Furcate, Love Lost, Lionwing, Triumph, Saberclaw, Siberian and Miss Wisp. Stormtiger can be their punching bag I guess.

most annoying death?

where do i even begin

these r the ones i can come up w off the top of my head, therell probably be more once i decide to read avos honestly:

hollyleaf, briarlight, snowkit, feathertail, ferncloud

the short of it is, even if their deaths make narrative sense in service of a character or perspective changing (hollyleaf, snowkit), theyre still all kind of bullshit bc of what they represent 4 the series and writers as a whole. hollyleaf dies bc the writers never knew what the fuck to do w her in the first place (even tho her death does make sense narratively and is kind of justified, ill probably make a larger post analyzing this at some point bc I Am A Hollyleaf Stan but still think her death could have been okay and not frustrating), briarlight dies bc they decide her character is played out i guess (again i havent read avos so i dont rlly know, i just know i dont like it), snowkit dies NOT to rlly illustrate the danger of the forest to fireheart while hes young and make him question his choice to leave his comfortable life (which would make sense, even at the cost of an innocent) but to move a decided useless queen to the nursery, feathertail dies 4 basically no reason she easily could have saved the tribe w/o dying--i can only imagine they killed her bc they needed a definite reason her and crowpaw couldnt be together--, and ferncloud dies 4 basically the same reason snowkit dies/his mother is moved out of the nursery. like. its bullshit wall to wall.

Summary: Some LionWing fluff to sweeten your night~

Requested by: @princessnightwing

A/N: These two have to chill.

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*

    Gabrielle glared at the road in front of her from the driver’s seat. She was pulled over, red and blue lights flashing in her rear-view mirror. She knew exactly who was in that police cruiser, and she was so not in the mood for this.

    Sure enough, Dick Grayson climbed out of the car and sauntered over to her window, tapping on the glass with one knuckle.

    She sighed, rolling down the window and giving her husband her best ‘I’m not in the mood’ look.

    He leaned down, resting his elbow on the door. “Ma'am, do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

    She frowned at her reflection in his obnoxiously large sunglasses. “Dick.”

    “The posted speed limit on this here stretch of road is twenty-five.”

    “Dick.”

    “I’ve got you going…” he checked a piece of paper, as if he’d taken the time to write her speed down, then whistled, shaking his head in amazement, “thirty. Looks like I’m going to have to bring you in.”

    There was a long pause while he stared at the paper and she glared at him from the car. He was playing one of his little games where he thought he was just so adorable. And of course as always he was, but when he used it to his advantage like this is was obnoxious, and she had places to be.

    “Dick, no one lives on this road and I was going five miles over the limit. I’m trying to get some actual errands done. I’m not in the mood to play.”

    “The law doesn’t care what mood you’re in, ma'am.” But his smile had wilted a little so he looked like a scolded puppy. He continued staring at the paper, clearly wondering how to salvage his game.

    “Officer Grayson?” When he glanced up she grabbed him by his tie and pulled him into a kiss. She heard his notepad hit the ground outside the car, and his hand came up to play with her hair, pulling her closer.

    Once she finally relaxed her grip he hardly backed off at all. It took him a moment to find his words again. “Ma'am, are you attempting to bribe an officer of the law?”

    She smirked, noting the slight flush of his cheeks. “That depends, puppy, is it working?”

- - -

Prompt: “Imagine Person A lightly tracing ‘i love you’ over and over again on Person B’s back, assuming that Person B is asleep. When Person A is lying on their back, getting ready to sleep, Person B moves closer and wraps their arms around Person A, whispering softly, ‘I love you too’.”

Pairing: LionWing (Gabrielle x Dick Grayson)

In which Grayson sleeps through everything.

***

**

*

*

    Gabrielle really should have been asleep. Every other sane person in the world was asleep. Even Tim was in bed.

    Dick was asleep, curled on the bed beside her. He'd taken a shower after patrol and collapsed in the bed afterwards. He was wearing sweatpants, his hair was damp and mussed against the pillow and leaving a wet spot. His back was to her, fresh bruises standing out against his skin.

    She laid on the bed, watching him sleeping. She'd been asleep earlier when he'd gotten back to the manor, and had dozed while she heard him showering. She'd only woken up when he'd flopped down in the bed, but he'd fallen asleep almost immediately.

    It must have been a hard night. She didn't want to wake him once he'd settled.

    But now she was awake.

    Dick hadn't turned on any of the lights. The clock in her room ticked loudly in the warm, quiet darkness. He wasn't snoring but she could hear his deep, slow breathing, and it was soothing.

    She scooted a little closer, until she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. Gently she rested her fingertips against a large, dark bruise on his shoulderblade. The skin was hot.

    He didn't react to her touch, his breathing remained slow and even.

    Gently she moved her fingers to another bruise, then another. She was proud of him for all the hard work he did, all his efforts on patrol to keep the city's inhabitants safe, but it was hard to see him injured even a little.

    Finally feeling a little sleepy, she sighed and nuzzled against her pillow. With her hand still on his back she started lazily tracing designs with one finger.

    I love you, she wrote slowly. She meant it. That ridiculous, adorable, gentle, sweet man who gave everything he had for everyone around him was everything she could have ever asked for. Everything she'd never imagined she would have.

    I love you, I love you, I love you.

    She kept writing it over and over again. It was strangely relaxing.

    Finally she felt herself drifting off. Pulling her arms back under her blankets she turned over so her back was to him.

    She was about to fall asleep, but was startled awake by Dick's movement. He turned over and pulled her close with one arm. He nuzzled against her head with a sleepy sigh.

Here I am, back at it again plotting for things way far away from me. I'm thinking regarding Po3:

Hollyspring - Diplomat or Hunter (Tracker Aligned)

Lionwing - Warrior - (Guard)

Jayflight - Craftscat (Medic Aligned)

Also, Hollyspring is only a half-sibling to Lionwing and Jayflight.

Horgihugh is a 2D, side-scrolling SHMUP and the debut game by developer PiXEL. Not quite the bullet hell and nightmare inducing experience of other SHMUPs, Horgihugh still possesses the key characteristics of the genre. Combining those with an original story, classic 16-bit style, and an adorable aesthetic, and you have a notable first offering from a fledgling development studio.

Horgihugh starts off by introducing its backstory, set in a world similar to our own yet with its population consisting of anthropomorphic animals. After relative peace for most of its history, a single violent event triggers a world war. During this conflict, a former pilot, Dr. Howard, discovers an alien stone, one that could be used to neutralize any and all weapons this world possesses. However, before he could finish his work to end the war, the conflict ends on its own accord. Since then, a global initiative to renounce the possession of weapons is put in place.

Six years later, following a signal from the stone, aliens, called the Gozarean, arrive on earth and begin to steadily take over. One country, which broke the treaty to disarm, has an arsenal and launches a counter attack, only to fail due to the alien’s ability to neutralize these weapons. Meanwhile, two pilots who turned their backs on the world war and who isolated themselves since, are now the only means of defense, as their vintage biplanes are the only weapons unaffected by the aliens’ ability. Hugh the dog and Figaro the cat are thrust into action, the last hope of the world against the Gozarean invasion.

The story of Horgihugh sets the stage for the game, explaining the whats and whys for this conflict. The entire story is presented as a prologue cutscene and that’s all we really get before the epilogue. The prologue feels like it’s just lumped up and thrown at you before anything else happens. It’s also not the most intriguing or thought provoking of stories, though I suppose it does enough of a job to explain why we as players are controlling World War II era aircraft against an advanced alien invasion. It serves a purpose, but it’s hardly memorable. The epilogue fares only slightly better, in that there is a relevant message we can all learn from. If anything story related can be called memorable, it’s that single message at the very end. And I do realize that SHMUPs in general rarely have intriguing stories to begin with, but the lack here does zero favors.

The characters, too, are not all that thought provoking, simply serving the purpose of addressing who’s fighting who. Hugh and Figaro are two pilots who had isolated themselves, not wanting to use their flying talents to cause suffering or death. But, as the only hope in a new war against aliens, they take action. While Figaro gets a sarcastic line or two during play and while we do get a few lines at the end, we don’t get much else from either character. Much of their personalities is implied or left to us to assume. Bare bones, unmemorable, moving on.

As a SHMUP, the heart of the game is not in its story, narrative, or character development, but in its gameplay. Though this is the first game from a new developer, Horgihugh has solid gameplay for the genre. There is an appreciable degree of action and challenge here, as players dodge and destroy in classic 2D, side-scrolling fashion. Several traditional elements of play are also present, including the need to recognize enemy patterns and familiarize oneself with level layouts if you’re planning to survive or rack up a high score. Upgrades are available via collecting medals or buying them from Howard’s Lab with collected crystals and examples include increasing firepower and improving defense. If you’re struggling, there’s also Angela’s Shop, which offers extra lives or a level selector to practice unlocked levels. Keep in mind, using Angela’s items will incur point penalties. During play, one unique gameplay element is the somersault, which destroys enemies and makes Hugh invincible for a few moments. Another unique element of this game, after a number of medals are collected, Figaro will join the fight, mimicking your control of Hugh and adding to your destructive power. You can also control Figaro’s formation, moving him in front, behind, above or below Hugh. A bit of innovation goes a long way here.

In terms of its execution, Horgihugh hits most of the expected marks, with fluid movement, appreciable upgrades, and plenty of fun to be had. I thought having Figaro as a copilot was great, both as an innovative element and one that actually contributes to gameplay rather than an unnecessary change for change’s sake. I do wish there was more innovation or uniqueness to play, as the game quickly feels overly familiar to other SHMUPs. I also wish the game was longer. Levels feel a bit short and because of that, six levels just doesn’t feel adequate. Most players will be done with the entire experience, replays and all, within a few hours. What I do appreciate is the challenge level of the game, allowing itself to appeal both to veterans of the genre, as well as newcomers. I like how both an easy and normal difficulty are available from the start and, for the most part, the challenge remains even with only few moments when the difficulty spikes. Fortunately, those are rare and most will be able to manage the campaign in its entirety. The one gripe of mine I can’t forgive is the lack of customizable controls. The keyboard controls are not the most intuitive and require practice to master. The developers even recommend using a controller, which is telling. Using my Xbox controller, I found the controls much easier to master, however I again wish I could have customized them. Such a small convenience to players can make an experience changing impact.

When Howard’s Blimp appears, fly into it to enter his shop

What stands out the most in Horgihugh is its aesthetic charm. Visually, the game is adorable, offering an appeal for all ages through its 16-bit era pixel art while also impressively disguising the hidden destruction and challenge that lie within. The character designs are cute and the miscues that come from enemy appearances, especially the sub and main bosses, is satisfyingly deceiving. It doesn’t matter how cute Hugh, Figaro, or the enemies are, everything poses a threat and it’s all lovably illustrated. I also love the level designs, ranging from oceans and cloudy skies to caves, blizzards, and cityscapes. Artists KOU, Hidekunki Sasaki, and Kengo Tanaka have lent their talents to the visuals and the results are charming in every aspect. The audio is equally impressive, with catchy tunes that fit the overall style of the game perfectly. Konami composer Motoaki Furukawa has created a soundtrack that perfectly captures the tone of the game, emphasizing the charismatic visuals. Although the soundtrack probably won’t stick with you afterwards, its charm and quality are a pleasure to listen to in the moment. Together, the visual and audio aesthetics are easily the highlights of Horgihugh.

Horgihugh accomplishes what it sets out it do, in that it provides its players with a no-nonsense, action-packed experience. The 16-bit stylizing and the cutesy anthropomorphic aesthetic add plenty of charm, furthering its appeal to a wider audience. Yet, with a forgettable story, missteps in its gameplay; controls, lack of innovation, and limited number of levels; and with achieving high-scores or going for perfect playthroughs as the only reasons for replay, the overall experience lacks enough punch to take it beyond average territory. The price tag of about $12 (original price) is steep for what the game provides and unless you’re an avid fan of SHMUPs, charming aesthetics, or you’re looking for a solid entry point into the genre, you may want to give this a pass. If that price were to ever drop by half or more, then I would whole-heartedly recommend the purchase to anyone interested. PiXEL has provided an acceptable first release, as Horgihugh is, overall, a fun experience throughout. They’ve impressed me enough that I’ll be keeping an eye on PiXEL in the future.

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[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”2.5″]

Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Shoot ’em Up Horgihugh is as Challenging to Play as it is to Say

Don’t let the name Horgihugh trip you up – this indie shooter brings with it both adorable artwork and challenging gameplay. Players will unlock and equip a variety of weapons on their quest to ace all six stages.

Check it!