#He WILL climb on a table. NO Lysandre you can NOT stop him. HE WILL BE TALLER THAN YOU.

[rainbowrocketquotes]

📺&🏳️‍🌈 for Archie, please!

People in my ask box collectively forgetting about Archie for a month is so incredibly hilarious to me

Characters that remind me of him

Ritsu Kasanoda from Oran High School Host Club. His entire character arc I can just see happening to Archie.

Kwazii from Octonauts. Iykyk.

Longfellow from Fallout 4... (obvious lying voice) No particular reason.

Stinger Apini from Jupiter Ascending. King of self-improvement.

& Pride Headcanons

Personally, I've always headcannoned him as Bi. He doesn't really have a gender preference but he likes being taller than them. He's Cis but like, the fun Cis, where nobody can quite tell. He's also very intense about using the right pronouns for people, and will get mad at himself over it.

[insecateur]

I remember growing up with the x&y arc of the anime so everything about it is very nostalgic for me. Especially the first ever pokemon villian I saw. I remember being upset when I entered thr fandom and Lysandre was a joke of a villian, but I don't think anyone can convince me that he isnt intriguing to look into and try new concepts.

Especially thoses with, what if lysandre began to regret his decision to set off the ultimate weapon (in this instance immortality) and disbanded Team Flare and actually try to be better? I think it's much better then simply killing him off.

i don't really like him in the anime to be honest (and i'd argue the anime plays up the whole "duplicitous about his intentions" angle a lot harder/more straightforwardly than the games, which i do think probably influences what people remember about him as well) BUT i agree with you that the way people treat the whole concept as a joke is weird

obviously idk what the Intentions behind his character were, and at the end of the day there'll always be some overanalyzing involved i think bc we're talking about a character with like 50 lines of dialogue (if that) in a game primarily aimed at children where the point is to befriend silly creatures and win via the power of friendship and goodwill— but to me, taking his whole deal as being more, "why did no one try harder to stop this guy who was like one step away from climbing up on tables in lumiosian cafés and yelling to everyone in the perimeter that he wanted to kill or otherwise fundamentally change the overall population against their will" is a lot more interesting than oh he was trying to hide that he was evil he was just bad at it. like yes he was bad at it. he was also not trying particularly hard imho. at least when it came to the whole omnicide/omni-whatever-you-want-to-call-making-everyone-immortal thing

anyway. i will not mention slawcs but i am thinking about it

[nerdgatehobbit]

All right, I want to do a semi-silly post, especially as it's both Leverage's 16th anniversary and The Librarians' 10th. I suspect it's a coincidence, but given the off-screen & on-screen overlap it wouldn't be a surprise if it weren't. However, I'm going to (for now) sidestep the crossover concept between them, because I want to wonder how the teams would deal with the Pokémon world.

Kanto & Johto: The Leverage team would 100% end up dealing with Team Rocket, culminating with them going after Giovanni. Sophie and James would absolutely talk theatre, though. Hardison and Bill likely would geek out together. Parker would have fun trying to locate Legendary Pokémon just because she wants to see if she could. Nate likely has complicated feelings regarding Professor Oak, especially if it turns out that he used to listen to his radio talk show with Sam.

Orange Islands: There's probably not much to draw the Leverage team's attention here, outside of the incident that makes up Pokémon 2000. They would go after Lawrence III to ensure he can't repeat his scheme.

Hoenn: I have a feeling they might not quite realize the seriousness of what Teams Aqua & Magma are up to until they enact their plans. Hardison gets a Castform after a job at the Weather Institute (to Parker's smugness). Other than that, though, I haven't determined which Pokémon the team members would have- I suspect they'd start out with just one and gradually gain more as they travel the regions.

Sinnoh: At first, the team probably doesn't realize the extent of what Team Galactic is up to until Hardison gets access to their systems. After that, though, they do their best to be involved in stopping them (I am unsure if the canon timeline is also happening or not). There's probably a job done on Mount Coronet other than the final battle. I suspect there would be a couple of jobs involving museums, featuring Hisui artifacts.

Unova: It starts out with the Leverage team going after Team Plasma cells for stealing Pokemon, but matters snowball from there.

Kalos: Sophie definitely has a blast in this region, also she has a crush on Diantha but keeps insisting that it's merely viewing her as a role model, to the others' increasing doubts. Nate grows fearful that Lysandre is a dark reflection of himself (I'm unsure how well the others can dissuade him of that). Parker climbs Lumiose Tower at one point.

Alola: All right, in the thought that inspired this point, the team absolutely has a job going after Viren. Depending on whether it's game or anime canon, their level of concern over the Aether Foundation would vary greatly. Either way, though, Hardison gets into a vicious feud with Faba. If the Ultra Rangers are a thing, the team probably won't be too concerned, as I'm going to mash up some genre expectations here (i.e., Pokémon as a whole has kids shouldering major responsibilities as audience surrogates and it's not meant as an indictment on the adults). They would also fall in with Team Skull, teaching everyone (including Guzma) healthier coping mechanisms about not fitting in. Parker would encourage Robin Hood style thefts rather than the grunts going after school kids. There'd probably be some serious discussions about trying to figure out how to determine when a societal structure isn't the best fit for you specifically versus being flawed enough in general to warrant change and/or being ended (further complicated by how Alola's structures are different from other regions and therefore is in fact being non-conforming to begin with).

Galar: Chairman Rose is very much in line with the Leverage team's typical mark, so they would absolutely go after Macro Cosmos. I think Oleanna and Sophie would have a rivalry. If this is an AU rather than just dimension hopping, Sophie would be from here. Dimension hopping is on the table, though. If so, Looker & Anabel would be reoccurring characters (somewhere between Taggert & McSweeten and Sterling in terms of seriousness and competence).

Paldea: Hardison and Nate would have So Many Issues with Turo & Sada; more on the Evil Science side for Hardison and more on the parental neglect for Nate. Luckily, Hardison would also have Penny as a mentee, with Breanna acting as a big sister figure. At some point Breanna & Harry will be joining in on the fun, but I'd have to figure out the timeline and also have actually watched some Leverage Redemption to get a better grasp on their characters. There's probably a lower stakes job at Artazon featuring an art exhibit with Maggie present.

I don't know enough about the 'minor' regions to say anything serious about them. Tara Cole will be filling in for Sophie for a while still, but again: I'd have to figure out timeline stuff to determine when.

Meanwhile, over with the Librarians team! At the moment, I'm acting like either these are two different AUs or the two teams are oblivious to each other somehow. Or I'll take a third option to combine them but again, that would involve far more pondering than I currently have done on the matter. This post is basically a first draft.

Judson, Charlene, and Jenkins are all still immortal due to Legendary shenanigans. The main Library is probably in Nimbasa City, although I'm not sure where the Annex would be located. Part of me wants to put it in Sootopolis City for its isolation (which would make tactical sense) but then maybe putting it in Eterna City would make thematic sense. Also, I'm guessing that Hoopa would be the in-universe influence for the Door in this version.

Flynn, Eve, and the LIT trio would be more focused on protecting Legendary & Mythical Pokémon from threats than collecting magical artifacts from being misused, given the total lack of a 'masquerade' in the Pokemon world. They work with the Champions when they do need to check in on ensuring certain objects are secure (the Red and Blue Orbs being a prime example).

They scramble upon learning of Project Mew, but there's still a close call with Mewtwo (if Ash isn't around, it likely features Cassandra reaching out to him). For favoritism reasons, Flynn has a Lugia along with a Grotle, an Absol, and an Salamence. He would start out with just the Grotle as his starter, gaining each of the others over his time as a solo Librarian. I haven't decided yet if Excalibur looks like a regular sword or if it's an ancient Honedge.

Eve has a Lucario, a Charizard, and a Glaceon. Jake has a Smeargle and a Mudsdale. Ezekiel has a Zorua, Rotom, and a Ralts (yes that last one is meant as a neon sign at Ezekiel's hidden depths). Cassandra probably has been unwilling to get any Pokémon due to her brain tumor. It's a toss-up if that changes before or after its removal at this point. I think she'd end up with an Abra and a Fidough. Although it'd be a good moment if she did get a 'classic' starter Pokémon as well, to highlight how she's reclaiming her life and dreams; I'm just unsure which one would suit her best.

There's at least one incident featuring the Burned Tower. Sinnoh is very much a hotspot for incidents due to the quantity and strength of its Legendaries. I think it'd be funny if by the time of the series, Flynn has developed a friendship with the Swords of Justice, regularly meeting up for picnics to compare notes on the events of their travels. When they first tag along, Eve, Jake, and Ezekiel would be baffled but Cassandra would be charmed by the almost fairy tale vibes of the situation.

By the end of the main series, I think the others would all also have a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon. I'm leaning towards giving Ezekiel a Celebi due to the events of "And the Point of Salvation", even if that situation plays out differently in this AU.

I don't think Estrella would be a vampire in this AU, but she would have powers of some kind. Maybe she lives in/near the Glimwood Tangle, ergo having a Galarian Rapidash? Regardless of where she lives, she'll definitely have a Crobat as a nod to her original self. Also, this will be a Lamia Lives AU. She has a Flygon, a Litten, and an Umbreon. There'll still be a betrayal from Dulaque, but a Legendary Pokémon intervenes to save her life (which one will depend on which region the events are happening in).

I'm going to have to finish season four before I'm willing to guess at what sort of Pokémon Nicole would have as well as what her situation would be in this version of events. Particularly as this is a lighter & softer AU, as can probably be surmised by now. Maybe Lamia and Nicole will be a duo doing their own thing, not fully part of the Librarian team but not hostile either?

The globetrotting is much easier to justify here due to the Door the Librarian team has access to, which wouldn't be impossible in the Pokémon world, especially if the Library has more access to magic than most. There's likely still a clippings book, but Flynn's bigger priority is his calendar app that lets him know which key site needs to be checked in on this month. It'll be a tossup if there's still an incident at the Tree of Life or not.

The Ultra Beasts and Paradox Pokémon will cause a lot of headaches for the team, particularly in making sure nobody gets hurt on either side. The former can be returned home, but the latter cannot. I wonder if Flynn and Cassandra could convince Mewtwo to welcome the Paradox Pokémon to Mount Quena?

This was probably a silly way to celebrate, but I had fun with this! I don't know if it'll go any further than this post, but even if I don't, it was fun to play with the concept here.

[olivediamonds]

Face-To-Face: chapter 3

By the time Keira woke up the sun had begun to set. She noticed as she climbed out of bed the sheets were fairy themed, her favorite type. Raihan's extra detail to make her comfortable made her smile and she made a note to herself to thank him for the sheets. She stepped out of the room after making sure her pokeball belt was strapped to her waist. As she stepped outside she noticed the hallway was dark and most of the light came from the end of the hall which she guessed was the living room. As she walked down the hall she saw Raihan with his back to her.

"Hey! You should have woken me up so I could've helped with my luggage!"

"Serena"

Keira froze and her smile slowly fell as she heard the name she hasn't been called in years.

"What did you say?"

Raihan turned around, an angry look on his face as he approached her.

"First you don't tell me you're a champion, then I find out Keira isn't even your name. Has there been anything that you've been honest about?"

"I was honest about everything we talked about! Just like you said, I didn't want anything to change between us."

He held out his phone and gestured to the article on the screen.

"But why didn't you tell me about this? You save the world and didn't even tell me?"

"Maybe I don't want to be remembered! Did that ever occur to you?!"

She pushed his phone out of her face and walked over to the window.

"Do you understand what it means to be known as a hero? Everyone thinks you can solve their problems and help them without any worry or care at all."

"But... you're a hero…"

"I was a child Rai!"

She whipped around, tears streaming down her cheeks as she remembered the fear she felt as she faced Lysandre.

"Do you know what it feels like to have the fate of the world on your shoulders? The knowledge that if you don't win then everyone you've ever loved will die? I was terrified! I just wanted to run home to my mom and hide under a blanket. This wasn't what I wanted, it's what was thrust upon me."

Keira could feel her throat tighten as she remembered the cries of her pokemon as she fought hard to stop Lysandre, the fear she felt as she was on her last pokemon and the terror when she watched as Lysandre was crushed right in front of her. Raihan's hand on her shoulder ripped her out of her memories and she shoved him away.

"Don't touch me! I thought you were different Rai, I thought you'd understand me...I guess I was wrong."

Before Raihan could say anything Keira pushed past him and headed to the door just as Leon walked in with food.

"I'm back! I brought...dinner…"

He stepped to the side as Keira stormed out, visibly distraught and Leon looked at Raihan as the door was slammed shut.

"What the hell happened while I was gone?"

Raihan flopped down on his couch and groaned. He felt sick as he remembered the pained look in Keira's eyes. He didn't mean to accuse her of anything but after being famous for so long he had trust issues due to being tricked by fake people trying to use him to get ahead.

"I accused her of lying to me because of her being Serena. I don't understand why she'd hide being Kalos' hero."

Leon sighed as he set the food on the table and sat down next to Raihan.

"I think I can understand."

Raihan looked over at Leon confused as Leon stared at the floor in front of him.

"It's not like in the movies, it's terrifying knowing you're the only one who can stop something. When Rose released eternatus I was terrified as I fought him. When I failed to capture him…"

His hands trembled as they curled into fists.

"I was afraid I was going to die, I feared for Hop's safety and if it wasn't for Gloria, we probably wouldn't be here right now."

He took a few calming breaths as he forced himself to relax.

"Sometimes I still wake up from nightmares of my fight with eternatus. I also check in on Hop and Gloria to make sure they're doing alright mentally too."

Raihan was silent throughout the whole story but he could feel himself getting sicker and sicker. He didn't realize Leon was going through so much. If this is how Leon felt now, he could only imagine how Keira felt as a child. He pulled himself off the couch and went to grab his shoes and pokemon.

"I'm going to go find her."

Leon gave him a small smile as he stood up, planning on helping him look for Keira.

"Try the wild area, that's where I go to clear my head. If she needs a place to calm down it'll probably be there."

Raihan nodded and walked out the door and started running in the direction on the town entrance.

----------------- Keira -------------------

Keira paced back and forth in the forest clearing as she tried to calm herself down. Her dearest pokemon a delphox named Inari and Xerneas watch her pace around. Inari is trying to even her breathing using her psychic ability while having Xerneas out naturally calms her.

"What if it was a mistake coming here? I probably just ruined my friendship with Rai and he's probably tossing my stuff out now!"

"Xer"

Keira sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. Xerneas leaned down to nuzzle her cheek in a comforting manner. Keira smiled as she stroked their neck. Ever since she caught Xerneas, they have made it a point to help comfort her whenever she felt a panic attack coming.

"You're right, he wouldn't be that cruel. I just...I just hoped for a little more time before telling him…"

Her thoughts were interrupted when she hear footsteps approaching. She immediately returned Xerneas to their ball as Inari readied her wand.

"Who's there?"

From the shadows stepped out a mimikyu followed by a young boy wearing a mask.

"Sorry if I scared you. Mimikyu told me he felt a hurt soul out here and I wanted to see if I could help."

You smiled lightly and sat down on a fallen log.

"Well he's right, I am hurting but I don't think you can help buddy."

The kid walked over and sat down next to Keira.

"I know I look young Miss Keira but I'm Galar's ghost type gym leader Allister. Helping hurt or lost souls is my specialty!"

Keira was surprised when he said he was a gym leader. She didn't think someone so young could be a gym leader! Though...she guessed it couldn't hurt to talk about her problems even if he might not be able to help her.

"Alright then Allister, I guess I should start from the beginning. It all started when I first started my journey as trainer."

----------------- Raihan -----------------

Raihan carefully walked through the forest, careful of stepping over branches so as not to scare any wild pokemon nearby. He had been looking for Keira for almost an hour and was beginning to worry. It was hard to find your way through the wild area at night and Keira didn't have a tent or blanket to keep her warm. He was about to call out for Keira when a voice made him pause.

"So what happened to Team Flare?"

That sounded like Allister. Raihan followed the voice until he could see through the trees Allister sitting on a log with Keira right next to him. He was about to make his presence known when it suddenly felt like weights were keeping him in place

"Please wait gym leader Raihan."

The echoing voice in his head made him pause and notice the delphox standing by Keira was staring right in his direction.

"Listen to her story and understand the reason for her deception."

Raihan nodded and the weight was released so he could sit down in his hiding spot and listen as Keira continued her story.

"After Team Flare disbanded I tried to continue my goal to beat the elite four but everywhere I went there were newscasters and people wanting to interview me. I tried to go home but they just followed me to my house. I couldn't take it anymore so mom and I moved to a secluded spot away from the public and I hid for a year. After all the hype about me died down, I changed my name and started my journey over again."

The sick feeling Raihan had felt earlier had returned as he listened to her story. Of course he didn't mind the attention but that's because he's older. He probably wouldn't have been able to stand all the attention on him when he was still small. He looked over at her delphox for permission to come out and when she nodded he stood up and stepped out, making Allister and Raihan look over at him.

"Rai? How did you find me?"

Raihan rubbed the back of his neck and looked down guilty.

"I've been looking for you and heard you talking. Listen, I'm sorry for being a jerk to you earlier. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you. I just got afraid that you were like all the other fake people I've dealt with. If...if you don't want to stay with me I'll understand and can put you in a hotel or Leon can take you."

You got up and walked over to him. He thought you were about to hug him but instead you smacked his cheek.

"Ow!"

"That's for being a dick."

You then kissed his sore cheek and then hugged him.

"That's because I forgive you."

Raihan felt his cheeks warm as he wrapped his arms around your waist and smiled softly. Before he could say anything he yelped in pain as he felt someone kick his shin.

"That's for making big sis cry!"

"Ow! What? Big sis?"

Keira laughed lightly and grinned.

"Oh yeah, I thought Allister was so adorable I said he's my new little brother."

"What?! I leave you alone for an hour and now you're adopting kids?! Ow! Allister I already apologized!"

When Leon finally found Raihan he couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Raihan running around as Allister chased him and Keira recording everything on her phone. It looks like things were going to be interesting from now on.