#which unlocks the black 6 and 7 star raids

[likeabxrdinflight]

It took way too much grinding but I did it

I caught him

Charizard the Unrivaled

I hate you game freak

[anguis-sapphire]

I may not have managed to get to the point where I could face the event Charizard raids before the event ended, but I like to think that going from having 3 gym badges, 1 titan badge, and 1 star badge, to having all 18 badges and having done the ending + gym rematches + tournament, is pretty impressive progress for one day

[ablegaming]

Pokémon Scarlet accessibility review

Game title: Pokémon Scarlet

Platform(s): Nintendo Switch

Languages: English, simplified and traditional Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Spanish

Age rating: ESRB E, PEGI 7

Genre/theme: RPG adventure, creature collection, battling, and open-world exploration. Pokémon Scarlet takes place in the new Paldea region, whose culture loosely resembles that of Spain. Your goal as a student of the Academy is to win all of the gym boss battles and complete the Pokédex by catching (at least) one of each type of Pokémon in the region.

Multiplayer: Yes; there are several ways to play multiplayer. This is the first Pokémon title where players can party up with up to 4 players, not just to fight raid battles together, but to explore the open world as a group as well. Trading and battling Pokémon are available as per usual, both with friends and with random players online. Local multiplayer also supports up to 4 players (requires 4 Switch consoles and 4 Scarlet or Violet cartridges).

Violence: Mild; no blood or gore, Pokémon battle each other until one of them faints. As is the case with all Pokémon games, some suspension of real-world ethics (and the physics of a Pokéball) is required, with capturing creatures and having them battle. When all 6 of your party Pokémon have fainted your character will black out and then rush to the Pokémon center to heal their Pokémon right away. Blacking out results in losing a relatively small amount of money. Letting your Pokémon faint regularly lowers their friendliness level, and there are a few species that require a high friendliness level in order to evolve.

Maturity: No nudity, sexuality, foul language, or drug & alcohol references. Gamers of all ages can enjoy Pokémon Scarlet.

Difficulty modes: None

Complexity: Easy-Medium; Scarlet combines elements of both Sword/Shield and Legends Arceus for a classic experience with just a couple of new tricks. The biggest changes are in navigating the massive open world map, purchasing and consuming meals to provide your party with different stat buffs, taking optional classes at the Academy, fighting Team Star camp raids, and riding your companion Pokémon who gradually unlocks new abilities (Koraidon in Scarlet, Miraidon in Violet).

Instructions, saving, story recap, menus, & waypoints: Does not come with an instruction manual in the case, and there is no controls reminder available in-game. Scarlet starts with you moving into a new house, picking 1 of 3 Pokémon to raise, and meeting a new friend, who introduces you to many of the game’s controls and also accompanies you along the way to the Academy, where the real adventure begins.

Your character carries a Rotom phone which functions as your Pokédex, world map (custom locations can be marked), and a camera. Fast travel is available to all previously visited Pokémon Centers. Autosave is on by default and saves often, including after catching a Pokémon, and manual saves can be made at any time. “Helping Functions” is on by default, this activates assistance when you fall from a great height. “Skip Cutscenes” can be turned on, but is recommended to be left on during your first playthrough as important story scenes will be skipped.

Subtitles: Yes; relies entirely on subtitles.

Text customization: Text Speed can be set to Slow, Normal, or Fast. The ability to turn off “Give Nicknames” removes the prompt to give a nickname to newly caught Pokémon, which is a nice feature for gamers who prefer not to use nicknames. “Show Nicknames” can be turned on/off for online battles and interactions. Text size is medium-large and fairly clear to read, though neither text or window custom sizing options are available unfortunately.

Voice acting: None

Volume settings: Background Music, Sound Effects, and Pokémon Battle Cries can all be adjusted from 0–10.

Photosensitivity: If you have photosensitivity concerns, I strongly recommend choosing the Scarlet version of the game over Violet, as the Pokémon you ride on on in Violet has moving lights that really bothered my eyes (from the video clips that I watched).

There are bright sparkles when you catch a Pokémon. Items that can be found in the world appear as a bright glint of light. Lightning Pokémon and moves aren’t quite as visually intense as in some other Pokémon games, but they’re still pretty hard on the eyes, so I recommend generally focusing on other elemental types.

The biggest photosensitivity issue is absolutely the crystal effect used in Terra battles, especially when you throw a Pokéball at a wild Pokémon in a Tera raid battle. I lowered my TV’s brightness and contrast to counteract some of the lighting issues, but I found that I just have to look away from the screen for about 15 seconds as soon as I throw a Pokéball at a wild raid Pokémon.

You’ve likely heard or read about Scarlet and Violet being a bit glitchy and unstable in its current form, and it’s true alright. Some of the occasional graphical glitches can be rather sudden and jarring on the eyes, hopefully future updates will improve this.

These can be remedied a bit by playing in a well-lit room and adjusting screen brightness (TV & in-game), backlight (TV), contrast (TV & in-game), and color settings (TV). Additionally, wearing blue light lens glasses, tinted lens glasses, or even sunglasses may be helpful.

Motion-sickness and camera: Camera speed cannot be adjusted, but the default speed moves at a gentle pace, which is nice for motion-sensitive gamers, but may be an annoyance for gamers who like to turn up the thumbstick sensitivity. Clicking the right thumbstick down switches between a closer camera angle and one that’s a bit further away.

Perspective gets a bit wonky when entering and exiting shops, and you may find yourself getting turned around and accidentally entering the shop more than once, this can be a little bit disorienting. Vertical and horizontal camera controls can be set to either Regular or Inverted.

Colorblindness mode: None, can only be remedied by adjusting color settings on the TV.

Controller rumble: Yes; can also be turned off.

Remappable controls: None

Quick-time events: None

Physical impact: Low; can be played for extended periods of time without pain or fatigue.

Adaptability and input: The default controls are mapped well, but cannot be customized. The majority of the controls are thumb input, so gamers with thumb or thumb joint struggles may have to set the controller on their lap and play using their fingers but this is definitely doable.

Can be played with Switch Joycon controllers, controller-docked Joycon controllers, handheld-docked Joycon controllers, Switch Pro controller, Gamecube controller, Sony Dualshock 4 controller (adapter required to use on Switch), Xbox One Bluetooth Controller (adapter required), and Wii U Pro Controller (adapter required). No touchscreen or voice control functionality.

To read more about how you can pair different controllers with the Switch, check out my recent post on the topic: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/how-to-use-your-favorite-console-controllers-on-nintendo-switch-and-pc-and-how-to-use-your-switch-64d7a7bc7b7f

Overall accessibility score: 3.0/5.0 (Please note that this score does not reflect the entertainment or enjoyment value of the game, it represents the range of accessibility for gamers who have specific limitations.)

Pokémon Scarlet delivers a fully open-world experience for the first time in the series, complete with fast travel, and a rideable Pokémon companion to explore the region of Paldea with you. The abilities to turn off the nickname prompt, send caught Pokémon automatically to boxes, and skip cutscenes are all super useful additions to Game Freak’s formula. Low physical impact controls make the game enjoyable for extended periods of time without pain or fatigue, but the controls aren’t customizable at all. The camera is a bit slow and doesn’t cause any motion-sickness, yet the speed can’t be adjusted. Clicking the right stick to change between the two camera distances offers some nice perspective options though.

Pokémon Scarlet unsurprisingly has some photosensitivity concerns; lightning attacks, Terra crystal battles, Pokéball animations, and early release glitchyness makes for a little bit of a rough time, but thankfully these can be mitigated somewhat by adjusting brightness and contrast settings on the TV. The Terra raid Pokémon capture is honestly just too much though, and I found myself having to look away from the screen. The lack of voice acting and customizable text settings aren’t terribly surprising given the series’ history, but thankfully the default text size is medium-large and is pretty readable. All in all, Scarlet and Violet are a big step forward for the franchise into a brand new open world, yet it still suffers from some long-running accessibility issues yet to be addressed.

My review can also be read and listened to (text-to-speech) on my Medium page at: https://medium.com/@AbleGaming/pok%C3%A9mon-scarlet-accessibility-review-20d9139edbcf

[sentinelkelly]

Age of Triumph Record Book (Still a Work in Progress)

Bungie announced a new record book that will be available on March 28th on their Twitch stream today. Here’s what I was able to gather: 

Rewards

Traveler’s Eclipse

City Watch

Comet's Heart

Logical Conclusion

All in All

T-Shirt code

Commemoration

Special milestone to celebrate Day 1 players, which rewards an emblem.

From the Beginning: Completed an activity between Destiny release and Dark Below release. Reward: Ab Principio

Lunar Veteran: ? Reward: ?

Wolf Breaker: Complete an activity between House of Wolves and The Taken King release. Reward: Lupi Reginae

Year of Triumph: ?

Doom of Oryx: Completed an activity between The Taken King release and Rise of Iron release. Reward: Clades Orygis

Rising Light: ?

Second Year of Triumph: Compleded an activity during the Year 2 Moments of Triumph. Rewards: Insignia of Triumphs

Reign of Iron: ?

Story

The Black Garden: Complete "The Black Garden" mission from "Destiny."

The Wakening: Complete "The Wakening" mission from "The Dark Below."

Queen's Ransom: Complete the "Queen's Ransom" from "House of Wolves."

Regicide: Complete the "Regicide" mission from "The Taken King."

The Taken War: Complete the "Summoner's Circle" mission from "The Taken King."

At the Gates: Complete the quests "At the Gates" and "Return to the Prison" from "The Taken King."

An Iron Lord Rises: Complete "The Iron Tomb" mission from "Rise of Iron."

Stories Past: Complete all Story milestones in the Age of Triumph Record Book to unlock this page's emblem. (7) Reward: The Tale Told

Titan's Will

Class Specific pages are mostly comprised of the same milestones

Emblem is awarded for each completed page for the classes

Hold the Line: Reach Level 40 as a Titan

No Surrender: ?

Get Personal: Defeat enemies with Melee abilities as a Titan (250)

Portable Destruction: ?

Super Star: Defeat enemies with your Super abilities as a Titan. (100)

Light Show: ?

Victory or Death: Complete the Crucible Titan quests "Striking Fist," "Armored Void," and "Flameforged."

Be the Wall: ? Reward: ?

Hunter's Way

Mountain's Summit: Reach Level 40 as a Hunter

Hunter and Hunted: ?

Cutting Edge: Defeat enemies with Melee abilities as a Hunter. (250)

Whizz Bang: ?

Insuperable: Defeat enemies with your Super abilities as a Hunter. (100)

Eliminate, Illuminate: ?

Self-Sufficient: Complete the Crucible Hunter quests "Just a Handful of Bullets," "Sheathed Lightning," and "Draw From the Void."

Who Walks Alone: Reward: ?

Warlock's Path

Secrets Learned: Reach Level 40 as a Warlock.

Show Your Might: ?

Up Close: Defeat enemies with Melee abilities as a Warlock. (250)

Tactical Explosive: ?

Shock and Awe: Defeat enemies with your Super abilities as a Warlock. (100)

A Burst of Light: ?

A Hard Lesson: Complete the Crucible Warlock quests "Voidmaster," "A Song For the Sun," and "Fulminator."

Mysterious Path: ? Reward: ?

Strikes

You're the Hero: Complete Strikes on Heroic difficulty. (20)

In the Dark: ?

Race to the Finish: Complete a Nightfall Strike in less than 30 minutes.

Lead from the Front: ?

On Target: Earn Precision kills in Strikes. (500)

One-Guardian Army: ?

Back in the Fight: Revive allies during Nightfall strikes. (10)

Team Effort: ?

The Crucible

Crucible pages have to be completed after the launch of the event.

Quality Control: Capture control points in Control Crucible matches. (30)

Clash Warfare: ?

Rumble Tumble: Earn points in Rumble Crucible matches. (10000)

Master at Arms: ?

Historian: Recover Dead Ghosts on Crucible maps during Private Matches. (30)

Ignite the Light: ?

Pride of Shaxx: Win matches in the Crucible. (30)

Forged Ingot: ?

Raids

4 new challenge modes for the raids

Elemental primaries are back

400 Vex Mythoclast has been officially confirmed

Elemental primary sandbox changes will be announced in the 3rd reveal stream

Glass Ceiling: Complete the 390 Light version of Vault of Glass.

Crota, Endless: ?

King of Kings: Complete the 390 Light version of King's Fall.

Machina Maxima: ?

Blind Labyrinth: Eliminate all Gorgons in the 390 Light version of Vault of Glass.

Silence Falls: ?

Raid Insignia: Collect all Raid Challenge Emblems. (9)

Light's Stronghold: ? Reward: ?

Collections

Not all shaders, ships and ghosts are required to complete the nodes

Life is Fleeting: Aquire Ships. (75)

Slings and Sparrows: ?

Made in the Shade: Aquire Shaders. (100)

Flying Colors: ?

Outlandish Arms: Aquire Exotic Weapons. (55)

Outlandish Dress: ?

Quaint and Curious: Grimoire Score (5000)

The Most Toys: ? Reward: ?

Wanderer

Echoes of the Ages: Recover Dead Ghosts. (130)

Echoes of Darkness: ?

Sleeping Echoes: Collect Dormant SIVA. (25)

Sneak Peak: ?

Public Defender: Achieve Gold Tier Ratings in Public Events. (20)

Concordat's Shadow: ?

Spelunker: Disturb the Remains.

The World Explored: ?

Allegiances

Get Rank 25 in all 3 Tower Factions

Jalaal's Favor: Reach Rank 25 with Dead Orbit. Reward: Arach and Ruin

Lakshimi's Favor: ? Reward: ?

Hideo's Favor: Reach Rank 25 with New Monarchy. Reward: Blood of the Monarchy

Shaxx's Esteem: ? Reward: ?

Vanguard's Esteem: Reach Rank 25 with the Vanguard. Reward: Vanguard Signet

Cryptarchs' Esteem: ?

Efrideet's Regard: Reach Rank 5 with the Iron Banner.

Beloved of All: Complete all Allegiances milestones in the Age of Triumph Record Book to unlock this page's emblem. Reward: Trust and Honor

Trials of Osiris

It is retroactive so if you went flawless before, you are fine.

You only need 6/7 to unlock the final node

To the Lighthouse: Complete a Flawless Trials Ticket.

Trials and Tribulations: ?

Deconstruction: Earn a Wrecking Ball medal in Trials. (1)

Primary Adept: ?

Special Adept: Defeat Guardians in Trials with Special Weapons. (30)

Heavy Adept: ?

Lifegiver: Revive fallen teammates in Trials. (25)

Judge, Jury, Executioner: Complete Trials of Osiris milestones in the Age of Triumph Record Book to unlock this page's emblem. (6) Reward: By Fire

The nodes marked with “?” indicates that they did not hover over it to reveal it’s requirement. However, you can probably sense a pattern and make an educated prediction on what some of the nodes are judging by that pattern and the names. As well as that, certain nodes will auto-filled if you meet the requirements come March 28th.

TO BE CONTINUED

[isakthedragon]

A Dragon Sized Adventure Chapter 27

Chapter 27: Raiding the Freezer

*Crash and the gang chase Dingodile into the Ice Age Terrarium, but lose him among the ice walls that are around. Most of the floor is covered in snow, with trees and ruins here and there sticking out from the snow.*

While they were walking to the next terrarium, Sonic asks a question that has been on everyone's minds. "Crash? We did hear what Knuckles told us about the mutants, but I still don't feel like we got the full picture."

Crash: "Like I said, I am a mutant too, and so is Crunch."

Crunch: "Yeah, and we won't lie, we were evolved and worked on by Cortex too."

Sonic: "Then who do we know you aren't aiding the enem-D'OH!!" Sonic was hit again by Amy's hammer.

Amy: "Must you always think that just because they were with evil means that they are evil?! Shadow and Silver should be enough proof that you can't use that."

Sonic: "Sorry, Amy, but I do it because you can't always trust someone's intentions. I can't let Eggman get the upper hand like that. I'm not like you or Cream, or the others."

Amy sighs. "Sorry for hitting you, Sonic, you're right."

Crunch: "Sonic is kind of right. Cortex tried using us to lead his mutant army, like all those Magmadons and others you saw, so he could take over the world.

Shadow: "How did you guys escape from that?"

Crash: "I was too much of a goofball to be brainwashed to evil."

Crunch: "Coco was most likely too smart, and Crash helped awaken me from their mind control."

Sonic: "Well, know that I hear that, I trust you guys."

Crunch: "We do kind of feel bad for those other mutants though."

Crash: "We try to help save them from their mind control too!"

Cream: "Does Mr. Crash and Mr. Crunch want us to save any we see?"

Crunch: "If you guys could, that would be nice. Those mutants are quite helpful anyway."

Sonic: "Can do!"

*The others agree to do so as the door opens for the next terrarium.*

Crash and most of the others shiver as a chilly blast hits them.

Sonic notices that Spyro and Cynder are the few not shivering (Blaze is the other). "How come you guys are not feeling the cold like most of us are? Aren't you guys cold-blooded or something?"

Cynder: "Not necessarily, dragons are pretty special compared to other reptiles."

Spyro: "Yeah. We're more warm-blooded. We can produce our own heat. In fact, our blood is so hot (Almost to boiling), it makes us quite warm. Why not grab us?"

Amy is the first to put a hand. "Mmm, they're right! I can feel it. So warm."

*Anyone who was feeling cold, especially Team Chaotix, warm up with Spyro and Cynder.*

Spyro: "Let's go then, and just stay close to us. The faster we collect these crystals, the sooner we can leave."

Sonic: "Heh, now you're speaking my language!"

-----

Level 6: Snowy Depths

Crates: 81

Time Trial

Sapphire: 1:30.00

Gold: 1:25.00

Platinum: 1:20.00

Ratcicles to Save: 5

Helping Partner: Omega

Badniks: Penguinator: Slip-sliding penguins Star Pointer: Sharp ice flying though the air, ouch!

Beasts: Penguins: *Wenk!* Seals: *Bark!* Echidna (It may not be, also called hedgehog and porcupine): *Mumbles about no chuckling.*

Mutants: Ratcicles: Rat + Icicle hybrid who have a deposition to freeze things. Note, it can't stop time. :P

W-w-w-welcome to the Ice Ages-s-s-s-s... *Shakes off the cold*. There's plenty of ice, snow, and more ice, and more snow. The first ice level takes place in an ice canyon with those high cliffs around you. Beside some minor pits here and there, the only worrying things are the beasts, but ever they go down in one hit.

Achievement Unlocked: FREEZE!

-----

Level 7: Icy Fields

Crates: 110

Time Trial

Sapphire: 2:00.00

Gold: 1:55.00

Platinum: 1:50.00

Ratcicles to Save: 5

Helping Partner: Shadow

We've left the ice canyon of the last level and have entered an open ice field. Thankfully, everyone knows how to ice skate so no face-planting on the ice here. Why not enjoy all the sliding you'll be doing. WHEE!

Achievement Unlocked: An Icy Ballet

-----

Level 8: Ratcicle Cubes

Crates: 75

Time Trial

Sapphire: 1:40.00

Gold: 1:35.00

Platinum: 1:30.00

Ratcicles to Save: 5

Helping Partner: Rouge

Those icy fields from before have changed into some melted oceans. But it's too cold to swim in. Thankfully, we have Ratcicles here to get you across the ice floes. Ratcicles move across the water by freezing what's below them and riding the surf they make. There are some icy walkways here and there to break up the monotony of crossing the water.

Achievement Unlocked: Snow Rats Walking

-----

Level 9: Snow Drifting

Crates: 65 (All the crates lay on top of the snow drifts.)

Time Trial

Sapphire: 3:00.00

Gold: 2:50.00

Platinum: 2:40.00

Ratcicles to Save: 5

Helping Partner: Sgt Byrd

New Badnik: Snow Pawn: It throws fast snowballs at you, and it can hurt if you don't smack them away. Luckily, Crash's spin can easily return the snowballs to sender.

Past those ice floes are heavy clouds filled with snow. Snow-covered fields are abundant here and Crash can easily fall into the drifts. Sgt Byrd is willing to help though; Crash can hitch a ride on his feet and be lifted by him. Or you could keep jumping out of the snow, treating it like quicksand, but it's a bit slower. It's quite different to your normal level, but it's pretty easy to cross the snow.

Achievement Unlocked: Adrift in a Snowy Bank

-----

Level 10: Crystal Cave

Crates: 88

Time Trial

Sapphire: 1:45.00

Gold: 1:40.00

Platinum: 1:35.00

Ratcicles to Save: 5

Helping Partner: Bentley

Now we have entered a cave, and look at all of those pretty crystals. Watch out for the ice and the icicles falling from the ceiling. Around the halfway point, the cave splits in 2, the right being the normal path and the left being the death route. The death route has more ice and icicles and also has logs and pillars crashing from the ceiling that you have to time to pass. If you can survive the ceiling onslaught, the blue gem in the end is yours. The end of the death route meets with the normal route near the end, but I bet you want to return to the checkpoint near the start of the route and take the normal path. Just watch the badniks and beasts, and you'll make it though.

Achievement Unlocked: Snowy Spelunking

-----

*Our heroes go to the center of the Terrarium where they hear Dingodile laughing.*

Dingodile: "Break out the butter! We're gonna make toast! I'm gonna start with that pink cat, heh."

Blaze: "You don't want to do that."

Dingodile: "Don't tell me what to do!" *He flames her, but nothing happens.* "Uh-oh. Why didn't that work?"

Sonic, in the background: "You shouldn't have done that! Now you're about to experience her fiery wrath."

*Blaze gains her flame aura.* "Flames are a fickle thing, Dingodile."

Dingodile: "The flames love the way I control them! I doubt you can even burn me!" *He stomps his feet, making ice crystals fall from the ceiling, spinning around him as the fight begins.*

Boss: Dingodile

No need for running from Dingodile this time, he's going to stay behind those crystals. There aren't many rings around, so you can't really go super, but if you let Blaze take over, you're practically invincible to Dingodile's attacks. She'll absorb his flame meteors and flame blasts. Those flame blasts will also break the crystals so you can get up to Dingodile and flame him, making his tank overload and explode, knocking out a chunk of his health and pushing you out so more crystals can drop down safely. Do this 3 times to win.

Achievement Unlocked: Singed Dingo and Fried Crocodile

Singed and beaten, laying on the ground, Dingodile says: "You thrashed me, mates. No worries, but you're about to go up against much worse!" *He suddenly turns into a mass of photons as he is teleported from the Terrarium.*

Sonic: "From what I saw, I doubt it. Heh."

*They decide to go to the force field ahead of them, which drops since they have 10 crystals. They move on to the next terrarium...*

-----

DEATH HEAD'S BRIDGE

*Dingodile is transported in front of Cortex and the others, still covered in his black soot.*

Cortex groans. "I hate that bandicoot!"

Eggman: "Perhaps you should discipline Dingodile for his failure."

Cortex: "Yes! Of course! Dingodile, to your room! No food today for your horrible performance."

Dingodile: "Yes, sir..." *He sulks out the elevator at the back of the bridge as Tiny and Koala Kong rush in, running over him.*

Koala Kong speaks first. "Yo, Cortex! Let me and Tiny here go and smush that orange bandicoot to paste!"

Tiny: "YES! Let Tiny and Koala Kong wish to pwn Crash and others!"

Cortex: "A good idea! Transport! Send them to the Roman Terrarium."

Transport (Who sounds like Cubot, cause it is.): "Yes, sir!" *Tiny and Koala Kong are transported away.*

Eggman mutters: "I give them 2 minutes with Crash and Sonic."

Cortex: "What?"

Eggman: "Nothing! Just that I hope we succeed!"

Cortex: "We will..." *In a whisper* "I hope."

Next Time: Be nice to the lions in the Roman Terrarium

[tialovestelevision]

The Ring

It’s the year 2000. UFC has really hit its stride, with megastars like Tito Ortiz and Randy Couture at their physical peak, six major pay per view events, and an enormous amount of cultural cachet. Pro wrestling, meanwhile, is just starting to descend from its hottest period - there are still three major national promotions, the two biggest of which are running the two top-rated shows in cable, and while World Championship Wrestling is in decline by this time, the World Wrestling Federation is doing absolutely crazy business. The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Mankind are all at the very top of their game, and Bill Goldberg is on a tear in Atlanta while Sting and Hulk Hogan retain an enormous ability to draw ratings and make money. Boxing is getting a lot of attention, too, though it’s in a period of relative decline compared to its most recent peak. On the whole, combat sports and sports entertainment - which are often mixed up by people outside their various fandoms - are as big a part of the entertainment and cultural landscape as anything else. Angel is a show about life in the world’s core of showbiz. How could it not do an episode about this? And because Angel is about the dark side of everything, how could that episode not involve people enslaving demons to resurrect the gladiatorial exhibitions of ancient Rome? 1. Cordelia is on Demons Demons Demons. Probably .com. It’s a demon database. She’d rather call it Demon Database. If this was made a few years later, it’d be WikiEvil. Wolfram & Hart isn’t in the database, but there are a lot of things in the database. Cordy wants to make a demon dating site. That’s… not a terrible idea. 2. Now Cordy and Wes are insulting each other’s dating lives. Ouch. Cordy just said Angel wears a push-up bra. They have a client, though, who’s injured. Looks like he’s been punched in the face. A lot. His name is Darren McNamara, and his brother Jack was kidnapped last night. The kidnappers left his finger in Darren’s mailbox. They weren’t people. 3. Darren and Jack aren’t close. And Michael Buffer isn’t guest starring in this, which is a mistake. Jack was in over his head with a bookie named Nellin. Darren tried to stop demons from dragging Jack away, but it didn’t work. He’s willing to pay ransom. Angel is going to chat with the bookie. 4. Angel does a badass entry, because he’s good at that, and talks to Nellin. It’s about making Jack an example now, so Nellin won’t take Darren’s money. He will take Angel’s, though, as a bribe to sell out his demon partners. Angel’s going under Beachwood Canyon now to look for Jack. 5. Cordy is searching the demon database for the demons that kidnapped Jack. They are pale and bald and slimy and have claw-like hands and a sulphuric smell. Cordy has dated this guy a lot. Cordy found the demon. It’s a howler demon. 6. Angel is underground now. Searching with a flashlight. he found the howler demons and is fighting them now. It’s not going well. They do make a lot of noise.Someone’s watching the fight. They sold Jack. Angel found out to whom. He’s now back in town at a line going into a building. People need tickets, but Angel doesn’t play by The Man’s rules, so he’s going in a grate in the back. 7. Fancy party. Angel meets a black-haired woman drinking wine with a gambling ticket. Then he goes further in to find a fighting pit with a cage. There’s demons fighting in the pit. When one brings the other down, the crowd chants “Killing Blow.” It’s no “Joe’s gonna kill you” or even “What?” but it’ll do. The cage is also equipped with a Do Not Cross red line. The green demon who’s winning has a knife now. He slit the other demon’s throat.Tom Cribb is the green demon’s name, who has had seven career kills. The next fighter is from the barren wastelands of Trevyok, which I assume is somewhere near Sacremento. I… think I just saw 2010-era Bret Hart in the background of a shot, but that makes no sense at all. Ah! It was Jack. Anyway, Trevyok-guy. “The Menace of Venice!” Passable. “The Titan of Terror!” You need a better sell job than this ring announcer can give to pull that one off. “The Avatar of Agony!” Okay, I like that one. “The one, the only…” Filling time. “VAL TREPKOS!” There was once a pro wrestler named Richard Blood. You’d think that would be the perfect name for a wrestler, except that Mr. Blood was a legitimately nice guy. Decent. Family man. Great athlete. Couldn’t play evil to save his own life, and Richard Blood is a villain name. So when wrestling, he used the name Ricky Steamboat. Val Trepkos should have asked Mr. Blood to use his birth name. Val Trepkos is a terrible demon gladiator name. 8. Angel follows Jack out of the arena and into the back. He found Jack and Darren and a bunch of guys with tasers. He’s been set up by his own client. Angel threw Jack then got tased into unconsciousness. They’re going to use him in the fights. 9. Now Angel is in a cage. He has a metal bracelet on that says “XXI.” He asked for a room with a view. Angel speaks Spanish, Russian, and Italian, but his roommate does not. Jack just called everyone “slaves.” The wristband makes sure the fighters don’t cross the red line, but comes off after the twenty-first kill. I don’t think I believe that. Angel says he’s not killing anyone, but Jack says that means Angel will be killed. 10. Cordy thinks something is wrong. Wes does not. Wes is going to see the bookie. 11. Angel and the demons are having lunch. There’s gruel. Cribb took a guy’s gruel. Angel is getting it back. Cribb has killed a lot of vampires, but Angel still took the guy’s gruel back. Lasovek is fighting Baker. Trepkos is in the main event against Mellish, whose gruel Angel saved. A demon just jumped across the red line, and disintegrated. Unpleasantly.Angel is now in a fight, though. 12. Wesley is at the bookie’s. The bookie is punching a guy, but Wes interrupted. Nellin mocks Wes when Wes pulls a crossbow, but then he shoots Nellin’s hand and takes his gun before getting Nellin’s guys at gunpoint. Pretty badass. He let the guy Nellin was beating up go, then started using the arrow to torture Nellin. 13. It’s time for a fight. The black-haired woman is talking to Darren about Angel’s soul. She just bet on Angel. The guy Angel helped is giving Angel advice, but Angel isn’t going to kill his opponent. The ring announcer is really not great. Angel’s fighting, very defensively, not giving the crowd the show they want. 14. Cordy and Wes are playing cop outside the arena, conning a couple into giving up their tickets. They say there’s a raid going down tonight to get the people whose tickets they took to leave. 15. Angel is still in his fight. The crowd is very unhappy. Wes and Cordy found Darren, and Angel. The matches date back to Rome. Wes knows how the bracelets work. Darren just set his bracelet down. Now the demon Angel’s fighting has a knife. That won’t kill a vampire… the crowd is on the killing blow chant again. Angel accidentally killed the guy. Now the crowd is cheering, so what they’re there for isn’t the quality of the fight; it’s the killing. 16. “That wasn’t the first life I’ve taken. Or the twenty-first.” Angel’s friend is going to get killed by Trepkos. Yep. Very fast. The fans did not get their money’s worth in the main event. It was 2016’s Survivor Series in there. 17. Cordy wants to call the police, but Wes points out both that the police are probably in on it and that if they weren’t, Darren and Jack would kill the fighters if there was a hint of an investigation. Wes needs a cuff to make a key, which wouldn’t be easy except Cordy took the one Darren was playing with. Oops. 18. Jack is an idiot who let Angel drag him across the line and take him hostage. Darren is there, and Angel is searching Jack’s pockets and yelling at Jack and generally terrifying him, but the other demons aren’t moving. But Darren shot Jack and Angel both, then sent guards in to blast Angel with shock sticks. So Jack’s dead, but Angel’s in an office with the black haired woman. Her name is Lilah Morgan. She’s a fight fan and a lawyer, an associate at Wolfram and Hart. She bought his contract from McNamara. Lilah seems to think of herself as a decent person picking the battles she can win. “There’s not one reason we can’t work together.” Angel: “You’re right. There are about a thousand.” He’s going back to the arena. 19. The cuff is half magic, half technology, and they need something that conducts only a moderate amount of electricity to open it. 20. Angel’s back at the arena now. The demons think he’s crazy. He probably is. Darren has put Angel up against Trepkos, who is at 20 kills now. 21. The key to making the key is horsehair, and Cordy thought of it. Wes can now open the cuffs. 22. Lilah is betting on Trepkos. “Is this how you want to pay for your freedom? With 21 bodies? You’ll always be their slave, even if they take that off your wrist.” Trepkos promised to kill Angel quick; Angel says he won’t let Trepkos do so. Now they’re fighting. Cordy is in the back, looking for the ladies’ room. She made a distraction so Wes could get into the barracks. He’s talking to the bully demon. Wes told the bully demon about the key, so the demon took it and unlocked his own cuff. They just tossed sticks down into the pit, so Trepkos has a long stake. So does Angel. Wes is watching Darren around the edge of the cage. Angel got impaled, but in the gut. Now Angel’s got Trepkos on the ground, but threw his stick away. Crowd is booing. Bully demon is releasing the other demons, but Trepkos is beating Angel up and Wes and Cordy are sneaking around. Angel’s getting kicked in the head a lot. But Trepkos isn’t killing him either. Angel fell down.The guards have tasers, but Wes has a gun on Darren. Then the demons storm the ring, and some of them are grabbing fans from the side and pulling them into the pit. Wes is fighting Darren, but Cordy pushed him into the pit. Bully demon put his cuff on Darren, and Trepkos threw Darren over the red line, so he disintegrated. Now Trepkos and Angel and bully demon are walking out together. 23. Angel, Cordy, and Wes are leaving together. They just realized they set a bunch of demons free. They look horrified, but we know demons aren’t all evil because the show has told us that. Overall: That was neither bad nor good, neither great nor awful. It came in, did its job, and left. A story about combat sports, or about slavery, or about the virulent nature of violence could all have been told in that framework, but none of them were. Instead, we got an hour in which a simple, coherent narrative was told competently and all the pieces of the plot fell in together, but nothing was learned and nobody grew. Except Trepkos. I guess he grew. And bully demon. But none of us grew.