#YES I THOUGHT OF A STORY FOR EACH OF THESE POKEMONS

[navy-pon]

My artistic abilities give me to much power... I now can turn anything into a pokemon AU... 

[sylviareviar]

‘have we met?’ (@defonslaxii)

(Nice to meet you!)

Send me 'Have we met?' and I will give you little bits of my OC from 5 AUs

Pokemon AU

Breathe... Just breathe... It's going to be okay... Inhale... then exhale...

Natu growled and snarled, its beak still biting into her flesh as tightly as it could. She carefully lifted her hand and, slowing her heart rate as much as she could through controlled breathing, stroked the poor Psychic-type Pokemon's head. "Natu," she said, purposely calling its name. "Natu, it's okay. I know you've been hurt in the past, that's why I'm here."

"Pipiplup...!" Pip worriedly clung to her leg, staring up at her nervously.

She smiled, not minding the blood slowly oozing down her arm. "Everything's going to be okay. Natu, tell me what the issue is. Why did you fight? What hurt you? Tell me everything, and I will listen. Natu..."

She could see the darkness emanating from the small Pokemon slowly starting to die down. The pressure on her arm was starting to get lighter and lighter, as Natu soon regained its senses and slowly opened its heart back up, little by little. It wasn't fully healed or purified, sadly. But these things took time, and Sylvia fully intended to heal everyone she could. That's why she created this program. Why she held it in Sandgem Town, her home town, where there was plenty of land for a ranch outside of the overwhelming Jubilife City. Pip relaxed his tense little body, relieved that Natu let go. Sylvia whispered reassurances in Natu's ears and held it close.

She would do everything she could to make up for being Team Galactic's pawn.

Persona 5 AU (tw: suicidal ideation)

Rain always scared her, because following rain, almost always, was the rumble of thunder. Loud, abrasive, and bright. Days like this made her anxiety spike, so she did what she could to focus as hard as possible on her classes in an effort to distract herself. Unfortunately, it wasn't so easy with Japanese being her third language.

Still, she turned her head away from the windows, completely drenched in rainwater and steadily dripping down and down, and turned her gaze to the drawing she was making in her sketchbook. It wasn't amazing, but it was helpful. Doodling like this made her feel like she had at least a little bit of stability.

It would be okay. She'd die soon anyway, and no one would miss her. Why fear for her life when death was inevitable?

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's AU

"Hey, I need a tester for this."

"On it." Sylvia walked over to the Runner in the garage and mounted it, putting on her helmet and double-checking the controls to make sure everything was in working order. "Say when?"

"Sure." Yusei pressed some buttons on his mini-monitor, screwed something shut on the Runner, reapplied the muffler, then started his simulation. "Now."

She rested her feet on the pedals and twisted the handles, watching the speedometer steadily increase in number. The smell of oil and grease permeated the whole room, and it only got worse as she revved the engine of the vehicle trying to get to the standard Turbo Dueling speed and ensure it was working alright. Before, when Satellite had yet to be rebuilt, she and Yusei had to do this kind of testing down in the underground tunnels, where a subway used to run. When something went wrong, they were forced to drag their Runners back to the hideout and fix it. Lifting the Runner using machines like this and testing the wheel speed and strength on a treadmill was much easier. No trekking back required.

Yusei lifted his hand to the headset in his ear. After Jack's little incident, they realized it would be more efficient to have clear communication through the helmet.

"Alright, that's enough. I see the issue now."

"Understood."

Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem AU

"The seventh platoon is missing!" a guard cried. "They were last seen traveling into the forest, but we lost track of them!"

"Find them!" Jagen yelled, stomping his spear into the ground. "We can't have cadets going missing! Send the pegasus knights! Search for them at once!"

"What's going on...?" Sylvia whimpered, glancing up at the princess.

Elice pursed her lips and cast her gaze out to the forest. "Trouble, it seems..."

Sylvia had been learning magic from Elice using a tome, a method she was unfamiliar with. Having no memories, no weapons, and no other ways to defend herself, she relied upon the princess's assistance in learning magic. Princess Elice had sensed the potential within her, but for some reason, Sylvia could naught make but an ember of flame anytime she tried.

Yet, even though she knew she could do nothing, she fretted. Wasn't her savior in the seventh platoon? What if she was endangered? Or worse, what if...?

Pegasus knights sliced through the air overhead, their steeds racing through the skies in the direction of the forest, led by Princess Caeda, His Highness's betrothed. She couldn't do nothing.

Ignoring Princess Elice's protests, Sylvia rushed into the forest, taking her book with her and praying she wouldn't be too late.

Pokemon Legends Arceus AU

"Has she always been like this?"

"Yes. Not a single word spoken."

"Kinda odd, isn't it? Shiro and Haru speak fine, and they fell from the sky too."

"You think it's a personality thing?"

"Discussing it now is a waste of time, and time wasted is lost. I merely want to help her get back on her feet."

"How can we help?"

She could hear them discussing what to do about her. Admittedly, she wasn't sure herself. The Diamond Clan had been kind enough to take her in when she'd apparently fallen from the sky, and they even took their precious time to teach her their language and traditions. She was grateful, but nervous. What happened when they discovered she truly was wasting their time? Would she be kicked out? She didn't want that.

In truth, she was merely afraid. She spoke no words in front of the others not because she couldn't talk, but because she couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she helped where she could without words. She befriended some Pokemon and helped them along on their way, but did her best to avoid greeting human visitors. Whether they were the Pearl Clan, the Ginkgo Guild, or those Galactic people, she tried to make herself look busy and blend in as much as she could. However, Clan Leader Adaman had other plans.

Pearl Clan Leader Irida and Galactic Agents Shiro, Rei, and Akari now stood before her, and the white-haired Shiro would not stop staring at her, no matter how much she tried to avoid his gaze. He was persistent, she'd give him that.

"Sakura," Shiro finally spoke up, calling her name. She glanced up at him, turning her body away defensively. "Tell me; did you fall out of the sky with one of these?" He reached out his hand, holding something. Sakura's eyes widened in recognition.

It was an Arc-Phone.

[loupy-mongoose]

So, I made some impulse purchases recently, including this lovely little gal.

Hai Luna~

When I ordered her, it started a bit of a Gardevoir kick in me. So I went and did some brainstorming about Jamie's Gardie pal, Clover.

This did get very long, but there's a lot of art that I really like! :3 Plus I borrowed a certain someone from @mewtwoandme~

Growing up I always drew the green headpiece as a bony structure with maybe green skin on it, like deer antlers. (Except it doesn't shed lol)

But in my efforts to redecide what it actually is to me, I went to Bulbapedia, and that called it hair. So I tried out hair as well, and I kinda like that better...

I love my deranged Gardie. :>

(Leaning into "Mischievous Fairy/Pixie" energy)

I wanted to draw some Gwen (M&M's Gardevoir), as her and Clover's characters are different in a lot of ways, and I thought it would be fun to draw them together. Turns out Gwen dwarfs my girls, and I adore that in every way. XD

I also came to realize that Jamie would admire Gwen--She doesn't wish change on Clover in the slightest, but she does like the grace that more conventional Gardevoirs possess. Plus she'd be astounded by her sheer size.

For the fun of it, I tried drawing them both in each of our styles. (Or more like "Features" than "style")

I did not like drawing Gardevoir in her style. All the respect and love to M&M, but it felt SO wrong to me personally. XD

Annnnd... I kinda accidentally thought of a different way to take their designs...

And then I tried to figure out the logistics of giving Gardvoir a tail. I kinda like the idea of there being one that blends into the Skirt, splitting and running down the length of the skirt ends.

A little character lore; Clover removed her skirt on purpose.

Growing up, I always had in mind that the skirt was skin, maybe acting as thermoregulation, or something like that. I don't think I ever decided whether they can feel through their skirts or not, but if I want it to be more angsty, then yes, they can feel.

Warning for general and self-inflicted injury in this paragraph. As a kid I figured Clover cut it off to prevent it from getting caught or grabbed. But now, with the developing idea of there being a tail involved, I got another idea with even more angst. I'm thinking possibly Clover had a tail bone broken, and maybe it healed wrong, causing her pain so she ripped off the whole skirt.

Okay, injury warning is over.

And now a little silly that's not exactly canon, but close enough. XD

Y'all can thank @puzzled-zebra for this, as she brought up the idea during a chat. It was too good to pass up. XD

And now I wish to finish with a nostalgia ramble, because Clover is very precious to me, along with Jamie.

I started a playthrough of Soul Silver many, many years ago--even before the playthrough that would become Jamie's trainer journey over ten years ago. It was a solo run, with a Ralts egg sent in to be my only companion. (I kept the rules soft, though, as I remember needing help from other Pokemon to beat Bugsy. XD) My memories of that playthough are faded, but I remember that Clover alone beat the Champion at level 64-65. Sometime within the next few years, she was my first ever Pokemon to reach level 100 without the use of Rare Candy or experience cheats. That playthough and whatever happened in it has no bearing on Clover's story, but it's what gave birth to her as a character, and I hold that very dear.

Her nature is "Hardy, Likes to Fight", and I'm really proud of little me for taking that in the direction she took it. XD

Anyway, that's my super long love-dump of my beloved gremlin fairy. Thanks to everyone who made it all the way, I know it got pretty long. ^^

[putschki1969]

『Hikaru LIVE TOUR -ROUND-』 KYOTO

Tweet by Hikaru | Instagram story by Hikaru | Instagram post by Hikaru

▼2024 11/30 (Sat) Soul Power, Toyama 17:30 / 18:00 12/07 (Sat) Music Bar Perch, Aichi 17:30 / 18:00 12/14 (Sat) LIVE HOUSE enn 2nd, Miyagi 17:30 / 18:00 12/21 (Sat) MUSE, Kyoto 17:00 / 17:30

▼2025 02/11 (Tue) Club eX, Tokyo 17:00 / 18:00

Setlist Notes: The new song is called “With”. I originally thought it was “Wish”. My bad! Not sure about the order of some of those songs (maybe there’s something missing too??). I had to wait till I was on the train to write everything down but at that point, all the songs had gotten mixed up in my mind. It was made worse by the fact that I didn’t immediately recognise some of them and Hikaru didn’t always introduce them either☠️

That ticket holder clearfile looks so good!! Glad we got this as tokuten. A bit bummed though that there was no special design for the drink ticket😿For those who bought more than one copy of the “Mask” EP, there was a special present too, an alternative cover image. Super pretty 🤩 I mostly spent the rest of my day in Kyoto eating touristy stuff 😅And I headed to the Pokemon Center to get a few exclusive items for my nieces/nephews.

On a side note, those pink gummies were posted by Keiko earlier this week on her Yodel app. Of course I had to get them too (tho the packaging is a bit different, there’s a variety of designs. I got the same design as her today🤗)

1.With 2.Treasure??? 3.Koganeiro no Yakusoku 4.Flow 5.Survivor 6.Under the rain (acoustic ver.) 7.Lack 8.YES/NO 9.Disclose 10.Escape 11.End of line 12.Kiseki En 1.Breathe En 2.紡-TSUMUGU-

Some highlights: I was SUPER close to the stage, it was AMAZING!!🤩 You can even see me quite clearly on the photo that Hikaru posted 🤗So glad she allowed us to take off our masks for the photo. Wouldn’t have wanted to miss that opportunity.

As always, Hikaru had an incredible stage presence, she was confident and cool, oozing charisma during each and every performance. I feel like we made eye contact several times but maybe that’s just wishful thinking ���Her singing was powerful and even though I didn’t always recognise the song (shame on me), I had a good time. “Under the rain” was hands down my favourite 💕So beautiful. I almost cried. She sounded better than she ever did before. The acoustic arrangement is very flattering. The upbeat songs were a ton of fun (despite sitting right in front of the speakers☠️). Hikaru literally rocked the stage🔥I almost feel bad for not being more active but I guess I’m just not the type to move a lot. (Clapping is the most I’ll usually do😅)

Sorry for adding lots of stuff on the go. I forgot to mention that Hikaru teased some upcoming solo activities for 2025. She says there are already more or less concrete plans but she will wait to make an announcement until everything is finalised. Of course she also briefly discussed the Kalafina Anniversary concert and asked who of us was planning to go. Obviously, almost everyone said that they would come, Hikaru seemed very happy about that and ensured us that they would put all of their love and strength into delivering the best possible music to us so we should all look forward to it.

EP Mask Tracklist Notes: For some reason I thought there would be more new songs🫣But it’s just “With”. The other tracks have been released digitally already.

1.with 2.End of line 3.Lack 4.Koganeiro no Yakusoku 5.Breathe 6.Kiseki

13th Single 「End of line」 MV (Short ver.) ④

And here’s another music video clip of the MV for Hikaru’s latest single release. You can watch it on Instagram! Also be sure to check out her YouTube Short. The song is featured on her EP “Mask” which is set to be on sale at her solo tour venues.

[ya-bug-boy]

Great! hhhhh its been awhile since ive seen more pkmn swsh raihan and piers x reader !

May i request raihan x piers x gn!reader where raihan and piers are like dating but suddenly has feelings for gn!reader and wanted to work things out with them? Like the reader was like their wingman or something in the past and now they just want the reader as their third!

Hopefully this works for you! Take your time! i have like another request but if its okay i’ll get to you once you’re done ! Hopefully it isnt too much pressure! thank you so much!

Raihan x GN Reader x Piers!

Everyone's got that same question to ask you, how did YOU date both Raihan and Piers, two of Galar's regions most sought after influencer boyfriends? Those two were always known as an exclusive set, having not sought after anyone in consecutive years!

Well first off the whole reason why the two idiots even started dating each was directly because of your influence.

Before you were put in the spotlight of dating two of Galar's well known leaders, you basically helped Piers get the courage he needed to confess to Raihan, having been his friend prior to his gym leader career.

Piers would always sigh and lament, forlornly staring out the rainy weather out from his room that he had fallen into a sort of, Beauty and the Beast situation.

Piers had his eye on Raihan for a while since both were picked to be gym leaders at around the same time from a list of candidates. The two were known to be close friends at the time, but after they became gym leaders, both of them had grown distant.

Piers took it as some kind of puppy love crush that he had on Raihan but it's clear that he never really got over it.

So you being the little investigative twerp you are, you decide to befriend Raihan to get to know him as well. Raihan agrees to be your friend cheerfully but you start to note that he asks a lot of questions about Piers.

How is he? Is he doing alright?

You ask Raihan why he cares about Piers though they don't speak anymore and Raihan reveals a secret about the selection process of being gym leaders.

Spikemuth is known to be the least popular city in all of Galar because there's no stadium to dynamax there.

There seems to be something more to this story though. You investigate and question your two friends a bit more about what happened.

On Raihan's side, when they were both selected to be gym leaders, Piers brushed him off and left him without closure.

On Piers' side, he thought Raihan looks down on him/pities him for being Spikemuth's leader after overhearing the other candidates complain about Spikemuth. He never willingly chose to be Spikemuth's leader but once he was selected he had to do something to help the locals, which led to his music career down the line. Due to his position, Piers was misled into thinking that Raihan thinks ugly of him.

You get the two idiots in the same room and just get them to talk.

Their dating starts off slow and steady, it had been a couple of years since they last saw each other outside of work, but they eventually did become an item because of your encouragement.

But eventually, they start asking you to tag along to their dates. You're weirded out by it but they're your friends so why not. You're more than happy to spend time with them, even if it's on their date.

but then they happen more often. The three of you together.

You eat together, you play together, you take care of your Pokemon together, it all starts becoming very domestic.

On an afternoon when you're sitting down, with the two coming to join you, you openly ask, "Hey are we dating," and Raihan immediately goes, "Yes."

You immediately turn your head to look at both of them. "Well it would have been nice if either of you told me!!!!" You start hurling sofa pillows at them. Raihan starts laughing while Piers immediately starts apologizing.

Since you couldn't decide who you should kiss first, they decide for you. Piers on your left, Raihan on your right, kissing your face cheeks at the same time.

[sillygoblinantics]

Watched ant’s werewolf video.

(And the transcript)

I applaud the history and mythology section but there’s never mention of the other werewolves!

And to that

I have to grab the sources, More specifically this!

Welcome to my silly hyperfixation sperg!

I love me some mythology and history of these fantastical creatures. I do enjoy the movie approach and filmography of the werewolf history. (Even though you skipped shapeshifters from ❤️💀🤖) but I wanted to add to the cryptozoological side of it even if I’m a bit amateurish of the study.

Let’s dive in

Though early origins to the term of lycanthropy dating back to Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece via Latin language, humans that transform into dog like hybrids is a universal concept that can be found all over the world from Europe to South Asia!

As was our human way to explain what wasn’t yet known scientifically of modern times, for the civilizations who came before us, strangeness in people from neurological to physical abnormalities were thought to be otherworldly!

A rare mutation but oldest documented instance is when the hair on the body grow longer than what is “normal” leading to top to bottom fully covered in hair people: Hypertrichosis. Which is where the image of transformation came from or at least hypothesized to have been the origins of. Then there’s the actual clinically diagnosis of “clinical lycanthropy” which is when someone who has this believes they are in fact a werewolf.

So with the fun science out of the way! Allow me to list off every lycanthrope from around the world!

In alphabetical order of each name:

Airitech

Folklore of the Goidelic Celts.

Alp

Originating in Germany

Anjing Ajak

Indonesia

Azeman

Suriname folklore

Bal-bal

Philippines

Beast of Gevaudin

(Werehyena) France

Budas

Ancient Abyssinia

Buxenwolf

German folklore

Enkidu

Gilgamesh’s “best friend”

Headless mule

Iberian folklore - Portugal and Spain

Karkanxhol

Kolivilor

Albanian mythology

Kornwolf

Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Poland and Russia

Lobis-Homem

Ancient Portuguese folklore

Lobishomen

(Female vampire witch werewolf) Brazil

Lobison

Argentina

Loup Garou

French origin and Caribbean island folklore

Luison

Paraguayan folklore

Lupo Mannaro

Italian and ancient Roman folklore

Marrock (Marrok the good knight)

Arthurian folklore

Zmag Ognjeni Vuk

Bosnian folklore (fire breathing werewolf)

I need a minute to catch my breath!

Ok!

As you can tell there’s quite a lot but I feel the need to also mention a morally good lycanthrope

Hailing from the Shetland isles of Scotland: the Wulver

They’d watch over flocks and tend to chores and leave behind fish on the windowsills of homes once they’re done helping. It’s said they’d only act in violence if provoked but other than that they were mostly seen as good!

So that’s my lil sperging about werewolf mythology! Good video Anthony!

I’m shook that no one mentioned the werewolves from the Halloween anthology film “Trick or Treat” or “the wolf among us” which was about the big bad wolf being a detective in a modern setting with fairytales and murder! Or the other red riding hood movie! “Red Riding Hood” (2011); with really good color story of mostly black and white scenery and striking red from our leading lady!

Ohmygod I nearly forgot that Pokémon even has a werewolf pokemon!

But ye I don’t have any better way to end this… other than a silly animation >:3c

[offonaherosjourney]

Stormlight Archive x Pokémon crossover (Part 1)

Kaladin's Pokémon Team

Swablu

Lucario

Dragonair

Timburr

Togetic

Absol

I picked each character's pokemon team by drawing inspiration from several things: spren, companions, personality, occupation, abilities/powers, story events, and last but not least... vibes.

For the character art I wanted something cohesive both art and size-wise (Tumblr crop feature I hate you), so I went with the colored renders of the Stormlight minis created by Brotherwise Games, (Kaladin and two others didn't have their logos but the rest will).

This is part 1 of 12. All posts of the series are finished, but I'll probably do weekly updates to avoid spamming the general tags too much, so make sure to check the tag #Stormlight x Pokemon for any future updates.

The reasons why I chose these pokemon are under the Readmore. Beware spoilers!

Swablu was the pokemon that best reminded me of Sylphrena. The blue color is similar to hers, and the cloud wings evoke windsprens (yes, I know that she's an honorspren) and the Windrunner order, and Swablu's cute design matched Sylphrena's childish nature better than the regal Altaria or Dragonair. I still included Dragonair because it also matched Kaladin, but I felt Swablu was a better spren representation.

As for Lucario, as well as Absol... those are vibes based, except the vibes are that I believe Kaladin would detest that they reminded people of him... which was why I had to choose them.

Timburr and the wooden beam it's holding I thought worked as a representation of his time in Bridge Four. I went back and forth a lot on whether to choose Timburr or Gurdurr (who is carrying a steal beam above its head). None were a perfect fit, but in the end I went with Timburr because another character will have Conkeldurr in their team, and I wanted to distance them a bit.

Togetic, besides being associated with healing, has wings (easy to associate with Windrunners) and is lanky, which I why I picked it for Kaladin "tall even by Alethi standards" Stormblessed.

[therotatingvillain]

Funny things in Baby Steps, my unfinished Pokevillain fanfic

Alright, after spending too long in a severe depression hole and also spending like way too much time at work, here I am again!

This is gonna be my first update on the Pokevillain fanfiction that my last post was about. What I’m doing is reading through those 43 pages and just get a base understanding of what the fuck I was even doing.

To have all of you be part of this, you’ll get my live thoughts about it! So be ready for some shitposting and a few sneak peeks at the story haha

Cyrus insisting on just being called ‘Cyrus’ because ‘Mr. Akagi’ reminds him of his father is such a mood. Also, yeah, I use their japanese names as their last names, except Guzma, because Guzmas japanese name is Guzma lol So for him I just used his german name ‘Bromley’. Such an ass name

Having stayed in a hospital for the first time not too long ago, 2020 me was surprisingly accurate when it came to hospital food

“What do you think? Aren’t you supposed to be incredibly smart?” She kept smiling, but Cyrus knew it was fake. It had been ever since she entered. It was the same smile his mother always had when talking to guests or clients. God I hate Cyrus nurse, I made her such a bitch lmao

Forgot I made Cyrus lactose intolerant lol

That smile made Cyrus want to go back into the distortion world No comment needed

‘New Guy’ seemed like a major downgrade from ‘God of a new dimension’ but for now, having terribly failed the latter one, the first one was acceptable. 2020 me had banger humor

Guzma looking at Cyrus and just going “You’re my friend now” is how I make all of my friends

Ah yeah, Giovanni is there because of another failed attempt, except for Guzma the rest is there because of court mandation and Guzma is there because Nanu got him a spot.

almost like touching a Rotom that couldn’t quite control its energy. Foreshadowing? Maybe

Guzma immediately having Cyrus back even when Cyrus is clearly in the wrong is so funny to me

Aaaaaaaah gays bonding over piano music

Ah yes, Maxie and Archie are divorced husbands. Yes, they still love each other, yes, Maxie still actively wears his wedding ring while Archie always has it on him somehow

“Hey fuckers, time for lunch!” Mood Guz

Lysandre desperately trying to socialise with his roommate only to routinely be fucked over by his own shitty mental health and eating disorder is too real man

Dr. Roberts is such a kind soul, he’s the therapist OC I created specifically for this story and he’s just a sweetie who’s fantastic at his job and also, obviously, gay and married with a couple kids.

Cyrus went to college (duh) and majored in: Electrical Engineering, Economics, Computer Engineering, Political Science and Computer Science. And finished all his majors in 4 years. Yikes dude, my boy just wanted to study the stars but he was denied by his bullshit parents

Ah yes, Cyrus sister. Buckle in people, time for a bit of lore:

So we all remember the Old Chateau in Eterna Forrest back in gen 4, right? Right. For a long time there was a theory that perhaps Cyrus grew up in that house. How did we come to that conclusion? Basically, Cyrus in Platinum (and the USUM Rainbow Rocket episode) has a severe obsession with the Pokemon Rotom, supplying Charon with detailed notes and diaries all about it and in the Rainbow Rocket episode, he nearly has a breakdown upon seeing the Rotom dex. Now where do you find Rotom in Gen 4? Hiding in a TV in the Old Chateau. So, we theorized that Cyrus grew up there. What else do we find in the Old Chateau? The spirits of a butler and a small girl. So, the theory goes that Cyrus used to have a little sister, but she and a butler of the family were killed in an accident, probably involving the Rotom Cyrus kept, most likely hidden from his parents. Afterwards, his family moved to Sunyshore, leaving the Chateau, where Rotom was still hiding, possibly having come back in search of it’s friend (Cyrus) and then hiding in the TV because it was scared as it was alone, Cyrus nowhere to be found, and sought comfort in the electrical appliance. That’s how the theory goes. This theory is true in my story.

Maxie and Archie being extremely angry bordering on violent with each other makes me sad. And I wrote this shit!

The fact that Cyrus, on his first day there, immediately has a panic attack in the evening is relatable.

Also, Giovanni helps him through it and they start bonding and being cute hehe

For every scene involving stargazing, be aware that I have zero idea about stars. I grew up in the middle of fuck nowhere, so I can see them very clearly each night, but I still have little to no idea about how to read stars lol

Lysandre has anorexia and Cyrus is way too oblivious to understand that it’s ana so he’s just constantly like “wow youre thin” until it clicks lmao

Saturn, Jupiter, Mars and Charon are just codenames and Cyrus never bothered to learn their actual names. Is this also foreshadowing? Maybe hehe

YES CYRUS STAND YOUR GROUND TO THAT PISS POOR EXCUSE OF A NURSE i hate her so much man

Cyrus is a deeply kind person. I will not elaborate yet

Yes, Maxie and Archie get over their shit and back together

Yes, it spirals Giovanni into another suicide attempt

No, I shall not elaborate how one leads to the other

But yeah, there’s a pretty intense part of this that deals with Giovannis shitty mental state and his active suicide attempt (that only barely failed) and Cyrus ends up having a severe breakdown because of it. Like I said in my last post, this story deals with some heavy topics.

Guz and Ly really take on the roles of dads to Cyrus, to help him be more open in his expression and just be who he is and I think that’s beautiful

His breath was caught in his throat, his chest and stomach spreading a comfortable warmth through his body.

What was this? A heart attack? 

No, those felt different. There was no stabbing pain. I love writing Cyrus

THERAPY POKEMON EVERYONE yes the leaders are getting therapy Pokemon

Here’s a list of who they get:

Giovanni: His Persian

Maxie: Toxel

Archie: Hypno

Cyrus: His Rotom

Ghetsis: Castform

Lysandre: Levanny

Guzma: His Golisopod

I’d love for yall to theorize on why each leader gets their respective Pokemon! I actually put some thought in all of them haha

Cyrus grandfather has a big role in Cyrus’ recovery, and it starts with a simple visit that is still one of my favorite parts of this story so far

Cyrus grandfather (Paul Akagi) is the polar opposite to his parents, Paul is kind, loving, supportive and really just wants Cyrus to be happy and their relationship???? it warms my heart

A big part of connection for all of the leaders, specifically everyone else and Ghetsis, is a broken piano in the common room that they all work together to fix and that piano really is a symbol for Cyrus’ recovery and especially his willingness to get better.

GUZMA IS TRANS and this is a fact because I am trans and I said so. Also Ghetsis is a bigot. End of sentence lol

Ghetsis saying some transphobic shit and Guzma then going to PULL HIS NON PARALYZED ARM OUT OF ITS SOCKET is such a girly pop move

Also yes everything I’ve written so far ends on Maxie and Archie remarrying and Dr. Roberts allowing everyone to drink alcohol in celebration and yes of course it escalates lol

Alright everyone, that’s it for now, I’m all caught up, hopefully I’ll get some time to actually write a bit more the next few days. 

As always, please please please interact with this, tell me your thoughts so far, ask questions, I NEED IT okay cool thank you.

I have work tomorrow so I shall go and kill myself lol

Have a great whenever you are! Stay hydrated

Love all of you.

[lavender-bundle-blithe]

BSD + Pokemon Pt. 1 (ADA+PM)

And by this, I mean- like- each character I know well enough, I give them a Pokemon (singular or else I'll be overthinking it all) =w= It's just a thing for myself to scratch that part of my brain. Assigning them a single Pokemon that compliments them. Which might lead to some vagueness.

Other than that! Lets go-!

ADA

Fukuzawa: Kleavor (Not my greatest idea, I kept thinking about "It either has to be about something similar to katanas/swords, or make it cats". Which I cheated at because Kleavor has axes for goodness sakes. If I were to give it the option, I would have given him Aegislash or a freakin *Litten.* "But Lavender, there's Kingambit-" YES. I KNOW. BUT TRUST ME, THAT ONE HAS OTHER PLANS. *cough- fukuchi- cough-*)

Ranpo: Skwovet (Snacks. Just... snacks. Ranpo can deduce cases just fine, but ohs to the woes, he needs more places to stash his snacks. Bam. These babies. But if he wants a Pokemon to enjoy snacking with, Morpeko is the second choice. It's either stash is or eat it, bois.)

Yosano: Blissey (Blissey knows your location. Blissey is approaching your location. Blissey is at your frontdoor. Blissey offers you an egg in these trying times. [ . . . ] Look it's either Blissey incoming or Hattrem incoming, an egg or an smack, pick your poison.)

Kunikida: Indeedee (This one took me a second to figure this one out. But after thinking of a small few, Indeedee was what I chose with the idea of them helping him and his work. The other two were Espeon, Minccino/Cincchino, and Meowstic.)

Dazai: Absol (Now I hate reusing the same Pokemon [I wrote this stuff out of order hhh], but without spoiling too much, while Absol is known for sensing danger, in Dazai's case it would be that they "bring forth" danger. But other than that, if I did go with my unwritten rule, I would have given him Alolan Ninetails because ahahahaa kitsune dazai agenda)

Tanizaki: Hisuian Zorua (Illusionssss. Illusion buddiessss. And to make it a play on words with snow, I made it be Hisuian form because they spawn in the icelands.)

Kenji: Gyrados (I was planning on giving Kenji Sunflora because he is sweet summer child, but at the same time... my boi can hit like a semitruck. Not to mention the cute story that he caught this very weak Magikarp in his village, took care of it, and the next thing you know this kid is giving their [looks at pokedex] "the literal embodiment of tsunami if angry" on a walk. The absolute humor, guys. The *hinjinks*. That or I go with the trend of him bringing a cow to the agency and give him a Miltank.)

Atsushi: Growlithe (Surprise, we have a Growlithe. This is the closest thing we have to a tiger in Pokemon. Unfortunately, its shiny isn't white but yellow. You can decide whether or not this little Growlithe ir a normal or shiny, but in my hc it's just a white tiger variant of Growlithe LET ME LIVE MY DREAM-)

Kyouka: Froslass (All I could remember before looking at the Pokedex entry was that it has something to do with a soul of a woman, and jus- *Gestures vaguely at Froslass, Demon Snow, and the fact that Demon Snow was previously Kyouka's mother's ability)

PM

Mori: Ursaluna (This one gave me MAJOR trouble trying to figure out. My guy's a doctor, but at the same time is the big mafia boss man. The only other Pokemon I could think of were either Bewere, Drampa, or Dragapult, I don't know why I thought those Pokemon specifically. So I just threw everything out, looked at Fukuzawa's Kleavor, went onto the Hisui Pokedex, grabbed Ursaluna, and yeets it at the man. Ursaluna. God-)

Chuuya: Midnight Form Lycanroc (Angry red pupper, emphasis on red. Yeah, I had to, I am not sorry.)

Kouyou: Milotic (Powerful but also very beautiful ◡‿◡ . But at some point, I thought about Lurantis. )

Akutagawa: Mimikyu (This was in my notes before, but yes! Mimikyu. The popularity battle of Mimikyu v Pikachu is similar to Aku v Atsushi. Other than that, Mimikyu was the closest to being compared to Rashomon, with their shadow arm.)

Higuchi: Heliolisk (Unfortunately we are still unsure of Higuchi's Ability, if Asagiri does intend to give her an Ability. For now, though, I had to go off by her appearance. Simply grabbed black, white, and yellow. Looks at all the Pokemon, and decided on Heliolisk. And to be honest, I like it. Dunno if it's just me, but this Pokemon and Higuchi with her sunglasses on? Heck yeahhhh.)

Hirotsu: Meowstic (A secondary option to Kunikida, I decided to give Hirotsu Meowstic because I think the Pokemon and his Ability are similar. In my head, Hirotsu's Ability is basically an impact or what it is explained, "repulsion". And with Meowstic, it holds their physic power back by their ears. But if provokes and have those ears raise up, it'll unleash that power that it "powerful enough to obliterate a 10-ton truck or tanker to dust.")

Gin: Ceruledge (I wanted Gin's Pokemon to match Akutagawa's in some way but have there be blades. Took a look at Mimikyu's typing which was ghost and fairy. In fairy, Iron Valiant. In ghost, Ceruledge. And while, yes, Iron Valiant looks pretty like her, Ceruledge takes the cake.)

Tachihara: Steelix (Is the only reason I give Tachihara Steelix is because he can manipulate metal, and Steelix is... s-steel type? Yeah I'm not that creative. But if it makes ya feel better, I instantly thought of Onyx or Steelix for this guy.)

Q: Banette (One, it's a doll. Two, similar to Q [in a sense-], Banette was previously a doll that was abandoned. I was thinking about giving this one to Lucy, but I think I could find a Pokemon best suited for her. So Banette for Q!)

Kajii: Voltorb (The only reason is explodey bois. Anyways-)

[pampanope]

Story time!

The origin of Red11~ posted here because it’s too long for the discord server💀

Emile ([REDACTED]) belongs to @kings-out-of-pocket-hell

Efren|7-11 (here in spirit lol) is mine~

Guest starring Russell Adler✨

——————-

Emile watched his scarred mentor lay flat three manila folders, each of varying thickness. The room was of the sterile variety that Langley as whole was fond of with nothing but the blandest tables and folding chairs.

He leaned forward, eyes filled with unbridled delight. The bland setting did nothing to dampen the excitement bubbling in his chest.

Finally, after years of lectures, rigorous physical conditioning, the marksmanship training, lessons on field craft, torture resistance, and the skepticism from his peers, this is it. No more tagging along on an op, no more hanging back when shit got interesting. His first operation as lead.

As if sensing the glee coursing through him, Adler raised a brow from across the table. The older man tapped at the middle folder to direct Emile’s attention, which, in Emile’s opinion, was completely unnecessary. He‘d never been this locked in.

“I’ve got a job for you,” Adler began. “Something I trust you can handle. We have the location of a suspected terrorist cell, embedded deep inside a mountain, too deep for satellites to confirm. You’re gonna have to go in and get visual and signal confirmation, as well as the layout of the compound.” The man paused, placing a thick folder on the table. It was heftier than the other three. “Here’s the full brief. Memorize it.”

Emile gave the thick brief the barest glance before immediately snapping his eyes back to the first three folders. Yeah, no. That’s not what he’s here for.

Actually, technically, it was what he woke up at the ass crack of dawn for. But it’s not what he wants. Not really.

Adler chuckled beneath his breath. “Fine, I see how it is.”

“‘Course you do. You’ve got me on pins and needles here, old man,” Emile grinned, “don’t keep me in suspense. Gimme.” The blonde crept a hand towards the rightmost folder. It was lightly smacked away by the other man.

Adler pinched the bridge of his in exasperation. “Kid, you’re being assigned an asset. It’s no big deal. This is a standard component of field operations.”

Nope. Adler wasn’t gonna dress this down as something mundane. “Yes, it is...But! Only fully trained intelligence officers get to be Handlers. Which means I am now a fully fledged intel officer. Today I’m getting my government sanctioned Scary Dog privilege. I’m over the fucking moon, sir.”

Adler, for his part, sighed and leaned back in his seat, as if drained by the exchange. He took a long sip of what must be lukewarm coffee, before making a ‘have at it motion’ with his free hand.

Emile snatched the rightmost file his hand had crept towards earlier. Azure eyes scanned every detail, eating up the feast of personal intel before him, all of it laid bare to pick at and examine within the palace of his mind. He sank into the deep concentration he’d adopted for analysis.

Huh. No photos. Not even a name, Emile mused. Must be to eliminate all bias. Relax, Adler. Pretty privilege won’t be a factor here.

The master, meanwhile, silently watched his protege work. He observed the younger man shuffle through page after page, folder to folder, noted which of the dossiers he spent the longest time examining.

Adler had his own guess as to who the younger would pick.

“Well? Your thoughts?” Adler asked after what he felt should’ve been enough time had passed.

Emile blinked, seemingly resurfacing from the depths. He stretched languidly before placing all sheets of paper in their proper folders.

“This is exactly what I imagined choosing my first starter Pokemon would feel like.”

“…I’m gonna pretend I understand what you said for the sake of moving on.”

Emile chuckled. “Heh. Sorry. Couldn’t help it.” He carded a hand through his hair briefly.

“Okay, to start with,” he pushed the file to the left the slightest bit but forward, “this one’s skilled, as expected. Service record’s impeccable and squeaky clean. He’s shiny. Perfect. Boring.” The blonde waves a dismissive hand.

“Boring?” Adler tilted his head, a clear order to elaborate.

Emile tapped at the table in thought. “Boring, as in the guy’s record may be stellar, but his résumé’s full of the basic ‘breach a target building and spray everything with bullets’ kind of work, which I’m sure he’s very good at, but I need more nuance, more variety. I also get the impression subtlety is lost on him and he won’t be finding it anytime soon.”

“Hm. Next?” Adler asked.

Odd. The man would normally needle him for more.

“Right…” Emile eyed the other with suspicion. He pushed the middle file forward. “This one? I hate to say this, it’s such a ridiculous nitpick, but he’s a bit of a yes man. I don’t need or want one. If I happen to fuck up, i need someone to set me straight. Get in my face about it. Everything else about him is great. Really. But…not what I want.”

He was being picky, sure, but he wasn’t gonna leave anything to chance. He needed someone with a spine, someone who won’t let themselves get steamrolled by him.

Again, Adler gave a noncommittal answer, this time a grunt of acknowledgment, and motioned for him to get to the final dossier.

Just like previously, that seemed too easy. Emile began to suspect something was afoot. If it was anyone else sitting before him, alarm bells would’ve been ringing in his head by now; and yes that’s a wild statement considering the reputation of the man before him.

Emile glanced at the final dossier, his right hand splayed wide over it like a possessive spider over captured prey. He’d saved the interesting one for last.

“This one,” Emile pushed the last dossier towards the center after sweeping the rejects aside, “Clearly, like the last two, his record’s fantastic; several successful missions, solo and team, as well as variety in his skillset and experiences. His evals paint him to be a free thinker when necessary yet easily falls into line and can take orders. When you put all this together, this guy pulls ahead of the others by a small margin… ”

“But..?” Adler prompted, shifting forward in his seat.

Although Emile couldn’t see the man’s eyes, shielded behind Oakleys as they were, he felt the heat of them. Years of exposure had never made them any less unsettling.

“I noticed some strikes against him on an otherwise impressive record.” Emiles pulled the relevant page out of the folder. “Guy’s got a record of violent outbursts and—-well, reports of him ripping out two men’s throats. Two. I have questions.”

”Of course you do.” Adler, the bastard, didn’t bother to hide the smugness coloring his voice. “The torn throats happened during a raid two years into his time as a vanilla Marine, very close quarters. He’d been jumped and lost his firearm in the scuffle, but managed to dispatch both—“

“Wait, I’m sorry, ‘both’? As in, within the same instance? He chomped two throats, in a row? Consecutively?!” What the fuck. Why am I fixated on this?

“You’re fixated on this.”

Shit.

“No. Nope. It’s just…impressive is all. Please, continue,” said Emile. He fought off the sudden urge to press a hand against his throat.

The scarred man obviously didn’t fall for his bullshit with how the corner of his mouth was lifted. “The violent outbursts, on the other hand, were actually two separate instances. Well…more like cases than instances,” Adler said.

“Yeah?” Emile asked,leaned closer.

“The first case happened during his early days of basic. A couple of recruits from his cohort thought it would be cute to mess with the moody guy. Repeatedly. Moody guy had enough and sent them to the infirmary.”

Emile let out a low whistle at that. A spine. This was promising. “Nice. And the powers that be at the time didn’t boot him from the Marines?” Honestly, beating the crap out of your bullies screamed devil dog behavior, really on brand of them.

“No need.” Oh. That was a full blown smirk on Adler’s face. Holy shit. “Kid got squared away and humbled by a passing spec ops operator at the behest of a drill instructor. He’s been well behaved and obedient ever since. Mostly.”

Wow. Note to future self: conduct an extensive, invasive background check of this guy’s past. Because he needs more, dammit. And he’s the goddamn CIA now, no need to jump through hoops to unlock someone’s backstory.

“That’s one. What about the second case?” Emile found himself mentally cataloging the gear they’d be needing. Heh. I guess I’ve made my mind up.

Adler downed the last of his, now frigid, coffee before continuing. “The second happened a year into his time as a Force Recon operator. Heard a rumor about a Captain abusing his rank to coerce members of the lower ranks into acts of…that nature.”

The younger scowled. Jesus.

Adler nodded. “Yes, Exactly. Our guy caught this captain in the act with one of his fellow squad mates. From the official reports I’ve read, that officer was absolutely mauled.”

Emile took in a ragged breath. Just what exactly are you gifting me, Adler? Because… “Okay but this time, he had to have been punished severely.”

“Three month’s suspension,” the other man chuckled, “a slap on the wrist. They couldn’t punish our guy in a meaningful way for this, the optics would be terrible. Not to mention the uproar it would cause among the enlisted. But they had to do something.” Adler shrugged. “So, slap on the wrist it was.”

Emile let out a bark of laughter, giddy and light with elation. He took a deep breath, leaned back in his seat, mind warm and fuzzy, and closed his eyes for a moment before speaking.

“I want him. Gimme the spicy one.”

I want him. I want the one who’s gonna literally fight tooth and nail to survive when the odds are stacked against him. I want the one who’s gonna take matters into his violent, vicious hands when a comrade can’t protect themselves. I want all of that for myself. I’ll be the one to hold his leash. I’m gonna point all that teeth and violence at the enemy. He’s dangerous. But screw safe. Safe doesn’t get shit done. It’s why I’m here.

Emile thought of Oscar. He thought of how he’d gladly suffer countless sentences for him if it meant keeping him safe.

“Heh.”

The younger man blinked. ”Eh?” Whoops. He’d been fantasizing about the new murder puppy. In front of Adler. Fuck.

Adler snorted. “Good to know you approve of this one. I won’t have to tell the Marines to cancel all the arrangements made.”

Emile stared down the smug face across the table.

“…You’re a bastard, you know that?” he asked in disbelief. “Why even ask me to go through the others? Did I even have a choice?”

Adler stood, gathering the two rejected folders. “Yes. If you chose any of the other two, I’d have taken care of it. But I know you. You were never gonna take them. I knew you wanted someone who matched you psychologically. But you had to make that decision for yourself.”

Great, Emile thought. His mentor knew him enough to find the right candidate to match his freak. The man should consider matchmaking as a side hustle if the CIA no longer worked out.

“Here,” Adler said, sliding a small photo towards Emile. “A peace offering for bamboozling you. It was fun.”

“Tch. I was not bamboozled.“ Emile muttered. He snatched the offered photo eagerly.

Oh.

Oooh.

Maybe Adler made the right call withholding photos. Impartiality would’ve been thrown out the window.

Pretty, was Emile’s immediate impression. The eyes in the photo were fierce, the hair a non-regulation mess, and a beauty mark sat at the corner of the left eye. Emile then noticed the name scribbled in Adler’s neat handwriting.

Efren Torres Aldrich.

Efren. EfrenEfrenEfren. Heh. Effy. Emile ran a reverent thumb over dark eyes, wondering what they would see once they’ve peered into his own dark blue. He gently tucked the photo into his shirt pocket, a hot brand nestled against his heart.

Adler slid the neglected brief closer to Emile. “Like I said, memorize it. You’ll meet him tomorrow at Langley Air Force base, 0500.” He gathered his empty mug, files tucked under arm, before reaching over to ruffle Emile’s hair. “Don’t scare the poor guy away, kid. I actually put effort into pairing you with someone who’d watch your back.”

Emile let warmth wash over him as he leaned into the affectionate touch. “I make no promises,” he teased. Hm. Would Efren like having a hand in his hair, too?

He felt Adler make his way towards the door as he settled in, ready for hours of reading, careful planning, deciding which insertion points would be the least detectable, which exfil routes were the least hazardous in all that mountain terrain, maybe study a topographical map of the area, and if he needed to make contact with a trustworthy local source to have—

“Emile.”

Deep blue eyes blinked into awareness, mind resurfacing.

“Yeah?”

From the open doorway, Adler gazed at Emile. The man appeared to consider something.

“Good luck out there. Remember…” Adler paused, voice heavy with faint emotion the younger man can’t quite identify, “as handler you’re responsible for the well being and, to an extent, actions of your asset in the field. Call the shots and he’ll follow. Got it?”

Somber and pensive Adler was a rare creature, one Emile wasn’t well versed in dealing with even after years of knowing the man.

“Understood,” Emile said, nodding, matching the other man’s tone.

The mood possessing Adler was gone in an instant. He gave a brusque nod before shutting the door.

I’m gonna steal his jacket when I get back, Emile thought fondly with a chuckle as he went back to reading. And gotta have all my prep finished early enough so that dear Efren won’t have to put up with my sleep deprived whining.

Emile spent the rest of the day quietly poring over mission intel, hand occasionally reaching to cup his throat.

[idontwannatalkboutitok]

Damian as a little brother. A trained assassin, yes, but also the family's youngest.

Here's how I think that plays (Part 1?)

Damian & Tim

----

Worth mentioning that I headcanon Tim as a gamer. Now, to me, Tim is a 90s kid. He played pokemon on his Game Boy when it first came out. He had a nintendo 64, a gamecube, and basically every console you can think of.

Because the timeline is not time lining, and he's not allowed to grow up (side eyeing DC), he now is a switch kinda kid.

Cue short story

----

Every time Tim is at the manor or the cave, Damian can't help but notice he's always using a strange console. He's never paid much attention to it. After all, what Tim does in his free time is of no relevance to him.

But one night, after patrol, he sees Drake throw the console away angrily and leave the room, cursing. (Not real curses, mind you, not with Alfred around).

Now this. This is ... intriguing. Anything that could make the older boy angry, Damian could find interest in. So, out of curiosity, he approaches the device and examines it. Black, two bright controlers on each side. Nintendo is written on the back, and Damian think he does remember a few classmates carrying similar consoles in their bag. They used them to play games that would get them yelling and laughing when on break from lessons.

A gaming console then. Is this what had Tim so riled up? He thought Drake to be above such imbecilic distraction. The older boy has such a practical mind. Damian cannot picture him spending all of his free time playing a child game. And enjoying it. He has to be doing something else with this.. Switch? Something worthwhile.

He must figure it out. So he opens the console, and confusion flows through him at what he sees. These graphics are horrendous. A pixelised and ridiculous robot is giving a speech on the screen. What in the world is Tim playing. The robot turns into a dancing man. What.

Graphics start to flow on the screen. Damian does his best to avoid what he understands to be attacks and to fight back, but his character is ridiculously weak. He is defeated quickly and extremely annoyed. When the screen tells him to "stay determined," he scoffs. This game is taunting him. Ridiculous.

So when the game starts again, instead of fighting the ridiculous robot man, Damian tries to find an ennemy he can slay. And he does! He makes his way back and win a few fights. Now that he understands the concept better, this game- well it's not so bad. He just defeated another ennemy when Drake comes back. And as soon as he sees him with the console, he's yelling.

Damian thinks it's a bit too much. After all, he only played a little and gained experience points. Which Tim was lacking. He says so, but then the older boy goes quiet. Deadly quiet.

Drake takes a step forward, and weirdly worried, Damian takes one back. The yelling picks up, and now Tim is chasing him, throwing cussions and curses at him. He finally catches Damian and rips the console away from him. After pressing a few buttons, he whines and pinches his nose, looking so mad. Disappointed. And that does it.

Damian yells back and demands an explanation. Why is Tim so angry. He does not understand. What did he do that was so wrong?

The questions seem to settle Tim, who deflates, and now simply looks defeated. His head falls back and he starts to talk, as if to explain, but then he stops. And smirk. That can't be good.

Next thing he knows, Damian is sitting in the den. The console is connected to the television, and he's playing the game from the beginning. Tim is sitting next to him, offering no advice. Drake said he would understand what he did wrong once he reaches the end of the game, but really, Damian thinks he's doing great at winning so far.

[colonelpancakes]

Dragon Prince Liveblog thingamajig part two! Love, War and Mushrooms. Under the cut because this one got long too. I have thoughts. Most of this episode was spent cooing over Zym.

Ohhh the intro did change and it's Claudia now. Her expression is so heartbreaking, she's not even reaching out, she's just looking up at Aaravos like she trusts him to help her. And the way she was stumbling and using the staff to walk... Ough, Claudia my girl.

Skjsdljaflks Hat is clinging on for dear life huh? Baitlings my beloveds.

Corvus! Yay! Also I love Soren, he's so sweet and goofy especially when he's around the younger kids like Ez and Zym.

Oh, so the Sunfire Elves have six armies? Did we know that already? I can’t remember but that’s interesting. So Karim only has a sixth of the army then

Zym curled up in Zubeia’s nest in the same way he did when he was a little dragon in S3 E9 is breaking my heart.

I'm really loving Soren and Corvus's banter in this episode, they're really funny and cute. The charades thing is very cute too.

OUGH KARIM’S REFLECTION IN JANAI’S CROWN! Her brother is haunting her, his betrayal is haunting her and it’s so good. I love reflections I love mirrors I love this type of framing so much.

Poor Janai- OH FUCK THAT’S NOT GOOD.

SOREN THIS IS HOW YOU GET POISONED AND DIE.

Aww Zym is such a good boy 💕

SOREN. NO!

DON'T FEED IT TO HAT AS WELL!! They are such dumbasses.

Ooh, Katolis lore? 👀 That's a really cool name

I love the framing of this shot. Also, this story is either going to help Janai or make her even more paranoid so let's hope it's the former.

You! Motherfucker!

I love Karim continuing to refer to history as if it has a mind of it's own, building off how he told Janai that history demanded that she do things a certain way. It’s such an interesting difference between his worldview and Janai’s. Also, sidenote, who gave animators the right to make their villains so attractive why is Miyana so gorgeous?

Now that feels like foreshadowing if every I’ve seen it.

I still love how Sol Regem literally said “I lost my hope long before I lost my sight” and Karim went. Ah yes, clearly restoring his sight is the key to restoring his hope like. Man, that’s the opposite of what he said.

Hat fistbump!!!!

I love Soren and Corvus their dynamic is great. My question though, is when the hell was there a summer camp named Camp Katolis? And why is it named after the kingdom? But the image of Corvus and Soren leading summer camp singalongs is so good.

Hat sleeping on Soren's face 🥹

I love seeing Zym and Ezran use their psychic link to say goodnight to each other that’s so sweet. I would die for them.

So… I’m thinking they’re about to get abducted by faeries? Is that what’s happening?

Zym's face here is killing me he looks like Toothless when he's mad at Hiccup. Also, I really love Soren and Corvus's dynamic they bounce off each other so well. I can totally see why people ship them.

SOREN. NO.

WOAH! Studio Ghibli Pokemon type creature!!

See, Soren, this is another good reason we don’t eat random mushrooms. Sometimes they’re little guys. Also, "mushpal" is an adorable name for these things.

Soren is so sweet and the way Corvus looks at him here is so soft.

Zym Hat!

More in reblogs because I ran out of room again -_-

[loupy-mongoose]

I keep thinking that's Randy in the last panel but the beard says no? Is it Connor or is my face-blindness that bad?

Cody, but yes, it him! ^^ (I have seen your other asks, I'm sorry I never responded to them. ;w;)

Ramble about my Hisui idea ahead, lol.

I'd been worried as I've been thinking about this story, because I wasn't sure how to get Jamie through it without her becoming a traumatized husk of her old self. It's a B R U T A L journey for her to go through without any assurance that she'll see her loved ones again, or feel the safety that she'd finally come to know and, if she's honest, expect.

Even with her experience living in the present day wild, Hisui's is far more dangerous, with highly territorial Pokemon, and of course the Alphas.

While I could see Jamie actually enjoying the Lilligant fight, that is the exception. Quelling the frenzied Nobles is monumentally terrifying and exhausting, even with help from her Pokemon.

And along the way, she'd be getting little blips of false hope that something will be able to send her home, only to find, nah, it's not the answer.

On top of that, she has become THE one to handle the whole frenzy thing, since she's not afraid of dealing with Pokemon (and has a good throwing arm), And often has to deal with the issues surrounding the frenzies as well. She ends up with all this weight and responsibility put on her.

And then to really drive home how scummy her lot is.... she gets betrayed.

There's zero chance of her going home after that and feeling safe. None. Even back among loved ones, I fully believe the trauma she'd experience from Hisui would destroy her mentally.

However... If she were to have Cody by her side... That should change.

She'd have a loved one to enjoy time with in Hisui. She would have someone to talk and vent to. (As would Cody, but his burden isn't as heavy as Jamie's.)

As dangerous as Hisui is, she'd at least know he's okay. She wouldn't have to question what or how he's doing back in the time she'd left him in. It would do a lot of good for her, mentally speaking, to have Cody along for the ride. And as hard as it is to be apart from everyone else... at least they have each other.

Of course, it wouldn't be without it's angst. I have some fun ideas~ >:3

Anyway, that's my thought so far~

[moonlitcomet]

Moon reviews: BEASTIEBALL

Today we're not reviewing a fangame, but instead an entirely original monster catcher recommended to me by Rime on Discord.

Beastieball is a turn-based monster-catching volleyball RPG developed by Wishes Unlimited and published by Klei, with music by Lena Raine. If that alone isn't enough to catch your attention, certainly the adorable designs and uniquely in-depth worldbuilding should!

OVERALL THOUGHTS

Man, this is a great game, and a fantastic refresher on the monster catching genre. It seems like such a silly premise, but the execution makes it extremely worthwhile. In Beastieball, you run around and find monsters - called Beasties for the sake of this game - to play beastieball with.

Beastieball is, essentially, monster-themed high-action volleyball. The game plays with this concept every now and then, with different rulesets and boss battles changing up the formula, but once you get familiar with it you'll be able to come up with lots of different strategies to win your way to the top.

THE GAMEPLAY

You are allowed to have five beasties on your team at a time. Every game is a double battle, and you must defend both your beasties and your lanes from being knocked out or scored on. There are two ways to score a point: knocking out an opponent, and hitting a ball into an empty lane.

While most attacks hit front-to-back, some attacks will target sideways, and can score you a point if both of your opponent's beasties are in the same horizontal lane.

Most of the time, except in the case of easy receives or beasties with abilities that allow them, you must volley to another team member before attacking back. You get three actions per attacking turn, and one action per defending turn. Spend these wisely! You can move, tag out, make supportive plays, etc while this is happening.

Once a beastie is wiped [knocked out], they cannot make any actions except moving and tagging out. Once they are benched, they can spend a few turns recovering and get back into the game with a negative status effect [sweaty] that reduces their stamina each turn.

In wild battles, the game ends as soon as either team scores one point. In guardian and field coached battles, it will be two points. Three in ranked matches.

This game isn't hard. It's fun, but as it stands the base game isn't very challenging. I only found myself losing to one major story battle, and that was one that didn't end up mattering in the end. But that's not a bad thing! I think Beastieball is a great game for people who want to branch out into new monster catcher games that aren't Pokemon.

THE BEASTIES

Beastieball has a lot of really amazing, adorable, and simple designs for its beasties. It really captures the energy of "animals that want to play ball", which these lil dudes are. They aren't particularly magical creatures, aside from their abrupt metamorphosis, but this sort of design philosophy sticks for the majority of the game.

Depending on your opinion of things like "object mons", this may be a downside, but I think it adds a lot to the immersion of Beastieball. I'll go into why this is so important later, but I will have to say one of my favorites in terms of "this is an animal" has to be Gastic, which spews big scary gas from its butt to protect itself. This is a bug!

Many of its designs are based on Australian fauna, including but not limited to bandicoots, cassowaries, ibises, platypus, and so on!

If you don't mind spoiling yourself on the designs, there is a website dedicated to documenting Beastieball and everything in it that matters to a player, as well as containing a team builder and in-game map!

Beastieball.info

THE OVERWORLD & ART

Unfortunately, this is where Beastieball - in its current unfinished state - starts to fall behind. While yes, all of the finished assets are beautiful and gorgeously animated, the barebones look of the overworld and unfinished state of most of the sprites tends to take you out of the game if you have to look at them for too long. The overworld isn't particularly interesting to look at, with most of its terrain being all the same assets with a few different colors between areas.

I, of course, will give this a pass. This is an unfinished, early-access game where the only thing left to really do for a complete version is finish all the art. It's buggy. That's just what it's gonna be like until it's done. I commend the devs for focusing the most on making it a playable, fun game instead of polishing the art first. They have their priorities straight, and I have strong faith that they will be able to put together a gorgeous looking game in the end. I'm excited to come back to Beastieball in a couple years to see where it's ended up.

BEASTIEBALL & ENVIRONMENTALISM... AND SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY?!

Listen, this is the coolest shit to me. When I was recommended this game, I was woefully unprepared for how much it was going to focus on environmentalism and include SPECULATIVE BIOLOGY as a main focus of its storyline!!

Full disclosure, below contains major spoilers for the plot of the game.

In the beginning, you set off as a coach in order to protect your hometown of Rutile from having its nature preserve destroyed by the Beastieball League to build a new stadium. In doing so, you meet many people who are apathetic or ambivalent to the idea of protecting nature, only seeing beasties as nuisances or "weird ball-throwing animals" that wander around.

But the truth is, as the game progresses, ball is literally life. These balls that beasties throw around are mushrooms, the nets that come up out of the ground are mushrooms. Everything's based around mushrooms. There is a huge mycelial network connecting the entire continent of this game, and spreading the spores by playing beastieball is how it grows and stays healthy. Beasties are strongly connected to ball mushrooms, which hold the delicate balance of basically everything in their mycelium.

This, here, is why it's important that beasties look less like mythological and magical beasts and more like animals to me. They are just that - animals. They are animals living in the wild that you befriend to play ball with, and them playing ball is crucial for the ecosystem.

There are boss battles based around this mycelial network and what's happening to it as a result of the league. The league tears down delicate ecosystems and rips up the environment to focus more on the game aspect of beastieball than the environmental aspect - and that has consequences!

My personal favorite location in this entire game is the one that has nothing in it, the Crown Farms.

No music plays here. There are no beasties. There are only rubber trees as far as the eye can see, and there is a delightfully infuriating piece of greenwashing on the entrance of the farm.

The only person who is in this area tells you about how there's really nothing left here - the soil is in terrible condition, it'll be harder to keep the trees alive and the league only wants more rubber trees to be planted for rubber balls [which remember, as opposed to ball mushrooms, are not helping the environment stay alive].

It's a good jab at the horrors of real rubber farming and the wastefulness often cheerily presented in other monster-catching games such as Pokemon.

Some people will take this as a real ham-fisted execution of environmentalism. I think it's a good way to open your eyes to viewing nature from the side of the animals - this is everyone's world, we all live in it, and we should share it instead of razing it down to a lifeless greenturf wasteland fit for our own convenience. The world of Beastieball is delicate and special, and so is ours. It's good to look at nature with compassion.

ENDING WORDS

This is a really, really good [unfinished!] game that I'm looking forward to seeing finished. With a simple premise and surprisingly deep and interesting story and worldbuilding, it makes me interested in seeing more from these devs. I hope the finished game has lots of extra places to explore and beasties to find. I'd be down for a sequel set in another region!

On a ranking from F-[the worst] to S+ [the gold standard], this game is somewhere between A+ and S. The main things holding it back are how unfinished it is. This could, very much, be one of my favorite games in the future if they really lock in on the polish. Well done Wishes Unlimited, keep it up!

[azurityarts]

1, 5, and 6 for your cat team :]

1. What was the original thought that led to the creation of this character?

ah yes, the cat crew, the feline friends, the kitty kollective

The original premise behind these three was actually Vex; in a similar vein to Faux, she was also a TTRPG character! But long story short, after that fell apart, I liked her character and design too much to just leave her out to dry, and so I've been working (very slowly) on my own little story with her and the rest of the cats! Ion and Poppy's creation happened much later, with the latter's technically before the former's, but the intent was to give Vex a group to be in!

5. How did you choose their name and why? Was it simply based on vibes or is there any specific meaning behind the name? Are the reasons behind their name different in- and out of universe?

Out of universe, Vex's name was chosen just cause it sounded neat, but Ion and Poppy's were chosen in relation to her's: I thought it could be neat of their names could form an acronym as a team name (part of this may have been because I couldn't think of a team name whoops) like Team ACT and Team AWD (their actual name is Team MAD in Japan) from the canon games! After a bit of trial and error, we ended up with Team VIP! And as a bonus, all of the individual members' names are cohesive with their types <3

I can't quite explain the situation with their names in-universe without spoilers, but what I will say is this: Vex, Ion, and Poppy are not technically their actual names! :]

6. What was the thought process behind their appearance? Did you go mostly for the aesthetic or are there other reasons they look the way they do?

A little different for each member! Ion has a reason for looking the way he does, but in contrast, Vex and Poppy's designs are more rooted in aesthetic. For all three Pokemon, I tried to give them a little bit of uniqueness and deviation in their appearances without detracting too far from their original designs, with varying success.

Handling Purrloin was more of an additive process; it doesn't have too much going on, so adding stuff like some bangs, accessories, as well as a unique eye/ear pattern helped make a decently recognizable character I think?

Floragato was more or less changing what already existed; its most identifiable traits are arguably its poncho and yoyo, so changing the first was sort of a gamble? I thought the end result came out decent, but I'm curious to know what others think!

Zeraora's base design already has a LOT going on, so I decided to go with more of a reductive approach, which was also a bit of a risk. Fortunately, it works well narratively with Ion, so he's got some features and colors stripped back - he gets a tail as compensation though!

(Their updated designs here)

[blackboxtheater]

i voted! i was going to vote them anyway but i wanna prompt!

prompt is…

pokémon (my other hyperfixation lol)

Ahhhhhh!! Yes!! We are keeping our lead!

To make sure we keep the lead, go vote for Mumpearl in the Mumbo Jumbo ship bracket!!

But onto the really exciting stuff!

Okay so I have to preface this by saying I know nothing about pokémon.

And not in a funny "yeah, I've forgotten most of it cause I haven't played since I was a kid hahaha" way. In a "didn't know you had to fight them against each other to gain experience" way.

I know nothing about Pokémon.

I know 'Gotta Catch 'Em All!', Team Rocket has a cat man creature in it, you throw the ball at the little monster to capture it, Pikachu does something with lightning, and Snorlax…..exists? Charizard…..is a thing……I think? 

So I need to preface this by saying that I am so so SO sorry from the bottom of my heart that you found the last person on earth who doesn’t know about Pokémon to give this prompt too. I am so sorry I am going to butcher the mechanics of your favorite game. You can and should roast me for it.

With all that in mind, it's probably best to think about this as a story loosely based on the concepts of Pokémon as opposed to actually how Pokémon works. But I tried. And I Googled a lot.

*-* *-* *-*

When people ask Trainer Moon and Nurse Jumbo at international research conferences about how they started the Boatem Forest Pokémon Wildlife Hospital and Research Facility, they each tell a slightly different story.

Nurse Jumbo gushes about how Trainer Moon's skill in battle is a critical foundation for his study of rare evolutions and pokémon abilities. Trainer Moon talks bout Nurse Jumbo's selfless work treating pokémon in rural communities and how the research facility is founded on the basic premise that new discoveries can only happen if the resources to study wild pokémon are actually located near wild pokémon.

Even the stories of exactly how they fell in love vary slightly, but most researchers only make the mistake of asking that question once. Because once Trainer Moon or Nurse Jumbo get started on that tangent, you had to consider the rest of your night lost to being held captive by their endless stories showering praise onto their partner. The details may vary slightly, but their adoration and devotion to one another is irrefutable.

The actual story was a little messier and a lot less inspirational.

Because the truth was that Pearl had no memory of first meeting Mumbo.

She remembered the burn in her legs as she ran up the rocky mountain road towards the faint lights in the distance.

She remembered the blood of her oldest and most loyal Midnight Lycanroc Tilly seeping into her hoodie.

She remembered praying to any god who would listen that the lights were a town and offering anything the god wanted in return for there to be a Pokemon Center in this town that could save Tilly.

She remembered crying even harder than she had been before when she finally saw the universal sign of a Pokemon center calling out to her through the darkness along the deserted town road.

She remembered sobs of blind panic and utter relief and bottomless grief at the thought of losing Tilly all crashing over her as she burst through the doors.

The next thing she remembered was waking up alone in a stiff plastic waiting room chair.

The only sounds were the quiet clicks of a keyboard and the snores of a Sylveon curled at the ground between her feet. Which explained how she slept at all considering the ache in her back.

"Oh! You're awake," a voice said to her left.

She turned to see a dark hair man towering behind the counter, far too tall to comfortable sit at the small computer terminal in front of him. The only thing she could focus on as he kept talking was the twitching of his incredibly pronounced mustache.

"Did you sleep well? That was a stupid question. Sorry. The chairs are terrible. I know that. Everyone says that. We, well really it's just me so I guess I, I keep meaning to get new ones. Did Potato help at least? Sorry, I mean is there anything I can do for you?"

"Potato?" Pearl blinked, but the rustle at her feet answered her question before the man behind the counter could.

"Are you Potato?" Pearl looked down into the big blue eyes of the Sylveon staring eagerly back at her. The happy chirps she got in response were quickly accompanied by its ribbon twisting around her arm and tugging her hand down towards its head in a shameless demand for head scritches.

"I wish I could say that means you're special, but Potato loves everyone," the man said, stepping out from behind the counter and walking across the lobby waiting room towards Pearl. "Don't you buddy? That's why you're a good boy. Who's a good boy?"

Pearl wasn't sure if the happy chirps from Potato are from the scratches she was giving him behind the ears or from being called a good boy. But it was enough to make her smile for just a moment before the worry about Tilly sunk back into her gut.

"Are the nurses around this morning? I'd like to get a status update on my Pokemon," Pearl asked, looking up at the man.

"Oh she's stable. Still asleep in the back. It was a long night but Tilly pulled through. She was in rough shape. You both were. That's why I had Potato come out to help you get some rest too. And looks like it worked, huh buddy?"

The man, who apparently knew Tilly's name, looked down to the Sylveon as it released Pearl's hand and trotted over to curl around his legs.

"I'm sorry," Pearl said, shaking her head in confusion. "Who are you again?"

"I'm Mumbo, I was here last night when you brought in Tilly? I mean I'm always here cause I'm the only one here so…" he trailed off with a nervous laugh.

"You're the nurse?"

Pearl blamed her stupid question on the exhaustion, but the laugh she got in response had a lightness to it that made it sound like she wasn't the first person who had asked the same thing. Living on the move like Pearl did and living this far into the wildness meant she had seen a lot of different nurses in a lot of different Pokémon Centers. She couldn't say she ever remembered meeting a young man. She'd met male nurses before, but most were old enough to be her grandfather. This one barely looked older than her. And that might just be because of the mustache.

"Yeah, I know I'm not exactly what people expect. But I'm the only nurse around for at least a couple of towns, so you're stuck with me."

The nervous laugh was back, and Pearl wasn't sure if she felt worse about making the stupid assumption that he couldn't be the one taking care of her pokémon or the fact that this came up enough that he had a response ready to go.

"Do you want to see Tilly?" Mumbo asked, motioning back towards the rooms behind the counter.

Pearl could only nod, tears threatening to prickle into her eyes even though she knew that Tilly had to be okay.

Mumbo opened the door into a recovery room in the back to reveal a worse for wear, but very alive, Tilly. Pearl chose to focus on the slow rise and fall of her chest as she slept curled in on herself rather than the countless wires and IV's hooked up to her. But Pearl didn't notice the Umbreon nestled inside the crook of Tilly's legs until she was already climbing down onto the floor to try to wrap herself around her favorite pokémon.

"Mooner, come here," Mumbo called, making the Umbreon perk up from where it had snuggled into Tilly. "It's time for the nice lady here to hang out with your new friend."

"Sorry," Mumbo continued, directing his attention back towards Pearl. "Mooner like to pretend she's like her bother Potato and can help her friends feel better. Tilly seemed to calm down and sleep better with another pokémon around thought which, I mean, I guess I get now."

He gestured to how Pearl had curled herself completely around Tilly.

"She normally sleeps next to me," Pearl offered as explanation for Tilly's behavior. Or maybe her own.

And since Mumbo didn't kick her out, that was how Pearl stayed for the rest of the day, curled up next to Tilly, chatting with Mumbo as he monitored Tilly's vitals and diligently administered additional healing every 2 hours like clockwork.

It was probably a good thing that he seemed to ramble a lot, because Pearl wasn't in much of mood to talk. But she was in the mood to listen to Tilly's breathing and Mumbo's soothing voice as he explained how a guy like him ended up running a Pokémon Center in the tiny town along the side of Magic Mountain. 

Or more correctly, ended up back in Magic Mountain.

He explained, between replacing Tilly's IV bags and mixing more healing elixirs, that he had grown up here, just up the mountainside. He'd been fascinated by pokémon growing up just like so many other kids, but he'd never been good at battling with them. His friends Grian and Scar were always better at the actually fighting, he was more interested in learning about their abilities, behaviors, evolutions, statistics, or really anything he could learn.

"That’s why I have so many of these guys hanging around," he joked, picking up a snoring Mooner from the counter so he could grab the stack of papers under it.

"They can turn out so many different ways, and you mostly just need to love them for them to evolve. Which is perfect for someone as terrible in fights as me."

That was probably also why he got so experienced in taking care of injured pokémon, he said. Not a lot of nurses in rural places like this, and between his friend's eagerness to fight and his perchance to lose against anything he fought, he got pretty good at taking care of their little flock of pokémon growing up. 

He explained to Pearl that when he, Grian, and Scar were finally old enough to go to university in the big city, his friends were sure they were going to become the best pokémon trainers in the world. Meanwhile he was sure he would become a world renowned pokémon scientist.

"I thought I was going to study in this big lab. Use all this fancy equipment and powerful computers. But turns out to have that, you have to live really far away from the mountains. And you have to care about optimizing pokémon for fighting, which, between you and me, I don’t really think is the most interesting thing about them."

Pearl viscerally understood that sentiment.

She had had been told that she was a talented trainer in the cities and towns she drifted through in her early years. She had won lots of battles and defeated opponents in new and creative ways. There had been whispers gathering around her about the bright future she had, and how she could become one of the greatest trainers of her age given a little more time and practice.

Until she swung at her ally for the way his Alolan Ninetales went after Tilly in the middle of battle. Then it didn't matter how talented she was because giving a trainer a black eye made most people question if she had the mental stability needed to be successful.

The whole thing had just made Pearl question why she was making her pokémon fight battles they didn’t need to in the first place.

So she had apologized to Scott Major for breaking his nose, packed up her things from the MCC gym, and left for the mountains.

That had been nearly 5 years ago and now she had a collection of extremely rare pokémon she caught in the depths of the Boatem forest. But more importantly, her pokémon never fought unless they absolutely had to.

Which they did.

Often as one might expect in the wilderness.

But she would rather them fight a wild pokémon to help her survive than ask them to fight against another trainer just to settle some petty dispute in a big city.

"At least you're good at fighting. I spent all my years as a kid obsessed with pokémon and no way to ever evolve them because I could never win a fight," Mumbo laughed, a self-deprecating tinge settling inside the sound as Pearl explained how she even ended up in the far flung town of Magic Mountain in the first place.

"But I'm glad you're here to treat them," she offered, running her fingers through Tilly's fur. Tilly was finally awake enough to gaze up at Pearl from where her head sat in Pearl's lap, but was still too weak to do much else.

"Learning to take care of all different types of pokémon is an interesting challenge. One I was happy to find once I realized I would have been miserable as a scientist locked away in some pristine lab in a big city. I mean, what do they even study there? There's no pokémon in cities except the ones people bring in. How is that- Sorry. I mean yes. I like being a nurse. I like helping these guys get better. And it's needed. Ever since nurse Tin died a few years ago, I'm the only nurse on the mountain."

"That must be hard," Pearl said, realizing that if Tilly had needed round the clock care since Pearl brought her in last night that meant Mumbo must have never slept.

"Thank you," Pearl added, looking up from where Tilly was drifting back to sleep. "She wouldn’t be here without you, so thank you."

It took Tilly a few more days to recover, which meant more time for Pearl to hang around the clinic chatting with Mumbo. He taught her some quick battlefield healing tricks in case she was farther out the next time her pokémon took this much lethal damage and she wasn't lucky enough to find a pokémon center in time. And once Tilly was strong enough to walk, she introduced him to her vast collection of pokémon during their walks around the small meadow behind the clinic. He had seemingly endless questions about their abilities, behavior, stats, and history, and Pearl felt guilty the more she had to admit she didn't know the answer to most of his questions. She had suspected she had a lot of rare pokémon before, but it was wild to have her suspicions confirmed by the countless blank data fields in even Mumbo's medical grade pokédex.

So when Mumbo refused to take any payment for his work on Tilly, she promised she would come back and repay him with some answers to all his questions. He laughed and told her to not worry about it, but there was an excited flash in his eyes that she couldn't stop thinking about even as she packed up and headed down the mountain with a newly healed Tilly by her side.

That look in his eyes was all she could think about six months later when she watched her Ursaring evolve into a Bloodmoon Ursaluna right before her eyes. She could see that look so clearly as she scribbled down everything she could think of that could possibly be relevant before packing up her camp and starting the trek back to Magic Mountain that very night.

When she walked back through his Pokémon Center doors, she thought he was excited to see her because he remembered her promise to bring him back some of the answers he had been looking for since he was a kid.

Many years, dozens of adventures, countless pokémon, and a first nationally recognized scientific paper later, Mumbo confessed he had forgotten that Pearl even promised to come back when he saw her come through the doors that day. He had just been thrilled to see the pretty, brilliant trainer walk back into his life again.

The fact that she was offering a path to an unimaginably fantastic future of studying pokémon together was just a lovely bonus.