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beeblebrox-be-damned · 5 years ago

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Hotel Happenings, Part 2

Alpha!Stucky x Reader

TW: blood, birth, angst-ish stuff.

AN: Hooooooooooo boy extensive plot chapter. I swear, we’ll get to good stuff soon. Probably. Hopefully. Idk tbh. I start writing and then they kinda take on a life of their own and then we end up with a multi-part fic instea dof the originally intended oneshot. AN Part 2- Electric Boogaloo: I’ll be reblogging this later with the taglist for people who wanted to be tagged. My brain is running on empty at this point, its 4 AM, I need sleep fdjmfdmkdfvmk

Long ago, as the primordial oceans churned and raged, a species that would later rise to dominion over the primitive planet was in the early stages of formation. It was in these barest of centuries when a great divergence took place among the genetic makeup of the creatures. A rift caused by the shifting of the planet’s crust formed, cleaving the small but steadily growing population in two.

It is in this way that one species may become two separate species, though still inextricably intertwined by common ancestors. And thus, the world beget the Humans and the Designates.

It is possible that the change would have occurred even without the rift, though it would have happened at a much slower rate. As it was, the two species, while alike in almost all ways, were unable to breed when they once more found each other.

Humans, despite lacking the prolificacy of Designates, swarmed the Earth quickly. To do so, they pushed the Designates nearly to the brink of extinction. Even today, Designates make up the minority of the Earth’s sentient inhabitants. A deep rift, this time not literal, formed between the two over the millennia that spanned the development of the modern world.

The separation of species, however, was not complete. Despite being unable to interbreed, which would have led to the eventual “out-breeding” of the Designate traits, it was apparent that one species could, through circumstances not yet understood by modern-day science, bare members of the other. It was possible for a pairing of two Humans to bring forth a Designate child and vice versa, though the anomaly remains incredibly rare.

It is possible that it wasn’t as rare as it seems. Taboo as it is to most civilized creatures, the destruction or abandonment of undesired offspring is not unheard of in the natural world. Take the instance of an albino rabbit born into a litter of normally coloured siblings. It is normal for the mother to shun the out-of-place offspring, resulting in its untimely demise. With the deep hatred between the two species it is not unfathomable that a Human or a Designate may allow offspring born of their counterpart species to die, leading to a skewed statistical error of reported counter-births.

While hatred wanes, some remain that still hold deep, unfounded malice towards the other species, as it was that led to the abandonment of our dear main character…

……………………………

“C’mon, c’mon. It’ll be okay… just a little further and then we can- can-” the man’s words stuttered to a stop with a distressed whine. His Alpha tugged at his hand, urging him to allow her to sit and rest. One of her hands clutched her swollen belly tightly, her face twisted in agony.

“No, ‘Mega. I need to sit. F-uck.” Her words were tight, pained. A gust of wind brushed her hair away from her face as she slid to the ground, letting go of her distressed Omega’s hand. She leaned against a tree as he crouched down beside her. He gave a small whine, fear shining in his wide eyes.

The moon, covered with piebald clouds, provided very little light in the forest. He couldn’t see the red, but he could smell the blood. His frantic whines grew louder. His panting Alpha reached up and stroked her hand over his cheek. “Hush now, it’ll be alright. We’ll just have to- ah!” Her words cut off in a sharp cry of agony. After a moment, she regained her breath. “Y-your jacket, give me your jacket,” she sputtered, “Can’t wait any longer.”

Her Omega, despite his panic, obeyed promptly. He shrugged the ragged jacket off of his thin shoulders and with the Alpha’s guidance, spread it beneath her. Her hair clung to her forehead as she groaned, her Omega watching by helplessly.

“Alpha, we need to get to a hospital, need to get help-” he cried, hands scrambling feebly to try to assist with the birth. “There’s so much blood- oh god there’s so much blood.” Tears streamed freely down his cheeks, mingling with the rain that spat from the sky.

“Shh, shh, it’s alright,” the Alpha said weakly, taking one of his bloodied hands in her own. Her thumb stroked his skin softly as she locked her gaze on his. It pained her more than the physical pain of birth to see her beloved so distraught. “It will be alright, I promise.” Her voice was steadily growing weaker, the blood pooling around her. “Just… hold my hand. She’s almost here.”

He held her hand tightly, too afraid to look, too afraid to see how much blood was leaching from her body. She could feel the infant crowing, almost ready. She wished it had been different, wished she could watch her first pup grow up. Gripping her Omega’s hand tightly and using her last reserve of strength, she gave a final harsh push. A wail greeted her ears as she slipped into the velveteen darkness.

The Omega listen to the child wail, frozen in place. He could feel it in his bond when his Alpha’s last breath left her body. He leapt onto her, frantically trying to breathe life back into her limp form. His heart wrenched in his chest as the hopelessness of it hit him. His a loud cry he stood, turning his face away as he screamed curses towards the inky tree-tops.

A whine reminded him of the new life. Swallowing another scream, he turned to gaze upon the pup he had sired. He laughed through his grief as he realized it was indeed a girl, just as his Alpha had thought. They hadn’t been able to go to the doctor to find out for sure, too poor to pay the bills, too poor to even afford proper clothing. But they had each other.

They had each other. No more.

He leaned down, gathering his daughter in the bloodied rag of a jacket he had worn. He sobbed, eyes shut tight as the pain hit him in waves. As he stared at the infant, he realized just how tiny she was. Horror and rage slowly crept over him, and his frown grew into a sneer.

“Y-you,” he growled, “you’re human.” There was venom in his voice, centuries of hatred. Had the light been stronger, he may have seen he was mistaken. But perhaps not. The scent glands of a premature Designated infant are very difficult to locate, nor do they produce any of the scent that differentiates the two species.

He stood, holding the infant far from his body. “A human… a human killed her.” His voice rose in pitch. “A human killed my Alpha. You killed her,” he screamed. “You killed her!”

Part of him wanted to toss the infant to the ground and run, but something kept him from doing so. With an angered sob, he clutched the baby close again. He couldn’t bring himself to do it. Nor did he want to raise this pup, this human, on his own.

It was then, as he looked up, that he happened to glimpse a small glint of light through the trees. An old woman had just happened to be awake then, unable to sleep though she did not know why. He stumbled forward, eyes fixed on the light. A window came into view, illuminating a trellis-archway above a doorstep.

The scent of wisteria hung heavily in the air as the infant cried.

……………………….

The woman brushed the hair off of her neck, wincing as sweat caused it to cling to her skin. Steam rose from the large pots on the stove and heat poured from the oven. The windows were open as wide as they could go, but it did little to ease the stifling heat of the small kitchen.

Turning on her heel, she walked over to the door, pushing it open and haphazardly fanning it back and forth in an attempt to stir up the air. After a moment she gave up, opting instead to prop it open. She really needed to get a fan or something to put in the kitchen. This old building just wasn’t very well ventilated, and the air conditioning on this side had never worked quite properly after it was installed. She never bothered to have it repaired since it still worked in the guest rooms and the second floor. There just wasn’t the money in the bank account to do it.

Content that the potatoes were far enough away from boiling over and the roast wasn’t going anywhere, she ducked out of the hot room and strolled down the short hall between the dining area, kitchen, and foyer. Ro was still in the office, her usual spot. Before she had lost her sight, she would spend hours looking out the office’s large window to observe the wildlife. It held especially fond memories, she had told the woman once, because that was the first room she ever held her in after she’d been left outside the foyer doorsteps.

The woman knocked on the door, signaling her presence so she wouldn’t startle the elderly lady. Of course, she probably had heard her coming down the hall, but it was better to be safe than sorry. “Yes?” came the reply promptly.

The woman pushed open the door and stepped inside, propping it open wide. She sat down in a comfortable chair across from Ro’s rocker, wiping at her sweat-sticky forehead. “It’s awful warm today, isn’t it?”

Ro raised her eyebrow, pursing her lips. “Not particularly, but I can imagine it mus’ be hot in that stuffy little kitchen. How’s the roast comin’ along?” Her gnarled hands rested on her lap, clasping each other lightly.

The woman smiled. “It’s in the oven as we speak. Had to get out the big one we’d saved in the freezer. Got a lot of guests today.” She paused a moment, thinking. “How’d you know we were having roast?”

Ro chuckled. “Silly girl. I can smell it. Smells real nice too. Did ye’ use rosemary?” Her face was turned towards the window, the light from it highlighting each smile-line and wrinkle that the woman loved so dearly. As time she had to spend with her adoptive guardian grew shorter, she spent more time committing each detail about her to memory.

“Yeah, fresh from the garden. I added a little thyme too, but not a whole lot.” She leaned forward and took one of Ro’s hands in her own, smiling as Ro gently squeezed her fingers. “You’ll never guess who our guests are, Mama. I was so shocked I almost passed clean out.”

Ro turned towards her, eyebrow raised. “Yeah? Who is it, baby?” Her wispy hair circled her face loosely where it had slipped out of the confines of her bun.

“You remember a few years back when that mind-controlled man invaded New York with aliens?” the woman asked, remembering the chaos that had been broadcast live on all the major news channels. Ro nodded, pursing her lips as she remembered.

“Those were nasty lookin’ creatures,” she said, shaking her head. “Nasty, nasty, nasty.”

“Agreed,” said the woman, finding herself nodding even though her companion couldn’t see it. “Anyway, there were those people that defeated them and chased the rest of them off. The Avengers.”

Ro nodded, licking her lips. “Now you aren’t tellin’ me,” she said, “that the Avengers are staying at our hotel, are you?” The quirk of her eyebrow marked her slight disbelief.

“Yup, they are. No- I’m not kidding.” She replied, watching the surprised look on Ro’s face. “And he’s with them, Mama.”

Ro laughed loudly, rocking back in her chair for a moment. “Well I’ll be darned,” she said, chuckling excitedly. “Never in my life did I ever think I’d get to meet the Captain America himself in person, let alone havin’ him an; his whole team stay in the hotel! My, my, this world sure is a funny place.”

Ro had spent many nights tucking her into bed and telling her stories when she was young. Often times, the stories were mostly true, centered around Ro’s favorite hero from World War 2, Captain America. As the woman got older, she figured out that Ro had had a bit of a crush on him, as most women of his time probably had. It had come as a great surprise to both of them when the word got out his body had been found- alive. Ro had clapped her hands and declared that miracles really did happen.

“Dinner will be ready soon, do you want to go ahead down to the dining room?” Ro released the woman’s hand and nodded, allowing her to stand. She walked to the corner of the room and retrieved Ro’s wheelchair, bringing it over to her. She helped her stand and situate herself in the wheelchair.

As they moved past the open kitchen, the woman winced at the heat. Even being in Ro’s cooled office, she still was uncomfortably warm. Ro seemed to sense her discomfort, tilting her head with a quizzical stare as the woman situated her at the dining table.

“What’s wrong, Mama?” the woman asked as she pulled open the chest of drawers where the good silverware was kept. She and Ro wouldn’t usually use it, as most guests opted to dine out in the town, but this was a special occasion to warrant the carefully polished utensils.

Ro hummed thoughtfully. “Nothin’ baby, you just seems a little off today. You sure you ain’t feelin’ unwell?” She couldn’t see her ward, but she could hear there was something unusual just by the change in the pace of the woman’s steps. They were almost sluggish.

The woman carefully spread the tablecloth over the hard oak table, moving on to place dishes at each seat. “To be perfectly honest, I’m a bit tired I suppose. I think the heat has me down,” she admitted, smoothing the tablecloth idly as she examined herself.

Ro frowned, worried. “Baby, it’s not that hot out. C’mere,” she said, beckoning with one hand. The woman came over obediently, knowing Ro wouldn’t take no for an answer. She knelt beside the wheelchair, allowing Ro to place her hand against her forehead. It was cold, pleasantly so. She nearly found herself leaning into the touch. “Child, you are positively burning up! If it weren’t for your tone a’ voice, I’d say you had a fever.”

The woman stood. “Odd. Other than the warmth, I feel fine.” She laid out napkins and the silverware, making sure each place was properly set. Perhaps if they made a good impression on their guests, they’d recommend the place to others. Wistful thinking, honestly, but it was worth a shot.

Ro pursed her lips, her worry clearly written across her face. “If you insist, baby. Just take it easy after dinner. The dishes ‘ll wait until morning just fine.”

The woman smiled. “Alright, Mama, whatever you say.” Satisfied the table was set properly, she returned to the kitchen to finish prepping the meal.

…………………..

“Alright, Mama, ready?” the woman asked, making sure Ro was comfortably seated in the chairlift to their upstairs residency. She pressed the button, briefly pausing to make sure the chair was running properly before turning and folding up the wheelchair so she could carry it with a bit more ease up the stairs. “So,” she asked as she followed Ro up the stairs, “what’d you think of the Avengers?”

Ro gave a hearty laugh, grinning widely. “They are somethin’ else! I tell you what, I’m glad they’re stayin’ for a couple days. They’ve gotta be the liveliest bunch we’ve had here in years.”

The woman smiled as they reached the top of the stairs, unfolding the wheelchair and assisting Ro back into it. The elderly lady could walk short distances with a walker to the bathroom and such, but you both agreed it was far safer for her to use the wheelchair for most things. The woman had made it abundantly clear that she didn’t mind caring for Ro but had agreed at Ro’s stubborn insistence that should the burden ever be too much, she would take her to the local retirement home.

“I’ve got to agree with you there, Mama.” She took Ro to her room, making sure everything was in order for the night. She waited outside the door as Ro readied herself for bed. “So, what’d you think about Captain Rog-, er, Steve?” Steve had insisted on them referring to him by his first name, as did most of the others, including Bucky. He had seemed almost embarrassed to request being called James instead of ‘Mr. Barnes’, but the grin he wore hearing it was certainly a sight to behold.

Ro shuffled out of the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the bed, slipping off her houseshoes. The woman leaned over and carefully undid her bun, setting the pins on the nightstand and grabbing a hairbrush. “He’s such a charmer,” Ro said, “just like he was back in the day. And such a sweetheart! I swear, that man doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. And his friend seems awful nice too. What was his name? James?”

The woman smiled softly as she finished combing Ro’s hair. “They are quite nice, aren’t they. I can’t believe they offered to help clean up after dinner. I guess that’s the sort of kindness people have been loosing, huh?” she sighed.

Ro smiled and patted her hand. “Baby, sometimes kindness is all we got. I’m proud of you, did you know that? So proud.” She paused, squeezing her hand tightly. “I’m glad you showed up on my doorstep. Who knew such a tiny little thing would grow up to be such a strong lady.”

The woman smiled, eyes misting as she walked towards the bedroom door. “It’s all because of you, Mama Ro. You’ve taught me a lot. Sleep well, call for me if you need anything. Love you.” She shut the door partway and departed to her own room across the hall, opening the window wide to let in the cool night air before she baked in her own skin.

Ro settled back into her pillows. Her face was aimed towards her own window, moonlight highlighting the wise elder’s features. “I don’t know if it’s all ‘cause of me,” she murmured to herself. “Beginin’ to think it may be heritage too.” She chuckled to herself. “My baby ain’t human at all. This is one funny world.”

………………………..

Downstairs, two men were settling into bed, eagerly settling into the crisp, clean-smelling sheets that bore the faint scent of the woman, who they were now sure was an Omega, who’d placed them earlier.

“Jesus, Steve, that was a good meal. She sure can cook,” Buck said, turning over on his side to face his longtime friend and partner. It was a bit odd for two Alphas to be in a relationship, let alone one so long-term, without an Omega to accompany them, but Bucky felt sure that was going to change soon.

Steve smiled, stifling a yawn. “Absolutely. I could get used to that.” He chuckled, resting his arms behind his head, contentment washing over him. It was silent for several minutes, but then Steve spoke up again. “So, we’re gonna talk about what’s going on, right? I could tell by the look on your face soon as we walked into the dining room that you could smell her too.”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, alright, I did. She’s definitely an Omega. So faint though, kinda strange.” The only Designates he’d ever known who’d been so faint of scent were the ones who’d been on heavy suppressants for much longer than the recommended usage period, but that couldn’t be the case with the hostess seeing as she thought she was human.

“Did it- well, no, maybe it was just my imagination- well, did it maybe smell to you like she’s going into, well, y’know…” Steve glanced over at Bucky with his eyebrows raised, reluctant to say what was on the tip of his tongue.

“Heat?” Bucky snorted at Steve’s coyness. “So strong I thought I was gonna pop a goddamn knot right in the middle of dinner. Super-soldier senses are both a blessing and a curse. Nat and Bruce had it lucky.”

Steve nodded in agreement. “I guess what I’m thinking is… what if she’s never had much contact with other Designates and that delayed… stuff? Maybe our scents or something, I don’t know, triggered her presentation.”

Bucky rolled onto his stomach, wrapping one arm around Steve’s torso as he buried his face in his pillow. “We can look into it tomorrow. For now, get some sleep punk. G’night.”

Steve smiled. “Night.”

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mrneighbourlove · 4 years ago

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Band of Pirates: Ch 1. Next Stop, Hyrule

“Captain. We’re coming up to Hyrule now.”

“Aye. That’s good. Our pursuers? They catching up?”

“We’d have to ten minutes into shore before they’d catch us.”

“Ok. Redd. I’ll watch the little ones. You need to go up to the crows’ nest and fire and S.O.S flair towards the shoreline. Hopefully the rich land of Hyrule can give us assistance. Or Captain Corsaire if we were actually right about his location.”

“As you command Captain.” The Gerudo on the small ship scrambled about. They were not about to go extinct here.

On the shoreline of Hyrule, fishermen were working hard to become acquainted with the new Lorliedian refugees. This new union of traditional work and magic for wishing was taking some work. Coming around a corner they saw a ship on fire.

“What the-“

A viewers moment was cut short when he saw an emergency flare go off. Quickly, he rushed to find any sailors that could assist.

Corsaire was rather enjoying his new occupation. King Ganondorf and Queen Zelda had presented him with the task of building Hyrule's first navy. He was now the Admiral of the Hylian Navy. It was rather strange to think this was part of the condition of him marrying Orana. First, he had to give up piracy, second, he had to command their navy, and third, he has to present himself as an honorable man to their daughter. Supposedly, he passed the test with flying colors... or either the elder blonde prince was pulling his leg. The man liked to have a bit of faith in Orana's intimidating family. Of course, he was able to barter for his crew as well. Rat worked in the smithy with Asakonigei and helped teach the rookies how to wrestle. Acrobat was tasked with making rope for the new ships being built. Pockets aided Orana in running her animal sanctuary. Mojo and Juju both decided to run the trade routes, that way, the brothers could stop at the Firdosa Islands and see their family more often than not. Bomba oversaw the production of gunpowder for the canons. Everything was running smoothly...

Until someone started screaming fire.

The newly promoted Admiral hurried down the docks, seeing the ship on fire. Ordering the sailors left and right, he managed to take out one of the recently constructed ships, the Siren's Allure, to the one calling for help.

When the Allure came close, a bell was furiously run by a young Gerudo woman with gold trimmed hat and long flowing red hair. “Everyone jump aboard! Everyone jump aboard! Scarlet! Get your ass out of the nest!” Smoke was everywhere and fire was starting to take apart the integrity of the ship.

Corsaire maneuvered the ship close enough for the women to come aboard. He had his sailors lay down thick boards to where some could walk over to the deck. A few swung from ropes and others had the agility to jump from ledge to ledge. "Those of you who need a medic head below deck! Those of you who are fine and dandy, do a head count! Make sure everyone is safe!"

Scarlet jumped aboard first. Finally, Adda joined them. With three Gerudo babies attached under her arms in slings. “Make way!”

Once everyone was on board, and he had confirmation, Corsaire led his ship back to the bay and docked it. "... now you're a face that I didn't expect to see around these parts." He addressed Adda. "I have to admit, it's pretty ballsy of you to come into port after what you did to the Danjuran Prince."

“Prick had it coming. I really mean it when I say it’s good to see you Captain Corsaire.” Looking around, the man could see she had a significantly smaller crew this time around; 11 woman in total.

"I hate to sound all doom and gloom, but what happened?" Corsaire asked Adda point blank. "Your ship is now at the bottom of the sea, your crew is severely diminished, and---" A wail from one of the babies interrupted him. "... you're a mom?"

Adda smirked, hiding something deep down. “Where’s Rat? Need to ask him something.”

Corsaire sensed trouble. "He's not here. At least, not at the moment." Corsaire motioned for the ladies to follow him. "As Admiral of the Hylian Navy, it is my duty to ensure you are cared for, as far as injuries and a place to stay for this night. Then, you will be on your own. I don't know what you are going to do since your ship went down in flames, but I'd advise against you stealing one of these unless you want a bullet."

“Admiral of a navy? Who’d ya fuck to get that position?”Adda teasingly tapped his crotch before looking back with a glance at her crew to see how they were holding up. “Perhaps you can send the reptilian marauders chasing us to hell for an old friend, eh?”

"I married Princess Orana Dragmire." Corsaire swatted her hands away from being too touchy. "And unfortunately, I am not to engage any other ships in port unless said ship fires upon us first."

On que, the monsters did just that. “Corsaire. There are some people that’d commit genocide to have me dead.”

Outside, a pirate ship of Dinolfos and Aerolfos screeched with bloodshed as they were motivated on by their leader, Captain Eltontor. “Leave no ship unsunk! I’ll see that redheaded Siren singing her last swan song on this day!”

Grumbling under his breath, the Admiral started barking orders left and right. While the Hylian navy was just getting started, the defenses in the port were top notch since that incident with the kraken. It was not long before a barrage of cannons was firing upon the ship.

Adda directed her ladies to help dismantle the lizards in any way they could. Joining Corsaire up on the bridge, she handed her babies off to him. “Excuse me. I need to do something personal.”

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Corsarie rushed after Adda, stopping the woman in her tracks. "There's no way in hell I'm watching these brats." He handed the kids back to the pirate. "And you can't step foot out of the port without risking being arrested."

“Mother fucker, yes you will!” She shoved the babies back, and this time, one of the Gerudo pirates held Corsaire firmly to hold him in place. Grabbing a rifle from one of her crew, Adda looked down the scope, scanning the chaos on the monsters ship. Aerolfos were being shot down or snatched up by one particular and hungry dragon in the sky. The rest of the lizards were running about to exchange cannon fire. When she saw Eltontor a deep wrath boiled in her soul, icing her concentration.

“The fleshies are no match for us! Concentrate fire on—— ZIIIP!!!”

A single bullet from Adda traveled across the sea between them and went in and out the crocodile’s right eye and brain. With a wet slump the monster went down, bringing more chaos to his crew. Snarling, Adda thrust the gun to one of Corsaire’s men. It was a start, but not the source of her anger. “Die yee bastards.”

As soon as the pirate had Corsaire in her hold, guns were drawn. Every single one of Corsaire's men had pistols lined up to fire, pointing at the heads of the Gerudo women and Adda. No one would touch the Admiral. Most of the men were convicts given a second chance thanks to the Admiral. A few he had rescued from a bad situation. Others, he gave them a job when no one else would. He had built his navy on loyalty. "... Adda. I'm going to very politely ask you to cease this nonsense and let my men and women handle this." Corsaire stated calmly, trying to avoid a shootout. "I don't want anyone else hurt."

Adda didn’t budge at the guns in her face as she lined up her shot and fired for the kill. Once she had her carnage satisfied, she relaxed. “Sorry. Girls. Stand down.” Adda gently took the three babies back, closing her eyes to rest for a moment. “That was something personal I had to do.”

"Personal or not, you need to think rationally in these parts. You're not on your ship, in charge of things, anymore." Corsaire gave her a fair warning. "And you need to think of the safety of your kids first."

“Well, that’s why I sought you out actually.” When someone shot to close to her girls, causing one to cry, Adda put all herself control into not kicking the man in the ass. “Can- can we go somewhere safe? Inland preferably?”

"Unless you want to get arrested, I'd advise you staying at the Rickety Inn in port." Corsaire told Adda, but looked at her crew. "All of you. And you," He pointed to Scarlet once more. "If you punch Seer like you did last time, I'll kick your ass."

“Arrested?! I don’t have any bounties in Hyrule!”

Scarlet flinched, not wanting to give rise to any more problems. With the fighting settling down, she took hold of one of the babies. “No sir Admiral sir.”

"Bounties or not, Danjur has close ties with Hyrule and if someone recognizes you, it will cause trouble. Don't make me regret being nice to you." Corsaire handed Adda a small pouch full of rupees. "This should be enough for you and your girls. I'd advise you be looking to move at first light."

“You owe use more than that.” Adda frowned as she glanced at the amount of rupees she got.

"The Rickety Inn knows me; they'll give you decent boarding for all of you in double beds for 50 rupees. Give them my name and that's money for food. Cheap grub there, I can feed my whole crew for 30 rupees." Corsaire scoffed, opening the bag, showing her. "It's three gold rupees, you ingrate. There's enough left over for the little ones to get diapers and such, and a few of you need new clothes." He gestured to a few of the women who were wearing rags. "I'm missing an arm, Adda, not blind."

“It’s not money you owe me. It’s a better place to go.” She had to play this card now or she might lose the opportunity. “Our first mates made a baby together.”

"...!" Corsaire was surprised by this news, but he took it with a grain of salt. "Listen, I'm not trying to insinuate names here, but you told me yourself that your girls have slept with multiple Voes." He was not going to be part of this argument. "I can put a bug in Rat's ear, but that's all. I don't want any trouble near the castle. The Rickety Inn is as good as it is going to get for now, until I can find out that all of you won't be arrested, shot at, or just thrown to the dungeons."

“And Scarlets the biggest maiden on ship. Trust me, it’s theirs. Maybe you can throw a good word for me towards the Queen and King. Probably got information they can use.”

"I will see what I can do, but I have very little power in the courts of royals, even though I married their daughter." Corsaire looked at the tiny girl that Scarlet was holding, yawning widely with those adorable eyes fluttering shut. "For now, for the love of the sea, please lay low."

~ At the Rickety Inn, Adda and her crew finally had a moment to catch their breath after a few weeks of chaos, hell, and death. An hour of reflection, tears, a few screams, and silence. For Adda, in private, she hurt the most. She lost her treasure, her power, but most importantly, her family. 80% of her crew, gone in a flash.

After breast feeding her babies, she found the woman gathered in the mess hall. Although they had the whole port to explore, they didn’t want to leave one another. Hinkel, Robertta, Freddy, Jasmine, Claire, Zaranna, Sabrina, Foster, Miranda, and Scarlet. They were all that was left.

A somber mood filled the air. Adda adjusted her hat, and gritted her teeth. She was their leader. It was her duty to uplift them. “Ladies... stand up.” All the Gerudo did so, their attention on her now.

“I’m sorry. I failed you. I was supposed to lead us to promise and glory. And I failed you.” Grabbing a pint of beer, she started to chug it down. “We lost our family in the power struggle. Lost it to some fucken nightmare beasts of hell.” Slamming the glass down, she looked them all deep in the eye. “But they made one mistake. They didn’t kill us all.”

The women glanced around each other, nodding.

“We Gerudo know death. We embrace it. Because we’re warriors. And better, use pirates know glory.” Her tone rose, and she pointed around the room. “As your Captain, your Chieftan, and your friend, I promise you this. Those bastards might have won today, and they might sneer at us and enjoy the spoils tomorrow, but there will come a day where we shall have our revenge! We will tear fiends apart, and carve our own empire to glorious salvation! So, I say this, a toast! A toast to our fallen sisters! And promise that in this lifetime, we will see them avenged!!!”

The stupor the Gerudo were in was replaced by adrenaline. With a mighty cheer, they raised their fists to the sky. As drinks were ordered around, they began to have a celebration the port would never regret of drinking, songs, and hope.

It was not long after news ran wild in the ports, that a few crew members of the Sea Witch decided to see some familiar faces. "LADIES!!!" Bomba kicked opened the door to the inn, slicking back his hair. "Who missed me?!"

"Bomba, shuddup." Rat bonked the young man on the head with his knuckles. "Be a-nice, these ladies have just gone through a-hard time."

"I think they might be looking for something hard."

"BOMBA."

"Let him have his fun, it's been ages since he probably got laid anyway." Seer remarked dryly as Corsaire led him into the Rickety Inn. "And pray tell, why did you bring me here?"

"I told you, because Adda's brood is here." Corsaire told his brother-in-arms. "I thought you might like to see her---damn it, I thought you might like her company again."

"Nice, Cap'n."

"It's Admiral now."

"I doubt Adda even remembers me." Seer was not too full of confidence. "Well, we'll find out, won't we?"

"And you thought I'd miss this shit-show?" Orana hung on the back of her husband's shoulders. "Friends of yours from back in the day?"

"Friends with bene-HMPH!!!" Bomba was silenced by Rat's hand over his mouth. "Just acquaintances."

Some the Gerudo actually smiled seeing the runt again. “Bomba!!!”

Scarlet paused her dinner seeing Rat, quick to set her food down and walk up to him. Seemed she had some more confidence now. “Mousa!”

"See? Dey remember the hot stuff." Bomba remarked with a smug smirk. "Couldn't get enough of me."

"They remember the short stuff." Seer snorted. "Short and to the point."

"Hey! I'mma fun-sized all over!" Bomba huffed indignantly. "You's just jealous."

"Sure, jealous of a pint-size."

"Get ya head outta the flour clouds, you's know I'mma good at what I do; making a bang in two different ways." Bomba chuckled with a grin. "In the canons and in the bed."

"... remind me how you put up with him all these years, Cap'n?" Rat asked Corsaire with a roll of his eyes.

"I contemplate homicide everyday, but remind myself of the benefits of having him around." Corsaire mused as Orana stood at his side. "These were the Gerudo pirates I told you about."

"It's odd seeing more Gerudo women... well, so many in one place." Orana admitted. "We honestly thought Cass might be one of the last."

As soon as Scarlet obtained Rat's attention, the ex-gladiator smiled. "Aye, there's me pretty lassie."

“Pretty?” Scarlet blushed, trying to not to become timid. “I missed you a ton you know.”

Adda smiled ear to ear and gave a hardy laugh when she saw Orana. “Rrrr! So, you’re the fine lass that broke through this fool’s heart ey? Pleasure to meet you. I’m Captain Adda. But if you don’t like titles, we can go by first names.”

"Course you's pretty." Rat assured her. "Buffest, prettiest, strongest lady on the ship." "The crew calls me Missy Orana, my subjects call me Princess Orana, and my husband calls me Spitfire."

Orana shrugged her shoulders with a laugh. "You can just call me Orana. I have too many titles."

“Well you really are a spitfire. Join us. Was about to have my first drink of the night.” Scarlet, grabbed Rat by the hands and pulled him in for a kiss. “Can you follow me Mousa? I got something important to show you.”

"Oh, no, no, no, I can't drink, not tonight." Orana declined. "I have to check on my newest addition; a female Molagani tiger. She got caught in a poacher's trap and lost her back hind leg. Got to make sure she gets acclimated to the sanctuary."

"NRRRROOOOORRRRWWW!!!"

Mahaan was never too far behind his mistress. The huge Molagani tiger chuffed as he walked into the inn, earning a few startled looks before Orana scratched his head, earning a purr from the creature. He flicked his tail, watching the people around him closely.

"And, of course, take this big baby home. He's been mooching off the fish vendors all day."

"Nyaaaah."

"Yes, you have."

"Mrrrow!"

"No, you've had enough."

"Mew!"

"No, be good."

"Nnnnrrrnnn."

"Don't worry, he's a softie. Most of the time." Seer patted Mahaan's head.

"To show me?" Rat repeated. "What to show me?"

Adda sulked throwing a friendly arm around Orana. “Listen, to put a long story short I lost all my drinking buddies. Heard rumours of a Gerudo legend that out drank Corsaire muttered amongst many a sailors in just the last year! I don’t suppose that would be you?”

"Indeed, that was the grand 'Missy Orana', my crew deemed her, and she had her head stuck in a bucket for the whole next day." Corsaire snickered, earning a scowl from his wife.

"It was the only way I could get him to take me to the kraken's nest and he procrastinated that task too." Orana pouted.

“Have just one drink with me? Chicken if you don’t.”

"Classic guilt trip and reverse psychology move, but I'm passing." Orana kissed Corsaire on the cheek. "Don't be too long. You have a meeting with Ralnor and Covarog tomorrow to discuss the expansion on the north side of the port."

"Urgh, don't remind me." Corsaire groaned. "Your brothers don't like me."

"My brothers are just overprotective."

“Booooo.” Adda tossed Orana a rupee with a wink. “I’ll save my drinking till you’re ready then.”

"You really shouldn't drink anyhow, Adda," Orana reminded the woman. "Alcohol can go into breastmilk." She tipped the pirate's hat down as she waved goodbye to her husband. "See you later for dinner."

Finally taking Rat to a private room, Scarlet fumbled with the hotel keys. “Think it was this one.”

Rat, on the other hand, was wondering if Scarlet had something romantic planned.

Opening the door to the room, Scarlet completely blindsided him. Picking up a sleeping baby, she held her close as she approached Rat. “Mousa. I’d like you to meet your daughter. Revy.”

Rat was expecting any bedroom activity, and a baby was the last thing on his mind. Jaw slightly agape, he tried to think of what to say. He was speechless. Logic told him that the Gerudo ladies liked to sleep around and he should be skeptical. Though, he did not think Scarlet was the type to lie. That was more of Adda's game.

"You... you's serious? Not pulling me fish hook?"

“I am. I really, really am.” Scarlet lightly shook with excitement. “Would like to hold her?”

"... she's... she's so tiny." Rat looked unsure of himself. "Me hands awful large. I don't want to hurt her."

“And mine aren’t?” Very, very carefully, Scarlet placed Revy into Rat’s arms to be cradled. She slept like a pearl.

"Scarlet, me's going to be honest with you. Me's never had a... childhood. A good one." Rat carefully used a single finger to brush some of the little one's hair from her face. "Not sure if I's going to be proper father material."

“Hey. Half my life I’ve been a pirate. Not the safest life, but I had a family with my crew. I grew up around mothers of all kinds. I can pick up the slack.” Scarlet paused for a moment. “Do you want to be a parent with me?”

"If... if we's going to be parents, then we's need to do this right, Scarlet." Rat told the Gerudo woman. "A mama has to be there for her child. She can't go off galivanting on the high seas. You understand what it means if you want to be a-parent with me?"

“I do.” Scarlet looked down at Revy, a sad look on her face. “I don’t have anything to gallivant to Mousa. Even if I wanted too...”

"I suppose, what me's saying is you are gonna have to a-put this wee one first," Rat stated, trying not to sound too harsh. "Not Adda."

“Well, Adda’s got her twins to look after now.” Scarlet snickered at the thought. Was still surprising to her that Adda wanted to keep them.

"Twins?" Rat repeated. "I's... assuming Seer is not the father?"

“No. He’s not. They ain’t blue.” Carefully, Revy was placed back in her cradle with her blinds closed. “You didn’t answer my question. You want to help me raise our daughter?”

"Course I do. Yet, like me said, I's wanting to do it proper." Rat then asked her suddenly. "Marry me."

Scarlet had her arms around his waist, but her face was blushing with surprise. “Just like that?”

"Sorry." Rat was flustered himself. "Tis not the most appealing way to propose to a lady."

“I do. But ask me again when you can make it so.” Scarlet pulled Rat down for a deep kiss, pushing him onto the bed room. “Girls made fun of me for waiting for you. I think it was worth the wait.”

"Psh, dey's just jealous cause you's got a man that can lift you and dey don't." Rat boasted. "And taller too."

“I could lift you too you know.” Pulling her top off, Scarlet pressed closer. “You gonna rock the inn with me?”

"We won't wake Reveka?" Rat asked, glancing at the snoozing baby in the basinet.

“She’ll sleep like a rock. Now...” she kissed him slowly, taking off his shirt. “Indulge me.”

Down at the bar, Adda trimmed the rim of her rum, thinking about what Orana said. Damn it all, she was right. Talk about a great mental space to have kids. Noticing Corsaire and Seer sitting down at a table, she sat down with them. “Hey Seer. Long time no see.”

"Like I haven't heard that one before---oh, look! Free beer!" Seer quickly pointed in the opposite direction of Adda's voice to make her look. Then, he grinned like an idiot. "Got ya."

‘You are an idiot’, an inner voice in her head told her. Shrugging it off, she smiled at him. “Not fair. I can’t drink. And I really, really, really want to.”

"You have to make sacrifices for your children." Corsaire was surprisingly mature about the whole idea of kids, but he did not want to take care of someone else's brats. He did want children with Orana one day, but right now, she was barely into her twenties. It was difficult enough trying to get Bomba to behave, and he always had to watch after his younger sisters and brother when he was a teenager. "Get a virgin strawberry daiquiri and be happy."

"Who's the father, Adda? Did you meet someone?" Seer asked. "I overheard the girls whispering that you found a hunk."

“A perfect man and a demon he couldn’t control.” Adda smirked, playing it cool. “Couldn’t let someone who couldn’t keep a lid on himself around my babies, now could I. Bartender! I’ll take the virgins!”

“Damn right you will~” One of her crew replied, getting a hooray from them.

Seer was not the biggest fan of drinking. He absolutely refused to do drugs. He was hoping his captain would take him away from this... triggering area. Luckily, Corsaire was able to sense Seer's discomfort. After bidding the women farewell, he locked arms with Seer and escorted him out of the bar. Rat could find his own way home.

“Wait, hold up!” Adda ran out after them, with her non alcoholic beverage in hand. “Don’t you want to actually catch up?” Adda actually sounded desperate. Just for a slight moment in her voice, despite what her body language showed.

"Are you speaking to me or the captain? I mean, admiral?" Seer asked Adda, turning around at the sound of her voice.

“Both?... You Seer? I mean, lot has clearly changed for all of us since we last saw one another.”

"As much as I love to catch up, I need to get home to my wife." Corsaire told Adda honestly. "I work enough as it is and I don't want Orana to feel like I'm ignoring her." "That's fine, go see Missy Orana, I know she misses you." Seer assured his friend.

“And you Seer? You got some amazing knock out with all her shit in a box waiting for you too?”

"Heh, I wish, but I've been working in the castle's kitchen to save up money to buy my own place." Seer admitted to Adda. "So, if I stay, I'll have to leave in a little while. I prepare breakfast for everyone, so I can't be late."

“Ok....” Adda smiled with sadness in her eyes, then a deep burden hit her and she crashed. “I... oh fuck this. I can’t drag you both into my fucking mistakes. I’m sorry. No. Forget you heard that. I- .... Maybe tomorrow then. Get me that all clear to come inland Corsaire. It was good seeing you too Seer. Got some babies to look after.” Turning heel, she stomped away back to her room not too far away.

"You know if you want someone to talk to, I'll listen." Seer called after Adda.

"Seer, you shouldn't get involved." Corsaire murmured to him. "It's old news, you shouldn't concern yourself."

"She just wants someone to talk to."

"I'd like that." Adda took his hand, quickening her pace to lead him to her room.

"Whoa!" Seer was surprised by her sudden tug, but allowed himself to be led to her room. The people here knew him and there would be someone to help him find his way to the castle later. "I just have to be back in the morning, so I'm not goign to drink or such."

Closing the door, she turned around and kissed him on the lips. She wasn't touchy with her hands on his body, and it came across as rather sweet. "That's my way of saying hello again."

"...?!" Seer was definitely surprised by the kiss. He was not expecting that, or any affections. It had been a long while. "I... honestly thought you probably forgot about me."

"Hey. It's only been shy of a year. No one's been really as sweet as you. And you were the last sweet thing to ever happen to me."

"Now I think you're just flattering me." Seer chuckled, feeling slightly embarrassed. "That was a nice night."

"It was. With all that's happened, it'd been easier if I had your babies instead, I think."

Now that comment really made Seer blush heavily. "I... um... that... uh... thanks?"

Heading to the twins’ crib, Adda rocked them gently. "Seer. Do you have any history with kids?"

"I... sometimes helped the ladies who had children at the brothel." Seer admitted, not liking the fact that the ladies were usually referred to as whores. Most of them were slaves, and could not control their occupation. He heard one of the babies coo. "I was good at feeding them or rocking them to sleep. Most of them were hesitant to let me care for them since I could not see."

"I wish I had a good mother. Good sister figures in the crew, but never good parents." Adda kept the slow rocking up. "Seer. How much knowledge did Corsaire share with you about different pirate clans? I know this is a very big world, so I wouldn't be surprised if you don't know."

"I don't know much. I just know there's a few different ones that have their own area they lurk in." Seer thought about some of Corsaire's stories. "That reptile boss from that set of gambling joints, the Gerudo ladies, the Firdosan Islanders that like to raid other pirates and cruise ships..."

"... I lost the Wind Waker Seer."

"... you lost it?" Seer repeated. "... I have a feeling I shouldn't ask how, but I'm going to."

"Same way I lost my spot in the war. To that demon on leather wings. Terror of the Sky and Sea: Onslaught." Adda stopped rocking the crib, her body going stone still. "I was still learning how to use the Wind Waker. I heard word of an ancient stone tablet that could give me the right song to tear ships from the water. I would have one the war for the seas in with just a stroke of my wrist. But I had a fucking turncoat that betrayed me and gave my location away to him."

"Onslaught..." Seer had heard rumors of that horrid dragon around port. "I'm... sorry that happened, Adda. Though, I hate to sound like the voice of reason, but... should you really be fighting now that you're a mother?"

"I thought I could quell the fighting to give my babies a bright future. Instead, I had nearly all my people killed or enslaved."

"We all make mistakes, Adda, but the bright side of all this is you're alive, your babies are all right, and you brought the rest of your crew to safety." Seer tried to help her see the positive outlook. "I know you're feeling down right now, but the only way you have to go from here is up. Try to build a good life for yourself and your babies. Forget about being a pirate, and focus on being a mom."

"My whole life is being a pirate. I have crew to look after. You think Corsaire would abandon you at your lowest point?"

"I didn't say abandon anyone, Adda." Seer told her with a firm voice. "I'm saying, you have other priorities now. Take your sisters, find somewhere to settle down, and make a good living without being on the high seas in danger all the time. Corsaire would never abandon us, no, but he'd never willingly put us in danger either. Sometimes, it was unavoidable, but Corsaire looked out for us. Found us all jobs once he married Orana. We're all brothers to him. So do the same for your sisters. Let them be happy and you be happy."

"They'll be the most happy if I give them Onslaught's head."

"You sure about that? I'd ask them first." Seer sniffed the air a couple of times and then scrunched his nose. "Scarlet, for example. The one who broke my nose."

"You still on about that?" Adda looked at him, a wrath in her eyes he couldn't see, but could feel in her voice. "All of us agreed. We will do our part in killing the bastard and avenging our people. And I have a hunch that your Captain and the King of this land will want to help my quest."

"I'm blind, not deaf, and I rarely forget something that hurts. Had enough broken bones and bruises to recall." Seer heard the bitterness in her voice. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do, but for the sake of these little ones," The Direnor gently felt inside of the crib, brushing his fingers across the twins' foreheads. "I'd suggest you let it go. If this Onslaught is as nasty as they come, he'll use them against you. It's your job as a mom to keep your kids safe---hey now, I need that back." Seer told the twin known as Liz when she grabbed his finger. "Strong one, aren't you?"

"Even in her sleep, she likes you." Adda shook her head with a light sigh. "This Onslaught will come after me regardless. It's my duty to destroy him. As for my girls... I have to provide for them somehow."

"You could just ask the Lorleidian Queen for reinforcements instead of putting yourself at risk. Ask nicely. Humbly. Make your case." Seer stated, emphasizing the word nice. He knew how Adda could come across. "She has dragons, you know. And as far as providing for your girls, there's always help needed in restaurants. The Farmer's Daughter is the most popular joint on this side and needs good waitresses. The old matron watches the little ones in exchange for a few rupees while you work. It's not the best job, but it's good, honest work. She even has a boarding area for the girls that work for her."

"A waitress? So someone can grope my ass? I know how Hryule treats Gerudo. I won't take any less than a position under a royal umbrella."

"You honestly think they'll just let anyone into the castle?" Seer asked her dryly. "Let me guess, you want to guard the queen with that creepy Commander Klinge? Cater to Missy Orana? Play dress up with Princess Kanisa?"

"I don't know! All I know is I'm not some peasant. I deserve better! My girls deserved better! My crew deserved better!!!" Adda nearly roared, shaking her head with discomfort at the situation. "I don't have a lover, I don't have anyone from the outside who seems to want to help me!"

"Hey, hey, hey, shh, shh, you're upsetting the kids!" Seer heard the twins whine in their crib and gently shook the sides so it would rock. Once the whining ceased, Seer released a breath of relief. He could not stand crying, it always tugged at his heart strings. "I'm trying to help you if you'd just let me! Good gracious, woman, not everyone gets finery handed to them on a silver platter. You should know as well as I do that you have to work for it. I suggested what work I knew of, if working in a restaurant isn't good enough, then you can look for yourself." Fixing the blanket on the twins, the blind man then carefully started to walk in the direction of the door. "You're not queen here anymore, Adda. If you want my help, then give them my name at Farmer's Daughter. It's owned by Lon Lon Milk, a local farming ranch. It's a good place. After all, I should know," Seer said before he stepped out of the room. "I cooked there before I went to the castle." Then shut the door.

Adda sat fell back onto the bed. There were no stars in the night sky. Just a cage. Once again, the voice in her head fed her doubts. ‘No one will come to truly care for you’.

________________________________________________________________

It’s a brand new AU! Hope that you will enjoy it! @ridersoftheapocalypse and I made it in mind for our friend @s-kinnaly. That Adda-Seer ship you for you buddy. Will also be other retellings sprinkled in, so stayed tuned!

Next Ch. https://mrneighbourlove.tumblr.com/post/633413002943758336/band-of-pirates-ch-2-game-plan

#AU #Legend of Zelda #Crossover #ridersoftheapocalypse #Captain Adda #Corsaire #Rat #Scarlet #Seer

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furederiko · 8 years ago

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Random-News-Digest time everyone! It's the final one for the month of June. And yes, I admit that it's mainly published to address the recent update of a certain... game XD.

NOTE: This post hasn't been formerly proofread, so I have to apologize in advance. I'll get to that when I have the time, which might take a day or two, or even faster than that. Big religious holiday is supposedly starting later tonight, and although I'm not celebrating, for some reason I've always got caught up in the moment (can't actually get some rest due to the festive noise anyway. Gah!!!). And also, the internet has been rather slow thanks to that same reason. So there's that! (^^;) Proofread and minor updates completed on June 26th 08:10AM. See? Told you it'll take a while... XD

Star Wars

Big storm is brewing against the franchise! In an unexpected and perhaps unprecedented (for the franchise at least) turnaround, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are no longer attached to the "Han Solo: A Star Wars Story" (tentatively titled) movie, which is currently IN PRODUCTION! Nope, make that 'only a few weeks away from finishing the filming' stage. So it's more than halfway done. Unbelievable, right?

Creative differences is the diplomatic excuse as always, because well... this IS Hollywood. The duo even issued a statement with the cliché tune of "Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project", because well... cliché HOLLYWOOD. But it turned out the reason was a bit more personal than that. Apparently they had a clash of style and vision with Lawrence Kasdan (who's writing the movie's script with son Jon Kasdan) regarding the titular character's personality, an issue that was not backed by producer Allison Shearmur who's overseeing production in London. Since the long-gestating problem that has begun since day one of production couldn't be solved, they have practically been let-go (or fired, if you prefer the more blatant term). Rather blindsidedly too, some sources claimed. I'm not taking sides here, but honestly, if this was intended to be such a serious movie, I personally wondered WHY Lord and Miller were even hired. Considering their portofolio so far has been none other than comedy. No wonder there was a clash of tones there!

Kathleen Kennedy, the president of Lucasfilm immediately announced that there would be a replacement, with names like Ron Howard, Joe Johnston, and Kasdan himself being in the mix. And well, yesterday the studio has officially chosen Howard to take over Lord and Miller's directorial duty. A news that was met with mixed reactions, because while some were aware of Howard's superb Oscar-winning talent, many others have so easily forgotten all the critically acclaimed works he has delivered and... lamented this decision instead. Some even started complaining that the movie doesn't need to exist in the first place. LOL. That's our INTERNET people, get used to it! By the way, Howard is no stranger to the "Star Wars" franchise. He's an acquaintance of George Lucas, and had previously been approached to direct "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace". His hiring is said to be keeping up with "the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began 40 years ago", inspite of how old-fashioned it might be.

It's currently unclear if all the works that Lord and Miller have done since February would be scrapped and replaced anew, but since the issue stemmed from such fundamental ground, I feel many scenes will be redone in extensive reshoots during the Summer. Not unlike what happened with Gareth Edwards' "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" last year... which thankfully came out unscathed. For the record, this Han Solo movie starring Alden Ehrenreich, Donald Glover, Emilia Clarke, and Woody Harrelson is still scheduled for May 25th, 2018, so the studio might need to salvage as much footage as they can to fulfill the target date. As for Lord and Miller, there are rumors that they might get back to talking with Warner Bros about "The Flash". Not surprising, considering they DID write its original script, and left to do Han Solo. That poor superhero movie is pretty much a vacant production anyway, having lost directors over and over again. For the moment, there's no official confirmation about this. Heck they can even go back to working on sequel to "The LEGO Movie", right? We'll just have to wait and see.

Suffice to say, with this news, as well as the fact that Colin Trevorrow's recent movie "The Book of Henry" tanking both critically and financially... the Force is definitely NOT with the franchise. It makes good sense if fans are beginning to doubt that Trevorrow will wonderfully fulfill his duty as director for "Star Wars: Episode IX", the last of the modern/new-era trilogy. Not to mention, the firing of Lord and Miller might affect the franchise in terms of... behind the scene dealings. I'm not hyperboling here, but things are definitely not looking good. Then again, Lucasfilm managed to crawl out from risky situation before, as evidenced by "Rogue One", so perhaps this won't be a huge deal? I for once am glad that I'm not that invested in the franchise. But I'm aware that many nerds, and general audience out there care deeply enough for it to be more than just casually concerned. Let's just... hope the best and expect the worse. Okay?

Dark Universe

Another major franchise (if we can even call it that way, because it's still in infancy state for now) that has also become a major question mark, is none other than Universal and its modern Shared Monsters universe. Much were riding on Alex Kurtzman's "The Mummy" to jump-start the whole universe, but it sure didn't play out as planned. It wasn't the breakout hit that Universe was expecting. Nope, it was worse. It was already riddled with bad reviews prior to release, hence the opening numbers for the movie was underwhelmingly weak, and now it has plummeted 56% domestically in its second week. It's another "Ghost in the Shell" and "King Arthur: Legend of the Sword" situation, folks! Not even a household name like Tom Cruise and/or Russell Crowe can do anything about it.

The good news is, it's doing better in the global market having passed the $600 million mark. The bad news? One would easily wonder if this is a good sign for Universal or not? After all, isn't this like... the "Dracula Untold" situation all over again? Will Bill Condon's "The Bride of Frankenstein" need to re-start the universe from scratch again? I'm honestly skeptical about it, but this is Hollywood we're talking about. A business that in general, couldn't care less about what its audience is thinking. Perhaps we should be doing that instead, then? Hmmm...

Mission Impossible

Speaking of Tom Cruise, he's currently filming the currently un-subtitled "Mission: Impossible 6". Aside from introducing Henry Cavill as a likely expendable member of the movie, director Christopher McQuarrie also personally confirmed several additions to the cast, old and new. Namely, the female cast who have joined series veteran Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, and Ving Rhames for a 2-hours session with Cruise's Ethan Hunt (Jeremy Renner is busy with Avengers, so nope, he won't be around). Surprisingly, these gals consist of returning actresses Michelle Monaghan and scene-stealer Rebecca Ferguson, as well as new ones like Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, and Sian Brooke. That's like, twice the number of women compared to each previous installments! Who would've expected that we're getting a balanced gender in the 6th movie, and not just another sausage-fest, right?

McQuarrie is writing and directing the movie, and seemed proud with his extended cast. We still however, don't know much about it or the plot. I can only hope that this one will have a fresh story, that doesn't revolve in recycling has-been-plots. This franchise has that kind of unfortunate tendency, by the way. I'm not and never a fan of the movie series (I liked the TV better? Idk why), but it's totally commendable that it still has a good spark for another round. Heck, perhaps it might be turned into its own Shared Universe in the near future? LOL... Naah, I'm just kidding. But really, that might actually happen. I hope I didn't just jinx it...

Transformers

Reviews for Michael Bay's latest bombastic explosive robot-destruction-porn have hit the market, and well... should we even be surprised if they are BAD? Like... really BAD? "Transformers: The Last Knight" has even surpassed the Chinese-heavy "Transformers: Age of Extinction" by debuting in a... lower RottenTomatoes score. YIKES! 17% on RT, and 29 on Metacritic. Critics haven't been kind with the franchise, as evidenced by how they were torturing "Age of Extinction", but they weren't holding back with this one too. According to many, this one has even more bloated overstuffed plot, it's an overlong mess of badness, eventhough it has an ambitious screenplay and Mark Wahlberg giving his best as Cade Yeager's swan-song to the franchise. Some however, also said that it was bearable and would likely please its true fans no matter how bleak it might be. So... it's not for everyone, then? Hmmm...

In another NON-surprising news, Bay also announced that he's retiring from the franchise. AGAIN! Yes, I've even lost count how many times he had sworn these similar lines, but in an interview with Fandango, he just openly reiterated his intention. AGAIN. Hopefully for good this time, because I'm intrigued to see other directors taking their chances with this. I admit, I'm rather skeptical about his words though, because as I said, he kept on saying he's done with the franchise, only to jump back in while boasting his pride all over the place. It's like, a Decepticon knocked him out cold, and gave him amnesia every single time he finished making one movie! The bigger problem in the bigger picture though, we still have many more movies in the planning! I think it was 14 more scripts, right? I lost count as well. A Bumblebee spin-off has even been set to arrive next year as the beginning of this supposed Bay-less era. The logic here, is... do we really NEED more? It's a rhetoric question, by the way, don't bother answering. "Transformers: The Last Knight" is out since June 21st, so it should be crashing down in theatres near you as we speak *sigh*.

Jurassic Park

Well well well... title for the sequel to "Jurassic World" has been revealed! Announced through an official poster, the movie will now be called "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom". It's unclear what the 'Fallen Kingdom' actually means, although it somehow reminded me of... the 2nd Transformers movie. Which is not a good sign, considering the first "Jurassic World" made A LOT of money, but in a way, suffered through poor reviews by many critics. Will this franchise fall into the same category to Transformers? We'll see. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is set to arrive next year!

DC Films

"Wonder Woman" was the FIRST critically-good DCEU movie, so it's not even a surprise that WB is already planning a sequel. Once again, this IS Hollywood, people! Director Patty Jenkins and DC Comics and DC Films' Geoff Johns are currently collaborating for the treatment. Their goal is, "to make another great Wonder Woman film". The twist in this equation, Jenkins hasn't been officially signed to the project. Given the sudden recent development on "Star Wars" (which MIGHT carry Lord and Miller back to DC Film), this can mean anything. So it's unclear if she will or will not direct it, or just working behind the scene as writer and producer. Creative differences happen every now and then. But you know what? I'm more curious to how Johns can even manage to work on so many projects at the same time! Is he a cyborg, solely created for multitasking? He DID write "Vision" for Marvel Comics before... hmmm

Meanwhile, "The Justice League" is expected to have a new look now that Joss Whedon is in charge of the reshoot. Splash Report said that the movie have been overhauled by the studio not just once, but TWICE. This was seemingly evidenced by what happened after production was wrapped on October 2016. If it was done, how come actors like Jason Momoa subsequently had to cancel guest appearances and also postponed production for "Aquaman" just to do reshoots? And looks like it's not just an everyday reshoot after all, but a 'serious' and 'significant' one. Similar to what happened to "Rogue One" for half of its runtime, I say. The sources of this rumor said that WB didn't like what they were seeing, and commanded a rehaul. Big or small, it's none of our business, but surely, by now they have learned that messing around too much in the editing room could resulted into something equally awful. Like... last year's "Suicide Squad".

So as we speak, Whedon is likely working hard to change the team-up movie into something... better. Why would I blatantly said Whedon's name? Because Zack Snyder is no longer in charge, considering he and wife/producer Deborah have walked out since March due to personal family issue. Clearly, Whedon is solely in charge now, even if he's not given the credit he deserved (WB said the movie is still Snyder's no matter what). I don't know about you, but this situation suddenly feels eerily similar to the Lord and Miller, "Han Solo", and Ron Howard situation. According to random unconfirmed buzzes, Whedon has also been heavily involved in the DCEU. I don't actually know what that means, but it's probably similar to his previous overseeing-role for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Again, do take this with a grain of salt, because once again, no official word has been made about it. But you know what? I'm NOT surprised if that's indeed the case. Whedon had successfully created "The Avengers" in 2012, back when almost everyone in Hollywood thought a Cinematic Universe was a dumb idea. And now every studio want their share of a similar cake! It just makes perfect darn sense that WB hired Whedon to fix their DCEU, with the exchange of giving him freedom with his upcoming "Batgirl" project. I don't think it takes a genius to figure this one out. LOL.

X-Men Universe

At the same time, 20th Century FOX is also confidently moving forward with "X-Men: Dark Phoenix". True to the rumor, producer/writer Simon Kinberg is set to turn this into his first directorial project. All Most of the cast from that dreaded boring "X-Men: Apocalypse" are set to return. Wait... WHAT?!

Yep, that's quite a surprise indeed. I, among many others, thought that actors like Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, and especially Jessica Lawrence were done with their roles. J-Law in particular, has publicly expressed her disdain to play Mystique like... over and over again. Not to mention, "Apocalypse" tanked critically (and also financially? I forgot about that one). But this is indeed happening folks, which means expect those three, as well as Nicholas Hoult to be reprising their respective mutant characters once again. Since the title obviously is a reference to the character Jean Grey, all the younger cast have been confirmed as well. Sophie Turner, Alexandra Shipp, Tye Sheridan, and Kodi Smit-McPhee will be playing Jean Grey/Phoenix, Storm, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler once again. They are contractually-tied to the movie anyway. Hold on... where's Evan Peters? And... why aren't people talking about him? Will we not see his over-powered Quicksilver this time around then? Hmmmm... good riddance. Perhaps Taylor Swift is primed to take over his scene as the official... Dazzler?

Anyways, the studio is aiming big as always. After completely wasting and misuing the talent of one great Oscar Isaac, as well as the character Apocalypse that he was entrusted, now FOX is aiming for another big star to... probably ruin: Jessica Chastain! Yeess, the Oscar-nominated actress who had been approached by Marvel Studios before, has entered negotiations with the studio last week. She's the studio's top-pick to play the antagonist, Shi'ar Empress Lilandra Neamani. This is a character closely related to the alien-entity Phoenix, by the way. But knowing FOX, and also the hack that is Kinberg, I wouldn't bet too much on Liliandra to actually resemble anything she looked in the comics. She wasn't even a villain there, because it was her sister instead! Intriguingly, the Shi'ar is a Marvel Cosmic character. Does this mean, FOX is trying to have their share of the space opera-cake too now? Without even seeding hints towards it? That's FOX all right...

Seemingly, production is reaching the start of production in Vancouver, Montreal (marked by random set-photos on social media), eventhough Chastain hasn't even been locked. With an inexperienced director, a rushed production, a major storyline that has been done and sadly damaged before, and the level of CG necessary to pull of the scope? Those variables just don't add up. I've lost interest to this franchise a long time ago, so clearly I don't have faith in this one either. How they will even manage to achieve the November 2nd, 2018 release date is beyond me...

Speaking of production, "Deadpool 2" filmed scenes at the Hatley Castle Victoria, British Columbia. The place serves as a stand-in to Professor X's (which one? LOL) X-Mansion. True to his character, Ryan Reynolds sure didn't waste time to make fun of his fellow X-Men side. It's officialy the first set-pictures from the sequel! Also, Japanese actress Shioli Kutsuna has joined the cast in a key role. Perhaps, as the X-Men Hisako Ichiki/Armor or Noriko Ashida/Surge? "Deadpool 2", which is still a tentative-title (seriously, it's an epidemic!) will arrive on June 1st, 2018.

One last thing! Those Marvel fans who have been speculating that the copyright for "Fantastic Four" has reverted/been sold back to Marvel Studios... can now swallow their hopes and dreams in whole. As Kevin Feige has repeatedly stated (to which I'm scratching my head because nobody believed such an honest guy like him), this is NOT happening! And thankfully, we get an actual confirmation now, because FOX is... *drumrolls* set to make another movie! YIKES. YIKES. YIIIKEEESSSSS!!! Exaggerating response aside, this isn't that much surprising, since Kinberg had sung similar tune several times already. The failure of the really honest-to-God-really-BAD 2015's "Fant4stic" movie, as well as the whole backstage drama with director Josh Trank, apparently didn't stop FOX from further claiming their feet in this franchise. Because yeah, clearly they are only stalling time, trying to avoid the copyright from being reverted automatically to its rightful owner.

Third time's the charm, huh? Not so fast. This one won't be another reboot apparently, because it's going to focus on Franklin and Valeria Richard, a.k.a the chidren of Reed and Sue. Seth Grahame-Smith, the same guy who also walked out from "The Flash", is said to be writing a draft about this movie. Grahame-Smith was already involved in the 2015 movie to do some rewrites, so he's not necessarily a new name in the project. I'm not sure what to think about this, because I believe FOX has totally ruined this particular franchise. So much that I would really love to see Disney and Marvel Studios' take on the superhero family. Hey, it could be a live-action version of "The Incredibles", right? But the idea of focusing on Franklin and Valeria is intriguing nonetheless (assuming FOX can pull this off), because it might end up becoming a fun family movie like those "Spy Kids" series. Plus, they can easily use the same cast from the 2015 movie because they have aged now. But... that might be a wishful thinking. I still would rather see the copyrights revert back, so Marvel Studios can bring justice to, and have actual-legit fun with these characters in their upcoming Cosmic Universe. LOL.

SONY Marvel Universe

During the press junket with FilmStarts for the upcoming Spider-Man movie, producer Amy Pascal delivered a mindblowing statement that... in just seconds rocked the Marvel fanbase to their core. For better or worse, I say. When asked about SONY's upcoming plans for Spider-Man spin-offs, ones that Kevin Feige had openly said to be "a SONY Project", Pascal gave an arguably... contradicting answer. "Well those movies will all take place in the world that we are now creating for Peter Parker. They’ll be adjuncts to it, it may be different locations but it will still all be in the same world, and they will be connected to each other as well.", she said, ambiguously confirming that both Ruben Fleischer-directed "Venom" and Gina Prince-Bythewood-directed "Silver & Black" will exist in the same universe to Tom Holland's Peter Parker. Which means... the... MCU, right?! O_O... She even added that "There’s a chance [that Peter Parker will appear]. There’s always a chance. I think one of the things that Kevin has done with Marvel that was so brilliant is by bringing the fans along and making each movie seem like a chapter in a book, that you have to read that chapter in order to go forward. And I think the investment that the fans get to feel in being a part of a larger story and understanding what’s happening, I think is something that I know Sony would want to emulate.".

This small news, was immediately met with various kinds of reactions. Some was calling Pascal out to be a 'hack' who didn't understand what she's saying. On the other hand, others are calling Feige to be liar, especially due to how 'surprised' or 'confused' he looked upon hearing the words coming out of her mouth... which was followed by a mysterious 'smile' (Monalisa much?). And other variations of those. Want to know my immediate reaction? Allow me to share what I wrote on the 1st draft of this post: Okay, this must be a joke right? Or Amy Pascal is confused or mixed up about something? Because that means SONY is messing around with the MCU! And I'm not too sure I would like that. It's bad enough that Marvel TV division is already chipping away potential characters from ever being used in the big screen, now this. Isn't that like, overstepping much? If anything, this gives Avi Arad an access to mess around in the MCU. And also, not only the Earth-based but the cosmic side through Venom as well.

Ignoring my personal-beef with Marvel TV aside, nor my natural grumpy bed-side manner (what can I say, I've been in a bad mood lately. LOL), that WAS indeed my response when I first read the news a few days ago (earlier this week in fact!). Of course I've calmed down ever since, and managed to carefully assessed the situation with a cool head. Nope, there aren't any official confirmation or clarification so far, from neither SONY nor Marvel Studios. But many sites have chimed in with their take on the matter, and well... it's starting to make sense. The way I see it, neither Pascal and Feige are spreading lies. They are only speaking in their own personal style and gesture. So we can't really take their words or sudden expression at face value. Collider and Marvelous Realm pointed out the generalising word 'adjunct' that Pascal used. As Birth.Movies.Death pointed out, Feige is a man of diplomatic answer, and had always refuse to give out unnecessary information when it's not needed. Pascal on the other hand, is spontaneous and her role is to help sell her own studio... SONY. A studio who by the way, had also stated that "Venom" and "Silver & Black" are NOT connected to the Peter Parker movies. But she wouldn't be talking like that without having prior discussion about it, right? If we look at it closely, Pascal herself NEVER stated that those movies would be part of the MCU. That's not how their collaborative deal is happening anyway. In a way, this is a situation that rhymes a bit in comparison to Marvel TV's Netflix series, or their other non-ABC projects. Once again, as I've said over and over again, the arrival of 2016's "Doctor Strange" helped Marvel Studios to expand their universe into a Multi-verse state. So perhaps, speculatively-speaking... that's exactly what's happening with the SONY Marvel Universe, right? That it's part of the MCU, just not in the same realm to The Avengers?

The Hollywood Reporter's thorough piece about the relationship between SONY and Marvel Studios, surprisingly shed some hidden lights about the SONY movies too. Apparently, SONY is also working on projects that will focus on Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter, and Mysterio. As if we don't get enough villain-based movies, Tom Hardy's Eddie Brock is set to take on (if not feature) another Spider-Man's symbiote antagonist: Carnage! According to Omega Underground (via ComicBook.com), the R-rated movie will begin production on September 1st for the October 5th, 2018 release date, and is set to film in Atlanta and New York City. Meaning it won't be long before we get to know who will play the totally-NOT-PG13-character sociopath murderer Cletus Cassidy. "Silver & Black" is also eyeing for a Fall start. A rumor detailing the movie's possible plot has also been flying around the internet. For the record, the source's credibility is questionable, particularly because it includes several characters like Jessica Drew and Dominic Fortune that might not even be SONY's to begin with. It also introduced many names from the Spider-Man lore, like The Scorpion, The Chameleon, and Norman Osborn... that somehow sounded a little too good to be true.

For now, Tom Holland isn't attached to any of these movies, but the intention of SONY is clearly to do so. And I hope that's indeed the case, because it probably would give me a slight of interest to see it. To be honest, I'm still mulling over the fact that SONY is going to flesh out amazing villains like Kraven, Mysterio, the Symbiotes, and many others, robbing their connection to a Spider-Man. I personally would love to see Holland's Spider-Man taking on these characters as PART of the MCU, not the other way around. I'm still happy that at long last, those names have been reconsidered for a big-screen feature, because as disappointed as I've been to realize that Hardy won't ever be portraying Kraven now, we DO need to see a "Sinister Six" movie somewhere in the future, right? But on the other hand, the absence of quality control from Marvel Studios is undeniably concerning. Don't forget, Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach practically ruined Venom in "Spider-Man 3", and other characters like Goblin and Electro in the consequent follow-ups. Which leads me back to the most nagging question: Is the SONY Universe thing REALLY a good idea? Will its movies be enjoyable and not disappointing like those "The Amazing Spider-Man" series? Hard to tell. Somehow its future is still looking dark and cloudy to my curious eyes...

Marvel Studios

You've seen that official first teaser for "Black Panther" that arrived two weeks ago, right? Yes, I'm sure you have. I've always thought that Marvel Studios is keeping wrap Ryan Coogler's movie for a grand debut in San Diego Comic Con next month. Turns out it arrived much earlier than I have anticipated. Am I disappointed though? Of course NOT. It looked grand like its poster, amazing like any Marvel Studios' releases, gloriously and explosively epic, and character-focused (if that new synopsis is any indication). And surprising too, because it was much more colorful than I expected!

I honestly didn't expect the costumes to be so... vibrant. But as it turns out, the designs for those bright red, dashing yellow, lush green, and navy blue outfits were completely inspired by actual African culture. Which is of course AMAZING, because I got to learn new things from it. I can already expect a nomination in the Costume and Production category in the next Oscar race. Yes, Production too, because the fictional country of Wakanda itself is also looking grand. A combination of African culture and high-tech, this country looks and feel like Thor's Asgard that takes place on Earth. A hidden utopia! Also, we got plenty of women in action thanks to the Dora Milaje! Lupita Nyong'o strutting as Nakia in a casino, Florence Kasumba's Ayo kicking people's behind with a tonfa, and Danai Gurira as Okoye who seems to be serving as Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa's right hand. And then there's Angela Bassett who's rocking grey hair as Queen Ramonda, Letitia Wright's Science-Princess Shuri with Panther-shaped Iron Man-style gauntlets, and singer Nabiyah Be as Tilda Johnson who is connected to Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger. Johnson's name might be unfamiliar in the mainstream, because she's a character best known as the supervillain Nightshade. Oh, and also don't forget returning actors Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis as Everett Ross and Ulysses Klaue respectively. Sure, it would've been great to see some Asian tone, but at least the two added some colors to an otherwise African-American cast.

Executive Producer Nate Moore, who also worked on the last two Captain America movies, talked to Complex and shed some details about the movie. He confirmed that "Black Panther" takes place right after the event of "Captain America: Civil War", and that the untimely passing of John Kani's T'Chaka will serve as the catalyst for the plot. In a sense that, T'Challa himself wasn't automatically a King and had to prove himself, while internal threat presumably coming from Killmonger will challenge that notion. Chiming in to Kevin Feige, Moore reiterated the studio's goal to "tell the best stories with the strongest developed characters and scripts" they can work on, and not to rush something that's not ready or not according to their standard. Particularly when asked about the issue of diversity, to which he kindly compared to the "Fast & Furious" franchise. "I think an upshot with Marvel is that our characters and brand are both big enough where we’re not limited to just using actors and actresses who’ve done a ton of movies. We work with big name actors but we’re not under the pressure of saying that we have to work with, say, Matt Damon or Will Smith, or no one’s going to want to see this new idea. Hollywood is a bit agnostic as far as race and gender. They’re just trying to get as many people as possible to see movies so they just want faces that get people into seats, frankly. And because there aren’t as many roles for people of different ethnicities, you tend to see a lot of guys like Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio who are super talented, but who maybe aren’t as diverse as other actors out there.", he said, negating the practice that has recently been done by other studios like Universal with their Dark Universe, or WB with DC Films.

As for the future, the studio is always thinking ahead, but in a limited capacity as things evolve naturally. He admitted that they are "finishing up what we call Phase 3, which will sort of end with the fourth Avengers film in 2019. And then I think for us, we continue that conversation of, what’s next? Who will be the new heroes who can tell great new stories and bring us to new worlds that we haven’t even had a chance to visit yet, while still expanding on the slate of heroes we have and finding the next step for characters people have come to love? We’re looking for the next best story. And then we let the story tell us what we should be making as part of that one united narrative in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.". Once again putting focus on the story first and not just trying to make the MCU continue rolling. And what kind of stories? One that would please the fans. Because for the studio, fans are "the forefront of our minds when we talk about development. What does our audience want and how do we give it to them in a way that’s unexpected? What do they want to see? What can we show them that they don’t know they want to see, but that we think they’ll really respond to? And a big part of that is plunging into new worlds with characters that offer a different flavor than what people are used to. Those are the stories that we want to explore.". An attitude that so far hasn't been taken as good lesson by other studios.

"Black Panther" will arrive on February 16th, 2018. Considering that's less than 3 months prior to "Avengers: Infinity War", it's clear that the movie's going to be have some set-up towards that ensemble movie. While Chris Hemsworth is seemingly having a fun time on set on Instagram, Boseman posted a video showing that Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Scarlett Johansson's Natasha Romanoff will be filming a scene with him that's set in Wakanda. This hinted at the possibility of the Secret Avengers' members visiting Wakanda to request T'Challa's aide. Some members of the "Black Panther" cast (Winston Duke, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright) have even been confirmed to reprise their roles. which makes sense, really. In an interview with Stephen Colbert, Johansson stated that there's going to be a scene consisting around 32 characters. It wouldn't be a surprise to expect the representatives of "Black Panther" to be part of that big ensemble. Heck, even Iron Man and Hulk might have already shared a scene with Doctor Strange and Wong!

Actress Hannah John-Kamen has joined the cast of "Ant-Man & the Wasp" in what Variety called as a key role. John-Kamen is a rising star, and her ethnicity comes into mind with what Moore had stated in regards of diversity. But what character could she be playing? Young Janet van Dyne? Or another female antagonist for the MCU, which might sound a bit offensive for her background? I bet we're going to hear more details about her role pretty soon, since the movie will begin production in Pinewood Studios Atlanta, under working title "Cherry Blue" next month, after the 4th of July holiday. That's less than two weeks away from now, folks! According to information on OmegaUnderground, this production will run concurrently with Avengers 4, which will commence production on July 17th under working title "Mary Lou 2". This clearly hints that Evangeline Lilly's Hope van Dyne will eventually join the ensemble movie like many fans have hoped, along with Brie Larson's Carol Danvers. After all, her "Captain Marvel" is also expected to begin production in the same location, from January to May 2018 under the working title "Warbird".

Can you believe it? Those three are the FINAL three movies of Phase 3. Which means, the end is near. For the 3rd Phase that is, because somewhere out there writer/director James Gunn is already hard at work to deliver the next iteration for Guardians in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3". A movie that will mark the beginning of the Marvel Cosmic Universe. It's unclear what shape it will take though. Does that mean introducing new heroes like Nova and others? Or can we expect members of the existing team, like perhaps Rocket Raccoon and Groot to star in their own separate title? During E3 2017 World Building Panel, Gunn admitted that he has completed the first draft of "Vol. 3", but apparently, it comes with an issue. Namely, a retconning issue. Gunn specifically pointed out the mugshot scene from the first 2014 movie, causing many sites to speculate that it has anything to do with Rocket, Lady Lylla, and his Halfworld origin. Since Gunn is prone to debunking false rumors/speculations, and this time around he's not saying anything... it's safe to assume that there might be some truth to it. Then again, this is just the first draft! Even Adam Warlock got kicked out from the first draft of "Vol. 2", right?

Enough about the future, and let's talk about the... near future. As in what's coming in the next weeks. About "Spider-Man: Homecoming", of course! Obviously, its World Premiere is coming, because early social media reviews for the movie have officially arrived a few hours ago! Nope, let me correct that. It started a few days ago. Apparently, some early screenings have been held, and one of its particular audience is the nice guy I've been following on Twitter. And should I be surprised that it's... AMAZING? Well... duh, that's what you get when you let Marvel Studios work on it, right? While he had since ranked it under "Logan" and "Wonder Woman", he didn't hesitate to compare it with "Spider-Man 2" that has been his all-time favorite. His response rhymed really well with Robert Downey Jr.'s statement on his Facebook account, so it's indeed a good sign.

And just earlier today (local time, meaning last night in the US), social-media embargo for critics have been lifted, and they have been tweeting their official responses ever since. And well, they are singing the same tune! Here's a glimpse of what they say (in list form... because I love lists): - Collider's Steven Weintraub simply LOVED it. He said that the movie was "Tons of fun". Mike Ryan of Uproxx added that it's an absolute delight. - Germaine Lussier of Gizmodo/io9 compared it to "Spider-Man 2", calling it close to the Sam Raimi's movies. He also added that the movie had several genuine surprises, while exuding young innocence that differentiate it with other MCU movies. Others like William Bibbiani of CraveOnline thought it was fluffier than the Raimi's though, because the drama is thin. - Some critics, like Sean O'Connell of CinemaBlend and Brandon Davis of ComicBook.com easily called it their new favorite Marvel movie. Davis even added that it's endless fun and flawless. - Chris Sylvia of RegalMovies reminded that it's also a good High School movie while calling it his favorite Spider-Man movie to date. Angie Han of Mashable also said that it balanced superheroism and high school drama nicely. - Kristy Puchko of Nerdist, Vanity Fair, and ComicBookResources praised Michael Keaton as an amazing antagonist, even compared him to Tom Hiddleston's Loki. Jeff D Lowe, social media producer of Good Morning America also said that Keaton is fantastic, saying that his character is a great villain with depth. - And of course, praises are being sung for Tom Holland's performance. Molly Freeman of ScreenRant said that he's definitely the best Peter Parker so far. Erik Davis of Fandango called it spot-on casting and spot-on Spidey, while Matt Singer of Screen Crush gave him thumbs up. That all sounded positive, so I don't think it would take long for the 1st Rotten Tomatoes score to generate, right? Let's just hope that unlike the questionable posters, word of mouth will help boost the movie's appeal, and it will exceed the $100 million estimated opening number (which has already gone lower since previous tracking).

That whole talk concerning the state of SONY Marvel Universe also shed some light to the production of this movie, and what's to come. It's revealed that SONY's new head Tom Rothman, is betting high on it to kickstart their own Cinematic Universe. With the budget of 'mere' $175 million, it was unveiled that "Homecoming" is totally taking the Marvel Studios method of "Keep costs down on the first two outings and spend bigger on a third". The movie was intentionally made to replicate the John Hughes-vibe, and those who have seen it said that director Jon Watts and his young actors (who went on a picnic together for some fun real-life bonding time) delivered that promise. Michael Keaton is only signed to play Vulture in this movie, so it's unclear whether he'll be reprising in the sequel or as part of "Sinister Six" in the future. And speaking of sequel, we can expect NO Iron Man in it, because there will be another to-be-determined Marvel Studios character instead. Doctor Strange and/or Hulk comes to mind, Captain Marvel, even Charlie Cox's Daredevil since Feige had indeed stated that a crossover with Marvel TV will eventually be inevitable. But perhaps... an original character? Here's hoping it will be hinted in the movie's post credit scenes.

Lastly, be sure to check out SDCC 2018 next year, because Marvel Studios will be releasing a special 10-year Anniversary logo. Darn it, it's almost 10 years already! Time flies by soooo quickly...

Marvel TV

Freeform's Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" won't be arriving until 2018, but according to SpoilerTV it has quietly been renewed for second season. They said the production will begin next month and ends in October. Now this sounded a bit odd, since last we heard, they've only completed the pilot in February. Is this report accurate, or is SpoilerTV merely making a mistake when they were meant to refer to the rest of the Season 1? We'll have to wait for further news to clarify this.

Netflix

In case you're forgetting, Marvel's "The Defenders", Marvel TV's FIRST-ever (yes, unbelievable right? What took them so long?) crossover between their series is coming in August. It's easy to lose track about it, since the marketing has been swept away by coverage for "Homecoming" as well as other big-screen titles. Not saying they aren't promoting this mini-series though, because very recently the official Twitter accounts of the four core heroes have released motion posters to remind audience and Marvel fans of their existence. Charlie Cox's Matt Murdoch was obviously the first, followed by Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones, Mike Colter's Luke Cage, and Finn Jones' Danny Rand. Each carrying their own tagline and personal swagger, before culminating into a catchy foursome poster.

No offense, they looked COOL, but... I don't know. Perhaps Marvels "Iron Fist" had given such a negative after-taste, that I no longer anticipate this mini-series as much as before. No reason to be worried since Scott Buck is not doing it, but... likely I'm already feeling tired of waiting too darn long to see this happening. As I said above, unlike the movie side, Marvel TV is burning me out so much faster than I've expected, I ended up developing some beef against them. With that said, I WILL be watching this mini-series, but that's likely as far as I'll go for the Netflix side. I'll likely even give Jon Bernthal's Marvel's "The Punisher" a huge pass when it arrives later in November. Not saying these series are bad, but... the dark, gritty, and gruesomeness are seriously wearing me down. Oh well... to each their own, I guess. Marvel's "The Defenders" arrive on August 18th, 2017.

DC Television

I'm not a fan of "Watchmen". When Zack Snyder made a movie version of the 1985's series back in 2009, it made me cringed. The whole nudity revolving Doctor Manhattan, and that unnecessary extended intimate scene between Nite Owl and Silk Spectre were... disturbing for the then-young version of me (still do though LOL). Then again, that's probably just me not digging Snyder's style, so probably not the series' faults. I also understand that many people are loving this series, and since this is the Golden Age of superhero adaptations, should we even be surprised to hear that another version is coming? Yes, this time in form of a TV series. According to Variety, Damon Lindelof is currently in talks with HBO to develop such series. HBO had tried to do so in 2014, but it didn't pan out, so there's no reassurance if this time it's going to be... better. No confirmation so far from HBO, but I'm sure we'll be hearing about this in the near future. Same question though: Is this a good idea? I seriously can't say. Perhaps it is, perhaps it might be great and I end up liking it. But at the very least, this is a good news for the series' devoted fans! There's one for everyone, right?

Super Sentai

Long time Tokusatsu scooper Dukemon, has revealed the possible rumor to the upcoming Super Sentai series. Yes, "Uchu Sentai Kyuranger" is still airing, and it's not even halfway done. But projects like this usually takes 2 years in advance to work on, so it's not a surprise. According to Dukemon, the 2018 season/team will once again be Car-based, particularly to celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Engine Sentai Go-Onger". A team-up with its members is also in the rumor mix. Now I can't say for sure whether I like this or not. I'm probably among the few weirdos who LOVED Go-Onger and their talking Enjins (basically the team consists of 19 members because of them and Bomper), but another Car-themed series feels... redundant somehow. Sure, it's easier to pull off for the mecha/toys design. But unless it has other meaning to differentiate it (like "Kyukyu Sentai GoGoV" with the whole Rescue-theme, or "Go Go Sentai Boukenger" with the adventure/expedition angle), we've seen too many of those already. Of course, Tokusatsu is a genre that LOVES to rehash popular themes, just like they do with story tropes in a yearly basis, so it's not out of the realm of possibility to see them going back to vehicles. Oh well... here's hoping we'll be getting a "Go-Onger 10 Years After" V-Cinema too. With the way the series ended, I would LOVE to see the cast reunites. Beside, all if not most of them are still active in the entertainment business anyway.

DuckTales

Now THIS is a series I'm going to be watching. Hearing that modern version of the classic theme song alone, complete with the various swashbuckling adventure scenes of the characters... already got me fired up for no particular reason! Perhaps, the effect of nostalgia-blast? Granted, I never actually watched the original series religiously, because I didn't have the means to do it. But now that I can, I'm going to give this show a chance. Sure, the character design and art-style might need some time to get used to, and yes, I'm still taken aback by the non-Donald-esque voices for the nephews (especially knowing that "Parks & Recreation" annoying Jean-Ralphio is voicing one of them). But the six Short-Episodes I've seen so far, were enough to convince me that this is going to be great. And that Launchpad is still my favorite character of the show. LOL. Here, check out this First Look trailer on Youtube if you don't believe me...

A one-hour episode/movie for "DuckTales" is set to embark David Tennant's Scoorge McDuck's adventure with Tony Anselmo's Donald Duck, as well as the three nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie (Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz, and Bobby Moynihan). It will premiere on August 12th, 2017, which will then be followed by the series regular run starting in September 23rd. That date is the 30th anniversary of the original series, and will bring two brand new episodes. The series will also star Kate Micucci as Webby Vanderquack, Beck Bennett as Launchpad McQuack, Toks Olagundoye as Mrs. Beakley, as well as featuring special celebrity guest stars. We have Lin-Manuel Miranda as Fenton Crackshell-Cabrera/Gizmoduck, Allison Janney as Goldie O’Gilt, Margo Martindaleas as Ma Beagle, Paul F. Tompkins as Gladstone Gander, Kimiko Glenn as Lena, Jim Rash as mad scientist Gyro Gearloose, Josh Brener as tech billionaire Mark Beaks, Keith Ferguson as Flintheart Glomgold, Eric Bauza as the Beagle Boys, and Corey Burton as Ludwig Von Drake. This already sounds MORE than just fun, am I right?! XD

The King of Fighters

Chinese-produced series "The King of Fighters: Destiny", has released its second official trailer. This one is more story-oriented, and well... gotta admit, the more I see it, it does grow on me. From what I gather, while Kyo Kusanagi can be seen sensing the arrival of the Orochi, the bulk of the story will focus on the Fatal Fury Trio's beef with Geese Howard. Geese killed Terry and Andy Bogard's father Jeff, and so the brothers, alongside Joe Higashi will attempt their revenge to the guy who is ruining Southtown. I was a bit skeptical when I first saw Geese's right-hand Billy Kane, but he looked okay now. Particularly after seeing him wearing his iconic Union Jack headband. There's a special clip showing Terry, Andy, and Joe dealing with Billy and his henchmen, and it looked nice. A press conference video, also confirmed the appearance of iconic female characters like King, Mai Shiranui, Yuri Sakazaki, Athena Asamiya, and others, though I'm not sure casting BEJ48 idols as their voice actresses is a wise choice. They should've hired the respective voice cast from "The King of Fighters XIV" instead. Of course, I'm going to check this series anyway. I just hope it exceeds my expectation, and that this would be good, because we all know that video-game adaptations don't really have good reputation...

Tomb Raider

Possible title for the next Tomb Raider game has probably been revealed. Rumored at least, courtesy of NeoGAF. Some artworks by the title of "Shadow of the Tomb Raider" have seemingly been leaked via an entertainment marketing company. Further adding credential to this rumor, was the fact that the images have since been removed by the website. If this rumor is true, then it seems Lara Croft will be exploring Egyptian Pyramids once again, which is a really nice decision. We'll just have to wait and see if this rumor pans out or not. So take it with a grain of salt for now...

Dynasty Warriors

Koei TECMO has debuted the first official trailer for their open-world "Dynasty Warriors 9 / Shin Sangoku Musou 8". The footage will undoubtedly thrill fans of the series, while also teasing the updates the company has given to this iteration. Koei TECMO weren't kidding when they said that it's meant to be "the most immersive and ambitious Dynasty Warriors experience to date" because it sure looked that way. Having been converted into a fan over the past years, I can honestly say that I'm looking forward to see this game come to shape.... even if I won't be able to play it, since it's likely a PlayStation 4 exclusive. There's no fixed 2018 release date for now, but expect details about the game and its 83-plus characters to be delivered in the near future.

Professor Layton

Following details for the second episode that was unveiled during E3 2017 last week, LEVEL-5 has debuted the official second trailer for "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy". This one previewed the main stories of the game, and also unveiled the looks of all titular seven millionaries in cinematic motion. With only four of them detailed for now. Those who were worried that this title might look and feel different to the previous Layton titles thanks to a female protagonist, can rest assured now. It feels just like another chapter in the Layton storybook. Heck, even the great Herschel Layton himself made a cameo appearance in this trailer! Just look at Katrielle and his dad, and tell me you didn't go... "Aaaaaaww".

Also, in an exceptionally clever marketing to commemorate the game's release, LEVEL-5 collaborated with real escape game creators SCRAP for a "Real World Puzzle Solving" campaign. It's a free to play experience that is accessible to anyone worldwide! There will be 50 puzzles released on the internet one by one from June 20th to September 21st. The first one has famous Japanese entertainer Pikotaro doing a puzzling-rendition of his "Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen" song. It's available on Youtube, if you don't believe me. That particular puzzle is pretty easy, but the next one? You're going to need a paper and pen to figure out the message. And not just that, the question will also direct you to 15 different websites hosting clues in form of another puzzle. How THRILLING is that?! Go ahead and visit Layton.world to test it out, because once again, the treasure hunt is free for play! "Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy" arrives on 3DS in Japan, and iOS and Android worldwide on July 20th.

Zero Escape

Spike Chunsoft released an official trailer for PlayStation 4 version of "Zero Time Dilemma" last week. The point of this trailer is clearly to give us a glimpse to how the game would look in PS4. I'd argue that it's not that much different to the PC Version, but it does have some minor details like shading and such that somehow looks... clearer. This is a good chance for those who have played the first two games (or the recently re-released "Zero Escape: The Nonary Games"), but hasn't had chance to experience its third. Assuming you own a PS4, of course, LOL. "Zero Time Dilemma" will be released on August 17th in Japan, and Fall in North America.

Final Fantasy

Square Enix has officially released the trailer for "Final Fantasy XV" next DLC, "Episode Prompto". You can check it out on Youtube. If the E3 2017 footage showed the gameplay of his solo adventure, then this one is focused more on the story... which of course is all about his unexpected origin. This DLC will launch several days from now, on June 27th, 2017. Here's hoping the Final Fantasy fans will receive this much better than Gladio's.

Street Fighter

CAPCOM has rolled out a Season 2.5 patch, and an alleged leak about future updates immediately floated in the internet. This report, assuming it's accurate, said that data miners have found signs of future DLCs and new game mechanics among other things in the patch. The character DLCs, which are now speculated to be coming as Season 3, consisted of 6 additional characters that should make many fans happy. Fan-favorites Sagat, Sakura Kasugano, Oro, C. Viper, Q, and Necro are all mentioned to be on this list! Admittedly, this isn't that much surprising considering most of them (with the exception of Sagat and Q) have already appeared in various Story Modes since the game was first released.

The leak also include the existence of second Critical Arts for all characters, an Arcade Mode, and also a second Cinematic Story expansion. And now suddenly it sounds a little too good to be true *sigh*. Now remember, take this with a grain of salt. This could be real, or a deliberate ruse by fans to force CAPCOM to eventually turn their wishlist into reality. Especially considering, as far as I know, the 2nd Season DLC (Akuma, Kolin, and Ed, with three others remaining) hasn't been received as well as expected. But if CAPCOM is true to their words of saying that "Street Fighter V" will be the only version of its generation (so there will be no 'Super', 'Arcade', or 'Ultra' upgrade), it can very well be true...

Pocket Monsters

Yeah, this is the reason why I'm posting this R-N-D! To be precise, WAS the reason, because it was initially scheduled to go up yesterday. Following the subjectively-disappointing Solstice Event, Niantic has begun rolling out update for "Pokemon GO" in terms of their new Gym system, and it is... well, elaborate, to say the least. I wanted to say 'Complicated', but I've slowly warmed up to it that it's no longer a suitable term. The transition had started on June 19th (local time) with Gyms throughout the world being closed down (which made the App looked somewhat-eerie, to be honest), and was officially implemented as soon as the extended Solstice Event (for another 24 hours until June 21st, 1 PM PST) ended.

Gyms have been reactivated since yesterday's morning (I know, because I've clearly experienced it myself), and new feature called Raid Battles have been made available for Level 35 above later in the afternoon. Today, many users have reported that the Level warning has been lifted, and those with lower levels than 35 has even obtained their daily Raid Pass. Niantic confirmed through an official announcement, that Raids are available for 'Level 25 above' now. This confirmed that the limitation was purely for Beta Testing, and thus the feature will be rolled out for even lower levels in the future.

Calling this a major update would be an understatement. Those who are in the game purely to collect Pokemons might not be majorly affected, but those who relied on Gyms to farm PokeCoins and such will definitely need to learn from scratch. Practically, it has altered the way Gym-goers going to behave. This update changed the whole pattern of the Gym System, forcing Players old and new to adjust their gameplay. And of course, this gave me mixed reaction. Here's what came in the update, along with my thoughts on them (once again, in list form):

- Let's start with the simple touches! A handy Search Function in the Pokemon Collection screen has been added! This is well appreciated, as now we don't need to waste time scrolling down the long list just to check/compare our Pokemon. It also works for searching based on Types or species. So when we enter the word 'Fire', the result will feature every Fire-Types on our list, and if we enter the word '+eevee', every Pokemon related to Eevee including its evolutions will show up. Convenient! There's a marker on PokeStops now, indicating which one we haven't spinned for the day. This is small, but also convenient! - Having Photo Disc on Gyms that unlock items is a wise decision, because that means the game now has more PokeStops than before. Standing by near a Gym feels rewarding now! And in return, the same is happening to PokeStops with some of them being turned into Gyms. This helps give access to wider-range of Players who usually can't participate in Gyms because of their limited occurence. - I'm really happy to see that one species of Pokemon can only be assigned once, and the improved UI allows us to see the team of Pokemon lining up together like badasses. Also, they are no longer sorted by CP. It's a first-come first-served situation now, which admittedly sounds more fair to low level users. Yes, many users are complaining to the fact that Gyms can only contain 6 Pokemons now, but they seem to be forgetting that it's the maximum number of PokeBalls a Player can bring in the core RPGs. So it's still a great nod! - Trainers also felt more incorporated, as we can see their in-game silhouette decorating the Gym's backdrop and/or doing cool battle pose prior to Pokemon Battle. This is where the whole wardrobe-customization feature comes into play in an interesting manner. It's honestly thrilling to see it in action. - The addition of Gym Badges that keeps track of activity is also a neat touch. Aside from serving as memento of the places we have visited, now we can monitor whatever is happening to the Pokemon we've placed there without the need to travel the distance just to check them nearby. Eventhough I would've prefered it better, had it were Type-based like in the core RPGs, this was more than acceptable. Curious about the Ranking System though. How do I get a Basic/Vanilla, Bronze, Silver, and Gold? - Gone is the Prestige system, and enter the Motivation Level. Many Players have been complaining about the whole Prestige system that drains out excitement, so in a way, good riddance. On the other hand, its replacement might be a bit tricky to judge. Berries that were once treated like waste, is now important because they are necessary to restore a Pokemon motivation level. So as long as you, as well as other people continue feeding Berries to one Pokemon, it will continue its reign in the Gym. Even if they are NOT yours! I'm starting to understand that the point of giving Berries to Gym Pokemon of the same team, is a way for other users to participate in Gyms without the need to submit their own. So those who are more focused in collecting, can still gain Stardusts by giving up their unused Berries to Gym Pokemon. Aside from getting items via the Photo Disc, of course. Unfortunately, although it felt good and fresh at start, in less than 48 hours many Players are already complaining because keeping track of Gyms to feed Berries to their Pokemon turns out to be... reasonably exhausting. Just between you and me, that's practically one of the reason why this R-N-D suffered a one-day delay (I got too exhausted, it practically knocked me down cold)... - Inline with the Motivation Level, is the new PokeCoins system. Previously, Players had to assign a Pokemon for at least 20-24 hours before automatically receiving 10 Coins by collecting them at the Shop. That's no longer the case now. Coins will now be earned by the duration a Pokemon had spent in the Gym, and will be accumulated to Player's in-game pocket after it has completed its duty (as in defeated and lost all of its motivation). There's a maximum number of Coins that can be earned a day. The rule for this one however, apparently is still being tweaked and tested as we speak, as proven by the latest changes. Defending Pokemon will now earn 1 Coin per 10-minutes, to a maximum of 50 Coins daily (regardless of how many Pokemon assigned on numerous Gym). I'm still personally anxious about this change, and how this will affect my daily Coins-revenue. I'm not a pro, but Gyms are definitely my primary source of income in this game. LOL. - A new real-time push-notification has been added, thus a message will be sent to Player whenever their Pokemon is defeated and has left the Gym to return to their owner. I just got mine several hours ago, and it was both fun and sad. Fun because the progress feels up close and personal, eventhough the game isn't even activated. But also sad because clearly it's not a good news... *sniffs*. - Raid Battles is an intriguing cooperative feature. I haven't experienced it myself (it's happening in every Gyms nearby... while I'm practically stuck in the house *sigh*), but it plays out similar to what was promised on the App's teaser trailer... more than a year ago! Yes, the idea of 'multiple Players gathering around to defeat Mewtwo in Times Square', has at long last become reality. Players will be alerted of Raids event on the Nearby Screen. A giant Egg can then be seen on top of a Gym, which will then hatch into a strong giant-sized Pokemon. Using a one-per-day free Raid Pass, Player can cooperate/participate with others to defeat this Pokemon. It will be active for 1 hour, but each Player will only be given 5 minutes each. If they succeed, said Pokemon will be available to be captured. Premium Normal Raid Pass, alongside Max Revives are now available for purchase in Shop to support this feature. - There are several ranks of strong Pokemon that will hatch as Raid Boss. I saw a 1-star hatched into a Croconaw with CP 5000+, a 2-star into Exeggutor with CP 12000+, a 3-star turned out to be Vaporeon with CP 16000+, while a 4-star is Snorlax with CP 25000+. For the record, you don't really need to be nearby to see this process... which is how I was able to spot them while cringing knowing I couldn't participate. There are 5 levels of difficulty to Raid Battles, and each will award different prize. All are new items for the game: Premiere Ball, Rare Candy, Golden Razz Berry, and Fast/Charged Technical Machine. - Higher difficulty Raid will also include the Legendaries Pokemon like Moltres, Articuno, Zapdos, and others, as proven by the variants of Lugia Badge discovered in the APK. A Legendary will have a unique egg, and to battle them a different item called Legendary Raid Pass is required. Clearing a Legendary Raid will also give three ranks of Badge: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Now, before you get excited, there's a catch to this. Apparently... this special Pass is only awarded to high-level players who have participated a good amount of regular Raid Battles. Which is such a bummer for a lazy introvert such as yours truly *sigh*. Nevertheless, Niantic did confirm that this Pass will be given to active Players, so let's not rule out any possibilities just yet. After all, they are still tweaking the system with feedbacks from Players. - Last but not least, a new anti-cheat measures have been implemented. Players who obtained high levels, as well as rare, region-exclusive, high-CP Pokemon through illegal means such as hacking, GPS-spoof, or other 3rd Party Apps, will have their Pokemon specially marked. This doesn't necessarily kick GPS-spoofers, botters, and illegitimate players out from the App, it just disables them from using Pokemon and participating in Raid Battles. In theory, it's a much-anticipated update that answers the cries of many legitimate Players. But in practice, is it really effective? I'm personally not sure if the punishment is working or not. I'm still seeing many Players who have over and over again showed signs of cheating (proof? One user kept stealing my spot after I cleared out Gyms, and there's NOBODY in the area but me. Clearly a spoofer!), comfortably placing their high-level Pokemon in various Gyms.

Thanks to mining the latest APK, there are many details that have since been made available by several fan-sites like Pokemon GO Hub and The Silph Road. Most are just confirmation to what Niantic has officially announced, but some of them might hint at future additions to the game that has yet to be activated. So those who are interested can go ahead and visit those websites to check them out. The first site also provided some fan-made guides, such as technical details on how the new Gym mechanics works, Raid Survival guide, how to battle Legendary, guide to predict how manyPokeCoins we can obtain, and others.

In the end, whether this Gym System rework is effective or not, remains to be seen. Despite some of them had behind-the-scene technical updates, popular Pokemon like Vaporeon, Gyarados, Dragonite, Blissey, Tyranitar, and others are still occupying every single Gym I've encountered. Personally, this shows that the issue of seeing the same old Pokemon species over and over again isn't yet solved. And then there's the cheaters, who have gotten high levels yet was given early chance to test out the Raids. So while some Players are enjoying, others aren't quite feeling the same thing. As I said, this changed how Players think, and clearly forcing them to adapt with the new situation. As proven by the PokeCoins issue, things might still be in process of worldwide-scale beta-testing for the time being, and that minor changes can still take place on the fly. So let's just wait and see how the final system turns out when "Pokemon GO" officially celebrates its first anniversary next month!

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