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[dascarecrow]

Top Ten Sonic Characters We Want To See In Smash Bros.

Buongiorno my adoring audience and welcome to another checklist by The Checklist.

Ever since debuting as one of the first third party inclusions in the esteemed series known as Super Smash Bros. the legendary Sonic the Hedgehog has been a mainstay and his popularity is such that it has been long requested to see another character from the franchise join up with the Blue Blur.

For this list we'll be going over ten possible additions from the long running, fast running hedgehog's cast of characters to see who's most worthy of joining the hallowed halls of Super Smash Bros.

Let's get started.

10) Metal Sonic

Sometimes it takes fire to fight fire and Eggman proved that quite well with this mechanical copy of the Blue Blur. Meant to not just imitate but improve on the hyper fast abilities of Sonic himself, this dark imitation has everything he needs to join Smash. Not only does Metal Sonic have the speed to match the real deal but he also an array of energy based attacks to decimate the competition. From electrical shocks to solid barriers this engine of evil has more than enough to prove himself against the one real Sonic.

9) Jet the Hawk

Sonic has had his fair share of rivals throughout his long tenure but none come close to matching his speed the way that this Babylon Rogue does. A master of the high speed equipment known as Extreme Gear, Jet could bring this tremendous tech into battle and show everyone who is the true master of the wind. With his iconic Bansho fans and numerous types of Extreme Gear at his disposal Jet may well be one of the few who could stack up against Sonic's speed in Super Smash Bros. Plus it would give the franchise representation from it's increasingly prevalent racing spinoffs.

8) Cream The Rabbit

Big things come in small packages and you'd be hard pressed to get smaller than Cream. Having made numerous playable appearances in the Sonic series Cream is definite frontrunner for a playable role in Smash. She would definitely be one of the lightest characters to join, something only bolstered by her unique ability to fly. Not to mention her affinity with mysterious creatures known as Chao could translate into an innovative fighting style. Just imagine Cream commanding different types the little critters to relentlessly wear down her opponents, with each type having it's own unique stats and abilities to really trip up the competition.

7) Blaze The Cat

Sometimes faster isn't always better and Blaze is a prime example of that. A stoic and composed figure Blaze is unlike many of the Sonic cast in that she doesn't possess the blinding speed that characterizes the series. Instead she's possessed of powerful pyrokinesis, letting her control heat and flame to act as she commands. Blaze would be more focused on power and precision, landing hard hits or setting traps in just the right spot to deal critical blows to her enemies. She wouldn't be a slowpoke by any means however as the very fire she attacks with can also bolster her movement if needed.

6) Amy Rose

The lovely Amy Rose needs no introduction but she's getting one anyways. A longstanding regular of the series Amy is inarguably one of the main characters of the franchise and as such should be in the conversation for a role in Smash. This peppy girl can nearly match Sonic's insane speed but she fights quite differently than the Blue Blur does. Amy wields the fearsome Piko Piko Hammer, which is one of the hardest hitting weapons in the series and one that she has all manner of techniques she can use with it. From boosting her movement to throwing out tornadoes to straight up smacking the heck out of someone, Amy is no one trick pony. And just to further supplement her moveset she has a variety of tricks with her tarot cards to dazzle and confuse her opponents.

5) Dr. Eggman

Every hero needs a good villain and few are as great as the insidious Dr. Ivo Robotnik, otherwise known as Dr. Eggman. This sinister scientist has been plaguing Sonic and his friends for decades now and such an esteemed villain would be perfect for Smash. Eggman has a variety of machines and vehicles that he has used over the years, the most prominent of which is his Egg Walker mech. This would serve as the basis of his playstyle, with the Walker bringing out different attachments that would reference the numerous ways he's attempted to best Sonic. Lock-on missiles, crushing claws, devastating drill bits, there hasn't been much Eggman hasn't thrown at the Blue Blur throughout their rivalry and all of it would fit well in the world of Smash.

4) Silver The Hedgehog

The cast of the Sonic franchise are a varied bunch to be certain but none are more unique than this guardian of tomorrow. Hailing from an ever changing future Silver is possessed of immense psychic powers. The most notable manifestation of these powers is his telekinesis, which he can use in a variety of ways. From launching waves of telekinetic force or setting up psychic shields to moving himself around the stage however he wants or even mentally attacking the opponent, Silver has no shortage of ways to even up with competition and prove once and for all that he's deserving of a place in Smash.

3) Shadow The Hedgehog

Eggman may be Sonic's greatest enemy but his greatest rival is undoubtedly the fearsome Shadow. Able to match Sonic step for step and well beyond Shadow has all the makings of one of the greats. While his moveset would take some inspiration from Sonic the bulk of his playstyle would revolve around Shadow's mastery of Chaos Energy. This enigmatic power allows Shadow to conjure attacks of all kinds, from explosions to energy spears and a whole gamut of options in between. But the most potent tool in his arsenal would of course be the time and space warping Chaos Control, giving Shadow the ability to control the battlefield in a way that's never been done before.

2) Knuckles The Echidna

Shadow may have become Sonic's greatest rival but he wasn't the first. No that distinction goes to this guardian of the Master Emerald. Knuckles is an inverse of Sonic in so many ways that he would make a perfect addition to Smash. Where Sonic is all about speed Knuckles is a powerhouse, leveraging his immense strength to overcome adversaries. That strength would lend itself well to hitting hard to build up damage and then landing one final blow for a knockout. Not to mention that in contrast to Sonic's mastery over the wind Knuckles is more closely associated with earth-based attacks, something not typically seen in fighting games.

#1 Tails

And to finish our list it could be none other than Sonic's own sidekick, Miles "Tails" Prower. The two tailed fox has been a mainstay of the Sonic series almost since the beginning and given his close ties with the Blue Blur should be the first one to join Smash as a second Sonic rep. Where Sonic is all about speeding through on the ground Tails takes to sky by spinning his tails, leveraging flight into impressive aerial movement. Not only that but Tails also has numerous gadgets of his own design that he can use in battle, making him an unpredictable fighter to face. All of this put together would give Tails the chance to show he's just as good as his hero Sonic if not even better.

That's all folks, see you soon.

[dascarecrow]

Marvel Tokon Fighting Souls Wishlist

What up people! If you've been plugged into the gaming scene for the last few days then you should be aware that there is a new Marvel fighting game coming out next year. Not only that but it's also being developed by none other than Arc System Works! The hype is real everyone!

Now that that's out of my system I thought I would put down what characters I would like to see join this esteemed effort. I'm not factoring in likelihood or anything like that, this is purely about who I would like to see join the roster of this game.

Let's get started

-Adam Warlock (his quantum powers could be fun to see)

-Cyclops (an old favorite for Marvel fighting games who needs to make a comeback)

-Thor (one of the faces of Marvel so he has to be in)

-Hulk (one of the faces of Marvel and a mainstay in Marvel fighters)

-Hawkeye (having an archer fighter could be fun)

-Wolverine (An iconic inclusion in Marvel fighters who needs to return)

-Nightcrawler (My favorite X-Men member and his teleporting powers are just cool)

-Gambit (My second favorite X-Men member and I like his kinetic energy powers)

-Daredevil (Long overdue for a playable role in a Marvel fighter and his radar sense could translate in a fun way)

-All of the Fantastic Four (And in order of most to least wanted it would be Invisible Woman who has the most potential in my opinion, Human Torch who would give us a fire focused fighting style, Mister Fantastic who might not make it in because of the already stretchy Miss Marvel, and the Thing who would have a hard time standing out next to other big bruiser type characters)

-Shang-Chi (give him the Ten Rings and you have a very unique playstyle set up)

-Namor (You don't really see water based fighters too often in these kind of games and Namor could change that)

-Deadpool (One of Marvel's biggest characters and he would be undoubtedly hilarious)

-Blade (long overdue for an appearance in a Marvel fighter)

-Songbird (her sonic powers are very unique among Marvel characters and could make for a fun playstyle)

-Nova (I'm just fascinated by this character and want to see what the game could do with him)

-Captain Marvel (Got to give the ladies a chance and she's a real powerhouse in the comics and the movies)

-Spectrum (I like the idea of a character that transforms into light and energy as a fighter)

-Scarlet Witch (Her Chaos Magic could make for a fun fighter)

-Vision (I just like the character and think his density shifting could translate well into a moveset)

-Falcon (A flight based character could be pretty fun along with whatever tricks he could have in his wings)

-Cloak and Dagger (Rivals proved a two in one character could play well so why not bring them in for a fighting game)

-Speedball (His kinetic powers could be fun to see in a fighting game plus the New Warriors need some love)

-Punisher (I just feel he's a good pick for a fighting game)

-Iceman (Expand on the X-Men side of things and give us an ice based fighter to contrast with any fire based ones)

-Magik (She's had a big push in Marvel gaming recently and her powers are certainly unique)

-Angela (Just curious to see how they would implement her if she got in)

-Doctor Octopus (Got to have a Spider-Man villain and he has the recognition on top of unique powerset to do it)

-Mister Negative (I just like his powers plus he gives us an undersold Spider-Man villain)

-The Hood (I feel we need a magic villain in a game like this and the Hood would be perfect for that)

-Some of the Inhumans (In exact order of most to least preferred would be Crystal with her elemental powers, Black Bolt with his electron manipulating abilities, Karnak with his flaw detection ability and Medusa with her legendary hair powers)

-Wonder Man (His ionic powers could be fun to see in a fighting game)

-Echo (Her powerset is copying other's movements which would be a must have for this kind of game)

-MODOK (If they're going anime then I would love to see this guy in that style)

-Quake (I'm an Agents of SHIELD fan and her seismic powers could be cool to see in the game plus she's an Inhuman)

-Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (I just want to see what they could do with this duo and she's also an Inhuman)

-Cannonball (I like his powerset and it gives the New Mutants some representation outside of Magik)

-Negasonic Teenage Warhead (Her powers were cool in the movies so why not put her in a fighting game)

-Armor (She'd make for a good X-Men character who's a bit more recent and her psionic armor would be fun to play with)

-Miles Morales (He's a breakout star for Marvel and his powers differ enough from Spider-Man's to create a unique moveset)

-Black Knight (I like the character and his magic sword offers some good gameplay opportunities)

-An Eternal (I'm fascinated by the MCU version of these characters and would love to see any of them in the game though if I had to choose one I would go with Sersi who has transmutation abilities that could translate into a fun gameplay style)

-Hive (They're an unknown villain, the MCU made them an Inhuman on Agents of Shield which could be brought over here and they would definitely have a unique powerset)

-Doctor Strange (He's the go to magic guy of Marvel and things would get trippy with his moveset)

-White Fox (She's a newer and more unknown character, there's been more of a push for Asian superheroes from Marvel and I just like her)

-Black Panther (One of Marvel's biggest heroes, nuff said)

-Archangel (His metal wings could make for a fun character in the game)

-Mystique (Her shapeshifting could make for some fun gameplay mechanics)

-Man-Thing (A very unique character that could have a very unique moveset)

-Wasp (I just want to see what they could do with this character in a fighting game)

-Silver Surfer (A cosmic powerhouse who deserves a chance to shine in a fighting game)

-Captain Britain (The Brian Braddock version could have unique mystical abilities in his moveset)

-Quicksilver (It could be fun to see a speedster playstyle in the game)

[dascarecrow]

Top Ten Kirby Characters We Want To See In Super Smash Bros.

Buongiorno my adoring audience and welcome to another checklist by The Checklist.

Few franchises are as iconic or notable within the confines of Smash Bros. than that of Kirby. The pink puffball powerhouse has been one of the mainstays since the beginning but even so his games still feel underrepresented with only three fighters to their name.

For this list we'll be going over those characters from the Kirby franchise that we feel would make good additions to the roster of Smash Bros. We'll be making our choices based on their moveset potential and how well they would represent the series in a platform fighter.

Let's get started.

10) The Three Mage Sisters

Starting off our list is a three in one choice. Debuting in Star Allies where they served as antagonists each of the sisters has their own unique weapon and elemental magic. The cerulean Francisca makes use of water and ice in her attacks while wielding an axe. The crimson Flamberge has a sword that she uses in conjunction with fiery attacks. And the yellow Zan Partizanne is a lightning throwing spear wielder. By making the sisters a swap fighter and balancing out what each can bring to the table at any given time would make for a unique and dynamic fighter from the Kirby series.

9) Daroach

Hailing from Squeak Squad is the swift rodent thief known as Daroach. Leading the titular Squeak Squad in search of all manner of treasures it wouldn't be surprising if he managed to snatch up an invitation Smash sooner or later. Not only is Daroach quick on his feet but he also holds a magic cane that lets him shoot off mystical bolts and beams whenever he pleases. If that weren't enough he'd also be able to call upon other members of the Squeak Squad to help him out if things got too rough. With speed, spells and squad backing him up Daroach would be certain to steal away victory.

8) Taranza

From Triple Deluxe comes the web weaving warrior known as Taranza. This arcane arachnid focuses his considerable sorcery into simple yet effective bolts and bursts of energy. But where he would really shine is in his magical webbing. Picture a character that could easily tie down opponents from a distance in order to set them up for attacks from near or afar. Now picture using that same character using their webbing to zip around the stage or to and from the enemies in the blink of an eye. Taranza would be tricky to play as but trickiness would also suit the insectoid enigma.

7) Susie

Planet Robobot was a standout among Kirby games for several reasons, not the least of which was the Robobot Armor that basically turned Kirby into a mecha pilot. While the Star Warrior won't be jumping into the mechanical armor again anytime soon that just leaves it available for Susie to take over. While Susie may not have the most diverse moveset on her own she would definitely step up a bit with the Robobot suit. Said suit could transform into different forms based on Kirby's copy abilities and integrating some of those abilities would definitely raise Susie's ability to stand among the pantheon of fighters in Smash.

6) Morpho Knight

Meta Knight has always been a popular character among Kirby fans so why not throw in someone that takes his iconic attributes up to eleven. Very little is known about this butterfly themed warrior but what is known is that they are not to be trifled with. With flame imbued strikes, teleports, disorienting sonic waves and an array of other abilities to strike out against it's enemies Morpho Knight would play vastly differently from the sword focused Meta Knight. All of these traits put together would create a more than worthy challenger for the world of Super Smash Bros.

5) Galacta Knight

This enigmatic warrior may look like a celestial guardian but in reality they are a demon in battle. A figure of immense power in the Kirby series Galacta Knight is someone who gives even the legendary Meta Knight pause. Armed with a lance and shield as opposed to a sword Galacta Knight would bring a new type of playstyle to the world of Smash. Galacta Knight would battle primarily by conjuring hard hitting attacks through his lance such as rays of light, fierce lightning or destructive tornadoes. And with his shield on hand he wouldn't be easy to strike back against either. When you can make Meta Knight seem like a rookie fighter then you definitely have what it takes to join Smash.

4) Dark Matter

While Kirby has a wide array of enemies all across his series they are usually one and done threats. Not so in the case of Dark Matter. In fact you could arguably call Dark Matter the main villain of the series. While it's typical form is a dark orb with a single eye it's capable of shapeshifting into other forms depending on what it faces. Such an ability is almost tailor made for a move set in Smash and given the numerous entries that the mass of darkness has appeared in there would be no shortage of inspiration for how it would fight. Plus it would help address the shortage of villains in Smash.

3) Marx

Speaking of villains we can't forget about Marx. While at first glance he may seem like an unassuming jester in reality he's one monster of a clown. Marx lacks conventional weaponry, instead opting to fight by using his not so meager mystical powers. These powers tend to be themed around Marx's role as a jester, such as summoning rubber balls for a variety of purposes and that is one of the more tame attacks he tends to use. Marx also has a tendency towards extreme transformations which are as effective in combat as they are terrifying to witness. Innovating a moveset wouldn't be that hard either, given Marx appeared as a boss character in Ultimate.

2) Magolor

Return to Dreamland is considered by many to be a return to form for the Kirby series and one of those reasons is Magolor. A mysterious mage of unknown origins Magolor brings something unique from the Kirby series to the Smash Bros. franchise. Magolor fights with magic, conjuring energy in a variety of forms to suit whatever purpose he needs at the moment. Attack, defense, evasion, there's no end to this mage's mystic might or his moveset potential. Not to mention the character has become a recurring presence in the modern age of Kirby so it's not like he would be an unknown if he did join the hallowed halls of Smash Bros.

1) Bandana Waddle Dee

And at the top of the list is this unassuming though immensely popular character. Waddle Dees are almost as synonymous with the Kirby series as the pink puffball himself but all it took was a blue bandana and a spear for one of them to become one of the foremost characters in the series. This particular Waddle Dee is focused on using a spear, something we haven't really seen in Smash, and with that comes near endless moveset potential. Whether he's throwing it like a javelin or spinning it like a copter to get back on stage there is one thing that is certain. This little guy proves that even the lowest of mooks have the potential to be greats if they're given the chance.

That's all folks, see you soon.

[dascarecrow]

Seeing Their Story - The Beginning

In New York City the wallcrawling, webswinging hero known as Spider-Man swung through the concrete jungle. Things had been going as well as they could get for him he thought. He’d managed to get a job with the New York Bulletin as a photographer and webmaster. Mr. Robertson was proving to be a good boss. He payed Peter fairly for the photos he could bring in, especially those of Spider-Man. Speaking of Spider-Man, Robertson was always open-minded about the hero. He lacked Jameson’s frankly irrational grudge against the wallcrawler and kept an open mind, only reporting the story as it happened instead of trying to warp the facts to fit an asinine smear campaign. Peter really did feel like he was fitting at the Bulletin. He’d already made a sort of friend there who was showing him the ropes of media photography. Eddie Brock was certainly a worldly guy. 

Beyond his job he’d also done nearly the impossible and was actually set up to start college. Empire State University may not get the acclaim that places like MIT did but it was a perfectly fine school and local as well. At least that was what Robertson had told him when he’d heard Peter had enrolled. Turns out Mr. Robertson’s son was also enrolled there so maybe Peter would have someone who could teach him the finer points of college life. 

Of course college wouldn’t have happened at all if it weren’t for what was undoubtedly the biggest break in Peter’s life. Peter had answered a post looking for a lab assistant and had to keep his jaw from dropping when it turned out said post had been put up by none other than Reed Richards. An up and coming genius who was well on his way to being one of, if not the biggest names in science. As much as Peter would always respect and admire Mr. Stark for his heroics even he couldn’t deny that Reed’s intellect blew Iron Man’s out of the water. And that was taking into account that Mr. Stark had invented genuine time travel. It’s a shame that the two would never get the opportunity to meet each other.  

But regardless, Peter had done something right and had managed to become the lab assistant to Reed Richards. He honestly didn’t know how he’d done it. The background check was the most nerve wracking part. Peter had been so worried that he was going to be tossed out when it came out that for all intents and purposes he didn’t exist. Fortunately the story that his records had wound up missing because of the Snap had been bought. It had been a logistical and bureaucratic nightmare to get any official documentation in order with both the Snap and the Blip. He hadn’t even really lied about it. He just... left out exactly how that was. 

Lucky for him Reed had determined he was just a very brilliant kid who had been dealt some very bad hands and decided that Peter was worth taking a chance on. Neither side seemed to be regretting that choice. Peter was on the ground floor of scientific discoveries that would revolutionize the world and Reed even payed him for his help! He was a cool guy like that. Heck, when he had heard Peter wasn’t likely to head for college because of his problems the first thing he did when he had the chance was make a few calls and get Peter a chance at Empire State. Being a highly accomplished alumnus of the place had certainly helped. 

Peter couldn’t help comparing Reed and Mr. Stark. They were similar in a lot of ways but Peter was far more focused on the differences. Tony was truly a good man at heart, someone who wanted to change the world for the better and wanted Peter to become the best version of himself that he could be. But he was also volatile, prone to going overboard in trying to do good and also pretty lousy at actually approaching people on an even level. 

Reed shared a lot of his virtues with Tony. He was unaccountably brilliant, a humanitarian at his core and someone with the will and heart to truly change the world. But there was a warmth to Reed that hadn’t really been there with Tony. While Tony would give people the tools he thought they could use to elevate themselves to something more he was also distant, mostly letting them carve their own way out and only getting involved if he felt a course correction was in order.

That had been especially true with Peter himself. 

Reed was much more open, inviting input and including Peter in all of their experiments as an equal rather than some kid who needed to be lead along. Tony would never have let Peter even look at his Iron Man suits unless his life was in danger and even then he probably would have dug his heels in until it became clear it was his only choice. Peter didn’t take it personally though. Tony never let anyone in, especially when it came to his tech. It was never personal with anyone. It was just that so much of his identity was in his tech that he couldn’t really bring himself to let anyone get a good look at it other than himself. Peter honestly questioned if Colonel Rhodes or Ms. Potts actually knew precisely how their armor functioned beyond piloting it. And that was the biggest difference Peter could see between the two geniuses. 

Tony couldn’t let people in, no matter how much he cared for them. And Reed could. 

Peter barely knew anyone that Tony had been close to, either in Stark Industries or the Avengers. He couldn’t say much if anything about Colonel Rhodes, the man who was Tony’s best friend, or Ms. Potts, Tony’s own wife. He only knew Tony had a daughter because they had met at the funeral. He had hoped that things could have gone in such a way that he could help her. He knew something about losing fathers after all. But he didn’t get that chance. Or the chance to get to know her at all really. It was the same way with the Avengers. The most he’d gotten with any of them had been the few shared battles they had. After the airport it had only really been Rhodes and Vision still at the Compound. The rest were either fugitives or absent for one reason or another. And he never really had the chance to properly meet War Machine or Vision and get to know them. Happy was the one exception to any of that but even that wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for Tony basically making Happy do it. And even the little joy he could find in their brief friendship was overwhelmed by knowing that Happy would never know him again. 

Things were different with Reed. 

Reed made it a point of introducing Peter to the people that were in his orbit because they would be in Peter’s soon enough. Sue was a warm person who always greeted Peter kindly. She’d told him how impressed Reed was with Peter’s intellect and how excited he had been to find “a diamond in the rough” like Peter. Ben was a bit of a well meaning grouch in Peter’s opinion, always grumbling about something or other. Mostly about the scientific terms that Reed tended to use instead of saying things simply. Peter got on the best with Sue’s brother Johnny. Peter had been reminded a bit of Flash when he’d first met Johnny and not in a good way. But soon enough they got on like a house on fire. Johnny might not have been a super genius like Reed but his mechanical skills would have impressed even Tony Stark and he did come up with some genuinely intriguing ideas for science projects. 

The four had been just fantastic to Peter. They were clearly all close way before Peter had shown up but they still brought him in just because Reed saw someone who was worth getting to know. He’d gotten roped into a few lunches and dinners already and due to for another one this Saturday.  

So all in all life was going as good as it could get for Peter. Better enjoy it before that darn Parker Luck kicked in. 

He was stuck working his tail off just to keep a roof over his head but at least he had a job. Getting into college seemed like a pipe dream and finishing it was all the more daunting but at he had gotten in. He’d lost his best friend. He’d lost his mother. And he’d lost the girl he’d loved with all his heart and soul. But he wasn’t alone. 

Peter Parker would never get the life he lost back. But he could build a new one. 

And Spider-Man would still be here. No matter what came his way. 

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

With his daytime patrol done Peter returned to his apartment, needing to get Eddie’s most recent photos touched up for the website. He hadn’t even gotten out of his costume yet. The absolute last thing Peter had expected was for a blinding light to come out of nowhere and for him to be in some room he didn’t recognize. Or it would have been if weren’t for what happened next. 

“Peter?”  

Peter froze when he heard that voice. It was one he fully expected to never hear again. Turning around he saw an impossible sight. 

It was MJ! 

But... that couldn’t be right. She wasn’t supposed to know who he was. No one was supposed to know. 

“Peter, what’s going on?” And that confirmed it. She knew who he was. And that was supposed to be impossible. 

“Wh-what did you call me?” MJ looked at him puzzled. “I called you Peter. You know, as in Peter Parker?” Peter’s eyes went wide at the realization that someone who absolutely should not know him did in fact remember who he was. 

“You know who I am?” Another puzzled expression on her face appeared. “Yeah. Is there a reason I shouldn’t know my superhero boyfriend’s secret identity?” 

It was too much for Peter. The thought that MJ had somehow regained her memories, that she somehow remembered everything. It was something that he would have loved to have. But it was too good to be true. 

“How?” “Beg pardon?” “How did you find out who I am?” MJ started to look a bit nervous now. “I just... watched you. Closely. Not in a stalkery way. I just paid attention. And... and... you were just really bad at hiding it. Like I��m astonished no one else has figured it out yet. It really is not that hard.” 

Peter looked at MJ for a moment before taking off his mask. The tearful look on his face told her that something was well and truly wrong. She went over to him, genuine concern on her face. “Peter, what’s wrong?” He didn’t answer her, instead lifting a hand up and gently touching her face. “You’re real.” The tearful look turned into a tearful smile. “You’re real. And you’re here. And... you remember.” That seemed to be the part he was focused. “You remember. You remember. You remember!” The sheer elation Peter was feeling was perhaps the single greatest thing he’d ever felt. And he couldn’t help himself as pulled MJ into the most passionate kiss they’d ever shared. 

Once the kiss was done MJ looked suitably dazed. “Not that I mind but what brought that on?” Peter had the decency to look bashful. “You remember.” That answered nothing for her. “You remember. And I thought you never would. And I know it’s my fault for that. I wanted to tell you, so badly. But then I saw that cut on your head and I knew I couldn’t risk having you in my life. And I know I said I’d tell you everything but losing you was just too much. After May there was no way I could go risk that. Not with you. But I have been miserable these last few months without you MJ. And I thought I’d never have this again. And now you remember.” The smile on Peter’s face cut through a lot of the confusion MJ was feeling, though not completely. 

“Okay Peter? Slow down for a second. What are you talking about?” Now it was Peter’s turn to be confused. “You remember that I’m Spider-Man.” “Yeah. I’ve known that since Prague. I mean I suspected since you quit robotics club but Prague was where I was certain.” “No MJ. You aren’t supposed to remember. No one is.” “What do you mean no one is? Not that many people know. Just me and Ned. And Happy. And Nick Fury. And whoever he told. And the Avengers. And why do you even bother with a secret identity again? Oh also May. What did you mean about her? Did something happen?” 

Peter was now a lot less excited than he had been. This didn’t add up. MJ wasn’t supposed to know he was but she did. And she didn’t know what happened to May. That didn’t make sense. “Okay MJ what is the most recent thing you remember?” “Why does that...?” “MJ I don’t know what is going on right now but I need you to tell me what is the most recent thing you can recall.” She was taken back but the desperation in Peter’s voice but complied nonetheless.  

“Uhh... okay. You said you were going to take me webswinging through the city and I was waiting for you to show up. Then somehow I’m here, which is actually really concerning now that I’ve had a second to think about it. Is this some kind of Avenger thing?” Before Peter could answer there was another flash of light and once it had faded there was another person present. 

“Ned?” Peter and MJ both exclaimed. And indeed it was in fact Spidey’s own “guy in the chair”, who was looking around in awe before he saw the two. “Hey guys! I have no idea how I got here. I was just sitting at home and then there was this light and now I’m here. Is this an Avenger thing? It’s totally an Avenger thing isn’t it Pete?”“ Peter was briefly taken aback by Ned’s enthusiasm. And the fact that he knew who Peter was when he shouldn’t. 

“Okay before we get into all that I need to know the last thing you remember Ned.” Ned looked at Peter in confusion. “We’d just gotten back from our trip and next thing I know I’m here with you guys. Speaking of where is here anyways?” MJ looked at Peter at the question, also wanting answers. Which he really didn’t have. 

“I... don’t really know. I just showed up here like you guys did. And I don’t know how or why that happened.” “Huh. Okay so do you think it’s science or magic?” Peter looked baffled at Ned’s question. “I mean was it some kind of teleportation tech or do you think it was some kind of spell? Personally I think it was more Doctor Strange than Iron Man.” “Yeah I don’t know Ned. Could be more Ant-Man for all we know.” “Ant-Man?” “Yeah. Pym tech deals with quantum energy. Could be how we wound up here. Wherever here is anyways.” 

Peter finally had a chance to look around at this unknown place. It looked to be a viewing room of some sort, well carpeted with an abundance of lounging chairs set up in rows. That all of them were facing towards one of the walls told Peter that this room was meant for watching... something. And in comfort no less. There were some doors leading out to other areas and he would have done just that if it weren’t for another flash of light. This one left behind someone that Peter wasn’t expecting to have seen again. 

“Doctor Octavius?” 

And indeed it was the same soul that had been Peter’s first real introduction to the Multiverse, right down to the metal arms attached to his back. He was looking around in confusion until Peter had spoken up. The man looked at him and gained a pleasant smile. “Hello Peter. Always good to see you dear boy. How are you?” Peter was taken aback a bit. Most guys who had tried to kill him tended not to be cheerful on a repeat meeting. Though he was reminded that Doctor Octavius had never really been a villain on his own merits. “Trying to do better. It is you I’m speaking with right?” 

Otto chuckled. “Yes Peter it’s me. Your inhibitor chip has held up marvelously. I’ve been endeavoring to find a way to remove these rather unnecessary extremities” he had his metal arms go up for emphasis “of mine but it’s been slow going. Would you mind explaining how I arrived here. I am dearly hoping that it isn’t another case of reality itself dissolving.” Peter was about to answer as well as he could when there was another flash of light and this one left behind a real surprise for Peter. 

“Peter-1?” “Peter-3?” And with that two Spider-Men where looking at each other. “What are you doing here?” “You tell me. I was in my secret base and next thing I know I’m in some kind of movie theater. It is a movie theater right?” “Looks that way. Wait, you have a secret base?” “Well I say secret base but it’s really a subway car that my dad turned into a hidden laboratory. I just call it a base because secret subway lab just doesn’t have the same ring.” “Hold on. Our dad built you base?” “Well it wasn’t built for us but yeah. He was kind of a mix of super scientist and super spy. There was this whole mess with Oscorp he got involved in and...” The discussion they were having was interrupted by another flash of light. And this one left behind another surprise for the Spider-Men. 

“Peter-2?” they both exclaimed. 

“Hey everyone.” And it was indeed another Spider-Man. One who had kept Peter from crossing an unforgivable line. And he wasn’t alone. Standing with him was a red haired woman. “Are these those other Peter Parkers you told me about?” Peter-2 looked at the woman with a smile. “Yeah they are. Everyone I would like to introduce you all to my wife, Mary Jane.” The red head gave a smile to everyone. “Nice to meet you all. Peter can’t stop talking about these other hims that he met.” Her smile dropped when she saw Otto. 

“Doctor Octavius?” Otto gave his own morose smile. “Good to see you again Ms. Watson. I beg your forgiveness for my conduct in our last meeting. I truly wasn’t in my right mind at the time.” “It’s fine. Peter explained everything to me. And it’s Mrs. Watson-Parker now.” Otto perked up a bit, his smile becoming more genuine. “Oh. Well congratulations. I do hope I can find an exceptional gift for you, once we’ve returned to our own world.” 

Peter and MJ both stared at the red haired woman, who was apparently a variant of the latter. Said woman noticed them both staring at her and her offered a kind smile. “You must the be the Peter here. It’s nice to meet you. And I guess your this world’s Mary Jane.” “Uh, actually it’s Michelle Jones. I also don’t go by Watson. Ever.” Mary Jane’s look turned sad yet understanding. “Mother or Father?” “A bit of both if I’m honest. You?” “About the same.” “So I guess one of those things across the multiverse is us drawing a bad hand with parents.” “Seems like. Also seems like we get the greatest guy in the world as a trade off.”  

MJ couldn’t help a genuine giggle. “This is so weird. I’m talking to a version of myself from another world. You think after aliens literally invade the world that nothing could be surprising anymore but I continually find myself proven wrong.” “Yeah, you find out that when you get involved with Spider-Man normal goes out the window.” “But not totally right? There has to be some kind of high bar on it all.” Mary Jane chuckled. “I’ve been attacked by a maniac dressed like an elf, a guy made of sand and some alien blob suit. Trust me, things stop being normal and they never go back. But it’s worth it. Believe me.” 

Peter looked at the exchange between the two MJ’s and couldn’t help his guilt. He’d thought that he was keeping MJ safe by staying out of her life but seeing a version of her that wasn’t just perfectly at ease with Spider-Man but embracing of the idea got to him. It was too late for regrets, no matter how many of them he had. But Peter’s self-reflection was stopped by another flash of light. And the voice that spoke after it. 

“Peter?” 

He froze. There was no way that was who he thought it was. Not after everything. Every fiber of his being was telling him not to turn around but he once again ignored his common sense. 

And there stood Aunt May. 

She was looking around in confusion and then at Peter in concern. “Is this an Avenger thing? This really feels like an Avenger thing.” Peter went up to her, tears barely held back. And he hugged his aunt, his mother, for all she was worth. He didn’t care how this had happened. He was just thankful he’d gotten even a few more seconds with those he thought lost to him forever.  

“Peter?” His aunt questioned. She wasn’t prepared for the answer. “I lost you.” The whole room stopped at that. “I lost you and somehow you’re here.” May didn’t know how to respond to what she just heard so she simply hugged her nephew, her son, knowing he had gone through something truly horrid. Especially given how he was openly crying right now. 

“Hey. Hey it’s ok Peter. I don’t know what’s happened but I’m here right now. And I’m not going anywhere.” At that Peter let her go and looked at her with tearful eyes and a broken smile. “I wish that could be true May. I really do.” May really didn’t know what to make of her nephew’s enigmatic words so she looked around the room and took in some faces she had never seen before. Which were looking at her with some shock. 

Otto made the first move. “Good to see you again Miss Parker. We’re not certain how all of this is happening but it’s a joy nonetheless.” He smiled towards her and May awkwardly smiled back. “Good to see you too, man with metal arms that I’ve never met before.” May stopped in an awkward silence, wondering why this absolute stranger seemed to know her. Said stranger was equally perplexed. “I beg your pardon miss but you have no recollection of us ever meeting before?” “Sorry no. Are you with Stark Industries? I visited a few times so maybe that’s where you saw me.” 

Otto was starting to come to a realization. “I remember you but you don’t know me. Curious, curious. I wonder... If travel between alternate universes is possible then theoretically we could... but the probability of even slight temporal manipulation is astronomical... Peter!” “Yes” all three responded. “I mean young Peter.” “What is it Doctor Octavious?” “How advanced is your world’s understanding of quantum mechanics?” “About the same as other worlds’ would be I guess. Unless your Hank Pym. That guy is the master of quantum science.” 

“Yes, yes. Master of quantum science and what not. Regardless I have a theory about our current circumstances.” “Which would be?” “I do believe that each of us has arrived here from different points in our respective timelines, rather from a standard “present” as it were. Though I have no idea whether that was by design or simply coincidence.” Peter stopped for a minute to think things over. “That... would make a lot of sense. Answers the what. Still need to figure out the how and why though.” 

While Peter and Otto were attempting to figure out what exactly their current circumstances were May found herself looking at Peter-2. Something he had noticed. “Something wrong Miss?” “I’m sorry for staring. It’s just... you look so much like my husband Ben did when he was younger.” Peter-2 was taken slightly aback but had a small smile. “I look like Uncle Ben?” May was slightly startled by the question but smiled at him “Just a bit, yeah.” “I’ll consider that as a compliment then.” Mary Jane smiled at her husband then turned to May. “Believe me that would be the highest praise he could ever receive.”  

Back with Peter and Otto the two were going over theories about what could have done all of this. “So a mix of teleportation and time travel is what we’re looking at?” Peter asked. “It would make the most logical sense given what we know so far. Though it would be ironic given those very concepts are at best speculative in the field of science.” Otto answered. “Not in my universe. I know both of those things have happened.” Otto looked at Peter in surprise. “Genuine spatial warping I’ve personally witnessed but you mean to tell me you’ve seen firsthand temporal traversal?” “Well not firsthand but I know it was done and I sort of know how.” Otto pondered this for a moment. “If what you say is true then it creates the possibility that this was in fact done by someone native to your world.” 

“Not quite Doctor Octavius.” 

Everyone in the room was shocked to hear a new voice and turned to look at where it came from. What they saw astounded them. It was a giant human looking figure dressed in white and blue robes with golden adornments. Said figure was bald as well as having pure white eyes. They were also floating in the air, much to the bafflement of everyone present. 

There was only silence as everyone took in the new arrival. Peter would be the one to break the silence. “Hello there, Mr...?” The figure looked at Peter with what could almost be considered warmth. “Greetings to you Peter Parker of the Sacred Timeline. I am the Watcher and I am the one who has gathered all of you here.” 

Peter stood there in shock for a few moments. “Okay. I have a few questions. First off, why? Second off, what is a “Sacred Timeline”? Third... I don’t really have a third I’m just really trying to figure everything out here.” MJ decided to take pity on her boyfriend and stepped in. “Easy there tiger. Just go one at a time alright?” Peter felt himself being centered by his girlfriend’s reassurance (god how had he thought that keeping her out of his life was a good idea?) and composed himself. 

The Watcher waited patiently for Peter to stop talking. “All will be revealed soon but for now all you need to know is that you, Peter Parker, have been chosen by a higher power for a special purpose.” Peter stood there in shock. He’d been chosen for something by some higher power. Him, of all people, had been chosen. He almost couldn’t believe it. But there was a lot happening he couldn’t believe. 

Steeling his nerves Peter looked at the Watcher. “What have I been chosen for?” The Watcher was silent for a moment. “You will have your answers soon. But to start with I will give you the responsibility of summoning others to join you in this place.” Peter’s eyes widened in shock. Summoning others? How would that be possible? And what about everyone already here? 

The Watcher seemed to know Peter’s thoughts before they were spoken. “Those already brought here were meant as a kindness towards you. As for how to choose who shall be summoned I will provide the means by which you can do so.” With a wave of his hand the Watcher brought forth an advanced looking machine that Peter couldn’t make heads or tails of but he did recognize a monitor and keyboard on it. Deciding to throw caution to the wind Peter shrugged and went over to the machine. 

“May as well see how this works.” 

To Be Continued   

[dascarecrow]

Multiversus Wishlist

You know the drill here people. I'm making a list of the characters that I want to see join the roster of Multiversus. This will be influenced by various leaks, hints and datamines for the game.

Here we go.

-Green Lantern (has been hinted at in the trailers and could be interesting gameplay wise)

-The Flash (my favorite DC superhero and would give us a speedster in the game)

-Aquaman (he's been hinted at and voice lines were datamined)

-Martian Manhunter (I just want him in because I want to see the Big Seven of the Justice League in the game)

-Hawkgirl (I'm fascinated by the Hawk mythos in DC and she would diversify the roster a bit)

-Lex Luthor (we need more villains in the game and his rivalry with Superman is legendary)

-The core Teen Titans (Robin, Raven, Cyborg, Starfire and Beast Boy. All of them would bring something unique to the table of a platform fighter. Plus Raven has been hinted at through voice lines.)

-Deathstroke (If any of the Titans get in then we definitely need their premier enemy in there.)

-Green Arrow (He's a big deal for DC and his archer based moveset could be fun)

-Beetlejuice (Voice lines were datamined and plus he's the Ghost with the Most.)

-Harry Potter (I know there's been controversy with the creator of the series but the Wizarding World is still a huge IP for Warner Bros. so I expect they'll include someone as a playable character and who better than the main character.)

-Gandalf (Was datamined and Lord of the Rings is still a big property for Warner Bros. Plus he's a wizard and that's always cool)

-The Powerpuff Girls (Voice lines were datamined for all three)

-Ed, Edd, and Eddy (Despite being one of the original Cartoon Cartoons they haven't really gotten representation in a platform fighter before so this would be a chance to fix that)

-Samurai Jack (Voice lines were datamined and besides it's freaking Samurai Jack. Why wouldn't they include him?)

-Johnny Bravo (I just want him in because he was one of the original Cartoon Cartoons)

-Numbuh One (I want to see some representation from Codename Kids Next Door and he's the most likely to get in)

-Daffy Duck (Was datamined and could be funny to see)

-The Road Runner (Mostly want them because of nostalgia for the Road Runner SNES game)

-One of the following Dexter's Lab characters

-Dexter (Main character with numerous inventions, duh.)

-Monkey (Was a superhero in the show and could be fun)

-Major Glory (Same deal as Monkey above)

-Val Halen (His magic guitar would give him a unique moveset)

-One of the following Thundercats (Because I grew up on that show)

-Lion-O, Panthro, Cheetara, Tygra

-Space Ghost (His powers are incredibly varied and we need some representation for the Hanna-Barbera superheroes)

-Secret Squirrel (I want one of the Hanna-Barbera "funny animal" characters to make it into game and Secret has numerous gadgets that would make for a good moveset)

-One of the following Mortal Kombat characters (to give Warner Bros. video games some love)

-Scorpion (Most popular MK character and has fire powers)

-Sub-Zero (Second most popular MK character and has ice powers)

-Reptile (A fan favorite and wouldn't be expected plus his reptilian powers would be fun in the game)

-Raiden (Typically the "Big Good" of MK and a good pick for a hero character)

-Liu Kang (He is supposed to be the hero of the series, which MK1 has made more clear than ever so he might have a chance)

-The Animaniacs (Yakko, Wakko and Dot could be a three-in-one fighter much like how the PPG are predicted to be and it would be just fun to have them in the game)

-Ruby Rose (I love the RWBY series and it is owned by Warner Bros so the main character making it in is a distinct possibility)

-A Bionicle character (I loved the Bionicle series, it would give Multiversus a Lego rep and I would ideally prefer Takanuva with his light powers or Mata Nui with the Kanohi Ignika giving him life powers)

[dascarecrow]

Build The Roster - Injustice 3 (DLC)

And with that we arrive at the conclusion of this Build The Roster project. And we're going to wrap things up with one of the most exciting parts of any fighting game roster. The DLC.

Before we do anything with this we have to determine how many DLC characters there are going to be. Considering Netherrealm Studios has been implementing progressively larger numbers of DLC characters since they started doing such a thing we're going to have to speculate a little on just how many characters are going to get in for post-launch. We'll settle on 15 being the magic number this time, going by the rate of progression we've seen for DLC numbers.

Now that that is out of the way we're going to detour a bit to discuss exactly how the DLC is going to work. With 15 prospective fighters we're going to go with a pattern in regards to who gets in. That is going to be 5 packs of 3 characters with those characters consisting of 1 hero, 1 villain and 1 guest character for each pack.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way let's get on with the actual choices, which are made up of...

Superboy

He's had a prominent role in the extended media for the games and his tactile telekinesis could make for a fascinating moveset.

Metallo

Decided to put another Superman villain in the game and we need a follow up to that stage cameo.

He-Man

There was already an Injustice comic crossover with He-Man so why not put him in a game already. Not to mention the Masters of the Universe property has been on the rise lately.

Donna Troy

Wanted to put one of the Wonder Girls in the game and Donna would give us that.

Deathstroke

If the main five Titans are going to be in the game then we need to bring back the Titans enemy. Plus we need an assassin in the roster.

Reptile

It's basically tradition to have a Mortal Kombat guest character and after Scorpion and Sub-Zero he's the most iconic ninja from that franchise.

Tempest

I like his powers which could become a phenomenal moveset and it gives us another Titan and someone else from Atlantis.

Despero

Basically the same reason as Deathstroke, if the founding seven members of the Justice League are in the game then a Justice League villain would be all too fitting.

Judge Dredd

With Hellboy and Spawn already having been used as DLC before by Netherrealm Judge Dredd is one of the few well known comic book characters that could be seen in an Injustice game.

Doctor Light

Just a personal favorite of mine who has unique light powers that could be fun to see in a fighting game.

Larfleeze

We've had the Sinestro Corps and the Red Lanterns show up so why not complete the trifecta with the Orange Lantern holder Larfleeze?

Space Ghost

Another personal favorite of mine who has a variety of beam-based attacks that would be perfect for a fighting game.

Adam Strange

Just a character that I like and think could be a cool addition to the roster.

Sabbac

Decided to throw in a Shazam enemy. Mostly for being a left field pick that people wouldn't be expecting.

And finally we have...

The Power Rangers!

After the Ninja Turtles got in all the rules went out the window and as a Power Rangers fan I would love to see them join the world of Injustice.

And with that we have reached the end of this Build The Roster. Feel free to read and review and let me know if you agree with my choices or feel different ones should have been made.

[dascarecrow]

Build The Roster - Injustice 3 (Base Roster Newcomers)

So it turns out that Tumblr has an image limit per post so I had to split things up to do this the way I wanted to.

Now we can get to newcomers, which will be made up of...

Hawkman

I would like to see how he plays in an Injustice game and I'm a fan of the character so I'd like to see him in regardless.

Static

First off we need a lightning user in the game. Second they've been trying to get him into the series since the first game. Thirdly, well they say third times a charm so why not put this Milestone hero in the third game.

Stargirl

We need some Justice Society inclusions in the next Injustice game and Stargirl is a poster child for the JSA. Her Cosmic Staff would also allow a lot of variety for gameplay if she got in.

Beast Boy

It would be amazing to see the iconic five Titans all playable in the same game and Beast Boy's shapeshifting could make for a wonderful moveset

Captain Atom

His energy powers could make for a fun moveset and I'm partial to the character so he gets in. Not to mention he's had a role in the extended material for Injustice.

Icicle

An odd pick to be certain but there are reasons. One, we need an ice powered character as it's practically tradition at this point. Two, if we out in a Justice Society character than we need someone who represents the Injustice Society. Three, they could draw from the depiction of Cameron Mahkent in Stargirl to create a compelling character.

Plastic Man

Few reasons for this one. His hyper elastic powers would translate into something unique for a fighting game. He has a big presence in extended media for Injustice and he was a big part of Grant Morrison's run on JLA, which is arguably my favorite Justice League run in the comics.

Mr. Terrific

Why settle for just one JSA member? I believe Mr. Terrific could play differently than anyone ever seen in Injustice and that stage cameo from the first game could finally pay off.

Isis

Since Shazam and Black Adam are going to be absent in this roster I decided to look at someone else in the Shazam family to join up. Most of the Shazam heroes are too similar in powerset to replace either of them but Isis boasts unique powers over nature which could be fun to see in an Injustice game.

Vibe

Vibe is just a personal favorite of mine that has unique powers that could be fun to see in a fighting game. And then there's his unique connection to the Multiverse which could lead to a lot of story potential with him as well.

Mirror Master

Time for some villains on this roster. The Flash is my favorite DC hero and he deserves to have one of his Rogues join the fight. I went with Mirror Master for the unique moveset he could have in the game if he joined.

Parasite

We definitely need a Superman enemy in the game and Parasite's unique absorption powers could turn him into an effective copy fighter like Shang Tsung is in Mortal Kombat.

Circe

There's been a Wonder Woman enemy in both prior Injustice games so why not keep the trend going with Circe who's mastery of magics could provide plenty of havoc for the heroes.

Metamorpho

Guy has unique powers which could translate into a unique moveset for a fighting game.

Red Tornado

Mortal Kombat has Fujin with his wind powers so why shouldn't DC get in on the action with their own wind controlling android. Plus his robotic nature could make for some engaging dialogue.

Katana

With her magic sword she could play like Kenshi does in Mortal Kombat.

Saint Walker

We've seen villainous Lantern Corps appear in the first two games so why don't we do something different and have the main member of the heroic Blue Lantern Corp appear. After all the world of Injustice is a bleak one that needs all the hope it can get.

And to finish things off we have...

Eclipso

I wanted a mystical "Big Bad" for the game and Eclipso would be a fitting, if unexpected pick for that role. His powers over darkness and ability to possess people would certainly have both gameplay and story potential.

With that we have worked out the base roster for a prospective Injustice 3. I know it's a bit hero heavy but in the world of Injustice the role of hero and villain aren't so clear cut.

To finish things out we'll determine the roster for DLC inclusions in Injustice 3 so please read that post for the full experience for this Build The Roster.

[dascarecrow]

Build The Roster - Injustice 3 (Base Roster Veterans)

Hello everyone and welcome to another build the roster post.

This time we're doing one for a series that is near and dear to my heart. I'm talking about a build the roster for Injustice 3. As a huge fan of DC comics I cannot wait for the next entry in the Injustice series of fighting games so I'm putting together my own dream roster in the meantime.

First off we need to determine the base roster size. Injustice 2 had a jump to 28 baseline fighters from Injustice 1's 24. Now you might think we'll just do another plus 4 add on but we're going to be a little more ambitious than that. We'll be boosting the number up by 8, meaning we'll have a starting roster of 36 fighters going in.

Now we have to decide who will return for the next game and who is getting cut. The guest characters from the last game will naturally not be returning so they're automatically excluded from consideration. So no Hellboy or Ninja Turtles for another go around.

Now onto the selections. We'll be starting with veterans which will consist of...

Batman

Superman

Wonder Woman

Green Lantern

The Flash

Aquaman

Supergirl

Robin

Green Arrow

Black Canary

Cyborg

Firestorm

Harley Quinn

Starfire

And that will do it for veterans from Injustice 2. I know some people will probably not agree with me on this but there is a method to my madness. I'm trying to get the roster a bit less, shall we say "Batman heavy", hence the cutting of the likes of Bane, the Joker and Catwoman. Harley Quinn is sticking around because she's been integral to the story of the games and I don't see DC cutting her from the games for any reason. The "supervillains" from the last game I feel can be cleared away to make room for more new additions, either heroic or villainous. That said we'll also be adding in some veterans from the first Injustice who didn't return for the second one and they will consist of...

Nightwing

I would like to see the multiverse aspect return in the third game and Nightwing would be a perfect inclusion for that.

Raven

We need a magic user in the roster and I'm a Titans fan so she gets to come back.

Lex Luthor

I'd like to see him comeback and this is a game based on DC comics. Resurrection is far from impossible.

Martian Manhunter

I really like the idea of the founding seven of the Justice League all being in the base roster of an Injustice game so he gets to come back.

So far that puts us at a solid 18 fighters, which is half the roster already!

Due to Tumblr's limits in regards to how many images can be uploaded to a single post I will be splitting this Build The Roster into multiple parts. Please see the other posts pertaining to this one to get the full experience.

If done reading this post please go on to the Newcomers post to continue.

[dascarecrow]

Build The Roster - The Next Super Smash Bros.

Hello everyone and welcome to something new! Inspired by the fantastic work of Thorgi's Arcade on Youtube, I have decided to do my own take on creating a hypothetical roster for a fighting game.

The first one up of course will be my own take on a roster for a Smash Bros. game

First up will be determining the size of the base roster with DLC coming in later.

Now it's doubtful we'll see a base roster as big as Ultimate's was, given the whole "Everyone Is Here" mantra that game embraced, but I do believe it will be bigger than Smash 4's base roster was so let's find a happy median between the two.

So let's do some math. Smash 4 had 51 fighters in the base roster and Smash Ultimate had 74 fighters so we'll do some simple subtraction to get a difference of 23. Then we'll divide that in half, giving us 11.5 which we'll round up to a nice even 12. Add the 12 to 51 and that would be a starting roster of 63 fighters.

Now that we've done the math to figure out how many fighters we'll have let's figure out just who those fighters will be. First up we'll be going over the current roster as of Ultimate and picking who will return for another round and who will be sitting it out for the next bout.

To start with we'll be cutting all Echo Fighters. They were a fun little idea but there was so little variation between the Echo Fighters and their base inspirations in terms of gameplay that they really feel just like a way to fill out the roster rather than full fledged fighters in their own rights. So no Daisy, no Dark Samus, no Ken, and so on and so on.

So onto to the actual roster selections.

Mario-He's a definite keep, being the face of the company and all that.

Donkey Kong-He's a keep too.

Link-Keep

Samus-Keep

Yoshi-Keep

Kirby-A definite keep

Fox-Keep

Pikachu-A for certain keep

Luigi-Keep him

Ness-Keep

Captain Falcon-A for sure keep

Jigglypuff-Now we arrive at our first cut character. They've been there since the beginning and are a mainstay of the series but I feel they've had their time in the sun. After all Jigglypuff's inclusion in the first Smash game was almost certainly because of it's role in the anime at the time and it hasn't been remotely as relevant for years now. So goodbye Jigglypuff.

Peach-She's a keep

Bowser-Gotta have Nintendo's most recognizable villain

Ice Climbers-I will say a very tentative keep

Sheik-They're a cut. Sheik has appeared in Hyrule Warriors but otherwise hasn't really been especially relevant in the Zelda franchise since Ocarina so they got to go.

Zelda-A Keep

Dr. Mario-He is a cut. Plays too closely to Mario and I'm hoping to get more originality for fighters so bye bye.

Pichu-Cut. Only came back in Ultimate because of the "Everyone Is Here" philosophy.

Falco-This one might hurt just a bit but cut. Trying to cut back moveset copies and Falco doesn't have much that Fox doesn't have so good day to you.

Marth-We'll keep him as the OG Fire Emblem character.

Young Link-Big cut. We're not having a different version of the same exact character.

Ganondorf-Big keep

Mewtwo-A keep seeing as he's a playable Legendary Pokémon and has managed to remain relevant throughout the years.

Roy-Probably not going to make people happy with this one but he's a cut. Most of the Fire Emblem characters won't be staying around for this one so brace yourselves.

Mr. Game & Watch-He's a keep

Meta Knight-Keep

Pit-A definite keep

Zero Suit Samus-This was a near thing but we'll make her a keep given how she plays much differently from her standard version and it helps give some more representation for Metroid.

Wario-Keep

Snake-Now I know this one is going to make people unhappy but Snake is a cut. Metal Gear is a massively popular series, Snake is a massively popular character, I get it. But given how Konami has been fumbling the ball with Metal Gear after Kojima left I wouldn't give him good odds for another return. After all he was included in Brawl in the first place because Kojima specifically asked that he be included and got to return in Ultimate because of, again, the "Everyone Is Here" motto.

Ike-He's a cut

Pokémon Trainer-Them we will keep because they are a definitely unique fighter.

Diddy Kong-Keep because Donkey Kong needs as much love as it can get

Lucas-He is a cut due to playing too much like Ness

Sonic-Well of course he's a keep

King Dedede-For sure a keep

Olimar-He's a keep given how popular Pikmin still is with people

Lucario-Another tough one to figure out but I decided to go with a keep given that Lucario is a fan favorite and also has stayed relevant throughout the years since his debut.

R.O.B.-Keep

Toon Link-Cut for the same reason as Young Link

Wolf-Cut for the same reason as Falco

Villager-We'll keep them for some Animal Crossing representation

Mega Man-He's a keep given how little attention the Blue Bomber gets from his own creators.

Wii Fit Trainer-This was another close one but I ultimately went with a cut for them. They are certainly unique but the days of Wii Fit are long gone so it feels like there isn't much sense in keeping a character that represents that game.

Rosalina-This one hurt me to do but she's a cut. Look I like Rosalina, I think her star powers are cool but despite continuing to make appearances in Mario games she hasn't really been a major part of anything since Galaxy 2 and I feel it's time for some other Mario characters to get a chance in Smash.

Little Mac-We'll keep him

Greninja-They are a cut. Popular as they are they feel like they were meant to represent the most recent Pokémon generation at the time so now that that ship has sailed we can quietly retire them from Smash.

Palutena-We'll keep her. After all Sakurai worked on both Smash and Kid Icarus games so why not keep the Goddess of Light.

Pac-Man-We'll keep him for Namco representation

Robin-Now them we'll be keeping because they don't fall into the same issues most of the other Fire Emblem characters do. They aren't primarily a swordfighter but rather a mage and they weren't included to coincide with the latest Fire Emblem game as was the case in 4 and Ultimate.

Shulk-They are regrettably cut. Don't worry if you're a Xenoblade fan as there will be representation but Shulk has had his day.

Bowser Jr.-He is a cut. His gimmick was fun but he's been played out so now it's time for him to go.

Duck Hunt-Them we will keep

Ryu-He's basically synonymous with fighting games we're keeping him

Cloud-He is a definite keep given the Remake trilogy's success and being the most recognizable Final Fantasy character

Corrin-Only got in because of when their game released so a cut

Bayonetta-Another hard one to figure out but after careful consideration I've decided to keep her. Her franchise is essentially Nintendo exclusive as is so there would probably be fewer issues getting her back in.

Inkling-A definite keep considering how popular Splatoon is

Ridley-He's a keep

Simon-He is a cut. However we will be slightly breaking out rule about eliminating all Echo Fighters by having Richter replace him as the main Castlevania rep. Why? I like Richter better is all and this still gives Konami some good representation.

King K.Rool- He is a keep because you can never have enough villains

Isabelle-She will sadly be a cut due to playing very similarly to Villager

Incineroar-They're a cut due to the fact that I don't even know why they were chosen as a Pokémon rep in the first place.

Piranha Plant-They are a cut. They were fun little goofy inclusion but I do not see a return in the future.

Joker-I know Persona is popular with people but I just don't see them getting a re-invite so this one's a cut.

Hero-Gonna make this one a cut. I know Dragon Quest is massively popular in Japan and is gaining a sizeable following in the West but this one felt like a one and done.

Banjo & Kazooie-This one will be a keep. Banjo and Kazooie are Nintendo characters in all but name, their return to a Nintendo console was long overdue and it would help represent Rare again.

Terry-He will be a cut. I know that getting an SNK fighter was a big deal but it also felt like Terry was there solely for there to be a SNK fighter so I don't see this character repeating.

Byleth-Cut for the same reasons as Corrin

Min Min-She will be cut. ARMs didn't take off quite the way that Nintendo clearly hoped it would despite an intriguing premise and it feels like she got in due to her game being a Switch launch title

Steve-They are a cut. There was a lot of technical work put into getting Steve to function in the game and it's unlikely the development team would be up for doing that a second time.

Sephiroth-He's a cut. He's a great villain character don't get me wrong but we already have Cloud for Final Fantasy and I don't foresee Sephiroth making a comeback.

Pyra/Mythra-They're getting cut for much the same reason Shulk is. Time to make way for the new kid on the block.

Kazuya-He's a cut. Tekken characters are considered difficult to put into Smash as fighters according to Sakurai and while I believe there are ones that could work rather well in Smash the fact is I don't see Kazuya getting another invite.

Sora-Now this one was a tough one to be certain but I'll be optimistic and make Sora a keep. If Nintendo was able to get Disney's approval once then they could do it again and with Kingdom Hearts IV in the pipeline some cross-promotion just might be possible depending on when we get either Kingdom Hearts IV or the next Smash Bros.

Mii Fighters-Those will stay forever so keep.

Now let's total up our inclusions and removals.

For the prior Smash Bros. fighters that will be cut we will have, minus the Echo Fighters already, 31 fighters removed from the roster.

As for the returning fighters who will all make up the base roster we will have 49 veterans.

So with 49 fighters already locked in that will leave us 14 newcomers to the base roster.

Now we can go on to the fun stuff.

So 1st up is...

Waluigi!

That's right Luigi's lean and mean but not so green evil copy is up for this personal edition of a Smash Bros. roster. If Daisy could get in as an Echo Fighter then this purple menace can easily graduate from Assist Trophy to a full fighter.

Next...

It's Tails! Decided to fill out some of the third party guest franchises with new characters because that feels like a natural progression for the Smash Bros. series and Tails is Sonic's sidekick so he feels like a natural fit for another Sonic rep in Smash.

And next...

Chun-Li! If we're expanding on third party franchises here then we have to include the First Lady of Gaming. After all after Ryu she's likely the most recognizable Street Fighter character in the world and as such more than deserves an invite to join Smash.

Up next...

Meowscarada! There should be a new Pokémon rep for each Smash game and Meowscarada not only gives us that but also provides an independent Grass type starter to complement prior inclusions Greninja and Incineroar.

Up next is...

Crash Bandicoot! There should at least be a few new third party characters for a new Smash Bros. game and Crash would be one of the biggest additions to ever happen for the series. Besides the guy deserves some fighting game love after not getting into Playstation All Stars.

Then there's...

EMMI! Metroid has a decent grab bag of characters who might be worthy inclusions for Smash Bros. but we felt this relentless mechanical menace would be the most fitting addition.

And then...

Impa! The Zelda series is long overdue for a new fighter that isn't just some version of Link and Impa perfectly fits the bill. Given her frequent depiction as a Sheikah warrior she could also as a similar yet distinct replacement for Sheik.

And then there's...

Bandana Waddle Dee! If the Zelda series is overdue for a new fighter then the Kirby series is in even more dire need of a new one and this unique Waddle Dee who has taken off in popularity and prominence over the years is a perfect fit.

Next up is...

It's a Smash Bros. tradition to include a retro character as a new addition to the roster and this bike riding hero is as good as any if not better.

Now it's...

Krystal! She's about the only Star Fox character who realistically would play completely different from Fox and the series needs all the representation it can get.

And now...

Rayman! Another big mascot type character who deserves a place in Smash Bros and would give Ubisoft some representation as well.

And now it's...

Andy! Advance Wars is a Nintendo property and while I'm not sure how they would put in a fighter from that franchise I know it could be done and would be something unexpected.

And now there's...

Jin Kazama! I think it would be fun to have a Tekken character as part of the base roster along with Street Fighter characters and I honestly think Jin would make more sense than Kazuya returning or Heihachi replacing Kazuya, especially with the release of Tekken 8.

And finally...

Master Chief! In all honesty I do see Master Chief one day joining Smash Bros. but most likely as a DLC character instead of on the base roster. That said I do think there would be one completely unexpected "never in a million years" longshot that the creators would put in just for the razzle dazzle factor alone and who better than the face of the Xbox itself to fill that slot.

Okay then we now have our base roster all set up but the fun doesn't stop there. Now we need to figure out the DLC. Ultimate had a grand total of 11 DLC fighters so we're going to bump that up just a bit to a nice odd 15. So now let's figure out who our lucky participants are going to be.

First up is...

Geno! This Mario character has been a longtime request for Smash and if Nintendo could get Disney to lend them Sora then getting Geno another game may not be impossible.

Second up...

Noah! We've got to have a Xenoblade character in Smash and with Xenoblade 3 being the most recent release it only makes sense to have the main character as a rep for that series.

Third up...

Isaac! Golden Sun is a cult classic and people want to see Isaac stop being an Assist Trophy and his earth elemental abilities would be unique for gameplay.

Fourth up...

Bomberman! He fits like a glove in the world of Smash Bros. and he would be a way to get more Konami representation in the game.

Fifth up...

Shovel Knight! Indie games need a rep in Smash Bros. and you'd be hard pressed to find a more fitting choice than Shovel Knight.

Sixth up...

Scorpion! We got more fighting game inclusions in the DLC for Ultimate so why not keep the trend going with the next game. And yeah I know there's the problem of censorship but Scorpion has appeared outside of Mortal Kombat before so it's not impossible.

Seventh up...

Lloyd Irving! The Tales Of series deserves to have a playable rep in my opinion and Lloyd is best choice for that role.

Eight up...

Spyro! If we're going to have Crash Bandicoot then we have to have Spyro in there somewhere so why not as DLC? He would definitely be a different type of fighter, being a quadruped and all.

Ninth up...

Sol Badguy! Another fighting game guest character and honestly it's surprising we haven't gotten anyone from the highly animated games of Arc System Works.

Tenth up...

Sans! To call Undertale a success is to say the sky is blue. As such it's all too fitting to have one of the most popular characters from the game as a fighter in Smash Bros.

Eleventh up...

Zagreus! We needed at least one off-kilter pick for DLC and the star of a successful roguelike perfectly fits the bill.

Twelfth up...

Dante! Wanted to put some more Capcom representation in Smash and Dante more than fit the bill for what I was looking for.

Thirteenth up...

2B! Wanted another out there pick and 2B has appeared in other fighting games before so I figured why not?

Fourteenth up...

Cuphead! I just like his cartoony aesthetic and his different finger bullet abilities, which would translate wonderfully into a moveset for Smash Bros.

And finally...

Kratos! To finish off we need a big name and one of Sony's most prominent and popular characters fits the bill perfectly. Not to mention he has a phenomenal moveset waiting to be implemented into Super Smash Bros.

And with that we have successfully created our own roster for the next Super Smash Bros. Feel free to go over this list and let me know if you agree with all of our choices or if you feel I should have made some different picks.

[dascarecrow]

It Took A Village - Dark Trial I

It should have been a good day. It was supposed to be a good day.

And yet it was not to be.

It would all begin with the pair of mothers that were Inko Midoriya and Mitsuki Bakugou, on their way to visit the esteemed place of heroic academia known as UA. And the reason for this visit? To see a certain little unicorn of course.

The two women had their minds occupied with typical nana and auntly things, namely fussing over Inko's adoptive granddaughter who lived on the UA campus. Said fussing would be soon be the furthest thing from their minds.

Everything seemed fine when they first arrived, the students scattered around the dorm without a care and engaged with their own leisure time. Inko's son Izuku greeted his mother and honorary aunt cordially, just as could be expected of such a well behaved boy, but things would quickly turn away from uplifting and cheerful when Izuku called for young Eri, the unicorn of the dorm.

Normally a visit from her adoptive grandmother and aunt would elicit smiles and joyfulness from the young girl but it was clear at a look that she was feeling anything but that. She slowly walked up, no smiles to be found. Instead a sad frown adorned her face and her eyes looked filled with sorrow. It just wasn't right for her to look so sad.

"Hello Nana." Eri barely spoke above a whisper, further growing the seeds of concern in Inko's mind. "Hello Eri. It's nice to see you again." Eri said nothing, just giving a slow nod and kept looking forward like she wasn't really there in the first place.

Izuku spoke up, breaking up the increasing tension just a bit. "Eri why don't you give your Nana a hug?" A soft "okay" was all the response that was given before the young girl gave her grandmother a hug. It wasn't like her usual hugs though, seeming as though she was doing a highly rehearsed type of hug and was simply going through the motions.

It was simply baffling. Why was dear little Eri acting so withdrawn and sad? There had to be a reason for it. But that wasn't the only shocking thing to happen.

Bakugou had made his way over, scowling as he ever did. "Hey kid." he said at an even, almost soft tone. He continued once Eri looked up at him. "There's an Ohranger marathon about to start. Want to watch it?" Eri gave a slight nod and in a move that would surprise anyone who knew the explosive teen in the slightest he offered her his hand and led her over to the couch, almost tenderly one might say.

That would lead to a dam of confusion bursting wide open. "Okay what in the world is going on? Eri looks like someone just shot her dog and that brat of mine is actually acting civilized. What is going on here?" Leave it to Mitsuki to get right to the point.

Izuku sighed, knowing this was going to come up sooner or later. He looked over at Eri on the couch, still looking downtrodden. "Follow me. There's a bit of a story I have to share." The two followed after the green haired boy, silently dreading what they were going to discover.

They were right to do so.

-----------

"WHAT?!"

That would be the response Mitsuki gave when Izuku explained what had Eri in such a dreadful mood.

As Izuku had explained it the villain Overhaul was trying to press charges against the very police department that had overseen his arrest. Claims were made that he was deliberately left with minimal security, thereby enabling the loss of his arms at the hands of the League of Villains. Said claims sounded absolutely absurd but the case was making headway for whatever reason. And that was only the start of this misery.

"You mean to tell me that... that... monster is actually trying to get out of jail!" Izuku shook his head at his honorary aunt. "No, that's not going to happen. His crimes should see him in Tartarus for the rest of his life." Izuku sounded more like he was hoping that would be the outcome than being certain of it. But he was snapped out of his funk by his mother.

"Is that why Eri is so sad today?" The question should have been expected but it still startled Izuku, who looked at his mother. "You might say that. Everyone who was involved with the Overhaul case is being summoned to court. And that includes Eri."

Inko and Mitsuki stood silent for a moment, processing what they just heard. Then Mitsuki gained a look of pure rage on her face. "Are you kidding me?" She spoke in an ice cold tone to contrast the burning fury on her face. "Does anyone know what that monster did to her? How he tortured her? Does no one know what they're asking that little girl to go through?" "That's exactly why they want Eri in court." The ash blonde woman stopped her tirade at that.

"Overhaul's case is based on the idea that the police officers and Pro-Heroes knew what he was doing to Eri when we rescued her and his legal team is trying to make it out that because of that he was deliberately left vulnerable for the League of Villains to attack."

Both women looked on in shock at him. Mitsuki would break the silence. "There's no way. There's no way this can actually be happening. After everything he did... to Eri... to those Pros... there's no way he should even be seeing the light of day." Inko was much of the same mind but her thoughts soon focused on the trauma this was causing for her granddaughter. "Oh poor Eri. Having to suffer like this. She's so young... and has been through so much already..." The green haired woman was about to start tearing up over what her white haired granddaughter was going through.

The three soon made their way back to the living room where Eri and Bakugou were watching their Sentai show. But young Eri's heart just didn't seem in it. There was no wonder in her eyes. No excited copying of the heroes' battle cries. No joy. She just sat there watching the show but not truly looking like she was watching it. Just sitting there listlessly as the world went on by her.

It was just a sight that would break your heart.

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

The two mothers eventually left the esteemed halls of UA, having tried and failed to lift little Eri's fallen spirits just a tiny bit. It was disheartening to say the least to know what that poor girl was suffering through. Inko thought long and hard about what could possibly be done to help her granddaughter. And by the time she got back home she knew exactly what that should be. She got her phone and dialed in an all too familiar number, waiting for an answer. When she finally received one she spoke the words that would tip the scales from darkness to light.

"Hello Hisashi..."

To Be Continued

[dascarecrow]

It Took A Village - Fortunate Fortune

Within the halls of the UA dorms something rather typical was being done in a rather untypical way. 

The resident child of the dorm, Eri, was sitting at a table practicing her writing. Nothing out of the ordinary. 

What was out of the ordinary was the fact that she was dressed like a shrine maiden and writing on paper talismans. 

And why was this you might ask? Only Eri in her little unicorn mind would know the answer to that question. 

Regardless none of the students or the teachers of the prestigious hero school saw fit to trouble the young girl over what she was doing. There was little harm after all in leaving her be. 

Soon enough Eri finished writing on the paper she was occupied with and picked it up, going in search of someone. She found her quarry soon enough. 

“Uncle Kaka!” 

Resisting the urge to metaphorically and literally explode at being called that particular name Bakugo simply turned to look at his self appointed niece. “What is it kid?” Eri smiled at her uncle and held out the paper for him to take. Upon doing so he noticed that there was writing on it. It was messily scribbled, understandably so given Eri was still learning to write properly, but he could make out what the kanji on the paper said.  

‘Great Fortune In Battle’  

Bakugo was confused by what he had been given and looked at Eri. “What’s this?” “I made you a special charm. Since you always talk about how you’re going to win against any villains you meet I thought this one would be perfect for you.” Bakugo looked at the charm then at Eri before giving a brief “Thanks” to the girl for a small kindness. 

Eri went on her way, clearly planning more Eri type things to do. Bakugo looked at the charm he had been given and thought on the words that were written down. The more he thought on it the more he agreed with the little unicorn that had given him the charm was right, it was a good fit for him. Rather than just toss the paper in a drawer and forget about it he would make it a point in the coming weeks to keep the charm on hand. After all it’s not like he needed any help to become a great hero but a little extra luck wouldn’t hurt now would it. 

(And if he incidentally wound up keeping the charm tucked under his costume when out on hero work... well that wasn’t anyone’s business but his now was it?) 

-------- 

Eri was once again at work writing up a charm, still looking like a miko no less, and anyone who saw her would wonder what she was up to now. 

Once she was done with the charm Eri went on her way to find it’s intended recipient. She found said recipient rather quickly. 

Yaoyorozu was taken off guard when the resident unicorn of their dorm walked up to her with a smile, holding out a paper talisman. The ponytailed girl politely took the offered item and Eri went on her way once more, having plenty more charms to write up.  Yaoyorozu looked at was written on the slip, easily able to decipher Eri’s messy writing. 

‘Good Fortune In Business’ 

The ebony haired girl had no idea what prompted Eri to give her the charm she was now holding but she would quietly admit that she felt her heart lift up just a bit. She’d been feeling frustrated the last few weeks. She’d gotten offers from several heroes for work studies, something that any aspiring hero student would normally be grateful for. The issue had been that the heroes reaching out wanted her for the same reason Uwabami had; they were more focused on the business side of hero work and felt like her looks could be used in support of those side-business interests. 

She had to keep from sighing at the thought of how lackluster the work studies she’d been offered would have been had she accepted them. She felt like no one took her drive to become a pro-hero seriously. It was an issue she’d always faced. Being the heiress to a major corporation and having come into her looks as a teen, many saw the numerous advantages she was essentially born with instead of acknowledging her goal to become a hero.  

And now little Eri had come by and gave her what was likely a good luck charm. For nothing more than the sake of kindness. It was little things like this that made the dorm adore the white haired child. 

Yaoyorozu wasn’t the superstitious type but even she would admit it was uncanny how just after getting her charm she would be set up for a work study with the hero Majestic, who would wind up being exactly the kind of hero she was hoping to work under. 

------ 

No one knew how it had really started but for some reason Eri had taken to dressing up like a shrine maiden and started making good luck charms for the class. No one saw any harm in it and any who received a charm counted themselves blessed. 

Kirishima and Kaminari had both gotten a ‘Good Fortune In Learning’ charm and each of them wound up doing quite well on their next test. Whether it was actually the charms doing or the dedicated studying they had done would eternally remain a mystery. 

Todoroki and Tokoyami  had both received a ‘Good Fortune In Socializing’ charm much to their own bemusement. Ironically the two would start hanging out, having united in their bafflement over the charms they had received. 

Uraraka had glowed like a stoplight when Eri gave her a ‘Great Fortune In Love’ charm but her maternal care for the little girl kept her from rejecting it. Not to mention she was secretly hoping that said charm would actually help her in the future. 

------ 

All throughout this time of unicorn crafted fortunes there was something that was noticed to be amiss. Only after everyone had received a charm did they notice that there was one glaring exception to the fortune giving. Only one Izuku Midoriya had yet to receive a charm from the white haired child of the dorm. 

Now this was a cause for concern for the class. After all Midoriya was the little unicorn’s Papa and she adored him. So it was quite odd that he had yet to be gifted a charm by her. But all fretting and worries were soon to disappear as one day Eri approached him with a smile and offered him the charm she had made. This one had been the hardest one for her to make. Her little head had a hard time deciding on just the right words to put down on the paper. This was for her Papa. She had to get it just right! 

It had taken her some days to think up the right words to write but once she had figured it out she began her writing with a fervor. And soon enough she was finished and on her way to deliver the fortune she had carefully crafted. Once that was done Midoriya kindly thanked her for the gift and she went on her way, to do whatever it was little unicorns like her did with their days. Izuku looked down at the charm, curious to see what it said. 

‘Great Fortune In Your Endeavors’ 

No one knew what had started this whole thing but that was fine. Sometime you don’t need to know. Sometimes you just need to accept the kindness and innocence of children.  And the wonder that they could inspire. 

[dascarecrow]

The Failed Raid - A Gentle Recovery VIII

Little Eri was of the opinion that this was a good day, despite the bad things that had happened. 

Her Papa had gotten hurt trying to stop a bunch of villains, which had left her fretting something fierce. But her and her Mama were doing their best to help him get better. It was nice spending time with him when he needed it. And she got to see her Nana and Aunt Mitsuki when they came to visit Papa. Now the rest of her aunts were here for Cookie Time! 

A one Aunt Mitsuki seemed to be having the best time, fussing over Eri by giving her a bite sized cookie each time she passed by. Something that was happening quite a bit considering the little unicorn was going around passing out cookies to everyone who had joined for Cookie Time today. Still something was bothersome in the fiery woman’s mind. 

“So did that brat of mine stop by already? I figured he’d be here after a loss like that.” Izuku was reluctant to answer, knowing that it was likely to end in trouble for Kacchan. Unfortunately Uraraka would take the decision out of his hands. “Haven’t seen him. He wasn’t even waiting around when Deku was allowed to have visitors.” 

The ash blonde woman’s eyes became sharper and her smile got just a bit more pointed. “I see.” And that would be the sound of impending doom for a certain explosive hero in training. “Well doesn’t that just figure. That brat walks away from a fight without a scratch while his best friend is laid up in recovery and he doesn’t even bother to stop in for a single hello. It makes me ashamed of him sometimes.” “Mitsuki!” “Don’t tell me I’m wrong Inko. That brat of mine skated off to who knows where without so much as a care. Meanwhile his own niece is fretting her little head off.” “I am?” Mitsuki looked at Eri with a kind smile. “Yes dear you are.” “Oh, I didn’t know that. I better start fretting properly. Worry, worry, worry. Worry, worry, worry.” Eri went about her worrying with a wide smile on her face as she fed more fruit to her Papa. 

Inko looked at her friend with disapproval. “Mitsuki...” “Well it’s decided then.” The blonde woman was heedless of her level headed friends concerns. “I’ll be right back.” She left the room, leaving the rest of its occupants wondering what she was up to. They wouldn’t wonder long for after a while they heard a familiar explosive voice approaching. “Dow, dow, dow, dow, dow...” And soon enough a one Katsuki Bakugou was brought in to the room, held up by the collar by his mother. After tracking down her wayward son she had seen fit to almost literally drag him to see his childhood friend, knocking his face against the wall repeatedly as she carried him along. 

Long used to his mother’s antics Bakugou simply stared at her with his version of disinterested calm. “What was that for you old bat?” “Sorry Katsuki I think I misheard you. It sounded like you were insulting your own mother, who had to drag you to see your injured friend. But there’s no way you’d be that ill mannered, now is there?” Mitsuki may have been smiling but everyone could tell she was on the verge of volcanically releasing her rage if her son acted up. 

“Drr!” Not willing to risk his mother’s wrath but equally unwilling to demonstrate any concern for Deku of all people, Bakgou chose what he felt was a good middle of the road approach. “So what if Deku’s laid up? I’m not the one who put him here!” “You sure as heck didn’t do anything to stop it!” “Since when is looking out for Deku my job?!” “Since he’s willing to put up with you for more than five seconds!” The volatile son and mother glared at each other until one of them was willing to concede to the other. And Bakugou was not the winner of that particular staring contest. 

“Tch. Whatever.” He looked away from his mother’s glare with attempted indifference and certainly not some level of fear. Nope, not even slightly afraid at all. With his attention no longer taken up by his mother’s threatening temper he saw Uraraka in her nurse uniform and made the only sensible comment he could. “What the heck are you dressed like that for?” “We’re being Papa’s nurses!” The ash blonde looked down and saw Eri, who was also dressed by like a nurse. Something seemed to be happening inside his mind but what was anyone’s guess. 

“Oh.” And that was his only response. He kept looking at Eri with an unreadable expression. “That’s... a good thing.” It was surprising that he was speaking at a normal volume level instead of shouting at max. “You’re a good girl for doing that.” Bakugou hesitantly put out his hand and slowly lowered it, eventually reaching Eri’s hat covered head and gently patting it. She looked at him in confusion, making Bakugou a slight bit self-conscious, then she smiled at him with closed eyes and a small giggle, eliciting a blush from the boy and making him look away. 

This did not go unnoticed by the rest of the room. As Uraraka would prove.  

“Oooooh. You’re just a big old softie deep down aren’t you Bakugou?” And to prove her complete lack of fear she started pulling on his cheek. “Yeah Katsuki. You talk all tough but you’re just a big marshmallow on inside.” And now his mother was tugging on his other cheek. And that was setting off his all too volatile temper. So he did the only thing he could think of. 

Blame Deku of course. 

“Dang it Deku, I’m gonna...” Bakugou’s threat died on his lips as he took in Izuku’s injured form. Now as bad tempered as he could be even Bakugou wasn’t low enough to try and attack someone who was so injured. Sadly this left him with no way to actually let loose the pressure valve on his temper. “Drrrrrrr! Gaaah! Would you let me go already?!” Uraraka and Mitsuki promptly ended their taunting but kept their teasing grins on. Soon enough Bakugou felt something tugging on his pants and saw that it was Eri, who held up a cookie for him to take. “It’s a cinnamon.” The explosive teen took the treat offered with an uncharacteristically mellow “thanks” and let himself be led over to a nearby chair, deciding that it wouldn’t kill him to keep slightly quiet for a day.  

[dascarecrow]

Crisis War - Prologue

In the beginning there was only one... a single black infinitude. 

Time. Space. Reality. 

Then the infinitude found release, and finally, the darkness broke, filling it with life.  

It’s more than a linear path... 

Every existence multiplied by possibility and spread out before space and time in infinite measure. 

With the Multiverse. 

It’s a prism... 

Civilizations rose and fell, and rose again to cross realities grasping expanse. 

Of endless possibility... 

Life, a precious gift persevering in the face of every obstacle... 

where a single choice can branch out into infinite realities… 

Until finally... 

creating alternate worlds from the ones you know. 

The Age of Heroes was born. 

This is the truth of existence. Possibility crossed with imagination yields everything. Endless are the worlds that live and those who live upon them. And from these worlds without end there arrive stories. Some are of victories and triumphs. Others are of despair and loss. Still others are tales of hope, inspiring those who hear them. 

This is one such story. 

A tale that traverses across the Multiverse. 

And shows the first meeting between one world’s finest heroes and an assembly of the mightiest heroes from another. 

[dascarecrow]

Just thought I'd share some MCU theories that I thought would be cool if they're true

-Quasar will appear in Quantumania (guy is basically MCU Green Lantern with a bend towards absorbing energy and that could be cool)

-Sersi will take Molecule Man's place in Secret Wars (seems like a good way to bring in the Eternals to the wider MCU)

-Daredevil will be the team up hero for Spider-man 4

-Captain America New World Order and Thunderbolts will include Tiamut (another way to bring in the Eternals)

-Thunderbolts will introduce the Savage Land (really just want to see how the MCU would bring in the characters associated with that location)

-Squadron Supreme will appear in Loki Season 2 or otherwise working for Kang (I just like Marvel's send up of the Justice League)

-A Nova project is in the works (I would really like to see how they adapt his powers for live action)

-Echo will have magic powers ( Would help make her more distinctive and give her a bit more power to hit with when she inevitably runs into the big guns)

[dascarecrow]

Smash It Up!

Buongiorno my adoring audience and welcome to a new series for all lovers of that phenomenal fighting game known as Super Smash Bros. 

One of my greatest interests is in seeing fanmade movesets for characters that people want to see join the hallowed halls of Smash one day. After a few years of seeing such things for myself I’ve decided to join in.  

So we are going to Smash It Up! 

How this will work is that I’ll select a character who either hasn’t joined Smash and I would like to see them in there... or I’ll be selecting characters who have joined Smash already and will be putting my own spin on their movesets. 

And it’s not just movesets. I’ll be coming up with stage intros, taunts, costumes, all the works you’d expect for a Smash character. 

In the case of already present characters in Smash we’ll be doing what I’ll call Smash Redux where I revise the characters movesets from their latest build in Ultimate to something else.  

I hope you’ll all join along as we... 

Smash It Up! 

[dascarecrow]

Cover Story - Superman vs Darth Vader

The mere concept of what this image depicts is truly too epic for words. 

The most iconic superhero ever going against one of the most iconic villains is the stuff of dreams and the superb painted realism of Alex Ross captures it amazingly. 

Superman boldly takes hold of the Sith’s lightsaber, showcasing his might against the Dark Side. At the same time Vader is clearly unhesitating in the face of such a formidable adversary, showing that the hero won’t have such an easy time in spite of his strength. 

[dascarecrow]

For anyone who hasn’t heard Kevin Conroy, the definitive voice of Batman, has sadly gone on to meet with Adam West in the great beyond. 

There are no words to capture how devastating this truly is. Since the animated series of the early 90′s there has been one voice that truly captured the purest essence of Batman for the last 30 years. And now that voice is gone. 

There’s only one thing to say about the passing of such a legend. 

He was vengeance 

He was the night 

He was... Batman.