Potemking

Pokémon: New Horizons

𝕀𝕤𝕝𝕒 𝔾𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕟𝕤

𝕃𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: M.S Marlow - Main Deck > Panmia Island Camp

---

---

Having no interest in getting caught up in a large crowd, Isla decided to be patient and instead take a small detour to something else that'd probably only catch her eye. Supply runs to such a location weren't going to be constant, and it seemed the staffing on the main island were aware of this. A small setting out of range of the buildings, in a lightly occupied soil space by the waters, were some crops. Digletts aided in clearing dirt, humans planting the seeds and patting the dirt back, then a few small cutesy water types sprayed water in the air to darken the soil. This was great, but also disappointing, as it meant there was already someone on the path to figuring out the quality and fertility of the land here. A small but noteworthy discovery she wouldn't get to make, but that was okay. She should've figured such simple things would end up out of her grasp, they had to spend some time setting up around here, after all. Just meant she had to throw herself deep into the island to find something unique.

Distraction out of the way, Isla figured she'd get the signing process over with now that the crowd had been given a few minutes. Though, luckily enough, she got to see Arlo taking the initiative and throwing his brave little survivalist soul into the crowd to get everyone signed up. She probably wouldn't of stopped if not for Ferris questioning Arlo on the matter, causing her to pause before getting in line herself. "They jus' let anyone put a buncha names down? Can't imagine the paperwork lookin' too great if there's more makeshift groups like ours." She momentarily pondered if Arlo even knew her full name, let alone how to spell it, but figured if they were rushing paperwork like this then it was just for show anyways. One guy couldn't just be fully accountable for three to four people he might not know, right?

'Wouldn't tae'bae like this if it was the Galarian Government,' She mused in her mind, historic mind going back to the times where certain Pokemon weren't even allowed into Galar without proper paperwork, lest they tamper with the local populations if trainer mishaps occurred. Ah, well. Lingering on that wasn't worth it, even if Isla had an essay or two worth of words to say on politics at any given moment. This wasn't the place, nor the time. Rather, she decided to turn her attention towards something that was interesting, and would help her progress: An updated Pokedex, and some extra supplies.

Actually, supplies in general were a good question. Skills, perhaps, too. She wasn't gonna pester them about the latter, Arlo was already quite open with his survival skills, after all. Between him and her she was feeling the group could be pretty safe.

"Shall we figure out if we need anythin' before we depart?" She asked the boys, fingertip lightly pressing against her chin as she thought aloud momentary. "Got basics with me. Place t' sleep, tools for the wilderness, an' food. Though a place like this, bet there's plenty of fruit out in those wilds." Almost going off-track at the thought of food, her tongue slid across her lower lip before she snapped back to reality by adding: "Och, of course, medical supplies and a few skills, too. Dropped med school after a year, but I can patch up the basics just fine." She seemed a little too cheery and certain about harm coming their way, but honestly, was it really roughing it in the wild if you didn't get hurt unexpectedly? Shite happens, that's just how it was! "Spent my time out in the Orre outback, too! This ain't my first wilderness venture. But I'm sure my skills aren't anything compared t' a certified survivalist like you, Arlo." A genuine smile was sent his way, though quickly it was replaced with her adding an additional thought as her brain continued pumping out things for her to get done.

"Might try an' get what medical supplies I can off the office when I get my 'Dex updated." She mused, grinning. "A bit extra never hurt." She gave a firm pat to the side of her backpack, heftier than it appeared for sure. Far from a complainer, she was more than happy to haul what she needed to. Not a bodybuilder, but she prided herself in being self-reliant and strong, both in will and somewhat in strength.

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw - The Depths
WORD COUNT:597(+1 EXP)
MENTIONS: Sakura, Geralt, Nadia

---

Mirage used his lack of physical damage to his advantage to climb the hellish jungle gym of damaged metal in front of him, scampering desperately as he reached the top but was quick to pull a 180 to help pull up those behind him so they could get the hell out of here. His feet carried him as fast as they could, but given his size and growing fatigue he wasn't exactly running great. He wasn't exactly the athlete he was as an adult, though the mindset kept him going a little. Memories of engagements, the damaged he'd taken in some firefights. He had to scamper away with a bullet or three in his leg before, he could do this. He would prefer being shot to actually having to deal with this hunger anymore, though. He caused him to snicker to himself, maybe out of a building madness from hunger, the others would think, but he was just really being his doofus self.

Heh, eat lead.

His coping mechanism wasn't going to last long, however. At first he was excited to catch view of Nadia, Junior, and the elevator. But this turned sour as Moreau crashed the party by crashing through the catwalk directly in front of the elevator, and therefor right under their friends. Nadia's plummet was something Mirage took notice of quickly, and after what he'd already witnessed, he didn't want to imagine what could happen to one of their own down there with Moreau. "Nadia!" His shout of concern was barely audible over Moreau's attempt to dislodge her, and there was zero time to waste on getting her the hell out of there.

He'd been sort of wearing the magnet in an uncomfortable way like a neck pillow, to keep as much free as he could for the climb. But realizing he had to act, his eyes turned to Sakura who's shoulder he tapped frantically like a school kid trying to pass a note in class. "Sakura, Sakura-- Here, trade me a sec." He insisted, shoving the Dart Gun into her hands while taking the Blue Magnet. The humming of the moving elevator meant they had time for this to work, he thought. "Can only make three platforms, but you could use it to make a bridge to the elevator. Kay? Kay!"

New magnet in his hands, Mirage rushed to get a better angle on the situation below. First Moreau was crying about them running, now he's wanting them to get away from him? Fine by Mirage, the stench was bad enough up above, he didn't want to be closer to that guy by any means. "Hey, Nadia!" He called down, preparing to throw the blue magnet with what strength he had. Luckily since Moreau had come to them, he wasn't that far off, just down a ways. "Heard I'm a chick magnet! Why not put it to the test?" He pulled up his goggles, eyes focusing on her with a dumb smile on his face perhaps from his own playful humor, or the thought of how pissed Moreau will be when yet another one of them escapes despite being so close. He chucked the Blue Magnet down towards his feline friend, before grabbing hold of his Red Magnet to hold out towards Nadia down below.

Hopefully it'd be able to pull her back up, he hadn't really seen anyone use these until now and Bowser had complained earlier, but hey, they didn't have a lot of good options and with them being so close, any small opportunity to help ensure their freedom was a welcome one.

World of Light

LOCATION:Al Mamoon Northeast - Rocket Inc.
WORD COUNT: 654 (+1 EXP, -1 EXP Friend Heart, Total EXP Gain: 0)
MENTIONS: The Dragonborn.

---

A grin was on Mao's face as his strike busted through the Dragonborn's shield, managing to pop over the wave and land close to his original position. One looking his way could see the axe plummeting towards him from the air, but as a sign of awareness Ara Mitama appeared with it's smug, rude expression as if looking for trouble, only to find it in the form of Mao's axe crashing on it, it's Physical resistance turning it into a makeshift baseball mitt for axes. Mao gripped the handle, lifting the axe from the demon as it faded out from the impact, before bringing his second hand to his chest to give that move of Midna's a try. Throwing hearts at people wasn't his style, but surely the old warrior was down for the count now, so at least he'd not be aware of it--

Oh COME ON, Mao thought as the Dragonborn pulled himself up. Mao knew demons who couldn't take half the beatings this guy could, it truly made him decide that this old man wasn't actually human. Regardless of his story or normalcy however, Mao noted he needed to finish this. And he had five weapons readied for doing so, until a sudden shout from the man caused Mao to momentarily stagger. His grip on the axe was forcibly ripped away, a slight burning feeling aching from his palm due to the speed of the disarming. To make matters worse, his machinery was malfunctioning due to being yelled at. What the hell kind of bullshit was that? "I've had just about enough of your magic 'yodels'." He commented with disdain, hand shaking one of his inactive limbs for a moment out of slight disbelief, but mostly irritation.

The Dragonborn's charge and last words were noteworthy, Mao charging another magic attack at the provocation to prepare for a final clash. He was actually finding himself at the speed disadvantage now. Lest it be ignored, they were both trudging in wet sand, but not only that, Mao had to drag his mechanical limbs through it since they deactivated. Rather, he had a secondary idea: No weapon meant a direct punch would probably lead to his hand getting split in half, so he'd fire off the shotgun-like forward blast instead once they got closer. Realizing a direct hit like this was dangerous, and blowing another hole in his chest was probably not going to keep the Dragonborn alive long, it meant he'd have to act fast afterwards, too.

The stance looked stupid, he knew it. One hand prepping an attack, another on his chest like he was about to start spouting opera. But he had to ensure this old man lived, so being fast even if it looked a little janky was the best bet. "You're the strongest Human I've ever fought!" He acknowledged, even if doubting the actual nature of the Dragonborn somewhat. The characteristics were on point, at least. "I'll make it quick!"

Trudging forward, Mao waited as they closed the distance between them. Just like he'd done to blow back Big Band defensively before, his fist was clenched and pulled back as if with intent that he'd meet the man head-on again. As they got close to melee range, however, Mao's enchanted fist flew out: Sending his magic a short burst forward, glad he hadn't shown that off to him in their fight upstairs. Along with this blast, Mao's hand raised from his chest to above his head, having managed to form a Friend Heart from Midna's example. As his blast finished, Mao would lunge forward: One may assume to kill the man in front of him after the short-ranged attack, but rather, he was aiming to slam the damned Friend Heart into the Dragonborn as soon as he could during the aftermath, in an attempt to keep him alive, and to breach both Galeem and Number Two's control over his admittedly honorable mind.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Dakota Rhett

_{November 29th - Late Afternoon}

---

It'd been a bit of a struggle to get through the rest of his day. A mix of back and forth messaging over Micki's request for money and Dakota channeling his annoyance by simply blowing most of it off by saying he had classes. Which he surprisingly focused on, perhaps his frustration fueling in a positive way, or he was just being spiteful towards the situation bubbling around him. Most of the time he'd enjoy eyes on him, but today had just been a bunch of people with their own demands or expectations. None of which he asked for, functioning better without other folks opinions. Not that they particularly cared, or maybe caring was the problem. His mind was racing, words bouncing around in his skull regarding other people's judgement. If he had the energy to sulk, he might've, but instead all he could do was hold his head, feeling a sharp and burning pain that seemed to thump away in his forehead.

If he could've been left to just that, it'd of maybe been fine. Instead, his phone began to ring again. He pulled it out, and sighed deeply at the familiar number. They'd bickered enough, he thought, but it seemed she wanted to get vocal about this whole business. His options were to ignore it, which would only make it bite him harder in the ass later, or answer it and deal with it now. Figuring he was out of classes for the day, getting it over with was probably the best call. So with a bit of reluctance and a swipe of his thumb, he answered. "What?"

He winced at the voice that came from the other side. "Don't you start with an attitude, when I'm the one having to deal with your friends!" His mother, while a secure and generally decent person, had a medium tolerance of his previous band work at best, figuring he'd turn out to be something akin to a guitar-strumming hobo. "Why's Micki asking me for money?"

"I guess he's in a bad financial spot?" Dakota responded plainly, wincing as a response quickly boomed from the other side of the phone. "Cause of that band, right? And who put 'em up to the idea?"

Rubbing the back of his neck, Dakota grew defensive. "I didn't tell him to do that, he called me after he called you." He corrected, adding: "But... Yeah. The band is having a few problems."

"Well they're not any problems of mine, or your father's." The woman was very clear, Dakota feeling himself almost physically shrinking from the tone she had. "He said to let you follow your dreams, and now look: Everything fell apart, and now you have nothing to fall back on! And to add onto it, these 'band buddies' of yours are trying to squeeze money out of us."

"Ma!" Dakota yelled. "You've known Mick since he was a kid, he was just askin' for help! He wouldn't try to take anything from us, he's an honest guy!"

"An honest guy that'll end up out of any sort of work soon," She replied, a hint of spite in her tone, explaining where Dakota himself got it from. "And unlike you, he won't have much of an opportunity to bounce back." A moment of silence began between the two, Dakota spending a moment standing there and thinking about the fact he was able to get into uni at all was a blessing, but... He was throwing it away, or at least ignoring it on occasion. And he swallowed as he was confronted about it. "And how have you been treating that second chance?"

"-- I-I've been trying to get a state job..." He muttered, slightly anxious at the confrontation. "Classes have been going... Okay."

"Okay?" He could feel the tiredness in her voice. "You have to focus on this, or else you'll be in a terrible situation. We gave you what we could, but after university, you have to figure out what you're going to do for yourself."

Dakota's heated pain in his forehead felt like it became replaced by a chill. A realization of his situation hitting him. "I'm gonna be on my own." He commented aloud, staring blankly forward. He could still hear her voice echoing as he attempted to process what he'd do for himself, the situation she was laying out being quite clear to him. If he didn't take this more seriously, he'd be in a terrible position. But would he be happy either way?

"Me and your father worked hard to make sure you had a secure life. You took your chance to run a life the way you wanted, now you have to do what we did and settle into something, even if it isn't particularly what you really wanted. A state job would be more than enough to support yourself, hon. It's a smart decision, but you have to work hard towards it or you'll end up worse than when you started. We're both tired, and ready to retire. You have to go out and live your own life, we've given you a push. You have to fly."

Dakota wasn't sure what to say. He stammered, trying to find his words, which took him a moment. "Even if I'm not happy?" He asked, tone growing more meek.

"Life's not about being happy all the time," She said in a factual tone. "You have to find your place in society and implant yourself for your survival. If you can't grasp that, you'll be worse off than I could've thought." Not giving him a chance to respond, she continued: "Now, focus. Life won't always be happy, especially with work. You need to accept it, and sort yourself while you have the chance. Pry yourself away from those barely skimming bandmates you had and become successful, so you can provide for your loved ones when you reach that part of your life."

Dakota tried to speak up, but his voice was utterly silenced again by a simple "Goodbye", leaving him with nothing but the beep of his phone that'd signify his call ended. What the fuck had just happened? Dakota felt confused, scared, and angry all at the same time. Where one might feel directed by the words he'd received, Dakota felt utterly weighed down and almost pinned. This metaphorical weight began cracking the ground beneath him, unsure of what to do with himself at all. There was a point he thought life could be joyful, and he tried to give that joy to people, but today he'd been kicked down and given one of his best friends a rejection for assistance which went against what he thought was right. What the hell was wrong with him? Was his idea of a good life really that absurd?

His phone slipped from his sweaty hands, gaze following it as he tried to quickly reach for it. Unfortunately, it smacked against the ground, though that wasn't the worst part. Rather, the ground cracking and sending a fissure under his legs, and down the path behind him. Picking up his phone in a panicked manner, he looked back with wide eyes uncertain of what the hell he was witnessing. "_{The hell?}" He spoke quietly to himself, in disbelief that his little phone caused that much damage. The fissure reminded him of those cracks from the bathroom, and the cafeteria. Maybe it was him feeling distressed and empty, but he felt prompted to follow after it to see where exactly it went and how far it'd take for it to stop.

It seemed like anyone he passed took no notice of the extending fissure, even those directly in it's path stood there idly causing Dakota to brush them aside as he continued to run, getting a few irritated responses that he didn't care about right now. He began to slow as he reached the pier, noticing not only his trailed fissure, but a second one as well. Panting, he had to progress slowly down the pier towards the gazebo to find the resting place of the fissure he was following, it's spread into an assortment of connected splits in the flooring arriving before he himself did. Breaths loud, he scanned the ground and it's damage with utter confusion, before scanning the gazebo and seeing a rather stocky man resting on a bench. Figuring he was no different from other people since he was just relaxing despite the gazebo having a bunch of cracks in the floor, Dakota did what any modern youth would do in this situation.

He pulled out his phone and tried to get some pictures, or record the weird sight. Kneeling down his free hand drifted the cracks, feeling more heat with their increased presence than before. But... This heat was strange. Comforting, in a way, but made no sense given the location. After a moment, his kneeling turned to simply sitting on the floor of the gazebo, partially embracing the heat while also trying to get more footage of this weird sight. His fingers trailing and picking at the cracks in the floor out of curiosity of what exactly the source of the warmth could be.

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw - The Depths
WORD COUNT:935(+2 EXP)
MENTIONS: A lot of folks

---

Mirage followed Link's gesture, gazing at the spirit down at the ground floor. Unfortunately looking down there had the side-effect of Mirage being reminded Moreau was crushing his Mockingbird copy to death in a rampage, and making him note just how easily he could probably crush an annoying assortment of kids trying to shove magical glowing orbs into his body. With the condition of their team, he wasn't sure how they could manage it. But rather than express that first, he had to admit that the words were eye-opening. Spirits had that kind of power? He hadn't thought of applying them in such a manner, but figured that one Abyssal did change him quite a lot. Imagine what more would've done, right? "You can weaponize spirits like that? Huh."

Offer a momentary shake of his head, he had to disagree again, not that he wanted to disregard Link's ideas in a mean way. He'd been friendly and helpful before, and Mirage simply didn't want the group being thrown into a large amount of danger. "Well, we'd hafta run around and clock all those fish first, right? That blob crushing us aside, I don't think we're in good condition for that, especially Cadet here." He winced as he looked down at Moreau. Link hadn't met Duerage, and wouldn't understand it that way, really. But the suit was still a good example. "That diving suit down there was pretty torn apart, too. Before me and Geralt came down, we just got done dealing with this rotting flesh thing... It was like, seven feet tall. And it took damn near all of us to trick it into falling after we drained the water. If there's more things like that down there, we could end up in a lot of trouble. Just one scuff from that thing was enough to bang up Peach pretty bad."

Realizing he was only giving bad news, he blinked behind his goggles. "Oh, uh-- But Blazermate's up there, doing her healing thing. Peach is okay!" He assured, deciding to rest his case for the moment as Geralt and Kamek offered what they could to the situation. He pondered what Geralt meant by cheating, but was more interested in whatever distraction Bowser had coming: That's a king, for ya! Showing up when needed and saving the day, right?

As Sakura showed up, Mirage blinked at the sight of the other magnet half. "Oh, nice! You found the other half!" He exclaimed, trying to look at a momentary positive. She voiced her confusion in regards to Geralt's plan, and Mirage kinda felt the same way. He looked between them for a moment, before eyeing Cadet as he spoke. "R-Right, Nadia's Fan." He responded to Cadet's assumption, totally figuring that was what Geralt had been speaking about. He offered a nod, trying to hide his confusion and sound as in-the-know as Cadet's guess did. "Kinda noisy, and Junior and Nadia are already on the way towards the exit. So we're probably better just darting after them." Ahah, darting. Because running and climbing, with the dart gun. He smiled at his own claimed genius for a moment with satisfaction, before getting distracted by Cadet trying to move.

"Careful," He responded to the action worriedly, but paused as he was spoken to. Concern crossed his face, but it wasn't like Ace was wrong: Their climb would be easier if he was planting darts rather than helping him, but... He was a hurt little guy! Mirage wasn't going to disrespect his wishes, however, figuring it would work out in one way or another with the group gathered. He offered a small nod, attempting to be confident on the matter.

That was when Blazermate swooped in on the scene, and healed little Cadet back up to decent health. Ah, right. She was healing Peach... Of course she could heal Cadet, too. Mirage felt like a dunce for a moment, but being panicked did that to a guy. A sigh of relief escaped him with Cadet healed, which meant escape was going to be a little easier. "Right! If worse comes to worse... I'll fight 'em best I can." He replied to Cadet's more energetic response, figuring if things went real south they at least had a (terrifying) backup strategy for Moreau. But for now? Booking it sounded great.

Pops from the dart gun were audible as Mirage turned, joining Cadet's journey upwards. "These things are sturdy, maybe trust them a bit more than the metal." Mirage commented to Geralt and Sakura behind him, aiming to try and provide easier pathing for the others, given he knew Geralt was in bad shape already. Mirage wasn't doing too great himself: Stomach sore and only quiet due to the noise coming from Moreau. They were reaching a point he felt legitimately empty inside, and his dry lips were starting to stick together. He attempted to fend it off with a swipe from his tongue, but that was a very limited and temporary solution.

"A distraction sounds great," Mirage spoke up to Kamek, figuring with the plan in motion if they just bought a little time, they'd be out of here. Glancing upwards, a hint of concern crossed his face as he thought about those still in the Command Center: He remembered Bella in particular having a few issues back in the last area with movement and platforming, and wondered if she'd be able to get out okay here. Those concerns could rest until he made it to solid ground though, as if she needed an assist he wouldn't be able to provide it until he got up anyways.

Isekai type battle rp

I'll keep an eye on this. Got a few ideas running around, deceptive acrobats and rummaging pirates are where my mind is currently leading me.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Dakota Rhett

_{November 29th - Late Morning}

---

Having finally decided on his meal for the day, Dakota didn't hesitate to plop down and get to munching. He found himself slightly more aware of himself making a potential mess after his encounter with Jin, taking more caution to not leave a mess behind. Meal time was best time, or at least that's what he'd usually say with his bandmates. Currently alone at a table, it left a sort of emptiness to his meal that he hadn't felt before things started going downhill. He didn't exactly have people he hung out with now, he just kind ofSpent his spare time by himself. His mind wandered to how he used to go out a lot more, be a lot more active. Now that drive wasn't there, or a good reason to do anything, he found himself a lot more stagnant. Which was a mixture of infuriating, and saddening.

The lack of eventfulness came to an end with a ringing from his phone, the young man sliding his mobile device out of his pocket with a light lean to gain access to his pocket, before answering it with a look of visible uncertainty, as most people who'd call him knew he'd be in class around now. "Hello?"

"How's it going, bro?" A voice asked, from the other end of the line.

"Micki!" Dakota exclaimed, a smile on his face. "Just at lunch, man. Things around here are a damn bummer." He answered as he placed one elbow on the table, laying his head on his palm.

A small laugh came from Micki as a response. "Brutal, man!" The laugh quickly halted, however. "Things have been an absolute drag for me, too. That's kinda what I was calling you about, bro."

Eyebrow raising, Dakota questioned this. "Eh? What's up, Mick?"

"It's the band, man." Micki responded, tone a little down.

Eyes widening, Dakota's head lifted from his palm and he straightened up a bit. "The band? What, things going under?" He fearfully asked. Despite his lack of involvement, that didn't mean he wanted the others to fall flat on their asses.

Micki scoffed. "Nah, bro. We're getting higher profile shows." He said, matter-of-factly. "The thing is, we're taking a lot less gigs than before. Mel says going for bigger shows is better for the band, but I just haven't been making enough money since we started passing on the small jobs."

"Wouldn't they pay more? What's the deal?" Dakota asked, confused.

"It's Miranda, man." Micki paused, realizing how casually he said it. "-- The replacement singer Mel picked up, y'know?" A slightly startled noise came from the man as he put together how rude it was to mention that to Dakota of all people. "S-Sorry, ah-"

"It's fine, man." Dakota answered, tone souring somewhat though he tried to hide it. He knew he was getting replaced, obviously, and from stalking the band's activity in general he already knew about the female vocalist they chose. It wasn't groundbreaking news, or anything. "Anyhow, how's she causing your profits to go down?"

"Hell, it's not that our profits are goin' down, she's just taking a bigger cut! And Mel is entirely okay with it, too!" Micki's tone expressed he was upset, for sure. "He keeps saying it'll work out for us and we'll be raking in cash soon, but I can't live off the scraps I'm getting now. He told me it'll just be a little longer, but..." A deep sigh escaped the young man, before he presented Dakota with question: "Look, man. Can I borrow some cash?"

Dakota frowned. So this is why he actually got a call. "I don't know, bro. I'm not exactly swimming in money, I've got my own expenses."

"I know, man. I already asked your mum, and she thought it'd be better for me to ask you, though!" Micki's voice sounded desperate.

Dakota's expression darkened at what he heard, however. He momentarily fell silent, before simply repeating: "Asked my mom?"

The panic from Micki could be felt through the phone. "I know, man, I know. But we all go way back, so I thought--"

"When did you ask her?" Dakota's question was quickly answered without Micki's help, as multiple text messages started flooding in.

"-- Like, a minute before calling you..." Micki admitted, defeat in his voice.

Ignoring the messages for the moment, Dakota felt a deep frustration bubbling in his veins. He was already given enough hell about the whole band decision to begin with, now his old bandmates were asking not only him, but his parents for money? Micky wasn't a bad guy, but he possibly caught Dakota in a bad situation and at a bad time. He already had enough judgement coming his way, this was just going to make it worse.

Gripping his phone tightly, he spoke in a very simple manner. "I can't help you, Mick."

Micki was less angry, more saddened by the news, mainly about what he'd have to do now. "Yeah, bro, I understand. Sorry if I caused a mess, this is just not the best situation, y'know?"

"Tell Mel to get his head out of his ass," Dakota responded, irritation leaking through. "Whatever dumbass idea he has, it won't work if he ends up losing half his band over bad financial decisions. You've got to look after yourself first, you know?"

"I know," Micki responded, lowly. "I know."

Taking the phone from his ear and glancing down at it, Dakota wasn't sure if he could carry the conversation further. Looking at the time, he realized he had an excuse, at least. "Sorry, Mick. I've gotta get to my next class. I hope things work out for you."

"Me too."

A little small talk for a goodbye later and Dakota was able to hang up the phone. He instantly put it away, not wanting to see whatever his ma had sent. She was surely pissed, and he didn't want to handle that right now. He couldn't, he'd end up making an ass of himself. His morale sunk, realizing he turned down the first request he'd gotten from a bandmate since the split. But on the other hand, he felt angry that such a request came to him: He was the one that lost out in this whole situation, it wasn't his fault Mel couldn't keep his head on straight. But a part of him still felt guilt for not lending a hand to a friend in need, even if he really couldn't afford to do so.

Frustrated, he scooped up his trash and went to dump it. He'd probably not be able to focus (Not that he did all the time anyways,) on his classes, but that didn't mean he should stop going entirely. He'd made enough of an ass out of himself for one day with multiple people, so he'd get back on track. Or try to. Hell, not that it probably mattered either way. Not like any job he'd get out of Uni was going to give him any satisfaction.

Extremely disgruntled, he silently marched off to his next class, a clear scowl on his face.

World of Light

I figure we won't come across him for a bit given Blue Team's situation in the Maw, but I sat down and randomly decided to finish a character sheet for Pathfinder.

Pathfinder

_{Theme Of Pathfinder}

There once was a robot crusader.
Who searched the universe for his creator.
He’s worked every job,
loves corn on the cob,
and has no idea how limericks work.

Name
Marvin / M.R.V.N
Also known as Pathfinder, the Forward Scout

Game Origin
Apex Legends

Personality
Pathfinder is, at his core, an unending fountain of positivity and enthusiasm. Seeing the light in even the worst things, his disposition towards any individual upon contact is hopefulness for a new friendship. No matter the shadiness of the person in question, they'd get a chance when it comes to him. No matter the situation at hand, he'll approach it with a can-do attitude even if in reality it is extremely hopeless. And even in failure, he can find a way to keep (metaphorically) smiling. There's a certain unsettling vibe to this positive nature when it's taken into combat, as he'll remain cheery even as he's putting shotgun slugs into an opponent's face.

That being said, Path isn't violent by nature: He's more than happy to be peaceful, genuinely wanting to make a connection with everyone he meets. Anyone and anything can be a friend, but if it tries to kill him or his better-known friends, he's more than likely to react with an apology and a punch to knock their lights out. He's a bot of the people: Created to help others and he carries that in his personality. He'll try to do what's best for everyone, though he's not always sure of how to exactly do that, especially with how long he's gone without real guidance. He trusts his gut and goes with the first idea to cross his mind, needing others to help refine his ideas into things that are perhaps a little more safe, or effective.

Pathfinder is a bit of a ditz, by design. His quirky personality leads him to have such resounding faith in people, things that would sound like terrible ideas can come off as amazing suggestions to him. Easy to manipulate once his trust is gained, Path comes off as oblivious in some situations due to a lack of ability to read certain social cues, and even those he has a grasp on give him trouble at times. He's the type to still be loud when whispered to, and due to his initial programming, he legitimately cannot lie. Instead happily providing facts, perhaps to the dismay of those around him. It's clear he has no intent to offend, though, as an apology quickly follows whatever slip-ups that happen. Not that apologies fix everything.

Despite his robotic origins, Pathfinder was made as a person first and a worker second, being fully capable of learning and expanding his own horizons, even if it's with an almost childlike wonder most of the time. His constant curious nature makes him poke and prod at things, and question situations to get an understanding of them. Sometimes this can come off as oblivious, or he can apply a little too much hard logic and make people raise an eyebrow, but overall his intentions are harmless in the end.

History
First activated on the planet of Psamathe in 2658 by the most brilliant minds in the Outlands, Pathfinder was tasked with refining Branthium through a process his advanced programming allowed him to complete that regular humans couldn't. Through his efforts things looked to be solved for the Outlands energy crisis, at least until a betrayer among the science group, Ashleigh Reed, attempted to overthrow the operation and take all the credit single-handedly. Having taken the rest of the scientists captive, Pathfinder left his position of refining Branthium to stage a rescue. Though having fought hard, he eventually fell by Ashleigh's own hands, but quick work from the rest of the science team saved his life and ended hers.

With the building being surrounded by Ashleigh's goons, the science team formulated a plan. Programming their teleportation device, otherwise known as the Phase Runner, to send the stole refined branthium to where it was needed, they planned to ship Pathfinder with it, as they could not survive the journey themselves. Rather, they activated the facilities' self-destruct sequence and took the betraying forces with them; Leaving a large, destructive crater as Pathfinder staggered off course in the Phase Runner, malfunctioning in the transporting process and suffering from loss of information in his memory banks.

Having woke up in a dumpster with a lack of recollection on who or where he was, the intelligent robot tried to make a life for himself. He attempted to be a weather man, but lost his job after a rather... Colorful reaction to a planet exploding. He tried to be a chef, but the restaurant ended up going out of business after an assassination left the building in shambles.

Carrying on to a cooking *and* waiter job he picked up later, he got caught in a situation between an ex-cop that worked security for the restaurant wanting information from him witnessing a crime as a window-washer and a group of thugs hired to take him for information as well. Along with the ex-cop the two managed an escape, but not before Pathfinder took a bullet through his emotion screen and began to shut down. In a moment of mercy, the ex-officer managed to pull fragments of his memory to help him realize who he was in his final moments, rather than extract the crime information he wanted. All he'd hear before shutting down would be a female voice, calling him their hope. Their 'Pathfinder'.

The next memory he had was booting up in a warehouse, screen and interior repaired. With nothing to go on but a name, he set back out into the world. Job after job across planets, things felt less and less hopeful until a chance meeting with a man with goggles on his head that ran a local bar on Solace. A competitor of the Apex Games, which caught the robot's attention as it seemed to be the perfect place to make fame, and fortune. If he became popular enough, surely his creator would see him, right? Without hesitation Pathfinder took part in the qualifiers, using his durable body and embedded skills to easily rise as a talented and legendary competitor.

Unfortunately this alone had not been enough to discover his creator. Rather, it took years of work and investigation of his fellow Legends and their connections for him to finally reach a conclusion of who he was, why, and the reality of his situation. After the discovery, he used all of his information to make a large public announcement, bringing fame to not only his creators, but himself, a large statue being erected in the city of Olympus in his honor.

Another bombshell was dropped on him, after everything else, from the Apex Commissioner himself, Kuben Blisk. There was another Marvin: Made from Pathfinder's own parts, that was mentioned in an offhanded comment during some follow up investigation on the M.R.V.N's part. This made Pathfinder believe he had a son, and has put him on yet another journey to find him in hopes of not leaving him feeling alone like Path had felt during the years he wandered in search of his creator.

Speciality
Scouting terrain with his trusty grapple, and offering unending optimism.

Level
1

Experience
0/10

Powers

• Grapple - Pathfinder's signature ability is his grapple, having a distance of 21 meters and firing as a high-velocity projectile that attaches to solid surfaces with ease and retracts back on command. It allows Pathfinder much better movement and reposition opportunities than he'd have on foot, flinging himself long distances with increasing speed or simply scaling a high area. It's also good for grabbing friends or foes, the grapple's contact doing no damage and allowing him to pull someone back towards him, or swing around giant, dangerous enemies.

Strengths:

• Big Bad MRVN - Pathfinder, despite being a robot meant to bring peace, is actually quite the death machine in his own right. Standing at a rather large 6'2" and weighing just over 900lbs, his main body is quite durable outside of it's weak points, and highly heat resistant.
• Combative MRVN - Pathfinder has both close and long-ranged capabilities, a passion for boxing leading to his method of close-ranged combat while his time in the Apex Games has given him extensive knowledge of firearms and how to use them.
• MRVN Of All Trades - Pathfinder had a lot of information programmed into him while he was being created, and has had a lot of jobs over the years. He's worked in restaurants, cyber security, babysitter, bomb defusal, you name it and he's probably done it to some extent. He has a lot of minor skills to apply to a lot of situations, though with his work history mainly consisting of him being fired, it's fair to assume he's not particularly great at many things despite how much he knows. Rather, his first truly successful job was becoming an Apex Legend... But hey, it's better than nothing, right?

Weaknesses

• MRVN Flaws - Not originally intended for combat, Pathfinder's monitor on his chest is a physical weak point. A lot of his functionality comes from that central area, so damaging it is a good way to weaken him compared to the rest of his body (Aside from his just as vulnerable yet smaller head). While it's not an instant kill, he will start having a lot of performance issues and be greatly hindered until he can be healed if damage goes beyond his frontal screen. Being a machine, he's also naturally weak to disruptions like EMP's and can be temporarily shut down.
• MRVN's Disharmony - Pathfinder is, for reasons even he can't explain, hated by birds. Especially ravens. They like to peck at him, disrupt his activities, or use him as a target for their droppings. He's been attacked by entire flocks on multiple occasions, and try as he may, he cannot seem to earn their trust or live peacefully beside them. They are a constant enemy that exist just about everywhere, and are one of the few things that Pathfinder shows genuine annoyance towards.
• Clunky MRVN - Pathfinder isn't exactly the stealthy type. He takes big mechanical steps, is tall, colored a bright blue, and his usual loud personality is not suited to keeping a low profile. His whispers would overtake most normal volume voices, and keeping to the shadows doesn't really help due to his glowing eye. Overall, expecting him to sneak around at any point is a fool's move. Though he's more than willing to try.

Spirits

• N/A

Kindred Spirits

• Loader Bot
• Revenant
• Legion

Inventory

• G7 Scout - A Semi-Automatic marksman rifle, useful for longer ranged engagements but not as useful in close-quarters. Holds ten bullets in a magazine, and comes with a 3x HCOG sight for identifying ranged targets with relative ease.
• Boxing Gloves - Pathfinder's own specialized boxing gloves. Mostly uses them for style, as they don't hinder his blows much. When equipped, they make a bell ringing sound as if a boxing round was starting.
• Thermite Grenade x2 - Fire grenades that explode on impact, making a 10 meter long wall of flames strong enough to obliterate steel doors. The flames last for 8 seconds before disappearing.
• Light Ammo x120 - General ammunition for a lot of Outlands weaponry, but Pathfinder primarily uses it for his G7 Scout.

Planet Mobius - A Sonic Universe Open World

I'm gonna be holding on posting for now, nothing really going on for me to write about.

LF A Small Fandom Crave

Sent a PM your way. 👍

Edit:

After about a week of no response since my initial interest I'm going to go ahead and look elsewhere.