#rogue duck interactive

[linuxgamenews]

NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters Update - Exciting Content and Monster Taming

NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters update adds more content to the PvP inventory auto-battler game for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. Thanks to the brilliant minds at DiceHit Games and Rogue Duck Interactive. Which you can find on Steam with a discount and 86% Very Positive reviews. Big news for the indie team of Rogue Duck Interactive and DiceHit, alongside publisher The 4 Winds Entertainment, just released a game-changing update for NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters that’s so packed with content, it might as well be a remaster. This massive update follows November’s exciting “Swamp” update, which brought a lot of like to this unique PvP inventory auto-battler. While mixing monster taming with strategic inventory management. Let’s talk about what makes this update a beast for Linux players.

Singleplayer Mode: The Star of the Show

For the first time, NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters is giving Duelists a singleplayer mode in this update. This is your chance to perfect strategies, master elemental counters, and dive into curated challenges. Doing so without worrying about your Elo rank. But wait, it gets better. The new Singleplayer Challenges feature is a dream come true for fans. Imagine taking on tricky elemental puzzles — like figuring out how to beat a lineup themed around Fire, Water, or something in between. In this update, challenges come in two flavors: Normal mode for learning the ropes and Hard mode for NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters veterans who like a good fight. Crush these challenges, and you’ll earn trophies to show off next to your player card. If bragging rights are your thing, this one’s for you.

Celebrate with Steam Community Goodies

The fun doesn’t stop in this title. This update also introduces six shiny new trading cards to collect on Steam. These cards are tied to the main core elements and their ultimate Evolution forms. Earn them as you play, as you are due to unlock profile badges, emoticons, and even slick profile backgrounds. Show some love for NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters Major Update in style.

NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters Trailer (pre update)

Quality-of-Life Upgrades

The devs went all out with over 20 QoL updates that make the game smoother, smarter, and way more fun:

Gameplay tweaks: Cosmions are better balanced, there’s a new upgrade slot (pick 4 options instead of 3), and the tutorial now explains overtime mechanics.

Stats in real time: Buffs, nerfs, and changes now display live in the shop. No more guessing — plan your strategies like a pro.

Polished UI: New buff and debuff effects, updated customization screens, and even fancier NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters main menu assets.

Looking Back at the Swamp Update

Just last November, the Swamp Update (v1.1) introduced a fusion Element (Nature + Water), reworked buffs and debuffs, and brought new Cosmions into the fray. It was big, but this latest patch makes it look like a warm-up. With all these features and upgrades, now’s the perfect time to dive back into the PvP inventory auto-battler. Whether you’re here for the gameplay upgrades, the Steam collectibles, or the fresh singleplayer mode, this NEODUEL: Backpack Monsters update has something for everyone. With a 30% discount, dropping the price to $8.39 USD / £6.99 / 8,25€ on Steam. Along with support for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. What are you waiting for? The monsters are calling, and this is your moment to answer.

[marisol-peony]

With the Thunderbolts people are talking about the Avengers being a family or not, and for me it sorta depends on the day and which movie you’re looking at. Like for the Avengers, they’re literally work friends, they only work together because Coulson dies. With Age of Ultron, they’re a friend group but they’re very cliquey, they all have their own duos (Bruce and Tony, Natasha and Clint, Natasha and Steve, Natasha and Bruce (she really has strong bonds with most of them), Thor and Steve (as battle partners at least)).

In Civil War though, that’s where I do see them as a family. The discussions and dynamics really do feel like a family being torn apart, as the directors commentary says, it’s a film about divorce. Here’s where I’m going to be controversial:

I’d argue that Team Cap/Rogue Avengers/Anti-Accords group (as in Steve, Natasha, Sam, Clint, and Wanda), however you refer to them do feel like a family and do so throughout the all their movies you see them, far more so than the OG six.

Clint and Nat have been best friends since before the Avengers were formed, she’s literally an Aunt to his kids. The friendship of Steve and Natasha since Avengers, she’s the first person to treat Steve as human, and it’s such a strong dynamic and friendship in TWS that only gets stronger (the Helicarrier scene in AOU). If Steve’s the Avengers dad, she’s the mom. Then Sam joins and he meshes with Steve really well and works well with both Steve and Nat. Steve and Sam are best friends, they’re bonded through being veterans and their moral code. In Civil War, you see a sort of younger sister/mentee dynamic Steve, Clint, (and Nat though it’s not as obvious) have with Wanda.

The Lagos scene shows them working more as a cohesive unit and a true group of friends than in Avengers 1 and 2

- Sam and Natasha bickering about Redwing

- Nat and Steve mentoring Wanda while also being able to joke around with her and her powers

- The constant communication and how they are able to read each other well.

Even though the operation goes wrong, it’s not because they can’t work well together (which is what happened in Avengers and Age of Ultron to an extent)

Team Cap (bar Scott) have been consistently working with one another and you can tell in the airport fight scene. Bucky pretty easily folds into their dynamic (like the origins of Sam and Bucky hello!) They care about each other enough to literally get arrested and lose their freedom.

I mean, Nat switches sides (in part) because of her relationship with Steve and that they were the leaders of the Avengers for some time, they’ve been a constant presence in each others lives since the first Avengers movie. She wants to keep them together and she knows that Team Cap (for lack of a better term) are the people she’s closest to and the family that’s not going to fall apart

In Infinity War it’s still there, but it’s with Steve, Nat, and Sam. But look at it in contrast to Team Iron Man, which literally falls apart in that movie (that’s a whole other post I can make) Natasha and T’Challa both defect, Peter only interacts with Tony. Nat, Steve, and Sam are basically together for the whole two years with Wanda with them except for when she’s with Vision (Nat says something to the extent of “I thought we had a deal, stay low and stay close”). Look at how they fight together in the Scotland scene, they don’t even need to talk to one another they work so seamlessly. They’re also the group that sticks together once they get to Wakanda.

Then in Endgame where it’s just Steve and Nat, they are the only OG Avengers who spend any time together, everyone else goes their own way.

and yeah you could argue that the Avengers should’ve checked in with each other, but who’s to say they haven’t. But on Steve and Tony’s part at least, Tony has to be the one to reach out, Bruce was gone for two years, Clint ducked off like immediately and avoided them, and nobody was ever really that close with Thor (who wasn’t completely alone like people sometimes say, he has his Ragnarok gang, and if they did reach out clearly he stayed in New Asgard but I digress.)

Nat calls the Avengers her family, but I really think she was referring mainly to Clint, Wanda, and Sam (I know some might say we don’t see their friendship but it’s definitely there in CW and they were literally on the run together for years). In Endgame we do see the Avengers as a family again, but it’s just not the same because so much has happened since they were last all together eight years ago

The Avengers don’t feel like a family, but Steve, Sam, Nat, Clint, and Wanda do, we don’t see how it happens but it’s shown how close they are and they certainly are closer than the OG Avengers.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

For the Crowley interaction event how about him getting lunch one day and a food fight breaks out in the cafeteria? It can be a mob student or a main boy that starts it I just want to know how he reacts and deals with it or not.

Enter; An Unkindness of Ravens.

Meat pie, meat pie🎵

Crowley hummed in his head as he fell into the cafeteria line. He could smell the spices and hearty game meat stewing in the kitchen. His mouth watered, eager to sink his teeth into a slice.

Students inched forward, drifting to vacant tables with trays of food and drink. The system the school had in place was streamlined, efficient--before long, Crowley was the next to be served.

“Ah, headmaster. Here for your lunch break, I see,” one of the chefs greeted. He plopped an entire meat pie onto a platter and slid it toward Crowley. "There you are, an extra-large helping of your favorite!"

"Thank you, my good ghost," Crowley responded with the tip of his hat. "Please do keep up the excellent work!"

"Anytime. I know how hard you work to keep this school running. It's the least I can do to help fill your stomach."

"Fufufu, and it is very much appreciated~"

While Crowley exchanged pleasantries with the ghost chef, he failed to take note of the students in his surroundings. The usual murmurs had grown tense, like a rope pulled in two different directions. Shifty eyes met one another, fingers fidgeting.

Then, in the midst of the tentative peace, one boy's voice rang out.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

Hell broke loose in the cafeteria. Students were suddenly out of their seats, food flying, people racing for the exit or ducking under chairs to avoid the incoming fire.

Sebek made a desperate leap to defend his liege from mashed potatoes, Jamil hurried Kalim out, using his own body as an unwilling shield. Ace and Deuce were targeting each other, and on the opposite side of the room, Epel was flinging spoonfuls of applesauce, much to his dorm members' horror. Floyd busied himself with trying to catch wayward food in his gaping mouth. Riddle shouted over the chaos, attempting to gain control of the frenzy--no one listened.

"Oh, sweet, merciful Seven!!" Crowley cried out in distress. “G-Gentlemen, let’s calm ourselves and put down the—eeeep!!”

"Take cover, sir!" the ghost chest warned, diving under a table himself.

Crowley yelped at a rogue banana chucked his way. He managed to dodge it, only to find a gravy stain blooming on his vest. The next hit was to his tray, knocking his meal to the ground in an unceremonious heap, crust ruined and meaty innards oozing out.

"M-My clothes!!" he pathetically wailed. "My meat piiiiie!!!"

The food fight continued, unaware of his plight.

A great wave of irritation overcame Crowley. They will never learn right from wrong without a stern hand to guide them.

Slamming his tray down, he seized his walking stick in its place. Magic welled up from within him, bringing about a rain of shimmering light at his command.

At once, the frantic scene was put on pause. Limbs locking, food dropping to the ground.

"Hey, what gives?"

“Why can’t I move?!”

“M-My body…!”

"That's enough of that," Crowley announced, making his presence known. He folded his arms and tutted disapprovingly. “Really, now! I expect better behavior of my students!!”

"He started it!" the boys chorused. Crowley suspected that they would be pointing at one another, were it not for his spell freezing them in place. A few dissenting voices--Riddle ("I tried to control them, headmaster!!") and Sebek ("THE YOUNG MASTER HAS DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE THIS CRUELTY! PUNISH ME IF YOU MUST, BUT NOT HIM!") only contributed to the madness.

"Regardless of who did and did not instigate, all of you will have to be reprimanded. After all, the majority of you did participate or otherwise worsened the situation once it started!!"

Crowley thrusted a finger at the floor, then the walls. They were splattered with sauces and chunks of meat and vegetables.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves. The ghost chefs toil to prepare these delicious, nutritious meals for you growing boys--and here they are, gone to waste!!"

He waved his hand, loosening his magical hold on the boys. Buckets of soapy water and mops materialized beside them. Realizing what was coming next, they collectively groaned.

"I believe the appropriate punishment would be to clean up this mess you've made. I recommend that you hop to it--there's only so much time allotted in the school day for one's lunch break." Crowley's eyes glinted with mischief. "Fufufu, yes, yes, that will do just nicely!"

I'm such a genius~

[zedecksiew]

What Do Ability Scores Represent?

Recently, Into The Odd and the players in my home game helped me realise something fundamental:

Ability scores represent how good you are at acting under pressure.

STR isn't strength, it's toughness;

DEX really means reflexes;

WIS is more accurately calm or willpower;

etc.

+++

It is convention in roleplaying games that your ability scores / attributes / six stats determine who your character is.

High DEX means your character is spry, capable of acrobatic flourish; a good Willpower generally means you can browbeat others / themselves / reality (if you are spellcaster) into doing what they want; etc.

There is pleasure in looking at a sheet and seeing: Oh! These are the things my character is good at.

But you do run into problems. Does my 18 DEX rogue know they are fleeter than the 17 DEX bard? What if my wizard thinks she is stronger than her 10 STR? What if I have a brilliant scheme but my barbarian only has 9 INT?

How well, in other words, does the map represent the territory?

+++

(Art by Vesha, who is an illustrator! source)

I've got three players in my home game:

Vesha plays the teenaged trader Khabar (and his buffalo friend / parent-figure, Paal);

Amanda plays the monkey warrior Boots-Ra, now going white-furred;

Aish plays Captain Phung.

Phung does not yet own a proper sea-going vessel. Perhaps he lost his previous ship? Perhaps he never had one. (He does have a magic five-person sampan, though!)

He is impulsive. He tends to make dodgy deals with hapless village-folk, pick up dangerous-looking objects, and flirt with dangerous-looking men.

+++

Mechanics-wise, here's how my interactions with Aish / Phung tend to go:

Me: Okay, make a DEX save to duck before the hunter stabs you. Aish: Damn, my DEX is only 6, guess we'll see ... Amanda: Oh, no, Phung!

In a previous session:

Me: Okay, I think I'll call for a WIL save, because the ghost in the goat skull is trying to possess you. Aish: Well, my WIL is 5, hopefully this works out ... Vesha: Oh shit, Phung!

Some sessions back:

Me: The automaton shoves you. Make a STR save? Otherwise you'll be on the ground at its mercy. Aish: Guys I have 6 STR, I may be in trouble here. Me: Wait wait wait. What are your stats again?

So it turns out that Aish had terrible rolls at chargen. STR 6 DEX 6 WIL 5. Just going by ability scores, Phung is an idiot weakling.

+++

Thing is, Phung isn't an idiot weakling.

I've got crafty players; they are pretty good at cooking up multi-part schemes. (Their go-to tactic is bamboozling rival factions to show up at the same place, then benefit from the fallout.)

Phung is generally the face for whatever racket they've got going: he's the most obvious leader (the party is generally "Captain Phung and crew"), and Aish plays him as a capable, charismatic go-getter.

Looking at the character sheet, is Aish playing Phung wrong?

Fuck that. A player cannot play their own character wrong. I reject this notion outright.

What's going on?

+++

Different rulesets try to bridge the gaps between player action, character ability, and abstract math in different ways: eliminating mental attributes; going totally skill-based; etc.

The ruleset that comes closest to "solving" this, for me, is Into The Odd.

Saves are the only kind of test player-characters make, in ITO and its derivatives. This is key.

The ruleset assumes competency on the part of characters; you only go to the dice if you need to figure out stuff that is out of your control.

How badly a straight-up fight goes; whether you can jump aside in time if you've accidentally sprung a trap; whether you can improvise a lie on the fly.

+++

Implicitly, and in practice:

The STR stat in ITO is more accurately toughness---ie: how well you can withstand a physically demanding situation you didn't prepare for.

Ditto DEX, which is an abstraction for how quickly your reflexes trigger.

Same with WIL, which is how well you stay calm under duress.

I can be sharp when I've got time and it is a subject I have experience in. But suddenly ask me to make a speech and I'm toast (low INT).

Some folks have no martial arts training but can hold their own if a brawl breaks out in a bar (high STR).

Captain Phung is a pretty cool operator when he's in control, but tends to seize up when things go off the rails (low WIL).

There's my answer to the conundrum of Captain Phung: he's a genuinely capable guy. He's just not necessarily great under stress. His reach exceeds his grasp, sometimes.

+++

Your ability scores don't represent who your character is. Your ability scores represent who your character is, when under duress.

In other words:

Ability scores are who your character is when they are not in control. Ability scores are your character's reactions.

+++

I do feel slow on the uptake, for only grokking this now.

Chris McDowall probably has a post from the mid 2010s or something where he discusses this aspect design in detail, the clever genius bastard. It is probably internalised play-culture within the ITO-and-descendants community; Emms points out that the current edition of Mothership explicitly talks about stats in this way.

Still!

Am glad to have a regular TTRPG group again, and I have them to thank for my epiphany!

(They are kickass. I ran them through Whirling Mummy a while back and it was a RIOT)

[orphiceonian]

˗ˏˋSILVERV WEEK: HOME´ˎ˗

read on ao3

written for @silverv-week

“Megabuilding 10, eh?”

V let out a groan as his voice crackled through the confines of the rickety elevator. He could tell she was not in the mood for his idle chit chat—not when she had a pounding headache and a ringing in her ears that permeated every thought.

“Yeah it’s a shithole Johnny, I’m well—fuckin—aware.” She gritted as the elevator grate opened and she stepped out. 

“Someone is in a bad mood.” The rockerboy muttered, walking in stride with her as she weaved through the bustling lobby. Rarely was she in a good mood. It was always a grumpy one with a smattering of misery. He couldn’t blame her—dying wasn’t a matter many people were happy about. 

He felt the merc fight the urge to bite back at him—again—exhausted at the thought of using her precious mental energy to argue with him. 

V stepped inside the second elevator that would take them up to the higher levels of the building. She leant against the wall of the old metal cage and punched in the code for rooftop access. The gears and wheels of the elevator began to churn as it lifted them both higher into the building. 

“Remember seeing this place from The Atlantis. Big monolith breakin’ up the skyline with a big ole ten on the front. Didn’t think much of it then.” Johnny spoke, eyes fixed on the graffiti that decorated the interior of the lift as they whizzed by the residential levels. 

“Hell are you on about?” V spoke, eyes closed and jaw clenched. 

“Just find it interesting that without knowin’ it, saw where you’d end up livin’.” He hummed, looking over at her.

V frowned at him as the lift drew to a stop, “Clearly saka fucked with your memories then. These buildings weren’t built till after you blew up the tower.” She muttered and stepped out of the elevator and out onto the service corridor. 

He snapped to attention at her words, watching as she walked down the narrow corridor as if she hadn’t just thrown his worldview into question. 

The building had been there. He had seen it clear as anything when he pulled up to The Atlantis to ask Rogue for help getting Alt back from Arasaka. Its blocky form dominated the city skyline—a behemoth of concrete and steel that housed a thousand individual lives and stories. 

Johnny followed along behind her, thoughts ticking over in his head as they silently walked down the hallway. V pushed open a hatch and stepped out onto the windy rooftop of the megabuilding. She ducked under some exposed pipes until she found the spot where she usually sat. 

Johnny glitched over the plastic chairs just as she sat down to run diagnostics on her cyberware. It had become a habit of hers since the relic. Vik had warned her to be extra vigilant about the status of her chrome and how it interacted with the relic. Now after every job she spent a full hour scanning her subsystems for any signs of abnormal degradation. 

V looked at him, tell-tale shimmer of orange light ghosting across her optics. She blinked the lights away, tilting her head as if waiting for him to speak. 

“There were there, swear it.” He pressed, watching as she connected her neural link to the deck. 

“Probably just the relic buggin’ then. Like with the graffiti I keep seeing.” She shrugged as she spoke. 

Johnny could tell she was hiding something from him. It felt like a thought lurking in the back of his mind—unable to be fully formed.

He studied her face for a moment, eyes dragging over the smooth contours and the glimmering EMP threading that marked her cheeks. Her eyes were back to their unsettling orange colour as she scrolled through the lines upon lines of diagnostic data that streamed through her deck. 

“Something you’re not letting me know.” He spoke, words coming out more bitter than he anticipated. Her bad mood was rubbing off on him, twisting his intrigue into something ugly. 

“There is a lot you don’t know, Johnny. Like to keep it that way.” She disconnected the link with a sigh, “It’s probably just a flaw in ‘saka’s code. When they built the environments around your memories, accidentally added in present day Night City ‘stead.” V leant back in her chair and propped her feet up on an overturned crate. 

“Always the logical explanation with you.” He muttered and sat down in the chair next to her. From this height he could see most of Night City and a fair amount of the expansive badlands that surrounded it. If he wasn’t so much of a cynic he would have called it beautiful. 

Johnny pulled his eyes off the horizon and over to the merc when he felt a prickly sensation dance through his. He watched as V took a drag of a cigarette, her eyes fixed on the view. 

He could feel her mind working—could feel it ticking away as her brow furrowed in thought.

She was quiet for a moment and then took a small breath, “Sometimes I feel like I’m seeing this city through your eyes. I see a building and I wonder ‘how long has that been there?’ only to realise it’s always been there.” 

Johnny raised a brow at her, “You sure Arasaka didn’t change your memories?” 

“Well technically they did. You in my head, overwriting my memories. Changing them. That’s what the relic does.” He noted the melancholic tone in her voice. The dread that came along with the relic and the fear she felt everyday as the prospect of slowly becoming someone else. 

He glanced over as she took another drag, “So me seein’ your megabuilding…?”

She goes silent again, brow knitted in thought as the ideas tick over in her mind, “Sometimes I see this house. It’s got yellow linoleum tiles in the kitchen and brown shag carpet in the lounge. Pictures on the wall and it’s got this…coldness to it despite looking warm.” V looked over at him then, eyes filled with an emotion he can’t quite read, “Your home?” 

He nodded and sucked in a sharp, artificial breath through his teeth, “It’s where I grew up in Texas. Never really felt like home though.”

V nodded and took a drag, eyes fixed on the horizon and the glimmering light of the city. He watched how the light danced over her face and the breeze moved her fading pink hair. 

He could feel her sour attitude dissipate into melancholy as her mind pulled long forgotten memories to the forefront and put them on repeat for both him and her to see. He caught a few glimpses of a small apartment, bloodied broken knuckles and an anger that burned hot in his chest.

“Tried to make a home in Atlanta…didn’t work out how I thought it would.” She mummed, his question answered before he even spoke it. They didn’t speak much about her time in Atlanta. It was a wound that was still healing and it was better for the both of them if he didn’t prod at it. 

“Used to think home was a place. Four walls and some windows. Then I realised it was people. So my home became gangs and criminals. Then for a while, Jackie was my home. Felt like the brother I never had and then I got him killed.” Her voice cracked at her mention of Jackie’s name–yet another wound that still hadn’t healed.

Johnny watched as her eyes shifted again from sadness to bitterness, “Makes sense that this shitty town full of shitty people feels like home to me.” She snarled at the skyline and took another drag of the smouldering cigarette. 

“You're not a shitty person V. Trust me. I’m an authority on the topic.” He sat back in the plastic chair and took in the sounds of the city around them. The hum of energy and the whirr of cooling fans that made up the frequency of Night City. 

He shared her sentiment. Night City was a cesspit of crime, corruption and cruelty. After the war it had felt like a reprieve from the patriotic propaganda he had been spoonfed all his life. He had seen enough of her memories to know that growing up in this city hadn’t been easy and all in all, she was well adjusted and empathetic for someone who had grown up surrounded by violence and gangs. 

“Do–do you think the reason why you saw the megabuilding and why I saw your home…think it goes beyond the relic?” She spoke, voice laced with that same nervous energy he heard he speak to Judy with. It’s like a kid admitting a crush or an awkward fan gathering up the courage to speak. 

Johnny pulled in another sharp breath. He didn't need to ask what she meant by her words–fuck he can feel it. He can feel it bubbling up in the back of his throat, realisation choking him. He knows how she felt because he felt that way about her–felt like their connection went beyond the relic. 

“I think…I think I’m changing cause of you. For the better.” He spoke and looked over at her. He felt his heart clench at the look on her face–it's somewhere between fear and admiration. 

It’s that look that sealed the deal for him. A deal he had been thinking about since the oil fields. 

Both of them were going to make it out of this nightmare–alive and together. 

His home was with V and he’d bring that tower down again to make sure it stayed that way. 

[cha-melodius]

hello sara here is your rogue headcanon and 2025 prediction whether you like it or not (because obviously it's TRUE and 100% accurate in every respect):

1. your toxic trait is that you don't think ducks taking over the world would be a particularly bad thing, and actually, you think the duck overlords would accept you as their humble servant and maybe even promote you to a level of seniority above any other human due to your impeccable taste in duck haute couture.

2. my 2025 prediction is that @celeritas2997 will run a statistical analysis on everything you've ever posted to Ao3 (including non-rwrb work) and the results of that analysis will uncover (eventually, when it comes out - this prediction is just about the statistical analysis component) that you have actually accurately predicted 100% of the rwrb sequel, except that all the plot points are contained in separate fics.

OMG this is better than I could have possibly imagined, I am on the FLOOR I hope you know.

Look, who DOESN'T think that ducks could do a better job at governing than whatever is going on in most countries (and especially mine) right now??? I say we give them a shot, tbh. I support them in this quack-over and I think they'll reward me for my loyalty.

Also I love how this prediction is also a cee prediction, let's be real she WOULD. But I'm also cackling at the idea of RWRB sequel plot points being buried in spy fics, but it's not that they're spies, it's just some little minute detail that or interaction that somehow is perfectly mirrored in the sequel.

Thank you Lola, you're an absolute treasure and this made my entire evening. 😘😘😘

[himbosuplex]

absolutely love the concept of your x-men ocs (and romyneto in general, which is sadly underexplored in x-men fandom)! can you explain why erik was incapacitated for the first portion of chuck’s life?

so without going into TOO many more details before i actually start producing the fancomic, the F31 timeline is broken up into 3 main story arcs

The first takes place from just after '97 S1E3 and goes through to the midpoint of Season 1, greatly expanding on character relationships leading up to it as Erik reconnects with Rogue and better gets to know Gambit because of her.

Arc 2 spans number of years and dramatically diverges from the events of the timeline it branched from. During Arc 2 Max is born. The story arc concludes with Magneto and the X-Men having to avert a major catastrophe brought on by a returning villain (only hint is they last appeared in TAS Season 4.) During this fight Magneto is badly wounded, and as a result is incapacitated.

After a time skip of several years, Arc 3 begins with Erik being met with a world drastically different than the way it was before. The institute is now led as a joint effort between Jean, Scott, and Ororo and has a significantly larger student body. Erik now has multiple grandchildren, his youngest daughter is now a teenager, and Rogue and Remy had a second child together. A major part of various events of Arc 3 involves Erik not only having to reconnect with a world that continued on without him, but having to try and form a bond with this (from his perspective) sudden appearance of a small child named Charles Magnus LeBeau that is apparently one of his children, even if not by blood.

Doesn't really help that Chuck is a bit of a weird one. At first, his main form of interaction with Erik is appearing out of seemingly nowhere and just quietly watching him. He's an odd little duck.

[adoenamedjane]

OK. I know these are not Gith names, and I’m making up a creche, AND you can’t have two of your OC’s in the same run, andddd it’s probably not as ~canon~ as it could be. HOWEVER, I want to be creative and have fun so here my Githmore Girls are. Bits of camp interactions focused on their relationships with Gale and Astarion.

“Ducky, we can’t always be on cleaning duty. I’ve beaten, bribed, and bullied every Gish I can find. Guard duty for one day won’t get us culled.” Paloma calls out while she trots after Ducky. The hatchery door was ahead.

“I just hope we stay useful. Like you say, Paloma. Useful warriors are alive warriors, or cleaners, usually, in our case.” Ducky chirps.

Paloma nods and takes her spot to the right of the door. Two short swords are strapped to her back, obscured beneath her partially braided black hair, with a magenta streak running through it. Paloma’s lower lip seemed to be stuck in a permanent pout. Her grey eyes always seemed slightly watery as well. Both of those feature combined with her pale pink skin gave the impression she tears threatened to burst forth any minute.

Ducky, however, was the tender-hearted one of their duo. Her black hair hung in a low bun at her neck. There were a few loose wisps that hung by her face and occasionally drifted over her pale blue eyes. Her skin was white, which made her North Star tattoo and spots stand out particularly strong. Ducky absentmindedly removed the lute strapped to her back and began to strum.

“You’re going to get us beaten or worse, Ducks. Put it away.” Paloma hisses.

“If I must.” Ducky sighs and stares up at the red rock ceiling of creche N’Breem.

They stood for what felt like hours when rumbling jostled them from their positions. A Gish charged by at a full spring, silver armor glinting.

“Gish, what’s going on?” Paloma barks out.

“Ghaik!” He pauses just long enough to snarl a response.

Paloma and Ducky exchange glances. Red stones began to crumple from the roof into the hatchery pool. Jostled acid speckles the floor and walls.

“The eggs.” Ducky yells, darting through the door. Paloma darts after her.

A Nautiloid tentacle slams through the ceiling and collides with the two Gith before Paloma can even finish a Tsk’va.

****

“My hair is made of sand. My nose is full of sand. My patience is buried in the sand back by the Ghaik ship. We make camp, Istiks.” Paloma was not used to being an authority figure. Her and Ducky avoided any hint of higher ups as much as possible at N’Breem, and when they couldn’t, what true Githyanki doesn’t enjoy a few more scars?

“All it took to leave the creche was a Ghaik incursion.” Paloma thought. This was not quite the stealthy get away her and Ducky contemplated.

Ducky meanwhile, practically glowed with delight as tents were pitched and their first evening with “their new best friends,” began.

“Gith don’t have best friends.” Shadowheart’s words on the Nautiloid did not dampen her spirits.

“These Gith do.” Ducky smiled back as Lae’Zel shook her head and glowered behind them.

Paloma plops her weary body next to the campfire. Best friends appeared in abundant supply on the Sword Coast, if today’s journey was any indication.

Faerun’s sun roasted her and Ducky as if they were the grilled miniature space hamsters. Ducky insisted they shake Shadowheart awake and take her along.

“Seems like I’m more reliable than your kin,” Shadowheart gloated.

It’s hard to be best friends with a corpse, so Paloma ignored the comment. Ducky bounced over to assist a pale elf before Paloma could wrangle her back, and ended up tackled to the ground with a dagger pressed to her throat.

“Paloma! See? They make allies here just like on N’Breem.” Ducky beamed at the elf who regarded her with ample amounts of disgust and rage in both eyes. Astarion, a not-magistrate if Paloma had ever seen one. She knew a fellow rogue. Whatever else the man he got up to did not involve the law.

Then, the wizard, or the librarian as Ducky had taken to calling him since his tent was stuffed with books. He’d ended up on top of Paloma briefly after she’d fished him out of the portal. Though he’d ended up being smoother than the crackled magic he’d come from, he was just as inclined towards purple. “Gale of Waterdeep,” not creche Waterdeep, as he readily corrected Ducky. She would have been fine to cap camp residents there, but Ducky and their tadpole-situation had other ideas.

****

One rescued kin and Blade of Frontiers recruitment later, Paloma wonders if they should just put out a sign. Ghaik-tadpole harborers: stop here. Shadowheart and Lae’Zel swap glares back and forth across the campfire.

“Need I remind you, Ducky and I are also Gith, Shadowheart? You ought to more evenly distribute your ire.” Paloma dryly says in Shadowheart’s direction.

“Yes, but you two didn’t want to leave me die on the Nautiloid.” Shadowheart snaps back.

“Would that we had.” Lae’Zel hisses.

“Should we send out a carrier pigeon? Invite the rest of Faerun into our camp? Everyone is getting along so swimmingly. I’d love for them to see what true peace looks like.” Astarion asks, voice dripping with annoyance.

“I don’t think they’ll all fit, but can we get a pigeon anyway?” Ducky giggles as she asks.

“If we find one, it’s all yours.” Wyll grins and Ducky squeals with delight.

Astarion gives an exasperated sigh and resumes fussing with his tent.

Foraged onions and garlic perfume the camps air. Gale’s hands work methodically to chop everything to toss in with the pork shoulders Paloma nicked from the Grove’s uppity little trader.

“May I help you?” Paloma asks. She needed a break from the bickering, and her hands were adept with both daggers and short swords.

“I’d be delighted to have company and a fellow chef in the kitchen.” Gale gives a partial bow and smiles. For a moment, he thinks a blush creeps across Paloma’s cheeks, but her skin is too pink for him to be certain. What would a Githyanki warrior want with a washed up wizard anyway?

Paloma’s daggers make quick work of the rest of the vegetables. She asks him questions and answers some of his in return.

“Why does Ducky call me a librarian? I used magic missile on those goblins at the gate, surely she realizes no mere book keep could perform such a feat.”

Paloma laughs before she responds. Her voice is huskier, lower. If Ducky’s giggles are a wind-chime, Paloma’s is water dashed off of rocks below any falls.

“Ducky sees attributes or traits that are good in people, and assigns them careers. She’s also got a head full of Istik,” Paloma hesitates, “or, should I say common folk literature.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Gale replies thoughtfully rubbing his beard with one hand and stirring the cook pot with the other, “She is a bard after all.”

“Don’t let the giggles fool you. The princess stories aren’t her favorite. It’s the mysteries that get her head turning.” Paloma laughs again. Her fondness for her fellow Gith is evident in all of her features.

“You two seem quite close.” Gale says, studying her face in the firelight, “Your situation reminds me of my Tressym, Tara and I.”

Paloma turns her head from observing Ducky flit around camp, one eyebrow cocked, “Your what?”

“Oh! My Tressym, like a…better cat.” This explanation does nod ease Paloma’s confused look.

“A better what? I’ve yet to encounter this creature.” Paloma eyes him suspiciously now, worried he’s perhaps making up allies or creatures to make a fool of her.

“I’ll uh, point one out when we happen upon one. It’s bound to occur sooner or later on our little adventure.” Gale muses.

“I’d enjoy that.” Paloma gave a soft smile.

Gale smiled back and held her gaze for what surely had to be an imagined sense of electricity before a blush threatened to overtake him again. “Erm, well, dinner is ready. Best let our companions know. Dinner! Gather in!”

Their companions meandered towards the cook pot.

“If you start another round of 99-bottles of Arabellan dry on the wall, I will smash that lute.” Astarion hisses.

“Don’t worry. You wouldn’t be without music for long. I have 4 hidden in reserve around camp.” Ducky chirps in reply.

“Arson it is then! I’ll simply burn our living quarters to the ground.” Astarion smirks. He has her now.

“Even your own tent?” Ducky says in horror.

“Of course not, darling, I’d be exempt from the lute purge.”

“Thank goodness. I’ll just use the flute I stashed in your tent then.” Ducky smiles so widely her cheeks nearly scrunch her eyes into oblivion.

“You..you what?” Astarion’s voice is a mixture of panic and outrage as he hustled towards his tent.

Wyll turns to Ducky incredulously. “You hid a flute in his tent?”

“No.” She whispers, positively delighted as she prepares a plate for herself.

The rest of their evening passed by in comfortable idle chatter and the sound of Astarion rifling through his tent.

[linuxgamenews]

Get Ready for NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters - A Unique Blend of Inventory Management and Monster-Taming

NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters releases the multiplayer auto-battler game for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC. A huge shoutout to the teams at DiceHit Games and Rogue Duck Interactive for their creativity. Available now on Steam with 85% Very Positive reviews already. It’s time to dive into NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters, the latest Linux hit that’s finally released on Steam. Mixing inventory management, multiplayer, auto-battling, and monster-taming. There is alao a sale, so check your local Steam store for the exact price and grab it while it’s hot. NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters release will have you tame creatures called Cosmions. While building strategies around them to win battles. The game lets you experiment with fusions and different battle setups, so there’s always something new to try. Whether you’re a fan of monster games or just love strategy, NeoDuel brings some unique twists to the table. Bahadır, the lead developer at DiceHit Games, says it best: “We’re so excited to finally release NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters. This game has been a labor of love from our small team, and we can’t wait to see how players experiment with Cosmions, fusions, and different builds. A big thank you to our devoted community of Duelists for all the support and feedback during development. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters Release | Accolades Trailer

What’s New in the Full Release?

With its release, NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters brings some new features that will keep you coming back for more duels:

Elemental Fusion: Combine Air and Water elements to create Ice, a brand-new element that lets you freeze your opponents in battle. How awesome is that?

Cosmodex: This is your go-to guide for every Cosmion and element in the game. It’s going to be a huge help as you master fusions and come up with killer strategies.

Arena Announcers: To make battles even more intense, the NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters release now features voice lines for arena announcers. All performed by Nick Atlas (English) and Zeynep Önen (Turkish). Their energy really adds a new level of excitement to every duel.

What’s Next?

NeoDuel also promises free content updates down the line, so expect more fun mechanics and features to roll out as the game evolves. For now, you can explore Elemental Fusion, check out the Cosmodex, and hear those announcers fire up your battles. It’s a great time to jump in! NeoDuel: Backpack Monsters is out now on Steam. Don’t miss the launch discount — it won’t be around forever! This multiplayer auto-battler game is priced at $11.99, but right now you can snag it for 20% off at $9.59 USD / £7.99 / 9,43€ on Steam, depending on where you are. The sale won’t last forever, so check your local Steam store for the exact price. Available for Linux, Mac, and Windows PC.

[saved-for-me-own-stories]

I did this! Unfortunately, the life of a newlywed writer prevents me from getting involved this year, but I thought I'd take a little look back at my past ones!

Day 1 = the naval parts of the Civil War, but with merpeople!

Day 2 = Man Who Invented Christmas AU!

Day 3 = I don't even know what this one was, but it had spooky moor vibes

Day 4 = the (younger) Othryans do not know what to call it besides a "dragon"

Day 5 = some of my book characters are suddenly teaching the classes of my fandom characters (also Seth is there for some reason)

Day 6 = magic fae being from one story of mine stops a bad thing from happening in the backstory of another story of mine

Day 7 = kinda like a Star Wars RPG for a handful of my fantasy characters

Day 8 = TPC but in the Underworld! Also Naphtali's a skeleton, so that's fun

Day 9 = my mind palace as a coffee shop for all the characters in my head

Day 10 = kinda similar to the Psmith Star Wars AU by @fictionadventurer, but with my Civil War rebel guys

Day 11 = Bernard Walton and some kids get sucked into a fairytale and have to untwist it to get home

Day 12 = Jumanji but Candyland! And also with my characters

Day 13 = fake academia on a franchise that doesn't exist (this one is so nerdy)

Day 14 = VoicePlay but they run a food truck (I don't know how to run a food truck)

Day 15 = Hanahaki Disease, but make it chronic instead of terminal and also about the four loves

Day 16 = ... okay, the posted version was lame, but the not lame version was super spoilery and creepy as heck

Day 17 = Hello Neighbour AU (like, not even the plot, it's just the actual game combined with my book)

Day 18 = the A-Team as 1940s tough kids (in a boys choir, like "Angels with Dirty Faces"), who have to protect the neighborhood priest

Day 19 = my made-up Greek mythology, but it's all spy organizations and rogue agents and secret formulas

Day 20 = "That Hideous Strength" but they actually go to Sulva/the Moon!

Day 21 = Ghost AU, but not how you expect, because this is Sarah & Duck and I didn't want to make an angsty one for that

Day 22 = first Joker usage! Soulmate AU for a Civil War soldier and a widowed mother (and it's SAD)

Day 23 = Penny from "The Rescuers" has time loop powers!

Day 24 = the Band and the Halwendes switch roles (it IS connected, but it's very complicated)

Day 25 = look, Mad Scientist Naphtali just works, even if I'm just talking about a dumb Phineas and Ferb crossover

Day 26 = second Joker usage! The Partridge Family but it's about acting and plays and such like (also shamelessly shippy)

Day 27 = Chad makes a Supernatural-esque fanfiction about the Time Travel Trio and maybe accidentally creates Danville Superwholock

Day 28 = Last Unicorn AU for TPC (and a little self-indulgent shipping that wouldn't actually be possible in canon)

Day 29 = Marley McFly (aka Jacob Marley has to go back in time and fix something that went terribly wrong)

Day 30 = you know those MCU posts that were like "everybody lives in Avengers Tower and hangs out and it's fun, even though most of them don't canonically know each other or never interact or are straight up dead"? That but for TPC. And with family LOTR readings.

Day 31 = taking "two of the above" as literally as possible, giving "The Agony and the Ecstasy" an Angelic AU with all theological respect

......

....you know, honestly, this almost seems like it could be an ask game.

Here. We. Go! AU-gust 2022 prompt list just dropped! Go on and spread the word!

What is AU-gust? It stands for Alternate Universe August, and it is a creative challenge for everyone. Writers, artists, fans; anyone can join! Be sure to check out our FAQ for more answers! Join us on Twitter, AO3, Discord and under the tags #AU_gust and #AU_gust_2022.

Special thanks to yaoyorozoops for creating this year’s graphics!

[Image ID: 31 days challenge prompt list as follows: 1 Underwater, 2 Artist’s Muse, 3 Countryside, 4 Dinosaurs, 5 Teachers, 6 Fairies, 7 Science Fantasy, 8 Literal Hell, 9 Coffee Shop, 10 Space Academy, 11 Twisted Fairy Tale, 12 Candyman, 13 Reboot/Fresh Start, 14 Food Truck, 15 Hanahaki Disease, 16 Psychological Horror, 17 Annoying Neighbour, 18 Choir, 19 Spies & Assassins, 20 Space Colonisation, 21 Ghosts, 22 Surfers, 23 Infinite Loop, 24 Childhood Friends, 25 Mad Scientist, 26 Paparazzi, 27 Adoptive Family, 28 Unicorns, 29 Where It All Went Wrong, 30 The Good End, 31 Two of the above. You have three Jokers: Soulmate AU, Theatre AU, Yandere AU]

[felidthing]

having a lot of fun writing sagespeckle and thrushleaf interactions post-war actually. thrushleaf becomes windclans healer after hollyfang leaves and is very stressed about it. some of the clan thinks shes ineligible because she has no Formal Clan Training (despite having already known plenty of medicine before joining) and also she wasnt born windclan. Ohhh This Non-WindClan Cat Shouldnt Be In Such A Vital Spiritual Position. but thrushleaf also just misses her brother and it feels wrong for her because hollyfang is supposed to be the healer. shes supposed to see him ducking in and out of the medicine den and always smelling like herbs. and now hes gone and shes doing his job

sagespeckle resents hollyfang for abandoning windclan and his sister. she thinks hes being stupid and weak for not owning up to the bad things he did as the Evil Healer's apprentice and choosing to run away instead. sagespeckle sees thrushleaf struggling with missing her brother and being under such intense scrutiny by the clan and she hates him for putting thrushleaf in that position. sagespeckle is also very defensive of the Thrushleaf's A Rogue criticisms because of the whole sagespeckle is half-clan thing lol

[toomuchdickfort]

*sits in Merrill’s house to put off getting back to the plot*

[naruto-imagine]

Hi there! Out of curiosity, could I please have a fluff scenario where Kisame is nervous about showing his female s/o his cute freckles? Please and thanks (p.s. I love your blog💞)

Thank you! And thank you for being so patient with me. I hope this request reaches you. 💕

The sun shone high, casting it's warming beams onto your face. Your eyes were lightly shut, basking in the rays whilst your smile grew with every second. With the autumn season slowly coming to an end, with winter on destiny's heels, it was a rare occasion to have a warm day like today. You decided you were going to appreciate every moment of it.

Kisame, your significant other, stood a couple metres away from you. He watched quietly, studying your little actions of happiness such as inhaling through your nose and exhaling ecstatically. He closed his eyes, smirking whilst gripping onto the handle of Samehada which was strapped behind him; just something he always did out of secret comfort. "Heh. Make the most of it kiddo. It's not gonna last."

"I am" You say with a happy sigh, still looking up towards the blue skies with a wide grin. That was something Kisame admired about you. You found opportunity in everything no matter the situation. Finally you look over your shoulder at the shark man and you lunge at him to grab his wrist, taking the rogue ninja by surprise. You pulled at his wrist to try and get him out of the shade in which he was previously standing in and into the sunlight. "C'mon! You got to enjoy it whilst it's here. It's going to be a long winter. This might be our last chance to feel this." You exclaim, successfully getting the tall male to stand by your side.

You didn't need to instruct him on what to do. He knew what you wanted him to do. He sighs in mild irritation but closes his eyes and tilts his head back to feel the final heat of autumn. You smile widely, so content with Kisame's actions. Usually he is unwilling to try new things, especially things that were a little out of character for a mass criminal like himself. Even more so if it was in public. But it was just the two of you and for you, he did these things that made him a little uncomfortable. It was then you noticed. When he tilted his head just right, you could see the cutest freckles appearing across his nose and cheeks. They were a darker blue, faint and reminded you of speckled duck eggs. Your mouth slowly opened in awe and you couldn't help yourself. "Kisaaaa~" You teased, standing before him and grabbing onto the collar of his Akatsuki cloak. You had to go onto your tippy toes to get a closer look of your significant other. He snapped his eyes open, looking at you concerned. When his eyes met with your wide grin, he got nervous.

"What?" He almost hissed out of defence.

"You didn't tell me you had the cutest freckles!" And that was it. Immediately he turned away and walked back into the shadows. You blink in confusion and regret teasing him already. You run after him, reaching out your hand. "Don't be like that! I didn't mean it nasty!" With your little legs, in comparison to his long ones, you catch up to him and jump in front of the male to stop him from advancing forth. You hold out both your hands towards him. "I really mean it, Kisame..." He frowns at you, watching where your hands were going. He took one step back and you paused. After a couple seconds, seeing Kisame was no longer retreating from your touch, both your hands rested on his cheeks gently.

His cheeks grew warm when he saw you close your eyes and smiled deeply. Carefully you pull his head down closer to yours so the tip of your nose kissed his freckles, nuzzling them. "They're so cute...~" You whispered. "You shouldn't have to hide them." You pull back a little to now look into his eyes. His black hues look away from yours, feeling somewhat giddy and lovesick from this interaction. Was he... pouting?

Quickly, you kissed his hot cheek and bit your lip. Kisame cleared his throat and straightened his back, the man now towering back over you. He swooped his arm behind the backs of your legs and lifted you like a bride. "C'mon. We'll be travelling ages with your little legs." You wrap your arms around his neck and curled your toes in excitement as you both disappeared into the woods.

[mickmundy]

what i hate writing: combat >:( what i love writing: scout and spy interactions :)

text version under the cut!:

Spy lurched up with a grunt and stabbed his knife into Pyro’s thigh, making the firestarter collapse from the pain of the shredded tendon. He shuffled back in the dust and patted around blindly for his disguise kit, inhaling sharply as he caught sight of BLU Soldier headed for their team’s Heavy and Medic. 

“Heavy!” The rogue called out, serving as just enough of a distraction for Scout to make a quick recovery and leap onto the BLU Soldier’s back. Their enemy began spinning around, trying to shake Scout off while he clung onto the larger mercenary, shouting at Spy all the while.

“I got it, I got it! I got-” 

“DUCK!” Spy ordered, watching Scout’s confused expression before he hastily abided, ducking his head against BLU Soldier’s back as the rogue swung the shovel like a baseball bat and swiftly decapitated the enemy mercenary. Panting hard, Spy tossed the shovel onto the ground and jogged to his disguise kit, picking it up and dusting his suit jacket off it in a moment of… something like peace.

“Holy crap, Spy!” Scout guffawed, “Since when can you swing like that?!” He watched Spy smirk as he took a long drag of a new cigarette, feeling himself calming down from the adrenaline that had taken over the previous thirty minutes. 

“What can I say? You’ve inspired me to improve my swing.” Spy gave his son a pleasant smile, watching as Scout laughed and put his hands on his hips, shaking his head as he scoffed with a smile on his face. “Now, let us be off. It’s not good for either one of us to be standing around.” The rogue reasoned, watching Scout nod and reload his shotgun before they both took off in opposite directions, Spy cloaking while Scout ran to meet with Heavy and Medic. 

[i-dont-hyperfixate-on-fandoms]

Vocal Rest

A Music Meister x OC fanfiction

≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈

Word count: 699

Warnings: Electrocution, break-in, discomfort

Tropes: Dancing, teasing

Synopsis: Why would a singing-centered villain go on vocal rest while committing a crime? The world may never know.

Ships: Music Meister x OC

≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈=≈

Her brunch was paused by the shrieking alarm of the bank next door, but it was completely halted when the café wall adjacent to the bank was demolished into rubble and flying debris. Melody immediately ducked under her table to avoid the detritus, as did many of the other patrons. Melody covered her mouth while frantically trying to make eye contact with the other guests. As the dust started to settle in the room, her fears only heightened.

The figure of a man loomed in the still somewhat hazy air pouring out from the newly-collapsed wall. As the man came into view, a squeal threatened to slip through Melody’s clasped mouth. Not him. He stood tall amongst the wreckage, a glowing staff in his hand pointed at a frozen patron. Not a word emerged from him as he shot some sort of electric pulse from the staff, causing his victim to lift into the air for a moment before being violently shocked and limply dropped to the floor. The perpetrator grinned devilishly at his target’s collapse before scanning around the room as if to ask “Anyone else care to test me?”

The thing that frightened Melody the most, however, was this man’s silence. The Music Meister was not known for being quiet, so this deafening nothingness was… uncanny, to say the least. Especially since his main superpower was his vocal hypnosis. But her curiosity about his muteness was overshadowed by her paralyzation at the sound of his approaching footsteps. A whimper left Melody’s lips, causing the tall man to stop just as he was passing her hiding spot.

Fuck.

The scoundrel stepped back towards her as she silently cursed herself out.

Why did I do that? Why did I fucking do that? I’m going to die because i couldn’t stop myself from making a single peep. Please, god, let him go past me again. I’m going to be electrocuted like th—

“Ah!” He exclaimed, on his knees to peek at her. His sickening grin spread across his face once more, leading Melody to retreat slightly below the table. The man chuckled lightly at this, before pushing her table to the side. But instead of attacking her, the Music Meister simply grabbed her wrists to pull her up. A nearby bystander attempted to bolt toward the rogue. He was immediately shocked by the villain’s staff, said villain never breaking his eyes from Melody as he pulled her into a slow-dance position and began to sway.

“Wh-What?” Melody questioned, unable to defy his clutch.

The Music Meister merely laughed gently and continued to dance with her, before answering very quietly. “Don’t you remember me? I let you go from my heist a week or so ago,” he remarked, “it’d be a shame for someone as remarkable as yourself to forget that encounter of ours–”

Melody, without thinking, cut him off from his ramblings. “Why are you being so quiet?”

Any other person he interacted with could have been killed for questioning him like that, but when it came to her, the villain couldn’t help but laugh yet again.

“Surely you know the importance of vocal rest, darling~” he replied. The man slid a hand under Melody’s chin and lifted it towards him, before tracing down her neck to her jugular. She shivered in response, deeply unsettled. “After all,” he continued, “your voice is a weapon, and you have to maintain such a tool.”

“Why would you go on vocal rest while committing crimes? You’re fighting empty-handed,” Melody retorted, grimacing as the rogue tore his hand away from her neck.

“Fair question. I guess it doesn’t always matter to me what I fight with, as long as I have something,” he rolled his eyes, gesturing to the staff clutched in one of his hands.

The faint roar of sirens started to near the café, causing the Music Meister to hesitantly release his prey. “I do believe that’s my cue to exit,” he sighed. But before Melody could fully escape him, he seized her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

“Adieu, Songbird~”

And with that last taunt, the villain burst through the door and started to flee on a music-themed motorcycle.

[robininthelabyrinth]

Young Xiao Xingchen (whether he's time travelled or just left early) interacting with WWX and the Jiang's at Lotus pier, and how his presence changes or doesn't change it's fall, and the sunshot compaign! Or, alternatively, Xiao Xingchen reincarnates back in time as Wei Wuxian's new little brother (ages and verse up to you).

“Hello, there!” the young man in white called, and for a second Wei Wuxian thought it might be Lan Wangji – no, Lan Xichen, because Lan Wangji wouldn’t be smiling like that – but after a moment he realized that it wasn’t him at all, but rather a rogue cultivator, carrying a horsetail whisk. The lack of a forehead ribbon was pretty definitive. “Are you from the Jiang sect?”

There was a brief moment in time in which both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian looked at each other in horror and then scrambled to get out of the water and dressed as quickly as they possibly could. There were certain liberties that they could take on account of their being teenage boys, like taking lotus pods and paying back later, but skinny-dipping in another person’s lotus lake without permission and then getting caught and identified was definitely skirting the edges of what their sect’s face could tolerate.

For example, if Madame Yu found out…

“Uh, yes,” Jiang Cheng said once he was dressed and standing and pretending to have composure. “I’m Yunmeng Jiang’s Jiang Wanyin, and this is Yunmeng Jiang’s Wei Wuxian –”

“Oh!” the young man exclaimed, and his smile widened. He looked young – younger even than they were, no more than fifteen – and his face was a little round, giving him an expression of innocence, even though he carried his sword in a familiar manner, as if he were ready to use it. “Then you’re who I came to find!”

Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes, as if it was only to be expected, which Wei Wuxian thought was unfair. He’d never actually had a guest come to Yunmeng to look for him by name before…well, not unless they were seeking reparations for something he’d done, which didn’t seem to be the case here. Anyway, he thought he’d remember meeting someone like this before.

Maybe not. His memory for faces wasn’t great.

“And you are…?” Jiang Cheng prompted.

“Oh, forgive me,” the young man said, and saluted them properly. “This one is Xiao Xingchen, of no sect. My master is Baoshan Sanren.”

Wei Wuxian jumped as if he’d just stepped on something sharp. “Baoshan Sanren?” he demanded, his eyes wide. “The immortal on the mountain? My mother was her disciple.”

The young man – Xiao Xingchen – nodded. “That’s why I came to look for the Jiang sect,” he said. “I heard that my shije’s son was still around, and I wanted to meet you.”

Wei Wuxian nodded so quickly that his head felt like a windowpane in a fierce storm. “Yes, yes, of course,” he said. “Come back with us to the Lotus Pier – I’ll take you around, we can have some food –”

“Are you just recently descended from the celestial mountain?” Jiang Cheng asked, looking suspicious. “Why haven’t I heard of you?”

“I only came down this month –”

“Save your paranoia for later,” Wei Wuxian told Jiang Cheng, who glared at him. Still, he really didn’t think the other man was lying; who would come up with a stupid sort of story like that if there wasn’t some truth to it? “Come on, Xiao Xingchen, come back to the Lotus Pier with me! Jiang Cheng, I know we were planning on taking our shidis out to shoot kites later, but maybe can we do that another day?”

“We’d better,” Jiang Cheng said, shaking his head. “You won’t be thinking about it at all.”

“If this is a bad time, I can wait,” Xiao Xingchen said, ducking his head in embarrassment. “I was too enthusiastic, I know – I knew you were busy, expecting guests, but I just couldn’t contain myself…”

“Guests?” Jiang Cheng said, looking at Xiao Xingchen oddly, and Wei Wuxian couldn’t blame him. In the doldrums of late summer, no one went visiting anyone. “We’re not expecting guests.”

Xiao Xingchen blinked at them. “You aren’t?” he said, his voice uncertain. “Then what are all those ships for? I saw them coming when I was flying in, though they didn’t see me.”

“Ships? What ships?” Wei Wuxian asked blankly. “Fishing boats, or merchant vessels?”

“Oh, no. They had cultivators on them, that’s why I assumed they were heading for Yunmeng Jiang and the Lotus Pier. And there were so many of them!”

“Cultivators coming here in large numbers? Now? Unannounced?” Jiang Cheng asked, now totally bemused, and Wei Wuxian right along with him. 

Something like that - surely they would have gotten word of such a visit in advance. Wouldn’t they?

“Did you see if they were flying any flags? Some sort of symbol?” Wei Wuxian asked, a strange feeling settling in his stomach. Not a good one. “A beast’s head, or clouds, or maybe a flower…?”

“Oh, yes,” Xiao Xingchen said. “I remember now, they did have flags, but it wasn’t any of those – the motif I saw a sun. Yes, I’m sure of it: all the boats were flying flags displaying a sun. Are they not friends of yours?”

“No,” Wei Wuxian said grimly, exchanging a look with Jiang Cheng. “No, they’re not friends.”

It seemed that they would need to postpone any conversations about his mother.