#we only had 3 out of 4 turtles in the tournament

[art-that-fucks-you-up-tournament]

SET NINE - ROUND ONE - MATCH ONE

"David" (1501-1504 - Michelangelo) / "David" (c.1440s - Donatello)

MICHELANGELO'S DAVID: its literally insane in person like its massive and the detail is crazy. popular for a reason! (@looktoyourkingdomz)

DONATELLO'S DAVID: Everybody's heard of Michelangelo's David (boring) (overdone) (overrated) now get ready for Donatello's David (amazing) (sassy) (underrated) (stunning). He has his hand on his hip all sassy like and if you see pictures of him at certain angles he has GREAT HIPS. His hat sort of looks like one that a Victorian woman might wear at a picnic if you don't look too closely at it. I absolutely adore it unironically. (@princeoftheroses)

("David" is a marble sculpture created by Michelangelo. It is 5.2 m × 2 m (17 x 6.5 ft) and located in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, Italy.

"David" is a bronze sculpture by Donatello. It is 158 cm (62 in) tall and housed in the Museo Nazionale del Bargello.)

[rinandsketches]

Dragon warrior study

Spoilers ahead in case you don't wanna be spoiled for Kung fu panda 4.

Meet the new dragon warrior~ Zhen the fox.

And OOH boy does everyone have some sharp words for this idea. But I am here to have a look and share some of my theories on why Zhen was picked.

Quick opinion on the movie since it can't be helped. I really enjoyed it. True it didn't have much of the depth as the first two but it does have a lot of heart, the best description I heard, its this reason I enjoyed it more then the third movie.

Now that I successfully pissed some readers off we can continue. Cause I'm looking into the possibilities of why the dragon warriors have been odd selections, and why both tigress and tai lung weren't chosen to be the dragon warrior despite whether or not they were worthy of being this legendary warrior.

The main argument is in fact the next dragon warrior should be tigress and tai lung since they were cheated out of the title and that po just met Zhen for like eh, 3 days at most. But hey, I'mma tell those folks something. Po was also picked off the streets to be the dragon warrior and had to be trained by shifu in a small time. The choosing of Zhen was no different, only difference is that Po got to know Zhen before the choice.

That said, I wondered why is the dragon warrior such as difficult spot to gain? In the first movie we get info of the dragon warrior, a prophet warrior to protect the valley. Not one managed to claim the title. Not shifu, not tigress, and not tai lung. We're not sure if Oogwai was the first dragon warrior before po but it was the turtle who made the scroll and said it had the secret to becoming an unstoppable warrior.

Shifu had trained Tai lung to be the warrior but Oogwai denied him for having darkness in his heart, then chose Po despite the 5 skilled warrior. He was about to select Tigress before po landed in front but this is not the case. Oogwai felt Po's presence at the tournament, po was flying over the gate at the time when tigress was set to preform, this is why he stopped the tournament. You can see Tigress with a confused expression when he does this. Its cause she didn't even get started.

This is why I believe not even Tigress was meant to be the dragon warrior, but why? Why spend so many years waiting only to select some random panda? Why wasn't any other strong warrior selected. I believe the answer is very simple. What do we know of the dragon warrior? Tigress said this,

"It is said that the dragon warrior can spend months at a time eating nothing but the dew off of a single ginko leaf and the energy of the universe."

What? What kind of mad magic does that mean? Sure the kung fu is pretty exaggerated in the panda universe but even the most strongest warriors needed to have a little bit of food when not in mediation. Its also agreed that the dragon warrior is the strongest. And lastly, why is it called the dragon warrior to begin with?

Because the dragon warrior...was an actual dragon.

Meet the first dragon warrior

This is a character from the paws of destiny. I don't know how Canon the side projects are but in the series paws of destiny we meet Jindao the figure behind the legend. In the series its said that Jindao protected the valley of piece. In Kung fu panda there are only counted 3 dragons so far, 2 in the paws of destiny and 1 in the TV show. Two out of the three were evil. Can you guess which one was among those evil dragons? Yup, Jindao.

For whatever reason Jindao was corrupted by the hero's chi and got power hungry but it was clear that during his defeat Jindao was very powerful. The very ones who defeated him won but just barely. Despite wrong doings here we are, 1000 years later Oogway, yes he's that old, foresaw a hero taking the place of the dragon warrior and training with the hero's chi. Yet he didn't know who it would be.

With all the information laid out, let's see why Zhen and Po are the true animals to recieve the title. For Po, Oogway saw the balance of the universe in Po, his true successor. Po was perfect. Yet no one believed this and thought in order to be the dragon warrior, you needed to be a warrior. This is why Shifu trained tai lung and the 5 so harshly. Po isn't who you'd think would be perfect, borrowing information from Mat pat, he explained the dragon style of kung fu practices all 5 animal styles. (Correct me is I'm wrong) Po was a fanboy of all five so he was on his way to learning the dragon style of kung fu. Po was also very lax nature, had a free spirit and so much heart that Oogway knew Po wouldn't follow the same fate as Jindao.

Zhen, we finally get to Zhen, heh, is a grey fox. Originally a thief and an apprentice to "the chameleon~" someone you wouldn't guess would be the next dragon warrior. The animal that everyone things was picked too fast but again Po was selected in seconds compared to the 5. Their feelings of being jibbed was how audience felt. Shifu again selected more bigger, stronger and skilled warriors to be the dragon warrior. Not the furious five. They had their own stories going on. Po was unwilling to give up the title but I think those candidates would have been a terrible choice, cause the dragon warrior needs to also be humble enough to not fall to the allure of the hero chi. Sure, Zhen's a thief but is she a bad person? No, she isn't. She is a morally grey character next to a black and white one. I believe Zhen was chosen because she can have this understanding of the world. An understanding that some people aren't always who they seem to be. An open heart. This is what everyone else was missing. I'm not saying tigress didn't have heart, she does and I'm not saying tai lung didn't deserve to be the dragon warrior. But if all you needed was skill, you worked for it and you deserved it then by that same logic then Shifu should have been considered.

So why do I believe Zhen was chosen? I believe she was picked because she always had the heart, she has the potential to learn great kung fu, (notice how while she has some skill in combat she isn't probably trained, she then started being trained by the furious 5 and po. Remember the dragon style is the 5 animal styles into one), Zhen also defied someone already on the evil side. and I think po also had...a vision. If you recall Po was beginning to get visions just like Oogway when he foresaw Tai lung returning and the success Po would accomplish. Po had a vision of the chameleon's true plans of world domination. Perhaps Po also saw something similar to what Oogway saw in himself, that Zhen can accomplish great things as the dragon warrior. Someone to follow the steps of po instead of turning into another monster like Jindao.

But this is what I believe, why do you think Po was chosen? And don't write, the creators got lazy, but that count they could have gone. Oh, Monket is next dragon warrior. Movie done.

[accio-victuuri]

SDC 5 FINALE CANDIES 🍭🍬

After that fun and tiring SDC finale, it’s time to sit back and enjoy some good old cpn. As always, only for turtles and it’s okay if you don’t believe any of it. It’s not real. this is not all inclusive, i put in ones that are being talked about and a few ones that I enjoyed.

I already made a small post about Web’s apple watch and the cpn here.

Now let’s move on to the others ones.

1. Earlier in the day 10/29, It was announced that Yibo’s solo stage will be called One Love. I can’t help but link this to Guangdian’s lyric with — We are made to Love. They are both so connected to the idea of LOVE, may that be romantic or not. This is why they get along well, having the same value, having so much love to give to the people around them even to those who don’t deserve it sometimes. They are such precious boys. 🤍 Another one is it was posted that he sent egg tarts for people to taste, same with ZZ who loves to give treats to cast and crew.

2. THE UTTER SEXINESS OF 🦴 NECKLACE being displayed on his neck like that. He’s always showing off isn’t he? the relationship is stable. He also matched it with a pair of skeleton shoes. His whole outfit is also giving us flashbacks of the last event they attended together — weibo night. Little Prince in Blue.

3. Not really CPN, but just all the BXG related IDs/ profile photos sending love in the live broadcast! 🥳There are other incidents/moments related to BXGs during the show but that will require another post. Lol.

4. Same gesture of fiddling with their rings; but this us actually more sus with XZ because Web can’t sit still and has to do or touch something. Also it’s funny that the night before we were clowning about his apple watch and his ending pose for the freestyle today is him looking at his watch. Funny how these things work. How many coincidences do we need? Lol.

5. His final outfit with all the Stars in it reminds of GG’s outfit before — but the boy had to take it further and wear star pants too 😂 Yes, we know Yibo, you love stars. You are the lonely star. You are the brightest star in the night Sky for XZ.

6. Unity, Peace, Love and Having Fun! Yibo’s One Love message was so positive. I think he truly believes it tho, he’s not just someone who preaches it cause it will make him look better. Some gestures observed by fans is 5 2 0 which is kadian for I LOVE YOU. He truly loves his Kadian.

The message is also about the true Hip-Hop, it usually gets a bad rep, even street dance. Bobo said that before his parents don’t want him to take part in street dance because they see it as negative. I think this is why Yibo did this stage — and why he is so passionate about promoting it. He wants people to change their perception and appreciate it. ✌🏼

7. I don’t know what to think about this but at the start of Bobo’s stage, a red screen flashed. I mean, 99.9% it’s a glitch but clowns like us were surprised. Out of all the colors, RED? XZ’s color?

FINALLY, let’s talk about his solo stage “One Love” and what we think it could mean. 🏳️‍🌈

Again. This is speculation, that it could be related to it and we don’t know if he saw it and the slogan resonated with him.

It’s called One Love Campaign, which has been making news since it’s connected to FIFA 2022.

The initiative, created by the Netherlands, will also be supported by Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Wales aiming to "send a message against discrimination of any kind as the eyes of the world fall on the global game,"

Qatar was a hugely controversial choice for the finals when it was awarded the 2022 tournament 12 years ago, not least because same sex activity is a criminal offence there with the possibility of a prison sentence of one to three years for adults convicted of consensual gay or lesbian sex. There is no recognition of civil partnerships in the Gulf state, which does not allow people to campaign for LGBT+ rights.

Whether you CPN, BJYX or SZD, I think the thought of Bobo showing some support for the LGBT community is a positive more than a negative. Yibo always had progressive ideas despite all the setbacks and this shouldn’t even be a long shot possibility. This is why a lot of us like him, it’s because he is accepting of everyone. He has so much empathy in him despite the ice prince persona.

Also a coincidence, 10/29 is the day of Taiwan’s Pride March. Then he performs something with this title. I wouldn’t put it past him because last year’s was a clever title wordplay.

If there will be additional “important” discoveries, I will make a separate post. ✌🏼

-END.

[popculturebuffet]

Next up for Nickelodeon era of shows, who is your favorite character from each of the early 2010s Nicktoons shows (where quality got continues to be hit and miss in this batch) you've seen like: Winx Club (Nickelodeon seasons), Kung Fu Panda Legends of Awesomeness, The Legend of Korra, Robot and Monster, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012, Sanjay & Craig, Monsters vs Aliens 2013, and Breadwinners?

Winx Club: only one here I haven't seen but one I intend to for a project i'm working on combinng a lot of 2000's shows (and some 2010's shows) into one cohesive universe. A friend of mine really likes it.. or at least the pre nick seasons. From what I hear these seasons aren't the best but I really can't say either way.. though I can at least objectively say the concept of the first villian, a merman whose literally powered by toxic waste, is dumb. The idea of the guy himself, an arrogant prince who tried to kill his brother and is a fish man, isn't but why this. I'd worry about stepping on fans toes but the conseus from tv tropes seems to be "this guy bad".

Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomness: Don't really have a faviorite character here, but I thought it was okay. nothing amazing, it at least gave the five more spotlight than the films after 2, but it suffers from what i'm just calling now interquel syndrome: where your making a product specifically to slide in between bits of canon that aren't finished yet, so you can't really have the characters or evolve or change that radically. I have more hope for Tales of the TMNT despite possibly suffering from this simply because the creative team of the films seems involved so there's more synergy while with Kung Fu Panda they basically couldn't really have po or anyone change, which is fine for a status quo comedy show ala the simpsons, but dosen't work for an action show with a first film that's entirely about character development and progress. It's hard to have a show about kung fu mastery where the main character can't progress too much because it might contradict the next movie.

The Legend of Korra: Ladies and gents (And nb's) this is the moment i've been waiting for. Character choice.. Bolin. Not even close. Plenty of great characters here from Asami, who didn't get enough to do, to Varrick, stan pines long lost son, but my baby boy is just the best and is one of the few characters to get a consitently good arc in most of the seasons. While his season 1 had him stuck in the love triangle and his season 2 started with a HA HA ISN'T IT FUNNY BECAUSE IT'S A WOMAN ABUSING A MAN. THAT DON'T HAPPEN bit that made me die a bit inside, his move into the movers was a neat arc. even his stupid bit of sexual harassment was at least a character flaw and not LOOK I MADE A FUNNY BY HAVING THIS GIRL ABUSE A BOY. His arcs ins eason 3, finally finding a functional relationship and a special thing and 4, eventually finding out yes indeed we are the baddies, were great. The show itself is great and I feel gets entirely too much hate. Is it perfect?

Season 1 is a bit messy, trying to cram several seasons of romance drama into 10 episodes and having some bits that don't quite work like Korra's makes it easy getting the rest of her bending back and the half assed tournament arc (Pro bending does slap though) and some bits I get why they don't work for people like the return of blood bending. But I still think it has tons of great character, plotting and the series second best villian in amon.

I'm not one to take the side door so i'll just come up front and knock: season 2 is a shit show. The origins episode is pretty good. Varrick is amazing. But Korra is extra impulsive, Mako is a piece of shit who couldn't make a decision if he had a gun to his head, and Asami is just there despite having a decent arc and personality in season 1. Add in the worst villian franchise wise and the whole ISN'T IT WACKY A MAN BEING ABUSED plot and yeah, season 2 blows

But while as should be clear i'm not in the "the show gets good by season 3" camp, seaosn 1 is still solid just rushed, season 3 is easily the series best with the return of the air benders being a truly wonderful curveball, Bolin finally getting thrown a bone by the universe, finding out more about Toph's family and more screentime for Bumi, whose awesome. It also has some of the franchises best villians with the series getting it's own magneto, a clever soft spoken man who simply wants to make a better world... but will choke whoever he has to to get it.

Season 4 isn't nearly as strong, Kuivera just had an impossible act to follow, but still works as Korra has one hell of a character arc, finding herself after several years of avoiding her problems, having to reconcile with the love of her life and bolin having to reconclie with generally hurting everyone around him. Even Mako, while still cardboard gets a decent arc with the prince. Kuivera isn't amazing, but she does bring out the best in everyone to make a solid finale. She also has a giant fighting robot so there. We also get Toph back whose essentially become yoda and it fits her like a glove. Her terse answers to Korra's enthuastic questions are great as is every moment of her. She's the only one of the gaang to really get to play a full on involved roll (Katara gets an apperance once a book and Zuko shows up once ) and it's glorious. Overall the series is great. I didn't go into this much detail for nothing. That and having to prepare for this since avatar a few entries ago had me primed and ready. I feel the show has a great cast of characters that more than makes up for it's shortcomings and is worth a watch if you loved the original.

Robot and Monster: Robot if only because he's voiced by Curtis Armstrong of Dan Vs fame. I like the designs here, but what I saw of the show is mostly pretty standard nick premise, something that was going around in those days as I ranted about last time. it's not nearly as bad as some of the others, but it dosen't really have anything extra either. it's resoundingly meh.

TMNT 2012: Leo. It was Donnie when I started watching but then he got all stalkery but this leo is intresting: they keep him being the responsible one and leader man, but helped flesh him out. While I love some versions that are the stock bit responsible load bearing brother (03 and IDW), this one has a goofy charm: he watches old sci fi cartoons, takes the job a tad seriously and isn't afraid to joke. Out of the four boys in this series he's the one who feels the most diffrent in a good way and I like that he has to learn to be leader and slowly grow into the roll, but was also the right one for it with splitners little test.

Another one that like Korra I watched and felt like a sign Nick was turning the corner. I twasn't entirely but it was a bright spot at the time and part of a truly great age of animation. The series STARTED strong, season 1 is a banger but the creative team change hurt it a bit. Season 2 did bounce back in my eyes.. but season 3 caused me to fall all the way off, partly because back then I switched from cable.. and partly because their version of northampton was drug out to hell. And I say that with the original comics having the turtles away from new york for a year. I think the impulse was SIMILAR to that, have some wacky tension reducing side adventures.. but the problem is while there the problem was simply "a violence gang threw us out and took away our homes", bad but something they have time to think over, the problem here was "The kranng have taken new york".. and we're spending time with a sasquatch wanting to make out with donie, dream beavers and drag racing. I'll also always be bitter about the irma!kraang thing, as it felt like a waste of a character who tmnt media loves to ignore for some reason despite april amost never having any friends. Give april friends. They also ruined donnie and April

That said while I feel off I can't hate this incarnation: it was essentially a reboot of the 80's cartoon, bringing in a few elements from other sources, but mostly trying to make a serialized more serious show, but still with that goofy energy. And it worked for the most part when it was good and the later seasons seem to have picked things back up after the mess that was season 3 and it has some all time great new characters like bradford and xever, with the latter STILL not having been ported to any other continuity. A solid show that took a bad dive but seemed to end strongly.. then had to do another season but hey.

Sanjay and Craig: THEY MADE IT UP BONG. I'd have to say Megan. Shame they never did anything with her and Sanjay but she was a great side character. The show itself is decent. At itmes it wasn't my forte due to all the gross out, but I still think it was pretty good. I liked having a wing joint as a hangout (I love me some wings) it has a great voice cast, and was pretty fun. Not an all timer but a pretty good show.

Monsters Vs Aliens:

This show sucks. It's clear unlike Penguins and Legends of Awesomeness they weren't given even a modest budget, just a paper clip and a piece of string and it shows and they go with the weird premise of having aliens live with them as wacky neighbors instead of the obvious one of.. just have the monsters fight aliens and other weirdness each episode. You can still make that comedy, easily. Having seen the movie which is decent enough, it's not that hard but they somehow took a pretty damn good premise and made it just boring sitcom stuff. Easily one of my least faviorite nicktoons of all time.. probably not worse than planet sheen, but still not good at all.

Breadwinners:

This one like fanboy and chum chum was seen as the antichrist ast the time. And like fanboy and chum chum.. it's just mid. it's just trying to be the bog standard nicktoon. Unlike fanboy it';s world, while still wacky nonsense is at least a touch more consitant.. but it's your standard two dudes hang out cartoon. While this genre wasn't new (See Sniz and Fondue over on KaBlam or Angry Beavers , both on this very network), regular show did cause more to get greenlit. I don't think this nor sanjay and craig as they were accused are outright trying to rip off regular show. Both of these have more of a ren and stimpy vibe.. but unlike sanjay and craig which has it's own weird perspective this ones weird perspective just isn't entertaning or fun. I think I could dig it if it were actuallyf unny or batshit enough but it's neither. IT's just.. boring.

[trustchase]

Warp tour jacksonville

#Warp tour jacksonville full#

#Warp tour jacksonville Pc#

“We all have our own artists that have a big influence on how we play,” Smith told the Spinnaker. The High Ground has pop-punk and metal influences like State Champs, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Silverstein. The High Ground // Photo courtesy of Honor Photography Smith is a freshman Music Technology major here at UNF. Dillon Smith joined as the drummer in early 2018, following the release of their first EP. Parker is on lead vocals, Jack is on lead guitar and Matthew is on bass. “We both always had the same love for music, especially rock.” “Me and Andrew have been friends since as long as I can remember,” bassist Matthew said. The High Ground was formed last summer when brothers Jack and Matthew Brown started playing with their friend Andrew Parker on vocals. While most music fans their age are hoping to make it to the barricade at Vans Warped Tour, The High Ground is playing it in two weeks. This is the reality for one UNF student who plays in an Orlando-based pop-punk band, The High Ground. Another, you’re performing on the same tour that big names like Sum 41 and blink-182 have headlined.

#Warp tour jacksonville Pc#

Check out the trailer for the 13 TMNT titles and their Japanese versions, coming to PC via Steam, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch on August 30, 2022.The collection includes: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Arcade), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time (Arcade), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (NES), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Super Nintendo), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Super Nintendo), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (Sega Genesis), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (Sega Genesis), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of The Foot Clan (Game Boy), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Back From The Sewers (Game Boy), and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: Radical Rescue (Game Boy).One day, you’re jamming with your friends. Join Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection.

#Warp tour jacksonville full#

After the limited presale tickets sell out or when tickets officially go on sale in a market, the presale ticket offer will expire and tickets will return to their regular price of approximately $25.00, plus applicable Ticketmaster charges.Ĭlick here for the full list of confirmed bands. Louis, MO UMB Bank Pavilion 26 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center 27 Pittsburgh, PA Post Gazette Pavilion 28 Indianapolis, IN Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot 29 Detroit, MI Co-America Park and Street 30 Chicago, IL Tweeter Center August 1 Buffalo, NY Darien Lakes Fields 2 Fitchburg, MA Fitchburg Airport 3 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront 4 Scranton, PA Montage Mountain 5 New York, NY Nassau Coliseum 6 Old Bridge, NJ Englishtown Raceway 8 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot 9 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot 10 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion Lot 11 Cleveland, OH Tower City 12 Toronto, ONT Park Place 13 Montreal, QUE Park Jean Drapeau Tickets will first be available via the tour's Internet presale beginning March 15 at 3:00 PM Pacific/6:00 PM Eastern via For only $19.99 plus 25 cents for the Hollywood Heart charity and a convenience charge, fans will receive a concert ticket as well as one copy of the Vans Warped Tour double compilation CD. Vans Warped Tour 2006 Confirmed Dates June 15 Columbia, MD Merriweather 16 Columbus, OH Germain Amphitheatre 17 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheatre 18 Minneapolis, MN Metrodome 19 Kansas City, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Lot 21 Nashville, TN Starwood Amphitheatre 22 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Fairgrounds 23 Tampa, FL Vinoy Park 24 Miami, FL Bayfront Park Amphitheatre 25 Orlando, FL Tinker Field 26 Charleston, SC Exchange Park 27 Raleigh, NC Alltell Pavilion 28 Atlanta, GA Hi Fi Amphitheatre Lot 30 Houston, TX Reliant Center July 1 Dallas, TX Smirnoff Music Center Lot 2 San Antonio, TX Amphitheatre Lot 3 Las Cruces, NM N.M.S.U Practice Field 5 Phoenix, AZ Peoria Sports Park 6 San Diego, CA Coors Amphitheatre 7 Pomona, CA Fairplex Park 8 San Francisco, CA Pier 30/32 9 Fresno, CA Save Mart Arena 11 Ventura, CA Seaside Park 12 Los Angeles, CA Dodger Stadium Lot 13 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre Lot 14 Boise, ID Treasure Valley Speedway 15 Seattle, WA Gorge Amphitheatre 16 Portland, OR Columbia Meadows 18 Vancouver, BC Thunderbird Stadium 20 Calgary, ALB Race City Speedway 22 Salt Lake City, UT Utah State Fairgrounds 23 Denver, CO Invesco Field 25 St.

[voiceswithoutlips]

Calico - Chapter One

— pairing: Hybrid ot7 x Human Reader (Female) — genre: hybrid AU , fluff, angst, slow burn (like real slow), eventual smut — word count: 1.8K — Rating: M — warnings: trauma, mention of past abuse. 

Click for Tag List

— chapter summary: 

Y/N runs a animal shelter, Calico was built on a simple principle, to help those who were in need. What will Y/N do when her sanctuary is threatened by an unexpected hybrid?

— A/N: This is going to be a series, I’m just getting back to writing, so I’d really appreciate your input and feedback <3

Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 3.5 Ch. 4 Ch. 5 Ch. 6

“So do you like your new puppy?” I asked the little girl that was trying to hold a squirming golden retriever pup. She frantically nodded her head. How cute!

“Congratulations on the new addition to your family! We’ll send someone for an inspection soon but I don't see how there can be any problems,” I reassured the parents. They were proudly beaming at their daughter, I doubt they even heard what you said. 

“I’m going to name him Bubbles!” Sana squeaked excitedly as the family left with their new pet. I suppressed a giggle, I was a sucker for cuteness. 

Seeing one of our animals get adopted was the best feeling in the world. Running a shelter was not the easiest thing in the world, grumpy animals, grumpy humans and an abundance of body fluids to clean up but it was rewarding. Calico was a no-kill shelter, a privately owned animal shelter. The upside was that we didn’t have to rely on the government for funding, the downside was the paperwork. Every animal that came to the shelter had to be meticulously checked and catalogued. 

The legalities were another headache. Most animals that came to Calico were rescues. We worked with several animal rights organizations that collected evidence and built cases against the owners. Sometimes we got rescues that weren’t exactly legal so we had to get the evidence and build the case ourselves. That’s why Calico had Song Hwa, a badass lawyer. She was just five feet tall but she could stare down men twice her size. 

“One down, two to go,” Jason said as he plopped down on the couch in your office. He was the head veterinarian at Calico, overseeing the health of the animals. He was also my best friend. 

“We have three potential families visiting tomorrow. How’s Hector doing?” I asked as I stretched in your chair. 

“He’s good but I’m still against the name Hector. He looks more like a Raphael,” Jason said with a frown. Last week one of our animal handlers Shownu found a box near the shelter’s gate. There was a small turtle in it, the poor thing was injured. Jason had to amputate his left hind leg because it was infected. 

“I’m not naming him after a mutant turtle. He’s a one legged turtle from the sea, he’s a pirate and nothing you say will change my mind,” I had named him after Hector Barbosa from Pirates of the Carribean movies after I won the rock paper scissors tournament against Jason. 

“Dorks,” Hana scoffed from the corner. She was the one who dealt with the potential families, showing them around the shelter, doing background checks and whatnot. I was the one who sealed the deal and dealt with the paperwork. I was terrible at social niceties, somehow I always ended up saying the wrong thing and had the worst timing in the history of humanity. 

Before Jason and I could retaliate Moonji burst through the door. “He’s back, Yonu is here,” he was breathless. He must’ve ran here all the way from the gates. Moonji was the other animal handler, he was a retired botanist with a wife and two daughters. 

We all collectively sighed. Yonu was a proud member of Animal Liberation Front, an extremist group or as the government would like to call them “animal rights terrorists”. Once in a blue moon Yonu would drop by without a warning to drop off rescued lab animals, he had a thing against scientists. The problem was that they were illegally acquired so we had to lie on the paperwork. Every time Yonu visited Calico, it was a stress fest for everyone, well everyone except Yonu. 

I reluctantly made my way to the exam room. Yonu was standing there bickering with Song Hwa with a box of rabbits. 

“We are NOT taking in the rabbits unless you tell us where you got them!” Song Hwa put her foot down. 

“It's classified,” Yonu said with a grin. 

“Then take them back,” Song Hwa was staring daggers at him.

“Yonu, you know we need to clear the legal side of things,” I shook my head, he knew how things worked. Usually he would brag about his conquest, giving us in depth details about his adventures. Sometimes he brought back research and documents for evidence.Something didn’t sit right with me. Where did he get the rabbits? Why wouldn’t he tell us?

“Sorry sugar, can’t share the details this time,” I sighed at his nickname. One day Yonu discovered that I didn’t like sugar in my coffee and he decided to start calling me Sugar. He was one annoying bastard. 

Jason was already weighing the rabbits and taking their temperature. No matter what methods Yonu used to ‘rescue’ the animals, we always took them in. Song Hwa always said I was too soft, she didn’t know how wrong she was.

There were seven rabbits in total. All white with long ears and pink noses. They were unusually small. “Yonu did you kidnap kittens?” I frowned as I leaned in to take a closer look. 

“No they are all adult males,” Jason interjected. He was checking them one by one, taking their blood to run tests, checking their limbs for any injuries, it was a routine procedure. 

“Aren’t they too small?” they were.

“Maybe they are like those toy poodles… toy bunnies?” Song Hwa suggested. It could be or maybe their growth was stunted. Either way, I didn’t like it, something was off about this, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. 

Jason was running blood panels in the lab as I took over the paperwork. The rabbits were safely left in a hatch outside in the garden. Yonu had miraculously disappeared as soon as we turned our backs and I was starting to get a headache. 

The rabbits barely showed any movement when they were being examined. They were practically limp in Jason’s hands. They had clearly been abused. I didn’t like the blank look in their eyes. Most of the time if the animal was scared it’d get defensive and lash out, it was a good sign, it meant that it still had its faculties. These rabbits didn’t make a squeak as they were moved to a new place, it was worrying. I just hoped they weren’t too far gone. 

“We have a problem,” Jason said as soon as I entered the lab. He was sitting in front of the computer, double checking the results. 

“This day just keeps getting better,” I murmured as I leaned in to see what he was looking at. Not that I could make any sense of it. 

“One of the rabbits is a hybrid,” did I hear that right?

“Come again?” did he just say what I thought he said?

“We have a hybrid in our hatch,” my heart sank.

The presence of a hybrid posed a threat to Calico. Not because he was dangerous, but because he was stolen. The laws regarding hybrids were still primitive in most countries. They were basically slaves to the system, regarded as sub-human. Hybrids were considered as property, something to be owned. Rare animal hybrids were highly sought after by the wealthy to show off their status. So technically the rabbit hybrid in our hatch belonged to someone, we had no right to keep him here. If his owner found out, they would sue us. If the government found that we were keeping a stolen hybrid they’d shut us down. 

“Let’s just send him to a hybrid shelter,” Shownu huffed. The staff was gathered in your office for an emergency meeting.

“Most of those shelters have terrible conditions. Why not just keep him here, we have license to house hybrids, it's not that big of a deal,” Jason said. 

“Might I remind you that he is stolen. We can’t keep him here, we have a shelter inspection next week,” Song Hwa frowned. 

Few months ago we had decided to expand Calico to accommodate hybrids too, we had enough room to do so. We had constructed a hybrid “enclosure” as per the government guidelines. They had sent us the requirements. … they wanted us to put people in cages. We all collectively agreed that no hybrid will ever be housed in that place. No matter what anyone said, they were still human. 

“We can’t just abandon him, who knows what those lab people did to him,” Hana retaliated and an argument broke out. I knew they loved this place, they all wanted what’s good for the shelter. This wasn’t this first time we had to lie but having a hybrid was different. None of us had ever dealt with a hybrid before, even if we decided to keep him, what then? But I knew I couldn’t hand him over. Calico was built on a simple principle, to help those who were in need. And that rabbit hybrid needed our help. 

“Enough. We took in the animals that Yonu had brought before because they needed help. We’ve lied on the documents and it’s no different this time. That hybrid needs our help, we just need to come up with a plan,” I passed the verdict. Not everyone liked it but I knew they’d never let me down. 

After the stressful day all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with Jason and watch TV. Our house was on the edge of the property, secluded in the forest. It was a country cottage with a private garden. YouI stopped by the rabbit hatch on my way back. The poor bunnies were all squished together in a corner, scared of the new environment and the open space outside. 

I couldn’t tell which one was the hybrid as I leaned in to take a look. Looking for him was no use. Maybe talking would work. I sat down beside the hatch with a sigh.

“I know you’re there,” I said quietly. “It must’ve been scary huh? Being taken from the lab. Yonu, the man who brought you here, he’s a good person. He only wanted to help. His methods aren’t always ….well savory but his heart was in the right place. Do you know what this place is? It's called Calico, it's a shelter for animals. We take care of animals who need help and find them a new home. 

“This is my sanctuary. Nobody will hurt you here. You don’t have to be scared. You are safe here, I’m going to keep you safe, okay?” One of the rabbits was looking at me, he quickly ducked his head as he caught my gaze. I smiled, he was listening. 

“You must be hungry huh? Rabbits only get veggies and greens, don’t you want to eat pizza, and ice cream, and pancakes, maybe some sashimi…” I rambled on about food, about Calico and the staff, inside the hatch a bunny was listening intently to my stories. 

Next

[thebookwormfairy]

Daminette/Maribat Fairy Tail Au Part 2

Part 1

As the months turned into years Marinette's bond grew stronger with her spirits and her guild mates

Durning this time she gained 2 more golden gate keys, Pollen spirit of subjection, and Kaalki spirit of teleportation

Kaalki was one of Damian's favorite spirit because most of the time she eliminated the need for long travel on vehicles that make him sick

Marinette was able to use star dress with Tixx and Pollen now, but Kaalki refused to do it so far, which Marinette respected

Damian, Marinette, and Jon's team became one of the top teams in the guild

Though they didn't have an official name a lot of the other guild members called them team Hatchling much to their chagrin

Marinette also noticed that Damian was very protective of her

He still let her fight and go on missions with other people, but he was also quick to shield her or step in front of her when facing off against dark wizards

Marinette acted like she was annoyed with it sometimes, but really she was flattered and couldn't help but feel a little flustere at his actions

Jon sometimes joked that he felt like a third wheel, but never made him feel left out or unwanted

They were a tight knit team so much so that when Marinette, the youngest of the group, turned 18 they decided to pool their money and buy a house together

They ended up buying a nice 2 story house close to the guild

It had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms

It was decided early on after Damian almost burned down the kitchen that cooking would be left to Marinette and Jon and Damian would do any repair work that was needed around the house

About a month after moving in together Marinette started to wake up with Damian in her bed

Not like that you weirdos

Marinette would go to sleep alone in her bed and wake up snuggling with Damian

Not that she minded, but she did wish that he would at least ask before he snuck in

Damian claimed no knowledge in how he got in her bed

He says that he would fall asleep in his own bed and wake up in hers

When he told his brothers they all got the same smug look

Dick: oh you're growing up so fast hatchling

Jason: I guess we should be expecting wedding bells in the future now, huh?

Tim: Should have known, you wouldn't bring just anybody back to the guild with you

Damian: What are you morons babbling about? And I brought Marinette back because she's a powerful wizard

Dick: We're talking about how you are showing all the signs of a dragon slayer whi has found his mate

Damian: WHAT?!?!

Jason: That's right Demon Spawn, it looks like you found your mate

Tim: Dick acted the exact same way when he first met Kori

Damian continued to deny it until one day he found Marinette trying on her new white sundress that flowed around her like water

Something just clicked in his brain

Marinette was his mate no doubt about it

Now he only had to tell Marinette that

And he had every intention to tell Marinette there was just never a good time

As time past the Grand Magic Games approached

This is the first year that Damian, Jon, and Marinette were competing along with Dick, Jason, and Tim

This was also the first year that Marinette's old guild was competing

Their team consisted of Adrien, Alya, Nino, Lila, Natalie, and Ms. Bustier

Unknown to the Justice League guild Grabriel had a nefarious plot cooking up

Gabriel had ordered Lila and Natalie to try and get Marinette's keys no matter what

Marinette was the only person who stood in his way of attaining the final 6 golden keys

Once he gets those keys his wish can be granted and nobody will be able to stand in his way ever again

This wasn't the first time he tried to get the keys from the blasted girl

He sent wizard after wizard to get those keys and all were defeated and either sent back or sent off to jail

He even tried to send a dark guild after the girl and that led to her joining freaking Justice League!

He hoped that with all of the choas from the Grand Magic Games that getting the keys would be easy

Oh boy was he wrong

Marinette was nervous

This would be the first time Marinette would see her old guild in about 3 years

She hoped for the best, but new she wouldn't get it

And she was proven right as her, Damian, and Jon were making her away back to their hotel after exploring the city when they were stop by her old team

Alya: Oh if it isn't the weak little wizard that abandoned us

Marinette sighing: Hey guys how is it going

Lila: Great our team's status has gone way up since you left. We should have kicked you off the team way before

Marinette: You didn't kick me out I left on my own after you abandoned me with no way to protect myself from a dangerous wizard

Nino: Dont be so dramatic dudette. It's not like you got seriously hurt or anything.

Lila: In all honesty the only downside was losing that quick clean up your spirit did. You should have really left her and the rest of your keys with us.

Lila held out her hand like she actually expected Marinette to hand over her keys to her

Marinette stepped back covering her keys with her hands

Damian stepped in front of Marinette and Jon stepped closer to her side

Damian: You know compulsive rings are illegal. Luckily for us we were trained on how to spot those and other illegal rings right away, because their weakness is awareness

Lila growled under her breath

Why couldn't Marinette make this easy for her. It's not like she even deserve those keys

Adrien glaring: And who are you?

Jon: I'm Jon her guildmate

Damian: I'm Damian her...Guildmate!

Damian wanted to say mate, but he still hadn't had that talk with her yet about it and this was definitely not how he wanted her to find out

Alya snorting: Anothe rguild actually took you in? Who did you trick to pull that off

Marinette: I didn't trick anybody! I earned my spot in Justice League!

Marinette showed off her guild mark to her ex-friends

All their jaws dropped

Damian: That's right so unless you want to make some very powerful enemies you'll leave us alone

Damian wrapped his arm around Marinette's shoulder and lead her away from her ex-guild mates with Jon on her other side running her arm in comfort

The games started the next day full of different competitions and different match ups

Marinette hadn't had to go one on one against her ex guild yet until she was put up against Lila in a match up

The two girls stood across from eachother glaring

Lila in the taunting voice how about we make this more interesting Dupen-Cheng. If I win I get your celestial keys if you win I will admit every lie I've ever told

Marinette glaring even harder: NO WAY LILA! No decent celestial wizard would trade their keys away on a bet. My spirits are my friends. No, they're more than that they're my family, I would rather die then let you touch even 1 of them!

Lila with and evil glint in her eye: So be it. If you win it's not like it would actually count. You'll just hide behind you spirits the whole time

Marinette glared at the girl wanting to prove her wrong

The battle that followed was brutal

Marinette didn't call her celestial spirits right away she used her star dress to fight Lila

She would switch between her star dresses impressing the crowd

She switch from ladybug, to black cat, to turtle, which was a soldier looking outfit, to Bee, which was black overall shorts with a yellow off the shoulder crop top striped tights and yellow converses with her hair in a bun.

Marinette finished Lila using her fox star dress creating a illusion of herself to lure Lila out and knocked her out with a blow to the back of her head

Marinette won

She felt a weight ahe didn't realize was there lift off her shoulders

She just proved that everything Lila had ever said about her and other celestial wizards wrong

She felt her teammates engulf her in a hug yelling congratulations before lifting her up and carrying her out of the stadium cheering

The rest of the games were just as exhilarating the final match up that will decide if Justice League or Miraculous Moth would win the whole tournament was between Damian and Adrien

Damian remember all the times Marinette cried over how her old team treated her and he wanted revengs

Nobody treated his mate like that and got away from it

The battle was brutal if one boy gained the upper hand the other would take it back quickly

But Damian won the match up and the tournament with a well time shadow dragon roar

Justice League piled into the stadium surrounding Damian as they cheered over their victory as Adrien was being carried out by medics

Marinette squeezed her way through the crowd reaching Damian

Marinette: Congregations Damian you did great

Damian: Thanks Ang-

Marinette cut him off with a kiss on the lips

Damian froze for a moment before wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her back enjoying every second of it

The two vaguely registered that the cheering seemed to get louder but ignored it

The guild continued the celebrate throughout the night

Most of the guild was so hungover the next day that they had to put off leaving till another day

A decision they would soon regret as they were attacked the next day by Miraculous Moth

Apparently Grabriel was tired if waiting and decided to attack Justice League whe. He thought they would be at their weakness

Miraculous Moth wasn't as powerful as as Justice League, but they had more members

It was 4 to 1

But Justice League refused to give down without a fight

The battle that followed destroyed half of the town they were in

Luckily Barry, Wally, and Kaalki were able to work together using speed and teleportation magic to get the civilians out of the town

During the climax of the battle Marinette finally learned what type of magic her former guild master possessed

He was a celestial wizard just like her

He also had 6 golden gate keys

During the fight Marinette called put Tikki and Plagg while having Wayzz star dress while Gabriel called his own spirits

Gabriel: Give up you stupid girl! You're no match for me!

Marinette hiding behind her shield: Why are you doing this?

Grabiel: To bring back my wife and to gain power over the celestial king

Marinette: You're planning on using the 12 golden gate keys to form a key for the celestial king!?! That will destroy the other spirits! IT WILL KILL THEM!!! I CAN'T LET YOU DO THIS!

Gabriel: And what are you going to do about it?

Marinette darted her eyes around trying to think of a solution when her eyes landed on Damian and she remember a spell her grandfather taught her. One that only the most powerful celestial wizards could cast, and one that must only be used in emergencies.

Marinette closed Tikki's and Plagg's gates before yelling to Damian

Marinette: DAMIAN CATCH!

Marinette threw her keys to Damian who gave her a confused looked but trusted Marinette and her apparent plan

Marinette charged towards Gabriel not dropping her star dress until the very last minutes

Marinette grabbed his keys not letting go as Gabriel tried to claw them out of his hands: Scattered these keys to the four winds. Use the stars as their guide to lead them to partners. Let them shoot across the sky like falling stars and hope that they land within good hands!

As Marinette finished her spell Gabriel's key ring exploded sending his keys across the continent.

The shock wave from the explosion pushed Marinette and Gabriel back

The shock was just what Justice League needed to end the battle and win

Gabriel: NNNOOOOO!!! What have you've done?

Marinette: I've scattered your keys and I won't let you hurt any of them ever again.

With the battle over and Miraculous Moth in custody life was able to settle down

Damian was finally able to talk to Marinette about them being mates

They started dating and 2 years in after a sorcerers' weekly article (a/n: going to do a seperate ova post telling that story) Damian marked her as his mate showing everybody they were together forever

Team Hatchlings adventures continued on for many years

Through marriage, kids, and old age the team of three remained the best of friends, Damian and Marinette welcoming Jon's wife into their team with open arms

No matter what the friends stuck together and fought for what was not only for themselves and their friends but for the future.

@loysydark

@mikantsume

@doli09

@krissykat0207

@czgamz

@myazael

@renscorpio

@mochinek0

@daminett4life

@kuroko26

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[davids-cartoon-corkboard]

Y'all remember how I was like "Big Mama gave Shadow Fiend most of the Dark Armor so they get a massive powerup but aren't in danger of being possessed"? She would certainly make use of the remaining pieces somehow! I think she's kidnapping people who would be a good fit for just one or two pieces. Since the turtles will obviously wind up fighting in the Fantabulous Battle Nexus Wizbang, I'm trying to think of what kind of matchups the show will focus on.

1. Meat Sweats vs. Mikey. They’re pseudonemeses already and both have a flair for the dramatic. The appeal of their fight is the Performance. Mikey’s main advantage against a larger opponent is that his kusari-fundo gives him a longer reach. While he definitely won’t have access to his normal weapon in the Nexus ring, he can probably choose a mundane chain weapon from Big Mama’s arsenal. But to even the score, Big Mama gives Meat Sweats the Dark Armor's gauntlets. Shapeshifted to look like his regular gauntlets, Mikey is none the wiser...

...until Meat Sweats blasts him with a familiar ranged lightning attack! Though Mikey will no doubt find a way to win anyway; a Protagonist isn’t going to lose against a B-List villain.

2. Big Mama gives her next fighter the Shredder's faceplate, which takes the shape of a hockey mask. Surprise, it's Casey (Foot Recruit)! Even though she's no longer part of the Foot Clan, I think she would be overjoyed to receive such an iconic piece of the armor. Her opponent is Raph. Or, more specifically, Savage Raph. Casey hasn’t had the chance to go properly apeshit yet, and she needs to throw down with someone who can match that. The appeal of their fight is the Bloodshed. But we need a way for Casey to circle back around in a future episode, so the match can’t be decided simply because one is a better fighter than the other. Back in "End Game", Casey wasn't there to hear that the Dark Armor had a flaw. She doesn't know the faceplate still has a tiny piece missing. So she puts it on expecting some bomb-ass powerup, only to get nothing! This overconfidence is, of course, her downfall. Perhaps Casey loses because of something silly, like Savage Raph just picking her up and yeeting her out of bounds. Her self-esteem is already a wobbly Jenga tower, so I imagine hundreds of yokai laughing at her is enough to send that crashing down. Casey slinks out of the Nexus (with the faceplate!) and finds somewhere to brood. But, since it’s easier to be angrier at others than at oneself, she’ll blame Raph for her humiliation and eventually track him down for a "real fight”.

3. Donnie’s matchup is a little trickier. The appeal of his fight is the Strategy, so his opponent will be another intelligent character. The Purple Dragons aren’t physical fighters, and Big Mama might not have access to the level of human technology they would need to build a mech or robot. The same goes for Baxter, as well as any upgrades Albearto could give himself. We need an intelligent mystic character.

Four witches were given the extremely important task of gathering ingredients for the Peace Day potion, and Gentry was one of them. Her mini-cauldron was what gave April’s bat its upgrade. She might have a grudge against Donnie for causing the destruction of her town. It would make sense for us to see her again in the Nexus. Perhaps this is punishment for her failure during Peace Day? “Redeem yourself or don’t come back”? Donnie would have studied magic more closely since their last meeting, while Gentry would have had no such opportunity to study science. This should give Donnie enough of an advantage to win easily, but Gentry has a piece of the Dark Armor as well. It has an as-yet unknown power, making it difficult for Donnie to account for it in his plans. Perhaps the Armor’s boots (or those wing-thingies on the back) can grant greater mobility? But in the end, Donnie is a supersoldier with combat training and Gentry isn’t. She never stood a chance.

4. Performance, Bloodshed, Strategy... a true Battle Nexus Champion can balance all three. But Leo isn’t going to fight Shadow Fiend just yet.

Dragon Ball is possibly the franchise most well-known for its tournament arcs, so I get the feeling that Rise will pay homage to it. And since Big Mama is a terrible horrible garbage woman, why not do so by pitting the student against the master? Leo and Splinter will have to fight one another, though I don’t think Big Mama would give either of them a piece of the Armor. No doubt they’ll work together to give the audience a show, Splinter “losing” before Leo can exhaust himself. After all, he has to save his strength for...

5. The Finale!

If Shadow Fiend fought one-on-one, the match would be over too quickly, and Big Mama can’t have that! All four turtles will fight against them. I’m not sure how Raph would factor into this team-up, perhaps his brothers find a way for Host to switch back in, or Savage could start to realize that maybe these “sewer monsters” really don’t mean him any harm.

Hopefully we’ll get some hints as to what Shadow Fiend’s deal is. Is it the Shredder’s spirit under that hood? Is it Big Mama’s mysterious masked assistant? Is it Warren Stone, anchorman extraordinaire and the turtles’ most dastardly foe to date?! Place your bets now, folks!

[fnlrndcllctv]

THE YEAR IN FIGHTING GAMES: 1993

As the original release of Street Fighter II turns 30 this year, we are taking a look at the landscape of fighting games between 1991 and 2021 on a year by year basis!

This week, Shaun Eddleston takes a look at 1993…

1993 was arguably the year that truly saw which directions the fighting game genre was heading in.

Street Fighter II had been out for 2 years by this point, with a couple of great updates under its belt to keep things feeling fresh and exciting, and Mortal Kombat smashed its way into the scene with its digitised graphics and bloody violence making it the “cool kid” on the scene. It seemed like most games were now trying to play catchup with the bigger games, or genuinely trying to innovate and do something different.

Here’s a look at 10 games from 1993 to see what went down…

SEGA’s first ever foray into the world of 2D fighting games arrived in the form of Eternal Champions. Based around nine fighters from various points in history fighting to reclaim their souls after meeting untimely deaths, its crystal clear that Eternal Champions attempted to ride the coattails of pretty much every other successful fighting game that came before it.

While credit can be given for the game being launched on a console rather than in arcades (a rather unusual release strategy during this time!), the game’s look came across as a choppier, poorly executed version of both Street Fighter II and Fatal Fury. The characters themselves range from a 1920s detective, a prehistoric caveman and a ninja to a wizard, a cybersoldier and *reads notes*… a martial arts-trained scientist who’s also a vampire?!

Perhaps more famously, Eternal Champions was known better for the incredibly gory stage fatalities that could be pulled off. Obviously taking inspiration from Mortal Kombat and trying its best to outdo the violence, from characters being impaled on top of the Washington monument, being chewed up by dinosaurs or being burned alive at the stake to a painfully long and boring trap that sees the defeated opponent dropping through several sets of blades/axes/knives, becoming more dismembered as it goes along.

Some of the horrific violence is so over the top that its genuinely funny, so it’s a shame that the game itself is a bit of an underwhelming experience.

While 1992’s Fatal Fury 2 was a solid release in its own right, many fans were left disappointed by the omission of a number of the original game’s characters. Fatal Fury Special fixed this in a big way, bringing back characters such as Duck King, Tung Fu Rue and the original baddie, Geese Howard, while also tuning up the game’s combo system and introducing a faster game speed for good measure.

The game also featured a secret character in the form of Ryo Sakazaki, the protagonist of the Art Of Fighting series. This crossover between the franchises was a popular choice from SNK (and a no-brainer, considering both of the games series exist in the same universe story-wise), so much so that it inspired them to push development of The King Of Fighters ‘94 in 1994.

We’ll talk more about that next week though…

Thanks to the ongoing success of Street Fighter II, there were countless titles throughout the 90’s that tried to imitate all kinds of stuff from the game in an attempt to get in on that sweet, sweet arcade money. A shining example of this was Fighter’s History, which is one of (if not THE) biggest copycat fighting game of the era. Everything here feels like a retread of Capcom’s biggest game, but nowhere near as satisfying.

The game sees eight international fighters travel across the world to compete in a tournament and see who is deemed the “best fighter”. Sound familiar?

Everything from the colour of the health bars and sound of the blocking hit effects felt like they were directly lifted from Street Fighter II, so much so that Capcom actually tried to sue the game’s developer for shamelessly ripping them off.

Somehow, Capcom lost the case, and Fighter’s History went on to get a sequel!

1992’s Mortal Kombat was a smash hit in arcades and on home consoles, showing a completely different style to the cartoonish fighting games being developed at the time. Fan were left clamouring for more violence, more characters and more special moves, and man, did the sequel delive on these demands (and then some!).

Mortal Kombat II is fondly remembered as one of the absolute best games in the MK franchise, as it boasted improved graphics, more fatalities and more secrets to be discovered. The game was also eager to show to everyone how it didn’t take itself too seriously either, with the addition of “FRIENDSHIP” and “BABALITY” moves, which saw fighters do the polar opposite of the infamous fatalities, or simply turn the opponent into a baby, respectively.

Midway did an excellent job of improving every aspect of the first game, and proved to everyone that the success of the franchise’s first entry was no fluke.

This is also the game where, as a kid, I personally found out why Mortal Kombat was so controversial. Thanks to the first Mortal Kombat’s heavily censored Super Nintendo port, which saw all the fatalities removed and the blood switched with sweat, Mortal Kombat II had much more of an impact on me.

Not content with already creating a handful of standout fighting game franchises by this point, SNK’s latest entry in the genre was a different kind of beast altogether.

Instead of the turbocharged, high intensity action that we were used to in most fighting games of this era, Samurai Shodown slowed things down considerably, matching the vibe of many of the old samurai movies it took inspiration from.

That’s not to say that it isn’t intense, quite the opposite really. The slower pace is accompanied by much higher damage from attacks, multiplying the high risk/high reward factor immensely. When all it takes is just one or two quick attacks to get bodied by an opponent, the need to strategise instead of mindlessly button-mashing is essential.

The game was also one of the best looking 2D fighting games at the time as well, with vibrant backgrounds, great character design and flourishes of bloody violence whenever a particularly nasty final blow hits.

Professional wrestling was HUGE in the 90’s, and the goofy, theatrical nature of the sport lent itself well to the world of video games.

Capcom’s wrestling game is an interesting on, as it not only featured a cast of mostly original characters, but the game fits canonically into the shared universe of Street Fighter and Final Fight too.

Final Fight’s musclebound mayor Mike Haggar is a playable character, and several wrestlers in the game have direct ties to fighters in Capcom’s most popular series (Guile has a brother?!)!

While the sequel, Ring Of Destruction, played more like a traditional 2D Versus fighting game, Saturday Night Slam Masters is a more traditional arcade experience that allows up to 4 players to play in a match simultaneously.

It’s loud, silly and over the top fun. Ya know, like wrestling is!

The juggernaut of the genre that was Street Fighter II got yet another update in 1993, and this was a massive one.

Four brand new fighters joined the roster - Cammy, Fei Long, T, Hawk and Dee Jay - which now meant that the game’s roster was double that of the 1991 release, the character selection screen got a graphical overhaul, players could choose from 8 different colour palettes for their fighter, the voiceover work was improved on and the entire game was tweaked and rebalanced.

Super Street Fighter II also introduced “Tournament Mode”, which only available in arcades when four Super Street Fighter II arcade cabinets were connected together. The home console versions of the game also included tournaments as a separate game mode.

This fighter based on everyone’s favourite sewer-dwelling, pizza eating reptiles is a particularly interesting one, as the experience players got was completely dependent on which version they were playing.

First of all, the NES version. Konami’s final NES game (in the US and Europe at least) and one of the only fighting games for the system that saw a release during the 90s boom of the genre, this scaled-back version didn’t even see a release in Japan. In the single-player Story mode, players choose one of the four turtles as they hold a contest amongst themselves to see who is fit to take on Shredder's challenge. After defeating the first 3 opponents, the player proceeds to fight Casey Jones and then Hothead before the final battle with the Shredder.

Then we had the SNES version, which was also known as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles V: Tournament Fighters (in an attempt to continue the success of the arcade beat-’em-ups) and in Japan as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Warriors. This version uses a similar premise to the NES version in that a fighting tournament is announced, only this time Shredder is a part of the tournament, so the mean, green party machines enter in an attempt to stop him.

The game’s actual story mode was different though, as the turtles must rescue April O'Neil and Splinter from Shredder's clutches. The Turtles must travel across the US in their Turtle Blimp, defeating other fighters and collecting information. Only the four of them can be playable whereas the other characters (as well as a rad looking turtle clone) are the opponents. This version had a bigger roster (12 fighters from the TMNT universe), featured super meters, and the game’s turbo mode at its highest setting was much faster than Street Fighter II Turbo’s was!

And finally, the SEGA Mega Drive version, which has a single player mode that features the turtles and their allies traveling to various planets in Dimension X, fighting against clones of themselves, as they seek to rescue Splinter from Krang. After defeating the eight clones, the player travel to the final three stages to fight against a Triceraton, Krang's Android, and Karai. The game has a two player mode, as well as a practice mode in which the player faces the computer in a 1-round match, and a "Tournament" where the player must defeat 88 opponents with one life gauge.

Cowabunga!

The first fighting game to use 3D graphics truly felt “next-gen” at the time, and had it not been released, then we likely wouldn’t have ever got consoles such as the SEGA Saturn or the original PlayStation either.

It wasn’t just the games impressive visuals and sound that were unique either, as the game focused on more “realistic” moves based in actual combat sports and martial arts as opposed to the cartoonish and OTT antics seen in many 2D games of the era. The game didn’t have any real “story” to it either, just a fighting tournament to show off the graphics and smooth gameplay.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Virtua Fighter was unlike any fighting game that came before it, and is rightfully considered to be one of the greatest technical achievements of that era.

ADK’s World Heroes also got a sequel this year, and saw improvements across the board.

With more fighters to choose from (six new characters joined the roster), more moves to execute, and more stages to fight in, World Heroes 2 simply offered much more variety than the first game.

One of the most interesting additions to the game was the option to choose an entirely new lifebar setting. When switched on, the regular health gauges at the top of the screen are transformed into a single bar that both players now share. This lifebar will go back and forth as players inflict damage on each other, tug-of-war style, and a KO occurs when one side of the bar is completely depleted!

So, there we have it.

1993 was truly the year where the fighting game genre started to expand past your standard “SFII Clone” fare. Street Fighter II continued to make headlines with its huge update, Mortal Kombat II once again set the bar for how violent fighting titles should be handled and Virtua Fighter’s massively impressive leap into the third dimension helped to give players a glimpse at the future of not only fighting games, but video games as a whole!

Next week, we’ll be taking a look at 1994: a year that birthed several more fighting game franchises!

Did we miss anything from 1993 that’s worth mentioning?

Let us know in the comments below!

[mytwitterisdogtoast1]

Yugi’s decks and some other odd stuff that just makes sense.

This is a weird double kind of post where I focus on many things because of a little project I’ve been working on. So as anyone who has ever grown up and has been into Yu-Gi-Oh knows you just can’t not like the anime. From the ridiculous duels and cards to the ridiculous hair on every single character and I’m not talking about the newer shows so much as just the original show because that’s probably the “best” one to most people (partial to GX myself even though I know it’s not the best and Konami kinda messed up on it at the end of the series in USA). See if you watch the show a simple easy thing that anyone who gets it would like would be to get the decks of a character. Heck even if it was Weevil people would be a little excited but not as excited as if they got one of the main characters. Which was great because even though it’s old news I was very excited to buy the legendary decks for Yugi. See that is an amazing product idea that can bring in everyone who likes Yu-Gi-Oh. You bring in the casuals by giving them his decks, you bring in the collectors for cards that don’t exist yet here in the west or even those who have missed out on older cards, and you bring in the more serious crowd for cards that are in archetypes that might be harder to find maybe (probably not because the game has evolved to such a degree that even mirror force isn’t good anymore.) but still 2/3 ain’t bad. Let’s be honest though. This is Konami so they’re gonna find a way to fuck it up and I’m a decent guy so I usually try to have some faith in things. Even things like Konami who ruin most of their IPs in general but hey, I keep that faith. This was a simple thing to do but in the end they messed it up with really easy to do things. Now let’s just be really honest about this. if this product interested you. You would buy it if it hit the sweet spot of cost = product. I know I would and I’m sure many others would as well. Let’s assume Konami does its best in that it not only releases every single card Yugi has ever used before but also makes each card that doesn’t exist, to exist. They would have to make a handful of cards yes, but people would probably go and buy that product cause every deck he’s run is in it in their entirety. We can assume they would use his actual deck lists and make his actual decks. Yeah, his decks are not good but let’s face it fan, cosplayers, kids, adults and everyone and their grandma would buy this product. Nostalgia is a huge thing nowadays and even if we can’t play it in a tournament and hope to win we could just roll up, throw down a fiver and just play that sweet sweet celtic guardian. Now let’s be a little more realistic. Let’s assume we take the middle road which is absolutely the best idea. Heck we’ll take both sides of that road and give two middle road ideas that are the best idea. Make his actual decks and only use cards printed while printing about 5 cards that haven’t been made. That electromagnetic turtle is pretty dope not gonna lie. Point is even then we would still get a 4 card deck from each main part of the journey. 120 cards, 5 promos, the art cards for duelist kingdom, the god cards (playable or not even) would not set anyone back hard in printing since they’re all stuff already made in real life and would even bring cards like torike and horn imp into the west which haven’t even come here. Heck don’t even make decks. Throw in every card from every single season he has ever used. We don’t need to have 2 giant soldier of stones. (yes he uses two at one point) It would however be nice if we just got the cards the way he has them in looks and what he has. Call it Yugis legendary collection and it is the same exact thing. The worst thing you could do is just make his deck and just add in random shit like 3 dark magician girls. Which is what they did. Like This is a simple thing to make man how could you mess up by adding cards he didn’t use in decks when they didn’t exist then? Even detonate which is a card Kaiba uses. Look man it’s not the biggest of deals but the fact that the next set was stuff “based on their main cards” and Yugi had exodia? HE USED IT IN ONE DUEL. Make a dark magician deck. Sure it would reprint some of the same stuff but lets face it. THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE WOULD WANT. We don’t want something LIKE it. We want that thing.  Why does this matter? Honestly besides how sad the product was it really made me want the thing I didn’t get and it is near impossible ( at least I assume) to get torike and horn imp in the west when I believe it has had one printing in the east only and the only way to buy the cards are to go buy Orica stuff. Which in their own way is nice too. Support artists. So I took it upon myself to make those exact decks and to in general just make it a small side project in my life. Duelist kingdom deck was mostly easy to do and I am missing just 3 cards so I can buy 2 of them no problem and the others are torike and horn imp. Cards we never got (fuck you Konami). That’s when I started to see the other seasons which are not cannon in comics but are technically cannon in the show. Filler is a very iffy thing to use but I’m super casual and actually like filler in things I like. Hell DBZ has some of the better filler in the side stuff it puts in because it never really changes much. However sometimes you can have too much filler or filler that changes the series totally (stares at bleach, Naruto, and one piece. You all know what you did).  Now why does this also matter? Because it raises a ton of questions about the series in general when you look at a characters decks. Did you know that as iconic as Gaia the fierce knight is he doesn’t show up past duelist kingdom? Even in the manga he only has it in duelist kingdom. This raises a ton of questions. Like Gaia the dragon champion is really good in the anime. Because let’s face it. If you are going to use chimera in your duels than why not have Gaia in there as well to make a stronger monster? It’s one of his boss monsters. I mean he still uses curse of dragon in every deck except waking the dragons which again I know it’s not fully cannon but that shouldn’t stop them from using him. Unless there was a decent enough reason. I think that reason is you don’t need the monster itself in duelist kingdom to make the fusion. Which I can actually make an argument for. Yugi has 2 monsters in his deck. First is Black skull dragon and Dragon master knight. I know one is filler but it would fit the same argument regardless because even if we take from the anime it might be a little different in the manga and comic for battle city but that is indeed cannon. So the point I’m making is it’s a little strange Yugi would have either of those mosnters in his deck. He never knew he was going to work with Joey or Kaiba ever so why would he just have them? Trade doesn’t really work that way in the show cause we never see it and I know that dude isn’t carrying around cards because let’s face it. He didn’t bring anything but his cards and a glove. He didn’t have replacement cards. Which makes you wonder where the time wizard was from when he gave it to joey. He isn’t carrying extra cards cause the world doesn’t have packs the same way and cards would be more diverse or shittier and packs are like 5 cards per pack. So having such a rare and powerful card like that and it just “being around” makes 0 sense. Which makes you believe that it came from his deck. So time wizard was an original card. We have to remember that the reason he never played it is he never drew it in his duels and then gave it to Joey. Which makes the most sense. So if we go by that logic it would be understandable that since time wizard doesn’t fuse into baby dragon that you don’t even need thousand dragon in the extra deck. That also means dark sage isn’t even in Yugis deck because if it was meant to pair with time wizard he’d have taken it out or he just simply never ran into it or was a jerk and threw it in to counter Joey. So by that logic the reason Gaia never made a return is he never had the fusion in the first place. This makes me assume many things about the decks written are kind of misleading. Firstly the fact that Yugi has the same deck kind of but changes it every season. It makes 0 sense that he would in a world where cards are not a common supply even though it is the most common thing in his world to have that he would just always remake his deck mostly alike and then in general change 10 cards out only to put them back in to only take them out again. So when mysical elf is in his deck in virtual world but he doesn’t put 2 giant soldiers of stone in makes me question if he actually even doesn’t have mystical elf in his deck normally but sure as heck has feral imp. I came to the conclusion that in every season Yugi is just running the same deck with no differences. If there are differences it would be he added them in later on because he got the card and the only reason we never see it is that the man has over 80 cards in his deck. No it’s not 40 no matter how many times he says it because anime rules. It makes even less sense to change the deck not just for every season but every duel that he would have life shaver in against Kaiba only and then never play it in a duel ever again or something along those lines. Why does this matter? If I am going to make his decks I want to be as “accurate” as possible and am going to make his decks but it’s not like anyone wants to just make 7 decks for the dude. Especially when you take the Pharaoh into account as well. And who even wants to actually just make a Yugi themed deck? It’s not the same as having his decks themselves. It is much cooler in the end to actually have his deck. Even if it is 4000 cards large.

[daughter-o-f-eris]

Idea for the new movie franchise- Smash Bros Universe

Ok so hear me out on this before all the hate posts start flooding in, this would all hinder on if the new Detective Pikachu movie is as good as it looks/people are saying and would expand into that same universe.

So the idea would be similar to the formula Marvel used - each hero/series would get their own movie to introduce their characters, so Pokemon has theirs, Link would get his, Mario would get his and so on.

Then an “Evil Villain” would abduct these heroes from different planets/dimensions and force them to fight in a battle royale.

Because none of these guys are in the same world then there would be no need to sprinkle Nintendo Easter eggs into each other’s movie (like Mario wouldn’t need to find a pokeball) and each movie can focus on themselves. Also, since this villain is bringing people in, they don’t need to dedicate a separate movie to each character before hand, we the audience will understand “oh, all these things are from different places and have different powers, they don’t know each other and are being forced to fight” if the movie wants to focus on the select backstory of 1 or 2 characters, cool - but since Smash Bros has so many characters, the fun will be getting to at least see some of them fight - like if there’s a big final fight scene at the end.

It would make since to give a separate movie to the franchises that would either have a lot of characters here, or who’s lead would be a major focus. Like from the Pokémon movie alone we’d have at least 3 Pokémon playing (possibly a joke of the villain saying they picked Jigglypuff b/c it’s just so gosh darn cute).

Also, this Smash Tournament they would be forced to fight in could be from any of the games past. If certain characters where not there, it could be because they were added in a later version.

** there are so many potential story routes this could take. Heroes and villains from their series being forced to team up. - friends being forced to fight each other b/c there can only be 1 winner. - will someone make a sacrific and jump off the platform so a loved one can win and not have to finish them off themself?

— I see such a good story for Luigi that could go 1 of 2 ways. Either A) he has to rise up to ‘player 1’ and be the hero of the day when they need him the most instead of relying on his brother (a more loving story about believing in yourself and the bond between brothers with no hate between him and Mario). Or B) he is manipulated by the bad guys like Wario, Dr. Robotnik, etc, to betray Mario and fight him full strength in a battle instead of using teamwork, b/c he’s tired of always being ‘player 2’ (a redemption story about his jealousy blinding his decision and how he helps his brother in the end)

- also some great potential scenes, like maybe Wario is pitted against a bunch of female characters (who granted most Nintendo female characters don’t look threatening), where he mocks them, the guy is a villain so makes since for him to be this way, he laughs while all the guys who know these ladies duck down....and they unleash devastation. I mean, Zelda & Peach may be princesses, but they will destroy you without wrinkling their dress & before their next court meeting lol.

- just a thought but I think this has some real potential. There really hasn’t been a crossover between games aside from Smash, except for the Olympic Games ..... I could just see something cute at the end like with the credits that the Mario guys meet the Sonic gang, it looks like a big show down, then the credits are just them failing at various sports with like Pikachu there (somehow) ref-ing and commentating. Funny scene = any race against sonic. Figure skating with Bowser being surprisingly graceful and Pikachu quietly doing the play by play “and here he is getting ready for a triple flip, so graceful. I’m gonna be honest people I’m not sure if he’s a dinosaur, a turtle or some firebreathing nightmare I’ve had since I was 4, but right now he is the picture of perfection”. - someone like Wario & Waluigi are the pool and won’t get out “Ok guys, you get out of there right now, or so help me I will drag you out myself. (They laugh). Okay, here I come. Just lil old me. Small bundle of yellow fuzz...comeplely charged with electricity...coming directly to you in the pool filled with water...”

[hotstreak2k3]

Things we want for the upcoming Dragon Ball Super movie (2020) and future episodes!

While we are airing some English Dub version on a Adult Swim, there is a fatal announcement that another DBS movie is on development. Even Gohan’s dub actor Kyle Herbert wasn’t happy to know that his character isn’t in that film this time around.

Many fans have been wondering where do we go next since the Galactic PatrolPrisoner Manga Arc is unexpected goes beyond the series. Even though CBR had given some possible storylines in the upcoming movie, I am not certain we can bring back the Red Ribbon Army anytime or any other weird scenario from their list.

So here are the list of possible storylines and changes we fans should expect to see in either the next Dragon Ball movie or saved for the future episodes and manga arcs afterwards:

20.) The return of blood, gore and better animation quality from Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

19.) Gohan and Krillin enjoy their slice of life with their wives and kids in future Episodes... and train for the next threat as well.

18.) Filling up a fan theory of one the Angels sinister plot against Grand Zeno’s... and it could possibly be the Grand Minister.

17.) Bringing back Vic Mignogna as the voice of Broly

16.) Another Future Trunks Saga where we can see our favorite hero and future Mai settle down at since their Original Timeline was obliterated by Zeno

15.) One time story mini arc of Universe 6’s Saiyans (Cabba, Kale and Caulifla) adventures. In addition, explore more on their threesome relationship and the Saiyan society.

14.) Broly and Cheelai’s relationship blossoms (At least that what most fans would see a anime reference of Tarzan and Jane)

13.) Son Goku meet his parents, Bardock and Gine, for the first time!

12.) Piccolo merge with an namekian god to gain the power that rivals Super Saiyan Blue.

13.) Cooler is hint to be canon just like Tarble. But fairly some of us want our favorite badass villain to side with his brother Frieza, not as an anti-hero

12.) for the Dragon Ball Fighterz adaptation, Android 21 is now a beloved character thanks to Akira Toriyama himself. But not everyone wants the revived villains from the game. Plus her good half and the her human link partner would be a great addition to the Z Fighters. Wheras bringing back Android 16 would be a lot of fun. It’ll be cool to see a human fighting soul, his Majin Bio waifu and Goku to take on the Evil Android 21.

11.) Warriors from the Tournament of Power teamed with Son Goku and the Z Fighters to save the Multiverse from a much greater threat... like Frieza or Hearts [A villain from the Super Dragon Ball Heroes mini series]

10.) The return of Tien Shinhan and a long forgotten character Good/Bad Launch.

9.) King Kai teaches Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu the Kaioken technique!

8.) The development on Goten and Trunks; Goku trains Broly on Planet Vampa to control his inner power!

7.) Don’t add anymore Super Saiyan forms! Give the Z Fighters time to get caught up with their own strength, and the classic aspect from the original Dragon Ball series needs to come back!

6.) When Jiren was shown up in the Tournament of Power arc, he has poven to be the strongest warrior in the Multiverse. His potential story would be interesting to explore more of his tragic past while Goku’s for another round for this broken hero of Universe 11.

5.) Universe 7’s Saiyans (Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Broly) visit Planet Sadala Of Universe 6. Also had a friendly spar with Cabba, Kale and Caulifla.

4.) In the Universal Survival arc, Gohan made a promise to Frieza that he will finish him up himself if Earth is threaten. Hell yeah! I wanna see our boy beat that galactic tyrant in his own hands. Sorry Goku!

3.) Make the Z Fighters become more prominent characters then being on the sideline. I mean for real Toriyama! Why is Super so focus on Son Goku and Vegeta? They already had their moments. So now it’s their turn take on the baddies much or similarly like DBZ.

-Krillin has decided to go back as a martial artist so that’ll be something for fans of the Dragon Ball.

-Tien’s new take as a role ofSensai would interesting enough to see how he teaches his pupils while taming Yurin and had another rematch with Mercenary Tao.

- Android 17 is surprisingly strong in the Tournament of Power. So would it be easy enough to had him aid Goku and friends in future battles? You damn right!

-Master Roshi is has been heavenly underestimated by his opponents, and he has overcome his pervert behavior in the TOP. Plus he can use Mafūba more then once despite how dangerous the sealing technique is. This Turtle hermit need some more comeback after a long absent.

-Videl is being treated like a housewife for her daughter Pan in Super. But many fans had forgotten that this gal is martial arts fighter in her own right in the Majin Buu Saga. When she hold on her own against Spopovich in a bloody fight, I was amazed how determined and inner strength the daughter of Satan has proven. Dont care what people are saying, she deserves more. So why can’t her husband Gohan teach her the Kamahamaha wave? Why haven’t he reason her training? This problem needs to be fixed!

2.) While Japanese fans were all looked up to Son Goku as their favorites, many westerners like me like Gohan more. He may not into fighting, but he’s willing to do it in order to keep his friends and family safe. Plus he did state that he is searching for a power beyond his Mystic form. So I hope Toriyama can hear this own out.... MAKE GOHAN GREAT AGAIN!!!

1.) Had Goku mastered his Ultra Instinct!

So here is my list I hope Toriyama and @toei-animation-official should consider take some advices. For the most part, I am not only speaking for myself, but to many Dragon Ball fans who grew up with the show since childhood. So don’t let all of us down! 🙂👍

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[zoirah]

So this happened yesterday!  Season 2 DLC Fighters!

Here’s what I have to say about it... and then just for fun also put in my guesses for possible future characters!

Jiren. Not surprised WHATSOEVER.  Don’t get me wrong, I think I feel like a lot of people did.  Jiren is kinda boring, and unfortunately his attacks and animations all look rather boring and awkward too!  Even his character model seems a bit awkward with his giant torso and tiny waist! But... he was the big enemy of the Tournament of Power arc, I had no doubt he was going to be one of these DLC characters.  Being the “villain” of an arc pretty much guarantees you’ll be in a game I think.

Videl (And Great Saiyaman).  This one surprised me!  But the best kind of surprise!  I don’t know what to say other than I’m excited for this one.  We get Videl, and as a bonus they threw in the greatest hero to ever grace Dragon Ball!

DB Super - Broly & Blue Gogeta.  Not all that surprising either, the movie has been very popular!  That Broly might be in base form (or maybe Wrathful?) from the looks of it seems pretty neat, I suspect he will have a Bardock-esque transformation in one of his combos, or maybe even a Golden Frieza sort of time-limited power up.  (now we just need Bio-Broly so we can have a full Broly team!)

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My DLC Character Predictions!

Here’s the part I really made this for (and the more fun part) my predictions of what characters might show up next!  Jiren was something I assumed would happen before, and Great Saiyaman was originally a joke prediction for me!  So here’s some more, divided into sections.  It looks like there’s still 2 more characters left, so maybe one or two of these will be them!

1. Main Series Serious Predictions. Kefla. Caulifla and Kale are both fairly popular characters (as far as I understand), but it’s their fusion that really showed off some unique abilities in the anime’s Tournament of Power arc.  Plus we kinda get two characters in one here, and it would be nice to get another female fighter on the roster (then with Videl we’d be up to 4 out of... 38?). Super Saiyan God Goku/Vegeta.  I’m not really hoping for this one but... I wouldn’t put it past them I guess?  I mean, probably not after they already introduced base Goku and Vegeta, I just see it as possible that they might be the remaining two fighters.

2. Movie Character Predictions Super Janemba. This is really the only remaining movie character I think that’s popular enough to have a chance at being in the game (and joining Broly and Cooler).  He has a unique look, fun unique techniques.  It’d most likely be him.  (Turles I would say is next most likely, and then Lord Slug.  Base Janemba, Doctor Wheelo, and Hirudegarn would all be too large!  And I love some Garlic Jr but I don’t think any one else would really be asking for him!)

3. GT Character Predictions (If they gave us movie characters, I don’t see why we don’t have a chance at seeing some of these.) Super Saiyan 4 Goku/Vegeta.  The obvious one!  Even people I know that really don’t like GT at least still really like these transformations!  Plus like with the God Forms I don’t think it’s that unlikely they’d push even more Gokus and Vegetas on us! Anyone Else from GT.  ...seems unlikely.  Maybe Omega Shenron or SSJ4 Gogeta?  But I doubt it.  (I don’t see Super 17 or Baby Vegeta showing up.  I like Nuova Shenron but he’d never be first choice next to Omega.)

4. Joke Character Predictions (I say joke because it’d be silly, like Piranha Plant, but I’d still find it really fun to have these characters!) Master Roshi.  ...Actually this one’s barely a joke character.  Master Roshi kicked butt in Resurrection F and Tournament of Power!  Bring on the Turtle Hermit! Arale.  I have nothing much to say here, it would be funny!

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So that was my predictions for who might have any sort of a chance at showing up!  Share your predictions too!  Or if you’re also into the idea of protesting in the streets if they don’t add Master Roshi!  I just thought this (and actually doing something on this blog for once) would be fun.

[twilightdreamersmith]

Voice Training Through Singing:

This one’s for the girls

All right, so you want to sound like the girl you are, right? Well, you already do, seeing as your voice sounds like you, and you’re a girl, but most people don’t understand that. I never could find a single, comprehensive guide for vocal feminization that included a step-by-step process (though I never paid for any of those programs either, so they may be there) but I did find some that gave me important information on certain sections and stumbled through the rest myself.

By “stumbled through” I mean that I tried to do everything at once instead of one step at a time, and took a lot longer than I should have to see any results. I also nearly caused serious damage to my voice a few times, at one point losing it entirely for a day. As I’ve thought about the different aspects of what I’ve done though, I was able to easily separate them into steps that build on each other instead of throwing everything into a blender and hoping that what comes out is what you want.

I won’t be adding any before/after clips to this, for privacy reasons as well as lack of a decent sound setup at the moment, but I have been correctly gendered every time I am on the phone or going through a drive-through for the past few months, and I’ve been doing this for about a year. Most of the things I do heavily involve matching the voice of various singers, which I can do easily thanks to nearly a decade of music training. If you have trouble with this, I would recommend using headphones to start with; they make it much easier to tell if you are at least harmonizing well. Eventually your ear will probably get better and you can pay more attention to your voice instead of the singer’s, at which point you can quit using the headphones if you want.

You might also end up getting really good at matching voices, and that’s not even the coolest part. Do you like singing right now, and have some male artists you like to sing along with? You won’t lose that with this! All it will do will make your range increase, and eventually raise your “normal” voice in that range. Here’s a good example of the sort of thing we’re going for (I can’t hit the highest notes yet, but I can hit most!)

  Step 0. Self-care – Don’t overdo it!

Before we get started, it’s important to note that going too high before you’re ready (or warmed up), or doing too much too fast can really hurt your voice. I’m trying to get into a more responsible schedule for the last bits of mine, but I tend to do most of my training in the car, which means I end up with days at a time of not doing anything beyond using my feminine speaking voice, followed by 2-3 hours in a single day of nonstop training. Needless to say, that tends to push my voice a bit harder than I like if I’m not careful.

Most people already know what it feels like when you start to lose your voice, and definitely pay attention to those symptoms, but a new one that I noticed after starting this training caught me off guard. Often the first warning sign that I’m pushing too hard is that I start coughing and feeling like I’ve got something stuck in my throat. Nothing’s actually there, but that doesn’t change the fact that the coughing happens. Just be aware of your body, and try to stop if you notice signs of strain. After all, any voice is better than none!

If you do end up pushing things a bit, hot drinks like tea or coffee can do wonders to relax everything again. My personal treatment is freshly brewed black tea with about 2 tablespoons of honey in it. It won’t make everything magically better so you can go right back to it, but it will make it so you have a voice the next day.

Another trick to help with a strained voice, though it may bother you, is to talk as low as you can. Not deep (you don’t need to try singing bass opera parts!), but low and smooth (like you’re pretending to be a guy trying to seduce someone quietly). Do that for a few minutes and it should loosen everything up again, at least enough to get back a normal speaking pitch.

  Step 1. Basic Anatomy – Your Apple is your friend

Normally this section would be a boring, basic section with odd pictures that have long names of things we don’t care about. As you’ve probably guessed, I don’t care for that approach much, and I’m also very impatient. So, here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know, and at the end you’ll be able to see just a bit of progress too!

Now I know most of us don’t like our Adam’s apples (me too!), but the technical name for what it covers is the larynx, so I’m going to call it that instead. You can feel where it is, right? Touch it, then swallow. Feel how it moved? Now try doing that without swallowing. Chances are that you can’t right now, but that’s okay! Swallow again, but this time hold your larynx at the highest point, where it feels like it pulls back slightly, then let go when you need to breathe.

Doing that exercise a few times a day will get you to the point that you can move your larynx up at will, which will help out with resonance and tone later on. You may even notice a difference if you try talking with your larynx up instead of relaxed, though it’ll probably be a bit difficult at first. This part took me about two weeks to get right, but since I haven’t met anyone who’s tried the same thing I don’t know if that’s fast or slow. If you want to, feel free to send me some feedback on how long it took you (On any of the sections, for that matter)!

  Step 2. The Voice – Raise the Voice, not the Pitch

Now you can move your larynx up and down. Great! But you’re only halfway through the basics right now. Go ahead and try to keep your larynx up for the rest of the training, but if you can’t don’t worry; this part can be done without that.

I’d like to point out here that, while I was trained musically, it was not in singing (I was a tuba player), so some of the terms I’m using are probably not correct in that sense. I’m going to use them anyhow though, because it makes sense to me and I’m pretty stubborn, so just roll with it.

Sing a note in the comfortable part of your range. Doesn’t matter how loud, but hold it for a bit. Feel where the vibration is? I’m going to guess that it’s right around your collarbone, at the base of your neck. That’s called “Chest Voice,” and it’s almost always a masculine thing. This next part is kinda tricky to explain, so bear with me.

Now try to picture your voice as a light or an orb or something that’s in that area. It doesn’t matter what, so long as you do it. Raise that light/orb/whatever up slowly while you hold the tone. The sound will probably shift up as you do; that’s fine. The important thing is to note the different feeling of where the vibration is. As it reaches the halfway point in your throat you might feel a sudden change. That change over is what I call the “Throat Voice” and is probably where your voice will want to go for a while during training.

Once you get past Throat Voice and visualize the light/orb/whatever entering your mouth you’re officially using “Head Voice,” a.k.a. where most women talk from. Congrats! Now go even higher, till you have to pull your larynx back almost to where it goes when you swallow. You probably sound like a really bad Mickey Mouse or chipmunk now, but that’s normal. This is the upper range of your voice, what I call the “Falsetto.” Once you’ve got the hang of moving between these (and moving your larynx up during them as well) you can move on. I think this part took me about six weeks to really get down.

  Step 3. First Steps – a.k.a. Why I do this in the car

This is where we begin the real training! Quick question: Do you like My Little Pony? If so, that makes this step a lot easier. If not, then you’ll have to use “chipmunk” songs or go look up “nightcore” on Youtube and find some songs you like. Actually, I’d do that last one anyhow, especially if you find some that the originals feature a male singer.

Either way, the point of this step is to find some songs you like that force you to use that “falsetto” range you discovered last step. At first you won’t be able to do much in that range that doesn’t sound like a squeaky wheel that somehow learned to talk, but as you keep at it you’ll start to get a little more flexibility up there. Remember though, you’re not going for a “good” sound right now; you’re trying to match the song as best you can.

There really isn’t too much else to this step. You just have to keep at it till you are able to match the songs, or at the very least are able to move around the range without sounding like a Disney character anymore.  I use songs from MLP and some nightcore songs as well for this, in particular any songs that have multiple singers to maximize the flexibility and control (yup, I’m still working on this part a bit, but I reached what I’m saying here in about two months). Once you are happy, onto the next step!

  Step 4. Pitch – Removing the Turtle Shell

You know that part in the original Dragon Ball anime where Master Roshi had Goku doing a bunch of weird tasks while wearing that really heavy turtle shell? Then he got to take it off at the tournament, only to find he’d gotten a ton faster and stronger without noticing it? Yeah, that’s kinda what the last step was for us, and now it’s time to see the results! Unless you’ve been skipping ahead (can’t judge here!) this will be the first step where a real, usable feminine voice starts to take shape. Excited yet? I hope so, because this is also the second longest step, and the one with the least guidance.

All you need to do in this step is find songs that aren’t in the “falsetto” range and learn to match them while using Head Voice. As you start singing, you may notice that you revert to Chest Voice, or that your larynx drops again, or any number of things. One positive thing you should notice, however, is that you are much better at being aware of how your throat and larynx feel as you speak and sing, which translates to being better at imitating a singer. It really comes down to trial and error at this point.

One recommendation I would have is start with Queen songs, then move into your chosen artists. Queen’s songs are pitched perfectly as a jumping off point for raising said pitch, as most are right where the masculine and feminine ranges overlap, without worrying too much about tone or resonance. Those can come a bit later, especially resonance (which gets its own step later). Disney songs are another excellent choice, though you have to be careful at first. The male parts also make for a good vocal warm-up, to help avoid straining anything.

As for other artists with women singers that work well for beginners, go for someone with a “husky” voice. My personal starting band (after Queen) was Blackmore’s Night, and I moved into LeAnn Rimes, Trick Pony, and a few video game songs once I got more advanced (If you are curious, I recently moved into singing a few Jordin Sparks and P!nk songs, as well as only having a little trouble with some of the more famous Disney songs like “Part of Your World” and “A Whole New World”).

One thing to watch out for here, especially as you start moving into higher pitches and approach the alto range, is a tightness or fatigue in your jaw after singing. That comes from using your jaw muscles to force control over a pitch above your current non-falsetto range, and that can actually hold you back considerably.

I looked this up after hitting a plateau for nearly two months and found a singing coach that referred to the fix as “lazy jaw.” Basically you should be able to hold a note while moving your head around (even if it is slowly) or moving your jaw with a hand. Once you work that in your tone will improve as well, so double win!

Once you start to get the raw pitch down you’ll probably notice that there’s still something different between yourself and the singer, which is where the next part comes in. There isn’t really a point where you are “done” with this step, but I reached a decent point in around six months with the original songs.

  Step 5. Resonance – Why a Choker Can Actually Help

I don’t wear a choker, mainly because I can’t find any that are affordable and fit me, but the title does not lie. This step is all about the little shifts in vibration and position of the larynx that I, at least, couldn’t feel without something touching it constantly, hence why a choker would help. I just use a free hand and lightly touch just above and below the larynx occasionally.

This part is a little iffy, and I’m still working on the fine-tuning of my own voice, so the guide might go a different way than your voice wants to. I would strongly recommend recording your voice every now and again during this step, or possibly getting someone’s advice, especially if you have trouble recognizing perfect harmony while singing (for me that’s where I can’t hear any difference at all between the singer and my voice). I can offer a few pointers though.

First, you should have enough control of your larynx by now to have some sense of how far “forward” or “back” your voice is as well as the “up” and “down” of Chest/Throat/Head. If you want to sound airy or breathy, then move your voice “forward” and “up.” If you want to sound husky of earthy, “Back” and slightly “down” are the directions to go. Don’t forget that where your larynx and voice are will affect your pitch a bit, but with practice you can go lower in pitch while still maintaining Head Voice.

Second, try to only vibrate half of your throat. Sounds confusing, I know, but the most feminine voice I can use right now only vibrates below my larynx, not above. I have heard other people discussing the exact opposite, but I do know that masculine voices use both above and below, so as long as half is still I think it’ll be fine. Just use your ears (or a friend’s!) to figure out which one works for you, and try not to stress too much about it. I still have issues with this a lot on certain songs and artists, and I’ve been working on this step for 8 months now. Remember, your goal isn’t actually to be a perfect singer (at least, not for this guide), it’s to develop a feminine speaking voice.

Third, add some heart! I know it sounds corny and cliché, but if you can feel the singer’s emotions and add that to your singing it can make a lot of this automatic. Masculine resonance mainly uses volume for emphasis, but feminine resonance tends to use pitch and emotional emphasis instead. There is a big difference, even if it doesn’t make sense at first why.

Lastly, if you are still using headphones or earbuds, take advantage of that to really match the singer! If you think you are close, but it sounds really bad and wavy, that actually means you’re really close (within a half-step, to use proper music terminology) so keep moving up and down to get it. Very few things are as satisfying as singing in perfect harmony with a feminine singer for the first time.

  Ending – You’re Still Here?

As I mentioned in the last step, this is about as far as I’ve gotten in my own training, so I can’t share anymore tips. Basically you take all the skills and awareness you got learning to sing (which is its own useful skill, I might add) and apply them to your normal speaking voice as well. In my case the pitch of my voice started raising without me even thinking about it, so I only had to train myself to automatically use the correct resonance and Head Voice before I had a convincing, feminine voice.

The only other thing I have done that is not in the steps above is try to sing parts of the Broadway musical Wicked to improve my volume in my voice, but all that seems to have done so far is shred my voice whenever I try. I can’t say I recommend that, and if you follow the steps above instead of trying to do it all at once like I did you may not even need it!

Once again I would like to mention that this guide is based on my own experiments and trial and error, so Your Mileage May Vary is definitely applicable here. Feel free to contact me @twilightdreamersmith on Tumblr if you need something clarified, or if you have any suggestions as to something I missed.

Happy training!

[intrepidguardian]

Toot That Horn (12th with 5c Humans)

Well, since I said I would (and I need to get used to typing on my new keyboard), I’m going to talk about my last PPTQ. First, I like to Toot That Horn and talk about how good Militia Bugler is. 

Militia Bugler is the TRUTH. I was a little skeptical of it as a two-of when I first tested it, but it is the answer to the deck’s biggest problem: card advantage. A lot of iterations of the deck tried to clean up that problem by trying to use creature-centric spells (Collected Company), using creatures that have card advantage tacked on (Restoration Angel, Dark Confidant, Bloodbraid Elf), or just try to ignore the problem entirely by ending the game faster (Kessig Malcontents). Militia Bugler solves this problem by having a reasonable body (2/3 with vigilance is entirely reasonable), and offering not just card advantage, but also card *selection*, which is a luxury that creature decks almost never have. For a majority of game 1s, this basically translates into seeing more Reflector Mages, Thalia’s Lieutenants, and Phantasmal Images, which gives the deck a level of consistency it never had before. With Phantasmal Image, the deck already felt like it ran eight copies of its most impactful cards - now Militia Bugler makes it feel like the deck can run almost 12 virtual copies. And the fact that Bugler can grab Phantasmal Image, which can become a Bugler and dig even deeper? Insane. Post-board, it’s all about the silver bullets, all of which can Bugler can recruit. “Two or less power” is a low bar, and it opens up a lot of creatures, especially out of the sideboard.

And the real “hidden power” on the card is how the etb operates: looking at 4 cards, taking one and bottoming the rest. As a three-mana card, if I can cast this, I’m basically set on lands anyway, so even if the etb whiffs, that’s still some mix of lands/Aether Vial that I’m not drawing later in a game, and not drawing 3-4 lands in a row could be the difference between wins and losses. 

Anyway, this is the list I took on Saturday:

// Spells: 4

4 Aether Vial

// Creatures: 37

4 Champion of the Parish 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Thalia’s Lieutenant 4 Meddling Mage  4 Kitesail Freebooter 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 3 Phantasmal Image  4 Mantis Rider 4 Militia Bugler 3 Reflector Mage

// Lands: 19

4 Cavern of Souls  4 Unclaimed Territory 4 Ancient Ziggurat  4 Horizon Canopy  1 Seachrone Coast 1 Plains  1 Island // Sideboard: 15 2 Damping Sphere 2 Dismember 2 Auriok Champion 2 Selfless Spirit  1 Kataki, War’s Wage 2 Izzet Staticaster   2 Reclamation Sage  2 Sin Collector

To make room for the 4 Militia Bugler, we ate the flex slot, then cut a Thalia, a Reflector Mage, and a Phantasmal Image, with the thought that these cards are powerful, but are the most context-dependent, and if we really need them, Militia Bugler should be able to find them.

Match 1: 0-2 vs Green-White Valuetown 

So we didn’t get off to the hottest start. Game one was getting buried under a bunch of Coursers of Kruphix and Voices of Resurgence. Game 2 saw my opponent resolve a Worship, then proceed to Eldritch Evolution a Tireless Tracker to play a Cataclysmic Gearhulk.

Ouch.

Match 2: 2-0 vs Blue-Red Control

I had seen this deck from Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan, but had never played against it. My opponent tried to turtle up behind a Thing in the Ice in game 1, but Reflector Mage cracked that shell open and cleared a path for the rest of my team. Game 2, we both had slow hands, but he had a Keranos, God of Storms. A topdeck Militia Bugler was able to find a Thalia’s Lieutenant, which both insulated my team from the god and put enough pressure on my opponent to end the game quickly.

Match 3: 2-0 vs Krak-Clan Ironworks

A very experienced opponent with one of the best decks in the format sounds like a tournament-ender, but Militia Bugler really shined here. Game 1 was decided by Kitesail Freebooter and Meddling Mage locking my opponent out of the game. Game 2 I resolved three Buglers which had all found creatures, and my opponent was forced to use an Engineered Explosives on 3, which cleared my board, but also blew up his own Scrap Trawler with nothing to get and his own Ghirapur Aether Grid. My second wave of creatures emptied his hand and eventually beat my opponent. 

Match 4: 0-2 vs Green-Black Elves 

Both games my opponent was able to have active Heritage Druids on turn 2, and my Meddling Mages missed both times. The matchup feels REAL BAD. 

Match 5: 2-0 vs Krak-Clan Ironworks

This went a lot like Match 2, except Kitesail Freebooter kept my opponent from having any real chance.

Match 6: 2-1 vs Red-White Burn

My opponent and I both knew we were unable to claw into top 8, but would still have some prize money to fight over, so we played it out. Game 1 my opponent kept a one-lander and got locked under a Thalia, Guardian of Thraben. Game 2 my opponent burnt away most of my creatures and cleared a path for two Goblin Guides. Game 3 my opponent admitted to keeping a mediocre hand that an Ensnaring Bridge, with the intent of staying under it until he drew enough burn spells to burn me out. I had not sided in my Reclamation Sages, so I only had one chance - I needed to draw enough Meddling Mages to strand cards he couldn’t cast in his hand, then chip away with whatever creature could fit under the bridge and get boosted by Noble Hierarchs. We jockeyed for board position and I eventually had two Auriok Champions going alongside three Meddling Mage and two Noble Hierarches. My opponent showed me two Searing Blazes stuck in his hand and conceded. 

So I ended up getting 12th. In my opinion, that was a good result for me considering how little Modern I play these days. But, it is Modern season, so if I wanna compete, I gotta play this format. I’ve got another tournament this coming Saturday, and I’ll probably bring something like this: 

// Spells: 4

4 Aether Vial

// Creatures: 37

4 Champion of the Parish 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Thalia’s Lieutenant 4 Meddling Mage 4 Kitesail Freebooter 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 4 Phantasmal Image 4 Mantis Rider 3 Militia Bugler 3 Reflector Mage

// Lands: 19

4 Cavern of Souls 4 Unclaimed Territory 4 Ancient Ziggurat 4 Horizon Canopy 1 Seachrone Coast 1 Plains 1 Island // Sideboard: 15 2 Damping Sphere 2 Auriok Champion 2 Selfless Spirit 1 Kataki, War’s Wage 2 Izzet Staticaster   2 Reclamation Sage 2 Sin Collector 1 Militia Bugler  1 Riders of Gavony 

Now, I still love The Bugler, but I do recognize that it can be a clunky card a times, so we shipped one to the sideboard for matchups where I expect to need the card advantage (Mardu Pyromancer, various control decks). And since Humans seems to be getting more popular, the ol’ mirror breaker is probably pretty good. 

I’ll probably do another tournament report next week (unless I get totally smashed), but until then, happy spell slinging!

[aion-rsa]

15 Rarest and Most Valuable NES Games

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While the NES was obviously not the first video game console, it’s hardly a surprise that some of the rarest and most expensive games in the world belong to that beloved console’s legendary library. 

As it becomes increasingly obvious that nostalgia is driving up prices in the suddenly lucrative collectible video games market, it’s also not a surprise that NES games tend to be among the most desirable collectibles in that world. Not only did the NES ignite a generation’s love of gaming, but the unique state of the industry at the time meant that a lot of games (even good ones) were shipped in small quantities, shipped too late, or otherwise faded into obscurity only to be properly recognized years later. It was an environment that led to a lot of legitimately rare games.

Which NES games are the rarest and most valuable of them all, though? Well, a few of the most expensive NES games in the world certainly won’t surprise anyone, but you’ll be shocked by how much people are willing to spend on some games you’ve probably never heard of. 

Before we dive into that, though, here are a few things to consider:

This list primarily focuses on genuinely rare titles rather than pristine versions of common titles that are prized solely for their condition. 

There are many NES games that sell for the same basic prices, so consider this a sampling of the most desirable and rare NES games on the market in various price ranges. 

The two numbers next to each game represent their “loose” price (meaning “cartridge only” in pretty much any condition) and the highest price they currently sell for if they are in pristine condition.

15. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters – $200 to $1,500

The SNES version of this game was fairly popular on the rental circuit, but did you know that there is an NES version of this licensed fighter that’s incredibly rare due largely to the fact that so few people bought it?

TMNT Tournament Fighters was not only Konami’s last NES game but one of the few “proper” 2D fighting games released for the NES. Unfortunately, its incredibly late 1994 release date (it was also released nearly 6 months after the SNES version’s debut) pretty much guaranteed that most NES gamers had moved on by the time this surprisingly good game dropped.

14. Mighty Final Fight – $250 to $2,000

Not only was there a Final Fight game released for the NES, but this rather strange little experiment includes some features not seen in most other Final Fight titles (including an experience point system). It’s actually closer to River City Ransom than Final Fight in a lot of ways.

Unfortunately, this game’s late release date, weak marketing push, and the simple fact that there are honestly better games in this genre readily available for the NES means that not many people bought Mighty Final Fight the first time around. Fortunately for collectors, that also means this franchise curiosity has only gone up in value.

13. Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 – $300 to $1,300

This game is rare and certainly valuable (even if its recent digital re-release has driven down the price somewhat), but the thing that really stands about this one is its inexplicably late release date.

Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers 2 wasn’t released until December 1993 in Japan and 1994 in the U.S. and Europe. That’s three years after the release of the SNES and up to four years since the release of the previous game. In the case of the sequel’s Western releases, that’s also the same year that the Sony PlayStation was released. This game is actually quite good, but suffice to say, a lot of NES owners didn’t have this on their radars at that time.

12. Zombie Nation – $600 to $1,500

If you’re anything like me, you might vaguely remember hearing about this game in Nintendo Power but probably didn’t know anyone who owned it. Of course, we now know that’s because this game was incredibly rare even at the time of its release.

While it’s not clear how many copies of this title were initially distributed, bad sales (which were likely the result of mixed critical reception and the fact that this game is incredibly weird) combined with a late release date and somewhat weak word of mouth mean that the relatively few copies of the game that did make it out into the world now cost a shocking amount of money.

11. Power Blade 2 – $700 to $4,000

While the original Power Blade is a respectable enough Mega Man rip-off that you could certainly call underrated, it wasn’t exactly a best-seller that became a staple of NES collections everywhere. It was always somewhat strange, then, that Taito decided to make a sequel to the game in the first place and release it during the NES’ dying days.

Power Blade 2 has always been a collector’s favorite due to its initial rarity, but recent years have seen the game shoot up in price due both to the growing popularity of rare NES games and how hard it is to find a pristine copy of this one in its original box.

10. Bonk’s Adventure – $800 to $3,000

Bonk’s Adventure is a beloved TurboGrafx-16 game (if such a thing actually exists), but did you know that the platformer was also ported to the NES? 

Well, apparently no one else did, which is certainly a big part of the reason why this one ended up being a consistently high-value game among collectors. To be fair, this game also isn’t nearly as good on the NES as it was on the TurboGrafx, and the NES obviously featured some considerable competition in the platforming genre. Still, we bet you wish you had purchased this one back in the day.

9. Panic Restaurant – $800 to $6,000

Panic Restaurant is actually little more than a passable Kirby-esque NES platformer that most people probably haven’t devoted a thought to in their entire lives. However, this happens to be one of the most consistently valuable NES titles among collectors. 

Panic Restaurant is a great example of the “perfect storm” effect we sometimes see with collectible games. As a pretty obscure title released near the end of the NES’ lifespan, it’s a legitimately rare game that few people ever owned in the first place. As for why this particular game became so valuable years later…well, it might have something to do with its campy box art and generally weird vibes.

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8. The Flinstones: The Surprise at Dinosaur Peak – $1,000 to $10,000

Legend has it that this game is so valuable because it was only available to rent at select Blockbuster locations, but that claim has been disputed over the years by reports that suggest it was actually readily available in retail stores. Those same reports suggest that its rarity can instead be attributed to the fact that few people bothered to buy it.

The point is that it was very hard to find this game when it was first released, which means that graded sealed copies of Surprise at Dinosaur Peak now sometimes sell for nearly $10,000. The fact it’s a licensed game released late in the NES’ run has only made it more valuable.

7. Bubble Bath Babes – $1,400 to $5,000

There was actually a surprising number of “adult” games released for the NES over the course of the console’s lifespan, but Bubble Bath Babes has distinguished itself over the years as seemingly the most valuable collectible in that particular category.

So far as that goes, nothing really seems to separate Bubble Bath Babes from that pack (at least in terms of rarity) aside from, perhaps, the fact that its Tetris-like gameplay isn’t actually that bad. This title was even re-released with all of the “erotic” elements removed, though that version of the game is obviously not as rare or popular. 

6. Cheetahmen II – $1,500 to $11,000

To make a long story short, the original Cheetahmen was the featured game in the Action 52 collection (a special collection of 52 terrible NES games). While Action 52 is certainly one of the more notable rare NES titles on the market, Cheetahmen II is on another level so far as value goes. 

In fact, many gamers once believed that this unofficial NES game was never actually manufactured. However, in 1996, 1500 prototype cartridges were discovered in a warehouse in Florida (go figure). While numerous fake copies have been created since then, securing an “original” copy of this truly terrible game is going to set you back.

5. Little Samson – $2,000 to $17,000

These days, Little Samson is sometimes referred to as one of the NES’ most underrated action-platforming games, but in 1992, a combination of terrible marketing and bad timing all but ensured that this game was destined to fall into obscurity. 

That’s what’s so interesting about this game, though. Not only is it a legitimately rare title from a pure numbers perspective, but it’s also a pretty good game that’s legacy has only grown in the years since its release. The price for even “loose” versions of this game keeps going up, so it really seems like this one isn’t going to lose a lot of its value anytime in the near future.

4. Nintendo Campus Challenge 1991 – $20,000 to $30,000

In 1991, Nintendo held a special competition across 60 college campuses to see which students were the best at a series of special minigame challenges based on popular NES titles. For the purposes of the competition, those minigames were ported to special NES cartridges that were never made available to the public via any other official means.

In terms of pure rarity goes, it’s hard to beat that Nintendo Campus Challenge cartridge. Only one original copy of the game is believed to still exist, and it sold for $20,100 in 2009. The price of that cartridge has almost certainly gone up considerably since then, but nobody is sure how much it would fetch on the modern market.

3. Stadium Events – $10,000 to $100,000+

In late 1986, publisher Bandai released Stadium Events as the marquee game for their Family Fun Fitness workout accessory. Sensing an opportunity in the emerging fitness game market, Nintendo bought the rights to that title, re-branded it as World Class Track Meet, and used that game to promote their own Nintendo Power Pad hardware accessory.

That’s roughly how the legend of Stadium Events was born. A loose copy of the original game released before the re-branding will cost you about $10,000, but boxed copies of this incredibly rare game sometimes go for over $100,000. Of course, nobody is entirely sure how many real copies of this game (boxed or not) even still exist.

2. Nintendo World Championship Gold – $100,000+

In 1990, Nintendo held a special video game competition designed to find the best NES gamers in the world (or at least the United States). The event’s 90 finalists received a custom grey NES cartridge that contained the modified versions of the games used for the competition. While those cartridges are extremely rare, they are nothing compared to the 26 gold Nintendo World Championship cartridges that were given out as part of a Nintendo Power competition held at that time.

Those gold cartridges are considered to be the holy grail of collectible video games. While there was a time when you may have been able to get one for a “measly” $20,000, recent years have seen the price for one of these cartridges skyrocket to over $100,000. Honestly, even that might seem like a bargain in the next few years if any of the current owners decide to part with their copies. 

1. Super Mario Bros. (Test Launch Version) – $100,000+

While this list mostly focuses on rare games and not mint conditions of otherwise readily available games, the unique circumstances surrounding this particular collectible are too incredible to not mention. 

See, back when the video game market was still considered to be a commercial wasteland, Nintendo decided to host “test launch” events for the NES in New York and Los Angeles. Basically, they wanted to see how the console would perform in those markets before expanding their release strategy. For those events, they manufactured a few thousand “special copies” of Super Mario Bros. What made them so special? Well, they were sealed with a sticker rather than plastic shrink wrap. Seriously…that’s pretty much it.

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As it turns out, that sticker is a pretty big deal among collectors. The only known still-sealed copy of the “test launch” version of Super Mario Bros. sold for $140,000 in 2019, and some suspect the game could go for close to $1,000,000 if it was sold on the current market. 

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