#[ there are more points to be made about the topic but. hrngh ]

[who-is-muses]

anonymous | Misc. Asks

could you please explain more about why you don't think sinestro is a fa.scist?

[ let me preface this with two things; 1) I know you specifically said fa.scist (which I put the period in to try and avoid showing up in any searches) but in each of the instances I'm complaining about there's also a stupid Hi.tler comparison so they're connected, and 2) I don't know how to tag this while still avoiding being in any search results, so take a look at this opening blurb before deciding whether or not to hit the read more ]

[ First and foremost, let me get the personal, sort-of-subjective-but-not-really part out of the way. I'm a Jew, a queer, neurodivergent, and what Na.zism would define as an "impure" white. Besides myself, a number of the people I deeply care about are also people that would've been targeted (and run the risk of being targeted by the various oh so lovely neo na.zi movements.) I think that speaks for itself on why I might take issue with using Na.zism or comparisons to such for fictionalized shock value, accurately or not. ]

[ Now for the more objective part of things; fas.cism is notoriously difficult to craft a succinct, reliable definition for. However, historically speaking, many fas.cist leaders and movements have shared similar aspects- and while knowing this similarities can help keep the people aware, the problem of using them as a strict definition is that fa.scism isn't the only ideology that employs them. It's close to the squares and rectangles thing; most if not all fa.scists are dictators, but not all dictators are fas.cists. And furthermore, not all fa.scists are genocidal whi.te supre.macists like Hi.tler. Fa.scism is very bad, but there are other kinds of evils wrapped up in the ideology that can sneak under the radar if the major thing associated with it is conc.entration camps and holo.causts. I'm not usually a hard ass about proper usage of words, synonyms, hyperbole, and all that- but there are words like geno.cide and fa.scist I think shouldn't be used with any degree of humor or exaggeration. ]

[ With that being said, and going back to something I mentioned before, I- and a lot of other people- take issue with fictionalizing great human tragedies. It's one thing to employ an unfortunate recurring piece of human history, like the effects of racism and xenophobia- but an entirely different thing to copy a specific event for a plot point in a fiction piece. Not every ter.rorist needs to be Bin L.aden lite, not every natio.nalist needs to dress like Hit.ler, not every egomaniacal oppressive ruler needs to look like Kim J.ong Un. Turning horrific events and the people responsible for them into tropes trivializes all the suffering and death they caused- and jokingly comparing someone or something to them is even worse. My controversial take of the day is it's fine (within reason) to make fun of these great human evils, as long as you're making fun of the individual themself rather than the effects of their actions or someone else. ]

[ Going back to the original question at hand; even in his earliest incarnations, Sinestro didn't display a lot of the ideologies and doctrines employed by fa.scism. He's absolutely always been a dictator, imperialist, and overall autocratic control freak- but he's missing things like nationalist extremism, using racial/ethnic discrimination in the form of blame for the nation's failing as a major talking point, outright vilification of any and all liberal ideals, a strong focus on the economy, etc. Though Sinestro absolutely has a major interest in his own people, he's rarely shown to genuinely look down on another for their species- and even then it's exclusively the humans, which seem to be generally looked down on, and the Guardians, which has more to do with with their organization than their race. And Sinestro's ultimate goal is control of the universe- not one singular nation, but everything and everyone- by fear rather than mass extermination and ethn.ic clea.nsing (the arguable exceptions being the original Guardians and their Green Lantern Corps, but this is again a matter of hatred for their organization {a political stance} than any individual species {a xenophobic and racist stance.}) ]

[kokichi-and-co-imagine-blog]

Mod kirigiri, if its okay could you do naegiri in a pokemon mystery dungeon AU?

I think I put a bit too much effort into doing this. This is what happens when you combine two of my favorite things though (Seriously, I may love Mystery Dungeon more than I like the main series games) 

EDIT: Part 2 now available!

Farewell Does Not Mean Goodbye

They’d done it.

They’d finally done it.

Junko’s plan, her desire to spread despair by using the Ultra Beasts, to blanket their world in everlasting and unending despair, they’d stopped it.

They won.

….Except that wasn’t all true, now was it? Because it wasn’t their world they’d saved. It was just hers. He wasn’t a part of it, not really. He was just a visitor.

And his passport had already expired.

Makoto swallowed thickly as he walked next to Kyouko. The action wasn’t anything new, they’d walked in synch like this many times in the past. So many cases they’d solved together, so many outlaws they caught together, they all ended like this, quietly walking side-by-side back home. But something about it felt… different, this time. A heavy silence had hung between the two of them ever since they began their trek back. He gave a quick glance towards the Espeon in question.

Her face was impassive and stoic as ever. Her gaze was pointed forward, and if she noticed him looking at her, she was pointedly ignoring it. He sighed and looked away again.

They both knew what was coming next..

Had it been anyone else in the Detective’s Society, even one of the more perceptive ones like Byakuya (ignoring the fact that he probably wouldn’t care, of course), he probably could’ve hidden his coming fate. But this was Kyouko he was dealing with. She’d seen through his lies about his nightmares, knowing all the right questions to ask, and the one time he’d actually held his ground and withheld information kept from her, well… it’d been an awkward few days on missions to say the least.

She could read him like an open book since the day they met. There was no way he could’ve hidden a secret like that. Almost immediately after he’d discovered what was going to happen after they stopped Junko (it was never a matter of ‘if’ in his mind), she’d seemed to have caught on. How she did so, he’d probably never know—just another skill courtesy of her upbringing, he supposed—but he was oddly ok with it. It was better than having to tell her himself.

Now it was just a matter time.

However, they’d never outright discussed the fact of his approaching disappearance. Any time the topic could’ve been brought up, she’d found some excuse or reason to brush the conversation off. She’d find a way to push it off, citing the mission ahead of them being a more important fact to deal with. Even now, with the hour approaching, she hadn’t spoken a word about it. She hadn’t spoke at all, really.

Makoto found the behavior rather… peculiar.

Kyouko always liked having a plan. She charged forward in everything she did, whether it was difficult cases from the Detective’s Society or just general unpleasant conversations that were necessary to have in her line of work. Her pursuit to solve mysteries and find the truth of a matter was unparalleled and unrivaled. She wasn’t one to hesitate. Never did the two of them head into a situation that she hadn’t thought ahead for.At least, until now, that is

So, for her to be putting off such an important conversation…

“Could it be… that she doesn’t want to face this particular truth?” He frowned at the thought. He spared another glance towards her.

He really wished he could see her face more clearly. He was far from amazing at reading her emotions, she hid them so well after all, but the key to the basic understanding he’d managed to get over their time together was looking in her eyes. She dropped her guard just the tiniest amount when it was just the two of them, and that was how it showed. But it didn’t help him at all if she was so far ahead of him.

Wait…

“When did I slow down? Weren’t we just even…?” He felt it then. He had been so caught up in his worries about Kyouko, he hadn’t noticed just how numb and heavy his limbs were beginning to feel. Each step was becoming more and more difficult to take. His limbs felt like they were tied down by sand bags that were progressively getting heavier.

“Hrngh-!” He let out a whine as a rush of dizziness came over him. He couldn’t see straight, the world was spinning around him too much. He forced himself to sit down before he could fall over, but even then the world wouldn’t stop moving. He let out another grunt as he lifted a paw to his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

“Makoto,” he jumped at the sudden voice. “If you need a break, you can just ask. We’ve been walking for awhile.” He cracked open an eye to see the Kyouko had also stopped moving, although she was a good distance ahead of him. She was looking back at him, her expression as even as before, but a noticeable amount of concern in her eyes. That had been the first she’d spoken since they started their trek back.

Makoto nodded, although immediately regretted trying so given the headache he was getting. He lowered his paw with a sigh. “That’s probably a good-”

Makoto…

“Huh?” His ears perked up at the faint sound. He looked around the clearing they were stopped in, put no one else was there. It was just him and Kyouko. After a moment, it continued on, slightly clearer this time.

Makoto… You’ve done very well. Your contributions toward saving this world have not gone unnoticed, and you are thanked for it. However…. You’ve completed your purpose for being in this world.

He began to feel a sort of tugging sensation after that. He wasn’t being physically moved or touched by anything, Kyouko was the only other being around that could possibly do that, but he still felt the pulling feeling. It was  as if his very being, his existence itself was being pulled and tugged at, just trying so hard to get it to begin moving, It was only faint, but growing steadily as the seconds passed. It was starting to make him feel a bit lightheaded.

“Are you alright, Makoto?” Kyouko asked, her brow furrowed slightly furrowed as she looked at him.

Makoto blinked at her, then gulped, his mouth suddenly feeling a lot dryer than it had before. The realization had hit like a ton of bricks. He bit his lower lip, not sure of what to say next.

His time was running out.

“I… I…” he let out a shuddering breath. He shook his head, ignoring how his head protested. “No, I don’t think I am.” He admitted. He felt her eyes pouring into his.

“…It’s time, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah, I think it is.”

“…I see,” Kyouko replied, her tone just as collected as always. She moved from her spot, seeing how difficult it was for him to move. She sat herself beside him, looking out at the trees in front of them from by his side.

Another moment of silence passed between them, with just the two of them viewing the trees. Neither of them wanted to speak up first it seemed. Makoto heaved a sigh. There was so much to talk about, not enough time to say it all. How was he supposed to properly thank her for just all that she’d done for him? There was no way to fully express just how grateful he was to her.

But he had to try, she deserved at least that much (and so much more)

“…There’s so much to say that I honestly don’t know where to start,” Makoto finally said, breaking the silence weighing over them. He shifted on his paws awkwardly. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing to do, given how heavy his body was feeling, but it helped distract him from the tension of the situation. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I guess, first and foremost… I need to say thank you.”

“Thank you…?” Kyouko echoed, looking down at him with a rare look of surprise.

He smiled towards the ground. “Yeah. Thank you for believing me when we first met about me being a human. Thank you letting me stay with you, for letting me work alongside you, even though I’m not a very good detective.” His voice started shaky, but gradually steadied as he continued.

“Thank you for helping investigate who I am, and for sticking with me even when things got rough. Thank you for staying with me, even when we found out what I was brought here for, to stop Junko’s plan from passing, for never giving into despair or letting me sink down into it.” He finally allowed himself to look up into her eyes, trying to ignore the tears starting to brim in his own.

“Most importantly though, thank you… for being my friend through all of this. Thank you for… well, for everything really! If you hadn’t been there when I first got here I… I don’t think I ever would’ve made it this far.” He let out a small chuckle at the memory of their first encounter. He’d been a mess, to say the least.

“W-why do I have paws?!”

“O-oh… I’m a Rockruff… That explains it…”

“…WAIT, I’M A WHAT!?”

He’d been alarmed by that discovery, no doubt, but looking back on it all, it was rather funny. Kyouko’s expression and exasperation toward him were especially great, although entirely warranted.

He reached up to wipe the tears forming in his eyes away. As he did so though, he couldn’t help but notice all the trees around them. They towered over the two of them, seeming to stretch on for miles and miles into the air. There was something familiar about them.

“Hey, isn’t this where we first met!” Makoto forgot in his excitent, the reason he was sitting down in the first place, and jumped to his feet. The lightheadedness he felt earlier suddenly doubled, making him fumble on his footing. Kyouko reached out to stop him from falling flat on his face. He promptly sat himself back down, trying his best to shake off the feeling, even as the pulling sensation continued to grow stronger.

Kyouko was silent for a moment after that as she looked at the area around them. She nodded. “Yes, I believe we’re close to where I found you,”

Makoto’s smile faltered when another thought struck him. “I… guess this means I’m not going to get to see everyone else before I go, huh?” Kyouko didn’t answer him, but he didn’t expect her to. “I was kinda hoping I’d get to make it there before I had to go but… I guess not. Just my luck, huh?” He let out a laugh and reached to wipe his eyes again. Nothing about this was funny, but he couldn’t stop the humorless chuckles from coming out. “Apologize to Hina for me, would you, Kyouko?” She was going to be furious at him for not returning like he’d promised he would.

He only wished he would get to see it for himself.

She gave a silent nod at his request.

He smiled tiredly at her as another wave of dizziness and washed over him Keeping his balance even while sitting was becoming difficult. He felt himself sway a little before he found himself leaning against Kyouko for support. Did she catch him? He wasn’t sure anymore. Things were starting to blur together. Her scent enveloped his senses. He breathed it in deeply. He never wanted to forget it.

He was getting sleepy; it was becoming harder to think clearly, to filter out his fear. “Is it… is it bad that I don’t wanna go?” He didn’t bother trying to wipe the tears forming this time, choosing instead to just close his eyes. “Here we spent all this time trying to find out why I became a Pokemon so I could go home… and now that the time’s come, I don’t wanna go,” he let out another humorless laugh. “I guess I’m just being selfish, aren’t I?”

“No, I don’t think it’s selfish at all,” Kyouko’s sudden answer made him jump. “You volunteered to help save our world, one you weren’t even a part of, simply because you felt it was the right thing to do, and all you want in return is to stay in it? I don’t think that’s selfish at all. Especially not in comparison to myself…” She looked away.

“H-huh?!” He pried his heavy eyelids open to look up at her.

“You’ve thanked me for so much, but I think it should be the other way around; I should be thanking you for all that you’ve done for me.” She sucked in a deep breath before continuing. “My motives weren’t very kind to you from the start. I always intended to look into your own mystery after you followed me, but I never planned on working with you for very long. Or staying in the Detective’s Society for as long as we have.. I’ve never properly apologized for my behavior during that time. I truly am sorry for my treatment of you then,”

“K-Kyouko…” he breathed out. It was true she wasn’t always the nicest, and her bluntness  had thrown him off on more than one occasion, but he just figured that was just Kyouko being Kyouko.

“But.. I never thought I would grow to be so close to you, get so attached to you. I don’t trust easily, Makoto. Trust a powerful thing to give to someone, and I’ve learned firsthand just how dangerous is can be to give it out carelessly.” He didn’t miss her tensing her paws for a moment at that statement.

“But somehow, through your kindness and stubbornness and refusal to just let me be, you earned mine. You became my invaluable partner, my trusted friend, someone I could rely on, and competent investigator in your own right. I can see why they gave you the title of ‘Ultimate Hope’. You certainly became my hope,”

“Y-yours…?” It was becoming exhausting to keep his eyes open. He blinked a few times. Black was starting to spot his vision.

She let out a quiet, humorless laugh of her own. “I’m not as infallible as you seem to think I am, Makoto. You praise me for never falling into despair, but the only reason I never did was because of you. Your optimism, your words, they became my own hope when I was close to falling myself. And… if anyone here is being selfish, it’s me, because I want you to continue being my hope. I want to continue investigating cases with you, continue to be a part of the Detective’s Society with you, I just… want to continue being with you.”

Makoto could only look at her in awe as she opened up to him. Never had he seen her looking so vulnerable, so emotional about anything throughout their time together. Even in his hazy state he could tell how much this meant to her .He felt her tremble as he laid against her.

He didn’t want this to be it either. He’d made such wonderful connections in this world. Hina, Sakura, Hiro, Sayaka, even Byakuya and Touko he’d grown close to in a way. And that wasn’t even touching the bond that he and Kyouko had formed. They’d been through so much together, went to the ends of the earth and back, and now he just had to say goodbye?

He couldn’t accept that. He wouldn’t accept that.

So he didn’t.

“That decides it then,” he stated. He pulled himself up from leaning against Kyouko. His head throbbed with protest.

“Makoto…?”

“I’m not going back,” he decided firmly.

She looked at him in shock. “What?”

“I’m not going back.” He repeated, tone just as firm. “I refuse to let this be the end of my time with you!”

“Makoto… I’m not sure you’re being given a choice in this matter,” Kyouko said. She reached out to steady him as he swayed again.

“I… I-I don’t care! I don’t care how hopeless this seems, I refuse to let this be our goodbye!” Light was starting to swirl around him as the pulling feeling became almost tangibly real. He grunted at the sensation. “I don’t know what’s going to happen next… but I refuse to let this be the last time I get to see you!”

He shook his head. “This isn’t our goodbye. This is just… this is just a temporary farewell. Because we will see each other again, I won’t let it be any other way!”

Kyouko said nothing, only stared at him.

“…Maybe this was why Junko wasn’t upset when we stopped her, because she knew I had to go back, and that it would fill us with despair. But… I won’t let this stop me!” It was getting harder to see her as light continued to pull at him and cloud his vision. “My optimism is my one truly redeeming quality, after all, isn’t it?” He grinned at her through his tears.

“Kyouko, regardless of what happens next, I will never forget you. I will never stop hoping for a way to return to you because… because I-” His sound was drowned out as the light around him engulfed him entirely. Slowly, it began to rise into the air and up towards the sky.

Kyouko didn’t take her eyes off of it for even a second. “…Only a temporary farewell, huh? Ok then, Makoto. Farewell for now. Don’t keep me waiting too long…”

“…”Because the feeling is mutual,”

((I probably made this way too long but this was me cutting this short but I love PMD so much and I love the idea of these two being on a team together and just… aaaaaaaa))

((…I begging someone to please request more of this cause as much as I stressed myself out on this I loved every minute of this))

((…I can have a part two of this scene even, if someone wants it, I’m not kidding))