(The discussion thread is here
)
Welcome to HGS: Another Side Another Story. It is a roleplay spinoff for the Hunger Games Simulator forum game, akin to both the RP's in the Roleplaying section as well as the ITTs in Forum Games. It tells the story of the Hunger Games in the Arena of Panem, the nominators who sent the tributes, the tributes themselves both in and out of the Arena or even other people relevant to the Games. In addition, it also tells their stories beyond the Arena.
You can jump right in with any character, like your nominator self, your tributes, etc. The structure of this RP will be open-world. Don't worry about not being skilled/experienced enough or being new to RP'ing. Finally, ASAS accepts any skill level or RP style. Other than these, there are some important rules to note, which are:
- No godmodding will be allowed or tolerated here. The offending player will be given punishment depending on the severity.
- Please communicate anything important you plan on another player with the said player first. Don't just execute it without their consent.
- Don't be rude to other players, both out and in-universe. This extends to RP offenses like railroading, guilt-tripping, coercing, or other forms of forcing them.
- This RP is related to the Hunger Games Simulation:Beyond the Possibilities forum game. Thus it will have events based from that game, including the tributes. This means if you want to RP as tributes, please nominate them officially on the thread first, with misses not being counted. This has to be done after an incident with a player who hasn't joined the game itself yet.
- Since this RP is Loose Canon in relation to the main HGS thread, the host's interpretation of events isn't necessarily 100% canon. Every player has the right to deviate from what the host says and go with their own interpretations. If multiple players have their tributes involved in the same event(s), please communicate with each other so that you're on the same page regarding how you see them.
- This RP chronicles the lives of the nominators and their tributes behind the scenes. While dark plots are acceptable, the overall tone of the RP should be light-hearted and comedic. This RP is not a Cosmic Horror Story or action story about defeating evil. It is a Slice of Life comedy with some adventure to it, first and foremost. Our previous RP, Convergence, is not representative of the intended tone, and the grimdark tone of that RP is one of the main reasons it was retooled.
- Nominators and tributes alike can transform into Pokemon whenever they enter a Pokemon Mystery Dungeon World (but they can bypass this with certain items/methods or shapeshifting) or via other means outside it such as a season event, Transformation Trinkets, or shapeshifting. The players are free to choose the Pokéforms that best suit their characters and even give them color schemes outside the standard and Shiny colors, but there is a hard rule for this. If you want your character's Pokéform to be a Legendary, Mythical, or Ultra Beast, please ask the RP mods for approval. Outside the Arena, these Pokéforms are still OP, but we want to give leeway for tributes who theoretically can have them such as deities.
- Other rules are covered in the RP guides: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13414403220A81433600&page=1#comment-1
Other guides to help you can be found below:
Here's my opening RP post:
Detective Gamechanger's Base
A sharp-dressed man in a green suit and yellow tie is standing by the entrance of the base. He is of average height and has whitish skin, though still a bit darker. He is Billy, one of the nominators and the organizer of the party.
Indeed, after the nominators' returned and settled their problems, they decide to have fun with a party. Billy also sent invites for all the other nominators out there, as well as basically anyone else, including tributes, non associated parties, interested nominators who haven't participate yet, or even those who just wants to hang out.
The place itself in the base is refurbished for party purposes. Fancy chairs and tables are set everywhere for people to relax, as well as put food and other objects for the latter. There's also various collections showcased, including those belonging to the Detective, like his classic cars. Various themes to the base are set too, including detective noir as GC would have preferred.
Billy is now awaiting for other guests to arrive. He is also ready to give them a pleasant surprise during the party pertaining to his nation.
Edited by Billy5545 on Aug 23rd 2023 at 12:18:55 AM
Fennekin
(CAC is now curious)
CAC: Woah... didn't know that.
"'Long as you don't get pedantic about it, Pow-Pow. Anywho, a google translated season?"
Edited by IchigoMontoya on May 10th 2024 at 9:14:22 AM
Diana Burnwood
Dark Stanford's lair, outside
"To be fair, Lyric is quite a fighter as a Lucario. Dare I say, without my mega-evolution, I'd say he has an edge over me." Aaron chuckled.
Tokage also blushed at Lyric and Steven's faces, looking at July with the same expression.
"Oh come on you two, it ain't that bad." Alex cackled, letting August pull him close.
"Um..." Tokage muttered before shaking his head.
"A-Ahem...! Anyway, we may have Discord on our ship. If it's not too late, I assume he's skilled enough to change you back." the Grovyle said to Lyric.
"Yeah... I dunno what's coming for us, but I don't think we want to deal with it yet. Not without Squishy, at least." Nick grumbled, agreeing with Tenn.
Neither him, nor the other Pokémons noticed the absolutely rageful look Blood Moon gave them upon glancing at them and realizing what was happening with the Zoroark trio.
"Blood Moon... They don't mean to disrespect you or Brave Spear. You can't blame them for feeling this way to one another just because... well..." Fire Eyes whispered, knowing what was going on in his head.
"I know. I know... But the quicker they leave, the better." Blood Moon said, clear envy in his voice as he looked away. He tried to push the flashbacks of his past relationship with his former commander away to focus on the situation ahead.
Edited by Scipion3 on May 10th 2024 at 12:41:13 PM
"One last tango, 47."
Lovely Legilimens
The Arena
As soon as the horn sounds, Arle and Carbuncle try blasting Osric, Angel, and Manchas, but the smoke clears up to reveal that they're still alive. Manchas slowly gets up and shivers from miracle, but then laughs it off and brags about his survival. Bagheera cowers at him, thinking that he's laughing at him for being an "inferior" panther for walking on all fours, but the other tributes join in on the mockery, so Bagheera runs off and throws himself off a cliff.
Manchas looks on and cups his muzzle and wonders if it was something he said, but shrugs it off and runs away from the Cornucopia. He then teams up with Lip to fight a monster on Mario Circuit 3, and he instinctively pounces on it to help her defeat it, while SMG4, Dunkle, and Boscogn sit back and watch. Manchas and Lip then meet up with them, and the panther does a double take at Boscogn briefly turning into a clone of Lip.
Underground Bunker
Power pouts at Ichi, just when Kafka steps up to host the season and deliberately garbles up their commentary with a technologically advanced muzzle. Moon and Bezier roll on the floor laughing while Star and the grown-ups look on in confusion, much like Ichi.
"Oh Ich, I bet Zan loves those kinds of seasons!" says Power. "If I'm not mistaken, the first one was in S302, and the host also used a device like that!"
The Science Center, Safety Shelter
While 6k1 waits for Nozomi to tell her where her ship crashed, she and Juan watch the season with Sol and their friends, but the female DM flinches at Bagheera's suicide.
"Rua," she calls out to the operator, "please check with the real Bagheera ASAP if he's okay! I know Manchas didn't mean to bully his data clone like that!"
Meanwhile, Sol cringes at alt!Tang teaming up with Dr. Mundo to stop the Unnamed Exit 8 Dude from saving Meringue via time travel, because the latter's death is a "canon event".
"Something the matter, dude?" Rex asks them.
"N-Nothing..." Sol lies.
Rex gently pats their shoulder. "Hey, if you're feeling like you're stuck in a time loop, feel free to hug me. My arms are always open!"
They promptly do so, and they immediately feel relaxed. "Thanks..."
However, Rex technically isn't wrong, but he doesn't know that Sol recalls the countless times they tried to save Kom that fateful Glow Season, but he always got slain by the Faceless every single time. Sol can't even imagine a timeline where Kom survives — Anemone would've been very happy to grow up with him, but would she still have joined the army and tried dating Vace?
The Mawkin Starship
Twilight takes a long, deep breath to stop her tears before telling Bismuth and CAC her story.
"You see Flash Magnus over there?" She points to his medbed. "He's one of the Pillars of Old Equestria, six ponies from around a thousand years ago who defeated all sorts of evil."
"Ha, I'm around 5,000 years older than them!" says Bismuth.
"And they're Living Legends, that's for sure! After we freed them from Limbo to help us defeat the Pony of Shadows, the Pillars all went separate ways and learned to adjust to modern times. Flash became the Canterlot Guard's drill sergeant, and then was promoted to Captain during my coronation as Ruler of Equestria; Star Swirl continued traveling all over the continent to learn more about friendship; Mistmane moved to the Crystal Empire to tend to its crystal gardens; Somnambula became a yoga teacher and motivational coach in her desert village; while Mage Meadowbrook reopened her old clinic in Hayseed Swamps."
"And what about the sixth one?" asks Bismuth.
"Oh, Rockhoof?" Twilight shakes her head. "He was in a very hard place because his immense strength made him struggle with getting a modern job."
"But couldn't he have become a blacksmith just like me?"
"Well... Applejack and I tried giving him jobs that catered to his strength, but he kept on accidentally destroying things and hurting creatures everywhere he went. Then we tried giving him work at where he could use his other skills such as his heroism and storytelling, but while he was good in them, his employees thought that he was a little too good in them."
"Yikes, kinda reminds me of when Amethyst told me about Steven reassigning the Li'l Homeworld Gems to unfitting jobs 'cuz he wanted 'em to 'get outta their comfort zones' or somethin'! Still, you and AJ coulda tried training him to use his skills better!"
"But he kept on being dismissed the moment he made a mistake in their eyes! Still, we kept on trying, and we even showed him how the other Pillars were doing, but he felt even more out of place since to him, it seemed that they adjusted well ahead of him."
Twilight hangs her head low. "Despite his talent, he felt convinced that he had no purpose in modern society, so thinking that there were no other options... he asked me to petrify him."
Bismuth gives her a Stunned Silence.
"He believed he was better off in a museum to only be remembered as an ancient legend."
"I just want what everyone else has, that's all."
Dusty the Mighty
ZDR
Outside
Awwww, thanks, Steven! (June says.) It really is, i'nt, guys?
I'll say! (August agrees.)
Y-...Yes... (July says. She's still feeling extremely bashful about this, but nevertheless manages to give a small smile. It feels nice having someone to be so close to.)
I'm happy for all three of you girls. (Lyric says.) I'm sure your mother would be too if she were here. Maybe she's lookin' down at you all from Arceus' court right now with the biggest smile on her face...
Yeah... (June says, looking skyward.)
(Lyric looks back at himself.) Heh heh, flattered you think so, Aaron. But I can always roll with this if we don’t have anything to change me back.
You sure, Papa? (June asks.) Like Tokage said, Discord's just inside th' ship. Or maybe Ozzy and Luchie still have that Reset Potion from before on 'em? Was there any left after we stopped bein' Unown?
(Oscar checks his person just in case.)
If you can’t find it, don't worry about it, Oscar. It's not like I'm helpless in this form. (Lyric says.)
If we find a way to change you back, though, we should take it. (July says.)
Fair enough. (Lyric says.)
(Oscar looks slightly crestfallen at the mention of Squishy.) ...I hope we're not too late to save Squishy.
Ah, never say never, citizen! There may be hope yet! (Henry says.)
(Finally, Oscar finds the Reset Potion. He’s shocked that there is still any left, but he remembers that they technically didn’t drink it to change back from Unown anyway; they just dunked themselves into it.)
I hope just a little bit will work. (Oscar says.)
Oh yeah? Well, just pour it on in! (Lyric says, opening his mouth.)
(Oscar is rather intimidated by Lyric’s big, sharp-toothed maw, especially since it reminds him of how OT!Stanford looked when he tried to eat him. Nevertheless, he gingerly pours the potion onto Lyric’s tongue.)
(In a few seconds, Lyric is back to his normal Lucario self.) There we go! Worked like a charm. (Lyric says, adjusting his beret and wagging his tail.)
Medship
Sounds like you might have your hands-, uh, hooves full when you get back home, huh? (Reba smirks to Fluttershy.)
Hey, relax, she’s got this! (Ball says.)
I hope so. I'm not sure what life back home if we had someone like Discord there. (Sidon says.)
Palm Key
(Everyone awaits the response.)
"Hey, gimme a minute to get to know everyone, 'kay, Brainy?" "Of course, but please allow me to get a word in, too, bzz."
Fennekin
Mawkin Starship
CAC: Wow, that sounds serious. Poor guy.
Arena
(Bloodbath)
(Cycloid Gamma detonates a wireframe version of Doctrine Dark's bombs, but the 4 tributes nearby survive)
Cycloid Gamma: (Damn!)
(Meanwhile, 5 tributes join Cycloid Beta after someone tells it that it must gather a party before leaving)
(Day 1)
(Cycloid Gamma, Cerberus, Garfield, and Football Zombie stumble upon an embarrassing moment in Gamma's past, causing Present!Gamma to cover its face with its hands)
(Meanwhile, Octavia makes Waluigette and Cycloid Beta become friends)
Cycloid Beta: (Writes on a sheet of paper to Waluigette: "My name is Cycloid Beta, what about yours?")
Edited by CosmosAndChaos on May 10th 2024 at 12:36:30 PM
Diana Burnwood
Dark Stanford's lair
Seeing June looking at the sky thinking about her late mother, Aaron stayed close by, looking at it with her.
"Yeah... It's like I said. We're familly. And I'm not letting Dark Stanford and Raven Beak harm us any longer." Aaron said.
"Yeah. They'll have to get through me too." Alex said, bumping his fists together.
"And so with me." Tokage added, nodding.
At least, this gave a bit of hope to Lucian, even though he too got seriously worried about Squishy.
"Well that's a relief." Aaron said as Lyric was back to normal.
"Fantastic! Though as our Chozo allies pointed out... We may seriously run out of time if we are not done here." James said, with whatever beast was approaching the area roaring again, this time closer than before.
"Right. We need Bale and Kirby's group to get done with who's going with who, and the rookies to get in." Arthur said.
Edited by Scipion3 on May 10th 2024 at 12:26:55 PM
"One last tango, 47."
Lovely Legilimens
Outside Dark Stanford's Lair
The OG Crystal Gems see Lyric transform back to normal, and Garnet looks at those who are joining them in the final fight and asks, "So is everyone ready?"
"You better be!" says Pearl. "The longer we stay here, the more likely the X will come for us!"
"Oh no..." says Steven, knowing that he's vulnerable to them unlike the Gems.
The Mawkin Starship
"D... Don't tell me you went through with his request!" Bismuth tells Twilight.
"Actually... I almost did," she says, "but I was very hesitant to do so. Not only was I sure that there must be a way for him to fit in... I was once petrified myself."
"Really? What happened? How didja feel?"
"I... don't exactly remember, other than that I was visiting Zecora one night when a cockatrice stared into my eyes... and everything went black, and I couldn't move or speak... but I heard Fluttershy talking down that creature and telling it to turn me back to normal. That's how I knew that the spell can be reversed, but Rockhoof wanted to stay that way forever..."
Bismuth then looks at herself, for that's certainly different from being a living rock person, and then looks at CAC. Did he really think that beheading himself was a better fate than that?
"Still, had I went through with it, I still would've woken Rockhoof up once I found a solution," Twilight continues, "and I had I successfully petrified you, CAC, I would've immediately undone that spell as soon as someone took off that bracer from me. But back to Rockhoof, I was about to cast my spell on him... when I saw him happily telling stories to my class!" Twilight smiles a little.
"What?!" asks Bismuth. "But I thought he was fired from that!"
"Only because he was being dramatic back there that he accidentally destroyed the classroom! But despite all his mishaps in finding himself, my students still loved his stories, and one of them, Yona the Yak, idolized his strength and heroics and wishes to be like him when she grows up! That's when he realized that he can still leave a positive impact on others while he's alive, so instead, I appointed him as the official Keeper of Tales!"
"Good for him!" Bismuth beams. "Did he realize that all on his own?"
"Well... I didn't realize that I actually nudged him in the right direction, because Spike found him a way!"
Bismuth looks at the dragon, who's sleeping in his medbed on the other side of this section of the medbay.
"Well, I'll be! How'd he do it?"
"While I was thinking of alternate solutions and preparing the spell for Rockhoof as a last resort, I assigned Spike as my class's substitute teacher for the day. He broke the news to them about Rockhoof's final decision, and they were really upset to see him go, so Spike gave them a short essay about what it means to be a hero, and then Yona shared hers with Rockhoof and told him how much she looks up to him!"
"Oh wow!" says Bismuth. "See, CAC? There really are people who care about ya! And don't ya ever ignore 'em when they tell ya that killing yourself in a way that you could never be revived ain't worth it, EVER!"
"Of course!" says Twilight, now feeling a bit better about herself. "But CAC, do you understand Rockhoof's story? Because I still have some advice for you. As a Friendship Therapist, I can tell that you still have some unresolved guilt, and I need to get to the very source of it so I can help you move forward from this for real. And maybe this might help you, too," she also tells Bismuth.
"I just want what everyone else has, that's all."
Fennekin
Mawkin Starship
CAC: Okay. I used to have a Knight Templar-esque philosophy, where I believed all villains deserved death. Even the ones who are harmless like The Amoeba Boys, the ones who are not completely evil like Jessie, James, and Meowth, and even children like Bowser Jr. And heroes who didn't kill villains when given the opportunity were unbelievably wrong. Heck, before that season where Asriel killed his dad, and my friends back home called me out and then I had that conversation with 6k1, I used to nominate villains with the sole purpose of seeing them die, or be missing an arm, an eye, etc. if they won.
Safety shelter
Stacy: (Sigh) A Google Translate season? No offense, but I don't like that narration style.
Edited by CosmosAndChaos on May 10th 2024 at 5:02:53 AM
Dusty the Mighty
Shelter
(Stella returns to the common area still carrying Verdi (still unaware of what actually happened to him).)
Okay, guys, I found Verdi. (Stella says.) He wore himself out from all the drawing...uh, we'll clean up later.
(Cricket is about to go find Magnus and the other larger dragons again when something suddenly dawns on him.) ...Hey, wait a minute...
ZDR
Outside
(The roaring noise causes Oscar to instinctively grip Lucian tighter.)
Yikes, that sounded closer this time. Garnet's right! We gotta get everybody decided and outta here quick! (June says.)
...Dad, are you sure about this? (July asks Lyric hesitantly.)
More than I've ever been in my life. (Lyric says, gingerly putting his paw on July's shoulder.) I'm not abandoning you three again. Not ever.
"Hey, gimme a minute to get to know everyone, 'kay, Brainy?" "Of course, but please allow me to get a word in, too, bzz."
Lovely Legilimens
The Science Center, Safety Shelter
"Says the one who referenced the Zero Wing meme." Juan facepalms at Stacy. "And again, please don't say 'no offense' because it means 'I want to offend you, is that okay?'."
"Didja really mean that?!" asks Nomi. "I told ya earlier that it's not for everyone, but no need to try offending people like that!"
Sol rolls their eyes at Stacy and hopes that there are closed captions of the original commentary, both in English and in Esperanto.
Stella then comes back with what seems to be Verdi sleeping in her arms.
"Awww!" says Mimi as she continues drawing with the kids. "I wish he joined us here!"
It is positive to see that he is alright, says Ally, but she doesn't know either what actually happened to him since she left...
The Mawkin Starship
"So you could've gone after me had you known that I forgave even Starlight, who warped my timeline seven times out of revenge on me dismantling her cult?" asks Twilight. "Did something happen in your childhood that make you believe that for years? Starlight wrongly believed that cutie marks separate ponies because she thought her foalhood friend abandoned her when he got his mark ahead of her, so she started that cult where everypony was stripped of their marks and had them replaced with equal signs so that they wouldn't 'leave' her."
"And as for why I thought destroying all of Homeworld with the Breaking Point was a good idea," says Bismuth, "I was desperate to dismantle it to free our kind from the Diamonds. I was fighting a war, what was your excuse?" she finally asks CAC.
"But of course, not everyone has a past explaining why they act they they do. I don't even know why Cozy became an evil, controlling filly, yet I still punished her the same like Tirek and Chrysalis."
"But couldn't you have tried figuring out why she was like that before considering the punishment?" asks Bismuth.
"I guess I should have," says Twilight. "While almost everycreature agreed with my decision to petrify her like them, some of them questioned why a little filly like her deserved it; they claimed that she still had a chance to be redeemed because of her young age. Maybe I can at least free only her to try that, but for now, I just want to protect my kingdom from her and her cohorts."
"Understandable," says Bismuth.
"But CAC..." says the alicorn, "if you used to nominate villains to their deaths... why did you still nominate Asriel as Flowey? I know you nominated him as his true self sometime after that, but didn't you realize that you were breaking his parents' hearts that way? He couldn't control himself in that form!"
Edited by TroperNo9001 on May 11th 2024 at 2:04:26 AM
"I just want what everyone else has, that's all."
Fennekin
Safety shelter
Stacy: You're all right. Sorry, everyone. (Sees Verdi's unconscious body, and assumes he's sleeping, unaware of Verdi's mischief and that his soul is in someone else's body) Aww!❤
Jimmy: So cute...🥰
Mawkin Starship
CAC: (To both Twilight and Bismuth) My excuse? Seeing so many criminals killing a bunch of innocents and generally getting away with it was what caused me to have a black-and-white view of the world. (To Twilight) As for killing people for forgiving villains, not really. But I still used to think that it was a hero's duty to kill anything evil and any hero who didn't kill was dumb at worst. As for you assuming I nominated Flowey to his death, he was an exception, because he's not naturally evil.
Arena
Night 1
Cycloid Gamma: (Extra hell? Doesn't Andrew Garfield mean extra help?)
(Naoki offers Cycloid Beta as a sacrifice to Maurice)
Day 2
(Cycloid Gamma flies a normal, non-wireframe plane, with Hachiku stuck to the door without the former knowing it)
Edited by CosmosAndChaos on May 11th 2024 at 7:23:02 AM
"Huh. Surprised Kafka decided to do it."
Kirby
Science Shelter
"Our ship? It was in a field. Not that far from the Library." Said Nozomi.
Meanwhile, her children, Adeleine, and Ribbon are drawing on the papers. Ai is drawing a crude ringed planet, Keitaro draws his ship, Ribbon draws Kirby, while Adeleine draws Bandana Waddle Dee.
Ai then says "We went to other dimensions all the time! We met loads of friends from everywhere!"
"Of course, we also tend to get in trouble..." said Keitaro.
"Do you have any friends!?"
"Of course! There's Kirby, Ribbon, Bandana Dee... you should meet them sometime." Said Adeleine. "Hey, that reminds me! I have a cool power! I just need a canvas!"
Looniversity Room
"I think we have to get out of here soon." Said Bandana Dee.
"I think whatever we're facing, we'll be the one to fight it!" Said Dedede.
"Are you sure? I have a bad feeling..." said Elfilin.
The group rush into the hallway.
Dagded Dujardin
Staying Behind
Outside
Bale and his team gathered with the rest of the rescuers and soon were face to face with Blood Moon, Rouki himself shrugged off the other Pearl's glare.
Rouki: I must admit I got a bit precipitated there. But I do not apologize for that.
With that, each group took their respective choices to either leave or stay an fight, with it Bale had opted to stay behind, as did Rouki and Kirby. The Gems had opted to leave so they could try and find a way to restore Amethyst to normal.
Bale: Rouki, Kirby and I are staying.
Pearl: We'll like to stay but we can't risk Amethyst's safety any longer, we need to find help for her or keep her safe in the meantime you deal with Raven Beak and the others.
Garnet: We're sure you'll be fine without our help.
Bale: Fair enough.
Rouki: What next, then?
"Bingo! If two species hate each other, they will wipe each other out on their own."
Lovely Legilimens
The Arena
Manchas is still feeling pumped after defeating that monster with Lip, so finds a "Dooku Season" poster and prepares to hunt him down. However, Dooku himself rips it off to reveal a "Manchas Season" poster, so Manchas rips that off to reveal another "Dooku Season" poster. This goes on until a "Deathwing Season" poster is revealed underneath, so Manchas and Dooku team up to slay the dragon.
The next day, Manchas encounters alt!Tang, who zaps him with a magic wand. He looks at his ridiculous drag outfit, but laughs it off and keeps it on.
Underground Bunker
"You'll never know what kind of hosting style they'll try next!" says Power.
She then cheers for Dooku and Manchas' teamup, and then realizes what EP holiday it is.
"Happy Mother's Day!" she tells Heart and Star.
"Awww, really? Thanks!"
"I'll go tell my hubby and our baby about it!"
The Science Center, Safety Shelter / Living Quarters
"I didn't take Tang as a magic user," says Rex.
"Maybe she used one of those sciency wands I saw in the holo-archives?" asks Nomi.
6k1 then relays to Hal the coordinates of Nozomi's ship (although they're somewhat vague), and briefly calls Perri to summon the portal for them. Hal then thanks the female DM for it and relays it to his team.
Meanwhile, Ally asks Adeleine, Is that a requirement for you? Because my current form has the exact same ability as you, although it is executed differently.
She demonstrates by firing a laser at her paper drawing of some flowers, rendering them 3D before becoming real. She then pulls them out with her tractor beam and gives them to Nozomi.
Happy Mother's Day, she says.
"Are you serious?!" asks 6k1, having overheard her. "I visited Toriel's school for that holiday last lunch, not too long before Dark Stanford attacked!"
"Maybe the VL Metroid somehow slowed this day down?" asks Juan.
"...I don't even know anymore."
Sol just shrugs, for they had their fair share of timey-wimeyness, but perhaps they'll greet their mom later for her special day, even though their colony doesn't celebrate it.
Outside Dark Stanford's Lair
"Alright, that makes things less confusing for us," says Pearl.
"Take care of my other self, you two!" Amethyst tells the AR Gems.
"Stay safe!" says Steven.
Garnet then turns to the telepad. "At my signal, we run over there! Go!"
The Mawkin Starship
"And yet you still gave him the worst possible death theat for something he barely had control of," Twilight tells CAC sternly, "and even though he didn't hear it that time, he still remembered your philosophy in general, that's why he had that nightmare."
"And ya think just lockin' the bad guys up in prison ain't enough?" Bismuth asks him.
"Well, Tirek escaped Tartarus twice, so I had to petrify him for good."
"Still, goin' straight to executing 'em ain't a good move, though. Homeworld has a proper justice system, and every criminal is put on trial by the Zircons before bein' given their due punishment."
"While it's mainly my duty to decide if a villain is worth reforming, although we have a court as well." Twilight recalls that some of Power's family members work in law enforcement.
"But are you saying that I should've killed Starlight instead?! I genuinely saw potential in her becoming good, and look at her now! She also struggled with moving forward from her past, but now I consider her as my friend! Imagine how her family and Sunburst would've reacted if I didn't give her that chance!"
Bismuth also remembers CAC being nearly killed for being Mistaken for Gay. If that criminal is still out there, was that the last straw for him?
"I just want what everyone else has, that's all."
The Pride of Nazumah
Arena
Dr. Mundo and Tang stop Unnamed Exit 8 Dude from saving a fallen tribute, as doing so would lead to a dystopia. “Apologagies, funny man! Apparently, saving them would lead to bad stuff happening-ing. At least that’s what fellow genius over here tells me! Me hope you understand.” He turns to Tang and smiles, causing his tongue to hang out of his mouth. Tang simply rolls her eyes in disgust and ignores Mundo. Later, Mundo holds a gun to Mario Circuit 3’s head while driving. “Hold very still! Me need to take temperature-“ He hits a bump and blows its head off. After a short pause, he says, “Me did everything me could. Sorry.”
Hotel Room, 5th Floor
Nomi was excitedly watching television when Swain walked in through the door carrying numerous bags. “Just because we’re squatting in a room somewhere doesn’t mean I can’t take some things for myself, can I? Let’s be thankful that no one noticed me on my way out or in.” Nomi turned to him and clapped their hands in delight. “Yay! Thanks, Swain! You missed out on a bunch of stuff; a whole lotta people died as usual, the doctor killed someone on accident, Tang used a magic wand, yeah, a buncha stuff went down.” “And here I was thinking you missed me. No matter, I managed to obtain numerous bags of- what where they called? Chips?- whatever those are.” Nomi’s eyes widened. “Ooh! I’d love some of those!”
Better to fight, than to live in fear.
Hello
Cafe Sweetrhythm
"Status report. Arle and Carbuncle are down, due to the Satelites as a group tribute beating up them harshly, and prior to that they're on the receiving end of an anti-drug PSA, and further prior to that is they set an explosive off that barely catch three other tributes and all three of them are safe and sound at that moment.
"Okay, and what about Lip?"
"She wasted no time to slay one of the dragon tributes right from the bloodbath. According to external information, she has probably experience on battling a dragon, and another monster while with other tributes on the first day."
"I guess cute looks can be deceptive, after all."
"Indeed. However, it seems like she returns back to a 'standard pattern' of events back after soon."
"Judging from how the situation looks like, it is likely that you will have a drought of lack of winning tributes for at least eleven seasons, and possibly up to thirty."
"...Thirty? I think a nominator has most likely had it worse than that despite nominating regularly.
Edited by JustNormalMusicLover on May 12th 2024 at 6:53:59 PM
Everyone's got their unique qualities.
Dusty the Mighty
Shelter
Heh heh, he really is cute when he's asleep. (Stella says.) Gosh, he's sleeping really hard, too. Usually his wings will twitch a little.
(Cricket looks back toward the room they were in.) ...Hey, I'll be right back, yall! (He says, heading off that way.)
ZDR
Hallway
Oh, there you guys are. (Wanda says as Kirby and the others enter the hallway.) Now we just need the others to get back.
I hope they are not encountering any trouble. (Cleo says.)
Mmhmm, heaven knows we've been dealing with enough trouble as it is. (Greta remarks.)
Outside
You got that right. (Tenn agrees with Pearl.)
Best of luck, citizens!! (Henry says.)
Welp, back into the belly of the beast, huh, mates? (August says as everyone gets ready to head to the telepad on Garnet's signal.)
(Oscar grips Lucian's paw again and gives him a reassuring expression, despite his own uncertainty over what will happen to them next.)
Altford Jail
Haven't you two come up with anything yet? (Eye-Sicle grumbles to Stanford and Sylvie.)
Eye-Sicle, there is only so much we can do-
(But as Stanford is saying this, the barriers keeping them in their prisons just suddenly...disappear.)
W-...What?? (Sylvie gasps.)
What the blazes-...? (Eye-Sicle says. He waves his paw where the barrier was to confirm that it's gone.)
My goodness, the others must have found a way to get rid of the barriers. (Stanford says, unaware that this is because of the machinations of Vilgax, Elifis, and Skarbick.) We must be free to go!
(Stasia and Surry run to underneath the cell Stanford, Eye-Sicle, and Sylvie were in.) What are you guys waiting for? Let's figure out a way past that door!
(Stef almost cries when she sees the barrier fall away. She goes up to the first of her fellow prisoners that she sees, which turns out to be Stomper, and hugs him.) Oh, thank goodness...
Thank goodness, indeed. (Stomper agrees.) Let's find a way out of this place.
Well now... (Short Stuff says to Skarbick as he confirms the lack of the barrier himself.) Reckon we can finally get outta this place.
Palm Key
Hey, wait, how big's the ship? (Melody asks.)
Good question. It might be better to have it land outside in case it's too big to fit in here. (Dr. Quest nods.)
"Hey, gimme a minute to get to know everyone, 'kay, Brainy?" "Of course, but please allow me to get a word in, too, bzz."
Lovely Legilimens
The Arena
That night, Manchas suddenly gets stuffed into a cannon by Shinji, who fires him straight into an ice cave. The panther screams as he crashes into a deep chamber, but luckily he manages to survive. Dr. Mundo and Gum are also launched into the chamber, and the three of them look around and discover a mysterious panel. They investigate it and find a star map where they can move the stars around, repositioning the real ones in the night sky as well, but Manchas feels out of place in the experiment.
"I'm useless here!" he says. "I'm a limo driver (and a fighter on the side), not a scientist!"
The Science Center, Safety Shelter
Nomi giggles at alt!Tang joining a pirate crew with the other tributes.
"Reminds me of my room!" they say.
"It's a pirate ship, right?" asks Rex.
"Oh, it's more than that! I came up with sooooo many ideas on what to paint on the walls, but I couldn't decide which one to use!"
"So I suggested to them that they should combine all of them!" says Sol.
"Really? Can I see?" asks Juan.
"Sure thing!"
Nomi shows a picture of their bedroom on their holopalm: not only is it a pirate ship, but it's also a spaceship, a jungle, a splash of abstract art — everything in between.
"Oh neat, you've got the artistic talent like Bezier!"
"Who's that? Another colonist you somehow know ahead of me?"
"Nah, Bezier Curve's my pony counterpart, or technically, Power Stroke's male counterpart since he doesn't have my snark... but he does have her special talent in art! And he's just as excitable as you!"
Nomi squees. "First, a talking polar bear, and now a talking pony?! It's one thing to meet 'em in the Arena, but talking to them outside it is something else, really!"
"Hey, it's not that different from having a guy with dog ears as your bestie!" Rex teases them.
"I know!"
Meanwhile, Mimi asks Stella, "Are you Verdi's mommy? He's like your li'l baby in your arms!"
Palm Key
"She's right," says Hal, "I think we're all going to the crash site to fix the ship." He points to the portal that Perri summoned. "All that Nozomi said was that it's somewhere in a field, not too far from the Database Library, but I hope it's not inside the Arena because we might get caught in the tributes' crossfire if the season's ongoing."
Edited by TroperNo9001 on May 13th 2024 at 2:44:16 AM
"I just want what everyone else has, that's all."
Diana Burnwood
Altford Jail
Skarbick stopped pacing back and forth when he noticed the barriers going down. The evil Altford grinned. Finally his plan was going into motion.
"Took them long enough..." he grunted, shoving Short Stuff away. Though much weaker than a standard Space Pirate physically, Skarbick managed to crawl and leap until he reached the door, blocking the way out.
"Wait, wait, wait!! Not so fast!! I need you to hear me before one of you does something stupid!!" he called out as loudly as he could. Once he had everyone's attention, Skarbick started his speech, Something he repeated in his head for a long time.
"First of all, we may be free to go, but that crazy Stanford is still at large. If we gang up on him without preparations, we're running straight into our doom. And we can't go back into our home universes, because that bastard will track us down again!! No, we need to escape, and come back later to finish the job ourselves!" the white Zebesian exclaimed before continuing.
"Besides, I know what you might think. That someone, a "savior" managed to cut off the barriers to free us. Well no! You're mistaken!! Nobody came to save us! Not your families!! Not your friends!! And certainly not your "Eye-Sicles"... That was my doing. MY PLAN!!! I persuaded the lackeys of that crazy counterpart of ours to free us. We can only count on ourselves!" Skarbick explained. He was somewhat lying considering the heroes were coming their way, but Skarbick intended to take advantage of how late they were.
That, and he already came up with an argument to discredit them.
"It's telling we had to take matters into our own hands. Nobody came to our help! Oh wait, I remember those "nominators" trying, I've heard about them from that crazy Stanford's men. Those random idiots decided to gather what remained of us somewhere you into one chest, to hide you from him. And guess what happened next?
Skarbick grinned evilly as he accusatively pointed at Eye-Sicle with his claw.
"They gave you away to that crazy Stanford!! On a silver plate!! They did the dirty work for him!! They can't be trusted, They're FRAUD!! But I know a place where we will be safe... where we'll be free to finally do as we want!! We are "Stanfords"!! All of us are the most brilliant scientists in our respective worlds!! With our combined genius, and without that pesky "Dark Stanford" in the way, we will be invincible!!"
Edited by Scipion3 on May 12th 2024 at 8:50:52 PM
"One last tango, 47."
Fennekin
Arena
(Nothing that interesting happens to Cycloid Gamma, other than it playing superpowered soccer, then joining a band of pirates with other three tributes, complete with a wireframe sword, not unlike Chop Register
◊ from the Mega Man X universe)
Mawkin Starship
CAC: (Sigh) Yeah, I know. Because of this, I genuinely thought I had crossed the Moral Event Horizon. But I remember 6k1 telling me: "I'll be honest with you. If I genuinely saw you as a Complete Monster, then I would not have tried befriending you at all." As for killing bad guys, don't worry, you two, now I only believe in taking such measures if they are actually past the Moral Event Horizon.
Edited by CosmosAndChaos on May 13th 2024 at 3:33:13 PM
Dusty the Mighty
Shelter
Nah, I'm just a good friend of his, helping him get over his fears and such. (Stella says.) Poor guy was still scared half to death of everything when I found him.
(Kay has been listening one from close by and chimes in.) Would you say that he's, like, only scared a quarter to death of everything at this point? (She remarks.)
I suppose so. (Stella laughs.) But I hope he can get better, especially if Caedia can train him. It'll sure help everybody.
(Cricket peeks back into the room he was in with Verdi and looks around. Everything is still just as much of a mess as it was before, and it's at this point that it dawns on him that when they were in there before, Caedia wasn't there.)
Wait a minute...where's the big lizard? (He mutters.) Hmm...
(Under the bed, Verdi freezes. Unfortunately for him, Cricket is so short that it's easier for him to get a good look under the bed and see Verdi down there.)
Oh, there ya are, ya big gecko, whatcha doin' hidin' under the bed like that? (Cricket asks who he thinks is Caedia.) ...And why d'ya look so scared?
(Verdi tries to think of another fib to tell Cricket, but he cannot think of a justifiable reason for why Caedia would be down here like this.)
...Not Caedia! Verdi!! (Verdi groans.)
(Cricket blinks in shock.)
Aw no, we're doin' the whole swappin' bodies thing again, ain't we? (He says, shaking his head, and then looking toward the door.) ...Lemme run get Bubba, okay?
No no! No switch bodies, juka! (Verdi jumps in.) Verdi get scared. Verdi try to find potion that turn Verdi invisibabble, but Verdi use floaty-floaty-out-and-away-from-body potion by mistake. Verdi try to get back by boosting off Caedia shoulder and...Verdi become Caedia!
Whoa, so you're just stuck in the wrong body?? (Cricket asks.) And your guardian or whoever she is has got-...whoa, that's kinda messed up.
What Verdi do? Verdi no want to be Caedia forever! (Verdi asks.) And what will Caedia do if she comes back right now?! What if Caedia think Verdi do this on purpose?
Whoa whoa whoa, hey, sounds like it was just 'n accident, Verds, I reckon she'll understand. (Cricket says.) Just...uh...gotta explain this to everybody else now.
ZDR
Altford Jail
("Short Stuff" looks at Skarbick in surprise.) Damn, you really pulled some strings. Can you read minds or somethin'?
(The Delphox Altford Sylvie noticed seems to be nodding in response to what Skarbick said.) A way for us to perform to our full potential...I can certainly get behind that.
(He walks up to Skarbick.) Call me Dr. Volpe, sir.
Ooh, invincibility. That's helpful! Helpful helpful helpful! (An Irken Altford also follows Volpe toward Skarbick.)
(Much to the shock of Stanford and the Altfords who got to know him before, Skele-Stan also joins them.)
You! How dare you join them! Come back here! (Stan-shepsut shouts at Skele-Stan.)
Don't do it! It might be a trap! (Sylvie says to them.)
Sorry...I just thought that maybe...we could find a way for me to be a whole Stanford again. (Skele-Stan says.) It...it is hard living like this, you know? Alive, but not truly alive? Why couldn't that necromancer have just let me rest in peace...
And can you truly say that Skarbick is wrong? (Volpe asks.) If these "nominators" have failed to free us then I would rather take my chances elsewhere, especially if it means that I can continue what I've started.
(Sylvie just gapes at him in shock as she moves back toward Stanford and Eye-Sicle. Stan-shepsut continues to glare at Skele-Stan.)
I know you have to be lying. I know Polar Vortex well enough by now to know that she would never NOT find some way to get me back home. (Stasia says.)
Eye-Sicle, what is he talking about? (Stanford asks Eye-Sicle.)
He's spitting out bullcrap, that's what he's doing. (Eye-Sicle snarls.)
(Eye-Sicle puts one paw on his hip and gestures toward Skarbick with the other.) Hey, what makes you so sure the nominators ain't out there? For all we know, they're on their way out there even as we speak!
Can you prove that? (Dr. Volpe asks Eye-Sicle.)
'Cause I'M one of 'em! I'm Eye-Sicle. Dark Stanford changed me to look like one of you 'cause I refused to join him! (Eye-Sicle says. Some of the other Altfords who weren't already in the know about this react in shock. A couple even step away.) They actually give a crap about me AND Stanford-the REAL Stanford, so I know they're coming!
And to that, I say again, can you prove that? (Dr. Volpe asks.) Do you see a single window in this place? It isn't as though you could look out to see them coming.
(As Eye-Sicle tries to come up with a response, Stef speaks up.) Even if they aren't coming, the only reason we were all captured in the first place is because Fair Justice and I were forced to become Blood Moon's puppets and carry him into Eye-Sicle's castle to where they all were within Belissima. It was a trap that neither Eye-Sicle nor anyone else had time to prepare for...and even if it's up to us to save ourselves, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would rather find my family and just return home.
You're not. (Sylvie agrees.) I just want to go back home and see my parents. They have to be worried sick about me, and I know Syd probably is, too.
Agreed. I'd rather be safe at home with my wife rather than invincible. (Snowy Owl adds.)
(As a significant number of the Altfords start rumbling in agreement that they just want to return home, Volpe just stares down at them, sternly shaking his head in contempt, while "Short Stuff" nervously looks between Skarbick and the crowd.)
Be that as it may that we here are all parallel counterparts of the same person and could have great power if we combined our forces, Skarbick, it sounds that at least the vast majority of us here would rather return home and go about our normal lives, if that's at all possible by this point. (Stanford says.)
Can't say he doesn't have a point, Skarbick. ("Short Stuff" says to Skarbick.) You're askin' an awful lot outta this crowd.
Palm Key
So we'll be going TO the ship, then? (Race asks.)
That'd be way easier than just bringing it here if you ask me. (Jared says.) I just hope you guys are ready.
This is hardly the first time we've travelled to another universe, Jared, we'll be fine as long as we keep each other in sight. (Dr. Quest says.)
Hey, what about us? (Awoona asks.)
We'll have to figure out a way to get the four of you back home, too, but don't worry! We've got plenty of people who can help with that. (Ira says.)
Good! I just wanna go back home and forget any of this ever happened! (Jacoby says.)
"Hey, gimme a minute to get to know everyone, 'kay, Brainy?" "Of course, but please allow me to get a word in, too, bzz."
Diana Burnwood
Hanubia
"No need to say it twice. Let's go!!" Nick exclaimed. Everyone then moved in at Garnet's signal before the X would arrive, leaving those ready to leave ZDR with Blood Moon and Fire Eyes for them to settle things.
"We should soon move too. The last thing I need is the parasites getting you of all people." Blood Moon then said to Fire Eyes. The other Chozo still looked at the lair in worry.
"Having second thoughts about their competences?" Blood Moon guessed.
"I wish we could have come with them. You know how ruthless Raven Beak can be. He'll stop at nothing to break them. And Stokes... He may not be a warrior, but he still has that accursed energy he knows better than any other. He has been working to undermine the nominators far longer than we did. He's blaming them for everything. There's nothing more dangerous than a man with nothing to lose." Fire Eyes admitted.
"We can't stop them at this point. Win or lose." Blood Moon said.
Dark Stanford's lair
"FINALLY!!" Scipion exclaimed when everyone regrouped inside the lair.
"Our deepest apologies, my friends. A lot was going on outside."
"If you're speaking about the planet, we got it. Knox told us everything." Freyja said.
"So looks like some people got cold feet after all... Meh." Scipion grumbled before he noticed Lyric.
"Wait, that one's new. Who's this?" he asked, visibly not happy to have another Lucario around.
"That's June's father. Don't try anything funny, that's not the time nor the place." Aaron answered, folding his arms while glaring at his nemesis.
"In either case, we must focus on our main objectives. For now, we must explore the deepest parts of the lair and hope we can find our missing friends." James said.
"Alright... Veena? Lead the way." Aaron said.
To be honest, Skarbick didn't expect some of his counterparts to immediately agree with him, nor that strange Stanford to be an Eye-Sicle. He looked left and right before finding an argument.
"Will they, now? And will that female version of yours come too? Because if you're right, they sure like to take their time... It's just as I said, they're incompetent idiots! We don't deserve them!! Especially your friends, Eye-Sicle. They still fell for that trick. Had they done nothing, that crazy Stanford wouldn't have gotten to us so easily!! They screwed up once. They'll do it again. After all... You're here." he said to Eye-Sicle.
He frowned upon seeing so many Altfords hesitating. He made a clapping noise with his pincers to get their attention.
"Well thats the thing. We can't go back to our "families" and return home anymore. Crazy Stanford is still here, and from what I know of the guy, he could very well target them next. And even if we destroy him, what happens if someone worse shows up and is after us again? One of those other "dark nominators"? An evil Eye-Sicle? You're just going to sit there and do nothing??"
Edited by Scipion3 on May 13th 2024 at 2:22:07 PM
"One last tango, 47."
Underground Bunker
"And while it's normal for misunderstandings like that to happen," says Miranda, "you should still do your best to mitigate them."
"But my point about using the word 'Worf' correctly still stands, alright?" Power tells Ichi.
Palm Key
"Thank you so much, everyone!" says Hal. "Now let me ask 6k1 on where that ship is."
He calls her on his holopalm, and back in the Shelter, she calls out to Nozomi to ask her just that.
Outside Dark Stanford's Lair
"Sorry Lyric, but we don't have anything to turn you back to normal," says Pearl.
"I knew it," says Garnet, "you must've taken something to turn into that instead."
"But hey! That Baaaaaaad Stanford might've already seen you in that form," says Amethyst, "but he hasn't seen what you can DO with it!"
Meanwhile, Steven goes starry-eyed as he squees at the new Zoroark couples.
"Awwww, now you guys are all one big happy rescue team family!"
Deep down, he wonders what CAC thought of them shortly before he entered the ship. Steven remembers when he was nervous around June and Aaron just because they looked like a straight couple, but since he seemed fine with her sisters getting along with Aaron's teammates since Steven regrouped with them, he hopes that the nominator is accepting of them, too.
The Mawkin Starship
"Not exactly," Discord tells Les and Reba with a coy grin, "I still like messing with others with my chaos 'cuz it's FUN! I can't wait to get off this planet so I can finally do that again, with no Bad Boss like that Dark Stanford ordering me around!"
"Discord, not everyone can tolerate your chaos as well as Pinkie or I do..." says Fluttershy.
"Yeah, there's a time and place for parties and pranks, but sometimes, I can't help it either!" says Pinkie.
"You can't make me!" Discord retorts teasingly.
"Hol' up... so what ya said about 'Nightmare CAC' while you were mind-controlled was true?" Bismuth asks Twilight.
She slowly sits up on her medbed and continues crying at the real CAC.
"Yes... it's all true. That version of you in Asriel's nightmare was a manifestation of the sheer guilt he felt in all the times he was Flowey, the time he killed his father again in S220... and the time when you nominated both him and Photoshop Flowey in two separate early OT seasons."
"What, really? That long ago?" asks Bismuth. "I don't recall nuthin' about what I did in the Arena way back then!"
Indeed, her only (solo) OT appearance was in Season 50, when her nominator temporarily unbubbled her for it a few days after Steven confronted her. She was still vengeful in her mindset that time, but Bismuth forgot everything she did that season, including her murders of Exdeath and Freddo Frog, when she jumped through the dimensional rip during the Great Destruction.
"But yes, Asriel still remembers who nominated him back in the OT, including you, CAC," Twilight continues. "Back then, he probably saw you rant about how all villains should be killed and never be given second chances, and he must've internalized that as he was struggling with coming to terms with his past as that evil flower."
"So is that how CAC somehow gave him that nightmare in the first place?"
"Yes, even though he didn't threaten him in person to timewreck him for what he did in Reboot S220."
"But why did he still think he was gonna do that to him?"
Twilight sighs. "He must've seen 6k1's Wooloo timewreck the Black Eagles three seasons after his infamous season, so that manifested in his nightmare, too."
"I see... but yeah, I was that friend who had to stop CAC here from beheading himself right in front of ya."
The alicorn gasps. "What, really?!"
"Yes, what he said to you a while ago was all. Real. And I say this as someone who almost did the same thing long ago."
"Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry... and CAC..." Twilight continues again, "I'm really sorry to hear about your nightmare, I could've saved you from it just like Asriel. Still, even if I weren't brainwashed earlier, I still would've questioned your reason for saving me."
"But why?" asks Bismuth.
"Because Nightmare CAC was the only you I knew at the time," the purple pony tells the real one, "and I had no choice but to petrify him because he refused to listen to me, much like Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow! And for all I know, you might've admonished me for being 'too forgiving' of former villains like Starlight!"
"But the CAC right here ain't the same one in that nightmare!" says the burly Gem. "Didn't ya see him in the 'Rena? I mean, I wasn't there for most of his seasons, but still!"
She shakes her head. "If he showed any signs of being good since I rescued Asriel from that nightmare, then I must've missed them. But CAC..." she tells him once more, "if I were not brainwashed when I called you out and then saw you try to kill yourself..." Her ears and wings droop as low as Fluttershy's in the other section, "I would've stopped my spell right away and hugged you with my wings as tight as I could!"
She tries to get up from her medbed to do the latter, but Bismuth pulls her down.
"Hey, you're not done recovering yet!"
"I know! But please let me comfort him! Besides, he's not the first suicidal person I had to deal with!"
"Really? What do ya mean?"
Edited by TroperNo9001 on May 10th 2024 at 7:59:50 PM
"I just want what everyone else has, that's all."