#and this is most certainly team rocket content

[hollowsart]

ALSO IN RELATION TO THAT LAST POST: I’m watching a video about scrapped things from GSC and it’s touching heavily on that beta demo and apparently Giovanni was supposed to make an appearance in the radio tower?

If travel between timelines/realities is EVER possible within my lifespan I would love nothing more than to go and play the GSC that was planned in the demo.

Because just from that information alone... why would Giovanni be in the radio tower with Team Rocket grunts and also be a part of the league??

My guess is that perhaps.. he did answer the call, or he was the one who was the true head of the whole radio takeover? And he ran off, disbanding the team for the 2nd time, and through your remaining journey he is off getting stronger.

You, having assumed he ran off like he did in the first games, go about your journey as you normally would. Having defeated Team Rocket once again and collecting your final badges, etc. You head to the League.

There, you see Giovanni and he has something to say, probably about his skills having gotten better since the last time you fought, and that he has gotten so good that he has now become a member of the Elite. Taking over the placement of one Lorelei/Agatha. He probably boasts a bit before giving out his favored line “World Of Pain“ and thus a very difficult battle ensues!

Then again... something else could have been planned for him entirely!

I can only imagine, though.

[koolfrogz]

Misconceptions Regarding MCC14

Recently there have been a load of misconceptions regarding many of the controversies that happened this MCC, especially on Twitter and Tiktok, so I thought I would make a giant post detailing these and why they are wrong so I can scroll through my dash in peace.

1. Hbomb purposely abused a glitch in HITW that got Illumina and Mefs banned from MCC on the practice server. 

This one can easily be broken down into three components: 1. Misinformation about the glitch itself 2. Misinformation about the Mefs and Illumina incident 3. When does abusing a glitch count as cheating?

Firstly, the glitch Hbomb used is actually very common in HITW and has been around since the game was first introduced. The devs know about it and have not made any complaints about it because the usage of the glitch itself is heavily luck based (depending on the ping of the player) and does not guarantee a win to any player who does get it. Take for example PearlescentMoon who has used the glitch repeatedly throughout many competitions (i.e MCC 11), yet has not gained any significant advantage through it because, again, there is still an element of skill required to use it. This glitch is not only known by the devs, but has been used before in HITW. It is not something new that Hbomb exploited as a means of getting ahead.

Secondly, the Illumina and Mefs situation is not at all comparable to the Hbomb one. Illumina and Mefs were using a completely different glitch which did guarantee a win to the player because it allowed the player to afk on the platform and allow the blocks to pass through them. They were not banned for exploiting this glitch, but rather reprimanded by Scott and the devs for not reporting it to them sooner. Mefs and Illumina are still allowed in MCC and only didn’t compete this time because the teams had already been formed.

Finally, in regards to the idea of cheating itself when using such a glitch, the idea that what Hbomb did counts as cheating is absurd considering past MCCs and the various glitches which have been abused as well. I’ve seen a lot of people mention the infamous Wilbur Glitch and I think its a perfect example. The Wilbur Glitch is from the game Rocket Spleef which was not played this MCC but certainly will be in the future. The glitch involves the player becoming stuck in a block and seemingly floating in the air allowing them to basically secure a win without admin intervention. This glitch is much more OP than the glitch Hbomb used, and we have even seen admins purposefully try to kill players for using it (i.e Philza MCC11). However, even when players have purposefully attempted to get it (Wilbur, Phil, Quackity, etc.), I have never seen the fandom react so negatively as to accuse them of cheating. It is not fair to accuse Hbomb of cheating when he abuses a glitch which has been in the game for ages and not do the same with your favourite creators who do a much more busted glitch as well. Personally, I don’t consider either of these cheating, but that’s my opinion.

2. They removed Parkour Warrior because Dream was too good. That’s not fair.

Okay, this one is very simple as its just not true. This falls under the assumption that Dream was the only player to finish Parkour Warrior which is not true (PeteZahHutt completed the course twice and was the first to ever complete it in MCC 6). While the reason the Parkour Warrior map was destroyed in MCC 11 is said to be that EpicLandlord destroyed it because “he was annoyed at how good Dream was at it”, this is mainly a joke (think of the Ranboo being banned from MCC situation, while Ranboo isn’t in MCC there’s no actual beef and he’s not actually banned.) Secondly, if you weren’t around for Parkour Warrior when it was still in MCC, or have only ever seen Dream or Pete’s POV, you might not know, but Parkour Warrior was a miserable game mode (think Build Mart/Bingo but ten times worse because there was no chance to improve your placement other than just being good at Parkour). The game was 10 minutes of pure rage and frustration from competitors, which while entertaining at times, wasn’t the best for content when only two POVs in the entire competition were deemed watchable. This also wasn’t good for a competition because it meant that only two teams at most were progressing (and by a large amount) due to one player while the rest lagged behind. It gave the teams which had Pete and Dream a huge advantage and made the game unfun and unfair to everyone else, so they revamped the game (to Parkour Tag) to make it an even playing field where everyone had a chance to win (in the spirit of MCC). 

3. Scott had an unfair advantage in the competition and should be removed from the Dev Team or the Participants List.

This one is slightly more nuanced and may not have a definitive answer. Yes, Scott does have a slight advantage due to being a part of the dev team in every MCC. However, this MCC was definitely an outlier in that fact. Scott has been known to share info and tips with his teammates in past MCCs, but it has not truly impacted their performance on a significant level because the players knew a majority of the information anyways (the game rules, maps, etc). This MCC was unfair because Scott had a bigger advantage than originally assumed (it doesn’t mean he did it with malicious intent, it just means there was a severe oversight when designing the maps and explaining the rules to players). Also, the idea that Scott was guaranteed a win because he was part of the Dev Team is ridiculous and untrue. 

Scott has always been treated on the same level as any other player and has not been giving special privileges because he helped work on the tournament. Take for example MCC 8. Scott was teamed with Tommy, Philza, and Wilbur, and they were doing very well! Then came (wait for it), Ace Race. Scott experienced a glitch which allowed him to remain with his Elytra activated for half the course and allowed him to skip over multiple checkpoints and placed him in first. However, by skipping over these checkpoints the game corrected his placement and put him in last. This was seen as not fair at the time and the Red Rabbits did complain, to which Noxite responded that there was nothing they could do and Scott would just have to finish the round as normal. This glitch severely impacted the Red Rabbits standings and possibly led to them not being able to compete in Dodgebolt that MCC. Yet, Scott was never treated differently than any other player throughout the glitch despite being a part of the Dev Team.

For the next MCC, I certainly think that Scott should be allowed to play as normal. I truly believe this MCC was a fluke, and although I too felt a little salty seeing my favourite go from 2nd to 30th, I believe that it is not worth getting up in arms about it because at the end of the day there is a whole season of competitions where any team has a chance to win. 

4. They should have restarted the round and allowed the participants to retry the map.

While I too would have loved to see a rematch for Ace Rae, I would like to say that I, and probably many of the people playing, knew that it wasn’t going to happen. Noxcrew is very strict about the way MCC is run, it’s why I think it works so well. However, this means that they will not budge on these rules even in the face of something such as this competition’s Ace Race debacle. In the entire time of MCC, Noxcrew have only once ever restarted a round. This was in MCC 7 during Battle Box after there were server issues causing extreme lag for everyone (and Wilbur and Magistrex blew up their own teammates). It was unlikely that they were going to restart the round due to the mistake, and honestly, it might’ve caused more trouble than good to reset the points and the entire round of Ace Race. 

5. The Spirit of MCC

This last one is more of a general statement than a misconception, but I would like to say that I have seen a lot of newer fans confused and upset about this MCC’s outcome. However, I would like to remind everyone that at the end of the day MCC is a for-fun tournament which brings MCYTs of every background to compete and have fun. Yes, there is an element of competitiveness as it is a competition, but it goes against the very spirit of the competitions to be toxic and rude in spite of not winning or placing lower than you expected. At the end of the day, it is a MC tournament that has no monetary prize other than a golden coin. It is immature to slander, spread misinformation, or send death threats and harassment over such a tournament and I wish shame upon anyone who’s first reaction to not winning or their team not winning was to do such a thing. MCC is a brilliant tournament that has changed the game for how MC Competitions have been done, and it is disheartening to see the hard work Noxcrew and Scott have done be disrespected as such. I hope next MCC the fandom can come together and make this the lovely fandom event it once was. 

[startistdoodles]

What is your opinion on all of the pokemon gens? Is there gens you like over others? Or do you love them all equally?

I love all of the gens for different reasons, but there are certainly some I love more than others. Fair warning, I'm gonna be a bit critical with some of these, and if you disagree that's totally fine!! These are just my opinions ^^

Anyways, I'll put them all under the cut since this is about to get VERY long and rambly ^^; Sorry about that, I have a lot of thoughts and there are many regions, haha.

I will also include TL;DR's for every region for those who just want to know briefly what my opinion is on a specific generation.

GEN 1: KANTO - (RBY/FRLG/LGPE)

I'm going to start this one off by saying that the Kanto games are great for series starters. It was a wonderful introduction into the world of Pokémon and has a simple yet enjoyable story. It also contains some of the most popular and recognizable characters and the first season of the anime is my favorite. There's a reason it went on to become a franchise that is one of the most popular in the world.

But, and this is probably gonna be controversial, I think the Kanto games are kinda....boring. It really does have that 'first game' feeling to me. There's kind of a story with Team Rocket and I really like the twist of Giovanni being a Gym Leader and your rival being Champion, but other than that it's kinda...meh! Quite a few of the Pokémon in the Kanto dex feel like filler and aren't really as memorable as later gens.

I've played through Let's Go: Eevee and had a pretty fun time! But I don't really see myself playing through Kanto as often. It's just kinda meh. I think they only got better from here.

TL;DR: The weakest of the gens, but makes for a great first installment to the franchise and I respect it for that.

GEN 2: JOHTO - (GSC/HGSS)

Johto was definitely an improvement from Kanto, and I like it a LOT more. There still isn't a very strong story but I do think they build upon the foundation that Kanto created very well. Allowing the player to travel between Kanto and Johto in the postgame is amazing and it makes for the biggest world with the most locations in any mainline Pokémon title I believe

I love the music, the mythology with the two new Legendary Pokémon they added, and in HGSS having your Pokemon follow behind you is a feature I never tire of. This following feature was implemented so much better than in future titles, in my humble opinion. Johto may still lack a bit in the story and memorable Pokémon department (at least imo), but I think that they compensated HEAVILY with the new mechanics and features that are still used to this day. Stuff like breeding and shiny Pokémon are all thanks to gen 2.

TL;DR: Beautiful region (especially in HGSS), lovely soundtrack. Still not as much story, but it's a big improvement from gen 1 and it compensates by having so much more content in it.

GEN 3: HOENN - (RSE/ORAS)

Hoenn took a big risk by separating itself from Kanto, and I'm really glad it did. The Hoenn games are tied with Sinnoh for my second favorite gens in the series, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I believe Hoenn is the first game where the badge quest almost comes second to the overarching plot of saving the world from the criminal organizations. In Kanto/Johto, it was mostly just scaring off bad guys who were up to some evil shenanigans but didn't really have much of an 'ultimate plan' that would threaten the region. In Hoenn though, things get much more interesting as you battle against Team Aqua or Magma (or both) in order to stop them from summoning an ancient legendary Pokémon that would flood/dry up the world.

The stakes are very high, and I really like that. It gives us more to work towards other than being the very best trainer. Not to mention the Pokémon designs are super good and unique and are some of my favorites. Hoenn is the Pokémon game that I have replayed the most, it's just a lot of fun.

The music in Hoenn is ICONIC, Groudon/Kyogre/Rayquaza Battle lives in my head rent-free, as does Aqua/Magma Boss, Elite Four Battle, Abandoned Ship and so many more.

TL;DR: Great story, great Pokémon designs, great music, Gen 3 is popular for a very good reason. Tied with Sinnoh for my 2nd fave gen.

GEN 4: SINNOH - (DPPT/BDSP)

I'm going to mainly focus on the original Sinnoh titles and their remakes, but I'll do a very quick little opinion on Legends: Arceus:

L:A: It's very very good!! It does lean pretty heavy into Sinnoh myth but I think it explains it enough for new players to grasp. Graphics and the human dialogue animations could be better, probably the weakest aspect of it. But other than that, wonderful game!! I've already replayed it once and it's truly a lot of fun.

NOW onto the main Sinnoh titles: As I stated before, it's tied with Hoenn for my second favorite gen in the series. I'm sure you can tell by now that I really like the games with an interesting story and that's why I enjoy Sinnoh as well.

Gen 4 is when they introduced the mythology of the Pokémon world, how it came to be and the deity Pokémon that rule over it. It's very neat and I love all of the hidden books and details that may be overlooked that add even further to the lore. It's not really shoved in your face too much about what these Pokémon are all about. All you know is that Cyrus is fascinated by them and he seems to have something to do with them. The rest of the lore is pretty much up to the player to dig around and find bits of old texts. Cyrus' laptop has research notes in it about them, Canalave Library's top floor houses several ancient books. It's not entirely spoon-fed to you, and I like that about it.

I do think Platinum is the much more improved and 'definitive' version of Sinnoh, as the characters seem a bit more fleshed out (Cyrus in particular) as well as some more quality-of-life things like the expanded Pokédex and not having to backtrack all the way to Hearthome for the badge, you just get it on your first visit.

The Pokémon designs here are also very iconic to me, however....it may have a bit too many legendaries. I know Sinnoh is all about mythology and legends but...Pokémon like Manaphy, Phione, Shaymin and Heatran feel shoehorned in. I like them, don't get me wrong (I have no strong feelings about Heatran though). But I can admit they're a little unnecessary :')

The music is also VERY good and atmospheric here, with a lot of the town and route themes being my favorites. Route 209, Route 216, Canalave City and Game Corner are just a few of my faves :)

Anyways, I have a soft spot for gen 4, it was my first Pokémon game and the one I have put the most hours into. I have never reset my original Pearl copy because it's just meaningful to me that way. Lots of memories in that game.

TL;DR: Sinnoh is a really interesting region with lots to discover. I love the music, the Pokémon and the mythology this gen introduced. Platinum is much better than DP/BDSP though and I believe it to be the definitive version of Sinnoh.

GEN 5: UNOVA (BW/BW2)

And now we reach gen 5, my absolute favorite in the series. And I don't think it's hard for me to explain why as it combines all of the elements that I love about Pokémon games into one game.

The story. It's just so thought-provoking for a Pokémon game. I love most of the stories, but this is the only one that makes me think. The titles are Black and White, but the plot certainly isn't when compared to the previous titles. In Hoenn, for instance, there is a clear and definitive bad guy who wants to control a legendary to do something that is a negative for everyone. But in Unova we are challenged by N, who seems to have noble intentions despite being an antagonist. He says what most people who hate the Pokémon series have been saying for years: that people only hurt Pokémon and they should live apart from one another.

It's very philosophical with its message which may seem complicated for most people, but for me, it really made me appreciate and feel more involved in the story. Not everything is so black and white, and this game shows us this.

I could go on for ages about the story and characters and their arcs, but maybe if you wanna hear me ramble more I will talk about it in another post. For now, I'd like to talk about the Pokémon designs and the music. The music?? Is amazing. I'm always playing the BW/BW2 soundtrack while I'm working. Some of my favorites include Village Bridge, Gear Station, Opelucid City (White), Driftveil City, Unwavering Emotions and Elite Four Battle.

As for the Pokémon designs, they are so unique and memorable to me that they've become some of my faves. Yes, even the ice cream cone that is stronger than you realize and carried me through the Elite Four. BW Forces you to rely on new Pokémon and form new bonds rather than rely on your trusty Gyarados or Machamp. It isn't a huge problem for me since I tend to exclusively use Pokémon native to the region I'm playing but change is a gooddd thing.

TL;DR: Pokémon BW/BW2 are absolute masterpieces and my favorites in the series. The love and care that went into them is obvious and i am desperate for more unova content nintendo please im starvi

GEN 6: KALOS (XY)

This is going to be a bit of a turn, but while I like Kalos as a region and have put many hours into Pokémon Y, the story is...well...it's certainly not my favorite, lets put it that way.

I'll go ahead and start with the positives because even though Kalos isn't in my top 3, it does have very good things in it. Such as Mega Evolution, the switch to 3D was done very very well, and the music is also lovely and very unique.

Mega Evolution is probably the most popular and memorable thing about Kalos and for good reason. It gives us a chance to use some Pokémon that may have been overlooked before and gain an insane power boost now. Not all of them are created equally, however (looking at you Mega Kangaskhan and every Mega Pseudo-Legend that was already powerful to begin with and didn't need stronger forms).

The switch from 2D to 3D was done very well, and I remember importing so many Pokémon from my old games JUST to see what they looked like in 3D. It was so neat at the time, and seeing old Pokémon in this new style was such a cool experience!

The music is also very nice!! Some personal faves include Lumiose City, Trainer Battle, Laverre City and Xerneas/Yveltal battle.

As for the story...it's got a lot of. Weak points. First of all, Team Flare's plan doesn't really make a lot of sense to me and whenever I'm asked about Lysandre by my friends I just never remember what his deal is or why he hates the world so much and wants to destroy it. It's very vague and there's not really any hidden lore like with Cyrus about his past. All we really know is that he and Sycamore used to be friends. And then Lysandre turned to the dark side. Maybe there's more but I just don't really care that much about Lysandre...at all...to look into it. He's just kinda boring to me. 🙃

Not to mention that Megas are SEVERELY underutilized in XY. There's maybe like? 3? Fights? Where your opponent uses a Mega? And the final gym leader doesn't even use Pokémon with a full moveset? Even though by that time you're like level 40?

Honestly XY deserves a rambly post of its own but all in all despite its flaws I think it's an enjoyable game. Not my fave and not one I really return to often, but it is fun for what it offers.

TL;DR: More enjoyable to me than Kanto, but still has a lot of flaws. Definitely deserved a 3rd version. But the music, 3D graphics and Mega Evolutions are all well done.

GEN 7: ALOLA (SM/USUM)

I haven't replayed Alola in a hot minute so forgive me if I misremember parts or aren't as thorough. But concisely: I like Alola a lot! I really like the deviation they did from Gym battles and turned them into trials that you face. It's almost like the Noble Pokémon trials from Legends: Arceus, except there's more of them.

I like how theres different islands, the Kahunas all have really nice designs and the regional villain not being an 'Evil Team' was a really cool decision that deviated a lot from the other games! I ADORE Team Skull, they're all stupid and they're family to me.

I was very conflicted about Ultra Beasts for quite a while but I have recently come to like them. I think very weird alien Pokémon that come from another universe is such a neat concept and I actually hope they return in future games. I want to know more about Ultra Space and the wormholes!

The music is also very good, but there's not a whole lot of standouts for me. However the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart haunts my dreams forever.

I love the characters, the new Pokémon and Alola as a whole!! The biggest glaring downside though is that it's way too hand-holdy and there's wayyyyy too many cutscenes. It seems like every three steps triggers a cutscene or someone telling you what to do. It gets better later on in the game but the early game is pretty slow because of this. Also, I hardly ever use Z-moves. Not super interesting to me, but it's nice that any Pokémon can use them as opposed to the select few that can Mega Evolve.

TL;DR: Alola is a very good and enjoyable game with great characters and some of my fave Pokémon. Its main flaws are just that it's very hand-holdy and somewhat easy for experienced players.

GEN 8: GALAR (SWSH)

And finally we arrive in the Galar region. Sword and Shield get a lot of hate, and while I do think it has areas where it's lacking and it's not my favorite in the series, I don't think it deserves all of the hate that it gets. There is, however, room to criticize and that is what I will do. (Also: I haven't played the DLCs nor do I know enough about them to properly criticize, so I will just be talking about the base game)

But first! The good parts. The 3D models in the 3DS games suffered from lack of saturation disease, so I'm glad that SWSH fixes this. The Pokemon and the overworld is so vibrant (the wild area isn't as much, but the cities and routes are so overlooked imo, they're stunning). I love how Pokémon are walking around in the overworld like in LGPE, while others hide in the grass and can only be found if you search for them there. I also love how the Pokémon can be aggressive and chase you, it's great fun xD The camp, Pokémon jobs and the water bike are also great additions.

This is where I get a bit more critical. First, I find Dynamax a bit more interesting than Z-Moves, but it's still kinda eh. Not a lot of thoughts about it other than I think Gigantamax forms are a lot cooler than normal Dynamax even though the whole mechanic is pretty broken in competitive I hear. Ah well. It's a fine mechanic, I don't mind it existing.

And now the story. It's very reminiscent of XY where the potential is there but it just seems very unfinished. Chairman Rose's goal at least makes more sense than Lysandre's but that doesn't really make it compelling. I found it odd how Rose just summons Eternatus out of nowhere, this Pokémon that was never mentioned or hinted at beforehand and then he goes on to announce to the whole region that he made an oopsie and he's making that everyone else's problem. It's just very weird and feels a bit out of character for Rose. I know he's a paranoid man and has concerns for the region's future and all but this drastic measure just kinda came out of left field for me.

I will say though that before this moment, I found Rose to be a very funny and interesting character. I mean I kinda knew he would be the main villain but I found his paparazzi disguise and moments of braincell singularity charming. I think he would have made for a good antagonist but maybe not the best main villain.

Also I really really wish there were more fully animated cutscenes. That kinda goes for every 3 Pokémon game nowadays but just...seeing Zamazenta do a walk cycle while turning on the Y axis was just. So underwhelming.

TL;DR: SWSH may be flawed, but I did have fun playing it and there's a lot I love about it. I just wish the story was better executed and had some more interesting animations.

[epicspheal]

😐 I can't count on two, three, however many hands just how many times I've seen people say "X character in the game is actually Y character from the Pokespe manga!" or bring up the manga as if it's the "original" content for the games, I'm at my limit. Questioning if I'm wrong, but Pokemon is KNOWN for having a billion spin-offs not made by Gamefreak or it's original creator. Pokespe is "a" manga, like electric tale of Pikachu. It's not "the" manga, just the most popular/game accurate. Right?

Hi, there anon! You're absolutely right there are multiple mangas. We have some that follow the games, that follow the anime, the movies. There's no official manga. Pokespe just happens to be the most popular manga across the world. It's not even the most game accurate. Pokemon Zensho which came out after Pokespe and the anime is the most 1:1 adaptation of RBGY yet other than what we see in the Pokemon Origins adaptation. And yeah, I feel you about being over people trying to insist that the manga is the true canon. Out of the three big adaptations (the anime, the mainline games, and Pokespe) Pokespe is my least favorite. *ducks rotten tomatoes* Now, I'm not saying it's horrible, it has strong points that I like over both the games and the anime. It's just the writing for the arcs and the character changes *stares hard at the entirety of RBGY* just typically don't appeal to me the way the anime and games do and I tend to drop the arcs midway through because of the writing. Now why do so many insist that it's the original content for the games? It's because of a misrepresented quote the creator of Pokemon himself, Satoshi Tajiri who mentions that he felt that Pokemon Special was most like the world he was trying to convey in the games. People to tend to take that quote to mean that everything in Pokespe is what "truly" happened when that quote most likely meant just the worldbuilding and atmosphere that couldn't be realized in the Gameboy games. Remember Satoshi Tajiri was heavily involved in the creation of Pokemon Red/Blue/Green (he's credited as Director, Game Designer, Scenario Writer, and Map Designer) If the story beats and character arcs from the manga were what he wanted that would've been in the games from the get-go. And if not in RBGY (because there was a lot of struggles with getting Pokemon out there in the first place) then certainly by FRLG where he was credited as Scenario Writer and Executive Director. The Scenario writer is the big one because RBGY/FRLG are the only two games where he's credited for this. Scenario Writing is literally writing the story for the game. And yet by FRLG we don't have evil gym leaders outside of Giovanni, Blue/Green Oak still gets to be champion even if briefly, Lance isn't evil and has powers, Blue/Green the girl wasn't kidnapped by the mask of ice with Silver and has a fear of birds, and Yellow as a character doesn't exist. I think though Satoshi Tajiri certainly enjoyed Pokespe which is still high praise from the guy responsible for the concept of Pokemon. It's just people take it and run with it mainly to bash the anime but it spills over into the games as well. I think it's good for the community to remember that the games, anime and manga are all separate canons. Here's another quote from Satoshi Tajiri from Dr. Lava's Twitter Page. The main takeaway of that quote is the games and anime exist in separate parallel universe. This applies to the manga no matter what some people might try to say. And all that being said that doesn't mean that canons don't influence each other. As we see in Let's go Red/Blue/Green's teams mimic what was in Pokespe, but we also see the Team Rocket Trio from the anime (which also happened in Pokemon Yellow). Then we have the battle bond Greninja that also takes from the anime as well as the Shiny Beldum from ORAS triggering lines from Steven that reference Alain. So the games take note of other adaptations, which isn't a bad thing as both the anime and the manga have strong points that can help build the worldbuilding from the games.

[juantheashura]

First is your date discussion with Nova. When he asks you what it means to be a man, the question seems a bit pointed or weird when you play as trans or nb, bc it doesn't really seem to acknowledge the MC at all. I don't know enough about the context of the question, but depending on MCs genderchoice you might want to offer a couple more variations to the flavortext or answers? (2/3)

Anonymous asked:

The second thing is the rooftop fight with the mind controlled mob. ...They can fly, can't they? most of the civilians are normal people on the ground, couldn't the heroes just.. fly over the mob's head toward the mind controller and take her down directly? If she used the people as hostages maybe, but what's the point of landing in their middle and punching it out? If there is a reason it might help to tell the audience that, bc I at least didn't understand the necessity. (3/3) ---------------------------------------------------

Hello! Two things, first of all: 1) I dunno if Tumblr bugged out or something, but I didn't get the first of your three asks (the 1/3, I mean). If you wouldn't mind resending it, I'd really appreciate it! 2) I'm not really used to Tumblr in general, so I dunno if this is the appropriate way to answer more than one ask in one post. Google said it was, but if any of you have any different suggestions, I'd appreciate it. Now as to the actual content of your asks:

2/3- The question is meant more to be about Nova than the MC. It's meant less in the 'gender' sense, and I guess more in the 'behavioral' one. Nova's had plenty of people try to lambast his behavior or the way he is on the basis that he's a 'man', and thus he needs to act a certain way. The question is more for his benefit, he's trying to see if the MC won't hold him to a standard that he doesn't want to follow.

That said, I reread the section, and I think I understand what you're saying. It could be perceived as if Nova's judging the MC or asking a loaded question to target them, and that's certainly not my intent nor the intent of the character.

I think I have an idea on how to fix that. I'll add a small section for Nova to catch himself and make it clear he's not asking out of malice, and that he just wants to hear different perspectives. (3/3)- You can fly, yes, but the rooftop is meant to be swarming with people. The Controller is surrounded by too many people for the MC to just land next to them. This is hinted a little with Nova's comment beforehand, where he tries to aim one of his mini rockets at the Controller but there's too many people around her to make a clear shot. It's also mentioned a bit before when they spot you, they form a wall to avoid letting the team reach the Controller. I could probably change 'wall' to 'cocoon' and make the amount of people on the rooftop clearer, though! I'll give it a look tonight. Thanks for the feedback! I try to keep things inclusive and allow everyone to be anyone they want to be, but I'm a bit of a dumbass, so I appreciate you guys letting me know whenever there's something that's eyebrow-raising.

[cg29fics]

Pick and Mix Collection

A selection of Little Tracy fics for @gordonthegreatesttracy and @psychoseal

All can be found with other short stories in my Pick & Mix Collection on AO3 & FFNet: CreativeGirl29

School Reports. Aged 8.

Scott Tracy:

Scott is a bright young boy, who is extremely popular with all his classmates. He is always first to put himself forward for team challenges and is a natural team leader. However, Scott tends to be impulsive and rush into an activity or challenge, which on occasions as cost him a higher mark. Scott excels in English, Geography and Physical Education but tends to struggle in maths.

John Tracy:

John is a quiet, introspective and intelligent young man, who excels in Science, Maths, English and Information Technology. John as the potential to go far in life and could be moved up a grade if he was to apply himself to what he once referred to as the ‘boring subjects’ and stop correcting myself and my other colleagues when we are trying to teach.

Virgil Tracy:

Virgil is a lovely, thoughtful boy, who always listens in class, speaks when he is spoken to, and on occasions has gone out of his way to support other classmates when they are struggling. Virgil has a gift for art, music and history. He also recently earned top marks when we taught first-aid in his class. However, I would like to bring to your attention Virgil’s tendency to day dream when he is not taking part in one of his favourite subjects.

Gordon Tracy:

Gordon is a conundrum and seems to have two sides to him. On the one side, you have the sweet boy who will always be there for his friends, excels in physical education, especially swimming and did surprisingly well when we did our big baking day. However, the other side of Gordon has a habit of constantly chatting in class, despite being asked to be quiet and as unfortunately become known as the school clown. If Gordon were to apply himself in all his work instead of drawing pictures of himself as a fish, he could gain good marks in all his classes.

Alan Tracy:

Alan is a smart boy who as always got a smile on his face. When he is interested in a subject, or as been caught by an idea he is an absolute pleasure to teach. However, like his brother before him, he tends to chat in class, and on many occasions, has had his portable computer console confiscated when he has been found playing on it, instead of learning. Alan struggles in History but excels in science and maths. I would also like to bring to your attention Alan’s report on ‘Our Heroes.’ All the children in his class decided to write about a celebrity, sports personality or historical figure. Instead, Alan wrote a fantastic and touching report where he named his older brother John as his hero and who he would most like to be like when he grows up.

5 more fics beneath the cut

**

STAR BOY:

"John you've been told not to run in the house." His father complained, catching his 4-year-old son in his arms.

"I'm not John." John answered with a serious face.

"Oh, you're not?" Jeff remarked, observing the cape John had attempted to make out of his comfort blanket. "Well, I must say, you certainly look like my John!"

"Shush! Daddy." John whispered. No one can know my secret ident…" John paused, thinking about the word he was struggling to say. "Ident…"

Jeff smiled. "Identity."

John grinned. "Yeah, my secret identity."

"So, who are you then?" Jeff inquired curiously.

"I'm Star Boy." John shouted, as he managed to struggle free and started running around in circles.

Jeff let out a chuckle at his son's exuberance. "So, Star Boy. What powers do you have?"

"Fly in space." John cried with joy.

"And what's your current mission Jo… I mean Star Boy?"

John ground himself to a sudden halt. "Find baby Virgie!" He stated with a thoughtful look.

"Virgil." Jeff corrected. "And he's not missing, he's nice and safe in your mummy's tummy."

John stared at his dad in confusion. "But I heard you and mummy say that he was late, and then mummy said if he didn't turn up soon she would…"

"Okay, John." Jeff said cutting John off. He would have to have a word to Lucille about what John had overheard. He knew she would be mortified but John seemed to have exceptional hearing and they both knew that their boy was very bright for his age. Jeff held his arms out for his current youngest son. John happily ran into them, and let himself be pulled up onto his father's lap. "Now, Virgil is still safe in your mummy's tummy, the reason he's late is because your mum has made it so comfortable in there that he doesn't want to leave yet."

"But I want to find him, cause then I'll get to be big brother like Scotty." John frowned.

Jeff pulled John into a warm hug. "And you will be a brilliant big brother just like Scott." He assured him.

As Jeff held John tightly in his arms, a shout from his mother came from in the kitchen, followed by his oldest son running into the room.

"Daddy, Grandma said to tell you mummy's waters broken!" Scott panted.

Jeff pulled himself to his feet, keeping John firmly in one arm, and taking Scott's hand with the other. "Well, my Star Boy." Jeff said, looking at John with pride. "It looks like your mission was successful!"

"It was?" John asked with a puzzled expression.

Jeff beamed as he stood John next to Scott, who automatically took his little brother's hand in his. "Yes, you did!" He added, with a concerned look towards the kitchen as he heard his mother and Lucille call for him once more. "Looks like baby Virgil is on his way!"

Several hours later:

John grinned with joy, as with his mother's help, he held his new baby brother in his arms. "Hey, Virgie." He said softly. "I'm John, your big brother… And my secret is I'm also Star Boy." He whispered. "I helped find you today!" John looked at Virgil who gazed at him with his big eyes. "And my next mission is to be your big brother." He said with a contented sigh.

**

4 little brothers.

12 year old Scott Tracy stretched out in his bed, enjoying the warmth from is duvet on a cold winters night. Yes, this was his time. His time to relax after a full on day spent with 4 hyper younger brothers. His time to bask in the peace and quiet his room provided…

… THUNDERCLAP … the pouring rain began hammering at his window …

Scott sighed, threw back his blanket and began counting "5, 4, 3, 2, 1…"

… THUNDERCLAP … 4 scared little brothers rushed into his room …

"Come on then, jump in."

… THUNDERCLAP… 4 scared little brothers scurried noisily into the bed.

Pulling the blanket over them all Scott smiled when he felt each of them snuggle up to him. 'Forget the peace and quiet,' he thought to himself. He would prefer to have his 4 brothers any day!

**

First Day.

“Don’t want too…” Alan whined, clinging desperately onto his father’s trousers.

“But you have to,” Jeff returned, trying to loosen his son’s grip.

“Why?”

“Because…” Jeff paused, then exhaled, he had no answer for his baby. Honestly, he was out of his depth, normally this was Lucille’s job, but she wasn’t here like she had been for his other boys… He glanced at his four sons standing close by, none of them had wanted to miss this moment, none of them wanted Alan to feel like he was missing out on something, even though they knew that he was. After all, it shouldn’t be them doing this, it should be their mother. They’d all had her here for their first day, but Alan wouldn’t… And even though he hadn’t said anything they could see it in his eyes that he knew he was different from all of the other kids who were being dropped off by their moms.

“Because,” Scott said, stepping forwards, “you will get to make some cool new friends.”

“I will?”

“Yes,” John replied, “and you can play with some neat toys.”

“And when I was here,” Gordon added, “they had some awesome toy dolphins, and a submarine…”

Alan scrunched up his tiny nose.

Gordon grinned. “They also had some cars and toy rockets!”

“Wow!” Alan exclaimed.

“You can also draw and paint,” Virgil informed him.

“Without getting told off for using your paints?”

“As long as you share with your classmates,” Virgil said with a big smile, “then you can use whatever you want… And maybe you could bring me a picture back of your favourite toy?”

Alan nodded enthusiastically, then looked up to his dad. “I’m ready to go now daddy!”

Jeff knelt down so his eyes were level with Alan’s. “Have a brilliant day son.”

Alan beamed, loosened his grip, then immediately ran towards his teacher.

Standing, Jeff reached out and brought his four other boys into a warm hold. Knowing that whenever he was out of his depth then his amazing sons would always have his back.

**

The Beast

It was dark. Only a few rays of sunlight managing to penetrate the lair he had entered. He had been warned on numerous occasions about the beast that inhabited this area and was known to attack when woken, but he had not believed. Yes, he had seen it on many occasions, but all of those times it had been funny, friendly and caring. Surely, just because it was woken early it wouldn't attack. Especially since it was him.

He creeped closer. Currently it was lying on its stomach, eyes were tightly shut, and bizarre noises were emitting from it. Finally, reaching his destination he leant towards it, his hand reaching out, but then a sudden snort from the thing in front of him was released causing him to jump back. Maybe it wasn't best to disturb it? Maybe Gordon was right, and the beast did attack if provoked this early? Although his brother was known to make things up. This probably was just one of his jokes and the usual encounter would be received. He had to be brave and find out the truth. Straightening himself up, he stepped forwards, and placed his hand confidently on the shoulder in front of him…

"Virg…"

No movement, no signs of him waking, so he tried again…

"Virgie?"

This time a groan emitted from his brother, then once again he grew quiet…

"Virgie," he pushed harder on his shoulder, "please wake up."

A yawn, and a pair of bleary eyes opened, grumpy and nothing like the kind-hearted peaceful ones he was used to… He moved backwards… Maybe this was a mistake… But then there eyes met, and a soft gentle smile illuminated the features of his brother.

"Hey Alligator, what's up?"

"Nothing," Alan replied with a little snigger at the nickname.

Virgil regarded the three-year-old in front of him. "Nothing, really?"

"Well, Gordy said you were a beast in the morning, but I didn't believe him, so he said I should come and see for myself."

"Did he indeed?"

Alan nodded his head.

"Well, I'm not a beast."

"Knew it!" Alan cheered happily.

"But," Virgil looked at his clock, "when I am woken this early, I am known to turn into a bear."

Alan gasped in shock.

"And you know what bears do, right?"

Alan scrunched up his little nose and shuck his head…

"Well, they are known to attack."

"Really?"

"Yes, with…" Virgil paused for dramatic effect… "tickles!"

A fit of giggles erupted from Alan when Virgil pounced, flung him over his shoulder, then onto the bed where he began tickling him madly.

**

Baby Talk

"Hi, I'm Scott, I'm four years old, I love aeroplanes and jumping off the couch. Although mummy and daddy tell me off for that one. My best friend became a big brother to a little sister last year, he's really good at it, and I want to be the same. So, I will always cuddle you, care for you, and when you get bigger I will help you to learn all of the things I found hard. I promise that I will be the best big brother you could ask for…" He leaned in and kissed his mother's tummy, feeling a kick back in response… "Love you too!"

[starcountesseevee]

Halloween Shopping

“I don't know why I even agreed to come.” Arlo grumbled as he adjusted the uncomfortable baseball hat on his head.

“Oh shush, you're curious too that's why.” Sierra had come into the office that morning in a tizzy, while looking at Halloween costumes online the night before she had found what appeared to be knockoff Team Rocket costumes, although their red ‘R’ logo was backwards. The page not only featured poorly made grunt uniforms but also an imitation of the three leader's outfits.

She had looked up their store locations and, not so luckily for Arlo, there was a seasonal pop up store in town. Cliff had agreed to go immediately but it had taken more than a little convincing, and some bribing, to get Arlo to agree to go and check it out. They obviously couldn’t go in their Team Rocket uniforms to shop for the knockoffs so they had all changed into casual clothes, another point of contention for Arlo who begrudgingly complied with everything except not wearing his glasses - he needed something that made him feel like himself after all.

When they arrived the parking lot was already pretty full, since Halloween was only a couple of weeks away, which was probably for the best - hopefully they wouldn’t be recognized or stand out as much in the larger crowd. But while wearing a baseball hat might work for Arlo and Sierra the same could not be said for Cliff, his larger form towered over everyone as they walked in the front entrance earning him plenty of stares.

“So where do you think they would be?” Sierra mused as they began perusing the items up front.

“How would I know?” Arlo replied gruffly. “You’re the one that dragged us here.”

Ignoring his remark Sierra led them down the main aisle, making a face at the large Dusknoir that animated as they passed. All three lapsed into silence as they looked around but it was Sierra who finally spoke.

“Tch, who would want to dress as them?” She turned to face the other two holding up a replica of Candela’s signature jacket. Behind her was a whole display of Team Valor, Mystic, and Instinct apparel and accessories, although they were just called Team Red, Blue, and Yellow on the packaging. “So tacky.”

“You’re sure you don’t want to dress up in black leather and be Spark?” Arlo remarked snidely, grabbing a cheap knockoff of Spark’s Zapdos necklace to offer her.

“Only if you dress up as Candela.” Sierra shot back, sticking her tongue out at him. Arlo stifled a laugh, not the reaction she had been expecting, and she frowned. “What’s so funny?” She didn’t realize Arlo was looking over her shoulder until it was too late and she felt something being placed on her head. “What the hell! Cliff!”

Cliff chuckled as the overlarge Mismagius hat flopped down over her face hiding what was most certainly a scowl. “What? I thought you liked purple!” Before she could take it off there was a flash as Arlo snapped a picture.

“Why you-”

“Hey! Watch it!” Arlo cut her off, smirking as he showed Cliff the image. “Or this gets posted everywhere around headquarters.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Or maybe Spark would be interested-” Arlo was cut off as Sierra smacked him with the hat.

“You better delete that right now or-”

“Or what?”

“Hey look, I found it!” Cliff called back from around the next aisle. Sierra glared at Arlo before shoving the hat into his hands and stalking off to find Cliff.

To their disappointment the display for ‘Team Red R’, as it read, was much smaller than the VMI one and tucked away between a bunch of Pikachu outfits. The quality was of course terrible, the patterns of their outfits simply printed onto a stretchy spandex bodysuit and it was obvious more effort was put into designing the VMI outfits than these.

“Are you happy now?” Arlo rolled his eyes as he came up behind the pair. “We found them now can we...hey!” He abruptly stopped mid-sentence to grab the knockoff of his hooded suit off the rack to point at the price tag on it. “What gives?! Why is mine cheaper than both of yours?”

Sierra bit back a snicker. “Well probably because no one wants to buy it.”

Arlo ignored her, rifling through the other knockoffs to see if there had been a mistake but no, all the ones that looked like his outfit said the same price, the same lower price. “This is bullshit.” He muttered, tossing the one still in his hand on top of the display without care before walking off.

“Something tells me we’re not going to hear the end of this.” Cliff chuckled after Arlo was out of earshot.

“Oh, I am most certainly not going to let him live this down.” Sierra laughed. “Come on, I want to look at the other costumes.”

Sierra and Cliff wandered around the isles, trying on different hats and masks until they both, well more like half the store, heard Arlo shout in triumph and they turned to see Arlo heading toward them with a large grin on his face. “I found it!”

“Found what?” Cliff questioned as Arlo stopped before them.

“Why my costume cost less! It’s because of these!” He smugly held up a plastic pair of glasses that looked like the ones he was wearing. “I have my own accessory, unlike you two.”

“You sure? They just look like sunglasses to me.” Sierra barely glanced at them before turning back to the wig display she was looking at.

“They are! Look, they even have the Team Rocket...well ‘Team Red R’ logo on the package.”

“Whatever. I’m so glad you’re satisfied.” Sierra rolled her eyes, waving her hand at Arlo in dismissal. “Now let’s go, I’ve seen enough here.” She started towards the door, not bothering to see if the other two were following, but before they made it outside someone came running up behind them.

“Hey, wait! You have to pay for those!”

The three of them turned around puzzled. “What are you talking about we didn’t-” Sierra began but was cut off.

“Those glasses! I saw you messing around with them. You need to pay for those now.”

Arlo’s mouth hung open as two security guards flanked the young employee. Glancing back at Cliff for backup he was sorely disappointed when Cliff bit back a grin and held his hands up in mock surrender. He turned to Sierra as a last resort but already knew she wouldn’t help.

“What have we told you about this!” She was barely hiding a grin as she wagged a stern finger at him.

“These are mine! I walked in here wearing them!”

“Sure you did, buddy. You can either come back inside and pay for them or we’ll call Officer Jenny.”

Arlo couldn’t believe this was happening and he kept glancing incredulously between the employee and his fellow leaders. After a few tense moments one of the security guards stepped forward and reached toward Arlo but the leader smacked his hand away. “Don’t touch me! I can’t believe...here!” He took out his wallet and pulled out a few bills. “How much were they? 4, 5 dollars?”

“$9.99 sir.”

Arlo glared at the employee and shoved a 10 dollar bill at him. “Here!”

“Plus tax.”

“Of for fuc-” He grumbled, taking out a couple singles and shoved them in the employee’s hand as well.

“Thank you.” The employee said curtly but Arlo ignored him and stormed out the front doors, a very amused Sierra and Cliff trailing behind him.

“I can’t believe you two just stood there like that! I hope you’re happy!”

“Oh believe me, I am.” Sierra chuckled, wondering what Candela would think if she were to ‘accidentally’ hear about this.

So I noticed in the shop in Pokemon Go that Arlo's outfit cost less than the other two and couldn't figure out why for the longest until I realized his glasses were in a different section so this is just a little thought I had about how Arlo would react to that! Hope you enjoyed!

[michelemoutons]

and at last, the post that maybe three people maximum have been waiting for...

em's comfort retro rally videos: a masterlist!

in a much-needed return to this blog's roots, and as an antidote to all motorsport- and life-related chaos, i now present to you: the first edition of em's favorite retro rally videos!

general disclaimer/info: these videos mainly come from the group B era of the world rally championship (wrc), which generally speaking was in the '80s. i am only human, so expect a lot of bias toward my personal favorites...which will become very apparent as you read this list hehe. also i'm not even gonna pretend to be an expert on this or anything. a lot of these are literally just based on Vibes

table of contents

i. my top 5 rally coverage videos

mainly coverage for television, recorded on VHS and uploaded to YouTube by some truly incredible people

ii. honorable mentions

not rally coverage, but retro rally videos nevertheless

often documentaries, mini-doc features, interviews

for all videos, i have indicated the language (most are in english fyi); if any links fail or videos disappear, send me an ask or DM and i'll remove the culprit/find an alternative link.

and now, onward!

(TW for occasional flash photography in many of the night sequences of the videos, as well as a gif included in this post)

i. my top 5 rally coverage videos

in which my bias toward audi sport, mouton/pons, mikkola, toivonen, and vatanen are put on blast for all to see 🥴 i am not an expert in anything i am just very good at research and a whore for aud—[SNIPED]. for the sake of brevity, i narrowed my favorites down to 5. maybe another time i will share all the rest!

also, a general note about the commentary: sometimes, the commentary around michèle and fabrizia can get... weird. keep in mind, they were the most prominent female team partnership around that time, and the first to nearly clinch a wrc wdc, and to modern ears, the commentators really didn't know how to act around them. personally, it wasn't horrible for me, i just ignored the weirder bits, but i understand if others might find it off-putting. also for the sake of your sanity don't read the comments.

5. Rally of the 1000 Lakes, 1984 | finland

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: vatanen/alén/toivonen (full final results)

comments: this was definitely a rally for most of audi sport's drivers to forget: bar stig blomqvist, who came quite close to the podium finishers with a 4:14:01 to henri toivonen's 4:12:57! both hannu mikkola and michèle mouton had to retire from the race, which may lead you to wonder: why does this rank among my favorites? well, it's always fun to watch group b rally cars sailing through the air against picturesque scenery, and this video also contains an intriguing (at least for me!) look at the scrutineering process, with drivers at their most casual.

owie :( they were fine though!

4. Lombard RAC Rally, 1981 | britain

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: mikkola/vatanen/blomqvist (full final results)

comments: hannu winning by 11 whole minutes even after rolling his car in the middle of the forest is actual legend behavior! anyway this was michèle's first wrc outing in britain, and even though she and fabrizia had to retire, they still did quite well, consistently running high in the leaderboards after the first few stages. and that's considering the fact that michèle had a bad cold for much of the rally and had to ask fabrizia to drive the car to service park for her at one point bc she was so tired. which fabrizia did... with a pencil in her mouth. lot of big names in one video—also, jean todt makes an appearance as a co-driver!

shamelessly poached off of one of my text post edits

3. Marlboro Safari Rally, 1983 | kenya

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: vatanen/mikkola/mouton (full final results)

comments: ok can i just say how stunning the video presentation is?? the opening sequence is just!!! the shots of the wildlife! the sprinting giraffes! wow! anyway the visual of drivers in deck chairs just tickles me for no reason, and michèle please tell me what you ask for at the hairdresser's and also where you got that orange blouse (this is obviously not just specific to this rally, she always eats and leaves no crumbs). this was michèle's first entry and only finish in kenya (and of course it was a podium mwah). it was also her last wrc entry in the A1 quattro, as she switched to the A2 for the rest of her program in the '83 season. also this is one of my favorite podium pictures ever.

lksdjffnnkd there's almost too much to unpack... fabrizia somehow surviving in high waist jeans in a hot car... michèle's do-it-yourself shorts... this podium picture was the subject of a very frantic video chat conversation between myself and a friend at 2am a few months ago

2. Rallye de Portugal, 1982 | portugal

links: short recap (eng) | overall coverage 1, stuck in the middle of two other rallies. timestamps in descrip. (eng) | overall coverage 2, very vibey with cool music (ita... also peep walter röhrl speaking italian)

podium: mouton/eklund/wittmann (full final results)

comments: GOD I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH AAAA! michèle's first podium of '82 being a win? this rally being the one where there's footage of her going shopping with fabrizia afterward? (more on that later) them winning by 13 whole minutes? and that's not even considering THEE most poetic victory ceremony of all time! in fact let me talk about that bc the racing and the win aside, that's why it's so high up on my list! literally poetic cinema! it's night, they're standing on top of the car and floodlit and surrounded by cheering crowds but they may as well be the only ones there in their own little world, laughing at each other and barely even having to look to each other when they're raising their hands—like god! shut up! we get it you're besties 😭

i_just_think_theyre_neat.png

and now... last but certainly never least...

1. Lombard RAC Rally, 1982 | britain

link: overall coverage (eng)

podium: mikkola/mouton/toivonen (full final results)

comments: firstly, if you were to ask me about my dream podium, this would be it. hands down, across all series of motorsport, my comfort podium would be hannu, michèle, and henri in any order. (there's such a cute picture of them from this rally on pinterest, standing in order on a staircase. henri is not looking at the camera because he is laughing at something michèle is saying and it's such a Vibe but i cannot find it wah). the battle for second between michèle and henri ran down to literally the last stage, and their times are separated by seconds, which is just wild to me. the context of this rally deserves another post, which i honestly don’t have the energy to make rn, but just take my word for it that it threatens to destroy me if i think about it too hard! anyway this is just such an awesome rally and i’ve watched this video so many times haha

i love this rally so much that i actually had a character in a story i was writing attend the ceremony captured in this picture as a small child and made it a formative moment in her life. no, there is nothing wrong with me.

ii. honorable mentions

(is it obvious who my faves are? yikes)

'Group B - Avec Michele Mouton' (eng) - taken from a longer feature presentation about group b, a segment specifically about michèle. a friend once described its vibes as ‘a synth wave edit of an 80s anime set in a cyberpunk world about racing’

'1983 Audi Sport National Rally with Michele Mouton' (eng) - in which michèle takes journalist sue baker as a co-driver for a spin in an A1 and a rally win. fun behind-the-scenes video

'Intervista a Fabrizia Pons, la Regina delle Note' 1, 2, 3 (ita) - very thorough interview which is mostly fabrizia telling all sorts of stories, including the very entertaining story of how she found out she was going to be michèle’s co-driver. also what a badass title

'2008 Otago International Classic Rally' (eng) - THE BESTIES REUNITE THE BESTIES REUNITE!!! michèle and fabrizia reunite for a rally that fabrizia convinced michèle to join, they suffer some problems but there are plenty of wholesome bestie moments to be had

'Michele Mouton hurls Group B Audi Quattro up Goodwood hill' (eng) - i mean, self explanatory. the sound of the chirping tires? asmr could never. very short watch if you want a quick pick-me-up

'1990 Louise Aitken-Walker feature' (eng) - a video featuring a female rally driver from scotland and her point-scoring run at the rallye monte -carlo. i am convinced that louise was john finnemore’s inspiration or at least an influence for the character of linda fairbairn. no my hat is not made of tin foil what are you talking about

hannu rocketing around michigan back in 2017 (eng)

hannu flying around goodwood in 2015 (eng)

sometimes i listen to fabrizia's recent onboards (yes, she's still at it!) and this one is one of my favorites, from 2016 (ita)

[footballandnfl]

Blog Entry #5

Miller to The L.A. Rams?!

Blue and orange to blue and gold!? Let’s talk about Von Millers ‘blockbuster’ trade at the deadline moving from Denver to Los Angeles. After spending a decade in the league and only dawning the blue and orange of the Broncos Von Miller shockingly was traded to the Rams. In an interview he seemed as though his passion and love for the city far outweighed the trade decision and fans are split on both sides of the aisle. Some are calling it the worst trade and that management is content with throwing the rest of the season to rebuild, while others agree that with Von’s numbers and the salary he will now make that it was a more than fair parting gift for what he had given the organization. GM George Paton admitted that “while it’s certainly not easy to part ways with a player like Von, this is an opportunity for both our team and for Von as he begins the next chapter of his career.” Miller was struck to tears as exiting the building and seeing the Super Bowl 50 pictures and saying “we always got Super Bowl 50. I always got Broncos country.” The management has no immediate plans to replace Von which is why the fan base is so split. The Broncos just gave away their franchise defensive MVP and aren’t looking to fill his shoes with another MVP? This isn’t saying that the rest of the Denver defense is not up to par, but it definitely feels like a lot to ask to fill number 58’s shoes.

Looking at this trade from the bigger picture outside the scope of player motivation it looks like LA is finalizing their stack to make a playoff run. The Broncos were likely facing a tough decision soon anyway with Miller and his contract, but it did not have to be right now. LA only gave up a second and third round pick, so as much as some would call this a win for Denver, how is this not highway robbery for LA? Miller has the most sacks since he entered the league over that span. He recorded 4.5 sacks and was among the top 10 defenders in QB pressure this year. He did suffer an injury that put him out for two games, but his comeback won’t be anything short of spectacular. Although he has tailed off some of his great standout appearances including his super bowl victory over the Carolina Panthers his numbers don’t lie. Sure he’s getting a pay raise and the Broncos kind of feel like the Rockets when they traded Harden, but Von is now lining up opposite Leonard Floyd in LA’s 3-4 front and this defense looks scary. If you are the Seahawks, 49ers and the Cardinals I’m having some serious talks with my offensive line, because this home stretch to playoffs is going to get messy.

Miller joins an absolutely stacked Rams team. Their most recent signing since trading for Von Miller was the addition of former stud wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Nonetheless Miller might have more of an impact on this Rams team than Odell will. Miller has had 110.5 sacks since he joined the NFL his newest teammate is none other than, the man, the myth, the legend, Aaron Donald. Donald has had 90.5 sacks since he entered the NFL. Coming from the interior of the line this is a seriously impressive stat line that will only continue to grow with an experienced veteran like Miller joining his side. With all that the Rams are doing, their  “all in” mentality might pay off with a Super Bowl appearance and victory. It’s all up to Head Coach Sean Mcvay and newly acquired Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris, to make sure Miller fits into their system properly. Miller's debut against the San Francisco 49ers was absolutely a disappointment. A viral clip of Miller getting pancaked by 49ers Tight End George Kittle, exposed Miller and his age. Miller simply just needs time to adjust to the new playbook and strategy of the Rams elite defense. Not to mention the ankle injury he has just come off of, and is still to some extent trying to heal.

Regardless of what you hear, what you say you know J&J always come to play. The Rams got a steal and one hell of a deal. The Broncos, well we have yet to see, but it seems like their season is over to Jay and me.

Sources/References:

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-insider-notebook-jets-botching-qb-situation-again-plus-jon-gruden-suing-the-nfl-and-week-11-picks/

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32526503/sources-los-angeles-rams-finalizing-trade-acquire-von-miller-denver-broncos

https://www.milehighreport.com/2021/11/5/22765699/broncos-von-miller-trade-right-move

https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-trade-star-lb-von-miller-to-rams

https://www.si.com/nfl/broncos/news/von-miller-trade-bad-broncos-organization

[voltimer]

'The Magic of Johto's Level Curve'

(or, 'a leisurely analysis of the singleplayer balance of Pokemon GSC and HGSS')

The Johto games - especially HeartGold and SoulSilver - seem to have a very good reputation. Some often put the aforementioned HGSS into their top 3 or describe it as the core Pokemon experience. I personally agree with this sentiment and HGSS is either #2 or #1 depending on my mood (it usually competes with Black 2 and White 2).

Despite all its praise though, there seems to be an incredibly consistent point raised against it: the level curve. I see it described as unbalanced, janky, and generally bad.

There are two main problems people tend to cite. First is the level progression in Johto itself, with Gyms 5, 6, and 7 not exactly being a smooth progression upwards and then Team Rocket's Archer and the 8th Gym having a notable level spike compared to those last three. Wild Pokemon levels are also usually a lot lower than the major boss fights they are ahead of, making raising new 'mons harder and grinding for boss fights longer. The other problem is Kanto, whose problems can essentially be said to take Johto's levelling issues and ramp them up. The jump from fighting Blue to the Elite Four rematches and Red is also very significant.

What I'm not going to do here is refute that the above isn't true - these level scaling inconsistencies are certainly present. It's also very different to the vast majority of main series entries, whose level curves are more linear and gradual. Gens 5 and 7 even have a feature which multiplies exp gain based on how much lower or higher you are than the Pokemon you defeat which in a way acts like a rubber band around each game's level curve, ensuring you can catch up easily but not go too overlevelled either. Playing GSC and HGSS when the rest of those entries are like that is a bit jarring. Pokemon is so well-known for having quite a formulaic design across its main series and when compared to that formula with regards to level progression and the like, the Johto games do seem a bit off-colour.

What I am going to do though is try to explain why this so-called bad level curve is at the very least not actually that bad, or, if I can convince you well enough, that the Johto games actually have a unique and (what I call) magical singleplayer game design not properly replicated in any other entry. It goes to the core essence of Pokemon's theming, and it fits with the fact that Johto's narrative also happens to put the most focus on those themes than the rest of the series.

When I say the core essence of theming, I mean the very basics of every Pokemon adventure: you, the player, leave home to go on a journey around your region, meeting various people and overcoming various challenges along the way together with your partner Pokemon. Challenges you overcome are all thanks to the bonds you share with your partners and how you raise them with love and care. As you get older, this is the sort of thing in Pokemon that you probably end up taking for granted. It's typical "power of friendship" stuff, and most people will tend to come to conclude through learning about the game mechanics that this sort of thing is superficial and that stats are all that matter in the end. The more modern Pokemon games also have such a big focus on larger-than-life stories with big climaxes featuring the box Legendaries that it's easy to lose this basic level, down-to-earth narrative theming.

Johto is significant for not having any larger-than-life aspects overshadowing its core. Instead, the core takes centre stage. There is no real overarching story besides your adventure. Team Rocket's antics take a sub-plot role but in the end act as a foil to your story, being one of the more major obstacles you overcome. Catching Ho-oh or Lugia is no cataclysm either, but rather a reward for your achievements throughout the game and thanks to your good and pure heart - recognised by the Legendary in question. Moments throughout the game like how you deal with the situation at the Lake of Rage, or the Dragon's Den trial where you're asked questions to test your ideals as a trainer (which, of course, you pass with flying colours) all contribute to this core as well.

The way Professor Oak congratulates you after defeating Lance ties the knot perfectly on the main campaign:

"Ah, <player>! It's been a long while. You certainly look more impressive. Your conquest of the League is just fantastic! Your dedication, love, and trust for your Pokémon made this happen. Your Pokémon were outstanding, too. Because they believed in you as a Trainer, they persevered. Congratulations, <player>!"

These are just examples of the main story events, though,and Johto has a lot more than that. The region is filled with things to do beside the main campaign - Berries/Apricorns, Pokegear calls, the Ruins of Alph and other optional caves, the Bug Catching Contest, and (in HGSS) the Pokeathlon and Safari Zone, just to name a few of the more notable ones. Tama Hero's review of Pokemon GSC talks a lot about this and it's well-worth a watch even beyond the section describing the games' breadth of side content.

Tama Hero also touches upon the supposed level scaling issue, and her response to the complaints is that there is a "sprinkling" of opportunities for small bits of exp gain throughout the game which should help you stay on track in most cases, and where you can't match levels, you can outplay your opponent.

I certainly agree with the latter. It always feels entirely possible to beat bosses at a level deficit throughout Johto. The Johto League is one of the key cases where you'll probably end up at level disadvantage, but I've consistently been able to defeat it with a team of lv 40s on average (so nearly 10 levels behind Lance's peak), and I'm pretty certain that my not-even-10-year-old self did so as well, even though it took me many, many attempts. From various people I've talked to and bits of let's plays I've seen over the years, this seems to be the common experience too. I think only a minority of people have had to grind to match Lance's levels in order to beat him at all. Granted, it might take you a couple of tries at that level disadvantage (or a great couple of tries more, like little ol' me), but that's surely not an unreasonable expectation. The concept of getting stuck at a difficult stage in a game could be called a universal one, and I think most people agree that it's always pretty satisfying to finally surmount a challenge like that. This can even be said about other Pokemon games - Kanto, Hoenn and Sinnoh also all have large level spikes at the end. In fact, at least when it comes to the end of the maingame, I'd argue Hoenn and Sinnoh have a larger level spike than Johto, but they're not considered impossible or anything

Regardless, though: it's certainly possible to win difficult battles in Pokemon at a level disadvantage. Tama Hero argues that the strategy required to do so isn't something the game teaches you very well, but I think this is a tad pessimistic. In the end I think that most wins will just come down to understanding of more fundamental skills that you've probably learned through the course of the game naturally - using type matchups (gyms are all type themed), using moves with stat changes (the earlygame is full of moves like Growl and Tail Whip), using status moves (no doubt you're going to see the effects of Paralysis and Burns throughout the game at least), and apt use of items (bosses always use potions and often use held items). Players also have more control over the battle than the enemy, with the default Switch mode and a huge amount more items available. It's true that the games don't teach you the deeper, untold mechanics very well, but learning about those only unlock even more ways to succeed for the numbers-minded veterans.

On the topic of those deeper, untold mechanics I also want to talk about something which Tama Hero doesn't mention at all - Effort Values, or EVs. Most of you reading will probably know about these by now, but for those who don't, EVs are hidden values which can increase a Pokemon's raw stats by a certain amount based on the other Pokemon they defeat. They were present in a slightly different form in Gens 1 and 2 in the form of "stat exp" but the premise was the same: your Pokemon grow twofold when you defeat Pokemon, by gaining visible exp for levelling up and visibly gaining stats every time that exp bar fills, but also by gaining stats little by little every time they defeat any Pokemon. Your Pokemon's EVs weren't visible to you in-game until Gen 6 with the Super Training graphic, and numerically weren't until Gen 7 where you can press X on the Pokemon's stat screen to show what are called "base stats".

EV optimisation is crucial to competitive play because the stat boosts they give are quite significant. Competitive players will "min-max" spreads, putting as much as possible into 2 stats to maximise strengths and not wasting any on stats they aren't making use of. In maingame playthroughs, though, EVs will usually end up being a balanced spread because you'll invetivably be facing a variety of Pokemon with different EV yields throughout the game. EVs can also be increased with the Vitamin items (Protein, Calcium, etc.) which you find a handful of throughout the game (and can buy at a premium) and can be used to manually raise EVs, though only to a certain point.

In Gens 3 and onward, a Pokemon can have up to 252 EVs in 1 stat, and 510 in total. At Lv 100, 4 EVs in a stat grant 1 point extra to it. For the singleplayer campaign the conditions are a bit different, but if we assume as a standard that by the Elite Four your EV total is maxed out and you have an even spread, your stats will all be up to 10 points higher than they would be without EVs. In Gens 1 and 2, you can actually max out all of a Pokemon's stat exp values but you're unlikely to cap them all for a good while beyond the maingame so we can consider them about the same as in the later gens for this.

But why is this important?

Firstly, the difference EVs make in the above scenario account for what is usually about 5 levels' worth of stats. Depending on your exact distribution, it could be a couple more or less levels' worth in each stat but the bottom line is that they make your Pokemon's strength higher than it may seem based on level alone.

This means that the wild Pokemon grinding that is criticised for being too tedious in Johto as a result of low levels is also better than it seems because even when you don't level up, you're gaining EVs for every one of those you defeat. The stagnant levels in the midgame of Johto also contribute more to your Pokemon's growth than it may seem from the slow level gain. The Pokegear rematches which you gain access to after defeating Team Rocket before Gym 8 may also be a little infrequent, but they also very often give you Vitamins afterwards to add to all of this.

Secondly is what seems to be a fairly unknown fact: in-game trainers do not have any EV spreads. Thanks to the work of speedrunners, we have exact data of enemy trainers' Pokemon to show this. Trainers do have IV spreads based on their "AI level" (more 'advanced' AI levels will have up to 30 IVs across the board) but the difference near-perfect IVs will have on their Pokemon is not as great as the combination of random IV spreads and relatively balanced EV spreads yours.

That 10 level deficit vs Lance is suddenly more like 5 in practice. Some of his Pokemon also happen to have pretty high stats naturally in Gyarados and the Dragonites, and the level deficit will still be slightly present, but once we factor in strategy again, you can abuse their type weaknesses and make good use of items, status and whatever else have you to swing the odds in your favour.

The only way you can find out anything about EVs in Johto is from a NPC in Blackthorn City who gives your Pokemon the Effort Ribbon if they have reached their total of 510, and the only practical way for a player without the technical knowledge to have achieved this is to have spent time throughout the game doing lots of little bits of training - in other words, putting in the effort - to have incidentally capped their Pokemon's EV total. It's only fitting that you find this NPC towards the end of the Johto campaign because it's likely that by this point a couple of your team members will be eligible for the ribbon.

This finally ties back to the point of core theming. EVs are an invisible stat giving your Pokemon an extra edge over their in-game opponents, or, at worst, one closing a gap in strength between them, as a result of all of the time you've spent raising those Pokemon throughout the game. In other words, EVs are essentially the statistical representation of the "dedication, love, and trust" you have for your Pokemon which gets you through seemingly difficult challenges. Levels, then, are only a surface representation of your Pokemon's strength: they create the feeling of an uphill battle, but you can win against the odds by believing in yourself and your partners. It's probably exactly what you thought as the naive and uncynical child playing through a Pokemon game for the first time, and probably one of the ways you made such fond memories of it. In hindsight, this is definitely how it was for me. It is a sort of magic, really.

There is still a big Red elephant in the room, and I do think that the level gap between the end of the Kanto Gyms and Red is maybe too hard to go and beat immediately after even with the power of EVs and such, but Red is by all means a superboss and final challenge of the Johto games, and I don't think it's unreasonable to have to grind for a while to build up for and to finally be able to take his team of Lv 80s on. The same can be said about the Elite Four Rematches in this game and others, Steven in Emerald, or that one Barry fight in Platinum if you do decide to beat the E4 rematches 20 times to make his levels nearly match Red's. If you're setting out to fight a superboss like this, the grind is part of the prerequesites. It's definitely still possible to beat someone like Red with a 10 or even 20 level deficit if you play well, though. I admit, I haven't beaten Red in a long time, but I have beaten Emerald Steven with a ~15 level gap before. Tama Hero also said she has beaten Red with a team of level 50s in Crystal in the review.

I said before that the other games in the series haven't replicated this sort of thing as well. Gen 5 was the beginning of a marked shift away from this design, with its overarching story-driven style and a change to exp gain which would honestly be incompatible with the level curve in Johto. Gen 6, whilst returning to the exp system without level deficit multipliers, saw different means of statistical representations of the 'dedication, love and trust' trio in Pokemon Amie, which can break the game almost as much as the Exp Share when enough Affection is built up. Gen 7 brings back Gen 5's exp system whilst retaining the Exp Share and Affection systems, and actually ends up even diverging from the EV design which went before by having in-game trainers and Totem Pokemon with competitive, min-maxed EV spreads from as early as the Trainer's School. Whilst I am yet to play Let's Go and Sword and Shield, their Exp system with a 'permanent Exp Share' of sorts makes it a huge amount different and from what I've seen and heard, overlevelling is quite easy despite the game being designed around the feature. I really hope that Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl at least return to Gen 6's exp mechanics, or better, reunite us with the held-item version of the Exp Share which doesn't make me feel like I'm cheating whenever I use it.

Before I go too off-topic, though, I should probably return to the original thread of this post to make some concluding remarks. What can't be denied that the way GSC and HGSS are designed may not be for everyone. I know for sure that a lot of people prefer to be able to breeze through a Pokemon game at a brisk pace without many roadblocks, but as someone who in recent years has come to appreciate much slower-paced and immersive singleplayer Pokemon playthroughs, I can't help but love the way GSC and HGSS are designed in the way I've explained, or appreciate their unique identity amongst the rest of the series. Coming to think about this has also shed light on why I adored HeartGold as much as I did when I first played it way back 11 years ago. I poured hours and hours into the game, and as a result, its magical design put me under its spell.

_____________________________________________________________

Though I linked to the references I did use when they appeared, here they are again. Do check them out if they're of interest to you!

Tama Hero's GSC review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgtMVKP2T6Y

speedrun.com trainer data for HGSS: https://www.speedrun.com/pkmnhgss/guide/k2zij

speedrun.com trainer data for SuMo: https://www.speedrun.com/pkmnsunmoon/guide/d2683

Tama Hero (YT) is one of the few people I know who actually makes longer-form Pokemon analysis content besides Aleczandxr (also YT), who whilst not being a 'PokeTuber' has made some brilliant analyses of storytelling through setting in Sinnoh, Hoenn, Johto, and just recently, Unova. I did not refer to them here but I can highly recommend their content, at least.

Thank you very much for reading to the very bottom here. This is my first time writing something like this and I appreciate it.

[blushing-starker]

don't expect that line I previously mentioned because I'm chaotic and forgot about @starkerfestivals amazing omegaverse week since it goes hand in hand with finals and my brain only fit one of these events in my mental planner

Today's theme is heat/rut and it's slightly nff, has some sexual teasing but nothing too explicit. I'd rate this teen, is all I'm saying. I apologize for any writing mistakes, I'm finishing this at 11pm before collapsing in my bed.

Tagging @vaguekiwi cuz I mentioned this to her today

Needy little alpha

------------

Tony wakes up to a purring alpha throwing himself on top of his defenseless body with the force of a freight train driven by a drunk man on drugs. Peter's been told a thousand times before how yes, he may be as heavy as a goddamn feather, but it still aches when that super strength plops down and refuses to let the victim's lungs function adequately. But his boyfriend is a sadist who loves cuddles and making Tony suffer.

"No."

"You love my cuddles," it's true, they bring him pain and purple bruises everywhere but there's nothing quite as soothing as a content alpha kneading like a kitten at his chest, " and you know it. "

"Uh, that's false. Never said I love cuddles. I tolerate your octopus habits, there's a difference." Peter leans back with a pout and teary eyes, wobbles that God forsaken bottom lip like he always does whenever Tony denies the kid something and presents a challenge.

Nimble fingers slide up into, unfortunately, silver hair and nonononono that's unfair. He snarls, tries to infuse the air with as many displeased pheromones as possible so Peter can take a hint when nails scratch right above his nape and Tony's done. Unravels at this hobgoblin's feet and he's half way sure his soul goes out in a huff as little circles are pressed into the exact spot that causes him so much neck pain.

Peter unashamedly preens when Tony melts into their bed and starts pawing at him for more cuddles. "Say you love my cuddles and I won't leave the bed for an hour. Throw in a kiss and I'll rub your back."

He hates(loves) this kid. Hates(loves) how he sing songs as soon as the situation doesn't favour the actually responsible adult in the relationship. Hates(loves) the way Peter never misses the places that leave him sinking into fluffy pillows. Hates how, oh that's nice.

There are tiny kisses littered on a chest glowing blue, small indentations from teasing lips pressed into spread arms and cold hands.

"Ruts gotten you needy, huh, little alpha?" Not that this one was any different from all the other ruts they've shared since dating. Tony secretly adores Peter like this, extra affectionate the minute his shyness and fear of outside criticism is washed away, replaced with the need to shower his omega in love and attention. Yes, Peter has his heart 365 days of the year. Yes, he'd die for his tiny spiderling no matter what.

But this is just really nice, ok? Previous lovers were rarely alphas so this ritual of gluing their bodies together when rut came was an added benefit to being with Peter. That and the hormones he let out while happy soothed Tony to no end.

Peter nips at his finger, still a bit too early on for him to accept the nicknames. He blushes though, a pale pink highlighting a face much more lovely than the cherubs painted on the cathedrals of Rome. Jesus, he's whipped and all they've done is cuddle.

In for a penny, in for a pound.

"I love your cuddles. Cherish them. Want them every day for the rest of my life. But I love you, my needy little alpha with a fantastic," there's a pillow smashed against his face.

"If you say dick, I'm climbing down to wrestle Bucky and I won't let Karen record it for your spank bank. " Oh, that's a low blow.

He relaxes, let's Peter sink into him with a startled yelp, rolls them over, sits on the kid's lap and clamps his knees around a trim waist. Peter may be Spider-Man, but he's Tony Stark and Tony Stark doesn't lose in bed.

Well. Not unless he wants to.

"You do that and you can say hello to your toy, the one I know is stashed in your old room under the bed in a comic book box, because that'll be the only thing helping you out when the rut really hits." Will Tony suffer immensely if that happens? Yes. He's a sucker for a needy Peter being ridiculously horny and possessive. Thing is, you don't threaten a man's spank bank. No sir. Everything else is fair play. His carefully organized folders of viewing material are not to be messed with.

Peter's blush is on full blast, spreads over a long neck and absolutely delicious, no. Be strong, Tony.

"You know about the toy?" It's a squeak, normal voice rocketing upwards thanks to the position Tony's ass is in and the knowledge that his secret is out. Which wasn't even a secret to begin with anyway because Tony is in love with the only genius not smart enough to erase his browser history in the lab's computer. Which Tony uses. Routinely. Every day.

"Know about it? I've seen it. You left it out once, all used up on your bed while you were showering. You remember that, don't you? We had sex in the bathroom that day. Bruised my back and everything?"

Peter furrows his brow, works a plush lip and no, look away, Tony, look away. The kid is sin and indulgence and heaven and no.

"Oh. Oh." Whenever he thinks his boy can't go any redder, Peter busts out a new shade of pink.

"Yup. So. I'm pretty sure this is what you wanted in the first place. Maybe it wasn't your intention," he stresses when Peter's already launching up and nearly throwing him off in an attempt to reassure Tony that wasn't his purpose with the cuddles, "but you certainly wouldn't have minded this outcome. And by this outcome I mean my incredible ass on top of that fantastic dick."

Peter tries to suffocate with a pillow held over his face.

"You've got two choices, kid. You threatened the spank bank. The teasing is fine, you know I love when my pretty kitty shows his claws," a hand slaps his arm, makes him grin, " But threatening such an integral part of my mental stability? Wrong move, Queens. You aren't getting any until tonight, not even so much as a French kiss will be given. Unless you let me bite a mark on that amazing neck and don't push me away when I nuzzle you in front of the team. "

Well. Now he's definitely being thrown off of Peter's lap.

He lands on the other side of the bed with a groan, is assaulted by a whining Peter intent on receiving something to further postpone the urge for sex that's sure to hit him soon enough.

An alpha, Tony's learned, will usually be very cuddly and affectionate the first few days of a rut week. Then the possessive, protective side will slowly emerge. Nests of pillows, couch cushions, blankets and favorite pieces of clothing appear on the fourth sunrise. The next morning comes with the need for relief, for intimacy and a marathon of sex that'll leave any supersoldier exhausted by the end of it. The resulting days offer comfort, an aftercare of sorts, where the alpha and their partner show a soft affection similar to the beginning. Nests are utilized and bodies soothed. It lasts, at most, a week and the majority of the population only has to take slightly increased portions of food.

That's for people without the metabolism of four grown men.

Peter needs sex, as much as possible, so the itch for urgent intimacy doesn't result in Tony tackled to the floor of the lab in the middle of an experiment every day of the week. It's like giving him nicotine patches instead of a cigarette.

So now he's whimpering, tugging on Tony's clothes just a little too hard if the ripping sound is any indication.

"...sorry, Tony..."

"It's fine, I've got more. I'm not letting this go though. The teams' seen us fuck against a wall, their opinion and respect, your worth, didn't change. So come on. Just one little mark. One. And Bucky nuzzles Steve and Sam all the time. Hell, Pepper sometimes nuzzles me when I'm stressed out. Please, baby? "

There it was; Tony's secret weapon. Peter blushed like a virgin on a wedding night whenever he used pet names, but the genius knows his boyfriend enjoys the familiarity and subtle intimacy. Felt reassured that they were a romantic couple and not a mentor fucking his protege.

The kid nibbles at his neck, wraps gangly limbs around a body that's always been his to take comfort in. "Just one mark? And light, I mean it, Tony, light nuzzling in front of the team. For today. Then I can get what I want?"

He snorts, can't fully comprehend how the universe paired him up with someone so intent on making Tony's joints ache and creak. "Yeah, we can have sex later, Mr Charming. Subtle as brick, that Spider-Man. Let's go get you cleaned up, make sure that rut has a hard time getting my boy under the weather."

He goes to get up. He leans forward. He cannot, in fact, leave the bed.

Peter bites with a bit more pressure, drops his hips down harder and Jesus Christ, they're never seeing the light of the kitchen if his boyfriend can't wait til it's dark.

"Or..."

"I'm an old man, I need protein before you go jumping tired bones that have to spend two hours updating your suit." Ok, so maybe he's slightly bitter and annoyed at not having enough stamina (or refractory period, for that matter) to keep up with a repressed teenage superhuman. It's not his fault Pepper keeps bringing Krispy Kreme donuts to the office meetings.

It'd be rude not to eat with the others anyway.

"You don't have to do anything." Ah, it's one of those ruts.

Tony softens, smoothes a hand down a back that could hold a plank under a five story building with ease, kisses a heated cheek.

"Needy little alpha." It's his turn to whisper and nuzzle against soft skin.

"Kind, not so little omega?" Tony laughs, presses their lips together so Peter can see what's it like to taste a smile radiating with joy and love. Slowly clicks the button on the nearest nightstand; unless someone is dying , it'll just be the two of them in the room.

(There was an incident once. Groot may have been traumatized by a situation involving superstrength, webs and the Ironette costume Tony only adored when it adorned Peter's body.)

"I do so love my needy little alpha needing me, don't I?"

His boyfriend blinks, grins at Tony as if he's just hung the moon and stars for his spiderling and ok, a little sex early in the morning isn't that bad.

"You love my cuddles too."

"Shut up and kiss me, Queens. I'm not getting any-"

They don't talk about anything too important after that.

----------

A little sex early in the morning actually is that bad when you miss a meeting with the U.N and show up smelling like sex, infatuation and, oddly enough, strawberry.

Rocket doesn't stop teasing for months.

[sylph-feather]

Title: Ectoplasmic Fossils

Summary: "Actually, Dad?  I wanted to be a paleontologist."

Prompt: Prompt is the same as the summary. Prompter is gaunttwister, team halfa. 

Wordcount:  2453

Notes: Can you tell I was a dinosaur kid.....

For a Danny in familiar world, his first positive thought after becoming a ghost and learning ghosts existed (after, of course, a litany of terror), was as follows: imagine the new world I could explore. He considered this while staring into the swirling portal that lead to places unknown, and in his mind he compared it to the vast and beautiful unknown of space.

This Danny, in this less familiar universe, was less impressed by the portal itself; of course, he was in awe of it from a technical perspective, but nothing that deeply riveting, that personal spark of exploration— not from its wrought metal or whirling green center, that is. No, this was his thought, in replacement of the other spark: if ghosts exist, what things have been made ghosts over the years? What old life could be discovered? 

Danny, you see, did not desire to explore space in this universe. No. He was fascinated by paleontology. Star books were replaced by compendiums of dinosaur species, models of rockets and stations replaced by scientifically accurate models and bones, diagrams of ships replaced by diagrams of feathery, toothsome things. You get the picture. 

Where these obsessions came from… who was to say? Why one fixation over the other? Did this Danny latch onto his parent’s obsession with the dead and translate it into this, rather than translating it into the more vague idea of exploring the unknown? Or was it as simple as an exposure to different things; a cartoon with scientifically inaccurate dinosaurs rather than a ridiculous sci fi premise, or perhaps watching Jurassic Park too young rather than Star Wars…? The child’s mind is prone to flights of fancy that stick— that’s the  the final conclusion, no matter the exact cause of specifics. 

Regardless, his parents engaged in it; provided him with aforementioned objects— models, posters, etcetera— and generally encouraged his interests. The most annoying was when they tried to sell him on ghosts by using dinosaurs as a sort of bribery; they talked of the possibilities of discovering undocumented species and anatomy with the ghost forms of creatures from long ago, a sort of tempting what if, to lure Danny to their side. 

Up until today, when a portal had electrocuted half the life out of him, Danny didn’t believe it. 

Sam, Tucker, and Danny were all reclined in Danny’s bedroom— all fully human, though Danny still felt a bit… simultaneously charred and charged, which he supposed made sense given he’d just been fried by a nasty shock (to put it lightly). 

His two friends were sending him worried looks— also sensible, given not half an hour ago Danny was significantly ghostier, and significantly panic-ier. Now, though, while Sam and Tucker sent each other concerned glances to communicate wordlessly, Danny was simply considering the possibilities. Gooey species of jellyfish and slug-like creatures that hadn’t been preserved! Confirmation of the placement or use of bones, especially controversial ones like the hollowed crest of the Parasaurolophus or the gastralia of many beasts! Behavior that could only be guessed at via anatomical features! The degree to which feathers coated their body! Colors! 

...And so on and so forth. It was all enough to bring a wide grin to Danny’s face— which was a bit creepy given he’d just died. 

“Dude,” Tucker grimaced, snapping Danny out of his reverie, “are you, like, coping well—“ 

“We have to go into the Ghost Zone,” Danny cut him off with excited urgency. 

Sam blinked at him owlishly. “Now? Why?” 

“Not now, I guess, necessarily,” Danny brushed off, filled with excited energy. His eyes were shining when he turned them to his new friends— “imagine what ancient things we could find as ghosts.” 

Tucker facepalmed and groaned. “Of course the first thing you’re thinking of is dinosaurs.” 

Sam eased a bit, brushing off her initial assumption that Danny had some weird, ghostly pull to the green portal. “Well, at least you’re seeing the bright side,” she huffed sarcastically. 

Danny crossed his arms in a pout. “I’m not just thinking of dinosaurs.” No, he was thinking of other eras of ancient things too, of course. 

Tucker shot him a look, but broke it with a laugh and didn’t prod further. 

  xXx

  It was, of course, a disappointment when the first ghosts that came through were too formless to tell what they had been, if they were anything but raw emotion. It was an even bigger disappointment when the first fully-formed ghosts were largely human-shaped. With the exception of dragons— which Danny definitely did not count— there was nothing that bore any resemblance to extinct creatures. 

On top of this, Danny had sort of let go of the go find dinos in the Ghost Zone NOW mentality, because… well, despite insatiable curiosity, he didn’t know his way around the place at all. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, or if he was even expecting it to be easy to begin with, but going into a directionless green abyss where orientation did not exist… well, needless to say that Danny knew he could not find his way to whatever ancient beast ghosts were there, if they did even exist in the first place. And he certainly didn’t want to risk his life knocking on doors of who-knows-what, or drifting around ghostly islands in the middle of who-knows-where. And that’s not even touching that technically Walker wants his arrest for a reason Danny only sort of remembers because it was so dumb. 

And so, for the first handful of months of his existence as a halfa, Danny contents himself with theorization. It’s hard to think too much about dinosaurs anyways, because it’s hard to think too much about anything— despite being a teen and thus being prone to sleep deprivation, the ghost fighting combined with high school has lead Danny to a new level of exhaustion, one that he is still adjusting to. His grades hurt for it, as do his passions. 

Slowly, though, he does adjust— enough to be confident to go in the Zone, and enough to have actually smart thoughts without his brain fizzling out. 

In the moment where Phantom and the Red Huntress found themselves in Skulker’s lair, Danny was largely scared and exasperated at alternating points. It wasn’t until that situation was… resolved (and thank goodness both hunters didn’t pulverize him) that Danny was slapped with a marvelous idea of tangential connections.

Skulker is a hunter. The Zone’s greatest hunter, he claimed, though Danny didn’t know if he believed that much. Still. The point still stood that it was a reasonable bet that Skulker was into rare and dangerous prey, if his arsenal and his fleet of pelts were anything to go by.

All this to say that Danny thought that maybe, just maybe, Skulker would know about dinosaur ghosts. That miniscule spark of hope was enough; Danny felt he deserved to see what he’d always so desperately wanted to see after the thought of dinosaur ghosts entered his mind as a believable thing. 

Danny had to ask— even if there was a high chance Skulker didn’t know or did know but wouldn’t tell, and the fact that asking Skulker was at great risk of being at best, involved in their typical scuffling, and at worst, captured. Danny only had dinos on the brain, though, and maybe he wasn’t awake enough to consider the full consequences of the impulsive thought. 

So he enacted his plan as a teen enacted anything: rashly, suddenly, and without much forethought. Even calling it a plan alone was generous; all the half-ghost did was float into the Zone in the general direction of Skulker’s island, foolishly calling out to Skulker as he floated through. Naturally, he came prepared— not with weapons, or maps, but with a bag containing his phone, a journal, and his comprehensive dinosaur book… just in case he did end up seeing any. 

The mechanical suit showed his flaming mug quite close to his island. Bright, solid green eyes blinked, and Skulker— who had not had the time to pull up hs egotistical Ghost Zone’s greatest hunter speech in his shock— said in a surprised tone, “don’t you have other things to do?” 

Danny did. He did this in favor of an important English essay on 1984 that he had— Danny had tried wrapping his mind around thought crime and contradictions, and once he put the book down he immediately decided I can think on all that and, I’d much rather find dinosaurs. So here he was. 

Skulker shook himself out of that surprise, and levelled a laser that popped out of his arm at Danny. “No matter! Prey is prey, and you are good prey!” 

“Wait!” Danny barked, confident enough (and strange and out of place enough) to give the other ghost pause, making Skulker lower the laser just slightly, a modicum of movement to say go on, or at least indicate curiosity. “I want to see dinosaurs,” Danny said authoritatively, simply. 

Skulker stared, weapon still whining slightly. His slightly slack jaw and slumped arm just screamed huh? 

And thus began a ramble— “I’ve always wanted to see dinosaurs, and once I realized ghosts existed, I figured ghost dinosaurs had to exist, right?” Not waiting for an answer, Danny ploughed ahead. “And I thought of all the ghosts I’ve met, you seem like you maybe, hopefully know where any ghost dinos are, with the whole hunting schtick—“ 

Skulker cut off Danny’s rambling with honesty: “I’m not sure if I should be amused, flattered, or honored, ghost child.”

“As long as you’re not violent?” Danny said slowly, tipping his head, still assessing Skulker as though to try to suss out whether he was a threat still or no 

Skulker himself was still trying to figure out the answer to that question— did he want to be a threat, want to hunt Phantom? Or did he want to pause and take a moment to indulge the bright, sparkling curiosity in his eyes…? 

Skulker gave an awkward cough, a sort of choked harumph sound. He started slowly, unsurely, “I suppose.” He added hurriedly— “to reward you for being such good prey.” 

Danny huffed. “Way to make it weird,” the halfa grumbled— but he wasn’t able to keep up a petulant persona for long, because the excitement shone through too brightly to conceal. Because dinosaurs. “That means you know where to find them?” Danny’s voice was approaching something that could only be described as a squeal. 

Skulker once again paused for contemplation, because those islands were one of his prized hunting spots… the dinosaurs regenerated (as most strong, full ghosts did), but they still were a great joy to hunt. Among the dinosaur-ridden chunks of land, there were also significantly less interesting hunts— the cambrian period areas, for example, didn’t have much that provided a very thrilling chase… they just sort of scooted around. Then again, it was clear the ghost child cared not for the hunt, so Skulker supposed he could share. 

Skulker made a gruff noise, internally considering that of course he would hunt down the halfa anyways, and Danny didn’t regenerate like full ghosts— so it wasn’t like he had to share for long. Granted, it wasn’t like a hunter to lead prey into anything but a trap, but Skulker didn’t have much to argue against that thought, so he just… didn’t think about it, justifying it with a vague “honor” tangent in his mind.

To answer the question after much internal debate on sharing, his own softness, etcetera, Skulker simply said, “yes, I know where to find them. Follow me.” 

The halfa was lost in excitement, doing flips in the air and going on a ramble that the mechanized ghost utterly drowned out as they jetsetted through the Zone at rapid speed. 

I could skewer him right now, Skulker thought over the whine of his jetpack. The thought had no heat to it, though, especially when Skulker took a pause to look at the exuberant teenager. 

It wasn’t long to consider thoughts of said skewering, anyways. The Ghost Zone was a strange place; once someone had been somewhere and knew the way, the green abyss would fold out of its own way to get them there again when they wanted it. Skulker had long stopped questioning it, if he ever questioned it in the first place, but Phantom was quite in awe of the quick travel, and the way their scenery had subtly compressed then stretched into a new horizon around them as they flew— only now was he realizing the complete change in surroundings. 

Skulker just hovered and watched as those luminous green eyes darted from unfamiliar door to unfamiliar door until they settled on the main attraction: a vast set of islands, incomprehensibly expansive and swirling around each other in a compressed way special to the Ghost Zone’s laws of space.

Danny’s eyes widened, and he let out a sound of pure, concentrated excitement. “This is it,” he said, and it was partially a question but mostly seemed to function as a statement to convince himself. 

Danny shot immediately to the nearest island, a chunk of land covered in a swampy rainforest and thick ferns. From the brush, a large thing burst forth, chittering and cawing. 

Danny took in the huge, feathered raptor— feathers of blue and green, as with all ghosts, but otherwise so… different. It was so different, seeing it in the… well, not flesh, ectoplasm, but the point still stood. Danny hovered above that island, frozen with awe, and the creature stared back at him with eyes that were not slit and were observant, and it clicked its lizard-like mouth around its sharp teeth and flared its feathers with some degree of fright… and Danny could think of nothing better than that moment of pure, extreme joy and awe and sheer wonder. 

Skulker saw all that on the teen’s face and thought again, this time with heat: I could skewer him right now. Their little agreement was over, the debt of providing a good chase repaid, and now it was time for the halfa to become prey once again. A laser charged up—

Beep, beep, beep. The laser cut off with the notification, and Skulker gave a surprised grunt. 

Danny made a noise. “You scared it off,” he groaned, but even that couldn’t get him down, because he went plummeting off towards the fern forest with a joyous laugh. 

Gorilla feeding time, Skulker’s suit informed him in the meanwhile. 

“No,” he barked uselessly, already jetting away, “I thought I’d gotten rid of this—!” 

The last thing the mechanical ghost saw was Phantom, plunging into the underbrush, crowing with laughter, dinosaur dreams fulfilled.

[h2bakugou]

hey love 💓 i have a request for sumn really fluffy with kaminari! maybe y/n is alone on a friday night so she invites her best pal denki over to hang out and he immediately comes to her rescue. i'm thinking mutual pining that leads to the confession of feelings??? idk do whatever you think works!! i just really like cute kaminari content lmao

a/n: hey hun! oo yes fluffy kami content i am here for it!! i might do a mini-series for him, don’t know what it’ll be abt but i’ve been thinking about doing lil mini-series for some characters

summary: a boring friday night in your dorm leads to some confessions with your best friend and crush, denki kaminari

key: (y/n) - your name / (f/n) - first name / (l/n) - last name / (e/c) - eye color / (h/c) - hair color / (y/q) - your quirk

warnings: swearing, fluff

word count: 1.6k

;cut for length;

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»»————-　★　————-««

Class had been over for hours, and now you were sitting on the floor of your freshly cleaned dorm room, bored out of your mind. Debating on starting up a movie and heading to bed early or playing some game on your phone, you let out an audible groan, frustrated from the lack of entertainment.

It was Friday night. You should’ve been asking if any of the third years were throwing some sort of party that you’d debate going to or up in the common room kitchen making food.

But now your fingers were typing away at the keyboard on your phone to 'Kami’ in your contacts, asking if he’d be down to stop your boredom from becoming fatal.

And in a matter of exactly four minutes and twenty-seven seconds, he was at your door with snacks and his own game console so you could play Mario Kart.

“You are an actual life saver.” You hug him quickly and pull him into your room, admiring the choice of outfit. It was most definitely his pajamas, a pair of loose grey sweats with a graphic tee that had some sort of video game reference on it.

“Anything for you, plus I was getting bored too.” The tone in his voice made your heart flutter. And the three words - anything for you - made your face burn. He was always so suave, even in the times that his charm was more comedic than it was actually charming.

“What should we do first?” You ask, sitting beside him, knee touching knee as you glanced at him and then back to your tv.

“Maybe watch a spooky movie.” Kaminari wiggled his fingers at you, leaning in and tickling your sides as you tensed and started laughing.

“Okay okay! We’ll watch a scary movie. You just want an excuse to cuddle me when you get scared.” You teased him back for tickling you. Kaminari rolls his eyes and shakes his head.

“You’ll be scared during this one, it’s just come out, and the trailer had everyone going crazy.” Kaminari explained while he helped you find the movie. Turning off the lights, you returned with a blanket and tucked the two of you under it nice and cozy.

It had never felt weird between the two of you, like when you held hands or cuddled. You’d been Kaminari’s friend since entrance exams, and you’d been best friends since the first week of school.

And now that your heart longed to be more than just a friend or a best friend, holding his hand or cuddling with him filled that sort of odd space in your heart.

And Kaminari was the same. He enjoyed feeling your hand in his, or having your arms wrapped around his waist while you laid exhausted in his bed after a day of training in the gym.

He’d been crushing on you since day one, you were the one girl that never pushed him away, or dodged all his advances, you were sweet but tough, kind and sharp, you were everything Kaminari loved. 

Slinging his arm around your shoulder, he pulled you closer to him so he could rest his head on yours, his eyes flicking from actually paying attention to the movie to paying attention to you, to the way your fingers with chipped nail polish would reach for some popcorn and then retreat back to laying over his.

Whenever a jumpscare or scary part of the movie appeared, you’d both huddle into each other, too scared to try and make a witty remark about the both of you being wusses.

And finally when the movie had come to an end, an hour and a half had passed. You sat in the darkness while the credits rolled, giggling about the funny parts of the movie.

“And when the slasher was actually just walking and he still killed them, come on now! It’s not that hard to survive.” Kaminari groaned, frustrated that the plot had been so predictable.

“And you would survive one of these scenarios?” You smile, calling Kaminari out on his bullshit.

“I know I would. Because I would have you on my team.” Kaminari hums, flicking the tip of your nose. Your face scrunches up from the sting of impact. You shove him playfully and he pulls you over on top of him.

You sit on his lap and sigh.

“I mean If I wouldn’t die I guess I can’t let you die either.” You laugh, staring into his golden eyes.

“Have you had your first kiss yet?” Kaminari asked blindly. You’re taken aback by the question, it had come out of nowhere.

“I haven’t. But please don’t make fun of me because have you had your first kiss?” You raise your eyebrows, praying he hadn’t.

“I have. I’ve kissed lots of people.” Kaminari lied, trying to seem cool. He was shitting himself, he had the chance, the opening, the timing, it was all perfect. You were sitting in his lap, your fingers playing with the collar of his sleep shirt, all he had to do was lean in and kiss you.

Surely it wasn’t that hard. It was a kiss. He’d seen people do it in movies several times, countless times, and he’d heard from Mina that kissing was super intimate even just little playful kisses.

Surely he could do this.

“Are you listening to me?” You pull Kaminari out of his thoughts but he’s quick to answer your question, pressing his lips to yours. It’s short, very short, and a bit awkward. His lips fit against yours, and right when you go to kiss him back, he’s gone, pulling away from you to grin at you.

“Kami did you-”

“Was it good?” Kaminari asks, beaming with excitement. You smile and shake your head.

“It lasted for like three seconds, if you’re gonna kiss me, kiss me like you mean it dummy, like this.” You lean in and press your lips to his. You were new to this, and judging by that kiss, you knew that he’d lied. 

You guided his lips with your own, going off of what just felt right. Kissing wasn’t rocket science, it was a discovery, a journey, you just had to know how to lead and follow.

Pulling away when you needed to breathe, Kaminari was breathless, literally and figuratively. He stared at you with pink cheeks, awestruck by the kiss he’d just had with you.

“I thought you said you hadn’t kissed anyone!” Kaminari wasn’t upset, but he was curious as to how you’d kissed so well.

“I haven’t.” You were telling the truth, letting your arms rest on his shoulders you rested your forehead against his.

“Then how-”

“I don’t know.” You cut him off, laughing. Kaminari sighed and pressed another gentle and shy kiss to your lips, still unsure of how to really kiss you. It was sweet, but you reassured him that it wasn’t all that hard. You moved his hands to sit on your hips as you kissed him back, leaning more into the kiss.

Kaminari sat up some, taking the lead and finally showing some confidence. When he pulled away, it was your turn to be flustered. You looked away, trying to hide your red cheeks from him but his hands were quick to deter your movements.

“Please tell me that you like me back because-”

“I do.” You cut him off once more, finally looking back at him. Kaminari sighed and leaned back against your bed, happy to know that his feelings were mutual. You giggle and tug on his hands to pull him back up.

“Everyone already thinks we’re a couple ya know.” You tease, rubbing your thumbs over his knuckles.

“I know, believe Sero and Kirishima both keep telling me to make a move already and well I have now but I’m glad I did because god you are just so perfect and I was so scared that you didn’t like me and that I was just stuck in the friend-zone.” Kaminari pouted.

“Are you kidding?! I thought I was being friend-zoned! You’re always so flirty I was just like ‘oh my god he’s gonna reject me if I ask him out.’“ You laugh at your past thoughts, finding it funny that had you just trusted your heart you would’ve been together sooner.

“Why on Earth would I reject you?! You’re smart, funny, beautiful, pretty, beautiful.” Kaminari’s eyes are wide with admiration as he stares at you, a goofy grin on his lips as he holds you closer to him, letting you lay against his chest.

“You’re pretty too, Kami.” You compliment him, kissing his cheek delicately before resting your head back on his shoulder.

“Awe, thank you. No one’s ever called me pretty before.” Kaminari’s hands rub your back, tracing little shapes on your shirt as the two of you talk.

“Well you are beautiful so now you have.” You smile.

“Can I take you out tomorrow?” Kaminari asks, he didn’t have much money, but what he did have, he would most certainly use to at least take you to get a drink at a café or something.

“Of course.” You hug him, embracing the comfortable warmth he was radiating.

“Wanna watch me beat some bad guys on my new video game?” Kaminari offers some more entertainment and you’re quick to respond, hopping off of his lap so you can watch the screen. 

You lay with your head in his lap, his hands playing with your hair whenever his screen was loading or during a cutscene.

You eventually fell asleep, Kaminari managing to turn off the console shortly after to doze off with you.

The next day would bring more laughs, more kisses, and more time with Kaminari, and a few congratulations from your classmates who had seen the relationship coming from miles away.

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masterlist

[last-operator-standing]

Toll Of The Bell

Chapter 3 - Sonder

> Read on Ao3

> Chapter 1 (tumblr)

> Chapter 2 (tumblr)

> Chapter 4 (tumblr)

Summary: What now? He could roll over and accept the fate thrust upon him and die as Adler intended. Starting a new life away from it all couldn’t be that bad either. Or…

Or he could finish the mission.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Warning apply this chapter

Words: 1.8k (7.3k total)

A/N: I'm sorry this one took so long asjdfjf I'm awful at keeping any sort of regular schedule- but i'm going to be trying much harder to keep the chapters flowing :') I'd love to hear any thoughts, and thank you all for the support <3 (p.s. Adler will be here v soon- Promise uwu)

"Please stop staring at me."

Bell has no intention of doing so. He's been staring down Lazar from the moment the man stumbled into the kitchen to join him at the table. The sunlight is harsh despite the closed curtains and the coffee fails to stimulate either agent's mind. This certainly isn't Lazar's ideal morning. The silence stretches on, but the uncomfortable feeling of Bell's eyes on him has him sighing loudly.

"Damn, Bell, alright." Lazar gives in. The chair scrapes loudly against the tile floor as he pushes back to stand, disappearing for a moment and returning with a bag. It piques Bell's curiosity; he was too tired to notice it last night.

A folder slaps loudly against the table and slides a few centimeters towards Bell. The Russian, unable to contain himself, surges forward to snatch it. "You're right about your buddy. Definitely a smuggler of sorts."

Bell flips the folder open and begins rooting through the contents. A picture of Kapano Vang is clipped on the inside. The first page has basic information. Name, call sign, date and place of birth. Bell's more interested in the finer details: A few suspected routes, potential cartel members, a list of what they believe is being smuggled. There's a few recurring words that catch his eye. Golden Triangle Cartel is scribbled at the bottom and underlined twice. Beside it, drawn in bold red ink and circled multiple times, Bell reads PERSEUS?

"What did you see yesterday, in those memories of yours?"

Bell gives a small shake of his head. "It was a bar, I think. He was there." He taps the portrait with a finger. "And someone else who knew us but.. I couldn't remember his face," The Russian gives a disappointed click of his tongue. "Or his name."

Lazar tries to offer a reassuring smile. "Hey, don't sweat it. It'll come back to you."

Bell wishes he could share in Lazar's positivity. He really does. But he can't be sure what brought the memories to him in the first place, or why they were so fragmented. After spending much of the night agonizing over any additional detail he might remember about Perseus or Kapano Vang or anyone else he had seen at that bar and coming up short, Bell's hope started to slip. In the end he could only point fingers at Adler and his MK-Ultra project. "So what's next?"

Lazar doesn't answer right away. He looks thoughtful. Even with their revelation on Kapano Vang and his cartel, they are nowhere closer to finding Perseus than they were before. They are back to square one.

"Well, I could try cross-referencing with MI6 again-" he means Park, Bell thinks with a snort "-and see if they have anything new."

Lazar's looking at him intently and Bell realizes he's waiting for a response. "Oh, uh. Yeah." Bell shifts awkwardly in his seat. "Whatever you say."

A week later, the two man team have no progress to show for their efforts. In that time, Bell's gone over the files at least a dozen and a half times and nothing's changed, nor have any new memories resurfaced. Lazar's cross-referencing has yet to unearth anything new either, telling Bell MI6 is just in the dark as they are.

"This isn't working, Laz." Bell slams the paper back against the kitchen table. His irritation is reflected in the other man's face but Lazar does a better job at hiding it. "We just have to keep looking," Lazar sighs. "We have the answer here somewhere."

Bell clicks his tongue in disapproval. "I've been over these files again and again. There's nothing here. We're not going to find Perseus on some piece of paper-" An idea strikes Bell. Something he never considered before now.

"Bell?" Lazar frowns. "You alright?"

"What if we look for that bar?" Excitement shines in Bell's eyes. Lazar's startled by his suggestion.

"I don't know-"

"C'mon, Laz, think about it. There was more than one Perseus agent there, in my memory." A plan was beginning to hatch in Bell's mind. From the way he's looking at him, Lazar doesn't like where he's going with it. "If we find that bar, maybe we can find one of those agents. Maybe even match some of these faces." He looks down at the file of unconfirmed but suspected Perseus soldiers.

"I don't know about this," Lazar repeats slowly, uncertainly. "If someone recognizes us it could cause some trouble. Especially if they recognize you. You helped stop Perseus the first time. No doubt his people are painfully aware of that."

Bell doesn't want to hear it, though. "It's just a risk we'll have to take," he argues. "I'm a spy, Laz. I know how to keep my head down."

After a bit of back and forth it's settled. First, they'll compile a list of bars in areas known or suspected to be frequented by Perseus. Then, while in constant contact, as Lazar insists, Bell will make his way through each alone and hope nobody recognizes him while he searches for the bar from his memory.

It takes two days to assemble a full list and another day and a half to narrow it down and map a route.

"I'm still not happy about this," Lazar grunts as he drops a duffel bag onto the table. Bell eagerly snatches it and begins shuffling inside. "You worry too much, old man."

The first thing Bell pulls from the bag is a change of clothes. They both agreed he needs something casual. And clean. It would make blending in with the crowd much easier. Too excited about the upcoming mission has Bell stripping where he stands. No time for modesty.

"C'mon, Bell, in the kitchen?" Lazar turns with a light pink tinting his face. Bell grins wide but doesn’t reply. The new outfit fits comfortably. He returns to the bag and roots around for his next prize. There’s a knife with a sheath and a small handgun waiting at the bottom. The knife is removed first. Bell carefully slides it free of its sheath. The blade is unusually slim and dark in color, and sports a dangerously sharp tip with partial serration of both sides near the hilt. Bell’s entirely absorbed in admiring the blade, so much so that he misses Lazar’s amused look until he speaks up.

“I thought you’d like that one.”

Bell returns the smile. “Oh, hell yeah. It reminds me of the one I had in-”

“Hey, Sims! You know reading that shit’s gonna make you go blind.”

“Yep! That’s why I want it alll up here.” Sims shot Adler a lazy grin. The commander slapped the book back against Sims’ chest.

“Bell, you’re with Sims. You usually bring out the best in each other.”

“RPGS! BRACE! BRACE!”

Bell watched in horror as a rocket collided with the chopper beside theirs. It careened dangerously before smashing into theirs, sending their own bird into a death spiral.

Everything was in chaos.

“Grab my hand! I gotcha! I got-!”

“We’ve lost power-!”

“We’re going down-!”

“BRACE!”

Bell blinks hard and his smile falls. There’s a knowing look on Lazar’s face and neither agent speaks a word about it. “C’mon,” Lazar gives a pat to Bell’s shoulder. “Showtime.”

The pair ride in silence. Lazar’s behind the wheel, giving Bell some time to think. He tries to keep the mission center focus, but the memories of Vietnam are overwhelming, fresh in his mind as if they just happened. And they’re not even real. I was never in Vietnam.

The car rolls to a stop and breaks Bell from his thoughts. “Alright, remember, coms on at all times.” Bell rolls his eyes and pops the door, deftly sliding from his seat. “I mean it, Bell!” But he slams the door without reply, turning towards the street. The small earpiece is already safely pressed into his ear and hidden behind his hair.

The checkered brick sidewalks stretch wide on either side of the street. There’s a decent amount of people strolling to and fro, some carrying briefcases and dressed in neatly pressed suits, others in casual attire with seemingly no important place to be. Lazar pulls off, leaving Bell to head for the first destination on his list.

The first thing Bell notices as he pushes into the first bar is the pungent mingling of smoke, alcohol, and sweat in the air. The floor beneath his boots is a glossy hardwood and matches the light oaken walls. The occupants chatter noisily, and although the sound is familiar, the atmosphere is not. This is not the right place. Keeping his appearance as casual as possible, Bell slips through the crowd and retreats out the back door. He glances around to confirm he’s alone before mumbling his findings to Lazar.

One down, seven more to go.

The second bar Bell stumbles into is smaller. There are less individuals milling around and the golden walls are all wrong from the dark cedar panels from his memory. The third bar is even less promising, while the fourth and fifth are so far from Bell’s memory that he’s positive he’s working backwards now.

Bell rejoins the thinning herd on the streets with a dejected sigh. This wasn’t working out. There’s two more bars to check and already it was getting dark. He’d hope for something; A clue, a new memory, a familiar face. Lazar keeps up with words of encouragement but Bell doesn’t have the capacity to share the optimism.

The sixth bar Bell checks holds a notable hushed atmosphere. Right away he’s stricken by the dark atmosphere. It felt.. Tense. Insidious. It doesn’t feel right, but for an entirely different reason. While most of the denizens ignore Bell, a few side-eye him dangerously. He steps to the counter and orders a drink, primarily to alleviate any suspicions from both inside and out.

Bell can’t shake the feeling of eyes boring into his back. It’s somehow different from when he first walked in and was certainly making him more uncomfortable. He shifts in his seat and tries his best to nonchalantly turn and find who the hell was staring at him so hard, but when he looks, he finds nothing out of the ordinary.

The feeling of unease doesn’t leave. He grows antsy and finally after paying with money given to him by Lazar, Bell downs the last of his drink and turns back into the streets. This is certainly not going the way Bell had hoped. The seventh bar is quite the walk from the sixth, allowing him some time to breathe and collect his thoughts.

The feeling of unease melts from Bell’s shoulders the longer he walks. Lazar’s quiet so he turns his attention outward and listens curiously to the broken chatter of the dwindling civilians.

“-think he talks about anything else?”

“Well, it’s not like-”

“Timur?”

“That’s not.. Point.. Why else-”

“Timur!”

“I just think you should consider-”

A hand lands heavily on Bell’s shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. He turns in surprise.

“Timur!” A man stands before Bell with a lazy smirk and a gleam to his eyes- as if he recognizes him. His dark hair is cropped close to his head and a pair of lightly tinted shades adorns his face. The accent is certainly not Russian, and it throws Bell off guard. “Hey! Remember me?”

[moonanagames]

Hello, fellow denizens of the planet Earth, Solar System.

Remember when I talked about doing a new thing? So here comes the new thing! Today in

The Escapist - Indie Showcase

We showed a new trailer for our newest game! In the Steam page you can check the trailer, screenshots and everything about it! Make sure to reblog this post so we can spread the news about BOBO and her Jukebot.

Check the Steam Page and make sure to wishlist!

Moonana new website

Discord Server

Keylocker | Turn Based Cyberpunk Action, is a Cyberpunk turn based rhythm JRPG inspired by the Mario&Luigi RPG series and Chrono Trigger, in which you play as the singer and songwriter, BOBO.

Fuel your moves with the electric power of music in this unforgiving planet by using real-time execution of moves in rhythm game style! Battle the authorities, unlock the secrets of Saturn, play on your own bands' concerts and hack into the network to bring an end to this corrupt system, for better or worse.

In a silent world where music has been prohibited, BOBO will serenade her rebellion against the vicious authorities by banding together with the Jukebot drummer, Rocket, to shatter the strings of fate and sing the melody of freedom in this unforgiving Rhythm Turn Based JRPG.

Features:

Control Electricity with your own music! Transform it into attack or defense as needed, swapping between different movesets and tactics.

Classic Turn Based Combat with a twist: Real Time execution of moves in rhythm game style, aim your shots, time your attacks, parry and block your enemies in this unforgiving planet.

No Random-Encounters; fight your enemies head-on with seamless in world battles inspired by Chrono Trigger.

Befriend the citizens, or betray them, hacking into their profiles to acquire resources or to change the course of the story with multiple endings.

Play with your band to the friends you made at the Music Show minigame, featuring compositions by Elektrobear (Momodora, Virgo Versus The Zodiac), voiced by Psamathes.

But watch out on the Danger Meter! The all-ears church-police will certainly come after devious denizens who do not respect the Law of Silence.

Completely customize your characters with a great variety of equipment; unlock special Talents using the Keys harvested from enemies you DELETE in combat.

Unique interactions with every object of the world: exploring Saturn can lead to secrets, rewards or entire pieces of knowledge about the planet.

Some facts for ya about the development and what awaits us for the future!

Keylocker is being done by the same team that worked in Virgo, we’re sticking together in the face of danger! Exception goes to Semiprocastinator that isn’t a guest composer for this one, Elektrobear is now heading the soundtrack with the help of the Singer, Lady Psamathes, our angel of music.

I’m writing lyrics for this game and it’s a lot of fun! Since I wanted the player to be very engaged with the gameplay while still enjoying the music (that’s such a vital plot point for this game!), I decided to make a new language (conlang for shorts) for the story of the game and use that language to create the lyrics. Like that players wouldn’t be distracted by the lyrics! The language is based in finnish and lyrics are being revised by my finnish friend @fusoloid

Anglerman is doing all animations for this one, I abandoned working with that to focus on other stuff! World and battle sprites are the same so we can use battle sprites in the world. This will also allow for several unique in world animations, like opening treasures, singing, hugging...

Lady Psamathes sings the voice of our main character, BOBO! She has a youtube channel where she does video game music covers. She’s fantastic, please support her work as well! She’ll be working with us for the soundtrack of Keylocker for some specific songs that require voice. Most of the soundtrack will still feature background music without voice.

Keylocker is the name of BOBO′s band, and also the name of music boxes mass produced in the story of the game. Can’t say no more!

Veyerals is doing our Guitar Hero minigame that you see in the trailer and he’s a big fan of guitar hero! So expect a lot of big difficulty, but also small difficulty, accessible to everyone!

Ben will be now working with some Virgo stuff as well as Keylocker, so he’s pilled up with work, although the work he’ll be doing for Virgo is pretty exciting I might say. Also can’t say much about it! :(

That’s it! If you’re curious about how Virgo work will go right now, I can only confirm we’re still working in Virgo content, but we’re multitasking with both games now. I’m very excited about what lies in the future for both projects and I hope to share with you guys more on both soon! Thank you so much for reading through all of this and I hope you have a great day!! Feel free to ask me anything and I’ll be sure to answer asap. :3

[chaserainbows]

Since @rockcitychic reminded me of this topic I’m about to unleash more cursed content upon the world

We all know that the reason why Team Rainbow Rocket is, well, Team Rainbow Rocket, with Giovanni as the leader, is for Gen 1 pandering. I know, he’s the original villain, the more easily recognizable one, so technically it makes sense for him to be the face of that crossover episode.

But realistically, if every criminal organization in canon combined into one, Giovanni would have no chance because the leader would most certainly be Ghetsis and that’s for two reasons

1) Ghetsis is the only villain with enough charisma to keep everyone together focused on the same goal as well as the only one with enough ambition to join forces with a mafia and not one, not two, but four doomsday groups. Giovanni’s goals are on a MUCH lower scale, and I think that the only villain in team RR more charismatic than Ghetsis would be Cyrus but he genuinely would not care about teaming up with these people (as he doesn’t in canon)

2) If Giovanni tried to take over Ghetsis would backstab him expeditiously dude was ready to shank the hero of truth and he’d totally do the same to an italian