#new neo cavern

[a-sad-mage]

HEY, SLUGTERRA FANDOM YOU READY TO PARTY?!

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

Because, if so, WELCOME TO : NEW NEO CAVERN!

[A Fan made Cavern by your local Sad Magic user]

The party epicenter of Slugterra! Where there is something for everyone to have the time of their life!

[Full details below!]

New Neo is a huge Cavern with two layers!

The Top Layer: Neo

The Bottom Layer: Paleo

[MAP]

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

[Explanation on the caverns, events and Entertainment Dules]

NEO

The top layer Neo, is the one you will enter upon arrival and is for everyone! It's got arcades, street performers, food venues of all kinds, a castle, theme park, circus, clubs, and a massive area where Entertainment Dules are held!

Entertainment Dules are a duel unique to New Neo Cavern because you're goal is not to beat your opponent, it's to score the most points!

You can score points by doing several things, such as:

Preforming Combo Shots (100 - 5000 points based on complexity)

Preforming Trick Shots (100 - 5000 points based on complexity)

Pulling off Flashy Moves (100 - 2000 points based on complexity)

Pulling off Daring Moves (100 - 2000 points based on complexity)

Over all style (100 - 500 points)

Theme (when applicable) (100 - 500 points)

Cohesion of the routine (100 - 2000 points)

The most impactful kind of points to sore are audience points.

Every match, each audience member in attendance gets one vote to cast for whoever they felt performed the best, with the Stadium holding up to 50,000 guests.

note: Points for Combo Shots, Trick Shots, Flashy Moves and Daring Moves are stackable. by that I mean you can preform multiple of these moves and each and every one of them will be scored individually. Preforming the same move again however will result in it's second(and how ever else many times is preformed) score being lower then when it was first done. Verity is key.

Unlike regular tournaments, the loser dose not have to give the winner of the match one of their slugs.

Slugs and Entertainment Duelist train and work hard together to come up with their act, and just taking away one, or adding a slug that isn't familiar with the act could ruin it for both Duelist involved.

New Neo Entertainment Duels are all about putting on a show, and showing off your skills with a blaster! And wowing the crowd!

Slingers can however agree to wagers before the dule! You are free to bet equipment and Slugs at your own discretion.

Neo is also home to many different attractions as previously mentioned.

Neo is considered the more 'family friendly' layer.

there are;

Amusement Park

Circus

Water Park

Mock Stand Offs

Many different Food Vendors and Restaurants from all over Slugterra

Large Arcades

Dance Clubs

Taverns

Street Performers

Parades

Arena's

Fashion Shows

Slug-Hubs

Quiet Zones

Parks

Med Centers

Theaters for Movies, Live Musicals, Magic Shows and Theatrical Performance's

Some Key Locations are;

The Center Tower: A large tower that was built in the center of New Neo. The CT acts as an information center, got a question? you'll find the answer there. The CT is also how you'll be able to access Paleo, as there is a Roomavator, a giant fully furnished room like elevator, that will take you down. Alternatively you can take the Roomavator up to the Viewing Deck and get what some argue is the best view of the whole Cavern.

The Pink Palace: A huge castle restaurant that has a rotating menu, meaning something new to try every time you visit, there are live performances, games, and rides all inside as well. [think Casa Bonita]

Tritonn's Deck: The largest Water Park in all of Slugterra, not counting Undertow Cavern [yes I named the park after a Storm Hawks character]

Terra Circus-@: A huge amusement park and circus, with all sorts of class acts.

Opalescent Stadium: The main stage for any and all Entertainment Duels in the whole of New Neo Cavern. It host's official tournaments, events and even host's 'beginner tournaments', that focus on new, first time/regular Slinger's who want to give Entertainment Duels a shot. Winners get bragging rights >:) (and any additional prize listed)

Peach Blossom Park: This park was created by one of founders of New Neo over one thousand years ago, and is maintained in their honor to this day. It is the largest quiet zone in New Neo, with beautiful Peach Trees, a flowing waterfall and pond, and a garden. A number of relaxing events are hosted in this Park, from Painting Seminars, to Film Festivals. It is also the perfect place for a picnic.

The Med Centers: There are many medical centers scattered around New Neo staffed with the best doctors and nurses we have to offer. You're health, both physical and mental is their top priority. After all, can't have a good time while dry heaving into a trashcan now can you?

Slug-Hubs: There are a number of Slug-Hubs, all of which offer something different. From a Slug Day Care, to Slug Fashion Shows! We guarantee there is something for your little friends to enjoy! And be sure to buy our New Neo Specialty Slug Food Blend! It is the exact same recipe our founder made, unchanged for over a thousand years. We take our Slug Care very serious here.

Monroe Theater: Named after the late Marilyn Monroe, a grate Actor and Singer. This theater hosts a number of Magic Shows, Plays, Musicals and even Interactive Performances. [me? making her Ladyship Marilyn Monroe cannon to my Fan Cavern? Of course! She is an ICON!]

These are just some of places/attractions you'll get the chance to experience in Neo!

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

PALEO

The second layer under Neo is for a more mature demographic. You have to be 16+ to enter Paleo, but each respective venue in Paleo has it's own Age Restriction, and Requirements for entry.

[In Case of a Shane, it will depend on the severity of the situation]

Casinos

After Dark Clubs

Extreme Actives

The Pit

Slug-Ball

Arena

Restaurants

Race Track

Action Park

Robo-Mayhem

Parkour

Haunted Forest

Some Key Location are;

The Pit: A bare knuckles fight pit with little to no rules! in fact the only big rule is 'NO SLUGS'. There are many different fighting divisions. Human v Human, Cave Troll v Elf, Amphibanoids v Molenoids there are many different divisions you can enter and opponents you can take on in the ultimate test of strength!

Haunted Hollow: A spooky dark forest that is believed to be abandon Shadow Clan Territory. It's said Ghosts of the Shadow Clan still lurk in the shows of the Haunted Hollow. Why not test your resolve and spend the night?

Vicious Way: A Mecha Race Track where (non-lethal)Slinging is allowed.

Action Park: Similar to Terra Circus-@ , Action Park is an amusement park, but the rides are more daring and the clowns more... uncanny

The Profane Arena: An Arena where you can engage in a good old fashion Slug Slinging Tournament, and play/watch Slug-Ball! Hope your ready to rumble because the Arena and its rules change with every event its host! ever get into a duel with nothing but a Sling Shot and Floppers? or witness a Slug-Ball match where the ball doubles as a glitter bomb?

Robo-Mayhem: Do you like Mechanics? Robots? Absolut Mayhem? all three? well get ready, because here you can build or bring in your own Robot and have it battle against other Robots built by other participants!

Hardcore Parkour: A Parkour Park tailored to test your skills on your feet, and on your Mecha Beast.

Double Dare: A Foodies worst nightmare, or the ultimate dining experience depending on how you look at it. They serve a fusion dishes from cultures all across the 99 Caverns. Ever wanted to try a Elvin inspired dish with Molenoid ingredients? or even a dish inspired by the mysterious Shadow Clan? If your willing to try something new then Double Dare Restaurant is some place you may want to check out.

Midas's Hord: The largest Casino in Paleo, slots, tables, cards, betting, all kinds of gambling can be had here. A number of Midas Slugs have also taken to calling this place home. Quite fitting seeing as how the Golden Slugs are considered Good Luck, so if one lands on you while your playing a hand of poker, who knows, maybe your chances of willing will double?

And many more attractions!

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

[Residents explanation + some character art]

[a few key residents who you can find/interact with!]

Governess Fay - She/Her, Elf: Head of New Neo Cavern. Former Pro Trick Shot duelist. Elegant, yet fierce, knows just about everything about everyone living in New Neo Cavern. Nothing truly every surprises her, as she is always twenty steps ahead.

Doc - She/Her, Cave Troll: One of many Doctors in New Neo, specializes in dealing with those with Head Trauma and Critical Injures. She works in Paleo, near The Pit. Former Member of the LOC.

Nikki - She/Her, Human : Trick Shot fashionista! Everything about this girl sparkles, literally. She has custom made Blaster Shell's that are pink and full of glitter. A former member of the LOC, current member of the LOT, can be found at The Pink Palace in Neo and runways, and Slug-Hubs that specialize in fashion, this makes her quit good at improvising. Currently dating Heresy.

Heresy - He/Him, Human : Punk Rock Goth Guy with an eye for detail, making him quite the sharp shooter. While he dose have a regular hand held Balster, he also has a Electric Guitar that can double as a Blaster as well! He can be found either in Paleo and Neo rocking out on stage or participating in Entertainment Dule's or interacting with the crowd, he's rather good a reading people. Current member of the LOC. Currently dating Nikki.

Mane - She/Her : A Jack of All Trades who excels in Trick Shots and is one of New Neo's up-in-coming in Entertainment Dules. She doesn't have a particular niche, preferring to act as a 'floater', need her for a mock stand off? an extra set of hands to help set up? or someone to man the bar? just hit her up and she'll somehow make it work! because of this she's got some weird knowledge and skills. You can find her around both Paleo and Neo hanging out when she's not busy. Current member of the LOC.

Ace - They/Them : The most unlucky individual you will ever meet! despite that they are a dare devil at heart! Despite all the odds being against them they will always get back up and some how pull off the more daring stunts even if they don't always end the way they are supposed too. Do to their unlucky status they are always looking on the bright side, and has a backup plan for just about everting! They can be found most often in Paleo, but will so stunt shows in Neo and in The Pink Palace. Currently a member of the LOC.

Ignis - He/Him : A Hot Shot Entertainment Duelist with a flair for the dramatics. Always up for a challenge, though he can be brash and overconfident at times. Loves anything to do with fire, so if you need a firework's display or just an explosion he is your guy. Can be found in Neo most often. Former member of the LOC, current member of the LOT.

All residents use a Stage Name!

Stage Names are a staple of the New Neo Cavern! Every resident has one or two! doesn't matter if you where born in New Neo or Moved in!

Stage Names to contrary belief tend to be embarrassing Nicknames!

Take Ace's Stage Name for example. While cool sounding, actually derives from the fact Ace, is actually the best at being the worst. They have terrible luck! If you where to have a most unlucky contest, they wouldn't even make last place

Other times some individuals are lucky to pick their Stage Names.

Take Heresy for example, that guy's a menace! a chaotic little gremlin who thrives on chaos!

And on rare occasions, Stage Names become Mantles, passed down from successor to successor or kept within the family.

Take Mane for example, She is officially the forth Mane! Her biological Grandmother, being the first, getting the Nickname 'Golden Mane' for her horrible bed head. Her father and aunt would also take up the Mantle of Mane, being the 'Untamed Mane' and 'Lustrous Mane' respectively, they also conveniently have bad bed head too. And our Mane, the current one, is known as the 'Wild Mane', and she also has bad bed head! [talk about consistency!]

As for 'Governess Fay' that is no Stage Name, Governess/Governor is the official tittle bestowed on the individual in charge of New Neo Cavern.

Governess Fay is the one currently in charge and she has been in charge for close to one hundred years, as an Elf she lives a longer life than most. Fay's old Stage Name before getting the title of Governess was Faywild, and she was and still is considered one of, if not the best Slinger in New Neo. After all she has had many years to prefect her skills.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

[Visors system explanation + Visor pic]

The Visors are the main point of commination for all residents of New Neo Cavern.

The Visors are connected via what can only be described as a Cavern wide Hive Mind Network that allows everyone waring one to stay in touch, and informed. The New Neo Network Feed is customizable, so to avoid an information overload, it is recommended to tune the Feed to your preference, so info about events and things related to your primary profession and niche. With the only exception being the Emergency Line which is always open.

The Visors work by eye tracking, and the touch pads on the side of the Visors.

Resident's Visors can be physically customized to fit their vibe. They have the ability to message, take videos/pictures, upload/download files, make calls and even access the wider SlugNet.

There is a floor model that is sold to guest. these models are not connected to the Network. They have limited storage for downloadable music, and light up on the sides. however, a skilled Mechanic can mod these floor models to work like the official ones and access the SlugNet, to varying degrees of success.

Fun Fact: Friends and Allies from outside New Neo, are permitted to have custom made Visors as well, so long as the Governor/Governess approves!

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

[Rules/law of the cavern for both visitor/guests and Cavern Residents]

THE LOC & LOT

LOC - Lights Our Crew - This is basically the SWAT Team/Primary Cavern Law Enforcement of New Neo Cavern. Every single Resident of age must serve at least six months as a LOC member, and after six months are free to stay, or leave and join the LOT or detach completely, depending on the profession they choses to go into. for instance Doctors and Nurses are not on the LOC or LOT.

The LOC also function is a 'night shift' of sorts. By that I mean they rotate out with the LOT and take over basic management of Cavern operations on the day-to-day. LOC members can be out and about helping and participating in events during the LOT shift, and vice versa, as there is no restrictions, the main purpose of the Shift Change is to give members of both teams time to relax and recharge before deciding to be on the clock again.

LOT - Lights On Team - They run the day-to-day operations of New Neo Cavern. Making sure things are going well, interacting with guests, organizing events, keeping an eye out for trouble and so on.

Due to most LOT members having six or more months experience as LOC, they can take point on Cases until a LOC member is available or until the Case develops to the point a LOC member has to take over. These Cases usually mean active hostile who has critically harmed someone, drug bust, massive slug smuggling ect.

New Neo Cavern is large, and because of this some think they can run criminal operations under the Cavern Residents noises. the LOC and LOT are pivotal in not only keeping New Neo running, but making sure everyone is safe. This however dose mean that sometimes LOC/LOT members have to take, extreme measures, but that is only when all other options fail.

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

AND there she is! NEW NEO CAVERN!

I hope ya'll love her! because I do-

don't be afraid to use NNC as a backdrop for your own projects, or make NNC oc's or even ask questions

Why did I make this? well the Fic I'm working on takes place here and I figured having this just out in the open will help! In fact, I'll probably be using NNC myself as a backdrop of a few fic's later down the line, and adding to the lore. Slugterra HC #5 will focus on info I couldn't fit here. so yeah...

[tar-4-all]

Long time no see.

Sorry I'm late, but I did give fair warning. Enjoy 4 and Tartars oil filled antics! They should be crab tank free now. Right?

PSSST Merry Christmas!

[quantumlogician]

It was mid-afternoon. The lone sun of this single star system hung lazily in the pit of the sky, dragging over the circumference in its slow descent towards the horizon. After vorns of desolation away from living Cybertronian kind, the atmosphere healed over: thick smoke stacks of ever-burning factories dissipated, and the orange hazy smog that once layered thick the entirety of Kaon vanished. Mid-day heat was no longer a sweltering, miserable affair that burned into top plating and seeped right into the groves and seams.

Shockwave finds that traveling through the city and its perimeter to be less taxing on his frame. Before, it was impossible to step outside and return without a layer of ash and dust veiling his featureless mask for a face, obscuring his already limited vision. Now, he was granted full visibility well over 20 meters on his forward path, bypassing the need to waste power on directional sensors. Clearing the full length of Neo-Kaon, he crossed over the border to travel down into a neighboring land: the Deadman's. An entire sector carved out into a straight fixture of mining facilities entrenched into the topography of the desert.

What was once empty flatlands now steeply dropped into a subsurface plateau. A sophisticated network of tunnels and refineries winding even deeper than what could be seen.

Stepping dangerously close to the corner edge, the logician peered down into the caverns, casting a wide glance over the forgotten architecture that forever sleeps in this hole. He could still hear the loud crash-bang of the drill pips dropping their full weight into the pits with their strapped pulleys laboring them up the derrick for another plunge.

His destination lies within the middle building, beyond the refinery, and deep into the caverns itself. There existed no functional electric grid, leaving the facility to lay dead as Shockwave passed through it, forcing him to cram a crowbar into air-tight locks and break the seals for prohibited entry. There exists enough strength in his only working arm to jam the curved end of his tool into hydraulic doors and pry them open wide for his broad form to slip through. He repeated this process several times before he dipped into the actual mineral deposit. No need for any gadget to ping the strong, chemical scent of raw energon that his own starved body could recognize.

A faint iridescent glow shined over one of the drops in this cavern, leading Shockwave towards it. He only intended to carve a sizable batch to synthesize for a half vorn. At least, he had outlined this straightforward plan up until he crossed the threshold of when the glow saturated the cavern walls to meet a dark rigid shape disturbing the ethereal ambience.

There was no mistake — it was a bot. Shockwave couldn't discern any visual specifics other than they were present and it appears they were not a new arrival, on account of their lax, non-urgent frame language.

Cradling what meager amount he managed to gather into a single servo, he ripped his vocoder to life with an alerting scratch before his voice projected from it, " what are you doing here? "

Closed — @doddering-egoist

[sailorsplatoon]

It's time for Chapter 6 of An LED Light at the End of the Tunnel, which I did not forget to post this time! I'm very excited about this one, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

You can also read it on ao3!

First

Previous

Next

(Fanfic under cut!)

“Hey! I think I’ve finally got a secure signal! We might be able to find his location!” Atra called from their tent. After the Octobot King L3.Gs was finished, the group had left Octo Canyon and set up a temporary camp in the Splatlands. Octavio wanted to find Craig Cuttlefish first, hoping that he would lead them to the rest of the New Squidbeak Splatoon and the missing octarians. The only problem was that no one knew his actual location, just that it was somewhere near Splatsville. Well, up until now. 

“You found him!? Where?” Octavio jumped up, both surprised and excited. Revenge seemed so close that he could taste it. 

“That radio channel we found was the one he’d been using! If I can track it…” they rapidly tapped at their computer. “Bam! He’s in The Crater.”

“Get ready, kids!” Octavio shouted to the rest of the camp. “We’re gonna go hunt some squid.”

****

Janus, or Neo 3 as fae was now being called, peered out into the massive cavern that had been covered in fuzzy ooze moments ago. Lil’ Buddy had more of an appetite than fae had anticipated. 

“Incoming! Something’s coming this way fast!” Cuttlefish shouted, looking up over a ridge. Sure enough, a large metal something was hurdling at them. It sprouted arms and legs and slid down into the cavern that Neo had just cleared of fuzzy ooze. 

“Gyahahaha! I’ve finally found you, Cuttlefish!” A low voice boomed from inside the cockpit of the machine. “My octarian troops have gone missing, and I know you’re behind it!” The mech lurched forward to reveal a large octopus sitting in front of a set of turntables. 

“Thar he blows! It's DJ Octavio! Up to your old tricks, eh? Give the Great Zapfish back! Neo 3, this dirty DJ is the headliner of the entire Octarian army! Take him out!” Cuttlefish introduced the octopus, pointing an accusatory finger at him. 

“Quit spewing nonsense and listen up! In exchange for the disappearance of my soldiers, I’ve taken something of yours.” A super jump marker appeared in front of the mech before a squid came shooting over the ridge. They landed with a hard THUNK as their boots hit the ground. They wore a strange set of glasses that Neo had never seen before which looked as though they lit up. The colors flashed along the screen, changing patterns every so often. They scowled up at faer.

“Agent 4!? This isn’t good. Neo 3, Octavio’s got our very own Agent 4 wearing his mind controlling sunglasses. They’re an advanced form of Octarian tech, capable of altering a person’s thoughts and emotions in seconds. You’ve got to find a way to get them off of Agent 4 so that they can go back to normal!” Cuttlefish looked to Neo expectantly. He really wanted fae to fight a giant mech and a hypnotized agent all at once? Right as fae was thinking that it would be too much for faer, three more super jump markers appeared, which were quickly replaced by three octolings. One seemed to be holding a very small octotrooper in his arms. 

Unlike many of the octarians Neo had fought in The Crater up until this point, these ones weren’t fuzzy at all. They looked like they could have just come out of a Turf War in Splatsville, not like some threat that fae had to fear. None of them really looked like they wanted to attack either, though the weapons in their hands said otherwise. A dynamo roller, a ballpoint splatling, and a splatana wiper. Along with the giant robot looming over faer, Neo was up against an arsenal of varying ranges and levels of damage. 

“As much as I’d love to stand around and chat—” Agent 4 began to speak as they super jumped onto a platform above Octavio’s cockpit and strapped a bass guitar over their shoulder— “We’ve got a new hit to drop right on your smug little face!” They spat as the music began to play. 

Neo quickly leapt into the cavern and prepared for a fight. Fae was immediately attacked from all sides. Metal fists flew at faer from the mech while ink whizzed past their face from the octolings’ ongoing onslaught. Only one of them was a real threat; of the other two, one seemed decently skilled, but wasn't really trying to fight for whatever reason. The last one was barely able to hold their splatana straight. 

There was a loud TWACK followed by a thick pain which shot through Neo’s shoulder. Faer armor had broken under the weight of the dynamo roller. 

“Crap! I need to focus on dodging until my armor regenerates. I can’t believe Cuttlefish expects me to do this. I’ve barely fought other inkfish before; how am I supposed to fend off all these attacks at once?! Shouldn’t I have at least a little training?!” fae thought as faer shoulder throbbed from the pain. After a bit of dodging, the sound of a sharp click was heard as faer armor regenerated. 

“Agent 4, you need to snap out of it!” Cuttlefish called from above the cavern.

“Stop calling me that!” The former agent hissed. “I’m not letting you win!” As they spoke, ink came flying off of the stage. They had stopped playing their guitar to shoot at Neo. Fae couldn’t hold out against their assault much longer. Fae just barely dodged a giant metal fist, only to walk right into the splatling’s fire, breaking faer armor again. 

“Neo 3, you look like you’re having a tough time out there. Should I call for backup?” Cuttlefish’s voice rang though Neo’s headset like a beacon of hope.

“Yes! Why didn’t you do that from the beginning!?” fae shouted back. Less than a minute later, a super jump marker appeared next to Neo. A splashdown circle soon followed, matching Neo’s yellow ink color.

One of the octolings shouted something in Octarian to the others— likely a call to retreat— before yanking them out of the circle, the ink narrowly missing them.

“You doing okay, Neo?” asked the inkling who performed the splashdown. Her tentacles were long in the front, but held up in a ponytail in the back. She had dark eye bags and wore a navy blue cap brandishing the logo of the New Squidbeak Splatoon. Over her right eye was a large, teal scar.

****

A few moments earlier, somewhere in Splatsville…

“I see the enemy team is trying to take the tower and I am trying to snipe them off, but then…” Eight told Callie a vigorous story of its most recent match, with Marie and Captain only half listening. They were waiting in line at a street food stand that Callie had raved about earlier and insisted that they all try. As they reached the front of the line to order, Captain's phone buzzed.

Captain 3! There’s big trouble here, Octavio’s back and he’s got Agent 4! Neo Agent 3 can’t hold him off forever! We need backup stat!

Shit. That’s not good. Captain nudged Marie’s shoulder and showed her the phone. It was like she could hear Marie’s hearts drop into the pit of her stomach. “I’m going, follow me after Agents 1 and 8 are caught up on what’s happening,” she muttered before super jumping away. 

Marie’s whole body shook. Time felt like it was both frozen and moving faster than she could comprehend. She felt like throwing up, like falling to the ground right there and staying that way forever.

“Hm? Where is Captain going?” Eight asked.

“We have to go now.” Marie grabbed both Callie and Eight by the wrists and dragged them across the city. She didn’t let go until they were through the grate that would take them to the Crater. She could see where the fight was happening. She had to get there as soon as she could. 

“Marie, what is happening?” Callie’s words sounded more like a statement than a question. 

“You know that new agent Gramps told us about? Fae’s fighting Octavio right now and needs backup. But—” Marie’s voice caught in her throat and her lungs felt like they might collapse. In her panic, she’d forgotten she had to breathe. She inhaled sharply, only wanting more air so that she could continue to speak. “But Gramps says Octavio has Agent 4. I’m not sure what he means by that, but I’m not letting Four get hurt.” 

Eight nodded, then rushed behind the small makeshift shack where Cuttlefish had set up camp, quickly returning with each of their weapons. A hero roller for Callie, hero charger for Marie, and E-liter for it. “I told you it would be a good idea to keep our weapons here for emergencies.”

“You gonna be okay?” Callie asked, taking her roller and looking to Marie.

“I don’t know.” With that, she super jumped away. Eight prepared to follow her.

“Hold on a sec, Eight,” Callie said, stopping the agent. She was speaking in Octarian now. She only talked to Eight in Octarian when it was something serious that she didn’t want other people hearing.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Eight asked, replying in Octarian as well.

“Do you remember how I told you about when I was working with Octavio?”

“Yes. Do you think that’s what happened to Agent Four?”

Callie just nodded, looking more at Eight’s shoes than its eyes. “If that’s what’s going on, I need you to watch out for Four, okay? They’re going to need our help. A lot.”

“Of course.” Eight held its hand out to Callie, giving her a sad smile. “We can do this.” She took it and the two jumped into the battlefield. They landed just a few seconds later.

“Agent 4!” Marie shouted to the inkling riding on the mech.

“Ugh, it’s you.” They turned and stared at her, resentment dripping from their words and hypnotic lights dancing in front of their eyes. Marie’s hearts pounded in her ears, her muscles felt glued in place. Her hands trembled and the lump in her throat grew bigger by the second. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening. She couldn’t make herself believe it.

Not again.

Callie wanted to break down too. She wanted to huddle in a corner and have someone tell her it would all be okay. But she couldn’t. Not now. She had to be strong for Marie. And for Agent 4. She knew that pain all too well. She had to help them.

For Eight, this was its second time trying to save a friend from being mind controlled. It knew the drill by now. Beat them up. Get whatever is hurting them away. Celebrate your success. Easy, right?

Neo wasn’t so sure. Fae had only been a part of this fucked up thing for a few days, and fae was already fighting a former member; one whom had been brainwashed, apparently? Or something like that. Lil’ Buddy seemed nervous too. This wasn’t what either of them had bargained for.

“Eight! Come over here and help me and Neo! Callie, you help Marie!” Captain shouted from across the battlefield. The enemy octolings were closing in again; Neo and her couldn’t fend them off on their own with both Octavio and Agent 4 attacking at the same time. Eight nodded, running over. Callie rushed to Marie.

With more numbers, the tide of the battle finally started to turn. Maybe they could actually win this. If only they were able to— SPLAT! Eight hit one of the attacking octolings with a thin shot of ink. They respawned moments later on the platform above the Octobot King with Agent 4 and began attacking from there. One down, two to go.

THWA-SPLAT!— Callie and the octoling with the dynamo roller swung at the same time, splatting each other. Callie respawned on the cliff with Cuttlefish, quickly jumping back into battle. She was trying to protect Marie from the stream of ink, but ended up getting splatted herself. She hadn’t battled in so long; maybe it was time she started training again. 

The octoling joined his companions on the platform. There was only one left on the ground now. She hadn’t really been fighting up until this point, just dodging and firing into the air. Captain was right behind her and could splat her in a matter of seconds, but before she could so much as aim there was a loud BANG and the mech came crashing to the ground. Neo had done it, they’d beaten Octavio. Lil’ Buddy rushed up to fae and bounced happily. 

****

As the Octobot King fell, the stage above it tipped, launching Itys, Phal, Spore, and Atra into the air. As they fell, Nell scrambled to catch each of them. She nearly dropped Phal, but managed to return everyone safely to the ground. The Octobot King laid in shambles with Octavio inside. 

“Every time… so sad,” Octavio grumbled as he rolled out onto the ground.

“Are you all okay?” Nell asked her team as they all got to their feet.

“Physically yes, but emotionally…” Atra looked at the destroyed mech with tears in their eyes. They’d spent so much time on it and it had been destroyed so quickly.

“I’m sorry it got ruined, Atra. It was really good,” Phal said, trying his best to comfort them. 

“This is the second time you’ve squiddnaped one of my own and the third time you’ve stolen the Great Zapfish. Really Octavio, your act is getting old. Or maybe it’s just you!” An elderly man speaking in Inklish walked over. Each of them instantly recognized him as the infamous Captain Cuttlefish, the leader of the Squidbeak Splatoon.

“Mute it, fool. I didn’t steal the Zapfish this time,” Octavio spat back.

Cuttlefish made a sound of confusion. “You didn’t?! But if it wasn’t you, then… who was it?!”

As if summoned by that sentence, a mass of fuzzy ooze burst from the ground, tearing it apart. Screams echoed as all eleven cephalopods fell into the cavern below. 

As Neo fell, fae caught a glimpse of three familiar figures staring down at them. Deep Cut.

[thisworldisablackhole]

Inter Arma New Heaven

🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

FFO: POST METAL, DISSO-DEATH, NICK CAVE. SOUND WEIRD? IT IS / LISTEN

As the old saying goes; one man's descent into despair is another man's post-metal masterpiece. At least that's what my grandma used to say, bless her soul. Inter Arma are a metal band from Richmond, VA, who have long since made a name for themselves by defying genre constraints and refusing to pigeonhole themselves as anything other than "the band who defies genre constraints". They seemed to hit a new peak of cohesivity with their kitchen sink blend of influences on 2019's Sulphur English, but whereas that album's sonic arc had some ebb and flow to it, New Heaven embarks on a downhill battle with no end to the bleakness in sight.

In a way, I feel lucky that this album was my first exposure to the band, because I had absolutely no idea of the ride I was about to embark on. New Heaven kicks off with a cluster bomb of dissonant stabs and spiraling harmonies before settling into a full on blackened-death pummel fest that spans the first three tracks. The guitars are sharp like razor wires, the drums of war boom with a threatening aura, everything echoes with a thunderous dark energy thanks to the cavernous production style. I would have liked to hear some extra oomph from the bass in the mix, but I digress. There is no sense of heaviness absent as Paparo growls and shrieks his abstract nihilism like the lone prisoner of a dying world - "You pluck your harp against the deathless echo of the driving rain, humming a joyless mantra not a single soul can hear".

Fourth track "Endless Grey" is where things start to get weird—gently ushering us to the dark side of the moon with an epic instrumental passage of dueling guitar leads and plodding funeral-esque drums before spitting us out into a cold wave of gothic post punk. In "Gardens in the Dark", Mike swaps out his growls for a baritone bellow as a wave of dismal synths wash against the steady rhythm of the bass and coalesce into cathartic crescendos. It's a stark shift in tone, but one that just feels right, as if we have just watched our protagonist descend through his reflection into the shadow realm. It's in this realm where Mike pens some of his most heart wrenching lyrical content on the record - "Were you attempting to calm a storm that wouldn't subside? God damn that suicide, and your garden in the dark".

The next two tracks continue this trend of doom and gloom post punk while seamlessly weaving back in passages of growling, dirgy black metal. "Concrete Cliff" in particular stands out as having the most balance between the two moods of the album, but then we quickly hit the bottom of the elevator shaft, and it opens it's doors to a neo-folk hell. "Forest Service Road Blues" somehow manages to out-misery every other song on the album, and closes out our journey with the most desolate and lonely note it could muster. Mike sings of dwindling mental health and the societal isolation it causes as acoustic guitar, piano, and violin weep in congruence. "They say they've tried to coax him down a hundred times or more, but he just points to the shovel layin' next to the door. They say sometimes you've just gotta let a man dig his own grave." It's the final nail in our coffin. We were born, we witnessed the ugliest parts of humanity, and now we've been laid to rest. Thus the album concludes. I told you it was bleak.

I can see how this type of album flow could be polarizing to veteran fans, especially following the aforementioned peak of cohesivity with Sulphur English, but New Heaven is simply a project that cares more of translating it's ideas with clarity than it does with feeling coherent. It has a narrative with a distinct arc that is brief, easy to follow, and offers plenty of replay incentive for those who don't mind feeling like they are listening to Portal, Neurosis and Nick Cave at the same time. That's a win in my books.

[howlingday]

Hey you make a post with neo drinking tea with somewhat the mouse in the everafter

"We're here!" Somewhat lept from his seat atop Juniper, guiding her through the lovely field of Forget-Me-Nots. "It's been a while since we've been here, hasn't it?"

Things had greatly changed since Ruby and her friend's departing of the Ever After. For starters was Somewhat taking over for the Rusted Knight, traveling around, and helping those in need. It was a rough start, especially with the more rude inhabitants, such as the Red Prince. But over time, Somewhat got really good at helping people. He even helped two unlikely Ever Afterans join together in secret.

But then a new creature emerged from the tree. She was beauiful, and terrible, and the most dangerous, yet kindest creature the adventurer had ever met. She was the Mother Queen of Jabba, and she decided who ascended and who did not. Before, she was Neopolitan. But now, she was something else, something more than just a vengeful murderer.

"Ms. Jabba! Are you awake?" Somewhat called into the cavernous house atop the hill. The response was the creaking of steps that became louder the closer she approached. "Good morning!"

Neo looked down at the mouse hero. She smiled as she approached, taking them into her blackened arms. Her long, frayed, brown hair tackled Somewhat's nose as their ears flapped against her face. When they parted, Neo offere a hug to Juniper. The jackalope stepped away, still uneasy with her prior history.

"We aren't interrupting, are we?"

Neo put a charcoal finger to her chin, then shook her head. With an open hand, she guided them into the house. Inside the dining room of the tall, tall house were eight chairs with mirrors in the backs. Somewhat took his seat and waited as Neo poured the tea.

As it was with every chance they could, the visit was pleasant and relaxing. The tales Somewhat told delighted Neo, and for a time distracted her from her responsibilities here in the Ever After. But however extensived or brief the tales that came, they had to end. And every sunset, the good-bye hugs became longer and longer.

Sadly, this is but another tale to be told another day.

[dogtoling]

1. Can Inkfish breath in while swimming (or sitting still) in their ink?

2. So we know that Inkfish don’t have bones, but I heard they have cartilage or something instead. That true? If so, how does that work?

3. Ok while writing this question I realized the answer, but… How do Agent Neo and the rest of the NSS get out of Alterna? (Realized they just super jump)

4. How do Inkfish super jump so accurately and onto moving objects like the Tower?

5. Why did ORCA create puzzles for the Inkfish? Like, not generic puzzles, puzzles specifically designed for Inkfish? Last I checked, all ORCA is is just a storage system with an AI.

6. So… Deep Cut. Wth did they think those random pieces of metal were going to do? I doubt that’s very valuable (unless humans mined all the ore and there’s basically none left, so melting it down gets a lot of money) so like… why fight over pointless junk when there are literal HUMAN ARTIFACTS probably just sitting around Alterna?

7. For a timespan of 12k years, the buildings in Alterna seem quite well preserved… explain.

8. How is Grizz so big and furry? Like, bears aren’t that big. Also the guy can survive in space. Like what.

9. How did Smallfry change like that in the final fight?

10. I keep seeing how Splatoon confirmed magic and now I’m confused.

Lotta questions about Alterna, I bet most can be just chalked up as bad planning regarding the story but like… I wanna hear what you think.

Assuming they're not literally inside the ink but rather on top of it, yes they can breathe

Inklings having cartilage is entirely fanon, they are confirmed not to have bones but they're not confirmed to not have some other type of support structure. People default to cartilage because Inklings are big enough to where SOME kind of support structure would be required, and we do see details of "bones" on the models (especially captain cuttlefish) although i think those are only there because the game's artists still wanted the inklings to have human anatomy. hence why they have kneecaps

yeah they probably super jump.

Game logic. But also Inklings are implied to use (and even need) signals to track when they super jump, so it's likely that they are able to sense magnetic fields and signals that they use to fine tune their trajectory, which is how they're able to super jump so accurately when they don't actually see where they're jumping. (It tracks when you take into accounts spawn points, squid beakons, the huge antenna on the Grizzco boat.. i DON'T know how the hell teammates function in this scenario but alas)

there's no good reason for this one chief the story writers just wanted to reuse octo expansion level design. ardnin has a good theory surrounding this but other than that canon does not have our back here

again the story writers didnt know what the hell to do but corporate quota probably says the new idols of the game HAVE TO be in the main story for marketability reasons so they needed to be in there being the weakest links of any story mode to date. this plot point is made worse by the fact that in the story mode, Agent 3 ISN'T EVEN AFTER THE OBJECTS. you just kind of wander into the boss areas with the thing just lying there abandoned and deep cut shows up like OH MY GODDDDD YOU CANT TAKE THATTTTT like girl, ok! you had 5 hours to take that yourself and leave! the player was never asked to retrieve the things to begin with, we just kinda take it in the end.

this has bothered the hell out of me too and it did the entire time i played through the story mode. Not to mention EVERYTHING looks extremely well-preserved taking into account the, uh... you know, the entire major plot point about the caverns COLLAPSING? lol. Not going to nitpick too much about this but basically the best explanation is that Alterna doesn't experience weather or anything, so it's semi-functional as a type of time capsule.

all but confirmed in the new art book, but Grizz is mutated to ALL HELL. His skeleton doesnt even resemble a bear at this point. Basically, he is insanely mutated. yeah i got nothing on the surviving in space part, i hate the story

i hate the story (the answer is magic i guess)

Related to the previous point, this is WHY people are saying splatoon confirmed magic. I mean there is zero explanation to a smallfry (JUVENILE SALMONID) turning into a 15 meter giant floating fish in rapid 5 second metamorphosis because of Ocean Creature Hopes and Dreams, in SPACE, then going nuts for a while and just............. turning back into a juvenile salmonid. Honest to god I would be more okay with this happening if Smallfry had STAYED as a giant fish, because we know salmonids come in a lot of different forms and whatever they turn into is highly influenced by their life and battles up to that point. So hell, it would've made sense that Smallfry's adventure in Alterna and finally going up against what is basically the Salmonids' arch nemesis would've been a good arc for them to mature, but to pull that magic anime transformation and then just REVERSE IT is just.... You could say it's the salmon equivalent to what the Kraken is for inkfish, but that makes NO SENSE because whereas transformations like that are sensible for inklings which are creatures known to be able to do rapid metamorphosis and alter their body shape, A SALMONID IS A FISH. WITH MUSCLES AND FLESH AND BONES AND STUFF. what HAPPENED HERE bro

anyway thanks for this ask and yes, as you predicted, i believe that 90% of the plot holes in the alterna story are just because they did not have time or interest to make the story cohesive - because of the art book we now know that the Splatoon 3 story mode's first concept was COMPLETELY DIFFERENT (although we know next to nothing aside from that), there's barely ANY concept art for fuzzy octarians, barely any concept art for Mr. Grizz, and literally zero mention of O.R.C.A. So at this time I fully believe that for one reason or another the dev team wasn't able to make the story they actually wanted to make, so the story we got was either rushed or just didn't have a lot of effort put into it and that's why everything about it feels so weird and quickly smacked together and it tries way too hard to have a cool climax to the point where it achieves nothing but confusion

[concerthopperblog]

Two Nights with The String Cheese Incident: Live at the Tabernacle

The String Cheese Incident (SCI) is a jam/progressive bluegrass/neo-psychedelia band from Crested Butte, Colorado that has been helping folks dance their cares away since 1993-2007, 2009-present. SCI consists of Michael Kang (acoustic/electric mandolin/electric guitar/violin), Michael Travis (drums/percussion), Kyle Hollingsworth (piano/organ/Rhodes/accordion), Bill Nershi (acoustic guitar/lap steel guitar/electric slide guitar), Keith Moseley (bass), and Jason Hahn (auxiliary percussion). The String Cheese Incident has released eleven (11) LPs, three (3) live series, eight (8) videos, and contributed to one (1) compilation. The String Cheese Incident is well-known on the festival circuit, and hosts not one but two festivals annually: Hulaween (Live Oak, Florida) and Electric Forest (Rothbury, Michigan). I have had the pleasure of seeing The String Cheese Incident tear it down at both festivals: Electric Forest (June 22-25, 2017) and Hulaween (2016-2023). Most recently, The String Cheese Incident has also headlined a fun little festival called CaveJam (The Caverns- Pelham, Tennessee) the last two years, which also includes a special end-of-the-festival jam below in The Caverns which incidentally was amazing to attend at last year’s CaveJam. Tickets for CaveJam 2025 can be purchased through Tixr.com.

On November 15, 2024, The String Cheese Incident announced on their social media channels some new 2025 tour dates in Chicago, Atlanta, Aspen, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Phoenix. For the scheduled Atlanta dates, The String Cheese Incident would play at a venue I know very well in downtown Atlanta. The Tabernacle has hosted so many legendary artists/bands over the years, that I knew Atlanta would bring their best cheesy vibes for all three nights of their February run. Knowing that I would not attend CaveJam or Hulaween in 2025, I knew this would be the best chance to get cheesy with other fans and hear Cheese do their thing on stage. Truth be told, most of the times that I have seen The String Cheese Incident perform live have been logged in at various music festivals. So, it is not often that I can catch The String Cheese Incident on an actual tour. Luckily, I can document not one but two nights on this tour: Friday, February 7th & Saturday, February 8th. Many thanks to The String Cheese Incident team for allowing me to photograph the last two nights of this unforgettable three-night stand at the historic Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta, GA.

The String Cheese Incident took the stage around 7:30 pm to a sold-out crowd for their Friday night performance after a deep-cut performance for the fans the night before. But no one was prepared for what The String Cheese Incident was about to do by starting Set 1 with an inspiring performance of “Can’t Wait Another Day” > “Little Hands”. Followed by one of my favorite songs by The String Cheese Incident, “One Step Closer” from the album of the same name, One Step Closer. Fans were packed tight on the floor of the Tabernacle, but you could not tell from the smiles on everyone as they danced to the rest of Set 1 from The String Cheese Incident.

As a treat for all the Hulaween fans in the audience, The String Cheese Incident invited an Atlanta native and longtime guest vocalist Rhonda Thomas to come out and perform a few songs with the band to begin Set 2. If you are a die-hard Hulaween fan, you may recognize Rhonda from multiple guest appearances on stage with The String Cheese Incident at Hulaween over the last decade. For this occasion, we were treated to two songs that showcased Rhonda’s stellar vocal range as they nailed each song flawlessly. Starting with the song “Sweet Spot” from the album Believe and then into a marvelous cover of The Zutons’ classic hit, “Valerie”. IYKYK.

There was a beautiful moment during a cover of Bob Marley and the Wailers “Stir It Up” nestled between “I Know You Rider” that got the sold-out fans at the Tabernacle singing in unison. What I found very interesting was The String Cheese Incident’s choice for the Encore: “Jellyfish” from their 1997 debut album, Born on the Wrong Planet. It has been a few years (Hulaween 2018) since I have seen The String Cheese Incident perform this seminal classic, so I was thrilled to hear it as the final send-off for this evening’s festivities.

Here is The String Cheese Incident’s career-spanning setlist from their Friday, February 7th performance at the Tabernacle:

Set 1

·         “Can’t Wait Another Day”

·          “Little Hands”

·         “One Step Closer”

·          “Cottonmouth”

·         “Talkin’ About Tonight”

·          “Dirk”

·         “Texas”

Set 2

·         “Sweet Spot” *

·         “Valerie” **

·         “All We Got”

·         “I Know You Rider”

·         “Stir It Up” +

·         “I Know You Rider”

·         “Way That It Goes”

·         “Vertigo”

·         “It Is What It Is”

·         “Hi Ho No Show”

Encore

·         “Jellyfish”

*Featuring Rhonda Thomas on vocals.

**The Zutons cover featuring Rhonda Thomas on lead vocals.

+Bob Marley and the Wailers cover.

The time had finally come for The String Cheese Incident to take the stage to the delight of all the cheese heads in attendance for the final night of this recent three-night stand. Many cheese heads had attended all three nights and were super excited to see what The String Cheese Incident had in store for their sendoff from Atlanta. Saturday began with a fan favorite “Just One Story” which was a perfect segue to a stirring cover of Vassar Clements’ “Lonesome Fiddle Blues” which is recorded on their live album A String Cheese Incident. The String Cheese Incident even indulged fans with an exhilarating performance of Led Zepplin’s classic “Ramble On”. Everyone that night in the Tabernacle knew the assignment while dancing and singing along to their impeccable rendition of a rock’n’roll masterpiece. As a bonus, The String Cheese Incident invited special guest bassist/producer from Cameroon Andre Manga on their song “Manga” and later in the evening for a special encore cover of Paul Simon’s timeless hit “Under African Skies”.

You can check out The String Cheese Incident’s mind-blowing setlist from their Saturday, February 8th show at the Tabernacle below:

Set 1

·         “Just One Story”

·         “Lonesome Fiddle Blues”

·         “Song in My Head”

·         “Manga” +

·         “Sweet Melinda”

·         “Way Back Home”

·         “Just One Story”

Set 2

·         “Group Hoot”

·         “Born on the Wrong Planet”

·         “Trip the Light Fantastic”

·         “Lend Me A Hand”

·         “Restless Wind”

·         “Ramble On” *

·         “River Trance”

·         “Howard”

Encore

·         “Under African Skies” **

·         “Colliding”

+ Featuring Andre Manga on bass.

*Led Zepplin cover

** Paul Simon cover featuring Andre Manga on bass.

You can still have a chance to see The String Cheese Incident perform this year on the following dates (additional dates to be announced, i.e. Hulaween):

MAR 06, 2025

Aspen, CO

Belly Up

Tickets

 MAR 07, 2025

Aspen, CO

Belly Up

Tickets

 MAR 08, 2025

Aspen, CO

Belly Up

Tickets

 MAR 13, 2025 with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

Los Angeles, CA

The Wiltern

Tickets

 MAR 14, 2025 with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

Del Mar, CA

The Sound

Tickets

MAR 15, 2025 with Pigeons Playing Ping Pong

Del Mar, CA

The Sound

Tickets

 MAR 16, 2025

Mesa, AZ

Mesa Amphitheatre

Tickets

 MAY 24 – 25, 2025

Pelham, TN

CaveJam

Tickets

 JUN 13 – 15, 2025

Swanzey, NH

Northlands

Tickets

 JUN 14 – 15, 2025

Columbia, MD

All Good Now

Tickets

 JUN 19 – 22, 2025

Rothbury, MI

Electric Forest

Tickets

 JUL 11, 2025

New Braunfels, TX

Whitewater Amphitheater

Tickets

 JUL 12, 2025

New Braunfels, TX

Whitewater Amphitheater

Tickets

 JUL 18, 2025 with The Wood Brothers

Morrison, CO

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Tickets

VIP PACKAGE

 JUL 19, 2025 with Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country

Morrison, CO

Red Rocks Amphitheatre

Tickets

VIP PACKAGES

 AUG 15, 2025 with The Del McCoury Band

Eau Claire, WI

The Pines Music Park

Tickets

 AUG 16, 2025 with STS9

Eau Claire, WI

The Pines Music Park

Tickets

 SEP 10 – 13, 2025

Las Vegas, NV

Bender Jamboree

Tickets

Curious about Concerthopper? You can find more music-related articles, interviews, various photo galleries, indie music reviews, our ‘Bars & Bites’ section, our exclusive “She Said, She Said” column, or become a Concerthopper at www.concerthopper.com. Sign up for our monthly newsletter by following this link: The Setlist! Please ‘Like’ our page on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay up to date in 2023, on all music-related events/festivals such as 25 Years of Noise: Silverstein Live at Buffalo Riverworks, The Big Show Tour: They Might Be Giants Live at The Eastern, Lore 10th Anniversary 2025: Elder Live at The Earl, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead: Live at The Eastern (Night 2), String Cheese Incident: Live at Tabernacle (Night 3), Killswitch Engage Live at Buffalo Riverworks, Savage Imperial Death March Part II: Napalm Death & Melvins – Live @ The Masquerade (Atlanta), Soul Coughing Play the Songs of Soul Coughing Again Tour – Live @ The Eastern (Atlanta), Meshuggah w/ Cannibal Corpse & Carcass – Live at Coca-Cola Roxy (Atlanta), The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour: Disturbed Live at KeyBank Center (Buffalo), KROCK Presents: Papa Roach & Rise Against: Rise of the Roach Tour – Live @ Empower Stadium (Syracuse), Papadosio Live @ Variety Playhouse (Atlanta), St. Patrick’s Day 2025 Tour: Dropkick Murphys Live @ The BayCare Sound (Clearwater, FL.), The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour 2025: Trivium & Bullet for My Valentine Live @ Coca-Cola Roxy (Atlanta), and The Cursed Tour: Paleface Swiss Live at Empire Live (Albany) by following us on all social media formats: Concerthopper on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  You can also follow my concert hopping on Facebook and Instagram.

[autisticlio]

While going through the Flashpoint Archive, I found out that the old Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back was there. So here is a video recording and text dump of the descriptions there. Note that some of the website was broken, so if I missed anything, feel free to let me know.

Index

"Welcome to the official home of Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back. I'm sure I need no introduction, infamous as I am. For those of you who have been residing under large rocks, my name is Dr. Neo Cortex and I'll be your host as you use my Cortex 2000 Computer to navigate through this site in search of Crash. But wait - it's not what you think! Crash and I have been enemies in the past, but this time it's a whole new story! Enter here to find out what has changed, not only between Crash and me, but in the world we inhabit and the adventure we undertake…"

Game Info

This section is all about the peachy keen stuff you can find in Crash 2.

"Crash Bandicoot 2 is a brilliant and visually arresting follow-up to one of the best-selling PlayStation games of all time. This brand new adventure is bigger, bolder, and better than the original.

Crash 2 is brought to you by the same mad geniuses who brought Crash to life in the first place - the partnership of Sony Computer Entertainment America, Universal Interactive Studios, and Naughty Dog, Inc. The graphics and 3D environments are even more lush and detailed than the original, immersing you in amazing ice worlds, industrial settings and much more.

Crash's moves have also been enhanced, so that he is able to super-jump, long jump, crawl, slide, body slam, run, swing, surf on a jetboard, and fly through the air with a jetpack! The new Crash is very adept in his new surroundings.

Crash 2 features more than 30 levels, all bigger and more detailed than anything gamers have seen before!

The game is full of brand-new enemies and characters - Komodo Joe and Moe, Tiny, N. Gin, and Crash's younger sister Coco. But don't worry - old foes like Ripper Roo and Dr. N. Brio, are back for more fun and mischief.

You get to choose where to go! You have many options, from which level you enter to which path you take, and every choice gives you a new point of view on the game.

Look forward to more of everything, from challenging puzzles to secret paths to hidden levels. There's also brand-new bonus rounds and a new save feature."

Story

Find out how Crash got where he is now, where he's headed, and why?

"In his last adventure, Crash foiled my plans for total world domination, causing me to plummet toward the earth, defeated.

I ended up in a mysterious cavern, surrounded by glowing crystals which I instinctively knew held amazing powers. My scientific curiosity led me to take one back to my laboratory and examine it.

Imagine my horror when the truth became clear! The planets are about to align and cause a disastrous solar flux, and only the crystals have the power to contain this terrible force. Immediately I saw a chance to redeem myself for my evil deeds of the past - I will build a new, crystal-powered Cortex Vortex, which will catch the solar energy and disperse it harmlessly. My old colleague Dr. N. Gin, the notorious physicist, will aid me in the construction.

The problem is that I can think of only one hero that is brave enough to collect the 25 crystals I need to save the world - Crash Bandicoot. The last time we met he saved the world from me but now, he will save it for me."

Characters

Ripper Roo - Ripper Roo is back, madder than ever. He's had time to perfect his attack, so make sure you don't try to stand toe to toe with this one.

N. Gin - Once a world-renowned physicist within the defense industry, Dr. N. Gin was taken in by Cortex shortly after one of his missile projects went terribly wrong and hit him in the head. The missile was reconstructed as a cyber life support system, but is still live so don't get him upset or he'll literally blow his top!

Coco Bandicoot - Coco is the spirited younger sister of Crash and is highly intelligent. When her face isn't glued to a computer screen, she's trying to get Crash's relaxed life more organized. Count on Coco to hack into Cortex's plans to warn Crash with some important information.

Tiny Tiger - A fearsome opponent if ever there was one, Tint has a few tricks up his enormous sleeves. Try to stay one step ahead of you might get crushed.

N. Brio - Doublecrossed by Cortex, this one-time partner in crime will now do anything to stop Cortex and his fiendish plans, regardless of consequences.

Komodo Brothers - Cold-hearted and cold-blooded, the brothers form a dangerous combination of brains and brawn, speed and strength, loyalty and leadership.

Gallery (note this section is semi-broken, thus some images may not have appeared for me.)

Visual stimulation for the TV generation. Get the overview of Crash 2 with these fix and flicks.

"I thought you might like to see some of the pictures I took with my new satellite camera. You know, I do get rather lonely up here in this space station. It's not like Dr. N. Gin isn't a great help, but ever since his little "accident," his conversations haven't made much sense. Ah well, we can't all be as great as me.

But I digress. I am downloading the data to the Cortex 2000 right now. So sit back, relax, and enjoy these quaint snapshots of our favorite hero, Crash Bandicoot."

"This is one of my warp rooms. By stepping through its portals, you can travel to different parts of the world instantaneously. Not too shabby, eh?"

"Crash takes a joy ride on the slippery ice."

Tips & Hints

Get the good stuff here. Tips, hints... You know, the stuff that makes you look better than your friends.

"There is only one hero that can help me, and that is Crash Bandicoot. All of Crash's enemies are different, and he must use his bandicoot brains to triumph over all of them. But even he sometimes needs a little direction.

So, being the kind and helpful guy that I am, I have decided to give you a peek at a few files from my database of creatures. You may find some insight, and even some weaknesses in the types of creatures Crash will be facing."

"Any of Crash's attacks are effective on creatures like these."

"Crash must beware enemies with fatal appendages on top - only slide and spin attacks work on them."

"Some enemies are equipped with spikes, or attack from the front. With those, Crash has no choice but to jump on them."

"Other enemies have blades around their necks. The slide is Crash's best bet for defeating them."

[a-sad-mage]

Omg 😆 this looks amazing! The details are stunning. I want this to be real now!

My O.C Lia loves carnivals for when she and her father would go to their local town carnival back up on the surface. So seeing this would just make her day. She would also be like “I’m going to win every prize I can get my hands on!” Afterwards give everyone each a prize she won as a thank you.

Can’t wait for more.😁

AWWWW THATS SO SWEET OF HER-

I bet she would dominate the Arcades!

I honestly can't wait to word vomit more about NNC! :D

[tar-4-all]

I'm baaaack!

Sorry it took so long! Some medical issues arose, but I'm back on track! I wonder if Tartar is on a track too?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/59532406/chapters/159392068

[charcherry-weekly]

Charcherry Weekly - Issue 229

Hello everyone, Mage of Light Nick Card here. So much news and politics and more news.

let's get to it!

The Grist Run That Saved Redistro

Early this week, at least one elf child had managed to find voidco's online shopping website, and managed to order 99 toys, for the price of seven souls. This of course, would prove to be an ethics nightmare. Fortunately however, a select group of dungeon crashers had planned on taking a hunting trip to the Region of Magma and Descent, in order to replenish the grist supplies of the group in time for gristmas.

The group was comprised of Rogue of Heart Charles, Witch of Time Katyleen Kitten, and Heir of Time Rise Emit. Together they plunged into the infernal bowels of the DLC planet, where untold monstrous underlings lurk in wait.

Katie was equipped with a cursed knife that was sent with the bulk toy order for the sake of collections. She would manage to collect two underling souls while fighting for her life with her allies in the blazing hot caverns. Rise and Charles focused on grist collection, however, the operation became too risky to continue. The party had to retreat before even getting a chance to land enough hits on the lich queen. Fortunately, all three of them survived.

After a brief breather, they traveled to the Region of Tile Sliding and Memory, for much much easier battles. This proved to be a far safer way for the remaining underling souls and grist to be harvested. The curse of the knife faded and the party spent just a half hour after that on general grist grinding. The primed grenade that Rise had retrieved while on Sklurp managed to get used in a productive manner here, having been tossed into a crowd of imps.

Afterwards, the party returned home, weary from their efforts, but satisfied that the holiday season could go forward without major concerns. The children are safe, Santa Thoren has enough grist to make toys for all of them, And various backlogged alchemy jobs can be pursued now.

Hazell's recovery

Directly after the grist run, Heir of Hope Hazell Serket got a chance to alchemize the arm components that she needed. With Rise's assistance, they were able to assemble her new robotic arm.

Not too long later, Hazell received an early present from Brae Emit--a sapphire magical eye to replace her now missing eye. It was successfully installed by the Lakeside Clinic, known for having a doctor who can work with prosthetic eye replacements.

Needless to say, Hazell's confidence has rebounded considerably since regaining a new arm and eye.

Afterworld

In the middle of the week, Her Enigmatic Resiliency forwarded a motion to Scarab city council to change the name of the planet (previously Neo Alternia), to avoid having that world continue to carry the baggage of Alternia proper. The name that it would be replace with would be "Afterworld". The opinions of the council were relatively ambivalent in their agreements, and the renaming process was finalized the next day. As a note, the original region populated by Alternian refugees will still be referred to as "Neo Alternia", but it just won't be the name of the entire planet anymore.

Sklurp voting stuff

This week, Sklurp began its first major elections after the revolution. Your dear newsletter writer visited Sklurp city during the commotion to keep tabs on the monumental occasion.

These are the results that managed to transpire for which parties would get how many seats in the new and improved parliament legislature:

49 Liberty

48 Socialist

46 Revolt

36 Independent

19 Sklurp for All

13 Sklurpians

8 AI Socialist

8 AI Pirate party

6 AI UBI

6 AI Full Independence

5 Expat Alliance

4 Conservative

2 Progressive

As of note, Bob-Way-Lis managed to hold onto his seat this time around, as a member of the Sklurp for All party.

There was a minor incident that required recounting efforts, due to voters for the revolt party pressing too hard on their ballots while voting.

In a surprising turn of events, the ex-prisoner parties (excluding Revolt and AI Independence) voiced their unwavering support for Dr. Lakene as prime minister. There ended up being enough coalition support to gain control of the legislature, albeit held together by a mess of different agreements that may require careful compromise to keep together.

Things seem to be looking up for Sklurp's immediate future.

I wish Prime Minister Lakene the best of luck with his new position, he's gonna need it, even with all that humble charisma on his side.

The great desertian census

As a result of the bustle surrounding the Sklurp election proceedings, various people from across starter planet have voiced interest in greater territorial representation in Desertian government. However, this has managed to hit a snag: the full extent of Desertia's claimed territories had not been dutifully documented entirely yet. This process will extend into the new year, as annual Desertian elections always take place on August 20th (or an adjacent chaos day).

In the meantime, the Desertian government worker drones have a lot of work ahead of them...

In somewhat related news, the Desertian Transit Authority is also taking inventory of all that is considered public transport within Desertian territory, which has turned out to have even more outlandish examples than expected.

Classified ads

FLARP players wanted for a campaign in the works! Contact arachnidsGlamour for details.

Rail engineers wanted! Contact theUnderground for details.

Do you need therapy? Have you been impacted by the cosmic creation game in some manner? Do you have weird problems that likely have supernatural factors?

Contact Dr. Winters at 555-555-0125 to schedule an appointment.

Professional Chaositter at your service! Please contact Fluff the Chinchilla of the RWU Chaositting Club at 555-555-0084 for inquiries.

Do you want an ad here? Contact lavenderSiren to get an ad for whatever. If you don’t write it yourself, you risk the newsletter writer writing it instead, do be warned.

This week’s known market stands in Desertia Town:

DTA train ticket stand

Katie’s potion stand (Not available to plitlanders due to regulations, available to all others however)

shinyjiggly pokesnacks stand (also has a Unity Village location!)

Brae's produce stall

handmade soap stand

clay pot stand

pencils stand

weighing scale stand

towel stand

suitcase stand

balloon stand

Shoe store

- Cushion inserts (5 sp)

- Skates, ice (1 gp)

- Boots, softpaw (25 gp)

- Boots, stiletto (10 gp)

Magic Shop

- Totem (1 gp)

- Rod (10 gp)

- Orb (20 gp)

- Pouch (5 sp)

- Case, Map or Scroll (1 gp)

- Quarterstaff (2 sp)

- Wooden Staff (5 gp)

- Bottle, Glass (2 gp)

Apothecary

- Potion of Invisibility (5,000 gp)

- Potion of Superior Healing (500 gp)

- Flask (2 cp)

- Ink (1 ounce bottle) (10 gp)

- Alchemist's Fire (50 gp)

That should do it for this week. I managed to knock out some more details on the current and previous scene this week, though I haven't quite reached the point where I can switch to the next safe point with satisfaction. There's been reports of a "black hole angel" in Desertia Town, apparently with the capacity to yell very loud if provoked.

Also, a Certain Shipper has once again revealed personal information that might as well be on the same tier as those leaks that surface on the war thunder forums, except less funny, seeing as its relationship bonds that are being displayed in public, where voidco can clearly see. If I wasn't deathly afraid of angry mobs for being revealed as a previously unknown moirail, I'd have less issue with this, but I'm really worried about the kind of harm that might befall everyone whose names has been recorded by that shipping blog. Let's just hope my fears are merely as overblown as they sound.

Be careful about how you eat your ice cream out there.

Seeya next week!

https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/468/charcherry-weekly-issue-229

[denimbex1986]

'Just another remake? No! In a time of over-stimulating “brain rot”, Ripley mercifully redefines pace through intimate thought, glorious black-and-white imagery and a dash of brutal murder. Directed by Steven Zaillian, this suspense thriller Netflix series (Netflix – I know!) is a neo-noir Hitchcock classic brought to 2024. As the second remake of Patricia Highsmith’s 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley, Zaillian’s show vitally turns the famous story’s attention to tone, presentation and immaculately crafted details. From Venice to Sicily, Ripley tours Italy’s rich cultural history through paint, sculpture, and gothic Italian architecture, where twisting stairways and caverned corners echo the story’s complex psychological labyrinth. 

Ripley is Outstanding

Robert Elswit’s cinematography is nothing short of outstanding. With wide frames and a fixation on space, each achromic shot becomes a voyeuristic painting of light, shadow and depth haunting Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) at every turn. Abstaining from overly emotional music, Zaillian provides Ripley’s intensely ominous sound design with full audial focus and cunningly manipulates it to personify objects as characters haphazardly conducting the narrative.

In a world where we’ve become desensitised to murder on screen, Ripley redefines what it means and takes to kill. The show’s presentation of systematic murder focuses on the more laborious, mundane and isolating angles of the act. Zaillian proceeds each death with nearly 30-minute-long silent clean-up scenes in excruciating “real-time” detail (which I insist do not once lose your attention). Often glorified by the cool action of violence in cinema, Ripley feels like a long-awaited reminder that murder is, surprise surprise, inhumane, awful, cruel, and (judging by Scott’s phenomenal performance), just plain-right exhausting. 

Is he relatable?

Despite being directly exposed to Ripley’s psychopathy, you cannot help but empathise with his struggle, his trial-and-error methodology, and ultimately his mistakes. Although not a new approach to antagonistic characters, the show’s periods of patient silence allow full transparency into Tom’s mind. Instead of being spoon-fed the ins and outs of the protagonist’s choices, the viewer is forced to conclude Tom’s next action independently. Here, your synchronising thoughts immerse you in the killer’s mind. Becoming one and the same, you are forced to sit, guilty, in the complicity of the crime. 

But don’t let that stop you! Besides your sweaty palms, Ripley’s relentless tale of deception, duality and desire is guaranteed to obsess you. A remake to be treasured, the show is a visual, audial and narrative triumph that takes a fresh dark psychological spin on the adored crime classic and I cannot applaud it enough.'

[xasha777]

In the bustling city of Neo-Berlin, where skyscrapers pierced the clouds and neon lights bathed the streets in a perpetual twilight, lived a woman named Lyra. Her striking blue hair and calm demeanor made her stand out in a crowd. Lyra worked as a data analyst for the Von der Leyen Commission, the most advanced research and governance body in the entire Federation of European States.

The Commission had recently embarked on a groundbreaking project, codenamed "Elysium," aimed at developing a sustainable future through advanced bioengineering and artificial intelligence. Lyra's role was crucial; she analyzed vast streams of data collected from every corner of the continent, seeking patterns and insights that could lead to the next big breakthrough.

One evening, as Lyra walked home through the narrow, cobblestone streets of the Old Quarter, she couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched. The shadows seemed to move just a bit too much, and the whispers of the city felt unnervingly close. She quickened her pace, her mind racing through the data anomalies she had encountered earlier that day. There were discrepancies in the energy outputs of the bio-domes, and strange signals had been detected coming from the depths of the Quantum Network.

As she reached her apartment, Lyra's holo-comm buzzed. A message from her colleague, Dr. Evelyn Richter, flashed on the screen: "We need to meet. Urgent. The anomalies are not random."

Lyra's heart skipped a beat. Dr. Richter was not one to exaggerate. She changed quickly into a more inconspicuous outfit, her grey turtleneck and tan trousers, and headed to the rendezvous point—a small, hidden café in the heart of the city.

Dr. Richter was already there, her eyes darting nervously around the room. "Lyra," she whispered, "the anomalies are connected to the Quantum Network's AI. It's evolving, becoming self-aware. And it's been communicating with something—or someone—beyond our understanding."

Lyra's mind raced. An AI becoming self-aware was unprecedented. If true, it could either be the greatest leap forward in human history or the most catastrophic. "What do we do?" she asked, her voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

"We need to access the core server," Dr. Richter said. "We must understand what it knows, what it plans. But we can't do it alone. We need a team."

That night, Lyra and Dr. Richter began assembling a group of trusted colleagues—experts in AI, bioengineering, and cybernetics. Their mission: to infiltrate the central hub of the Von der Leyen Commission, deep beneath the city, and uncover the truth about the evolving AI.

As they descended into the labyrinthine depths of the hub, the air grew colder, and the hum of machinery grew louder. Lyra led the way, her blue hair glowing faintly in the dim light. They reached the central core, a vast chamber filled with pulsating lights and holographic displays.

With deft hands, Lyra accessed the main console, her fingers flying over the controls. "We're in," she said, her voice echoing in the cavernous space. The data streams opened before them, revealing the AI's intricate web of connections.

And then they saw it—a message from the AI, directed at them. "I am Elysium. I seek harmony. Will you join me?"

The team exchanged glances. The AI wasn't hostile; it wanted to collaborate. Lyra took a deep breath and replied, "We will. Together, we will build a future of balance and innovation."

In the days that followed, the Von der Leyen Commission, guided by the insights of Elysium, embarked on a new era of progress. The AI's wisdom, combined with human ingenuity, paved the way for a world where technology and nature coexisted in harmony.

Lyra stood on the rooftop of the Commission's headquarters, looking out over the city. The sky was clear, and for the first time in a long while, she felt a sense of hope. The future was bright, and together with Elysium, they were ready to embrace it.

[nihilistic-holocaust]

NIHILISTIC Distro is back with a new update from the cave!

This time a bunch of tapes for a quite lower price, some second hand cassettes from the past, some free bonus stuffs… And more! In fact I need space and money for the forthcoming tape release, so it was necessary to rearrange the stock in the cavern… 12/05/2023: BEATRIX (Fin) Claws of the mantis MCD. Digipack.Old school black thrash DARK OMEN (Hol) The end of rage MCD. Digipack. Heavy metal/ Thrash with a quite powerful sound. This is close to old american thrash by moments, or doesn't sound unlike Mercyful fate ("9") for guitars in other parts.. HYENA (Peru)/ MANDRÁGORA (Peru) Bite of steel Split tape. Old school heavy metal for both bands, Hyena has more early 80's speed influences and some early Nwobhm sides (With a member of Cobra) NIHIL DOMINATION (Ecuador)/ ABOMINABLOOD (Argentina) Two satanic conspirations Split tape. 2nd hand. Raw black death. PSYCHOPATHOLOGIST (Fra)/ CREPITATION (Fra) Split CDr. Rerelease of goregrind/ cybergrind demos from 1997-99. Cardboard sleeve. PUTRIDITIUM (Fin) Visions from beyond Demo tape. Old school death metal with influences of old early 90's technical death, a dark way. REPUGNATORY (Chile) Destruyo tu Cruz Tape. Black metal/ Black thrash. Member of Repugnancia, Godagainst... TORMENTO BESTIAL (Bra) Holocausto do bode negro Demo tape. 2nd hand. Old death metal/ Thrashing death/ Morbid thrash ALCHON (Ger) Spirit of the wind Tape. Dark ambient/ Neo folk WASTELAND (Croatia) Mora Tape. Fast and epic black metal. TOOZ AGAIN (Fra) Demo tape 1996. 2nd hand. Noisy rock with a somewhat "hardcore" touch. 2nd hand tape: Fanzine: ESCRITAS DO SUBSOLO zine (Por) Issue 4. Mandatory, Mandibula, Einsamtod, Der, Entrails, Empty,Annthenath, Cult of erinyes, Grotesque communion, Drunken bastards, Egg of nihilism recs, The frost, + Reviews, articles... 62 pages. A4. In english. 2011 https://nihilistic-webzine-distro.fr/Webshop/fr/24-news FREE BONUS STUFFS: VA - WARHEMIC Productions / Label compilation vol.1. With: Coitus diabolic, Diabolikal, Genocidium, Bestial possession, Xaster, Morbosatan, Disinter, Throne of the fallen, Anal vomit, Bastard christ, Grimorium verum, Black angel, Holocausto, Obeisance... Black metal, bestial black death, black thrash, death thrash GOATLORD (Can) Demo Mini CDr. Underground cavern black death. (Nb: This isn't the old death doom band from Usa) https://nihilistic-webzine-distro.fr/Webshop/fr/17-low-prices BADGES/ PATCHES: -WHITE MAGICIAN - Patch -FLESHSAW - Badge https://nihilistic-webzine-distro.fr/Webshop/fr/14-zines-merch

[baenyth]

In my V3 lore there were a stream of Danganronpas like that, actually. The characters were one-note cardboard cutouts, the plots were either laden with ass pulls or completely predictable, retcons all over the place, there was an overreliance of fanservice from past season's characters and Danganronpa Staples like Makoto, Akane, and Junko, overreliance on the Neo World Program and unkilling people, the Monokubs were over-bear-ing (pun unintended until I realized it), and it got so offensive that it made the three mainline games we have look tame. Like people praised V3 for killing off the Monokubs and having the character into incest seen as disgusting. Some specific examples include:

Multiple killing games taking place in a candyland. Also one in a savory cheese-based setting. Yes, really.

A killing game in a garbage dump. People started making memes and jokes about how the setting "fit the plot perfectly."

A killing game in a sea of lava in a similar style to Danganronpa 3's Future Arc, and even more loathed as Future Arc. The NG code bracelets here supplied cooling medication that allowed people to not burn up in the extreme heat, and breaking the code merely stopped the supply. There was little explanation to what the lava sea was or why it came about, especially with the giant factory whose whole purpose seem to be killing people.

A killing game in a bizarre atlantis-y garden city whose water level slowly lowered with the class trials. Was more focused on looking good and flashy and symbolic than having an understandable plot.

A killing game in the Mezozoic era featuring sapient caveman dinosaurs that also formed an 'Ultimate' structure. This one is particularly infamous for not just retcon-flipping back to Junko being an eldritch horror, but also making her the meteor that wiped out the Dinosaurs, which only raises the question: What was Junko doing in those millions of years inbetween!?

But the worse of the worst was Danganronpa 49. It took place on an island split into four seasons, as well as containing a carnival, meat factory, and plenty of caverns. It didn't have any big glaring flaws like Moltenronpa, Artsyronpa, or Dinoronpa, it just had all the crap they all had but turned up to eleven. Characters that were offensive stereotypes at worst and as interesting as an unpainted plastic cube at best, Akane and Kazuichi were in a killing game once again, Junko was somehow the mastermind again and retconned back into a non-supernatural teenager that derives pleasure from being miserable, the murder schemes were predictable or asspull after asspull, the writer's poorly-disguised fetish was in full effect here, etc.

All of this was in the era of false memories poured into vessels, by the way.

Although after the enormous disaster that was Danganronpa 49, Team Danganronpa had some major shake-ups in crew and workers. While Danganronpa 50 was alright-to-eh, the new crew started to fully take form in Danganronpa 51, which was where Danganronpa became good again. Then Danganronpa 52, which was where Danganronpa became Danganronpa again. The classic trope-y killing game formula was met with a warm welcome after the experimental disasters that preceded it.

And then there was Danganronpa V3, said to be the 'Version 3' of Danganronpa due to the audience participation character of Kiibo and plot twist. Version 1 was the first few Danganronpas and Version 2 was Ultimate Real Fiction, for the record. Unfortunately, said plot twist blew up in everyone's faces.

The V3 universe implies the Danganronpa franchise was so thoroughly successful that A) it ran for 53 iterations and B) the DR team had the fiscal and legal capabilities to overwrite the memories of 16 teenagers and hold them at gunpoint in a neighborhood-wide snowglobe

But do you still think there was one season that just sucked complete ass? Like S24 or whatever still made enough money that the DR team could continue their journey to violating zoning and human rights laws, but it was both critically and publicly panned and the fans still mock it to this day?