#unidentified player species

[sburbian-sage]

Hey so ive been watching your posts quite a bit and you seem pretty knowledgeable so i had a question

I was wondering what other species have been run into out in sburb?

I have a coplayer this session whos is a smith of heart who is some kind of plant creature? Shes made of vines or something

Tried finding info on the web and could find nothing but clearly made up rumors after a day or two of searching

Shes cool enough but has a habit of trying to pet my hair which like, no fuck off ive been through 4 sessions now thank you very much im not a child (although I am fine with her cooking because God damn I don't know how she does it but she makes that shit taste way better than it should)

Shes a fucking whizz with the alchemiter as well, making shit i can barely comprehend

Ive also never seen her kill an imp but according to grist torrent she has grist in the quadrillions which should be completely fucking impossible since we have only been in session for about 2 weeks

Currently shes building a 'ath based quantum code entangled communications array' which was about the only bit i understood other than the fact it somehow uses the furthest ring to send messages long distances? Which i dont understand the point of since we can communicate instantly anyway

Just wondering if anyone else has encountered them before, i asked for like a species name and she just rustled a bunch and changed the subject

Oh yeah, there are other guys out there. Humanity and Trollkind seem to be the most common (technically Trolls propogate more as a species across universes, but Humans tend to have more successful SBURB sessions and thus are over-represented among the Replayernet), but there are four other "well-known" species. Not to imply they're at all common, in fact I'd say all of them combined, there's probably less than 200 of them in the Replayernet. Less than 100, potentially.

Cherubs. Skull-faced, seemingly solitary, prone to doing solo sessions, and with a weird split personality thing going on. I recently got into drama with one of them. Technically one half of them. Keep up!

Hobs. Furry dinosaur things with prehensile tails (and sometimes arm-gliders). Evidently they frequently come into contact with Trolls (as in, they get conquered by them and tend to resent this). Known to be inordinately gregarious, making them pretty good networkers. Probably the "most common" of the rare species.

Birdbros. Big intelligent parrots with two-meter wingspans that tend to form technocratic societies. They have trouble walking on flat surfaces, but they can also fly so cry about it I guess. If you have a Birdbro coplayer, you can pretty much give up on navigating their houses unless you ask them to build accommodations, gain flight, or get really good at balancing on horizontal poles.

Hoofdogs. Technical bipeds, but they prefer four-legging it. Natural telepaths, but it's left their spoken and written language rather atrophied. If you want to hold a conversation, either get ready for a not-quadruped to get inside your brain, or get ready to start drawing pictures (and figuring out what they're drawing). In fact, they have a Pesterchum/Trollian equivalent called Expressfriend where you can only draw.

I can't say I have heard of a plant Player Species though. I tend not to think of them in general due to their rarity, but still, you may have actually come across an as-of-yet undocumented Playeroid. Assuming she isn't just a human who got heavily mutated, somehow. That might explain the evasiveness concerning her species.

Some notes, questions for you, and questions for her. Documentation appreciated, as always.

The fact that she can communicate seamlessly with you is quite notable. Some Player Species can communicate with each other mostly fine (Human English and whatever language the Trolls speak are kind of identical but with different alphabets and some goofy terminology, the Trolls get around like I mentioned earlier which may explain why Hobs and Cherubs can also communicate well), but the Birdbro language is mostly whistling and trilling, and the Hoofdogs barely even have a language. Either it's a hell of a coincidence (but not a conspicuous one), or the errant "she's actually a human" conspiracy theory I came up with on the cuff is holding up.

~ATH is a universal factor, nothing worth raising suspicion over.

SBURB's mythology and trappings vary wildly depending on the species making up the session. Alchemy is a universal, so it makes sense that she would have prior experience. But ask her what differences she notices between your (assumedly mostly-human) Session and her plant-based Session. In particular, if the Carapacians were physiologically/psychologically/culturally similar to her, if the Battlefield's chess metaphor was replaced with something else, if God Tier or other mechanics were different, stuff like that.

Related, while the game does have different "localizations", in a mixed-species Session it will actually partially localize itself in proportion to the different species present, and their proportion, in an attempt to create a maximally accessible Session. So you might be able to notice slight differences between this Session and a "Human Session" which clue you in to the more severe changes you'd see in her Session.

While you're at it, try to learn as much of her culture as you can. Do they have a fucked up romance thing going on? Was her attempts at tousling your hair a sort of mating ritual?

Extortion is a tool that must be used with discretion. If she can't provide a name for her species, you have free reign to make up something goofy like "Vineys" or "Verdancies" or "Seedrians" and make that the de-facto common terminology among the Replayernet.

This is your duty as a SBURB documentarian. It is also your duty to put to rest the "new species or a weird human" allegations. As well as, now that I am thinking about it, maybe keeping an eye on her. The phat Grist stockpile is pretty suspicious, and the communications array seems very odd. If it's actually a cover for her sending a signal to her home base so they can descend upon your Session and drain it of its resources, don't worry about it. Not only is any home base she had destroyed (SBURB Moment), but she ain't doing shit with the Furthest Ring unless she stakes her soul on it. But still, better to know than to not know.

[homestuckreplay]

The Time Traveler's Can Opener

(page 498-509)

8/18/2009 Wheel Spin: Character Switch Verdict: Oops, All John!

8/19/2009 Wheel Spin: being silly :3c Verdict: CORRECT (Gamer Refrigerator!)

500 pages!! I can't believe how fast these numbers are going up, I'm learning that most webcomics cap at one page a day at most, so feel genuinely lucky to get all this.

I thought John was going to get a Badass Moment where he totally owned those imps in the living room, but he totally biffed it :( but if he'd won against so many enemies so soon, the victory might have felt unearned. I am really noticing the improvement in Rose and John's Sburb abilities - their teamwork in these pages is so good, with John absconding to the study and then Rose sliding the refrigerator into the cranny so the imps can't follow. Rose has great instincts here and is in such a stressful situation herself that I can't help but give her props for her work here.

I do think dropping the safe from so high was overkill, and that destroying John's house is literally the opposite of her job right now. I also think that if the refrigerator gets one more kill it will probably out-level John and therefore take over as both the client player and the main character of our story. So the two of them both have things they still need to work on, but, reading this gives the real sense that they're making progress, and that gives the story a nice momentum.

I also LOVE how the imps, collectively, have a lot of personality. Real video games can often struggle with this, where low level enemies are mindless things to kill that leave no actual impression, but Sburb has really cracked it. The gag where the imps will replace their jester hats with any other hat or hat like object is very entertaining to me, and the fact that they're really invested in the pogo ride for some reason is curious. Most likely they just think it's fun to play with, but I like to imagine that Slimer from Ghostbusters is a god in their society.

I've been thinking recently about what wikipedia terms the 'sad clown paradox,' where comedians have an above average chance of struggling with issues like depression. It's really easy to read John and his prankster's gambit through this lens, but part of me wants to read John's whole house through the lens. From its multiple generations of inhabitants to its decor to its new invasive species, it feels like the essence of the clown is infused throughout this ultimately sad and lonely house.

Under the safe in John's dad's study is a captchalogue card and a note taped to the wall. Inside the safe is another, scuffed up copy of Colonel Sassacre, along with some old papers and an unidentified grey object in the back. I don't know what I expected to be in here, either money or an authentic Joseph Grimaldi jacket, but it seems like the Sassacre book is a really important heirloom that each person in the Egbert family gets to own. I'll probably speculate some more on why Dad wants to save these items specifically once we've seen the papers.

From the antiquated politeness of the new commands, I figured the Wayward Vagabond had read the human etiquette book, but I did not know they'd eaten it. It seems counterproductive to eat information that might be helpful. Unless that's how their species learns and retains things, in which case, great work and it's clearly paying off. Kind of sucks how the author of the etiquette book is British though.

Even now the Vagabond is being polite, it seems really dangerous to have these commands coming to John from an outsider, given how he loses all awareness of his surroundings when he's being commanded like this. But given the logo on the outside, the computer and bunker the Vagabond inhabits were built by someone, for some intended function. So what's the deal? Is the system of giving commands built into Sburb or not? Is there somebody else more competent who is intended to use this command panel, and the Vagabond has stolen their place somehow? Does Sburb really feel like it needs to mind control its players directly? Is the game going to get so difficult and complicated that this is the only way to win? The Vagabond doesn't seem like they have a goal with John beyond obtaining a can opener, but what will happen if whoever's supposed to be using this computer shows up?

[noobsomeexagerjunk]

Personal QSMP design hcs and interpretations (PART 2)

9. q!Maximus

human. probably.

more or less the CC in the blockman-cubito's clothes

Ordo Theoritas symbol is on his headband he usually wears

a friend and follower of Sapo Peta, through him learning the ability to charm people into perceiving him differently (Biden) as well as perform minor shapeshifting (Valentina). This comes with the price of occasional possession by Sapo Peta himself (see JuanaFlippa trial)

has tattoos that mark this connection that glow whenever he exerts significant stress. can only otherwise be seen under blacklight (like in Las Casualonas!)

Max paints matching markings on Trump everytime they see each other to bless his son with protection. After Trump's death, he permanently marked his son's gravesite.

Actually he has a habit of doing this to things dear to him. He has debated placing said markings on SOFIA but decided against it just in case

keeps dandelions in his pockets in honor of Trump

Has sustained scars after being attacked by the binary entity

10. q!Philza

quite literally an angel of death. one of Goddess Misstrixin's many dedicated servants. in this universe they're in an open marriage

winged humanoid. has pointed ears, kaleidoscope irises, and a voice he can magically augment and shift to his will (speak w/ increased reverb)

he wears those beachy, vacation silk kimonos in his signature dark mint green color, alongside a matching bucket hat. under that is a sleeveless black swim suit with enchanting table embroidery

his wings are bird-like, black with a few iridescent feathers that glow red when he goes full angel. he's had carved emerald piercings placed on them for decoration and tribute to a friend long gone after getting clipped. if he cant properly fly for now, he might as well indulge a little

magical carved rubies are all over his person, shaped to resemble hardcore hearts. these glow when he fights or is about to do something powerful

Chayanne has one of these hardcore heart rubies and has incorporated it in his wear to match his papa

11. q!Forever

humanoid of unidentifiable species. perceived as human

Looks human minus the pointy ears and visible canines. Also demonstrates superhuman stamina and endurance, so uh

Dyed his hair blonde for the cosplay, with brunette roots showing

He has a rainbow of beach shorts and casual slippers to wear

very hairy man, refuses to shave

has an organic and extensive skin care routine; Richas likes the hugs from his soft skin

his tears are full of glitter and taste like soda pop

12. q!Baghera

anthromorphic duck person; the vibes are disney ducks crossed with big bird from seasame street

has a large messy feathery floof on her head stylized to resemble the CC's own hair

MC skin's hat + matching athleisure fashion. she is always drippy

some of her feathers are dyed to match the colors of her hat as accents

smells like the artificial fruit smells found in candy

Gave one of her feathers to Pomme as a token of remembrance

13. q!Missa

player equivalent to a skeleton. is a mismatched arrangement of regular bones and wither skeleton bones.

the mismatch is why he can be quite clumsy

under those robes, he is being held together by raw magic and wither rose vines. he has short black hair.

his bones have flower and butterfly engraving that glow aurora borealis colors under blacklight or when he's about to fight

fond of somewhat street hoodies and sweaters over draping robes.

there are sneakers under those robes, wander over yonder style

a lot of the drapery is held together by armor, an aesthetic Chayanne picked up for his own wear

the spaces between the bones double as extensions of his natural inventory space; they make good spots for hiding secret weapons!

14. q!Fit

human man who has seen it all. a mortal with the soul of an immortal

he is covered in scars from his previous adventures in 2b2t

currently in his clean shaven era, which includes not only being bald but shaving the most of his body hair to the point where his muscles sparkle like his head

A practical dresser but is a slut for fancy animal furs. Ramón shares this love for furs as well

Works out in his gym and is visibly getting more swole by the day

Loves showing off, especially if it involves Ramón's own work

15-16. q!Tazercraft (q!Pac & q!Mike)

Both human. Do not separate!

Pac and Mike are soul-bonded but they forgot they about it upon coming onto the island. (they also forgot the magical perks that come with that) This doesn't negate their package-deal relationship in anyway

Experimentation in the QSMP Chume Labs has made them increasingly susseptible to Murphy's Law for some reason. The island itself is not helping either

Pac likes to dress up while Mike will literally pick up the nearest piece of clothing. On occasion they will swap clothes

Despite the above, Mike is usually in safety gear more often than Pac during labwork, especially after the sting of Richarlyson's first life loss

They both have a picture of Richas in their pockets to look at whenever they're at work

They have telepathic communication powers but only with each other. Sometimes they can be caught just staring at each other when they are really arguing in each other's heads

17. q!Etoiles

anthromorphic cucumber!

the pattern of green on his body is composed of tiny little stars that are galaxy-like

has hair, a beard and glasses cartoon character style. He also has rubberhose limbs that can muscle up when he's fighting

under the glasses, his eyes are smudged over with a smoky powder that extends to resemble a blind-fold bandana mask thing. The eyes glow white during fights

wears the clothes of the blockman-cubito + armor

His armor is engraved with star shapes and space imagery

While in love with the thrill of adventure, he loves talking culture with Pomme just as much

part 1!

[tremendouskoalachild]

Wookiee Jedi: A History

Wookiees. Jedi. Wookiee Jedi. How could you not love them? I’ve decided to compile a hopefully exhaustive little list of all Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars, canon or not. They are ordered chronologically by their introduction and sorted by decade.

The 90s or: Lowbacca, a category of his own

The first Wookiee Jedi in Star Wars was Lowbacca, nicknamed Lowie, introduced in 1995. He was Chewbacca’s nephew and one of the principal characters in the Young Jedi Knights book series, where he trained as one of the students at Luke’s Jedi academy alongside Han and Leia’s kids. He remained a quite frequent side character in later books, especially the New Jedi Order series.

Lowbacca was literally and figuratively exiled in the Dark Nest trilogy (2005) after Lucas banned Wookiee Jedi (we’ll get to that). He did appear in books since then until the cancellation of the now-Legends timeline, although less frequently than before. His appearances in late-stage Legends content are usually related to Wookiees and Kashyyyk specifically, rather than as just another Jedi knight, and mostly reserved for Troy Denning’s novels. Important fact to know about Lowie: I love him.

The 2000s and The Ban

The early 2000s saw the introduction of several Wookiee Jedi, although always as very minor characters. The first one we need to discuss for completeness’ sake is, no joke, Unidentified Wookiee Jedi. We know next to nothing about them: they appear briefly in the background of a 2000 book as a student of the new Jedi Order. This is contemporary with Lowbacca’s time but due to other storylines we can rule out that this Jedi is him. I suppose you can decide for yourself whether this is a simple continuity error, or a random background character used to characterize the setting of Luke’s Order as a harmonious multispecies organization (while utilizing a well-known Star Wars alien species).

For more senior – and named – Jedi we have Master Tyvokka, member of the Council, introduced in 2001. He appears in the flashbacks of a single issue of the Republic comic line by John Ostrander, though he is mentioned in several following issues. He is technically canon despite only appearing in the old continuity due to a mention in reference to Plo Koon, who was his student in both continuities. I think he’s cool for the simple fact that he used a yellow lightsaber. We know Lucas was familiar with the Republic comics (he famously incorporated Aayla into the prequels) but it isn’t entirely clear how much of them he read.

Next we have RPG Wookiees. Master Kirlocca was a prequel-era Jedi in the campaign Living Force, which started in 2001 and concluded in 2007. He has appeared in many installments and supplementary materials of the campaign but never outside it. Living Force also “introduced” Wookiee Jedi Knight Vorlocca as a corpse players find in one of its adventures. Whatever, he counts. (the RPG also introduced Force-sensitive non-Jedi Wookiees named Kuce and Furellas, who is notable for being a lady.)

At some point in the early 2000s Lucas banned the introduction of more Force-sensitive Wookiees. Apart from Lowie this affected Hanharr, a member of your party and playable character in KOTOR II. The devs were supposedly not allowed to include the option of making him a Dark Jedi for this reason. When working on ROTS, concept artist Derek Thompson "wanted to try at least one Wookiee Jedi on the off chance that George would go for it. He didn't go for it."

The 2010s or: maybe we can get Wookiee Jedi again?

Quite possibly the most widely known on this list is Gungi, the first Wookiee Jedi we’ve seen on screen. He made his first appearance in a 2012 episode of The Clone Wars’ fifth season as one of the Jedi younglings gathering crystals for their lightsabers, in an arc that was at one point considered for its own spinoff. He has since also appeared in The Bad Batch season 2. His nature as a Wookiee Jedi is specifically referred to as rare by Huyang and since Lucas was still involved in making the show at that time we can assume he either went back on his distaste for furry Jedi by then, or wanted Gungi to be all the more unique.

Also in 2012 – suggesting Gungi’s introduction might have loosened the ban – we have another comic Jedi, Ruhr. More accurately, he was a Je’daii, a predecessor organization to the Order we know. He was part of the Dawn of the Jedi series, also by Ostrander for Dark Horse. That series ended 15 issues in because the comic rights were transferred to Marvel after the Disney sale, so no more Ruhr.

We also absolutely have to mention Kitmum. She (!) is not canon and never was – unlike the other books and comics discussed here her 2013 book was explicitly non-canonical even before the impending canon reboot of 2014. We love her for her outfit, teaching children how to exercise, and being the only girl Jedi on this list.

The 2020s and the High Republic, golden age for Wookiee Jedi fans

Star Wars publishing over the last several years was largely focused on the High Republic initiative, which is so far a great time for Jedi Wookiees (or, more accurately, for their fans – the Jedi are not doing so good), with more to come soon in The Acolyte, set in the same era.

The first and most prominent is Burryaga Agaburry, one of the principal characters in the adult novel trilogy in Phase I, introduced in Light of the Jedi (2021). He is both a POV character in his own right and the best friend of the main teenage Jedi in the adult novels, Bell Zettifar. Apart from the novels he appears in the audio drama Tempest Runner and is often mentioned or shown in the background of many other High Republic projects. He is also one of the characters most often depicted in children’s media of the era, probably due to his adorable cuddly appearance. His fate in the wake of Phase I’s ending was a major cliffhanger leading into Phase III, leaving the readers hanging for over a year and a half. You love Burry.

The other major Wookiee Jedi in the High Republic multimedia project is Arkoff, technically first introduced in the same book as Burry due to a single mention of his name in a list of notable Jedi. He is the teacher of Lily, herself the protagonist of the Edge of Balance manga, and appears more notably in the manga’s prequel volume set 150 years earlier during Phase II. Ah, the advantages of Wookiee life expectancy.

2023 saw the introduction of Krrsish, an initiate in the flashback sections of the Yoda comic. He has a hard time.

The first Wookiee Jedi in live action is set to be Kelnacca in The Acolyte. He is played by Joonas Suotamo, the actor who took over the role of Chewie for Solo and TROS. He’s also getting a comic one-shot by Cavan Scott later this year!

I can't wait to meet him.

[eleventeenratsinaflannelsuit]

Could we see prompt 23?

Yeah sure, here you go :)

(it's honestly mainly stuff that would have presumably already happened before any story events I would write)

((also special little appearance from AU 55 which runs in the same universe (55 is basically plot for 23))

tw: death, perma-death, torture, mentions of suicide

also a few dsmp characters are mentioned but it is very much a hermitcraft AU, they're just there because they fit the roles I needed.

also also they're basically formatted in giant text blocks bcs i write on docs on my phone (took me so long to paste it in because tumblr actually has a limit to amount of characters in one big text block)

23

Perma-deaths. Most people aren't immortal, and even the ones who claim to be actually just have a slower degradation(?) rate than others. degradation, aka how likely someone’s next death is to be permanent, is represented by a number (percentage? work with numbers first then maybe compare to using percentages instead, supposed to be confusing to people who haven’t trained in the system). when an admin reaches a high enough clearance level they learn about such degradation scores and are taught how to access them to see how at risk a player is in an emergency (ie. suicide, long stays on anarchy servers, kidnapping/experimentation, etc.). it is possible to see the past history of when the number changes however that requires the assistance/one-time permission from one of the highest admins, usually an admin can only see the singular number. In order to view the number an admin has to look  directly at the player’s code, which makes it a giant privacy violation (thus why only for emergencies). The fact that this is even something that can be done is kept on a very need-to-know basis. if a player is in danger up to three friends can be informed of the danger (how likely they are to experience a perma-death, not the manner in which the admin knows), additionally it is very rare for admins to be taught of it in the first place, usually limited to high-up/trusted, typically natural-born admins (X is natural-born) as well as admins running particularly high-risk servers (ie. hermitcraft’s ‘safe space’ category for many creatures and hybrids). anarchy admins are not allowed to know unless under very dire circumstances. there is currently heavy research as to what causes the score to go up (or down, very very rarely), and the general consensus is that it is higher when one is very young and old (specific age varies by species), it typically mellows out around the young child (no longer infant) stage and is typically very close to 0 by teen years (scale is 0-10, goes into specific decimals, highest number currently recorded is an 8.7, most people perma-die before their number reaches 8.5, typical average without unforeseen complications is 7.9.) preexisting health conditions, gained health conditions, traumatic temp-deaths, random chance, and general unidentified factors all raise the score. additionally, anarchy servers (servers in which the world is set to a mix or hard and hardcore, in which deaths are almost always traumatic but don't typically outright ban/delete your code + kick you from the world) are easily the quickest way of a score increase, typically why many anarchy players die easily despite seeming very strong/healthy. If a player has experienced multiple traumatic deaths before their teens, or an excessive amount in their teens, they can face a drastic increase in number or, in the first case, not have their number decrease as they leave the child stage (typical in players who have grown up/lived on anarchy servers from a young age) (also why all players are given multiple chances to leave anarchy players (if they can make it to the exit, many servers try very hard not to let them, which is technically illegal but hard to enforce)). Hardcore servers aren’t quite as bad as anarchy servers, a players number is automatically set a bit higher than usual while on server but experiences a slower incline while/after playing than an anarchy player would (ie. higher chance of on-server perma-death, lower chance of post-server death).

Much research is being done into ways to lower the degradation score but not much has been found. Many suspect a higher entity to be involved (Kristen/death is highly tied to it but it's really just natural, not her doing. Phil perma-died on his hardcore world bug had spoken with Kristen while on-server and they’d fallen in live so Kris used gold-privileges (she’s not entirely sure how and doubts she could (or wants to) do it again) to set his number to 0 after his death so he can technically still die he just has an abnormality long lifespan. Similarly Techno’s voices (remnants of the blood god) absorb some of his added score which gives him a lower degradation rate despite being a common anarchy player, this absorbed score does however transfer over into bloodlust in situations of extreme emotion. Nearly all immortals simply have very slow rates or naturally long lifespans. On the topic of stopping the rate, most don't mess with it as it is clearly divinity-related and they don't want to anger gods (a few have tried and they did not meet good ends). however a small group of once-rogue admins now known as the Watchers had ties to Herobrine, who was a god of destruction and, in his bid to cause such, gave the Watchers the knowledge of how to artificially raise the degradation rate (void rot pog) just before a few other gods teamed up to trap him (gods/deities are the only true-immortals, they have no degradation rate). Eventually the Watchers tired of destroying and, realising that they themselves would one day die (the void rot they used on others also slightly sped up their already slowed rates) sought to find ways to stop it. They began to experiment on anarchy players who would not be missed, avoiding the gaze of deities by hiding deep in the void, close enough to the abyss that their trace was masked and washed away. Eventually theys et their eyes on EVO due to Grian being a natural-born admin (they hadn’t been able to get their hands on one before due to high guarding) as well as an anarchy-raised player. (YHS and ‘terra’ aka earth were anarchy servers, so he essentially stayed in anarchy until he left YHS. Pearl was also there at first (siblings yey. Timmy’s adopted), but after Grian was abandoned in Japan her parents took her off-server). Grian had a skill for code and bendable morals as well as a slightly off view of perma-death due to his upbringing so he’d discovered the degradation rate on his own without contact with the main council. The time-jumping was a Grain-intended feature of EVO but the Watchers offered to help and he (like the basically-child he was), agreed due to them claiming to be ‘invested admins’. the Watchers fiddled with the code throughout the updates to see if anything would change the DRs of the players. Eventually they realised that the continuous traumatic deaths Grian had experienced as a child, while raising his rate with each one, basically slowed the natural progression to 0, they took him after the ender dragon fight and used a sigil to make sure the players couldn't talk about what happened with anyone (even people who already knew).

The listeners were a second group of admins that were also trying to find ways to reduce the DR but did so through more scientific and moral ways, Martin and Jimmy were contacted by them while on EVO and were able to tell them some of what was happening before the Watchers implemented the sigil. Anyways the Watchers took Grian and, having a solid way to perma-kill someone by forcing their number up (highly, highly painful + traumatic void rot), decided to force his number up while ensuring he didn't perma-die by pseudo-setting his DR to 0 (they figured out how to do this by essentially freezing the target in a time loop, however everyone they had previously used it on perma-died immediately after leaving the loop). Grian was essentially stuck in an infinite loop of dying to void rot to the point his already high number reached 10 and overode itself back to a permanent technical 0, actual 10 in which every death is experienced as a perma-death (highly painful, leaves scars and pain lasting months afterwards, almost always results in some form of ptsd), but functions as a temp-death, aka he perma-dies but doesn’t stay dead. The Watchers don’t realise this though and think, after he comes out of the loop with his number at 10 and an immediate perma-death that they failed again. Grian meanwhile gets pseudo-yeeted into Kristen’s domain where she starts to treat him like a dead soul (he is relieved, void rot deaths hurt and he’s always cold now) before he is -painfully- torn back to the living. the Watchers though he was perma-dead so they had burned his body, leaving him to respawn at a glitched respawn point in the Watcher library. He panics in general but even more so when a Watcher comes in and self-preservation skills kick in and he writes over his own code in a panic to match that of the Watcher’s, unknowingly marking himself as an apprentice archivist. He ends up being forced yo go along with the pretend role for a long (but unknown amount of time (void/Watcher time shit is yucky)) before he rises high enough in the ranks to gain access to the research on stopping/slowing the DR. He realises that's what they are trying to do with him (he’d been looking into it beforehand but really only came to the ‘torture’ conclusion.) (Watchers go out of their way to avoid any kind of death so he didn’t experience any more temp-perma-deaths while with them) and ends up -after plans and allies (bigB?)- copying the information just in case before escaping in ::sparkles:: dramatic fiery destruction :::sparkles::, some of the Watchers die and ‘Xelqua’ and their allies are marked as traitors and enemies. The Watchers work to regain their progress but Grian had set up an excessively strong sigil to block any knowledge of it from them so they work to break that first. Grian ends up self-sacrificing to get the others out safely (he’s seen his degradation rate and knows any death will be permanent) as well as partly selfish reasons (suicide oof). He has a breakdown when he and Kristen realise exactly what’s happened and that he won’t be able to stay dead despite experiencing such painful deaths. The most Kristen can do is set his spawn point to one of his old friends (Mumbo’s) singleplayer worlds in hope that Mumbo can at least help Grian get away and stay away from the watchers.

55

As a watcher (Or HC 23) Grian can’t die, the Hermits get captured ((ex-)watchers? (good watchers + anarchists accidentally broke G’s perma-death %?) anarchists?, ex-admins?) and the capturers decide to torture the Hermits to get to X. Eventually they come back with an experimental (hacked in, very illegal) potion that temporarily forces a player to experience any deaths while under its effects as perma-deaths, but still respawn later as if they were normal deaths. They use it on one hermit for a bit before Grian pisses them off enough (and they realise X is the closest with him (platonic love pog)) that they use it on him. X begs them to stop and eventually they stop and leave him to bleed out after they know the potion has worn out. The hermits are chained up and can’t reach him to help, he dies. And then he doesn’t. They forgot to chain him up and while he is too weak to even really stand up, he does manage to send a distress signal (to who? Watchers? admins?) before passing out. People come back and think he barely survived and decide to use the potion again as a ‘reward’. Most of the hermits just think G got lucky and the potion hadn’t worn off, a couple (who?) realise he actually did die but he came back somehow. Eventually they are rescued (probably by the watchers (make the group that first broke G’s % ex-watchers/a rogue group))

enjoy :3 (feel free to ask more questions if you want, I am always happy to brainrot)

[vipier]

CHARACTER INTERVIEW.

BASICS.

NAME  :    tristan patel. NICKNAME/S  :    tris. ALIASES  :    many. AGE  :    27 - 37, verse dependent. SPECIES  :  human - ish.

PERSONAL.

MORALITY  :    lawful  /  chaotic  /  good  /  neutral  /  evil  /  true   RELIGION  :    atheist. SINS  :   greed  /  gluttony  /  sloth  /  lust  /  pride  /  envy  /  wrath VIRTUES  :  chastity  /  charity  /  diligence  /  humility  /  kindness  /  patience  /  justice KNOWN LANGUAGES  :    many.  tristan has always had a pronounced talent for languages and has picked up several through his training when he was young and on through his adult years.  the more languages he picks up, the more he’s able to pick up on others organically just by listening for the similarities and working out the differences based on context.  his first languages were english and urdu, both of which he spoke as a child prior to training  -  and is mostly all that remains of his memories of childhood before the menagerie.  since then, he’s picked up french, spanish, italian, portuguese, polish, russian, german, standard and egyptian arabic, hindi, and korean at various levels of fluency  -  but is proficient enough in all to hold decent conversation. SECRETS  :    too many to count.  nobody truly knows tristan patel.

PHYSICAL.

BUILD  :  scrawny  /  bony  /  slender  /  fit  /  athletic  /  curvy  /  herculean  /  pudgy  /  average   HEIGHT  :    168 cm  /  5′6 SCARS  /  BIRTHMARKS  :    tristan is littered with scars, so it would be difficult to catalogue all of them.  however, as his more prominent, he sports a large diagonal burn scar across one shoulder blade, a jagged puncture scar on his upper thigh, a particularly ugly gunshot graze on his upper right arm, and the very obvious remnants of a knife wound on his left side.  otherwise, he sports a number of smaller burns from the variety of dangerous substances he frequently experiments with and keeps on his person, as well as a couple more clear weapon wounds that are slightly more subtle than the aforementioned larger scars. ABILITIES  /  POWERS   :    healing  /  regeneration.  black belt in krav maga, skilled gymnast and amateur contortionist, deep knowledge of the chemistry and use of poisons, acquired immunity to a large number of typically debilitating and/or fatal poisons. RESTRICTIONS  :    deeply and incredibly mortal, despite his regenerative qualities.  reckless to the point of foolishness.  not at all a good team player.  poor emotional regulation and a tendency not to realize what’s important to him until it becomes a problem.

FAVORITES.

FOOD  :    it’s hard to pick a favorite because he’s not picky and will eat whatever he can get his hands on, but any culture’s version of a fried dough  DRINK  :    coca-cola,  maple syrup old fashioned  ( if not straight whiskey ) ,  or just plain water. PIZZA TOPPING  :    pepperoni,  sausage,  and pepperoncinis. COLOR  :    black. MUSIC GENRE  :    hard rock,  some pop / rock  ( beach boys-esque ) ,  classical. BOOK GENRE  :    mystery,  thriller,  horror,  nonfiction. MOVIE GENRE  :    truly, he doesn’t have much of an attention span for movies or television.  he tends to watch a portion of something and then get up to go do something else.  he can stay focused for the duration of a football match sometimes and he  ( oddly enough )  enjoys a good documentary here and there, and if he has to pick fictional movie genres, he’ll go for something thriller-adjacent, but if he sits and watches a whole movie with you, that just means he cares about you even if he isn’t saying it because his attention span fucked off after 40 minutes. CURSE WORD  :    probably fuck. SCENTS  :    sandlewood,  gunpowder,  almonds,  a touch of gasoline,  something strangely sweet and unidentifiable.

FUN STUFF.

SONGS  :    dirty little animals,  bones uk  /  barracuda,  heart  /  snakes,  pvris & miyavi  /  everybody wants to rule the world,  tears for fears  /  lie to me,  jonny lang  /  goodbye,  ramsey AESTHETIC  :    bloody knuckles soaked through filthy wrappings,  flickering neon lights at midnight,  the sheen of rain on the asphalt,  the reflection of street lamps in puddles,  a dark apartment with sparse furniture,  distant thunder on the air,  an unnaturally colored liquid in an unlabeled vial,  the glint of a knife as someone conceals it up their sleeve,  nights that feel sleepless. SINGS IN THE SHOWER  :    no.  doesn’t sing in general.  and you’re all welcome for that, because his voice is awful. LIKES PUNS  :    yes, if they’re actually good.

tagged by :    my loves  @wrrnth  and  @vicioushope,  and  @daylighter,  whomst I have admired greatly from afar HELLO <3 tagging :    whoever hasn’t been tagged!

[infinitum-monstera]

Big Slap: Danger Rank A

This creature is a large humanoid featured in Content Warning. It is summoned by finding and holding the painting of the entity that can be found anywhere in the Old World.

This behemoth is loud, fast, and powerful. Though most encounters in Content Warning are survivable or avoidable, Big Slap is nearly inescapable. This, however, should not discourage you from trying. Big Slap is a physical being, meaning he can be slowed down by the environment. Jumping and dodging well enough for long enough should allow you to escape eventually so long as you are insanely lucky and skilled. Yes, both.

This Monster is known to lunge at targets, as well as moving on foot extremely quickly. Its slap is powerful enough to nearly OHKO Content Warning players, which are of a durable and unidentified species. With available measurements and references, the Big Slap seems to strike with power equal to a small explosion.

Little is truly known about this entity, but judging by observable behavioral patterns, this being might be a key factor in the decision to abandon the Old World, or perhaps an appointed guardian of it.

If you spot Big Slap, leave the area as quickly as possible. If you’re in a group, scatter to confuse the creature. It cant kill all of you as quickly if youre not all grouped together.

[kritikapatil]

Mescal Market Unidentified Segments – The Biggest Opportunity Of 2022

Latest added Mescal Market research study by AMA Research offers detailed outlook and elaborates market review till 2027. The market Study is segmented by key regions that are accelerating the marketization. At present, the market players are strategizing and overcoming challenges of current scenario; some of the key players in the study are Destilería Tlacolula (DT) (United States)

Ilegal Mezcal S.A. (United States)

William Grant & Sons (United Kingdom)

El Silencio Holdings (United States)

El Tinieblo (United States)

Puente-Internacional (United States)

Prestige Beverage Group (United States)

Pernod Ricard (France)

Pierde Almas (United States)

Agaves are known for being ecologically and economically important wild species in the food & beverage sector. It is prominently identified as the key raw material for manufacturing distilled alcoholic beverage called Mescal (Mezcal). Mezcal is a distilled alcoholic spirit manufactured from the agave plant, which is native to Mexico. It has a distinctive and smoky flavor. There are approximately 30 varieties of agave plant from which mezcal can be processed and manufactured. Further,

Influencing Trend: Premiumization in the Mescal Industry

Consumer Preferences for Mescal over Tequilla Products Due to Variation of Flavour Used and Agave Used

Challenges: Distribution Challenges Associated with Mescal

Changing Taste Preferences

Opportunities: The Advent of Online Retailing Sector

Launch of New Innovative Products

Rising Cocktail Culture

Market Growth Drivers: Evolving Preferences of their Customers

Growing Demand for Agave Spirits

The Popularity of Agave Based on Alcoholic Beverages

The Global Mescal segments and Market Data Break Down by Type (Mescal Joven, Mescal Reposado, Mescal Anejo), Application (On Trade, Off-Trade), Distribution Channel (Offline Sale, Online Sale)

Presented By

AMA Research & Media LLP

[houkou-nrl]

Today I was pleasantly surprised to find out that another trailer had been published for New Pokémon Snap! And this trailer actually includes a bit more than I would have anticipated this close to launch. As usual, details below the cut.

Let’s start out with the new Pokémon that have been revealed. There are 18 new species and 2 new forms we haven’t seen yet, bringing us up to 115:

Arbok

Sandshrew (Kantonian)

Tentacruel

Starmie

Ariados

Lanturn

Corsola

Octillery

Lugia

Cacnea

Seviper

Clamperl

Vivillon (Sandstorm)

Espurr

Clawitzer

Lycanroc (Midday)

Mareanie

Morelull

Bewear

Golisopod

This is also the first trailer to feature Slaking, Trevenant, or Florges, although all three have appeared in screenshots or footage on the site previously. This is also Dedenne’s first in-game appearance, having only appeared in official art previously.

Unfortunately, the mystery bug from last trailer did not make an appearance in this one, so it’s currently still unidentified.

Aside from that, the overview trailer also revealed or expanded upon three new features. The first, and perhaps most notable in my opinion, are branching paths.

In the original Pokémon Snap, the only branches existed as alternate exits the player needed needed to take to unlock a new stage, and usually required solving a puzzle. But here, it seems that you can take branching paths to explore a different part of the area. I’ve been pretty curious about the seemingly interconnected areas we’ve been seeing in the trailers, and this seems likely to be why. Definitely a feature I’m looking forward to; and, combined with the time of day mechanic we’ve already seen, it should lend itself very well to the game’s replayability.

Another new feature that was shown was the Scan feature. And in the trailer, it was shown that Scanning could be used to identify obscured Pokémon or investigate objects. Both those uses seem quite cool! It’s not clear yet whether you can submit photos of obscured Pokémon (you couldn’t in the original), but this sounds like a great tool nonetheless. The ability to investigate things more closely is pretty appealing.

The third major feature discussed was your Research Level. This feature was given brief mention on the website, but here it’s elaborated upon a little further.

As you research any given area, your research level for that area will gradually increase. And a higher research level will give you opportunities to see new Pokémon or take new routes. I presume the “new routes” may have to do with the branching paths mechanic mentioned above. We also knew from the site already that a higher research level will let you see new behaviors in the wild.

One last minor thing from the trailer is that you’re encouraged to throw Illumina Orbs at the Crystal Blooms seen around the island to possibly discover something new. We don’t have much information yet on what to expect, though it seems like it may affect the Pokémon or environment nearby.

And that’s it! Got a pretty nice look at some features we hadn’t seen yet, and the game is promising a really fun adventure. There’s just over two weeks to go until New Pokémon Snap comes out, so I’m pretty excited!

[minaim-blog]

DaTr Date Night - Part 1 - At The Arcade

There’s school tomorrow but it’s date night for Dib and Tak. As a break from their usual night out Dib brought her to the local arcade, but there Tak finds something she can’t beat down or pause for later. Will she be able to overcome or this truly unbeatable?

Tak reviewed the state of her vessel meticulously through its computer console. She noted a stable life-support system and defense array at near maximum power, its sensor’s registered itself atop an atmosphere-less asteroid hurling through space with her opponent nowhere to be found. She concluded the disappearance was caused by a cloaking device attached to the enemy’s ship which she had noted lend itself quite nicely to their tactic of minor aggression followed by hasty retreat, repeating until victory was achieved. It had only succeed in dealing minor damage to her vessel both now and at an earlier encounter, but she knew her opponent would need more than a cheap trick to take down an Irken Invader, and also that her opponent (for all she could tell) could not supply anything else beyond that.

Still, she was just as cautious as she was assured of her own victory, as only a fool would let themselves be defeated by their own overconfidence. Contrary to the greatest annoyance on this dirt ball of a planet, which she’s been existing on now for more than six of its solar cycles: Zim. Whose very existence breathed overconfidence, and yet also possessed an infallible tenacity that refused to perish no matter how far to the brink of devastation it was brought. While she did think the later was an admirable trait, she never would have said this openly to him, as it would have only made him that much more insufferable. She was hesitant to call him an ally, more so a neighbor in banishment, and he could still inspire within her a feeling of deepest frustration and malcontent whenever he dared to proclaimed himself as anything besides incompetent.

“Zim is neither here now, nor the reason for coming out.”

She had to tell herself this to refocus on the enemy at hand. Thankfully just as she brought herself back to the battle the enemy provided her with a means to its end. While her enemy’s cloaking device mostly obscured it from her ship’s sensors it was not completely unidentifiable. In their previous encounter Tak noted that her sensor array, while unable to detect the enemy ship, could pick-up any projectile based artillery fired on the battlefield, and thanks to the now incoming fire she was able to pinpoint the general location of her enemy. Maneuvering her vessel past the incoming missiles she utilized her ship’s ability to release a focused EMP based attack at the location of fire, while it deals no damage it makes up for it in its useful ability to remove any buffs the target possess. In one swift motion Tak was both able to avoid the enemy fire and release the blast towards it source leaving two ships now visible on the battle field. Pleased with her accomplishment but rather annoyed at the lack of challenge Tak revealed her disgruntlement,

“Alright, hide and seek is done. Let’s get this over with quickly, my boyfriend and I had the rest of the evening planned.”

Saying this however seemed to anger her opponent, which while it was not her intention, helped in ending their confrontation. Her opponent charge forward blindly in an attack that was easily dodged and Tak followed it with one of her own, dealing major damage to his ship. The vessel she was piloting possessed relatively weak firepower and average defenses but exceled at maneuverability and close quarters combat. Her opponent’s ship lacked firepower, defenses, and had only average maneuverability at best. Its only strength was its cloaking device, which was now useless.

“You know when I said, ‘get this over with’ I didn’t think you would just throw yourself at me. I thought you said you wanted a rematch?”

A display showed up on her screen with a video feed of her enemy, and she was surprised that even with the filter it provided the human looked just as greasy and disgusting as normal. Perhaps even more so, if that was possible. Her opponent roared,

“This is our rematch!”

Goading her enemies was something Tak had trouble avoiding and hated to admit it, but she chastised herself saying that Zim was rubbing off on her and hated that even more. In the instance she thought this to herself her opponent had already charged at her again and was able to land a blow. Tak quickly brought herself to attention and used her opponent’s over extension against him as he spurred a flurry of attacks, and was able to land a powerful counter. The blow was not fatal but the stun it provided allowed Tak to finish him off in her own sequence of attacks or “COMBOS” as Gaz had corrected her before. Tak even tried to remember one of the strings Gaz showed her last time they played together.

“Down, down, up, up, right, left, right, left. Or was it reverse? Was there an ‘X’ somewhere? Or was it ‘B’?”

She continued thinking like this to herself while she was attacking and complained that humans should streamline their attack commands if they ever wanted a chance against a more efficient species. True to any video game however, simply mashing buttons brought her to victory without even focusing and her opponent’s ship was rubble in no time at all. The computer screen on her ship beamed “PLAYER 2 WINS!” and an electronic fanfare blasted into her ears which together with the strobe lights was almost making her nauseous. Thankfully her work was done, and she removed the virtual reality helmet she had been wearing during the fight and found herself in the familiar arcade Dib had managed to drag her into.

Her opponent: the greasy, sweaty, and annoying human, was banging his fists on the computer console and his helmet, managing to hurt himself doing so. He tore off his helmet and glared at Tak while shouting again,

“I want a rematch!”

“That was your rematch.” Tak responded. “And like the first one, it wasn’t much of a match.”

“I would have beaten you, if it weren’t for your bullshit!”

Tak pricked up her brows at that. “Really? Cause from where I’m looking the ship you choose could probably be called ‘bullshit’. I however would call it more of a crutch.”

“It’s not a crutch! It’s a perfectly fair and balanced mechanic! Your ship was the one that’s unfair, it completely counters anything I could throw at it.”

“Why didn’t you pick a ship that was better equipped at fighting it then? I choose the same ship twice.” She removed the gloves to the simulation and got out of her seat while saying this, as indifferent towards him as was physically possible.

“Because I don’t need bullshit like you to kick your ass!”

“Evidently you do, or else you would have won.” She ended their conversation honestly, but her opponent didn’t appreciate it and was now spewing Earth profanities at her as she went away, which she did not care to pay attention to. She wasn’t upset at the profanities, it just made him that much more annoying, but she did feel sorry for him. She knew his emotions would only distract him and never let him improve, and just thinking about that concept made her stomach turn over. The crowd that had surrounded them during their battled seemed to be disappointed and pitied her opponent, but knowing humans she doubted it was for the same reason as her.

“Come along Mimi, let’s find Dib. I’ve had enough of this place.” Her loyal SIR unit, disguised as a cat, followed her in suit after collecting tickets that came from her machine, the purpose of which, still eluded Tak. She then made her way through the crowded and began the search for her big-headed boyfriend.

She had agreed to come to this arcade at request of Dib in hopes of having a “normal” date night. “You know without fighting off intergalactic threats, or hunting paranormal creatures, or having to make sure Zim doesn’t blow up the universe with one of his inane schemes.” She could hear him speak in her memory, and she still didn’t understand what was so much better about a “normal” date. Those fights were at least exciting and even if the enemy was smelly or annoying she was allowed to hit them. The bigfeet stalking he took her on typically ended in the two of them just walking through the forest and talking about anything, which was perfect as far as she was concerned. And not having to worry about Zim depended on Zim, and the probability of him taking a night off to make sure he didn’t spoil their night was about as likely as either one of them ever being allowed within a parsec of Irk again. Their entire night had been a let down from the beginning. As soon as they had set foot into the arcade she was overcome by the smell of old popcorn and stale candy, with jarring sound effects coming from every corner she looked. The dim lights contrasted by the bright consoles reminded her of a miserable city-planet she saw long ago, and the patrons where just as charming as they were clean.

Dib had tried to win her over when he saw how disappointed she knew she looked, he tried to tell her that the real attraction to the place were the games, not the ambiance. Though she had trouble seeing how any of the games could pass for recreation. The first game he brought them to was called “Sky Ball” or some other such nonsense, the purpose of which entailed rolling balls up a ramp into goal posts. While that may have proven a challenge for humans an Irken smeet could probably play that game, and she had been able to beat Dib with a perfect score using fundamental physics. Not to say Dib did horrible, but not perfect. Another game they played involved a battle simulation and Tak was confused how such a thing was meant as recreation and not military training. Another one involved playing as a yellow circle gathering pixels while avoiding ghosts, or one of Dib’s other interests, that clearly followed a predefined path, and so were easily avoidable to the point where she could have beaten the game in her sleep. Every other game they played followed suit similarly, if Tak was playing she found it either too easy or uninteresting, and if they played together Dib didn’t provide an adequate challenge for her. She was very happy that losing didn’t seem to bother Dib too much, definitely not as much as the human she just beat. Eventually he was just as bored by the arcade as she was and the two of them left to the food court section of the arcade to sit down and eat. Dib ordered a plate of nachos for them to split which were adequate except for the cheese which tasted more like syrup than cheese, and she had gagged on it. She then tried to wash it down with a drink from there which she nearly threw back up from the taste and way it burned her throat. While she had spent some time on the planet and built up a resistance to its filth, it didn’t do too much to help. Dib freaked out more than she did and probably would have carried her all the way back to her base if she let him. Tak was able to compose herself though and told him she was fine, but having had enough of their food she told him she needed a moment to walk it off. It was during that time that she ran into the apparent “champion” of the ship battle simulator, which she of course found to be anything but.

Right now she was exhausted of the arcade and just wanted to find Dib and maybe enjoy the walk home together. She made her way back to the food court but was only able to find the empty table they sat at before she left. She was just about to call him and save herself the time looking for him when Mimi grabbed her attention and pointed to familiar trench coat at the far end of the food court. Dib was on a small platform connected to a console doing what she assumed (and dreaded) was some sort of Earth dance, but it seemed that he couldn’t decide if he wanted to be fluid or firm in his movements. His feet were moving up and down the platform in a sporadic manner, but his upper body for the most part wasn’t doing all too much except for when he occasionally brought up his arms for emphasis of a move. While normally she would have been annoyed at him making a fool of himself, after the fiasco their date night had been it was refreshingly humorous. Still, she wasn’t in the mood to stay there any longer than she had to and made her way over to him. As she got closer she could make out on the main screen was a series of arrows overlaid on graphics scrolling from the bottom of the screen to the top and on the platform were corresponding symbols. Blasting out of the consoles speakers was the most jarring music Earth had to offer. So her fears were right and it was a dancing simulator, if the humans could even call it dancing. She approached Dib just as the music was reaching its climax and didn’t try to hide the bewilderment in her voice.

“What on Irk are you doing?”

Dib was caught off guard and immediately spun around to her voice. “Tak! Are you feeling better now?” He was leaning over the guardrails on the platform, evidently a little tired out from his excursion.  

“I’m fine.” She answered tersely, “But I’m ready to leave. I’ve had enough of this arcade.” She was looking past Dib at the machine, unable to hide her sickening curiosity of it. “What is this ridiculous contraption?”

“This? It’s DDR. Do you want to play a round before we go?”

Tak double checked herself to make sure she heard him correctly. “Are you serious? I just told you I’m ready to leave, I’m not in the mood for ‘a round’ of another one of your dumb Earth games!”

“Yeah, but…This one’s different.” Dib pointed behind him as he spoke sheepishly to her.

“Different?”

“Yeah all the other games we’ve played have been pretty straight forward. Applying physics, shooting stuff, avoiding AI patterns-”

“-Basic combat strategies.”

“Which one did we play that was about that?”

“I was playing against someone else when I went for my walk. It’s not important.” She waved her hand away as she said this, brushing the subject aside. “How is this one different?”

“Well this game is really about testing timing and coordination, you have to keep your feet to the beat, and also you need the stamina to last till the end of the song. So really its more about your physical fitness than anything else. This is also probably the game I’m the best at here, it’s the only one I’ve ever been able to beat Gaz on.”

“You’ve beaten Gaz on this?” Tak’s interest was piqued, Gaz was incredibly skilled at video games and on the few ones she liked to play against her Gaz always provided an excellent challenge. Gaz hadn’t beaten her every time they played of course, Tak was constantly improving herself and knew it was only a matter of time before she could beat Gaz consistently.

“Yeah, really just because she doesn’t really like this game.”

Tak knew Dib had an ego, but she also noted he tried to diminish it when he was hanging out with her, which she thought was sweet and also good for him. She felt better about not telling him this, in case it would counteract the attempt he was making.

“Well I still don’t know if I want to play this.” Tak said standing with her arms crossed staring at the machine.

Dib grew a grin after she this, “You’re interested in it though.”

“I’m not.”

“Ah, see? There’s that Irken stubbornness I’ve come to admire.”

“I’m not being stubborn. I’m just not interested.” Tak said this even though she was interested in the game a little bit, if only because Dib said he was able to beat Gaz at it, and that is was different from everything else she tried tonight. Even while thinking this, she still wasn’t sure she was interested enough to try it.

“Come on, we’ll play one game and then I’ll walk you home.”

“One game?” Tak asked still folding her arms over her chest, but saying and doing not much else.

“One game. And then I’ll take you home or anywhere else you want to go for the night.”

Tak stood there weighing her options, and eventually it seemed to Dib that Tak’s curiosity got the better of her.

“Fine.” She dragged out, “One game, then take me home.”

Dib did a small fist-pump after hearing this and started setting up the machine.

“The game’s really simple Tak. I’m going to pick a song and on the screen arrows are going to scroll up. When they reach their outlines at the top you just press the matching buttons on the floor. You get extra points for staying in rhythm so if Irkens have any sense of that you’ll have to show me tonight.”

“We don’t have music on Irk Dib, any such distractions are viewed as detrimental to productivity. And so doesn’t go well for the Empire. Even so, I doubt this will be an issue for me.”

Dib made a small raspberry, “Wow. You Irkens really are a happy bunch? I’m honestly surprised Zim’s one of your species.”

“Dib. It’s bad enough for me that you interact with him when we’re all in the same room. Please don’t make this date even worse than it’s already been by bringing him up.”

Dib rolled his eyes at that but didn’t say anything further to the point. “Do you care which song I pick then?” He said this as he took off his trench coat and hanged it on the platform railing.

“They’re all equally hideous to me Dib, but pick something with a bit less ‘pop’ in it. I find those kinds of songs completely unbearable.”

“This one is probably more your style then.” Dib said as he choose the song on the menu, “Techno-Something” or some other nonsense Tak didn’t bother to read. Before they completed the setup Dib noticed Tak taking a long look over the screen then was usually normal for her.

“This should be easy Dib.”

“Don’t sound too sure of yourself Tak, you know I’m full of surprises.”

She grinned slyly at that but didn’t say anything. Dib asked her a final time if she was ready, and after she said she was the game started and a techno mashup blasted through the speakers. It wasn’t one of Dib’s favorite songs, and it didn’t help that the track had a difficult sequence in the beginning. He was putting in his all regardless, and was able to do decent at first but noticed a fall in his quality as the song drew on.

“What’s a matter sweet Dibble, getting tired already?” Tak cooed over to him.

Dib was so focused on his own screen that he hadn’t looked over to Tak at all, when he did he was stunned to see her screen performing a perfect score but her not moving at all. More so from the shock he hunched over and grasped for breath while asking how she was doing that. Then Dib was reminded that his girlfriend was an Irken Invader. She let out a laugh that would send him into a panic if he still thought of her as an enemy. While she was doing so he saw her pak legs fade in and out of visibility as they flawlessly performed the sequence on the screen.

“That’s cheating Tak.” Was all Dib could say.

“Cheating? I’m not cheating. I’m just using my own advantages to my benefit. It’s not my fault you’re a weak human.”

“Yeah but the purpose of the game is to use your own body. I could probably disassemble this whole thing and reprogram it to always give me a perfect game, but I wouldn’t be actually playing the game at that point. Same as you using your pak to play it for you.”

“Yeah, well too bad. Looks like neither of us are playing now, so there’s no point in arguing over technicalities. And I believe our agreement was you’d take me home after we were done. So let’s get going.”

Tak stepped off the platform as she said this and began walking away before Dib interrupted her.

“It’s okay Tak, I get that you need a crutch.” She didn’t say anything but she stopped in her tracks and visibly tighten. “I mean hell, if I had a robot backpack attached to me my whole life, and I depended on it to do all my physical work for me, I don’t think I’d feel too confident in my ability to play this game either. But hey like you said, we’re not playing anymore. But don’t worry we won’t be coming back here so you won’t have to worry about this catching up to you.”

Dib stepped off the platform as he said this and went next to Tak after he grabbed his trench coat off the guard rail. He could see her shaking slightly, he thought from anger, and was worried for a second that he may have touched a sore spot for her. His concern didn’t last after she spoke to him.

“Dib. Make no mistake. I am way stronger, faster, and more agile than you.”

“Right, which you totally just proved.”

“I don’t need to prove anything to you!” She said spinning around to him. The anger in her voice would have sent him into a panic years ago but since then he’s learned a thing or two about her.

“Oh what’s a matter? The little Irken’s afraid of losing to the human.” He teased her.

The two of them were both facing each other as they talked, and Tak after hearing this came close to him and forcefully pointed into Dib’s chest repeatedly for emphasis as she said,

“Never call me little. Ever. Again.”

“Alright, alright.” Dib laughed off. “The very tall, smart, and pretty Irken is afraid of losing to the small, dumb, ugly human.”

Dib leaned over her as he said this and even picked himself slightly off his tippy toes for a moment. Dib was a good bit taller than she was even with how tall she had become while staying on Earth. Tak hated the fact that Dib had grown to be so tall, and hated that she liked it so much.

“You don’t really mean your pak does all the work for you.” Dib tried to say this as smoothly as he possibly could.

Tak backed away from him for a moment and squinted while bringing her hand to her eyes. “Dib, I know exactly what you’re trying to do-”

“-and it’s working?!” Dib interrupted her sounding very hopeful.

She brought her hand over her head and brushed it through her hair. “You are the most annoying human on this planet, and the second most annoying thing overall.”

“Careful Tak, keep talking like that and you’ll end up making my ego bigger than yours.”

“Please. It’s only an ego if you can’t back it up.” Without another word she stretched herself and stood back up on the platform, the previous song having already ended while they were talking.

“Let’s just get this over with. I don’t care what song you pick. Let me just beat you so we can both go home.”

“If that’s the case then I’m going to pick my favorite song on here. I want to give you a real challenge.”

“If you manage to actually do that, that’ll be the biggest surprise this evening.”

Dib glared at that but didn’t say anything related to it. He set up the game and the two of them were preparing themselves.

“And no cheating this time.” Dib said.

“I don’t need to.” Tak hissed out.

There was silence between the two of them as the game counted down before beginning, and Tak could feel the tension between the two of them growing unbearable. Right before it did Dib said playfully,

“I love you Tak!”

Tak was caught off guard by his statement, if only because she didn’t know if he meant it sincerely, if he was just loosening the tension by being weird, or if he was trying to distract her. She was ready to say something in response, what she was going to say she wasn’t sure, but she was interrupted by the start of the round before she could say anything. A gushy pop song blasted through the speakers, it seemed Dib was throwing all the cards against her now, but she was more determined to win now than she had been before in a very long time. The first opening seconds of the song was easy as all the movements followed a predictable sequence, and Tak was able to land all the movements. She noticed she wasn’t earning a perfect score, as the system indicated she hit the correct buttons but not in “beat”, which she now assumed was a more precise timing.

“This is your song Dib? I’m falling asleep here, if that was your plan it’s working.”

“Don’t boast too soon Tak, it’s about to heat up.”

Not a second after Dib said this, the music faded from its current style to a rest. Tak thought it sounded like the low rumblings before an avalanche, and then the song blasted into a crescendo. Tak attempted to follow along but the previous sequence the song followed briefly in the beginning was gone, and the new one seemed almost random, and the music jarring to her. Her feet shuffled trying to hit the pattern, but she was losing all over the place, and felt clumsy on her feet like she had never used them before.

“Not so easy now, is it Tak?”

She could hear Dib goad next to her. She looked over to him for a second and found he was just as clumsy as she was, probably even worse. She didn’t say anything to this though, she just gritted her teeth and growled slightly while trying to focus. She would win this yet. She tried to recover and find the beat, but every time she got the pattern down it seemed the song would change it just to mitigate her progress. She found herself lifting her arms in emphasis of her movements subconsciously, like how she saw Dib do earlier. She was not going to give up, an Invader would never give up even in the face of total defeat. She eventually found a pattern to the madness, and while she wasn’t hitting every note the song threw at her she felt she was a far cry away from losing. The song had only been going on for a minute or less but she felt it had lasted ages and was already feeling drained. Imagine her joy when she looked over to Dib again and saw he looked more tired than her.

“Give it up Dib.” She started, panting for breath slightly in between moves. “I’ve studied your human physiology, your body can’t produce nearly the same amount of energy as an Irken. You may have been fine at the start of the song, but there’s no way you can beat me now. Without a squeedlyspooch it’s just not possible.”

“Yeah Tak?” Dib started panting just as hard as Tak, “Well it seems like your knowledge of humans is totally off. I’ll have you know we humans get what’s called an ‘adrenaline rush’. Which is this big burst of energy that makes us like fifteen times stronger. It happens all the time, and old ladies can use it to pick cars off of babies.”

“Really?” Tak asked clearly disbelieving.

“Yeah. And you know what? I think mines about to kick in!”

Dib picked up his pace for as long as he could after he said this to help the illusion. He wasn’t sure if Tak bought his bluff, but he could have sworn he saw her try to match his speed and swore under her breath. He couldn’t have chosen a better time to do what he did. The song had ended right when he felt like he would have collapsed if he went on any longer. The two of them weren’t mouthing off at each other after it ended, they had been too tired to do so, and where instead hunched over the guard rail facing the console panting heavily. Tak’s score shot up first: “C-”.

“Hah! Beat that Dib!”

While Tak had said this as boastfully as possible Dib could tell she was extremely disappointed with her score, and hoped it wouldn’t bother her too much later. Dib’s score showed up next, he wasn’t sure what he was hoping for before it came up, but it was on the screen before he could decide: “C+”.

“I… I won?”

Was all Dib could say, as he felt there were eyes burning into the back of his head. If any were though it wasn’t Tak’s. He looked next to him and saw she was still staring at the screen and watched her expression change from shock to complete anger. Dib wasn’t sure if he was more scared of or worried for her.

“Hey Tak, don’t worry about it. It’s only a game.”

He said trying to mitigate the situation but worried he only made things worse. She was breathing heavily, a look of anger still on her. She grabbed the metal guard rail and Dib thought for a moment she was going to crush it with her hands. She must have realized she couldn’t (or decided not to crush it) and instead brought her hands to the rubber padding at the middle of the railing and slowly tore that off, which Dib knew was no easy feat. Her breathing seemed to quite after she did this and Dib hoped she calmed herself down, but right after that Tak turned around and walked away from the console. Dib called out to her but she was ignoring him completely, and not wanting to lose sight of her he went after her without even grabbing his trench coat. He didn’t get more than a few steps before he tripped over something.

“Really Mimi?”

He called out looking around him, but Tak’s Sir unit was just collecting tickets from the machine. It gave Dib a quizzical and angry look as she did so behind her disguise, seeming to state she didn’t trip him but was happy he did. He got up and grabbed his trench coat before going after Tak, glaring at Mimi the whole time. He looked around and called for Tak again but she was nowhere in sight. He assumed she went to the exit and was headed there when he saw Mimi go off deeper into the arcade. Knowing Mimi was a bit more loyal (or at least more obedient) than Gir would be in a situation like this and that she had a sixth sense for Tak’s general whereabouts he followed her in tow. They ended up in the section of the arcade that had the older cabinets that weren’t as popular, and as far as Dib could tell it was just him and Mimi there. He heard a sound like something banging hard against the side of the metal cabinets and he and Mimi both went towards the sound. They found Tak, her head buried in a corner between a wall and an old cabinet, and she wasn’t saying or doing anything. Mimi went up to her and padded at her legs with her paws while mewing, but Tak did not respond in anyway.

“Tak?” He called out cautiously to her.

“That was horrible.” Was all she said.

Dib rubbed the back of his head as he said, “Really Tak it wasn’t that bad.”

“Yes. It was.” Tak stated this flatly, and Dib could sense the frustration in her voice. “It’s bad enough that I lost to you by two whole grades, but the fact that you weren’t in peak condition and I was means I would have lost worse if we were even.”

“I wasn’t tired Tak, that was me giving my all. And you did play really well for the first time. I mean, I’m nowhere near good at that game, I’ve seen people play it before that’ll destroy anything I got, and you really didn’t do as bad as you think.” Dib was nervous and stumbled out his words as he tried to cheer up Tak.

“Don’t fucking patronize me! You know how stupid I looked out there! That thing made me feel like I’ve never used my feet before!” Tak slammed the side of the cabinet again, and turned around to glare at Dib.

“Okay, okay Tak! It’s just a game. You don’t need to get angry.” He brought his hands to his face as he said this and felt a familiar sense of self-preservation taking over him. Tak girted her teeth and clenched her fist harder as she turned around to stare into the corner again.

“I am not angry about the game.”

“You’re-You’re not?” Dib said dumb founded.

“No. I’m not, I’m furious, but it’s not about the game. It’s about how much I’m letting this thing get to me.”

“I don’t understand.”

Tak seemed to curl inward of herself and became smaller before she spoke, “Irkens don’t get mad. Or if they do they don’t let it get in their way. The fact of the matter is that I failed, and when that happens one of two things follow for an Irken: you’re disposed of. Either demoted or removed. Or, you learn from it, and never let it happen again. I shouldn’t be so angry that I can’t focus on what I did wrong and how I fix myself. I should be calm, focused, and determined.”

Tak lowered her voice as she finished and tried to remain collected, brushing a hand through her hair, but Dib saw frustration return to her face before she even finished.

“I shouldn’t be thinking about how much I hate that game, and how stupid it is, and how I never want to play it again, but I just feel angry and I CAN’T STOP FUCKING FEELING THIS WAY!”

Tak punched the side of the cabinet again which made an incredibly loud noise and Dib saw it leave a dent that would definitely be noticed by someone later. Tak didn’t do or say anything else after this, and Dib didn’t know how to try to comfort her, or if he really knew what she was going through. Mimi stopped padding her legs after her final outburst, and went away into the arcade again, Dib wasn’t sure what she was up to “Maybe she’s giving us some time alone?” He thought to himself, and so tried to make the most of it.

“Tak.” He started awkwardly not knowing what to say. “I get it, you’re angry.”

“You think?” She responded harshly through her teeth. Which Dib thought was better than her just being quite, but he wasn’t entirely sure.

“Yeah but I think you’re angry for the wrong reasons. I get, you know, losing at a game sucks. It’s normal that you’re angry about it, but don’t be angry about being angry.”

“I’m not angry about being angry.” She said this with a bit less malice in her voice. “I’m angry that I can’t focus.”

“Right which I think is dumb. What does it matter that you’re not set on getting better at a game you said you’ll never play again?”

“Because an Irken would never be like that,” Tak turned away from her corner to look at Dib as she said this, “an Irken would rise to the challenge no matter what!”

“Well you’re a far cry from Irk now. Maybe you should stop living like you’re under the Empire still. Maybe you should live the way you actually want to now and not the way they would want you to. Here on Earth you can do that.”

Dib thought what he said was pretty inspirational, but Tak didn’t seem too convinced and shook her head slightly before continuing.

“Dib, do you remember when I went to walk-off that disgusting Earth food? I said I was playing another game with someone else. The human I was playing against got so angry when I beat him. So angry that all he could focus on was how angry he was, when I could see, and I knew he could see, how he could have done better if he just looked at what happened objectively and not emotionally. That’s me right now, I’m so focused on my anger that I can’t get better.”

“Well…then I’d say you’re better than he was, at least you’re self-aware.”

“What does it matter that I’m self-aware if I’m still like this, that I’m still def-. That I’m still angry?” Tak turned away from him again into the corner, the faintest look of sadness in her eyes that was almost invisible.

Dib didn’t need to be his dad to figure out what was bothering Tak the most (actually he doubted his dad could figure it out, he never really was much of a people person). Dib knew the “D-Word” was a really sore topic for Tak, one she rarely ever brought up, and if she did she would never want to go any further into it than the length of the conversation brought it. So he tried to cheer her up one last time.

“Well then just be angry. The game’s stupid anyway.” This was all he said to her, and for a moment there was a period of silence in which neither of them spoke or did anything else. Eventually Tak was the one who broke the silence.

“I really hate that game.” She said this with deep loathing in her voice, and turned from her corner to Dib again.

“You’re not the only one, I’m sure.”

“Can we go destroy it?” Tak said with joyous anticipation in her voice, and turned fully away from the corner to face Dib.

“That’ll probably get us kicked out of here permanently, so no.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“I mean the four of us will probably want to come back here again when we all want to hang out. And I know you’ll want to keep trying you’re hand at beating Gaz again.”

“I’ve already beaten her before.” Take said annoyed crossing her arms.

“Beating her some more is what I meant. Gaz would love to play against you on one of the games here.”

“I’m not playing against her on the dancing game.” Tak said almost growling, and Dib tried to back pedal to save himself.

“I never said you would. I said Gaz hates it too, remember?”

Tak still had her arms crossed while they were talking, and she looked more annoyed than upset or angry, so Dib thought she was better but not completely. Even while she looked annoyed she couldn’t manage to look at him in the eyes. Right as they were done talking Mimi came back mewing at Tak’s legs again, but Tak completely ignored her. Dib noticed she was holding a receipt paper in her mouth.

“What do you have here Mimi?” Dib said and reached down for her, and was pleased and surprised that Mimi gave it to him. He looked over it before showing it to Tak.

“It looks like Mimi’s been collecting all of our tickets for the night. I honestly forgot this arcade even had them, and we got over 25,000 to spend.”

Tak tore the ticket out of Dib’s hand and looked over the receipt herself.

“I have no basis for this currency. Is this a lot?”

“Probably enough for us to get anything we want at the prize counter.”

Tak tossed away the receipt towards Dib. He caught it as she started walking away.

“Is that supposed to interest me?”

“We could probably find a toaster or something for you to fiddle with and make a bomb out of if that interests you.”

“Dib, you know the device you call a ‘toaster’ doesn’t have near enough parts to turn it into a practical improvised explosive.”

“Well, you could probably find something else and turn it into something to prank Zim with next time we see him.”

Tak grew a huge grin at the mention of that. “Maybe I can find something to scar or frighten him.”

“So we’ll go to the prize counter and get something?”

Dib went up next to her and grabbed her hand. Tak then leaned into his shoulder and sighed before saying,  

“Do that, and then take me home.”

* * *

“Man… the ticket prices sure have gone up since I was a kid.” Dib said as he scanned the prize counter from top to bottom.

“Inflation is typically a natural course for an ungoverned economy, and this place hardly seems like the type to have any regulation.” Tak said condescendingly.

The two of them were standing next to one another, their hands still intertwined. Tak was leaning her head against Dib, but looked more exhausted than affectionate.

“Is there really a point to us being here still? I don’t see anything I like.” Tak said, once again not hiding her annoyance.

“I’m trying to find you a gift remember?"

“Gift? Last I checked Dib I earned us most of the tickets we have. Doesn’t that make you more of an Indian giver?”

“No, that’s when you give something away only to take it back later.”

“Whatever! My point is I don’t need anything from here.”

“Yeah, but you’ve been having a shitty night. I just wanted to get you something to make up for it.”

Tak sighed in resignation, “Just pick something quickly, and let’s get out of here.”

Dib was looking as hard as he could, but he wasn’t finding anything he thought Tak would enjoy. She liked to dabble in examining “primitive Earth technology” every once in a blue moon purely for fun, but all of them were in the upper millions. They did have a toaster funnily enough, but that was half a million, so also out of budget. The only items they could afford where the small to medium sized stuffed animals, and some other toys. Thankfully it was just the two of them at the prize counter and the employee running it was preoccupied on his phone, so he spoke to Tak freely about what she’d really use the potential gift for.

“What about that can of slug?” He said pointing to a cheap toy labeled Biohazardous Waste, “I’m sure it’ll burn Zim a little bit, or you could poison his lunch with it.”

Tak came to attention at his suggestion and was considering it for a moment but said, “Nah, I could probably synthesized something worse on my own.”

“Okay well how about that laser?” He said pointing to a plastic laser toy on the wall which boasted the ability to shoot real lasers.

“Really? I could make better firearms in my sleep. Even if I was just going to examine it for amusement I doubt I’d get any enjoyment from it.”

“Okay well how about that?” Dib said, this time pointing to a box for a cat leash with a picture of little girl towing a cat along. “It would help you keep an eye on Mimi.”

Mimi hissed and scratched at Dib’s leg at the suggestion, which prompt a small laugh from Tak, afterwards she said playfully,

“Oh, I don’t know Mimi, Dib’s got a point. You’ve been awfully rambunctious lately.”

Which earned a low growl from Mimi in response.

“So I’ll get that for you?” Dib said hopefully.

“If you want to sure, but honestly I’ll never use it.”

This was becoming a difficult decision for Dib. He didn’t want to get a gift for Tak, just for the sake of it. If he was going to get her something it would have to be something she’d actually want or at least used everyone once in a while. He’d might as well just get her a stuffed toy at that rate. When that idea flashed into his head, he thought that could work, so long as he got her something novel enough that she’d want to keep. He looked briefly at the lineup of stuffed toys on the shelf when he saw one he thought she’d enjoy.

“How about a stuffed toy?”

“Really Dib? I know it’s human tradition for the male to purchase a stuffed creature for his mate and it matches your theme of a ‘normal’ date, but that would be the absolute last thing I’d want from here.”

“Really cause I was thinking of getting you that one.” Dib said pointing to a stuffed toy in the shape of a flying saucer, complete with the traditional green alien sewed onto the glass dome. “Is does kind of match you.” He said teasingly.

“Honestly Dib that’s…” Tak sounded like she was going to berate him at first but after she saw the toy she grew a curious expression on her face. “…actually, I never noticed it before. But that ship design does look frighteningly similar to the style Žertians typically use, and the pilot doesn’t look too different from one of them.”

“Really?” Dib said with fascination before he took out a note book from his pocket and started writing down.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting the name down, so next time I see one of those on the radar I can call them by it.”

“I would be cautious before you do that, the Žertians are a pretty unpredictable species in how they act. They’ve taken to interstellar nomadism since the Empire conquered their home planet, and they’ve been known to abduct other species for all kinds of purposes.”

“Really? Well that would explain a few things if it’s not just a coincidence.”

“Hey are you two going to buy something or what?” The clerk said annoyed from behind the counter, still engrossed in his phone.

“We’re busy deciding.” Tak replied angrily.

“Well could you hurry it up?”

“We’re not preventing you from playing on your primitive little phone by being here.”

“Uh… are you sure about that?” The clerk raised his phone up to them so they could see it as he spoke but neither of them could see what he was doing on it.

Tak let out an annoyed grunt, but before she could say or do anything else Dib yelled to the clerk, “We won’t be much longer.” And then turned to Tak to say, “Do you want the spaceship?”

“No, but for the sake of getting us out of here I’ll choose one of the stuffed monsters.”

“You really want one?”

“Not really, but if I’m going to get anything here it better be something I could see myself actually wanting, even if it’s just to throw out later.”

Tak stepped away from Dib and went up to the clerk and said,

“Service drone-”

“I have a name you know?” The clerk replied.

“It’s not important.”

“It’s Karl.”

“Carl…” Tak said, bringing her hand to her eyes to squint in exasperation.

“Karl with a K.”

“The spelling of your name has no determinable affect to how I pronounce it. But, Carl with a K, I’m in need of an ugly stuffed toy to complete my date with my boyfriend. So show me the best stuffed monsters you have.”

“Uh, can’t you see them for yourself?”

“I don’t know what their significance is, so I need you to dictate them to me so I can select the superior one.”

“You’ve never been to zoo, or looked at these animals in a book before?”

“I probably have, but I couldn’t have been bothered to remember them.” Tak said crossing her arms with an air of indifference.

Dib walked up to the counter and said with only a small sense of concern in his voice, “That won’t be needed Tak, I can just tell you about them myself. What about that one there?” He pointed to a small stuffed black cat on the wall, which earned him another hiss from Mimi.

“Exactly, I have already have Mimi for that. Honestly Dib that one’s  a worse suggestion than the spaceship.”

“Well how about that one? It’s a lion, they’re hunters on the top of the food chain where they live.”

“Better, but too similar to Mimi.”

“The gray one next to it with tusks and a long nose? They’re called elephants and they’ve been known for their intelligence.”

“How intelligent? Do you have a written language or use weapons?”

“I’ve heard they use sticks and shit as tools, and might have some sort of language they use.” Karl said without looking up from his phone.

“I thought you said you were too busy to educate me on the stuffing’s?”

“I can still commentate.”

“Forget him.” Dib said, “How about that one, a honey badger right?”

“Honey badgers are the best. They just don’t give a fuck.” Karl said.

“Their nihilism doesn’t impress me. Next.”

The three of them went on like this until they exhausted all the stuffed animals they could afford, and Dib was ready to give up when Tak pointed out a small one they missed.

“How about that one?” She said pointing to a small rodent like animal, it was so small but it costed 27,500 tickets.

“The uh…muskrat?” Dib said, bemused both at her interest in it and at its price.

“Hey man that one’s a mongoose, they’re like super tough and fight rattle snakes and shit.”

“They fight cobras.” Dib said, who had become more irritated with Karl than Tak had.

“And these cobras?” Tak started intrigued. “They’re some genus of snakes, correct?”

“Yeah, they’re big, venomous, and prey on humans and other animals all the time. But they’re mongooses prey and they kill them easily.”

Tak pondered on what Dib told her for a moment, after which she said, “That one will do.”

“We’ll take the it then.” Dib said not missing a beat.

After he said that Karl finally got off his phone and grumbled something about ‘choosing one he had to get a ladder for’ and went into the back room presumably for said ladder.

“So why the mongoose?” Dib asked her once he was out of sight.

“I actually find it very similar to an Invader: small and unassuming, but a powerhouse within!” Tak said  bringing her hand up into a fist for emphasis, “Plus I do like its aesthetic if I’m being honest.”

Karl came back out, pulled the stuffed toy off the shelf, and ask them for the tickets for it. Dib provided the receipt to him and Karl was handing it to him when Tak came over and snatched it out of his hands.

“Uh? That still leaves you with 500, if you guys want anything else.” Karl said perplexed by Tak’s actions.

“I think we’re good but thanks.” Dib started but was interrupted before he finished by Mimi pawing at his legs. She then pointed to a small shelf on the counter with Gummy Bears candy.

“Gummy Bears?” Dib said in disbelief turning to Tak. He saw her intently fondling her new toy, and was distracted by his sudden question.

“Huh? Oh right. Mimi’s taken a liking to them. Get them for her if you don’t mind.” She said barely taking her attention from the toy.

Dib purchased them and presented the opened bag to her but Mimi let out a disgusted meow after he did.

“Oh right. She doesn’t care for the green ones.”

“Why doesn’t she like the green ones?”

“I don’t know why she likes anything. Just take out the green ones so I don’t have to hear her on the way back.”

Dib complied with the request sorting out the green ones in his hands, and was surprised to see Mimi eat directly out of his once the green ones were gone. He felt Mimi’s course tongue brush and tickle against his hands, and was surprised by how much detail Tak put into their disguises. Mimi purred with satisfaction upon finishing and even let Dib pet her. After they were done she went over to Tak, brushed against her legs, and purred again.

“Great. Are we done here?” Said Tak without looking up from her toy.

Dib said that they were, and after throwing the wrapper along with the green Gummy Bears into the garbage (and missing) the three of them left the arcade and began their walk back home. Their walk back was very uneventful, it mostly consisted of them talking about anything besides what happened that night. They talked about recent happenings at High Skool, Zim’s most recent hijinks which Dib had to bail him out of, that fact that Miss Bitters had died recently (which Dib still couldn’t get over), and that Gaz had entered into a video game tournament. They were almost to Tak’s home, but while they were talking Dib couldn’t help but feel like he was the one carrying the conversation. Tak had only supplied the odd comment here and there and was still very much fascinated by her stuffed toy she got. Dib was actually happy she was enjoying it so much, but he also thought is was uncharacteristic of her and was worried. So trying to ail his worry he said to her:

“You’re really into that mongoose I got you.”

“Huh? Yeah it’s strange actually.” She started saying, “Normally I’m very indifferent to any Earth toy, but this one specifically has captured my fascination. It’s like, I don’t know, like I have this gravitation towards this thing and I can’t help but fondle it.” Tak said while playing with it as she had done the entire walk home.

Dib guessed she was experiencing a new feeling and was relieved when he figured it out. “I think the word you’re looking for is ‘adorable’. As in you find the toy adorable.”

“What?” Tak said looking away from the toy, somewhat concerned.

“That feeling you’re describing for the toy. You can’t pull yourself away from it and all you want to do is ruffle it a bunch. That’s you finding it adorable.”

“Adorable…” She said the word to herself  while looking at the toy and then her eyes beamed. “Yes! Yes that’s it that’s exactly it. I find this toy adorable. Oh my tallest it’s so adorable!” and then she giggled as she brought the toy to her face, playing with it the whole time.

If Dib wasn’t surprised already, he was now. He couldn’t remembered ever seeing her so giddy over anything the whole time he’d known her, but he wasn’t the only one to notice. Mimi went up to her and started mewing and rubbing up against her try to get her attention, but all Tak did was shoo her away. Disgruntled Mimi then went to Dib and started doing the exact same thing to him. He was very confused and asked what Mimi was up to, but before he could finish Mimi jumped right at him and into his arms. Dib brought his arms up instinctively and wound up carrying her, after which she began purring and caressing him profusely. He was thoroughly confused again, but pleasantly surprised as she rarely let anyone but Tak carry or pet her.

“Why are you so friendly all of a sudden, was it the Gummy Bears?” He said playfully to her, but all she did was purr louder to him in response. “Oh I get it. Somebody’s jealous, you poor kitty.” He said this and then brought Mimi down from his face and cradled her in his arms to pet her. While he was doing so Mimi was looking at Tak the whole time, who by now was glaring at Mimi with daggers. She stopped playing with her toy then and walked up to the two of them, Mimi was overjoyed at her coming over, but it was not for the reason she thought it was.

“Mimi here, hold this for me.” Tak said as she pushed the stuffed mongoose into her, and grabbing Dib by the collar of his coat pulled him in for a kiss. Tak always felt bold whenever she kissed him. She wasn’t sure if it was because he was a human, or if was because she was an Irken and Irkens weren’t supposed to kiss. At any rate she wasn’t focused on why she felt that way, and was preoccupied with exploring her dumb human’s mouth. While normally the planet’s filth irritated her she was thankful Dib’s bodily fluids never did, he body must naturally filter it out, she could still feel something when they exchanged saliva, but only a slight tingle. His teeth always interested her whenever she got the chance to examine them. They weren’t like hers, which where hard cartilage, but instead bone with slicers in the front and round mashers in the back. His tongue interested her the most, while hers was long, firm, and cord like, his was flat, soft, and so very warm. She felt like she could wrap her whole tongue around his. She imagined her tongue as a cobra and his tongue as a mongoose, and that thought sent shivers over her body. After a moment they separated from each other and caught their breathe, immediately after which Tak said,

“Who’s jealous?” To which Dib replied,

“I don’t know I can’t remember.”

Mimi replied with a low growl to both of them, and then Tak gave into her.

“Fine.” She drawled out, “Come here, and hold my mongoose for me Dib.”

Tak took Mimi in her arms while Dib held onto her toy. She cradle Mimi while petting and rubbing at her, and Mimi responded with satisfied purrs.

“Oh Mimi. And you say I’m going native. Just as well though, I don’t think the two of us will be leaving this planet anytime soon.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Dib responded slightly miffed.

“It won’t be, with the right company anyway.”

The three of them had reached the gates of Tak’s home as they talked.

“Guess this is goodbye for the night, I hope you had a good time.” Dib said.

“I didn’t really, but it was bearable.”

“Well I hope I’m bearable to you.”

“You are, most of the time.” She teased him as she went for another kiss.

She turned away from him after they finished, and she went into her estate as the gates opened for her. Dib stood by and watched her as she made her way into her home. When she was out of sight he began his walk home. He was going over the night as he did, he thought it went well for the most part, and wasn’t completely ready to rule out the arcade for another one of their date nights. A few days later though, it would be him, Tak, Zim, and Gaz at his house playing video games. So he hoped Tak wasn’t completely tuckered out of them, but that was for another day.

* * *

This fan-fiction was largely inspired by this artwork. Made by ZimGalForevah on Deviantart.

[gem-quest]

[ P L E X I P E D I A . ]

SCREEN NAME: Ophelia REAL NAME: Goes by Cat on Discord, the Plexipedia discussion boards, and roll20. Possibly short for Catherine, Cathleen, or a related name, or possibly just derived from her preferred online username catinthebox. GUILD: Moonstone SPECIES & CLASS: Specter Bard GUILD RANKING: 59th percentile

[ B A S I C S . ]

Ophelia was among the first wave of players to enter into Gem Quest after its initial public launch. She was also among the first players to devote extensive time and resources to creating original items via the game’s crafting system, and to establish a player-made shop to sell her personally crafted items.

Ophelia is a specter bard who plays for the Moonstone Guild. The most recent reports on her activities from other players place her primarily in and around her shop location in the City of Magic in Level 11. From this location, she provides custom equipment, magic items, and repair services.

Her most recent level cleared, according to Plexipedia, was level 36. Ophelia has previously been a member of two parties, according to Discord and Plexipedia users, but left both. At the time of writing, she is thought to be without a party and providing material and crafting support away from the Moonstone front.

She has been linked with the Discord username catinthebox#6439 by Discord users rebelscum#8992 and arches#4731. Through her activity on the official Plexipedia Discord as Cat/catinthebox#6439, she has been heavily involved in discussions of in-game crafting and items since shortly after Gem Quest’s public launch. Under the username catinthebox, she is also a regular contributor to entries on items, materials, and the Gem Quest crafting system and skill tree on Plexipedia. She’s a regular respondent to inquiries about the location and properties of in-game materials, the mechanics and applications of crafting, and GQ lore bites and side quests.

[ S T A T S . ]

The following stats are based on the reports of two former party members with previous access to view Ophelia’s stats. Ophelia’s stats are set as invisible to all players other than party members, and she is currently reported as being without a party. Stats included here may therefore be outdated.

STRENGTH - 0/X*

DEFENSE - 2

CHARISMA - 6

PSYCHE - 7

WILLPOWER - 7

CAUTIOUSNESS - 4

AGILITY - 8

ENDURANCE - 3

INTELLIGENCE - 8

LUCK - 5

* Specters do not have a Strength score.

[ T R I V I A. ]

Based on the most recent data about player-run businesses in the Gem Quest economy, Ophelia’s shop in the City of Magic is ranked as one of the top 10 most frequented player-run business in the game, and one of the top 20 most profitable in terms of coins. She also is currently thought to be a serious contender for the title of player character who’s created the largest number of distinctly titled and ranked items not derived from existing crafting guides or official in-game item lists.

According to Discord user arches#4731, corroborated by other members of her TTRPG gaming circles with a presence on Discord, Cat is a university student currently based in Dublin, Ireland. Her accent has been described as “difficult to place, but definitely kind of Irish.” As mentioned above, Ophelia is an active online TTRPG player who plays in multiple Dungeons and Dragons groups on roll20, including one with arches#4731.

Her in-game appearance features the typical washed-out color palette, vague transparency, and occasionally misty form of a Gem Quest specter. In regards to fashion, Ophelia is noted for her exclusively black and white color scheme, fondness for layers and stripes, omnipresent elaborate collars and/or capes, and strong tendency towards gothic, steampunk, and Victorian-inspired styles.

Her in-game persona is that of an inventor and musician murdered after delving too deeply into the disappearance of her older brother at court, returned to the land of the living to find her brother, make her mark on the world, and avenge herself on her killers. She has never been seen to deviate significantly from her set character within the game, even for the purpose of practical conversations or casual discussions with party members.

[ C R E A T I O N S. ]

In-game, Ophelia currently works as a crafter and shopkeeper specializing in magical items and minor gadgetry. She is best known for pioneering the use of symbols, glyphs, and runes in the crafting of custom magical items. Most of her crafted items are rune-powered magical instruments or small weaponry, trick/trap devices, and clothing/accessories with added utility. A small selection of especially notable and/or common items crafted by Ophelia are listed below. For further information, visit Ophelia’s section in the Player-Crafted Items Index.

Screaming Lute - A modified beginning bard instrument, customized to serve as a container and channeler of magical energy. Creates a variety of effects through the use of engraved runes on the lute’s surface, each of which is activated by a different note or chord played on the instruments, and an unidentified internal source of magical energy. So-named for its tendency to scream in abject agony and despair whenever the magical effect of a B-level spell or equivalent is fired from it.

Whispering Flute - A modified bard instrument customized to fire off a limited number of blasts of Ventium and Murmurationium upon the playing of specific notes in conjunction with a small extra motion by the wielder.

Shifting Cloak - A cloak embroidered with symbols along the hem that allow it to change color, pattern, length, hem, and apparent fabric quality based on the other current attire of its wearer. Custom versions can be made that allow the cloak to shift into specific, commissioner-requested appearances when paired with certain outfits and/or wardrobe items.

Performer’s Cloak - A cloak that trails illusory sparks, smoke, glitter, or flower petals (depending on the make) in precise proportion to the amount of movement the cloth’s fabric makes. The effect is only visible to persons other than the wearer, though it does appear in captured in-game images of the cloak. Vigorous swirling, twirling, twisting, or thrashing of the cloak creates effects dense enough to impede or obscure the vision of persons within range other than the wearer.

Wielder’s Gloves - A pair of gloves enchanted to turn fingerless at a key word or signal from the wearer or when the wearer reaches for one or more specifically linked weapons or tools. They also create a powerful adhesive effect between the palms of the gloves, the wearer’s hands, and any item linked to the gloves, an effect that can only be disabled on the wearer’s signal. This eases the handling of certain finesse weapons and makes the wearer nigh-impossible to disarm.

Mood Ring - A magically accurate mood ring. An early creation, notable for the fact that one of the first things Ophelia is known to have done in Gem Quest was sit down and take 5 in-game days to figure out how to make a really good mood ring. Improved versions can have their mood-responsive color-changing enabled or disabled with a key word or signal, display the color of the mood of another wearer with a ring linked to one’s own, or (with limited charges per day) display the mood of a chosen NPC or PC target within range.

Trick Gem - A glass vessel with a permanent illusion charm etched into its surface, usually giving it the appearance of a gem or other small loot item of A rank or higher. The illusion can be dispelled only by breaking the glass, as the enchantment is part of the glass itself; thus, it can stand up well to moderate standard attempts to check for magical effects or dispel magic, as long as no one thinks to throw the “gem” at the nearest wall. If transferred to another person other than its current owner without a chosen signal/permission from its owner, a small mechanism within the hidden vessel will trigger after one minute, exposing the true contents to air. This liquid ignites instantly, causing significant fire damage to the gem’s new holder or (if already transferred to storage) to their inventory. Ophelia claims that the needed etchings cannot be done on an Unbreakable Bottle, thus making a sturdier version aimed less at blowing up thieves and more at pulling impressive con jobs non-viable.

Nuisance Galthrops - Small, four-spiked area denial weapons individually etched with runes to keep them invisible until either a key word or signal is given by the person who deployed them OR they pierce flesh. Each does a single unit of damage, and they cannot penetrate most boots or foot armor in one hit, though repeated strikes from them are likely to damage and/or pierce most materials.

Summoner’s Box - A small wooden box with a red Summoner’s Crystal built into its frame, usually slightly behind and to the side of a small hole hidden within a panel of intricate decoration. If the lock is opened without a specific signal or key word chosen by its owner, the opening of the lock will trigger a small metal spike to crash into the gem, shattering it and summoning an angry imp or other small demon hostile to those responsible for doing it damage via opening the lock. 

[ L E V E L S . ]

LVL. 11: THE CITY OF MAGIC & VALLEY OF MONSTERS. Ophelia’s workshop and storefront are located in one of the major retail districts of the City of Magic, close to the starting points of several in-level quest lines involving the city’s undead residents. She is also frequently spotted in the city’s cemeteries, various haunted houses, and the local apothecary shop noted as the level’s fetch-quest hub.

LVL. 16: THE BURIED TEMPLE OF AMAUNET. Ophelia has been spotted in what appear to be multiple independent runs through the temple, and some of the inscriptions on her items have been noted to resemble the temple complex’s rune system.

LVL. 20: A MIDWINTER’S NIGHT DREAM, & LVL. 35: THE ENCHANTED FOREST & THE FAERIE COURT. Favorite material foraging/collection locations.

LVL. 36: RAINBOW ROAD & THE SEA OF STARS. Ophelia’s last known cleared level, completed after parting ways with her second party two months ago.

Please fill out THIS anonymous form if you have information regarding Ophelia’s family and/or identity. 

T A G L I S T . @ayzrules​ @bebemoon @armadasneon @now-on-elissastillstands

[bigporras]

Story-Driven 3D Platformer 'Sephonie' Launches Q4 2021. Steam Demo Out Now.

ANALGESIC ANNOUNCES 'SEPHONIE' FOR Q4 2021 RELEASE ON PC. By Han Tani & Even Kei

Publicly-available demo out now on Steam.

#TheIndieBros #IndieBros

Analgesic Productions is pleased to reveal its upcoming story-driven 3D platformer Sephonie will launch within Q4 2021 on Windows PC and Mac -- with a demo currently available on Steam. Memories linger across time, deep under the island of Sephonie. Explore a massive cave network, and link with unidentified species using the novel Puzzle Grid system. Explore the island's depths as shipwrecked biologists Amy, Ing-wen, and Riyou, unravelling mysteries both scientific and spiritual, watched over by a supernatural being who exists beyond human history.

Next-generation platforming The caves of Sephonie vary wildly from lush, jade chasms to reddish flora-filled sandstone caverns. Their physical and rocky layouts demand a fitting moveset! Fling yourself over high ledges using the satisfying Teledash Vault, activate the quick-but-risky Sprint when you need to cover long distances, and deftly Wallrun across dangerous outcroppings. When the obstacles become insurmountable, use the plants and animals of the environment to unlock powerful new abilities like soaring high jumps and swift grapples.

The Relaxing and Casual Puzzle Grid System The trio must research the island's unknown creatures by Linking with them. Using the one-of-a-kind "Puzzle Grid" system, you'll rotate and place a series of multi-colored puzzle pieces onto the board, and connect large, same-colored islands. The caves are full of both small and massive creatures -- each with their own importance to the cave's ecosystem and each with a different challenge to overcome.

There's no 'right' solution to Linking: use your intuition to react to the creature's moves and what appears on the board, and you will soon be on your way to success!

A Research Trip Gone Awry In the near future, three biologists are on a joint research trip to use their ONYX implants to research the creatures of the uninhabited Sephonie Island. However, a mysterious phenomenon destroys their ship, leaving them shipwrecked.

Amy Lim, Taiwanese-American and bold leader, hails from the midwestern USA town of Bloomington. Riyou Hayashi, an analytically-minded Japanese-Taiwanese researcher, calls the bustling Tokyo his home. And Ing-wen Lin, a kind and considerate Taiwanese scientist, lives in Taipei.

The trio will find their motivations and loyalties put to the test as they navigate Sephonie’s caverns, facing not only rocks and creatures but also their deepest memories and dreams. As they grow more intimate with each other and the island, an ancient force, brewing deep in the island's abyss, may threaten their newfound relationship, and the world...

Features A deep, emotional story about the close bonds of a trio, the priorities of nations, and the delicate connection of humans and nature, spanning beyond human history.

A human experience crafted entirely by the IGF Grand Prize-nominated duo of Marina Kittaka and Melos Han-Tani, behind works such as Anodyne 1 & 2, Even the Ocean, and All Our Asias.

Master a parkour-esque moveset to sprint, wallrun, jump, and fling yourself through Sephonie Island’s rocky and physical caverns.

A novel and accessible Puzzle Grid System that will stretch your brain in fun ways.

A beautiful and varied cave system filled with all manner of large and surprising creatures

About Analgesic Productions Analgesic Productions is a studio specializing in single-player, narrative-heavy adventure games with experimental flair and twists on traditional gameplay. We are Marina Kittaka and Melos Han-Tani. We're the creators of Anodyne, Anodyne 2, Even the Ocean, All Our Asias, Bratavism, and more.

To learn more about Analgesic, visit: https://analgesic.productions/ Discord: https://discord.com/invite/analgesic Twitter: @analgesicprod

[lunagalemaster]

Danny Phantom Pairing Names

- FrDP has weird pairing names. I’ve seen a few lists floating about but they’ve either been incomplete or not up to date. One night, we were talking on the slack and one of said lists were brought up... and I may or may not have got annoyed at the organization of said list, made my own list, and then updated it. 

This was the result of said mess. Enjoy, phandom!

(Updated as of April 17, 2018)

Organized Alphabetically Based On the First Ship Name in Each Section

Sections: 

(M/F) Human Pairings [25 different combos]

(M/F) Human and Ghost Pairings [24]

(M/F) Ghost Pairings [14]

(M/M) Human Pairings [15]

(M/M) Human and Ghost Pairings [35]

(M/M) Ghost Pairings [14]

(F/F) All Pairings [23]

Poly Parings [21]

Misc Pairings [34]

All Pairings With Danny [77]*

All Pairings [204]

*I may have missed one or two of the Danny pairings. Excuse me if I did. 

(Note: The first name is usually the more well known name for the pairing, and for the purposes of organization, halfas are being counted as humans. Original chart and names came from here (x). Many pairings names taken from this (x) fic. Other name changes/additions are from phandom conversations, private decisions for a new pairing name, and/or new, recent trends for pairing names).

WARNING: This is just a list of pairing names and whether I condone said pairings is irrelevant. That being said, some pairings listed may not make you comfortable. I am including all pairings for information purposes. 

If you want to add any names or if there are some alternate names I’m missing, submit them to me, or message me directly. I will not be taking names in the tags anymore. 

With that, I hope you guys enjoy!

(M/F) Human Pairings

Amethyst Ocean, Violet Haze, Fakeout-Makeout- Danny/Sam

Brains Over Brawn- Jazz/Dash

Carbon Copy Quarterback- Dani/Dash

Cloned Romantic– Dani/Tucker

Cream Cheese- Vlad/Dani

Dumb Founded- Dash/Sam

Gothic Vampire- Sam/Vlad

Gray Ghost- Valerie/Danny

Hunter Silly- Tucker/Valerie

Jock Goth- Kwan/Sam

Makeup Honor- Dash/Paulina

Misplaced Faith, Secret Disaster- Valerie/Vlad

Moronic Genius, Brain Cookies- Maddie/Jack

Phantom Satellite- Danny/Star

Psycho Cereal, Obsessive Meddler- Vlad/Jazz

Restrained Romance - Danny/Pamela

Pink Astronaut- Paulina/Danny

Sibling Secrets- Jazz/Danny

Sports Satellite- Kwan/Star

Spurned Affection- Vlad/Maddie

Sue Killer- Dani/Danny

Teacher's Pet- Lancer/Jazz

Techno Smarts-Tucker/Jazz

Twinkle Techno- Star/Tucker

Veggie Burger, Ghost's Absence- Tucker/Sam

(M/F) Human and Ghost Pairings

Circus Freaks- Freakshow/Lydia

Classic Cliche- Jazz/Ghostwriter

Dark Gray- Dan/Valerie

Evil Goth- Dan/Sam

Ghost Envy- Jazz/Freakshow

Ghostly Menu- Danny/Lunch Lady

Haunting Desire- Danny/Desiree

Mama’s Boy- (Romantic) Danny/Maddie

Maternal Instincts- (Paternal) Danny/Maddie

Misery Motivated- Vlad/Spectra

Oedipus Complex - Maddie/Dan

Pandora’s Ghost- Danny/Pandora

Phantom Dragon- Dorothea/Danny

Phantom Feline- Kitty/Danny

Phantom Rocker- Danny/Ember

Pitiful Delusion- Dark Danny/Paulina

Purple Prose- Ghostwriter/Sam

Phantom Psychology - Danny/Spectra

School Spirit- Spectra/Lancer

Techno Babble- Jazz/Technus

The Freak Behind Blue Eyes, Dark Fire- Ember/Freakshow

Timely Intelligence- Jazz/Clockwork

Young Bloodthirst – Dan/Dani

Young Love- Dani/Youngblood

(M/F) Ghost Pairings

Black Cat- Johnny 13/Kitty

Girl in the Tower, Timeless Love- Dora/Aragon

Guard Granter- Walker/Desiree

Hunter's Flame- Ember/Skulker

Insane Asylum- Walker/Spectra

Melancholy Assistance- Spectra/Bertrand

Night Sky, Destroyed Satellite- Dan/Star

Packaged Food- Box Ghost/Lunch Lady

Pirate Food- Youngblood/Box Lunch

Punk Poet- Ember/Ghostwriter

Punk Rock- Youngblood/Ember

Retro Movie Do- Poindexter/Dora

Talkative Treacherous– Technus/Desiree

Traps Desired- Desiree/Skulker

(M/M) Human Pairings

Badger Cereal- (Paternal) Vlad/Danny

Go Packers- Dash/Vlad

Lance Lancer- Lancer Thunder/Mr. Lancer

Literature Lovers- Danny/Lancer

Not So Useful Distraction- Kwan/Vlad

Nu Goth- Elliot(Gregor)/Danny

Pac Man- Jack/Vlad

Phantom Fumble- Danny/Kwan

Pitched Tent, Publicity Stunt- Danny/Freakshow

Pompous Pep, Endangered Species- (Romantic) Vlad/Danny

Quacker- Tucker/Kwan

Savant Par, CyberSpace- Danny / Tucker

Swagger Bishie, Locker Bruise, Teddy Ghost- Danny/Dash

The Wrong Sick- Danny/Jack

Tight End- Dash/Kwan

(M/M) Human and Ghost Pairings

Anonymity Park- Danny/Amorpho

Boxed Phantom- Danny/Box Ghost

Callous Query- Danny/Skulker

Cosmic Cyborg- Technus/Danny

Dark Side, Control- Dan / Freakshow

Dark Times- Freakshow/Clockwork

Doubly Evil, Bitterly Broken- Vlad/Dan

Halloween Phantom- Fright Knight/Danny

Haunted Past, Enslaved Exemplar- Dan/Danny

Heroic Amusement, Great Divide- Super!Danny/Fun!Danny

Iambic Prose- Danny/Ghostwriter

Jail Bait, Ghostly Prisoner- Danny/Walker

Lactose Intolerant- Vlad/Dairy King

Locker Buddies- (Platonic) Poindexter/Danny

Lost Time- (Platonic) Danny/Clockwork

Lucky Accident- Johnny 13/Danny

Mad Scientist- Dark Danny/Kwan

New Master - Vlad/Fright Knight

Noodle Nerds- (Romantic) Poindexter/Danny

Oreo Cookie, Phriendship, Pitch Pals - (Platonic) Fenton/Phantom

Phantom PDA- Phantom/Tucker

Phantom Shadows- Shadow/Danny

Pitch Pearl, Photonegative Narcissus- (Romantic) Fenton/Phantom

Red Pearl- (Romantic) Fenton/HypnotizedorEvil!Phantom

Rich History- Vlad/Clockwork

Royal Pain- Danny/Aragon

Spaghetti and Meatballs, Hypnotic Shadows- Freakshow/Johnny 13

Striking Fear- Masters/Plasmius

Techno Geeks, PDA, Technological Advancement- Technus/Tucker

Teenage Dream- Nocturne/Danny

Temporal Trust- (Romantic) Danny/Clockwork

Tireless Dedication- Ghostwriter/Vlad

Tyrannious Hope- Danny/Pariah Dark [I don’t know if the typo is intentional or not]

White Fang- Wulf/Danny

(M/M) Ghost Pairings

All the King’s Men - Pariah Dark/Fright Knight

Blood Red Ink- Dan/Ghostwriter 

Dark Dark- Pariah Dark/Dan 

Delusions of Grandeur- Pariah Dark/Nocture

Dream Time- Clockwork/Nocturne

Electric Hunter, Sparks, Generator- Technus/Skulker

Esperanto Code of Conduct- Wulf/Walker

Goodnight Moon- Nocturn/Ghostwriter

Gun Magazine- Skulker/Ghostwriter

History Books- Ghostwriter/Clockwork

Meddling Minutes- Dan/Clockwork

Penslammeter- Walker/Ghostwriter

Science Fiction- Technus/Ghostwriter

Tricky Pseudonym- Amorpho/Ghostwriter

Unlucky Author– Johnny/Ghostwriter

(F/F) All Pairings

Butch-ers, Steak Sit-Ups- Lunch Lady/Tetslaff 

Burning Buds- (Platonic) Dani/Ember

Dora^2, Panned Doras- Dora/Pandora

Dragon Tattoo- Dora/Lydia 

Famous Satelite, Shallow Orbit– Star/Paulina

Feline Grace- Jazz/Kitty

Goth Princess- Sam/Paulina

Gothic Dragon, Medieval Gothic- Sam/Dora

Hide n' Seek- Sam/Valerie

Hot December- Desiree/Ember

Hunter's Facade– Paulina/Valerie

Hypno Therapy- Ember/Jazz

Kith Kin- Sam/Jazz

Mythical Wishes- Desiree/Pandora

Painful Desires- Spectra/Desiree

Perfect Pitch, Pitch Perfect- Paulina/Ember

Platinum Punk- Dani/Ember

Posh Scientist- Maddie/Pamela

Psycho Analysis- Spectra/Jazz

Pussycat Dolls- Kitty/Ember

Royal Wishes- Dora/Desiree

Somber Sear- Ember/Sam

Vengeful Babes- Valerie/Dani

Poly Pairings

3D- Dan/Danny/Dani

Bittersweet Redemption- Dan/Danny/Vlad

Blacks and Blues- Ember/Jazz/Sam

Enchanted Circus- Desiree/Dora/Lydia

Everlasting Trio, Eternal Trio- Danny/Sam/Tucker

Family Breakfast- Jack/Maddie/Vlad

Ghostly Time Machine- Danny/Clockwork/Ghostwriter

Halfas Just Want to Have Fun - Masters/Plasmius/Fenton/Phantom

Hourglass Chess, Chaotic Chess- Clockwork/Dan/Freakshow

Just the Right Amount of Crazy- Clockwork/Dan/Danny/Vlad

Misery Punk Rock- Kitty/Spectra/Ember

Personalized Gift Baskets- Vlad/Maddie/Danny

Phantastic Four- Danny/Tucker/Sam/Valerie

Pitch PDA- Phantom/Fenton/Tucker

Pompous Pearl- Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom/Vlad

Rebel Riders- Danny/Johnny/Valerie

Rocker's Boys- Dash/Ember/Kwan

Striking Pep - Masters/Plasmius/Danny

Technical Star Player- Star/Tucker/Kwan

Triple Blossom- Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom/Sam

Misc Pairings (Mostly Not Organized Alphabetically)

Clone Conspiracy- Dani/Wes Weston

Cryptid Hunting- Valerie/Wes Weston

Overbearing Redheads- Jazz/Wes Weston

Spy Satellite- Star/Wes Weston

Unidentified Flying Ship- Danny/Wes Weston

Employee of the Month- Vlad/Walter Weston

(Daniel Masters in whatever context whether he be from another timeline or a clone son or your choice. As long as the original Danny Fenton and him coexist in some way or at one point had separate identities.)

Bad End- Dan/Daniel Masters

Clone Wars-Daniel Masters/Dani 

Perfect Clone-  (Romantic) Vlad/Daniel Masters 

Perfect Son- (Paternal) Vlad/Daniel Masters

The D- Danny/Dani/Dan/Daniel Masters

Paranormal Facade- Wes/Daniel Masters

Ectodragon- Danny/Draco Malfoy [Harry Potter]

Ectoham- Danny/Randy Cummingham [Randy Cummingham: Ninth Grade Ninja]

Going Dragon- Danny/Jake Long [American Dragon: Jake Long]

Halfworld Royalties- Danny/Raven [Teen Titans]

Invisobilly- Danny/Billy Joe Cobra [Dude That’s My Ghost!]

Ocean Spirit- Danny/Moana [Disney’s Moana]

Spooky Nerds- Danny/Jimmy [Jimmy Neutron]

Spongeboo- Danny/Spongebob[Spongebob]

Ghost in the Shell- Danny/Jenny [My Life as a Teenage Robot]

Robot Techie, XJ-PDA- Tucker/Jenny[My Life as a Teenage Robot]

Green Ecto Splat- Danny/Lee Ping [Detentionaire]

Cold Hands, Ice Ice Baby, Phantom Frost - Danny/Jack Frost [Rise of the Guardians]

Pastel Corpses- Danny/Lars [Steven Universe]

World Wide Web- Tucker/Peter Parker [Spider-man]

Spider Phantom, Radioactive, Friendly Neighborhood Phantom- Danny/Peter Parker [Spider-man]

Delsa, Frozen Core- Danny/Elsa [Frozen]

Fourth Wall Portal- (Platonic) Danny/OC

Ghostly Touch, Phantom Kiss- (Romantic) Danny/OC

Cream Soup-Danny/Fenton Thermos

Love Sucks- Ghost Weasel/Fenton Thermos

Pink Pearl- Danny/His Pink Pants

Technical Difficulties- Tucker/His PDA

All Pairings With Danny

3D- Dan/Danny/Dani

Amethyst Ocean, Violet Haze- Danny/Sam

Anonymity Park- Danny/Amorpho

Badger Cereal- (Platonic and/or Paternal) Vlad/Danny

Bittersweet Redemption - Dan/Danny/Vlad

Boxed Phantom-Danny/Box Ghost

Callous Query- Danny/Skulker

Cold Hands, Ice Ice Baby, Phantom Frost- Danny/Jack Frost [Rise of the Guardians]

Cosmic Cyborg- Technus/Danny

Cream Soup- Danny/Fenton Thermos

Delsa, Frozen Core- Danny/Elsa [Frozen]

Ectodragon- Danny/Draco Malfoy [Harry Potter]

Ectoham- Danny/Randy Cummingham [Randy Cummingham: Ninth Grade Ninja]

Everlasting Trio, Eternal Trio - Danny/Sam/Tucker

Fourth Wall Portal- (platonic) Danny/OC

Ghost in the Shell- Danny/Jenny [My Life as a Teenage Robot]

Ghostly Menu- Danny/Lunch Lady

Ghostly Time Machine- Danny/Clockwork/Ghostwriter

Ghostly Touch, Phantom Kiss- (Romantic) Danny/OC

Going Dragon- Danny/Jake Long [American Dragon: Jake Long]

Goodnight Moon- Nocturn/Ghostwriter

Gray Ghost- Valerie/Danny

Green Ecto Splat- Danny/Lee Ping [Detentionaire]

Halfas Just Want to Have Fun - Masters/Plasmius/Fenton/Phantom

Halfworld Royalties- Danny/Raven [Teen Titans]

Halloween Phantom- Fright Knight/Danny

Haunted Past, Enslaved Exemplar- Dan/Danny

Haunting Desire- Danny/Desiree

Heroic Amusement, Great Divide- Super!Danny/Fun!Danny

Iambic Prose-Danny/Ghostwriter

Invisobilly- Danny/Billy Joe Cobra [Dude That’s My Ghost!]

Jail Bait, Ghostly Prisoner- Danny/Walker

Just the Right Amount of Crazy- Clockwork/Dan/Danny/Vlad

Literature Lovers- Danny/Lancer

Locker Buddies- (Platonic) Poindexter/Danny

Lost Time- (Platonic) Danny/Clockwork

Lucky Accident- Johnny 13/Danny

Mama’s Boy- (Romantic) Danny/Maddie

Maternal Instincts- (Paternal) Danny/Maddie

Noodle Nerds- (Romantic) Poindexter/Danny

Nu Goth- Elliot(Gregor)/Danny

Ocean Spirit- Danny/Moana [Disney’s Moana]

Pandora’s Ghost- Danny/Pandora

Pastel Corpses- Danny/Lars [Steven Universe]

Personalized Gift Baskets- Vlad/Maddie/Danny

Phantastic Four- Danny/Tucker/Sam/Valerie

Phantom Dragon- Dorothea/Danny

Phantom Feline- Kitty/Danny

Phantom Fumble- Danny/Kwan

Phantom Rocker- Danny/Ember

Phantom Satellite- Danny/Star

Phantom Shadows- Shadow/Danny

Pitiful Delusion- Dark Danny/Paulina

Pink Pearl- Danny/His Pink Pants

Phantom Psychology - Danny/Spectra

Pitched Tent, Publicity Stunt- Danny/Freakshow

Pompous Pearl- Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom/Vlad

Pompous Pep, Endangered Species- (Romantic) Vlad/Danny

Rebel Riders- Danny/Johnny/Valerie

Red Pearl- (Romantic) Fenton/ [Hypnotized/Evil] Phantom

Restrained Romance - Danny/Pamela

Royal Pain- Danny/Aragon

Savant Par, CyberSpace- Danny / Tucker

Pink Astronaut- Paulina/Danny

Sibling Secrets- Jazz/Danny

Spider Phantom, Radioactive, Friendly Neighborhood Phantom- Danny/Peter Parker [Spider-man]

Spongeboo- Danny/Spongebob[Spongebob]

Spooky Nerds- Danny/Jimmy [Jimmy Neutron]

Striking Pep - Masters/Plasmius/Danny

Sue Killer- Dani/Danny

Swagger Bishie, Locker Bruise, Teddy Ghost- Danny/Dash

Teenage Dream- Nocturne/Danny

Temporal Trust- (Romantic) Danny/Clockwork

The D- Danny/Dani/Dan/Daniel Masters

The Wrong Sick- Danny/Jack

Triple Blossom- Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom/Sam

Tyrannious Hope- Danny/Pariah Dark

Unidentified Flying Ship- Danny/Wes

White Fang - Wulf/Danny

All Pairings 

3D-  Dan/Danny/Dani

All the King’s Men - Pariah Dark/Fright Knight

Amethyst Ocean, Violet Haze, Fakeout-Makeout- Danny/Sam

Anonymity Park- Danny/Amorpho

Bad End- Dan/Daniel

Badger Cereal- (Platonic and/or Paternal) Vlad/Danny

Bittersweet Redemption- Dan/Danny/Vlad

Black Cat- Johnny 13/Kitty

Blacks and Blues- Ember/Jazz/Sam

Blood Red Ink - Dan/Ghostwriter

Boxed Phantom- Danny/Box Ghost

Brains Over Brawn- Jazz/Dash

Butch-ers, Steak Sit-Ups- Lunch Lady/Tetslaff

Burning Buds- (Platonic) Dani/Ember

Callous Query- Danny/Skulker

Carbon Copy Quarterback- Dani/Dash

Circus Freaks- Freakshow/Lydia

Classic Cliche- Jazz/Ghostwriter

Clone Conspiracy- Dani/Wes Weston

Clone Wars-Daniel Masters/Dani

Cloned Romantic– Dani/Tucker

Cold Hands, Ice Ice Baby, Phantom Frost- Danny/Jack Frost [Rise of the Guardians]

Cosmic Cyborg- Technus/Danny

Cream Cheese- Vlad/Dani

Cream Soup-Danny/Fenton Thermos

Cryptid Hunting- Valerie/Wes Weston

Dark Dark- Pariah Dark/Dan

Dark Gray- Dan/Valerie

Dark Side, Control- Dan / Freakshow

Dark Times- Freakshow/Clockwork

Delsa, Frozen Core- Danny/Elsa [Frozen]

Delusions of Grandeur- Pariah/Nocture

Dora^2- Dora/Pandora

Doubly Evil, Bitterly Broken- Vlad/Dan

Dragon Tattoo- Dora/Lydia

Dream Time- Clockwork/Nocturne

Dumb Founded- Dash/Sam

Ectodragon- Danny/Draco Malfoy [Harry Potter]

Ectoham- Danny/Randy Cummingham [Randy Cummingham: Ninth Grade Ninja]

Electric Hunter, Sparks, Generator- Technus/Skulker

Employee of the Month- Vlad/Walter Weston

Enchanted Circus- Desiree/Dora/Lydia

Esperanto Code of Conduct- Wulf/Walker

Everlasting Trio, Eternal Trio- Danny/Sam/Tucker

Evil Goth- Dan/Sam

Family Breakfast- Jack/Maddie/Vlad

Famous Satelite, Shallow Orbit– Star/Paulina

Feline Grace- Jazz/Kitty

Fourth Wall Portal- (Platonic) Danny/OC

Ghost Envy- Jazz/Freakshow

Ghost in the Shell- Danny/Jenny [My Life as a Teenage Robot]

Ghostly Menu- Danny/Lunch Lady

Ghostly Time Machine- Danny/Clockwork/Ghostwriter

Ghostly Touch, Phantom Kiss- (Romantic) Danny/OC

Girl in the Tower, Timeless Love- Dora/Aragon

Go Packers- Dash/Vlad

Going Dragon- Danny/Jake Long [American Dragon: Jake Long]

Goth Princess- Sam/Paulina

Gothic Dragon, Medieval Gothic- Sam/Dora

Gothic Vampire- Sam/Vlad

Gray Ghost- Valerie/Danny

Green Ecto Splat- Danny/Lee Ping [Detentionaire]

Guard Granter- Walker/Desiree

Gun Magazine- Skulker/Ghostwriter

Halfas Just Want to Have Fun - Masters/Plasmius/Fenton/Phantom

Halfworld Royalties- Danny/Raven [Teen Titans]

Halloween Phantom- Fright Knight/Danny

Haunted Past, Enslaved Exemplar- Dan/Danny

Haunting Desire- Danny/Desiree

Heroic Amusement, Great Divide- Super!Danny/Fun!Danny

Hide n' Seek- Sam/Valerie

History Books- Ghostwriter/Clockwork

Hot December- Desiree/Ember

Hourglass Chess, Chaotic Chess- Clockwork/Dan/Freakshow

Hunter Silly- Tucker/Valerie

Hunter's Facade– Paulina/Valerie

Hunter's Flame- Ember/Skulker

Hypno Therapy- Ember/Jazz

Iambic Prose- Danny/Ghostwriter

Insane Asylum- Walker/Spectra

Invisobilly- Danny/Billy Joe Cobra [Dude That’s My Ghost!]

Jail Bait, Ghostly Prisoner- Danny/Walker

Jock Goth- Kwan/Sam

Just the Right Amount of Crazy- Clockwork/Dan/Danny/Vlad

Kith Kin- Sam/Jazz

Lactose Intolerant- Vlad/Dairy King

Lance Lancer- Lance Thunder/Mr. Lancer

Literature Lovers- Danny/Lancer

Locker Buddies- (Platonic) Poindexter/Danny

Lost Time- (Platonic) Danny/Clockwork

Love Sucks- Ghost Weasel/Fenton Thermos

Lucky Accident- Johnny 13/Danny

Mad Scientist- Dark Danny/Kwan

Makeup Honor- Dash/Paulina

Mama’s Boy- (Romantic) Danny/Maddie

Maternal Instincts- (Paternal) Danny/Maddie

Meddling Minutes- Dan/Clockwork

Melancholy Assistance- Spectra/Bertrand

Misery Motivated- Vlad/Spectra

Misery Punk Rock- Kitty/Spectra/Ember

Misplaced Faith, Secret Disaster- Valerie/Vlad

Moronic Genius, Brain Cookies- Maddie/Jack

Mythical Wishes- Desiree/Pandora

New Master - Vlad/Fright Knight

Night Sky, Destroyed Satellite- Dan/Star

Noodle Nerds- (Romantic) Poindexter/Danny

Not So Useful Distraction- Kwan/Vlad

Nu Goth- Elliot(Gregor)/Danny

Ocean Spirit- Danny/Moana [Disney’s Moana]

Oedipus Complex - Maddie/Dan

Oreo Cookie, Phriendship, Pitch Pals- (Platonic) Fenton/Phantom

Overbearing Redheads- Jazz/Wes Weston

Pac Man- Jack/Vlad

Packaged Food- Box Ghost/Lunch Lady

Painful Desires- Spectra/Desiree

Pastel Corpses- Danny/Lars [Steven Universe]

Pandora’s Ghost- Danny/Pandora

Paranormal Facade- Wes/Daniel Masters

Penslammeter- Walker/Ghostwriter

Perfect Pitch, Pitch Perfect- Paulina/Ember

Perfect Clone-  (Romantic) Vlad/Daniel Masters

Perfect Son- (Paternal) Vlad/Daniel Masters

Personalized Gift Baskets- Vlad/Maddie/Danny

Phantastic Four- Danny/Tucker/Sam/Valerie

Phantom Dragon- Dorothea/Danny

Phantom Feline- Kitty/Danny

Phantom Fumble- Danny/Kwan

Phantom PDA- Phantom/Tucker

Phantom Psychology - Danny/Spectra

Platinum Punk- Dani/Ember

Phantom Rocker- Danny/Ember

Phantom Satellite- Danny/Star

Phantom Shadows- Shadow/Danny

Pink Pearl- Danny/His Pink Pants

Pirate Food- Youngblood/Box Lunch

Pitch PDA- Phantom/Fenton/Tucker

Pitch Pearl, Photonegative Narcissus- (Romantic) Fenton/Phantom

Pitched Tent, Publicity Stunt- Danny/Freakshow

Pompous Pearl- Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom/Vlad

Pompous Pep, Endangered Species- (Romantic) Vlad/Danny

Posh Scientist- Maddie/Pamela

Psycho Analysis- Spectra/Jazz

Psycho Cereal, Obsessive Meddler- Vlad/Jazz

Psychotic Sues- Danny/OC

Punk Poet- Ember/Ghostwriter

Punk Rock- Youngblood/Ember

Purple Prose- Ghostwriter/Sam

Pussycat Dolls- Kitty/Ember

Quacker- Tucker/Kwan

Rebel Riders- Danny/Johnny/Valerie

Red Pearl- (Romantic) Fenton/ [Hypnotized/Evil] Phantom

Restrained Romance - Danny/Pamela

Retro Movie Do- Poindexter / Dora

Rich History- Vlad/Clockwork

Robot Techie, XJ-PDA- Tucker/Jenny [My Life as a Teenage Robot]

Rocker's Boys- Dash/Ember/Kwan

Royal Pain- Danny/Aragon

Royal Wishes- Dora/Desiree

Savant Par, CyberSpace- Danny / Tucker

School Spirit- Spectra/Lancer

Science Fiction- Technus/Ghostwriter

Pink Astronaut- Paulina/Danny

Sibling Secrets- Jazz/Danny

Somber Sear- Ember/Sam

Spaghetti and Meatballs, Hypnotic Shadows- Freakshow/Johnny 13

Spider Phantom, Radioactive, Friendly Neighborhood Phantom- Danny/Peter Parker [Spider-man]

Spooky Nerds- Danny/Jimmy [Jimmy Neutron]

Spongeboo- Danny/Spongebob[Spongebob]

Sports Satellite- Kwan/Star

Spurned Affection- Vlad/Maddie

Spy Satellite- Star/Wes Weston

Striking Fear- Masters/Plasmius

Striking Pep - Masters/Plasmius/Danny

Sue Killer- Dani/Danny

Swagger Bishie, Locker Bruise, Teddy Ghost- Danny/Dash

Talkative Treacherous– Technus/Desiree

Teacher's Pet- Lancer/Jazz

Technical Difficulties- Tucker/His PDA

Technical Star Player- Star/Tucker/Kwan

Techno Babble- Jazz/Technus

Techno Geeks, PDA, Technological Advancement- Technus/Tucker

Techno Smarts-Tucker/Jazz

Teenage Dream- Nocturne/Danny

Temporal Trust- (Romantic) Danny/Clockwork

Tricky Pseudonym- Amorpho/Ghostwriter

The D- Danny/Dani/Dan/Daniel Masters

The Freak Behind Blue Eyes, Dark Fire- Ember/Freakshow

The Wrong Sick- Danny/Jack

Tight End- Dash/Kwan

Timely Intelligence- Jazz/Clockwork

Tireless Dedication- Ghostwriter/Vlad

Traps Desired- Desiree/Skulker

Triple Blossom- Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom/Sam

Twinkle Techno- Star/Tucker

Tyrannious Hope- Danny/Pariah Dark

Unidentified Flying Ship- Danny/Wes Weston

Unlucky Author– Johnny/Ghostwriter

Veggie Burger, Ghost's Absence- Tucker/Sam

Vengeful Babes- Valerie/Dani

White Fang- Wulf/Danny

Young Bloodthirst – Dan/Dani

Young Love- Dani/Youngblood

(Again, if you want to add any names or if there are some alternate names I’m missing, submit them to me, or message me directly. I will not be taking names in the tags anymore. Thanks for going to the bottom of this long list! See ya next time, dudes!)

[paddy-nic]

Kopa the Lion

Decided to finally bring this guy out from years of imprisonment in the back of my mind and into existence. Technically also came from my first fanfic waaayy long ago...somewhat. I just won’t explain. Attempted to accompany this reveal with a drawing... Yeah, second drawing so I’m still in the “needs a lot of practice” phase of that new found hobby. Holy Noodle Limbs Paddy...

Yeah so that being said it can be inferred this is a very rough design as I’m still teaching myself to draw. Most notably that he looks a lot fatter than I had intended. I have been working on different ‘styles’ to find one I can really work with but went again with the “Sonic-Style” for this one. It was good practice.

((Using the same standard bio format I made for Anput, my original oc))

Species: Lion

Age: 27

Sexuality: Hetero/Demi(?)

Appearance:  At a good height which is typical for Mobian lions. His mane is of a rustic red and he has longer “hair” that comes down well along the side of his face resembles his father’s ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Has a goldenrod hue to his fur but his underbelly, muzzle and fingers/toes are of a tan color. His snout, palms and soles have a noticeable brown tint that fade. He has a large scar on his chest from a nearly fatal injury he sustained as a youngster.

Physique:  A good solid build but not overly muscular; an attractive middle ground between the two. Standard lion tail. Purple eyes.

General Attire:  Jeans, flannel, and his chucks. Almost always. He tends to roll his sleeves up to just below the elbows. In colder weather he’ll keep the sleeves down and possibly wear a jacket over.

Personality:  At a young age he was pretty cocky and had a slight sense of superiority towards others. Though those went away in time (mostly the latter), every once in a while they might come out, usually, if prompted. Otherwise he is quite down to earth and enjoys the company of others. Though generally high spirited, he sees the world as ‘gilded’ and lives mindful of some of the more ulterior/malicious intents that others may have. A person that has a lot more going on on the inside than what he outwardly depicts - mostly regarding family and romantic life. 

Likes: 

Grunge

Seeing the good come out in others

Coffee

The outside ‘feel’ (windows open, light breeze, natural sunlight ,etc)

Strenuous Activities (running, lifting, carpentry, etc) but also napping?

Dislikes: 

Ulterior motives

The fact he has never met his sister

Unidentifiable things touching him in the dark

Description:  Came from a very prominent family but since being on his own, is a blue collar worker through and through. He is very self-sufficient but whenever he works with someone he ensures both equally get something out of it. He has no inheritance from his family as they think he is dead (we’ll get to that) but is comfortable with his steady job and income. Really just takes it day-by-day and lives his life as such.

Backstory: As mentioned, he came from a prominent family...he was a prince and there was no doubt he was going to follow in his parents footsteps. However, in his early teen years he was attacked, by whom he still is unsure, and this left him permanently scarred and on the fringes of life. All in all he should not have survived but was bandaged up and aided to health by a stranger who he now considers to be like a godfather. Initially he just lied low and didn’t return for fear that his attacker would finish the job. After a year or so of this, he got wind that his family had him presumed dead and that there were already random people arriving to make claims that they were the “long lost Kopa.” Through judgement and counsel, decided to not to make a return since it would likely cause more trouble especially if they have already grieved and overcome the hardships of his death. All in all it was the wrong decision and he knows and regrets this deeply. But as each year had passed, he knew he was getting further and further from going back and soon came a point where he knew fully he was leaving his family behind for good.

At the time he was betrothed to his best friend and the two loved each other dearly. His “death” took a terrible toll on her as he found out when he accidentally ran into her at a coffee shop a few years later. Though she did not recognize him and Kopa kept his identity secret at the moment, she mentioned her side of the story - that she recovered and though was still very close to his parents, she eventually married another and was pregnant with a son to which she plans to name Kopa. This further reaffirmed that he had gone too far and can’t go back.

In his late teens/early twenties he met a peculiar jackal and became very close platonic friends with her. They even lived together for a good part of one of those years. She had a few run ins with some bad people and after a while acquired a few enemies in the local area. One night she vanished and he was sure her pursuers got to her. This too took a toll on Kopa as he now was on the receiving end of losing someone dear to him. He managed to get back on his feet and for half a decade now has lived a normal life and is glad for the stability. 

Five random selections from different OC Reference Questions I’ve seen:

Does your character have any enemies? Just one...

Are they a team player or do they prefer to be solo? Either or. But if he’s with a team or in a group of some kind he tries to make sure everyone in the group will benefit.

Do they prefer romance or affection? He hates the sappy romantic stuff but likes “playful affection”. Just knowing that there is mutual affection and love is all he needs. Because then it can leave more time and energy for fun and enjoying the other person.

If your character had one thing to say to their parents before they died, what would it be? “I’m alive and safe and miss you all more than I can bare.”

Is there a single song, phrase, or quote to describe your character? He is quite literally “a prince among thieves.” As for songs, “The Day I Tried To Live” by Soundgarden is pretty darn close. One of his favorites too.

[houkou-nrl]

Time for another New Pokémon Snap deep dive!

To get started, let’s talk about the new Pokémon confirmed in this trailer. There’s a few more than last time, but more significantly, many of them are pretty hard to spot! Like the first trailer, a good few of them are only visible in small photos.

This trailer reveals 29 new Pokémon (yes, you can count fine, hang on), and 1 additional form:

Bulbasaur

Venusaur

Metapod

Raichu (Alolan)

Kangaskhan

Eevee

Vaporeon

Chinchou

Sudowoodo

Espeon

Tyranitar

Celebi

Lotad

Trapinch

Flygon

Cradilly

Luvdisc

Lumineon

Tangrowth

Stoutland

Unfezant

Audino

Frillish

Alomamola

Vivillon (Ocean)

Pancham

Lycanroc (Midnight)

Minior

Sobble

The official site also updated recently. New materials there reveal 2 new Pokémon, and 1 additional form:

Sawsbuck (Summer)

Florges

Trevenant

Just look at all those teeny little photos! As before, I have to thank some friends for helping to ID a couple Pokémon. We’re up to 96 confirmed species.

This trailer also gave us a much better look at some of the difficult-to-spot Pokémon from the previous trailers, such as Inkay and Sandygast. We can also be more certain that the coral is just coral.

And thanks to the site, we’ve also gotten a better look at at least one area only seen in small pieces in the trailers. This oasis, never seen clearly elsewhere, is not quite as mysterious anymore.

That said, a brand new mystery cropped up in this trailer to take the place of those that have been solved. You may have noticed something familiar that happened with the first trailer. And that is...this bug, unidentified, hanging off the backside of the tree near Hoothoot! Definitely a 97th Pokémon, as it doesn’t match any of the others seen yet, but there’s not nearly enough here for a positive identification. The current suspicions are that this is most likely Venomoth, however.

A couple smaller mysteries are also present. A growl can be heard during the trailer’s final scene, with no visual cues for which Pokémon it came from. It sounds likely to be Liepard, already confirmed for the game, but we can’t be sure quite yet. Was a bit of a surprise either way.

And a new NPC can also be spotted in the lab in this trailer, one who is yet to be introduced.

Now then, how about other reveals? We already knew Pokémon food from the original was returning, but the new trailer reveals a proper name for it in this title: Fluffruit. This trailer also reveals the return of the Poké Flute in some form. And a new item, called an Illumina Orb, can reportedly make any Pokémon glow. We still don’t know much about the effects of glowing.

On the subject of the Illumina Phenomenon though, and keeping on track with the mysteries, the website seems to hint at some strange flowers being related to it, and these can be seen all over the third trailer (in addition to showing up a few times in the earlier ones). These flowers have large, prominent crystals in the center and come in multiple colours. It seems like these flowers are what the lab’s crest is modeled after.

Onto other things that came up in the trailer, let’s talk about scores. I didn’t touch on it much last time as it was only seen on the website and not in the trailer, but we got another look at the scoring system for the game, which does some things differently than in the original. For the unfamiliar, the original Pokémon Snap featured the following scoring metrics: Special, Size, Pose, Technique, and Other PKMN.

In New Pokémon Snap, it appears that Technique has been broken up into Direction and Placement and is no longer a multiplier. Same PKMN has been generalized to Other Pokémon and does not need to be the same species. And while the Size bonus appears to be more lenient than the original at first glance, not seen in the trailer is that the Size score is not capped at 1,000. There is also a new scoring metric for Background.

While it’s not seen yet whether the Special pose bonuses will return, it’s possible they’ve been replaced by something new: a system that ranks how rare the behavior captured is. Each Pokémon’s page in the Photodex allows you to assign a photo for each level of rarity, which should lend an extra layer to the replayability that Pokémon Snap is already known for.

Also shown off in the trailer are features for editing the photos you take. You’ll be able to fine tune photos, add filters, and apply stickers. The system is far more robust than you’d expect to be possible for any real photo, but is in line with what we’ve seen in many other games with screenshot modes. ;)

Also teased was a built-in online gallery, available for players with NSO service. The site also reveals that there will be online leaderboards.

And that’s it! There’s a little more information to be found on the site, though I’ve already written about the bulk of it for now. And in just two short months, New Pokémon Snap will be released. Regardless of whether we get more information in that time, we definitely don’t have long left to wait.

[shirlleycoyle]

The Oldest Forest in the World Has Been Discovered in a New York Quarry

Scientists have discovered the oldest forest in the fossil record at a quarry in the Catskill region of New York. These primordial woods flourished 386 million years ago, during the Devonian period, and contained at least three types of tree, one of which represents a “quantum leap” in plant evolution, according to a study published on Thursday in Current Biology.

The discovery pushes the empirical timeline of forests back millions of years, which has implications for understanding how these trees sparked an “energetic revolution,” meaning that their energy-efficient adaptations reshaped global ecosystems and climate, the authors said.

“The origin of big trees and forests seems to be coincident in time with some dramatic changes in the Devonian ecosystem and climate,” said lead author William Stein, an emeritus professor of biology at Binghamton University, in a call.

“In particular, there’s been pretty clear evidence that there was a drawdown of CO2 levels from the atmosphere during this time,” causing global cooling, he added. “This is important because we’re, in a sense, looking at the opposite trending effects currently with people, deforestation, and global warming.”

The root systems of this Devonian forest are preserved in an abandoned sandstone quarry near Cairo, New York. Though the site has been known for plant fossils since the 1960s, the new specimens were found within the last decade, and may have become noticeable due to years of weathering.

Aerial view of the root systems. Image: William Stein and Christopher Berry

Stein and his colleagues think the fossils represent three ancient tree families: Archaeopteris, Eospermatopteris, and an unidentified species that may have been a type of vascular plant called a lycopsid.

Eospermatopteris, which looked a little like a modern palm tree, was also found at the next oldest fossilized forest, located about 30 miles away in Gilboa, New York. But the real star of the study is Archaeopteris, because it “strikingly advanced for its time” and likely represents “the beginning of the future of modern forests,” Stein said.

“This was a large plant that had modern-looking secondary tissues—basically wood—and it was the first major player that we understand actually had leaves,” he explained. “It’s essentially identical to what you would expect to see today in modern conifers or flowering and seed plants as a whole.”

Unlike Eospermatopteris, which wasn’t able to penetrate very far into the soil with its roots, Archaeopteris grew specialized structural roots that expanded both laterally along the surface of the soil, and deep underground. This robust network could tap into more resources than Archaeopteris’ rivals, and that may explain why it evolved to be such an efficient and innovative photosynthesizer.

Though the Cairo site is a few million years older than Gilboa, Stein said that he shies away from calling it “the oldest forest” because the two sites may have represented one long-lived and relatively stable biome. “That’s our hypothesis: that they probably are just different ecological snapshots of the same longstanding forest,” he said.

Based on the patterns of the sediment, the Gilboa site was likely located in a river system that frequently experienced catastrophic floods, whereas the Cairo area seems to have been drier and less chaotic. Still, the remains of fish inside Cairo’s fossilized forest suggest that it did sometimes flood. These events may have been damaging to the woods at the time, but the sediment upheaval produced by them helped preserve these fascinating fossils.

Stein hopes that future exploration of the Catskills will reveal more clues about the first forests to emerge on Earth, and the role they played in reshaping our planet’s climate and ecology.

“We only have a sample of two sites like this,” he said, “so it leaves a lot to be done in terms of trying to figure out what actually did go on.”

The Oldest Forest in the World Has Been Discovered in a New York Quarry syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/