#it would usually go he attacks with his sword -> he attacks with the mega gloom that actually steals hearts instead of locking them. knock

[ashenberry]

honest to god looking at people talk about the ganondorf fight im surprised i did so well as someone who could not Flurry Rush or Perfect Parry for shit

[delphiniumarchangelmoon]

My pokemon hot takes (and an essay on ninjask getting done dirty)

Lopunny is for the girls and the gays and I’m tired of pretending its not

Me having a little crush on Mewtwo as a kid isn’t weird, what’s weird is that you DIDNT have a little crush on Mewtwo as a kid ok?

Swsh isn’t badly written you guys just completely ignore every non-required area and text box. You wouldn’t know environmental storytelling if it whacked you upside the head.

Paul was the best anime rival, no one stands up to him. His character arc was the best written, his battles had the highest stakes, and best of all he wasn’t fucking annoying!

Iris was the worst anime companion, by far. She did nothing but bully Ash the entire season despite being awful at her own chosen trainer path and it ruined it for me. Girl don’t sit around talking shit when you suck ass at everything!

Fairy should have been weak to bug. Fairy was introduced to be a balancing type by being weak to lesser used types and immune to the strongest type and then made bug WORSE? Fuck off. That makes no sense and it doesn’t even work that well in lore. It could go either way and make just as much sense.

Vanilluxe isn’t even ugly you guys are just haters for no reason AND I think it should get a really cool mega in Z-A based on a sundae and become extremely powerful and viable because FUCK YOU

The Machop line however IS ugly. You do not get to be mad about Incineroar or Meowscarada being too humanoid when that is literally just a man in his undies, and he’s not even cute. Machamp gets a half pass cause the extra arms make it less uncanny but the weird ring around the mouth needs to go, the shorts need to be better integrated into the design (I think gigantimax machamp does a good job of this by blending them down into the color of the legs) and the shinies of the entire line need to be literally any other color but puke green. Either make them all bright green like machamp or skip the green entirely and go dark red. Or a dark gray. Or blue!

Speaking of shinies, green shinies get too much hate. Espeon and teddiursa are cool. Meanwhile yellow shinies usually don’t look yellow at all they look chartreuse and sickly. Like Groudon! Groudon should have a goldenrod color not that abysmal eyesore.

Haxorous did NOT make the jump to 3D well. It just looks a little off and I can’t get over it.

And anyway here’s my regularly scheduled rant about some bullshit because I’m replaying Sword rn and tried to use more mobs I haven’t used before and came across some. Weird bullshit.

Did you know that in swsh ninjask doesn’t learn a single flying type move by level up once it evolves? What the fuck kind of decision was that???? give me SOMETHING I’m DYING OVER HERE.

It technically DOES get Aerial ace by level up but it’s one if those “level 1” moves that you have to get at the move reminder which I forgot was accessible from the start in this game. So I did a bunch of watt grinding yesterday to get a play rough TR for my Tsareena for my Bea fight for no reason and STILL nearly got swept?

And anyway why is that the only one it gets? Why is talking to an npc a requirement to get the ONLY flying move in this Pokémon’s level up moves. Why doesn’t it learn a flying type move upon evolving or in the levels directly after like any normal mon would upon gaining the flying type? It feels really weird and unnecessary. Just swap out the agility level up move for aerial ace, this mon has speed boost it doesn’t need agility.

And then in TM moves it only gets aerial ace (which it already has anyway) air slash (special aka useless on this mom) and acrobatics, Those are its only flying moves which is its better offensive typing! It learns DIG but not fly, peck, wing attack, or pluck?

And in BDSP it’s tm moves get kneecapped! It LOOSES acrobatics and air slash! WHY???? FOR WHAT REASON??? Like sure, it has ROOST and DEFOG now but those DONT DO DAMAGE????

It would have been better for the tms to be roost and acrobatics in the first place. Those are actually useful. But it doesn’t ever get both in gen 8. I could build a seriously annoying ninjask with a focus sash/a berry, roost, acrobatics, leech life, and aerial ace. Pop the sash or berry so acrobatics is increased, aerial ace never misses, leech life and roost heal me. Leech life alone makes it much less of a glass cannon, could you imagine if it got ALL of these moves at once? We were robbed. You can’t give us improved leech life and then not let us build the most annoying asshole bug ever!

And most of its sound based moves are relegated to tm only which is weird considering it’s a CICADA, the bug primarily known for being LOUD. Like they aren’t useful cause they’ve special moves but it should get bug buzz by level up at least. Having screech be its only sound based level up move is just a weird choice, lore wise.

Also its other level up moves are trash. Mind reader is made completely redundant by aerial ace, and doesn’t even make much sense lore wise, it gets like maybe 6 moves between evolving and its last move which ends up being one move every 10 levels or so which is mid at best, and its best bug stab is learned at level 64… or tm which you’ll almost always be doing instead.

Mind reader should be replaced by bug buzz, and there should be another move at around 38-40 that should probably be a coverage move like shadow claw or night slash. It has precedent for learning grass moves too so leaf blade is an option as well though it’s a little bit more powerful so I’d swap its placement with Slash at lv. 50

Anyway quit kneecapping otherwise usable pokemon with nonsensical movesets.

Anyway rant over. Justice for ninjask. Justice for bug types in general.

[rosecorspe]

Pomefiore Pokémon

Main Battles-🌟 Shiny-✨

Espeon ♀

A Timid Natured PKMN with the ability Magic Bounce

Notable Moves-

Draining Kiss

Calm Mind

Psychic

Baton Pass

She’s one of Zom’s older eeveelutions, big sister energy. Espeon is a calm, slightly shy PKMN. Her battle style usually requires a double battle since she tries to boost her partner. However she’s more of a PKMN for contest, Zom tends take extra care of her fur, it almost sparkles. Espeon uses her psychic powers to sense sense danger and protect Zom and other PKMN.

Skarmory ♂🌟

A Careful Natured PKMN with the ability Sturdy

Notable Moves-

Roost

Spikes

Whirlwind

Brave Bird

You know when your pet stares at like there’s something behind you? Yeah he does that too, though in his case he’s just making sure you’re safe. One thing about Skarmory is that he isn’t overly protective of Zom. He used to terrified of people and would kick them out of his territory. Nowadays he acts like a wild bird that chose to adopt a human family. Skarmory always carefully plans his attacks to get the best results.

Mawile ♀🌟✨

An Adamant Natured PKMN with the ability(s) Intimidate/ Huge Power

Notable Moves-

Sucker Punch

Play Rough

Ice Fang

Swords Dance

Ah yes, Roserade’s contest partner. Always giving 100%, Mawile is definitely one Zom’s best powerhouse. He likes to act as an entertainer of sorts when not in battle, specifically a dancer. His battle style always includes his dancing making him harder to land a move on. When Mawile gains an interest in you it’s best to acknowledge it, he can and will bite the nearest body part. Mawile is also capable of Mega Evolution so is Lucario and others but I forget to put that he uses the horns/jaws as other ways to attack as well as grabbing objects to throw them at opponents.

Glaceon ♂🌟

A Modest Natured PKMN with the ability Snow Cloak

Notable Moves-

Freeze-Dry

Blizzard

Ice Shard

Shadow Ball

Glaceon’s nickname is Glacier and he knows he’s fabulous. Zom’s first eeveelution, so he’s very attached to him. Glacier has a bit of ego ‘cause he’s 1 of Zom’s first pkmn, Zom will admit that he definitely spoiled him. His battle style is full of elegance, the moves will end with a lovely snowfall and sparkles depending on the move. He has a tendency to freeze people if they’re a threat to him or Zom. Blocks of ice aren’t fun.

Crobat ♂✨

A Jolly Natured PKMN with the ability Infiltrator

Notable Moves-

Aerial Ace

Cross Poison

Leech Life

Facade

Unfortunately most people are nervous around Crobat, due to his face and size 5’ 11” baby. Despite that he’s very affectionate. Zom has Crobat as one of main aerial PKMN. Sometimes he’ll carry other people or PKMN on his back, well if they’re small enough. He enjoys a nice cuddle.

Sorry I was going through some sh-t so I didn’t upload

Just got two more Dorms left so next up is

Ignihyde

[daniel306gaming]

¿What if the Avengers teamed up with the Justice League?

To: Marvel Studios and DC Studios

                                                           Intro                                                     Welcome back to the MULTI-VERSE my fellow Watchers where I combine different franchises and universes to see who would win. But today is not about who would win because we already saw the MCU Avengers and DCEU Justice League fight each other and we all know how that ended. So in this mega fan fiction we’re going to be seeing these teams teaming up to face both Thanos and Darkseid respectively. ¿How can this affect the future of the MCU and DCEU going forward and will they be able to save the world? This is an original what if created by me taking inspiration from the 1997 Marvel/DC crossover while following the mythology of the Avengers and Justice League and the timeline of the MCU and DCEU respectively. Without wasting anymore time sit back and relax and enjoy this fan fiction that you don’t wanna miss.

                                                            Act 1                                                          In the DCEU  a fierce battle raged in the heart of Metropolis as the streets are a war zone filled with chaos of explosions, clashing metal and desperate cries of innocent civilians. Buildings were crumbling underneath the relentless onslaught of Steppenwolf and his parademons invading from the depths of Apokolips. Smoke fills the sky turning day to dusk as the heroes of the Justice League fight to protect the city but the Justice League which included Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg and the Flash are in the thick of it desperately trying to repel the invasion. Each member of the team was battling with their own unique abilities but they were outnumbered and out the sky above Metropolis was filled with the sinister shapes of Parademons. Their cries were echoing through the city streets but a red and blue blur shot through their ranks with his beams of searing red lights slicing the creatures from the air. Superman flew and spun avoiding blaster fire as he plowed through the parademon swarm. His power seemed limitless as he cleared a pathway for civilians to flee but even his might was being tested by the endless hordes and a nearby skyscraper fell as its damaged supporting columns threatened to buckle Superman. His super senses screamed a warning and he flashed across the distance. As a massive structure began to collapse people scrambled and screamed within the building unable to evacuate in time but with a mighty heave Superman grabbed onto the skyscraper's falling frame muscles from bulging while he slowed the toppling tower and stabilized it in place. His arms were trembling with the effort of hefting the immense weight as Superman slowly but steadily lifted the skyscraper up and away from the ground debris tumbled free of the ruined lower floors. The structure held together as he maneuvered it over the neighboring blocks but the Man of Steel flew the rescued buildings out and over the bay away from the city and lowered it down onto the water with a tremendous splash only when he was sure the flooding was over. Lower floors would not drag under it and he pulled free of the skyscraper with Metropolis’s citizens now evacuated or sheltering from the parademon attacks. Superman turned back to rejoin the fray. “we can’t let Steppenwolf get the Mother Boxes” Batman said fighting with his usual grind extermination grapples onto the parademons and thrusts an explosive batarang into its chest. The creature explodes into a burst of energy allowing Batman to drop to the ground and engage another foe. “Easier said than done” Batman said as Wonder Woman leaps into the air with her sword slicing through the air as she cuts down parademons left and right. The lasso of truth wraps around a nearby enemy disarming it before she hurls the creature into the group of comrades. “We need a plan and fast” Cyborg said as the Flash races through the streets dodging explosions and debris. He saves civilians from harm moving them to safety before returning to the team. “You guys come up with something while I keep these people safe” the Flash said as the Justice League fought with fury and their power is flashing as they defended the crumbling streets of Metropolis but for every enemy they struck down 2 more seemed to take their place. Superman zoomed through the air with his heat vision blasting the parademons into ash but a hurled spear from Steppenwolf tore through his shoulder shredding his indestructible skin and he faltered nearly crashing to the ground before readying himself and the Kryptonian was weakening as it was one of the few things capable of piercing his invulnerability and now it was slowing him down. Wonder Woman wielded her lasso and sword with pressless skill yet a blow from the Mad Titan sent her flying back into a building with the structure crumbling around her. She pulled herself free off the rubble as her arm cracked and bloodied. The Flash darted at building speed trying to evacuate civilians from the path of destruction but as he ran by a blast from Darkseid  shredded off his knees as he crashed with a scream unable to get back up and one by one the league fell. Batman was plummeted into submission while Aquaman was crushed under a tanker truck from the harbor as his control of water was useless in the dry ground and Cyborg was overloaded by the alien tech being deployed with his systems failing until he could no longer continue to fight. Thanos, Steppenwolf and Darkseid were victorious against the defeated heroes but their conquest of Earth could wait. The Infinity Stones called them unto further glory leaving the broken Justice League behind as the villainous team opened a boom tomb and departed to hunt the remaining stones across space and time. Metropolis burned and only the fallen remained to witness its demise. The Batcave was dim and lit. The Justice League had retreated there to cure their wounds but even the legendary sanctum offered little comfort as Batman sat before the bat-computer and its screens flickering through news footage of the Carnage of Metropolis with fires blazing through the gleaming skyscrapers as rescue crews picked through the rubble for survivors. The toll was catastrophic as Wonder Woman’s good at his side with her head bowed but without her powers she felt helpless and the blood had been washed from her skin and armor but the painful bruises remained. The Flash laid on a medical table as behind them the cybernetic legs was still sparking where he had been cut from but he stared at the ceiling lost in a haze of trauma and pain. Aquaman sat nearby with bandages visible through the rips in his shirt as his eyes were haunted by the deaths of so many in the waters and that was his dominion heavily upon him. Superman flooded before the bat-computer screens as his arms flooded across his chest though his powers were returning but his cells replenished solar energy and the Kryptonian could not erase the memory of how frail he had been truly against their enemies. Cyborg stood apart from the others still running diagnostics to assess the damage to his systems but though his robotic body could be repaired the realization that he had not been able to cut deeper than any malfunction as Wonder Woman sat in the bat-cave like a caged lion and her boots stirring up of dust with every tight turn armor that had been shown like silver was now dented and bruised baring her unusual flawless face. Each mark was a bitter reminder of their defeat, failure and lives that had been lost because they were not enough. She spung on her heel to face Batman who remained motionless before the bat-computer as his eyes stared unseeing at the footage of Metropolis burning. “We have lost so many lives” she said. ¿how many more must perish before we are unable to stop them? Batman didn’t look up but his hands curled into fists upon the console. “Too many” he granted. “But we will find a way to end this. I promise” he said. She wanted to believe and have faith in them as she always had but faith had not saved the innocent who had died screaming and she feared nothing would be enough against the forces. They face a sharp beep that drew their attention to Cyborg as the half-machine hero continued to run multiple scenarios seeking something anything that could offer them an edge. “There” Victor said pointing to a screen that said Earth-616. “Their heroes call themselves The Avengers with powers similar to our own and with experience in defeating threats of this magnitude” he said. For the first time a spark of something other than vengeance kindled in Batman’s eyes. ¿Can you open a portal to their Earth? Batman asked. “I can” Cyborg affirmed “But stabilizing the portal and ensuring safe travel between realities will take time” he said. Batman's mouth set into a determined line as they had no time to spare but this was their only hope to do it and the rest of them will continue accordingly. Relief and evacuation efforts were dipping her head. Wonder Woman went to Batman's side placing a gratitude hand on his shoulder as in that small point of contact was a reminder of why they fought on increasing odds for the bond between them was as powerful as any super ability together with the Avengers. “We will defeat them” he said as his hand arose to clap hers but the first flicker of hard-won hope rekindling and the Justice League gazed together at the portal.                                                                                                                                                        Act 2                                                   Meanwhile, on Earth-616 the Avengers Compound was eerily quiet but an uneasy tension laid over the complex as if the heavy shroud was inside the main facility and Earth's Mightiest Heroes sat around a large conference table with eyes heavy filed with grief and exhaustion. Black Widow stared blankly at the surface of the table as her bruises made her usual flawless face but her gaze was haunted as her thoughts were unclear whether in the present was still trapped in the aftermath of their crushing defeat while Captain America looked worn as his strong shoulders slumped under the weight of failure and loss of his fingers tracing absence over the deep groans that scarred the table with leftover marks from the planning of a battle plant hat had ended only in tragedy but the others were no better. Bruce Banner had a broken arm as his green eyes dull with pain both physically and emotionally. Rocket had tears glistering in the fur around his eyes and Thor sat isolated from the others. His metal arm torn and mangled but his inner torment was being powerless to save those he cared about cut far deeper than any injury to his artificial limb ever could. Thanos had taken most of their allies, loved ones and hope in this alternate reality. The Avengers were broken as the light distinguished in their eyes with so much already sacrificed and lost. ¿how could they ever rise to fight again and yet for the sake of life itself? Across the universe they had the only uncertainty of whether they could summon the will to do it as Tony Stark paces around the room running calculations in his head. “There has to be a way. We need to figure out where they’ll strike next” he said. “Sir there appears to be an anomaly forming within our dimension” Friday said to Tony's AI systems. “¿What is it?” Tony asked as the Avengers turn to look at him. “It seems to be an interdimensional portal. I’m detecting life's signals on the other side along with traces of immense power similar to the Infinity Stones” he said. “¿can you establish contact with whoever's on the other side?” Steve Rogers asked. “I can try Captain. Establishing communication now”. The portal brightens and the figure emerges from the blinding light. “It’s Cyborg one of the heroes from the Justice League”. “People of Earth-616 we come in peace seeking your help. Our world is under attack by two of the most powerful villains in the universe and we cannot defeat them alone. We’re here to help in any way we can” he said. Steve says stepping forward as Captain America and these are the Avengers”. Cyborg nods. “I'm Cyborg and I flight alongside the Justice League. Your help would be valuable in stopping the threats of Thanos and Darkseid from destroying our world. “Wait. ¿Did you say Thanos? Tony asks as eyes were narrowing. We have experience with the Mad Titan ourselves”. Then together we can stand a chance at victory” Cyborg smiled as Tony summoned hisar or with a thought sliding over his body. “Let's go kick some ass” he said as the Avengers gathered in their high-tech conference room of the Compound but a holographic screen flickered to life revealing the stern faces of the Justice League members. “¿can you hear me?” Superman asked with his voice booming through the speakers. “We hear you loud and clear” replied Captain America with his voice calm. “Good” said Wonder Woman with her steady gaze meeting Iron Man. “We need to coordinate our efforts if we're going to take down Darkseid and Thanos” she said. Thor the God of Thunder leaned forward in his chair. “We will do whatever it takes to protect the 9 Realms and the rest of the multiverse” he said. Batman's expression didn’t change as he spoke. “We've identified several key locations where Darkseid and Thanos may be targeting. Our plan is to split up and monitor these locations engaging the enemy as soon as they arrive” Black Widow nodded in agreement. “Use our stealth tech to stay hidden until we're needed” the Flash said as his hologram appeared to be vibrating with excitement “and we will be moving at superspeed to cover as much ground as possible” she said. Iron Man tapped a few buttons on his holographic surface and a map of the targeted locations appeared on the screen. “Our team will head to the location with the highest likelihood ofthe Infinity Stones being present. We’ll need to move fast to secure them before Thanos can get his hands on them again”. Superman nodded in agreement. We’ll hold off Darkseid and Thanos for as long as we can but we'll need to keep in mind that time is of the essence. The longer we delay the more damage they can do” he said as the holographic screens flickered out and the Avengers were left alone in the conference room. They exchanged a few final words of encouragement before heading to their transport ready to face their greatest challenge yet as the Avengers stood in their high-tech laboratory surrounding by strange devices and energy fields. They had traveled back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones scattering across differently locations throughout history and it would all play out the same as in your universe.                                                                                                                                                               Final act                                                        Meanwhile, the Justice League is engaged in a fierce battle with Thanos and Darkseid who are attempting to seize control of the universe travel device. The Avengers are still stranded in their own universe with all the Infinity Stones at hand as the Justice League fights valiantly but they are outnumbered and outmatched. “We need to hold them off until the Avengers can get back with the stones”. He said. “But we can't hold them off forever” The Flash said. Suddenly a massive explosion rocks the battlefield destroying the device and leaving the Justice League stranded in their own universe. “We're on our own now. We need to stop them ourselves” Batman said as the Justice League fights with all of their might using their powers and skills to take down the armies of Thanos and Darkseid but the two villains are too powerful. They seem to be on the verge of victory. “Flash ¿can you fix the device?” Batman asked. “I can try” he said. “We can't let them get the device. The fate of the multiverse depends on it” Wonder Woman said. “I'm on it. I'll try and hack into their systems and shut them down” Cyborg said. Wonder Woman charges into battle with her sword and shield at the ready. Cyborg uses his advanced technology to try and disable the enemy's weapon systems but the enemy forces are too powerful and they seem to be on the verge of victory. “We need to fall back. We can't win this fight” WonderWoman said. “I'm not giving up that easily. I have an idea” Cyborg said as he activates a powerful energy blast taking out several of the enemy soldiers but the energy blast also attracts the attention of Thanos and Darkseid. “We have intruders. Find them and eliminate them” Thanos said. Darkseid’s forces swarmed around Wonder Woman and Cyborg overwhelming them with their sheer numbers. Wonder Woman fights valiantly taking down enemy soldiers left and right but she is eventually surrounded and outnumbered. “Wonder Woman fall back. I'll cover you” Clark said. Wonder Woman nods and she charges towards the device but before she could reach it she is struck down by a powerful beam of energy. She falls to the ground as her body was still and lifeless. “NO” Cyborg said. Cyborg is overcome with grief and rage. He unleashes a torrent of energy taking out dozens of enemy soldiers but he is eventually overwhelmed and he too falls in battle while the rest of the Justice League stalls for time. Batman and the Flash work frantically to repair the device. They use all their skills and knowledge struggling against the overwhelming power of the enemy forces. Finally after what seemed like an eternity they managed to fix the device as The Avengers cross over into the Justice League's universe holding the stones in their hands but the battlefield was a scene of utter chaos and what remained of the Avengers and the Justice League stood back to back fighting desperately against the overwhelming tide of the Mad Titan and Darkseid’s armies. Blasts of powering beams of searching light let the gloom as Earth's Mightiest Heroes struggled against the alien horde spies of menace and determination coming through rage breaths. Yet for every enemy felled w more seemed to surge though exhaustion and injuries were taking their toll and despite the resolve the superheroes were being slowly beaten back. Victory was slipping further from their grasp with each passing second until a crimson streak tore through the masses followed by a booming roar that shook the battlefield. “ENOUGH” Superman plowed through the enemy ranks like a unstoppable force of nature. His eyes were glowing red with power as he came to a halt beside his allies but the Man of Steel’ sudden entrance gave the Avengers and the remaining Justice League members a much needed surge of strength and hope. “Today we end this threat once and for all” Superman vowed as his steel-edged gaze was falling upon the looming figures of Thanos and Darkseid approaching through the teams. The other heroes rallied around him and attacked with a renewed vigor at the colliding armies keeping them from their ultimate foes. Step by ruling step they carved a pathway through the chaos and bodies closing in on the Mad Titan and Lord of Apokolips with cold purpose. Tony Stark was the first to break free from the debris flying straight to Superman’s side with 6 Infinity Stones clenched in his hand but the glow of the Infinity Stones washed across his battle armor as he came to a landing with hope kindling in his eyes as he turned them over to the Kryptonian. “This is the only way to stop them. Do whatever you have to do” Tony said. Power flooded Superman's veins as his fingers curled around the gems but their combined might resonating within his frame thus armed with the might to reshape all existence and he turned upon Thanos and Darkseid and strothed forth. The alien warlords had but a moment to realize before it was too late. “THIS ENDS NOW” Superman's words raged out across the battlefield. Rawed with power and then with a snap of his fingers Thanos and Darkseid were no more.                                      Epilogue                                                    A blinding flare engulfed the scene with the light of a new dawn dispelling the long shadow of terror as a cry of victory rose from the alien armies the scene then faded to reveal a sight that stole the breath of everyone's throat where enemies had stood allies thought lost to the ravages of war now stood but familiar faces stared in awe at themselves and each other hardly daring to believe the evidence of their senses. Peter Parker's eyes were wide behind his mask taking in the hole of the scene with a disbelieving glance but as if in a dream he turned to see T’Challa emerging from the crowd and  the Wakandan king gazed finding and holding his way to a stunning joy. Nearby the Guardians of the Galaxy were reunited as Gamora’s hands sought and found Nebula’s metal fingers losing and holding on with desperation as sisters clung to a reunion. Fate had nearly denied them as none were left untouched by the magnitude of this moment but Steve Rogers's breath was caught by the sight of Bucky Barnes stepping from the masses a lifetime of friendship and gives hope more days to come and a single heartbeat. Natasha Romanoff turned at the sound of a voice not heard in far too long meeting with Bruce Banner and Clint Barton. Even Wonder Woman and Cyborg who had just perished ended up returning reuniting with the Justice League. There were tears as the dead had risen and the dusted souls of Earth restored evoking emotions beyond words but in the aftermath of all that had come to pass the Snap's effect had been far greater than any could have foreseen and it’s result was a blessing to stir the hearts with renewed hope. After the war the sun depleted towards the horizon as it’s golden light was washing across the battles carried field where Earth's Mightiest Heroes had won their greatest victory but on this day they found new friends and yet within each heart that gazed upon their grave determination kindled anew with the light beaming to fade. Earth's defenders turned for home the losses they had suffered would not be in vain and so Earth’s Mightiest Heroes went back to their universe and thanked the Justice League for fixing the multiverse and for fixing the horrors that had come to pass previously and they looked at each other saying their goodbyes and the portal had shut…                                                              THE END!                                                                                             And that is going to be ¿What if the Avengers teamed up with the Justice League? This was a truly epic crossover and I felt like it would make sense to do a Avengers/JLA crossover with them teaming up instead of fighting because I already did that not too long ago and people did enjoy it so I made this one for you’ll to enjoy and to hopefully keep on hoping that one day this becomes a true reality. Do make sure to be on the lookout for more what ifs coming soon and let me know what you thought of this story in the comments down below. Anyways as always guys thank you so much for reading this and as always have a fantastic day. Peace out!

[ideas-on-paper]

Monster Hunter Tri Diary, Part 10: The Great Jaggi and his gang

For previous entries, search for #monster hunter tri diary

Disclaimer: Text is paraphrased from my localization and might slightly deviate from the English version.

Quest: Big Game Hunting

Since this is our first big monster hunt, I went all out with my equipment: In addition to my normal potions, I also packed some mega potions, as well as some nutrients and mega nutrients. Since it's my best set at the moment, I donned my Hunter's armor again, which will also save me the trouble of paitballing the Great Jaggi thanks to Autotracker.

This time, I picked a meat + meat meal (both fresh, prep method steam). That seems to have tasted a lot better than the last time, giving me a health boost, the skills Felyne Medic, Felyne Groomer, and Felyne Kickboxer, plus Ultra Lucky Cat on top of that! Nice.

The client this time is the chief village guard (presumably of Moga), who is overwhelmed by the Great Jaggi's attacks and requests assistance. This is actually the first time I'm doing a quest that isn't just for someone's personal gain - protecting the village is important, after all.

Guild Sweetheart: "Blaargh! How was my battle cry? It's supposed to motivate you for a great hunt. Is it working?" Sounds very heroic, for sure. xD

Offering us her usual telepathic support, the Guild Sweetheart explains us that the Great Jaggi is considerably tougher than anything we've hunted so far, that he can direct his minion Jaggis to attack us, and that he'll flee when he's wounded so we have to track him with a paintball. I gotta say, Tri is way more generous with tutorials than the MHs who came before. People who started in 2nd, or hell, 1st gen, definitely had a way harder time. xD

"You're already missing the fishing quest, aren't you?" Ha, no worries! Unless I have to go fishing and get beat up at the same time (sincerely hateful greetings to you, Plesioth), I ain’t complaining.

They give me 5 first aid-meds this time. Guess that's the "first big monster bonus".

Since I got the Autotracker skill, I technically don't need the paintballs from the box, but I still took them to hoard them for later. Also, not sure if I'm ever gonna use it, but I took the Tainted Meat as well. (I'm not one to turn down free stuff if I get the chance. ;-) )

Anyway, off to area 6 where the Great Jaggi is hanging around (as displayed on my map). The music during the Great Jaggi's intro is actually a remix of his battle theme. Nice!

I always felt like the Great Jaggi’s cry sounds similar to some real-life animal, but unfortunately, I was never able to put my finger on it. In any case, I think it’s really cool. (It kind of reminds me of the velociraptors from Jurassic Park. xD)

Ah, the music there we gooooo!! I love the Great Jaggi’s theme - it's so catchy. Kinda makes me miss the time when even the small big monsters had awesome music.

Oh guys, you have no idea how much I missed this. It's been years since I last played 3U, but once I saw the familiar attack patterns, I almost immediately slipped back into my battle routine. Once you know it, you know it by heart! ;-)

I just realized: The Great Sword in Tri doesn't seem to have a charged draw attack? (Like hold attack when drawing and then immediately charge.) I never noticed that before, but I guess I had no reason to outside of serious combat situations... ^^'

Did the Great Jaggi's just hip check one of the Jaggia? Hey, that's no way to treat your girlfriend!

Oh, yeah - I completely forgot about the Autoblock skill from the talisman. Kinda saved my ass in one of the rare situations where I got hit and still had my weapon drawn.

And that's the head wounded for the subquest! Now his pretty frill looks like Swiss cheese. xD

And he runs off to area 5. Alright, I'm just gonna sharpen my wea-- Ouch! Would you stop biting me, Jaggi? Jeez, you can't even sharpen your weapons in peace...

I just remembered that I had a Simple Flashbomb from the supply box, so I thought I might as well use it. It wasn't the best throw though, so I only managed to blind the small Jaggis, but not the Great Jaggi. xD Well, at least they can't disturb me now.

And he's already limping. I let him escape, since it'll be easier to get him once he's sleeping. As a thank you, he dropped me a Wyvern Tear. Thanks for the extra money, Great Jaggi!

The moment the Great Jaggi went back to area 6, he pretty much fell asleep instantly (at least that's what I saw with Autotracker). Dude was so exhausted he just got home, plopped down at his favorite spot and dozed off. xD

Since I'm a really mean hunter, I couldn't resist the opportunity to strike him with a charged blow, now that I had ample time to do so. xD However, despite monsters taking more damage when they're asleep (as far as I know), it appears it wasn't quite enough to kill him.

The Great Jaggi doesn't give up that easily, immediately going into rage mode once I woke him. Well, I guess that's understandable given I disturbed his slumber in such a rude way. xD

I just stopped his hip check with a charged blow! xD Kinda gutsy, but I love when I manage to pull off stunts like this.

And down he goes! But yeah, hunting the small big monsters isn't that big of a deal if you've got experience. Really nothing against the time when started playing 4U and struggled against a Seltas, of all things. xD

Moga Village (day)

Guild Sweetheart: "Good job, that stuff with the Great Jaggi! Powerful blows, quick diving, impeccable assessment... Well... I'm only guessing. I didn't see it, of course!" Again: You were clearly talking to me through the power of telepathy, but you didn't see anything that was going on? Or am I just hallucinating, and the stuff with the voices of the Chief, the Chief's Son, and the Guild Sweetheart was all happening inside my own head? (That would be quite the big plot twist, actually.)

"For first-rate hunters, there's no shortage of impossible jobs!" No shit - defeating any Elder Dragon is essentially making the impossible possible. xD

"Was that Great Jaggi hard to kill?" Not really, no - but of course, the Guild has come up with an extra challenge for us: to capture a Great Jaggi. (Given that the small big monsters tend to die pretty quickly, this actually might not be that easy. xD)

"That stupid Guild! Destroying both hearts and hunters!" Given the absolute bullshit the games like to throw at you, I think a lot of MH players can attest to that. xD Still, quite brave of her to say that, as an employee of the Guild herself.

Even the "very comprehensive" monster guide has nothing to say about capturing - in fact, the Guild Sweetheart realizes that 90% of the pages are completely empty!

Even the "very comprehensive" monster guide has nothing to say about capturing - in fact, the Guild Sweetheart realizes that 90% of the pages are completely empty! "Oh, my bad. That's just a normal old notebook! From now on, I'll fill it with useful facts. The hard work of today becomes the wisdom of tomorrow!" I like that she doesn't sulk at all about it, though. You know, she could've complained like "What?! What kind of prank is this?", but nope - instead, she decides to turn it into something productive. Not dwelling on past disappointments and always staying practically-minded - that’s a real role model right there.

Yet another episode of MH food lore: According to the cook, even scholars are arguing whether Algae Jellyfish belong to the algae or jellyfish. I suppose that means Algae Jellyfish are creatures that look exactly like a clump of algae drifting through the water?

"Many don't want to eat Dry Butter. They think it's dried butter! Although it's just butter with a very dry sense of humor." Ah. I suppose I fell for that joke, then. xD

"Mossy Cheese is a daring fromage that coagulates through moss instead of mold! Chapeau to the genius of its creator! Pity that the taste leaves so much to be desired..." Interesting that someone found a completely novel way of coagulating cheese, though. I wonder how they discovered this - was it deliberate experimenting or just coincidence?

Village Chief: You've only been here for such a short time... and you've already slain the Great Jaggi! That damn monster and its pack caused so much grief..." Sounds like the Great Jaggi has been causing the villagers trouble for quite a long time. Also, this seems quite personal - did the Great Jaggi hurt someone the Chief was close to?

"You keep getting stronger... That's what anticipation smells like." You're talking about your own feelings, right? I guess the Chief is really looking forward to when I'll finally be able to face and slay the Lagiacrus.

The Chief also mentions that I've now unlocked the Great Jaggi during the Moga Woods free hunts. Nice! That means I can get some rare trading goods for the Argosy.

Since we've got our first capturing quest awaiting us, the Chief also gives us a briefing on how capturing works. However, he says that Gunners use tranquilizer bombs to tranquilize monsters. I'm pretty sure that there's tranq ammo though, so is this a mistake? (Since the tranq bombs are what I normally use as a Blademaster.)

"How you recognize if a monster is sufficiently weakened? Oh, you should rely on your experience and intuition for that!" Classic old MH here: "You wanna know how this works? Oh, just learn by doing." xD

The Village Chief actually provides an explanation why Gunner armors only have half the defense Blademaster armors have in the older games: Gunners store the ammunition they need in pouches attached to their armor; therefore, their armors are lighter and provide less protection (I suppose that's due to avoiding overweight, since the ammo bags are already pretty heavy by themselves).

So the Gossip Lady also tells us about tranquilizers (a "dead sure" method to capture monsters xD), and according to her, there is tranq ammo for Gunners. (I'm honestly wondering if the comment by the Chief is a mistranslation...)

"Have you ever seen a Jaggia that sits down and rests?" I did, yes - poor girl didn't even notice me coming from behind until I killed her sister. ^^'

Chief's Son: "I know it took you a lot of effort to take down that Great Jaggi, but..." *me desperately trying to keep a serious face and not burst out laughing because of how easy it actually was* I remember the Guildmarm from MH4U said you can't call yourself a real hunter unless you're able to kill a Great Jaggi with your small finger. Guess that makes me a real hunter, then. :-)

The Chief's Son explains that the reason more Great Jaggis are popping up in the Moga Woods is because many monsters were scared away by the recent earthquake and are slowly starting to come back now. I gotta say, I always appreciate if there's an in-lore explanation for the gameplay mechanics.

And we have another villager request, this time to improve the fields. Unfortunately, I don’t have any Super-sized Dung, so I’ll first need to get my hands on that. (If I remember correctly, you get it from the Aptonoth during Moga Woods hunts.)

It's the Chief's Son who actually explains to us that a monster limping signals it's capture-ready. Really appreciate that Capcom decided to mention this at all for newcomers playing Tri. (Though most people I've seen playing MH just skip through the "boring" NPC dialogue, so...)

The Moga Woods resource info for the Great Jaggi is actually kinda interesting: It says that the Chief's Son once rescued a child from a Great Jaggi. Given that the big brother of the siblings is often running around in the Moga Woods (he's the one who tells you about shortcuts) and encountered a big monster once (trying to run away from it), I wonder if that child was him. (It would also fit his personality, since he's generally the more reckless one of the two.)

Speaking of which, our "wise" big brother tells us a few things about trap tools he's "not allowed to play with". I can scarcely imagine why. xD

Little brother: "You'll get shocked if you touch a Thunder Bug with your bare hands." Fair enough since they are used to make Shock Traps, but how do you actually gather them? Do you always have to wear gloves if you catch a Thunder Bug?

"My brother once shoved me into a pitfall trap for fun. Horrible!" *sign* Big brother just can't leave you alone, can he? Though it's interesting that you can get trapped in a pitfall trap as a human, since your own pitfall traps (fortunately) never trigger if you stand on them. (I suppose the traps have some kind of smart "identification feature" that recognizes who placed them. xD)

Item seller: "Sushifish baits should NOT be used for sushi! Too much mercury!" Okay - do I have to worry about mercury in the Sushifish as well if I catch them with the bait? (Since, you know, they kind of eat it.)

Okay, now for business: I'm going to stock up on some stuff before the Argosy leaves again, since this will be the last chance to get it a little cheaper for some time. I bought some herbs, pickaxes, bugnets, trap tools, cool and hot drinks - really just about anything that's going to come in handy in the near future.

Unfortunately, I don't have enough materials to upgrade my Great Sword (I'm missing 2 Great Jaggi Claws), but I did unlock the rest of the Jaggi armor pieces now. Since that armor is not too expensive to make and has pretty good skills (Attack Up Small which you can easily upgrade to Attack Up Medium, Gourmand so I can get full stamina from just eating the rations, and Halve Stun), I’m going for it first.

Chamberlyne: "I'm not going to scratch your furniture items when rearranging them. But hairs can't be avoided!" Just cat problems, I suppose. xD

Alright, my plan looks as follows: First, we'll do the gathering quests in the Sandy Plains, and then I'll do another hunt in the Moga Woods since the forecast says there’s a Ludroth brood in the north and a herbivore brood in the south (Ludroth are always nice for the resource points and paddles, and I need the Super-sized Dung from the Aptonoth). So, till next time, when we'll explore the vast reaches of the desert! ;-)

To be continued

[samplingmoonsters]

Imagine Dream bring the mega simp he is and Techno just bring completely oblivious

Then just imagine, they are just hanging out together, it's winter so they have scarfs and thick jackets. Dream's face is just blushing, Techno realizes and goes "hey are you alright, are you sick?" And Dream internally is having a gay panic and hides his face in his scarf as he just stammers out "o-oh yeah I'm fine", Techno doesn't believe him so he grabs his face to get a better look and Dream is just dying

Winter in the Antarctic was harsh and unforgiving. Besides the occasional snowstorms wrecking chaos over the icy lands, the temperature also dropped to an almost unbearable level. At least in the eyes of Dream, who despite his thick winter coat and scarf still feels the ruthless cold on his skin. Yet another shudder travels down his back while he rubs his gloveless hands together, trying to warm them up without success. Not for the first time, since stepping out of Technoblade’s warm hoot, he regrets not wearing gloves. He should have really thought ahead before following the hybrid outside to spend more time with him, only to end up watching the man chop firewood while he stood behind freezing his ass off.

When Technoblade said ‘he had something important to do outside’ Dream thought he meant taking care of his million dogs or maybe visiting Philza or something, not chopping wood!

Not that the sight in front of him isn’t appealing… To be honest, Technoblade looks rather hot with his ax in hand and sweat dripping down his face. The way the man pulls the weapon down, the muscles in his arms constricting with the movement and red eyes sparkling in the early morning light is one of the hottest sights Dream has the honour and pleasure to witness. Once again, Dream’s eyes wander up Technmoblade’s shoulders, forest green eyes watch the broad shoulders move under the thin white shirt, analyzing every movement like a hawk hunting their prey. While it’s kind of strange to see Technoblade so unbothered by the cold, Dream is thankful to finally have an opportunity to watch Technoblade’s impressive muscles in action without looking like a creep. It’s not like he could stare at the man while they’re dueling, he would just end up with a sword in his chest… or worse.

It’s not often that the man doesn’t wear his iconic red cloak, so Dream takes the rare opportunity to remember every detail of the usually hidden parts of Technoblade’s beautiful body.

He is so distracted by Technoblade’s broad shoulders that he doesn’t even realize when said man stops moving. An awkward cough catches his attention and without thinking Dream looks up, eyes finding blood red ones. He stares into the red pools like a child with his hand caught in the cookie jar. Guilt and embarrassment overtaking his body from being caught checking out his rival like a slice of steak.

For several seconds no one says anything while the rivals stare at each other. Their warm breath evaporates in the cold air, it’s a stark contrast to the ever-building tension slowly wrapping around them like a thick blanket.

Dream’s sure that his face must resemble a tomato at this point. Not able to bear one more second of the awkward staring contest, Dream looks away, green dots now staring at Techno’s chest instead of his face. “…what?” Dream breathes out, his voice muffled from the scarf wrapped around him.

Instead of answering, Techno tilts his head to the side, red eyes squinting at him, “Hey, be real with me for a moment,” Techno begins, another long breath escaping icy lips, “are you...sick or something?”

Dream’s brain short circuit, every one of his synapses snapping from the pure panic overtaking his body. His thoughts are an ongoing stream of omgomgomgomgomg--- while he slowly falls into the early stages of a panic attack. He can feel his blush intensify, if that is even possible, freckles standing out against the bright red cheeks like stars in a midnight sky. For the first time since stepping outside, Dream feels warm, body almost catching on fire from the pure embarrassment. The break from the bitter cold would be a relieving sensation in any other situation. How could he possibly explain to Technoblade that he isn’t actually sick but simply flushed from watching the hybrid chop wood without sounding like a total creep and freak!?

Simply Impossible!

Taking Dream’s silence has a bad sight, Techno continues, a worried frown overtaking his usually stoic expression, “Your face is all red.” he waves a hand over his own face, “Dream,” Techno sounds so disappointed Dream could cry, “if you are sick you shouldn’t have followed me outside.”

Hiding his face into his scarf from sheer embarrassment, he shakes his head, “I’m- uhm- I-I’m not sick…” he mumbles, unsure if the hybrid could even understand him with how he is burying his face into the soft fabric.

Dream would really appreciate a sudden zombie attack right now. Anything to distract the pigman.

Not satisfied with the blond’s unsure answer, Techno steps forward, large, warm hands curling around Dream’s face. The blond let out a surprised breath at the unexpected touch, eyes widening when his face is lifted out of the soft fabric. No way to escape the strong hold on his cheeks, Dream has no other choice but to meet blood-red eyes once more. He feels like a small bunny under the Blood God’s wandering gaze.

Like a sacrifice ready to meet their demise.

Technoblade eyes pierce into him, sharp like a sword and just as dangerous. Dream shudders under the intense gaze and he couldn’t help but lean into the large hands cradling his face, oh so carefully. Rough hands that usually only know cruelty and the lust for blood, are caressing his face like he’s something precious, something to be loved. And Dream falls under the soft touch like a man meeting the sharp end of a sword in a sweet death. A shaky breath escapes frozen pink lips and Dream closes his eyes, at last surrendering to the man he loved.

Silence fell over them.

Dream wouldn’t mind staying like this forever. Feeling Technoblade’s loving touch for all eternity.

Of course nothing lasts forever and the serene silence is broken by the hybrid once more, “Hmm… you’re certainly burning up and your face is all red too.”

All of the sudden the warm hands disappear and Dream has to bite his lip to swallow down the whine that wants to escape his throat. Green eyes fly open and look up at the piglin, “Wait--- what?” Dream has totally forgotten about Technoblade’s allegation, too lost in their sweet moment to remember anything that happened shortly before Technoblade’s hands found his face.

“Memory problems too?” Techno half-teases, a grin forming around pearly-white tusks, “Now you really need to lie down. Let’s better go inside before your condition worsens.” Techno turns around to lift up his ax which lays forgotten in the snow next to the chopped firewood. He turns back around and takes Dream’s wrist with his free hand, slowly steering the other male towards the small house a few feet away.

Still somewhat lost from the sudden turn of events, Dream lets himself be dragged through the snow without complaint, the ice crystals crunching under their feet with each step. Green eyes fall to the large hand curled around his wrist, and he hopes Techno can’t feel the way his pulse is racing under his skin.

Feeling brave, he pushes his hand down far enough to curl their fingers together. Techno reciprocates the simple touch, a low hum escaping his lips as he tightens his hold around Dream’s hand.

Feeling pleasantly warm in the freezing cold, Dream buries his face into his green scarf and smiles softly, heart soaring in his chest like the sun slowly rising in the distance.

Spring is coming.

(I write this at 2am after coming back from a night out with my friends! I hope you like it anon! <3 Yes I was a little tipsy while writing this.)

[angelofrainfrogs]

Well Done, Superstar: Ch. 2

Fandoms: Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: It’s 6am at the Mega Pizzaplex, and Gregory has made the decision to stay. With the help of his trusty companion Freddy, Gregory goes on a quest to uncover the reason behind the once-friendly animatronics turning against him. Along the way, he learns some unexpected things about the Pizzaplex, his new friend… and even himself.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/36619948/chapters/91744885

"You got what I was thinking!" Gregory said, smiling happily and nodding his head. He watched as Freddy lifted the trashcan up, quietly turning and leading the way out of the restaurant. While doing so, he made sure to carefully watch where he was going—getting attacked by the other animatronics, or even the security guard, was not on his To-Do list.

Freddy trailed along behind Gregory, not liking how bulky and cumbersome the trashcan was. Gregory was so small—and fast, when he was trying to dodge bots—, it was easy to lose him in the bright lights of the Pizzeria.

"Gregory, there are multiple gates that require voice activation, but we may only be able to trick Chica into opening one,” Freddy pointed out. “Though she is under some sort of control, she is still quite smart."

And quite fast, Freddy thought to himself. While she wasn't as fast as Roxy, Chica had the unnerving ability to pop up from behind unexpectedly. He tried not to think of what would happen should she do so while they were distracted. "Where do you think we should lure her?"

Gregory hummed softly as he looked around, carefully making his way away from the restaurant in search for the animatronic bird.

"Well... Maybe I can lead her somewhere small. Isn't there a trash compactor somewhere around here?" Gregory asked, keeping his eyes peeled for any unwanted sights. He knew Freddy had a point with Chica only being able to get tricked once… but perhaps all they needed was her voice.

"Yes, there is one in the kitchen. But I do not think there is a gate near—" Freddy stopped dead, sending a few dirty napkins flying out of the trash bin and onto the floor. "...Gregory?"

The boy stopped as Freddy did, turning around and lifting his gaze up towards the large animatronic with a curious tilt of his head. "Hm? Yes, Freddy?"

"What are you planning to do to her...?" Freddy's voice sounded almost... pained. Truthfully, he knew the answer already, but couldn't admit that they needed to do something like that to one of his dearest friends.

Gregory thought to himself for a moment before slightly slouching.

"…Well, I thought we could trap her in the compactor and take her voice box; wouldn't that work?" he asked as he stared up at Freddy, seeming a bit worried that his answer had upset the usually friendly bear. There was no other way forward in Gregory's eyes, but his childlike mind didn't even think to wonder what impact this could possibly leave on Freddy… nor on Chica herself.

Freddy was silent for a while, thinking over the situation. Logically, Gregory was right- the only surefire way to guarantee that they'd be able to use Chica's voice wherever and whenever they needed was to take it from her. And, judging by Roxy's miraculous return after being crushed by a racecar, Chica would likely still be functional, at least to some extent—though Freddy knew this was a double-edged sword. He didn't fully understand how Gregory managed to overcome Monty and Roxy, but the boy had, and Freddy had no doubt that he could beat Chica as well... a fact which did worry him, just a little bit, though he would never admit it.

This is what they had to do. And yet...

"I... I will do my best to help you," Freddy said slowly, subconsciously digging Monty’s claws into the sides of the trash can. "I will protect you from harm, but... I do not know if I can harm her."

Gregory stared up at Freddy for a moment longer, turning away after the bear finished speaking.

"…You're not mad at me, are you?" Gregory asked quietly, shooting a quick glance over his shoulder at Freddy. "I just... I thought it'd help us." He understood why Freddy couldn't bring himself to hurt Chica, but he also wondered if Freddy understood what would happen if he was caught by any of the animatronics.

Perhaps the bear didn't realize his friends could truly do harm.

"No, I am not mad at you, Gregory!" Freddy said quickly, wanting to reassure him. The last thing he wanted was for Gregory to doubt Freddy's trust and dedication to protecting him. "This is just... a very difficult situation for me. Chica is my friend, and just as you surely do not wish to see your friends harmed, I do not wish to see it either. However." Freddy straightened himself and readjusted the trash can, a determined light in his eyes. "Maybe this is what we must do to save her in the end. She is certainly not being a friend to you. Let us go."

Gregory felt instant relief upon hearing Freddy's reassuring words. He nodded his head gently, keeping his gaze forward as he began to walk again.

"...I don't have any friends, but I know I’d feel very sad if I had to watch you get hurt," Gregory said. He now understood how complex of a situation this was, but all he could hope was that they didn't end up doing everything to gain nothing.

Freddy didn't immediately respond to Gregory's comment about not having any friends, cataloguing it in his mind as something to ask about after they got through this night. Instead he focused on the second half of Gregory's words, a smile crossing his face despite the circumstances.

"I could not stand to see you hurt either; but do not worry, I will be just fine. And I am sure that Chica will be alright in the end, I just... I hope she eventually understands that we are doing this for a reason."

The pair was silent for a while after Freddy's response, both mulling over their own thoughts as they carefully made their way past S.T.A.F.F. bots, down elevators, and through the back areas of the Pizzaplex. Sooner than expected, they found themselves in front of the door to the main kitchen.

Gregory carefully pushed the door open, peeking inside before entering and holding the door open for Freddy. Not too far from where they stood was the trash compactor, open wide and on standby mode.

"There it is! I guess you can just leave a pile there. Should I go look for Chica and have her chase me here?" Gregory asked, wanting to think of any other ideas they could possibly come up with to make this plan go as smoothly as possible.

"No, I will take care of luring Chica over here," Freddy said quickly, not wanting Gregory to act as bait. As much as Gregory wanted to help, he was afraid that the boy’s “distraction” would be a loud noise that attracted the wrong target. All Freddy had to do was tell Chica that he found the lost child, not to mention a nice big helping of "food," and she would surely follow him without question. Freddy quickly surveyed the room, seeing if there was anything Gregory could do to help.

"Ah, it seems that the switch for the compactor does not have power; can you locate the generator and turn it on? Follow the wire connected to the button there." Freddy gestured with his chin in the direction of the button, then dumped the contents of the trash can into the compactor. They were lucky he brought the extra garbage, because everything in the kitchen had already been thoroughly rifled through.

Gregory nodded his head, soon looking over towards the wire leading away from the compactor. As he followed it to the generator, he reached forward and flicked it on before immediately running back over to Freddy for his next instructions.

Once Gregory returned, Freddy crouched to his level and told him: "Once she gets into the compactor, all you need to do is hit that button; hide next to it and I will stand in front of you to block Chica's view of you. Does that sound like a plan?"

Gregory gave him a thumbs up and a small grin.

"Sounds like a great plan!" Gregory looked around, then found a good hiding spot in the kitchen near the button for the compactor. All he could do now was wait and hope that everything ran smoothly.

Once Gregory was hidden as well as possible, Freddy went looking for Chica. He found her surprisingly fast, in a nearby room full of metal catwalks. She must have been following them without him realizing it…

"Chica!" Freddy called, waving her over. She came to his side, twitching as she walked, and Freddy resisted the urge to grimace. "I have found the lost child; he is hiding in the kitchen!"

Chica glared at him suspiciously for a minute, before her eyes lit up and she grinned a little too widely.

"Aww, Freddy, I'm so glad you're one of us now!" she exclaimed, and Freddy smiled back to keep up the ruse. Without another word, Chica rushed towards the kitchen, Freddy jogging slightly to match her pace. Had she always been so fast?!

Chica soon flung open the double-doors and quickly scanned the room, but before she could look too closely she noticed the new pile of garbage in the trash compactor. With an excited squawk, she ran into the little compartment and crouched down. As she began stuffing trash into her beak, Freddy settled himself in front of Gregory, blocking Chica's line of sight if she were to turn around.

Gregory remained seated in his hiding spot, wrapping his arms around himself and pressing his knees up to his chest. The sound of the metallic footsteps soon grew louder, causing the boy to tense up nervously. To his relief, their plan was seeming to work as he noticed Chica immediately head for the trash compactor. He waited a few seconds before quickly crawling forward and hitting the button, then retreated to his hiding spot.

The trash compactor lid started to press down, but was stopped by a metal pole propped upright in the compartment, presumably as a failsafe to keep the top from accidentally crushing someone. Hearing the sound, Chica paused and swiveled her head around. Freddy heard Gregory whimper but the bear remained still, confident that Chica wouldn't be able to see the small boy, nor hear him over the noise of the struggling machinery. Sure enough, Chica soon returned to shoveling trash into her mouth.

Freddy knew he should do something; she wasn't going to stay in there forever. But... he couldn't bring himself to move.

Gregory was confused to see the compactor failing, but soon realized what the problem was. Remaining hidden behind Freddy, he grew nervous with Chica beginning to glance around—though the garbage proved a good distraction, she was still too observant for his liking. Gregory waited for her to turn back around before taking a deep breath.

It was now or never.

Gregory moved out from behind Freddy and carefully inched forward until he was directly behind the hostile bird. He gave Chica's back a harsh kick, then followed this action up by kicking the metal pole down to get the job done quicker.

"Gregory!" Freddy yelled, trying to grab the boy's arm as he dashed out of his hiding spot. He was too slow, however, and before he knew it Gregory had kicked both Chica and the metal pole, the lid coming down hard on the animatronic with a sickening crunch. Freddy stared open-mouthed as the lid slowly lifted, revealing the mangled remains of his friend.

Gregory immediately stepped back as the compactor crushed down onto the animatronic, staring wide-eyed.

"…Freddy, we did it!" he exclaimed with a proud smile, which quickly turned to a yelp of fear as Chica suddenly sprung to life and made a desperate grab for him. Gregory was caught off guard by the animatronic shoving him down, using his legs again to kick at Chica's face. His shoe soon connected with her beak, causing it to snap off entirely, and he finally managed to pull back far enough to avoid the heavy crush of the compactor, panting heavily.

Chica's attack on Gregory seemed to happen in slow motion for Freddy; he didn't know if this was because of Roxy's vision, or simply because he couldn't process that Chica would do such a thing, but once he saw her beak forcibly kicked off, he knew it was over.

...Well, it would have been if Chica hadn't grabbed a hold of Gregory's other leg as she was crushed for the second time. Now, she was sliding down the compactor and taking Gregory with her.

Gregory screamed as he felt himself starting to slide too, gripping the wall to keep himself from falling further.

"Freddy!" he called out, trying his best to pull himself up. However, the weight of the animatronic hanging onto his leg was too much for him, and Gregory was soon pulled down the depths below.

***

Masterlist of chapters on Tumblr here!

[ilovel0ki]

Burning Light

loki x oc

warnings: blood, war, almost deaths

Writing this has been super enjoyable for me. It's based off of Safe & Sound by Taylor Swift and The Central Wars. I really like the song and it gave me a jolt of inspiration.

Some angst and fluff, with a happy ending

Word count: 3.5k

I'm looking forward to have some of you read it. I know it may not reach lots of people but I do hope it brightens up someone's day :)

Unmistakeable clashing and clanging of swords echoed through the once-peaceful city - which lay in eerie unrest. Warriors strapped in bloodstained armour, which was once a lustrous luminescent gold, rushed around with panic-stricken faces, bringing their injured colleages with them. Their faces unrecognisable - smeared with tainted, crimson blood. Eyes once filled with joy and life had become dull with exhaustion. Even the children could tell something had gone quite wrong as they were being scrambled to safety. How couldn’t they, when only hours before they had been blithely engaging in play. Now they were being dragged into the promised safety of their homes. Still, on this side of town, the situation was slightly better.

Nevertheless, the fact was painfully clear; Asgard was at war.

A war that had only just begun. A war that would wreak just as much havoc as any other, unless handled conscientiously. Currently, that wasn’t going so well. The opposing kingdom hadn’t spoken of a reason to wage this sanguinary battle. They just barged in guns-a-blazing. One could only hope it would be over soon.

In the opposite side of town, the infamous Asgardian army, known for its expertise and experience, was busy and bustling. Healers were tending to those caught in the crossfire while others were getting ready to join it. The warriors were determined; they were trained meticulously for situations like these.

One such warrior was buckling up her hefty armor on her body, following that by trying to tie back her flowing vermillion-red hair. Unsuccessful, she stood straight. Tall, dignified and regal; she was a sophisticated beauty. And she knew it.

In need of help, the girl surveyed her surroundings. Brilliant blue eyes darted to and fro to gauge someone who could possibly help. Then, gleefully, she spotted a familiar face walk by. A very familiar face indeed.

With a hastily thought out plan-of-attack, Ilaire sauntered towards the aformentioned person. Wrapping her arms around him, she sultrily whispered in his ear, “Hey, Loki. Could you help me with my tiresome hair”.

Though Ilaire couldn’t see it, a slow smirk settled upon the trickster’s face. Loki turned on his heel and susurrated, “Darling, you need not put on that act. I would help you if you simply asked, after all have we not been friends since adolescence?”.

Ilaire flippantly nodded in answer as a chesire cat grin took over her face at having succeeded in her task. She flipped around to give Loki better access to her hair. Without complaint, Loki took charge of her fiery silken hair and began to masterfully twist her hair into an elegant yet practical fashion, as if he had done it all his life. In a sort of way, he had. With a raised hand, Ilaire tried - in vain - to pass a ribbon to Loki to tie her hair back.

“Don’t bother, I have already used my seidr to place a ribbon in your hair”, Loki acknowledged, amused. “It’s emerald green, isn’t it?”,exasperated, the warrior questioned with her hand on the bridge of her nose.

Loki chuckled in response.

“Well, thank you anyway”, she said as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

For a second, Loki’s mask of cold indifference slipped and gave way to something softer, akin to endearment. But it came back up just as Thor’s voice boomed across the army quarters.

“WARRIORS! The next waves must get ready to leave. Wave 32 and 33 get into position in 10 minutes, with Leaders Prince Loki and Lady Ilaire on the frontlines!”.

Centuries ago, Loki and Ilaire had trained together diligently and achieved higher ranks in the army hierarchy together. Both had now been promoted to a Leader position, the second highest position, preceded only by the Chief.

Thor’s information brought a surge of sobriety to the bantering friends as they realised what they were about to go into. They looked to each other, their eyes met and both nodded at the same time with locked jaws and unyielding glares. Synchronised, they turned to their corresponding waves and bellowed, “GET INTO POSITION WARRIORS!”.

A clangour resonated as the warriors began to put the remaining pieces of armour on. Ilaire’s usually welcoming eyes grew dark. Loki’s gaze grew steely. With a grave expression, Thor strode to their area. Without missing a beat, he trapped both Ilaire and Loki in an unwavering hug. It portrayed all of his emotions: distress; fear and concern. As he continued to not let them go, Loki’s choked voice broke out, “Brother, you must let us go”. Reluctantly, Thor pulled back and Ilaire could’ve sworn that his eyes were wetter than before. “Brother. Sister. Be careful. And most of all come back alive,” Thor spoke in a brittle voice.

Somewhere along the line, Ilaire had become an honorary Odinson family member. To Thor she was a sister and to Loki, she hoped she was something more. Still, a new wave of emotion passed over Ilaire as she heard Thor call her his sister. She fought valiantly to not be overcome with tearful sobs.

“Do not worry, Chief,” she called him in unbridled affection “We will try our best”, she replied in a hoarse manner. “Don’t miss us too much,” Loki too replied, with a rare smile and a suave salute.

The red-haired warrior clashed her sword on her shield to catch the attention of her assigned wave. “Alright, team! We’ve trained together for 150 years. We will continue to train far longer than that! We must! So go out and show those brutely creatures WHO’S BOSS!”, Ilaire’s battlecry washed over her warriors.

As the gates opened and perfectly formed formations walked out, merciless stony gazes could be seen all around. Loki and Ilaire stood at the frontlines, the wind amplifying their battle-hardened gazes. They both walked on the bloodsoaked ground, unfaltering, with a mission. As they got closer to the first of the aliens, Ilaire slashed at one, sending it accross the battleground. Beneath her feet, alien remains squelched and the air zinged with bloodshed.

The aliens were a sickly yellow with a strange slimy goo coating them. They were of a medium stature. Not too big but not too small. Ilaire had never seen such creatures.

Loki snarkily thought ‘They’re about Thor’s size. Doesn’t seem like this will be too hard’.

All around the two leaders, fights were breaking out and more yellow creatures were going down with them. Soldiers were slashing and punching with unmatched gusto. A pile of miserable dead opponents was starting to build up. Then something strange happened.

Something no one would’ve expected.

Something that shocked everyone.

Something that made perfect sense considering the earlier bloodshed.

The creatures that had been piled on top of each other started to melt and then meld together. It was a ghastly view. Bones shifting and rotting skin stretching. The creatures had melded together to become one mega-creature. A mega-creature larger than the small aliens before. Larger than Thor.

This truth dawned on the fighting forces and panic started brimming. Nothing like this had ever been faced before. It was entirely unprecedented. The Asgardian army certainly wasn’t trained for this. And judging by the drained, feeble warriors taken back to the healers, the other waves hadn’t realised this either. Alarm bells started ringing in Loki and Ilaire’s minds.

Loki’s mind started racing while simultaneously fighting off more of the alien soldiers.

Ilaire was frantically trying to think of a solution.

All thoughts seemed to evade them. The realm’s greatest minds had gone suddenly blank.

Panic was bubbling and almost tangible in the air.

One of the warriors, thankfully, came to the rescue, saving the situation like it was a damsel in distress. “SEPARATE THEM ONCE YOU KILL THEM, THAT WAY THEY CAN’T MOLD TOGETHER!”.

Ilaire let out a much-needed sigh of relief, yet she knew the real battle still remained. With a new plan, the waves started fighting with renewed vigour. After each kill, the creature was picked up and thrown on an empty space. Swords pierced and clanged, blood spattered and the beginnings of victory were starting to be seen. It was so close yet so far. Right within a hand’s reach, yet victory had not yet been snatched.

As Ilaire swerved to fight off another mega-creature, one approached from behind. WIth her eyes on the creature she was fighting, Ilaire did not notice the second creature. Loki’s mouth started to open in warning as he watched in fright. Unfortunately, his warning was a few seconds too slow. The creature grabbed a fallen sword and gashed at the sliver of skin between Ilaire’s chest and back armour with a mighty roar. Then a few things happened in succession.

A breathy gasp left Ilaire’s mouth as her hands grasped at her side, trying to gauge the situation. Her sword had unceremoniously dropped to the floor and lay lackadaisical. Her hands came away covered in her own blood, as more started to seep out. Crimson. Her breaths became raspy as she fell to her knees, head bowed. Several screams could be heard. Two of those were Loki and Thor.

Loki elbowed and slashed his way with an unmatched rage to reach his best friend. His mind was racing with denial, 'It could not end like this. It would not end like this.’

“Get out of the WAY!” he barked with barely held back anger.

Near the army quarters, Thor was making his way out to the battlefield. He would not sit by idly as his family was attacked. It was his turn.

As Thor reached his brother, he saw him kneeling beside Ilaire, undoing her armor and ripping a shred of his tunic to wrap it around her bleeding torso. “Take her to the healers, I will take care of this now,” Thor uttered quietly, yet if one looked closely, the simmering anger under his words was visible.

Then he yelled and charged towards his sorry opponents.

This left Loki. He looped his arms under her knees and shoulders and picked up Ilaire, and began to carry her towards the army quarters. “Love, look at me,” he spoke softly with a tender gaze.

It was getting harder for Ilaire to see by the minute as more blood was lost and her vision was spotting. “I can’t… I can’t,” Ilaire answered. A weak whimper escaped her lips.

“Yes, you can! Just focus on me”

Loki was starting to jog now, in desperation.

Commandingly, a shrill sound reverberated throughout the air. “LOKI ODINSON. WE ARE HERE TO COLLECT YOU. COME WITH US OR HAVE YOUR REALM FACE THE DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES”.

Everything was going wrong. How could it have gone so wrong? Too much blood spilt and too many lives being lost by the minute.

Ilaire didn’t know what to do with this new command. Loki continued walking with an unreadable look on his face.

Ilaire struggled to keep her eyes open, but she got through until they had reached the healers.

A healer began to assess her; poking and prodding at the wound. Loki’s deperate voice rose, “Do something! Help her!”.

“The salve may take too long to brew. It could be too late for her,” the healer replied with an apologetic gaze.

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN! HELP HER! I AM THE PRINCE OF ASGARD AND SHE, A LADY OF THE COURT! THERE MUST BE SOMETHING YOU CAN DO!” Loki hissed.

“Prince Loki, we will try our best but there’s no guarantee”.

Loki growled and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. He was mad. He had injured himself too much to be able to use his magic. If only he fought more efficiently, if only he did more - maybe he could have healed her. If only.

After a grueling half hour, the healer gave the confirmation.

A half hour of desperate waiting for the news.

A half hour that seemed miles longer than it was.

Ilaire would make it.

'She's gonna make it'

Loki let out the breath he had been holding and slumped in a chair with relief. He had refused to let her out of his sight. A weary smile took shape on his face and he let out a breathless laugh of joy.

“Prince Loki, take her to the royal chambers and allow her to sleep. Until now she has had to stay awake until her healing was confirmed, in case of her becoming comatose,” the healer instructed Loki.

He walked to the stretcher Ilaire was laid upon and picked her up in the same style again. Ilaire wrapped her arms around Loki’s neck in a hug. “You’re alright,” Loki spoke through deep breaths with a reciprocated hug, rubbing her back to soothe her. Ilaire hugged him tightly. She almost died. She hugged him like it was her last time, because it very well could be. She didn’t want to waste this precious time.

God, Loki was grateful. Grateful she made it. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if something happened to her.

_______

Ilaire was carried to the Royal Palace adjoining to the army quarters. As she was gently dropped on her bed, she spoke for the first time since her attack. She knew Loki would go to the opposing kingdom. He would not wage a war on his own kingdom. “Don’t go Loki,” she pleaded, “I’ll never let you go”.

“Ilaire, I have to go. You know I do,” a tear ran down his face as he spoke the words that would seal his fate. A fate without her.

“Don’t leave me here alone,” Ilaire choked out as hot tears brimed in her eyes. “You’ll always have my spirit. Just think of me,” Loki smiled through the gut-wrenching pain. He really, really didn’t want to leave. But, for once, he wanted to do the right thing. For once, he wanted to earn her friendship.

“Go to sleep, Ilaire. You need it to heal,” Loki cleared his throat before speaking. A protest fought to release itself from Ilaire’s mouth but Loki raised a hand to cut it off. “You know I must do this. There is no use in arguing. I just want you to be safe”, his voice grew hoarse at his last words.

Loki spoke again, “Just close your eyes, the sun is going down. You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you’ll be safe and sound”.

As much as she tried to fight it, Ilaire could not hold off sleep any longer. She wished she could stay awake so that she could convince the love of her life to stay. She wished he didn’t have to sacrifice himself. She wished he didn’t have to go at all. She wished to say and hear so many things that had been left unsaid. But sleep was consuming her. And time was running out. The sand in the hypothetical hourglass was falling at an ever-faster rate.

As her eyelides fluttered, she started to speak, “I lo…,” before sleep consumed her and she trailed off.

She had failed to say those three small words. Three small words. The ones that could’ve changed her life. The ones she will never get to say to him again.

Loki stood and wiped the tears off her face and kissed her cheek, before bringing up a blanket to cover her.

“I love you, Ilaire. I wish we had more time. But we do not. Maybe, one day, we’ll find each other in a another life and live peacefully. Who knows, we could have had a beautiful castle with the most magnificent grounds. Overlooking a view almost as beautiful as you. Or maybe we could’ve had a cottage. On the edge of the woods, next to a crystal clear lake", Loki spoke. He knew as he uttered those words that they will never get to do that now.

Neither heard the words of the other.

With that, he left, making his way back on to the battlefield.

__________

"IT IS I, LOKI ODINSON,” he presented himself. The alien leader made his way to the front. “Goodness, you’re a puny one. Whatever. Chain him, minions”, the yellow leader commanded. Thor watched in shocked silence. But even he knew that this had to be done. The brothers nodded to each other in farewell.

Loki was dragged, in chains, to the ostentatious spaceship of the aliens.

“You have stolen from me, Odinson,” a voice reached him. Loki struggled to remember what he had stolen. There were so many things he had recently pilfered. Then it hit him. He had stolen Maricusan. The most versatile and strong material in the nine realms. This material was used to make the Odinson family armors. And it came from Maricus. The planet known for being deceitful. This meant that their word was false. Unsurprisingly, they were also known for making false deals.

They would not only kill Loki but pillage Asgard too. At this moment, Loki realised he was in deep shit.

A minute ago, he had gone willingly. Now he would fight back. He would fight back to see his brother. He would fight back to see his beloved. With one swift motion, he pulled his hands apart, resulting in the chains snapping with an audible snap. As creatures advanced on him, he kicked and punched while using his clones to distract. Then, through the corner of his eye, he saw an opening in the door, which he managed to slip through.

As he re-entered the battlefield once again, he signaled to Thor. Thor’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of his brother. By now, he too had discovered the yellow Maricusians’ melding properties. The two brother came up with the quickest battle strategy they had ever made and got to work.

____________

In the Royal Palace, Ilaire had woken up. Her sleep was restless and a headache plagued her along with her rampant thoughts. Her beloved was going to sacrifice himself. Or maybe he had done so already. Pain stabbed her heart and tears started to collect in her eyes again. She did not want to be a whiny mess, but what else was she supposed to do? She was helpless against fate.

Sobs warcked her body. Then she saw a glint through her window. She curiously peeked towards it. Then she noticed the ongoing battle. The war was raging on. Now she was confused. Brows furrowed, she looked harder. Then. Then she saw the trademark emerald green and gold. Her heart soared in hope she dared not have.

'Was that Loki?'

She impatiently waited for the man to turn around, biting her nails in nervousness. Sand fell tantalizingly slow in the hypothetical hourglass. Time trickled by leisurely. Never had a moment seemed so long.

It was Loki.

The man was Loki.

A beaming smile broke out on her face as her tears turned to those of joy. She could hear a joyful tune playing in her head. It was a victory song. She felt victorious. She felt victorious for the first time on that horrendous day.

Their eyes met, and their smiles matched. Loki's eyes glinted with affection.

Too weak to join her warriors, Ilaire looked out at the battlefield. Nervously, waiting and hoping. And when the last blow happened, she was lost in felicity. They had done it. They had won. They got through unscathed. Sort of.

Hurriedly, Ilaire raced as fast as she could with her striking injury to get out to the battlefield. She saw Loki and he saw her. He held his arms out and she jumped into them, hugging him ferociously.

“Darling, you should be resting. That is a rather large wound,” he spoke in relief. He was glad to see her.

“You were supposed to die!” she replied.

“Good to know you like me alive,” Loki grumbled.

Like that, the two continued to banter, as Loki walked her back to her chambers, a hand around her shoulders too keep her steady.

When Ilaire entered her room, she started to speak, “Loki, there are many things I wish to say to you. One thing in particular. As I was thinking about possibly losing you, I thought of the things I never got to say”. She paused to gather her breath and to collect strength. She oh-so-very desperately hoped her words didn't come out as verbal diarrhoea.

“I love you. I love you, Loki. I have ever since you picked out that flower bouquet for me. Or when you spar with me. Or when we argue.” She chuckled, “I still keep those flowers preserved because its such a lovely memory.”

She stood with bated breath and nervousness running through her veins.

Loki's face had become softer somehow. His eyes were warm. And when Ilaire realised that this warmth was directed towards her, butterflies collected in her stomach.

“Ilaire, I adore you. I love you with the heat of a thousand suns. Yes, I know that’s cliche. But those are my feelings. You are my beacon when everything else fails. So, I wish to ask you something."

A pause.

Be mine?” he asked with a tender smile and soft blue eyes.

“Say that again,” Ilaire commanded hoarsely.

“Be mine” he smirked.

“Yes,” Ilaire whispered breathily.

Loki rushed forward and gathered Ilaire in his arms, glad to have found his love; his best friend.

“Come morning light, you and I’ll be… safe and sound”

This is what I imagine my OC to look like. Feel free to change as you please :)

Let me know your thoughts and if you'd like me to write something else <3

[swiftly-sweetheart]

Spoilers for Episode 44-47 Of Adventure: (2020)

Ok, so, usually I don’t post about my thoughts on spoilers of synopsis and episode titles but this time I have too because oh my god these episodes might be my favourite batches yet. (I was suppose to post this yesterday but me being lazy decided against it)

Episode 44 is called “Hikari and The Moving Forest”. This episode doesn’t have a summary yet, and whenever they don’t release the synopsis for an episode but just the title usually means that something big will happen. I think that this episode will involve some lore on the crest of light, the ancient war, or maybe even something with homeostasis, like it took over Hikari’s body again. The title Moving Forest reminds me of the Puppetmon arc in the OG but I doubt it has anything to do with him

Episode 45 is called “Launch MetalGarurumon”. First of all, FINALLY!! It has been 15, FIFTEEN episodes since WarGreymon made his appearance it is about damn time we get MetalGarurumon. This episode does have a synopsis and it is basically about the gang meeting up with Machmon who use to be a racer. Since Garurumon loves running he races Machmon and then Machmon attacks him because it was a rule in this one race. Apparently he used to be a clean racer so Garurumon challenges him to a clean race. So this doesn’t say anything about Mega (Ultimate) level digimon attacking them (Machmon’s a champion/adult) so MetalGarurumon will probably appear during the race, not during a battle which is new and if it is executed well then I would really like his evolution

Episode 46 might be my favourite out of the batch, it depends how Episode 44 and 47 well be. It is called “The Holy Sword Of Hope”. Not only does this imply HolyAngemon but also the digidestined gets sucked inside of a Sephirothmon that had multiple dimensions where the kids get separated and they have to fight with past villains, villains they had fought before, and whenever they get defeated, they get revived so they have to fight them again. So that is why this might be my favourite out of this batch of eps because that is honestly just really cool, reminds me of the PSP game at the end where the other kids gets Mega’s/Ultimate’s. They don’t reveal who the kids fight aside for Takeru and Patamon who meets up with Devimon and according to the synopsis they have a deep connection with him. If Devimon and Angemon had some sort of a relationship before the war, I will scream. They’ve hinted about their past when Devimon called him his dear old friend and asked him once he digivolved into Tokomon “Why do you resist darkness? Why do you resist me?”. So my theory is that they were best friends, or Devimon was an angle during the war and they fought together before he became corrupted. I hope it is the former, that they knew each other when they were Rookies/Childs but one chose the path of light and the other chose the path of darkness which I guess angers Devimon and wants him to fall in darkness. I saw some other fans theories and one is that they were brothers, which could tie into them being friends theory (once chose light the other chose darkness) and the other theory I heard made a lot more sense and is a lot more plausible. You know how Seraphimon became ShadowSeraphimon when he was stuck in the miasma after the war, but then his data bursted and he de-digivolved into MangaAngemon then Angemon? Well someone thought that the loose data of ShadowSeraphimon became Devimon, so that means Devimon and Angemon used to be one so that is how they have a deep connection. Either way I am so freaking excited for this episode because I love Devimon and can’t wait to see HolyAngemon after forever, and we finally get some exposition on this. But I probably shouldn’t keep my hopes up because now I’m wondering if we’re not getting an exposition at all and I’m just reading to much into this.....

So finally Episode 47 is called “Villains In The Wasteland”. So this also doesn’t have a synopsis so something big might happen. What I think it is is that it is a continuation of Episode 46 where the other kids and digimon’s fight their villains. I won’t be surprised if this ends up happening but the other kids digimons (excluding Takeru and Patamon and Hikari and Tailmon) will probably get their Mega/Ultimate forms in this same episode. Maybe the villains they were fighting evolved into Mega and then their digimons also go to Mega forms. We might even get CresGarurumon. As long as it is executed well, I again won’t mind if they do do that. 

So this was long, took me like, an hour. But if you want to find the actually synopsis and titles than you could go to WithTheWill because they have it on there. Or you can just search it up

[lycaran]

Meet Lonnie

So uh...May have made a Hardenshipping fankid.

His name's Lonnie, an orphan street kid that Archie and Maxie adopted who counts as a fankid in my eyes, god damn it.

I can’t draw muscles or children to save my life.

Originally @cryptidanaphafsi​ did this I with their fankid I believe? 

Info under the cut because I really started to ramble about details...A lot. 

Bad Quality picture, but his adult versions both have a keystone in the middle of their mask that they use for Mega Evolution.

Notes:

RSE canon is Emerald, which leads in Alpha Sapphire in the future, though in this canon way, RSE events get resolved Without a protagonist. Hypothetical game futures for the SM and USUM games.

RSE Version -

-Still living on the streets at this point, 8-10 in age.

-Met a few times over the course of the story, usually found hiding around a corner after an encounter with Maxie or Archie(outside of hideout encounters), seems mostly in awe of how cool the plans seem.

-Selectively mute, if talked to he'll make gestures towards the player but since the player is about ten, all you really get from talking to him is "...."

-Jumpy, running off as soon as the player is done talking

-Vitiligo

-In the Sapphire & Emerald versions of the game, post game, he's absolutely Terrified of Kyogre, developing Aquaphobia as he grows older.

-Sometime post game, Archie and Maxie pick him up bc he still seems to tag along just behind one of them, and hey, the kid needs a home. And when they’ve patched things up, they’re really good dad’s.

ORAS Version, constants-

- Adopted pre-game and raised by Maxie and Archie before they split bc of differing ideals...again.

- Mid-twenties.

- Team Magma Admin.

- Aquaphobia from past trauma, selectively mute.

- I can't draw muscles but he's definitely the strongest person there, thanks to Archie and a bit of Matt.

- As an adult, Vitiligo patches have spread and caused part of his hair to grow in white.

- Personality wise, he's a rather nice man, only really being a sore loser. And takes after Maxie alot in the brains department, including dumbassery. 

- He’s dating both an Aqua Grunt and a Magma Grunt, don’t tell his dads though. A grunt in the Magma hideout asks you if you want to place a bet on that happens when the bosses find out, then realizes you are Not one of the grunts, and runs off.

- Aqua Grunt is named Dew

- Magma Grunt is named Ashe

- I will draw them eventually, they will be mentioned elsewhere.

Omega Ruby -

-he appears somewhat sporadically, usually around Maxie. Fought once at Mossdeep city when the player beats the gym, viewing the player as a threat to Maxie's goal...and wanting to make use of himself, aquaphobia keeping him from following the rest of the team down to the Seafloor Cavern. Team: Crobat, Camerupt, Mightyena, Sealeo.

-A Grunt, Ashe, follows him around and acts as an interpreter. Talking directly to Lonnie is always "..." before the grunt buts in to explain what he's trying to say.

-When defeated by the player, he'll turn to the grunt, signing furiously, only for the grunt to exclaim "I can't say that to a child!" before Lonnie leaves in a huff.

- During the Delta Episode he's fought at the Magma Hideout, without Ashe, absolutely Livid about what Zinnia did to Maxie, and fighting the player as soon as they enter, seeing them as just something else that'll upset his dad. Team: Crobat, Camerupt, Mightyena, Walrein.

- Post Delta Episode, you'll actually find him alone in a house on the Battle Resort. When talked to, he still won't talk, but after interacting with him Maxie walks in to explain that he and his son were there, trying to lay low, relax a bit, and they're waiting on "a certain someone" to show up for a talk.

Alpha Sapphire Version, aka the Canon Version-

- Not very active story wise, always seen rather ominously popping up mere seconds after an interaction with Team Aqua. He doesn't have an interpreter this time, so all the player really gets is "...." then a yes/no text box before he leaves.

- Appears on Mt. Chimney with Maxie to try and stop Team Aqua's little attempt. Maxie will actually translate some of what Lonnie's trying to say, and while it would be nice, he doesn't exactly explain Why Lonnie tends to be tailing Team Aqua, Archie most specifically

-And ho boy. When Kyogre gets awoken, this poor man is having the Worst day.

- In Sootopolis, he's seen quite visibly shaking, signing Something at Archie, who might be having a "Oh shit." moment and a half because his Son is VERY MUCH AFRAID OF WATER, AND VERY MUCH CAN. NOT. SWIM.

- So yeah. Not a fun time.

- Half of what he's signing is ruined by how shaky his hands are. Ashe looks ready to strangle Archie, and Dew is reeling from the reality and Actually starts cursing Archie out as soon as the player leaves to handle Kyogre.

- Tbh if the two boys didn’t start trying to murder Archie first, Maxie might’ve.

- When Kyogre is captured, when the player leaves and all is said and done, he gives the player a piece of Cameruptite with a small little Thank You note.

- Battle Resort/Battle Maison, he is once again found in a house, but this time Maxie is already there. And once the player talks to the two, Archie walks in, but when that happens, the player is asked to leave so they can have a Family chat.

Sun & Moon Games-

- Okay this is just me being self indulgent and including him in my favorite games of the series, plus it’s just neat.

- Basically, he’s there on a honeymoon with Ashe and Dew.

- Even after the teams disbanded, he’s very partial to his Magma outfit. Only real change coming coming from the removal of the Magma symbols on his vest. Still keeping the combined symbols on his mask.

- More or less appears as a cameo. The only reason they’re even having a Honeymoon in Alola is because it has both Water and Volcanos near eachother.

- Shows up in post game, investigating the Altar of the Sunne/Moone as the idea of other worlds really peaked his interest.

- Funny Images: 6′0″ string bean and a 5′7″ man with average muscle trying to carry a 6′5″ man with muscle from hell because the waves touched him and he freaked out.

Ultra Sun & Moon Games - 

- Mostly the same.

- With the addition of the player actually getting his help against Rainbow Rocket

- When reaching the mansion, Lonnie will be there. Along with Ashe and Dew.

- He’ll then “ask” which side the player wants to take on, fighting either Archie or Maxie depending on choice. Vs. Archie, he takes Ashe with him, Vs. Maxie, he takes Dew. The other of his husbands goes with the player to help handle the other boss.

- After this, you can find Lonnie, Dew, and Ashe at the battle tree.

- Funny Images: Trying to get Lonnie onto Aether, a man made island in the middle of the ocean.

Pokespe Version -

- His age is more me throwing darts at a board trying to guess when shit happens.

- He’s alot more playful and joking in this version.

Ruby Sapphire Chapter -

- 16

-Actually adopted prior to the Ruby&Sapphire Chapter, but in a surprising twist, stays mainly with Archie.

- Interacts with Ruby and Sapphire once, maybe twice through the whole Manga.

- Hard for Archie to be intimidating with a giant of a teen in a life jacket clinging to him everytime they get near water, but he makes it work

- He stays with Arche and team Aqua for two reasons and two reasons only

- One, he lacks past trauma with Kyogre in pokespe, thus doesn’t fear water as much and can stand to be around it more. Two, alchoholics scare him more than water ever could.

-Along with that, Archie also has the safer public persona, so win win on his part

- Lonnie, being a teen, does tend to wander though. Barely seen for most of the chapters. When Archie and Maxie have their fight, he's there for a split second, before letting out his Crobat and fleeing.

-I don't have it all ironed out, but basically, the whole battles between Magma and Aqua through the whole arc have slowly built up this fear in Lonnie's brain when it comes to his dad's, and this is the tipping point.

- Sadly, both leaders are a bit preoccupied to notice at first that he's gone, and it's a fullblown panic after the fact.

-Sadly tho, this doesn't slow down their plans. But Blaise and Amber are put in charge of trying to track him down and find him.(Not in a bad way, more in a Extremely worried parents with a missing son way)

- Cue end of arc.

Emerald Arc

-still 16

-Makes brief cameos, he tends to linger around the back.

- Actually, screw it, I'll make this pretty later but he and Emerald do become friends.

- Has a small interaction with Emerald, writing about how he finds his equipment cool, and is in awe of how he calms pokemon.

-And boy oh does this lead to some Fun

- Cut the confrontation with Guile in the cave, the first Jirachi attempt

- Alot changes here.

- First of all, while Jirachi still escapes, Guile lingers for a moment. Looking at Lonnie for a long moment. And while he does 'reflect' back the attacks with his sword, he sends the attack flying off into a wall instead of at Emerald and Lonnie.

- Later, Guile actually snatches the poor kid, pulling off somewhere just to have a few moments to make sure he's okay

- If you know the manga, you know it's gonna be revealed to Lonnie at this point that Guile is, in fact, Archie. And while he tries to avoid the details, he does tell Lonnie he needs Jirachi to fix things

- Lonnie assumes, sadly naive, that this has to do with Maxie and their family. Even asking Archie where his other dad is, only to be met with silence.

- That doesn't settle well with him, actually demanding to know what happens, atleast as much as you can demand when you can’t talk. The last he heard about them was nearly destroying Hoenn so what happened?

- Archie doesn’t tell him, straight up Refuses to tell him what happened.

- This does not go well. Leading to Lonnie once more running off.

- Lonnie keeps in touch with Emerald after the arc is over, basically adopted him as a little brother because they’re both weird looking kids, Emerald being unusually short, and Lonnie having Vitiligo.

- He runs into Amber after this and kind of just, vibes there, treats Amber like an uncle, and that’s who looks after him for the next few years.

ORAS Arc -

- 20

-Lives with Amber, mostly helping the man with fishing and all around, just trying to have someone around he can 'talk' to without needing an interpreter or to write down every word he says.

-Team Aqua....2!

-He does end up joining the New Team Aqua, since he feels more safe with them in Pokespe. Along with this, he’s curious about where they came from and what’s going on here.

-Looks most like my concept sketch for him in this version.

- Eventually just, disepears in the midst of fighting. He's learned enough and doesn't want to face that all.

- Listen when I tell you. When he sees Maxie and Archie, he's pissed.

-And when The Dustening happens...

- He actually does cry. Hell, it's probably the only time he speaks, begging in a hoarse voice he never uses for his dad's to stay there. Just for once. Let them be a family just for Once.

- It doesn't work.

- Funny Images: Emerald, looking up at Lonnie who is like 3-4 times their height: “I AM GOING TO STEAL YOUR KNEECAPS!!!!” Lonnie, amused, signing: “You-can-try.”

-Pokemon Seen: Crobat, Sharpedo, Sandslash.

Sun and Moon Arc -

- 22

-He actually appears here.

- Listen, he's a smart man, and he knows a lot.

-Appears after that small time skip after Sun and Moon disepear through the portals, ultimately he's here investigating the portals.

- He 'talks' with Kukui and Burnet to try and figure out what's going on.

-I don't know how it'd be incorporated, but basically, he's trying to figure out where the Hell his dad's are. And if these Wormholes can help him, by god is he going to use them

- Knows that, most likely, they’re dead and gone for good. But still holds out hope that somewhere out there, they’re still alive.

- He's still wearing the life jacket. Less for Aesthetic, more because he’s scared shitless about being on an island.

- Are this chapter is where he would have started dating Dew and Ashe, having met them when that whole, other Team Aqua & Magma were made in ORAS.

[therandomfish]

Power Rangers Samurai Rewrite

Power Rangers is an amazing show with a rich history and a tapestry that is beyond anything we have ever known. However some of the seasons just sucked… but unlike series like Turbo and to a greater extent, Operation Overdrive where there were seasons on either side of them that made them tolerable and gave us something awesome to cleanse our viewing palate on we didn’t have that with Samurai and Megaforce with both seasons being awful for different reasons. Samurai was just bad due to it being a direct copy of the sentai story and Mega-Force was bad due to it’s laziness. So I have decided to take an idea of attempting to rewrite history and instead rewrite a season of Power Rangers.. specifically Samurai and Mega-Force with hopefully better story and character development.

I’m beginning with Samurai first. We open pretty much how the actual show started with kids kidnapped by moogers who then come face to face with the Red Samurai Ranger however Mentor Hajun Ji is back at the Shiba house and is sat with a com set on and is talking to the red ranger, he easily takes care of the moogers and the kid who survived watches him leave and mutters “Power Rangers”

The Red ranger returns to the Shiba house and demorphs. We meet Jayden who is a bit of an arrogant dick. Mentor Ji tells him that the moogers are becoming more aggressive and it may not be long before Nighlocks start coming through. Jayden isn’t worried, saying that he can take whatever comes through and that the threat will end with him but Ji disagrees saying that they need to find new rangers to bring about the next generation of Samurai rangers. Jayden doesn’t want to saying that there are no other new generations and that he is the last one (they share a look) and Ji then tells him to look out for those in the school he goes to who embody the traits of the Samurai and he will do the same elsewhere. While at the school, maintaining his cover Jayden sees Kevin who is regimented and has the disciplined and he also sees Mia who has patience even when she continually fails at cooking. He leaves them notes in their lockers. Ji is out at a park and he sees Emily sitting and talking with a young boy and some bullies come over to make fun of him and asking if he’s having a girl fight his battles for him, then Mike enters on his skateboard and he is older than the bullies as well as more athletic (think of the bullies as a mini Bulk and Skull) so the bullies run away. This immediately sets up the Emily and Mike relationship with Mike coming to Emily’s rescue and her defending the boy. Ji recognises the compassion in Emily and the boldness and tenacity in Mike so he gives them notes as well.

The others all show up at the Shiba house where Ji explains to them why they are there. Jayden scoffs over the choices of Mike and Emily and tests them both with a bamboo sword. He knocks Mike down multiple times but he gets up again every time with Emily being able to fend off his attacks and learning to keep the others safe as well as things around the Shiba house. Jayden is impressed and so hands them the Samuraisers and they go to fight an group of moogers. They morph for the first time in the Shiba house and leave as Rangers. A Nighlock emerges and fights the rangers and through them working as a team they destroy the Nighlock. Ji is concerned upon their return and wonders why the Nighlock didn’t grow with a shot showing the destroyed Nighlock pieces as it dissolves to the Netherworld where a ship floats on the Sanzu River and episode one ends.

Second episode introduces the villains. Octoroo is wandering up and down the ship and is very anxious. Dayu enters and they talk about how the Samurai rangers and now all back and just when having the one around was bad enough. However they are stopped by Xandred who doesn’t have a body yet. He is a part of the Sanzu river. He curses the previous Samurai Red Ranger for putting him in this state but knows the if the moogers and his Nighlock servants raise enough fear then the Sanzu river will flow into the human world and the Netherworld will merge with it causing Xandred to have enough power to restore himself to his corporeal form and take over. Xandred demands to know whats going to happen with the Nighlock that was destroyed. Octoroo says that he’s going to send a new Nighlock who can grow giant after being defeated and said he needed the previous Nighlock’s energy to use for Master Xandred’s use. Xandred is pleased by this but also wonders why Dayu is there as she wasn’t in his favour last he checked. Dayu responds by stating that Octoroo needs her and Xandred can’t stop that.

Back with the rangers they start to train with Jayden and learn about their zords with Ji telling them about how the Nighlocks normally growing to giant sized. We also see Mike notice the motorbike and asking about it with Ji saying it was his. The new Nighlock emerges with some Moogers and they go to fight. They fight and defeat it with this one going big and the folding zords are invoked with the armour mode in the zords like in the actual show still happening. They defeat the Nighlock and Octoroo is annoyed but vows that he will restore his master and they will take the human world.

Over the course of the first season we see episodes dedicated to the rangers themselves learning about them a bit more with ironic monsters of the week being involved. Mia would have a mind that is focussed on following the instructions when it comes to something like baking but it still doesn’t come out right and she gets frustrated and ends up bonding with Emily who helps her understand that a little love and caring doesn’t hurt. Kevin has his jealousy of Jayden moment where he talks about preferring himself as Red Ranger and they both have a “Oh I’m a bit of a dick” moment. Mike has an episode with him and Ji where it’s revealed that Ji was a lot like Mike, so alike in fact that he used to be the previous Green Samurai Ranger. Emily has her moment when the Nighlock uses horrible memories against Emily and it turns out that a Nighlock hurt her big sister who was usually the strong one but after she was attacked Emily had to step up and became the strong one. But as for who that Nighlock was, let’s leave that for now. Finally Jayden’s episode has Antonio, his old friend coming to town to stay. They reunite after having spent years apart and Antonio already knows about the Samurai Rangers so he becomes an IT assistant to Ji and they all get on with that concept; we also learn that Jayden misses being able to be normal sometimes.

Moving on from that we get introduced to Decker and Serrator. Serrator is a Nighlock general that once led a nighlock army. He comes in and takes control away from Octoroo as well as taking his place as Xandred’s whisperer. Decker emerges in the human world and fights against Moogers and a Nighlock instead of the rangers who watch with amazement as he calls the nighlock “scum” after he cuts it down. He also challenges Jayden who refuses and Decker says that eventually they will duel as he will be the only challenge Jayden will see is worth fighting. He can still switch between human and Nighlock but he fights the moogers as a human which makes the rangers hopeful then turns into his nighlock form when he faces the other Nighlock.

Moving on past it we learn about the Octazord and it’s inability to listen to anyone else. Ji eventually sees it talking to Antonio though he tries to keep it a secret til he can figure out why it’s talking to him instead of the other rangers and he didn’t think Ji would believe him if he said he wasn’t doing it on purpose. Ji instead attempts to help Antonio and they look at the Octazord together.

Moving on we end up with a Nighlock that can turn humans into Moogers but only until it’s destroyed unless the moogers go back to the netherworld then it’s permanent. It gets nearly all the rangers except for Kevin who runs back to the Shiba house with the other’s morphers who were all dropped when they were turned. Ji and Antonio talk about the Octazord who gives them a vision of a gold ranger that can help. They end up combining the octazord tech with Ji’s old samurai morpher into the gold ranger morpher which leads to Antonio becoming the gold ranger and a part of the team.

The end of the season comes in the form of a two parter where Octoroo finally sends out a massive army of moogers along with Serrator and Dayu into the world to end the rangers and prepare the world for Xandred’s return. Serrator leads the charge and fights the rangers, beating them so bad they demorph. However before Serrator can attack another figure steps in and morphs into a female version of the red ranger. She attacks Serrator who falls back and goes off to spread fear. This is still Lauren and she still left when their father died in order to learn how to destroy Xandred permanently. Jayden reveals how he used his father’s old morpher and she has the traditional one that he refused to use and that he wanted to be the red ranger but Lauren was older so that’s just the way it goes. Lauren is introduced to everyone and Jayden immediately sees Decker who challenges him. He leaves with Antonio to fight against Decker while the others follow Lauren after she gives a speech about them beating them back. They fight against the Moogers and Serrator. While Jayden fights against Decker, Antonio fights against Dayu and she reveals through their fight that she and Decker are connected and all she knows is that she must be with him when he falls. Antonio beats her and she flees with Jayden and Decker coming to a stalemate and Decker, apparently recognising his link with Dayu leaves too with Jayden and Antonio returning to the fight and they finish off the moogers while Lauren demolishes Serrator but before he dies he goes back ot the Netherworld.

However upon his return, Serrator is used by Octoroo who planned it so Serrator would be weak, apparently enough fear has been created that Xandred can leave the Sanzu river but as a spirit and he inhabit Serrator who dies as Xandred takes over. He laughs and says that Serrator’s body is only temporary until he has enough energy to bring himself back to his proper form.

We see Lauren reunite with Ji and she begins bonding with the rest of the team. Jayden admits he’s happy to be done being Red Ranger as she takes her rightful place as team leader but he’ll still be here to help in the fight and at least they have a spare red ranger now. We then see Decker stood outside the house and smiling to himself, thinking about what the future holds

[retphienix]

So to start with, let's actually take a closer look at our crew instead of glossing over it. (Before I equip them, to be clear)

Cairn the Paladin as our boring tank lad.

He can equip all the big plate armor and shields, as well as bonk enemies with a weak hammer and cast direct healing spells which I have to assume he'll get really acquainted with since he won't be bonkin' too hard.

From the get go his stats aren't much to write home about, with the second lowest strength and stats that don't scream much of anything- but he is starting with a raw absorb of 1 despite being naked so that's pretty nice!

Beard (ypants) the Viking as my fun dwarf bud coming into yet another game to wreck some heads :)

He's got damage for days and loves hitting with a big axe as opposed to Beardypants' usual arsenal of 2-hander swords.

To start it's already pretty clear as to what Beardy is bringing to the table. BIG strength of 25, surprisingly a higher VIT than Cairn- VIT being what decides how much HP he'll get on a level up is, and a half decent evade to be honest. I have high hopes for Beardy making some of the game deciding swings of his big 'ol axe.

Vurst the Ninja as our resident swordswoman.

That's kinda all she's here for, as a slot-in with some basic damage output and the ability to wield the various swords we'll find. Kind of a lame reason to be brought along but hey, she might surprise us.

As you'd expect from a Ninja her stats are pretty damn specialized for avoidance and quick hits. AGL is topped off so she hits first more often, EVADE is NUTS, HIT % which in FF1 also determines amount of hits-

IE if you have a high HIT % you'll start hitting 2 or 3 times per attack which is a significant deal in this one versus some later FF games where you're hitting 36 times a turn every turn and it's becoming meaningless-

anyway- HIT % is REALLY nice already so I do think she'll be doing some meaningful damage pretty quick.

So while I'm not being too hot on her position in the crew, she is bringing some heat, I won't lie.

and last, but definitely not least:

Zeven the Sage as our magic man.

Sage, from what I gather from the readme, are an interesting take on the spellcaster.

They are objectively the hardest hitting with insane INT (which works in this game!) to back their spells up, AND they can cast EVERY spell in the game, BUT they get less casts than other- more specialized spellcasters.

So we are putting Zeven in a rather tough spot to be sure, as he IS our resident nuker- but he's also the only person in our crew who can cast buffs or debuffs- both of which don't really care if you're a mega powerful Sage or not from what I understand so those would arguably be spells best suited to like a Wizard, Cleric, Ranger, or (as I implied in the last post) Monk- a class that isn't ALL INT ALL THE TIME and have either more spell slots to spend or can back up their non-casting with melee output (like the Ranger and Monk).

But man, I love how much of a gap-fill character Zeven is. He might end up wasting a lot of time buffing and debuffing, but any opportunity we get to let him go all out with a mega offensive is gonna be a treat to behold.

[iriswc1995]

Ash In Ordina

Chapter Two:  ‘Church’

The camera scanned the invitation, and the glass doors whisked open.  Ash tucked it back in her cloak and stepped inside the Worship Office.  Its vast main hall was nearly empty, supported by several marble pillars adorned with artificial torches, contrasting the square, clinical lighting fixtures illuminating the ceiling.  Her footsteps echoed through the hollow expanse.  She watched the shadows dance beneath the various grotesque furnishings, embellished with colorful trappings and expensive decorations.  She wrinkled her nose. The Redeemed were never doing badly for themselves.

At a desk at the end of the hall were two men wearing typical Rapturist attire who seemed to be waiting for her.  The smaller figure immediately smiled and stood up, moving around to the front of the desk with a posture of welcome.  He had a messy haircut dyed bright pink to match his large eyes.  The second man, a few feet behind him, had a darker complexion and grim countenance, towering over both of them, a large cleaver strapped to his back.  Ash met his cold gaze for a moment before the smaller one greeted her.

“Ah, you must be Ash!  Your appearance is very distinct, in a good way, miss!”

“Thanks.”

“And um, just to double-check, no last name?”

“No.  I’m curious why the Redeemed need to hire a freelancer.”

“Hehe, well…” The man scratched the back of his head before clasping his hands together.  “I doubt it’s going to be the usual sort of work you do… rather, we need you to find someone.  One of our high-ranking members has seemingly gone missing, you see.”

Ash tilted her head, but stayed silent, waiting for more details.  But then the man laughed to himself and spread his arms.

“Sorry sorry, where are my manners!  My name is Alistar Fey, Redeemed, director third-echelon, fifth mind.  And my partner here is…”

The tall man sighed, cracking his neck as he turned his head.  “Andre,” he answered coldly.

Alistar smiled and turned back to Ash.  “Politeness is what keeps the world spinning, I think.  Which is also why this is a strictly above-board, on-record job.”

“Right.  So who’s missing, and why do you need me to find them?”

Silently, Alistar took a small binder from the desk and handed it to her.  Ash’s breath caught momentarily as she opened it.  Real paper?  They’re rich enough for paper after everything they did?  Swallowing her annoyance, she skimmed through the details.  His name was Zachary Kells.  A life-long worshipper, decently wealthy thanks to his job at Skyvault as a researcher and engineer.  But it seemed he’d recently left his job to fully devote himself to the Church.  

“We’ve tried contacting him, of course,” Alistar said, scratching the back of his head.  “But no one has seen or heard from him in nearly a week.  He wasn’t involved in anything shady, to my knowledge, and was largely a homebody.  His residence is on this floor, and we sent someone to check there, but no answer again.  And since he lives in one of the Castles, well…”

Ash closed the binder.  “You need someone who’s good at getting inside places they aren’t supposed to.  And you don’t want the authorities involved, for reasons which I’m sure you won’t tell me.”

Alistar hesitated.  Ash nodded and continued.

“It’s fine.  I’ll find him... for the amount we agreed on.”

“Wonderful!  Then, that should be all for our business here.  Part of me hopes you’ll simply find him at home, but I rather doubt it, unfortunately…”

“Freelancer.”  Andre said, taking a step forward for the first time.  Ash flicked her eyes towards him and stood up straight, hands open at her sides.  He raised an eyebrow and simply folded his arms.

“Watch yourself.  Unsavory types buzz around these neighborhoods like hungry flies.  Zachary is an important man.  I trust you’ll do your best to keep him safe.”

Ash hesitated for a long moment, thoughts swimming beneath the man’s cold gaze.  Does he know something about me…? Finally, Ash simply nodded and turned to exit the office hall.

-----

Dark streets caked in rolling fog, dimly illuminated by fading streetlamps.  One could almost mistake this for outside, if not for the globes of faint light on the ceiling, nearly two-hundred feet above, staring like gray stars.  The housing here, the Castles, were essentially buildings unto themselves, like houses stacked on one another.  Security systems and relatively safe neighborhoods, on top of this, were what created the floors home to the wealthier-than-most but not nearly of the mega-rich status.

Ash walked to a street corner two blocks away from the Worship Office, where she found Cygnus waiting for her, playing a game on his phone.  He brushed his hair out of his eyes as she approached.

“So, is it about what we figured?”

She shrugged.  “No assassinations or whatever.  They're just missing one of their top guys.  I need your help getting into his place.”

Cygnus nodded, and started following behind her.  His face wore the same dark look that Ash figured she had made when she entered the Church.  Neither of them liked doing work like this, and Cygnus had even more reason than most to despise the Worship Unity and everything they did.  Their footsteps echoed along the cracked street.  No one else was milling around this late in the evening.  But then, someone made themselves known.

Harsh voices clamored from a nearby alleyway.  Scattered around the trash-filled crevice like chattering rats were several individuals of varying appearance, though the black, red-trimmed jackets wrapped around each of their waists indicated they were a group.  There were six in total, some tall, some muscular, some squatting on dumpsters, others leaning against the wall.  Almost all of them had some kind of augmentation or another - metal arms, thousand-eyes implants, studded or scaled flesh.  Their weapons were crude, but looked sharp - probably scavenged from the Bone Forest.  They turned to look at the pair as they began to pass, and Ash stopped suddenly as their gazes met.  She recognized their appearance, their vibe, and this scent.  These were Harvesters without a doubt.  Before there could be any pretense of just passing through, the group quickly filed out of the alleyway to block their path, their faces grim yet thrilled.  Ash sighed and turned to Cygnus.

“Go on ahead.  I'll handle this.”

“… you sure?”

She nodded.  Cygnus scanned the group with an analytical look before hesitantly stepping forward, whispering to Ash as he passed.

“Don't get in trouble.”

“I'll do my best.”

He walked past the Harvesters, not meeting any of their sharp looks, and while a couple of them spit in his direction, none of them made a move to attack.  The tallest one, most certainly the leader judging by her demeanor, stepped forward.  Her arms were muscular and heavily scarred, the sleeves of her jacket were ringed with iron spikes, and she wore a mask that covered the top half of her face, adorned with chaotic black and red designs.  Her wild, black-haired ponytail nearly reached her waist.  She leaned into Ash's face and laughed.

“How's it going, killer?  Where ya heading to?  Gonna chop off some more heads with that shitty sword of yours?”

Ash stared back, coldly.  Her stomach was tied in a knot, but she didn't let herself panic.  She knew this type.

“I don't see how that's your business, bitch.”

The group laughed again, and the woman smiled.  Ash knew better than to use honorifics like ‘miss’ around Harvesters.  The leader leaned back, walking around Ash as she replied.

“But it IS my business, motherfucker!  Our group here, we protect these streets from killers like you!”

She stood in front of her again, folding her arms.

“God damn, are you edgy-lookin’ or what?  I would have thought you were some gutless nobody if not for this scent… the scent of blood, so unmistakable… it clings to you like a haze~ and if I had to guess, you can smell it just like us, can’t you…?”

Ash rolled her eyes.

“Maybe.”

“Hahahaha~! So if I had to guess, you’re trying to turn over a new leaf or something?  Blood doesn’t dry that easy, kid.  A muzzled wolf is still a wolf.”

“You’re right,” Ash said, and flicked an inch of her sword from its sheathe.  Its red glow captivated the group for a moment, and several of them brandished their own weapons.  “So get out of my way or see the wolf for yourself.  I’m not better than any of you.  Except in terms of skill.”

Silence filled the street.  Strapped across the lead woman’s back was a massive saw-cleaver that made Ash’s katana look like a knife.  She sniffed a few times, then smirked.  Behind her lips, her teeth had been replaced with sharper ones modeled after a shark’s.  She stepped forward, and offered a hand.

“Name’s Tesla.  Any chance you’d wanna join us…?  We make serious dough off the rich idiots on this floor~”

Ash didn’t take her hand.

“Those days are behind me.  I hunt different prey now.”

She made sure to phrase her words correctly, sweat forming on her clenched palms.  To most gangs, you're either a threat, or nothing to worry about.  To Harvesters, you're either a threat, or a walking pay-out.  And either option makes them liable to kill you.  But mercifully, Tesla shrugged and finally backed out of her personal space.

“Fair enough, I guess… but don't go thinking you're done being a Harvester.  Everyone who's alive has to take from others to keep living.  At least the lives we take are put to good use when we sell off their lungs and heart!

“Save the preaching for the church.”

The other Harvesters laughed and playfully punched Tesla, yelling ‘she got you good!’ as Ash continued down the street, her cloak wandering in the breeze.

[anti-anti-a-la-bi-bi]

Can you rant about pkmn sword? Rants are enjoyable to read

Alright, so it took me a bit to get my thoughts in line. Lets start with how I feel about the pricing: I am all for having 30 euro DLC over a third version for the full price, however, I do think that if they do that, as well as with the dex cut, they should quit with having there be two versions. Nowadays, with internet communication, it doesn't really do much for social interaction, it's just another hurdle for those of us who wish to complete the pokedex(and especially when they remove the GTS and make you pay for it later). It's still a scummy tactic, and no one will complain if there's just one version+DLC. It makes a big difference in the pricetag, since being forced to buy nintendo online, or two switches and two games to trade, are both mandatory payments to make in order to achieve one of the encouraged goals within the game. Furthermore, people within one family will likely be using the same cartridge, so if there is only one version, all in all, it'll make a huge difference for people who use a whole switch as a family as well. Also, I do not think that sword and shield are worth 60 euros. I think they're worth 30 at most, since the base game is worse than x and y/sun and moon. They also locked following pokemon behind a paywall, which is bullshit and yeah, fuck that. I think swsh are enjoyable, but not when they sell at the same price as games with way more content, games that look much better, and usually both combined. For what the switch can do, swsh look really bad, actually. There are a few pretty spots, but that's the exception, not the rule. To add on to things that I think are horrible; the raid battles, especially the more difficult ones, in single player. I don't have switch online, and as such, I need to do all raids alone. But, the raids are near-impossible in a lot of cases unless you get really lucky with the npcs and ai. I got two gmax Toxtricity by using wide guard with Zamazenta for over four hours until I finally got lucky for each. This is both to blame on the ai, and the horrible selection of pokemon. Pokemon that should have evolved at level 60, well, they are still in their first form, so you have magikarp and mudbray at a 5 star raid. At least have them evolved. They have good moves, yes, but their base stats are so low that it doesn't matter. Also, the shield mechanic. It is predetermined how much damage you can do, and if you land a supereffective hit, it's not unlikely for it to only do a sliver of damage and then the shield goes up. It's annoying, makes battles extremely difficult because a lot of npcs just won't attack while the shields are up, and it just becomes a waiting game if your pokemon is just there to act as support(such as my Zamazenta with wide guard to prevent Toxtricity from 2-hit ko-ing all my teammates). Also, the fact that even if you beat a gmax pokemon, there is still a chance not to catch them. It often takes ages to even defeat them, and then, 'Congratulations! You just wasted over half an hour of your life! Get fucked!'. I had this happen with Applin t w i c e. Also, the wild area is... It's okay, really. Nothing exceptional, my immersion is ruined by the sheer amount of pop-in, something that happens even when there aren't a lot of models on-screen, the Onyx in Motostoke being a rather infamous example. The trees look like shit, the berry trees look like they don't belong, to put it bluntly, it looks like something a student would make in unity. You'd expect something better from the highest grossing franchise in the world. The ai of the pokemon is often pretty bad, with them just moving in circles, I have seen so many synchronized pokemon at this point that it's just... Egh. Also, the customization options are still so limited? Can't choose eyeshape, can't choose clothes that actually make your character stand out, and you can't even choose your challenger uniform after you become the champion. Why does Leon get a special uniform? I have never seen a pokemon game so set on making you feel like a celebrity after you win, yet you don't get to have much of an identity in the game even after you win. It didn't have to be difficult, just a customization screen inside the dressing room of the Wyndon stadium, perhaps some extra clothing options? As for things I like: I like the atmosphere. The music, though sometimes repetitive, does help my immersion. The gym leader theme is dynamic, shifting with what happens in the battle, making me feel like I'm actually standing there, and the ambient themes work well as well, though those were rarely encountered at all. I love the characters, the trainer cards giving you some backstory on them, they are, together with the Unova leaders, the most present gym leaders today, with a history of their own. It felt amazing to just read the trainer cards(and I enjoyed making my own as well). The towns have their own themes, and while I can't remember the names, I do remember each location well. But. There was so much wasted potential. The castle in Hammerlocke? The large building in the east? Hammerlocke's castle: the vault, 1 room and a roof. The large building? Nothing. You don't even get to see the attraction inspired by the London Eye. Wyndon is so small??? It has a small shopping street, the stadium and the inn and that's about it. Castelia City was bigger than that. Overall, the game feels rushed. The gym challenges at the start were cool, but by the end it's more of "battle these trainers in a row haha". Also, the animations. Gamefreak claimed to need to remake all models(they did not, the 3ds models were used with better textures), and to make better animations(only for newer pokemon, most pokemon used their pokemon amie animations and further animations from the 3ds titles). The animations are still bad, especially for something as powerful as the switch. I enjoyed the lore behind the region, but I really, really dislike Dynamax. I like gigantamax because the pokemon usually changes in a way that is distinguishable, but regular dynamax... Nah. Give me mega evolution back, perhaps update its mechanics so it changes the gameplay more and requires more strategy, but Dynamax just feels like something that is so low-effort. Pokemon but beeg. The curry making, on the other hand, I love. Pokemon should not be a cooking game, but it made me feel like I was actually bonding with my pokemon, that they were present in the mc's daily life. I would love to see more additions like that, the possibility to become the kind of trainer you want. Enjoy swimming? Perhaps go for a swim with your pokemon? It doesn't need to be complex, but I'd just love to see my pokemon interact with each other and with my actual character more. The routes are too linear. The last route is literally a straight line with some trainers, with next to no effort in it. I also think that the handholding needs to be talked about. When you get to Motostoke and have signed up for the gym challenge, a staff member will lead you to the in, which is literally one screen to the left. Such examples are found all over the game, and I hate it. They do let you skip some tutorials, which is a welcome change, but characters are so willing to force you to stop with whatever you're doing and make you listen to their speeches that it still often feels like a slog, especially because you don't get to do shit besides gyms until the very, very end, in which the fucking champion tries to catch a legendary in a regular pokeball, not even a great or ultra ball. The lore is great, but the actual story is so nonsensical that I just didn't bother to pay attention. Hop literally recycles Hau's animations. I would love for him to have his own, so he'd feel more separate, because they ARE different characters, with different goals. But Hop is even more annoying than Hau because he just won't shut up. You walk 5 steps and he shows up somewhere, for no reason at all. Meanwhile, there's this big event going down, a crowd has gathered, you get there and... Leon has already resolved it. You just get a picture, that was what you wanted, right? That sums up most of the game 'the adults will deal with this!' . The picture doesn't even look good. Swsh is fond of just showing you pictures, for example, right before the climax when Rose and Leon are talking. There's no background music or anything, just pictures and the sound of the textbox. It feels so low-effort. Also, if you have a character that is a singer, and he uh, he sings, it MAY be a good idea to include VOICE ACTING. They had someone sing in Black and White 2! Surely they can do it on the fucking switch, several years later? The mouths flapping about just feels incredibly awkward. I would recommend the game if you can find it somewhere for cheap, not for the full price. There is enjoyment to be had, but it's subpar in comparison to other games for the same price. I may rant further depending on how much time I have.

[rockmiyabideusexmachina]

2020 Megaman Valentine’s Day Contest - Cat. 1 (Talent) Results!

Thank you to everyone again for your patience! This is getting posted way later than I wanted to. As much as I try to keep it short and sweet, I never do, so bear with my walls of text. 

For the talent category this year, the theme was about killing Mega Man with kindness. More specifically, entrants had to create their own original love/Valentine’s-themed Robot Master or equivalent boss character that was created to defeat Mega Man with the power of love! Even though the theme title and concept alluded more to the classic Robot Master character contests, designs for any series were acceptable. But other than one Navi and one Reploid entry, everyone stuck to a Classic-series themed creation. So you were all pretty consistent! 

There were a total of 16 entries for this category this year. Thank you all for your participation! It was extremely hard to choose winners for this category, because you all had really clever and creative concepts based off of this theme. So thank you for thinking up such clever and cool characters!!

Also thanks to Reploid 21XX for the coloring book prizes and for some additional insight. 

Again, raffle prize winners will be contained in both posts, so keep an eye out between your name and your art. Not all raffle prize winners are contained in this post. I’ll be contacting all winners soon enough, so sit tight! Might be late after work tonight, so don’t panic if you don’t hear from me right after this is posted.

Your category winners and full gallery of entries are right here, after the break:

Category 1 (Talent) -  Dr. Wily’s Greatest Creation: Killing Mega Man With Kindness

[Full Talent Gallery]

1.) @mo-sketchbook​:

*For coming in 1st, mo-sketchbook has won $100 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value AND a Rockman 7 Coloring Book.*

First and foremost, I appreciate all the effort you put into covering so many aspects of your creation, from the various design viewpoints, weapon get form for Mega Man, and showing the weapon in action. I really loved all the things you integrated into the design to give off the feeling that it is a love-based character. The “love bug” form, cherub-like Heat/Plug-type facial features, and how you utilized hearts in different ways for his design and powers. 

I’m no Keiji Inafune, but I feel like this is a concept he would greenlight, in terms of it following his Robot Master design formula. It doesn’t need to be super detailed or flashy, but still fits the mold very well! The thought of the hearts missing their target and love energy then getting weaker is actually pretty clever, too. Cute, and I wuv it. 

2.) @peachycircuits​:

*For coming in 2nd, peachy has won $50 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value AND a Rockman 7 Coloring Book*

As usual, on the technical side of things, your art is one of the more polished and clean entries of the bunch. Combining a couple different aspects - swans as a creature known as a symbol of love, bonded for life like in marriage, and turning that into an inseparable pair of Robot Masters, was a clever way to think about your design, in terms of the theme of this category. 

And then echoing that with the iconic Swan Lake, making them ballet dancers, is like taking Tundra Man and Gemini Man’s concept up another notch. Plus, not gonna lie, amused seeing Mega Man getting equipped with a tutu. LOL So even if it’s not as heart-themed as most of the other entries, I totally liked how you thought outside the box a little bit for this. 

3.) Komito Amae:

*For coming in 3rd, Komito has won $25 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value*

I figured a cupid-styled arrow theme would pop up in a bunch of entries, but your Reploid, Beta, here caught my eye. Both in terms of the hearts, arrows and wings incorporated into her armor, and the pretty sweet looking buster that she and X both have equipped. 

While I’m not sure how it would play out in the game, I think it would be interesting to suddenly take control of random enemies in a stage, and be able to change perspective as them for a short time, after you have shot them. Whether it would be to take out an enemy horde, or perform a task X can’t that the enemy could, it would be different! Can’t see it quite having the same powerful effect on a Maverick boss, but it’s certainly neat to think about how that could work!

And the rest of the wonderful entries, in alphabetical order by alias: 

@autobot-bumblebee​:

*Raffle Prize Winner*  Dreamwave Comics: Issue 4 Page 15

I’m sorry you didn’t win a cash prize this time! Please don’t take me hostage! I totally loved the creative vintage chocolate factory mascot backstory, along with making your entry like an Ariga-styled character sheet page. Certainly get that retro feel with her clothing design. Her rose blade kinda reminds me of other hand-turned-blade-like-weapon characters, such as Alan Gabriel in the Big O or Ed transmuting one in FMA. Which is always a snazzy transformation for a robot!

@drewblossom​:

In all honesty, if I hadn’t placed you in the humor category, I think this would have very likely been somewhere in the top 3 for this category. A cuddly teddy bear with a massive Ariga-Quick Man-sized heart for a chest, extending flailing tube arms, who just wants to hug Mega Man to death is so amusing and awesome of a design. Hugs for everyone!

FluffyFrostyFury:

Your take of heat-seeking arrows and the added high jump powers were certainly a different take compared to the other cupid-styled creations. Definitely would be nice gameplay bonuses when equipped. I like how Mega Man also has the wings sprout out of his head, to mimic Cherub Woman’s pigtails, rather than the usual spot you would assume, on his back. 

HealerCharm:

Hahaha, I love how your creation has caused Mega Man to wave the white flag after falling in love...wait, it isn’t White Day, and he should be giving her a gift if it was! XD Her hair tied up into a heart was a creative touch, much like how her dress flows into all those heart shapes. Adorable!

@inanehipsterslang​:

Um, can...can I count on you to vote for Bernie this election year?

Remember kids, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, looks don’t matter. Everyone deserves love, even those you consider ‘vermin.’ This was certainly an unexpected take on the theme, and gave me a good laugh, too. ‘Boiling-hot water...with a hint of citrus!’ It burns, but it smells so lemony-fresh!! XD But the two different moves fit together well, to protect and attack. 

I like how you still incorporated a heart shape into Rodent Woman’s design with, both in her chest shape and the “nostril” area which is echoed in the Rodent Rover. And also props for giving her the non-armor form, unique compared to other entries. 

Mattasaurs:

On the one hand, your design feels so different for a Robot Master, and maybe more Navi-like. But then I get the Astro/Galaxy-type eye vibe, and sort of a Plant Man~ish body with Devil hands feel, and see how it’d fit into Classic. It’s a unique look, and I liked it the more I inspected it. I really do love the idea of the heart bubble entrapping more and more enemies, and the big ol’ group hug ending up bursting their love bubble. It’s a different concept that stood out!

Minnie:

Our Navi of the bunch combined the love bug and cupid design, but your concept changed up the attack to suck out the energy of it’s target. Which almost made me think she should have an arrow-like mosquito nose, to feast on her target that way. XD I liked your wing shield concept and RiCO-styled skirt of hearts. Rock gets some cool shades in his Love Soul/Cross form, and I get the ProtoSoul vibe, with the shield transferring to his arm as well.

@pstart​:

Another Heat/Plug-type design Share Man looks cute and sleepy, but is also “clumsy and weak.” His ability is to share body parts, so “the danger is in him sharing his less than ideal parts with his opponents.” It’s a totally neat concept, to see Mega Man lose his buster almost by accident, and now be powerless to stop Share Man. His split color scheme drives home the concept that his parts might not all be his own, and sort of a Frankenstein bot at times. Props to that idea!

While his weapon gives Mega Man the power to make enemies docile and sleepy, I really almost want to see Mega Man get dumb parts of enemies, too! Helmet switched to a Met helmet, Batton wings, a big Suzy eye! It’s now I’ve got your power...but...but what am I supposed to do with it? XD

RetroNinjin:

Unlike most others, your entry pushed the heart theme heavily in her armor design around the entire head and shoulder parts, so I definitely felt the love vibe. The color scheme fits well. Just would have liked to have had seen a little more information about her attack and concept.

RoninApprentice:

Mega Man having a “Wing Man” to set him up is a hilarious and clever idea! I give you kudos for thinking outside the box a bit on your concept and theme here. The shipping chart certainly drives the idea home, too. You still give him a classy/formal look, and keep the wing man aviation origin apparent in his attack style. Certainly a different idea having the heart bowtie transfer to Rock’s helmet in the form change, but it really doesn’t look that bad there, opposed to around his neck like it would be normally.

@star-crossed-swords​:

Different from the other cupid concepts, Eros Woman utilizes a Search-Man like targeting system to hit her targets. I like the heart scope addition over her and Rock’s eye when they go into firing mode. You took a different approach to the wing concept compared to others, echoing Cinnamon’s hairstyle in many respects. But it certainly fits with the rest of her design nicely, and looks good for Mega Man’s equipped form.

@star-shaped-soul:

Love that you were able to both include a drawing and your own sprite, to mix in with the weapon equip ones. That is one powerful crush Mega Man has on his enemies now! I feel bad for Crush Man with how big and heavy those snare trap hands of his are. This seems like a Robot Master too cute for Wily to design; more like he stole him and added horrible, cruel hands onto him! This is taking a crush on someone to a whole different level! XD

Yuri Kadry:

When equipped with Cupid Man’s power, I like the visor Mega Man gets. I think this is also a clever use of the weapon, having enemies shot attracted to one another, causing them to collide into each other. Well thought out! Love the original sprite art, and he stands out nicely against the pinks and purples in the background. 

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 3

 Thanks, I Hate It!

This week, we move forward by first jumping backwards. Last episode, the Bad Kids found that Riz and Fig were missing. Now, we get to see what happened in the meantime. Riz was in his office, trying to put together anything new on the Nightmare King. We’re reminded that his sword--the Sword of Shadows which he got from the arcade and lets him misty step (also, which he used to kill Kalvaxus)--was made by Tabaxi ninjas (seemingly relevant considering the whole Shadowcat thing). He notices that, in his photo, Kalina’s image doesn’t look as time-worn as the rest of it, as if only the part where she appears was protected. He hears a noise and goes to investigate. What he finds, is a creepy-ass nightmare skeleton person in the mirror claiming to be Baron, from the Baronees (the person he on the fly lied--poorly--that he was dating in ep 1). Respecting the fact that Murph never clarified whether Baron was a guy or a girl, Brennan has Baron exclusively refer to themselves as Riz’s R̵̪̹̄o̸̱͝m̸͔͔̂̽a̴͕̾̈́n̵͙̬͒c̸̣̏͠ḙ̸̃̓ ̶̞̇̕P̸̞͚̈́a̸͉͒͝r̴̛͈͈t̷͓͇̋͒n̸̬͛̈́e̴̮̒r̴̝̃̓ in this mega-cursed, fake Swedish(?) accent.

Thanks, I hate it. 

Riz, faced with his lie brought to life, is pretty freaked and tries to shoot it but he’s quickly subdued and dragged into the mirror. Luckily, he’s able to leave the photo for his friends to find. 

Meanwhile, Fig spent the night in a weird fugue state--almost like an enjoyable nightmare. Most of her focus is on this feeling of isolation, fame, and power--but in a good way. In the background, she’s doing some unimportant stuff. You know, packing her stuff, stealing a gem, trapping Gorthalax in it, and going to Bastion City. No big deal. Anyway, that brings us back to the present with the rest of our party.

They make it to Bastion City and, more importantly, the hotel where Fig is supposed to be. On the way, Adaine tries to detect magic on Sandra-Lynn to try and figure out why she can see the photograph but nothing comes up. At the hotel, they unsuccessfully try to get the concierge to tell them where Fig’s room is. Adaine detects that the receptionist has some kind of transmutation on them and her first thought is, “Magic plastic surgery.” She dispels it. Not magic plastic surgery. The concierge is a demon--which is different and worse than devils who are at least lawful and, like, part of the bureaucracy of punishing people who deserve it.

Anyway, fight time! A lot happens during this fight so I’m going to try and highlight the most important parts:

All the employees in the immediate area turn into various demons to fight the party.

Adaine and Kristen catch sight of Fig’s room number (downstairs penthouse) right before the fight starts and, at the top of the initiative, Adaine goes invisible and runs for the elevator. 

Fabian vaults of Gilear’s face--unnecessarily--and rolls a nat 20.

Gilear (who has FIVE hit points) ducks and covers because of course he does. That doesn’t stop him from being completely obliterated by one punch from one of the huge gorilla demons. He freaking DIES. Thanks, I hate it.

Downstairs, Adaine finds a bunch more demons who are with Fig who is clearly being mind controlled. They have Riz strapped to a table and Fig’s about to stab him with a ritualistic knife. Adaine goes for a dispel magic and gets advantage because of Boggy which leads to her rolling *two nat 20s* and snapping her out of it immediately. 

In a very boss move, Fig immediately grabs Riz and dimension doors him out of his restraints and them both to the coat check where she left the ruby with Gorthalax. Before they poof out, Riz sees yellow eyes in the shadows. Familiar tabaxi eyes. Seemed like she was calling shots. 

Riz gets in a very cool kill with the line, “Tell Daybreak I said hi.”

Fig finds out Gilear is dead and grabs his soul. Kristen heals him up.

Fabian vaults off of Gilear a second time and rolls a nat 1, sending him back into death saves. 

Kristen tosses a spare the dying at Gilear and then kisses full wolfed out Tracker because time isn’t of the essence or anything.

Fig grabs the ruby Gorthalax is in and sees that it’s cloudy--cursed somehow to keep them from breaking him out. Not good. She also finds a bunch of other gems which she also grabs.

We meet Kristen’s new spirit guardians which are now hipster Post-Grad philosophy students in a full spectral coffee shop. She finds them insufferable but is also kind of into it. 

They clean up the rest of the demons and then Fabian does donuts on the Hangman. And we are out of combat.

Fig is a little distraught about having almost killed Riz and brought them all into this dangerous situation which literally killed Gilear--even though no one else blames her even a little. Gilear has a bit of a breakdown which is fair. The man died. They try to send him home--Fig wants to give him 10k gold and send him on vacation--but he is determined to stay and experience things and be useful. Also, Fabian has it in his (and Gorgug’s) head that Gilear must be some kind of chosen one since one of the demons in the fight chose to attack Gilear over him. 

Fig looks through the other gems she got and only one--a Celestial Sapphire--is similar to size to Gorthalax’s. When they bring it out, a slot in Gorgug’s van pops open. They slot the Sapphire in and, through the radio, an Angelic voice speaks to them. He sounds like Owen Wilson and he doesn’t remember his name. The Hangman hates him immediately. Fig pretends to be a cop to get info from the cops that arrive on the scene, doesn’t find out anything useful, but does roll a nat 20 on her deception (come on) and briefly turns the game into the sister, cop-drama show set in the same universe as the Grey’s Anatomy sham-life she’s living, kissing another full adult man. Incredible. 

They regroup at a posh restaurant/cafe called The Swan’s Little Parade. Sklonda calls and, after she and Sandra-Lynn do the mom-catch up thing, she has a quick talk with Riz where we find out a few things about Kalina:

She only worked with Pok on missions between Falinel and Solace.

She was great at going invisible and other infiltration things.

(Note: We actually learned this earlier but I wanted to keep this info together)She looks more like a traditional housecat than a big cat like some other tabaxi.

It’s extremely hard to scry on her. 

She didn’t attend Pok’s funeral.

The last time Sklonda heard from her was 12ish years ago.

Riz only encountered her a few times as a kid. 

Last Sklonda remembers, she reached out to Pok it was something to do with the ship the Oracle sank on. 

They pass around the picture to see who can see it and not only does it appear that Ragh can see her (oh, kinda implied this before but Riz can too) he also seemed really bugged out. Tracker says she can use her cleric mojo to put up some wards to (1) keep them from getting mind whammied like Fig did overnight and (2) maybe make Ragh feel safe enough to talk. She also suggests they all sleep in a huge dog pile for safety which I think is great and someone should draw that.

Gorgug gets a text. It’s Zelda. She can’t believe he left without saying goodbye.

Thanks, I hate it. 

Detention

Fabian for Using Gilear as a Launch Pad Two (2) Times

This was a top contender for this spot, even before Fabian did this a second time and screwed up so bad (nat 1!) that Gilear dropped to zero again and had to make death saving throws.    

Honor Roll

Adaine for Freeing Fig 

Listen, I will freely admit that I have a clear bias towards Adaine. You got me. She’s my favorite. HOWEVER, you cannot tell me that going invisible, rushing straight to the elevator, then rolling double nat 20s (a 1/400 chance) to release Fig from domination right before she plunged a knife into Riz’s heart wasn’t the sickest series of events that happened during this ep. What could possibly compete? 

Random Thoughts

I’ve been trying to figure out the rhyme or reason to who can see the full photo but I haven’t figured out a pattern yet. It’s not that only people who have seen her before can see her because Sandra-Lynn can see it and she said she’s never met her--although I guess it’s possible that she has and she didn’t recognize her since she’s a super spy. And it’s not a blanket thing on the Bad Kids specifically because Riz can see her. I was hoping they’d show it to more people so we could get a better idea of the rules. Maybe it’s based entirely on if she wants to be seen by that specific person? But then why wouldn’t it default to the blank image. It seems (from our limited POV) that most people can see her. Maybe for most people a blank space would be more suspicious than a random tabaxi? Idk.  

Riz forcibly installing himself as Fabian’s best friend and it working is low key the funniest relationship development in FH. I’m so glad Murph and Lou ran with that. Also, the fact that he’s basically accepted that Riz is his best friend but the Hangman hasn’t at all is so good. 

Brennan really just shot Zac in the head at point blank range at the end of the episode, huh? He really just did that to our boy. What’s also funny is that, unlike--say--CR where there’s usually at least a good minute of decompression and goodbyes, Brennan just goes for the kill shot and then peaces out immediately. What a power move. 

Also, poor Zelda! She’s already so insecure, this isn’t gonna be good for her self esteem. Arguably, there were extenuating circumstances Gorgug can claim but you know that’s only gonna help so much since he def could have at least called/texted her to let her know he had to leave in a hurry because Fig/Riz were missing. I wonder if there’s a section of the binder on this. 

For reference, the demons they fight in the hotel lobby are a Cambion, and then several barlgura and skeksis.

“He’s just a guy!” He certainly is. Check out his stats. Hilarious but also, I can’t act like my stats would look that much different. 

I truly, truly cannot believe that Emily pulled the exact same hospital stunt again and it resolved in exactly the same way. This is like when I played blackjack with my brother when I was a teenager to teach him that the house always wins and he hit 21 twice in a row. 

Also on the topic of Fig, her coming down from her mind control was my favorite part of this episode, for a couple of reasons. I love how sincerely Emily played the immediate shock and horror at what she almost did (closed book my ass). I love how every other person was so happy to get her back. I love that none of them even entertained the thought that she might be dangerous or untrustworthy now. Relationships at the intersection of constant bullying and ride or die are my favorite. 

While we’re on the topic of emotional scenes, Gilear full breaking down in the van post-fight was very funny but you also genuinely felt for the guy. It’s been a really long day for the guy and he died like one and a half times. His, “I haven’t experienced anything before this moment,” line really hit me hard. And I think it’s very wild that Brennan set the DC for convincing him to go home at 25 (which Fig did not pass with a 21). It’s very interesting that Gilear’s reaction to this series of events was to double down and be like, I *need* to be here. Seems like this could be a set up for some interesting Gilear development. 

The amount of times I have almost typed Balnor is unreal. My brain stores all the middle aged men hanging out with people too young for him to be hanging out with in the same folder.  

I can’t believe Adaine just went for that dispel except that I can because she did the exact thing with Iris’ wig at the NY live show and I couldn’t believe that either! I really did not think (1) that was a good move or (2) gonna lead to combat (except for the kind that gets you banned from a hotel). I completely misread that situation. Like, it’s a world full of magic. It’s not that weird that a random person would have a spell on them. Anyway, this is why she’s the oracle and I’m not. 

The Barlgura needed a 3 or higher to hit Gilear. He got a 19. Yikes.

“I had to ask.”/ “No you didn’t.” (The crew explodes into laughter.)

Riz tells the whole gang about the Baron thing and tells everyone that they need to stop lying in case all their lies are gonna pop out and attack them. Gorgug admits that he’s kissed the Hangman. Kristen confesses to a group of her closest friends and girlfriend that she is gay. Tracker is like, “Babe, what?” Tracker (and the Bad Kids but in a different way) must really love Kristen because she is just so much all the time. 

Fabian: Who are you seeing then?/Riz:...................No one. 

Ally Middle Name Beardsly wtf is a paranoia check? 

The comedic rhythm of Fabian vaulting off of Gilear’s face with a nat 20, him dying, being resurrected, and the Fabian trying to do it again with a nat 1 and knocking him near death is so perfect that it’s wild that it was totally random. This is the kind of thing that makes you get superstitious about dice. 

We’re introduced to Boggy’s second mood this ep which is Boggy’s mood which is a slightly squinted, “Hmm...I don’t know about this.” Thanks, I love it. 

In addition to considering Gilear might be the chosen one (by who? Of what? They don’t know and neither do I) the half of the group entertaining this theory also considers Gilear might be the Nightmare King (”If you are you have to tell me. I’m your daughter.”). I don’t know if the NK does possession but please have the NK possess Gilear at some point. If the theme of this season is carefully filing away random off the cuff gags and making them plot relevant, please let this be one of them. Also, lol at Murph trying to roll high enough so that Riz has the knowledge to stop the shenanigans before it derails the whole campaign.  

The group bestows upon Gilear the positions of Tour Manager, Social Media Manager, and Honorary Bad Kid (listed last of course).

Fig grabbed a lanyard of out Adaine’s jacket and I remembered, oh yeah, she has a very magical jacket that is only ever used for shenanigans, if at all. Imagine being so magic that you have a magic jacket that you’re always wearing that can summon anything (w/i reason) and you just kinda...forget about it most of the time. 

Curious about why Fig specifically was called in to do the sacrifice and why Riz was the one who had to be sacrificed. 

I hope Adaine just continues to loan out Boggy to anyone having a bad day. I love that.

“Maybe this is one of those massages that hurt.”

Really wanted Hilariel to Skype in and ask about Gilear. Her take on everything is always so funny. She is as crazy as everyone else in her family but in such a low key way.  

Lol at the party being like, “Yeah, Tracker healed me just fine without any 69-ing,” which is truly an incomprehensible sentence without context and still mostly incomprehensible with context. 

Don’t wanna overlook the coolness of Fig rolling double 17s (disadvantaged) to command the barlguras. Not magically, just convincing them she was still in charge of them. Very clutch.

Fabian is so much chiller about letting people on his motorbike these days. He let Gilear ride it. He let Riz ride it. He gave a blanket invitation for anyone in the area to hop on before he did donuts. I love Sophomore Fabian. 

Gilear gets a nat 20 for his first roll! Riz and Kristen got two nat 20s. Fig got one, Gorgug got one (he rolled a second one that was lost with disadvantage), and Adaine rolled two but they really only count as one since it was with advantage. Fabian rolled one of each. That’s a lot of 20s for one ep!