#maybe I will remove the “she” actually/gen

[the-strange-creature]

Me removing the "she" from my pronouns at the beginning of each month "What do you mean I need to go through 'girl things' im not a girl im a thing"

why am i having such bad period cramps i literally have they/them in my bio

[writingbyshiloh]

Third Time's the Charm

Request: Hii,if your request are still open can i request something for Gen V?Can you write something where Jordan and fem reader are childhood best friends and Jordan had always been in love with her but they feel insecure because they don’t know if reader will like them in both forms romantically?So when,in ep 3,Jordan dad goes like “Y/n and Jordan will be husband and wife” reader goes “Maybe we will be wife and wife”because she loves Jordan just like they are?

AN: Reader wants to be the first supe president (just to explain why they’re at the gala), I changed the timeline of the ep a tiny bit. I have another request about meeting Jordan's parents but that one might be more angsty.

CW: fem!reader, kissing, no beta, Jordan's parents are just their warning. The start is all flashbacks so I may have slipped on the tense a few times, no beta

WC: 2.0K

Jordan Li was your first kiss. Twice. The first time was in kindergarten, when they tried to kiss you and you smacked them with your Queen Mauve lunch box. Your second first kiss (the one you consider your actual first kiss) was done by you while playing truth or dare at 14. After picking a dare, you were asked to kiss the best-looking guy in the group. You shrugged and picked your best friend - Jordan. 

At age six, they were there when you broke your ankle trying to see if you could fly (you couldn’t). When you did get powers, they were the first person you told.

When Jordan came out to you as bigender, you did an internet deep-dive, trying to understand as much as possible.

Jordan listened to every interaction you had with your high school crush while quietly dying inside, wanting you to be happy. When your high school boyfriend cheated on you and then dumped you for the girl he cheated with, Jordan was there, ready to sink hours into their Xbox to keep you distracted.

The worst week of your life was when you didn't speak to Jordan for 9 whole days. You got into a petty argument where you called them self-absorbed and they called you clingy. The fight snowballed into yelling arguments and ended with you receiving a cold shoulder from Jordan. 

When Jordan got their wisdom teeth removed, you camped out in their room, snuggled under their duvet with them to watch Property Brothers for two days straight. You even made sure they took their painkillers on time and used ice packs.

Every fight with their parents, you were outside in your car ready to pick up Jordan to stay with you. Once you showed up at their house at 6:03 am, eyes blurry with sleep and still in pyjamas. Jordan was crying, bob haircut looked messy from sleep. You drove them to Vought-A-Burger, still half asleep and ate greasy breakfast sandwiches in your car until Jordan stopped crying. 

Jordan was even your date to prom, taking photos with you in their masculine form to get their parents off their back. Once their parents were happy, you snuck them back to yours, where you stashed their prom dress. 

You both even applied to God U together. Too nervous to check your acceptance, Jordan checked yours and you checked theirs. Sitting across from each other on your bed you both log in before giving the laptops to each other.

“Okay, three, two, one…” you counted down, opening Jordan’s laptop. Your eyes scanned for any promising words like congratulations, or welcome. "Accepted" was the first word your eyes caught but you need to fuck with them.

“Jord… I’m so sorry.” You start. Their face falls, and you feel like a dick for doing this. But the opportunity is too good to pass up. “That you believed me! Because you got in!”

They lunged across your bed to see what the screen says. You saw Jordan's eyes scan the same letter you just read, picking out the same words. 

“You’re such an asshole!” they told you, rolling their eyes, gently hitting your arm with the back of their hand

You’ve never been shy about showering Jordan with compliments. Saved in screenshots never to see the light of day, Jordan has kept some of them. 

You: OMG!!! Jordan you’re so pretty. I’m so lucky to call you my friend. 

You: You’re so handsome!!! I love your hair slicked back! If she doesn’t agree you need to drop her. 

You: ur a solid 9/10. Lost a point for not giving me a sip of your drink yesterday lol

Jordan Li has been in love with you since age 16. Probably earlier, if they want to admit that to themselves. You’ve only ever expressed interest in men so they kept their feelings to themselves, not wanting to make you uncomfortable, figuring it was better to have you as a friend only than not at all. 

In your first year, you were even roommates. While Jordan flourished in crim, you bounced between majors before settling into politics.

Every time you brought some frat guy to your shared dorm, Jordan died inside. Trying to get over their long-standing crush, Jordan did the same.

When Jordan made number 2 on the top five, you celebrate with them. Maybe a bit too hard that night.

You were there when their ranking dropped after the death of Brink. A man you only met twice, but you would do anything for Jordan. Especially given how hard you fell for both versions of them last year.

“I’m going to try to tag team with your dad, get some points for you and keep him engaged, yeah?” You ask over your shocker. Jordan is behind you, ready to help with zipper duty for your dress.

“You don’t have to.”

You let out a small scoff. “Dude. I’m doing poli supe. Schmoozing with rich people is like half our courses. Zip me up please.”

“How long have you known Jordan? You seem to be a good couple.” The man you and Jordan's dad suckered into a conversation asks. He's sitting beside Jordan's parents, while you and Jordan are on the edge of some fancy pit or table. 

“Well, these two have known each other pretty well over the years. Jordan tried to kiss her when they were kids, and she hit him with her Black Noir lunch box.”

“It was a Queen Mauve lunch box, actually.” You say with a laugh.

“And she called him ‘Jojo’ for probably the next two years out of spite.” Kayla laughs. It's a special embarrassment when your parents tell stories about your childhood. All the stories are about you but it's been so long ago you can’t remember any of it. Jordan looks worse off, slouchy posture against the banister, while you sit next to him. Part of you wants to tell him to sit up straight, but you figure you can play the grief angle better this way. 

“Oh, and remember when Jordan got his wisdom teeth out? You guys were inseparable. I think I still have the photo of you two passed out watching TV!” Kayla gushes, reaching for her phone to find the photo.

“We all thought you two would be president and First Gentleman.” Dad insists. Your smile is fake and tight, knowing if Paul pulls out prom photos, you would have to quietly fling yourself out of a window. 

Maybe you drank a bit too much liquid courage. Maybe the tension between them and their parents was getting to you. To give Jordan some space, you took their parents for a tour of your classes, knowing they’ll be talking to your family when they go back to Rochester.

Jordan shifting doesn’t even cause you to raise an eyebrow, the subtle sound just blurs into the background.

“Or president and First Lady.” You blurt out, four pairs of eyes darting towards you. “First supes in the Whitehouse? It would be political dynamite.”

“You like this version of Jordan?” Dad asks with bewilderment.

“Of course. I like Jordan because of how smart and driven they are. I like Jordan because of their weird sense of humour. It doesn’t matter what they look like.” you say, trying to prove it to their parents, but also to them. You’ve picked up on their crush many times, too kind to say something that would embarrass them or hurt them. It’s only recently how much you found yourself staring at fem Jordan and wanting to kiss her too. 

“I’m going to go and mingle some more.” says the man, Brad or Rob maybe. You forgot his name right after you met him. His words are like a bucket of cold water was dumped over you. You don’t confess your feelings to Jordan just to Jordan, but in front of their judgy parents, and a possible donner. You need to go. 

You stand and straighten out your dress. 

“I’m going to go too. Other donors to talk to. Go Jordan!" You finish with an awkward laugh and even more cringy go team! gesture by yourself. 

You didn't lie to Jordan and their parents. You did go and talk to other donors but it twists your stomach every time you bring up how amazing their grades are, or how skillful they are at fighting. After donor number three gives you an answer that technically was “we’ll see” but heavily implied to be "yes for Jordan” you went to hide in the bathroom. You have enough battery left on your V-phone to keep it going for most of the night. Tomorrow you can talk to Jordan and hope you don’t fuck it all up. 

You barely look up when the door opens, already have done too much for the day to care who it is. 

‘Hey, can we talk?” You snap to attention at the voice. Of course, you know that voice. It's Jordan, still feminine presenting. 

“Fuck, Jord, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have spring that on you. I promise I’ll just go back and try to get you some votes, you’re going through a lot.” You say, in a rush to get the words out, desperate not to fuck up you’re friendship. The rim of the sink is hard against your back but you can’t help but shrink into it. 

“Did you mean it?” They ask, still keeping a distance from you.

“Yeah, of course, I don’t want to ruin this friendship.”

“No, what you said in front of my parents.” 

Oh right. Your confession. Fuck. It's already out there, might as well keep it going. 

“I may, uh-” you curse yourself for leaving your drink outside the bathroom, wanting something in your hands to stall. “-have a crush. On you. My best friend.” You twist your hands together, wishing Jordan didn’t look so pretty. If your heart beats any faster you may go into cardiac arrest. 

It's Jordan that indicates your third first kiss. It's gentle, and fast, like the second one. She pulls back quickly, but you run your fingers through her hair and pull her closer. The intensity from the first first kiss is still there, only this time you both share it. Her hand smooths up to your face, thumb stroking your cheek in a silent invitation to open your mouth. You comply, and tilt your head into her palm. Her tongue sweeps into your mouth and you can taste the champagne they were drinking. 

The sound of the door opening makes you both jump.

“Stall?” You ask, voice low and hushed. You squirm out from where she has you between the sink and her. You push the door open to the nicest-looking stall, desperate to keep kissing Jordan. They follow your lead eagerly, one hand wrapped around your shoulder to keep you near. 

Dipping their head, they softly kiss your jaw before moving onto your neck. You silently thank the other two women arguing in the bathroom so that your gasp goes unnoticed. Giving Jordan's hair a small tug, you pull them back up to you. The shit-eating grin they flash you makes you want to almost get caught again. 

Your free hand moves to their waist, trying to get as close to them as physically possible. 

You pull back slightly, wanting so desperately to get lost in the moment, but the commotion in the other stall is distracting. Plus you’re nosey.

Jordan frowns when you pull away, eyes scanning your face for something they did wrong. You shake your head and tip it over to the stall.

“The fuck?” They mouth to you, hand still around your shoulder.

You gently push Jordan against the door to give yourself space to squat down. You see two pairs of feet in the stall across the wall. You hear the voices quiet down, before the sound of someone peeing. You frown slightly, weird fetish to do at a memorial gala but you hear rumours about students into more fucked up shit. 

“We should get outta here.” You whisper to Jordan. 

“Weird place for our third first kiss.” Jordan whispers back. You reach around them to unlock the stall door. Third first kiss. You replay the words in your head, a warm feeling blooming in your chest. 

You gently push them out of the stall, trying to keep your laughs quiet as you both scurry past the other couple in the stall. 

[luvs4matt]

clearing a few things up said by rory in this post.

first i am going to talk about this. when rose kicked them, it was because she noticed the mean behavior coming from the gc she was already in so she kicked everyone else that was also in that gc along with rory.

getting kicked from a gc is not that serious, it’s an oh well moment, but not for rory.

rose blocked her soon after because rory immediately went into her dms cussing her out which below is provided ss of their conversation. she was given the chance to speak to her and she did, just not in the way she should’ve. she did not have to take it to her blog.

next, this.

i was saying facts, not just being rude, that is not the person i am. i was stating that rylee has my same au word for word, 0 differences. i was also using that as my defense for rory sending much hate to my dilf!matt au.

coming to someones defense is actually defending and clearing their name on something when needed, not coming to a girls comments to start issues which becomes harassment, straight insults, and bringing up the girls other friend who had absolutely nothing to do with the situation that wasn’t even a situation before you got involved. (ss here of all reblogs made, all comments can be found under this blurb)

next.

so you and gen just so happen to be good friends and in the same gc while rose and gen had a very public friendship, but you had no mutual friends, nor did you know..? right..

“i was kicked before making the post” so you had 0 intentions of handling it privately! you planned to make a post and start more drama. again.

the jokes about fingering matts butt were not between an adult and a minor directly, and even if it was, that honestly isn’t bad, it is jokes people, not asking a child about their sex life.

you can be harmful to minors when harassing them and leading your friends to do it too! you started at 6pm and ended at 11pm, you ended after i tried to reach out to jules but i was blocked, i tried to reach out to rylee, i reached out to rory directly, i was going to reach out to jules through maria, but then genesis finally answered my message and that is what got you to stop.

i agree, i am not a baby, but my communication was not off. i was not disrespectful before i needed to be and that was shown in past ss which i believe i have now deleted if i remember correctly.

i will not dm you because i refuse to unblock you on any platforms, even if i do reach out, all you would do is try to argue, and quite frankly, i don’t have anything nice to say to you.

next.

this is the one thing rory didn’t lie about. she was not the one to say i was writing ddlg, it was genesis. the same genesis who was requesting a week before hand, and only a day before telling me how much they love and need dilf!matt. they said that because they wanted approval and wanted rylee to like them.

i do not believe i write ddlg because i have my storylines for many things but i do not get many asks actually asking about the au so i have not been able to explain it. or maybe i am just in denial because i get disgusted at some of the things involved in ddlg, idfk 😭.

next.

i never posted anything publicly about rylee until i started being harassed and rylee can tell you that herself. rory was the first to say anything publicly, and was also the one who made it drama, it was not any kind of drama before rory inserted herself.

i really don’t care if i name dropped first, i was trying to get my point across, and people would’ve figured it out anyways.

if coming at someone is politely asking someone why they removed my au credit then they get attitude with me, then i guess i came at her many times.

you did say hurtful things to me, if the things you did wouldn’t effect me at all then why would i go through everything i did after the fact? i will not get into all of these things because i don’t want it to seem like i am looking for sympathy.

i started the au before it became semi common on tumblr, i started it a year ago after searching for 6 MONTHS of anything close to my au on all platforms, no dilf!matt found, none of the same persona, so i made the au and assumed i made it. it came to my attention very recently that i did not fully create the au, but i do still believe i was the first to write him in that way, i was the first to start writing him multiple times instead of just once and making him an actual character, and popularized him on tumblr. it did become a “commonly used au” until recently, not a year ago when i started. i had every right asking for credit of an au that i was under the impression that i started because no one corrected me the whole year. after i was made aware of me not being the first, i reached out to everyone, besides rude bitches, about me no longer needing credit unless inspo was used.

to this anon, i did not respond earlier because i simply did not feel like it, and did not want to deal with anymore of your bs about me “dragging it and always posting about it”, but i will respond here since i bet you are reading this.

all of these posts have been made in the last week which was either only talking about the situation or mentioned it.

all of the apologies were half assed and didn’t mean anything. they either apologized that it was POSTED, copied and pasted apologies, used memes, or blamed others on tumblr.

my own personal notes.

everything with maria has been cleared up on all ends, but for her sake, please do not mention her in any posts or mention her in any of these drama posts. this is just a precaution so nothing of these sorts interfere with her mental health. if you have any questions, you can come to her yourself, but if you are not nice and don’t approach it correctly then you will be blocked and i will be fighting you 🩷 (i’m joking chat… but not really)

same thing goes for rose. please do not mention her in posts made, i don’t like seeing my friends mental health being ruined over tumblr so please do the same thing for rose as maria! if you have any questions regarding both of them, they are both open to answering if approached the correct way, if for some reason you do not have access to ask them said questions, then you can message me and i can ask for you.

tags — @cvnntagiouss @bernardsbendystraws @mattsmatcha @nickssidewitch @nickspennies @mattysangelgirl @y3sterdaysproblem @chrisspussygang @tripoutsweirdos

[mukimokai]

having "childlike wonder" doesn't mean a character is "childish" or a little baby

childlike wonder is an attitude: of finding joy in the mundane and enjoying the simpler things in life. Having an inherent interest and excitement in new things, places, and experiences. Wanting to take in every detail of something, even if it's something small. It drives exploration and discovery, wanting to know how the world works and figure it all out. Having inquisitive minds. Being fascinated by the world around oneself. Being open to new perspectives.

childlike wonder doesn't mean "childish."

Yeah. I believe Alhaitham can see Aranara. It makes perfect sense because he has every quality listed above.

Yes: Alhaitham has childlike wonder. No, he is not childish. There is a distinction between "childlike wonder" and "being childish"

So can he see Aranara? Most likely yes, it's probably canon: Web events have always been that way anyway, always introducing you to the characters and their respective personalities and interactions if there are any. Web events are canon in the sense that: if the scenario happening in the event took place, this is how the character would act in said scenario.

Yes, I do think there is enough evidence he can see them just looking at his character as a whole: plus why else would the Sumeru lobby have us turn into Aranara if almost the entire Sumeru cast were adults that the Aranara don't inherently trust? The only character who would've been there in that case would've been Nahida but we had Alhaitham and Nilou as well? And it makes sense for them to be able to see the Aranara so like. I was actually completely unsurprised that Alhaitham and Nilou could see them so uhhh-

oh and also. to the ppl who say "Kaveh can't see the Aranara bcz he's traumatized" girlie. the one child in Yoimiya's quest was going through such a traumatic illness and she could still see them.

Kaveh can't see the Aranara not because he's traumatized or whatever. but because he's pushed away his past. Kaveh is actively removing himself from childlike wonder in favour of idealism: he is constantly chasing after his goals, constantly trying to do more and more, constantly striving for perfection that he forgets the mundane, everyday things in life due to the sheer amount of stress he is putting on himself on a day-to-day basis. Kaveh is also not open to new perspectives; following his own ideals to a point and shutting away anything that contradicts his ideals. He is not an inherently curious character either; we've only seen him comment on a few things that pique his curiosity (i.e. the one voice line abt lightning) but as a whole, he's not interested in much else if it doesn't have to do with the arts or things he is passionate about which is unlike Alhaitham who seems to take an interest in literally everything other than gossip.

again: childlike wonder and being childish are different things, PLEASE understand that...

i might have 50 million people come at my throat for my take on all this but like ykw idgaf: I'm entitled to my opinion and this is how i see the whole situation.

I do think people who said it's "out-of-character" for Alhaitham to see Aranara are either mischaracterizing him or they don't understand what exactly it takes for Aranara to be seen by adults. Maybe it's both; i know a lot of people skipped the Aranara quest dialogue, and, for the longest time, Alhaitham has been one of the most wildly mischaracterized characters in the fandom (and still is being mischaracterized to this day unfortunately) so idk tbh.

and ppl always say Nilou is bland so like... i don't think ppl pay much attention to her at all which is unfortunate because she's really silly actually. Nilou stan number 1 right here tbh.

idk it's just my thoughts on it: yeah I do think it can be seen as "basically canon" but I don't think it should be used to justify "omg!! hahahahah they're so childish lmaoo!! alhaitham and nilou are such babies ahahah!"

like. gen. nuh uh. what.

yes i call them babies because they're my babies but that's just bcz i like their characters, i called them that even before this whole fiasco with the aranara... so like. uhm.

this was way longer than i planned it to be. sorry for the yapfest holy.

considered not posting this but eh who cares, it's just my take lol

[onedeadkitty]

Mizus Gender

He/him they/them she/her pronouns for Mizu

I know the writers of the show wrote blue eye samurai with Mizu as a woman disguised as a man in a way similar ish to Mulan but uh

They accidentally made it deeper than that ??

If you removed like 2 lines of dialogue in episode 5 you could even make an argument for trans masc Mizu. Or at the least gender queer.

Being transgender is not a concept in this time period. But trust. People have always wanted to be other genders, probably for the entirety of human history. And how someone would go about being trans in a world with no true understanding of the concept, might be similar to what Mizu IS DOING RIGHT NOW.

Living as a man. PERMANENTLY. Not temporarily to achieve some near goal like Mulan and the many other stories with this concept. Mizu has lived as a man nearly their entire life and no intention to ever live as a woman in the future.

Mizu admires their freshly binded chest in the mirror as a teen.

When alone Mizu refers to himself as a man.

When alone with Ringo, (someone who knows the secret) Ringo also refers to Mizu as a man.

Mizu threatens to straight kill Ringo at the the very use of the word “girl”.

When, and ONLY when seeing 2 MEN kiss does he think of Taigen.

Not to mention madame Kajis indelicate insinuation of gay sex to Mizu, something I believe wasn’t for no reason. OR Madams iconic line “you are more man than ANY come through my door” (I’m convinced she has an idea of Mizus true sex but doesn’t care to accuse or call them out for it)

They HAD lived as a woman in the past. Only for about a year, and they did it to get married for her mothers sake. To save her from a life of prostitution. She was able to be happy, because it IS POSSIBLE to be happy while not presenting how you like. It’s a strain and some can never be happy doing so but it’s possible and people do it all the time to make their lives easier or to keep the peace with family or for many other reasons.

Episode 5 gave HUGE VIBES of going back into the closet when living with your parents or just visiting. And Mizu looked SO uncomfortable and awkward in woman’s clothing and doing “wife things” (partly cause they have never done that before) and maybe it was my own projecting but I felt so uncomfortable FOR Mizu.

These things don’t necessarily mean being a transgender man specifically. Gender is actually really complicated and has ALOT to do with what society deems it.

Mizu is a masculine person. Being what Japan wants women to be isn’t in line with what Mizu is. A violent, practical, stoic, cold, masculine, confident and capable warrior.

dressing up as a woman with the makeup ONLY to try and make her husband happy. She didn’t WANT to. “To soften her husbands heart, the bride… danced” performed femininity FOR HIM. Only for Mikio to betray her for, in his eyes, being more masculine than him, by beating him in a physical fight.

Mizu is both the ronin and the bride. Mizu will be whatever they need to in order to achieve their owed deaths. They HAVE to be a man to get their revenge but that doesn’t mean Mizu WANTS to be a woman. (To be fair who WOULD in that time but I digress) and it doesn’t mean they WANT to be a man. They WANT their revenge. Everything is secondary to that.

Mizu is so different from other characters…

I grew up in a kinda misogynistic place and my mom really didn’t let me “do boy stuff” or dress masculine in any sense until my late teens. I my self don’t know if I can even call myself Trans. But I’m masculine, I like looking like a man and dressing as one but I don’t WANT to be a man necessarily. But I don’t WANT to be a woman. I feel like we as a society put to much distinction between the two and the people who don’t fit either side get left out at times.

Mizu is such a relatable character to me, like no other characters complicated feelings about their own sex and gender have ever come close.

They are for those who don’t have a strong sense of their own gender. Especially those who are biologically female and hesitant to lean into their sex because of the societal baggage.

Once people realize that how you dress, how you act, and what you do in reality have nothing to do with your bio sex and everything with what society has forced people to do based on factors out of our control is the day we can finally stop having these conversations.

Do what you want, gender is fake.

But Mizu is forever 🫶

[vennilavee]

a moment, a love masterlist

reader is intended to be ~10 years older than him, and everyone is aged up here

Ever since you’d shared that moment on Paris x Gen’s field with Karasu, you can’t get the feel of the turf under your feet out of your head. You look wistfully outside your window, your view perfectly in line with the field. The sun is beating down on all twenty-three members of pxG, more than half of them taking turns squirting each other with water, while the other half of them have already peeled their practice jerseys off.

You absently wonder if they’ve reapplied their sunscreen.

“They’re on a water break, you know. If you wanted to thirst after them a little more obviously, you could just go down there-”

You gasp in mock offense and shoot your assistant Anri a playful glare. “I wasn’t-”

“Oh please, Who are you kidding?”

“Well,” you reply, “maybe a lunchtime walk wouldn’t hurt.”

***

You sincerely hope your sunglasses cover up your wandering eyes. You try your best to focus on putting one foot in front of you and ignore the calls of your team, telling you to join them on the field-”

“Hey! The ice queen has left her cave, for once! C’mere gimme some of that frosting-” Shidou barks from the center of the field.

All you need to do is glower at him with your sunglasses perched on the slope of your nose and he shuts his mouth promptly.

“Good dog,” you yell back, “Now fetch!” And you throw a stray soccer ball aimed at his head.

His peals of laughter make you roll your eyes fondly. You ignore Itoshi Rin admonishing him to focus on Anri and the conversation you’d been having with her. She’s become one of your closest friends and a pillar of reliability over the years. Even from the beginning of your career, when you’d both started out.

It’d been hard initially to break out in the sports management world, especially as a woman. But you’d gotten your big break with Re Al and worked your way up with your bare hands. Blood, sweat and tears had landed you here with Paris x Gen and every contract you’ve ever signed has always included Anri in it.

“Look who finally came to play with the rest of us peasants,” comes a voice to your left side. It inevitably makes your stomach flutter.

Anri giggles.

“Address me appropriately,” you reply.

“Oh, I’m sooo sorry, princess of the stadium, queen of the field,” Karasu Tabito rolls his eyes and elbows you.

“You may refer to me as the princess of Paris, actually.”

“Anri, I don’t know how you work with her. The princess of Paris? Really?”

She just laughs from behind her hands, cheeks warm at the attention.

“Don’t you have practice to get back to, Karasu?” you say, pushing your sunglasses into your hair, “You’re interrupting our afternoon walk.”

“How horrible of me to interrupt the queen and her consort. Please carry on,” he says dramatically. A laugh escapes your lips at his willingness to indulge you. You look at him from over your shoulder as you walk away, which is somehow timed perfectly with the removal of his practice jersey as Zantetsu dumps his water bottle over his head to cool him down.

Karasu meets your gaze, mischief dancing in his dark eyes. You can hear him in your head- “see something you like, sweetheart?”

What a menace. You scoff and force yourself to turn away, no matter how hard it might be to follow the drops of water as they trickle down his chest with your bare eyes.

Maybe you should try a little harder. Considering he’s in his early twenties and you… well, you’ve got at least ten years on him. There’s no harm in looking, right? It’s harmless anyway, meaningless looks and glances here and there. It’s nothing real, is what you tell yourself.

“Never a dull moment here,” Anri remarks. You hum in agreement, unable to shake the feel of Karasu’s eyes on your backside as the team gets ready to resume practice.

By the time the evening sky blankets the city in hues of blues, purples and oranges, it has gotten considerably cooler outside. You shrug your jacket around your shoulders before making your way to the locker room, where Karasu is waiting for you. Today is the day- after making up an excuse everyday for the last two weeks, you’ve decided that today was the day. 

The day that you were going to touch a soccer ball with your very own two feet after seventeen years or so. You’d even bought new cleats for the occasion.

You wait outside the dark red door that leads into the locker room, tapping your foot against the floor impatiently. Just as you’re about to barge in, the locker room begins to empty out, Julian Loki giving you a wink of acknowledgement, Shidou whistling at you, and the rest parting ways with a call of your name. 

Until there’s one left, who takes his sweet time. 

“Hope ya weren’t waiting too long for me, sweetheart,” Karasu says, throwing you a smirk. The number of times you’ve rolled your eyes at him already in the last eight hours must be a new record. But still, you won’t deny the flutter in your belly.

“C’mon, Tabito, you know better than to keep a girl waiting,” you grin, pretending like your nerves aren’t about to seize every bit of you. He casts you a long look before leading you out to the field again.

“You ready?” he asks, tossing the soccer ball up in the air with his hands.

“Sure am. Let’s see what our number twenty-seven is made of.”

It turns out, the muscles in your legs remember what it was like to run long stretches of the field, up and down, side to side, cutting across with the twirl of an ankle. It surprised you so much that you were somewhat able to keep up with Karasu’s speed that you missed the ball completely on one…two…maybe three separate instances.

You landed flat on your ass at least a handful of times. Each time, you’d winced and laughed it off with warm, embarrassed cheeks and a heaving chest but Karasu always offered a hand for you to stand back up.

The wind feels like freedom against your face, your heart pounding in your chest and adrenaline singing in your blood as you chase after the ball. You know this is a lazy man’s attempt at soccer, with Karasu barely giving you an inch of his effort, but still. You appreciate it all the same. The ball itself feels foreign between your two feet, clumsy and like it doesn’t belong there. It tries to outrun you, but you manage to control it eventually with your graceless dribbling down the right flank of the field.

And when you finally, finally feel the toe box of your cleat connect with the ball not even six inches in front of you, you watch it sail into the net with all the finesse of a swan. Just to twist your leg too far and lose your balance, landing on the turf once more.

But you don’t care. You’re grinning from ear to ear. “Did you see that?!” you shout at Karasu who’s slowly jogging towards you. He stands in front of you, holding out his hand for you to take. You clasp your hands in his and squeeze, emboldened by the heat of his palm.

“I sure did. How’d it feel?”

You grin mischievously at him, all teeth and glittering eyes, and tug his hand, hard. He falls ontop of you unceremoniously, with a surprised gasp as the wind is knocked out of you. You fall onto your back and begin to laugh, tears forming in your eyes. Karasu can’t help but grin with you either, trying his very best not to rest his full weight on you as he rolls over onto the turf next to you.

If you notice the pink dusting on his cheeks, you say nothing as you turn your head to face him. 

“It felt…nice,” you say softly. You meet his eyes, taken aback by the fondness within his gaze. Karasu looks… proud of you. Happy that you’re happy. It’s a look that you’re not accustomed to. 

“Yer a klutz, anyone ever told you that before?” he teases. You shove his shoulder and he yelps.

“Maybe… I’m a little nervous,” you say, looking at him through your eyelashes. You want to reach out to touch his cheek with your fingertips, but you refrain. 

“You’re nervous on the field after a long time?” he asks, but he already knows the answer in the way you bite the inside of your cheek and look at your hands before peering back at him.

A beat passes. Then another. 

“No,” you murmur, admiring the way the setting sun strikes his hair, casting a halo around it,  “Maybe it’s something else, Tabito.”

[mygirltheking]

Juliette Lewis, Simone Kessell, Lauren Ambrose, and Tawny Cypress all criticising the way yellowjackets is going hits so much harder after that mid ass finale. It wasn't a descent into chaos or a tragedy for all of the characters because you don't get to see that they have complicated emotions anymore, they're just one side or the other. They're either good or bad. You get evil, saint, mentally ill, or complicit unwilling participants.

While Shauna clinging onto the wilderness with her fingernails because otherwise jackie and her baby dying have no meaning makes sense if you remind yourself of last season every time she speaks, the way it is executed makes her present day timeline seem so unrealistically removed from her teenage character in comparison. She's blowing up her own life, sure, but how had this not manifested in bigger and more dangerous ways earlier? How do you attend Shauna's wedding to Jeff after witnessing her in the wilderness? Like her choosing Jeff to punish herself is such a different punishment from the one she's choosing in the wilderness. I can see how she gets so emotionally distant as time passes, but they needed to have more time spent before making her the villain/antler queen. That would make the payoff of her figuring out other characters' schemes more realistic bc she seems to just hold onto to power from sheer luck and fear. I want to see how she gets from cutting up Javi to revelling in hunting the others, not just arriving straight there.

By nuking main characters early on there's no room to get into interpersonal dynamics which is what made the show so compelling in the first place, we ate up jackieshauna because it was so beautifully tragic and easily avoidable. I think by playing off character deaths for plot points rather than following through a character arc or relationship dynamic makes it seem pointless and then it becomes confusing rather than tragic. The fact that they cut out so much of Tai's speech to Van before eating their heart just is a perfect example. All shock value without any emotional reasoning. Why are they removing scenes demonstrating character relationships and just tying in every single loose thread and image from the pilot? (Reddit.) The ultimate pit girl reveal felt tragic but I think that's due to alexa's acting skills rather than the writing.

Sidenotes but the lack of opposition to Shauna is also confusing when Gen and Natalie are both hunters so they should have access to weapons and Tai just seems to have decided to go along with it rather than make her own bid for power? Anyway. And what happened to the supernatural element????? The symbol? Is death the end? What is the point of van's death later on??? Why did akilah help lottie?? You have to stretch these things out so far for it to make sense, and this coupled with the multiple vcr flashbacks just seems such lazy storytelling. At least build on some existing mysteries or create new stories that have intriguing uncertainties about them.

The show still has some good bits (mistynat pay off was yummy) but it suffers so severely from lack of time to pace things out, a willingness to kill off poc characters quickly without reason or to further a white characters storyline (crystal and lottie!!!!!!!!), flat dialogue and sudden one dimensional characterising, complete lack of female interiority and relationship exploration within this season. And just retconning characters' drives and ambitions, Taissa has just been following Van around all season without any exploration of the consequences of blowing up her previous life! It was funny for a bit, but what is actually happening in this show 😭 why are your characters doing this, and what is the impact on them ?? Maybe it's all rotten all the way down to the bitter end, but can I at least see how it gets there before it decays?

[cat-denied]

one change i would make to each fire emblem game

hello. nobody asked for it, so here it is: what one change (or options, or two small ones in rare cases) i would make to each fire emblem game. remakes get the remade version and not the originals because the remakes are by and large just better.

i have a lot of thoughts.

SHADOW DRAGON: make nyna playable. have her join like after freeing the palace and have a custom class (staff wielding?) that promotes to gain lances, maybe and a horse. this game needs hybrid classes and i want her to wield gradivus

ECHOES: yes its the misogyny. fix act 5, meaning at least one of the following:

don't have berkut fridge his own wife. instead make rinea playable as a saint, probably. she escapes.

don't have celica sapped of all her narrative role + agency in the final moments of the game. also, let beloved zofia or ragnarok kill duma. really kind of insane bullshit that it cant

NEW MYSTERY OF THE EMBLEM: simply remove all gender locks. i.e. class sets 1 and 2 are now both merged after playing hard mode for all units. also to facilitate this:

norne is now a hunter

malice is now a mercenary (like she was originally)

maybe make katarina a dark mage and athena a mercenary too

kris can of course do whatever she wants

GENEALOGY OF THE HOLY WAR: this one's unsalvageable. here are two ideas.

Gay marriage.

Remove all incest, including but not limited to 2nd-gen cousins, Seliph and Julia implied romance, 2nd gen cousins again, any implication that raquesis is fucking her brother, the rest of the 2nd gen cousins, and make clear that claud and sylvia aren't any more closely related than like 6th cousins.

i'll allow a potential exception for arvis since he's the main antagonist of the game but you can't do this and then turn around and say "woahh hes so misunderstood and well meaning" in act two. you simply cant. he brainwashed his sister into being his wife man we cant come back from that 😔

THRACIA 776: give all the women in the game a boost of between 5-25% to their constitution growths, and some variable boosts to their starting Con stats.

BINDING BLADE: man i dunno, there's like six things i could say here but this game is still infinitely less offensive than genealogy. some ideas:

rewrite every piece of dialogue so they have actual emotion and interest, keeping the main story

vary the map win conditions. no more seize forever, this game came after thracia, give it rout, escape, defend, even defeat boss come on

try gay marriage again

FIRE EMBLEM: this game's great! two options:

boost every woman's starting constitution by between 3-8

make a Lyn Mode that lasts the whole game, a la Hector Mode

SACRED STONES: i haven't finished this one! but easy: just make all the changes Restoration Queen does.

PATH OF RADIANCE: i could say remove the limit on supports, and i will, but also this game almost above all other fire emblems desperately needs some actual people of color in it. it has One (1) Black man (which is a depressingly high batting average for this series, this change could be put on any of these games and tbh should be) and is a game nominally about racism, cmon. embarrassing

RADIANT DAWN: my favorite even though i still havent finished it. give the dawn brigade and friends supports. i wanna see vika and fiona lezzing out. or fiona and meg lezzing out. or lyre and kyze lezzing out. or

AWAKENING: again there are two options but i need both of them to happen. call me greedy but im right

unromanceable nowi. by anyone. come on. nah is now tiki's child. supports updated to match

just don't do the stupid fucking anna change. making her a greedy capitalist and a family of identical annas is lame as hell and makes her 500% less interestng. keep her weird!!!

FATES: now i havent played this one, but from what ive heard removing the incest would be a good look. whether its by removing supports or corrin's textual relationship whatevers easiest im not picky

THREE HOUSES:

finish crimson flower. at Least add battle of the eagle and lion, hunting by daybreak, stand strong at shambhala. toss in a few extra cutscenes while we're at it.

actually while we're at it, default black eagles to crimson flower. silver snow should require some level of rhea support, B+ or A or something. and maybe have the other black eagkes side with edelgard and get rerecruited, would be cool.

make azure moon unplayable. not really but it would be funny wouldn't it

ENGAGE: haven't played this one so i'll just say make byleth female

WARRIORS: this game is goofy as hell. fun tho. maybe try rewriting the story to actually have a story and not just excuses for cool battles.

THREE HOPES: very little room for improvement here. remove gender locked classes, and make the ending cutscene a little more clearly conclusive. oh wait

ingrid can be spared in scarlet blaze.

otherwise perfect

AND THAT'S ALL OF THEM

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

Because she didn’t expect all the criticism

Well, the woman apparently is very happy with the reaction in America and she leaked this:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14790613/Meghan-Markle-doesnt-care-British-haters-winced-video-twerking-delivery-room.html

And The Mail on Sunday can reveal that, despite the backlash over her dodgy dancing with Harry to the soundtrack of Starrkeisha’s Baby Mama song, defiant Meghan is thrilled by the reaction in America.

Meghan is very pleased with the video. In the UK everyone’s reaction has been a bit prudish but everywhere else, particularly in America and especially with young people, it has been a huge hit.’

Meghan is about to launch a series of new products as part of her As Ever line – including rosé wine. The source added: ‘She and her team count it [the video] as a “win”, which can only be a boost for sales. Her new products are marketed at Americans and not at the UK market.’

Meghan doesn’t care about the haters in Britain calling her vulgar. Americans thought the twerking video was hilarious and relatable.’ Social media lit up in the States with overwhelmingly positive comments.

Eric Schiffer, of Reputation Management Consultants, said: ‘Meghan wants to connect with Gen Z which demands viral moments. She doesn’t care about the UK because that’s not where the money is. ‘Brits have certain standards they expect of royalty. Americans don’t care. To us it’s a soap opera.’

Maybe I am very wrong, but I don’t think M is reading well who her audience is tho, I don’t know if Gen Z will be really interested in her Netflix series, in buying flowers and crepes and jams, they care about the viral social media content but that’s it. I don’t know what she can sell in order to make the Gen Z to buy things to her.

Also, very rich from her saying that she doesn’t care about UK audience because the money is in America, but she continues benefiting from British titles 🤡

I didn’t say it was the Americans who were criticizing her.

Meghan is a narc. She doesn’t like criticism at all. Doesn’t matter who it’s from - US, UK, Europe, mainstream media, Hollywood, social media.

And also, all this article is doing - and what it’s meant to do - is amplify the praise to bury the criticism and the negativity. By telling everyone she’s thrilled the Americans loved her video, she enforces the narrative that this was good for her, which increases the probability of new people looking for her video and joining in on the fun/praise.

And lastly, this post from @the-cat-with-the-emerald-tiara-1 — if Meghan doesn’t care about criticism, why did she delete and repost her Disney footage to remove “Happy birthday, Lili” from the caption after a couple of hours?

Exactly. Because criticism. She can’t handle the heat and leaking to the DM that criticism doesnt bother her is actually showing her hand. When people truly aren’t bothered by something, they don’t run around telling everyone how happy they are and how they couldn’t care less.

(Also a quick PSA to anons: some readers can’t easily see the colored text when it’s used - it helps if you bold it too.)

[numberonetacostan]

In honor of the remake, i present, my official season 1 gijinka !!

writing - Dyes hair yellow Stopped dying it yellow before finale, kept the red + green Warmer skin tone more chub in S1. (i was gonna add hairclips, i feel like she would have SOOOO many of them.) some more designs of her >:P

S2!! kinda forgot her scar, so assume this is post truth or flare

Post canon! writing (and some add ons bc i love post canon taco hcs) Eye bags gone (she finale has an actual place to stay and worries less about predators! I imagine her sleep would get a lot better, and she'd probably be really careful to get as much sleep as possible to prepare herself for the day, y'know, once the nightmares wore off) Pepper showed her makeup (I YEARRRNNNN for Tacopep i love them) Mic gave her the sweater! I know it's July (June without the month between 15 and 16) when the show ends, and most of them have american accents, including cobs, implying if placed in the real world they'd be near the americas...but, they're on an island! Who knows what weather they have there! Maybe it snows in July. Cold. Scary. Matching bracelets with Microphone! Microphone made them, of course. I imagine she's got LOTS of kandi. Holes in her shoes, just from being homeless. I imagine she had to run a lot, and didn't have the money (if they had money) or resources to trade for a new pair. Post canon, everyone would be too focused on using resources to rebuild their lives to worry about some shoes. Still uses the invisibow. She's likely still anxious about being near some contestants COUGH COUGH pickle COUGH COUGH COUGH sorry i must be catching a cold Stained shirt (she can't get the stains out), about the same as the shoes. It's the forest. It's dirty. Her shirt is white. She's not gonna be focused on getting new clothing, and i doubt they have stain remover on the island ANYWAYS THATS ITTTT

Hi Moldy!!^^ Welcome back, and thank you for sending in your designs!! :]

They're all lovely, and you've put a lot of detail into them!! I like the little faces on her socks in her season 1 design, as well as the detail that she'd have more chub!! When i draw my Taco designs side by side, I always like to joke that she loses her baby cheeks in the paco divorce. I also like to think she dyes her hair as well- though for mine it's from a dirtier blond to a lighter one. Her macaroni hair is also lost in the paco divorce </3.

Is it June/July when it ends? I suppose in-canon it is supposed to be a challenge-per-month, but I tend to think of it as the contestants just having to fuck around for like a year while Mephone thinks of another challenge lol. Not sure why, but I've always liked doing it that way. Consider also that Taco is very thin from not having proper nutrition while being homeless and would not retain heat well! She'd get cold very easily.

How does she get her Invisibow back? /gen Does she get it back in the finale and I missed it?

Real, they're all gonna end up all dirty. Other than Clover, I suppose.

[kob131]

Pokemon Team Symbolism in Pokemon

You would think a series that emphasizes a colorful cast of creatures would try to use them to symbolize a character and their journey.

They have. Just not as often as you would think. It's damn good when they do though.

What Symbolism?

The symbolism I am talking about is using a Trainer's Pokemon to demonstrate aspects of the Trainer's personality and/or journey. For example, a Pokemon evolving after the Trainer has reached a turning point in their story or a Pokemon's move or Ability to demonstrate a personality trait that isn't so obvious.

Gen 1

Now normally I would begin off by talking about how a Pokemon represents a character and how they change alongside the Trainer...but Gen 1 doesn't really...have this.

This isn't an insult or anything- Gen 1 simply doesn't have the variety to pull this off. For example, what Pokemon can you use to represent Misty within Gen 1? Maybe Seaking or Gyardos but there's a reason why, in her Heartgold/Soulsilver rematch, she uses a Milotic due to it's heavy association with the fluidity and grace of water alongside being a counterpart to perhaps Gen 1's most famous Water-Gyardos. It's because no other Water type can really symbolize who Misty is, especially since there are no rematches to give her a more expansive team. And Misty's one of the EASIER people to make a more symbolic team with.

I guess of particular note is Blaine's use of Arcanine as his ace, due to how supplementary material implies he helped make Mewtwo and how Arcanine is referred to as the 'Legendary' Pokemon. Or Alakazam's immense power and almost alien appearence fitting with Sabrina's creepy vibe. And Giovanni using Nidoking and Nidoqueen, Ground/Poison types, can symbolize his leadership of Team Rocket and his status as the Ground Gym Leader. It's all cool... But not really anything special.

Gen 2

Ah here's the good shit.

This is where Game Freak started experimenting with more...expressive uses of Pokemon. Before we get to the big example, I want to try and talk about some of the other trainers.

In particular, I want to make a special mention of Clair and Lance's teams. With Clair, her team consists of three Dragonairs and a Kingdra. Now this doesn't look all that special aside from the Dragon-Type's status as being uber powerful in earlier gens but it does gain quite a bit of significance if you consider her relationship with Lance (him being her stronger and older cousin that she's implied to feel inferior to) and his own team. Namely that her Dragonairs all only have one move seperating them (Surf/Thunderbolt/Ice Beam) which is very similar to three Pokemon from Lance's team...except that the moves chosen (Thunder/Blizzard/Fire Blast) all have higher BP and the Pokemon in question are his Dragonites, the fnal stage of Dragonair. Meaning that Lance's team is basically an upgraded version of Clair's, showing why she feels so inferior to him.

And this chink in her armor is further emphasized through her ace, Kingdra. Kingdra's typing of Water/Dragon actually removes the signature Ice weakness that Dragons have (as well as giving it a STAB against the Swinub line the player will likely try to use against her) but it leaves it weak to Dragon-Types still. Meaning Lance's mastery will lead to Clair facing a harder battle. And for extra points- Lance's Gen 3 rematch team even gives him a Kingdra, further connecting them.

Now to move on- Silver.

I've come to the realization that Silver might be one of the most important characters in Pokemon. Not story wise mind you- he basically falls off outside of his Gen and it's remakes. But rather, in his writing. Because Silver's team actually includes the first notable use of Evolution to symbolize a Trainer's personal development. In his own story, Silver begins as your average edgy teen with an obsession with power and being a badass, even though you keep whooping his ass. However unlike Blue, Silver actually reacts to being beaten by you as he grows more and more frustrated. This coincideces with everyone he fights telling about how cruel and abusive he is acting towards his Pokemon. And by the time you beat him in Victory Road- he accepts what he did wrong and works to improve himself, not just his Pokemon. And this is shown as his Mt. Moon fight (...Really Game Freak?), his Kadabra and Haunter have evolved, meaning that Silver had to have become more personable to get someone to trade with him and his Golbat evolves in Crobat in his finale fight, a friendship based evolution. (Bonus points- Zubat/Golbat are commonly used by Team Rocket members, with Giovanni their leader being Silver's dad.)

This really shows how a Trainer's team can be used to symbolize their growth as a person. I can't wait to see what the next Gen accompli-

Gen 3

... God damn it.

So Gen 3 kind of falls back a bit in turns of using Pokemon teams for characterization. You have the usual basic symbology- like Brawly the martial artist using martial arts focused Fighting types, Norman being an everyman and a mundane but everpresent presence in your life being the master of powerful Normal types and the sea surrounded Sootopolius having a Water Gym. But nothing like the interplay between Lance and Clair or the subtly of Silver.

Best I have is the quite and sensitive Wally using the sensitive and shy Ralts evolving into the powerful Gardevoir/Gallade. But poor Walley doesn't get much time. The rivals...aren't really characters in Gen 3 and I've never played the Gen 6 remakes. For fuck's sake- they didn't even fully evolve her starter in the original games!

At least the Gym Leader aces do a better job of portraying them. Like Tate and Liza's Double Battle makes them like souped-up versions of the twins you've encountered in the game, their teamwork is shown through their Claydol always having access to Earthquake while their other Pokemon have some way of mitigating its team hitting function. Steven's love of rare stones and minerals is shown through him using the fossil Pokemon and Metagross. Or Winnoa's love of the sky being shown through her cloud-shaped Altaria. And Wallace's love of elegance being echoed in Milotic.

... Let's move on.

Gen 4

Okay, we're getting better.

Specifically, I'm talking about Barry. Specifically, his second to and last fights alongside his general team composition.

In his second to last fight, Barry fights you in Calvacade City, right before the sixth. By this point, most players will have evolved their starter. After all, Byron's team is edging Level 40 and the starter's evolve at Level 36 (Infernape/Empoleon) or 32 (Torterra). This is because Barry hasn't hit his turning point yet, in his loss to Jupiter at Lake Acuity which results in Uxie's capture. This causes Barry to become more serious and focused in his later appearances, as shown by his team battle with the player and his final fight at the Pokemon League having his starter fully evolved.

There's also the fact that Barry's team is actually rather well balanced, better than even Blue's team. As it turns out, Barry's family has a history of being tough trainers as his Dad, Palmer, is a Battle Frontier member. The Battle Tower, in fact. Which is basically the Pokemon location for 'ultra tough battles.'

Of course, there's also Cynthia. Her team is where Game Freak really go out of their way to try and capture the feeling of a 'Pokemon Master'. She begins with Spiritomb, a VERY rare Pokemon that the player likely knows nothing about. She also wields Milotic, a former Champion's ACE; Lucario, another rare Pokemon that you can only get from being gifted an Egg; Togekiss, a Pokemon that involves evolution through friendship and a Gen 4 stone; Roserade, a similar Pokemon to Togekiss through it's evolution line as well as being Gardena's ace and Garchomp, a Pokemon that takes advantage of Gen 4's more varied BST distribution to be a kind of Master of All pseudo-legendary. All of this together showcases Cynthia's power as a Champion- the varied methods of evolution display her wide range, the rarity of her Pokemon show her extensive travels, her use of former aces show her higher rank and her own ace being almost specifically stated to take advantage of every single advantage possible show her sheer strength.

Of smaller note is also Volkner and Flint, friends as shown in game, having similar kinds of teams whose aces are Electrivire/Magmortar, two evolutions of Gen 1 counterparts Electibuzz/Magmar with Gen 2 baby pre-evolutions. And Rorak and Byron's Aces, being Ramphardos and Bastidon, showing them to both be miners and having Byron be a Steel Gym Leader, when Steel is essentially an upgraded version of Rock, to show them being father and son.

Gen 5

Oh this is the good shit.

Gen 5 is famous for the MASSIVE leap in story quality and it really shows. Ignoring the two green elephants in the room for right now, let's start with the rivals.

With Bianca, her story is all about wanting to go out into the world with her childhood friends to live out her dreams, like them. However, she comes to learn that she might not be suited for being a Trainer since even with her strong resistance to her father's demands- she can't really keep up with the other two. And this shows in her battles- Namely that she fights you less frequently than Cheren (five vs. his seven) and with Cheren having better strategies.

Speaking of, Cheren is someone heavily focused on becoming a stronger Trainer and being determined to overcome the Player, which is reflected in his team. He not only fights you more often but his team is at a higher level before the post game than Bianca and he's one of the Trainers in the series to use extensive use of held items. It also demonstrates a knowledge of Pokemon battling than most Trainers in the series, showing why he'd qualify for being a Gym Leader in the sequels.

Then we have perhaps the two who stand as the standards, if not pinnacles for great team symbolism- N and Ghetsis. With N, it's already noted that for each battle he partakes in, he catches nearby Pokemon and uses them for his battles. And it's already said that he does this because he thinks capturing Pokemon is wrong and that humans and Pokemon can't coexist. But the interesting thing comes from his teams in the original games and the sequels.

In the first game, N is unique in that he sends out his ace, Zekrom/Reshiram, first. While on a gameplay level it makes sense as your own dragon will be sent to the first slot, it works on a story level too as N sees this fight as the big, determining battle to see whose side is right with your dragons representing your sides of the conflict. I even think N will always start the fight with the Fusion attack of his dragon, showcasing how you have affected him and his view of Pokemon and humans. You also have his other Pokemon- like how he has Carracosta and Archeops, the fossil Pokemon, and Klinklang and Vanillux, a futuristic Pokemon and a Pokemon inspired by a modern beverage, showcasing Black and White's duality and focus on the past and future while also showing N's deep connection to Pokemon old and new. And finally we have his Zoroark, a Pokemon shown in the opening of the game as a Zoura to have been with him his whole life, likely feeding into his beliefs through its experiences...and how said beliefs were based on lies.

Then we have his sequel teams, themed after each different type of weather for each season (Rain for Spring, Sun for Summer, Sand for Autumn and Hail for Winter)- implying that not only is N such a masterful trainer that he has mastered multiple kinds of teams but also showing that he's unwilling to force himself onto nature and Pokemon, instead working with them to achieve the best they can.

Very much unlike his father, Ghetsis. With him, he starts with the defensive and stalling Cofagrigus which uses Toxic and Protect to slowly whittle away at the player with his Mummy ability representing the way he infected and controlled N; Boffluant with Reckless demonstrating his wild emotions and how he views his Pokemon as expendable; Seismitoad and its sweeping power to demonstrate his threat; Bisharp with Defiant to show his status as the final boss as well as how he truly commands Team Plasma much like how a Bisharp commands Pawniards; Eelktross and it's almost leech like appearence to show how he used N and his Hydrigeon, Gen 5's Pseudo-Legendary and known for its violent disposition to show what Ghetsis is really like.

This gets especially blatant with his sequel team, which is far less effective with his Sesimitoad losing Swift Swim for Poison Touch, losing his Bisharp and Boffulant for Draipon and Toxicroak and finally his Hydriegon losing its Special set for an inferior Physical set (the only upside being a maxed out Frustration. Which...yeah, three guesses why). All to show how far he has fallen, how he has lost his ability to lead by this point, how corroded his mind actually is now and how he's lost his effectiveness.

We even have some interesting symbolism in the Gym Leaders, like with Clay's ace, Excadrill, not only being based on a mining tool but also seems to be perfectly designed to defeat the ore-based Roggnerola line (with Ground/Steel attacks to it's Rock, Mold Breaker to ignore Sturdy and Sand Rush/Sand Force to take advantage of the line's future Sand Stream ability). Things are looking up once aga-

Gen 6

... I need to stop pissing in the face of fate.

So...Gen 6, probably the worst Generation of Pokemon, has next to no interesting Pokemon symbolism. Cool, the dancing rival has Pokemon that use dance moves. ... That's it. Trevor wants to travel Kalos because his parents left him behind but his team is a Raichu, a Aerodyctal and a Florges. Shanua is aimless and has a crush on the player character, gets the type-weak starter and fights you twice. Calem and Serena are the kids of famous Pokemon battlers...but their teams aren't very well put together.

The Gym Leaders have nothing. Best is Wulfric, a bulky guy, uses the iceberg Pokemon Avalugg.

The villain leader Lysander does use a Pyroar in his matches, matching team Flare's colors and showing their obssession with beauty. And Malva also uses a Pyroar to show she was a supporter of Team Flare.

That's it.

.... Moving on.

Gen 7

Getting back on track. Again.

First up is Hau. In the Sun and Moon games, Hau is a very laid back and generally easy going guy who doesn't put much stock into the battles he gets into. While this would normally be seen as a good thing, a few characters call him out for his easy going attitude which ends up affecting his performance in battle. The culminates in his loss in Aether House, hammering home that he cannot continue this path. And so, he works harder to become stronger for the sake of his friends. It's around this time the games visibly have his starter, previous stuck in its middle or 'teen' evolution, grow into it's final stage. There's also quite a bit of Fighting Type hate in his team, from his Pichu knowing Charm and it evolving into a part Psychic type, his Eeveeloution also having Charm and Baby-Doll Eyes as well as having a Noivern on his team. Showing that he's still focused on beating his grandpa, Hala. And yet, he's still proud of his heritage, as shown with his Tauros (commonly found on Melemene island as a Ride Pokemon) and his Crabmomible (the ace of his grandpa).

Things don't end there, since there's also Gladion and his ace, Type: Null. Gladion is a runaway young team having recently lost his dad and basically his mom (since she goes either coocoo from neurotoxins in the original games or goes all Count of Monte Cristo on aliens in the Ultra games). Much like his ace, Gladion is bound and chained by his past, driven to either stop his mother or protect who he has left but can't really take advantage of his strengths because of it too. So instead he's kind of stuck seeking power even when we know he's way in over his head. That is until he meets the player and Hau, whom he learns to trust and put his faith into. And by the end- he's free as his family is safe and he can pursue the life he wants. A story neatly packed into Type: Null's own evolution, going from a rampaging beast bound and restricted to a freed and kinder creature. For bonus points, out of Gladion's other six Pokemon- three of them are friendship evolutions with one being a Lucario, a Pokemon that only follows those who have justice in their hearts.

Oh and you get a nice dose of N with his Zororark imitating his Silvally, showing that his threatening demeanor is just a really complicated version of teen angst and coping.

Speaking of coping- Guzma. A tough looking leader of Team Skull...whose actually a man who grew up abused by his dad before beating him up and running away, took up the Island Challenge and is now a washed up leader of bitter people desperately trying to make something of themselves. And wouldn't you know it- He uses the Bug Type, a type that gets shit on both in universe and out for its weak members and generally being outclassed. This shows Guzma's inner weakness and connection to the weak and discarded Team Skull. They're also some of the more threatening Bug Types, including his rather strong ace Golisopod. This Pokemon in particular represents Guzma, as it begins as a weak and scared Wimpod before evolving after a lot of hard work into the threatening and determined Golisopod. Rather fitting for a man who once jumped into an interdimensional portal to fight aliens and also got involved in the downfall of the Super Interdimensional Gay Mafia. Awesome.

Moving back to the blondes- Lusamine. Said mother who went coocoo over her husbands death. A woman obsessed with the beauty of Pokemon, herself deceptively beautiful for a violent and destructive person. Her team consists of Pokemon commonly considered beautiful or cute...while also being rather strong. Those being- Clefairy, a kind hearted and helpful Pokemon showing her loving nature that is either hidden or wrecked; Lilligant, a Pokemon heavily associated with beauty and grace that requires skillful care to ensure its flower blossoms to show her geniune love for Pokemon; Lopunny, a cautious and active Pokemon that also displays Lusamine's kinder side; Mismagius, an eerie witch-like Pokemon known for its cries harming but sometimes helping others, showing Lusamine's violent mood in the earlier games before being switched with the kinder Lopunny; Milotic...we've already talked about it and Bewear, a giant fluffy Pokemon that loves to give hugs...that smooths and crushes those it hugs due to not understanding its own strength. ... Take a guess as to what this Pokemon represents.

And finally we have Lillie. A girl who starts off scared, indecisive and unable to do anything until events force her to help out or lose everything. WIth the likes of Hop and the player's actions, she's inspired to take a more proactive role in battles...while still not being the best and acting as support. As shown with her team being support based Fairy types. A type that just so happens to be heavily connected to feminine beauty. And her signature Pokemon is a Friend Guard Clefairy. ... Did I mention Lusamine's first Pokemon in all her fights is an offensive Magic Guard Clefable?

Sadly can't say too much about the Kahunas- they aren't really focused on. It's more the Totem Pokemon...and those aren't teams. So...moving on.

Gen 8

Okay, get a snack and a drink. We're going to be here for a while.

Let's try something simple- Marnie. One of the more static trainers, this isn't to say she doesn't have any symbolism on her team. It kind of seems odd for someone like Marnie, who isn't even really aggressive in her rivalry with the player, to be using a Dark type team, since Dark types are known for their underhanded tactics and propensity for malicious behavior. But it does make sense when you see that she hails from Spikemuth, which is the hometown of Team Yell. Said team is, in actuality, her brother's Gym Trainers having gone off to support her. This is shown by her team being made up, while perhaps not fully moral Pokemon, are the more beign Pokemon of their types. Like her Liepard, Morpeko and Grimmsnarl are all more akin to tricksters rather than the malicious Pokemon usually associated with the Dark Type. Even her Poison type is a Toxicroak, a Pokemon known for its toxicity but not for any underhanded tactics. This is also a Pokemon that appears frequently on villain teams, hinting at her connection to Team Yell. Further connecting her to them is Scrafty, a Dark/Fighting type she shares with her brother Piers. Over half her team also has a type ADVANTAGE over Team Yell, indicating how she not only controls them but also takes over for her brother in the end.

Yeah, that was one of the more...easy examples. Bede is a bit more complex. He starts off as your typical example of a 'jackass rival', being smug and condescending to you and your friend Hop. As he seems to be a call back to the likes of Blue, Bede uses the Psychic type, which was infamously overpowered in Gen 1. However, Bede is..not good. His team entirely consists of Psychic, Normal and Fairy attacks which sounds good...until you remember that A. this leaves Bede with no means of answering Steel types which resist Psychic, Normal and Fairy and B. Half his moves use his Pokemon's inferior attacking stats (like Gothorilla used Rock Tomb and Galarian Pontya uses Special moves). These kind of leave him as an ill fitting opponent despite his arrogance. And that weakness to Steel types likely isn't a coincidence- his benefactor is Chairman Rose, a Steel type specialist who helped Bede become a Gym Challenger before revoking his right later. Around this time, the Fairy Gym Leader Opal takes a liking to him and proceeds to drag him off. Next time he appears, he shows up as Opal's apprentice and successor, becoming a Fairy type trainer. From here, we see that he has learned a bit of humility and understanding on where he went wrong. This nicely coinsides with his team having far more diverse type coverage, being fully evolved and even having a coverage move against Steels. Coolest part is that Bede retains half his team, with his formerly pure Psychic Ponyta and Hattrem evolving into Psychic/Fairy Rapidash and Hattrene, which is now able to stand against Rose. Even so, he still cares for him, as shown by his Mawille, a Steel/Fairy Pokemon, being his lead. It's part Steel typing and Intimidate ability summing up Bede before his encounter with Opal and displaying Rose's permanent impact in his life.

And yet they both pale in comparison to your main rival- Hop. Hop is the childhood friend of the player character and brother to the current Champion, Leon. An energetic boy with high hopes for his travels, he starts his adventure with his Wooloo (this game's first Normal type) and the starter weak to yours. SO naturally you beat the crap out of him. Simple as always. .... Except. Hop...doesn't just take it. When you beat him after obtaining your first badge, he briefy bemoans how he's weaker than you before admitting he need sto keep his guard up. And this isn't a one and done deal. He later loses to Bede who proceeds to insult him, telling him that he's dragging his brother's name through the mud. Which he later admits to really affecting him. And so...Hop does something that no other trainer in the series has ever done. He does a near full revamp of his old team. He benches his Wooloo and Corvisquare he had been using up until then for various different Pokemon in not just his next fight but the one after that. And after each loss, Hops becomes more and more despondent. After all, if he can't beat you even after overhauling his team twice then does he really stand a chance of beating his brother? However, upon hearing about the Galar legend about the Darkest Day, Hop resolves himself to stop doubting himself and simply focus on getting better, as shown by him returning his old Pokemon (now fully evolved), including a Pinurchin and adding the Snorlax he had been using before. So alls well that ends well.

Until you beat Hop in the semifinals before proceeding to beat his brother, the so-called unbeatable Champion. The man whom he looked up to. The man he dreamed about beating and surpassing. The man YOU just beat after beating him multiple times. ... Yeah. After the credits roll, you and him are called back to the resting place of the Legendaries where Hop asks to fight you once again. And here's the return of one the Pokemon from his 'doubt' period. And once again, Hop loses to an asshole insulting him (Sorward or Shieldbert) and even run off with the Legendaries' items, causing a huge hit to his confidence. It even makes him question whether or not he can even help you as you try to catch the brothers, even though Hop had done as much in the plot as you had. Even though he kept one of the items the Legendaries used to fight Eternatus. Even though he helped you BEAT Eternatus. Which is far more than can be said of most rivals. But Hop proves himself once more- he helps quell the raging Dynamax Pokemon, helps defend you as you chase after the brothers and even risks his life to go quell one of the Legendaries as it runs wild. All culminating in an honor that no other rival in the series has gotten: Hop catches the opposing Legendary and adds it to his team. Proof that he is just as much a hero as you are.

And he deserved it.

But this section is going on long enough by this point so we really need to move on. Because Hop sets a standard for the next Gen of Pokemon.

Gen 9

We're FINALLY at the last Gen as of this post's making (Gen 9 Teal Mask DLC). And...fuck my arm is tired.

So, let's try to get the Gym Leaders out of the way quick. Because yes- The Gym Leaders all have some kind of symbolism, rivaling their Gen 5 counterparts. Like Katy bemoaning that she's forced to go easy on Trainers is neatly symbolized by her cute ace Teddiursa becoming the fierce and violent Ursaring; Brassius' signature artwork being a stone statue of a Grass Type with his ace being a Tera Grass Sudowoodo, a Rock Type that emulates a tree; Kofu being a seafood chief using a team themed around seafood (including the self fillieting Veneluza); Larry's ordinary profession belying effectiveness shown through his Tera Pokemon sharing it's type with it meaning it gets extra damage; Rhyme being a rap artist connected with the dead through her Tera Ghost Low Key Toxicricity ect. I can't speak too much about them cuz shit's gonna be long.

Let's start with Arven. A boy who isn't much of Trainer, closed off and hostile because of his parent(s?)'s neglect- Arven doesn't really have any Pokemon to speak of at the beginning. He has a Skwot...and that's it. He even admits he just caught the damn thing. But as he travels with the player, slowly opening up to them and becoming friend with them, he catches nearby Pokemon and uses them to fight off the Titans. And he does a pretty damn good job- His Pokemon will always have a type advantage to be advantageous and each are fairly decent Pokemon in their own right (Cloyster, Scovillain, Garganacl and Toedscruel) along with his previously caught Greedent and his old friend Mabosstiff, an intimidating but loving and loyal Pokemon. Much like Arven. And like Mabosstiff, Arven gains friends and allies in his efforts through his adventure with the player.

One of said allies is Penny. An unassuming girl who the player saves from being harrassed by a group of deliquents called Team Star...who ends up being a skilled hacker and also the LEADER of Team Star under the pseudonym of 'Cassiopea'. And Penny's team is...entirely standardized with six Eeveelutions that share the moves Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick-Attack, a STAB move and a single coverage moves. A rather...underwhelming team of Pokemon, especially for the climax of a storyline. ... But that's intentional. Penny maybe the leader of Team Star but, as you could probably guess, no one had ever even SEEN Penny face to face before. While Team Star have formidable Trainers in their upper ranks, Penny never took to the battlefield personally. Penny is not a fighter and her team reflects this. Her Eeveelutions are not specially trained Pokemon- they're effectively pets. This is why they all have low-level moves in their movesets: they're hold overs from when they were Eevees that were never removed because Penny never had a reason for it. In fact, Quick Attack and Baby Doll Eyes arguable work better for a pet (being able to zoom around quickly to release energy and beg for food) than a battler. Hell, her Pokemon all provide some kind of utility and two of which are friendship evolutions- they really ARE pets.

Next we have Nemona, the rival character of the game. Unlike the other rivals, Nemona is in fact a more accomplished trainer than the player at first. In fact, she's so strong that this combined with her obssession lead her to becoming isolated from her peers. And for a peak at her strength: she beat the Top Champion of Paldea while still holding back. And it shows in the contrast between her fights with the player throughout the Victory Road story. She constantly talks about holding back, carefully considering her team to match what you should be at that point. And her teams are, consequently, nothing special. Just some basic level up moves. Right up until the very last fight of the storyline. Nemona, having changed her class from 'Pokemon Trainer' to 'Champion', is not only using a full team but is now packing STAB for each of her Pokemon AND coverage moves to smack your Pokemon hard no matter the matchup. Even with her choosing the starter weak to yours- her team is made up of rare and powerful Pokemon like a Goodra (pseudo-Legendary), Orthworm (a Pokemon previously fought as a TITAN), Lycanrock (a speedy Rock type), Pawimot (a Pokemon with the rare Electric/Fighting type) and a three segment Dundunsparce (a bulk and strong Normal Type that's also a 1/100 evolution, showing her sheer talent). Unless you overlevel your team, Nemona will be knocking out some of your team. As befitting a Champion. Moreso than fucking Geeta...

And if that's not enough, we also have the Professor stand in- Director Clavell. Introduced as the well meaning, attentive, kind and reasonable principal of the Academy, you would be forgiven for thinking that he might just be okay fight. ... He has more strategy to his team than 90% of Trainers in the series. No really.

He starts with an Oragnuru, a Pokemon noted for its intelligence and ability to use tools. FIttingly, it's a support Pokemon that lacks the usual weakness to Ghost types that Psychics have (important as SV is lousy with absurdly strong Ghosts), Oranguru will debilitate your team with Yawn to smack you with Dream Eater, Foul Play any cheeky Physical Attackers and use Reflect to shore up his team's Physical weakness. He then uses an Abomasnow, which sets up snow to further boost its defense. He then uses it to smack your team hard with STAB, perfect accuracy Blizzards, Wood Hammers and priority Ice Shard. And you want to kill it quick because it setting up snow means it can use Auorua Veil, effectively Reflect AND Light Screen in one. Which is bad because his next Pokemon is a Shell Smash using Poltigeust that spams Shadow Ball for STAB and Sucker Punch to punish priority and revenge killers. And it ALSO has Will-O-Wisp to weaken Physical attackers, which is bad because one of his next two Pokemon can be a Hex-spamming Amoongus which also has the lovely combination of Toxic and Spore to fuck with your team. And it has Giga Drain for recovery. Literally the only thing separating this Pokemon from its competitive counterpart is lacking Regenerator and Leftovers. He can also have a Gyardos, an almost evergreen Water type with a ton of coverage. Telling that his easiest Pokemon is a possible Houndoom. Oh and he uses the starter not picked in the beginning. The one strongest against you.

Really goes to show that Clavell really did earn his spot as the Director.

And if this was just about the base game, I could end it here. But even with all this and more- this wasn't what inspired me to make this post.

No, that would be the Teal Mask DLC and its two key players- Carmine and Kieran.

Starting with Carmine, a basic overview of her story here- she's a dickhead who has a more caring side but is basically covered by her being utterly awful at expressing herself and not being the best sister. She doesn't like outsiders due to people treating her hometown of Kitakami as a tourist trap but grows more open as she befriends the player. Why am I saying all this?

Because her team is a perfect representation of this.

She will always start her fights with a Poocheyna that evolves into Mightynea. A threatening Dark type that excels in pack tactics and is known to follow strong Trainers. Showcasing that despite Carmine's dickish attitude- she's most certainly a skilled trainer while also demonstrating how she bosses around her little brother.

Next is her Morpeko. An Electric/Dark type that wildly switches mood based on hunger, from friendly to aggressive. This duality is a summation of Carmine's character- how she switches from arrogant and standoffish to kinder and sweeter.

Then comes her Swadloon that evolves into Leavanny, a kind and nuturing Pokemon known for taking care of small Pokemon by weaving clothes for them. This showcases Carmine's real feelings for Kieran as despite acting like a bully towards Kieran- she geniunely loves and treasures him. Hell, the Pokedex in Scarlet even deviates a bit from its usual depiction of Leavanny to mention its protective instincts, similar to Carmine's own protectiveness.

Next comes her Ninetails, a Pokemon based off a kitsune and known for its mystical power but vengeful nature. A rather apt summation of how Carmine usually acts- a strong trainer but very easy to set off.

Finally comes her Poltchageist that evolves into Sinistcha- a Pokemon exclusive to her hometown of Kitakami, a Grass/Ghost type that tries to trick people into drinking it in order to drain them of their lifeforce...but failing most of the time. Whereas Morpeko is an overview of Carmine and Ninetails is the usual side of her, Sinistcha is what Carmine really is at the end of the day- a harmless fool. While she can burn people much like her Sinistcha can through its signature move and Scald, she means no ill will and can't do much to hurt anyone. And she can help as much as she can harm, just like how Sinistcha can aid others through its ability, Hospitality.

And what makes this interesting is the effectiveness of the team. As her Mightyena has one of the most useful lead abilities in Pokemon along with Howl to boost it's Sucker Punch and Play Rough; her Morpeko taking advantage of Aura Wheel's Speed boost through a held Focus Slash; Leavanny being a setup sweep through Swords Dance and Fell Stinger; Ninetails supporting the team through Disable and Will-o-Wisp and Sinistcha negating Grass' Fire Weakness through a Berry- it communicates that Carmine is an effective trainer. Fitting as her school is said to be specifically focused on Poke Battles.

But even this pales in comparison to her brother, Kieran. A shy boy who starts out looking up to and befriending the player character, neatly shown through his first two fights being simple 2-3 Pokemon fights. And as the story progresses, we learn a bit about him. That he expresses an admiration for the ogre in the village myth, having defeated three strong Pokemon by itself. He admires that strength and the seeming independence it has, since he himself wants to be strong and relied on due to his sister's unwitting damage to his ego through taking over his tasks. He even comes across having a crush on the player character to add to his likeability.

Then you meet the mascot of the Teal Mask DLC and the ogre from the legend, Ogerpon. Through a series of events involving Carmine making you swear not to tell Kieran about this to preserve his feelings and Kieran evasdropping- he learns that we met Ogerpon and we unknowingly keep lying to him. Which, considering we met the Pokemon he had been admiring for so long and being his first friend...he takes it hard. Things spiral out of control as his mental state burrows down, with him lashing out at the player character and Carmine for percieved injustices, eventually resulting in Kieran challenging the player for the right to be Ogerpon's partner...even though she had already chosen the player character. Even Kieran admits this is selfish but still pushes for it.

It's around this time that his team starts changing for real. Before his team consisted of a Yanma, Furret and Poliwhirl; all with unremarkable moves. Now his Yanma is a dedicated Special Attacker, his Furret is a setup Pokemon using a breeding move to clean hazards and get a Dragon Dance boost; his Poliwhirl evolves into Poliwrath with Haze to clear boosts and he adds a Applin evolution, Dipplin, based off of the candy apples he likes. His next battle has him shelve the Furret for a Cramorant, he adds a Gilgar to his team and his Yanma has evolved into a Tinted Lens Yanmega. ANd then there's his final team.

A Shiftry with a Focus Sash and the new Wind Rider ability with tailwind to boost Speed and Attack at once; the afromentioned Tinted Tens Yanmega so resistances are less effective than ever; Dipplin for more speed control and Leftovers for recovery; Probopass with Sturdy and pinch berry to become a cannon of a Special Attacker; Poliwhirl is now a Belly Drum-Sitrus Berry user to be a massive sweeper and now a fucking Yache Berry holding Gliscor. ... This is one of the most well put together teams in Pokemon history. Which, again, makes sense since Kieran is ALSO a student at Carmine's school. And not only that- he is actively trying to prove himself worthy of Ogerpon. He will obviously put out ALL the stops to beat you.

And the symbolism isn't just limited to movesets. Each Pokemon have...eerie undertones. Yanma, despite its looks, is a rather big Bug Type known for moving very fast and keeping a close eye on prey with Yanmega capable of crippling foes with its wingbeats and BITING the heads off prey. Shiftry can level houses and its Violet entry posits that it's based off a bird Pokemon that recieved divine punishment. Both representing Kierian's radical change. Poliwhirl goes from a dopy sleep inducing Pokemon to powerful swimmer, reflecting his desire for strength. Probopass manipulates the little mini-units to catch prey and Gliscor is a terrifyingly effective predator, reflecting Kierian's sheer hostility by this point. And Dipplin, the last remainder of the child-like innocence his team once had after Furret gets benched? Its apple is hollowed out and filled with two dragons, unlike Flapple and Appletun who coexist with the apple. Much like how Kieran's childlike demeanor has been hollowed out into a shell.

And just like how Kieran's story isn't done with the Teal Mask- datamines and experimentation with Eviolite has revealed Dipplin will be getting an evolution in the Indigo Disk.

Conclusion

You would think a series that has a core gameplay mechanic like Evolution, basically the symbolic progression from childhood to adulthood, would use these aspects for characterization more. But the history of this is rather bumpy, since the games have prioritized gameplay over story for so long. But good god damn, I would say that Pokemon beats out its contemporary in SMT for using its Mons cast for symbolism when it does.

I mean, you don't write an essay of THIS length over nothing. And I would like to remind people- I glossed over a few things. As in depth as this is: it's not all encompassing.

So I do think Game Freak deserves credit for this.

[ackermental]

Chani was given Irulan's personality and now she's the one who can't decide if she wants to fuck or kill Paul.

Character development. Sure.

She's reached so far inside her inner american gen z girlboss, that she's literally the only person on an entire fucking planet, who is resilient to her culture and religion. She's just magically like that. She was reading anti Bene Gesserit press when she was a little girl, and she knows about plans, that even Emperor himself didn't know until it was too late.

Polygamy also suddenly doesn't exist, so Chani, like any modern tiktok influencer, is not on board with Paul having a wife, even tho Chani originally understood the concept very well. Because Fremen understood it very well. Because Paul was given a fucking wife in the books.

And people are wondering why most viewers are already on Irulan ship? Maybe because she's acting like Chani in the books? Because she actually fits in the story frames, and Chani is so far removed from the plot, that there was literally no other logical conclusion than for her to fuck off?

She leaves the narrative because she shouldn't even exist in this shape or form. Don't give me bullshit about giving her more agency as a character. She's an actual writing abomination.

Tho I have to say, that I love how by the end of the movie everybody is looking at her like she's breathed in too much spice. Or they are straight out ignoring her.

"what's wrong with chani?"

"never mind, must be a heat stroke"

[spotsupstuff]

hi

you've mentioned that sparrows would have reincarnated as a slugcat?

would you mind elaborating on that?

also would they have met caper again after becoming all scuggy?

heehee

hoohoo hee :)c of course i'll elaborate! it is Her ✨ Fish's little best animal friend

wonderfully enough, Sparrows and the Tinkerer were developed completely removed from each other in my head, so Tinkerer still feels like a rather separate character from Sparrows even though they somehow wound up havin a lot of similiarities. exactly how the reincarnation stuff should feel like

the Tinkerer is Sparrows! and no character in-universe will ever find out. it isn't important. nobody but Tinkerer is affected by this, and Tinktink doesn't really have the means to speak about it. but for us behind the screens that know about this it will make Tinktink's interactions with the world just a lil bit more juicy

you've sent this at a good time, too! the day ur question came in i was actually pondering how to somehow make use of this reincarnation fact and not just let it float about as a lil bonus for the people that would know about this lil tiny ultimately unimportant connection

so, the idea: as we (probably) all know, Euros is going to end up developing the Rot. this is distressing for a large amount of reasons, but the main point rn is that Euros is also a secret archive of folklore of the lower circles in the Eo group, plus maybe even a little bit over the range's borders to the east (after all, there's two more groups right next door to him n he's a phone operator chief). Euros is going to die a slow painful death and he won't be able to care for or save his collection of knowledge, which somehow manages to hurt him more than the reality of his impending doom

maybe not so surprising, considering that in his archive are the stories, the history, the spirit of his late lover's home- a place he clung to for as long as he could, the one he spent the most time in with his overseers, the one that held people he constantly wished could be his citizens instead of the vile and fake *things* soiling the streets of Ales

so one day after the Fish has properly reconnected to the Eo group, is caught up on current events and trying his *damnest* to revive Mission Self-preservation even though it is guaranteed to be useless, Euros mentions the nightmare that he's living through

"I'm a dead man walking, carrying precious treasures of people that were never heard crying out. I've held them close and safely within myself for over two thousand years. And now, when I'm fated to rot through and splatter on the ground, I fear all this time will be for nought. That I will kill what I've been protecting for so long."

"Even if nobody ever reads these- learns of them, hears them out from above their graves- I can't bear the thought of losing them."

and well Fish DOES have a lot of beef with Euros, but at this point this bitterness is starting to give away to desperation and horror of the terrible torment waiting for them in the future. he might be stubbornly still trying with the Mission, but he would go against what makes him himself if he didn't acknowledge that they are all damned for good no matter what he tries. so he gives in to the pity and hails Tinkerer to his chamber

he explains to her what he needs her to do and tells Euros about the plan. Tinktink has to travel all of this distance

to get to Euros (basically walk through the whole Europe), but dammit, she helped one Iterator that became her closest friend, she will help another one (a different Gen 2 that she loved and dedicated her whole life to in a different life)

Fish sends her on her way with a hug and a plead to keep herself safe

it takes her over a month to get there even with the help of vehicles like the barely working trains and a remshackle sky-sail that Fish guided her through fixing in their free time together. when she gets on top of Euros' structure, the dejavus start to hit. she visits the Mechanics' home, her feet carrying her to the bedroom as if it was just another end of the workshift. she looks in the cupboards she- opened millions of times- never even touched. she walks outside and then down the path to the entrance into the Iterator she's- taken countless times- never set a foot on

she saw these halls so many times she can pin point where every screw is- she's never been here, she can't understand these giant beings, they are too complex for her animal brain. that specific rhythm of beeps and pumps and water rushing through metal veins has haunted- comforted- her in many of her dreams. the Tinkerer makes it to the chamber almost like on an auto-pilot

when she enters the chamber, the slugcat finds itself disappointed, scared, confused- this isn't what this place is supposed to look like (but how does she know what it is supposed to look like-?), this isn't how she left it (this is the first time she stands here, what are these thoughts). it's supposed to be brighter. warmer. why is the puppet's plating and skin damaged by time, where is it its vibrancy, why are its eyes so tired? there are panels missing from the walls ("it's got to be the results of that Fever i once made a proj- i can fix thi-! what?"), glowing artificial bronze robins fly about or sleeping on his shoulders, tiny Rot cysts pulsate from the cracks in the umbilical arm. where has the firebird in that halo gone off to?

Euros greets her joyfully ("oh what are you trying to play at, you goof. i've known you for so long, i can tell when something's wrong. what's hurting? why are you tired? i'll get you back into shape, doncha worry love.")

"Ah, you made it! Welcome to my chamber, adroit little thing."

"Please. Your journey was a long one. I hold no doubt a very dangerous one, too. I won't march you into the job immediately. Rest up."

Tinkerer thinks he's strange. but her legs are indeed hurting, the bag strapped to her is heavy. she curls up in the corner of the room and tries to get some shut eye. she almost falls asleep when Euros starts mumbling under his breath, shooting nervous glances towards the birds. five fingered hands tremble so badly the joints rattle like a child's toy. he's scary, when his shoulders hunch up like that and those tired eyes turn frantic. but it hurts so much to see him like that for some reason, more so than it is scary. so against the better judgement of a survivor, she softly coos at him

the puppet's head snaps to her, gaze cold. the mumbles increase in volume, allowing her to understand

"...I'll tell you what. I have another mission for you, little messenger. But it has to stay a secret between the two of us. Nobody would approve, especially not the one you belong to now."

something whispers that the puppet closing in is supposed to be a comfort. the larger part of the Tinkerer instead finds itself wishing to run away

"Are you aware of the Memory Crypts that lie beneath all of us City Bearers?"

cautious nod, back pressed against the wall

"Good."

[solarballs-confessions]

Maybe I've said this before here? I mean. I've definitely ranted to others about this, but I am so frequently angry about this that I shall complain again.

(If I have, just delete this)

I hate how Alvaro (+ some parts of the fandom) insist on labelling Solarballs, Mr. Spherical, etc. content as "polandball/planetball"

It is nothing like that.

Most obvious thing is THE ART. THE MOUTHS! WHY ARE THERE MOUTHS IF THIS SUPPOSED TO BE A POLANDBALL DERIVATIVE THING. That is rule 1 of polandball! NEVER add mouths! And yes, that matters! The point of PB is to look shitty and simple! It is also to show homage to the OG comic! Adding mouths to a PB character is a surefire way to go to the PILLARY OF NO-GOS.

Eyebrows, and hands too. "But expressions!" just stretch the character up and make the dialogue so good that you don't even need to pay attention to that. Some PB artists (see: wildeofoscar) like to stay to a derpy look and let the text alone show the mood. And it works mighty fine, might I add! "But hands are needed for this!" There's the handipoles specifically for that. In r/polandball, handipoles were invented by a user specifically to circumvent the rules in a funny way.

But that's not all! It's how they speak! How they act!

rPolandball? The characters speak in bad english. None of the characters are taken seriously. (Save for the depression month comics). The leaders aren't shown.

Mr. Spherical? They speak in perfect english aside from poland... WHO IS RIGHT SIDE UP, AND DOESN'T EVEN SPEAK IN "CANNOT INTO OFINGS" ENGRISH. They give the vibes of taken seriously, but the story forces them to be not taken seriously, which ends up awkward as hell.

You might be seeing this and going "does art really matter? And for the space medias, do planets even have stereotypes?"

I'll start with the art: Yes. It matters. The rPB art rules make sure the comics never stray from the original spirit of PB. When I saw art from people who break the rules, I also saw that their "jokes" were too safe and afraid of being offensive, a lot of stereotypical behaviour of the actual country and their peoples were ignored/changed to fit the OP's politics. (Either SJW, or actual nazism.)

For the space media: Yes and no. Venus has almost always been portrayed as feminine in most celestial-anthro media, but sometimes she is portrayed masculine. I can also accept that personalities don't matter much.

But something about SB. Even if you took the whole series and made it obey the rules, I'd still refrain from putting it under the polandball & derivative umbrella. It does not have the same charm, the same spirit of polandball & derivatives. It has charm. It has spirit. But it's nothing like polandball.

Even looking at the official pillary of no-gos, I can still accept some of it as polandball. Because it has the same spirit.

I blame it on the buzzwordation of polandball. Before, "countryballs", "planetball", etc. refered to things like r/Polandball.

But the gen alpha SJWs, who didn't have hetalia, who didn't have countryhumans, nor even SATW, came to hunt for a new target. And polandball was that target. They removed the spirit of it and reduced it to just another one of their "country anthropomorphism medias". So now, petit bourgeois like Alvaro market to the gen Alphas by invading our words.

I can somewhat agree with calling Mr. Spherical "countryballs" and keeping the OG polandball as "polandball". But as for solarballs, it has essentially become an invasive species for "planetball". Nothing wrong with Solarballs, if I didn't like the series I wouldn't watch it, but I wish it would accept that it is it's own brand and not a polandball-derivative.

-Emoji Hater Anon

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[sophieinwonderland]

Hello, I follow your blog for a long time and thought that I was schizogenic, but now I know that I’m protogenic and metagenic. When I was doing research about precognitive memories because we have a lot, some sites suggested that people with DID have more dreams of future compared to neurotypicals, but I didn’t know about DID in that time and was more focused on my schizophrenia self diagnosis, my doubt is, is that true? I’m curious to know if there’s correlation between plural people and dejavu or precognition.

Please don’t ignore it, it’s very important /gen

- the telepathic pair system host!

Full disclosure: I personally don't believe in spirits or visions of the future as actual things.

Even fuller disclosure: Having said that, my host's mom has described multiple precognitive dreams she's had in the past. And her mom allegedly did as well, IIRC.

Why does this matter? Well, my host's mom, as a child, had sentient "invisible friends" as she calls them until the age of 16. These were, from stories we've heard, fully autonomous. I would personally consider them tulpas.

And her mom? She reportedly had been hospitalized for DID in her youth.

So anecdotally, I could see reason to believe this might be the case.

Unfortunately, anecdotes are really all we have. I'm not aware of any studies into this. There are just no statistics.

But if there were, there could be other variables to consider besides thinking it's a special ability system have. For example, maybe plurals simply have an easier time remembering their dreams.

You might have about 1500 dreams in a year, but you'll only remember a fraction of those dreams. If a system can remember more dreams than singlets, then they would also remember more precognitive dreams if we assume both have the same amounts.

Or removing the idea of actual precognitive dreams from the equation, maybe systems just would be more likely to interpret dreams as precognitive for one reason or another.

As for Deja Vu, this connection may be likely. The only link I know of is indirect. This would be "Absorption." Studies have shown that Tulpamancers perform high on the Tellegen Absorption scale, which itself is highly associated with dissociation. Deja Vu is also associated with absorption, so it stands to reason that systems might be more likely to experience Deja Vu.

It's a stretch and absolutely none of this is concrete. But it could at least lay the groundwork for a solid hypothesis to test.

[jewishbarbies]

omg I am so fucking stupid… today I learnt that Mark Zuckerberg is Jewish. So all the jokes about him being a lizard are antisemitic jokes omggggggg I’m so fucking dumb. I didn’t realise any of that like at all. Like I’d see those jokes all over reddit and stuff and think it would be because maybe he looks insanely socially awkward (which didn’t make sense to me but I was trying to understand the joke) but it’s because he’s a Jewish man!

Coz like when I was 11 my English teacher played a conspiracy theory video about him and the royal family being shapeshifting lizards (she was very into conspiracy theories) and I was so fucking confused then as well!!!

the lizard people thing is so deep into pop culture now that I don’t think it can actually get removed, and I don’t blame people for not knowing. whenever someone tries to point out how bad it is, they get harassed and nearly bullied off the internet, because apparently gen z thinks being antisemitic for fun is actually fun and cool.