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somegirlontheinternet135 · 4 months

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Ok but, how cool would it be if there was a click & point adventure game and dating sim based around The Beasts

Like, imagine you, the player, woke up in a dark, unknown forest. You don't know how, or why, you got there, but one thing's for sure, you don't want to stay for long, who knows what kind of horrors could be lurking in the darkness. . ? Quickly you make use of the environment, gathering wood & making a fire (via a minigame) in hopes it'll alert some cookies to your location, and while it doesn't work at first, it does give a certain someone, or something, a beacon to your location. . .

As you sit before the fire you just built, you begin to notice something was off. . . the forest you were in, it was quiet, eerily quiet, normally at night, many forest would be bustling with some sort of life: the sounds of night beasts, owls in the night, maybe the occasional cricket, but there was nothing. What only adds to this uncanny wood were its lack of creatures, not once did you encounter any sort of beasts on your journey. . . both these factors alone made you question what was really happening, is this all a dream? were you going crazy? questions were racing through your head, till finally, something snaps you out of it. . .

"Ooooooh!~ What do we have here?~"

"Has a little cookie come by to give me a visit?~"

A voice from the darkness pulls you out of your thoughts, jolting you onto your feet. Hearing that so suddenly within such a vacant space, you could've sworn you were alone. . ! You frantically look around, desperately trying to find the source of the voice, but the thing only laughs at you. . .

"W-Who's there?! show yourself!!"

"*Ehehe he he he HE HE HE HE!*"

"Try looking up here, darling~"

Your attention was slowly drawn to a tree behind you. On one of the branches, two heterochrome eyes staired at your from below, taking you off-guard, was that. . . a cookie? The creature made zero attempts to hide themselves as he jumps off the tree branch, over your fire. Light from the flames revealed their figure, they appeared to be some sort of jester, its figure & face making them resemble that of a cat. They do a bow before finally introducing themselves

"Shadow Milk Cookie, the world's favorite trickster~"

"Pleasure to meet you!"

In this scenario, the player is given two options, each of course having a different outcome:

Run Away

Sprinting away in fear will, of course, cause Shadow Milk to chase, eventually getting caught, though this does increase his interest in you

"*heh he he HE HE HE!* where are you going you silly little thing?!~"

"That was so much fun!~ I think I'm starting to like you already!~"

Standing Your Ground & Ask Questions

Respectably, you don't anything regarding the fallen heroes, but asking more questions does leave Shadow Milk upset

"H-How could you not know who I am?!"

"Shadow Milk Cookie, actor, playwright, dictator, does that not right a bell?!"

This's basically how the story starts. The player is isekaied into this strange world and are quickly met with the Fallen Heroes, who all woo the player with their charm & status in an attempt to find out how they got in, so they can do the same to get out. . . whatever that means. But one thing leads to another, and they all fall in love with the player, fighting over them. As for the player, they transverse through the strange world, learning of it and its secrets via minigames, hidden secrets, and puzzles, all while learning about the fallen heroes and their backstories. . .

I picture the game itself being a mix between one of those disturbing click & point adventure games (i.e. Sally Face, Fran Bow, and Little Misfortune) and a dating sim (i.e. Obey Me) which by itself, would cause major emotional whiplash, cause imagine going from seeing the most messed up sh*t to smooching your jester bf. For reference, think of the game as "Little Goody Two Shoes" something you should play btw!

#shadow milk cookie #cookie run kingdom #cookie run #i don't normally do “x reader” stuff but this's been swimming in my head for a while #cookie run kingdom x reader #shadow milk cookie x reader #slient salt cookie #mystic flour cookie #burning spice cookie #slient salt cookie x reader #enteral sugar cookie #enteral sugar cookie x reader #mystic flour cookie x reader #burning spice cookie x reader

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five-rivers · 19 days

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Cracked Clay Cup Chapter 9

@greatbigolhampuckjustforme

“Okay, for the next one,” said Danny, doodling on a piece of paper, “I think I’m going to pick from the older end again. Like, I’ve done number one, number five, and number seven, so that leaves two, three, four and six. Could just do the middle one, four. That’s the biggest group. Or I could do one of the single people.”

“You could pick any of them,” said Clockwork. He placed another piece into the puzzle he was working on at the dining room table.

“I know,” said Danny. “I’m just thinking out loud.” He’d been leaving Clockwork’s after breakfast, but he’d broken that habit this time around. It was almost noon. He just couldn’t make up his mind.

Part of him wondered if he should have stayed with Vlad a bit longer. Maybe he could have pushed him to tell the truth. But… he didn’t know how Vlad would have reacted to that. What if it had been bad?

On the other hand, it might have been good to know if his reaction to being pushed had been bad. If it had been, Danny would have known not to pick him. Maybe… maybe deciding to leave was a little… cowardly.

“Hey, Clockwork?”

“Yes?” He looked up from the puzzle, but kept inserting pieces.

“Am I different than I was with my memory? Like, am I acting different than I would have, if I still remembered?”

“Of course. You would have knowledge that you currently do not, if you remembered.”

“Okay,” said Danny. “Sure, I get that. But what about… I’m… Am I acting like, not as… brave?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Vlad said I was sort of a, I don’t know, a superhero, kind of.”

“I see.”

“But I kind of feel like if I had been, then I’d be more… I would have acted differently, with Vlad.”

“Hm,” said Clockwork. “I think I understand what you mean.”

“And?” prompted Danny.

“And, I have often found that it is easier to be brave if you have something to be brave for. When it is not a choice so much as it is a necessity. You do not need to be brave, here. This isn’t one of those situations.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I am,” said Clockwork. “You aren’t unmonitored, when you are visiting the candidates. Part of my role is to enforce the rules.”

“I don’t really see how that means I don’t need to be brave in this situation. I kind of feel like there’s a lot I need to be brave about, here. I could be hiding out in my room instead of out here.”

“You could be.”

“But I’m not. I’d say that was… brave… Wait, that’s not the position I was arguing before.”

“It is not,” said Clockwork.

Danny scowled at him, then slouched down in his chair. “You know what else is brave? Your new decorative choices.”

The walls of the kitchen - not to mention the rest of the house - were now covered in clocks of various sizes and shapes.

“Mhm. Well, in your absence, I must occupy myself.”

Danny looked around the room again, eyes lingering on the clocks. “I don’t know that I’m that… occupying. Like, I’ve not been here for more than a day at a time, and usually less than that.” He hesitated. “And we don’t… do that much together, do we?”

“We’re doing things together now.”

“I’m mostly just complaining at you about my choices, but okay.”

“Even so.”

“What if I just… take another day? To decide who to go to next, I mean.”

“Take as long as you want. In the meantime, you could help me with this puzzle.”

“Or,” proposed Danny, “we could play some video games together. A lot of the ones I like are multiplayer.”

Clockwork put the remaining puzzle pieces back in the box. “We can certainly try that. I’ve never played before.”

Danny grinned. “I think you’ll like it.”

“Are you sure you’ve never played before?” asked Danny.

“Quite.”

“You’re good.”

“I have always prided myself on my timing.”

Danny groaned as he died again.

“Okay, I’ve made my decision,” said Danny, a few days later. Breakfast that day consisted of french toast.

“Really?”

“You don’t have to sound so skeptical.”

“This is my normal voice.”

“Is it?”

“It is. What is your choice?” asked Clockwork.

“Eager to get rid of me?”

“I am merely curious.”

“Sure,” said Danny. “Sure you are.”

“Daniel,” said Clockwork, with a faint air of exasperation.

“I want to visit the third person,” said Danny. “I figure I might as well be symmetrical.”

“It’s as good a system as any. Do you want to leave now, or later?”

“Now,” said Danny. He did not say, ‘before I change my mind again.’

“Very well.”

Clockwork raised his staff, a spark of blue swirling off the tip. The portal would form in just a split second.

“I’ll miss you,” blurted Danny, impulsively.

Clockwork’s eyes widened slightly, but he did not respond before the portal swept Danny away.

The first thing Danny noticed about the new place was how cold it was. He wrapped his arms around himself, and cursed himself for not realizing that someone named Frostbite of the Far Frozen would live somewhere cold.

“Oh, dear,” said a deep voice. “Great one, my apologies. I did not realize your core would be inactivated.”

Danny was bundled into a pair of furry arms and swept away to a much warmer area. That wasn’t to say it was warm. Just. Warmer.

“Oh, wow, that was cold,” said Danny. He rubbed his arms and wrapped his tail around his knees.

“Yes,” said Frostbite. “Usually that’s not an issue for you.”

“I can’t imagine why not.” Danny shot a look at his latest temporary guardian.

Frostbite was a huge, tall, white-furred ghost. He had a long muzzle and horns, along with ears that had more than a passing resemblance to Danny’s. Danny ran a hand over his own ears, wondering. Were they related somehow?

“Generally,” said Frostbite, “in the normal course of things, that is, you are quite cold-resistant. You have a cold core, like myself, although that aspect of your core seems to have been rendered dormant.”

“Vlad mentioned cores,” said Danny.

Frostbite's furry eyebrows went up. “You have already met Plasmius?”

“Um, yeah. Just before you, actually.”

“What?!” Frostbite patted Danny over with his large, paw-like hands. “Did he harm you? Are you injured? Did he do anything to you?”

“Um,” said Danny, stepping back. “No. He was pretty chill actually.”

“Chill.”

“I mean, like. He didn’t do anything bad to me. He was pretty nice, even though he didn’t tell me we’d been enemies. The Dairy King did.”

Frostbite got a sort of pinched look on his face. “The Dairy King was assisting him? How unusual.”

“I don’t know about assisting,” said Danny. “He did tell me about how Vlad and I used to fight and all.”

“Even so,” said Frostbite. His eyes were still roving over Danny, apparently worried. “I would like to give you a full medical checkup. I was unable to do so… before.”

“Before the trial?” asked Danny, tilting his head to one side. He felt one of his ears flick.

“Yes,” said Frostbite, heavily.

He seemed to be struggling with whether or not to say anything else, so Danny took the opportunity to look around.

The room he was in was… strange. There was really no other way to put it. It was small. Only about the size of Danny’s bedroom at home with Clockwork. The walls, where they were visible, looked like ice-covered stone, but they mostly weren’t visible. They were covered with layers of fur and strange tapestries. Some of the tapestries looked more or less like Danny imagined tapestries to look: lengths of tightly-woven and embroidered fabric. Others looked more like carpets. Still others were embroidered furs. The floors, too, were covered in layered furs and carpets. Illumination was provided by globs of floating blue fire.

Other than that, the room was empty.

“I was your doctor before, Great One.”

They looked at each other for a long moment. Danny imagined that Frostbite was facing the same dilemma he was. He couldn’t decide what to ask next. He couldn’t decide what was safe to ask.

“So, you’re a doctor?” That seemed like a safe question.

“I am,” said Frostbite. “Medicine for cold core ghosts is one of the specialties of my tribe. When you have been ill or injured in the past, we have taken care of you.”

Danny hadn’t really thought all that much about the social structures of ghosts. He remembered the Observants, and he had a vague recollection of kingdoms and tribes being a thing, but he was far more familiar with the workings of a republic, his human life taking precedence in this case. He made a mental note to ask Frostbite more about how tribes worked later.

“And I have a cold core like you? That’s why you’re my doctor?”

“Yes,” said Frostbite.

“Are we related?” asked Danny. Frostbite’s tail - what Danny could see of it, anyway - wasn’t quite like Danny’s, but he did have white fur and pointed ears, so…

This question surprised a laugh out of Frostbite. “It would be my honor, but, no, Great One. Although we share some similarities, that is not one of them.”

“And you’re calling me Great One because…?”

“Because you saved my people, and, indeed, all the Infinite Realms, from a terrible fate when Plasmius released Pariah Dark, the old king of ghosts, from his prison.”

“The superhero thing?” asked Danny.

Frostbite chuckled. “I believe you referred to your tendencies as that a few times in my hearing. You, and your friends. But, truly, it would give me a great deal of peace if you let me make sure that you are, indeed, healthy, and that whatever technique they used to remove your memory has not damaged you unduly.”

“You could tell if it did?” asked Danny, suddenly a lot less reluctant.

Frostbite nodded, gravely.

“Okay,” said Danny. “But I’m not sure if I can really handle it if the way there is as cold as the way here.”

“I will carry you,” said Frostbite. “The medical bay itself is heated, to accommodate your human half, as are many of the rooms.”

Danny sighed in relief. This would have been a very short visit if they hadn’t been. This room was fine, but he didn’t like the idea of being confined to such a small space indefinitely.

“And perhaps we could take one of these,” said Frostbite, pulling a thick, fluffy-looking fur from one of the walls. “Just to add another layer between you and the cold.”

“Right,” said Danny, feeling nervous again as he contemplated being bundled up like that. It was fine. Clockwork was watching. Monitoring. Whatever. He had the pocketwatch.

It took a bit of maneuvering for Danny to get into a comfortable position, but once he did, Frostbite wasted no time pushing aside the thick, curtain-like door of the room and walking back out into the cold. Danny drew in on himself, shivering, despite their precautions.

(In a slightly less frigid environment, being held in Frostbite’s arms would have been downright cozy. He made a note to experiment later. If Frostbite was trustworthy enough for cuddles.)

“S-so,” said Danny, trying to take his mind off the cold. “Wh-what did I do with Pariah D-Dark?” Vlad had told him a version of the story, but he doubted it was complete, especially given that he’d failed to mention anything about who released Pariah Dark in the first place.

“You rallied the ghosts of the Wastes,” said Frostbite. “a veritable and largely lawless rabble. You convinced them to fight, even convincing Walker and Dorathea of Mattingly to lend their power. You led them against Pariah Dark’s thrall armies, and stormed his keep using a suit of armor that sapped your life even as it increased your power. You fought the mad king one-on-one, and forced him back into the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep, whereupon Plasmius was able to lock him in again. You very nearly died, you very nearly ended, and were willing to do so, in order to stop Pariah Dark.”

“H-huh,” said Danny. He couldn’t really imagine doing something like that. But it did more or less line up with what Vlad said… except that in Vlad’s story, Danny’s role had been less… prominent.

They reached the medical bay, a large cave full of mysterious machinery, shortly after that, and Danny was again happy to find himself in relative warmth. Frostbite started explaining the medical exams he wanted to carry out, and Danny listened half-heartedly.

“Hey,” he said, during a lull between explanations. “Do you think you could fix my amnesia?”

“It is not impossible,” said Frostbite, slowly, turning away from the thing he’d been fiddling with . “But it would depend heavily on what method they used to give you that amnesia in the first place. For example, Lethean waters are very effective and entirely irreversible. On the other hand, they could have removed and stored your memories via a memory jar, in which case you would need to have that jar to recover your memories. Alternatively, there are several ways by which your memories could be bound in place, or obscured. However… attempting to restore your memories would be a blatant violation of the rules of this trial.”

“But would you try?”

“If you asked me to, Great One.”

Danny frowned and looked away. “Why are you doing this?”

“Giving you a medical checkup?” asked Frostbite. “Because I am concerned for your health.”

Danny waved that answer away, and forced himself to look back at Frostbite. “No, I mean, why are you participating in this trial? Why do you want custody of me? I mean, if you’re just my doctor, that’s a bit weird, isn’t it?”

Frostbite huffed. “I do like to think of myself as more than ‘just’ your doctor. I mentored you extensively after your ice powers developed. I daresay you are one of my more successful students, at that, even if your, ah… first attempts at control were rough.”

“You know what I mean. You call me ‘Great One,’ and that’s flattering and all, but it isn’t really a parental kind of thing, is it?”

“I suppose not,” said Frostbite. “It would bring me nothing but joy if you did choose me, Great One, and I would do my utmost to live up to the task and dedicate myself to parenting you, but I do have something of an ulterior motive in joining this trial.”

“What is it?” asked Danny.

“I came to warn you.” Frostbite squared his shoulders. “I never met your birth parents, only your sisters, but from your words and theirs… I believe they harmed you, Great One. Intentionally and repeatedly. And I believe that it is their actions that necessitated this custody trial.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” said Danny. “Why? Why do you think that?”

“First,” said Frostbite, “you mentioned to me on several occasions that your parents were ghost hunters.”

“Oh. Ow,” said Danny.

“Secondly, a few times - only a few, but they stand out sharply in my memory - you visited me for help after being affected by one of your parents’ weapons. I have the records of those visits here. You brushed aside my concerns regarding your parents then, saying that they did not know you would be harmed, or that the incidents were mere accidents.”

That… certainly sounded bad.

“Thirdly, and finally, the existence of this custody trial in and of itself. These are beyond uncommon, even considering the Observants’ interest in you.” Frostbite’s snout wrinkled. Speaking of which, you should be wary of them as well.”

“Already ahead of you on that one,” said Danny, thoughts racing. “But I thought the reason for the custody hearing was that they were dead.”

Frostbite’s eyes widened slightly. “Who told you that? I know that at least one of them is participating.”

“What?” said Danny. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. My spy wasn’t able to be more specific than that, curse the Observants, but I have full confidence in them as a member of my tribe.”

“Do you know their names? What they’re called, what they look like?” asked Danny.

Frostbite shook his head. “As I said, I never met them.”

“Maybe we can work it out by elimination, though,” said Danny. “I could tell you the names of the other people on my list of candidates–”

Frostbite’s head-shaking became more frantic. “Goodness, no. I’m limited in how specific I can be about the…” He sighed. “Competition.”

“Right,” said Danny. “But you just came to warn me? That’s all?”

“And to give you some measure of safety. I knew your parents were participating, I knew Plasmius would not miss the chance, and I haven’t a clue about who else might be involved. I wanted you to have at least one safe option.”

That was nice and all, but Danny couldn’t help but feel a little put out. He didn’t want to be an obligation that someone was picking up because they felt like they had to.

He was probably just being ungrateful, though.

“Great One?” asked Frostbite.

“Hm?”

“I asked if you would like me to try to get your memories back.”

“Oh,” said Danny. He thought about it for a while. “No. I don’t want you to get in trouble. But maybe… could you find out what’s going on with my core? And help me remember how to use those ice powers you mentioned?”

“Of course, Great One! It would be my pleasure.”

#danny phantom #phic phight #fic

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satureja13 · 2 months

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Jack is disenchanted and disappointed. As exciting as it was to talk to Tiny Can, he'd expected more of the AI Therapist.

Sai went back to sleep again, he's exhaused from crying and reliving his worst memories. And Ji Ho and Jack decided to play a bit. But the only 'game' available is a boring puzzle... Jack: "Oh my, I don't know what's more boring. This puzzle or our therapy... Have they never heard about gamification? Or fun? Or to make it a bit more interesting?" Ji Ho agreed. Though the insight about Vlad and his own locked away feelings was interesting. Maybe he should follow and explore these thoughts a bit deeper.

Suddenly Saiwa was wide awake: "What did you just say, Jack?"

Jack: "Uh - probably something wrong? You finish the puzzle, Ji Ho, I go and run."

Saiwa: "No! That's actually brilliant!

Gamification! The Game!!!

We combine the AI with our game and make it a Therapy Game!" Jack and Ji Ho: "..." (Haha you can see how Jack and Ji Ho's brains are working ^^') Saiwa: "And not just for us - for other creatures too! This would have been so helpful when we'd been so scared and alone! And who knows? This could be a sucess and we'd make money to pay Rubyn and the others back!" We barely get to see Saiwa this excited ^^' But here some of his main interests meet, his love for games and computers - and being there for others and help them.

Vlad went back home to grab Saiwa, Jack and Ji Ho's content they'd already had created for their game over the last months and then they started their epic gathering to develop the:

For the computer game they'd planned, Jack already made the concept art and design, Vlad wrote and Ji Ho composed the music and soundscapes. They are going to feed all this to Tiny Can and see what kind of 'gamification therapy' he'll create. How exciting! (For me it really is! Imagine this: a game that also is a therapy - supported by an AI! How amazing would that be if you could see the things that make you suffer from a distance and you'd find solutions for them by doing insightful AND funny AND interesting quests! You'd gain helpful new habits and get rid of unhealthy ones by playing a game! Where I live it's so hard to find a therapy place. We have to wait up to a year -.- I do have high hopes in AI. You could go by your own pace. And you wouldn't even have to leave the house!)

After a very long gathering, Ji Ho and Jack relaxed in the hot tub. Jack's pain is thanking him. They sat silent for quite a while, lost in their thoughts. Very unusual for Jack, but his brain is running on hyper speed now. He's so excited :3 And Ji Ho was pondering about his locked down feelings. The Bond made it easy for him to love Luci. They had a whole different approach to each other. While his relationship with Vlad was doomed from the beginning (their story in (kind of ^^') short -> here).

The only ocassions where Ji Ho was really comfortable with Vlad was, when they touched and made love. And this is also a benefit of the Bond and Luci because Ji Ho hated being touched in the beginning. After all he'd seen at the House of the rising Sun in the slums of Sulani. But Luci had approached him slowly and tenderly. Ji Ho shared his thoughts with Jack: "Do you think this might be a way to become more comfortable with Vlad and finally be able to love him? And to find my buried down feelings?" Jack: "I think that's brilliant! At least one of us learned something in that therapy. When you charge the Bond later, just try a bit more and we'll see how it goes."

A little later Vlad came down: "Uhm, I'm leaving now. The Bond..."

Ji Ho left the hot tub and went over to Vlad to charge the Bond - and try his new theory... They embraced each other as usual and then Ji Ho tried to kiss Vlad.

But Vlad moved his head aside and whispered: "I want nothing more than you - but not like this." Vlad's breath ghosted over Ji Ho's still wet skin and made him shiver.

Vlad still has his principles - not to forget his foolish pride. No way he's going to have a plain physical relationship with Ji Ho - without love. There is no 'two out of three ain't bad' or 'it's better than nothing' in Vlad's world ^^' Only 'it's all or nothing'. He would do anything for Ji Ho, but he won't - and can't do that. It would break him apart. That does not mean it was easy for him to not give in and leave. Vlad really is the master of self control ö.ö

And then Vlad left. Ji Ho seems a bit piqued after Vlad's rejection ^^'

'I can't stop this feeling Deep inside of me Girl, you just don't realize What you do to me

When you hold me In your arms so tight You let me know Everything's all right

I'm hooked on a feeling I'm high on believing That you're in love with me'

Hooked on a Feeling - Blue Swede from the OST of Guardians of the Galaxy I

Outtakes

He will be mine, oh yes, he will be mine.

Yang Mal: "Can we grill our corncobs now?" 🌽 Saiwa: "Uhm - sure ö.Ö'"

Ji Ho checking the mail... 📬 Who might have sent that letter when Ji Ho looks like that?

Tyalindo watching the sun set 🌅

From the Beginning ~ Underwater Love ~ Latest 🕹️ 'Therapy Game' from the beginning ▶️ here 📚 Previous Chapters: Chapters: 1-6 ~ 7-12 ~ 13-16 ~ 17-22 ~ 23-28

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utilitycaster · 1 month

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So since the party has decided to split itself so that they can explore more and possibly gain more trust with the Volition, I was wondering how you think Matthew might structure this? Are we going MN Happy Fun Ball (running from Trent) where we keep everyone at the table but focus on the smaller groups one at a time? Is it going to take more than one episode to resolve both quests, possibly splitting the players and putting guests in (another Solstice) ? Also, what do you think is going to happen with the Fearne team, in connection to, hopefully, running into Zathuda, like, I'm all for Fearne/Ashley to get some big spotlight time and more UnSeelie info, but we really don't understand why he "made" her or why he's been going after her, right? Is she some kind of piece for a puzzle we don't fully know about yet? I honestly can't remember if that has been answered. Sorry if it has.

My suspicion is more Happy Fun Ball/Plane of Fire Mighty Nein strategy because the party will be able to telepathically communicate for the first hour (and uh, possibly longer if they continue to not always recall how long Telepathic Bond lasts. Which, I should note, I do not remotely mind, JOYLESS RULES LAWYER STICK-UP-THEIR-ASSES SHUT UP I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT).

I also don't know their production schedule, but there was no guarantee the party would split nor which missions they would choose. I think having guests would be an extremely tight turnaround. It's not impossible but I wouldn't personally count on it, and so you may as well have the full table.

As for Zathuda: we kind of did get an answer re: Fearne that makes sense to me. The goal of everyone involved in this plot leading up to the 843 Apogee Solstice was to get as many Ruidusborn as possible, in order to get as many Exaltants as possible. It's a numbers game. Now, we still, as far as I know, don't have the full picture of what Exaltants are specifically needed for, nor exactly why the Unseelie Court got on board with the whole Moon Plot initially since it seems like a lot of tedious, painful work with people they don't like just to oust Sehanine. I also don't think Zathuda's even been putting in a lot of effort to go after Fearne. Yu was only there for the Moontide Crown and didn't seem to be at all aware that Fearne was important. Like, I suspect Zathuda figured out somehow she was just garden-variety Ruidusborn and stopped caring. I'm excited for her to get a confrontation, but I'm not expecting a ton of answers from that specific mission. I could be wrong! But I think this will just be an opportunity for Fearne to get to have some violent catharsis and maybe get a little Unseelie Court Involvement Lore; I think Team Infiltration will be the ones getting more information about the larger plot.

#answered #Anonymous #cr spoilers

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madnessreruns · 1 year

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could I request yandere headcanons for the riddler from the arkham games?

Yandere! Riddler x G/N Reader HCs

Warnings: Obsessive and possessive behavior, murder, kidnapping, and swearing

Note: I did this as soon as I saw this request I swear I’m going feral. I probably won’t ever write HCs as long as this, I just got really into this one.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Uh oh!! Oh no!! Your fucked!!!!

Okay so, I presume this is during Knight, I don’t know why, but his appearance in that game gives me the most yandere or possible yandere vibes. Idk why.

So, how would he become a yandere is a very good question, that is rather easy to answer.

When he sees you, he sees a shining light. Someone who is on the same level as him, someone whose brighter and smarter then everyone else in this hellscape of a city. Someone who would be perfect to be with him.

I mean you were just like him! Smart, problem solving, absolutely stunning! Why would he let you be oogled and stared at by other men, when he can do you a favor, and take you himself.

As I said he sees what he does as a favor. You should be grateful! The worlds smartest man has taken you in, why should you complain? It’s better then being out there.

Okay but going back to him first seeing you and stuff.

He was probably scooping out perfect victims for his new trap, he needed someone your weight and height, but he didn’t expect to find you.

You had been out on his radar after he spotted you out somewhere. He quickly found your name, your address, your criminal record (if you have one), your personal info, everything like that.

He began to watch you, to figure out the best time to snatch you up, when he began to realize who you were. Not in a literal sense he already knew who you were, but your true personality.

Your wit, your kindness, your love for everyone and everything around you. Most of all your intelligence and determination to problem solve.

At first he laughed, someone trying to be as good as he was, but he kept watching, unable to rip his eyes from you while watching play a puzzle game through your monitor. Being amazed as you solved the puzzles almost as quickly as he did.

He began to watch you more and more, through anything he could. Computer cameras, phone cameras, surveillance cameras, having his men follow your around and reporting back to him.

He said it was simply because he needed to know more about you, to make sure you’d be perfect for his trap.

But everyone knew that was a lie. He watched you for hours on end, even if you were simply sleeping, or scrolling through your phone. He’s skip meals, forget to sleep and bathe, he’s even forget to do his work. He just, stared, not knowing why, he just felt so compelled to.

When he was finally pulled to his senses as you were in a cafe, talking, chatting, even laughing, with another man.

Watching you, listening to your conversations and it’s this mystery stranger, god it made his blood boil. He didn’t like it, he hated it even. His new obsession was being chatted up by a new fella.

He had spent the last- he didn’t even know how long, must’ve been week, maybe even months, doing nothing but watching you. Writing down every little detail of you, and this- absolute bastard thinks he can just come on and ruin it!

He hates that he cares so much about this, about you. He then started to build a new trap, a new torture room. Suited specifically for that man you were talking to, and unlike the other ones, this one was impossible for I get out of. Well, maybe not for you, but for that wretch you were talking to.

He was nothing, he was worthless. He didn’t deserve to talk to you, and you bet Ed was going to make that known.

He was going to broadcast it, to everyone. Making sure the entire city knew how stupid this man was, not being able to solve simple puzzles. He was especially excited to see your reaction, when you realized the man who was talking to was a complete fool, a moron.

After that he becomes more protective, more obsessive over you. Fuck he won’t admit it, but he needs you.

This leads to his plan, he makes him home luxurious, a place you would never want to leave. He keeps you there, making sure he was the only one to be able to be with you, to talk to you, to touch you.

He orders his henchmen to stop whatever there doing, and start doing all these, what seems to be random tasks for him. Clean up his home, buy new furniture, make it seem like his home was a haven. A sanctuary from the outside world.

While they are doing that, he starts making his crimes more extravagant, an almost mystical vibe. He does anything to draw attention from you, and when he watches you watch the news broadcast, he’s paying attention to every little thing your doing.

Are you watching? Did you like his performance? Are you blushing when they show his face? Was that a smile? Did you like it?? Should he do it again? Whatever draws your attention most is what he’ll do.

He then approached you, although not in person, through letter.

He sends you a letter, a pale white envelope sealed with a green heart sticker. A hand written letter lying inside, compared to his usual handwriting, you would never guess it was from him, by the beautiful cursive he practiced so hard to do.

“Dear S/O, please don’t be alarmed, but I’ve been watching you for quite awhile now. I know that sounds bad, but I promise no bad intentions come with my observing. I wanted you to know, I know how you feel, how you think, how you know and how you love. I would come and see you, but this’ll have to do. - E.N,”

This letter rocked you to your core, someone has been watching you? Before you could even process this, a cloth is placed over your mouth.

He had sent one of his men to come take you back to his home.

When you arrived he was thrilled. Finally, you were here. After all of the preparing he had done, you had finally arrived.

He cannot wait to show you everything, his home, his intelligence, and all that he’s done for you.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ ⋆✦⋆ ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

#cas.txt #ask #anonymous #Edward nygma #edward nygma x you #edward nygma x reader #arkhamverse #arkhamverse x reader #Arkham games #the riddler #the riddler x reader #edward nigma #tw yandere #Yandere edward nygma

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raccoonfallsharder · 3 months

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i like to imagine that if one were to give Rocket a sudoku or crosswords puzzle, he can fill them all out at an unbelievable rate. like, you'd introduce him to the concept of sudoku, how each row and each column and each 3×3 grid should have nine distinct and non-repeating numerical digits–

but you haven't finished explaining the rules and Rocket's already filling out the empty boxes with his pencil like ticking off items on a laundry list. not a minute later, it's solved. he then gets confused at your jaw dropping while showing you the filled-out paper puzzle.

"what? you're- you just, fill out the thing with numbers, right? what's so surprising?"

i love this! im sorry i didn’t see this ask sooner but YES. thank you so much for this PERFECT mental image lol. i am actually working on a oneshot that’s not about this EXACTLY but is about rocket’s brain in relation to some of these things lol. the way he sees shit.

sudoku, i think, is easy for him. you explain the rules once and he just looks at the grid and he knows where everything goes. it’s like looking at a bomb or a gun. all the pieces have a home — it only takes one glance with soft eyes to see where each thing fits.

word searches, too. once he knows what a word is supposed to look like, he can take in a box of letters with that same glance and be like — oh, there’s fifteen words. sometimes he finds words that aren’t even intentionally included.

the trick with both these puzzles is that rocket does not get caught up in the sequence of things. he doesn’t go line-by-line or letter-by-letter. he has a more holistic way of understanding things — a big-picture kind of guy. looks at them and says “this is where the thing fits.”

now, crossword puzzles? those i’m less sure of. i think rocket would be the type to be annoyed by “bad clues.” his vocabulistics ain’t always standard, so to speak, and i bet he sometimes makes up words. plus, having to remember how they’re supposed to be spelled? that’s a problem. sometimes the clue will be like “more yellow than blue; a French liqueur” and instead of writing in “chartreuse” rocket is like “greeeeeeen” because why the fuck not, this game is stupid. he finishes in record time but when you look at it, most of the answers are like… only sorta-conceptually-correct? and usually with creative spellings? occasionally he’ll throw in a cluster of letters in kree?

“so i can see you answered this column with crow but you used a character i don’t recognize for the w and it’s overlapping with the g in lasagna. and uhm neither of those are technically right.”

“yeah in shi’ar that letter makes a sound like wuh or guh. little further back in the throat though.”

“uh huh. but this is, uhm, a US-english crossword.”

“so?”

“…good talk.”

now maybe when he’s a little older, and the Star Kids have grown up and have Star Kids of their own, and Old Man Rocket is sitting outside a cantina on Knowhere making origami versions of cosmo for them — maybe in between he pulls out the giant book of puzzles pete sent him for christmas last year. adjusts his reading glasses and strokes a claw over his grizzled whiskers. the kids come up and ask him what he’s working on today and he shows them and teaches them how to do each one.

“this one you can’t repeat any numbers.”

“that seems hard.”

“nah, it’ll be easy for you. you’re almost as much of a genius as me. now, this one you gotta find these words in this graph.”

“okay. i think i like this better. what about that one?”

“ah, i used to hate those ones but now they’re my favorite.”

“yeah?”

“yeah. for these ones, you just make shit up, and you bend all the rules till your answer works.”

#rfh asks #hyperjorts #rocket raccoon headcanons #rfh headcanons #asks are my favorites #rocket raccoon #rfh fluff

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slymewizard · 8 months

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Something I wish more “trapped in a videogame” isekai-ish anime like SOA would do is talk about who the players are outside of the game, and just making deep and interesting characters to begin with. So heres my proposal: an anime like that with 5 main characters. 2 game reviewing brothers who are like a straight man wise guy comedy pair who have a gaming podcast together and probably a wall of funko pops. One of them is good at combat and physical challenges like platforming, the other is good at puzzle solving and predicting what the game will do based on his knowledge of game design. Another character is a really positive and cheerful streamer who’s finding it harder and harder to keep the character going since she has to be streaming 24/7 now. Another character is a bit darker and plays videogames to escape her terrible family situation and learns to love the group in this game like the family she never had. Maybe later on when they get closer to escaping she could try to stop them because she’s not ready to go back to her old life yet. And finally, the fifth character is a bumbling but good natured dad who just wanted to have something he could talk about with his kids and has no idea how games are supposed to work, but ends up finding creative ways of getting out of situations because of it. He would bring his dad energy into the game with him, becoming the heart of the team and encouraging teamwork. Before finding him, the group just kind of stayed together because it was convenient, but after the dad joins he encourages more teamwork and emotional openness, and opens the door for them to become close friends rather than just, “a group.” Please let me know what you think and if I should start writing down ideas for this.

#gaming #anime #isekai #i know this is cringe #i know this is stupid

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olderthannetfic · 4 months

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https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/738716716223365120/so-i-probably-got-this-completely-wrong-because-i

I’ve read some good litfic “retellings” that were so loose and reinterpretive I’m not sure I would’ve known they were retellings of X if they weren’t labeled that way or the characters weren’t named certain things, but they engaged with the original work *thematically* in a way that was still really thoughtful and added things to the conversation about it, and got me thinking about the original work in a new way. To me, the issue is more when people kind of miss the thematic meat of that original story rather than if they recreate every plot beat or character arc exactly. The question I think a lot of fic writers fail to ask is “why THIS retelling specifically, and why in THIS other fandom?”

And I’ve honestly seen more slavishly faithful in a plot/character way “retellings” that fall into that, than more reinterpretive ones. Ones that follow it more loosely, to me, are usually written by people who have thought a lot about why they should put this element in there and not this other one, etc. (A lot of mainstream media “retellings” also do this; for instance, Clueless recreates a lot of stuff from Emma that works for its 90s setting or its set of characters, but skips some other stuff that doesn’t, like the whole Miss Bates storyline, or by making the Frank Churchill equivalent gay rather than in a secret engagement. And I think it works a lot better in recreating the “spirit” of that novel than when I’ve seen other “modern” Austen retellings try desperately to make some of the more dated aspects of her stories work in a modern society that just doesn’t have the same hangups about women who aren’t married by X age being sad pitiful old maids, about any amount of premarital sex dooming not just a woman but her entire family, etc.) I’m sure there are others that aren’t like that, but that’s what I’ve seen. Like at the very least, it’s a good sign to me where a fic writer is willing to invent OCs for certain characters from the story being “retold” where none of the canon characters in their chosen fandom fit into that role, rather than try to shove everyone into one of those molds no matter how much it doesn’t work.

But in general I think it’s those kinds of retellings, that are just recreating some other story but with their blorbos from this other show or video game or whatever, that puzzle me. I often wonder also why THIS story with THIS fandom because it often seems to be with relationships where something about them that is pretty fundamental to their appeal is not possible with this story framing. For instance, I’m in a fandom now where my OTP is one where *in canon* a lot of how their relationship grows is through conversations and debates, and there’s someone right now writing a retelling of the fairy tale The Wild Swans with them, where they meet after one of them has already taken the vow of silence from the original fairytale. So that’s already fundamentally changing a key part of the bond between those characters. Why would you write THIS fairytale with THIS fandom? Maybe that person will answer it eventually, but so far it seems to be more about “writing this fairytale with my blorbos” than anything else.

I mean, I get why… someone is currently Obsessed with that story and they’re also Obsessed with this fandom/character/ship/etc. so it’s the classic fandom thing of Two Things I Like Together! But along with being tired with stuff that’s just Two Things without having any other reason to be…. Idk, a lot of it just feels like it’s another form of ATG, where it’s less about really engaging with these characters as they were written and more about fitting them into a preexisting mold by any means necessary.

AUs of any kind, including retellings of any story, need to work with the characters as they are, and not just feel like they could be written fundamentally the same about any fandom with just the character names changed.

Tbh, there’s a long enough tradition of this with “original works” where they do retellings of classic stories, that you can look there for examples of how to keep the essence of the original story while also having it fit the ones from the fandom you’re writing it for. We just got out of a season of the year where half the shows on TV do riffs on a Charles Dickens novella from over 150 years ago. Look at how Christmas Carol specials (the good ones, anyway) are written and how they still fit within the original show and also riff on the original work in a recognizable, thematically meaningful or funny (or both) way, and that will give you guidance on how to do retellings in your fanfic that don’t feel superfluous.

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thydungeongal · 8 months

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This is more a problem with RPG culture, but one problem that often becomes apparent in game discussions is that there isn't a cohesive culture of play and that often leads to a lot of talk about how to address differences in player expectations. D&D is of course the big elephant in the room here because it's such a massive game so it will of course draw in a lot of people, but as I keep harping on D&D's marketing in the recent years has really oversold how adaptable D&D is and while the idea of using D&D for "deeper" stories is as old as AD&D 2e the relatively recent influx of high profile actual play has also informed a lot of people's vision of what a game of D&D is supposed to be.

And this often leads to miscommunications between me and other D&D enjoyers: I enjoy D&D as a challenge game where a bunch of adventurers go into a place (not necessarily a dungeon but the rules and procedures of a dungeon crawl can be adapted to almost any hostile and unwelcoming location) where there's potentially hostile creatures and some environmental puzzles, then they return to civilization to lick their wounds, rinse and repeat. That's basically the gameplay loop D&D (regardless of edition) has the most systems for (D&D 3e is kind of an odd one out, since in spite of being sold as the Return to the Dungeon edition at the time, by sheer rules volume it's the most not-Dungeon edition of D&D). Sure it's nice to have little moments of quiet when the dungeoneers can explore the world outside of the dungeon (or the world outside of dangerous adventuring places to be more exact) and maybe do a bit of emotional exploration in addition to the dungeon exploration, but that sort of play to me should always be the spice, never the whole meal, because those quiet moments are time away from what the game actually has systems and procedures for.

A lot of D&D players are already shaking their dang heads at this idea where the dungeon is the main focus of the dungeon game, and I'm like yeah, but your way of playing where the action takes place mostly outside of the dungeon is valid too. I just personally don't enjoy that type of play within the scope of D&D either as a player or a GM, because it would feel like only half-utilizing the rules of the game. That also leads to the idea of the GM as an unpaid game designer: using D&D for a genre of play outside of its scope will pretty much mean that the GM needs to be thinking of ways to adapt the rules of the dungeon game to activities outside of the dungeon in a meaningful way or coming up with their own rules to make that part of the game more engaging.

Of course a lot of this mismatch between group desires can and should be addressed before the game, because I emphatically don't think that the GM, in addition to all the other roles they traditionally have, should also have the job of trying to cater to each and every one of the players' wildly divergent tastes, because it's not quite as simple as making sure that the Combat Enjoyer gets their combat and the Dungeon Fan gets to go into a dungeon and the Social Butterfly gets to socialize with the NPCs, because a lot of the time those expectations can be contradictory. Like, I know it's not usually this dramatic, but some players prefer the interaction part of the game to the point where they feel unengaged during the combat and exploration parts, while some players feel the interaction part works best either as part of the exploration (i.e. within da dungeon, talking to the creatures who dwell therein instead of automatically assuming they ought to be put to the sword) or as a bit of spice between trips to the dungeon.

So anyway, I think it shouldn't be the GM's job to try to balance the divergent tastes of like ten different types of players (and this is something that some DMGs of the past have even given guidance towards, sometimes with clever little names for player types), because it would be much better that there be a broad agreement before the game begins what type of game it's going to be, so there would preferably be no "boring parts" for anyone. The problem I feel is multifaceted: part of it lies in the very idea itself that role-playing systems are infinitely adaptable, which leads to mismatches between what type of game is expected and what type of game the text itself supports. Sometimes game texts themselves do a poor job communicating where the strengths of the game lie (I feel most "trad" role-playing games fall into this trap because they often try to provide as broad a framework of rules and then struggle to explain where those rules best be applied). And sometimes game texts and the cultures surrounding them sell the idea, against all reason, that the game should support multiple modes of play when it actually supports like one or two at most. (This is that thing about D&D's marketing and the culture surrounding it that I keep harping on about.)

So does this matter? Is real harm being done? Probably not. These problems are ones that can be resolved through communication. But I also feel there would be less need for communication about mismatched desires if one could join a group playing a game and have an approximate idea of what type of game to expect. A lot of this stems from the fact that I like to take game texts at face value: if someone tells me that a game is about more than combat and then shows me a game that is mostly rules for how to apply force violently I'll be like "yeah, but... it's mostly about combat." If a game is mostly rules for being in the dungeon and then the playerbase tells me that dungeons actually suck ass and people who enjoy the game for the dungeons actually don't know what the game is really about then I can't help but feel puzzled.

And I know I'm talking about this in the context of D&D because it is the big elephant in the room, but this is not unique to D&D: I have heard of groups that have played sessions of Rolemaster without barely rolling on the tables (and I have been guilty of running such a game too because of my poor time management skills smdh) who have been proud of the fact and I'm like my brother in I.C.E. why wouldn't you want to roll on those tables that kick so much ass!? But especially these days there are lots of indie games out there that simply through extremely clear rules texts manage to communicate exactly what the game is supposed to be about and those games are really good at setting expectations of what the game should look like purely through their game text.

#long post

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make-your-own-evil · 1 year

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hello could I request some yandere capullo riddler headcanons?

anon, im going to kiss you on the mouth for requesting my very first riddler ask. YES of course you can have some headcanons

note: feel free to reblog my work! just give credit where credit is due :)

70s dad riddler yandere headcanons coming right up!

TW: kidnapping, general violence, light misogyny though reader is gn

Yandere!Capullo!Riddler Headcanons

have you ever watched Labyrinth?

i make the connection because you will be kidnapped by a narcissistic freak who will put you through numerous 'tests' and 'challenges'

i feel like the typical standard for any riddler to have an obsession is that the object of their desires is also highly intelligent, though i also feel like with capullo riddler you would also have to be as physically attractive as him, in his opinion. think of gaston, but skinnier, socially awkward and highly intelligent

youre probably someone in a position of power. maybe youre an official, a detective, in forensics, etc. his initial goal is to embarrass you. he is back to his old tricks setting up some elaborate challenges. see? youre not as smart as you thought you - wait, you solved it?

the great riddler will not be bested by some lowly city imbecile!

his need to be better than everyone, including you, starts this game. he presents you will increasingly harder and more demanding challenges. at one point you probably have a bomb strapped to you.

the more puzzles and riddles you solve, the more he looks forward to these encounters. he eventually thinks that it may be because he's a loner and humans are naturally very social creatures, but this is dismissed quickly

he's not just a human! he's not like anyone else! he is the great edward nygma! the riddler!

then he finds himself making careless mistakes in everything he does. this should make him furious! it should...

suddenly, being captured isnt as bad anymore, he gets to see his 'game partner' as he's being booked in! you! he thinks nothing of this. just a little banter with someone who is almost as intelligent as himself

"ah, detective L/N! looking as sharp as ever! what did you think of our last game? ha, that hardly matters. its our next game that you should look forward to! imagine this..."

he is delusional in thinking that you enjoy his trials. you SOLVE them, because your life kind of depends on it. but this only spurs him on to make more! oh how you exhaust him. he slows down his intellectual assault on gotham and shifts more towards proving that you cannot possibly compare to him.

he's more so trying to reassure himself that he's the greatest

eventually one of the other rogues points this 'obsession' out to him as he's babbling about his next challenge for you (probably selina since she sees every opportunity to tease him)

"you know, ed, if i didnt know any better i would think that the 'great riddler' has a bit of a crush" followed by snickers and "woos!"

his face turns hot and red. this only spurs on the others more! for the first time, he doesnt know what to say. his mind is racing with explanations and excuses, but no words come out

he has been embarrassed before and it crushes him. he? the riddler? have feelings for you?

the more he sulks and ponders, the more he fears that it may be true. the sleepless nights wondering how you've solved everything. his giddiness when he sees his favorite player. the way his heart races when he speaks to you... the anger he feels when you speak to someone who isnt him. the jealousy of seeing you interact with the other rogues. the dejectedness of your disinterested attitude towards him

theres only one rational solution in his mind... to kidnap you!

you enjoy your time with him dont you? dont you hate sharing a city with knuckle-dragging baboons? dont you hate being surrounded by millions of people who dont see you for what you truly are?? a genius... just like him

his end goal is to convince you that you two really arent that dissimilar, that you are alike in more ways that you can comprehend. that you need him with you! like he needs you with him

his darling Y/N just needs a strong, intelligent man such as he to SHOW them that they would be best suited together.... no matter how long it takes, how many puzzles they go through and how many people will be exterminated if they get in the way

"my dearest, surely someone as intellectually gifted as you can understand? we are two of the same. you need me ~"

#greg capullo #capullo riddler #greg capullo riddler #zero year riddler #zero year riddler x reader #capullo riddler x reader #capullo riddler headcanons #zero year riddler headcanons #yandere riddler #yandere riddler x reader #yandere capullo riddler #riddler headcanon #riddler headcanons #edward nygma #the riddler #tw kidnap mention

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desultory-novice · 10 months

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How do you feel about the Crowned Doomer? Or, more accurately, how do you feel about the idea of the Master Crown riding a Doomer around to try to survive long enough to find Magolor again, or some other way to keep its form (which ended up being the apple); is it possible the crown depends on a host to survive? Is it possible that, although a State of Dark Matter, it can't quite exist without someone or something to play host to its energy, even if they resist it like Landia?

Anon, you bring up such interesting questions! The Crowned Doomer is indeed a very fascinating creature. Looking back over it's pause text...

The boss of all Doomers has become a black-winged subjugator powered by the shards of the crown...and he's after Magolor's red fruit! Is this payback for making Kirby gather those ship parts?!

...the last part in particular seems to hint that this is the same Grand Doomer Kirby and the gang fought: that Magolor should have to face the same Doomer, since that fight always seems to represent the part of the game where the quest takes a turn for the dangerous. (Interestingly, it takes a turn for the "impossible" for the Grand Doomer is impossible to beat without Super Abilities. If Kirby didn't have those, that would be a total party wipe...)

But since this one doesn't need that, we can assume that it's weakened, maybe? (Or a parallel version of the Grand Doomer.)

As for the Master Crown choosing to possess it, it is interesting to think that the Crown might NEED a host. This theory gains a lot of weight with DX coming out and (by virtue of all the mistletoe references) making it pretty clear the Crown is a living creature and a parasite. And parasites require hosts....

And I think you may be right that it seems to have possessed the Doomer in order to find/take possession of Magolor again.

I've seen some takes (that are heavy on HC but interesting nonetheless) that True Arena Magolor Soul may be what happens when Epilogue Magolor LOSES to the Master Crown. That the subtle differences in the fight are because Ragolor doesn't have the power/energy/lifeforce to continue resisting, like Main and EX Magolor does. Or that the Master Crown has a better grip on him the second time and that's why it refuses to shatter.

(And maybe that's why Magolor gives you the apple. He was trying to regain his own power in the form of a large Gem Apple and this is all that's left of it... and he gives it to you in his last moments... bawww...!)

But that one works with the concept that it WANTS to get back to him again, if it re-possesses him after a fictionalized "defeat."

I am interested in the idea that Dark Matter maybe can't JUST form out of nothing. Obviously, I toy with that concept in my Apologies AU - that Dark Matter Swordsman was born from the shell of another person. The fact that 02 seems to inhabit Zero's shell has very interesting implications this way too.

Because you know how HAL has never come out and said they're the same thing? ...Maybe they really aren't? Maybe a different form of Dark Matter really did possess Zero's empty "shell." But what is possessing that shell isn't Zero. It's a different Dark Matter.

Although the Master Crown leaves us yet another puzzle, when you start to ask "Can it even exist without a host?"

Because the Master Crown comes back, even after Ragolor destroys it. It comes back because Landia is wearing it in Merry Magoland!!

(One has to assume Magolor eventually got over his fears or any traumas related to the Crown or he would not have let that THING back in his presence. Of course, Magoland is X number of years later so that's not too much of a stretch.)

So...how does the Crown do that? How does it survive? The Gem Apple tree in Kirby Clash has enough elements of the Master Crown (golden leaves) to suggest it lives on in that form but we run into another issue which is... how/when/where does the "play forever" FtP game that is (Super) Kirby Clash... end?

It kind of doesn't.

I've actually heard a theory that I both like and hate which is that Main Mode Magolor comes back to life after some another dimension wanderings and reappears on Popstar. Friends reunited, la la la. But that EX Mode Magolor goes on to become Epilogue Magolor who goes on to become Clash Magolor who... never leaves the Clash dimension to see Popstar again...

I think it's interesting but the person in me who doesn't like eternal separation stories HATES THIS THEORY OMG ; _ ;

...A-Anyway, I'm not here to disprove that idea because I can't since everything is purposefully vague and we support all kinds of theories, good and painful, on this blog, but it does leave you with the question of how'd the Master Crown get back into Crown form if it, like EX Magolor, is stuck in Kirby Clash?

Maybe the Lor came and found Magolor in the Clash verse or maybe, with Dimensional Vanish, he's able to come and go as he pleases and when Team Kirby is out fighting monsters, he's building Merry Magoland.

You'd certainly think that, thematically, it makes the most sense if the Magolor who went through the Epilogue got to be the same Magolor who makes Merry Magoland. Especially since it's EX Magolor who tells you this dream of his in the first place. So, if Mago can get back, then I guess the Master Crown can get back too? (Maybe Mago only hangs around long enough until the Master Crown, err, blooms, from the Gem Apple Tree?)

Maybe that too is part of Magolor's repentance. For all that the Crown did nightmarish things to him, part of "Paying for his sins" is not just to destroy it, but to try and set things right. I always feel like there's some REASON we see the fall of Halcandra in the background. It could be that Magolor and the Crown have a more complex relationship that just abusive cursed artifact and victim.

OH BUT SPEAKING OF!!

Back to the Crowned Doomer, yeah? And those gear horns its got on its head?? (And that most of the other bosses have?)

It's kind of weird for all these Crown-related things to have this gear motif, right? Wouldn't the gears be the motif for like... the techy Ancients? No reason for them to be in Epilogue Space...

And why would the Crowned Doomer sport gears when it didn't have anything like that when it (or another version of it...) was the Grand Doomer?

So...what IF the gears - you know, the ones Magolor is wearing - are some kind of symbol of the Master Crown? It's out there, I know, but Magolor was already under its sway by the time we first meet him! Yet he's NOT wearing them in the Clash verse. (Although he puts them back on after upgrading his shop, so, uh...)

Or maybe the crown's energy and Magolor's own energy got mixed together during that incident and the Crown is actually giving its new hosts "Magolorian" traits now, similar to how it absorbed anger et all from the previous crowned kings.

The Master Crown has taken something from Magolor, something that it carries to all future hosts. (Wonder what Landia thinks about the Crown having a bit of Magolor in it now, haha...!)

#Kirby #Magolor #Crowned Doomer #Master Crown #Landia #Grand Doomer #Magolor Epilogue #Zero Kirby #02 Kirby #Dark Matter Kirby #Dess Answers Questions #Long Post

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eve-to-adam · 4 months

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Tagged by @theladyelizabeth to do these fics/stories asks. <3333 Thank you for giving me the chance to express some of my thoughts! :D

How many works do you have?

I have written many stories over the years. As a child, I wrote stories that I illustrated a bit clumsily, but it was fun to create characters and fantasy stories. Now I have two official works - the story I'm writing now, about Cecily Neville. I have one more that needs to be completely rewritten, about Elizabeth Woodville.

2. What fandoms do you write for?

My stories focus specifically on the medieval era, especially the events that take place in the Wars of the Roses.

3. What are your top 5 stories by kudos?

I haven't written enough stories to have a top 5, but if I were to make a list of stories I want to write in the near or distant future, they would be the following: 1. Proud Cis, which I am currently writing. 2. Elizabeth, a story that I should rewrite in the future. 3. A possible story about Anne of Burgundy, because I adore her and Bedford (they already appear in Proud Cis, so something from their perspective would be interesting to me.) 4. A story about Elizabeth of York, because why not? 5. Maybe a story about Edward I and Eleanor of Castile.

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I will definitely answer! As in the case of my illustrations, I want to respond to each person because I want to show my gratitude for the interest and the beautiful words that are offered to me. If I didn't reply to someone, it was because I didn't know about the comment's existence for various reasons (I didn't notice it/I didn't receive a notification, etc.) If it happens that I don't reply, I don't do it intentionally.

5. What’s the story you wrote with the angtiest ending?

Unfortunately, I never finished any story I wrote, no matter how long or short it turned out to be, so I have no way of knowing what ending I would choose.

6. What’s the story you wrote with the happiest ending?

See the answer to question number 5.

7. Do you get hate on stories?

I had two works posted on Wattpad at one time, but I never received hateful comments. Criticism, yes, but not offensive messages. It seems I was lucky. The strangest comment I got on the Elizabeth Woodville's story - which I find funny to a certain extent - was something about Constantinople.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes and no. I have nothing against explicit content in stories, and although I have some degree of intimacy exposed in my stories, smut is not exactly a detail I want in them. I say this because this aspect does not suit me. I don't know how to write them properly, so I don't do it. But I like to create intimate/romantic scenes that contain more explicit details, without necessarily being integrated into the erotic area.

9. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Yes, I have only one story that fits into this category. It's the first time I do something like this. The story is still in its early stages, because I, together with my friend @teodoraioana221, are trying to arrange the pieces of the puzzle in order to create an enchanting story. The funniest thing is that this whole project started from a simple Sims game, in which we decided to create a story for our characters. A totally innocent thing. It is amazing that from such a tiny detail we have been able to create connections and contexts for our characters, most of them appearing only after we decided on a part of the action. Of course, it is a story that we want to write in the form of a book - webnovel -, which we want to illustrate together. The story would to some extent fall into historical fiction, because we are documenting details - such as food, customs, activities, mentality, fashion, etc. - starting from the end of the Victorian era, passing through WWI-WWII and up to in our present, which means approximately three generations. Yes, we have a pretty extensive family tree and I don't think it will stop there, which makes me excited, haha.

10. Have you ever had a story stolen?

No, but I had a comic stolen with a story I created - "The Queen of the Sun in Splendour". It counts?

11. Have you ever had a story translated?

Again, I don't know if it counts. But a mini-comic that I made with Edward IV and George of Clarence. Comic that was translated without my permission, apparently by a person from China.

12. Have you ever co-written a story before?

No. But I do it now. You can find the answer on question number 9.

13. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

An interesting question. In the beginning, when I barely knew details about the Wars of the Roses, I was obsessed with the Elizabeth WoodvillexEdward IV. At that moment, for me, nothing else mattered except them. My obsession was so great that anyone else didn't matter. I used to dislike Cecily Neville for her apparent refusal to accept Elizabeth. Can you believe it? And now I'm writing a book about her! Can you believe it??? I think this would be my answer: ElizabethxEdward and CecilyxRichard. I can't choose between them, sorry not sorry.

14. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Many of my stories are wips that will never be finished. However, I try not to repeat the mistakes of the past and I strive so that the works of the present never end up like those wips. But I am unpredictable. I am my own enemy.

15.What are your writing strenghts?

I have the impression that I know how to combine facts with reality. I have always tried to make sure that the story I write is 85% accurate. Of course, this percentage can fluctuate, depending on who is reading, I guess. It's possible that I don't know some details because I don't have access to them or maybe simply a context needed to be changed to fit the plot. I think I'm good at describing things. I try not to have boring dialogues - but, again, it depends on who is reading.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I think that the entire platform is not enough for me to list them all (I am very critical of myself, yes). So I'll pick a few: One of them would be my inability to always have as rich a vocabulary as I would like. Another weakness would be the way I place the action (sometimes I have the impression that the scene I'm writing shouldn't be the way it is because I'm afraid of giving my characters that omniscient aura. Or I just feel that it doesn't work for the scene to proceed like this because maybe it doesn't seem natural enough.) Also, I'm afraid that some scenes are not in line with the character's personality, but I like them too much to get rid of them. The list can go on and on and on... Lucky for me that I have friends – Teo, Nico & Co. – who share their opinions about my stories and talk to me, listen to me and remove my insecurities, preventing me from killing myself with a pen, lololol.

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a story?

Yes, as long as the sentences are not too long. I wrote some in Proud Cis, a short exchange of lines in French, for which I had the help of a friend of mine, Sebastian. I don't trust Google Translate and I'm too afraid that I'll embarrass myself if I write nonsense because I trusted it. Better be safe than sorry.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Wars of the Roses.

19. Favourite story you’ve ever written?

Definitely Proud Cis. Not only is it the longest official story written so far, but it is also the one in which I put the most effort. Through this project I tried to discover Cecily and at the same time to explore medieval life and mentality. I didn't want a generic story, in which the action takes place at a superficial contextual level. I want to explore more, to understand, to feel. I love to document myself about activities, places, customs, foods, art, traditions, etc. I have read many books in which all these were overlooked or explored in a superficial way because the authors want to focus on the characters or the political situation. But my personal opinion is that all these details are part of the character's component, they are one with them: these details represent the character. I like to imagine scenarios about small things in their lives and expose them with the help of fiction. Sure, for some it might seem boring, but I want to give these details the chance to shine through Cecily and the people around her.

I will tag: @teodoraioana221, @richmond-rex

Participation is up to everyone.

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nickmaghighlights · 9 months

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Nick Mag Highlights - Nick Mag Presents: Danny Phantom (Fall 2005)

Well, well, well, fancy meeting you here. Welcome back to my blog and the words that inhabit it. Today, Halloween comes early this year when we read through another exciting issue of Nickelodeon Magazine Presents, this time all about Danny Phantom. Boo! Trick-or-Treat! Deck the halls!

And not only is this edition of Nick Mag Highlights spooky, it’s also… pretty chill. Y’know? Just takin’ it easy, reading a handful of comics and probably a crossword puzzle or something. As much as I love researching the kind of stuff Nickelodeon Magazine includes in its articles, sometimes it’s nice to sit back and take things at face value and just see what the state of Nickelodeon was like at any given time, and these short-and-sweet issues of Nick Mag Presents are the perfect venue for just that.

But why exactly am I tackling this purportedly Halloween-themed issue in August? Well, mainly it’s because that new Danny Phantom graphic novel just came out… two weeks ago (oops). And I really enjoyed it! So I’ve since been in a big Danny Phantom mood lately. I even ended up re-watching the whole first season and had a blast doing so. This show was a real obsession of mine as a kid, so maybe this blog post is also a way for me to give it its dues.

This issue can be found online here, read along… if you dare!

Another Nick Mag Presents, another humorously wordy introduction. If you’re unfamiliar, basically all these Presents-styled issues have a panel on the first page with a character essentially advertising the book to you and talking about all the comics and activities included inside. This one here features Danny and an understandably perturbed ghost, for example.

Since these issues were usually sold in stores as opposed to through a mail subscription, I suppose this is the issue’s way of hooking you in and explaining to you why you should buy it. I think a kid would probably be more inclined to just flip through the book and arrive at the same conclusion, but I guess this approach doesn’t hurt anybody.

But anyway, let’s see here… aw, only two wholly new comics? The Fairly Oddparents-themed issue I took a look at previously had five original comics. That’s a bummer, but at least we’ve still got variety… SpongeBob, My Life as a Teenage Robot, and The Wild Thornberrys, oh my! Even Tak makes an appearance here, two years before the premiere of his actual Nickelodeon cartoon, meaning this was an attempt to interest readers in the then-recently released video game: Tak 3: The Great Juju Challenge. Not sure if that worked.

And if you’ll take a look at that yellow, spiky bubble with words on the right there, this September 2005 issue is meant to coincide with the then-upcoming two episode-long Danny Phantom special, “The Ultimate Enemy”, which featured Danny taking on a more powerful version of himself from the future. Seems like the included removable poster is even themed around that very episode! Let’s just hope that poster is still left intact, eh?

So first up, we’ve got a page to get you up to speed on the main cast if you’re new to the show. It’s even got some new factoids for the already familiar superfans! For example: Did you know Sam is into anime? I sure didn’t.

Oh, and if you’re wondering where series villain Vlad Masters is, don’t worry, they go over him later on in the book.

On the right you’ll find an easy if not slightly amusing word puzzle, which tasks you with solving questions where each answer contains the word boo. Simple enough for a kid while still being worth the time, methinks.

Although all the stock ghost art on the page gets me wondering, how come most of the ghosts in the show manifest as typical-looking cartoon ghosts while others manifest in a human form? I guess maybe it comes down to the strength of your spirit. Who’s to say?

You’ve met the characters, now it’s time to meet the voices behind them! I’ll always take a side of interviews with my Nickelodeon Magazine, and this is no exception. The questions are cute, and I had fun reading them. Not much to say.

So we’re finally here at the first comic of the issue, and… not really a fan of this one! Yeah, sorry to start this retrospective off on a sour note but this isn’t really doing it for me. The main villain of this one is Youngblood, who already isn’t exactly one of my favorite villains from the series. But here they’ve got him and all the other characters stuck in a pretty by-the-numbers plot where Danny and co. get stuck babysitting the brat while he tries to maim them, with them of course unable to fight back lest they face the wrath of his parents (who are humongous lizard monsters, for some reason).

If you’re even a little familiar with cartoons you’ve probably already seen quite a few takes on this formula already. And even if you like Youngblood as a character they don’t have him doing his usual pirate shtick he’s remembered for, so I’m not sure what anyone is getting out of this, really. What's especially not helping is that this goes on for ten pages, further dragging out an already tired concept.

So there you have it, I guess. Done-to-death story with accordingly done-to-death jokes, a lame villain, and about two pages of action. I will say though, Danny and Tucker’s babysitting poster on page 2 did get a smile out of me, at least.

You’ve met the characters, and you’ve also met the voices behind them, now it’s time to meet… the rest of the characters! The villain ones! These guys really made the show for me, cause the team behind the show really just seemed to understand the assignment and made all of them really unique and memorable.

So we can see they’ve been ranked in terms of how dangerous they all are, which is a fun idea. ‘Course you’ve got Vlad at the top of, but then there’s Technus just behind him? I can’t say I remember him being notably more dangerous than any of the other baddies, I’m fairly certain he gets swept up at the end of his specific episode just like all the rest. I’m pretty sure Valerie gave Danny a bigger run for his money, and she’s down at #3.

Woah now, I’m starting to scrutinize the power levels of cartoon characters. Cartoon characters from a show I haven’t even fully watched all the way through since I was a kid, no less. Better put a stop to that before it gets ugly.

Cool little cartoons on the left there, that one on the top right is properly devious and I’m all for it. All the art is quite lovely too.

The right is… well, it’s Mad Libs, there’s no other way around it. Y’know the Mad Libs website refers to itself as “the world’s greatest word game” but I seriously think they need to take that up with Scrabble, or hell, even Hangman. Yeah I was never a big fan of this kind of fill-in-the-blanks stuff, but I guess it’s a pretty inoffensive activity to include.

Check out Danny’s dad rocking that emo hair.

And now we’ve made it to the second and last new comic for the issue, and unfortunately it’s only a two-pager. But hey, if my thoughts on the previous ten-page comic said anything, it was that I prefer quality over quantity. And this one is… okay. It’s funny enough, does what all it needs to with the concept, and it definitely doesn’t overstay its welcome. I’m again surprised by the lack of action in both of these comics, considering Danny Phantom is an action show, after all, but it’s not like the show wasn’t a comedy either, so it’s not that weird.

I guess while we’re here I could nitpick it a bit. The lineart here courtesy of series creator Butch Hartman* is a bit wonky at times. There’s the aforementioned emo hair Danny’s dad is wearing, but my main gripe is that dog robot just doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the artstyle. It being the only new original character design for this comic as well doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me. I guess the team was fine with whatever Hartman drew because he made the show after all, so surely he knows what he’s doing, right?*

*Insert obligatory comment about how much of a loser Butch Hartman is here.

Just want to give a shoutout to this pretty creative puzzle here. It actually stumped me a little when I first read it! Those monster designs are pretty entertaining too. Solid activity overall.

Next up it’s an installment of Sam Shade, which was a short-lived recurring series in Nickelodeon Magazine. Apparently the series ran from 2002 to 2005, so this may be one of the last times a Sam Shade comic was ever printed in a Nick Magazine.

These comics mainly consist of the titular Detective Sam Shade trying to solve some mystery, sleuthing around the area in a series of detailed, wordy scenes. Likewise, you as the reader are as well tasked with scouring the pages for clues to help deduce the culprit. Each panel here smoothly moves into the next, making for something like a Where’s Waldo puzzle but with an actual narrative. It’s a really good idea! A shame this series didn’t last longer.

Hey, is that Carl from Jimmy Neutron on the bottom right there?

Pretty nice My Life as a Teenage Robot comic here. Although that’s kind of unfortunate in a way, since that means I haven’t got much to talk about! It’s pretty much a 1-to-1 translation from animation to comic here. The artstyle and writing are both on point, it’s all just in a shorter, more paper-y format.

I wonder why the aliens’ speech bubble has flowers in it. Is that a theater reference, maybe?

The design of these fiery aliens are particularly awesome - simple but effective. I’m surprised they used such a cool design in a comic that was going to be seen by way less people as opposed to using it in the cartoon. Man, this show is so cool, even its supplementary media is stylish!

But anyway, do you want to know how this story ends? Read it yourself!

Ohh man, I distinctly remember this comic. I don’t remember what issue of Nickelodeon Magazine this one is sourced from, but whichever one it was, I had it. The story’s nothing to write home about really, It's another take on the age old tale of “Squidward yells at SpongeBob and Patrick for doing something annoying, so they inadvertently ruin his life”. Squidward must have a really good lawyer for him to be able to bounce back from all the crap SpongeBob and Pat get him into.

This version of the usual story has S. Bob and P. Rick making a cake in Squidward’s image. Mr. Krabs ends up mistaking it for the real Squidward, bringing it to the Krusty Krab, and having it run the cash register, obviously to disastrous results. It’s all pretty par for the course, and there’s some funny lines to be had.

Weirdly though, unless I’m blind, I can’t seem to find any credits for this one. Not in the comic itself or at the back of the book. I’m pretty sure the artist(s) behind this one did more SpongeBob SquarePants comics though, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the same writing team had a hand in them too. I distinctly remember one where all the characters turn into desserts. Or maybe it was an alternate universe where they’re all desserts? Something like that. Maybe I’ll find it and cover it on this blog someday!

And up next, it’s a Wild Thornberrys comic of all things (said with feigned surprise, having read the table of contents moments ago). And I’m just now realizing none of these comics have anything to do with ghosts, or horror, really. Quite the magazine you’ve got just in time for October, Nickelodeon!

But hey, it’s not right to judge a piece of art specifically by the context in which it is presented. Especially when it was originally published in a magazine that likely came out years earlier, probably not even around the month of October. Desperate times call for desperate measures and all that, even when it comes to filling the pages of a magazine.

This comic is especially cool, anyway, as you can no doubt tell from its distinct shakeup in style!

The story has Eliza receiving some gifts from her Japanese friend, Mayumi (who was probably in the show, presumably), one of those gifts being a homemade manga. And while I’m not exactly an expert on the Japanese arts, I certainly find this art convincing and really appreciate the attention to detail. I bet any kids that were fans of manga around this time must have felt pretty seen to have one of their hobbies referenced in a rather unlikely place, and with such attention to detail no less.

One thing I can also appreciate is that this story really isn’t something they could have pulled off in the show itself (unless they studio really wanted to have an anime-themed episode and go through the undertaking of doing an episode in an entirely different, foreign animation style all on their usual budget), so overall this is a really fun idea done quite flawlessly. My only gripe is we don’t get to see a manga-styled Nigel Thornberry, but what can you do?

Oh boy, the Tak comic, cool. Now, I know these games have their fans, but I can’t say I’m one of them. I did watch the show a bit though, but I’ve heard it has nothing to do with the games, so I guess that makes me rather unprepared to tackle this two-page comic on an intellectual, researched level. I will say though that I think the Sam Shade comic from earlier pulled off this style of free-flowing, no-panel storytelling to a much greater effect. The amount of Taks they threw around the page makes it feel really busy and cramped, and they had to essentially remove the second character Tak is traveling with from the story since I guess they were strapped for page space.

But yeah, the colors are nice at least, and Tak media is especially hard to come by nowadays, so I suppose if I were more into the property, I might be more into this.

Last comic of the day, and it’s Jimmy Neutron. At least this one kinda fits the theme, I mean, aliens are almost in the same horror-league as vampires, zombies, ghosts, and all that. This is a pretty quality one to end off the book with, and in regards to Jimmy Neutron, this is one of the better ways these characters have been translated to 2D. Although the incredibly warm colors and harsh shadows throw me for a loop. Pretty good overall!

Before we wrap things up, I would like to mention that advert for The Nicktoons Film Festival on the right. I totally forgot these used to be a thing! From 2004 to 2009 Nickelodeon hosted a film festival and let viewers vote for their favorite animated short, along with letting proper animation people who know what they’re talking about vote on their favorites, too. Lots of great up-and-coming cartoonists took part in these festivals. This one in 2005 actually featured a short by J. G. Quintel that eventually was used as a basis for his own Cartoon Network show, Regular Show! You can check the short out below:

youtube

Neat bit of history there, yeah?

Even though I’m still a bit disappointed this issue didn’t include more original content, I still think this ended up being a fairly entertaining walk down memory lane. And hey, I hope you had a good time too. I’m doubly disappointed, however, that the archive of this issue didn��t come with that tear-out poster! Now we’ll never see it in its full hi-def glory.

As always, thanks for stopping by and checking out another bit of Nick history with me. Have yourself a good one, and I’ll see you all next time!

#nmh post #2000s #2005 #nickelodeon #magazine #danny phantom

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emberswrites · 11 months

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Have you ever thought of someday posting all of your Tumblr drabbles in a collection on ao3? they're always so lovely, I think that would be great

Anyway, here it goes: Realisation + Sai

Thanks for doing this, these little snippets make my day!

This is going to sound very dumb but I actually didn't really think of doing that, I guess because I didn't think I'd be doing so many? But since I now have quite a few it's not a bad idea at all, anon. I think I will actually do that because it would be nice to have the writing in one place and easy to find. And thank you, glad you enjoy them!

Prompt Game - Bonus Ino appearance.

Sai is still learning how to understand the impossible combinations of words, expressions, body language, and gestures that make up the puzzle of everyday communication. He's been getting better with the help of his new friends and his new sensei.

Only sometimes, Kakashi is the puzzle and he's not always so helpful.

Today, Kakashi looks rather dour, even though Sasuke had sent word that he'd successfully helped a community in Ame defend from a crime ring and would be staying an extra few months to see to it's safety as they rebuilt leadership.

He should be thrilled, Ame continued to be a vulnerable region and any threats stamped out there not only made good political sense but would help the many disadvantaged who continue to live there.

Kakashi had merely sighed after he'd read the correspondence, muttered a soft good, that's good before turning back to the stack of papers on his desk. Sai had asked if Kakashi needed anything, only for him to look up and give Sai that special kind of smile, the one that looked a little too much like his own had, empty.

"No thank you, Sai. That will be all."

He relays this odd encounter to Ino over lunch and she hums.

"Well, maybe he's just tired."

"He's always tired."

"Ugh, so true. He's too handsome to be working so hard," she says wistfully.

Sai isn't sure what an aesthetically pleasing face has to do with work ethic or load, but he makes a note to ask about this later. He can only handle so much examination of the human condition at once.

"Do you think it's Sasuke that upset him? Being reminded of his charge having to make up for his ills and failings, unlike Naruto and Sakura?"

This would make Sai feel rather sad, he thinks. Kakashi-sensei is a good man and shouldn't have to feel so responsible, to the point he can't even be happy at good news.

"Hm?" Ino begins to shake her head before pausing, "No, why would hearing from- wait. Oh you may be on to something Sai! Well done."

"What is it?"

"Well, he misses him obviously," she shrugs, "You know, when someone you care about isn't around and you want to see them."

Sai does know this ache. He resolves to be more helpful, maybe that would help take Kakashi's mind off his incomplete team. He decides to stop by the Tower earlier the next day to check in and be of good use to his sensei, only when he gets there he senses another chakra presence.

He instinctually minimizes his own signature, although he is not alone in the hallway as other shinobi move about beginning or ending their work days. He has rather good hearing and it isn't hard for him to pick up on the conversation inside as he waits.

"You didn't have to come back," Kakashi is saying, "I wouldn't have said it if I thought you'd come back because of it."

"I know-"

Sasuke? Sai blinks, Sasuke is meant to be in Ame for months.

"-but I wanted to. I miss you, too, you know. It's not...this isn't easy for me. But I am compelled to do it all the same. It isn't about...making up for anything, I just think I should be using this power where it's needed."

Ah, so Ino had been right - Kakashi had been sad at Sasuke being away again. But then, he was always away. Even Naruto had gotten used to it by now.

"I know, and I adore you for it. I just - selfishly - wish it didn't take you away from us so much. There will never be a shortage of strife or calamity...your life can't be just attending to the world's ills."

"Hm. And you?"

"What about me?"

"Shikamaru told me you barely go home."

"What would I do at home?"

There is a silence after this. A long silence, Sai notes. It's broken by a breathy laugh, Sasuke's by the sound of it.

"There's your agenda for today. Tell Shikamaru you're taking the day off, I'll have you back here and energized by tomorrow morning, promise."

"That soon?"

"Until next time."

"Next time, you stay longer than a day then."

"Deal."

Sai takes several steps back as the door swings open and the two walk out.

"Ah," Kakashi says, "You've been waiting, sorry Sai. You can check in with Shikamaru when he's in soon. Shouldn't be long, will you tell him I'm cashing in one of those vacation days Shizune's always on about?"

"Oh, yes," he says, smiling lightly, "What will you do, sensei?"

"Don't answer that," Kakashi says when Sasuke looks like he's about to, "We'll be at home, if the sky is falling."

Sai watches them walk away, puzzled. Home? Who's home? Sasuke doesn't have one here any longer, not a physical one anyway. Kakashi's home? Does Sasuke stay there when he's in town?

Are they holding hands?

Oh.

OH.

Yes, Sai will definitely need to note this one down in his book.

#kakasasu #feels like lightning #embers' asks

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tobiasdrake · 3 months

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Tactical Story Time? Tactical Story Time.

Shit, I don't really have a pen on me. If only there was a way to preserve a still image of your words for future reference or something.

I dunno, maybe rip out the pages and give those to me. You seemed bizarrely okay with that idea earlier.

Does it say anything in there about what she is? Like, I have a vague understanding of what she is in the sense that she's an ominous force that menaces Repine. She used to be their queen but then she betrayed them, possibly to the Soul Curator?

But. Like. Literally, what is she? A robot? A monster? Just some asshole in the desert? What are we dealing with here and, more importantly, what kind of dimensions are we going to need to dig for the grave?

There is one thing in this entry that is no longer true. I aim to create further contradictions.

Oh cool, a logic puzzle. I can decipher this.

I mean, you could probably decipher it yourself. I've played the quiz game. I know you have all of the answers to everything because you're the smartest person ever.

But I wanna take a spin at it.

That's stupid. That would just put them one march east of their starting point.

That will take them a bit further, but you could do it in three steps if you went south instead of southwest and then east.

So one march northeast and then one march east. The goldilocks of poor navigation.

You realized how bad these directions are?

...so you all had the right directions for part of your trek and you somehow know which part even though you were in the wildly wrong areas of the map. Sure. That makes sense.

There's no way this can be literally true. This is a coded map. So we need to go:

NE SE NE E

Bit convoluted with the norths and souths but at least it's consistently moving east instead of winding stupidly in circles.

Wait, there's a speedball station? Why didn't it come back online with the others? There better be a good reason or I'm going to punch B'st very hard in the shoulder.

I don't want to have to do that. He can't actually be hurt because he only experiences the conscious suggestion to behave as though he's been hurt, but also he is very hard and I might injure my hand. Please do not make me have to do that.

Known and noted. Your sacrifice is now part of a larger effort to tear the Queen That Was from her throne and leave her lifeless body in the sands.

Rest in Vengeance, Joce.

Alright, team! It's going to be a four day hike through those sands so we need to make sure we've stocked plenty of food for.....

...glass golem....

...haunted puppet....

...Serai, do you actually eat food? That could go either way. Have you been not eating food this whole time, and your crew just never noticed because of your suave mystique?

Huh. I. Guess. We only have three mouths to feed. That will make this simpler.

Oh my god I am actually sick of the color blue. I didn't think I could get sick of the color blue. I love blue. It's such a great color. But four straight days of nothing but blue is too much blue. It's way too much blue. How do you people live among all this blue?

Oh. So it's a private Speedball station. That makes sense. Congratulations, B'st, you've been spared from having to break my hand.

It's fucking empty. Did we just spend four days wandering aimlessly through an ocean of blue only to find out that the queen's been dead all this time? Are your people living in fear of a memory?

...maybe the real Queen That Was is actually the sand that got in my fucking pants along the way.

What, to murder someone? I'm always ready for that. It's been, like, my default state of being ever since we lost Garl.

I should probably see a therapist about it but I'm not going to because I might kill them.

...you know what, unfurled like that, you're actually really beautiful. I'm going to beat you to death, but I want you to know that you're making the whole "abomination of wires and guns" thing really work for you. I especially love the hand made of cord fingers, and the way your neck forms the handle of a gun.

Are you able to combine into, like, a hand holding a gun that then shoots-- Sorry, I'm getting distracted to the point that Serai's starting to give me stink-eye. We came here to murder.

Oh, you CAN!? AHHHH YES, THAT IS SO FUCKING COO--

OW. FUCK.

Why do I say things? T-T

You know what? Fine. You want to go? Let's go. My artillery is better than yours.

The puppet isn't good for much but he can carry out a fine carpet bombing.

Fuck her up, Serai. This is your moment. I'm just glad we could be here to help make it happen.

Revenge is underrated; That felt great.

We can mark that off as another great menace your people no longer have to live under, thanks to the magic of excessive amounts of violence. I think your world is just about fully liberated at this point.

There's just one malefactor still lingering in the realm.

#sea of stars #drake plays sea of stars

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