#eh maybe a topic to think about for another time

[kooldewd123]

there's something to be said about the choice to use "prince" as the main signifier of military rank for the andalites. because it kinda obscures the truth of the situation, doesn't it? a group of kids getting magic powers from an alien prince sounds whimsical and delightful. a group of kids getting pulled into a war by an alien colonel sounds tragic and horrible. the slow reveal of what "prince" actually means over the course of the early books is perhaps the most underrated twist of the entire series, because it fundamentally recontextualizes the entire premise of the series without the reader even consciously realizing it.

[moonstandardtime]

i want to put link in isat. im sure hed do fine. the heros spirit endures

[lexicog]

traitor to the cause forgets national holiday every year KILL HIM

[redflagshipwriter]

ANOTHER UNDEAD FENTON

Inspiration came from this post by @stars-obsession-pit !

Word count: 1479

Masterpost of Archive Down Fics here.

(I wrote three dp x dc fics based off of prompts I've seen in the last day for reading while the site is getting maintenance. )

There was a high, shrill scream in the Fenton lab.

Maddie bolted for the stairs, abandoning her coffee without a thought. She flung herself down to see Jack bent over a body in front of the portal.

“Is this person a threat?” Maddie prepared to defend her husband, but the body didn't move.

Jack looked up at her. “No, I was just surprised! I think he's hurt, Mads.”

Her bleeding heart husband. She crossed the room and rolled their intruder over to see it was a kid, maybe Danny's age. In his sleep, he had a sweet, soft face. His face and throat were covered in faint scars.

Well. That was one of hers, now. No getting around it. That was a teenage boy on her floor who has obviously been the victim of violence.

“Well, shit,” Maddie said companionably. She blew out air between her teeth. “Dear, would you put clean sheets on in Jazz's room?”

They were running out of space, between the clones and the past evil alternate future children.

Jack saluted her, shouted an affirmation , and bounded away.

Maddie took a moment to wonder if her children would be an infinitely expanding collection and if so, if it would be better to move into Vlad's castle than to build the home addition they had planned for.

She gathered the teenager up in her arms despite him being her size, and laid him out on an exam table. She started checking his vitals.

A hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Maddie said. She redirected her hand to smooth hair behind his ear. He blearily followed the movement, just as obviously intelligent as he was obviously compromised. She didn't know if it was a concussion or drugs or what, but this boy was not well. “It's Friday June 29th, and you're in Amity Park, Illinois. I'm Madeleine Fenton and you're at my house because you fell through a portal. Is there someone I should call for you?”

He stared at her. She could see the moment he decided not to speak to her.

That situation didn't change much all day. The kid walked himself up to bed and peered around at Jazz's old posters. He seemed to want to be alone, but Maddie caught him watching Dani and Dan playing catch in the yard. She made eye contact with him over her book and then looked back at her shrieking kids. Dan was doing flips on the trampoline and launching his sister in the air, catching and tossing her back up in the nick of time between flips.

Their new boy closed his curtains.

“I was thinking about Dante,” Jack said, bringing out a pitcher of iced tea. “Or, how about Jasper! Eh? Eh? You know, like Jazz-per?” Jack belly laughed.

“He probably has his own name,” Maddie said calmly. She'd estimated him at 16 or so, anyway. But whatever. If he wasn't going to give them a name, they did eventually need something to call him. And they needed to sort out accommodation fast, before Jazz got back from her college tour trip.

“Let's go with Jasper until he gives us his real name.” There were enough Ds in her home, honestly.

She lured Jasper out of his room for lunch. He sat at the kitchen table and watched them all warily. He only ate what they ate.

Danny arrived mid-meal. “Mom! Dad!” There was a whumpf as he probably threw himself onto the sofa. “We wanna go to Elmerton, that ok?”

“You should take your brother with you,” Maddie called back. “He needs clothes.”

“What?” Danny clearly pried himself up and came into the kitchen. Maddie silently offered to make him a plate. “No, I ate at Tuck's. Dan, what'd you do to your clothes?”

“Nothing, you pathetic worm,” said Dan, who really was a sensitive boy. “I am not the topic of discussion, you blithering fool.” He jerked a finger at Jasper. “New one.”

Danny stared.

Jasper looked uncomfortable. He gave a sort of hello nod.

“He's, uh, he's not-”

“Not a clone or alternate future version of you, nope,” Maddie agreed. “Though he did come out of the portal. We wondered if he might be a ghost, but it didn't seem necessary to ask.”

Jasper full body flinched at the word “ghost”, but he looked confused.

Danny squinted at his new bother who, it must be said, did look a bit like a Fenton already. “Not a ghost,” he said after a long pause. “But a little undead. Not sure what kind. But yeah, you're walking dead, buddy.” He clapped Jasper on the shoulder.

“You'll fit right in!” Jack cheered. “Dan is half dead! So is Danno! And so is Dani here! And-”

“Thank you, Jack,” Maddie cut him off. “It might be a sensitive subject, don't you think?”

“Nah,” said Danny, stealing food out of the pan despite saying he wasn't hungry. “We aren't that sensitive. Like-” he looked at Jasper and explained: “I got electrocuted to death in the lab two years ago. Dan is from an alternate future where everyone he loved died, so then he killed everyone else on earth. And Dani is a science experiment baby.”

“It's true,” Dani said solemnly. “I'm a work of science.”

“You make me sound so uncool,” Dan complained, stabbing at his spaghetti.

Jasper laughed for the first time. He himself seemed surprised by the sound. It was hoarse but there was promise there.

When the boys were off at the mall in Elmerton with Sam and Tucker, Maddie called up Vlad.

“You want to come here?”

“I’ve got more kids than I have rooms in my house,” she said wryly. “So if the offer is still open…”

“Yes, of course it is,” he assured her. “But- most of the little ones are still in the Ghost Zone, correct?”

“They're not big enough to leave yet,” Maddie agreed. “Which is why I need to be near a portal.” The ghostlings were staying with the LunchLady and Box Ghost, but they needed to be able to be in touch. “But no, I've got another one.”

Glass shattered in the background. “Another- what happened to Daniel this time?”

Maddie laughed at how flustered her old college friend got. “Nothing to do with Danny, actually, this one fell out of the portal. He's some level of partly dead, but we don't think he's a ghost at all.”

Left unsaid was that they needed to do a lot of research to figure out what other possibilities there were. If they could get into contact with Danny's GP, he might be able to get them on the right track.

“Well.” Vlad took a moment to rally. “When will the family be arriving?”

Two months later, all the kids were pretty settled in.

Jasper had never shared a name, but he was happy to let them call him Jay. He was a phenomenal big brother to Dani. He wrestled with Dan. He bullied Danny into doing his homework. It had been something of an administrative nightmare to get Jaspen enrolled in school, but Vlad had pulled off whatever magic trick he'd done for Dani (applied a lot of money to the problem, Maddie supposed) and Jay had settled in very well.

“Your debut in society,” Maddie hummed, making a point of straightening Jay’s tie. He was growing already, she was sure of it! He was going to wind up as tall as Jack.

“I've been to parties before, Mom,” Jay drawled, and then flushed a dark red that meant he didn't want to be asked questions. Maddie tweaked his nose instead of answering.

“But this is the first one where Vlad's introducing you to his business friends!” She said, already dressed up for a fun night. Vlad had flown them all in on his private jet for the day.

“Queen is a family man as well,” Vlad had said the night before, aiming for calculating and coming off soft. “It will put him off his guard or perhaps make him sick with envy that I have brought a higher quality child than he could ever manage to produce.”

They arrived together, Maddie on Jack's arm, keeping her flock of kids within eyesight as Vlad led the pack. She had a perfect view of Oliver Queen seeing them arrive, the smile dropping off his face, and him choking on his drink. He did look very silly, Maddie had to admit.

“Inept,” Vlad hissed, very pleased. “The fool can't even drink. His company will be mine-” he looked at Danny for some reason. Vlad faltered at whatever be saw. “....Through legitimate business practices, such as buying a majority of stocks,” Vlad weakly finished.

Maddie slapped him on the back. “Go get him, tiger.”

[galesdevoteewife]

Gale may not be so typical squishy wizard/scholar?

-My Galeology study note-

Looking at his character sheet in the Deluxe pack gets me thinking, maybe our wizard is not exactly designed to be the typical squishy one...?

[Act2 spoiler warning]

2 things caught my eyes:

1) Great physical fitness, and good reflexes. (For your reference, Gale & Wyll are the two companions who have the highest Con: 15. I put everyone's sheets at the bottom of the post.)

His Con and Dex are... very high?? I mean, higher than Karlach and Lae'zel...????

Note 1: I suspect it could have something to do with his background as Mystra's chosen, as they are somewhat "transformed" when they agree to become the goddess's chosen. A topic for another day since I haven't quite figured it out yet, for anyone who is interested there's a chapter about it in The Seven Sisters. Also, I have little clues on how much chosen lore credit Larian was taking into account while designing him, or how Mystra's "taking back the given ability" works. Note 2: Again, Mystra's chosen are often sent on missions that involve a lot of traveling according to Elminster's series. Mystra also mentioned that Gale and she used to have adventures together, which leads to an assumption: despite his preference he might be traveling quite a lot until he was cast aside and quarantined himself in his tower. Might be the type of scholar who is very keen on field studies?

Note 3: Can someone undress Elminster to exam my theory please??xD Neh won't work I think all human might share same body model in game

Come to think of it, there was a party banter between Karlach & Gale that went like :

Karlach: Whoa! Almost slipped there. Gale: You wouldn't be the first, I'd wager. It's been some time since these walkways felt the carpenter's hammer. Karlach: You gonna catch me if I eat a brick? Gale: With my reflexes? I'd catch you before you so much as stubbed a toe.

At first I thought that was a sarcastic joke but, seems like it wasn't? Also this:

Karlach: Ready to enter the belly of the beast? Gale: It's the stairs I'm dreading. I shall close my eyes, and pretend I'm climbing my own, far superior tower in Waterdeep. Karlach: In that case, welcome home.

...So it seems when I pictured him as a homebody, I should reimagine the concept of home... His has...lots of stairs? Just walking around in the tower could be counted as a workout, sort of thing? Note: I don't think the place he shows in the Act 2 cutscene is his tower. Otherwise, aren't these neighbors pretty much doomed?

2) Not THAT smart. Well, I love him, so I will speak in his defence: [1] He has a warm(s) digging holes in his brain. [2] Poisonous magical bile running in his blood. Maybe he's just not at his best, makes sense, eh? Wyll mentioned he is nerfed after tadpole too. After all, this man obviously memorized a DICTIONARY:

Gale: You promised to stay in Waterdeep. 'Promise,' verb, meaning to swear something will or will not be done. Tara the Tressym: And I decided 'will not'. And a good thing, too. You look like you haven't had a good meal in days

Player: When I said we could be more than friends, you answered 'perhaps'. What does that really mean? Gale: If I recall correctly, the Waterdhavian Dictionary of the Common Tongue of Faerûn defines it as an adverb that conveys the meaning of 'it may be that', or 'possibly'. Gale: Sorry, sometimes I just can't help being quite insufferable. In seriousness, I'm glad you asked that question.

Along with a bunch of you-may-never-need information:

Everything about ceremorphosis? Myconid? Why in the world have him read about Cazador??? And how can he not know the distance between Waterdeep & Baldur's Gate, even Karlach ―who spent a decade, which is likely half of her life in hell― knows better geography than him. Gale either totally ignored the subject or portaled everywhere; distance meant nothing to him?? Uh, but you can't take party banters too seriously; it's buggy. How could a bug bit Karlach in the swamp? It should've been burned into ashes before it even reached her, no?

Anyway, just rambling some thoughts <3 I would have gone to Harvard if there was a major in Gale...

-DISCLAIMER- Brought to you by a brainrot wife, Galerian missionary. Be warned the article might has (strong) bias because the writer is braindead and she thinks Gale is the most awesome character in the world.

[riniworld]

can i be your favorite?

yandere! fiancè x reader

warning|| killing-blood

reference|| you, y/n(one time), angel

a/n|| sorry for taking so long! and thank you for requesting:), tbh i didn't know if you wanted on the same plot or a part two so here's a completely new story, i hope you'll like it!

w.c|| 1.5k

being engaged to your childhood friend isn't as bad as you think, yes you didn't want it to go to this, for all your life you've saw him as a friend, When he proposed to your parents for your hand in marriage, they were too embarrassed to say no, so it's practically a forced engagement, you did get into a fight with your parents and with him, but day after day you start accepting the reality, he was sweet,like how you knew him all your life, but in...a romantic way, maybe it's not that bad?

joke on you it is.

one day you were hanging out with your friends, suddenly he called you before you can even say hello he talk "who are you with?"  , "I'm fine thank you...with friends, why?", "you mean our friends?", "yeah who else?",  "mhm, good I'm coming", "why?", "why not?", "if you want to, we're at-", "i know where you are.", "wha-", and he hung up.

not ten minutes after, you catch his car parking nearby, you thought he was joking when he said he know where you're at.

he walked to you, said hello to his friends and sat beside you putting his arm around your shoulders.

" how did you find me?" you whisper.

"eh...isn't it the usual spot?" he said with an innocent smile.

you looked at him suspiciously before you give up and sigh "I'll believe that for now".

-------------------------

the entire time your fiancé was silent, It was not his habit to be silent, but he was lost in you, how you get excited when you talk about a topic you interested in,he's sinking in those shiny eyes of yours, and oh, your so adorable, smile that give him butterflies, but you know the thing is, it wasn't for him, you weren't looking at him, your attention wasn't on him, and that made him desperate, please look at him, in annoyance or anger, he doesn't care just lay your eyes at him or he'll go crazy.

he looked around for something to get your attention with. a nearby ice-cream car caught his attention, he tug on your shirt but before he says anything, on of your friends cut him off "hey look there, how about we buy some ice-cream? it's hot.", and so happen for that friend to be the closest to you, that made your fiancé's blood boil,you won't accept such a suggest from someone isn't him, are you?.

"that'd be nice", "oh sure" what did you just said?.

you stand up with the others about to walk when you notices that your fiancè hadn't move,you turn your head to him "what are you looking at? won't you come?".

"yeah, I'll come" he murmur quietly while glaring at your friend who's a bit far by now.

you shrug and walked before him but he catches up to you and forced your hands together, intertwined his fingers with yours.

the rest of the picnic went like that,he refused what your friend suggest on your behalf and bought you another thing, he kept clinging to you, kissing you randomly, and finally getting you out of there early.

-------------------------------

"what with that frown on your face?." he take a brief glance at you as he drive.

you kept looking away without a word.

"...maybe some music will change your mood." he start playing the radio.

...

"y/n, it's been fifteen minute why are you angry?." he asked, a bit Impatient.

"...why do you think?!, what with your weird acts in there?." you snapped.

"..what acts,angel?" he said with a whiney edge.

"you know exactly what I'm talking about! in the park, what happened to you,huh?, it's like something just switched."

he chuckled loudly before speaking "darling,i hate when someone gets a bit too 'kind' with you, that's all you need to know."

"what-?."

"......we're here." he stoo in front of your house.

he leaned in to kiss you but you turn your head and attempt to get out of the car,but he grabbed your arm and forced you to face him,as he plant a soft kiss on your lips "don't turn your face away from me again,angle,remember who you're belong to,and in case you start to doze off just look at your finger." he said with a smile but his tone...sends shiver to your spine,in fear,to be clear.

the same thing happened in work,you were supposed to return home with your fiancè,but you,as the stubborn person you are, you decided to go with your friend,who's happen to work in the same place as you.

"thank you again,for agreeing to drive me home with you." you said.

"no problem at all,it would also be nice to spend more time with you,like the old times"

"if that the case, then why don't we go hang out somewhere?, if you're free of course."

"hm,sure let's do it."

and like that you kept ignoring your finacè all day long.

when you returned home, you check your phone, there was like +99 message and 20 call just from him,maybe you shouldn't have done that..

"where were you yesterday?" your finacè greeted you at the door of your house.

"ah!, you scared me."

your fiancè stepped closer to you,pinning you against the door "i asked you a question, answer."

"at-at work?."

"oh? well, i came to pick you up and guess what? you weren't there." he put his hand on your cheek "stop lying to me,angel."  he said with an almost sweet tone.

you knew better than to lie to him anymore,or things will get worse, "i returned with f/n."

he looked at you for a moment before he look down and laugh "i knew it, that son of a-" he kept murmuring to himself like crazy.

"....are you-"  "yes!, yes I'm fine,come on hop on let's drive you to your work, you don't want to be late hm?."

suddenly he became all sweet..how weird..

the next few days you didn't see your friend, nor anyone you had a good interaction with, and you start to miss them..

luckly there's your fiancè who's always by your side and never makes you feel lonely,isn't that great,what? you're still worried? how about a night in your fiancè's house, it will ease your mind!.

so, that's how you're now sitting in the living room of his house,scrolling on your phone,he said he'll do some popcorn while waiting for the time of the movie.

minute after,your phone was about to die and you didn't bring a charger.

you groan in annoyance "hey,where's your charger? i want to put my phone on it if it's okay with you." you asked.

"huh?, hmm...i guess you'll find it in my room." he answered from the kitchen

you nod to yourself and head upstairs, his room was so dark as you wonder around in search for the switch you stumbled on a small box wich lead to whatever was inside to fall out, it was almost slippy, but you finally reached the switch and you turned on the lights when you looked under you you saw a pile of photos, you kneeled down and looked them over, it was photos of people...dead people exactly, and you have that feeling that you recognize every one of them,that when you stumble upon one of your friend, his mouth was cutten in half,you felt like you're gonna throw up, you head downstairs in a rush,the photo of your friend is in your hand.

you stopped in your track, thinking between return home or asking your finacè about what you saw, but unfortunately he came out of the kitchen.

"oh, angel, the Popcorn is ready, and the movie is about to-" he cut himself when he noticed the photo in your hand, "angel? what's that in your hand?" his eyes was holding fear-no terror in them.

you cling your fist around the photo, a shiver sent down your spine.

"how did you get that,angel?" he asked again.

"....what's the meaning of this?" you said in a low voice. "why-why is this..." you couldn't finish your sentence thinking about every possible thing.

"what did you expected me to do?" he suddenly says, leaning his hand on the sofa "watch him stealing you away? it's your fault,for being so addictiv." the look in his eyes makes you shudder.

you didn't answer, instead you walked- no ran away, he didn't waste a second to run after you "Y/N!".

you did manage to run pretty far,but it wasn't enough, your power soon reach an end and he catched you, grabbing your arm tightly "stop..hear me-hear me out first, please..don't go." he said between his breath.

"i have nothing to hear! what? you'll tell me how you did it?! you're such a monster, you need help!." you yell, although your voice crack as the fear take over.

"I'll take-" his eyes start to tear up "I'll get help, heck I'll go to the asylum even, but don't leave me, i-i did it for you, for us, i love you more than anything, more than life itself, don't leave, you won't dare to-,i can't live without you, I'm serious I'll die if you leave."

he kneeled down and buried his face in your stomach "don't go,don't leave, I'll get help, stay with me" you can hear him sobs, his voice cracking, you almost got pity on him.

what he did was terrifying,but does he really doesn't deserve another chance?

it's 3AM here and my phone 1%, gotta go.

[nilolol30]

Cigarette lips

(TW: smoking, mention of alcohol and a kiss)

MK and Mei hosted a get together this week it was a annual thing they did to have a fun time with everyone, slowly more people got invited after events well more like MK befriended them or got in good enough terms.

You weren't a social person but you decided to try and step out of your comfort zone for a bit who knows maybe you'll have a good time!

It was an hour into the night.

And you weren't having a good time.

Not that you wasn't enjoying the company of your friends but it was crowded the music was loud and it was getting really hot, the food and drinks were okay though.

Mei ran off to make a list of karaoke requests and ran around the bar to ask everyone if they had a song request, not wanting to get caught up in that you taped MKs shoulder "Hey I'm gonna head out for a breather okay?" Mk nodded in understanding.

"Want someone to go with you?" You shook your head and got up, grabbing your bag you headed outside of the bar for a bit surprisingly the smoking area was empty you can guess everyone is enjoying the night inside.

Finding a seat away from the doors you sat down and digged through your bag, you made a small promise to Pigsy to try and cut back on smoking but right now you felt like you needed it.

After a bit you fell into a comfortable silence at least it wasn't so cold tonight, but you nearly dropped the lit cigarette after you jumped seeing a silhouette on the chair next to you.

"Woah careful you might fall of your chair" The silhouette chuckled, Macaque.

"Well can't blame me you creepy ass, I didn't think you'd come" Macaque smiled and lazily leaned back into the chair "Eh had some free time and thought I'd be a super cool mentor and accept the kids invite, but what about you?" He made a small gesture to the doors before adding "Aren't you gonna party? Heard the dragon got everyone up and singing."

You shrugged "Just needed some fresh air" Macaque let out a small hum "Well this is the opposite of fresh air don't you think?" He pointed to the cigarette between your fingers "I thought you quit."

"I didn't 'quit' I said I'd cut down on it" He only raised an eyebrow at your attempt of a defense but he let the topic drop "So you not gonna go on stage?" You couldn't see inside of the bar but you can hear Tangs attempt at singing a duet with Pigsy no doubt Mei will record it.

"Hm nah I'd rather the only thing to hear me sing is my isolated kitchen and shower" Macaque snickered a bit "Aw you wouldn't make an acception for lil ol' me?" He poked his own cheek giving a small wink.

"Aren't you the most theatrical person here? Why don't you get on stage?" You take a quick hit of your smoke turning away to blow so the smoke wouldn't get in Macaque's face "Hey I'm a story teller not a singer and even if I was I doubt I'd last long on that stage" he pointed to his ears.

"Ah right but isn't singing a form of storytelling?" Now it's your turn to smirk and you lean towards Macaque.

"Ah but it can often leave out many details and I am all about details" you both laugh for a bit "Hey want a drink?" Macaque offered but you shook your head and leaned back to your seat "No thanks had my fill tonight" He nodded and pulled out his own drink from whatever portal he made.

You both sat in silence Macaque occasionally sipping his drink while you took a huff while turning away from him to let out the excess smoke "Hey I'm going to be having another shadow play again wanna watch my brilliant show?" Macaque smiled and confidently puffed out his chest.

"Really? They still let you perform shows after your whole stunt with Mk?" From what you remember so much property was destroyed even the stage, you would have thought he got banned "Pf of course! I fixed the place...after I got back and I'm the best they got, they're lucky to have me 'work' there" in his laugher Macaque almost spilled his drink thankfully he only spilled some over his hand.

Shrugging you agreed "Sure I'm curious on what you'll come up with" you glanced at Macaque as he was licking the liquor off his hand.

He smiled, whipping his hand on his clothes and leaned towards you moving his chair closer to yours "Then I'll make sure to reserve a special seat just for you~" you put out your cigarette in the ashtray with a smile "Oh? I'm special now~"

Macaque winked again "Of course, and since you're so special I'll start preparing the show for an earlier day for such a special person!" he jumped out of his chair abandoning his half finished drink on the table and turned to you "But how about a gift for the road huh?"

Macaque points to his lips with a smirk, you let out a laugh you signal him to come closer to which he did and pulled him into a kiss.

It was short but to the point both of you pulling away he smiled letting his finger trace your lips "That was great...'cept next time I don't think tobacco suits those lips" standing back up straight Macaque fell through the portal underneath his feet.

You continued to sit outside for a bit with a smile before deciding to join the party again, standing up you took the pack of cigarettes form your bag and placed it onto the table for whatever lucky person to find them, you take the drink Macaque previously abandoned and walked back inside.

[ashleyrowanthewriter]

The News - Life and Times of Ashley the Crow (Crow HRT 6)

Previous

*************

Whenever a prominent and famous otherkin announces that they decide to transition into their species completely, and especially after they finish the process, it becomes the number one hot topic among the community. That was such a day.

"So they really made it through?" Arja said, looking into the sky.

"Yes. Half the fan base is in chaos."

"Lucky them. I wonder where they are now."

"Nobody's really sure. I bet on some lonely cave in the mountains."

Something about the clouds that day felt fervent that day. The world opened a new chapter.

"You know, they were a very big figure. A lot is going on. It feels like the greatest debate in the world."

"It really seems to dislike the idea of discarding your humanity just like that."

"It always tries to stop social changes. Individual, collective, one dog."

"So how loud are those who think it's suicide of the mind?"

"Greatly."

Arja sighed. "I fucking knew it."

"But other sides are getting believers too."

"And what do you think?"

"That you're still yourself. It's just your behaviour that aligns with your body."

"That's a nice way of looking at it."

"That's what the most proves point to."

Our talk brought my mind to a topic I wanted to move for a long time.

"Arja, do you want to go all the way?"

"Would you miss me?"

"Maybe. But I would root for you and appreciate our time together."

"Even if I had to go to a lonely cave in the mountains?"

"Yes, I'd get ready for that."

"Aw, that's sweet. But no, I'd much prefer to go for hybridisation."

"I see. Then I guess you're close. You'll be mighty, I'm sure."

"Thank you, sweetheart." Arja made a pause. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to ask her question. "Hey, if you could do it then how far would you go? Don't answer if you're not comfortable."

"All the way."

"Really?"

"Don't tell me there were no signs."

"I mean, there were. But with how much you like to write I wasn't sure."

"I think talons and the beak are enough to use a keyboard."

I quickly realised I wasn't telling Arja the entire truth. I knew that I should be more honest.

"Well, that's what I would like to say."

"It's not just about that. My body takes anything medical worse and worse recently. I'm afraid that if I tried to do it it would destroy me. And I'm not even talking about my heart anymore."

"Eh, as if it all couldn't leave you."

"Yeah."

"But didn't you got through much tougher stuff?"

"Last time I had new complications."

"And would you like Her to win?"

I knew who Arja referred to as Her. If you are in the otherkin community you have for sure heard about a particular writer. One that really wants us gone. One that I swore to one day be better than.

"True. I can let a lot of people win, but not Her."

"Now that's the Ashley I know."

"Hey one more thing."

"Yeah?"

"Would you like me to be your pet?"

"I don't think one can keep crows."

"Well, that sucks. And I guess that's another reason why I don't know anymore."

"Hey, we can still be friends. I can leave you fruits in a feeder."

"Thanks. I don't know what I could do for you though."

"Oh, just peck on the uninvited guests."

"And without violence?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out."

*************

My crow cooldown has ended and here I go. I wanted to write about something else and less emotionally, but I changed my plans after I saw the last page from @ayviedoesthings . I think half the community did.

Also, for those who are like me and have a hard time learning idioms, "one dog" means roughly "there's no difference" and I encountered it in Polish.

Aha. Maybe there's a good reason why you can't adopt crows in many regions of the world, but not for a constitutional homo marriage ban. Caw with me if you agree.

[xxlady-lunaxx]

hello this is the anon who requested the kamado siblings + giyuu oneshot and may i just say

jdjdjejejwjwkwksjdjdjsjshdhdhdhhfhrjwjwjdhdhdbd omg i love it so much and i love hoe you write them so much

if you wouldnt mind may i request: tanjiro calling giyuu 'giyuu-nii-san!' or 'onii-san' for the first time which gives giyuu all the fuzzy feelings. nezuko also picks up on it. this then evolves to calling him 'nii-chan' which giyuu's poor heart cant take

imagine giyuu and tanjiro turning to answer nezuko when she says 'nii-chan!' (maybe she thinks of another nickname for giyuu)

sorry the sibling brainrot is brainrotting

i love you soso much and i'm glad you liked the other one <3 btw i looked a little up and 'onii-san' is typically used by girl and 'nii-san' for boys (js a little headsup) takes place after Nezuko conquered the sun (bc how would she speak then) also there's no connection to this one to the last thing you req'ed :>

Truthfully, Tanjiro had been thinking about it for some time. It wouldn't really have come instinctively because he'd never called anybody it before. Nezuko would've been more likely to slip up. But Tanjiro's plan was to act as if he hadn't meant to say it and see how Giyuu felt about it. He didn't know how to breach the topic and he figured that an honest reaction from Giyuu was probably best, despite the Hashira's lack of ability to show emotions. If there was even the slightest flicker of distaste in those serious blue eyes, Tanjiro would simply apologize and hope Giyuu never brought it up again.

In the end, it did come out unintentionally. Perhaps because he had been mulling it over so much so that it became one of the first things to pop up in his mind when he saw Giyuu. But nevertheless, it simply... slipped out. The two had been talking in the Butterfly Estate as Tanjiro awaited Aoi's permission to go train. Nezuko was perched on the edge of the cot, resting her head on Tanjiro's shoulder and swinging her legs back and forth. Meaning to ask something, Tanjiro began to speak then quickly cut himself off when he realized what he'd said. "Ah! Giyuu-nii, I wa-..." He flushed, turning his head away and sinking down into the sheets, wishing they would envelop him.

There was a moment of silence, though Nezuko didn't seem to have noticed anything. Then Giyuu spoke, slowly, seeming mostly bemused. "What did you say?..."

Tanjiro bit his lip, peeking back up at him. Giyuu looked mostly confused, gazing at him curiously.

"I didn't mean to..."

"What was it you said?" Giyuu pressed, scooting closer on his chair.

"Eh... 'Giyuu-nii'..." Tanjiro mumbled. He wanted to look away, but equally wished to see Giyuu's reaction. To his surprise, it was a lot more expressive than the mild, maybe slight twitch of the lips that he had expected.

Giyuu, understanding now, had his eyes opened wide. "As- As in...?" He seemed very unsure of himself.

"...yes. I just- I see you like an older brother and I... It just slipped out," Tanjiro said quietly. Which was mostly true.

"Oh. Do I call you 'otōto' then?" Giyuu asked.

Tanjiro went to respond, then saw the amused smile that Giyuu was barely supressing and burrowed his face in the blankets. "Wahh, I didn't mean to, I swear!" he said, wallowing in his embarrassment.

"It's... okay," Giyuu assured him. He sounded sincere so Tanjiro glanced back up.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes... I, ah, see the... both of you... as siblings, too, I think," Giyuu agreed. He gave Tanjiro a tentative little smile, looking very shy and awkward—which made Tanjiro feel a bit better. At least they were mostly on the same page.

"You do?" Tanjiro sat up, almost knocking Nezuko over. He apologized quickly to her, patting her gently before turning back to the Hashira.

"I suppose you feel like... family, if you can say that," Giyuu murmured.

Tanjiro beamed.

"I'm glad, I was worried you would think I was weird for calling you that so suddenly."

"I don't mind." Giyuu looked on the verge of saying something, but not quite sure if he should. For a moment, he seemed to battle with himself, then gave in, blurting out: "You can still call me... that-"

Tanjiro stared at him momentarily, then a grin spread on his face. "Reaally? Thank you, Nii-san!" he said enthusiastically.

Nezuko, who wanted in on the fun, prodded Tanjiro's arm. "Wha?" she asked, stumbling over her words as she tried for form a coherent sentence. "Wha' happen...e?"

Tanjiro ruffled her hair affectionately. "Giyuu-san said we can call him 'nii-san' now."

Giyuu looked away, embarrassed as Nezuko sat up and crawled to the other side of the bed where Giyuu's chair was nearest.

"Onii-chan?" she asked tentatively, sitting in front of him and tilting her head.

Giyuu nodded. "...yes."

Nezuko smiled and, paired with Tanjiro's exuberence, it was practically too bright for Giyuu. He stuttered, trying to find something else to say. Then, promptly giving up, he excused himself. "I have to go now, I'll come by later, okay?" he mumbled.

The two nodded happily, waving their goodbyes to the Hashira as he left.

Little extra:

"I wan' go an' see Imosuke now!" Nezuko huffed, crossing her arms.

Tanjiro chuckled. "Inosuke? In a moment. He should be coming here."

Giyuu frowned. "I should go, then. He's very loud."

Tanjiro frowned but didn't protest. Nezuko, on the other hand, seemed to have other things in mind. She held up her arms—at the moment, she was perhaps the size of a 7 year old—and waved them about. "Onii-chan, pick me up! I don't wan' stay in the sun long," she whined.

Both Giyuu and Tanjiro turned to her, reaching forward. They both paused, realizing the other was doing the same. As they tried to figure out who should pick her up, Nezuko stomped her feet impatiently, wondering what was all the hold-up.

Another extra bc it's necessary:

During the training after Tanjiro had finally healed, the Hashira had met up again and Giyuu had been forced into coming. However he had brought Nezuko with him, who had fallen asleep in his arms. Tanjiro was resting after several hours of constant training and he didn't want to put the girl in his hands just yet. So instead, Giyuu was stuck with cradling Nezuko in his arms, hoping she didn't randomly increase her size. The other Hashira gave him amused looks but said nothing of it, too preoccupied on other matters.

They spoke for a while, with Giyuu mostly listening in. Half way through the meeting, Nezuko stirred, blinking up at Giyuu. She raised a hand, patting his chin, and he looked down.

"Good morning," he whispered gently, though it was nearing evening now.

She smiled, sitting up in his arms and growing slightly. "Onii-chan, where we?" she asked. Because she had just woken up, she didn't make any attempt to lower the volume of her voice and it was amplified in the small room, making every Hashira turn to their direction.

Giyuu's cheeks burned at the attention but he tried to ignore it, murmuring to Nezuko, "I'm at a Hashira meeting. Tanjiro's resting, but maybe you can go find Agatsuma or Hashibira?"

Nezuko nodded quickly, hopping out of his arms. She turned to the Hashira, waved briefly, and bounded out of the room. It was close to where Tanjiro and the others had been training and Nezuko had wandered about plenty here, so Giyuu wasn't worried. He was worried, however, about the Hashira who were currently supressing laughter at him.

"Onii-chan, huh?" Tengen grinned, propping his elbow on his knee and leaning on his hand (he was sitting cross-legged). "Have they adopted you into their family?"

Shinobu looked amused, though she had at least the curtesy—if it could be called that—to hide her smile.

"Would've expected you to be the one calling them 'onii-chan,'" Sanemi scoffed. "What with you being the most immature of them all."

"D...don't be mean!" Mitsuri scolded Sanemi, though she looked unsure if it was supposed to be an insult. "I think it's adorable! It's so cute that she calls you that, does Tanjiro, too?"

Giyuu nodded, tucking his chin to his chest as he avoided the Hashira's eyes. Mitsuri giggled, whispering something to Obanai who sat next to her. The rest of the meeting went by achingly slowly but when it finally ended, he left quickly, deciding he would visit Tanjro later in case the boy was headed to another of the Hashira's training. Hopefully, there wouldn't be a meeting any time soon.

this one's shorter, sorry 'bout that :>

[aishangotome]

Azel Radwan: Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Thank you @shatcey for providing the video for this chapter!

♡———♡

Azel: Good evening. I've been wanting to see you, you know?

When I came to, I was here again.

In this rose garden full of buds, there’s a man with an otherworldly appearance, resting his hand on an oak table.

I have a strange feeling like this has happened before, or maybe it hasn't.

(Somehow, only the presence of this Living God feels strangely vivid.)

Emma: ...A dream, right?

Azel: Oh? There's no way to prove which is the dream and which is reality.

Azel: Human wisdom hasn't progressed enough to unravel the mysteries of dreams.

Azel: It's possible that you being here is actually reality, and vice versa.

(I kind of understand, but I kind of don't.)

Azel: By the way, are you good at cooking?

Suddenly switching from a mystical topic to a realistic one, it took me a while to grasp the meaning.

Emma: I wouldn't say I'm good at it, but I can make decent food.

Azel: That's good. Actually, I've been interested in the local cuisine of Rhodolite.

Emma: ...Why are you suddenly bringing this up?

Azel: Because I know what will happen in the future.

Azel: When the time comes, you'll understand my intentions.

(It's hard to believe, but I guess that's how Gods are.)

Azel: By the way, I haven't had dinner today.

Emma: Eh? Are you feeling unwell?

Azel: No, it's due to various circumstances.

Azel: You're supposed to be a kind-hearted woman. You wouldn't do something cruel like leave a God on the verge of starvation, would you?

Emma: ...Rather than a prophecy, it feels like you're blatantly pressuring me to "come and cook for you."

Azel: Not at all, not at all. I'm just telling you that I prefer hearty meals to sweets, but I have no ulterior motives.

(I feel like there's nothing but ulterior motives.)

Azel: Besides, "you" over there hardly remembers what happened here.

Azel: There's no point in pressuring you, is there?

Prince Azel smiles mercifully – and the world begins to distort.

Azel: Ah, I'm looking forward to it.

Azel: –– ...I just happened to need a slave.

-

I woke up with a start, drawn by the light, and found myself in the guest room that had been given to me yesterday.

(I think I had another dream.)

(...It was a dream with the Living God in it.)

As usual, my memories crumbled away.

What remained today was the puzzling information "hearty meals, not sweets," and a chilling, inexplicable pounding of my heart.

(It wasn't a nightmare, but... how strange.)

-

Emma: There's something I've been wondering about...

Emma: Owner, what's that?

The city surrounding Tanzanite Castle was even more lively than Rhodolite.

The reason was obvious; everywhere I looked, there were tourists who seemed to have come from foreign countries.

Some people were enjoying food bought from stalls, while others were browsing souvenir shops selling pottery and textiles, which were local specialties. But what drew the most attention was the statue of the Living God, sitting majestically in the center of the city.

(I only passed by yesterday, so I couldn't get a good look at it...)

(Looking at it now, it's a spitting image of the real thing.)

Akatsuki: It's a tourist attraction. It's famous as a power spot where wishes come true.

Emma: Ah, that's why so many people are praying.

Akatsuki: You want to go too?

Emma: No... I'll pass.

(My wish is "to fall in love," so somehow I feel like I shouldn't pray to this statue.)

(...Really, it's just a feeling.)

Emma: So, what are we doing today?

Akatsuki: We're delivering an item that was requested.

Emma: So the Living God wasn't your only client?

Akatsuki: I have about 100 business partners in Tanzanite.

(That many...?)

Akatsuki: Sometimes I sell books, sometimes I exchange them for other books.

Akatsuki: Watch and learn.

Emma: Yes! I'll do my best to learn.

(This is completely different from looking after the shop. I have to work hard.)

Renewing my determination, I chased after the Owner's back as he walked ahead.

But I soon stopped in my tracks.

Akatsuki: ...Seems like something's happening.

Emma: ...!

The crowd gathered a short distance away was different from the others; they were buzzing with commotion.

Thanks to the Tanzanite soldiers, people were already starting to disperse, but through the thinning crowd, I could see a man with a swollen face.

Emma: He's badly injured. Was it a fight?

???: Something like that. It's been happening a lot lately.

(Ah, that voice...)

When I turned around, I saw Basil carrying a large amount of luggage, and Kamal, whose beauty, as always, was attracting attention.

Basil: I suspect a diviner misread the divine oracle.

Emma: What do you mean?

Basil: Divination in Tanzanite is considered to be the interpretation of the divine oracle, which reads the will of God from the stars.

Basil: Since Prince Azel is a God himself, his words directly become divine oracles...

Basil: Diviners are required to be skilled in how well they can interpret the will of God.

(Speaking of which...)

*flashback*

Azel: The basis of divination in our country is astrology.

Emma: Astrology...?

Azel: It's what you call astrology. What's popular here is unique to Tanzanite.

*back to present*

(Unique, so that's what he meant.)

Basil: However, it seems that many diviners have been misinterpreting the divine oracle lately...

Basil: Customers who are angry about the blasphemy against God sometimes lash out like that.

It was a logic I couldn't understand.

(I think divination is something that can be right sometimes and wrong sometimes.)

Emma: ...Are mistakes not allowed?

Basil: Well, divination is something that can change a person's life.

Basil: In this country, to call yourself a divinator, you need to have a certain level of resolution or preparedness.

(I guess I don't understand because I'm from another country.)

Basil: The idea that Prince Azel's thoughts are something that a mere divinator can read is preposterous.

I felt a shadow fall over Basil's face as he pushed up his glasses.

(Basil also has something on his mind, and that's dangerous!)

As he touched his glasses, the balance of his luggage was disrupted, and the Owner supported it with a speed invisible to the eye.

Basil: Oh dear, I'm so sorry! Thank you very much.

Akatsuki: Don't mind it. But, is this for a feast?

(I thought so too.)

The contents of Basil's luggage were a large quantity of groceries.

It was such an amount that it seemed difficult even to walk while looking ahead, and at least I wouldn't be able to carry it.

Basil: No, it's just an errand.

Basil: It certainly feels like there's more than usual, but I'm sure there's some noble reason for it.

("Noble reason" means it's an errand for Prince Azel, right?)

Only Basil was running the errand; Kamal was empty-handed.

When our eyes met, his long, beautiful fingers pulled out a letter.

The envelope was presented to the Owner.

Akatsuki: An additional order?

The Owner, who opened the seal on the spot, furrowed his brow at the letter he took out.

Emma: ...What's wrong?

Akatsuki: It says they found a clue to the book I was looking for.

Akatsuki: ...But it's suspicious.

Emma: Isn't that a good thing?

Akatsuki: If they were willing to tell me like this, they could have told me yesterday.

Akatsuki: Yet they deliberately contacted me later. And they're telling me to come and get the clue.

(...Indeed, I wonder if there's some intention behind it.)

Basil: Well, Prince Azel also apologized for that.

Basil: He said, "I accidentally forgot to tell you."

Akatsuki: .............

Akatsuki: In the first place, I don't have time to go get it for a while.

(I'm sure he has appointments to meet with his clients after this.)

(...But I think the information about the book is something the Owner desperately wants...)

(It might be rude to refuse the goodwill of a God.)

(Alright, this is where the assistant comes in.)

I raise my hand and volunteer to the Owner, who has a grim expression on his face.

Emma: Shall I go and get it?

-

Azel: My apologies… I am truly sorry.

Prince Azel warmly welcomed me when I visited his residence with Basil and Kamal, after parting ways with the Owner.

The way he emerged from the building with such perfect timing, as if he had foreseen everything, made me truly believe that he possesses some extraordinary power.

Azel: Thank you for your hard work, you two. Please bring the luggage inside.

Basil was frozen with his eyes sparkling, saying "H-huh..." Kamal grabbed him and pulled him inside.

(Now it's just the two of us.)

Emma: I've come on behalf of the Owner. I heard that you would give me a clue about the book...

Azel: Yes. I will give you a map.

Prince Azel turns his back to me and starts walking.

His eyes urge me to "follow me," so I follow him, but he's fast.

(Are his legs long, or is he just unusually fast...!)

I desperately chase after him, and as I follow Prince Azel through the uniquely shaped entrance---

Emma: ………… Huh?

I stop involuntarily, blink a few times, and pinch my cheeks.

It hurt like normal.

Azel: What's wrong?

Emma: No...

(Wh... what's going on here!?)

It was a shock, as if I had stepped into another world.

Unlike the weathered exterior walls, the interior was so neatly maintained that it didn't feel like it had 1000 years of history, and there was no sign of the precariousness that made it seem like it was about to collapse.

It's hard to say it was a brand new building, but the description of a "castle" truly suited it.

(I initially thought it was a solitary castle in the desert, and maybe I wasn't far off.)

Emma: The atmosphere is quite different from the exterior.

Azel: Of course, I can't just live in a 1000-year-old building as it is.

Azel: It's under major renovation right now.

Azel: The right side is mostly finished with renovations, so there's no problem, but the left side has partially collapsed.

Azel: If you happen to walk around here, never go to the left side.

Azel: If you do happen to enter it–

Emma: ...If I do?

Azel: Hehe.

(I'll be careful not to accidentally wander in there.)

Azel: Please be careful where you step.

Prince Azel goes up the stairs and proceeds to the right.

While chasing after him at a running pace, I casually glance to the left, and even though the sun should be directly overhead, it seems like a dim darkness lingers there.

(...I wonder if it's because the renovations aren't finished yet.)

After passing through the entrance hall, there's a corridor, which is also beautifully repaired.

At the end of the corridor where Prince Azel strode purposefully, there was a door.

Azel: Now, please come in.

Even though I was out of breath, I entered through the open door without a shred of suspicion... and found myself not in a guest room, but a kitchen.

(...Why?)

In the tidy room, the large amount of luggage that Basil had been carrying was carelessly placed. As I picked up a fruit that had rolled out of a bag, question marks popped up in my mind one after another.

Emma: Prince Azel... is the map in the kitchen?

Azel: Of course not, you idiot.

(!?)

(What? I just heard him speak like a different person...)

The door slams shut.

Prince Azel leaned against the closed door, blocking my escape route, and the corners of his mouth lifted.

Azel: Now, it's time for collection.

Emma: C-collection?

Azel: Here you go.

A letter, seemingly produced from thin air, is thrust in front of me.

Emma: This is...

I rub my eyes and look again.

No matter how many times I look at it, I can only read it as a "divination fee invoice."

Moreover, the numbers lined up on it were of an exorbitant amount that I had never seen before.

Emma: ...Is this addressed to me?

Azel: Yes, it's addressed to you.

Emma: I'm sorry, but I don't recall this.

Azel: Don't tell me you thought a God's divination was free?

Emma: ...Eh?

Azel: Wow, how rude. Don't underestimate me, okay?

(The divination from yesterday, it wasn't free!?)

I hurriedly pulled myself together as my senses started to fade.

Emma: But you said it was a thank you gift...!

Azel: There are many people who want to receive my divination but can't.

Azel: The thank you gift is the "right to receive divination."

Emma: You didn't say a word about that!

Azel: Well, it's common sense.

Emma: I don't know any such common sense!

Azel: Don't blame your ignorance on me.

(This is a scammer's tactic!?)

The me of yesterday, who thought he was a merciful and kind God – it seems I was seeing an illusion.

(Maybe this is his true nature.)

*flashback*

Clavis: But it's surprising. You're the current "Belle," and you're good at seeing through people's true nature, right?

Clavis: ...No, that's not right. Or rather, is it that impression precisely because you "saw through" it?

Clavis: Hmm, very interesting. I wonder if it's me who's seeing the illusion, or you.

*back to present*

(–That's what he meant. How pathetic of me, even though I'm Belle.)

Azel: Ah, but please rest assured. I'm not so cruel as to say "pay now."

Azel: We have two payment methods available: cash or labor.

(I can't feel assured at all.)

Azel: You don't seem to have any money, do you?

Azel: To repay this amount, you'll have to work like a slave...

Azel: Good luck.

His benevolent smile fueled my anger.

(Everyone's been deceived.)

(This person is not a merciful God at all. Rather...)

Emma: You, evil God!

Azel: Oh my, are those insults? As expected, a foreign girl is quite spirited.

Azel: But you see...

As I glared at him, Prince Azel grabbed my chin with his large hand–

Azel: Shall I show you what happens if you defy me?

.

.

.

Letter

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to leave me a tip here or buy me a coffee through the "Leave a Tip" button on my navigation bar!

[ghastlyfilters]

𝐇𝐂𝐒 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐁𝐎𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 !!

pairing(s): implied randy meeks, billy loomis, mickey altieri + stu macher x gn!reader

warning: none, though some hcs that i have written might be a little modern than others!

RANDY

• Idc what y’all say, this man is OBSESSED with Funko Pops.

• Honestly, I feel that he’s well aware of the fact that he has an interest for collector’s items.

• Bro.. he would squeal if you took him to places like HMV or Hot Topic.

• When he was informed that the Video Store (his workplace) would begin to sell some Funkos of infamous movie characters since that was literally the whole theme of the place, he died off. HE. DIED. OFF.

• Billy and Stu have occasionally dropped by to rent some more horror movies, also teasing him about the pops and telling the whole store it was a.. kink? More Stu’s bad way of putting it, shall we say..

“Can you take their clothes off?” Stu asked curiously.

Randy began to get flustered as Stu proceeded to take the small statue out of the box, knowing he’d get another harsh telling off if his boss found out it was Randy’s “friends” ruining stock.

“They’re plastic dumbass,” Billy remarked. “It’s practically molded onto their figure.”

“Can you guys please sto-”

Stu snorted. “Well you can take the clothes off Barbie dolls and shit like that, can’t you? They even have parts.. uh- you know?”

“Wha- no, these aren’t like that-”

Randy was cut off once again as Billy spoke up and wrinkled his nose in disgust at the taller male. “You really stripped the clothes off of dolls just to investigate when you were a kid?”

Randy and Billy both shared the same look as Stu grinned wickedly.

…

And then it came. “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.” Yep. Classic Stu.

• Wherever this mf goes, he always ends up eating a bag of potato chips. Nor you or his friends know where he pulls them from, but he does, he just does..

BILLY

• There is so much I could say about Billy Boy here..

(He’d most likely tell you to go fuck yourself if you called him that. Well, depending on who you are lmao)

• If you are the kind of person who loves that shitty trending pop music, you are probably better off hanging out with Stu for the day. Because Billy HATES it.

• He’s not particularly into heavy metal, i’d say more grunge. Stu bullies him for it but gets an ass whooping later so, eh.

• If he gets woken up in the middle of the night, he’s one cranky fucker about it. This man prioritises his sleep. He almost broke the cable to the house phone after Stu kept calling him one night, complaining on how he couldn’t sleep and that he wanted to go somewhere. After Billy not being able to get back into dreamland, he gave in. Pretty sure Stu ended up choosing the McDonald’s drive thru, much to Billy’s annoyance.

(That shit happens way too often but hey, who doesn’t like late night drives?)

• Billy wants a piercing but at the same time, he doesn’t? He’s not sure if he can really commit to it or not, but he does think people with piercings are cool!

• Plus his Dad would probably kick him out over something as stupid as that. Billy would just tell him to get bent either way lol.

• He can be quite a germaphobe. Sick people scare the living FUCK out of him.

• You have a cold? Aw, pity. DO. NOT. APPROACH. BILLY. LOOMIS.

• Stu accidentally sneezed on him once and Billy literally felt his heart stop. He showered about three times that day.. maybe more? Fuck knows, man.. 😭

MICKEY

• Something about him and the song Paparazzi.. IDK WHAT IT IS BUT IT JUST.. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

• He’s very open about his opinions, as we all know. If you dissed his fav movie or TV show, bam bam bitch he’s gonna answer you and he ain’t gonna be so fucking nice about it.. 🫡

• Literal Beyoncé stan. I swear whenever her music is playing and y’all are at a party, he def wants to have a lil boogie with you.

• Mickey is the one person you know to have a weird, WEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIRRRRRD obsession with black coffee..

HE LOVES IT A LITTLE TOO MUCH, YK?

• You, Mickey and Randy were all out at the mall once and some little girl ran up to him saying he looked like Edward Cullen?

Randy just had no idea how kids had the balls to say whatever the fuck they wanted, meanwhile Mickey didn’t know whether to take it as an insult or not..

“Vampires who sparkle like a fucking Hello Kitty sticker? Wow, new name for ya, Mick..” You giggled.

• Really spoiled, bratty girls with all their designer gear is a big no no for him, he just hates them.. 😭

• You catch him watching all the true crime documentaries. He even has books about America’s most popular serial killers. TONS, of books.

STU

• This man, THIS MAN RIGHT HERE FOLKS!!

• Stu is literally every personality combine. Like a lab experiment gone wild, honestly.

• He asks you the weirdest questions sometimes. They are so random and beyond unexpected lol.

“Wait, do you think clowns can also honk their di-”

• Stu has the most ridiculous obsession with boobs. Randy now calls him the titty monster anytime Jamie Lee Curtis shows up in the horror movies they’re watching.

• He was BORN a dog lover.

• Annoys Billy anytime he gets a new girlfriend.

• I can picture him eating anything blue raspberry flavoured he can find. CANDY GOO, BLUE SOUR PATCH KIDS, YOU NAME IT😭😭

• Has the best snack cupboard no one else can compare to having in their house.

• He’s the kind of guy to stick his tongue out to kids in public just so he can get a giggle out of them!

• Loves it when him and the gang go out to the cinema. Which is more often than you’d expect.

• Has like, the LONGEST list of cinema snacks when y’all are paying to get your food.

these men all have their differences, but all expect one thing. THEY BE FINE AS HELLLLLL (anyways, hope you enjoyed this little list of hcs i have for my favs. HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!!!!! :D

[theokatgoesmeow]

Hello Everyone.

You might know a user going by the username @puff-yy and might know them personally.

Today I am going to call out both him and @syrupyy

As you know, Kaz is someone with mental illnesses, depression, autism. Maybe more but I personally do not know, he has used these mental illnesses as a scapegoat before.

He mentally abused my kissmate, guilttripped them, and then tossed them to the side once they saw through his bullshit.

For context: On Cs: (Comic studio) I sexted a man named Jay. At that time I was twelve and he was 14, he mentioned that he felt like he could talk to me about anything and that I was hot, so I talked to him about explicit topics, eventually leading him to ask me to sext him (He had a girlfriend at that time btw)

He was defending this man and yada-yada-yada things led to another. Now this man (Kaz) is SEVENTEEN.

He was accusing me and my kissmate (Both thirteen) of being the cause of one of his suicide attempts, villainiziers, and more.

I can TELL you. None of us tried to make him hang himself, we would never do this.

He has done this with me also, and also has twisted others users words.

Voynich (Not disclosing their user) has spoken out (Like a true hero amen amen.) and told him that the reason of his suicide attempts would probably be

Topic 2: Sexualizing minors.

I don't know alot of danganronpa 2 lore, but I am aware that Nagito and Kazuichi are minors. He made this comic,

He then used the excuse of the avatars being a minor but the real life people are not, which is gross???

Now moving on.

You all know what comic studio is, yes?

The comic making website, well it's not all good as you think.

The moderation team is mostly made up of minors, long story short. Moderation is eh, my friends got banned for making a mod mad (They threw themselves into the crossfire)

And also, Syrupyy is terribly biased.

When given suggestions (By my kissmate) he basically throws them to the side and disregards them, he keeps going on and on about how cs is bad for my mental health but does not take action for anything.

He unbanned Jay because he apologized, I guess.

He is a terrible siteowner/mod by experience.

@Puff-yy if you see this. I did warn you, your downfall was going to come, and you wouldn't get away with what you did.

[inawickedlittletown]

Just Let Me Adore You (BuckTommy) - 8/9

Summary: What if…instead of Chimney taking the role of interim Captain of the 118, Tommy is asked to take on the role.

Or, what happens when Buck meets Tommy in S2

Words: 3.8k

Notes: Title from Adore You by Harry Styles

Read on Ao3

Part One - Part Two - Part Three

Part Four - Part Five - Part Six

Part Seven

-

Part Eight

He’d been calling Evan his boyfriend in his head for the last month. He knew they hadn’t talked about it, but considering how any time his shift ended in time for dinner he headed over to Evan’s and how his schedule had started to revolve around being available to take him to his PT appointments, it wasn’t without some merit. 

So, when one of the hikers they rescued started to flirt with him, Tommy couldn’t help but just shake his head.

“Sorry. I’m actually taken.” 

“Figures.” 

It was once they were back at the station that Melton turned to him. “Taken, eh? So are you lying to the people that hit on you now?” 

“Not lying,” Tommy said. “I am dating someone.”

“I thought you’d given up dating.” 

“I had,” Tommy said. “But I met someone and he’s pretty great. Going to see him tonight, actually.” 

“I guess you have looked happier lately, Kinard,” Melton said. “Thought it was just about getting back here, but I guess it wasn’t just that.” 

Tommy shrugged his shoulders. When their shift ended, he didn’t even bother heading home and instead went straight to Evan’s apartment. When he knocked on the door, he was surprised to see Maddie. That was another thing they hadn’t talked about, even though he was pretty sure that Evan’s physical therapist had made a comment or two about them and Evan hadn’t refuted it. 

“Oh,” she said. “Hi, Tommy. Buck, your boyfriend’s here!” She called the last over her shoulder. 

Tommy froze. Maddie smiled at him and stepped out of the way and let Tommy in. It looked a little bit chaotic in Evan’s apartment and he didn’t see Evan anywhere. 

“What’s happening here?” 

“Just a bit of rearranging,” Maddie said. 

He spotted Evan walking down the stairs and smiled, stepping towards the stairs to meet him at the bottom. 

“So, boyfriend?” he asked. 

Evan’s cheeks were pink, but he was smiling. “Guess so.” 

“Guess that means we’re on the same page,” Tommy replied. 

Tommy pressed their lips together in a quick kiss, aware that Evan’s sister was somewhere in the apartment. 

“Where can I help?” 

They hadn’t had concrete plans for the night. Tommy had envisioned taking Evan out for dinner maybe close to the beach so they could go and walk on the sand. He didn’t mind that it had turned into getting Evan’s apartment back to how it used to be before he needed to sleep on the first floor. Between the three of them they got the couch back down and the bed back up. Seeing Evan moving up and down the stairs without complaint and even lifting furniture helped to cement how well he’d healed up. 

Afterwards, they had dinner with Maddie and Tommy got to know her a little better. In all the time since Evan was hurt, he’d only really seen her in passing. He knew a little about her, but not much, and most of it came from a fact dropped here or there from Evan. 

“So, you used to be a nurse?” Tommy double checked. 

“It was kinda inevitable with how often I was cleaning up this one’s scrapes and bruises,” she said pointing at Evan. 

Evan just shrugged his shoulders with a big grin on his face. 

“And Doug,” Evan said, making a face. 

Tommy had no idea who Doug was, but he didn’t pry. 

Maddie nodded. “That was a factor. Either way, I always liked it.” 

“Ever think of going back to it?” 

“I did, but being a dispatcher is rewarding in its own ways. Hard too, sometimes, but I know I make a difference and that’s all that matters.” 

The topic changed to Evan’s plans once the doctors officially cleared him. 

“I still think you’re trying to get back too early,” Maddie said. “Getting around and going up and down stairs is not the same as the level of physicality involved in your job. I’m right, aren’t I, Tommy?” 

“I’ve been working out too without any problems,” Evan interjected. 

Maddie looked to Tommy. 

Tommy lifted his hands. “I think if his doctors have said he’s cleared and the department says he’s good to go that should be that.” 

“Thank you,” Evan said. 

“I just don’t want you to push yourself,” Maddie said. 

Evan gave a nod. “I know. And I’m not, I’m ready.” 

When she left, Maddie gave Evan and then Tommy a hug. 

“She’s not wrong,” Tommy said, carefully as soon as the door was closed. “There’s no rush for you to get back to work. Your job will be there waiting.” 

Evan let Tommy lead him to the living room and to the newly returned couch. They sat down and Evan immediately crowded into Tommy’s space. Tommy wrapped an arm around him, bringing him even closer.

“Logically, that makes sense, but I just need to get back to where I belong. I know you get that.” 

Tommy nodded slowly. He kissed the side of Evan’s head, breathed him in. 

“It’s like when you were sent back to the 118. You weren’t where you belonged, not really.” 

Tommy hummed. “I was, I think. Met you, didn’t I?” 

“Somehow, I think that would have happened regardless at some point, don’t you?” 

Tommy didn’t believe in fate or any of that type of thing and yet there was something about Evan that told him that yes they would have met eventually. On that he and Evan could agree. 

“Sure,” he said. “So, I didn’t tell you what happened that put me back at the 118, did I?” Tommy asked. 

In all the time that they had spent together, Tommy had never brought it up, but he wanted Evan to know about it. 

“No. You didn’t. And you don’t have to if you don’t—”

Tommy’s hand reached for his, twinning their fingers. “I want you to know.” 

“Okay,” Evan said. “What happened?”

Tommy didn’t respond at once. The whole incident was very much still forefront in his mind even though it had been months since it happened. It had begun at the start of his shift when Tommy arrived to find out that Melton was out with a stomach virus and that Fielding’s wife had gone into labor. Tommy didn’t really mind working with other aeromedics or pilots, but it did mean that some of the ease of his day was gone. 

The first few calls of the day hadn’t been much trouble. They were run of the mill. It was when they got called out to a car accident that it got a little interesting. 

“Car accident,” Evan said, “was it a bad one?” 

“Yeah, I mean, I’m not usually called out for anything minor. The guy we were transporting was young in his early twenties. He was in a flipped car and he had a collapsed lung on top of a possible spinal injury. Firefighters on the scene had already extricated him. We were just there for transport. His father was in the car with him, but he came out of it with bumps and bruises and they had already ruled out a concussion. It would have been easier if he had one.” 

Evan was listening intently and after taking a breath, Tommy continued, “Walsh was the aeromedic with me. I went out to help him load the patient on and the father was already acting strange. When the kid started to come to as we loaded him, he didn’t act like a worried parent.” 

“What did he act like?” Evan asked. 

He’d berated the kid. As far as Tommy had been able to tell the kid hadn’t even been at fault for the accident, but the father was acting like he was. Nothing about his wording spoke to worry or concern for if his kid might make it. Tommy had tried to ask him to stop bothering his kid, but the father didn’t stop and Walsh had done nothing. 

“We didn’t have time to waste,” Tommy told Evan. “So, I went and got ready for us to fly out. Walsh had the kid in hand so I wasn’t concerned about that and the father was in the helicopter. We just got in the air and that was when the dad started on a rant—”

Tommy could still remember it clearly, had felt all of it down to his bones and maybe it was his own parental trauma, but no kid should have had to hear their parent say anything, not especially during such a situation. 

He repeated a bit of it for Evan. “It was transphobic. Things like you’re a girl…see you can’t even drive just like any other girl. Lying to yourself saying you’re a boy. Calling the boy’s choices a mistake.” 

“Oh,” Evan said. 

“Yeah, so then Walsh started asking questions and I figured he’d try to diffuse the situation.”

“That’s not what happened, is it?” Evan asked. 

“No. For one thing Walsh started talking about the kid like he was a girl. I figured okay maybe he’s trying to connect with the guy and calm him down, but then it just kept getting worse and I realized that Walsh agreed with the guy and I didn’t know if that was going to hurt the care that Walsh gave the kid.” 

“You said something, didn’t you?” 

“Yes. Of course, I did. I told Walsh off for misgendering the patient and that he needed to stop and focus on making sure he made it to the hospital. Kid was in and out of it, probably had to be so scared and if he could hear them…he didn’t need that on top of everything else.”

Tommy hadn’t realized that it would make it worse. 

“That fired up the dad who started in on people like me. Liberals and the agenda thing and who knows what else he said. Walsh then decided to tell him that I’m gay as if to give him an excuse for my views or something.”

Tommy remembered how he had gone cold. He remembered how his body had frozen in the pilot’s chair and how he’d tried his best to just focus on flying. It wasn’t that he wasn’t out as much as that Walsh had no right to just say it especially to someone that would certainly have a problem with it. Tommy pushed all his feelings aside to do the job. The faster they got to the hospital the better. He spent the first part of the flight trying his best to ignore them and wishing he could shut off the comms.

“It’s like he was trying to find something wrong with me aside from what he already saw as wrong,” Tommy said. “I should never have answered back, but it was getting to me and I snapped.”

“Oh, Tommy,” Evan said and he squeezed Tommy’s hand. 

Tommy had heard so much of it before. Aimed at him and not aimed at him alike. He’d worked with some bigoted guys in the Army and he’d been a firefighter under Gerrard. He’d long learned how to be professional and push it aside and do the job. This guy was just…he reminded Tommy of his own father and it didn’t help that this guy’s kid was severely injured but he was focused on being a bigot instead. Walsh making a point to agree with the father was the thing that drove him over the edge probably. 

“We made it to the hospital,” Tommy said. “I was…I was so angry, Evan. I went around to help Walsh with the patient and the father got in my face almost immediately and started spewing so much hate that I wanted nothing more than to take a punch at him.” 

“You didn’t, did you?” 

“No,” Tommy said. “He didn’t like that I ignored him. Tried to punch me instead when I went to help transfer the patient. He missed, luckily. One of the doctors that came out to meet us grabbed him and pulled him away and even then he tried to come back at me and he was yelling all kinds of things. Walsh was still talking to the other doctors and I just…I just got back on the helicopter and left.” 

Evan burst into laughter. “Sorry…I just, I’m picturing it. You just flew away?” 

Not his finest moment. Not the best reaction to the situation. Tommy didn’t actually regret it. He didn’t know how a flight back with Walsh would have gone, not with Walsh making excuses or trying to explain himself. Lying. 

“What happened next?” Evan asked. 

“Well I didn’t fly back to Harbor,” Tommy said. 

That was his biggest mistake. He’d been so heated and he hadn’t even really known what he was doing. His fuel tank was full and he had enough presence of mind to communicate with air control. Tommy had felt better after flying for a bit and then, he returned back to Harbor. 

“Where did you go?” 

“I just flew around. Took my time getting back. Too long, and I ignored the calls from my Captain. I was so dumb, Evan. 

“What, uh, what happened next?” 

“I flew back, landed where I was supposed to. They were all waiting for me. Walsh. Captain Reid. Chief Alonzo. Before I got out of the helicopter I was so sure I had just lost my job.”

“But you didn’t,” Evan said. 

“I didn’t,” he confirmed. 

It had felt like it, though. He remembered the way that the Chief had looked at him, like he was just one more problem he could do without. If it wasn’t for Captain Reid, Tommy was sure things wouldn’t have gone the way they did…which didn’t mean that Tommy hadn’t found the punishment unfair. 

Walsh had tried to put it all on Tommy, to paint him as unprofessional and biased. Discriminatory. As if Tommy had refused to care for the patient or get him to the hospital as quickly as he could. As if Tommy had been the one misgendering the patient and outing a coworker. As if Tommy had allowed his bigoted views to make an already difficult situation worse. 

“And what happed to that guy?” Evan asked. 

“I think they made him take on some extra cleaning duties. They grounded me. I guess the doctor that saw it all back at the hospital called the Chief and it did clear me a bit, but they didn’t take too well to taking off with department property.” 

Evan chuckled. “Yeah, they never do.” 

Tommy immediately looked at him. “Evan, what—”

“That’s a story for another day,” Evan said. “So that’s why the Chief decided you could be the interim Captain?” 

“Pretty much. Honestly, I think he thought I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Maybe saw it as a bigger punishment. I don’t know.” 

Captain Reid had put in a good word too, he knew. Had pointed out that it would be good if Tommy and Walsh were not working at the same station for a time. 

“How has it been with that guy now?” Evan asked. 

“Walsh? He was moved to another shift so we rarely cross paths.” 

That had been a bit of a revelation to Tommy when he returned to work. Apparently, he hadn’t taken it too well, but Captain Reid had put his foot down. 

“Wow,” Evan said. “I don’t know if I was expecting that.” 

“It doesn’t really put me in a good light,” Tommy said. “I just…flying is so freeing to me. Not being able to do it was difficult, so I get how much you long to go back to your job, but it will feel amazing once you do get back to it and you will. Maddie isn’t wrong about taking all the time that you need. And look…for me it kinda led me to you, so it wasn’t all bad.” 

“And if I say I’m ready now?” Evan asked, turning his face so that he could look directly at Tommy. 

“Then you are,” Tommy said. 

—

Buck would never admit it, but one of the reasons that he’d been so insistent on putting his bed back up in the loft was that it might mean he could get Tommy on the couch for a cuddle and maybe some making out because kissing Tommy was becoming an addiction and Buck wanted it to progress to more than that. Tommy was holding back and Buck knew it was for his sake, he also knew that he couldn’t wait any longer. 

The bed…it created a few problems in that it felt like putting pressure on both of them and so they had been hyper aware whenever they were on it together. It also reminded Buck of the very reason for why it was in his living room in the first place and that was the unsexiest thing in the world. 

He was ready for his life to get back to normal and that meant his couch where it belonged and his bed in his bedroom and it also meant that Buck was also ready to take the next natural step with his boyfriend. Tommy was just making it kinda difficult because he seemed to pull away whenever Buck was even thinking about doing anything past kissing. 

Buck didn’t know if it was because of his leg or if Tommy had it in his mind that Buck wasn’t ready, but he was getting tired of it, and maybe a bit horny about it too. Could anyone blame him, Tommy was way too hot for his own good. 

It was a few days before Buck needed to go in for his recertification and he was more than happy with what the doctors had all said at his last visit. Yes he might still experience some leg cramps and the screws wouldn’t be coming out just yet, but Buck could return to normal activity. For him, normal activity was firefighting. He’d even started going back to his gym and he wasn’t as out of shape as he’d thought. That was of course down to the PT. 

He and Tommy had another date as soon as Tommy got off shift. Buck had no idea what Tommy had planned, seeing as all he’d been told was to wait for Tommy to pick him up. Buck was hoping that whatever the date entailed, it might lead to the two of them getting a bit more physical. 

When Tommy knocked on his door, Buck rushed to open it. 

“You look excited,” Tommy said. 

“And you look really good,” Buck responded

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Tommy said and stepped into Buck’s space, leaning in to kiss him. 

The door closed behind them and Buck sighed against Tommy, slanting their lips together again and letting the moment linger until Tommy was taking a step back and eyeing him. 

“Are you ready to go?” 

“Yeah. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” 

“You’ll find out soon enough. Come on.” 

Tommy followed him out the door and took Buck’s hand. Buck had never known how much he loved holding someone’s hand before Tommy and he was reluctant to let him go when they made it to his car. It meant that Tommy reeled him into his arms for a kiss that left Buck wanting to just drag Tommy back up to his apartment. He only just managed to tear himself away. 

“You’re taking me up in a helicopter,” Buck said almost half an hour later as Tommy pulled into Harbor. 

“I did promise,” Tommy said. 

Tommy gave him a small tour of his workplace. Buck got a kick out of noticing the differences even though the 217 did still have their own engine and ladder truck. Still, it was impressive. He even got a quick look at the helicopters inside the hangar and they watched when a call came in and a team of three ran towards one of the helicopters sitting out and ready. Then, Tommy led him out to where the helicopter waited for them. 

The thing about Tommy was that there was little he could do that Buck didn’t find hot. His confidence as he got them ready to fly left Buck at a loss for words and then they were up in the air and it was all due to Tommy. It was almost hard to look away from him and actually take in the view, but Buck forced himself to when Tommy pointed something out for him to see. 

The most amazing thing by far was just how far and wide Buck could see. The day was clear and they were flying below the few clouds that did exist. LA looked different from above and Buck loved it. He loved getting a different perspective to a place that he knew so well. 

“This is amazing,” Buck said. 

“Yeah?” 

Tommy grinned at him. He looked gorgeous in that moment between his smile and the way that the headset sat on his curls. His eyes crinkled and his hands were on the controls. The cyclic, Tommy had called it. 

They went by the beaches, looked down at the crowds of people sunbathing or surfing out on the water. It had been way too long since Buck had gone to the beach. He just had never really found the time and then after the accident the priority was getting back to work. 

Buck had no idea how long they were up in the air, but they returned to Harbor and Buck could barely contain the urge to kiss Tommy. It really was bad how much he wanted him. As soon as they were securely on the ground and Tommy was slipping the headset off, Buck unbuckled himself and then grabbed at Tommy, hands sliding to cradle his face and then he planted his lips on Tommy. Tommy made a noise into the kiss, but he kissed back just as eager until he pushed Buck back. 

“Evan, we can’t just stay in here.” 

“Why not?” Buck asked, going for another kiss. 

“Because I only booked the helicopter for an hour.” 

Buck groaned, but followed Tommy’s lead and opened the door. He got down slowly and wasn’t surprised when Tommy met him. He wrapped an arm around Buck’s shoulders, bringing him into his body. 

“Tell me you’ll take me up there again, one day,” Buck said. 

“I could even fly us somewhere,” Tommy said. “We’ll plan it out. Maybe San Francisco or Vegas. Napa.” 

“Yes,” Buck said at once. “Do you know how good you look in the pilot’s seat?”

“Not as good as you looked sitting next to me,” Tommy said. 

“Only one of us was doing the flying,” Buck pointed out. 

“Hmm, nothing says you can’t learn. I could give you lessons.” 

Buck somehow didn’t think he would learn much of anything if Tommy was involved. He was too distracting and Buck was sure it wasn’t something that would change anytime soon. 

“Did you get us a reservation anywhere?” Buck asked. 

“No. Figured we’d play it by ear.” 

Buck smiled. “Well, then, Mr. Pilot, I think we can order in once we get back to my place. I figure we’ll find something to do there…some other lessons that you might need to give me.” 

“Oh, is that so?” Tommy asked. 

Buck could only nod. 

[mangoguy]

Displacement (1/2)

John "Soap" McTavish(2009) x Reader x John "Soap" McTavish(2022)

Warnings: Mention of Modern Warfare 3 (2011), Some fluff, they/them used once other than that no pronouns are used.

You recall your relationship with your John while in the hospital.

Another entry For @glitterypirateduck Soap It Up challenge!

This was heavily inspired by the Multiverse AU by shotmrmiller. It's been on my mind for a while lol

"Right, what the hell kind of name is 'Soap', eh? How'd a muppet like you pass selection?"

You heard Price state, looking up from cleaning your gun you saw the new guy who was set to join. Fresh faced and ready for battle, you wondered how long that would last. You watched as he passed the C.Q.B with a pretty average time, but he passed nonetheless. After that Price quickly briefed the team on the mission, infiltrating and assaulting a cargo ship in the Bering Strait. He dismissed us to get ready, deciding you wanted to try and get to know the new guy. You walked over to him and fell into step with him. 

You remember it wasn’t hard to get him to open up, which was surprising, most of the guys here were not up for much conversion. After a while, you decided to ask the biggest question on your mind, you asked him about his hair. 

“Why did you decide on a mohawk?” You heard him huff.  

“Because it was cool…” He mumbled.

"I love ye, y'know that right?"

You could faintly hear Captain McTavish mumble those words under his breath but the sound of the helicopter made you wonder if you heard it at all. What affirmed that it was indeed said out loud was when he took his hand in yours, rubbing his thumb over the back of your hand in a soothing gesture. Who he was comforting, you weren't sure, but you had an inkling it was to ground himself. 

You recall It was his first mission as captain and if he was nervous he sure as hell didn’t show it. But you knew him, he often sought some small physical contact as comfort when he was nervous. 

It's funny how you remember these things.

You also remember his first mission as captain went off without a hitch, of course, there were hiccups but like he promised nothing happened to you. It was oddly sweet in its own way, he knew you could take care of yourself but he often fretted sometimes (even if he didn't entirely show it).

Another moment you recall with John McTavish was when you two were outside. He was smoking and you were just keeping him company. It was a nice evening, a bit cold but nothing you couldn't handle. You two were talking about anything and everything as you two normally do. Then the topic of living together came up.

"Y'know... I've been thinking after all this is over we need to... do couples things" he chuckled.

"Oh yeah? Like what? I thought fighting in battlefields was good date material," you joked.

"Ah, that's gettin' old... we could get our own place," he suggested. 

"Get our own place? What are you suggesting?" You turned to look at him, he was already looking at you with a grin.

"Aye, I'm sayin' we should live together once this is all over and done with, I'm thinkin' out in the fields near a small town, just the two of us," he stubbed out his smoke before leaning against you. He wrapped an arm around your waist and brought you closer. 

"Hm, that sounds wonderful... We could get a cat... maybe two so the other one wouldn't be lonely," you suggested, planting a kiss on his lips as you both thought about this fantasy. You'll never forget the way his cheeks turned a bit rosy after that. 

Though before house buying the one important thing on John's 'Couples things' list was getting married. Of course, you both talked extensively about it, making sure it was something you both were on the same page on. The ceremony wasn't anything special, just you, John, and a few friends and family to celebrate at John's Parents' house. It was a sweet time, filled with talking and laughing (Ghost and Roach were both raiding the snacks John's mom made). 

"Look at you, my little brother gettin' married! Never thought I see the day, thought you were married to the military life for a sec," John's sister teasingly bumped his shoulder. Though she was teasing, she seemed pretty proud and happy for him. 

"Aye, never thought I get so lucky, knew I wanted to marry them 6 months in but didn't want to scare them," John chuckled while wrapping an arm around your waist. You just rolled your eyes and nudged his rib, and he responded by pinching your hip before kissing your cheek.

But things didn't turn out like you both planned. Luck had to run out someday.

'I won't let anything happen to you,' rings in your head, he never failed to mention it before missions you both went on.

Is that why you were here?

You weren't sure how to explain it. One moment you were with John and Yuri, in that building, something went off and you woke up with someone looming over you.. before it all went black again.

You felt like you were in a different body, and you say that loosely since it still felt like you but a bit younger, less tense. You weakly opened your eyes, the blaring lights of the hospital flooding your vision. You groaned, wincing away for a moment before it felt safe to look again. The bed you were lying on was much softer than the ones back on base.

"Ah, you're awake," you saw a nurse to your left side checking your vitals, she gave you a reassuring smile.

"You were out for a while, almost two months! Had some bloke worried sick about you... Johnny, I think his name was," she started explaining. You never really heard people refer to John as Johnny but whatever at least you knew he was alive.

“Is he okay?” You rushed to ask.

“Yes he’s fine, was discharged a while ago, you were the one to take the most of the damage,” She paused to resume her work.

“Actually he should be coming back soon, doesn’t leave your side unless he needs the restroom, you definitely have a good one,” She chuckled.

Oh, thank god he was okay.

The nurse left you to rest after and you started mulling over what happened.

An explosion happened, you were falling alongside Yuri when it happened. But you couldn't remember much else.

You began to feel uneasy, like you lost a big part of yourself and yet you couldn't explain why. Which was weird considering the nurse just confirmed he was, in fact, relatively okay. While you were mulling it over some more you didn't hear the door opening and the sound of hurried footsteps rushing over to your bed.

"Yer awake!" 

You whipped your head up to see your husband, so grateful he was okay. You were almost ready to jump on him but you froze when your eyes finally landed on him. What looked like John, though he was a mildly younger version of him. He was a bit shorter than your John as well, along with sounding vastly different. 

That was definitely not your John.

He looked worried and relieved at you. Placing a hand on yours but also trying not to hover around you, you noticed a tattoo on his right arm, John didn’t have an arm tattoo. He decided to just sit down on the chair that was pushed near your hospital bed. Not knowing what to do you took your hand out of his and placed it on your stomach. 

That’s when you noticed your simple wedding band was gone.

Replaced with one that had a pearl and a few diamonds.

Whose ring was this?

You were confused and dare you say scared. Scared more than you ever have been in your life and that's saying a lot considering your line of work. But where exactly were you? 

"Yer looking at me like ye don't know me, Bonnie," the man broke the silence. 

But you didn't know him, you assumed this was the bloke the nurse mentioned.

Johnny. 

Wearing the face of your John.

Just what exactly happened?

Words: 1,347

Reblogs and comments are appreciated!

[bananaguyboi]

Ladies and gentlemen, have some part of the fanfic (This part is mostly about Gu Chil, but don't worry the full chapter of ch 2 won't be focused on him skskks)

Also, this is kinda of a spoilers from my Tang Bo Returns! fic, so don't read it if ya dont wanna be spoiled- And for context, this is before Gu Chil meets Tang Bo and is just hanging out with the beggars. Myeong-suk is his own person, i guess.

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Defeated, Gu Chil slowly looked at the beggars within the crowd.

Then quickly glanced at the beggars that are with him.

Though.. there is someone missing.

"Where's Myeong-suk?"

"Hm? Is he in trouble? Why are you trying to find that punk?" An upset beggar asked.

"No, no. Me, Ha jun, and Myeong-Suk were assigned to report something." Gu Chil calmly explained to the irritated beggar.

"Pfft- He must be sleeping right now, like he always does" One of the beggar laughed, and chimed in the conversation.

"Yeah.." Another beggar sighed. "Are you sure you want him to be with you? He only slacks around."

"Eh? From what I know, he always mentioned that he has an illness, or something?"

"Isn't that just him excusing himself so he could doze off, you punk?"

"No, i mean- you always see him getting tired before he can even lift a box, right?"

"That's just him being lazy"

"Well, how about the time he ran a few meters away, and suddenly he fainted to the ground?"

"That's him being lazy again!"

"This crazy guy- How is that considered lazy!?"

The two beggars, as if throwing daggers, fiercely glared at each other, but one of them halted their heated argument.

"Whether he has an illness, or was lazy, I still don't think he would be helpful, Am I right Gu Chil?"

Tired of listening, Gu Chil sighed. The beggar that ended the argument saw an opportunity being open, and quickly ask.

"Gu Chil, I can help you instead of Myeong-Suk if you'd like." The beggar smiled.

However, the smile wasn't any normal smile, it was one of those smiles that didn't bring any comfort. A smile with no genuine emotions, but greed.

Was it like Chung Myung's scamming smile? Not at all, even though that bastard is up to no good whenever he smile evilly, at least he did it with good intention. This one however, made Gu Chil uncomfortable. The smiling beggar's mocking tone didn't help either.

Absent-minded, Gu Chil could only stare at the smiling beggar in silence.

Why? He was simply tired of it.

Tired of people siding with him just for the sake of getting near the Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. Tired of people kissing his ass just to not getting beaten by that devil of a guy.

If they knew what kind of person Chung Myung really is, they might have avoided him in every possible way, and even if they knew Chung Myung's personality, they would have treated Gu Chil the literal pieces of hell.

But that's what Gu Chil thought.

Yet here they were, Approaching him with a friendly facade, acting as if they were friends from the very start. Thinking they could escape being pummeled by the Chivalrous sword if they befriended him.

Gu Chil didn't mind this so much, but what bothered him is the uncomfortable amount of topic that always revolve around Chung Myung. Yes, he made a lot of achievements, but Gu Chil was always associated with it.

Was it because he was treated with a special treatment by chung myung? Perhaps. Naturally, Gu Chil could sympythize with their frustration. If he were in their shoes, He would be pissed too if a devil like him treats a person who never done anything special like an important person.

But currently, that "special" person is him.

The way they look at Gu Chil as they give him backhanded compliments and praises. The way they talk to him as if he never deserved to have such treatment. It bothered him. A lot, actually.

Were they acting this way out of Jealousy? Resentment, perhaps? or maybe it's Superiority?

He couldn't be sure, but whatever the case, It was clear they didn't want to be friends with him.

Gu Chil was in deep thought, but was quickly snapped back to reality as the smiling beggar called for his name.

"Gu Chil?" The smiling beggar blinked, waiting for an answer.

Gu Chil grinned back at the him, and simply responded "No thanks." He was used to this, so rejecting them was shockingly easy.

The smiling beggar's eye twitched. "No, I insist. You might have a hard time dealing with someone like Myeong-Suk"

Gu Chil swung his head back, and forth in denial, and faced the smiling beggar. "Honestly, I'd rather be with Myeong-Suk than be with you guys"

Now hold on, that's a shocking news on its own, what the actual FUCK?

Gu Chil said it so confidently, however he was taken aback by the loud shouts of the beggars.

"Huh? Why that bastard??"

"Er.. He's indifferent...?"

...

Huh??

What's that supposed to mean?

"I can't explain it, He mind his own business, i guess..?"

"He is quiet, i suppose.."

"That still doesn't make sense!!" The beggar yelled.

"Ay- whatever! Ha jun, Let's just find him!"

. . . . . . . . . .

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Anyways, I just wanted an in depth character analysis on Gu Chil because yeah, I love Gu Chil lol. (Plus maybe Myeong suk- but nahh he's a plot device in this fic, though i am giving him some personality cuz why not)

Also, please tell me if some parts feels dragged, fast paced, or there some parts that needs to be addressed- I really need what ya'll think about this, so the feedback would be highly appreciated!!

[ohthehypocrisy]

Pokemon: Paradox Paradigms (a Third Person Shooter concept by me)

As a gamer, I'm well versed in a lot of genres. I owe this diversity to my upbringing, having grown up on Nintendo consoles and titles. Yes, I have played PlayStation games, but I've never owned one, and I've never even touched an XBOX controller. As a result, I had lived for a very long time without touching a Shooter game.

You might be thinking to yourself 'Ah, I see. Splatoon was your first shooter then?' and I'll tell you, no, it wasn't. I wanted to get into it, but I never got around to playing the games. I was well off watching my brothers play Splatoon and Splatoon 2 and figured it was a pretty decent experience, but not one I was willing to commit to learning about. Not that I have anything negative to say about Splatoon, it was just a matter of not the right time for me.

So what was my first shooter? Overwatch? I did want to try it out, but it wasn't available on Nintendo consoles when it came out. And also I still don't own a PlayStation console, even now. What about Call of Duty? Nah, too gritty for me. Fortnite? Too time-consuming.

Well, what was it? You might be surprised to learn that my first shooter had a solid hold on my attention span for nearly a year, and it wasn't even a conventional shooter in the literal sense of the word.

It all started on a whim, when I rented out Plants VS Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. I figured 'At worst I'll play it for a few days and then return it' only to get caught playing this game every day for nearly an entire year. The only reason I stopped was because the Daily Missions had glitched out on me and I couldn't get the cosmetic reward. I had tried reporting the bug, but all I got was silence and I had to question my commitment to a game lacking in support. Ultimately I decided it was time to shelf the game and move on to other experiences, but I still find myself feeling nostalgic over my best plays and KO streaks and wishing for a sequel.

Nothing more ever came of it, I haven't played another shooter since. There has yet to be another hero shooter that scratched that itch I got playing Battle for Neighborville. I mean, there is Marvel Rivals coming out soon, but it won't be available on the Switch console. Star Wars Hunters looks promising, but I'm not really a Star Wars guy. Eh, I wasn't really a PVZ guy either before picking up Battle for Neighborville, so maybe I'll check it out sometime soon.

But for now, the only way I know for sure I'll have another experience like PVZ is to pretend to make my own, which brings me to the topic of this post. What if we put the Paradox Pokemon, all past and future ones, into a third person hero based shooter? I made a similar concept before in a post featuring the Future Paradox Pokemon, but I excluded the Past Paradox Pokemon because I thought the concept wouldn't work for them. But now, I don't care all that much about cohesion, I just want to relive the wacky shooter experience of Plants VS Zombies, so of course I'm going to pit Past VS Future here.

Of course the game has to have a plot to justify the infighting. Let's say that the Paradox Pokemon are fighting for control in a land caught in between time, with the AI Professors from Scarlet and Violet leading charge from their command post. A similar story beat plays out in Plants VS Zombies, with Crazy Dave directing the plants and Dr. Zomboss commanding the zombies. They spoke in babbles in their games, though, which won't cut it for this game. They would HAVE to be voice acted, which would be a little strange for a spin-off game, if it weren't for Pokemon Masters already taking that first step for us.

Anyway, the playable pokemon are segregated into separate teams. As in, you either play for the dinosaur team or the cyborg team. It works this way for the Plants VS Zombies shooters, though because this is a pokemon spin-off, you can expect to have an unrestricted mode separate from the Ranked and Casual games.

The Control Scheme

As for the actual gameplay, first we have to look at the button layout and what they do. Here's a Nintendo Pro Controller for reference, since this game would most likely be on the Nintendo Switch, or Switch 2, I suppose.

Let's start with the shoulder buttons, since they simulate the trigger of actual pistols.

ZR - Primary Fire - You press this button to shoot. Do note that the bullet type, shooting speed, and recoil varies across all pokemon.

ZL - Aim - The camera zooms in to where your reticle is pointing to. Your Primary Fire will also change slightly while zoomed in, though it depends on the character. For example, sniper pokemon will shift to a scope view in order to get more accurate shots.

R - Defend - The defensive option your pokemon uses to try and evade damage. This button varies greatly across all pokemon and can be either a manual shield, a dodge, flight, invisibility, or even a counterattack. It should be noted that you cannot attack while holding your defense.

L - Jump - A short jump. A mildly evasive maneuver, but it varies with each pokemon, as per usual. Some can jump high, others not so much but deal damage upon landing. Some can even double jump or slow their descent while falling.

X & Y - Sub 1 & Sub 2 - Two customizable moves which change depending on what TM's you've taught your pokemon. You cannot use two of the same TM's for both slots but also not all TM's can be learned by all Paradox Pokemon. We'll go over the TM's later but it should be noted that, because the face buttons take the thumb away from the Right Control Stick, which is used for controlling the camera, moves set for Sub 1 and 2 will be typically proximity attacks like protective walls or bombs.

B - Melee - The close range attack used for when enemies are in your face. Again, it's different for all pokemon, but because it's a face button, the attack is tricky to aim. Most of them will cover a wide area so aiming won't be a problem, if it can be helped.

A - Paradox Paradigm - The so-called 'ultimate attack' of each playable pokemon. While Sub 1 and 2 are customizable, the Paradox Paradigm is a powerful attack unique to each one. It's also the move with the highest cooldown in your entire kit, so it shouldn't be used carelessly.

Left Control Stick - Movement - As with nearly all games, the left stick is how you'll move your pokemon around. But each playable pokemon is different in their own way, so naturally each one moves slightly different. Some are fast, some are slow, some make big loud stomps that can be heard across the map, while others are quiet like a gentle breeze. Also, if you hold forward for a while, the pokemon will start running. You can trigger running automatically by pressing in the control stick.

Right Control Stick - Camera - It wouldn't be much of a shooter if you couldn't aim, huh? The camera function is exactly the same for all pokemon, though the reticle will be different for each pokemon due to their unique abilities and projectiles. It's also used for the Quick Chat and Emote Wheel. Speaking of which...

Directional Pad - Quick Chat/Emote/Taunt/Pokeball - Communication is key for fighting as a team, so of course there's got to be a feature for getting your message across. Three of the four buttons of the D-Pad brings up a small menu of words, stickers, and animations that you can use to express yourself. They're preset, but you can swap them around in your Settings before each match. The Down Button, however, is called Pokeball and it sends the pokemon back into its pokeball to return to Base or to the Character Select screen. More on that later...

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Playable Pokemon

So you know how the game will play, but what pokemon will you choose? Let's go over the Playable Paradox Pokemon in order of Dex Number and see what they can do in a shooter.

Great Tusk

Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆

Not a great first impression for a shooter, but Great Tusk can hold its own in the middle of a firefight. High HP and damage potential service it well when fighting one-on-one, but it lacks the guile to get around and can't hit far away targets feasibly. Still, if it does manage to get up close and personal, those wretched robots will be reduced to rubbish when Great Tusk is through with them.

Primary Fire: Great Tusk takes a moment to tear up the ground and pull up a giant spherical rock. After pulling it out, Great Tusk will hold the rock with its trunk and massive tusks, which acts as a shield from opposing enemy fire. The rock can take a lot of hits, but it's not invulnerable and can be shattered from heavy fire. Before that happens, press the Primary fire again to send the rock rolling like a primitive bowling ball. The rock explodes on hit with a wall or enemy, dealing massive damage to all nearby. This damage does not scale with the 'HP' of the rock. When Aimed, Great Tusk will chuck smaller stones instead, though its throwing arm, or trunk, isn't all that great. Great Tusk cannot dig up rocks or stones while airborne.

Defend: Great Tusk will attempt to reach out and grab an enemy with its trunk. If successful, it will pick up the enemy and throw it in the direction you're aiming. If you're holding the boulder picked up with your Primary, Great Tusk will swing it in a wide arc, swatting enemies away and dealing damage scaled off of the rock's HP.

Melee: Great Tusk brings up its trunk before slamming it back down in front of itself. If it was holding the big rock, it smashes it down in front of itself, dealing increased damage in a wider area.

Jump: A stout jump that shakes the ground upon landing. If Great Tusk jumps or falls from a great height, the quake damage increases.

Paradox Paradigm: Great Tusk goes on a rampage and starts charging forward wildly. Enemies receive major damage and are knocked away.

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Scream Tail

Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★☆☆☆☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆

Do not mistake Scream Tail's cute front for an easy opponent, as it is neither weak nor merciful. Its high HP is beset by low damage output, but it more than makes up for this with its mobility, range, and supportive abilities. Scream Tail plays for the team more for itself, but it'll happily shout to its own tune when it brings discord to those dastardly droids.

Primary Fire: A wide ranged scream wave emitted in front of itself. This sound wave is harsh but not all that damaging, but it does cover a wide area. Enemies can hide behind walls to avoid damage, but the echoing shrieks will reveal their position to others, making it unsafe to be within earshot. When Aimed, the wide scream becomes a focused shout, which bounces off of walls. Holding the Primary Fire has Scream Tail take in air before shouting, increasing the size and damage of the echo.

Defend: Scream Tail puffs up and holds in its voice for a few seconds before deflating. If Scream Tail is damaged before it deflates, it'll let loose an ear-splitting screech which stuns nearby enemies for a bit. If Scream Tail does deflate, however, it cannot Defend again for a short while.

Melee: A wild whirl of its hair tail. The tail whips all around itself, knocking enemies away.

Jump: A floaty jump. Can be pressed repeatedly to gain a bit of height, or held down to drastically slow its descent, allowing it to cross wide gaps.

Paradox Paradigm: Scream Tail lets out a hangry scream for a short while before shifting into prowl mode, increasing its Movement Speed. Enemies that heard the screech will become targets for Scream Tail. If Scream Tail approaches an enemy marked by your Paradox Paradigm, it'll open its mouth drastically before taking one big bite. If this bite KO's the enemy, Scream Tail can hunt for another target.

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Brute Bonnet

Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★☆☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range:★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆

Now, Brute Bonnet would not have looked out of place in a Plants VS Zombies game, but unfortunately it has been branded with the pokeball symbol since the beginning of time, apparently. Even so, the irony of drafting it into a third person shooter is not lost on me. It may not be gunning down zombies, but blasting apart the ireful iron monstrosities from the future is a fair substitute.

Primary: Brute Bonnet launches a hardened ball of spores in an arc. This spore ball bursts with a small explosion, damaging other enemies nearby. The lobbing arc of the projectile means that it can be used to bypass walls that the enemy might hide behind, though this means that it has pathetically low range against enemies at higher vantage points. When aimed, Brute Bonnet launches slow moving spore bombs directly forward. These projectiles are pathetically slow, but they are very light, very persistent, and Brute Bonnet can launch a whole bunch of them to fill the sky.

Defend: Brute Bonnet guards itself with its pokeball pattern caps. Its defense increases greatly while guarding, but it can still be KO'd. If it receives an attack directly onto its caps, a cloud of spores is released to deal counterattack damage. Any enemy nearby gets bounced back as well.

Melee: Brute Bonnet claps its mushroom hands together like a pair of cymbals and release a small cloud of debilitating spores. The spores deal continuous damage passively for a short amount of time, but by the time they wear off, Brute Bonnet can use its Melee attack again.

Jump: The stretchy nature of mushrooms means that Brute Bonnet has one of the more intricate Jump functions in the game. It can Jump high initially, but if you Jump again when you land, you'll Jump even higher the second time. Stick the landing one more time and you'll Jump even higher. The third Jump is your maximum height, but if you hold the button instead, you can build up power before jumping up for the skies. Any more jumps after that will not gain any extra height, but Brute Bonnet can scale big cliffs or reach the roofs of big buildings on the map. One more thing, while Brute Bonnet is holding Jump, its body is squash so that it can build up tension. If an ally jumps onto Brute Bonnet while it is charging Jump, they will also be launched high into the air in the direction you're facing, allowing vertically challenged teammates to reach higher vantage points.

Paradox Paradigm: Brute Bonnet starts to shake and flail about wildly while a primal power builds up from within. After a short jig, Brute Bonnet unleashes its powerful spores in a mighty explosion, ejecting them so forcefully that a great mushroom cloud rises up from ground zero. The blast deals major damage to all nearby enemies but the damage increases further the less HP you have. Also, the survivors will be put to Sleep for a while afterwards.

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Flutter Mane

Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★★★ Support: ★☆☆☆☆

The destructive power of the Ghost and Fairy Type is made alive in Paradox Paradigm, as Flutter Mane wields some of the most damaging projectiles in the whole game. From relentless wisps that bypass barriers to sneaky shots from so far away, Flutter Mane is just what the Ancient pokemon need to turn the tide against those wrathful robots from the future.

Primary Fire: Flutter Mane starts to cackle as burning will-o'-the-wisps gather around itself. It'll keep gathering wisps for as long as the button is held, but once the trigger is released, Flutter Mane will unleash a volley of ghostly fire straight ahead. This is functionally similar to a 'minigun' in more modern shooters, complete with the telltale sound of the ammunition being loaded. Enemies will hear the cackle clearly, even during a raucous firefight, and they'll know they need to either make a break for it or take out the wailing banshee. The projectiles have a ghostly property as well, in that they can pass through up to 1 wall before bursting. Flutter Mane can only see through walls while Aiming, but it shifts into a sniper scope when it does so. While holding Aim, the pearls on its necklace glow with power, gleaming brightly when fully charged. Firing at this point launches a powerful single beam that deals major damage to enemies through headshots. However, the sniper fire cannot pass through walls. Either way, these attacks are powerful, but very clearly give away Flutter Mane's position when they're used.

Defend: Flutter Mane turns invisible, leaving behind only a shadow that gives its position away. It is still vulnerable to enemy fire, but it'll take a lucky shot to hit Flutter Mane. The invisibility will only wear off when released manually or if Flutter Mane gets incapacitated.

Melee: A terrifying shout that damages all around itself. The attack power doubles and can Stun enemies if Flutter Mane attacks an enemy's backside while invisible. Keep in mind that Defend normally prevents the pokemon from attacking while held, and Flutter Mane will become unable to turn invisible again for a short while afterwards if it jumpscares an enemy.

Jump: Flutter Mane flutters a bit and gains some height. Holding the Jump button has Flutter Mane hold itself in the air at max jump height and will remain there until the jump button is released. Alternatively, Flutter Mane will continue fluttering if you use your Primary Fire, Aim, or Defend, in which case it will only drop down when these effects end.

Paradox Paradigm: Flutter Mane amasses a huge amount of ghostly energy before unleashing a massive ghastly visage straight forward. The ghost projectile resembles Flutter Mane itself but with a mildly distorted laughing face. The projectile will travel across the map at moderate speed, passing through walls and floors and dealing great damage repeatedly to enemies caught in the attack.

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Slither Wing

Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆

The ancient past was a world full of opportunity and potential, but not one of forgiveness. Every genetic mistake was swiftly corrected, leading only to the survival of the fittest. Slither Wing was a pokemon that was slowly developing its powers over the course of thousands of years, but as it is now, its power varies greatly. Still, it has enough power within itself to pulverize those pesky piles of pots and pans.

Primary Fire: A steady stream of flames shoots out from its tiny mouth. The flames reach far, but the rate of damage is much higher closer to the pokemon itself and deals pitiful damage from far away. Also, the fire stream takes a lot of air out of Slither Wing, so if it runs out of fuel, it needs to catch its breath before it can fire again. When Aiming, the player's sight shifts to a sniper scope. Slither Wing gathers solar energy from the sun while aiming, building up power for its sniper shot. Its wings flare up while at max power, making it highly visible from across the map.

Defend: Slither Wing leaps backwards quickly, leaving behind some glittery dust from its wings. It is completely invincible while jumping away, but the evasive jump always sends you backwards and can be difficult to aim. The glittery dust damages enemies continuously while the dust cloud lingers. The dust can be ignited with your Primary Fire, dealing increased damage and inflicting Burn.

Melee: A lunging bite. A direct hit restores HP. If Slither Wing is airborne and uses its Melee attack, it will latch onto enemies and bite repeatedly if the attack is timed correctly. The last hit heals for a lot of HP if it KO'd an enemy.

Jump: A slow but mighty jump. Slither Wing uses its large wings to lift itself off of the ground, leaving behind glittery dust. Just like with Defend, the glittery dust can also be ignited with Primary Fire. Slither Wing deals damage to enemies if it lands on them with Jump, causing it to bounce again in any chosen direction.

Paradox Paradigm: Slither Wing harnesses the full power of the sun and casts the entire area around it with a primordial glow. The glowing light deals damage to all enemies within range. At the same time Slither Wing is healing itself, and the amount of HP restored turns into extra damage for this attack.

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Sandy Shocks

Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆

Of all the Future Paradox Pokemon, Sandy Shocks has the biggest grudge against them. As one of the early pioneers of electricity and magnetism, the white noise emitted by the futuristic Paradox Pokemon screams like relentless thunder to its ears. It wants nothing more than the peace and quiet of a less noisy future.

Primary Fire: Controlling electricity wasn't exactly perfected yet back then, so the main source of damage coming from Sandy Shocks is a controlled stream of energy. Electricity flows out of one horseshoe, out into the open, before curving back around and completing the circuit on the other horseshoe. It covers a wide area, but in a shooter, it hardly covers much distance. However, this charged line carries with it floating ironsand particles, from Sandy Shocks own body. It doesn't deal extra damage to enemies, but it does coat allies in a bit of protection, granting them Armor that builds up slowly over time. When the attack shifts with Aim, each eye will instead shoot a condensed beam of energy. There is an 'autolock' feature with Aim where up to 3 enemies will be shot at with a separate beam, one for each eye, and will continue to deal damage until they move out of sight.

Defend: Sandy Shocks amplifies its magnetism to pull in all the ironsand within reach to come together and form a wall directly in front of itself. The wall can take a bit of damage before crumbling apart. Sandy Shocks can only make one wall at a time, so using Defend again takes all the sand away from the last wall made. It's also solid, so it can take a beating, but you can't really see through it.

Melee: Sandy Shocks powers up its magnets again to charge the area around it and pull enemies inward. It's only for a brief moment, but enemies will be Stunned as they're pulled in.

Jump: A short jump, but one with a secret trick. If you hold the Jump button and jump into a wall, Sandy Shocks will cling to the surface and can walk around on it as easily as it could on land. It only has about 10 seconds to make use of this mobility, but Sandy Shocks can actually still attack with Melee and Primary Fire while wall clinging. Once you jump off though, whether it be because you ran out of time or were shoved off by an enemy, you cannot cling to the wall again until after you touch the ground for a couple of seconds. It can get disorientating, though, so don't overdo it.

Paradox Paradigm: Sandy Shocks launches a giant lightning bolt straight forward after a brief charge. The lightning bolt magnetizes the area around itself, drawing in even more ironsand with its residual energy. This causes Sandy Shocks to overflow with electricity, gaining Armor with its excess ironsand and improving the Armor granted to allies with its Primary Fire as well as increases the size and HP of its ironsand wall made with Defend.

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Iron Treads

Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆

The wheel, as an invention, is proof of evolving ingenuity, and it is a testament to the advancements of technology that the shape continues to persist in the future. Yes, everything that floats can fly, but gyroscopic motors are the backbone of futuristic designs. It's understandable to us, at least, and definitely beyond the understanding of those undignified dinosaurs.

Primary Fire: The dirt that gets chewed up as Iron Treads rolls around the earth is collected and processed for its projectiles. Out of its trunk pops concussive blasts of silicone and carbon, usually used to blow apart walls and obstacles. They have a bit of a curve to them, so they can't reach very high, but they do pack a punch. When Aimed, the constitution of the projectiles changes to become sticky, more like mud, and they will stick to walls without exploding. They still can't reach very far, nor can there be too many in play at once, but the Ability to Aim these proximity mines makes for precise traps.

Defend: Iron Treads retracts its trunk and begins to spin its 'wheels' around at high speed. The centrifugal force deflects some of the power of the projectiles that strike it, reducing damage. Your movement speed increases greatly, though, and you can deal damage to enemies by ramming into them, knocking them away a short distance.

Melee: Same as Defend, except Iron Treads spins its wheel much faster, you cannot move for a second, and when it fully revs up, Iron Treads launches itself forward at high speed, dealing great damage to enemies and knocking them up into the air. You have about a second to turn around while Iron Treads is charging, because you cannot move or jump until the attack ends and Iron Treads screeches to a halt.

Jump: A short jump, but Iron Treads lands with a damaging quake, just like Great Tusk. However, it can also cling to walls using its magnetized treads, just like Sandy Shocks can, granting Iron Treads excellent mobility.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Treads spins very quickly, ripping up the earth under itself and slinging chunks everywhere. These stray slags are actually its Primary Fire being loaded and launched very quickly in a wide area around itself. The shots detonate upon landing or after hitting an enemy.

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Iron Bundle

Health: ★☆☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★★☆☆

Iron Bundle used to be a pokemon that spread joy and holiday cheer everywhere, but times changed, so instead it dispenses refreshingly ice-cold water to thirsty patrons. It can still fight in a pinch, and it's more than happy to wash the filth off of those deplorable dinosaurs from the dark ages.

Primary Fire: The water in its bundle doesn't come from nowhere, it has to draw in moisture from the air before it can be shot out. This extraction process is very noisy, but once Iron Bundle has enough water, it shoots a powerful stream straight forward. The ice cold water slows down enemies on hit, but Iron Bundle also has to slow down in order to hold its canister steady. This attack operates just like a minigun in traditional shooters, which suits a small pokemon like Iron Bundle very well. When Aimed, Iron Bundle holds the canister over its head and launches ice cubes rapidly. The projectiles are weaker, but it's quicker to attack in this way.

Defend: Iron Bundle puts its ice maker into overdrive and starts building a pillar of ice. It starts out as a short wall, optimal for cover and returning fire, but the more ice you add to it, the taller it gets. It'll only get as tall as three 'blocks' but you can move Iron Bundle while holding Defend to make more ice pillars. It's slow, but the pillars are slow melting and are handy to make a decent fort in anticipation of a raid.

Melee: Loads of snow are thrown from its canister pointing forward. It has less range than it looks, but it can slow down enemies approaching from the front. Additionally, Iron Bundle's movement speed increases when it is moving backwards while holding Melee, due to the snow propelling it backwards a bit. Also, the Melee attack is used automatically when Iron Bundle is moving normally, but the canister is pointed backwards instead, slinging snow behind it.

Jump: A short jump. If Iron Bundle falls from a great height and holds Jump, it points its canister straight down and starts blowing snow forcefully, slowing its descent and damaging enemies underneath.

Paradox Paradigm: Upon activation, Iron Bundle takes its canister and starts to shake it vigorously like a bartender and his favorite tumbler. This shaking accelerates the ice maker in the canister but also is very loud and pervasive. After about two seconds, Iron Bundle points the canister forward and launches a dense ice ball into the air. A trail of snow follows the projectile as it flies, until it hits a wall or enemy, in which case it'll explode into a flurry of slush. The snow lingers for a while and increases your team's movement speed while also decreasing that of the enemy team.

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Iron Hands

Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆

There is no such thing as a perfectly designed robot. Each automaton is built to specific measurements meant for its function. Iron Hands may be very large, but it is built that way for one thing and thing only. It was made to pummel those primitive pokemon from the past. And also to guard things, I guess.

Primary Fire: Iron Hands holds its hands out and generates a powerful electrical field in front of itself. This electric field acts as a mobile barrier that it can carry and summon whenever possible. It can also damage nearby enemies that touch the barrier, though the damage is weak. The barrier can take a certain amount of damage until it breaks, in which case it cannot be made until the shield has fully regenerated. Beyond that, it regenerates normally when not in use, and dealing damage with your other moves accelerates the shield's regeneration. When Aimed, Iron Hands launches shots of its electrified palms forward. These palm shaped projectiles are slow moving, but they can intercept enemy fire. They cannot block laser beams, though, due to the property of the different projectiles.

Defend: Iron Hands clasps its hands together in an attempt to grab an enemy. If successful, Iron Hands will lift them up into the air before throwing them in the direction of the player's reticle. The thrown enemy will be damaged upon landing and can also damage other enemies on hit.

Melee: Iron Hands charges its palms before bringing them together in a loud clap. The clap unleashes a powerful shock wave that stuns nearby enemies.

Jump: A short jump. It should be noted that Iron Hands can Jump during the grab and throw effect of its Defend ability.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Hands performs a traditional sumo stomp with both feet before launching a supercharged shock wave from its hands. The shock wave moves slowly, but it behaves like a moving wall, damaging and pushing enemies away as it flies. Enemies squashed by this Paradox Paradigm attack will take massive damage.

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Iron Jugulis

Health: ★☆☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★★★★★ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆

Two heads are better than one, so naturally three heads are superior. You put a machine like this in the skies, and nothing will escape from its sight. It's a good thing too, as those pesky primal pokemon are very unsightly and must be obliterated on sight, as decreed by Iron Jugulis' programming.

Primary Fire: Iron Jugulis breathes an evil flame into the air. This flame covers a wide area and is easy to hit. The attack sets opposing pokemon on fire, dealing damage continuously to them. Also, the two other heads of Iron Jugulis will automatically attack nearby enemies, prioritizing those set aflame by your Primary Fire. When Aimed, the flames turn into an explosive fireball launched intermittently. The two other heads will also target enemies damaged by your attack.

Defend: Iron Jugulis retreats backwards while its two other heads linger in place, shooting a stream of fire forward. The attack lingers for a while or until Iron Jugulis attacks again. This attack can only be used while Iron Jugulis is 'grounded'.

Melee: The two heads reach out to bite and grab an enemy. If successful, they'll pull the enemy inward for a short distance before letting go. Iron Jugulis can fly over gaps, so it's possible but difficult for the player to drag an enemy off a ledge and pull them into a bottomless pit.

Jump: Instead of obeying gravity, Iron Jugulis can increase its elevation by holding the Jump button. It can fly very high, nearly up to the top of the map, and becomes very difficult to shoot down once it gets here. If you do get hit, though, you'll be forced to fall a few meters before Iron Jugulis recalibrates its position. You can manually descend by holding the Defend button. You move faster by using your Primary Fire without Aiming.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Jugulis and its other two heads charge up powerful shots in its mouths before launching them in the direction of the player's reticle. Each shot will explode on hit with an enemy or the ground or wall. Also, each shot can inflict a random status effect like Poison, Burn, Confuse, Slow, Freeze, or even Blind. This Paradox Paradigm is one of the quieter ones, though the charging effect is bright and noticeable.

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Iron Moth

Health: ★☆☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆

In the future, the sun becomes a limited resource for the planet. Instead of fighting for it, humans decided it was more important to make our own, so we turned a pokemon revered as a sun god into a portable Vitamin D dispenser. Unfortunately, there isn't enough sunlight to go around, and Iron Moth will certainly not share any of its sunny rays with those uncivilized dinosaurs, unless it's administered directly to their faces.

Primary Fire: All six of Iron Moth's wings light up with intense heat before unleashing a ray of sunshine. The beams are very damaging but Iron Moth has to slow down in order to attack. When Aimed, the reticle turns into a sniper scope and solar power fills its wings. It takes a while to reach full power, but the shot is extremely damaging even if it grazes an opponent.

Defend: Iron Moth takes one of its wings and holds it out, pointing forward. Holding the button for long enough causes the wing to detach and linger in the spot it was used at, becoming automatic. The lone wing will fire at any enemy within sight, and multiple wings can be detached in this way. However, each wing detached cuts down the power of your Primary Fire and Melee attack, so be discerning in where you deploy the wings.

Melee: Iron Moth brings its wings forward and closes them down on any enemy in front of itself. The residual solar energy being discharged heals you for a bit of Health, though the amount of damage dealt and Health regained varies depending on how many wings you have.

Jump: A lengthy Jump. Holding the button causes Iron Moth to send out a signal to all of its detached wings to rendezvous back to it. Iron Moth will float as it does so and will float for the same amount of time each time, regardless of number of deployed wings.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Moth puts its wings together and creates a fireball of great heat and intensity before launching it forward. The more wings you have, the bigger it is. In contrast, the less wings you have, the faster it flies out. The charge time and damage dealt is the same regardless of how many wings you have.

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Iron Thorns

Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆

Huh, I think I saw this in a movie once. Well, that's not important. What is important is that Iron Thorns is a Paradox Pokemon made for demolition and destruction. With an indestructible hide, razor sharp thorns, and a penchant for revelry in obliteration, Iron Thorns is our strongest spearhead against those dastardly dinos.

Primary Fire: Iron Thorns builds up power within itself before unleashing it out through its mouth. It takes a while for Iron Thorns to build up to max power, and it slows down while doing so, but the damage it deals is deadly. The charge time cannot be changed and you can't perform any other attacks, but you can use Sub 1 and Sub 2 freely if they're available to you. When Aimed, Iron Thorns launches its electro barbs forward instead. It needs a valid target, though, as to not waste precious ammo. In exchange, the barbs have a homing function. All you need to do is to lock on to a viable target, hold for long enough so that Iron Thorns can lock onto the enemy's signature, then release the button to let those barbs fly. It's slower generating locks onto a single target, but each 'new' target gets a new lock instantly. The electro barbs can get blocked by walls and obstacles.

Defend: Iron Thorns reveals its namesake, a series of hidden electro barbs shoot out from its body in defense. These sharp thorns damage nearby enemies and increase its defense for as long as the button is held. Iron Thorns cannot do anything else while holding Defend. Dealing proximity damage to nearby enemies supercharges the batteries within Iron Thorns, though. Basically, the more damage you deal with Defend, the faster its Primary Fire charges up. It also speeds up the 'lock-on' effect of its Aimed Primary Fire as well.

Melee: A series of claw swipes with its stubby arms. Holding the button shifts its posture as its tail extends, and letting go of the button has Iron Thorns twist its body around, thwacking enemies with its extra long tail, knocking enemies away. Just like with Defend, damage dealt with Melee charges Primary Fire.

Jump: A short jump that deals quaking damage. If pressed in midair, Iron Thorns shoots a powerful beam from its mouth, propelling it upwards. The beam deals damage but cannot be aimed well, and Iron Thorns will eventually run out of power for its flying beam. It does move very quickly while airborne in this way.

Paradox Paradigm: You know how pokemon are shrunk down to fit into pokeballs? Well the opposite happens here. Iron Thorns grows to massive size with the power of a tyrant and goes on a rampage. While supersized, Iron Thorns deals damage with each step it takes in a wide area. Its Primary Fire becomes a plasma breath that coats the ground in flames. Its Melee attack is a 1-2 hook combo. And its Defend is a brutal slam of its tail aiming backwards. This supersized form has a separate HP bar from Iron Thorns and can be depleted, but it is about 3x bigger. It also cannot be used in areas with a ceiling and you cannot use your Subs.

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Roaring Moon

Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆

I do think it's kind of weird that, of all the Mega Evolutions left behind in Gen 7, Mega Salamence came back to us in the form of a Paradox Pokemon. Quite literally a blast from the past. Well, it just proves that these superpowered forms are timeless, meaning they'll outlast those hunks of junk from the future.

Primary Fire: Roaring Moon builds up dragon power in its mouth before shooting it outward. The projectile explodes on hit with an enemy or obstacle. Holding the button extends the charge time which increases the size of the explosion as well as the damage it deals. When Aimed, a stream of dragon fire is shot out. splaying outwards on contact with an enemy or obstacle. The flames linger on the ground where the flames hit and opposing enemies will be set on fire for a short while.

Defend: Roaring Moon flicks its wings forward, creating a powerful wind current that pushes enemies away while also propelling itself backwards.

Melee: Roaring Moon lunges forward and swipes with its claws.

Jump: A short jump, but holding the button causes Roaring Moon to glide if it has enough air space. While gliding, Roaring Moon can gain elevation by aiming upwards and using Melee, or aiming downwards and using Defend. Its descent stalls a bit while charging Primary Fire or while Aiming and firing.

Paradox Paradigm: Roaring Moon leaps into the sky instantly, flying very high until it reaches the moon. Once it reaches the apex of its jump, Roaring Moon will aim itself downwards onto the map, giving you a short amount of time to adjust your reticle. Afterwards, Roaring Moon will fly straight down and slam into the ground with a burning quake, damaging all enemies in a wide area and setting the ground ablaze with a crescent shaped brand. Roaring Moon cannot use this attack while under a ceiling.

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Iron Valiant

Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆

As life on earth evolved, two things fazed out of the gene pool; weakness, and gender. One cannot afford to be merciful when it's survival of the fittest. That is what Iron Valiant embodies. That and the destruction of gender norms. Oh, and it also hates dinosaurs too.

Primary Fire: A wide psychic blade is launched forward from its arms. Holding the button charges the attack, unleashing a wider beam forward. Because of its orientation, the projectile can easily be stopped by a wall or corner, but the upside is that the projectile can pass through multiple opponents. When Aimed, the psycho blade projectiles shrink, behaving more like proper pellets in a shooter. Also, the psycho blades weaken the enemy and softens them up for Iron Valiant's Melee attack.

Defend: A quick dash in the direction of the control stick. This dash is immune to all damage and effects.

Melee: The psycho sabers are formed into a dual edged staff and Iron Valiant spins it around like a baton. This spinning can deflect weak projectiles except for lasers, as long as the button is held down. If Iron Valiant attacks while jumping, it lands with a large psycho sword swinging downward. This jumping slash cuts in a large area and deals bonus damage to enemies damaged by your Primary Fire. The multiplier is reset afterwards.

Jump: A normal jump. If the button is held, Iron Valiant will start running along the wall for as long as the button is held. However, it cannot run for long, nor can it turn around or run up to get more height. It can, however, jump for greater height and can run along another wall if one is nearby.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Valiant extends its blades outwards and begins to zip about, moving like lighting and covering the area in cuts. The attack covers a wide area as Iron Valiant shifts about slightly. Before the final slash, all enemies are coated in the same psycho energy as the Primary Fire. The last hit deals major damage in a wide area, dealing extra damage for the amount of psycho energy the enemies were afflicted with.

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Koraidon, The Winged King

Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★☆☆

Very little needs to be said about Koraidon, the most familiar Paradox Pokemon of them all, along with Miraidon, but there is something to be said about its overwhelming control over its territory. It sits at the top of the hierarchy of the world of the past, so it doesn't take too kindly to the robots of the future laying waste to the land it owns. As such, it leads the charge against the cyborgs, uniting the normally ambivalent creatures of the past against the mechanical monstrosities.

Primary Fire: Within Koraidon's wheel shaped dewlap, a concentration of fighting energy is made and expelled forward. The projectile looks and behaves like a runaway tire, bouncing along the ground and rolling forward until it hits a wall or enemy. It can't shoot very high, but it can be used to hit enemies behind cover. When Aimed, the wheels are launched sideways. They gain more distance this way, but they still can't reach very high and lose their ability to bounce. However, hitting an enemy causes the spinning wheel to ricochet, bouncing off and flying towards another nearby enemy. They'll bounce one time, but score a headshot and it'll bounce two times instead.

Defend: Koraidon shakes the ground around itself and lets out a loud roar. The quake stuns enemies in place and the roar knocks them away. Airborne enemies cannot be stunned by the quake but they will still be sent flying by the roar. If Koraidon is airborne, it'll descend rapidly to the ground to use this attack.

Melee: With a powerful twirl, Koraidon sweeps the ground around itself with its tail. This attack knocks enemies upwards. Any ally riding on your back is forced off behind you. In the air, this attack grants you a second jump. If Koraidon is running, this attack turns into a sideways charge. Holding the button while running causes Koraidon to 'drift', damaging enemies as it slides and releasing the button allows it to take a sharp turn and continue running in another direction.

Jump: Koraidon leaps up with its powerful legs and head wings. Holding the button charges the jump, allowing you to jump higher. Also, an ally can 'hop on' to your back while you are holding jump, as Koraidon leans down to charge. The ally sits on Koraidon with their back turned and can only Shoot and Aim while on Koraidon's back. The ally can dismount by pressing Jump or Defend, or wait for Koraidon to force them off.

Paradox Paradigm: Koraidon summons intense primal power with its Orichalcum Pulse, causing it to float in the air briefly. Allies riding on Koraidon are forced to dismount. After a while, Koraidon begins to spin with great speed before shooting off in the direction you are aiming. On hit with a wall, the collision creates a massive explosion of fighting energy, damaging all enemies nearby.

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Miraidon, The Iron Serpent

Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆

Very little needs to be said about Miraidon, the most familiar Paradox Pokemon of them all, along with Koraidon, but there is something to be said about its stranglehold on the power reserves of the future. A built-in generator provides the paradox pokemon of the future with a stable power source, and as such it commands the others like a king. This self-established monarchy is beyond the understanding of the underdeveloped dinosaurs of the past, and so it seeks to maintain its dominance over the ecosystem with its infinite power reserves.

Primary Fire: A bolt of electricity launches from Miradion's mouth. On hit, the bolt will deal damage, but if an enemy is nearby, a second bolt splits off and deals damage to them as well. When Aimed, the view shifts to a sniper's scope. Holding the button down charges power for the shot and it takes a second to reach max damage, but enemies will see this sniper shot powered up from afar due to Miraidon's brightly glowing electrical antennae flaring up.

Defend: Miraidon overclocks its circuits for a short while before restoring its settings. If Miradion is damaged during this effect, it unleashes horrible static discharge all around itself, stunning nearby enemies. Holding Defend while airborne causes Miraidon to float for a bit.

Melee: A quick slash of Miraidon's electrified tail aimed forward. The lash is quick and has greater range than it appears. It can also be used repeatedly and can destroy weaker projectiles. Ally pokemon riding Miraidon will be forced to dismount when this attack is used.

Jump: A lengthy jump forward. Holding the button has Miraidon jump further when charged and released. Miraidon leans down to charge its jump, so an ally can approach from behind and hop on. While riding on Miraidon, the ally can only Shoot and Aim. They can dismount by pressing Jump or Defend, or wait for Miraidon to force them off.

Paradox Paradigm: Miraidon becomes overloaded with electric power bursting forth from its Hadron Engine, causing it to float for a bit. When its reactors are at full power, it launches a burning column of light forward. The attack is a carpet of electricity that trails along the ground, unleashing a powerful beam straight up into the sky. The attack runs on until it hits a wall or falls off a ledge.

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Walking Wake

Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★★

Is this the pokemon that was brought back to life in the Burned Tower in Johto? Not likely, but it's fun to imagine dinosaurs wandering around sacred grounds like they own the place. Speaking of sacred grounds, the territory of Walking Wake and its buddies are jeopardized by the existence of the future paradox pokemon running around, so it's time to power wash those dirty 'droids.

Primary Fire: A blast of scalding water is shot forward. It doesn't reach very far, but it deals a lot of damage up close. When Aimed, a condensed bubble of steam is shot forward. It bounces along the ground and pops with intense power when it hits a wall or enemy, blowing them back. It should be noted that Walking Wake can extinguish fires with its Primary Fire, on the ground and on allies, and they heal for a bit of HP when cured.

Defend: Walking Wake makes a large puddle of cleansing water around itself, which slowly restores the HP of itself and nearby allies. It cannot move while healing.

Melee: A powerful stomp with its long legs. It should be noted that Walking Wake can cross bodies of water if there are any on the map, which are functionally pits of death otherwise. They aren't all that common, but Walking Wake can use Melee while standing within water to make a huge splash. Realistically, this is only useful against Iron Bundle, who can also travel over water by skiing.

Jump: A normal jump. If the button is charged, however, Walking Wake creates a geyser at its feet, which send it upwards when the button is released. The geyser lingers for a while, allowing allies to climb the geyser as well to reach new heights.

Paradox Paradigm: Walking Wake lets out a loud roar as it fills the earth underneath with thermal hydro power. Shortly afterwards, multiple hot geysers erupt from the ground, damaging enemies and healing allies a little bit passively. The geysers erupt randomly for a while, but cannot penetrate ceilings, failing to damage enemies hiding above them.

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Iron Leaves

Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★★★★★

The existence of Iron Leaves proves that the planet in the future is still thriving with plant life, at least enough plant life to build a robot with the stuff. This means that the efforts of the present day to preserve the environment are not for naught, and that humanity can thwart natural selection with enough perseverance. This love of nature is beyond that of the beasts of a bygone era, who tear through the lands as if they own the place, so their numbers must be culled to save the planet. At least that's the excuse.

Primary Fire: Sharp leaves are launched forward from its neck. The leaves deal damage, but they stick to allies on hit. Each leaf lingers for a while before restoring a small amount of HP. The leaves disappear if the ally receives damage. When Aimed, Iron Leaves launches a large psychic blade from its head forward, which can destroy weaker projectiles. The blade can be charged to increase its size.

Defend: A wall of iron leaves is made in front of the pokemon. Each leaf represents the amount of HP the obstruction has, and the more damage it takes, the smaller it gets. Using Defend again deletes the old wall and makes a new one.

Melee: The psychic leaf blades on Iron Leaves neck spin quickly, dealing damage all around itself. The button can be pressed rapidly to spin the blades quickly like a fan. In the air, this rapid mashing can be used to slow your descent. If you mash fast enough, you can even cross large gaps with the extra hang time.

Jump: A tall graceful jump. Holding the button creates a platform of iron leaves underneath you, holding you up in the air. The platform lasts only for a while, as the iron leaves fall one by one before it dissipates. You cannot make another platform until you touch down on solid ground. The iron leaves platform also can only be made above solid ground.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Leaves summons a whirlwind of iron leaves around itself before launching it forward. The massive torrent of leaves damage enemies but also stick to allies, just like its Primary Fire. However, these leaves are faster to heal and do not disappear when the ally receives damage.

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Gouging Fire

Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★★

The reveal of a past paradox Suicune sent our imaginations running wild as to what the other beasts could look like, especially since they were all going to be based on dinosaurs. A couple of us were correct in guessing that Entei was going to be a shield-faced triceratops or something, so the actual reveal was met with plenty of excitement. As for Raikou...not so much. But hey, at least we know that dinosaurs are cooler than robots.

Primary Fire: The burning bulwark on Gouging Fire's head ignites with great heat, emitting in such a way that it forms a wall in front of itself. When Aimed, the fire is ejected forward in a shield shape, blocking other projectiles. The fire shields travel slowly and have a low shooting speed, but they can block multiple projectiles except for lasers.

Defend: Gouging Fire's shield crown absorbs thermal heat from the area. In this state, Gouging Fire takes reduced damage and stockpiles attacks aimed at it. At the end of the charge, the fire shield erupts into flames, dealing damage to all enemies nearby while also launching a flaming projectile directly forward. The more damage absorbed, the more damage this counterattack deals.

Melee: Gouging Fire charges forward headfirst a short distance before tucking in and launching the enemy upwards with a fierce horn jab. Enemies caught in the attack are sent flying upwards.

Jump: A short jump that deals quaking damage, except instead of ground type damage, it deals fire type damage. Gouging Fire ignites the ground when it lands and creates a burning trail for a while.

Paradox Paradigm: Gouging Fire unleashes a terrifying fire fueled roar straight forward, setting the ground and walls ablaze for a short while. Only what is visible to the player will be set ablaze.

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Raging Bolt

Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★☆☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★★

You know, that long neck is a bit of a detriment to a pokemon meant to be used in a shooter. I mean, nothing sticks out to the enemy more than an exposed head like Raging Bolt, but it's a matter of principle that it's playable, along with Walking Wake and Gouging Fire. We can safely say that it is the most interesting design of the Paradox Pokemon, which again, proves that dinosaurs are cooler than robots. Which also, again, is a statement self imposed by those who have read the Scarlet Book.

Primary Fire: Raging Bolt lets loose a vindictive thundercloud floating forward slowly. The cloud floats at a steady altitude until it hits a wall. If an enemy is detected underneath, the cloud shoots thunderbolts down at the enemy in random intervals. When Aimed, the cloud remains static in the air. If an enemy approaches close to the thundercloud, a powerful bolt is sent at the enemy. All nearby clouds join in on the attack. The clouds disappear after launching a thunderbolt.

Defend: Raging Bolt coats itself in a powerful circuit of electricity. The electric field deals damage to nearby enemies.

Melee: A powerful stomp with both front legs. If Raging Bolt is standing on a thundercloud, a thunderbolt is released downward at nearby enemies.

Jump: A surprisingly high jump. Holding the jump button has Raging Bolt create a solid thundercloud underneath, allowing it to stand solidly in the air. The thundercloud lingers for a while and can only be used once until you touch the ground.

Paradox Paradigm: With a great roar, Raging Bolt fills the sky with black thunderclouds. The clouds bring down thunderbolts at random, aiming at nearby enemies for a while. The thunderbolts will not be able to penetrate roofs.

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Iron Boulder

Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆

Bigger, badder, boulder. What more can you say about this modified form of Terrakion? Sure, it may have lost much of its fighting spirit, but mastery of technology comes with a full understanding of one's mind and the limits of the body, now untethered. This additional psychic power also gives it total mastery over the face of the earth, allowing it to completely crush those feral fiends from the past.

Primary Fire: Iron Boulder carves into the ground and creates a boulder with its psychic powers. The rocks condense closely together, and the longer you hold the button, the more rocks you gather and the bigger the boulder gets. The boulder behaves as a mobile shield for Iron Boulder, taking damage from the front. The boulder splinters off when damaged, but the shards linger around with psychic power. Using Primary Fire again launches the boulder and any rock shards forward in the direction you're aiming, with the shards moving faster and the boulder moving slower. When Aimed, A small rock is shot forward, dealing damage. It will, however, bounce when it hits a wall and it deals more damage if it bounces a couple of times.

Defend: Iron Boulder arches back before digging its horns into the ground, dealing damage and knocking enemies away. If you're holding a psychic boulder, the attack deals more damage the more 'HP' the boulder has, but this attack also weakens the boulder, breaking it down further into rock shards.

Melee: Iron Boulder charges forward with its horns scraping along the ground. The attack deals extra damage for each rock shard you have floating, but this attack recombines the boulder, reducing the number of shards you have and restoring the 'HP' of the boulder.

Jump: A short jump with a damaging quake. The shock waves reach further out than normal, reacting to the positions of nearby enemies. Jumping and landing reveals the position of nearby enemies for a short while.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Boulder is filled with heroic might before charging straight forward recklessly. This charge does major damage to enemies hit and will also completely demolish barriers set up that try to stop it. If Iron Boulder runs into a wall, all nearby enemies at the point of impact will be stunned if they were earthbound and have their positions revealed through walls for a while.

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Iron Crown

Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆

A common misconception about future Paradox Pokemon is that they are called 'iron' but most of them aren't Steel Type. Well, that's because they aren't made of steel, but rather a combination of different materials like silicone, aluminum, copper, synthetic rubber, etc. You know, we are also made of different stuff as well, but we aren't defined by a single type. Iron Crown is most definitely made of Steel, though, and it is perfectly suited to running through fleshy beings like us, or the past paradox pokemon rather.

Primary Fire: Two tachyon blades shoot out from its iron horns, curving in a wide arc before returning to the pokemon. Enemies caught on the return will be dragged inward slightly. When Aimed, the blades reach further and fly in a straight line. A direct hit will pull enemies further in. Iron Crown cannot use its Primary Fire again until both blades have returned to it.

Defend: The chromatic plates on Iron Crown's body refract the light around itself, turning the pokemon invisible for as long as the button is held. The pokemon moves faster while invisible, but receiving damage interrupts the refraction process, making Iron Crown briefly visible.

Melee: A sideways swipe with Iron Crowns large horns. If Iron Crown was invisible by using its Defend, the strike becomes a downward swing. Not only that, the invisible attack deals extremely high damage if it lands on an enemy's back.

Jump: A regular jump, but Iron Crown can double jump. If Iron Crown is invisible, it can triple jump.

Paradox Paradigm: Iron Crown lets loose a brilliant flash of light, stunning nearby enemies and turning invisible for a while. Iron Crown shifts into a hunting stance and turns invisible. Iron Crown can then approach any enemy hit by the attack and strike them down with its super sharp horn blades. If the attack resulted in a KO, Iron Crown becomes invisible again and can use this finishing move a second time against another enemy.

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Phew, that's every single Paradox Pokemon known to exist. It seems like such a small roster, though. If they don't make any new Paradox Pokemon after Scarlet and Violet, this game would be the perfect opportunity to add some more.

Like, say, a Paradox form of Tinkaton for both past and future. The past form would resemble a stout little caveman, adorned with bones on its waist and as ties for its hair, and would be called Bone Sledge, and also would be a Ground/Fairy Type. Meanwhile, the future form would wield a large grenade launcher and would be called Iron Bazooka, being a Fire/Steel Type.

I say that there should be loads of new Paradox Pokemon added into the game over time in this way, since for story reasons, we most likely won't see any more Paradox Pokemon, unless we run into more extraneous time travel shenanigans. That would undercut the impact of Scarlet and Violet's story ending, so if we can only get more Paradox Pokemon through a spin-off title like this one, so be it.

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Technical Machines

Way back in the Control Scheme section, I mentioned that the X & Y buttons are reserved for Subs, which depend on what TM you've assigned to them. In game, you can assign a Technical Machine, or TM for short, to nearly all of your buttons, not just X & Y, to add an extra effect. Each TM is different and offers a small boon when assigned to a button other than X & Y, but usually it makes a big difference depending on how it's applied.

In the mainline games, TMs are limited in distribution, and the same applies here. If a TM sounds like it'll be really busted or not work correctly on a particular pokemon, it's safe to assume that that pokemon would not be able to use that TM. Now, I'm not going to reference the eligibility list of TMs in Scarlet and Violet for every single Paradox Pokemon listed here, and neither should you. This is a spin-off game, and some TMs can or can't be learned by a pokemon for balancing reasons. No room for fickleness here.

I won't list every single TM for the game, just enough Moves to give you an idea on how customizable you can make your pokemon.

Sub 1 & Sub 2

Protect - Prevent hindrances for a short while and gain a small amount of shield.

Water Pulse - A short ranged expulsion of water that knocks enemies away.

Synthesis - Heals a bit of HP. Heal a little more HP when you are standing in an area without a ceiling.

Earth Power - Plants a proximity mine in the location you are standing, which erupts when an enemy approaches.

Reflect - Creates a bubble that can absorb damage before breaking. The shield can absorb other bubbles made by allies to reinforce itself.

Fly - Sends the pokemon flying straight up. Deals heavy damage if the user collide with an enemy while ascending.

Volt Switch - When activated, the pokemon teleports back to the point of activation after a short while.

Shadow Ball - Creates a black hole that absorbs projectiles for a short while, and also damages nearby enemies.

Light Screen - Creates a wall of light that reflects back lasers.

Iron Head - The pokemon takes less damage and becomes resistant to head shots for a while.

Agility - The pokemon can move faster and jump higher for a short while.

Swords Dance - The pokemon deals more damage and its Melee comes out faster.

Stealth Rock - Invisible floating stones are cast, which damage enemies on hit and exposes their location for a short while.

Gravity - Creates a pressurized atmosphere that slows down enemies within and also weakens their Jump.

I'll also include TMs that can modifiy your other buttons. Remember, it's one TM for each slot, and not every playable pokemon can learn all of these TMs;

Primary Fire

Flame Burst - The enemy creates a huge explosion when KO'd.

Charge Beam - Deals more damage over time until you miss.

Muddy Water - Scoring a head shot blinds the enemy for a while.

Vacuum Wave - Your projectiles fly faster.

Hyper Beam - Your lasers reach farther and last longer.

Bullet Seed - Extra ammo.

Aim

Scary Face - Slows down opposing approaching projectiles while Aiming.

Stored Power - Your Primary Fire deals more damage the more Ammo you have.

Smart Strike - Landing a head shot refunds some ammo.

Psychic - Enemies are revealed to the pokemon through walls.

Defend

Charge - Holding Defend refills your ammo gradually.

Fake Tears - Receive reduced damage while holding Defend.

Mud Slap - A splash of mud is made when Defend is used, blinding nearby enemies.

Disarming Voice - A shock wave is emitted when Defend is used, revealing the location of all nearby enemies to all allies.

Zen Headbutt - Receiving damage while holding Defend refills your ammo.

Imprison - Prevents hindrances from affecting the user while holding Defend.

Jump

Heavy Slam - The pokemon deals damage to enemies by landing on them. The greater the fall, the more damage dealt.

Earthquake - Adds a quake when the pokemon lands, or increases the damage and size of the quaking landing.

Acrobatics - Adds an extra jump to the pokemon.

Aerial Ace - The pokemon deals more damage while airborne.

Brave Bird - Your movement increases while airborne.

Dragon Dance - Each jump refills your ammo.

Melee

Poison Jab - Deals damage over time, which worsens the more hits you land.

Smack Down - Deal increased damage to airborne enemies.

Drain Punch - Steal ammo as you deal damage.

Leech Life - KO's restore a lot of Health.

Poltergeist - Deals more damage to enemies high in ammo.

Reversal - Deal more damage the less ammo you have.

Giga Impact - Knock enemies away on hit.

Left Control Stick

Surf - Increases your running speed and deals damage on collision.

Grassy Terrain - Creates small patches of healing grass as you walk.

Electric Terrain - Generates electrified ground that increases shooting speed.

Sludge Wave - Leaves behind puddle of damaging poison as you walk.

Flame Charge - The pokemon deals more damage while moving.

Rest - The pokemon's Health is quicker to restore.

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The only button you can't assign a TM to is the Paradox Paradigm, as that is the unique, unchanging skill of the pokemon you're playing as. It would be overkill to add an extra effect to those moves and stuff.

The Pokeballs

One other thing that you can customize, however, is the pokeball your pokemon comes in. In the mainline games, these balls don't really do anything other than look flashy and are a means to an end when it comes to actually catching pokemon. But due to the nature of how KO's work in this game, the pokeballs are decidedly designed to add more than flair to the game.

During normal gameplay, when a pokemon is KO'd, they play a quick fainting animation before retreating into their pokeball. At this point, the KO'd player has three options. One is to wait out the 7.5 seconds of the respawn timer before they reappear back at the checkpoint on the map, ready to try again. Alternatively, if an ally is nearby, they can try and manually revive the ally by approaching the pokeball. It takes 5 seconds of uninterrupted focus to successfully reduce the ally, but it may win the game to continue the attack rather than wait for the respawn and rendezvous at key objective points.

Of course, the player can respawn manually by holding Down on the Directional Pad to skip the wait time and reappear at the checkpoint. It's up to the players what is the best option in the moment.

Outside of reviving, if you hold Down on the Directional Pad, the pokemon will play a cute farewell animation before retreating into their pokeball. This takes 5 seconds total and can be cancelled if the pokemon receives damage, but if successful, the player will return to the character select screen where they can either change pokemon, switch out TMs, or even change their pokeball.

As you can imagine, the pokeballs themselves have differing functions when the pokemon is forced into their pokeball via KO. What they do is listed as follows;

Paradox Ball - Revive with 75% Health instead of 50%.

Great Ball - Gain a great movement speed boost after reviving.

Ultra Ball - The ally reviving you gains increased defense and cannot be interrupted.

Heal Ball - The ally reviving you restores Health.

Dusk Ball - Become invisible for a while after reviving.

Repeat Ball - Shortens the revival period after each successful revive.

Lure Ball - Can be revived from further away.

Timer Ball - Revival speed hastens the longer the match timer runs for.

Net Ball - Traps nearby enemies for a while when the pokemon fully retreats into their pokeball.

Friend Ball - Hastens revival if both players are the same pokemon.

Nest Ball - When revived, both pokemon have their ammo expanded.

Quick Ball - Shortens the revival timer as well as the respawn timer.

Master Ball - The revival timer is shortened for each KO the player has earned.

I'm sure I'm forgetting some pokeballs, or excluding a few, but this is already a sizable list. Some archetypes are better suited to using a particular pokeball over others, but you gotta remember that an ally needs to commit to the attempt to revive you in order to activate some of these effects.

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Game On

The very last thing I'm gonna talk about is a bit about the experience of playing this game. I can't really go into too much detail without any screenshots of a menu or maps, so you're gonna have to follow me with your imagination on this one.

When you start the game for the first time, you'll be thrown right into a firefight against either the Past or Future Paradox pokemon. Which side you'll join is entirely random, and you'll be playing as either Roaring Moon or Iron Valiant. From here, you're going to figure out the controls for yourself, but this is more to get a feel for the game and its responsiveness.

You aren't able to pause or access any emotes and stickers, but don't worry too much about losing, it's literally impossible. The score will be up by 50 points and the enemy will have no TMs in their loadouts and will be played by the lamest CPU AI that can be programmed. Also, it's 1:30 to Time Over and your allies are very aggressive. Basically, it isn't possible for your team to lose enough points to actually lose the game, so take the time to figure out your buttons and stuff.

After the game ends, you'll appear in the hub world where you can shop for in-game items, manage your TMs and pokeballs, join Online in either Ranked or Casual, or do a bit of Recon in the available maps. Like most shooters, the maps are rotated weekly, but you'll be able to visit maps out of rotation if you feel like it. You can even switch sides easily, though expect a snarky comment from the AI professor when you leave.

If you do decide to join a game, you'll have to pick which mode to play in first. Ranked is unavailable to you right away until you have enough TMs to fill out all of your buttons. Matchmaking works by looking for open games and pitting you in against other players of a similar skill level, though don't expect the system to work favorably if you have any bad behavior documented against you. IE; leaving losing games frequently, harassing players, using foul language in your name, etc.

When you do join a game, you'll first have to select a pokemon and their loadout. You can switch teams if you want, but only if there's enough room on the other side and that switching sides would not leave your team with too few players. Also, you'll almost never join a game that is nearly finished, unless there are no other games to join, in which case you won't see much change to your Rank whether you win or lose.

Also, while this game is technically a hero shooter, there is no draft pick enabled. Meaning you can load out your team with 5 Great Tusks and a Scream Tail or 6 Iron Bundles if you wanted to. You'd have to coordinate with the team, though. Oh, and the more serious games limit both sides to 6v6, just like in the mainline pokemon games.

I mentioned Rank earlier, and it's something that rises or drops based on your performance in Ranked Games. The game will keep track of all of your efforts throughout the game and keep a tally for you outside of battle. You can look this up in the hub world when you have a moment to spare. You'll be able to see the number of head shots you landed, your KO streaks, number of successful revives, the Rank mastery on each pokemon you've played, the Rank mastery total, all kinds of stuff. Each tally is shown as a medal, and each tier unlocks some custom titles for you to show off online. You really want players to shiver when they see xXBumBonker_68Xx the Relentless and Hungry on their Kill Feed.

Oh, speaking of which, you will be KO'd a lot while climbing the ranks, but instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you need to pay attention when it happens. Upon getting KO'd, you'll see the enemy who got you, their name, rank, any flairs they've established on their names, titles, and graphics, but more importantly, you'll see what Move they got you with along with the TM they have affixed to that function. As the meta develops, every bit of information is vital, so take the KO on the cheek and keep it all in mind for the next encounter. It's important to know if they've got a Melee attack that drains HP or one that slows you down, and it's all info you can share with your team if you've got comms opened.

As for the actual maps, they'll be all mostly original. I can't imagine GameFreak giving any special permissions to use key locations for maps for this game, like Spear Pillar or Sootopolis City. That said, I don't think they would've fit the theme of the game even with special privilege, as the game is centered around Past VS Future, with nothing to do with the Present.

And I really want the whole Past VS Future dynamic established strongly in the maps themselves. Picture this, take half of an ancient island with an active volcano and splice it with half of a floating futuristic city, held together with the cosmic glue of the space time continuum. The side with the volcano belongs to the past paradox pokemon, whereas the city holds the future paradox pokemon, obviously. It looks freaky but impressive, and also establishes whose side belongs to who, and all the other maps are like this too. A large, lush cave system spliced with roadways littered with abandoned cars, or an intricate primitive village mixed in with a futuristic abandoned mall. There'll be unique maps for the more interesting game modes, but these are the ones everyone will be playing on throughout the map rotations.

Although, it would be fun to play in strange areas like the Distortion World or something for extra special events. It'd be fun to dream about... and that's what this whole post is, a dream. Not unlike these Paradox Pokemon but still, a fun dream nonetheless.

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After I finished with 'Plants VS Zombies: Battle for Neighborville', I had a newfound respect for the shooter genre as a whole, but I still had my preferences. I mean, I now understand why games like Call of Duty and Overwatch and even Fortnight bring in the number of players that they do, but I have a special fondness for the whole fun, wacky hero shooter that was the PVZ shooter spin-off. Maybe I'll pick up a shooter in a similar vein and see if I can't recapture that magic, but there's a reason I haven't done so already. All I can do right now is wait for the right game to come along.

Until that happens, I'll still be here having fun with pokemon spin-offs like Pokemon Unite and Pokken Tournament.

See ya next time.