#not to mention all the other times they got rid of important details

[d1shfandomz]

im actually getting so worked up over how bones is handling dazai and chuuya’s relationship. i can’f even be mad at anime onlys mischaracterizing them because bones doesn’t know how to portray their dynamic well either🤷‍♂️

[syscardinal]

hihi!! i love your art sm !!

im curious on how you draw your chibis? they are so squishy and theyre like mochis and blueberry muffins (in the best way o m gee) !!

like hows the anatomy/posing work for you? tips would be super super helpful wow

Hi! First of all, thank you! This is a hard one cuz I dont usually draw chibis ehe, but I will try to aid you with the few knowlegment I got. As you can see, I have a lot of styles when it comes to draw cheebs but I think i can resume it in one word: SIMPLIFY

For example, here's a drawing of Gaming I did. Let's dig into it!!

First I tried to replicate the same pose Gaming has in his official art, notice that this not have to follow exactly the same guidelines. "Why?" Well because when drawing a chibi, theres some limitations since the body shrunkens, there is a variety on how cheeb anatomy works but I'll get to that point later-

Forget about detailing too much, like putting in the cheeb every wrinkle of the clothes, every strand of hair or every little costure. With this I am not saying that you have to get rid of ,for example, Furina's decorations in her hat, instead you can simplify them!! If you consider that detail important enough just draw it! (See the image for a example on how I do it)

Negative Space oh man my art teacher used to talk about this a lot and in chibis this is SUPER relevant. A good negative space always leads to clarity, and since cheebs are a really little thing,what we want is exactly that, clarity. Try to make a clear silloutte of what you are trying to convey in the chibi, this will make it look 10 times better for starters.

Lastly, dont forget that cheebs follow the same rules as a normal drawing(like line of action, perspective, etc) In case of cheebs though is usual for the heads, eyes and mouth to be bigger, I'll explain in more detail this below!

Here's the speedpaint for more detail:

Lets go now with Anatomy and Proportions, as I was saying above, there is a lot of variety in cheebs anatomy. I dont think there is a wrong or correct way to draw a chibi here, there is just a lot of ways to draw them altough usually it follows these points:

Chibis are no more than 3 heads in height, after that it just stops feeling like a chibi drawing.

Eyes tends to be bigger, generaly eyes occupies 1/3 of the head. In my case I like to make the ears also just as big as the eyes with the shape of a bean or simply a circle. Moving to the mouth, I draw a simple shape of a triangle, just including the teeths when they smile.

Depending on the proportions you choose, it will give you different results, here you have to choose what you want for your chibi, for example: A proportion of the size of 2 heads + It gives you the liberty of draw more details and complex poses. On the other side a proportion of 1 head or less makes the chibi simpler but at the same time more cute to look at(see my examples at the end of this post!)

Last but not least, use this chart just as a reference, you can draw the bodies roundier, taller, tinier. Its up to your liking!!

Hope that this was not too overwhelming haha, I am not an expert on drawing cheebs but they are fun to try! I tried to summarize my own knowledge and mixed it with some google search(ehe)

Please dont hesitate to try as much as you want, there is a lot of ways to draw the tiny ones and none of them is incorrect. Hope this helps you and thanks for reading!!!

Here are the examples I mentioned above!!

[spiritually-a-blorb]

headcannons for Apollo and Meg after all the books beacuse all I've been doing for the past days are spinning these scrunkly guys around in my head at terminal velocity <3

- Meg always carries a pack of sunflower seeds with her when she goes to school.

- Whenever Meg takes ancient history and they cover Greece, she manages the worst grade beacuse Apollo tells her facts that the book literally dosent know and he thinks it's blasphemy that's she's failing.

- Apollo will literally never shut up about his kids now. he hears literally the smallest detail that reminds him of them and he talks for hours about them

- Artemis is around Apollo a lot more, and she's definitely more protective/worried about him. Apollo likes the extra time he gets with her.

- Apollo returned Paolo's bandanna, but definitely not before finding one for himself. he wears it everywhere, Artemis has tried to burn it like 20 times, but somehow it always returns to Apollo in one piece.

- Apollo cannot physically hear or look anything in a shakesperian accent without wanting to commit mass destruction/cry

- Meg never gets sunburnt. like ever. plus, her crops always manage to get the right balance of sun without her help.

- One day, Meg manages to teleport directly to Apollo. As it turns out, since Apollo got himself up out of Chaos, no one ever really broke the master/servant bond. Apollo conveniently does not mention this until the last moment possible, beacuse he likes feeling connected to Meg, even when he's away.

- Apollo kept his scars. In doing so, older scars seem to pop up, that he was definitely sure he didn't get while he was mortal. They cover his body, and he can't seem to get rid of them without the ones he got while being mortal going away too. So, he hides them, and only shows off the ones he got as a mortal.

- Apollo is allowed to visit Rachel, beacuse he wants to prevent something like Python from happening to his oracles again.Zeus buys this, but only beacuse he weighs in with Athena first. Athena was totally not bribed into this by Apollo with actual intellectual discussions, no sir.

- On a totally unrelated note, he tries to connect with Athena more. They have little discussions about different topics every week or two.

- Apollo likes trying to connect with all his Olympian family. He realizes that they all suffered under Zeus, and if they are closer, like an actual family, maybe it will lessen the blows.

- Meg somehow never gets sick. it is both a blessing and a curse, since she always has to care for her siblings when they are sick

- For some odd, very mysterious reason, whenever Apollo visits Rachel, his kids or Meg are ever-present, and after he visits for some time (some days he visits longer, others it is shorter) they just pop in. weird, but since he's here visiting his Pythia, and technically not his kids, Zeus isn't gonna pay that much attention to mortals

- Since Apollo's sacred animal (one of them, anyway) is a red cow, it's totally not far fetched that it falls within his duties to check on the herd at the Waystation. After all, what God wouldn't check on their sacred animal! some mortals might mistreat them, after all!! and since he needs to talk to the owners,, he might as well catch up with them, right?

- Camp Jupiter is totally in need of more renovations, right? and it makes sense that such a devoted group should deserve some kind of reward. plus, since Apollo made the mess with the whole war thing, it makes the most sense for him to go and help! and later, he needs to check that his work is top notch!

- Apollo always visits Meg on Sundays. Technically, he's visiting Herophile, since he needs to check on her too! she's an important oracle! but Meg lives there, so they are bound to run into each other, and it's totally not weird that these meetings take a day (or two) beacuse that's a mere blink in the eye, for a god, anyways.

[beanghostprincess]

Sanji has helped me in so many ways. I will forever be grateful for the creation of this character. He quite literally means the world to me right now.

(TW: ED/Depression/Suicide attempt mention)

I've always struggled with food. Well, not always. But at the end of middle school (more or less. Give or take. Age 12/13) I became obsessed with what I ate. I still don't know exactly how it started, but I think it has always been a mix of my need to control my life when it's crumbling down and the necessity to look skinny (both things are my mother's fault, mostly. And also lots of things going on at the moment). So I started skipping meals constantly and throwing away food and throwing up. Not gonna get into details, but it ruined my life without anybody knowing until a huge depressive episode came and then I tried to off myself, yadda yadda yadda. Then I just stopped eating food and my meals every day were basically a monster and gum and maybe a piece of fruit. I couldn't even drink milk without crying. Then it got a bit better. Then a bit worse. It wasn't very consistent. And then I started doing exercise but that only made me even more obsessed with calorie intake and healthy food and I still can't drink milk or bread without at least feeling awful about it.

And then I watched One Piece.

I know it sounds extremely silly and dumb, but it has helped me in so many ways. I'm not gonna get into all the things it has done for me, because then I'd have to talk about Robin, Nami, Luffy, Pudding and Buggy which are, like, the characters that have helped me the most next to Sanji, and I would not finish this post.

But Sanji is just so, so important to me.

He speaks about food with such passion. His whole thing about not wasting food literally comes from an experience of starvation and because of the sacrifice his father made for him. He keeps saying he refuses to let people go hungry, no matter what. That we all deserve to eat. He relates food to love and cooking is his whole life. It kind of started as a joke when my brother said "nooo, now you can't waste food because Sanji would be sad" and I- That day I literally ate wayyy more than usual with that thought in mind. And I didn't feel bad afterward for once. And he's just- He just makes me feel so comfortable around food. Which is the normal amount of comfort somebody should have and sometimes it's not even that, but it helps. It helps so much.

Then his whole thing with Germa and the Vinsmokes. It killed me. My relationship with my mother is, uh, you can call it complicated but I fucking hate her so. Yeah. And Sanji's story about rejecting his blood relatives and finding better people who will love him hit so close to home. Him being different. Weak. More emotional. A good person. Sanji refusing to use the name Vinsmoke. It's my whole life. Sanji self-sabotaging himself all the time and constantly sacrificing himself, too? I just can't do it, man, he means the world to me. And then Wano happens and he turns out to have the same body as his siblings but he's still himself. He's still Sanji no matter how much in common he has with the Vinsmokes. And as somebody who's constantly dealing with people telling them that they look like their mom? I fucking love it. I know I look like her and I even act like her sometimes but that doesn't mean I am her. And it doesn't mean she deserves to be part of my family, because she isn't and I can't wait to get rid of her in my life.

It's not only food and family, though. Sanji has helped me accept myself in so many ways too. In the way I perceive others and in the way I act. He has helped me eat. He has helped me realize you don't have to consider your blood relatives family if you don't love them. He has helped me see that my kindness is a strength and not a weak spot.

Not to mention that his whole thing with gender and sexuality, how the fandom portrays him, and how I personally write him has been of so much help in understanding myself. I recently discovered I was a lesbian, and also being genderfluid I just- I just love Sanji so much I be projecting my gender issues and internalized stuff with comphet on him. And let me tell you, it helps.

This whole thing is just something short and sweet I wanted to say because media affects people. In the best of ways. One Piece in general has saved my life in many ways, but Sanji in particular is still helping me every day.

[sharenadraculea]

Mafia-Au!

As the lovely @lepetitmonstre has posted some very good smut over on AO3 set in a Mafia-Au I with some other on discord came up with, I wanted to talk more about it! There is theoratically a plot somewhere, but no promises that this will ever become a finished fic.

The Emporer: Runs The Imperium, newest and now biggest Mafia-group in town. No one knows where he came from, how old he is or how many kids he actually has. A absolute maniac with no problems to kill people and thinks that covering everything in gold is a great idea. Malcador: Emps right hand man, he does all the boring stuff. One of the very few people allowed to criticise Big E. Very exhausted, he needs a vacation. Valdor: E‘s butler, bodyguard and whatever else he might need. Makes very good tea and cake.

The Primarchs: E‘s most important underlings he delegates most tasks to. Some, but not all of them might be related to him. (Note: I haven‘t worked out all of them yet) Lion: Hitman, tough he has been on bodyguard-duty for Sang a lot as of lately. Definetly-neither-heterosexual-nor-monogamous-lifepartner of Leman and absolute psychopath. He has a pet-lion! Jagh: Everything vehicle-related. Need a get-away car? A car disappeared? Just a limo-driver? He‘ll do it. Also on the older side. No one really knows much about him. Leman: The other hitman. He has two giant definetly-not-wolves that might have a taste for human flesh. He has also been on bodyguard-duty for Sang a lot and yes, there is a very messy love-shape-thing-situation going on. It‘s gonna end in disaster. Sang: Daddys princess. The only one of his illegitimate kids E has ever acknowledged. He even tried to get her away, but why have a comfy luxurious life if you could do organized crime? Sometimes shocks people with how brutal she can get. Menace: Sangs cat. She found her in the trash. Has only one eye and probally wants to take over the world. Will try to murder everyone except Sang. Especially Horus. Rob: The one sane man. He runs a pizzaria (definetly not for moneylaundering purposes), the mafia is more his sidegig. He wants to get out, he is so tired of all that bullshit, but he also values his life. Has a surprisnhly healthy and stable relationship with Yvraine, despite her beeing from a rival group. Under no circumstances mention pineapple-pizza while around him. Floof: Robs dog. He‘s very big and fluffy and dumb. Loves cuddles. Floof is afraid of E. And cats. And gunshots. Because of that no one is allowed to carry firearms while in Robs Pizzaria. Horus: Emps‘ only legitimate child. Don‘t ask what happend with his mother. The favorite child and heir to E‘s crime-empire. Also engaged to Sang, because you know, keep it in the family. Their relationship is a toxic dumpsterfire even at the start. He‘s thinking about… let‘s just say getting rid of Emps. (Monstre changed some of the relationship-details for his one-shot) Alpharius and Omegon: No one knows where they came from, but E dragged them into his villa one day and announced that from now one they will do the internet-stuff. Most likely some of his many, many bastard-kids.

The Eldar: Used to be the big deal around, then somehow shattered into a lot of smaller groups and a lot got also arrested. Sometimes work together with the Imperium. Yvraine: Leader of one of the many Eldar-splinterfactions. In a semi-secret relationship with Rob. Still a absolute badass you should never underestimate.

The Orks: A gang of thugs/hooligans that just like to beat people up. There is very little logic behind how they act and they just generally are a problem for everyone else who is trying to do organized crime.

Chaos: The highly corrupt local authorities/police. They do absolutly nothing against the crime running rampant (except that one time Slaanesh destroyed the eldar) while getting bribes from everyone. But when they hear that Horus has some plans, they get interested…

I definetly want to include the other Xenos-factions, but I don‘t really have a good idea for them yet.

[sanshofox]

Ok, so after a lot of going through the lore again to remember all kinds of dragon age facts (because let’s be honest…it’s a huge and complex kinda lore with lots of details and also lots of riddles) and watching/reading lore theory stuff, I guess I kinda have my idea that is the course of events, what caused solas to create the veil. So please skip if you consider this as kind of a spoiler. I try to keep it as short as possible.

How red lyrium came to be is still unknown. If artificial or natural is a big secret, but we know that there is the abyss or void where it lingers and the forgotten gods are kept. It never came into touch with the outside world until the elvhen gods (old gods) started to meddle with it.

The elvhen gods were always described as smth pristine and sophisticated, but throughout the games you see and read stuff that predicts otherwise. Could it be that the red lyrium corrupted them over a long time and then made them hunger for more power (as described in inquisition and also a description that as an example fits i.e. for meredith and her red lyrium corruption)?

My guess that it all started with ghilannain becoming part of the pantheon through relations with andruil. She is too often mentioned in inquisition and content outside the video game series as to not be an important key part in what transpired. She is a scientist of sorts, creating all sorts of new stuff and when you read through codex entries, the book „tevinter nights“ or look at the murals in inquisition and other tidbits in DLCs it sounds more like she was a mad scientist without morals or ethics, creating various monsters and thirsting for more. Murals showing creatures and elvhen slaves in red colors being transported to what is assumed: ghilannain. What if she needed red lyrium for her experiments? There is a dwarf in the games that says that through red lyrium he created his best weapons. But did she start it or get corrupted first?

We know of a story within the games that andruil hunted for the forgotten ones in the void and came back crazier each time. Got an armor made from parts of the void (red lyrium of course) and brought plague to her lands. The other gods started to fear her, so mythal ambushed her and took her powers and knowledge where to find the void and peace came back. But did andruil enter the void just for the hunt? Or did she bring ghilannain some from one of her journeys as a gift? Doesn’t matter how but both were close to each other and it somehow transferred, driving ghilannain slowly insane.

Two other elvhen gods often mentioned outside of andruil and ghilannain are dirthamen and falondin. Dirthamen depicted with what seems to be ghilannain in some murals. Dirthamen also being the twin to falondin. So maybe a accidental chain reaction in corrupting them. Solas doesn’t speak kindly of neither of them. So we can assume that these four were involved in mythal‘s killing, as solas said „hungry for other elvhen gods‘ power“, due to red lyrium infection. But why did mythal get rid of andruil‘s power, but not ghilannain‘s then? It was mentioned that ghilannain lived far apart from other elvhen and deep underground. I guess that is how she and her corruption managed to go unnoticed for long. Killing mythal was described as smth like treachery and an order. So maybe one day ghilannain was under suspicion and she in her paranoia ordered mythal’s death (by presumably dirthamen?). Or these four corrupted elvhen gods conspired together.

Then we all know what happened: Solas acted out of revenge and created the veil. But what if solas caused the true red lyrium blight? Ancient texts and murals show elvhen and/or elvhen slaves fighting a war in times of the elvhen pantheon. If Solas alone fought with an army against the elvhen gods to be free of their tyranny he wouldn’t have a chance. So what if mythal once told him of the void and he up and used red lyrium as a weapon himself against them to have a chance(that for example could be for one why he created the red lyrium idol??)? Causing a wide field of corruption. Him realizing what is actually happening and then closing off the rest of thedas from this corrupted area by creating the veil. We have three different scenes in inquisition indicating this:

1. cole questioning solas wanting to do the right thing and not knowing and solas acknowledging this sadly like „I was young and stupid“

2. corypheus saying to the inquisitor that there was no golden city but instead only corruption and emptyness

3. solas apologizing to mythal/flemmeth saying smth of the sorts of „I slumbered for too long and now it can‘t be contained anymore“ As if he knew of the blight and wanted to wake up earlier to have more time to find a solution

My guess for it to get this far is, because of their powers it took longer for the elvhen „gods“ to be corrupted so they couldn’t and, ultimately when fully corrupted, wouldn’t realize what red lyrium entails. It was talked about more than once in dragon age lore that dragon blood cured someone from blight. But when we see corypheus‘s dragon or the archdemons it can still happen, but lower. Which also would explain why yavana protects and raises dragons (also her needing alistairs blood to raise them because maric‘s bloodline has dragon blood in it because of some historical figure. So alistair killing yavana may have fucked up the cure for the future.)

In their hubris they thought it would be just another tool to serve them. From all we know red lyrium was smth unknown in that time.

[wings-of-ink]

Hey! This IF was sitting in my "to read" list for so long, and I finally got to it, and now I'm conflicted between being frustrated at not having done so sooner cause it's awesome, and being glad I didn't because that means I had a lot of content to go through at once, which is always nice.

Regardless, it was such an amazing read - I really like how you write relationships, not only with the ROs, but also with family and friends, which often tend to take the backseat in stories. I love MC's fathers so much, it's crazy!

Now, I have a few questions and hopefully it won't be too much for a single ask - if it is, feel free to just ignore some. Oh and if some were answered already, could you direct me to the answers? I have trouble with tumblr search as usual!

When the moment of the mark reveal happened in the game, I immediately assumed it was an important choice and the fact it seems depending on the mark we picked the god who cursed the MC / their bloodline changes only confirms it. But I was wondering if you'd be willing to share just HOW important that choice is in the game? I mean, will it only affect flavor text ultimately? Will it genuinely create a split and affect what MC has to do to get rid of the curse? Something else entirely? Of course I know actual details would be spoilery, so really I'd just love to know to scope of how this changes the story!

My MC has purple eyes, and it is said that purple eyes are only possible in case of magic being present in the family (even mentionned that it's likely there is godly blood somewhere in there). Will that be relevant in any way to the story? Again, not asking for details in regards to how or anything!

Similar type of question to the previous one, but "less important"... Will our mount choice affect the story much? I love my MC's mule dearly and I'm curious just how much the chosen mount will change stuff later down the line.

If the MC has grey hair - especially fully grey - will it be brought up much (or at all) by the ROs later down the line, especially in more romantic context? I'm curious if it will come up since I'm wondering what do they think about it and if they like it (and if their feelings vary depending on if MC likes it like mine does or not).

A bit of a reaction ask here, the chosen RO for my playthrough is Oswin, and I'm curious about something. My MC is a healer, and so I assume it's sort of expected that if he gets truly better he'll end up working alongside Lakota and his wife (it has been alluded to, even). But I'm curious how would both Oswin's and MC's families reacts if MC instead expressed the will to actually accompany Oswin on his tasks (cause you know, being a healer and all, he could take care of any injuries and what not). Of course, I'd also love to know what would Oswin himself think of it and how hard (or easy?) would it be to persuade him to agree to begin with!

While I'm at it, if the MC had a crush on Oswin for a long time now, just how aware of the fact are both families? Assuming it's the "shy flirt" type options, when it comes to how it presents itself.

I really hope it's not too much! I'm really curious about the dynamics here! I actually hate the "childhood friend" love interest archetype normally, but that gets flipped around entirely when it's "estranged childhood friend", which is one of my favorite romance archetypes, especially when they are estranged not because they were torn apart by other people or circumstances, but because there was a falling out or one of them actively distanced themself or something like that. Because of that, Oswin really fits that niche perfectly, and that combined with the delightful family relationships just makes me a bit feral.

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this and answering to any of the questions you may feel inclined to answer!

Hello, my friend! I am so glad you gave my IF a read and enjoyed it! My goal is to keep the relationships growing like that and make them feel as authentic as I am capable of. 

For your question concerning the mark, I have some info posted here:

The choice isn't going to be earth-shattering or route-diverging or anything like that in the sense that it doesn't change the core choices the MC will need to make later. I think it's more than flavor text, but at the same time not, which isn't helpful but I can't give it away just yet, lol.

The MC's bloodline will be coming up as well, but the selection of purple eyes will not change their heritage. Purple eyes were one of the more obvious changes that magic humans encountered after prolonged influence from gods, but not every magic person has them. The gods and demigods were known to have pretty normal eye colors too. It was mainly a color that stood out from the rest and people just came to associate it with magic, especially since in the current year, it is very rare to see. Some people believe something similar about blue eyes as well - just depends on who you're talking to.

As for the mount, there are some elements about them that may change a thing or two, but we're not talking significant ones. There's a balance to each one as far as their temperament goes, and there may be a couple occurrences on the MC's journey that are changed by the strength or weakness of the mount. So, your MC might escape a situation easier with one mount or have a harder time with another - but still escape. You get me? Mule probably has more unique moments than the other mounts, but I'm trying to add some special flavor for each of them.

I also plan to have the grey hair factor come up in certain conversations, especially about the MC's feelings on it when talking to an RO. You may encounter a passerby that will comment on it as well, but that is likely to happen for other reasons too. Duri will bring it up regardless, because they'll match MC! That reminds me, I need to fix the programming for that, lol. The way I have it set now will make it impossible to reference the MC's original color. Derp.

If your healer MC decides to journey with Oswin in his work, the families would be supportive. It would make them feel a bit better knowing that MC and Oswin had each other's backs. A romanced Oswin will be pretty easy to convince, and will make travels a lot more appealing for him. Lakota and Willow will be a little sad to see their business partner go, but at the same time, they're gonna be happy. Lakota especially since his brother and best friend will have found peace.

I would say that if the MC has been harboring feelings for Oswin for a while, their da is definitely going to have figured it out as will Oswin's mother, Betony. They're sharp. Not that Kavi and Papa are dull, they just wouldn't be as attentive to those subtle romantic cues (though their lovely spouses will have pointed it out at some point).

I love that you are feral for Oswin, lol. I hope your tenacity for him only grows in the coming chapters as he and your MC duke out their feelings.

I hope I hit all your questions! Thank you for sending them in and for the kind words. ^_^

[clownin44]

Hi, are you guys tired of my theories yet? I'm about to yap this is less of a theory and more of me just writing down my thoughts

Fast pass spoilers ahead! (So sorry)

Mr. Thomas, Kidnappings, Paper Cranes, A little bit of Ryan

I saw someone ask why the people who kidnapped the parent's outfits are different from the people who kidnapped the kids' outfits. I didn't want to reblog or comment since obvi there's some spoilers in here, so creds to @/hozaloza for pointing this out!!

I think it's because the group that kidnapped the kids were not the same people who kidnapped their parents.

A while ago, when we first saw the paper cranes group, one of them said they needed to lie low because "both sides were tracking them down" for their stunt in savanna.

I've said this before, but it's very likely that the paper cranes are a secret group within the Contamination Facility that have been taking care of everyone affected by the "fungus." "Both sides" being the kids and the bigger group they all work for.

It's because of this that I don't think Mr. Thomas is a part of the paper cranes despite having them on his desk (HEAR ME OUT). He is more clueless when it comes to the phantom world, whereas the paper cranes are more familiar with it. Ryan reacts nonchalantly compared to Mr. Thomas, who's understandably confused.

When Ryan talks to "The boss," He puts Mr. Thomas's name in quotes (most likely a fake name so he'd be able to work at the school). The boss later confesses that he plans on getting rid of him to Ryan.

So, while yes, I do think he's associated with the paper cranes, I wouldn't go as far as to say he's affiliated with them since they plan to betray him (but who knows, I could be dead wrong in assuming that the literal BAD GUYS wouldn't betray each other 😭😭 (they prob would)).

I dont have fast pass screenshots for this part :^(

Mr. Thomas also tells the children that they're sick, which lines up with what Alex explained to Ash about their condition. He could always just be lying, but he'd have no reason to. Ash was already passing out, and I doubt he'd go out of his way to do so. When we see Jasmine kidnap Tyler, she simply apologizes for waking him before putting him back to sleep (no explanation). The circumstances are obviously different, Ash got away the first time they sedated her and Tyler was already sleeping when it happened, but it's worth noting.

I'd also like to bring up how, in the fast pass, Alex tells Ash that their parents have been "informed about the situation," so he's either

Lying to calm her

Doesn't know that the parents have been kidnapped and is going off of information one of the paper cranes gave him

Telling the truth and the parents are there but perfectly fine!!!

Some other details that I found but didn't know what to do with/wanted to mention:

Mr. Thomas's eye bags and Ryan's reactions.

Idk his eye bags are incredibly noticeable. At first, I assumed it was because he was also in the Phantom realm, seeing as he noticed ashs shadow was different, but we know from Alex that the rift between the two worlds was permanently closed after the kids went into the sorrel weed house. I didn't have another explanation to tie this in with the theory, so I'll just drop it here.

Ryan seems a little uncomfortable while talking to the boss here. It's a small detail, but Red added it, so I'm assuming it's important!! It reminded me of the scene with Tyler and Taylor in chapter 34, where Tyler tells Tay to stay back while he goes and checks to see what the sound from downstairs was. It then cuts to a panel of Taylor being upset and looking away, much like what Ryan does here. (Parallels or whatever)

But then again, he looks fine when following Mike's car, so who the hell knows 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

It's late, and I've been working on this for wayyyyyy too long. I forgot what else I was gonna add, but I ran out of pictures, so I'm ending it here !! My writing is awful lol I hope this made sense

TLDR: The people who kidnapped the kids are not the same people who kidnapped the parents.

The contamination facility isn't bad, just the paper cranes.

[generic-sonic-fan]

Hi! Just in case you're still doing the ship chart asks, i'll ask for Shadow x the Commander. I'm gonna have to explain a lot on how I got here (i don't think anyone else has made a case for it on this website before) so please bear with me for a bit lol

My first point of interest... I genuinely think the Commander is meant to mirror Shadow's own journey in a way (both in SA2 and Shth i mean). The details vary but it stands that either through manipulation or general lack of information, they're both driven to seek revenge against eachother for their childhood best friend/sister figure, Maria : to Shadow, GUN, humanity and therefore the world, is responsible. To the Commander, Shadow (along with his two dads) is responsible. But in the end, they're able to see the situation with more clarity. Shadow realizes that Maria loved the planet despite all the flaws of its inhabitants, respecting her wish for her sake... And although those feelings aren't explored that much in depth, i think the Commander realizes something similar too, that Shadow cared about Maria a lot and in a way is finally able to see the kindness she saw in Shadow too...

I also believe that in a subtle way, the commander's arc is an echo to Shadow's search for the truth. Even though he starts out convinced Shadow is the evil one, that viewpoint is challenged when he actually faces him... (in the only scene they have together, the Commander leaves their interaction uncertain and confused, when a minute earlier he was determined to get rid of Shadow for good... just one short interaction with Shadow was enough to shake his resolve and question his convictions. The commander was one piece of the puzzle Shadow needed to solve, but the truth was just as lost on the commander as it was on him)

All this to stay. Shadow's journey of finding the truth in its whole and putting the past behind you is also the commander's, methinks. They're two people coming from opposite sides of the story, they deeply mirror yet contrast eachother... i thought that was really brilliant. So i'm really invested in what their interactions would be like after this game.

Canon hasn't really brought back the commander in the past 20 years (i heard shadow gens would change that though! hurray for me), so this next point would be about what their dynamic (relationship?) might look like post-shth.

We know the commander is pretty remorseful, and goes so far as to invite Shadow to his house... not sure if Shadow would have accepted though, lol. But either way i do believe the commander wanted to bury the hatchet for good and is determined to keep it that way, even if Shadow is still a menace sometimes.

As for Shadow... there is that one scene in Chronicles.

(It's hilarious to me. its canonicity is dubious but i couldn't not mention it)

Shadow doesn't like humans still so I think he has little respect for the commander lol. I feel like while the commander really tries to get along with shadow, the guy remains pretty ambivalent to him at best ha.

However, with their shared past and all, there's potential for them to grow closer on that basis... maybe a sort of confidant relationship. The past isn't something either of them are defined by, but it still can't help but hurt at times... I imagine it would be especially hard for Shadow, who could still be recovering memories of that time and whose trauma seems so much fresher in his mind. In those moments, the commander might be the person in the world who understands his pain the most, and as someone who's lived with it for decades and managed to build a new life around it, his support would be really valuable, even if Shadow doesn't accept it at first. I think that vulnerability and the emotional intimacy that comes with it would be the key for a more intimate relationship to develop between the two... they'd become really important part of each other's lives this way, irreplaceable

Sorry about the huge wall of text haha. even without the shippy stuff, I find their dynamic really interesting and i like thinking of their possible future together... it wouldn't be all sunshine and rainbows, probably really messy in the beginning. I believe they could have a sweet ending together though. it's the rarepair that's closest and dearest to my heart and i'd go as far to say i think it would be more popular if they were the same species! That's not the case though, so i'll keep spreading my propaganda >:)

Anyways, I'm excited to know what you think! Even if you don't see it, I hope you got something out of my ramblings

You're honestly kind of insane for this but you know what? I respect it.

Made it into a messy QPR since while their chronological ages match, their mental ages don't quite mesh for me. You go off though, sonadowkismesis. This is a genuine rarepair and I enjoyed thinking outside the box for this.

[savebylou]

Recap Simon Cowell on The Ray Foley podcast talking about 1D, his show and Harry calling him.

Simon did another interview, I wanted to share another recap/transcript in case anyone was interested.

TLDR: He said that he and 1D had the best time working together and he really missed it, he made a deal with the company that made Formula 1: Drive to Survive (Box to Box Films) and is going to a streamer plataform. He is doing promo so more people audition because he think is the best way to get in to the music business (even though he said he is not going to offer a record deal and he will own the name), he wants to invite Louis Walsh to the auditions, last but not least according to him Harry call him just to say hello.

Below is the more detail recap with a few quotes.

Simon was on The Ray Foley podcast, it was a zoom interview of almost 13 min [20.06.24].

-According to Simon because there hasn' t been a successful UK band or Irish band since 1D, so he thought about a year ago to do his show to create a new boyband. He thinks is the only way to do it.

-What he is looking for? The best example is One Direction. He thinks is the best boyband of all time.  "There is something about each of them, they were all individually talented, collectively they were just brilliant, it was fun, talented and we had the best, best time working together and I really, really missed it and that is why I decided you know what? I'm gonna risk it and I'm just gonna do it."

-He then talk about his memories of the band. That when One Direction didn't win he was so unhappy and that the next day they come to the label and he said they are gonna sign them. After he says "I think if we could find a group of people like that again, with those kind of records, I really, really think there is a massive opportunity here, I can just feel it".

About his show he comment:

- "I'm working with a company who made drive to survive"[Note: I check the production company was Box to Box Films, the program is Formula 1: Drive to survive, that is a documentary series of F1 that aires on Netflix]. He went to see them and he said he was gonna do this [boyband] "with or without cameras, do you think it would make a good documentary? And they went are you prepared to show everything?" He said yes, so they make a deal. "Is going to be a documentary for one of the big streamers."

- He is doing promo so more people audition because if it works it's worth it, is fun and "it's the best way on getting in to the music business, because right now they just aren't enough new people being sign for whatever reason, and that's depressing." [Important to remember that the band that is going to be created will not have a record deal, they will have to find it on their own and Simon is gonna own the name, see recap of that here].

-He said that the person that records a video and sharing on social media they are competing with so many people, so the odds are not in their favor, record labels are not watching their videos, they have a departament checking with algorithms, he believes that if you wanna find people he needs to met them and they need to met him. His advice for artists is always to start in a band because they will find their lane and they got a better shot. He used to do this 30 years ago, go month after month in auditions.

About Louis Walsh (X Factor judge)

The interviewer mentions that Louis has a boyband and Simon comment he will call him and drag him to be in the auditions and that they will always be friends. [Note that Louis said that he hadn't talk with Simon in years and Sharon Osbourne comment how Simon got rid of their contract they had for the new season of The X Factor for 2018, this when they add it Louis Tomlinson, Robbie Williams and Ayda Field ].

-He talk about what happened with Westlife that Louis created and Simon rejected them, they change members and he sign them.

Harry calling Simon.

"It was very funny because Harry Styles call me the other day just to say hello, and that night I said [to his son] I was talking to Harry Styles the other day. Son: No you didn't. Simon: Yes I did, he call me. Son: Why he will call you? Simon: To say hello, people do that."

Let me know if you want me to record and upload audios of any of this parts. I can share them.

[bruhstation]

I've been thinking about the setting of my TUGS au, the prequel to casa tidmouth, and by extention I began thinking about the show TUGS itself.

it's kind of depressing to know that TUGS is most likely set during the years RIGHT before world war 2. I remember watching a TUGS iceberg video a long time ago, maybe last year-ish. after a series of callbacks and alludes to the little environmental details right at the end of the video, the creator said that the show is possibly not set during the 1920s, but the 1930s, nearing another war period, and that's why I've changed the era of what this AU is set in many months ago.

mitton and cardona claimed that the show is set during the "booming era" of the 1920s, but I can't help but think that maybe the 1920s isn't the most fitting era with how the tone of the show is.

the 1930s setting really does make sense though -- the atmosphere in TUGS is much more, I dunno how to exactly say it, gloomy? serious? it's still a mostly lighthearted kids show, but, to quote some things indirectly from the iceberg video; what's with the munitions? the flammable barges? johnny cuba? the constant mention of broken ships? characters dying right on the screen in such a macabre fashion? burke and blair's whole job? then my mind thought about the star tugs and z-stacks, their relationship and purpose and how it ties to the pre-ww2 feeling of the story.

the conflict between the star tugs and z-stacks isn't fueled by personal grudge against each other. I apologize for comparing TUGS to ttte, but in comparison to its sister series where the engines of sodor have personal banter against each other selfishly, still manage to fool around during their jobs, get into accidents due to their own hubris, and end the day where they learned their lesson, TUGS is much different. they're just there to work and carry through their contracts. they still banter with each other but they know their priorities. they are also driven by their conscience and rationale, not just some "oh he made fun of me so I'm not gonna help him out. I'm bigger and more important so I refuse to do this job and go back to my berth".

zorran dislikes the star tugs but knows that the contracts are much more important and he is willing to work with them if it means the job will be done. top hat, despite his personal distaste for anything smelly, QUICKLY changes his mind about lord stinker and works with him to save the goods engine. zebedee is a character more driven by his personal view on what's good or bad -- he helped the star tugs push princess alice back into place and showed concern when ten cents was pushing the oil barge to the sea, but there's a part of him that's definitely concerned for his own well being.

they have their personal opinions on both their teammates and their rival company's tugboats, but they know better than to let those feelings get in the way. not working means their presence as tugboats will be jeopardized.

these points, added to the very high possibility that TUGS is set during the late 1930s, creates another layer to the overall murkier feeling of the show. the characters know the times are dire. the characters know that they have contracts to go through. they know that something big is coming. they've went through world war 1! with how bluenose and the navy inserted their presence in bigg city port, there's also an idea that there's gotta be at least one character with a sense of foreboding amidst the business.

I also reckon they've grown some kind of fondness (???) for their rival company? it's like when there's a kid at school who keeps annoying you, but next day they're not there and you got a bit worried on where they might be. the two factions don't necessarily like each other, but their rival has formed a place in their normalcy that to get rid of them entirely is not going to do any good, really.

so yeah. that's all I have in mind right now.

[shirogane-oushirou]

[cw mentions of ableism. talking / venting about the sharing vs non-sharing shit (i do not lean towards supporting one "side" over the other); starts out relatively neutral-toned but i start to sound frustrated part way through. i also have a more personal ramble at the very end that has a separate cw list. it's also long... don't feel obligated to read. i just needed to say things and be Done with it.]

man. i'm ready for all of the sharing vs non-sharing back and forths to stop.

to be clear: this isn't some "i'm above this argument" thing. on the contrary; i completely see where both "sides" are coming from! i simply mean it shouldn't be so difficult for a select few shit-stirrers to Get that selfshipping is a personal thing, and we should be able to ship in whatever way makes us most comfortable.

if someone is non-sharing, they should be allowed to create those boundaries without being harassed or called "immature" or "delusional" by sharing people. beyond how supremely ableist that is, nobody has the right to say they can't view their f/os in a certain way, no matter if other people don't understand those feelings.

if someone is sharing, they should be allowed to share their feelings for a character openly with other sharing people without being sent hate from non-sharing people who think they're "loose" or who want to be their f/o's "one and only". shaming people for being open to sharing is fucked from multiple "sexual / romantic purity" and "anti poly-[sexual / romantic / platonic] relationships" angles, and nobody has the right to claim sole and total ownership over a character they did not make.

and yet, every couple of weeks, we get posts from a vocal minority making a huge fuss over "the other side", when it's just a vocal minority FROM that other side ALSO making a fuss. and then those vague posts leave their intended orbit and cause more mis-worded posts and misunderstandings and off-the-cuff bigoted statements, and the cycle starts again.

we should theoretically be able to respect each other while focusing that energy on, oh i dunno, chasing harassers out of the community? getting selfshippers who aren't part of a specific marginalized group to help selfshippers from that group when they're harassed, maybe?? especially when the sharing vs non-sharing Thing very often coincides with bigotry; people who are harassing others tend to not just stop at being petty or mean, they make it personal.

and -- not as important but a nice little bonus -- i would think that working towards a community that's more safe for everyone in it would also "coincidentally" (/s) get rid of the shit-stirrers, whether because they were kicked out or because they realized what they were doing and grew as people.

---

[cw ableism, vague death ideation, non-physical self harm mention]

i was originally gonna put this bit in the tags, but i think i should put it under the cut bc it's a little personal + it got too long.

also, i try to stay in my lane and not discuss details about delusions or how to approach them -- i've only experienced them a couple of times, so i'm not going to claim to know much about them -- so if i've overstepped, PLEASE let me know and i'll edit or remove anything i've misspoken about.

but coming from someone who went too deep into selfshipping in the past and worries about the mental health of people who do: It's None Of Your Business!!

delusions aren't morally "bad" or "wrong". holding deep feelings abt a character isn't inherently delusion-based and also isn't morally "bad" or "wrong". and neither of those is the same as -- speaking from experience (above content warnings come into play here) -- being obsessed with a character to the point that you self-isolate and emotionally self harm because you wish so badly that the character was real and you believe there isn't a point to life if you'll never meet that character... and this is also not inherently delusion-based and ALSO not morally "bad" or "wrong".

these separate things -- delusions, deep feelings, and unhealthy obsession -- CAN intersect but just as often don't. none are immoral, and all are deserving of being approached with compassion and respect, in whatever way is most appropriate.

negative, harmful ACTIONS that some people take in these states are worth bringing up to them when it's safe to do so, depending on the details of their situation, but the states themselves don't have any moral weight. ie, if someone's harassing others for sharing their f/o because they're in a dark, obsessive place, that is a morally negative ACTION, not a morally negative mental state. they need to take responsibility for harm they've CAUSED, not for what they're experiencing internally.

but if you're calling people "immature" or "delusional" as an insult, something tells me you're not really considering that! whether through malice or just a lack of compassion, you don't see worth in how another person approaches this community.

you aren't better for thinking of a character a certain way, and neither is the person you're being ableist towards. if no harm is being done to you or others, you're just being a dick for the sake of being a dick. listen to other people, learn, and do better.

if you think someone is genuinely in a bad mental place because of selfshipping (wrt isolating and self harm), approach them as another human being. meet them where they're at. don't patronize them, don't call them "delusional", treat them like someone who has their own thoughts and values.

they may want help, or they may not, and you have to respect them for their choice no matter what YOU think is right. there is no truly right way to approach someone who's in a dark place, but you can at least avoid saying things that FOR SURE will make them feel talked down to, belittled, or shamed. if they aren't ready now, maybe they will be ready for help in the future, and shutting them down will make them less likely to seek that help.

(i was also going to put THIS in the tags but i should probably put it here: when i say 'learn and change' i mean it as a positive. people have the capacity to learn and grow and become better; if you've said something in all of this that can be read as harmful... consider why it's harmful and why you said it.

you aren't the same person you were a year ago. 5yrs ago. 10yrs ago. you have grown and you will continue to grow. but if you can be more aware of it and grow more purposefully and consciously? all the better.)

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

I spent most of today scrolling through AITA posts on Reddit. Which made me wonder - if Reddit had existed in Grima's time, what kind of AITA posts would he make?

I (44m) murdered my boss's (71m) son (41m) so I could sell the whole company out to a rival organization. The new boss (10,192m) said I could have the old boss's daughter (26f) as my reward. Her brother (29m) suspects me, but I forged some documents and got rid of him as well. AITA?

hahahahah he's so messy

Reddit would have SO many opinions and he'd ignore every single one of them.

That said I feel like he'd frame it so he was the sad meow meow of the situation. Like this is Grima, positioning and optics are premium importance so he'd skew the matter a bit to emphasize certain things and leave out other details:

I (44[?]m) have been experiencing a great amount of existential dread over the inevitable end of the world and feel that my king (71m) is not in a position to keep me safe. (oh, and our people, of course.) I have also been working for my king for many years and feel that I have not been appreciated for my efforts nor adequately rewarded. I spend all day supporting him in all he does and I'm still treated like a servant.

Recently, I was approached with a proposition by the neighbouring political power (10,192m) to betray my king BUT it would allow me to ensure that we become a vassal state to the aforementioned existential threat to our existence (??m?) which would reduce the chance of my being horrifically murdered by his henchmen (also our people safe blahblahblah). In addition, the neighbouring political power promised to reward me properly for my efforts and loyalty including, but not limited to, money, power, safety, and the current king's niece (24f).

The catch is that I would have to destabilize my country, poison/witchcraft my king, possibly aide and abet the murder of his son (41m), and exile and/or execute his nephew (28m). Considering the broader political ramifications if I don't take this path (annihilation/abject subjugation at the hands of the aforementioned existential threat), AITA for (possibly) accepting this offer?

replies:

horselordaldburg3: YTA obviously. How is this a question? How is this even something you think you need to ask?? Also, you didn't mention that you're one of the most powerful people in the country with wealth and status given to you by the king! Nor have you mentioned that we have allies and friends to help us in our fight against the Existential Evil. I feel like there are some details that are pertinent to people's review of this and you should include them. Snake.

DernhelmShieldofRohan: fuck you, YTA. Also, ew. I'm repulsed. I hope you choke on hay and die. Sit on a shiv and rotate.

MinasTirith: ESH, I think. Since I suspect you're not wrong on some fronts (if power and wealth are solely dependent on the king and would vanish with his death, that's not really a true repayment for services rendered because it keeps you dependent), however you could grow a spine and develop a sense of moral fortitude and overall decency.

That said, how much is the neighbouring power offering you? In terms of money, lmk and I'll see if I can't beat his price. Niece is not on offer because what the fuck? (see: your need to develop a sense of overall decency).

HornofGondor: Father! You can't buy people's loyalty like that.

MinasTirith: I'm speaking to OP in the language OP understands.

KingoftheMark: slfnsf dfsldkjf sddm

HeirofEorl: dad, get off your tablet. OP - YTA and we're going to have a wee little chat soon.

OP: Can it wait? There are some orcs coming in near the Fords of Isen that you need to see off.

&c &c

[jays-nook]

And Now For the Last 4 Episodes of PJO...

*First 4 episodes here*

I actually finished the show on Tuesday but just got around to actually talking about it LOL

So, overall? It's an enjoyable show, whether it's your first time getting into pjo or you read the books before. It's not the adaptation I expected perse but it's good!

The last 4 episodes were exciting to say the least and had a lot of details I enjoyed. Like just Kid!Percy and Sallys covo??

"Why are you doing this? Why are you so trying so hard to get rid of me? I would never do this to you." LIKE JUST STAB IN THE HEART INSTEAD FFS </3

Kid!Percy's actor is just amazing!! He's so small and adorable and yet the way he delivers his lines is sure to leave an impact on you.

I liked Ares and how they made him such a douchebag as usual, watching my sister yell at Percy when he callenged him and then in the fight was just hilarious JGKFKD

And god the way I listened so closely to Nicos little voice in the casino scene....I just know he's going to break me AGAIN in the upcoming seasons 😭😭

Lin Manuel Miranda is still a ?? for me, I didn't hate his scenes but I didn't particularly enjoy them. Even though his conversation with Percy and Annabeth was nice.

Believe me I get why some of the changes were important to the series and to differentiate it from both the movies and the books, like mentioning Luke's mom to explain why him and Hermes have such a shit relationship, but they still made me :// and do a head tilt whenever something was different.

Like the changes with the love ride scene? They set it up and raised the stakes sm for Percy to sacrifice himself yet again but it didn't really hit as hard as they aimed for ngl. It just reminded me of the scenes with Midas in HOO. the convo with Annabeth and Hephaestus? That was nice ig, but it's just the fact I felt they're changing so much with her character.

And thats not to mention the changes with the Luke reveal...I did not like that. Just no...It defeats the whole purpose of Annabeth still trusting Luke and believing him for like 2 more books...They practically changed her whole character and the way it'll play out between them..Although her throwing /the/ dagger was just 👀👀👀

But everything else about that fight scene was just amazing and all the interactions between Luke and Percy!! The lights!! The filming!! The choreography of their actions!!Their teary gazes while looking at each other!! It was so good and just IGHHHH - The actors did a phenomenal job~

Other than that I don't have any more comments. The parts with Hades were good, the underworld is different than I imagined umm the whole thing with Zeus and Poseidon was nice too. Just having Poseidon surrender his pride to Zeus to protect Percy!!! This just makes me interested to what they will do with Nico and Hades (I'm well aware I'm getting ahead of myself djgkdd)-

Andddd that is all for today folks!!

[moni-harmonia]

Chapter 3 - Act VI

Finally played the rest of the quest and here are my thoughts about it!

This was a very intriguing quest. As a big Dainsleif fan, I’m certainly disappointed that he didn’t have a big role this time. We only see him once a year so I always expect something important from him. But his biggest contribution this time was his lore drop to Kaeya.

The good thing is that the reveal that an ancestor of Kaeya created the Abyss Order was very relevant to this quest because we actually meet him in person.

So the Traveler somehow starts... “living” a memory from their sibling. In it, we see the founder Chlothar Alberich who was trying to free his son from the curse.

We learn a few important details here. That only pure blooded Khaenri’ahn became immortal, while those who lived there but were from other regions became monsters like Hilichurls. That’s why Kaeya recognized Dainsleif as a pure blood, aside from the eyes of course.

We try helping the guy and we end up on some weird ruins where Hilichurls are gathering. Then we see this peculiar purple crystal and hear a voice, calling himself a “sinner”.

We don’t get to know who this is, but it’s obvious that is someone very important who has incredible powers. With his... blessing, Chlothar is able to return his son Calibert’s consciousness, which seems like a miracle.

But Chlothar says something very ominous to him: Never take the mask off.

We return to the ruins but the crystal and the Hilichurls are gone, and then so is Calibert. We find him but the poor boy can’t take it anymore, he takes off the mask and we don’t see what happens.

Next we wake up, Chlothar has changed his demeanor a lot. He mentions how Calibert can now weave his destiny and he’ll become “The Loom of Fate”. Then he calls the Traveler by their sibling’s position and that’s when they realize what’s going on as they see themself on a mirror.

The final scene is quite thought provoking. We end up digging a couple of bodies, and one of them seems to be Chlothar, burried with his wife. Which means that at some point somehow Chlothar got rid of his curse.

This quest while being incredibly interesting, leaves us with a lot of questions. Who is the voice? What happens when a Hilichurl takes the mask off? Again, what is the Loom of Fate? What is the power of the Abyss? How did he get rid of the curse?

The one thing that was clear to me is that I really feel for the people of Khaenri’ah. This was very heart breaking and I can understand their hatred for the Gods.

There are some other things that I was left wondering about. Chlothar said his wife was from Mondstadt, which is why his son turned into a Hilichurl. Is there some importance to that? Like, does that have something to do with the fact that Kaeya was left there? Probably not, but it was a curious detail to mention.

If Chlothar got rid of the curse, probably others did as well, which explains Kaeya’s existence. He’s not curse as far as we know. He’s of course not a Hilichurl and he ages so he’s not immortal. But do they really have no side effects from that? What if the reason Kaeya covers his right eye has something to do with all that?

I really hope that next time we continue with a Traveler Act we get to at least know the answer to some of these mysteries. Sumeru’s the fourth region so we’re past the middle point now, we need to start getting some answers.

So it was a pretty interesting quest, but I’m disappointed that we didn’t see Dain a lot and that we got even more questions than before. I really want more quests like this per year, one is not enough!

[moonbeam-dragon]

Positive Charge Part 14

Moonrise! Haha, I'm not dead, I'm just busy. Anyways this might be a long chapter but here we go. Tw: Cussing, angst, mention of injuries.

“I have found a way to kill Darkwing Duck, once and for all,” Negaduck said, slamming his hand down on the table. “Which is why I have gathered you all.”

The others shared glances at one another. Quackerjack carefully spoke up, “Uh, boss? This sounds pretty important. Shouldn’t Megavolt be here for this?”

Negaduck glared hard at Quackerjack. The short avian crossed his arms. “I’ll have you know that Megavolt was intentionally not invited. This plan requires him to remain oblivious to the details.”

The other three exchanged another concerned look. Why couldn’t Megavolt know?

“You see, I’ve noticed something interesting. Darkwing and Megavolt seem to have a truce in place. Or an agreement of some sort. And we can’t stand to keep that weak link. So we need to get rid of that,” he said, looking slowly at the others. He started pacing back and forth. “The skyscraper is the best view of the city, isn’t it? And to have the last thing you see be a sight like that. Well, I think I’d be rather kind to give him that privilege.”

___

“LP, maybe now isn’t the best time for you to move,” Drake said, looking up at his friend. “With the Fearsome Five being active again, I’ll need all the help I can get.”

“I told ya, Drake. I can’t put this off. I have responsibilities in Duckberg,” Launchpad said, putting more clothes in a box. “I’m sorry. But Della needs me with her, too. It’s not easy having a highschool kid, let alone three of them. Four if Webby counts.”

Drake sighed, looking away. He knew it was selfish to keep Launchpad to himself. He had his own family. The Mallards and the McDucks were two separate lives. Launchpad didn’t deserve to be spread thin over this. But he didn’t want to be without a sidekick again, or have to take care of Gosalyn by himself. She was a teenager now. Almost fifteen. But she was such a handful. He almost had that help back, but here he was, reeling from a breakup and having to tame a supvervillain.

Launchpad looked down at him, setting what he was doing down. “I hate to leave you alone, Drake. You know this. But you have to get over this sooner or later.”

“Launchpad, I ruined everything. I lost one of the people I care about the most, and just spurred on one of the most dangerous supervillains in the world,” Drake said, his walls leaking. “I- I can’t be alone again. I spent a decade alone and I’m not doing that again.”

“You’re not alone.” Launchpad picked up a picture frame and looked at it. It was a picture of them when Gosalyn was nine, sitting on Drake’s shoulders while Launchpad took the selfie. Drake looked irritated by the chaos, but still affectionate towards his little family. “You have Gosalyn, and Quiverwing Quack.”

“Oh-ho. No. She’s not coming out with me on a regular basis. She’s got school and, oh I don’t know, her life to worry about!” Drake said.

“Fine. Just Gosalyn. And I’ll still call. I’ll even visit with Della and the boys,” Launchpad offered.

Drake looked up at him. Launchpad was willing to give whatever he had. But he didn’t had everything Drake needed. He could accept that. Family dinners sounded fun. “Yeah. I think that’ll work. I guess I just need to get used to it.”

The pair smiled softly at one another, appreciating the quiet. They’d make this work. The heroes always came out on top, after all.

“Dad, LP! You need to come see this!” Gosalyn yelled from downstairs. Her voice was tense with worry. Drake and Launchpad ran down, seeing Gosalyn standing by the TV, holding the remote. She looked back at them with wide eyes. “Look what’s on the news.”

“This is Tom Lockjaw, coming to you with live news. Public Enemy Number One, the villain Negaduck, is currently at the top of the St. Canard skyscraper and hotel. We’re cutting to footage of the scene, where Negaduck is ready to make an announcement.

The screen flashed and changed to show Negaduck standing on top of the tower, the video revolved around him from a helicopter above. “Because of complications, we have to make cuts from our team. You’re only as strong as your weakest link, they say. So we made the decision to exterminate our weakest link, and let the public know!” Behind him, Liquidator, Quackerjack, and Bushroot stood in a line, looking solemn.

Drake felt all the blood drain from his face. “No…”

Liquidator splashed forward, throwing his arms to the side. “If there is anyone who has an objection to this execution, please act now, or forever hold your peace.” He looked directly at one of the helicopters and the camera zoomed in on him. “I’m looking at you, Darkwing Duck! Two save your long-time adversary, visit us now. To let him be drowned in the hotel’s pool, stand by.”

Gosalyn was tearing up, shaking her head. “No.. They can’t. They’re- They’re gonna kill him!” She looked back at Drake, silently asking what he would do. Launchpad rushed over to give the girl a hug, also using his larger body to shield her eyes from the TV.

“Where is he?” Drake asked, looking at the screen. He was the only member not on there. They must be keeping him somewhere in the hotel. Tom Lockjaw went on to explain how the hotel had been evacuated when the villains showed up, everyone either fleeing or being flushed out by water. Everyone else was accounted for. Some had minor injuries or had been mugged, but there were no casualties or anything that could lead to a casualty, that is, except for the threat against Megavolt.

Gosalyn was starting to cry now, hugging Launchpad tight. This sounded like Negaduck. She wished she could say he’d never, but he would. He was. Launchpad looked up at Drake, unsure of what to say. Drake had already made up his mind. “I’m going out there to get him,” he told them, walking across the living room and sitting in the chair.

“I’ll go with you,” Gosalyn said, trying to pull away from Launchpad. The man hugged her tighter. “Oh, no you’re not missy! You stay here. Your dad and I-”

“No.” Drake pointed a finger at them. “I need you to stay out of the way. Maybe I can get through to them. One man and they may not take is as a threat.” He looked at the screen again, not really listening. “I’ll call you if I need backup. But please, I can’t lose the only other two people I love.”

He used the statue and spun off to the tower. When he got there, he ran to the closet with his costume and pulled it on. He took enough care to make sure the mask was properly placed, but he didn’t bother with his hat for long. When he had his gas gun, chainsaw cuffs, and watch, he jumped on the Ratcatcher. He could be quick. He started up the bike and started down the bridge.

Darkwing thought as fast as he could. He had to get to the Fearsome Five. And negotiate. He had to negotiate with Negaduck. He could do that. Offer to have Megavolt arrested. Locked away for good. At least then he’d be alive. Then Darkwing could try and talk to him. He had to try.

___

“If this works out, boys, nobody will be able to stop us,” Negaduck said with a chuckle. “When he’s out of the picture, we’ll be more powerful than ever.”

Liquidator, Quackerjack, and Bushroot gave each other a glance before looking over the edge. This was indeed a great view of the city. Bushroot looked out at the hillside, where he could see trees and grass for a vast expanse. It was much more gorgeous than the city itself could ever be. He might soon have it under his protection. Liquidator looked down at the city, all its industries and factories. There were so many of those here. It was a profitable city, that was for sure. To have that under his control was to have several monopolies. Quackerjack looked out at the city. With all the roads and parks, this was the perfect playground. He could make children scream.. with laughter, of course. Once he got to be the boss of the game, he’d do just that.

And it would only cost the life of one man.

Quackerjack heard the rumming of an engine and ran to the edge to see. “Ooh, it’s playtime!!” He pointed down at Darkwing on his motorbike, racing for the skyscraper. The group joined him at the edge, looking down at the hero. Bushroot swallowed to coat his dry throat. Darkwing parked his motorbike, throwing his helmet in the seat and running into the building. They were high enough up, it would take ages to get to them.

Bushroot reached and wrapped a leafy hand around Quackerjack’s. This was a make or break situation. And despite all they’d done over the years, it still made Bushroot queasy. He had gotten used to it, but it never fated and never weakened. His heists hardly ever involved harm.

Quackerjack squeezed his hand back, grinning. “Just think, Reg. In days we could make St. Canard a forest playground. Won’t it be beautiful?” Bushroot nodded. That was their combined dream. He was going to make it work. The look on Quackerjack’s face as he anticipated it was lovely. Imagine when they pulled it off.

And it would only cost one man.

When Darkwing came out from the stairwell, he was holding his gas gun, carefully watching the villains. “No sudden movements, you fiends! Nobody needs to get hurt.”

“Aw, but that’s the best part,” Negaduck teased, pretending to wipe something off the shiny blade of his chainsaw.

Darkwing glared. “I’m not going to bother with the banter today. There’s no need to kill Megavolt. I’ll take him into custody and he’ll be in supervillain prison without you for once, how about that?”

Quackerjack began to cackle. “Oh, Darkwing! We can’t believe you played our little game again!” He pulled out Mr. Banana Brain. “Don’t you think he’d learn we make the rules by now?”

“Oh but would he, Woody?” the stuffed fruit replied.

“You make a great point. Some people never learn,” Quackerjack said with a tsk.

Darkwing’s gas gun dropped a little bit as he looked back up at the jester. “What do you mean? I’m ready to meet your demands.”

Liquidator put up one watery finger. “Ah, you see, all great corporations have to use some amount of false advertising!” He spread out his arms and glanced around. “Tell me, do you see Megavolt in binds, ready to be drowned?”

Darkwing’s eyes widened as he began to grasp what was going on.

“It’s sweet that you came to his rescue. And they call me a sap,” Bushroot said, crossing his arms. “Come on. You didn’t think we’d kill our own teammate, did you?”

Darkwing felt his face go completely pale. He begged what he was thinking wasn’t true. But Negaduck voiced it exactly.

“You fell into our trap, Darkwing. This is an execution, just not Megavolt’s.”

___

Mrgavolt wasn’t even at said execution. He hadn’t been informed of it. He was at his lighthouse, polishing each of his bulbs and muttering. “It’s more than that. He can’t just apologize his way out of this,” he said to one bulbs and he wiped its smudges away. “Our relationship was all a lie. He was trying to manipulate me.” He sighed as he listened her the bulb’s murmurs.

“I did love him. But he was trying to change me. I’m a villain. I can’t be with a hero. Especially not Darkwing Duck,” he explained. “We’ve been worst enemies for years. Since we graduated! Well, he did. I never exactly finished the term.”

He listened again to one of the bulbs sitting on his right, polished to a shine. He thought for a minute. “I have known Drake longer. Not sure how much longer. Since school. Maybe through highschool?” He listened again, nodding. “I guess we were sort of friends. But I don’t really remember much before the accident.” He looked down at the bulb as he finished removing a smudge. He set it down on a cushion, folding his arms and leaning back.

He glanced at another bulb as she suggested something to him and a small smile hinted at his lips. “I guess it’s possible he was trying to help. That’s what he tries to do. And he’s so good and foiling my schemes. Gah, I get sick of it.” He stood up and walked over to a lamp, blowing dust of the bulb. “Could he really care about me? Is it possible he wasn’t faking?” He turned the lamp off, giving him a rest. “If I wasn’t a villain, he wouldn’t have to foil me. Do I even want to fight him anymore?”

Before he could get an answer, Megavolt heard the TV. Oh right, that was on. He went over to turn them off as well, but all motion stopped when he saw his normal channel had been taken over by an urgent broadcast. “Police are doing all they can to stop others from intervening in the fight. They have orders not to let even Darkwing’s own sidekick or apprentice into the building.” Megavolt watched as the camera cut to Launchpad and Quiverwing Quack at the foot of the skyscraper, shaking their heads.

Quiverwing was demanding the police to move aside and let them help. Some officer was physically blocking her and trying to explain to them that the fight was dangerous. The camera suddenly cut to feed from above the tower, likely from a helicopter. The sound was muted by the spinning blades but the reporter could be heard. “The Fearsome Five, minus Megavolt, it seems, have made their advance. It isn’t clear how much longer Darkwing Duck will last.”

Megavolt’s jaw dropped open as he watched the feed. There was Darkwing, doing a flip over Quackerjack to avoid him and having to duck under a swing from Liquidator. “Holy shit.” Bushroot suddenly wrapped himin a vine, doing a flick and sending the hero spinning. Darkwing was stopped by Quackerjack’s gun, which shot out a dodgeball. The dodgeball hit him in the nose, knocking the hero back. Quackerjack started jumping up and down, cheering.

“It seems the Fearsome Five have tricked Darkwing Duck, taking advantage of his compassion. Threatening the life of Darkwing’s long-term adversary, the villains have lured him directly into a trap,” one of the reporters chipped in. “Their further plans if they capture him are unclear.”

“The question remains: where then, is Megavolt?” another reporter said before changing his topic. “I’m sorry, ‘compassion?’ Darkwing Duck has compassion?”

“Of course! We went to go save-”

“He was probably trying to-”

As the reporters, once again, started arguing about Darkwing Duck’s morals, Megavolt stared at the screen. Darkwing was getting pretty roughed up. And he was far outnumbered. Shouldn’t the Justice Ducks help him? But they weren’t letting Launchpad or that Quiverwing girl help. Why would they let Morgana or Gizmoduck?

Someone had to save him.

Megavolt clenched his fists, running to the room where he kept his bed and grabbing his costume. It was now or never. He quickly got dressed and ran out to where the Voltmobile was parked. He only took a few seconds to get in and get it started. Forgetting to put on his seatbelt, Megavolt put the car in high gear and started speeding down the street, avoiding pedestrians. Luckily, there weren’t many people or vehicles on the path he was taking. He didn’t care what traffic laws he was breaking. He’d broken so many other laws. This was nothing. What mattered now was getting to Darkwing before the rest of his team did too much damage.

___

Darkwing was finding it more and more difficult to hold his own. He’d attempted to call Launchpad for backup, but to no avail. He didn’t know what was keeping him up. Whatever it was, he hoped Launchpad was okay.

“R- Ready to give up, Negaduck?” he stammered, trying to be intimidating. It didn’t work normally, and it certainly didn’t do anything now. He was banged up and his vision was slightly out of focus. His gas gun was on the other side of the roof, and Bushroot was blocking it.

“It looks like you’re about ready to give up, Darkwing,” the villain replied, pulling out a knife and grinning. “Keep him there, kids. Papa wants to have a little fun.”

“Are you kidding? I could whack that little butterknife away without trying,” Darkwing insisted, holding up his hands in a karate defence.

Negaduck rolled his eyes, tossing the knife to the side, in Quackerjack’s direction. The jester was nearly hit by the blade, but Bushroot suddenly reached out his viney arm and yanked the other out of the way, holding him to his side.

“You’re right. That’s not a knife,” the short duck said in a mock-sweet voice. He instead revealed a machete that glimmered. “That’s a knife.”

Darkwing took advantage of the hole left by Quackerjack, jumping through and trying to run for it. It didn’t last long, as he suddenly slipped on a puddle, skidding for a moment and then flipping over his head. Liquidator rose up from the ground, smirking. “Liquidator Slip’n’Slide. Useful for keeping your enemies where you want them. May cause broken bones or concussions.”

Darkwing heard footsteps on the wet floor and then something pressed into his back. Something sharp. Nrgaduck made one swift motion, cutting shallowly into Darkwing’s skin. The hero cried out in pain and pulled himself up with one arm. As he tried to look behind him, Negaduck slashed again. Darkwing barely blocked the attack with his arm. His tricep was hit, hopefully not going as deep as he felt it did. He felt a sudden punch from the other side as Bushroot took a shot. A vine grabbed his collar and pulled him to a stand, then his feet dangled off the edge.

“Ooh! He looks like a piñata. Can I take a hit, boss?” Quackerjack said, swinging a baseball bat around. Negaduck looked back at him, raising an eyebrow. “Pretty please with a cherry bomb on top?”

Negaduck chuckled, apparently pleased with Quackerjack’s ass-kissing. “Go ahead. This is free entertainment!”

Quackerjack giggled, wrapping something around his eyes and holding up the bat. “Don’t make it easy for me, Bushy!”

Bushroot snickered, motioning for the vine to move up and down. “Okay, I’ll give you a challenge.”

And at that moment, Darkwing really couldn’t tell if they were a cute couple or not.

The worst part was that the news cameras were there, filming as Darkwing Duck, the masked mallard, the terror that flaps in the night, was swung around and smacked with a bat. He was sure he’d have broken bones after this. And a really squishy kidney.

At one point, Bushroot smirked, lowering the vines. “Jacky, try a headshot.”

Quackerjack stopped swinging, holding his bat out even with his knees. “Is this low enough? I wanna make sure this hits right on!”

Bushroot hummed, shaking his head. “I’ve got him pulled a little higher. But if he were on the ground, you’d be spot on!”

Darkwing huffed. “I’m not even that short! I’m at least to his hips!”

“He is twice as tall as you,” Bushroot snipped. “I wouldn’t try to justify that in any way.”

Liquidator splashed over, pointing, even thought Quackerjack was blindfolded. “A little higher, more to the left. Right there. Take it back and let ‘er rip!”

Quackerjack drew his bat back, as if preparing to hit a homerun. “Tell me when.”

“Hold on. Let him anticipate it!” Negaduck said, walking around Darkwing. He looked up at the hero and chuckled. “Pathetic. This is the hero of St. Canard. A piñata at our mercy.” He stared up at Darkwing, glowering. “What a softy. You really came over to try and save Megavolt. It’s so sweet my teeth are rotting and I just might puke.”

“Where is he? Where is Megavolt??” Darkwing insisted, trying for the last time to struggle with the vines. Nothing happened.

Negaduck laughed, turning and walking away. “Beats me Megavolt didn’t know about this. We couldn’t risk him spoiling the operation. But he’ll understand.” Darkwing groaned, letting his head drop. This was it. He’d never see him again. Or Launchpad. Or his precious Gosalyn. “Quackerjack, help this flapping terror go nighty-night.”

Darkwing braced himself for impact. Before he could, though, he heard a loud slam. Then a raspy voice spoke, “What the FUCK are you guys doing?”

Darkwing cautiously opened his eyes, then they went wide. Megavolt was standing by the stair door, glaring at the other villains. Drake was either extremely doomed, or saved. There was no in between.

“I’m sorry. Apparently I was supposed to be executed. Did I just forget or did you four not bother inviting me??” Megavolt said, walking quickly towards them.

Quackerjack was quick to drop his bat and ull off his blindfold. “Sparky! See, that’s what I said. But boss-”

Megavolt stamped his foot, sending a shock through the floor. The shock got to the vine suspending Darkwing, and he was dropped. “Watch it, Megavolt. You don’t want to get grounded. Do you?” Negaduck said with a smooth voice. “Sorry we didn’t invite you to the party. Tell ya what. We’ll let you make the final blow, as thanks for your cooperation.”

Megavolt took a moment to think about it, then he seemed to calm down. “Let me see him.” The others moved, leaving a path directly from the electric man to the beat-up hero. Megavolt walked over, looking down at Darkwing, who could barely prop himself up. Megavolt got down on one knee to be more at Darkwing’s level.

“Are you okay?” he whispered, his eyes softening.

Darkwing tried to pull himself up, and hissed at the pain it caused. “Yeah, I-”

Megavolt didn’t buy it. “I’ll get you out of here.” He stood up and faced the rest of the Fearsome Five, holding his hands up. “I don’t think this is going to work out,” he said bluntly, glaring at them. “I don’t think I want him dead.”

Negaduck’s face went pale as he stared at the man. “Maybe you fried one too many brain cells, Megavolt. Or maybe you’ve just gone soft.” Megavolt’s eyes narrowed. Negaduck continued. “Really, you let this guy get under your skin? I knew you were weak, but I hoped you had enough resolve to resist a goody-two-shoes like Dorkwing over here.”

“I’m not weak,” Megavolt argued firmly.

“I think you are. You know what else you are?” Negaduck said, walking closer. “A loser. You’d be nowhere without me. If it weren’t for my planning and organization, you all would be nobodies by now. You have me to thank for all you successful hiests. You have me to thank for all your best schemes.”

“I’m not a loser,” Megavolt said. “Maybe all those losses were just because I was on the wrong career path!” His hands started sparking. “As long as I can remember, I have had people like you telling me I’m insane, overzealous, mean, a loose bulb, and useless. And I’m fucking sick of it!” He sent a shock flying over Negaduck’s head. “The moment I have someone telling me I’m not a lost cause, that maybe I have some shred of decency in me, that I could be more than a villain, your’e telling me I’ve gone soft. Well fuck you! What do you know? Nothing!”

“Watch it, Megavolt. You-” Negaduck was cut off by a sudden bolt to the stomach. He doubled over, a dry whimper in his throat. Then Megavolt sent a larger blast, one that surrounded Negaduck and held him up in the air.

“Shut up! It’s my turn to talk!” Megavolt yelled. “I am done. I am done being one of your minions. I am done feeling worthless. I am done with being told I’m a weak loser. I am done being a disgrace to society. I’m going to do something useful with my life.” With that, he threw Negaduck to the side, into the concrete wall by the stairway door.

The other three just stared at him in utter shock. Nobody, really, nobody, had ever stood up to Negaduck that way before. They’d never struck him or yelled back at him.

Darkwing looked up at the electric rat in awe. He was really saving him. And standing up for himself. This was new… and kinda hot-

“Sparky-”

“Don’t call me Sparky!” Megavolt said, pointing at Quackerjack and sending a shock towards him. The jester jumped out of the way. “What are you three gonna do? Fight me?”

Liquidator moved in front of him, crossing his arms. “I suggest you be careful what you say and do. Our personal partnership could become null and void momentarily.” Quackerjack and Bushroot clung to one another. They’d never fought each other before. Not really. Sure, they bickered and had their disputes that would have fists flying. But never an actual fight with betrayal.

Megavolt put his hands up. “Look, I don’t want to fight you, Bud. Any of you.”

“And yet here you are, defending Dimwit Duck,” Quackerjack said with a pout. “Who’s it gonna be? Your best friends? Or him?”

Megavolt groaned. “I’d rather not choose. What if you guys joined me? Redemption opens up so many opportunities! You know that Morgana Macawbre? She’s out there living her best life. She got what she wanted and no one got hurt.”

“Are you kidding?” Bushroot said. “Morgana could have gone so much farther as a villain.”

Megavolt looked at Bushroot, directly in the eyes. “You know what I mean! You were trying to make the world a better place. With the way your experiment worked, you could have gotten another grant. You could have improved your study and made a positive impact. Now look at you. You went and killed somebody and lost that. Wouldn’t it be worth getting it back.”

Something flickered in Bushroot’s eyes. Something sensitive. Megavolt almost regretted it. He knew that was a sensitive spot. But it had to be done. Quackerjack noticed the look on his partner’s face and stepped closer to Megavolt. “Hey, you-”

“Quacky, you had so many options. You could have re-started your business, re-thought your plan in some way, found a business partner. Your mayhem and destruction only sullied your reputation. And hurt others,” Megavolt explained. “Not to mention that damn grudge against Whiffle Boy! And just so you know, I’m a fan of the game! I’ve played all the games, each and every level, and I even have a few of the collectible toys!”

Quackerjack looked taken aback more by the last statement than anything. “My own best friend? No wonder you switched sides. You’ve been brainwashed!”

Megavolt looked at Liquidator. “At least you’re the sane one! But your problem is that you know the difference between right and wrong. But you don’t care! You’re a heartless capitalist. I know the way you became the Liquidator wasn’t fair but you were a villain from the start!”

Darkwing pushed himself up on his knees, staring up at Megavolt. That was some tough love right there.

The three villains glared, clearly hurt by Megavolt’s truths. Quackerjack had something dark in his eyes, something truly dark and dangerous. Darkwing didn’t like it one bit. Megavolt held his arms up, staring at all of them. “You can’t tell me I’m wrong. Now let us go, and nobody gets hurt.”

“And if we decide to continue with our previous plan, what would be the penalty?” Liquidator asked, slowly flowing closer.

Charging his hands, Megavolt gave his cold answer, “Then, someone gets hurt.”

Liquidator took that as a challenge, speeding up and getting ready to drench the pair. Megavolt crosses his forearms and sent a strong pulse, blasting Liquidator with a purple shield of electricity. The water canine yelped at the sudden shockwave. It took him off guard and made his twitchy for a moment. Megavolt noticed and sent another, stronger shockwave, which burst his bubble, literally. Liquidator fell to a formless puddle on the floor. Megavolt turned to Quackerjack and Bushroot. “Don’t make me do that again.”

Quackerjack whipped out his mallet. “What is this?? Are you joining Darkwing Duck? Becoming a hero?”

Megavolt looked down at the other, smiling. He reached a hand and pulled the other to his feet. “Yeah. I guess I am.”

“Then you leave me no choice,” Quackerjack muttered darkly. Megavolt braced himself as a mallet was brought down on him. He held his hands up, feeling the impact jolt his wrists. He rebounded with a shock and threw the mallet back.

Darkwing noticed and forced himself to keep moving. He ran across the rooftop, grabbing his gas gun and pointing at at Bushroot. “I’ll keep you occupied while they’re at it,” he said as though it were a generous offer.

Bushroot turned to face Darkwing, holding his hands up. “That’s fine by me.” He called on the dandelions that were somehow growing in the cracks of the roof, drawing them to a great height and strength.

Darkwing turned around, kicking at the plants. He didn’t like the way the dandelions seemed sharp to the touch. He yelped and jumped back. Dang, he was sore! Darkwing pulled out a canister of weed killer, struggling to load it at a few leaves started grabbing at him. “Woah! Not today, weeds!”

“You’re leaving us?? After all we’ve been through?” Quackerjack shouted, taking more swings at Megavolt’s head. “And you’re a fan of Wiffle Boy?!”

Megavolt sent a shock at his friend, giving him a furious look. “Seriously?! That’s what you’re mad about?”

“Yes! You lied to me! All of us. And now you’re gonna sell us out to Darkwing Duck!” Quackerjack pouted, slamming down his mallet. Then he gave up, dropping it and pulling out a boomerang. This would be more fun to play with.

Megavolt dodged as the boomerang was hurled at him. Did that thing have blades?? “Of course not! He already knows your guys’ hideouts. I don’t have anything to sell.” He ducked as the boomerang came back, barely missing him.

Quackerjack threw the boomerang again, tearing up. “If it weren’t for him, we’d have it all! We’d have the city and everything would be a dream come true! Darkwing always ruins it!”

“No, Quackerjack! If it weren’t for ourselves, we’d have it all. If you weren’t so stupid, maybe you’d see that!”

“Stupid? I’m sorry, you’re one to talk. You can’t remember our meetings half the time. You always forget to finish disarming security. You forget where you put your own traps. And you play Wiffle Boy!”

“This isn’t about Wiffle Boy!” Megavolt screamed, grabbing Quackerjack’s shoulders. “This is about right and wrong and me and you and I’m sick of you treating this like a joke!”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Quackerjack looked behind Megavolt’s head. Megavolt ducked, taking Quackerjack down with him.

Megavolt slammed Quackerjack on the ground, his hands already fizzing with sparks. Before they could keep arguing, Darkwing was yelling. “A little help, Meggy!” Megavolt looked over, seeing Darkwing wrapped up in a bunch of weeds, having finally loaded his gas gun but now unable to aim it. Megavolt suddenly blasted Quackerjack with just enough electricity to knock him out, opting to run and help his new ally.

Bushroot was allowing the plants to squeeze Darkwing tighter and tighter, not relenting. The leaves were itchy and probably causing rashes. Darkwing looked up at Megavolt, dropping his gun. “Just shoot them already.” Megavolt nodded, lunging for the gun and taking it into his own hands. He held it up at the dandelions. Darkwing interrupted. “You have to say it!”

“Say what?”

“The thing,” Darkwing said with a grin.

Megavolt smiled, putting his finger on the trigger. “Suck gas, evil-doers!” He pulled the trigger and the canister of weed-killer sprayed out, withering the plants right before his eyes. Darkwing tore the leaves to get out.

“No! My darlings, how could you??” Bushroot cried out, kneeling by the crumbled plants. He looked behind him. “Quackerjack, help me- Quackerjack!!” Bushroot quickly ran to his lover’s side, pulling him into his lap. Was he unconscious or dead??? “Megavolt, what did you do?”

As he turned around to talk to him, though, Bushroot sasw no Megavolt. Nor Darkwing Duck. He looked at Negaduck’s limp body meters away, at Liquidator’s puddle, and Quackerjack asleep in his arms. It was safe to say they’d lost. And Megavolt was escaping with Darkwing.

I’m ending it there because this was getting long and I need to play with my dog. Hope you enjoyed. Next chapter is coming out shortly. Farewell, best of luck, avoid roasted cabbages, don’t eat earwax, and look on the bright side of life!Moonset!