It's been a while since I've been on AP, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to post my channel.
Currently streaming a blind playthrough of Furi here: https://www.twitch.tv/vobooth
It's been a while since I've been on AP, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to post my channel.
Currently streaming a blind playthrough of Furi here: https://www.twitch.tv/vobooth
I'm trying to get back into Monster Hunter 3 (the Wii version). Any tips for what I'm supposed to do early in the game? Last time I tried playing it, I got to a point where the monsters were either too fast for my attacks to hit, or they seemed to have so much health that I wasn't even causing any visible damage.
Have you watch Pro Jared's beginner videos? Those helped me a lot when I started the series.
For those who are disappointed in their character's ranking, even if it doesn't matter too much outside of the competitive sphere, here's a fun analysis of how Melee's tier list changed over time (hopefully it hasn't already been posted here):
http://forrestthewoods.com/unbalanced-design-of-super-smash-brothers/
Not that I'm going to bet on default Palutena ever becoming top tier, but one can dream.
@Cyan:
Someone already did Lost World and SA has a 3-month grace period for new games to LP.
I think you're referring to Runbutton. They finished up their Lost World LP and posted an episode of Sonic Boom about a week ago on their youtube channel. Not sure if they posted it on SA due to the 3-month rule.
I like gamegrumps, but I really prefer to watch Sonic LPs done by actual Sonic fans (like Runbutton and Pokecapn). There's an entertaining amount of pain, betrayal and sadness in those LPs that you don't get from LPers who aren't invested in the series.
Error still happening. Go ahead and disqualify me. The match is already 50+ minutes late.
Ugh… now we have Mickamott in the room but non Mumbling... damn error.
Ok, I'll try that. Hang tight.
Ok, now I'm getting the error code…
EDIT: I'm going to try turning my 3ds off and see if that helps.
As far as I know, that's how everyone's been doing it
Got it. Need to do it for my other matches then.
I haven't entered anything yet, so I think we're good.
EDIT: Wait, we both enter results?
Good game. Realy close. Sorry for the stage picking mistakes on my end. I still need to familiarize myself with how online works. I'll enter the results.
Sorry. I thought it would automatically pick the stage you wanted since you were hosting.
What stage do you want?
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
I need to know your counterpick
Sorry, I forgot. Yoshi's Island.
I'll play you. I ban reset bomb forest and tomodachi life from the legal stage list
Ok. I ban Gaur Plains. Just entered your room.
I'm open to any for glory matches for the next 30 minutes.
Mickamott, Mumbling, if you guys can stay available for a couple of hours, I get off in 45 minutes, so I should be home in roughly one hour.
Mr. Zoro still hasn't responded to my PM, but maybe we can hopefully line something up tonight for our For Fun match.
We only have 2-4 days to do this depending on when Purple considers the official start date.
Sure. I'll check back in in 45 mins.
EDIT: I'll play anyone else if you're up to it, I'll probably be available all night.
I'll take you on Mickamott if you're still on.
Sorry, I accidentally picked an illegal stage. Is a do over ok? If not, that's a win for you.
I'm open to play a few For Glory rounds for the next hour. PM me if you want to go at it. I should have all the friend codes of everyone on the For Glory list registered (as of midnight last night).
@Purple:
Nope .
I was mistaken. There are items that you can get already broken, but can repair to get items.
So why is it Limited? Sakurai didn't think Ness was too OP when he gave Ness Unlimited PK Fire, so why does Robin have to have a limit? And only having a finite number of Smash attacks I can perform before my smashes are gimped is also no bueno.
If you're asking why for character reasons, it's because Fire Emblem Awakening, and I'm assuming other games in the series, have weapons that break after limited use. If you're asking why for gameplay/balancing reasons, your guess is as good as mine. Heck, can't weapons in Earthbound break too?
Just now saw this. Another friend hopped in first, but I'm free now if you're still up for a few sets.
If you're still on I have a room open. No worries if you're not. I'm just working on other stuff with my 3DS open next to me.
Anyone want to get in some practice matches? Who's all signed up for the For Glory tourney anyway?
Added your friend code and opened a room if you ever want to practice.
3DS Friend Code: 4012-5016-7408
The all Mii Tournament sounds fun. Sign me up!
Well that was fun. I need to play with all of you more often.
Count me in. I added my Friend Code to the list.
Normally, I would definitely be there, but I have a family event that weekend. Sorry…
I would love if this were revived though. Even if I'm not there, it would make me happy if it all managed to come together.
I'm willing to help with the revival of this subforum if people are serious about it. The problem is that even before Jazzy left things were starting to peter out as a result of reviews not being done or people not submitting stories.
And that's totally fine. Real life gets in the way and there are more important things to do than write stories for a small group on a One Piece subforum. But I'm not too keen on the idea of spending hours writing or reviewing for a monthly contest that starts and never finishes.
I feel that what we need is someone who is really willing to take charge and sacrifice some of their own personal time to make things happen. A few months ago I kicked around the idea of trying to be that person, but I had to be honest with myself and realize that I didn't have the ability or time. But if I see that someone here has the drive to allow this scrappy little subforum a place in their list of serious commitments, then I will do whatever I can to back them up whether it's judging, submitting more chapters of my story, etc.
tldr: The second someone steps up and flat out says, "I'm organizing the next contest" I'm game.
@Toraish:
Should never have gone democratic.
Agreed. I almost never condone spamming/trolling, but I was there for the birth of start9. It was hilarious.
Interesting. I'll try to put a Gen 2-5 starter up for a Mewtwo, but I'm skeptical. It seems like starters are losing their trade value since they can be bred.
The vivilion method has failed me.T_T
I've realized that the most important part of the equation is getting Unown(s). I've stopped using Vivillion and started offering Espeons and Umbreons and even then it takes a few hours for someone to make the trade. So far, I've only been able to get Moltres for Unown, but I just keep trading up for what I want.
Yesterday I was able to pull this off:
Espeon > Unown > Moltres > Xerneas
I've been able to do the following:
Continental Vivillon> Unown > Moltres > Zapdos
Unown (already owned) > Moltres
I figured Moltres was the most common legendary since I assumed Froakie was the most common starter. I might need to find a more reliable way to get Unowns.
Luckily, I have yet to catch the wandering Moltres in my game so any Moltres I get is extra.
And it worked again…I don't get it why does the rare candies work so well to get a legendary?
Oh wow. I just tried it to get a Moltres and it worked. I'm going to see just how much I can get.
@Holy:
I am curious as to what Law's backstory is, but honestly if it's revenge based, doesn't that seem straight up his archetype's alley?
My complaint isn't that it's inconsistent with Law's character. Wanting to hurt those who have wronged you is a natural emotion for most people. It's more of a personal thing. I find a lot of authors (not necessarily Oda) use it as a storytelling crutch to make their characters sabotage their own plans and create unnecessary conflict. Also, such characters kind of go on and on about their desire for revenge and it gets annoying.
Honestly, I'm just being nitpicky. As it stands, Law isn't really sabotaging anything except for his own health. The crew is already in deep shit so it's not like he's pulling a Marty McFly and screwing things up when they're almost home free. I just have a greater preference for characters who are willing to let the past go, look towards the future, yadayada…
About Chapter 724:
I'm not a big fan of characters whose main motivation is revenge. I evaluate it on a case by case basis, but most of the time it irks me. That said, I really hope Law's grudge against DF isn't some cliche backstory about his friends or family getting killed. However, I've really liked this arc so far (despite the fact that everyone seems to have a grudge against the Don Quixote family) so I have high hopes for the inevitable reveal.
What didn't you like about Plants vs. Zombies 2? I haven't finished it, but it plays a lot like the first except more challenging.
Aww, Jazzy… Well, I understand that real life comes first so best of luck. I hope you continue writing and continue to be an occasional voice in this section.
Now time for the reviewing!
From Beneath review
! I had to resist the urge to go into your thread and read the other reviews of your story because overall I thought it was very good and I was having difficulty citing any weaknesses that weren't subjective. I didn't want to just echo what they said. Hopefully, you'll still find this feedback useful.
! Strengths: I thought the twists in the story were well done and kept it interesting. At first I thought the story was just about someone who explored caves, crevices, etc. Then I realized it was a supernatural venture. Then I realized it had a personal connection to the main character. Then you naturally segued into existential topics. Personally, I'm not a big fan of serious existential or supernatural topics in fiction, but you managed to make your story palatable even to me.
! Your descriptions of the environment were also very detailed, which worked especially well in your setting. It was also helpful for someone like me who has no background knowledge about Alexis' work. The scene where he first uses the LEDs to light his surroundings come to mind.
! Weaknesses: I didn't find Alexis especially engaging as a character. I really think this story could be further improved if Alexis had a little more personality. The final conversation with "the Voice" might have been a little better if that were the case. That scene, as it is now, an exposition dump with Alexis only serving as a way to prompt the Voice into talking more. At the very least I think you need to justify why Alexis was chosen to be an envoy. What makes him different than anyone else who lost their family and/or is semi-famous?
! The flashback sequences were oddly placed in the story. I couldn't really find a reason why they weren't included earlier in the story, other than beginning with Alexis in the pit is probably a better hook. I'd even venture to say you don't need the flashback sequence of Randy convincing Alexis to take the job. It doesn't add much information that we don't already know.
! You had some odd sentences/punctuation here and there that could be fixed with some proofreading. This sentence comes to mind:
"Just hear me out. I know you wanted to be done after what happened at the Framptkon Estate, but I found a case in Russia that I think you might be interested in,” Randy, Alexis’ manager for twenty years and closest friend for forty, could not seem to cope with the idea that Alexis wanted to be done."
! Final Thoughts: I liked it and thought the piece was solid. The story flowed well, but I think tinkering with the flashbacks and Alexis' character would give it a significant boost in quality.
! Score: Great -
Any update on the judging stuff?
I'm pretty sure it still didn't help. Just going off of memory, I think it was hard for me to tell if the characters looked happy, mad, etc. For all I know, there was only one ending scene and you were just playing for points.
@RobbyBevard:
'Gon is on the brink of death with no way to bring him back, buuuuuut Greed Island has a card that can literally re-write reality.'
Now Gon is good as new again…
I don't think anyone is arguing that Alluka's abilities are inconsistent with other nen abilities/items. I think Killua's free pass just rubs people the wrong way because they would have preferred to see him deal with Illumi in a way other than just saying "teleport him away." There's the implication that the "real" battle between the Killua and his family is only beginning and if that conflict is ever written, I'm optimistic that Killua will have to work harder to checkmate Illumi and everyone else. But as the end of an arc that's followed by a hiatus, it's unsatisfying.
And on the subject of Arch Angel's Breath, I've never been a big fan of manga stories where a character sustains a permanent injury and then gets it healed, regardless of if the solution fits in the lore of the world. It's not a deal breaker, but I always felt it would have been more interesting for Gon to deal with the loss of an arm. Maybe. I'm not that torn up about it.
Not that I would have wanted Gon to stay in his near-corpse condition post-election arc.
I had Chip N' Dale and Sonic 2.
Part of the reason I kept going back to play those games was because I was desperately trying to figure out what the mechanics of each were. It was particularly difficult for me to figure out how to win at Chip N' Dale (it's honestly difficult to discern whether the ending scene is good or bad). Basically, I was mistaking depth for poor conveyance.
Reads thread
So this is what the writing forum used to be like. What a golden age…
The cure spell didn't have an inherent condition on its own. I think the Greed Island cards were allowed to be so powerful because they all fell under the conditions of having to be on the island for the spell to work, being hard to gather, having a one-time use and having to win the game in order to have the privilege to use them off the island. That's how I justified it.
I think the reason Alluka's ability irks some readers is the way it was presented in the story. Kurapika's ability was hax against an arc's main antagonists, but it still felt he worked towards what damage he was able to do to the spiders. He and the others spent time outmaneuvering the spiders to get to the point where he could use his nen effectively.
Killua struggled during the election arc too, but considering how powerful the ability was it felt weird that Killua didn't just use Alluka to teleport to his destination. At least I don't remember teleportation being specified as something even Killua was limited to (I know a healing wish had to be done in close proximity to the afflicted). However, the wishes being free to Killua is based on their relationship so of course it wouldn't work if he started abusing it.
I think Alluka's ability is fine and consistent with conditions and limits with other nen abilities. It's just that the election arc wasn't very clear on why Killua didn't just use it to overcome every obstacle.
EDIT: Sheep beat me to it.
Chapter 11
! “Crow, I don’t really consider myself a religious person, but this still feels off to me.”
! “How so, Kasper?”
! “We’re sitting in our university’s campus ministry plotting to sabotage their attempts to bring order and civility to this school. If this conflict actually mattered, I’m pretty sure we’d be the bad guys.”
! "You’re just afraid of being punished in some sort of afterlife.”
! “I’m afraid of being punished in this life.”
! “Now you’re just being paranoid.”
! Kasper and Crow were sitting on a wooden bench in the front lobby of the campus ministry. Right next to them was the door to the office throughout the room were several doorways into other smaller rooms. Ten feet in front of them was a reception desk. Stationed there was a short, blonde young man. His head rested in his right had as he flipped through the book. The forlorn look that adorned his face reminded Kasper of his own expression when working in the student employment office.
! “Hey, is Joseph coming soon or not?” Crow called out to the blonde student.
! The student looked up sadly.
! “I think so,” he said, unsure of himself. He sighed and went back to his reading.
! “Chipper guy,” Crow whispered to Kasper.
! Joseph Carr, Kasper had learned, was the subject of the article plastered on the school paper’s front page.
! As Kasper had understood it, the story went like this: The current fall semester had been a controversial one at DAW University. The school was holding its annual Free Speech Celebration week. Throughout the week, the student government was responsible for organizing and hosting events that were meant to foster and appreciation of free speech. These events mostly culminated in small gatherings where students took advantage of free food and remembered the underlying message of the night just long enough to fake enlightenment. It was a week very much geared towards the mentality of college students.
! Each year, as a grand finale, the student government would bring a guest speaker to their main auditorium to host a lecture and discussion on issues related to speech and human rights. Early in the school’s history, the average speaker was a man or woman who had fought through hardships and injustice in order to earn the right to speak without prosecution, a right many of the lecturer’s attendees took for granted. In recent years, they had elected to only invite rich, well-known figures whose vocations involved making inflammatory remarks in order to gain notoriety. These figures included celebrities, news pundits and propaganda filmmakers who technically made good use of the first amendment. In other words, the student government had learned how to draw a crowd.
! The student government president, Corey Everston, went a little too far with his choice of guest speaker for the year, Senator Jeffery Douglas. The senator was most known for his opposition to providing financial aid to college students who were the children of immigrants. This alone would not have caused much more than a scathing article in the school paper. However, Senator Douglas made the mistake of going on a national talk show and publicly stating that the only reason he agreed to give a lecture at DAW university was due to the low percentage of “possible illegals” in the student population. While this was true, though could have been stated in more graceful terms, the university had spent years trying to bury this fact.
! The situation worsened when Corey attended a party a few blocks from the campus. In an intoxicated state, he let it slip exactly how much the school was paying for Senator Douglas’ appearance. The amount surpassed expectations.
! After these two events, the student body urged Corey and the rest of his young colleagues to withdraw Douglas’ invitation. He refused making the impassioned argument that he was standing firm in his principles. The ruse was a success. Of course, the real reason for the decision was that Douglas’ check had already been mailed.
! As the day of the senator’s appearance approached, the campus was becoming increasingly heated over the issue. Little was done until one afternoon when, in the middle of an American History class, one student jokingly suggested that the school band together to impeach Corey. Three hours later and a quick look at the rarely used student constitution, thousands of signatures were gathered and brought to the university president. Corey had been formally impeached and whether he would be removed from office was a matter hanging in the air. And the one leading the charge to end Corey’s tenure was Joseph Carr, student extraordinaire, and several well-known members of the school’s campus ministry.
! The Guild normally was content with not dipping their toes in issues related to actual American politics. However, Corey had used his powers as president of the student government to help them cover up some of their less subtle crimes around campus. It was in their best interests to keep Corey at the reigns as long as possible. Besides that, the group resented Joseph Carr’s popularity and what they considered to be a self-righteous attitude. They figured that kind of student would eventually come after them. Putting a tally mark in Joseph’s “Lose” column would be a feather in their caps.
! Crow looked at Kasper.
! “Anyway, what was up with you and that girl you always hang out with?” he asked.
! “You mean my cousin?”
! “Yeah. While we were discussing my brilliant plan, she made a snide remark about your mother. You both started going at it and then she left saying that she was going to leave all of this up to you as ‘independent training.’”
! Kasper gritted his teeth.
! “Maya’s kind of a abnormal.”
! “I don’t care. She’s part of your little trio of destruction. It’s not every day an average college girl manages to take down a six-story building. Pulling off this job would have been a lot easier with her help.”
! “Well, you didn’t exactly make a convincing argument to your teammate either. Once Maya left, he just up and disappeared. Aren’t you both in the Guild?”
! Crow shrugged.
! “Aaron does what he pleases. I’m lucky he even came with me to find you guys. I’d call him an enigma, but that’s giving him too much credit.”
! “I’m sure the three of us will be able to pull off your dumb scheme.”
! “My plan is simple. Joseph is organizing a major protest in two days against Corey that’s designed to put enough pressure on the school administration to remove him from office and stop Senator Douglas’ lecture. All we have to do is find out where his office is in this campus ministry, have the red-headed girl break in and then blackmail him with whatever we find.”
! “What if there’s nothing in there that’s shameful to Joseph? He seems like a clean-cut guy.”
! “Everyone has a dark side. Just don’t mess up the plan.”
! The two of them sat there for a minute silent until Kasper broke the ice.
! “So did your parents actually name you ‘Crow?’”
! Crow groaned and slouched his shoulders.
! “They have a weird sense of humor.”
! He grumbled, looked up at the blonde receptionist and yelled.
! “What’s the hold-up? Is he coming or not? I’m a busy guy!”
! The receptionist continued reading and sighed.
! “My name is James,” he said. His eyes seemed to glaze over as soon as he was done speaking.
! “Do you even know who I am?” Crow asked.
! James closed his book so slowly that it appeared the physical act caused him pain. He slid his chair back just as lazily and stood up. He walked towards Crow and walked right next to where he and Kasper were sitting. Leaning against the door, he sighed and spoke.
! “Of course I know who you are. You’re that scheming little toad from the Guild. We’re in the sam statistics class.”
! “Hear that, Kasper?” Crow asked. “I am quite well-known and respected at this school. If you and your friends were a little more like this guy here, your attitudes would be a bit different.”
! “I think you’re misinterpreting me,” said James.
! “So what were you saying about Joseph?” Crow asked.
! “Listen, I –“
! Suddenly the door swung open and slammed against James’ face. He let out a light groan as he was crushed between the door and the wall.
! A tan-skinned young man with curly black hair appeared in the doorway. He wore a stripped, buttoned-down shirt and thick-rimmed glasses. His face held a slight amount of surprise when he heard the sharp THUD of the door striking James. However, he quickly narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips when he saw Crow sitting a foot away.
! “Hello Joseph,” Crow said grabbing his crutch and slowly rising to his feet. His injured leg still hurt quite a bit. “We’ve been waiting for you.”
! Kasper looked up at Joseph’s face. Although he had not been able to put a face to the name before, he now recognized him. He remembered seeing his photos various times throughout freshman year in the school paper and had overheard many students speaking highly of him in public places. The name, however, had been lost in Kasper’s head as he grew to care less and less about social structures within the college. He figured such constructs would have been left behind in high school. People like Crow and Joseph seemed determined to shatter that idea.
! “Oh have you, Crow?” Joseph asked.
! Crow gave Kasper a quick look and sneered. Kasper assumed it was because Joseph knew him by name. However, he felt Crow’s notoriety was going to be more of a hindrance in their mission than anything else.
! “Indeed,” said Crow. “I’ve heard around campus that you’ve been busy. A little too busy. As a concerned student of this university, I wanted to make sure that one of it’s most outstanding citizens wasn’t working too hard. I’ve seen behavior like yours lead to dangerous things. It could be bad for your health, you know?”
! “That so?” Joseph asked. “Then why is this first time I’m seeing you? After all, I’ve worked myself ragged to improve DAW since coming to this school. Of course, from what I’ve heard, you’re not someone who appreciates honest work. Or do you have nothing better to do but bother me after losing your clubhouse?”
! Crow’s right eye twitched.
! “Is it so hard to believe I’ve had a change of heart?” asked Crow.
! Kasper did not want to interfere with their passive aggressive exchange and remained sitting. However, he gazed at the door. It had not moved since Joseph had entered. He figured bringing up James’ situation might defuse the tension.
! “I think your friend his stuck behind the door or something,” said Kasper as he pointed at the door.
! Joseph looked at the desk and saw James was not in his usual location. He quickly closed the door and revealed James standing there stoically.
! “Sorry James!” Joseph said. “I didn’t mean to open the door that hard. I was just mad about something I heard earlier. I didn’t think you’d be standing there.”
! “Don’t worry about it,” James said. He sniffed. A small trickle of blood came out of his right nostril.
! Kasper cringed as he noticed that James’ nose had swollen significantly. It looked painful, but James said nothing.
! “Uh, your nose…” Kasper began.
! James reached up and felt his nose. He seemed nonplussed.
! “Oh, yeah,” he said. “I didn’t notice. This happens a lot.”
! “Your nose gets crushed a lot?” Kasper asked.
! “It’s my neurological condition. I have trouble feeling pain throughout my body. It’s an annoyance.”
! “You seem numb to a lot more than just pain,” Crow said.
! James ignored him.
! “My mom said there are worse conditions and it’s just part of God’s plan.”
! “And what do you think?” Kasper asked.
! James was silent for a moment. He shrugged and walked out the door.
! “I’m going to get some ice for my nose, if you don’t mind Joseph.”
! “No problem. I’ll watch your post until you get back.”
! Crow cleared his throat and turned to look at Kasper.
! “Speaking of plans…” he said in a hushed voice.
! “I’ll follow your lead,” Kasper replied.
! Crow put a hand on Joseph’s shoulder. Joseph cringed at the touch. He glared at Crow who had a big smile plastered on his face.
! “So buddy,” he began, “I hear you’re hard at work dealing with our student council president after he…what exactly did he do again?”
! “Paid a blatant racist to come spread hate speech at our school,” Joseph said.
! “It certainly sounds bad when you say it like that.”
! Crow laughed and curled back his lips. It now looked like he was baring his teeth rather than offering a smile.
! “Anyway, I heard you were gathering a group of students from this campus ministry to help you spearhead the movement to get Corey out of office and prevent Senator Douglas from speaking on campus.”
! “Yes, this is true. I’m also very angry that Corey, despite facing the threat of being removed from office, refuses to withdraw that politician’s invitation.”
! “Is that so? I appreciate your diligence in looking out for this school. However as a paying student of this university, I am a bit concerned with your desire to recruit students from the campus ministry. After all, I believe there is such a thing as separation of church and state.”
! “The fact many people from the campus ministry are helping me is incidental. They expressed their concerns about Corey outside of a religious environment. I myself am not a religious person.”
! Crow recoiled a bit and took his hand off Joseph.
! “Err, so I’m guessing you don’t actually work in this office?” Crow asked.
! “Nope.”
! “You don’t even hold group meetings in one of these rooms?”
! Joseph smiled.
! “As you said, Crow, it would be irresponsible to mix religious and secular matters, wouldn’t it?”
! “Yeah…”
! Crow looked at Kasper and motioned for him to get up off the bench.
! “Could I have a moment to speak to my associate?” he asked.
! “Of course.”
! Kasper got up and followed Crow who was hobbling through the door and out of the office. He met eyes with Joseph’s for a brief second. The gleam he saw looked confident, almost cocky.
! Kasper closed the door behind them. They were now outside, near a patio with a smattering of table and chairs. The campus ministry was its own small building, somewhat inconspicuous among the larger buildings around it. This made the location ideal for a break-in. Or so they thought as the two began to whisper.
! “It looks like he doesn’t have an office in the campus ministry,” said Crow. “He’s not even religious.”
! “Good,” said Kasper. “I was worried this was going to be considered a hate crime.”
! “That’s not the point! That means there’s no singular location he keeps his stuff. And we would have too much of a chance of getting seen if we broke into his dorm, even at night.”
! “You’d be surprised what Robin’s capable of.”
! “Covert operations doesn’t appear to be one of them.”
! Kasper nodded. He had to give Crow credit for that observation.
! Crow sighed.
! “Regardless of what that girl is capable of, we should reconvene at my dorm and think up another plan.”
! “No chance we can just forget about this whole idea?”
! Crow ignored Kasper. He opened the door and looked at Joseph who was standing exactly where he had been a minute earlier. A small grin was still on his face.
! Crow put on the same grin.
! “We’re very sorry to inconvenience you Joseph,” he said. “My friend Kasper here was interested in campus ministry activities and had wanted your guidance on the matter. However, since you’re not affiliated with the organization, he can look elsewhere for advice.”
! Joseph looked at Kasper and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
! “Good luck with the little parade you’re having in a couple of days,” Crow continued. “Give my regards to your flock.”
! Crow turned and began to hobble away across the patio. Kasper started to follow, but stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find that the hand belong to Joseph.
! While Kasper felt a bit surprised, he felt a tinge of annoyance. There seemed to be a pattern of students at this school grabbing other people’s shoulders when acting disingenuous. Despite the weird motions required for a Chimera to obtain transformations, Kasper was still not a touchy-feely guy.
! “So you’re Kasper? “ asked Joseph.
! “Yeah.”
! “Are you a member of the Guild?”
! “Of course not,” Kasper said. “Why?”
! “No reason. Just thought I had seen your name somewhere before.”
! “Ok, I guess…”
! Kasper shrugged off Joseph’s hand and hastily began to catch up to Crow. He heard Joseph call out to him.
! “Hey Kasper! Watch me on the student news at six-thirty this evening. You might find it interesting!”
! Crow cocked his head as Kasper caught up with him.
! “The student news?” asked Crow. “Why does he think you would care about that?”
! “How should I know? “ Kasper asked. “I don’t think there’s a single student at this school I understand.”
! ***
! Later that night, Crow opened the door to his dark dorm room, walked in and flicked on the lights. Robin and Kasper followed him.
! Kasper closed the door behind them and looked around. It was a small, box shaped room much like his own. There was a single bed in the right corner across the door. On the other side of the room were a desk, a chair and a dresser with a television on top of it. The white stucco walls were completely bare.
! “Not much of a decorator,” Robin said.
! “I didn’t pay this place much mind before,” Crow replied. “I had a nice room off-campus until someone decided to destroy it.”
! “That was almost a week ago. Get over it.”
! Crow muttered something and climbed on his bed. He sat with back leaning against the wall. Kasper spotted the desk chair, but sat on the floor. He was not sure what the protocol was in Crow’s room, but he figured it was safest not to touch anything without being asked.
! Robin crossed her arms.
! “Thanks for offering me a seat Crow, but I’ll stand.”
! Kasper suspected that Robin had difficulty sitting with her tail. Maya had mentioned to him a few days earlier that there were actually special pants designed for Dragons. They looked normal, but contained loops that allowed their tails to be hidden and out of the way of normal every day activity. However, he figured Robin was not the type to buy specialty clothing. She probably managed to keep her tail hidden, somehow.
! “I told you both that the blackmail plan wouldn’t work,” Robin said. “Joseph’s clean.”
! “Yes, I’m sure your boyfriend has a perfect record.”
! Robin scoffed.
! “Yeah right. I’ve never met him. Don’t even like the guy. He always seemed too full of himself for my taste. Regardless of his personality, he still isn’t one to do anything wrong or malicious so there’s no way we’re going to dig up anything bad from his personal life.”
! Crow pounded his fist against the bed.
! “If only that idiot Aaron didn’t ditch us,” he said. “I’d just snap my fingers and the guy would start breaking bones. Then we’d see just how loyal Joseph’s friends are when faced with that sort of intimidation.”
! “But Aaron doesn’t listen to you,” Robin said.
! “I don’t think he even likes you,” Kasper chimed in.
! Crow stared at them, but Robin did not see his dirty look. She was deep in thought.
! “However…” Robin began. She chewed on a fingernail before finishing her thought. “Yeah…Joseph’s friends. They might be a weak link.”
! Crow thought for a second too. He nodded.
! “That could work,” he said. “Not a bad idea considering you think stopping this protest is immoral.”
! “I still do,” said Robin. “I’m sure Kasper agrees with me.”
! They both looked at Kasper, but he shook his head.
! “This sounds more likely a petty dispute between college clubs,” he said. “It’s all too inconsequential to have any degree of morality.”
! Robin frowned.
! “That’s good enough for me,” said Crow. He looked outside at the sun slowly descending below the horizon. “By the way, Kasper, I think it’s almost six-thirty. Isn’t that the time Joseph mentioned?”
! “For what?” Robin asked.
! “Joseph asked me to watch him on the student news,” Kasper said. “I have no idea why.”
! DAW University had a student run television station called DAW-Vision. The frequency was only broadcast throughout the university itself, but the students who worked at the station were proud of it. The rest of the university…not so much. They ignored the station for the most part. There were some news programs, sketch comedies and sitcoms, but none of it ever caught the attention of the student body.
! Robin walked over to the television. She pushed a button and turned it on. She began flipping through channels, most of which were static.
! “Does anyone know what channel it’s on?” she asked. “I do some audio editing for some of these shows and even I barely remember DAW-Vision exists.”
! Finally, the static broke and Robin stopped on an image of what looked like an amateur news program. There was a young brunette woman in a white dress shirt and black pants sitting in a folding chair. She held a piece of paper in her hands. In the background was a wooden news desk that looked like it had seen better days.
! Across from the woman was Joseph. He was sitting upright in his own folding chair in a black suit and tie. He was smiling as the two of them appeared to be having a back and forth conversation. A bulky folder with a set of papers and notes under his chair made it clear that he was well prepared for the discussion.
! “It looks like she’s interviewing him about the protest,” Kasper observed.
! “Darn it,” Crow said. “I keep telling my boss we need to make a more aggressive effort to control the student media.”
! “Crow, no one even watches this station,” said Robin.
! The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes while the interview went on. Crow started to fidget.
! “Kasper, why did he want you to watch?” he asked. “I was hoping something interesting would happen.”
! Robin put a finger to her lips to shush his complaints. Crow slouched and continued watching in silence.
! “So about Corey,” the young woman began, “why do you think he continues to constantly defend Senator Douglas?”
! “Well, Sidney, I think it speaks towards a pattern of behavior we’ve seen Corey exhibit throughout his presidency,” replied Joseph. “My team has actually done a little research into this matter.”
! Joseph reached under his chair and grabbed a small black notebook. He looked at it for a second and let out a small laugh.
! “Oops, wrong one,” he said looking up at Sidney sheepishly.
! He started to lean down to put the notebook back under his chair. However, he flicked his wrist slightly and the notebook faced the camera. He lifted his head up and made a blank stare directly into the camera. On the front of the notebook, in big white letters, was the word “CHIMERA.”
! Kasper and Robin looked at the screen wide-eyed. They then looked at each other. Their mouths fell open.
! Kasper realized that for two people with supernatural abilities, he and Robin were not great at preventing other college students from getting the jump on them.
! “Argh, this is so boring!” Crow cried out. He flopped backwards on his bed and continued to whine as the interview continued.
Really? I thought Rising sold well. Not ridiculously high numbers, but still good.
I already have a good chunk done, but I might have to do a final sprint come Saturday.
Ugh, this blacklist is both a blessing and a curse…