#spyros reflection talks to him

[plasticbabyart]

Were there are particularly scary experiences Spyro had with his darker counterpart prior to the knowing what it actually was? I feel like seeing some dark manifestation in my reflection would probably scare the shit out of me even if I knew what it was 😭

Possibly the first time it spoke back. When Spyro realised it was sentient, and was a larger threat than what he thought was just a deep insecurity that he could no longer fight back on his own.

This is when he learned that it wasn't his fears or his mind playing tricks, it was a real evil that was apart of him and that he had been feeding and allowing to grow by indulging in negative thinking.

[rubylarkspur22]

Spyro and Cynder Head Canons(Some Shippy, Some Platonic, Some Just General)

Ideas struck me a while ago, and I wanted to share. Some of these are based on an interview someone had with Jared Pullen, others are just from my own brain.

Spyro would have been a Fire Dragon if he was not the Purple Dragon, and I am fully down with the idea of him and Ignitus being related.

Had she not been corrupted, Cynder would be a Wind Dragon.

Initially, after A New Beginning, Cynder was extremely jumpy and distrustful of everyone around her. The first of the group she managed to calm down around was Spyro. Part of it was that he was the most friendly of them, always trying to keep her company and such. The other part was that he was smaller, and therefore less imposing. Despite the fact he blasted her in the face with what I can only assume is the magic and draconic equivalent of a small scale nuke.

Spyro told Cynder(after she mentioned how impressed she was) that he defeated her in Convexity with not even a week of training(not in a condescending way, just an "oh, thanks, I'm shocked I survived" kinda way). Cynder needed a few hours to recover from the shock.

These two just up and vanish into nature at random times. Whether it's Avalar, the swamp Spyro grew up in, or even the White Isle, they are known to disappear for a bit then come back to either Warfang or the Temple. So long as they come back in a month or two, no one tends to panic.

Occasionally, Spyro would worry he would turn out like Malefor. Cynder somehow has a sixth sense for knowing when he's thinking this, and will put an immediate stop to that line of thinking. It ranges from gentle reassurance that the only thing he shares with Malefor is scale colour, to straight up threatening him with bodily harm if she gets any hint he's genuinely turning evil.

Cynder was scared of growing up because she was scared of seeing her old self in her reflection when she was fully grown. She ended up not looking exactly like she did under Malefor's control, so she feels a little more comfortable with her appearance.

Spyro is a blast furnace. Mostly because of his Fire Element. When they're living together, Spyro often wakes up to Cynder glued to him to get the extra warmth.

The two are each other's anchors, especially after nightmares.

If they ever had kids, Cynder would be a nervous wreck while waiting for the eggs to hatch. Spyro's nervous, too, but he grew up with good examples of parenting in the form of Flash and Nina. Cynder's references for parenting are Gaul and Malefor, and it has her terrified she's going to mess up as a mother. Eventually, Spyro suggests they just use Gaul and Malefor as the What NOT To Do Guide, and that works out really well.

Trips to the White Isle. It started as Spyro wanted to talk to The Chronicler, maybe have a rant, and he brought Cynder along for the ride(and maybe told her what the Chronicler said would happen to her after Malefor returned). But surprise! Instead of the first guy, he gets Ignitus! There were tears, and all that emotional stuff, and now the two of them make a point to visit at least annually.

After restoring the world in Dawn of the Dragon, and recovering from that, Spyro and Cynder did spend at least a year in Avalar. They took the opportunity to hang out, have fun, and just be twelve after all the trauma and stuff they went through. They made sure to tell the remaining Guardians where they went, so nobody worried if they got trapped in stasis again.

Spyro does eventually introduce Cynder to Flash and Nina. The hold up was on her end, because she wasn't sure how Spyro's adopted parents would feel about meeting one of the people who tried to kill him and their biological son. Flash and Nina were actually quite welcoming, after getting to meet Cynder. Sparx had told a couple stories, but had warmed up enough to Cynder to let the Terror of the Skies stuff be told on her terms.

Cynder ends up being adopted by either Cyril or Terrador. Not sure which of the two, but she gets a dad who actually cares about her and her wellbeing.

[shadesofgrace88]

I watched Elemental for a second time last Friday night. It was really neat to take in more of the details (background, music, character design, etc.) this time--while also still enjoying the movie. I really wanted to appreciate it on the big screen again and help the box office (even if it was a little). It was just as exciting and touching to watch as the first time.

[I kind of wish this was the title screen in the movie, but alas...]

Now, some further thoughts...

🎨THE ART🎨

I got the art book as soon as it was available, but made myself wait until I watched the movie to open it. I got it a month before the movie released. Legit left the plastic on, haha. The art in it is so mesmerizing. I do wish some of the behind-the-scenes 3D stuff had been added as well, or even a single layout from the movie. (hopefully some bonus features for the DVD!)

As much as I love and admire 2D art (which the art book is full of), I'm not sure if that alone would have displayed the emotions this movie needed and portrayed as deeply. I'm also pretty sure 3D has always been Pixar's thing anyways...Correct me if I'm wrong though!

But reading through the art book and learning about how they handled the process, how long they studied certain things for animating and creating this world was so fascinating. Finding ways for it to connect and work together made my art-loving heart so giddy. I remember coming across a Twitter post where one animator talked about how they managed to animate fire hugging by putting two matches together. Sounds simple, but it's so interesting and with the level of lively detail given to the fire characters, I imagine it was difficult to construct and render.

On the second watch, noticing when Ember lit up when happy was so cool. It wasn't just a smile or happiness of the eyes, but the entire character! I also found the stretch and squish of the characters to be really fun and cute. How the different elements reacted to their world was cool. Wade's hair! It's a wave that constantly moves! There's so much detail hidden in so many little things. The way they reflect onto one another. The glow from her fire. I love the outline to their characters. I think the art book referred to it like a membrane? It's more visually pleasing being kind of sketchy and not just a slab of bold lineart.

There are so many stunning panoramic scenes throughout the movie that showcase the brilliance of the world-building and characters. Such as the rainbow shot in the gif below. I honestly love the underwater scene so much. I found it more romantically alluring than even the Tangled boat scene.

💞THE ROMANCE💞

It's not just a slap-them-together-and-call-them-a-couple kind of romance, in my opinion. They have a plausible meet cute into not really "enemies," but they each have their reasons for the events that mesh them together. They have arguments. Like, realistic arguments...For a "kids movie." (I honestly hate that mindset so much because I prefer animation over live action stuff, but that's an entire essay, so moving on). The arguments aren't petty and stupid or miscommunication. They help each other to grow without being controlling or overbearing. And omigosh, THE CONFESSION! The date montage!

The romcom moments matched the evolution of a typical romcom beat sheet. (I'm writing a few myself so I've referred to it often). They have individuality as much as being a unified couple. Their relationship progresses fluidly along with the story. Low key kinda sad the gif below was just promotional, haha. She's like a gremlin teasing him 🤣

🎶THE MUSIC🎶

Gosh, the music. I get so excited with how well it matches the movie overall, and how well it crencendoes and grows quieter at just the perfect moments. There are so many scenes where it's just chef's kiss, but I don't want to spoil them, so...yeah. It's so whimsical. The Firish music is imagative and charming. Some of the musical bits reminded me of Spyro the Dragon, which is my favorite game series.

Thank you Thomas Newman for bringing Elemental alive with such a gorgeous score. And to Lauv--"Steal the Show" is such a bop.

✍️THE WRITING✍️

One critique I've seen a lot from people is how the story is unoriginal. To be honest, tropes exist for a reason. It's not the tropes that's the problem, it's how they're executed. And Elemental does it splendidly. Me personally being a hopeless romantic, I of course adore the romantic aspect of the film, but the relationship between Ember and her father is so vital to the story. It's practically why the story even kind of exists. Especially after watching it the second time and catching how many beat sheet moments align with her and her dad. When Ember said THAT near the end, I was crying even more, because...relatable.

As for the immigration part of the story, I can't speak much on it since I haven't had to experience that. It doesn't feel like my place to talk about, but from what I've read from others who can relate to that, they've mentioned it being well done. I hope this message of the story can find more audience, because as much as I enjoyed the trailers (that teaser was perfection--no plot spoilers, simple, cute, awesome introduction to the setting and characters), the official trailer and TV spots did not do justice to the heart of the story, in my opinion. I really kind of despise how much they advertised the "toot toot" joke when it could've involved more about the central theme of the movie. Like I said, Ember's relationship with her dad is so important.

Whoever marketed it as "Romeo & Juliet," I have a question...Why??? That play is a TRAGEDY. Just because "they can't be together" should not have meant they passed the advertising as a story similar to Romeo and Juliet. Wade and Ember are also more clever, lol. People are saying they haven't seen Elemental marketed, while others say it's been everywhere (signs, billboards, etc.). BUT, either way it was marketed poorly. The official trailer really should've delved more into the family and father/daughter dynamic more. For releasing Father's Day weekend, why was that not a decision during marketing???

By the way, it's not just Zootopia but with elements like I've seen people saying. This is an actual romcom, meaning the romance is actually crucial in it. I ship Nick and Judy, but it's not confirmed--let's wait for Zootopia 2 though, which announced back in January. Both films handle discrimination (and I love Zootopia), but where Zootopia has an actual villain, the "villain" of Elemental is the pressure Ember feels being an immigrant daughter and the opposites attract. External forces vs internal. Just because it's a modern city in both films, it really seemed like it had to be that way for Elemental. Like how the elements live among their world. The intro scene when the parents first arrive paint such a good image of the setting immediately.

I also feel like Wade and Ember are older characters. At least 20s, considering the passage of time mentioned and worrying about careers. Which is cool to me as an older audience member. I really want Elemental to survive and possibly maybe continue the story in some way, but after reading an article stating that a writer said there was going to be a baby at the end...Like, please don't. Let them live first, lol. As a couple. As Ember getting new experiences. Let her have her internship. What's Wade doing after they move? If they did a kid route, please do it as an epilogue or later short like Carl's Date. I just hate how society/movies/books are like "the couple has to have kids to prove their love" kind of thing. Bro, I think Wade has proved his love...

Anyways...

The casting was also terrific! Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie really did an awesome job bringing Ember and Wade to life. The emotion in so many scenes hits hard. Side characters were done really well too. I know some people wanted air and earth to be shown more, but maybe they could be more in the future? In the art book, the reason water founded Element City was because it was assumed the most opposite to fire.

I've read that people will just wait until it's on Disney+ because of fast releases anyways. Cheaper too, I guess. But Elemental really deserves to be enjoyed at the theaters with good sound quality and epic graphics. As much as I can't wait to own this movie to re-watch at home whenever I want, I'd gladly wait an extra few months to let Elemental shine in theaters to try to make it's money back and more.

Again, I'm begging people to give Elemental a try. It touches on so much more than romance, even though it did an amazing job as an official animated romcom. Family is a subject that is just as important to the core of the film. It's fun, funny, and artistically and musically awesome.

Thank you to Peter Sohn for pitching Elemental. For getting this story told and made. Thank you to each and every Pixar crew member who helped bring this world alive. I appreciate your time and effort put into this movie so so so much. You deserve so many awards and love for this project 🩷

PS, hubby found the classic Pixar "A113." Did you spot it?

[landboundstar]

A Batman Pet Peeve

Everyone has their pet peeves with their various fandoms. Overpowered characters, plot holes, personality shifts, the color yellow - whatever.

I am no exception.

Bleach, Black Cat, The Dark Is Rising Sequence, Spyro - I have pet peeves. It might be shifting art styles, movie adaptations, or an inability to master the flight code. But I have them.

I have a really big one with Batman though.

The idea Batman has not had therapy that comes up with some versions of the character.

No, Bruce Wayne is not well adjusted. But he is one of the heroes who should be able to get into many of his various antagonists' heads because of being one shaky step off from their mental chaos.

He should be able to cross paths with the Riddler's OCD by being able to see the same point with his eidectic memory niggling and bothering him with a specific detail that he remembers that most people would miss.

He should be able to deal with Scarecrow from years of facing his own phobias.

He should be able to see his own duality reflected in Selina and Harvey. He should be able to understand Mr. Freeze's grief. He should be able to empathize with Ivy's desire to make changes, just not with how.

He should get this because Bruce should have had therapy. Are you telling me that people are going to not insist on an 8 year old present at his parents' murder needing therapy? Are you telling me someone who spent years studying martial arts would not have learned the proper breathing techniques and meditations that go with many of them? Are you telling me someone who knows he lives in a city with an asylum with a revolving door would have not researched psychology and found ways of mentally shielding himself from psychological attacks on some level? Are you telling me when he was debating first dressing up as a bat, Alfred or Lucius Fox would not have expressed some major concerns? You expect me to believe he can adopt kids without some level of a psych eval to see if he was a fit parent?

Batman has had therapy. He wouldn't be Batman if he hadn't.

He would probably be in Arkham himself if he had not gotten help.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

*Hides soapbox.*

[snappydragonsclaw]

you can watch the speedpaint here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZaACu3TcL0

Food Fight glanced out the window staring into the flourishing forest and town of woodburrow, and sighed. "what kinda skylander am I? Attacking an innocent village. An ally at that." food fight drew his head down. Ashamed of what he had done. The image of striking Scott appears in his mind. "I'm no hero," he whispered to himself. His leaves flattened even more. He then thought of spyro and the rest of the skylanders. "they must be furious at my actions...all of them must hate me for what I have done. Surely they are. I'm a monster!" 

 Tessa opened the door."food fight, I brought you breakfast..are you hungry?" she asked with a plate of toast, eggs, and bacon on the shiny cream and honey-colored plate in her soft paws. Food Fight's nostrils shift, sniffing the air as the scent of meat grabs his attention. Telling by the food fight's leaves suddenly shifting up, Tessa walks over and hands him his plate. She then left the room. As she walks into the living room, snap shot sits on the couch reading a book. "So he's still…reflecting on last night?" he asked, peeking his eyes away from the book. "yeah…I overheard him talking to himself. He seems anxious about how others view him now and how safe woodburrow is now." Tessa replies. "food fight always was big on defeating monsters in such. Now since he is one, I can only imagine how he feels right now…he basically became the thing he was always fighting against." snap shot added, putting the book down and taking off his reading glasses. "I guess when you say it like that…it makes what happened even more horrible," Tessa said.

 "I'm just worried about the rest of the Skylander's reactions. I don't even know how spyro will break this to the minis…they would be heartbroken if they found out, hearing about what happened to one of their teachers. If they haven't already figured it out, that is. They definitely have the habit of overhearing things they aren't supposed to be hearing." snap shot explained. "I haven't even thought about that! When they find out, it will be an absolute mess! Between Spry's stubborn nature and Breeze's temper!" Tessa spoke out. "yeah and not to mention chop chop. I don't know if Ya noticed, but chop chop has always disliked food fight from day one! He didn't like how playful and "childish" food fight is and always the fact that he had troll gens in him. As a matter of fact, chop chop doesn't like a lot of skylanders, including me! The only person I think he actually likes or at least respects with that kinda personality is spyro!" snap shot added.

 " I noticed. I don't know how but chop chop glared at him a certain way whenever they were on the same mission, which I don't even know how that's possible because he has no eyeballs!" Tessa said. Scott then came into the room, still very shaken from his previous experience. "hello, Scott." Tessa greeted the timid fox. "h-hi…." Scott said shyly. His voice was soft-spoken. He held his paws together most of the time and was anxious to speak. However, since the attack, this has only worsened. His tail curled around his leg. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast." Tessa asked."not really…." Scott responded quietly. Scott then awkwardly sat in a chair, grabbed a large chapter book, and started reading.

Snap shot, then looked at the hand that got bit. The bite mark glowed a faint purple. "welp, that can't be good." snap shot said. Scott then peaked over and saw it. "holy fudge! That looks bad!" he said, breaking his usual timid, soft, quiet tone. Snap shot, and Tessa jumped at Scott's sudden change of tone. Scott then noticed and went back to his usual manner.  "oookaaaay…. That was the first time I heard Scott sound like that…" Tessa said with her fur still being puffed up. Food fight, then walked out of his guest room.

Even after seeing each before, there was still a shock behind it. Scott's tail whiffs up nervously as food fight does the same with his leaves upon catching a glimpse of each other once again. "okay, before you two go screaming your heads off, can we sit down and talk?" Tessa asked, sensing the tense feeling in the air. They both hesitantly nod and sit down. Scott sat back down in his chair while food fight sat across the room next to snap shot. The room was silent for at least five minutes until Tessa spoke. "okay, I didn't just have you two sit here in the same room to just stare at each other say something!"  snap shot gave food fight a box of tissues noticing that he's rapidly sweating. "so uh nice weather we're having isn't it?" food fight nervously asked Scott. A moment of silence passed until Scott responded. "yes…I suppose it is…" A few minutes then pass before they say something again.

“Soo…do you know spyro and cynder? I heard that they are quite legendary.”scott asked. Food fight nods. “Yeah, I know them. Every skylander does. Spyro has somewhat of an unofficial leadership role.” he responds. “Are they nice? I heard cynder can be a bit angsty upon meeting her.” scott asked. “Well, cynder can come off as cold when you first meet her, but over time she’ll start to warm up. She’s slow to warm. Spyro, however, is the direct opposite. While cynder hates jokes, spyro, on the other hand, loves them, and he’s very social, often hosting parties and celebrations. Have you heard of the time he hosted a hotdog eating contest? He and everyone that participated had stomach issues for weeks!” food fight said with a slight chuckle. “And also, hot dog thought that it was some sorta sacrificing ritual or something. Yeah, he ran from us for weeks.” upon hearing that, Scott gave a soft chuckle. “What else do you guys do other things other than protect Skylands?” Scott asked. Scott and food fight kept talking as they were starting to warm up to each other. To be continued.

[the-fourth-knower]

Golden Encounter (Skylanders)

So I wrote a short Skylanders fic for @aquillis-main, featuring her OC Rex having a run in with Golden Queen. Enjoy!

Notes: Skyopolis is sort of like, metropolis from Spyro 2. But Skylanderfied. This takes place before the arrests of the Doom Raiders. This is set in Aquillis's Skylanders AU!

It was another night in Skylands - the same as any other night. And all was well in the city of Skyopolis. Insects chirped and hummed, sky cars trundled along the streetways, the late night bars hummed with music and activity, and peoples of all types and species roamed the streets.

Some were on their way home after a long shift at work. Others were among the homeless, trying to make their way in life. Others still just enjoyed the night air. And then there were those with mischief on the mind. Criminal, even.

One such criminal - a rather diminutive, scrawny thief - looked down upon a warehouse from his vantage point. He watched the guards stomp around on their patrols - Mabu of course. Slow, clumsy oafs. He wasn’t scared of them.

Supposedly, the warehouse housed a powerful - and therefore valuable - staff within. Somewhere. And apparently a lot of gold bars, but as nice as those were, Rex couldn’t exactly make off with them. And while staffs were often tall and hard to conceal, well. That’s why you steal at night.

The thief wore a cloak over his body and head, obscuring both. In the shadows of the night it would have been hard for most to make him out anyways - aside from his boots betraying his silhouette.

And right now, he was focused on a window left open - none of the guards even bothered to watch it, or even glance at it as they walked by.

Amatuers.

In one swift movement, the thief began jumping down the building he stood on - stair ways making for convenient platforms to jump from one spot to the next. In no time at all, he was in the warehouse.

Thank you, careless security guards, for making my job waaaaay easier.

Now that he was inside, he just need to find the right crate - and with luck, he’d be making off with a very valuable artifact.

Maybe a few gems if he was lucky.

Thowmp.

Before the thief could process what just happened, he was on his ass in the floor.

Shit, a guard! Damn it!

“Hey! Watch where you’re uh…”

The guard in question was completely frozen, encased in gold. Terror etched over an unmoving face, save for the eyes. Which looked down at the thief with what can only be taken as either a “Get out while you can” or a “Please help me.”

Rex pushed himself away, colliding with a crate and making it shift slightly as he did. An avalanche of plushies toppled down onto him, despite his best efforts to swat them away. Even then, he was still focused on the grisly sight before him.

“What the fuck-”

“Looking for my Goldmancy Staff, I presume?”

A woman's voice, deep in tone, attracted his attention, and he turned to look - only turn his head away again from sheer, overwhelming, eye searing brilliant lights.

“Gah!” He raised his arm up, trying to block whatever was casting off light - or reflecting. Just barely, the thief could make out a tall figure - the source of the light. And worse of all, the woman had the staff!

“Well, too bad. It’s back with it’s rightful owner, little thief - oh. Well now,” the woman was approaching now, her footsteps heavy and metallic. “I must say, I certainly did not anticipate on running into you so soon.”

“Wha- what are you talking about?” The light was now directly over him, as the figure leaned down.

“Alexander Desmond Fae. Or, as you’re more commonly known as in our circles. Rex.”

“Uhhhh…yeah?” Was it just him, or was the light finally calming down.

It in fact was - Rex could finally make out the woman before him. And it was a literal statue. Of gold. And rather royal looking - complete with an elaborate crown vaguely resembling a scarab.

“I am the Golden Queen. And I’ve come to make a proposition to you.”

Golden Queen? As in THE Golden Queen? …Shit.

To say Rex did not anticipate running into the owner of the staff was an understatement. In fact he was pretty sure she had been jailed? Clearly not, though.

Right. Don’t panic Rex. Just talk your way outta this.

“Well uh, that’s pretty forward but uhh…I’m, already taken.” 

NOT LIKE THAT.

He braced to get turned into a golden Rex - but instead was met with a peal of laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha! Silly boy - I have but one love, and that’s gold. No, hat I’m proposing is a business proposition.”

Business proposition?

Rex, carefully, extracted himself from the pile of plushies and stood up on his feet. After a quick gulp, he forced his body up straight.

“Okay. I’m listening.”

“I’m putting together a crew of the strongest vagabonds, thieves, and ne’r do wells in all of Skylands. I’ve already found someone of all elements, except for one. Magic.”

Queen tapped her staff on the floor, pointing a finger at Rex. (And almost making Rex break his illusion of confidence.)

“Which is where you come in. Your feats of thievery are something of a legend among the more, impressionable commoners so to say. To pull off stealing from the Skylanders Academy? A miracle!”

Queen leaned in close, almost coming face to face with Rex - only prevented by Rex’s status as a short boi (something that he was no actually pleased to be for once.)

“But we know better, don’t we, Rex?” Queen poked Rex’s chest, just below his heart. “The key to your success is the bountiful magic swirling inside of you - like a wellspring of gold creating a river of shimmering majesty.”

Queen stood back up, turning away as she strolled past the unfortunate Mabu guard - Rex dimly noticed that there were in fact several Mabu statues around.

“With you on my crew, there will be nothing and no one who could even hope to stop us - not even the Skylanders. We’ll have it all - everything else for you and the others, and all the gold for me, baby!”

Queen turned back around, facing Rex.

“So what do ya say, Rex. Are you in? Or, are you,” Queen thumped her staff against the floor this time,“out.”

Rex fidgeted in place - how to give a proper answer without ending up a golden Rex? He was too young to be statuefied!

“Uhh. Well, I got my own crew, ya know? So uh. I can’t, I can’t just jump up and leave them right away… Soo, uh. I’ll consider your offer, Queen.”

“Need time process it then, eh? Well, I understand. My beauty is an imposing presence after all - I’m not surprised that it’s overwhelmed you. I’ll allow you the time you need to decide.”

“Umm, yeah. You’re absolutely cor-”

“BUT. Consider your answer well - and when you will answer. My invitation will not last forever.” “And I will have all of Skylands’ gold. Whether you’re privy to the rest of the riches, is entirely up to you.”

“Oh, and I’ll be taking the gold here, thank you.”

With a whistle, a crew of trolls slid in -from where Rex had no clue. With precision, they cleared the gold out of the room in no time - including the guards!

“So long, Rex. And make sure to have your answer when I meet you again.”

And with that, Golden Queen made her exit. Rex was left alone in the now otherwise abandoned warehouse. It took him a few second s more, but finally he let out the breath he’d been holding.

“Craaaap. Dang it, now what am I gonna bring back…”

He turned around, and saw the plushies.

…it wasn’t much, but it’d be easy to bring back to the others. He might need to explain why he came back with plushies of all things - but hey, a good thief makes the best of everything

[beastenraged]

About your kh story idea of SI in Ventus's body. The one who doesn't know KH. Can you give some snippet? Or just raw ideas? Cause I just like this oblivious person being dropped sideway into KH, causing confusion everywhere.

Yeah, let me just shove some stuff I’ve written under a readmore. 

Note: It’s set in the space between DDD and KH3. I’ve also moved up some events that I’m pretty sure happen either during KH3 or right at its beginning for...reasons. Also, using my usual worldbuilding extra for lulz. 

Out of (Anime) Body Experience

My room’s cold. Frigid. 

The heater go out again? Third time this month, stupid landlord...

I smack my lips, hand reaching up to rub at my face. No blankets, probably pushed off by my active sleeping. Sleeping I would like go back to, fuck the cold. 

Feels awfully hard for my bed. 

I snort and roll over. 

Only there for to be nothing to roll onto. 

WHACK!

“Fuck!”

That hurt! The floor is super hard. Not great for smashing your face against. 

I peel myself off and sit up, rubbing at my sore nose. 

Wait...that hand. Not my hand. 

And the rest of me? I look myself over. This isn’t right at all. 

My new clothes are a mismatched black and white mix, and seem kind of small for some reason? Tiger-like stripes (scars, maybe?) stretching curling around my arms, my wrists, in a pale brown. Hair’s not in my face, should check that out...

My fingers brush the top of my head. My hair...it’s all pokey. Spiky. Naturally, no gel needed apparently. Could be a really bad case of bedhead, but bouncing the hair with my head...it stays in the same spiky shape pretty stubbornly. 

“What the hell.”

Okay...everything is anime. Why is everything anime? Am I dreaming?

I glance behind me at my “bed.” Not a bed at all, but a white throne. Chain patterns surround it, on the walls and floor. 

Also, a pressing problem: what the fuck was my new body doing sleeping on a throne? That’s never a good thing in a story. Implies some sort of special destiny whenever it happens. A special destiny that does not belong to me, stranger of this body. 

Maybe my surroundings will provide me with some clues. 

First observation: everything is very...white. A neon, eye blinding white. The white of mad scientist laboratories from fiction. Possibly real life too, don’t you need stuff to be white to see if blood and shit gets on the floor?

...actually, that’s my second observation. My first is that I’m anime now. 

Another point of interest: do I know what anime? If it is an anime, I guess. Can’t tell without a mirror, unfortunately. 

Well, can’t see my face at least. I reach up and tug a chunk of hair down into my field of vision. 

Blond. Bright blond. 

...

Well, that told me...not a lot. Blond’s the usual tropey thing, isn’t it? Probably makes me a...possible protagonist. Not good for my future health and wellbeing. 

If this is an anime, again. Still don’t know that for certain. 

This shit’s way too weird for me. 

Need a breather. 

I sit down on the throne again, for a spot of thinking. Shiver as goosebumps race along my new skin. 

My fingers drum against its arm. 

My list of facts so far: 

-Room is white. Very white. Also cold. 

-No bed. Just a probably symbolic throne. 

-Anime hair, anime clothes, anime body. Not my body. New. Also short?

Also. Probably, possibly a dream. Doesn’t feel like one, but...who knows for certain? 

“Gotta find a way out.”

Won’t that be fun...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

I shield my eyes as I look over the building I’ve just vacated. 

A...castle. A weird Alice in Wonderland, on a bad acid trip type of a castle, pointy green roofs everywhere. Not a speck of white to be seen, unlike the entirety of its interior. 

A castle. Huh.

“That explains the throne.”

Better not be a prince, new body. I don’t have any idea how to run a country. 

My current surroundings are gray fog-mist. Everywhere. 

No landmarks, other than the castle. 

My chest heaves. Great. Time to pick a random direction and walk. 

Everything keeps looking the same even after who knows how long I’ve spent walking through the shitty fog. 

Probably magical or something like that. Meant to protect the castle most likely, from people finding it. 

Really inconvenient to me, trying to leave the castle. 

I groan and pop my back. I better not get stuck here for-

Wait.

A shiver runs across my back. A someone-is-watching-me kind of shiver. I turn and there’s...

There’s someone about my size standing in my way. 

Wearing a black coat, and a strange faceless helmet made of a pitch black glass. 

Yeah, this guy is clearly some sort of villain. 

Whoever you are, I dub thee Mr. Helmet. Nah, Dark Helmet. Better reference.

“Hey, Venty-Wenty. Fancy meeting you here,” a pretty roughed up male voice grinds out. 

Huh, that's a derogatory nickname if I’ve ever heard one. Also a clue. 

Apparently this body did belong to someone else at some point. Someone who this guy has a derogatory nickname for. 

Venty-Wenty. 

...

Oh God, please let this body’s name not be a type of coffee. Please.

Fishcake was bad enough. 

Dark Helmet seems to be expecting an answer of some sort. 

I really don’t have enough information nor the desire to pretend to be someone I’m not. Straightforward it is. 

“Who’s that?”

Dark Helmet doesn’t seem happy with that, moving more into my personal space. 

“...did you forget again?”

Again, an important clue. My body reacts before my head does, shoving the guy out of my space. My mouth follows after. “Back off.”

A choke of a laugh. This guy needs some cough medicine or something, stat. “Venty-wenty, I can’t do that.”

Okay, enough of this. 

“Look, I’m not this guy you’re looking for and frankly? I don’t give a shit.”

I turn my back on him. Have my own answers to look for, away from this dude. 

Look, I know, I know, dumb mistake on my part. Hindsight 20/20. 

Catch a swish of something smashing towards me, in the corner of my eye. 

Dark Helmet’s already displayed a temper. A dislike for whoever owned this body before me. Why wouldn’t he attack me from behind?

With a fizzle of something that jitters in my veins, I twist and my hand stretches out. 

CLANG

The strange weapon Dark Helmet’s using clashes against some kind of sword, cold metal suddenly appearing out of nowhere in my hand. 

A sword that- 

Wait. 

Wait just a damn minute-!

I know what kind of weapon this is. You wander around long enough in any anime or video game adjacent part of the internet, you learn at least about the kind of weapon I’m currently using to keep myself from getting a severe case of stabbitis. 

A Keyblade. 

“Shit, Kingdom Hearts?!” I blurt out.

Dark Helmet moves his helmet head closer to me. Enough to catch some of my puzzled blue--eyed reflection in the black glass. A head tilt of some sorts, maybe? Can’t see his expression, makes everything harder on my part.

“What?”

“Shit, fuck. Just ignore that.”

I press back with my “Keyblade.” My body somehow manages the rest, doing some kind of flick that pushes me away from the masked guy. Out of his reach. 

A state of being that doesn’t matter much with video game mechanics or any kind of anime stuff. 

...Wait, is that something I have to worry about? Food for later thought. 

More importantly, Kingdom Hearts! I don’t know anything about it, other than the Keyblades and shadow monsters called Heartless and there’s Disney characters!

The main character’s either...Riku or Sori? Can’t remember. 

Definitely not me. 

...Considering I’m currently going up against what is most likely a minor villain of some kind, that doesn’t actually make me feel better. 

My face screws up in a scowl. “Go away, got it? I don’t want to fight you!”

“I’m going to beat some sense into you, Ventus.” Dark Helmet lifts his own Keyblade into some overarching attack stance, like the one Obi Wan always uses in Star Wars. 

Finally got a name. But...got a fight too. 

Of course it’s going this way. 

It’s totally anime, shounen anime at that. Fighting solves everything, right?

Great. 

I’m no Naruto though, able to pull off a talk-no-jutsu. Just...try not to die, I guess. 

I sigh and attempt...to do something. I don’t actually know real fighting stances, so I hope the position my new body has fallen into automatically will do me some good. 

Dark Helmet makes a hissing growl noise and goes right into it. 

Time for one last word. 

Perfect for the situation, I settle on, 

“Fuck!” 

(>.<)

Don’t really want to go by my real name. 

What can I use instead? 

...

Not one of my most recent handles, even if they can’t access 

Well, there is that really old internet username I used back when I was a dumb Spyro fanboy on the edge of middle school wandering through forums I probably shouldn’t have been going through. 

sparxbestfriend11.

Or an actual name out of that...

“Sparx.”

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: The Rogues Gallery of the Powerpuff Girls

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

There are few rogues galleries I hold in higher esteem than that of the Powerpuff Girls. Aside from Spider-Man, Batman, and Danny Phantom, there are few heroes who can claim to have a more colorful and creative set of foes than the crimefighting superheroines of the city of Townsville. Previously I’ve talked about their archenemy, the wonderfully devilish Mojo Jojo, but they have a lot of other great villains worth talking about… so, why not just talk about all of them at once?

This one’s gonna be a little different, and will be divided into two sections: MAJOR ANTAGONISTS and MINOR ANTAGONISTS. Major antagonists will be villains that the girls fought most frequently, while minor antagonists will be notable one shot villains and lesser foes.

MAJOR ANTAGONISTS

These are the foes that the girls face most frequently in the series, and the ones that will likely come to mind when you think of the show’s rogues gallery. Aside from Mojo Jojo, and according to TVTropes, the major antagonists from the series are Him, Fuzzy Lumpkins, the Gangreen Gang, Princess Morbucks, the Amoeba Boys, Sedusa, and the Rowdyruff Boys.

Motivation/Goals: The major antagonists all tend to vary in what exactly they want to do, but they all have one thing in common: their motivations are broad enough that they can fit into a wide variety of plots. Him is the best example, because his goal tends to be a vague mix of “take over the city/world” and “be an absolute dick,” which leads to all sorts of battles such as the bad future where he rules the Earth or the episode where he sends the girls out on a series of ridiculous riddles as part of a bet with Professor Utonium to see if he has to pay his full tab at Him’s pancake restaurant. Considering Him is supposed to be a stand in for Satan himself and is the ultimate evil of the show (even if his power level doesn’t always reflect that), it makes sense he’d constantly be doing crazy, tricky schemes like this.

Of course, not all of these villains are massive threats like Him; others are simply nuisances, like the Gangreen Gang, who just love going out and committing crimes for the fun of it in between their leader Ace moonlighting as a member of the Gorillaz. While they are still dangerous, they tend to be motivated to do things just because they find it amusing, like when they snuck into the mayor’s office and crank called the girls into repeatedly harassing the other villains. Then there’s Princess, who is basically just a snotty superpowered bully who decided to turn to a life of crime because the girls wouldn’t let her become a Powerpuff Girl. She’s motivated entirely out of jealousy and spite, but she never really rises to the level of a truly world-threatening threat, though she did almost screw up Christmas one time to the point Santa decided to slap her on the permanent Naughty List. The final major antagonist who falls into this category is Sedusa, who true to her name, seduces men. That’s… about it. She also has prehensile hair.

The Rowdyruff Boys are kind of a mix of being super serious dangers and just being jerks, as they were created by Mojo to be the opposite of the girls and so have all of their powers but none of their good qualities aside from maybe their love for each other (which they rarely show, but it’s there). They’re mostly just jerks and love to cause chaos, but sicne they have all the same sort of abilities as Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, they’re a lot more dangerous than the typical foe would be, and that’s not even counting the fact that their two “dads” are Him and Mojo, which means they have the cream of the crop when it comes to bad role models.

The last type of major villain is perhaps the funniest, because these are the villains who are just so bad at being evil that it’s comical. Fuzzy is a lighter example, as he’s not exactly bad at being evil; he’s just more not evil to begin with unless provoked or manipulated by other villains. He’s entirely content to just sit about at his shack, strumming his banjo, but if you piss him off he’s gonna grab his gun or a big old rock and cause some mayhem. The crown emperors of being failure villains, however, are the Amoeba Boys. These guys are the most utterly inept dumbasses you will ever see, a group so utterly bad at being bad that no one in the show is able to take them seriously. Since they are amoebas, albeit rather large ones, they don’t have the mental capacity to do much more than the most petty of crimes such as – GASP! - standing on grass when there’s a sign that says not to! Or even… LITTERING! Those fiends!

Performance: Tom Kane portrays Him, and alternately is able to make him hilarious and terrifying. It’s pretty amusing to think that the guy who played Professor Utonium and Mr. Herriman is capable of playing such a messed-up villain (ok, maybe not so much for the latter, Mr. Herriman was wack).

Fuzzy is portrayed by everyone’s favorite Trump supporting Pooh bear, Jim Cummings, and that good ol’ ragin’ Cajun accent he’d use in The Princess and the Frog and Zombie Island fits this southern hick quite well.

Ace, Big Billy, and Grubber of the Gangreen Gang are voiced by series MVP Jeff Bennet, who manages to make all three characters very distinct and unqiue in their voices, capturing the lovable oafishness of Billy and the smug leadership of Ace very well, and obviously whatever it is Grubber is doing. Lil’ Arturo and Snake are Tom Kenny, though the former was in his first appearance voiced by Carlos Alazraqui, which means twice now Tom Kenny has usurped Alazraqui in a voice role (the other time being the title character of the Spyro the Dragon franchise). Tom Kenny, being Tom Kenny, does a great job.

Princess and Sedusa are both voiced by Jennifer Hale, but I’m gonna be honest, neither of them are my favorite roles. Princess just has a really shrill and unpleasant voice - which is the point, mind you, I just don’t love it. Meanwhile, Sedusa is just forgettable.

The Amoeba Boys are Chuck McCann, and he gives all of them the exact sort of goofy, cartoonish Chicago gangster accent you could hope for, though each boy has a distinct voice. The other boy group, the Rowdyruffs, are voiced by Rob Paulsen for Brick and Boomer (the man behind the legend that is Carl Wheezer) and Butch is Roger L. Jackson (Mojo Jojo himself). As can be expected, the RRBs have very distinct voices, though I can’t say they’re quite as memorable as the characters they’re directly copying. 

Best Episode: So yeah, this time instead of individuals scenes, I’m highlighting the very best episodes of the various foes of the Girls. First, let’s get the obvious one out of the way: if we’re talking altogether for Him, Fuzzy, and Princess, their appearance alongside Mojo in “Meet the Beat Alls” is just utterly hilarious, ESPECIALLY Fuzzy’s rock, their breakup bickering, and just how they decide to come together and cause chaos. As far as villain teamups go, you can’t get better than one that is nothing but a constant string of Beatles references (though they lose some points for not drawing attention to the fact that Him is based on the Blue Meanie from Yellow Submarine).

Individually, for Him, it really depends on what you’re looking for, since he’s a very versatile villain. If you want him at his best and most serious, “Speed Demon” is the way to go, as it shows a bad future where he has completely won, which goes a long way towards establishing him as the single most dangerous enemy of the girls. But if you want funny Him, well, “Him Diddle Riddle” is an absolute riot which leads to one of the most shockingly ridiculous punchlines in the show. It’s a real treat.

For Fuzzy, I’d say his main series debut “Fuzzy Logic” is a great solo showing, firmly establishing the character and how he has changed from the initial pilot. Fuzzy is an amusing character to be sure, but I feel his best showings are in ensemble pieces, which is why I say his debut is his best work.

For the Gangreen Gang, the obvious answer is, of course, “Telephonies,” because this is them at their most hilariously petty. They just sneak into the mayor’s office and crank call the other villains, and in the end, the day is saved! ...By Mojo, Fuzzy, and Him. Even the narrator is baffled at this one, but you’ll probably be laughing too hard to care about that.

Princess gets one of the best Christmas specials ever with “’Twas the Fight Before Christmas,” where she scams Santa into giving her superpowers while every other kid in the world gets coal. Of course, the Girls don’t take this lying down, and Princess gets the most awesome comeuppance ever, courtesy of Santa: she gets her name carved into the Permanent Naughty Plaque which has such notable figures as Adolph Shicklgruber, who you may know better as fucking Hitler. That’s right, Santa came right out and said Princess Morbucks is as naughty as Hitler is.

The Amoeba Boys have their main series debut, “Geshundfight,” which does a firm job of establishing these guys as such utterly incompetent morons that you can’t help but love them. It also establishes that these guys could only ever be a threat by complete accident. It’s good to see the boys got better after the girls threw them into the sun in the “Whoopass Stew” pilot!

Sedusa has “Something’s a Ms.” While Sedusa herself tends to be a rather dull antagonist, this episode rules and is her best appearance for one reason and one reason alone: we get to see Ms. Bellum kick ass. Hell yeah!

“Custody Battle” is the best appearance of the Boys because, let’s face it, having Mojo and Him argue over who has the right to be called their dad (Mojo Created them, Him resurrected them) is absolutely hilarious, and a great use of the characters.

Final Thoughts & Score: Alright, let’s go one by one here:

Him

Him is easily the best of the bunch and, aside from Mojo, is the definitive Powerpuff villain. I think part of it is, much like Mojo, Him is capable of being a hilarious jerk or a genuinely intimidating threat in equal measure. You get showings where all he does is try and make the Professor pay a full tab on his breakfast or give everyone tooth decay or even just hang out in his house and do some aerobics, and then you have episodes where he decimates the earth in the future or torments the girls in their dreams. He kind of really fits a lot of the old folkloric tales of the devil, where he could be anything from a prankster to outright malicious, for all it’s worth, and being based on the Blue Meanie certainly doesn’t hurt either. He’s just a very fun character who fits into so many different situations, and so he easily gets a 10/10.

Fuzzy Lumpkins

Fuzzy is an odd one, because as I mentioned earlier, he’s not really a true villain in the sense that he goes out and commits crimes for the sake of it like the others. He’s more of a chaotic neutral force than anything, who goes on angry rampages or gets swayed over to the dark side whenever the mood suits him. It’s kind of interesting how he was a smarter and calmer character in the pilot, where he invented a gun that could turn things into meat… but in the show proper, he’s just a dumb, irritable hick. While he’s certainly not the best member of the rogues gallery, there’s something charming about Fuzzy, and I definitely love his design and voice; I think he gets a 7/10.

The Gangreen Gang

These guys are some of the more enjoyable antagonists in the rogues gallery despite typically not being a huge threat. I think, really, that’s what makes them so fun; they’re a lot more low-key and just in general more prone to just being dicks than doing anything on the level of Him or Mojo. They’re the fun kind of villains where you don’t ever really need to take them seriously, to the point you can fully accept their leader Ace joining the Gorillaz, which is a thing that actually happened in real life and it’s amazing. I think that alone is enough to edge these guys into a 9/10.

Princess Morbucks

So out of all the major antagonists, I think Princess is probably my least favorite, mostly because she’s just a snotty, entitled, rich little brat. That being said, I’m not overly opposed to her, nor do I hate her; I really can’t hate a character that Santa Claus deemed is the moral equivalent of Hitler. I can’t stress enough how much I love Santa came right out and said “Rich lives don’t matter” and just slapped this little girl with the most grievous punishment you could give. Overall, Princess functions as a casual reminder rich people suck, and I’m okay with that, even if she’s not particularly high on my favorites. 7/10 is a solid score for her, I feel.

The Amoeba Boys

Idiot villains wish they could be these guys. Literally, as far as idiotic harmless villains go, these lads are the absolute cream of the crop. The fact these are giant amoebas wearing fedoras and talking like stereotypical gangsters and yet are so incompetent they don’t even know how voodoo dolls work and think that littering and standing on grass is the greatest crime of all is just… amazing. These guys are perfect. And yet they are so incompetent and harmless that it’s almost unfair to call them villains, despite how desperately they want to be villains. The fact everyone in the show treats them as a mild annoyance at best really goes a long way to making these guys endearing. They’re certainly not the best foes in the rogues gallery, but I think an 8/10 is a good score for these single-celled suckers.

Sedusa

I’m frankly not sure why she’s considered a “main antagonist” on TVTropes; when I think of PPG villains, she really doesn’t come to mind. Frankly, if she is a “main” antagonist, she’s one of the most boring and forgettable ones there is. Sure, she has a couple of decent episodes, and of course the one where Ms. Bellum gets her time to shine is a classic, but overall Sedusa is just a mediocre villain who doesn’t do enough to stand out among the crowd. I’d say she’s a 4/10. I think if they had gone with the concept from her third appearance where she had all those cool Egyptian powers from the start she would have been a far more engaging and fun antagonist. But hey, she gave Ms. Bellum her time to shine, so I can’t really say she’s all too abysmal.

The Rowdyruff Boys

So… these guys. I’m not particularly sure what to really say about these guys. They’re some of the most popular antagonists the PPG have, and they have great interactions with Him and Mojo. But they’ve never quite struck me as being as amazing as others have hyped them up to be. Maybe I just don’t quite vibe with their concept. All that being said, though, they’re not bad antagonists in the slightest, I just kind of find them uninspired as a concept. It won’t keep me from giving them an 8/10, so don’t worry about that, I just don’t find the idea of evil versions of the PPG to be particularly interesting.

And now we go on to the lesser rogues, the one-shot or minor antagonists! They don’t have the major presence the villains above do, but remember, you don’t have to be a major reoccurring villain just to make an impact; sometimes you just gotta be good at what you do.

Also, this is by no means an exhaustive list; I’ve left off some minor antagonists and probably forgot some, and then there’s some that just don’t have enough info to talk about. Like, I would love to tell you all the wonders of Salami Swami, but there’s just not enough… oh well… let’s talk about these guys. And they aren’t going to have a best episode listed, because… well, they’re minor one-shot characters. By default their best appearance is their only appearance.

Motivation/Goals: Unlike with the major villains, there’s a lot more variety in the one-shot characters, with their goals ranging from simple robbery to revenge to chaos for the sake of it. And yes, sure, their major villains do that stuff too, but they tend to have a solid theme, whereas these folk tend to have one gimmick that they run with for a whole episode before vanishing, never to be seen again. For instance, Femme Fatale is a raging radical feminist; Abracadaver is a lich who seeks revenge for his violent, untimely death; the Gnome is a cult leader who commits mass genocide of other villains so that he can create a utopian society; and Mr. Mime is a mime.

What I think separates them from the major foes is that they have a singular gimmick and they need to really excel at it, because if they screw it up, they’re gonna go down in infamy. Femme Fatale is not a villain who is recalled fondly, for instance, because her gimmick was horribly botched. Meanwhile, characters like the Boogie Man or the Gnome are looked at more fondly because of their silly and cool gimmicks that make them stand out (being a disco-themed monster under the bed and being a gnome with a beautiful singing voice that sounds like a certain lead singer of Tenacious D, respectively).

Performance: Let’s go one by one on these:

The Gnome is voiced by none other than Jess Harnell, who you may know as Wakko Warner or the current (as of 2020) voice of numerous Crash Bandicoot characters, including everyone’s favorite Wumpa-loving title character. They couldn’t afford the real Jack Black, but I think that Harnell does a very impressive vocal imitation of JB, to the point where you’d be forgiven for assuming that it was JB in the first place. The fantastic singing voice is no shock if you’ve ever watched Animaniacs, but boy is it good to hear.

Jeff Bennet may be the MVP of the lesser rogues, as he voices Major Man, Dick Hardly, and Harold Smith. This is quite a variety of characters each with different personalities and goals, so it’s pretty great he was able to give them all the exact sort of vocal characterization they needed to be distinct. On the subject of the Smiths, though,

Femme Fatale is Grey DeLisle doing a very generic voice. Like, it sounds like a less cheerful Daphne or a less evil Azula. I think she may have just been talking in her normal voice for this one? It just doesn’t really have anything to it to make it stand out among her more notable roles.

Boogie Man is voice acting god Kevin Michael Richardson, who has voiced numerous characters I really should do a Psycho Analysis on such as Chairman Drek and Gantu. There’s really nothing else to say here, really; Richardson gives exactly the sort of glorious performance you’d expect for a funky blaxploitation pastiche boogeyman. Talk about black excellence!

Lenny is Tom Kenny. Tom Kenny really does a good job with weird geeks like this, and so what else can I say but he did a good job with this creepy neckbeard. Abracadaver is played by legendary voice actor Frank Welker, who is in literally everything, but who you mostly know as Fred from Scooby-Doo. Much like with Kenny, he kills it in the role.

Finally, our last speaking villain is Roach Coach, and he’s most notable because he is voiced by Roger L. Jackson, who would graduate from this starter one-shot to become none other than Mojo Jojo. I don’t find Roach Coach quite as memorable a performance, but Jackson certainly doesn’t half-ass it.

Final Thoughts & Score:

The Gnome

I think the Gnome is one of the single most fascinating one-shot villains in the series, and not just because “See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey” is a gloriously cheesy rock opera where he gets to be the villain. His philosophies are incredibly intriguing and are sort of the focus of the episode, and his effectiveness is frankly unmatched as a villain; he succeeds in killing every villain in the series for a time. And while he is a bit hypocritical in that he too wanted to rule over Townsville and transforms it into a cult, he does ultimately realize that he was in the wrong and not only graciously accepts his defeat, but allows himself to die to return the world to its natural order, stating:

“"As I descend to the earth and I view the universe above me, I realize that life evolves, revolves, and dissolves completely around the opposites. Therefore, I conclude that I cannot exist in my...utopian...mind."

That’s a low 9/10 if I ever saw one. They didn’t need to go and make this Jack Black gnome in a rock opera such a fascinating character, but there we have it.

Dick Hardly

Dick Hardly is one of the most “love to hate” characters in the show’s entire run, and it’s not hard to see why; he is the lowest of the low, the scummiest scum there ever was. Look at this excerpt from the PPG Wiki, which was a godsend when writing all this up:

“Despite appearing only once in the 1998 series and never in the various spin-offs or the 2016 series, Dick Hardly is among the franchise's most memorable villans [sic]. This is because he's the only member of the PPG Rogues Gallery who has absolutely no redeeming or comedic qualities. Most villains have lines they will never cross. However, Dick is ruthless enough to kill anyone in order to achieve his goals, even his own ex-friends. In fact, he actually manages to make HIM (who is nastier than Mojo Jojo) look like a saint in comparison.”

He’s a slimy, ruthless, unrepentant bastard, and the fact he’s one of the few villains to bite the big one just helps him stand out even more. Throw in his incredibly cool monstrous transformation, and despite his single episode it’s not hard to give this Dick a 9/10.

Femme Fatale

So not to be lazy, but I did kind of do a Psycho Analysis on Femme Fatale back when I did an Episodyssey on her sole appearance. And yeah, I stand by what I gave her there; she’s a 2/10. She’s just a really preachy, obnoxious, and poorly executed moralizing villain. I’m also gonna go out on a limb here and say that she probably hates trans people. I suppose that’s just a headcanon but… come on. Look at her. If this show was TV-14 and came out today, she’d be even less subtle in her contempt for trans people than every episode of South Park that featured Mrs. Garrison. Enough headcanons though; she doesn’t get the lowest marks possible because, quite simply, she has a pretty nice design and her voice acting is good enough since it is Jennifer Hale.

Mr. Mime

Oops, wrong picture.

There we go! Anyway, Mr. Mime is a really cool character with a frustrating resolution. Through no fault of his own, Rainbow the clown accidentally gets hit by a bleach truck and loses his color, becoming the evil Mr. Mime, gaining the ability to sap the color and sound from the world with a touch. He’s actually a seriously awesome concept, and the episode itself is good… and then comes the ending where, despite turning back to normal, Rainbow gets the crap kicked out of him and sent to jail, which is strangely cruel for the Girls to do. Apparently they later made amends, because Rainbow shows up at their birthday, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. A 7/10 is a good score for this guy.

Boogie Man

The Boogie Man is arguably the greatest villain in anything ever. He is entirely built around one of the most groan-worthy puns imaginable and plays that pun up for all its worth, being a monster under the bed who utilizes a disco theme to the point he blocks out the sun with a gigantic disco ball. The dude has funky style and if that’s not enough, he’s voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, who gives him the exact sort of voice he needs. The dude is just like something out of the craziest blaxploitation film ever, and he certainly brings the funk to the point where even though he only got one appearance in the series, I wouldn’t hate to bump this guy to an 8/10. What else is there to say but “Blame it on the boogie!”

The Smiths

These guys are just a very funny concept. I kind of like villains who do stuff for the pettiest, mundane reasons, and these guys take it all to the logical extreme. The patriarch of the family decides to dress up in a tacky supervillain outfit to get “revenge” on Professor Utonium because… he envies his perfect life. The rest of his family turn to villainy to avenge him, and are just as pathetic and ineffectual as he is. It’s so funny in a sad kind of way. I think a 6/10 is what they deserve, because while they aren’t particularly effective or groundbreaking, they’re at least good for a chuckle or two. Ultimately though they are a less impressive version of the Nelsons from Minions.

Major Man

Major Man is very interesting because he is very clearly an homage to Johnny Bravo; they’ve got the same hair, the same muscular body type (though Major Man is certainly beefier), the same voice actor! And yet, they couldn’t be any more different. Johnny, as much of a dense womanizer as he is, does have a hidden heart of gold beneath it all and usually means well; meanwhile, Major Man is a self-serving jerk who wants to play superhero. You know, he kind of reminds me of Homelander from The Boys in some ways. Anyway, I think a 6/10 is fair enough for him; he’d get higher if he wasn’t such an interesting concept for a major villain relegated only to a one-shot appearance. He’d have been a better entry in the rogues gallery than freaking Sedusa, for instance.

Abracadaver

So I wanna know how exactly this one got by the censors. This guy is unrelentingly dark, from his origin (he died onstage in front of a crowd which included children) to his absolutely ghastly appearance in which it is very much clear he is decaying and rotten. I honestly kind of love him, despite the fact he only ever appeared once, mostly because I can totally understand why they never used him again. This dude might actually be too scary. I’m giving him a solid 8/10, because I just love how unrelentingly dark he is. It’s definitely a low 8 since he never appeared after his initial appearance (for good reason!), but damn if he isn’t effective and memorable.

Lenny Baxter

Lenny is actually kind of impressive. On the surface, he’s just a gross, exaggerated take on Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons and loony dudebro manchild fans, which is all well and good, he’s pretty effective at being a “take that” and has stood the test of time pretty well/. But, I think what truly makes him memorable is the fact that he actually did manage to capture the Girls and would have won if not for the meddling townsfolk. Then of course there’s the Professor’s wonderfully tranquil takedown of Lenny’s ideology:

"Let me tell you something, Lenny. You may have all of the toys, all of the merchandise, all of the so-called “collector’s value.” But one thing you don’t have, Lenny, is true fandom. For a true fan wouldn't want to selfishly keep the girls to himself. A true fan would want them to be free."

I think that for a disposable one-shot villain, Lenny is surprisingly relevant even today. I think he deserves a 7/10, though obviously he’s not a very high one because ultimately he is just still a normal (albeit very greasy) guy.

Roach Coach

Look, not all villains are created equal. This guy? He’s not too impressive. Sure, he predicted the ending to Team America, and sure, he made a Papa Roach reference, but frankly I don’t think that’s enough to really elevate him into being an impressive one-shot villain. I’d say he’s a 4/10. He’s not lower because he is the starter villain, and his voice actor would go on to bring us the much better and more memorable Mojo Jojo. We all have to start somewhere, right?

The Robbing Leech

This guy is probably one of the freakiest one-shot villains in the series. Unlike Abracadaver, there’s literally nothing explained about this guy. There’s no origin, no explanation, he doesn’t even talk, and hell, the guy might not even be human at all! We the audience are never clued in, and the guy is never seen again, so we’re only left to ponder what exactly this guy is up to. I don’t think he’s quite as disturbing as Abracadaver, but he’s certainly got something going for him in terms of mystery; a 5/10 is fair enough. It would have been neat if they explained something, but I guess he’ll just have to be one of those riddles for the ages. We will never truly know how and why this man was capable of giving people the succ.

And just when you thought it would end...

Salami Swami

Ok, did you honestly think I was going to miss the opportunity to talk about this guy? His name is SALAMI SWAMI. And look at him! He controls MEAT! He only ever appeared once in the episode “Slave the Day,” where his mighty meat powers are no match for the appetites of the reformed Big Billy (formerly of the Gangreen Gang). But like… LOOK AT HIM. The idea and concept and literally everything about him is just so patently absurd and creative that I’m legitimately angry I didn’t come up with it first. He never spoke a single word, but he still managed to find a way into my heart and mind. Can I legitimately rate this guy who had a single joke appearance in the show? Damn right I can! 6/10, baby! If he appeared more or defined his personality a bit better I’d rank him higher but, come on. SALAMI SWAMI. Sometimes all you need to be great is a really incredible, stupid gimmick. And Salami Swami has that in droves; hopefully we can meat him again someday, and he can reignite his beef with the girls while remaining inextricably linked with sausage. 

Ok, I’m done. Goodnight everybody!

[commenter2]

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart trailer analysis

For those that haven’t heard yet, Insomniac Games has released a trailer for there new Ratchet & Clank game yesterday, called Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

I don’t think I need to say how excited I am for it but I’m going to anyway. IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS GAME ! For those that haven’t heard about it yet, here is a link to a video showing the trailer for the game as well as gameplay of it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsnG-3-r6-Q

The game looked so amazing that I did na analysis of the trailer last night and thought Id post it on my Tumblr page for anyone to read. HUGES spoilers ahead. Also I apologize or the spacing as for some reason I can't separate the paragraphs any longer then they are now.

First is the trailer

First off we get a shot of the amazing animation of the game till Ratchet & Clank drop in, literally, but did they just come out of a dimensional rift ? This has to mean the Dimensionator has to be involved in this somehow. We then see another amazing example of the games design and graphics of what looks like planet Sargasso (which would be cool to go to again) till Clank brings up how they need to get to something, the Dimensionator maybe ?, till he is distracted by an Antropod/Terratrope followed by another rift releasing robots shooting at them and though I’ve seen the trailer already, I quickly got a Dr. Nefarious vibe from them.

Then something unexpected happens as Ratchet RIDES the bug and uses it to take down the robots ! Now I haven’t played Spyro in years but that charging attack reminds me a bit of the charge attack Spyro uses in the games, did anyone else think that? If that was on purpose then its nice to see that Insomniac Games still remembers there roots which gives me comfort with them making awesome Spider Man games in the future without worrying about them ignoring there Ratchet & Clank fans.

After some animal handling gameplay, Ratchet and Clank are thrown into a rift and we see a series of shattered pink/purple glass images of places only for them to quickly grind and slide though two planets, maybe existing ones at the night one kinda looks like Veldin while the city one could be Metropolis or Meridian City, with Clank saying the dimensions are weakening which again backs up the idea of the Dimesinator being involved.  I do want to say that during the quick grind rail segment, the Grind Boots looked much better in design compared to there previous appearances, which were kinda lazy in my opinion. I hope this means they and the Gravity Boots will be different in appearance instead of in color. I should also say it shown that you can DOUBLE JUMP while grinding, which is a cool small change for the iconic mechanic.

We then see Ratchet ride another animal, this time with wings, on planet Torren IV which though I’m not 100% sure I think I saw a Hoverboot boost pad. Could the Hoverboots be in the game ? Before I continue I want to say the idea of Ratchet riding and controlling animals is a really awesome idea, not only would this be an interesting twist to combat in the game but it would also be another interesting way to travel throughout the levels, which Id be ok with doing IF the Hoverboots aren’t in Rift Apart.

Either way this ends quickly as Ratchet & Clank hop to another planet, a new one according to them but again teleport to planet Ardolis where Ratchet fights robot pirates (AWESOME) who are dealing with a creature. I wonder if Captain Slag and Rusty Pete will be in the game ? During a fight we see Ratchet uses a new weapons, specifically a new BLASTER like weapon that has a rapid-fire feature, which I am thankful for cause I couldn’t take another game with the Combuster.

The fight quickly ends as the explosive barrel explodes and Clank gets thrown through a dimensional rift and is separated from Ratchet, NO ! but also AWESOME cause it gives a A Crack In Time like vibe. The hype is then taken up a notch where its revealed that Clank is on a planet run by none other then DR. NEFARIOUS, Clank saying they are to late, meaning those robots at the beginning WERE his and he is somehow causing all of this, maybe.

Speaking of which Im not sure how I feel about Dr. Nefarious being the main antagonist of ANOTHER game. Don't get me wrong he's still an awesome character but it would also be nice to face a new villain for a change, plus it makes me nervous that this could mean Nefarious could be defeated once and for all which could ruin a big part of the story of the R&C trilogy finale I made some time ago.

HOWEVER I think we can all agree that the biggest thing about this trailer is that while Clank is calling for Ratchet a blue and gray/white colored female Lombax with a robotic arm appears wondering who Clank is talking about, which again gives off A Crack In Time like vibes and…..she’s carrying a hammer ? A bit odd since Lombaxes are affiliated with wrenches but its still an amazing idea. Then we get the name of the game which though I hate to say, the text makes it looks a bit bad as its looks poorly rendered especially at the "and" section and what’s that thing between the words Rift and Apart ? Is that a dimensional rift ?

Other then that the trailer is amazing.

Now for the gameplay

So Marcus Smith does confirm some things about Rift Apart like how this will be a full length game and how those things teleporting Ratchet & Clank were dimensional rifts that will allow them to teleport form planet to planet which though cool its goanna be a bit sad not being able to use Aphelion in the game, I wish she could have more speaking roles in games as she IS one of the last few things from the Lombaxes.

He also says that the new graphic allows them to put something called ray trace reflections on Clank, which along with some other people I’ve seen, I agree makes him look really odd. Hopefully before the game comes out they fix this by toning it down  and maybe add a bit of white in there like his older appearances. He then says that the planets are denser with new creatures and that Ratchet has a new arsenal, which sounds perfect to me. He then states that R&C is close to the company’s hearts and can’t wait to show more of it, which again gives comfort.

We get to the gameplay and immediately were introduced to a new mechanic where Ratchet uses a gadget called the Rift Tether to go through a yellow rift similar to that scene in Avenger: Infinity Wars where (spoilers) Thanos uses the stones to pull Dr. Strange closer to him, pulling the area around him towards him in the process. We then see Ratchet fight a Thug for Less enemy, which is cool but not surprising since there were many signs that this game would make references to there other games and this is confirmed seconds later where we see Ratchet fight some Sandsharks. We also get to see several new species of aliens here.

During the Sandshark section we do see a NEW comet strike as unlike in previous games the Omniwrench is thrown diagonally and it looks like it returns to your hand faster. I feel like this change was done for the new female Lombax as I feel like she can do the same thing but since her melee weapon is a a hammer, it wouldn’t really work (or make since) if thrown horizontally, and it would be confusing to have two character with two different ways of throwing there melee weapon. Though I’m not that big a fan of changes I don’t really mind it, heck maybe its a one time thing.

After some more chaos like a giant tentacle creature coming out of the portal, similar to the one in the trailer, and what looks like an Ultra-Mech Unlimited crashing through a walkway Ratchet and Clank were in we get some interesting content in the next cut. One is Ratchet saying something about “break reality” again telling reality is coming apart because of theses rifts, quickly followed by Clank saying Dr. Nefarious has come out of hiding after years of hiding to take over the universe again which means that this IS a post Into The Nexus game, as I’ve seen some people debate about if it is or not.

We get another new game mechanic during the fight with some thugs. It seems that Ratchet can now jump to his left or right in order to avoid incoming damage by using a thruster on his boots, could this mean the Hoverboots are really in the game but are damaged ? It would be cool if during the game Ratchet & Clank or Ratchet goes to Azimuths house on Torren IV to find something about the Dimensionator but also find a part needed to fix his hoverboots thus letting Ratchet use them to get around, especially if the part of the trailer of Ratchet and Clank getting separated IS true.

Were also introduced to new weapons here. One is called a Shatterbomb, the bomb glove weapon, The Enforcer a shotgun like weapon and the Burst Pistol which is the blaster shown in the trailer and would explain its rapid fire ability. The most interesting weapon shown so far is the Topiary Sprinkler, a weapon that when thrown forms into a sprinkler that can project plants around it and shoots out a stream of water that can stop enemies in there place, plus I bet the plants around it is a form of defense system to protect the sprinkler for a time.

The gameplay ends with Ratchet destroying some Robomutts and going though a hallway where a statue of Dr. Nefarious or a mech in his image can be seen but also there is a moment where a purple energy ways rushes through the surrounding areas, just like in another R&C game but that’s for another post, no spoilers now.

Wow that was a lot to write but that’s because there was SO MUCH going on in theses trailers and I’m pretty sure I missed some things. I’m already working on a theory on what’s going to happen in this game, which will most likely come out during the weekend so stay tuned for that.

What were your thoughts on the trailers ? What was your favorite moment in them, and did you noticed anything in them I didn’t talked about ?

[ladala99]

Spyro Reignited Countdown - Spyro the Dragon

Hey, as someone who only owns a Switch of the current console generation, and as someone who grew up playing Spyro on the PS1, I’m super hyped for the return of the dragon!

And I thought up yesterday, what better way to do that than by reviewing every Spyro game I’ve played.

Well, I’ve played... *counts* 22 Spyro games. Counting the 3DS ports of Skylanders games which are different enough to talk about separately.

Alright divide the number of days left until it comes out and...

Uh... one every two days, huh? Guess I better get started! (May space them out or have bonus comparisons/recaps at the end to deal with the extra days)

Spyro the Dragon

The first Spyro game! Also the first video game I ever played. One day, when I was 3, my dad plopped me down in front of the Playstation, gave me the controller, and started up some demo disk. The first one on there was this game called Spyro the Dragon, and he told me what the buttons did (since I couldn’t read the screen that told you), and let me play.

I told my mom about it (divorced parents), and we rented the game from Hollywood Video. *She* played it. She loved it. And I loved watching. And pressing buttons on a controller put into slot 2. I had a fancy Barbie controller. I don’t know what eventually happened to it.

Eventually the Hollywood Video lost the disc and we bought it for ourselves. We were renting it every week, anyway. I remember us going up to the video game counter and my mom going “We’d like to get this game, it’s about a dragon...” and I shouted “And he’s purple! And his name is Spyro!” I loved him so much.

Now I didn’t play through the entire game myself until I was a teen, but unlike any other game, I did see the ending as a kid because my mom was able to make it through the game, into 100%. It’s a series we bonded over, and I have so much nostalgia for it. I can’t wait to play it in Reignited and see what she remembers.

Anyway, stopping with the memories and onto the review! It’s just... really hard to be fair for a game like this. I have too much nostalgia related to it. Honestly, though, that’s the case for a lot of the series.

Gameplay

Spyro the Dragon is an early 3D platformer. Despite being early, though, it controls really well. I’ve played a few others from that era (Croc, uh... Crash? Maybe not a few) and none of them control quite as well as Spyro does. Spyro is extremely responsive, stopping and starting on a dime.

You have two attacks, spitting fire and charging with your horns. The latter can be used to move quicker, but you don’t turn as sharply when running. When to use each attack is well-conveyed, as large opponents are immune to your horns, but weak to your fire, and opponents with a shiny metal shield are the opposite. There’s a few enemies immune to both, but they can be beaten by ways that are broadcasted well.

Collectables

One of those ways is the dragons. There’s three main collectables in this game: Gems, Eggs and Dragons. Gems are everywhere, Eggs are only in a few levels, and Dragons are placed in key locations in each level. The Dragons are I suppose the main collectable, but all three are needed for progress. Dragons in particular also double as tutorial and lore pieces, as each tells you something when you free him. They also all look unique, with each of the five species having their own general look and each individual having his own textures. I go into a lot more detail in this blog post. This really makes the dragons in this game stand out amongst the series, as no other collectables are nearly as unique.

Gems I don’t really know what to say about. Many collectathon platformers have collectables like them: something spread around every level so you need to explore the entire play area. Gems are special in that each one has a different value: red being 1, green being 2, blue being 5, gold being 10, and purple being 25. And this spread shows approximately how common each was, with the lower values being more common and spread around, and the higher values being rewards for going into more out-of-the-way areas. Collecting them is satisfying, especially in larger amounts. Just watching the numbers spin is one of the highlights of this game, especially at the end of the bonus level.

Eggs are special. They come from chasing down blue thieves, which are the most annoying enemy in the game. Sure, now I can get them in one try, but back at the beginning the ones that don’t have a full circular path were the most annoying things, since if you got to the end, they’d just jump out of reach and taunt you.

Powerups

There’s two main powerups in this game: Superflame and Supercharge. Both have a couple of levels that use them extensively.

Superflame definitely is the weaker of the two. You get kissed by a fairy, turn red, and then for a limited amount of time you can use your flame breath to destroy metal objects and enemies. In the two levels it’s in, there’s an enemy you specifically need to use it on: the terrifying spiders and the enchanted suits of armor. The thing is, Superflame otherwise looks and works exactly like normal flame, just is usable on more things. While it’s cool to get the limitless one in Haunted Towers, overall it’s not a very memorable ability, and is improved dramatically in the sequels.

Supercharge you get from charging over lit arrows, and it enhances your charge to work on larger enemies and makes you go really, really fast. It takes a bit to master, but once you do, it is a very satisfying skill to use. Too bad none of the levels in this game have a limitless track to use it on. The levels that use it use it in very creative ways, including the one where I’m not even sure how you’re supposed to know the path you’re supposed to take. It really spices up the gameplay, to the point where Tree Tops feels like an entirely different game. And if you know me, you know that I love games that spice up the gameplay.

Bosses

The one weak point of this game is its bosses. They’re basically normal enemies, just with a slight gimmick. And that gimmick usually involves a large battlefield where they will run away from you. It does make you feel powerful: after all, they’re running away from the fire-breathing dragon attacking them. But at the same time, they offer very little challenge. The only really interesting one is Metalhead with his electric-guarded power generators, but even then, it’s not like he can hit you or anything unless you’re standing completely still. And the final boss is only hard because of how many holes the stage has in it. Not at all because of Gnasty. He’s still the most likely to directly hit you of all the bosses, but that’s not saying much.

Levels

The levels are all themed to their world, which is pretty neat, but does get repetitive at times. Still, it made each world feel more real.

Speaking of things feeling more real, something I’ve noticed is that Spyro the Dragon doesn’t fall into the same pitfall of having platforms that are just platforms because this is a platformer. Every piece of land is connected to something, oftentimes even in Dream Weavers which is literally floating islands. Moving platforms are caused by wizards, dangerous platforms are caused by Gnorcs zapping them, and often random platforms in the middle of the level are themed to it, like the stumps in Beast Makers.

The game progresses from easy to hard very smoothly, adding more gimmicks and platforming challenges as it goes along. This is also shown by the Gnorcs getting more competent as the game goes along, beginning with no weaponry in Artisans, getting cannons in Peacekeepers, electricity in Beast Makers, and finally machine guns in Gnorc Gnexus. Too bad Gnasty never learned to use a gun.

Story

Gnasty Gnorc turns all the dragons into crystal for insulting him on live TV. And if you read the instruction manual you learn that he hates gems because he hates his own reflection because he is too ugly. Really, there’s not too much here, but that’s not the point of the game. At least it’s not a save-the-girl plot. You don’t really see save-the-adults too often.

Unique in the Series?

Truly what makes this game unique is the fact that it’s completely platforming-based. No minigames, few gimmicks, just the entire game is platforming and collecting stuff.

This comes with a lack of real NPCs, which many people find makes the game lonely, but I don’t mind at all. It’s definitely a different feel from later games, but it’s not in a bad way.

Also something I’m surprised is unique to this game is the fact that many of the secrets involve going onto parts of the level that look like they should not be accessible. You glide onto the surrounding hillsides in Stone Hill, you climb up nearly-invisible steps in Terrace village, and you use the walls that look just like random scenery to fully explore Misty Bog. This type of thing isn’t used in future Spyro games, and rarely (if ever?) in video games in general. Truly a unique experience that has since turned me into an accidental bug hunter because I keep trying to get out-of-bounds just in case in other games.

Conclusion

All-in-all, Spyro the Dragon is tied for my favorite video game of all time with its sequel, Spyro 2. I compare everything I play to these games. They’re just the standard. I love them. Nostalgia-bias? Maybe. But despite there being a few flaws, I can’t really find fault when I play it. It’s too fun.

[shadowdragonlost-blog]

Spyro Reignited Wishes; then Skylanders Academy Predictions (Then More Game Stuff)

I decided to do something really stupid, and try and post about three different things in one post because I guess a really long read is something that nobody has complained about yet. I am sorry in advance for the nightmarish amount of text you will see, and tell me not to do this in the future if you’d prefer one thing at a time. I will probably avoid doing this again in the future. I am sorry in advance, and I tried to mark the transitions from one topic to another heavily so you could just skip to what you want.

1. ———-With the Reignited Trilogy coming closer to being just around the corner; everyone who isn’t an original series Nazi — an original series fan that believes that just porting the original series to the PS4 is the only thing that can be done with this series that isn’t punishable by murder — is really exited to get their hands on the Spyro that predates all other Spyros. With that exitement however, many people have come to hope for and even beg Toys for Bob for any reveals on any of the new features they could’ve added, and hope that the Reignited Trilogy is getting all of the love that the N’Sane, and from what we’ve seen so far; from being in development for over two years longer than the N’Sane Trilogy because it was actually being developed at the same time if not early than the N’Sane Trilogy started to having revamped cutscenes and a reactive development team that gives what the fans ask for through hard work, the Reignited Trilogy seems to be receiving more love than the N’Sane Trilogy.

This love that is being given to the Original Spyro has given many of us a list of things that we may have come to hope for or expect (or hate the idea of if you are an Original Spyro Nazi). My list of wishes are as follows:

•Playable Cynder and/or Ember: First thing, because Crash had an extra playable character added for after the game was beaten, this is then followed by the Original Series having had done this before in later installments, and is made more likely through being probably THE MOST REQUESTED THING OF THE REIGNITED TRILOGY BY FANS OF THE LEGEND SERIES. So yeah, may actually be a thing.

•The addition of deleted content: Crash obtained his stormy ascent, and Spyro likely had many worlds that were removed due to either difficulty or time constraints, and as much as all files on the original series were lost by Insomniac, it’s original developers could definitely tell them about deleted content and abandoned ideas.

•A Crash Easter Egg?: Spyro and Crash were best friends after all, so having him show up in an Easter Egg or level could be pretty fun.

•Keeping the Adaptive Difficulty Algorithms: This one is more so one of my hopes for this Trilogy. The Original Spyro Trilogy was technologically ahead of its time in way more ways than one (outside of being two years late to the 3D Platforminng Genre), one of these wonders of technology that this game boasted was how its enemy AI would actually adapt to how good you were at the game, making it absolutely brutal for the pros of the series, and extremely easy for those who struggled with it more often, so every player would actually witness different levels of difficulty for each boss and enemy.

Even though Crash Bandicoot is difficult to start with and understand the full extent of its physics, all of its characters and bosses followed set paths, and for someone who is experienced at playig Crash Bandicoot, and has memorized the boss-paths; it is actually really easy to do a zero-deaths run of any level, boss, or even the entire game after having had played it before. Each of the Original Trilogy Spyro games would actually become more difficult the better you bacame at the game; requiring a more in-depth knowledge of characters and levels by a long-shot if you plan on beating the game without a single death, each of the enemies starting to react within periods of time that aren’t possible for some random player to just pick up and play against. So as much as people talk about how hard Crash is for them, they’re forgetting that the original Spyro trilogy was only easy for them because they sadly (and bluntly) weren’t probably that exceptional at playing it, and also probably because it does begin at an average difficulty level that was designed for anyone to just be able to play; so a lot of people probably didn’t have the difficulty raise too much for them. But yeah; I want the Reignited trilogy to show off one of its technological marvels that people today probably wouldn’t even try to develop or implement in the greatest of AAA games.

<TRANSITION>

2. —————As one of the many people who enjoyed Skylanders Academy, and really payed way too much to the lore of it and similarities it showed to the stories of other Spyros, I have a few predictions for season three that I can pretty much guarantee and would maybe even be willing to bet money on with the confidence and evidence that I have for these. With the Third season being released a month after the Reignited Trilogy, the fall of 2018 will be the season of Spyro. But keep in mind that I have avoided leaks, so any of this could’ve been leaked or disproven without my knowledge.

•A Bloodlines Episode: As much as that episode will not be called Bloodlines, their will most-definitely be an episode where Malefor and Cynder will be having some father daughter time (in the middle of Cynder being pissed); while Eon reveals the truth about Spyro and his history to the rest of the Skylanders; all while Kaos tries to have some father-son moments with Strykore. This episode will entail why Malefor hates purple dragons so much, and him telling that story to Cynder (which will 100% reveal that Cynder’s mother was a purple dragon; who probably died protecting the core of light from all of the dark-form purple dragons, or became corrupted as well. I can guarantee this because of Cynder’s color, her retaining her dark purple scales even though Malefor never corrupted her with Aether in this series, he’s just a black dragon who cares deeply for his biological daughter; so with him being black; Cynder’s mother would have to be purple. So that is definitely a reveal to look for). Though this reveal of Cynder’s mother will likely then be followed-up by a Dark Spyro visit (just because individual episodes tend to have themes that they stick to, and Spyro is convinced that Malefor knows how to find his family, and will definitely show back up to find out).

Stealth Elf and the other Skylanders will probably end the episode determined to find a way to either bring the purple dragons back so they could save Spyro (knowing how he’ll be looking for them), or they will either abandon Eon and his cause for having had lied, or forgive him and prepare to fight Strykore and Kaos to the bitter end. This may also include Eon revealing his relations to Kaos, but if so then this episode may be the forst or second one of season three.

Kaos will likely fail in trying to have his father spend time with him, and will hold that deep in his heart to be triggered later; pushing him to turn against his father when it is needed of him most; either making him worse than his father was, or and antagonistically-neutral character at the end of season three (which may be the last season)

•Saving Spyro: This one is the more complicated part of predicting season three, and that is because there are several ways in which it could play-out; each with similar or different saviors.

Cynder saves Spyro: The case behind Cynder being the one who saves Spyro can be seen heavily from all of the similarities that their relationship in Skylanders Academy has compared to the relationship that The Legend Trilogy Spyro and Cynder have with each other. But there is a twist in that, in every similarity in this relationship, the roles have been reversed between them. So Spyro’s because you have left me nothing to fight for scene can become Cynder’s; since he was the only thing that really gave her reason to be a Skylander. There is also the fact that she is likely a half-breed purple dragon, meaning that she would actually have light to give/bring to him in his darkness. Making her the most-ideal character to save him if the stick to their legend series references and self-established lore of how light works in their own series. Their is only one other character who could fit this role as well as Cynder could, and that is before considering how Cynder is the only character who has lived on both the sides of bad and good, and she learned and accepted how she could be a Skylander in spite of being groomed to be evil. She of all characters knows that anyone could be saved, and if they really want to sell the reflections of the Legend Series; they would have her stop at nothing to save him, this may force her to face both the Skylanders and Strykore though. Hell; she may even join with Kaos for a time just to try and get close enough to be able to reach Spyro.

Cynder saves Spyro when he visits Malefor: So dark Spyro will eventually visit Malefor in season three if not the other way around. Cynder will be in Malefor’s custody when that happens; meaning that she will definitely play a large role in the endgame. So how this will go will be; Spyro likely gets violent, one way or another it becomes a duel between him and Cynder in which she either loses or refuses to fight, does either the inversion of the Legend series Dark Cynder Spyro fight from DotD, or she uses her light to purify him knowing that she’s a half purple dragon now, or a mixture of both. This will either leave Cynder in a weakened or ill state forcing Spyro to apologize and find some way to bring her to the core of light, or she’ll be fine and the story will continue.

Cynder saves Spyro when he his fighting at the core of light: Similar to the last one, just theyre all at the core of light and Spyro and Cynder end up alone in the battle one way or another, repeat all thr stuff from the last one and bam, Spyro is himself again.

Cynder and Stealth Elf save Spyro at the core of light battle: Since Stealth Elf is Spyro’s best friend in this series, just pair up her value of Spyro and desperation to likely save him with the stuff from earlier revolvin Cynder and you’ll have a saved Spyro with two of the most important if not the two current most important people to him there by his side for him to apologize to and finish the final battle.

Stealth Elf saves Spyro: Stealth Elf is Spyro’s closest friend, so with that being a main theme; Stealth Elf alone is a candidate to save him, not as ideal as Cynder and Eon, but she can. She might use water from the core of light, but otherwise the power of friendship is all I can really say.

Stealth Elf at the core of light: Just read the one before, and You’ll know why this is the only location that Stealth Elf alone will be able to save Spyro, because the core of light is the only place where she can restore his light, her not being one of the three beings that just has pure light within them.

Spyro’s Skylander team saves him: Because of the themes of family within this show, the team that traveled with Spyro throughout Skylanders Academy is really the most expectable group for the show to use for anyone who doesn’t Overdose on researching and studying the lore of series like I do. They are a great candidate provided Skylanders Academy wants to just plot-armor the word “family” over all of the lore and character forshadowing that the developers did throughout the first and second seasons. It will still fit the themes of Skylanders Academy though.

Spyro’s Skylander team saves him at the core of light: This is the only area where the team detailed earlier could save Spyro in a lore-friendly way without the help of Cynder or Eon.

Eon saves Spyro: A lot like why Cynder will probably save Spyro, Spyro’s internal struggles are 100% Eon’s responsibility, and he is one of the three characters that we have seen who is a being that contains pure light (Spyro, Cynder from her mom, and Eon); so he would be a great light-giving candidate, but there would be a price to that. Master Eon (as we saw in season one) cannot expose himself to darkness on a great scale, and cannot expend his light without falling deathly ill. So if we wanted an Ignitus in Skylanders Academy who wanted to do right by Spyro even if just once, Eon would likely sacrifice himself to restore Spyro.

Eon is killed: This doesn’t need an explanation, Eon either dies from sacrificing himself, or he is killed by Strykore or Spyro.

What I believe will happen: Knowing the themes of family and friendship; while also keeping all of the Legend Series themes and concepts that are apparent and repeating in Skylanders Academy. Spyro’s team will likely try to save him, but will either fail or give up thinking that he may be too far gone. So they will likely start to relentfully view him as an enemy. Then will come the involvement of either Cynder or Eon to save him; I can almost guarantee Cynder will be the one to save him, because Eon likely shouldn’t die, and also because Cynder is the only character in the series outside of Spyro who has walked on both the dark and the light, and possesses a very unique knowledge of how one can choose to be evil, and can be saved from that, so she will likely either give him her light (some or all, either could happen), after having to either face him with the Skylanders, or face the Skylanders to be able to get him to open up to her enough in his dark form. But yeah; she’ll definitely be saving him; I want to go out on a limb and say that she’ll have to abandon her father and the Skylanders in the process; while also facing Kaos. Of course this series may not go that far, but I’m going to say that will happen, because that will enable Spyro and Cynder to save all of Skylands with Stealth Elf and the rest of the team helping as needed if they aren’t incapacitated, but it will also reflect a very specific condition that I will explain right below this.

•A large part of Skylanders Academy was how it had its own twist on the Legend of the Purple Dragon, in the Legend Series, Malefor and Spyro were Eternal (meaning cannot die at all), and in Skylanders Academy spyro had invulnerable scales, and both Spyros are said to have many more powers. But there is one confirmed power of the Legend Series Spyro that is known by fans as Convexity, and by the game files as Aether. It is one of the many powers that Spyro possesses in the Legend series that makes him as rediculously powerful as he was at the age of fourteen in Dawn of the Dragon (that and being unable to die), but his Aether powers had one twist to them; they were able to be accessed through a balance between dark and light; his dark form being a result of losing himself to the darkness of his heart and emotions and being overcome by dark Aether (along with his critically untreated depression that he only had a hold over with Cynder), but there was no real side-effect of being overcome by light and light-related emotions, unless if love overcoming him with light is what roided his heart into repairing the planet. It was also this power that he used to purify Cynder and restore her at the end of A New Beginning. Meaning that Cynder in Skylanders Academy could maybe even unlock this power; if not use it to save Spyro.

If Skylanders Academy was to use a twist on that power to defeat Strykore, then they would be bringing a lot of their lore full-circle, most of Spyro’s lore in Skylanders Academy being a modified version of the Legend Series Spyro’s lore after all, but the only question is; what would they change about Spyro’s Convexity/Aether powers before revealing them in Skylanders Academy? Cause if they kept them how they are now; then Spyro himself would never be able to use them outside of a few set circumstances; with Aether powers requiring a balance between darkness and light where Spyro is always either a being of 100% pure light or 100% darkness he would never be able to use them unless if he was able to becoming a being of both dark and light. Though with Aether being the one superpower that by its own nature should be able to accomplish anything; it will likely be required to save the Skylands. But there is one gem of a character who fits the requirements for Aether as they were in the Legend Series, and that gem is Cynder; with her mom being a Purple Dragon and her father being the ruler of the underworld; she would be a being of perfect balance between darkness and light by birth and nature. That would make her the perfect candidate to save the Skylands or even Spyro with her Aether powers. She could even try to restore Spyro with her light, which would then place either both of them at 75% dark 25% light, or she will abandon all of her light to save him; leaving Spyro at the perfect balance needed to save the Skylands, but then he would have to clutch a Cynder as she either falls to darkness, or fights desperately to remain herself; then Eon could show up and sacrifice his light to both restore Cynder to her perfect balance and bring Spyro back to 100% percent, or he could leave spyro and cynder at perfect balances and stay at a 50% light 50% neutral state, and then the series will likely end with Spyro either rejoining the Skylanders with Cynder, bringing Cynder with him to save the purple dragons if not going alone, or leave the Skylanders and become a guardian figure of perfect balance between darkness and light either along or with Cynder who shares the same description. Who knows; I’m just babbling on about what’s possible with the lore of the series.

<TRANSITION>

3. ——————GAME STUFF: I said I would like input on game names and stuff, so here I am asking. The game that you’ve all been seeing some random map sketches from is the second game on my development list, but it hasn’t been named yet. The inspiration for the games initial idea was actually my frustration with the pokemon series... I was frustrated with all of the limits that the game series placed on everything, from levels to training to even relationship development; so I started to create a Bestiary that had creature stats and growths plotted out heavily, and I have been trying to design personality types and creature interaction concepts. With creatures ranging from single-stage to five-stage creatures with each one being able to train their stats infinitely in their final stage. I wanted all of the evolutions to be locked-out be relationship level requirements at certain stages, and I wanted there to be main character creatures that would be with you throughout the entire game. So I started designing a creature game that will do all of that. I’ve gotten most of the story concepts down and rough story guidelines for individual characters and main-character creatures, but the back-of-game-case-summary will be a little like this: “Join Xavier on his journey through an alternate world with his otherworldy dragonling Fry as he befriends creatures, slays fiends, and tries to discover his purpose in discovering Fry and traveling to Alterium” or something like that. But yeah, it will feature befriending characters and creatures (no capturing); Xavier and all of the player-characters will actually participate in combat with their creatures; even though they will be significantly weaker than their creatures, and you all should expect concept art for this once I’m confident enough to start posting it. So please send me any name ideas that you come up with for this game, and I will ask for approval on any that I may come up with.

All of you have a wonderful night, and tell me what you think about any or everything I may have said here. You should even feel free to comment as you see fit.

[plasticbabyart]

I like to think Spyro talks to his reflection, which is Dark Spyro. His reflection tells him the reality, which he himself has somewhat twisted slightly to be far more sinister than it is.

Dark Spyro is is sub conscious, who knows that the pressure and expectations will lead Spyro to evil on his own. Which neither knows is that Dark Spyro is genetic, he was born as a part of his sub concious from Spyros real Father, Malefor.

Spyros unaware that Malefor fell victim to the exact same situation as him, the only difference is Spyro is emotionally weaker, and is far more frightened of his own power to let the 'Evil' in him do anything.

[tendervulture]

“Trust me, I’ve got a plan/When the lights go up you’ll understand.”

“Cynder, what are they going to do to us? Cynder, ANSWER ME!”

“...”

“Please...”

The Eternal Night Bad End AU where both Spyro and Cynder are captured and corrupted by Gaul and Malefor.

There’s a reason Cynder’s not talking to you, Spyro. She knows what’s up ahead. And last time, it hurt.

Alt. version from my albinistic!Spyro/melanistic!Cynder AU.

Song lyrics from “Pain” by Three Days Grace. This was inspired by all the angsty 2008-era AMVs and comic videos set to it. 

Big ol’ warnings for mentions of #torture and #abuse under the cut, with a good dash of Cynder’s learned helplessness and horrible coping mechanisms rubbing off onto Spyro. Also, me trying to write fanfic with little to no planning or editing. Yikes.

 They both initally fight back and try to escape, but after multiple failed escape attempts  and more than a few days of torture via dark magic, sleep deprivation, and starvation (all par for the course when you’re captured by The Dark Master’s and his servants), they both begin to break down. Cynder’s lived through these kinds of situations before, and she knows it’s only a matter of time before Spyro either gives in or they snap and kill him. And if Spyro dies, that is Bad. He’s pretty much the only thing holding back The Dark Master’s forces, and really, the only thing that can fight against them and win. And they both know escape from Malefor’s clutches is possible, even after 12 years of conditioning-she’s living proof.  And she’s escaped before, hasn’t she? There’s no reason to think that Spyro can’t do the same. 

But none of that will matter if he dies here. Better to bend than break. And so she tells him to do everything they say for now, to pretend to be whatever they want him to. She tells him to just follow her lead.  The entire world is counting on this. If Spyro breaks, the world breaks with him. So she does her best to comfort him and keep them both alive, but it keeps getting harder and harder as their training to become Malefor’s war machines starts ramping up. They would treat him better and give him more freedom (and more opportunities to escape) if he just did what they said. They just need to hang on a little longer.  Besides, they can always escape later, right? Right?

He looked to Cynder for any signs of what was going on, any answers at all as to what was going to happen to them. Cynder had fallen silent and was now passively following behind the procession of apes and turning wherever the tugs of the chain took her. The baleful glow of a light reflected off the walls of the tunnel, and he sensed that something deeply malevolent was waiting for him in the bowels of the mountain.

Cynder seemed resigned to her fate, but definitely acted as though she’d known where they were going from the beginning. What was up ahead? Where were they taking them? What did she know that he didn’t? Spyro had a sneaking suspicion about what was about to happen to them from what he’d seen in Cynder’s book, but he desperately looked to her for any indication he was wrong. 

Unfortunately, Cynder looked to be steeling herself for whatever was around the next couple of corners. Spyro’s frantically pounding heart dropped to his stomach for the upteenth time that day. That was never a good sign. “Cynder”, he whispered, “what are they going to do to us? Cynder, ANSWER ME!”

“...”

Cynder said nothing, and turned her head away. She couldn’t meet his eyes. There was something she wasn’t telling him. 

She couldn’t tell him. If she did, he would fight them every step of the way, kicking and screaming, and now was not the time. They needed to bide their time, no matter how long it took. They needed to sit down, shut up, and bear it for the time being. Keeping their heads down would be their best chance of survival. Gaul had an iron will, and the Ape King would hammer them into whatever weapons they were ordered to be whether they liked it or not.  She felt sorry for Spyro. He had never known what it was like to be in constant pain and fear all the time, and had always been used to being with authority figures who loved him and treated him with respect. He would find none of that here. Would it truly be better for him to die free rather than live and be abused into becoming a monster? It would be less painful if he just did what he was told. He wouldn’t get hurt. It would be easier on him that way. Best he didn’t know what was coming. Knowing what was coming just made it worse. Spyro was getting desperate now.

He hoarsely whispered, “Please...”.

[overcomeadversity-archive]

The Catalyst of Ruin [Death Meme Response]

It had been one year since Devon had died, much to the shock of everyone who knew it. It wasn’t that a legendary finally claimed his life as their trophy or something simple as him dying from illness or old age. His death was unexpected and sudden- it had been a murder. Hearing the news was  a surreal experience, as everyone knows that everyone dies eventually- yet when it was someone you were used to being around, it didn’t feel real.

“I suppose I should wait to have a medium summon your spirit to talk with us, yet with how this year has been going, I doubt even I would be able to collect all the people effected by your death to sit and speak with your spirit.” Rex said in a somber tone looking down at Devon’s tombstone, seeing the engraving of ’Legendary Battler. Legendary Friend.’  His faithful partner, Spyro, the powerful Arcanine, resting and whining as he sniffed Devon’s graveside. 

He scent was gone. Just like his spirit.

Crossing his arms, Rex continued to speak as if Devon was right there listening to him in the flesh. “That nurse you loved? Nora, I believe her name was? She said she wouldn’t rest until your murder was found and made to pay for what they did to you. What they stole from you as well I suppose, since you never did get to battle every last legendary, did you?”  He let out a bitter laugh. “If Arceus had killed you, I think everyone would have been able to cope with your death better then they are now.”  He paused to reflect on all of what he heard.

“Supposedly Nora managed to get Interpol to investigate your murder case, on top the regular old police force assigned to your case. The authorities are even getting additional funding from the Devon Cooperation in order to use every resource they can to find your killer. I have a few buddies who are Interpol, shame you couldn’t really get to meet any of them. Though all three keep me informed on the manhunt. Kantos, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh and Kalos are either having their resources used to fund for murder investigation or having their regions turned upside-down to find clues.”

Spyro perked up, barking to indicate he was looking for the scent of his master’s killer as well. “Renee and I have been training in order communicate with your spirit directly. Nix in the mean time has strive to keep your legacy alive by spreading the tales of your glory over the legendary pokemon you did defeat. Looks like you’ll go down in history. Something you always wanted, right?” He gave a small half smile.

“Keep this between us, but I heard rumors that Nora is working the Indigo and Hoenn champion to find Dialga. I believe they may be looking to reserved time before your death and save you or something else. I  won’t judge or stop them. Since Friends of yours are looking for Celebi to do the exact same thing. Like I said, if you had to a legendary,, we all could have accepted the loss of you better.” He frowned.

“You can’t fulfill your promised you made to me dead you know. If you think you can get away with this cope out of an excuse, you are mistaken. Xreneas still is awake in this world and if they can’t revive you, we can find another pokemon who can, like Arceus himself.” He laughed while Spyro looked at him curiously. 

“Normally I’d scold you for upsetting the natural order of things if you told me you’d plan to anything like that. Yet, grief does have a profound effect on people. What’s the saying? Death changes people? Rather your death caused  acahnge in the world for the better or worse, I’ll leave to Arceus himself to decide.” He gave Spyro a head pet before turning to leave. 

“After I get Spyro back to Ava, I have a date with the life deer you said you were going to deck in the face…”

[the-chubbiest-dumpling]

Endings and Beginnings: Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Guns and Dance

Summary: You’re just an ordinary 25-year-old photographer working in a small studio in downtown Toronto. Your life is as normal as it could possibly be, except the fact that you are given an opportunity most people only dream of.

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 6748

Warnings: Swearing. There will always be swearing.

A/N: Totally thought I posted this chapter.

Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Epilogue

Tags: @shamvictoria11

You notice a change in Bucky's behaviour whenever you practiced for the dance. He's more compliant, confident, and... Smiley. He tells Sam and Steve to suck it up and deal with their situation. Steve is surprised while Sam is just plain annoyed. You, on the other hand, are delighted. You never thought Bucky would be the one to crack first. Steve? Most definitely. Sam after him, and Bucky trailing behind. It's a sheer surprise that Bucky's the one ordering Steve and Sam around. Must be his old Sergeant days coming through.

Today is no different. You're all sporting your workout clothes, sweat already seeping through. It's a hot day today. Even though you can turn the A/C on at any moment, you choose not to. It's a simple way to make them suffer. Yourself included, but that's besides the point. To be honest, you love seeing their bodies glistened in sweat for less than innocent reasons.

"Okay, one more time! From the chorus! Five, six, seven, eight!"

You count out the beats to make it easier for them to follow along, and slow down a little for their feeble minds. They're getting better at it, Bucky especially. You do it again at normal speed, and they hardly have any trouble with it. The song is almost completed; the worry for you now is whether they're going to remember it or not. They have the video, but you guess you could always send them a video of them doing it right now. You secretly have F.R.I.D.A.Y. recording it for professional reasons, watching their movements, seeing what they're doing wrong. Nowadays, you watch them for pure enjoyment.

You decide to take a breather and let them rest. Not like they need it. They've been through a lot worse than this, but it's to spare your ears from their complaints.

"You guys can either rest or go train for half an hour," you say, stretching your hands over your head. "Or, god forbid, you can keep practicing. But come back at the end."

Sam and Steve immediately go to the weights, while Bucky lags behind to stretch. You sit on the ground cross-legged, breathing in deeply. Meditating with Sam, Steve, and Bucky in the room shouldn't be so bad. There's no music, but the clanging of metal could be distracting. Taking the chance, you close your eyes and begin to concentrate.

It's not long before you wince because Sam and Steve are being so loud. Even Bucky popping his bones is irking. But you suck it up and try to clear your mind anyhow.

"What're you doing?"

Now your mind is flooding with thoughts on how to shut people up.

You open one eye and look at Bucky, hunched over his knees and staring at you. You sigh and close your eye again, straightening up your back.

"Meditating," you say.

"Isn't it a little loud for that?" he points out, looking behind him to stare at Sam and Steve.

"Not if you try hard enough," you reply. "I'm pretty good at zoning out when people talk, so I have no problems this time around."

Bucky nods, rolling back and forth, smacking his mouth. Your eye twitches at Bucky's little noises, but you don't give in. You can easily block this out. No big deal. When you peek through your eyes, you see Bucky cracking his knuckles and his neck. Now you're wondering if he wants something.

"Do you need anything, Bucky?"

"Hmm? Um... Actually I. Uhh. Do you think–"

"Come ooon. Spit it ooout."

"Can you help me with the steps?" he asks shyly.

You smile and turn your head away, trying not to snort. He sounds like a kicked puppy, and his expression is hilariously adorable. You take pity on him and nod your head.

"Sure."

You stand up, him following suit. You ask F.R.I.D.A.Y. to get the video back up again, and then turn around to face Bucky.

"So which part do you need help with?"

"The part after the chorus."

You skip the video to that part, nodding your head in understanding.

"Ahhh okay okay. I got you. F.R.I.D.A.Y., you know what to do.”

You turn back around and stand by his side so he can see you better. You go slow, letting him get used to it again before picking it back up to the normal pace. His footing is the problem, you notice, so you go through that with him without all the arm movements. He tries to watch your feet, but he can't help but look at your face. He's half paying attention, half zoning out. He wants to learn this dance and get it over with, but you're more than a little distracting. Why? He doesn't know.

"Bucky? Bucky, are you listening?"

He snaps out of his thoughts and looks at you. He nods hesitantly, but you know that he's lying.

"Okay. Do what I just did." You feel like a petty school teacher, but if Bucky really wants to practice it he's going to have to learn the hard way. Bucky does the moves after the chorus instead of what you just showed him. His footing is almost there, but it's just proof that he wasn't listening.

"Bucky. I know I have a pretty face, but please watch my feet."

It takes every muscle in your face not to smile when Bucky widens his eyes and looks towards the floor. You're not being vain; you're just telling it like it is and being more confident in yourself. Getting into position again, you go through the steps with Bucky, this time with more success. Steve is eyeing you two from his little corner, a mischievous smile spread across his face.

“I don’t like that look,” Sam says as he notices Steve’s newfound happiness.

“I’m just smiling,” Steve says as he looks at Sam with his arms crossed.

“Yeah, but it’s a creepy, ‘I-know-something-you-don’t’ kind of look,” Sam explains. “Stop it.”

Steve blows his lips and picks up his weights again. Sam looks in the direction where Steve was smiling, and he sees you helping Bucky with the dance steps. He scrunches his nose at the sight.

“That? You’re smiling at that?” Sam says in a mockingly judgmental tone.

“What?” Steve laughs. “I can’t smile at something like that?”

“You can smile at whatever you want, Cap,” Sam says. “But why are you smiling at them? The fact that Barnes is willingly practicing with Spyro? Or that Barnes is failing hard? I think it’s pretty hilarious. Actually, I–“

“I just think it’s nice,” Steve says, cutting off Sam. “Nice to see him smiling.”

Steve begins his reps again, leaving Sam to stare at Bucky as he tries to keep up with you. You laugh when he trips up again, which in turn makes Sam smile. He sighs and shakes his head, now thinking like Steve. He hasn’t completely warmed up to Bucky yet, but if he’s smiling because of you… He feels like a proud dad in that moment.

“Alright. Okay. I am done. Finished. You’re on your own.”

“_______, I’m trying, I swear!”

“Well, currently, you’re going to do better than Steve and Sam, but your coordination is terrible!”

“My coordination is fine!”

“Fine my ass! You’re gonna have to get Sam and Steve to help you. Even though I’m doing this too, maybe your testosterone buddies can do a better job than me.”

Bucky finally shuts up at the “testosterone buddies” comment, simply because he’s trying so hard not to laugh. It’s very true, but the way you said it has him dying on the inside. He holds his hands up as if in defence and begins backing away.

“Fine. Have it your way.”

You sputter your lips as he walks away with that stupid smile on his face.

That smile really suits him.

You’re definitely going to enjoy watching that video later. It’s sure to bring a smile to your face for countless nights when you’re feeling a little melancholic. As Bucky returns to his workout regimen, you begin practicing new dances to new songs.

By the end of one practice, you were onto another. This time, it’s much more serious and intimidating. You’re standing in a much bigger room on the second floor. There’s a huge glass window overlooking the driveway, the reflection shining on the marble floors. There’s glass railings on either side of the room, meters apart from each other. Natasha stands in front of you, wearing her suit. You were told by her to wear yours as well, and being a compliant little soldier, you did as you were told. You think you’re just doing combat training again, only this time in your new suit, but Natasha has other plans. And it’s something you were dreading. She takes her gun out of her holster–a Glock 26–and hands it to you.

“You don’t need to look so afraid of it,” she says.

“I can’t help it,” you say. “I’ve never seen one in real life. And now I’m holding one. It feels so… foreign. Like I wasn’t meant to hold it.”

Natasha gives you a sympathetic look as she watches you turn the gun in your hands. She remembers when she first held a gun. It was strange, but she didn’t have time to get worked up over something so little. She instantly got used to it, using them on countless foam targets, until she got to the real thing. She didn’t even flinch.

She takes the gun back from your hands and turns the safety on. No matter how many guns she has, she always has the safety on and unloaded before she takes them out to use. She hands it back to you, and you stare at her with wide eyes.

“You didn’t have the safety on?!” you nearly shout. “What if I pulled the trigger and accidentally shot you?!”

“I didn’t have any worries,” she smiles.

“Why?”

“I know your personality. Mostly. I knew you wouldn’t pull it, even just to test it. You’re smarter than that.”

“That’s a little… Eh, whatever. You’re Natasha Romanoff, so you’re pretty good at reading people.”

She smiles again and backs away from you.

“You’re going to shoot it later today,” she says. “For now, I’m going to show you how to successfully disarm your opponent. Now, put the gun in your holster then pull it out. Use two hands if necessary.”

You nod, doing as she says. You’ve never used a holster either, but it’s easy enough to figure it out. You take it out as fast as you can and hold it out in front of you, using one hand to see how it feels. Your grip is a little shaky, but that’s to be expected. First time holding a gun, you’re not going to be an expert. Within the blink of an eye, Natasha painfully smacks the inside of your wrist and you drop the gun to the floor. You hold your wrist and hiss in pain, looking at her in distress.

“Um… Ouch?”

Natasha picks up the gun and twirls it in her hand. She smiles in victory as you straighten up.

"Is that the only way to do it?" you ask, rubbing your wrist. "Or is it just the most painful way?"

"Trust me," she starts, handing you the gun, "there's methods more painful than a slap on the wrist."

You grip the gun in your hand, finger off the trigger. Safety or not, you don't want to be anywhere near it. Natasha has you raise it again, still with one hand, to show you how she does it. She holds up two fingers, and places them on your wrist.

"If you put enough force on your tendons, they'll retract and open up your hand," she explains. "We're going to learn about disarming your opponent before attacking them. Best that they don't have a gun in their hands when they're trying to kill you."

You laugh nervously and swallow the limp in your throat. If anyone's teaching you this, you're glad it's Natasha. She takes out her other gun and holds it up. You put your gun in your holster, and hold up two fingers with your right hand. You look at your wrist, approximating where Natasha had hers. It's an educated guess at best, so you search her covered up wrist, and slap your fingers against it until you get it right.

Turns out, you don't get it right. It takes a lot of precision to hit the wrist in just the right spot over and over again. It's like hitting the same hole with an axe. It only happens every once in a while. Even after a lot of practice it can be difficult. Natasha has no trouble at all, and she doesn't mind helping you for as long as it takes. She shows you multiple times how to strike the tendons when your opponent's wrist is covered, and you end up breaking two nails from going in so hard. Having a gun in your face didn't make things easier either. After too many attempts on your part, you decide to stop.

"Wanna do something else?" you say hopefully. "Another way to disarm? Shoot the damn thing? Beat someone up?"

Natasha sees the pleading in your expression and gives.

"Okay," she says. "Missions can come at any time, so I think teaching you how to shoot a gun is necessary."

For some reason you're relieved, but you're still nervous about actually shooting a gun. Natasha takes a remote out of her pocket and pushes a button. Three targets lower down from the ceiling behind you. You step back, watching them appear and touch the ground.

"You can work on these for a while," she says. She takes out her gun and a magazine, putting it in place and taking the safety off. She stands a few meters away from the middle target, and you move out of the way to give her some space. She holds her gun up with one hand and shoots three times, all her shots landing in the target's head. "You'll be able to do this in no time. It's not exactly point-and-shoot. For beginners, stance is important, along with how you hold it. Aim is everything, and then follow through. I’ll explain it step by step.”

Natasha does explain everything, right down to a tee. There’s times where she talked too much and then you got confused. You were about to look up “how to shoot a gun” on WikiHow before she made things easier with an example. Herself. You watched her stance, arms, eyes, aim, and follow through. You tried doing the same. It was a little sloppy, your back bent back a few times, but not too bad. You managed to at least hit the target, but not where you desired. It scared you a little when Natasha complimented you after a few more tries. It made you even more ambivalent about guns. You don’t like them, but you’re almost a natural with them? Not exactly what you were expecting, but they’re your best friend now; might as well let it go and get used to it. And getting used to things hasn’t been as bad as you’d originally thought.

You only spent an hour with Natasha on gun handling. At the present time, you’re sitting in your room, watching the video from today’s dance practice. Rather, an attempt at practice. Sam and Steve are mediocre at best now. They’re not as stiff with their arms during the robot bit in the chorus, and their footing isn’t as bad as before. Your only guess about why they still look weird is because they’re lacking the motivation. You cringe as the three of them are confused as when to transition to their new spots. You skip the footage, and play it when it’s just you and Bucky.

Bucky is even more beautiful with a smile on his face. Whatever the reason he’s smiling doesn’t matter to you, because anything that can make Bucky smile is worthwhile, no matter how small it may be. You laugh quietly to yourself as you watch his wobbly legs find their way around the room. He’s not as stiff as Sam or Steve, but he’s still a little rough around the edges. You thought his metal arm would make things harder, but so far, it hasn’t. Despite the fact that the plates have to shift together properly to move his arm, it hasn’t caused any problems for him. None that you can see, anyway.

You save the video away in a new folder named “Bucky and Smiles” for whenever you’re feeling down. You thought about having F.R.I.D.A.Y. record and/or take pictures of Bucky whenever he’s smiling, but that seems a bit creepy and stalker-ish, so you’re not going to do that. This video will suffice for now.

You stand up and stretch, sighing as the bones in your shoulder blades pop. You get dressed into your suit, grab your phone, and head down to the fixed training room. You don’t know if you want to bring your new gun with you, but you decide to anyway to get used to the movement. You tie your hair up and settle your mask on your face before heading out the door. As you pass the kitchen, the lights suddenly go out. You instantly start panicking on the inside. The power could have just been cutout naturally. Or someone else is in the compound.

Instead of the normal lights, glowing red emergency lights come on. That mixed in with the sunlight coming in from the windows and the deep darkness obscures your eyes a little. You hoped that Tony would have actual backup power instead of this. Your heart starts beating a mile a minute in your chest, pounding against your ribcage. You shakily call out, hoping someone will answer. Instead, there’s a loud crack and yell. You toss your phone on the counter and pull out your gun from your holster. You take the safety off, and keep your finger off the trigger for now. You take quiet, hesitant steps towards the source of the noise with your back against the wall. You’ve watched enough episodes of Criminal Minds to know what happens next.

You keep your arms held high, and your feet shoulder width apart as you creep along the wall. When a corner comes up, you take a breath before sharply turning the corner and flicking your gun left and right. You can’t see anything, which doesn’t ease your anxiety at all. One quick look over your shoulder tells you there’s no one in the training room. You keep walking forward, tip-toeing along the way. You can hear heavy groaning a few feet ahead. They sound like they’re in pain. You pray to god that it’s not an enemy, because you don’t think your stomach can handle such a situation.

The groaning is getting closer and closer. You hover your finger over the trigger, and take one hand off to feel where you’re going. There’s a door to your right, which is where the grunts of pain are coming from. You turn towards the door, brows furrowed and breathing short. This is it. Life or death. You outstretch your hand towards the doorknob and grasp it. Right when you’re about to swing it open, two people come tumbling through it.

You scream in fear, and you nearly pull the trigger when you realize who it is.

“Sam?! Bucky?! Honestly, what the fuck?!”

You put the safety back on and drop it back in your holster. You take a step back to lean against the wall and take deep breaths as Sam and Bucky continue to whimper. You glare at them, actually wanting to shoot one of them.

“You guys scared the hell out of me!” you exclaim. “I could’ve shot one of you!”

You slide down to the floor and hold your face in your hands. You just almost shot Sam and Bucky. You would not recover from something like that. Sam is the first to speak up after a moment of silence.

“Sorry, Spyro,” he says weakly, raising a hand in apology. “We busted the electrical panel.”

“We?” Bucky hisses. “You tossed me into it!”

“Only because you were being annoying, Barnes,” Sam snaps.

“So you decide to cut the power to the whole compound?” Bucky retorts.

“That’s enough.”

The sharp tone to your voice makes Bucky and Sam stop their bickering and look up at you. If looks could kill, they’d be dead. You see that Bucky’s head is bleeding, and Sam’s arm has a few cuts on it. Nothing that can’t be repaired.

“You do realize that the both of you are alive right now?” you say venomously. “One, or even the both of you, could’ve been dead a few seconds ago. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

They both look guilty now for having put you through such a panic. Bucky looks at the floor in shame, while Sam scoffs at him and speaks again.

“I’m sorry, _______,” he says gently. “I didn’t think anyone else was here. I didn’t hear anything.”

“You mean we didn’t think anyone was here, and we didn’t hear anything,” Bucky corrects him.

“Oh, so now it’s ‘we’?” Sam says sassily.

“Just. Don’t,” you spit. “Christ. Yell out next time that it’s just a power failure instead of giving me an ulcer. Jesus…”

You know that you’ll have to shoot an enemy at some point, unless you can defeat them using your pyrokinesis first. The whole ominous and do-or-die feeling is still very new to you, given what just happened. Your first mission was just as threatening and frightening; a few nightmares here and there about it but you weren’t scarred. But this time around… it’s too terrifying. It makes you feel like you’re in a horror movie where you know you’re about to die next. It’s not a good feeling.

After a few deep breaths, you stand back up and help Sam and Bucky to their feet. Sam may need stitches, but you don’t know about Bucky. He’s hurt on the other side of his head, opposite to what you treated last time. You begin walking back the way you came in silence, Sam and Bucky still seething. When you enter the kitchen, you feel around for you phone on the counter. When you have it, you turn on your flashlight and shine it in their faces. They shut their eyes and hold their hands up. Clear as day, Sam’s cuts do need stitches, and so does Bucky’s forehead. It’s like a face period.

“Okay, guys,” you say. “Time to go to the med lab.”

You don’t know how to get there, so Sam leads the way with your phone in his hand. You grab some paper towels from the island before you leave and have Bucky hold it against his head. Sam does the same after a glare and some scolding. There’s red everywhere you look since the power won’t come back on for a while thanks to them. You’re still bitter, but you tone it down since it was an accident. Supposedly.

The medical staff is confused as to why the power is out as well, so you have Sam and Bucky explain why that is. You don’t need to be here any longer, so you take your phone back from Sam and begin going back. But one of the doctors tells you to stay so they can see what they’re doing. You sigh loudly like a sassy teenager, and stand in front of Sam and Bucky as the doctors do their good work.

Sam understands how you're feeling. First time you're using a gun for real, and you end up almost shooting your teammates. It’s not a pleasant emotion to be feeling. However, he thinks you're overreacting a bit. It happened a few minutes ago. He's over it. But he's not sure you are.

"Spyro?"

You don't look at him.

"_______?"

You flick your eyes over to him then look away again. That's enough for Sam.

"Look. I'm still–" He stops short when Bucky whips his head around to glare at him. "We, are still sorry about what happened. But don't you think you're overreacting just a little bit?"

"I know."

"I know that it was your first–wait, what?"

"I said, I know I'm overreacting. I had my moment of anguish. I'm over it."

"Oh."

Sam nods his head and hisses as the doctor continues to thread the needle through his arm. You give a quick glance to Bucky; he's staring straight forward, not saying a word. You raise an eyebrow, but think nothing of it. You take off your mask and loop it around your wrist. You think about what would've happened if it wasn’t Sam and Bucky behind that door. You know you would panic, and probably be too scared to pull the trigger. But next time this happens (hopefully not), you're going to be ready for them, and not hesitate. There's no room for people like that in the Avengers.

"What the hell is this?"

Everyone stops what they're doing to turn around and look at the newest arrival. Tony's still in his Iron Man suit; it has a few scratches on it.

"Here I am, thinking I'll be relaxing after that shit show I just had and I come home to this?"

"Well if there was real backup power we wouldn't be in this mess," you hiss.

"Actually, we wouldn't be in this mess if these two right here weren't near each other," Tony says, pointing his finger at Sam and Bucky.

You can’t deny that. Sam still has some bad blood with Bucky, and he just can’t seem to get over it. It’s not for you to judge though. You don’t know what happened. It may have to do with the events that happened in D.C. a few years ago after you did a little research. A few videos showed the destruction of three helicarriers, but nothing really about Steve or Natasha or Sam. Not even Bucky. He was too dangerous to get close to, but some people are stupid enough to do it anyway. It’s the first time Sam met Bucky, so that’s probably where the feud started. You don’t confirm nor deny what Tony says. Everyone in the room knows.

“Well, whatever happened happened,” you say. “Do you know a way to get the lights back on? The electrical panel is roasted.”

Tony sighs as he walks forward and stares at Bucky with a judgmental look on his face. You snap your fingers in front of his eyes.

“Hey, did you h–“

“Calm down, hellfire,” Tony says. “It can be fixed. I’ll have a look at it. Just keep these two apart at all times. I don’t need them destroying anything else in this place.”

He leaves without another word, not caring enough to see how their injuries are. Tony hardly ever smiles when he’s in his Iron Man suit, so you brush off his attitude as just another one of his bad days. You keep track of the Avengers’ moods and behaviours sometimes in your Avengers notebook. You’ve kept it well hidden, but no one’s stupid enough to go in your room without permission. Or else you’ll showcase a little fire dance for them.

After a few more minutes of wincing, hissing, and gauze wrapping, Sam and Bucky are all stitched up. You crack your knuckles after you turn your phone off. The med lab is enveloped in the red glow of the emergency lights again, but this time, no one protests. The doctors have done their job for now, so unless they have a life to save, they’re not complaining. Sam moves his arms slowly to get a feel for the pain. He bites his lip when they’re almost outstretched. You don’t know how many stitches he got, but it seems like a lot if he can’t move that much. He won’t be going on missions for a while. Unless he sneaks himself out. That’d be a Sam thing to do. Bucky, on the other hand, doesn’t move. He gingerly touches the gauze around his head. He flinches, then settles his hand back in his lap. There’s a painful silence in the air that you don’t want to be a part of.

“Take care of yourselves.”

You leave without another word, and without looking over your shoulder. You’re not mad at them anymore, but you’re mad at yourself for being so emotional about one little mistake you could have made.

But you have the right to be emotional about it.

Just thinking about accidentally shooting Sam or Bucky would be scarring for you. Even in a non-vital area, like their arm or leg, would keep you awake for nights to come. It probably will anyway. You had never felt so scared in your life. You’re still not used to using a gun, even after having shooting practice. You haven’t fired it against a real person yet, and that’s something you’re not looking forward to. All sense of reality and remembering everything Natasha taught you will be wiped out in the very moment when the time comes to take your first victim. You don’t have to speculate; you know it will happen.

When you get back to your room, you toss your gun on your bed and unstrap your holster from your leg. You flash your flashlight again and tuck them away securely under your bed. Well, it's not quite secure as a safe, but you can hold your own if someone wanted to take it.

You know you cannot just sit around in the red darkness, so you head back to the room where the electrical panel is. There's a brighter light moving under the door; you open the door to reveal Tony, using his suit as a flashlight as he fixes the panel.

"How's it look?" you ask quietly.

"Nothing I can't repair," he replies, a few sparks flying. "I'd rather not have to do this, but we have two idiots in the compound so it must be done."

You smile out of spite and watch him work his magic as he fixes the panel. He can do this in no time, but you'd rather not stand here and watch him, bored out of your mind.

"Where is everyone else?" you ask. "Steve, Wanda, Nat, and Vision?"

"Out," Tony answers. He doesn't give you much more than that. Sighing, you nod your head and turn back around. You don't want to be alone while the lights are off, but you're a human torch. You can light the way wherever you go. You put your phone on the counter as you enter the kitchen and get out your lighter instead. You make a small fireball in your hand and leave your lighter on the counter as well. It's very inconvenient that F.R.I.D.A.Y. is inoperable at the moment. You could use a little guidance right now.

You've been to the hangar enough times to remember where to go. You don't want to feel alone, so you're going to wait there for everyone to come back. There's a high possibility that they took a quinjet. You burn your fire brighter as you walk down the stairs, watching your footing at all times. When you come to a landing, you hear footsteps in front of you. You immediately stop, and grip the handlebar with your free hand. Now you're even more freaked out.

"Sam?" you call. "Bucky?" No one answers. If it was Nat, Steve, Wanda, or Vision, they'd tell you otherwise. But since you hear none of their voices, you know it's an unknown subject. You're at an advantage if they don't have a gun; if they do, you might be in a slight pinch.

You stand against the railing, and bring both your hands forward to push the fire outwards. You don't see anyone from the illumination. You tip-toe down the stairs, keeping your eyes forward. You have no idea if the team is just messing with you, but if they are it's definitely not funny. It's pitch black, and the only emergency light flashing is all the way across the room. Your fire will serve as your flashlight and your weapon.

When you reach the bottom of the stairs, you keep close to the railing and your breathing low. You know the layout of the hangar, despite it just being a big empty space. You creep away from the stairs and quickly whip your fire around to illuminate the space beneath it. You flick your eyes left and right as you check the stairs, your heart pounding in your chest. You don't have a lot of patience when you're scared, so when you're done your sweep, you press your back against the railing and spread your fire out even more.

You divert it to avoid the two other quinjets sitting in the hangar. Looks like they took the third one. You don't see anyone there. You think maybe you're imagining things, but that only makes you more anxious.

"Alright," you shout. "This isn't fucking funny anymore. Show yourself or I swear to god, I will set this entire room on fire.”

From behind the quinjets comes a small group of men. Seven dressed in a combat uniform, each holding an assault rifle. The eighth man is bald and wearing a suit. You don’t see a HYDRA logo on any of them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. You keep your guard up as baldy takes a step closer.

“Who are you?” you ask. The man looks you up and down, then at the fire spreading around him.

“Could you stop that, please?” he asks. “It’s intimidating my men.”

You flick your eyes to the other seven, and they’re all wearing an expression of slight fear. Looking back at baldy, you narrow your eyes.

“No,” you say, making your fire encircle the seven.

“There’s no need to be afraid, miss _______,” baldy says.

“Just because you know my name doesn’t mean I’m going to trust you,” you say, encircling him as well.

“I’m Agent Phil Coulson,” he says, sweat beading on his forehead from the flames. “From S.H.I.E.L.D. I came by to see how our new pupil is doing.”

S.H.I.E.L.D.?

S.H.I.E.L.D. is no secret, yet they are. You’ve heard their name mentioned a couple of times when you “accidentally” eavesdropped on Tony’s and Steve’s conversations. Plus, Steve has said to your face that he was alive when S.H.I.E.L.D. was founded. Or rather, it was in the works. They were too busy with a war to make things official at the time.

Baldy takes out his badge and holds it up for you to see. You walk towards him, separating the ring of fire around him. You squint at it, and see his ID says that he is in fact Agent Phil Coulson. It has S.H.I.E.L.D.’s logo in the background, and his picture. Seems legit enough. But you’re not an expert in fake identities. You’ll take his word for it.

“Fine.” You retract your fire from around Coulson and his men, and instead project it above your head to keep everyone from being in the dark. “The newest pupil is fine, thank you.”

Phil motions his men to lower their weapons, and they obey without question. He seems legit now, because he doesn’t want to kill you. It’s a comforting thought.

“Anything else?” you ask, narrowing your eyes as Phil doesn’t say anything else.

“Has your stay been welcoming?”

“Plenty.”

“Any problems?”

“Personal.”

“Missions?”

“Only been on one. I’m sure you’ve seen the footage.”

“Any complaints?”

“Don't sneak around when the power’s out. It’s creepy, and I’d have no problem scorching you alive if you didn’t tell me who you were.”

“And why is the power out in the first place?”

“Two team members had a fight. Blew the electrical panel. Tony’s fixing it now.”

“I see. May I speak with him?”

“Be my guest. But your friends have to wait outside. Their presence doesn’t exactly say ‘I-want-to-sit-down-and-have-some-afternoon-tea’.”

Phil looks behind him, and some of his men look crestfallen. But if Phil wants to see Tony, then his pals will have to stay behind.

“Wait here. I won’t take long.”

They stay put as you begin walking away with Phil back up the stairs, fire in hand. It’s a silent walk back upstairs. You don't want to learn more about S.H.I.E.L.D. because honestly, you couldn’t care less. Phil doesn’t try to make additional conversation, which is fine by you. Although there is the nagging feeling to know more, you keep your mouth shut. He’ll probably only answer your questions as “that’s classified”, and there is nothing more annoying than a person who won’t give you a straightforward answer. You have no idea if Sam and Bucky are still in the med lab, but you just hope you won’t run into them on the way.

Once you hit the kitchen, you pick up the pace, because it’s always a place where people seem to pop up. The heart of the home is in the kitchen, as mothers say. Phil keeps up no problem, but gives you a confused look from behind your back. Once you reach the designated room, you take your leave.

“Tony, Agent Coulson. Agent Coulson, Tony. Goodbye.”

You strut out of there despite their questioning expressions. You need to find a place where you know you won’t be disturbed.

“She seems nice,” Phil says as he watches you exit the room. “Grounded. Disciplined.”

“She’s a little shit, actually,” Tony says, still focusing on his work, not looking Phil in the eyes. “But I do like the fact that she refers to you as ‘agent’ instead of ‘Phil’ like she’s best friends with you.”

Phil sighs and shakes off Tony’s childish attitude, getting straight to the point.

“I think she’s ready,” he says. Tony’s hand freezes over the panel for a second, before he shrugs off what Phil said and keeps working.

“What makes you think that?”

“She’s cautious. Takes her own initiative. You got her suit ready, which makes things easier. Her first mission wasn’t a complete failure. She can handle it.”

“This is too big for her, Coulson,” Tony argues. “She’s had one mission. One. She’s not up for this.”

“Well that’s up to her,” Phil rebuttals. Tony stops again and sighs in annoyance.

“Look, Coulson,” he starts, staring him in the eyes. “She’s just a kid. But she can be just as angry as Banner when he turns into a green rage monster. She could’ve easily burned something because that’s how angry she was. But she didn’t. Probably because she’s scared. And she just learned how to use a gun. I’m not sending her on a suicide mission just to test her ability.”

“We would supervise,” Phil says calmly. “We’d be around her at all times.”

“And then what?” Tony asks, raising his voice. “You’ll just leave her there, hanging by a thread, to see if she can figure it out for herself? Instead of charging in and saving her? No. It’s not happening. I’m not going to be held responsible for her death.”

“You underestimate us sometimes, Stark,” Phil replies. “We can ensure her safety; I can assure you that. If worse comes to worse, we’ll step in and take over. But we want–need, to see what she can do. Otherwise she won’t be much use.”

“We’re not playthings for your disposal, Coulson,” Tony says seriously. “Believe it or not, having S.H.I.E.L.D. off our radar–or anyone’s, really–is a spectacular thing. The Avengers Initiative was a success, and a downfall. We’re still together as you can see, but seeing you means trouble. And I don’t want any of that around here. So you can forget it.”

Phil knows he’s not going to get anywhere with Tony, so he’s going to go straight to the source. You.

“I can’t say I’m not disappointed, nor surprised,” Phil says as he buttons his jacket. “I just wanted to run it by you before we proceed.” Tony goes to protest but Phil is already out the door. “She’ll never agree to it!” Tony shouts after him.

“We’ll see.”

E/A/N: Well. That was a shitty eight months if I do say so myself. School was my top priority and things got too busy. There were too many assignments to do and I lost the energy to keep this story going. But now I’m graduated, and hopefully I’ll have a job soon (not that I’ll enjoy having one). And I also hope to keep this story going.

[amethystiridescence]

I am so happy.

My life has always been very relatively fortunate. I know there’s no comparison to all sides of a spectrum so its only with my limited perspective and subjective opinion that I can reflect on my circumstances. Its just for the sake of juxtaposition that I mention any of my subjectively negative life-affecting things. With some warning this is to be a very indulgent ramble as I just want to savour how impossibly incredibly wonderful life is right now.

For a start, I finally live somewhere where I can be relaxed and also call it home. After my parents divorced when I was 10 until I was 25, I lived with my mother. She has taken it upon herself to compensate in a very overbearing way for the lack of a father figure in mine and my brother’s lives. It’s left me paranoid, resentful, strained and absolutely living and breathing anxiety and I desperately needed to move out but money and a stop-start pattern in my career after Uni made it impossible. Through sudden circumstances I suddenly had somewhere I could move into and live in my best friend’s beautiful house. I am eternally grateful and forever in his debt for letting me live in such an amazing place. It’s such a roomy and bright place, and he let me turn it as homely as possible. I got to decorate the kitchen in pink and green and light pine, and I made the living room light and dark blue with tons of nerdy books and old school consoles. I have an old PS1 dance mat and Spyro.

My bedroom is unbelievably gorgeous, and my boyfriend who lives with me across the hallway with his own space built me a window seat which I’ve wanted ever since I read an illustrated copy of the Secret Garden when I was 5. I’ve covered my room in fairy lights, printed polaroids of my Instagram, and I sit on my window seat in the sunshine since it faces south and I read with scented candles. I can actually keep flowers in my bedroom now without them dying from lack of sunlight and I buy different colour carnations every few weeks. My boyfriend is going to put up bird feeders outside my window soon. He makes curries with coconut milk and sticky rice and I cook garlicky seafood noodle broths, and occasionally we all inhale one huge takeaway pizza each whilst watching Friends.

I also live in the most beautiful part of the UK. The sea is less than a mile from where I live to the south, and the moors are less than 10 miles to the north. Everything is wide, green and natural and beautiful on the moors and the wild ponies happily eat from your hands.

I went bodyboarding in the Cornish waves the other weekend and the water was so warm and so blue. I also went swimming in my city’s adorable local seaside lido pool in the hot sun the other week. Eddy bought us hot dogs and slushies.

I now have a huge group of fantastic friends and I’m still not sure how I’ve managed to become part of such a incredible group of people. Thanks to a string of aggressive and manipulative bullying in secondary school, my own socialising skills were shot to pieces and I didn’t make friends easily. When I first moved house I felt lonely and without friends and I was panicking about new people. So when I found the University Amateur Dramatics society by pure accident, I couldn’t believe my luck. For some crazy reason they actually seem to like me and want me to be part of their incredible family. They’re all so talented, passionate and affectionate, and I feel honoured to be able to call them my friends. They even encouraged me to act in plays, and my newfound sense of humour and ability to make people laugh still surprises me after several months.

A few of us went swimming and cliff diving together on the moors in a crystal clear running river in a heatwave a couple of weeks ago. I’m going to a wedding reception party with a few of them soon. They gave me a special creative contribution award on their Awards Night with the most amazing speech even though I’ve only been part of them for a few months. I haven’t felt this confident in myself in years and I owe them all so much for that.

As stated before, my career of choice is very stop-start. I went from no experience to a magazine cover, from waitressing to a stint on Game of Thrones prosthetics team to stacking shelves in Tesco for a couple of months. I seized a more stable less relevant job and held onto it hoping I’d manage to do creative things and unfortunately I ended up much unhappier in the job than I thought as I ended up only really doing computer work. The only solace I had was being able to raise a baby crow from a chick and have his company throughout one of the dullest work summers I’ve ever had.

I was stifled and felt stuck, especially since I kept trying to win this 6 month scholarship at a huge makeup school in Hollywood, and I came so close to winning and kept on just missing the mark. When I came the closet I’ve ever been and lost for a third time this year after getting so hopeful in the light of my work going incredibly viral, I was so deflated and planned to leave the job for the first irrelevant thing I could find just to break the unhappy directionless monotony. And then it all happened. I got contacted by a huge entertainment company requesting me specifically to come work for them as a costume designer and makeup artists for international performances, based half hour away from where I live. I’ve been there 2 weeks and I’ve been feverishly creating everyday with and the days just fly by. I’m even going with my team to Texas next month to do the makeup for the event that I’m creating the costumes for. I might even go places like Kuwait or Dubai as well. I can hardly believe my luck. And as if that wasn’t incredible enough, I’ve had a private sponsor contact me about the failed scholarship attempts and kindly offer to sponsor me for a month’s worth of classes at the school next year. So I’m going to work extra hard and pay for an extra month of classes when I fly to Los Angeles in the spring next year. I can’t believe I’ve actually been granted so much generosity and kindness and that I’m now a professional costumer and that I’m going to Hollywood in less than a year.

I start my VISA application this week.

And honestly, I still look back on the work I’ve achieved off my own back this year and I can truly say I’m so proud of what I’ve made. Cosplay is so important to me and I’m so blessed that I can take it and turn it into a career.

We still go Comic Cons at least once or twice a year and I love every second of them.

The boys got really keenly into cosplay this year and made cosplays they adored wearing so much that they went from wearing them for just the one day to all three days of the Con. I’m so proud of them and I love how much they enjoyed themselves.

I got specially invited to a huge London Comic Con at the end of this month as a cosplay guest and I’m staggered by how generous they’re being with covering all my expenses including a plus one. I feel weirdly famous and humbled by the kindness. I can’t believe I’ll be a guest alongside so many real celebrities such as Christopher Lloyd, Alyson Hannagan, Benedict Cumberbatch and my idol Doug Jones.

I am giddily madly and blissfully in love and I feel so warm and strong and sure of it when I remember how unhappy I used to be. It is a huge shame that my previous and longest relationship ended as needlessly bitter as it did. It really didn’t have to happen that way. I wish I had been mature and less scared of being alone and less inclined to retreat into the devil that I knew for all those years. I had no idea how badly matched we were after growing up differently and growing naturally apart. We just didn’t work together and it was making me so unhappy, frustrated at myself for thinking it must have been something wrong with me when in actual truth I just needed different things from a relationship. Consequently I only realised how badly unhappy I was only after I left it.

But Eddy is everything I’ve been needing and more. He is so patient with my whacky temperament, stubbornness and silly quirks. He is the calming, affectionate, assuring bedrock of my life, and my own self-image is so much better for his constant gentle reminders that I am warmly and passionately loved and always seen and even more importantly I can be totally myself without being resented. He encourages me to keep doing everything that I love doing, and he never misses a trick when I’m feeling upset or distracted. He always looks so happy to see me, and his smiles are infallibly genuine and light up the room. He is so ridiculously intelligent and yet he never ever uses it to make anyone feel inferior or show it off. He is so unbelievably unfazed by how anyone sees him and nothing ever embarrasses him, I’ve never seen someone so chilled in their own image such as him. It doesn’t matter how upset or stressed I am, he can instantly calm me down and break past my aggressive stubbornness or soothe my shame.

I love him for the way he can ballroom dance. I love him for the way he loves to cook and still finds time in between stirring saucepans to wrap his arms around me and dip me towards the floor even if its just to get an indignant squeak out of me. I love him for the way he animatedly talks about facts, history, art and gaming logistics with ease and humour as if its not things to be recited, its things to be actively and keenly discussed. I love him for the way he is shameless about what he loves, whether its a beautiful piece of art or a really bad internet joke.

I have a cupboard specially for all my teas. I have over fifteen types and three types of hot chocolate. I serve the hot chocolates with mini marshmallows. I keep a list on my phone of all the silly stuff Eddy has said that’s made me laugh. I’ll publish it one day.


I got to decorate the house with autumnal decorations last autumn after mum wouldn’t let me do it at hers. I put orange maple leaves everywhere and real pumpkins displayed with dried leaves. I regularly lit cinnamon and apple scented candles. We had a pumpkin party with toffee apples and toasted marshmallows on a bonfire in the garden. I carved the silhouette of a crow into a pumpkin.

One of my friends from the society lent me a book that made me cry. I’ve bought my own copy. She makes amazing cakes and looks like an elf queen. I’m going to her birthday BBQ tomorrow.

My cosplay got featured in a magazine again.

I got a new duvet cover with the Little Mermaid on it, and a phone power bank shaped like a unicorn. I can love pink, girly pastel things again without feeling embarrassed. I love having pink hair.

We had an incredible Christmas tree last year. I made and ate so many Devils On Horseback and drank a lot of mead.

Eddy took me ice skating for my birthday. We went to see his favourite band in concert at the same place a month later. That following evening he massaged my achy post-heels legs. We listen to the same band when we cook together. He loves to sing along to any music.

It snowed before my birthday again. We went up to the moors early in the morning and it was absolutely breathtaking. We rolled around in the snow and I petted the snow-dusted Dartmoor ponies.

I had a phonemail with my best friend of 20 years earlier today. She’s coming to stay with us for a week soon. Her voice hasn’t changed since we were 13. She still smells like she did when we were 6. We went to the Tower of London as invited by the Ravenmaster himself and met one of the ravens. We also went to see a Steven Spielberg tribute Philharmonic Orchestra concert later that day. She drew me whilst sat on the tube.

I caught the cherry blossoms this year on really warm days. Eddy shook the tree over me so I got coated in pink petals. I got iced matcha from Starbucks later that day.

I acted in a play that started with everybody laughing then finished crying. I loved every second of it and I loved my cast and I loved the play itself. I love acting now.

I think Eddy’s family likes me. They took me to Disneyland the other week for Eddy’s sister’s hen party. Eddy’s mum fixed my skirt for the wedding and she also fixed my dress for the wedding of Eddy’s other sister last year. Both his parents cried and hugged me when I told them about Hollywood.

I bought a scrapbook with unicorns on it. I’m going to print of as many polaroids as possible to stick in it with glitter glue. I’ve been covering everything in rainbow, Pokemon and dinosaur stickers.

I never want to forget feeling this happy.