#I just have to like… get drawing ideas which I only currently am having kirby ideas

[starsandnoodles]

Today I did a lot of doodles so I’m going to post them now because I haven’t been posting a lot!!

First, the crossover no one asked for

Second, Taranza picking a fight and being angry because part of my soul needs more bastard Taranza content DESPERATELY. Like guys… feed my soul.

Third, Susie Haltmann but a Gijinka based more or less on my own outfit today (I cannot write T’s very well I apologize if it looks like an R)

And last but not least a drawing of Susie Haltmann I started months ago and finally finished today

[asavt]

I DO GENUINLY WANNA ASK ABOUT YOUR KIRBY HEADCANNONS!!! the idea that the mirror reflects what the looker wants to be is something ive never thought of before, o please please please just rant about your headcannons I beg of you/nf /lh

MUAHAHAHAHHA YOU HAVE FALLEN INTO MY TRAP. I WILL NOT SHUT UP NOW!!!!

Ever since the inclusion of Dark Meta Knight in KSA I've been... microwaving him in my head, marinating him in the juices of teories and ideas and headcanons, gripping him in my little corner even when I haven't been doing any art of Kirby...

He is a very simple character, he is often presented as an edgy(-er) version of Meta Knight, his freaking mask is made to look as if he is always frowning (it's funny). He is characterized as a bit petty in some manga (as far as I've seen), kind of a trouble maker.

I hyperfixtated on him for a long time, which eventually led me to search about all the info I could get on the Mirror World, the Amazing Mirror and, of course, the characters affected by this artifact.

Sectonia's case was the one that made me come up with the headcanon. It evolved from the fact that it was the mirror's influence that made her want to become what she ended up turning into. (It also led me to another headcanon about how our Taranza's Sectonia might not actually be dead but that one is long gone lmao).

I don't believe the mirror had the power to create dark ""evil"" versions of whoever looked into it originally. Perhaps it was an artifact made to show how far an individual could go, an artifact that was also a direct, faster gateway to the Mirror World, one that got corrupted by Dark Mind.

I like to believe that Dark Mind corrupted the Mirror itself and that that corruption was never truly "cleaned". It made sense to me then, you know? Having a kind of stronger version of Meta Knight (someone that, as far as I am aware, is constantly looking into improving and getting stronger), the Queen being corrupted (the apparent desire to look 'beautifull', the fact that, if the Amazing Mirror was never cleaned from the corruption, it could lead to the results given in Triple Deluxe).

With Kirby I can excuse it with Kirby's supposed "pure soul", apparently being the reflection of a little being that can fight gods and win even if he is just using a goddam truck to isekai them back nullifies the effects of the corruption. I also could say that Shadow Kirby's intentions could reflect what Kirby wanted during The Amazing Mirror (wanting to protect his home).

As for Dedede... it's a bit more tricky. What I could get is that the king, like Meta Knight, wishes to become stronger than he is, so there's that, maybe, I'm unsure. I need to do more research for this.

(I am not considering Dark Taranza in this because I think of him as exclusive to Kirby Clash Deluxe and it's universe).

Now. To get into more detail about our beloved dark knight.

Yobanashi Deceive starts to play in the background

Where's that music coming from--?

As I said before, he is a very simple character. Not a lot is really going on there so that pretty much just encouraged me to just make something for the guy (It might be just that I like the black/white/red tho).

The way I came up with the current humanizated design was by taking in count this headcanon about the Mirror. He is not only supposed to be a corrupted version of Meta Knight's views of how he wishes to become stronger, but also a desire to look into his past. Kind of like the longing for simple times but also refusing to go back there, there's no way to go back, there are only memories but unfortunely for him a very annoying Dark Knight is there to constantly remind him.

I wanted to specially get this across by giving Dark Meta the loose hair, opossed to Meta Knight's tied up hair. I have it in my mind that, if I were to draw the younger Meta and talk about his past headcanons, I would draw him with long, loose hair.

With all of this and Dark Mind's corruption and control over the mirror in mind, and the possibility of this eyeball being dark matter as well, the idea that Dark Meta didn't have much control over his own thoughts came. He was pretty much being mind controled into doing Dark Mind's will and didn't know but much about not being rude, or angry, or attacking on sight after Dark Mind was gone (even if sometimes he'd get those flashes of memories that are not his, where he sees through his eyes what kindness is like). He plays the role of a edgy guy to keep an image up, after all he, unfortunaly, has some of Meta's own traits and concerns about public image.

This thing about the mind control too.. it's what lead me into my own vision of how the fight against Meta went in KSA:

Dark Mind's corruption never truly went away, but he manages better nowadays.

[galaxygermdraws]

Decided to finally updated my Pinned Post so.

Hi. My name’s Germaine, or Germ as like 99% of people know me as, and this is my art/writing blog. 

Current Interests: Super Mario Bros, Hermitcraft, the Life Series, any MCYT in the Hermitcraft/Empires/Traffic series sphere honestly (with a few exceptions), Kirby, Sonic the Hedgehog 

Please feel free to draw fanart for my AUs or designs. Please. I would love to see it. Tag me n I’ll try n reblog it!! If you wanna ask me any specifics you absolutely can.

Also you may use my art as a PFP or in a stimboard! Just link back to my account/the post, and feel free to tag me

My commissions are open, info can be found here

My main tags are #germdraws, #germ draws, #germwrites, and #germ writes. My tags for other posts are #germtalks, #germ talks, and #not art. Any discourse(which is a rare thing on this blog, trust me this blog is like 99% fun times and discourse free) is tagged as #discourse, #germrants, and #germ rants. I also have a reblog tag, that being #germ reblogs and it tends to be anything my friends have created, or self reblogs. Similarly, I have a requests tag, it’s #requests.

I also run @wormmanweek2024, which is a blog dedicated to celebrating Wormman’s 10 year anniversary!

I have other social media accounts, most notably an AO3, where I post some of my HC and 3L fics. I also have a Youtube, however the only things there are some streams and a few small reaction videos.

I have put together a document where I’m compiling every Hermitcraft Skin (it is a WIP rn)

I have my inbox open in case anybody ever jus wants to chat about things, I love discussin’ headcanons and AUs, and sometimes I open requests. If I haven’t gotten to your request I’m jus waitin for art block to hit again.

AU tags and such will be under the cut 

Crossing the Line AU (Chronological) - Turf War AU created by @/shadesofvermillionvoid and @/twigs-sprigs that I got dragged into, @/micer2012 helped me develop some ideas for it later down the line

Helsmits/Helsians  - Hels Lore me and @/micer2012 created, is not exclusive to just the Hermits. Some info is outdated, yes there are 2 tags. I am not consistent.

Headcanons (unfinished) - Posts regarding any of my headcanons, I haven’t tagged every post with these yet but I will be getting around to it one day hopefully

Hermitclones - Anything regarding Evil X, Wormman, Helsknight, NPG, etc etc. I Have a lot of art of these guys it may be a problem

Hermempires - My tag for the crossover, since I know people call it different things.

MCYTblr Sexyman Contest/MCYTblr Sexyman Polls - Any post in which I discuss the MCYTblr Sexyman bracket. Most of these are requests but here’s the tag in case you wanna blacklist

Hermit Swap Requests - Any post involving the fanon Hermit swap challenge! These are just silly requests I did based on a post by @/ink-ghoul.

[currentfandomkick]

Miraculous Team and Batboys-Akuma Attack

okay, giving the update spamming a break.

--

Marinette flew through the city, sensing where the corrupted butterfly’s power landed. She swung into a home with a broken window—likely where the akuma fled.

She froze when she saw scraps of bread, cheese, snacks and other food items scattered in the area. It didn’t make any sense—where was the akuma?

Queen Bee made it next, landing beside her. “What do you think happened?”

Marinette frowned, looking around. This was ground zero, someone’s house, and no one was left…

“I’m not sure…” Marinette opened her yo-yo’s comm while Queen Bee left to check the area. “Chat, are you there?”

“Of course m’lady. Any akuma sightings on your end?”

“No, and no one to ask what happened… do you think this is another Collector or Pixelator?”

“Maybe? Any clues?”

“Just a lot of scraps and a broken window.”

“Ladybug! We have a witness!” Queen Bee yelled as she landed. “They said some kid was turning people into food with some wand.”

Marinette froze as she processed that. It wasn’t the first time hunger transformed an akuma—they had one that ate everything in sight called Kirby before. He was… an interesting akuma, and wasn’t in a good place. He was in a better home now, and they needed the Bee and Horse to finish him. Queen Bee and Pegasus was needed big time then, and she was glad they had one permanently now but…

“Hold on,” Marinette turned back to Chat on her yo-yo. “Chat? Call the Guardian, we’ll need Monkey, Fox and Pegasus for this one—Tiger on standby.”

“You got it m’lady, Chat out!”

With the call ended, Marinette put together what happened to the victims and swore.

“Queenie, patrol now, stick to the rooftops and don’t draw attention. Contact me and Chat when you find them, and do not engage. I need you to not get hit for this plan to work.”

Queen Bee nodded, quick to leave.

Marinette took to the rooftop as she waited for either Queen Bee or Chat to contact her. She wasn’t expecting Wonder Woman and Batman’s sons to make contact first.

“What the hell is going on!” Red Robin sounded… panicked?

“Ladybug, are you certain you are not in need of further assistance?” Wonder Woman asked, eyes moving about nervously.

“Let me guess, someone got hit by the beam and ended up food?”

“I know I say I’m a snack, but I don’t want to literally be a snack,” Nightwing panicked while looking behind him. “Red Hood got hit before I could stop him.”

Was it bad she wanted it to be Robin that got hit? “I’ll fix it with the Cure after my team handles this. I’m waiting for the three I sent for to get back to me, and Bee to give me their current location—unless the akuma is still there?”

“Long gone,” Red Robin confirmed. “It was headed toward one of the restaurants by the Paris Grande Hotel that helps.”

“Of course—I swear Hawkmoth just picks landmarks and tourist locations for fun at this point. He’s clearly never lived here otherwise.”

“What!”

“Nothing, my team has it under control. Keep your team out of our battles—we have magic protections, you don’t.”

“But!”

“I apologize Ladybug, I did not think—”

Marinette pinched her brow as another call came in.

“Wonder Woman, while the thought is appreciated, I have to go now.”

She ended the call, to see Queen Bee’s icon. “They’re by the Tower”

“Of course. Forward to Chat, I’m on my way. We’ll be having some old friends join.”

“Our friends or the batbrats.”

“Our friends.”

Queen Bee hummed as she cut out, probably to catch Chat and the others up.

Marinette made it there without being seen. It felt wrong but there have been worse battles before. She landed by Queen Bee with ease, and waited for Pegasus to bring the group over.

The akuma was a small child from what she could see, and held tight to… that wasn’t a wand. That was a switch. She felt a bit sick at what it meant, and suddenly felt less horrified for the first victims.

“As requested,” Chat gestured to the portal. “One Renard Rogue.”

Nathaniel stepped out, a bit twitchy but otherwise ready. She was glad she picked him for this—he proved with Evillustrator he could work well with magic.  As a civilian he is the right type of creative to keep someone distracted with a story or something flashy. (Alya was more...hands on, Nathaniel kept his distance, which... is better for a fox).Just what they’d need for the akuma.

“One Monkey.”

Kim came out with a nervous grin—they both knew he was good but that he needed to really have good aim for when his weapon hit.

“Our Pegasus will be joining us shortly, as he and the Guardian are talking Tigresse from bolting here and running in head first… again.”

Marinette wished Alya would stop that, on some level. On the other, its why she and Roaar get along so well. Bravery goes hand-in-hand with impulsivity.

“Okay, now if I’m right about this, the akuma should be hard to get unless we follow the plan.” She waited for everyone’s attention.

“I want Renard to distract first and foremost with Chat protecting him. Monkey, when I give the signal, hit them with Uproar. While they’re distracted I need Queen Bee to hit them with Venom, if it’s a tricky shot we need Pegaus to get her close. If that fails, Tigress is released onto the scene and we all know that should throw the kid and Hawkmoth off their game. Chat and I will use our powers if all else fails but…”

Marinette glanced over at the child.

“I’d rather be able to find out what happened and help them with the police and CPS after this.”

The group nodded while Nathaniel began to play.

Pegasus raised an eyebrow when he made it. “What’d I miss?”

“You’re on standby on location. If things get hairy, either drop Queen Bee off next to the akuma, or get Tigresse here.”

Pegasus nodded, making sure to have a clear vantage point.

Marinette didn’t check what the mirage was, only waiting for the child to go to the location Renard crafted.

Once the child was no longer throwing our beams, Kim used Uproar. A simple ball this time—to both his and Marinette’s relief. Kim pitched it quick as the Illusion disintegrated.

“No fair!” The child screamed when their powers were shooting off at random. Things weren’t turning as they should, left in some strange in between state.

Marinette nodded at Queen Bee and Pegasus.

“Voyage.”

Queen Bee murmured “Venom,” Before running into the portal. She hit the kid quick.

Marinette and Chat came down then, looking over the frozen child.

“Its okay,” Marinette soothed as she looked them over. They were scared and Hawkmoth was--god she hates that man. He’s hurting them.

“Here M’lady,” Chat handed her the switch with a leery eye.

Marinette snapped the switch and the corrupted butterfly escaped. “No more evildoing for you little akuma!” she snapped it up in her yo-yo before releasing a white butterfly. “Bye-bye little butterfly.”

Marinette gestured for Chat to keep the kid busy while she summoned her Lucky Charm and used the Cure. She made sure to catch the reverse ladybugs and catch them in her yo-yo. No need to let people remember their traumatic death.

“Chaton, I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Understood M’lady, I’ll keep our little buddy company.”

Marinette nodded, quick to grab the miraculous boxes guarded by Queen Bee, ever faithful to Ladybug and the rules for remaining a permanent holder—no looking into the temporary holders, but collect the miraculous for her and Chat when they couldn’t.

“Roaar should still be the Guardian. You can meet him when he says you’re ready, until then, I’ll take these guys home. Thank you for watching them.”

“Hmpf, as if I’d ever betray your trust.” Queen Bee softened then. “Thank you again for giving me another chance.”

Marinette eased up. “You earned your second chance as a civilian with what you’ve done for your classmates, like protecting a certain model from a liar. That was enough for me with the fact that you’ve always been a good hero in the mask. I’m glad you’ve grown outside of it, just don’t backslide.”

Queen Bee nodded while her miraculous beeped. “Gotta go, Can you cover patrol for me and Chat tonight?”

“I—Yes! You can count on me!”

Marinette smiled at that. “Great, bug out!”

Marinette swung to a safe place to de-transform and put the miraculous boxes in her backpack. While Tikki ate, Marinette made her way to Fu’s.

“Do you think those boys will calm down now?”

“Mmh, they should. If not…”

Marinette knew that meant the kwami would take matters into their own hands. And she didn’t like the idea of the Justice League attacking in retaliation.

Once the miraculous were back with Fu, Marinette transformed to deal with whatever nonsense the Justice League had in store for her.

“…he’s not a hot dog anymore.” Nightwing said

“Yep.” Marinette did her best not to look too insulted.

“Ladybug, if I may—“

“I am not answering questions when I have a victim to look after. The child was likely being starved and beaten for god knows what, and I need to ensure their permanent removal from their current household and placement into a safe location. Battles are off limits for non-magic users here—every meta and professional fighter in the city knows this. I see you didn’t check the basic legal work with civilian aides here.”

That seemed to get Nightwing to sit up a bit straighter. “We’re heroes too.”

Wonder Woman interrupted for her. “This is Order business, all non-members are civilians in your teachings, yes?”

Marinette glared as she nodded. “Unless you’re powered by a tiny god, stay out of the battles. We have enough people getting akumatized in their sleep from nightmares, I’d rather not add any Leaguers—as I said many times before you were sent.”

That caused Nightwing to wince. “We were not informed of any of this. My apologies—I’ll inform my brothers and try to keep them out of your hair.”

“See that you do,” Wayzz added over her shoulder. “I am not above letting my siblings wreck havoc to make a point.”

“Wayzz,” Marinette warned. “I can handle this, please keep Roaar from breaking out again and giving people the idea that they should join future battles. Again.”

Wayzz flew off.

Marinette rubbed her forehead. “I need to go. I have police to handle, a child to remove from monsters, and I can’t do my homework or essays or any of my other civilian life things until all that is handled.”

Nightwing signed off. Wonder Woman was concerned, Marinette could feel it.

“Yes Wonder Woman?”

“I did not mean to add to your stress.”

“I know.” It didn’t mean she didn’t.

“Perhaps I could have one of the bats help with tending to victims for you, to give you some more free time to tend to your civilian side.” That would be nice but…

“Unless they’re familiar with healthy coping mechanisms for traumatized children, I’m going to have to turn you down.”

“Are we counting vigilantism as a healthy coping mechanism?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. That was too much to unpack at the moment.

“I will send Nightwing to help speak with the child—he is good with children, and has been in such situations himself.”

Marinette took a deep breath. “He can cover the 11 to 6 watch, by then the kid should have a place to stay.”

Wonder Woman smiled at her.

Marinette relayed the message to Chat before speaking to the police and explaining what she saw. Marinette and Chat kept the child far away from the others in the house, and far from hearing whatever ‘justifications’ they had.

The pair didn’t think about leaving until the child was fast asleep, sure to wake up again later. They knew another city’s hero would be there then to help them out.

Nightwing approached them slowly.

“If you even think about—“

“I won’t.”

Marinette eyed the hero.

“I promise, just, how are they holding up?”

“They go by Syd. Somehow they got it in their head that making mistakes means no meals. Pretty sure dyslexic and they’ve been failing spelling tests.”

Nightwing winced. “Any allergies or…”

Chat raised an eyebrow. “None.”

“Good. I’ll be back.”

Chat petted the kid’s hair while leaning against Marinette. “M’lady?”

“Yes Chaton?” Marinette waited for him to continue.

“I… is…”

She waited for him to find his words.

“Is it okay for Father to…”

“To…”

“…restrict access to food at home.”

Marinette stilled a bit. She knew it wasn’t good with Gabriel but…

“May I ask how?”

“No more than 900 calories a day.”

“Chaton.”

Chat winced, waiting for something. “I am going to kick your father’s ass.”

Nightwing paused at the door, not that Marinette knew he was there.

“No one, and I mean no one, should have that---that’s abuse chaton, especially if what you said about not being allowed to see anyone outside of a list your father approved of, or that you have to make appointments to talk to him weeks in advance. I just… That man is toast.”

“I, it’s not that bad m’lady…”

“Chat, I am getting you out of there, okay? I know who your civilian side is. I just need a plan.”

Nightwing knocked before entering.

“Here, I figured light veggie pizza, fries and a hot chocolate should help. I know they need to take it slow, but this should work for small bit for the night. You two get some rest, okay?”

Nightwing sent a text to the others: Chat in bad home. Bug is working on something—might get magic siblings if B finds out and Wonder Woman doesn’t beat him to punch.

--

That’s all i got for this installment. 

Next Time: I’m thinking about (for damian’s POV) having Damian be watching Marinette do her routine, and freezing when he hears her ‘blackmail’ someone over the phone as “He’s not staying there if i have anything to say, and if it makes you feel better, you’re stealing the face of his brand, you know, if basic decency isn’t enough” (to felix, probably) and decides Marinette is a dangerous person to watch out for, and better to keep an eye on as she’s probably doing something wreckless.

followed by Batboys having a meeting about their role after Damian gets back, with Nightwing updating them on the fact that the kids didn’t even want them there in the first place, and it sounds like the JL is twisting their arm on this more than they thought, the combat ban, and you know, the fact that one of the heroes is in an abusive situation, so. They need a Plot to keep the kid holding destruction somewhere safe without letting out their identities, and giving the miraculous team breathing room.

And quick poll: Nightwing meets Marinette when she’s almost mugged on a delivery before Dick meets her,OR  Dick meets her at a gymnastics place where she’s helping a ten year old Manon with stretches before going off to practice a routine on bars with an instructor that knews the Flying Graysons and invited Dick over to show him the place, OR Dick meets Marinette while getting Tim’s order and almost dies when he finds out Marinette calls him ‘zombie’ before sending Damian a message that his classmate is his new favorite person, and may be his sister soon if Dick and Tim have anything to say about it.

Jason meets her a little later as Gina (his favorite traveling biker granny who adopted him) needs to Appear first, and i like her crashing in at random, berating Jason for taking forever to call her back and then demanding he meet his brother/uncle and his family Right Now Or So Help Her and him being too scared to argue.

Sound Good? 

@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry @littleredrobinhoodlum @northernbluetongue @kceedraws @pirats-pizzacanninibles @theatreandcomicfreak @daminett4life @catthhay @weird-pale-blonde-person @amayakans @chocolatecatstheron @tired-butterfly @multplelifes @yin-390 @area51qt

[barryjaybluejeans]

Baby ’s first TAZ fic!  Inspired by this actual news story. Shout-out to @fridge246 for being a wonderful beta!

Spoilers through the whole mini-arc-pilot-thing.

Kirby found the woman seated in a booth by the door of the little coffee shop in downtown Kepler, just where they had agreed to meet. In the small room, empty but for her and a few of the sleepy town's residents out for lunch, she was easy to spot.

The woman looked, in two words, fancied up. Artificial tan and frosted tips, and cosmetics applied with surprisingly artful hand. She looks just as put together as she did in all the photos he found while researching her story online; the more recent photos, anyway. It was clear she had made special changes in her appearance lately, the way a person does when they are trying to impress a certain someone.

And, Kirby thought, eyeing her tee-shirt which bore the iconic silhouette of Sasquatch on the front, he had a pretty good idea who that someone was.

“Renee?” Kirby asked, shifting his laptop bag under one arm to free his right hand.

She smiled broadly, flashing teeth that matched her french-tipped nails. “Got it in one. You’re the man from the Lamplighter? Kirby?”

They shook hands, exchanging a few more pleasantries as Kirby settled himself across from her. He pulled out his equipment—notepad, pencils, an old-school recorder.

“I ordered a pot of coffee,” Renee was saying, “just before you got here. We can have the waitress bring another mug for you, if you’d like?”

“Yeah, sounds fine. The food isn’t the greatest here, honestly, but it makes for a quiet place to meet. Do you mind if we get started right away?”

Renee’s eyes were all but sparkling with eagerness. “Absolutely not!”

“Right.” He cleared his throat, and switched on his recording. “I’m sitting with Renee Lesky, the former stay-at-home mother of two, and current Bigfoot enthusiast.”

“I prefer cryptid activist,” she interrupted.

“Of course. Renee, your life, uh, has taken a significant change in the last several months. You’ve already discussed this with other...news outlets, but if you don’t mind, could you explain for our readers how that all started? What set you to become a...an activist?”

She leaned forwards, hands clasped under her chin. Kirby could have sworn she was pausing for dramatic effect, and he made a note to work that in somehow when he wrote this whole thing up. In a voice heavy with importance, Renee said into the recorder, “ I met Bigfoot.”

“She’s loony-tunes.”

Kirby double-clicked his pen, held at the ready over his notebook. “Is that your professional opinion?” he asked, eying Ranger Newton.

Behind his desk, the man was scowling up a storm, and that expression was only made worse by the dark, heavy bags under his eyes and the patches of scruff on his typically clean-shaved face. It didn’t take an investigative journalist to see that the man was in a bad mood, and probably had been for at least a few days.

If he would have known the Newton would be like that, Kirby would have stopped by the ranger shack another day. He had been tempted to just leave when he first arrived, but it had been weeks since he first tried to get a few answered questions out of him about the Lesky-Bigfoot situation, and this could be his only chance to corner the man. Even all his wheedling at Ned Chicane, who was friends with Newton, hadn’t been enough to help arrange a meeting.

“Professionally,” Newton said, “the parks department respectfully disagrees with Ms. Lesky’s enthusiastic but ill-informed beliefs.”

“Uh-huh.” Kirby jotted that down. Shame. He might still work in the phrase loony-tunes and figure out a way to give the same punch without truly being a quote.

Frankly, Kirby had to agree with his original assessment. Renee was at best overly enthusiastic, at worst...well. There was a word for people who called furred creatures “majestic” in such breathless tones. But, Kirby was used to the crazies and the frauds and the “enthusiastic, but ill-informed”—he had built the Lamplighter on not only working with them, but preaching to them.

No, he wasn’t bitter about that. Yes, there might have been a time when he once believed the wild stories told by people just like he had become, but he was older now. Kirby had accepted the cold, hard, cryptid-less facts of reality.

“Ms. Lesky says that the parks department denies it was a cryptid. Is that right?”

“Yeah, we do.”

“So, what do you think that is in her footage?”

“It was a bear. I told Ms. Lesky that, just as I’m tellin' you now, just as I’ll tell anyone else who comes ‘round here asking.”

Kirby glanced down at highlighted note from his interview with Renee. “She claims that the parks service won’t admit she capture footage of a bigfoot because, quote, ‘the government is conspiring to control, both the knowledge available to folks and this majestic being living out in the wilds of Kepler.’ End quote.”

Newton stared at him.

Kirby threw up on hand. “Her words! The Lamplighter does not endorse those views.”

“Right.” He leaned forwards and rested his arms on the desk, his chair squeaking under him. “I can safely promise you, Mr. Kirby, that I am not a part of any government conspiracy. And I’m for sure not following government orders to hide animals from the public.

“I have an appreciation for flora and fauna—they’re precious things, and with the dangers facing their dwindling numbers, no on would be more happy to discover new critters runnin’ around in the woods than me or my fellow rangers. I would love it if this were somethin’ other than your average black bear. But it ain’t.”

He rose from the desk, and although Duck Newton wasn’t a tall man, he had this presence that seemed to loom over the room. It was unsettling. Kirby tried not to squirm in his seat.

Newton reached behind him to grab the hat hung from a row of hooks on the wall, then stepped towards the door. “Now, if you’ll excuse me Mr. Kirby, as delightful as this has been, I’m scheduled for patrol right ‘bout now.”

Kirby tucked away his notebook and stood. “Right. If you see anything strange out there, you know who to call,” he joked.

Newton smiled serenely. “I do believe I do.”

As the afternoon slowly turned towards the cool of evening, Kirby retreated to the Cryptonomica and its modem. Stepping inside the shop was almost worse than the muggy summer outdoors had been. Last month, the AC had quit, and Ned Chicane was still figuring out a way to get it fixed without spending the money it would cost. None of the windows could open all the way. And even when they did manage to slide one up an inch, letting in a faint trickle of air, that only managed to stir up the dust that seemed to perpetually coats the racks and displays inside. It stuffy, hot, smelt of old taxidermy, and all around uncomfortable.

But, there was internet and a steady supply of caffeinated beverages. Kirby could make do.

He pulled out his notes from the interview with Newton. It was probably for the best that he hadn’t been able to convince the ranger to let him record the meeting; there hadn’t been anything sensational, anyway, and this way he wouldn’t have to re-listen to and transcribe half-an-hour of audio.

Spreading his material out on the little corner table he had claimed as his station, he set to work. The Lamplighter blog didn’t need an update until Monday, but if he wanted to have the edition out for sale in the store, he would need to turn the copy in bright and early Friday morning. Which was tomorrow.

Well, he had at least six hours.

Behind him, there was a muffled thump and rustling, then the squeak of an unoiled door and heavy footsteps. He didn’t need to turn to know that it was Ned Chicane, emerging from his “secret” back room with what the shopkeeper probably imagined was an air of mystery.

“Ah, you’ve returned from your journalistic pursuits, I see.”

“Yep,” Kirby answered, popping the last syllable. He didn’t look up from his work.

“Are...you still doing that piece about the old bat with the, uh, thing for our legendary friend?”

“Mmhm. Same as I have for the past month.”

“Oh, yes. I haven’t forgotten! I just...wondered, I suppose, if you had changed your mind about using that particular set of events.”

Kirby typed the last few words of a sentence, letting his fingers hit the keyboard with a series of hard click-clacks . Then he paused. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned, and he eyed Ned. Who was leaning against the counter in his usual get-up (loud suit, bolo tie), with his usual showman’s smile on his face. Except, there was a trace of anxiety lining his face, faint enough that Kirby almost missed it, and that betrayed the whole look.

“What’s up, Ned?” Kirby sighed. “You’ve been pussy-footing around this story since I discovered it. And now you want me to trash it the night before I need it?”

Ned shifted on his feet. “I didn’t say that precisely, but, well, if you decided to...”

“Ned.”

He dithered for a moment, moving from the counter to toy with a few of the knickknacks lining the surfaces of the store. “It is a bit of a hot-bed topic isn’t it?”

“How’d you mean?”

“As I understand it, there are accusations at the state government. I shouldn’t think the Lamplighter, or the business that graciously hosts your fine press, would want to be associated with those.”

Of course. With all the bits and pieces he had gathered about Ned Chicane’s none-too-pristine history, it wasn’t surprising that he would be concerned about drawing government attention. A chuckle escaped Kirby. “It’s conspiracy theories, Ned. Just...all this—“ he gestured broadly, swooping arms over the cluttered storefront “—on a political level. Folks’ll eat it up, and those who aren’t already interested won’t pay it any mind.”

He didn’t appear convinced.

“Look, if you’re that nervous, I’ll be careful with my wording. Or put a disclaimer with the article, or something. But this the kinda thing the people who buy my magazine want to hear about, and I can’t just not ignore it.”

Bigfoot, as cliche as that particular cryptid was, had become a major selling point for not only the Lamplighter and the Cryptonomica, but the town of Kepler as a whole. It had been sometime since Kirby had first leaked that video Ned had faked (which Kirby was still impressed with the quality of), and even now, tourists would make a visit simply because they had watched “Bigfoot wrestles monster wildcat REAL!!” on YouTube.

Ned made a thoughtful noise, and stared at a spot on the wall over Kirby’s head while his brow furrowed deeper. Just as he looked about to respond, the bell over the entrance jingled. And in rushed a large bear of a man—larger even than Ned—all stomping boots and frantic calls.

“Ned! You gotta talk to—“

His eyes landed on Kirby, tucked away in the almost-hidden corner of the room, and the man jerked to a stop. His words cut off sharply, and the man began to stumble, apparently having tripped over his feet. His arms windmilled, as Ned stepped forwards to help him catch his balance.

“Barclay!” Ned boomed, a little too jovial to be sincere. “How wonderful to see you here, right now!”

“Um, thanks.” The man—Barclay—glanced back towards Kirby again. “Ah. Um. Hi, um.”

“Hey,” Kirby said, with an uncertain wave.

Barclay turned back to Ned. “Can I...talk with you privately?”

And that was Kirby’s cue to turn back to his computer and ignore the whole deal. Ned was up to something shady; water was wet, more news at eleven. As curious as he might be about...whatever it was that was going on, the less he knew about Ned’s back-door business, the more he could deny involvement in when the cops showed up.

The two murmured in low, indiscernible tones for a few moments, while Kirby pointedly did not try to listen. Before long, Ned spoke up and announced that he would be going out for a bit.

Kirby smiled politely. “Sure thing. I’ll keep an eye on the place while I’m here.”

They left, quickly, and Kirby caught Barclay glancing at him a few times as the two headed out the door. Weird, but—Kirby shook his head, rising to grab a can from the vending machine. Ned’s definitely-illegal shenanigans were his own problem, and Kirby had an article to write.

“Looks like your fangirl is talking again.”

A copy of the Lamplighter slapped on the table. Loudly. Three of the four people gathered around the table jumped, then all shrunk under the glare Mama directed at them.

The Pine Guard—the vital line of defense protecting the alliance between Earth and Sylvan, ensuing the harmony and safety of both worlds—had been rounded up like a group children called the the principal’s office.

Mama leaned against the table, still glaring. “And let’s pray you haven’t got a reporter fanboy now.”

Barclay was not having a very good day. Or week. Or month. The last four months, actually, had not been especially wonderful. Somehow, everything was managing to grow worse and worse.

He glanced at the Zine, then began studying the grain in the table intently. The copy had landed cover up, and out from the grainy still-photo stared a familiar, fur-covered figure. He remembered the moment. The image didn’t fully capture the shock and horror he had felt, or the panicked way he had tried fall behind a tree for cover.

“What were you doing?” Aubrey asked. Barclay didn’t look, but he could imagine her leaning over the table and peering at the picture with delight.

“Yes,” Mama snapped. “What were you doing?”

Barclay dared a peek up, just enough to see her arms folded disapprovingly across her chest. “It...the crane position,” he muttered, and instantly regretted it. Exercise—he should have just said exercise .

“And you needed to do this undisguised? Outside? Where God an’ every hiker with a smartphone can see you?” Mama demanded, at the same time Aubrey hooted, “ Nude yoga? ”

Well. This was the moment he would die. He had always hoped he would go out in some brave way, in the line of duty for the Pine Guard, but apparently whatever deity was out there had a cruel, cruel sense of humor.

Barclay hunched into his shoulders. If only, he wished he wished desperately, he could snap his fingers, like he was Aubrey doing a magic show. A cloud of smoke, and, poof, he would make himself and this whole situation disappear.

“It wasn’t like that,” he muttered, for all the good that might do.

Someone snorted—Ned, probably, since it didn’t sound like Aubrey, and Duck had seemed less amused by the situation than the other two. Barclay ducked his head lower.

“You,” Mama hissed, voice like a sharped, swinging scythe. “Ned Chicane. Care to explain how this ended up not only published and for sale in your store, but on the front page?”

Ned defended himself, claiming it would have been more suspicious if he had refused to let Kirby print that. He went on, but Barclay was doing his best to block out the rest of the meeting. Duck spoke up, at one point, saying he’d do his best to keep Renee Lesky from raising too much trouble, but that she seemed determined enough to take extreme measures.

Extreme measures . Barclay hoped that meant she would continue trying to spread her story, and not that the woman would take to wandering the wilds of the Monongahela, calling for him.

“It’ll blow over soon,” Ned insisted.

“Better hope so!” Mama hit her palm against the table, and Barclay jolted straight. She sighed, and finally sank into a chair, massaging her forehead. “Y’all just gonna need to be extra careful from now on— Extra. Careful . Ya hear me?”

“Yes’um,” the four chorused as one.

“And Aubrey, you’re in charge of spreading that to the rest of the Lodge. We don’t need anyone else messin’ up and givin’ me even more trouble to clean up right now.”

“Of course,” Aubrey chirped. “I’ll call a meeting with Doctor Harris Bonkers.”

Mama half cracked a smile at that. “Good. Now go on.”

They cleared the room, pursued by her weary displeasure. As Barclay stepped through the doorway, he heard her call him back.

He ducked his head back in the room, hesitantly. “Yes?”

Mama steeped her fingers, and peered at him over her hands for a long moment. “So,” she said, cocking an eyebrow. “Nude yoga?”

“Uh, I’m just going to go. Yep. Good-bye.”

Outside her office, Ned, Duck, and Aubrey were gathered just down the hall. For a moment, Barclay almost felt touched that they had waited for him. Then, he spotted the copy of the Lamplighter in Aubrey’s hands, which she must have grabbed off the table—and, he heard the excerpt she was reading aloud. Dramatically, in her performance voice.

“—the moment I spotted that majestic creature, I realized that there’s so much more to life that we don’t know. Life is beautiful .”

“Aubrey,” he pleaded.

“Take pride! You’re a majestic creature. She even says she left her husband after she saw you, you hunk of a Bigfoot.”

He turned, pleadingly, to Duck. Duck was a sensible person, right? He was a professional, who would take pity on his tormented coworker.

Duck clapped a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she likes you for more than your ravishin’ good looks.”

Barclay buried his face in his hands.

[alexdrawsagain]

was supposed to upload this ages ago......

92 Truths                                

Tagged by  @willhernandezdraws​

I am not as open about my life as some would like. However, I feel sorta comfortable with these since you have no idea if i’m telling the truth or not.

I love that ambiguity.....                                                            

Rules: Write 92 truths about yourself then tag other people

LAST…

[1] Drink: Great Value Apple Juice

[2] Phone call: People call me.

[3] Text message: The phone company texted me that i paid my phone bill

[4] Song you listened to: Long hot summer night: Jimi Hendrix

[5] Time you cried: N/A

HAVE YOU EVER…

[6] Dated someone twice: No

[7] Been cheated on: No

[8] Kissed someone and regretted it: No.

[9] Lost someone special: Yes.

[10] Been depressed: Yes. However, I can’t spend my time feeling sorry for myself and often have to push through it to get $#!t done. It feels like running a marathon but you’re exhausted at the beginning. Or piloting a jalopy of a spaceship that sputters and throws sparks throughout the journey.

Sometimes it gets better. And there are many days where i’m fine and then it hits me like a sack of bricks.

[11] Gotten drunk and thrown up: Never gotten drunk.

LIST THREE FAVOURITE COLORS…

[12]  Green

[13] Neon Blue

[14] Dark Red

IN THE LAST YEAR…

[15] made new friends: @willhernandezdraws @therandomninjakitty @the-solar-surfer.

[16] fallen out of love: No.

[17] laughed until you cried: More like until I started coughing.

[18] found out someone was talking about you: Fight me in the streets you wuss.

[19] met someone who changed you: Yes.

[20] found out who your true friends are: All the time

[21] kissed someone on your Facebook list: No

GENERAL…

[22] how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: All of them except for Will and Dre. I now use a backup facebook account to talk to them.

[23] do you have any pets: No.

[24] do you want to change your name: No. But I do like it when people use my full name for a change.

[25] what did you do for your last birthday: Ate some cake and went back to work on chores.

[26] what time did you wake up: 9:00 a.m.

[27] what were you doing at midnight last night: Passing out while reflecting upon the changes my life is going through.

[28] name something you cannot wait for: This list could be a mile long. But the biggest thing on the list is getting started on the drawing for the third issue. Laying out all the groundwork is taking longer than I thought.

[29] when was the last time you saw your mother: Today.

[30] what is one thing you wish you could change about your life: That I could have my own place that I own.

[31] what are you listening to right now: The Dance of Hours from Fantasia

[32] have you ever talked to a person named tom: I don’t think so.

[33] something that is getting on your nerves: Another mile long list. Loud drunk people who party until 2a.m. blaring their music next door is a good start.

[34] most visited website: Tumblr. Or Amazon to do a lot of virtual window shopping

[35] elementary: Got in trouble a lot for daydreaming and being called an underachiever.

[36] high school: Got way better and way worse at the same time.

[37] college:  I have no idea how to describe this. A rollercoaster? A non stop exhaustion iron man race? A bunch of new experiences. Severe disappointment. Leveling up art skills. Discovering new art? Sadness. Just a lot of stuff.

[38] hair color: Black.

[39] long or short hair: Long enough to put my fingers through.

[40] do you have a crush on someone: No.

[41] what do you like about yourself: My hair now that i finally grew it out to a length i always wanted.

[42] piercings: None

[43] blood type: Red

[44] nickname: Everybody calls me Alex

[45] relationship status: single.

[46] zodiac sign: keep your witchcraft.

[47] pronouns: He/him

[48] fav tv show: Pushing Daisies

[49] tattoos: Hell no.

[50] right or left hand: Right.

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

FIRST…

[51] surgery: Some stitches.

[52] piercing: None.

[53] best friend: I have no idea.

[54] sport: frisbee.

[55] vacation: Mexico

[56] pair of trainers: Something that had lights in them.

RIGHT NOW…

[57] eating: finished eating breakfast.

[58] drinking:  apple juice

[59] I’m about to: go outside

[60] listening to: the dance of hours again

[61] waiting for: My motivation to kick in.

=--------------------------------

[62] want:

[63] get married: First I have to find the lady, dude.

[64] career: Comic book artist and writer.

WHICH IS BETTER…

[65] hugs or kisses: I’ll take both but i’ll be honest, i don’t really hug anyone outside of requisite times of the year and family gatherings.

[66] lips or eyes: Eyes.

[67] shorter or taller: I’d love a lady to be shorter than me since most of the ladies around me seem to wanna date sequoia trees. But Jack Kirby’s stories of a shorter superhero being in a loving relationship with an amazon of a woman have warmed me up to the idea of a taller woman considerably. Also Greg and Rose.

[68] older or younger: Either but within reason.

[69] romantic or spontaneous: Both.

[70] nice arms or nice stomach: Both.

[71] sensitive or loud: I honestly do not know the answer to this one.

[72] hook up or relationship: I’m a relationship man. People are not paper plates you use once and toss out the next morning.

[73] troublemaker or hesitant: I’d like someone who is restrained in polite company but when it’s the two of us we’ll be two hell raisers blasting AC/DC and freaking out the norms at 2a.m.

HAVE YOU EVER…

[74] kissed a stranger:  No

[75] drank hard liquor: No

[76] lost glasses/contact lenses:  Yes. I thought someone stole my glasses but they were actually wedged inside my locker.

[77] turned someone down: No.

[78] sex on first date?: No thanks.

[79] broken someone’s heart?: No....? I mean if it was someone who liked me but never said anything and I never knew about it I guess that’s a possibility.

[80] had your own heart broken?: Let’s not get into that right now......

[81] been arrested?: I’ve been in the back of a squad car once. But that was for my own protection rather than because I was being arrested.

[82] cried when someone died?: Yes.

[83] fallen for a friend?: I don’t want to answer this......

DO YOU BELIEVE IN…

[84] yourself?: My personal creed is that nobody is going to do my work for me. Whether that be chasing dreams or doing things that are difficult for me. Meaning I have nobody but myself to blame for my success or failures.

[85] miracles?: I believe in luck and coincidence.

[86] love at first sight?: No.

[87] Santa Claus?: No. Even as a kid no matter how much I wanted to believe in it. I knew for a fact my parents got me my stuff. They didn’t lie to me. They just asked what I wanted and often bought it in front of me so the belief system wasn’t there at the beginning. I do like the idea of Santa as a mythological figure though..

[88] kiss on the first date?: I would totally be down for that but the problem is getting the first date. And i think that both parties need to be on the same page for that. 

[89] angels?: Like Q.84, there is no higher power watching out for me. The only one who’s going to get me out of a jam is me.

OTHER…

[90] current best friend’s name: I actually do not know off the top of my head. There are people in the running but I barely see them. Ask me this like 7+ years ago and this would have been easy.

[91] eye color: Dark Brown

[92] favorite movie: Raiders of the Lost Ark.

[williamsjoan]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review — World of Fight

When I think back on the original Super Smash Bros., I reflect back to when I was a kid, roughly around elementary/middle school age, and when I would play that Nintendo 64 classic endlessly. Those where the days when after getting home from school, I would spend hours in a bean bag chair in the basement, N64 controller in hand, and continue battling it out match-after-match against the Nintendo characters that I knew and loved. Whether I played as my favorite characters like Link or Ness, or spent hours mastering the art of perfectly landing a Falcon Punch or Jigglypuff’s Rest, Super Smash Bros. and its 12-character roster, at the time, felt like a Nintendo fan’s dream come true…or at the very least my own.

In the span of almost two decades, it’s incredible to look back and think of where the series started and where it compares now with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the fifth installment in Nintendo’s massive fighting game franchise that draws nearly all of its characters together, along with plenty of new challengers that have appeared. While I think back on the fact that I’m now far closer to adulthood than I am from my childhood and when I first played the N64 original, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate recaptures that same sensation that I had as a kid of seeing my favorite characters duke it out and then some.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, like its name implies, is anything and everything that a Nintendo fan could want not only from the series as a whole, but from its meticulous details and features that are drawn from across the entire Nintendo catalog of characters, places, and memories. While a few nagging features hold it back from perfection, Ultimate comes pretty darn close to being the perfect Smash Bros. game, and at the very least is a game that I can’t imagine any Switch owner going without adding to their roster of games to play with friends for years to come.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate recaptures that same sensation that I had as a kid of seeing my favorite characters duke it out and then some.”

Coming just about four years after the release of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS & Wii U, the focus of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is placed on the fact that “everyone is here,” with the game bringing together every playable character that has ever appeared in a Smash Bros. game alongside a small (but notable) collection of characters that are brand new to the series, including several long-requested fan favorites. From series’ veterans like Mario and Link, to third-party characters like Snake and Cloud, to the roster of newcomers such as the Inklings, King K. Rool, and Ridley, there’s no denying that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has a little bit of something for everyone, whether this is your first game in the series or (like me) you’ve been playing them all since the series’ humble beginnings.

As far as the core gameplay of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate goes, little has changed surrounding the basic idea that you and a group of friends (or CPUs) gather together on the battlefield and try to knock your other opponents off the stage to be the last one standing (or rack up the most KOs). However, while Ultimate doesn’t make any drastic changes to the gameplay formula that has kept players smashing for nearly two decades, the experience feels even deeper thanks to the game’s massive roster (and as a result, the many different fighting styles) that players have at their disposal.

“With a total of 70+ characters currently in the game, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a feast of different combat styles for players to experiment with.”

With a total of 70+ characters currently in the game — not counting the upcoming arrival of Piranha Plant and DLC characters like Persona 5‘s Joker — Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a feast of different combat styles for players to experiment with. While plenty of characters like Mario, Link, and Pit offer playstyles that are a bit more well-rounded and versatile, playing as each and every character to discover their strengths, weaknesses, and very particular movesets feels incredibly rewarding, especially once you land on your “mains” that you might favor over other fighters.

A large part of that sense of discovery can be drawn from the brand new fighters that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate introduces, many of whom I think are some of the most varied and enjoyable fighters to play as yet. Characters like King K. Rool and Ridley not only have been long-requested by the Smash Bros. fan community, but add some welcome variety to the class of heavyweight characters. The Inklings from Splatoon bring one of the most unique fighting styles to the table centered around the use of their paint-based weaponry, while Castlevania‘s Simon Belmont (and his Echo Fighter, Richter) utilizes a combination of powerful projectiles and deadly ranged weapons to make him formidable at a distance, at the expense of mobility and recovery.

While the new fighters in Ultimate bring plenty of variety to the roster, many of the series’ veteran characters have also gotten some mechanical tweaks and changes that almost make them feel new again and worth replaying for longtime fans of the series. Link, for example, donning his appearance from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, now has remote bombs in place of his explosives from previous titles, along with his grapple hook being removed for a more traditional grab. Ganondorf has also gotten some new abilities to distance him a bit more from Captain Falcon’s moveset, while characters that have been away from the fight for a while, such as Metal Gear Solid‘s Snake, have been welcomed back to Ultimate with a few new tweaks and changes from when we last saw them.

“The brand new fighters that Super Smash Bros. Ultimate introduces…are some of the most varied and enjoyable fighters to play as yet.”

Though the roster now encompasses an intimidating number of characters, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate hasn’t forgotten that the heart of the experience is simply about the fun of seeing these characters duke it out together in fantastical settings. As the series has ebbed and flowed from the more competitive, fast-paced experience of Melee to the slowed-down, more accessible gameplay of Brawl, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has found just the right balance of gameplay that gives the series’ most devoted fans what they want from a Smash Bros. title, while not straying away from those that simply just want to play the game with friends without the stress of competition at higher-level play.

Mechanically speaking, Ultimate definitely feels like a bump up from the last installments of the series on Wii U and 3DS in terms of technique and the range of combat options at players’ disposals. While it still doesn’t quite stack up to the momentum of a match in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Ultimate feels like a solid middle ground between that game and the recent Smash Bros. titles by reintroducing some of the more technical components of the series like directional air-dodging, perfect shielding, and more. Even aside from these mechanical changes and tweaks, presentation-wise Ultimate adds a number of small (but appreciated) new details to the gameplay mix. This includes a new (optional) window that pops up when a fighter is knocked off-stage that shows their character’s distance in relation to the stage, while an awesome new slo-mo, zoom-in effect occurs when a player lands a finishing KO on another combatant, giving a nice sense of feedback to finally besting a tough opponent.

“The creativity of each fight [in Spirits Mode] makes its slightly repetitive nature worth your while.”

Outside of the enhanced character roster and bevy of new features and options, one of the biggest additions for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is the new “Spirits Mode,” which brings players into a massive RPG-esque mode that is focused around the collection of “Spirits” representing different characters from across the Nintendo universe (and beyond). In a similar vein to the Subspace Emissary campaign from Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the centerpiece of Spirits Mode is the World of Light story campaign, where players start out as Kirby (clearly the GOAT in the Smash Bros. universe) and traverse a massive world map to take on a variety of battles, free the captive Spirits of other fighters, and even engage with several climactic boss battles.

The core experience of World of Light in a lot of ways feels like a blend of Adventure Mode and Events Mode in past Smash Bros. titles, with the idea being that players engage in battles with dozens of different characters from Nintendo franchises (and other outside gaming franchises as well), whether that’s well-known faces like Rayman, Bomberman, or Hal “Otacon” Emmerich, to far more obscure characters pulled from the deepest cuts of Nintendo’s history. Each of these characters is represented by a Spirit, which essentially takes the place of the collectible Trophies from past titles, but adds the ability for players to level them up and enhance their powers over time.

“[Spirits] takes the place of the collectible Trophies from past titles, but adds the ability for players to level them up and enhance their powers over time.”

Given that most of these characters don’t actually appear as playable fighters (or even as Assist Trophies), the Spirits that you are fighting against are instead represented in clever ways through the playable fighters, Assist Trophies, items, and stages available in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. This makes each fight in World of Light incredibly unpredictable, but a lot of fun to discover how each character is represented in-game. For example, a fight against Pokemon‘s Latios & Latias has players taking on a red and blue Charizard at once, while the Bomberman fight puts players to the test against Young Link, the Bomberman Assist Trophy, and a ton of different bomb items constantly spewing across the map. Likewise, the fight against Metal Gear Solid‘s Otacon tests your abilities against a black-suited Dr. Mario and a sleek grey R.O.B., among the dozens of other battles that World of Light will put you through against its dizzying number of Spirit Battles.

While World of Light is a lengthy endeavor that will take players upwards of 15-20 hours (or more) to complete, the creativity of each fight makes its slightly repetitive nature worth your while, especially for the sheer delight of seeing Super Smash Bros. Ultimate draw from the deepest wells of Nintendo fandom. Many of the characters referenced in World of Light are the kinds that only the hardest of hardcore fans of Nintendo’s numerous franchises would recognize, and while some of the fights can feel a little cheap or unnecessarily difficult (especially the 1v4 battles), World of Light at least offers a welcome change of pace from the core multiplayer focus of Smash Bros.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate draws from the deepest wells of Nintendo fandom.”

Outside of Spirits Mode, Classic Mode also returns to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate with a bit of a remixed formula. While the basic structure remains where players go through a series of matches against opposing fighters, this time around Classic Mode is curated a bit more to each specific character with themed matches and encounters, making it less of a slog if you’re trying to get through Classic Mode with every single character. Likewise, other mainstay modes like All-Star Smash and Cruel Smash also return with some welcome changes but are no less of a challenge than when they first made their appearance in the series.

That isn’t to say that Ultimate has run out of ideas for new gameplay modes though, as the game introduces some welcome new modes with interesting twists to the traditional Smash Bros. format. Squad Strike is among the new multiplayer modes that effectively blends Smash Bros. with a Marvel vs. Capcom-like experience, giving players the option of either 3v3 or 5v5 battles with tag-team-style gameplay. The Smashdown Mode, in particular, is one that I think Smash Bros. players should regularly put into rotation, as it gradually eliminates characters from the roster after each round, forcing players to get outside of their comfort zones and having to select new characters to challenge their opponents with.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is impressive in scope, detail, and the sheer breadth of options that it offers to players.”

Alongside the larger changes and new modes and features that have been added in Ultimate, there are also dozens of smaller quality-of-life adjustments and tweaks the game makes that will especially be appreciated by longtime series’ fans. One of the most notable is the fact that Smash Mode now offers the ability for players to create their own own custom rule presets, making it a breeze to select a game type — whether that’s timed matches, stock matches, or otherwise — and hop into battles right away without fumbling through the menus to change options.

However, I wish the same could be said for the game’s assortment of maps, with the collection now spanning over 100 in total. This time around, players have the choice of playing Normal, Battlefield, and Omega (aka “Final Destination”) versions of each map, giving some welcome variety to where you choose to fight. In my many hours with Smash Mode however, I wish choosing maps before each match had a more elegant solution to picking them (such as organizing them by type or game franchise) than either scrolling through each small map tile in the hopes of finding the specific one that I wanted to play, or just giving up and choosing to play a random map.

Though Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is impressive in scope, detail, and the sheer breadth of options that it offers to players, a few nagging issues hold the game back from being a perfect culmination of the series as a whole. Notably, that is apparent from the beginning with the fact that the game’s roster starts out with just eight fighters: the series’ original characters of Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikachu, Samus, Fox, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi. After that, players will have to go through and unlock the remaining 60+ characters through a few different methods, whether that’s through playing the World of Light campaign, Classic Mode, or playing an abundance of Smash Mode matches.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s method of character unlocks, as limiting as it may be at first, does carry with it a sense of reward and accomplishment over time.”

The new character unlock system for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one that I’m sure will be divisive among fans of the series, and one that I’ve been conflicted on myself. In the past, typically each Smash Bros. game offered a fairly sizable roster of characters to draw from and play with, while the remaining characters required more specific ways to unlock them across the various game modes. Generally speaking, this system gave players a decent enough stable of characters to start out with, while taking the time to then fill out the rest of the roster over time. This time around though, players in Ultimate will probably have to put in around 10 hours or so just to unlock the full roster, which may come as a disappointment to those looking to hop into the action with their friends right away.

However, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate‘s method of character unlocks, as limiting as it may be at first, does carry with it a sense of reward and accomplishment over time. As I started to unlock new characters, it gave me the chance to really go back and see the major and minor changes that been made to long-standing vets like Mario or Link, and to hop back into matches with characters that I never really clicked with like Snake or Palutena. So while there is a give-and-take at play in having to unlock the majority of the game’s roster, there also comes with it a chance to really branch out and get a deeper appreciation of each character’s playstyle.

“Having the ability to play Smash Bros. in any setting — and have it look as good as it does — is a marvel.”

The other major component that fans will likely find hit or miss is the online experience of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Though the online components and matchmaking have come a long way from when the series first dabbled with online modes in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the integration of Nintendo Switch Online is a slightly better (but still not ideal) solution for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Notably, input lag is still very prevalent despite the shift to a paid online service on Nintendo’s part, and with a game like Smash Bros. that demands precision and fast reflexes, succumbing to network lag and delayed inputs is a major challenge if you’re looking to get competitive against others worldwide.

At its best, the online portion of Ultimate proves inconsistent in delivering a steady connection, with some matches having little lag in the way of victory, while others made it incredibly difficult just to get through a match. It’s still an improvement, for sure, over Brawl and the Wii U/3DS games’ online offerings, but not the monumental shift that I was hoping for from both more capable hardware and a newly-invigorated online system from Nintendo. The online functionality is serviceable and gets the job done, but local multiplayer is still where Smash shines the brightest and where (I think) Ultimate players will probably find the most enjoyment from the game.

Despite these few weak points in Ultimate‘s design, the game more than makes up for that in how it looks and plays. Combining the best of both worlds from the spectacle of the console Smash Bros. titles with the convenience and accessibility of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, having the ability to play Smash Bros. in any setting — and have it look as good as it does — is a marvel, thanks to Ultimate‘s wealth of playability and control options. Whether in handheld mode or surrounded by friends on a big-screen TV, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate looks incredible and has little in the way of visual impairments to slow it down with its smooth and precise gameplay. The character roster comes alive with tons of expression and impressive details, and the maps are all full of life from the series that they are based on.

“Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is truly the complete package for Smash Bros. fans.”

Likewise, the controls and responsiveness in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate feel as tight as the series has ever felt, and with so many different control options available between the Switch Joy-Con, Pro Controller, and GameCube Controller support, players will easily be able to hop into the battle. While I had a preference for playing Ultimate with the Pro Controller on a bigger screen as opposed to using the Joy-Con, having the ability to play Smash on-the-go and throw down a match wherever you want — as I did just a week ago at a bar with friends — feels just as satisfying as playing on the big screen.

While the saying goes that “bigger” isn’t necessarily “better,” Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of those very few exceptions and is truly the complete package for Smash Bros. fans. As the culmination of a series that has been seen on nearly every Nintendo console for almost 20 years, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate successfully delivers a comprehensive Nintendo history lesson, one of the largest rosters ever built for a fighting game, a vast amount of content for players to dive into, and of course, the sheer delight of its endlessly playable multiplayer matches. Where the series goes from here is unknown, or if it will even continue given how exhaustively that Ultimate collects everything from Smash Bros.‘s past. However, there’s no denying that Super Smash Ultimate, despite its few flaws, truly earns its title.

The post Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Review — World of Fight by Ryan Meitzler appeared first on DualShockers.

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17 United Airlines Employee Replies to United's New 'Bonus Lottery'

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17 United Airlines Employee Replies to United's New 'Bonus Lottery'

United Airlines is living up to its name today–at least in that its employees seem almost universally united in their opposition to the airline’s new “lottery bonus” program.

As reported originally by Lewis Lazare of the Chicago Business Journal, and as I wrote early Saturday, United rolled out a brand new employee bonus program Friday via an email from company president Scott Kirby, revealing that the company would replace its current bonus program with a lottery system.

To put it lightly, United pilots, flight attendants, and other employees are up in arms. A number of employees reached out to me directly, and to my colleague Chris Matyszczyk, who pointed out just how badly botched the rollout was.

There are a few other new developments today, including a report that United required a flight attendant to remove a public Change.org petition against the policy. Meantime, a current United employee showed me hundreds of employee comments responding to the original “lottery bonus” announcement from Kirby.

These were posted on the internal United Airlines employee website, Flying Together. Of roughly 500 comments I was read, four were positive (and three of those were from the company’s vice president for human resources, responding to the negative comments).

The tone ranged from polite disagreement to apoplectic anger. To understand the context, it helps to know:

1. Under the old bonus program, employees could receive a maximum total of $125 per month–paid on a quarterly basis, so $1,500 per year maxium–if United met its goals on three key metrics.

2. The new program replaces that system with a lottery. If United meets its goals, all employees would have a chance to win prizes, including Mercedes automobiles and cash up to $100,000. About 1.6 percent of employees would win something.

3. The new “lottery bonus” program adds another requirement, which is that in order to be eligible for the lottery, employees would have to have perfect attendance during the time period. Employees took that to mean no sick days.

4. The program is officially called “Core4 Score Rewards,” in reference to Kirby’s initiative to build United’s reputation as “the most caring airline in a highly-competitive industry.” 

“I’m still proud to work for United. I like the company,” said the employee who provided me with access to the comments you’ll see below. “I think we’re doing a great job. The major thing isn’t so much the money. It’s the principle.”

Here’s a sampling of employee comments from Flying Together. I’m identifying the posters by their job positions only:

1. “This is insulting and a poor idea, to put it mildly.” –First Officer – B-767/B-757

2. “I would be embarrassed and mortified to win this lottery. If it was possible I wouldn’t allow my name to be released and I would give my ‘winnings’ to the Flight Attendant AFA Cause Charity. I win at the expense of tens of thousands of fellow employees? No thanks.” –Flight Attendant

3. “Awful idea. [Current] bonus program has everyone pulling in the same direction with a common goal. This is scratching a lottery ticket…” –Captain – B-737

4. “It occurred to me and my wife that this is terribly unfair to single parents. … Imagine your child coming home sick from school, no fault of your own. You are faced with calling in sick thus losing your ‘chance’ at a bonus or leaving your child/children home alone to care for themselves. What a terrible situation United has put that person in.” –First Officer – B-767/B-757

5. “I can’t imagine driving the Mercedes into the employee lot while everyone around me that worked just as hard, or harder got nothing. I would feel like such a jerk. It’s quite telling about the people who thought this up. I bet they would be gloating happily if they won.” –Flight Attendant – Domestic

6. “Respectfully…. there are many employees who depend on those bonuses and work their butts off to achieve them. Turning it to a lottery disincentivizes the hard work because most wont see a penny.” –Captain – B-737

7. “Not cool.” –Flight Attendant

8. “It felt like we had just gotten to a place where employee morale was up. It took so many years for people to feel good about what was happening. In one fell swoop, it is crushed again. … Please rethink this decision.” –Customer Service Representative

9. “If I wanted to play in a lottery, I would just go my local 7/11. I recommend United management reconsider this morale killing program.” –Captain – A-320

10. “We were finally all pulling from the same end of the rope. … Let’s fix this now and get back on track.” –Captain – B-737

11. “Sorry, divisive and wrong!!”–Flight Attendant – Domestic

12. “This is an insult to every single employee at UAL. Spin it however you want, but you’re still taking money out of our pockets and putting it into yours, Scott Kirby. Shame on you. Shame on you.” –Captain – B-737

13. “When I win the $100,000 drawing…..I am going to hire some young kid to write my 84,000 teammates each a check for $1.19 and share the reward with those who helped ME win this reward…..on YOUR hard work!” –First Officer – B-777

14. “Way to “Unite”…. Disappointing to say the least….” –First Officer – B-767/B-757

15. “Guess next time I get the flu I’ll still drag myself to work, because the company only rewards all our hard work to make this company a success if we never call in sick. I’ll say sorry now to all the other employees I infect. … This is a sad day at United.”–Flight Attendant – Domestic

16. “This sounds like a game show with cash prizes and lets see who gets the spin of the wheel. This doesn’t sound like a plan that even attempts to show value, respect and appreciation for the work of its employees.” –Flight Attendant – Domestic

17. “WOW! Looks like We are United against this ill thought out incentive program. Let’s see if We will be listened to. I would love to see 80,000 comments against this bad idea. I am also proud of all the front line employees who have spoken their minds on this issue.” –First Officer – B-777