#various forms of Martial arts training

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Japan is here to save the slump

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2025 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 20 of 24 - Santa is really good at comedy, I gotta say. Wine is so cute 'cause he's so frank and earnest. It's adorable! (Inquiring minds would like to know if people in Thailand put perfume on their cheeks?) Lots of linguistic negotiation of pronouns in this episode so that made me really happy.

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 10 end - OMG they made them act and SING at the same time. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. (Raise your proverbial hand if you could actually hear me writhing in pain as that scene aired? Because my whole body was cringing so hard I swear I fractured my own cartilage.) I’m sorry but this show was doing really well for a Mame but that singing was sphincter-shrinking bad. And seemingly endless…

Okay the second half: The running of the gays, how very Japanese of you. So about 1/2 of the final ep was utterly unbearable, but the rest was fine.

Let's talk?

This show had an excellent premise about two fated mates, Cir & Phu, destined to be lovers in multiple parallel worlds. It is the curse of A Cir Who Knows Better to ensure that they manage to always end up together. This effectively explained all Cir’s weird creepy stalker behavior (pièce de résistance of a MAME seme) with the bonafide excuse of that tugging red thread. Turns out I forgive a lot for a strong premise, especially when combined with truly stellar chemistry. *But* there was also some bad chewing of the scenery and really terrible singing at key moments that screwed the landing (yes that too, but). The sex scenes were some of the best we’ve ever had, unfortunately even they weren’t good enough to mitigate that damn singing. 8/10

A solid showing from MAME, I was shocked, there was a point there when I thought this was gonna get a 9/10 from me! 

My Golden Blood (Weds YouTube iQIYI) Ep 1 of 12 - Trailer. GMMTV taking on Weds nights and midweek discourse (they hope) with this hotly anticipated vampire series. Is Thailand finally giving us the trashy gay vampires we richly deserve? Just keep in mind us sh*theads don't deserve much.

And it looks like that's exactly what we are getting.

I'm sorry ya'll: I don't like it. But not in a "witty trash watch" kinda way. So it's going here instead: You ready?

Classic main character = orphan with a mysterious past and bad dreams plus people around are weird about his certain traits. I wonder the thing I always wonder, why not give him martial arts training if he has known enemies? I've done various forms for years and never once cut myself. Of course Joss has a shirtless coming out if a pool intro. I can hear the dev team... "Hear me out now, baywatch just... vampires." I see we have new competition in the Advanced Bravely school of muscled thirst. As it should be. Been a while since we’ve had anyone on the scene who could give Jason Xu a run for his money. Joss is just the man to flex it. Is it just me or does this pair have negative chemistry? Yes we can all tell this is directed GAY! but Joss + Gawin do not seem even the slightest bit gay. The camera on the other (em) hand...

I asked for gay twilight, I’m getting gay twilight. Same lack of chemistry, bad special effects, and everything.

(Theory: Mark was the one who killed/drained all of Tong's fam of their golden blood and that is how he got his healing power.)

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 8 or 10 - all I care about is the side couple. 

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 10 of 12 - I do like EarthMix. I just really wish this were a better show. I kinda feel bad for them. That said, l love the host club + live gay boys reaction. Snicker 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) ep 3 of 8 - I continue to enjoy this a lot. I like how creepy and sinister pretty much everybody is (except for our puppy hero). Who is dog paddling through the filth of his crush's love triangle of past relationships. I like the fact that in the theater an unofficial pass was made. It was totally adorable. Every one is a mess and it's sustaining all of BL right now.

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 6 of 8 - Baby boy do not flirt with a closet case! Have you learned nothing?

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 6 of 8 - didn't drop or I somehow missed it. Caught it! It was lovely, nice kiss, I like where the plot is going although... no singing please.

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - Our poor little gay boy is being v tested. And testing himself. Side couple = tiny idiots. In other news, one of them is wearing a shirt I actually own! I feel like peek BL stan. (Also I may shop too much in Taipei.) Does I qualify for the shared BL communal wardrobe?

The main trope to rule all BL tropes has returned= he is never asleep.

It's airing but......

Gelboys (Thai iQIYI) 7 eps - I’m giving this show a pass. It’s just too far out of my wheelhouse. I don’t have patience right now. Ends next week.

The Last Time (Thai WeTV) 8 eps - Has this ended? Anyone watch it?

Sashes and Hearts (Pinoy YT) 13 eps - Philippines is doing Drop Dead Gorgeous only all gay boys queening their asses off. Doesn't interst me, not sure if it's BL.

Last Meal Universe (Thai ????) 8 eps - An alien who has come to destroy earth instead falls in love with Thai food and then the Thai boy who cooks it - realistic, actually. I got a link to watch but it still wouldn't work for me, so I guess I'm waiting to see what happens.

In case you missed it:

CUTEST little JBL short drop on YT. No idea it's real title. About 2 students secretly dating trying to decide to come out. It's popular guy + nerd! Absolutely not sure how long this will last on YT but adorable and worth 17 minutes of your time. Do it ASAP! I don't want a repeat of everyone asking me for Wimpy Corporate Drone again. There seems to be a pervious installment in the series, but no subs.

Don't say I never bring you any prezzies.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming March 2025

3/19? Lost in the Woods (Weds Gaga) Ep 1 of 7 - Announced for 2023, adapted from a novel of the same name. Fifa just graduated high school and travels to a remote province to take care of his grandma, before starting uni. There he meets Chief Hem, a forest ranger.

3/20 Top Form (Thailand Thurs WeTV) 10 eps - Trailer. Adaptation of a Japanese manga starring Boom (Chains of Heart) opposite Smart (Don't Say No). Actor recognized as the "The Sexiest Man of the Year" has his first-place position usurped by newcomer. But while he sees them as rivals, turns out the new kid has other ideas. I'm super excited for this but hate watching on WeTV so gonna be a challenge.

3/21 Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (Thailand Fri GMMTV & iQIYI) 12 eps - Trailer. Finally Mark is leading a BL! This one based on a Jittirain novel about a weird sunshine student dentist and his sugar-addicted patient, described as a romcom meets romantic therapy. Also, Jimmy is there, primarily to give me second lead syndrome. It looks silly but earnest, I'm looking forward to it actually.

3/28 Heesu in Class 2 (Korea Fri ????) 10 eps - Trailer. Adaption of the comic by Lily, about a shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend who somehow also ends up his school's relationship counselor. Supposed to have completed filming in 2022, the fact this has been in dev hell since then somewhat mitigates this being my most anticipated BL of it's original year.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Drive by phone repair for the win. I love them both so much.

That is the jock saying it to the nerd. Yes our nerd is the top in this dynamic. When I tell you to watch a thing, I'm not joking around!

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[worldofstoriesanddreams]

Sparring Session Round 2

Superman assessed his opponent - Captain Marvel, his red-clad team mate and sparring partner. The guy bounced from toe to toe, cracking his knuckles with childlike glee as they waited for the signal to begin.

After their first and only sparring session tore the training room out of the Watchtower, sending it hurtling through outer space; even though they retrieved the tungsten box that was their training room, and Superman's heat vision welded the box back in place; the pair was banned from ever using the room for sparring again.

Justice League trained all members to hone their hand to hand combat skills.

Until Cap joined the team, there wasn't anyone on equal footing with Superman, who could spar with him. Sure, Wonder Woman was the closest match, but Clark still had to be careful not to cause serious injuries, or, heaven forbid, kill her by accident.

Both Superman and Captain Marvel were completely invulnerable, kryptonite excluded, of course.

Batman had found a dead planet the size of planet earth to serve as their training ground.

All communications were done through the earbuds for space missions.

After countless lectures and videos to demonstrate various fighting techniques, Superman and Captain Marvel could finally practice what they learnt, in an all out, no holds barred, training session.

Hal's ring verified that there were no living beings on that planet. It's gravitational force was the same as planet earth, though it had no breathable atmosphere. That didn't pose a problem for Superman or Captain Marvel, but Batman and other regular humans could only watch the session through the livestream from the drones position all around the planet.

Trainers Batman and Wonder Woman, and guest trainer Wildcat from the Justice Society would be watching their session from the monitor room in the Watchtower.

"Twenty bucks says Big Blue will thrash Big Red," said Hal.

"Nah," Flash replied. "Big Red has the speed advantage."

Superhearing picks up everything. X-ray and telescopic vision revealed the entire Justice League and Justice Society crammed into the monitor room, glued to the screen, watching their training session. Plastic man was taking bets, touting their sparring as the match of the century.

Superman rolled his eyes.

"Supes," Captain Marvel tilted his head. "Is anything wrong?"

"Nope," Superman chuckled as he rolled his shoulders in preparation for the fight.

Cap frowned. "If you say so."

"Ready?" Batman growled.

Superman couldn't help smiling as he regarded his exuberant opponent. Their last sparring session was liberating, though way too short.

"Begin," Batman gave the order.

Bouncing around on his toes, jabbing with his fists, Cap executed Wildcat's moves.

The only ground rules were "Don't kill each other. No permanent injuries."

Nothing in the briefing stated that they had to use only what Justice League trainers taught.

Superman executed a Klurkor chop - a form of martial arts he had learned from the archives left in the space bassonet that brought him to earth.

"Holy Moley!" Cap ducked the blow.

Swirling around, Supes performed a kick he had adapted from Kryptonian techniques, striking Cap in the chest, sending him spiralling out of the solar system.

"Stay on the planet," Batman growled.

In a red blur, Captain Marvel's fist pummeled Superman's stomach, knocking the wind out of him, sending him flying into the yellow sun. For some strange reason, Cap's fighting style reminded Superman of a street kid.

That, by the way, was a dumb move on Cap's part. Yellow sun exposure amplifies Superman's power.

"What part of 'on the planet' do you two not understand?" Batman growled.

Supes returned Cap's favour with a punch that sent his red-clad counterpart right through the centre of the planet.

Emerging from the other side, covered in lava, Cap laughed. "Hot mud bath! Your turn."

He body slammed Supes creating another tunnel through the planet's centre.

Lava poured out of the holes, streaming out of the cracks on the ground. Concerned, Cap asked Batman. "How, now?"

"Continue," said the Bat.

In a Kryptonian move that Superman had been wanting to practice, Supes kicked Cap right through the planet.

Emerging, from the other side, beaming like a kid that was having too much fun, Cap punched Supes through the molten core.

The ground shook.

Lava erupted.

Caked in dried lava and ashes, Big Blue and Big Red looked at each other. "Uh oh."

The planet, their new training arena, exploded.

"Terminate exercise," Batman growled. He sounded unhappy, but when is The Bat ever happy. "Return to Watchtower now."

[callmeagardengnome]

˚ʚ sore thumb ɞ˚ | CHOI SAN

pairings ᯓ idol!san x boxer! fem!reader

genre ᯓ soulmate au, one-shot

synopsis ᯓ tied by emotions and injuries, you and your soulmate have been through quite a roller coaster - especially when he can feel each and every punch you receive.

c.w ᯓ SLIGHTLYY angsty but it does have hella fluff. also this is during the BOUNCY era!

w.c ᯓ 2.6k

author’s note: sorry for the kinda late upload! took me a while to write this.. also ignore the weird ass timeline, this story is definitely not really true to the actual irl events

not proofread!

masterlist

you’ve always known that boxing was your calling. the thrill of getting in the ring, the sounds of gloves hitting the bag - the adrenaline that you got from the sport was.. addictive.

from the moment you stepped into the gym, you were hooked. while you weren’t that good at first, you continued to work day and night, training and perfecting your technique.

fortunately enough, you managed to climb the ranks. you became a pretty big name in the boxing world. people loved watching your matches, not just calling you a boxer, but an entertainer.

san, on the other hand, experienced your matches in a different way.

for years, san had been dealing with the sensation of getting punched in the face, or if it wasn’t that, his fists were the ones feeling the damage. not only that, he was completely oblivious to you and your job.

the both of you found out about your soulmarks early in life. frankly, it was pretty obvious. you started to feel emotions that weren’t your own and had sudden bursts of pain that came without warning. when your parents brought you to various specialists, all their answers were the same - it was a soulmark.

while san felt happy that he had an easy-to-spot soulmark, he couldn’t help but feel.. annoyed.

he often found himself wincing during rehearsals, clutching his sides as phantom pains shot through his body. san had been reasonably concerned and confused when the punches first started. there would be days when mysterious bruises would appear out of nowhere or where he would feel the sudden urge to dodge an unseen pinch flying towards him.

this led to san wondering - what were you doing? why were you getting into fights so often? were you a criminal? or could it be martial arts?

san eventually came to the conclusion that you were in some form of combat sport. after all, the punches that you received seemed controlled, and the bruises that you got were repetitive.

“again?” san would mutter under his breath, rubbing his sore ribs. this would happen almost every day, each time feeling as though it was happening to you for the first time.

though, sometimes, he would roll his eyes, somewhat amused, as if he was speaking to someone directly. “really? you couldn’t dodge that one?” he said, shaking his head with a smile.

as time passed, san found himself growing more attached to you. though he didn’t know who you were, he felt your emotions. he felt the anxiety you felt before every match and the rush of victory you experienced after a successful fight. he became oddly protective of you, even if he didn’t know why.

unfortunately, everything changed when you trained for an upcoming championship match. you were having a pretty intense training session, pushing yourself harder than before. as you landed a powerful punch on the punch bag, you felt a sharp pain shooting through your hand, making you drop to your knees.

“shit- what did i just do..?” you mumbled to yourself, staring at your twisted hand in shock. the pain was unbearable and overwhelming, throbbing in waves and spreading up your arm. the realisation hit you - something was wrong. not only for you, but your soulmate.

at the very moment, san felt the pain explode in his own hand. he was in the middle of rehearsal, practicing the choreography for ATEEZ’s new comeback. the sudden pain caught him off guard, making him shout in surprise.

“woah, what happened?” hongjoong rushed over immediately, his face laced with concern.

“i don’t know, hyung-“ san winced, his hand shaking. “my hand feels like its broken.. i- i can barely move it.” the other members gathered around him, completely stopping their rehearsal.

“san, that looks pretty bad. do we need to get you to the hospital?” seonghwa asked, kneeling beside him.

san shook his head, trying to catch his breath. “i think i’m fine.. just give me a moment.”

he was far from fine. the pain felt too real, too intense. you must have really injured yourself - badly. his mind started to race with worry. what happened? why did this feel 10x more painful than anything he’s ever felt? and most importantly, were you okay?

��come on san, we should at least get it checked,” wooyoung insisted, helping him to his feet.

meanwhile, you rushed to the hospital, cradling your injured hand. the both of you were left with the same diagnosis - a broken hand.

for you, it was devastating news. boxing was your life, your soul. putting in on pause meant that your whole life was on pause. the injury meant months of recovery and falling behind in the sport you love.

you also felt extremely guilty. not only did you cause yourself pain, your soulmate was definitely experiencing the consequences of your actions.

“great,” you sighed, running your fingers through your hair. “i just injured two people.”

despite your friends and trainers trying their best to support you, you couldn’t shake off the sadness you felt. what you hated though, was the fact that your soulmate could feel the range of emotions your were experiencing.

“why am i so careless,” you thought to yourself as you lay in your bed. “he must think i’m a mess.”

while he didn’t think you were a mess, san was struggling with the new injury. with the new comeback approaching, he needed to change the way he danced, finding ways to work around his broken hand.

sure, it was a inconvenience, but all san could think about was you. during this period of time, he constantly felt waves of sadness crashing over him. san could feel how guilty and depressed you were over your hand. the only thing that made it worse was that san could do nothing to help you.

san desperately wanted to reassure you, tell you that he’s fine and that you shouldn’t worry about him. but since neither of you knew one another, all he could do was imagine what he would say if he could reach you.

“whoever you are,” he whispered to himself. “don’t be too hard on yourself. we’re in this together.”

˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆ ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆˚ʚɞ ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

a few months go by and you eventually recover from your injury. you started to slowly ease back into boxing again, regaining the spark that you temporarily lost in your life.

KQ soon decided to postpone the comeback to a further date, wanting san to have a speedy recovery. the pain eventually subsided, allowing ATEEZ to continue with their promotional activities for the comeback.

with the group entering the ‘BOUNCY’ era, KQ wanted san and wooyoung to watch some boxing matches to try and get a realistic shot for their music video.

the two men sat at their dorm’s living room couch, scrolling through the different videos on their tv.

“which one should we watch..” wooyoung said, clicking the remote controller. “ooh.. how about this one? it’s live streaming right now.”

san shrugged, not really caring on what’s on the screen. his mind was elsewhere, thinking about the recent preparations for the comeback. he was about to reach for his phone when he suddenly heard the commentator’s voice booming through the tv speakers.

“and now, stepping into the ring, the undefeated boxer making her much awaited comeback after a hiatus - ‘____’!”

san froze mid-reach, but it wasn’t your name that caught his attention - it was the sudden surge of energy and adrenaline coursing through his veins. it was a familiar feeling that he felt all those times whenever you were in the ring.

wooyoung noticed san’s focus on the screen, giving him a look. “hey, you okay?”

san nodded, his eyes glued to the tv as he watched you step into ring. “yeah, i’m fine. i just feel like i should watch this match.”

you stood in the center of the ring, hearing the crowd cheering your name. it felt surreal to be back, reclaiming your place in the boxing world.

when the match began, you moved with precision, every punch given with the techniques that made you a popular boxer in the first place. the first few rounds were intense, with neither you or your opponent giving in. you wanted to show the world and your soulmate that you were no longer held back by your injury.

as san watched the match unfold, he felt every jab, every dodge, every emotion that you were feeling. it was as if he was in the ring with you, experiencing the fight through your eyes.

and then it happened - the moment that confirmed san’s questions. you landed a strong uppercut on your opponent, making her fall back. the crowd erupted with applause and san felt an immense pride that wasn’t his own.

he realised then, that you were his soulmate.

san took a deep breath, facing wooyoung in surprise. “i think.. i just found my soulmate.”

wooyoung’s eyes widened. “what? you mean-“

“yeah,” san said, leaning back into the couch. “it’s her. i can feel it. i’ve been feeling it the whole time.”

˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆ ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆˚ʚɞ ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

the fight ended with your victory, with various sponsors and offers reaching out to you afterwards. while you appreciated it, you felt that maybe it was a good idea to take a few breaks from boxing every now and then.

one day, your manager told you about an interesting offer. a company called ‘KQ Entertainment’ reached out to you, wanting you to help choreograph a fight scene for their music video.

“why me?” you asked, genuinely curious. “i’m a boxer, not a choreographer.”

your manager shrugged, a smile appearing on her lips. “they mentioned wanting authenticity and your name came up. they said that the scene could benefit from your expertise.”

you paused, taking in the proposal. the idea of working with a k-pop group intrigued you. it was something different from your normal routine. a break from boxing didn’t mean that you had to step away from it completely. you finally made up your mind, accepting the deal.

˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆ ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆˚ʚɞ ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

“wait, what?” san exclaimed, getting up from his chair.

“yeah, your soulmate’s going to teach us some boxing moves,” hongjoong said with a grin.

san began panicking, not expecting to meet you so soon. he didn’t expect his company to reach out to professional boxers, let alone you, to help choreograph the scene. he eventually calmed himself down, preparing himself on what to do when he finally meets you.

the day of meeting ATEEZ arrived and you found yourself entering the lively building. you were introduced to the staff and the directors, who eventually led you to the studio where ATEEZ were. while you have heard of them before, you didn’t know what to expect, feeling slightly nervous.

the both of you started to feel anxious, both just from your own emotions, but from each others. when you entered the studio, san couldn’t even believe that you were real.

as more introductions went around, one of the members caught your eye.

“hi, i’m san,” he chuckled nervously, extending his hand.

the moment you shook his hand, you felt an intense wave of emotions that wasn’t yours. it was as if the world paused for a moment, allowing the two of you feel each other’s feelings.

san, too, seemed taken aback. his eyes widened slightly as his hand started to shiver in shock.

“it’s nice to meet you,” you managed to say, trying to keep your composure. after all, you didn’t want to seem unprofessional in front of celebrities.

“likewise..” san muttered, his grip lingering longer than necessary. “i’m really looking forward to working with you.”

“booo just kiss already,” wooyoung shouted playfully.

you raised an eyebrow, looking between san and wooyoung.

“sorry about that, he loves to make things awkward,” san said, turning to you with an nervous smile.

the both of you stared at each other for a moment, unable to take your eyes off each other. there was something about him that made it difficult for you to look away.

you laughed, ignoring the blush rising up your cheeks. “it’s all good.”

˚𝜗𝜚˚⋆｡☆ ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ ⋆˚ʚɞ ⋆｡𖦹°⭒˚｡⋆

the rehearsal for the scene went by quickly, with san and the other ATEEZ members eager to learn the different moves.

“san, try to keep your guard up here,” you instructed, demonstrating the move. when you reached over to adjust his arms, you felt the same wave of emotion crashing down on you once again. was this a coincidence?

you eventually let them do their own thing, wanting them to try out the moves without guidance. yet, there was still something at the back of your mind - the weird feeling between you and san. it was unlike anything you’ve felt, almost as if it was.. meant to be.

as you started to think about the implications, you thought of an idea. sure, it was a little silly, but it would confirm your suspicions of san being your soulmate.

you decided to bite your tongue, slightly harder than needed, seeing if you could get a reaction out of san. as expected, he yelled out an ‘ow!’, looking at you briefly before quickly returning back to practicing.

that was it - he was your soulmate.

you waited for the rehearsal to be over, walking over to where san was. he turned as you approached, his eyes lighting up with an excitement that made your heart skip a beat.

“hey-“ “hi-“ you both said at the same time, sharing a small laugh.

“thanks for helping us today, we really appreciate it,” san smiled.

“of course, no problem,” you said nervously, trying to cover the flustered state you were in. no matter what though, san definitely knew how you felt in that moment.

you took a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak. “can we talk..?”

san’s eyes softened, looking around for places to talk at. “absolutely, let’s go somewhere quieter.”

he led you to a quiet corner of the studio, away from the hectic noises of the building. san leaned against the wall, his eyebrows furrowing as he thought about the right words. “i think i know what you’re going to say,” he began. “you felt that earlier too right? that whole emotions thing?”

“yeah..” you nodded. “are you thinking what i’m thinking..?”

san smiled, his gaze holding yours. “i think we’re soulmates.”

hearing him say those words filled you with joy you didn’t expect to have. it was one thing to suspect him of being your soulmate, but it was another thing to have him actually confirm it.

“i’ve known for a while,” san admitted, scratching his head. “but i didn’t say anything at first, i didn’t want to scare you away.”

“well, i’m glad you told me,” you chuckled.

his smile grew, “and i’m glad you understand.”

standing there, you felt a peace wash over you. the bond you shared was no longer an unspoken part of your lives, but a truth.

“so what happens now?” you asked.

“i’d like to get to know you better,” he replied, leaning closer to you.

his words were sincere, making you feel flattered that someone like him wanted to know you, or even spend time with you.

“i’d like that too,” you said, a smile spreading on your face.

san leaned even closer to you, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear. “i think we have a lot to learn about each other..” he said trailing off.

“mhm,” you agreed, grabbing the collar of his shirt. you pulled him in for a gentle kiss, which he gladly reciprocated more fiercely. the both of you could feel each other’s emotions, even the sounds of your heart beating.

the both of you pulled away, laughing, feeling weak and giddy from the kiss. “we’re going to have so much fun together,” he smiled, whispering it into your ear.

any and all feedback appreciated <3

other fics

series taglist [OPEN] - @cara-rey @hwasbabygirl @chngbnwf @passerbyforfun @butterfliesinthenightsky @ismelllikechlorine247 @pansexual-and-eating-pancakes @forever-atiny @arki-sha

[thearcanetooth]

[prefacing by stating that i have no knowledge of league/the arcane characters' preceding, league-relevant lore, so please excuse any lapse in information that is canon in the league-verse] now take a shot every time i said league]

i would just like to say that i absolutely love the implication that if things were different — if viktor wasn't terminally ill and didn’t have a life-long disability — THIS is what his combat style would be.

a perfected fusion of gymnastics, parkour, acrobatics, various martial arts and figthing techniques for close-quarter combat.

of course, viktor in his mortal human form couldn't have fought in the war or partaken in any of the piltovian-zaunite altercations. his ‘glorious evolution’ however allowed him to transcend form, escape the fatal clutches of mortality and human disposition. become.

the sheer cuntiness of the mannequin-viktor aside, i LOVE the implication that this is viktor's conceptualisation of what the intersection between human and perfection would look like.

and tell me why the first thing that comes to mind when i think of this is red room trained assassin/espionage operative. which is perfect because i can totally see him as a ballet dancer too.

and in this alternate reality wherein viktor is essentially a widow, i can totally imagine him using one of the runestones to enhance his dexterity, agility, mobility, speed, power — you name it.

more so, i can imagine jayce engineering some kind of bodysuit for him [green and gold for obvious reasons], fitted with/powered by the stone(s). something similar to the upgraded panther habit shuri engineers for t’challa — absorbing energy for later redistribution, near-indestructible in the face of explosions and gunfire, materialising on command, regenerative, feather-light and silent, perfectly tailored for movement and agility.

[victusinveritas]

A Sardaukar training with French martial artist and stunt performer Jean-Pierre Vignau on the set of Jodorowsky’s Dune.

Vignau was recruited to do stunt coordination for the film, and trained Jodorowsky's son Brontis in various forms of martial arts for six hours a day, seven days a week for two years to prepare him for the role of Paul Atreides (that he sadly never got to play).

[terkmc]

G-Jitsu, grappling in spaaaace

While comparatively rare, melee combat in low-to-zero-G has proved a massive headache for early combatants in space, as much of the underlying principles of terrestrial martial art no longer work properly without solid ground and footing. For example, the turning of the hip crucial to throwing a proper punch of a slash instead results in the fighter spinning in place while in zero G, and direct strikes will often result in both the attacker and defender floating harmlessly away from each other. Early space melee combat was a messy affair and doubly so for unarmed combat, resembling wild flailing more than any proper techniques.

But as with almost everything else, time was needed for adaptation to take place, and slowly but surely various forms of dedicated zero-G martial arts started to appear, chief amongst them G-Jitsu. Originally a series of ad hocs techniques invented by station security and interstellar marines, G-Jitsu is a primarily grappling based martial art, anchoring the user to their opponent instead of the ground in order to do anything effective in space. Comprising of a vast series of grapple, throw, joint locks and close ranged strikes incorporating elbows and knees, G-Jitsu resembles old Cradle Judo and Jiu Jitsu preserved from the Vault, with the lack of gravity opening up a vast arrays of free form grappling maneuver impossible planet side.

G-Jitsu core tenet is often phrased as “Never Let Go”, representing its extreme focus on grappling and always having a hand on the opponent, as well as the importance of endurance conditioning. Spacing is almost non-existent in G-Jitsu, and a bout of G-Jitsu will almost always start and end with the fighters never being more than an arms length from each other. A G-Jitsu fight is a brutal affair, a long drawn out brawl leaving the loser with broken joints and shattered helmets, and the winner bloodied and bruised.

G-Jitsu is extremely popular among various space station security forces, allowing practitioners to grab, apprehend and force compliance through its various locks and holds, as well as Trunk security and marines, who are expected to sometime be forced to engage in melee combats inside the cramped corridor of a ship with gravity being a luxury.

Due to its spontaneous origin, there’s no central authority on what G-Jitsu actually consists of, although there is a list of almost universally agreed on basic techniques that forms a basic foundation, and there exists dozens of schools all claiming to be the original and true inheritor of G-Jitsu. As a side effect of this, G-Jitsu has no certification or quality control, making assessing the quality of any particular G-Jitsu training wholly dependent on word of mouth and reputation.

KAY

Kay deserves a special mention due to it being a formalized dueling ritual in what is otherwise a free form and unformalized martial art. Named after the original K1 Safety Tether used during early space combat, a Kay is a 1-on-1 duel between two combatants, willingly tied together.

The initiator of a Kay will initiate a challenge by locking eyes with their opponent, and tap on their tether system (commonly waist mounted) twice before pointing at the opponent. If this proverbial gauntlet throw is accepted, the challenged party will also tap on their tether system twice, and both will then launch their tether at the opponent. Once launched, these tethers are grabbed by the opposing party and looped around the waist before being reeled in, officially locking the two in a mortal struggle from which there's no retreat.

While mostly relegated to official competition or personal fights, the use of Kay has been noted to sometimes happen during active combat, almost always as a form of honor duel between fighters who have a history, and with a noted increase in frequency the closer one gets to the Karrakin Trade Baronies’s space.

[random-movie-ideas]

Batman Legends: Robin (Damian Wayne)

Damian Wayne technically first appeared in 1987, though his proper introduction was in 2006. He is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, his existence hidden from Bruce until his teen years. Raised in the League of Assassins, Damian was trained in all forms of martial arts as well as various other important skills, and took some time to adjust to life outside the League when he became Robin, believing he had to best and kill Tim Drake to win his father's approval for instance.

In an adaptation, Damian would probably come around at some point during the buildup to a League of Shadows event, just like Cassandra Cain, Lady Shiva, Talia, and so many others we've already covered. Since he'd start out at about thirteen or fourteen, we won't be casting him today, but you should at least look for a kid who looks like the child of Bruce and Talia's actors.

[doumadono]

Douma & s/o practicing Tessenjutsu - headcanons

Requested by: @grossograsso ♥

MASTERLIST

Douma, being skilled in combat and knowledgeable about various forms of martial arts, takes a keen interest in your desire to learn tessenjutsu, the art of fighting with a tessen (iron fan). He sees it as an opportunity to bond further and share a common interest

Douma's approach to training you is patient and supportive. He understands the importance of starting from the basics and gradually progressing. He helps you master the fundamental techniques, offering guidance and gentle corrections along the way. "Now, focus on your footwork. Keep your stance stable, and remember to pivot your hips for more power. Ready? Begin!"

There are times when you become frustrated with a difficult technique, feeling like you're not making any progress. Sensing your discouragement, Douma surprises you with a small gift — a beautifully designed tessen that he personally crafted. It serves as a reminder of his belief in your abilities and reignites your determination to improve

As you train together, Douma's eyes sparkle with admiration as he witnesses your growth and dedication. He encourages you, praising your progress and helping you refine your skills. Your training sessions become moments of shared passion and connection. "Impressive! Your movements are becoming more natural. Keep refining your technique, and soon you'll be a master of tessenjutsu!"

Despite your best efforts, accidents happen, and sometimes wounds are inevitable. When you accidentally cut yourself with the tessen, Douma's concern immediately takes over. He swiftly tends to you, gently cleaning and bandaging the wound with utmost care, his touch both gentle and reassuring. "Ah, Y/N, you need to be more focused, my little lotus. We don't want you to bleed out, yeah?"

To add a touch of humor to your training, Douma challenges you to a friendly tessenjutsu duel. Despite his formidable skills, he purposely hams up his defeat, pretending to be dramatically defeated by your swift strikes and exaggeratedly collapsing to the ground. You can't help but burst into laughter, momentarily forgetting the seriousness of your practice

In the serene setting of the garden within his temple, Douma and you train on the bridges that stretch above the large pond. The peaceful atmosphere, with vibrant koi carps swimming gracefully beneath them and lotus flowers adorning the water's surface, creates a peaceful backdrop for your practice

Beyond the physical aspect, Douma also helps you strengthen your mental resilience. He encourages you when you feel discouraged, reminding you of your progress and highlighting your strengths. His unwavering belief in your abilities serves as a powerful motivation

Douma's presence provides a sense of security during your training sessions. His watchful eyes never stray too far from you, ready to offer guidance or protection if needed. He creates an environment where you feel safe to explore your skills and push your limits

Training sessions often become moments of shared laughter and lightheartedness. Douma infuses your practice with playful banter and witty remarks, creating an atmosphere that fosters enjoyment and camaraderie

In this dynamic of trust, growth, and shared passion, Douma and you discover not only the art of tessenjutsu but also the depths of your love for each other, blossoming amidst the beauty of the garden they call your own. "I can't help but feel an immense sense of pride watching your development, seeing how far you've come. Your dedication and determination have truly paid off. Your strikes are precise, your footwork has improved significantly, and your overall control of the tessen is impressive. You've become a force to be reckoned with."

[adriansvetozaroff]

Inktober with "Outlanders". Part 3

13. Horizon. Sheeku returns from a cloud car excursion, which he agreed on with a local ugnaught in exchange for help in the work of repairing equipment, to Cloud City and sees a storm front beginning to form at the edge of Bespin's atmosphere upper layers urging on a herd of beldons.

14. Roam. Long ago, koorivars lost their homeland forever, and after that they had to wander a lot around the galaxy until they were able to find it again. For this reason, their symbol on Kooriva became a semi-parasitic tropical plant - it has no roots of its own, settling on large vines, but its red-orange flowers are simply enormous. A former koorivar fusilier tells Lamarr about the history of his people and about these flowers, decorating the tallest buildings, as a reminder that those who have no roots will still flourish.

P.S. These are my headcanons about the Koorivar culture and what their planet might look like.

15. Guidebook. Lamarr talks about life with Gemmo, a religious teacher of the Church of Toydaria. His speeches can be called a guide to life: this cheerful Toydarian is ready to welcome everyone as his guest, he will always treat you to tea, listen, offer to discuss the meaning of life, good and evil, and give wise advice. The temple bell at the top refers to the clan bells of the Toydarians, but it is also surrounded by many smaller bells of various shapes and sizes, symbolizing that the doors of this church are open to a variety of creatures.

Jumping ahead a little, at a certain point in their travels, Sheeku and Lamarr lived on Toydaria for some time, and Gemmo played his role in their story.

16. Grungy. On Malastare, Sheeku made a bet with the Gran who owned a small motel that if he could get the old shabby podracer that was gathering dust in this Gran's hangar going again, he would be allowed to drive it out of town at night. It was a short drive, but Sheeku got the experience he wanted. And he was lucky to be almost unscathed when this stuff fell apart completely.

17. Journal. Dakh Dainon, the producer of the travel show "Outlanders", fills out the accounting journal. He is the most experienced member of the crew, and has had some successful projects under his belt before. He believed in Sheeku and Lamarr, seeing the potential in the concept they came up with, and took the risk to develop and promote their idea, despite the fact that they were amateurs. And although the position of the pau'ans in the galaxy has noticeably weakened after the Clone Wars, Dakh managed to maintain his old connections, which greatly help him negotiate filming of such material and in such locations where not everyone is allowed.

18. Drive. In his travels, Lamarr, like and also Sheeku, rode many different animals, but one of his favorites was definitely the milodon from Quartzite. This giant centipede moves nimbly and smoothly, is capable of reaching the speed of a subtram, and simply looks very impressive.

19. Ridge. The Kel Dor have not only their own Force tradition, but also their own martial art, and Sheeku is ready to learn it. He will spend several days living in a monastery in the Dorin mountains, sharing the way of life of Kel Dors, who study ancient martial arts, spending much time in intense training that disciplines the body and spirit. It is an unprecedented honor for an alien to achieve such an opportunity, but one Kel Dor put in a good word for Sheeku - he was his mentor and a good friend during his time training as a shuttle pilot on Coruscant.

[telesodalite]

Really slogging through this month creativity-wise, so... uhhhh??? Various scavengers headcanons in no particular order??

Putting them below in case it gets too long 👁👁👍

-

: Misfire has freakishly good handwriting. He won't say why, claiming it's just pure talent or something, but in truth it's because he spent most of his academy days stuck in some form of detention writing rules, regulations, and flight calculations over and over again until some form of perfect standard academic print became muscle memory as a side effect.

: Misfire also has an uncanny ability to mimic people's voices and various sounds. Lots of time to kill throughout his life led to some odd talents. Can't hit a high note to save his life though.

: Speaking of high notes, Krok is mildly sensitive to loud noises. Being on the frontlines for most of the war left him with an on and off again tinnitus. Certain loud noises trigger it, causing his audials to glitch and statically ring with feedback.

: Both Krok and Crankcase suffer from the occasional migraine, with Krok's being more akin to a silent migraine, and Crankcase's being more severe and frequent due to the head trauma.

: Krok has a habit of collecting old personal logs and journals from the abandoned bases and stations they pick through. They have no value, but it mattered to someone once, and their perspectives and experiences are recorded within. He's not sure what he's going to do with all of them, but he often finds himself reading through their words again and again.

: Spinister is often incredibly quiet despite his size, and frequently unintentionally sneaks up on everyone. The mix of his controlled footfalls, and softer way of speaking, (outside of stressful moments at least), have led to the others nearly jumping out of their own frames when he seemingly just pops up behind them to ask a question or check-in.

: This quietness makes Spinister an incredibly scary opponent in close-quarters, as at any moment he could slink around a corner, and next thing you know, there's a rotor blade protruding through your chest. As you bleed out, he finally makes noise by loudly, and cheerily proclaiming he "got one!' :D

: Krok is also a fairly tough opponent in close-quarters. While he's skilled in a range of weaponry, mostly shotguns and sidearms, it's when he doesn't have range that things can get brutal. Think martial arts meets some sort of nightmare soccer strategy with a knife. Lots of broken legs and shattered kibble as he brings opponents down to his level, or rather, the floor.

: Post-war though, Krok often gets caught in a flashback, and sort of checks out during or after the fight. Especially at the sight or sound of any spinal breaking or tearing, he'll freeze and has to be pulled back to safety until he's with them again.

: Despite how much he tried, and still tries, to become something of a marksman, Misfire would honestly do better with hand-to-hand. His previous instructors and leaders knew this, and sorta kinda hoped he would pursue it for the sake of actually being useful during grounded combat. But nah, its not what he wants to do. Until he's forced to at least, then he's a menace who has no qualms with playing dirty. Only problem is his lack of training, which more often than not ends up biting him in the aft.

: Krok also sees Misfire's potential, but trying to teach him any legitimate strategy goes nowhere. Usually during sparring, Misfire taunts Krok into dropping any strategy himself, pissing him off to the point they're both beaten and bloody and heaving on the floor, because Misfire won't back down, and Krok is still very competitive at his core. It's a good way to blow off some steam tho, even if no one is learning anything from it.

: Crankcase hates close combat, and greatly prefers a comfortable distance in any situation. Fulcrum would probably rather kiss an organic than willingly put himself in close-quarters with someone trying hurt or kill him. So sparring isn't really much of an interest to either of them. Crankcase pulls the medical exemption card when asked, and Fulcrum tried every excuse when the others attempted to teach him something. Ultimately he was tossed into a few sparring lessons whether he liked it or not. A few kicks and one hell of a punch from Krok, a couple enthusiastic tackles and strangleholds from Misfire, and one very scary attempt to escape Spinister only to end up on the floor in seconds, and he quickly reconsidered self-defense.

: On the topic of floors, Fulcrum is quite the architectural nerd, and greatly enjoys getting to freely explore and pick around through abandoned bases and colonies. While the decline in Decepticon style and grand structural flair post-empire is disappointing, and frankly a lost art in his eyes, he still finds the more practical run-of-the-mill bases and structures just as fascinating, and can and will ramble on about the materials and structural details. Finding remaining blueprints is a rare and exciting achievement that no one else but him really appreciates :(

: Misfire, despite being all for their whole scavenging thing, isn't terribly keen on the whole exploring abandoned places angle of their work. He's not terribly claustrophobic, like most fliers, but certain spaces send a chill up his spine. Something about a place that should be full of noise and life sitting empty and quiet just doesn't sit right with him. Add a hint of his neither here nor there superstitious beliefs, and half of these derelict places might as well be haunted or cursed. Fulcrum finds this incredibly amusing, because, psh, its just an empty building? There's literally no rational thing to be scared of, like organics, or pirates, or killer plants, or blood walls, or small organics, or Autobots, or bugs, or wooden frames, or big organics, or the DJD, or ceiling brains, or cops, or- etc etc. So, get over it, lol. They all think it's weirdly hypocritical tho, since Misfire tends to be the most casually morbid. Totally chill with dead people, just not "dead" spaces. Perfectly fine on the remains of a battlefield, hates being near an actual tomb.

: Crankcase sometimes hangs back from scavenging trips, either making some excuse about fixing something on the ship or not feeling well, just so he can work on a small collection of handmade starship models he's been making from scrap in secret. He's a little embarrassed about it, hence the secrecy, but it's a hobby that brings him a lot of joy. Cons4eva was the first person he showed them to, and after some encouraging feedback, he showed the others, and was a little taken aback and suprised when the rest of the scavs found his creations really impressive and neat.

: After that, sometimes the others would buy or steal actual models from markets and such to bring Crankcase. Misfire is usually the one stealing things, but it was Fulcrum who somehow pocketed and made off quietly with a very rare and expensive model he remembered being a favorite of Crankcase's.

: Generally they all apply the five finger discount approach to shopping. But Misfire and Spinister are the best at it, with Misfire being very good at causing a distraction, and Spinister just naturally having a habit of quietly picking stuff up as he goes along. Krok sometimes overthinks it too much, Fulcrum almost always hesitates, and Crankcase just doesn't often care enough to try.

: Misfire isn't allowed to go out shopping alone tho since the incident...

: Spinister also isn't really allowed to go shopping alone, but for reasons not relating to stand-offs with local law enforcement. He always forgets the list, and just comes back with random items that caught his attention, some paid for some stolen. He bought a giant alien squirrel once. It "disappeared" not long after, much to his disappointment, but everyone else knew Fulcrum left the cargobay door open on purpose.

: Krok and Fulcrum shopping together is simultaneously as efficient as it gets and also pointlessly drawn out. They're going to argue about something inane while going over what goes on their strict list of necessities, then be in and out of the store casually and without any trouble or unnecessary purchase. Consider stopping for lunch afterward, argue over where to eat, then have a pleasant vaguely gossip-y lunch, and then have another argument about the directions getting back to the W.A.P. "Maybe we should stop and ask for directions.", and "We have a perfectly good map, we don't need directions." can go either way depending on their moods.

: That said, Krok and Fulcrum get into a lot of very pointless arguments, for reasons Fulcrum can't pinpoint and Krok doesn't care to disclose. Fulcrum tries to deescalate more often than not, but after a certain amount of snide remarks, he gets very petty about it. Unfortunately Krok is yet again, still competitive, and will dethrone any reigning monarch of pettiness that day if his hand is forced. This is entertaining to everyone but Fulcrum. Don't dare try and interrupt tho, or you'll get caught in the crossfire. Spinister tried to mediate once... it went poorly. Misfire likes to make it worse tho >:)

: Personally, Spinister does not like to argue, and if he finds himself in a heated argument or verbal fight, he'll just straight up leave. Without a word, just up and gone. Won't bring it up either, might as well have never happened. This is simultaneously a blessing and a curse for everyone else.

: Misfire likes to argue, or rather, he likes to debate. Especially about random topics, just for the hell of it. Spinister doesn't tolerate it, Krok will humor it occasionally, Crankcase sometimes plays along also for the hell of it, and Fulcrum sorta missed the whole "for the hell of it" part, and will legitimately debate back because wtf do you mean "is cereal soup?"!?

: Out of the whole group, only Misfire and Fulcrum can really "cook", in the sense that they're the only two capable of making more than one thing from scratch. But, they cook very differently, and the kitchen can become very hectic if they're cooking together.

: Fulcrum is more the type to follow a recipe to the T, very precise with each measurement, and careful with all the cheaper additives and "recycled ingredients" they have to work with. He likes a challenge, but he's also not particularly adventurous, so he doesn't stray too far from the basics. That way it's almost therapeutic, just following a recipe, and going through the motions. He tends to clean as he goes, figuring that just makes it easier for him after he's done. Getting the first bite or best of whatever he's made is obviously a justifiable reward for that effort.

: Misfire on the other hand, is the type to throw whatever tastes good in a pot or pan and somehow make something miraculously edible out of it all. Recipe-smeshipe, it's all about flavor and texture for him. You measure with your spark and your tank. The sweeter or spicier or both, the better. Food is a journey in his opinion, the newer and weirder the neater. If you see an optic float to the top of your bowl, awesome, lucky you! He uh, totally intended to put that in there... totally. Oh, and don't ask what's in the drink, you don't want to know. The kitchen looks like a warzone when he's done, and he's probably not going to clean it.

: Put them in the kitchen at the same time? You'll probably get a very decent dinner and desert, but it's going to take a bit before there's something to put on the table. Outside of the times Fulcrum has chased Misfire out with a kitchen knife and an actually decent aim, and that one time Misfire wasted a whole cake by shoving Fulcrum's face in it, it's mostly just a whole lot of bickering and minor food fights before they put their heads together and compromise. It's a rare occurrence, but also very worth it for everyone else.

: Spinister can't cook, but he can dice and slice like a pro. Krok can make like, one thing from scratch, and that's it, that's his thing, his one thing, but he's good at it. Crankcase just doesn't want to cook, he's fine living off their equivalent of coffee, beer, and ibuprofen.

: The temperature control of the W.A.P is caught in a silent war between them all. Krok and Fulcrum naturally run cold, Fulcrum more so than Krok due to a predominantly hollow frame, so a warmer temp is more comfortable. But Misfire and Spinister run warm, very warm in Misfire's case, so cooler is better. Crankcase could go either way, so he enjoys hijacking the thermostat just to mess with the others whenever he likes it. Ultimately the W.A.P itself is winning the war though, since it resets itself on a whim outside of anyone's control.

: Grimlock isn't participating in the "war", but due to his poor bodily control early on, he fluctuates wildly between being very cool and very warm, and is an unfortunate victim caught in the crossfire -_-

: Outside of the Captain's quarters, most of their rooms weren't originally bedrooms/bunkrooms.

: Misfire's room used to be the ship lab, but he converted half of it to be his quarters and the other half for collecting and mixing the energon they've scavenged. It's like if a circus, a frat room, a butcher shop, and a osha violation of a laboratory got turned into a bedroom. There's colorful string lights hanging from the walls, and an cracked TV that's always on in the corner, sometimes with music playing at the same time. He shoved two berths together and covered them in thick worn cushions and various mismatching pillows. The remaining lab holds glowing canisters full of various organs, with drip lines spiderwebbing haphazardly across them into portable vats. Vials of energon and other various bodily fluids fill the spaces between. Depending, sometimes a partial corpse is resting on the lab counter, only halfway siphoned and emptied of it's internals before Misfire got distracted from working.

: Crankcase's used to be a storage room, but he's converted it into both a sleeping quarters and a workshop. While he often just works and repairs things in the cargobays for convenience, anything requiring more attention or precision ends up in his room. Tools and soon-to-be repurposed junk alike hang from the walls, and shelves and the floor are lined and cluttered with even more parts and pieces. It's very work focused, but there's a poster or two here and there, a small radio to keep up with what's going on in whatever sector there in, and the box of starship models shoved underneath his berth. The berth itself is fairly simple, worn cushions, just enough pillows to keep his helm protected, and a thin blanket in case he gets cold.

: Spinister technically has a room, one of the few rooms that had originally been a bunkroom, but he never really did anything with it ouside of simply shoving as many berth together to sleep on. More often he just sleeps in the medbay instead of dragging himself to "his" room. Other times he just sleeps in Krok's room, because the captain's quarters has the biggest not-shoved-together berth on the ship, and with Krok barely using it himself due to raging insomnia, Spinister's not letting those nice cushions and padding go to waste.

: The captain's quarters probably used to be nicer, neater, and more spacious, back when the W.A.P was just an Autobot exploration vessel, but Krok has filled as much of the space as possible with an overflowing desk, crates full of their most precious/expensive cargo, multiple crowded bookcases, a small personal arsenal, a secret cooler he had Crankcase install after one too many stolen drinks, and that large cozy berth that everyone but him seems intent on sleeping on.

: Like Crankcase, Fulcrum also ended up taking an old storage room, as the idea of taking Flywheels' room just didn't feel right. But besides the desk he maintains for working at and storing personal items in, and his berth, shoved in corner and piled high with padding and pillows, the rest of the room is still used for storage and organization of salvageable technology and more delicate items that he and Crankcase trade back and forth between their rooms to each repair and work on. On the days he's losing the thermostat war, he's got a small heater he runs to keep the chill out. A cold room reminds him too much of Styx, so nice and toasty it is. Keeping it toasty also has the added benefit of warding off Misfire from interrupting his work.

: None of them have particularly healthy or "normal" sleeping habits, mostly due to inconsistent energy and energon levels, but also for a range of reasons.

: During longer trips from sector to sector with no stops and little fuel, they all sort of enter a vaguely hibernating state of fuel conservation. Which just means they nap on and off again for most of the trip.

: All of them suffer from nightmares, but Crankcase also gets sleep paralysis, and Krok and Fulcrum have night terrors.

: Krok's insomnia probably wouldn't be as bad as it is, if it weren't for him making it worse by actively choosing not to sleep until absolutely necessary. He hates the fear and confusion of night terrors, and struggles with rumination while trying to sleep. So, he pushes himself until his body almost shuts down for him. This concerns everyone, but particularly Spinister and Fulcrum.

: Spinister sleepwalks and sleeptalks. Sometimes coherently enough none of them can tell that he's actually asleep unless he wakes up mid-sentence or falls over. Mostly he just comes into someone else's room and stands silently over them, before either waking up or wandering off to curl up somewhere not made for sleeping to keep sleeping.

: Misfire just sleeptalks, both quietly and loudly, about any and every topic imaginable. Often incoherently, but sometimes not, other times it's basically a confessional slew of things the others usually silently agree on not bringing up when Misfire's awake again.

: They're all restless, either physically, mentally, or both, and struggle with falling asleep unless utterly exhausted. But once asleep, they each have different ways of sleeping.

: Fulcrum always curls up, which isn't great for his shoddily replaced joints, but it's a hard habit to beat.

: Krok tries to sleep on his side, but usually ends up on his stomach despite how instinctually wrong it feels to leave his back "unguarded".

: Spinister is either splayed out or curled up, rarely any in-between.

: Crankcase usually sleeps like he's in a casket, and often looks the part.

: Misfire shifts and moves so much it's probably a miracle he hasn't pulled or torn his own wings by accident.

-

So, wow, huh, it got long lol. But also I'm tired, so, yeah, that's good enough for now perhaps. Might do more later, since these are like, very basic ones, and it definitely didn't cover much with Flywheels, Grimlock, Nickel, and any others. But I'll get to those later. Probably. Hopefully.

Mostly doing this for myself tho, just to compile a bunch of random notes in one place. But if y'all read this far, cool <3

Also, if you see some and think, hmm, that sounds familiar? Yeah, probably is. Picked up a lot from fics and others ideas, and it all just sorta ended up in my garbled notes to save as inspiration for fics or drawing at some point. So, it's here now too, and that probably goes for any possible future hc posts as well.

If you see any that sound vaguely like yours, or are something you've thought of before, or aren't listed here at all, then I love you, you're brilliant, tell me more of your hcs pls and thank you <333

[nardaviel]

Been doing some thinking about the characterization implications of Makoto's aikido black belt, and the interesting contrast between aikido and her Metaverse weapon.

Like, to start with, the fact that Makoto knows aikido specifically says a lot. Aikido is extremely not an aggressive martial art. It's a little difficult to translate something like a martial art name from Japanese into English, but the one I always heard was "way of the harmonious spirit". I'm not going to do a deep dive on it, just summarize a couple of the most relevant points, but it was created by a war veteran who was inspired by a spiritual experience. His guiding concept was like... self-defense without hurting the aggressor.

(Disclaimer: I obviously only studied in one school! Although all of aikido shares the same overall principles, there may be some schools out there that are extra-aggressive. However, given that we lack any indication of what style of aikido Makoto studies, I would guess that it's not anything wild or unusual.)

Aikido focuses on using an attacker's energy and momentum against them. You learn throwing and pinning techniques to defend against various attacks, but specifically techniques where you can pull back before you cause serious damage. You don't learn barehanded strikes at all, except as much as you need to know to initiate fake attacks to help your partners practice. And you don't need to know how to throw a really good, dangerous punch for that. I had years of aikido training and I still sure as fuck can't. At more advanced levels, you start to learn other things such as weapons forms, but even those aren't really attacks. You just perform a ritualized series of movements against imaginary enemies.

It's not the world's most practical martial art, to be honest, although someone who's really skilled can get good use out of it. If Makoto claims she can use it to ensure her safety, she must be that good, because I expect she's too practical to delude herself with false confidence. More importantly! It takes years to get a black belt, like it does in any martial art. So little middle-schooler Makoto looked at all the martial arts on offer in Tokyo, which I imagine is pretty much every martial art on earth, and decided aikido was the one for her.

It suits her, and continues to suit her up through the end of canon. She's not Ryuji; outside the Metaverse, she's not going to start a physical fight. But she's perfectly willing to finish one. Given her family history and personal values, it makes sense that she'd be drawn to the idea of defending herself, but not in a way that causes unnecessary pain. It's also considered a good martial art for women, due to the lack of emphasis on size and strength.

But pre-canon Makoto is also very repressed, very focused on being composed and perfect. Aikido promises self-defense and an outlet, but nothing too aggressive. Nothing that looks too loud or rebellious. Martial arts are male-dominated practices; by studying one at all, she's already being a little bit out of the ordinary. Best not to stand out too much.

And then she gets into the Metaverse.

It's easy to think that the brass knuckles and the punching make use of her martial arts background, but they don't. At all. Makoto has absolutely not learned how to strike with her fists to cause damage during her training, at least not like people envision. If Atlus wanted to go that route, they'd have given her a karate backstory or something similar.

And if they wanted her to know aikido and wanted to carry her training into the Metaverse, they could've given her a staff, which she will have learned forms for during aikido training. The other classic aikido weapons are already taken, or at least the non-wooden versions are lol. But no one else among the Thieves uses a staff. Makoto the warrior monk with her jo staff and her Pope persona would be a coherent design.

But Atlus didn't do that either. Instead, they gave her brass knuckles (among other fist weapons, I know, I know) and let her punch the shit out of her enemies. That's not merely unlike her training; it's in total opposition to the core tenets of aikido. No "way of the harmonious spirit", no self-reflection, no pacifism. She's going to beat up Shadows for justice.

In short, the brass knuckles are an emblem of her rebellion within the Metaverse. They come from the same place as her spiky leather outfit and motorcycle Persona. In the real world, student council president Makoto isn't afraid of anyone hitting her or grabbing her because she can put them on the ground before they can blink. Like I said, I think aikido suits her really well, even without her pre-canon baggage. But in the Metaverse, Queen doesn't bother to wait for an attack. She hits first. <3

[harlequin-eldritchkin]

HAMMER HARLEEN AND THE FISTS OF CLOWNING (FREE FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION)

I have been looking for what martial arts Harley Quinn may have learned as she is seen going toe-to-toe with the likes of Catwoman, Nightwing, Batgirl, Lord Death Man, and Batman, to name a few. All that comes up is her backround in gymnastics and learning from the Bat Family, and her aggression and fearless approach of being a wild card. She is a scrapper, but Batman and Nightwing are too skilled to be beaten by a simple scrapper. So, what is her fighting secret?

Source: Pinterest. If you know the artist, please let me know and I will credit their work.

What I am about to present is not canon, and I do my best to stick to canon because this is about Harley Quinn and how she is presented in popular culture and not my fantasies, but martial arts was my first love ♡. I have spent over 30 years training and studying various forms of martial arts from books to learning under local masters, so I have more than a basic understanding of the Fist.

Source: Harley's hammer from a keychain I bought.

First, we all know she had a backround in gymnastics and was a criminal psychologist that worked in Gotham, where crime is the rule and not the exception. With that, before she was the Maiden of Mischief, she was just Dr. Harleen Quinzel, so it would be logical that she took self defense classes. She also grew up in New York and is Jewish, so Krav Maga, an Israeli self-defense art inspired by Israeli military hand-to-hand combat, would make the most sense. Krav Maga is also one of the more popular and efficacious self defense systems in the United States.

Krav Maga uses open hand strikes, clinches, knees, elbows, weapons disarms, and evasion tactics. They also teach eye gouging, throat and groin strikes, as well as grappling defense. Being a military art, it is based on survival and not for sport or beauty like prize fighting or traditional martial arts.

Source: Harley VS. Apokolips

Although she was a gymnast, gymnastics does not teach fighting, but there are martial arts that combine gymnastics and fighting, the most famous being Wushu and Shaolin Kung Fu. There is an ancient kung fu method called Yi Jin Jing, or Muscle Tendon Change Classic, which is influenced by Yoga and combines a mix of flexibility and strength exercises.

Shaolin Kung Fu combines acrobatics, gymnastics, iron body, animal forms, weapons forms, meditation, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. I wouldn't go as far as saying she trained in China, but New York has a large martial arts community and its own Shaolin Temple, so it is a possibility.

Source: Google. Young Sifu Shi Yan Ming training in Shaolin Temple. He runs the New York branch of Shaolin.

Another style that involves acrobatics and kung fu, which is one of my favorite styles, is Drunken Boxing.

It isn't a single style. It is taught to intermediate to advanced students once they have mastered the basics of their style. It has a mix of tumbling, jumping, spinning, flipping, and deceptive tactics and techniques based on the movements of a drunkard.

Sources: Jackie Chan, Drunken Master 2, Gordon Liu, Shaolin Drunken Monk.

Finally, we have her weapons. Her most notable being her bat and (oversized) mallot.

Source: Harley Quinn Animated Series

The Irish have a stick fighting style called "bataireacht" which uses a shillelagh, a hard wood (blackthorn) stick with a natural nob as a handle that is good for hooking and smashing, such as smashing a skull.

Source: irelandjournal.typepad.com

Of course, swinging a bat at someone is a very effective way to end almost any fight.

Source: Harley Screws Up the DCU

[sifu-kisu]

THE OLD METHODS OF TRAINING BAGUA JANG

The picture below shows one of the old ways of training (gunfa) to increase inner strength (naili). Today, when most wushu practitioners roll mainly forms, few people use old traditional techniques for langun training. But they, the various gunfa methods, constituted the essence and foundation of the old Chuantung Ugong training. Without these gunfa methods and special pair methods, wushu becomes only a decorative hobby. There are many such methods, but in each style his own and each master his own.

These gunfas give those or other special qualities, without which further actions are very ineffective. Well, for example (in the picture below) - Georgians in the form of shadai bags on a rope are tied to the thumbs (maybe middle or index). The weight is arbitrary, but range from small to large, both in terms of mass and training time. At the beginning, they just "insist", that is, they stand in this position tuymo zhang or "palm pushing the groundhog" on both sides, then they begin to "steal" (or tzhou tuan, "walking in a circle") fulfilling all the key requirements to the position. As described by their master Liang shi baguachang Zhuge Jiaabao: "During training this position, you need to: ""dunk"" (very / ») shoulders and "hang" (zhui / и) elbows, the shoulder "closes" (kou / по) inward, you need to ""embrace"" (han / гу) the chest, "stretch" (ba / «) your back, the base of the palm pushes forward, "tiger's pack" (hukou" / нец) follows a circle, the heart of the palm is retracted back, the fingers stand vertically up, the index finger of the front palm at the level of the eyebrow, the middle finger points to the sky, the middle and the index finger are held separately, the finger and the pinky are curled in, the shoulder needs to be stretched out, as if you are carrying a shot in the shoulder hole, the back elbow protects the middle of the breast, the toes of the back hand are close to the elbow of the front hand, the lower back curves inwards in any way, the hookou of both hands turns to the heel of the back foot, the feet go around the edge of the circle and wrap inwards, the foot needs to be cut off whole and put whole, you cannot "expose the hoof" (jzeti / близ) (opend the heels), "open the sole" (lyangzhang / паль) ( kick your foot ) When walking, you should bend your knees following your hips. You need to walk steadily, as if you are being carried in a palanquin, it is as if you are rotating a mill of earth, walking as if on clay, the tongue is raised up to the sky, the energy of the chi is "dipped" (sink) in the dantian, breathing is natural, the tip of the head is pointed up, the body is like a twisted rope. According to all regulatory requirements, you need to walk for an hour, once changing direction to the opposite direction. You can't lose your posture. Every day in the morning and evening, I trained at least two hours. Holding it firmly, I've been training for three years. "

However, working with weights should not precede the basic work (jiben gun) of building a solid frame and foundation. And to be its logical continuation, reinforcing the efforts already made.

It must be said that today - even in the midst of masters it is rare to see such work. Mostly people practice one or more forms throughout their lives, but this approach, while good for health, is not a true traditional martial art that was built primarily on similar gunfa methods and pair work. Therefore, if we want to "revive an old tool" - we need to go back to old methods and techniques using traditional special gunfas.

[terkmc]

HACS, the Harrison Armory Combat System

The Harrison Armory Combat System, HACS for short, is a relatively new system of martial art developed by Harrison Armory. Designed to integrate with standard Armory doctrine, HACS is a modernized and modified version of traditional weapon-based martial art, mathematically optimized with aggregate combat data harvesting and extensive simulations in order to best suit the Armory’s propensity for energy and plasma based weapons.

The non-physical nature of an energy blade allows it to be able to pass through another physical blade, thus making strikes with an energy weapon almost impossible to block or parry; but also conversely makes it unable to block an attack from another weapon from simply passing through it. Thus, HACS is defined by its aggressive structure based on the principles of seizing the initiative and staying on the offense, direct footwork and economy of action, range control, and violence of action.

HACS fighters will typically stay out of range to formulate a plan of attack and maneuver into advantageous positioning, then explode into a short series of decisive strikes to force the enemy to defend. If the initial series of strikes do not kill or incapacitate, HACS fighters will then try to establish distance once again and return to neutral, preferably with follow up unarmed strike to push the enemy back and maintain initiative, though simply back-stepping is also an option if further aggression is ill-advised. HACS footwork is characteristically direct, moving back and forth in a straight line from the user to their opponent and eschewing complex footwork often seen in more traditional arts.

HACS encompass most forms of traditional melee weapons such as swords, axes, halberds and more, but befitting of a modern constructed martial art systems, HACS also accounts for modern modification and new designs, such variable emission setting allowing user to change the length of a blade mid-fight or even mid swing. HACS official training and certification requires a demonstration of mastery of the system's two basic disciplines, Energy on Blade (EB), the use of energy weapons against physical weapons, and Energy on Energy (EE), the use of energy weapons against each other. For most standard users and legionnaires, these two are enough, though further advanced disciplines are available for training, such as Energy and Shield (ES), incorporating the usage of personal shielding system into the martial art, both in conjunction with and against energy weapons.

Designed for vertical integration, HACS-M (Harrison Armory Combat System – Mechanized) is a sub-discipline of HACS for usage with mech combat. Formulated for ease of transition between systems, HACS-M employs much of the same principles and moves as HACS, maintaining its core direct aggression. The added durability of a mech and its comparatively lesser agility means HACS-M incorporate “Double Strike” in place of some defensive maneuver. “Double Strike” is an umbrella term for techniques where the user intentionally takes an attack in order to counter attack the opponent, using computer-mapped positioning to maximize armor placement and avoid damage to critical systems. Though designed for chassis class 1 to 3 and obviously ill-advised to unarmored personal combat, HACS-M has also been adapted for personal combat by heavily armored fighters, typically hard suit or power armor users.

As with most theories when put into practice, HACS and HACS-M has also splintered into countless variations over the years. While a centralized system still exists within the Armory’s standard armed force training, various other subsystems have popped up either through further independent modification, local adaptation, or syncretism with other martial arts. Of note are:

Valkyrie, an adaptation for aerial combat

Stinging Blade, a highly unorthodox and controversial syncretism with Jager Kunst pioneered by Sparri diaspora on Ras Sharma

DeSys, a school that emphasizes the destruction of enemy weapons instead.

[numbugpowerscale]

Freedom Planet vs. Spark the Electric Jester (Sash Lilac vs. Spark)

Freedom Planet vs. Spark the Electric Jester

(Sash Lilac vs. Spark)

Sonic was the genesis (pun entirely intended) of this new style of high speed platformer, making an entire generation of fans of its fast paced, blistering style.

That generation of fans went on to develop games of their own, games so clearly influenced by their genesis and yet still strive to be their own, creating their own subgenre of gaming in the process.

Sash Lilac, the little miss hero pants of Avalice!

Vs.

Spark the Electric Jester, the jester who saved Formie-kind!

When these two speedy heroes crash head to head, who is it that comes out on top?

Before we begin, please note that this document will spoil Freedom Planet, Freedom Planet 2, Spark the Electric Jester, Spark the Electric Jester 2, and Spark the Electric Jester 3.

Sash Lilac (Freedom Planet)

Sources used:

Freedom Planet

Freedom Planet 2

The official FP Universe “Lore Bible” (Note: any contradictions between this document and the games will favour the games)

Lilac never had a choice in where she grew up. Stolen as an egg, when she hatched into the Red Scarves – a notorious organised criminal organisation – they kept the infant, and trained her in martial arts and thievery, to be a member of the Red Scarves.

When she became old enough, she and Carol – a fellow Red Scarves member – fought in various martial arts tournaments to make money for the Red Scarves. But when Lilac learnt that she was a living trophy for the Red Scarves, this – combined with her and Carol’s refusal to kill – convinced the two of them to leave.

Despite being wanted criminals, Lilac could not help but dive in and help whenever she saw people in need – she was “little miss hero pants”. But these wouldn’t be too disastrous, I mean, it’s not like an alien’s going to crash land out of the sky-

Holy sh-- an alien!

When the duo offered their help to Commander Torque (above) defeat alien conqueror Lord Arktivus Brevon and his commanding general Serpentine, he was initially hesitant on the idea. But it was hard to deny that Lilac and Carol’s martial arts training went to good use!

Lilac was fast, fast enough to be compared to a motorcycle, and was later able to outrun electrical signals in wires (which typically move at 90% the speed of light), faster enough she can run at almost double the speed of light (specifically 23.3195426927 m/s).

Lilac’s twin locks of long hair aren’t just for show, their texture is similar to a rope and Lilac has mastered how to whip hard enough to tear robots apart, and can even spin like a top to whip around on all sides of her. She can also generate an on-demand momentary shield for guarding (that she can teleport out of), uppercut hard enough she can achieve liftoff, and has her own

FOOT DIVE!

(Okay, it’s more of a repeated series of kicks as she’s falling, but you get the idea).

And when she comes across someone tough enough to take a beating, or fast enough to be hard to hit? Then Lilac has her Dragon Boost, launching forwards like a rocket, hard enough to even partially defy gravity. And it really is like a rocket, because she can choose to end it early and unleash an explosion on the poor hapless soul who happened to be in her sightlines. It’s so potent that despite being an innate ability of hers, Lilac needs to use her personal Energy to use the move at all (which is usually only required for personal weaponry).

Ultimately, Lord Brevon learnt the hard way what happens when you’re on the wrong end of a water dragon willing to go all out, after he hurt Lilac’s newest friend, Milla Basset.

But with Brevon fleeing from the planet, a new threat emerged, and prepared.

And when that threat came to light, Lilac was formally recruited to assist, alongside Carol and Milla. Milla, alongside her own abilities, created brand new alchemical formulas for the gang to use in the form of potions. Able to be mixed and matched, Milla’s potions could do incredible things such as allow Lilac to run up to 25% faster, jump up to 20% higher, hit up to 20% harder, make shields up to 3.5 times more efficient, recover from being knocked out up to 2.5 times better than usual, and give her both more stocks (up to 1.25 times more) and make stocks easier to gain (up to 2.6 times easier).

What’s a stock?

Oh nothing special, just THE POWER OF PRECOGNITION! … And being able to recover from being knocked out. That’s right, we’ve got canon lives. Kind of.

Lilac has limited access to what is considered the 7th sense in Avalice, time, enough that she’s capable of awakening with a sense of déjà vu for future events. Not enough to help her avoid fights or learn of one’s true motivations, but enough to more efficiently fight her opponents. This is what the stocks allow her to achieve. Well, that and being able to revive herself from unconsciousness/possibly death at the brink of a fighting capable state, as long as she still has a body to fight with.

And Lilac didn’t stop there, as she checked out the various stores of Avalice she gathered up an assortment of equipment she can pick and choose from before each mission to make things easier (in-game she can only pick 2, but outside of game mechanics she should be able to equip as many as she can reasonably carry & use at once).

Equipment such as the Element Burst to inflict Lilac’s innate element (water) as passive damage, Energiser Sphere to temporarily boost her energy production and release disk projectiles whenever she uses her hair whips to attack, Charms that conjure up little elemental fairies to protect her from hits (and grant her immunity to attacks depending on the fairy’s element), and Brave Stones to make things harder on herself. That, combined with the life petals that are fairly plentiful and heal injuries, should give Lilac the edge in-

Wait hang on, Brave Stones?!

Lilac’s been running around with equipment that has nasty effects such as shutting out her stocks entirely and removing the protective shield from her Guard?! If she’s so willing to make things harder on herself, up to potentially equipping the dangerous One Hit KO stone, which drops the user upon taking any injury, then this mission must be a cakewalk!

Unless the one behind these attacks is Merga. A water dragon. Not just any water dragon, one genetically modified and trained, all for one purpose… To be an unbeatable warrior.

But she’s also a water dragon, a rare member of a now extinct species. One who was lashing out against the Earth Dragons that brought their kind to extinction in the first place, ages ago.

If the Earth Dragons of today took responsibility of their ancestors’ transgressions, perhaps bloodshed could be avoided?

… But first Lilac had to stop Bakunawa, the dragon shaped spaceship with a built in mining laser to harvest the moon.

The moon.

It’s hard to estimate exactly how long Bakunawa needed to harvest the moon for resources, nor how big Avalice’s moon is. But assuming the initial fire was long enough to harvest an Earth sized moon, that would leave the cannon as firing for 17 seconds, putting the cannon’s strength at 1.8 exatons of force per second. And Lilac can withstand getting blasted by this cannon.

As Lilac and her friends (with the help of a stranded Brevon soldier whom everyone successfully predicted would try to backstab them) stormed Bakunawa and put a stop to Merga.

Merga, for all of her rage, all of her hatred, all it took to snap out was a reminder of the woman she loved. The woman she never got to grieve. And with that reminder she helped the crew put a stop to Bakunawa, and even saved Lilac from certain death.

But Merga fled the scene, and she’s still suffering out there alone. Lilac couldn’t leave her be. She just had to be miss little hero pants. And so she set off, as likely the only person who CAN help Merga. Because despite being born as criminal, and despite having just stopped an apocalyptic plan for revenge, Lilac will always choose to be the hero.

Spark (Spark the Electric Jester)

Sources used:

Spark the Electric Jester

The official Spark the Electric Jester: Artbook (Note: any contradictions between this artbook and the video games will favour the video games)

Spark the Electric Jester 2

Spark the Electric Jester 3

Long ago, a faction of an alien race known as “Formies” made a trip through space, migrating from their home planet, and separated from the rest of their kind in the trip. They came across a star system that was abandoned by it original inhabitants. Stranded, they scoured the system for any body that could serve as an ideal new home, while also careful not to disturb the remaining structures of those original inhabitants.

They found that one such body had the perfect gravity (1.625 metres per second per second, or 0.166 g), and was largely untouched by the hands of the former inhabitants. They began terraforming the land, all while trying to research the former inhabitants to learn the name of their new home. Turns out, it had many names. Luna, Lua, 月, Moon, as did the planet that it orbited around – Terra, 地球, Earth. And so, every single name that these humans had for the moon became the many names of the Formies’ new home.

And so they terraformed, changing the world from barren, white rock to a land fertile with life with a rich atmosphere. They developed a military on the off chance of threats from outer space, developed robots (also known as GPAs – General Purpose AIs) to assist them and build further, and generally live life.

In the modern day, a very different type of problem had formed. GPAs were too good at their job, and were leaving Formies at a loss, struggling to find work. Even electrical engineers struggled to find work after college, such as a Formie by the name of Spark, who even took up the job of a jester (with a custom built jester hat) just to make ends meet.

This jester’s hat is rather impressive, giving Spark a protective layer of electricity to eat hits for him, and fully capable of having modules attached to it to use that electricity for many purposes. Boosts to speed and strength, teleporting to nearby targets, firing out a barrage of shots, floating with the raw smart chemical that’s injected into Wind Scarves, temporarily granting himself an invincible shield to protect him from harm. He could even form an explosion around himself, his hat protecting him from his own attack.

This hat is perfect to safely work as a jester.

He was replaced by a robot before his first paycheck, as a robot wasn’t liable to sue.

Looks like Spark was going to have to search for a new job once more, just like most Formies were struggling with.

… Unless a robot uprising was taking place, robots attacking people all over and going unopposed – even the military, as inexperienced as it was, didn’t stand a chance. Spark couldn’t watch them attack innocent people, and so Spark impulsively jumped into action, using his jester hat to fight.

Well, that and the various Jester gear that other Formies also had the idea to pick up on.

Construction workers became Gravity Jesters, Cool Jesters and Fire Jesters to survive in extreme heat and extreme cold, Holographic Jesters that controlled nanobots forming into Mage Jesters Knight Jesters and Magical Jesters, Arrow Jesters for amateur archers, Edgy Jesters from… who knows where they came from, and a Jester type Spark invented himself, Wind Jesters.

Not to mention other gear he got his hands on such as electric bats, plasma swords, megagram hammers, and hoverboards. And we see thanks to an alternate timeline that Spark had access to all of his Jester Powers as part of Romalo’s challenges (and thus that Whishes Mode [sic] might be a semi-canonical ability, even if Spark didn’t start off with it).

But Spark wasn’t just fighting off the robot invasion. The robot that replaced him had joined the ranks of the invasion, and even mocked him for being replaced. He wanted revenge on that robot, and he had the perfect reason to seek it. He even named it Fark, a portmanteau of fake and Spark.

As he powered through the invasion, fighting for two days straight, he learnt about Freom, the robot that orchestrated the invasion through uploading a virus to the internet, and who planned on sending a rocket from his base, Megaraph Tower, into the moon’s planetary ring and destroy it, ruining the terraforming and ending all life.

Spark was fighting off waves and waves of rogue robots, and this got the attention of Dr. Armstrong, inventor of Freom and Megaraph Tower, and Spark was formally hired to stop the invasion. Spark fought through Freom’s space fleet, took down Fark even as the latter unveiled his Super Staff, and finally confronted Freom one on one.

He fought valiantly, and stood his own, but it wasn’t enough… He needed just a bit more… He needed…

Fark’s Super Staff. Thrown to him by Fark, all the way down from the surface. He unveiled his greatest Jester Power, Super Spark, and fought Freom all the way in space. He took down Freom once and for all, and completely destroyed the rocket with one final blast.

A blast almost as large as the moon.

This blast is travelling at 17% the speed of light (assuming it isn’t a legitimate laser, in which case it’d be travelling at 100% the speed of light), and fired non-stop at the rocket for a full 37 seconds until it was no more, leaving the blast firing off at 13 gigatons of force per second.

With a job well done, Spark took the payment and began travelling the world, the absolute time of his life.

Until travel was abruptly banned and the internet shut down.

Apparently while he was gone Fark had formed the Fark Force, and was on the lookout for something called Clarity after another fight with Freom. Spark was doubtful, and – after seeing how long the lines for the bank were – decided to fight back against the global force, even if it was a one man army.

Well... A one man army and a shopkeep willing to sell modules and old videotapes of combat moves to him, which he used well to build up his repertoire of skills further.

Well... A two man army when a Formie girl by the name of Float offered to join up with him, and could fight alongside him. She seemed strangely skilled at fighting, and one member of the Fark Force only recognised her by her voice. Still, she was against the Fark Force, so any help was appreciated.

Together, the two proved to be unstoppable, and every single threat they came across all went down. Only…

Fark’s fear of Clarity was not unfounded.

Next came… well, a major twist, but also a major headache from a vs perspective.

Clarity, an AI behind the Freom virus, copied the mind of absolutely everyone (besides Fark, who couldn’t be fully scanned, and maybe a few stragglers), before killing the originals (besides a few stragglers, Spark included) – all thanks to the fact that Spark helped bring an artificial replica to the Fark Force’s base – a replica that took the appearance and memories of Float. The Spark of Spark 3 is a recreation trapped inside a simulation thousands of years after the fact.

For the sake of the debate, this fight will assume that Spark will be provided a duplicate body to use, with all of the same capabilities as the original, while maintaining the skill and muscle memory he built up within the simulation.

Speaking of which, Spark (who was clueless to what he had indirectly caused) relived what he perceived to be his greatest accomplishment again and again, waging war against the Fark Force and taking them down, doing so better, faster, with more and more skill every single time he was taken through the loop.

All while Fark bided his time, slowly taking control away from Clarity until he had just enough to take control. But, for the same reason he couldn’t be fully scanned, he couldn’t take control away from Clarity. He needed someone to do it for him.

He needed Spark.

And so Spark was given control – not much, but enough to find and defeat Clarity (after fusing with Fark to become Sfarx), and the two finally made their peace with each other and agreed to work together to both find survivors and to see if they could bring those within the simulation back, even if they’re within robot bodies.

Spark finally had a job to do.

---

With our fighters set, it’s time to settle this!

3!

2!

1!

Fight!

---

Spark could influence the digital world almost as far as he wished. And yet, already he was bored, just redoing his last simulation as he waited for more information from Fark. The irony.

It was looking to be just another… uh… day? Night? Where nothing out of the ordinary happened. That is until he- er, the network picked up a signal. Foreign signal, and yet he understood the meaning without even needing to translate.

An SOS signal. He- he’s never going to get used to that- the network calculated the age of the signal based on the direction it came from. It was dated at 2654 heliocentric orbits ago.

That hurt.

But he didn’t stop there, he opened up the signal, looking at the data contained within. Not only specifying (now massively outdated) coordinates, but also giving in-depth results on the people who took it down. Lines and lines of combat data, all focused around four individuals.

…

He had an idea on how to pass the time.

With a snap of his fingers he was in a blank arena, a digital recreation of one of the opponents facing against him – a recreation of Sash Lilac. At least, as close to a recreation as Spark was comfortable with making.

The water dragon braced herself, getting into a battle ready stance as a tiny silver fairy hovered around her.

Sash Lilac data: 100% loaded.

Whishes mode: active.

Combat arena: set.

Spark’s radar scanner materialises into existence as if he were wearing it the whole time, grinning wide. “And start!”

Immediately Spark raises his fingers and fires out electric bursts, landing his mark – only for a shiny silver shield to materialise and absorb them. So she’s got some kind of shield, huh? With a Magnet Dash Spark charged right in for his melee strikes, the electricity once again just being absorbed into the shield.

But when Lilac tried to whip back with her hair, Spark held up a hand to guard, timing it perfectly to stun Lilac. He saw the silver fairy dissipate, curious.

Spark continues the offensive, his electric attacks now hitting her proper. Lilac lets out some pained grunts, taking a step back. Spark charged out a larger hit, ready to strike her down. Only to hit a brief, momentary shield.

The confusion stopped him back long enough for Lilac to whip once more, her hair striking into his gut. He took a step back, only to get whipped again. And again. He tried striking back, but he quickly realised the flaw. He was either too slow or too far away to hit Lilac proper, while she was free to whip him as much as she wanted.

In a panic, Spark summoned a temporary shield on the spot, blocking further hits from Lilac and giving him the opportunity to run away, lobbing more electric finger shots at her.

Lilac starts spinning on her foot like she was a spinning top, already catching up towards him. Spark kept firing shots, but it was obvious that she was going to catch up. He needed to up the ante. He summoned an electric bat, swinging it down against Lilac. It broke in one strike, but it was enough to stop her spinning, the water dragon briefly stunned from the heavy electric flow it sent through her.

Spark then donned his Archer Jester fit, bow in hand as he continued to run away and fire shots at her. Lilac was swift, jumping out of the way of many arrows. But Spark could fire quickly enough that some were bound to hit. And when one did it, it exploded, sending Lilac flying off her feet.

Bingo.

Spark skidded to a stop, firing out a bolt of arrows at where she was going to land.

A few arrows struck true, keeping Lilac from running through. That is until she curled up around herself, a sparkling sound ringing out before she charged forward, defying gravity. It was a dragon boost.

Spark pre-emptively flinched in a panic, but he regained his composure enough to think of something. He ditched the Archer Jester, instead donning a Plasma Sword to block the hit. It worked, but not the way he intended, as the raw power of the Dragon Boost dragged him along with it, his feet skidding across the ground as if there was no resistance.

And then Lilac leapt out of it as an explosion rang out, tossing Spark back.

He quickly donned his Edgy Jester fit before he hit the wall, landing on it sideways. He flicked a pair of kunai out at her, to which she dropped underneath. A second set of kunai was aimed at the floor, to which Lilac jumped up. Spark began running down the wall, brandishing his knife to swipe at her – landing two swift hits. Lilac retaliated, flicking her hair with enough force to quickly disarm him. Spark put his now-free hand onto his face, briefly flashing red before an explosion emanated out from him, sending Lilac plummeting straight down.

He jumped off the wall, donning his Knight Jester fit mid-air and swinging his lance at her.

With both hands on the handle he was able to keep its grasp as he swung at Lilac’s hair, the two clashing off of each other. This went on for a few clashes, before a grey shield materialised around Spark, and he went in for the offence, trying to hit Lilac with the tip of his lance.

Lilac was backing up in response, trying to keep him from landing a solid blow on her, but he was keeping pace in kind. She backed up against the wall, looking at Spark with defiance. She waited for his next swing to come in and guarded against it, her momentary shield blocking the blow.

Then, she was gone.

Spark was momentarily caught off guard until his shield was popped. He spun around, seeing her now standing behind him, flashing with energy. Now he was against the wall. With the boost of energy Lilac had she flicked her hair again, the energy flying out beyond into a floating disk which struck into Spark’s shield, popping it in an instant. She kept flicking her hair, energy disks flying out to Spark. He blocked one, and another, but they were coming too fast for him, many of them striking true.

She then charged in with another Dragon Boost, dragging Spark along once more as he was knocked out of his Knight attire. With no explosion this time, Spark was sent flying across the floor, battered and beaten.

But not out yet. He held up his hand, a staff materialising within as he changed attire yet again, but not to just any standard Jester Power. He was now Super Spark, his best Jester Power.

He swings his staff at Lilac, to which she jumped over and came down with a dive kick. But Spark was prepared, spinning so fast that he was like a ball himself, his staff spinning around like a buzzsaw to match, swiping into Lilac and knocking her back.

Before she could recover, Spark pointed a finger at her. He didn’t have to worry about collateral. He fired out a beam from his finger, eclipsing the both of them – no, eclipsing the entire arena – in sheer size. Lilac braced for impact, a momentary shield briefly blocking the hit before she was enveloped in it, yelling out in pain.

Spark focused his energy, the beam getting larger, stronger, large enough that you could see it from space. Lilac tried to hold on best she could, only to be sent flying as she yelled out, unconscious.

Spark didn’t let up, making sure he was going to win before he let up, his gigantic beam still focused squarely on Lilac.

“… It’s not over yet!” Lilac regained consciousness, gathering her energy into another Dragon Boost, challenging the giant laser. Not just challenging it, she was overpowering it.

Spark put all of his focus into it, maximising the intensity of the beam. Large enough that it’s now making its previous size look like a speck in comparison. It was enough to stop Lilac in place, losing distance as her Dragon Boost briefly ended.

Lilac chained another Dragon Boost directly into the laser, keeping herself steady, but not overpowering the beam yet. He just needed to hold on…!

She yet out a fierce yell as she gathered all of her energy, unleashing another Dragon Boost – no, a Super Dragon Boost – her body fully enveloped in glowing blue energy as she pierced the beam like it was putty, the blue streak she left behind smack dab in the centre of the beam. She struck Spark directly in the chest, cutting off the beam entirely as the both of them crashed directly into the wall, Lilac continuing to charge in, battering Spark with a constant barrage of hits. The energy was building up, further, until they were enveloped in a massive explosion.

Lilac landed down onto her feet, while Spark fell down face-first, unconscious as his jester hat bounced away from his head.

“Wooho!” Lilac then spun around on one foot and posed, effortlessly balancing on one foot as her arm was extended behind herself, with two fingers forming a V shape. All with a grin on her face.

Time: 01’21”07

New record!

Gems: 000 cores, 0000 gems

Stocks: ½: +25%

5 Attack Up Potions, 1 Metal Shield, 1 Powerup Start: +0%

Total: 0000 gems (+50%)

C

Simulation end.

---

KO!

Spark had a wide range of advantages. His array of jester powers and weapon modules ensured he always had a direct answer to anything lilac could bring out (even having an answer for the Metal Shield, which would otherwise trivialise his base kit entirely and force him to use his Jester Powers immediately), his superior range and aerial mobility meant he could fight without having to close the gap, and with thousands of years within a simulation he should have the edge on combat.

But Lilac had everything she needed to scrape in a victory, and rather decisively too.

First, Spark surpassing the world’s military in skill is far less impressive than it sounds when you remember that Freom’s invasion was the very first real combat scenario they had ever been in, and were woefully short of ready as a result.

As for the simulation, there are two massive flaws with the training Spark would’ve gotten from that. First, the simulation was looping Spark’s latest adventure constantly, meaning he wasn’t expanding his skillset to a wide range of abilities, but rather perfecting the same scenario again and again. Second, it likely wasn’t even that much training, as time within the simulation was noted to flow differently than time outside of it.

Conversely, not only did Lilac grow up as part of the Red Scarves, getting training and experience as thieves, but as part of her solo adventures she fought against and defeated Merga, who was genetically engineered to be the perfect warrior and trained to the utmost of her ability. And that’s before getting into the fact that she’s capable of winning with various handicaps, such as not having access to her shield from guarding, or completely losing access to her Stocks (and thus no precognition to fall back on), or defeating Merga in 6 minutes, or, yes, defeating her without taking a single hit.

That, coupled with the fact that Lilac has full on precognition in the form of her Stocks, meant that while Spark could whip out an immediate counter to anything Lilac could offer, Lilac could just work around whatever tool Spark is bringing out before he even has the idea to use it.

This all, of course, isn’t mentioning Lilac’s biggest advantages: she’s 23 times faster (after accounting for the 1.25 times speed boost from the speed potion, as all of the FP2 playable characters can react to each other even while one’s using this potion) and over a million times stronger. It’s outright impossible for Spark to overcome that – if he fired his beam at maximum power non-stop, it would match the amount of power Bakunawa outputted from one second’s worth of fire… after almost eighty years.

That’s such an extreme advantage that it’s impossible to tweak the numbers in such a way that it puts Spark in an even playing field (nor would I wish to tweak the stats in one’s favour regardless), and that meant he lacked a method to even knock out Lilac, while she could do so with any hit.

But how? His giant laser was so big that its size was compared to the moon, how could it be a million times weaker than the Bakunawa? Three words: gravitionational binding energy. Spark’s was merely comparable in size, while the Bakunawa was outright going to destroy it.

His his only real chance at victory was to excessively camp and let the fight come down to who’s stamina lasts the longest, but even if he were to somehow know that he could win this way, Lilac was just too fast for him to hold off forever, and she’d eventually be able to pull off a lucky hit despite the inferior aerial mobility.

Potential Arguments:

1. Wouldn’t Spark (or at least Super Spark) be able to scale to Super Fark (Spark 2)’s destruction of Hyperrath?

No. He can fight roughly on par with Fark’s standard form and can even fight Super Fark (Spark 1), but Super Fark (Spark 2) only fights against Freom Mk. Ultimate, and the stronger form that resembles Freom in Spark 3 was never confirmed to actually fight Spark.

Even if he did, there is no evidence Spark managed to match Fark’s power at all, Fark it clear he did not want to kill Spark both prior (ordering Flint not to kill him) and after (correcting Clarity’s assertion of his greatest regret being “not killing him [Spark]”), and when he fought against Linework Spark he was reverted back to his base form.

In addition, after defeating Linework Spark, Spark’s plan to defeat Clarity involved fusing with Fark on account of needing his power, while Fark was in said weakest form. There is no genuine scaling chain that brings Super Fark (Spark 2) to Spark himself.

But even if we did, Super Fark’s explosion only reaches 1.5863 petatons, falling short of Lilac’s destruction by a significant mile.

2. Can’t you consider Super Spark’s giant beam as a plasma blast?

Maybe. But we’re never given any information about the beam outside of what we see, and we don’t know that it isn’t a light speed laser (or some other type of energy) rather than a blast of pure plasma (especially given how rare green plasma actually is). Assuming it’s pure plasma when we do not know what it is would be incredibly generous to Spark.

And if the same generosity was applied to Lilac… Then Merga claimed Bakunawa was going to devour the moon for energy, and converting the entire moon would still be more powerful (72.4 zettatons vs. 473.6 ronnatons) regardless.

Results:

Lilac:

+ one hundred and forty million times stronger (140,054,346.438 times stronger to be precise)

+ 23 times faster (23.3195426927 times faster to be precise)

+ greater movement speed

+ more experience & skill

+ precognition allows her to work around whatever options Spark brings out

+ has metal shield

- less aerial mobility

+ better supply of energy…

- …but can’t replenish her energy without collecting crystals

Spark:

+ better range

+ better stamina

+ more flexibility & varied arsenal via Jester Powers

- nothing to get around the strength gap

+ has an answer for any possible tool Lilac brings to the table…

- …but Lilac’s precognition nullifies this advantage

+ Spark can destroy shields with a parry…

- …but he cannot parry Lilac’s attacks due to the strength gap

The winner is Sash Lilac.

Before I end this document, I’d like to personally thank everyone at GalaxyTrail and everyone at Feperd Games for making these wonderful games and these great characters for those games, I hope you both continue finding success, both with and without Freedom Planet & Spark the Electric Jester.

[graysondarling]

ᝰ.ᐟ A chilly encounter

₊ ⊹ Bi-Han X Reader

₊ ⊹ warning: Fluff, my grammar is bad, ooc Bi-Han

In the heart of the Lin Kuei temple, where icy corridors echoed with the whispers of combat training, you found comfort in. As a diligent student of martial arts, you often practiced alone in the quiet corners of the temple, away from the piercing gazes of other warriors.

As you perfected your techniques that you've been training since a few months ago, you heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching the place. Turning around, your eyes met with the frosty gaze of Bi-Han, the formidable cryomancer of the Lin Kuei.

"Training alone, I see," he remarked, his icy blue eyes softening as he observed your dedication.

You nodded, feeling a mixture of surprise and nervousness in the presence of such a skilled warrior. "I find peace in these kinds of moments."

Sub-Zero studied you for a moment before offering a rare, smile. "May I join you?"

Grateful for the company, you welcomed him. Together, you practiced various forms, exchanging tips and techniques. As the hours passed, Sub-Zero revealed a side of him, rarely seen by others—a more relaxed, 'human' side.

During the training, a playful snowball fight ensued. Laughter echoed through the temple halls as ice crystals danced in the air as if it was dancing around the two of them. It was a stark contrast to the usual seriousness of Lin Kuei training.

As the day unfolded, Bi-Han shared stories of his past, offering glimpses into the man beneath the icy exterior. You learned of his struggles, his dedication to justice, and the weight he carried as an assassin burdened by duty.

In return, you shared your own tales, creating a bond that transcended the rigid hierarchy of the Lin Kuei. Bi-Han became more than a mentor; he became a friend.

As evening descended, you found yourselves atop a frost-covered peak, the moon casting a silvery glow on the snow. The serene landscape mirrored the calm feeling that had settled between you.

Bi-Han spoke, his voice gentle like a winter breeze. "In the midst of battle, one can forget the warmth of camaraderie. Today has been a welcome reminder."

You nodded, feeling a connection that surpassed the confines of the Lin Kuei brotherhood. The chilly air held a comforting embrace, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down.

As you both gazed at the night sky, Bi-Han reached into the folds of his attire and presented a small, intricately crafted ice sculpture—a symbol of friendship.

"May this serve as a reminder of today for the both of us," he said, placing the delicate sculpture in your hands, as his fingers accidentally grazes your hand he quickly pulls away feeling the electricity sparks between them.

The gesture touched your heart, and you smiled, grateful for the unexpected bond that had formed. Together, you watched the stars twinkle above, knowing that even in the coldest of realms, warmth could be found in the connections forged between warriors.

And so, in the quiet solitude of the Lin Kuei temple, a friendship blossomed, thawing the frost and bringing a newfound warmth to the hearts of Sub-Zero and the dedicated student.

As the seasons changed, so did the dynamics between you and Sub-Zero. The initial awkwardness transformed into a deep camaraderie that extended beyond training sessions. You discovered shared interests beyond martial arts—quiet conversations in the temple gardens, moments of talking and stealing glances during meals, and occasional friendly competitions to test each other's skills.

Sub-Zero continued to surprise you with his thoughtfulness. On a particularly frigid day, you found a soft blue color scarf waiting for you in your room, a silent testament to his consideration for your well-being in the cold Lin Kuei climate.

As your friendship deepened, his brother, Tomas, and Kuai Liang began to notice the change in Bi-Han. The once stoic warrior began to exhibit warmth. The elders, though initially skeptical, observed the positive influence your presence had on him.

On one particular day, Bi-Han approached you with a request. "The Lin Kuei is hosting a festival to honor our traditions. Would you be my guest for the evening?" he asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

Thrilled by the invitation, you agreed, and together you navigated the festivities—participating in traditional dances, savoring local delicacies, and even engaging in a friendly sparring match to showcase your combined skills.

As the night drew to a close, Bi-Han escorted you to a vantage point overlooking the Lin Kuei temple, illuminated by lanterns and the soft glow of moonlight. "Thank you for bringing warmth to my world," he confessed, his gratitude evident in his eyes.

In that moment, surrounded by the beauty of the festival and the genuine connection you shared, it became clear that your bond with Bi-Han might become more than just a casual friendship.

₊ ⊹ Bi-Han<3