#his last name is mg real name

[dipperscavern]

I need those Calvin’s between my teeth NEOOWWWWW

Tom Taylor the man you are…. 🫠🫠

RIGHT NEOOOWWW!!!!!! BETWEEN MY TEETH RIGHT THIS INSTANF

tom taylor omfg i need him so bad. the pic of him manspreading w the incense…. i wanna sit on his lap

[bethelighthalazia]

Coachelly, Baby!

Summary:  Mingi gets the call of his beloved girlfriend going into labor. While he's performing at coachella on the big sahara stage between two songs. Will he make it to the hospital in time?

Genre: fluff

Pairing: dad!mingi x fem!reader

Word Count:  1566

Warnings: none? mentions of pregnant reader (water breaks and labor mentioned)

networks: @mirohs-aurora-society

[note: the purple bold italic text is spoken english, every other spoken word is koreanthis is part of a mini-series for dad!ateez]

HJ, SH, YH, YS, S, MG, WY, JH

© by bethelighthalazia. Do not repost, copy or translate. Unless stated otherwise, those works are mine and born from my own ideas. I don't have any claim on the mentioned real existing Idols whatsoever.

Mingi and you had not planned any of this. Of course, both of you were completely in love with each other, and Mingi already had gotten a ring to propose to you, but then, all of a sudden, life happened. It wasn't supposed to be a big thing, neither of you would have thought that this little quickie you two had backstage on their tour, yet a month after that, you had been staring at the positive pregnancy test. Mingi had accompanied you to the doctors and they also confirmed: You´re pregnant. 

Now, almost ten months later, you were sitting in the hotel room in LA. Your best friend, one of ATEEZ´s staff members, is lounging on the sofa. She actually had been on vacation, but didn´t want to leave you alone while the boys were performing on the Sahara stage. so, that's how the both of you ended up in the hotel room, when you felt it. A sharp pain caused you to curl forwards a little, Seonghwa´s Switch dropping from your hands. You knew this pain, fake contractions were normal in the last weeks already, but this time, it felt different. 

“Fuck…I need Mings-” You groan, feeling the wetness of the sofa and your sweatpants. Your water broke. Your friend quickly grabbed the bag that you had prepared and helped you up to lead you down into the foyer of the hotel, where one of Mingi´s bodyguards already waited to bring you to the hospital. You vehemently refused to call an ambulance, yet your legs gave up on the way to the car and the bodyguard quickly caught you, carrying you the last few steps. “Mingi- I need my Mingi!” You repeated, tears in your eyes while you tried to be strong and hold back. The ride to the hospital was quick, only a few blocks down the street from the hotel you stayed in. Unfortunately, since neither your best friend, nor the bodyguard were family, they weren't allowed to accompany you inside. Although, when you basically screamed at the nurses, they did let your best friend come with you. 

A few miles away, Mingi and the others just finished the second to last song and Hongjoong was talking to ATINY and the crowd again. That's when Mingi´s eyes went wide, because through the earpiece, he heard staff tell the group what happened. For a moment, they all were frozen in place, seven pairs of eyes directed at Mingi, who just stood there, mouth agape. “Aish! She really couldn't have waited?!” Wooyoung joked, trying to lessen the tension a little, but in that moment ATINY cheered loudly. Mingi had not kept the news of your pregnancy a secret, he was very open about it, but never revealed your name or picture, to keep you safe, of course. Before any of them could really do anything, the music for the last song started and they all performed Wonderland. Even though their thoughts were with you, Ateez performed fierce and powerful once again and, before the last note actually finished, Mingi ran off the stage. He didn't even stop to get changed, only grabbing Hongjoong´s arm, dragging him to the car to make them drive him to the hospital where you were having his babies.

During the drive, Mingi was basically vibrating on the seat, still feeling the high from the performance mixed with the excitement and anxiety of the infamous ‘dad-panic’. “Hey!” Hongjoong yelled after the fourth attempt to get the younger one´s attention, causing him to look quite startled. “Calm down, she's in the best hands. We´re almost there, Mingi-ah. Take a deep breath, okay? You can't rush in there and cause Y/nie to get even more stressed than she already is, okay?” The captain said calmly and gave his younger member a worried glance every now and then while also focusing on the road. “What if i´m too late? She´ll be upset with me…I promised to be there for her during birth.” Mingi mumbled under his breath, his fingers drumming the dashboard of the car. When Hongjoong parked the car, Mingi already jumped out before the engine was turned off, drawing a chuckle from the captain. The older male also got out and quickly followed Mingi, which was easy, since he towered over most of the people there. 

“Song Y/n, where Song Y/n?” The blonde asked, almost climbing over the counter to take a look at the registry himself, because the nurse was just staring at Mingi. Who could blame her though, he was in the full coachella attire after all, mic monitor and all still attached to him. Stepping in to pull Mingi back, Hongjoong took over the talking, Mingi´s english too butchered by his excitement. “We´re looking for my friend´s girlfriend, Y/l/n /Y/n.” The captain said, after all, you weren't married yet, but the nurse looked a little confused. “Uhm, we only have Song Y/n here, her friend put in the information while Miss Song was rushed to the maternity unit. Just follow the hallway down there and wait there please.” The nurse explained, even gesturing for Hongjoong and Mingi to follow the signs and hallways. The short male didn't have much time to thank the nurse, already being dragged after Mingi, who had spotted your best friend waiting for you. When the two men joined your best friend, Mingi was not able to sit down though, your bestie quickly helped Mingi to take off his earpieces and the microphone monitor when the doors swung open.

“Who's the father?” Another nurse asked, looking at Hongjoong, who nudged Mingi forward a bit, and Mingi was led to you. When he stepped in though, he froze in the doorway, looking at you with his usual boba-eyed pout. “I- I missed it?” He asked, the adorable expression on his face completely opposite to his rockstar outfit. You just smiled at him, your hair sticking to the sweaty skin and you looked exhausted, but to him, you always would be the most beautiful being in the world. That is, until his gaze shifted when he noticed movement on your chest. Very slowly, Mingi stepped closer, leaning in to kiss your lips before looking at the small bundles in your arms. Hold on, bundles? There was more than one moving bundle, but that would mean-

“M- more than one?” His voice was quiet, slightly hoarse as he tried to stay calm. You just nodded, watching him very carefully take one of the bundles out of your arms as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “A boy and a girl.” You whispered, seeing the smile on his lips grow wide, unable to hold back his tears as he held his newborn daughter in his arms, her whole body almost fitting into his hands only. “Welcome to the world, ChanHee and Yujin…” With a choked chuckle, Mingi kissed the baby's forehead gently, your son instinctively grabbing your finger as you carefully poked his nose. After a while, the door to your room opened again and the other seven members came in, Hongjoong and Seonghwa had talked to them beforehand to not be too loud and to behave, or else they´d be in trouble. 

The moment they laid eyes on the babies, Seonghwa and San couldn't stop themselves, tears running down their faces already. “You know…I do hope they'll grow to look more like you, Y/nie, and not like Mingi-'' Wooyoung said in a teasing manner, but is soon shut up by Jongho, who drags his hyung out of the room again. The captain congratulated you and Mingi, he even snuck in a bag with your favorite treats, and then shushed and hurried the others out again as well, so you and Mingi could enjoy parenthood for now. 

“I´m sorry, jagi…I really came as fast as I could, but-” “Mingi, please. You are here now, and that's what counts.” You cut him off, smiling gently at him, the babies by now laying in their cribs next to the bed. Mingi had taken off the jacket he wore and replaced it with a plain black shirt, so he couldn't possibly hurt you or the babies with the zipper and buttons of his jacket. You had made him lay down on the bed and cuddle with you, needing his warmth and comfort now, while he had asked you about almost every detail of the birth. It wasn't really the most casual talk, yet you did try to tell him everything, even though it mostly felt like a blur for yourself. It didn't take long for your head to drop against his chest while talking, the exhaustion finally taking over your body as you fell asleep. Mingi however felt wide awake, holding you tightly and peppering you with kisses. He felt so grateful that you walked into his life and now even blessed him with the two most beautiful babies. With a smile on his face, he carefully climbed out of the bed when Yujin started to make sounds. He very gently lifted her out of the crib and rocked her in his arms, humming the melody of Wonderland, the first melody that came to mind, to make her fall asleep again, a content smile on his face when he looked at his son and then you, his wonderful little family. 

taglist: @mingis-mizu, @tinyelfperson, @hotteokkay, @minkilicious, @bunnliix,

@gong-fourz, @yeosangiess, @dinossaurz, @scuzmunkie, @h3arteyes4mingi

(if you want to be added to a taglist, follow the taglist-link in my pinned post)

[circe-and-the-wolf]

⬆️ Fan-Photo-Art-Collage-Faffing-Around (still!) imagining an epilogue to Abigail (2024)

This imaginary mini epilogue scenario for Abigail (2024) popped into my head (can’t seem to shift Lazaar this week). Joey goes back to the house after a week or so. I know that really she wouldn’t go back… and if she did, she’d likely be 💀 BUT happily this isn’t real and I’m a hopeful romantic. Especially when there are vampires who look like Matthew Goode involved. Even in a horror film. It seems. Unwise, perhaps. But just for fun 🎡.

—————————————————————

(Imaginary) Mini Epilogue - A Visitor

— Characters are not mine (obvs): they are borrowed from the writers of Abigail (2024) —

When every self-protective instinct in your body begs you to fly but you don’t.

When you feel yourself submitting and you know that’s all part of it.

The plan.

Whose plan?

Is it his plan? Or was it yours when you returned here to this godforsaken place?

Has it been your plan since the moment you first felt his crisp touch on your skin?

Physically, you might be in turmoil but there’s no mental unrest here. Only serene, sacrificial curiosity.

And white-hot desire.

He’s studying you now. Pondering your reappearance. But it is not yet the look of a hunter appraising his prey. There’s a wisp of gentleness in the air between you.

“Ana,” he rumbles, with a depth that rattles through your chest.

He knows your name. Your real one at that. Did he ask? Was he told? What did they say about you? The fact that you’ve had air time in their family life brings a slight smile to your face. Abigail squeezes your hand, which you’d forgotten was holding hers in the moment he appeared, silently beneath the trees, out of the tepid dark air.

The vampire doesn’t know what to do with a smile from you. Yet. His chin recoils slightly and his eyes narrow.

“You’re here,” he observes. The old-worldly way he pronounces the second word widens your smile.

He looks to Abigail for an explanation of your presence - long past dusk, in their garden - but the girl simply shrugs and returns his steely stare.

“I came to check up on Abigail,” you hear yourself asserting as your focus is drawn to his hands adjusting the collar on his fawn cashmere sweater, exposing the pale skin of his neck.

He glances down towards his feet, suppressing a scowl that you suspect is defensive and guilt-ridden; you can’t feel the anger he emanated the last time you met.

“Ah,” he raises his magnetic gaze and your breath stops as you register gratitude in his expression.

His head still bowed towards you, he massages the back of his neck with slender fingers. You contemplate how he smells, right there, at the base of his hairline.

“Very well,” he nods and you feel Abigail squeeze your hand once more.

The vampire bows slightly lower, turns and begins to walk back towards the house. You watch his retreat appreciatively, his tall frame stalking across the darkened lawn, his overcoat billowing at the mercy of his long strides. You know that, once he’s safely shrouded in the shadows of the house, he’ll turn back to look at you.

And you wonder what the next move will be.

📷 photos above faffed around with using Procreate (my current obsession); I think if I were to start again from scratch I’d just use a straight-up Lazaar screenshot as I struggled to make MG as MDCM into him - think I need to elongate his face or something and then obviously there’s the mouth - but I learnt a lot by trying - and it’s all just for fun/ to express an idea so perfection’s unnecessary, I say. Original screenshots/ photos below - please let me know if the MG one is your edit and I’ll add credit; I saved it without any intention of using it (besides appreciating his withering side eye) but then this idea popped into my head and now I can’t find where I got it. Sorry ❤️📷

[madlyfluffy]

I watched a playthrough of all of MGS2 with a friend who is getting into metal gear and needless to say I thought about Raiden all last night. New thoughts about the game I didn’t consider:

He doesn’t ever kiss rose? He cups her face and it’s cute and romantic but there is no kissing or handholding that I can remember.

Otacon + Snake get the last scene in the game (post credits) kinda like how in MGS4 Otacon also gets the very last (post credits) scene.

Re remembering how hilarious Solidus’s character is. Robot arms, exoskeleton, feet boosters(?) AND and eyepatch. AND ex president of the US. Child soldier war monger. Also it was pointed out to me that his name. SolidUS. I never noticed this (I am dumb)

After the scene where liquid ocelot shows up for the final time + jumps off arsenal gear in the RAY, snake just jumps into the harbor right after him. He later shows up to talk to Raiden in lower Manhattan. How the fuck did he get there. Did he take a cab?

I still don’t subscribe to the theory (and canon?) that mgs2 was all a simulation. I think *parts* of it were-at least inside Raiden’s head (glitch hallway), but the entire events of the game were real, dreamlike and absurd, but real.

It’s cool to think about how Raiden is already part-cyborg by the events of this game, containing Patriot data in his cerebral cortex.

Um. Yeah. Anyway. Brainrot moment

[theseventhoffrostfall]

I won't spoil Alan wake ii if you havent played it yet, but ngl while I dont think Kojima is bad at all, its really opening my eyes a bit. Sam Lake (real last name is finnish or a lovecraftian god) uses what he's inspired by way more integrated into his games. And the interplay of multiple forms of media including live action and music and, god help me for uttering this overused phrase, playing with the fourth wall, is something that makes Kojima look like simultaneously like an amateur and an elitist at the same time.

Let's say Kojima likes David Bowie. He'd have a character named David Bowie, Otacon would call in on the comms and say "Snake, that's david bowie. He's named after David Bowie the singer. He was a glam rock singer active from the late 1960s to 2016 most known for Ziggy Stardust" and the entire thing would be a thinly veiled excuse to hang out with David Bowie and put his likeness in the game and maybe release some haute couture sunglasses or something, while also namedropping extremely esoteric things Kojima can feel smart over knowing people will have to go to Wikipedia to understand the concepts he stayed up last weekend reading about. I cant really give an example for Alan Wake/Control like that entirely because everything is so worked in. Yeah its clearly Twin Peaks and X-Files and True Detective and a bit of that sparse Scandinavian Noir and some Lovecraft as well. But everything is blended together without coming to a screeching halt while you listen to the games creator tell you about the stuff he likes.

Not that I dislike MGS or anything, but in terms of "visionary" creators I think Sam Lake has just pulled ahead of Kojima in a really big way. He feels more like those TGWTG people who were only there as a stepping stone to their big hollywood career (which never panned out) and likewise Kojima treats his games more like the artsy movies he's always wanted to make instead of trying to be truly creative.

That's essentially the conclusion I've come to, yeah. Plus, Lake seems to embrace making games while Kojima seems to bitterly regret that he'd be laughed out of Hollywood.

Hell, MGS is supposed to be like an overblown, larger-than-life metaphor/representation of real, serious topics like nuclear proliferation and yadda yadda yadda. Except it gets muddled and stupid because the mechs that symbolize nuclear weapons are just dangerous for being nuclear launch platforms, because metaphors are hard. 30% of the earth's population was a child soldier who now wanders the land fighting for obscure philosophical reasons but shows little to none of the actual problems associated with former child soldiers, and 45% of all military personnel are clones or genetically engineered or turbocyborgs or something. Because this story that tries to touch on Very Serious Issues about soldiers and their place in the world was written in a country with pretty much 0 living combat veterans by a man who's never raised a fist in anger

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! Hope you’re well. I’m writing an MG that talks about what is essentially COVID, but I’m afraid specifically mentioning it will either make people roll their eyes or date the book. Should I just be more general and talk about pandemics and disease? Would that just make it look like I’m tiptoeing around the real word?

I don't know? Again, as I answered a few days ago, there are certainly books that have been and are currently bestsellers and also mention or are set during COVID, that's a real thing that happened, like... ?????

If the book is set within the last few years, where COVID is a big concern, and there was a world-wide shutdown, etc, like, yes, I guess it will date the book, but if that's what the book is about, why not just mention it ? LIKE THAT'S WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT? No need to tiptoe.

But there are plenty of diseases. There are diseases that aren't discovered or named yet I'm sure. There could be an outbreak of any kind of disease. There are various illnesses going around schools and whatnot all the time.

So if the point of the book is not specifically the COVID pandemic, rather, you are just mentioning the fact that there is some disease going around that doesn't have to be this one, then whatever, put anything you want, I guess. People I know with young children seem to get a different disease every week, so... (HOOF AND MOUTH DISEASE? REALLY????)

(I have no idea if that's answering the question you were even asking, by the way, sorry if not lol)

[team-mavericks]

[ Yo, OC havers! What was the deciding factor behind their name? I'll go first. ]

Jet and Morgan's last name is Willingham. Named after Travis Willingham. They are both Red Heads. They are glorified Knuckles tributes.

Rin is... I think I just thought it sounded cool. Bushido, while I'm unknown of the source, "Bushido Blaster" is something that's been floating around in my mind and I went with it.

Makoto was in fact named after Makoto Nanaya. I wanted to write a Makoto, didn't think I was ready to write that specific Makoto.

Michael is short for Bike-ael. Mike, Bike, he was a joke character from the start, don't act surprised.

Gatz is named after a side character in MegaMan Legends 2, and I thought his reaverbot form was sick. Vedastus came later, and I used a name definition site to find it.

Roy was actually named after a long lost friend who shaped my childhood.

Sofia was named after a sweet girl I knew in highschool, but like Roy; their personalities do not match. Wanna make that clear, I'm not writing real people as OCs.

Gil and Haku... Had no thought put into them, I won't lie. I googled Hawaiian names to get Haku, and Gilbert sounded funny.

Tamako was named after a Battle Network character that I thought was fun to fight against.

Raiden was named after Raiden from MGS, especially because of a moment in MGS4 with the whole "I am lightning, the rain transformed."

And Vivi was actually named by his first canonical trainer, an OC named Rosie.

[lowpolyotakuconvention]

this is something i've been rotating in my mind for ages and i feel like you might know the answer- is huey's name a retcon? because from what i understand Strangelove gave him that as a nickname but it just kind of... became his actual name i think? what's up with that?

We just don't know his name. It's safe to say that "Huey" wasn't retconned to be his name because in mgsv it's presented in quotes. Which would be a weird thing to do it this was considered by the devs to be his real first name.

I think maybe his real first name was "Hughes" or something similar sounding. In the film Silent Running (where Strangelove took the nickname) there are three service drones named Huey, Dewey and Louie, in reference to the Disney characters. Why choose "Huey" out of the three? Just because it's first? I think it would make more sense for her to give him that specific nickname and for it to stick so strongly if it was already similar to his real name.

Although tbf MGS characters regularly use much more ridiculous names and aliases with a straight face. Hell, we never even got a first OR last name for Strangelove, so who knows.

[ungarmax]

❤️ <- this was the only emoji I seemed to be able to copy/make?!

Well, it's an emoji so it works out! I would also accept a <3 or something, for the record.

So, I'm going to tell you about Frank Jaeger, also known as Gray Fox. He's a real Bucky Barnes kind of a guy, to put it bluntly. Except he becomes the Cyborg Ninja instead of the Winter Soldier.

Anyway, Frank was originally imagined as the child of a German soldier and a Vietnamese woman. I don't know much about either of them, but the father's last name was Jaeger, whch is how he got his name.

The creators immediately threw this information into the trash and decided he looked like this:

This is from Metal Gear 2, I believe.

Anyway, for Metal Gear Solid (which, yes, is the sequel to Metal Gear 2), they brought Frank back from the dead because he died in MG2. I believe they had a new artist for the series because they completely threw out everything they had about his backstory again, and the concept art looked like this:

Now, this could be interpreted as uncolored in hair, and he could have black hair. Right?

No.

They remade Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 and he's albino now.

They also got voice acting for Metal Gear Solid. Frank was voiced by Greg Eagles, who sounds like a Black man. In the MGS remake, they changed his voice actor to Rob Paulsen, who is also known for voicing Pinky of Animaniacs fame.

He's also listed as "Caucasian" on his wikipedia page, where I got these images.

I know he got a lot more backstory in the later games, so maybe they explained why he was half Vietnamese and white at the same time.

ADDENDUM: I just looked at his wiki page, and apparently he was a child soldier who had the prowess of a hunter, which "jaeger" is German for, so "Jaeger" is just from his coolness, I guess. It also says that his backstory is disputed, so I've decided I'm right.

[hyaesia]

Yo Cat, what current interests of yours make the best/oddest crossover AUs?

oh my gosh pondering this... in terms of media the things i'm into rn (doctor who, mgs, sigcorp) are all so wildly different in tone i feel like any combination of the three would be Insane

i've posted vaguely abt sigcorp & mgs in the past and it's like. kinda funny bc on one hand snake & otacon are REALLY similar to neil & eva dynamic & tropewise but then u think about it for more than 5 seconds and it gets so fucked up so fast esp when u get families involved 😭

tho another silly self indulgent thought i've been rotating since finishing mgs4 again is what if otacon got sigcorped.... putting the rest of this below the cut because

okay hear me out here i'm summarizing this as much as i can but there's this little joke at the end of mgs1 where snake & otacon are like "oh haha maybe we should take a trip to jupiter" as a poke to their real names being david & hal respectively.

and then years after snake dies, in metal gear rising, sunny (their adoptive daughter) has a line of dialogue that goes something along the lines of "i just hope we can get to jupiter before hal dies" (which is UNBELIEVABLE he still talks about their stupid little space odyssey jupiter joke to sunny ~13 years later)

all that to say i thought to myself a bit ago "oh haha what if otacon's wish was to go to jupiter like johnny going to the moon" and then i thought about it even harder and it demolished me

IT CHECKS OUT TOO THOUGH okay assuming the sigcorp series takes place in the "indeterminate near future" (maybe 2030-2050) otacon was born in 1980 which would put him around 50-70 which. okay that's on the younger end but still a pretty solid life!!

even if his character arc is all about coming to accept the wrongs done to him and all the losses he's gone through, i think that can all coexist with just wanting to see snake one last time 😞

[snowboyclarkov]

Everybody Is Dead...!

In the Metal Fight Beyblade verse, Rago is capable via Diablo Nemesis of absorbing the power of his opponent and gaining their abilities. He can also gain the abilities and power of everyone that opponent has fought from the beginning to the present.

Despite this, Pluto states that Nemesis has the power of every bey in the world by the time he and Rago do battle with the Legendary Bladers and company. It opens the door to a potential trickle down effect that would go on and on. It makes Rago's main ability one of the most horrifying in any verse.

This got me thinking about another potential trickle down that could be applied to another overpowered deity. This one being of light rather than destruction. Galeem. Due to the incredible amount of crossovers and cameos that can be traced via some path to someone within the Super Smash Bros verse, there's a disturbing amount of verses that are almost certainly reduced to non-existence alongside everyone that ever existed within that verse by the Lord of Light and it's "Everybody Is Dead" attack. That isn't counting restoring the verses back into existence and shuffling them while everyone in them become mindless slaves. Even the verses with stages, Mii outfits and music have potential to be completely screwed. A scenario like this would represent the absolute highest limit of Galeem's power...

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

The Verses In Danger of Becoming Un-Made and Un-Alived

Section 1

Super Mario

Donkey Kong (verse)

The Legend of Zelda

Metroid

Yoshi's Island

Kirby (verse) - Kirby dies if either Galeem or Dharkon win in the end, having barely escaped Galeem's initial onslaught.

Star Fox

Pokémon

Mother

F-Zero

Ice Climber

Fire Emblem

Game & Watch

Kid Icarus

Wario (verse)

Metal Gear

Sonic the Hedgehog - Includes Frontiers, so Sage becomes un-alive. The End gets Galeem'd too.

Pikmin

R.O.B. (verse)

Animal Crossing

Mega Man (verse)

Wii - Includes Wii Fit, Wii Sports, Wii Party, et cetera. Part of the wider Mii verse.

Punch-Out!!

Pac-Man (verse)

Xenoblade Chronicles

Duck Hunt

Street Fighter

Final Fantasy

Bayonetta (verse)

Splatoon

Castlevania

Persona

Dragon Quest

Banjo-Kazooie

Fatal Fury

Arms

Minecraft

Tekken

Kingdom Hearts

The King of Fighters

Section 2

Paper Mario

Streetpass Mii Plaza - Part of the wider Mii verse.

Pilotwings - Part of the wider Mii verse.

Nintendo Land - Part of the wider Mii verse.

Sheriff (verse)

Baseball (verse)

Tennis (verse)

Devil World

Urban Champion

Clu Clu Land

Balloon Fight

Excite

Mach Rider

The Mysterious Murasame Castle

Famicom Mukashibanashi

Ice Hockey (verse)

Famicom Grand Prix

Famicom Wars

Advance Wars

Detective Club - Also known as Famicom Detective Club

Joy Mech

Yakuman

X (verse)

The Frog For Whom The Bell Tolls

Mole Mania

Card Hero

SimCity

Battle Clash

Stunt Race FX

Panel de Pon

Marvelous

Sutte Hakkun

Origin of the Forest

Teleroboxer

Wave Race

1080°

Custom Robo

Sin and Punishment

Kuru Kuru Kururin

Napoleon (verse)

Golden Sun

Magical Starsign

Tomato Adventure

The Legendary Starfy

Thousand Year Family

The Tower

Drill Dozer

Calciobit

Rhythm Heaven

Cubivore

Eternal Darkness

GiFTPiA

Baten Kaitos

Chibi Robo!

Jam With The Band

Another Code

Electroplankton

Brain Age

Big Brain Academy

Elite Beat Agents

Project Hacker

Chōsōjū Mecha MG

Hotel Dusk

Kurikin Nano Island Story

Number Battle

Slide Adventure MAGKID

Archaic Sealed Heat

Make 10

Soma Bringer

Fossil Fighters

Glory of Heracles

Personal Trainer: Cooking

Style Savvy

Art Academy

Looksley's Line Up

Tsukutte Utau: Saru Band

Fatal Frame

Captain Rainbow

Disaster: Day of Crisis

Takt of Magic

Zangeki no Reginliev

And-Kensaku

FlingSmash

The Last Story

Pandora's Tower

Nintendogs

Steel Diver

Pushmo

Sakura Samurai

Swapnote - Part of the wider Mii verse.

Kiki Trick

Dillon's Rolling Western

Shovel Knight

Culdcept

HarmoKnight

Fluidity

Nintendoji

Rusty's Real Deal Baseball

Nintendo Badge Arcade

BoxBoy!

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.

Ever Oasis

Sushi Striker

The Wonderful 101

Rayman (verse)

Snipperclips

Galaga

Bomberman (verse)

Virtua Fighter

Monster Hunter

Shantae (verse)

Nintendo Labo - Part of the real world.

Daemon X Machina

Tetris

Art of Fighting

Samurai Shodown

Psycho Soldier

Ikari Warriors

Resident Evil

Astral Chain

River City

Cuphead (verse)

Warframe

Ring Fit Adventure

Mana

Octopath Traveler

Bravely Default

Ghosts 'n Goblins

Sakuna: of Rice and Ruin

No More Heroes

Wrecking Crew

Section 3

Pictochat

Tomodachi - Also known as Tomodachi Life. Part of the wider Mii verse.

Miiverse - Part of the wider Mii verse.

Fallout

Doom

Babylonian Castle Saga

Goemon (verse)

Assassin's Creed

The Elder Scrolls

Devil May Cry

Shin Onigashima

Yūyūki

Nintendo Hardware - Includes Mii Channel, Wii Shop Channel, etc.

AR Games

Freakyforms

NES Remix

Tank Troopers

Undertale

Miitopia

Section 4

Soul [via The Legend of Zelda]

The Walking Dead [via Tekken]

Spawn (verse) [via Soul]

Mortal Kombat [via Spawn]

God of War [via Soul]

A Nightmare On Elm Street [via Mortal Kombat]

Friday The 13th [via Mortal Kombat]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre [via Mortal Kombat]

Predator [via Mortal Kombat]

Alien [via Mortal Kombat]

Terminator [via Mortal Kombat]

Robocop [via Mortal Kombat]

Rambo [via Mortal Kombat]

Injustice [via DC]

DC [via Mortal Kombat]

Hellboy [via Injustice]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [via Injustice]

Power Rangers [via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]

Star Trek [via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]

Masters of the Universe [via Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]

Star Wars [via Soul]

The Witcher [via Soul]

NieR [via Soul]

Drakengard [via NieR]

Indiana Jones [via Star Wars]

Dead By Daylight [via Alien]

Halloween [via Dead By Daylight]

Left 4 Dead [via Dead By Daylight]

Saw [via Dead By Daylight]

Scream [via Dead By Daylight]

Evil Dead [via Dead By Daylight]

Stranger Things [via Dead By Daylight]

Silent Hill [via Dead By Daylight]

World Wrestling Entertainment [via Mortal Kombat] - part of the real world.

Section 5

PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale [via Metal Gear]

Uncharted [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

LittleBig Planet [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

Ratchet & Clank [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

Jak & Daxter [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

Gravity Rush [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

BioShock [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

Dead Space [via PlayStation All Stars Battle Royale]

DreamMix TV World Fighters [via Castlevania]

Transformers [via DreamMix TV World Fighters]

Bakuten Shoot Beyblade [via DreamMix TV World Fighters] - Part of a wider Beyblade verse.

Beyblade X [via Bakuten Shoot Beyblade] - Part of a wider Beyblade verse.

Beyblade Burst [via Transformers] - Part of a wider Beyblade verse.

Metal Fight Beyblade [via Beyblade Burst] - Part of a wider Beyblade verse.

Section 6

Astro's Playroom [via Tekken]

The Last of Us [via Astro's Playroom]

Horizon Zero Dawn [via Astro's Playroom]

Ghost of Tsushima [via Astro's Playroom]

Resistance [via Astro's Playroom]

ICO [via Astro's Playroom] - Includes Shadow of the Colossus & The Last Guardian

Bloodborne [via Astro's Playroom]

Tomb Raider [via Astro's Playroom]

Crash Bandicoot [via Astro's Playroom]

Spyro the Dragon [via Astro's Playroom]

Legacy of Kain [via Astro's Playroom]

Brawlhalla [via Tomb Raider]

Ben 10 [via Brawlhalla]

Steven Universe [via Brawlhalla]

Section 7

Project x Zone [via Street Fighter]

Ace Attorney [via Project x Zone]

Professor Layton [via Ace Attorney]

Darkstalkers [via Project x Zone]

Resonance of Fate [via Project x Zone]

Marvel vs. Capcom [via Street Fighter]

Marvel [via Marvel vs. Capcom]

Disney [via Marvel]

Pixar [via Disney]

Fortnite [via Street Fighter]

Unreal [via Fortnite]

Who Framed Roger Rabbit [via Disney]

Looney Tunes [via Who Framed Roger Rabbit]

Betty Boop [via Who Framed Roger Rabbit]

Woody Woodpecker [via Who Framed Roger Rabbit]

Droopy [via Who Framed Roger Rabbit]

Space Jam [via Looney Tunes]

Ōkami [via Marvel vs. Capcom]

Dead Rising [via Marvel vs. Capcom]

Section 8

Blazblue [via Persona] - Includes Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle

Under Night In-Birth [via Blazblue]

RWBY [via Blazblue]

Vocaloid [via Persona] - Specifically, through Hatsune Miku. Crypton Vocaloids and Internet Co. Ltd. Vocaloids all affected. Includes Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA.

Arcana Heart [via Blazblue]

Senran Kagura [via Blazblue]

Akatsuki Blitzkampf [via Blazblue]

Dead or Alive [via Senran Kagura]

Super Sonico [via Senran Kagura]

Neptunia [via Senran Kagura]

Just Dance [via Vocaloid]

Like A Dragon [via Vocaloid] - Also known as Yakuza.

The Idolmaster [via Vocaloid]

Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion [via Vocaloid]

Neon Genesis Evangelion [via Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion]

Godzilla [via Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion]

Lucky Star [via Vocaloid]

Haruhi Suzumiya [via Lucky Star]

Groove Coaster [via Vocaloid]

Hololive [via Groove Coaster]

Kizuna AI [via Groove Coaster]

Aikatsu! [via Vocaloid]

Pretty Series [via Aikatsu!]

Ace Combat [via The Idolmaster]

God Eater [via The Idolmaster]

Granblue Fantasy [via The Idolmaster]

Katamari Damacy [via The Idolmaster]

Taiko no Tatsujin [via The Idolmaster]

Ridge Racer [via The Idolmaster]

Tales [via The Idolmaster]

Super Robot Wars [via The Idolmaster]

Smite [via RWBY]

Avatar: The Last Airbender [via Smite]

Nicktoons Unite! [via Avatar: The Last Airbender]

SpongeBob SquarePants [via Nicktoons Unite!]

The Fairly OddParents! [via Nicktoons Unite!]

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius [via Nicktoons Unite!]

Invader Zim [via Nicktoons Unite!]

Danny Phantom [via Nicktoons Unite!]

Rugrats [via Nicktoons Unite!]

My Life As A Teenage Robot [via Nicktoons Unite!]

Ren & Stimpy [via Nicktoons Unite!]

Halo [via Dead or Alive]

Forza [via Halo]

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE [via Fire Emblem]

Shin Megami Tensei [via Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE]

The Loud House [via Nicktoons Unite!]

Touhou Project [via Groove Coaster]

Jeremy Clarkson/Richard Hammond/James May [via Forza]

Katawa Shoujo [via Haruhi Suzumiya] - Galeem's whole thing seems like something out of Rin Tezuka's worst nightmares.

Section 9

Lego Dimensions [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

The Lord of the Rings [via Lego Dimensions]

Harry Potter [via Lego Dimensions]

Back to the Future [via Lego Dimensions]

The Lego Movie [via Lego Dimensions]

Jurassic Park [via Lego Dimensions]

Adventure Time [via Lego Dimensions]

Ghostbusters [via Lego Dimensions]

Mission: Impossible [via Lego Dimensions]

The Powerpuff Girls [via Lego Dimensions]

Knight Rider [via Lego Dimensions]

Gremlins [via Lego Dimensions]

The Goonies [via Lego Dimensions]

The Wizard of Oz [via Lego Dimensions]

Portal [via Lego Dimensions] - Includes Half-Life

Legends of Chima [via Lego Dimensions]

The A-Team [via Lego Dimensions]

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial [via Lego Dimensions]

Beetlejuice [via Lego Dimensions]

Scooby Doo [via Lego Dimensions]

Ninjago [via Lego Dimensions]

Doctor Who [via Lego Dimensions]

O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

RPG World [via O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes]

Captain Planet [via O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes]

Wacky Races [via O.K. K.O.! Let's Be Heroes]

Angry Birds [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Hello Kitty [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Gundam [via Hello Kitty]

Super Monkey Ball [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Jet Set Radio [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Crazy Taxi [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

House of the Dead [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Billy Hatcher & the Giant Egg [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Shenmue [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Space Channel 5 [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Skies of Arcadia [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

NiGHTS Into Dreams [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Team Fortress 2 [via Sonic the Hedgehog]

Fall Guys [via Team Fortress 2]

Poker Night At The Inventory [via Team Fortress 2]

Sam & Max [via Poker Night At The Inventory]

Homestar Runner [via Poker Night At The Inventory]

Penny Arcade [via Poker Night At The Inventory]

Borderlands [via Poker Night At The Inventory]

The Venture Brothers [via Poker Night At The Inventory]

Section 10

The Simpsons [via Super Mario]

Futurama [via The Simpsons]

Family Guy [via The Simpsons] - Includes American Dad!.

Bob's Burgers [via The Simpsons]

Rick & Morty [via The Simpsons]

Cheers [via The Simpsons] - Includes Frasier.

The X-Files [via The Simpsons]

Archer [via The Simpsons]

King of the Hill [via The Simpsons]

South Park [via The Simpsons]

Tamagotchi [via Super Mario]

Shaun The Sheep [via Super Mario Maker] - Includes Wallace & Gromit.

Nisekoi [via Super Mario Maker]

Monogatari [via Nisekoi]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica [via Monogatari]

Onegai My Melody [via Super Mario Maker]

Shinya Arino [via Super Mario Maker] - Part of the real world.

Babymetal [via Super Mario Maker] - Part of the real world.

Section 11

Naruto [via Tekken]

One Piece [via Naruto]

Bleach [via Naruto]

Dragon Ball [via Naruto]

Yu-Gi-Oh! [via Naruto]

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure [via Naruto]

My Hero Academia [via Naruto]

Digimon [via Tekken]

Fist of the North Star [via Naruto]

Urusei Yatsura [via Fist of the North Star]

Ranma 1/2 [via Urusei Yatsura]

InuYasha [via Urusei Yatsura]

Section 12

DuckTales [via Minecraft] - Includes Quack Pack and Darkwing Duck.

Toy Story [via Minecraft]

Pirates of the Caribbean [via Minecraft]

Quake [via Doom]

Wolfenstein [via Doom]

Commander Keen [via Doom]

Yooka-Laylee [via Shovel Knight]

Creepy Castle [via Shovel Knight]

Super Meat Boy [via Shovel Knight]

Cave Story [via Shovel Knight]

Five Night's At Freddy's [via Shovel Knight]

Enter The Gungeon [via Super Meat Boy]

The Binding of Isaac [via Super Meat Boy]

...and this list isn't even all of them. By far.

Here's a full chart that someone that isn't me made. It includes Warhammer, so the Emperor of Mankind was murdered or possibly deleted from existence. I doubt that would be allowed to stand. Ever.

[squadron-goals]

Feldfliegerabteilung 23

17 Mai 1915

How I was looking forward to my old department! Returning was the hardest journey of my life. Because our commander Vogel von Falckenstein, to followed with loyal devotion, never came back from a front flight on the day I was supposed to arrive in January... I always felt as if I had to look for him. My own thinking was obliterated. I flew and flew and worked until I sank down tired, picked myself up again, and the only thing on my mind was: "Didn´t return back from a flight!" ... The fronts did not change over the last few months and are still relatively calm now. The flight reports are almost always the same: "Nothing new before Paris!" We take a lot of photographs. I often flew into enemy rear areas; the area around Amiens was my target. I then tried to get as far behind the enemy lines as possible, because that was the only way to get a clear view of the enemy. Far behind his lines, the enemy cannot hide anything. Only a few of our planes managed to get through to Amiens. I put my pride into it: every flight I have to make a few curves over Amiens. Besides, I never fly without bombs. Their destination is always Amiens. So "Honorary Citizen of Amiens" was soon my nickname ... A French monoplane often cruises over Amiens. I know the guy well, my commander was his victim. Woe betide you if he comes before me! I challenge him almost every day. He always appears suddenly and soon he's sitting behind me or close above my plane so that I can't see him. Since we don't have machine guns on the plane yet, we have to use carbines and pistols; I prefer to rely on my curves until I have him in sure sight. Once I managed to get above him. The observer his hands in the air and the Frenchman goes vertically downwards. But we didn't hit the plane.

4 June 1915

Our reconnaissance aircraft have finally been equipped with machine guns. The French already had this during peacetime. Unfortunately, the MGs only came into the planes sporadically. Now, almost a year after the start of the war, many aircraft still only have pistols. We need attack machines with the machine gun forward, like the Frenchman ... I managed to get Buddecke into my unit. We now have brilliant guys in our unit: Böhmer, Hirsemann, Tütschulte, Schueler, Grüner; all officers of the good old style, iron-clad in their commitment to duty and in their service. Each crew tries to surpass the other in the length of the flight route and in the number of flights. Real flying spirit! All for one, one for all! We also have a splendid chief captain (the name came from me, but was soon adopted generally). Seeberg and Bohnstedt form the head of the unit. Both are constantly striving to get all difficulties out of our way, to always keep the tone and spirit fresh and to raise the same spirit in the non-flying part of the camp (mechanics and crews). It's not easy for them, but they manage it! Von Seidlitz or, as I call him, Seidenspitz, is probably the most magnificent. Although seriously wounded and not yet healed, he escaped straight from the hospital and is desperately trying to take part in the flying competition; He has to be lifted onto the plane... If only fate doesn't tear us apart! In just one month, FFA 23 has become one of the best flying formations in the entire army!

10 August 1915

I was supposed to get a Fokker monoplane in July. I gave up in favor of Buddecke, who had asked me to do so. He knew the type from America. It took a hard fight, then I got the large aircraft, called the "Großer Kahn", which has 2 engines with a total of 300 HP, space for 2 to 3 observers, 2 machine guns and a bomb load of 200 kg. It was the first of its kind to join the army. I fought for it, since I'm the oldest pilot in the army and the best known of us and especially over there... We still don't have a small fighter plane that's easy to steer. It's a shame that you can't attack with the large combat aircraft, it's too cumbersome for that... I take turns flying, sometimes a large aircraft, sometimes a C-biplane, i.e. a normal aircraft. So I can let off steam in every way... When it comes to nerves, I'm still the same as before, i.e. fresh. My breakdown in June was apparently serious, but was soon resolved. Only the stomach nerves aren't quite cooperating. At first the doctor said it was a dysentery attack, but after 14 days it went back to normal.

[frostythefrostedfox]

This sequence (Only 4 images for the sake of shortness) is the ending sequence of Metal Gear Solid V, one that I consider to be one of the best endings ever made in a videogame, and the perfect ending for your story, the player’s story, after seeing the end of Big Boss’ and The Patriot’s story in Metal Gear Solid 4, a perfect message and display of appreciation for your service, for all you’ve done, and all you’ve grown alongside these characters, an amazing contrast to the last time the gmae acknoleged your role in the story, in Metal Gear Solid 2, back then the game mocked you, insulted you and made fun of you for not understanding what it tried to say to you, for trying to be what it warned you not to become, and many years later, it rewards your perseverance with “The Truth”, which is also this mission’s in-game name, after all these years, after everything they put you through, you deserve nothing else but The Truth, spelled out for you, alongside a congratulatory note from no other than The Man Who Sold The World, Big Boss himself, but at the same time, warning you of what lies ahead in your path should you take it.

This game’s development was full of controversies and other problems, and while that deprived the player from experiencing what could’ve been another high point in the franchise, Mission 51 “Lord of the Flies”, in a way it also enhanced the game’s message about memes (in the actual, real definition of the word), passing on your legacy and what becoming a legend really means, I guess you could say this is the ultimate “Is not a bug, is a feature”, the attempted erasure of Kojima’s name from the game serves as a perfect real life parallel to the erasure of The Boss’ name from history in the game.

Prior to my experience playing MGS V, I never thougth that a character other than a Customizable Player Character akin those in Fallout, The Elder Scrolls and many other RPG games could become a “Literally Me” character, as they are already set in stone with clear motivations, ideals and morals of their own, and while Venom Snake is quite the ambiguous character as it is supposed to serve as a Self-insert of the player just as Raiden was meant to be in his original appeareance, he is a set character that shares all the qualities of one; while the reasons why I can relate to and see this character as “A Part Of Myself” rely entirely on subjective and personal matters, I wouldn’t be surprised that many people that doesn’t shares that connection with his background and context still experiences the same feeling; I’ve always seen Naked Snake as a role model, someone I looked up to be like one day, perhaps even a “Father Figure” and Liquid Snake as a “Brother” of sorts that shares the same beliefs but with a different understanding of them, but it was only after slowly crawling thru a mud-covered marsh as DD barks at enemies to distract them, standing next to the saluting wandering soldiers whose only wish was to return back to the place they once called home, spotting for Quiet so she can clear an outpost to rescue a POW and hearing those dreadful words “We live and die by your order, Boss” during Shining Lights, Even In Death that I could relate to Venom Snake after understanding that we’ve been thru the same, despite the actual circumstances being different due to one being real life and another one being a work of fiction (despite being inspired by very real things that did happen), I don’t know if that was the intent with the character, but for all purposes, I can always say that I am Venom, and Venom is Me.

“In Memory Of A Patriot Who Saved The World”

[thebestpartofwakingup]

Think I’ve posted about this before but my fan/headcanon post-ending for the MGS series is that eventually (but like probably within Otacon’s lifetime) through a mix of leaks and some older government stuff slowly being declassified the Philosophers become like a known government conspiracy cover up and either through genuine interest/government red herring designation — Adamska the “baby soldier” becomes this documentary/anti-cold-war/“dark” pop science darling.

The central case study of many a Sociology and Psychology 101 courses, favorite paper topic for grad students everywhere, central figure of many a documini-series. Maybe gets a couple soft PR bills named after him. “As a parent the details in recent hit series ‘War Kitten’ unnerved me deeply and so as Governor I am proposing “Adam’s Law” explicitly outlawing the practice of forcibly enlisting children under the age of 16 without parental consent in the state of Nebraska” etc.

Because like. Isn’t that just the worst non-consequential outcome for everyone? Something nobody would want but that doesn’t actually affect anything except strained annoyance in Otacon?

Because of course the real story was never going to go mainstream but isn’t this just the most insufferable version of that truth?

The man who was born and lived in the shadows spending his death in the spotlight? Not as a villain, not even a cog in a complex machine, but as a victim?

As an international tragedy?

The boss exploited by the government one last time literally as a means to divert attention from that exploitation?

[masterghandalf]

MG Reads Embers: Chapter Twenty

Note: This is a continuation of my reread and commentary of Embers by Vathara, originally posted last fall and winter on my Dreamwidth account.

Chapter Twenty We open with Katara wondering where Toph is, and Sokka remembering how she asked him to keep quiet before she slips away. Aang thinks she went to see Luli but doesn’t know why; he can’t imagine he’ll have to bend jade that often. Katara thinks Toph wouldn’t stay out this long without a reason – and besides, she thinks they’re being followed. Sokka agrees and hopes that if the Dai Li are following them, they’re not following Toph. He explains that nobody wants to talk with them about anything important - this makes Katara think of Amaya, and Sokka says that it’s weird for a waterbender to show up and just flat out say she won’t talk to them like that – and then for Toph to disappear right afterwards. Maybe she got bored, but Sokka thinks she’s after something important – Appa. He thinks Amaya was a distraction, and that she brought someone else, probably her apprentice, and that person talked with Toph while the Dai Li weren’t watching them. They argue over why Toph wouldn’t tell them, but decide she might need their help – and what sort of Water Tribe name is “Lee,” anyway? Aang decides Appa is more important than Toph’s plan, and that they should go see Luli. We cut to Zuko and Toph, getting ready to begin their infiltration of Lake Laogai. Zuko asks if Aang meant to destroy the fleet at the North Pole. Toph can tell from sensing Zuko’s body language that he’s starting to trust her a little – at the same time, he’s not just a firebender, he’s the prince. Aang was raised by monks and Katara and Sokka by a village chief, but Zuko was raised to rule an empire. Toph knows how big Ba Sing Se is, and that Iroh once laid siege to it – the amount of resources that would take boggles her. And she can only imagine how much Aang destroyed at the North Pole. Toph says Aang just wanted to stop the fleet, and Zuko says that that never would have happened with Zhao in command; Toph wonders if Aang should have just grabbed Pakku and run to train with him somewhere else, and Zuko thinks he should have. Toph wonders why Aang didn’t think of that, though Zuko admits it wouldn’t have stopped the invasion. Zhao had influence and a plan – though maybe if Aang hadn’t gone to the Water Tribes in the first place, Zhao wouldn’t have invaded when he did.

Zuko, for his part, thinks Zhao’s plan was bad – and obviously, it didn’t work. He’d have only sent a few ships to the North Pole in Zhao’s place, carrying very specialized people – Toph already knows about Ty Lee, and there are other people who can do what she can. They don’t normally leave the Fire Nation during wartime, but a member of the royal family could order it. The Water Tribes wouldn’t know what to look for – their warriors aren’t real soldiers, most of their leadership is terrible, and they fight to kick out outsiders, not out of a sense of national duty. They rely on their waterbenders, and most of their warriors have had nobody to fight for decades except each other – and they have fought each other, a lot. Which means they’re more worried about each other than an invasion, and a small force could slip by them and kidnap Aang. Toph is stunned. Meanwhile, they’re still a long way from Lake Laogai, so Toph wants to hear all about Zuko’s time chasing Aang – the stuff the others haven’t told her, like the time Katara stole from pirates. Privately, Toph is hoping to get Zuko on their side - Aang will need a firebending teacher eventually. In the meantime, Zuko starts his story. We cut to Quan asking Shirong why Amaya would visit the Avatar. Shirong has no idea; all he can think of is that one of the Avatar’s friends is a waterbender too. Privately, he wonders if Zuko is up to something, but keeps it to himself. Quan doesn’t want her doing it again – Long Feng is disturbed by the situation, and they’ve lost track of Toph. Shirong thinks that she vanishes sometimes, but always turns up again. Quan tells him to have a good night and leaves, and Shirong suddenly realizes they suspect him. If the other Dai Li figure out what he’s actually up to, he could be hauled in front of Long Feng personally, which terrifies him. Still, Shirong thinks it’s worth it to keep the Avatar out of Long Feng’s hands. He thinks to himself that Zuko can do this but doesn’t dare show his hand by acting to help him. Or, maybe there’s one thing to do. He goes to his quarters and prays and his personal shrine to Oma, Shu and even Agni, begging for them to help Zuko. He doesn’t notice that, for a moment, the shrine glows gold.

We cut to Zuko and Toph at Lake Laogai; Toph is impressed by everything Zuko pulled off his journey, but Zuko just says that if the Fire Lord gives you a command, you obey. Whatever it takes. Toph knows that Zuko’s not just in this for orders, though, and Zuko asks her if she wants Azula in charge of the Fire Nation. Toph agrees that would be bad and asks how Zuko has faked being a waterbender so well. In response, Zuko bends the water away to create a path in the lake, to Toph’s shock. He warns her that once they get in, he won’t be able to do that – if the Dai Li see he’s a waterbender, they might figure out who he is. Zuko gives a brief explanation of how the spirits gave him waterbending and that he really is Amaya’s apprentice. Toph is amused and wants to know if she can tell the others Amaya’s apprentice is Fire Nation, if only for the look on Katara’s face. The two of them find where Zuko exposed the entrance to the base and head on in, Zuko reminding himself he’s doing this for his people, not Aang. We cut to Huojin, hearing the sound of pounding on his door – and it turns out to be the Avatar and his friends on the other side. They’re asking for Luli, Toph and “Lee,” and when Huojin tries to direct them to the guard headquarters, Aang bends him up to his neck in rocks. Huojin, angry now, demands to know what they want with his wife. Aang says they just want to talk and lets him go; Huojin chews them out for assaulting a city guard and staying out past curfew. They explain they’re looking for Toph and it took a long time to find the house. Huojin explains that she was here but isn’t anymore. And he’s certainly not going to tell them where to find Luli after how they treated him. He wants to see their papers, but apparently Toph had them – Aang thinks that the Avatar shouldn’t need papers, but Huojin pretends not to believe him. We cut back to Toph, thinking that Zuko’s having fun at least as they infiltrate Lake Laogai. She thinks it’s weird for a firebender to be that good at this. In fact, he seems excited, like she did at a high-stakes match. Making their way through the base, they stumble on a cell holding three prisoners who Zuko recognizes – Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot. Zuko wants Toph to get them out – better they don’t talk to him at all. Meanwhile, Toph can hear the voices of the new Joo Dees from a nearby cell, mindlessly repeating slogans – she remembers what Amaya said about them and decides that if the Fire Nation wants Ba Sing Se, they can have it – or at least they could if it weren’t for the ordinary people who live here. Jet says they tried to do it to them, too; Smellerbee and Longshot grab him and make him shut up, and Toph realizes they’re in trouble.

We cut to Long Feng as he asks about Shirong, while running over his plans for Aang. He thinks about General Fong’s report that the Avatar State can be triggered by extreme emotion, and he doesn’t want to risk losing everything he’s built here. Quan thinks Shirong is acting odd, but he imagines anyone would after what he just went through – still, he promises he won’t let his friendship with Shirong get in the way of his duty. Meanwhile, Long Feng knows Toph vanished only after Amaya went to see Aang, and Amaya’s new apprentice troubles him too. He can’t imagine how he avoided military service, or how he was so effective against the spirit. Suddenly, another agent runs in, saying they found Toph – and sure enough, in the corridor outside, he finds Toph and the Freedom Fighters brawling against the Dai Li – and Toph is almost singlehandedly winning. Meanwhile, she’s got someone else with her – a firebender! We cut to Zuko fighting and thinking about how Jet is crazy. Zuko doesn’t want to kill any of the Dai Li, some of whom he knows – he just wants to get Appa out. Then he spots Long Feng, and he's happy to burn him, tossing some dried leaves in his direction and igniting them. The ensuing firestorm blocks the Dai Li’s vision, but not Toph’s – she keeps fighting as Smellerbee and Longshot yank Jet away. We cut to Katara, fuming about how Huojin stalled them for so long before sending them on to the Wens’ house. She knows he really knew who Aang was, and wishes she could have frozen him solid. Reaching the house, Sokka suggests Aang knock, which Katara sarcastically says worked out so well before. They argue a bit about who should do it, and finally Sokka does. Meixiang comes to the door, and he introduces them and says they’re looking for Toph. Meixiang says Luli’s here, but being with the children all day has worn her out – but she’ll answer their questions. And she heard about Sokka from Jia. Aang and Katara insist that they really need to find Toph – Meixiang says she knows she is, but she can handle it, and demands to know why Aang, the Avatar, would bring the Dai Li straight to her family. Meixiang’s husband teaches the history of a time before the Dai Li and that puts them in danger. Aang should wait for Toph to find him and then leave Ba Sing Se and go somewhere he can help people. Aang insists he is helping people, and Meixiang yells for her husband and tells him to show Aang a map. She points out where the Fire Nation’s invasion path is. They’re heading for Ba Sing Se, which is why the Avatar should be anywhere else. Kyoshi wasn’t in Ba Sing Se when Chin the Conqueror nearly took it, but she defeated him – Aang disgustedly says she killed him, and Tingzhe wonders what else Aang would have wanted her to do. Chin had to split his forces to deal with Kyoshi and the city separately, which led to his downfall.

Suddenly, Min comes in, telling his father he can’t be talking about this. Tingzhe says he knows he shouldn’t be, but to do nothing against evil is to abet it – a mistake the Air Nomads made, to their cost. Min thinks this is crazy and blames everything that’s happened to their family on “Lee.” Katara wants to know about him, but Min tells her to get out before she gets his family killed. Tingzhe says that Aang and his friends are uninvited, but they are guests; Aang says that he's the Avatar, and he protects people. Min says he can’t help them – there’s nothing they can do against the Dai Li. Katara asks if there’s anything Min can do for his family, and he wonders. We cut to Zuko and Toph breaking into Appa’s cell. Toph immediately runs over to hug Appa and apologize to him, scaring Zuko – who suddenly has a flashback to Aang assuring him that Appa’s a vegetarian, something he knows never happened. Or did it? Jet pokes his head in, surprised that the Dai Li had the Avatar’s bison, and Zuko thinks that they still do have him, and they need to move. They manage to get Appa free, and then Long Feng comes in with a bunch of other Dai Li, assuring them that they’re not going anywhere. But they take off anyway, with Toph and Zuko managing to blast their way through the ceiling and out into the sky. Jet wants to know why Zuko’s doing this, and Toph tells him that not everyone from the Fire Nation is crazy – and besides, she’s Aang’s friend and teacher. They fly past the outer wall, dodging boulders, and finally set down about an hour outside the city, where the let the Freedom Fighters off. Jet is angry at Zuko for abandoning them, but Smellerbee is just happy to be out of the city. Toph tosses her a coin, gives her name, and says she expects to be paid back; Zuko wonders if she can afford it, but Toph assures him she can, and besides, people give Aang stuff. It just reminds Zuko of Azula. Toph’s confused, and so Zuko explains how Azula and Aang are both naturally gifted, everything’s easy for them, people want to help them and in Aang’s case even the spirits are on his side. Toph says she wants him to win, too, and Zuko asks her what happens if he does – because when the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes hate the Fire Nation, and if the Fire Nation isn’t a threat anymore, they’ll come for their revenge. Toph protests that Aang won’t let that happen, but Zuko says that Sozin destroyed his people – the North Pole will just be a warm-up for him. For now, he just wants Toph to get Aang out of the city.

We cut to Aang telling Sokka they have to go back and help the Wens, but Sokka thinks they’ve done enough – they need to be thinking about hitting the Fire Nation from behind. They were so fixated on defeating Ozai personally, they forgot they have armies to worry about too. But before they can do that, they still need to get the king and the generals on their side – and suddenly, Sokka’s thoughts are interrupted as out of nowhere, Appa appears, Toph riding on his back. The Dai Li try to intercept him, to no avail, as Appa picks Team Avatar up and carries them off. Toph explains how she and “Lee” rescued Appa and says that he gave her a note and they need to see it. Once they get to an island out on the lake, Toph passes the letter to Sokka, who reads the explanation of how the Earth King is a figurehead and the real power is Long Feng, who runs the Dai Li and has the generals in his pocket. The refugees are kept divided and under control, and an unthinking hate of the Fire Nation is fostered. Long Feng is not Aang’s ally, and he's read General Fong’s reports – he and the generals were planning to use Appa to keep Aang under control and pointed at their enemies. Now that Aang has Appa, he needs to get out. Sokka thinks the writing sounds familiar, and Katara questions Toph about “Lee” – Aang is surprised too, since the Water Tribes prefer to conduct business face to face and aren’t known as letter-writers. Toph explains that they had to act fast to rescue Appa, and Lee didn’t want to meet Team Avatar because even though he’s a waterbender, he’s Fire Nation. Team Avatar are thoroughly weirded out by this, and Toph explains how conflicted “Lee” is – Katara thinks he should feel horrible, after everything the Fire Nation’s done, and in fact, he should probably just crawl off and die! Toph yells at her to take it back, and they realize she’s crying. She said she hadn’t wanted to believe how much the Water Tribes hate the Fire Nation even after Lee tried to tell her, but she realizes it now. Aang promises to defeat the Fire Lord, but Toph wants to know what his plan is after that, but none of them can think of more than “figure it out when the time comes.” For the meantime, they have another enemy to deal with – Long Feng. They need to take the opportunity to break Long Feng’s hold on the Earth King – and meanwhile, the Dai Li are looking for them, so they don’t have much time. They decide to head out.

We cut to Iroh, watching Zuko sleep and thinking that Zuko hasn’t broken his loyalty yet, but he’s getting closer and closer to that point. He hopes Zuko is strong enough to survive when it happens… but he doesn’t know. We then cut to Long Feng in prison, as he’s assured the Dai Li are still loyal to him. For now, his plans are in motion and he’s sure he’ll soon be back in control. He already has plans to hand over “Lee” and Shirong and scapegoat them for his actions. He thinks to himself that Min will be a fine agent, indeed…

We end with another author note: A/N: Okay, did anybody else look at what was found in Long Feng's office and think, "Trap!" We know Long Feng's a plotter, and has been for decades. Information related to the Gaang, that those generals could find in his office? That just happens to get his latest enemies-slash-annoyances scattered to the four winds, with two of the three powerful benders out of the city entirely? Right. Trap. Azula piggy-backing on the opportunity to get in was probably the one thing Long Feng didn't see coming. But then, she was born lucky. Assume most of "The Earth King" happened as canon, minus Appa's tooth-marks and Zuko's hallucinations. Poor guy. He'd probably prefer the hallucinations, compared to what's coming. And unfortunately, this is the last of my already-written chapters. I'm working on chapters 21 and 22, and hope to have 21 up sometime next week. Unless Murphy's Law kicks in. Given this is Zuko... well. MG’s Thoughts I think comparing this chapter to the canon episodes it adapts – “Lake Laogai” and “The Earth King” – is very telling. The biggest change here is that, in canon, everyone was involved in fighting the Dai Li and rescuing Appa, whereas here… yeah, I think the fact that Zuko and Toph get to have a cool adventure while Aang, Katara and Sokka bumble around Ba Sing Se making nuisances of themselves says quite a lot about where Vathara’s priorities are (as does the fact that instead of getting his dramatic death scene from canon, Jet is just reduced to being the load for Zuko). This is also a chapter where I think the seams between the fic and canon really show, in various ways. For one, it literally doesn’t make sense if you don’t know the original show, as we go from Long Feng (arguably the most prominent villain in the fic so far, since Ozai at this point is an entirely off-page character and Azula’s only had one scene) being in charge to being in prison with no explanation. This is the sort of thing that, I’ve noted before, will get more and more jarring as the fic goes on and the further it mutates into something only loosely connected to the show. For that matter, how did the events of “The Earth King” play out when Appa didn’t bite Long Feng? The bite marks on his leg were kind of important for the Earth King realizing he wasn’t being straight with him. I’m also not sure about Long Feng having specifically planned the Gaang to split up, since I never got the impression he expected to be deposed so suddenly (though I doubt he was displeased by how things did work out, at least until Azula turned on him) – I’d always figured he had that stuff (which was, after all, genuine) in his office because he’d been planning to use it as leverage and never got the chance. On a related note, we have Vathara’s toned down Dai Li running up awkwardly against canon’s Dai Li, so you end up with weird bits like Zuko being disgusted by the atrocities of Lake Laogai – and still seeming to think the people who committed those atrocities are honorable men he doesn’t want to hurt if he doesn’t have to. Huh?

A bigger issue is that this is where the fic really starts its Water Tribe bashing (and a brief aside of Air Nomad bashing). Whatever Zuko thinks, did… did we really need an entire monologue about how much the Water Tribe’s military sucks (ironically, the system of uneven, disunified feudal levies Vathara describes the Northern Tribe as using would fit right in… in her take on the Fire Nation)? Making it worse is Zuko’s apparent assertion that Aang should have just left the city to Zhao’s mercies, even though Zuko acknowledges that it probably wouldn’t have stopped the invasion (and in canon… yeah, Aang’s presence in the city may have made it a more tempting target, but Zhao had clearly been planning that for a while, possibly for most of his career, depending on exactly when he found the library). Like, I know Vathara prides herself on “realism”, but did she put any thought into what a city being sacked by an invading army, even the tamest, most PG version of that, would look like and how there’s no way that Aang could be remotely in character and abandon people to that? And then we get to the idea that the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes just hate the Fire Nation so much and the Fire Nation by this point is totally conquering the world in self-defense guys. Excuse me!? And maybe that’s just supposed to be Zuko’s perspective, but… the rest of the fic doesn’t exactly suggest he’s wrong. Especially when you have Katara in this very chapter wishing for “Lee” – someone who, as far as she knows, she’s never met – to drop dead just because he’s Fire Nation. Really, Vathara seems to have taken Katara’s post- “Crossroads of Destiny” hostility to Zuko (which was, you know, because she’d trusted him and he betrayed that trust), read it back into her character before that episode, and decides it actually applies to everyone in the Fire Nation. Whatever the logic, I don’t like it, and it’s going to keep getting worse over the next several arcs.

[madboxsimz]

"The MG's? Yeah, I've heard of those guys... They're the reason most folk double take at anyone wearing orange." "Their families were born, raised, and killed in Mirage County, it's quite unfortunate that the county would never do the same for them and these 'kids'. Folks say they can find them either in the sandy outskirts or deep in the heart of the city 'protecting their territory' or what my buddy Randy says..."

"...Their Names? Well, we have..."

Dev, the crazy chick in the leather coat, I think you'll see her most often around the Dry Vermilion area. Hopefully not too often.

Her close buddy, Marc, the guy who looks like he's wearing bondage gear or whatever, He's not much of a talker, but from what I hear, he does most of the dirty work.

Thalia, she's a real threat, wears all black so it's hard to identify her, she'll get every last detail of her target if it's the last thing she'll do, then return back to Dev with the info.

And last but not least, Jamar, I call him hoodie kid, I'm pretty sure he's the youngest, but that's what they need, they need someone with his kind of agility and speed, that boy could chase a speeding car on foot.