Leaderboard

Can a machine have a soul? Asking for a friend.

We've Been Trying to Reach You About Your Car's Extended Warranty

Mucha Lucha

Everyday Everyman

"Yanking the chains of happenstance for fun and profit!"

OP: Honest Eyes ♩ Almost Heaven, West Virginia ♩ With a growl, Mr. Principale shut off his radio. He remembered a time he liked the song. How it was a comfort during his hectic reassignment. Such a calming song, about the beauty that would surround him in Mountainguard. Now, it was just a reminder that the state was a dead end. It was so insignificant that even the most famous song about it couldn't even get the basic facts right. The Blue Ridge Mountains were not in West Virginia. The Shenandoah River didn't flow through the land. And there was no heaven in West Virginia. The mountains loomed over the town of Mountainguard, surrounding it like it was an old guard of sentinels keeping watch. They contained the cool fall breeze that blew next to the cold river that cut the town in half. To some people, this was comforting, a lifelong home that they would never leave. To Mr. Principale, it was like being sealed inside of a cardboard box. He tried to keep his bad mood down to a minimum as he drove to the edges of town. It was a new year. Maybe this year would be better than the last. He choose to ignore the roads becoming rougher, the buildings becoming more rundown, and the grass littered with trash. The trees grew taller and thicker along the road as his car drove away from the last pockets of civilizations and into what seemed like a thick forest. Only the road cutting straight through it let people know civilaization's reach still made it here. The road didn't curve, didn't bend. The longest stretch of road, aptly called Speedway, lead to his destination. The road lead to a large plot of land cleared out in the forest. In the center of it all stood Dead End Academy. The name was sadly perfect for the school. The four stories of the building were old and rundown, almost looking like a haunted mansion in the forest. However, the architecture was far too uniform and dour to be a mansion for the rich. Some people would think it a den of villany before they thought of it as a school. And they wouldn't be completely wrong. Principal Principale pulled into the parking lot, sitting quietly inside his car as he let the engine shut off. He didn't have too much time to spare, but he didn't want to get moving either. Another year in this damn school. How much longer could he deal with it? With a sigh, he finally got out of the car and headed towards his school. However, he wasn't going inside. Instead, he went around the large building, walking towards the back of it. Behind the school was a wide field, obviously set up for sports. However, the beachers had long been removed. They didn't have a sports team, and the benches kept getting destroyed during fights. A small stage was set up with nothing more than a speaker system and a podium on it. In front of the stage was a bunch of kids sitting in foldable metal chairs. He could already see people using those as weapons, but at this point, there was nothing they could do about it. He only hoped these kids were well behaved. With a grunt of effort, Principal Principale pulled himself up on the stage. He walked over to the podium as he dusted off his shoulders. A high pitch whine came from the speakers as he leaned closer to the mic. Before speaking, he looked over the freshmen class. There were less people than he was expecting. That was technically a good sign, but he couldn't bring himself to feel hope. "Alright, listen up!" He called out, looking over the freshmen class. "I'm sure you all are used to people bullshitting you, trying to placate you into listening, but I don't have the time for that," He took a deep breath before continuing. "You all might think you're the biggest, baddest people around. Well, allow me to shake that unwarrented confidence! You are a small fish taken from the ocean and tossed into a small pond. And there are fish much bigger than you lurking around at the bottom of this pond," It was a standard warning he gave out every year, and every year it was ignored. "I won't lie and say that you all will turn out to be good people who will get great jobs after your time in Dead End. In fact, statistically, most of you are going to end up dead before you turn 30. However, to those who might listen to my words, if you keep your heads down and actually try to learn, maybe you'll have a better life than what you'd get otherwise." He paused a moment, letting his words sink into the crowd. He didn't have high hopes for this class. He was sure that no one would listen to his next words. Still, he had a job to do. "Now, school doesn't start for the freshmen today," He explained. "No, today, you all will do a short tour of the school. Afterwards, you'll get situated in your dorms. Tomorrow, school really begins. Dismissed!" With that, Principal Principale walked off the stage, headed for the inside of the school. To say he had given a speech would be stretching the definition. It barely took him 30 seconds to deliver his words. And yet everyone in that crowd knew he spoke nothing but his truth. There was a moment of awkward silence as the principal left. It was obvious that there was supposed to be a teacher here that would gather them up and take them on the tour. Except no one came. "Yeah, fuck this," A voice shouted after a minute of silence. A tall, tanned boy walked out of the crowd of students. A large scar marred his face, going from cheek to cheek, right through his nose. "A school is a school! You've seen one, you've seen them all! I'm heading into town! If you dumbasses had any sense, you'd do the same!" He threw his hand in the air as he walked around the school. It was unclear if this was a sign of dismissal or him beckoning others to follow him. The students now had a choice. Would they play hooky, or would they attempt to be good students and wait? OOC

Catherine was sitting perfectly still on a chair as people began piling in. She had been dropped off, quite literally as the elderly couple that had grabbed her from the back of their truck and deposited her in front of the school, a couple hours ago and had been sitting there ever since. While her body didn't move she did flick her eyes back and forth now and then to watch as people came in. Some of them gave her strange looks, and she wondered what was so weird about a beautiful young lady such as herself sitting on a chair, but many more just passed her by. There were certainly some odd looking folk here. Catherine hadn't realized that human beings could come in some of the shapes and sizes she saw. Some of them clearly didn't get along and she wondered if a fight was going to break out. Through it all she sat still and looked ahead at the podium. Something was going to happen. She just knew it. Call it a sixth sense, or wishful thinking, or simple delusions but Catherine was certain that if she waited long enough an interesting event was bound to occur. She got her first taste of this when an old man, who seemed much different than her own old people, came onto stage to call them fish. Before she could question his eyesight he was suddenly gone. It seemed they were to take a tour of the school. Which, if the brochures she had read that her old people kept around to convince her to leave and explore the world were right, usually meant someone who knew the school would take them around. Catherine had waited this long for something fun so she was certainly capable of waiting longer. It seemed, however, that some did not have her patience. "A school is a school! You've seen one, you've seen them all! I'm heading into town! If you dumbasses had any sense, you'd do the same!" And what if someone had not seen one? It seemed to her that this boy was the dumb one to not think about that. She found this so foolish in fact that she finally decided to move. The girl, who had been basically motionless this entire time, turned her head towards the person seated next to her. Her neck made a slight creaking sound as the material that made her body protested the movement after such a long rest. In a loud, clear, voice, Catherine spoke up, "pretty stupid to wait all this time and then just run away before anything happens, huh?"

Today was an orientation of sorts. Since arriving at Dead End Academy, Flynn had been awaiting this moment on the edge of his wits. It was a beautiful day for a gathering of the students he'd be sharing his time with. The locale was breathtaking, as the mountains that rose in the backdrop beckoned him to climb it's rocky face. The weather in West Virginia was colder than the usual climate he had been accustomed to his whole life. The air was crisp, and fresh, and filled him full of life with every inhale. This place would be the perfect place to enhance his skills...and hopefully find some clues about his brother. All in due time. Now it was time for the Dead End Academy assembly. This school really was filled with all sorts of characters. Looking around, he could clearly see that this place really was a breeding ground for the strange and lost. He wondered if others gazed upon him with the same thought process, seeing as he hadn't taken his Luchador mask off since he had arrived. Was it rude to assume that everyone here was some poor unfortunate soul who needed help? That's what this place was advertised as, but were they all really at the end of their ropes. Flynn had come to this academy of his own volition, so maybe some other students had as well. Regardless, he would do his best to be friendly. He had made his way to the assembly and found a seat, waiting for their Principal to address them all. "Alright, listen up! I'm sure you all are used to people bullshitting you, trying to placate you into listening, but I don't have the time for that. You all might think you're the biggest, baddest people around. Well, allow me to shake that unwarranted confidence! You are a small fish taken from the ocean and tossed into a small pond. And there are fish much bigger than you lurking around at the bottom of this pond. I won't lie and say that you all will turn out to be good people who will get great jobs after your time in Dead End. In fact, statistically, most of you are going to end up dead before you turn 30. However, to those who might listen to my words, if you keep your heads down and actually try to learn, maybe you'll have a better life than what you'd get otherwise." He didn't like the statistic thrown in there. Were the futures really so dim for the students here? "Now, school doesn't start for the freshmen today. No, today, you all will do a short tour of the school. Afterwards, you'll get situated in your dorms. Tomorrow, school really begins. Dismissed!" A tour was something he was super excited for! He couldn't wait to get a good look at all the facilities this place had to offer. Hopefully there was a good spot to spar with his fellow Dead Enders. "Yeah, fuck this! A school is a school! You've seen one, you've seen them all! I'm heading into town! If you dumbasses had any sense, you'd do the same!" The harsh voice rang out through the class of freshman, coming from a rather rugged looking individual. Flynn could only sigh. This sucker was already off to becoming one of those bleak statistics the Principal was talking about. "Pretty stupid to wait all this time and then just run away before anything happens, huh?” A young lady responded...at least she looked like a young lady. The joints of each of her appendages looked similar to an action figure. Was she a human, or something different? Flynn hadn't really come across anything...inhuman in his life, so seeing something this strange and up close was sort of a shock to him. He thought about keeping his distance from the girl...thing...but didn't want to appear rude. He'd have to get used to these types if he was going to attend this school. "Truth be told, he does have a slight point. This is a school, albeit the... 'last school you'll ever go to'. The worst they can do is write us up for not being around... not like some of us haven't gone through that rigmarole before. I, for one, am agreeing with our hot-headed... friend... eh, too early to call him my friend or anything. Either way, I'm heading out." Flynn decided to act. His sense of justice really couldn't allot a nihilistic infection spreading like this. He walked ahead of the two young men to try and stop their advance. "Hear me out, my friends," his tone was stern, but still friendly, "I implore that you go on the tour with us. Don't you want to see what this place has to offer! Look around you!" Flynn motioned to the masses of students around them, "Isn't this place amazing? Do you not believe this place has amazing things to offer amazing young people like you?" He crossed his arms against your chest. "I would rather everyone here get off to a good start. There's no use for you to be here if you aren't willing to do it straight...this is a fresh start for all of us...I plead you do not waste it." Flynn walked past the two, standing out of their way. "I will not stop you from leaving, I just thought that I would plead this school's case." He flashed the two a thumbs up. "My name is Flynn Guerrero! The Fly Boy! I hope you reconsider your attempt at hooky, and attend the tour with me!" Flynn gave a nervous glance to the well dressed lady who had spoken up earlier. "With us..." His voice was shaky, as the nerves at looking at her hadn't shaken, "right?"

Phase 1 - Bad Moon Rising The room was silent… bone chillingly silent at that. Those that just entered it simply looked in the direction of the one at the very front of the room, keeping within the shadows, avoiding the city lights coming from the windows. A series of noises broke the darkness, the sounds of armored feet clanking along the floor. “So, this is where you've been hiding.” the voice sounded… disappointed? “...so… of course they'd send five…” the voice from the shadows responded, almost seeming tired. “I take it the other seven may be on their way to my location now? Or perhaps… you wished to face me all on your own?” The deafening silence was all the answer that was received, but it seemed the latter was indeed the answer. “...I figured as much. I would've preferred it not to be you to be the one to find me… to figure it out. I have a lot of respect for you… despite the rivalry I wanted for us, you were like a friend to me.” The sounds of shuffling came from the shadows, it unnerved the one standing in the middle of the room, the city lights showing off the familiar red scarf the armored individual wore. “Try as I might… I don't understand the reason why? You owe at least that.” he sighed, his fists tightening slightly. “Why eliminate the number one?” Silence once again filled the room, before a heavy sigh echoed. “Pay it forward… help however you can… be someone else's hero… back then, that was my reasoning. To strive to be that kind of hero, like the one who saved me that day. However… it all became a contradiction to me when I hit it big…” The sounds of footsteps from the shadows began. “...the rank of number one… the ability to inspire hundreds… thousands… the amount of good done in this regard just from having that title alone. A higher audience is given with that… so why wouldn't I take that opportunity?” The steps grew louder… before one foot started to cross into the light… a red boot. “I chose to shake things up by removing that slouch… to spread that message that I've held onto so dear for my whole life from his position.” The rest of the body soon was in the light… the red and black suit wearing figure stood there, his own red scarf waving behind him. “I won't stop here… I will become number one… Feel free to attempt to stop me, but we both know… I'm the unstoppable force… I am the immovable object… and my inertia knows no bounds.” That was the big reveal? It didn't seem like that big of a surprise, though. It was written on the wall from the beginning… least, from what he could tell. After all, some of the characters here had suspicions from the start, and even during that small gala, the one that showed up moments after him had something squish under his feet on the red carpet, that sticky feeling anyway. It was a good fake out with the whole “maybe it was gum” aspect. Even still… the character played his part in this story and feigned ignorance up till it finally was revealed, but for the reader, yeah it was obv-... BGM “...today, you all will do a short tour of the school. Afterwards, you'll get situated in your dorms. Tomorrow, school really begins. Dismissed!” Blake paused, just remembering where he was and what was going on. He had been so engrossed in this chapter that he barely registered the principal's opening ceremony speech. …IF you wanted to even call it that. Best he could tell… it was thirty seconds, if that. Closing his book, he watched as the principal simply walked away after delivering his riveting speech… almost seemed rehearsed, like he said that exact thing to each and every Freshman class. But rehearsed or not… it was clear that he meant it. Not surprising… it's called DEAD END for a reason. he thought, closing his book slightly before shoving it back in his bag. It wouldn't be a wonder that he meant every word he said. Doesn't sound like he really believes in anyone gathered here… not that I blame him. He leaned back in the chair, exhaling slowly. But this school is just a means to an end for me… so he can take that and shove it up his-... "Yeah, fuck this! A school is a school! You've seen one, you've seen them all! I'm heading into town! If you dumbasses had any sense, you'd do the same!" Blake sat up slightly from his lounge state in the chair, glancing in the direction of this person who just spoke out like this. He seemed like the arrogant sort, but then again, first impressions weren't much to go by for him. Still, he had to admire the brazen boldness to simply say that like this. And it wasn't like any teacher was available at this present time to do this new student orientation bull… perhaps this arrogant peer of his was right. "pretty stupid to wait all this time and then just run away before anything happens, huh?” Another voice cut through, this one, a young girl… she looked like the definition of “cutesy”... like a porcelain doll, which might've been her make-up and complexion, Blake wasn't sure… he didn't know much about make-up. Nevertheless, she spoke loud and clear, rivaling her peer's viewpoint of this current situation. Not to say it wasn't a valid one, the principal just said they'd be going through a tour, not his fault that said teacher wasn't here yet. That said… He slowly stood up, stretching as he yawned loudly. "Truth be told, he does have a slight point. This is a school, albeit the... 'last school you'll ever go to'..." Blake scoffed, waving his fingers in a manner some would think to signify creepy. "The worst they can do is write us up for not being around... not like some of us haven't gone through that rigmarole before. I, for one, am agreeing with our hot-headed... friend... eh, too early to call him my friend or anything. Either way, I'm heading out." He slung his bag over his shoulder, gave everyone the two finger salute before turning on his heel and walked on off after the arrogant one. Plus... this is an excellent opportunity to look around... get acquainted with the locale... then... then I'll find my answers. Only a matter of time before the wolf goes on the prowl...

OP - Honest Eyes - Black Tide ED - Flowers - Hana Hope Mountainguard, West Virginia. A completely ‘ordinary’ city filled with completely ‘ordinary’ sights and ‘ordinary’ people. On its outskirts lies “it”. Dead End Academy. Nicknamed “The final disposal site for problem children”, this school is kept tucked away from the rest of the city to keep its student population out of sight and out of mind. Here, all sorts mingle. From the brooding loner seeking power, to the troublesome smart kid trying to create a gang, to kids who are rumored to not even be human at all. This school, nay this city, is filled to the brim with problems and rot. A mysterious new drug making the rounds, trading sanity for power. The disappearances of beloved family members. The underground fighting ring accidentally raising a cult. The emergence of monsters beyond humanity’s common sense… All these problems and more will confront you at Dead End Academy. Can you make it to graduation alive? Will you be able to leave the same way you came? Rules and What You Should Expect Database Apps Discord Link

Bark at the Moon

wow yui that's an amazing logo you did such a great job especially when you haven't done one of these in so long anyway color me curious

I have officially lost 40 pounds since November! Not doing anything extreme, just cutting out carbs/sugar, eating smaller portions, and exercising each day.

Jacklyn pulled back her hand immediately as a large glob of mud struck the wall right in front of her. The girl had barely even realized what had happened at first, both happening so fast and barely being cognizant of what was around her. Blinking a few times as her senses, muddled as they were underwater, seemed to reorient themselves the girl turned only to immediately recoil back at the sight of the pokemon that was before her. It was a lot bigger than any other pokemon she had encountered up to this point, though she swore that it looked familiar somehow. As she squinted, as if that did anything to help, she realized that it was just a Skrelp but...way bigger. She shook her head and looked at it again to make sure she wasn't seeing things, only to realize that it was in fact both a Skrelp and as big as she thought it to be. Her skepticism and confusion soon broke way for a much more characteristic eagerness, as the girl's eyes lit up at the discovery. The girl looked over to Cherry, Anneliese and Merideth, waving her arms around excitedly, throwing them both to the side as if to emphasize the size of the creature and then flailing them about again to show how excited she was about it. Jacklyn's vague pantomime was broken up as a jet of water struck in the side, knocking her away from the wall where she had been. The girl was still for a moment before she righted herself once more, fury now replacing the joy she was previously experiencing as she glared at the creature. She wasn't sure if it didn't like her trying to touch the statue, if it didn't like how much she was moving, or if it just didn't like her in general. She could tell there was only room enough for one purple individual in these waters and she wasn't about to lose her spot to the oversized draconic seaweed that was this Skrelp. The girl looked to Cherry, making frustrated noises that only resulted in bubbles coming out, as she then pointed to the Skrelp. She balled up her fists going for a slow, due to the surrounding water, one-two jab in its direction. The Buneary nodded, understanding the barest concept of what Jacklyn was trying to convey, as she swam towards the Skrelp. The annoyed Skrelp sucked in the surrounding water before launching a blast yet again, this time directed at the Buneary. Not being a nimble seafaring pokemon Cherry's attempt to dodge had failed as the water struck true. The Buneary recoiled a bit back from the attack but swam forward again, with the Skrelp preparing yet another blast of water. The blast was launched and struck a wall in place of the Buneary. The Skrelp's attack had been knocked off course as Meredith had crashed into it, tackling the Alpha pokemon and shoving it away. The Skrelp turned its gaze towards the Shellder, launching a shot of mud at the pokemon. Meredith, possessing none of the issues that Cherry did, was able to move out of the way before launching a water gun in retaliation. The Skrelp began to suck in water to counter with its own only to be interrupted by a sudden foot striking its back, followed by the water gun from the Shellder hitting its torso. It turned back, swatting away Cherry before noticing that Meredith was preparing yet another attack. Being unrestrained in the water, the Alpha swum away from the oncoming attack before launching yet another mudshot towards Cherry, knocking the Buneary back once more. Meredith swam forward, launching yet another water again only for the Alpha to counter with one of its own. As the two struck it was clear which of the two was stronger in this clash, the Alpha Skrelp easily overpowering the Shellder's attack and striking Meredith. As if on instinct the Shellder clamped itself shut, slowly sinking deeper down. Cherry attempted to close the distance once more, though, with the Skrelp not wanting to get into a direct confrontation with the Buneary it swam away from the pokemon. As it got ready to fire off yet another water gun at her, Meredith eventually launched themselves forward in a tackle, slamming into the pokemon. Though the Skrelp was pushed back Meredith was now right next to the pokemon, unable to avoid it as it fired off a point blank mud shot and knocked the Shellder away, the latter clamping shut as it retreated once more. Meredith was looking worse for wear from the repeated losing clashes and Cherry herself was worn out both from the damage she had suffered and the excessive amount of, fruitless, swimming that she had to do. However, Jacklyn knew the Skrelp was nearing the end of its own stamina and with one final push she knew that they could deal with it. The girl looked around, trying to find an answer, before finally coming up with something. Jacklyn looked over to Cherry, gesturing towards the wall before swinging her arm towards the Skrelp. The Buneary stared blankly at Jacklyn for a few moments, before suddenly nodding as if she understood. As the Skrelp was readying to attack Meredith once more, Jacklyn swam as fast as she could towards the Alpha pokemon, raising her arms high as if trying to appear bigger than she was. Instinctively, expecting the Buneary, the Skrelp opposite direction, closer towards the wall before realizing it was just a human. The Skrelp got ready to fire yet another attack, this time aimed at Jacklyn, unaware of what was behind it. The Buneary that had gotten close to the rocky wall placed their feet against it, before kicking off and launching forward at speeds previously impossible for it, striking it with yet another pound. As the Skrelp was taken off guard by the attack, it had hardly any time to react as Meredith had come from behind Jacklyn, tackling into the Skrelp. With both of them now right next to it, the Shellder opened back up, launching a water gun into the head of the Skrelp as the Buneary kicked the Alpha's torso. With improvised synchronicity the two of them struck at the same time, knocking the Alpha Skrelp back, the pokemon losing consciousness as it was knocked out by the tag team. Jacklyn pumped her fist into the air, or higher water, at this victory and gave a thumbs up to Cherry, and then Annelise. Though it was impossible to see her mouth via the scuba gear it was not hard to tell that Jacklyn was grinning ear to ear over this. Cherry, for their part, waved back to Jacklyn and then gave a friendly wave to Meredith, congratulating the Shellder as well.

Quinn followed the child’s gaze as it dodged around the top of the lighthouse. He was very pointedly not making eye contact, which was, of course, impolite. Quinn tried to resolve this issue by bobbing its head and shifting around so that he could at least try to match the boy’s gaze before he shifted away. If the boy looked down at Quinn’s shoes, Quinn bent over sideways. If he looked above, Quinn did their best to stand on tippy-toes. This was not the only way that the boy had been rude, however. He also had besmirched Quinn’s reputation in a way that, if Quinn were the more vengeful sort of ghost, would have been dangerous. He was lucky that Quinn was able to take it all in stride. “I have to ask if you start all your conversations this animated,” Quinn said. “I like to think I am consistent in my approach, and I appreciate that it does get the occasional odd reaction, but you seem to be the sort that would respond the way you have to an even simpler introduction.” There were factors that Quinn was only just now considering, such as the fact that xe and Bridget had intruded on this boy’s space, but being caught unawares by a dead adventurer and hir scientist friend was still no excuse to be uncivil. All that said, Quinn did figure out why the boy was pointedly ignoring its gaze. If their eyes met, they’d be honor-bound to fight in a Pokémon battle. For the moment, Quinn stopped trying, especially when the first Pokémon the boy tried to summon turned out to have suffered the same fate as Quinn’s and Normandie’s berries. Quinn’s mental narration tried to stop itself from the phrase “given up the ghost,” but failed, apparently. In any case, Quinn was sympathetic. “Oh dear,” Quinn said. “Well, listen. We can help you find your precious companion, and then, if you would like, you are welcome to try and battle us out of your clubhouse.” Perhaps this was not what Bridget wanted out of this whole ordeal, but Quinn was Quinn’s own ghost. It was only then that Quinn noticed what a state Bridget was in. There was a look on the woman’s face that made it clear both who (or what) was responsible and how much she wanted to talk about it. “Well, perhaps not immediately, but whenever would be most convenient.” A thought struck Quinn and she returned to the boy with renewed interest. No longer was Quinn bobbing and weaving with the boy’s gaze. “I do not believe in coincidences. I imagine we will have to find both your missing Pokémon and this lighthouse’s resident ghost if we are to solve this mystery. But such a task requires your cooperation.”

oh god the boss is going into their third stage really freaking cool, some draggy parts as ever with these long songs, 8.5/10

While Fen was looking forward to showing off her culinary skills to her fellow Guardian she was disappointed and understanding that she had to go off elsewhere. As such, Fen made a quick trip to the grocery store to get what she needed for tonight before making her way back to the her living quarters. As she moved about the girl couldn't help but also feel somewhat gross, her skin now readjusted back to the normal climate of the area reminding her of how much she had sweated during the fight against the eggbears, and she equally wished to both freshen up and cook once she got home. Stepping inside she had come in after Trevor had, catching the tail end of his remark and adding onto it herself, "it was certainly, well, the most, uh, novel experience I've had to date. At least here." The girl walked past him, giving a nod, as she made her way towards the kitchen to deposit her groceries, though continued speaking along the way. "I've been to festivals and the like before but I never expected there to be a place here that seemed to be constantly in one. To say nothing of all of the rides." The girl thought back to the competition she and the other Guardian team had, wondering if there would be a chance for a rematch with them sometime soon. Or, perhaps it would be a more fun outing to have with the others that she hadn't faced yet. The girl paused for a moment more before adding, "I wonder if the others play Duel Monsters too." As the girl placed his groceries down she walked back out and noticed Kasayee resting on one of the machines. The girl didn't say anything about this, instead finding it to be a perfectly natural sight and noted to herself about dinner plans. Looking to the other two she asked, "honestly though, between all of the various contraptions that I've seen here and all the unique places we've been to...well, wonders never seem to cease here." The girl added, "well, um, at least for me, that is. My own world seems a bit, well, lacking in comparison. Oh, not that we don't have our own share of things to do but, more so..." As the girl pondered about it some more she asked, "well, I suppose is there any other kinds of unique recreation or fun places to go from your world that you think would be here. I'd love to try anything new out."

...Maybe

nobody's allowed to say anything about the logo unless it's to the general effect of "wow yui that's an amazing logo you did such a great job especially when you haven't done one of these in so long" or i'll cry

Made a video of the top 10 "beatsticks" in Goat Format (Lv4 2k+ ATK)

[…]he said, “Listen to my words: “When there is a prophet among you, I, the Lord, reveal myself to them in visions, I speak to them in dreams. -Numbers 12:6 (NIV)Melissa didn’t realize exactly when she had fallen asleep, but she could recognize a dream when she saw one. This one was a swimming sort of dream, a vast ocean of blue, light diffusing in the water but still giving everything a soft, cool glow. Zadkiel and Sandalphon giving off light of their own certainly helped, too, though Melissa was pretty sure that even if the ocean were pitch black, she would still, somehow, know where everything was. A school of fish swam by underneath her, species Melissa had only seen in books or an aquarium… or perhaps her subconscious had just made something up -- a simulacrum of aquatic wildlife, or something. She didn’t twist around to face either of the angels, she just kept watching the fish for a while, before finally she asked, “Did you do something to me?” After a moment’s silence, one responded, Aside from joining ourselves to you, you mean? A fair question, Melissa thought, though annoyingly glib in that way that they often were with her. She knew why they were like this. If she pressed them on it, they would say something like, “We would not mean to presume,” and that would be the end of that line of questioning. Part of her wondered if they were taking advantage of her nature, but, then again, that was what she actually wanted to ask about. “I mean, I notice I’m holding my own more. I’ve done things and had conversations that I would have shrunk from in the past. I don’t think I fully noticed what had changed until today, what with the amusement park. I wouldn’t have been able to do any of that before. It still wasn’t great, but…” That was the end of that sentence, it seemed. “…anyway, I wanted to ask. It’s not even a problem, I guess, as long as I know about-” We have noticed this as well. It is part of the reason we have not further updated you on your biometric spikes -- they are simply less prevalent. To answer your question more directly: no, this is not our doing. “Oh,” Melissa said. She hadn’t really been expecting that answer, but she supposed she had no reason to disbelieve it. She floated along a little further, catching a current that pulled her deeper into the water. She could have fought it, but it felt like this was where she wanted to be anyway. We do have a theory, however. Would you like to hear it? This question was a bit less fair, Melissa decided. Even if she said no, her actual answer would eventually become yes anyway. Just by having the statement linger in the water, they had prompted her assent. Thankfully, she was trusting enough of her guests (not to mention curious enough) to nod her head yes. What is happening, Melissa, is a confluence of factors, some of which we believe were already coming into place before we even encountered each other, although suddenly finding yourself in a new location sans the weight of one’s reputation would certainly help. In fact, your new, assigned reputation as a Guardian of Prana is something you perceive as an authority. With our introduction and comingling, you even have the ability to back up this new reputation. Should a situation escalate, you have demonstrated your willingness to call forth our avatars, a notion that remains even in moments where we are proven unnecessary. “Well, now hold on,” Melissa said. “It sounds like I’m implicitly threatening people into being nice to me.” Perhaps that is how Guardians are perceived by the general populace, the voices said, but they were quick to follow it up with, however, that is not how you have operated in practice. For a better example, consider the reporter, or that photographer. In both cases, you found yourself overwhelmed, and allowed us to step in and assist you. Neither interaction was violent, nor was there ever the implication of violence. If you treated us as weapons, perhaps it would be more true, but you seem to treat us as confidants. Is that a fair assessment, Melissa? She supposed so. Wasn’t that what she was doing right now? Melissa had even looked forward to this meeting even before Kasayee had slung her over her shoulder and marched back home. Put more simply, you have made some close friends, and that has measurably improved your mental health. So perhaps our answer is yes, we have “done something to you,” although not in the sense that you mean. “I see,” Melissa said. But she caught something in there that finally got her to turn around and face the angels. “Wait, are you calling me your friend?” Melissa, wake up -- you are about to fall off of the couch! And before Melissa could even react, her body jerked and her eyes snapped open, just catching herself before total disaster. Bartleby, somehow, remained asleep cuddled next to her, still off in his own dreamland. The voices hadn’t actually answered the question, and she could have called them on that if she wanted -- it wasn’t like dreams were the only times she could talk with them -- but she supposed she already knew the answer. Melissa sighed and scritched Bartleby’s neck, evoking a pleasant hum from the Pokémon. “You count too,” she said. She stood up, careful not to disturb Bartleby further, before going to the laundry room to grab a lint roller and get all of the Slakoth hair off. Kasayee was not inside the dryer, as she had insisted she wouldn’t be, but she was still on top of it, asleep as well. It reminded Melissa of those moments during the Vylon Delta fight where Kasayee had turned into a cat. It was a very cat-like place to sleep. She wasn’t about to scritch Kasayee’s neck, though. The promise of food would probably wake her up later, once Fen and Trevor got back from wherever their carnival adventure had taken them.

that means it's ready for consumption