Yankee

Pokemon: Ascendancy

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mentions:}

Financial travesty, he'd said. Nordrin snorted, shaking his head at the chairman's words. Poor man was just riling up the group further with statements like that. Not that Nordrin felt particularly bad for him. Now, after incensing some of the most powerful trainers in Galar, Hyacinth wanted them to pretend nothing had even happened. It was laughable.

"Fat chance that any of them will follow that order," Nordrin scoffed, lifting a hand from where they were folded across his chest. It was at that point that the Water-type leader left the room, and after a moment of silence Nordrin amended, "Except for that one."

As the league's fifth gym leader, Nordrin saw barely half of the participants that signed up to compete anyway - Iris, Isiah, Bianca, and Holly made sure to weed out the weakest trainers. But if those four disobeyed Hyacinth, he wouldn't be seeing any. A championship couldn't be held without it's champion, that was true, but it also couldn't realistically be held without it's gym leaders. If those in the Major league didn't participate, it didn't even leave Nordrin a chose as to if he was going to follow their lead or not. Like hell he was going to entertain a challenger that didn't have the right number of badges - was wasn't a fucking babysitter. He doubted that Hyacinth would promote Minor leaguers up to replace the disobedient gym leaders right now anyway, seeing as at the moment the Minor leaguers that already knew of Ryker's disappearance were split on whether they'd be acting like nothing happened or actually doing something about it.

The whole situation was beginning to give Nordrin a headache. Naturally that was putting him in an even worse mood. He glanced down to check his watch, noting that the entire affair hadn't taken that long. Nordrin was no investigator or detective, but he was sure as fuck a better battler than one. With that thought, Nordrin sighed heavily through his nose before speaking up, his voice taking on a bitter tone.

"I don't think you'll be winnin' this one, Chairman. The police and your goons are going to need all the held they can get, they got bigger fuckin' blockheads than an Eiscue. The sooner somebody finds Ryker, the sooner we can actually get back to doing our duties as proper gym leaders."

The Fairy-type leader gathered himself to depart at that point. "You'll be happy to know, chairman, that I'm not doing shite except running my bloody business, at least until someone gets a lead. Feel free to call me then and I'll beat the disrupting fucker myself and we can get back on track."

Nordrin had been against one of the room's walls, so he pushed through the small crowd to the door. There was no real use arguing with Hyacinth nor the other leaders. If the situation changed one way or another, he was sure he would hear about it anyway. Opening the door, he noted that Bianca was still gathering herself right outside, but seeing as he had nothing to say to the woman he brushed by her. It was barely passed eleven, technically still plenty of time before High Steaks was due to open, but he considered catching a taxi straight back to Hulbury all the same.

Feature Request Thread

Coming in with another PM feature I thought about which I'm sure has also been suggested before. The option to pin PMs? For example I also work in a PM when I write drafts or test something, so being able to pin my own PM so it's always at the top of my PM list would be swell.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

Ahem so does anyone else sort of see some glaringly similar personality traits shared between the new Octopath Traveler characters? I wanna make sure I'm not seeing something that isn't there.

@Yankee you're a fan, do you see anything odd about the characters?

@Dark Cloud

I'm not sure what you mean by odd. As far as traits shared between them, it's still a bit early but... I dunno, it seems about half of them have a more upbeat personality and the other half have a more serious one, vaguely similar to the first group. It's kinda hard to judge just from the short trailer since all we really have is their design, a short scene with them, and the reason for their travels. So like, Throné shares her reason with Therion, both thieves are "For Freedom." And then we have Osvald the Scholar taking over Primrose's "For Revenge," and Temenos the Cleric taking over Cyrus' "For Truth." It'll be interesting to see how they differ. The others don't have the same reasons as the previous group. I can't really tell what similar personality they all share that you're seeing, but feel free to tell me your thoughts.

I'm interested to see where the new story goes in general especially since it seems they took some of the criticisms of the original Octopath and worked on them, they mentioned the travelers having more of a connection than the first so that will be cool.

⥑ Ember to Ashes ⥏ Dark Fantasy/Mythology (Interest Check)

I'm in

Feature Request Thread

Tabs in PMs! 🙏 I know it's been requested before but just +1-ing it. Also the option to rename PMs (if this is already a feature someone point me towards it).

Thanks Legend!

hopping into town!

Welcome! Fantasy is pretty much a staple so hopefully you can find an RP or partner you like easily!

World of Light

Word Count: 2380 (+3 exp)
Level: 2 - Total EXP: 30/20
Location: Sea of Serendipity

The Seekers traveled through the inlet river, some experiencing a simple ride and others running into problems of their own creation. And meanwhile at the rear of the procession of boats was Pit. After a little while he'd gotten the hang of maneuvering the small watercraft, how to handle it's speed and the rhythm of rowing. He'd figured that anything would be easier than piloting an Aether Ring, and sure enough though the rowboat's surprising smoothness reminded him of the Ring it was indeed a much simpler matter to steer it. He had curled his wings over his head in a makeshift umbrella to keep the worst of the rain out of his face, the water sliding off of his wings into the river below. With a little more visibility, Pit was well on his way.

His quick learning didn't stop the multitude of obstacles from getting in his way though.

When finally the spouts, or whirlpools, or various other things would release him and his boat was back on the correct course Pit always sported a childish pout on his face for a couple of seconds. Then it would melt away into a smile. It was actually kind of fun, especially in a large group like this. Sounds of laughter and excitement drifted from the front of the pack of Seekers just as often as yelps of surprise.

Further obstacles came in the form of rocks and broken ships, much easier to manage. Pit slowed to get past them, not too concerned about falling behind. From some the wreckage of some of the ships he could hear vaguely familiar voices, figuring them to be Seekers checking out the boats. He planned to use the time to catch up, and carefully picked his way through the narrowing river. By the time he made it out of the ship's graveyard, he was none the wiser about the rune bear chasing the others downstream. He caught sight of a familiar pair on the shore curiously looking down the way the other Seekers had gone.

"So this is where you two have been!" Pit called, waving an arm and a wing at the duo to match Banjo and Kazooie's waves.

"If it isn't the little bird brain! You joined up with the main characters."

Her comment, even in jest, caused the angel to sputter. "Uh, 'bird brain'? You're an actual bird!"

"Hey Pit, make sure you watch where you're going," Banjo interrupted with some advice before anymore could be said.

"Huh?" He turned to look ahead and saw only sky in front of him, just before the gravity took over and pitched the boat over the top of the waterfall. "Whaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

The near-free fall was far from the most harrowing he'd ever had, but the surprise of it had him gripping the sides of the boat tightly and just hanging on as it was thrown back and forth through the rapids. Almost by reflex he'd summoned the Guardian Orbitars to fend off the fish, branches, and all manner of other debris that threatened to knock him out of his craft.

When the rapids came to a stop at last, Pit pulled himself upright from where he'd been sprawled on the floor of the square boat. He shook his head, clearing the lingering dizziness as he took in where he'd ended up. It seemed to be a lake or some other wider body of water just before the open ocean. And hey, it seemed like he wasn't too far behind - where at first it seemed that the group ahead were nowhere to be found, there was a big ship slowly sailing through a channel out to sea, with the Seekers onboard! So that giant robot carrying a ship hadn't just been some crazy hallucination he'd seen while the river tried it's best to capsize him.

Pit took up the oars and rowed after the vessel. It had looked big, but the closer he got to it the more he realized how massive it actually was. Thankfully the rowboat was pretty speedy, so he was able to catch up with soon after the ship hit the open water.

"Made it!" Pit declared after an impressive leap and a few flaps of his wings managed to get him over the Adrian's railing. He'd only just managed to realize that the vessel they'd picked was a ghost ship when immediately after, the bombardment started.

His Guardian Orbitars had protected Pit from the worst of it, and he peeked out from behind them. So this was naval warfare. It was pretty good fortune that the Seekers had pulled this huge ship from the wrecks of the others, or they all would have still been stranded in those little boats.

"How did they know we'd be here?!" He wondered aloud, his limbs splayed out for balance as the last of the overheard flock's payload was dropped and the explosions stopped, however briefly. In short order the rest of the ambush revealed itself. Normally such large numbers would not deter Pit, and they didn't now... or they wouldn't, if the circumstances were more even. He couldn't exactly bring the fight to the enemy, stuck on the Adrian as he was. His options were limited. But he could still help.

---

Word Count: 2380 (+3 exp)
Level: 9 - Total EXP: 121/90
Location: Sea of Serendipity
(ft. @Lugubrious)

The Ace Cadet skated into the ocean battle's theater just after it began, glad that he wasn't even later to the event as he already was. It turned out that getting distracted by admiring the mini-map, riding the waterspouts for fun, and then picking through a ship's graveyard wasn't the best idea. It'd put him well behind the others even if he'd managed to find some useful items. Only when he'd got a spine-chilling feeling and then turned to noticed an enlarged Blazermate flying one of the stranded ships over to the sea did the Cadet realize it was time to get going. He rode down the rapids and through the channel, playing catch-up with the rest of the Seekers. The trek down the river had been downright leisurely all things considered, but leave it to their ragtag group to run into trouble eventually. It was bound to happen, and he should have stayed at the front of the pack to account for that - but there was no use kicking himself now. He zoomed over the water's surface toward the Adrian where he spotted the majority of the other Seekers taking cover. At the same time he produced the great bow, preparing himself for the fight.

He rendezvoused with the other ship girls in the water toward the front of the Adrian. "Rika, Boss! Is everyone okay?" Then, a double-take at the figure holding onto the prow. "Nadia?!"

For a few moments now the cat burglar had been stuck there, clinging to the wood alongside her skeletal figurehead companion for dear life as she attempted to turn her maelstrom of thoughts into some sort of plan of attack, but the monster hunter's hail seemed to stir her out of her tailspin. "Oh, Ace!" Nadia sputtered, twisting around to look. The sound of her own voice just then, uncharacteristically and unacceptably insecure, prompted her to finally clear her throat and get her head on straight. "Here I was thinkin' we'd have it easy for a change. Guess I shoulda known better! When it rains it sure pours, huh?" Her eyes drifted toward the four elites inbound from the Raptor, soon to become a major issue for anyone still around the Adrian, then to the tumultuous water below. Without sea legs of her own, she couldn't fight except on the Adrian's deck, which right now meant braving a much more volatile downpour than before. "Got any bright ideas bouncin' around in there, my man?"

Glad at least that she was alright enough for her usual quips, the Cadet offered her a reassuring grin. "Yeah, pretty par for the course at this point. But for ideas besides finding a way to sink them before they sink us? Not a one."

His eyes flickered over the opposition, including the squad currently headed directly toward them, but found his attention drawn to the Tinkerslug hauling a ship on it's back. Am I overestimating myself if I think I can repel that thing? Nah, not at all!

"If I can make it over there I can take on that thing, push it back enough to get it out of range, but..." he'd nodded his head toward the POOPTOOT as he spoke, then looked back at the elites. Obviously it didn't need to be said that it would leave one less defender against that group. "If I draw one of them off on my way, you guys think you can take the rest?"

Peach drew up between the two, her parasol held in her right hand like a rapier while her left gripped the handle of the massive war fan slung across her back. Her skirts and hair whipped in the wind, and the princess's face was grim. "These don't look like mere rabble. I wish we could challenge them on even footing."

"You said it," Nadia agreed with a humorless laugh. "I'd give my ninth life to be a shipgirl right now." As the elites surfed and swam nearer however, her eyes narrowed. She let go of the Adrian's hull with one hand and hung off it, sizing up the competition. They all looked like tough customers, minus the medic though that presented its own slew of problems, but one member of the bad company caught her attention in particular. Even from a ways off, Nadia could tell she was looking at a knockout, and between her white hair and caramel skin tone, one with a coincidentally similar appearance to boot, down to the hoodie-and-shorts combo that for a moment looked like the feral's own jumpsuit. Something clicked in her head, and as new schemes raced through her mind she gave a resolute smile. "Maybe it's just meant to be. If ya wanna focus on that snail Ace, go to town. We'll hold off these guys, you'll 'sea'."

They'd all faced worse before, so despite the opposition when Nadia said they'd take care of it he believed her. There's was a whole contingent of heroes on board, in the sky and at sea prepared to defend themselves after all.

"I trust you! Where there's a will there's a wave, right?" The Cadet skated a few feet away from the ship, and idea coming to mind before he took off. "I'll be back in no time, but first!"

Attaching the haste accelerant to an arrowhead took only seconds. He aimed skyward, pulling the drawstring back. At his full draw he released the arrow and watched it sail high above the Adrian just before a cannonball splashed into the sea nearby, it's wave momentarily washing the Cadet under water. The Haste Rain he'd fired broke over the haunted ship, spreading it's stimulant over everyone in the general area to increase their movement, attack, and charging speed all around. It would help with avoiding the worst of the danger, and if anyone planned to disembark and take the battle to the enemy like he did, they'd get there all the faster. Cadet resurfaced, popping back up and landing on the water's surface.

"I'm good! Ugh, dealing with this kind of thing once was enough!" he said, coughing the rest of the water out of his mouth. He'd gladly stick to sandships after this. The battle in Black Bay had been intense, and not the fun kind of intense, with way too many close calls. He had no desire to repeat that, so whoever was attacking them now had to be swiftly dealt with. Bow in hand the Ace Cadet prepared to charge, fulling planning to turn the leviathan so that it's cannons wouldn't be able to reach the Adrian. With the right opportunity he might even slay it, but one thing at a time.

The Ace Cadet was not the only one planning on heading for the Tinkerslug. Sakura and Karin were in the water and already rowing towards it. All the better, if they focused on the ship's crew he could put his full attention on repelling the snail! Wasting no more time the Cadet heeded Karin's battle cry and skated after them, though he banked toward the elites to make good on his suggestion of trying to handle at least one of them. His rigging was primed and ready, plugging shots at the lot of them.

---

After the fall of the Haste Rain, the Seekers found themselves moving faster. Of course this included Pit. Face set in determination, the angel spotted the flying fleet beginning to turn back toward the Adrian.

He scrambled up one of the ship's masts while it still stood, aiming to get as high up as possible. "I got this!" he called to the group at large, making haste to the top of the mast as it began to tilt dangerously. He couldn't have stopped the initial bombardment, but as the creatures (Abyssals he'd heard them called) came around for another pass the angel was confident he could protect against the second wave.

He focused the orbitars up above himself, and with a pulse of power and a "Hya!" they formed a huge barrier of shimmering opalescent energy. It was several times larger than Pit himself and in the vague shape of a shield. The barrier easily took the brunt of the airborne bombs, and it did so while continuing to move - extending upward from the place Pit had activated it. Any Abyssals it crashed into, or any that crashed into it during their flight found themselves taking damage. It was enough to tear weaker Underworld enemies apart, he only hoped it would be the same for these evil looking planes. When the explosions above started signalling defeated Abyssals, Pit let himself feel relieved for the moment. The smaller orbitars, still hovering, aimed at any unscathed planes that Pit could see and took pot shots at them as the angel panted and clung to the teetering mast. Being so much weaker in the World of Light than in his own turf, summoning the shield took more energy than he'd thought it would. It would dissipate in only a few seconds.

SomethingWicked this way comes...

Welcome to the guild! You should find yourself in good company, and if you have any questions about the forum most people are happy to help!

Pokemon: Ascendancy

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mentions:}

While traveling to Wyndon this time, Nordrin did end up taking a flying taxi. The airways were hectic with civilians, businessmen, reporters, and the like moving back and forth around Galar in the wake of the last minute notice that the league's opening ceremony was cancelled. If he'd known this was going to happen, Nordrin would have gotten a hotel somewhere in the city last night after leaving the bar. He'd ended up leaving a bit earlier than most of the others so he didn't know what happened after the fact, but he couldn't imagine that the people he'd known for years would be so unprofessional that they'd be too hungover to get their arses up, resulting in the cancellation.

...well, okay, he could picture that scenario happening with perfect clarity. But he doubted it was actually the case.

He stepped out of the cab in front of Hyacinth Tower and made his way to the chairman's office. Like last night his hair was loose, though tossed by the wind. He was dressed in his usual uniform, having expected to be here in town for the ceremony, not an urgent meeting. When he made it to the room he found the faces of his fellow gym leaders that had arrived before him, just as confused about the announcement as everyone else in the whole of Galar. Nordrin said nothing, just patiently awaited the rest of the leaders and the chairman himself.

When Hyacinth did arrive, he dropped quite the bombshell on them all.

Almost everyone present immediately dove into questioning the man. What were the details, what were the next steps? Nordrin himself agreed with Fiona and Astrid when they exclaimed that the gym leaders should assist in finding Ryker. For now the Fairy-type leader said nothing, not bothering to add to the rain of questions the chairman was receiving. The scowl on Nordrin's face deepened. More than two years with the kid as reigning champ, and nothing like this had happened before... and that it happened now couldn't have been a coincidence. Troubling indeed, especially for Ryker.

As Hyacinth answered the questions he was posed, Nordrin spoke up.

"Was a bit hasty of you to cancel publicly like that," He commented. "You stirred up the whole bloody region. Can't exactly have a championship without a champion eh, I get it, but you're goin' to be dealing with a lot of damage control. That you can leave me out of."

Any reporter or journalist that tried to stop him for some insight on what was going on with the league was going to get chewed out, that was for damn sure. He'd leave it to the league's publicity staff. As far as the actual plan for finding their missing champion in the mean time? That he wouldn't mind helping out with. It would be better than doing nothing and waiting around with his thumb up his ass anyway.

World of Light

^{____________________________________________________}
Level: 7 - Total EXP: 131/70 ------ Level: 4 - Total EXP: 45/40
𝙱𝙿 ●●●●● ---------------------------- 𝙱𝙿 ●●●●●
Word Count: 890 (+2 exp)
Location: Nyakuza Metro

It was hard to tell how much time had really passed, given the Purple Line's complete lack of sun and the Metro being indoors. Maybe time hadn't dragged on quite as slow as Therion felt it had, because when Jesse summoned a Moogle for what the thief thought was a futile effort to mark their location, the creature informed them that their task was actually finished. Another team had better luck finding a place close to the base. So... that was it...?

"So that's it?" he said, echoing his own thoughts. Apparently they were really done and the next step was to get back on the train. The trio's trip into the underground cities really had been a waste of time in the grand scheme of things. 'Operation Fuck-All' was accurate, and Therion smirked and let out a puff of amusement at Jesse's words.

Well, at those particular words anyway. Her next ones brought him back to his neutral look, a slight scowl painted on his face. He'd suggested checking the place out as a way to kill time more than anything, but that was meaningless now. And Jesse wasn't really wrong in anything she said, but it still rubbed him the wrong way. Then again, he was feeling extra prickly after talking with Raz earlier. That hadn't been the kid's fault either.

"..." Therion rolled his shoulder, considering if he should open his mouth or not. But Jesse was already on her way back toward the train, and the smaller psychic soon to follow.

He sighed, drew an apple left over from breakfast from his cloak and bit into it. Back into the metro it was. Besides, what kind of treasures could a resort have anyway? It wasn't a bank or a mansion. Therion shoved his bangled hand into his pocket and followed along behind the other two, not quite feeling up to getting separated from the rest of the group just yet. Maybe once he knew where the main base was he'd strike out on his own a little, but for now he re-boarded the train as well.

---

Back at the Metro's main area Primrose was pleased that she was recognized, even if it took a moment or two. She nodded her head, confirming that Poppi had the right person. Her and Tora's antics were amusing to watch, but she didn't leave them or Vandham in the dark for much longer.

"'Fight' is a bit of an understatement..." she began, "We did run into trouble. More than we had bargained for. Everyone made it out though. Midna is finishing up on the mountain, and Braum stayed in the oasis to let her know about the next steps when she returns." Her explanation was vague, but she left it at that - sparing them mental visions of monsters in holy robes, shrieking phantoms, and boiling flesh.

"Shovel Knight came here with me, and I expect he'll arrive before long. He went off to collect those pons."

And that was that, all caught up. For the most part anyway. Primrose was surprised to be one of the earliest to arrive, though she wasn't about to complain about it - after all she could listen to what type of places the others had found. Giving a little wave to Panther and the rest of the Phantom Thieves, she listened to their accounts. Interesting. She wondered if it was possible to have a map of the world drawn up. Maybe that was something already being worked on.

Other members of the Yellow Team trickled in, whether in small groups or one by one. Primrose supposed that being split up here was one of the better places for it, since any of them could always catch a train to wherever they wanted to go and then right back here to await other Seekers as they traveled from place to place.

Those that had taken the Purple Line arrived in short order.

Therion had dumped the apple core and swiped another pass, this time to the Mint Line. Most likely he'd never bother with gathering pons as long as he could keep getting away with stealing, but he held onto the few he had just in case. When he spotted the growing group of Seekers he began to make his way over. As usual he was content to hang on the edge of the cluster of people. He did a head count of the group while scoping out the station more out of habit than anything else - and then promptly did a double take at the sight of his friend transformed. It was much more of a difference now than when he'd first seen her again back in Tostarena.

"What the hell happened to you?" he blurted out. Primrose, now almost a head taller than the relatively short Therion where before they'd been the same height, blinked at him.

"Did we not discuss spirits and fusing with them...?"

"Not what I meant," Therion groused.

Primrose gave the same short explanation that she'd given to the others earlier as the Mint Line train arrived, letting more Seekers in on the knowledge that their friends were alright and would be on the way. Everyone should be up to date on the plan to move on to Twilight Town, so there was no reason to wait up. The Travelers boarded.