#the orca-themed armor!!!

[alithographica]

ok you said we could ask about weird biology and this is close i think. ok so minor totk spoilers? these r in the depths and its not story related but still beware: yknow the dark skeletons? the huge fully formed ones? what creatures R Those?

I have not yet encountered the dark skeletons and the pics on Google are not helpful so I might have to update this when I actually find them, but...

The BotW great skeletons/leviathans spawned some speculation that they were references to creatures in other Legend of Zelda games—but I can't speak to that because BotW was my first LoZ game. What I can say is that they were very reminiscent of whale skeletons, just with a fantasy flair. It wouldn't surprise me to find that the dark skeletons are similarly cetaceaned.

All 3 of the BotW leviathans were slightly different variations on this theme:

Second pic © Manyee Desandies

Those are both baleen whales—no teeth, they filter their food with a sort of hair-like structure (a baleen.) There are also toothed whales, like orcas, that have pointy predatory teeth. Now, the leviathans back in BotW...

Beyond the obvious size, note the curved upper jaw, the sweeping arc of the two sides of the lower jaw, the low and protruding orbit (eye socket), the ribs that terminate partway down the spine...That's a whale model, even once you throw on some hind limbs or wings or an armored head like BotW did.

So whatever's down in the depths: Probably also whale-adjacent fantasy fun!

[konakoro]

We got Monster Hunter ninja/samurai edition, next game I want Monster Hunter yeehaw edition. I want it wild west themed with cowboy-looking armor and weapons. Make a variant of Barroth that has him looking more like a train, maybe fire elemental to correlate with coal/steam engines. Instead of a canteen, it's a saloon where you get your perks from eating massive barbecue meats and moonshine. BRING BACK SIEGES and have one take place on a train and getting chased by a large pursuing monster a la the boat sieges in MH4. Orca variant of Zamtrios. Bigfoot monster. Bring back mounting as a mechanic instead of wyvern riding because not only is it a harder mechanic, but it fits the rodeo idea more. More snake wyverns because we still only just have Najarala. Keep palamutes tho because it works with the lone rider aesthetic of westerns but mainly because dogjy 🐕

I want this more than anything...

[rodrigobera04]

Water type list. Countdown, nine types left to finish the lists.

WATER pure

Tilapia with healing scales, keeps the fry in its mouth.

Military-themed seahorse, holds its soldier babies in its belly.

Piscinoid elemental with wave fins.

Luminous microorganisms that make water glow.

Turtle with a shell shaped like a canoe.

Giant tadpole that evolves into a tiny frog.

Water spirit possessing a spinning water wheel.

Fishing bat that now uses its wings as flippers.

Fish jumping out of the water with its tail, like in a sack race.

WATER/GROUND

Land whale releasing a geyser from its blowhole.

Bipedal lungfish, using its long fins as tentacles.

Predatory midkipper swimming in the mud like a shark.

Marsh rat camouflaged with mud and marsh plants.

Bobbit worm that now attacks beaches as well as the seabed.

Duck made of clay that swims through the mud.

Dogfish that runs across the land like a dog would run.

Manatee creating underwater sandstorms while pulling up plants to eat.

Desert frog that appears when it rains, being filled with stored water.

WATER/GRASS

Carnivorous plant ultricularia, similar to a voracious fish.

Aquatic mushroom floating on its "floating hat".

Salamander with symbiosis with algae, having a tail made of algae leaf.

Marimo grouped forming a giant vegetable monster.

Pitcher plant that spits water to catch insects instead of waiting.

Mangrove animal, its roots form long legs to walk in the water.

Aquatic snake covered in vegetation, looking like a hairy monster.

Water lettuce looking like a jellyfish floating on the surface of the water.

Vegetable kappa made from a gourd with water inside that gives it energy.

WATER/ELECTRIC

"Mermaid" created by shower water, creates electrical sound waves.

Bird with electrical powers and that manipulates rain.

Sea pig with a plug nose and that glows in the dark.

A neon-glowing discus fish with electric fins.

Luminous siphonophore resembling a chandelier.

Guitar fish vibrating the water with its electric sound.

Lantern fish guiding people on dark nights.

Electric seahorse in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Pikaclone water rat drawing energy from hydroelectric power.

WATER/ICE

Swordfish creating an ice sword with its snout.

Flying fish with crystalline, icy and fractal wings.

Fish trapped in a block of ice, as if they were in a can of sardines.

Water elemental, capable of changing to a solid state and freezing the opponent.

Caribou capable of freezing water with their hooves.

Snowman melting and dripping due to heat.

Fractal starfish, similar to a snowflake.

Fish gathering frozen water that forms a protective body of ice.

Snail blowing explosive frozen bubbles.

WATER/FLYING

Literal kite frog flying out of water.

Gliding starfish, flying through the wind like a shuriken.

Wind creature carrying wet clothes off a clothesline.

Sinister squid with fins resembling the wings of a bat.

Ribbon moray eel flying out of the water with Olympic acrobatics.

Predatory cloud that takes the form of sharks and orcas.

Oreole adapted to water, its feathers look like scales.

Scallop emerging from the water, with its shell serving as wings.

Sea moth with colorful wings that reflect light.

WATER/STEEL

Grouper looking like an armored submarine.

Water tap looking like a bird.

Gladiator retiarum using fishing skills to catch prey.

Megalopine squid looking like the warships of the worlds.

Mollusk using bivalve shells as claws or scissors.

Octopus living in a submerged trash can, collecting trash from the sea.

Lancet fish with bladed fins for cutting prey.

Tuna looking like an underwater missile.

Sailor struggling with anchors and underwater mines.

WATER/FIGHTING

Batfish walking with its muscular fins.

Sea lion looking like a powerful coliseum animal.

Damselfish attacking other fish that invade its algae garden.

Jellyfish striking with their tentacles like boxing gloves.

Elemental creature with muscular arms of water, the literal force of water.

Basilisk racing across the surface of the water.

Diving bird that does synchronized swimming.

Inflatable muscle lifeguard, also blows air in mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Firefighter Dalmatian, with a long hose neck, rival of fire type pokémon.

WATER/ROCK

Trio of lumpsuckers stuck together by their suction cups.

Stone angel, like those that decorate fountains, holding a jug of water.

Marine iguana that is also a gargoyle that blows water.

Huge stonefish imitating a cave.

Gillman using a column from a sunken city as a weapon.

Winged stalactite that combines water attacks and its spiky body.

Laundress that uses stone and water in its attacks.

Rocky placo, able to "clean" the HP of plant types.

Elephant-like sea monster based on rock formations.

WATER/FIRE

Pipefish blowing smoke.

Fish blowing will-o'-the-wisp from its mouth.

Otter with explosive powers, throwing bombs at fish.

Frog releasing hot steam from its body through its holes on its back.

Gunard pistol blowing fire bubbles, his wings change color when attacking.

Volcanic crab with a crust of hardened lava over its body.

Whale blowing smoke from its blowhole, burning fat to keep warm from the cold.

Penguin in warm habitats, roasting the fish it catches.

Oyster hunting birds using a tasty and warm scent to catch them.

THE LEGENDARY:

Water/grass whale based on Noah's ark that sheltered many Pokémon in a flood.

We're done with the water type, see you next time.

[writerleo86]

Armor Champions - Season 5 Act 2 - Episode 218 (Do Not Copy) - 05.17.2024

    During the evening, Camerion Martin had taken some of the group to a large building that was across the right side of the Orca Five Hotel.

    Camerion wore a short-sleeved blue shirt along with a pair of long white jeans and short tan boots. He also had on his black band around his forehead.

    Carla wore a long white skirt with no sleeves and a pair of short brown boots. Attached to the chest of her top was a tied yellow bow. She also wore her black band around her forehead. And she had on an opened pale-blue sweater that had long sleeves.

    Nickel had on a long-sleeved orange shirt, long khaki pants, white socks, and gray shoes. And he still wore his goggles.

    Julie wore a long-sleeved gray shirt, tight teal jeans, and brown sandals.

    Billy wore a buttoned white shirt that was over the top of tight black pants. His shirt had a fine collar and long sleeves. He also had on a pair of blue shoes with white soles.

    The group walked inside and found themselves at a place full of occupied tables and a large dancing floor that was also taken by many beings. There were waiters walking through the door of the kitchen either with or without a large tray of food and beverages.

    The five young people sat at a large black table that was at the back part of the club. And Camerion ordered some beverages.

    "So Camerion," implied Julie. "You have come to this club a few times."

    "Ever since I was seven," answered Camerion. "When I used to come to Orca Five with my brother and parents, Desoto and Ryan always took me to this place."

    One of the waiters arrived as they carried a tray of small drinks with his left hand.

    Then Carla took a small sip of her drink as she spotted another group sitting at a table across from them. They were a small gathering of young people.

Armor Champions Season 5 -- Episode 218:  Oneirodaimonas; Reiko's True Identity

    One who sat at the far left side of the table was a young man with glowing orange eyes, taupe skin, and no hair on his head. He had on a green T-shirt, white pants, and white gym-shoes.

    Another sitting by his right side was a woman with pale skin, glowing white eyes, and long green hair with the bottom placed on her right shoulder. She wore a sleeveless pink skirt that lowered to her knees. And she had on a pair of slip-on black shoes.

    The third person who sat the left side nearby was an older man with fair skin, short orange hair, and glowing red eyes. He had on a red T-shirt, long orange pants, and short brown Cowboy-themed boots.

    The last one sitting at the right side was a young man with pale skin, clear blue eyes, and short dark-blond hair. He wore a long-sleeved turquoise shirt, tight brown pants, and white shoes with black soles.

    Carla stood up as she told her group "I'll see you guys later upstairs."

    Nickel spotted the other group sitting at the table behind him.

    And the goggle-wearing boy asked "You know those guys?"

    Carla looked over at the group as she answered "Oh yeah."

    Then she walked forward to the other group.

    She greeted by saying "Cordraa."

    Everyone in that group spotted Carla immediately. And the man with short blond hair shook his head with a relieved smile.

    "Carluko?" cried the green-haired woman. "Is that you?"

    The blond-haired man told Carla "Nice to see you Sis."

    Carla sat between the green-haired woman and the bald-headed man. Meanwhile, the color of Billy's eyes turned from green to a gloomy black eyes. He began to hear everything that was said by Carla and the other group using his Tao witchcraft.

    The bald-headed man greeted "It's an honor to be talking to someone from a higher class like you, Carluko."

    The blond-haired man added "Although you aren't one of us anymore."

    Carla shook her head and implied "You out of everyone in Wisteria would know about that, huh? Taigo?"

    "Is it true?" asked the orange-haired man.

    The bald-headed man questioned "Did you really lose your abilities?"

    The calm Carla shook her head and responded "It's true. Helios, and Ka-Nong. It was six years ago when I lost my powers, along with my immortality. I now age like all the mortals on this planet."

    The green-haired woman gave a cute smile and replied "You seem to be having fun being a mortal now."

    "I am, Jo-Kin," answered Carla.

    She turned to the blond-haired man and asked "How did you about this?"

    The blond-haired man lowered his head and called out "That childlike demon."

    "Childlike?" repeated Carla.

    The blond-haired man looked forward at Carla and answered "His name's Reiko. He mentioned you losing your demon-hood a while back I think two years ago."

    "Reiko?" implied Carla.

    "You don't remember him?" responded Jo-Kin. "Reiko's the name of the Oneirodaimonas who was expelled from the school for practicing witchcraft."

    The orange-haired Ka-Nong implied "Some of our old classmates say that Reiko is trying to resurrect some other demon from his tomb. But I have no idea if he actually did it."

    "What was he trying to bring back?" asked Carla. "This Reiko person?"

    The bald-headed Helios responded "I heard Reiko's trying to bring back some human-like demon with a great but terrifying power. The demon is called..."

    Carla named "Aslan Coradusku."

    "That's his name," replied Helios.

    "You've seen him?" asked Jo-Kin. "Aslan Coradusku?"

    Carla lowered her head and informed the group "Aslan Coradusku. He's the reason why my friends and I are here. We are hiding here until we find out more about the demon."

    Then the determined Carla stood up and replied "So, Reiko's the one who brought Aslan Coradusku here. I have to tell my team this information."

    Carla took a few steps away. And she was stopped by the blond-haired man who walked toward her.

    "Hold on Carluko," He told Carla.

    The settled Carla turned around.

    And she asked "What is it, Taico?"

    The man gave a soft smile and informed her "You need to be careful when it comes to both Aslan Coradusku and Reiko. Especially Reiko. He knows whatever the superiors on Planet Wisteria do. So, he won't be easy to defeat."

    Carla shook her head and responded "I am one of the champions in armor that are stationed on this planet."

    "You?" questioned the man. "You're actually an Armor Champion?"

    "Yes," answered Carla. "And Reiko is after one of my friends. If anyone could figure out how to handle both Reiko and Aslan Coradusku, it's us."

    "Still," the man told her. "You should watch yourself, Caroline."

    Carla walked toward him while commenting "Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time."

    The man gave a kind smile and implied "I already know you will do what you can to save everyone you care about."

    The caring Carla thought to herself for a moment.

    She finally responded "I almost forgot about you. You're my brother, Ty... Tyler Lewis."

    Ty shook his head and replied "I'm actually your twin brother."

    Carla soon lowered her head and tears began falling from her eyes.

    "It's okay Caroline," responded Ty. "It took me a long time to remember everything. It was during the Sixties when we became demons. It was also the time when our parents went missing."

    "Our parents?" repeated Carla. "Missing?"

    And Ty told her "It's okay. I am still on the lookout for a lead. I will find out what truly happened to our parents."

    After she wiped her tears with her right hand, Carla gave out another kind smile.

    "I'll let you know when I find them," Ty told her. "I promise, Caroline."

    The emotional Carla shook her head and said "I'm sure you will find them."

    Minutes later, the youth Nickel Anderson along with the amnesiac Billy Williamson walked into an empty cafeteria which was at the other side of the Orca Five Hotel's first floor.

    Nickel quietly implied "I know I can get snacks here somewhere."

    He continued looking around while his counterpart Billy stood by the door. And Billy looked around as well while the color of his eyes remained green.

    As soon as Nickel hurried to a snack machine at the other side of the building, Billy followed as the color of his eyes turned black.

    Nickel quickly noticed the other's eyes and asked "What's goin' on? Do you sense something?"

    The black-eyed Billy searched around as he reported "It's not Aslan I'm sensing. This ki... It's not as strong as his."

    Next, Billy faced forward at the door which was near the pairs of snack machines. Something walked in from the door and faced the two boys.

    This was a figure with a face that was decaying heavily. It had clear purple eyes, long brown hair that was scattered into four parts, and a slender body. The demon wore a sleeveless top made of purple leather that lowered past its waist. It also had on a pair of tight pants made of black leather along with black gloves. And the figure wore a pair of long black boots that had high heels.

    The creature walked toward the boys as Nickel stood in front of the watchful Billy. Nickel soon stood ready to fight while Billy looked on with his green eyes.

    Nickel gave a huge grin and implied "So cool! I get to throw down with another of Aslan's crazy monsters."

    The creature stood before them as Nickel added "And I get to show everyone what I got!"

[jigsaw173]

submarines if they were the cars equivalent to sharks or whales

FINALLY GOT THE SUBMARINE THING DONE CAUSE IKEPT PROCRASTINATING 

anyways basically what I thought of is while drawing is that like since the sail doesn’t have windows or anything you could just use nose art as the eyes but if you did this then it would look feral-ish and so I guess it fits with the shark theme

A Vehicle’s Pocket Guide to American War Submarines

History

Throughout history, submarines can be found in oceans over the world. Many built some form of submarines to do the impossible and to get ahead of the rest of the world. When they were no longer needed, they were abandoned and left to their own devices for years. Many didn’t last long without fuel, but the surviving ones had kind boats assist them.

In wartime, these older ‘wild’ submarines were captured and enlisted due to their ability to stay underwater for long periods. As time went on, much more specialized submarines were built. New submarines were trained for things like recon and taught to understand language. 

When things turned for the worse, the submarines were modified and outfitted for heavier combat. They were given more armament, armor, and training. After the old war submarines retired, their respective militaries were tasked with making sure they stay by their countries and taking care of them. Modern war subs remain in service

Following advances in submarine technology, other types of submarines emerged through the years. Submarines made for tourism, research, espionage, rescue, and others entered the scene.

Post-Service

After the wars ended, the older war submarines were retired for the next-gen ones and relinquished from service. Some submarines didn’t know how to live peacefully and think they are constantly on patrol, attacking civilians mistaken to be enemies. Even though these attacks were rare, this has given the public a negative view of them due to the media amplifying the dangers. A lot of these submarines are tracked so warnings can be put out for boats to avoid them.

A submarine warning sign commonly seen pictured at beaches.

Despite this, there have been cases of war subs helping those who have fallen off of boats or shipwreck survivors. Sometimes, the submarines will follow strike groups they’ve bonded with and help them out.

One well-known case involves a fighter that slammed on the deck of an aircraft carrier too fast and skidded off by the waist catapults, knocking two other fighters down as well. Luckily, a submarine that was following the carrier rose and caught them before they could sink. The submarine was given an honorary member status following the incident.

Another case tells of one that helped many stay afloat until help arrived after a cruise liner capsized!

Many navy sailors experienced with subs are usually able to get them under control by giving them special commands with whistles and clicks and such even though they understand language.

Very rarely, random wild submarines can be found beached. It’s advised against approaching, as they may panic and bite or blast dangerous levels of sonar. It’s recommended to call a specialist in these situations.

Every so often, there are cases where some hunt and capture wild submarines with devious intentions, such as turning them into narco-subs or using them for scraps.

Appearance

The war subs, although visually similar, have minor ways to tell them apart. There are varying nose arts, fin shapes, and hull types to name a few. 

Retired war subs are often repainted and repaired by squadrons. There are plenty of different liveries. Pictured on the bottom in the above picture is one of no particular class with an ‘orca’ livery. They may get their faux teeth painted over to look less intimidating as well. 

There is a legend of an old submarine that was so loved it’s completely covered in the insignias of every squadron and strike group it’s ever visited.

Classes of submarines are named after various forms of marine life ( like irl fish, sharks, and whales, ) but are given individual names and positions by their military branch.

Outfitted modern military subs are streamlined and more stealthy. They don’t have hull armor/deck like older models.

An old submarine receives a squadron insignia while getting patched up after assisting in a short battle by ramming the attackers.

Build

Submarines in the war were modified to be able to be controlled by operators if needed and be still able to function. This allowed the submarine to still focus on things non-combat involved while the crew worked on everything else, like self-defense with armament. The crew can take over in situations like docking and exercises, but the subs are usually trained for it already. 

After retirement, they are given full control of themselves and are rehabilitated. They get their fins replaced if they were trimmed while outfitted and a general restoration before they are released.

Diet

Wild diesel subs get fuel by either receiving fuel from other vessels or by siphoning it from other marine vehicles.

Nuclear subs are able to go without fuel until they need to get their reactor replaced, but they need vehicles to maintain them.

Communication

They echolocate (sonar) with loud pings to find their prey or see obstacles. It is said that feral subs won’t use active sonar unless they have dangerous intent. Owning to their history of recon, war submarines are extremely difficult to find without sonar when they have a reason to hide.

Older submarines cannot talk, so they communicate using clicks, whistles, etc.

They also have an excellent hearing that proves vital in combat. They will get agitated if you’re too loud near them on purpose. 

Submarines are solitary, but sometimes they will pair up with a few other submarines and form their own pods.

Non-War Submarines

Non-War subs, or ‘Civilian’ submarines. is a general term relating to the non-combat submarines. There are tourism subs, research vessels, and submersibles to name a few. Submarines used for espionage or narcotics do not fit in this category. Civilian subs have to follow many regulations. Sometimes they speak and behave closely to ships.

Civilian subs refuel at ports.

Random Facts

Tracks of submarine sounds are popular due to their calming effect.

You can enter a submarine through its mouth if it’ll let you.

(Sometimes divers IRL are actually able to enter/exit submarines through torpedo/missile tubes! They don’t do it unless absolutely necessary tho ofc)

Submarines are very resistant to temperature but they all have their own preferences.

They enjoy laying on the ocean floor for days at a time.

I’m debating whether or not to write more (cases about subs doing stuff)

I like to think that the Shinkai 6500 research vessel has clownfish stripes.

[crusherthedoctor]

Sonic & Tails: Beyond the Stars - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Drop of Life or Death

"Just keep following me, guys!" Sonic called out to his pursuing friends as he breezed along the ocean with his amazing namesake. Who needs a boat when you're the fastest thing alive? He directed his attention towards what appeared to be a tranquil beachside area, which courtesy of its boardwalks, and its white, pristine sands, he couldn't help but be reminded of his favourite relaxing spot in Station Square.

"Where are we headed to?" Amy asked quickly, as she continued to hold onto Cream while the latter flew in the air.

"The local coastal resort is not too far from here," Lutrudis replied, while she did the same with Tails. "Being such a destination, it's naturally a popular spot in Viridonia. If Dr. Eggman is the kind of character I've been led to believe, it's possible he may be sabotaging the place for... whatever selfish reason."

"Maybe he's forcing everyone to worship him..." Cream pondered out loud fearfully.

"If he's not busy worshipping himself," Amy added with a bit of sass, having known the evil scientist's self-aggrandizing habits for some time now.

"Eggman makes me feel older..." Tails muttered somewhat absent-mindedly.

"Did you guys say coastal resort?" the sea-walking Sonic questioned, with a notable drip of dread in his voice. "There won't be too many unavoidable pits of water around, will there?"

"...Aren't you running on water right now?" Tails pointed out, trying hard to hide his amused tone.

"Not the same thing!" Sonic denied defensively, as he dashed off to their destination. The remaining four exchanged glances with each other, before picking up the speed themselves. Unbeknownest to them however, the blue droid from before was spying on the group once again. High above their own heights, he rubbed his hands in glee, in tune with the siren atop his cranium.

"Heh heh heh..." he giggled, betrayed by his unthreatening voice and nervous pitch.

---

Coastline Resort Zone

CR Act 1: Shining Shore

Lutrudis' Badnik Logs: Crabmeat - “Yet another 'classic' in the doctor's repertoire of mischievous metal myrmidons. Not only do they use those great big pincers to pinch you in the backside, like any crab with a short fuse, they also fire pellets from afar. Better turn them into Crabscrap before they cause you grief.”

Gameblow - “Based on the older model known as Game Game (darling name, I must say), these innocuous looking turtles spin their shells like a deadly frisbee. Regular frisbees are bad enough, but at least they only hurt your neck rather than, y'know, potentially slice it.”

Aquis - “Despite being based on seahorses, these ones never touch a single drop of water, instead opting to swim through the air... as well as rain down bullets on you. Not very advertiser friendly.”

Sweep - “Can you run on water? So can these pests, unfortunately. Trimming along the deep blue with surprising grace, they like to insert their spiked noses into your person... I trust it goes without saying that this would hurt quite a bit.”

At the risk of disappointing Sonic greatly, welcome to your first water zone in Viridonia. There may have been the odd watery area in the previous zones, but this will be the first one to really make use of your swimming skills... or non-swimming skills. Well, it may not suit the Blue Blur's tastes, but you're not gonna stop Eggman otherwise, right?

Anyway, you won't have to fret too much about inescapable underwater sections for the time being, as this act takes place at the lovely beach by the sea. If you expect this to simply be a textbook Emerald Coast however (you know, like Wave Ocean), you've got another thing coming. True, there's elements of those stages here and there - the palm trees filled with juicy coconuts, the wooden boardwalks leading off into the ocean, the occasional flashy yacht floating along to make you feel dissatisfied with your own life choices - but even a quick glance will reveal the beautifully decorated plaza, the higher cliffs teeming with stunning waterfalls, and the tall torches complimenting the gradually darkening sky, as it's close to reaching sunset by this point.

You can even stop by the tourist centers if you want to, of which their residents will be happy to provide you with interesting facts about the place... when they're not grumbling about rival tourist destinations, that is.

"I heard that Apotos once got corrupted by a dark force, causing its residents to act out and commit heinous acts of evil... Now between you and me, would they have went through all that suffering if they came here...?"

"You know the worst thing about that Dr. Robotnik? His vacation planning make no sense! Who puts a theme park in space? Was it his plan all along to kill everyone through lack of oxygen?"

"Soleanna? More like SoleanNAH... Look, I don't get visitors often..."

By this point, you'll have noticed that Lutrudis isn't the only one tagging along with Sonic and Tails this time around. Amy and Cream are tagging along too, and like Miss Hadeer, they'll try their best to help out here and there, as well as provide banter that doesn't get repetitive or redundant. You can't rely on them too much though, or else this would be far too easy. The Crabmeats and Gameblows still put their focus on you when attacking, though the Aquis seahorses will prove to be the most obnoxious of the set due to their tendency to hang around in the air. Suffice to say, Tails can get rid of them a lot quicker, unless you're really good with Sonic's momentum.

By the time you reach the home stretch, represented by an impressively sized lighthouse, an orca whale will pop out of the water. Luckily, despite your initial reservations, this one is friendly to blue hedgehogs, as it happily allows you to run along its back... But once you jump off its back, and leap high into the air, another orca will suddenly jump out to try and eat you. After narrowly avoiding the hostile orca's vacumn of a mouth, you're quick to notice that it's been equipped with highly advanced armor... and it appears to be acting against its own will, as you also notice the blue robot hovering down with a remote control...

Amy: What's going on!?

Sonic: Wait, that's-!

Gunner: Heh heh heh...

As the first orca wisely flees the scene of the crime, you're forced to run away from the clutches of the second, mechanized orca. As tense as orca chases were in the past, they didn't fire lasers and bombs at you. Poor Cream in particular is frightened beyond belief, but you've made it out of these situations before. Unfortunately, the actual terrain is a lot more complicated than past incidents of this sort as well, as you must traverse through piers, caves, AND cliffs to escape the jaws of the beast.

Eventually however, the ray of the lighthouse will shine upon the mecha orca, and with its temporary distraction, it'll crash into the nearest cliff, Monstro-style. Don't worry, it's not dead. But it did get rid of the armor encasing it, thus freeing it of its operator's control.

Gunner: Ohhhhh nooooo...

As the robot rather pathetically crushes its remote in anger, before flying away, you can finally complete the stage by freeing the critters from the end capsule. But in the distance, you can hear a lot of splashing, and a lot of children in particular yelling out gleefully. Or could one of those be a manchild...?

---

"Who was THAT weirdo?" Amy wondered as she squeezed the last drop of water out of her quills. "Eggman's newest hunk of junk?"

"Is the poor whale okay...?" Cream worried to herself. Lutrudis was quick to nod in reassurance, and gave her the A-OK hand signal for good measure. Amy also nodded sympathetically as she rubbed her little friend's head in affection.

"That wasn't a new guy," Sonic muttered, still soaked from head to toe, and not too pleased about it if his slumped body language was of any indication. "That was a Heavy."

"A what?"

"A Heavy, Amy. A Hard-Boiled Heavy to be precise. Me and Tails tangled with them long ago... I didn't think I'd ever see them again, but here we are."

"Them?" Cream asked nervously. "How many of them are there...?"

"Five," Tails answered bluntly. "They were tougher than they looked too," he added dejectedly.

"Drat," Amy cursed out loud, complete with a fist in her palm. "And I guess Eggman didn't decide to only rebuild one of them? Now we have a whole GROUP of jerks to watch out for."

"There's five of us though, right...?" Lutrudis gestured with her left hand. "Surely they're not much different from the doctor's other robots."

"Well actually," Sonic scratched his ear as he looked to his side awkwardly. "These robots were enhanced by a really weird jewel."

"Oh... of course..." Lutrudis trailed off, before quickly regaining her confident burst. "Well you still beat them once before. We can handle them... At least, you guys can... Myself, well..."

Before Sonic could argue with what he perceived as an error in her statement, Lutrudis cleared the last set of bushes that revealed the source of all the excited noise: a hustling, bustling water park. The vaguely ancient architecture suggested that it was formerly a set of aquatic ruins, but with the addition of industrial gizmos and doodads in the modern age, it was now a colorful array of seaside adrenaline. Dazzling fountains were dotted all over, and it truly caught the group's attention.

"Wow, this place looks cool!" Tails beamed with youthful glee. His tails couldn't help but twirl around in excitement. "We should hang out here for real when this is over! What do you think, Sonic?"

He was quick to notice the look of subdued resignation on his lifelong buddy's face. Evidently, the blue hedgehog had wearily accepted that he was about to get very wet once again.

"Oh man..." Sonic sighed, as Lutrudis put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.

---

CR Act 2: Crazy Rapids

Lutrudis' Badnik Logs: Lobstrike - “These lobsters practically become heat-seeking missiles the moment they spot an enemy. Fortunately, while they're certainly fast, they can't turn around once they fire at you. Can't say I was fond of the taste of lobsters anyway.”

Scuba Pawn - "The most clever thing about these Pawns is that they're sea green. Slightly less clever is their tendency to throw their floatie rings like boomerangs, as well as launch a torpedo if you're under the sea. The doctor's compulsive need to mix deadly and daft would be almost admirable if it weren't for his equally compulsive need to conquer the world through it."

Returning Enemies: Crabmeat Gameblow Aquis Sweep

Doesn't this place look amazingly fun? Not if you're aquaphobic. Good thing no one on the team is, or else this would be very awkward.

Being a water park, you have a plentiful amount of gimmicks to experiment with. Water slides, water whirligigs, giant bubbles for you to substitute for temporary platforms, and even jacuzzi hot tubs that launch you up in the air with their overwhelming heat. Everything's coming up wet around here! The hybrid of marble ruins and wacky equipment certainly makes for a memorable scene, but don't get too distracted, lest you get bumped off by a Scuba Pawn.

Speaking of which, does no one here realise the gravity of the robots' presence? One lanky zebra in khaki shorts seems to have a unique take on them...

"Yoooo! Digging these mascots, dude! So full of life, know what I mean dawg?"

As you attempt to avoid shutting down emotionally upon hearing the word "dawg", let's discuss the swimming in this adventure at last. As Sonic, you naturally can't swim, but as Tails, you can count on that cute little doggy paddle of yours to help you go places. Compared to the old days however, Tails can now swim a lot faster, making underwater sections a lot more bearable than they would be otherwise. Of course, Tails will still tire out if you doggy paddle for too long, and regardless of who you're playing as, failure to obtain oxygen in time will result in a certain memorable countdown... followed by death.

That's not to say that you can't complete underwater stages with Sonic. The level design is always laid out in a way that ensures he can still make it through as well. But basically, you're better off with using Tails in these type of stages, unless you have something to prove.

And what would a place called Crazy Rapids be if it didn't have any rapids? There's a whole bunch of them, and you gotta watch your step, as the current during these sections is way too speedy for you to swim through without getting washed away. Like the honey in the Hornet's Nest though, you won't die if you get caught in it. You'll simply be momentarily inconvenienced... which is nonetheless a big deal when there's Lobstrikes willing to take advantage of your situation.

After all the slides, the rapids, and the trips in and out of the water, you'll eventually find yourself running along a straight path that takes you to the park's information center... But right before you enter it, you're suddenly bombarded with missiles. Once you dodge them for a brief period, the source of the missiles will hover down and reveal itself... a familiar helicopter, with a familiar passenger. With a push of a button on its control panel, the copter dispatches the rotors in exchange for a round underside, and the vehicle slams down onto the floor behind you with a mighty crash, breaking the floor apart instantly. With the contraption now taking the form of a boat, you must run for your life as an old friend tries valiantly to earn himself some much desired payback...

BOSS: Heavy Gunner

On one hand, this is kind of like your original fight with the police-themed Heavy, in that you're keeping up the pace against his vehicle of choice, and he's firing an onslaught of missiles everywhere he goes.

On the other hand, everything else is completely different.

For starters, Gunner's boat is always behind you, and its chipping away at the ground you're cruising along. Falling into the water here won't technically count as an instant death, but you'll be a sitting duck for the balloon-sized bombs that he sends down your way, so try to avoid that fate as best as you can. Should you stay above the ocean however, Gunner will opt for continuing his missile assault with his trusty yet blocky bazooka.

Now, Gunner's missiles have different colours, just like your past encounter with him. But this time, he fires red and green, not blue. Red missiles go straight for you, while green missiles arch upwards, loop around once, and then crash down onto the floor ahead of you, thus risking a watery trap for your character. The cybernetic sail on the front of the boat prevents offensive measures from the front, and neither type of missile can be deflected back, for it is proven that a robot can learn from his mistakes. So what do you do?

Wait for a green missile. Then, when it loops around and is close to ground level, grab onto it. Keep holding on until the missile is at the highest it can go, and right before it crashes down to the ground...

Gunner: Uhhhhh ohhhhh...

...let go of the missile and slam yourself down onto the boat with all your might. Gunner's subsequent arm flailing and eyeball popping will indicate that he did not account for this maneuver, and his boat will notably sink ever so slightly.

Three more rounds of this is all it takes. But be warned, for in an effort to prevent you from pulling that stunt again, the pattern of the green missiles will grow increasingly erratic after each hit, culminating with some truly fast zig-zag sweeping. As well as that, he'll also start firing missiles while you're up high in an attempt to make you lose focus. But speed is your middle name, so you've got this in the bag. After four strikes, the boat will finally give way and sink altogether, but not before Gunner ejects from his craft and jets away. This won't be the last you see of him, but you've foiled him for now. Let's just hope his buddies follow the same destiny...

---

"Y-you'll pay for t-this..." Gunner muttered timidly, as he used his jetpack to fly off to an unspecified destination.

"Sorry cop, but you ain't taking me in," Sonic quipped. "Wasn't fun being in jail the first time around..." He and his friends carried on running through the path, only to stop by an isolated building hidden away by trees and bushes. Upon taking a step inside...

"Look, Mr. Sonic!" Cream clasped her hands happily.

"Huh?" Sonic turned around after making sure Gunner was gone, and to his own surprise, occupying the lobby area was a whole bunch of Chao, of different colours and shapes, all playing around without a care in the world. Some of them were enjoying the pool, others were sliding down minature slides and throwing balls with each other, content with the other's company.

"A Chao Garden...?" the hero wondered.

"Yep," Lutrudis answered, hands on hips. "You didn't think we'd have any of our own here?" she asked with a teasing smile.

Sonic said nothing, too caught up with watching the little Chao. Amy and Cream wasted no time in petting and playing with the nearest Chao they could find, and even Cheese greeted himself to them through their own unique language.

"Chao!"

"Chao Chao!"

"Chao Chao?"

"Chao! <3"

As they got along with each other, Tails turned to Lutrudis. "Do you come here often?"

She nodded wistfully. "I love Chao." She rested one arm on her hand. "They're such beautiful little creatures... And so calming to one's senses. I've considered having one of my own, actually."

"Why haven't you got one?" Sonic questioned, as he crossed his arms.

"I'm not sure if I would make a good parent figure for them..." the horse rubbed her arm, while looking aside. "I don't really have the experience for that... and I doubt that'll change anytime soon..."

"Well, I think you'd be great with a Chao," Sonic gently nudged Lutrudis with a wink.

"Yeah!" Tails agreed. "You've treated the rest of us fine, right? You're nowhere close to having the inhospitality of someone like-"

"Guys, watch out!" Lutrudis suddenly called out to Amy and Cream, after having briefly glanced up at the transparent glass roof. Before they could react however, said glass roof suddenly exploded in a shower of broken shards, which threatened to cause serious damage to everyone within the lobby. Thinking fast, Sonic used his speed to get most of the Chao out of harm's way, and his four friends followed suit to the best of their own abilities. While the damage had been done to the surrounding area, the Chao were understandably in a state of panicked frenzy.

Sonic looked around to make sure his friends were okay, and he was subsequently relieved to see that Lutrudis had successfully herded all the Chao to a safe corner of the room, and was currently attempting to calm the poor things down. Before he could do anything else though, he immediately sensed another's presence. He didn't need to guess who it was. He could already hear the culprit's voice in his head before it even came out, as he had arguably heard it more times throughout his young life than even his own. Yet sure enough, out it came.

"Well, well, well... Sonic, my old pal. Long time no see, eh?"

The hedgehog looked up with distaste, and there he was, floating above in his signature hovercraft. The man who had caused so much trouble over the years. The man who saw himself as an emperor. The man who had a lifetime score to settle with people a quarter of his age. His two lackeys of questionable usefulness, Orbot and Cubot, were alongside him, as expected.

"Hey, what's all this commotion?" A burly duck in a suit and tie had walked into the scene, not at all happy with the carnage he had just heard, and certainly not with all the collateral damage. "Do you KNOW how long this will take to clean u-"

The duck immediately froze upon seeing the notorious scientist. He stood there in silence for a few long seconds, as his life flashed before his very eyes. The doctor simply turned to him, awaiting the expected reaction. Cubot was at least friendly enough to wave at him.

"R-R-Robotnik..." he stammered. "Gotta go...!" He promptly bolted out of the room, having cared very much about his own mortality.

"Oh, please, come back!" Eggman called out sarcastically. "I'm only here for a chat!"

"What are you doing here, Eggman?" Sonic asked with apprehension, ready as ever to put up his dukes if necessary. Tails and Amy were likewise quick to prepare themselves.

"What am I doing here?" Eggman pointed at himself with artificial innocence, as if he were hurt by the remark. "Surely the real question is what are you doing here. Must you always be like this, Sonic? Always following me wherever I go?"

"I think you've got that the other way around, doc," Sonic muttered, unimpressed with the man's fooling around.

"Just tell us your stupid plan already!" Amy complained, gripping firmly on her hammer. "Like you always do!"

"Now now, that's not how you greet yours truly," the doctor slowly waved a finger at the temperamental pink hedgehog. "I was just in the mood to visit the Chao that I hold so dear to my heart!"

"Because he wants to kidnap them," Orbot helpfully added. Eggman wordlessly glared at him.

"Kidnap the Chao...?" Cream contemplated with horror and revulsion. She immediately held Cheese tightly to her chest. "Why would you do such a thing!?"

"Yeah, why would you do that?" Tails questioned in a more quizzical tone. "What do you need Chao for? You're always after stuff like the Chaos Emeralds, and you've never cared about Chao at all until now..."

"Ah... I don't think I'll be telling that," Eggman leaned back and chuckled deviously. A grin started to appear on his face. "You see, things are a little different this time-"

"Don't you say that every time?" asked Cubot.

He got smacked in the face for his troubles.

"Things are a little different this time," Eggman repeated, looking in Cubot's direction in annoyance while doing so, before turning back to face the heroes. "If I explained everything right now, I'm afraid none of you would understand any of it! You'd have to reach MY level to get it." He smugly tapped his bald head, clearly alluding to the genius he prided himself so much on. "So if it's all the same with you, I think I'll be taking these girls and boys with me now."

Sonic was ready to thoroughly jeer at Eggman's amazing optimism in expecting to do as he pleased without his say in the matter. But before he could do so, another voice spoke out for him.

"You're not taking any of them."

Eggman looked confused as he wondered who had dared to say No to someone of his self-appointed stature. He quickly turned his Egg Mobile around, and saw Lutrudis standing in front of every last Chao. Her arms were outstretched, fully indicating that he would have to go through her to get them. The Chao were all terrified.

"Oh, right, you," the doctor commented. He stroked his right whisker. "I almost forgot about you. You're the new one, aren't you? The newest friend."

"~Ooooooh, friend!~" Orbot overdramatically clasped his hands joyfully.

"~Friend!~" Cubot added, and did the same in response.

"You're not taking these Chao," Lutrudis reiterated firmly, unflattered by the mockery directed at her.

"Surely you know who I am...?" Eggman asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Then you also know what I'm capable of...?

"Yes."

"And you know full well what I could do to you right here, right now...?"

"...Yes."

There was an audible hint of anxiousness in the horse's voice. This was her first face-to-face encounter with the most dangerous criminal in the world. She knew that he could mess her up in unimaginable ways, most likely with the push of a button. There was palpable fear on her face... Yet she remained where she was, not budging for a second. Even if it resulted in misfortune for herself, she refused to hand over the Chao.

"Then why do you dare to oppose me...?"

"Knock it off, Eggman," Sonic commanded fiercely. His hand began to curl into a fist, and his ears were straight up. His spines also sharpened a tiny bit.

"Why do you dare to oppose me...?" Eggman repeated, with added emphasis. His face was now inches away from the horse's own. "What's your story, hero?"

Lutrudis simply glared, despite the fear in her eyes. "No one owes anything to a rotten madman like you."

"...Madman...?" Eggman sneered venomously at her. Orbot and Cubot both shook their heads in fearful unison, explaining to Lutrudis non-verbally that saying such a thing to their master's face would not end well for anybody.

"Hey, egghead!" Sonic called out impatiently, tapping his foot. "We're still here, you know! You think WE'RE gonna let you take them?"

Eggman turned to Sonic with irritation. "Right, okay, let's get one thing sorted out about this 'egghead' business...!"

While the doctor was distracted, Lutrudis noticed that Cream wasn't too far from where she was. With a whisper, she called Cream over, to which the rabbit obliged. Kneeling down slowly so as to prevent her leg bones from straining, Lutrudis whispered in Cream's ear for a few seconds. When she finished, Cream nodded without a word, and she in turn called Amy over with a whisper of her own. Amy briefly looked to make sure that Eggman wasn't paying attention to her...

"If you absolutely HAVE to make these puns, why not go for something more original? More refined?"

...before tip-toeing over rather daintily to her two friends. After Cream whispered to Amy in her ear, the hedgehog nodded too. Eggman still didn't notice...

"Is this really the best you can think of, hedgehog? Have all those years of getting in my way gotten in YOUR way of coming up with something clever?"

As quickly as she could, Amy grabbed every last Chao, which turned out to be complicated given there were at least a dozen of them. But, not to be underestimated, she had them all in her mighty grasp... or at least, they were grasping her. This was then followed by Cream picking Amy up, and flying her out of the scene, taking the Chao along with them.

"...And that's why you need to come up with more original insults! 'Egghead' is so bottom of the barrel! Now then, the Chao..."

Eggman turned once again in Lutrudis' direction, only to notice her smiling with her hands behind her back, looking as innocent as can be. He also noticed that the Chao had all mysteriously vanished.

"Huh...?"

"Ha! Nice one, Trudy! Catch you later, egghead!" Sonic promptly dashed off further into the building.

"Better luck next time!" Tails added playfully, as he too followed Sonic's course of action.

After seeing them leave, Eggman stared at Lutrudis with confusion, who simply saluted at him with a smirk.

"See ya."

And with that, she ran off to follow her friends. As he watched her run off - but not before noticing she ran in a weirdly stilted way - Eggman simply floated in his craft in silence. He crossed his arms in thought.

"Oh dear, looks like you got tricked," Orbot thought out loud.

"Aw, you'll get 'em next time, boss," Cubot reassured. "Unless you lose next time, and the time after that... and the time after that..."

"I don't know why we're treating this as a loss," Eggman simply said, backed up by his surprising degree of calm nonchalance. "I'm still one step ahead, and maybe a few steps more..." He continued looking to where Lutrudis once was, as he gave his moustache another stroke. "Clever girl, that one. But she won't feel clever for long... Ho ho ho ho..."

"Hey, I heard a lot of noise earlier, what happ-" The pelican that entered the room turned tail and ran out as quickly as he came in. "Oh god, Robotnik's here! I'm too young to die!"

Eggman merely glanced at where the pelican was, and shrugged to himself.

---

"Where did they take them?" Sonic questioned as he kept jogging.

"To my castle," Lutrudis replied, trying her absolute best to keep up with him. "It should keep them safe, at least for now."

"You think they'll be alright with the Chao?" Tails asked in concern.

"Dude, Cream's oldest friend is a Chao. They've got this." Sonic looked around the hallway they were running through. It was rather fancy, with dark reds and silvers complimenting the mood, as well as a black and white checkered floor. "So uh, where are we actually going?"

"This takes us to the aquarium," Lutrudis informed him, while attempting not to sound like she was already out of breath. "I don't know what use Eggman would have for it, but his robots have been everywhere else so far, so..."

"Ahem, excuse me," a polar bear with a beard stepped in the way of their path to the entrance of the aquarium. "I'm afraid this area is reserved for celebrities only."

"What? But..." Sonic didn't often like to flaunt his world saviour status, but given the potential stakes at hand, it was evident that he didn't have much of a choice here. "But I'm Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Oh yeah?" The gruff polar bear raised an eyebrow. "What's your proof?"

The hero stared at him in silence for a few painful seconds.

"...I'm Sonic the Hedgehog...?"

The bear shrugged. "Can't argue with that. You may enter."

The three friends simply looked at each other, each of them as baffled as the other. They soon made their way through the entrance in a single file, and once they were out of the bear's sight, Tails turned to Lutrudis with one ear lowered.

"Not to be mean, but that guy wasn't very good at his job, was he?"

"Apparently not," Lutrudis lightly brushed her ponytail aside to scratch the back of her head. "I don't recall anything about this place only accepting celebrities... Still, considering the circumstances, we should be grateful for his ineptitude."

"I just hope we don't need to make too many dips here," Sonic added, though his weary tone confirmed that deep down, he already accepted the reality.

Meanwhile, the bear looked behind him to check that they were gone, and upon confirmation, he smiled deviously to himself. All of a sudden, a puff of smoke had engulfed him, complete with a few dramatic sparkles, and when the dust settled, in his place was a droid much like Gunner, only this one wore yellow and a top hat... it seemed to be unable to stop moving its hands around.

"Hmm hmm...!" the robot chortled in a feminine tone, before disappearing in another puff of smoke.

---

CR Act 3: Aquarium Gallery

Lutrudis' Badnik Logs: Blastoid - “The good news is that they stay put. The bad news is that they're often placed in a rather intrusive fashion. Little do they know however that with the help of a certain shield, their projectiles can hardly put up a fight in the slightest.”

Shelly - "Looks like a bog standard seashell, right? Wrong: they may look all pretty and divine, but the moment you go near it, they'll clamp down on you like a deranged bear trap. Doesn't necessarily motivate me to sell seashells on the seashore..."

Returning Enemies: Crabmeat Aquis Sweep

This is the friendliest and the deadliest aquarium you've seen yet. There are fishies of all shapes and sizes (and colours) here, but as it turns out, some of the normally docile fish have been forcibly turned into mindless killing machines, just like the orca from earlier. You can leave them be if you want to, but freeing them of their armored shells will net you more points, and also make you feel good about yourself.

Tails: Why did Eggman do this to these poor fish?

Sonic: I don't know Tails, but I'm not standing for it.

Lutrudis: Perhaps they're being used to guard something from us...

Blastoids make an appearance in this stage, and they're the same as ever, right down to being rendered inefficient if you have a Water Shield, as you can simply deflect their projectiles away. However, they can still pose a threat, as they're fond of sitting atop glass roofs that - should their pellets make contact - will break a piece off, potentially sending you into the water below with a mechanized fish for company.

As you progress through the stage, you'll notice a change of environment. The red and silver halls filled with glass tanks and statues will gradually get phased out in favor of beautiful turquoise caverns, with the ripples of the water reflecting on the cavern walls. Speaking of the water, that too takes up a mildly turquoise hue, as do the stunning waterfalls found all around. Giant seashells rest easy, with funky patterns... just make sure you don't get them mixed up with Shellies. You can even see a little bit of sunset poke through the holes in the wall. Is this even part of the aquarium? Who cares.

What you should care about is a new force of nature at work: cybernetic sharks, with metal teeth and glowing red eyes. They're huge, they're fast, and you can't hurt them at all. You can only evade them, as starting a fight with one will cause them to eat you without a second thought, thus making you die instantly. Don't you just hate it when an enemy is inexplicably invincible?

But as long as you avoid the robo sharks, you'll make it out in one piece. The end of the stage takes you outside the caves, showing off the sunset in all its rich glory. The purple and red contrast beautifully with the briny blue sea, but you're also quick to notice what looks like a dam. It looks... rather old, actually...

---

“Tch, there sure aren't a shortage of weird buildings around here,” Sonic mused as he examined the rusty dam beyond him. It didn't look to be of Eggman's design, but it certainly gave off a creepy atmosphere all the same. Despite that, for all its decay, it was still sturdy enough to keep the nearby water under control. The sunset shined brightly upon the dam.

Tails noticed that the park they were in not too long ago was now a short distance away from where they were at the moment, having spotted it far away from the dam. Those caverns they came through must have been more expansive than they realised.

“Do you think Eggman plans to do anything with this?” the young fox asked. His eyes glanced left and right, as if to seek out the evil scientist.

“I can think of some ideas, but I'd rather not blurt them out in case he's... listening,” Lutrudis answered lightly.

“Good idea,” Sonic added, having also glanced all around for Eggman's possible whereabouts. “He always appears at the worst times, like back pain.”

“I know the feeling,” Lutrudis joked, as she stretched her arms.

The three of them went further down the path to the dam. The size of the structure impressed them even more the closer they got, and though a relic of an older time it may have been, they couldn't help but marvel at the effort of construction that went into it. For all their attempts to locate him however, the doctor himself was in fact standing at the very top of the dam. He was on his own, and he looked down at the curious adventurers. He kept watching.

They looked at the entrance with wariness. It appeared to be empty inside, but they knew better than to think they would be so lucky. Sonic turned to his two comrades.

“Well...?” he motioned towards the gate.

His friends simply nodded. Lutrudis had her bow in her hand in preparation for an unexpected attack. As they went inside one by one, Eggman took one of his hands off the nearby railing, and pulled out a communication device from his pocket. He put it right up to his ear.

“Now,” he commanded.

---

CR Act 4: Hydro Plant

Lutrudis' Badnik Logs: Drisame - “Watch out for that hammerhead! They hide in walls before leaping out to ambush you, and they also love to shove you into other hazards. If you get them facing upwards though, you can actually stand on them like it's no big deal. I don't think that was an intended feature on the doctor's part...”

Inkbrink - “These elongated squids can poke you with their sharpened noggins. They can also soak you in toxic black sludge, and if you're REALLY unlucky, that monitor of yours will temporarily get covered in the gunk as well, thus blinding your vision for a brief period. (Incidentally, what exactly is that monitor for...?)”

Returning Enemies: Crabmeat Gameblow Lobstrike Blastoid

It's quiet here. Possibly a little too quiet, if one were to be cliche. Well at least you're given a chance to breathe. Though the inside of this old dam is a tad dreary and full of shadows, you don't have to deal with too much at first. There aren't even that many enemies. For now, use the conveyor belts to go even faster, which still work perfectly fine despite their age. You can even stop to look at the occasional bit of graffiti, which includes inspiring quotes like:

Stand Up 2 The Pain + Turmoil

Toot Toot Sonic Warrior

All Hail Shadow

For The Mania

justice for kidd

One of them is tragically spelled incorrectly:

Make belif reborn

Anyway, as you go further down, it gets darker, but not to the point where you can't see anything. There's the occasional robot hiding around, mainly Drisames, but hardly anything for you to worry about. The sunset once again seeps through the few windows here, but don't get too enraptured. It might feel like a maze, but Lutrudis tends to go the right way, so just follow her if you're as clueless as a grey hedgehog during his debut.

It's subtle at first, but you might begin to notice that the area is growing slowly more high tech. The near-withered bricks and stones are gradually exchanged for silver metal, some of which is shiny enough to show a reflection. It dawns on you that this is the heart of the plant, and what's keeping it functioning despite appearing to have seen better days from an outsider's point of view. This is where the enemies ramp up in presence... along with underwater dives, to Sonic's misfortune. He even expresses envy when Lutrudis shows herself to be highly skilled at swimming by comparison.

Sonic: I really gotta learn how to swim sometime...

Lutrudis: I can teach you if you'd like... y'know, when this is over.

Of course, this wouldn't be a problem if you picked Tails, since he can swim. But you can still make it with the blue one. Just be sure to keep grabbing those bubbles for air regardless of who you're playing as. Inkbrinks and Lobstrikes can be troublesome in the tunnel sections here, but if you get an Inkbrink's sludge on you, it'll disappear after five seconds... better hope you don't run into another one during that time. There'll be no S Rank for you anytime soon if that keeps happening.

As you get closer to the end, you can spot a very complex, towered structure in the distance, full of bright green lights that contrast with the blue and silver all around. Some of Eggman's minions seem to be making an attempt to break it down, but you're not having any of that. Beat them up, and you'll hear the doctor himself chime in:

Eggman: You bothered to come all the way down here? I expected nothing less from you fools... but at least this will be entertaining to watch now! DROWN them, Crabgrind!

Right on cue, a crab mecha of intimidating stature bursts out of the ground like a possessed drill. It immediately starts drilling away at the structure, and it doesn't take long for the heroes to realise what the intention is:

Tails: Wait a minute... this is the heart of the dam... he's trying to cause a flood from the inside!

Sonic: And it'll seep through to the outside... we gotta end this fast!

BOSS: Crabgrind

Don't let the name fool you, it looks nothing like a Crabmeat. It's more like a hermit crab in design, if the shell had a bunch of spikes all over. Mix that in with a couple of drill pincers, and you've got a formidable beast. At least it's slow... right...?

This is NOT a timed fight in the traditional sense, despite the current urgent situation, but you'll want to do it as quickly as you can anyway, because the longer you keep at it, the longer Crabgrind will get to drill through the structure, and the more water will fill the arena, which will of course reduce your speed a little. There will be air bubbles if it gets to that point, but... try not to let it get to that point, okay?

As for the fight itself, Crabgrind may be focused on the structure, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have time to spare for you. As it does its work, it'll fire the spikes off its shell like pointy missiles in an attempt to keep you away from its job. Due to the size of the spikes, they're actually rather tough to avoid, especially if you're avoiding them underwater. It's not impossible, though. A well timed spin dash is enough to do the trick. If you try getting closer to the shelled monster, it'll use one of its pincers with the intention of drilling through your fleshy body. This is fortunately not shown in realistic detail. You can knock the pincer back to prevent the attack, but that won't damage it. What's the secret?

Like the Paindozer, Lutrudis is your key. In the brief period that Crabgrind's spikes are detached from its shell before gaining a new set of them, you can spot some fragile-looking wiring through the holes. Lutrudis will try to shoot an arrow through one of those holes, but Crabgrind will in turn try to attack her if she does so... unless you've got it distracted. Reflect its pincer a couple of times, and that'll be enough time for Lutrudis to fire an arrow through a hole without issue. Upon getting an arrow lodged inside, Crabgrind will start spinning around in a frenzy to try and get it out, while firing its spikes more erratically all the while, before clumsily falling on its side... revealing a weakpoint on its underside. Give that a whack to damage the mecha.

This carries on initially, with not much variation bar the expected longer periods of attacking, and ramping up the defensiveness... After six hits however, things take a dramatic turn...

Eggman: Hmm, this is getting a little boring now... Time for Plan B, Crabgrind! Ha ha HA!

Without warning, Crabgrind will cease attacking the structure... and instead lunge straight for you and Lutrudis, knocking you into a conveniently placed chute where you're constantly sliding along the current. You may be reminded of certain adventures from an earlier period, but now is not the time to dwell on the past, for Crabgrind will now use its shell to poke through the water and shank you. You can tell where it'll appear by spotting the bubbles that briefly pop beforehand. Even then, this demented game of Reverse Whack a Mole can be hectic. Keep your nerves under control, and you'll be smooth sailing.

Again, Lutrudis is your key. After several rounds of it popping in and out, Lutrudis will use all her strength to straight up grab one of its pincers with enough grip to actually slow it down temporarily, to the point where she's now surfing along the water with her feet. An impressive display, but not an easy one for her...

Lutrudis: Quickly...! I can't hold on for long... not with these bones...!

While she's grabbing one pincer, Crabgrind will go multi-purpose again and launch the other one at you in confused rage. Dodge the drill, notice the exposed point in the now empty pincer, and give it mayhem. This will take that pincer out of commission for good, though it will still hang there and limp along. Repeat this procedure with the other pincer, and then - with both pincers rendered unusable - Crabgrind will lose its mind and fire all of its spikes everywhere, without even bothering to aim at you. You don't even need to wait for an arrow at this point. Wait for a hole in the shell, jump through and attack his core, and watch as the once fearsome crustacean slowly sinks one last time. Tragic... if it weren't a mindlessly evil machine.

---

"Okay, that's the crab down, but now what!?" Tails asked in fright as they continued getting swept away along the tunneled river. The current was too fast to handle, even for Sonic.

"Relax!" Sonic grinned sheepishly, clearly hoping this wouldn't kill him. "What life or death situation haven't we gotten out of? We made it out of the fake emerald ordeal in one-"

"Look out!" Lutrudis pointed with wide eyes.

"Oh sh-"

A barrier had appeared at the end of the tunnel, which sent them flying over it, and through to outside civilization... represented in this case by more sea. Sonic was especially unlucky to have banged his head on the barrier, which knocked him out hard. His unconcious body began to sink in the sea, as Tails and Lutrudis came to their senses.

"Sonic!" Tails panicked. He and Lutrudis immediately swam below to grab him, but their own fatigue from their experience proved to be an issue. Thinking quickly, Lutrudis snapped her fingers. She motioned for Tails to grab her from behind, which he did. She pulled out her whip, closed one eye to aim as best as she could, and launched the whip in the drowning hedgehog's direction.

As luck would have it, the whip latched onto Sonic's leg. Lutrudis turned her head to Tails and nodded. Tails nodded himself in response. Using their combined strength, they pulled, and pulled, and pulled... and they pulled just a little bit too much, for Sonic's body was suddenly sent flying out of the water and into the air. Their eyes bulged in disbelief upon witnessing this, and Lutrudis pointed up frantically. Getting the message, Tails shot out of the water like a turbo submarine.

Meanwhile, Sonic was beginning to regain consciousness.

"Huh...?"

He was quick to notice he was falling back down to the sea.

"AHHH!"

Mercifully though, Sonic's initial panic came to a halt as Tails grabbed him. Sonic looked left and right in puzzlement, then looked up to see Tails' relieved face. He looked at his foxy friend for a second, then gave him a sheepish thumbs up.

"Is he alright?" Lutrudis called out to Tails from below.

"He's fine," Tails answered. "Just a little dazed."

"Yeah..." Sonic muttered in agreement, as Tails hovered down to pick up Lutrudis. The horse grabbed onto the hedgehog's legs, and they began to fly away together.

"What happened...?" Sonic wondered.

"You, uh, nearly drowned," Tails awkwardly explained.

"Oh... well it's a good thing I didn't. Thanks, guys." Sonic then thought to himself for a moment, then looked down at Lutrudis with a lighthearted smirk. "I don't suppose there was any mouth to mouth?"

"Oh no, no, not at all," she shook her head lightly. She looked down for a moment, and then looked back up. She smirked as well. "But I could give you that, if you want..."

Sonic paused abruptly. He looked like a deer in the headlights.

Lutrudis laughed. "I'm kidding," she gently teased him, to which the blue one chuckled somewhat bashfully. "Let's head back to the castle. Amy and Cream may be good with Chao, but there was still a lot of them. We better help them out."

"Right!" Tails obeyed. As they began their journey back, Sonic couldn't help but look down at Lutrudis once again. This time around, his expression was that of warm amusement.

Less amusing was who was spying on them from afar... Eggman watched them fly away in the comfort of his Egg Mobile. Despite witnessing the miserable defeat of his minion, he appeared to be in a good mood. He floated away in a different direction, smiling fiendishly to himself all the while.

---

Back to Chapter 2-3 Interlude...

To Chapter 4...

[quirkwizard]

Woops, I’m trying to think of a mutant water-based quirk but nothing is coming to mind! Nothing that changes an appearance too much. Kind of like Asui’s quirk. I’m thinking maybe some kind of amphibian themed thing, or even something based on sirens! Any suggestions?

If you don’t want animal related Quirk to affect appearance, then it shouldn’t be a Mutant type. While Tsuyu looks more traditionally human, just remember characters like Gang Orca and Hound, both of which look more like were-creatures then humans. That being said, there are many fish or other sea creatures that you could choose from if you’re you want a more aquatic focused animals, with sharks having a variety of choices. If you’re looking for something more amphibious, you could try toads, newts, or salamanders. While a toad would be very similar to Tsuyu, aside from having a higher focus on armor, newts and salamanders would have Anatomical Liberation and and Enhanced Regeneration. It may also fit with your appearance prerequisite since you could just cover the user in spots and call it a day. If neither of those suit you, you could always try reptiles.

[pyramidrising-moved]

Lair rewiew for @marmite-fr !!!

Holy heck I enjoyed your lair it was hard to choose who to write about!!! Very good, cohesive theme in your clan it was hard to choose favorites!!

Just. Wow. Vesna is breathtaking! The subtle harmony between dark greys and greens gilded with the golden details is amazing, I love the sage shawl under the tree wardens garb, like it barely shows but it brings so much to the outfit! This is layering at its best!! Like the more I look at her the more details I find like the firefly gene she is endlessly fascinating and full of secrets! I get the vibe of an ancient forest deity of her!

Mmmmm yes Kerttu is a ridgeback to my taste! Her skin, genes and accent are in perfect harmony she looks dramatic and frightening in a way that makes me love her. For me as a finn her name brings a nice twist to her, in  finnish translation of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel the girls name is translated to Kerttu so her gorgeous and mature appearance is in fascinately miss-matched with her cute name! I love that!

I am always soft for mother figures and Yekaterina seems like a loving and rightful queen! I just love the pink shades the armor gives her and the rose in her mouth with the leaves is really clever apparel choice! I just simply love her!!!

Falakaha is just gorgeous golden boy I feel blessed just to look at him! The sundrapes are just like made for him and the luminous legguards that usually look kinda clumsy to me are great on him!! The familiar matching is on point and his bio and art look gorgeous!

I would die for Buky. Thylacine is one of my favorite genes and i absolutely love the layering and overall theme of her outfit!!! I have found the jester capes hard to work in my outfits since they are so big and have striking pattern, but covering it partly with single toned apparel looks absolutely great! Her accent is subtle but still striking on her and ties the outfit neatly together. Judging from her color theme and the “eww no” on her profile i am assuming she is ace and if so i love that! She would be a great pride dragon!!!

Hey I have drawn this boy!!! Orca is one of my favorite colors (seriously who doesn't love orca) and it looks so good paired with the cyan butterfly and that blue apparel! Logarithmic is just so cute and also mystical love the stripy tail and white “socks” on his hands and feet! Over all a good good noodle!!!!

----

Honorable mentions for Suarez, Messi, Neymar and Barcelona! I used to be passionate football fan some years back and my heart filled with joy to see someone bring their passion of the game in to the Sornieth!!!

[ruensroad]

HometownHero and Kingofthe7Seas

In which Aquaman and Superman get Instagram accounts, start dating, and basically break the internet.

for @drenched-in-sunlight <3 because she is an adorable ray of sunshine in the DC fandom and if you don’t love her and her AquaSupes you’re wrong.

under the cut, babes!

It’s Hal that starts it, because of course it is.

He announces to the Justice League as well as the whole world that he suddenly has an Instagram with a beautiful post of the Earth from outer space and Hal in full Green Lantern garb giving a thumbs up to the camera.

OfficalGL has posted a photo: I’m sorry, what was that fuckery? I can’t hear you naysayers from out here #suckitofficialratings #number7mybutt

Clark, at first, has no idea what he’s referencing until Arthur hands him a magazine. As Hal’s hashtags imply, there is a ranking of Most Badass Superheroes taking up a whole page in two columns and Hal is - much to his amusement - ranked number seven. A generous ranking, considering how many superheroes have risen to the call. But considering Batman is above him at four... Clark can understand why Hal has gone to selfies in space to feel better about himself.

As for Clark, he blushes when he sees he’s at number two, holding up Diana at the solid one. He can’t help but smile at that before looking at Arthur, red cheeked. “I doubt I’m number two material.”

“Nonsense, Kal,” Arthur assures him with a steady hand on his shoulder and Clark looks back down at the list, expecting to see Aquaman somewhere in the top ten the way the other founding members seem to be.

But he’s... nowhere on the list. Clark frowns and turns the page, then pales in sudden rage.

Absolute Worst Superheroes it reads, and there, at number four, is Arthur.

Arthur is gracious about it, talking Clark down from his anger in a calm, soothing manner. He’s a popular king; Clark is positive his own people hold him in high regard. But the fact he doesn’t even seem surprised, like he was expecting it from humans, from Clark’s people... Clark maybe sees red a moment.

And then he grabs his phone.

Welcome, HometownHero, to Instagram!

Clark starts simple, because Arthur keeps insisting this isn’t necessary, but Clark is nothing if not completely stubborn.

It’s a selfie he begins with, sitting on top the globe of the Daily Planet. Beside him is Arthur, absolutely golden in the sunrise, trident on his back glittering along with the scales of his tell tale armor.

Clark angles his phone so they’re both in the shot, smiling, sleepy, and content from a rewarding watch.

@Kingofthe7Seas Another successful patrol. Worth it for this view. #selfie #metropolis #roomwithaview

Arthur laughs as, within moments, their Instagram accounts explode. “Keep that up and you’ll break the internet,” he warns, eyes closing in the light. Clark stares at the sheer beauty of him a long moment before he snaps a picture and posts it too.

How is he real? @Kingofthe7Seas #bae #perfect #wokeuplikethis

“I fear you’re overselling it a bit, Kal,” Arthur laughs, but looks pleased nonetheless.

“Not at all, Orin,” Clark leans back, breathes in the crisp morning air of his city and the faint scent of the sea that Arthur always seems to carry. “And I wont stop until we break the internet.”

Arthur hums, grinning a little. “Hal may fight you on that.”

Clark matches his grin in absolute challenge. “I’d be disappointed if he didn’t.”

To be fair, it’s Hal that breaks the internet first, and only because he’d selfie’d with Batman and of all the Justice League, Batman is the most notoriously difficult to get a picture of. It lasts almost ten minutes online before the web page goes out in ringing defeat.

Not that Clark hadn’t laughed outright at the disgruntled face Bruce was making in the photo with Hal floating around him, looking comically shocked.

OfficalGL has posted a photo: Batman is real?! @batdadofgotham #thecakeisalie #selfie #ghostbusters

“Well played, Hal,” Clark gives him that and lets the man preen for all of three seconds before adding, “but we both know you only picked on Bruce because Barry’s using his Instagram to photobomb Oliver.”

Hal’s cheeks puff out, but his eyes are gleaming. “You wanna dance? Fine then, Farm Boy, let’s dance. You’ve got the rest of the week to break the internet and start a trend with Arthur. I’ll make Bruce my photobomb buddy.”

“Alright, you’re on,” Clark shakes on it and goes to find Arthur. It takes some brainstorming and an underwater camera before they get the right photo to toss at the eager public.

Apparently there are chests of lost gems and jewels in the sea. Arthur takes him to a trove and they deck themselves out in the long forgotten jewelry, ridiculously so, and pose like gang bosses for the picture. Clark messes with the filters to give them sunglasses and sparkles, then sends it out into the wilds of interspace.

Hey @coldcaptain you missing some of this ice? #customgrillz #hotdamn #makeadragonwannaretireman

Captain Cold actually cries a little before faving the picture. The internet breaks soon after that. When Clark goes to the next League meeting, Flash gives both him and Arthur a high five.

After that, it’s pretty much full out war.

OfficalGL has posted a photo: not exactly the gargoyle i was expecting. @batdadofgotham #holyshit 

It’s Batman looking very unimpressed balanced on the corner of a roof. Clark responds by taking Arthur to an aquarium in full gear and taking all the pictures of him communing with the wildlife there.

He chooses his favorite to post, Arthur with his hand on the glass in his full Aquaman glory, an orca on the other side, clearly talking to him. Personally, he’s never seen Arthur so regal, nor an orca so docile, yet still so wild. It takes his breath away.

HometownHero has posted a photo: @Kingofthe7Seas you better not be talking about me. #gossipking #toopretty #wow

It explodes online, but it’s not until Arthur responds with a picture of Superman losing his ice cream to a rather determined seagull that the internet breaks again.

And it’s about then, because Hal is a terribly sore loser, that he tells Clark about the tag.

#AquaSupes goes absolutely viral within days. Suddenly Clark and Arthur have a fan club complete with art and fanfiction (and wasn’t that embarrassing to figure out). Clark feels the need to apologize, like it’s gotten out of hand, but Arthur just laughs and agrees to run with it.

Suddenly there’s pictures of them holding hands in the papers and Clark steps it up, swooning dramatically in Arthur’s arms after a battle. Then a cheek kiss, then a photo of them cheek to cheek and beaming with just one tag: #relationshipgoals. The internet barely lasts five minutes.

Hal gives it back, however, following Batman around. Bruce allows him to post a video of him stalking a mugger with Hal obnoxiously humming the Pink Panther theme behind him. Bruce even indulges Hal’s pouting and comments on his own account, usually pictures of him frowning as a green streak lights up the sky above. #thereheis #thatassholeagain #fml.

It’s still a challenge, but it’s great fun. What’s more, Arthur starts posting for himself, amazing underwater shots of wildlife in his selfies, as well as shipwrecks and other wonders. Clark watches Arthur’s fanbase grow and grow and feels more than proud of himself.

Finally, they’re seeing what he’s always seen. Finally, they love Arthur the way he does.

Yeah. Because apparently feelings had happened somewhere in this mess. Clark blushes and covers his face with a pillow, but has to smile when he hears a camera click.

Kingofthe7Seas has posted a photo: He’s beauty, he’s grace, he’s Mr. Outer Space @HometownHero #bae #whatsupbuttercup

Clark throws his pillow at Arthur for that one, mostly to hear the echoes of the king’s laugh, free and guileless and, in this moment, all for him.

It takes three months of watching the tag grow that it happens. (Finally, finally!)

Arthur has Clark’s face between his hands, kissing his forehead. Clark is a blushing, glowing-with-happiness mess, but he’s more than happy to send the picture along.

HometownHero has posted a photo: You wanted it, you got it. #AquaSupes lives! #hesaidyes #finally

It’s barely up a minute before the website crashes. It’s down for hours.

Hal concedes defeat.

[icouldbemoreclever]

1, 4, 5, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19, 24, 27, 29, 39, 45, 49, 50 ^_^

Yaaay!

1. Your first OC ever? If you want to get technical, when I was really young I used to givepersonalities to my crayons and act out stories with them (they were just namedafter their colour). Even now, those stories kind of influence my feelingsabout certain colours. Out of OCs that I still currently have, Enre is the oldest. I made her in grade5. After crayons I graduated to other writing utensils. One day I found apencil case full of non-standard pens, markers, etc. There was one pen thatlooked normal but when I took it apart, someone had replaced the regular inktube with one from a silver gel pen. That inspired me to build the character ofEnre, who spends most of her story wearing a suit of armor, disguised as a man.

4. A character you rarely talk about? Probably all the minor characters from my old roleplay :P I kind of can’tfigure out what to do with them. I think some of the ones with the mostpotential are a family of shapeshifting aliens. The first one to show up wasHart, then later is “brother” Lumo. They’re from a planet with no sun, so theycan’t open their eyes if there’s any light around (maybe in dim artificial lightthey can open them a liiiittle). Hart ran into someone who could create dynamictattoos and so had one installed that could serve as a navigation system whenhe can’t open his eyes. It’s a black hart lined with blue (rather large, on hischeek). Lumo later got one of a yellow sun lined with red. Their blood isreally acidic/poisonous. Human language is difficult for them so they both havea stutter and don’t use contractions.

5. If you could make only one of your OCs popular/known, who would it be? I was thinking about this last night and I think I would say Kye. I’m trying towork on good drafts of her novels right now, and I really like her story. (Enre is sighing with relief in the background because she’s already well knownin her own world and doesn’t want to be)

9. Would you ever be willing to give any of your OCs to someone else? Possibly, like if someone wanted to turn a roleplay into a cohesive story Imight let them use whichever characters were mine in that roleplay (we’d haveto work out conditions though).

11. Is there any OC of yours you could describe as a “sunshine”? Pentel! Unkillable optimist (I mean, until the roleplay got really dark...) He’s addicted to chocolate and it makes him really hyper and childlike. He’sgenuinely kind to all of the people he meets.

13. Do you have any troublemaker OCs? Off the top of my head the only one I can think of is Kemuri. He doesn’tnecessarily go out of his way to make trouble, but he’s a shapeshifter whosegoal is largely his own amusement so it happens anyway.Other than that, Kye causes all sorts of trouble because her truest joy is tobeat people up.

16. Which one of your OCs would be the best at biology (school subject)? Lambda wishes it was her (she graduated med school dammit!) but I think itwould actually be Heaven, since he was a child prodigy after all (and graduatedthe same med school at a much younger age)

19. Introduce an OC that means a lot to you (and explain why) Th-they all do!Since I haven’t mentioned him yet, I’ll say Carmine. He’s labeled as anintergalactic terrorist for his efforts to free his race from slavery. He wasborn into a privileged home, but because of his race had to be hidden from theoutside world. In an accident involving a rare artifact from space, hisadoptive family was killed, exposing him to the rest of the town. He was set tobe hanged, but the artifact cut the rope at the last minute. Unfortunately, italso killed all the people of the town.He spent a long time in isolation before finally leaving to begin his missionof freeing his people (he believes that’s what his adoptive father would want).He carries a lot of guilt for what happened and believes himself a murderer. Ofcourse, it doesn’t stop him from murdering people during his activities.Eventually, he meets another freedom fighter who is more of a pacifist. Theyget along about as well as you’d expect.I came up with him in middle school and he means a lot to me because of thechanges he’s gone through over the course of the roleplay. His character growthalways felt really organic. It has always been really easy for me to relate tohis feelings of isolation, being tainted, and not being able to connect withother people. He also gets chronic headaches just like me. We ended up sharinga lot of traits, even if it wasn’t intentional.

24. If you could meet one OC of yours, who would it be and why?I would probably meet Pentel, so he could give me some chocolate and also be myfriend (he would!!)

27. Any OCs that were inspired by a certain song?So many of them… let me try to remember the ones that specifically came fromsongs…A lot of Carmine’s creation was influenced by Easier to Run and Faint by LinkinPark (it was middle school!). Likewise, my character Kiri was heavilyinfluenced by Figure.09 by Linkin ParkWhen I fleshed out Jeice’s character (he’s the other protagonist in Enre’sstory) I was really influenced by Audrey, Start the Revolution by Anberlin.My character Kipper came entirely out of the song I’m With You by Avril LavigneKasane was heavily influenced by Perfect by Simple Plan (man, sounds so basic…)Joey and his sister (I forget her name… they were from a comic I stoppedworking on cause my art wasn’t there yet) were created through the song Joey byConcrete BlondeI had a character that hasn’t been named yet that came out during The Only HopeFor Me Is You by My Chemical Romance. Still don’t know much about him though.Kimoura came out of Into the Night by SantanaTwo so-far unnamed characters from Drove Me Wild by Tegan and Sara. The onlyway their dynamic really works is as Loveless fan characters but… do I reallywanna write fanfic?I felt like I had more characters who came directly from songs, but it’s lessthan I thought. I think mostly it’s that the character’s development is ofteninfluenced by songs, and most of my characters have a “theme song”.

29. Which one of your OCs would go investigate an abandoned houseIt’s kind of Kye and Riven’s job to do that – they fight the paranormal.

39. Introduce any character you wantWhile Enre is a soldier fighting on the side of the Penns, Jace is the leaderof the Coeur revolution. He’s young, practically still a kid, but he’sambitious and he thinks his side can win. His people have been enslaved foryears and they’re ready to rebel against their oppressors. Ambitious as he is,the revolution is also personal – recently married to the love of his life, howcan he build a family with her under the yoke of slavery? (that sounded more like a plot summary, but there you have it!)

45. A character you no longer use?Most of them from the old roleplay. Some of them I don’t even have intentionsof repurposing for a different story. Probably the most useless of them isCopper (typical perverted anime stock character lol). Actually, I forgotPrimer, who served as the first captain of the Five Star (he was murdered, soof course I don’t use him anymore). I miss some of the ship staff like Orca andNarwhal. They’re background people that had a very specific role.

49. Which one of your OCs would most likely enjoy memesPyry/Peter because he’s a teenage boy. Probably one of the only ones who wouldbe exposed to memes in canon! (Now I’ve got the bad idea of making a tumblrblog in character as him…)Shinto would probably get a kick out of memes if she ever saw them. I think she’dreally like gun. She and Karaoke would have a great time rick-rolling theirentire squad.Chance would probably spread a lot of classic art/history memes. He’d show themto Enre and she’d be like “I’m illiterate.”

50. Give me the good ol’ OC talk here. Talk about anything you wantI want to talk about how Carmine is bi!!!! Like, I think about this a lot but it means nothing to anyone but me, haha. Carminetravels with a sort of partner-in-crime named Sky who is a common gay. Alsototally in love with Carmine, but Carmine is the most oblivious unobservant assin the universe. In the roleplay, it’s painfully obvious to everyone else thatCarmine is in love with Taki (the captain of another ship) but that he won’tget together with her. His emotions are kind of vulnerable so he turns to theonly other person he can trust, Sky, and they eventually get together. Ofcourse, Sky KNOWS who Carmine truly has feelings for, and bets him to ask Takiout (Carmine can not turn down a bet). This, as you’d expect, backfires as Takiis offended he asked her out on a dare. But he is forced to confront his truefeelings and eventually does confess to her (they later get married). Sky isboth sad and happy at the same time.Technically if you want to use the split attraction model, Carmine isbiromantic and homosexual but whatever. I don’t give a lot of thought intodefining a specific sexual orientation for most of my characters but the twothat I know are most definitely bi are Carmine and Cruz.

This ended up really long of course, but Iwanted to say thanks for asking and giving me a chance to ramble on and on!