#but this guy is. it. really should've just been a regional form‚ i think

[front-facing-pokemon]

[imthepunchlord]

Do you think X and Y need to get a remake already?

Well, technically BW should be next but I'm also dreading it thanks to BDSP, and as Gen 5 was the peak of Pokemon's pixel art and thinking that it'll go 3D and it's up in the air how good it'll look... yeah I'm not that excited to see it.

But a remake of XY, I wouldn't quite want what they'd probably do, cause most likely it'll be a match for match remake but I want changes to XY.

The biggest thing I want for XY is for the story to be reworked up cause I wasn't satisfied with XY's story. Most enjoyment I got out of XY was enjoying traveling through Kalos, and it's frustrating cause I think if they had more time they could've had something better. Well, story for all of pokemon.

But like, I wanted to see Malva in Team Flare then get surprised to learn that this tough admin is ONE OF THE ELITE FOUR MEMBERS which like, bruh, you realize she's been holding back this whole time. Essentially toying with you and could've knocked out any time she wanted.

I wanted Team Flare to be funny. Like, how can they be designed to be so flamboyant and fashion oriented but nothing comedic was done with them. Thankfully Skull came next.

I wish Lysandre's reasoning was better or they did something to work off of it, cause he talks about how ugly the world is so it needs to be destroyed and remade to what he thinks is better and I'm just like

Kalos is beautiful and everybody is nice. Where is this coming from Lysandre? Maybe a good chunk of the League should've been made to be assholes in some shape or form. That could offer why Lysandre thinks Kalos sucks.

I also wish I got to see Lysandre getting the legendary, and that there was better build up of them cause it feels they're included last minute. And I wish poor Zygarde got included and more present and did something. Like, I enjoyed Rayquaza coming in to tell Groudon and Kyogre to calm the f down. I enjoyed Giratina arising and kidnapping Cyrus mid speech. Given the lore, Zygarde should've appeared.

I wish the "friends" were done better if they were a must to be included, they all seemed kinda pointless and a little annoying. I'm also annoyed that the rival gets pokemon but they don't show up on their team, like, what was the point of that if they're not used? They get one of the fossil mons, not on the team though. They and Shuana get a Kanto starter, not on their team though, so what's the point? Also RIP those 2 other boys, no starters for you!

...actually yeah, they didn't even get the Kalos starters. I guess Sycamore just has favorites, sorry guys.

I also question why the Kanto starters are even there, outside nostalgia. Like, if there were to be starters to be gifts to you, for sure Snivy and Piplup would've made sense given they're based on French royalty. That's why Serperior was one those gates.

I'd also want to see the Swords of Justice to appear in Kalos in some way given they're based on the famous French musketeers. Maybe they should've been the big legendaries here since Yveltal, Xerneas, and Zygarde don't really feel that tied to Kalos. Maybe them being hostile to humans could confirm Lysandre's views, and oh man, just imagine if you were dealing with Team Flare AND the Swords of Justice and you befriend Keldeo and through that friendship, Keldeo unlocked that power or evolved or whatever, and it shows the big three that oh, maybe there is something for human-pokemon relations and for things to be improved but Lysandre stays stubborn and things escalate, and the Swords of Justice work with you to stop Lysandre and save everyone.

I'd also hope to see Galar and Paldea a little incorporated into Kalos, either in pokemon, culture influence, and lore. Especially Paldea as it seems that was the region that Kalos went to war with a long time ago.

I also would love more mega evolution, but for it to be tweaked. Keep it for pokemon that need a boost of power and not popular mons who are already solid, with only exception being starters; which I am surprised that the Kalos starters didn't get megas. Uh, let mega evolving be more common and not restricted to late game and post game. Also really work off you get the ability through the bond, so you need your pokemon at a certain friendship point to mega evolve and can't just do it right away. And just call them mega stones. I always found the "insert pokemon name-ite" to be kinda silly.

But I also get why it's not being continued. It is a little bit of a shame cause that was my favorite of all the new gimmicks.

I'd also love to see regional variants for Kalos. Like, the dragon Torchic line I drew out, Kalos was the region I had in mind, with the Gallic Rooster as unofficial symbol of France (which might be why Torchic appears in XY), and I believe the cockatrice I tied it to is of French mythology. And in general, for every remake, I think it'd be a lot of fun if they updated the dex to include regional variants that could plausible exist there or make sense to.

Anyway, I'm not sure XY needs a remake now, but I do think it needs an overhaul, which I've heard that we were supposed to either get Z or XY2, but they got cut because there was no time to make it. Which, I do wish we did get Z because that third version is always the superior one, able to have more time and add more stuff in and make tweaks so it goes better, and XY I think needed those tweaks. It's a beautiful region and I like the dex a lot, but I didn't enjoy it for the story or characters. Most of them didn't even stick with me, nor could I remember their names.

Unfortuantely though, remake wise, Pokemon just likes to copy and paste typically, and if BDSP is going to be the new norm for pokemon remakes, it's a remake I don't want for XY, or BW.

[bluekat12345]

Pokemon Scarlet DLC: Teal Mask review

(This will contain spoilers for the Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet. So if you don't want to be spoiled, do not read this! Also, warning: This will be long.)

I've been playing for a few days now, and I couldn't wait any longer to share my thoughts. (I've never been a patient person.)

Overall, I loved it! I think the scenery was cool, the town was cool, and I really loved the Pokémon you could find there, and I enjoyed the characters and the storyline of the game. Not everything was perfect, and I will point out what I thought were weak points, but overall, it's still fun to play.

So many great Pokémon from previous were there, and I really like the designs of the new ones in the game. I really like Poltchageist and I think its evolution looks cool too and I cannot wait to catch, evolve, and learn more about it. Though, I will admit I'm not too impressed with Dipplin, I feel like it could've been better as a regional form or a regional fake. I heard there's supposed to be another evolution for it that comes out in the second half of the DLC, I hope its true. And, as mentioned before, I really like the Pokémon that returned for the DLC, makes me really wanna catch all.

Ogerpon was so cute! And those masks are awesome! I want an Ogerpon plushie now! The 'Loyal' Three designs were cool (still don't like them), and I was actually surprised they were part Poison, I thought they would be Dark Types.

However, I will admit, I don't really care much for that little berry collecting minigame, didn't really enjoy it. So, I don't imagine playing more of it anytime soon.

I really enjoyed exploring Kitakami, the scenes were beautiful, and I always find something interesting when I explored. Seriously, wherever I go, there is something to find on the ground, it got to the point where I had to stop myself from collecting everything I noticed on the ground.

I also like the new bags and hairstyles that style card grants me. Not really my real life hairstyle, but I might give one of them a try. I really enjoyed the new hairstyle and bag were given when we change into that green festival outfit.

The characters were definitely interesting to me. I enjoyed spending time with Kieran and found myself able to relate to the shy little guy, and throughout the journey, I genuinely felt bad keeping secrets from him and beating him in battles. And I really felt bad when Ogerpon wanted to go with me instead of him. And the way it ended, gave me major future antagonist vibes, hopefully he'll just still be a friend that motivated to get stronger. I don't want him as an enemy.

Carmine was honestly frustrating to deal with, at first. I found her a bit frustrating to deal with and enjoyed beating her in battle if it meant knocking her insufferable ego down. But by the end, I found myself liking her a bit more. She's not my favorite character, but I felt I understood her better and I don't dislike her so much now.

As for Briar, I am honestly suspicious of her. She seems nice and its cool that she is the descendant of Heath, the guy who wrote the Scarlet/Violet book, but something about her screams secret villain/antagonist to me and while she claims to want to prove Heath's theories true, I feel like she has less than benevolent ulterior motives. Guess we'll just have to see in Part 2.

Overall, the story was great, but it kind of reminded me of the Team Star story, where the innocent party is treated as a villain while the true villains are treated as heroes. When I learned the truth, I was deeply frustrated how the people were treating those three villains like heroes and shared Carmine's frustration. I was glad the truth came out, but I feel like it was resolved too quickly and easily, where Kieran just tells people and they automatically believe him, I feel like they should've seen how evil the 'Loyal' Three truly were and see for themselves how Ogerpon is not bad. But I was happy that the truth is out. I knew Ogerpon would go with me, but I still felt a bit bad, since Kieran wanted nothing more than to befriend the Pokémon and I felt like I robbed him of that. I might bring Ogerpon to Blueberry Academy when the second part comes out.

Overall, I'd give this a 9/10 score.

[blacckdiamondposts]

FUN WITH THE CAPTAINS

WHY DID I NEVER FINISH THIS? cries in lower case

You should've known better - winking at Daichi, smirking at Bokuto and teasingly wetting your lips in front of Kuroo - there just had to be consequences.

However, you were Nekoma's third-year manager, wanting to have some fun with them as this would be your last training camp. You didn't realize that they were actually flirting - unlike you, who was joking around.

Today you'd have your fun as Karasuno, Nekoma, and Fukurodani would all be in the same gym.

As you were handing out the water bottles to your team, you noticed how Bokuto looked at you from across the gym.

When you turned to Kuroo to give him his bottle, you smiled up at him, "Good luck, handsome."

You left him standing there, gazing at your retreating form. You were hoping that a specific owl-head was able to tell that you were flirting with the rooster head.

You didn't forget about the other two males, complimenting Bokuto as you walked past him, "Oh wow, Bokuto, you look really good today!"

"Thank you (Y/N), I've been training extra hard lately," He said, flexing his muscles to show off.

As some of Karasuno's first years were practicing, a volleyball was coming towards you, Daichi didn't fail to pull you away just in time.

"Thanks, Daichi," You exclaimed.

You turned your head, looking at the latter before your eyes fixed on the red handprint on your upper arm.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to grab you like that," Daichi apologized as he noticed the mark on your arm.

"Don't worry, it's alright," You smiled at him, "I wish those marks would be somewhere else, though."

You for sure didn't think that he'd hear your mumbling - but he did. 

Daichi was standing there,  rooted to the ground, wondering if that was meant to sound as suggestive as it did.

You continued to flirt with them for the rest of the day, loving to see their reactions and how much they can show off.

Once practice was officially over, you decided to stay behind to clean up as volleyballs were laying around everywhere.

You were deep in your thought, humming as you were picking up the stray volleyballs - not noticing the three figures that entered the gym.

"(Y/N), you have some explaining to do," Kuroo said as he walked closer to you.

Your lips tugged into a smile as you turned around, smirking at the three males standing in front of you. 

"Oh, and why would I have to do that?" You retorted, raising one of your eyebrows.

"Come on, we've noticed how you were acting around us," Bokuto objected, cocking his head to one side.

"Yeah, and I've heard you after that little incident," Daichi smirked at you.

It took you a minute to realize what the latter was talking about, but as soon as it clicked, you felt your cheeks heat up. 

"I was just having some fun with you guys," You told them, wondering what other reactions you could get out of them.

"Why exactly us?" Kuroo asked, looking at you with a questioning look.

"Why not?" You shrugged, "I knew that I could get a reaction out of the three of you, and you don't look too bad."

They were all looking at you with a smug expression, feeling as if you were their prey.

Daichi was slowly closing the distance, walking behind you while the others were still in front of you.

"You know, we could get the wrong idea," Bokuto warned you.

"Yeah, especially if you wish for handprints on your body," Daichi reminded you of your words as he wrapped his hand around your neck. 

He pulled you closer until your back was flush against his broad chest.

"What if I wanted you to get the wrong idea," You joked, wanting to test the waters.

Daichi tightened his grip, leaning his head closer until you could feel his breath against your skin, "We can show you."

His words surely affected you as you could feel a heat spread in your lower regions. 

Have you ever imagined getting wrecked by Daichi, Bokuto, or Kuroo? - YES.

Have you ever imagined getting wrecked by all of them at the same time? - You were right now, and you loved the thought of it.

"Then show me," You purred as you were feeling bold, earning a chuckle from all three of them. 

"As you wish, kitten," Kuroo chuckled, turning around as he was headed towards the storage room, "Come on, or do you want anyone else to join?"

Bokuto didn't hesitate to follow the rooster head, Daichi quickly picked you up as he walked over to the others.

He placed you down once you were inside - all three of them looking at you expectantly.

Kuroo cleared his throat before he teaset you, "Now, what would you want us to do with you?"

"Oh, I don't know," You flashed an innocent smile, ”I thought you’d show me.”

”Believe me, we���ll do just that, ” Daichi smirked at you. 

[adobe-outdesign]

May I get your thoughts on my sweet slug friend Gastrodon?

Is it even possible to go wrong with a nudibranch? I don't know, but what I do know is that this is a great line as a whole. The east and west coast forms are neat, basically serving as an example of allopatric evolution (almost similar to regionals in a way, except rooted in location rather than continent). Interestingly, some beta sprites suggest it was supposed to be one form only originally, and the east and west coast thing wasn't done until later:

For Shellos specifically, I like the yellow outlines and the bright colors, which are both pretty sea slug-esq. I'm also glad that the line as a whole isn't overly slug-like (having heads separate from the body and whatnot), but keeps with the slug-like body shape instead of becoming something else entirely.

My only complaints are the color inconsistencies--the west sea form is pink with a white underbelly, but the east sea is blue with a green underbelly. Based on Gastrodon's colors, either the west sea should've had a brown underbelly, or the east sea should've had a white one. I personally would've gone for the later, seeing as it already has white on the head tentacles and that would keep the line from looking too similar to their evos.

I'm also not huge on the yellow mouth outlines, mostly because they run together with the yellow eyes and mantle stripes while still being a seperate element. Also, the nose dots(?) are a strange thing to include. Other than that, though, I like these guys a lot.

Between the two, I like the "wings" on the east coast more, but I like the colors on the east coast more (especially once it evolves). I think I ultimately lean more towards the east coast, but both are good.

While Shellos is solid, I really love Gastrodon. Not only do the designs get even better, but they also gain a third eye (though unfortunately, this appears to be a marking and not a real eye. They really should've just gone for it; I mean, why not?) and some very nice colors.

Honestly, I don't even have much to critique on these guys. The lines add some nice patterns and really pull the eye through the designs well, the eyes are unique and striking, and the mouths have been improved significantly. I guess the underbelly on the east coast form could be a bit lighter to contrast better with the green, but that's about it.

(Side note: I love that these guys squak. It's just such an unexpected noise for a sea slug to make and yet it fits them 100%).

One thing that I will say though is that it feels like there's a missed opportunity to give them either regionals or additional forms. In particular, the 'dex mentions them having shells at one point, which would be perfect for some kind of regional:

(Oddly enough, PLA gives us a regional slug with a shell on its back... in the form of Goodra. Okay.)

But the other thing is that I would love to see them add North and South forms as well. I mean, why not? It fits with the 'dex entries for these guys:

And it could give them the opportunity to try out more vibrant colors. I'm fine with the line as is, but I've seen some people express a desire to see something as brilliant as a real nudibranch, which is understandable:

Giving them some additional forms would be a great way to play more with the colors and designs. Regardless, I thoroughly enjoy these slugs.

[marvelxfandoms]

RAMON—H.W

Summary-You and Harry are having a very sentimental talk that eventually leads to more, but Cisco has to ruin it-Takes place during S4

Btw-Sorry if this sucks, its my first ever Harrison Wells fan fiction

(This is also on my Wattpad)

Warnings-Some cursing, partial smut

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Word Count: 2,183

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Y/N's POV

Harry's been working in his workshop for way too long now. It's really starting to bother me, he's not even spending anytime with me ever since Devoe has gotten into our lives. So I decided to talk to Cisco for this.

I walk into his workshop "Cisco!" "Yeah hold up, I'll be right there!" He yelled back. After a few minutes he finally met up with me "Yeah what's happening" "Harry's not spending time with me, but he's always working in his workshop. It's bullshit!" I said. "Y/N I know that Harry can be an asshole, but he has to solve who this Devoe guy is" Cisco says. "It's like he has time to fuck his work and has no time to fuck me" I say in a strong voice. "Well I didn't need to know that, and I'm gonna pretend I never heard that" "Well the more you know" Cisco and I chuckle.

"Tell me how you feel, but without any sexual tensions. Cause I don't want to be ruined again, I've already seen his 'lower regions." Cisco says as he's staring off in the distance with disgust on his face. "When did you ever see his d— oh wait, never mind" I say as I remember the Council of Wells.

"Okay carry on with your rant about Harry not spending time with you" "Harry's always in his workshop, day and night, so even at night I can't be with him so I'm always in bed alone and I'm not used to that. When I try and help him he always saves me off like he's entranced to his work and can't have and bothers." "Mmhmm" "Every Time he's on break he doesn't even bother to say 'hi' or 'hello' to me, and that's what truly bothers me. He never gets any time to spend with me." I say as tears start to form in my eyes. "No don't cry. He will always be like that, he's a stubborn man who will not stop working at any case just to figure out the solution to a problem. If I can do anything to help you I can try and talk to him" Cisco says. "That would be great if he would listen to you" "Ohhhh, believe me he will" Cisco says with a smirk as I chuckle. "Thank you so much Cisco. What can I do to repay you?" "You can tell Harry to stop being a dick to me?" "Ohhh, believe me, it's gonna be hard to persuade him" I say and we both laugh. "So when are you going to talk to him?" "I'm gonna march into his workshop right now and tell him" "Okay, but just be careful he might lash at you" "Don't worry once I bring up your name he'll shut up" "Hahaha, okay, what ever you say. Thank you again Cisco" "Don't worry, I would do anything for my sister from another mother" He says as we hug.

Cisco's POV

As I walk into Harry's workshop I smell a bunch of coffee and a little bit of alcohol in here. "Harry!!! Come out, come out wherever you are!" "Jesus Ramon, warn me when you barge into my workshop!" Harry yells as he throws his coffee on the floor. "Hey, what the hell Harry! Your cleaning up your mess after you do what I tell you to do" "And why would I listen to you Ramon?" "Because it's about  Y/N" As I brought up Y/N's name Harry became instantly worried. "Why? Did something happen to her? Is she hurt? What did you do?!" "She's hurt emotionally, and not because of me, it's because of you."

Harry got up and started marching towards me and I almost pissed myself when I saw his face. He looked totally pissed "Harry I swear I didn't do anything. She's hurt because of y—." I was cut off my Harry choking me against the wall. "Don't you dare blame anything on me, I'll only believe it if it's coming from my Y/N!"

"Harry stop choking Cisco cause he's telling the truth" Y/N's voice came out of no where, but thank god.

Harry finally let go of me "Ramon get out"

"What wh-." "Just get out so we can talk"

"Cisco, listen to him" with that I walk out, but before I left I whispered to Y/N "Just know that he does love you and he will do anything for you" Y/N nodded and then hugged me. After the hugging was done I left, and as I was leaving I could feel Harry's deadly eyes on me.

Your POV

"Oh no, no honey I'm just working too hard on finding who this Devoe bitch is" Harry said. "I know that, but you always ignore me when I try and get near" "I do that so I can get things done quicker and spend time with you when I'm done" Harry said, and at this point I was crying. " I just want to spend time with you" "I know but I have to work so we can find our DeVoe" Harry says. "Harry is DeVoe your husband or something?" "No, bu-" "No buts Harry! I feel like we're drifting apart and I can' take it anymore!" "Love I-" "Harry let me speak!" With that he instantly shut up. "Harry all I want is you and I just want to spend time with my boyfriend during these rough times. I want to spend time with you since your always stressed and angry, and I just want to help you get less stressed and help the team not get affected by your rage fits.  Your the best thing that has ever happened in my life and I want to help you in anyway, and I would do anything to help you." At this point I could see that Harry was sorry and filled with guilt. "Harry I know that all of this isn't your fau-" I was cut off by Harry walking up to me and giving me a warm embrace. "No, no love, it is my fault. I haven't been spending any time with you during these rough times. I should've been thinking more about you and how you were feeling instead of working." He kisses my temple. "I'm so sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?" I look up at him and wrap my arms around his neck. "I think there might be one thing you could do to get my forgiveness."

As I say this he smirks at me and starts backing me up into the wall. "Oh love, you know just how to work me up" Every time he spoke he kissed me, and every time he got lower. "I'm" kiss on my lips, "going" kiss on my cheek, "to" kiss on my temple, "show you" kiss on my neck, "how much" kiss on my collarbone, "I love you" and when he kissed my sweet spot I couldn't hold my sounds back. He trailed right back up to my lips and we started to kiss aggressively to see who would win dominance, but we both knew that he would win. "Jump" Harry said in a lust filled voice, and goddamnit he knows how much I love it when he uses that voice. I jump and wrap my legs around his waist and he leads us to his desk in the room. He sweeps off all of his work on his desk like it was all useless and not important. "Harry, your work!" "I don't give one fuck about the work right now cause all I'm focused on right now is you and you only." As he says this he places me on the desk like I'm the most fragile and important thing in the world for him. "I'm gonna make you feel like a fucking queen right now." With this statement he whips my shirt right off of me and almost starts to take off my pants, but I stop him. "Harry stop" He looks at me like a deer in headlights "Why, what happened, what did I do?" He asks me in his nice, nervous, and cute voice that I also love. "It's what you didn't do" I say as I smirk. "What did I not do?" At this, I tugged on his iconic black sweater, and then he finally got the idea. "Ohhh, I see. Well your wish is my command Miss L/N" With this he strips off his sweater and undershirt, and he reveals his god like body. "You like what you see?" He says with an eyebrow raised, since he saw me gawking at his body. "You know I like what I see" I say as he snaps me out of my entrancement. "Good cause I like, wait no, I love what I see." After staring at each other in awe, Harry and I start moving closer to each other's lips, and then I make the move to attack his lips with mine. He then starts to fight back by gaining back his dominance.

I guess we were so lost in each other's embrace and make out session that we didn't hear the footsteps leading to the lab. "Hey Y/N, Harry how are you guys? I hope you guys aren't still mad at each other since I couldn't hear any— OMG MY EYES!" That's all we heard from Cisco. "Oh goddamnit-Ramon what did I tell you about barging into my room without warning me first!"Harry yells as he tries to cover me up from Cisco's view. "I'm sorry I thought you guys were fighting and I wanted to check up on you two so you wouldn't kill each other!" Cisco yells back. "I didn't think that you guys were gonna end up having make up sex!" "Well, you don't know us that well then" I say, and Harry chuckles. Cisco rolls his eyes at us both, "Y/N I expected more out of you and Harry I-" Cisco stops for a little bit. "Harry I just don't know what to expect from you now, and Harry you have your own ROOM and BED to do the nasty in..." "Ramon" Harry tries to cut him off. "....you don't have to fuck on a desk..." "Ramon" "...just to let you know its a lot more comfier to have sex in a bed..." "Ramon!" "What!" Cisco finally stops rambling. "Get out." Harry says in the calmest way possible. "Ok fine, but can you guys not do it in the lab, people walk in here and sometimes work in here" "Cisco, let me tell you something." "Yes?" "We're doing it in the lab cause there's more fun involved" I say to Cisco as I wink at Harry, and I could tell that Harry really wanted Cisco out of the room now. "Y'all are disgusting, why would you tell me thi-" "Ramon. Get. Out." "Well I can see that someone's anx-" "RAMON! OUT!" "Ok, ok. Calm down I'm going, and by the way, you guys better clean up after-" "Cisco get out" I say. "Ohhhh, I see Harry isn't the only horny on-" "Get Out!" Harry and I say in sync. With that Cisco literally fled the room, and yelled down the hall "Y'all better use protection!" Me and Harry chuckle. Harry walked to the door and locked it completely, and then he walked right back to me with lust blown eyes. "So where were we?" Harry said right as he got to me. "Hmmmm, let me think." I said with my hand resting upon my chin, looking like I was thinking. "If I remember you were about to take me on your desk. Am I right?" "That's just what I was thinking" Harry said as he started to kiss me.

With that, all I can say is that we stayed in the lab all day, and we never left that room until the morning.

The End

Welp, here's the first chapter of this Tom Cavanagh/Harrison Wells' x reader fanfic book. It's not that good, but its the best I could do. It would mean a lot to me if u could give me some feedback on this and maybe give me some advice for my future chapters. Btw requests are open for now. Hope u guys enjoyed this chapter, and hope u guys have a great night/day!

[galaxiasus-a]

otomates said: "I'm sorry I waited so long." Raihan's smile, uncharacteristically self-deprecating, wanes as he stares down at their hands, fingers laced through in a loose hold between them. He shifts so that he isn't fully facing Piers, but pulls his hand with him so that he's holding it against his chest, staring up at the ceiling. "To apologize for being a arsehole, I mean. We both know it's always been there." He closes his eyes and lets out a long sigh. "It should've come before I told you I loved you."

↪ SELECT: Unprompted ( @selfietake​ )

His apologies was met with silence. Piers wasn’t looking at him, doesn’t stir when Raihan shifts and takes his hand in his. He was staring staring at one spot of the fabric of his blanket, eyes shifting from one to another as he allowed Raihan’s words to really sink in. He had already gotten emotional the last time they had this conversation, where the first ‘I’m sorry’ came out. He shed his tears then, he doubts he has anymore, but the pool that started to form in his eyes said something different. 

It should've come before I told you I loved you. Raihan’s attitude runs deeper than his snarky behavior and phone addiction, like Pier’s own went deeper than being the lonely goth kid hiding in the corner of the region. He knew this, far before Raihan got into the habit of telling him he loves him more than once a day. “Maybe it should’ve.” He mumbled, his voice flat as he raises a hand to wipe the corner of his eyes with his palm. 

He remembers back then, how at his core, Raihan was nothing more than an arrogant man who spoke pedestals above others. How he clearly needed to be put into his place, something Leon thankfully didn’t hesitate to do just that. 

“...It did hurt.” Especially when he was already an outcast at the time. A style that was unpar with anyone in Galar; both in terms of clothing and in battling. Despite him being one of the more powerful gym leaders, himself and his ‘gym’ in its entirety was not generally favored by anyone else. He’s sure his personality didn’t help with his already struggling reputation; his music was more of a saving grace to hide the fact he was the more quiet of the gym leaders, the one who didn’t stick too long during the afterparties. The one people only could describe him as ‘shady.’

Piers knew everything that was said. The subtle insults, the whispers that questioned why he was even considered part of Galar’s history every time he walked past, the reminders that he could never be what everyone else. Someone that legitimately mattered. 

Of all the people that was a ball of it all, the one who had to put it in front of his face every time he was brought up in one of his special interviews, it was Raihan. Anything Piers heard strangers say about him, Raihan was the one who repeated it, whether it was in a way that was worse than what they said or not.

Piers finally blinks up at him. He notices Raihan’s changed expression, as if he didn’t expect to hear that Piers knew his old intentions for doing what he did. Piers was quick to give a reassuring smile, leaning up to leave a small kiss on the corner of Raihan’s lips. “It doesn’t as much anymore.” He promises, freeing his hand and taking one of Raihan’s instead, putting the dragon user’s palm again Piers’ cheek so he can rest his head. “I got used to it.”

Just like how he knew of people gossiping behind his back, he knew that he used to not be favorite on Raihan’s list. He took quick notice that he preferred to be in a different room than him, the displeasured look in his eyes whenever they were forced to work together for one thing or another. Granted, that was his default attitude when it came to the other gym leaders as well, but in Piers’ eyes it seemed to be a lot worse for him. Raihan never spoke proudly of Spikemuth, much less to be placed in the rank right above Piers. He never had pleasant things to say about him, about anyone else, about how he doesn’t follow tradition in Dynamaxing his own Pokemon. He remembers Raihan admitting he thought he was annoying, and Arceus knows Piers picked up that fact the moment they laid eyes on each other. 

At some point, it stopped being something to be hurt over. After this sort of treatment from everyone, the treatment that still continued even now, it became more something he put into his daily life. The taunts and looks were things he had to force himself to not care about. The easiest way to accomplish this was simply to avoid. To not spend too much time around people more than he was required to do. It became his usual routine, to simply not care anymore, to not look at Raihan whenever he tried to get his attention and to do his own thing. His more important goal was to keep Spikemuth from sinking, to do what he could to prove to himself and to others that he was capable of taking care of himself and saving his name. If it was something he had to do alone, to keep Marnie away from the talk he had to face, then so be it.

“For the longest time, I thought you hated me.” Much longer than it should have been. “Even during… the almost two years you say you had feelings for me, I thought you hated me. I had already accepted that I wasn’t going to be anything more than competition, and now I had to deal with you stopping to say hi to me in the lobby?” He snorts, tilting his head just slightly to kiss Raihan’s palm to show he was only half joking. It certainly was a surprising change in his eyes at least. To go from someone that had talked big and stayed big for so long, to now the man who tried to act like a friend you can joke with whenever they got any sort of break. “I feel kind of bad, honestly. For ignoring you for as long as I did. For not saying hi back whenever you tried to make small talk with me. I simply thought it was near impossible for you to like me, much less see me as someone you wanted to spend time with. I’ll be honest, I thought you were trying to be nice out of pity for me. And then…” He genuinely laughs now, a small smile as he thinks back fondly at the memory. “You.. stopped mid interview because you saw me. You just stepped away from the spotlight.. Because you wanted to talk to me.”

He pauses, letting go of Raihan’s hand when he felt his hair getting tugged. Turning around, he saw the Deino attempting to make trouble again, her blindness proving to not be in her favor when the only way she could find her trainer was by biting into his long hair. “I guess in that moment is when I realized you really were trying to make peace.” He continues, shifting so he could pick up the gifted Pokemon and place her securely in his lap. Already she was trying to find things to put in her jaws by snapping at the air, Piers’ only option was to finish what he wanted to say in a hushed voice so he could keep the Deino calm. 

“I gave you a chance after that. Because I saw you were trying, and there was something.. different about you. I guess those beat downs from Leon really proved to do their job, hm?” He teases, watching the Deino make herself comfortable by curling up in his lap. “I never wanted to bring up how you used to treat me, never really felt like asking why the sudden change happened, simply because it was things I wanted to put behind me now that you were genuinely making the change, and… well, because I didn’t see the point to it. I didn’t care for it anymore, sad to say or not; there was never a revenge plan. Never something to use for blackmail. I figured maybe the both of us wanted to ignore it ever happened.”

He says it, yet knows of the inner turmoil he felt during that time. He can’t fully blame Raihan for it, not when there was some percentage of it remaining because of current different factors. It was easier for him to say that he wanted to ignore that it ever happened, but as his bright eyes darkened the more he spoke showed that his past self held a stone in his heart that was hard to explain.

He thought back to that day. The usual routine of having to wait in the sidelines, the gym leaders’ losses not in full vain as a gym challenger made their way towards fighting the most powerful trainer in the whole region. It was going to be a normal fight, until Raihan for some reason stepped into the field. Where he declared his love, he later learns that its more than a year’s worth, for Piers in front of Galar in a way that was impossible to fly over his head.

Much to everyone’s surprise, he accepted his confession that day.

He doesn’t know what he signed up for when he did it. He wasn’t prepared to be the subject of Raihan’s extreme acts of affection. Or to finally be able to sit back and breathe when it came to defending a town he so deeply called home, because there was no need to try and do it on his own anymore. The person that spoke negatively about his gym for so long now became its biggest supporter. The man he never dreamed he would see himself as a friend towards was now the one that held him in his arms almost every night just so he could get some proper sleep. Now he was the one he doesn’t mind kissing in the privacy of his room until too much time has passed. He doesn’t know where the same loving feelings towards him came from, or when those feelings came to be, but… “I guess I liked you back, despite it all, because I saw who you really are. Someone with a heart, someone more than just the popular guy.”

Doing his best to remain careful not to wake the now sleeping Deino, he shifted so he could sit closer to Raihan, enough so he can rest his head against his shoulder. “I knew you were sorry because you said you loved me. I know you’re sorry because you send me good morning letters every day, no matter how much you like to complain about having to write letters just to talk to me. Everything you’ve done for me… the fact you still want to be with me, from you treating Marnie with respect and from you being the loudest out of all my Team Yell members whenever I have a match with a trainer, that's what I saw as your apologies for everything you did. I already knew. I already felt better about anything and everything because I’m around you.. You finally doing this, it just makes me find more reasons to love you.” He trails off, his hand holding onto Raihan’s as his thumb drew circles at the back of his hand. He can’t remember the last time he had been this open, Arceus knew even Marnie doesn’t know half of the things he had just admitted, but he’s grateful that he was talking to him. “I waited a long time to hear those words, Raihan, not just because I wanted to see you own up to it, but also simply so it gives me a reason to say… I forgive you.”

He lets out a soft sigh, sitting up so he could fumble with gifted scrunchies and undo the mess that was his hair, casually getting ready to turn in for the night. They had a long history together, one that wasn’t filled with many happy memories as one would assume. He can only hope having this conversation reassured Raihan enough, that he held no ill will against him for everything he had done. More than anything right now, Piers simply wanted to make more memories with him. Memories with the two of them as a couple, that he can look back on years from now and smile over it.

With the peaceful Deino now nudged off his lap and onto her corner of the bed, he gently places his hand on the side of Raihan’s face and turns him so he can fully look at him. He stares at him for a brief moment, only to lean in for the kiss he’s been dying for the entire time. It was his usual softer one’s compared to the ones Raihan loved to deliver, breaking away so he could nuzzle into the side of his neck. “You’re not the guy I want to avoid anymore, my beloved, now you’re a person I don’t want to live without.”

[adobe-outdesign]

Say what do you think of basculin and it’s new evo?

Basculin is my fifth fave mon of all time so i’m eating good

I already did the male Basculegion over here when it was first shown. I never reviewed Basculin or the other forms however, so I'll do that now.

You know, I always liked Basculin. Don't get me wrong, it's not the most interesting Pokemon ever, but for a simple fish Pokemon it's pretty nicely designed. The black adds contrast and leads the eye down the body, the stripes add a pop of color, and the spots further accent the stripes.

Between the two, I prefer the red version. Blue's not bad, but the fins don't match the top one as well and the eye looks kind of funky.

The only nitpick I have with these guys is that I would've liked to see the stripes even more prominent; I feel like the red and black on the back stripe should've reversed, or the body spots could gain some color in the middle. It's the closest thing to a theme these guys have, so emphasizing it more would've helped. I also feel like the green could've been darker or less saturated in order to further make those stripes pop.

And yeah, that's the main issue with these guys: they're fine, but they're boring. The only thing going for them is that they have two different colors that fight each other, and that's just not enough to make them stand out. Which is what makes Basculegion so great; it takes a fairly underwhelming concept and puts a fresh twist on it.

I take one major issue with H. Basculin, and that's that it exists.

I just have never understood the purpose behind giving a Pokemon that really needs an evolution one but then tacking that evolution on to a regional variant, thus preventing the original Pokemon from evolving into it. Sometimes it's justified if the concept is too wildly different to fit, but in this case there's no reason Basculegion couldn't just evolve from regular Basculin. It's not like the regional adds anything to the line by being here. Don't get me wrong, any evolution is better than none, but it still feels self-defeating.

It might feel less so if the white-striped Basculin brought anything new to the table, but it's just... well, a regular Basculin but with white accents and a blend of both fin styles. Thrilling.

Also, why white for the color of all things? At least go for purple, as it's a combo of blue and red and thus would fit both evos.

Side note, according to the 'dex this thing is supposed to be gentle, yet it looks far more like it's going to chew off my hand than its more aggressive cousins.

Thankfully, Basculegion is well worth the useless regional. I went over my praise in the original review of the male, but this is such a fantastic concept, taking inspiration from salmon to give it a unique premise and a design that invokes ancient Japanese art. It's such a good design, and I love it to bits. Definitely one of my favorite PLA 'mons.

There's also been some tweaks made to the colors that reflect what I said for the original Basculin, with it now sporting a duller green and much more of the respective accent colors.

Between these two, I still prefer the red-striped, just because of the longer mustache/beard and fiercer expression. The colors also pop more--the blue stripe is so pale it almost looks like it's still white-striped, and personally I would've liked a more vibrant shade for it.

Speaking of forms, I was originally confused as to why the colors were suddenly gendered when they weren't before, but I think this is a nod to salmon. Not only do they die en mass during breeding season like H. Basculin, but the males become red during spawning season:

(these ones are both male but the females just look like the ocean-phase males)

While this is a nice in the sense that it adds a bit more purpose to the colors, I feel like this goes back to what i said about H. Basculin. I would've rather just had both forms be both genders than create a useless regional just to do the sexual dimorphism angel, you know?

So overall, the original Basculin is fine, but bland. While the Hisuian evolution suffers from a pointless regional instead of just evolving directly from the original, Basculegion itself is a fantastic design with a fantastic concept, and is definitely one of the highlights of PLA.