As always, thank you to u/SpacePaladin15 for the wonderful universe that is NoP
Thank you to u/cruisingNW for proof reading and helping me out of some hang ups, you're the man! Honestly LoM wouldn't have gone very far without him! If you haven't you should absolutely go read Foundations of Humanity! It's very good.
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Memory Transcription Subject: Christopher A. Dewey, Human Merchant Sailor, Venlil-Human Exchange Participant
Date [Standardized Human Time]: August 29th, 2136, Very Early Morning.
We got a message an hour ago from Videk, ordering us to report to Hangar-08 to start On-Stick training; and to bring our bags! I guess the guy had wanted to get as much out of the day as he could. That or he wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.
Videk met us at the doors to the hangar, a small travel bag sitting on the floor by his side, tail swaying slowly as he watched us approach. “Good Waking, Taisa. Good Waking… Christopher.” An improvement, I’ll have to ask Taisa about that talk they had.
“This,” He continued, motioning to the shuttle parked in the hangar behind him with his tail. “Is your training shuttle: registration C1-0V3R-HR-EX.Your first On-Stick training assignment will be to follow appropriate lift off and departure procedures, plot and follow a course to The Capitol on Venlil Prime, seek permission to land from the proper authorities, and land safely and legally following those permissions. All of this, while following proper procedure and regulations. All of this will be graded.”
As he speaks the door behind him slides open, revealing a broad hangar bay, heavy clamshell doors dominate the far wall. At the center of the bay sits a stout craft painted white and black, a pair of stubby wings jutting from its sides flowing into a pair of engines flanking a singular tail. Venlil script is painted at the root of the tail and on the top of the rear ramp.
“Upon arrival in the Capitol you will have some paperwork to do at the U.N. offices with regards to your habitation. I will need to pick up some equipment from the training facility at the landing fields. After our respective errands, let’s say half a claw, we will meet up back at the shuttle and from there you will be plotting an in-atmosphere route to Shadetree, Sunward of the Capitol, to drop me off and wait for me to install and calibrate the remote instructing equipment. Once that is completed, you will plot another in-atmosphere course to Heartwood River, concluding this paws evaluations. Do you have any questions?”
I shook my head, and Taisa flicked her ears, in what I believed was a negative. “Very good, load your stuff and we’ll begin immediately.”
After a few minutes of finding places to tie off our belongings and get everything situated, I sat in the pilot’s seat and ran through the pre-flight check with Taisa. We caught a pair of faults in the starboard fuel delivery units. Videk seemed pleased we had caught them, and that he hadn’t had to tell us they were there. I could feel a slight smile tug at the corner of my mouth.
Devious little bastard makes for a damn good instructor.
Once the preflight was complete I closed the rear ramp and hailed the flight control tower. “Tower this is shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for departure, place us enroute to Venlil Prime with planned landing zone of Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo.” A Human voice came back over the line, a bit of mirth in their voice. “Shuttle, Tower, you are clear for departure, opening bay doors now. Good luck and Godspeed.”
The doors to the station hangar yawned open, filling the viewport with the void and all its stars beyond as I slowly brought the shuttle off the hangar floor, easing it out through the opening. I reached over to the nearest display and opened the Nav-computer interface, plotting our course to VP, and then on to the Capitol landing fields. Once I was confident I had the proper navigation commands and sequences set I called over Videk to have him review my work.
He gave me a quick flick of his tail before saying “Looks good, Christopher. Feel free to spool and jump when you’re ready.”
Videk’s approval given, I reached over and pushed forward on the throttles, engaging the drive and hurtling the shuttle into subspace.
It. Was. Beautiful. Everything seemed to stretch, stars in the distance turning from pinpricks of light into brilliant colorful streaks, lengthening as we bounded through the void. Lines of light far off in my periphery zip past like tracers as the ones before me feel as if they’re pulling me in with their kaleidoscope of color. The hum of the shuttle fell into the background while I became entranced by the light show in front me, picturing myself on the set of one of those old sci-fi shows I would watch with Pa on the weekends. The Future my ancestors had imagined was Here, right before my eyes and at the tips of my fingers! This view was… Hypnotic. The simulator couldn’t hope to do it justice.
Two hours. That was it.
Two hours to travel what, until very recently, would have been considered an insurmountable distance for Humanity. Dropping from Sub-space into the proximity of Venlil Prime was another astoundingly brilliant view. Scorched white deserts flowing into massive swathes of golden sands cut by the occasional streak of blue before blending into a beautiful verdant mix of turquoise and green fields, with vast lakes and rivers dotting the forests, flowing into wide marshy wetlands. Before finally, the curve of the planet fell away from its star, allowing the fading sunlight to showcase glittering city lights dotting the countryside.
The thrusters burn to life, crackling and thrumming with power as they drive us forward through the void to the beautiful marble before us. I flip two switches on the overhead, tapping the leftmost display to call up the local channel list and place a hail to the Capitol’s landing fields to request clearance and pad assignment. A quick ping, signifying my hail had been acknowledged, chimed over the console speaker.
“Capitol Shuttle Field 13-Bravo this is Shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX requesting clearance for landing at an available pad of convenience.” “C1-0V3R-HR-EX, you are cleared for landing, 13-Bravo, direct to pad Charlie-5.”
The Flight through the Void may have had some feeling of familiarity and nostalgia to the old Sci-fi shows at home; but in-atmo had the far better view! Rolling turquoise fields and towering thick trees, with their canopies tilted greedily towards that unmoving sun, falling away to a gargantuan metropolitan area, its architecture entirely alien yet still somehow familiar. Massive skyscrapers soar to touch the sky, reflecting light in brilliant angles and colors, the space below them populated by squat sturdy buildings and deep black roads. The Venlil going about their lives below look like ants as I ease off the throttle, taking the speed down to prepare for the final approach. The display on the viewport flags my landing area with a small pip guiding me in, slow and easy.
The cabin jostles slightly as the ship settles onto its landing gear. Videk seemed impressed; his ears up as he tapped away at his data pad! Taisa’s tail sways happily back and forth as she runs through the diagnostics of the landing, checking system status reports.
“Looks like we’re all clear. Videk do you have a time we should try and be back by?” Taisa beeps, showing the flight instructor the console in front of her.
“I just need to pick up the equipment and get it linked up, that should only take about a half a claw. Walking to and from the landing field and the U.N. Offices should put you at about the right time.” Videk turned away and made for the ramp; Taisa’s talk helped, and he was clearly trying, but he was still a bundle of nerves around me. His fur was so puffed out it looked like he was holding more static than a thunderhead.
As we stepped out of the artificial gravity of the shuttle I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. My first step faltered making me stumble down the ramp and bounce off the… soft pavement? “Oh, forgot about that.” Videk winced sympathetically, “Our gravity is about twenty percent more than earth’s, so be careful. Falls are likely to hurt a little bit more here.”
“Would’ve been nice to know first, Videk.” I groaned, rolling myself over and sitting up, luckily the visor hadn’t fallen off; I would need to add one of those new back braces and some knee compressors to that order of stuff from home. “Do you know where the U.N. Offices are? Or should we just ask around to find our way there?”
“I do not, but you should be able to get directions on your pad. I trust the two of you can figure it out, so I’m going to go get the equipment I need. I will wait for the two of you with the shuttle once I am ready.” With a parting flap of his ears, Videk turned and walked away; flicking the tip of his tail back and forth as he did.
“Alright then,” I grumbled, forcing myself up off the pavement, swaying as I found my new equilibrium. “let’s get going. Can you pull up those directions?” She nodded slightly, flicking her ears forward. “Got them up already! You alright there?”
“I’m fine.” I grunted, rolling out my shoulder a little. “Feels like I weigh a quarter ton, but I’ll get over it with time. Lead the way.”
After a few minutes of walking we were off the landing fields and into the streets of the city. My boots sinking into the pavement a little with each step, just like on the landing field. “Taisa, what is this stuff? I figured it was just to make landings a little softer on shuttles but it’s everywhere! Looks like pavement but it gives like rubber; why are your roads like this?” “Anti-stampede concrete.” She stated, matter of factly, like that meant literally anything to me. My silence must have tipped her off that I wasn’t getting it as she focused one eye on my visor. “Oh… I guess Humans wouldn’t need that. It’s to help reduce stampede fatalities, it’s the same reason the roads and buildings have gentle curves, no sharp angles.” Looking around at the way the groups of Venlil flowed through the streets I realized she was right, what I had thought was a futuristic aesthetic design was just to keep people from killing each other against walls or trampling them into the ground when they got scared. How strange… and slightly worrying.
“Weird, that sounds like some crazy wonder material. Bet we’d have a bunch of uses for it back on earth.” My eyes watched the tips of skyscrapers towering above us, “How far out does it say we are?”
“Only a little further, about one and a half kilometers.” She responded, a slight pant in her voice. I wasn’t in the best shape, cardio wise, but I couldn’t imagine getting winded after 10 minutes of walking; guess all that talk about the Venlil having less stamina than us was right.
The U.N. Office complex was a series of giant flowing buildings built on a large park area. It wasn’t any design I had ever seen so I figured it had to have been an existing complex that just got turned over to the U.N. for their uses.
Passing through the heavy glass front doors we found a wide receptionist's desk, with several Humans sitting behind it, answering questions and directing people where they needed to go. One of the receptionists, a short dark haired woman with a visor obscuring her face, beckons us over. “Hello! How can I help you today?” “H-Hi!” Taisa beeps excitedly, her tail swaying behind her confidently as she takes a deep breath and straightens her back. “We’re part of the ‘integration’ experiments, we were told we need to fill out some forms for habitation. Where do we go to do that?” “Oh! Congratulations! That would be Suite 216-B” The receptionist answered, excitement in her voice as she pointed to a room on the map infront of her.
“Thank you!” Taisa responded, turning to head up the stairs behind the receptionist's desk. Halfway up the stairs she swiveled her ears over to me before saying. “Sorry, I figure if I’m probably going to have to work with Humans other than you for this I should try and at least work on being able to talk to them.” “It’s alright,” I chuckle, patting her shoulder. “That’s a great idea and you’re doing alright!” Walking down the hallways we saw prints of landscapes from Earth, Machu Picchu, the Uyuni Salt Flats, The Grand Canyon, YellowStone, Hạ Long Bay, The Zhangye Mountains and Plitvice Lakes. I pointed out the places I had been to as we walked past them, finally stopping at suite 216-B.
The door was open so we knocked, getting a quick ‘enter’, before stepping in. A man sits behind a desk, the top covered in organized files and folders, a placard on his desk declares his name as ‘Obediah Kamara’ with a small Liberian flag stamped beside it.
His visor obscures his face as he looks between the two of us before beginning. “I presume you are…” He sorts through a couple of the files and folders before stopping on one and opening it, pulling out a document packet. “Christopher Dewey and Taisa. Correct?”
We both respond in the affirmative as he gestures for us to take the seats across from him, sliding the documents across the table as Taisa’s pad pings on her belt. “These are agreements to ensure that you,” He starts, looking at me. “Understand the rules in regards to your habitation here on Venlil Prime. I understand that part of your integration will be taking you off world to and from Earth, these rules primarily apply to your time here. We ask that you remain considerate of the provided rules and guidelines on the ship if you are carrying Venlil passengers. Taisa, those are the terms, conditions, compensations and requirements for your family to house a human when the two of you are present. Virtual signature of that document is required within the next 3 of your ‘paws’.” Taisa stiffened a little bit, likely thinking about her Mother’s response to my arrival; that was something we were probably going to have to have a talk about later. I had an idea for the short term, at least. I ran through the paperwork real quick and it was all pretty simple: don’t be without the visor or some kind of face covering in settings where you couldn’t guarantee that an unprepared Venlil wouldn’t see you, avoid aggression, speak quietly, no eating meat, animal products or byproducts, no hunting local wildlife; bit odd considering I didn’t even have a bow or a gun but rules are rules, I suppose.
“Sounds good to me,” I said, signing the indicated portions of the document. “When are my items supposed to get here?”
“We don’t expect your requested items to arrive for another week or so, for now you’ll have to make do with what you brought with you.” Obediah responded, shuffling the packet of papers back into the folder they had come from. “With that complete you are free to go. I understand you have training to complete, so I wish you good luck with your endeavor. If you have any questions or needs with regards to your habitation you can contact Sam, their details will be forwarded to your communication devices.”
I caught Taisa’s tail twitching as her ears swiveled nervously out of the corner of my eye; even with her attempts to push through it I think the amount of Humans around was starting to get to her. Still, she was doing better than I think a lot of Venlil would be able to manage. I reached over, gently tapping my hand against her paw, trying to ground her a little before motioning to go, she nodded slightly as she flicked her ears.
“Thank you, Obediah, we’ll be sure to get into touch with them once we get their contact. Have a good day!”
Taisa and I stood, exiting the room and making our way out of the building, stopping to look at another picture or two along the way. Something needed to be done about possibly not having a place to stay to put my, and more so Taisa’s, mind at ease. I figured I could sleep in the shuttle, if I had to. It wouldn’t be particularly comfortable but I could certainly do it; I’d need a mat, maybe a sleeping bag or some blankets and a pillow.
I had no clue where I was going to get my hands on those, or at least a set of them big enough for me to actually use.
Then I saw the temporary units in the field near the offices. Men and Women in U.N. fatigues were milling about the area. Barracks? That could solve the problem, if they’re willing to help out a man in need, of course.
“Hey, Taisa, I need to make a stop real quick.” I state, walking briskly towards the largest of the buildings. “What’s up?” She asks, ears focused on me as she tilts her head a little.
“Well, I was thinking, I don’t think your parents, your Mom especially, won’t, uh… won’t want me around. At least not for a little while until she gets to know me better.”
“I think you can get past it, she’s not that bad… It’ll just be tough.”
“Oh I’m sure I can get past it, but I’d rather not just sleep in the grass in the meantime.” “I don’t think she’d make you sleep in the grass…” “I like being prepared, if she doesn’t want me in her house I’m not going to push the issue.”
“I just… I hope it doesn’t come to that, I’m not going to let her toss you outside like an animal.” She sighs quietly as we push through the front door of the barrack building.
A desk manned by a napping U.N. Marine with Private ranks stuck to his shoulders filled the space beyond the doors. He stirs as the doors clank shut behind us before scrambling to throw on his Visor as he notices Taisa.
“Hello, Uh… Can I help you? This area is for active U.N. personnel only.” He starts, his voice finding its authority only about halfway through the statement.
I stand straight, trying to muster the stern demeanor I’d found in my father and his friends so often when they tried to get something on base after their retirements. “Easy, Private. It has come to my attention that my accommodations lack proper bedding.” “O-Oh, uh, I apologize…” He stammers out, searching for something to say, likely looking to find a way out of trouble for sleeping on duty.
“Sir.” I state. “What’s your name, Private?”
“A-Alvarez, Sir.”
“Alvarez. I’ll remember that, Alvarez, how about we make this quick, you get me a wrap of blankets, 3 pillows and a bedroll and I don’t find your commander to report your… lack of enthusiasm.”
The private snaps to attention before firmly stating. “Yes Sir! I’ll be right back, Sir!”
As the private turns and walks away crisply I hear Taisa whistle with laughter a little beside me. “I’m surprised that worked.”
“You’d be surprised what a hard voice, straight back and the right slacking Private can get you if you just don’t go pushin' it too far in your story.” I whispered with a wink.
After a few minutes of waiting Private Alvarez returned with a duffle bag, stuffed full with blankets and pillows, as well as an inflatable bedroll under the other arm. “Here you go, Sir. Will this be ok?” He asked, passing the items over to me.
“Perfect, thank you Private.” I took the bundle of bedding and turned to the door, before turning my head back over my shoulder, “Oh, and Private? Do try and get proper rest before duty.”
A shaking “Y-Yes, Sir.” followed Taisa and I out of the door.
The first half of the walk back to the landing field was quiet, I was scanning the skyline again, I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was on another planet. Taisa however had her ears pinned back, her paws lightly holding her tail tuft as we walked.
“What’s got ya down?” I asked, watching the herd of Venlil glide around us as we came, trying their best not to get too close to me.
“I’m… concerned.” She sighed, the tip of her tail twitching between her paws.
“About?”
“My mother, what she’ll say… What she’ll do.”
“I can’t exactly say I know what her reaction’ll be… But, whatever it is we’ll just have to deal with it. It’ll probably take time, but we’ll get by.” I soothed. She let go of her tail, placing the tip of it on my back, but her ears didn’t let up at all.
The rest of the walk to the shuttle was quiet as she fidgeted with her paws, trying to take her mind off of the subject. Videk was there waiting for us, a few crates secured to the cargo area of the shuttle that weren’t present before.
“You two ready?” He asked, flicking his tail at us.
“I think so.” I responded, stowing the bedding in an empty compartment as Taisa flicked her ears.
We ran through our preflight checklist again, finding another pre-placed failure from Videk waiting for us, this time in the starboard control surfaces. Once the check was done we radioed the tower for clearance to take off and set an in-atmo course for Shadetree to drop off Videk. It was a short hop, about a half hour of flying or so before I had to call ahead for clearance to land again.
Most of the flight from the Capitol to Shadetree had been rolling turquoise and green hills or open fields of produce growing in the everpresent light. A sudden dense forest rose from the fields, thick dark brown trees with fluttering golden leaves stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. A sudden break in the forest revealed a clearing for the Landing field, much smaller than the one at the Capitol. The city was built under the canopy of the trees, giving it a constant filtered light casting down through the shifting leaves. It was certainly a beautiful town, I’d have to come back to visit some day. Maybe once Videk had warmed up to me a little bit more.
As the ramp fell ,a small cargo truck arrived alongside the shuttle to collect Videk and his equipment. I offered to help but the Venlil driver just about ran when I started talking so I figured it was probably best to just keep out of it. Once the cargo truck departed, Taisa came back up to the cockpit, plopping down in her seat, and looked through the viewscreen at the trees beyond. The soft hiss of the ramp closing marked the finality of Videk’s departure.
“So, how are you feeling about Venlil Prime so far?” She asked, one eye on my face as I finally slipped the visor off.
“I like it! Between the beautiful scenery, interesting architecture and hanging out with you and Shamrock, here I’m having a great time!” I responded, rubbing my hand on what amounted to the shuttle's dashboard.
“... Shamrock?” She asked, her tail swaying in what I figured for amusement.
“Yea! Remember how I told you Humans like looking for patterns? Well it works on words and numbers as well. The tail number for the shuttle could be taken to spell ‘Clover-HR-EX’, or just clover for short. Clovers are a type of plant on earth that a few cultures believed to be lucky, one way or another. One of the nicknames for them was a Shamrock!”
She laughed at me.
“You are such a dork.” She said, wiping a tear from her eye as her tail whipped back and forth. “It’s a good name, usually shuttles don’t get one. I think it fits.”
I chuckled, a thought crossing my mind. “Think we could get any shuttle-grade paint? Preferably green, yellow and black?” She raised an eyebrow at me as her ears cocked at different elevations. “Oh? Someone feeling a little artistic?”
“Well, I could always paint a Shamro-” I was interrupted as the ping signifying we were being hailed sounded off. “We’ll finish this later.” I said, pointing at her as I accepted the hail.
Videk’s voice bled through the speakers. “Ok, looks like the connection is secure. Let’s go ahead and run through getting you familiar with the software, it should be quick and easy.”
It was not.
It took two hours. After a lot of trial and error, stop and go flights to test the connection and a few near misses with an especially tall tree we had gotten the system setup such that Videk was confident it would work in an emergency if he needed to step in. With that all squared away Taisa and I settled in to get on our way to Heartwood River. Sleeping on the blow up mattress or on a real bed hardly mattered at this point, I just wanted to sleep.
The overall flight time was set to be about an hour and a half, not too bad and man was the view beautiful: rolling fields, roaring rivers, pristine skies and alien forests abounded across the countryside. We had just passed over Hidden Plains when Taisa and I were just settling back into talking about her parents and our best route to try and handle them, when the hail system chimed and immediately spat out a harsh tone without acknowledgement, the same one the simulator used for distress calls.
“Mayday Mayday Mayday. Report of shots fired at residence housing humans. Need immediate medical evac at The Berrypatch Farm in The Grove, 11 minutes Night-ward from Hidden Plains. Hailing all airborn craft, we need a medical evac immediately!”
I immediately returned the hail. “This is cargo shuttle C1-0V3R-HR-EX. Responding to Mayday from the Grove. We are en-route to render aid. Hold tight, we’ll be there.”
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Taisa tighten her flight harness as I reached for the throttle.
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First Prev. Next

Slow Zones Shortened:

• Southbound Tufts Medical to Back Bay: shortened by 717 feet, still at 10 mph.

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Slow Zones Lengthened:

• Northbound Assembly to Wellington: added 400 feet, lowered from 25 to 10 mph.

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Slow Zones added:

• Eastbound Griggs Street Station: 303 feet at 10 mph.
• Eastbound Griggs Street to Harvard Ave: 97 feet at 10 mph.

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The Green Line currently has 9.38 miles of slow zones, with 68 total restrictions.
The Orange Line currently has 3.29 miles of slow zones, with 40 total restrictions.
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Expect more slow zone removals/shortenings around Tufts Medical Center in the coming weeks. According to the MBTA's June 2 Orang Line Transformation progress report, work on removing the Tufts curve speed restrictions is finishing up. The restrictions on the Tufts curve account for 2,353 feet of Orange Line restrictions, with one at 10 mph, and another at 18 mph.
After this work is completed, there is a good chance that work will occur on slow zones on the northern part of the Orange Line.
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Source: https://www.mbta.com/performance-metrics/speed-restrictions

Cyclists have all the rights and are subject to all of the duties and regulations applicable to drivers of motor vehicles.

1. Ride in the street, not on the sidewalks (unless rider is age 12 or younger and the bicycle's wheels are less than 26 inches in diameter).
   
2. Ride with traffic, not against it.
   
3. Stop at red lights and stop signs. Obey all traffic signals, signs and pavement markings, and exercise due care to avoid colliding with pedestrians, motor vehicles or other cyclists. At red lights, wait for the green light and/or the bike or pedestrian signal.
   
4. Go with the walk, unless there’s a bike signal or sign, cross the intersection when the pedestrian signal shows the "walk".
   
5. Use marked bike lanes or paths when available, except when making turns or when it is unsafe to do so. If the road is too narrow for a bicycle and a car to travel safely side by side, you have the right to ride in the middle of the travel lane. Bicycling is permitted on all main and local streets throughout the City, even when no designated route exists.
   
6. Use a white headlight and a red taillight, as well as a bell or horn and reflectors.
   

Hello, I would like to seek fellow redditors opinions, input and recommendation on how I could better finetune my itinerary better. There's only so much I can think of, and plan as an individual, but with everyone's input and comments I can further refine and enhance the travel experience before I set foot into Japan. Do forgive me in advance for the theorycrafting wall of text.
I know it may be difficult to review the itinerary, so to make the review easier I have broken the itinerary down into specific sub-groups e.g. Shikoku, Kinki etc. Specific questions that I have are bolded.
Thank you in advance for taking your time to provide your opinions!
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Baseline information

• 32M, average fitness, solo traveller
• Public transport only (challenge); I have a driver's license but I have not drove a car for god knows how long so I would prefer not to test it against the green hills of Shikoku
• Interest: anime (select few), experience autumn/nature, visiting secluded spots, and just trying random stuff
• JP language skill: rudimentary at best (N4), but I will not shy away from speaking in simple, broken japanese or use a translator to communicate. Reading/interpreting kanji is not a problem (in general).
• Visit history: Visited twice (once to Hokkaido for ~8 days, and once toKyoto and Osaka for 8 days
• Will probably travel around with a (slightly) oversized luggage at ~166cm (A+B+C), that’s the only one I have with me. This will be a problem on the Shinkansen (but hopefully not so much on sightseeing trains/limited expresses).
• Will be visiting during (almost) peak autumn at 11 November, and will depart on the 16th of December
• Jet lag is unlikely to be a problem (1h time difference), but nevertheless I will maintain a low tempo on the first day to acclimatize to the environment
• Only thing firmed as of now is the air ticket, everything else is up in the air.
• I like planning/min-maxing to some degree, though I recognize that I may not fulfill all objectives during the trip and I am totally ok with that [its just a guideline or framework to give the holiday some structure, that’s all.] FWIW, I personally like traveling at a high tempo pace like some japanese travel show do (e.g. ローカル路線バス乗り継ぎの旅)

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Specific goals/objective:

1. Experience Shikoku in autumn (specifically the views at Iya Valley) and in other prefectures (thus making nature sightseeing more of a priority this time round)
2. Experience Kanazawa for anime stuff
3. Experience the Shimanami Kaido in full (including any sightseeing spots in between the 6 island chains)
4. Bonus - try as many sightseeing trains as possible.
5. Bonus - if weather, time and schedule permits, try skiing as an option in Nagano.
6. Bonus - stay in as many onsen ryokans as possible, without breaking the bank.

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Locked-in prefectures [i.e. I will definitely go to those prefectures no matter what]:

1. Shikoku (as per above objective)
2. Hiroshima (because its on the opposite end of the Shimanami Kaido)
3. Kanazawa (for anime related reason)
4. Tokyo (that is my starting and end point so it has to be included by default)

All other prefectures are basically float i.e. I am open to consider dropping said itinerary for something else based on your suggestion that aligns with my preferences/interest. Most of the other locations I added are prefectures that are often next to each other, or well-connected (apart from the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump via Sunrise Seto/Shinkansen).
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Wait-list prefectures (prefectures that I want to go, but I don’t think I can realistically fit in without dropping other locations):

1. Snow skiing at Nagano (depending on how cooperative the weather is in early-ish December (would 2 days be sufficient?))
2. Ehime, Kochi expansion [spend 1-3 more days]
3. Izu Peninsula (~2 days, via Saphir Odoriko)
4. Nagoya + lower Nagano (Kiso Valley) (~3 days)
5. Ishikawa expansion [1 extra day at Kaga]

I am open to dropping a few days in Tokyo/Osaka etc to make that trade off [currently kept 3 days free for further development]. Alternatively, if the planning can be better optimized based on your inputs I might be able to do one of those without compromising on the base set. I would like to hear your opinion on what locations you would drop in the itinerary to make time for one of the above.
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General planning philosophy:

1. My itineary adopts a breadth approach (cover as much area as I can humanely possible without rushing/touch-and-go) as opposed to depth (i.e. spending much more time within Shikoku than what I allocated); though I would be open to considering more days at selected locations if you have strong recommendations. My thought is to experience how different autumn is at various parts of the country (if possible), and maybe winter too (to a certain degree).
2. Due to the nature of my travel, I note that luggage logistics is a critical consideration when moving between prefectures; my thought is to park that luggage at the next hotel as quickly as possible so that I can free myself for sightseeing within the vicinity, or leave the luggage at the hotel after I check out until I am ready to travel to the next location. I will need to send (quite a fair bit of) emails to the hotels to confirm on this prior to booking.
3. I will attempt to minimize transit time between prefectures to no more than 2~3 hours a day to avoid having excessively long transport days (except the initial Tokyo Kagawa jump).
4. Because of the long trip, I will also need to factor a bit of downtime at night for administrative stuff (e.g. catching up a little bit on work, laundry etc).

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Shikoku (~7 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. I will need to exploit Limited Express trains as much as possible to minimize downtime between the 4 prefectures. Fortunately, for the most part these train frequencies are almost hourly, thus missing one train isnt too deadly consequence-wise.
2. The transfer between Kochi and Ehime [Matsuyama] is oddly quicker via express bus as opposed to trains (!)
3. For Kochi, my opinion is that it is best explored on car instead of public transport [it’s a really wide prefecture]; I feel that 1 day may not do it justice, but it is probably adequate for exploring the city centre as a whole.
4. There's a fair bit of uncertainties while planning this leg so I would deeply appreciate any advice you may have.
5. This current iteration is unable to weave in the Shikoku Mannaka Sennen Monogatari sightseeing train [四国まんなか千年ものがたり] ; if you people think its something not to be missed do let me know and I will reshuffle my timetable as such.

Day 0: Tokyo Kagawa (Sunrise Seto) [Saturday, 11 Nov]

• Touch down at Narita at 1720hours
• Transfer to Tokyo Station via NEX or Skyliner
• Settle administrative matters at the Midori-no-Maruguchi (e.g. get all the booked tickets etc from JR Pass, for Shinkansen and all other sightseeing trains) at Tokyo Station.
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is obtained via the JR West portal booking, chill till 2200 and take Sunrise Seto to reach Kagawa (Takamatsu) at 0700 the next day. Try to snag the ticket online (likely via the japanese portal since there's no option to buy Solo Deluxe through the english/international website. Otherwise, compromise and go for Single)
• IF Sunrise Seto ticket is NOT obtained, proceed to take the furthest possible Shinkansen westwards (probably Okayama) and rest for the night.

Day 1: Kagawa (Takamatsu) [Sunday, 12 Nov]

• Chill around Takamatsu. Drop luggage at coin locker OR the hotel (near JR Takamatsu ideally)
• Look at whats left of Takamatsu Castle en route to the port.
• Day trip to Naoshima or Teshima to visit the art museums (Chichu Art Museum, Lee Ufan Museum etc).
• Ritsuin Garden in the evening (closes 1830)
• Find an eatery with Sanuki Udon for dinner if possible.

Day 2: Kagawa (Kotohira) Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Monday, 13 Nov]

• Morning trip from Takamatsu to Kotohira (either via JR or Kotoden). Visit Kotohiragu [includes inner shrine] and Kanamaruza Theater
• Return to Kotohira to pick up luggage, transit to Oboke via Limited Express Shimanto [Takamatsu Tadotsu Oboke]
• Retire at a local hotel around Oboke. If time permits, take the chance to explore around Oboke Gorge itself.

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Day 3: Tokushima (Iya Valley) [Tuesday, 14 Nov]
[Post-research note: I realized that there is NO public transport to Mount Tsurugi on a weekday. I will have to rent a taxi direct to Mount Tsurugi, make the 'climb', then thereafter take the taxi down to the other attractions. I am inclined to just go full hog on the private taxi and rent it (almost the whole day, probably 7~8 hours for 4300yen/hour) to save the trouble.
Otherwise, I will need to hike downhill which can be rather rough since its just a single lane road (looking at nearly 10++ km) so I think it wise not to penny pinch in the interest of both time and safety.]
Spend the day at Iya Valley.

• Take a taxi after breakfast to zip to Mount Tsurugi and speedrun it to the mountain peak (aka using the chairlift to speedrun a good chunk of the mountain) about 2.5 hours ~ 3 hours as per the Iya Valley guide
• Taxi from Mount Tsurugi chairlift down to Oku-Iya Niju Kazuraashi and cross it (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi down to visit the mannequins/scarecrows at Nagoro Village (~3km downhill from Oku-Iya). (~1 hour estimate)
• Check out the Peeing Boy Statue (~0.5 hour estimate [its just looking at the statue that is overlooking the entire gorge is it not?])
• Cross the outer vine bridge Iya-no-Kazurabashi (~1 hour estimate)
• Taxi back to Oboke, and retire for the day (~0.5 hour estimate, thus looking at about ~8 hours taxi rental total, with some leeway for lunch break)

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Day 4: Tokushima (Iya Valley) Kochi (Kochi) [Wednesday, 15 Nov]

• Transit from Iya Valley [Oboke] to Kochi via Limited Express Shimanto (again) after breakfast. (~1 hour transit)
• Park luggage at hotel [ideally near JR Kochi Station], then proceed to mill around Kochi, visiting places such as Kochi Castle [高知城] and Harimaya Bridge[はりまや橋]
• Transit to Sakamoto Ryoma Memorial Museum [高知県立坂本龍馬記念館] via local bus which is also near Katsumatsura Beach incidentally. Chill at Katsumatsura Beach in the evening
• Return to JR Kochi, dinnesupper at Hirome Market (ideally to try out Kochi's speciality seared bonito). [is visiting the market more preferable during lunch OR dinner?]

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Day 5: Kochi (Kochi) Ehime (Imabari) [Thursday, 16 Nov]

• Complete any remaining items in Kochi in the morning, then transit to Imabari via train (Kochi Tadotsu Imabari), via Limited Express Shimanto (yet again!) and Ishidzuchi**[TBC: this might be better done via highway bus instead which is faster at ~2-3 hours]**
• Drop luggage at Imabari for the next 2 days, either at Sunrise Itoyama OR Cycle no Ie. [both are well positioned for the Shimanami Kaido, and are also one of the selected hotels eligible for the Sagawa luggage transfer.] Ideally done just around lunch time, so that there's still the better half of the day to explore Imabari.
• Spend the remainder of the day visiting Imabari Castle (closes 1700) and Towel Museum (slightly out of the way) (closes 1800) [TBC: I note this place is quite out of the way from Imabari itself, even the JP website suggests taking a taxi (!) there from the nearby train station. Might have to drop this).
• Attempt to try some Ehime-related food specialties e.g. Taimeshi (Sea Bream), Ehime oranges, Champon for the next 2 days

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Day 6: Ehime (Matsuyama / Imabari) [Friday, 17 Nov]

• Take the Limited express train Ishidzuchi to Matsuyama day tripping. (~1h one-way).
• Explore Matsuyama Castle, and the nearby Matsuyama Ropeway Shopping Street
• Visit Shiki Memorial Museum
• Visit Dogo Onsen [and attempt to soak in the waters if possible].
• Also consider looking at Ishiteji (石手寺) beside Dogo Onsen.
• Bonus: Subject to train schedule, if possible, attempt to secure tickets for the Iyonada Sightseeing Train (伊予灘物語), Futami leg [双海ふたみ 編] , and also visit JR Shimonada Station (JR下灘駅) at the same time.
• Bonus: visit Yawatahama Port where the movie Suzume took reference from,
• Return to Imabari via the same Limited express Ishidzuchi and retire for the night.

Day 7: Ehime (Imabari) Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido) [Saturday, 18 Nov]
I am of the opinion that 1 day in Shimanami Kaido is adequate if I attempt just the main route which is about 80km [as a test run, I did 70km and finished it within 6-7 hours with lunch breaks included]. For now I will plan for two full days, however should I truncate it down to one day later, I will add an extra day to either explore Matsuyama or Okayama.
​

• Start off at Sunrise Itoyama [watch the sunrise, have breakfast here, cafeteria opens at 0700, rental opens at 0800] OR Cycle no Ie. Do paperwork to send luggage over to the next accomodation via Sagawa.
• I will (probably) follow the recommended 'extended' route on Cycle no Ie's website and do the following:
  • Take the west coast for Oshima (~13km) and cross to Hakatajima, with possible stop on:
    • Mount Kiro Observatory Point [I am aware that there's a steep incline so this would be contingent on my physical/mental status by then].
    • Nagahama Beach
• Take the coastal route for Hakatajima (~17km) and cross to Omishima and enjoy the coastal scenery
• Take the coastal route (again) for Omishima (~41km) (or lesser depending on how I'm feeling at that point) , with possible stop on:
  • -TBC: Okunoshima (there is apparently a ferry route to the well-known rabbit island via Omishima port. Not sure if anyone else have tried this particular route and if this is a better approach than going through Tadano-umi (though I would acknowledge that there's historical stuff to visit in nearby Takehara), and I would not be able to buy rabbit food in advance).[Based on Google Earth estimate, its about 3km for the entire island loop - seems doable within 2 hours to tour the poison gas museum with a bike and pet some rabbits).
  • Oyamazumi Shrine Treasure Museum
• End the day at WAKKA (Omishima) OR Guesthouse NEST / Soil Setoda (Ikuchijima) just beside Kousanji / The Hill of Hope (closes 1700). If possible, visit before closing, otherwise defer to next day.
• Try the ice cream at Dolce at Ikuchijima if possible.
• Bonus: if for some reason I am still ahead of time at this juncture (<1500), proceed to finish Innoshima and Mukaishima, then take a ferry to backtrack to Wakka/Soil Setoda or cycle back (last boat is ~1700) and rest; however, the next day I will zip straight to Onomichi via ferry after breakfast.

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Hiroshima + Yamaguchi (~4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Onomichi is a pretty good base to jump to Okayama to explore Okayama, Kurashiki or Tomonoura with the Shinkansen accessibility, but it is impossible to cover them all within a single day. If I finish the Shimanami Kaido within a single day or finish it early on the second day, I will have that extra time to visit those.
2. There's another sightseeing train etSETOra from Onomichi to Hiroshima but it only operates on Monday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday. For now the schedule could fit the train timetable pretty nicely.
3. Would anyone suggest visiting Miyajima in the morning or in the evening? This would help me determine the order for the Kintaikyo Bridge/Miyajima day trip. Watching the sunset at either destination is pretty good in my books.

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Day 8: Hiroshima (Shinamani Kaido Onomichi) [Sunday, 19 Nov]

• Continue from Ikuchijima towards Innoshima and Mukaishima (~18km) via the western coast route after breakfast, with possible stops on the following areas:
  • Innoshima: Innoshima Flower Centre, Shimanami Beach [open to more suggestions]
  • Mukaishima : there seems to be a lot of brunch places like Willows Nursery etc, soak the view at Mukaishima Rest Park [TBC: open to more suggestions]

Ideally reach Onomichi just around lunch or earlier. Chill for the rest of the day, and if I'm still up for it, explore Onomichi, including but not limited to:

• Exploring the cat alley
• Visit the exhibits at Onomichi City Museum of Art
• Consider walking to Senkoji and Onomichi Hondori Shopping Street
• Look into trying Onomichi-style ramen.

Retire at a guesthouse/hotel near JR Onomichi that I have forwarded the luggage to.
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Day 9: Hiroshima (Onomichi, Takehara+Kure OR Tomonoura OR Okayama) Downtown Hiroshima) [Monday, 20 Nov]

• Mill around Onomichi in the morning (if not done yesterday), with a side trip to EITHER Takehara/Kure OR Okayama/Kurashiki OR Tomonoura (choose one):
  • Takehara: stroll along the historical townscape [and look if they have any Tamayura-related merch], Okunoshima (if not done during the Shimanami Kaido leg / Kure: look into trying Kure curry/Niku-jaga and visit the Yamato Museum
  • Okayama: Okayama Castle (zip via Shinkansen) / Kurashiki : Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter
  • Tomonoura: stroll along the townscape during the day (zip via Shinkansen, transfer to local bus)
• Return to Onomichi (no later than 1400), board the etSETOra sightseeing train at 1437, and zip to Hiroshima. Enjoy the sunset along the coastline.
• Retire for the night at Hiroshima proper, probably near JR Hiroshima OR the bus terminal. If time permits, take a gander along the streets and see what takes me from there.

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Day 10: Hiroshima (Downtown Hiroshima) [Tuesday, 21 Nov]
Spend the day surveying Hiroshima proper.

• Peace Memorial Park (平和記念公園) and Atomic Bomb Dome
• Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims (国立広島原爆死没者追悼平和祈念館)
• Hiroshima Castle
• Orizuru Tower (おりづるタワー)
• Shukkeien (縮景園)
• Optional: Mazda Museum / Kure (if not done the previous day)
• Try to source for Hiroshima-specific food: Okonomiyaki, Dandan Noodles

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Day 11: Hiroshima (with a day trip to Yamaguchi) [Wednesday, 22 Nov]

• Daytrip to Yamaguchi [Shin-Iwakuni] to visit Kintaikyo Bridge via Shinkansen. Also stop by the nearby Iwakuni Castle.
• Try Tonosama Sushi at Iwakuni if possible.
• Take the local train back to Miyajimaguchi and take the boat to Itsukushima.Take the time to stroll around the island and perhaps watch the sunset at the torii gate.
• Exit back to Hiroshima via boat to Hiroshima Port direct, and transit back to hotel.

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Shimane + Tottori (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Matsue becomes the main jump point for Shimane just because of the subsidized highway bus from Hiroshima, and ease of access towards Tottori later. There's no direct train between Hiroshima and Izumo/Matsue (!).
2. Tottori is really wide size-wise, to the point that it feels more efficient to have two separate hotels in two nights (Kurayoshi/Misasa Onsen + downtown Tottori) rather than one hotel for two nights (i.e. downtown Tottori). Could be just me making excuses to get into an onsen ryokan however.
3. Is there anything interesting at Yonago (Tottori) that I should take note of? Based on my initial survey nothing in particular pops up (other than the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park).
4. Skipping Tottori Castle since it doesn’t seem to be interesting at first glance. Any other interesting things to at Tottori downtown (or nearby)?

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Day 12: Hiroshima Shimane (Matsue) [Thursday, 23 Nov]

• Make good use of the 500yen highway bus from Hiroshima to Matsue. (3.5 hours transit). Fortunately the frequency is not too bad (7-8 buses per day, looking at 0800 departure or later); if there are still outstanding places to visit in Hiroshima I will visit them in the morning.
• Check in at a hotel near JR Matsue, and proceed to trawl around Matsue with whatever daylight is left. (TBC: am considering taking a few stops down to Tamatsukuri Onsen 玉造温泉 or Matsue-shinjoko Onsen instead of the typical hotel. Does anyone have any positive experiences there?)
• Attempt to spend the afternoon at the Adachi Museum of Art. Local train to Yasugi, transfer to free shuttle.
• Chill off in downtown Matsue for the night. Prowl for Shimane-specific food such as Naniwa Zushi (浪花寿司), Shijimi clams (しじみ), Izumo soba, Izumo Zenzai (出雲ぜんざい).
• Bonus: visit the Tottori Prefectural Flower Park for the winter Hanakairo Flower Illumination at Yonago at night [which is just beside Matsue. Free shuttle bus at Yonago bus terminal].

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Day 13: Shimane (Izumo / Matsue) [Friday, 24 Nov]

• Day trip from Matsue to Izumo. (JR Matsue JR Izumo, swap to Ichibata local rail to Izumotaisha-mae)
• Take a stop at Izumo Taisha, as well as the nearby Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo (島根県立古代出雲歴史博物館)
• After lunch, return to JR Matsue and proceed to Yushien Garden (由志園) via bus. Enjoy the sunset over the garden.
• Stop by Matsue Castle on the way back.

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Day 14: Shimane (Matsue) Tottori (Kurayoshi) [Saturday, 25 Nov]

• Transfer from Matsue to Kurayoshi in the morning via Super Matsukaze Limited Express (~1h).
• Settle down luggage at Misasa Onsen, then proceed to hike up Mitokusan Sanbutsuji Temple (三仏寺). Cater extra time just in case I have to wait for another fellow to pop up to climb in pairs. Estimated climb time excluding wait is about 2-3 hours both ways?
• Excess time to be spent sauntering Misasa Onsen and its nearby area such as the Nijisseiki Pear Museum [二十世紀梨記念館（なしっこ館)] and Kurayoshi Historical Quarter.
• Retire at Misasa Onsen for the night. Bonus: watch the constellations at night at Misasa Onsen on a Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 2100JST. Current plan does not fall within those 3 weekdays
• Bonus: take a short detour to Conan Town (postnote: not a big fan of the show).

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Day 15: Tottori (Kurayoshi Tottori) [Sunday, 26 Nov]

• Transfer from Kurayoshi to Tottori (~35minutes transfer) in the morning, and proceed to tour around Tottori.
• Drop luggage, take a local bus to Tottori Sand Dunes, and visit the nearby Sand Museum.
• Transfer northwards to Uradome Coast via local bus and spend the remainder of the day there. Watch the sunset over the coast.
• Return to downtown Tottori, stroll around and call it a night.

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Hyogo, Kyoto, Osaka , Nara, Mie (10 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Kinosaki Onsen is intentionally designed to be a slow-paced leg to recover [and also to make time to enjoy the onsens].
2. The limited express train between Kinosaki Onsen and Osaka stops by Himeji thus I thought of resting a night there instead of doing day trips via Osaka.
3. Osaka itinerary does look sparse but that is in large part because I have already visited most of them in the past. Nevertheless, I would like to experience how different it is in autumn compared to summer [based on those few destinations that I loved going previously].
4. I have kept one float day to decompress, OR shift to any of the other prefectures (TBC).
5. There are (multiple) special limited express train by Kintetsu; they're not covered by JR pass but nevertheless I would love to ride on those as an experience. The Kintetsu pass covers the basic fare only but based on my preliminary cost estimate, it is still worth getting it.
6. Is it feasible to compress Himeji and Kobe to a single day?
7. The itineraries for Osaka, Kyoto, Nara and Mie are flexible since they're literally beside one another - makes it particularly easy to shift around base on ground situation.

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Day 16: Tottori (Tottori) Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen) [Monday, 27 Nov]

• Settle any outstanding sightseeing spots in the morning if required in Tottori, then transfer to Kinosaki Onsen via the Sanin Line.
• Make a pitstop at Amarube ('Sky Station') and marvel at the engineering work.
• Deposit luggage at the ryokan (or put in the coin locker), and stroll around and enjoy Kinosaki Onsen [after all its an onsen town].
• Try to hit as many of the 7 external onsens that are usable. Retire for the night here.
• Optional: go up the ropeway and oversee Kinosaki Onsen in the evening (last ride up ~1630)
• Optional: take a short hike up to Onsenji Temple.

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Day 17: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen + Northern Kyoto (Amanohashidate) day trip) [Tuesday, 28 Nov]

• Optional: take a (very) early start to the day to Takeda Castle Ruins and witness the 'floating castle' effect in the morning (<0800).
• Day trip to Amanohashidate via ToyookaKyotango Railway. Do the funny bend-down pose on the bench at Amanohashidate View Land, and see how it feels like looking at the world inverted.
• Cross the sandbar and look from the other side (Nariaiji Temple / Kasamatsu Park)
• Select one of three additional side-trips:
  • EITHER take a local bus up to Ine to look at the Funaya + sightseeing boat,
  • OR local rail down to Maizuru to look at the Maizuru World Brick Museum + eat at the Michi-no-eki;
  • OR reverse to Toyooka spend time in the city itself e.g. Izushi Castle Town
• Return to Kinosaki Onsen, and continue experiencing the remainder of the onsens. Retire for the night here. Optional: ride the Aomatsu sightseeing train back to Toyooka.
• Optional: Take a trip to Ankokuji Temple (安国寺) in the evening. Likely to visit post-peak autumn which means less than ideal viewing conditions.

Day 18: Hyogo (Kinosaki Onsen Himeji) [Wednesday, 29 Nov]

• Transit from Kinosaki Onsen to Himeji via Limited Express Hamakaze (~2 hours).
• Deposit luggage at the hotel or the coin lockers at the station, then proceed for sightseeing.
• Walk along the Miyuki Street Shopping District which is en-route to Himeji Castle.
• Himeji Castle sector : Himeji Castle (姫路城), Kokoen (好古園)
• Take a local bus at Himeji Castle to go to Mount Shosha and hike up Engyōji Temple (圓教寺)
• Optional : Stroll along Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History and/or Himeji City Museum of Art which is beside the castle, OR Shosha Handicraft Museum which is just at the foot of Mount Shosha
• Optional: Make a detour to the Japan Toy Museum near Koro station (~30 minutes from JR Himeji). Closes 1700.
• Look for Hyogo-specific food: Kobe beef, steamed pork buns, sobameshi, himeji oden, etc

Retire at Himeji for the night.
Day 19: Hyogo (Himeji Kobe) Osaka (Dotonburi) [Thursday, 30 Nov]
Day trip to Kobe, before continuing further down to Osaka.

• Check out from Himeji, transit further down to Kobe for another stop before Osaka. Place luggage at the holding facility within the Shinkansen station.
• Take a visit to the Earthquake Memorial Museum (人と防災未来センター) to look at the devastation wrought by the 1995 earthquake.
• Stroll along Kobe Harborland (神戸ハーバーランド) and Meriken Park (メリケンパーク) , look at the Kobe Tower since its closed till 2024 for renovation, and look at the damage caused by the earthquake
• Optional: Head westwards to Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art.
• Optional: Hit up the ASICS Sports Museum (アシックススポーツミュージアム)
• Look at the engineering feat that is the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and the nearby Akashi Kaikyo Bridge Exhibition Center at Maiko. (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Return to Shin-kobe, pick up luggage, and transit to Shin-Osaka via Shinkansen, and then to Dotonburi/Shinsaibashi. End the (long) day in Osaka.

Day 20: Osaka [Friday, 1 Dec]
Osaka Nostalgia (acid) trip, speedrun edition: revisiting places that I want to go again

• Day trip to Mino Park and revisit the waterfall (I loved visiting it previously) via the Hankyu line in the morning.
• Zoom down to the Osaka Aquarium after lunch and walk around it (Minoo Umeda Honmachi Osakako Station).
• From there, race towards Abeno Harukas and watch the sunset/nightview at Abeno Harukas.
• Bonus: revisit Sumiyoshi Taisha if time permits.
• Spend whatever time remains at night at Nipponbashi Denden Town (shops close at ~2000) and Dotonburi (some stores are still open near midnight) and/or Shinsekai (新世界).

Day 21: Osaka (Nara day trip) [Saturday, 2 Dec]
Spend a day in Nara.

• Zoom from Namba to Nara via Kintetsu (note: non-JR)
• Explore Todaiji Temple, Kokufuji Temple, Isuien Garden and Kasuga Taisha.
• Optional: pass by Naramachi (奈良町) on the way back.
• Take the Kintetsu line down to Mount Yoshino. [TBC: subject to whether I am too early or late for the koyo.Based on last year's prediction I am about 1-2 weeks too late. Might swap this out to a Uji day trip instead in Kyoto.). Spend time walking around the Shimo Senbon and Naka Senbon and experience the autumn.
• Transfer back to Osaka. Bonus: take the Blue Symphony back to Osaka instead of the typical train. (non-JR)

Day 22: Osaka (Mie day trip) [Sunday, 3 Dec]
Day trip to Mie.

• Take the Iseshima Liner from Tsuruhashi Station (near Namba/Dotonburi) to Ise. Bonus: take the Hinotori from Osaka to Tsu, then transfer to Mie. (non-JR)
• Hit up Ise Jingu (伊勢神宮) [both inner and outer] and Okage Yokocho (おかげ横丁)
• Try to eat Matsuaka Beef or Ise Udon for lunch.
• Head westwards to Futamiokitama Shrine (二見興玉神社) / Meotoiwa Rocks; and if further time permits, go to Toba for the Ama Viewing Platform.
• Take the returning Shimakaze Limited Express train back to Osaka (note: only one train at 1630; if this train is missed, change to normal express trains). (non-JR)
• Retreat back to Osaka for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.

Day 23: Osaka ('north' Kyoto day trip) [Monday, 4 Dec]
(north) Kyoto day trip.

• Take a stop at the Kyoto Railway Museum. Optional: also consider heading to To-ji Gojunoto first if I reach Kyoto way early before 10am.
• Walk back to Kyoto station, and take a bus northwards to Kyoto Manga Museum.
• Hop on the bus direct from the Manga Museum to Kinkakuji. [bus 15]
• Select one of two side-trips:
  • EITHER head westwards to Arashiyama (note: already visited once in the summer but I still think it nice to visit in autumn/winter this time round). Bonus: experience sunset along the Togetsukyo Bridge.
  • OR head eastwards to Higashiyama (closes 1700), Philosopher's path etc (did not visit these in my past trip here so there's the 'new' factor, but it is going to be a physically taxing day. Also, most likely will reach here nearing evening i.e. closing time thus there's a limit to how much I can visit realistically).

Whichever choice, return back to Osaka for the night. Look out for Kyoto-specific food such as Yudofu, Saba Sushi, Warabi Mochi, Nishin Soba (にしんそば) etc.
Day 24: Osaka ('south' Kyoto day trip) [Tuesday, 5 Dec]
(south) Kyoto day trip edition (mainly Uji and Fushimi).

• Zip from Osaka to Kyoto via Keihan to Uji Station.
• Spend the better half of the morning in Uji.
• Visit the Byōdō-in and the nearby Tonoshima and Tachibana Island.
• Hike up to the Daikichiyama Observation Deck to oversee Uji as a whole. On the way down, explore Ujigami Shrine.
• Take the chance to buy some Uji tea as gifts to relatives. Have lunch along the Omotesando Road.
• Head further northwards to Fushimi, and do another hike up Fushimi Inari. (Note: visited once in the past but I liked the experience thus I would like to do it again.) Bonus: if its done in the evening.

Head back to Osaka and retire for the night. Consider doing any other night activities in Osaka if time, and body permits.
Day 25: Osaka (wildcard) [Wednesday, 6 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
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Kanazawa, Gifu+ (4 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Is it likely for the skiing season to open around 9~10 December at Shiga Kogen or Nozawa Onsen? Would very much like to try skiing for fun, but am uncertain if the snow condition would be satisfactory by then. Some of the skiing website indicates that these two destinations are usually the first to open. I would like to seek advise on this if possible [never skiied before].
2. As an additional question to point 1, is 2 days adequate just to get a flavor on skiing?
3. Kanazawa is a pretty solid jump point to Shirakawago/Takayama via express buses (~1 to 2 hour one way).
4. My initial planning considered going to Kurobe Gorge (Toyama) but apparently the railways are closed from December onwards. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
5. Another sightseeing train in Kanazawa that I can fit in nicely in my current plans (花嫁のれん), runs on Mon/Fri/Sat/Sun.

Day 26: Osaka Ishikawa (Kanazawa (Kanazawa cityside)) [Thursday, 7 Dec]

• Zip from Osaka to Kanazawa via Limited Express Thunderbird in the early morning (~3hours; ideally the 0740 or 0810 service). Drop luggage at the hotel near JR Kanazawa and explore the cityside.
• Have lunch at the Omicho Market (近江町市場), OR at Higashi Chaya District.
• Stroll around Kanazawa Castle (金沢城, Kanazawajō) and the nearby Kenrokuen (兼六園) / Seisonkaku Villa (成巽閣, Seisonkaku) .
• Consider visiting one or more of the nearby museums if possible:
  • D.T. Suzuki Museum OR
  • National Crafts Museum OR
  • 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art
• Optional: Head southwards to Myoryuji Temple + Nishi Chaya District.
• Optional: Head northwards to Higashi Chaya District (if not done for lunch).

Any outstanding spots not completed today, to be rolled over to the next 2 days (if possible).

• Retire in Kanazawa for the night. Be on the lookout for Kanazawa-specific food: Gold-leaf ice cream, oden, hanton rice
• Optional: have a stay at Yuwaku Onsen for at least one night for anime-related reasons. (Hanasaku Iroha)

​
Day 27: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside) / Gifu (Shirakawago, Takayama) [Friday, 8 Dec]

• Day trip to Shiwakawago and Takayama via Nohi bus (non-JR, ~1h). Grab the morning bus express bus to Shirakawago and explore the place in the morning. Experience early snowfall (?) there. Optional: visit Ainokura on the way towards Shirakawago.
• Take another express bus down to Takayama for lunch (~1h travel time).
• Explore what Takayama has to offer. Stroll along the old town near the bus terminal and visit the Takayama Jinya. If time permits, stroll along the Higashiyama Walking Course.
• Optional: pay a visit to Hida Folk Village.
• Return to Kanazawa via Hida Limited Express to Toyama Shinkansen to Kanazawa, OR take the same Nohi express bus directly back (non-JR).
• Retire at Kanazawa for the night. Last express bus from Takayama to Kanazawa is 1630, arrive at 1845. Alternatively, head northwards to Toyama via JR and transfer to Kanazawa.

​
Day 28: Ishikawa (Kanazawa cityside / outskirts) [Saturday, 9 Dec]
Side trip to Wakura Onsen / Nanao for anime-related sightseeing. (Insomanics after Class, Hanasaku Iroha)

• Zoom from Kanazawa up to Wakura Onsen/Nanao via Limited Express Noto Kagaribi. Do some sightseeing related to Insomanics after Class and Hanasaku Iroha.
• Do some train spotting with two anime along the Noto Railways. Stop at Nishigishi station for some sightseeing. (non-JR)
• Return to Kanazawa in the evening from Wakura Onsen via the sightseeing train Hanayomenoren [花嫁のれん, last train 1630).
• End the night at Kanazawa.

Day 29: Ishikawa (wildcard) [Sunday, 10 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
--------------
Tokyo (~6 days)
Specific thoughts while planning:

1. Specific interest to target: anime/vtuber stuff, music (piano in particular), bookstores etc.
2. This is the point in time I should go ham on souvenier purchase if I have not done so. I'll probably get an extra cardboard box or duffel bag to lug with me to the airport to store extra stuff.
3. Would like to seek recommendation on where I should set my base for the 5~6 days here. For now I am planning to pit at Ginza, subject to availability and cost. My thought is that as long as its along the Yamanote line everything rolls I suppose.
4. Hard pass on Golden Gai on the Shunjuku leg (I do not drink).
5. There's way too many to list in terms of what I would like to do in Tokyo, but I have listed items that are of particular interest to me first within the available time frame. If you have strong opinions on specific locations do let me know.

Day 30: Ishikawa (Kanazawa) Tokyo (Ginza) [Monday, 11 Dec]

• Zip from Kanazawa to Tokyo via the Hoririku Shinkansen in the morning (just north of two hours). (TBC : If I can optimize my schedule better, I can try squeezing two days here for a stop at Nozawa Onsen / Shiga Kogen (Nagano) for a short ski experience).
• Deposit luggage at one of the Ginza hotels (TBC: subject to cost; might swap for another location later on)
• Explore ('south') Tokyo with the remainder of the day.
• Marvel at the architecture that is the Tokyo Station and its surrounding.
• Visit the Imperial Palace.
• Head south towards the Mori Art Museum (closes 2200)
• End the night with a stop at Tokyo Tower (closes 2230).

Day 31: Tokyo (Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano) [Tuesday, 12 Dec]
Explore ('west') Tokyo, namely Shibuya, Shinjuku and Nakano.

• Start off with an early day visit to Meji Shrine / Yoyogi Park.
• Head up to Shinjuku. Spend the remainder of the morning and lunch exploring Kabukicho, Hanazono Shrine and Omoide Yokochō (ideally have lunch here). Also make a pit stop at Kinokuniya's flagship store at Shinjuku.
• Head northwards to Nakano Broadway and trawl for anime goods for several hours (closes ~1900)
• Head south down back to Shibuya and experience the crossing in peak night condition. Walk around and soak in the atmosphere. Optional: stop by the Ishibashi music store at Shibuya (closes 2000).
• Cap off the night and look at the night view at Shibuya Sky (closes 2230). Zip back to the hotel at Ginza.

Day 32: Tokyo (Akibahara, Asakusa and Sky Tree) [Wednesday, 13 Dec]

• Kick off the day with a morning visit to Asakusa (i.e. Sensoji).
• Transit over to Tokyo Skytree to watch the Tokyo cityscape in the day.
• Trawl around Akibahara for the afternoon. (Animate, Sega claw machines, etc).
• Also stop by Ochanomizu for sightseeing (Suzume no Tojimari)
• Zip back to the hotel for the night. If time permits, stop by the two flagship music stores along Ginza: Yamaha Ginza and Yamano Ginza. Also, visit Itoya Ginza (stationary store).

Day 33: Tokyo (Kamakura day trip OR Ikebukuro) [Thursday, 14 Dec]
EITHER take a day trip Kamakura, OR explore northern Tokyo (Ikebukuro)
Kamakura leg:

• Make a detour to Used Tyre Market Sagamihara Store to experience the retro vending machines. Then head southwards to Enoshima.
• Look at the giant Buddha statue and stroll along Hasedera.
• Take the Enoden to Enoshiima and explore the island.
• Take the JR back to Ginza and retire for the night.

Tokyo (Ikebukuro leg):

• Visit Otome Road for otaku related stuffs.
• Trawl the usual suspects such as Bic Camera etc.
• Make a stop at the Mejiro Gardens.
• Visit the Waseda International House of Literature (The Haruki Murakami Library) at Waseda University.

Day 34: Tokyo (wildcard) [Friday, 15 Dec]
Spare day to do whatever I feel like doing OR reallocate this to another prefecture. Intentionally left blank for later planning
​
Day 35: Tokyo Home [Saturday, 16 Dec]

• Contemplate life at the hotel, doing whatever I feel like for the morning and early afternoon. Bonus: have an early breakfast at Tsukiji Market in the morning if staying at Ginza.
• Clear any last minute administrative matter (if any), or do (very) last minute sightseeing/buying. Most likely limited to Ginza and Akibahara.
• Get a nice lunch omakase to cap it off if possible. (taking recommendations if anyone has one, ideally meat/beef centric instead of just sushi).
• Head off to Narita from Tokyo Station via NEX just after lunch at 1430 1530 to Narita, flight at 1830.

END
---------------------
If you're still reading up to this point, here's my own personal ramblings/thoughts on JR pass usage:
I have thought of two ways of doing this for the first 21 days:
a. easy-mode : just get 21 days JR global pass before the price hike at 60450 yen, OR b. hard-mode: get a 7 day JR global pass (to cover the NEX fees, the basic fee on the Sunrise Seto to Shikoku, as well as limited express trains within Shikoku) (29650) + 5 days for JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass (15000) + 4 days for JR Sanin Okayama Area Pass + 5 days for JR Kansai Wide Area Pass (10000) for a total of 59230.
The initial conclusion was to go with option A since that reduces the administrative burden, but I realized the individual passes do have its own perk which truimphs over the global JR pass. For instance, the Sanin Okayama Area Pass provides a (minor) discount for the Adachi Museum of Art; the Kansai Wide Pass covers the Kyotango route between Kinosaki Onsen and Amanohashidate which the global JR pass does not cover, JR Okayama Hiroshima Yamaguchi Area Pass covers JR buses within Hiroshima for free, therefore I am inclined to go with the hell option (option B) as it stands.
For the remaining 14 days, I could also get the global 14 day JR pass at 47250 yen but it is not worth it at all, because I will be relying largely on Kintetsu for the Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Mie leg which the JR pass most certainly does not cover.

• For the Osaka/Nara/Mie/Kyoto leg, I intend to make good use of a mix of both local metro and the Kintetsu rail pass for 5 days (4900). If I do exploit Kintetsu's limited express train to its fullest, I should be able to save money by buying the pass. The Osaka Amazing Pass at 2600yen a day does not make financial sense for me this time round, given how little I am exploring within Osaka.
• For the Osaka Kanazawa, Shirakawago and Takayama leg, the preferred pass of choice is the Takayama-Hokuriku Area Tourist Pass over the global JR pass, in large part because this pass fully absorbs the Nohi highway bus fees (which can rack up quite a lot at ~8000yen for a return trip between Kanazawa and Shirakawago/Takayama). Also this absorbs the Thunderbird fee. One major issue with my current plan is that it does not cover Wakura Onsen nor the sightseeing train.
• For the final Kanazawa Tokyo leg, the preferred choice is the Horuriku Arch Pass that covers the direct Shinkansen back to Tokyo, and the NEX fees to Narita when I depart from Tokyo. Will only break even with the pass at best unless I make a stop at Nagano.

So all in all, there's quite little incentive to get the global JR pass after I worked out my schedule, apart from the initial 7 days for the Sunrise Seto jump which the All Shikoku Pass will not cover.
Through the hodge-podge of multiple area passes, it works out to around 102890 yen for the whole trip of 35 days, contrast with 107700 yen for a 21 + 14 global JR pass. While there's a minor cost saving doing the hard way which sweetens the deal, the additional minor perks associated with the area passes sells it for me, as I would had to pay more out of pocket to cover non-JR pass buses/rails and such which would add up to much greater cost than I would had anticipated. Also, if I did this trip post-price hike in October, the calculus becomes a no-brainer: avoid the global JR pass like the plague.
-----
Thank you very much for your opinions, suggestions and advice in advance!

Rough Outline
T.J Detweiler, Jose Caroilica, Panchito Pistoles, Vince LaSalle, Gretel Grant-Gomez, Molly McGee, Oliver "Ollie" Chen, Scratch, Andria Davenport and Libby Stine-Torrez are next room neighbors at the Boonchuy-Plantar Hotel, Andria’s parents handles the hotel’s finances of the Boonchuy-Plantar Hotel Libby’s mother reads poetry at the lobby while T.J’s mother is assistant curator of the natural history and Vince’s father handles reception while his mother is a bellhop the show would also follow Boonchuy-Plantar Hotel heiresses Anne, Sprig, Polly and Frobo, candy counter girl Willow Park and her assistant Candace Flynn, hotel manager Peter Prickly. Hotel assistant manager Major Francis Monogram, and the staff includes Murial Finster, Martin Chatterley, Dr. Jan, Dr. Frakes, Terri, Camellia Noceda, and Carl Karl the founders of the Boonchuy-Plantar Hotel Hop Pop, Mr. Boonchuy, and Mrs. Boonchuy. Mr. X and Agent Jenner would also be major shareholders in the Boonchuy-Plantar Hotel.
Main cast

1. T.J Detweiler
2. Jose Caroilica
3. Panchito Pistoles
4. Vince LaSalle
5. Gretel Grant-Gomez
6. Molly McGee
7. Oliver "Ollie" Chen
8. Scratch
9. Andria Davenport
10. Libby Stine-Torrez
11. Anne Boonchuy
12. Sprig Plantar
13. Polly Plantar
14. Frobo
15. Willow Park
16. Candace Flynn
17. Peter Prickly
18. Major Francis Monogram

Recurring cast

1. Martin Chatterley
2. Murial Finster
3. Dr. Jan
4. Dr. Frakes
5. Terri
6. Camellia Noceda
7. Carl Karl
8. Hop Pop
9. Mr. Boonchuy
10. Mrs. Boonchuy
11. Mr. X
12. Agent Jenner
13. Darius Deamonne
14. Raine Whispers
15. Terra Snapdragon
16. Adrian Graye Vernworth
17. Mason
18. Vitimir
19. Hettie Cutburn
20. Osran
21. Luz Noceda
22. Eda Clawthorne
23. King
24. Hooty
25. Edric Blight
26. Emira Blight
27. Boscha
28. Willow Park
29. Gus Porter
30. Amity Blight
31. Owlbert
32. Lilith Clawthorne
33. Hunter
34. Flapjack
35. Candle Fox
36. Humphrey Westwood
37. Molly Jo
38. Maggie
39. Robert Otto
40. Earwin Lawson
41. Vee
42. Randall J. Weems

Episode count
Episode 1 Hotel Friends: T.J and Vince struggles to find some friends at the Boonchuy-Plantar Hotel, however when they cross paths with the likes of Gretel Grant-Gomez Molly McGee, Andria Davenport and Libby Stine-Torrez the six realize they have more in common than they think and T.J shares some of his best moments at school including pulling practical jokes. Meanwhile Anne and Sprig introduce the Coven Heads at the hotel. Hearing the news, T.J and his pals devise a plan to pull a practical joke on them.
Episode 2 Secret’s Out: T.J Detweiler and his friends tries to keep the fact that he and his friends lives at the most luxurious hotel in Los Angeles a secret but that’s out the window when the school bus picks them up at the front of the hotel now that everyone knows where they live, T.J Detweiler is torn between wherever to invite fellow peers or not invite them at all.
Episode 3 Photo Perfect: When T.J Detweiler and Jose Caroilica read up on a news article about a famous gay couple (Gladstone Gander and Roy Fox) getting married at the hotel, the picture of the couple’s first kiss is estimated to be worth $600,000. With a 4K UHD camera T.J and his parrot pal Jose gets the winning picture shot with some help from Anne Boonchuy.
Episode 4 Sick on the 25th Floor: T.J Detweiler is stricken with a severe case of chickenpox and has to stay home for three weeks. With Darryel and Scratch of all people watching over his recovery. Meanwhile Anne and her friends partake in the girl’s soccer team and wins the national championship
Episode 5 Baseball Drop: Peter Prickly takes T.J, Jose, Wander and Sylvia to a Dodgers game and when Wander catches the baseball that wins the Dodges the game, Wander becomes the most beloved person in L.A. Meanwhile Candance Flynn and Anne Boonchuy are selected to co-host this year’s Oscars awards but Candance is nervous about this having stage fright so Anne helps Candance get over her stage fright.
Episode 6 Rumor Mill: When Anne starts a rumor about Candance and Jeremy getting back together and they go on break, in response, Candance spreads rumors that Anne and her parents support hardline Republicans who support machine gun legalization (repealing the NFA), enacting a federal 6-week abortion ban, hiring 870,000 ICE agents and massively expanding the fossil fuel industry. Then Anne spreads rumors that Candace and her parents support hardline progressive Democrats who want to make public utilities publicly owned and it’s employees government workers (making them eligible for union benefits), make the rich pay 94% in income taxes, a 65% wealth tax and make campaigning and elections publicly funded. Meanwhile T.J and Libby are selected to represent Third Street School at the Week in Washington program.
Crossover with the following shows

1. Recess
2. Amphibia
3. The Owl House
4. Hamster and Gretel
5. Phineas and Ferb
6. Milo Murphy’s Law
7. The Ghost and Molly McGee
8. Kiff
9. Star Vs The Forces of Evil
10. Big City Greens
11. The 7D
12. Gravity Falls
13. DuckTales (2017)
14. The 7D
15. Wander Over Yonder
16. Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil

Sample
[After T.J Detweiler had pranked Darius Deamonne with eletromaginets Anne Boonchuy slams T.J Detweiler against a wall and pins him and candy is dropped to the floor]
Anne Boonchuy: Are you froging kidding me? Pulling a prank like that! In my lobby! And on a Coven Head! Of all the guests you had to choose, it had to be a Coven Head!
T.J Detweiler: Come on Anne, boys will be boys?
Anne Boonchuy: Not when it means making us look bad in front of the guests! Look if your parents foun out about this, they'd be just as mad as I am!
Samuel "Sam" Detweiler (walks in): Acually, A talking to would suffice. But Anne, to go all Tony Soprano on him, he's three years yonger than you at least cut him some slack.
Anne Boonchuy looks at T.J Derweiler then lets him go.
Anne Boonchuy: Ok then, i'll cut you some slack T.J this time but if you plan on pranking someone do it on someone who deserves it.
[T.J Detweiler eyes at the candy on the floor]
Anne Boonchuy: Forget the froging candy, Detweiler!
[Anne Boonchuy hands a stack of cash to Willow Park]
Anne Boonchuy: Here You saw nothing.
Willow Park: I never saw or heard a thing.
Pros: Would evoke the nostalgia of The Suite Life of Zack and Cody fans
Cons: Everything in “The Suite Life of T.J.” would be non-canon for the following shows; Amphibia, The Owl House, Hamster and Gretel, Phineas and Ferb, Milo Murphy’s Law, The Ghost and Molly McGee, The 7D, Wander Over Yonder, Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil, Kiff, Star Vs The Forces of Evil, Big City Greens, The 7D, Gravity Falls, DuckTales (2017), The 7D, Wander Over Yonder and Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil pretty much like Chibiverse, also there would have to be one art style for all characters.

FYI, this is a story COLLECTION. Lots of standalones technically. So, you can basically start to read at any chapter, no pre-read of the other chapters needed technically (other than maybe getting better descriptions of characters than: Adam Vir=human, Krill=antlike alien, Sunny=tall alien, Conn=telepathic alien). The numbers are (mostly) only for organization of posts and continuity.
OC Written by Charlie Stastarrfallknightrise,
Typed up and then posted here by me.
Proofreading and language check for some chapters by u/Finbar9800
Future Lore and fact check done by me.
Apparently, Krill did not check with law enforcement after the Rumors chapter…
Well shit…
Previous First [Next](link)
Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
The darkness around them was hot and stifling. Their breath had leached the freshness out of the crate hours ago, leaving them sitting in a stale muggy darkness. Sunny shifted in the near darkness, struggling to see with the single beam of meager light which filtered in from above.
Adam lay in her arms blacked out completely.
She let his upper body rest gently in her lower arms, while her upper arms searched through his blond hair –matted with dried blood– and across his scalp.
She swore she was going to kill the person who did this to him.
Didn't they know what a knock in the head could do to a human? Didn't they understand what a concussion meant?
He needed a doctor, he needed Krill, but the little physician wasn't with them now.
He was back on the Tesraki home planet with the ship.
And they were... well Sunny had no idea where they were.
It had all happened so fast, one moment they were walking through the streets, going through market vendor stalls and laughing about something stupid, and the next moment Adam was lying unconscious on the ground and her head was inside a bag.
She would have fought, but they threatened to hurt Adam if she did.
Perhaps if it had been some other person, she might have taken that chance, but she wasn't nearly willing enough to risk Adam for her own perceived vanity.
After the attack, they had quickly been carted off across the city and loaded into this crate. She had heard the sound of the docks and the roaring of engines. She had sat in here for hours as the ship passed in and then out of warp.
Wherever they were, they were miles away from home, with no one to come and same them.
And Adam was injured, likely concussed.
Worst of all is that she couldn't even see his eyes to check and make sure if he was ok or not. His breathing was relatively even, a slow expansion of his chest and ribs over and over and over again.
She adjusted herself, groaning softly as she attempted to stretch out her legs. Adam's body was dead weight in her hands as she moved him pulling him further onto her lap to where she could hold him with her right set of arms while examining his wound with the other two.
His head rested against her shoulder breath hot on her neck.
Good, she could make sure he was still alive that way.
The engine thrummed.
She had tried to break out of the box first thing of course, but that action had proven to be fruitless, as had screaming. The engine was much too loud. She had, of course, tried engineering her way out of the box, but without tools, space and with Adam's dead weight to work around, that had also been a fruitless option.
So, she sat in the dark and waited.
She was beginning to worry that Adam would never wake up when he finally began to stir.
Sunny sighed a deep sigh of relief.
"Adam. Adam, are you ok, can you hear me?"
For a horrible moment there was no answer, but then a groggy,
"Sunny... Where are we... Why can't I see?”
A hint of panic crept into his voice.
"Shh, you're ok we are just stuck in a crate, that's all."
"Oh that's good,"
He paused,
"Never thought I would say that about being stuck in a crate."
She sighed again in relief, glad to see that he was at least lucid and understood what was happening,
"Now hold on, what happened, and why do I have such a raging headache?”
She shifted slightly in her space as he adjusted himself.
The crate was small, so there wasn't really anywhere for him to go, so he just ended up resting more securely against her chest, head resting on her chest plate her lower arms wrapped around him to keep him in place.
"We were attacked, you were knocked out and I was threatened."
"And you didn't screw them up?"
"They were threatening to kill you. I only had so many options."
He grunted, and in the dark he sighed, turning his head so his cheek was brushing up against her,
"This has been a shit day."
That made her laugh. Leave it to Adam to make her laugh when their lives were in danger.
Nothing much they could do about the situation now, and they remained in darkness, curled up together under the roaring of the engine.
Both of them felt it when the ship came into atmosphere, growing more and more nervous as they felt their crate being shifted and moved. Their little sliver of light was completely gone now leaving them in complete darkness as they were jostled and jolted around inside the crate. Then there came voices, Tesraki, Drev, Burg, and another voice which was far less familiar to Sunny than any of the others.
She felt Adam go still in her arms.
"What?”
"Prodigum."
He hissed, the sharp crack of the spat word hissing through the darkness.
”Prodigum?”
Sunny didn't know much about that species. The only thing she knew for sure is that they had withdrawn from peace talks with the GA and were an outside entity. She knew they occasionally traded with the GA and that Adam had had some run-ins with them. Run-ins like human slave trade or… infant meat trade that gave him a serious hatred for their kind, which was uncharacteristic for his usual forgiving nature.
The crate jolted and rocked.
A distant thrumming filled the background, the lull of conversation, and then it went silent again.
The box jolted downwards.
"Here master, just as you requested."
"I assume you got a good specimen?"
Adam and Sunny leaned up against the walls of their crate trying to determine who or what was speaking.
"You will be most pleased with us master. Got you a real fine specimen we did, worth well over the asking prices. Will be the most exotic piece to your collection for sure."
There was a low sort of guttural rumble from the outside of the crate.
"I will be the judge of that. Open the crate."
There was some shuffling for a moment, a sharp snap and the sides of the box fell away. Sunny and Adam were forced to raise their hands against the light as bright purple and blue light assailed them from all directions. They blinked past the shade cast by their hands.
The room they stood in was strange.
They got the feeling that the open space was supposed to be some kind of meeting space or gathering room.
Perhaps even some sort of entertainment room with how large it was, two floors connected by wide arching ramps up either side of the wide room. The floor below them was a purplish sort of grey made even more so by the blue and purple lights from above.
Adam turned his head in a wide arc, his head raised towards the ceiling. Sunny followed his gaze, and was immediately horrified.
Overhead at least twenty cages had been suspended from the ceiling. Though most of them were either empty, three others were occupied.
Two sick, mournful looking humans and a bleached white skeleton.
"The fuck!?”
Adam turned his head, eyes narrowing towards the group that stood around them, and Sunny got her first good look at the Prodigum.
She was not pleased with what she saw.
It had to be the ugliest thing she ever saw, and that meant something with them knowing the Burg.
The creature was big, maybe a little taller than her.
It had a body sort of like a gorilla, if gorillas were absolutely hideous in every way.
Its back legs were short and stumpy, just one massive fleshy mass, holding up their incredible bulk. They had no neck to speak of, and their arms were absolutely massive, jutting ninety degrees from their shoulders and then ninety degrees again at the elbow. IF you were to have stretched out one of their arms it would almost have been one to two thirds’ times as tall as their own bodies.
Each arm was thicker than a man's waist, and instead of hands it had one long pointy spike.
When they walked, they walked on their wrists as if a human were to go to walk on their knuckles but have their wrist buckle leaving the spike to point back and up.
Its body was covered in an immense and pendulous collection of baggy folds which swung heavily from side to side as it moved.
There was no neck, and its large face was droopy, its horrific mouth a grotesque, sagging heap like a child was trying to melt a playdough smiley face in the microwave.
With two sets of eyes on either side of its grotesque head and the numbers spaghetti like protrusions, which dangled from its throat – writhing to and fro while also acting as the creature's hands – it was a grotesque and monstrous sight.
Sunny made a face. Adam grunted,
"Disgusting."
The aliens gnored them and kept speaking,
"And the Drev?"
"Consider her a bonus."
The big ugly creature grunted, expelling a burst of air from the two breathing tubes which sagged from either side of its neck, their ends opening and closing like the blowholes of a whale.
Adam shifted and stood unsteadily against Sunny's protests gripping the bars with white knuckled hands.
"You have no idea what you have just started, ugly!”
The Prodigum laughed, through it came out as wet gurgling snorts from its breathing tubes,
"Oh I know exactly what I have started… commander Vir."
Adam stepped back in shock, nearly tripping over Sunny in their tight confines.
The Prodigum leaned in close to the cage, the little spaghetti-like tentacles waving before the bars curling uncurling or wrapping themselves around cold steel.
Adam made a face.
"In fact, it was your presence which I requested personally."
He turned in his spot to look at the room around him, which Sunny was becoming to understand was far larger than she had originally assumed.
"I have many wealthy clients who don't settle for just anyone, commander. Your prestige will be a great selling point."
"What even is this place?"
"Many things, many things. It is a place of business, a place of frivolity, and a place where humans do what they are told."
His voice grew low and quiet. One of his large, spiked arms raised off the floor somewhat. The Spike brandished.
"And what exactly do you expect me to do for you?"
He asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Why, the only thing humans are good for… I want you to sing!”
This time both Adam and Sunny were dumbstruck,
"You want me to do what now?"
"Sing, commander. You do know what singing is, don't you?”
Adam shook his head,
"You have got to be fucking kidding me. That's it!? That's why you kidnapped one of the most –not to brag or anything– powerful men in the GA. The guy with the firepower of an entire human fleet behind him, and you brought me here to be your cage canary!? To sing you little songs!!??"
The Prodigum grunted,
"That is precisely what I expect you to do, commander."
Adam proceeded to laugh in his face,
"You have got to be kidding me. Not only is this possibly the stupidest thing I have ever heard of just in principle, but it is ALSO dumb because there are thousands of humans out there who can sing better than me. Sure, I can carry a tune, but I'm not Freddie mercury."
The Prodigum was not looking as bothered by the comments as he probably should have been. In fact, he almost seemed amused,
"This is not about your ABILITY to sing commander. Most nonhumans can't actually tell the difference between good and bad singing, they simply know it is something they cannot do. No, I didn't bring you here for your skill, I brought you here because of your importance. When my clients see you, they are going to understand what you represent... And that is my complete and total control, my absolute impunity when it comes to the law, and my ability to do whatever I want. You are a symbol of my power."
"Yeah, and you can suck a bag of dicks."
The Prodigum leaned closer,
"You will do what I want you to do."
A group of tentacles wriggled through the bars waving before their faces. Sunny saw it coming way before the Prodigum did, though he definitely should have seen it coming. The way the human's body tensed up, the way he grew still, the way his eyes drew to laser focus, the way that his knees bent and his hands curled at his sides.
And then he struck.
Like a cobra.
With one hand he reached out wrapping his fingers around a handful of the nasty wriggling tentacles before yanking hard.
The Prodigum screamed.
Sunny lunged forward to help all four of her arms shooting through the bars as Adam dug his fingers into the writhing tentacles.
There was an eruption of movement.
Adam craned his neck downwards, mouth open teeth poised to strike.
Everyone knew what a human bite meant.
And then there was an eruption of pain. Lightning coursed across her vision and Sunny found herself on the ground, legs twitching. She heard Adam yell, he was screaming through his teeth.
And then a dull thud.
The pain went away.
She looked over to find Adam sagging against the bars of the cage.
The Prodigum had retreated with his posse surrounding him…
He mewled with pain, a few of his face tentacles dripping blue onto the floor, others hanging limp and unusable.
The human began to laugh, despite the pain of the electric shock,
"Fuck-you."
With anger in his expression, the Prodigum looked up,
"Secure the Drev."
Sunny struggled to her feet as both her and Adam realized what was happening.
Sunny yelled for Adam to duck, but he was too late, a loop slipped over his neck tightening and pulling him against the side of the cage.
He choked and gasped trying to force his fingers under the loop kicking and struggling as the door was thrown open and Sunny was electrocuted again, before a group of others piled atop her securing her arms and dragging her form the cage, which was then shut.
Adam was let go, staggering to his knees, hands clenched around his throat.
He choked and gasped.
"I am going to make this very clear for you human."
Sunny was hauled upwards by the back of her carapace and suspended in the air.
"Do what I wish, or the Drev dies.”
Sunny struggled against their arms, looking back towards the cage where Adam knelt.
She wished he would tell them to go to hell, but she could see almost immediately by the expression on his face and the pain in his single green eye that the Prodigum had done it.
He had found Adam's weakness.
He had found humanity's greatest trait and their greatest weakness.
Their lo…yalty.
And now they were in his power.
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Want to find a specific one, see the whole list or check fanart?
Here is the link to the master-post.
Intro post by me
OC-whole collection
Patreon of the author
Thanks for reading! As you saw in the title, this is a cross posted story written by starrfallknightrise and I'll just upload some of it here for you guys, if you are interested and want to read ahead, the original story-collection can be found on tumblr or wattpad to read for free. (link above this text under "OC:..." ) It is the Empyrean Iris story collection by starfallknightrise. Also, if you want to know more about the story collection i made an intro post about it, so feel free to check that out to see what other great characters to look forward to! (Link also above this text). I have no affiliations to the author; just thought I’d share some of the great stories you might enjoy a lot!
Obviously, I have Charlie’s permission to post this and for the people already knowing the stories, or starting to read them: If you follow the link and check out the story you will see some differences. I made some small (non-artistic) changes, mainly correcting writing mistakes, pronoun correction and some small additional info here and there of things which were not thought of/forgotten or even were added/changed in later stories (like the “USS->UNSC” prefix of Stabby, Chalar=/->Sunny etc). As well as some "biggemajor" changes in descriptions and info’s for the same stringency/continuity reason. That can be explained by the story collection being, well a story collection at the start with many standalone-stories just starring the same people, but later on it gets more to a stringent storyline with backstories and throwbacks. (For example Adam Vir has some HEAVY scars over his body, following his bones, which were not really talked about up till half the collection, where it says it covers his whole body and you find out via backflash that he had them the whole time and how he got them, they just weren't mentioned before. However, I would think a doctor would at least see these scars before that, especially since he gets analyzed, treated and goes shirtless/in T-shirts in some stories). So TLDR: Writing and some descriptions are slightly changed, with full OK from the author, since he himself did not bother to correct these things before.

As a disclaimer; I should mention for this story I will be using the real first names of the people involved because I don't believe giving a first name basis will dox or infringe the privacy of anybody mentioned in this story.
This took place back around the fall of 2020 around late October. One night three of my friends Nate, Charles, Jordan and I decided to meet up at a local park around midnight just located within my friend Jordan's neighborhood to have one of our relentless hot-boxing smoke sessions.
Since this was our senior year of high-school and with the pandemic and political animosity going on at the time; like many other kids we were basically stuck at home for the most part attending online classes and barely getting out of our houses since most public places were closed.
Because of this . . We all ended up smoking weed to kill time and basically have a little bit of fun, so having these "hotbox" sessions wasn't anything new to us since we've been smoking since August of that same year. I recently stopped smoking altogether due to unrelated issues but I digress.
Back to the story.
About an hour after our smoke session the four of us reluctantly agreed to start driving out of the park and around town for a while with my friend Jordan being the driver, Nate in the front passenger seat with Charles and I in the back. Stupid, I know.
20 minutes into our drive being the intoxicated idiots that we were, having the windows cracked. We decided to put on Dead Space ambience music just for shits and giggles as we were making our way out of a residential area and onto a two-way main road that led out into the rural part of town.
To give you an idea of the scenery; we were driving through one of those semi-rural suburban neighborhoods you’d find out in the middle of nowhere. For those of you who live in the rural south or the midwest, you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Since it was completely pitch black and we were practically in the middle of nowhere bumping creepy ambient music while approaching a dimly lit intersection, it began to give off an eerie liminal vibe that was kinda fitting for the season.
As we approached the intersection my mind began to green out and race about the unknown beyond the darkness that enshrined our surroundings.
"Heh it'd be really fucking terrifying if we came across a humanoid like the wendigo or something" I said to myself.
At that point we had reached the intersection and since I was looking to my left I immediately noticed a figure emerging out of the pitch black.
As the figure got under the street light, I realized that what I was looking at was a woman in pigtails dressed in a really classy, clean outfit with a tan blouse and high heels.
I instinctively sobered up and took this as a bad sign from all the stories I’ve heard and just knew something was wrong because who the hell would be out at 1 A.M. in a classy outfit out in the middle of nowhere
In a matter of seconds my worst fear came to life as this woman began to approach the car and I really didn't want any of us taking any chances with this woman.
I started to freak out and told my buddy:
"Jordan . . There's a woman coming at us . . . Turn the car NOW!"
Our friend Nate noticed a second figure dressed in all black slowly emerge from the rear end of the car just about 15 feet away by our right side slowly approaching.
This only instilled more fear in all of us about the situation that was happening before us.
Charles instantly caught on and saw what we were seeing as this woman practically began running at us screaming
"HEY . . HELP ME PLEASE . . STOP"
Charles then began aggressively slapping Jordan's shoulder in a panic Shouting at my friend:
"JORDAN BUDDY TURN THE FUCKING CAR".
Jordan, still zooted of the weed, was confused for a split second before he saw that this woman and the man in black were mere FEET from the car.
In a panic He yelled:
“AH SHIT . . NAH BRO!” as he peeled the car to the right and in the opposite direction from where this woman and man came running from.
We all sobered up a bit being creeped out and confused as to what just happened but laughed it off because of how intoxicated we all still were
Needless to say we still question why the woman was running at us screaming and what the intentions were from the man dressed in all black behind the car.
My morbid curiosity gets the better of me sometimes and I’d like some theories as to what could’ve happened to all 4 of us during that night.

Hello! So I'm going to be visiting Japan with my family (my parents and my younger sister) in late November this year. I've created a rough idea of what we'd like to do and would love to hear some suggestions, mainly help on whether this itinerary is going to be possible or not. This is my first time creating an itinerary and also our first time going to Japan.
Day 1 (Tokyo - Arrival)

• Arrival at 6pm
• Go to hotel (not yet booked)
• Since we arrived relatively late, we will just use this day to settle in and sort all the necessary things (pocket wi-fi, find local convenience store, money conversion etc.)

Day 2 (Tokyo)

• 9:00am - Tokyo Imperial Palace
• 11:00am - Asakusa
• 4:00pm - Ueno Park/Ameyoko Street
• 6:00pm - Akihabara
• 8:00/8:30pm - Go back to hotel

Day 3 (Tokyo)

• Disney Sea

Day 4 (Tokyo)

• 9:00am - Meiji Jingu
• 10:30am - Yoyogi Park
• 12:00pm - Explore Shibuya
• 4:00pm - Explore Shinjuku
• 8:00pm - Go back to hotel

Day 5 (Tokyo to Kyoto)

• 9:00am - Tsukiji Outer Market/Eat
• 11:00am - Teamlabs
• 1:30pm - Train from Tokyo to Kyoto
• 4:30pm - Arrival in Kyoto/Settle in
• 6:00pm - We're planning on doing one activity after we've settled in. But since we have not yet booked an accomodation, we have not decided on this yet.

Day 6 (Kyoto)

• 9:00am - Fushimi Inari Shrine
• 11am - Kiyomizu Dera
• 12:0pm - Sanneizaka
• 2:30pm - Koda-ji Temple
• 3:00pm - Gion
• 5:30pm - Yasaka Jinja Shrine
• 6:00pm - Maruyama Park/Relax

Day 7 (Kyoto)

• 9:00am - Otagi Nenbutsu-ji (we'll take a taxi from the station to here)
• 11:00am - Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street
• 12:30pm - Bamboo Groves
• 2:00pm - Tenryu-ji
• 3:30pm - Kimono Forest
• 4:00pm - Togetsukyo Bridge
• 4:30pm - Not yet decided on what to do from this point on

Day 8 (Osaka)

• 9:00am - Osaka Castle
• 11:00am - Shinsekai
• 12:30pm - Nipponbashi
• 2:00pm - Kuromon Market
• 2:30pm - Dotonbori
• 8:30 - Go back to hotel

Day 9 (Osaka)

• Universal Studios

Day 10 (Final day and flight home)

• On this day our flight will be at 1:30pm, meaning we won't be able to do much.

​
Would really appreciate it if I can get some advice on whether or not these times are reasonable or not. I'm not sure if I've given enough/too little time for specific places. For day 7, I'm struggling a little as Arashiyama would most likely take us a full day, but I'm not really sure what else we would be able to do. My parents would love to go to the Sagano Scenic Railway, but I'm not sure on how to fit it in. It's also a little difficult for me for day 7, as I would have to choose between Arashiyama or Northern Kyoto (Philosopher's Walk, Kinkaku-ji etc.). Thank you guys in advance!

Do you know how some decisions in life just feel so right? Imagine a nice warm pizza right out of the oven. The pizza is covered in gooey cheese, warm meats, and whatever else will delight the eyes and nose so late into the night. So image, if you will, going out for just the briefest of seconds to enjoy the crisp feel of the fall air on your face. You come back to the apartment building that you, and appropriately 50 or 60 of your neighbors call home, only to find smoke billowing down the halls as you suddenly remember that you turned on the burner, and not the oven to preheat, and the smoke is from that pizza you left on the stove. If you feel like burrowing down the deepest hole after reading that, just remember that you are not alone. In the last week, I have taken a job at a hydroelectric power station as an operator, which at the time felt like an easy no-brainer decision. The job description was nothing if not a little enticing. There was a hefty sign-on bonus, more money than even I thought I was worth, and housing courtesy of the Corps of Engineers, which consider the aforementioned fire above, I needed pretty badly. My name is Kate Fugate, I am 24, and in so, so much, debt that I have moved to a small town in the northern Appalachia wilderness hoping to carve out a life here. The town is very small, having a few local stores primary consisting of convenience stores, gas stations, and dollar stores. The town is deeply forested and has recently had the honor of having this vast area be designated a National park. The houses are sandwiched into a sharp valley, consisting of a river, sprawling train tracks, and speckled with bridges of all makes and builds. If you were to come here at night, and I very much doubt you would be here at night, you might also take notice of the emergency room-slash-post office combination with twinkling neon lights. If you plan on staying here for very long, and once again, I doubt it, you should get to know the staff. The main attraction, and the reason that I am christening this journal, is that as much as I would like to believe otherwise, this place is weird but we will get into that more a bit later. What should be the most prominent feature of the town, the dam, is actually not in town. It is about 15 miles upstream, hidden on an unmarked road nestled in a forgotten corner of the park. This fortress spans the length of the river from hill to hill, and is a huge concrete wall with an office building made of brick and a stunningly massive art -deco window spanning the two floors of this structure neatly tucked off the side like an after thought. There are massive, brilliant flood lights spanning the entire length of the dam and stretching pretty far upstream. The concept is pretty simple, water goes in, spins turbines, and comes out on the other side, and creates the miracles that we all know and love: electricity. In addition, this place prevents flooding and is an all-around great place for serving the town as an early indicator for fires and other disasters. To make matters even more excruciatingly boring and downright fucking frustrating is that there no cell or internet connections to the dam or the cabin nearby that I get to call home. The formal answer I got back for this pile of fake manure is that the cell tower determined the population to “insignificant” to put a cell tower in this area, which I can almost buy. The sorry excuse for the internet is that the park service determines this spot too high of a national security threat and doesn’t want the risk of Russians destroying the place or something, this reasoning being absolutely shit if you ask me. In order to still get a tiny shred of civilization, I have to climb a stairway to heaven itself up a fire tower, on a hill to get just enough Wi-Fi to keep some semblance of sanity. And let me tell you, my ass is burning, my tounge is dry, and my lungs are one iota from exploding from the effort, and it is worth it. My first day here started off with my coworker, Sam, showing up two hours late for our designated meeting. He was dressed in bright white pants and a striped plunging v-neck tiger shirt and I would be lying if I didn’t say my first impression was trying to find a camera crew, because I was just certain that someone was trolling with me. He was average height, approximately 35, black hair, blue eyes, and very well groomed hair, and huge muscular arms and, all-in-all, gave off an energy that he thought he was a very pretty boy. We shake hands, before he cocks his head and give me a quizzical look, “Hey I noticed on your paperwork, is your name actually —“ I cut him off hard and fast, “Yes, it is. My parents were a bit, well, downright eccentric, alright? Don’t use that name, don’t even remember it alright. Do me a favor and call me Kate, Katie if you prefer.” He looks a bit taken aback and I feel a shred of remorse for the hostility, “Can do, may name is Samuel Carrington but Sam sounds more approachable if you wouldn’t mind using that.” We take a quick tour of the facility going into the offices, him quickly pointing out the landlines, emergency switches, exits, ect. He goes over the more technical aspects of the job, but then stops right before going into the turbine room, looks me dead in the eye with more seriousness than I thought was possible. “There are only a handful of rules you absolutely must follow: 1. Treat the equipment well, it is fucking EXPENSIVE and a lot of it is specialized. There is no hydroectric repair store just sitting around the corner. 2. Do not leave the site. I am dead serious about this one. Do. Not. Leave. The. Site. The only time you can leave is if you have someone competent here. I am only here two days a week as I have other obligations with the government, as you know the rest is up to you until we can get more people here. 3. Don‘t turn off the turbines for any reason. There are people downstream that stake their lives on the continual operation of this place. 4. If, for whatever reason, this place can not operate due to exceptional circumstances, or can no longer contain the river you must activate the emergency system. In addition to letting out an alert, it allows for people to know in advance to get to higher ground. This is critical, we are the only thing preventing everyone downstream a brutal watery demise.“ We head continue the turbine room talk about more dull operating procedures and then stop by a small office space. Sam stops and swings open the door which reveals all of a tiny efficiency apartment. “This is my room while I am here, if you need anything feel free to swing by.” He gives me a wink as I contemplate vomiting on his stupid gold tasseled shoes “We have a cabin for you since no other apartments exist and it was left furnished by my last guy.” We walk a short gravel path uphill to a small old cabin with a porch. He swings open the door, leaving very little to the imagination. Bed and mattress, fridge, stove, fill nearly all the available space. Right smack in the middle of the table sits a pissed off mostly hairless cat, that jumps off the table gives us a hiss for good measure and runs off into the woods. “Look, we can probably get rid of that if you want. I have no clue how it got in here, or hey, look at it this way! You already have a built in roommate! Feel free to decorate this place anyway you want, if you want I can go get us some food, and I can help you move in. Tomorrow I can go on a grocery run.” I open the cabinet to find an assortment of canned oddities left over from the last occupant. “No, that really won’t be necessary, but thank you so much for the offer.” I say trying to be nice. And then the thought occurred to me that this guy is being perhaps a bit too friendly. “Hey, is it alright if I have some, umm, well, overnight friends over? Very special female friends?” I asked trying to be subtle to see if that would discourage him. “Well douse me in gasoline and toss me a match. Are you a lesbian? That is so freaking awesome! I love chicks too, how cool is that? I shoulda known what with the flannel and pickup truck.” He says, totally oblivious to my growing acceptance that this guy was mostly harmless, if not a touch stupid. Sam cracks open the fridge, and rapidly shuts it back, as a slightly warm pungent smell swaggers into the room. “Yeah, definitely gonna get some real groceries tomorrow.” “Yep, that’s me, I’m a super lesbian.” I lie feeling like this statement may come back and haunt me. I turn on the kitchen facet as black water spills out. Sam looks at it a little concerned, “Might want to let that run for a bit, if it doesn’t clear soon, I’ll look into having it fixed. But look, seriously, if you need any help at all, don’t hesitate to call. This place is pretty spooky and it is easy to get hurt or in trouble out here. I’ve only been here about 3 months and my last coworker got pretty messed up. I liked him pretty well and it is an easy, if not boring job but it can take a toll.” Sam stepped out on the porch shooting a slightly nervous look at the woods before looking back at me. I waved him out, “It is alright, I’m fine, I can take care of myself. I will see you bright and early in the morning.” Sam nodded at me with me with a warm smile and made the short trek back to the dam. Night swiftly fell, and I was clutching my stomach off loading the contents into the porcelain alter for a cruel sadistic god. I hadn’t checked the expiration date too closely before downing a can of beef tounge I had found in the cabinets, which in retrospect was such a fuckingly stupid move on my part. I stepped back into the main living area to see just a swift glint of metal, before listening to the “Crash” as my widow was busted in and a hand swiftly unlocked the door from the inside. “Shit, this is real bad.” My brain thought. As my body tensed for a fight, in walked a figure in a green ranger uniform. The guy was 26-27, 5’11, light brown hair, green eyes, fair skin. He looked absolutely furious but satisfied. “I got you now, you jackass arsonist.” He says, grabbed me by the arms and tossing me on a stuffed chair hard. I feel a flash of pain on my ass as I land. “Damn, I realllly hope that wasn’t a needle.” I think as jump back up. Now, he looked back at me with with sheer bewilderment in his eyes. “OH shit, oh shit, I am gonna die.” I feel dread sneak into me as I scramble looking around. I take up a knife from the counter and plunge it into his hand. He lets out a yelp and given me a kick to my already twisted stomach. ”This is it.” I think as I land on the ground, and take the chance to grab his leg while it is still in the air. I push forward as he stumbles backwards. “Wait, but your not -“ he tries to slide out of the cabin but I pull down his socks and bite like a rabid dog, with all the energy I had. I taste a glint of metal. He starts really letting his lungs work now before coming to his senses again and grabs a fire extinguisher off the porch and hits me squarely with it. My vision swiftly faded to white after that. My next memory has me coming back to consciousness in a hospital room. I am under a blanket with cows on it, and look over to see a shitty thin blue curtain with yellow ducks on it. As I try to piece back my memory, I hear a commotion on the other side of the curtain. One female voice nearly splitting my ears says, “Are you a dumbass? You look like one to me dumbass. You obviously weren’t thinking, dumbass. God, what a dumbass.” Another male voice joins in, ”A girl, you beat a harmless girl senseless. And the poor thing was starting the job at the power plant. If you weren’t in already in the hospital, I’d put here, but to be fair that would make Dr. Sanders work harder, and unlike you I actually like the guy.” An older man wearing a white coat comes in about this time who I presume is the aforementioned individual, gives me the mouth zipping motion, a wink and walks to the other side of the curtain. “Well, she’s dead. You may as well see your handiwork.” The old doctors says. A younger voice pipes up, “B-B-But it was an accident. I didn’t mean-“ The curtain flies open to reveal two police officers, a short and slightly heavy male and a tall African American woman. Both looking ready to kill the park ranger in bed with his hand bandaged up. The young man looks at me absolutely horrified. I can’t help but let out a small snicker at the scene. The white haired doctor cracks up at the look of pure indignation I shoot park ranger. “She’ll be fine.” He says. The two officers looked a bit more at ease. Dr. Sander then goes on to say after sitting down on the edge of my bed, “You spooked us just a bit there, that one over there” he points to the park ranger, “sprayed you down with a fire extinguisher and caused some temporary asphyxiation.” The guy piped up, “I am so so so sorry. My name is Reuben, call me Ben. I’m so sorry, I had you mistaken for someone else. I’ll make this up to you. I really really fucked this up. Please don’t hate me,” he says. He was genuine, I fully believed that. “Glad you said, that Ben, because I’m pretty sure I need a door now. My name is Katie.” I went over and gave him a light smack to the back of the head. Dr. Sanders gave a puzzled look and picked my chart off the bed, “Wait, isn’t your name -,”. I stopped him, “Yep, it is, please for the love of all that is holy, just don’t.” After that, the female officer who’s name I learned was Talia, dropped me back off at the dam the next morning. Sam who had only the vaguest of ideas of what had gone on that night was filled in by Talia of the rest of the details and she quickly leaves afterwards leaving a cloud trail in the gravel. “Well,” Sam says “I guess this means your leaving.” “Are you kidding?” I say, “I only just got here.” Sam cracks a wide smile, “You’re in luck then, I forgot to show you something yesterday.” We go into the dam, down into the basement under the water level under the turbine rooms. I gasp as I look into the room, it was beautiful. There was a massive window looking out underwater. I could swear for the slightest second though that a fish swam by, displaying three eyes, and a sharp row of teeth. I knew in that moment that this river holds terrible and dark secrets and I had not even dipped toe in them. This is Katie, signing off, until next time.

Tell me if you think it's canon worthy, compared to my new version...
THEDARKLORD2000's avatar THEDARKLORD2000 Jul 7, 2022 Premium Galleries T LITERATURE The Origin of The Silver Bandit Deviation Actions
Literature Text Name - The Silver Bandit
Real Name - Aliza Yashnikov
Age - 26
Height - 5'6"
Weight - 115 lb
Eye Color - Green
Hair Color - Silver
Occupation - Owns Silver Sword ind. , and is a trained surgical assistant
Allies - The Vengeance, Silver Sword, Heather Raven, Meghan Taylor, The Dutchess and Phillip Edwin
Foes - The Defenders of Earth, Roger Crilly, A.U.S.S.I, and The Assassin's Organization
Powers - highly trained assassin, martial artist, markswoman, swordswoman, Olympic-level gymnast, also has super strength (up to 12 tons), heightened senses including; foresight, pre-cognition, combat empowerment, and durability, also has probability manipulation, as well as longevity.
Origin Story - At just the age of 9 her father shot her mother and used her to get away, after that incident she wandered southern Russia eventually being captured by war trafficker's, after a few months she managed to escape and continued to wander around eventually coming across France who in which a police officer found her and put her in a foster home.
She stayed with a kind and loving family for almost 3 years until one day they were walking down a street and her foster parents were assassinated, she ran from the scene being chased by the assassinators coming up to a dock and boarded a cargo ship, she got on just as it was leaving escaping her assailants.
She ventured off hiding in a cargo crate, ending up in New York City, she lived on the street for a long while until a young man found her, he gave her his sandwich and revealed himself to be Roger Crilly, He brought her to his building and gave her a room to stay in.
After a few months she grew to trust him, and he offered her a way to get back at the people that hurt her, she of course reluctantly agreed, he took her to a room where a man named Dr Wilson was, they gave her a special serum that made her super strong and she began training under Roger's wing.
One day she was tested by having to kill an unknown man, at first she resisted but she ended up killing the man anyway, Roger knew she was ready, he gave her a job to go and kill his older brother Charlie, who was in a hospital in LA do to a cancer in his brain, she went off with Roger's other brother Jett and poisoned Charlie.
Aliza came back victorious earning her right as an official Assassin member, eventually she met another assassin named Reed Smith, whom she fell in love with, one day she found out she was pregnant and tried to hide it from Roger, who ended up finding out anyway.
He attempted to kill the child before it was born but Aliza fought back, and ended up on the run, she came up to Reed who reveled that he was indeed a clone of the original who died several years ago because of treason, she fought him vigorously, but Jett ended the fight by shooting the clone through the skull.
Jett helped Aliza hide from his younger brother, Jett eventually reveled that the man she had shot long ago was in fact her father, he helped her find a safe place to live which was in LA where she started a new life under the name Alisha Young and became an assistant surgical nurse to Aaron Thompson.
After a few years she reveled to Aaron (who was the Vengeance) that she was the Silver Bandit, to in which he of course thought that was the coolest thing he ever heard, they helped each other on missions every now and then.
While she was acting as a nurse, she started a new company where refuge assassin's could stay and help people who needed it most, she ended up being one of the many heroes who died due to the actions of the Dark Lord, but was eventually ( along with everyone else) revived a couple decades later, when she came back she found out her son was an adult and older than her in fact, and was carrying her name as the Silver Bandit.
He of course willingly gave her, her title back and named himself the Black Mamba, she continued to work as a vigilante sometimes helping the main heroes and even ended up helping Charlette Swiftly ( Charlie's granddaughter) fight Charlie and his team, after the fight ceased with Charlie in a coma, she went back to fight crime off the streets and ultimately gave up her life fighting the Dark Redeemers.

Let's say that after the ending of Prototype 1 and almost at the ending of Infamous 2 Alex went to New Marais to conquer it
The battle is 1v1 so alex can't create enemies using the virus
Alex Mercer powers: Sentient Biomass Physiology: Upon being infected by the Blacklight Virus, Alex Mercer’s body was converted into living biomass. His body is now stronger than it has ever been before, lacking many of the weaknesses that comes with a normal body such as internal organs, the issue of stamina and much more, while at the same time gaining a vast array of abilities that comes with his new physiology, such as shapeshifting and enhanced stats. Near Limitless Potential: Mercer is pretty interesting, even among other fictional characters, and even those within the video game media, being one of the few characters showcased to have near limitless potential due to how his powers work. When the blacklight virus first infected Mercer, and later reforming it. Mercer was shown to be many times stronger than normal, this isn’t where his limits are however. Upon consuming other biological entities, Mercer is capable of converting them into biomass which is then added to his own, increasing his stats, such as strength and durability, with each body that he consumes. So long as there is enough biological materials for him to consume, Mercer’s physical potential is almost limitless. Similarly, due to his ability to assimilate the memories of those he consumes. There is no real limit to Mercer’s own intelligence, so long as there are living beings for him to consume, lastly due to the blacklight virus within Mercer’s body constantly evolving. There is a chance for Mercer to develop various new abilities simply due to a random mutation at some point down the line. Evolutionary Adaptability: Due to the Blacklight Virus’s ability to constantly evolve based on the situation and the information presented in consumed biomass. Mercer is capable of adapting to nearly any situation, forming Claws, and other such weapons from his body in order to better combat his foes. Developing resistances to things such as elemental damage like fire and electricity, and even developing a degree of immunity. In one case after being in a situation where Mercer was under 10gs of gravitation force. Mercer’s body quickly adapted by increasing his strength levels, allowing him to walk out of that situation as if he was never under that level of extreme pressure. Potentially Limitless Superhuman Strength: Mercer’s is shown having vast levels of superhuman strength, being strong enough to lift and toss heavy objects such as cars, helicopters, and buses, to objects as heavy as tanks several tens to hundreds of feet awaym and even being able to run with these objects without his speed being impaired. Mercer’s strength is on such a level that he could overpower other superhumanly strong characters such as the infected hunters, Elizabeth Greene, the Supreme Hunter, and even James Heller at times, despite their superhuman durability being at a level where even missiles and tank fire can’t hurt them. In the first Prototype game. Mercer demonstrates an insane level of strength, being able to create a concussive shockwave just by thrusting his fists forward, uplifting cars, tanks and throwing people several tens of feet with enough force to kill them if not outright vaporize them. Mercer’s strength can continuously increase as he consumes more and more biomass, even mutating and becoming stronger when consuming other infected individuals, and whatever potential mutations their variant of the Blacklight virus may have. Making his potential for strength virtually limitless so long as there is enough organic material for him to consume. Superhuman Leaping Ability: Mercer’s strength is shown to extend to his legs. Allowing him to jump several hundred feet into the air, allowing him to clear barricades, get on top of buildings, and even leap high enough into the air to catch helicopters. Due to his increased mass. Mercer is capable of producing shockwaves when landing after leaping from large heights. Superhuman Speed: Mercers speed is far above that of a normal human, being able to run far faster than the average car, making them appear as if they are standing still. He has been shown to out run helicopters chasing him at times, putting his speed around 200 to 500mph. He has even kept up and outpace other infected entities such as the Leader Hunters, the Supreme Hunter and even James Heller to a degree. Superhuman Agility: Due to Mercer’s enhanced physiology. He is capable of moving around far better than the average person. He can leap tall distances, perform various kinds of flips with the greatest of ease. This, combined with his constantly evolving parkour skills, allows him the ability to escape and move around the tightest of spaces without so much as losing his balance. He is capable of twisting his body in midair in order to quickly recover from being knocked back and landing on his feet in a battle ready stance. Superhuman Reflexes: Mercer, upon his mutation into the Prototype, had his reflexes enhanced to superhuman levels. He can dodge gunfire, and other projectile base weaponry at point blank range, keep up and overpowered various evolved infected creatures such as the Hunter, and Supreme Hunter, and even combat and overwhelm the military’s super soldiers with ease. Potentially limitless Superhuman Durability: Mercer’s durability, much like his strength, is potentially limitless as he absorbs more and more biomass. His body is capable of compacting the excess within himself, making his flesh far denser than that of a normal human. Similarly he can alter the density of his biomass to even stronger levels. He has tanked gunfire from all angles, survived being shot with missiles and other explosives, tanked and survived hits from other infected individuals such as Heller and the Supreme Hunter. He has survived dismemberment, being inside clouds of the bloodtox chemical, and more, and still continues fighting. Superhuman Healing Factor: Mercer’s healing factor is on an insane level. Being able to heal from bullet and shrapnel wounds nearly instantaneously, He could regenerate from having large sections of his body torn out, regenerate lost limbs just as fast. So long as there is still a single bit of the biomass that makes up his body. Mercer will continue to regenerate back to full health. Even regenerating from a few pieces of tissue flesh after being caught at ground zero when a nuclear warhead exploded. Immortality: Due to Mercer’s body being made up of biomass. Mercer’s aging process has come to a halt. Due to his body constantly healing and replacing any damaged biomass. Mercer is in a sense, immortal. It was shown with Elizabeth Greene that after she got infected with the Redlight virus. Her physical body was shown to still look around the age of twenty. Having not changed even after nearly forty years passing since she was infected. Elemental resistance: Mercer is shown to be resistant to fire and electric attacks. However, being exposed to either high enough heat or voltage can still cause him harm. Superhuman Senses: Mercer’s sense after his mutation is shown to have evolved to far higher levels than that of the normal human. He can hear far better than the normal human and his eye-sight has evolved in a way to allow Mercer to see through several different types of visual ranges. Infrared Vision: One of two known vision powers that Mercer is shown to have. By using infrared vision, Mercer is capable of seeing the heat signatures radiating from various living beings. By using this vision power. Mercer is capable of seeing in environments and conditions that would normally limit or blind a normal person’s eyesight such as total darkness or thick smoke and fog by tracking the heat signatures of living beings within the surrounding areas. It should be noted that Mercer is capable of using infrared vision despite the fact that those infected tend to generate enough body heat to blind other infrared vision devices. Showing that there are some differences between Mercer’s infrared vision and other devices capable of allowing users to see in infrared. Infected Vision: After connecting to the hive mind created by the blacklight virus. Mercer gained the ability to see and recognize individuals infected with the Blacklight virus. Superhuman Intelligence: Upon consuming the biomass of an intelligence entity. Mercer’s own intelligence is shown to increase dramatically as he will know what the person he consumes knows. Given the numerous individuals that he had consumed over the course of the Prototype series. Mercer’s intelligence is at superhuman levels. Making him one of the smartest if not the smartest person within the Prototype universe… at least until James Heller had consumed him. Superhuman Mental Processing: Due to Mercer’s physiology. Mercer’s mental capacity and processing is at a superhuman level. He is shown being able to understand and process massive amounts of information that he gains from consuming his targets. Similarly during the events of Prototype 2, Mercer was capable of controlling and directing various individuals infected with the blacklight virus through the hive mind. Matter Manipulation: While not really shown all that much. Mercer has the ability to alter the environment using the Blacklight virus as a catalyst. Through this ability. Mercer is capable of deteriorating concrete. Converting and absorbing the biomass of living objects such as living creatures and trees. Strengthening and converting even inorganic structures such as buildings into hives to fit his needs. Even converting inorganic material into layers of biomass over large areas which can be used to slow down his enemies, while not hindering his own forces or himself. He gains this ability after consuming Elizabeth Greene. It should be noted that even though Mercer is capable of altering the surroundings around him. His version of this power is very limited when compared to others such as Edward Elric from FullMetal Alchemist or Silver Surfer from Marvel Comics. As while he can make and convert things into organic matter. He can’t make inorganic matter like breathable air, or metal. Biokinesis: Due to Mercer’s ability to produce the Blacklight Virus within himself. Mercer is capable of controlling and altering the biomass both within his body and that of others infected to various effects. Being able to increase his physical stats to create various weapons abilities with his biomass. Similarly, due to his ability to constantly make new strains of the virus itself. Mercer is capable of infecting others with this virus. Allowing him to alter and control infected individuals by granting them a similar power set to his own or even morphing and transforming these individuals into monsters of various sizes and powers. Disease Manipulation (Blacklight Virus): Due to being infected and bonding with the Blacklight virus to the extent of becoming an entity called a Prototype. Mercer’s body is capable of constantly producing the blacklight virus. Even creating various strains of side viruses which can grant or evolve various abilities that he may not have had before. Similarly due to this virus production and the various strains he can make in his body. Mercer is capable of infecting others with a variation of the virus. Either turning others into infected drones which he can control or granting the infected individual a similar subset of powers as his own. Viral Gas Generation: Caught on a CCTV camera. Mercer is shown having the ability to generate and expel a cloud of gas from his body containing the Blacklight Virus into the surrounding area. Rapidly infecting and mutating those located on ground zero, caught within the cloud. Biomass Conversion: Mercer has the ability to nearly instantaneously consume and convert any organic organism into biomass which is then added to his body. Through this process. Mercer is capable of enhancing his overall physical stats and quickly recovering from any damage that he may have suffered during battle as well as gaining the memories and skills that the consumed individual may have had. Critical Mass: Upon consuming enough biomass. Mercer is capable of entering a critical mass state. Due to this extra mass, Mercer’s durability increases, allowing him to tank more damage. Similarly, due to having more biomass at his command. Mercer is capable of using his strongest attacks, called Devastators, moves capable of clearing and killing anyone and everyone within a certain range of Mercer. Upon gaining critical mass. Mercer’s body gains a defense mechanism in which upon taking enough damage. This extra mass would harden to an extreme degree. Making Mercer almost completely invulnerable to most forms of physical damage for a short time in order to allow him to either escape a battle or try and consume another organic organism in order to recover from the near fatal damage. Memory Assimilation: Upon consuming an individual. Mercer gains access to all the memories and skills that that individual may have had. Allowing Mercer to suddenly master various new skills such as weaponry, vehicle usage, and even military tactics and plans. Shapeshifting: Due to Mercer not having a stable form like most other organic organisms. Mercer is capable of shaping the biomass within him into virtually anything he can imagine. He can shape his arms into various weapons such as blades and whips. He can change his form to match the form of anyone he consumed no matter their gender. Even morphing the biomass within his body to form mundane items such as clothes. Mercer's shapeshifting abilities are only limited by his imagination and the amount of biomass he contains. Voice Mimicry: Due to both of Mercer’s abilities to shapeshift and assimilating the memories of those he consumes. Mercer is capable of altering his vocal cords to match the voices of the people that he has consumed. Allowing Mercer to move around in areas with more heavier security. Mercer has even been shown being capable of using this power in battles. Taking the forms of high rank officials to trick various Military forces into fighting themselves. Similarly, depending on who Mercer is fighting at the time. If Mercer is aware of himself having consumed someone close to his opponent. Mercer can alter his voice in order to mess with his opponent’s mind. Getting them to drop their guard enough for him to score a kill, or at the very least, land more easier hits on them. Shield: Mercer due to his shapeshifting ability, much like most of his other powers, is capable of manipulating his biomass to form various weapons and armaments. One of these powers is the ability to form a shield on either one of his arms. Taking some of his accumulated biomass and forming it into the shape of a kite shield. Mercer then hardens this shield shaped biomass to the utmost degree. Allowing him to block all incoming damage from the direction he faces his shield at. However, it should be noted that the shield’s durability is limited as enough damage can shatter the shield. Unlike his successor, James Heller. Mercer, when using his shield power, prefers having a mobile approach to his defense as opposed to being a solid unbreakable wall like Heller’s own ability. As such, Mercer is capable of moving around instead of being rooted in place, Similarly due to this approach. Mercer is capable of using this power with his other abilities. Adopting a similar fighting style to that of a knight of old, with a shield in one hand, and a weapon in the other. Armor: When faced with a situation where Mercer is either taking damage from all directions or facing a foe that rivals him in strength and power. Mercer is capable of hardening the outer layer biomass that makes up his appearance into an armor like texture. Giving his entire body a shiny black texture that blocks most damage and reduces all incoming damage to a large degree. This increase in durability allowed mercer to take on foes such as Captain Cross, the Supreme Hunter, and even tank multiple hits from high yielding artillery without suffering much damage from these encounters. Much like with his bio-shield ability. Mercer is capable of using his more offensive powers with this form. However, this form is not without its weaknesses, as upon entering this form. Mercer’s speed is greatly reduced. While still capable of moving at superhuman speeds. It's only about half of his normal speed. Similarly, while in this form. Mercer appears unable to use his bio-shield ability, however this may be due to this form providing potentially better defense and allowing him more mobility in combat. Claws: One of the first offensive powers that Mercer gains during the events of the first Prototype game. Mercer gained the ability to form massive, knife-like talons on his hand by consuming a hunter-type infected. These talons are sharp enough to cut through flesh and bones. Even being able to cut and destroy heavily armored vehicles such as tanks. When combining his Claws with his speed. Mercer can tear through hordes of basic enemies with ease, even developing this ability further into the ground spikes ability and the Devastator; Groundspike Graveyard Attack. Groundspikes: When using his claws as his main weapon. Mercer is capable of compressing his biomass into his clawed hands before slamming them into the ground. Upon doing this, Mercer expands the compressed biomass in his hands outwards towards the direction he wants. After either reaching their target or hitting a certain distance. The expanded biomass will erupt as sharp spires from the ground, impaling and cutting apart anyone and anything caught within eruption radius. GroundSpike Graveyard Devastator: An enhanced version of the groundspike technique. Upon entering critical mass. Mercer is capable of moving the extra biomass to his hands after a bit of a charge up time. Afterwards, Mercer will then slam both his hands into the ground. Sending the biomass out in all directions which would then track down any target within a certain radius before erupting out of the ground. This move is strong enough to bring down infected hives which were capable of withstanding the force of tank and missile fire. Hammerfists: When in need of some more brute physical force and attack power. Mercer is shown being able to move the biomass within his body to his arm. Covering them in the same fibers that make up his shield and armor form while at the same time enlarging them to the size of large warhammers, like those seen in games. With these new Hammerfists, Mercer is capable of dealing massive amounts of blunt force trauma to the point of even destroying a tank with a few hits. He is capable of doing this by pressing more and more biomass into his fist before compressing them. Increasing their density and weight in the process. However, doing so does cost him some attack speed, as he is shown having some trouble at times lifting and swinging his massive hands around. The attack power of these fist are shown to be on a level capable of inflicting massive damage to entities such as the Supreme Hunter, and even James Heller. He has even shown the ability to produce shockwaves and quaking the ground with a few hits, allowing him to stun foes with the aftershocks even when Mercer’s fist doesn't make contact with his intended target. Whipfist: Mercer’s main range attack. By moving his biomass to either of his arms. Mercer can morph his arm of choice into what could be called a grappling gun. By changing the normally rigid properties of his arm to be more elastic when compared to some of his other powers. Mercer can throw his arm forward, shooting out his clawed appendage at a target, allowing him to reel it back to him or him towards it. He tends to use this when dealing with airborne enemies or when he needs to reach a farther distance than normal distance that his jumping ability may not be able to cover. Similarly due to the whipfist’s elastic properties. It is a good power to use when dealing with mobs as it can swing his arm, extending it a certain distance and with his superhuman strength to cut nearly anything in his path in half. Tendrils: Mercer is capable of forming and using tendrils. While not really shown in the first Prototype game. Mercer does use them in dealing with foes, even creating two different devastator attacks with them. In the tied-in comics, Mercer is shown using the tendrils ability to impale and kill various individuals. In one case, killing Autumn with this ability after being shot in the head. Tendrils Barrage Devastator: Upon entering critical mass. Mercer is capable of condensing the biomass in his body, creating large amounts of pressure within himself before releasing it, causing an unknown amount of tendrils to burst from his body in all directions as well as impaling and dragging any organic being towards him. Anything impaled and killed by this attack is then absorbed by Mercer, healing and strengthening him. Bio-Bombs: While Mercer isn’t shown using this ability as it was one of the main attacks of James heller. As the ability came from one of Mercer’s Evolved soldiers, carrying a strain of the blacklight virus produced by Mercer. Mercer likely has access to this ability. The ability itself allows Mercer to implant a bit of his biomass into a target, before either allowing them to run off or simply throwing the individual at a group or target. The person in question will then explode in a mass of tendrils in all directions. Impaling, grabbing, and dragging all targets caught into a center mass. Crushing and killing anything caught in the center mass. Blade: Mercer is capable of shaping and forming the biomass in his arms to form a massive blade, capable of splitting humans in half, and piercing the armor of military vehicles such as tanks, and the thick skin of hunters and other infected entities. The Blade is Mercer’s strongest attack ability outside of his Devastator attacks. Not as fast as the claws nor as strong as his hammerfist. Mercer’s Blade ability doesn’t suffer from the weaknesses of either power, acting as a middle ground, allowing him a far greater dps, or damage per second when confronting enemies. Mercer’s version of the bio-blade is shown being stronger than that of Heller’s, being capable of dealing with crowds and more heavily defended enemies far easier than Heller’s version of the power. Density Alteration: Mercer, due to his shapeshifting abilities, is capable of altering the density of his body, allowing him to increase the damage potential of his strikes as well as altering the way gravity affects his body. In terms of offensive capabilities. Mercer has been shown being able to do sudden changes while in mid air and increase his density to the point of creating shockwaves and cratering the ground he lands on with enough height. Muscle Mass Increase: Mercer is capable of increasing his muscle mass in his arms and body, increasing his strength beyond his normal levels without suffering any loss in movement like many of his other defensive and offensive powers. Gliding: Mercer, by lowering his density while in the air, is capable of achieving a limited degree of flight by gliding through the air. He is capable of switching his body’s density on the fly to either slow his descent or rapidly falling. Similarly, it is due to this ability that Mercer is capable of clearing large distances as he can simply leap and glide over most obstacles in his way in order to escape his pursuers, or reach various locations far more quickly then simply running and parkouring his way there through the streets.. Air Dash: Mercer is shown being able to move the biomass around his body at such a rate that it is capable of slingshotting him in any particular direction that he wants. Mercer generally uses this ability to cover more distance, extend his gliding abilities and even dodge projectiles and other attacks in mid-air. Wall Running: While strong enough to climb walls using his hands, Mercer is capable of wall running at high speeds as his body will alter his feet in a way that allows him to cling to walls while running without the risk of slipping off due to lack of momentum or adhesion. As such Mercer can run at high speeds in any direction when on vertical surfaces Knuckle Shockwave: Using his strength, Mercer is capable of producing a massive shockwave by a double palm thrust. This attack is capable of cars and people down an entire street. Even potentially tearing apart the latter. Critical Pain Devastator: An enhanced version of the knuckle shockwave. Upon entering critical mass, Mercer can move the biomass in his body into his hands. Upon doing a palm thrust. Mercer creates a massive shockwave that uplifts and tears apart humans and vehicles alike. Adding insult to injury, Mercer, during the process of performing this attack, will also fire the biomass stored in his hands as tendrils into the shockwave, shredding and crushing anything unlucky enough to survive the initial shockwave itself
Cole Macgrath powers:Electrokinesis-The ability to absorb and control electricity in and out of his body. Over the last seven years,Cole has gotten much more powerful than in inFAMOUS 2. Able to deliver up to 15 supernovas of force. His maximum voltage is over 20 Gigawatts and the heat of his lightning burns up to 300,000,000,000 Kelvin,equivalent to three supernovas. -Immunity to electricity-Cannot be harmed by electrical energy. Any electricity that makes contact with his body is automatically absorbed. Electromagnetism-The ability to produce and manipulate electromagnetic fields and pulses. Cole can manipulate any object,no matter the size,using magnetism. Even non-metallic materials such as stone,ice,wood,and cardboard. Cryokinesis-The ability to manipulate ice and cold gas. Cole can deliver several cryokinetic attacks such as razor-sharp,steel-tearing Shatter Blasts,Ice Grenades,Freeze Rockets,Ice Pillars and Platforms for jumping great distances,Ice Barriers that can block missiles and knock up enemies. He can also produce freezing mist that freezes enemies in it solid if he hits it with a bolt. Superhuman Strength-Cole possesses superhuman strength. Able to easily lift up to 52 metric tons. His punches are on a Class PJ and he can regularly bench press giant monsters as heavy as tanks. Has even fought on par with Ares, the God of Warfare. Superhuman Speed-Cole is able to move at superhuman speeds. He can run up to 60MPH and during combat, he can move at Hypersonic speeds. He can react and fight at Massively Hypersonic+ speeds(Mach 1000-8810), able to easily dodge lasers and instant speed attacks and react to his own, natural lightning. Superhuman Durability-Cole is extremely durable. He can survive an attack that can level an entire island, ignores bullets, and shrugs off point-blank RPG's and grenades. Regenerative Healing Factor-Cole can heal extensive damage to his body in seconds. He can even regenerate lost limbs. If he absorbs energy, he heals instantly. Tactics/Leadership/Intelligence-Cole possesses increased intelligence. He regularly works out strategies during intense combat, he daily leads a team of superheroes into battle, he's able to logically deduce the outcome of any action he might take, and outsmarts incredibly clever opponents like Sasha, Alden, and Ray Zenji. Combat Experience-Cole is an incredibly experienced fighter. He was already he strongest Conduit alive, and now is even more so after training his powers in secret for 7 years. He has fought a multitude of foes stronger and more experienced than himself and won. And has survived impossible odds and has always come out on top. Even death. Electrokinetic Flight-Over the years, Cole has learned the ability to create a platform of electricity and surf on it through the air, granting him the ability to fly. Electrokinetic Constructs-Cole can create shapes of electrical energy and use electromagnetism to give it solid form. This can create several Electrokinetic weapons such as the Gigawatt Blades. Electroreception-Cole can pick up and read electronic frequencies and listen in on communications, he can also use this to read data as well. Electric Healing- Cole is able to release a massive charge of bioelectricity that heals everyone around him via hyper stimulating cells into a rapid state of regeneration. Precognition-Cole has the ability to see a few seconds into the future or see a whole future event. Mind Techniques-Cole can use neuroelectricity to manipulate people's minds. He can use this in a variety of ways such as mind-control, instant brainwashing, reading thoughts, and countering mental attacks. Lightning Dash/Dematerialization-Cole can turn his entire body into electricity and dash across short distances, he can use this to move at Massively Hypersonic+ speeds and travel through electrical power lines. Omnipresent Awareness-Cole can surround himself with an electromagnetic field that can give him omnipresent detection of his surroundings. Added by the fact that he can sense electrical energy in one's body, this makes him almost impossible to sneak up on. He can also use a Radar Sense that detects hostile intent, distinguishes friend from foe, sees through disguises, invisibility, and illusions, and scans for any electrical signals, anomalies, and sources.

We believe that for far too long local economies have been neglected by big government politicians who are interested focused on pushing there own economic philosophies. Instead us Franklinites want to focus Main St instead of Wall Street on helping Small buiness owners find success, on helping cities and towns to be financially stable, and on helping 21st century industries to grow so they can employ more people.
Here is our plan for a brighter economic future:

1. Helping Small Business Owners: Our party aims to support small businesses by simplifying regulations, assisting entrepreneurs in accessing loans, and decreasing their tax burden.
   
2. Encouraging Financially Stable Zoning and Urbanism: Our party supports more flexible zoning regulations and affordable housing initiatives to promote economic growth and tackle rising home costs.
   
3. Supporting Green Energy: Our party promotes the development and use of renewable energy sources and technologies to reduce carbon emissions and foster a sustainable energy future.
   

Selling stuff for money. Bundle deals are absolutely welcome and appreciated. Prices were pulled from pricecharting & verified with recent, like-condition sold eBay listings.
Game Boys

• Game Boy Color: Full mod treatment: New aftermarket atomic purple shell, purple membranes, transparent green buttons, slider and IR sensor. Q5 IPS v2 with brightness/screen controls via touch pad at the top of the console. Pics $175
  
• Game Boy Color: Full mod treatment: New aftermarket white shell, black buttons, Q5 IPS screen. Pics $170
  
• Game Boy Advance SP: Aftermarket screen (I honestly don't remember which one I put in here), shell, buttons, and battery. Pics $175
  
• Game Boy Advance: Indigo, dropped in an AGS-101 screen and used the original housing, but replaced the lens. Pics $175
  

PlayStation Games & Consoles Take all the PS2 games for $180$130, take all the PS3 games for $58$40

Title	Console & Notes	Price
Console PlayStation 2 Slim SCPH-90001	Loose	Comes with OEM A/V, OEM black controller & a power cord. Tested & works great. Feel free to include any 5 of the $4 & less games for this purchase price. $90
Console PlayStation 3 CECHE01	Mostly complete in box in quite nice condition 80GB backwards-compatible console, never been opened (original thermal paste, so take that as you will), reset to factory default at software 4.81. Comes with original box (matching serial number to console in decent condition, some wear, tear on the bottom corner), instructional inserts, cardboard inserts, Sixaxis OEM wireless controller (no mini USB cable unfortunately), power cord (no HDMI). Pics	$400
American Chopper	PS2	$5
Arctic Thunder	PS2	$5
Cabelas Big Game Hunter 2005 Adventures	PS2	$3
Call of Duty: Finest Hour	PS2	$4
Call of Duty: Finest Hour (Greatest Hits)	PS2	$4
Conflict Desert Storm 2	PS2	$7
Crash n' Burn	PS2	$5
Eragone	PS2	$4
Flatout	PS2 (loose)	$4
Flatout	PS2	$7
The Getaway	PS2	$5
The Getaway (loose)	PS2	$3
Guitar Hero 2	PS2	$10
Hitman 2 (Greatest Hits)	PS2	$8
IHRA Drag Racing 2	PS2	$3
Jet Li Rise to Honor	PS2	$4
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Greatest Hits)	PS2	$4
Madden 07	PS2	$4
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater	PS2 (loose)	$8
MX Unleashed	PS2	$5
MX vs ATV Unleashed	PS2 (loose)	$5
NBA 2K9	PS2	$3
Pop Cap Hits Vol 1 Bejeweled & Astro Pop	PS2	$4
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (Greatest Hits)	PS2	$8
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal	PS2	$10
Smackdown! vs. Raw	PS2	$10
Smuggler's Run	PS2	$5
SRS Street Racing Syndicate	PS2	$5
Starsky & Hutch	PS2	$5
Strike Force Bowling	PS2	$4
Tetris Worlds	PS2	$5
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 02	PS2	$3
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 05	PS2 (loose)	$3
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06	PS2	$3
TOCA Race Driver 2	PS2	$5
Tom Clancy Ghost Recon	PS2	$4
Tom Clancy Splinter Cell	PS2	$4
Trigger Man	PS2	$3
World Championship Poker	PS2	$5
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3	PS3	$5
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Base game with map)	PS3	$10
Grand Theft Auto IV	PS3	$8
Killzone 3	PS3 CIB	$5
Little Big Planet Greatest Hits	PS3	$5
Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe Greatest Hits	PS3	$8
Rocksmith	PS3	$5
Rock Band 2	PS3	$8
Sports Champions	PS3	$4
Rock Band 4: Rivals	PS4 - Includes unredeemed Rivals code	$65

Nintendo Games & Consoles

Title	Console & Notes	Price
Skylanders Trap Team/Swap Force/Lego Dimensions	Wii U Bundle - CIB	$10
Hip Hop Dance Experience	Wii (loose)	$25 Yeah, I know
LEGO Star Wars The Complete Saga	Wii	$5
Price is Right	Wii (loose)	$3
Spongebob Squarepants: Creature from the Krusty Krab	Wii - CIB	$10
Super Smash Bros Brawl	Wii Pics	$10
Wii Play	Wii	$5
Wii Sports	Wii	$15
Horsez	NDS CIB	$4
Imagine Fashion Designer	NDS CIB	$4
MahJong Quest	NDS CIB	$4
My Farm: Around the World	NDS CIB	$4
Mario Kart 7	3DS (loose)	$10
Quad Desert Fury	GBA CIB	$5
Lion King	SNES	$8
Tiny Toons Adventures: Buster Busts Loose	SNES	$10
Accessory Wavebird DOL-004	NGC - No receiver, no battery back cover, tested & works well	$20
Accessory Lot of GBA(SP) Parts	As is - no motherboards. Tons of buttons, OEM shells, etc. See photos for details.	$100

Xbox Games Take all for $18$10

Title	Console & Notes	Price
Grand Theft Auto IV	X360 - Platinum Hits	$10
MLB 2K9	X360 - CIB	$3
NBA 2K12	X360 - CIB	$5

Cases *No games, just cases & inserts on games that originally had them.

Title	Console	Notes/Price
Kirby Star Allies	NS	$4
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	NS	$4
Splatoon 2	NS	$4
Super Mario Party	NS	$4
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions	3DS	(Red case, some liquid marking on the artwork) $10

Shipping costs are not included in prices and will be calculated based upon location. Thanks for looking!

Here's a link to either AO3 or Fanfictiondotnet if you wanted to read it over there.
Chapter 18
The ornate trimmings that lined the roof of the Iris dorms came into view as the two Battleships slowly made their way up the long path from the docks.
Long shadows stretched from the old worn out street lamps merging quickly with the surrounding darkness before disappearing completely as the lights flickered to life.
Lost in a daze, a ponytail danced in Massachusetts's eyes. Its ash-blonde sheen dimly glowed, glinting off the light of the old street lamps.
Somewhere in her heart she had hoped this slope would continue on forever, that the warmth around her hand would never disappear, but stopping in front of the marbled steps of the Iris dormitory, that warmth finally retreated.
"Why're you still following me around?" Jean spoke, looking down at Massachusetts from the corner of her eye as she made her way up the steps.
The Eagle Union Battleship hadn't moved from where they parted, staring down at the ground by her feet. Part of her grew anxious, waiting with false hope that she would be invited in.
"I-!" Her voice came out louder than she had intended.
"You've had a long voyage…" Jean interrupted, her words strangely soft, "go get some rest."
"...and besides…" the former Flagship continued, scratching at the back of her head, "I've caused enough trouble for my roommate already…"
"Okay then…" Massachusetts giggled, "goodnight!"
"Hmph!" Jean turned away with a huff, "good-", she went to say back, but peaking back around, the silver haired Battleship had already run off.
"-night… I swear," Jean disparaged,scratching at the back of her head, but unbeknownst to herself, the little smile on her face betrayed any sort of foul mood.
Stepping back into her shared room, Jean looked around for any sign of her Cruiser friend. The darkness that greeted her wasn't unusual as Le Malin was usually lying about asleep most of the time anyway, either on the couch or in her room, but a quick glance only revealed an empty sofa. Peeking her head into her companion's room she found it empty, just as it was earlier today.
"I'm back…" the door to the suite swung open.
The little Cruiser hobbled into the room looking more listless than normal. Richelieu did mention she was out doing something important, but whatever it was, it looked like it took a lot out of her.
"Le Malin! Where have you-" Jean quickly held her tongue as a look of fear crossed her companion's face, "n-nevermind… forget it."
"O-okay…" Le Malin released the breath she was holding, fully expecting a dressing down of some sort. She had been hiding out all day so a level of guilt did hang over her, but it was Lady Richelieu that suggested it to begin with. Plopping herself onto the sofa, Le Malin melted into its cushion as the fatigue of consuming a few pounds of brownies slowly washed away.
"Uwaahhh~" a sudden kneading at her shoulders elicited a sudden moan. These hands felt so good~, "yeah… r-right there~"
The Cruiser's relaxation was cut short as she stretched her neck upward, her eyes meeting those of her former Flagship's staring down at her from behind the couch.
"W-wha?!"
"Relax!", Jean commanded feeling the Cruiser's shoulders tense.
'Relax!? How can I relax?!', La Malin screamed in her head, 'why is she acting like this?! First she was super pissed, now she's being super nice! What's going on?!"
Her heart and her body were in conflict, on one hand Jean's hands were absolute magic, never has a massage ever felt this good. But on the other, this was still incredibly weird. For as long as she's served under her former leader, this level of skinship was unheard of.
"What?" Jean scoffed, still feeling a level of resistance in the little Cruiser's shoulders, "you don't appreciate this?"
"N-no!" Le Malin let out quickly, "I- I mean I do! Its- It's just that this is…kinda…" the Cruiser scrambled to come up with a word, "new… for you."
The little Cruiser chuckled nervously as a silence filled the room. The kneading at her shoulders became heavier. Jean's once delicate touch now much rougher.
"Ow ow ow!" Le Malin cried, "sorry sorry!"
It was only for a brief moment, but she could've sworn she saw a smile on her former leader's face as she squirmed underneath the Battleship's strong hands.
<><><>o7<><><>
"You don't have to come with me," Brooklyn said beside herself, continuing her pace down the hall.
"I-I know, but…" Val gulped down her anxiety, "It's your fault you know!"
"Mine!?"
"You just had to blurt out I was your advisor!" Val said in a harsh whisper, "now I have to keep up appearances with your sisters."
"W-well…" Brooklyn turned away with a look of guilt, "look, it's only for a few days, once my other sisters get here I'll tell them straight up, that…"
"That-" Val parroted after Brooklyn's pause.
"That, we are…"
"Uh-huh~"
"Thatwereengaged," Brooklyn rushed in a hushed voice looking around to make sure no one heard her.
"I still don't get why we have to be so hush-hush about it," Val said with a frown, "are you embarrassed about me or something?"
"W-what?! No!" Brooklyn denied vehemently.
With her head down, the blonde Cruiser says back in a quiet tone, "I just don't want my sisters finding out through hearsay."
"Fine~" Val let out an exasperated sigh before changing the subject to their task at hand, "so anyway… What should I be doing right now? How can I be more… advisor…y?"
"Don't talk like that for one," Brooklyn listed off, "y'know what? Don't even talk, just stand there and nod."
"Am I that unconvincing?" Val says, straightening up her clothes in vain attempt to look presentable.
"On second thought," Brooklyn pinched at the bridge of her nose, "I shouldn't have brought you here, these two are…"
"Huh?"
"Remember what Biloxi said back in Panama?" Brooklyn tries to jog Val's memory, "you have to be cautious around these two, they can be a bit… touchy"
The door to the main office swung open in front of them suddenly.
"Ah! Frau Brooklyn!"
Val stood in shock with her jaw hanging open, unable to turn her eyes away from the bombshell of a woman standing by the office threshold. The smile the woman wore was almost reminiscent of St. Louis' but there was something more behind it, Val thought, like some kind of unquenchable hunger.
"Prinz Eugen," swiftly recovering from her initial shock, Brooklyn greeted back with a curt nod.
"It has been far too long," the Iron Blood Heavy Cruiser stepped past Brooklyn's extended hand before wrapping her arms around the Light Cruiser suddenly.
Val blushed as the silver haired beauty, pressed up against her fiance, her hands roaming a but too close to her posterior.
Before Val could voice some sort of protest, Brooklyn had already pushed Eugen off, keeping the Heavy Cruiser at bay with a firm hand in her face.
"Always playing so hard to get~" Eugen pouted, muffled by Brooklyn's palm.
"And your skinship is as irrepressible as ever…"
Eugen let out an accepting chuckle, finally relenting her attempts at a hug.
"Brooklyn!" Another voice from inside the office greeted, "it's always a pleasure to have you!"
"Wales," Brooklyn dipped her head once again.
"You truly are a sight for sore eyes," Wales takes the Cruiser's hand into her own, before placing her lips upon it. The glint on Brooklyn's finger not entirely lost on the Battleship.
ahem Val audibly cleared her throat.
"Oh dear~,this one appears displeased with us," Eugen held her cheek with a playful smirk, "so~ who is this tasty little morsel?"
"Valentina," Val answered with a stern voice, but even she herself couldn't tell what kind of face she was making as Eugen politely shook her hand, "Valentina Hermosa."
"Ah! So you are miss Val-" Wales went to take her hand as well but Brooklyn quickly brought her lips close to the Battleship's ear.
"If you lay a single inappropriate finger on her," Brooklyn whispers, "I'll be sure to let Hood know the goings on in this office of yours…"
A shiver shot up the royal's spine heeding the Cruiser's words. Everything finally clicked into place as she shakily took Val's hand into her own, feeling the same cold metal band around the girl's finger.
"I-it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." An abnormally stiff Wales greeted, hoping that was enough to appease the Eagle Union Diplomat.
<><><>o7<><><>
Blocking out the sun with her palm, Massachusetts continued to look up. Not at the sky above but at her hand itself. She missed the warmth that had gripped it so tightly last night.
Closing her eyes, she could still see the slender shoulders of the Vichy privateer walking out ahead. To think such a small frame held such a vast amount of power and ferocity. With her thoughts turning back to their brief but intense fight back during war, Massachusetts couldn't help but shudder at the memory of Jean's blood soaked visage, her wavering posture as she struggled to even stand, but even being on the verge of sinking, the almost savage smile that she wore stuck out most to her.
"Oof!" A familiar voice let out as it bounced backwards on the floor.
Lost in her mind, Massachusetts barely felt the impact at her chest, but looking down she found Helena rubbing at her butt after her fall.
"S-sorry!" the girl cried, "I-I wasn't looking where I was going!"
"No. It's my fault too," the Battleship helped the Cruiser off the floor.
"Thanks," the youngest Brooklyn blushed with embarrassment as she dusted herself off, "I was trying to get a list together in my head…"
"A list?"
"Yeah," Helena nodded, "I was headed to Akashi's to pick up some ingredients for Brooklyn's party."
"I can help you out if you need a hand." Massachusetts offered, seeing as how she had nothing better to do today. The Battleship couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Helena rock her head side to side, contemplating if she should accept her offer or not.
"It'd be no big deal really," Massachusetts reassured.
"It is gonna be a lot of stuff…" Helena mulled to herself, "sure! If you don't mind."
It had been a long while since Massachusetts had been alone with the youngest Brooklyn but watching her from behind as she led the way, there was an air of confidence that wasn't there in the past. Like each step she took was infused with a level of certainty not unlike her eldest sister.
The bell over Akashi's door rang in Massachusetts's ears yet again as she followed the older Cruiser inside. She stood by the entrance watching Helena list off a bunch items at a nodding Akashi. Whatever the girl was planning seemed fairly extravagant just with the sheer amount of things she requisitioned. Massachusetts guessed it made sense, seeing as how this was the first time Helena will be seeing all her sisters in one place after a so long, she couldn't blame her for being a little excited.
"Massachusetts!" Helena called, "did you want anything while we're here?"
"Me?" The Battleship was caught off guard by the offer, "n-no its alright…"
"Aww~" the girl pouted, "I still wanna pay you back since you're helping me out'n all and we haven't seen each other in a while."
"Really I'm good so dont sweat it," Massachusetts smiled back. It wasn't a surprise to see this girl was still so concerned with ever body else and their wellbeing, it was nice to see somethings about her haven't changed.
"As the older one it's only right that I do something for you," Helena puffed out her chest in an attempt to look more authoritative to the much taller Battleship, "I'm going to be baking once I get these ingredients back, so why don't you join me in the mess hall later? I-if you aren't busy."
Helena's home made snacks? How long has it been she's had any? The thought echoed loudly in Massachusetts's head as an eager look crossed her face, "sure!"
After waiting for several minutes for Akashi and her Meowficers to return from the depths of the store, they came back carrying stacks of bags, one on top of the other.
"Sorry for the last minute request!" Helena bowed after seeing the mountain of supplies.
"Its no problem nyah! Anything for one of my best customers!" Akashi reassured.
Attempting to take the stacks of stuff into her arms, Helena starts to teeter along with the goods.
"Woah there," Massachusetts caught the Cruiser by her back, stabilizing her before taking several of the bags into her arms. "I'm here to help, remember."
"He he," Helena chuckled sticking her tongue out like she forgot.
She's still a klutz…
<><><>o7<><><>
"Don't be a stranger now~" Prinz Eugen sang into Brooklyn's ear, her goodbye hug seemed like it wouldn't end until Wales had pulled her off.
"Yes, my door will always be open to you," the royal bowed, nervous to make any sort of physical contact with her two guests, "and since you two are here on holiday, please relax and enjoy all that this base has to offer."
"Of course," Brooklyn smiled back, "I'd like to see where all the budget goes."
With that said Brooklyn and Val disappeared out the office doors leaving just the two prince's inside.
"Even when she's not working she's working," Wales chuckled, allowing herself to breathe now that Brooklyn was gone.
"Something's changed about her," Eugen said next to Wales' ear as she draped her arms over the Battleship's shoulders from behind.
"So you didn't notice it?" Wales brought her own hand up in front of herself, "the ring on their fingers."
"A ring? Oh dear…" The Iron Blood's eyes went wide, "...I fear I have to apologize to little miss Valentina when I get the chance."
"Oh~ So even you're capable of remorse," Wales said with an exaggerated look of shock.
"Hmph," Eugen pushed off the Battleship's back, making her way towards the door, "even I won't be as crass to take something someone has already claimed. Now…" Eugen placed her hand upon the door, staring at it for a bit, "if only someone here wasn't such a coward…"
"C-coward? What do you mean by that?!" Wales shot up from her seat, but her secretary had already left the room.
<><><>o7<><><>
Brooklyn craned her neck upwards, staring up at the team of Manjuu setting down the giant wooden crate she had delivered from Panama.
"So that's supposed to be a gift for Queen Elizabeth?" Val asked as the shadow of the crate passed over her.
"That's what Wales said, yeah."
"Any idea what it is?"
"Probably a statue of some sort," Brooklyn shrugged, "knowing that little Queen."
"Extravagant…"
"Quite…" the Light Cruiser disparaged the Royal Navy's callous use of funds.
With a thump, the large crate came to rest at the center of the circular path, kicking up some dust in the process.
"So this is what they had you carry?" Massachusetts said from behind the pair.
The Battleship had dozens of bags hanging of each arm as well as stacked above them, making it hard to see her face.
"That's what I was carrying," Brooklyn said back in surprise, "but what in the world is all that?!"
"Just some supplies!" Helena had poked her head around Massachusetts from behind, startling her older sister a bit.
"She was gonna carry them all herself," Massachusetts tried gesturing to the Cruiser behind her.
"I told you to let me carry some at least!" Helena pouted at the Battleship.
Brooklyn froze up for a second, as a memory of the old Helena overlayed itself into her mind. Whether or not there was an old Helena, Helena is still Helena and it wouldn't change the fact that the girl standing in front of her is her little sister.
But she wasn't expecting to run into her sister so suddenly. Of course she wanted to see her but her nerves weren't quite ready. Brooklyn did mean what she said the other day when she first saw Helena again after four long years, that she looked good. Too good for someone who could barely crack a smile at the time. Watching her banter with Massachusetts now, it's as if she hardly had any trouble at all. Helena has grown so much, and she didn't need the help of her older sister at all…
"One step at a time… remember?" A memory of Val's voice echoed in Brooklyn's mind.
If she wanted to be a part of her sister's life as she once was, it would have to begin right now. Missing this opportunity would be something she could come to regret for the rest of her life.
"H-how about this?" Brooklyn grabbed half of the stack from Massachusetts arms before distributing some to Helena and a few to Val, "we can all help carry some."
Helena pouted even further as she stomped her foot at her older sister. "Brooklyn~" she whined behind her stack, "this is supposed to be for you! So you should let us handle this."
"If that's the case," Brooklyn already started walking off, "then that's all the more reason I should be helping out."
"And besides," Brooklyn yells already a distance away, "I get to spend time with my little sister!"
"Geez~" Helena burrows her face in the bags she was carrying, the tips of her ears glowing red.
Val quietly laughed to herself, knowing Brooklyn was probably too embarrassed to say that to Helena directly.
"Brooklyn! Wait!" Helena shot her head back up.
"Uh uh!" Brooklyn refused from a distance, "I'm helping and that's that!"
"No! You're going the wrong way! Helena shouted again, "we're going to the mess hall!"
Massachusetts and Val broke out in a snicker as Brooklyn stopped in her tracks, laughing all the while as the off duty diplomat swiftly about faced, retracing her steps in a hurried fashion.
<><><>o7<><><>
"So~" Wichita said over the rhythmic clinking of whisks beating against the walls of several bowls, "Cleveland…"
"Hmm-" the Light Cruiser hummed, not looking up from what she was doing, "what's up?"
"Whatcha workin on?" Wichita poked at the blonde's cheek trying to get a reaction out of her, "Helena's got you helpin her again?"
"Helena hasn't got me doing anything," the Light Cruiser said with a huff, "I'm helping out because I want too."
"Okay okay…" Wichita backed off.
"Why are you even here?"
"Everyone's busy doing something and I'm bored."
"Then why don't you put on an apron and help me out?"
"Hahaha!" The Heavy Cruiser's boisterous laughter startled the Manjuu in the kitchen, "y'know me! I prefer eating my food to cooking it!"
"Then just go sit down and watch!" Cleveland said more than a little annoyed.
Wichita held her arms out in front of her to calm the Light Cruiser down as she did what she was told, but sitting around calmly fiddling with cooking utensils could only placate the Heavy Cruiser for so long.
"Pst… Cleveland…" a small smirk formed on Wichita's lips as she just thought of something that was for sure going to get Cleveland to react, "psstt…"
"What?!" The blonde snapped with a harsh whisper, matching the Heavy Cruiser's attempt at trying to be discreet.
Tugging at Cleveland's apron, Wichita's smirk only widened, "say~ why don't we surprise Helena?"
"And do what?"
"And by we, I mean you," the Heavy Cruiser spoke into Cleveland's ear from behind, playing with the hem of her apron, "you could try greeting her in nothing but this apron~ I'm sure that would totally make her day~"
Cleveland's brow furrowed trying to make sense of Wichita's words. Why would she greet her in nothing but an apron? Nothing… but… an apron. Nothing…
"W-w-why would I do that?!" Cleveland's face glowed a bright red finally catching on to Wichita's dirty joke.
"Hahaha! Oh man!" The Heavy Cruiser nearly doubled over in laughter, "the look on your face!"
Cleveland did her best to ignore Wichita's teasing but the bowl of cream she was working at was whisked way past its intended consistency.
"I bet Helena could pull the look off," Wichita wiggled her eyebrows at Cleveland, "she does have that rockin' body~"
No sooner she said that, the sound of a bowl clattering onto the countertop rang throughout the kitchen. Wichita's laughter had transcended past the audible seeing as how Cleveland's entire face lit up all the way to the tips of her ears like a beacon.
"W-w-what are you even saying?!" The Light Cruiser whipped the whisk in her hand at Wichita, flicking batter in her direction.
With an audible splat, the creamy batter dripped down the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"Oh~ you've done it now!" The chocolate covered lids of Wichita's eyes slowly cracked open. Scooping what she could in her hands, the Heavy Cruiser slung it straight back at a still flustered Cleveland.
Before long the Manjuu in the kitchen scrambled out for the sake of their own safety.
<><><>o7<><><>
The mess hall should have stayed the same as Helena left it, quiet and calm. With the busy chatter and commotion that came during lunch still a few hours away. But the panicked Manjuu huddling near the entrance to the kitchen and the loud clattering coming from within betrayed any sense of tranquility.
"What's going on?" Val had asked Helena who had been beside her the whole time, but when she turned her head, a gust of wind had blown in her eyes and the Light Cruiser was gone.
Val's eyes darted around, spotting Helena already by the kitchen's entrance. There was a good seven ~ eight meters from where they first entered and she couldn't recall Helena even moving in the first place.
"Ya can't hit me throwing like that!" A familiar voice can be heard yelling inside.
"Wichita…" Brooklyn shook her head, watching helplessly as Helena slammed the kitchen doors wide open.
The two sole occupants inside turned towards the door in shock. The heavy overwhelming pressure radiating from the kitchen's entrance freezing them in place.
"Y-yo~ H-Helena!" The hand full of chocolate batter had dripped off Wichita's fingers. The audible splat it made filled the silence that fell over the mess hall.
"I-I was just h-helpin out… y'know…" The color from Wichita's face had drained, stuttering her words as she forgot how to breathe.
"T-take it easy n-now…" the redhead tried to back away as Helena slowly approached, but her feet wouldn't budge.
"I-I'll help you guys clean up!" The Heavy Cruiser's voice sounded almost desperate as Helena closed the distance.
"W-wait! T-think about this!"
That was the last everyone heard from Wichita's mouth as a loud thud echoed from the kitchen.
Brooklyn and Massachusetts winced as Helena emerged back out, dragging an unconscious Wichita by her collar out of the kitchen.
"Looks like I have a little cleaning to do before we start," Helena sighed, dragging Wichita to a nearby wall, letting the Heavy Cruiser's body slump to the ground after letting go.
<><><>o7<><><>
Cleveland counted herself lucky she didn't end up like Wichita. For a second there, she thought, that she too was done for. Closing her eyes bracing for a knockout, all she got was a towel to the face as Helena tried to clean the mess that she found herself coated in.
"Geez~" Helena frowned at the blonde, "it's my fault for leaving you guys alone."
"N-no!" Cleveland let out, "it's my fau-"
"It's fine~" Helena giggled as she wiped a glob of chocolate batter off of the blonde's nose, "Just help me clean up!"
Cleveland's face grew a little red as she watched Helena lick her fingers clean.
"Mhmm~!" Helena beamed, "that's really good!"
"I-I was only following the recipe on the note…"
"Dunkerque really knows her stuff…" Helena rubbed at her chin as she tried to analyze the flavor in her mouth.
"Dunkerque?" Brooklyn asked as she plopped down the supplies on a clean spot on the counter, "I didn't realize she was at the Joint Base."
"No. She's not," Helena shook her head, "Richelieu gave me one of her recipes."
"That's rare…" Brooklyn said to herself, knowing that Battleship wasn't known to just hand out her treasured recipes so easily, "so what's the occasion?"
"It's probably not much of a secret, but…" Helena furrowed her brow deliberating whether or not she should say or not.
"It's fine~ whatever you say won't leave this room," Brooklyn smiled before turning to the other girls in the room for confirmation, "right girls?"
Val and Massachusetts both nod.
"They're for someone's launchday," Helena, still reluctant to give up all the info.
"Intel is power," Brooklyn held up her finger, "so if you've got some to share…"
"But…" saying it would be like betraying Richelieu's trust.
"Jean Bart…" Massachusetts spoke, coming to a sudden realization.
"H-how'd you know?!" Helena panicked.
"I-" the Battleship blushed, "I just happened to remember… just now…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn and Val shot a knowing look towards Massachusetts simultaneously.
"She's that girl you were with last night," Val said, "hand in hand…"
"Oh ho~" Brooklyn said louder in surprise, "you work fast."
"I-I was just walking her back to the dorms…" the normally aloof Battleship fidgeted in place staring a hole in the ground by her feet.
"I didn't know you guys were friends?" Helena asked, "but that's great! You could help us bake some Pain au Chocolat for her if you want."
"Y-yes!" Massachusetts agreed a little more enthusiastically than intended.
"I could help out too if you don't mind," Val raised her hand, "if you don't mind an extra hand in the kitchen."
"Sure! I didn't really want to bother anyone else but we do have a lot to prep for."
"Val is one of the best cooks I know~" Brooklyn vouched.
"Is that right?!" Helena enthused, happy to meet someone else who knows their way around the kitchen.
"Well~" Val chuckled, not used to the attention she was receiving, "I'm definitely better than your sister here."
"That's not saying much…" Massachusetts laughed.
Cleveland couldn't bring herself to join in on the conversation seeing as how she was largely responsible for the mess they currently cleaning. And now that they had to start from scratch that feeling just compounded itself.
"Hey Helena," Brooklyn called, "where do you keep the extra aprons?"
Aprons, Cleveland blushed, cursing Wichita for putting weird thoughts in her head. The younger Cruiser's cheeks darkened even further not even realizing she was staring at Helena as she carefully hung her apron around her neck. Watching intently as she deftly tied the knot behind her back, before pulling her long and beautiful hair out from underneath. The air in Cleveland's lungs grew thin, watching in slow motion as Helena's hair fell back down, like some kind of swan decending upon a lake, framing her body like an exquisite portrait.
Cleveland wasn't blind, she was always aware just how beautiful her best friend is but she always tried to push it into the back of her mind. An act she was almost always successful at, but Wichita's recent words did wonders to destroy that. The Brooklyn sister's uniforms were quite the sight to behold and Helena's was no exception. Cleveland thought she was used to it by now, given how often the two were together, but she was finding it difficult to pull her eyes away from her best friend's figure.
"Clevie?" Helena said a little worried, "what's wrong? Your face is all red."
"N-nothings wrong!" The shorter blonde let out a nervous laugh, "Just Wichita putting weird thoughts in my head!"
"Great… what'd she say this time?" Helena said, all too familiar with the Heavy Cruiser's antics.
Cleveland would sooner scuttle herself than reveal the whole truth of what Wichita said, "It's… just forget I said anything…"
"Alright…" Helena pouted, a little disappointed Cleveland wouldn't tell her.
<><><>o7<><><>
With the clean up done, the girls were finally able to start their prep work. With each of them in their own little station responsible for each step of the process.
Val stared at the little note Helena had shown her committing the directions listed to memory. It was a shame she couldn't tell anyone else about this apparent super secret recipe but she figured it wouldn't be a problem if she used it for herself every now and again.
Helena and Val moved about the kitchen like some kind of synchronized, well oiled machine, stunning the rest of the girls as they struggled to keep up the pace.
Brooklyn was always fascinated with the way her sister and fiance worked, but seeing them both at it together all at once was something else.
Cleveland at the best of times could barely keep up with Helena when she was in the zone, but now, with Val involved, there was absolutely no hope.
Massachusetts was off in her own little corner making almost as much of a mess as Wichita did, whisking her bowl with a little too much force.
The team of Manjuu worked like an assembly line, rolling the dough that would become the pastries base.
"Hey Helena," Val called to her newly found cooking partner, "you think you could give Brook a hand? She looks a little confused as to what to do next."
"Brooklyn?" Helena turned to her sister who had just begun pouring the molten chocolate into each mold.
"W-what? I'm good," Brooklyn answered back, slightly confused as to what Val was doing," I don't ne-"
"-Here like this," Helena cut in, guiding her sister's hand as she helped to evenly pour the chocolate.
Val smiled to herself, knowing her fiance didn't really need help, and if she did she herself could step in lend a hand, but if she could engineer a way to get Brooklyn to spend some quality time with her sister she would take any opportunity she saw.
<><><>o7<><><>
Denver and Colombia could barely contain a snicker as a red faced Wichita sat down on the floor with her arms and legs crossed, still coated in a fine layer of chocolate, doing her best to ignore the two Light Cruisers.
"For a second, we thought you just came from the Iron Blood dorms, pfftt" Colombia broke out into laughter.
"Oh, its only chocolate…" Denver said in relief as she swiped some from the Heavy Cruiser's face.
"What the hell did you think it was?!" Wichita lost her temper as the two ran for cover inside the kitchen.

Hope you all enjoy visiting our city!!
P.S. go outside or open windows if you’re in Hillsboro rn (11am) - they’re practising! I can hear Alex on the mic from my living room!
”How shall I get around for non-gig Sheffield fun?”
You can get taxis on Uber or City Taxis (our local firm, they have their own Uber style app), or download the app Moovit for live public transport info. As another commenter mentioned - you’ll have a very hard time getting taxis back from the gig - there’s a section below for gig transport! Trams are generally more reliable than buses. Sheffield’s very walkable though, you probably will only need transport to get to the gig itself.
”Where shall I go for a drink tonight?”
If you’re staying in the city centre, get yourself down to the Frog and Parrot (‘The Parrot’s Beak’ from Cornerstone) - they’ve got a nice outside seating area and have done the place up Arctic Monkeys themed for the gigs! The Forum is nice too, big outdoor area overlooking Devonshire Green (a park in town).
Kelham Island (on the way out to Hillsborough from the city centre) also has some great bars and pubs. The Gardener’s Rest is a classic pub with riverside seating, and Riverside Kelham is great too, as is Alder. Heist has a top selection of beers.
Hillsborough also has some brilliant pubs and micropubs. The Northern Monkey is my favourite, good prices and it’s got a great back room with a speaker you can connect to and plenty of games (also look out for the Alex Turner monkey mural!). There’s also a massive Wetherspoons right next to the tram stop with a huge garden, but please try to support our local businesses while you’re here!
If you’re looking to go ‘out out’, I insist you go to West Street Live. No pussying out. It’s vile, cheap, and a true Sheffield institution. West Street is the main ‘strip’ for bars and clubs in the city centre.
”How shall I get to and from the gig tomorrow/Saturday?”
I’d advise getting the tram into Hillsborough (yellow route towards Middlewood or blue route towards Malin Bridge) early afternoon to hopefully avoid the inevitable huge crowds. You can download the app Moovit to get public transport info.
You pay on the tram, the conductor will come round. It’s £2 for a single or £4 for a return, or you can get a day rider for unlimited trips (I think it’s £5). You can pay contactless, card or cash (cash preferred). The tram company’s advised that if you want to get the tram back at the end of the night, you should get a return now to avoid holding things up.
They’ve said it could take up to two hours to get the tram back into the city centre after, so another option is to walk back into town. It’s about an hour but there’ll be a whole load of people doing it and it should be a laugh! Alternatively, go and have a drink in Hillsborough before making your way back into town.
Important: trams are running only from Leppings Lane, not Middlewood, Hillsborough Park or Hillsborough stops after the gig! Here’s the tram company’s page on transport info for the gig: https://www.stagecoachbus.com/news/yorkshire/2023/june/arctic-monkeys-travel-advice-and-information
”Where shall I go after the gig?”
Into town (the city centre). Maida Vale plays music Monkeys fans would probably like, but everyone I know is going to the Leadmill afterparty. The Leadmill is an iconic venue in Sheff, the Monkeys played there a lot when they were getting started. They’re shutting down the whole road and having a massive Monkeys themed street party on both Friday and Saturday night! You can get tickets here: https://leadmill.co.uk/event/arctic-monkeys-after-party-friday/ Looks like this has now sold out for Friday! There might be tickets available on the door too, Leadmill promoters are pretty unscrupulous. Not sure though! If you wanted to ring and check their number is 0114 272 7040. If it were me I’d still go into the city centre after anyway and give it a go, and just go to West Street Live, Corporation or Maida Vale if you can’t get in. As another Sheffielder’s mentioned, these three venues are about a 15 min walk from Leadmill so factor this risk in!
”Where shall I eat?”
Cutlery Works is a great food hall in Kelham Island, there’ll be something for everyone there. There’s honestly so much great food in Sheffield it’s hard to choose what to recommend though! We have loads of authentic Asian food here because of the massive student population, so it’s worth having a try of some of that! Henderson’s Relish is our local delicacy, but you’ll want that on a pie not on it’s own 😂 If you comment with a particular cuisine you fancy and your rough location, I’ll come up with a recommendation!
In Hillsborough, the Orange Bird (South African barbecue) is open from 12-3 on Saturday. Envers Grill (incredible Turkish food, I believe it won best takeaway in the UK recently) is amazing too, or you can grab a proper pork sarnie (another Sheffield special) from Beres or a couple of the butchers on Hillsborough high street - they’ll have signs outside, and also do lovely sausage rolls etc.
”What shall we do in the morning before the gig?”
You could have a mooch around the Millennium Gallery, the Winter Gardens (look out for the AM elephant!) or go have a look round the lovely independent shops on Division Street! Don’t miss the lovely shop Annie Jude’s on Hillsborough high street for Sheffield souvenirs - it’s right near the park and there’s soooo much Monkeys themed merch that’s honestly much better designed than the official stuff!
Just let me know if you have any other questions!

Has anyone else noticed compared to other cities that Langley's green and red lights, not just on main arterial roads, seem to last way longer than other cities? I feel like it adds an extra 10-15% time to get places when you're sitting lined up at a red and the cross street has been green with no cars for 10 seconds too long.

Welcome to the 100-91 Reveal for the NFL Top 100 Players of the 2022 Season!

Players whose average rank landed them in places 100-91 are on this portion of the list revealed today. Players are associated with the team they finished playing for at the end of the 2022 season
Below you will see some write-ups from the rankers summarizing the players’ 2022 season and why they were among the best in 2022. Stats for each player are included below. Additionally, their ranks from previous years are available for y’all to see

METHODOLOGY

Link to more detailed writeup on our methodology

• Step 1: A Call to Rankers right after the Conference Championship games
  
• Step 2: Rankers from each team nominated players to rank, with a 11 game minimum threshold. Players are associated with the team they played for in 2022
  
• Step 3: The Grind. We instructed users to tier positions groups into T25, T50, etc based on 2022 regular season play only. This took several weeks as the rankers tiered each position group and discussed them. There were no individual player threads and no arbitrary position caps. Just questions and rankings.
  
• Step 4: Users submitted their own personal Top 125 lists.
  
• Step 5: User lists were reviewed by myself, u/mattkud , and u/MikeTysonChicken . The rankers were expected to answer questions about their lists. They were allowed to make any changes to their list, and were not forced to make any changes
  
• Step 6: The Reveal… where we are now!
  

And without further ado, here are the players ranked 100-91 in the NFL Top 100 Players of the 2022 Season!

#100 - Garrett Wilson - New York Jets - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks
N/A
Key Stat:
2nd Most missed forced tackles among WRs with 22
Written by: u/MattyT7
Garrett Wilson walked into the NFL as an immediate stud. He showed the world who he was in week 2, playing a major part in the destruction of the Cleveland Browns. Wilson caught two touchdowns, including what was the game-winner, to go along with 102 yards through the air. Despite having the worst quarterback play across the league last season, Wilson earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and it is not hard to see why. He is a demon after the catch with the ball in his hands, consistently finding ways to squeeze as much extra juice as he can out of a play. His jab step/cutback is lethal; simply put, he is not easy to stop. He may have only caught 4 touchdowns all year, but a lot of that has to do with the fact that the Jets offense was… well, not great. Even so, Wilson finished his rookie campaign with 83 catches for 1104 yards. You may not have heard, but the Jets quietly brought in a new quarterback this offseason, and the sky is truly the limit for Wilson going forward. Although he may not be the most physically gifted wide receiver in the world, he’s an incredibly crafty dude and is already one of the best at what he does.

#99 - Aaron Rodgers - Green Bay Packers - Quarterback

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013	2012
4	1	73	95	N/A	11	29	2	26	3​​

Key Stat:
2nd in the league in PFF's Big Time Throw Rate, trailing only Josh Allen
Written by: u/IMissHarambe878
A “down” year for ARod sees him slip to the bottom of the Top 100 here. His stats may have declined since his back-to-back MVPs, but Rodgers was consistently carrying this Green Bay team on his back this season. Despite carrying a broken thumb throughout the campaign (in which he didn’t miss a game), he helped try to steady the ship despite inconsistency across all other parts of the team (defense, run game, inexperienced wide receivers). He nearly dragged Green Bay kicking and screaming into the playoffs but was only stopped by a gutsy Lions team in Week 18 ready to play spoiler. Fun fact, Rodgers actually put up his career high in game winning drives this year with 4.
​
Here is a highlights package of Rodgers’ last season in Green Bay. Some specific highlights within the video:
- 1:01 – Rodgers shows he can still throw a pretty deep ball out to Watkins v Bears
- 3:29 – Deep throw v the Jets to Lazard, probably explains why he wanted him to follow him there
- 4:37 – Rolling out of the pocket to find Aaron Jones for a beautiful TD v Commanders
- 5:06 – Absolute dime to Doubs for a TD v Bills
- 7:30 – Beautiful play action out to Watson for a TD v Cowboys
- 13:05 – Sideline pass out to Mercedes Lewis v Dolphins
- 14:11 – Absolute monster of a ball out to Watson v Lions in his final game for Green Bay
​
All good things have to come to an end at some point, and this year showed Rodgers wasn’t the immortal some thought he was. Considering his supporting cast and the offense around him, I think he did the best he could. Don’t let that fool you though, he’s still very much an above average quarterback and I’m confident he will be higher up this list, this time next year. Take care of him, Jets, and thank you for all the memories, Aaron.

#98 - Jaelan Phillips - Miami Dolphins - EDGE Rusher

Previous Ranks

2021
N/A​

Key Stat:
Phillips’s 70 pressures is the most by a Dolphin since Olivier Vernon in 2015
Written by: u/Yedic
Jaelan Phillips followed up a somewhat spotty rookie season with a much more polished sophomore campaign in 2022. He nearly doubled his pressure numbers, with an increase from 39 in 2021 to 70 in 2022 per PFF. He more than doubled his stops, jumping up from 16 to 36.
Check out this play, where Phillips, lined up at the top of the screen, uses his speed to beat the tackle upfield, and then works back down into the pocket for the strip sack in the 4th quarter of an important division game. Here's one where Jaelan Phillips lines up at 3t, against the LG, and then shows a nice motor to adjust for a 3rd down sack while fighting through a hold.
Phillips also showed off some impressive versatility. Per PFF's tracking, he dropped into coverage about six time a game, which resulted in the most coverage snaps out of all Edge Defenders nominated for this list, and 4th most of all Edge Defenders in the entire league. He even blocked a punt for good measure!

#97 - Talanoa Hufanga - San Francisco 49ers - Safety

Previous Ranks

2021	2020
N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:
Only safety with multiple sacks, multiple forced fumbles, and four interceptions including a pick-6 in a single season in the last 10 years
Written by: u/TheRed_Knight
Once upon a time there was a slightly undersized Polynesian Safety from USC who played with wild abandon and a glorious main of hair, who ended up drafted in the 1st round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. His name was Troy Polamalu and as it turns out, he was one of the best to ever play the game at his position. Fast forward to 2021, and USC has another slightly undersized Polynesian Safety, named Talanoa Hufanga, who played with wild abandon and a slightly less glorious main of hair, who fell in the draft due to a poor combine showing and injury.
Snagged in the 5th round of the 2021 draft by the 49ers (praise be to Adam Peters), Hufanga played spot snaps on defense his rookie year as a rotational safety, while logging most of his playing time as a special teams gunner, with his most memorable play coming against the Packers in the NFC Divisional round, returning the blocked punt by Jordan Willis for a game tying touchdown. When Jimmie Ward suffered a moderate hamstring strain in the 2022 preseason, Hufanga capitalized on his opportunity, playing well enough to earn the starting S job when Ward came back, which in part led to Ward and the 49ers parting ways in FA.
During his 2022-23 sophomore campaign Hufanga ended up 3rd on the team/13th amongst all Safety's in tackles (97), 3rd on the team/6th amongst all Safety's in PD's (9), 2nd on the team/tied for 6th amongst all Safety's in INT's (4), including a pick-6 against Matt Stafford, and tied for 1st on the team/3rd amongst all Safety's in FF (2) EX. Despite being listed at only 6 foot 200lbs he plays significantly bigger and isn't afraid to lay wood or attack blockers in run defense. By far and away Hufanga's greatest asset is his raw instinctual play, his ability to diagnose and blow up plays based on pre snap alignment and pure gut instinct in a way offenses can't plan against. He's SF's wildcard, and on a defense laden with monsters and freaks he's perfectly positioned to reap as much damage as possible against opposing offenses.
While Hufanga's certainly has a long way to go to catch Polamalu, the similarities early in his career are apparent. History doesnt repeats itself but it sure does rhymes a whole lot.

#96 - Alex Highsmith - Pittsburgh Steelers - EDGE Rusher

Previous Ranks

2021	2020
N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:
1st in sacks lined up on the right side of the defensive line with 14
Written by: u/ezDuke
Flashback to 2021. Melvin Ingram had signed with the Steelers in hopes of revitalizing his career opposite a premier Edge rusher in TJ Watt. All that stood in his way was a former 3rd round pick from the football powerhouse school of Charlotte entering his second season, Alex Highsmith. By midseason, however, it was clear that the Steelers saw something in Highsmith and Ingram demanded a trade in search of a starting opportunity.
Throughout the 2022 season, Highsmith rewarded the Steelers' faith in him. He showcased an array of pass rush moves to finish 6th in the league with 14.5 sacks, highlighted by his devastating spin move. He also led the league in forced fumbles, along with Haason Reddick. He actually graded even more highly as a run defender, according to PFF, and even showed good coverage skills for a LB.
Highsmith has blossomed into the do-it-all Linebacker they envisioned when they shipped Ingram off for a 6th round pick. While he still has some room to grow, there's no question that he and TJ Watt have as good a chance as any to finish 2023 as the league's best pass rush tandem.

#95 - Tua Tagovailoa - Miami Dolphins - Quarterback

Previous Ranks

2021	2020
N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:
When throwing 5+ Yards downfield, Tua ranked 1st in EPA/ATT, 1st in Success Rate, 1st in First Down Rate, 1st in YPA and 1st in Passer Rating
Written by: u/cheesepythons
Tua Tagovailoa, perhaps the most polarizing player in the NFL presently. Some of the criticism justified and some vacuous, somewhere in the middle of all this there is the realization that what we got in the 2022 season was a much-improved player who when given the confidence, right system and weapons showed the ability of elite talent. Finishing first in league passer rating, 25 touchdowns, around 9 yards Y/A behind one of the worst OL’s in the league (24th in pass block win rate, thank god for when TA was playing) was a bright spot for his growth and maturity as a QB and team leader. On intermediate throws, Tua ranked first in EPA per drop back and completion percentage. Tua had the lowest average time to throw on these pass attempts at 2.63, the league average for throws of 11 or more air yards is 3.02 seconds. There will be arguments of course that having two of the best receivers in the league has helped, there can’t be any argument, but it is interesting to note that Tua was ranked 33rd in the league in passing yards after the catch which suggests his arm is doing a lot of the lifting as well. 2 serious concussions and subsequently missing time robbed Dolphins fans of seeing him produce at a consistent level but at 8-1 as a starter leading into December (before the wheels fell off) there was enough to have him nominated and subsequently voted into the Top 100 players for the season.

#94 - CJ Gardner-Johnson - Philadelphia Eagles - Safety

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019
N/A	N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:
T-1st in the league with 6 INTs
Written by: u/CokeZ3ro
Joining the Eagles mere days before Week 1 via trade, Gardner-Johnson would serve as the cherry on top for the formidable 2022 Eagles defense. More than just a change in scenery, Gardner-Johnson also experienced a change in position, switching from nickel corner to a more traditional safety. Safe to say, he adapted well to the change. Gardner-Johnson co-lead the league with 6 interceptions.
Gardner-Johnson often employs a ballhawk style coverage. He has a great sense for the ball in the air, and a blazingly fast approach which will often punish poor placement and deflections. Pairing with the disruption caused by the Eagle’s D-line and the coverage by their excellent corners gave Gardner-Johnson plenty of opportunities to flash those skills.
Mclaurin got Slay beat? It’s alright CJGJ will fly over to make the pick.
Underthrown? You’re done for.
Sometimes it feels like he spawns out of nowhere to make the pick.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention trash talk antics. If there was an award for instigation, C.J. Gardner-Johnson would win in a landslide. Few are better at getting under the opponent’s skin. Gardner-Johnson brings a level of grit, energy, and bravado that can instantly make the secondary better.

#93 - Ryan Ramczyk - New Orleans Saints - Offensive Tackle

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
100	63	14	74	100​

Key Stat:
6th straight year allowing less than 20 pressures in true pass sets
Written by: u/LazyFBaby
Ryan Ramczyk turned in a solid year again in 2022. However, he happened to be on the 2022 New Orleans Saints football in 2022 as well. The offense was woefully inconsistent and particularly struggled to get anything going in the 2nd half of most games ranking in the top 5 in terms of three and out percentage during the latter half of the game. Consequently, Ram was mostly ignored throughout the season where he only allowed 3 sacks, 5 QB hits and 20 pressures (per PFF). If I was to pick any performance of his to highlight it would be his work against Nick Bosa in week 12 he stonewalled Bosa all game and his only real mistake was a false start penalty. Ryan continues to be one of the strongest tackles in the NFL in terms of his anchor and his ability to deal with any pass rush moves that an opposing Edge might throw at him. Hopefully, 2023 will see his return to the upper echelons of this hallowed list

#92 - Tee Higgins - Cincinnati Bengals - Wide Receiver

Previous Ranks

2021	2020
N/A	N/A​

Key Stat:
4th in Contested Catch % (16 catches on 26 targets) +3rd highest target passer rating (121.0)
Written by: u/Letsgomountaineers5
Tee Higgins was one of the biggest draft crushes I’ve had in some time, so it was a no brainer to pick up his write up, even though he plays for one of my favorite team’s biggest rivals. He’s just a really fun player to watch from a WR coach’s perspective. Let’s dive into a few things that makes Tee Higgins a Top 100 player and an elite WR in the NFL.
The first thing you have to love about Tee’s game is his deep ball ability. That has always been his calling card, even without elite speed. So, what makes him such a threat? Well, I would be remiss to leave off his size and frame. He’s long and broad and those two things allow him to high point footballs and shield off defenders naturally. However, what separates Tee from the other thousand long and broad people playing WR at any level up and down the country is an otherworldly ability to track a football down the field, very late hands and reactions to assist with preventing a defender from getting between the ball, and most importantly the body control of a world class ballet performer. I mean this when I say that Tee Higgins has the best body control down the field of any player in football and WR gurus like Urban Meyer, Brian Hartline, and Butch will say that body control is the hardest thing to teach a receiver to do and arguably the most sought after trait of a downfield threat, moreso than speed.
Here’s a great example of this. Sauce is playing Cover 3 to his side of the field, so he’s able to open to the QB and track the ball flight. He’s in decent trail position as like I said earlier, Tee isn’t a burner. However, Sauce is late to find the ball because Tee doesn’t give anything to the ball being flight until the last possible moment where his eyes widen and his hands go up. Sauce is even able to flip his head around and get in the line of sight of Tee, but Tee still effortlessly adjusts his body to maintain eye contact with the football and track it into his bread basket. Not often did Sauce get beat deep this year, but he sure did by Tee. Another example of Tee just sonning DBs downfield. In this matchup, the Browns are playing 2-Read. As soon as the slot WR to Tee’s side goes vertical, it becomes matchup quarters and Greedy Williams is attached to Tee. This is a ball that SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN THROWN. Greedy is in excellent position on the fade. The safety is coming underneath on the deep out so even a back shoulder is typically a bad idea here. The Browns play this really well! But, still, here’s Tee high pointing the ball centimeters above Greedy’s hands and ripping it away from him, having the body control to remain on his feet even as gravity and Greedy are pulling him to the ground, and walking into the end zone.
An underrated part of Tee’s game is his route running. He’s very good on his release. The first clip of this cut up shows why. In the slot here, he stems his defender outside while pushing vertical. His delayed release and “out-in-out” stepping pattern freezes the curl/flat player in the cover 3. He’s in a bad spot to play the “curl” zone (he’s not running a curl) of the coverage because the backer to his side blitzes but Tee has him so frozen, he passes Tee off to no one and Tee is able to settle into wide open space. He also uses his body control to break off vertical routes very quickly, even without having the quickest of feet. Cover 3 to Tee again as most teams were scared of him getting over top of the defense. Tee options this go route off into a perfect flag comeback, using both his intelligence and body control to find open space. The defender is flipped open and running from the snap so he recognizes getting behind him is hard. But the defender is also in really good leverage to snap back down on fast break back to the football, so he has to really sell vertical. He closes space and cuts first like he’s going to run a fade/corner route. Then, he plants extremely hard vertically in one of the most unbelievable leg angles I’ve seen from someone that is still able to keep their feet and comes back to the football. The corner is completely helpless to stop this play.
There’s been this long standing whisper that Tee is a product of Jamarr. I attempted to illustrate as briefly as possible just how incredible of a player Tee is in his own right, but I would be remiss when discussing Tee in context of this list on 2022 play to mention how much he elevated his game with Jamarr out. Tee ended the year with 74 catches for 1029 yards. Nothing to scoff at. But with Jamarr out, he elevated his play to a pace of 110 catches for 1577 yards. Tee may be one of the only players in football that is held back by a top 5 WR talent playing across from him. He proved this year that both players serve a crucial role in this offense and if anything, he could stand to see more targets next season even with Jamarr in the fold. He can be the WR1 and when all the attention is paid to him, he seems to take his game to even higher levels. Look out for him next season climbing up this list even higher.

#91 - Quenton Nelson - Indianapolis Colts - Offensive Guard

Previous Ranks

2021	2020	2019	2018
82	21	18	70​

Key Stat:
4rd OL in history to make the Pro Bowl in each of their first 5 seasons, with 3 AP All-Pro 1st teams
Written by: u/Matt_Forte_
Quenton Nelson continues to be the best lineman on the Colts once again. Having a down year compared to his previous pedigree, he was not quite as dominant as his usual standards in pass protection, he allowed more sacks than he had previously, but some of that can be attributed to inexperienced QB play and poor pocket presence forcing him to have to hold up for longer. Nelson allowed 5 sacks out of the Colts’ 60 total allowed sacks, while starting all 17 games and coming close to the lead league among guards with snaps taken, showing he was nowhere near the biggest culprit on the team in allowing sacks. There were two plays that I felt summarized his pass protection. First, he does a great job picking up a stunt to give Ehlinger time in his first NFL start. Second, is simply a picture. The ball was snapped at 9:37, and approximately 2.5 seconds into the play, Q is the only lineman whose man is not pressuring Sam Ehlinger.
However, Quenton Nelson was still a force to be reckoned with in the run. Between his ability pull, or lead block for Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson still retains his ability to be a dominant force in run blocking. Any Jonathan Taylor highlight will heavily feature a solid block from Q giving him the running lane he takes, or Q out in front leading the charge! He will do this on any DL in the league too, there were several big gains in the Eagles game where Q was able to move the very talented Eagles DTs. He routinely performed this well against some of the best Defensive Lines in the league, such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, where he does a great job preventing Heyward from wrecking this TD run,
Expect Quenton Nelson to be a massive cornerstone of Anthony Richardson’s development in Indianapolis, providing a solid foundation to every facet of the run game, and a source of protection up the middle against pass rushers

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