#adventures in Rumble

[itsabouttimex2]

A Brand New Journey:

Part Six

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four) (Part Five) (Part Six)

(Got requested to make a Shadowpeach bot, thought I’d drop it here. And speaking of bot requests, drop yours here!)

“C’mon, kiddo. It’s a simple question. I’m not gonna get mad, I promise.”

You take a moment to think. There’s… a lot to say, isn’t there? Having known the monkey for just over a year now, there’s not much of yourself that’s been unshared. How many times did you bare your heart to this man?

…and would one more really hurt?

Swallowing the last bit of a white chocolate and caramel mooncake, you set down the stained napkin it was held in and throw the pastry back with a sip of tea. Deep breaths, now.

You’ve been meaning to say it for a while now, anyways.

“…you’re the closest thing to a father I’ve ever had.”

You don’t think you’ve ever seen a man’s heart crack before.

But there’s an eventual moment there, after the initial jerk of his body, after the instinctive clench of his hand, after the flinch spurred by the mooncake’s insides spilling onto his lap… that Macaque softens.

“…I am?” Is the first question, and his voice is soft, feathery and wavering. This isn’t what he expected. This isn’t what he prepared for.

What you’ve said slides far past the realm of all his schemes and carefully curated words, all his fastidious planning.

How could he have expected this?

You were supposed to respect him! Fear him!

But what you feel for him is- is a word he hasn’t said for a very long time. It’s a word he hasn’t even thought of.

Hotter than hatred. Deeper than despair.

Love.

The word leaves his chest empty, his breath spent. God, it hurts.

When was the last time he was loved? When, without hesitation he was adored? When he was Wanted?

“…kid. C’mere.”

Macaque doesn’t wait for a response- he slings an arm around your shoulders and pulls you flush, the thrum of his heart speeding up at the closeness.

You’re one of the only good things he has. He’s lost or destroyed or driven away the rest, all that was or could have been. Macaque doesn’t like to think of his sins- it’s easier to play the victim card.

If he thinks of Sun Wukong as the bad guy, it’s easier to live with what he’s done. To live with manipulating and betraying and stealing and trying to kill. If he throws all the blame onto the Monkey King, then Macaque can pretend to be a good person.

Paint himself white. Paint Wukong black. Ignore the unevenly gray reality.

And he can live with hurting innocent people and destroying their homes and stealing their powers and trying to take their lives.

(But something deep down knows and burns with the knowledge that he’s more monster than man, that he lost all right to be loved with the worst of his unrepentant actions.)

(It aches a little more that uncaring and unregretted deception is what led you to him.)

(He doesn’t deserve you. He doesn’t deserve anyone. And he knows that it’s wrong to utilize shrouds and veils to keep you in the dark, that it’s wrong to manipulate you, that it’s wrong to groom you into being his shadowy successor, into inheriting his selfish hatred.)

(But when has a villain ever cared about being wrong?)

Macaque rather quickly shoves you away , jumping to his feet with a fanged and glittering grin.

“Stay here, kid. I’m gonna grab you something I’ve been putting together, okay?”

With a curt nod you settle into place, taking the opportunity to stretch and yawn. You had been getting tired, and take this opportunity to reach for the lotus paste mooncake you had been nibbling on- only to find it gone.

Funny. You don’t remember finishing it.

And… there’s a blanket around your shoulders. Did Macaque put it there? You certainly don’t remember something like that happening.

Maybe things had just gotten so cozy that you drifted off for a minute or two, and he had left to fetch you the black and purple quilt.

That was probably it, yeah.

You shrug the weighty comforter from your shoulders, hoping to shake the supposed sleep from your eyes. In hopes of waking up a little further, you stride to the potted plants that had become a fixture in Macaque’s house.

Beneath the brilliantly blooming tansies and dahlias, red roses have begun to sprout and bud, colorful petals peeking from underneath their green sheathes.

Stuffing in a few spikes of fertilizer, you sprinkle the soil with a light dousing of water.

The thing that breaks you from the quaint task is the telltale chime of your phone, an old song playing loudly. But it doesn’t play very long- it seems your calls don’t hold for very long anymore.

———————————————————————-

Rumble and Savage don’t know much about the world yet. There’s a lot to catch up on, in this new world of neon and metal.

Little glittering rectangles that beam light through black screens and send sound miles away in an instant.

“Phones,” Macaque had called them, dangling yours by the bejeweled strap. Both items had been a gift from Mei, a girl you were well on track to becoming friends with. “Hit this button if it starts making noise. I don’t want anything taking the kid’s attention away.”

Seeing no reason to argue with their creator, both had wholeheartedly agreed to keep vigil over your electric-filled “phone” and hit the de-activating lever when it sounded.

Like this moment right now.

Together, they scrabble to unlock the phone, clawed fingers moving just out of sync as the two simians work to punch in your passcode.

Once it’s open, Savage rips the phone from his younger brother’s hands, boosting himself into your bed to put some distance between him and his junior shadow.

As Rumble tries to climb the bed himself in opposition to his brother’s lashing tail, Savage takes note of a little red dot in the bottom right corner of your screen.

An incoming call. From MK.

The elder of the two goes still for a moment, then snaps his claw against the power button harshly enough to leave a scratch through the metal nub. Angered by the mere sight of an enemy’s name, Savage slings the phone down and snags his little brother by the hair, dragging him into the shadows as Rumble squeals and struggles.

———————————————————————-

Right when you go to figure out what happened with your phone in the guest room, Mavaque rounds the corner with a bundle of neatly folded cloth.

“Running off already?” The simian lightheartedly asks, using his tail to snag your wrist. He doesn’t hesitate to drag you closer, pushing the outfit into your arms.

“Go get changed,” is the command he gives, before you can start asking questions. “Bathroom is that way, remember? Hurry it up!”

A push to the north, and you’re stumbling into the tiled room before realizing what’s happening. It seems sometimes as though your hands move of their own will and volition when Macaque gives you a command.

The garb is easy to put on, a black and yellow ru. Though you fumble the sash, the bandana comes easily around your throat. Black boots with gold brim. Red pants.

You look like a little “Mini Macaque”, or a very seasoned cosplayer.

“C’mon, kid! Hurry it up and come here!”

You stumble from the bathroom and into the living room once more, unsteady with the new gear. Macaque snags you close again and rights the sash, then flops back down onto his cushion.

He never been this excited before.

Something’s up.

“I want to tell you a little tale- come and sit with me, kiddo.”

Macaque pats the cushion nearest to his own, looking almost soft again. He’s already got the blanket in his hands, ready to unfold and drape it around your shoulders.

[mvfm-25]

" Gone but not forgotten! "

Dreamcast Magazine (UK) n34, the final issue! - June, 2002.

[retirement-home-rumble]

Retirement Home Rumble: Round 1

Side B

Why they would crush the other geezers under the cut:

WARNING: There may be spoilers

JoJo Propaganda:

Doc Brown Propaganda:

[arcadebroke]

link

[sapphanimates]

another doodle thing yippeeeee :]

[the-cactus-taco]

Been fleshing out a hypothetical shadow fan game for a couple months now (if you’ve been wondering why art is slow— all my finished pieces have been for this) anyway! Not sure if I’ll ever make this game, but here are a bunch of concepts! The original idea was just “Maria survives so it’s time for sibling shenanigans” and I just kept drawing characters in the classic art style till It turned into a “Muppet babies but with sonic” somehow

[blmpff]

In all honesty, these four are my proudestest moments of 2023

Thank you everyone for enjoying them as well 🫶

[manofmanymons]

What would happen is the adventure and 02 kids met survive Myotismon and vice versa

I feel like on the Adventure kids' end it would just be like...really funny. Cuz they'd all be freaked out like DIDN'T WE KILL YOU THREE TIMES ALREADY HOW ARE YOU HERE meanwhile Survive Myotismon is just,,,he is just standing there. Once they clear up the misunderstanding it would be cute for them to all just hang out though. HE TALKS ABOUT HIS PARTNER LIKE A MOM SHOWING OFF HER KIDS AND THE ADVENTURE KIDS ARE JUST VERY PERPLEXED BY THIS SWEET SWILLY GUY WHO LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE THE CREEP THAT TRIED TO ERADICATE THEM.

Tbh it'd be an interesting lesson in not judging a mon by its cover XD

Meanwhile Survive kids meeting the Adventure Myotismon would be...well potentially also funny. Dracmon being like "Watch out, Kaito. Myotismon is an evil and dangerous monster," and Kaito being like "I DON'T WANNA HEAR THAT FROM YOU"

Miu would absolutely be like "of course YOUR partner would share a form with a villain" (mostly jokingly) @ Kaito

Would Adventure Myotismon stay in like the normal form or would the Survive kids have to throw down with MaloMyotismon. Bc if it's the latter I think it would be comically similar to certain moral route shenanigans and they'd totally breeze through it lol

Vampire on Vampire violence

...hey Vampire Violence would be a cool band name. The merch would be like VV but with a curvy line connected them so it looks like a smile with fangs.

That had nothing to do with what you asked I just had an epiphany and felt the need to share it.

[rumwik]

Also I really love these cute little purple flowers that have sprouted up in my grass. They’re very delightful!

[toyo-nugget999]

[sonicroyalrumble]

Round 1, Wave 2, Match 5

Royal 'Corrupt' Hedgehogs (Sonic Underground) vs. Sally (AoStH)

Why should the triplets win?

Royal status: Rulers of Mobius

No propaganda submitted (preliminary winner)

Why should Sally win?

Royal status: Princess

No propaganda submitted (preliminary winner)

[itsabouttimex2]

A Brand New Journey:

Part Four

(Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four) (Part Five) (Part Six)

Your mentor’s dojo is pretty far out, but you’ve gotten used to the trek. This part of Megapolis is… gloomy, to say the least. It seems like a dark cloud falls over every building here, leaving the atmosphere sluggish and tense.

Your mentor’s dwellings especially fall into the pitch hands of darkness, tucked uncozily between crowded buildings.

With no greenery and little color, this part of the city has always left you with a slight sense of unease. Once, you had attempted to amend this in some small way, potting up freesia and yellow roses to try and add a splash of brightness around the house.

Only a few days after the flowers had bloomed, someone had come by in the night and sliced them to pieces, leaving the shredded stems and petals scattered across the concrete.

Taking pity on your efforts, your mentor had dragged those pots inside and planted something more to his liking- tansies and black dahlias.

“At least they left the pots alone,” you had said, sighing at the pointless destruction of something utterly harmless. You’d been misting the new flowers, ensuring they’d grow healthy and vibrant even when deprived of direct sunlight and fresh air.

“How do you stand living in this part of town when people pull things like this?”

“Heh. No one’s ever bothered me before, kiddo. Could just be that you look like an easy target for some of the freaks in this part of town.”

“Actually… you know what? I think we’ve gotta get something that leave you looking a little fiercer. Cause, uh… no offense, kiddo… but you look like a baby.”

“I do not,” you had quickly insisted, putting the spray bottle down to fold your arms and frown at him.

“You keep telling yourself that, kiddo. And hey, maybe one day it’ll be true, but, as it stands… you’re adorable and no one is scared of you.”

His hand comes to rest over your hair, ruffling the strands out of place.

“Look, we’ll have to fix you up something that’s more intimidating than endearing. Next time you come over, alright?”

“…next time sounds good.”

———————————————————————-

Even though the weather is still decently warm, coming all this way out leaves you fighting chills as you traverse the shadowed streets. Something about this place feels wrong.

Maybe that was; in part, what had driven you to wearing concealer. Not only to prevent the concern of kind souls like MK and Mister Pigsy, but to prevent yourself from looking weak in front of dangerous enemies or opportunistic freaks that lurked in dirty alleyways.

Picking up the pace just enough that you don’t seem to be running (another sign of weakness), you hurry to the house- you’ve always referred to it as a ‘dojo’, but the man training you has always liked calling it a ‘lair’. Given the location, it doesn’t seem like too much of a misnomer.

He’s always had a knack for the dramatic, acting at times almost like a theater major.

Another chill, like you’re being watched or followed.

Now, you start to run. Maybe it’s childish, maybe it’s outright stupid. But you’re actually scared.

Moving just fast enough that you won’t jostle the mooncake boxes, you throw one hand upon his door, hoping that he’s home.

From a nearby alleyway, two faces of pitch black, golden eyes with leering expressions. Arms and hands and ears painted red.

Oh, god.

With a shared laugh, they move forward. Their eyes do not leave yours.

Oh, god.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

You smash your fist against the sturdy barrier, uncaring if your frantic banging draws more attention. You need to be inside and away from this awful, awful neighborhood and whatever the hell is approaching.

“C’mon, c’mon! Open the door! Please!”

At the sound of even a slight pleading in your tone, the wood in front of you flies open, a powerful black-furred arm reaching to snag you.

Macaque drags you inside without hesitation, slamming and bolting the door shut.

“Kiddo, what the hell?”

You throw yourself into his arms, breaking into tears. The Mystic Monkey takes a moment to regard you, just barely able to bite back a knowing smile.

“See something scary, huh?”

He breaks up your sobs and hiccups with a few firm back thumps, using his free hand to take the pastry bags from your arms and set them aside. The simian loops both of his arms around you, hugging you tight to his chest.

“Easy, easy. C’mon, kiddo, deep breaths.”

But you can’t seem to stop the frightened crying, no matter what you do or what he says. Instead, you cling to Macaque and quake, staining his ru with tears of fear.

“I can’t, I can’t! I’m s-sorry, but I can’t! Macaque, I can’t! My- I- I can’t! In the… in the alleyway, there’s, there was- augh!”

All your frantic cries are cut with a particularly sturdy thump to your back, leaving you to sharply gasp for the breath that’s been knocked out.

At least you’ve stopped crying.

“Better, kiddo?” As he asks, your mentor sits you on the couch and wraps his tattered red scarf around your shoulders. In a better mindset, you might’ve seen it and thought of the scrap he gave you a few months back. You might’ve thought of your book.

But right now, there’s more important things to think about. Like what you want to do next.

[megaxard]

sometimes im tempted to get ffxiv mods but entirely so i can bump the game's saturation up. i dont need any fancy shaders i just need it to be, generally, more saturated

[retirement-home-rumble]

Retirement Home Rumble: Round 1

Side B

Why they would crush the other geezers under the cut:

WARNING: There may be spoilers

Merle Propaganda:

Alfred Propaganda:

[remaliciou5]

NEWGROUNDS RUMBLE Player Select

[shinigami-striker]

35 Years With Toys For Bob | Monday, 04.29.24

Since 1989, what was your favorite video game developed by Toys For Bob (who are now indie since leaving Activision and Microsoft exactly two months ago) down below?

1990

Star Control

1992

Star Control II

1994

The Horde

1996

Pandemonium! (Magical Hoppers in Japan)

1998

The Unholy War

1999

Little Witching Mischiefs (Japan only)

2000

Disney's 102 Dalmatians: Puppies to the Rescue

2003

Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure

2005

Dreamworks Madagascar (video game)

2006

Tony Hawk's Downhill Jam (Wii version)

2008

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (video game)

2011

Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure (Macintosh/Microsoft Windows/PS3/Wii/Xbox 360; Wii U version released exclusively in 2013 in Japan)

2012

Skylanders: Giants (PS3/Wii/Xbox 360)

2014

Skylanders: Trap Team (Android/iOS/Microsoft Windows/Nintendo 3DS/PS3/PS4/Wii/Wii U/Xbox 360/Xbox One)

2016

Skylanders Imaginators (PS3/PS4/Wii U/Xbox 360/Xbox One; Nintendo Switch version released in 2017)

2018

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy (Nintendo Switch)

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4 & Xbox One; released in 2019 on Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Switch)

2020

Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time (PS4 & Xbox One; released throughout 2021 and 2022 on Battle.net, Nintendo Switch, PS5, Steam (PC), and Xbox Series X | S)

2023

Crash Team Rumble (PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X | S)

Official Website: https://www.toysforbob.com (follow for more gaming news and updates)