#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. ^^

[onyichii]

Wakfu x Pokémon Headcanon

I have not played a pokemon game since Pokemon Emerald. I was thinking about Pokemon...then Wakfu...and now here we are!

Now here are our favorite Wakfu characters as Pokémon gym leaders

Amalia the Grass Type Gym Leader of Sadida

Yugo the Dragon Type Gym Leader of Emelka

Percedal the Fighting Type Gym Leader of Sadlygrove

Evangeline the Flying Type Gym Leader of Cra City

Ruel Strud the Normal Type Gym Leader of Bonta (IDK where Ruel is from).

Adamai the Fire Type Gym Leader of Oma Island (I would make Adamai take a human form)

It was hard deciding if Yugo should be a dragon type or not because I can see Adamai also being the dragon type gym leader as well. But I like the idea of Adamai with a fire types as well.

And YES - I have a list of Pokémon I think they would all have. I made a list of 10-ish Pokémon I think they would have as well as their top 5 of that 10.

Am I drawing this? Yes...someday. I'm busy.

I really need to focus on my original characters.

Can you draw this? Yeah, go ahead! If you decide to draw this idea tag me because I wanna see what pokemon you think each character would have!

⭐BONUS: In my Wakfu x Pokemon headcanon, Yugo has a Dragonite that loves Amalia and only tries his best when she is around to impress her.

Back story: When Dragonite was a Dratini, Yugo would often leave him with Amalia to go train his other Pokémon. He felt Dratini was intelligent and strong and didn't need much guidance like his other pokemon. So Dratini was not trained as often. This made Dratini feel neglected by Yugo. Since Dratini is a Dragon type, Amalia would use him to train her grass type pokemon. Even though he was the opponent he got praised and trained under her as well. That is why Dragonite adores Amalia.

I thought that'll be funny and cute to have Yugo's Dragonite burst out of his pokeball when he hears Amalia's voice. 💖

[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

[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.

[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.

[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 -_-

[touchoffleece]

It has just been over a day since the Pokemon leaks happened and...

most of the internet over using furry comments and judgemental comments aimed at the Pokemon writers over some of the scrapped lore* that reflects irl mythos from multiple cultures that detail interspecies sex and messed up stories about rape only further reinforces my thoughts that critical thinking in relationship to art (in this case writing) is dead. Straight up, most comments are I see are along the lines of "How could they think this was okay to even speak and suggest as lore for a video game?!", when part of writing detailed stories involves world building. world-building (noun): the creation of a fictional world (especially within the science fiction and fantasy genres) that is believable and consistent within the context of the story. In this case, the context of the story is making up a bunch of stories about how Pokemon and humans have co existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years, but have the stories be similar enough to the players/watchers/readers that they can be familiar with this made up lore.

I am not saying it isn't shocking, but so many people are being scandalized over miscellaneous writers notes meant for other writers they worked with-depending on the generation as this had pokemon from multiple generations/games (most likely, if the scrapped lore was not injected to the hacked text documents by the hacker. This is the internet after all so who knows what is a complete truth, and the source is coming from someone that was ok with doxxing thousands of employees information to the internet).

We can still talk about the scrapped lore without treating it like it is an insane crime against humanity, when it reflects irl human myths that are thousands of years old. The most recognizable irl comparisons of fucked up mythos are the Greek mythos.

What do you think is the single most fucked-up Greek myth?:

Most messed up birth story in Greek mythology:

Art shouldn't be held to be pure of all dark subject matter, because then we have the whole moral purity panic dilemma in media and arts. "Pokemon is for kids." Yes, it is, but these pieces of info that the internet is now treating as canon, was withheld from the public. It was never suppose to be seen, and it was not GameFreaks decision to release it. It is only public now, because someone in Nintendo fucked up and lead to GameFreak Pokemon files being stolen by a Hacker, that proceeded to release all sorts of information, which we currently are not aware of how authentic each leaked pieces of info are.

[stinkylittleanon]

Can I request Guzman with a stoic s/o? (Preferably male) Guzman already looks menacing and behind him is his tall Boyfriend who looks even scarier. S/o also loves bug type pokemon :)

Its doesn't have to be a full story just silly little head canons or scenarios.

YES!!! YES I CAN DO THIS!!! Kicking my feetsies bc this is (from what I remember) my first male reader request >:))))

Guzma w/ Stoic Male S/O!

First of all, no one has ANY clue how you two got together, it was like- A miracle!

At first, Guzma didn't like you very much. Something about your stoic behavior pissed him off and just made him assume you were like all those other people who thought they were better than everyone else

But actually, something ended up changing that. Something that's only between the two of you.

One day, Guzma stumbled upon you on one of the more hidden beaches. You were on a rock, sitting casually with... Wimpod??

Why were they not running from you? And how did you have so many around you?

"What is he doing..."

Guzma muttered to himself, squinting at you. You seemed to have a wimpod on your lap, and somethin' was goin' on...

So he made his way over, hands stuffed in his pockets. His presence, of course, scared off the small pokemon that surrounded you. Yet you still didn't look up.

"What're ya doin', jackass?"

Erm... He doesn't have the most family-friendly language, but anyways!

The wimpod on your lap started to freak out now that someone else was here, but you were quick to hold onto it.

Guzma couldn't help the way his heart stopped (in a positive way) as you quietly shushed the Wimpod and comforted it...

"Shhh..." It was a simple noise that calmed the creature down as you stroked its back, holding it close to you.

"It's injured." Was all you said once the Wimpod was calmed.

Since that day, he didn't really see you the same. And slowly but surely, he started letting you hang around his town, y'know?

When Guzma was teased about it by some Grunts, he was just

"Psh! As if I would warm up to that guy!"

And then suddenly you guys just?? Kissed?? In front of everyone

Well more like you casually walked up to Guzma, gave him a big ol' smooch, and acted like nothing happened

That's basically how everyone found out you two got together

And when you join Team Skull?!?!

Guzma can't see enough of his boyfriend in the uniform- He's fuckin' awooga mode when he sees you try it on for the first time

Immediately you're an admin, and he knows he can trust you

You're around him more than Plumeria is, and that's sayin' somethin'

You guys are literally like- Scary dog privileges for each other

If someone isn't intimidated by one of you, then they're intimidated by the other

You tend to walk behind Guzma, and I imagine Guzma to be a good 5'9-6'0, so you're... You're very tall

Tall boyfriend x Medium boyfriend

ALSO BUG TYPE BOYFRIENDS BUG TYPE BOYFRIENDS

Rest your elbow on Guzma's head

It'll get him pissed, yeah, but he's still flustered

Something about seeing someone taller than him,,,, :flushed:

You always manage to get Guzma worked up, whether he's flustered or angered (in a lighthearted way), and then just stare at him with that damn expression

He knows you're doing it on purpose!! STop that!! Actually don't

Sometimes he'll catch you off guard though

A good ol' smack on the ass (only if you're comfortable with it) is somethin' he'll do sometimes (again, only consensual)

Or when he's frustrated enough, he'll grab your shirt and force you down to his height

The first time he did this... You almost fell over, but it got the both of you flustered because your faces got really close

Behind closed doors, though, he's like a puppy looking for affection

And seeing your expression soften when you two are alone... <3333

He's fuckin' in love with you, and he's always reminded when he's alone with you

PDA isn't something Guzma is too big on, he'll wrap an arm around your waist but only if you're comfy

Your stoic nature still frustrates him sometimes, but that's him getting over some o' that good ol' trauma

Also sometimes, when Guzma will tell you (not ask, tell you-) to kiss him

You'll go "No." without any fuckin' emotion

But at the same time you're leaning down and givin' him a kiss

Bonus:

Things Guzma will say about you/to you

"That's my man!"

"He needs to get that stick out o' his ass!" (And then he goes on about how hot you are)

"Goddamn- Fuckin- Hot bastard son o' a bitch- Fuck 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-)

[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~

[calaisreno]

Those Who Can't

I've always loved writing, but for a long time thought it was pretentious to call myself a writer. What if someone asked to see what I'm writing? What if they didn't like it? That would make me a terrible writer, I thought, one of those people who go around thinking they're great while everyone is secretly laughing at them.

But I walk in the park every day, and I see people who walk there, too. We're all walkers, even the guy who brings his oxygen tank with him every day, even the woman who sits down to smoke a cigarette before she finishes her walk. The young parents pushing strollers, the women in hijab, the elderly lady who has her hair "done" each week and wears jewellery while she does her doctor-prescribed exercise, the people who are overweight or all lean muscle and bone, the people looking for Pokemon, the business suits walking during their lunch hour. All walking, all walkers.

If you walk, you're a walker. If you write, you're a writer.

It's said that those who can't do something become teachers. As a teacher, I resent the implication that we have all failed at something and now pretend to instruct others how not to fail. But it's true in the sense that we are all learners, never finished learning, and no one knows this better than a teacher. Every day I learn just how much I don't know.

Years ago I was walking down the hall of my school, heading for the copy machine, three minutes from the next bell, and an administrator stopped me.

"Would you like to teach creative writing?" she asked. "We need more elective courses next year."

At the time I was teaching three Latin classes and two freshman English classes. Did I really need another prep?

Could I even do this? Why me? What made me more qualified than the other people in my department? How would I teach it? What would the course description say? Who would take the class?

"Yes," I said.

When I started teaching it in the fall, I didn't have answers to all my questions, but I had a plan. The most frustrating thing, I learned, was teaching people who hadn't signed up for it, and just needed a course to fill a hole in their schedule. I thought writing was easy-- and fun! We could all have a good time here, because it was just about self-growth and imagination.

I learned was that I was not the expert. My students might be terrible writers, might hate every moment of journaling and writing exercises and prompts, but they had ideas, too. They were just too used to thinking their ideas were shit, that creativity wasn't worth anything, that the things that mattered were the things that could get them a good job.

My job, it turns out, was coaxing them to open up and explore ideas, to think divergently, to regard storytelling as more than entertainment. Stories matter; how we tell them makes a difference. I was not an expert. I read a lot and wrote stories for fun. And I became my first pupil.

Nearly everything I learned about writing, I got from teaching it. And I haven't yet reached the point where I felt entitled to call myself a writer. I still sort of cringe when I confess to someone that I write. But I keep writing.

"No writing is a waste of time – no creative work where the feelings, the imagination, the intelligence must work. With every sentence you write, you have learned something. It has done you good. Don't always be appraising yourself, wondering if you are better or worse than other writers." -- Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write

[adamnablelittledevil]

Reacting to The Vampire Lestat - Part VII (with maybe big spoilers and quotes?)

Let's keep this funny little tradition one more time as this book comes to an end. :)

Okay, so the whole story about Akasha and Enkil was cool, but didn't have to take like a hundred pages? It got exhausting after some time.

Didn't care about Marius's, though.

Tbh, I don't like Marius.

My ranking of characters so far: Armand > Lestat > Gabrielle > Nicki > Marius.

Louis and the others didn't have enough book time for me to form an opinion.

Armand mention! Still collecting those like Pokemons while my babygirl doesn't return from the war.

Btw, I still miss Armand. Armand, COME BACK, THE KIDS MISS YOU!

I think it's funny how Lestat always has the need to low-key compare the beauty or his feelings for each character whenever he meets someone new lmao.

Armand takes the prize of The Vampire Lestat's beauty pageant, though. Lestat literally mentioned his beauty every single time he saw him (and even when he didn't). Like, I wish I was making that up. He talked about Armand's beauty even more often that he cried lmao.

Lestat's issues/trauma with his father, Magnus, God and religion run so deep I don't even think he fully realizes the depth of them.

And that's the reason he's so obsessed with Marius to me?

He's always asking him for permission, apologizing, trying to please him, make him proud, one minute with him and he was already talking like they were intimate friends, I'm like????

He literally just became a child all over again.

Lestat de Lioncourt, I am once again begging you to go to therapy because Marius can't help you with your issues.

And you have A LOT of issues, so DO IT, please.

Marius: Lestat, no. Lestat: Lestat, YES!!!

Like, you guys don't get it, the idea, THE I D E A!!!!!!! IT WAS STRONGER THAN HIM!!!!!!!!!

In his defense, I believe that might've been the case. Lestat is chaotic and breaks the rules by nature, but the whole thing with Akasha and Enkil is kind of hard to tell and I believe he could've been controlled by them or maybe a natural force/pull. Idk.

Btw, the idea of playing the violin was smart.

If only in all these years somebody had the brain to think about this musical instrument lol.

This whole moment with Akasha felt like I was watching something so explicit lmao.

The "make them in love" part was sweet. I hope we can get that on the show. Preferably talking to/about Louis.

“Impossible was that I was leaving Marius and this island right now. ‘You needn’t come down with me,’ I said, taking the valise from him. I was trying not to sound bitter and crestfallen. After all, I had caused this. 'I would rather not weep in front of others. Leave me here.’” This is a child on their first day of kindergarten being bitter and too proud to admit lol. I can see him so clearly, pouting and all.

“I had what I wanted, what I had always wanted. I had them. And I could now and then forget Gabrielle and forget Nicki, and even forget Marius and the blank staring face of Akasha, or the icy touch of her hand or the heat of her blood.” OH?

Thinking thoughts.

Thinking SO MANY thoughts.

I'm not sure you guys understand, actually.

I'm (not) fine.

Not only Lestat and Armand are potentially two BPD Scorpios, but NEURODIVERGENT too. Jfc. This would actually explain the chaos so much tbh.

This moment between them feels kind of weird and random, though? Like, I know that they can fight ugly, but I feel like I'm missing something with these accusations? Because the last time they saw each other they were in a good place?

I hope when I read Interview With the Vampire I'll find an answer for why Armand was pissed at him again?

Because, no, I don't think just "waiting for Lestat's love" is a good one. But... Whatever.

That's the only part of the book that has me feeling like maybe I'm missing something and should've started in the right order. But it's like this one thing at the end and didn't affect my comprehension of the book as whole, so I'll wait. It's just, like, this feels random and I'm confused???? But okay, I'm used to their insane dynamic now lol. We'll all live.

Ok, but what the actual hell is happening?

Is Lestat just insane or is Armand mind-controlling him or something lol

Oh?

Okay...

He basically said “I thought I was delusional. But if that were the case, Armand wouldn’t be the person I’d see. I was so weak, but managed to overpower him. But memory plays its tricks, so maybe I did imagine him. But I also knew he was there.”... Like, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN SAYING???????

Either way... OUCH! And I don't know what would hurt more.

Him being all alone and imagining/hallucinating ARMAND of all people.

Or Amand being there because, idk, as insane as they are and even Armand on his “villain era” I guess that might be better than being completely alone? Since loneliness is his chronic and biggest fear? Idk. Maybe I'm going just as insane as these vampires.

Like, obviously, if that's true those aren't sweet moments and they still emotionally hurt each other (and themselves in the process), but that's some level of care in a messed-up sick in the head vampire way?

Idk. I guess I'm just insane like they are.

"'Love me and the blood is yours,' he said. 'This blood that I have never given to another.' I felt his lips against my face. 'I can't deceive you,' I answered. 'I can't love you. What are you to me that I should love you? A dead thing that hungers for the power and the passion of others? The embodiment of thirst itself?' And in a moment of incalculable power, it was I who struck him and knocked him backwards and off the roof. Absolutely weightless he was, his figure dissolving into the gray night. But who was defeated? Who fell down and down again through the soft tree branches to the earth where he belonged? Back to the rags and filth beneath the old house. Who lay finally in the rubble, with hands and face against the cool soil? Yet memory plays its tricks. Maybe I imagined it, his last invitation, and the anguish after. The weeping. I do know that as the months passed he was out there again. I heard him from time to time just walking those old Garden District streets. And I wanted to call to him, to tell him that it was a lie I'd spoken to him, that I did love him. I did." OH?

Seriously...

WHAT THE HELL IS THEIR PROBLEM WHAT THE HELL IS THIS??

I would like to see Anne talking about whatever Lestat and Armand have going on because how do you even begin to explain it...

Like what was that crazy individual thinking when she wrote them?

I need to know.

I'm so stressed.

Immortality if dumbass vampires knew how to use their words:

These are literally fictional characters and they're ruining my life.

Season 3 can be so insufferable omg.

Btw, I LOVE the concept of one character hurting another and "winning a fight", when in reality they're just pretending and the two are actually losing. This is so intriguing. Congratulations, you're both idiots! Here, you won a tissue!

OH???????

IS THAT STILL HAPPENING?

WAIT.

WAIT MORE!

IS THAT THE OTHER THING?

“Lestat de Lioncourt In the year of his Resurrection 1984” HE’S SO UNSERIOUS EXTRA AND RIDICULOUS LMAO.

NOT HIM CALLING MUSIC VIDEOS VIDEO FILMS LMAO.

OMG IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?

LOUIS??????????? IS THAT YOU?????

Or maybe Gabrielle since he kept saying how he hadn't heard from her since their farewell but wanted to etc etc.

Or Marius.

Or Armand, but that's less likely?

Or Akasha because I know there's a certain moment coming, but I don't know if it's on TVL or QOTD...

...Or like a secret sixth thing.

But I hope it's Louis, I want to meet him so bad!

If that’s another dream/delusion/hallucination/piece of his imagination istfg!!!!!!!!!!!

I’m so invested, this CANNOT be for nothing!!!!!

fr Lestat describing people and stuff is somehow gayer than loving men, lmao.

Btw, is that really sooooo dramatic or does Lestat need to turn everything into a spectacle? Like, why does this feel like a big Hollywood movie scene?

“‘There’ll be time after,’ I answered. 'Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Nothing is going to happen. You’ll see.’” Can Anne Rice stop with the "five minutes before disaster" lines, please? Bruh is NOT subtle. Like AT ALL.

“And I had always loved him, hadn’t I, no matter what happened, and how strong could love grow if you had eternity to nourish it, and it took only these few moments in time to renew its momentum, its heat?” I NEED THIS TO BE SAID OUT LOUD ON THE SHOW SO BAD OMG???!!!!!!!!!!

I hope Sam Reid has been practicing this in front of a mirror since he was 14 just like he must've done it with the book's opening.

“‘Whatever happens, it will be worth it,’ I said. 'That is, if you and I, and Gabrielle, and Armand… and Marius are together even for a short while, it will be worth it. Suppose Pandora chooses to show herself. And Mael. And God only knows how many others. What if all the old ones come. It will be worth it, Louis. As for the rest, I don’t care.’” As I said before, this sounds like those dramatic child movies where a kid does the most over-the-top and probably dangerous thing ever just to get the attention of their relatives and bring their dysfunctional family together...

Maybe, deep down, Lestat is just a simple little boy who still wants a big family lol. It's not even just about having a father figure anymore, he wants big house full of people to love and hug. :((((

Or maybe he is just bored and wants chaos, lol.

Or both.

“I bowed my head. I laughed. I slipped my hands into the pockets of my pants the way mortal men did in this day and age, and I walked on through the grass.” Louis just made Lestat get shy like a teenage girl and I didn't know that was possible. Gotta respect him for that.

NOT LOUIS SAYING VIDEO FILMS TOO LMAO YOU’RE SO OLD AND LAME????

“Lestat, you think you understand,” this is literally them btw

Btw, now that I know New Orleans is "Armand's territory", maybe those interactions with Lestat were real? I need to check to see if there's info about the dates and if it adds up.

Lestat's concert lasting 3 hours. What a dream. Just some hard-working artist that really cares about his fans. Wow. Can musicians all over the world follow his example, please?

I'm glad he's having fun.

He's having WAY TOO MUCH FUN exposing himself like that lol.

Okay, so I think this rockstar thing made him even happier than the books or theater and that's cute.

I get him because the two best days of my life happened when I went to my favorite concerts.

“This little war of mine would put all those I loved in danger.” Congratulations for stating the absolute obvious, Lestat!

GABRIELLE!!!!!!!

Gabrielle is so done with her manchild of a son lol.

She has never been wrong, though.

Lestat, I love you, but you're exhausting.

I totally get Gabrielle wanting to run to the mountains, jungles, live among animals and not see another person again for so long. You're too high-energy and your parent is tired, Lestat.

Btw, their dynamic can be so funny, I hope the show explore that on season 3.

I CAN'T BELIEVE IT ENDED LIKE THAT??????

I knew it would be a cliffhanger, but OMG???

Anywaysssss, that's a wrap on The Vampire Lestat. Mission finally accomplished! That was really fun, wohoo! x :) ^^