#my shields break and i spin around the stage to charge it again

[kulvefaggoth]

New Caliban is so fucking good. I always knew there was some potential for that little weirdo to be a satisfying frame to use

[drjohndisco]

The End Of Their Tale

[ Ao3 Link ]

Pairing: n/a

Warnings: major character death, descriptions of body horror/mentions of blood, torture.

Summary: Yarrow and Wesley fight and die together.

Notes: 1) I know I initially said that Yarrow's death would be a mercy kill, but then decided against it. I wanted them to die without negative connotations. 2) The weird garden that Fred and Yarrow are in is like the white room at W&H, just somewhere in the fae realm. Yarrow used this to say a proper goodbye to Fred, as they knew they'd (also) fade from existence.

[ Lorne ]

Yarrow was standing off to the side of the stage when he finished his set. They had a pensive expression on their face, and were awkwardly fiddling with the sleeves of their jacket. Lorne noted that it was slightly too big, so it had to belong to Wesley.

‘What’s wrong, sugar?’ Lorne asked kindly.

‘I need your help with something.’ Yarrow replied.

‘Go on...’

‘I, uh, I know we haven’t gone over the plan for tonight yet..’

‘How desperate are we talking here?’ Lorne interrupted, sensing Yarrow didn’t want to finish that thought.

‘...last chance.’ Yarrow whispered. Lorne’s eyebrows rose, but he didn’t say anything. 

‘I just, I need reassurance that if I can record something after I go and see the fairies, you can get it to my dad. To--to Rupert Giles. I want him to hear it first.'

Lorne nodded. Yarrow then sat down on the wooden floorboards and their hands glowed. The mirror floated up from their pocket and began to spin. Light then filled the room, making Lorne shield his eyes. When he opened them again Yarrow had disappeared (presumably to the fairy realm.)

‘Hope you know what you’re doin’, kid.’ Lorne muttered.

[ Wesley - later ]

‘The rest of the circle will wither and die.’ Wesley said as he threw Vail backwards, breaking the demon’s chair as he did so. A small ball of magic glowed in his palm and behind him Yarrow summoned their wings and shifted into vampire form.

‘I mean I can crap better magic than that.’ Vail taunted.

So he lifted Wesley up into the air, constricting his airways. Seeing this Yarrow charged headfirst at him, teeth bared. Laughing Vail threw Yarrow behind him, much like one would do to an old boot.

Yarrow crashed to the floor with a thud, their wrists breaking from the force of the fall. Wesley’s eyes widened in shock.

He’d known he wouldn’t last long, but Yarrow? This was shaping up to be the worst case scenario.

‘Did you really think you had a shot at this? I can bend the very fabric of reality to my will.’ Vail asked, smiling. ‘Your parlour tricks could never kill me, boy.’

‘Then I guess, I’ll have to do this the old fashioned way.’ Wesley said, flicking open his switchblade.

‘Yes, I suppose we will.’ Vail replied, stopping Wesley’s hand and summoning a large dagger from the wall stand. Vail then arced it through the air and cut off Yarrow’s wings.

Yarrow, who had stood up while Vail was distracted and had been slowly inching towards him, crumpled to the ground and screamed. 

Wesley watched in horror as their blood began to drip fast from their wounds and pool around their feet on the floor.

(Unfortunatley this meant that he didn't notice Vail's dagger until it was embedded deep in his gut.)

So, through his haze of pain; in a last ditch effort to fight back, Wesley concentrated.

It turned out that he had just enough energy to make another glowing ball of light in his hand -- which he used to push Vail off of his body.

This caused the demon to hit the wall opposite him with a loud crunch, breaking the choke hold he'd had Wesley in.

Now free to breathe, Wesley hunched over in pain and pressed a hand to his wound.

(Both Yarrow and Wesley knew they didn’t have long; they could feel it.)

Wesley took a few shaky steps towards them, and Yarrow reached out towards him, wishing they could touch him one last time. 

‘Wes’, I’m so sorry.’ Yarrow whispered, looking up as Illyria strode into the room, catching Wesley as he collapsed to the ground. 

‘I know you are, my dear. You can let go now, I’ll be alright.’

Yarrow smiled softly, knowing he’d be cared for as he died before closing their eyes. Finally at peace.

[ Fred ]

‘Where am I?’ Fred asked, looking around herself. She was standing in the middle of a garden, filled with bright yellow flowers and a white archway. Light was coming from an unidentifiable source. Also, she was oddly dressed in a white dress with short sleeves.

‘I’m unsure, but it’s certainly not where vampires go when they die.’ A voice replied. Fred raised her hands to shield her eyes (from what she assumed was the sun) and watched as Yarrow stepped through the arch.

They were wearing what they’d been wearing the last time she’d seen them (a denim jacket over a brightly coloured graphic tee with brown pants) but there was something off. Yarrow didn’t seem quite right.

‘You mean you’re--’ Fred asked, pressing a hand to her mouth in shock.

‘I’m afraid so,’ Yarrow said kindly. ‘Now, if you’re wondering what’s wrong with me, the answer to that is, well…nothing. I appear to have been reverted back to how I was before I turned. Back to my factory settings, so to speak. May I hug you?’

Fred nodded, so Yarrow walked over to Fred and embraced her.  

‘I’ve missed you so much.’ Yarrow mumbled, letting her go after a few moments. Then they began to glow slightly.

‘What’s happening?’

‘I don’t---’ Yarrow said, voice shaking. ‘I don’t think I have much time. So, could you do something for me?’

‘Of course.’ Fred replied. ‘What is it?’

Yarrow didn’t say anything, just reached down and plucked a flower. 

‘Plant this for me, will you?’ Fred took the flower from them, and with a quiet pop Yarrow was gone. Processing this a single tear rolled down Fred’s cheek, before she too was gone from this unidentifiable space. (Sent back to the land of the living - to help Wesley.)

[ Giles ]

‘Yarrow?’ Giles asked. ‘It’s 3 o'clock in the morning, what’s going on?’

‘I-’ Yarrow started, beginning to cry. ‘Nothing good, I’m afraid.’

‘Are you all right? Come on, please,’ He was worried now. Yarrow hardly ever showed that much emotion.

‘Just come through the mirror.’ Giles pleaded.

‘I’m afraid that's impossible.’ Yarrow said, quietly. They were crying now. ‘I’m sorry, but you’re not going to like what you’re going to hear next.’

Then Yarrow winked out of his eye sight with a flash of colour, and his phone rang. Giles reached over and picked it up, hitting the button and letting it play.

Giles, hi. If you're listening to this then, I'm dead. The rest of the team are to, probably.

Yeah, I know, I don't like it either.

Wesley's bought us a small plot of land, so I request that you bury me (or us, as is far more likely to be the case) there. I'm sure the fairies will take care of the rest -- and keep my body, or what's left of it, safe for you.

I mean, I hope they will, I did have a long conversation with them about that this morning.

I ask that you break the news gently, please. I don't want to cause any upset.

Dad, I miss you and I'm so deeply sorry.

Love, Yarrow.

(By the time the message had played through Giles was a broken mess. All he could do was sit in the darkness and quietly sob.)

[askroahmmythril]

Thoughts on RM Weapons (4)

Right then, back to this and on to the fourth game :

1) Flash Stopper (Bright Man) - First things first..... it messes me up so much that there’s a Flash Man that also has a “Stopper” weapon, but his is TIME Stopper, not FLASH Stopper...  So anyway, Flash Stopper.  It freezes enemies in place for a set period, but it has some important differences from Time Stopper : It doesn’t fully drain its energy in one go, and you can fire while enemies are frozen in time.  It also has some... weird effects from time to time, like making some enemies pass-through in certain ways.  I’ve seen it used as such to get past the skull cannon enemies in Skull Man’s stage.  It has some nice properties as such for cleanly getting through areas.  It also... kinda makes Pharaoh Man a joke as you can just freeze him at ground level and spam normal shots at him.

2) Dive Missile (Dive Man) - For all intents and purposes, a tracking torpedo... just... not a super accurate one.  The missiles themselves are fairly slow, and can turn in eight directions to try to find their target... which sometimes can result in the missile just spinning around an enemy they can’t quite get a bead on, which is really silly.  Still, some tracking ability is better than none.  They function as Drill Man’s weakness, though sadly, I don’t think they can track or hurt him while he’s underground.  You’d think that would kind of be WHY it was his weakness, wouldn’t you?

3) Skull Barrier (Skull Man) - It...... sure is a barrier?  You’re surrounded by spinning skulls.  Interestingly it has more durability to shots in Mega Man III.  In 4, it goes away once hit with a single projectile, but in III, it can withstand three normal projectiles.  You can actually move while shielded unlike Leaf Shield, but you cannot THROW the shield.  As shields go, it doesn’t tend to stand out much to me admittedly.  The major use for it is against Dive Man, which you do have to be careful about hitting him with it since you have to be super close range to actually hit him.

4) Ring Boomerang (Ring Man) - This was usually the first weapon I tended to to for on a casual run.  Overall it’s a fairly strong weapon, throwing a ring forward that then returns to you.  In IV, it had the added benefit of being able to grab items and bring them to you.  This is one of those with a lot of usefulness, as it serves as a weakness for not only Dust Man, but three different fortress bosses.  Notably, Dust Man is still immune to it while in vacuum mode, as he’s immune to everything in that state.

5) Pharaoh Shot (Pharaoh Man) - My favorite from the 4 set, Pharaoh Shot is a pretty good weapon all around.  You can fire off small fireballs with it, or hold down the fire button to charge a larger fireball.  The charging fireball floats over your head, leading to an interesting property of this weapon : you can crash the charging fireball into an enemy, and then still fire off a fully charged fireball afterwards.  The shots can be fired straight forward, or diagonally up or down, so six direction fire, just not straight up or down.  Pharaoh Shot is a good all around weapon, but most importantly it works as Ring Man’s weakness, and the main weakness of Wily Capsule 4.

6) Drill Bomb (Drill Man) - The explosive weapon of the group, Drill Bomb fires off, as the name implies, an explosive drill bit.  It shoots forward quickly, and detonates on contact.  Unless you hit the fire button again, then it can be detonated earlier.  Thus, if you’d rather hit with the blast range rather than the bomb itself, you can set it off before it makes contact.  Using this method can also make it easier to hit Wily Machine 4′s second form.  Beyond that and taking out bombable walls, it also serves as Toad Man’s weakness... if you really need one for him... poor guy.

7) Dust Crusher (Dust Man) - I always liked just the impact it felt like this weapon had.  It fires a chunk of garbage straight forward, and upon contact with an enemy, it breaks apart into four pieces that fly out in each diagonal direction.  There’s just something very satisfying about hitting with it, just very “chunky” somehow for lack of a better term.  It works as a weakness for Skull Man, as well as Square Machine.

8) Rain Flush (Toad Man) - Kind of the precursor “screen clear” weapon, albeit with a delay.  It shoots a capsule into the sky, and a moment later, acid rain damages all enemies on the screen.  As a screen clear, it does consume ammo quickly, only having seven charges.  Rain Flush is Bright Man’s weakness, which actually highlights an interesting point about Bright Man himself : his use of Flash Stopper is tied to his health.  He will only use it when his health hits three certain points.  And if you use Rain Flush right from the start?  He hits every one of those points.  If you hit him with one normal shot and THEN start using Rain Flush?  He’ll never be able to use Flash Stopper.  In IV, Rain Flush can also be used to put out fires.  Meanwhile in 4, Rain Flush has the dubious honor of being able to actually kill Dr. Wily in a silly bit of a glitch.

[artbyfuji]

R,,,Reincarnation AU; Summer and Raven keep meeting each other (and falling in love ofc lmao) everytime. 🏃

I think my ass just wrote a whole fic up in here lol:

1341

You were the heir to the throne. I was assigned as your personal guard. You hated this life, your family formed you into the perfect being. The smartest. The wisest. The best fighter. But you hated it. They saw you as an object. Just like the subjects of their kingdom. They cared only for status, willing to sacrifice them all in a moments notice. You said I was the first person to view you as something more than a name. More than just the heir to the Rose Kingdom. One day in the royal library, you suggested it. “Let’s run away.” You showed me an old map of the castle, secret tunnels leading outside of the kingdom. 

I was loyal to the kingdom that gave me a chance to be something. But my loyalty to them couldn’t compare to my loyalty to you. We ran away. Crept through the tunnels and fled as far as our legs would take us. We were free, just the two of us, and in that moment, we shared a kiss. It was just us for maybe a year, but forces beyond our control wanted to break us apart. Enemy kingdoms were on the hunt for us, if you were killed it would benefit them immensely. They found us in the cottage we built by the river, it was two assassins intent to slaughter us. We fought but you were always stronger than me, I never understood why they would make me your guard if you could so easily defend yourself. Perhaps it was so I could take the fall in your stead. Maybe that’s what your family viewed me as, not a person, just a shield.

I was over powered, laying by the river bed bleeding out, wouldn’t make it much farther. The assassin grinned as he scraped his blade along the ground. He charged to stab me, but instead of hitting me…. the blade pierced right through your abdomen. I never noticed that you killed the assassins partner, never noticed you jumping into his path. Until it was too late. He pulled the blade from you, and the sound you made hurt me more than these wounds ever could have. But with the last of your strength you killed him, sliced his throat while he was mid swing. You then limped over and laid down beside me. We stared up at the sky, stars were visible and the dusk began to slip away. The sound of the river flowing drowned out our weak breaths.

Your bloodied hand grabbed for mine squeezing it as tight you could manage. Then we turned to look at each other, your lone silver eye piercing me to my core. Your smile barely masked the pained emotions creeping under the surface. I wanted to be angry with you. for taking the blade for me. But some reason, I felt nothing…. I was just lost in your presence. You looked me in the eyes and said it “we’ll find each other again.” It was a statement like you were positive this wouldn’t be the end of our story. I smiled… because I believed you. We both looked at the sky again. Watched the stars shine in the dark blue night sky.

Until it was black that consumed us both.

1674

Seeing you again shocked me to my core. We lived in the same town, I worked as a carpenter with my brother. You were an apprentice to a tailor. You wandered into our shop in hopes of getting a stool repaired. We looked each other in the eyes and just knew… knew of our past lives, of our struggles. Of our promise. We were finally together again. “I didn’t want to lose you again,” I said as we held each other in a tight embrace. “I didn’t want to lose you again,” I said as our lips pressed together for the first time, under that oak tree outside of town. “I didn’t want lose you again,” I said as we laid in the same bed, clothes long abandoned on the floor. “I wouldn’t lose you again,” I said as knelt in front of you holding a ring up. You laughed, and confusion flooded my mind, until you knelt down and showed me the ring you were hiding….. it made our love grow that much more.

We were set to be wed. We decided on late spring, the ceremony would be held on that cliff side you loved so much. The way the sky looked at sunset was a true marvel, with brilliant hues of orange and purple that would dance across the sky. Was this the happiness we deserved in our past lives? I remember regretting asking myself that. Because two months before our wedding, I fell ill. double pneumonia, they said i should cherish the days I have left because it wouldn’t be many. 

It was the eve of our would-be wedding when my body lost its battle. You sat beside the bed everyday soothing my pain. But this day was different, I could barely keep my eyes open, I knew the end was coming, and maybe you did too. Because you reached for my hand and squeezed it tight. You delicately brushed hair away from my eyes and through ragged breaths, I parted them as best I could. your lone silver eye piercing me to my core. It felt familiar. You smiled, leaned down and pressed a kiss against my forehead.

I spoke one final request. “Lay beside me.” I knew you wouldn’t deny it. You got up and walked around the bed, it dipped to my right. You lifted my head and placed it against your chest. Your shirt was soft against my sallow skin. You cradled my weak form. That’s when you whispered it. “We’ll find each other again.” I believed you. I closed my eyes and listened to your heartbeat.

Until i didn’t have the strength to even do that.

1856

Maybe the frustration of how unfairly my life played out in my last incarnation is what caused me to pick such a violent path in the new one. My brother and I were bandits. Robbing train cars and stage coaches to make a living in this cruel world. When we met again I never expected to be looking down the barrel of your gun. It seems you too chose a dangerous path in your new life. You were the leader of a group of train robbers Ivory Rose, and we both had the same idea of robbing a train delivering gold. 

My brother and I joined your group. We took on whatever the world threw at us guns blazing. It was such a thrill, the rush of adrenaline as we dodged bullets together. I remember every close call we had, how the thrill of survival would sometimes turn to lust, how our bodies would meld together whenever we shared a bed in a heady mix of sweat and arousal. This life wasn’t going to end in a happily ever after. But we didn’t really care. We were just happy to find each other again.

Our dangerous life caught up to us. Wanted posters plastered in every town. wanted dead or alive. We stole from one too many of the wrong people and the Pinkertons we encountered chose “dead”. They trapped us in an abandoned lumber factory. They wouldn’t leave until they knew we were dead. You laughed as you reloaded your guns counted how many bullets you had left. I did the same, we both knew we wouldn’t make it far, but we weren’t ones to cower in fear. Everyone outside ceased fire for a moment, and if felt like the world ceased spinning for a moment, maybe giving us one last chance to say goodbye. We used that time to look each other in the eyes, your lone silver eye piercing my very core. We shared a kiss. Your lips burned like fire against mine. You said those words again. “We’ll find each other again.” I believed you. We ran out into gun fire. I can’t say I remember much after that.

But i’m sure you lasted just a bit longer than me.

1915

Our time together lasted long this time. It was the turn of the century when we met, we were just children, I was 5 you were 6. And we became close friends. “Inseparable,” as everyone in town liked to call it. I remember all the days we spent under that weeping willow just outside of town. Picking flowers, or blowing dandelions in the wind. Sometimes I wished for simple things. Money to buy a pastry from the bakery, or a pair of shoes I saw the shoemaker putting on display. But in my teenage years I almost always found myself asking the same question. “Please let her love me back.” 

I sometimes wondered if you wished the same thing. A few years later, my wish came true and we chose to be more than friends. I was 20 and you were 21 when we shared a kiss. I would never forget how soft your lips felt against mine. But things were soon going to test our love.

In 1914 the great war began. In 1915 it was right outside our town.

Our love was strong even as air crafts flew over our town dropping bombs. Our love was strong even as we stood in the middle of destruction. Our love was so strong when enemy soldiers grabbed us and forced us to kneel down with other survivors. They shot down the line killing everyone until it was just the two of us left. It was so easy to see what we meant to each other so the leader of the group played a game. A fucking game. “Eenie” the barrel of his gun pointed to you. “Meenie” it pointed to me. “Miney” back to you. He stretched it on and on and ON until he said the final “moe” and the barrel landed on you. 

I remember screaming. Remember him tell the other soldiers to hold me down. I was scared but you just smiled. You looked towards me and just smiled. Your lone silver eye piercing my very core. That gaze, that beautiful gaze, it always had a way of erasing my fears. That’s when you said it “we’ll find each other again.” I believed you. I had to believe you. I would always believe you.

You died first. And the last thing I remember was how wrong it felt.

1982

I was far older than you this time. The more decades that passed, the more convinced I was that I would never find you again. I sat in the gardens of the hospital, how curious it is knowing that you’ll die. They gave me three months to live. I craved your presence. What would you look like? Did you dying first in the last life break the chain? Would i never see you again? Would I be born again over and over cursed to never find you? Lost in my thoughts, a ball rolled towards me. Almost didn’t realize it at first but I could never forget that silver gaze. The child that came to retrieve the ball…. was you. Eight years old and just as sick as me. Was the universe laughing at us? Trying to finally separate us for good? For weeks we talked to each other. Right here in the gardens. You had the memories of past lives, but you were so young and you couldn’t understand what they meant. You called them “sad thoughts” memories of how you died in past lives would turn up in your dreams and it scared you. But you said once we met, they stopped. I enjoyed your company, but i hope you could forgive me for wondering what our time together would be like had we been the same age.

I remember always wondering how you died in our second lifetime. But maybe its better that I never asked.

One day you looked nervous. I asked what was wrong. You said you had a surgery in a few days, the doctors told you it would help your heart. I would grab your hand and squeeze, it was about the only thing I could manage to do for you in this lifetime. You looked up to me, your silver eyes pierced my very core, it was the first time I saw you without an eyepatch, there was such an innocence to them. I smiled and told you to everything would be okay…. and you believed me. 

A few days later I asked some nurses about you, about the child in Room 207. The somber looks on their face told me everything I needed to know. You died first again.

And this time you never said that we’ll find each other again.

2004

I sit in these college classes everyday. Lessons these professors teach barely process in my mind. In my philosophy class I always look down at the woman with dark red hair tied in a half bun, her eye patch, her breathtaking silver gaze. We pass each other in the halls, on campus. Her dorm is right next to mine.

Sometime’s when I pull up on my motorcycle at my spot on the campus parking lot, she is there. Talking with a friend. Some guy with blond hair. The first time we met she admired the paint job on my bike. She attempted to introduce herself. “By the way my name is-”

“Summer.” I said. Was I smiling? I think so. But I remember concern clouding my mind when she looked confused.

“How’d you know? Have we met before?”

I remember you. I remember all your past lives. I remember that child with the ball. The woman knelt in front of the barrel of a gun. The train robber that took on gun fire. The tailor’s apprentice. The heir to the Rose Kingdom. 

So why don’t you remember me?

[chaniters]

Masquerade

The next part of @kruk-art‘s Awan Cormac fic.  Writing the final parts of this finally!

Infiltrating GeniTech’s party, the rangers attempt to change the board’s mind about the riot, but things on the inside aren’t as calm as they initially seem. 

Spoilers ahead for Rebirth, as usual. 

__________________________________

You glance nervously to your left, as a whole platoon of soldiers clad in articulated carapace armors scrambles through the corridors ahead of you.

In your mind, GeniTech’s Arcology is now the Trojan fortification, the rioters are the greek, and the lot of you are a an improvised rebellious third party refusing to let history repeat itself, hidden inside the wooden horse Ortega asked you to build. All you can do is hope it won’t get burnt before crossing the gate.  

“You’re clear.” the guard announces. “Excuse me for the delay, we didn’t think anyone would be joining this late… especially with what’s happening…”

Ortega watches him without a word, before putting his mask back on. 

“...Enjoy the party” the guard states drily, opening the gate. 

All of you walk past, putting your masks back on, not stopping until the elevator’s doors close. It quickly fires upwards, taking you to the upper floor, where GeniTech’s Halloween celebration takes place. 

“Well done everyone,” Ortega says when it seems no guards are listening. 

Elyise disabled the dampeners, Steel used your scrambler to deactivate their retinal scan and you made them think you were legitimate party guests and that everything was in order. Anathema added fake zippers and other details to your suits so they have a Halloween-costume flair to them.   

This would have been pretty standard infiltration were you still at the farm, but it’s blowing your mind for completely different reasons.  Most humans wouldn’t know what to say to their creator if that even existed. That’s no dilemma for you, though.  The farm might have assembled you, but GeniTech came up with the very idea of you. What would you say to them, the people who invented you? What would you even…-

“Be on alert everyone,” you say coming back to earth. “Steel, will use his scanners to find board members. Elyise will deactivate the scramblers in the area one at a time. The rest, distract them with conversation until Ortega can get into position, and then…” you go on explaining. 

You suggested using your powers to change the Boards mind and let the people take refuge in the Arcology, but, it was Ortega who came up with this infernal plan. You have to admit it was a really good one. You still suggested a ton of changes needed for it to actually work, and the Marshall ended up putting you in charge in return. Steel’s glare made It’s painfully obvious everyone now knows you’ve got more experience with covert operations than any of them suspected, a point you had been trying to conceal, but that can’t be helped. 

“We’re here. Remember, mingle and wait for Steel’s word. Ready, Marshall?” you ask looking to Ortega, who gives a quick nod, giving this operation the go signal.

___________________________________

“...We appreciate power

I'll evade the human race, putting makeup on my face…”

You being you, the lyrics are frankly disturbing. At least that’s all you can think as you turn your back on the live band, broadcast via a hologram on the stage.

You take a drink from a passing waiter and walk up to the glass wall. The sight is magnificent from atop the central spire of the arcology, even obscured as it is now, possibly to diminish the sight of the fires and the approaching riot.  As Ortega Explained, Halloween has a different meaning for the genecorps. They created superheroes and their worship. These parties are an occasion to dress up as their creations, bask in their glory, and the profits they bring. There are posters of all of GeniTechs’ sponsored heroes on the walls. Even with the dampeners online, you can almost feel the gigantic egos of everyone inside.

It’s easy to understand why won’t they just call off the party from up here. This whole building is a pharaonic monument to their vanity and pride, and they won’t let Psychopathor, the public or anyone else get in their way. They own the west coast and will prove their power to anyone who dares interfere. If there has to be a war, they have the guns, soldiers and the technology to win it. They will put the rabble back in their place, or at least that’s what they think will happen. 

These people are loaded to a degree you hadn’t even considered could exist.  Their impossibly expensive costumes are sometimes better than those worn by some actual heroes you’ve met. There is an Owl walking by that has a reactive armor piece that the original could never afford. You saw someone wearing your own hero persona in a skintight armored nanomesh that could have taken bullets as if they were candy. She scoffed at your own, by comparison, shoddy suit, leaving you with all manner of questions. 

Are you the knockoff here?!

“Big party, huh?” someone says, holding a drink next to you. “First time to an event like this”

You turn to see The Void, drinking a colored shot next to you, only his lips visible with the mask partially pulled up.

“You too?” you say trying to strike a conversation, as you were taught to do. “I must confess, I’ve never seen a party like this before.”  

“Well, I plan to see many more like this my friend,” he says with a mischievous soft smile. “Many, many more”

As he says that, you notice many things happening at once.

First, you hear Steel on your left ear, confirming a board member is in your vicinity, which means you should pull over. Before you manage a full step back from the glass wall and this man talking to you, you can feel your thoughts relaxing and the dampeners going down. 

You expand your mind, ready to home in the GeniTech executive like a hornet… but instead realizing the man beside you is the real-

“Nath?!” you exclaim before bitting your tongue. 

“Awan?” he says spilling his drink, glowing eyes on his mask fixated onto you in shock. 

Neither of you even think, farm training actings on its own. Your hand reaches forward, trying to bend his arm backward, but knowing you’re better at judo he spins faster to avoid your grab. You took your chance and failed, and there’s no way to avoid the incoming kick that pushes you deeper into the crowd of fancy rich assholes playing armored heroes and villains. 

A false Green Blast and Ophidian both curse ruining their looks, and by the time you get free of them, The Void has banished among the other costumes. 

“Sidestep! Sidestep, come in?!” Steel’s voice in your ear becomes audible again. “We’ve got the executive! Hurry up”

“I… I just saw The Void,” you say 

“What?!” Ortega’s voice floods the channel. “Mierda, who invited that asshole?”

“ I don’t know… He was just standing there and…”

The music goes on.

“Sidestep, are you ok? You’re looking drowsy” Ortega’s question lingers in your ears.  

The room seems to be spinning with all these insane people’s minds clashing against your weak shields. You hold on to a tall table for a moment, trying to get the world back into focus. 

“I’m ok. Void distracted me, and you know I have to prepare around crowds. These people’s egos are immense, taking it all in after the dampeners went off is too much… and the music’s not helping either.”

“Awan, can you still do this?” he asks

“Yes.” you say straightening up. “I’m ok. Just needed a moment, I’m fine now.” 

“Ok… well then I say we go as planned... Everyone keep watch for The Void. We don’t know what’s he’s doing here and…” 

The music, lights, and everything seems to go off at once, along with his communication. 

Shit.

You’re not caught unaware this time and immediately switch to night vision. All the partygoers seem to be expecting something to happen. Maybe some sort of surprise?

“Use the secondary channel!” you hear Ortega’s voice again, and you quickly adjust, as everyone on the team asks what’s going on.

“Maybe it’s a surprise?” Sunstream asks “I hear these parties can go wild…”

“I don’t think so, this is all too much of a coincidence…” Sentinel says “Something is wrong, I can feel it and...”

The lights go back on, the crowd cheering as Reaper himself is now on stage, wearing his dark cloak, hood and trademark glowing spectral scythe in his left hand. Everybody loves a real legend like him, standing taller than life. 

Still, the cheers die off rather quickly, as they follow his right arm, noticing that he is strangling GeniTech’s CEO with his skeletal fingers while his white skull cackles in a decidedly macabre and less than jovial tone. The scream of pain, the skin wrinkling, the hair going white, turning into a husk, a skeleton, and then finally breaking to pieces and disintegrating… It all seems far too realistic. A few people on the front row cough as they are bathed in handfuls of the floating dust, and everyone’s deathly silent by then.

“Sentinel dear, do you ever get tired of being so fucking right?” Elyise asks tiredly.  

___________________________________________________

My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

The song is We Appreciate Power by Grimes, which of course I do not own.

[wonderlandmind4]

Delicate Stages Drabbles: 19

Just Feel...

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC 

Summary: Drabbles following Delicate Stages. Looking into the life of Bucky and Ana.

Warnings: Language. Feels. Fluff if you squint. Violence. Angst.

Words: 3,026

A/N: (I accidentally deleted the first posted because tumblr is mean) Hi. So. Here it is….the beginning of the end…game….(Do not read unless you’ve read Delicate Stages first)

Wakanda is a beautiful country; filled with stunning sunsets, hidden hot springs, open fields and a general peacefulness over its people. It shouldn’t be colored with the violence that is currently happening below Ana as she stands in front of the window. From the top floor of the Lab, the fighting looks morbidly comically, just little specks running around the landscape.

Tremors of chaotic energy have singed through every fiber of Ana’s body for the past hour. Her bottom lip is raw from how often her teeth has been gnawing on it. The heaviness of anxiety is nearly palpable throughout the room, although it’s overtaken with her own feelings of distress.

Her husband is out there, armed with just a few knives and a semi-automatic rifle, and every piece of her heart. Bucky is putting his life on the line for the fate of the universe, despite how tired he is of war. Ana isn’t. Instead, she’s attempting to ignore how her skin prickles ominously, faint tendrils of charged power.

Ana has no way of communicating with Bucky. She wasn’t given a COM and she highly suspects Bucky requested it. The lingering warmth of his energy is all the connection she has with him. It’s not enough to settle her nerves. She glances over her shoulder at Shuri and Vision; the 3D hologram of the Mind Stone intricately worked on. The young girl’s expression is stoic as she concentrates, deft fingers moving rapidly. Vision is perfectly still, watching her work with curious eyes. Wanda idles nearby, picking at her nails. She’s been mostly silence, adding to the stress of the time sensitive issue.

Fleeting, Ana wonders if she should reach out her empathic healing to at least settle some of Wanda’s anxiety. But Ana is barely holding her own together as it is. She presses her left hand to chest, feeling the cool metal of her wedding band against what’s exposed of her skin above her shirt. Stabs of panic shoots through her heart, makes nausea curl hotly in her stomach.

Wincing, she moves her hand over her navel, squeezing her eyes shut and grinding her teeth. She tries taking slow, deep breaths to calm herself. Bucky is all she can think about. What is happening? Is he in trouble? Is he hurt? Does he need help? Is he-

A quiet gasp snaps Ana out of her thoughts. She glances at Wanda, her eyes wide and staring out the window. Following her gaze, Ana’s spine goes rigid. Several giant alien ships, with wheels that looks like a rotating saws, are attempting to break through the barrier. Twenty seconds later, the barrier fails. Ana quickly meets Wanda’s eyes.

There’s a split second where they just stare at each other, then Wanda shoots a regretful look over her shoulder at Vision. When she looks at Ana again, they nod at the same time, and newfound determination settles between them.

Ana twists her rings on.

*

They are surrounded. It’s been like that since a section of the barrier was opened; one right after one, after ten. A non-stop on slaughter of the six limb Space Dogs, as that trigger-happy talking Raccoon called them. Bucky keeps his eye on him ever since he picked him up and used him as valued support, showering bullets and lasers alike. He figures he’d keep him close by in case he needs help again. No matter how many times the little guy continues to barter for his gun...and his arm. Honestly, Bucky would probably just give his arm to him after this is all over for free. That might be met with violent protests; especially from his wife.

 Bucky has just fired a string of bullets into the next wave of terrifying, ugly aliens, and for a split moment he takes a breath. It’s short lived when one of the creatures ambushes him, or attempts to, dashing out from the thick of the forest. He shoots it down but doesn’t account for the next two. They come at him incredibly fast, snarling and snapping their long sharp teeth, but even quicker they fall to the ground, dead. Bewildered, Bucky peers down at them to see two long knifes lodged through their necks.

 Turning, he expects to see Natasha, or the little Raccoon. What he’s met with instead makes his heart swell, then seize in terror. His wife is casually leaning against a tree, twirling another knife expertly between her fingers. Ana looks like she’s at a practicing range instead of a violent battle field.

 “Glad to see my skills are up to par,” She smirks mischievously, her pretty brown and gold eyes glittering in the sunlight. It warms his heart.

 There’s a pale golden shimmer dancing along her entire body. Bucky doesn’t allow himself to feel relieved that she’s at least protected by the rings. He surveys their surroundings first, then marches over to her, pointing his gun down toward the sky.

 “What the hell are you doing here!?” Bucky hisses at her. He has an urge to touch her, his fingers twitching, but if he does, the force field will knock him back and drain a good amount of his life energy.

 “Helping you.” Ana states defiantly, as she twists the rings off and the glow vanishes. “We couldn’t stay in the Lab, Bucky. Not after those ships broke through.” Her lips tilt down. “The minute Wanda left they attacked, went after Vision. Either way I would have fought.”

 Bucky nods, now able to pull her behind a tree to shield them from sight. He wraps his metal arm around her shoulders, pressing a quick kiss to her eyebrow, and reveling in the comforting scent of her. Still doesn’t stop his heart from racing.

 “Why am I not surprised,” He mumbles against her skin. His eyes are continuously scanning the area behind her. “I just need you to be safe.”

 “Bucky, I can fight, and right now I don’t think there is a safe place. Anywhere.”

 Her voice shakes a little at the end. It makes him set down his rifle against a tree before bringing her in close with both arms. Bucky can’t risk this. He can’t risk everything Ana holds for him; his life, his happiness, his future. He exhales heavily, sliding his hands down her arms to her waist. He presses his thumbs on either side of her hipbones, just over the beginning of her scars. He kisses her furiously, prying her lips open and tasting every ounce of emotions, of Ana.

 She sinks her hand into his tangled sweat damp hair, pulling him closer and sighing softly. He swallows it, wants to distract her enough to bring her home. To make sure she’s out of the line of fire, out of the fight entirely. He’ll never tell her how close he was to having dozens of razor-sharp teeth ripping out his throat. It’s too dangerous, but he knows his defeat when it comes to his wife. Self-preservation is something Ana has always lacked, but he loves every single part of her.

 “Stay hidden,” He commands quietly, after breaking their kiss. He presses his forehead to hers. “Fight in the shadows. I can’t lose you.” He rubs soothing circles into her stomach with his thumbs; he felt the strange wave of nausea earlier too.

 “You won’t. I’ll be careful,” Ana whispers, holding his face between her hands. A gentle warmth seeps throughout his bones, a promise. “I love you. I’ll watch your back.”

 Ignoring all the warning signs screaming that this is a horrible idea, Bucky kisses her once more. “I love you, too, Annie Doll.”

 Then he’s releasing her, picking his gun back up. He pulls another knife from his thigh holster, handing it to her. She nods, winks, then quickly moves into a thick patch of bushes. Bucky tampers down his fear, then returns to the fight.

 *

 The air is thick with kinetic energy. Ana inhales deeply, pulling it out of the air, gathering the force of energy between her hands. She feels the charge of it hot against her palms, hears the animalistic sounds of those hideous aliens. She waits with anticipation, until the creatures are right where she wants them. Then she shoves her hands against a loose boulder, sending it flying with the kinetic energy. It smacks right into the three aliens, crushing them against a larger wall of rock.

More wet, snapping sounds alert Ana to the aliens behind her. Spinning, she pulls out the glock she found in the Lab, firing a perfect shot straight through the creature’s eye. It drops to the ground. Another follows immediately, Ana firing, but misses as the alien dodges the bullets. Instead, she’s quick to grab the knife Bucky handed her, jerking her hand forward. The blade slices perfectly through its neck, the alien falling dead next to its kind.

A figure shifts out of the corner of her eye, Ana throwing several smaller knives at three other aliens. She ends the last four of them by thrusting her hands out. One barely touches her palms before a bright, burning light engulfs its body. She feels the foreign life force of the alien before it falls, dead. Pulling back her arms, she shoves them forward once more. A force of burning energy releases from her palms, piercing through the aliens bodies.

Blinking, Ana straightens, feeling a little out of breath, but otherwise perfectly fine. She surveys the ground, realizing she’s standing in the middle of a morbid circle, lifeless ugly alien bodies on the ground.

“Gross,” She grimaces to herself as she pulls Bucky’s knife out of a jugular.

She hurriedly goes about collecting the other small knives, cleaning them on her black pants. She ignores what she is exactly cleaning off and makes a mental note to not tell Bucky how close she had to be to drain the alien’s life. It’s that split second distraction that nearly costs her own.

That horrible alien noise comes from behind her. She’s too slow as she raises her hands, the alien within two feet of her before there’s a bright blue light over her left shoulder. It abruptly crumbles to the ground. Startled with confusion, Ana turns to see who just saved her.

Surprisingly her savior isn’t Bucky, or Steve, not even Wanda who has disappeared elsewhere. Instead, a smaller body holding what looks like a laser gun, is standing there with a satisfied smirk. Ana doesn’t even question why there seems to be a raccoon with a gun half its size in Wakanda.

“Thanks,” Ana nods in appreciation, sticking the last of the smaller knives into her belt. She surveys the area quickly before meeting the his gaze again. She pushes aside strays hairs loose from her braid. “Cool gun.”

“Neat trick you got there,” He tells her, with a voice deeper than Ana imagined. “What is it, some kind of plasma energy force?”

“You know, I’m not entirely sure. Let’s go with, yes.”

A frustrated yelp that sounds suspiciously like Bucky pulls her attention away. Ana hurriedly climbs on a fallen tree branch, enough of a height boost to see Bucky through a clearing. He’s just finished yanking his left fist back from under an alien’s chin, knife clutch in his hand, the blade bloody. Ana pulls her gun back out, aiming for a moment, then squeezes the trigger, the bullet penetrating through the oddly shaped head of the creature.

Bucky looks over, raising his knife and has the audacity to smirk. “Thanks, my darling spouse!”

Exasperated, she rolls her eyes. “Told you I got your back! Gotta work on your rusty skills, Snowflake. ”

“Not all of my skills are rusty, sweetheart,” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, then takes off running towards more trees.

“I swear, always in the mist of a fight and he still flirts,” Ana grumbles, but she can’t keep the smile of her face as she comes down from the rock.

“Huh,” The raccoon speaks up, his dark eyes glittering with interest as he appraises her. “Think your husband will sell his gun to me?”

“Most likely not.”

“How about his arm?”

Ana pauses, flashing a coy smile at him. “Possibly, but I love it way too much.” She winks before she takes off to find more coverage to stay hidden.

“I like her!” The raccoon’s amused voice echoes behind her.

*

There’s a small window of rest, the waves of aliens having ceased since Thor continued to use his new weapon. Flexing her fingers from the feeling of his leftover powers, Ana uses what she can to morph the air around her. She may be able to convey an encouraging force to everyone within 100 yards. She catches Sam’s eye from the distance, who nods and salutes her in gratitude. Then, she decides to find Bucky.

The sounds of his gunfire stopped echoing through the forest several minutes ago and she hasn’t seen him since. Ana opens her mouth to call out to him- then instantly chokes, clutching her chest with vice fingers. It feels like a freight train pierced through her chest, her heart constricting for a few terrifying moments.

Ana’s breath sticks in her throat as she looks to her right. Nothing is there, but it’s coming, she can feel it. Backing and stumbling away from a spot ten feet in front of her, she quickly retreats behind a tree, leaning on it for support. Whatever energy that is gathering is making it difficult to breathe.

The air shifts, the leaves fluttering chaotically in the wind that just picked up. There’s nothing but the rustle of the trees, the stirring of the dirt. Eerily quiet; like an eye of a hurricane.

Wind suddenly pulls towards an invisible vortex of gray clouds in one spot. A bright blue light appears, electric currents racing through black fog. It makes the hairs on Ana’s arms stand on end; makes her blood sing with an incredible surge of power.

Then, he appears, emerging from the blue gray smoke. Thanos.

“Cap,” Bruce speaks up in the short distance, his voice low and determined. “That’s him.”

Ana barely hears what Steve says in return, the rushing of blood in her ears too loud. She’s too busy attempting to regulate her breathing, to keep herself from being crippled by the immense amount of power. She needs…she needs Bucky. Bucky can help her. She needs…her rings. She had only turned them off again to help Natasha up after a brutal scuffle with an alien. Shakily, Ana twists her rings on, the immediate relief of energy around her stabilizing.

She straightens up, finally able to breath properly. She peaks around the trunk of the tree, just in time to witness the action in front of her. Banner in the Hulk-Bluster suit sprints towards the intimidating Titan. The giant man clenches his fist with the golden glove, blue light emitting from a stone. Ana gaps as Bruce phases right through him, rolling on the ground. Thanos traps him against a boulder, fusing the rocks over the suit.

Appearing out of nowhere, Steve attacks, proving futile. With one swipe of his hand, he sends Steve flipping through the air, landing heavily on the ground. T’Challa ambushes an attack, jumping to gain higher ground. Thanos grabs him by the jugular before punching him hard in the face, knocking him to the dirt despite the Black Panther suit absorbing blow. Sam tries swooping in, firing his guns, but it’s useless. Thanos swats him out of the air like a fly.

Ana raises her hands, ready to attack from behind, when other wave of power hits her once more. Distracted, she moves around the tree, watching as Wanda begins to destroy the Mind Stone in Vision’s forehead. It’s too much.

It’s all too much. The rings barely feel like they’re working; she can feel everything. The unprecedented energies from each separate stone. From Thanos wielding that energy. To the residue from the earlier fighting. Wanda’s powers and her emotional turmoil; heartbreaking anguish.

Colonel Rhodes follows behind Sam, coming in hot. He too, is tossed to the side like a speck of dust. The mad Titan has barely touched anyone. Through the mist of everything, Ana closes her eyes, focusing everything into her center. Once she’s got most of it tamed, her eyes snap open, looking for a way to surprise the purple prick.

 His glove. The gauntlet. Remove the gauntlet from his hand. If she angles herself just right, she may be able to blast the damn thing off with an energy beam. Unfortunately, she doesn’t get a chance.

Horror constricts her heart as she watches Bucky sprint full sped at Thanos, firing his gun with precision at him. Ana nearly screams his name, ready to aid her husband. Then the titan clenches his fist, a bright purple light emitting from the glove. It hits Bucky in the chest, slamming him hard into the ground. He lands close to Ana, who soundlessly rushes to him, dropping to her knees as she quickly turns the rings off.

“Bucky!? Bucky? Oh god, please be okay,” She pleads, fear making her fingers tremble as she grips his arms. He groans, slow to get up, but turns to face to her. Relief floods through her veins.

“Goddamnit!” He growls, fingers digging in the dirt. His blue eyes are full of anger, melting away the moment he meets her gaze. He offers her the tiniest quirk of a smile, pushing himself to his knees with her help. There’s a bit of blood at the corner of his mouth that she wipes away with her thumb, then on her pants.

“M’fine, Ana,” Bucky breathes, lifting his dirty hand to push the stray hairs away from her face. “Get the hell out of here. Now.”

Ana is about to furiously protest, absolutely refuse to leave her husband, her friends, as they get thrown around effortlessly like crumpled paper. But then she catches sight of Steve, running at Thanos as he advances towards Wanda and Vision. He slides underneath his arm, stands, landing a few punches. He loses his new shields in the process.

Bucky turns with confusion, until his shoulders tense, his body growing rigid. They both watch as Thanos thrusts his gloved hand towards Steve. He catches it with is bare hands. Ana has a horrible feeling this isn’t going to end well. And she knows with a heavy dreading thought, that she can officially end it. Not just blasting the glove off, no. She can end Thanos.

Taking advantage of Bucky’s distraction, Ana stands with a final resolve. She turns the rings on once more, clenching her fists. All her energy, every once of energy she had been collecting, positive, negative, charged, kinetic, surges through her. She gathers what she can take from the sheer presence of the stones, hot and heavy from the air for more amped power. Ana sprints pass Bucky, just as Steve is punched solidly in the head, knocked out cold.

She ignores Bucky’s cries of desperation, begging her to stop. Instead, she takes a page from Steve’s book, and slides. She skids under and between Thanos’ legs, popping up and twisting forward. It’s a clear element of surprise to the Titan, surprise on his grimacing face that gives her the split moment she needs.

Wasting no time, Ana thrusts both hands at his chest, shooting her powers into him. Inhaling, she pulls internally, attempting to at least drain some of his energy. She feels it burning through her veins, wonders if her skin is on fire, the white-hot searing of his energy boiling beneath her palms. Ana grits her teeth, vaguely aware she’s growling in exertion. Thanos stumbles forward, but she holds her ground, locking her knees and continues to concentrate on taking his life force.

“Impressive, child.”

Ana barely registers the taunting deep voice, opening her eyes just in time to see Thanos raise his gloved fist. As quick as the flashing of light around them, Ana switches her target. She catches his hand in hers. She changes gears, beginning to pull from the stones themselves.

That’s the real issue here. The power of the Stones. Her right hand slips slightly, her fingers grazing over the stone embedded in the last knuckle of the glove. She yelps, either from pain or the new surge of power coursing through her. The once golden light surrounding them, slowly morphs to orange around her body.

Thanos sneers. He clenches the gauntlet, closing his fist and yanking his hand back. Abruptly, the connection breaks, stealing the air from Ana’s lungs with it. She can’t catch her breath now, despite Thanos stumbling and heaving. She doesn’t hesitate, throwing her arms forward, attempting to send out an energy blast.

Suddenly, Ana’s feet are whipped up from the ground. An invisible force wraps around her body before she’s thrown to the side, heading straight towards a wall of rock. Her back slams into the boulder, a deafening crack echoing behind her.

She doesn’t feel the blow of the impact, just feels the soft ground as dropped on, disorientated on her hands and knees. The rings shield must’ve protected her, absorbed most of the force. Still, Ana feels utterly winded, exhaustion threatening to weigh down her bones. At least the rings saved her from serious injuries…possibly even her life.

Ana attempts to get up but she’s breathless, her energy making her waver and she kneels to the ground, trying to press her hands to her chest. She feels like her blood is singing with power, a new power. A strange, unknown power that’s keeping her rooted to the spot.

Weakly, she lifts her head to see Thanos advancing towards Wanda. She moves one arm behind her, blasting her power at full force to hold Thanos back. It seems to be working, Wanda using her powers to her full ability.

All Ana can do is watch from the sideline, willing herself to just move already. An invading thought, a cold chilling terror overcomes her for a moment, but before she can panic and check for a major injury, a heavy thud lands next to her.

“Annie! Fuck, are you okay!? Are you hurt!?” Bucky frantically questions, hands hovering over her shimmering body. “Darling, answer me, please.”

His voice, weighed with concern, fear, warmth, refills her lungs. She gasps, as if whatever was choking her vanished with her husband’s presence. She feels a flood of relief wash over her heart, from Bucky. Regulating her breathing, focusing on the air entering and exiting her lungs, Ana finally gathers her strength back. Enough to twist off the rings. Immediately, Bucky’s comforting hands are on her back, running along the length of her body, checking for injuries.

“What the fuck were you thinking, baby?” He murmurs. Ana catches the tremor in his voice.

Before she can even open her mouth to answer him, there’s a sudden shout, a blinding light, and an explosion of power. The strong blast knocks Ana and Bucky back, landing a good distance away from each other. Disorientated once more, Ana groans as she sits up.

 “No.”

A horrified whisper makes Ana lift her eyes. She landed close to Steve, who just seems to be getting up from that blow he took from Thanos. His eyes are locked on the scene in front of him, causing Ana to follow his line of sight. Her panic is silent as she watches Thanos use the green stone to reverse what Wanda just did. He brings back Vision.

It all happens so fast. The mind Stone is ripped away as he careless drops Vision’s lifeless body. It’s placed on the last and final space on the glove. The strongest surge of power overtakes the titan, now equipped with all six Infinity Stones. Right then, the air crackles with lightning. A blinding stream of light, then, Thor is shoving his ax through Thano’s chest.

For a moment, for one short, beautiful moment, Ana thinks it’s all over. That they won. Thor pushing the blade of his ax further into that psycho’s chest. The moment is gone when Thanos raises his gloved hand, and snaps. Thor shouts. Bright light flashes, temporary blinding everyone.

The light fades. The smell of burning metallic taints the air. A moment passes.

“What did you do!?” Thor demands furiously. “What did you do!?”

Using the power of a stone, Thanos disappears.

-

Everything is silent afterwards. Eerily so. It’s as if all the oxygen has left Wakanda. Ana stands shakily. The universe feels tilted, off. Her spine goes rigid. It’s like ice is seeping throughout her bones, chilling her to the core. Energy on a giant scale seems to drain from her body, as if someone just pulled a plug.

She stares at her hands for a moment, wondering where it is coming from. Something is wrong. Her left hand has gone numb. A foreign tingling sensation begins to burn at her fingertips. She feels utter bemusement through her chest.

A sharp gasp is ripped from her throat. It felt like an invisible fist just punched through her heart. Her hands fly to her chest. She doesn’t understand, can’t figure out what that was. She just suddenly feels like half of her life energy is leaving her.

“Steve?”

Ana knows that voice from miles away; Bucky. There is perplexity in his tone, an underlining of fear. She turns, spotting him walking towards them, his gun pointing in the air. 

“Annie?”

Frowning, she takes a step forward as Bucky looks down at his left hand. His fingers abruptly morph into a murky color. All breath ceases in Ana’s throat as her body grows cold. Her eyes widen in terror.

Bucky’s metal fingers crumble right before their very eyes. Ashy dark pieces begin to break apart his legs. His entire left arm starts to fade away, the gun falling from his right hand as he tries taking a staggering step towards them. His gray-blue, panic-stricken eyes snap to Ana.

“No.” She whispers, horrified.

Ana swears her heart halts in her chest as she reaches out towards him. She shuffles forward, one foot after the other, willing herself to move quicker. She breaks into a jog. Bucky’s entire body is fading into gray, disintegrating right before her very eyes.

 If she can get to him, if she can catch him, maybe just maybe, if she can touch him, she can save him, keep him together. Just as Ana dives on her knees, Bucky collapses, his body crumbling into a cloud of dust, her fingers grasping at fading particles.

No.

 Her heart disintegrates.

 “B-Bucky?” She breathes, voice trembling.

 Her hands shake violently as she stares at them covered in what looks like ashes. She can’t- she doesn’t- she lowers her hand onto the pile on the ground, fingerings digging into the soil. She doesn’t even register Steve kneeling next to her, his bruised, bloody hand grazing the spot between them.

 Bucky. Where did Bucky go?

 “I,I,I can’t- feel,” Ana stutters inaudible. “I can’t f-feel you. Bucky...I c-can’t feel…I can’t feel you.”

 The air around her vanishes, conceding with her chest. She briefly glances up, just to see that walking and talking tree creature reach out towards the talking raccoon. The tree fades away into the air. Wanda clutching a lifeless Vision in her arms quietly vanishes.

 No.

 Startled cries begin to taint the air. Worried, scared voices calling out names. Ana hears nothing but the shattering of her soul. Her eyes snap back to her hands sinking into the earth where Bucky should be. Bucky should be in front of her. Ana suddenly doesn’t know where she is anymore. She’s clutching the earth, gripping, pulling, praying, begging. Begging to feel him, to feel his energy.

 She can’t feel Bucky.

“I can’t feel you,” She whimpers in shock. “I can’t feel you.”

This can’t be real. She squeezes her eyes shut, bringing her left up to claw at her chest as the other remains in the dirt. This can’t be real. Her throat feels like it’s on fire, blood is rushing to her ears, her body curls in on itself. Her veins feel cold. Her breath is gone and her heart....she can’t feel her heart. Her chest is an empty void.

 This can’t be real.

“Oh God,” Steve exhales in horrified distress.

“You are all now at the mercy of the great Thanos,” The blue skinned alien, who had injured Vision just before Ana arrived on the field, speaks up, emerging between the trees. The last of the mad Titan’s goons. “You should be grateful for his-“

The words die in his throat. She doesn’t know when or how she stood up, Ana just knows her hand is now over the alien’s ugly face, as if she’s in a trance. A wet, gargling noise disturbs the eerie air, the alien’s limbs jerking sporadically as his face begins to glow a bright blue. The light engulfs his entire body before turning white, his skin burning beneath her palm. A short blast flashes, followed by a heavy thump. The light fades, the air once again swirling with particles.

Ana pants, finally tearing her eyes away from the spot Bucky should be. The alien’s lifeless body stares back at her, thick streams of blue blood oozes out of every orifice on his face. His skin is marred, the smell of burnt flesh her stinging her nose.

Her knees buckle, falling to the ground. Her body trembles violently. Everything is empty. There’s a hallow ache between her ribs. A darkness pressing all around her. Suffocating her. Taking her. She wants it to take her.

Ana can’t feel Bucky.

She begs for it to take her.

A vice grip wraps around her body. Hot air hisses over her ear. A sharp twisting sting pinches her skin, finally breaking through the deafening rush of waves in her head. She’s screaming, or sobbing, or hyperventilating. She doesn’t know. She just can’t feel Bucky.

Breathe. Just breath.

The words finally register with Ana. The voice is gentle, laced with tremors and fear as they’re repeated over again. Gradually, her senses come back to her. Heavy, muscular arms hold her together, too tight, too painful; it’s grounding. It’s constricting her, she shifts in panic, the arms loosening their hold.

Her vision clears as Ana stares into blue eyes. Different blue eyes. Different eyes without the crinkles in the corners, without the glitter mirth and admiration. Blue eyes with green flecks laced into the fibers. Steve.

Not her life. Not her heart. Not Bucky

Ana inhales shortly. She comes back to herself, abruptly aware of everything. She doesn’t know how much time has passed. She slowly takes in his appearance. His face is covered in sweat and dirt, his lip cut open and bleeding. He’s roughed up, he’s exhausted, he’s grounding her. His expression is broken as he helps her. It’s his eyes though that bring her back. The utter look of torment in them snaps her aware to their surroundings, reality setting in.

“Breathe,” Is all he says. As if he’s telling himself to do so as well.

Oh god, he lost Bucky too. Bucky.

Ana breaks eye contact, a thought crashing through the blankness in her mind. She looks down at her body, shimmering waves encase her. The rings aren’t activated. The glow is her own power source, her own energy shield. Protecting. Protection. Protection for herself. Protection to keep her safe. Protection for-

“Steve,” Ana exhales as her body begins to tremble all over. Her fists clutching at the dirt where her husband vanished before her eyes.

Her vision blurs, her head swimming. Her chest is utterly empty. She meets his gaze, a complex of emotions storming in his eyes. Ana wraps her arms around her middle. Protecting. Like she tried to do with…Bucky. Like he tried to do with her. Protecting her. Protecting them.

“I’m pregnant.”

****************************************

Drabbles: Eighteen   Drabbles: Twenty

***seriously, tumblr wigged out and it deleted -.- I’m sorry for putting you through this pain again...whoops

@thecreatiivecorner​ @kat-lives​ @stressedasalways​ @watchoutforfrostbite​ @justreadingfics​ @keldachick​ @fics-i-read​ @eurynome827​

[pitchingmoundideas]

Super Smash Bros Character Suggestion 01: GIEGUE

Name- Giegue (Giygas) Universe- Mother First Appearance- Earthbound Beginnings (1989, NES) Latest Appearance- Earthbound (1994, SNES)

Starting off my wishlist/ideas of new characters for Super Smash Bros on Nintendo Switch, it’s a new character from the MOTHER franchise. Nintendo’s cult RPG trilogy has only been represented by heroes Ness and Lucas so far, so I think it’s due time someone new joins the fight. But who? Well since the original Mother (now known as Earthbound Beginnings) still needs a playable rep, most would go to the main hero Ninten. And while I would love to see him, he’s way too similar to Ness. So I decided to go a bit more... unorthodox, for my choice. Someone who you’d never expect to join the battle but also makes weird sense. Which is why I want the main villain of the first two games, GIEGUE, to make his debut.

Who is he?

Giegue first appeared in the Famicom game Mother, where he appears as the final boss and main antagonist. An alien from an unknown part of the galaxy with immense psychic power, he was raised by a couple known as George and Maria from an unknown age after their abduction in 1906. Two years later, George escaped back to Earth with the knowledge of PSI causing Giegue to eventually invade the planet 80 years later to make sure humanity had no knowledge of psychic power. Thanks to Ninten and his friends, as well as the lullaby his adoptive mother Mary used to sing, Giegue retreated promising that one day, he and Ninten would meet again.

Sometime later Giegue, now known as Giygas, witnesses his defeat from a boy named Ness via an Apple of Enlightenment. In a future where he rules the planet, and not wanting this to happen, he traveled back through time 10 years to prevent this from happening. Wielding vast cosmic power, Giygas is a threat to the universe itself, and spread his evil influence throughout Eagleland and recruiting Ness’s neighbor Porky to his side in the process. Eventually Ness and his friends traveled back in time themselves in robot bodies to fight and defeat Giygas within the Cave of the Past and the Devil’s Machine. Defeated by the heroes with help by the prayers of Earth (and the player), Giygas breaks down into nothingness, his dark future erased from history.

Why Giegue?

I’m sure a lot of you are utterly confused right now. Why Giegue, of all characters? Not Masked Man? Or another party member from the trilogy? Well at first, I never thought of this character to be in. I knew about Giygas and his horrors way before I even played Earthbound for the first time, and barely knew anything about his appearance in Mother 1. But after seeing a few suggestions from other fans it all clicked.

Smash Bros needs more villains! In Smash 4 there were really only 3 true villains (Bowser, Ganondorf, King Dedede) and a few anti-heroes (Wario, Dark Pit, Meta Knight) so Giegue would be one of the two best bets for a Mother series villain. Hint hint at who you might see later on Pitching Mound~ Not to mention his utter weirdness and obscurity is a perfect choice for an off the wall character.

How would he play?

This artwork by JNRedmon (https://jnredmon.deviantart.com/) is a pretty good idea of how Giegue could look and play in Super Smash Bros. 

For his special moves, they’re each inspired by attacks and elements of Giegue/Giygas in Earthbound Beginnings and Earthbound.

B- Inexplicable!: “You Cannot Grasp the True Form of Giygas' Attack!” Giegue releases a shockwave around him that stuns nearby enemies for a few seconds. The move can also be charged, allowing for a bigger shockwave that, while it takes longer to activate, causes people to outright fall asleep instead of just get a quick stun. Side B- PK Rockin’: Ness’s Signature Attack in Earthbound that Giygas also happens to use in his final battle. This move acts similar to moves like Din’s Fire and Explosive Flame, which has Giegue unleash a large flying projectile across the stage that he can very slightly control. Eventually, the move will “explode” into a cloud of colors (resembling the screen effects in Earthbound) that hurt opponents. Up B- 4th D-Slip: Being an alien with the ability to travel through space and time, it only makes sense for Giegue to take advantage of this maneuver from Earthbound Beginnings. Giegue creates a rip in reality, complete with psychedelic colors inside, which he hops through into another rip further away. This move acts similar to most teleporting moves like Mewtwo’s and Zelda’s, and if you happen to be near where the exit Slip happens, you’ll take some damage. Down B- Alien Capsule: Giegue retreats into the capsule he was held within in Earthbound Beginnings. While inside, Giegue himself is immune to all attacks, but the shield can easily be damaged and eventually broken by other fighter’s attacks or items. Once this happens, Giegue will enter a dizzy state and he will be unable to summon the shield again for a short while. If this move is preformed in Midair, the capsule will plummet to the ground, hurting any players on it’s way down. Final Smash- Devil’s Machine: Giegue disintegrates from the battlefield, seemingly vanished. Suddenly the background becomes covered in red and black, and Giygas in his Earthbound form appears. With the press of a button Giygas will scream, causing damage to all fighters. Additionally while Giygas is on screen, fighters will succumb to a variety of random effects (similar to Luigi’s Negative Zone). After about 15-20 seconds, Giygas will disappear similar to his defeat animation from Earthbound, with Giegue coming back together on stage.

Giegue’s standard attacks consist of various slashes and whips with his tentacle-like arms and long tail, with grabs having him force choke opponents with his PSI power. Height wise Giegue is significantly taller than Ness and Lucas, standing around the height of Lucario and Mewtwo. Overall he is a very lightweight character due to his body, similar to Kirby and Jigglypuff, while also not as heavy as someone like Mewtwo. 

Anything Else?

Entrance Animation: The eye-like orb from the Devil’s Machine is on stage, opening to reveal Giegue materializing out of it

Victory Pose 1: Giegue faces away from the player, screaming as he unleashes a burst of red energy

Victory Pose 2: Giegue sleeps within his alien capsule, before opening his eyes and looking menacingly at the player

Victory Pose 3: Giegue opens a 4th D-Slip and stares at the player before teleporting away 

Up Taunt: Giegue enters an embryo like position, floating in place

Down Taunt: Giegue spins around, with a familar 8-bit noise in the background (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlSJmqmwoII)

Side Taunt: Giegue puts his tentacles over his face, before pulsing with red energy

Victory Theme: A remix of the first few seconds of Giygas’ Intro theme from Earthbound (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6wyrjH1jrs)

BONUS: Home Stage

MT. ITOI (from Earthbound Beginnings)

The final dungeon of Earthbound Beginnings, and easily one of the more memorable parts of the Mother saga, Mount Itoi. 

The stage’s layout is decently large, taking place on a rocky plateau overlooking the mountain itself, taking it’s design from the famous Mother commercial though now with a visible path up the mountain that resembles the actual dungeon layout from Earthbound Beginnings. Occasionally the clouds will even part, to reveal Giegue’s spaceship resting on the mountaintop. Various rocky columns and floating metal platforms can be found on plateau, with an overall size similar to Big Battlefield. 

Mt. Itoi’s main gimmick is the robot EVE, who appears as a stage boss. EVE will occasionally peek in on the fight, and if a player manages to find and hit a hidden switch on the stage, she will activate and join your side by attacking opponents with swings of her arms and firing lasers from her eyes. Like most stage bosses she can be attacked, and with enough hits will go down in a smokey blaze in a callback to her defeat in Earthbound Beginnings. If she is KO'd, the player who KO'd her also gets an extra point (similar to Ridley on Pyrosphere).

Music:

Mt. Itoi (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nc83W2Hrsk) [Remix]

Giygas Medley (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z4LTs2LcG8) [Remix]

Sanctuary Guardian (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVcyZ_TtLhI)

Otherworldly Foe (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrvbsNlOtoA)

Fourside (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h8q9aCxw0g) [returning Remix]

Monkey’s Delivery Service (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Ff0fJDTVo)

Unfounded Revenge/Smashing Song of Praise (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2xuX8TmjjU) [returning Remix]

[ton-e]

Sadness hardened into stone, one that pinned Javi in place. His skin felt heavier at the man's next words. "I'm allowing you a dismissal, human. If you have any dear thing left in your life, turn your back, and walk away. Go be with them. Your turn will come, " a hush falls over the pairing as the suns fall below, bathing them in the same light. 

A news chopper whips the wind behind him. He can hear reporters narrating, their voices drowned by the slices of blades in the atmosphere, a welcomed distraction. Galadion stares at them for a moment, his eyes returning to his own in no time. "Don't trade yourself for them, Javier. They aren't worth your life." 

Javi seems to think for a moment, faces settling in a considerable frown. He extends his hand in invitation. The prince takes it, slowly, but he does. The gentle half-smile on his lips worsens this situation even worse. 

Javi clutches his hold, the smile slides. Galadion is thrown across the air like a spear, directly into the barely standing restaurant that collapses over him in a minute. Javi's never been more afraid. 

"I think I'm done running away." 

Every latter tremble on his tongue, yet he pushes the fear into a faraway corner, and signals for people to leave the battlezone. His bones feel watery beneath his skin, struggling to keep his composure as the ruins explode around the place Galadion raises, a dark Phoenix emerging with a vengeance. 

'I'm in trouble' is the only thought his mind manages to complete before he's tackled with a force that knocks the air out of his lungs, speed of the build-up and force of the impact hitting him bullseye between the lungs. Galadion is SOLID, as powerful and bulky as he is tall. When his bigger body correlates with his own, the world loses sound.

 He's dragged through the wrecks of the city, skin swimming rapidly among broken shards, construction equipment and fabrics crumbled down to nothing, dust and smoke covering him wholly as the trail extended. With a groan, he hooks his hands around the forearms and slithers his knees up to his chest and with a groan pushes the other off him. 

Galadion twists his body with precision in the air, skillful with his fight craft like a conductor harmonizing an orchestra. There is grace stitched to his combat, careful, rehearsed. Javi's blood is pumping like it wants to crawl from under his skin and he's back on his feet in one jump, toured back long-forgotten, pain in his slashed shoulders numbed by the rush of energy showering his body. 

For a moment measured only by the drumming of his heart, Javi and he has a staredown. Galadion froths blood at his feet, blood blue like narrow water shining in the nightlight and drops twists his chain along his forearms until the end slaps against his shoulder. He wants this clean-cut, Javi realizes, fists with no metal. Flesh to flesh.

 He wants this personal. 

Javi remembers how hard Thomas Gazy brutalized him as a child. He was the meanest kid there. Lengthy like a pine tree and fists made to run pain. There wasn't a day where he wouldn't leave some kind of scar upon the child with no one to make them better.

He remembers his coworkers too, leaving him in a puddle of blood and coffee, walking away knowing no price will be paid for roughing up the janitor.  'It's like that,' he thinks, feet already stepping in front of one another with no rush on the heel, meeting the pace of his rival. 'The only difference is I fight to hurt back this time.' 

Marching evolves into running, both men charging at one another with a mindset to hellbent. Golden power lit up the seams of his arms, veins growing in saturation like sunflowers and shining just as brighter. His skin loses the tan complexion, once pleasant and sunkissed, now glowing and burning. There's no ache, not one he can feel. He embraces the kiss of fire like he was always meant to be its host, -- 

,-- And when his fists connect with Galadion's, in a destructive collision that seems to send a fantastic wave of impact around them, a slash of both sound and density ripping around anything else other than it's ignitors, Javi decides that the only way he's leaving this fight is either on his feet or in the ground. 

The imbalance of technique is evident from every step, Javi thinks. The equilibrium between them is a tilted stage, Javi walking on glass at every take, practically hearing the rust on his joints wail at the movements so familiar but estranged, dodging the precise attacks at knife's edge. Galadion knows where to poke, reads him like an open map and directionates his attacks with a hard to reach experience. 

Javi protects his jaw, arms serving as shield from the iron-like strikes rained on him without mercy, body acting like a sponge absorbing all the shock in the violent friction. Once he seizes the opportunity to fight back, Javi targets the places where he BELIEVES Galadion would be sensitive or vulnerable at.

His abdominal area is his first try, hands ablaze landing whacks against the flesh, back hunched so he would limit access on the spot the alien choose to target. Galadion snacks his massive hand around his nape and spins around with him in the air. Javi hits the ground like rain, blood fills his mouth like a broken faucet, yet while down, curls his fist around a bundle of dirt in his proximity and throws it as Galadion's eyes. 

He jerks back, either of surprise or pain, Javi loses no time slacking wondering which is which. He pounces and lands on his ankles, projecting himself directly at the other man, the flames around his curled fists shining radiantly in sync with his growing heartbeat, daft but present at the same time. He doesn't swing with a clean aim, hands flying wildly into his opponent's hands, leaving a decent amount of damage if the lose of balance and blue liquid wetting his knuckles was proof to trust. 

Javi leaps behind Galadion and locks his arms around the narrow middle. Once he makes sure heels are planted deep enough to grow vines, Javi fills his lungs filled with a sharp inhale and bends his body backwards, suplexing the bigger man into the soil with a short yell in his throat. Panting, he lays under the watchful eyes of the clouds, for a mere juncture of moment allowing himself to regroup. 

Wincing, he raises on his elbows, ignoring the pain beginning to throbb with a vengeance around his body, punishing every move with a new whip of pain, more unforgiving than the other. His endurance is sloppy, Javi begins to realize, but he does have enough time to dwell on this as he's being grabbed on from behind and hurled into a semi intact building, frame becoming one with the wide window shields. 

A heavy hand holds him pinned in place, clawed fingers tight and forceful, pressing directly onto his airpipe. His feet trash below how, an attempt to escape the powerful hold on his throat. Galadion holds a hand in the direction if civilians, still not evacuated, and waits for him to stop. He does. 

"I told you, " the being rasps, rough like sandpaper, a bit hard to decipher with the slight swell of his split lip. "Your clock will not strike today. Go. Home. Why are you doing this? This world never loved you. Not once." 

Javi's face twitches, something twisting his gut painfully. "... Shut up." 

"Is this how you want to die? Protecting a world who did nothing for you? So many battles, taken alone. You stood, and you fought, and you died. And the world watched, and they did nothing. Why not make them pay?" Javi stills completely by the time a forehead brushes against his own. The contact lefts him flabbergasted, not knowing what to make of this until a sudden pressure grazes lightly in the back of his mind.

A tension rising, and rising, phantom fingers tapping his brain from the inside out. A sudden icy horror, blight and sharp, rinses everything inside and out as realization downs on him, unforgiving and blunt. 'He's in my head, Oh God, Oh fuck he's in my head, --' 

"She was beautiful, your wife, " Galadion whispers, almost absently, too casually, too serenity for what he's doing. An image of Sofia flashes in his psyche. '' You remember her, don't you? Laughing, and smiling, even in her death. What would she say now, seeing you kill yourself by fighting me? The promise is right there, --" 

Something in his heart cracks as hard as his voice. "Shut. Up. Please, --" 

" I am only trying to help you. See reason in your faults, " there's a higher tension,  going deeper, drilling into his head, and Javi thinks he's going to die. ''No. Not right now, at last. You have a son, at home. Waiting. He's the spitting image of you. The most precious person in your life, and you want to break his heart by fighting a war not yours to bare. 

You dressed up in a costume, you put a fake name, and you thought it was enough to make gold out of grime. You have formidable powers, but you were born a man. And you can die like a man, too. I would rather not take a father from a son so early. Go home. Tell him you love him, and make your last days count. If not, I can only promise that you'll get a quick reunion dead."

Something in Javi snaps. 

The tail of his eye spies the way his muscles petrify in a worrying calmness in the window. He embodies ice, most ironically, a statue of winter in the hold of a man who won't be man for much longer. His breathing is shallow, then slow, his field of vision covered in different shades of red, and gold, and blue. There's a blank space spreading in his mind. His heart feels like a boiler, pumping pure fire in his bones.  

Yellow energy radiates off of him in furious light, grandious and eye-catching but  deadly at the same time. Galadion shakes his head as a parent does to a petulant child, first raised and ready for the final blow. He mutters what seems to be an apology but Javi can't hear it. All he can hear is the last sentence, running miles in his mind. 

Javi catches his fist when he tries to finish it. Galadion blinks, once, twice, try again, with no prevail. Smoke and burnt flesh filled his nostrils as Javi's trapping touch becomes more relentless by the second. Javi roars, a sound shaking the core of his chest and the depths of his vocal cords, taking a fist full of long hair and bringing their heads together in a devastating clash. 

He hears a scream of pain, one he doesn't care about. All he can see is fire. Fire is all he is. 

The metahuman pins the right side of Galadion's face against the building he was held captive not too long ago and pushes until the glass trembles under the force, not enough to break, but enough to create a small hole for Javi to toil him. He doesn't register the fact his feet don't touch the ground, the fact that he's suspended in the air as he drags Galadion's face through the window after window, building after building, too preoccupied with the violent concentration of the brutal pace he set. 

"Don't you ever, " he spits the words through clenched teeth, knuckles white and red, slamming Galadion's face into his knee, "Mess with my kid!" The scream is loud, fierce, and it maintains that strength when he's flying down in a dive with the alien held with no escape. The concrete cracks upon their touchdown, a botched cluster with a beaten-down alien as it's main arrangement. 

The flames don't perish the moment his feet touch the surface. Anger, rage, fury, --  overshadowed by the triumphant fear. Javi takes deep breaths, pathetic attempt at taming down the vicious hellfire he drowns in, with no results in the efforts. Red washes away, leaving him a clear vision of the storm with no rain he's surrounded by. Everywhere he looks, the sneer and glare of flames stare back at him, hateful glee burning his core. 

He stares at the people, the people whoom he saved, the people who push back their weeping children behind him and watch him with terror written on their faces, with the look of fear devouring their eyes. Javi's trembling hands are raised for him to look at them better, wondering, idly, if Galadionthe only threat needed be put down. 

He opens his palms, tear ducts opened by the smoke emanating from the sparks left behind. The world looks at him. Javi can only look back. "I…" words are trapped before he can finish, interrupted by the sudden lack of oxygen as long, metal material wraps around his throat in a painful squeeze that leaves him lightheaded.

 He tries to escape, like a worm on a hooking fish, fingers desperately trying to pry away the coldness choking him. He gasps for air, puffs, mouth opening to take big gulps of any scrap he can manage, wrestles with the pull of the dark inundating the world's colors. Javi's limbs stand more like twigs than anything, trying to grab at the chain uselessly.

An inhuman tug sends the entirety of his body sprinting in the air, hitting against everything and anything, as though he was a wrecking ball unmaking everything in his wake. He feels like a rag doll, so easily tossed around as though he was nothing. After a while, his body grew numb to the ministrations, every particle in him throbbing with nothing but with all alike. Seconds, minutes ceased to exist, as did counting Injuries, counting hopes he wouldn't die. 

Hanging at the edge of consciousness and fainting, Javi can feel his deadweight body raised above the surface. The air is cut off once more, not as long, not as unforgiving. Javi welcomes this brief suffering to the hell he's walked before like a warm hug on a cold day. His vision is blurred, by the hand of his swallowed eyes or his tears, it is to be debated. He can't identify the person, but he flinches at the soft hand cradling his jaw. 

The chain is dropped, he's not completely free, but an improvement. Javi floats limp in the grasp of Galadion, senses dull and mind vacant with the exception of pain as it's only renter. He can't do nothing but sit as fingers brush away blood caked hair away from his forehead, a mocking act of gentleness.

"Shhhh, " he soothes, calmly, "it's over now. You've suffered bravely. You wouldve made a good warrior. What a shame, the waste this world has made you. You were too good for them, " he can't hear. He can't see. The touch he has on reality is weakened the longer he tries to keep it alive. "You were born alone. You lived alone, suffered alone. And now... You'll perish alone. "

"What a tragic thought." Is the last sentence Javi hears before the string he hanged on cut him off. Javi doesn't know for how long he falls, or where he'll land, but the embrace to of cold water surrounding his body, a sinister the against his skin, a medicine to his pain.

Javi is falling, not thinking of anything, not being able to hold onto nothing, fighting the urge to simply let the ocean claim him, and scramble for another chance, -- 

But Javi fell, and this time, he wasn't fast enough to catch himself. 

He doesn't get to hear the rumble of a motorboat around him, 

Or someone diving in after him, 

Or being pulled on the surface. 

Masters is half grateful. He never did knew how to open small talk.

[hayjeon]

Flirt Lane (ft. Jeongguk)

Drabble game prompt 53. “I’m flirting with you.” → shy!jk, aka furious amounts of fluff (from the BTS in 10 years!au) → 2.5k words

A/N: Highly recommend reading both Yoongi’s and Tae’s versions of this au! It’ll make a little more sense :) Thanks for requesting to my beautiful bby mutual, @dat-town <3 Sorry if it’s not what you expected :( but pls feel free to request more to all my readers! 

You’re feet are killing you, as you scurry around the chapel, careful to take your gig seriously as you snap pictures of every aesthetic scene you can possible capture in the hustle of the wedding. 

Picture of the altar, check. 

Picture of the bride and her bridesmaids, check.

Picture of the groom and his parents, check. 

Snapshot of his members, check. 

Side-view of the flowers lining the entrance, check. 

Long-shot of the entrance, che-- oh shit.

You panic as you screen zooms up on the face you’d been dreading to see since this spring. It was your ex-boyfriend, Jaehyun. 

The asshole of all assholes, you dated him for about four months before you caught him fucking one of the secretaries in the office the both of you worked at. After the confrontation, he’d revealed to you that there was a bet that him and his other asshole friends had made, trying to see which one of them could date you the fastest, explaining the odd way the rest of his friends had vied for your attention out of the blue. 

You left that company long ago, wanting more for yourself than just a business office job for yourself, and had been freelancing with a smaller company that focused on photography and videography. You remembered taking and loving the classes on those subjects back in college, and had decided that the incident with Jaehyun was the final push for you to escape out of your comfort zone and go do what you wanted. 

The only problem was, smaller companies definitely were a investment, and you weren’t exactly making way too much as a photographer, which was why your friend had recommended you to the bride. You’d wanted to desperately become famous and successful and show the asshole what he was missing, but you were definitely not prepared for him to walk through the door with the eye candy on his arm, looking as good as ever. 

So you do what any woman does in an emergency situation. You panic and grab the first thing you see and dive behind it, making sure to hide your face as you peek out behind it. 

Jungkook is minding his business as well, doing the job as Yoongi’s ex-member and groomsmen to greet old friends and new faces as they walk into the chapel. He was in charge of greeting and guiding guests to their tables, but had stepped out to take a quick bathroom break and was on his way back when you’d grabbed him by the sleeve and practically used him as a human shield. 

He let out a sound of protest, a choked out gurgle of surprise, and you shushed him, hissing into his ear. 

“I’m so sorry but please be quiet and act natural!” 

He sputters, straightening himself up and spinning around you face you. “E-excuse me?” 

He recognizes you as the photographer Yoongi hired for the wedding, the girl who’d scurried here and there behind the lens for the duration of the rehearsal and the set-up. He’d admired your skill with the lenses and when Yoongi showed him some example stills, Jungkook was pretty impressed with the way you skillfully balanced contrast and exposure to create the perfect shot of the altar. 

But he never imagined meeting you in this way.

“I’m so sorry, but please, just hide me,” you reply, ducking your head down as you try to maneuver yourself in a way that hides your petite figure behind his larger one. He stutters, unable to compose himself when a girl who is as pretty as you is practically inches away from his chest, the scent of your shampoo filling his nose and making him blink too much. 

His hands start to sweat and he steps back, only to have you actually step back to get a good look at who he was. Your shocked eyes meet his round ones as he sees you registering his face from the wedding rehearsal, “Y-you’re Jeon Jungkook?!” you hiss, whatever you were hiding from, forgotten. You knew that there would be celebrities at the wedding, but no one had told you they’d be this close.

He nods hesitantly, eyes darting everywhere else besides your doe-eyed gaze. “Uh, y-yes?” He was a lot shyer than you’d expected, unable to meet your gaze as his wide eyes betrayed how surprised he was at the intrusion of his space. You step back politely, smoothing down your dress and trying to figure out how to explain to an ex-celebrity that you were currently trying to use him as a human block to avoid confrontation with your ex. 

You’re about to say something, but then suddenly your eyes grow round and Jungkook turns around as the third company sneers, “Y/N? Fancy meeting you here, how long has it been, 5, 6 months?” 

A handsome guy dressed in a white turtleneck and tux jacket on top saunters up with a girl who looks oddly like one of the ex-girl group members Jungkook would see stripping their clothes off on stage only to be booed off back in the day. But he watches in interest as your surprise melds into a look of steely determination as you balance your lens in one hand and the other on your hip, glaring down at the man.

“Honestly, Jaehyun, I dont remember how long its been since you cheated on me, so no, don’t really fancy meeting you here.” You sneer, flipping your hair over your shoulder as you roll your eyes and give the plastic girl on his arm a once-over. 

He snorts, wrapping an arm around the shoulder of the girl he came with. “Aw, Y/N, you’re still bitter about that? Get a life.” 

Jungkook whips his head to glare at the guy. He had no idea who you were and what the story was, but for a man to be insulting a lady like that was downright wrong, in his book. His hyungs had practically raised him, yes, but they didn’t raise him to be a mule. 

“Excuse me, that is no way to speak to a lady.” He says, trying to make his softer voice a bit harder as he steps up besides you and meets Jaehyun’s sneer with a hard frown. He revels in the fact that he’s eye to eye with the tall guy, and squares his shoulders in an attempt to intimidate him. 

Jaehyun frowns as he sizes up Jungkook, frowning as he steps back to see the fit build of the guy, and recognizes him as one of the popular faces in the kpop industry. The girl on his arm lets out a soft gasp and immediately he whips his head towards her to see her eyes grow large and her mouth drop open as she realizes its Jeon Jungkook in front of her at the moment. 

He rolls his eyes and faces Jungkook again, quirking an eyebrow. “Mind your own business.” 

You frown, as Jungkook steps in. But he beats you to respond. “Actually, it is my business.”

Jaehyun sneers, “What’s it to you?” 

Jungkook doesn’t really know where it comes from. Maybe its the fact that he’d been through only two relationships since the group ended a few years back, and he was devastated at how much it hurt to be cheated on and knew how you felt at the moment. Maybe it was how your cute little lavender dress caught his attention during the rehearsal and he’d argued with himself in trying to muster up enough courage to ask you how to use the 450 lens versus the other ones, but you were a bit too pretty and he was a bit too shy to actually approach you. 

But nonetheless, he blurts out, “I’m her boyfriend.” as he puts an arm around your shoulder and yanks you close. He can feel you tense beneath him as you whip your chin up to stare at him for a split second before you realize what he was doing. He feels like flying away when you step closer and wrap your free arm around his waist and smile at Jaehyun. 

“You’re dating her?” Jaehyun scoffs, unable to believe the scene in front of him. You thank your stars that you’d decided to actually wear a dress to this gig, because you knew some of the bridesmaids and decided it would be better than to show up in just jeans and a t-shirt like you usually did. Jungkook is dressed to the nines in a simple but clean cut tuxedo and he smells like heaven.

To Jaehyung’s question, Jungkook responds confidently, “Yes, it’s my pleasure. Took a while to convince her to date me, but it was worth all the effort.” 

Jaehyun taunts, “You know she’s a sucker for fairytales right?” He lets out a scoff. “She quit her job too.” 

Jungkook feels you tense as Jaehyun jabs you where it hurts. And Jungkook feels a rush of anger as he clenches his jaw for a second before giving Jaehyun the fakest sweet smile he can muster. “I’m glad she loves fairytales cause I can be the prince charming to her princess. And I guess she hasn’t bothered to keep up with you but she’s currently working at a beautiful company that’s being sponsored by a bunch of important guests today, so I’m pretty sure she’s doing better than you, who has to resort to bringing an escort as his date to the wedding of the year. But I mean, do you man.” Jungkook gives Jaehyun a last cocky smirk and a shrug of his shoulders as he turns around and drags you along with him. 

You’re still sort of in shock at the insults Jungkook just fired at Jaehyun, but you smile secretly as he maneuvers you towards the altar with confident steps. The confidence only lasts for about three more seconds until you’re out of Jaehyun’s line of sight and Jungkook lets go of you with a huff and takes out a handkerchief from his pocket to dot at his hairline. 

He returns to the nervous little puppy he was when you grabbed him, and his eyes are wide open again and his shoulders cave in as his gaze stays on the ground. You’re left in shock at the whole ordeal as you watch him with nothing to say. 

Finally, he finishes and realizes you’re still here and his eyes go even wider as he stutters, “U-uh, I-i’m sorry if I intruded, he was being r-really rude and I didn’t think you deserved that because you definitely deserve more than that, and you’re really way way prettier than that girl he brought and he’s a horrible guy and--” 

You stop him, eyes wide as a playful smile glints on your lips. “Wait, what did you say?” 

Jungkook literally looks like a deer caught in headlights as he takes a moment to backtrack on what he’d just blubbered about. And his eyes, if possible, go even wider as they snap back up to yours as he realizes he’d just admitted you were really pretty and that you deserve better. The handkerchief drops to the ground as he tries to read your expression, but you have a small smile on your face that he can’t really determine is just a polite smile to get rid of the awkwardness or just amusement at what a mess he’s making of himself. 

“Uh, sorry! Sorry!” He repeats, “I didn’t mean to say it like that, sorry! I just meant to say that you’re really pretty and that guy was really a dick and I could do better, I mean,” he catches himself with a start, sputtering even more to cover up his slip-up, “I mean! No, like only if you want, and I’m not saying you have to, but yeah the 450 lens?”  

You’re silent as you take in everything he’d just said to you. Then your face breaks out in a smile and a loud laugh and he’s shyly laughing along with you because he has no idea what that means and he feels more sweat coming. 

“Hahahaha!” You’re clutching your stomach as you witness the nervous boy in front of you. “Jungkook, right?” 

He nods. 

You smile at him, because seeing the guy in front of you literally sweating in nervousness and so shy he can’t get his words straight is so endearing. “My name is Y/N.” You stick out your hand and he takes it, not before wiping it furiously on his pants before taking it. Still, you can feel how damp they are with his nervousness. 

Smiling as you let go, you pat him on the shoulder. “Thank you so much, for what you did back there. Definitely, you’re right. Jaehyun did deserve that. How about I take you out to lunch, and take up your offer to thank you for you did?” 

His eyes are legit two huge circles as a smile breaks out on his face. “A-are you serious?” 

You smile, nodding. “I gotta get back to work now, but definitely I’d be happy to let you take me out on a date.” You wink at him and you walk away and Jungkook picks up the handkerchief and dots his hairline as he realizes he’d just sort of not really snagged a date with you. 

[To: Jungkook]: So what time can you pick me up? 

[From: Jungkook]: Oh! Yes! Sorry! How does tomorrow 4 sound? Late lunch?

[To: Jungkook]: Sounds perfect! See you there! And you looked really good today, you should wear that tux a little more often. 

[To: Jungkook]: 346.jpg file

[From: Jungkook]: Wow when did u capture this? I really like it! 

[To: Jungkook]: I have a few more I can show u :) it wasn’t hard getting good shots of you. 

[From: Jungkook]: Huh?

You smile, as you type it into your phone. He’s literally sitting a few feet away from you at the head of the table with the bride and groom and is boredly typing into his phone. A giggle comes up when you see his entire face go into shock at your blatant flirting. 

[From: you]: I’m flirting with you Jungkook ;) 

He looks up from his table and goes wide-eyed at you, ignoring the odd stares from his other members as he gawks at you. But then a small smile graces his open lips and he meets your gaze with a wide smile. 

[From: Jungkook]: Hell yes 

You giggle and look up and he’s still staring at his screen, typing furiously. 

[From: Jungkook]: The prettiest girl in the room is flirting with ME?!

[From: Jungkook]: actually I can’t wait, are you busy tonight for a movie after the wedding?

[To: jungkook]: Um isn’t the bride supposed to be the prettiest? I’m telling.

[From: Jungkook]: My hyungs taught me not to be a liar. 

[robinhoodrevisited]

A Less Than Regal Reception (pt.6)

Nottingham Town. Marketplace. (The Prince and Isabella have arrived and are seated on an elevated platform before the people. The Sheriff sits to the Prince's left. Bertha is still inside the ring ramping up the crowd.) Bertha: "Welcome our gladiators warmly! (Indra, in a bald, scowling man mask, and Little John in a lion mask climb into the ring to cheers and boos.) Tonight, they fight in celebration of the Prince's happy union!" (The Sheriff rolls his eyes impatiently. The crowd cheer and the Prince beams. Isabella's face is unreadable.) Sheriff: (Rolling his fingers to hurry up. Mouthing:) "Let’s get on with it." (Bertha sees him and nods.) Bertha: "So... (climbs out of the ring) ... without further ado... Gladiators, ready? (Indra and Little John each tap their swords against their shields once. Cracks whip.) Fight!" (Indra attacks first. Little John blocks with his shield, his sword, and then both together and Indra kicks him in the stomach. Indra attacks again. Little John blocks with the shield and then swings his sword at Indra. She blocks the blow with her sword and swings her shield around, hitting Little John in the shoulder and pushing him into the rope. Little John turns to face her. Indra attacks and Little John blocks with his shield, then swings his sword, but Indra defends with her shield. Indra shoves her shoulder into Little John, pushing him back into the rope again. Bertha watches them, glancing at the Sheriff, smiling at the fact that their plan is working. Indra kicks Little John in the back, and the big man is thrown forward. Little John regains his balance and turns to face his adversary again. He blocks with his shield and attacks Indra, who also blocks with her shield, then parries and punches Little John in the face with her shield. Little John spins round, then punches Indra’s back with his shield, sending her into the rope. The boys cheer. Indra turns and nods in appreciation, clearly enjoying the chance to fight once again even if it is meant to be staged.)

Nottingham Castle. Portcullis. (Robin's group approach the castle gates which is heavily guarded.) Much: "Master, what do we do?" Robin: "Keep going." Castle Guard: "No-one goes in or out of the castle!" (Much has to stop in front of the assembled guards.) Much: (Holding up a fist:) "Halt! (Raises his visor.) Lads, let us through." Castle Guard: "Nobody enters or leaves. Sheriff's orders." Much: "We’re escorting prisoners to the dungeons." Guard 2: (Steps forward:) "Ere, lads, it's Allan!" Allan: (Smirks:) "All right, Steve? (Looks to another guard:) Teddy, hows the missus?" (Robin and Gisborne exchange incredulous looks as Allan talks with the guards.) Guard 2: "Weren't you declared a free man?" Allan: "Yeah, it's a long story." Guard 3: "Hang on, (Points to a villager/guard:) Jeremy, what are you doing here?" Jeremy: "Hi, dad." Guard 4: "Mary? Why are you dressed like one of the Prince's guards?" (Mary smiles sheepishly at her husband.) Allan: "Look, the fact is lads, the time is now. If you stand aside and let us in, we can stop the Sheriff and Prince John once and for all." Guard 1: (Laughs:) "What, you lot?" Guard 2: "Ey up, there's Robin Hood and Sir Guy back there." (Robin and Gisborne look to each other then step forward, no longer trying to hide.) Robin: "Allan's right. (Indicating Mary and Jeremy:) The Sheriff and Prince John are tearing this country apart. They're making families choose sides against each other. The people of Nottingham should all be stood united against their tyranny. (The guards mutter amongst themselves:) Now I know you need your jobs to provide for your families but there comes a time when enough is enough. What do you say?" (The guards all talk amongst themselves for a long moment before turning back to the gang.) Guard 1: "The way I figure it is, between the Sheriff's own personal army and now the Prince's elite guard? They're going to replace us lowly castle guards any day now." Guard 2: "Yeah, and they want us to repair the castle. I say we leave 'em to it if they think they can do better than us." Allan: "That's right, lads. Bollocks to the lot of 'em!" Guard 1: "You know what, (Taking off his helmet:) I think it's time we took a well earned break. Robin Hood? The castle is yours." (The guards all cheer at this and begin to step aside. Unable to believe this turn of events the gang hurry inside lest the guards change their minds. As Mary runs to her guard husband’s arms, Robin stares at Allan in wonder.) Allan: (Putting on Guard 2's discarded uniform and helmet:) "Yeah, I didn’t see that happening.”

The Great Hall. (Abby and Marcus have found Clarke in the Great Hall.) Clarke: "How did you get in here?" Abby: "A combination of Marian's instructions and the fact that most of the guards are protecting the Prince rather than the castle." Clarke: "So what's the plan?" Marcus: "Once we secure the castle we take the Prince hostage and make him dismiss his men." Abby: "Then we lock him away, like he tried to do to you and you'll be free to take the throne. (Watches her daughter for her reaction:) If that's still what you want to happen." (Before Clarke can reply the gang and the villagers burst into the Hall. Clarke looks concerned until Will removes his helmet and gives her a little bow.) Will: "Princess." Clarke: (As everyone else removes their helmets:) "How did you manage to pull this off?" Will: "It was surprisingly easy." Robin: "I need to send the signal arrow to Marian's group, let them know we're inside. My gang stay here. (To the villagers:) The rest of you spread out through the castle and stand a post. The more guards the Prince sees the more complacent he’ll be." (Robin heads off to send the signal.) Clarke: "What's happening?" Much: "Well, we've taken the castle, now we need the Prince to come to us." Clarke: "Along with his real guards." Much: (Smiles:) "We've thought of that. Divide and conquer." Allan: "Yeah, we hope." (Clarke looks confused as Abby continues watching her, unconvinced that becoming Queen is truly what Clarke wants.)

Nottingham Castle. Tower. (Robin rushes to the top of the tallest tower, his bow in hand. He quickly draws and shoots four arrows in four different directions. We follow the last arrow as it sails down and buries itself into a post.) Nottingham Town. Marketplace. (As the arrow lands we see the face of the Nightwatchman emerge from round the corner. Taking their cue, the masked figure prepares to make an entrance. Meanwhile, Indra and Little John continue to fight, striking and blocking alternately until Little John spins round and hits Indra’s back with the sword butt, forcing Indra into the ropes. The boys cheer. Indra comes back to fight. They alternate blows and Little John kicks her in the chest. Bertha watches as the Prince is enjoying himself but sees the Sheriff watching and frowning. Little John hits Indra with his shield and kicks her again as Bertha circles the ring to Little John.) Bertha: “Where are your friends? The Sheriff’s getting restless!” (Suddenly the Nightwatchman bursts through the crowd immediately catching the Sheriff’s attention.) Sheriff: (Stands and points:) “That’s the Nightwatchman! I warned you what would happen the next time you crossed me! Guards, get after her!” (The guards run in to obey and the Sheriff follows in their wake. Little John and Indra cease fighting as the guards and Sheriff leave.) An Alleyway. (The Nightwatchman runs down an alley with the Black Elite and the Sheriff hot on their heels. Making a left and then a right, the Nightwatchman hits a dead end. Turning to face the guards, the masked figure has no choice but to fight. Punching one guard and shoving him into another, the Nightwatchman picks up a fallen sword. Out of options, they charge towards the guards and are quickly disarmed and stabbed repeatedly. As the Nightwatchman falls to the ground, the Sheriff walks forward grimacing.) Sheriff: "Such bravery and beauty, wasted. (The Sheriff reaches down and pulls off the mask to reveal Matthew's face. To the guards:) This is not the Nightwatchman! (An arrow sails over the Sheriff's head which he narrowly avoids. Spinning to see the culprit, the Sheriff sees a second Nightwatchman standing several feet away.) There! Get after them! (The guards make chase after the second hooded figure as the Sheriff leans over Matthew.) As you lay there dying, boy, make no mistake; I will find Lady Marian and put an end to her little games." (Suddenly the Sheriff pulls his knife and sinks it into Matthew's chest. The villager groans and dies as the Sheriff wipes his blade clean.) 

Back At The Marketplace. (Prince John sits atop the platform impatiently waiting for the fight to resume.) Prince John: "Come on, I want to see a winner!" (Bertha smiles up at her gladiators and nods.) Bertha: (To the Prince:) "Perhaps Sire would like to come meet the combatants?" (The crowd cheers at this and the Prince smiles, getting to his feet.) Isabella: (Reaching for his arm:) "Sire, do you think that's wise?" Prince John: (Unconcerned:) "Oh, worrying for your husband already? How sweet. These brutes are here for our entertainment, my darling. They won’t hurt us." (The Prince offers his hand to Isabella and together they walk down the steps and head toward the ring. As the Prince reaches the ropes, Little John crouches down, his mask firmly in place. Isabella watches as Indra stands over her.) Bertha: "Gladiators, remove your helmets." (Slowly the gladiators reach up and remove their masks. As soon as they do Isabella gasps.) Prince John: "What is the matter, my dear?" Little John: (Standing tall above the Prince:) "Perhaps she realises that all your guards have left and you're all alone." Indra: "Surrounded by the very people you oppress." (At this, the Prince and Isabella look around and notice that they are in fact all alone in the middle of a group of angry looking villagers. Walt, with a tomato in his hand, steps forward and hurls it at the Prince, hitting him in the shoulder. The crowd laugh as the Prince looks down, mortified.) Prince John: "How DARE you treat me this way. I am your King!" Little John: "Not yet you're not." (The crowd all murmur in agreement and begin to close in on the Prince. Panicked, the Prince grabs his bride by the shoulders and holds Isabella in front of him.) Indra: (To everyone:) "Look how he hides behind his woman!" (The laughter increases as the Prince cowers behind Isabella.)

(At that moment there is a commotion coming from the far end of the marketplace. Little John turns to see as guards run towards them. Indra and Little John stand ready as the Prince straightens and bellows his command.) Prince John: "It's about time too! Arrest - no kill these brutes!" (But, to the astonishment of the Prince, the guards keep running. It's only when Blamire arrives with his eyes wide and sword drawn that the Prince realises something is deeply wrong.) Blamire: "They've breached the gate, they're coming!" Isabella: "Who's coming? What's-" (Isabella stops talking mid sentence when she turns and notices her heroic husband fleeing back towards the castle. Lifting her skirts, the former sheriff hastens to follow the Prince as several painted Celtic warriors charge through the streets. Dozens of warriors flood the marketplace cutting down every Elite guard they see.) Blamire: "Retreat!" (The captain bellows several times before his attention is caught by one warrior in particular.) Octavia: (Headed straight for him, calmly:) "My name is Octavia, you killed Lincoln. Prepare to die." (Blamire doesn't hang around to give her that opportunity, instead turning and running toward the castle.)

(Indra approaches her protege and together they watch as Blamire retreats.) Indra: "You survived the fall." Octavia: "I came for the war." (Indra gently reaches out and turns Octavia's face toward her.) Indra: (Noticing Octavia's warpaint:) "Lincoln's tattoo. (Octavia nods and looks away:) Don't fight with aggression, don't reveal your next move before you strike." Octavia: (Echoing her mentor's lessons:) "And never leave myself exposed. (Looks to Indra:) I remember." Indra: "It's OK to be afraid." Octavia: "I'm not." (Indra reaches down and pulls her sword from her scabbard.) Indra: (Holding it out:) "The same blade that killed Blamire's brother. I'd like you to use it." Octavia: "You should join your people and win this war." Indra: "You are my people." (At this, Octavia slowly reaches out and takes the sword. Indra extends her hand in the warriors greeting and Octavia takes it.) Indra: (Pulling Octavia in close:) "I taught you to fight, but who you fight for has always been up to you." (The two women part and Indra walks away.) Alley off the marketplace. (Nyko lays dying on the floor with guards surrounding him. The Sheriff stares and chuckles.) Sheriff: "Another one bites the dust. (Bertha turns in to the alley, takes in the scene and tries to run but the Sheriff clicks his fingers. A guard steps up and grabs her arm.) So... exactly how far did you think you’d get, Bertha? We had a deal." Little John: (Stepping into the alley:) "The deal is off." (The Sheriff walks away.) Sheriff: "Somebody kill that man." (Little John fights off the initial attack, turning the swords away with his staff, then stands ready as they regroup. He swings his staff around, parries two swords at once, then two more from the other side, but he is surrounded, trapped against the wall.) Little John: (To Bertha:) “Run!” (Before Bertha can even move, Marian and Djaq run in, swords ready, and fight off the guards. Both are dressed as the Nightwatchmen. Little John takes his place next to Bertha and fights off a guard. Djaq quickly moves over to Nyko and removes her mask.) Djaq: “Nyko, I-” (Djaq looks at the healer and sees that Nyko's eyes are unseeing. She checks for a pulse but finds nothing. Solemnly, Djaq reaches up and closes the dead man’s eyes.)

[evanafter-jy]

Before I actually ventured into the game I had been under the impression that a large number of the unlockable forms are rather useless But in my playthrough I managed to find most of them fun, relevant, and playable in their own way. I am going to list down the forms one can acquire in gameplay chronological order and add a score for general usability.  

Default form: Reploid/Human

Nothing special here, this is your standard form that can run, jump, and fire basic buster shots. It is unique in the sense that one can crawl in these form into narrow tunnels or avoid certain attacks. Also, one automatically floats with this while in water which can turn out to be surprisingly helpful at times, but generally useless if you can wall climb with other Mega Man forms. It can be quite fun to try and play some parts of the game just using this. Generally, this form is lacking due to lacking serious attacks and inability to wall climb or dash, which are important features to get through stages.

Model A

This is your bread and butter basic form, and it is really a good one. It has the essential wall climb and dash, allowing you to access some previously inaccessible areas. The attacks are also very powerful: a charged shot (that other fires a large shot that covers a lot of vertical ground or a narrow bouncing laser) and Homing Shot which makes the gameplay really easy. It basically scans in a cone shaped area and identifies attackable targets and fires shots that homes on all of them. Combined properly one can last both shots before it triggers iFrames (invulnerability windows) of bosses, dealing a huge chunk of damage. Then, it actually has an ultimate attack Giga Crush, which expends all weapons energy to deal a lot of screen wide damage.

Overall: This form is really good for taking down minions and bosses due to its ability to attack from odd angles. Model A isn’t the fastest damage dealer or stage clearer, but it does the job cleanly and easily. 8.5/10

Buckfire

Your first Pseudoroid form is actually one of the most useful ones in the game. It perma-dashes and comes with two vertical charged moves that can break obstacles (one is a very high jump), making this one of the most crucial mobility form early on. It also has really powerful basic attacks in the form of three burning arrows, which can be surprisingly powerful for taking down minibosses (who don’t really have iFrames, allowing the damage to quickly add up). The charged attack that sends two boomerangs is the only blade-type attack (which can break large items into smaller ones) early on and also foes respectable amounts of damage. The only major downside is that it has one of the most difficult wall-jump to work with as it kicks off hard to launch into the opposing direction, often counterintuitive to use.

Overall: This is one of the more useful forms for overcoming obstacles and reaching out of reach areas, while also being one of the strongest miniboss destroyers. But otherwise it is a little cumbersome to against bosses and clear stages.  7/10.

Rospark

This is obviously a situation specific form, only useful for navigating vertical poles (where no other forms can interact with 😦 bad design) and activating electric based switches. It climbs these poles, and can cling to the next one with its whip, and send jolts of electricity coursing down the poles with a charged attack. It can also fire stingers upwards, and has some fancy but situational charged moves. Otherwise, it is slow and clumsy. It is actually still rather clumsy to use on a pole since it moves much too slow for comfort, and taking damage knocks him off the pole. Use with caution.

Overall: This form exists purely for poles and is near useless when on the ground as it moves way too slowly and is not capable of dashing. It also has close to zero bossing powers even against elec-weak targets (perhaps one can always try doing a couple of charged moves, then transform back into a standard form again). One of the worse forms in game, but because of how poles normally (almost always) lead to important objectives you will use him again and again. 2/10.

Chronoforce

This form is rather interesting. It is your first marine form which can navigate freely in water, and is the only form to have an invincible part. It fires ice arrows, which is an average attack you won’t find much use for the game (aside from deactivating some ice based switches). It’s most valuable part comes in the charged Time Bomb, which is actually one of the most broken abilities in the game. It basically slows time for a period, allowing one to pull off gimmicks like entering to-be-closing doors or fight hard bosses easier. This is Chronoforce’s only available ability when on the land.

Overall: Useful in water as it swims permanently (another aqua form Thetis gets knocked out of it upon damage), but is only used to drop Time Bombs on dry land. Time Bombs range from being useless (most bosses are perfectly manageable in Beginner mode) to extremely broken (if you ever have trouble with any fight, drop one for the difficulty to go down a few notches). Good support form. 5/10 (simply because of Time Bomb’s versatility). 

Atlas (Model F)

Funny how Mega Man bosses are easier to beat compared to Pseudoroids, despite being way more usable.

Finally another Mega Man form (wall climbs and dash!). This form fires huge buster shots WHICH YOU CAN EDIT THE TRAJECTORIES (you can have two settings for your two arms). Absolutely amazing form to use at this stage as it deals generous amounts of damage. It can also fire straight up, which will destroy any mini boss that comes from above. You can half charge the attacks to throw a breaking-punch, or full charge it for a powerful short ranged fireball that ignites surfaces briefly or drop a fire mine. In terms of downsides, Atlas lacks the power to cover more close ranged threats from narrower angles and is weak to electric attacks.

Overall: Great form which can be used to replace Model A if one practices using this and the buster edit function. This is especially good to take out flying threats since it is so straightforward to use. Lacking in covering fast moving close range threats. 8/10.

Siarnaq (Model P)

This is the ninja form, with dark vision and a stage enemy scanner. One of my favourite forms in the game and being a Mega Man form is just one part of why. Its basic throwing knives are likely the fastest attacks in the game and they cover even a great deal of vertical ground as they spread out at further distances. This thing melts targets with no iframes like hot knife through butter. You can also tap the radar screen to fire knives at enemies even through obstacles, which can be coupled with your basic attack for even more damage, or use it to sneak cheap shots during hard fights. The charged attacks has two variants depending on your character, one forms a shield of shurikens around you which absorb hits, the other throws a huge shuriken which is tricky to use but can instantly destroy minibosses if used properly. This is all without taking account into its horizontal platform clinging ability, which allows him to navigate platforms, bars, and ceilings with ease.

Overall: One of the best forms to have and most satisfying to use. The ability to hang on stuff is also really appreciated for navigational purposes and the ingame enemy radar is one of the most useful functions so far. The game actually becomes much easier once you acquire this. 9/10

Aeolus (Model H)

Another Mega Man, and one of the most useful forms in the game. It has one of the highest maneuverability in the game due to being able to air dash, hover, and upward dash, on top of being able to wall climb. The enemy analyzer is not amazing, but it does gives you feedback on how far have you progressed with a miniboss fight. He fights with two sets of awesome saber attacks, and can be combo-ed in a sequence to fire a sonicboom slash which is always neat to have. Sabers are great for busting enemies quickly because they cover certain angles that shots are not able to reach. The charged shots involve wide-coverage tornadoes which is great for stunning foes and covering a large amount of enemies. Fights bosses and clears stages quickly if well practiced.

Overall: Personally I find Aeolus really overrated, or maybe I was extremely annoyed by his stage. Hovering is not that useful and the vertical dash is not as prominent as Buckfire’s jump (maybe because weapon energy regenerates really fast in Beginner’s?). Still it doesn’t take away how good of a boss fighter he is due to his access to a powerful saber attacks, triple slash and the tornados. Everyone loves swords and tornados.  8.5/10.

Thetis (Model L)

The Ice Mega Man form is actually pretty good to play with. While he is arguably not as useful as Model P or H, he is surprisingly rather solid. Firstly, it is an aqua form and it can swim and navigate underwater easily, and comes with a cyber elf that scouts items out, which is really neat to have when not using walkthroughs. Sometimes I find myself casually switching to Thetis just to scout stuff out on land. Secondly (or thirdly :/), his default melee attack is not shabby at all. It is quite a powerful halbard swing with good reach and can be used in rapid succession despite not having a hard-coded combo. Underwater this halbard absolutely destroys everything within melee range with rapid spinning attacks. Finally, he has two variants of Ice attacks that are tricky to use: a homing Ice Dragon and a Ice Spiked Ball which can be shattered into shards.

Overall: Actually quite useful on land to locate items (he also has the largest stage radar, allowing one to see whether pits are bottomless or not) and does quite a decent amount of damage with halbard. His only major downside is that the charged attacks are really tricky to use properly. Also, he gets knocked out of swim and can be difficult to determine whether he is swim mode or not, which can lead to a fair share of annoying mistakes. 7.5/10.   

Vulturon

In my opinion, the most underrated form in the game ever. Many dismissed it as only usable to unlock those hanging scale obstacles, and absolutely outclassed by Queenbee. Vulturon is much more than that. Although his attacks (both the normal sound pulse and the guitar whack) are underwhelming, the sound attack hits through walls and platforms, which is useful to exterminate foes from weird angles. His mobility is in my opinion better than even Aeolus’s. The wall scaling/sticking ability gives one of the best vertical maneuvers in the game, and the horizontal hover is the best horizontal one. Combined, the two can be used to navigate difficult high areas easier than any other form in the game. Scale the walls for altitude, then hover to cross large horizontal distances, use sound attacks to clear any flying enemies from any angle. Most notably, he can be used to navigate the difficult Control Tower areas more effectively than Aeolus.

Overall: Not really much of a bosser a fast stage clearer, but his mobility is deceptively good. Give this a try when you see seemingly impossible objectives. 7/10.

Queenbee

The most mobile form in the game. The only playable form capable of true flight, quite possibly in the entire Megaman franchise. With careful tapping Queenbee can get anywhere, from high up areas to across long spaces full of spikes. The days of having to carefully calculate Buckfire’s jump or perform difficult Model H’s maneuvers are over. Queenbee is also the only form that can transport certain docked objects. Outside of flying though, she is quite difficult to use and you will never consider using her over the Mega Man forms or Buckfire.

Overall: It can really fly and transport stuff. Nuff said. Her attacks are sadly pathetic and clumsy to seriously use. 8/10.

Model ZX

Ohoho, this is The Mega Man form to use. It is no wonder you unlock this only late in the game. In terms of damage output, nothing in this game beats the almighty Model ZX. It has powerful charged buster shots which can easily blast through minions and bosses (you can keep your Model A’s busters in the locker now). Then we have the ZX Saber, quite probably the strongest weapon in game. You can perform wide triple slashes, multiple spinning slashes, and powerful charged slash with this, all of them dish out ridiculous amounts of damage. Timed properly, you can also release both charged shot and charged slash together for massive burst damage. This is the number one bossing form in this game (I have seen calculated spinning slashes instantly destroying a boss) and is still really good for dealing with stages due to its attack versatility with both gun and sword. Model ZX also has some extra attacks such as a downward stab that sends rocks flying, or an uppercut that launches a sonic boom.

Overall: It sucks that most plot scenarios automatically changes the character into Model A, because Model ZX outshines it in almost every possible way (except maybe Giga Crush). It is well rounded for melee and ranged, and becomes really easy to use once one masters the various saber moves (especially how to do multiple spinning slashes), and is borderline overpowered in beginner’s mode. It does nothing else aside from damage however. 9.5/10. 

Argoyle and Ugoyle

This is the oddest form to use and is arguably the most useless form ever. It permanently skates-dashes but cannot perform the wall jump. It fires a weird bouncing throwing star projectile which can be aimed in various directions. Its specialty lies in its ability to summon Ugoyle in front of him, which can perform a kick. The kick can be combined with the throwing star to be launched at various angles. The only unique use this form has is to use Ugoyle and take items as it passes through any obstacle but only a short distance.

Overall: This form is confusing to use and doesn’t shine anywhere. It doesn’t clear stages fast, doesn’t do a lot of damage, doesn’t navigate well. It only use is to get close but out of reach items or do roundhouse kicks and launch the projectile for the lulz. Maybe it moves rather fast?..Many players never gave this form a second look for good reason. 1.5/10.

Hedgeshock

Surprisingly neat to use. It can replace the naked form entirely with its rolling dash. Definitely not Sonic inspired /sarcasm. If only it can well jump, which will make it almost as good as a Mega Man form. Otherwise it fires busters and can release fan-shaped charged electric blasts. The small size also allows it to pull off cute boss fights as most attacks will just fly overhead.

Overall: Essential for certain stages, cute and amusing during standard stage play and boss fights. Not really powerful but surprisingly usable and smooth to play. 7/10.

Bifrost

This is notable for being the largest form in game, perhaps the largest playable model in the entire Mega Man franchise. This is a giant crocodile that moves at a slow speed and can be difficult to control as it cannot pass through lower ceilings and is difficult to determine if it is in contact with enemy or spike. It offers no unique utility aside from being able to crunch through a certain kind of solid yellow block. It can also destroy other normally indestructible objects like EMP with the crunch attack. Sometimes it can also crunch normally unreachable objects and enemies through obstacles because of its tremendous reach granted by its size. Otherwise, it is useless and clumsy, although entertaining to use. Its attacks include firing metal wheels, a huge crunch, and firing a barrage of ice fangs. He can also use his size for certain hilariously powerful attacks, such as turning his body to perform a massive tail whip, and stomping on enemies by jumping on them.

Overall: Honestly as useless as Rospark, but way more entertaining to use. 3.5/10.

That is pretty much it for Megaman ZX Advent. I may add this into IGN, but otherwise I am mostly done with this title. For this segment, I didn’t really take into account of the differences in usability between Ashe’s forms and Gray’s. The differences are not exactly minor but I doubt they change my judgment much.  It has been a great ride thus far, and I am happy to wrap this up. Looking forward to more Megaman ZX games! For those who haven’t checked this game out, feel free to read my review 🙂 

Megaman ZX Advent – A-Trans Forms Review and Rough Guide Before I actually ventured into the game I had been under the impression that a large number of the unlockable forms are rather useless But in my playthrough I managed to find most of them fun, relevant, and playable in their own way.

[sleepytisi]

The Importance of Personal Warding

Please visit my shop: Bells, Shells, and Spells for handmade wands, jewelry, accessories, and more!

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They say the best offence is a good defense.

Creating a set of effective personal shields is possibly one of the most important things a witch can do – but don’t just settle for a simple bubble or mirror shield! These are easily broken with enough force, and if that’s your only line of defense, you’re in trouble!

The most effective way to protect oneself is to have an array of layers to one’s wards – each with a different purpose. The ones I will be covering are listed below, in the order of outermost to innermost:

Cloaking shield – Made of a bubble of water, it reflects and refracts light, keeping me from detection.

Clam shell shield – Barrier against harmful forces

Decoy clam shells – I created several identical clam shells within the cloaking shield to distract from the main shield

Warning (“stop poking around, or you’ll get hurt”)

Pearl shield – Barrier against harmful forces

Epidermis of Jellyfish – Thin layer of fleshy material to keep the inner shields separated and to help with noise reduction of Siren’s Song

Mesoglea of Jellyfish – Thick, goopy, gelatinous layer. Sticky, hard to get through, slows intruder down, acts as noise dampener for Siren’s Song (Lined with Gastrodermis to keep the mesoglea where it belongs)

Siren’s Song – Charged with actual singing. Linked to a queen conch. Conch acts as a storage facility for the energy used to charge all the shields. Siren’s Song draws the intruder further in and traps them, draining them and sending their energy to the conch. Linked by blood to me and also linked to a small conch pendant. The pendant acts as a conduit for directing the energy to myself. 

I’ve assembled the shields in a few different segments, as the outer oceanic layer took much more energy than I anticipated. I tested the segments in phases, as they were assembled. Phase 2 was during my recharge at the ocean. I required a significant amount of energy for building the siren’s song spell layer, and reinforced the ocean layer during this time.

“Siren’s Song” by Sara Singer or “Siren” by Red Delicious are both great tunes to sing for this shield’s charge up. Imagine a harmful entity breaching the walls, breaking past the barriers that were set up, then hearing your soothing voice singing. It becomes enthralled and wants to come closer, drawn in further. Finally making it to the center of the chamber, the conch shell sits on a dais, emanating the haunting song you’re singing. The entity picks the shell up, lovingly, and is sucked inside. The shell drops back to the dais, and the entity is trapped.

“Seven Seas there were once, and the eighth was born.” ~Khnum

Ward Testing

Phase 1:

Ocean, decoys, shell, warning, and pearl.

Testers: Unutha, Eilena, and Khnum

Khnum was first. Khnum astral projected into the wards and gave this as a result:

“They look good, the liquidity makes it difficult to get a grasp on them to see if there’s a way of getting through, and they’re kind of scary in a suck-away-at-you way once you touch them. The complication of the parts in them make it hard to see you clearly, too. It’s really weird, like a river rolled into a ball.”

I didn’t sense Khnum any time he projected to me. He’s got a very subtle energy signature.

Eilena went next, shooting me with an energy blast.

She followed the energy to the destination. The blast didn’t penetrate the shell. She described the ocean layer as being thick, and giving a sense of drowning.

Eilena came to me as a vision of a storm over the ocean.

Unutha was last, in this set. He tried to probe the wards with a weapon, and poke holes. He hit a decoy.

“Okay so I felt like I was in the water of an aquarium, I pushed through and hit what i thought was you, smashed through you and got to this darker section like the deep ocean and then tried to push through a black orb/egg. To be fair I was improvising with what I had.”

I asked if he hit any warnings, and he said an octopus grabbed him, but he slashed at it with the same thing he was using to stab my wards.

Unutha felt like a cool breeze on my face.

Khnum went again after this, wanting to try an ice attack with gypsum.

He wanted to try to freeze a section. He got a piece about the size of his palm and then it receded back. He saw things moving around, but nothing noticed him.

I felt something akin to being annoyed by a bug but unable to kill it.

I liked to use Khnum as a method to describe the ocean shield layer.

Phase 2:

How does being at the ocean affect the shields?

Testers: Khnum was the only one available to test this round. I had him test twice.

When I went to the beach, I absorbed the energy pretty quickly. As a sea witch, the ocean recharges me. By the end of the beach trip, I had absorbed so much energy that I was filled with a sense of love and belonging, and my entire body was vibrating.

First test was being within a mile from the ocean but not actually on the beach. Khnum’s description is as follows:

“More. The bubble sort of exploded. You’re a tiny space inside a really thick sphere.”

Second test was being at the actual beach, in the water:

“That’s odd. It’s thickened again and this time you’re not in the center. There’s one huge sphere of water and one inner sphere, which you’re in, but the inner sphere is near the bottom of the bigger one which is almost entirely above ground. There’s a big empty space above you and I saw things swimming in it that reminded me a little of sea turtles.

I think you’ve gone and created a spell ecosystem out of this. xD ”

Phase 3:

Jellyfish layers, and siren’s song.

Testers: Khnum, Eilena, Kiley, and Jelly

Khnum was apprehensive, but went in.

“Apprehensive but comfortable! Here goes nothing.

Hmph. Whirlpool trap?

I got into the pearl and then started spinning around and couldn’t get out again.

It was pretty scary. xD I’m neither claustrophobic nor thassalophobic, but the combination of the two was new and unnerving. It was definitely a good deterrent from getting to you, so I have no doubt it’ll work on spirits!”

Once he was trapped, I blew on the shell and released him. I asked if he was able to see a way out. He said no, but after a minute he just sort of phased out of it.

“I did find the shield to be alarmingly beautiful and got drawn in -maybe I did hear the song but didn’t register it?”

He was drawn down there by a light from the outer layer, which indicated that the jellyfish wasn’t enough to dampen the attraction of the song. I thickened the jellyfish walls, but a light was still mildly visible. I used a combination of sea life and squid ink to obscure the light.

“The ink makes it black. It’s scary and not as pretty but more effective. xD”

Eilena came through and described the event:

“That’s… very pink.” She describes being very close to being pulled into the trap. “pink, sticky and pulling, felt it siphoning off some energy but not at a fast rate. Getting back out was harder than getting in. Sort of a ‘just give up and relax, settle down, it’s cozy here’ feeling. There was some vague sound but I couldn’t really make it out, almost just like a white noise kind of background thing.”

I asked about any sealife, since Una got attacked by an octopus. Eilena mentioned zapping an eel after it zapped her. This explains the tightness I felt in my chest during the testing. I felt a heaviness when she got there, which she explained as her going for a stone’s weight to sink through the vast ocean layer as fast as possible. She didn’t feel or sense the Siren’s Song from outside the shell, but once she made it inside the shell, she felt the “relax” sensation.

I asked if there were any other things that she wants to mention that I didn’t ask about. “mm, I think there were sort of like jellyfish tentacles? Contributing to the ‘pulling in’. They didn’t sting but they seemed to be where the energy drain was coming from. My impressions are usually pretty vague, sorry.”

She added that  “it seemed like I went through a lot of pink, with the pull getting stronger as I went in. I’m not sure if not getting caught was just because I didn’t go far enough in, or if I was just able to fight the pull enough to get out again.”

I suggested the pink she saw was the inside of the conch, and she agreed, stating that the color was “queen conch pink.”

She describes the “just relax” feeling as being very hard to shake, and the conch being much harder to get out of than it was to get in.

I explained that Khnum had the sensation of being sucked in violently. She had a much more delicate experience? She described it as fighting the current on the way out. Some of her energy was sucked into the conch and is currently stored there.

She also described feeling tentacles helping pull her in, and a pulsing sensation like that of a heartbeat.

Jelly came into the ward system to poke around. He came with no intent for harm, and nothing attacked him while he was there. He had trouble finding me in the ocean ward and asked for help from a giant octopus. The octopus grabbed him and flung him toward a giant clam shell. I instructed him to knock and describe what he saw: 

“Some sort of shell with a glowing spherical thing inside. The shell looks like a conch shell. I can’t tell the details of the area but it’s manifesting in my mind as a theatre and the shell is on the stage playing the song?? But that seems to be a glamour/illusion. Outside of the glamour, it seems to be on a regular table that is…brown in color?” (When I cast this part of the spell, I indeed set up a glamour for that very image and the physical shell was on my brown kitchen table at the time I cast).  “On the surface of my thoughts I feel calm, but my gut feeling knows it’s a trap. I feel like I’m slowly being coaxed into the shell.” I instructed Jelly to try and touch the shell. “I poked it and the suck intensified like 3000x. But I still resisted it and didn’t get sucked in, though you probably got a bit of my energy.”  I confirm that I did get a small amount of energy. He said he jumped back as soon as the sucking got stronger.

We did some additional testing, like throwing in negative feelings. The conch seems to eject anything that might harm me.

Kiley asked to test something with my wards. She wanted to see how her wards (which are nearly identical to mine) interact with my wards. When she came in, she described a feeling like two oceans meeting. I felt as though I were suddenly covered in water, with it filling my lungs. I felt a warm calm. Like family was with me.

I asked if she felt a warning layer at all, and to describe what she saw and felt.

“That was when I got the tenseness on my back and neck. After the warning layer. I heard the song and I found it nice and delightful. But I didn’t feel a need to follow it, per say. Part of that may have been because I know exactly what that is lol. And maybe because I didn’t come with the intent of malice or to attack at all. So it didn’t draw me in like I think it is meant to for others who are aiming to cause you harm.”

Final Results

The amount of energy you need to put into this is taxing, to be sure, but well worth the effort. The more you concentrate and reinforce the layers, the stronger they get.

The siren’s song is charged by singing. I’m compelled to sing constantly while wearing the pendant. The compulsion and love energy that’s required for the spell is… lovely. But it lasts a while. Possibly have an outlet for it when the spell is done. Blood and seawater anchor the shell battery and the shell conduit to each other and to myself.

Jellyfish not initially thick enough to reduce draw from outside layers. Thickened walls, but a “light” was perceived still (though dampened). I used squid ink and sea life to obscure the light, which seemed to work.

The description of a current which can be fought against is concerning, as I would prefer it to be impossible to escape, but it may not be a bad thing for escape to be possible. Eilena’s escape causes me to wonder what the effects would be on someone who got away? I have a bit of her energy in the shell. Is there a link? Will it continue to siphon slowly?

Note: Hubby came home and saw the altar with the conch on it. He touched the conch and some of his energy drained into it and filtered into my necklace. Kiley has the same ward, and at my request, had her significant other touch it. Same results. Energy drain, mild, no immediate reaction from either person, but definite feel in the necklace.

Addendum: Unwitting friend touched the pendant. It did not take energy from her.

Second Addendum: I work with someone who can see auras. She came up to me to tell me the shell was white when it just blended in with my orange the last time she saw me and asked what was different. I let her touch it and she described feeling electricity. Eilena’s energy has been feeding into me all day and I had described it to Eilena as feeling like electricity flowing through my veins, along with a vague feeling of being untouchable.

Third Addendum: Eilena cleansed herself right after coming out of the wards, so if a link was established, it was broken when she cleansed it. Results of this are unknown until further testing is done.

The ecosystem I created requires a lot of energy to sustain, but I charge it during my showers and it feels great. I worry that the salinity will eventually be low enough to mess with the life that is in the sphere, if a regular beach visit isn’t done. That’s a test for another day.

The shell layer seems very strong, as does the pearl. The octopus was a bit out of nowhere, as I didn’t intend for the life in my ecosystem to attack intruders but rather just be there for fun. I’m glad they double as protectors. The decoys work fairly well, though Eilena and Khnum were able to find me by using my image as a taglock. I think Jelly went for the idea of me rather than focusing on a taglock, to keep things fair.

Conclusion

There are a lot of factors that I didn’t anticipate. For example, I drew an octopus for a focus while creating the ocean layer, but I didn’t anticipate it becoming a guardian. I also didn’t anticipate the queen conch absorbing energy from humans who touch the physical shell. This can, of course, be tweaked if it doesn’t suit the needs of the person utilizing this shield. I, personally, am a fan of this unexpected twist.

The wards are strong and malleable. They are intricate, and versatile. They should stand up to just about anything that is thrown at them.

Thank you to the testers for putting themselves in harm’s way to help with this experiment.

[chaniters]

Psycopathor’s Murder Game Part 2

The hunt of the Catastrofiend goes on, as opposing teams of rangers and rebels take the fight against the creature and each other to a large mall, while terrified civilians attempt to run for their lives. 

Warning major character death included.

(Post retribution AU part 6)

_____________________________________________________

"DODGE!" You yell at Cybra.

Cybra steers to the side, receiving Argent with her claws extended as they clash above the mechanical stair.

It's hypnotic, watching them fight.

Both of them can turn their limbs into weapons, growing claws or swords. Both of them are extremely fast and Nibmle. 

You can't help but wonder If Cybra was the test model for whatever was done to Argent. Wouldn't be the first time you saw a regene broken by the farm so that some human outside could end up with the street version of the same power. The final stage of boost drug testing is always the same. The general populace. 

You can't stop to see who wins. You have to keep running if you want to catch up.

Catstrofiend roars in the distance.

The Monster Fuckers let him out below the mall, in the garage. There was at least some poetic justice since it managed to catch two of them and shred them to pieces as they tried to escape from the opening cage. 

The early warning got most of the people evacuated, but 5 minutes isn't a lot of time.

He's already killed 11 civilians -that you know off- and by the sound of it, that number's about to go up.

Turning around the corner, you see a clothing store being torn to rubble as Steel comes flying through its window. Customers run towards the exit in the other direction.

Catastrofiend advances onwards to kill him, but Aegis collides with him from the side, the energy explosion strong enough to send it reeling to the left.

She raises her weapon -an axe of all things- and slashes for one of the legs, but the monster blocks with one of its sword arms.

It roars again and shoots it's cannon at her, the shield taking most of the damage, but still enough to send her backward.

Catastrofiend has repaired itself. It isn't weak like when you and Argent fought it. And it incorporated energy weapons.

It turns to you and shoots.

You dodge the energy beams, generating a dozen illusions of yourself, attacking from all sides.

It was never fooled before, but it's working perfectly now.

You manage three solid hits with your thrusters before he takes down the last of your fake selves.

But you can just do it again... You just need to...

And then you're on the ground. Catastrofiend tears the floor apart with its claws, literally pulling the rug from under your feet. Only it isn’t a rug, it’s concrete and cement. You’re on your arse as he raises his claws. 

Aegis and Steel stand to your left and right as you stand up.

"Truce?" Aegis says

"Truce" Steel concedes.

They charge from both sides as you send a shockwave of pain into its cortex, making it howl in anger.

"Y.yooOooouuuU wWiIlll dDIiIEeEeE!!!" It says, counters attacking... faster than you thought possible.

He dodges Aegis, tripping her down and elbowing her into the distance. He then picks up steel with two of his blade arms and throws him in your direction, the both of you down once more.

Fuck. It rages triumphantly once more.

And then it looks down. Its legs are not touching the floor.

It wiggles, but to no avail.

As it raises, Herald is revealed behind it, holding out his palm.

Gravity control. The Special Directive must have sent a specialist to speed up his developing powers.

They experimented on him. Just like they do on everyone else.

Catastrofiend crashes onto the ceiling, then back onto the floor, as Herald keeps inverting gravity.

"Keep it down!" Steel says.

Aegis draws her axe.

Catastrofiend roars one last time and...

The axe goes down, so swift and strong the ground itself trembles.

And the roar dies. Blood everywhere, as Catastrofiend's body, contorts several times before laying down motionless.

"It's over," Steel says decisively.

"No, darling. It just began" Aegis replies, swinging once more, at him this time.

"Treacherous bitch!" he says stopping the axe with both his palms. Impressive. But Aegis kicks him, freeing his axe and preparing for another swing.

You gaze returns to the Catastrofiend. It's head i's nearly severed but... strands of tissue are extending from it, back onto its neck. Pulling it closer and closer.

It's not dead...

"IT'S NOT DEAD!" you yell "It's going to..."

Too late you focus on Herald, as he charges and rams his fist onto your armor at full speed. The strength is enough to send you flying through a jewelry store’s window, exhibits flying everywhere.

He lands inf ront of you extending his hands once more, causing everything in the store to start floating including you.

"You are going to pay!" He speaks furiously.

Oh shit. You really hurt him. And wants to exact just revenge on you.

You fall down, crushed forcefully against the floor, making your entire body hurt.

"WHY? WHY DID YOU DO HAVE TO DO THIS? You were my hero! We fucking spent that night together!" 

"I'm not a hero, Daniel. You should have realized I never was by now." You manage to say, as gravity turns much heavier, keeping you pinned down. "You are the hero. And that's why It could never work between us."

"I..." he starts. The brief hesitation is the only thing you need.

*************************

He's no longer in the destroyed store. He's back at home. With his brother.

And his sibling is dying. The hero drugs are killing him. It’s all happening once more.

"Daniel" he coughs weakly "I'm sorry"

"No brother!" He can't help it. He can’t let him die. Not again.

He would do anything to save him. Even trade places with him. He wishes he could save him.

More than anything.

"Save me..." he begs.

Daniel takes his hand.

And then the impossible happens.

The wish is granted. It's Daniel whos dying instead. And his brother is safe.

"Daniel... thank you..." he says. And then he stands. And walks away into the darkness.

And then young Daniel is alone. Suffering. The drugs are killing him. He’s the one who will die now.   

But he saved him. He did it. No longer guilty. No longer the lone survivor.

It's a blissful sensation.

He's a hero. He's kept his promise.

And he's...

"No. This is a lie! It's not true! I know I can't change it!" He screams

And everything around him breaks like shattered glass.

*******************************

You haven't managed to fully stand before Herald breaks from the trance you put him in. Fuck. 

"YOU WON'T FOOL ME AGAIN!" He says lifting you with his new powers once more

"Almost had you!" you cackle in pain.

"You taught me well," he says, moving closer.

“That was a mistake, clearly” your smile is cruel. You’re still somewhat fond of him. But there is no love. 

You struggle a bit, but it's pointless. You'll have to wait for the right moment.

His fist connects fully, taking off your helm, which flies away.

"Why me?" he asks, as blood falls from your nose. And he hits you again. 

You can't help the grin from your face. This doesn't feel real. Nothing feels real since you let that witch Regina touch you again.

But you can answer his question.

"Because I’m selfish. And you're perfect. You're someone I could never be. And I couldn't resist. I wanted to know how it felt"

"I'll show you how it feels!" he says, punching your guts.

It hurts a lot. He strikes you, again, and again. You spit blood.

Crap. Maybe you really shouldn't have fucked him. You knew you should have kept your distance.

Wasn't the mess with Ortega bad enough?  Why are you always your worst enemy?

Now you've created a whole new nemesis for you.

He prepares for another swing... good. Now's the time.

You activate your thrusters at full speed, taking him with you for the ride.

An ungraceful spin around the floor and you send him rolling beyond the rail, falling down and knocking several tables off the central food court downstairs.

For a brief moment, he stays down, then all the tables start floating. His arms extended upwards give you the clear impression he’s about to throw them all at you. 

Then Cybra leaps onto him, getting hold of his right leg. They both spin awkwardly in the air for a moment in which gravity is suspended, before she lets go. Daniel is projected at great speed onto the floor, sliding down a corridor, yelling in pain. 

Effortlessly, she jumps up to your location, landing nearby and helping you up. 

No trace of were Argent is.

"Catastrofiend is regenerating! We have to..."

And then she's swept away.

The monster is standing again, a terrible cut on his neck, quickly regenerating.

It raises both blades and prepares to cut you down.

Only one way out. The ultimate test for your powers.

You feel yourself leaving your body, and entering your opponent's skull.

**********************

PAIN! Unrelenting pain and Anger! Everyone must die... you must survive. The Rangers, the rebels, everyone must be destroyed! You have to smear the walls with their blood!

"NO! Thes are not my thoughts!" You scream. But the voice isn't yours, it's the Catastrofiend's broken speech.

You extend your blades, and fall to the side, your legs moving uncontrollably.

This is the worst mind you've ever encountered yet.

"BE QUIET!" you shout with all your strength. You can barely contain the hell and brimstone in his thoughts.

It's far too much. You can see your real body, straining to keep this up.

You have to trick it.

Make it think your thoughts are his own.

You feel your grasp on reality fading.

The thing is far too insane. The pressure is tearing you apart...

But that doesn't stop you.

You manage to say something to Cybra, with the fiend's horrendous lips. She understands what's going on.

The thing is too insane. There are so many scars in its mind, and you can feel burning inside your own. If you stay here long enough, you're going to lose yourself.

You turn, looking at Daniel. Catastrofiend wants to kill him. It wants to taste his blood... break his limbs.

And so do you, as your thoughts become one.

Daniel is the first to fall. Steel puts up a great fight, but cannot stop you in the end, as Cybra turns off his mods with her hacking skills.

Argent manages to stand for far longer than you anticipated, but ultimately Aegis knocks her through a window and off the building, several stories down.

You make the Catastrofiend kneel. It howls in protest, but you keep it in place.

Its mind is a complete nightmare, one you can't afford to wake up from.

You have a secret weapon though. You open your own mind, imprinting your own scars into his cortex.

The thing howls in agony, as it feels the Heartbreak in all it’s horror.

And suddenly you have control once more.

Aegis lifts her axe over your/it’s neck once more. Cybra's arms keep it/you down.

You/it wants to die. You/it are a monster. You/it has no place in this world. No reason to go on. You/it, finally surrender and let go.

And the axe goes down once more.

You feel empty, as you return to your body. 

And Catastrofiend dies, at last, the new scars fresh it passed on burning in your mind.  You died. You died but you’re still alive. Not done yet.

You don't even ask yourself if the rangers died or not. All you can think of is the next stage.

Take the head to PSycopathor. Claim your prize. Set things right. Destroy anyone who gets in the way.

The thoughts of panicked humans in your head as you make it to your extraction point are much worse now. Your shields are non-existent, and even after the thing died, you can still feel its thoughts in your brain.

All you/it wants are for all those humans to shut up.  

...........................................

"AND THE WINNER IS... RETRIBUTION!" Psycopathor announces, while the crowd cheers. "THEY WILL BE HERE ANY MOMENT, FOR THEIR SPOILS!"

Down below them inside an underground ruin, Ortega curses. There's no way out. Most of his mods have been deactivated, and the contraption he's caught it won't budge.

The guard isn't even paying attention, focused on the camera feed.

The door slides open. Another guard.

"I'm here to replace you," he says. "They need you upstairs"

"About time," he says, walking out without a second thought.

As soon as the door slides closed, the guard removes his helmet.

"EDEN?!" Ortega asks, surprised.

"Hey, Mr. Hero guy! That's me. I come to rescue you.

"I'm not sure how to open this thing"

"That won't be necessary. I've got a better plan. Hold on... it's going to be a bumpy ride" And he extracts a small bizarre looking gun, pointing it at Ortega.

He doesn't even get to complain before the energy beam makes him banish completely.

Eden puts the gun back in his hidden pocket and covers his face once more with the helm.

A short peek through the door, and he walks through the corridor once more, as if nothing had happened.

______________________________

My Fanfiction: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero    DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

[isakthedragon]

A Dragon Sized Adventure Chapter 32

(I dedicate this Chapter to @kaotickanine, you are such a good help. Thank you for the help in this Chapter.)

Chapter 32: Family Feudal

*Crash and the gang make their way into the East Empire Terrarium. This place seems to Tropy’s personal favorite, much to the dismay of what should actually be there. Some parts of Japan have the Great Wall of China running in them for no reason other than as a paradox while China has an overabundance of temples. The terrarium reflects this since it’s hard to tell the difference of what is for Japan and what is for China. The only thing that looks proper here is the Palace at the far end of the terrarium.*Rouge is the first to notice the mishmash of the Terrarium. "Someone seems to have disrespect for history. I can't tell what's for China and what's for Japan. It's just a big mess."

Crunch: "That's Tropy for you. He loves making paradoxes."

Tails: "We better get those crystals."

Coco: "Hey, big bro. Can I lead for a bit?"

Crash: "Of course, sister! And same for you, brother (Crunch). Feel free to jump in."

Coco and Crunch: “We will.”

*A note for this Terrarium is that you need to find a key in a level to move on to the next since Tropy has set up checkpoints to lock you out.*

-----

Level 31: Mountain Mayhem

Tropy appears. "Hmm… maybe it’s time to change things up! Let’s see if you can survive my version of the Far East!“

Crates: 139

Time Trial

Sapphire: 2:30.00

Gold: 2:25.00

Platinum: 2:20.00

PMV,TCP… Things to Save: 6

Helping Partner: Rouge

Badniks: Skiing Lab Assistant Pawns: They tend to ski across a set area, trying to trip you up.

Mutants: Praying Monkey Viper, Tiger Crane Panda… Thing: A Praying Mantis + Monkey + Tiger + Crane + Panda + Viper. Cortex has been watching Kung Fu Panda a bit too much. At least he has the deadly and furious thing down. Whether it looks good is another story.

KaoticKanine says: Starting off, our heroes have to make their way down the tall, freezing mountains of Japan and China: Mt. Fuji and Mt. Everest, which have now been combined into one big super mountain that’s even more frigid. Not only do you have to brave the intense cold alongside the usual enemies, but the air is thin and so you have to replenish your oxygen with oxygen tanks scattered throughout the level.

As Kaotic said, Coco and Rouge need to find a way down the huge mountain that Tropy has made to scare them. He even named it Mt. Tropy. Yuck. They have to follow the mountain path they are on, pass through an icy cave, and down another path to the valley below. The snow at least lightens closer to the bottom as does your need to keep refilling for oxygen.

Achievement Unlocked: Feeling Cold as Ice

—–

Level 32: Stone Soldier Statues

Crates: 106

Time Trial

Sapphire: 1:50.00

Gold: 1:45.00

Platinum: 1:40.00

PMV,TCP… Things to Save: 6

Helping Partner: Cream

Badniks: Shield Lab Assistant Pawns (Orient): They carry heavy paper shields that can’t be broken. They mostly aim to push you off into the trenches and into a statue. Ninja Lab Assistant Pawns: Some throw ninja stars at you while donned in purple ninja garb. Others carry ninja swords, trying to swing at you. Terracotta Army Lab Assistant Pawns: Odd pawns in that they are completely frozen like rock… until you smash one. Then they come alive and will attack you with spears, bows and arrows, swords, axes and even with horse chariots. Since they are made of stone, they take quite a few hits to destroy. It’s best to leave them alone at all costs. Terracotta Horses: Stone horses that will try to kick you if they are awoken.

KaoticKanine notes: After escaping the bone-chilling climate of the high mountains, now our heroes must navigate through a rocky valley filled with countless statues of soldiers, filled with equally countless enemies that won’t hesitate to attack. Extreme caution must be made, for your attacks can easily destroy any of the statues. Should that happen, all of the statues will come to life and they will not show you any mercy for destroying their comrade.

Indeed, Kaotic, those statues are in trenches that you must avoid falling in or you will most certainly break one of them as well. This is probably Eggman’s deadliest trap yet since they have a Borg-like mentality. Destroy one, and expect to be gained up on. At least, to keep it fair, hitting a checkpoint will quiet the Terracotta army, but exactly where they were. So if you made them block the path, you’re gonna have to awaken them again. But Coco and Cream are light footed, so they should be able to get past safely to the other end of the valley.

Achievement Unlocked: Cold Stoned Killers

—–

Level 33: The Great Wall Race

Crates: 55

Time Trial

Sapphire: 1:25.00

Gold: 1:20.00

Platinum: 1:15.00

Helping Partner: Amy

Badniks: Cinder Block Lifting Lab Assistant Pawns: It lifts cinderblocks mostly in an attempt to block your path. Bucket Carrying Lab Assistant Pawns: They run down the wall carrying buckets to try to block your path. Staff Lab Assistant Pawns: Also trying to block your path, these try to swing their staves at you.

*Coco and Amy find themselves on a section of the Great Wall being worked on.*

Coco: “Ah, i remember coming here with Crash during the last Time Twister escapade.”

Amy: “That’s so cool!” *Amy gives a wide smile.*

Coco: “I wonder…” *Just then, an orange speck appears from a warp orb and comes from a distant portion of the wall. The orange speck runs up to Coco, showing itself to be none other than Pura, a tiger she met on the wall before. He licks Coco’s face in happiness.*

Amy: “D’aw! A friend?”

Coco: “Yeah. Pura helped me get across the wall. He’s so fast.”

Amy: “Fast, eh? Care to test that?”

Coco: “With a race across the Wall?”

Amy: “Yeah. It’s what Sonic would do.”

Coco: “You’re on! But first…” *She grabs the Chaos Emeralds Crash gave her and makes herself, Pura and Amy super. Pura became an adult tiger with the Emeralds* “For a fair race, of course.

Amy: “Right.”

This race course is of the Great Wall while it’s being constructed, so there are pits here and there. Lab Assistant Pawns tend to crowd the path lifting cinderblocks or swinging bamboo sticks. There are also a few racks of barrels taking up the path too. But luckily, they aren’t too crowding, so it shouldn’t slow you down too much. It’s a little harder than the race with Shadow, but not by much. It should still be easy to win the 2nd gem, which just so happens to be the Green Gem. Just dodge the obstacles and keep charging to win.

(If Coco wins) Coco: “Yes, I won. Thanks Pura.” *She pets Pura and he meows.*

Amy: “That was fun. You were good.” *She smiles.*

(If Amy wins) Amy: “Hooray, I won! Sonic would be proud.”

Coco: “Yeah. It was a good race.” *She pets Pura and he meows.*

(The next line) Amy: “I wonder if Sonic would love to race with you guys?”

Coco: “I bet Crash would want that. Think i have a chance too?”

Amy: “I think so!” *She smiles and they exit the level. Pura comes with them.*

Achievement Unlocked: Follow Me (In this Race :) )

—–

Level 34: Temple Trouble

Crates: 146

Time Trial

Sapphire: 2:35.00

Gold: 2:30.00

Platinum: 2:25.00

PMV,TCP… Things to Save: 7

Helping Partner: Blaze

Badniks: Slicers: The name says it all. Shellcracker: *Screams internally, then externally.* :P Judo / Karate Lab Assistant Pawns: They are trained in the art of Judo and Karate. Watch those flying fists!

KaoticKanine’s words of wisdom: Our heroes have now made it to civilization! But in order to get into the city to confront N. Tropy, they must make it through the dozens of temples that are filled with unwelcoming martial arts masters and all sorts of obstacles reserved for training. Think you can best the masters and get to the city in one piece?

Kaotic warning is well founded, the badniks here aren’t playing games. And the stage hazards are just as deadly. Earlier temples have spiked dummies spinning about like Crash while some of the later temples have flaming coal pits that rarely spit out a flying coal. Others have large axes and other sharp relatives swinging about to make you a cut up, literally. And our favorite f(r)iends Slicers and Shellcrackers inhabit a temple or two as well.

Achievement Unlocked: Kung Fu Fighting

—–

Level 35: Palace Panic

Crates: 168

Time Trial

Sapphire: 1:45.00

Gold: 1:40.00

Platinum: 1:35.00

PMV,TCP… Things to Save: 6

Helping Partner: Charmy

Badniks: Cart Riding Lab Assistant Pawns: They mostly ride little orange carts around, trying to run you over. Imperial Soldier Lab Assistant Pawns: They actively chase you with their swords, trying to slice you. Imperial Guard Lab Assistant Pawns: Other than carrying shorter swords, they carry small shields to protect frontal, mid height attacks. Perhaps a low attack will dispel them easily?

KaoticKanine: At last, we make it to the city. And at its heart is the palace of the empire, where N. Tropy awaits on the throne. Our heroes must now navigate the busy streets of the city and enter the palace in order to confront N. Tropy. However, you really have to rush as Tropy has sent imperial soldiers and guards after Crash and Co and they will give chase throughout the entire level.

Yes, Kaotic, we have made it into the city, but Tropy is not rolling out the red carpet for you. Badniks are attacking at every intersection you get to. And the city is a little bit of a maze itself with its closed streets here and there. At least you can see the large palace ahead, so you can see your end goal. Hurry on, so you can deal with Tropy.

Achievement Unlocked: City of the Sun

—–

*Warping out of Palace Panic drops Coco and Charmy inside the palace in the Terrarium.*

Charmy: ♪ “Hey, where are we? This isn’t where we entered from.” ♫

Tropy gets up from his throne. “Indeed so. I brought you here since I doubt you would have searched actively for me. This is my city.”

Coco: “Not according to actual history, you time screwer! Why have you really brought us here?”

Tropy: “Only because I thought it was time for you to meet me again.” *He chuckles.*

Charmy: ♪ “Dude, that sucked.” ♫

Tropy: “Does it look like I care? The actual reason is because it only took me a second to capture the other heroes.”

Coco: “No… You don’t mean…”

Tropy: “Oh, I mean.” *He bangs his trident, making the heroes, frozen in groups in 4 time bubbles, appear.*

Coco: “How dare you take my brother!”

Charmy: ♪ “Give us back our friends!” ♫

Tropy: “You want them back, hmmm? I doubt you can deal with these!” *He bangs his trident again, making 4 Pawns appear from lightning bolts (Which is a cover for the transporter beam).*

Charmy: ♪ “Regular Pawns? How weak!” ♫

Tropy: “Oh, they aren’t regular at all. Transform, Pawns! Into the the Dragon Kings of the 4 Seas!”

*The Pawns transform into anthropomorphic dragons, one carrying a sword, another with a bo-staff, the third with nunchucks and the 4th with a bow and arrows. They have dragon heads and are dressed in king’s clothes. They gain a tail, wings, and a human+dragon like body. Each of them are a different color: Azure, Red, White and Black. Tropy sends the heroes to the 4 corners of the room, which represent the different seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.*

Tropy: “You want them back? Destroy these Pawns!” *He smiles as the Pawns make clouds appear in the palace, making rain and lightning come down in the room.*

Charmy: ♪ “They look so tough! Think we can defeat them?” ♫

Coco: “Of course we can. Come on, let’s destroy them.”

Boss: 4 Dragon King Pawns

(Hang on, need appropriate music.)

These pawns are quite tough, as they cannot be taken down normally. Simply spinning into them with Coco and stinging them with Charmy ends up being blocked by the Pawns. They all start off by flying into the air, only coming down to attack for a short while, save for the bow and arrow one which will stay in the air (we will get to him). It’s not easy to dodge them, since they like to fly in and out of the storm clouds above, but they do give you some warning still that they are going to attack you by making the sound of thunder.

The (Azure) Swordsman Pawn will come down every so often to take a swing at you, which must be dodged or blocked. Sooner or later, it will attack and its sword will get stuck in the wet ground, making it faceplant in front of it. Attack it while it’s weaponless to destroy the Pawn.

The (Red) Bo-staff Pawn will hover above the ground, just high enough to avoid your attacks but still attack you with the long reach of its bo-staff. Your only choice is to run away from this guy as he takes swipes at you. Soon enough, he’ll get frustrated and dive down toward you, slamming the bo-staff in a downward strike that can only be dodged by running to the left or right at the last second. Normally, after doing this, the Pawn would just ascend back into the air and continue the chase. But there are “metal domes”, meant to attract lightning from the storm clouds above, in the arena that, should you trick the Pawn into striking them with the diving attack, will burn the bo-staff to ashes, leaving the Pawn defenseless for a spin/sting.

The (White) Nunchuck Pawn spends much less time in the air compared to his comrades, but it’s no easier to attack thanks to its skills with the nunchucks making it difficult to approach. To defeat this foe, you have to evade its attacks until it eventually gets frustrated and performs a sudden, downward swing onto you. Should you manage to dodge this attack, the nunchuck will rebound from the ground and strike the Pawn’s head, dazing it. That is your time to break it apart with a spin.

The (Black) Bow and Arrow Pawn is the one that will stay in the air the longest, firing arrows at you. It will run out of arrows eventually, which is when it will come down to the ground to collect them. It’s the easiest to deal with since you can just collect its arrows, leaving it mostly defenseless as it decides to stay grounded. Go and break it to finish this fight and release your friends. (A thing to note is that he changes the rain to snow.

Achievement Unlocked: Time and Time Again...

*Tropy growls in anger as the heroes break free of their time bubbles and and run to Coco and Charmy.* “You little vermin! I thought you were too weak to handle those Pawns!”

Crash: “Don’t underestimate my sister, Tropy.”

Crunch: “She’s stronger than she looks.”

Sonic: “How dare you try to hurt Charmy and the others.” *Sonic attempts to hit Tropy with a homing attack, but Tropy stops time just before it would connect.*

Tropy: “You’re too slow, Sonic. It’s a wonder how Eggman has such trouble with you if you are this predictable. I see I shouldn’t have assumed that you guys were weak. Which is fine for me, since i don’t have to hold back. See you guys at the end of the next terrarium.”

*Tropy chuckles, then laughs as he opens the gate behind the throne, exiting and moving on to the next terrarium. His leave unfreezes time again and Sonic home attacks the chair, faceplanting into it.*

Espio: “Are you okay, Charmy? We could see what was happening and were worried for you.”

Charmy: ♪ “I’m okay, but that was so much fun!” ♫

Vector: “Yeah, he’s okay.”

Big: “Hmm, we better hurry on. I don’t like the way Tropy was acting.”

*Our heroes leave and move on to the next terrarium.*

Next Time: It’s a whole new world in the Arabian Terrarium

[beholdthepowerofyuri]

Characters I’d Like To See In Smash Bros - Part 2

 A new Smash Bros has been announced, and there’s already implications that it isn’t just a port of the WiiU/3DS games, but rather an entirely new entry. I’ve already given my thoughts on that matter, as that’s not what this is about.

This isn’t the first time I’ve done something like this. There’s a random post I made where I talked about having a mental image of Frisk being playable (I know everyone is clamoring for Sans, but personally I think Frisk would be more fun and a better overall rep for Undertale), and here’s part 1 of this list, which I did more recently.

So yeah. Same as last time, I won’t be talking about any super-obvious fan favorites like Lyn, Shantae, Shovel Knight or King K. Rool. Again, I’d love for them to appear in the game, but everyone talks about them, so I won’t be.

Zero - Megaman Zero series

Okay so, first I want to emphasize that this is the Megaman Zero, version of him; not the one from the X series. I’ve got nothing against the X version, but, overall, I feel like the Zero version would be a better overall fit for Smash Bros, especially since all of the games were on the GBA and NDS.

Now then; before anyone throttles me out the nearest window because it’s another sword fighter, hear me out. I’ll spare you my usual sarcastic response to the criticism and go straight to how I picture them playing. Basically, he’d be about what one would expect; fast, hard-hitting sword combos for A attacks, but a bit of a glass cannon. He’d dish out a lot of damage, but his small and slender frame would make him a little easy to knock around.

As for Special Attacks, he’d utilize the various weapons he gains throughout the series. A major gimmick I picture him having is that all of his attacks (even his A Attacks) can be charged by holding down either the A or B button after the initial command input, similar to how they could be charged in the actual games. After a few seconds, some sort of visual cue will signify he’s done charging, and releasing the button will have him unleashed a powered-up attack. With the A button, it’ll be a single, powerful sword slash.

Neutral B - Buster Shot: Zero brandishes his pistol and fires a small shot. The attack doesn’t do a lot of damage, but can stun the opponent for a second or two. When changed, the blast is much larger, is faster and hits a lot harder, but lack the stunning effect of the uncharged shot.

Up + B - Recoil Rod: He uses the the tonfa-like Recoil Rod to leap high in the air. If used on he ground, it creates a shock wave that damages anyone directly next to him, while using it in the air has him do a downward strike that will result in a meteor smash if it hits anyone. When charged, Zero goes up much higher, and the shock wave when it’s used on the ground is larger and hits harder.

Side + B - Triple Rod: A simple and straight-forward attack where Zero brandishes the spear-like Triple Rod and thrusts it outwards; by repeatedly pressing the button, the rod extends further outwards twice, resulting in a three hit combo. When charged, Zero instead spins the rod around, striking anyone immediately next to him. 

Down + B - Shield Boomerang: Zero pulls out a round shield and holds it in front of him, which can be used to easily block all projectile-based attacks, though it does nothing against melee attacks. As long as the button is held down, it will stay out, though Zero will be unable to move while it’s out, even if it’s used in the air. When charged, he will throw it like a boomerang, damaging whoever it hits.

Final Smash - Rekkoha: Okay so...technically, this version of Zero never learns this attack in the actual games. But let’s be real...Smash Bros has taken much bigger liberties when it comes to character’s movesets. *glances at Ness*...anyway...yeah.

As far as Final Smashes go, this one’s fairly straightforward. Upon activating it, Zero slams his fist into the ground, upon which multiple lasers shoot down from the sky, traveling across the arena and inflicting a butt-load of damage to anyone who gets hit by them before sending them flying. Has a wide range, but a well-timed dodge would allow someone to avoid it. 

In addition to the above, his grab would utilize the Chain Rod in a similar fashion to Link’s Hookshot or Samus’ Grapple Beam, and would also be able to grab ledges as well. --- Rundas - Metroid Prime 3

Let’s face it; we’ll never see Ridley as a playable character. But it’s not as though there aren’t other characters in the Metroid series who could work as a fighter in Smash Bros. Hell, the Metroid Prime games alone introduced several other bounty hunters aside from Samus herself. My favorite out of the bunch is Rundus, an alien hunter with icy powers.

Overall, he’d be a lot similar to Samus; a fairly balanced character with quick but effective A attacks, fairly good mobility, and long-ranged specials. No long-ranged grab tho. I’m not saying he would be a clone of Samus, just that I picture him playing similarly overall. For his Specials, here’s what I’m picturing

Neutral B - An icy blast that would have a relatively good chance chance of briefly encasing opponents in ice, leaving them open for a follow-up attack. The damage would be pretty “meh”, but it’d still be an effect attack for its combo potential. 

Up + B - He quickly flies through the air Iceman style, damaging anyone he hits in the process and potentially sending them flying if they’d racked up enough damage. Would also leave a small trail of ice behind him that would freeze anyone who touches it, though it’d only remain for a couple seconds before disappearing. Covers a fairly good distance as well, making it a reliable recovery.

Side + B - Forms multiple round ice projectiles, which hover near him for a second before being immediately launched in whatever direction he’s facing. Would be good as a quick defensive move; not quite as effective as Megaman’s Leaf Shield, but enough to make melee-oriented characters think twice about running up to him without a plan. The projectiles themselves would do a decent amount of damage, but have a surprising amount of knock-back. If more than one hits a single opponent, they’d be knocked back quite far.

Down + B - Rundus activates an inherent ability of his species’, creating a layer of ice on his body to act as armor. Basically, think Shulk’s Shield Mode and that’s more or less what you get with this. Increased defense and reduced knockback from enemy attacks, but his speed and jumping ability takes a hit. Additionally, while it would still be an effective recovery method, the range of his Up + B would still be reduced a bit. The ice armor will break away after so many hits, and the ability itself will require a cooldown before it can be used again, that way players can’t just spam it.

Final Smash - Rundus sends a large wave of ice spikes that travels across the screen directly in front of him. Anyone hit by said spiky ice wave will then be treated to a short cutscene where he forms a giant ice pillar and immediately brings it crashing down on top of them.

Also say would you will about Other M, but Anthony Higgs would make a great assist trophy. He’d make sure all of his opponents remember him with a giant plasma cannon and it would be great. --- Tharja - Fire Emblem

I know there’s already like...six Fire Emblem characters, but there aren’t any who are pure mages, and I think it’d make for an interesting way to mix things up. Besides, at least then no one will be bitching about more sword fighters. Also yandere stalker waifu is best waifu.

So yeah. Tharja would be your typical “squishy wizard” type. A lot of powerful mid-to-long range spells, but unable to take hits very well. Her A attacks would be rather simple, but nothing special, with the exception of her Smash Attacks. They would pack quite a punch, taking the form of point-blank elemental spells.

Forward Smash - Arcthunder (a large orb of electricity flashes in front of her)

Up Smash - Elfire (a pillar of flames shoots up from the ground; makes a great anti-air attack)

Down Smash - Arcwind (a powerful burst of wind suddenly erupts around her, hitting anyone next to her on both sides)

As for her Specials and Final Smash, all of them will involve her casting Dark Magic. Like with Robin, all of her specials and Smash attacks will have a limited number of uses, meaning one must be careful with how they go about using them. Once they’re used up, they’ll replenish on their own, but you’ll have to wait a bit.

Neutral B - Flux; a simple but effective mid-range projectile where she hurls a small blast of dark energy. If it hits an opponent, it will take on whatever visual effects it has in Awakening (it’s been a while since I’ve played, so I don’t quite remember what the spell looked like). Otherwise, it just poofs upon hitting the floor or a wall.

Up + B - Ruin; functionally similar to Robin’s Elwind, this attack will have Tharja leap high into the air and cast a spell downwards that will propel her up even higher. However, rather than wind-based projectiles, she will instead release clouds of dark energy that float around for a several seconds. They don’t directly inflict any damage upon hitting someone like most attacks; rather, anyone caught inside said clouds will slowly-but-steadily take damage until they get away from it. Great for playing keep-away and slowly whittling away at the opponent.

Side + B - Mire; another projectile-based attack, Tharja launches a small green blob-like mass. It doesn’t hit as hard as Flux, but it’s quicker and has ridiculous range, able to hit enemies on the other side of even the largest of stages.

Down + B - Nosferatu; had to borrow at least one attack from Robin, and given that she’s actually capable of casting it in the real game this seemed like a good one. May or may not be slightly more potent than Robin’s version, and will help to offset her being a squishy wizard.

Final Smash - Goetia; A simple and straight-forward Final Smash. Tharja summons a giant mass of lightning and darkness that quickly expands outwards. Inflicts major damage to anyone caught inside then sends them flying. --- Incineroar - Pokemon Sun/Moon

Okay so...real talk. Incineroar is my favorite Gen VII starter, and given that he has the whole “wrestler” thing going, he’d be absolutely perfect for a game like Smash Bros. I picture him being a slow-but-powerful type like DK or Bowswer; can dish out a lot of damage and take a fair bit as well, but isn’t exactly going to win any awards for speed.

His A attacks would involve a lot of flashy attacks, with his Smash Attacks being especially grandiose. They’d be a little showy and easy to read, but extremely effective if they hit. He’d be a bit better on the ground than he would be in their air, but not to the extent of Little Mac. As for his special attacks...

Neutral B - Fire Fang; a simple, fast-moving attack where he lunges forward and tries to grab an opponent. If he succeeds, flames erupt from his mouth as he bites the hell out of them, before tossing them aside. Basically, it’s kinda like Wario’s, only you won’t be able to keep chomping on them once you get a hold of them. Note that only the bite itself will inflict damage.

Up + B - Darkest Lariat; it’d more or less be a copy/paste of D.K.’s Spinning Kong. More effective when executed on the ground, and covers a surprisingly good distance when used in the air, making it an reliable recovery move. To reflect its in-game effect of ignoring changes to the opponent’s Defense, could make it so that the ground version does heavy damage to opponents’ shield.

Side + B - Outrage; engulfing himself in bright green and blue flames, Incineroar charges forward for a powerful ramming attack. It would inflict a large amount of damage and have a huge knockback effect. However, if used repeatedly, Incineroar will become dizzy and unable to move for a few seconds, so spamming it will be very risky.

Down + B - Roar; Incineroar will let loose with a powerful roar, which creates a small blast of wind directly in front of him. The range is fairly short and it doesn’t inflict any damage. However, if someone does get hit by it, they’ll be launched rather far. Is less effective when used on airborne opponents.

Final Smash -  Malicious Moonsault; as if it would be anything else. Basically, a large wrestling ring pops up from the ground in front of Incinerar. Anyone who gets hit by or otherwise falls onto said ring will then be treated to a glorious death-from-above attack, just like the actual Z-Move from the game.

---

And there we have it. More characters I’d love to see in Smash Bros. As with the first list, I’m not holding my breath on any of this actually happening. Just something I thought would be quite nice. Gonna stop for now, but later on, I might throw up a less detailed lists of “honorable mentions”; i.e.; characters I’d like to see in the game, but I’m not quite sure how their movesets would work.

As always, feel free to lemme know what you think, so long as you keep it civil.

[imagine-mcu]

The New Avenger: Ch. 4

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Word Count: 1815

Your heart pounded with excitement as the elevator lowered into the training room. The doors opened, and Nat and Tony got out to join the rest of the team standing before you.

The first thing you could think was: Wow, this is so weird. Seeing the Avengers on TV versus seeing them in real life were two totally different things. For one thing, they were all in normal clothes. You never really thought about it before, but you assumed whenever they were together the trained and lived in costumes 24/7. It was silly, but the thought never really crossed your mind. Second, you were somewhat disappointed that the Hulk wasn’t here. But then again, the Hulk was an indestructible war machine with anger issues. The man who stood before you, Dr. Banner, looked like a calm and collected person. That wasn’t so bad. Lastly, they were all absorbed in Dr. Banner’s iPad, which was playing some sort of cat video. In a word, they looked... normal.

Natasha cleared her throat loudly, and everyone looked up. “Guys, I’d like you to meet (y/n), the new Avenger.”

You smiled awkwardly and waved, trying to keep cool. But you had to admit it was extremely intimidating having the Earth’s mightiest heroes all staring at you.

Dr. Banner hastily set down his iPad and shook your hand politely. “Welcome, (y/n)! I’m Doctor Banner, but you can just call me Bruce.”

“He turns into a big green guy when he gets mad,” Tony chimed in helpfully.

You ignored him. “Nice to meet you, Bruce.” You turned to Hawkeye, whom you recognised from this morning. “And it’s good to see you again, Hawkeye.”

The corner of the archer’s lips turned up into a smile. “Just call me Clint, (y/n). Hawkeye’s too long. Besides, that’s just my code name for when I’m in the field.”

“Got it,” you said. You had to make a mental note to write down all of these people’s names.

“And I am Thor!” Thor stepped in. He stretched out his hand to you, and you went to shake it, but instead he grabbed you by the hand and pulled you into a bear hug. Hey, at least he’s friendly, right? “It is nice to meet you, (y/n). I hear you’re quite good at magic.”

“I... wouldn’t consider it... magic,” you choked out. Just when you thought your eyes would get squeezed out of their sockets, he let go. You caught your breath and said, “It’s more of a... mutation.”

“(Y/n)’s an enhanced,” Steve explained. “With the ability to control ice.”

Thor stared at you in wonder. “Ice? Like a... frost giant.” He studied you closer. “Only tinier. And more timid. And not blue.”

“I’m human,” you reassured him, and he relaxed. You smiled and addressed everyone, “It’s good to meet you all. I hope you guys know that I’m excited to be here and ready to be a part of this team.”

“That’s good to hear. We don’t need another Tony on the team,” Steve chuckled.

Tony frowned. “Hey!”

Steve patted him on the back. “Kidding, Tony. I was kidding.” He focused his attention back on you. “So! Tour done, check. Meet the team, check. All that’s left is for you to show us what you can do. Think of it like an audition.”

You blinked. You weren’t prepared for this. “An... audition?”

“Initiation,” Steve clarified. Nat smiled knowingly.

Bruce nodded and picked up his iPad. “You have the whole training room as your stage. We’re interested in seeing the full extent of your powers. You can start whenever you’re ready.”

“Um... okay.” Six pairs of eyes were trained on you, waiting expectantly. Suddenly it felt very hot in here. You tugged at your shirt collar. An audition? The full extent of your powers? Heck, you didn’t even know your limits! But you’d gotten this far, and you weren’t about to chicken out now. You took a deep breath to calm yourself and walked to the middle of the room.

You spent a moment deciding what to do first. Then you swept your hand out in front of you and focused. Instantly the floor around you grew a thin layer of very slippery, glossy ice. You raised your arm quickly, and sharp jagged stalagmites made of ice rose from the floor. You heard someone gasp and looked over to see Clint, eyes wide. Next to him, Bruce nodded to himself and typed something down.

Keep going, Natasha mouthed. You’re doing good.

Feeling reassured now, you continued. You started with the simple things first- you summoned a snowball, then a blast of cold wintery air, then frost that covered the window at the back of the room. Then you moved onto more advanced tricks, like generating a miniature blizzard that covered the entire room, then completely freezing a training dummy, and finally summoning an icy weapon. You tried for a spear again, recalling how you did last time, but when it appeared, it still wasn’t formed right. It looked like a spear that had been made by 3 year olds in arts and crafts. The tips of your ears turned pink in embarrassment.

“I think I’ll call it there,” Tony said. He was shivering, and his teeth were clattering. “I’m cold. I should’ve brought a coat.”

You willed for the failed spear to shatter, and it did. With a final wave of your hand, you imagined all of the ice, snow, and frost to disappear. Your thoughts were made into reality, and soon the training room was back to normal, as if the past ten minutes hadn’t happened.

Thor clapped excitedly, like he’d just watched a great show. “Bravo, (y/n)! That was quite impressive! Are you sure you’re not a god?”

“Nope. Human,” you smiled.

Bruce finished writing down whatever it was in his iPad and looked up. “You did well, (y/n),” he commented. “We can help you work on and refine your skills. I think we can all agree that that was enough to-”

“Now hang on a second.” Steve’s brow creased. “I’ll admit that was impressive, sure. But out there, in the field, you won’t be able to just stand there and do your thing. People will come at you, try to fight you. You need to prove that you can at least somewhat handle your own in combat.” He turned to his teammates, as if expecting someone to contradict him, but nobody did.

Your mind went spinning. Fight... an Avenger? Fighting street thugs in the back alley of a Starbucks was one thing. But these people have been training basically their entire life to fight, and some of them have heightened senses or super powers. You had the power to make instant Popsicles. Was he serious?

“Um... what?”

Clint nodded. “I agree with Steve. I’d like to see how (y/n) does in combat.”

“Well, (y/n) against who?” Tony asked. “Not me; I can barely feel my fingers.”

“Well, it was Steve’s idea, so I think Steve should be the one (y/n) fights,” Bruce said logically. “Any objections?”

Nobody spoke up. It was obvious that this was not how Steve hoped things would turn out, but he couldn’t back out on his own idea in front of his team. He gritted his teeth. “Alright, fine. We’ll duel in the boxing ring.” He headed for the weapon wall first and grabbed an unpainted iron shield meant to simulate his actual one. Then he jumped into the boxing ring, which was at least five times bigger than a regular ring, and waited.

“This is insane,” you muttered under your breath. Why couldn’t you have an easier opponent, like the arrow guy? You headed over with reluctance. You crawled between the ropes and stood in one corner as Steve took the other. The other Avengers gathered around with newfound anticipation in their eyes.

“I’ll call it,” Natasha announced. “(Y/n), ready?” You wanted to say No, this is nuts! I’m out of here!, but you swallowed your fear and nodded. “Good. Start in 3... 2... 1... Go!”

Steve didn’t hesitate for a second. He leaped at you with incredible speed for someone his size. You did the only thing you could think of- you bolted to the side. But he was a super soldier. His senses were as sharp as knives. He kicked out his leg and caught you behind the knee, forcing you to fall over. Great. It hasn’t even been five seconds yet and you were already down. You barely had time to catch your breath, however, as he slammed his shield down.

You rolled to the side, and his shield collided with the ground. You hoped he would go easy on you, since you were a newbie after all, but that was evidently not the case. You jumped to your feet and raised your hand. Razor-sharp icicles shot out of your hand like deadly projectiles, but he managed to deflect every since one with his shield. Then he positioned his shield in front of him and charged in attempt to knock you over. You dove out of the way at the last second, only to have him kick out his leg once again and catch you behind the knee.

Damn. That move was annoying. If only he couldn’t use his feet...

That gave you an idea. You scooted backwards and shot both hands out, aiming for his feet. Suddenly they were encased in a block of solid ice. But as soon as he realised what had happened, he tried to break it with his shield. The ice started to crack, but you shot out another wave of ice, this time doubling the size of the block around his feet. With his regular shield he might be able to break free, but alas the iron training shield could not compare.

“Ironic,” you heard Tony say. “Since he’s trapped in ice again.”

Out of the corner of your eye you saw Natasha elbow him, but you weren’t focused on them. Your eyes were trained on the supersoldier. Steve, aware that he was stuck, went to throw the shield at you. More in panic than actually planned, you moved your hand up and a thick wall of ice rose out of the ground in front of you. The shield collided with the wall and stuck there. Defenseless, without a weapon, and immobolised, you realised you had the upper hand over Captain America.

You waved your hand over the ice surrounding his boots and it melted without a trace. “Um... sorry.”

Steve looked at you open-mouthed. “Sorry? You’re... sorry?”

A wave of anxiety washed over you. After all, you just froze America’s greatest soldier for the second time now. “Am I... am I off the team?”

Steve blinked. “Off the team? No, (y/n), you’re on the team.”