#i have been drawing stinger a lot lately

[gdwessel]

NOAH Dream On 2022 Results, Upheaval Backstage as NOSAWA Fired; Dragon Gate Dead Or Alive 2022 - 5/5/2022; AJPW Champion Carnival 2022 Final - 5/4/2022; STARDOM, TJPW, BJW Results

Pro Wrestling NOAH

A lot of wild crap has gone on in the last 48 hours regarding Pro Wrestling NOAH, and, well, here’s where I am going to try to make sense of it all.

It started with an announcement that California-based indie Pro Wrestling Revolution, in association with the lucha-themed media company Masked Republic, helped secure a P-3 group visa for wrestlers both from NOAH and Dragon Gate. According to PWR’s Gabriel Ramirez:

“We’re combining these Japanese promotions’ storied athleticism and fighting spirit with the high-flying spectacle of the Pro Wrestling Revolution roster. California pro wrestling fans have a lot to look forward to in 2022.”

It would appear there are designs for wrestlers from both companies to start trickling in at PWR’s next show in July, into King Of The Indies in November, and possibly an event or two during WrestleMania Weekend in California next year, with both NOAH and DG able to hold shows there.

Ironic that it is these two promotions, as earlier today, it was revealed (primarily through a paywalled article at Voices of Wrestling), at DG’s Dead Or Alive 2022 event (see below) that Perros del Mal de Japon stable leader, and head booker of NOAH, NOSAWA Rongai had been fired from the company, with Kendo Kashin now acting as head booker. Apparently this came from higher-ups at CyberAgent (owners of both NOAH and DDT), unhappy with the amount of money being spent on indie talents. There was also talk of native roster members being very unhappy, and some talk that Rongai was a “puppet” of Keiji Muto. Which makes sense given the preponderance of late for wrestlers over 50-years of age winning major titles in NOAH.

YO-HEY is also gone, after turning down a new deal with NOAH, and it seems that the entire Perros del Mal de Japon stable is no longer in NOAH, meaning Super Crazy & Texano Jr. either won’t get their junior tag title shot, or that will be their final appearance. It could explain why Eita was so quick to drop the GHC junior title last weekend too. Eita still has DG to call home, and if the results at Dead Or Alive today are any indication, the rest of the Perros may be there for a while too.

Kendo Kashin as booker is laughable, as he is as much, if not more, a carny than NOSAWA Rongai. Keiji Muto being GHC Champion, while some absolutely wild shit, was still a draw for the company; Kazuyuki Fujita, on the other hand, was not, and ended in the most Kazuyuki Fujita way possible. Regardless, this news makes the results from the last two days interesting, as it gives indications as to which indie wrestlers NOAH values, and which they don’t. The answers may surprise (and sicken) you!

Dream On 2022

- 5/4/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (ABEMA)

Simon Gotch [FREE] d. Kinya Okada (Old Dead, 4:58)

NOSAWA Rongai, Texano Jr. & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon] d. Alejandro, Kai Fujimura & Yasutaka Yano (Texano > Fujimura, Road To Texas, 4:29)

Kenoh & Masakatsu Funaki [Kongo] d. Kendo Kashin [Sugiura-gun] & Slex (Kenoh > Slex, FFS, 11:05)

Dragon Bane [IWRG], Alpha Wolf [IWRG] & Extreme Tiger [FREE] d. Tadasuke, Hajime Ohara & Hi69 [Kongo] (Wolf > Hi69, Night Wolf, 10:34)

Masa Kitamiya & Michael Elgin d. Katsuhiko Nakajima & Manabu Soya [Kongo] (Elgin > Nakajima, Elgin Bomb, 9:12)

HAYATA, Yoshinari Ogawa, Chris Ridgeway, Seiki Yoshioka & Yuya Susumu [STINGER] d. Daisuke Harada, Atsushi Kotoge, YO-HEY, Hao & Junta Miyawaki (Yoshioka > YO-HEY, Buzzsaw Kick, 13:19)

Kaito Kiyomiya d. Ninja Mack [GCW] (Tiger Suplex Hold, 9:49)

Satoshi Kojima, Naomichi Marufuji [M’s Alliance] & Masato Tanaka [M’s Alliance] d. Go Shiozaki, Daiki Inaba & Yoshiki Inamura (Kojima > Shiozaki, lariat, 14:16)

GHC Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Rene Dupree [FREE] & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. [FREE] d. Takashi Sugiura & Hideki Suzuki [Sugiura-gun] © (Wagner > Sugiura, Moonsault Press, 18:32) - Sugiura/Suzuki fail their 2nd defense - Les Mexicanas are the 59th champions

Sugiura-gun lose their tag titles mere days after retaining against Kongo. Kojima gets a direct win over Shiozaki heading into their GHC title match. Yoshioka & Susumu asserted themselves as the next challengers to their STINGER mates Ogawa & Ridgeway’s junior tag titles. Elgin pinning Nakajima… yuck.

- 5/5/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (Wrestle Universe)

Slex d. Kinya Okada (Business Bomb, 6:32)

Texano Jr. & Super Crazy [Perros del Mal de Japon] d. Atsushi Kotoge & Hao (Texano > Hao, Road To Texas, 9:31)

Katsuhiko Nakajima & Hi69 [Kongo] d. King Tany & Muhammad Yone [Funky Express] (Nakajima > Tany, Vertical Spike, 8:57)

Dragon Bane [IWRG], Alpha Wolf [IWRG], Extreme Tiger [FREE] & Alejandro d. HAYATA [STINGER], Seiki Yoshioka [STINGER], Yuya Susumu [STINGER] & Kai Fujimura (Bane > Fujimura, Alas de Quebradora, 9:27)

Naomichi Marufuji [M’s Alliance], YO-HEY & Ninja Mack [GCW] d. Kenoh, Tadasuke & Hajime Ohara [Kongo] (Mack > Tadasuke, Ninja Bomb, 12:47)

Michael Elgin d. Manabu Soya [Kongo] (Elgin Bomb, 8:53)

Simon Gotch [FREE], Yoshinari Ogawa [STINGER] & Chris Ridgeway [STINGER] d. Kaito Kiyomiya, Daisuke Harada & Junta Miyawaki (Ridgeway > Miyawaki, Package German Suplex Hold, 19:19)

Satoshi Kojima d. Yoshiki Inamura (Lariat, 8:21)

Go Shiozaki, Masato Tanaka [M’s Alliance], Masa Kitamiya & Daiki Inaba d. Takashi Sugiura [Sugiura-gun], Hideki Suzuki [Sugiura-gun], Rene Dupree [FREE] & Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. [FREE] (Kitamiya > Wagner, Kangokugatame, 20:39)

Kitamiya and Elgin challenged Les Mexicanas for their tag titles. You can see who NOAH is valuing at the present moment. Kojima praised Inamura post-match, saying he has a strong future. Ninja Mack announced he has signed an exclusive contract (in Japan, I assume?) with NOAH, and will return in July. King Tany has quit Funky Express, meaning, I guess, Funky Express is over, and wants to go back to being Maybach/Shohei Taniguchi. That’s a bummer, Funky Express were one of the best things about NOAH.

The next show was supposed to be on Saturday in Fukushima, however due to an earthquake that affected Fukushima earlier today, that show is no longer happening. Perhaps for the best after all the upheaval in NOAH at the present moment, they can take some time to find their footing. An N Innovation show is listed for Yokohama Radiant Hall on 5/14/2022 as the next show.

Since Dragon Gate has come up quite a bit here, maybe we should do them next.

Dragon Gate

The Gate of Passion 2022 tour concluded, and went right into Dead Or Alive 2022. You can see both these shows on DG Network.

The Gate of Passion 2022 Night 19 - 5/4/2022, Kyoto KBS Hall (DG Network)

YAMATO, Dragon Kid & Keisuke Okuda [HIGH-END] d. Kzy, U-T & Jacky “Funky” Kamei [Natural Vibes] (YAMATO > U-T, pinfall, 9:57)

Ben-K [HIGH-END} & Takuma Fujiwara d. Don Fujii & Ishin Iihashi (Ben-K > Ishin, Spear, 11:14)

Kota Minoura, Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida [Gold Class] d. Masaaki Mochizuki, Takashi Yoshida & Punch Tominaga (Minoura > Tominaga, R-301, 12:13)

Eita [Perros del Mal de Japon] d. Minorita [Gold Class] (Tombstone Piledriver, 1:45)

Exhibition Match: Jacky “Funky” Kamei TLD Madoka Kikuta (3:00)

BxB Hulk & HYO [Z-Brats] d. Genki Horiguchi & Jason Lee [Natural Vibes] (HYO > Horiguchi, Diving Senton, 9:32)

Susumu Yokosuka [Natural Vibes], Dragon Dia [D’Courage] & Yuki Yoshioka [D’Courage] d. KAI, Shun Skywalker & Diamante (Yokosuka > KAI, Aikata, 13:34)

Yokosuka gets another direct win over KAI heading into their Dream Gate title match. Good thing this is never an omen for the actual title match, eh? Madoka Kikuta wrestles a special exhibition match with his partner at Dead Or Alive 2022, which we will get into…. Right now!

Dead Or Alive 2022 - 5/5/2022, Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium (DG Network)

Open The Twin Gate Championship: Shun Skywalker & Diamante [Z-Brats] d. Dragon Dia & Yuki Yoshioka [D’Courage] © (Skywalker > Dia, Cielo Finale, 14:01) - D’Courage fail their 4th defense - Sky Diamonds are the 57th champions

4-Way Match: Mondai Ryu d. Shachihoko Machine, Konomama Ichikawa and Yosuke Santa Maria (Ryu > Ichikawa, Reverse Figure-4 Leglock, 2:55)

Masaaki Mochizuki, Don Fujii, Yasushi Kanda & Takashi Yoshida d. Strong Machine J, La Estrella, Ishin Iihashi & Takuma Fujiwara (Yoshida > Ishin, Pineapple Bomber, 8:42)

BxB Hulk & HYO [Z-Brats] d. Madoka Kikuta & Jacky “Funky” Kamei [Natural Vibes] (Hulk > Kikuta, First Flash, 7:05)

Ben-K, Keisuke Okuda & Kagetora [HIGH-END] d. Genki Horiguchi [Natural Vibes], Punch Tominaga & Jason Lee [Natural Vibes] (OKuda > Tominaga, Sleeper Hold, 6:38)

Ryukyu Dragon Pro Wrestling Twin Ryuo Championship: Kzy & U-T [Natural Vibes] © d. YAMATO & Dragon Kid [HIGH-END] (U-T > Kid, Hikari no Wa, 11:10) - Kzy/U-T succeed their 2nd defense

Open The Brave Gate Championship: Dragon Dia [D’Courage] © d. SB KENTo [Z-Brats] (Double Cork, 16:12) - Dia succeeds his 2nd defense

Open The Triangle Gate Championship: Eita, NOSAWA Rongai & Kotaro Suzuki [Perros del Mal de Japon] d. Kota Minoura, Naruki Doi & Kaito Ishida [Gold Class] © (Rongai > Doi, La Magistral, 13:15) - Gold Class fail their 1st defense - Perros del Mal de Japon are the 78th champions

Open The Dream Gate Championship: KAI [Z-Brats] © d. Susumu Yokosuka [Natural Vibes] (Meteo Impact KAI, 24:53) - KAI succeeds his 3rd defense

Man. This is not a good day for stables who sing, dance and enjoy themselves. Susumu Yokosuka loses his challenge for the Dream Gate, letting down K-ness’s final wish for him. He must now go back to his given name, Susumu Mochizuki, and also depart from Natural Vibes. With that, Genki Horiguchi also announced he will leave the Vibes. It makes sense – Genki and Susumu have been partners, a lot, in several units (Jimmyz, Toryumon Generation, and Natural Vibes, and that’s just recently, off the top of my head) and indeed were co-founders with Kzy. Good thing Jason Lee just joined, eh?

Lucky for NOSAWA Rongai, the day it was announced he was fired from NOAH, he and the Perros gain the Open The Triangle Gate titles, handing the Gold Class trio their first loss since formation. D’Courage also get their first loss as a unit, giving the Twin Gate titles to Sky Diamonds; that said, Dragon Dia DID retain the Brave Gate title. I would have thought the opposite would be true. But I also don’t think D’Courage will be out of the Twin Gate scene any time soon either.

Madoka Kikuta did not join Z-Brats (tonight, anyway), and also got his ass handed to him on his return. Youch. After all that.

Konomama Ichikawa filled in for Punch Tominaga in the second match. Shachihoko Boy became Shachihoko Machine, with his mask altered to be like Super / Strong Machine / J. Takashi Yoshida filled in for Shuji Kondo in the third match.

DG run shows on Saturday and Sunday, before the King Of Gate 2022 tournament begins on 5/11/2022.

All Japan Pro Wrestling

The Champion Carnival 2022 Finals took place yesterday, with the winner of this year’s tournament determined.

Champion Carnival 2022 Final - 5/4/2022, Tokyo Korakuen Hall (AJPW.tv)

TAJIRI & Kuma Arashi [TOTAL ECLIPSE] d. Takao Omori & Ryo Inoue (Arashi > Inoue, Flying Body Attack, 6:34)

Hokuto Omori & Yusuke Kodama [TOTAL ECLIPSE] d. Izanagi & Black Menso-re (Hokuto > Izanagi, Muso-Issen, 7:51)

Hikaru Sato [Evolution] d. Rising HAYATO [NEXTREAM] (Ground Cobra Twist, 7:07)

Ryuki Honda [TOTAL ECLIPSE] d. Yoshitatsu (Pinfall, 4:52)

Shigehiro Irie, T-Hawk [#STRONGHEARTS] & Issei Onitsuka [#STRONGHEARTS] d. Kento Miyahara [NEXTREAM], Atsuki Aoyagi [NEXTREAM] & Takuya Nomura [BJW] (T-Hawk > Atsuki, Night Ride, 10:59)

Shuji Ishikawa, Kohei Sato & Ren Ayabe [JTO] d. Suwama, Shotaro Ashino & Dan Tamura [Evolution] (Ishikawa > Ashino, Fire Thunder Driver, 10:28)

Champion Carnival 2022 Final: Yuma Aoyagi [NEXTREAM] d. Jake Lee [TOTAL ECLIPSE] (The Fool, 30:24) - Yuma Aoyagi wins Champion Carnival 2022

Yuma Aoyagi is now the youngest person to ever win Champion Carnival, at the age of 26. Now he looks to challenge his stablemate Kento Miyahara for the Triple Crown at the second night of their stand in Sapporo on 5/15/2022; if he does, he will also become the youngest to ever hold the Triple Crown, beating Kento by 5 months.

Shuji Ishikawa gets a direct win over Runaway SUPLEX heading into their tag title match on 5/14/2022 in Sapporo.

During intermission, a match for the upcoming Jumbo Tsuruta tribute show was announced, with Shingo Takagi’s mystery partner against Yuma & Atsuki Aoyagi announced as being T-Hawk of GLEAT/#STRONGHEARTS, making this is little reunion of the VerserK stable from Dragon Gate. Funny how DG keeps coming up in conversation here today.

The next show is 5/14/2022 from Sapporo which will have multiple title matches.

STARDOM

The Golden Week Fight Tour continued, with shows yesterday and today. Today featured quite a bit as well.

Golden Week Fight Tour 2022 - 5/4/2022, Kumamoto City Distribution Information Center

Rina [Oedo Tai] d. Hina [Queen’s Quest] (Pink Devil, 7:05)

Natsupoi & Thekla [Donna del Mondo] d. Hanan & Momo Kohgo [STARS] (Natsupoi > Kohgo, Fairing, 8:48)

Giulia, Maika, Himeka & Mai Sakurai [Donna del Mondo] d. Tam Nakano, Mina Shirakawa, Unagi Sayaka & Waka Tsukiyama [Cosmic Angels] (Giulia > Tsukiyama, Stealth Viper, 12:36)

Mayu Iwatani, Saya Iida, Koguma & Hazuki [STARS] TLD Saki Kashima, Ruaka, Starlight Kid & Momo Watanabe [Oedo Tai] (15:00)

Syuri, MIRAI, Ami Sorei & Konami [God’s Eye] d. AZM, Utami Hayashishita, Saya Kamitani & Lady C [Queen’s Quest] (Sorei > C, Brainbuster, 17:46)

- 5/5/2022, Fukuoka International Center

Hina [Queen’s Quest] d. Waka Tsukiyama [Cosmic Angels] (Modified Bodybuster, 6:25)

Saya Iida, Hanan & Momo Kohgo [STARS] d. Saki Kashima, Rina & Ruaka [Oedo Tai] (Hanan > Rina, pinfall, 8:43)

Tam Nakano, Unagi Sayaka & Mina Shirakawa [Cosmic Angels] d. Utami Hayashishita, AZM & Lady C [Queen’s Quest] (Sayaka > C, Jomon Toppa, 10:03)

SWA World Championship: Mayu Iwatani [STARS] d. Thekla [Donna del Mondo] © (Moonsault Press, 17:29) - Thekla fails her 3rd defense - Iwatani is the 9th champion

Elimination Match: Syuri, MIRAI, Ami Sorei & Konami [God’s Eye] d. Giulia, Himeka, Natsupoi & Mai Sakurai [Donna del Mondo] Order of Eliminations: - Sakurai > Sorei, OTTR, 10:14 - Konami > Natsupoi, Final Lancer, 13:33 - Syuri <> Himeka, OTTR, 16:56 - Konami <> Giulia, OTTR, 20:42 - MIRAI > Sakurai, Miramare, 26:32

Goddess of Stardom Championship: Hazuki & Koguma [STARS] d. Starlight Kid & Momo Watanabe [Oedo Tai] © (Hazuki > Watanabe, Hazukistal, 22:19) - Black Desire fail their 2nd defense - Hazuki/Koguma are the 34th champions

Wonder of Stardom Championship: Saya Kamitani [Queen’s Quest] © d. Maika [Donna del Mondo] (Phoenix Splash, 24:58) - Kamitani succeeds her 5th defense

MIRAI challenged Kamitani post-main. Boy she is making all the challenges now.

The tour continues into the weekend.

Tokyo Joshi

Tokyo Joshi were in Osaka today, with a special show.

TJPW Go Go Do It - 5/5/2022, Osaka EDION Arena Subarena (Wrestle Universe)

Yuki Aino d. Haruna Neko (Venus DDT, 6:51)

Osaka Ultra Quiz Match: Hyper Misao d. Kaya Toribami 2-1 (10:24)

Hikari Noa & Nao Kakuta d. Raku & Pom Harajuku (Kakuta > Harajuku, Shidenkai, 8:40)

Yuna Manase d. Mahiro Kiryu (Lariat, 7:02)

Saki Akai & Yuki Kamifuku d. Miyu Yamashita & Miu Watanabe (Kamifuku > Watanabe, Famouser, 16:17)

Osaka Special 8-Woman Best 2 Out Of 3 Falls Match: Shoko Nakajima, Mizuki, Maki Itoh & Rika Tatsumi d. Yuki Arai, Suzume, Moka Miyamoto & Arisu Endo - Tatsumi > Endo, Dragon Sleeper, 16:01 - Nakajima > Arai, Diving Senton, 13:48

Rika Tatsumi fills in for Yuka Sakazaki in this match. Sakazaki is taking on / took on Riho in the final women’s qualifier for AEW’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, which will air Friday night on AEW Rampage. DDT’s Konosuke Takeshita will take on Jay Lethal on that show too.

DDT return to action tomorrow at Tokyo Shinjuku FACE.

Other News

Big Japan held a big show in Yokohama today that had four title matches. Yuji Okabayashi remains the World Strong champion after defeating his Strong BJ partner Daisuke Sekimoto for his 2nd defense. Drew Parker is once again the Deathmatch Heavyweight Champion, defeating Yuko Miyamoto for that title. Astronauts, the team of Takuya Nomura & Fuminori Abe, are the new tag champions, defeating Okami (Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani), wth Abe getting Daichi with an Onryo Clutch. Kota Sekifuda succeeded his seventh defense of the junior title, beating Kosuke Sato, and challenging anyone from any promotion to come for his title.

Tickets went on pre-sale for NJPW X AEW Forbidden Door. I got my tickets. Hope you are able to get yours!

There has been a lot going on the last two days. In fact, too much. I can’t get into everything. It’s Golden Week. There’s a lot.

See you on Sunday.

#Pro Wrestling NOAH #noah_ghc #nosawa rongai #Satoshi Kojima #cyberagent #ninja mack #dragon gate #kai #susumu yokosuka #genki horiguchi #madoka kikuta #dragon dia #shun skywalker #eita #perros del mal de japon #all japan pro wrestling #AJPW #champion carnival #yuma aoyagi #Shingo Takagi #t-hawk #stardom #Mayu Iwatani #saya kamitani #World Wonder Ring Stardom #tokyo joshi pro #tjpw #yuka sakazaki #riho #konosuke takeshita

[penciltopbear]

I really like this one :)

#my art #marvel #cassie lang #stinger #stinger marvel #yes my backgrounds are still bad. but they are improving i think. #i have been drawing stinger a lot lately #is it because i think cassie is cute? yes. #ms lang please take my number #also her design is so fun :) #i used the design from the 2020 ant man run because its better than the original #man my art has been getting better #this pose isnt super dynamic but it is miles better than usual #anyway! tag rant over reblog my art

[arctimon]

The Beta Team That Never Was - Fanfiction Corner (BH6 Edition)

So all of this Peni Parker comic talk actually got me thinking about the process of her being included in my fanfiction.

I wish I could tell you it was a long and arduous process, but...

OK, maybe some of it was hard.  But when you have a virtually endless supply of Marvel characters that you can use for possible teammates for Big Hero 6, you have to go with your gut.

We all know that the team will be Robbie, Aspen, Peni, Doreen (eventually), and Kate.  But there were six other candidates that could have been in the mix as well.

And five of them have their emblems here:

These were made before I actually knew how to make hero emblems properly.

Some of them you might recognize.  Some you may not.  But we’re going to go through them all, from left to right.

And to start...it’s really hard to draw tiny hearts.

1.) Riri Williams/Ironheart - Ironically enough, it was around the time that Hiro started chasing Sirque around the town in “Portal Enemy” that I started brainstorming her.  A teenage genius, stuck as to what to make, sees “Captain Cutie” and the chase on the news and gets brainstorming.

Thus, the Power Armor is born.

And she gets so excited that she bolts off to San Fransokyo to show her idol what she’s created.

And then, as per the Big Hero 6 Fanfiction Clause states...shenanigans ensue.

It was an interesting possibility, but the thought of Ironheart was really late into me doing the backstories of the people that I had chosen, so she was pushed aside.  I don’t personally see me revisiting her in the future, but who knows?

2.) Nadia Van Dyne/The Wasp - Back when Karmi had first been pulled out of SFIT, there was a young woman who wanted to recruit her into a special organization.  It was one that brought together the greatest female minds in their fields, and Karmi was on said recruitment list.

The organization?

Genius In action Research Labs, or G.I.R.L. for short.  And it was led by the Wasp’s daughter, Nadia Pym (later changed to Nadia Van Dyne).

Plot-wise, this was probably the person that I got the farthest with, since the story would’ve been more of a focus on Karmi than anyone else.  Also, the idea of writing someone with Bipolar Disorder (which Nadia was confirmed to have in her latest solo run) was intriguing if nothing else.

Unfortunately, it sort of dried up from there.  A lack of a central conflict, uncertainty as to how many of the other girls (Taina, Priya, Shay, and Ying) to have, and how to handle her actual powers stopped it cold.

But seriously, how do you write in the ability to shrink to microscopic size?  That’s not really a thing, even in a world as futuristic as San Fransokyo.

3.) America Chavez/Ms. America - The mere idea of a Superman-esque Latina teenager was enticing, especially because America, in her relatively short comic history, was with the Ultimates and the West Coast Avengers (meaning there was a possible Kate/Hawkeye angle).  Making start-shaped portals was the Silent Sparrow angle, and the all-around badass, headstrong attitude would be the counter to Honey Lemon’s more nurturing personality.

But being from an alternate universe (which has very recently been retconned in the comics in part because she will be appearing in the MCU and Doctor Strange 2), no real villain to play off of, and becoming possibly way too overpowered for the BH6 universe, she was scrapped.

It’s quite a shame.  I really like her in the comics that she’s in.  Perhaps there will be an opportunity for her somewhere down the line...

4.) Alison Blaire/Dazzler - A pop star with light-based powers?

Or better yet, a struggling artist with acoustikinesis?

Her power to convert sound into light was what originally drew me to her.  Something that could be made into a technological ability, unique enough to put a (pardon the pun) spotlight on it.

An actual blonde instead of whatever HL’s hair color is.

Heck, she even has a half-sister named Lois that could have been the antagonist (death tough, destruction waves, and the like).

But she quickly got lost in the fold.  Better ideas (like Kate and Doreen) got more of my brainstorming, and she was eventually given up on.

But funnily enough...

It’s almost like she’s already in the show.

(See, for the people who may be new, one of the many Marvel theories that I’ve touched upon is that High Voltage is actually this universe’s version of Dazzler.  Juniper is Alison and Barb is...well...Barbara London, Alison’s mom).

Hey, @baymaksu​ totally agrees with me kinda sort of.

5.) Cindy Moon/Silk - I knew right from the get-go that I wanted a Spider-person on the beta team.  I also knew that I didn’t want Peter.

No offense to Peter Parker.  He’s fine.  But there’s a billion other Spiders out there, and I wanted someone out of the normal vein of Peter, as well as even Miles and Gwen.

And in came Cindy.

Locked away in The Bunker because of her spider powers manifesting, she was eventually released by Peter and thus began her entrance into the main Marvel world.

Her “unique ability” is her improved Spider-Sense, which Peter has said is even better than his own.  That, plus her other powers, brought her the closest out of anyone to being a member of the Big Hero 6 Beta Team.

As we all know, however, Peni ended up getting the spot over Cindy (for the family angle with Hiro and the giant robot that she pilots).  On the other hand, Cindy would later make her debut in the stinger of the last chapter of Along Came The S.P.I.D.E.R., along with Miles, Anya, and Joey.

Unlike Riri, Nadia, America, and Alison, Cindy and the rest of Peni’s little Spider Society are going to be showing up in future stories.  And if I can get everything in order, they will be starring in their own story set in the Big Hero 6 universe.

Finally, I have no emblem for them, but the honorable mention goes to...

6.) Lunella Lafayette/Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur - Yes, there was a point in time where I was seriously considering putting a nine-year-old super genius and a giant red T-rex into my stories.

Ignoring the giant...”red flag” here, the reason why Luna never made it is the same reason why I haven’t put Rishi in anything yet.  It’s because I don’t really know what to do with supergeniuses that young.  Hiro is at least a teenager and thus has teenager-y problems to fall back on (like puberty and Karmi and all that jazz), but a nine-year-old?  That’s a little too extreme for me.

When I was nine, I was busy playing with sticks in my backyard with my brother, not solving unsolvable puzzles from Bruce Banner.

...All that, and the giant dinosaur.

But hey, at least Disney is jumping on the MG/DD train.  That’s good to see.

Crossover potential, perhaps?

P.S. - As I was finishing putting this post together, it occurred to me that I may get this possible question in the comments, so I’m going to head it off at the pass.

“You know that all of your possible superheroes are girls, right?”

First of all...sexist.

Second of all...true.

That was about 90% on accident.  The actual team (Robbie, Aspen, Peni, Doreen, and Kate) has only one guy on it (two if you count Eli, three if you count Tippy-Toe).

I don’t really have a good explanation for that.  I like all superheroes, but I think that the girl and woman superheroes need some spotlight, you know?  I could have pulled people like Namor or Miles or the male Hawkeye into the mix, but to be honest, I find the characters I chose more interesting than a lot of the guy characters I was contemplating.

Of course, nothing is stopping any of you from using those characters in your stories.  Be my guest, not that you really need my permission or anything.

But you can’t take Aspen.  Aspen is mine. (Spoiler: Aspen is not mine.)

#big hero 6 #big hero 6 the series #big hero 6 fanfiction #marvel comics #hiro hamada #ironheart #riri williams #fredzilla #unstoppable wasp #nadia van dyne #honey lemon #america chavez #alison blaire #dazzler #silk #cindy moon #peni parker #aspen matthews #fathom #moon girl and devil dinosaur

[ignoredtransartist]

So, a couple weeks ago I said that I had started to draw Qibli as a zombie, but the app sucked and deleted by progress, so I lost motivation. Well, when I saw Popcross Studios' zombie Sunny, I got motivation again.

Here's the comparison of my old, unfinished version and the new one I just finished~ Blood/Gore trigger warning

Let me tell you, I was tickled by how much I've improved.

Old picture, August last year

New one! Base and zombified versions

Details and ideas

First time doing a lot of blood, plus experimenting with shadows.

I tried to make it look like smoke was coming off of his back, like he had been briefly set on fire.

Bruised skin and scales.

Then there's multiple stab wounds from sandwing stingers, with black poison mixed with blood.

Tearing on the neck, mouth, ear, and wings. One of his wings is completely mangled, so he wouldn't be able to fly even if zombie dragons still know how to.

I tried to draw his intestines through the rip in his stomach, plus the tendons, bones and muscles in the thick of his tail and the arm and tips of his wings.

He's missing a finger,and there are chunks taken out of his bicep and thigh. Smaller cuts on his forhead and nicks in his lips.

I tried to give him a Resident Evil-esque pupil; almost looks like he's blind, but he can actually still see very well.

The "sails" on his head and back are shredded.

There's a small bite mark on his tail, from where he was bitten by an infected dragonet after trying to help them (before he realized it was too late).

I imagine that he got the tear on his mouth after he grabbed someone and they tried to keep him from biting them by pushing his head away, but they just ended up tearing through his cheek with their claw as he forced against it and bit them anyway.

The background (in the original) was suppost to be the arena in the Stronghold, and while I can't remember most of the base I came up with (if I even had one), basically it shows how he's absolutely lost his mind, attacking and killing the dragons he used to care about. I just decided to keep the idea, since I was more interested in the character than the background.

I also imagine that there's still a hint of what the dragon's personality/intelligence was,even after they turn. Example: Qibli is still fast and intelligent, even using tricks like throwing other dragons/zombies/corpses at his "prey" to slow them down and/or distract them. He also is more likely to not attack right away, instead stalking them silently and out of sight, and/or waiting for the other zombies to slow them down (if said "prey" has been able to fight them off/has a weapon, etc).

Also on that note, zombies tend to stick around each other if they had a good relationship before, or try to rip each other apart if they hated each other. Considering the fact that they were in the middle of a war (or just after), zombie brawls aren't an uncommon sight.

In this particular picture/story, JMA never came to be, so Qibli was still in the Sand Queendom.

(I might have another storyline/whatever where Jade Mountain DID come to be and the zombievirus showed up after the fact. In which case, my first idea was that the Jade Group is attacked during their escapade and Qibli and Winter are bit while letting the others get away and they turn together and become hunting buddies... yes I'm zombifying ships, I already know I'm weird. I also made a sketch a couple years ago where Winter was turned first and bit Qibli, who didn't try to stop him.. so, zombie romance.)

Yes, I gave him slightly different colors than canon, but I think it looks better than just *YELLOW*.

(No, I am not particularly following Popcross' storyline, though this one could fit into the same world. I'm just recalling what I already came up with last year, even though story wasn't my main focus then).

Song I listened to to get the vibe: Three Days Grace "Get Out Alive"

#wof #art #wings of fire #qibli wof #Halloween #Zombie #Zombie dragon #Wof zombie au #Wof as zombies #click for better quality #edited in watermark #my art #ignoredtransartist

[keanan1501]

Notable swaps: Dream & Tubbo, Fundy & Ranboo, DreamXD & Micheal

TRIGGER WARNINGS: mentioned child death, attempted child murder, intrusive thoughts

Short synopsis: Tubbo escapes prison and heads to Logsteadshire to deal with Dream once and for all, instead he finds something intresting in Logsteadshire... or should i say someone? Tubbo swings his sword in a lazy arch, a pleased grin on his face as the sword's enchantments hum under his hand "This is perfect" he breathes, turning to face his three companions with a bright smile "You three did wonderfully! Sam, consider your debt repayed" The creeper hybrid huffs, eyeing Tubbo as if the younger male was nothing but dirt beneath his shoes "Whatever, just don't expect me to come running when that cranky hog starts chasing" Tubbo giggles, grabbing Sam's arm and pulling him down, allowing Tubbo to pet Sam like one would pet a dog, the ram hybrid is blissfully ignorant of the creeper hissing in protest "Awe, Sam~ It almost sounds like you care for me~" he coos, and his bright smile transforms into something more sinister "Let Techno come, i escaped his 'unescapeable' prison after all. There's nothing that stupid pig can do that i can't counter"

Sam nods, a short and tight one, before he turns around and takes a few steps away from the group "Also, Tubbo. Keep away from Fundy, or else" Tubbo blinks, tilting his head slightly as Sam walks off, he'd known Fundy had moved in with Sam and Ponk shortly after L'manburg exploded, but for someone like Sam, who had rumors surrounding him about his heartlessness, warming up to the cheeky fox hybrid? That was something he didn't expect, he could feel excitement bubbling inside of him, Fundy was his little spy, and Sam and Ponk were both very powerful people, if his motto wasn't "the higher the risk the better the reward" he would have felt fear, unfortunately for Sam and Ponk, he only sees this as a challenge.

"Tubbo, everything alright?" right, he isn't alone. "I'm fine, just scheming" Tubbo shrugs Purpled's concern off, and smiles at Tommy, who is looking at him like he hung the moon and stars just for the blond, maybe he had, the white streak in Tommy's hair certainly proved he had. A small chuckle escapes his lips as he thought back to his now dead ally, Quackity, the duck hybrid had given him the revive book, allowing him to bring his two favorite toys back to life after their deaths, both now sporting a white streak amongst their usual brown and blond hair, proudly showing off the fact that they belong to him, that they're his toys, and noone else could ever hope to claim them.

Sure, Wilbur would have protested with every inch of his being if he could hear Tubbo now, but Tommy had accepted it, embraced it even, all he has to do is give Wilbur a nudge in the right direction, and his favorite toy will fall back into place, just like he'd done during exile. And Tubbo knows exactly how to give said first nudge, who better to target than Wilbur's best friend, his emotional support, his other half, his Dream?

Tubbo digs inside of his pocket, taking out a slightly dented but otherwise beautiful and functioning compass, the words "your Wilbur" carved into it with so much care, Tubbo could insult Phantommy in a lot of different ways, but he can't help but compliment the late ghost's designing skills and steady hands. Phantommy had given the compass to Dream, giving a similar one to Wilbur, except Wilbur's was labled with "your Dream" during exile, Tubbo wanted to tear Phantommy a new one right then and there, but he knew better. Phantommy wasn't Tommy, of course the silly ghost would think Wilbur belonged to Dream, he simply made a mistake, Wilbur belonged to Tubbo, not to Dream! So when Dream, Schlatt and Ranboo were attacked by a horde of creepers Tubbo swooped in and stole the compass, giving it to its rightful owner.

"I'm going to give a short visit to everyone's least favorite president" Tubbo announces, clicking the compass shut and stuffing it back into his pocket "Tommy, i trust you can distract Wilbur and Fundy long enough for me to have a pleasant chat with Dream?" the blond nods quickly, and Tubbo affectionately rolls his eyes, Tommy knows his place as Tubbo's toy, but even Tubbo is sometimes suprised by how much Tommy wants to please his "hero". The poor boy hadn't learned a thing in Pogtopia, had he? As soon as someone more powerful comes along Tubbo would drop Tommy like a stone, but until then Tubbo could enjoy soaking in the pure wonder and awe Tommy has for him.

The blond scurries off, and Tubbo turns to Purpled, smirks and winks, which causes the purple-hoodied male to grumble in either disgust or adoration, Tubbo liked to believe it is the latter "Don't forget i left Ranboo at the alter for you!" Tubbo shouts teasingly as he runs off, laughing as he could hear Purpled make fake gagging noises, definitely disgust.

The trek from the prison to Dream's new village... what was it called again? Logsteadshire or something? wasn't long, and Tubbo cringed as the buildings came into view. Sure, the odd mish-mash of dirt, stone, wood and diamond were passable as houses, but Dream never did have the best eye for design. Tubbo was glad Dream let Schlatt, Ranboo, Fundy, Ponk and Techno do most of the rebuilding for L'manburg, Blood God knows what Tubbo would have done if that stupid country was filled with Dream's odd shacks.

He wasn't here to bash on Dream, he was here to get his armor and weapons back, most notablely his sword "Wasp's Stinger" otherwise known as one of, if not the, most powerful weapon in his land. The dry sand crunches under his feet as he walks confidently across the sand, he could see Eret's kid, Junior, peeking out of one of the holes in the second biggest dirt shack, which must mean that Dream lives in the biggest shack.

Tubbo throws the door open with reckless abandon, walking in to the space like one would walk into their own house, he knows Dream isn't home yet, a good predator waits for their prey after all. He plops down on the couch, his ram ears perking up as the couch lets out a creaking noise, he can't help but wonder if the couch is older than him.

Then he freezes as hurried footsteps thunder down the stairs. Had he been wrong? Is Dream home? Is someone else here to housesit?

"Daddy! Daddy! Look!" Tubbo relaxes as a young ocelot hybrid comes around the corner, the kid couldn't be older then three, which means there is no threat. The kid is beaming, eyes screwed shut and a large droopy smile on their face as the kid proudly holds up a drawing containing four stick figures.

"I'm not your dad, kid" Tubbo chuckles "Sorry to disappoint you" the kid gasps and their round big cat ears pin back, their green eyes wide with both curiosity and fear. Tubbo blinks, and suddenly the ocelot hybrid is gone, and in their place is a ziglin, looking at him like Tubbo was the savior of the world, back then it had felt nice to have someone depend on him, now? It fills his chest with a burning emotion he can't quite place, a mix between grief, anger, confusion and betrayal. Michael can't look at him anymore, so why is he still looking at Micheal?

"Come sit kid, i won't hurt you" Tubbo pats the seat next to him, kids tended to overshare, he was going to use the kid to get some info on Dream, that was all, he wasn't being nice because the kid reminds him of Micheal, he's just being tactical. The kid slowly shuffles over, clutching the drawing like a lifeline, once the kid decides they're close enough he stops, and Tubbo leans forewards to inspect the drawing.

For a three year old he had to give the kid props, the lines looked good and he could make out who was who. Dream and Fundy are standing close together, the kid inbetween them, Wilbur is off to the side, but just like the three in the foreground the kid had drawn him with the biggest smile.

"Who did you draw?" Tubbo asks, looking at the kid with a genuinely curious expression, the kid glows at the question, and points to each stick figure in turn "That's my papa Dre! That's my daddy Funwy! And un'le Wilby! And me!" Tubbo nods, a small smile on his face, so what if the kid reminds him of Michael, noone would get hurt if he entertains the kid for a bit, right?

"Owl?" the kid asks, poking Tubbo in the leg and Tubbo chuckles "I'm not a owl, i'm a ram" he helpfully informs the kid, who pouts in response "Owl?" the kid asks again "You want to go see Wilbur?" Tubbo asks back, knowing Wilbur's wings were often compared to those of a owl, but the kid shakes their head, grabs a book, and flips through the pages. The kid holds up the book and presses it against Tubbo's face "Owl?" Tubbo backs away a bit so he can read the words on the page, it's a classic toddlers book, going over different animal sounds, and a lightbulb turns on in Tubbo's head "Are you asking me who i am?"

The kid nods, gleeful that Tubbo finally understands "I'm Tubbo, can you try saying my name?" Tubbo crouches next to the kid, gently grabbing the kid's hand and writes each letter of his name on the kid's palm, as the kid reads them out loud "T-u-b-b-o" a second of silence "T'bbi!" the kid cries victoriously, and Tubbo just puts his arms up in celebration with the kid, not having the heart to correct them.

"T'bbi, out?" the kid asks, looking at him with the biggest puppy eyes Tubbo's ever seen, how does this kid know his one weakness? Tubbo signs but smiles, opening the door, the kid rushes out and throws themself into the sand, letting out a screech of excitement "Daddy and papa do not let me out!" the kid babbles, making sand hills with such vigor that Tubbo can't help but admire the kid.

Would Micheal be like that if he'd hadn't...? His hand twitches. It was Dream's fault. The handle of his sword felt cold against his hand. He could get revenge. He takes a step forewards, his sword hanging limply by his side, when did he take it out of the scabbard? He could make Dream feel the same pain, the same dark spiral that he went through. His eyes flicker across the kid's body, quickly finding every weak point that would ensure a quick and painless death. He wasn't heartless, he wouldn't let the kid suffer. He puts his hand on the kid's cheek, the kid leans in to the touch, leaving their neck vulnerable. He wasn't a monster like Dream, he wouldn't leave the kid to bleed out, scared and alone.

He snaps from his thoughts as he feels  something rumble beneath his hand, his ears face towards the kid, flicking whenever he could pick up on the faint sound of purring. Tubbo quickly sheaths his sword, noone deserves to go through the loss of a child, not even his greatest enemy. He lets out a sigh and pats the kid on the head, the kid purring even louder.

His ears flick backwards, and he realizes someone is approaching, probably either Fundy or Dream, and as much as he wanted to stick around and taunt the two, the ocelot kid was too young to get wrapped up in their silly game of chess. "Hey kid? I have to go" the kid whines as Tubbo pulls his hand back, short stubby arms reach out to his hand, trying to grab hold of it, but Tubbo is faster, he jumps up and silently runs to the other side of house that the approaching person is coming from. He could hear the kid yell "Daddy!" loudly, the kid's feet kick up sand as they run towards Fundy, the fox hybrid's orange hair standing out against the pale sand "XD?!" Fundy asks, worry coating his tone like Tubbo coats things he likes with honey "How did you get outside?! Is Dream here?!"

"T'bbi!" the kid answers simply, and Tubbo could almost see the fear rolling off of Fundy in waves "Y-you aren't try-ing to say Tubbo, are you?" the kid doesn't answer verbally, but from Fundy's sharp intake of breath he could tell the kid confirmed Fundy's words.

"Tubbo?! I know you're here! I'm calling Techno!" Fundy barks, and Tubbo peeks around the corner to see Fundy typing something on his communicator. With a ease that clearly shows he's done this many times before Tubbo pulls out a bow & arrow and shoots, the arrow goes straight through Fundy's communicator, breaking it, leaving Fundy with no way to call for help, and judging by Fundy's startled yip, the fox knows it. Tubbo steps out in the open, and the kid reaches towards him with a delighted cry "T'bbi!" Fundy grabs the kid's arm and pulls them close, baring his teeth at Tubbo. The ram hybrid just smiles and walks towards them, hand already on his most dangerous weapon of all, eyes unmoving from Fundy's stone-still form. Tubbo whips out his most dangerous weapon and fires, Fundy letting out a screech as he's assaulted by twin streams of thick honey. Tubbo knew repurposing those water guns into honey guns was  a genius idea, he can't believe Sam doubted him.

"What?! Why?!" Fundy groans, trying to brush the sticky liquid out of his coat, but only succeeding in smearing it out more "Because, you and me, we're friends Fundy, best friends even!" Tubbo replies, walking past Fundy like he didn't just doom the poor fox to being a bee attraction for the next week "We're not friends!" Fundy snaps back, and Tubbo turns to face him, blue-green eyes almost seeming to glow in the light of dusk

"If we weren't friends, why would you help me so much? Blowing up the community house, spying on important events, guarding Wilbur's music disc, setting off the TNT trapping Wilbur in prison. All of those things are things that you did, things i asked you to do"

#dream smp au #dream smp #dsmp au #tubbo #fundy #dreamxd #swap au

[mrmercer13]

Making New Friends - a Manticore Story

Hi all, this is my entry for day 2 of the DMC OC week. Story below the cut.

Lady stood in front of the old hospital, where her mission was supposed to take place. She looked up at it, trying to  get a glimpse through the windows, but it was too dark to make anything out. No surprises there: the place had been abandoned years ago, and only now had some crazy rich guy decided it was worth too much money to be left alone. That was what she was here for, but it wasn’t that simple. Apparently her employer didn’t want to take any risks on this job and had hired a second devil hunter to help out. Lady was tempted to just go in and blow the demons away herself, but her employer had insisted that the two go in as a pair and the reward being offered was too big to risk pissing him off. So she waited, and moments turned to minutes. She’d been waiting there a quarter of an hour before a shadow crept over her and she turned around to see the largest man she’d ever met, burlier than any demon she’d ever come across and unbelievably hairy. Which made the big dumb grin on his face an incredibly bizarre sight.

“Hi! You’re the hunter I’m supposed to be working with, right? Sorry I’m late: I got lost and had to find my way back to somewhere I knew. I’m Leon, what’s your name?” The giant extended a hand and Lady, momentarily stunned by the strange man’s sudden appearance and extreme cheeriness, shook it. “Lady.” She said, after a brief pause. “That’s a fun name, like the dog in that one movie.” “…Sure, whatever. Now come on, we’ve got a job to do.” Lady marched past him and into the hospital, drawing a pistol and switching on the attached tactical light. Leon followed, babbling about how much “fun” the job was going to be and asking inane questions about her. She was used to other devil hunters being cocky, but this was new. This one was…friendly. And dumb. She wasn’t sure she liked it. She tuned out most of it and gave the questions noncommittal answers – though something she couldn’t figure out bothered her when he asked about her rocket launcher – until they found a stairwell and Lady suggested they split up. Lady made her way to the top floor and would check there while Leon would check the ground floor, then they’d meet up in the middle and sweep that floor as a team. Leon agreed and sprinted off, and it was only then that she realised why the rocket launcher comment had bothered her.

“Wait, Leon! Where are your weapons?!” she yelled out, but he had already rounded a corner and didn’t respond. Lady gave an exasperated sigh and walked upstairs: she knew she could take on whatever was here by herself, and if that idiot got himself torn apart it would be his own fault. The guy didn’t even have a light source on him, he was so unprepared. Someone like that was just going to feed whatever demons he came across and make the other hunters’ jobs harder.

The top floor was swarming with demons. They looked a lot like the Hell Prides she and Dante had fought during the Temen-Ni-Gru incident a couple of years ago, but they were taller and seemed to hold themselves steadier: Lady supposed they must have been training themselves after the two kicked their asses so hard back then. Not that they were much trickier to take out: a hail of gunfire tore through them like paper, without any need for Kalina Ann. In just a few minutes she’d cleared out the floor and counted up the red orbs of the fallen demons: she’d need a clear number to figure out how much she was getting paid. She counted fifty demons worth of orbs, a worryingly large amount. It meant there was a commander of some kind nearby, making the place a hotbed of demonic activity: if she wanted the place cleared out, she’d have to take out that commander. It was a shame about Leon, but there was no way an unarmed man could take on something like that. It was as she reached the stairs, however, that she heard a bestial roar from below.

Lady sprinted down the stairs to find the source of the roar. She came down to a large empty ward on the ground floor and saw a pair of vicious-looking demons. One was a lanky skeletal figure with purple tendrils sprawling across its body, holding a pair of what looked to be scythe blades. It was kind of like a Hell Vanguard, but it seemed like they had been training too. She guessed this was the commander. The other, however, was something she hadn’t seen before. It was some kind of massive leonine humanoid, with great wings, horns and a scorpion tail. One of the commander’s blades was embedded in the beast’s chest, which was covered in glowing golden scars.

The lion-thing seemed to laugh – Lady caught a glimpse of row upon row of razor-sharp teeth – before rearing back and slamming into the commander with its horns. This appeared to stun its adversary, which stumbled back as the lion drew back a fist and slammed it forward, the fist seeming to encase itself in rock as it slammed into the commander. The commander flew backward, the tendrils around the blade in its enemy’s chest snapping free as it was launched into the wall behind it.

The commander got back up, the tendrils and blade regrowing, but the lion had already pulled the blade from its chest and was on all-fours now, launching itself towards the commander and laying into it with claws that shone with brilliant light, leaving trails of radiance in the air behind them. The beast slashed and mauled, dodging all incoming blades with lightning-fast reflexes, before it resumed a bipedal position and took what looked to be a genuine combat stance, the kind you’d see a martial artist take. It threw expert punches and kicks, not quite as fast as when it was on all-fours or as strong as when it was impaled on the blade, but with a level of precision and skill that showed that this demon was more than just some raging animal. It struck the softest parts of the commander’s body, winding it and leaving it vulnerable, before lancing forward with its tail and striking the commander in the chest. The stinger at the end of the tail seemed to pulse outward with golden demonic energy, blasting through the commander’s chest and leaving it to fall to the ground and crumble into orbs.

It was then that she saw something unexpected. The lion demon, this ferocious monstrosity that she had just seen demolish a demon commander, started to cheer and dance with joy. “Yeah, I did it! I’m the best!” she heard it yell, and though the voice was distorted and growling, she could still recognise it as the one that had been asking her all those questions just a few minutes ago. Sure enough, there was a golden flash and there stood Leon, that same idiotic grin on his face and looking none the worse for wear. She put a hand to the shotgun at her side, but paused. This was a demon: just a couple of years ago she’d have put a gun shop’s worth of buckshot in his skull without a second thought. But this wasn’t a couple of years ago: her time in Temen-Ni-Gru had shown her that even demons had the potential to be kind, and this one certainly didn’t look like he was planning to hurt any innocents any time soon. Hell, he was taking down monsters that would put innocents in danger. So she stepped away before Leon could see her and went back to the stairs, pretending that she had just gotten there when Leon arrived. She said nothing about what she had seen, just checked that he was okay and carried on with the mission.

There were only a few demons on the middle floor: the pair wiped them out in no time at all. Leon was quieter than before, but still seemed happy as ever as they headed back out and went to report their success. As they were walking, Leon spoke up. “Thanks for not shooting me back there.” Lady stopped, surprised. “Wait, you knew I was there?” Leon shrugged. “I smelled a human nearby, figured it was you.” A pause. “Wait, that was you, right?” Lady couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Yes, that was me. Look, I misjudged you earlier: it’s clear now that you know what you’re doing. I still wish you’d take the job a little more seriously, but it’s not like you’re the only one who doesn’t. I guess I just want to say I’m sorry for being so dismissive earlier.” Leon let out a deep, bellowing laugh. “You don’t have to apologise for anything! We’ve already bonded over fighting demons: that means we’re friends now!” Lady smiled at that. “If you say so. Hey, thinking of friends I do know another hunter who’s also a demon. Well, half demon, but I figure you guys might have something in common. Head down to Devil May Cry some time: he could do with the company.” Leon’s face lit up even more than normal. “Yeah, that sounds great! It’ll be so much fun, like…like...like something that’s really fun!“ Lady smiled to herself as Leon started rattling off ideas for fun activities they could do together. Well, why not? Dante could get pretty lonely sometimes, even if he wouldn’t admit it. Meeting someone that cheery might be good for him. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful: they reported their success, got their pay and went home. Lady still didn’t know this Leon guy too well, but she was pretty sure that people would be a lot safer with him around.

Author’s note: Manticore got lost on the way to visiting Dante and ended up at Devil May Fry, a poorly-named fried chicken place on the other side of town. He never did end up meeting Dante, but the chicken was nice at least.

#devil may cry #dmcocweek #Manticore (oc)

[honey-harper-official]

Evander Wade Hate AU - Chapter 11

MasterList for Evander Wade Hate AU 

Word Count: 2037

This is a fic where Evander Wade is secretly the villain purely because I don’t like him and also I’m fixing some of my biggest problems with canon because this is what fanfiction is for.

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

The next morning, after his dads left for work, Adrian went into the office upstairs and carefully started looking around. It's not like they had cameras inside and it wasn't like his dads kept anything in the office locked.

At least nothing that Adrian couldn't unlock by drawing the key or by drawing lock picking tools and watching a video online.

They weren't going to suddenly come back home either. They had been delighted that Adrian had found the Vitality Charm in the house, though he gave Nova the credit, and of course they wanted to go spend plenty of time with Max now that they had the ability to.

Carefully, he moved around papers and looked between files, trying to wrack his brain for where they kept the lists of passwords as he knew that they kept the password for the wifi in the office somewhere.

Adrian went into one of the cabinets and opened it to find a small lock box. He recognized it as something his dads had used when he was once looking for the password for the at home computer so he could play Club Penguin.

Adrian grabbed a pen from off the desk and took out the ink cartridge. He then poured it into the lock hole and when he used his powers, it turned into a hollow key that he then made a handle for and attached to the solidified ink.

Adrian turned the handle and filtered through the passwords until he found the one he was looking for. Of course the Renegades Council couldn't have an individual password for each different restricted case file so instead there was one password that worked for all of them.

Adrian grabbed a sticky note and scribbled it down before shoving it in his pocket and relocking the box, putting everything back where it belonged and leaving like nothing happened.

Adrian tossed the key into the table of his nightstand and then got dressed before texting Danna to come over after she ate breakfast. No one on their team had patrol today as minors didn't have it as often as adults and had more days off as a result.

Danna: Okay. 

Danna: Also do you like apples and peanut butter because my dad made me some but it's way too much for me. Should I bring it over?

He laughed. That sounded like a lot of his texts from Danna about her dad. He usually worked the night shift so when Danna got up was when he was going to bed so he was sure to always make her breakfast before doing so.

Adrian: Sure. I was just going to eat cereal.

Danna: Well you can have it with your cereal then.

Danna: You probably need to eat way more then I do anyways. You're too tall. 

Danna: You're my younger brother so you should do me the favor of shrinking so I can be taller and people know I'm older.

Adrian rolled his eyes. She was only older then him by a few months and she flaunted it every chance she got. Of course as her younger brother he didn't not do anything to annoy her either.

Adrian: You're not even a year older.

Danna: But I am older though.

Adrian: Maybe we can find something in the Artifacts that will shrink me. How's that?

Danna: It's what you should make my next birthday gift.

Adrian: Noted.

He then went to the kitchen and poured some cereal into a bowl. He ate and finished by the time Danna arrived. She just let herself in and came up next to him, sitting at one of the barstools at the island in the kitchen and dropping her bag on the countertop.

"Here," she said, pulling out a plastic container that had some apple slices and peanut butter in it. They slid across the counter to where he was.

"I have what you need as well," Adrian said, taking out the piece of paper and giving it to her.

"Oh good. I can give this to Narcissa then after we work out a plan with Nova," she said, putting it in her bag.

"Narcissa?" Adrian asked as he dipped the apple into the peanut butter. "You mean the mirror walker from the library? Gene Cronin's granddaughter?"

He wasn't sure why she was part of this or why she wasn't mentioned beforehand at their group meeting.

"Yeah that's her. It's a long story but she's willing to work with us and it's way better to have someone who isn't a Renegade at all grab the information because it takes any suspicion off of us if we play our cards right," Danna explained.

Like most times, his older sister wasn't wrong. She was extremely clever and perceptive which is what made her such a great lookout. Her and Nova made a great team whenever they got the chance and usually saved the rest of their team's asses from things they didn't even notice because they had been too wrapped up in the main objective of their mission.

He was glad that the two of them got along well. He wouldn't want his sister and his girlfriend fighting.

"Why didn't you say anything about her earlier when we were at your place?" Adrian asked.

"Because I didn't want to freak out Nova. Apparently they know each other and it didn't end on great terms so I told Nova ahead of time. That's why I wanted to talk to her alone," Danna explained. "How is she doing by the way? You know after leaving and all that?"

"She seemed really relieved and more relaxed which is good but there was a bit of a struggle with Honey that would have been a lot worse without the Vitality Charm," Adrian explained. 

He shivered at the thought of what happened. It looked very painful and the way she cried and screamed and thrashed, something that was completely unlike her whenever she had gotten seriously injured before, only amplified the idea that it must have been one of the worst forms of pain to go through. He felt awful that the rubbing alcohol made it worse but it wasn't like either of them knew any better.

Adrian just wished he could have taken the pain away faster and done more besides just holding her to help give her some comfort.

"Is she alright?" Danna asked. "I mean enough venomous stings and it can kill you."

"She was doing a lot better after we managed to clean it up and let the Vitality Charm take over. I mean I gave her painkillers but I could only help her so much. Honey dipped the stingers in something and we found that out the hard way."

Danna cringed. "That had to be bad."

"Yeah I don't think I've ever seen her react that badly to pain before but it was pretty much gone by the time she left late last night."

Danna raised a brow and smirked. 

"Oh so you had your girlfriend over late last night?" She said cheekily. "Did you use protection?"

Adrian groaned and covered his face with his hands.

"Danna," he complained. "You're so mean to me. Stop bullying me. I'm your brother."

"That's exactly why I bully you," she said.

"What did I ever do to you?" Adrian asked before eating another apple slice.

"You exist that's what."

He swallowed the slice.

"That's not my fault! I didn't ask to exist!"

"And? Your point?" Danna asked. "Now spill on what you did with Nova."

"This is an invasion of privacy," Adrian said. He was not going to fork over every detail of his love life to his sister.

"I'm your sister and I'm invested in this so I need to know. If you don't tell me then I'll just get the answers out of Nova and who would you rather tell me?" She bargained.

Adrian sighed. "If I tell you do you promise to leave me alone about it?"

"Sure," Danna said. "Pinky promise."

She held out her hand with her pinky extended and he shook it with his own. It was completely childish but pinky promises were pinky promises and that wasn't something you broke.

"So after I patched her up and when she was mostly healed we made out but then we went and played some Uno."

"Anything else? Like did you get in her pants?"

"DANNA!" He exclaimed, cheeks flaming. She could embarrass him so much sometimes and when it came to his love life and relationship she was always very curious and liked to dig into it. Usually she let him have his privacy but he also supposed that dating a girl she was friends with made her want to know a lot about what was happening. 

"Hey I need to make sure my baby brother can actually flirt and is good with his partners," she defended. "Now come on it's okay to tell me."

"I feel like this is an invasion of Nova's privacy and I shouldn't even have told you what I have," Adrian defended. He didn't want to make Nova feel uncomfortable about it or talk about what happened the night before even if it wasn't like any clothes came off.

"Adrian you do realize that girls confide in one another about these things right? Like if someone in the group is dating someone, whenever something happens, the other girls are going to know. Now give me the details."

Danna probably wasn't wrong about that. Danna and Ruby were always whispering and giggling with one another and once Nova got added into the team they didn't exclude her from it. They just never let Oscar and Adrian participate in the conversation.

"We didn't do anything else Danna," He told her. 

That was all that happened. It got heated for a moment but neither of them wanted more then that and it was perfectly okay. He was glad that she didn't start shaking from so much contact which was an improvement, but other then that there wasn't much to really talk about. 

Adrian wasn't going to tell Danna about how Nova was cute when she was all flustered and embarassed and how her laugh was one of the prettiest things he had ever heard.

But Adrian didn't think Danna would really want to hear about every little thing he liked about his girlfriend.

"Okay so you're horny but in the most boring way possible," Danna snorted as he finished the apples.

Adrian took the last one and threw it at her. She dodged but it still hit her shoulder instead of her forehead like he was aiming for.

"Leave me alone and don't you dare tell anyone about this. Not even Oscar and Ruby. If you make Nova upset or uncomfortable I'll end you."

Adrian did not want Nova to feel like her privacy had been invaded. Knowing Nova she probably didn't care but last night was a big step for both of them and he didn't need to risk someone overhearing and finding out and telling everyone.

"I won't tell anyone. Besides, if I find out you made her uncomfortable or if you break her heart then I'll end you."

"Hey I'm your brother!" He said. "Shouldn't you side with me if we broke up?"

"You may be my brother but I refuse to have a perverted asshole as my brother," she said as she took the apple slice and tossed it into the trash can.

"Trust me I don't plan on ever hurting her. I care about her too much for that."

Danna made a gagging face.

"Eww. Gross. Go be in love with Nova somewhere else."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "You asked about my relationship with her."

"Whatever," Danna said, putting the container back in her bag. "Do you want to go play video games? I feel like kicking your ass in a game is relaxing and right now I think I need to relax."

"Sure," Adrian agreed. "Dibs on the blue controller!" He added before sprinting downstairs.

"Not if I get it first you little shit!" Danna yelled as she chased after him as butterflies into his room in the basement.

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

Tag List: 

@thepurpledragon4444 @nova-artino @novas-tunnel-of-anxiety @princessselene126 @my-littlenightmare @anarchists-87  @plain-jane-mclain​ @emybain​ @renegadesnet​ @itsalittlebitchilly​ @justsomerandomficsforrenegades​ @jacihayle​  @creampuffqueen​ @alecjamesartino​ @blueraspberry-official​ @imnotfluffy @everhartartino​ @cerisehoodsbasket @artino-nova​ @lumtiy​ @cosmicnovaflare @amiity-blight 

#nevada fanfiction #nova artino #adrian everhart #danna bell #narcissa cronin #oscar silva #ruby tucker #nodrian #danisstudyblr #tuckva #daniel osbourne #renegades trilogy #renegays #renegades #archenemies #supernova predictions #supernova spoilers

[hms-chill]

The Two Princes

Summary: An AU based on the podcast The Two Princes. When Prince Henry sets out to break the mysterious curse that’s destroying his kingdom, he’s ready to face whatever dastardly villain or vile monster stands in his way. What he isn’t prepared for are the bewildering new emotions he feels when he meets the handsome Alex, a rival prince on a quest to save his own realm. Forced to team up, the two princes soon discover that the only thing more difficult than saving their kingdoms is following their hearts.

--

Chapter 1: Once Upon a Time

--

Chapter 2: Prince and Thief

The next morning finds Henry beating his way through trees with Shaan’s sword, tired and hungry and scratched all over. What sleep he’d managed to get was interrupted by falling branches and a rustling that never stopped, not once, and had him jolting awake every time his eyes closed. He is just so sick of this forest, and its stupid trees, and its stupider vines. It’s just trees, and trees, and more trees, and they all look the bloody same. He hacks through a final vine and stumbles into a clearing, and suddenly, there’s something vaguely familiar. He digs through his bag for a minute and pulls out the map Shaan gave him, and it clicks. If that oak tree in front of him, with branches shaped like a skull, is the same skull tree as the one on his map, then he knows where he is. Sort of. If he can figure out which direction is north. Then he’ll just--

There’s a cracking nearby, and Henry pulls out Shaan’s sword, turning toward it. “Hello? What was that? Is someone out there? If so, I warn you, I’m armed!”

There’s nothing there, but he holds the stance for a breath. Two. Three. He sighs eventually, then sheathes the sword. It’s probably nothing. Just because everyone back home thinks the forest is full of monsters doesn’t mean it’s actually haunted. He’s just decided that there can’t be anything too much worse than what he’d have dealt with at home when a massive wasp dives straight for his head.

He lets out a decidedly unprincely squawk, diving away with his hands over his head as it turns to hover in front of him. Its buzzing fills the clearing, and when he gets a full look at it, it’s enormous. He’s just starting to wonder about how it stays airborne, and what it eats, and how something like this can have lived so close to the Kingdom of the West when it dives again, and he’s sent scrambling out of its way. It turns again, and he draws the sword.

“Okay, look. I don’t believe in violence, but the last twenty four hours have been an exhausting combination of the last seventeen years. So if you want to fight, let’s fight. I’m done being Mr. Nice Prince.”

The wasp gives no indication that it understands his words, diving again, stinger forward. Henry blocks it with his sword, shoving it back. It comes again, and he swings wildly, not sure what else to do. It squeaks and chitters, and he slashes at it again, then again, dodging its stinger and letting his instincts take over until one particularly hefty thrust is met with a squishing sound he never wants to hear anything like again.

The buzzing stops, and the forest is quiet. Henry looks down at the sword to see the body of the wasp impaled on it, limp. He shakes it off quickly, then brushes the sword in the grass, trying desperately to get all the bug guts off it before the reality of what he’s done sinks in, and a grin creeps over his face.

He’s just defeated his first monster. He is amazing. Sure, it was more bug than monster, but still. He’s faced a monster from the cursed forest, and he came out on top, because he’s an amazing prince, and he is more than ready to face anything this forest has to throw at him. He’s turning out to be quite the natural hero.

That is, until the buzzing starts up again, louder than before. Henry turns to the bug, but it’s still there, dead as ever with a black ooze seeping from the cut in its abdomen. Then he turns to look behind him, and there are more wasps than he can count, and suddenly, Henry remembers that wasps build nests. Nests that house up to 10,000 wasps. And even if he’s sure he’s a great hero, every great hero he’s ever read about knew to pick their battles, and this doesn’t seem like one that it would be particularly wise to pick. So he starts to back away, debating if it’s wiser to try to run but turn his back on the bugs or just back away slowly. His decision is made for him when the first bug swoops down, and he has to bat it away with his sword.

“I’m sorry I killed your friend, but in my defense, he totally deserved it,” Henry tells the bugs, swatting at them frantically. “I really am the biggest nature lover; you can ask anyone back in the West and they’ll--” He takes another step back, and his foot goes straight through whatever foliage covers the forest floor. It’s too late to stop himself as he goes tumbling backward, a scream following him down.

He lands in a pile of leaves and mushrooms, and after a minute to get his bearings and make sure he’s all in one piece, he realizes he’s surrounded by the worst stench he’s ever smelled. It smells like it might be rotting cabbage, or maybe David’s chamber pot. Whatever it is, it’s foul, and he realizes that the mushrooms he’s landed in are sticky, and if that isn’t just the tip of the iceberg of what an awful day this has been he’s not sure what is. He is going to need a bath, and probably to sleep for the next year when he gets back home.

Still, as he gets up and tries to brush whatever mushroom gunk he can off of himself, he realizes that it’s not as bad as he’d thought. The scent is less rank now, almost pleasant, something closer to a garden than he’d have thought. He’s somehow unsure what he was complaining about as a lightness spreads over him, and he looks around at the flowers spreading out before him with a bit of a laugh. Maybe he’ll build a house down here, and he’ll live in this nice floaty feeling. Maybe he should invite the wasps-- the wasps seem to have disappeared, but before he can process that, there’s a woman’s sing-song voice echoing around him.

“Oh Darling,” it calls, and Henry turns to notice a tunnel lined with flowers.

“What? Who, but… who said that?” Words are harder to string together now, but he finds them eventually, because he is a brave, heroic prince.

“I did. Is that you, my darling?” The voice calls, and Henry feels a dopey grin spread across his face.

“Maybe, I mean, yeah, I could be someone’s darling.”

“Where are you, darling?”

“I’m… at the bottom of a pit,” Henry says, just now realizing that he might not know the best way to reach whoever this is, “where are you?”

“I’m here too. Further down. Come find me, darling.” He might be imagining it, but Henry could swear the vines in front of him seem to part and shift, beaconing him down the tunnel before him. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

“Oh, well, I’m sorry. Wh-- How do I… How do I find you?”

“Just follow my voice, darling! Then we will be together forever.” The vines in front of him shift a bit more, and he realizes her voice is coming from there.

“Mmm, together. That sounds nice.” And it does. It would be nice to be with someone; he’s spent quite a lot of time alone, and having a friend to spend time with sounds good. So he follows the vines and her voice, the smile still on his face as she starts to sing.

“This is the song that I sing to my love Aren’t I lucky you fell from above When we’re together, my cute little pup I’ll hold you and squeeze you and gobble you up.”

Something about that feels wrong, and after a minute, Henry says, “wait, gobble me up?”

“Metaphorically speaking,” she says, and his whole body relaxes again, the nice peaceful joy retaking his brain.

“Oh, well, that’s okay, then.”

“Life without love, like a life without food Is empty and barren and terribly crude But you came along dear, to fill up my heart And also my stomach--”

“What?”

“Forget that last part.”

“Hey, I think I see a light up ahead. Is that you, Lady Voice?” It’s a beautiful light, a nice warm green that seems ready to fold him into a nice, safe hug and protect him from the forest’s monsters.

“That’s me, darling, keep walking. You’re almost there, just a few more--” And then he’s pushing aside a curtain of vines and he’s in a cavern, and he interrupts with sounds of awe.

It is the most incredible place he could have ever imagined. Flowers cover every surface, vines creeping up the walls and shorter plants carpeting the floor. “This place is incredible; I’ve never seen so many flowers. Where am I?”

The voice is closer now. “Where you’ve always been headed, and where you’ve always wanted to be. The Garden of Delights!”

“The Garden of Delights? Well that sounds… delightful!” He says it with a little giggle, and she giggles, too, but there’s still something nagging at the back of his head. He frowns, trying to concentrate, trying to pull the pieces of what he remembers through the fog of his brain as he says, “but I actually think I was headed somewhere else… Somewhere called the… the Hollow of… You know what, I can’t actually remember. Why can’t I remember?”

“Don’t worry about it. In fact, you don’t need to worry about anything else ever again.” The woman in front of him seems to have just appeared, stepping out from between the vines as naturally as if she’d grown there. The green of her dress shimmers as she smiles at him, reaching out a hand

“Who are you?” He asks, trying to take her all in.

“I’m Flora, of course. The goddess of love.”

“Wow. You are… really beautiful.”

“I am. And what’s your name, Darling?” She croons, and Henry has to stop for a second.

“Oh, I’m… I’m uh… Hang on, I know this. I totally know this. I’m um, um, uh, Hen.. Hen… Henry. Yeah, I’m Henry. That’s who I am. Henry.”

“I’m so pleased to meet you, Henry. But won’t you come a little closer?” she asks, reaching out both arms to him. “You’re still so far away.”

“Oh, sure. Although, I feel like I should let you know, I’m not looking for anything romantic right now, I just wanted to be up front about where I’m at emotionally, just so there are no hurt feelings--”

She shushes him with a sound like wind through the trees, and Henry shuts his mouth, all but floating toward her outstretched arms. “All I want to do is sooth your troubled brow and lift the weight of the world from your weary shoulders,” she croons. Vines start to snake out from the walls behind her, and Henry takes a step back in alarm.

“What are those?”

“Those are my tendrils of love. Don’t be frightened, darling, they only want to caress you,” she reassures him. They curl around him, nice at first, then pulling tighter, squeezing him in.

“Yeah, they’re… they’re actually a little constricting?” He tells her, trying to pull himself out. She laughs.

“Only because you’re struggling.”

“Um, look, could we take a pause for a moment? You’re really nice, but I think I need some fresh air,” Henry says, suddenly realizing how long it’s been since he took a deep breath. “It’s kind of hard to breathe down here, and hard to think, it’s the smell, it’s just, there’s something about it, it’s--”

“Full of love?”

“No, it’s just… it’s too sweet, I can’t… I can’t focus…” He tries to think back to how he got here, to where he is, and how and why he ever left home.

“You’ll feel better soon, I promise, just come a little closer,” Flora croons. The vines pull him forward despite his struggles, squeezing tighter and tighter.

“No, something’s not right, I should go…”

“But darling, no one ever leaves the garden of delights.”

“Please, tell your tendrils to let go of me!” He’s begging now, trying harder and harder to get air into his lungs that’s not tinged with the awful sickly-sweet smell of flowers.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

“Yes you can, now let go of me!”

He’s finally getting some of the tendrils off when Flora rears back, suddenly blocking the light from above and plunging the cavern into an emerald darkness as she roars, “stop fighting me, mortal! I told you, no one ever leaves the garden of delights! Now, come closer.”

“What are you?! You’re not a goddess,” Henry fights back the scream, but the mouth in front of him cracks into a wide smile, one lined with thorns, and he doesn’t want to find out if they’re as sharp as they look.”

“No, I am a very hungry plant, and it’s been ages since I’ve had a meal as big and scrumptious as you.” Her laughter echoes around him as he struggles, clinging to whatever plant matter doesn’t seem to be connected to her as she pulls him to her mouth.

“No, let me go! Please, somebody help me! Help!” His scream echoes around the room, but he knows that no one is coming. The forest is forbidden; no one comes here. It’s a death trap, and he’d known that, and he’d wandered blindly in anyway. He’s just wishing he’d told his mother where he was going, or given David a last pat, when a voice rings out around him.

“That’s enough, monster!” There’s the sound of an arrow being let loose, and the plant drops Henry to the ground, screaming.

“My eye!” She’s shrunk down enough to let light filter in through her leaves, and in the false twilight, Henry sees another figure in the room with them.

“Who are you?”

The man turns to him, but instead of a greeting or explanation, he gets, “head back the way you came; you’ll find a rope you can climb to the surface. I’m going to take care of this overgrown fly trap. Now, go.” The other man draws his sword as the plant rears back up, a sickly looking flower growing over where her eye used to be.

“I’m going to tear you limb from limb, you filthy, stinking human,” she fumes, and the other man just laughs.

“Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you.” He shoves Henry toward the door, and Henry runs, followed by the sounds of sword on vine. He’s halfway up the rope when it starts to move below him, and he looks down to see the other man climbing, too. They clamber to the top together, and Henry flops onto safe ground, overwhelmingly glad to be able to see the sky.

“That was intense. What was that thing?” He asks, still trying to get his breath back. The other man stands up beside him, brushing his hands off and pulling up the rope.

“I don’t know what they’re called, but the forest is full of them.”

“Wow, I’m really glad you came along, thank you.” The other man holds out a hand to help him up, and Henry sees him in full for the first time. He’s not wearing a helmet, but he is shorter than Henry, so the first thing he notices is the tousled hair, a sort of effortless beauty to it even as it’s full of leaves and twigs. Then he sees the other man’s face, and he is, undeniably, the most beautiful thing Henry has ever seen. His brain is telling him to ignore it, but the command gets muddled somewhere on his way to his mouth, because Henry just keeps talking through his realization. “Thank you for rescuing me, and for… for being so beautiful.”

“What?” he’s turned his attention to coiling the rope, but the other man looks up at being called beautiful, and Henry’s brain finally processes what his mouth said. He has to fix it.

“I mean brave. Thank you for being so brave, not beautiful. Sorry, that was weird, I don’t know why I said that. I think some of those toxins must still be messing with my head, making me say crazy things. I don’t think you’re beautiful.” The other man frowns, and Henry rushes to correct himself. “I mean, not that you’re ugly. Obviously you’re not ugly. I just mean if I had to choose, you know? If you put a sword to my head and said ‘am I attractive or ugly, pick one’ I’d have to say attractive because objectively that’s just a fact, but it’s not like you’re so attractive I can’t stop looking at you.” He is so attractive Henry can’t stop looking at him, but that’s the point where his brain finally catches up with his mouth enough to ask, “am I talking a lot? I feel like I’m talking a lot.”

“You are.” The other man is now thoroughly unimpressed, and Henry sighs.

“So, anyway, what I meant to say was, thank you. Thank you for… saving my life. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along.” He’s studying his boots, just noticing how stained they’ve gotten after just a day in the forest.

“Then it’s a good thing I’ve been following you.” That gets Henry’s attention, even if the other man is still busy doing something with his rope.

“What? You’ve been following me?”

“For the last hour.” He says it like it’s something Henry should have noticed, so Henry nods.

“Ah, I thought someone was watching me.” Then he realizes a point where his plan to play along falls apart, and he asks, “wait, why were you following me? Also, what’s with the lasso?”

“I have some questions, and since I don’t know or trust you, I feel like you’ll be more inclined to answer them if I tie you up and dangle you from a tree.”

It sounds like a good plan, and Henry’s nodding and agreeing that it makes sense before he realizes what he’s saying enough to be scared. By that point, the rope is already around his legs, and they’re already being pulled out from under him, leaving him to dangle upside down from the nearest tree. “Hey, no, let me down from here, I thought we were friends! This is so not necessary.”

“Now then, who are you, and what are you doing in this forest?” The other man asks, ignoring Henry’s pleas.

“Me? I’m no one; no one at all. I’m literally just passing through.”

The other man just circles him, studying him closely. When he speaks, it sounds like it’s more to himself than to Henry. “Your clothes are filthy, but clearly Western, and your sword is… engraved with royal insignia.” He draws his own sword, holding it under Henry’s chin to ask, “do you work for the royal family?”

“What? No, no, no, definitely not. I definitely do not work for the royal family.” Because, technically, he reasons with himself, he doesn't.

“So you’re alone then? No one from the royal family is with you?” The other man demands, and Henry nods as best he can.

“Yeah, no, yeah, totally alone, no one from the royal family, I swear.”

He puts his sword back, and Henry takes a deep breath as he says, “sorry, can’t be too careful in this forest.”

“Yeah, no, no, no, totally understand.”

“My name is Alex,” he continues, apparently not having heard Henry’s agreement. “Prince of the East; no doubt you’ve heard of me?”

“Uh… not really.”

“I’m the son of Queen Ellen, Heir to the Eagle Throne, Defender of the Stonewalled Realm...” He turns to Henry, who just shakes his head.

“Sorry.”

“Hero of the Unstained Blade. Protector of the Rainbow Flame, Champion of Justice for All.”

“Wait, what was that last one?”

“Champion of Justice for All.” He’s dropped the presentory tone, and Henry pretends to take a second to think before shaking his head.

“Yeah, no.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, sorry, we don’t really get much news about you guys in the West. We weren’t even sure there was anyone left in the East to be totally honest; we thought maybe the forest had finished you off.”

“Oh.” Alex’s shoulders seem to slump a little, and even if he’s just imagining it, Henry can’t have that. Especially not when Alex still has him hung from a tree.

“But, it’s so great to meet you! I’ve never met anyone from the East before, and now that I have, I’m like… woah, you people are awesome. I don’t know why we ever went to war with you, so can you maybe like… let me down now?”

Alex’s princely persona is back, and he steps closer to Henry. “You haven’t told me who you are or what you’re really doing in this forest.”

“Me? Um, I’m… my name is… David.” It’s the first thing he can think of, and the minute it’s out of his mouth he wants to cringe, but Alex is nodding.

“David?”

“Yeah, everybody calls me David.” Shit, he’s just told Alex he’s alone. “Not that I know many people, because I live here. By myself. Just… totally alone.”

“You live in the forbidden forest?” There’s a hint of genuine curiosity to Alex’s tone, and Henry nods.

“Yeah. I’m on the run, you see, from the royal family of the West. Whom we both hate.” That’s true, too, even if he wishes it weren’t. Alex nods, then frowns.

“Why are you on the run?”

“That is a… great question.” One for which he has no answer. “I am on the run because I… am a thief.” Which, again, technically true.

“A thief?”

Henry finds himself nodding. Now that he’s committed to the story, he has to stick with it. “Yeah, uh huh, I’m a thief! I mean, how do you think I got that sword? I mean, not to brag, but I’m basically the greatest thief in all the West.” He’s pretty proud of his lie, and Alex nods along, then frowns.

“Great. Just what I need. A vagabond with no concept of honor! Oh well; the forest can deal with you.” He stands up, and Henry starts to struggle again.

“Wait, what? Where are you going; you can’t leave me like this!” he protests, but Alex shakes his head. Every bit of personality Henry got a glimpse of is gone, Alex’s chin out, his chest up.

“I also can’t have a confessed criminal running around this forest.”

There’s a steady stream of swear words running through Henry’s head, but he finds another lie somewhere between them. “No no no; you don’t understand. When I said a thief, I meant like… a Robin Hood situation, steal from the rich, give to the poor. That’s why the royal family hates me! I’m too good. I mean, where I’m from, I’m basically a hero--”

“A hero?”

“In… the loosest sense of the word.”

“How long have you lived in this forest?” Alex is dropping bits of his princeliness now, leaning in to get a closer look at Henry. Henry hopes Alex can’t see any of his stress about lying.

“Uh… years. What, well, like… forever.”

Alex processes that, then says, “and yet, you nearly got eaten by a talking plant less than ten minutes ago because you wandered blindly into her lair.” Henry just nods, still trying to think.

“Yes. But, that’s the first time something like that has ever happened to me in all the many years I’ve lived here. So in terms of navigating the dangers of this forest, that’s actually a point in my favor.”

Alex hums, then pulls his sword out again, slicing through the ropes holding Henry up. Henry tumbles, groaning as he sits up and rubs his head. “Thanks, but next time? Give a guy a little warning before you cut him down.”

“I’ll make you a deal, Thief.”

“You can call me David,” Henry offers, getting to his feet, but Alex doesn’t acknowledge him.

“My first night in this forest, my horse got spooked and ran off with my map. Since then, I’ve been--”

“Hopelessly lost?”

“In need of directions.”

“Ah.” Of course; a perfect prince with a million titles like Alex could never be lost.

“If you can take me where I need to go,” he says, “I promise I’ll spare your life and set you free when my quest is over.”

“Uh, sure, yeah, okay. Where do you want to go?” Henry’s not sure how good of a guide he’ll be, but he has his map, and at this point, he’ll do anything to get down and he can move from there.

“The Hollow of the Kings.”

“The Hollow?” The Hollow Henry’s trying to get to, too? The one at the center of the forest; the Hollow of legend?

“You know it?”

“Uh, yeah, of course, but why do you want to go there?”

“That’s none of your business. All you need to know is that it’s imperative I get to the Hollow as soon as possible. Now, do we have a deal, or should I get my rope?” Of course he won’t say anything. But still, Henry’s going to the Hollow anyway, and he’d love to stay out of a tree.

“No! I mean, yes, yes, I’d love to take you to the Hollow.”

“Good, then it’s a deal.”

“Absolutely. Shake on it?” Alex just huffs, looking personally offended at Henry’s outstretched hand.

“A prince, shake hands with a thief?” Henry pulls his hand back automatically, trying to disguise his offer of a handshake with trying to rub his arm.

“Okay, or not. Not shaking also works.”

“Good, then let’s get started. Now that you work for me, you’ll carry my things.” Alex tosses a bag at Henry, and he catches it just before it hits the ground.

“Oh. Yeah, yeah, sure, okay, no problem buddy.”

“Don’t call me ‘buddy’.”

“Okay, no problem, Boss.”

“Your Royal Highness is fine.”

“Got it.”

“Also, from now on, please only speak when spoken to. You talk a lot, and your accent’s giving me a headache.” Alex is already on the move, though Henry’s not sure where he’s going if Henry’s supposed to be his guide. So he hurries after him.

“Oh. Really? We could be walking for a while, and not talking could make it hard to get to know each other.”

“Exactly. Also--”

“Ugh, how many rules do you have?” Henry asks, but Alex turns to look directly at him for the first time since they’ve met.

“If I find out you’re lying to me, about anything, I’ll feed you to the nearest plant. Got it?”

“Got it,” Henry says, swallowing a lump bigger than the multitude of lies he’s told in the past two minutes.

“Great. Well then, what are you waiting for? Lead me to the Hollow!” Alex claps Henry on the shoulder, the closest thing they’ve had to camaraderie yet. And Henry pulls out the map, hoping he hasn’t gotten himself into something he won’t be able to get out of.

--

On AO3

--

Notes:

And we meet Alex! And watch Henry be a mess!

--

Want to support the Hannah Makes Art Fund? You can tip me in ko-fi here!

#FirstPrince #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #henry fox mountchristen windsor x alex claremont diaz #rwrb #red white and royal blue au #red white and royal blue fic #red white and royal blue #my fic: rwrb

[sezomsbookcase]

“And The Library of Time” by various authors

Before the internet, Doctor Who Magazine was one of the only ways to find out what was going on in the show in America. When we finally got our hands on issue 561, which came with a paperback book patterned after the classic Target novels we love so much, we read the novel cover to cover. The book contains a couple chapters from each story. The way we’ve been watching old episodes lately, sporadically, sometimes just pieces at a time, this vibed perfectly with our mindset and played a bit like a literary mixtape!

The Pirate Planet by James Goss

Pirate Planet was the first Doctor Who I remember seeing in America in 1984. Late at night on WGBY, part two — the Mentiads in the cave —  “Doctor we have come for you” The cliffhanger, the stinger and the end theme were emblazoned into my mind for good. Years later I would discover The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and Douglas Adams (writer of the original Pirate Planet). Yes I will happily read two chapters of this, and think it’s a great one to start off the mix.

Eric Saward Of The Daleks 🙂

With Eric Saward novelisations, you can count on plenty of extra stuff — Resurrection, Revelation, and a little Voxnic to chase them both down. it’s lazy comparing Saward’s spec-fic comedy too closely to Douglas Adams. The novel ‘Slipback’ aside, Saward draws from the same far-out funny bone that all humorists hit off, but in a unique way, even getting (Robert) Holmesian at times. Both story bits have a little smile-inducing backstory additions. If you accept that Revelation is a dark comedy to begin with, it puts the high body count of Resurrection into a more comic book-like frame. Of the Daleks.

The TV Movie by Gary Russell 

Wow. Lots of extra stuff in this bit too. Definitely an expansion from what was on screen and definitely piques our interest to read the full novel at some point. 

Dalek by Robert Shearman 

Dark, brooding and heady, we get way more inside voice than the show showed. Probably the most serious of the segments. 

The Crimson Horror by Mark Gatiss 

We recently read “Last of the Gaderene” by Gatiss and liked it a lot. Continuing the theme of expansions, we get more, more!

The Witchfiners by Joy Wilkinson

“A ducking stool, designed to test whether the old woman was a witch or not. That was the stated purpose of the stool, but it proved way more effective at inflicting torture, instilling fear and providing lurid entertainment for the waiting crowd of onlookers”. Gee whiz, it’s a good thing there’s no modern version of this happening to women!

Can’t forget the friendly intro by Jonathan Morris, and if I may add a personal note: I brought this book with me when I went to get my first COVID-19 vaccination shot, read a little while waiting, and a little more waiting after. Thank you Doctors. Thank you authors. 

#DoctorWho #Target #FourthDoctor #FifthDoctor #SixthDoctor #EighthDoctor #NinthDoctor #EleventhDoctor #ThirteenthDoctor

[twiststreet]

I pop by this Best of the Year list over at the Comics Journal to say that actually I would have no idea what the best of the year is, stuff from earlier years rules, I don’t really like talking about the books I did like for more than a half-sentence, and that I’m very fond of my friend Incredible P. Hulk.  But it’s a good set of lists despite my buffoonery, thanks to knowledgeable people or taste-havers or whatever, especially considering the challenges of the year ‘n all. 

I’d heard there were comics happening on Instagram but don’t really know anything about that world-- that was the biggest lesson of other people’s lists. Instagram just seems like a website for being horny or looking at food or being horny 4 food because your wires are crossed up all wrong, so using it to read comics seems a little perverse.  “What if this was one of my comics instead”-- some cartoonist, looking at a photo of a SDSU graduate licking a motorcycle, a scenario that probably never happened but I will choose to imagine anyways, late into my evening hours.  My best comic of the year next year is going to be a photo of spaghetti that Evan Funke made, he’s a pasta genius.  

There were comics I saw on other year-end lists that I don’t like, that weren’t on here, so that’s also nice.  (I thought other people would like the Gipi comic though-- just me?  I thought it was good, but I also feel like everyone I’ve seen write about it has kind of eaten shit describing it, I kinda go “no no it’s more interesting than that”-- but I feel like it’s a comic where the happiness in the gutters, though, or the juxtapositions, so).  

It seems like the winner was The Sky is Blue with a Single Cloud.  (Or the Yoshiharu Tsuge guy but I’ve never connected hard to what I’ve seen there in the past).  A bunch of things that sound curious besides that-- I think Flight of the Brain is sitting on my to-buy list at Comixology.  The surprise was hearing there’s a Hughes Micol book worth tracking down-- I hadn’t heard that name in more than 10-15 years-- I’d liked a book he did called 3 a million years ago, but lost track of him after that.  

Separately, and apropos of nothing, I read the new Jay Stephens this week.  I think of Stephens as being part of a crowd with like Paul Pope or Mike Allred, that whole wave of cartoonists, and seemed like he had some success-- he got some cartoons made; I stumbled across one of his cartoons on cable one time, at least. Stephens is back making comics for the first time in years-- it popped up on Kickstarter when I was doing that.  His new comic Dwellings is in his usual style (not sure how to refer to that era, the sort of Silver-Age adjacent “humor” look, or slightly pre-Silver-Age, Harvey-Comics-adjacent, the kind of old-time-y comic Gary Panter waxes enthusiastic over) but is more a horror thing, with murder and gore and everything.  It comes across like a gag-- and maybe one that’s been done before, you know.  But I like Stephens and I like how he draws-- there’s some good drawings in that new book, especially on some of the reveals or the big stinger moments.  I thought it was cute, but I always wished Stephens were a little more ambitious.  (It’s unfair to compare any comic to Wally Gropius, but). But he’s made a lot of comics that I liked that weren’t very ambitious-- there’s something likable about his line anyways, to me, I guess.  Cartoon characters.  I like his cartoon characters-- there aren’t a lot of people working that terrain for some reason!  Is that weird?  Maybe it’s not weird; maybe Ben Affleck’s cheese vault isn’t weird, either; who am I to say anything about anything, just cause a year is over???  Existential.  

So.  Yeah.  Anyways.  What was I saying?  Oh right: Instagram-- I thought it was just a website where sexy people demonstrate hotness, but it turns out the un-sexy use it to show people their drawings.  Who knew?  Not sexy people-- none of them mentioned it; they’re busy having an amazing time in Dubai!

#Worst Hobby or Worstest Hobby? #Nerd Business. #I kinda think it was a great year in music but I sure don't know anything about music

[mst3kproject]

The Manster

Who has two thumbs and is back on terra firma with working wifi?  This MSTie!

As for my chosen subject this week… I don’t think I have to justify this one.  It’s called The Manster, as in a portmanteau of man and monster.  It was directed by a guy who mostly made cheap-ass jungle movies, and stars a bunch of embarrassed actors who don’t know how they ended up here.  It’s old and it’s dumb and it’s often pretty funny though never on purpose, and the perfect stinger moment comes very early in the film… you’ll know it when you see it.

So we have Dr. Robert Suzuki, who lives on top of a volcano.  When people have ‘Dr’ in front of their names and live in isolation with a bunch of blinky light machines, that’s usually a pretty good clue that they’re mad scientists. Tragically our hero, Larry Stanford, is not that observant (Larry’s obliviousness would have been a constant target for Mike and the bots and he would have deserved all of it).  He’s a reporter who wants an interview about Suzuki’s theories on the causes of mutations, but too bad for him, he arrives just as the mad doctor has run out of family members to experiment on.  Under the influence of Suzuki’s injections he’s soon devolving into an animalistic frat-boy, drinking, carousing, and murdering… oh, and he’s growing a second head. Will that be a problem?

So basically this is a werewolf movie with a fake mustache on… or perhaps a Jekyll and Hyde movie of sorts, as discussed in the denouement.  It wants to explore the dichotomy of good and evil in every one of us, using the very silly device of a two-headed man.  I have to say, I understand the metaphor, but it wasn’t put to nearly good enough use.  The movie would have been ten times more fun if we’d gotten to see Larry and his second head arguing over whether or not they’re going to kill somebody.  Not better, mind you, just more fun.

As far as just being a movie goes, The Manster is better than a lot of things I’ve watched for this blog.  The characters have names and look different enough that you can tell them apart, the story makes sense on its own terms and everything that happens is relevant to the plot.  Photography is honestly pretty good and the actors are competent.  All this happens to be in the service of a really silly story with awful special effects (I love Larry’s rubbery second head bouncing as he runs) but it’s engaging enough that you want to keep watching.

What I really like about The Manster, however, is that it offers a lot to analyze.  I’m not sure much of it is intentional.  The Jekyll and Hyde side of the story is elucidated in an ending speech, as Larry’s friend Ian tries to reassure Mrs. Stanford.  He says there was good and evil in Larry, and they’ll just have to wait and see which side wins.  This is not a very satisfying ending, really.  We’ve just seen Larry’s evil side plummet to its death into a volcanic crater… and the surviving good side is under arrest as a serial killer.  Dr. Suzuki and his assistant, the only people who could testify that Larry was not responsible for his actions, are both dead.  This guy’s going to jail.

The really interesting thing in the movie, though, is one that comes up by accident.  Dr. Suzuki’s work is on evolution – his theory is that cosmic rays can induce mutations, producing new species more or less overnight (this is called ‘macromutation’ or ‘the hopeful monster theory’, and lurked on the edges of the mainstream in the 40’s and 50’s) and he hopes to induce the same effect chemically.  When he tries, however, his efforts invariably produce monsters.  Emiko, his wife and former research partner, turns into something resembling the closet monster from The Brain that Wouldn’t Die.  Kenji, his brother, turns into a yeti, and a similar fate awaits Larry.  These mutants cannot understand human speech, and their behaviour is irrational and violent.

This implies a couple of things.  We hear vague mentions of Dr. Suzuki experimenting on fungi, but his heart is mostly in his human experiments.  That tells us that his goal is to speed up the evolution of humanity, and one presumes that this is intended to improve us somehow. Of course, this is not how evolution works.  Evolution does not make things better – this is why biologists have mostly dropped the descriptions primitive and advanced in favour of the more neutral basal and derived.  Dr. Suzuki’s quest is therefore quite misguided, as illustrated by his monsters. In no way could they be considered ‘better’ than humans – in fact, they’re significantly worse at surviving and reproducing (the thing natural selection selects for) than ordinary people are.

There’s another layer here, though.  ‘Evolution makes things better’ is a misconception that’s been around since Darwin, and dates back to even earlier ways of organizing the natural world.  When Linnaeus created the classification system for living things that we’re still saddled with today, he did it under the believe in the Great Chain of Being – the idea that you can order everything that exists into a hierarchy with mold at the bottom and god at the top, and that after god and the angels humans are the best thing that exists (as proved by our being the only creatures able to create classification systems).  It’s an idea that appeals to human vanity and to our need to impose order on the natural world, and it isn’t likely to go away anytime soon.

With that in mind, perhaps there’s another reason Suzuki’s experiments fail.  If you believe that humans are the best living thing around, particularly if you believe we are the image of god on earth, then maybe it’s not possible to improve on us.  Any change you make to people that takes them away from humanity will automatically make them worse.  This idea does appear to be manifest in the fates of Emiko, Kenji, and Larry, all of whom become more apelike, less ‘advanced’, as they change.

In that case, what does The Manster think makes for a good human?  We see a little of Larry before he starts to mutate, so we can compare that with what he becomes.  Rather surprisingly for a movie of this vintage, the fact that Larry is white seems to be pretty incidental.  He is a foreigner in a faraway place, but this serves mostly to drive a wedge between him and his wife Linda.  Except for a couple of rather troubling moments, the film does not present Japan in an exotifying light.  We do see things like a bathhouse and a geisha bar, but these represent Larry’s personal slide into debauchery, rather than the country as a whole.  We also meet normal working people among both the Japanese and the American expat community – reporters, police officers, and even priests.

There’s a very nice bit, actually, where Larry comes upon a Buddhist priest praying, and when he realizes this man doesn’t speak English, Larry takes the opportunity to unburden himself.  It makes him feel better to talk about his moral quandaries aloud, and the fact that the priest doesn’t understand him means he cannot judge him.  This is a very relatable and human moment, one of the best in the movie.

Unfortunately, it also segues into a couple of the most distasteful things in the film.  As I’m sure you’ve guessed, Larry does murder the priest, but before he does, he stares at a particular statue in the shrine – a representation of a three-eyed, fanged being that I am in no position to identify, although it looks a bit like Vajrapani.  Before Larry grows a full second head he sprouts an extra eye in his shoulder, and the implication is that the three-eyed statue draws his attention to the monster within himself. I don’t know much about Buddhism but I do not like the idea of casting another culture’s religious figures as symbols of monstrosity.  The west has done plenty enough of that.

But back to the question of acceptable humanity. We watch Larry get drunk, violent, antisocial, lazy, and promiscuous, which tells us that the ‘good’ man is the opposite of these things: sober, peaceful, friendly, hardworking, and chaste. The film pays particular attention to how Larry relates to women.  The fact that he’s been faithful to his distant wife is established early on, and one of the first symptoms of his devolution is his willingness to discard her.  First he makes out with a couple of girls at the geisha bar, and later he takes Dr. Suzuki’s assistant Terra (who has a tragic backstory but we frustratingly never find out what it entails) as his mistress. On the phone with his wife Linda at the beginning of the film, Larry tells her he loves her and promises to be home soon.  Later, when she comes to Japan searching for him, he shouts at her and makes a show of preferring Terra.

One conversation he has with Linda is particularly revealing.  He tells her he has no desire to settle down in one place and wile away his time drinking coffee and playing bridge when there’s a big wide world out there.  She asks him what about her plans, and he declares he will ‘put her in her place’ and ‘slap her down’.  Since this is when Larry is the opposite of what a good man should be, we can take from it that a good man respects his wife and takes her opinions and needs into account.  For the late fifties, this is actually kind of surprising – I’ve seen films from a decade or two later that were far more backward about this.  So hey, points for that.

All things considered, The Manster is a pretty well-made movie.  It’s dumb and full of clichés, such as the man scientist destroyed by his own creation, the femme fatale who sacrifices herself for the hero because she’s fallen in love with him, theremin music to represent the monster’s appearance, etc etc etc… but it’s competently put together and whether intentionally or no, contains a lot of interesting material. It’s the sort of movie I can watch repeatedly and always find something new in.  Definitely recommended viewing for the 50’s Monster Flick fan, although with the caveat that there is a scene in which one character urges another to commit suicide.

#mst3k #reviews #episodes that never were #the manster #guys in gorilla suits #tw: suicide #50s

[who-likes-cake]

the dribble artist

It was a school day Jamal was running down the hall as fast as he could, he was almost late for math as he was running he felt his hair gently touching the back of his head because of the air.

When he got there he tried to get to his desk without the teacher noticing he was late. But, sadly he got caught and that's how he got landed in detention for the rest of the day. As the hours passed, he felt himself slowly drifting off. His eyes started drooping, his head falling on his desk and then he found himself dreaming about his favorite movie. He was imagining himself laying on the couch eating lays chips and watching his favorite movie for the 22nd time.  And just when the dream started getting good Snap! Snap! Snap!. It was his teacher Miss Shirley telling him to get going “come on it's time to go home” so Jamal grabbed his backpack and headed to the bus. Honestly, the bus was like detention, but worse, nothing to do just sitting there but also bullies!  Josh Brogan is the worst bully ever! Jamal knew this because first of all he's in 4th grade and he's been in this school for 5 years. Also his house is next to Josh’s and everyday after school Josh would chase him down the sidewalk. Jamal could feel his hand slowly going up the cold railing. As soon as Jamal got on the bus he started getting noogied and people were laughing at him for no reason and then Josh said “hey look its basket boy” and all of Josh's goons started laughing. Jamal started feeling embarrassed, his face turning red and then “ hey Jamal you miss your daddy”  and again Josh and all of his pesky friends started laughing. Jamal felt like he was gonna cry but he knew if he did Josh and his goons would make fun of him. And he started to remember when he was 4 his dad saying ”if anyone starts annoying you fight back, because, if you don't those people will just keep annoying you.” So Jamal stood up, he looked at his fist and he socked Josh straight in the face. “DON'T TALK ABOUT MY DAD!!!” Right after he punched him he got scared “you’re gonna regret that”  Josh said and Josh stood up and kicked Jamal straight in the knee. Jamal fell to the ground. And with his eyes barely open he saw Josh walking away, his bloody nose dripping. And just like that it was Jamal's stop he got off ready to lay down and watch The Shining for the 22nd time he stepped in his house, his knee about to give out and then Jamal heard this “ sweetie get changed into your shorts we gotta go to basketball”. Ugh... Jamal thought but he knew that arguing with his mom wouldn't do any good so he started getting changed and as he did his knee started stinging out of nowhere it felt like 50 hornets plunging their stingers into his knee and he was so tempted to tell his mom. But, ever since he told his mom that his head hurt she babied him for that whole week and Jamal hated that so he didn't tell his mom. He came downstairs and told his mom he was ready and told her to go outside to the car. He immediately grabbed a band aid and slapped it on his aching knee and he ran outside while slightly limping. He got in the car and his knee started to feel better. While his basketball team was playing one of Jamal's teammates passed the ball to him and of course while he was about to shoot the basket Jamal's knee started to hurt and he couldn't shoot it. So he pawned it off to Joshua “what are you doing you could have made that shot?” Jamal started to feel like everyone was watching him even though they weren't He started thinking these dumb thoughts. What if they kick me off the team? And of course as he was making dumb conspiracy theories the other team made a basket that he could have saved. “Come on man you're being weird today” Joshua said “Im sorry, Im sorry, I just have got a lot going on.” Jamal's mom was waiting for him outside.“Did you win?!” Jamal's mom said exceedingly, hoping for a positive answer.  “No Jamal said (as he sighed) “and it's all my fault”. “Honey don't think that but anyway we gotta go, your sister has ballet and if she doesn't she’ll FREAK!! And you know what happens when Sally has a tantrum so let's go” Jamal and his mom started to drive and they kept hitting speed bumps. Jamal felt his stomach fluids wishing around and his body bumping up and down. A little while back before they went to the basketball, as Jamal was getting the band aids he also grabbed a notebook.  So he slipped that out and started doodling. He was drawing something random and he didn't even know what it was, but when he was finished he realized that he had been drawing himself punching Josh. He quickly hid it because he didn't want his mom to see his drawing and say “it's too violent” and then they got back to his house and his mom immediately rushed inside. I don't even know how but in like 1 minute she came back out with Jamal's little sister fully dressed and they drove off to go to ballet. So Jamal went inside and grabbed his notebook and a bag of lays chips and sat down and turned on the shining and started drawing. He found himself back at that drawing of him and Josh and he started thinking “why is Josh so rude like there's literally no reason at all, but then he thought that maybe there was a reason, maybe Josh was actually a nice person and then something happened. He didn't realize how long he had been thinking but he looked at the TV and his movie was over and his chip bag was empty. Jamal decided  that he needed some vitamin d so grabbed his notebook and headed outside. As he sat down, he could feel his knee boiling hot. Jamal was in pain but it was good pain and that's why he was staying out there. As he was drawing he heard a loud clunk against the road he looked up and it was Josh and his goons with their small scooters on the road. Jamal started to feel very worried that they would hurt him but they stared at him and then they ran? Jamal looked back and his brother was in his car.  “Were those kids hurting you?” “No but they were about to” Jamal said as he started to rub his knee. “Well its a good thing I got here in time” Max said. Jamal headed inside. About 30 minutes later his mom and his sister were home. “Time for dinner were having meatloaf.”” Why meatloaf?” I don't like meatloaf!” Sally said in a disgusted voice. Jamal didn't like meatloaf either but he knew that he couldn't argue with his mom like his sister. It would not do anything, Jamal thought. As they were eating their food, Sally, after every bite, would gag hard and again and again and again... until she vomited. Jamal and Max immediately stood up and walked away even though he wasn't done with his food. He didn't have much of an appetite after that anyways. “Time for bed everyone.”  Jamal was disappointed because he and his little sister went to bed at the same time. Jamal, a 9 year old went to bed at the same time as his sister, a 5 year old, but again he didn't argue. As he brushed his teeth he started thinking about his dad about how his dad slammed the door so hard it sounded like it was gonna fall off the hinges. Jamal got a paper cup, put some water in and swished and gurgled. “Ew why do you have to gurgle, be normal” his sister said as she was waiting outside the door. Jamal headed to his room and he plopped onto his bed and  he laid down covered himself with blankets and then his sister ran in the room and  jumped on his bed.  Her knee landed straight on his knee and it  hurt like crazy! But he didn't tell anyone. His sister snatched like 2 of his blankets ran in her room and shut the door and locked it. Jamal turned off the light and went to sleep. Jamal felt a wave of confidence after he punched Josh that morning. Jamal got ready for school. It was a normal school day... boring classes, bla.. bla.. bla. Jamal was being bullied on the bus and when he got home he stepped into the kitchen and said confidently to his mom  “mom i don't like basketball.” “ U mm, OK, I guess we can cancel basketball for the rest of the year”. Jamal felt happy for the first time in a while and one thing he learned from this experience is that you don't have to do something you don't want to do.

The end.

#basketball #writing #original story #short story

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 26 - TOR - The Eichel Standard

6-4 Regulation Win

Let’s have a moment of honesty. I’ll start. I expected this to be a signed sealed and delivered loss (I think many of us did). I had a rip-roaring time watching that epic Buffalo Bills game on Thanksgiving to the point where I was near dreading a home and home series with the team I hate more than any other in the world (I think many of us did). The Buffalo Sabres, losers of 11 out of 13, up against a hated Leafs squad fresh off the firing and roasting of their former coach rattling off three straight wins, is the setup for a massively painful loss… or a very cathartic win... and a playoff spot at the moment *Heavily suggestive nudging*. We’ll come back to that. One more moment of honesty: I have begun to feel dirty roasting the Leafs fans who file into Key Bank Center in droves as of late. The reality that has been attested to me a dozen times is these are mostly folks who haven’t and may never see a Leafs game in Toronto. They’ve been priced out. Instead of feeling offended that so many thrifty season ticket holders in the lower bowl sell their tickets to Leafs fans… we should really pity these Leafs fans and give them good treatment. They are priced out by an organization that has sucked ass for half a century and not even granted them the dignity of watching it live. Just a thought. I digress. What is the greatest game against the Leafs in Sabres history? Greatest Game Against for this divisional rival actually has scanter options than you might think. There is no Leafs-Sabres game in the top fifteen of the Buffalo News’ top 50 games in franchise history. These teams are rarely good at the same time and the one time they were gave us the only playoff series between the two in the 1999 Eastern Conference Final, a series won by the Sabres I may add. The Greatest Game Against the Leafs in franchise history comes in that series: Game 5. The 4-2 win sealed the second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in franchise history. Like many big moments the team got in the late 1990s it was backstopped by Dominik Hasek being the best goaltender in the world but nonetheless the Sabres won a trip to the biggest series for the organization since the mid-70s so whose complaining? That series allows us to carry the historical playoff edge against the Leafs into a playoff series I now feel is as inevitable as Thanos. I guess we’ll see about that. Last night was a boost, no doubt about that.

Buffalo did what they’ve been good at lately: getting a neat little hot start and getting our hopes up before absolutely roasting our turkey. There are nights where Jack Eichel has a game. There are nights when Linus Ullmark has a game. Last Night they both had a game. William Nylander outmaneuvered Johan Larsson and Marco Scandella back on the other end and suddenly found himself on a breakaway. Linus Ullmark said: ain’t no problem. He scooped it up to thunderous applause. I wasn’t at this game so I’m not going to comment on the Leafs jerseys to Sabres jerseys ratio but from the sound of it both fanbases had the power of applause. Auston Matthews disappeared throughout this game; but the guy who was mature enough for the C did not. This game could be framed as the battle of the Captains. John Tavares broke the scoreless tie late in the first period with a quick shot from Ilya Mikheyev. I think Linus Ullmark was screened by both Leafs and Sabres players on that one. Sometimes it seems as though this club either doesn’t know how to defend the net or defends it so hard the goalie can’t do his job. Either way it was 1-0 after one period. Tavares struck again early in the second period. Eichel and Spezza had both gone to the box creating a 4-on-4 and some space for creative players on the Leafs. This 2-0 goal I feel comfortable blaming on Ullmark. Tavares leads a 2-on-3 and the puck ends up way behind the net. Ullmark splayed out on his belly way too early and JT got his own rebound and tapped it in. I suppose it also would have helped if the Sabres defenders were a little tougher on Tavares but hey, they held Auston Matthews off the score sheet so I’m not complaining, well at least not after the Buffalo Sabres arrived in this game shortly before six minutes into the second period.

Brandon Montour kept the puck in the offensive zone on a failed Leafs zone exit and passed it to Johan Larsson. Larsson goes in and doesn’t see his shot, so he drop passes it to one of the best trailers in the league in my humble opinion: Jeff Skinner. Yes, Skinner on a line centered by Johan Larsson is some interesting strategy from Ralph Krueger and you probably have seen the roasts of the strange deployment. Me, well I’m going to save those roasts for the losses. Skinner ripped off an Eichel-esque wrist shot that Michael Hutchinson never responded to. Just right in. Funny part of this story as we go onto the flowering of the Sabres offense here: man-of-the-people new Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe asked the players what they thought of the difficult backup position they got up there and they wanted Hutchinson called up. Hutch must feel like he got the raw end of that deal, eh? Spoiler Alert: he let six goals in. After the Skinner goal both teams botched a powerplay and as the Leafs’ one expired Jack Eichel came out of the box to pick up a juicy stray puck that had wandered into the neutral zone. Him, Marcus Johannson and Conor Sheary go off to the races on a 3-on-1. Jack Eichel does a Jack Eichel Special and this game is tied. If you watch this team regularly you probably know what a Jack Eichel Special is: quick release wrist shot from the point, preferably on the rush. That’s yummier than Thanksgiving stuffing! The feast had just begun! Marco Scandella shot from the point and Casey Mittelstadt bats at it to create a redirect of the year candidate for the 3-2 lead. Now if you want to find some similarities between these two teams its not hard. One might be that both have enough skill guys to draw defenders out of their coverages. That’s what happened when another Leafs powerplay was ending and Jack Eichel had the puck. He has the puck behind the Leafs net along with 3(?) blue & white defenders… yeah, you know who that left open: Victor Olofsson. Goalofsson is no longer in an exclusive relationship with the powerplay, now he’s taking shots in all situations and he puts the Sabres up 4-2 to put a nice little bow on the first forty minutes of this game.

Almost seven minutes into the final frame Dmytro Timashov get a shot off through the woods and the Leafs are back within one. You can’t sit back in this league, the Sabres have learned that the hard way. But with the Leafs you can’t only not sit back, you need to bury them alive. You have to beat them so bad they’re thinking of their next opponent to beat these guys. The third period was a kind of touch-and-go experience as the Leafs closed in and the Sabres extended their lead. I was in a movie for this game and when I was looking at the scorers afterwards I saw Jimmy Vesey unassisted and thought to myself: three unassisted breakaway goals in the three games? What are the chances? I come to find out it wasn’t a breakaway, but it was one of those embarrassing goals you watch happen and think: “Yeah, that’s going to be showed in a Leafs video session.” They gave up the puck right in the slot and Jimmy Vesey takes it and hardly has to do the cotton eyed joe to get through the defenders right up to Hutchinson. When Vesey got there he put a goal that actually merits the name “Greasy Vesey”: five hole from point blank. Oh, this was the moment this game became cathartic. Not only is Jack Eichel roasting the Leafs, now its his BU drinking buddy tapping in five-hole stingers. Kasperi Kapanen closed the Leafs to within one again mere minutes later on another goal Ullmark probably wants back. And so it would be a one goal game for the last eight minutes until Jack Eichel got the puck in the defensive zone with a Leafs empty net and launched an ICBM all the way down ice into the open cage for the final score line of 6-4. That’s right, the Sabres didn’t just beat the Leafs, they did it in regulation like a bunch of Gs. If we could have a game like that every night a lot fewer fans would be calling Buffalo’s turkey roasted at this phase of the season.

The NHL gave three stars honors to Eichel, Vesey and Tavares but I’m going to change one of those. Jack Eichel was not only good on the score sheet; he literally had a perfect game in zone entries and breakouts. Those are the stats of a leader. If that behavior infects his teammates we won’t be talking about another lost season much longer. If we see players on this team at least showing Eichel’s drive to win each night then what could happen? The answer is beautiful things with the Eichel Standard. Star number two ought to be Linus Ullmark who has secretly been behind some of the Sabres recent almost success and tonight: actual success. Ullmark has a .913 save percentage, which is very much on the good side, having started five of the last seven games. Think about the last seven games, how many of them do you think the goalie came out looking that good? The tide might be turning on this tandem. The time is shortly before noon on Saturday I’m going to post this. A lot can change in the next 24 hours in this league, not to mention the outcome of a second game between these two teams tonight in Toronto; but as of right now the Buffalo Sabres sit in a playoff spot at third place in the division. Say what you will about this club wasting a fantastic October, or losing in spectacular fashion against lesser teams, or even the seeming inability of the GM to rotate out some defensive depth so his Coach can stop rotating good defenseman out of the lineup; this team is not out of it. Not yet. I did Thanksgiving Playoffs last postgame remembering that most of the teams in the playoffs on American Thanksgiving are in the dance come the end of the season. The playoff picture in the east right now is tight AF. No, frustrated we might be game to game this season has all the makings of not being over. Stop writing the epitaph while the body is warm. Being a Sabres fan sucks but you got to give it the space to not suck sometimes.

After the Leafs tonight we have the DEVILS who are just as bad as the last time we checked. After that the Sabres fly out on a Western Canada road trip I’m not too afraid of. I’m not telling you they’re going to create separation in the standings, we’ve watched this team enough to know opportunity is often squandered, but I doubt we’re as doom and gloom about this team when we see the Leafs again in three Tuesdays. Just an idea, I’ll probably be wrong, right? Tampa is also waiting to come alive like a loaded coil sitting outside the playoff picture so I should be more hesitant to get excited, eh? Like, share and comment on this blog to hop on board to remind me when I’m wrong. Happy Holidays, it seems as though we can be happy this holiday season just off Bills energy. Call me a fool but I’ve got some serious Sabres energy going on right now too. Let’s Go Buffalo!

Thanks for Reading.

P.S. The Tim Hortons Rivalry. Let’s make that a thing. Nobody outside Southern Ontario or Western New York knows wtf the QEW is so let’s not name the rivalry after a fucking highway. This is a sleeping giant of a rivalry that we are naming after a fucking road. Think about it. The more you think about “Tim Hortons Rivalry” the more it makes sense.

#buffalo sabres #Hockey #blog #NHL #Toronto Maple Leafs

[allysartstuff]

Note: This has been drawn as a reference guide which is free to use if you wish to draw this character. However, please do not repost or claim as your own, thank you. The eleventh born in my Next Gen series.

Lickety-Split

Personality: Brash, insecure, rebellious, bitter, loudmouth, show off.

Likes: The thrill of speed, pranks, stunts,

Dislikes: Being alone, being compared to his mothers, changes, being ignored.

Story;

Lickety-Split is the adopted son of Rainbow Dash and Spitfire and the adopted younger brother of Tornado Rush.

Split is very much his mother’s son. As a young colt, he thrived for the thrill of speed and agility. It was no surprise to anyone that he was an exceptionally skilled flyer, the first of the young five to earn his cutie mark at a race at the age of six. Rainbow and Spitfire couldn’t be more proud parents. They were sure he would make a fine Wonderbolt. Their words of encouragement resonated with Split and he trained and raced as much as possible for a little colt. But over the years, every victory he earned was always followed by hushed whispers he would catch in the crowd.

"Of course he won! His moms are Wonderbolts! It's not fair!"

Never mind how hard he worked or trained for all those years. It didn't matter because of his parents. He still couldn't shake off his mother's shadows. This revelation left him bitter and insecure but he continued to race, that is until he could find an alternative for his flying abilities.

Before his sister Tornado Rush transitioned, Split looked up to his ‘big brother’ a lot so when Rush came out and started transitioning, things became tense between the two. Split, too young to understand and scared of the change, expressed that he didn’t want her to go through with it. Rush was hurt by this and they didn’t speak for a while. He eventually accepted it as he got older and the two have a very living yet typical brother-sister relationship.

However, things got worse when his mother Spitfire got into an accident that paralysed her from the waist down. Rainbow and Rush continued life as normal as they could, supporting Spitfire but for Split, it was all too much to cope with. As much as he hated being compared to his two mothers and being undermined his skills as a flyer because of that, he hated seeing his mother in constant pain even more. He coped with it by avoiding home as much as possible, hanging out with his friends or, if they weren't available, a group of ponies from his school known as ‘the wrong crowd’. This drove Rainbow Dash (who had become a full time carer to Spitfire and a stay-at-home Mum at this point) absolutely mad and for a while, their relationship was strained.

One day, Split and his other rebel friends snuck into a daredevil show, The Washouts. He was in awe of the stunts and danger, realising that this would be the thing to finally get him out of his parents shadows. After the show, he met the Washouts in person and was surprise to see their leader taking a shine to him, a mare called Lighting Dust. She told him she had heard of him and thought he had great potential to become a Washout.

“How about I give you a little private training, eh? Just between you and me?”

Ecstatic, Split agreed. Over a period of several weeks, Split snuck out for training with Lighting Dust at the very far end of Ponyville. They were extremely dangerous and Lighting proved to be a tough and pushy couch with no shortage of malice. Still, Split developed his techniques, found he thrived on danger and quickly learned to brush of any injuries that came about, which were thankfully minor. He also found a friend in Lighting and they spent some nights just Split hearing her talk about her greatest feats.

Eventually, Rainbow got sick of all the excuses Split would come up with every time he came home late with more bruises and cuts. One night, she decided to go and find him, leaving Spitfire in the care of Tornado Rush. To her horror, she found her son performing a very, very dangerous practice stunt with no regards for safety at all. When he successfully finished, Rainbow stormed up to them and gave Split a frantic “What were you thinking? You could have been killed!” speech. Split spat out that this was what he wanted and needed to get out and do something on his own without being compared to her. To his surprise, Rainbow to a deep breath and said she didn't mind him being a daredevil. After all, with the right training and actual regard for safety, he would be amazing. But he had to stop training with Lighting Dust.

“You know her?!” Split had said. Rainbow then told him briefly of her past encounters with her, including their Wonderbolts training and what Lighting had previously done to Scootaloo.

“You’re my son, Split! I can't stand the thought of her hurting you like that.”

That's when Lighting snorted. “Your son? Excuse me, Dash. I know for sure you didn't squeeze him out!”

Lighting then admitted that she was really Split biological mother, much to everyone shock. She proudly gloated to Rainbow how much Split admired her and much preferred to spend time with his cool actual mother rather than his fake, wash up, boring mothers, delighting in Rainbow’s crushed expression.

It was evidently clear why Lighting really wanted to spend time with Split. To take him away from his adoptive family and to get back at Rainbow. Hurt and shaken, Split stepped away from Lightning Dust, telling her he was done training with her and wanted to stay with his mothers.

Surprisingly, a hurt expression flashed across Lightning’s face before giving them a sour look.

“Alright. Fine then.”

For some reason, Lightning coldly revealed that his biological father is Sky Stinger and Split is the result of a one night stand between them. ‘A mistake’, as Lightning put it. An already shaken Split was crushed by the word. Furious, Rainbow snapped, demanding that if Lightning had any sense, she would leave and never speak to her family again. With that and a snort, Lightning left.

Sometime afterwards, Rainbow admitted she knew Sky Stinger and offered to contacted him. After a long time thinking of it and healing from the hurt Lighting left behind, Split agreed.

In the current timeline, Lickety-Split is still in school at seventeen. He still dreams of making his own daredevil stunt group but is quite happy to do races and aerobatics until then. He's also developed an interest in health and safety in sport since his estrangement from Lighting. After reconnecting with Sky Stinger, the pair are working on a healthy father-son relationship. Despite the initial awkwardness, he soon gets along well with Stinger’s wife Vapor Trail and is adored by their brood of teeny excitable foals. His relationship with his family also improved (a tad though, he’s still kinda a knucklehead) and was proud to attend Rainbow and Spitfire’s long awaited wedding.

Bits and Pieces

Split and Forelle have a small thing for each other but they are both too proud and stubborn to admit it.

As a foal, Split was an admirer of Doctor Hooves ever since he stumbled on his (still ongoing) time travel experiments. Every chance he got, he would bug Doc with ideas on how to time travel (many of them having to do with speed). The Doc, while a little exasperated by this foal’s sudden attention, politely listened to every ridiculous theory and even grew to like him. Today, they grew apart and haven’t spoken in years due to Split growing up. Split is horribly embarrassed by his behaviour but does not think ill will of the ol’ Doc and has found memories of him.

Despite being raised by two mares and having female friends, Split doesn't really understand girls, especially when it comes to flirting. Although he loves his friend Lucky and is happy to help him with his love life, he is jealous by the attention the dorky little draconequus gets while he can flirt and show off as much as he likes but no girl will notice him. And he certainly can't have his female friends as potential girlfriends, oh no! That's just too weird.

Split and Lucky argue the most in their group of friends. Lucky has a hard time understanding why Split hangs out with troublesome ponies and why he could just open up a little sometimes while Split is jealous of Lucky’s attention from girls and considers him a bit of a weakling despite having immense power. Yet, they are best friends and are willing to stick through anything together.

Split loves to pull a good prank or two. One of his more memorable ones was when he dumped a bucket load of bugs (which Lucky was collecting) onto Berry Bubblegum, sparking her lifelong fear of insects.

Split has a beloved childhood teddy bear called Paddy. However, while he no longer plays with it, he still loves it to pieces and will happily stomp anyone to the ground if they dared make fun of him for that.

His favourite thing to say is, ‘Let’s split!” which never fails to make everyone groan.

Lickety-Split © Me

My Little Pony © Hasbro

#My Little Pony #My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #mlp #MLP: FiM #mlp next generation #mlp next gen #Lickety-Split #rainbow dash #spitfire mlp #rainbow dash x spitfire #rainbowfire #ocs #original characters #Fan Characters #Upsy Daisy Verse

[jooheonspinky]

Save Me

Characters: Yoongi x Reader ft. Namjoon

Genre: Action

Synopses: This wasn’t your first time, having helped your friend with their plot multiple times before. The surreal surroundings were almost a second home, but when you recognize the abductee is part of the scheme, you feel things may have gone too far.

Warnings: This fic contains blood and gore. Please read at your own risk.

Word Count: 5K

A/N: I want to give a huge thank you to my lovely cousin @millie-ionaire05! She told me a dream she had with Yoongi and I loved how unique it was. I’d never read a fic like this and thought it would be so much fun to write one. I hope you all enjoy this as it truly was a blast writing this up! Please leave a comment or feedback. Let us know what you think!! Thanks for reading. Byee

You feel your phone vibrate against your hip, the sensation seeping through the messenger bag that hung across your torso. Pulling out the cell, you briefly glance at it to see who’s calling. A playful smirk slips across your lips as you swipe your finger across the screen and the bring phone to your ear.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N!” your best friend chirps giddily from across the line. “Are you off work already?”

“Actually yes,” you let her know, your steps slowing a bit. “I’m stepping outside the building now and was just about to head to the supermarket. What’s up?”

“Oh,” her excitement tones down a bit. “Just wanted to see if you could hang out today. I wanted to run some new sound effects audio for the avatar with you, but if you’re busy…”

“No, no,” you assure her, pausing in your steps to focus your attention on the conversation. “I just needed to do some groceries, but it can wait til tomorrow. Should I go to your place?” 

“Not this time. How about we meet in the parking lot of the abandoned Big Lots,” she suggests, her enthusiasm rising again. “You know which one I’m talking about, right?” You hum in acknowledgement and she continues. “Great, see you there in thirty minutes?”

“See you there.”

“Byee!” she sings before the call ends.

You laugh as you grab your keys, slipping the cellphone back in its place and continuing on your way to your car.

***

It is late evening, the cloudy night sky not allowing much illumination down to the isolated area you are parked at. You had time to spare, the drive to the store from your job not taking the full thirty minutes, so you decide to get out and lean against the car while you wait for your best friend to arrive. You leave the headlights on, hoping to push some of the darkness away from the abandoned parking lot.

You were glad you’d worn long leggings as well as a long sleeved asymmetrical shirt to keep some of the chill of the night at bay. There was a light cool breeze tonight that brushed through some loose strands of your hair causing them to dance around your face as you scroll through your phone, killing time while you waited for your best friend to show up.

You become engrossed in an article, your hand coming up to brush a loose strand of hair behind your ear. When the tinkling sound of a chip of gravel skidding across the pavement registers in your mind, you tense. The self-defense classes you’d taken has your body immediately triggering you to prepare for any threats and shifts you into defense mode. But even still, you were too late and you curse your phone for having distracted you from truly focusing on your surroundings.

Before you can put your cell away to free your hands, a solid object smashes down against your temple bringing forth a starlight of pain to burst in your head. You struggle to stand as you claw at the car for purchase while your vision blurs, but it’s no use and soon your body collapses into a pair of strong arms as you finally succumb to the clutches of impending darkness.

***

Consciousness begins to awaken you, coaxing your eyes to flutter open. Sitting up groggily, you take in a shuddering breath as the memories of what happened instantly flood your mind. Your hand instinctively flies up to your temple as your eyes widen, expecting to find blood and a lump. You frown as you feel around and find the area flat as if you hadn’t just had someone whack you there. You take a peek at your fingers, but they come back clean.

What the hell?

You force yourself up onto your feet and it’s then that you notice you are in a room perhaps about twenty-five by twenty-five feet. Every inch of it is a crisp bright white. Even the high vaulted ceilings are the same color giving off the illusion that the space was infinite.

“Oh!” you murmur, surprised to find an object suddenly appear a few feet ahead of you, its colors contrasting harshly with the pristine surroundings.

It was an axe.

A crackle resonates throughout the room commanding your attention. Your eyes flick around swiftly searching for the source of the sound as a female’s slightly altered voice replaces the static sound.

“Pick up the weapon.”

You don’t question the disembodied voice. Instead, you take a step forward only to immediately freeze in your tracks as a low growl fills the otherwise silence of the room, making the hair on your arms stand on end. Your neck snaps up, tearing your gaze from the weapon, and your blood runs cold within your veins as your eyes fall on what made such a noise. Grotesque creatures storm in from an open door that had not been there moments before. Some of the horrors before you are too much for your brain to even comprehend what they could be. They certainly were not anything you had ever seen roaming the Earth.

But two in particular stand out. One is about the height and length of a tiger, but is more dog-like. It’s face resembles that of a Rottweiler. The teeth were sharp, long and yellow and they dripped with saliva. The skin was a dull leathery black. Ivory colored spikes protruded down the length of its spine, with some sprinkled about his elbow, shoulders, and behind its eyes. The beady black orbs track you, never losing sight of you.

The other creature is akin to a giant wasp. The buzzing of its wings getting under your skin, almost like nails scraping down a chalkboard. The wings flit so swiftly, that you can only tell that they are a dark color. A short olive colored fuzz covers the head and thorax while an armor-like casing surrounds it’s abdomen. The stinger is sharp and long, the eyes a metallic green-yellow. You can’t help but cringe as the mandibles snap open and close, the clacking sound sending your heart into a thundering frenzy.

Swallowing any fear before it can truly manifest and disable you, you dash forward, snatching up the axe. The wooden handle is surprisingly warm against your palm and the sharp steel blade gleams as the light from the room bounces off of it. You turn your body slightly, ready to use all your power to swing the axe down on any attacker, but someone grabs you, forcibly halting your action. You twist, your heart thrumming furiously in your ears as you come face to face with, not a person, but a mannequin-like entity.

The thing has to be at least seven feet tall, its shoulders broad as it looms over you. Whatever it is, it has no facial features save for carvings mimicking where the eyes of a human would be. It’s beige eyeless sockets stare down at you. Though it’s face is expressionless, you can still feel it’s malicious intent as its powerful hand tightens vice-like around your forearm preventing you from protecting yourself.

A searing pain begins to burn at the contact site and you instantly jump into action, kicking the mannequin until its grip loosens. You take your whole body and shove against it causing it to lose its balance. The mannequin releases you as it fights to steady itself and you take advantage of the moment and swing the axe at its neck. The head is cut clean off, rolling away, and you quickly scramble to raise the axe again, readying yourself to attack the other monsters.

The axe whines as it swipes through the air, body after body falling from the demise brought on by your weapon. When there are no more left to slay, you look down at your clothes, your chest heaving as you pant from the exertion. The garments are splattered with some of the monsters blood. You frown, feeling the warm and tackiness seeping through to your skin, but the sound of a door opening on the other side of the room draws your attention away. Jogging over to it, you wipe the sweat from your brow with your forearm. You glance at your arm briefly. The flesh there still tingled with a burning pain from when the mannequin had grabbed you, yet there was no mark there on your skin reflecting any degree of burn whatsoever.

Interesting.

Stepping gingerly through the doorway, the first thing you notice, besides that it is completely white as well, is that the room is bigger than the one you just left, perhaps forty by forty. It’s completely empty. You take a moment to glance over your shoulder and find that the door you just came through is now gone. There is only a solid wall behind you.

Just as your heart rate is finally returning to a more calm rhythm, you look up slightly towards the right and your eyes fall upon a cage way high up, the top flush against the ceiling and the back side against the wall. It was no ordinary cage. It appeared to be made of glass as you could see right through it. Craning your neck and narrowing your eyes for a better view, you realize the cage is not empty. Inside sits a boy with his hands and feet bound, shackled to chains. Squinting your eyes even more as you focus on his face you instantly still, a small gasp escaping your lips.

You recognize him. You know who he is!

Is this a joke? You laugh at the absurdity of it because you are certain it can’t be. At least not a real version.

The captive says your name, his deep voice instantly cutting off your laughter, freezing you in your spot. Hearing him speak has you literally paralyzed in fear.

He was real?

The screech of the intercom intrudes in that moment, advising simply, “Save Yoongi.”

Silence returns and your eyes lock in on Yoongi’s and all you see is worry swimming in his dark orbs. Holograms had previously been used. The members of BTS had never moved nor spoken to you before. What was there to be gained by using a live member? Your ears burn red as you grow angry. What if he gets hurt?

How dare she include a live Bangtan member!

Taking that fury and using it to fuel your energy, you begin to jog towards the enclosure, your mind immediately working through how you would get him out of there. You catch sight of something at the corner of your eye and turn your neck for a better look. Ugh! You growl internally. It’s almost as if your movement forward triggers the creatures to appear and soon the room is filled with nearly double of what had been in the previous room. They swiftly advance on you and you waste no time cutting your way through them. The sounds of your heavy breathing and grunts mingles with the growling, yaps and buzzing of the monsters that surround you.

You hate to admit it, but you are getting your ass kicked. Bites and scratches are littered all over your body. Your clothing are tattered, the razor sharp talons slicing through the material as if it was merely paper. You could feel yourself beginning to panic. There were so many, an endless amount it seemed, and your energy was waning.

You couldn’t give up though. Yoongi was your priority right now. Everything else could just go to hell as long as Yoongi was safe. Swallowing back the panic you find the resilience to continue swinging and hacking through the throng of beasts, your eyes constantly darting around looking for a way out of the melee. Something shiny suddenly catches your attention and you notice a key dangling around the neck of one of the giant mannequins. Seeing it has hope blooming within your tired body, providing the extra energy to slash a path out of the sea of fiends.

Breaking free, you sprint towards the flesh colored mannequin, simultaneously swinging the axe and reaching for the key. Though you snatch up the key, the mannequin proves to be much faster and stronger than you and grasps your arm before you can connect your axe with its body, the key dangling from your fingers. You let out a frustrated scream, the sound laced with terror as you glance over your shoulder only to find a wall of monsters rushing towards you. You tear your gaze away and look up into Yoongi’s concerned face, barely processing the fact that the glass cage is slowly descending.

Not wanting him to fret for you, you return your attention to the mannequin. Kicking it roughly, you simultaneously yank your arm away as it staggers back. There is a light thud beside you and you see that the cage has reached the ground. With a growl, you surprise yourself at your speed as in three strokes you amputate both of the mannequins arms and half a leg. No longer able to come for you, you concentrate on figuring out how to access Yoongi.

There is no latch or lock that you can see from where you stand. Raising your hands up to try and feel for any indentations or buttons you let out a startled curse as you stumble forward and into the encasing.

Should have known...

This side of the cage was a hologram. Peeking over your shoulder briefly you can see the area behind you rippling like water before returning to its original form. It almost seems to disappear right before your eyes.

Wasting no time, you quickly insert the key into the lock which held the chains that wrapped around Yoongi’s wrists and ankles. They clatter to the ground and he swiftly stands, rubbing at the skin of his wrists to soothe away the chafing the metal had caused. The sound of a door swishing open has you both turning your heads in the same direction.

Fearful of the exit shutting before you could get to it, you grasp his hand and rush towards the door. You’re a much faster runner than he and you tighten your grip, yanking him along. The terrifying growls and buzzing of the monsters are thunderous as you gain on the door way. You only risk a look back once you are in the third room, sighing with relief when the door automatically shuts, cutting you both off from the horrors in the previous room. The moment you look around and see it’s yet another room similar to the previous two, only much larger, you let out a frustrated cry and drop exasperatedly to your knees. The blade of your weapon clangs loudly in the quietness of the chamber as the axe’s handle hangs loosely in your limp hand.

Yoongi kneels beside you, giving your back a few gentle pats, his voice low as he asks, “괜찮아 (gwaenchana-are you ok)?”

You shake your head negatively, letting it fall forward so you could hide the tears that were starting to form. His hand soothingly rubs small circles to your back trying to comfort you. The gesture only causes a lump to form in your throat as you force yourself not to cry.

Before you can thank him for the kind gesture, the announcer speaks up in that moment informing us, “There is one last trial. Once it has been completed…you are free.”

Yoongi taps your arm, and you hesitantly look up at him, feeling vulnerable knowing there are tears clinging to your lashes. But he’s not looking at you. Instead, he’s staring at something on one end of the room. You follow his gaze and your shoulders sag as you quickly brush away the moisture from your eyes.

A long row of those tall mannequins stand sentinel, menacing as they stare blankly in your direction. Yoongi then taps you again, pointing to the other side of the room, directing your attention to an object lying on the floor.

It’s a machine gun.

You signal to him that he should get it since you have the axe, but the moment he stands the mannequins begin to step forward.

“가 (ga-go)!” you command, cringing apologetically at Yoongi for how informal it sounds, but your Korean is limited and truthfully, this was not really the time to be caring about formalities.

He doesn’t appear to be bothered by your use of 반말 (banmal-informal language), though, and instead counts off, “하나 (hana-one), 둘 (dul-two), 셋 (set-three),” before sprinting towards the gun.  

In turn, you shoot up to your feet and dash straight towards the mannequins, your heart rate picking up again as you gain on them. Once close enough your grip tightens on your weapon and the whistle of it slicing through the air is barely audible over the groans and screeches of the mannequins as you take them down one by one. You do all you can to keep their attention on you in hopes of keeping Yoongi from sustaining any injury whatsoever.

You take steps back with every hack, drawing them towards you and away from Yoongi. No matter how hard you try, only about half of the group continues to engage with you, while the rest split off towards him. Your eyes continually flit from the mannequins then to Yoongi until you finally see him reach the firearm. Sighing with relief, you watch as he releases the safety and immediately begins to shoot at the onslaught of mannequins closing in on him. You return your full attention to the enemies around you, continually bringing the axe down on anything in your way, until a scream tears from you as a bullet ricochets and rips across your raised hand. The pain is excruciating, but you have no choice other than to continue fighting back.

An eternity seems to pass, but with your combined weapons you finally kill them all. As soon as the last mannequin hits the ground a door opens at one side of the room and Yoongi grabs your wrist leading the way through the doorway. Now that there is complete silence, save for both of your ragged breathing, you can actually hear the door swoosh softly as it immediately closes behind you.

Your line of sight instantly falls on a figure on a couch. Your best friend sits there beaming proudly at you. The quest must be complete as you are now in a living room. As she stands, you scowl at her, not moving as she takes your left hand and removes a rubber bracelet you hadn’t even had the chance to notice you’d been wearing. You were familiar with it. It was used to gather your stats as you made your way through the various rooms. Your friend then hands you a black device similar to a miniature paddle. It was about 12 inches long when retracted. As you make your way to the kitchen you scan your hand, arms, and torso, still too angry to speak. By the time you reach the refrigerator there is no trace of you having had any injuries, the device having emitted an energy that helped you heal instantly.

Lying the scanner on the counter, you open the fridge, your ears perking up at hearing Yoongi and her chatting quietly. She was fluent in Korean while you weren’t, so you choose to tune out their conversation. You are desperate for water and couldn’t care less for anything else going on around you now that you knew there no longer was a threat.

Grabbing the jug, you close the door and nearly drop the water at finding Yoongi standing right next to you. He doesn’t say anything, just takes the container of water and sets it on the counter only to grab the hand that had been injured by the rogue bullet. You hold your breath as you watch him bring your hand to his lips, leaving a sweet kiss there. You turn your head away, feeling flustered at the dulcet gesture only to find him leaning in to drop a kiss on your cheek. You were frozen to the spot, your heart thundering in your ears as he then moved up to press his soft lips against your temple.

Yoongi doesn’t say anything as you gently pull your hand out of his, your fingers hesitantly reaching up to trace the spot he’d kissed on your cheek. As he walks off towards the bathroom you can only stare after him, the places he kissed tingling even after he was out of sight.

Shaking your head to clear your mind, you turn your attention back to your friend after gulping down a glass of water. You snatch up the healing device and pad over to the living room. You hand her back the tool, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Knocking me out?” you huff sarcastically. “You really couldn’t find a better way to drag me here?”

“I’ll talk to my guy. I truly didn’t want him to hurt you,” she states sincerely.

“And I thought this was just another test,” you state a bit sharply, your brows drawn down with so many emotions. Mostly confusion and a bit of anger if you were to be honest. “I let you use me so you can make your video game, but when was he included in this? And how did you even get him here?”

She smiles patiently at me. “It wasn’t cheap. And it was a test. This time, the damsel in distress was included,” she shrugs with a mirthful grin.

You glance to the closed bathroom door, lowering your voice, “So this is what your game was all about? Saving Bangtan?” you ask.

She smiles again and you suck your teeth at her.

She takes your hands, squeezing them for emphasis, “Don’t be mad. I’m sorry. I just really needed your reactions to be more genuine and natural.” Batting her eyelashes and pouting she asks, “Forgive me?”

You purse your lips at her, giving her the side eyes before you finally give in and smile at her cuteness.

“Don’t I always?” you sigh, tucking a lose strand of hair behind your ear. She beams happily at you, relief evident in her eyes. “Listen, I need to get the stink off of me. Those new enhancements were wicked. The blood was even warm like real blood and it stinks,” you wrinkle your nose. “Like, holy fuck, it stinks!”

She laughs, pleased that her new adjustments had been more realistic.

“Go ahead, you deserve it,” she shoos me away. “I left some lavender bath bombs up there for you, too.”

“Thanks.” Heading to the stairs, your hand reaching for the banister sparks your memory. “By the way, you might need to check the coding on the mannequin or the gun. A bullet bounced off of a mannequin instead of it absorbing it.”

“Oh no. That definitely should not have happened. I’ll get on it right away,” she nibbles worriedly on her bottom lip.

You can already see her eyes unfocusing as she starts to run over the codes in her mind, trying to map out where the glitch might be. You take that moment to depart knowing she was lost to you now.

“Great. See you in a bit.”

“Mhm…” she murmurs absently and you chuckle to yourself as you continue on to the much needed awaiting bath.

When you return down stairs afterwards, you are disappointed to find that Yoongi has already gone. You would have loved to talk to him, but your friend tells you that a driver from his company had been waiting for him and they had already left. She insists you spend the night and you do so, though sleep doesn’t come to you for a long time as thoughts of Yoongi and his sweet kisses occupy your mind.

***

The next few weeks go by rather quickly, the character designed after your person becoming more and more popular as a few teasers of the game are sporadically released. You were the badass character that saved the members of Bangtan. The player had the option of choosing which member they favored. Depending on which Bangtan character was selected, your avatar would save the member and that’s who your character would fall in love with.

The game was gaining popularity quite expeditiously and a signing event had been scheduled. Your best friend was so excited by the approval and acceptance the game was receiving that she decided to add a surprise to her signing event on the date the game was due to be released. You would be revealed as the main character, but only via photographs and a short video. You were not going to personally be at the table with her, but she asked that you stay nearby. If the audience begged to see you, she would have you come up, allowing you to take pictures with the fans and autograph merch for them.

Across from the event was a park and you sat at a bench, your leg shaking as you waited for a text letting you know to come over or to go ahead and go home. From where you sat you could see the crowd growing and were happy and filled with pride for your friend as this had been a dream of hers for many years. It was truly amazing to see her hard work come to fruition.

“This seat taken?”

A deep voice pulls you from your thoughts and you smile in confusion to find Namjoon and Yoongi standing there.

“No,” you scoot over to allow space for them both. “Go ahead, sit.”

They were dressed casually in ripped dark jeans. While Namjoon had on a white shirt under a black wind breaker, Yoongi wore an olive green oversized t-shirt. You look down at your boots, doing all you can to avoid glancing at Yoongi.

“Everything alright?” Namjoon asks, pointing across the street at the crowd that continued to grow.

You nod, humming simultaneously.

“Just waiting on my friend to let me know if I need to come over. Her games doing really well.”

“That’s great,” he comments with a dimpled smile. Namjoon then leans forward, making sure to catch your eyes. “Are you alright?” he asks this time and the concern in his inquiry sounds genuine as he urges you to answer honestly. You look past him, glancing over at Yoongi. His intense stare immediately locks in on you as if he’d been waiting to get your attention.

“Yeah, why?” you finally reply, tearing your gaze from Yoongi and looking at Namjoon instead.

Yoongi says something to Namjoon in Korean, his eyes never leaving you, and Namjoon nods.

“Yoongi wanted to say thank you,” Namjoon relays. Your eyes flit from Namjoon to Yoongi and back at Namjoon, your eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “For saving him,” Namjoon clarifies.

You make an ‘o’ shape with your mouth and nod, falling into silence right after. The sound of your phone buzzing draws your attention away. Swiping your finger across the screen you pull up a text from your best friend that had just come through.

‘I’m wrapping up everything here, so you’re free to go. I should be done in another twenty minutes.’

‘Ok’. You type back.

“Soooo,” you draw out as you turn back to face Namjoon and Yoongi. “Looks like she doesn’t need me after all. It was good to see you guys.”

You offer them a quick smile as you rise from the bench. Giving them a wave you start to walk away, but Namjoon stops you.

“Hey, why don’t you come have dinner with us?” he asks, his eyes pleading as Yoongi waits quietly beside him.

Mulling it over, you finally decide to join them.

“Sure,” you nod, tucking a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “That would be nice.”

“Invite your friend, too, if you want,” he adds.

You shoot her a swift message to which she agrees.

“Ok, she says she’ll come. We just have to let her know where.”

***

Dinner was delicious and your friend insisted on paying to treat you and the guys for being such good sports. She was so grateful for the participation in helping her fine tune her game. The hours passed so quickly as you all chatted, ate and drank. Before you knew it, the time to go your separate ways had come.

Outside in the warmth of the evening, you and your friend turned to walk away after saying your good byes, but a hand on your shoulder stopped you.

It was Yoongi.

“Wait!” the deep timbre of his voice resonates through your body and you turn to look up at his dark eyes. “Can I message you some time?”

You cock an eyebrow up at him in surprise.

“Your English?” You can’t help but point out, completely disregarding his question.

He’d spoken a little English here and there tonight, but not full sentences. Sometimes you’d be the odd man out as they all spoke in Korean and your best friend translated into English for you, or Yoongi would be the one waiting for Namjoon to translate to Korean. We all had gotten accustomed to the back and forth translating, so it was strange to hear him speak completely in English right now.

“Ohhh,” he drawled pensively as if searching his brain for the right words. “I practice.”

He flashed a gummy smile, proud of himself, though a splotch of pink tinted his cheeks.

“That’s awesome. I need to practice my Korean more,” you sigh.

“I take your phone number. I give you mine,” he nods as he pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it to you. “I help you. You help me.”

“알았어(arasseo-agreed),” you grin as you accept his cell and punch in your number.

“Okay, okay,” he laughs, pleased to hear you speak his language.

Returning his phone, he holds up a finger and types up a message. Your phone vibrates and you bite the inside of your lip to keep from grinning like a school girl.

‘Practice 1: 잘자요 = good night’

Looking up at him, you pronounce the characters and he nods, impressed to see you are already familiar with the sounds assigned to each character.

“Good night, Y/N,” he waves. “Talk soon.”

“잘자요,” you call back with a wave of your own, earning another gummy smile from him.

Unable to keep the silly smile from your own face, you lock elbows with your best friend and the two of you giggle giddily as you head to her car.

*Mood board was made by me. Image credits below:

Mannequin head

Coding

Monster Wasp by rhardo

Mutant dog by Anubiscomics

Yoongi: used his Highlight Reel poster

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