#i would die for both leon and hop for different reasons

[goldensunset]

shoutout to riya for bringing over pokémon sword to my house so i could play for five (forty) minutes and get shaymin in pla

[rbbalmung]

Pokemon SwSh GPL AU: Get to know ______

Guys, it’s time for my favourite pokemon ship. Prepare for loads of fluff. 

Get to Know Gloria x Hop (Postwickshipping/Hpyu): 

1: Who spends almost all their money on the other? I headcannon that Gloria really likes pokemon plushies, so Hop is always unconsciously checking the stuffed animal section of stores to see if there’s any she doesn’t have. Gloria tries really hard to get him books that pertain to his research, but she really has no clue what he studies aside from the fact that it’s legendary pokemon (Legendary Pokemon are his focus). 

2: Who sleeps in the other’s lap? Gloria! They are the cuddliest couple ever. There’s about a foot size difference between them, so she fits perfectly in his lap. (Hop is def the little spoon, tho). 

3: Who walks around the house half-naked and who yells at them to put on some clothes? TBH, they would both walk around the house half naked. They’re comfort first babies, so you know Gloria’s bra is coming off and Hop is discarding his work clothes the second their door is closed. I think it’s kind of a casual thing for them, though. They’ve known each other long enough that this kind of thing doesn’t bother them. 

4: Which one tells the other not to stay up all night and which one stays up all night anyway? Gloria has to drag Hop’s ass to bed pretty much every night. They’re both busy people, but we all know that Hop would lose track of time while working on his thesis. It is a fact that if Gloria doesn’t come to get him, he will fall asleep on his desk. 

5: Which one tries to make food for the other but burns it all by accident and which one tells them that it’s okay and makes them both cookies? They’re actually both pretty good cooks (Gloria’s mama owns a restaurant in Wedgehurst and Hop’s mom is obsessed with cooking), but I think Hop would probably be the one to burn all the food. The only reason why is because he has a harder time focusing solely on cooking instead of trying to multitask. Now, baking is a whole other story. They’re both terrible at it. 

6: Which one reads OTP prompts and says “Oh that’s us!” and which one goes “Eh, not really”? Gloria would be the one to read the prompts and Hop would be the denier (he secretly thinks it’s really cute whenever she does it). 

7: Which one constantly wears the other’s clothes? Gloria. 100% Gloria. She is constantly cold and has a passion for stealing Hop’s hoodies. He thinks its adorable because they’re always really big on her. 

8: Which one spends all day running errands and which one says “You remembered [thing], right?” Hop would be the errand runner and Gloria would make sure he remembered everything. It goes back to Hop’s mind being a million places at once and Gloria hyper focusing on one thing at a time. 

9: Which one drives the car and which one gives them directions? Hop would drive and Gloria would give directions for similar reasons to the question above. 

10: Which one does the posing while the other one draws? Hop doodles Gloria sometimes to keep his hands busy. It’s kind of an absent minded thing for him to do while reading an article/book. Once Sonia caught him doing it, and when I say she teases him relentlessly, I mean it. Hop absolutely does not let Gloria see these doodles (they’re very cutesy and he’d die of embarrassment). 

11: If they were about to rob a museum, which one does backflips through lasers and which one is strolling behind with a bag of chips? Hop would be the backflipper and Gloria would be the follower. Think back to their GPL season: Hop was blazing ahead at all times without a care in the world. Gloria is the slowest traveler in the world because she likes talking to everyone and visiting all the stores.  

12: Which one of your OTP overdoes it on the alcohol and which one makes the other stop drinking? Neither of them can hold their alcohol, but Hop at least has more body mass than Gloria. They’re a pair of lightweights and nothing you can say will convince me otherwise. (Let’s be real: Bede has to be the one to make sure they get home). 

14: Which one keeps accidentally using the other’s last name instead of their own? Gloria. I actually believe that Gloria would keep her last name even after she and Hop get married because it belongs to her mama (after the divorce, they both changed their last names to match her mama’s maiden name). Hop is also a proud Hoffman, so he wouldn’t use the name Park. However, everyone else will mix it up. Gloria gets called “Mrs. Hoffman” all the time if she’s arriving for restaurant reservations or something of the like. Newer reporters/young children call Hop “Mr. Park” because they just assume Park was his last name. 

15: Which one screams about the spider and which one brings the spider outside? Neither of them are scared of bug pokemon. 

16: Which one gives the other their jacket? HOP. I mentioned it earlier, but Gloria is always cold. Bede asks why he doesn’t just make Gloria bring her own jacket and Hop replies that he likes it when she wears his jacket (they’re freaking sappy).  

17: Who keeps getting threatened by the other’s overprotective older sibling? Pft. Leon? Please. By this point, he’s become the big brother of Gloria as well. The League members are a completely different story. They all like Hop, but since Gloria is one of their younger members and the biggest sweetheart, they’re a protective bunch (Especially Melony and Gordie). 

18: Who’s the first one to admit they have feelings for the other? Gloria, but it didn’t go well. It was right before he was leaving to finish up high school studying abroad, and the timing wasn’t right (aka Hop turned her down because he hadn’t yet realised his feelings for her). Gloria tries her best to move on but never truly gets over him. Luckily, his feelings hit him like a bag of bricks to the stomach when they reunite a couple years later.  

19: How good would your OTP be at parenting? The best. They would definitely be the cool parents (I mean, come on. They’re the freaking heroes of Galar!). I think they’d also be super supportive of their child’s choices. 10/10. They’re made to be parents. (Hop would especially want to be a good dad. He’s initially nervous because he never knew his dad and thinks he might mess up, but Gloria reassures him that he’s doing a good job). 

20: Which one types with perfect grammar and which one types using numbers as letters? Hop would be Mr. Perfect Grammar. Gloria would use mostly good grammar, but her texts would be littered with emojis. 

21: Who gets attacked by a bully and who protects them? Hop is the more confrontational of the two. Gloria tends to believe that people are only mean to others if something bad is happening in their life, but Hop will jump from 0 to 100 if someone even looks at Gloria funny.  

22: Who makes the bad puns and who makes a pained smile every time the other makes a pun? Gloria likes Hop’s bad puns, so everyone else has to cringe in discomfort at the oblivious pair. 

23: Who comes home from work to see that the other one bought a puppy? Hop. Gloria likes catching pokemon and sending them on poke jobs, so there’s a new member to their family at least once a week. 

24: Which one gives the other a piggyback ride when they’re tired? Hop. He’s the only one she would show vulnerability to, and he makes sure not to make her feel ashamed of it. (also, Gloria absolutely could not carry Hop. He’s like, a foot taller than her).  

25: Which one competes in some sort of activity and which one does the overzealous cheering? Both! They’re very supportive of each other to help ease the other’s insecurities. Hop gets really invested in her pokemon matches and Gloria throws him a little celebration every time he finishes a project.  

26: Who takes a selfie when the other one falls asleep on their shoulder? Gloria. Since Hop never goes to sleep at night, it is very common for him to take 5 minute power naps without even realising it. Gloria definitely takes pictures when it happens as a reflex (They were long distance for the first 4 years of their relationship) because she wants to be able to look back at their memories together.  Like Gloria doesn’t know about Hop’s doodles of her, Hop doesn’t know about her phone album of him. 

27: Which one would give the other a makeover if they asked? Gloria? I think they both grow into their separate styles as the get older, but Gloria would push Hop to wear more colourful things. Sonia once told Hop that a man should never tell a woman what to wear because it’s rude. I don’t think Gloria would mind if he suggested something, but he is way too nervous to do it (Sonia scarred him).   

28: Which one owns a pet that the other is absolutely terrified of? Hop is very nervous around Urshifu and Calyrex. Urshifu because he’s terrifying, large, and very protective of Gloria. Calyrex because the pokemon will take over his body without warning to tell Gloria something.  

29: Which one holds the umbrella over both of them when it rains? Hop! If Gloria held it, Hop’s head would be in the umbrella. 

30: If your OTP went on vacation, where would they go and what would they do? Who would take the pictures? Oh my gosh, they’d go everywhere. I think that after Gloria steps down as champion, they travel to all the different regions for at least a couple of years. Gloria would be the one to take pictures and make a little scrapbook when they return home.  

[ihopethisendswell]

My Computer Is Terrible So I'm Stating My Story Ideas Here Part 10: The Part 2 of the other Part

So so so

Part 2 of the other part which is part 9 and this is part 10 so it's a sequel part

Okay okay okay

Here we go!

Going full ramble again! You have been warned!

So right now Leon, Sonia and Raihan aren't on the best terms after their Big Fight™

So except some back handed insults now and again.

And soon they get to the point where they're just tearing at each other

But not yet

That's for later :)

But they still have to co-op to together if they want to save their kingdom

So yeah they're pretty sour at the moment

They eventually reach the sea side where the ordered(?) a ship to reach to Eternatus. Cause it's on a isolated island

And the ship captain is none other than Nessa, the most feared captain of them all.

She takes after her cousin Archie

Yes I'm making them cousins in this Au fight me

She is often called The Siren given her beauty and deadliness

So why would she be the one to help a royal like Leon

Well she was the only one willing to go and Leon had to pay a lot to get her to cooperate so-

Yeah

But you'll never guess who else is one the ship

Hop and co!

The only reason they're even on I'd because Piers is friends with Nessa

They go way back

So it's like a favour or something

Now Hop didn't know that Leon was going on this specific ship

So you could imagine the reunion

Leon isn't happy btw

Bede is being smug about it like " I told you so" but Marnie shuts him up

Piers tries to defend Hop which honestly cause Leon to relent

So now not only Sonia is with them, but now three teenagers and a thief( I decided to make Piers the head of a big thieves guild....and possibly former duke?)

Which is just so many casualties

This is the part where we really drive home that Leon has this unhealthy way of thinking that he has to take care of everything as king.

This as always been a thing, since his parents died and Rose ( unintentional or not) telling him that everything is on him, and only him.

He didn't even want Raihan to come since he feared how would get hurt or worse

But Raihan is a strong fighter, the best in the kingdom so he can count on him

But Sonia? Sonia quitted becoming a knight a long time ago. She may know the basics but she can't really hold her own

At least that what he thinks

And now his precious little brother is one the same ship with him plus Roses mentor and two thieves( though they do seem chill)

He can't risk them getting hurt. He can't

But we don't have time to unpack all of that!

Cause ya wanna know who else is on the ship? Alexis and co! Boom!

But they actually snuck on because they heard this ship was going where they needed to go to save Naomi and honesty they rather not pay so-

Sneaking it is! Though it's hard cause N is very tall and green hair is quite noticable

But they manage

Until Alexis hears Hop trying to explain why he's on the ship in the first place

And he mentions word of a girl named Naomi

Who is his cousin( I should mention that in Alexis' and Elliot's dream Naomi tells them her name for reference)

Tis triggers something in Alexis and causes his powers to go haywire

Causing him to expose himself and the other two

And everyone is about to attack him cause he's an intruder

And Elliot gets defensive cause " that's my brother you fuckers!"

And N is trying to calm the situation down ( as a means to not get anyone hurt and to atone for his actions as a former prince)

Then Leon is like " wait your the guy from the market!" And before Alexis can respond his powers end up sparking a lot which causes him to double over in pain

And by this point Elliot is panicking cause her brother could possibly die

N is trying to heal him but him alone isn't enough

Then Bede says he could help!

And it's revealed that the boy is half fae!!! Since his hair covered up his ears most of the time!!!

He was told to repress his fae side by Rose in fear of getting hurt( and that having a fae would cause some chaos that he can't control and Rose must have control over thingd to make sure things are good)

So Bede and N heal him, Bede being half fae REALLY helps

So much so that it seems that whenever Alexis uses his powers they don't hurt him as much as it did before

Which is cool and all but he can't really in a child forever that would be wrong

So for now it's a temporary solution

Now everyone is a bit calm now, minus the million questions that Hop and Sonia is asking Alexis

Eventually the two parties( Alexis and Hop) spill they're story and when Alexis confirms that Naomi is very much real Hop is overjoyed and is like " See!!! I told you!! I told you she was real!!!" And everyone rightfully apologizes to Hop

Honestly the revelation that Naomi is in fact real made is already terrible mental state worse cause that means he's been discouraging his little brother for so long and he starts going through what Alexis went through in game canon as " What if I was a better brother,"

And Nessa is over here a bit annoyed that there's a bunch more people than expected but Leon reassures her that they'll pay more and Sonia suggest that they'll work on the ship as well and Nessa ain't complaining to that!( Especially because one of them is a cute red head)

So now bonding time!

Leon, Raihan and Sonia still aren't on the best terms

In fact they've been avoiding each other a lot

They're all stubborn

Though they do miss each other a lot

Hop and Sonia bombard Alexis with questions that he honestly doesn't know the answer to

Elliot is a bit of flirt, flirting with both Nessa and Sonia

She managed to get Nessa flustered at some point and will never live it down

But then she notices that the two of them have a connection and she's like " oh I see" and she's not even mad about cause that just means she has more victims to tease endlessly

Which also somehow worked into them getting together but that's for later

Marnie forces to Bede and Hop to talk out they're issues cause she's grown tired of it, and they do and reach a better understanding of each other

Hop the tells them about Naomi and about his dreams

They take it the wrong way, because of course they do, but he assures them that he only see's her as a friend.

Marnie is shown to be the most curious about who Naomi is.

Raihan and Piers start to bond

Piers was a former duke of a failing/dying nation(? Idk what to call it) and had to resort to thievery the keep things a float. Hence meeting Nessa

He doesn't hate Leon by any means but is always ready to point out his privileged lifestyle before bonding with Leon himself as older brothers

He also bonds with Alexis and Elliot for their mutual love for music

This is where the shipping starts

Alexis and Leon haven't properly interacted before this point. It's mostly small talk

But! Leon has always been fascinated by Alexis, given his tendency to keep to himself and his curse

So one night on deck Leon wakes up( woke up from a nightmare of loosing everyone. Y'know. The usual) and was about to go back to bed when he hears singing

At first he thought it was Piers,as he's known to sing and they've all heard him sing before BUT!

When he listens closely he realizes that it's not Piers

So he goes out to investigate

And it's revealed to be Alexis!!!

And his voice is so beautiful!!!

It's a contrast to his speaking voice , while still quite, his singing voice is more softer and smooth.

His singing voice is much more sadder than his usual stoic monotone voice

And Leon is completely enamored.

Not to mention that Alexis isn't wearing his cloak that covers the majority his body, so this is the first time Leon has gotten a clear view of him and

The man is , mm, I would say infatuated. A small crush begins to form

Alexis' song is a sad one

He sings about the pain he's going through and how he wishes he didn't involve those he cares about

Which really spoke to Leon. Like a lot

Because parelles babeyyyy

But when Alexis notices Leon's snooping he calls him out, pretty embarrassed

Cause the only person he ever sang in front of is Elliot, Cheren, Bianca and his parents

So having Leon there, a stranger,is embarrassing

Not to mention that he's not very proud of his appearance via the curse

He's been called a monster by someone on the ship prior and while Nessa was quick to snap at that person it still took a blow to his already low self-confidence

Leon begs to differ but he doesn't know that, and even if he did it's more of a him thing that he needs to get over .

After a quick back and forth they end up talking and just....spilling everything

Alexis talks about his time as a chosen one, his battle with Ghetsis, his scar his curse, and especially his want to do this alone to protect others

While Leon talks about his fight with Raihan and Sonia, the disconnect between the three, how he feels like an awful older brother to Hop, the pressure if being a king after his parents, the guilt he feels for dragging everyone into this mess

Both of them don't know why they're saying this. They're both pretty secretive about how they truly feel, but it's incredibly late, and the two are in a vulnerable spot so it kinda just comes out

After a while they both go to bed with a strange but welcomed friendship!

I just wanna say, if I ever do write this, it's not gonna be entirely romance focused.

The ships will be there, but like, the amount of character set-up I did prior demands a lot more attention soooooo

Especially with Sonia, Raihan and Leon's whole conflict!

I hope I didn't misrepresent their characters here!

But yeah

This got very long very fast so part 3 is in order!

TDLR: Leon and Alexis needs a hug, and I feel like this is going to be a series within a series

[galarsbookstore]

Love your blog 💘 If you can, can you write a HC of Leon and his S/O both getting lost in the Wild Area? Because honestly I'm just as bad as directions, if not worst

I feel you bruh... directions? Not my forte, at ALL. Leon and I would die in the fucking wild area together 😔 also sorry I've been inactive oof univerisry is no joke LMAO.

Oh and, formatting might be different cause I'm doing this on mobile, not my PC! (And... I have some angsty hcs about Leon's sense of direction if anyone wants those 👀 but I kept these light and silly!)

Leon x Reader who is also bad at directions in the Wild Area HCs:

You guys decide to go have a nice fun day in the Wild Area!

I mean you've both been there a bunch, it would be fun and easy!

Wrong. Very wrong.

You're bad with directions, so is Leon. Heck, his brother had to go meet him at the train station before out of fear he would get lost! Going to his own home.

Takes you a total of 30 minutes to an hour to get lost. Oops.

Honestly, hes going to really pretend he isn't lost for as long as he can when you say you think you're lost.

Hes like, "uh, no.... We aren't lost-" doesn't wanna make you worried.

But then again, you already know he is also lost. You've been with him for long enough to know that if you were lost, he definitely was too. And probably had been the whole time.

Leon is a smart man, and strong too, but man, you can't have everything in life. So his directional sense? Absolutely abysmal.

It would be cute if your sense or direction didn't also suck, meaning you both had no idea where you were.

Oh, and that map? Not helpful at all.

"If we... Are here... I think this is where we are? Babe, is this where we are? You don't know either? Oh Arceus... Uh okay well, let's just assume this is where we are on the map! If we go north- uh... that way I think-"

Take that map from him, take it please. Neither of you know how to read it properly! Leon never had to learn okay, he always has charizard or people to help him as champion!

Also... I personally HC that even when charizard helps Leon with directions, he still messes it up sometimes...

Charizard, clearly pointing to the right:

Leon: okay left it is-

Will eventually admit to you that he's lost also and you're just like "I know."

Ensures you it's all gonna be okay! Two heads together- even if they're both directionally inept, are better than one, right?

Be prepared to kinda get into some arguments. Nothing big of course, more like "we have already been here Leon!" Followed by "no we haven't, okay you lead then-" "I know as much as you do about where we are, I'm not leading!" "So does that mean you admit we haven't been here?" "No!!"

If for some reason charizard can't help, you're gonna have to resort to calling someone...

First option - Hop. Will make fun of Leon and you a bit, but is generally okay at helping you both guide yourselves out.

Second option - Raihan. Will poke more fun at Leon then Hop, less at you. He's 50/50 going to either send you a digital useless map, and explain how to get out using it, or come pick you up.

Third option - Sonia. Leon puts her last solely because he knows shes doing to call him out for getting lost with you, and tell him to learn to read a map properly. Most likely to just go out and find you two or send her yamper.

Maybe you guys should get a GPS or a guide next time! Or... you can just do it all over again. It is kind of fun spending the time with him after all.

[greenandhazy]

ppl in the Trobed discord asked if I had more future headcanons for Rickie and Leon (Troy and Abed’s kids from my Nadir-Barnes Canon verse) when they grow up and I was THRILLED because idk if I’m going to write more in that verse (writing too far into the future makes me wary for some reason? like how can I just pretend I have ANY concept of what the 2030s will be like) but YES I HAVE THOUGHTS:

Rickie grows up to be a confident, outgoing person, the life of the party and everyone’s  de facto big brother, although he does struggle a bit more with those early traumas and is more self-conscious about identity issues, so that confidence is the result of intermittent therapy and mindfulness

Such as, for example, morning prayer with Abed, which leads to him expressing more of an interest in Islam--sometime in late elementary/early middle school he transfers to a mainstream school that’s close enough for him to walk to a nearby after school program, and eventually formally converts. (Leon doesn’t feel the need for that and Abed doesn’t feel the need to push.) so yeah, another trilingual in the family heyyyyy.

Neither of the kids are fluent in Polish, although they hear it occasionally from Abed around the home.

He likes to dance as a hobby, although not so much modern--he likes jazz and hip-hop, things that are more high-energy. He and Troy have a LOT of spontaneous dance parties around the house. But starting in middle school, spoken word poetry and rap become his real big things and he eventually goes on to have a music career--think early Childish Gambino, Chance the Rapper vibes. (Leon achieves minor TikTok stardom for his ASL covers at one point.) He likes to run them by Troy first, and Troy and Abed are the ultimate hype men.

Abed is always really careful to seek out opportunities to connect with both kids, and they’re both written into Voyage of the Starship Legacy in some way... but it’s Leon’s. He thinks of it like a personal bedtime story that happens to have been made into a feature film, and it’s his comfort rewatch. In general he’s more of a fan of Abed’s stuff because he likes the meta aspects, and while Rickie enjoys them too, that’s not really his style as much, you know?

(I mentioned in one of the fics, Rickie is Abed’s ego-shrinker. If people find out Rickie and Leon are Abed’s kids they’ll be like “omg that’s so cool!” and Leon will be like “haha yeah” awkwardly and Rickie will say “cool? lol right, it’s the nerdiest thing about me.”)

Subsequently, Leon is always really excited when Troy suggests they go sailing. Rickie is enthusiastic in theory but usually gets bored once they’re out on the open sea, so this becomes Troy and Leon’s Thing, especially as he gets older and is less easily entertained by funny voices and faces. He just finds the open ocean very soothing and, yknow, parallels between sailing and space exploration or whatever. He really loves hearing Troy’s stories about his trip.

He’s more of a shy person, especially around people his own age--definitely not an entertainer the way the rest of the family is, and has a bit of a dryer sense of humor. One of his hobbies growing up is drawing, and there’s a running joke in the extended (found) family that someday Abed is going to produce an animated film illustrated by Leon modeled on Troy’s dance troupe with a soundtrack by Rickie. Cut to Leon’s sophomore year of college, when he announces that....... his major is astrophysics and he has a summer internship at NASA

(you can’t prove I was rewatching The Martian when I came up with this) (I just love the idea of Abed’s kids being just as phenomenally successful but one in in a Very different way, also I think the study group’s reaction would be very funny for some reason) (come on guys, he’s been very into space for a long time, this shouldn’t be a surprise, right?

Sometime around middle school, Leon starts not only not putting his hearing aids in, but leaving them at home when he goes out. Troy and Abed always prefer he have them as a backup, and a very common dad joke in their household is “You’d lose your ears if they weren’t attached to your head--oh, wait.” Eventually he admits that yeah, he’s “forgetting” them on purpose, partly because he’s getting tired of Questions and Looks, partly as an act of defiance because he dislikes the expectation that he wants to hear all the time, partly because it makes him feel Some Kind of Way that he doesn’t actually need them--that between his family, his school, his community, and even the cashier at the bodega across the street who taught himself a few signs, he really can get plenty of social interaction and communication just using ASL and he likes that feeling. (Troy is especially touched by that, given that he does not have Abed’s gift for languages and learning ASL took more effort for him.)

They both really enjoy traveling. The family makes semi-regular trips to Arizona and wherever Annie ends up with the FBI, but spend the most time in Colorado--especially in the summers. Gobi is still grumpy but spoils the kids rotten, and they like being the cool older cousins of Jeff and Britta’s kid. the Bennett boys are a little older but Rick and Leon are always trying to convince them to get into Shenanigans, and when they do, they reach a whole new level of shenanigans. Shirley is Tired.

They come back from Colorado with more complimentary Greendale merch than you could ever imagine. the Dean knows they’re not going to go there but..... he can try. Rickie gets his first taste of alcohol from Britta. Leon goes to Annie for girl advice when he gets his first crush because he figures his dads are way too gay to be helpful. Jeff takes them out to play paintball all the time (in like... actual, legit paintball--fields? idek what they’re called) and regales them with tales of Greendale paintball, which they had been 100% sure their dads were exaggerating until Jeff stepped in. They think Chang is putting on a hilarious act for like their entire childhoods and are solely responsible for portions of Chang’s “I Never Die” song becoming a meme among LA schoolchildren.

oh and I don’t have, like, faceclaims for them or anything but I picture Rickie wearing lots of bright colors and being ultimately like an inch or two shorter than his little brother, which offends him deeply, and Leon tends to wear his hair a little longer, like..... Power Rangers-era Eka Darville.

ANYWAY those are the things that have been milling around in my head the last couple of weeks. I have very strong feelings about this children I made up <3 <3 <3

[pokenimagines]

An Imagine of Sonya and Leon dating and Reader is really sad about it because they have a huge crush on Leon and reader is really sad but it ends fluffy, please 😳❤️?

Yes, hello, have no idea how to feel about this! Like I wrote it while very tired, and the ending seems rushed, but it was almost at the 2k word mark, and I was like, “Oh no!” Anyway, it’s pretty apparent how this will end since I’m a sucker for fluff and happy endings, but go ahead and read. I just…love these nerds? All of them? Can I marry everyone in SwSh because I love them? Time to get hitched, you guys! Now without further ado, it’s a story!

Misunderstandings: Leon x Reader x Sonia

It was absolutely crushing when the new champion of Galar realized that, with Leon’s newfound freedom, he decided to pursue a relationship with Sonia. Not only did the champion love Leon to pieces, but they also loved Sonia, making this the worst-case scenario for them. Both people they were interested in were dating one another. It would’ve been one thing if just one of them got into a relationship with someone else. Sure, it would’ve stung like no tomorrow, but at least they still had one love interest left. To think they’d get together…they should’ve seen it coming.

The champion looked down at their phone, seeing Hop had messaged them again about coming down to the lab to see him, and to update their Pokedex into the newest format. They had been avoiding going to town for a long time now and was really trying to explain to Hop that they were just too busy to go home. It wasn’t an entire lie, as he surely saw all of the news with them in it, magazines and whatnot as well as live interviews or mock battles. Even their battles with Raihan, the ones just for training, were sometimes broadcasted from Raihan’s phone.

Still, Hop was pretty persistent and wouldn’t take the ‘Why not just visit me?’ nonsense. Hop knew very well that the champion had a crush on his older brother and the professor he was apprenticing with. He knew the champion was purposefully avoiding the town, and he was getting sick of it. If the champion avoided the town forever, their friendship might fall apart a bit like Leon’s, and Sonia’s relationship did when Leon became champion.

Hop opted to just call, waiting a few moments before the familiar voice of the champion filtered in, “Hello Hop. Listen, I can’t come down this week. I have this thing with Nessa and training, and I just can’t afford the time right now.” The champion immediately began making excused, knowing full well of what Hop was going to be asking.

“Nice try, I called the other gym leaders to make sure they weren’t doing anything with you. Come down to Postwicke, visit your mom, or something. You can’t avoid home forever. Even Lee managed to visit when he was champion more often than you.” Hearing Leon’s name stung, and the champion flinched a bit before coughing into their fist.

“I’m uh…I’m getting sick.” The champion pretended, and Hop sighed loudly into the phone. The champion could hear voices in the background, one of them being that of Sonia. She was calling out to Hop for some reason and what Hop said next sent chills down the Champion’s spine.

“Ya Sonia, I’ll be there in a second. The ever so strong champion has apparently fallen victim to a cold and can’t handle life.” Hop shouted across the lab, and the champion just wanted to curl into a ball. There was shuffling as something was happening, and the champion was about to hang up, not wanting to deal with their best friend before a feminine voice picked up the phone.

“Are you okay? This is Sonia, by the way. Hop said you were sick? Need me to visit you?” Sonia began berating the champion with questions, and the champion blushed at her concern. One of the things they loved about her was the fact that she was really caring when it came to her friends. The champion bit their lip, trying to push back their feelings for her.

“I’m fine…I promise I am.” The champion said, and they could hear the cogs in Sonia’s head begin turning, and they decided they’d do whatever they could to assure her, “I’m at the tail end of it, so I’ll be fit as a fiddle probably by tomorrow or the next day, I swear it!” The champion said, and Sonia let out a sigh on the other end.

“Well, okay…do you think once you’re better, you’ll be able to visit then, or do I have to drag you out of your castle and make sure you’re actually alive.” Sonia said into the phone, and the champion knew there was no getting out of this one…perhaps.

“Listen because I’m sick I’m uh running behind on a lot of things. Once I’m all better, I’m sure I’ll have tons of things to uh catch u-up on and whatnot. So sorry, I can’t visit anytime soon…” The champion mentally high-fived themself for the quick response. Still, Sonia wasn’t convinced, and she was, oddly enough, more stubborn and persuasive than Hop was.

“Alright…so I’ll see you in two days either in Postwicke or Wyndon. You have until noon that day to decide who’s going where.” Sonia then clicked on them, making the champion let out the world’s loudest and most annoying groan. The small Charmander in their room just gave them an odd look before going back to taking their nap. The champion was going to actually die because of this woman.

After two days had passed, the Champion pulled into the sleepy town of Wedgehurst; a particularly smug Sonia and Hop were there to greet them, alongside an excited looking Leon. The champion didn’t make eye contact as they walked a bit closer to them, giving small greetings. Their grand plan was to excuse themself to go and visit their mother than disappear into the Slumbering Welds for the rest of their stay until they could go back to Wyndon.

“Not so fast, we haven’t seen you in months, and you’re going to dip out like that?” Sonia asked, grabbing the back of the champion’s hoodie as they tried making a hasty escape. They choked a bit before falling back and seeing an annoyed Sonia, glaring at them. They withered a bit under her glare, not knowing what to do as Leon put a hand on her shoulder, chuckling a bit.

“It’s alright, it was probably was a long journey here, and they might need some rest,” Leon assured her and seeing them interact just hurt the champion more as they looked away and caught Hop’s eyes. Perhaps if they tried to grab ahold of him and escape, this anguish would be a lot better.

“Don’t even think about it,” Hop said as soon as he noticed the look in the champion’s eyes. They blushed furiously at being so transparent, and Hop smirked, “I actually need to go and see professor Magnolia, so why don’t the three of you catch up?” Hop said with a devilish smirk.

“Good idea, Hop,” Leon said, enthusiastic as ever and utterly clueless to the inner turmoil of the new champion. They just wanted to run to their old bedroom and sob into a pillow or something. Being with the couple would only make things ten times worse for them.

“Excellent idea, actually.” Sonia sent him a wink, and he returned it before dashing off into who-knows-where. The three were left at the train station, and Sonia turned to the champion, giving them her soft smile and wanting to seemingly relax them now. The champion’s eyes darted to find an escape, and after not seeing one, decided to walk alongside them.

The trip to the lab was pretty silent, other than Leon and Sonia making small talk, and the champion just humming in agreement whenever the conversation needed a reply. The two knew that they weren’t really engaging in the discussion, and Sonia knew precisely why. She was smart and had noticed the champion’s feelings a long time ago. Probably before they even made it to Turffield. Leon had been a bit more dense about it, so she spelled it out to him once.

They finally arrived, and Sonia’s yamper happily jumped onto the leg of the champion, and they happily picked up the excited electric dog. At least the champion had one ally in this lab, even if he was good at occasionally electrocuting them. They all walked over to the small sitting area as Sonia put on some tea for them and sat down next to the champion.

“Anything interesting happening since becoming the champion? Meet anyone you’re interested in?” Sonia immediately asked, not skipping around with formalities, and the champion’s eyes bugged out a bit as they bit their lip nervously.

“No, to really. Just a lot of…work.” The champion tried to say, looking over at Leon and hoping to get some support. The champion hadn’t been lying that they had tons of work to do, constantly. They’d just occasionally volunteer for more whenever Hop was interested in having them come down to visit.

“Well, it is a lot of work…what do you do in your downtime?” Leon asked, leaning a bit against the table as the champion tried to look in every other direction but him. They soon opted to stare at the bookshelf, as that wouldn’t judge them at least.

“I uh, I prefer keeping myself busy whenever possible.” Less time for them to think about the two of them whenever they were working. Hell, the league probably thought they were a workaholic despite being a pretty lazy individual when they wanted to be.

Sonia sighed, rubbing her temples before she decided enough was enough, “Listen, I think we’ve tortured you enough for blatantly avoiding us.” Sonia began, and the champion opened their mouth to say something when she continued, “We both like you, okay. Leon and myself. As more than friends. We’ve been trying to get you here through Hop for months, but that stupid thick skull of yours has kept you away.” Sonia said, making everyone at the table blush.

“I thought we were going to word that way differently,” Leon said as he looked over at his girlfriend in shock. She just shrugged her shoulders, thinking that her way had even the best way. After all, she skipped to the point and wanted this awkward tension around the group to dissipate already. It was getting a bit annoying.

“You guys…what? You guys are going out together, though?” The champion asked, not understanding what the hell they were going on about? Was this some weird flex or something?

“Listen, it’s a polyamorous relationship deal. Do you want to go out with us? Like a huge couple? All three, together?” Sonia explained to them, and the champion took a moment. They had heard about polyamory, but they always assumed it was something that old couples did when the wife found some young guy, and he and the wife were together, but the husband just watched. Was their life a lie?

“So you want to be in a relationship with me? And him. And him and me? And him and you? Like love triangle, but it’s all requited love?” The champion said, pointing at everyone while referring to them. Leon found this amusing and actually laughed, getting hit in the chest by Sonia in the process.

“Yes, that’s exactly what we’re saying? Do you want to?” Leon asked, giving him that signature smirk that had them falling for him all over again. The champion opened their mouth, prepared to answer when the front door flung open, and there stood Hop.

“So is it done yet? Did they agree?” Hop asked, being far too impatient. He had been told to wait for a while for this discussion, but he was getting now too bored. If they hadn’t gotten to the good stuff yet, he was going to just get it out there for them. All three looked over at him before the champion began laughing. It felt like an entire universe was being lifted from their shoulders.

“Yes, I agree.” The champion said, looking between their two new lovers. Sonia and Leon’s face lit up at the thought, and the champion decided, at that moment, perhaps they’d make sure to visit town far more.

Request Info Here

[skvllbug]

feat @invictarre​‘s letter and Guzma’s response! 

The letter is simple. Just a standard white envelope, holding a few sheets of handwritten words in a ballpoint pen. To some, Leon’s handwriting would be unmistakable, especially with how many personally signed League cards are still in circulation, but he’s not so egotistical as to presume that’d be the case here.

He wouldn’t exactly call this an apology, rather an admittance of wrongdoing. It had been a long time coming, and while it would have been easier to ignore his own faults or continue on down his path of defensiveness, he wanted to heal. He wanted to be better, not just for Dani but for all those she considered her family, and the first step on that path had to be the acceptance of his own guilt.

Besides, his own decision to ignore the first letter had continued to weigh heavy on his mind. Doing this seemed like the right thing to do, no matter how hard it was for him to write out.

                     Dear Guzma. I hope this reaches you alright, I had a little trouble trying to figure out the exact address.

                     I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to do this. Truth is, I needed some time to myself to think about a lot of things, because I didn’t want to write something here that I didn’t believe. It’d be an insult to you, and it’d be a something I’d only come to regret in the coming days, weeks, or however long this takes to get to you. I don’t know how reliable the international Pelipper mail service are.

                     But you were right. Not about everything, granted, but you were right that it wasn’t fair for me to disregard your views the way I have been doing. I haven’t been at all nice to you, and I can’t keep continuing this pattern of constantly locking horns and battling it out over the most trivial things.

                     While I retain my right to disagree with certain things you say, especially those concerning me or Galar, I don’t want these simple disagreements to escalate into arguments. And, if I may hazard a guess, I don’t think that’s something you want either. Regardless of what I’ve said in the past, I don’t think you’re a bad person. I think that sometimes you’re too quick to cast judgement, and you’re just as stubborn as I am, but it’d be hypocritical of me to penalise you for those characteristics while I continue to display the same ones. You’ve spent a lot of time and effort helping a cause that I was kept sheltered from, and you’ve taken on the same type of leadership role a Champion would be expected to. To disregard your opinions because you never held an official title was condescending, and it’s not something I’m proud of doing.

                     But I don’t expect forgiveness. I recognise that I have said some truly vile things to you, and my regret alone will never be enough to undo whatever hurt they may have caused. Any future civility will not erase what was said during those arguments, and should you wish to ignore this letter I wouldn’t blame you. But I think our differing perspectives offer a wonderful opportunity for the both of us to learn something.

                     You have lived in the ‘real world’, as it were, and have seen the impact willful ignorance can have on a region’s most vulnerable. I was sheltered and kept away from it, puppeteered by those who decided which issues were the most important. I want to do better, not just for Galar’s disadvantaged but for as many as I can, and while I will always have a certain loyalty to the League I need to accept that it will always hurt some. Where there are winners, there must be losers, and the League stops caring about competitors once they’ve proven themselves unable to continue on a perfect win streak. I’ve come to realise it’s a very exploitative system, and that’s partly due to our… well. I’m hesitant to call them conversations, but I’m sure you get the gist.

                     Perhaps you’d even find something to learn from me, too. I know I haven’t done the best job at showing it, but I promise there’s more to me than being a corporate shill and a total bastard.

                     But, on a serious note, I truly don’t expect forgiveness. I don’t even expect a response, if I’m totally honest. But, should you ever want to talk about anything, I’ve enclosed my number. I assume that’d be easier than hopping across oceans to come to Kalos or relying on these letters. At the very least, I hope this letter holds some sort of closure and can bring an end to this era of constant vitriol between us.

                     For all that I have said, and for all that I failed to do, I am sorry. 

Yours sincerely,

            Leon.

–

Dear Leon,

I wasn’t expecting you to write back. But I wouldn’t have blamed you if you didn’t. I’ve really been an ass to you, and I shouldn’t have been. You make Dani happy, and you helped her heal. I’m sorry, too.

The truth is, I project on you a lot, and I shouldn’t. I know I mentioned it before, but I’m not bluffing or exaggerating when I say that I had a really bad childhood. My Dad beat me when I wasn’t perfect, I had everything decided for me, I was the kid that was born to live my father’s dreams. I can’t see out of my right eye anymore because he used golf clubs on me, and I can’t go on Melemele without feeling like I’m going to die. And Alola ignored it. The people in charge failed me, and when I see people who don’t know about “the little guy” and act like everything’s happy and perfect and act like they don’t know what hardship is, and that the people who do know hardship should shut up, it just makes me angry. Because I feel like I’m looking at Alola, or I’m looking at the man my father wanted me to be, and he almost killed me because I wasn’t a person like you. 

I know it’s wrong of me to blame you for this. You weren’t there. You couldn’t have helped me even if you’d wanted to, and honestly, I feel like … You would’ve wanted to. I do think you’re a bastard, and I bet you think I am, too. But being a bastard isn’t the same as being a bad guy. I don’t think you really behave like the happy perfect people I was just talkin’ about, and I don’t think that’s who you are. Especially not after you wrote to me, despite you having no reason to think anything of me except that I’m cruel to you.

What I’m trying to say is, you aren’t my father.

I’m sorry that I became him towards you. 

If you want, you can text me. Here’s my number.

I don’t want to fight with you anymore, and I don’t want to see you as the people I hate anymore. Because, I know I keep saying it, but.

I know you’re not Them. I know you’re a good guy deep down, and I have to stop acting like you aren’t.

I’m truly sorry.

From, Your Brother-In-Law,

Guzma

[feathers-and-fisticuffs]

Baker’s Dozen...

[chapter list here]

Rose stood behind Basil in the mirror, helping to smooth the wrinkles out of the arms of his suit jacket.

"Don't fret. You look quite handsome." He promised, before kneeling down to help Basil with his tie. "Remember how I showed you?"

Basil struggled to tie it, eventually giving up and letting Rose take it and tie it instead. He looked up then and gave Basil a sweet smile, patting him on the shoulder. "You and Bede really could be brothers couldn't you? When you stand next to each other, you look like brothers. You have the same eyes."

"I don't want to be his brother he's a jerk."

Rose only chuckled and pinched his cheek. "I know you two will learn to get along! Give him time to warm up to you." He sat him down and tried to tame the mess of dark hair that Basil had given up trying to slick back. "Here, watch." He lathered some product in his hands and swiped it through quickly, just like he did his own hair. Once, twice, three times, it was enough to hold it out of Basil's face but still let his sweet curls be seen. "There. Just like I do mine."

Basil looked at himself in the mirror, blushing. It was the first time things looked right. Rose had taken him to get a more professional cut done, somehow it had ended up as an undercut just like roses but it looked good. He liked it. He felt... Whole.

"Come now. Everyone's waiting for the birthday boy." Rose took his hand and led him away.

Things calmed back down the next few days, and Kabu was thankful.  Basil was looking healthy and happy, and he was loving his room, Cyrus, though he wasn’t able to move around much, was able to come and go through the house in his wheelchair and meet them for meals, and things seemed to finally be going well for a change.

He was even able to get Basil to help him make some cookies, though he didn’t explicitly tell him why, he said he felt he needed to make some for Hop and Leon.  “For helping out while you were sick.”

Basil had quite a knack in the kitchen, and Kabu had fun teaching him an old family recipe.  Basil didn’t want to quit making them, and pretty soon they had a gift basket full for every gym leader in the league, and enough to keep home to snack on as well.

“Do you think you can make it all the way to Spikemuth on your own?”  Kabu was wary of letting him out of his sight, for fear something terrible would happen once again.

“I’ll be fine, Kabu!  I promise.  No Dynamax Pokemon for me.”  He said sheepishly.  “I’ll take Whisper, will that make you happy?”

At the sound of his name, the Meowth squeaked out a hoarse greeting.

“Just be careful, please.”  He took Basil’s cheeks in his hands.  “I can’t go through all that again I’m an old man you’ll give me a heart attack!”

Basil laughed and swatted his hands away.  “I’ll be fine, Kabu!  Most kids my age are already on their own, becoming Pokemon trainers!”

“You’re not most kids.”  You’re my kid.  The thought made his heart skip.  “I just want to keep you safe, Basil.”

Basil gave him a sweet smile, and Kabu was reassured.  “I’ll be fine.  I’ll let Piers take me home hows that?”

“Tell him I told him to watch his language around you!  You always leave being a perfect shining example of respect and come home swearing like a sailor!  Now go!”  He shooed him out the door, calling after him, “Don’t forget you promised to bring Piers cookies!  If you eat them all on the way there he’s gonna be very upset with you!”

He let the door close then, chuckling to himself.

“You’re not leaving me here again.”  It was a demand, from behind him.

“No, you’re coming with me.  You’re gonna take these gift bags,”  He plopped them on Cyrus’s lap, “you’re giving them to Nessa and Milo, and you’re going to respectfully thank them for taking care of you while we were gone.”

“I’m not doing that.”  His voice was deadpan, his face unchanging.

“You are doing that.  Keep fighting me on it I’ll kick you out.”

“Fine.  Kick me out.  I don’t care.”

Kabu made a disgruntled noise.  He didn’t like fighting with Cyrus, the man didn’t give a shit about anything he had nothing to light a fire under him with.

“We’re leaving in ten minutes.  Be ready.”

“I’m not going.”  He said stubbornly.  They both went to their rooms then to get ready.

When the time came to leave, he tossed a blanket over Cyrus’s lap to help keep him warm and reached over to help wheel him out the door, pausing.

“Would you like help?”  He asked then, respectfully.

“I don’t need help I can do it myself.”

He moved towards the door, but his wheel was caught and he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, eventually relenting.  

“I would like a little help.  Only a little.”  He growled out finally.

Kabu smirked and helped him outside.  It was a beautiful day, a little chilly in the shade, the breeze was lovely, the sun was shining... Perfect weather to be outside in.  He almost ran right into Cyrus’s chair, not realizing he had stopped, glancing down to see his face upturned to the sun, eyes closed, looking... almost peaceful.  He let Cyrus have his moment.  It’d been ages since he’d seen the light of day, he deserved to take it all in.

He laid a gentle hand on Cyrus’s shoulder.  “Feels good, doesn’t it?”  He smiled a bit.

Cyrus almost smiled.  “Reminds me of Lincoln... he loves nature... He’s warm like the sun...”

Kabu covered his mouth with his other hand.  That was single-handedly the sweetest thing he’d ever heard and also the most genuine Cyrus had ever been with him, and he was pretty sure he was going to die over it.

“I’ll never forgive them for wasting their lives over someone like me.”  He sighed.

Kabu pushed the wheelchair then so that Cyrus could rest.  “Don’t do that.  You can’t decide what’s a waste for them and what’s not.  If they’re happy, if you love them, and are good to them, then it’s not a waste.  You could be the biggest piece of shit on the planet and I’d still say the same.”

He got a scoff in return.  “Ah so you’ve changed your mind, I’m not the biggest piece of shit on the planet?”

Kabu smiled a bit.  “Don’t sound so cocky, runner up isn’t any better.”

Cyrus laughed a bit at that, though even his laughter was dry and almost humorless.

He didn’t mention Kabu pushing his chair along, though he seemed to be thankful for the opportunity to rest and relax as he rubbed his arms.  He was cordial, if not a little standoffish with Nessa and Milo, but Kabu could tell they were surprised at how far they had come already.  After Nessa and Kabu made plans for her to take Basil out on the town, they said their goodbyes and Kabu hailed a flying taxi.

“What now were are we going?”  Cyrus grumbled.

“I have one more thing I have to take care of.  Just bear with me.”  

The flying Taxi brought them to Wedgehurst, and from there they walked down to the Champion’s hometown, Postwick.

He told Cyrus not to go too far and ventured to Leon’s family’s home, nervously knocking on the door.  Part of him hoped the brothers wouldn’t be home, that would make things much easier.

Their mother answered, a sweet woman who was the spitting image of her sons.  She called Leon to the door, and Kabu declined her invitation to come inside, opting to stay outside on the front step.

Leon answered the door then, saw Kabu, and shut the door with a sour look.

Kabu knocked again.  “Leon?  Leon wait, open the door... I’ve come to apologize.  To you and to Hop.”

“We don’t want your apologies.”  Leon said from the other side of the door.  “Apologies come from mature people and the way you acted was just immature and mean!”

Kabu grit his teeth.  He didn’t like being lectured, by Leon of all people.

“Mature people also don’t yell through door’s when their mad, they open them and have a civil conversation!”

There was a moment of silence, he could tell Leon was thinking this over and kicking himself for even opening his mouth.  The door opened and Leon crossed his arms, making sure to take up as much of the doorway as possible.  “Apologize, then leave.  Hop doesn’t want to talk to you you upset him.”

“I know I did.”  He handed Leon the big batch of cookies.  “I didn’t mean to lose my temper, I was just terrified for Basil’s sake.  If something had happened, if things had been worse...”

“They weren’t.  Hop told you the truth, and what happened.  There was no reason for you to yell.”

“I know.  We were both worried.  I know you were worried about Hop, if you were in my position--”

Leon sighed and handed him back the basket of cookies.  “We’re done here, Kabu.  You should know better.”  He closed the door and this time, Kabu heard him walk away.  He sat the basket down on the doorstep and turned back to find Cyrus, giving him a strange look.

“I don’t want to hear a word out of you.  Let’s go home.”

“Well, Mr. Goody Two Shoes isn’t immune to mistakes either hm?”  He ignored Kabu’s empty threat.

“Cyrus please.”  There was something different about the way he spoke, something almost dangerous, and it was enough to silence Cyrus all the way home.

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

Hop sat on Leon’s bed, nose in a book, but he couldn’t focus.

“What did I do?”

“Hm?”  Leon was at his desk, but he wasn’t really doing anything other than staring at the wall, ruminating about everything that had happened and feeling his anxiety start to spike..

“You’re breathing like you’re mad at me.  And you’re doing that thing with your fingers.”

Leon quickly pulled his tapping fingers away from the desk.  “You didn’t do anything bud.  I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re mad at someone...”

He sighed.  “Yeah, I am.  I’m mad at Kabu for yelling at you.”  He admit quietly, not wanting to trigger any strong emotions from Hop.  He knew if they both started getting upset, it would be a bad scene.

“Was he at the door?  Did he come to yell at me more?  Did Basil die?!”

So much for that.

“Hopscotch calm down!”  He swallowed his own emotions and went to comfort his brother.  “Hopscotch.... breathe, breathe...”  He held him close and tried to  soothe his mind.  “He didn’t come here to yell he came to apologize.  Basil’s okay, I promise.”

He nudged Dubwool’s pokeball, knowing that having his partner close would help.  Hop moved to wrap around him immediately, hands worrying the Pokemon’s wool as his breath hitched fearfully.

“Just take a breather, everything’s okay.”

“Why does he hate me?”

Leon rubbed his eyes.  He had to think fast to calm the situation.

“You remember when I left to take on the Champion?”  He asked suddenly.  “And you didn’t want me to go, so you ran away from home to follow me?”

“I could have made it!”  Hop defended.

Leon rubbed his back.  “Sure you could have bud.  You were strong even back then.  But you remember when mom and I found you?  And she yelled at you?”

Hop whimpered.  He remembered...

“She was upset because she was afraid you were hurt, or that something terrible had happened to you.  But she doesn’t hate you right?  She’s happy you’re okay.  She yelled at you because she didn’t know what else to do, she was scared.”

Hop nodded a bit.

“Kabu was scared too.  Kabu was scared for Basil just like mom was scared for you, yeah?”

Hop nodded.  That made sense.  “He doesn’t hate me?  I can still be friends with Basil?”

Leon smiled at that.  “Of course you can.  I think Kabu would like that very much, if you kept being friends with Basil.”

Hop let his weight fall against the Dubwool, plopping down next to it on the ground, and pretty soon he was feeling relaxed again.

Leon smiled then, and laid back on the bed, not letting Hop see the tears welling in his eyes, focusing on his breathing, trying to hide the anxiety that was still coursing through his every vein.  As usual, he was left to play the part of the adult.

************ “Don’t worry, Kabu won’t be mad.”  Piers was standing with a hand on Basil’s back, trying to keep him from worrying.  “I think he’ll like it.”

“He’s gonna kill me..!  And then he’s gonna kill you for talking me into it!”  He squeaked.

Piers just laughed.  “I promise, it’s not that serious!  Just watch.”  He rang the doorbell, and after a moment, it swung open. 

“Basil, is that you--”

Kabu was caught off guard by the pair of terrified purple eyes that met his own.  Then, he noticed the magenta colored tips in his dark, curly hair.

“Oh... what a pretty color...”  He smiled then, and Piers just laughed.

“I told you!”

“You’re not mad...?”

Kabu let them come inside.  “I think it looks beautiful.”

Piers leaned against Kabu.  “Don’t worry, it’ll wash out in a few weeks.”

“Piers wanted to make me look meaner, not beautiful!”  Basil huffed.

“You look meaner too.”  Kabu corrected with a smirk.

“You’re just saying that!  Now you’re making fun of me go back to being mad!”  Basil huffed and went to his room, Piers laughing as he watched.

“You two had fun today...”  Kabu teased and put some tea on the stove.

“Well, he still seemed a little down about everything.  Told him he needed to live a little.”  Piers rejected Kabu’s offer of tea.  “I have to get going, promised Marn i’d be home for dinner, I just wanted to give you a heads up.”  His face fell a bit.  “They’re talking about letting Rose out soon, on probation, since he didn’t really hurt anyone.  And I don’t like it one bit.”

Kabu was frowning too.  “What?  When?”

“Don’t know.  I’ll keep an eye out, sounds like Leon’s worried about it too.  We’ll make sure he stays away from them.  He’s not gonna hurt anyone else under my watch.”  There was a moment of silent contemplation from him, as if he wanted to say more, but his face changed again and suddenly he was smiling.  “Hey, how come you gave Basil the recipe for your cookies and not me?!”

Kabu was thankful, he didn’t want to think about Rose.  A subject change was just what he was hoping for.

“I DID give you the recipe, and you didn’t write it down.  Also, you’d use my cookies for evil.”

Piers gave him a small shove, giggling, before giving him a hug and telling him to be careful.  “I’ll come visit with Marn soon, I promise.  She really wants to see Basil’s new room.”  He shook his head.  “I can’t believe Nessa got your house too, she’s been on a decorating tangent.  I don’t even know how she got into my house.”

Kabu sent him out the door with another bag of cookies, bidding him safe travels, before sitting down with a cup of tea to think about what Piers had told him.  If Rose really did get out... what would happen then?  Would the boys go running back to him as if nothing had happened?  Would he hurt more people?  Or was it really all a big misunderstanding, as he had tried to explain..?

He didn’t want to find out.  He dreaded the day he got the news.

[meryableblog]

How to deal with Anxiety About Coronavirus (COVID-19)

It’s terrifying to find out that an illness like coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the world. the first stages of an epidemic are often especially anxiety-provoking. During this point, you don’t skills widespread or deadly the illness goes to finish up being.

Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty are normal during an epidemic. Fortunately, being proactive about your psychological state can help to stay both your mind and body stronger.

Ways to require care of yourself include:

Reading the news from reliable sources (and take breaks from the news) Recognizing the items you'll control, like having good hygiene Taking measures as long as recommended by the CDC Practicing self-care Seeking professional help from a licensed psychological state professional if necessary Ways to Manage Stress The way you deal with stress can go an extended way toward ensuring that you’re taking helpful action in managing your psychological state. Here are ways to assist you to ease anxiety surrounding coronavirus.

Read news from trustworthy sources. Avoid media outlets that build hype or linger over things that can’t be controlled. Instead, address sources that give reliable information about the way to protect yourself, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Develop an action plan. There are always some steps you'll fancy decrease risk. it's going to be as simple as washing your hands well and limiting travel. But recognizing these can remind you to specialize in belongings you have control over. Just confirm the steps you’re taking are actions recommended by reputable sources.

Set limits on your media consumption. Tuning into media stories that mention how briskly an illness is spreading, or what percentage people are becoming sick, will increase your anxiety. Limit your media consumption to a particular time-frame or a particular number of articles.

While it’s helpful to remain informed, it’s also important you don’t allow yourself to be bombarded with anxiety-provoking news all day.

Avoid the herd mentality. Be aware that a lot of people take action that doesn’t help. Don’t hop on a bandwagon simply because people are wearing masks or performing specific cleaning rituals (unless those things are recommended by the CDC). Otherwise, your actions could convince be unhelpful—or maybe even destructive.

Practice good self-care. Eating a diet, getting much sleep, and interesting in leisure activities are always key to helping you stay as physically and psychologically healthy as possible during stressful times. Good self-care also keeps your system robust.

Seek professional help. If your psychological state is being impacted by the strain of the coronavirus, then you'll want to hunt professional help. A licensed psychological state professional can assist you to manage your fears while also empowering you to form the simplest decisions for you and your family.

The Best Online Therapy Programs Mental Health Concerns In addition to psychological state concerns that will arise as a result of anxiety surrounding an epidemic, it is vital to watch existing psychological state conditions to make sure they do not worsen.

Depression and Anxiety Researchers have found that some individuals may experience psychological state problems for the primary time during an epidemic. Adjustment issues, depression, and anxiety may arise.

A study from the Ebola virus outbreak in Sierra Leone,1 indicated that increased numbers of individuals reported psychological state and psychosocial problems. A study from the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 20092 indicated a rise during a sort of emotional symptoms, including somatoform disorders (symptoms like pain and fatigue that cannot be fully explained by a physical cause).

Additionally, some existing psychological state conditions may worsen. Research suggests that individuals who are especially susceptible to stress and anxiety could also be at the very best risk.

Severe anxiety can also cause a rise in substance use. Individuals who are in recovery may become more likely to relapse as their stress levels increase.

Researchers from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, found that folks who were the smallest amount ready to tolerate uncertainty experienced the foremost anxiety during the H1N1 pandemic.3 Those individuals were also less likely to believe they might do anything to guard themselves.

Caretakers could also be at especially high risk for emotional symptoms during an epidemic also. they'll experience:

increased depression and anxiety increased concerned about protecting their loved ones guilt about causing/not preventing a loved one's illness if they become sick In turn, children often adopt the coping strategies they observe in their parents. Parents who grow anxious during an epidemic may find yourself witnessing their children develop anxiety all along with them.

High anxiety and feelings of helplessness can encourage some individuals to adopt unproven remedies or prevention methods. a number of these methods could also be harmful both to individuals and to the community as an entire. So it’s important to make sure that any actions you're taking are literally helpful.

Rumination or Isolation Personal reactions to increased fears may differ. But many individuals experience increased rumination about the likelihood of getting sick. they'll also greatly modify their behavior when doing so isn’t warranted (e.g., isolating themselves or preparing for catastrophic outcomes).

Individuals with certain vulnerabilities may experience a rise in psychosis or paranoia. this will involve a bent to include outbreak-related facts into, or as justification for his or her delusional thinking.

How Do I React? You may witness people around you panicking. On the opposite hand, you'll experience those don't seem concerned in the least when an epidemic is on the increase, assured that it won't affect them. you'll end up feeling all types of emotions—or maybe, you're confused and do not skills to feel.

Responding to the Unfamiliar People tend to overreact to unknown threats as easily as they underreact to familiar threats. as an example, although car crashes are common, driving or riding during a car probably doesn’t feel scary since you presumably roll in the hay on a daily basis.

Similarly, you would possibly not be that scared of the flu. After all, you’ve survived up so far by either beating the flu or avoiding it. Yet influenza sickens the maximum amount as 20% of the population in any given year, and thousands of individuals die from it.

But the vaccination rate for the flu within us is typically but 50%—most people just aren’t scared of it. The reverse is additionally true; what we all know less about is more likely to form us nervous.

You're more likely to develop serious anxiety surrounding what you're less conversant in. this is often one of The explanations why pandemics of the past, like the Ebola virus and Zika virus, created a spike in anxiety for many individuals.

Being bombarded with news that constantly talks about death tolls, and reports that emphasize what percentage are sick can cause people to overestimate the risks they face in contracting the illness.

However, reliable sources of media also can have positive effects during an epidemic.

Media's Influence One reason for this might stem from the way the brain responds to novel threats. A 2013 study published in PLOS One4 found that the amygdala portion of the brain (a part of the brain involved in processing emotional responses) experiences increased activity when faced with unfamiliar threats. This results in heightened anxiety. The amygdala responds differently when faced with a well-known threat, however.

The media can fuel anxiety by continuously reporting on the “spread” of an illness just like the coronavirus. However, when used appropriately, the media also can be an ally in disseminating useful information.

Positive vs. Negative Use of Media During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, Australian and Swedish media outlets both reported accurately on the risks of contracting the illness.

Swedish media outlets, however, were simpler because they reported on how viewers could protect themselves and reduce their risk of getting sick. they freely admitted to uncertainties about the epidemic but encouraged people to urge vaccinated as how to assist keep other members of the community safe.

Australian media, on the opposite hand, largely chose to focus the bulk of their attention on reporting public agency missteps during the outbreak. this might have negatively affected the likelihood that Australians felt an urgency to leap out and obtain vaccinations.

Before the pandemic, Sweden and Australia had similar vaccination rates. Following the outbreak, the vaccine rate was 60% in Sweden and 18% in Australia.5

As a result, researchers discovered that news reports can reduce panic within the public by recommending concrete, detailed actions for people to require. This approach may prevent individuals from overreacting or taking drastic measures when a replacement threat emerges.

Fortunately, most pandemics disappear almost as quickly as they start. But managing your anxiety as you learn more about the outbreak, or discovering the way to protect yourself, are often difficult. Fortunately, getting proactive about your psychological well-being can help manage your psychological state during these times of uncertainty.

[elsnark]

So Pokemon Sword/Shield?  Yeah... I want to like it, but I just can’t.  There’s too many issues that made my experience just not as enjoyable as past Pokemon games.  I think it’d be very fair to say Sword/Shield needed more time in development... and people in the Dev Team who made logical decisions.

Here’s why Sword/Shield is objectively bad in my honest opinion:

1.)  Max Raid Battles.

Without Nintendo Online, Max Raid Battles are a dumpster fire.  They aren’t even really difficult.  Sure, the 2 moves in 1 turn is annoying along with the barrier mechanic, but they’re pretty easy to tolerate.  What makes Max Raid Battles just the worst is the fact the NPCs are not useful in the slightest.  In my experience, I kept getting paired with that Salazzle and unevolved Pokemon.  Salazzle dies in one hit.  The unevolved Pokemon die in one hit (but thank god certain ones have Focus Sash to die in two hits I guess).  If 4 Pokemon die, you’re kicked out of the battle.  If this wasn’t bad enough, they typically don’t do any damage.  More often than not when the NPCs can attack, I cannot visibly see the opponent’s HP go down.  That is if they even attack at all.  The NPC Solrock?  Yeah.  It’d much rather spam Cosmic Power and Rock Polish.  The NPC Togepi?  It’s gonna spam Life Dew even if it isn’t needed.   The AI is specifically designed to encourage (read as:  force) you to use the multiplayer features.

The AI would be a really simple fix though.  The devs would’ve just needed to:  let the NPCs level up after certain points in the story with them being at their strongest just before you fight Leon, give the NPCs evolved Pokemon after a certain point in the story (like maybe after the 5th gym), and allow you to choose from a list of NPCs instead of being randomly generated so you don’t end up with that useless Salazzle for the 5th time in a row against a Pokemon that it literally is not going to help you out against.

But, no, if you want pain free Max Raid Battles, you gotta pay for Nintendo Online.  Sorry, but I, along with many others, who haven’t purchased a subscription yet probably aren’t going to for a single game.  Just sayin’.

2.)  The Wild Area + Exploration.

With how much focus was placed on the Wild Area itself, I thought it was going to replace routes.  It... didn’t.  Instead, it’s just a place you really only need to visit... twice?  Outside of going through the story to get from Point A to Point B, this place may as well just not exist.  Which sucks because it was so hyped up in the trailers.  I would’ve personally loved to see everything being connected by this central field that leads to forests and caves which in turn lead to the different towns.  But no.  It’s just pretty much an empty field.

Even though there’s very little there, it’s pretty obvious a lot of development time went into the Wild Area.  The 10 routes are short as heck, most of which don’t even take two minutes to get through.  The two caves and two forests are extremely linear, so much so it’s impossible to get lost in them thus making the escape rope (which is a key item for whatever reason) useless.  The most exploration I had outside of the Wild Area was that water maze in route 9 which is right before the end-game.  Having played Pokemon since I was 6, this was really shocking and admittedly upsetting.  I love exploring new areas and even getting lost.  The ability to even get turned around was destroyed due to the extreme linearity.   Honestly, the only place I got even slightly confused in was Glimmerwood Tangle and that was only due to the fact it was so dark that it was difficult to see where the path was.  If the lighting hadn’t been that bad, I would’ve been in and out of Glimmerwood Tangle in 2 minutes, if even that.

3.)  Overworld Pokemon + “Random” Encounters.

I like the idea of overworld Pokemon since they help make the world lively.  I have imagined Pokemon eventually reaching this state since I was little.  But they can so easily impede you when you’re searching for something specific that’s restricted to being hidden in the grass.  There were so many times an exclamation point popped up and I tried rushing to it only for one of the overworld Pokemon to unexpectedly get in my way.  Once you have that encounter with the overworld Pokemon, that hidden Pokemon is long gone.  This made catching my Applin incredibly tedious.

One of the easiest solutions would’ve been to make the grass encounters actually random like the past games.  None of this having to run to an exclamation point.  But wait.  There’s something wrong with the hidden Pokemon too.

The overworld Pokemon can be encountered as hidden.  Which... no thanks.  I truly believe if there’s a specific Pokemon in the overworld of a particular area, they should not be able to be encountered as a hidden Pokemon.  For example, in route 4, all I wanted was a Milcery.  Milcery does not appear as an overworld Pokemon.  But Meowth does.  If I wanted a Meowth on Route 4, I’d actively run into one of the many Meowths and catch it.  I don’t wanna see something that I can easily run into as a hidden encounter in the very location I can run into it.

4.)  The Story.

While the stories in Pokemon have never been too terribly complex, Gen 8′s was... well... I’d prefer reading a book I read when I was learning to read back when I was 3.  Gen 8′s story was pretty shallow, even when compared to past Pokemon games.  You’re just kinda spoon fed information and told to accept it.  The antagonist doesn’t really have a role until the end.  Then you deal with the antagonist for... not even an hour, it’s maybe like 30 minutes, if even that.  So all this, admittedly bad, build-up for... barely 30 minutes.  The build-up’s bad because the antagonist doesn’t play a role until the final... like... hour, if even that, of the main campaign.

And even then the antagonist doesn’t come across as a bad person.  They’re just doing what they think is right and, like, honestly... I can understand why they did this.  I thought it was gonna be about why capitalism is bad, but no.  It’s why Leon’s actually a jerk.

Antagonist:  We need to invest in alternative energy sources. Leon, a protagonist who everyone is supposed to love:  But 1,000 years is really far in the future.  I don’t care.

Really a bad message to have when our actual real world is fucked, ya know?

5.)  The Characters.

Most of the plot important (I use “plot important” very loosely) characters could be replaced by lamps.  Bede?  He could be a lamp and nothing would change.  Marnie?  She could be a lamp and nothing would change.  Then they also tried to make Piers and Team Yell important??  But, really... they contributed nothing.  They could’ve been completely taken out of that segment near the end of the game and nothing would change.  Sonia and Leon?  Honestly, we didn’t need both of them.  Leon could’ve been deleted with Sonia gaining his status as Champion or Sonia could’ve been excluded and Leon takes on her research.

I like what they were aiming for with Hop.  But... there wasn’t enough content to really flesh him out as much as he should’ve been.

Conclusion:  Was it worth my $60 or the 23 hours that I can now never get back?  No.  Especially as I went in expecting it to be on par with at least XY, but... it just wasn’t.

✧Sourcream

[peppy-pilot]

//Well, that dream happened.

//So I fell asleep last night while @selfish-swine had a Gundam Unicorn clip plus some assorted other Youtube videos playing on the TV which might have had some affect but BOY HOWDY, I dreamt I was watching a high-quality production anime of Star Fox but it wasn't a happy one (far from it). Spoilers below due to graphic violence, blood, body horror, and death.

The anime itself has the quality of high-budget OVA, like. Around Gundam: The Origin high quality. Battle Begins looks great, but the anime I saw in my dream looked far more organic rather than with traceovers of the characters’ game models. Which means the expressions on the characters look far more natural, which always bothered me about BB. I emphasize this because the quality of the anime in my dream was what suckered me into believing it was real at the moment.... up until the very end and I thought "..........fuck, this is a dream, isn't it? Goddammit."

It was apparently around mid-season, at Katina. The layout and design resembled what Assault gave us, but, you know. Rendered competently. Everything was of dark colors and alarms and sirens everywhere. Despite this being on Katina, the plotline was N64 Fichina: Fox's team must disarm a bomb but fight off Star Wolf before they can do that. The thing is, apparently, Fox and his team are on foot while Wolf's is wrecking up shit in their Wolfens in Hunter form... except Pigma, whose Wolfen somehow managed to take up the shape of a Geara Zulu but much squatter and more Votoms-sized (so... a green Brutishdog??).

Apparently I caught up to this episode mid-airing, because it looks like the episode only had some 5-10 minutes until the end. As Wolf, Leon, Pigma, and Andrew fuck up the Katina base chasing after Fox, Falco, Peppy, and Slippy, Team Star Fox they end up separating into three different groups: Fox and Peppy each going solo, and Falco and Slippy trying to survive together. Along the way, Wolf, Leon, and Andrew lose sight of their targets and Falco and Slippy take advantage of this to find the bomb in the underground levels and disarm it. Meanwhile, Fox gets lost in the maze in the lower levels as Peppy and Pigma fight above ground outside of the base. And... this is where I felt like my brain wanted to war with my heart because HGGG.

On Fox's side, he finds himself in a hallway right by a secret lab with an indoor window whilst his comm line remains open so he can remain in contact with the rest of the Team (though Peppy is intermittently losing connection). The lab itself resembled a morgue, complete with chambers where bodies where held and an examination table. A simian scientist in a lab coat was there, who appeared similar as the Ruffian whom Star Fox spoke with upon approaching Sargasso in Assault, though with white hair. 

He spoke to Fox in the most chilling, dissonantly serene manner, greeting Fox as though he was expecting him. The dialogue was something along the lines of:

Scientist: Hello, Fox. I have been waiting for you. Fox: Were you now? Scientist: I have been expecting you to come pick up your father by now. Would you like to see him? I've fixed him right up. Fox: .....What?

The scientist would then open one of the chambers as Falco and Slippy, overhearing all this from the intercom, desperately calls out to Fox what the hell is going on. The scientist pulls out a bodybag and unzips it..... it's James. Complete with shades and the nick on his ear. Fox balks at the window, hesitating and shaking on the spot. All while the scientist presents the body in full gory detail.

Scientist: You don't believe it's your father? Come take a look yourself. He's very much dead. Would you like to see his eyes? I'd have to search his skull. I don't think I can unsew his mouth if you'd want me to. It was so hard putting his jaw back together.

Fox was just. Frozen on the spot. You can tell he was just contemplating shooting the scientist guy through the window for desecrating James' body like that.... until you hear from Slippy on the intercom:

Slippy: Fox!! Don't listen to him! Your dad should have been dead for five years! There is no way that could be him!!

Meanwhile, above ground, things are looking dire for Peppy. Peppy's Arwing was completely destroyed, and any attempts at requesting another one of something from the Great Fox are constantly interrupted. Finally, Pigma catches up to him, as debris fell on Peppy, keeping him pinned onto the ground and unable to escape. Pigma approaches Peppy and opens up his canopy, showing his face, and aims his gun at Peppy's face, taunting him one last time in person before he decides to kill him. Peppy braces himself for death.... and braces... and braces... nothing. He looks onto Pigma... he's hesitating from squeezing the trigger. Shaking. Almost crying. Peppy then tries to appeal to him, pleading him to not pull that trigger. Even reminding him of the last time they were here in Katina. And then a flashback.

James was leading Pigma and Peppy on a similar mission of disarming a bomb in Katina, and once more, they were on foot, dodging enemy fire. Pigma was assigned to do the disarming, all while James and Peppy were tasked to defend Pigma while he does his work. Just as it looked like the bomb would go off, they managed to succeed. They even celebrated, James, Peppy, and Pigma all cheering that they are still together, alive, and grateful they can trust each other. They got each other's back. As friends as well as colleagues.

Cut to the present. Peppy is still pleading with Pigma, and now both are crying. Wolf, meanwhile, orders Pigma to finish the mission, as the bomb is expected to go off any moment now. Slippy and Falco have failed to reach the bomb. The base is shaking, with the walls breaking down and electricity surging all over. Pigma could have just left Peppy there--he's pinned down anyway. Fox, Falco, and Slippy are nowhere to be seen. Peppy pleads to Pigma that they could run away from here together, forget about the past. Forget what happened. Rebuild their friendship. Look for a better future after the Wars. And forgive each other. Pigma then lowers himself in his seat, gritting his teeth, as he holds onto the controls of his mech as he lowers his gun....

Pigma: ... It's way past forgiveness now.

A gunshot within the shadows. And blood.

There was no sound. Everything seemed to slow down. Falco and Slippy run down the halls, trying to escape the base, and thankfully find Fox along the way. The scientist guy leaves the lab nonchalantly through a secret door within the morgue. Fox is frozen in disbelief as he heard Pigma's shot through the intercom. Did... Pigma kill Peppy? Time sped up and sound returned as normal as red lights flash everywhere and sirens scream into your ears. Fox, Falco, and Slippy managed to make it in time as fire broke out outside the base, their Arwings damaged but flyable. They make their way out into the flames to hop into their cockpits and escape...

Peppy's bullet-riddled body can be seen in the flames, pinned under the debris. He's not breathing.

Fox loses it. Just as the timer is running out, Falco and Slippy plead for Fox as he gets out of his cockpit, crying to Peppy as he rushes to the debris and try to pry it off him. The clock is ticking. Falco tells Fox to just leave Peppy: he's already dead. Fox doesn't care. We get very quick flashbacks of when Fox and Peppy knew each other back in the day. When Fox was a pup and Peppy attended his birthday party. When he scraped his knee and Peppy put a bandaid on it. When he was attending his mother's funeral with his Peppy and James comforting him in the rain. When Peppy arrived on Papetoon after escaping that fateful mission to Venom. All while Fox is trying to pull the rubble off Peppy, as though not caring if he gets caught in the explosion. Knowing full well they could just die right here, right now, Falco and Slippy leap out of their cockpits and help Fox remove the rubble, then aid him in bringing Peppy’s body into Fox’s cockpit as they barely make it off the base alive. The explosion’s blowback even knocks them out as they are exiting the atmosphere, and it seemed like forever until their ships make it out of orbit, on its way to the Great Fox.

The scene cuts quickly to the three just. Staring onto Peppy’s body while he laid on a cot in the dark. Slippy is clearly crying, Falco can’t even cognitively muster a response in grief. And Fox. He stares into space. Wondering why he fell for the scientist’s lies and came to Peppy’s aid when he had the chance.

And the episode ends there.

And I was just all “...WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?” So I looked the episode online, as of course there is a wikipedia page on it. Apparently this episode caused a lot of controversy in Japan, and in an interview with one of the head writers, he says that he decided with killing off Peppy in such a heartwrenching manner because 1.) He wanted to bring back the emotional gravitas of losing a wingman permanently as the original Star Fox had, and 2.) He REALLY hated how Peppy’s fakeout was written in, so the death scene and everything written around it was intended to be a “fix” to that. BAWWW.

So of course I tried to look for a followup to this episode, and found out, in a future episode, they actually return to the destroyed Katina base for... some reason or other. I think Fox wanted to find the scientist to see if he really knew what happened to James. Upon finding him, the graphics of the anime resembled closer to how Battle Begins looked (as in traceovers of game models), and Fox was able to lead Falco and Slippy into the remains of the lab. For... some strange reason, everything was starting to look like a Dead Space level, with meat moss everywhere and blood and such. Yeah.

The scientist was there and is all “...I found the secret to eternal life. Want to meet your father, Fox?~” And before Fox, Falco, and Slippy knew it, James (or the lookalike) comes in with a horde of Resident Evil-styled zombies. And then cut to black.

...Yeah, it was at that part where I thought “....this is just a fucking dream, isn’t it?” And indeed, I woke up to the TV still on and a video game review (?) being on, because apparently both Rob and I fell asleep before either of us could turn it off.

[newforworld]

How to deal with unease About Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How to deal with Anxiety About Coronavirus (COVID-19)

It’s terrifying to find out that an illness like coronavirus (COVID-19) is spreading across the world. the first stages of an epidemic are often especially anxiety-provoking. During this point, you don’t skills widespread or deadly the illness goes to finish up being.

Feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness, and uncertainty are normal during an epidemic. Fortunately, being proactive about your psychological state can help to stay both your mind and body stronger.

Ways to require care of yourself include:

Reading the news from reliable sources (and take breaks from the news) Recognizing the items you'll control, like having good hygiene Taking measures as long as recommended by the CDC Practicing self-care Seeking professional help from a licensed psychological state professional if necessary

Ways to Manage Stress The way you deal with stress can go an extended way toward ensuring that you’re taking helpful action in managing your psychological state. Here are ways to assist you to ease anxiety surrounding coronavirus.

Read news from trustworthy sources. Avoid media outlets that build hype or linger over things that can’t be controlled. Instead, address sources that give reliable information about the way to protect yourself, like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Develop an action plan. There are always some steps you'll fancy decrease risk. it's going to be as simple as washing your hands well and limiting travel. But recognizing these can remind you to specialize in belongings you have control over. Just confirm the steps you’re taking are actions recommended by reputable sources.

Set limits on your media consumption. Tuning into media stories that mention how briskly an illness is spreading, or what percentage people are becoming sick, will increase your anxiety. Limit your media consumption to a particular time-frame or a particular number of articles.

Avoid the herd mentality. Be aware that a lot of people take action that doesn’t help. Don’t hop on a bandwagon simply because people are wearing masks or performing specific cleaning rituals (unless those things are recommended by the CDC). Otherwise, your actions could convince be unhelpful—or maybe even destructive.

Practice good self-care. Eating a diet, getting much sleep, and interesting in leisure activities are always key to helping you stay as physically and psychologically healthy as possible during stressful times. Good self-care also keeps your system robust.

Seek professional help. If your psychological state is being impacted by the strain of the coronavirus, then you'll want to hunt professional help. A licensed psychological state professional can assist you to manage your fears while also empowering you to form the simplest decisions for you and your family.

Mental Health Concerns In addition to psychological state concerns that will arise as a result of anxiety surrounding an epidemic, it is vital to watch existing psychological state conditions to make sure they do not worsen.

Researchers have found that some individuals may experience psychological state problems for the primary time during an epidemic.

A study from the Ebola virus outbreak in Sierra Leone,1 indicated that increased numbers of individuals reported psychological state and psychosocial problems. A study from the H1N1 influenza outbreak in 20092 indicated a rise during a sort of emotional symptoms, including somatoform disorders (symptoms like pain and fatigue that cannot be fully explained by a physical cause).

Additionally, some existing psychological state conditions may worsen. Research suggests that individuals who are especially susceptible to stress and anxiety could also be at the very best risk.

Researchers from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, found that folks who were the smallest amount ready to tolerate uncertainty experienced the foremost anxiety during the H1N1 pandemic.3 Those individuals were also less likely to believe they might do anything to guard themselves.

Caretakers could also be at especially high risk for emotional symptoms during an epidemic. they'll experience:

increased depression and anxiety increased concerned about protecting their loved ones.Parents who grow anxious during an epidemic may find yourself witnessing their children develop anxiety all along with them.

High anxiety and feelings of helplessness can encourage some individuals to adopt unproven remedies or prevention methods. a number of these methods could also be harmful both to individuals and to the community as an entire. So it’s important to make sure that any actions you're taking are literally helpful.

Rumination or Isolation Personal reactions to increased fears may differ. But many individuals experience increased rumination about the likelihood of getting sick. they'll also greatly modify their behavior when doing so isn’t warranted (e.g., isolating themselves or preparing for catastrophic outcomes).

Individuals with certain vulnerabilities may experience a rise in psychosis or paranoia. this will involve a bent to include outbreak-related facts into, or as justification for his or her delusional thinking.

How Do I React? You may witness people around you panicking. On the opposite hand, you'll experience those don't seem concerned in the least when an epidemic is on the increase, assured that it won't affect them. you'll end up feeling all types of emotions—or maybe, you're confused and do not skills to feel.

Responding to the Unfamiliar although car crashes are common, driving or riding during a car probably doesn’t feel scary since you presumably roll in the hay daily.

Similarly, you would possibly not be that scared of the flu. After all, you’ve survived up so far by either beating the flu or avoiding it. Yet influenza sickens the maximum amount as 20% of the population in any given year, and thousands of individuals die from it.

But the vaccination rate for the flu within us is typically but 50%—most people just aren’t scared of it. The reverse is additionally true; what we all know less about is more likely to form us nervous.

Media's Influence One reason for this might stem from the way the brain responds to novel threats. A 2013 study published in PLOS One4 found that the amygdala portion of the brain (a part of the brain involved in processing emotional responses) experiences increased activity when faced with unfamiliar threats. This results in heightened anxiety. The amygdala responds differently when faced with a well-known threat, however.

Positive vs. Negative Use of Media During the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic, Australian and Swedish media outlets both reported accurately on the risks of contracting the illness.

Swedish media outlets, however, were simpler because they reported on how viewers could protect themselves and reduce their risk of getting sick. they freely admitted to uncertainties about the epidemic but encouraged people to urge vaccinated as how to assist keep other members of the community safe.

Australian media, on the opposite hand, largely chose to focus the bulk of their attention on reporting public agency missteps during the outbreak. this might have negatively affected the likelihood that Australians felt an urgency to leap out and obtain vaccinations.

As a result, researchers discovered that news reports can reduce panic within the public by recommending concrete, detailed actions for people to require. This approach may prevent individuals from overreacting or taking drastic measures when a replacement threat emerges.

[justnotcricket]

Match Report: 25/11/17 WASTCA One-Day Div 2

Fremantle (8/241) def Subi Marist (9/163)

Mann Oval is a cricket ground in miniature. A tiny oval, a small man’s oval. An oval for small men… and for some, this was the first homecoming since the horrific ‘Mann Oval Massacre’…

When I arrived at the venue the last surviving veterans were at the Mosman Park Bowling Club, emotional wounds still so raw as to suggest they were drinking to forget…

Legend has it, in the first meeting between the recently estranged Fremantle Mosman Park One Day team and it’s previous fraternal masters, Sub Marist, tensions were at an all time high.

The rebellious FMPCC were looking to make a point of their desertion, and SMCC still hurt and reeling from the betrayal of their brothers, were determined to see them put in their place.

With plenty of pregame banter, the Pirates won the toss, elected to bat, and after all manner of failure, proceeded to shuffle like they had ne’er shuffled before. Subi’s opening bowler took 4 wickets and they were all out for 71.

It must have been mortifying.

Matty Angus, then captain of Subi Marist [!!!], smelled blood, promoted himself to number 3, [wasn’t required], and the opening batsmen made the runs in less than 5 overs.

Retribution. Merciless, and swift in its brutal execution. No wonder it still smarts, and is spoken of in hushed tones to this day…

Ray on the other hand, spared the indignity, wistfully reminisced about the time he won the Fred Mann Medal in under 12’s back in the 1930’s, and you felt like his was a different sort of homecoming; a washed out sky, the spires of Norfolk Pines piercing the lilac haze of Jacaranda, littered with mid twentieth century apartments where the poor people used to live. He was home, this was his country...

He then went on to joke about how Liz had some One Day International tickets, and was excited to be finally seeing some ‘real cricket’…

I’m not sure what she means by that.

What does she mean by that!?!

Sure, in second division no one ever really gives LBW, or stumpings for example, but for us the game is played with as much passion and rivalry as any Ashes Series.

Smith had just made a game-changing ton for Australia in Brisbane, and in our minds, we were there with him, facing every ball, grinding it out, warding off defeat, and sharing the triumph… 

Well, Dave Barratt was anyway. Still smarting from the slight of alleged boringness, strode out to the crease with the kind of steely determination that was ultimately even more boring.

We had won the toss and were batting.

Quinny at the other end, couldn’t help but entertain. Everyone loves a clown, but spare a thought for the sad man, whose heart and soul goes to making other men laugh.  

It’s a tough gig, and he does all his own slapstick…

Dubois opened the bowling with a haircut that would have looked quite handsome on a middle-aged woman from Claremont. Quinny blanched.

Elliot from the other, pranced in a merry dance from side on of the wicket. It was a fancy action; with a one, two, three, arms into 5th position, skip, hop, slide… and bowl. In my mind, I even see the tu-tu.

It was so distracting and Quinny had no option than to hit him down the ground. 

Dave Barratt turned 4’s into twos, and 2’s into 1’s and scintillating cricket into an afternoon nap. Quin farmed himself the strike to stay alert.

Broad shouldered Jonny came on to bowl, carrying the ball with a forward wrist that hung before his groin like a pendulous seedpod. It was kind of erotic in a way I can’t quite put my finger in.

Quinny rocked back and cut his first delivery, and followed it with a later cut, two balls later in fact.

Dave Barratt kept it sensible, head down, nothing silly, and was about as much fun as senior public servant ever really can be.

He did bring up the 50 off 10 overs but was caught for 18, closing a 63 run opening partnership.

Meanwhile, Australia approached the English total… in no small part due to Dave’s empathetic connection with the Australian captain.

I came in at number 3, and was feeling good. I saw the ball well, played some nice shots and some even more beautiful leaves, until Wynne came on and served a selection of fruity mince pies: my weakness at this time of year.

Our thinking was it was better to have Joe umpiring out in the middle annoying the opposition, than in the shed annoying us. It proved to be an oversight.

He gave me LBW with my back leg in the air to a high bouncing ball still in its way up!?! I think he fired me before it even connected…

Does he know I’m on our selection committee? Does he know I write the match report? Is the guy A COMPLETE IDIOT!?!

In the moment, I may have said a few harsh words that I will come to regret, but now that I have taken some time to think reasonably about this and let my emotions cool, I think it is time we fucked him off all together. 

It wasn’t the incorrectness of the decision, [Quinny said it was plumb, and I was playing across the line…again], but it was the sheer enjoyment of giving me out. Like he vicariously took the wicket!?! ‘How is that?’ he grinned!

You can get away with being a shit bloke like Darrell if we are really short of bowlers but not when you are in the team as part of the clubs ‘new member drive’.

I was out on 13. Unlucky for some...

Joe Dirt specifically.

He’ll be going for some long walks out of the nets on Tuesday, which will do us both good, I need to vent and he needs the exercise.

JL came in looking as relaxed as a man three beers in by midday, and set about constructing an innings. At drinks, we were two for 93. Quinny was on 49 and Australia lead by 29 runs.

Darrell made a great brew, only lacking rum and a can of Emu Export, [according to Quinny], who brought up his 50 with a couple of boundaries over mid wicket and one down the ground to take 17 runs from an over by Cranley.

Their bowling stocks largely turned to laughing stocks as Jonny fatigued and started bowling wides, or short and outside off; easy to cut, or rock back and square drive, and the boys made hay while the sun shone.

Joe, fixating on the edge of the skinny little pitch, called no ball after no ball, until the opposing Captain started to complain about the stultifying level of officiation…

‘Sorry mate, we know...’

Harley came on to bowl and Quinny was uncharacteristically patient. He was in his nervous 70’s and maybe this would be the day to convert a healthy start into a milestone century.

Harley also looked like he was in his 70’s, with even less chance of making it to 100, especially after dropping a caught and bowled attempt that could probably kill a man of his age.

JL hit one over the fence, which on a backyard ground such as this, and with calls of ‘lost ball’, surely must be 6 and out. Once the ball had been recovered, play resumed and he brought up with the 150 with a 4 that very nearly landed in a passing pram.

I’m not an expert, but surely this kind of behaviour deviates from the standard INTJ on the MBTI, and clearly indicates psychopathic tendencies.

You can imagine careers day back in high school: ‘Has he considered corporate law, Mrs Little?’

Don’t get me wrong; he also played some beautiful cut shots and fine glances off his legs. But he would then tease the fielders spooning it just in front of them, while calling, ‘Yes!’

Like the kind of kid that pulls the wings off flies...

Quinny hit a big six, fell over, was nearly stumped, fell out of a building, ducked under plank, and was run over by a little red car giggling with midgets.

Or at least that’s how I remember his innings.

JL brought up his 50 with a pull shot square of the wicket, and raised his bat, almost in remorse and embarrassment for the bowlers, almost as if remorse was in his emotional range. He then hit a six into someone’s front yard, narrowly missing their new car.

They brought up a 100 run partnership before Joe gave Quinny out, stumped on 92. I mean seriously…

Did the other team give stumpings, or run outs? No they did not.

Gobsmacked at this turn of events, we quickly lost three wickets in an over. Shrugger skied it for a golden duck. Darrell got in on the action and fired JLBW:

Justin Little Before Wicket.

New batsmen, Nav and Matty made running between wickets look like a choreographed WWE fight sequence; ducks, feints, a mid pitch clothes-lining and direct hit from the deep to remove Angus.

Ray was caught and Harley got a 5 for!

The old man can die happy. His life’s work complete…

The collapse only slowed when Weston smashed an edge to the keeper that JL signaled wide.  Sheepishly, he went on to hit two sixes to finish.

And that… is how umpiring is done in this competition.

Darrell padded up and walked out to the middle, watched Leon hit the maximums, and walked back without contribution, and was as graceful and humble about it, as you can imagine…

Other non-contributors included Joe, who was preparing to bat by doing throw downs with his son... AND DOING THE THROWING!?!

At least he was wearing actual pads, I suppose. To throw in.

We finished with a mighty 8 for 241 off the full 35 overs. What a difference 20 years makes. How the tides had turned! With the pirate flag flying from the shelter, tea was more like a family picnic if you were raised by bikie gang or an Islamic death cult. Quinny recounted the negotiations required to acquire the flag from an 8-year-old girl’s tree house.

‘Please just take the flag. And promise you will never try to make contact with our mother again…’

It was always going to be a difficult chase, and we gave them as many chances in the field as is sporting, but they lost wickets regularly and never really looked like a chance.

Darrell opened the bowling and had spat the dummy by his second over. Ray attempted to talk him down from mid on, counseling him between bursts of expletives, but it was to no avail.

He bowled 6 overs before refusing to bowl any more, frustratingly, with half decent figures of 1 for 25. 

Mind you, the only reason he still gets selected is because he’s a carrying member of a gun club, and no one has the courage to tell him otherwise.

Ray opened with a spell from the other end bowling 7 overs 1 for 34, and really should bowl more. Matt bowled 7 overs and 2 for 42 before he did a hammy and was forced to limp the plank.

Joe bowled a 20-ball two over spell. His first 11 ball over for went 10 runs, and the second; a tidy 6 by comparison, to finish with 0 for 16. Another couple of overs and he would have bowled the standard 42 balls.

I suppose if you are not going to get another over, you might as well make it last. Number 2 bowled both kinds of music: Leon, and Weston to finish with 1 for 4 off 1. Another under utilised resource.

Pedestrian Dave bowled 5 overs and took 2 for 13 at the death, [6 of those being wides] and closed out the game bowling to Lowther.

I couldn’t help myself: I was rooting for underdog, even if he had done a little poo in his pants.

He carried his bat as they ran out of overs with only 161 on the board and we won by nearly 80 runs.

The Crownies came out in the golden light of the setting sun, and the fines session was like a roll call of dropped sitters on the boundary:

Matty Angus [present], JL [present], Nav [present], Darrell?

Darrell had gone home…

Alex Quin won the ‘Hot for 12 Cold for 24’ award for his massive knock and in a move that can only be described as Jack Sparrow-esque, then spun the wheel back at the club to win the meat raffle.

It was truly his day… and a convincing win to seal 4 in a row. With as many wins as losses behind us, we have leapt from the bottom of the ladder, and into the 4.  

Our focus will now have to shift from ‘access and inclusivity’, to qualifying our best players for finals.

Which leaves two questions on everybody’s lips...

Is this curtains for Joe Dirt?

And how many holes in a straw?

[earthdeep]

so I actually finished fe echoes shadows of valentia after *checks back through blog* about one and a half years. or rather, I got totally fed up on my first playthrough and restarted a few days ago bc I was sick of having it semi-complete. I have Thoughts so... under the cut

might as well get the technical stuff out the way. 

loved the artstyle. but the ui fucking sucked. all the important numbers and stuff is WAAAAAY too small to make room for character portraits and the layout of a lot of options is just... weird. oh and there’s no way to look at a zoomed out map and it’s a pain in the arse when I just wanna check where the fucking enemies are.

combat system is... definitely interesting for a fire emblem game. I enjoyed it overall, but it felt a bit lopsided. no weapon durability (yay), no weapon triangle (eh), magic users learn spells in character specific orders (hm), 90% of bow using enemies can’t do shit against fliers (wtf?), absurdly high crit rates (ugh)... lance users ended up near useless by endgame. I had a single one who could hit hard enough to take down an act 5 enemy, and he was too slow to chase them. meanwhile I could keep my archers back way out of enemies’ range and crit them, or field my many mages who could do massive damage AND heal each other constantly. srsly, all hail our lady and saviour delthea, who by the final boss had 30 atk and could oneshot almost every enemy with her lowest level spell. she is the best, and I love her very much.

there was a lot of other fidgety stuff especially on the overworld that really got on my nerves after a while. I’ve never been fond of the point hopping system that’s fairly common in tactical rpgs, but echoes has the infuriating variation that forces u to fight every respawning enemy u cross. fuck those graveyards. fuck them to hell. especially fuck them when I have to pass them so often to complete sidequests in the villages and such. but at least dungeon exploring is still fun. well, I say that, and it leads into another bother.

fates, the previous fe game, did a lot to improve the experience of casual players such as myself. the protagonist being allowed to fall in battle without an insta game over, for example. phoenix mode was nice for replays too, tho since echoes was preeeeetty linear that’s a moot point for me. echoes decides no, actually, fuck that, and also fuck the battle saves introduced in awakening. ur gonna work through duma’s tower for an hour with no way to save and reload and if one of the ten million enemies in there knocks down celica ur losing all ur progress without even a chance to use the in-universe save scum device. bc fuck u.

incidentally, duma’s tower is where I quit during my first playthrough.

buuuuuuuut there’s more to games than mechanics. there’s story too! and... hoo boy. there’s two major sticking points for me that ultimately make it a disappointment. spoilers ahead for literally the entire game.

number one: the broken aesop of alm’s arc. ie, fernand was right.

so, fire emblem games have a lot of birth destiny and divine rights to rule and all that jazz. while it can be just a background fact of life (awakening and imo path of radiance fell into this) or a major problem that causes protagonist centred morality out the whazoo (Y HALLO THAR FATES’ CONQUEST ROUTE), echoes tries to go a different route, especially in the first act. alm butts up against those who don’t think he should be allowed to be a knight, let alone lead an army bc he’s of common birth. even those on his side (*cough*clive) struggle to hold noble and common life of equal worth. but here’s alm, the poster child of destiny caring not for trivialities such as parentage. he’s a good fighter and a good leader, and proves that even a commoner can become a hero!

except they can’t. alm isn’t a commoner. he’s a prince. he could never vanquish duma if he hadn’t noble blood in his veins, bc the falchion is locked in a vault only royals can enter, and is a sword only he can wield. were he truly a commoner, he would have failed. and all this would’ve been easily forgotten fridge logic if the characters hadn’t kept bringing the even a commoner bs all the way with them until he found out who his dad was! fernand, the primary voice for this shit, doesn’t die until after seeing alm revealed!

frankly, alm being a lost prince was purely a detriment to the story. oh no, he killed his dad? who fucking cares. blood is the only thing they share. I’ve seen this dude like twice before I cheesed his ass by warping my best units up to his section of wall and zapping him. half his dialogue is only available post-patricide. alm had more of a connection to Asshole Cousin Berkut that to him. also, his plan for preparing for the end of the world as is stood was one of the worst I’ve ever seen.

but there’s also a more fun point. number two: the straight agenda!

ugggggh. listen. on my first round through, I joked a lot abt all the unrequited love going around. and honestly there’s quite a lot of interactions that I found genuinely nice. faye and leon being open about their feelings and accepting they aren’t requited, and alm and valbar being honest and comfortable with that. or delthea mentioning her crush on clive to his sister and having mathilda immediately pointed out. or like, clive and mathilda’s entire relationship during the game. I like me a lovey dovey battle couple.

but then the epilogue slides hit. why the fuck would mathilda become a Good Housewife(TM) after marrying a man who encouraged her as they fought alongside each other. delthea gets the same treatment and settles down with an unnamed husband and becomes “normal” in her slide. then u have mae and boey who get married and have children and argue AND THAT IS IT. like guys, I like me some rivals to lovers as much as the next lesbian, but u can’t be said to have kids that give u more reasons to fight and have me believe this is any way healthy. please find a replacement for celica bc u do NOT work together on ur own. *sigh* at least clair and gray have a nice marriage where they’re both free to be themselves. in my game anyway, idk if she hooks up with tobin if they get higher support, but when he’s an archer and she’s a frontline fighter, they never had a chance.

and then there’s alm and celica.

I could’ve liked alm. I really could. while his base is still Default Fantasy Hero, I like his comments when u examine things, I like that he has the nerve to stand up to clive when he’s on his bullshit. but dude. u met ur fake cousin celica briefly when u were kids, got along well, then obsessed abt her for like a decade. get. over. it.

same to u celica. u were fucked in my eyes from the beginning bc I find devout characters actively dull, but come on. u made a friend who had a birthmark like urs. as far as ur concerned, that’s all. stop reading the script and try learning the politics of running that kingdom ur set to inherit.

beyond the “alm...” “celica...” wistful calls, and the forces of destiny/the writers, I could not tell u what draws these characters together. the one time they’re not staring into the middle distance at each other, they’re in a petty fight that makes celica look like a spoiled child (and keeps her there until after she sells her fucking soul to the shadiest guy in the fucking universe? celica. celica cmon.) like why do these people like each other. with as much as destiny pulled them together rather than human connection, they may as well have been siblings instead.

on my first run, I genuinely thought that was where they were headed. I got given “alm can lift royal sword” and “celica ‘lost’ brother in fire” and put together that OH! they’re brother and sister! like mila and duma! bc it’s history repeating itself! and then conrad showed up and I was confused. also, iirc alm genuinely believed celica was a cousin of his while they were interacting as kids and didn’t learn she was just in Fantasy Witness Protection until later, so for that to turn into poorly telegraphed romance is just... ew.

anyway. at least most of the characters were good. can’t even pick a favourite tbh. I like clair a lot, and tobin and gray. mae and delthea are both fun and adorable. the valbar/leon/kamui trio are great and chill dudes. I even like silque despite being the nun type, bc she just tries so hard and I appreciate that. oh and sonya’s very lovely with genny and DESERVED BETTER THAN BECOMING A LITERAL SOULLESS HUSK IN THE EPILOGUE AS SHE TRIES TO HELP OTHERS, FUCK U ECHOES.

also there are definite immersion hiccups. oh, the land’s barren and we’re facing famine, huh? *stares at trees full of oranges* *stares at wells full of water* *stares at baskets full of fish* *stares at inventory full of meat and vegetables* *stares at knife that can produce food if I kill an enemy with it...*

wait. I turned a lot of enemies into food with that knife. like my inventory for celica’s army filled up with it. was... was I eating people the whole time?! D:

anyway, fe15, 7.5/10 too much swamp