to fare well.

After peeking through those fences a while, my siblings and I returned to one of the grassy areas with epic twisting trees. We were apparently right across from the USC Bookstore. So many squirrels squirmed about. I kept my phone livestreaming graduation festivities. We checked Messenger to see time updates from our sister Becky. We saw her friends Colin, Sofia, Alyssa and Danielle heading up and saw her too. I snagged many a screenshot on my phone to send our group chat. In just three years, Sister had her bachelor’s, summa cum laude like me!

Evening Oddities

After Sister graduated, Brother and I ran to the house where she was staying, while the folks drove. When Brother and I last visited Sister in L.A. last year to drop her off, she’d been living in an apartment. So, this house was different. We placed our things where we would be, then the fam went forth into the night. Youngest Brother led us through the Chinatown area of seemingly fewer palm trees.

We first tried visiting a karaoke bar yet found it bizarre. The back stairwell felt a bit like a Six Flags’ ride’s metal alley, except we saw no lines here. We didn’t raise our expectations high. When we entered, we didn’t find a receptionist ready. We did, however, see suddenly a woman in a tight dress appear and say that she’d come just to drop off a large cake. She then left. Then from an elevator outside by the stairs came a man pushing an empty shopping cart into some section of this karaoke place. A large van was somewhere below.

The desk clerk at last mentioned something about Fridays and higher prices. Well, we left. After leaving, we realized the day was Saturday. Still, we assumed that perhaps the two days had the same rates. We’d committed anyway to doing karaoke when our L.A. sister would visit Reno the week after. So, we cut our losses.

We walked to what my brother had looked up might be another boba place. Well, the one that he’d found on Yelp had either closed or relocated. We found another, I Love Boba, instead. My sister and I split a shaved ice that had many sweet things in it. I liked how the cashier showed us how to poke the ice to mix the ingredients. She seemed adorable in her delight to show us how to properly enjoy the treat.

On our walk, Sister Becky told me about “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a show, which according to L.A. billboards was having a new show soon. Our family ate outdoors at an Oaxacan restaurant called the Guelaguetza. Its seating reminded me of Austin, Tex. 2OI8. I hadn’t heard of Oaxaca, but I learned that it was in México. Coincidentally, I’d talk to someone not long after during a virtual meeting with The Overseas Dispatch who mentioned going to Oaxaca.

That night, my siblings, papa and tita departed for their own place to stay before brief national park trips on the road back to Reno. I readied for bed at my sister's place. Sister's friend Colin visited, too! I felt delighted to see him again in the flesh. He’d visited us in Vegas back in January and had been fun to chat with. I rested well for the coming adventures.

“La La Land” Adventures

I’m a huge “La La Land” fan. I’d organized my remaining L.A. days around how to see at least six to eight sights. I saw nine. Ultimately, these were Chinatown, the “You Are a Star” mural, Fern Dell Nature Trail, the Observatory exterior, Colorado Street Bridge, the mural under the overpass, the 1O5-IIO interchange, the Lighthouse Cafe exterior and the Hermosa Beach Pier.

The morning after Becky’s graduation was Ascension Sunday. Since my sister and I wouldn’t leave her place too early, I decided that a shorter trip would be a helpful start. So I browsed potential sites on my phone and noticed that L.A. has a Chinatown. Being Chinese-American, I enjoy visiting cities’ Chinatowns. I also recalled that “La La Land” has a track called “Chinatown.” So, L.A. Chinatown would have to have been a setting. I added it to my list.

Arguably Chinatown wasn’t that essential to the “La La Land” plot other than looking nice. While we wandered it, Sister explained how in U.S. history Chinatowns had adopted their amalgamated architecture to make themselves tourist destinations against governments’ criticisms. I felt a bit dismayed but understood. These alleyways more closely resembled Disneyland caricatures than genuinely authentic looks.

I loved how right when we arrived I saw a mural commemorating “Rush Hour,” a franchise I’d seen when I was little. Beneath the ol’ faded lanterns and along the paths, I had a joyful time. Toward the center, I saw the backside of a statue of a person sitting. I assumed it might be 孙中山 Sūn Zhōngshān, the Republic of China’s first president. I was right!

Beside us from the statue was a bakery, Wonder Bakery. I missed Chinese bakeries. I said to my sister that if they had any meat-filled 包子 /bāozi/ I’d probably buy one.

As it happens, the shop didn’t have meat-filled bāo. The cashier said how earlier that day, someone had just come in and bought the dozen. I asked how long it might take for them to make more, and the woman replied that it could be an hour. I mentioned that we’d be taking off before then.

To my surprise, the woman gave us free egg tarts! I decided to get a pineapple bun that I was eying. Its puffy look reminded me of similar ones that I’d buy in my Mongolian city. I offered some of this bun to Sister, but she didn’t care for some. She had her egg tart, though! Sister and I then hiked to a nice look-out near the Hollywood sign. On our drive from there to where I’d meet with an ol’ friend, I felt pleased to see on our right the massive “You Are a Star” mural.

On my adventures around the city, I also felt delighted to see Emily Stone on billboards for Disney’s “Cruella.” While I’m not so interested in the franchise, I found it amazing to know that Stone’s leading the high-profile film. I’d first seen her act in “The Amazing Spider-Man” but really felt inspired from both her performance in “La La Land” and her interviews about the film. Stone’s billboards reminded me of her character Mia Dolan’s aspiration to go big in Hollywood. Billboards of Dreamworks’ new 3D-animated “Spirit” film reminded me of my Peace Corps Mongolia sitemate Emilie, who’d loved the original. The billboards looked cute. Generally, massive billboards remind me of Chicago 2OI7 and my undergrad years studying ads.

From Griffith Park to Pasadena

My sister dropped me off in amazingly tall-treed Griffith Park, where I’d meet up with Margaret, a friend I hadn’t seen since spring 2OI8 when she’d graduated early. Margaret had been such a supporter throughout our undergrad, especially my freshman year when I underwent the Rites of Christian Initiation for Adults. In L.A., as we chatted about our travels in Asia, she took me up the beautiful Fern Dell Nature Trail to the Observatory exterior. She captured a photo of me hopping with unrestrained glee on a path before both the observatory and the Hollywood sign. It would become my Facebook banner cover to capture my delight of having gotten my second COVID-I9 vaccination that month.

Back at the car, when Margaret and I tried to leave, her Prius had trouble starting. Thankfully someone stopped to help us. Then I got to ride with my friend! I love Priuses. They’re cool cars, environmentally friendlier and super common in Mongolia! My friend then picked up her boyfriend Awaab, and together we visited the tranquil Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery nearby in search of famous folks like Walt Disney. I found the hilltop building’s interior enchanting, as were the views from in and beyond the park. I would surely spend more time there like my friends. Though we couldn’t find Disney’s grave, my friend took me to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, where I found Disney's star instead. Then my friend drove me by the iconic Colorado Street Bridge to Pasadena, where I’d dine with one of my Returned Peace Corps Volunteer friends from the cohort above me. I hadn’t seen him, my Byzantine-loving friend Nick, since our spring 2O2O evacuation from Mongolia.

We ate at the Panda Inn, which Nick explained was an origin point for the Panda Express franchise. The food tasted great. My friend commended me for still wanting to return to Peace Corps Mongolia. He caught me up on the education roles he’s held since our evacuation the year before. I felt surprised to learn that one of our fellow Returned Peace Corps Volunteers was in the Bay Area, where I hoped to visit the next month.

After dinner, Nick took me down some streets on which he spent many of his years living here. Unfortunately, we ran short on time to see the Rialto Theatre because of sunset, but he drove us across the Colorado Street Bridge. It reminded me of a smaller bridge in Reno that I’d walk near Idlewild Park, the winter when I’d see “La La Land.”

Nick delivered me to the hilltop of the Griffith Observatory, where I reunited that sunset with my sister. I loved having gotten to see that iconic, domed observatory in both the day and night. I felt delighted by how it acknowledged the films shot there. Sister and I proceeded around the park experiencing the “Ellen Reid SOUNDWALK.” The cosmic choir reimagined for me the lovely nature in darkness.

From Griffith Park, Sister took me back to the Walk of Fame so I could find by night Bruce Lee’s star and the Chinese Theatre. These satisfied me greatly. On our way out, Sister had trouble getting onto the freeway, so we wound up looping around such that I encountered a bonus “La La Land” sight, the mural under the overpass. This serendipity delighted me immensely. As we returned to the house, I admired the exterior of a building that looked like fire. Then we slept.

Last L.A. Morning

The next morning, my last day, Sister took me to the beach. Options included Manhattan Beach, my sister’s favorite, and the Santa Mónica Pier, apparently an iconic one. I specifically chose instead one that would ensure our route would pass through the 1O5-IIO interchange. This interchange was where filmmakers shot the iconic opening to “La La Land.”

I felt amazed next by how easily we found the Lighthouse Café exterior after parking. My last stop would be the Hermosa Beach Pier. I loved the moody wind and slate waves. The pier felt pleasant. L.A. in the distance, its other piers visible, seemed vast. I recalled Panamá City’s coast.

Sister wanted to grab a bite to eat before we left for the airport, so I decided to treat her to a burrito bowl and got a burrito for myself of the same flavor. While I felt like I probably could have done without, I also preferred not to feel hungry on my return flight. So, I accepted to get the bite. Contrary to our dad’s annoying claims, I enjoy treating people when I’m feeling it. So, I felt glad my sister accepted. She’d given me a rad time in L.A.!

I returned to Reno, satisfied with my trip. Though I didn’t spend time listening to the “La La Land” soundtrack while in L.A., as soon as I returned to Reno, I started listening to it again. I don’t see myself living in L.A., but my Peace Corps friend persuaded me that Pasadena and similar sites are nice. Time will tell where I wind up!

Fam Karaoke in Reno

That Wednesday would mark the 2Ist birthday of my youngest sister, the day which would also mark my full inoculation from COVID-I9, May 19! That Saturday our L.A. sister would come to Reno. And during the spring semester, the Reno Newman Center the student coordinators had hosted a karaoke event. So, we’d decided to celebrate Vana’s belated birthday party with Becky and karaoke. Rounding out Easter 2O2I, Pentecost would follow the Sunday after, May 23.

Our family friend Chisato, who worked in the @One of the University’s Knowledge Center, checked out karaoke equipment for us, which we hooked up to the large telly Dad had mounted in the living room. We gathered on the couches that they had transported from Vegas at the turn of the New Year. This room felt much fuller than during last summer, when Dad just bought the place. Siblings began their songs.

I opened with “Waving Through a Window,” which I hadn’t sung before in full. Since Ben had told me that a trailer for a “Dear Evan Hansen” movie went live, I felt in the musical’s mood. I remembered too back in Glee Club spring 2OI7 when I’d first heard a close friend perform it on what I didn’t know would be the week before my mom was killed.

The sisters sang some Shania Twain and hoped to get Dad to join in. I think he did for some, which amazed me! The siblings, Ben and I sure enjoyed belting out “Hamilton” together. I recalled rapping “Hamilton” some days at Newman with Ben’s older brother Nikko. Here, my sisters were very carefree, our tita was supportive, and I felt relatively free from Dad’s judgment.

I even decided to try my hand at “Some Things Never Change,” the pleasant opening of “Frozen II” I’d first heard just over a year before and had looped listening to many times throughout 2O2O. I later sang a handful of “La La Land” numbers for my first time, including “Someone in the Crowd” and “Another Day of Sun.” “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” was a classic for me, and my performance on its difficult notes received praise from the fam. I’d a fun time.

And Now This...

I felt glad to have gotten to be in the States long enough to attend these graduations. Since I’d gotten my second vaccine dose and had renewed my Peace Corps documents, I predicted, hope-filled, that reinstatement could be on fall’s horizon. Summer 2O2I felt like the start of a bright end to this pandemic.

Indeed, May 25, we received an email from the Peace Corps. I felt ready to find out my next steps and know the date when I leave. Yet this message set in motion another set of feelings, one that would become for me some three months of crisis.

We would not return to Peace Corps service in 2O2I.

And so my stateside stories continue. Tune in from November 2O2I to find out how I’d spent the past six months since then. If you’ve seen me in the past six months, you surely have some stories already! Regardless, I’m ready to share.

You can read more from me here at DanielLang.me :)

[darkmus]

darkmus - Let’s GO Charmander Hunting

Omake for [Do not trespass while playing Pokémon GO.] I’ll be turning this into a series on Ao3 this week.

Happy Pokémon GO Community Day!! Hope you all get your Surfing Pikachu. 

~~~

Joey’s confession left Kaiba feeling apprehensive and all the elation he’d had just moments before seemed to dissipate. There weren’t as many people playing Pokémon GO these days and far fewer who he’d actually like to spend time with, aside from his little brother, so he had been excited to find out Joey played. But now that he knew Joey was Valor…

Joey claimed that being on opposing teams wasn’t a big deal but did it matter?

The three teams did have different mentalities, and there could be something said about player compatibility because of it. Valor gave off a vibe of being too brash and arrogant, so opposite to calm and logical Mystic.

The whole situation left him feeling a bit like Romeo and Juliet.

He liked Joey. A lot. So maybe it was fine that they were on different teams…

“You know this place is a Charmander nest right?” Joey said, changing the subject slightly.

Kaiba’s eyebrows rose.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Joey showed him his phone, where he was currently trying to catch a high CP Charmander. He curved an Ultra Ball and caught it.  

“Geez, fucking finally,” Joey muttered under his breath before letting out a sigh. He looked up from his phone and gave Kaiba a smile that made his breath catch in his throat.

“You… uh… wanna catch some after lunch? Well, maybe catch this one,” he said, motioning to Kaiba’s phone, “then eat lunch, then catch some more.”

Kaiba smiled back, his stomach filling with butterflies.

“… Yeah.”

Kaiba fumbled his phone out of his pocket, trying not to show his sudden nervousness, and opened up the app. Joey sidled up next to him, and Kaiba felt the butterflies starting a riot. By the time the Pokémon GO loaded and the Charmander appeared, they were in full revolt and Kaiba had a hard time doing his usual curveball bonus. After missing three times, he switched to a regular throw and thankfully it caught.

Pleased, but flustered, he looked up to see Joey looking at him with an amused smile. Behind him at the table, the waitress was looking for them.

“Our food’s here,” he motioned.

Joey perked up. “Oh, great! I’m starving!” he said eagerly.

They walked back to the table and sat down.

“I want to see your stats later,” said Joey before digging in.

When they finished eating and paying, they walked outside and spun the ugly griffon statue Pokéstop. There was another Charmander waiting for them and they caught that one too.

Joey swiveled around in the app, trying to find where the other Pokéstops were.

“Looks like there’s a bunch over there,” he said.

Kaiba nodded. “That’s by the golf course. Each hole must be a Stop or something.”

Joey beamed at him. “Let’s go!”

~~~

“Damn kids!” yelled an old man, as Joey wildly drove them away on the golf cart, laughing.

“They’re never going to let us back here,” joked Joey.

“They will,” said Kaiba with a smirk. “My dad gives them too much money to ignore us.”

Once they reached the next hole, Joey parked the cart on the green. The current party was just teeing off, so they were still a bit away and no danger.

The Charmander at the hole didn’t have a high CP, but once ground up would give Kaiba his 124th Charmander candy. Joey had finished a little while ago and was just along for the ride. It was sweet that he wanted Seto to get enough candy for a Charizard too.

Kaiba still couldn’t get over the fact that Joey had wanted to go on a date with him. He’d actually been nursing a supposedly unrequited crush on the blond for some time now, so it was doubly shocking when Joey offered. (Though in the back of his mind, a thought did pop up, needling him, that perhaps Joey was only using him to get access to this country club… but if that was true, he might as well enjoy this while it lasted.)

“I’ve got enough candy now,” Kaiba announced.

“Awesome!”

They climbed back into the golf cart but before they started back, Joey turned to him and smiled.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” he said, gorgeous chocolate eyes shining. “I had a great time.”

Kaiba’s heart sank; this was the beginning of the end, wasn’t it?

Joey leaned in and kissed him. Kaiba returned it half-heartedly.

“Oh, right!” Joey exclaimed when they broke. “Can I check out your badges?”

Kaiba warily showed him his phone.

“Oh, if you want to unlock the Ice type silver badge there’s a Jynx nest in the park by the Domino Aquatic Center. We should go; maybe even tomorrow?” Joey asked excitedly. Then he paused. “Unless, you know, you’re busy…”

Kaiba blinked at him. Joey still wanted to hang out with him later? His heart did a slight bob.

“I am busy…” he said reluctantly. “I promised my brother that we would go Christmas shopping.”

Joey deflated a bit.

“Well, are you still free today? I know it’s getting a bit cold, but I wouldn’t mind going now.”

Kaiba swallowed. “Uh, sure.”

“Great!” Joey said with a huge smile. “I think I only need like, 40 more Ice types for the gold badge…”

Kaiba boggled at Joey as he started the ignition. Joey was crazy, but maybe that was a good thing…

[not-a-space-alien]

Falling Hazard, Part 7:  A Triptych of Various States of Affairs in Hell, Earth, and Heaven

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16

Series masterpost

On AO3

Anyone in Abraxas’s position would have mixed feelings about seeing the banquet hall again. Fortunately for Abraxas, she knew exactly what she wanted to do with those feelings.

Abraxas leapt up onto the table, feet squeaking on the polished wooden surface as she walked down it.

“Abraxas,” said Paula, seating herself in one of the elegant wooden chairs. “Get down from there. Someone is going to have to clean your footprints off.”

“Ha,” said Abraxas. She just desperately wished there was something on the table that she could kick off, like a vase or a bowl. But it was completely cleared.

When she reached the end, she looked down at the regal carved seat at the head of the table, the one upon which Satan had always sat.

Abraxas spun and faced Paula, hands in her pockets.  “Hey Paula?”

They were at opposite ends of the table, so they practically had to shout to hear each other.  “What, Abraxas?”

Abraxas fell backwards into the lord’s chair, sprawling out in it.  “Look, I’m Satan.”

“You’re silly is what you are.”

“Grumble grumble grumble,” said Abraxas.  “Bring me wine. Bring me food. No! Not like that!  I haven’t done a single thing except terrify everyone since the fall of man, but you have to respect me!”

“Is this what demons usually do with their free time in new Hell?” said Paula.

“Dunno,”said Abraxas.

A chime jingled from Abraxas’s pocket.  “Oh shit,” she said, leaping out of the chair.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

Paula crossed the room to her.  “It’s just your phone, love.”

Abraxas looked at her, then down at herself, patting all her pockets until she found her phone.  “It’s Aziraphale!”

“Well don’t ans—” Paula began, but Abraxas had already picked up.

“Hello?”

Paula made a “cut it out” motion across her neck.  Abraxas’s eyes flickered over her, but she did not hang up.  “Aziraphale!  Hi! Can you hear me okay?  I don’t get good reception here.”

Paula could hear Aziraphale’s voice muffled on the other end of the line.  Abraxas put her hand over the receiver as Paula and Abraxas sniped back and forth under their breath for a few seconds, then Abraxas snapped the phone back up to her head.  “I’m in Hell. I’m helping Maltha with something. Oh, I—Aziraphale, I didn’t give the spell to anyone, if that’s what you’re calling about.”

Paula slapped her forehead.

“The—” Abraxas said, adjusting the phone.  

“What are you doing?” Paula mouthed angrily at her.

“The important spell you told me not to tell anyone.”

“Get him off the line,” Paula whispered, miming hanging the phone up.

“Yes!  Sorry, that’s what I meant. Yes.  But I haven’t given it to anyone.  Just like you told me.  Good ol’ Abraxas.  You can always count on her.”

Paula hid her face in her hands.

“Oh.  Uh-uh.  Trouble? Uh, no not really. Yeah.  You want to talk to her?”

“No,” whispered Paula frantically, waving her hands.  But it was too late, and Abraxas put the phone up to her ear.  “Aziraphale, hi,” she said.  “I’m Paula.”

“Paula?” said Aziraphale’s disembodied voice.  “Oh, we met once in, what was it…”

“Culloden, I think,” offered Paula, “Sometime in the 1800s.”

“Right, yes.  Good to talk to you again,” said Aziraphale.

“You too.  So was there…anything you wanted to ask me, or…?” said Paula, looking at Abraxas with hatred.

“Uh…” said Aziraphale, suddenly sounding unsure.  “Um, some…really crazy stuff happening, isn’t there?”

“For sure.  Keep yourself safe, Aziraphale.  Maltha is worried about you and Crowley.”

“She is?  That’s….hold on a moment, Abraxas said she was in Hell, didn’t she? Are you in Hell with her?”

“Oh shit,” Paula mouthed.

“What?” mouthed Abraxas.

“What do I say?” Paula mouthed.

Abraxas grimaced and raised her shoulders.

“I knew Maltha was making some changes but I didn’t know that angels—were—what are you doing down there?”

Panicked, Paula punched the End button.

“You just hung up on him!” said Abraxas.

“What the hell was I supposed to do?” said Paula.  “You idiot! You know I’m not good at talking on the phone!”

“Well, neither am I! But I can’t just ignore him!”

“For somebody’s sake,” said Paula.  “You obviously can’t be trusted with a phone.  Give it to me.”

“No,” said Abraxas, diving on the phone.  “You can’t take it from me!  The throne room is a Pokéstop!”

As they fought over it, it vibrated in their hands.

“Oh no he’s calling back,” said Abraxas, dropping the phone on the table.

They both frantically danced around the table, trying to decide what to do as it buzzed angrily on the wood.

It went to voicemail. They stopped.

“Okay,” said Paula. “Maybe we sh—”

The phone vibrated again, humming like an angry hornet.  Paula picked it up and threw it at the wall, where it smashed into three pieces.

Abraxas looked at her destroyed phone with horror.  “I just hatched a Chansey.”

Paula patted her shoulder. “You can get a new phone and keep playing that horrible game about the monsters after this is all over.”

Abraxas seated herself at the table, pouting with her head on her hands.  Paula took a seat next to her.

“Seriously, though, you shouldn’t worry,” said Paula.  “Maltha is handling things.”

“Right…” said Abraxas.  “I hope I didn’t say too much. I’m a horrible liar.”

Her eyes flicked up to the entrance to the kitchen, to see an imp peeking out from the doorway had been watching them this whole time.

“Come on over!” said Paula, waving her hand.  “If you want to.  We’re not scary.”

The imp crept out, approaching the table as though Paula were the most frightening thing she had ever seen.

“Ah…what’s up?” said Abraxas.

The imp open and closed her fists, as if trying to decide what to say.

“You work in the kitchen?” said Paula, trying to start conversation.

“Yes,” said the imp.  “And I’ve never seen an angel this close before.”

“Well,” said Paula, spreading her arms, “now you have!”

The imp’s hands kneaded the air nervously.

“Is something wrong?” said Abraxas.

“That sphinx is yours, isn’t it?” said the imp.

“Oh, Toby?” said Abraxas. “Well, he’s not mine.  You can’t own a Sphinx. But I’m taking care of him.”

A big grin slowly spread over the imp’s face.  “That’s great.  You found him up on Earth?”

“Yup.”

“Wow.”

“You want to pet him? If I can wrangle him into the room.”

The imp shook her head. “Oh no, I’m not brave enough to touch him.  But just seeing him was a great honour.”

“Mm,” said Abraxas, scratching her head.  “A’right.”

“You spend a lot of time up on Earth?”

“Yeah, usually.”

The imp’s tail swished back and forth excitedly.  “Have you ever seen a griffin?”

“A griffin?” said Abraxas. “I have, as a matter of fact.”

The imp’s face lit up. “Really?  What was it like?”

“I can’t tell you,” said Abraxas, “because griffins only divulge themselves to those who are worthy.”

“Abraxas!” said Paula, slapping her shoulder.

“But how did you prove yourself?” said the imp.  “Your aura is so small…  I mean, I didn’t mean to offend! I’m sorry!”

“That’s okay,” said Abraxas. “But you know what?  It’s not about your aura.  It’s your attitude.  It’s about what you do with what you’re given.”

“Wow,” breathed the imp. “I would love to meet one some day.”

“You could go up to Earth, you know,” said Abraxas.  “You can just walk out.  Nothing is keeping you here except your fear.”

“Oh, well,” said the imp, flustered, “I-I couldn’t go up to Earth.  That’s too frightening.”

“Not at all!” said Abraxas, “Look, do you enjoy working here in the kitchen?”

The imp blushed.  “I do, actually.  A little.  I’ve never cooked before. And I still have time to read.”

Abraxas paused, as if the answer had thrown her a loop.  “Oh. Well, look, you—”

Abraxas was cut off by a voice amplified to fill the dining hall. “Presenting Maltha Queen of Hell and Noah Son of Satan, Adversary, Destroyer of -”

“You really have to do that every time we enter a room?” said Maltha’s annoyed voice.  She appeared from the entrance to the banquet room, a sleepy Noah in one arm.

The lesser demon who had been announcing them shuffled to the side, chastised.  Maltha approached the table and set Noah on it, fussing about his hair.  Noah’s eyes were puffy and red, and he clutched his stuffed rabbit.

Abraxas realized that with time it was, Noah should normally be asleep.  “Is there something wrong, Maltha?”

“My proper title is lord,” said Maltha tightly.  “And yes, there is.  Noah is very upset and cannot sleep. Which you would be able to see if you used your eyes.”  Her gaze swept across the table.  “Why are there footprints on the banquet table?  Abraxas, Paula, did you see who was walking on it?”

Abraxas and Paula both shook their heads frantically.

Maltha turned her attention back to Noah, scowling.

“Lord Maltha,” said a small demon who was hovering at her elbow.  “The nursemaid can take care of Noah.  You have other things to do.”

“Ashtoreth you mean?” scoffed Maltha.  “Noah cried when he saw her.  I’d hardly let her take care of him.”

“We can find someone else to handle the young prince.  It is not an appropriate use of your time.  I understand this was normally something the queen consort took it upon herself to do, but in her absence—”

Maltha cut him off with a wave of her hand, then curled a finger to motion him closer.  When he leaned in, she smacked his clipboard out of his hand, sending it flying across the room.

“Your head will follow if you try to force that silly schedule on me again,” said Maltha.  “If I have no time for Noah, I have time for nothing.”

The smaller demon bowed his head, creeping away.  Maltha took a deep breath, patted Noah on the head, then turned to the imp that was still loitering by the table with Abraxas and Paula.  “Yulera,” she said, “I think Noah would like some biscuits.”

The imp bowed slightly and said, “I think the cook has just made some, actually.  I’ll bring them right away.”

Maltha turned her attention back to Noah as the imp scampered away.  She tried to straighten his collar.

Noah sniffled pitifully. “When is Bethy coming back?”

She finally gave up fussing about his clothes and combed his hair.  “Soon, I’m sure, dear.  You needn’t trouble yourself about her.”

“But where did she go?” Noah wept.

“All right,” said Maltha. “I know she is the one you really want, but look! Here is something Beth never let you have: sweets past your bedtime.”

The server was making her way back into the room with a platter of biscuits.  Just as she reached Noah, the doors to the banquet hall boomed open, accompanied by the rattling of armor.

The imp dropped the tray in absolute terror, fleeing back to the safety of the kitchen like a bug under a freshly overturned rock.  The object of her distress was a warrior angel with black wings, who strolled into the room with a hand raised in greeting, approaching Maltha.  “My Queen, I—”

Maltha hissed and grabbed the rim of his breastplate, yanking him down.  “Vincent, I told you that you scare the staff when you move about like that.  Let Mammon tell everyone you are coming.”

Vincent gave her a dirty look, then crouched down, picking up a biscuit from the floor.  “Lord Maltha, Mammon was not in the antechamber. It was imperative I speak to you as soon as possible.”

Maltha smacked the biscuit out of his hand right before it reached his mouth.  “Don’t eat food off the floor like some damnable pigeon. That was not for you.”

Vincent glowered, crossing his arms.  “You are in a foul mood.”

Maltha ground her teeth, closing her eyes, irritated.  “Yes, Vincent, I am in a foul mood.  Why don’t you make things easier for all of us and give your report.  How did it go?  The fact that you returned tells me Crowley must have sent you back.”

A loose group of about five other angels meandered into the room behind Vincent. “Mmm, yes,” he said. “He wouldn’t even let us into his flat.”

Maltha palmed her face. “Okay…Vincent…Did you…tell him that I sent you to protect him?  Or did you just show up and ask to be let in, just like any of the warrior angels he might be needing protection from?”

“Um,” said Vincent.

“Now hold on a minute,” said the warrior behind Vincent, stepping forwards.  “He wouldn’t open the door.  We couldn’t just very well shout through it, for anyone to hear, ‘Hey there, we follow the commands of the queen of hell, oh by the way, feel free to have Uriel punish us for disloyalty whenever you feel like it!’”

Maltha tapped her fingers on the table.  “That’s fair. Well, let’s not badger the poor man. If he wants to be left alone, he can be the judge of that.”

Vincent crouched down and took another biscuit off the floor.  Maltha sighed and said, “You don’t have to eat the ones off the floor. We can order a fresh batch from the kitchen.”

Vincent, nonplussed, took a bite out of his, and said through the crumbs, “Oh, Lord Maltha, it was important for us to speak with you because we have brought someone else down for you.”

Maltha clapped her hands together.  “Wonderful! Just what I needed to improve my mood.  Where are they?”

Two warriors parted to reveal a principality looking around looking very unsure of herself.

“And hello to you,” said Maltha, beckoning her forwards.  “Who might you be?”

“Olivia,” said the principality, kneeling.

“I understand a salute is more conventional for angels, is it not?” said Maltha, extending her hand. “Or a handshake?”

Olivia straightened up. “Some would argue I stopped being an angel the moment I bowed to you.”

Maltha’s face split in a grin with just slightly too many teeth in it.  “Goodness, let’s hope not.  Now, would you spread your wings for me, please?”

Hesitantly, Olivia spread her wings.  She then gave a sharp cry of surprise as Maltha plucked a feather from the base.

Olivia folded her wings in and turned around, but Maltha was no longer looking at her.  She held the feather up to the light, examining it.  

“Oh, Lord Maltha,” said Vincent, still squatting on the floor with the discarded biscuits. “Heaven has finally chosen the new archangel.”

Maltha brought the feather to her mouth, tasting it.  Olivia watched with fascinated disgust.

“Interesting…” said Maltha. “Okay.  And who is the new archangel who will bring their numbers back up to the full seven?”

“The power Victoria.”

Maltha paused, eyes flashing back onto Vincent.  “I see they chose a warrior,” she said with an evil grin.  “We are already winning.  They’re afraid of losing Michael and being left without any sword at all.”  Maltha set the feather on the table, then picked Noah back up.  The small boy curled against her shoulder, exhausted from crying.  “Vincent, will you go back to Heaven and take care of that? It sounds like Raphael could use some help.  The poor boy always did struggle to get anything done.”

“Yes, lord,” said Vincent.

Maltha snapped her fingers at the small demon with the clipboard, who had been sitting in the corner, chastised.  “You there. Please get out a piece of parchment and a quill.”

“Are you finally going to send out a general address?” said Abraxas.

“The promotion of the new archangel will likely further the panic among Hell’s ranks.  I can’t pretend we’re doing nothing anymore. Now, write this down…”

Crowley had asked Aziraphale to sleep on the couch that night, which hadn’t bothered Aziraphale as much as he thought it might have.  Sometimes you just need space.

He woke up before the demon and set about making breakfast.  His ears pricked up at the sound of bare feet on tile, and the kiss he had been hoping for arrived on the back of his neck.

“You’re up early,” said Aziraphale, flipping a pancake.

Arms appeared around his waist.  “Wasn’t comfortable.”

Aziraphale made no comment on that, instead moving to set the table.

Crowley took a seat at the table and let Aziraphale spoon scrambled eggs onto his plate.  “Oh, you’ve gotten a correspondence, dear,” Aziraphale. “On the table there.  I thought we might open it together.”

Crowley picked up his fork and skewered a sausage link.  “Why don’t we wait a few minutes?  Let’s just eat our breakfast in peace.”

“All right,” said Aziraphale, taking his seat, and then as if they were still on vacation: “What would you like to do today?”

Crowley gestured with a fork.  “Well, far as I can see there’s nothing to do. Figure we should just keep sitting tight.”

“Maybe that letter will have some information we can use.”

“Mmm.”

“I should probably run over to the shop later in the day to check for any mail.  At least once today.”

“Yeah.”

“But let’s worry about that later.”

“Yeah.”

They ate slowly and deliberately, willfully ignoring the situation, taking a breather in each other’s company.  When they were finished, Aziraphale collected all their dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher.

“All right,” said Crowley. “Now, let’s look at it, I guess.”

The letter was on infernal parchment, with Maltha’s seal on it.  Crowley broke the seal and unfurled it for them both to read.

To all the denizens of Hell,

Heaven has hurt me in a very deep and personal way, and despite my staunch insistence on keeping Noah out of the War, they intend to charge ahead anyway, against the Ineffable Plan that they themselves claim to love so much.

They have declared war.  If it is bloodshed, chaos, and violence they desire so much, they shall have it.  But do not fear for your lives, for the safety of your companions and the fate of the Earth many of us have grown to care for.  Heaven’s representatives do not understand the full gravity of what they have done.  They have awakened an angry, dangerous beast, and Hell’s war machine reaches much further than they have wagered.

-The archdemon Maltha

Aziraphale looked up at Crowley to see that he was grimacing.  “Was this supposed to be reassuring?  Because it’s not. Like…at all.”

Aziraphale squeezed his shoulder.  “Maybe we can try to write her back?  She brushed me off, but maybe she’ll listen to you.”

Crowley did not look optimistic.  “Maybe. Worth a try, I guess.”

Crowley took the seat at his desk and withdrew his fanciest set of pens.  He tapped one on a parchment to get the ink flowing.  “All right.  What should we say?”

Aziraphale never got to answer, because at that moment there was a knock on the door.

“Let me get it,” said Aziraphale.  “I’ll see who it is.”

“Okay.”

Aziraphale walked over and looked into the peephole.  “It’s Angelo!”

“Angelo?” said Crowley, abandoning his stationery.  “Let him in. It might be important, and I don’t think he’s going to hurt me.”

“All right,” said Aziraphale.

He undid the chain and the deadbolt and cracked the door open.  The sigils around the place fell.  Angelo stood in the hallway, staring at him very hard.

Aziraphale pulled the door open fully. “Angelo, we weren’t expecting—”

Angelo’s attention snapped from Aziraphale to Crowley. “You!” he shouted, streaking past Aziraphale and launching into the flat.

Angelo’s stature and weakness of aura meant that he posed no real physical threat to anyone, not even Crowley, but he tackled the demon with impressive effort, jamming his shoulder into his stomach and knocking the wind out of him.  Crowley stumbled back and rolled as he tumbled down, kicking Angelo off him.

“What are you doing, you bloody lunatic?” Crowley shouted as he tried to fend off mildly offensive punches.

Aziraphale intervened eventually and pulled Angelo off by his collar.  The smaller angel continued to swing and curse even as his fists fell on empty air.

“Angelo, what are you doing?” said Aziraphale.

“This is his fault,” panted Angelo, finally slowing down. “Michael is going to fall because of him!”

Aziraphale forced him to sit in the easy chair and asked Crowley to make them some tea.  Crowley removed himself out of the danger zone into the kitchen.  

“Angelo, please calm down.”

When Crowley came back into the room with a tray of teacups, Angelo tried to lunge at him again.  Aziraphale blocked him.  “Sit down, or we’ll kick you out.”

Angelo fell still, looking at them both with intense bitterness as Crowley poured them tea.

“Now, Angelo, why don’t you tell us, calmly, what you came here for?”

Angelo burst into tears and big, ugly sobs.

“Oh, dear,” said Aziraphale.

“Listen,” said Crowley. “Neither of us know what’s going on with Michael, but it wasn’t me.  Raphael won’t listen to me.  I don’t know what he’s thinking.”

Angelo looked down, sniffing.  “I was afraid you might say that.”

“Wait, do you believe me?” said Crowley.

Angelo took his teacup and sipped it, scalding hot and without adding anything to it. He had never had tea before, and unsurprisingly didn’t find it to his liking.  He grimaced and put his cup back down, saying, “I don’t understand what Raphael is doing.  It doesn’t make sense even if Crowley were lying.  He’s obviously just using you as a cover story for whatever he’s really trying to do.”

“Angelo,” said Aziraphale, “Victoria told us that Michael attacked you.”

Angelo nodded miserably. “He almost killed me.”

“I’m so sorry,” said Aziraphale, putting a hand on his.  “This whole affair must be difficult for you.  Have you been able to talk any sense into Raphael?”

“I…I haven’t tried.”

They both stared at him disbelievingly.

Angelo’s hand shied away from under Aziraphale’s.  “I was too afraid. I’ve just been hiding this whole time.  For the first time ever, Michael is the one who needs help, and I can’t even work up the courage to try and help him the way he always helped me.” Tears started to spill down his cheeks again.  “Because I’m a goddamn coward.”

Aziraphale tried to pat his hand again, but he refused to be comforted.  “Angelo, you almost died,” said Crowley.  “Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s only natural that you’d be scared.”

“I need help.  I need someone to help me help him.  Aziraphale, I was hoping…”

Aziraphale tried not to grimace. He really did.  Angelo broke eye contact with him, dejected.

“If we could help, we would,” said Crowley.  “Maybe it’d clear my name and get me out of this mess Raphael’s thrown me into.  But neither of us have any control over the situation.”

“Now hold on,” said Aziraphale.  “You don’t need to worry.  It takes all six of the other archangels to agree to cast the seventh out, and that’s not going to happen.  At the very least, Gabriel is deadset against letting Raphael have his way. I’m positive Uriel and Metatron are on his side.  Goodness, they haven’t even replaced Camael yet.  Michael can’t fall as things stand now.”

“You haven’t heard? They made Victoria the new archangel last night.”

“Did they?” said Aziraphale, brightening.  “I’m sure she’ll sort this whole thing out, then.  She was just about ready to throttle Raphael last time I spoke to her. She’s more committed to Michael’s wellbeing than anyone else in the situation.  Now that she’s got some authority—“

“She’s come out in favour of Michael falling.”

Aziraphale sloshed tea out of his cup.  “What?”

“Why on Earth—In Heaven—would she do that?” Crowley exclaimed.

“I don’t know,” said Angelo fretfully.  “I saw her go into the infirmary after she was promoted, but I don’t know if she ever came back out.  She sent the other archangels her decision in a letter.”

Crowley picked up his teacup and sipped, thinking very hard.

“Raphael’s done something to her,” said Aziraphale, echoing his thoughts.  “Do we know for certain that letter was from her?”

Angelo shrugged.

“I never thought Raphael, of all people, might be capable of such subterfuge,” said Aziraphale.

“Raphael’s been hiding in the infirmary and hardly comes out,” said Angelo.  “He’s got Michael locked up in there and on so many drugs he can’t even string a sentence together.  I think Raphael is afraid that if he leaves Michael alone, one of the other archangels will come override his commands and take Michael away from him.”

“My God,” said Aziraphale. “If Raphael is doing that to him, Michael wouldn’t even be able to speak to defend himself.  Is that why he’s doing it?  To try and avoid Michael worsening his case?”

“Maybe,” said Angelo, flustered.  “But maybe he really does believe Michael is too dangerous to be walking around freely. When he attacked me, it almost seemed like he didn’t realize what he was doing.  Afterwards he was horrified to see what he’d done.  He didn’t even resist when Raphael took him prisoner.”

“Maybe Raphael really does believe Michael is too dangerous to be in Heaven anymore,” said Aziraphale. “I don’t know what else he could be doing.”

“I hate this!” cried Angelo. “I’m tired of the other archangels always mistreating him, treating him like he’s too stupid to make decisions. I thought Raphael was the one of them we could trust.  And I’m too much of a coward and a wimp to do anything, as always.  Aziraphale!  Crowley! Please, you have to help me.  We have to do something.  Please. He would hate Hell so much.  He would hate it.  He wanted so badly to be under the blue sky, and Hell—and all the demons down there already hate him and want to hurt him. I can’t imagine what—they would do to him—and… Imagine what kind of demon he would be. Can you imagine?  That much raw power in someone hurting that badly, and finally free of Heaven’s restraints?  Undirected?  Creation wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Angelo hid his face in his hands. Aziraphale and Crowley sat there with that very unsettling mental image.

If Michael fell, that would create a new archdemon even more powerful than Maltha, and there was no telling what he might do.  And Heaven would be the only place safe from that wrath.

It might be in their best interest to stop Michael from falling, if they wanted the Earth to stay in one piece.

That is, if they could do anything about it.  If even Victoria could somehow fail, they might be out of luck.

“I don’t know what’s happening to him.  He used to be so gentle, Aziraphale.  After everything they’ve done to him, and everything he’s done for everyone else, he deserves some help.  He doesn’t deserve this.”

“Angelo,” said Crowley with concern, because it seemed like Angelo was on the verge of an absolute breakdown each time he spoke.

“I know you don’t like him all that much,” wept Angelo.  “I get it. He’s hurt you both.  You don’t have to forgive him if you don’t want to. But he needs help.  He needs it bad.”

“But there’s nothing we can do, Angelo,” fussed Aziraphale.  “We’ve been having a hard time even getting any information.”

“Oh come on,” said Angelo.  “You two can do anything you want to.  You fought off the legions of Hell trying to get the antichrist just because you felt like it.  I know you can do something if you really wanted to.”

Crowley let out a snort as Angelo spoke.  “Is that really how you see us?”

Angelo flushed.  “Come on, you have to help me.  He saved your life, Crowley. And Aziraphale, he always considered you a friend.  He went out of his way to help you and help the Earth even though he knew he would be punished for it.”

“Punished…?” said Aziraphale.

Angelo did not answer.

“You mean they punished him for those times he went against orders and came down to Earth?” Crowley picked up.

“Of course!” said Angelo. “Didn’t you kind of pick up on how upset the other archangels got when he didn’t do what they told him to?”

“Well, of course,” said Aziraphale.  “But they’re the same rank, I didn’t see how they could…”

“Well, they used me, usually.”

Aziraphale was about to ask him to elaborate, but it looked like he wanted to cry again, so he left that thread alone.  “All right,” said Aziraphale.  “Crowley?”

“Maybe we can think of something,” said Crowley.  “What courses of action do we have at our disposal?”

“Well,” said Aziraphale, staring into his teacup.  “Maybe we can have Angelo talk to Raphael?”

“I think we’ve established pretty thoroughly by now that talking isn’t going to accomplish anything,” said Crowley.

“Fair point,” said Aziraphale.  “So…We know now that Michael is in the infirmary.  If we could get him out and away from Raphael, would that help?  Then he could at least speak to defend himself, instead of Raphael having complete control over him.  And maybe they couldn’t sentence him if they didn’t know where he was.”

“Maybe,” said Angelo. “It’s worth a try.”

“But the question is how we might get him out,” said Aziraphale.  “Everyone in Heaven will recognize me and Angelo and know what we’re doing right away.  We’d need…some sort of disguise, or a ruse, or a distraction to empty the infirmary...”

Angelo scratched his head. “We could use a smoke bomb.”

“…A smoke bomb.”

Angelo raised his shoulders, as if to say I’ve got nothing.

Crowley suddenly hissed and downed the rest of his tea.

“You have an idea?” said Aziraphale.

“Of course I have an idea!” Crowley fumed.  “I always have an idea!  I’m the slippery serpent!  But I don’t want to tell you what it is because it’ll probably get me skinned alive!”

“Crowley,” said Aziraphale, putting his hand on Crowley’s.  “If we can do this, I’m sure it’d clear your reputation.  It might just fix this whole mess.”

And maybe, just maybe Aziraphale himself wanted that confirmation that Crowley wasn’t hiding an ulterior motive.  Crowley could not tell, and it pissed him off to no end.  He poured himself another cup of tea, this one with a miraculously higher alcohol content than the stuff in the pot, and downed it as well.

Angelo got out of his chair and knelt at Crowley’s feet.  “I am begging you.  I’d do anything to save him.  Anything.”

Crowley set his cup down, looking sullen.  “Get up off my floor, Angelo.”  He rubbed his temples.  “Everyone will recognize you two, but probably nobody in the infirmary except Raphael would recognize me.  And since I’m a healer, no one would even question why I was there.  I could just slip in and wait around until Raphael wasn’t looking, then break Michael out.”

Angelo looked at him uncomfortably.  “But you’re a demon. You can’t even get in past the gates!”

“Yes,” said Crowley, irritated, as though he were getting to the part that really bothered him.  “But, the archdemon Agares, when she was posturing for Satan’s empty throne, garnered support because she claimed to have found—”

“A way for demons to get into Heaven unharmed!” said Aziraphale, nearly leaping up.  “And we happen to have a demon who worked for Agares in our contacts—Abraxas!  She knows how to do it!”

“You are suggesting,” said Angelo slowly, “that, with whatever this thing is that Agares discovered, Crowley, you can just…walk in and take Michael?”

“I was able to just walk into Hell and get the information we needed to kill Ba’al Berith.  It’s…not that different I suppose.  And everybody ‘knows’ that Hell doesn’t have healers except Maltha, so they won’t have any reason to suspect me.  Everyone’s forgotten about me.”

“But they’ll be able to tell you’re a demon by your aura,” said Angelo.

“Let’s see what Abraxas can tell us,” said Aziraphale.  “Maybe there will be some way to hide it.” He leaned over and planted a kiss on Crowley’s forehead.  “Clever serpent.”

“If I were really that clever, I would have kept it to myself,” he muttered as Aziraphale pulled out his mobile phone.

“Oh, Crowley, may I use your mobile?” Aziraphale said.  “I used all my minutes earlier on…something.”

Crowley sighed and handed his device over.

“Thank you,” Angelo said. “Let’s do this. I’ll find some way to repay you. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet,” he said sourly.

Three minutes.

That’s how much time Raphael had to prepare for Victoria’s arrival, and he only got that much because Ramial, who had gotten into the habit of hanging around Heaven’s infirmary, saw her coming and thought to dash back and tell Raphael about her approach.  Raphael had thanked her, sent her away to clear the hallway for whatever was about to happen, and sat at his desk as properly as possible.

This was one going to be one Hell of an argument.  

Victoria arrived just as predicted, shoving lesser healers who had tried to tell her off out of the way.

A cluster of worried powers of healing were visible behind Victoria as she opened the door.  But there was no one they could have called because, in reality, the other archangels were not only pleased about how this was going to go, but had in fact promoted her for this very purpose.

The door to Raphael’s office slammed shut with far more force than traditionally warranted.  And the newly minted archangel Victoria stood in front of it, burning Raphael with a glare of absolute hatred.

Raphael tapped his fingers on his desk nervously.

Victoria marched forwards and slammed her hands on his paperwork, rattling everything on his desk.

Raphael, fidgeting, gave her a smile and said, “Victoria, you’ve been an archangel for a total of, what, three hours?  And you’ve already—”

Victoria cut him off with one broad gesture that swiped everything off his desk and onto the floor.

Raphael’s nervous smile broadened.  “You know, Victoria, you’re an archangel now.  It’s customary for you to invite other people into your office, rather than going to see them.”

Victoria’s hand shot out and clamped on his throat, ripped him out of his chair, and slammed him into the wall, sliding him up it until his feet dangled.

“I don’t give a fuck about my office,” Victoria growled.  “You absolute worm.  You slimy invertebrate.”  

Raphael said nothing.  It would have been difficult to do so, anyway.

“You and Crowley and Maltha.  Is this all you healers are?  Liars and traitors?  Other people come to you for help when they are vulnerable, and you trick them into spearing their hand on a sword by pretending it is a hand for them to shake.”

Raphael said nothing.

Victoria squeezed his throat, and he spasmed.  “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just kill you right here, hm? Do you think the other archangels would care?  You think Gabriel would be secretly relieved he didn’t have to deal with you anymore? You think Uriel couldn’t just write over someone else’s page to make yet another new archangel?  You think Michael would be relieved that his own brother—”

Victoria’s fingers sunk into his throat, and he began to kick his legs feebly. “—isn’t spreading slander about him anymore, trying to throw him to the beasts, cast him into the Pit!”

“Victoria,” Raphael finally managed to say, although his airway was completely cut off so he had to us a miracle to speak.

“Have you ever thought about what they’d do to him down there?” Victoria yelled. “He’s been the capital B Big Bad for all the demons of Hell to hate for six-thousand years!”

The door clicked open quietly, and a warrior angel with black wings slid in, closing it behind him.

Victoria paused, not removing her hands from where she was strangling Raphael.

“Victoria,” said the warrior, saluting her.  “Please stop what you’re doing.”

Victoria looked from the new arrival to Raphael and back again, then released the other archangel.  Raphael fell to the ground, coughing.

“Vincent,” said Victoria, finally placing his name.  “You were one of Michael’s favourite warriors.  You were ready to die next to him defending Aziraphale from Agares.  And you’d take Raphael’s side in this?”

Vincent ran his fingers along the hilt of his sword.  “There are things you do not know, Victoria.  This is for Michael’s own good.”

Raphael, still panting, righted himself and braced himself on his thighs. “Ah—ahhh—thank you for coming, Vincent,” he wheezed.  “And just in time.”  He staggered over to Vincent and put a hand on his shoulder, patting him.  “Ah…. Are you molting?  Feather loss could be a symptom of an infection.”

“Sir,” said Vincent stiffly.  

“It’s okay, you don’t have to be shy.  Everyone molts.”

“Sir,” said Vincent.  “I hardly think my wings should be a priority.”

“Right,” Raphael said, finally catching his breath. “You’re right sorry. Our priority should be…  Victoria, would you like to see Michael?  I think it might clear some things up.”

“See him?” said Victoria.  “Yes. Take me to him.”

Raphael tentatively slid past her to exit the office, leading the two of them through the halls of the infirmary.  Victoria vibrated with barely suppressed rage the entire time.

Raphael stopped at one particular door and withdrew a set of keys from his pocket.

Victoria smacked the keychain out of his hand.  “You’ve got him locked up like an animal.”

Raphael patiently bent down and picked the keys back up.

“Victoria,” said Vincent.  “Please calm your tits.”

Both archangels looked at him questioningly.

“It’s a phrase I learned on Earth, when I was assigned to be someone’s guardian angel,” said Vincent, looking very serious.  “It means, ‘Don’t worry, everything is under control.’”

“All right, then,” said Victoria.  “I will calm my tits.  But you had better make things clear to me.”

“We will,” said Raphael, unlocking the door.

The room beyond had soft walls and not much else.  Michael sat on the floor with his head leaning against the wall. His eyes were hollow and stared straight ahead even as they entered and Victoria dashed over to him.

Victoria let out a gasp and knelt.  “What did you do to him?”

“We—” Raphael began.

“This is outrageous,” Victoria said, cupping Michael’s face.  “His corporation has lost so much weight.  Haven’t you been feeding him?”

“Yes, but as you can see—” Raphael tried again.

“Can’t he hear me?” Victoria said as Michael’s head lolled in her hand. “What’s wrong with him?  What have you done?”

“All I’ve done is—“

“What’s wrong with his aura?” Victoria said, frantically moving her hands all over him.  “What’s happening?”

“Commander.  Victoria,” said Vincent.  “If you let Raphael speak, he will explain everything to you.”

Victoria stood.  “Right. Sorry.”

Raphael took a deep breath.  “Victoria, what you see happening to Michael is not the result of anything I’ve done, but a fated breakdown that had been planned from the beginning of Creation. All I’ve done is give him some sedatives to ease his pain and calm him down.  But he needs extremely large doses, so he’s not very aware of what’s going on around him.”

Victoria looked down to Michael, who still leaned against the padded wall with a blank expression.  “What do you mean?”

“Uriel said that Michael was fated to die in the war.  The Final Battle was supposed to be the end for him. And when it kept getting delayed and delayed, it started to take a toll on him.  Right now we were scheduled to be nearing the climax of the destruction of Hell’s armies.  Michael’s form is trying to metamorphosize into what it would be to let him accomplish such a feat.  He is descending into mindless bloodlust that will eclipse all other cognitive functions. He is, essentially, dying.”

“Dying?” said Victoria.  She knelt again and put a hand on Michael’s head.

“Yes,” said Raphael.  “His mind will go first, but I suspect his body will go next.  His corporation was never designed to hold something like this, so it might begin to break down as his aura expands and shatters.  But I’m not entirely sure what will happen to him.  I’ve never seen any other angel deteriorate this way.  Michael is a unique case.”

Victoria stopped stroking Michael’s hair, then abruptly stood, pivoted, and decked Raphael, who at least landed on the padded floor this time.

“Then why the Hell are you trying to cast him out of Heaven?” Victoria shouted.  “If what you’re saying is true, he needs you now more than ever!  He needs his family to come together and support him!  How could you demand we abandon him to the Pits of Hell?  Into eternal darkness?”

“Commander Victoria,” said Vincent.  “Please stop hitting Raphael.”

Victoria crossed her arms sourly as Raphael hauled himself back to his feet.

“I’m not sure you understand the severity of what’s happening, Victoria,” said Vincent.  “The fact that Raphael has him sedated might be the only thing keeping Michael from killing us right now.”

Victoria looked back to Michael.  “He wouldn’t do that.  He’s never hurt angels before.  He’s got a good heart.”

“He nearly killed Angelo,” said Raphael.

Victoria looked at him sharply.

“We put him under before he got any worse,” said Raphael.  “I think we might have slowed the progression. Michael didn’t seem to realize he had hurt Angelo and was extremely distressed when he found out what he’d done.  I’m afraid to let him off the sedatives because if he’s gotten any worse, there might not be anyone who can overpower him to subdue him again.”

“Jesus Christ,” said Victoria, rubbing her face in her hands.  

“Don’t bring him into this,” said Vincent.

“All right,” said Victoria.  “Okay. Fuck.  Okay.  So what are you doing?  What’s the plan?  How do we treat him?  Can we save him?”

“All right,” said Raphael, taking a deep breath. “This is the part you are probably not going to like.”

Victoria waited for him to continue, wondering what he could possibly be going to say if what had been said so far was the part she would like.

“I went down to Hell and told Maltha about what was happening, and—”

“You what?”

Vincent, sensing what was about to happen, stepped between the two archangels. “Commander, I really must insist that you keep your hands to yourself.”

Victoria unclenched her fist.

“I had a consultation with Maltha,” said Raphael.  “She had a chance to examine Michael during their time together in Aziraphale’s shop, so we put our heads together.  The diagnosis we came up with was that the only way to save him would be for him to Fall.”

“To…Fall?”

“Yes.  Maltha has already agreed to ensure his safety in Hell to the best of her abilities regardless of the outcome.  Severing Michael from his angelic role may—”

“And you trusted her?  You believed the ruler of Hell telling you it would be for Michael’s own good to send him straight down to her, to be under her control?  Are you fucking stupid?”

“Victoria,” said Vincent in a cautionary tone.

“Victoria,” said Raphael, “give me some credit.  She didn’t make this up.  We came up with it together.  This is his chance for avoiding his fate as the Sword of Heaven, and the destruction of the Earth.”

Reeling, Victoria stepped backwards.  “Those angels who had all gone missing.”

“They’ve abandoned their loyalty to Heaven.  They are in Hell under Maltha’s protection, preparing for Michael’s arrival.”

“You think Maltha would do this out of the goodness of her heart? Really?”

“Use your head, Victoria.  Why wouldn’t Maltha want Michael to fall?  It’d be effectively disarming Heaven.  This is in her best interest as well.  And she is not cruel.  She knows Michael’s needs to be happy are very simple, and she would take better care of him.  I trust her more than I trust Gabriel.”

“Why?”

“Because Gabriel would sacrifice Michael to start the war. He would sacrifice anything to start the war.  He knew this whole time that Michael was going to be destroyed, but he was willing to let that happen.  And he abused Michael for six-thousand years to make sure he stayed in that role that would eventually see this happened to him.”

Victoria looked back down to Michael, who was still looking straight ahead foggily.

Doubt hit Victoria like a train as she suddenly realized that she trusted Gabriel less than Maltha, too.  And all at once, that realization came bundled with the recognition of the true gravity of what that meant: That she could dissent from Heaven, aloud, the way Raphael had just done.  That she was thinking for herself.

That she had free will.

That she, and Raphael, and Gabriel, and Uriel, and yes even Metatron, they all had free will.   But nothing had changed.  They had always had it.  They had just never used it before.

And Gabriel, instead of using his to stand up for the Earth like Aziraphale and Crowley, or question God like Maltha, or put the wellbeing of his sibling above the will of Heaven like Raphael, was using his to be a right bastard. Like Camael had done.

“Okay,” said Victoria. “So what does Crowley have to do with any of this?”

Raphael smiled faintly.  “Er…Nothing actually.”

“Shit,” said Victoria.  “I was afraid you were going to say that.  Now I owe him an apology.”

“I think a lot of us do.”

“You used him as a cover story.  And not even a very good one.”

“If I let the other archangels know the real reason why I wanted Michael to fall, I could be cast out of Heaven.  I could be cast out of Heaven just for consulting with Maltha alone.  So I had to come up with some excuse for why he might need to be punished.  He’s never done anything to me, so I had to press it on someone else’s behalf. And the only celestial agents he’s hurt are Angelo and Crowley.  But everyone knows Angelo would never do that, and Crowley…”

“Was conveniently missing,” said Victoria.  “And could be safely blamed for any number of things to take the heat off you.”

Raphael put his arms around himself, and Victoria noticed for the first time how scared he looked.  He had understood the full gravity of the situation from the very beginning.  He had placed a great deal of trust in Victoria by telling her all this.  If even one or two of the sentences he had said got back to Gabriel, it would be plenty of grounds for he himself to be cast out, just as he said.

Putting Michael’s wellbeing ahead of the war was an act that could not be forgiven. Handing him over to Hell to save him would basically guarantee that the war would not happen, because Heaven would be stripped of its greatest weapon against a Hell that had that very same weapon.  Heaven would never win, and they’d know it, and they would never start the war.

Raphael was turning the entire Great Plan on its head, arse over teakettle. Going against the other archangels and God Himself.  Raphael was treading well over the line past which other archangels had gotten themselves disciplined in the ultimate way.

Raphael had known that she would agree with him, that she would be willing to go against Heaven. Because she loved her big brother the same way that Raphael did.  He had known exactly how this would play out in her head.

Damn him.  He was smarter than she thought.  And now she felt the exhilaration of rebellion coursing through her veins.

“All right,” she said, extending her hands out to Raphael and Vincent. “Let’s do this.”

[kotamagic]

Pokémon Go: Gyms Reworked!

The Pokémon gym rework is finally out!

Oh wow! They didn’t really take that long with it, did they?

Nope, and I’m glad that they didn’t because as soon as I found out that it had been released, you bet your ass I was down at the park to try this shit out.

There are ups and downs with it, like any change to the game, but for the most part, I like what I’m seeing.

Do explain.

First of all, getting into an allied gym is a MILLION times easier! No more training or battling to wedge your Pokémon onto the roster. If the gym is your team’s color, pick a Pokémon and load ‘em on!

Any Pokémon?

Pretty much. There is one limitation: only one of a particular species of Pokémon on a gym at any given time. That means you won’t see 3 Blisseys or 5 Vaporeons on the same gym at the same time. You can have, say, a Chansey and a Blissey, but not two Chanseys or two Blisseys.

That’s great news! No more ‘tank walls’ to scrape your way through while battling a gym!

Well, there CAN be a Blissey and a Snorlax on the same gym at the same time…..

True, but let’s hope that that’s the worst of it.

The next thing that is important to note is that getting the opposing team OFF of a gym just got a whole lot harder.

The news can’t ALL be good, can it?

Nope. Because it’s so easy to drop Pokémon on a gym owned by your team, it makes things so much harder for an opposing team to take it over. A member of Team Valor could be whittling down a Team Instinct gym, and just when s/he thinks the gym is about to be theirs….. Oh no! There’s two more new Pokémon on there now! Damn it!

That fucking sucks!

To be fair, if one aspect of the gyms is going to be much easier, it stands to reason that another part of it is going to get much harder. But there’s another thing that strengthen a gym as well: Berries.

Berries?

Yup. See, every Pokémon on a gym has a “Motivation Meter” in the shape of a little heart. When a Pokémon gets beaten in battle, it loses some motivation. When it loses all of its motivation, it returns to the trainer. Before this happens is where the berries come in.

When you visit an allied gym, if you see that the Pokémon on the gym have lost some motivation, you can give them berries to restore some of it. For lack of better terminology, it’s like training at a gym in order to boost its prestige in the old gym system.

That’s definitely an interesting feature. What else is there?

Gyms now have pokéstops built in!

For real?

For real! Now you don’t have to wander far from the gym to restock on items! It also increases the number of places where you can resupply on items, so if you’re in dire need of stuff, it’s not so far between stops to get them.

The next thing I’d like to mention concerns the earning of pokécoins for the store.

They changed that too?

Yup. Rather than collecting once a day, you automatically get pokécoins for approximately every hour that a pokémon stays on a gym. It seems like a slower process, but honestly, it’s one less thing to worry about because you don’t have to log in to the game to collect them.

That’s actually better, in my opinion, because it means that you can earn pokécoins at any point throughout the day, not just a splotch once per day.

Oh! That reminds me of something I forgot to talk about when I mentioned the berries!

What is it?

When you give berries to Pokémon on a gym, you get Stardust!

You mean you can get stardust from something besides catching and hatching eggs?

Yup! It’s not very much, to be fair, but if you’re REALLY generous with your berries, then you can get 20 stardust for every berry that you give to your allies.

LOVE IT! TELL ME MORE!

Well, like any game or modification to it, there are going to be some problems…

Such as?

Do you remember when gym sniping was a thing?

Ugh! That was fucking awful! You piss through your time and resources to get the enemy team off of a gym, only for them to be back on it less than 2 seconds later! But they did away with that when they realized that it was a real problem, didn’t they?

They did, but since the rework, the problem has unfortunately returned. I worked at an enemy gym for a while, and while I was counting on the one-minute exclusivity period to get my Pokémon on the gym, someone sniped their little fucker in there.

Ok, THAT shit has got to go! They have to fix that issue because that shit is wrong as fuck!

You’re preaching to the choir. Hopefully there will be enough complaints to Niantic that they will fix that quickly.

There are also some hangups when navigating through the gym. Going in and out of a gym sometimes causes the gym controls to be stuck on the map screen. Additionally, moving from the main screen of the gym (the part that shows the Pokémon on it) to the pokéstop part of it causes similar problems. There are similar quirks when moving from the main screen to the berry-giving screen.

Despite all the good stuff, Niantic still has some work to do, don’t they?

It’s a work in progress, but at least the majority of it is working and working well. I cannot complain too much since, for the most part, the rework is a massive improvement. I look forward to more good stuff like this in the future.

Do you think that people will be playing this at ConnectiCon like they were when the game was released last year?

I don’t know if it’s going to be AS crazy as it was last year, but I have no doubt in my mind that there ARE going to be people playing it.

[guardianofjunmyeon]

Gotta Catch ‘Em All (part 1)

Pairing: Chanyeol x Reader

Genre: Fluff, College AU

Description: You play Pokemon GO in secret. Chanyeol finds out and you both bond over the game. Maybe you start to like him a little bit more than throwing balls at animated monsters.

A/N: This was a SolarxChanyeol fic that i wrote on AFF but I edited it for here in 2nd person. It’s dumb. No one plays the game anymore, but I wanted it up on this blog anyway.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

You were never one to pull unnecessary attention to yourself, nor were you the type to do things that brought on gossip from your peers. You neither blended into the background nor stood in the spotlight. You always found yourself somewhere right in the middle. And that’s where you liked it. In a place that could label you as neither popular nor the weird loner.

You had a handful of friends whom you would spend time with when you weren’t immersed in your own world (which happened fairly often despite your efforts to not space out). You would say that you and your friends were close, yes. They’re the people you’d call in a heartbeat if you had a problem, or wanted to hang out to have fun, but you were still convinced that they weren’t close enough to know of your current biggest secret and guilty pleasure.

You were a Pokémon GO nerd.

This secret wasn’t all that bad. In fact, many people on your campus played the game; however, your friends did not. You liked being around your friends, and you were aware that they wouldn’t shun you if they found out about your interest in the game, but still some part of you felt that you shouldn’t go around revealing just how involved you actually were.

You were not only a player, but an owner of around 3 Valor gyms in the area. You were undeniably one of the best players in the area, and had gone uncontested for weeks now. In fear of being picked on or teased for your interest in the game, you kept this to yourself. You only played when you are off campus, on weekends when you weren’t with your friends, or in the safety of your own neighborhood.

You were sure they wouldn’t give you too much grief for playing the game, but you didn’t want to risk it. You didn’t want them to know how good you were, and you didn’t want to be found out by others in the school who would want to battle you and learn your secrets and tricks.

It was selfish, but you’d rather avoid the unnecessary interactions if you could help it.

You enjoyed the rush that you got from keeping your hobby a secret in all honesty. No one knew of your interest in the game, and you wanted to keep it that way. It was your way of disconnecting from the world and pretending to be a child once again.

You’d always wanted to be a Pokémon trainer, and thanks to this one little app you were able to relive a childhood dream.

Your final lecture of the week ends and you’re is out of your seat and leaving the building faster that you can say Charizard. Since yesterday you’d been plagued with the thought of searching a nearby park for a water source so that you could catch a Gyrados. You’d found plenty of Magikarps but didn’t have nearly enough of the candies needed to evolve any single one of them.

At the sound of your name you stop speed walking to turn around. It’s your friends.

“Hey guys.” You say with a smile as they approach you.

“We’re going to the PC room after we meet (Y/F/N) at their building. You busy?” (Y/F/N) asks with a hopeful glint in their eye.

Although it hurts to turn down your friends, you have got to catch a Gyrados today or you might go insane. “Sorry. I have a lot of studying to catch up on today. Maybe next time.” You lie easily. You friends pouts and nod with saddened smiles.

“It’s fine. We understand. Don’t study too much okay?”  You’re pulled in for a quick hug.

“Yeah, you have to use some of your time for yourself too you know?”

If only they knew how much time I do spend on myself. I should actually study for once, honestly.

“Don’t worry. I will. I’ll text you guys later. Have fun at the PC room.” You say with a wave. The three of you separate to go on your two separate paths. After checking over your shoulder a few times, you pull out your phone and open up your Pokémon GO app.

Pretending to be texting, you search for Pokémon while on your walk to the park. Move your finger as if you’re texting. Look up from your phone. Stop walking. Pretend to scroll through your phone as you throw a Poké Ball to catch a Pokémon. Start walking again.

Repeat.

By the time you reach the fountain in the center of the park, you have already caught 3 Spearows, 2 Pidgeys, 2 Weedles, 1 Caterpie, and like 12 Ratattas. You lock your phone in order to survey your surroundings, and when you see the large group of guys surrounding the fountain that you know is a PokéStop, a small smile finds its way to your face.

Someone must have a lure module on.

You’re tempted to grab your own phone and walk over to reap the benefits of the module, but you refrain from doing so. If you go over there and try to nonchalantly sit they’ll know that you’re playing the game too as soon as you take your phone out.

After a moment of thinking, you spot a tree not far from the fountain and decides to go and sit there so that you’re still close enough to be able to be affected by the module, but far enough that you won’t pull any of their attention.

You walk to the tree and rest your back against its trunk. You take in a deep breath and let it out. The air is clear and it’s the perfect weather to walk around and catch Pokémon. You pull your phone out of your pocket and plug in your headphones so that no one can hear the app’s background music.

As you suspected, the PokéStop has pink petals surrounding it meaning that a lure is in use. You take one headphone out while swiping at the icon to get free Poké Balls and an egg. You wait in silence for the Pokémon to show up.

“Why do you have so many Pidgetos?”

“Because when I first got the game I got my ass handed to me by a Pidgeto in a Valor gym.”

“So you’re forming an army of Pidgetos?”

“You don’t get it. It’s about the principle.”

A Nidoking pops up in the blue circle of the PokéStop on your phone. “Oh shit! It’s a Nidoking!” one of the boys shouts excitedly. You’re quickly able to catch it with a megaball and listen amused by the boys at the fountain.

“Fuck, what’s the combat power on this thing? I’ve wasted like 12 Poké Balls.”

“I got it! Hah, maybe it just doesn’t like you Baekhyun.”

“Maybe I just don’t like you.”

“Baekhyun don’t be mean to Tao.”

“That wasn’t even mean. It could have been worse.”

“He’s right Junmyeon. That was tame of him.”

You sit and catch a few more random Pokémon thanks to the help of the boys’ lure, and then you finally get up to find the Gyrados that you came for. You look around to make sure that no one who knows you well is around. It’s obvious that others in the area are also playing the game. Their posture and focus give it away as they walk.

You click on the icon to see what Pokémon are nearby, and a shadow that you are unfamiliar with shows on your screen. 3 footprints, and it’s not showing up in color like the others.

You don’t have this one yet.

It has to be a rare one.

You follow to where your phone tells you the rare Pokémon is with no regard to who may be watching or see you nearly jogging while frantically looking at your phone. No, you don’t care because you have got to catch this one. It looks like a Ditto, and they’re basically a fucking myth. If you can catch this one…you could delete the app and die happy (but you won’t do that because how can you be the very best without all of the Pokémon in world, really?).

The 3 footprints drop to 2 and you are already thinking of what to nickname it. It’s a purple blob so maybe “Play-doh”. Or perhaps “Silly Putty”…then again you’ve always been a fan of the name “Bob”.

“Oomph!”

“Shit!”

Your body stumbles backwards after having collided into another human being. You look up from your phone to see a male that you surprisingly know fairly well. He’s in like 2 of your classes, and is loud as hell. His name is Park Chanyeol and he’s taller than like 14 flagpoles with a voice as deep as the Marianas Trench. He looks just as surprised to have collided into you as you are him, and when you each look down you simultaneously realize why the accident happened.

You were both staring at your phones looking for the Ditto and not looking in front of yourselves like you should have been. You frown when you see the shadowed blob on his screen. You point to his phone and narrow your eyes. “Don’t you dare. This is mine. Go find something else.” You know that you don’t know him well enough to talk to him in such a way, but you will fight the guy for the Pokémon if you have to.

Height and gender be damned.

Chanyeol takes a moment to gather his thoughts after having bumped into a person he knows all too well.

The person that he has been admiring from afar since last year. And not only are you in front of him actually talking to him, but you’re playing Pokémon. If he only liked you a little bit before, he likes you like 40x more after finding out that you play the game he and his friends play.

He had only superficially liked your before really. You were pretty, and you laughed loud and with your entire soul and that sound would always make his heart pound in his chest. He didn’t know much about you besides the fact that you hung out mainly with the same 3 people, and that you were fairly well liked by those who knew of you.

But did he mention that you were really pretty?

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he points at his own phone before quickly saying, “No way. This one is fair game.”

As much as you want to protest, you know that he is right. You can’t claim it, so that just means you have to find it before him. “Fine.” You mutter. “You’re right, but I will not hesitate to fight you once we find it.”

He is slightly shocked at the fact that you’re letting him track the rare Pokémon with you, but he keeps the surprise to himself. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It’s not every day that you get to go Pokémon hunting with your crush after all.

You focus back on your phone trying to get closer to what you assume is a Ditto (all of those years of ‘Who’s that Pokémon?’ finally counted for something) while Chanyeol half looks at his phone and half watches the person next to him.

“I know you.” He says. You frown at the statement and say nothing. You don’t know where he’s going with this. You are neither shocked that he knows you nor would you be appalled if he didn’t. “You’re in some of my classes.” He continues.

Halfheartedly you mutter, “Am I?”

He nods knowing fully well that you’re too focused on walking to see him. “I didn’t know you played Pokémon though.”

“Not many people do.” You don’t miss the fact that he wasn’t specifically talking about GO. You wanted to protest, but what could you say? You could have denied the fact that you were an avid but closeted Pokémon fan, or you could have just told him that you were just playing the game on your phone for fun. And yet you do neither and let the boy assume whatever he wants even though you were clearly the former.

You stop in your tracks as the footprints for the Ditto vanish, and with it it’s shadow. It should be right here. You spin in a circle hoping that the connection is just slow. When your phone freezes and the familiar screen showing the servers have crashed appears, you let out a pathetic whine.

“Bob no!”

“Bob?” Chanyeol asks with a hint of a smile at the name.

“Ugh, I really wanted that one.” Ignoring his questioning tone, you don’t even attempt to ride yourself of the pout while muttering curses under your breath. This was a major loss. Your shoulders sag and you close and reopen the app knowing that the precious Ditto will be nowhere to be found.

He watches on in amusement at the genuine despair showing on your face, and he can’t help but think how cute and nerdy it is that you’re pouting like a child over a lost Pokémon.

As expected, the Pokémon is gone when you reopen your app. You sigh in defeat and turn to face the boy you had almost forgot was with you, despite his overwhelming height. “Um…I’m gonna…I’m gonna go. I have to-” you shake your phone next to your face. “You know. So um, bye.” Awkwardly you turn around and mentally smack yourself. That was the most uncool thing that you’d ever done in your life.

How can you do such a thing around such a cute guy.

This is exactly why you doesn’t date. You need social skills to actually be able to click with people, especially with boys. Unfortunately, you find that your social skills particularly like to fail you in the presence of handsome men.

“Wait! Can I come with you?!” stopping in your tracks, you turn to face the source of the voice with raised eyebrows.

Chanyeol flushes after having accidentally blurted out the question. He didn’t mean for it to come out as creepy as he felt it did. “I mean to catch Pokémon. I haven’t been playing very long and I still don’t know how it works.” He was assuming that you did, but from the amount of focus on your face from earlier he was fairly confident in his assumption.

“Yeah…sure.” You weren’t sure why you agreed. There was something thrilling about the thought of playing with someone else even though you were keeping it a secret. You had met him through this, so perhaps it was okay to let the secret slip with just him. “We can go to a PokéStop if you want and I can help you,” it’s a question posed as a statement, but Chanyeol smiles and nods before jogging back to your side.

“I’m Chanyeol.” He says.

“I know.” You answer. You mentally smack yourself again. Way to sound creepy.

Chanyeol smiles despite himself. You actually know who he is. He thanks whatever Gods there are out there to have decided he was worthy of this experience. What country did he save in his past life?

You offer your own name.

“I know.” He says. Assuming that his choice in response was meant to tease you, you scoff out a laugh. You make your way to a statue and sit on the ground in front of it. You could have gone to the fountain, but you were almost certain that those boys were still there, and if your memory served your correctly then you knew that they knew Chanyeol. Also, you were sure that the particularly loud friends of the boy beside you would go off and accidentally reveal your poorly hidden secret.

If you could even call it that anymore with the fact this guy you barely know, knows. At the base of the statue you face him. “You can’t tell anyone about this.” He waits for you to explain, because he isn’t sure what you’re trying to hide. That fact that you’re together maybe? Do you have a boyfriend? A girlfriend maybe? Are you embarrassed to be seen with him? He doesn’t consider himself a bad guy necessarily. Like everyone he has his moments. “No one knows that I play, and I want to keep it that way.”

“You play Pokémon GO in secret?”

You nod. “I just…I don’t want people to know okay.”

He pretends to zip his lips. “My mouth is closed.”

You let out a relieved breath. “Good.”

You and Chanyeol hold your phones out so that the other can see. You click on your character’s face and show him the screen that pops up. He does the same and he can see that he’s just reached level 7 while you yourself are on 24.

“Wah, you must be really good at this.”

“Um…yeah I guess. I don’t play all that often.” A lie, and he’s knows it. The game hasn’t been out that long and there’s no way you can be that good without playing often. Trying to pull the attention off of yourself you point to his screen. “You’re team Mystic?” you ask with a smirk.

“Go blue or go home.” He says with a proud smile. You scoff.

“That’s probably why you suck. It’s all about Valor dude.”

“I don’t suck!”

“You were going the wrong way when you were looking for that Ditto earlier.”

“How do you know that? Maybe you were.”

“No, I was right. You bumped into me, so you were going the wrong way.” You reply confidently. “You have to look at the box to see if it starts blinking green, and I can guarantee that yours wasn’t blinking”

He looks down at his own screen in confusion.

“Here.” You click on the Zubat that is supposedly nearby. “Now, turn slowly until you see the box blink green.” He follows your instruction and turns his body in a circle. The box blinks ever so slightly and Chanyeol lets out a shocked gasp.

“Has it always done this?” you nod. He looks at you in awe. “Teach me your ways.” he holds his hands together pleadingly. You find yourself giggling at the gesture.

You face a minor internal battle. This is supposed to be your secret thing. Your getaway. A thing you could enjoy alone. But with the smiley guy beside you, you can’t help but think that maybe it would be just a bit more fun being able to play with someone else. To share stories. Experiences. To brag.

Because as much as you want to deny it, you were dying to brag about your feats to someone.

Perhaps taking on a certain deep voiced disciple wouldn’t kill you.

You set your lips into a line as you click through your Pokémon and scan all the lame nicknames you’d given them. “Alright.” You say with finality in your voice before turning to look at the hopeful boy next to you. “I’ll take you under my wing. But as soon as someone else find out, the deal is off.” You point an accusatory finger at the taller.

He holds his hands up defensively. “I swear on my life not to tell anyone.” He makes an X over his heart. “I promise.”

You grin brightly. “Awesome, now…let’s try to figure out how to level up your weak Mystic Pokémon.” He makes a sound that clearly shows his offense, but you only laugh despite it. This is the first time you’ve felt so relaxed while playing, it was quite the breath of fresh air.

[awesomeveracity]

So today after church, my family and I were on our way to our Abuela's house for dinner/lunch just like we do every Sunday. Now, my Abuela's house is near a large park that is usually pretty busy on Sunday with soccer games and cookouts and whatnot. We are just about to turn the corner of my Abuela's street when my dad says, "Guy's running with a Pokéball..." I'm thinking, well there are a lot of pokéstops here, sure, Dad. He still calls text messages "emails" and movies "cassettes" so maybe this is just his way of saying "those kids over there on their phones are playing Pokémon" But my dad hits the brakes and this dude sprints across the street clutching a giant piñata-Pokéball. Brotha runs straight onto my Abuela's street where we turn. And he chucks the piñata over a fence into someone's back yard. I tell my sister to roll down the window and tell him "that's not how it works!" She doesn't. She clumsily tries to pull up Snapchat. But it took us too long to process what we saw to do either one of those things in time. Now two cars, one packed with a bunch of angry Mexicans and another one with a lady and who I assume was the unlucky birthday boy, pull up behind us trying to get around us to this kid. They didn't see that he had chucked the ball, he was around the next corner, shoes in hand, faster than a high school track star. We rolled down the window to talk to the lady while the other car sped off after the kid. My mom kindly told her where the piñata was, and my sisters and I were in hysterics. Once we got into my Abuela's house We wondered what would happen to this kid. Who was he and why did he steal their Pokéball? My dad half hoped he would get his ass whooped, said he deserved it, but then was like "if he's smart he'd jump fences." I mean we've all had that friend who made stupid but hilarious decisions, right? And we didn't know what would happen if he got caught by the angry guys in the other car. Anyway, my mom retold the whole story to my Abuela in Spanish and even though my Spanish is a limited, I definitely understood the end when she said, "Gotta catch them all!"

[lifesalitbook]

Things to Praise God for Today

My dad waking up early and driving me to the bus station, even though he just got back from China last night

The bus driver letting me slide even though the fare was $2.50 but I only had $2.00

Finding the courthouse with no problem

Having a nice chat with a potential fellow juror about cases he had to serve on (one was about a guy stealing a bike from a convenience store, another was about a guy committing arson on his own establishment to collect the insurance money, the third one I can’t recall)

Postponing my jury duty service date to next month so I can go in for work at my afterschool program today

Getting change at the courthouse café for my return trip so I didn’t need to purchase something

Walking around Downtown LA and collecting some Pokéstops

Nothing happening when I used a public park bathroom and a couple of homeless guys had long knives out on the sink

Getting off a stop a little farther away from my house so I can walk and hatch an egg (it was a wonder Nidoran♀!)

Taking a nap in the middle of the day

My students finishing almost all their homework (almost all of it)

Finding the Gym by my afterschool had an open slot, and running out to snag it before I could be missed

My friend receiving the Watery Grave in the mail (it’s a $60 card rn)

Playing a game of EDH/Commander online with friends

Losing that game to a mistake that cost me my victory (praise God for losses that keep pride from getting to my head)

Dumplings for dinner

Cooking fried rice for tomorrow’s lunch

Planning the worship set for Friday night fellowship

Writing down a list of praises to God, allowing me to realize my life can be full of joy if I see the way He wants me to

[entergamingxp]

Pokmon Go Fest 2020 plans laid out, as Niantic talks future of its game and company • Eurogamer.net

“We see the fabric of our country being stretched, past the breaking point.”

Last year’s Pokémon Go Fest events attracted around 300,000 ticket holders to the parks and city plazas of Chicago, Dortmund and Yokohama. This year? Well, 2020 is a little different.

As every game developer deals with the added challenges of 2020, it feels like Pokémon Go maker Niantic is having to adapt more than most. The start of the year saw a swathe of live events – including the UK’s first Safari Zone in Liverpool – postponed. Then Niantic was forced to make sweeping changes to Pokémon Go itself, necessitated by what felt like a unique and sustained existential threat to the kind of social, outdoors gameplay Niantic was founded to promote.

But Niantic adapted, added new features, changed others. And as world headlines moved from reporting on 2020’s pandemic to the wave of support for the Black Lives Matter movement, Niantic stepped up to provide what many praised as the best response anywhere in the games industry: a slew of internal promises and an eye-opening minimum pledge of $5m from this year’s Go Fest 2020 ticket sales.

Speaking in a recent Zoom roundtable call attended by Eurogamer, Niantic founder John Hanke praised the Pokémon Go community which attended its live events as being a “rainbow of players” of all races, genders and socio-economic backgrounds.

“Right now we see the fabric of our country being stretched, past the breaking point,” Hanke added, saying that Niantic’s playerbase and its aim for encouraging safe social interaction was needed now more than ever. “If we can bring joy to people right now, we want to do that.”

Go Fest Dortmund 2019.

Go Fest 2020 details

So, here’s the headline news on Go Fest 2020. As previously announced, it’ll run as an entirely virtual event on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th July, wherever you are. Tickets go on sale in-game from today, priced $14.99 or local equivalent (“plus any applicable taxes and fees”), and will be available to all worldwide.

The event will tell a new story within Pokémon Go which will begin in the weeks leading up to the event itself and continue for ticket holders through the game and via social media during the event weekend. There’s new challenge-based gameplay within the app, as well as new social features. There’s a new system designed to emulate the physical event’s various biomes. And yes, there will be a Mythical Pokémon to catch.

New Global Challenge Arena gameplay.

Over the weeks leading up to Go Fest 2020, all players will be able to unlock extra Pokémon for the event itself by completing three weekly sets of Timed Research from Professor Willow. It sounds similar to the team-based challenges we’ve seen in previous years to unlock other in-game bonuses, and you can take part whether you have a ticket or not.

On Saturday 25th July, 10am to 8pm local time, Go Fest 2020 will begin for ticket holders with a new Special Research quest and a rotating set of hourly spawns. Over the 10 hours of play, five habitats like those from the physical Go Fests will be featured hour by hour – themed around fire, water, grass, “battle” and “friendship”.

A new Global Challenge Arena in the game will let ticket holders earn bonuses for the remainder of each hour by completing tasks and seeing their progress updated in real-time. It’s the sort of thing Niantic has run before and tracked via Twitter, now packaged into the app. The sooner players unlock a bonus, the sooner it is live to enjoy for the remainder of that hour.

There’s no word yet on what Pokémon to expect, although new artwork for the event notably features the highly sought-after Gible, as well as the event-exclusive Unown. Pokémon spawns will be the same for everyone around the world, but some regional Pokémon are expected – indeed, both Seviper and Zangoose are shown, normally separated by hemisphere.

On Sunday 26th July, 10am to 8pm local time, a second Special Research questline will kick in and… that’s about all we know so far. “We want the Day 2 experience to be a surprise,” Niantic said, “so ticket holders will learn what we have in store that very day.”

It’s likely the Sunday will be your chance to encounter the event’s Mythical Pokémon (our money’s on Gen 4’s Shaymin). More than 75 species will be offered over the weekend in total.

Niantic is working to recreate the feeling of community felt while attending one of its events with further features: a virtual team lounge website with giveaways, developer interviews and event updates, plus print at home kits to make your own papercraft Poké Gifts.

A new cross-game platform named Niantic Social will also be added to the game around this time. Initially, it will let you see which friends are online in any Niantic game (Pokémon Go, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Ingress) as well as in-game stats, with more features to follow.

Future changes, and future games

“This year is a unique situation,” Niantic event boss Michael Sterenka said when asked if the virtual Go Fest 2020 could be a template for the company’s future. In-person live events are part of Niantic’s DNA, he added, and the company has previously announced plans to run this year’s cancelled Safari Zones as physical events when possible.

“In the year ahead, we will be closely monitoring guidance from global health officials regarding larger public gatherings,” a Niantic spokesperson followed up to Eurogamer. “We very much look forward to hosting in-person live events when it’s safe to do so.”

Niantic Social, coming to all Niantic games starting with Pokémon Go.

As the company returns to a new normal, some of Pokémon Go’s recent player lifeline features will be retired, while some will be made permanent. The game’s expanded limit of holding and sending gifts will become standard, for example, while the expanded PokéStop and Gym will remain in place for the foreseeable future. Walking distances for the Go Battle League will return “in a way that makes sense”. Oh, and the rumours were true – the game’s long-held level 40 cap will be changed, senior developer Matt Slemon confirmed, although there’s no word yet on when or how.

When asked how 2020 had effected Niantic as a whole, Hanke acknowledged the year so far had incurred a “negative impact” in terms of usage and revenue, but that the multi-billion-earning company was still “doing okay”.

New usage figures for Pokémon Go included a total of 30m remote raids completed so far since the feature’s addition less than two months ago. The game has now seen more than 28bn kilometres walked, 290bn places visited in 195 countries and 20bn gifts sent (a stat which went up this year). Lastly, 1bn Go Battle League competitive matches have been completed since January.

After righting itself, Niantic will next look to help other businesses recover via a new program for Pokémon Go players to help promote a local small business near them. The Niantic Local Business Recovery Initiative will pick 1000 player-submitted locations to appear in Pokémon Go for free for a year, starting with those in the US, UK, Japan, Canada and Mexico.

Businesses will be able to appear in-game whenever they have re-opened or feel it safe to encourage customers in. There was mention of the ability to offer timed raids, or just a PokéStop to advertise the business to local players. To nominate and get more information, Niantic has set up a page which will go live today here.

And finally, there’s news on Niantic itself. Alongside growing its existing games, it has a product roadmap for 10 new launches, with the plan to debut two per year. Following up to Eurogamer, Niantic clarified this meant “two new products that will take the form of AR games or AR experiences, beginning this year”.

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/06/pokmon-go-fest-2020-plans-laid-out-as-niantic-talks-future-of-its-game-and-company-%e2%80%a2-eurogamer-net/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pokmon-go-fest-2020-plans-laid-out-as-niantic-talks-future-of-its-game-and-company-%25e2%2580%25a2-eurogamer-net

[aberaham]

YAY! POKÈMON!

- 3. july 2017 -

Heya Guys 'n' Gals,

the latest Pokémon Go update is now more than a week old and I'm able to share my opinion on it. Also, Go's Anniversary is right around the corner so I'll talk about my year with it and about what I think of its future.

Did just everything Change?

The most recent and maybe the biggest of few Update for Pokémon Go changed the game a bit. Also, it got a lot of players back with it what they probably intended to do. I think the biggest change they did is with the Gyms. First off, they changed how the capturing and defending works completely. Before you needed to repetitively train and train again until you get enough prestige to put your own Pokémon in. Now the got rid of Prestige completely and replaced it with motivation. Motivation is raised by feeding the defending Pokémon Berries and can be lowered by defeating them. Also now there can only be six Pokémon in one Gym instead of ten. Motivation influences the CP of the Pokémon defending as well, which makes it fairer for the challenger, in my opinion. I'm not a hardcore trainer and my strongest is a Jolteon with 1700 CP. So it was frustrating to fight against ten 1900+ CPs versus my six weaker Pokémon. Now it doesn't matter how strong the Original Pokémon is. If you fight it it's CP drops and you have a chance to win. My first gym battle with the new System was very satisfying. I used the recommended team and almost got through the whole defending Team. I hadn't the chance to be on the defending team but I believe it is now much more satisfying to revisit a Gym you defend to raise the Motivation by feeding your team.challenger, in my opinion. I'm not a hardcore trainer and my strongest is a Jolteon with 1700 CP. So it was frustrating to fight against ten 1900+ CPs versus my six weaker Pokémon. Now it doesn't matter how strong the Original Pokémon is. If you fight it it's CP drops and you have a chance to win. My first gym battle with the new System was very satisfying. I used the recommended team and almost got through the whole defending Team. I hadn't the chance to be on the defending team but I believe it is now much more satisfying to revisit a Gym you defend to raise the Motivation by feeding your team.the got rid of Prestige completely and replaced it with motivation. Motivation is raised by feeding the defending Pokémon Berries and can be lowered by defeating them. Also now there can only be six Pokémon in one Gym instead of ten. Motivation influences the CP of the Pokémon defending as well, which makes it fairer for the challenger, in my opinion. I'm not a hardcore trainer and my strongest is a Jolteon with 1700 CP. So it was frustrating to fight against ten 1900+ CPs versus my six weaker Pokémon. Now it doesn't matter how strong the Original Pokémon is. If you fight it it's CP drops and you have a chance to win. My first gym battle with the new System was very satisfying. I used the recommended team and almost got through the whole defending Team. I hadn't the chance to be on the defending team but I believe it is now much more satisfying to revisit a Gym you defend to raise the Motivation by feeding your team.

Another change for the Gyms is the Raids. Unfortunately, I hadn't the chance to participate in one so far. I tried once, but it only searched for a group and no one was around. Wasted Raid Pass I guess. But as far as I see it, Raids have a lot of potentials.  

Tian lives now in Berlin and he got the chance to participate in one and based on his experience there are still some bugs. I think it will be really fun when you go out with your gang of friends, no team affiliation required, to a raid and fight the Mon together and then try to catch it with the limited balls you'd given.

Also, Raids will be the place where you can get legendaries! I heard opinions that this may suck. Tian for example wishes they would be limited event spawns in the wild, but I think how they did now is not so different. I kinda like it better that you have to fight the guy before trying to catch it with limited resources! This is closer to the original experience. Heck, I wish this would be the case for normal encounters. But as long the battle system is still the "tappe-di-tap" it isn't so much fun. I wish you could choose which attack to use, more than just two. Round based battle would be okay too. There don't need to be a real time version. At least as long there is latency. I, for example, don't care for swyping for evasion, because the attacks will hit anyway. But if they will change the battle system is a future sight. As long the Battle system stays that way we will never get a good REAL PvP in Pokémon GO. Actually, I was disappointed. They announced PvP for Go and all they get us are Raids. Niantic, this isn't PvP. This is Co-op! I don't say Raids are bad. I'll probably enjoy it when my friends don't drop the game after some month again.  

Let's talk about the final change they did to Gyms. You now can get Items at a gym as well. It functions as PokéStop as well. Eventually, you'll apparently get rare items from there. But I could have misinterpreted it and the Rare Items are rewards for leveling the new Gym Badges. Right, Gym Badges new as well. When you visit a new Gym you get a Badge of that Gym. Fighting and defending it will level you Badges.

In conclusion, I'll probably engage in gyms more than before now. Before the update, I couldn't care less about gyms, but now they seem fun and you get stuff from it. More than just 10 Coins a day. I'm curious how this will evolve even further in the future!

A year GOing

The Anniversary is very close. Only 3 Days from today. On the sixth July, they start the Anniversary Event. It will have a shiny Pikachu, what else... I wouldn't care for it if it would just stay a Pikachu, but since the "Special" traits carry over to Raichu I'm really happy about it. Unfortunately, I missed the partyhat Pikachu so I only have now 3 different Raichus. My main one, the Christmas-boi and the Female. I hope I get my hands on the Shiney one tho'!

Anyway, Let's talk about the year of Pokémon Go.

I started playing it the day it came out. So did most of my friends here. Back then I heard you can catch Pikachu as you starter when passing the Starter pack three times. Well, on the first day this was kinda buggy. I walked and walked and every time the Starter guys spawned I only saw the circle on the ground. After three times I even saw the fourth circle but I couldn't interact. After a restart, the same thing kept happening. Eventually, I settled for Charmander.

Much later, I got a Pikachu in an Egg but before I could have my Raichu it passed many weeks. Slowly but surely I build up my absolute favorite Team. In the last Event, the Solstice Event, I finally finished it. Ironically, my very first Pokémon was the very last missing in the team: Charmeleon.

Of course, I traveled here and there and I got some Pokes I never would get. So I made it a habit to keep the ones with different places than home. For example, my Sandslash is from Buenavista del Norte, my Beedrill from Munich and my Charizard from Weimar among others. Of course in the future, I'll travel much more and get some other unique Pokémon. Not unique in their type but more so in their origin.

the whole game I didn't care for their Power or CP. I am a collector of my Favorite Pokémon. Over the month after the launch, one after another stopped playing. It feels like Team Valor were the first ones to drop out, then team Mystic and eventually Instinct. I make this up from the domination of the gyms. At first, all gyms were red in my town. but then blue took over with some yellow. And right before the latest update, the Gym in my street was constant yellow and down the road, the Gym was switching between blue and yellow now and then.

The game updated here and there, added some new stuff, fixed some bugs and so on. I kept my friends updated with the latest information since they stopped playing. I only played casually only to get new Pokes and level up myself. As I said before I never cared for gyms so the only things I did was spinning PokéStops, catching some Pokes and hatching Eggs. But then they added Generation two and with it Evolution Items. You need to have a 7-day streak at PokéStops to earn an Evolution Item. I liked that, but recently I'm a little bit pissed. At the moment I think the drops are location based but apparently, I just have bad luck. the thing is, I managed overall have 4 streaks, meaning I earned 4 Evo Items. Well, all I got so far is the Kings Rock four times! this bugs me!  there are only 2 Pokémon in total of 800+ who can evolve with it. I don't need the additional 2 stones. I want a metal coat since my Scyther can evolve for months now! But I only get the dang Kings Rock. This is majorly disappointing when you get out of your way to have this streak and then get a thing you already have! I just hate RNG. This is a thing I would never incorporate in a game or anything.

Anyway maybe I'm luckier next time but my hopes are low. Maybe they finally add trading and I can get some stuff through that.

Wow, I can talk a lot about Pokémon. It is a long time I talked about it tho'! If I think about it more there are probably a lot more things to say but I will stop for now. Enjoy your days and keep on GOing!

Keep your desks clean

Abe

[ianwritesfics]

DAMN the Servers

(Wrote this last summer when Pokémon GO had only been out like a week and there were still all those problems as the start to a kylux fic where Kylo almost runs Hux over (walking, not driving) while he's playing and that was how they met. I got one paragraph into the next part and never added anything more. Go me.)

“There’s a stop right up here, I swear.”

Rey looked around, trying to see anything that wasn’t on the road in the darkness. “What, on the side of the road?”

”It must be that building. Could be a church. Churches are almost always pokéstops.”

”Ben, I don’t see–” She started when her cousin jerked to a more upright position and slapped the dash.

“Here, here! Stop here!”

Of course there was a building. Ben’s night vision was something to envy, she didn’t know why she even questioned it anymore.

”Come on…” Ben’s scowl was illuminated strangely in the half light from his phone screen as he waited for the game to register the stop. “Two pokéballs, a revive, and an egg.”

“How many eggs is that now?”

”Three. I’ll have to wait to hatch this one.”

“I’m only driving you around for another fifteen minutes, do you want to head back to civilization and see what stops have reset?”

“Yeah, go ahead.” He flapped a distracted hand in her general direction and she rolled her eyes before turning the car around to return the way they had come from. “I don’t see why you won’t just keep doing this with me. I know you’re having more fun than you let on.”

“It’s nearly three in the morning, Ben, and I have to be at work by eight-thirty.” Rey didn’t mention that she’d only agreed to an hour of this madness and it was closing in on two and a half since they’d started. It really had been fun to watch her cousin get so worked up over something so silly, even if he had forced her to stop the car randomly more times than she could count. “Some of us actually leave the house for our income.”

“I leave the house.”

“Food runs and Pokémon GO don’t make you money.”

“I also go to the post office.”

”And?”

“The games I have to review go to my PO box. Reviews are how I make money. Therefore, income from leaving the house. Boom. Don’t forget the stop up here.”

She sighed. It wasn’t that she didn’t love living with Ben. Really, she did. They got along, there was enough space that when they wanted to be alone it was no problem, and the games Ben got for his job were great, even with the high turnover rate. She just wished he had a life outside of his work. This was as close as he’d been since he started on the site full time and he’d probably still end up reviewing it.

“By the park?”

“Yeah.”

[blackuigryphonvr]

I wasn’t posting for a while for several reasons: I kept having a persistent problem w cyber stalkers, especially.

But I also got sick. No, I don’t have COVID19, but a slight bronchitis in my chest that’s hard to get rid of. I didn’t go to a clinic because I was scared of contracting the virus 🦠 there, and I have ample reasons not to trust the tests. My step father died of similar sounding symptoms to COVID19 but my mom claims he didn’t have it. I got my chest infection due to my own stupid fault and I know what I did. So I’m too compromised to go outside because if I got the real virus it would make me even more high risk because I have asthma. Also, a week ago my next door neighbor was severely ill, couldn’t breathe, and was taken away in an ambulance 🚑. She’s never returned and her newspapers pile up by her door next to mine. So, I was terrified to go into the hallway.

I did actually get my original legacy account back on Pokémon Go, but I was stupid n should’ve known better, n allowed someone I didn’t actually know use my Alt account in Boston whom blew through at least 8 of my passes with nothing to show for it.... maybe he/she took the Legendary Pokémon.... anyways, it got banned for 30 days.

I was mad, n I don’t talk to him/her. But I’d also gotten my legacy account back.

That’s when I made strategic efforts to go outside n play again.... including in the rain.... which is the reason I got infected because my mask 😷 got wet several miles from my home n I got stuck in a downpour....

But, about a week later, a gang of local players that hate me for some unknown reason must’ve abused the report feature because 1 moment I was catching Zubats n when I logged in a few hours later afternoon playing Wizards Unite my account was banned again....

So..... I have reason to believe who is doing it..... and why.

When I was down in Florida I got some regional Pokémon.... so, when I got my legacy account back, I was flexing them by placing them in the PokéGyms which I created. Yes. I made those locations into not only PokéStops, but PokéGyms. I couldn’t do that in March because that account was banned which was also another strange circumstance....

But as soon as that account got banned a 2nd time, very mysteriously, 2 days later I saw THIS:

So..... this says to me that the hatred focused on me has NOTHING TO DO WITH ACCUSATIONS that I’m spoofing.... because I wasn’t. I actually WENT to Florida and I got: Cordola, Carvine, and Maractus.... but u see.... Maractus is VERY RARE. Super RARE.... I got mine by chance like around Hollywood or Miami Florida because I WAS ACTUALLY THERE.

But..... we’re in the middle of a pandemic which really started getting in gear at the very end of my vacation in Florida. We left a whole day early. That account got banned on the drive home crossing the border of Florida into Georgia....

But, these guys were in the gyms daily.... and I KNOW who these players are.... they live HERE. And Rhode Island highways were shut down before Easter. So..... I was THE ONLY PLAYER in the entire area to have a Maractus. THE ONLY ONE.... so, if u were HERE the whole time.... how did BOTH of ur 2 accounts get regionals? And the other 3rd Account??? Those weren’t the regionals u could get in the summer bonus unlock event last year.

🤔 The way I see it, u n ur gang abused the report feature and bore false witness against me for doing something that violates TOS, THEN u put ur own Pokémon in my PokéGym to SHOW OFF! 🖕🏿Hypocrites.

Which not only means ur a spoofer.... but u don’t hate me for being an alleged spoofer BECAUSE U R ONE!

It means ur hateful sadists who ganged up on me. U smeared me. It’s a literal conspiracy n ur all in cahoots!

Well..... that’s not even the half of the story.

I also have cyber stalkers now, and people whom follow me when I’m out on the streets, including on foot, and in cars..... there’s a RED CAR 🚗 that’s the one I usually noticed. Duh!

Well..... now I have multiple Alt accounts which happens to most players that hit Level 40.

I’d honestly rather just stick to 1 Account.... but everyone locally has at least 2-5 Alt accounts on average because we all enjoy Raids together. I also actually spent money 💵 FOR REAL on my accounts, and I WOULDVE gone to the Philadelphia event this year if not for the pandemic.

I probably need to change the name of my legacy account AGAIN, because I already changed it to be BlackUniGryphon because I stopped being afraid to be me... but, now these terrorists have taken that away from me.

They’ve also attacked my kid’s social media.

Anyways, I’m really grateful to have qualified for the pandemic assistance unemployment because my iPhone 📱 broke. So, it helped me to replace that smartphone with a new one. I am SO HAPPY 😃 to have this new device.

I have also been playing a lot of Wizards Unite as well.

I’m not looking forward to changing my legacy account name at all. But, since I know I wasn’t spoofing and that account was just suddenly banned for another 30 days, it means more than a few players are literally out to get me.

I’d originally thought most of the problems came from 1 of the 3 teams, but now I KNOW it’s from 2 teams out of the 3. And THEY ARE ALL SPOOFERS!

I don’t report spoofers because they’re still a part of the community. Yes, they’re frustrating when ur a lower level new player.... and YES it’s cheating.... but they also helped lots of people with Raids last year. They’re not all bad people.

But to smear me as a bad person when I actually helped build this community, and helped contribute to the PokéStops n PokéGyms that wouldn’t have otherwise been there shows that some people are misogynists, sadists, and gatekeepers. 😡

Anyways, I did take screenshots of the stuff I was doing... so, I’ll probably be dumping that stuff soon. Especially my Wizards Unite stuff first.

[twentysomethinginorlando]

Trainer Tuesday: Pokémon Go in Orlando

New Post has been published on https://twentysomethinginorlando.com/trainer-tuesday-pokemon-go-orlando/

Trainer Tuesday: Pokémon Go in Orlando

Contrary to what the internet says, people still play Pokémon Go. It may not have the popularity it once did, but I see people playing all the time in the parks. I play all the time. I have only messed up getting my seven day streak twice in my entire time playing. That means I have only ever gone two days without catching a Pokémon or getting a Pokéstop. Yes, I have a problem. Tell me something I don’t already know. Duffy has a Pokéball hoodie and I have Pikachu and Eevee from Build-a-Bear.

Gringotts is a gym. Take that Voldemort.

Orlando is one of the best places to play Pokémon Go. The theme parks are practically infested with the digital creatures. Cinderella Castle is a gym and there’s at least four Pokéstops on the Jungle Cruise alone. I remember a friend of mine posting on Facebook about catching a Charmander in the Gryffindor Common Room, just like in his fanfiction. Busch Gardens had an event last summer where every Pokéstop in the park had a lure on it until a certain time every day and you could get discounts based on what team you were on. It was a common game for Cast Members at the hub who were people watching to play: “Lost or playing Pokémon Go?”

Even though the hype has died down and there are less events there are still plenty of Pokémon to catch and trainers to battle in gyms.

Trainer Tuesdays is going to be a series about where to catch ’em all in Orlando, and tips and tools of the trade. There are days when knowing how to recharge your phone makes all the difference in the world. There are some rides that move slowly enough to count as walking to help you hatch eggs and earn candy, and there are some that you’re going to lose all service anyway so no need to waste your battery and data.

Shamu and friend.

Now before you write this off because you think Pokémon Go is stupid, let me tell you about the time my mother saved $110 by playing Pokémon Go.

Last August I decided to spend my birthday in Tennessee for a variety of reasons, but the primary one was that we were trying to save money to take my grandmother to Disney for her 80th birthday, which happens to be about a week after mine. It was going to be a fairly short trip and a frugal one, so I decided I was just going to go to all my favorite places at home and play Pokémon. At least it would be cheap. My main concern was I did not want to be playing alone, so I got my iPad out and started my Mom her own account so I could get her to level five so she could help me with gyms. (Remember way back when and you were just starting out, and you had to be level five to choose a team?) I made her Team Valor naturally.

I had her keep playing on the iPad because I thought it would be easier for her on a bigger screen, and I remember the first night in Knoxville walking around downtown and trying to teach her how to play. I had Duffy with me in his Pokéball hoodie, I forget that a twenty-something carrying a stuffed animal draws a lot more funny looks when you aren’t at Disney.

A wild Pidgey appears!

The Knoxville Zoo, or Zoo Knoxville as they’ve rebranded but I think is a silly name, was hosting a Pokémon event that Saturday with $10 admission, lures, giveaways and the chance to meet Pikachu. I had wanted to spend my birthday at the zoo, but this seemed like a better plan. My friend Adam wanted to hang out that day so he picked me up for lunch then we met Mom at the zoo. Mom had decided buying an annual pass would be the better option even over the $10 tickets so we went to the window, and it turned out Adam had forgotten to buy his online so it was full price. (A zoo annual pass gets you in free or half off to other zoos around the country, plus admission to special events.) We paid the extra five dollars for me to have my own second pass with my name on it, and I figured out it was $25 to add a guest and $20 for a ticket, so Adam handed my Mom $20 and we put an extra guest on the pass.

A little after three, we had most of the animals covered, but the giveaway were not until five. They had three boxes set up in the center of the zoo at the educational area, one for each team. You put your username on a slip and put in the box, and the gym standings at the end of the day would determine the prizes. Adam asked us, “Do you really want to stay for the giveaway? I think they’re just zoo tickets.” “Yes, we like winning things!”

We went on a quest to catch a Pikachu that popped on radar. We went round and round in circles before concluding it was in the middle of an exhibit we could not reach, at least not without being eaten, before I dragged them to meet Pikachu. He certainly was not up to Disney standards but I was not going to pass up the opportunity.

We wandered around the zoo looking at animals we had already seen and just catching anything we could. Generally when playing Pokémon Go in my experience you just sort of blurt out whatever critter appears, so Adam said, “Ooh, Bellsprout!” My mother, in what may be one of the cutest things she has ever done, responds, “S-P-R-O-U-T. Do you not know how to spell sprout?” Adam and I spent the next minute and a half laughing too hard to explain. Admittedly, my Mom has known Adam as long as I have and I used to proof his English papers for him and he was bad at spelling…

At five we joined the crowd of people waiting for the giveaway. Each team held one of the zoo’s three gyms so the prizes were going to be determined by gym levels. Instinct had a level two gym so that put them in third place to win two zoo tickets and Mystic’s level three put them in the running for a family four pack of tickets. Valor and their level five gym was in the running for a family annual pass good for two adults and two children. The first name they called was not there, and you had to be present to win. The next name was “ilovethemouse” and Mom goes, “That’s me!” She had to show them her screen to prove it was her, but it died right as she got up there. Thankfully they took her word for it. They handed us a reusable bag with a stuffed otter and the paperwork to redeem the pass. We had just bought an annual pass and won an annual pass, all in the same day. So we headed back to the front gate where, thankfully, the same girl was still at the annual pass booth.

“So I think I’ve got a question for you that’s probably never happened before. I don’t know if you remember us, but we were here earlier and bought an annual pass. Well, we just won one from the Pokémon events. Any chance we can get our money back?”

“You’re right. I’ve never gotten this one before. Let me go ask my manager.”

To my shock, we got a full refund and got to keep our extra guest and two printed passes. So my Mom literally saved $110 because I taught her to play Pokémon Go, and she still plays whenever we’re together.

The bag and stuffed otter that came with the pass.

Next time on Trainer Tuesdays, we’ll start looking at some of the best places to catch ’em all in the Orlando area.