I noticed something on the dmaorg site- that the posts each have different formatting according to 5 "div class" sections. The formatting really isn't that different in each class and it doesn't seem to be connected to the various file types that are posts. (this was examined using a lot of help from the dmaorg fan wiki which already had the letters typed and I copied and pasted them.)
We know it's a cycle, it has happened again and again. What if the moon dates don't order as our actual dates do?
There were 5 timeframes for the posts- the ones that were already there when the site was found or shortly after, the ones that were posted just before/during the trench era, the ones that were posted after the files were terminated and the site was restored (during scaled and icy) and the ones that were posted ahead of Clancy.
If we reorder the 25 Clancy posts by their div classes (putting class 1 first, then 2, etc.), it puts the yellow stripe picture right before the letter it decodes. We also get the 024 02MOON 25 last. And I just realized that this letter is not signed. What if it's a bishop describing recruiting banditos? What if a bishop is realizing he's not so different from them? That he once believed he was a citizen, an escapee, an exception? Is he following the torches to find the banditos?
Spreadsheet I used to organize the posts
Clancy Posts when Ordered by _Divclass
CLASS 1:
017 07 MOON 16
Cheetah running gif
018 07MOON 08
_note.gif written signed
I’ve made it out.
I feel weightless. I know that place had always held me down, but for the first time, I can feel the levity that I had hoped for. It’s been three nights now, and my breathing has changed. It’s slower, and more full. It’s like the air out here is worth taking in.
I can see it back in the distance, and I’d be lying if I said that it wasn’t constantly on my mind. I wish I could turn that fear off, but maybe the further I go, the less that fear will affect me. I feel betrayed by what I assumed was home - if I ever end up back there, I won’t be able to look at it the same way.
They are asleep. They’re so sure that they know the truth, and carry on throughout their day with the same meaningless tasks. They’ve forgotten to look up, and to look outward, to understand that this isn’t about ‘in there.'
This is about ‘out here.’
This new world surrounds me. I used to think the walls back home were massive – these green cliffs engulf me, and place me right in the middle – Trench is quite precarious at times, and it’s easy to grow weary. But it’s real, and it’s true, and I’d much rather endure reality than to mindlessly be obedient to a life that someone else created for me. I’ve obsessed about this world for so long, that it feels more like home than anything I’ve experienced. Somehow, in this vast openness, I feel more protected than ever.
The landscape feels endless, and I’ve found myself walking for hours without any true evidence of getting further down. But I’ve seen plants and colors out here that I’m not sure I’ve witnessed before. There’s a beauty in the strangest places, and the curiosity of what’s next continues to motivate me.
I wonder who else is out here. If what I assumed inside is true, there’s got to be more like me. Sometimes I’ll feel a presence, or think I see something in my periphery, only to look up and see nothing. It’s just another thing that I’m afraid of that also excites me. It all just confirms all of the things that I hoped to be true for all of this time.
I am out here and I am very alive. I’m sometimes scared, but always discovering something new, and I will not stop. Cover me!

• Clancy

019 01MOON 22
17-35.4527.jpg typed signed
I can’t face this page for long enough to write what I’m truly feeling. I am only wrought with more questions about what I assumed to be true, questions about what my own path is, and the question that has plagued me every night that I lie here, back in city: Did I give up?
The force I saw between him and his bishop seemed tense to me, and frightening. But the memory of that exchange has had time to fester and replay in my mind long enough that I’m questioning if I even remembered it correctly. I assumed the bishop was forcefully retrieving his subject, but now I wonder if the bishop was actually trying to save him, and he refused.
I stayed out there for five days after I watched it happen. I haven’t seen him since. Maybe he got away, and was still out in Trench with me. Maybe the bishop chased him down, and brought him home.
Home?
Did I just call this place home?
After all of the endless beauty that I saw out there, am I now convincing myself that I’m actually better off within these confines?
I admit, it was more difficult than I expected. Nothing could have prepared me for how much the ‘unknown’ can consume me. Vast landscapes and endless possibilities, yet coupled with endless danger. I became anxious. I became tired. I became hungry. Every step I took became harder than the last, jumping from jagged rocky step to step, or pulling myself through thick forest - it all became debilitating, and I was sure that I couldn’t go on.
Keons approached as the sun rose one morning. I wasn’t scared. I was relieved. After all that he had taught me, his presence was the most comforting moment that I had in days, and I couldn’t help but be happy to see him. In true Keons fashion, he wrapped his arms around me, then put his hands under my face, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Clancy, child, let’s go home.”
I’ve been here for a few weeks now, and while the routines of this world are comforting, and certainly easier than life out there, my mind keeps bouncing between the two places.
Which one is home? Are the bishops protecting us, and the torches upon the hilltops dangerous? Or is it the other way around? My dreams pull me from world to world, and I feel lost in between all of it.
There is still so much I do not understand.

• Clancy

022 03MOON 16
Larger map of trench including voldsoy
024 02MOON 09
__ev-i-D__ence.jpeg typed and says signed but isn’t
I'm not as scared as I used to be. Their mystery begins to fade as a method to defeat them becomes more clear. I no longer feel powerless. I can outsmart them. This new power of psychokinesis worked, and I believe it can work again. I stand here, looking down at the line where the water meets the sand - a starting line. All the while, knowing there is a finish line across the Strait. Their compass lies, but mine remains true. I've left embers of inspiration, I only hope whatever spark was left has grown to a torch, and together we create an inferno
[SIGNED] - Clancy
CLASS 2:
988 06MOON 18
cla_ncy-98806MOON_18_-1 jpg typed signed
CLANCY_S JOURNAL
The perplexities of the Dema horizon didn't occur to me until my ninth year. It was then that I began to contemplate the existential, and decide what type of impression I wanted my life to make. Naturally, to fuel my hope, I looked out upon the distance of the land that had cultivated me, only this time with a new awareness of the obstruction that my youthful ignorance had allowed me to overlook. Was it there the whole time? How had I not seen something so obvious? I am reminded of the moment daily, as the idealization directly collides with a unique hope for my own future. As a child, I looked upon Dema with wonder, today, I am wrought with frustration, as I spend each day squinting for a glimpse of the top of the looming wall that has kept us here. It was upon my ninth year that I learned that Dema wasn’t my home. This village, after all of this time, was my trap.
Before I became realized, I had deep affection for Dema. There was a wonderful structure to the city that put my cares to rest. Streets and locations were dependable, and the responsibilities of the day seemed to be accomplished with minimal effort. Once a task was taught and understood, we delighted in our ability to complete our obligations timely, and felt secure in knowing tomorrow’s duties would be accomplished with the same efficiency. We all worked to represent our bishop with honor, and knew that each inhabitant of our region had a like-minded dedication to consistency.
Keons embodied the spirit of this dedication. Of Dema’s nine bishops, Keons was revered as unwavering and forthright, possessing the ability to achieve focus that was rare for most on our region. We all admired him, and felt honored to be inhabitants his region. While we had heard legend of the ruthlessness of other bishops, Keons possessed a stoic demeanor unlike anyone I had ever met, and we were all proud to serve.

• Clancy

988 12MOON 01
ba_dge jpg
FPE citation
017 07MOON 17
Picture - trench - bandits
018 07 MOON 05
This entry is another letter from Clancy. The white squares on the outer edges of the image correspond to the letters "WAKE UP". It is titled _he_a_vy_.jpg typed, inverted, signed
They’re asleep. The night took forever to arrive, and now we’re almost
ready. We’ve studied the watchers and know that there’s no chance that
we can step through unnoticed. So, instead of trying to hide
ourselves, we’ll make sure that all of us are noticed. It’s been one
year since the last convocation, and tomorrow’s Annual Assemblage of
Glorified will be the biggest spectacle this concrete coffin of a city
has seen all year. If we time it right, we’ll divert the attention of
the watchers and finally take the step though. We’ve had no contact,
but we’re hoping the other side will be able to find a way in. We’re
not sure of the breach location, but we are willing to risk being
smeared in order to find it. We know that we must go lower, and wait
for the torches. They’ve never seen anything quite like this, and by
morning, everything will be different. I’m terrified and excited, all
at the same time. They don’t control us.

• Clancy

022 03MOON 18
1619250308151109140519-Ø-919.jpg made me a weapon written, signed
What is this thing? This device? This gift? Some sort of neurological connection or expansion. Psychokinetic weapon?
This is absurd.
Why was this given to me? Why am I the only one that can weild it? Was this the reason that I survived? My mind is racing as I wait here on the rocks - staring off into the darkness. Waiting for our torches to be mirrored - the signal he told me to wait for.
It feels oddly familiar. Not the spikes in my hand, but the power it harnesses, I've felt it before. Is this also the source of those rumors I heard in the dark corners of the city? Legends and stories that I assumed were myth, inspired by children's nightmares - tales of what the bishops would use the bodies for. Those "honorable" citizens who acheived The Glorious Gone - referred to as available vessels.
It all begins to make sense.
The episodes I would have: the blood red vision, my dreams of flying, the out of body account of the rider in the river, the decaying hosts of the television show, the robed figures that commanded the doomed ship...
Had we all been "seized" by the bishops using this same technique? Is this where their power comes from? Are they immortal, or just feeding off the next body, giving their hosts a brief second-life? I am in my original life, why am I available to this control?
This whole time I thought I was battling my inner self. Was I actually under assault for something else? someONE else?
This small eerie island has made me a weapon. We both believe that we can use it to change the momentum of this war. Now, we must return to the mainland where they should be there to recieve is. We will destroy and rebuild. Though it's been years since he last spoke with them, I hope they have not lost faith in The Torchbearers plan.
But how could any of this have been planned?

• Clancy

CLASS 3:
009 12MOON 29
unnamed-(1).jpg
d_e_ath__eat_erz
Vultures on wall
011 07MOON 08
se__elf picture of kid
017 07MOON 07
017_07MOON_07 typed signed
To refer to Dema as m[y] home has never felt accurate. Dema, t[o] me, has simply been the place that I’ve existed, or, the ‘slot’ they’ve put me in. I’ve heard stories abo[u]t the ide[a] of “home,” and its depiction has always seemed warm f[r]om the storyt[e]llers’s de[s]cription. [T]here was a romant[i]c ownership of the p[l]ace they inhabited that I admired, but cou[l]d never relate to. Thi[s] place, my p[l]ace, however, s[e]ems devoid of the romance and wond[e]r that the old stories tell. But somewhere between the iron order and infallible [p]recis[i]on of Dema, a hum of wo[n]der exists. It’s this quiet wonder that my mind tends to [g]ets lost in. This hope of discovery alone has birthed a new version of myself; A better version, I hope, that will find a way to experience what’s beyond these colossal walls.

• Clancy

018 07 MOON 01
I.jpg vulture gif turning head (actual dates?)
018 07MOON 06
_they_ca_ntseeFCE300.gif torch gif
022 03MOON 17
is-ø-lat-ed.jpg written, signed
I haven’t had the ability to write for what seems like a lifetime. This deprivation is what weighed on me the most. Not the lack of food, or the change of scenery - they wouldn’t let me write anything down.
Well, at least not without them present …
I remember that day vividly. First, they let me out. Even though the hallway was still gray and drab, the new experience was a shock to my system - significantly different than usual captivity. I tried to match the rhythm of the nameless guard’s footsteps as we echoed down the long corridor. I followed close behind, as if I had no choice. Cold concrete encapsulated us and seemed to cast a spill of synthetic calmness. Obedience.
We arrived at a blue door. It was an odd contrast to this concrete maze. As I went through the doorway, I found myself in another typical gray Dema room. The only difference was who was waiting for me.
Four of them. Three of them were unknown to me, but one was clearly Keons. I knew his voice
They proposed an idea. A television show - or whatever it was. I had no idea that I was known outside of my cell, but they informed me that I had garnered notoriety for my schemes and outbursts. They wanted to use my face for the benefit of the city. They handed me a pen - a familiar instrument. Yet, they must be present when I use it. They wanted to manage my imagination and vision. Although shackled, at least I could create again.
Thus began the sessions.
Everyday my cell door would open. I followed the guard down the familiar hall, through the blue door, to sit down at the desk and chair. My designated creative space - perfectly centered under their watchful eye. Sometimes three, sometimes eight - not once were all nine present. He was never there. I would have felt it if he was.
At the end of the session, Keons would take my pen, gather my writings, and send me back. This went on for months.
What were we creating? I wasn’t sure. A variety show with songs and set pieces? Were the rulers of this stifled city actually attempting entertainment for its people? Everything I created had to be “for the benefit of the citizens of Dema” a phrase I heard often. I didn’t question them - I was happy to be out of my cell - and putting words to paper.
On the final day, I wrote the last line, I was asked to name it? The question caught me off guard. This seemed like a decision they would make.
Show Day: They dressed me up and asked me to smile a poor attempt at hiding my sleep deprivation. It was all so colorful, as if compensating for the grayness of the city.
It was a blur. Before I knew it, it was over, and I was back in my cell. I can only remember fragments - only blurred hallucinations of color and chaos - like a dream. The confusion of it all hangs overhead. What was it all for?
… but it wasn’t over
I guess it went well enough for them to request more of me. I was useful to Dema, and my creativity was exploited in new forms - They wanted me to be the entertainment at the Annual Assemblage of the Glorified - a performance at sea for the premiere citizens of Dema.
I knew those weren’t the real bishops on that ship.
I’ll quicken the entry - I need to keep up with the Torchbearer.
During the performance, we were attacked by something in the water. I don’t know what possessed the creature to attack, but it was odd, and felt incredibly intentional. Many lost their lives in the attack, and I was thrashed through the bitter cold waves, yet somehow survived. Did this icy cold preserve me? Why was I spared? I am still so cold as I write.
This place feels foreign - nothing like Trench. From the frigid sea, the air here is somehow colder than the water that surrounds it. I have a strange feeling that this island will provide answers.
I must go.

• Clancy

024 02MOON 28
__cla_im00FFFF letter, typed not signed
I found a way in. A way they'll never suspect, and a way they'll never understand. Everything about our cause is so hard for them to understand, but so close to the hearts of the glowing resistance. I can reach them all. I can recruit everyone with eyes that see beyond the horizon. I can teach them. They can learn what I've learned, and fly by all of the constructs Dema has placed in front of them. We will take it back.
CLASS 4:
017 02MOON 12
_ .jpg picture of yellow lines to mark “we are banditos” in next letter and numbers that spell trench
018 07MOON 01
e_sr_eve_r.jpg typed/ lines taped together signed
A lifeless light surrounds us each night. Never could I imagine that something so luminous could feel so dark. It’s this glow that reminds us of the dreamless existence we’ve been sentenced to. But what I call a sentence, others accept as normalcy. How did they so efficiently eradicate the dreams within us? When the bishops instituted Vialism as mandate, they effectively reversed the hope that many arrived with.
Am I the only one who realizes that we’ve been lied to? Am I the only one not afraid of the notion that the nine have hijacked our trust, and extinguished the hope that once motivated our existence? We used to close our eyes and picture a better life, now this city is full of dry eyes caught in a trance of obedience, devoid of any trace of an identity. The only significant light I’ve seen has been in the eyes of those smeared - such a curious sight, to see bright eyes strangled by the darkness of bishop hands. As their penance fades, so dims their memory of something more. My hope of something more is all I have in this rigid tomb, and I will not let it die.

• Clancy

018 07MOON 08
2_1_2.gif inverse jumpsuit pic that matches shape of letter from 018 07moon08
022 03MOON 18
W-eap-@on.jpg image of psychokinesis / seize Keons
CLASS 5:
013 01MOON 08
_ti_su_p map of dema compass missing
_ti_su_p.png sev_ering__tiez 3 blanks
018 07MOON 05
_o__ut_.gif landscape
018 07MOON 18
Unalone.gif letter written and signed
I can’t believe what I just saw. I'm still trying to understand. This whole time I was sure I was all alone - a single soul in this vast unknown world. But a few days into this trek, I looked down to see a figure headed the same way I was. I’ve tucked myself in these caves and crevices, trying my best to keep hidden, but he was out in the open, making his exhausted journey right down the middle of Trench. I was curious enough to follow alongside the path with him. He seemed unaffected by the fear of the unknown - the fear that tends to cripple me. To him, the terrain seemed familiar, as if he had been out here before.
While lost in my curiosity, they appeared. I had heard about them back in Dema, but to my knowledge, the stories were merely myth. Ten, twenty, and then what seemed to be a hundred Banditos appeared upon the cliff, all looking down at him. He only stopped for a moment to look back up at them, and then continued on his way. His energy changed, and I wasn’t sure if he was frightened or encouraged by their ominous presence.
They warned him of what was about to come.
It was a blur. First seeing the figure, then the Banditos, only to now have my eyes opened to the oncoming Bishop upon a white horse drawing closer in the distance.
The figure halted, and waited. When the Bishop stopped, I was sure he looked up, directly at me, so I hid deeper back in a cave. The presence of the robed rider seemed to paralyze the man. He stood still as he was approached, powerless as the outstretched hands smeared his neck. I had never seen a Bishop possess power like this. Keons had always seemed gentle and warm - this Bishop, at least out here, seemed like something else.
So I ran, and I’ve been running for as long as my legs and lungs can handle. Maybe this note will be my proof that what I witnessed was not a dream. A million questions race through my brain. Am I not the only one traveling through Trench?
I’ll travel a little further, and maybe I’ll get a moment of rest tonight. I may have made a mistake, leaving. This spot, between two places, is beginning to feel like an endless and hopeless abyss. At least Dema is a place that I know, and at times like this, I miss a lot about what I know. This will all be much tougher than I imagined. Nothing out here is familiar. I’ve witnessed the presence of others for the first time today, and I feel more alone than ever. Cover me.

• Clancy

024 02MOON 25
_maniac_Clay typed letter, not signed
These campfires feel like home, as I stare deeply into them, finding more and more clarity. They tried to tell us we were different. But the flame that burns inside of me is the same fire I've found on the hilltops of Trench. The Banditos have lived their rebellion, and a resistance is growing inside the concrete walls - one powerful enough to burn out all of the stale teachings, and usher in true hope and a path to actual life. We march in the morning. The revolution shall arrive with the sun.

I've spent hours looking for my first seekers token for the stupid Sphinx riddle and could never find it so shoutout to Izzy. Also a real ferrystone too.

Time for an update from my past Maushold posts. Hyper Aroma is amazingly good in this deck, helping me get set up before Dragapult takes a swing. Big upgrade to getting Stage 1 setup, and synergizes insanely well with Dudunsparce.
I often lose a Tandemaus here and there (thank you x2 Super Rods), but the momentum is usually feeling good by that point, so I can come back swinging. The Handheld Fan is a solid add as well to help slow them down if I can't finish a more tanky Pokemon quickly. Also added a single Ultra Ball which really helps with reliability.
I made it to Mew tier with 100% Maus this month, then quad Iron Thorns ex for that last bit to Arceus tier (plz forgive my sins).
Now playing more Maus with a solid win rate and loving how it performs against Dragapult and other meta decks. Raging Bolt and Regidrago give me real trouble sometimes with the bursty damage. But the rest is generally quite fun.
I am opting for more recycling vs tanking, so Rocky Helmet came back as the clear choice over Rigid Band. These little fellas just aren't meant to take big swings. Rather, my priority is to keep all 4 out every turn I can, which I manage to do fairly consistently.
I saw FTW playing a less good version of my previous Maus deck and having some fun on his YT channel, and it warmed my heart. But bro, where's your Feather Balls? smh
https://youtu.be/lUQZUtnrLUQ?si=udePTrsOsOYJHasC
After many MANY games, i can confirm this is a superior Maus build. plz prove me wrong 😉
Pokémon: 4 4 Dudunsparce TEF 129 PH 4 Tandemaus PAR 153 PH 4 Maushold ex PAR 233 4 Dunsparce TEF 128 PH
Trainer: 17 4 Arven SVI 235 4 Buddy-Buddy Poffin TEF 144 PH 1 Ultra Ball PAF 91 PH 1 Handheld Fan TWM 150 1 Hyper Aroma TWM 152 4 Feather Ball ASR 141 PH 2 Technical Machine: Devolution PAR 177 PH 3 Boss's Orders PAL 248 2 Pokémon League Headquarters OBF 192 PH 2 Cheren's Care BRS 168 1 Lost Vacuum LOR 162 PH 2 Iono PAL 254 1 Hisuian Heavy Ball ASR 146 PH 2 Super Rod PAL 188 PH 1 Pokégear 3.0 SVI 186 PH 1 Rocky Helmet SVI 193 PH 2 Energy Loto ASR 140 PH
Energy: 4 4 Double Turbo Energy BRS 151 PH 4 Mist Energy TEF 161 PH 1 Gift Energy LOR 171 1 V Guard Energy SIT 169 PH
Total Cards: 60

Ancient legends from thousands of years’ past once told of a magical portal that resided in a forest in the north. A tale that a portal as black as night which bore three rings on its frame would sing a song of chaos before unleashing forces of calamity upon the world. While this portal was easily found, every attempt to destroy the ruinous portal was left unsuccessful. Heroes’ swords would shatter upon its cold, metallic frame. Dwarven forged magma would cool instantly upon contact. No form of magic could move, much less scratch it. In the end, instead of attempting to destroy the device, researchers studied it in an attempt to reduce the damage of whatever could come from the other side.
Countless centuries had passed. The building that surrounded the portal had changed several times, from a temple of worship, to an altar to appease the unknown gods beyond, to a facility of study. Scholars, researchers, and the top scientists have come and gone. Even to this day, nothing could be figured out about the device. Its metal was stronger than any alloy ever known and its makeup couldn’t even be determined. The runes on its rings were never translated, for no correlation could be found from any written language. As time went by, people gave up and soon after, the legend fell into obscurity, the protection spells cast upon and around the portal had expired long ago, and the world forgot about the calamity that was supposed to come. The facility that now housed the ruins had fallen into disarray long ago. The only thing that remained the same was the black sheen of the portal’s rings, unmoved, untouched, and unchanged.
One day, a group of juvenile kids broke through the rusted doors of the facility, “You sure you know where we are going?” one of the kids, a teenage human boy, asked, “You said we’d find an ancient artifact, but all I’ve seen so far is a bunch of junk machinery.”
“Quit complaining,” a young elf boy replied, “I’ve been exploring this place for about a century and the building has been abandoned for longer. The artifact can’t be moved at all, so it’s not like it’s going to have gone anywhere.”
“So, what are we going to do with it that hundreds of adults haven’t done?” a tiefling girl questioned, “It’s not like we’ve got the ability to do much, Jaz. Seriously, only one of us is from a sorcerer bloodline, and he’s the youngest of us three.”
“That’s exactly why I brought him with us Tal,” Jaz brushed the comment aside as he shoved a sliding door back into its socket, “Erick isn’t just from any old sorcerer bloodline, but from a wild magic bloodline. While most people claim that there’s only a select amount of reactions that could happen when magic goes wild, my grandfather claims that to be untrue, so we’re going to test that theory tonight.”
The three trekked through the ruins of the derelict testing site, passing by multiple research halls and storage facilities holding ancient machines, artifacts, and constructs from generations’ past. Along the way, Erick spoke up, “Even if we do manage to activate the portal, what do you expect to happen? Wasn’t there an old tale of the portal bringing calamity?”
“Oh please,” Jaz waved Erick’s concerns aside, “That crummy old legend is so long overdue. If the portal was to bring the end times, it would have been done by now. I’m sure whatever that was supposed to come about had already done so before the legend was even created.”
“So, we’re opening a portal to a realm where an old disaster came from. I highly doubt anything would go wrong with that idea,” Tal mocked sarcastically.
“Sheesh, no one here has that spirit of adventure that we had five years ago, I see,” Jaz huffed to himself.
Eventually, after passing through expansive corridors, the three made it to the center of the building, coming across a pair of bunker doors, “Oh, wow. Looks like a portal, alright,” Tal deadpanned.
“Jeeze, no need to be an ass about it. I saw the portal frame beyond these doors by looking through reinforced glass on the sides of the room,” Jaz retorted.
“So why aren’t we going through those rooms instead of trying to bust our way through a heavy set of doors?” Tal asked.
“Because those pathways are nothing but catwalks above a pit I can’t even see the bottom of. And if I recall correctly, explosions tend to not be good on catwalks, and none of us can fly.”
“So we are getting through this door… how?”
Jaz smirked, “That’s where you come in. You know how your infernal powers are extremely potent? Strong enough to melt that old bunker tank we found a few months ago with ease?” Tal thought back to that moment and recalled how she melted a tank in several seconds while her other tiefling friends struggled to even warp the plating. “Well, if it’s strong enough to melt a tank, I’m sure it’s strong enough to melt a door. So give it a crack.”
“Fine, I’m not sure how well this will go, but I’ll give it a shot.” Tal passed by Erick and Jaz before stopping in front of the right bunker door. She rubbed her hands together before placing them on the metal front of the door, focusing on channeling her innate magic through her hands. Slowly, the area of metal she was pressing against started to give off heat, even turning red before Tal began to sweat from straining herself. With a gasp, she let go of the door, a faint pair of handprints barely indented the door, “That’s all I got. We ain’t getting through.”
“Seriously, Taffy? That’s all you got?” Jaz blurted out.
“Hey! Don’t call me Taffy! You know I hate that name!” Tal shot back.
“Oh, yeah? What are you going to do? Taffy!” Jaz mocked, “Ta-” he was interrupted by a fireball flying at him. Jaz barely ducked out of the way, singing his hair almost to the roots, leaving a giant hole in his hair and a large scorch mark behind him. “Oh it’s on.”
The two got in each other's faces, looking like they were about to trade blows. Meanwhile Erick simply studied the doors, tracing the exterior until he found a subtle mark in the corner. He gave it a closer look and found that it was actually a welding indent, probably hiding the wires that powered the giant doors. He traced them back several rooms to find an electrical panel. Upon opening it, he found that the fuses were all corroded heavily. Tossing the ruined material away, Erick found a set of wires that didn’t seem to have weathered much decay. Taking a deep breath, he focused his magic in his best attempt to keep it from going wild, stuck his hand into the panel, and cast his magic, causing a large surge of electricity to go through the wires. Red emergency lights turned on as a siren began to blare. Returning to the room in front of the doors, he found that the two had actually come to blows while he was gone. Jaz was in a half nelson grapple while trying to space himself by holding Tal at arm’s length by the chin, he had a large bruise on his cheek while Tal had a small chipping on one of her horns. The two apparently stopped when the doors were activated. When the doors stopped and the sirens returned to silence, Jaz and Tal turned towards Erick with their mouths agape, “There, solved the problem,” Erick said nonchalantly, passing by his friends and into the room ahead, “Now c’mon, we have a portal to activate, don’t we?”
Jaz and Tal shook their heads as they got off each other and caught up with Erick, only to find him at the top of a set of stairs with his mouth agape this time. They followed his gaze and reacted the same when they realized that the portal they’ve been after this whole time, was glowing, “That wasn’t how it looked like a week ago,” Jaz confirmed.
The glow quickly became an afterthought when the portal rumbled as the rings began to move for the first time in centuries. They slowly accelerated until the runes became impossible to track. Once the rings reached their apex speed, the droning sound of what sounded like chants were heard coming from the portal. The droning died out quickly as the rings quickly stopped, before turning the opposite direction and the droning began again. This became a pattern as more sounds followed in suit: ticking, clicking, scraping, hissing, chirping, and an eerie whistle all followed in a somehow harmonious tune, all following the chant of the portal.
“A portal that would sing a song of ruin before releasing disaster upon the world,” Jaz whispered.
“What do we do now?” Erick asked, “Should we get someone? Wasn’t this supposed to be a dangerous artifact?”
“I don’t know,” Tal breathed through clenched teeth, “Would anyone be able to react fast enough? Should we contact the magic council? I mean, we aren’t supposed to be here. What do you think, Jaz? Jaz?!” she turned to find that Jaz had turned tail and fled the scene not too long ago, “Jaz!” she called again. No response.
Not soon after, the portal’s rings froze in place suddenly, a moment of pure silence filled the room as the rings suddenly burst into its segments, all floating in orbit around its center. From each segment, a beam of energy emerged from it and coalesced into an orb of plasma at the center, slowly growing wider until it filled the original empty space the portal had. From within the ball of plasma, two beings emerged from its core. A man with jet black hair, tanned skin, and dark jade green eyes emerged first. His clothing looked like he came right from an apocalypse. He looked around the room before turning back around and reached back into the portal, pulling a woman out from the core. The woman had white hair, pale skin, and radiant purple eyes. Her clothing looked like it was in an even worse state, her black robes were completely tattered. She looked around as well before turning back to the man. The language she spoke was completely foreign to the two young teens. The man conversed in the same unknown language before turning back to the area around them. Eventually, the two beings found Erick and Tal. The kids were paralyzed by both fear and awe at what just happened, both holding their breath in hope that the two beings from beyond ignore them.
Alas, that hope was squandered as the two approached them. The man and woman approached the two, Erick locked eyes with the man as he stared through the kid. Irregular eyes was the first thing Erick noticed, his left being rectangular like an octopus, while his right was sharp like a lizard’s. The woman stared in turn at Tal, her purple eyes faintly glowed and revealed a sense of curiosity, the only emotion Tal could find on the woman’s face. With a breath, the man spoke, “Ahf' ye'bthnk ymg' ah ai, gof'n?”
Erick was stunned, he was expecting a language that would pierce the fabric of reality, or make his head explode. Instead, it was simply a sentence that he just didn’t know or understand, “Uh… um… I don’t know what you said, sir…” he wasn’t even sure if the beings were male and female at the time, or if they had a concept of gender where they were from, but he spoke on pure instinct, worried any word he uttered would result in the being to become enraged and turn him inside out. Tal eyed Erick with baited breath, hoping this encounter with the unknown wouldn’t result in either of their demise.
The result was a rather tame one compared to their wildest expectations. Instead, the male being studied Erick before clearing his throat, “Apologies, it’s been a few centuries since I spoke in this language. I didn’t expect the first people we would meet to be so young.”
“There’s a third, running away from here,” the woman pointed in a direction between the facility and the village the three kids were from, her eyes glowed brighter for a brief moment, “Older, age-wise, but still young physically and mentally,” her voice was monotone, like someone who couldn’t portray emotion.
The male nodded before turning back to Erick and Tal, “What’s this world like? Does magic exist here? Creatures of legend and beings as old as time?”
“T-there’s plenty of magic around,” Tal explained, “Almost every living thing has at least some magic within them.”
“And there have been times where the gods have roamed the land,” Erick added, “It’s not often they are seen though, mostly within or around the wizard council.”
The male hummed, seeming pleased with the answer, “It seems our hunch was right. I think we’ll be around for a while, Sister.”
“Very well,” the woman replied, “Let’s get settled, then.” The two proceeded to pass by Erick and Tal, heading towards the facility’s entrance.
“W-wait!” Erick blurted out, causing the two to stop and turn back towards the kids. As Tal looked like she was about to have a heart attack, Erick summoned the courage to ask, “There was an old prophecy, or I guess a legend about that portal,” he pointed back to the portal, which had now converted back to it’s original position, no trace it was active at all once more, “The stories tell that beings of calamity would come through and destroy this world. Are you two those beings of calamity?”
The two stared at each other before returning back to the kids, both speaking in unison, “We can be,” before turning back to the entrance and continuing onward.
Erick and Tal watched the two leave their sight before looking at each other with both confusion and dread. After several minutes, the rundown atmosphere started to get to the kids and they hastily took their leave. Upon returning to the village, they were promptly scolded by family members for being out so late, but both refused to tell any details regarding their adventure. They met up with Jaz the following morning and after a verbal beatdown for chickening out despite being the one to bring up the idea of going to the facility, Jaz confirmed that he didn’t tell anyone about what happened the prior day either. The three swore to not speak of the incident unless the world was about to end, for fear that they would be not believed at least, or ostracized for their actions at most.
Decades later, none of them spoke a word of that fateful day, but all three wonder what happened to the two that came from the portal, or where they could now be.
“Brother, I miss Glo, can I bring her here?”
The elder brother sighed, “Be thankful that your fire skeleton incident caused me to promptly fireproof my home. I’m sure a salamander wouldn’t burn this house down, but it makes me more at ease that your lover won’t cause me any financial pain. Sure, Aurora, you can bring Glo over here from now on. Just make sure she doesn’t damage the electrical plant.”
Aurora’s eyes beamed with joy, “Yay!” she threw her hands into the air, symbolizing the excitement her voice couldn’t portray, “Thank you, Arcturus.”
“Yeah, yeah, just don’t cause a mess.” Arcturus groaned as the doorbell rang. He got up from his sofa and approached the door, opening it to find a young man in a delivery uniform, “Grubber Eats order for… Arcturus?”
“Yep, that’s me…” he looked at the nametag on the guy’s uniform, “Erick? With a C and K?”
Erick sighed, “Yeah, the parents back in our home village had a weird tradition for giving their kids weird names, like Eric with a second letter that makes the same sound, a name that’s been long ago shortened to either a C or K mind you, or Taffy for my fiance’s name, but don’t tell her I called her that, she’s hated that name since our childhood.”
“Fiance eh?” Arcturus asked as he accepted the food, “This your primary job?”
Erick shook his head, “No, I have another as the village’s local sorcerer. Being the only one in my family to actually be able to control their magic tends to open a lot of jobs when most people there aren’t as magically gifted compared to other towns. This is just a second job for us to pay for a new house.”
“Well that’s cool. Good luck with your future endeavors.” Arcturus studied the man’s appearance, recognizing some features from someone long ago, “Say, any chance your girl is a tiefling?”
Erick looked stunned, “Why, yes… how did you-” he made a double take upon see Arcturus’ jade green eyes, “Are… are you that man that came from the portal a few decades ago?”
Arcturus laughed, “Yes, that was me, and my sister, Aurora. Nice to formally meet you, the name’s Arcturus Maestas, my sister still has the same last name, too.” Arcturus held out his hand.
Erick nervously shook his hand in return, “Nice to meet you too… You aren’t going to destroy this world any time soon, are you?” he asked, “Or your sister, or anyone you guys know?”
“No, nothing like that for a while,” Arcturus shook his head, “Our patron hasn’t scheduled any formal chaos within this universe from our end for the next…” he pulled out a parchment that looked both in and out of tune with the visuals of their current world, “collapse and reformation of the universe, plus one point seven trillion years. So basically around a similar time after this universe has reset itself.” The parchment disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.
“I… I see,” Erick laughed sheepishly, “Well, it’s nice to meet you again, Mr. Maestas. I should get going now,” Erick turned heel as he prepared to leave.
At that moment, Arcturus noticed something only he could see. After a bit of hesitation, he decided to follow through with it, “One moment, Erick,” Arcturus called out, causing the human to freeze and turn back around, “How are things going financially? You expect to pay off that house in a reasonable time?”
Erick paused for a moment, considering if he should answer honestly, “To be frank, no, things aren’t reasonable right now. Even with the payment from both of my jobs, Tal had to get herself some as well to keep up with expenses. Even then, our average profit is about a dozen gold per month. And we bought a house without a down payment for about thirty thousand…”
“Sounds a bit out of reach for someone like you two,” Arcturus admitted.
“It is, but it was the only one we could get within reason. Despite being of use to our village, my family has a reputation for its debt due to wild magic incidents. My parents both died recently, so the village placed the debt upon me. Fortunately, things could be even worse. I heard that small towns can still often find scorn against infernal beings like tieflings, so going beyond our village isn’t really an option for better housing of reasonable size. This is the best we can do without working ourselves to death or traveling farther than what we are comfortable with,” Erick lamented.
Arcturus thought for a bit before asking Erick to wait a moment. He ventured into his basement and pulled out a small bag of coins. Upon returning to the door, he tossed the bag to Erick, “Here’s a tip, twenty platinum should suffice,”
“Are… are you sure I can have this?” Erick asked as he counted the coin, to which Arcturus nodded, “T-thank you. How can I repay you for such generosity?”
“Like I said, it’s a tip, so that’s already paid for in just,” Arcturus explained, “However, I can offer more if you so desire. The only cost is you help me and my sister with some basic endeavors. You said you have been learning to control your magic?” Erick nodded, “Good, then you can help us with some things. We can pay you much more for much less than what your current jobs will force you through. Think it over. Come knocking again if you ever consider. There will be a bit of danger, so the pay will be well beyond reasonable if accidents do occur. I will ensure you’re not in mortal peril, though.”
“Really? Thank you. I’ll discuss this with my fiance. I hope to see you again, Mr. Maestas. Have a good rest of your day.”
“You too, Erick.” Arcturus waved the young man off before closing the door and placing his order on the table, “Food.”
Aurora stared at her brother, “Don’t incite the one word incantation, Arc. We don’t need him here right now.” Nonetheless, she got up from the couch and opened her share of the meal. “Who was that? I’ve never seen you give a courier such a generous tip before.”
“An old acquaintance from our early years here. He performed a favor for us greater than he even knows, I’m just simply offering to repay such generosity. I doubt he would have accepted the payment in full outright if I didn’t give him a job. The favor would be miniscule to him from an outside perspective after all.” Arcturus winked as three draconic eyes and a crown of jagged horns warped into the fabric of reality around him, giving Aurora a clear message of what he meant.
“I see. If we shall repay him, then we shall do so to what he would consider acceptable.”
And with that, their conversation ended. The two sat in silence as they ate while a couple of towns over, a recently engaged couple would soon discuss what fortune had been offered to them. Little did the latter half know what this fortune would truly entail, and that a lifetime’s worth of adventures would soon follow. Meanwhile in the forest of the north, the frame of the portal flickered to life once more, causing an eerie drone to echo throughout the facility.

We pick up on the day of WrestleDream, where AEW World Champion Will Ospreay is set to go to war with Kazuchika Okada, having been unable to put away the Rainmaker within sixty minutes at All Out. With Okada picking up steam with a trios win over the United Empire, and Ospreay building momentum with a title retention against former Don Callis Family ally Konosuke Takeshita at Grand Slam, both men are at the top of their respective games, making for a hugely anticipated showdown. It’s also announced ahead of the bout that there’s an added stipulation similar to that of Danielson vs. Hangman, where if the 60 minutes expire, it’ll go to the judges, ensuring that there will be a definitive winner - and putting Okada at an advantage. Not only will Ospreay not get the champion’s advantage of retaining via draw, but judges are likely to work against him, with so many of his matches since becoming champion seeing him win after a tremendous rally while not controlling the bulk of the match.
WrestleDream
Will Ospreay (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
For Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada, it all comes down to this. The AEW Title, the most important thing in the world to both of them, is on the line, but for Ospreay, the champion’s advantage is a burden. He retained against Okada last time by a technicality, still feeling overshadowed by his challenger despite having parted ways with him years ago, despite having beaten him to the company’s top prize. Now, the only way to prove himself is to stop the dawn of a second Rainmaker Era, but this time, he has to do so by truly beating the man who has loomed over him for his entire career. For Okada, he knows that despite Ospreay failing nine times to defeat him, losing here will eclipse those wins he accumulated. He needs to win the AEW World Title, the title he left Japan to pursue, and there’s no better place to do it than a tribute show to Antonio Inoki.
We’re first introduced to our panel of judges for this encounter, and it’s a star-studded group: Katsuyori Shibata, an Inoki pupil; Masahiro Chono, one of the original Musketeers for Inoki’s NJPW and a Washington State native; and STIIIIINGGGG, who knows sixty minute time limit draws almost as well as Ric Flair (who I’m booking to have been hit by a car). With three esteemed individuals set to preside over this in case it goes the distance, we’re all set for both champion and challenger to make their way out for the main event.
The Rainmaker is out first in his signature robe and a bright red Inoki scarf, and he seems to be treating this match all the more seriously - while he has the comfort in knowing that he clobbered Ospreay for the bulk of their last encounter, and that he won the trios match on Dynamite, he wasn’t able to finish the job at All Out either. Ospreay hits the scene with an extra bit of energy in his step, seemingly chomping at the bit to get going quickly and ensure this doesn’t reach the time limit like last time. The one time he’s beaten Okada cleanly, he did so inside twenty minutes; his best hope is to overwhelm him early. The introductions are made, and we’re off to the races with the bell
AEW World Title: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
AND HE’S SURE AS HELL LOOKING FOR THAT QUICK FINISH, OSPREAY FLYING AT OKADA WITH A SHOTGUN DROPKICK INTO THE TURNBUCKLES! Ospreay immediately starts unloading forearms and elbow smashes as Okada tries to cover up, the raucous crowd eating it up as the champion backs up for a LOW CORNER DROPKICK! Okada is forced to evacuate the ring early, Ospreay giving immediate pursuit with a suicide dive that sends both men crashing into the guardrail, Will somehow managing to land on his feet. The champion blasts Okada with a few chops, followed by an INOKI-ESQUE SLAP ACROSS THE FACE… and that looks like it was a mistake. Okada gets right in Ospreay’s face, plastering him with a forearm across the jaw before BOTH MEN BREAK INTO A BRAWL ON THE OUTSIDE! IT’S MAYHEM IN TACOMA! Okada gets the slight advantage with his size, but Ospreay’s able to match his power, delivering a hellacious rolling elbow before sending Okada back between the ropes. The champion hops up onto the apron, armed for a Pip Pip Cheerio, but OKADA DROPKICKS HIM RIGHT OUT OF THE AIR! IT TOOK OKADA 52 MINUTES TO LAND ONE LAST TIME, AND NOW HE’S CONNECTED WITHIN FIVE!
Ospreay is clearly jarred from the impact, Okada porting a shit-eating grin as he poses behind the reeling champion. It’s still very much the early goings, so Ospreay’s not doomed just yet, but he seems pretty panicked as Okada goes straight for the Rainmaker. Will is able to block the arm before backflipping off Okada’s chest and connecting with a superkick for some distance, attempting a Hidden Blade that’s ducked and cut off with a rebound back elbow. With Ospreay grounded once more, Okada gets to work wearing him down, taking his sweet time in slowly depleting the champion’s energy. He’s sure to play to the judges, chatting in Japanese with Chono as he bears down on Ospreay before LOCKING IN THE MONEY CLIP! Ospreay scrambles to get free, reversing his way out and spinning Okada into a backbreaker to relieve the pressure. Knowing he has a lot of time to make up for, Ospreay immediately connects with a running shooting star press, throwing Okada into the corner for a YAKUZA KICK! The champion rolls to the floor, taking a deliberate pace to get to his feet as OSPREAY COMES IN WITH A SASUKE SPECIAL, OKADA SIDESTEPPING BEFORE OSPREAY LANDS ON HIS FEET! Okada doesn’t even have time to pivot before he’s rocked by a hook kick, falling partway up the ramp as Ospreay builds up even more momentum, sprinting back into the ring and CONNECTING WITH A SECOND ATTEMPT AT THE SASUKE SPECIAL!
The champion takes a few seconds to celebrate with the rabid crowd before rolling Okada back in, and now he connects with a FIREBIRD SPLASH! ONE! TWO! TH-NOOO! Ospreay’s firmly in control now, piecing Okada up with a series of kicks to the body, following it with Kawada Kicks to rock the Rainmaker, and now a BRIDGING DEADLIFT GERMAN SUPLEX! ONE! TWO! THR-ANOTHER KICKOUT! Okada doesn’t look like he’s having a very good time as Ospreay hooks his head for another deadlift, the Rainmaker fending him off with a flurry of punches to the stomach. He shoves Ospreay into the ropes, Will charging back with a hurricanrana, only for Okada to hold him steady, heaving him up for a LANDSLIDE, ONLY FOR OSPREAY TO FLOAT BEHIND HIM! Will throws another Hook Kick, Okada ducking and connecting with a knee lift to the body. Okada runs the ropes for a big boot, Ospreay managing to sidestep and build up his own momentum, only to get intercepted with a flapjack. Ospreay is back up quickly on spaghetti legs, Okada delivering a clean neckbreaker, and then the big boot that he initially went for, gleefully standing over the Assassin.
Riding the wave of momentum as he continues to beat Ospreay down, Okada eventually tosses the champion to the floor, the fifteen minute mark having passed as he hurls him into the barricade in front of the judges. He heads around ringside as Ospreay struggles to recover, building speed before delivering a JOHN WOO DROPKICK, SENDING OSPREAY CRASHING INTO THE GUARDRAIL! Okada dusts himself off as the judges look on, the challenger scooping his foe up and smashing his face off the judge’s table. He clambers up onto the table, dropping a knee across the back of a struggling Ospreay’s head and checking their scorecards. Nodding along with their rulings thus far, he drops back down, spinning Ospreay over for a TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER ON THE FLOOR, BUT OSPREAY LANDS BEHIND HIM, LEAPING UP FOR A POISON RANA ON THE OUTSIDE! He gasses himself up a bit before sliding back in to break the count, a confused Okada slowly staggering towards the apron. Ospreay hops over the ropes, his superhuman endurance making for good recovery time before he BOUNCES OFF THE SECOND TURNBUCKLE FOR AN APRON OSCUTTER, OBLITERATING HIS CHALLENGER!
He shoves Okada under the ropes, quickly hooking both legs for a two count, and then lines himself up for a Hidden Blade, Okada getting to his knees before swiftly dropping down to avoid the elbow, only for Ospreay to stop in his tracks to deliver a STANDING MOONSAULT! Okada painstakingly rolls across the ring to the opposite set of ropes, the champion stalking him all the way there before running the ropes for a V-TRIGGER, BUT OKADA LOW BRIDGES HIM, SENDING OSPREAY TO THE FLOOR! Smirking to himself, the Rainmaker crawls towards the centre of the ring, not realizing Ospreay’s already up on the apron, springboarding off the top for a MISSILE BASEMENT DROPKICK TO THE TEMPLE! ONE! TWO! THRE-NOOO! Ospreay picks Okada up, looking to whip him into the ropes, but Okada reverses the momentum, the champion rebounding into a DROPKICK, BUT HE INTERCEPTS OKADA TO DELIVER A HELLACIOUS FOLDING POWERBOMB! He deadlifts Okada back up, putting all of his strength behind an IMMENSE LIGER BOMB! ONE! TWO! THRE-OKADA ROLLS BACK OUT OF THE PIN, BUT OSPREAY GRABS HIS WRISTS FOR A KAMIGOYE! ONE! TWO! THRE-ANOTHER KICKOUT!
Okada is in a bad way, his era of dominance in this match having given way to a rapidly slipping performance as Ospreay continues to rally. Ospreay clasps his hands to call for the Oscutter, waiting for his opponent to get up as he steels himself for what could be the home stretch. He bounces off the ropes for an OSCUTTER INTO A DROPKICK IN MID-AIR FROM OKADA, AND NOW THE RAINMAKER POSE! OKADA GOT HIM! Ospreay is up immediately, adrenaline keeping him in the fight until OKADA LANDS AN ENZIGURI IN HOMAGE TO ANTONIO INOKI! The camera zooms out to take in the scenes, the challenger leaning over and picking Ospreay up for a RAINMAKER, BUT OSPREAY DELIVERS A HEADBUTT! Both men sway and wobble, collecting their senses as wrist control is maintained, and OKADA CONNECTS WITH THE LARIAT, BUT OSPREAY STAYS UPRIGHT! Furious, Okada winds up for one more… BUT THE CHAMPION REVERSES INTO A SPANISH FLY! Okada sits bolt upright as Ospreay staggers back into the corner, sprinting towards his foe before beheading him with a HIDDEN BLADE TO THE FACE, OVERSHOOTING HIMSELF AND ENDING UP BEHIND THE CHALLENGER! Ospreay wastes no time as Okada sits back up on instinct, now eating ANOTHER HIDDEN BLADE, THIS TIME TO THE BASE OF THE SKULL! OSPREAY HOOKS THE ARMS, HAULING OKADA TO HIS FEET BEFORE SLINGING HIM OVER HIS SHOULDER… STORMBREAKER! ONE! TWO! THREE! WILL OSPREAY HAS DONE IT!
Will Ospreay def. Kazuchika Okada (28:28) to retain the AEW World Title
It’s celebrations aplenty as Ospreay raises the gold, Okada skulking off with the Bucks as the AEW World Champion is showered in confetti to close the show. If Inoki loved anything more than time limit draws, it was going over, and Ospreay did just that in the spirit of New Japan’s founder.
Road to Full Gear
Just a few nights removed from knocking off the Rainmaker, Will Ospreay’s on Dynamite in Seattle, and despite taking a beating, he’s filled to the brim with energy and craving a challenger. He says WrestleDream might be the proudest night of his life, even more so than All In, because it’s something he genuinely wasn’t sure he could do. He says tonight, to celebrate, it’s an open challenge, and anyone’s welcome to take their best shot at… swer swer GARMENTS! Ospreay’s All In opponent is here in his home state, greeted with an ovation as he stands opposite the champion. Swerve says that Ospreay’s standing in his house with his title, Seattle confirming that it is, in fact, Swerve’s House before we get underway with a HUGE AEW World Title rematch.
AEW World Title: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Swerve Strickland
While WrestleDream saw a frantic aversion to the time limit out of fear and spite, this time, it’s because it’s two insanely fast-paced individuals, both trying to out-smooth each other with fluid counter on top of fluid counter. Swerve’s got the crowd behind him, but it’s a back-and-forth affair, neither man getting much of a foothold for the first fifteen minutes of the bout. However, Ospreay’s worse for wear between the two, Swerve targeting the head after seeing how many shots Ospreay took against Okada. It’s not enough, though, Ospreay managing to absorb punishment for long enough to get an opening for an Oscutter, followed by a HIDDEN BLADE RIGHT TO THE BACK OF THE HEAD, STRAIGHT INTO THE COVER! ONE! TWO! THREE!
Will Ospreay def. Swerve Strickland (21:41) to retain the AEW World Title
With two straight definitive wins over AEW’s top talent, Ospreay’s quelling any doubts he might have about his title reign. However, as he pats Swerve on the back and thanks him for the match, he’s confronted by… Seattle's own American Dragon. Ospreay seems to go through twenty emotions at once as the Flight of the Valkyries intro hits, the now part-time Danielson bursting through the curtain to confront the AEW Champion in his hometown. Danielson grabs a microphone, congratulating Ospreay on the win, only for Ospreay to grab his own. Ospreay asks what Bryan’s doing, saying he’s happy for a round two, but last time, it ended with Danielson convulsing on the mat. He says Bryan’s not even full time anymore - he’s got boundless respect for the American Dragon, but there are plenty of other challengers Ospreay could be focusing on right now. Danielson nods, looking Ospreay up and down before eyeing up the AEW Title, the crowd erupting into cheers as he does so. Bryan says that at All In, his full-time career ended, but he’s still got plenty of wrestling left in him, and he’s got plenty of things he wants to achieve. Ospreay cuts him off, saying that he’ll just beat him again, but Bryan shakes his head.
Bryan says that the Will Ospreay standing in front of him right now couldn’t beat him. In fact, Will Ospreay DIDN’T beat him - the Storm Driver 93 did. The Tiger Driver 91 did. Mitsuharu Misawa did. But… that’s not a tool in Ospreay’s arsenal anymore, and as Bryan watches his matches, he knows deep down that he could beat him. Ospreay’s incredible, a once in a generation kind of talent, but if he wants to stand between what Danielson wants in the dying embers of his career - redemption and gold - he’ll learn the hard way that he’s not equipped to do so. The champ adjusts his belt on his shoulder, and simply says that if Bryan wants to go around again, he won’t be needing anybody else’s creations to put “the GOAT” down… again. Verbally digging into the wound, Ospreay seems pretty fed up with being doubted, and says that he hopes Bryan challenges him officially, so he can save his daughter the trouble of worrying about her dad’s health every time he steps between the ropes; he’ll just have to embarrass Bryan so badly he hangs them up. Bryan slaps the microphone out of Ospreay’s hand, Ospreay getting in plenty close before DANIELSON CLOBBERS HIM ACROSS THE FACE! Ospreay gives him the free shot, shaking off the hit before Bryan lays down the gauntlet for Full Gear.
Full Gear
Both men have something to prove here. For Danielson, it’s a tale of revenge. He lost at Dynasty. He lost every time the title’s been on the line, and now, he has the chance to add to his already incomparable legacy. For Ospreay, it’s a tale of validation. Despite all he’s done, beating the best of the best, he’s still disregarded by those he aspires towards. He’s got a definitive shot to prove he’s as good as those that came before him, something that’s haunted him ever since he was told he’s no Kenny Omega in New Japan. The World Title’s on the line, and only one man can walk away the best.
The Prudential Center is hype as a bitch, baby. The Dynasty crowd was hot because they thought they could see one of the greatest matches ever, but the Full Gear crowd is hot because they KNOW they could see one of the greatest matches ever, and that’s assisted by The Final Countdown hitting to welcome the challenger. Danielson can’t help but grin at the crowd’s roar of the chorus, but he’s otherwise stone-faced, completely focused on picking his foe apart and taking his title. Ospreay heads out with a new entrance attire, adorned in green and gold as he opens up the robe to show off his championship, staring holes through Bryan as he drops into the ring. The introductions are made, and HERE WE GO!
AEW World Title: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Bryan Danielson
It’s a slow start to this one as the crowd shower both competitors in praise, the veteran challenger working hard to keep Ospreay grounded in the early goings. Ospreay tries his best to keep up with Bryan on the mat, pulling out a few slick reversals before Bryan eventually puts a stop to it and begins to work over Ospreay’s right arm, used for his Hidden Blade. He attempts a few armbar variations, Ospreay always managing to wriggle free or make his way to the ropes, but Danielson is relentless, treating the champion like a fly caught in a spider’s web. Finally, Bryan attempts a triangle armbar, Ospreay quickly stacking him to his shoulders to force a break before landing a PK across the chest as he rolls to his knees. He throws a superkick, Bryan picking the leg and attempting a heel hook, Will using his free leg to stomp Danielson in the face before hurling him into the corner. Ospreay charges with a high dropkick, Bryan ducking, but Ospreay clears the ropes and lands cleanly on the apron, connecting with a forearm smash to knock Bryan down before landing a FIREBIRD SPLASH FOR TWO!
With Ospreay having found his opening, he sends Bryan to the outside, knowing he needs to keep the pace up and keep athleticism as the deciding factor in this one. He nails a dropkick through the ropes to send Bryan into the barrier, clambering to the top rope to deliver a SKY TWISTER PRESS TO THE OUTSIDE! He high fives a few fans before rolling Bryan back in, lining up for a PIP PIP CHEERIO, BUT BRYAN CATCHES THE ARM, WRESTLING HIM RIGHT DOWN INTO A LEBELL LOCK! HE HAS IT LOCKED IN! Ospreay immediately extends his leg towards the ropes, frantically shifting his weight until he forces a break, but Bryan insists that he has until five before finally releasing at the last moment. The champion is clearly in a good deal of pain as he fights to get to all fours, Bryan honing in his assault with a ruthless kick to the arm, followed by a stomp on the elbow and an immediate return to his work on the mat. It’s brutally effective, looking for a Rings of Saturn that Ospreay again breaks, only for Bryan to transition by butterflying the arms for a CATTLE MUTILATION! Will cries out in agony, Danielson finding his footing for the perfect bridge, but Ospreay’s quick to get to his knees to relieve some of the pressure. He eventually digs his toes into the canvas, enduring the pain in his shoulder as he slowly rolls over it and manages to FLIP INTO A BRIDGE ABOVE DANIELSON, SHOWING OFF TO HIS OPPONENT… BUT DANIELSON DROPS HIM DOWN INTO A REAR NAKED CHOKE!
The champion’s in deep waters, keeping one leg free from Bryan’s hooks to make his way to the ropes for the break. Danielson releases the hold at four once again, but immediately delivers a BRIDGING TIGER SUPLEX, MISAWA-ESQUE AS THE REF COUNTS… ONE! TWO! THR-NOOO! Ospreay doesn’t seem to have answers for Bryan’s instincts and ground game, and it only gets worse as Bryan cinches in a hammerlock for a SUPLEX ONTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER FOR ANOTHER TWO COUNT! The time call of twenty minutes is made as Ospreay rolls out to the apron, Bryan having dominated the bulk of the contest. He lights Ospreay up with some kicks and chops as he joins him on the hardest part of the ring, getting another hammerlock before SUPLEXING OSPREAY ONTO THE APRON, DOWN ON HIS SHOULDER AND NECK! He rolls Ospreay under the ropes, climbing up top for a MISSILE DROPKICK, BUT THE CHAMPION REVERSES FOR A LIGER BOMB! ONE! TWO! TH-KICKOUT! Ospreay is fired up, keeping his right arm tight to his side as he starts laying in some blistering kicks, including a series of Kawada Kicks to the face before nailing a SNAP DRAGON SUPLEX FOR TWO! He needs to hit some big bombs to settle the score, fighting from beneath as he whips Bryan into the corner for a YAKUZA KICK!
Hauling Bryan up onto the top turnbuckle, he lets loose a few blistering chops, reminding the challenger that as great as his striking and grappling may be, it’s Ospreay that has the power and athleticism advantage. He looks for a superplex, Bryan fighting back with a few punches to the body before looking to slip behind, perhaps for a Poison Rana… BUT OSPREAY WITH A BACK ELBOW! Ospreay turns around as well, both men in a very precarious position as they trade shots atop the turnbuckles before BRYAN BLASTS WILL WITH A HEADBUTT! Now it’s Bryan’s turn to look for a superplex, but OSPREAY SLIPS BETWEEN HIS LEGS, PULLING DANIELSON’S HEAD DOWN FOR A CHEEKY NANDO’S KICK! Bryan stays on the second rope as Ospreay connects with a second kick for good measure, climbing back up for an AVALANCHE POWERBOMB ATTEMPT, BUT BRYAN SAVES HIMSELF, DROPPING DOWN AND HOOKING HIS OWN LEGS IN THE ROPES FOR A SPIDER SUPERPLEX… BUT WILL LEAPS TO THE APRON, LEAVING BRYAN HANGING! Ospreay clocks Danielson with a forearm, the challenger dangling in a dangerous spot and trying to fight his way out, only for Ospreay to spring off the top for a MODIFIED BURNING STAR PRESS TO A HANGING DANIELSON, SENDING HIM CRASHING INTO THE CANVAS! ONE! TWO! THRE-DANIELSON STRUGGLES TO GET THE SHOULDER UP, AND NOW OSPREAY IMMEDIATELY PICKS HIM UP FOR A STORMBREAKER! ONE! TWO! THRE-BRYAN WITH A FOOT ON THE ROPE!
Ospreay’s certainly turned the tides, except Bryan’s work on his arm means that the Stormbreaker might’ve done the champion more harm than good. The referee comes to check on Ospreay, who seems to have to pop his shoulder back into place, perhaps dislocating it by flinging Bryan around. However, he’s still driven to finish this one, even if he can’t employ the Stormbreaker or Hidden Blade reliably. Bryan has some time to recover as Ospreay gets up, the champion rushing at him for a dropsault into an enziguri, following it with a GERMAN SUPLEX, BUT BRYAN LANDS ON HIS FEET TO CONNECT WITH ONE OF HIS OWN… ONLY FOR OSPREAY TO GET RIGHT UP! He clocks Bryan in the base of the skull with a rolling elbow, using his left, and follows it with a SPRINGBOARD OSCUTTER, ONLY FOR BRYAN TO MEET HIM THERE WITH AN IBUSHI-STYLE GERMAN OFF THE MIDDLE ROPE! Ospreay rolls up to his knees, bewildered from the impact, and Danielson starts unloading with all he can muster: the hammer and anvil elbows to the head and connective tissue of Ospreay’s shoulder, followed by a series of wrist-clutch stomps to the face. He heads to the corner, sensing the end as he goes for a BUSAIKU KNEE, BUT OSPREAY CATCHES HIM WITH A SUPERKICK, BOTH MEN COLLAPSING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING!
Agonizingly, both men come to in opposite corners, the uproar reaching a crescendo as the world realizes this’ll be playing out like it did at Dynasty. Ospreay’s up first, peeling off his elbow pad and bracing himself for a sprinter’s start out of the corner as Bryan rolls down his kneepad, a rabid look in his eyes… AND BOTH MEN LAUNCH TOWARDS EACH OTHER! BRYAN IS DOWN! OSPREAY FLIES RIGHT PAST HIM WITH A HIDDEN BLADE, SACRIFICING THE RIGHT ARM FOR THE MANEUVER - BUT DANIELSON KIPS UP! HE DROPPED UNDER THE HIDDEN BLADE, AND NOW IT’S OSPREAY SLOWLY PIVOTING AROUND ON THE BAD ARM… EXPOSED BUSAIKU KNEE CONNECTS! BRYAN BAITED HIM! ONE! TWO! THRE-OSPREAY REFUSES TO QUIT, BUT NOW DANIELSON STRAIGHT INTO A TRIANGLE CHOKE, TRAPPING OSPREAY’S BAD ARM! Ospreay tries the same counter as before, stacking Bryan up, but the challenger is eerily calm, always keeping one shoulder up before he he starts HAMMERING OSPREAY WITH ELBOWS TO THE HEAD! THE CHAMPION IS FADING DEEPER INTO UNCONSCIOUSNESS WITH EACH STRIKE… BUT OSPREAY’S FIGHTING BACK! HE’S FIRING SHOTS WITH HIS ONE FREE ARM, BLASTING BRYAN IN THE FACE WITH FOREARMS, BUT BRYAN SQUEEZES TIGHTER, CONTINUING TO CINCH IN THE CHOKE! OSPREAY CAN’T MUSCLE BRYAN UP AFTER THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE ARM, AND NOW HE’S TURNING PURPLE! HE REACHES OUT TO THE ROPES, FLAILING AS DANIELSON BRINGS HIM BACK DOWN TO THE MAT… AND THE REFEREE CALLS IT! OSPREAY’S OUT! HE NEVER QUIT, BUT BRYAN DANIELSON IS THE AEW WORLD CHAMPION!
Bryan Danielson def. Will Ospreay (31:03) by technical submission to win the AEW World Title
Shock permeates through the arena as the Final Countdown plays, Bryan Danielson having done the inconceivable and become the first man to beat Ospreay cleanly in singles competition in AEW, while also becoming the top titleholder in the company. He clutches the prestigious gold before raising it high above his head, Ospreay looking crestfallen as he sits against the barricade, forced to watch the American Dragon standing tall on the turnbuckles with his first World Title in over half a decade.
Road to World’s End
With Bryan Danielson now the AEW World Champion, he appears on Dynamite a few nights later. He says that maybe a year ago, he’d be defending the title that very night, but now… he’ll be doing so at World’s End. He says Ospreay fought hard, but in the end, he was right; he’s great, but he’s not an Assassin anymore. Will takes exception to that. Ospreay heads right down to the ring, saying he’ll be fighting week in and week out to make sure he’s undeniable as Danielson’s first challenger, swearing that he’ll be taking that title back, because he won’t hesitate to do Bryan’s head in at the first opportunity. Bryan laughs, telling Ospreay he can do what he wants, but… and then the coin silences them both. Out comes the Rainmaker, the Young Bucks by his side to tell Ospreay to go to the back of the line. They say Okada beat Bryan at the Tokyo Dome in January, he was on Team Elite to pin Danielson in Anarchy in the Arena, and now it’s his turn to finish the story by breaking the tie between Bryan and himself by winning the AEW World Title.
Ospreay says he’s got his own ties to break, standing 1-1 with Bryan, and 1-1-1 with Okada throughout the year. He’ll beat them both if that’s what it takes. Hell, he’ll beat anyone he’s got a tie with, he’ll beat anyone Bryan’s got a tie with, he’ll beat anyone Okada’s got a tie with… but there's one man who's got a tied record with all three. The arena explodes as Kenny Omega makes his way out onto the stage, staring down the Bucks, Okada, Ospreay and Danielson before entering the ring. Nicholas and Matthew back off, leaving four of the greatest ever alone in the squared circle, all of them on completely even footing. The camera pans to the AEW Title, and it’s crystal clear where this is going. Bryan’s got a tied record with all three presumptive challengers. In 2024, Okada and Ospreay are deadlocked, while Okada and Omega are now 2-2-1 since Wembley, and Omega and Ospreay remain at one win apiece. Six iconic feuds, all completely deadlocked, between four all-time greats that completely detest each other - and only one man can come out on top as champion. All four men want the ultimate tiebreaker, and there’s no more fitting locale than World’s End - because it’ll truly be the end of an era.
World’s End
Bryan Danielson (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega vs. Will Ospreay
What’s there to say in this intro blurb? I usually set the stakes again, but we all know them. The tiebreaker to end all tiebreakers, all for the right to call oneself the AEW World Heavyweight Champion, between four of the best wrestlers going today, all of whom loathe each other. We get a video package showcasing their intertwining history, now all conjoined by the pursuit of gold, before we head ringside to Justin Roberts.
AND NOW.
HE has held frankly an unbelievable amount of singles titles;
HE is the only Triple Crown Winner in AEW history;
HE is the only AEW original in this match, therefore having more guts than any of his opponents despite having some of his guts removed;
HE weighs in tonight at 224 pounds for his first AEW Title match in far too long;
HE is more over than any of his opponents in NOOOORRRRTHHHH CAROLINA!
HE IS… KENNY! OOOOMEEEEEGAAAAA!
Let’s fucking go, baby. Cleaner’s back. The Best Bout Machine is gonna cook so hard. Omega hits the ring looking massive, hits his pose and then settles into the corner, waiting for his three rivals to confront him directly.
Zenith of God hits next, Will Ospreay getting the full intro as he strives to purge his demons. Omega can’t help but smile - the last time he heard this theme, he beat Ospreay at the Tokyo Dome. However, when the Assassin comes through the curtain, it’s clearly a more lethal Ospreay, and one who’s hell-bent on making up for that loss. He brushes straight past Omega, who smirks before the music stops, both men standing opposite one another in the ring… only to be cut off by the greatest rival either of them ever had, rung in with a coin drop.
Kazuchika Okada looks like god’s gift to wrestling as he ascends upwards through the stage, bills plastered with his face falling from the sky and flooding the arena with his image. He’s as cocky and arrogant as ever, despite having never come away from a four-way the winner. The Bucks hype him up before heading to the back themselves, Okada surprisingly insisting on going it alone. Commentary notes that even a year ago, he’d have never dreamt of having the chance to turn the tides against Kenny Omega in their feud, but now he has the chance to take the lead, something he surely wants to do without any doubt. The three challengers all settle into position, only the champion left to go.
The horns of the Final Countdown strike fear into the hearts of Okada and Ospreay, both of whom have been on the losing end of that theme. Out steps the American Dragon, the rowdy crowd singing along as he makes his way to the ring, posing atop the turnbuckles to survey his murderer’s row of challengers. He unzips his jacket to reveal the AEW World Title they’re all jockeying for, the camera panning across the faces of his opponents, all of whom are stone-faced. This is it, it’s as real as it fucking gets. Danielson. Okada. Omega. Ospreay. The endlessly sought after AEW World Heavyweight Championship. Here we go.
(Cont'd in Comments)

Ride Kamens (ライドカメンズ) is a game based on Kamen Riders that allows you to ride them interact with them, increase affection and train, the usual stat raising sim deal. The game is developed by Liber Entertainment (A3!, 18TRIP) and published by Bandai Namco (Dragon Ball Legends, One Piece Treasure Cruise); it has a positive reception in Japan so far (although the same can't be said for Global fans of the franchise since the game deviates a lot from the usual KR stuff).
So, third husbando game this month, and this one is purely for the geis lol not really, but kinda... The default MC is called Noah, so there's that. You can change the MC's name and your username at the start and choose your first person pronouns ("watashi" is the first option, "boku" is the second: the last one is more masculine, white "watashi" is used a bit more generally, so it's the option if you go by feminine or non-binary pronouns).
I couldn't connect to the game since the gameplay is mostly idle-ish, but I'm still somewhat enjoying it (you'll see the reason: the designs interest me a lot!). That being said, this post probably won't be as detailed as my usual reviews, but I'll try to objectively present the game features like any other review I write.
Have a cookie before we start.

IMPORTANT!!!

If you can't start the game (forever on loading screen after downloading the game data -- 1.8GB for the basic download or 3.3GB for batch download), you'll have to change your phone region to the US and the language to English. Japan/Japanese probably works as well, but English will be easier to understand for most people, since your phone and a lot of apps will change the language as well.
On Android, you can search for "language" or "region" in the Settings app (in your own language, of course) and youll find the option. Or (at least in my case, for Android 14) you can go to Settings - Additional settings - Language & region.
Previous to this game, an "Episode Zero" has been released in two formats: novel and audio drama (do not confuse it with the in-game Chapter 0). The story is a prequel to the game, focused on the protagonist's father. You can check it in the links at the end of this post. I don't have any knowledge about translations of this material, but the PDF is available for free and it's easy to translate it via any screen translator (since it's not written, but in image/scan format).
Take my hand and let's review this game!

BOYS

Once again, we have the unit/team-based husbandos, bringing the number of boys to 16, divided into five teams. And, surprise surprise, it's another game where all the characters are white and pretty slim, but the designs are great imo, and their Kamen/masked versions stand out a lot and make me appreciate the game more. So, here are the boys (2 images of each team, one with them in day-to-day clothes and the other with the battle uniforms):
https://preview.redd.it/xv6d51m6wt3d1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86217def897264bfb9f52ad3f5ec5a4d55706434
Justice Ride
https://preview.redd.it/egzpb51gwt3d1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee096d6def9ea27bdabd8bf3566743b074eb5a2f
Madguy
https://preview.redd.it/traitaaiwt3d1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c7f151c3d57fca332643d3170b124f8bd1cb343f
Slam Days
https://preview.redd.it/y5xq3ffkwt3d1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a967068f5dd2a68fcf8fc512b139e7e02a8a017d
Wisdom Thinks
https://preview.redd.it/69cscd5mwt3d1.jpg?width=1600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0257980056107f08ecdf5d5dfbae097dd73a4b61
Tower Emblem

STORY

Since I'm not fluent in Japanese and the pace of joseimuke games is crazy lately (I'll have another one to try on June 3rd), I've only read the 4 segments of chapter 0 and a couple of entries from Chapter 1 (the segments are pretty short, there are 15 chapters available on release :O). That being said, the game is written by Yuya Takahashi, a known author for the KR franchise, so that information might be useful for fans out there (source).
The game is set in its own universe and it's its own thing. You're basically a clueless MC that wakes up in close to a museum, where you find a glowing mask that opens a dooportal to a Kamen academy area, where you discover the existence of the riders and also discover about how chaos is taking control of the society through an evil organization called Chaosism. It's basically the introduction, but a bit of spoilers ahead: you're introduced to this organization through the form of the academy's president, who's actually a member of the Ulseven, an influential Chaosism group consisting of seven members.
MC will discover they're actually the descendant of a previous leadeagent(?) of the Kamen RIders, and their butler Leon will help them follow their father's footsteps to bring order to this world controlled by chaos.
\"Playing for the plot\". The plot ↑

GAMEPLAY

The gameplay loop consists in using cards to do exploration missions in order to get chaostones, which you use in battles. So basically, you'll want to auto the whole exploration, which is basically a training segment that takes several minutes with training, resting, encounters and a final battle to get a chaostone.
You select a leader card, other 3 cards (and it's also possible to bring a friend to support you), plus a chaostone you already own; these elements ideally have to excel in two attributes (there are four of them: red, blue, green and yellow), which are the two from the area where you're sending the leader boy to explore. Complete this exploration/training and you'll get a better chaostone than you already have. These stones have a combat power that will be the main stat to win battles. Cards are leveled up with materials obtained via stages and missions, but chaostones are mainly obtained via exploration. Exploration also levels up your cards a bit. VERY IMPORTANT: the chaostone you get from exploration will be from the same boy as you set up as the leader card (each card has with two arts: the standard one, and the chaostone one).
You'll encounter battles in a couple of story stages and on daily grind for materials, so you'll use your chaostones quite frequently (these battles are the usual chibi ones you see in most 2D games, oh well...). For some reason, you have 2 different energy/stamina types: 100 energy for your exploration (consumes 20 per exploration), and 3 BPs daily for the grinding stages (consumes 1 BP per battle). Battle is basically auto and you only have to tap once to finish it; you'll need a higher battle value than your enemy to win (the grade of your chaostones will define the battle value of them, grind exploration for better graded stones -- grades are the exam format, as in A+, D, F etc.). After you finish a daily battle, you can skip the other 2 battles instantly (thus consuming all the 3 BPs).
There's also a Camouflage Cafe where you can set four boys to hang out with and interact (3 times daily for each boy) in order to increase their affection. This feature also uses the chibi versions, unfortunately. You can also gift them (gifts are mostly obtained for free while playing and completing missions --there's apparently no daily limit for gifting). Besides interacting and gifting, it's also possible to increase your affection through battling.
Battle interface.
Café interface. You can remove their masks in the \"private\" option.

GACHA AND MONETIZATION

Among the three games released this month (the others being Break My Case and 18TRIP), this one is the game where I've felt less the greedy hands from the devs (even though it's a game published by Bamco). There are lots of 10 (standard) pulls given for completing the first handful of chapters, free pulls from starter rewards, free gems from newbie missions etc. but we still have to wait for future events to understand the actual pulls income in the long run. And the pity is quite okay: 100 pulls guarantee a random 4 stars card (the highest rarity in-game).
There are 2 special paid-only banners that require a paid 10-pull ticket with a 4 stars guaranteed for each. But I guess the game has some sort of bug, where I see the prices of both packs as 108 yen each. Since I'm not from Japan and I've downloaded the game from third party apps, I can't confirm the right price. I also can't see the price for 10 pulls and other stuff, I'm sorry (if I click any paid pack, it gives me an error and it brings me back to the title screen).
Every 10 pulls guarantee a 3 stars card, and currently there's no limited banner per se, only a standard banner and specific banners for each team of riders, and these team-only banners have a deadline of July 16 (probably for a pity/spark reset). One 4* card only for each boy so far. A pull costs 200 gems (2k per 10 pulls), and the odds are 3% for four stars and 18% for three stars (the other 79% is probably the odds for 2 stars, but the in-game notice doesn't add up to that, so I can't confirm that, although it's very likely). Just for reference: a story stage gives 30 gems for the first completion, story with battle gives 60 gems, and daily battles give 50 gems.
Not everything is a strawberry field (forever), so there's a catch in this apparent less-greedy-game-of-May-2024 (phew, that was a mouthful): the cards require dupes to increase their max level. 2* cards start at 40 max level with no dupe, 3* have a max level of 60 and 4*, max level of 80. All the cards can have up to 4 dupes, each one increasing the max level by 5 (so respectively the max levels are 60, 80 and 100).
Quick observation: the team-specific banners are tricky, be careful! The odds are really low: team-specific 4* cards only have a 0.25% chance to be rolled, and the rest of the 3% odds is divided by the other boys (so it's usually around 0.17% per off-banner 4*). The catch is: these banners have a spark of 250 pulls, so after 250 pulls, you can get a specific card you want from that team. The team banners have exclusive spark currencies (5 teams, 5 different sparks) and they don't share pity. Not clear enough if the pity will carry over to other banners of another kind, but the spark won't. You can also get other cards from the specific team and materials if you don't reach 250 pulls.
IMPORTANT! At the start there's a free 10x pull that guarantee a 4* card. This pull only guarantee one 4*, so get the boy you like the most. You can get more than one 3*, though (you can even get none at all).
Random UI drop.

CONSIDERATIONS

I haven't been exposed to the Kamen Riders franchise that much, but I do believe this game can be quite interesting for people interested in joseimuke/idol games AND tokusatsus (or specifically Kamen Rider since it's written by an already established Kamen Rider author). If you don't know Japanese and you don't have those interests, it might be a hard sell.
Overall, I really enjoyed most things about the game, even though the gameplay is really weak in my personal opinion. But everything else is pretty well done, the live2D lives up to the modern standards, and I personally love the music and the riders' transformation segments (it's pretty mahou shoujo -ish). Also love the fact that you can obtain backgrounds (and a background song or two) from missions to customize your homescreen for free; costumes aren't that hard to obtain either: they come from gacha cards, and not only 4* ones: 3* cards also come with costumes!
Minor complaints: even though I love the batch download, the game isn't really that well optimized and there's a bunch of loading screens. Not to the point of making me give up on the game because of them, but still quite noticeable and tiresome. I can see this and the fact you need to change your phone's region to impede some players of downloading it. The UI (image above) is very appealing aesthetically to me, but the navigation can be prett confusing, and the menu (top right button) has too many options, more than it'd be necessary.
And a last request: please, check the links at the end of this post. There are several useful ones: besides the usual download links, there are links for the fanmade English Twitter and Discord accounts, an UI navigation guide (this game is the really intricate menu-wise). The Discord community, along with the Twitter account, are translating some bits of the game, like voicelines and personal stories, and they'll potentially make some story translations available as well.
Oni-inspired suit? Peak design!

TL;DR

Pros:

• High quality (specially in character design and live2D);
• Free costumes, backgrounds, customization, not many things paywalled;
• Seems to be free to play friendly (-ish);
• Story written by a previous Kamen Rider author;
• Pretty active English community support;
• No geoblock, so no VPN required.

Cons:

• You might need to change your phone region/language;
• Not available in English;
• UI can be hard to grasp;
• Card level is tied to dupes;
• A bit too much of loading screens.

Unsure:

• The gameplay: it's probably a love-it-or-hate-it case since it's idle-ish.

Glorious card art!

LINKS

Playstore: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bandai.ride_kamens&hl=en_US
Appstore: https://apps.apple.com/jp/app/%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%89%E3%82%AB%E3%83%A1%E3%83%B3%E3%82%BA/id6446847122
Qooapp: https://m-apps.qoo-app.com/en-US/app/31648
Taptap: https://www.taptap.io/app/33672271
Official website: https://www.ride-kamens.com/
Episode Zero novel: https://www.ride-kamens.com/special/episode_zero.php
Fanmade English Twitter: https://twitter.com/ride_kamens_en
Ride_Kamens_EN UI guide: https://www.canva.com/design/DAGGtRqtvlE/R1QvULVocurzmRj1dDWtRA/view?utm_content=DAGGtRqtvlE&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer
Unofficial English Discord: https://discord.gg/7xHg29QQBW
Ride Kamens wiki entry: https://kamenrider.fandom.com/wiki/Ride_Kamens
Thank you for reaching this point! See you husbando enjoyers soon!
Edit log:

• Added a "con" to the topic "TL;DR": "Card level is tied to dupes";
• Added an excerpt to the "GACHA AND MONETIZATION" topic: "(but) we still have to wait for future events to understand the actual pulls income in the long run".
• Added the last paragraph to the "GACHA AND MONETIZATION" topic, about the initial guaranteed 4* card.