Friday Fan-Work Special Double-Feature: Ballad of Gamers & Ode to Asperger’s+Announcement

Happy Friday everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin here.

Sorry about not posting any Media Review for Thursday. Sadly couldn’t find any good reviews at the moment, but for the time being I got some ideas for some reviews. The good news is to ensure that nobody gets upset and left with nothing for the week, I’m doing a “Fan-Work Double Feature.” So instead of one story, you’re getting two. For this double feature I got two poems to share for you.
The first here is a poem (or ballard) about games and the second poem is about ya boy’s explanation on Asperger’s Syndrome (or High Functioning autism). Both are old works done during my writing classes.

With that, sit back and enjoy this double feature

Oh and Ya boy’s opened his own Ko-Fi, so if you enjoy what i’ve written or reviewed, you can support here.

Ode to Asperger’s

I’ve always wondered what you wanted from me, the day I learned of your existence.

To Normal people, whenever I mention that I have a form of high functioning autism, they look at me with surprise. They are puzzled about what I have.

Mental Illness is either frowned shunned or pitied by those who don’t suffer it. They think that I should either be a window licker, a Timmy or a Downy. To normal people, it’s a mystery why I don’t look like that when I have Asperger’s.

When they understand me, they are surprised and curious. They see someone who can spout information like a living Wikipedia article.

yet they also look at me oddly or disgusted when I pick at something, scratch myself or do something weird out of a bad habit.

To them, I’m a mystery because they never knew Aspergers like I do.

Some want to change me, thinking that my mental handicap is due to neglegences, something curable

However, Aspergers is not a disease to be cured like a cold or a disability that can be controlled.

to me, it’s beyond that.It’s what I am, it’s what I see the world it’s something I’m not ashamed to yell on the top of a building.

It’s something no one should be ashamed of.



Ballard of Gamers

A boy fires up his video game
Ready for some fun
away from the bright sun
as he adventures into his fantasy world

Traveling with monkeys, dinosaurs, plumbers and swordsmasters
Seeking out Sacred Stones or fighting in Holy Wars
with only his Binding Blade as fights like his boy Roy

The boy pops out one game, and plays another
Time Lording with new allies, staying the course
going through Hyrule and Skyrim
crushing and defeating every force.

In the end, a greater force stops him
Greater than Ganon, Bowser or Maedus, like no other
it stands at the door of his room, arms crossed
for it’s the boy’s mother.

ballard-of-gamersDownload
ode-to-aspergersDownload

Tuesday Mumble: Insurrection

Written by TheChoujinVirus

Note: The following is based on my opinion, so do not get touchy about it. Also, this is a VERY touchy subject for ya boy here, so again..don’t take things personal

Why Happy Thursday, everyone, today, it’s ya boy Choujin here.

Everyone’s been hearing about the situation that happened on the 6th of January. I know this happened as it all went down on my birthday. To explain to you what’s been going on, some people who were pissed off from the results of the election decided the best option was to stage a coup on the US capitol building. The development of it has led to the mess we’re seeing and all the other stuff that makes me sick to my stomach (and I’m not joking.) It’s really sickening to watch this shit in real-time and having the audacity to call themselves patriots. It’s really sickening…

The first thing you see is that there was little to no security (in fact, there was some talk that law enforcement allowed them to walk in, and some were sympathetic to the causes). This is the kind of crap that shouldn’t have been allowed (that and it should have been screened and the place more prepared.) Another thing was that certain people within OUR government began to fan and prod their attack dogs into some kind of frenzy. All for the belief that their president will get a second term. However, the same dogs also were planning to hang you for “Selling out.” So not really a smart move right there and a really dumb move when you want to defend someone who will sell you down the river for his own personal beliefs.

The next thing is the double standards seen by the “patriots.”. In one moment, you see the protestors call for “hanging Mike Pence,” then after the whole thing, they begin to scream peace and unity after this entire thing. I’m sorry but what the what?! I’m supposed to give mercy to you because your stupidity got battered? To quote Optimus Prime:

” You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of sterner stuff!”

Not only that, but they commonly resort to lying in hopes of defending themselves from this blunder. These things like “It was ANTIFA/BLM That stormed the basis,” “it was a heat of the moment,” or my personal favorite excuse “I was only doing with Trump told me.” All of that being pure cowardice that they do because they came off as a childish temper tantrum. Though I have to admit, I’ve seen more excuses during the Nuremberg Trials.

So what do ya boy want to bring up? Well, let’s say ya boy here isn’t someone who supports open treason against the government through this. Sure he may hate the orange lard-butt, but I wouldn’t encourage violent overthrowing of the government for that stuff. As for those who openly say this..let me just say this as my final word…

Thanks for listening, and keep yourself safe out there.

Friday Fan-Work: Overprotective Papa

Happy Friday everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin!

Today’s a good day as I managed to find an old thumbdrive that held some of my older work, work I never expected would be found. Best of all, that means more older work I can share with you all.

To start off the new year, I’ve got plans to share a poem I wrote in my college years. Something silly but something you will enjoy. So sit back, grab a treat and a drink and enjoy.

Overprotective Papa

Remember that time when I scared
that boyfriend of yours
as I pulled out
my pistol
in front of him?
I did that to remind him
on whose daughter
he was dating
and what would happen
If something bad happened to you

You might get mad at me
whenever I scare your boyfriends
or remind them on who I am.
I do this because I love you,
though you might like what
I am doing for you.
It might suck seeing your dad
scaring your suitors shitless,
but you’ll thank me later
when you’re not knocked up.

overprotective-papaDownload

Thursday Media Review: Chroma Squad

Written by TheChoujinVirus















Note: The following review may contain spoilers to the game

Happy Thursday everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin

Ya boy’s been a fan of the tokusatsu genre and grew up on Power Rangers. Heck, ya boy even had a weird idea of writing a story that’s a mix between Mega Man X and Power Rangers series. However, a game I just played allows me to have that wish I wanted to do, but in an exciting twist.. A Tactical RPG was released in 2015 for PC, 2017 for the Xbox, Playstation 4, mobile markets, and 2019 for the Switch. Created by a Brazillian company called Behold and distributed by Bandai-Namco, Chroma Squad is a game that brings an exciting twist to the franchise that it takes inspiration from.

Brief Summary of the story

In Chroma Squad, you play the story of five former stunt actors of a company who decided to strike out on their own to create their very own show. They find a prop called “Cerebro,” With that, the group opens up their studio. Writing stories and scripts and ensuring their performance gets well while dealing with strange things going on. What happens to the show will determine by your choices, but there are some multiple endings….

Gameplay

Chroma Squad’s game is a Tactical Role-Playing Game, which means all fighting is done in group combat. Though you only have five people: Leader, Techie, Assault, Support, and Scout. Leaders serve as tanks, Techies use offensive skills, Assaults are bruisers, Scouts use status conditions, and Supports are your healers. Their stats are affected by the actors you put into said roles (so in more formidable difficulties, it’s crucial to pair each person and know their parts). Attacks and skills aren’t the only things they can do, as you got teamwork. This move allows your characters to provide an extra boost in movement, teaming up to attack enemies and unleash your Ranger team’s finishing move.

Think that all you gotta do is kill enemies and the monster of the week? Think again! Throughout each map has missions called “Director’s Instructions.” They are objectives that boost your audience when done. Examples like “Kill all enemy minions before attacking the boss” or “Kill the boss with a finishing move.” Completing these objectives help in filling your audience meter on the top of the screen. Audiences are your bread and butter as they provide you money and fans for special perks.

Though your squad doesn’t do the fighting, some episodes will have you fighting the boss monster in a giant robot (what Power Ranger team wouldn’t have a mecha to fight). Unlike the tactical fights, the mecha fights behave like timing combat by aiming for the green/white spot on the target bar (think Undertale’s target system.) Each successful hit will build up a combo that increases damage but makes accuracy harder. Should you miss, the enemy can strike you back and do some damage. Luckily, you can time defensive guards to protect yourself.

After each episode is done, the audience you built up is converted into money and fans. Both are important: Money is used for upgrading your studios, paying upkeep for your actors, and purchasing equipment. Fans are used as a way to give your future episodes a boost (such as gaining more audiences, higher conversion rate, or more money.)

Wait, there’s more you can do. Don’t want to spend much money? You can craft props for your heroes and mecha from items dropped from enemies or purchased from boxes..

Lastly, Chroma Squad has introduced a thing called the “Episode Editor.” This feature allows you to create some exciting episodes (some can be found on the steam workshop).

Gattai!: What the game shines in

Chroma Squad does well with the aspect of the game. The Combat is simple enough to pick up and understand without much complications. The story is pretty funny. The customization on colors for your ranger suits can have you break new stuff not seen. Such as making the pink ranger the leader instead of Red. The Episode Editor is something needed as it can make you create some episodes or parodies if you want to see them. Lastly, the game uses many references for enemies or monsters that make things funny such as fighting a Reverse mermaid or Barney the Dinosaur himself. The multiple endings do encourage replayability.

Croma-crap: what the game lacks

Though the game is fun, there are some problems with the game that can be a bit of a pain. First is the battles themselves, particularly the Director’s Instructions, which can be a bit strict and annoying, and missing them means missing valuable money and fans. Crafting, as an inexpensive part of gearing up your guys can be a pain. When you do make items, they gain random status. This can be annoying as you can get what I call the “Wizard Greatsword” problem (a weapon with contrarian stats). That and Recycling old items (you can’t sell things to shops) is a hit or miss as you can find yourself getting nothing as there are some chances of getting items back.

Lastly, though the Episode Editor is a great feature, it lacks anything that makes it suitable. One such is it forces you to use assets in the game, which means some enemies are reused. That and it can be a pain for those not so familiar with the design.

Fun Fact

Before we continue, a fun fact about the game. Behold studios ended up attracting the wrong kind of attention from Saban Brand (The company that owns Power Rangers). It led to an agreement between the two where Saban Brand gets royalty in it. It’s why below the title of Chroma Squad has “inspired by Saban’s Power Rangers.” It’s also referenced in the first part of the story where the first studio director tries to get in a legal dispute with you.

Conclusion

If you’re a fan of sentai, TRPGs, Studio management, and various other factors that make you enjoy this game? I would recommend this game for you, even if it’s minimalistic. Though who said about creating a sentai show was easy? Who knows..maybe you could be the next Saban?

Links Referenced

Tuesday Mumbles: Hyper-Competitive

Written By TheChoujinVirus

Note: the following are based on my own opinions, so don’t take offense to these views if you feel they conflict with yours.

Happy Thursday everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin here.
Welcome to 2021. New years and new mumbles to argue about. With Covid-19 still around, ya boy’s been playing games and such. One day, a friend of mine on World of Warcraft brought up a discussion that gets ya boy: Hyper-competitiveness.
Now, what is hyper-competitive? To summarize it and not get into something of a dictionary definition, hyper-competitiveness is more or less when people obsess over getting the top score or anything, all while taking the fun out of things due to that obession.
Before we continue with this, I want to remind people that I’m not chastising anything related to competitions or those striving for it. I’m against the hypercompetitive nature that can kill the fun in general, whether competitive or casual. For those who strive for the best, do not take this article as ya boy attacking you. This is the unfortunate side effect that it may bring out in some people

The first thing that I’ve seen in this problem is hypercompetitiveness is the overuse of “cookie cutters,” and meta builds. Basically, folks who copy either a top winning deck, team loadout, or composition just to get wins, which is annoying as sin. The thing is, these people don’t do this to get to the top but rather use this as a way to get easy wins in a lower tier. Now, ya boy has used cookie cutters to better understand how things work (Pokemon, etc.) So you can know how the deck works and maybe get a feel of it. However, when some folks go out of their way just so they can win in casual based things, it becomes a buzzkill. Nobody wants to deal with that in a non-competitive format and just want to play for fun. Just because you saw some guy at a Yugioh tournament use a top meta deck. You want to use it, that’s fine by you, but that’s going to cost you a ton of respect, and don’t be surprised when you don’t have others to play with you. Some folks like to play with a gimmicked deck that may be fun with people. Not everyone using a cookie-cutter may be doing this for an easy win: some may be trying to get a feel of the deck, and maybe they could like how it feels. It’s a bit confusing, but some folks want to have fun and not copycat the winning decks.

Another example that sometimes happens is when this becomes the “Only way to play a game,” which can agitate those who feel that a casual bout becomes vital. To return back to my old mumbling about Gatekeeping, this can become annoying. Especially when there are multiple ways to beat the game. Now, I’m not saying that an optimal choice is the only choice, but more when THIS way is the ONLY way to play a game. For example, when I was playing World of Warcraft, which began this conversation, I recalled how some people who play Mythic+ Dungeons (which are dungeons with a timer to beat). Those things have been known to make you have a group that requires specific professions, classes, or both. That is if you’re one of those groups trying to break world records.  The thing is that most of it is used for lower levels (e.g., Mythic+5) when it’s more useful for those gunning in the 20s. It creates an annoying gatekeep that makes joining harder and forces people to roll that or be forced not to be that way. Shadowlands does have that with covenant choices, but that’s another story for another time.

       Though I’ve seen other ways to this, it becomes a bit toxic when people will berate others who don’t play this way. Again, we return to Warcraft and how it’s tough to join groups (or even form groups) if you’re not at a specific parameter or just doing a chill run. Things get really..really dicey and pretty annoying. Especially with random groups. Though this isn’t limited to this as well, as sometimes it extends beyond WoW and in things like Pokemon where some folks will get really competitive when it comes to specific rulesets and metas that they’ll follow with a passion. Not knocking on that, but some folks wouldn’t mind having some plain fun but don’t throw a fit if people don’t play Smogon rulesets or VCGs and just want to have some fun.

                So what do ya boy suggest in this situation? All I can do is simply don’t become hyper-competitive when it comes to some casual aspects. It’s okay to chase that challenge if you want and how you do it but don’t berate people if they don’t want to do it that way. Remember that folks are different and have their own ways. Lastly, one big thing folks need to know whether it’s a card game, video game, or just any sports in general…

IT’S JUST A GAME!

If you don’t think about this..then…as I always say…

So with that, that’s ya boy’s issue with this hyper-competitive nature. Folks should be free to play the game they want to (within the rules, of course) but not berating those who seek casual fun or pure competition. Let people have their fun and enjoy things how it is.

Friday Fan-Work: Backbone

Happy Friday everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin here.

Sorry about no media review on Thursday and sorry about not dropping any stories. I originally had this story written and was going to be a few parts released. Then it started to grow into something big. This was something I took inspiration from my Scavengers story. I also took ideas from an old show called Tugs (a children’s show similar to old shows like Thomas the Tank Engine) though the difference is no anthromorphic vehicles. Instead, our story focuses on the aliens dockworkers and the ideas. Who knows? Maybe I can do that as a break in-between that and Slayer. Anyway..sit back, relax and enjoy my story here…

              Backbone: The workers of Bigg

                                           

written by TheChoujinVirus

The Peaceful Expansion….a brief moment after the Terran-Acheronite. The Largest Spacestation Citadel called Bigg was the largest station in Frontier Space and was a hub for the various species and starships in the sector. Nobody knew it better than the hardworking Stardock workers who lent their aid to everyone from Acheronite Cruisers to Traggian Science Vessels, making them popular. The hard work made them always available every hour on the hour. My workers of Hawking Fate’s were no exception. I had three station workers: My oldest Shii’rhy Lordin,, then the two Relians  Ran and Bory, the Traggian Nandon who specialized in atmospheric work. Then there’s my rookie switcher, a Lilibee adolescent named Jav, and lastly, the Abillian Korvid, my specialist in deep space work. They were a good crew, striving to do their best. Not always succeeding but proud of their work.

I remember the day we got our first big break, it started as always…at dawn…

******************************************************************************

The crew was up and ready, already dressed in their usual jumpsuit uniforms. They were a mix of blue with some white and orange around the shoulder and elbows. Not really fancy, but nothing terrible. The six workers enjoyed their drinks until the screen appeared with a jet black-haired middle-aged man dressed in a silvery grey suit appearing in front of them.

“Good morning, Fleet. Today I’ve scheduled another Fighter Switcher pilot to help up with the extra work; he’s from Earth. Jav, He’ll be working you; show him the works.”

“Right, Captain Hawkings.” The Lilibee said, “What’s his name?”

“Orlan, he’s a Biomech.”

“Biomech?!” Nandon said, his tone hinting a tad bit of mortification. “I hope you’re not going to replace us with them.”

“Feeling a bit scared of them, amphibian?” Jav snarked

Nandon replied back, “I resent that!”

“Settle down, you two! Give the greenhorn a chance.  Now I got some excellent news. Now with some hard bargaining, I managed to secure ourselves a Starliner contract for one of the largest liners ever.”

The group started to speak up in excitement, but their excitement grew when they heard the captain telling them the ship’s name.

“The Jade Nebula.” He said, “When she arrives by Fifteen hundred, I need you all to be ready to bring her in to dock. I need you all to be at your best. Lordin, you’re in charge.

“aye-aye, sir!” The Shii’rhy said.

Hawkings turned toward Bory, “Bory?”

“aye?” he said.

“You’re leading.”

The relian snorted uncaringly.

“Nandon, Ran, You two will pilot the side push,” Hawking said. Everyone nodded while Jav asked the captain, “would it be okay for me to aid you guys?”

“Not you, Jav. We don’t need Switcher Fighter pilots for this job.” Nandon said.

“Yeah, unless you got a larger ship, you’re just gonna get in the way.” Ran said with a chuckle.Jav pouted, “oh alright…well, you guys have fun. Don’t scratch the paint on your machine or the Nebula.”

The group laughed as they all got to the company’s hanger bay. Each of them getting themselves spic and span. Jav, on the other hand, got on his bike and left work to travel the station to find the new recruit….

Our rivals, Blackstar Shipping and his fleet of Rissans, were known to do some shady things too. Led by Goun, the rest of them would do anything to get contracts and business, even if it meant something illegal…

******************************************************************************

“Alright, you lot!”, Replied their boss. Unlike Hawkings, who could be seen on a monitor, their leader was on a communication line that only had “Sound Only.”

“I got word that Hawkings is trying to get a contract with the Rissan Star Liner.”

“We’re not laughing, Captain Blackstar, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Goun said.

“I’m glad we’re on the same page, Goun,” Blackstar said, “But this is no laughing matter! I want that contract, and you all want your pay!”

A Rissan, one that looked like an overweight capybara with black fur, shrugged, “but how do we do this? I thought-“”I didn’t pay you to think!” Blackstar yelled, “I want you to get that contract! I don’t care how you do it!”

“But how do we-?”

“Shut it, Zeb!” Goun said.

“Exactly! Now get to work, you lugs! And Don’t come back unless it’s that contract!” Blackstar commanded. The group left the meeting room, and some headed out toward their objectives (and the jobs they had for the time being.)

While everyone was doing their work (legal or otherwise), Jav moved through the station’s area, streets, and walkways. Though he did run into Korvid, who was busy with aiding a sewage removal shuttle, on the day that his skill would be needed for the contract. He was elegant, not just in his jumpsuit uniform but for an Abillian, he was viewed as a sleek peafowl.

“Hey, Korvid,” Jav said as he walked up to him. The Abillian looks at his co-worker as he waves.

“The Jade Nebula’s coming; a shame we can’t have Crimson Wings with us.”

“I know it’s a shame. I just got that ship detailed and cleaned to show off.” Korvid said with a sigh. He prided his custom starship he called the Crimson Wing. There were no protocols about starship customization or decals, just specializations. For Korvid, the Crimson Wing was compared to a hatchling him, and he found himself only using a standard cleaner.

“Oh, by the way, have you seen a new worker named Orlan?” Jav asked

” ‘Fraid not, old boy. There’s a ton of Biomechs on Bigg, so it may be a bit tricky.” Korvid then hears the ship’s storage tank was full. Signaling him time to get the ship unloaded.

“Listen, Kav, I gotta head back to the recycling plant to unload this sewage. Good luck with finding the new guy. Oh, and give my regards to the captain of the Jade Nebula.” Jav waves and goes back to finding the Biomech. Still finding it difficult, but he nearly hit someone on his cycle as he was about to move on to the next area. Luckily neither side was hurt.

Jav noticed the guy was a Biomech, a silvery blue colored being with a visage that one swore looked like a lagomorph.

“Sorry, sir..” it apologized.

“Well, be more careful in the future,” Jav said.The bio-lagomorph looks at the Lillibee; he shyly stammers as he asks, “I’m..l-looking for a Lilibee named J-Jav.””Well, that’s me,” Jave said, “What’s up?”

“Oh, good!” The Lagomorph said, ‘I’m O-Orlan, s-s-sir. I was hired by your captain to work for you.”

“Excellent! Listen, hop on my hoverbike. I got some work to do today, and I’ll show you the ropes. Nothing works better than a crash course at work.” Jav said

“y-yes sir!” smiled Orlan.

Jav looked at the Biomech and shook his head, “now..a bit of friendly advice, Orlan. You only call Captain Hawkings ‘sir.’ For me, just call me ‘Jav,’ okay?”

“Yes, si-err I-I mean…Yes, Jav.” Orlan corrected himself as he hopped on the back of Jav’s hoverbike. While the two went back to work, out of the station and in space, an Acheronite Cargo Ship was idle as it was waiting for its tow. Two Rissan class Corvette tugs showed up, piloted by two workers of Blackstar. Gorn got in an open channel with his partner in the other ship, Tok. Tok looked like a cross between a toad and a porcupine, with the voice that made it feel like it.

“Hey, Tok. Look what the solar winds brought in. The Matriarch’s Bounty and her captain, Kissi.”

The ship’s communicator hailed the two as her captain informed the two. She was an ordinary Acheronite worker, but some swore she may have had the attitude of an Amazon. “It’s Krisya, rodent. We’ve been waiting for a tow into Stardock for over an hour ago.”

“We don’t take Ayah milk as payment, Kissi,” Tok mocked.

“Very funny, rodent. You big shots going to be towing the Jade Nebula?” Krisya asked

“What do you know about it, Acheronite?” Gorn asked. He was surprised about the news but also miffed that he’s being mocked by an Acheronite.

“What I know is that I’ve been contacting every ship to get a tow into spacedock. Then suddenly news of the Jade Nebula’s early arrival has slowed down traffic, so my crew and I are sitting here with produce and nobody to tow us in.” Krisya said.

Tok was confused, “But I thought she was going to be here a bit later-“

“SHUT UP, CACTUS ASS!” Gorn snaps, turning his ship’s controls, “C’mon!!”. Both he and Tok left the area to report to their boss. Leaving a confused Krisya standing there on the ship’s bridge as the two tugs leave her ship.

“What a day..how are we going to unload our cargo now?”

“Ma’am? Are we going to get towed in soon?” an Ensign asked.

“We will, Ensign,” Krisya said.

***********************************************************************

Gorn got on the horn with Blackstar. Though he conveniently docked near a diner with Tok, he contacted Blackstar through a communication channel. He informed him about what the Acheronite told him and Tok.

“You sure about this, Gorn?” Blackstar asked. Of course, he was the only one that still registered as “Sound Only” on the chat.

“Hey, why would the Acheronites lie? They told me the whole thing.” Gorn said.

“Yeah, we both heard and seen it as well, boss,” Tok said

Though the two couldn’t see it, Blackstar was giddy with excitement. “Couldn’t be better, now I want that contract, and you’re gonna get it for me.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Gorn said.

Jav and Orlan were tasked with one of Bigg’s significant jobs: to provide fuel, munitions, supplies for the Enforcers, a Rissan private security firm, and Bigg’s primary security for all things of the space station.

“There you go, Ma’am,” Jav said as he unloaded the last of the supplies and fuel. “Hope that’ll help the Enforcers.”

The woman, an Acheronite warrior dressed in a blue uniform with a badge on her right side of her chest, gave a warm smile toward Jav and Orlan, “Thanks for the supplies, fellows. I’ll give my regards to the Enforcers of your supplies.”

“No problem, Ma’am.” Jav nodded as he hopped back into his ship. While the two finished undocking and moving on, Orlan talked to Jav.

“Are all Enforcers that beautiful?”

“Only her, most are made up of varying species of different sexes. They help keep Bigg safe from various wrongdoings.” Jav said but then noticed three Rissan ships docked together in the distance.

“Speaking of trouble..what are those Rissans doing?” He said to himself as they left the Enforcers headquarters. He had no clue that the three were planning something devious. Gorn discussed the plan with Zeb, and another Rissan, a short, greasy-looking turtle shell patterned hamster-like rodent called Clyne. All through the comfort of their ship’s cockpit

“Alright, listen up. With Korvid busy with work, that leaves that saurian Bory as the more experienced out of the two. We knock him out of commission, we’ll get the contract.”

“But he’s a Relian,” Zeb said, “his ship’s bigger and sturdier, so we can’t just bump him.”

“He’s doing drainage cleaning for the water system, dummy!” Gorn scolded, “The guy has to leave his ship to clean the area near the industrial sector. You know…the area called the Slurry Slide?”

Zeb began to think, “and so?”

“And?! You give him the slide down the slurry! You got that, stupid?!” Gorn lividly said

“You’ve done it once to yourself before, Zeb. So you should catch on.” Clyne said.

“Y-yeah..I’ll catch on, Gorn.” Zeb stammered

“You better!” Gorn said, “do it fast and get back fast! Now git!”

Zeb and Clyne depart to do their mission. The black-furred Zeb began to think that this was pretty devious.

**********************************************

Ran finished rounding up broken beacons in his Grappler class startug until he noticed the Matriarch’s Bounty. He got an incoming commutation from Krisya.

“Hey Ran, old friend. My ship and crew need a tow into port.” Krisya said

“Sorry, Krissie..don’t have time to argue with fees,” Ran said

“First off..it’s Krisya..not Krissie..and second, when do we even argue about the fee? It’s 100 credits.”

“Sure thing..but first we need to get the Jade Nebula docked, so I need to get my ship prepared after this work.””What do you mean? The Jade Nebula’s already here.” Krisya said. This new left Ran stunned by the news.

“She can’t be here that early!”

“Yeah! That’s what I am trying to get a request for a tow!” Krisya said.

“By Bahamut! I better tell the others!” Ren said. He began to pilot his ship away, only for Krisya yelling on the communicator, “HEY! What about my tow! I still need it!”. When he left range, the communication was cut. Krisya would get another contact from the below deck.

“Captain, are we going to-“

“I swear ensign if that’s about the bloody tow. I’ll have you on septic system duty until we get back to Acheron.”

The ensign remained stunned but kept to herself as she replied, “Nothing Ma’am..” then ended communication to the bridge. Krisya sunk into her captain’s chair as she began to rub her brow.

Bory was hard at work using a rented cleaning vehicle to help him scrub an area of the pipe. The pipes winded down toward the entrance of the main sewage line. It was nicknamed the “slurry slide” because amassed filth and junk made it slippery enough for workers to fall in (sometimes leading to a fatal end.) As he was washing the pipe, Clyne and Zeb walked up toward the Relian.

“Need help, Bory ol’ friend?” Clyne asked

“Eh, what do you rats want?” Bory snarled as he stopped washing the pipe

“Oh, just a nice day to help people out, is all. Besides, you’re working on the slurry slide.” Zeb said

“Yeah, can’t afford to have any slip-ups with that spot,” Clyne replied

The relian snorted before shrugging his shoulders, “Damn generous of ya lot, but fine, grab a hose and get to work.”

Little did he know was that the two were preparing a trap for him. Though back at headquarters, Jav and Orlan returned back from their run. They were just docking as they saw Lordin, Ran, and Nandon finishing up preparations for the Jade Nebula. “Jav, Have you seen Bory?” The Shii’rhii asked

“Not since the morning briefing.” Jav said, “Why?”

“The Jade Neubla came in early, and we need him.”

Jav shook his head, “Sorry, Lordin, I haven’t seen him.”

“Then you and Orlan best look him. The rest of us will have to do the job without him.”

Jav and Bory undocked and began their search. While Lordin, Ren, and Nandon got into their ships and headed out to make their contract.

******************************************************************************

Moving a Rissan Star Liner isn’t easy. They were huge, required a very delicate operation, and required a minimum of four ships needed to move this ship, but with only three available and two ships unavailable. Lordin began to worry as the operation was going. Meanwhile, Jav and Orlan headed toward the last location Bory. They saw that the vessel being used has a damaged side that sputtered. The two landed nearby and began looking around. They then heard the sound of snarling and grunting as Bory was able to climb himself out. Sewage and garbage clinging to his uniform.

” ‘ey what happened Bory?” Jav asked

“I don’t know…one moment I was going in deeper to clean a clog the next thing you know, I’m sliding down the pipe. Clyne and Zeb said they’d get help before I started out the pipe.”

“Yeah, those two are no good crooks,” Jav said as he motioned to the damaged ship, “We’ll get you ready to your-“

Just as the group was about to repair Bory’s ship, there was a station-wide announcement.

“Your attention, please. The Jade Nebula is being towed. All ship traffic is to be halted until the all-clear is given.”

“It’s too late to get my ship repaired; you two take over my shift,” Bory said

“But I’ve never a job like this,” Jav said. He was right; he never did a job like this before.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get on the horn with Lordin and fill him in on what happened. He’ll tell you what to do.” Bory reassured. “Don’t worry about me.”

Jav and Orlan took his advice and left the Relian behind. Once they got the appropriate ships for the job, both arrived at their destination, as Lordin mentioned. Though their ships were more built for moving small cargo, Jav and Orlan were pretty useful in their Fighter Switchers and could lend some aid. As the traffic was halted, some ships were being kept away, but the Blackstar crew watched the whole ordeal. They saw that Hawking’s team was doing a good job.

“Hey, looks like your plan’s not working, Gorn,” Zeb said

“I just need to find a way of wrenching up their work…maybe target that greenhorn Biomech of theirs..” Gorn said

“Thinking devious eh, Gorn?” Zeb asked

“No, just thinking of profits.” Gorn said, “Look! Now they’re at the tricky part.”

The group was on the “tricky part” of the docking operation. Which required angling the starliner right next to the airlock umbilical. Lordin ordered Orlan to ease back. Gorn saw his chance.

“This is how we get the contract.”

As he assumed nobody was looking, he latched onto a nearby unmanned ship and pushed it. It was sent right into Orlan’s fighter with a loud thump, causing the Biomemch to lose control and ram right into the Jade Nebula’s right-side engine. The force of both them and the ship was enough to cause the Nebula to list.

Nandon began to look at his radar with shock, “What’s going on?! She’s starting to turn!”.

“I got it, Nandon!” Replied Gorn on the entire crew’s communicators. They were all surprised, but they couldn’t do anything but accept help from Blackstar’s crew. As Gorn helped out, the rest of his team cheered for him out of earshot, with Zeb realizing that’s what devious meant. Once the ship was done, he hailed the Hawkings crew with a smile and a wave.

“Glad I could be of service, guys!”

Then he left the group to finish up their job. Orlan was left confused and upset over the whole ordeal.

Once everything was finished up, the staff and everyone celebrated her successful docking. Though Hawking’s group wasn’t too thrilled about the near disaster. Orlan began to feel down as he didn’t bother to show up. Meanwhile, back at Blackstar’s offices, the team and their boss celebrated a job well done.

“Well, well, nice job Gorn.” Blackstar complimented

“Thank you, sir,” Gorn replied while the others also followed by thanking their boss.

“yes, yes right on Gorn, A good Rissan through and through. However, I do have a question. Did anybody see you? Not even that guy you screwed over?”

“Who, that Biomech?” Tok asked, “no, no, he didn’t see us.”

“Good good, I’m very proud of you boys. Now I’ll be providing my services to the Starliner contract, and we’ll be rich.”

The group gave Blackstar thanks while they enjoyed themselves a drink of celebration. However, the group had no clue that they were watched by an Acheronite of the Matriarch’s Bounty….

Back at Hawking’s, Jav was waiting in the hangar bay as he hasn’t seen Orlan’s ship coming in yet. He eventually walked back to the break room as everyone was doing their own thing.

“Hey Ran,” Jav said

“Hey Jav,” he replied back. Jav then asked everyone the question, “Hey, has anyone seen Orlan yet? I thought he’d check back.”

“Why should we?” Nandon scoffed, “He’s just messed up the whole thing.”

“Hey! It’s not his fault. We all have accidents, and I bet the poor fellow needs some cheering up”, Jav said. Nandon just scoffed at the idea of a Biomech needing help. Jav then turned to the Shii’Rhii, who was quietly listening to the conversation. “What would you want me to do, Lordin?”

“I say it’s up to you, lad,” Lordin said. Everyone didn’t seem to care about Orlan, so Jav decided the best option was to find the Biomech. “Listen, I’m going to go find Orlan; maybe he can use some cheering up.”

The Lilibee headed out while everyone quietly listened, all except the Traggian who huffed, “he has to always be the little star scout..what a bore..”

Jav got into his ship and began to fly all around the station. His fighter jet’s radar looking for the Biomech’s ship in the area, but no luck in finding Orlan. The Lilibee began to think maybe he went out of the station and all the way in the shipping lane. He took his search out into station orbit and began to fly a bit farther outside of space. Traffic was small by the usual non-peak hours of shipping, but some small ships were coming and going. Jav decided to fly out a bit farther and made it toward the monitor substation that orbited the area. It was a lonely job for the Magellian, Lillith. Though her career was meaningful, she was happy to get some company from Korvid whenever he stopped by to provide her station with essential supplies. He hailed the two, curious about if they saw Orlan.

“Korvid, Lillith! Oh, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”

Kovid replied back, “Oh, just here with Lillith, so how did the Jade Nebula job go well?”

“Why shouldn’t it, Korvid?” Lillith asked.

“Oh..everything went fine; she docked and didn’t explode. Though…I wondered if you saw a Biomech and his ship pass by?”

“Sorry…I didn’t see any ship pass by.” Lilith said

“neither did I spot anyone coming when I arrived at Lillith’s station, dear boy,” Korvid said

“Alright..thanks for helping,” Jav said. He left the two alone as he continued his search. Though he was leaving the range of the station, he was startled by an “emergency beacon” that rang through his ship’s cockpit. He answered the hailing signal and found out it was the face of a pissed off Acheronite.

“Oh, it’s only you, Krysia,” Jav said

“yeah, and about time too. Your Relian promised me a tow into the station.” The captain said to Jav. The Lilibee looked at the Acheronite on the screen.

“Sorry about that, listen…I’m looking for Orlan.” Jav said

The Acheronite’s cold tone turned to concern. “Oh? What happened to them?”

“He..he disappeared. Can’t really blame him for causing that accident with the Nebula.” Jav said.

Krysia shook her head, “That was no accident, Lilibee, that was pure sabotage by that Gorn fellow. One of my crewmembers saw it when they were trying to look for a tow.”

Jav was shocked at this revelation, “What, are you sure?!”

“As sure as my crew and I have a load of produce, and I need a tow into the station,” Krysia said

“I knew those rodent bastards were up to this! I gotta tell the guys about this!” Jav said to Krysia. He began to turn around and head back toward the ship. However, he ignored Krysia’s yelling on the communicator about “what about my tow!?!”

Once back at the company’s hanger, Jav began to explain the whole situation.

“Krysia and the Matriarch’s Bounty saw the whole thing.”

“What? The Acheronites saw the whole thing?” Lordin asked, “What did her crewmember see?”

“She saw the whole thing and why Orlan saw the accident,” Jav said

“So what? The Biomech had the accident, and that’s that.” Nandon said dismissively

“But it was Gorn who sabotaged the thing! That’s what Krysia’s crew saw.” Jav replied

The old Shii’rhy rubbed his chin, “I wondered why Gorn was suddenly right there to help us. You’re right Jav, The Matriarch’s Bounty may have seen everything.”

“They did!” Jav said, “Look, I know Orlan’s not some defective Biomech. I’ve worked with him; he’s a good bloke! I can see that by working with him.”

Lordin reassured Jav, “Alright, alright. Have you looked everywhere for him?”

The Lilibee nodded, “even as far as the substation and Lillith.”

Lordin began to think, “If I wanted to get out of here..I’d be heading toward the direction of the Big’s Slipgate.”

“The Slipgate! Of course, that’s it! Thanks, Lordin!” Jav said, getting aboard his ship before heading out.

“The rest of you guys!” Lordin said to others, “Go help out Jav; I’ll inform Captain Hawkins of the situation.”

Ran and Bory looked at each other before heading into their ship. The two felt terrible that they threw the rookie Biomech. Jav, Bory, Ran, and Nandon all searched around the space area until they found Orlan’s fighter. It was dead drifting and no water. Jav found him and informed the group through his ship communicator.

“Hey, guys, I found him!” Jav said. He opens a channel between him and Orlan. The Biomech, still feeling bad, told Jav.

“Oh, don’t bother with me, leave me be…I’ve already caused enough trouble,” Orlan begged.

Nandon stammered, “um..about that…apparently, we found out that it wasn’t your fault. So everything’s alright now..”

Orlan’s sadness began to wane as he heard the news. Jav laughed, “Well..an apology from a Traggian! That’s a sight!”

Orlan then began to ask, “Wait..so you’re not mad at me?”

“no,” Jav said, “Krysia said a crewmember saw the whole thing, so it’s not.”

Ran heard that name and began to piece something together, “Krysia..why does that name feel-” he then snapped into overdrive and yelled, “BY BAHAMUT! KRYSIA! I COMPLETELY FORGOT!”
*****************************************************************************

The remaining group, sans Ran, managed to get Orlan to safety. news about what happened got to the ears of Blackstar, and he wasn’t too pleased about that revelation. He had an emergency staff meeting with the rest of his crew.

“So you were seen,” He snarled through the monitor.

“Impossible! I made sure!” Gorn pleaded. Though Blackstar interrupted him

“Don’t argue with me, Gorn, you were seen! Because of that, we not only lose the contract with the Jade Nebula, but the Station Magistrate will severely reprimand us! What kind of idiots do I have working here?!”

“Really devious ones?” Zeb quipped.

The crew looked at him and said in unison, “SHUT UP ZEB!” Then they all turned toward the monitor and apologized profusely toward their boss. Though all this groveling just pissed him off further.

“Sorry? SORRY?! I DON’T WANT TO HEAR THIS SPHINCTER KISSING! GET OUT OF MY SIGHTS, ALL OF YOU!!!!”

Captain Blackstar and his crew weren’t having a good day with that revelation. However, back at Hawking’s, the group had their own meeting as well.

“A moment ago, we managed to rescue Orlan and his ship. Nothing serious was found, and his ship has been repaired.”

The rest nodded in agreement, though Hawkings did give the rest of them a bit of a talk.

“Now, I know you’re all proud to work for me, but I do expect a bit of trust. You can thank Jav for that. As for jumping to conclusions without more information…”

Nandon seemed to shamefully look away when Hawking brought this up, “I want to remind you that I won’t expect you all to be true, honest and forgiving.” He then smiles as he then announces, “Now, if you all will give a round of applause as we welcome our newest member to the crew.” Orlan walks into the break room, now dressed in the Hawking colors. Jav smiled as he shook Orlan’s hand.

“Welcome aboard; you look great, Orlan,”  Jav said “Thanks, Jav.” Orlan smirked, “Gotta say, I like the color.”

******************************************************************************
Orlan proved to be an effective worker throughout his tenure in Hawking’s Fate. Blackstar still managed to continue their work even afterwards. Jav’s help with Orlan showed he had good character. However, that character would be challenged due to an incident later on. However, that’s a story for another time….
******************************************************************************

Backbone: The workers of BiggDownload

Tuesday Mumbles: 2020 In a Nutshell

Note: The following is based on my own opinions. Do not feel offended if you find them hitting too close to home.

Happy Tuesday (or Wednesday by the time this is posted.) It’s Ya boy Choujin here.

2020 is nearly on its way out and perhaps maybe all the problems it brought with us due to the whole situations. It wasn’t a good way to start off a new decade. I mean, we got our issues with major problems like diseases, political turmoil and many other issues that show up during this whole mess of 2020. I could give many but we’ll focus on some of the major issues that showed up.

Let’s start off with the 200 lb viral elephant in the room: Covid-19. I’ve already made several opinions throughout this year of all the news and stupidity of how our political administration, those that support them and various others have had a bunch of nuttery that makes me scratch my head when looking back at this. First off, you had people pretending the virus never existed (though karmic, they’ve found out this virus is oh so real.) Then you got people throwing fits over rules and such that make them look like ignorant douchebags as nobody wants to be affected by it. Those things get a bit crazy

Besides that mess with Covid, we still have to deal with the outcome of the election. Those still sucking on those copium inhalants are still holding out that somehow that Trump will win this fight (Here’s a secret, he’s not going to be winning this at all.) However, those folks are just as stubborn as Jets fans thinking that the team will win. (no offense to NY Jets Fans out there.) However, it’s going to be something that folks won’t let go and will be talked about for years to come. If folks were waiting for a Civil War, folks might assume we are on the cusp of it. However, the Copium is flowing and that means those boasting about wanting a fight are all bark and no bite

However, 2020 isn’t too bad. Despite those two major examples, the wildfires in California and even overseas issues, we’ve seen the good that has shown. When the Pandemic began to grow rampant, people joined hand in hand to help each other out in one way or another through donations, crafting or even money. Politically, the election of Biden has given some people hope that the US can mend itself, even if it takes a long time. It’s like opening Pandora’s Box: Even though it had all the misery of the world, it also held hope.
And Hope..is such a splendid thing.
All I have to say that is we need to make sure that 2021 doesn’t become another 2020. Hopefully that next year will bring some good things and allow us to move on from this virus, from this political fighting and from this whole 2020 mess.

Tuesday’s Mumble: Quarentine 2: Electric Boogaloo

Happy Tuesday everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin here.

What a November! We got ourselves a new president (despite a few people crying about the results and outcome.) World of Warcraft Shadowlands is live (and i’m enjoying this while working on the story that was suppose to be due last week.) However, we got a new round two into Covid-19. Ya Boy’s not too happy about the outcome. More than just things getting backhanded (Ya Boy was suppose to be finished with an NCCT quiz for his class but due to Covid, it’s been delayed until further notice.)

For those who are curious, my state of California has rolled back to the Purple tier (widespread) when we were in the red tier (substantial). We were hoping to get to the Orange tier (moderate) but that went to hell in a handbasket. Thus because of this, alot of stuff is now shutdown and thus we need to hunker down again (though ya boy is lucky his gym is open in this pandemic). Though why have we shut down? With everything going on so well? Lemmie tell you why this stuff happened…

It’s because people out there, defiant in what doctors told them and advised but instead listened to the GOP administration and their lies in order. Because of that, my State has a massive outbreak and things aren’t going to be like this normally. I mean, It’s not just me that’s going on but the workers that have been suffering too in this. Some can’t afford to survive another round of quarantine and our hospitals have been stretched to capacity. Not really good when everyone is stretched.


What makes this also hard is that Thanksgiving is coming and most people are either hunkering down or taking their chances and traveling. I wouldn’t advise that due to how this crap got out of hand to begin with (people traveling and spreading it unknowingly) and that some states (like California) have a maximum of two weeks quarantine right after you travel or when you arrive.
Not really good to even leave after all, and maybe give a call on Valentine’s Day.


For now, Ya boy here is probably going to have a safe Thanksgiving at home and giving his grandmother a call. For those out there, best keep safe and not risk getting yourself sick in this.

So be safe, and be careful out there.

No Mumbles or Media review,but happy (Late) 1 year anniversary.

hello everyone, it’s ya boy Choujin.

No mumbles or reviews this week, but I got some plans of stories to be written, with a new story that takes place in my sci-fi universe.

Oh and while I was doing some work I suddenly noticed that it’s been a whole year since I created The Bird’s Nest (wow…it lasted this year, huh?). So what are we going to do? Well, I thought it would be fair to pull some basis of questions you want to ask me (So long as they’re tasteful and not trolling.) related to the stuff here on the Bird’s Nest. So if you got any questions submit your questions here and we’ll answer it on Thursday.

Until then, have a good Tuesday everyone.