#i keep going “i don't know if it's very gimmick-y to be nice like that”/“is this an ok post for the death penalty” but i keep deciding that

[i-support-the-death-penalty]

hai hello oughhh sniff sniff

[daddy-dotcom]

Scents and Sensibility

Spencer Reid x BAU!Reader

Summary: You see an ad for those “pheromone perfumes” and decide to test its effect on your boyfriend at work. Requested by the lovely @swaggysagiewagie

Words: 1,164

Warnings: Implied smut and maybe like 1 swear word

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I'm normally not one to make impulse purchases, but I just couldn't resist. I always thought those pheromone perfumes were a gimmick, but as a woman of science, I decided to test one and see if it actually worked. More specifically, I wanted to see if it worked on Spencer. Normally, we keep things very tame while we're on the clock. The team knows we're a couple, but we make sure to keep the PDA to a minimum. I don't mind his lack of affection at work, especially given the fact that he's not very expressive in public either, but it wouldn't hurt to get more than a peck on the cheek every now and then while were on the job. To test the effects of my newest purchase, I applied just a bit of the perfume before walking out the door to work.

Immediately as I walked through the lobby, I began turning heads. I typically went unnoticed when I entered the lobby, but the security guards said hello to me this morning as did the men in the elevator. I made my way up to our unit and I made my way to my desk, as usual. As I passed Morgan's desk, I could instantly tell that something was out of the ordinary.

"Good morning, babygirl," he said, eyeing me up and down more than usual. He's called me beautiful, gorgeous, or even pretty several times, but babygirl was exclusively reserved for Garcia.

"....good morning?" I replied, somewhat confused, but mostly smug because I had a feeling that my new perfume was working.

JJ Prentiss were talking amongst themselves when I came over to greet them. We exchanged our typical weekend updates before Emily asked me if I was wearing a new perfume.

"It smells amazing. Is it vanilla?" JJ asked.

"I think so? To tell you the truth, I'm not actually sure. I actually bought it on a whim because it's a pheromone perfume."

"Oh come on, (Y/N), you know those are all fake right" said Emily.

"You wanted to see if it worked on Spence didn't you?" JJ asked with a grin creeping up on her face.

Just then, an angry Garcia walked up to us demanding to know why Morgan had started referring to me as "babygirl."

I proceeded to spill the beans about how I wanted to mess with Spencer and see if he would be able to keep his hands off me at work now that I've used the perfume. They agreed not to reveal my secret weapon to Spencer, but we also wanted to see if it had an effect on any of our other team members.

Almost on cue, Spencer made his way over to greet us.

"Morning everyone!" he said in his usual upbeat tone. I saw him pause for a moment when he got close to me and I could practically see his brain short-circuiting. Then, in a much softer tone with his voice dropped a few octaves, he turned to me and said "good morning my love." He leaned in to give what I assumed would be our usual daily quick peck on the lips, but he gently placed one hand on my hip and let his lips linger much longer than usual. I pulled away after a few seconds, my face beet red from the realization that Garcia, Prentiss, and JJ were still watching us.

"I'll see you in the meeting," he said, walking away with a smirk.

I could feel the other agents' eyes on me as I stood there like a lovesick teenage girl.

"Well I would say that definitely worked on him" JJ said.

"You're making it way too easy for him, (Y/N)," Prentiss added.

And she was right. I was giving in to Spencer's advances way too easily. If I wanted the full effect of the perfume, I was going to have to make him beg for it. We dispersed and made our way to the meeting room to be briefed on our case. On our way in, I brushed past Rossi, who also seemed to take notice of my new scent.

"You're looking nice today, (Y/N), got a hot date?" he joked, glancing over at Spencer. I let out a laugh before replying, "I hope so."

I took the spot between Hotch and Spencer, acting somewhat indifferent to my boyfriend’s presence to see if he would notice. As I settled into my seat, I saw Hotch do a double take out of the corner of my eye. He may not have said anything, but I could tell he wasn’t immune to the effects of my new perfume either. Garcia began her usual presentation about our new case, but I could hardly focus on anything she was saying because I could feel a hand slowly creeping up my thigh, and it definitely wasn’t Hotch’s. Still, I pretended not to notice his slender fingers toying with the hem of my skirt, even though I was consumed with thoughts of where I'd rather have them.

After what seemed like ages, Hotch finally dismissed us to prepare to board the jet. Since I was pretty much always prepared, I was the first one to board, and I noticed Spencer followed me shortly after, looking like a lost puppy dog. I was reaching up high to put my luggage up in the overhead bin, which was a task I usually asked Spencer to do for me. However, Spencer would be boarding the jet any moment now, so I decided to do it myself, an action which not-so-accidentally caused my skirt to ride up in the back. I heard familiar, converse-wearing footsteps behind me, but once again I pretended not to notice.

"(Y/N) you know you can't reach up there yourself, let me help," he said, firmly pressing his body against my backside as he stretched his arms up to assist me. I felt his hips flush against my ass and his arms moved to firmly plant themselves at my waist.

"I don't remember giving you permission to touch me, Spence," I said, not bothering to hide the grin on my face due to our position.

"Please, love, I can't help it. You smell so delicious today I don't know what's gotten into me."

He began leaving a trail of kisses from my lips down to my neck and I couldn’t help but finally give in to his requests.

“You better make it quick before the others board the jet,” I said, trying to stifle a moan.

“All I need is 5 minutes. Two if you keep those heels on.”

“Deal. But you’re not coming until I say so.”

“Anything you want, love. I just need you.”

I quickly pulled him into the bathroom of the jet, where he definitely proved that he really did need only two minutes.

“By the way, are we part of the mile high club if the plane didn’t technically leave the ground?”

[bluebudgie]

So I have this long-standing tradition where, after I finish a video game, I sit down and listen to the soundtrack outside of the game's context.

It serves as a sort of "conclusion" to the experience and simultaneously helps me evaluate the game as a whole a little better... After all the soundtrack is often what sticks with us long after we're done actively playing a game. It preserves the memories we've made along the way.

That means: I have finally found the FF Sixteen OST online in its entirety and could finally follow through with this tradition. (Debatable how much it applies considering I didn't actually play the game myself, but it felt necessary.)

The final missing piece to the pissbaby gamer rage essay. Significantly less raging this time, though.

It's okay. I don't love it. There's worse.

I had very unfavourable opinions of the OST during the game itself which might have been due to the overall pacing issues, where large stretches were filled with the same hub music and then everything bombastic all happened at once and either side of the coin was exhausting in its own way.

I still can't believe there are over 200 songs in the OST when I could have sworn I heard like. Maybe 10 or so during gameplay. A lot of it is very same-y. A large part of the OST can be split into "loud choir explosion" or "sad piano". There isn't a whole lot in between. Good for people who like it, not so much for me.

Which means my biggest issue is the very subjective "I just don't like the style". It's not a bad soundtrack, but I'm just really not a fan of the direction the music took. The battle themes are over the top (fair for the equally over the top DBZ kaijū battles, annoying with 3 wolves that show up on the side of the road). The calmer songs don't really hit right for me. No chord progressions or melodies that hook me. Unfortunate. I did however appreciate the electronic influences in the music when the alien baddies were on screen. (in this fantasy game that is based on medieval reality and that's why people of colour cant exi-)

I have also since learned that there isn't one acoustic guitar song that plays for 20 hours straight. There are like 6 or so that all sound the same. I don't know if that makes it better or worse. I hate them all. (I don't hate acoustic guitars. It's these songs in particular.)

That said - I was curious about which ones are people's favourite tracks of the OST and went checking those out in particular. Consistently in people's tops was Ascension and I can't deny that one's been plagueing (semi-endearing) my memory a bunch the past days. Probably the theme that stuck out the most to me while watching the game. If not the entire theme, then at the very least That Violin Part. If you know, you know.

You know what. If you don't know, here:

(footage stolen from here)

Like damn. Good rhythm going on there with the off beats. Also fits the relevant character nicely in terms of mood. And I like that the battle phase before this one has a more low-key version of this song playing before it goes into this full ham version.

I just kinda wish more of the battle music had been a bit more... this. A bit more... subtle. Like yes it slaps hard but this song legitimately feels calm in comparison to the other battle tracks. This drives me nuts.

There's one other song I keep getting stuck in my head which is one that plays fairly close to the end (in the final... "dungeon" (cutscene? sequence? QTE battle?)). I figured out today that I don't actually really enjoy listening to the song on its own but I like it in-game in combination with the voice perfomance. There's an interesting dissonance in it that blends super nicely with the voice acting. (I'm being held hostage by the game's voice acting. It's unfortunately way too good. Voice actors are once again holding too much power over me.)

Other than that... I have one final criticism. The prelude theme. We must. Leave it. Alone. Enough. It's fine playing once as a gimmick somewhere in the game (I do genuinely like the menu (pause screen?) arrangement) but having it woven into what seems like every 5th song feels like someone is smacking a sign into your face that screams "YOU ARE PLAYING A FINAL FANTASY GAME." Seriously it's unbearable. (Also I did take notice of the FF1 overworld theme being rearranged into a battle theme for the final segment of the game. I don't know why, but fine. Not complaining about that one.)

Overall it's a solid "mh" from me. Not the worst OST we've had in the series (thirteen trilogy exis-COUGHAGFNJKN) but definitely on the lower end for me. Not of bad quality, but not my cup of tea at all. Dark Souls III OST executed the epic orchestra choirs better somehow. More interesting composition. Spaced out better throughout the game. Idk.

Welp. Back to getting haunted by voices and violins now o/

[averagedoctor]

I don't know how many asks you have... but is there a possibility of a fic based at an airport/on a plane, maybe the reader's never flown before or is afraid of it? I'm going overseas and I've got like a 17 hour flight like the day after tomorrow and I'm not personally afraid of flying, and I remember being on a plane a while ago, but I was just hoping for a bit of fluffiness around that idea? Okay if it comes after I've gone though, will still enjoy it any day. Thanks if you do! :)

OH MAN THIS IS OLD I am terribly sorry because I really had wanted to get this out soon after your flight… except it’s now been 10 months or so since then bUT I hope you enjoy this nonetheless!!

11th doctor x reader

Pronouns: gender neutral

Word count: 3,342

TWs: none?

Tagging: @evyiione

Summary: Saying that you’re sort of a nervous flier would be an understatement but luckily there’s a man kind enough to help you on your trip

A/N: The specific hatred and feelings from planes is totally me imposing myself on this story oops

Round trip

All around you, people were rushing about, trying to get to their gates as fast as they possibly could. It was an ungodly hour in the morning and here you were at an airport, people watching to take your mind off things as the clock ticked down. Your flight was in about an hour so you were sitting in the waiting area, luggage at your side. Nerves twisted in your stomach and you felt like you were going to be sick. You hated flying, which made flying alone so much more worse. If there was any other way that you could take this trip, you would do it in a heartbeat.

Flying scared you and you didn’t like the sensations that accompanied it, like your ears popping. You wouldn’t consider yourself claustrophobic, but being in a limited size vessel, in the air, with no actual way of bailing out if necessary, with terrifying. It baffled you that people were able to stand it and more so able to make fun of you for such a “silly fear.” Flying might be the most fastest way to travel, but you would rather ride on the back of a snail than get on a plane.

Checking your phone, you inwardly groaned. Time moved both very slowly and very fast. While you hated waiting, the thing that you were waiting for made it all worse. Taking a deep breath, you tried to calm yourself, but that wasn’t an easy task. If you had a friend with you, you might be able to, but it was all you this time around. You knew that it would only get worse as the minutes counted down.

In an attempt to distract yourself when people watching stopped working, you gathered your carry on items and began to aimlessly wander. There were a few places to eat and little shops, so you idled your way through them, hoping it would take your mind off your oncoming doom (it didn’t). You tried to drag out the minutes, leafing through boring books and seeing the same tourist gimmicks over and over, but eventually even that was unbearable. Defeated, you headed back to your gate area.

It had been mainly empty when you were sitting there, but with thirty minutes left to go, it was noticeably more crowded. You had been heading for where you were sitting originally, only to find a man in your spot. Frowning, you looked around and found a seat at the end of the same row.

Bouncing your leg up and down, you pulled out your phone and hesitated over the message button. It was so early in the morning that you knew none of your friends would be awake and they would only get annoyed by the messages later. With an uneasy sigh, you slid your phone back into your bag and caught the eye of the man in your seat and noticed how he was dressed.

For such an early hour of the morning, you were surprised at his level of dressiness, and it made you wondered where he was off to to be dressed so nicely. Meanwhile, you (and nearly everyone else around you) were in lazy clothes, like hoodies and sweatpants. You couldn’t fathom how he could stand to be all strung up like that, but there must have been some sort of reason, so you let it go. The clothes you were wearing looked pitiful next to him and you worried that he was judging you on them.

Turning away, you chewed at a nail, your anxiety levels steadily climbing. It was unbearable and you had no way to stop it. It felt as if your impending demise was coming right for you. Your eyes found a clock and located that there were only fifteen minutes left. Fifteen. That’s not enough time for you to be prepared, but, god, you would never be prepared. You wished that your flight was delayed or that some miracle happened and you could just poof your way over there. You would take anything over this. The anticipation was crushing your soul and you knew that the flight itself would be very close to actual death. Your body felt like stone, heavy and unmovable as your heart rate and breathing increased.

Maybe your stress was on high display or maybe your breathing was reaching a loud point of hyperventilation that you were too far gone to notice, but there were some stares and the man next to you scooted over to be a seat away from you.

 “First time?” His voice broke your steadfast panic and washed over you. Whipping your head over, you were startled to find him so close.

“No,” you said through sucked in breath, “no, I’m just a bad flyer. Scares me.” You managed to get out, wincing.

 “Ah.” His eyes softened with compassion. “Do you mind if I…?” He gestured to the seat right next to you and you shook your head, allowing him to scoot over. 

“Sorry.” You mumbled, heat rising to your face. You hated the fact that your fear was now causing a scene and that someone had to take it upon themselves to help you. This was feeling helpless, and that was a feeling you tried to avoid, with your fears especially.

“Nothing to worry about.” He said calmly, a smile on his face.

“At first, I hated flying. I mean, planes? All new and loud and they take so much longer. Of course, only had to be used in emergencies and not all around, but, still.” Glancing at him with a confused look, you thought to open your mouth to ask a question about anything that he had just said, but you closed in when nothing came to mind.

“Longer? They’re the fastest way to travel.” You laughed nervously, coughing slightly from the intake of air.

“Well, to you, yes.” He stated matter-of-factually, saying nothing more on the subject. “But, tell me about yourself a little, ease your mind, relax, like, where are you going?”

“Um, I’m Y/N, and I’m flying out to see a friend of mine. Sort of a get together, it’s been a while, but they live overseas, which is why I haven’t visited before.”

“Oh, that’s lovely! Shame your fear is keeping you back, I could have you there so much faster… but this is more important. Conquer that fear!” He threw a passionate fist up in the air with a grin.

“Ha-ha, yeah…” Your sentence trailed off as the loudspeakers chimed overhead with another announcement. You would be up shortly and that sent all the fading panic right back up into you.

“Oh god, I can’t do this.” You covered your face with your hands, bending over your knees. “I never should have agreed.” Your voice came out muffled from your position and you flinched in surprise when his hand met your upper back with a soothing touch.

“When you get there, it will be so much more worth it. You might be scared of the flight ahead and back, but in between you will get to do so many wonderful things with your friend. Imagine, finally getting to see them again after the ages that it has been. Don’t let something like this slip by you because of fear, Y/N, trust me.”

 “Those are very nice words, sir, but I’m still terrified.” You groaned, rocking back and forth a little bit to try and comfort yourself. Before you or he could get another word in, the dreaded announcement for your fight rang out. Tears welled in your eyes and you found them cascading down your face as you lifted yourself up with resignation. It wasn’t like you could back out of it now, not after you have paid and driven and sat here for so long, but that didn’t mean that you would find any enjoyment in what was about to come. The man stood up with you, hovering by your side as you unsteadily picked up your luggage and pulled out your ticket and other needed credentials. Taking a deep breath, you got in line behind the man and fidgeted with your fingers as it inched forward. He reached the head of the line to a few confused attendants but he whipped out a black wallet looking thing, and that was apparently all they needed to let him through. You wondered what it said because it was just the tiniest bit odd, but there were bigger matters at hand. Handing your ticket over to be checked, you gave a small head nod, and made your way through.

“It’ll be alright.” He said encouragingly but you could only grimace. Stepping onto the plane, you got everything sorted out, put your luggage up, and sat down in your seat. Thankfully, it was a window seat, and even more lucky was that the man you met was next to you for the trip.

“Wow, look at that.” You let out a weak laugh when you were seat belted in. “That’s one in a million.”

“You could say that.” He winked, busying himself with getting himself as comfortable as he could manage. Airplanes weren’t forgiving to those with long legs. The pilot’s voice crackled over the loudspeakers, announcing your impending doom- sorry- your impending take off. Clenching your seat rests with your fingers, you closed your eyes and bit your lips. Your breath was growing faster and you could tell you were losing it. A hand rested gently on yours and his thumb brushed smooth, comforting strokes. Normally, you would freak out if a stranger ever touched you like this but for whatever reason you felt like you could trust him and he was the only person you knew on this flight, regardless that you just met him.

The plane began to take off, rumbling all around you and your body shook. Your ears popped painfully and you dug your fingers in deeper. The world started to fade away from around you until finally the plane evened out. Slowly, you were able to unsqueeze your eyes, now sore from how tight they were shut, and unclenched your hands. Breathing became more calmer and you looked to the man to see him looking at you apologetically.

“All done, for now.” He gave you a smile, removing his hand and fixing his bow tie. You couldn’t find words yet so you only nodded in confirmation.

Steadying your breathing, you took a glance out the window. You couldn’t deny that the view was breathtaking and you felt yourself drifting off. Too emotionally drained, you allowed yourself to fall asleep.

You awoke to a tap on your knee. Opening your eyes, you jolted up in seat, face aflame. In your sleep, you had become slouched up quite tight against the window, your head lolled against the hard material.

“We’ll be landing soon.” The man said in a calm voice, eyes flickering over your face.

“Oh.” You breathed out, sinking down. What went up must come down and you found yourself hating how gravity worked more at this moment than you ever had in your life. With a groan, you facepalmed, your hand sliding slowly down your face. “I can’t do that again.”

“You have to.” He frowned in sympathy. Of course, you had to, there was no other option, but you knew deep in your bones that you couldn’t. Going up was already awful so you already knew that the trip down wasn’t going to be anything fantastic either. Speak of the devil, as you were in the midst of losing your mind again, the pilot made an announcement.

“Hello, this is your captain speaking. We will begin landing procedures in a few short minutes. Please remain in your seat, belted in, and raise your trays back up and prepare for landing.”

 “No, no, no…” You murmured under your breath, shutting your eyes tight once again. Out of need, you clung to the man’s wrist, grip closing around the scratchy fabric of his tweed jacket. He allowed this, to your surprise. The plane began its descent, picking up speed, bumping a small bit, and you sat stock still, terrified. You hyperventilated once more, tears squeezing out of your eyes. It seemed like forever before you felt the jolt of the plane wheels touch the ground.

You could physically feel yourself flooding with relief as you blushed and released the man of your grip.

 “Thank you.” You whispered silently to him, catching your breath. The plane began to disembark, passengers getting up and squaring away their luggage. You stood on shaky legs and retrieved what you had stowed away up above. The line to exit marched slowly out and you steadied yourself on the aisle seats. You had done it, you had truly done it. It was an incredibly horrible experience, but it was all over. Until you had to go back, but you pushed that far from your mind.

After a little while, you got off the plane, said your goodbyes to the man who was so gracious to you, and collected the rest of your luggage. Now, you were just biding your time until your friend came to pick you up. Since the worst part was over, you found yourself able to actually enjoy getting to see them and happy nerves bundled up in your stomach this time. Your phone pinged, notifying you of their arrival. Just as you were getting up to go, the man from the plane suddenly ran up to you.

“Hold on, Y/N!” He called out, panting as he reached your side. “I know you don’t know me well, so this might seem quite sketchy, but call me before you leave for the airport.” He handed you a small, neat business card with nothing but a number written on it. “Trust me.” He pressed it into your hand before turning his back and striding away. “I’m the Doctor, by the way!” He yelled with his back to you, as if it was an afterthought. Shaking your head in disbelief, you looked at the card and tucked it away in your wallet. It was a weird encounter, but he had done a lot for you today. You decided that you would call him up when the time came, but for now, you had a friend to go meet up with.

 After a particularly lovely trip with your friend, you found that the dreaded day had arrived all too quickly. Hugging your friend hard, you wished your friend well and stepped out to the taxi that was waiting for you outside. Just as you were about to put your luggage in the trunk, you remembered the card in your wallet.

“I’m so sorry!” You called to the driver and rushed off, heading down the street and into an alley. Pulling the card out, you found that your hands were shaking, but it was either seeing what this number was about or getting straight onto a plane again. With twitching fingers, you punched the number into your phone and waited for it to ring. The Doctor picked up almost immediately.

“You actually rang! Hello!”

“H-hi,” You stuttered out, “you said to call before…”

“Yes, I did! Give me just a minute!” He exclaimed gleefully before ending the call.

“What? Hello?” You furrowed your brows in confusion. “Okayyy.” You sighed to yourself, kicking at the pebbles on the ground. A strange sound filled the air and you looked up to find a blue box materializing before your eyes. You let out a started yelp, jumping back, as it came into full. The doors swung open to reveal a very energetic version of the man you met at the airport.

“Y/N!” The Doctor shouted, running up to you, and catching you in an embrace. You were too stunned to move. “Come, quickly!” He ushered you inside the box that he had just popped out of.

“I– I’m not sure that this will fit the both of us and my bags…”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find that it will.” He beamed, pushing you in front of him so that you could glimpse the sight for yourself.

“Holy…” You breathed, spinning in slow circles to take everything in. “It’s… it’s…”

“Bigger on the inside?” He quipped, proudly.

“Massive.” You finished, mouth gaping.

“Well, yes, I guess so.” He scratched at his head, sounding a bit distraught you hadn’t come to the same conclusion as him. “But! This is a solution to your problem!” The Doctor grinned at you, stepping in front, arms spread wide, presenting whatever you were in to you.

“What is it?”

“It’s my TARDIS! Time and Relative Dimensions and Space. Basically, anywhere, anytime you can think of is right at your fingertips- more like mine- but you get the picture.”

“So… it’s a time machine.” You dropped your luggage with a thud by the door, walking slowly up to where he was standing in the middle. “Wow.”

“I know you’re a nervous flier, and that the trip back wasn’t anything you were looking forward to, so I figured I’d offer you a second option. Much faster, almost no turbulence, more spacious, and overall much better than any commercial airline.” He patted the machine in what seemed like an affectionate manner.

“But I’ve already paid for the plane ticket…” Your mouth quirked into a frown, feeling defeat.

“Not to worry!” He sprung into action, searching around for a minute, before producing a small envelope from the depths of who knows where. “Here’s the money, and don’t worry, it’s all legitimate, I made a few calls at your expense.” He winked and handed it over to you. Sure enough, inside was a check for the plane fare made out in your name. Looking from the envelope to the Doctor to the envelope to the Doctor, you felt your heart swell with joy. A total stranger, not only offering you a ride in his time machine (a train of thought you would have to get back to at another time) but also getting you your money back. You were incredibly moved by all this kindness that it was now your turn to rush him and squeeze him in a tight hug.

“How can I repay you?”

“No need, just know that you can always call me whenever you need a ride to some place else that would normally involve a plane. Now, let’s get a move on so I can show you the true majesty of her.”

He wasn’t lying about how smooth the trip was. A small bump was hit on the way, but it was over in a matter of seconds, and now you were home. Supposedly. You found that you were filled with nervous energy as you walked towards the doors, a hand tentatively wrapped around the handle. With one simple shove, you opened the door to see that you really were home.

“Oh my god.” Turning, you saw the Doctor with his arms crossed, a content smile on his face. “Thank you.” You gathered up your luggage, lingering by the door.

“Call me, whenever you want, for flights or even for other trips. Don’t be a stranger.” The Doctor said genuinely, wringing his hands. The thought crossed your mind that he was lonely.

“Of course, I will.” His face broke out into a grin and you smiled back in return. Bags secured in your hands, you went to take a step out of the TARDIS and turned around one last time. “I’ll see you around, Doctor.”

“Until we meet again, Y/N.” He tipped his head and went to close the doors behind you as you exited. The sounds of the TARDIS whirring filled the air again and you found yourself turning back. By the time you had, they were already gone. His card was clenched tight in your hand while you walked back to your home, bags thumping along the uneven sidewalk.

The future might be unsure, but you knew with certainty that yours would involve the Doctor. 

[vairiance]

You know what I'm not gonna leave it at that I'm gonna shift gears into blind fury now. Essentially nothing has been as popular and well received as Mega Evolutions. I don't think I've seen a single person who dislikes them that didn't also just dislike everything about the newer (note: in this context this means X/Y onwards despite Gen 6 being almost a decade old) games.

Every time we get new games, the fake rumors that get started ALWAYS mention Mega Evolution in some capacity, because the people who start these know how desperate the fanbase is for them.

And yet we haven't and likely at this point will just not ever get them again and for the love of GOD I cannot imagine why. Gen 7 got a pass, both because a) old Megas still were around and b) Alola was both physically and thematically very distant from Kalos.

But Galar was just Kalos, but worse in every way. And that aside, the regions of inspiration are fairly close, and the theme of Galar was explicitly supposed to be POWER. The region's primary history was about a bunch of weapon wielding warriors; perhaps they could have participated in some kind of war; you know, like the one mentioned in Kalos?

At that point, you have to go out of your way to justify why there's no Mega Evolution. Even just having the old ones would have been nice, but no we have to make room for Dynamaxing, a feature which I don't hesitate to designate as the worst gimmick they've ever added.

Terastallizing in the new games looks cool and clever and seems to fit with the more academic nature of Paldea, but there is still no reason at all to keep excluding Megas, at least the older ones that already exist.

And all the lore and gameplay and stuff aside, it just really aggravates me. Bringing back Mega evolutions is like, the one thing I think the vast majority of the fanbase wants, and they just completely ignore it. I've been a Pokemon fan for longer than Google has existed and while I've loved most of the games, the one thing I can never really say is that it felt like they were listening to what people wanted. And this is largely because with such a massive fanbase doing so is impossible, and it's not to say the games haven't had lots of quality of life improvements, but it's never stuff that it felt like people were asking for. Again, there's all sorts of reasons for this particularly in the older years, but I feel that it's largely unacceptable nowadays, at the very least for so united an issue.

I miss megas :(

Was looking at some and remembered how much I love mega sableye and banette!

I will never miss anything from the Pokemon fandom as much as I do Mega Evolutions. Except maybe the difficulty. But yeah, lots of very fond memories about the Mega Evolutions. Mega Charizard X probably saved me from imploding during college, just because I always had cool stuff to look forward to after classes