#powerful but low accuracy.. ha ha..

[mango-fizz]

ok so curly and daisuke are octolings and everyone else is inklings and at first i thought of this because the mouthwash is like kinda the same color as the sanitization but then i thought it makes More sense if they worked for grizzco and curly drives the helicopter and sir poops-a-lot uses the brella bc something about deflecting idk (even tho the grizzco brella doesnt have the shield) swansea uses the grizzco blaster cause hes a badass and anya uses the charger and daisuke uses uuuuuuuuuhhhhhh uhhhhhhhh uhhhhhhhh roller

[goldensunset]

in my mind i like creating not only fakemons but also like fake moves/abilities/stat spreads. i especially have fun thinking about what i would give characters if they were pokémon. like it’s normal to imagine your oc as a dnd character obviously or something else from a game like that but me i’m out here pokémonifying people. the thing is i’m always like ohhh is this too overpowered would this entirely hypothetical fake thing that will never be real break the meta. then i remind myself how bad gen 9 power creep is and i feel better. it could be real someday

[reasonsforhope]

Article

"Every year, over 350,000 women die from cervical cancer and another 660,000 are diagnosed. [Note: Plus trans men and other trans people with a cervix.] As a consequence, children are orphaned, families impoverished and communities diminished by the loss of mothers, wives, daughters and sisters. 

And yet, unlike most other cancers, almost all these cases and deaths can be averted. We have powerful vaccines that can prevent infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervical cancer; we have diagnostics to detect it early; and we have treatments for those it strikes. With these tools, cervical cancer can not only be stopped; it could become the first cancer to be eliminated. Some high-income countries are already close to elimination, meaning fewer than four cases per 100,000 women.

But in many low- and middle-income countries, these tools are still not available, which is why 94% of cervical cancer deaths occur in those countries. 

In 2018, WHO launched a global call to action to eliminate cervical cancer, which was followed in 2020 by the adoption by all 194 WHO Member States of a Global Strategy to Accelerate the Elimination of Cervical Cancer as a Public Health Problem. The strategy calls for countries to achieve three targets by 2030: 90% of girls fully immunised against HPV; 70% of women receiving timely screening; and 90% of those found with precancer or cancer accessing treatment.

These targets are not just aspirational, they are achievable, even in low- and middle-income countries.  Bhutan has already reached the targets, the first to do so in the South-East Asia region. 

Since introducing the HPV vaccine in 2011, Rwanda has reached vaccine coverage of 90%, and today announced its national goal to reach the 90-70-90 targets three years ahead of schedule, by 2027. Already, in two districts – Gicumbi and Karongi – Rwanda is meeting those goals. Nigeria, which introduced the HPV vaccine in October last year [2023], has already vaccinated 12.3 million girls.  

We have the tools and the opportunity to eliminate cervical cancer. 

Since WHO issued the global call to action in 2018, more than 60 countries have introduced the HPV vaccine into their immunisation programmes, bringing the total to 144 countries that are routinely protecting girls from cervical cancer in later life. With scientific advances, we can now prevent cervical cancer with just a single dose, which 60 countries are now doing.  

The largest provider of HPV vaccines to low- and middle-income countries is Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which plans to vaccinate 120 million children between now and 2030. But this plan requires that investments in health are sustained. We are also counting on manufacturers to confirm and honour their commitments to provide HPV vaccines to low- and middle-income countries in the coming years, to avoid the supply constraints that held back progress in the past.

But we cannot rely on vaccines alone. The impact of the rapid scale-up in vaccinating girls now will not be seen for decades, when they reach the adult years when cervical cancer typically appears. To save lives now, we must match the increase  in vaccination with increases in screening and treatment. 

Decades ago, as more women gained access to pap smears in developed countries, the mortality associated with cervical cancer dropped rapidly. Today, even better tests are available. Over 60 countries now include high-performance HPV tests as part of their screening programs. Women can even collect their own samples for HPV testing, removing more barriers to life-saving services. In Australia – which is on track to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve elimination – more than a quarter of all screening tests are now done this way...

Several countries are also investigating the use of artificial intelligence to enhance the accuracy of screening in resource-limited settings. When women are found with precancerous lesions, many are now treated with portable battery-powered devices, which can be operated in remote locations."

-via The Telegraph, November 18, 2024. Article written by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO).

[deminetly]

୨DR IDEAS୧

+storylines

……………………………………………………………

⋆ 70s summer camp you're a rebellious camp counselor at a lakeside retreat, caught between summer flings, late night campfire secrets and solving the mystery of a local urban legend

⋆ costume designer for a magical theatre as a costume designer for a mystical theatre, all of your creations literally come to life, weaving spells into the performances

⋆ mermaid you're a mermaid who can walk on land, living a double life as you try to protect the ocean while falling for someone who has no idea who you truly are

⋆ sailor one night, you and your friends take your dads boat without his permission, sailing the sea he always warned you about. you stumble upon a mysterious cave, its whispers inviting you inside. hesitant but swayed by your friends, you enter only to discover that magic is real and meet the local mermaids

⋆ magic school you enroll at a prestigious magic academy, only to discover you're the last descendant of a powerful, forgotten bloodline

⋆ cupid you bring people together, but one day you accidentally strike yourself and find yourself in an impossible romance

⋆ magical kingdom you and your friends were wondering through a mysterious forest when you stumbled upon a set of train tracks. they seemed to call to you, urging you to follow. as you did, the tracks led you to a magical kingdom, a place brimming with mythical creatures and endless joy

⋆ spy youre an undercover spy, assigned to follow a mysterious man who seems impossible to crack. however, as you grow closer, his charm wins you over, forcing you to choose between love and duty

⋆ 90s garage band as a member of a smalltown 90s band, you and your friends navigate the highs and lows of local fame, all while chasing a once in a lifetime opportunity that could change everything

⋆ filmmaker you are an indie filmmaker whose movies start predicting real life events with eerie accuracy. as your films gain more attention, you begin to wonder if you're uncovering truths or shaping them

⋆ royalty youre a princess in a whimsical kingdom with a unicorn as her best friend exploring the endless mysteries and places

⋆ small town flowershop owner a man keeps visiting and buying you flowers, bringing you gifts

⋆ dream curator finding yourself falling for someone youre tasked with crafting dreams for, breaking all the rules as you begin appearing in their dreams

⋆ actress you get a random role in a film, not thinking anything of it until you slowly start to realize the movie seems oddly similar to your own life

⋆ friends with the moon you have admired the moon all your life, one lonely night you hear her answering all of your calls (she gives amazing advice)

⋆ vanlife you and your s/o ran away and are now living in the countryside in your van, travelling around the country

⋆ small town mystery you move to a small town where everyone knows everyone but suddenly some strange things begin happening and you decide to solve the mystery

⋆ magical summercamp you and your best friend go to a summercamp to relax but end up discovering a magical world with all kinds of mythical creatures behind a magical bookshelf/lake

⋆ fairy dr living in a small community of fairies where your soul purpuse is just to enjoy life, find cool trinkets and explore the beautiful places nature has to offer

⋆ royalty dr where you arent royalty, instead you work for them and fall in love with the prince

⋆ cafe where customers come and trust you with all kinds of interesting stories about their lives (you can script that your comfort characters visit it too)

⋆ christmas youre an elf, helping santa create presents, think of new toys, it always feels like christmas used to, you eat gingerbreads all day

⋆ treasure hunter you and your friends found out about an ancient treasure and are now going for an adventure looking for it

[theboost]

Leverage Superpower AU by ME (and Fern)

Nate: Psychometry. He can psychically read information about objects’ history just by touching them. People assume this helped him in insurance investigation but he actually still had to do all the legwork of research and interviews to FIND the object and reading it really only confirmed his theories. VERY useful in determining if an object is a forgery though. He CANNOT read people but he will often lie and say he can.

Sophie: Probability Manipulation. She can give other people minor bad luck, e.g. tripping on their shoelaces, weird stain on their shirt. She mostly uses this as a psychological manipulation tactic to put people on the emotional low ground when she meets them. Much like her acting, if she tries to use it when not on a con, it backfires on her.

Eliot: Enhanced Senses. This helps with things like tracking and accuracy but doesn’t necessarily add to his fighting ability, and actually makes the hits feel much worse than they are. This also means that when he says something is very distinctive he REALLY means it. Also his super refined palate is because his enhanced sense of taste means he truly can’t stomach bad food.

Parker: Size Manipulation. She can grow or shrink but only by about 4 inches because she doesn’t really like to use it or practice. By the end of the show she’s gained mastery over her powers but instead of being able to change by a larger amount she can localize the effects, e.g. make her arm really long, shrink her head. She uses this almost exclusively for absurdist bits.

Hardison: Mental Computation. Google Sage X-Men and look at her powers. Essentially his brain acts like a computer, giving him a photographic memory, the ability to multitask, and he can perform any task after getting a single lesson in it. It’s VERY him. Note that this is NOT technopathy so he can’t speak to computers, his brain just functions in a similar way. Age of the geek baby.

Breanna: Self Duplication. She can create 2-4 copies of herself that she refers to as “her bots”. They act as an her engineering team, her social media team, and prank team. The more copies she makes, the more spread out her attention is and the less complex tasks she can do. She also lies at the beginning and tries to convince Harry that she has mind control powers

Harry: Power Immunity. Other people’s powers, like telepathy or Sophie’s bad luck, do not affect him. It is a power that would allow him to live a totally normal life if he did not surround himself with the super powered and made him a very good evil lawyer. Despite this, when people try to make him do things with their powers he often just. Does it anyway. Hence why Breanna pranks him by pretending to have mind control powers.

[serpentface]

Retconned Wardi firearms- a basic handgun, a highly decorative ceremonial handgun (belonging to Faiza), and a lance-gun.

Gun tech has officially been nerfed down to hand cannons (press F) (this has been a long time coming but I'd been fallacy of sunk costs-ing myself out of retconning).

Handguns are held similarly to a shotgun, with the butt pressed into the user's shoulder, one hand gripping under the barrel, and the other free to ignite the gunpowder. These represent the most advanced firearms in contemporary usage, both in make and in their use of uniform iron projectiles built to match the gun's bore for greater range and efficiency. Lance-guns are the more basal form, usually larger and mounted with the pole held over the shoulder, and are most effectively used by two people (one to hold and aim, one to light the gunpowder).

The spread of firearms is currently mostly limited to the Eastern Inner Seaway peoples (with some additional distribution via overland trade), and actual manufacture of hand cannons and gunpowder at Significant scale is limited to the region's core powers.

The reason for this limited spread is partially due to specific elements of the technology's history. Gunpowder was first synthesized by Burri alchemists and considered to be the discovery of the legendary divine weapon + solar fire of the deity Inanariya, and its formula (along with techniques for ideally refining its components) remained a closely guarded state secret. It was used predominantly in priestly contexts to generate flame and explosive sounds (in conjunction with earlier practices of generating multicolored flames with use of other chemicals), then integrated into combustible weaponry in the forms of fire lances, which would eventually develop into early handcannons.

The treatment of gunpowder as a guarded sacred or semi-sacred substance continued with Wardi adoption, where knowledge of its making is considered a closed rite. It's name (inya tsatsul or just tsatsul, a derived adoption of the Burri iñazatsūya) still reflects a divine solar association (the Burri word means 'sun's thunder', the Wardi 'inya' invokes the sun, 'tsatsul' is an adapted loanword and has no meaning independent of the substance itself), though its priestly use is now predominantly associated with the firearm'ed Odonii (rather than priests of the solar Face Inyamache). The composition of gunpowder can no longer be regarded as a Secret by any means, though efforts to obscure the methods of its creation are still moderately successful and has kept knowledge of gunpowder manufacture more limited than the total sphere of firearm usage itself.

The actual strongest limiting factor of firearm usage is the rarity of natural saltpeter deposits necessary for making gunpowder. The practice of actively producing saltpeter via nitraries has not been developed anywhere in the setting, and all is instead obtained via natural sources. These sources are rare and limited within the current spread of firearm technology, and result in gunpowder being a limited and expensive substance to produce. The weapons themselves are also very expensive to manufacture (a good quality steel SWORD is far too material-cost prohibitive for most people to own), particularly high quality firearms designed for use with standardized ammunition.

These guns are also very basal, and logistical difficulties in their use (weight, very slow loading and firing speed, high visibility, Relatively low reach and accuracy) along with the restrictive cost of production has kept firearms far from rendering conventional weaponry, armor, and projectiles obsolete (even within the societies that have access to them). They are still, however, very devastating in use within their contemporary context, particularly in that high quality guns have a longer range than the best arrow-based projectiles, and utterly negate most contemporary forms of armor at close range.

[monosanimegenericzone]

Hunter x Hunter: Assorted Troupe Speculation pt 2

i have more (this was supposed to go out *checks watch* a month ago)

Table of Contents

how many principles of nen have they mastered/how proficient are they at using nen

singing voice

opinion on frogs

aura levels

knows what an optometrist is

favorite egg style

big ass post below. lots of yap. the spiders are VERY GORGEOUS TO MEEEEE.

NEN MASTERY [helper image from reddit for techniques i will reference]

Chrollo: Proficient in all, exceeds expectations with: Gyo, In, Ken and Ryu.

Nobunaga: Master in all. I fully believe this man is a nen war machine but unfortunately has limited options being an enhancer.

Feitan: Proficient in combat techniques. exceeds expectations with: Gyo, Ko, Shu and Ken. Developing En but not quite there.

Machi: Nearly a master in all except En.

Phinks: Proficient in most. Master in Ko, Ken and Ryu. Struggles with En, In and Shu.

Shalnark: Practiced in all. Doesn't really need to use In and would struggle to learn Ko, Ken and Ryu because they are outside of his nen class. Focused more on Hatsu

Franklin: Proficient in all. Struggles with En and Shu. and tangent but- imagine franklin using In to snipe someone. invisible bullets. hear me the fuck out.

Shizuku: Practiced in all. I choose to believe she's pretty new to Nen and she's worked on her hatsu more than advanced techniques. But, exceeds expectations in Shu, Gyo and Ko.

Pakunoda: Proficient in most. struggles with En and Ken

Bonolenov: Proficient in all. Well rounded but focused more on his Hatsu and his advanced techniques are present but not polished.

Uvogin: Proficient in most. Struggles with En and Shu.

Kortopi: Proficient in En, Ko, Gyo and Ken. Struggles with/never attempted In, Ren and Shu.

SINGING VOICE/RANGE (Using Choir terms [its been a while be gentle])

Chrollo: Alto/Tenor. Can consistently hit notes as long as they are in his range (has a very high range). Very silky voice but cannot do long runs

Nobunaga: Baritone. Very small range and has more of a traditional japanese style of switching notes (the long delay between note jumps and dramatized vibrato).

Feitan: no. even if he could his raspy ass voice would die after one song. that being said he can hum a mean cover. Somehow has perfect pitch

Machi: no. refuses to sing (shes a soprano with a lower range)

Phinks: Baritone. Will usually just scream. if he hits the notes with his chest it actually sounds sexy as hell

Shalnark: Soprano/Tenor. Extremely high range and proud of it.

Franklin: Baritone. He's got the low husky drawl and its so mmmmmmmmmmmm. he doesn't usually sing and when he does he doesn't use a lot of energy. if he can't hit a note he won't even try.

Shizuku: no. Soprano but has no idea what pitch is.

Pakunoda: Alto. Has a lovely singing voice, though usually sings with her head and never goes above a certain volume.

Bonolenov: Alto. Not a stereotypically good singer but can sing the songs of his heritage with amazing range and accuracy.

Uvogin: uh. Metal screaming or full chest singing. there is no in between. has a surprisingly big range just because someone (shalnark) made fun of him for not being able to hit high notes.

Kortopi: no. i honestly don't know what his range is bcs he's whispering or muttering all the time. SING. PLEASE. ANYTHING.

OPINION ON FROGS

Chrollo: neutral. they chill he's chill

Nobunaga: EW

Feitan: snack

Machi: neutral

Phinks: neutral

Shalnark: loves those freaky lil guys

Franklin: neutral

Shizuku: only likes the green and blue ones

Pakunoda: won't touch but will admire from afar

Bonolenov: loves

Uvo: neutral. likes the big ones

Kortopi: likes. will hold if he find

AURA LEVELS (based on Knuckle's units*)

*70,000 aura units appears to be the amount an advanced nen user will have. eg. Morel Mackernasey. this will be the baseline for "a lot"

Chrollo: Mid-level. He trades conditions for power so it's hard to say. and i vaguely remember somewhere it said that the abilities he borrow don't require his own aura but i don't know how true that is. personally i believe he's min/maxed the hell out of bandit's secret and his only limits are: the nen class the stolen ability belongs to and how long he can keep skill hunter active.

Nobunaga: unknown. he has enough to confidently run his mouth, but that could also be his confidence in his technique. who knows. show me your damn hatsu mister.

Feitan: High-Level. Listen. he summoned the sun. need i say more.

Machi: Mid-Level. I'd say she's on par with Hisoka who is going to probably be less than Morel. She also dips into two nen categories which greatly decreases efficiency but who knows. i could be wrong. she values strength over volume which aids to the point.

Hisoka (because i talked about him above): Mid-Level. he relies heavily on aura. his offense and defense rely on a constant maintenance of Ten, Gyo and Ken, on top of keeping track of Bungee Gum and using advanced techniques like In. But, he uses his hatsu sparingly and his fights are quick and dirty, never going over his limit.

Phinks: High-Level. also hard to judge because he ALSO relies on conditions for power. But i'd argue he's just as strong as feitan, if not stronger, in terms of base stats.

Shalnark: High-Level. he is very clear cut and easy to read so imma just say it. He's doing it. he's really doing it. having full autonomous control over the target, up to two, and having them forget are incredible feats that we have never seen in the series (except boki but he is a FRAUD). that + autopilot. i have an entire post on it go look it up

Franklin: Mid-Level. hard to tell. I can argue he's high level if we saw more feats. Mowing down 200 people is less impressive if you consider that he had piercing bullets and also 2 of them escaped.

Shizuku: Mid-Level. as said above I think she's newer to nen and has a long way to go. but as she is now, she's on par with the troupe so she's doing really well for what she has.

Pakunonda: Low-Level. Paku is clearer since we know what her restrictions are and she has two very powerful conditions: she must initiate touch and she can never fulfill her greatest desire. as for the bullets, those are easy conjuration and we know she doesn't use them a lot. therefore, she doesn't need a lot of aura to pull off what she does.

Bonolenov: High-Level. Jupiter. need i say more. ..... i don't but im gonna anyway. this man has THREE FUCKING HATSUS. he uses AT LEAST TWO- count 'em- T W O per fight. i need to stop myself before i explode

Uvo: High-Level. Probably the highest levels in the troupe and probably even exceeds Morel. He has one small condition on Big Bang Impact and it STILL did that much damage. On top of that, the capacity to take an anti tank weapon and DEADASS BE WILLING TO TAKE ANOTHER SHOT.

Kortopi: High-Level/Unknown. He might have conditions on Gallery Fake but we have been told nothing so the only fair thing to do is judge him with the idea that he is doing everything he's doing raw. From that perspective he probably outclasses Uvo by a long shot with aura levels close to a Chimera ant captain.

KNOWS WHAT AN OPTOMETRIST IS

Chrollo: yes

Nobunaga: yes

Feitan: no

Machi: no

Phinks: no

Shalnark: yes

Franklin: no

Shizuku: yes, duh

Pakunoda: yes

Bonolenov: no

Uvogin: no

Kortopi: yes

FAVORITE STYLE OF EGG (controversial)

Chrollo: Poached

Nobunaga: in soup or in chawamushi

Feitan: Only accepts it perfectly peeled, hard boiled

Machi: Tamagoyaki/scrambled

Phinks: Fried, over medium

Shalnark: Freeze Dried (as in out of a ramen packet)

Franklin: Soft Boiled

Shizuku: Tamagogohan or Fried over Rice.

Pakunoda: Omlete

Bono: Any. Not really picky

Uvo: Egg Fried Rice

Kortopi: Sunny Side Up

(did i have to look up different ways to prepare eggs? . . . . . . yes)

[chiyuuchu]

I. She ate my heart, that girl is a monster <3 (1st August 2024)

Izuku Midoriya x Reader

Prompt! Everyone has their own deepest and darkest secret. But how long does Izuku intend to swallow himself whole for his heart racing for a villain.

second part here!

Class 1-A had just finished another intense training session, their bodies and minds exhausted from the day’s rigorous drills. The room was full with chatter as the students relaxed, but Izuku Midoriya was noticeably distant the past few weeks, his thoughts far from the lively conversations around him. He sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the floor, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of someone he could never quite escape.

Across town, in the midst of another chaotic skirmish, Y/N, a formidable member of the League of Villains, continued her relentless pursuit of her goals. Her quirk allowed her to manipulate shadows, a power she wielded with precision and deadly accuracy. The battles between her and the heroes were always intense, charged with a strange and undeniable chemistry that left both sides reeling.

Izuku’s encounters with Y/N were always fraught with tension. Each time they faced off, he felt an inexplicable draw toward her, despite the fact that she was his enemy. Her presence was both captivating and terrifying, her eyes gleaming with a dark intensity that made his heart race. It was clear to everyone that their battles went beyond mere hero versus villain; there was something more lurking beneath the surface. Something.. personal.

One evening, after another heated clash with the league of villains which included Y/N, Izuku found himself in the dorms, trying to unwind. He was alone in his room, pacing back and forth, his mind consumed by the memories of their recent confrontation. Y/N’s image was burned into his thoughts, her fierce gaze and powerful presence leaving him unsettled.

As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Izuku tried to shake off his feelings. “Why does she keep invading my mind?” he muttered to himself. “She’s a villain. She’s... a monster.”

Despite his attempts to rationalize his feelings, he couldn’t ignore the truth: Y/N had become an obsession. Her dark beauty and strength were irresistible, and every encounter only deepened his confusion. His heart felt like it had been taken and twisted by her presence, leaving him both enthralled and tormented.

The next day, during a routine training session, Class 1-A discussed their recent battles. The conversation inevitably turned to the League of Villains, and Y/N’s name came up.

Kirishima, always enthusiastic, commented, “You know, that Y/N is something else. She’s got this really intense vibe, doesn’t she?”

Mina, who had witnessed some of the recent skirmishes, nodded. “Yeah, she’s definitely got a powerful quirk. But what’s with that dark aura she has? It’s like she’s got this whole other side to her.”

As the discussion continued, Izuku remained silent, his mind wandering back to their last encounter. His friends’ comments barely registered as he grappled with his own feelings. He knew he had to keep his emotions hidden; his infatuation with Y/N was a secret he could never reveal.

During lunch, as the students gathered in the common area, Y/N’s image still haunted Izuku. He tried to focus on his friends, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the villain who had somehow managed to capture his heart.

Suddenly, the conversation turned to a more personal topic, and the class began to share stories about their experiences with villains. The discussion was lively, but Izuku was lost in his own world. He couldn’t help but replay their encounters, each one a reminder of his feelings for someone he could never fully understand.

Later that evening, Izuku was alone, practicing his moves. The sound of footsteps behind him made him pause. He turned to see Y/N standing there, her dark eyes watching him with an inscrutable expression.

“Still training, Midoriya?” she asked, her voice a low, almost teasing purr.

Izuku’s heart skipped a beat. “Y/N,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “What are you doing here?” He stuttered with a fighting stance.

Y/N stepped closer, her presence almost palpable. “I’m here for a little chat. Seems like you’ve been thinking about me a lot lately.”

Izuku’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I... I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Y/N’s smile was enigmatic. “Oh, come on. You can’t fool me. I’ve seen the way you look at me, the way you fight. It’s almost like you’re fascinated.”

Izuku’s heart pounded in his chest. He wanted to deny it, but the truth was that Y/N had become an inescapable part of his life. The battles they fought were more than just clashes of power; they were encounters filled with an intensity that left him both captivated and tortured.

As Y/N turned to leave, she cast one last glance over her shoulder. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, Midoriya. I might get bored.”

Izuku watched her go, his heart aching with the knowledge of his unspoken feelings. He knew that his infatuation with Y/N was dangerous, a secret that could never be revealed. Yet, no matter how much he tried to fight it, he couldn’t deny the truth: Y/N was a monster who had taken hold of his heart, leaving him forever changed.

Back in his dorm room, Izuku lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling once more. The weight of his emotions felt like a heavy burden, a constant reminder of the forbidden feelings he harbored. Y/N was a villain, and he was a hero-in-training, their worlds forever at odds. But the truth remained: she was a monster who had claimed a piece of his heart, leaving him forever tormented by a love that could never be.

As he closed his eyes, he could still see Y/N’s dark eyes and hear her teasing voice. The battle between his heart and his duty continued, a struggle that would shape his future in ways he could never fully comprehend.

Oh god.. he’s in love with a monster.

[ashthesalamipiece]

Explosive Love: Part 3 – Baby's Day Out (with Deku & Todoroki)

Pairing: Kirishima x Fem!Reader

Featuring: Babysitters Deku and Todoroki

Genre: Fluff, Chaos, Babysitting Misadventures

Summary: With Bakugo officially traumatized, Kirishima calls in backup. Enter: Deku (nervous but willing) and Todoroki (unfazed... for now). They think babysitting can’t be that hard. But no one warned them about the gas.

---

Kirishima stood proudly at your front door, holding your baby out like she was the MVP of the season.

“She’s all yours, boys,” he beamed. “Don’t worry—Bakugo might’ve exaggerated.”

Todoroki blinked. “I heard she took him down in under an hour.”

Deku nodded nervously, already scribbling in a notebook. “According to my calculations, the frequency of her emissions shouldn’t cause structural damage to a normal household…”

Kirishima slapped his back. “Just don’t let her eat anything orange.”

You blinked. “Wait, why not—”

SLAM.

Too late. The door closed. Operation: Babysitter Bros had begun.

---

Thirty minutes in…

“So, uh… she’s really cute,” Deku said, rocking her gently in his arms. “Look at that smile—so sweet and—”

BRRRT!

He froze.

“That… was a strong one.”

Todoroki leaned in. “I think it shook the floor.”

Deku sniffed cautiously. “Why does it smell like… burnt oatmeal and vengeance?”

Todoroki tilted his head. “It’s oddly impressive. Like she has an internal combustion engine.”

The baby kicked and giggled as if in agreement.

PFFFFT.

Deku panicked. “We need containment!”

Todoroki calmly reached for the diaper bag like a man preparing to diffuse a bomb. “I’ve got this.”

---

One hour in…

Todoroki stood stoically, holding a can of air freshener in one hand and your baby in the other.

“She has attacked three times in twenty minutes.”

Deku peeked out from behind a pillow fort. “I think she’s evolving.”

The baby let out a mighty squeal and flopped happily onto the blanket.

“Her power…” Deku whispered, wide-eyed. “It’s unmatched.”

PHBBBT.

“She’s aiming at me now,” Todoroki said, deadpan. “I admire her accuracy.”

Deku scribbled in his notes. “Hero Name: Gas Mask. Quirk: High-Pressure Flatulence.”

“Wait until Aizawa hears about this…”

---

When you and Kirishima returned, the living room looked like the aftermath of a low-level disaster.

Blankets scattered. Windows open. A fan running full blast.

Deku was fanning himself with a baby book. Todoroki was sitting perfectly still, staring into space.

“She’s asleep,” Deku whispered. “But the damage… it’s been done.”

Kirishima picked up the baby gently, like she was made of pure dynamite. “Did she…?”

Todoroki didn’t break eye contact. “She farted on my soul.”

---

Next time: Mina wants to babysit.

[sulphuricgrin]

I bring anot- wait wtf is this- a Miraak headcanon? from the Altmer headcanons guy?

What kind of bullshit is this?

Anyways, hi, here's a little of my take. I feel like this is an awful idea to drop this before I write Miraak's first chapter in my fic. Watch me share this, get killed by hammers, and drop my fic. haaaa

I'm just gonna "lore" dump and disappear forever.

A bit of low-key horror, which is a given with my fic tags; kinda existential horror with the themes of the limits with the mortal mind & memories. (Mention of my OC, Lilliandra obviously.)

After living in Apocrypha for +4500 years, he can't actually remember much of Nirn - the smells, sounds, the feel of the sun, etc. He naturally wants to escape, but what unfamiliar world would he be returning to? Knows the change of languages due to ciphers & books though.

Memories are a weird thing. How often are our memories 100% accurate? As time goes on, we begin to forget the earlier memories. So what happens when you've been alive longer than a mortal should be? Let's also not forget that memories tied to stronger emotions (fear, anger, trauma, embarrassment, etc) are easier to recall than the mundane.

So what happens to your memories after +4500 years?

Well, Miraak finds them a bit difficult. Pre-Apocrypha happy or calmer memories are few and far between. Not in an angsty boo-hoo kind of way. But simply that's how our brains work sometimes for survival - they either latch onto the worse or block it out. For him it's the bitterness, the worse - dragon cult bullshit over family and friends - if he had any, he doesn't know anymore. Though he doesn't really agonize over this. How can you if you don't know?

Also returning to memory accuracy - well, the mind holds on to the strongest emotions, but that emotion can also alter the truth of the event. So how much does he claim is true is actually true? 👀

Anyways, next topic: a life stuck out of time.

Rarely knows the exact date, let alone seasons or years. Books offer little help since those that haven't been written on Nirn yet can still be found on Apocrypha anyways.

Body stuck out of time, in stasis/stagnation basically. Rarely eats as his body doesn't need it. While not necessarily needing it, still sleeps occasionally to offer his mind some rest. (If you've ever had severe insomnia, you'd understand how maddening it can get just being awake too long.)

Doesn't really drink alcohol often as his mind and body are what he has left to himself - to an extent, considering Mora's claim on him.

When learning of how long he's been alive, but his body doesn't require much in Apocrypha, Lilliandra presents an unsettling question: If he'd return to Nirn, finally outside of Mora's influence, would his body be okay or would the thousands and thousands of years rapidly catch up to his body and it'd simply return to bones?

He's never considered such an option, nor does he enjoy thinking of it. He's always had the goal of getting out of Apocrypha. He had not thought there would be consequences to getting out as there were already enough consequences to joining Mora and fleeing to oblivion. (Why do you think he was attempting to gain so much power during the DLC? It's not just to return to Nirn, but in hope the power reduces any consequences of returning out of time.)

does this make any sense? I dunno. my brain is fried.

okay, bye

[noneorother]

There's a *puppet* show going on in the magic shop, and it looks awfully familiar...

(Insert unhealthy number of rewatches here) The magic shop in S2 is a real jewel box. There's so much symbolism and so many easter eggs, it starts to make your head spin. But I found something really weird going on with the puppets (or should I say angels) in the background...

Here's 1941 : you can see on the left what looks like closed red curtains, and a coatrack with puppets behind Crowley here.

Where am I going with this? Well, don't those puppets look familiar?

For my money, they really look like silly versions of Crowley and Aziraphale, with a few other familiar puppets hiding on the other side of the rack.

Now here's that exact same shot in the present. The red curtain falls away to reveal: An extremely symmetrical arrangement of truly weird puppets. The puppet in the glass case near the back is the same.*

It probably just looks like a creepy display, with our familiar Aziraphale and Crowley puppets, until I do this:

To me at least, this arrangement really looks like a depiction of a synaxis of the hosts of bodiless powers (i.e. angels) before Jesus. If you study European art history, you can't escape medieval religious iconography. It's kind of a big deal. I've put this example of Mary flanked by the nine ranks of Angels from a Cathedral in Exeter above, but you can find 100 examples of this kind of eerily symmetrical and hierarchical ranking of angels with god, Jesus, Mary etc... Before I break it down, you have to know that in the medieval period, and especially in religious art and iconography, the relative size and position of figures is WAY more important than realism or accuracy.

Obviously the costumes don't match one to one, but you get enough of a vibe that once you start seeing it you can't UNSEE it. The relationships of position and size here are fascinating to me. For one, what the hell are two Crowleys doing in a host arrangement in present day? He's not even an angel. In the second row we have archangels Gabriel, the flopsy twins Uriel and Michael, and a slightly larger Saraqael head in the center. Is Saraqael actually more important here? Technically Jim is still an archangel, so he gets the mirror of the Gabriel position, but as a sad clown wearing a tartan blanket. We also have two tiny dolls (not puppets) with star name tags, one keeled over wearing brown, and one sitting up and smiling, wearing blue. I've named them tentatively Adam & Jesus for now, because that's the vibe I'm getting, but who knows. Here's the usual position of the Jesus in a synaxis for comparison.

In the lowest row, we bizarrely have arguably the most powerful angel, The Metatron (shown here with a dark floppy overcoat hiding the fact the doll has no body) and what I can only imagine is Maggie with blonde hair and blue eyes? What? Now, the doll I'm calling God in the middle for the large size, and the fact their head is always cut off above the framing in the shot. God is clearly looming large over the rest of the host, but is in a lower hierarchy (with Muriel, Crowley & Aziraphale being fairly low ranking at this point in the show) and also has NO HANDS, a clown face and BLOOD SMEARS on their overalls. Yikes. If you take a look at the top-down shot of the dolls, you can see how they had to completely redo the god-doll's hair. This is a specific vintage English doll called "Bimbo the clown". You can see the original hair always has a fringe, and the yarn locks are usually much bigger. Compare with the new hair in the top view of the present-day shop.

Hey. Does that hair style look familiar to anyone?

Look. I don't want to go claiming something THIS insane from one doll's hairstyle in a background shot. I'm not trying to convince you this is irrefutable proof that there's some sort of storyline where Nina is actually God. But it's interesting they took the trouble to re-make the doll's hair (and costume) to look like Nina's, even when it is almost never seen, much less noticed. The fact that the god-doll is also a clown got me thinking of the Gabriel and Jim dolls, and that maybe there's another doll in the shop that should double with Bimbo? *Here's the only other doll with a name card in the magic shop in either time, the one in the glass case :

Even though we barely see it, we can tell it's wearing the same outfit as the 1941 magician. Why? If this one is the equivalent of the real god, and not the sad clown version, and if it's locked up in a box somewhere, unable to free themselves, is that why we haven't heard from them in season 2....? So many questions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thanks to @kimberleyjean and @embracing-the-ineffable for additional pictures.

[clockwards]

SPOILERS for my fic the music is getting stranger! A more in-depth look at the wild life members, their powers, relationships, and origins :D

Gem (Gemstone/Kraken) - newly formed Watcher, domain of devotion / impartiality (they come in pairs!). deer hybrid with ears, antlers, slightly double jointed knees. In city 1, she is a hero by the (mostly silly nickname rather than proper title) Gemstone. Her power is thought to be refraction/nullification of powers due to her name and general unflappable-ness. In city 2, she is a villain by the name Kraken, who wields a harpoon. Her power is unknown, and generally not considered important because she's scary enough just holding a weapon. In actuality, she had no power at all! Sister to Joel, she is a mix of intense and too laid-back

Martyn - Watcher, nicknamed a Listener due to his past and powers, domain of devotion / impartiality. human. An old town gossip, he has uncontrollable hearing that occasionally slips through dimensions as well. Snarky and genuine, he is still a little bitter about the events that made him a Watcher (backstory will be written)

Grian - eldest Watcher, domain of life / death. avian hybrid. Grumpily fond of the people he loves, he's Too Old For This Shit. So old, in fact, that his wings are just blank bone and joints that he usually covers, but can still fly with (elytra) attachments

Cleo - eldest Watcher, domain of life / death. human. Would kill for her family while killing her family. Grudgingly motherly/sisterly relationship with the rest of the Watchers, she's easy to joke with and enjoys a good bit of trickery

Mumbo - Watcher, domain of logic / chaos. part android, resurrected. Previously a war tactics advisor, he holds himself to high and proper standards while being knowingly ridiculous. Fiercely loyal, he views himself as being in debt to Grian after his death (backstory will be written)

Skizz - Watcher, domain of logic / chaos. part angel, resurrected. Has a halo that hovers around his head - the higher it is, the happier he is. When he's afraid/angry, it settles around his neck like a noose. Previously a footsoldier alongside Mumbo, he's generally happy-go-lucky and considers becoming a Watcher a second chance at life (backstory will be written)

Joel (Jumpstart) - Mountain goat hybrid with some features (ears, horns, and slightly double jointed knees) who has the power to jump and land with great accuracy and do very little damage to his body. Aware that his wife is a villain and very proud of her. Unaware that his sister is a villain, will be very proud of her anyway after he has his appropriate freak out.

Pearl (Hermes/Deathhead) - moth hybrid (wings and antennae) with flight and enhanced light/heat sensitivity. City 2 hero by the name Hermes who functions mainly at night and is a slight workaholic. Mostly accidentally ends up acting as a villain in city 1 as Deathhead in her attempts to defeat Kraken. Confused, concerned, and so deep into a conspiracy she might be making it all up.

Tango - living wax homunculus with a mechanical "skeleton" who can reach high speeds and has the ability to start fires, typically on himself (he has a lighter function built into his fingers). Hero that refused to get a code name. Excitable, fast moving, and friendly

Scar - low-content vex hybrid with shielding/warding powers. Defensive role as a hero in city 1 and "organiser" of his group. Wheelchair-bound and generally considered unthreatening, however is basically untouchable and will very quickly extend that protection to the people he loves.

Impulse - city 2 hero by the name "i" (yes literally just the letter) who can teleport anywhere within his vision, and can swap static spaces. Old dwarf ancestry that only physically manifests in slight shortness, a proclivity for being underground and two small horns. A dad of his hero coalition, he wrangles Pearl and Jimmy with the ease of long practice, and knows exactly when to let go

Jimmy - city 2 hero, no code name. Extremely normal human with invisibility powers. Best friends with Lizzie and Joel, he doesn't particularly care about alliances and works in his own best interests. Naturally suspicious of anyone he doesn't know, yet trusts and bonds easily. Like a street cat that wants love.

Lizzie (Bunumbra) - city 2 villain by the name Bunumbra. Rabbit hybrid with ears and softened hands/feet with the power to control and move within shadows (including what is basically fast travel). Married to Joel, and knows that Gem is double-timing, but doesn't mention it out of politeness (its rude to talk about work at the dinner table). Sweet, chaotic, and best friends with Jimmy

Etho (Sisyphus) - city 2 "villain" (mostly neutral, just likes hanging out with Gem) by the name Sisyphus. Living stone homunculus with a power colloquially called 'immovable object, unstoppable force' (can, by singular touch, make an object/person immovable until destroyed or unstoppable in the direction of action until destroyed). Can do this to himself as well, and considering he's made of literal rock, can crash right through most things. Including people. Chill, sarcastic, lives with Bdubs

Scott - human with animal shapeshifting abilities, kind of a villain if you count whatever he's got going on with Pearl. In it for the drama, and an uncontrollable gossip. Works at a cafe and has previous experience with heroes/villains, relatively disillusioned about the state of the world but otherwise happy

Ren - human shapeshifting abilities via genetic mimicry, in the same villain situation as Scott. Can turn into animals only via copying Scott, as he's still a human DNA-wise. Dramatic, appreciates a good story, and is horrifically bored working in a cafe

Bdubs - terrestrial isopod hybrid that curls into himself when in danger or afraid. Time shifting powers that cause him to experience issues with memory and sleep, he is often found in bed in the apartment he shares with Etho. Cheerful, stubborn and very huggable

BigB - no actual power, just knows the forest Too Well to be normal. might be part tree. Lives in the woods outside the motel and Observes intently the going ons of his neighbours. Gentle, a little odd, and mysteriously absent at the worst of times

[impulseimpact]

daily vivosaur 17

Genus: utahraptor

A very large raptor that relied both on front and back claws to attack its prey, its has the most powerful poison skills of any vivosaur but also low accuracy

[eldritch-spouse]

Livius falls for a sensitive and soft spoken girl. She has a crush on someone and has been leaving them love letters, but she plans to confess to them in person. Livius possesses her crush and rips into her with her insecurities when she confesses her feelings. She runs off crying and retreats to a park where she finds comfort. Well, wouldn't you know she meets a teal demon that's going to comfort her when she is down and vulnerable.

Livius knows too much about you.

Forget the standards of your usual stalker, or even a dedicated, highly dangerous obsessed individual- We're talking about a demonlord with the ability to see the ugliest sides of your soul. Livius needs not a whole day to scrape the dirt of your entire existence and present it to you.

Of course, he would never! He loves you to pieces, you're his Queen-to-be, and he will put on your grossest qualities like a warm blanket, because even those rancid parts of you infatuate him. He craves your short-comings as much as he desires to embody your biggest virtues. But sometimes, oh sometimes, he does have to use that knowledge against you. Has to highlight your flaws as if he didn't love them.

Livius hates the body of your worthless admired. It's putrid, boring, worthless. His anger is so great that he starts clawing up its insides, making sure his unfortunate host won't live much longer. Of course, the organ damage makes it so Livius has to exert more energy to keep his scheme going, but it's affordable. The demonlord swipes through the messages you sent to this person, getting more and more rabid with jealousy before inevitably crushing the screen.

Meeting you in person is even more painful. The loving gaze you spare them, the adoration, the way you lean forward and constantly fix your appearance, egg them on for more conversation... The demonlord is so sick with envy that he twists and roils inside his borrowed body, deforming it slightly, face wanting to contort into something feral and enraged. His fury gets in the way of the calculated plan Livius had concocted, and the words he spits at you possess such wounded vitriol that he doesn't stop until something in your very core shatters and you shudder at the uncomfortable accuracy of his every remark. Livius rips into your deepest, most secretive doubts like a wild pitbull, only stopping to watch your crying face as you sob with your hands on your lap and your head low. It's gorgeous, even in pain, you're gorgeous.

He lets his actual teeth tear open the cheeks of his host when you stand and take off running. A day or two should do, to let you really marinate on his poison. You'll be so heartbroken that even the comfort of a powerful demon will look appealing and harmless.

[catboybiologist]

Y'all ready for a certified neurodivergent moment?

I had to sit through a thing I absolutely did not need any info from, and typed up a massive outline of the soulsborne pokemon game I just talked about. Massively cringe, yes, but hey it's not just living in my head anymore.

I've had this idea brewing in my head for a while now, pretty much ever since PLA came out (and I found it kinda disappointing tbh). Even though Hoenn has lots of love, it still feels like the most "grand" region in terms of the scale and themes of its lore, so I liked the idea of using it for a legends game that focused on the initial clash of Kyogre and Groudon. I had so many ideas brew in my head, and I guess now I sloppily typed them out.

Obviously this isn't actual game design. This is just me being cringey and detailing my dream pokemon game. At 26 years old. Anyways.

Pokemon Legends: Jirachi

In the times when Hoenn was young, the earth and seas shook. Titans roam the land- powerful individual pokemon that shape their environment to their liking. Humans and pokemon work together to keep them under control, but the earth and sea themselves shake, and Titans only grow more numerous. One day, a human wishes on a shooting star to become a hero and save their land, and something from up there answered.

In this game, Jirachi would be a kind of invisible "questmaster", giving an in-game reason for path markers, quest markers, and points of interest marked in stardust and sparkles. Once the main plot is completed, Jirachi would be able to join your party.

Core combat

The gameplay would be souls-like or Monster Hunter like, but with direct parallels to mainline pokemon mechanics. The six stats would be the same, and the four moves your pokemon can learn would be equivalent to the attack interface of a soulslike game- four trigger buttons. You would take direct control of one "primary" pokemon at a time, and use it as a souls-like character.

HP, Def, and SpDef would be largely the same, with the added benefit that less damage taken means more resistance to trips and staggers.

Atk and SpAtk are also pretty clear cut, scales your damage output per move.

Speed would be analogous to stamina or endurance. Dodging would work as in soulsborne games, and consume stamina. Most pokemon walking, running, attack speed, and dodging speed would be largely equivalent, but high speed pokemon would be able to sustain rapidfire attacking, frequent dodging, and continuous sprinting for longer.

Accuracy would be reworked into lock-on or charge up time- eg, a low accuracy move requires you to stay in one place for a longer amount of time before releasing, to charge up or lock on (imagine how swag ass this would look with focus blast).

PP would correspond to cooldown time. Each move would be infinite use, but have a cool-down after its used. So a move with high accuracy, but low PP, could be used instantly, but not spammed. High PP, weaker moves would then see an increased niche as a "default" light attack that can be spammed.

Attacks could also be ranged, up close, AoE, and have other features that would need to be tweaked and balanced in implementation. They wouldn't one to one map onto their in game counterparts, but this would at least provide a vague guide for how these moves work that builds on players assumed existing knowledge of pokemon games.

Special attributes, like never-miss moves and priority moves, would have features that play into this- eg, priority moves could be spammed with no cooldown, and never-miss moves would be immune to inhibiting effects.

Stat changes could be temporary effects applied to yourself when using the move, like a buffing spell in soulsborne games.

Nonvolatile status effects (paralysis, burn, sleep, etc) would work similar to monster hunter- invisibly accumulating triggers that occur as a side effect to to moves, or in the case of moves that directly trigger status like Spore or Thunder Wave, they would not do direct damage, but instead add massive amounts to the accumulated status trigger.

Field effects (weather, terrain, and special effects like wind, gravity, etc) could be set by regular pokemon moves in small areas, but would also be frequently encountered in the overworld.

Examples: the vibes of potential starter pokemon.

This is all just for the purpose of giving examples of how I envision some of this stuff working. Assume each pokemon would have regional variants that scaled their stats appropriately. This is just to show how different playstyles from the mainline games would translate to this format.

Lucario: example mixed offensive pokemon

Moves like aura sphere could be used with no lock on time, and little to no cooldown, forming the basis of a normal, light, ranged attack.

Moves like Close Combat would have no lock on, but give a temporary debuff and have a long cooldown time before they could be initiated again, making for a quick to use but infrequent heavy attack.

Swords dance and/or nasty plot could be used to provide a temporary buff for a period of time.

Focus blast would take a long time to charge and lock on, making you a sitting duck.

Reuniclus: example tanky pokemon

Light Screen and Barrier could lay down static areas on the ground. When an ally pokemon is located within them, they provide their corresponding defensive buffs. Cooldown for reusing them starts when these floor areas disappear.

Recover could be used to heal, but would have a long cooldown.

Liepard: example technical pokemon

Yawn would inflict direct sleep "buildup", but over time as opposed to instantly.

Fake out would instantly proc a stagger from the enemy, but could only be used in a certain time range upon being sent out.

Moves like taunt and torment function as usual.

The trainer and overworld traversal

Even though the player has direct control over pokemon, the MC is still a trainer, and pokemon are still capture in balls.

The trainer would be on the sidelines, with idle animations ordering the pokemon to do stuff.

Only one "controllable" pokemon could be outside of a pokeball at a time, or all of them could be stowed in pokeballs to directly control the trainer. The trainer can interact with NPCs, gather items, etc.

The trainer would also order "helper" pokemon. One or two "helpers" could be added independent of the party that would follow the trainer around constantly. Each pokemon has a list of field "helper" abilities they're capable of doing, independent of what moves they know. By targeting something that a helper pokemon can interact with in the world, the trainer would order that pokemon to zip out and interact with it. Think Republic commando. This takes the role of HMs and other field moves. For areas that require things like Surf of dive, the helper pokemon would exert a field of influence that essentially allowed the primary pokemon to act normally- eg, a surf helper would cause an area of surging upwards surface chop that lets the primary pokemon walk on water, or a dive helper would create small air bubbles centered around wherever the primary pokemon breathes from.

The trainer can also provide small support in the form of items, but this would be limited to encourage sensible use of stat boosting moves.

Pokemon would still be captured in pokeballs, but after they are fainted by the primary pokemon. Fainted pokemon could either be captured in a pokeball, or "relieved" of unique held items and resources before releasing them.

Pokemon would not gain experience by defeating opponents. Instead, each one would have material requirements to both level up and "customize" them. Like upgrading a weapon in Monster Hunter, every pokemon would have unique material requirements to level up, change nature, upgrade IVs, allocate EVs, or learn and relearn certain moves. This incentivizes a postgame loop, but could be curved to make the main game give you adequate materials to avoid excessive grinding.

The gameplay and story structure

The gameplay loop is basically monster hunter.

There would be a large number of normal-sized pokemon out in the world, that could be easily defeated and either captured and looted. But, frequently, a "Titan" would appear- a large, boss variant of a particular pokemon. Some pokemon can only be captured from their defeated titan forms, even if they appear in their regular forms.

These titan forms would appear semi-randomly, and requests to "quiet" them by defeating them would take the form of quests posted in the hub regions. These quests would then essentially be a monster hunter hunt- going out and fighting a particular titan.

Titan forms could be unique, or vaguely modeled after existing megas.

The world is divided into 8 main regions, and at least one "bonus" region. There would be 4 ocean regions, and 4 land regions. Each region would be seperate, but open to explore within that region (damn you can really see how much I've played MH:W)

Each region would have a drop table of pokemon that could potentially appear as titans.

Each region would also have one, single titan pokemon that gives the region its character. These 9 titans would be new, unique regional variants.

Each region, and by extension, each boss titan, would be directly associated with a different regional effect. So essentially, the boss titan and the field effect of a region would be reflective of its character.

The plot, like monster hunter, would be a gameplay loop of increasingly powerful titans within a region, building to the boss titans of each region. Once the 8 primary titans are defeated, it triggers the endgame main plotline.

The world

As mentioned previously, the bulk of the gameplay loop and storyline would be defeating increasingly more powerful "titan" pokemon, until you encounter a particular individual pokemon that is actively shaping that region and has ultimately caused the other titans along the way to be empowered.

Each region would have a dominant type, several field effects that come and go within certain parts of the area, and a unique boss titan. Each boss titan is about equivalent difficulty, and the player is encouraged to spread their efforts around to proceed through the "tiers" of titans evenly across the world before making it to the boss.

Hubs: Slateport, Lilycove.

Self explanatory, these would be the hub towns. Like in PLA, no other cities would be founded yet. Mt. Pyre would be integrated as part of Lilycove, and important characters and exposition could happen there. It would be an active cathedral. Kyogre and Groudon wouldn't be "known", but vague, amorphous titans of earth, sea, and sky would be referenced.

Land Regions

Meteor Cliffs and the Tranquil Plain

A gentle, grassy plain south of Mt. Chimney gives way to its southern slope. The slope, pockmarked with craters, has not been extensively explored, but is thought to hold deep caverns.

Regional effect: Pyschic Terrain

Regional Titan boss: Metagross (Steel/Pyschic)

Main game route equivalents: Meteor Falls, Rustboro City, Petalburg Woods, Petalburg City, Oldale Town, Littleroot town, 101, 102, 103, 104, 116, 115

Towering Forest

A deep, lush forest, sometimes so dense that you can't see the sky, fed by the crystal clear river cutting through it. The tangle of the canopy shudders under the weight of unseen pokemon above.

Regional effect: Grassy Terrain

Regional Titan boss: Tropius (Grass/Steel)

Main game route equivalents: Fortree city, Safari Zone, 119, 120, 121, 123

Jagged Stones

Deep, rugged canyons hide a basin-like desert, where a raging sandstorm elicits mirage-like visions.

Regional effect: sandstorm

Regional Titan boss: Tyranitar (Rock/Dragon)

Main game route equivalents: Verdanturf town, 117, 111, 112, all desert subregions

Volcanic Slopes

The peaks, caverns, and North slope of Mt. Chimney know no peace from the continuous onslaught of lava.

Regional effect: harsh sunlight

Regional Titan boss: Camerupt (Fire/Ground)

Main game route equivalents: Mt. Chimney, Jagged Pass, Fiery Path, Lavaridge, Fallarbor, 113, 114

Oceanic regions

Thunder Bay

An unrelenting, static haze hovers over the inlets of of Thunder Bay, impeding exploration of its deep subterranean caverns.

Regional effect: electric terrain

Regional Titan boss: Manectric (Electric/Dark)

Main game route equivalents: Mauville, New Mauville (replaced by a cave entrance), Cycling Road, 118, 110, 134, 133

Shifting Floes

A chill falls over the NorthEast seas of Hoenn, a climatic anomaly. Scattered islands and shifting ice platforms are continually coated with a snowstorm.

Regional effect: snowstorm

Regional Titan boss: Froslass (ice/ghost)

Main game region equivalents: Mossdeep, Shoal cave, 124, 125, parts of 126 and 127

Misted islands

A mysterious area of the ocean in which islands seem to shift locations as they phase in and out of sight.

Primary Area effect: Misty Terrain

Regional Titan Boss: Altaria (Dragon/fairy)

Main game route equivalents: Dewford Town, Granite Cave, Southern Island, Mirage Island (location changed), 105, 106, 107, 108, 109

Deep Blue

The open expanse of the ocean, and the islands within it, hold secrets beyond comprehension in their depths and constant storms. It is said that there is as much below as there is above.

Primary Area effect: rain/underwater (same effects as rain)

Regional Titan Boss: Wailord (water)

Main game route equivalents: Sootopolis city, Cave of Origin, Sky Pillar, Ever Grande City, Pacifidlog, Seafloor cavern, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, parts of 126 and 127

Special Area: the Delta Stream

Ripping across Hoenn's skies is an air current known as the Delta Stream, which powerful pokemon use as a causeway between regions and across the world.

Only accessible in the postgame, and with a "helper" pokemon that can fly. This entire region is above the clouds, and the only points that poke up are the peak of Mt. Chimney, Sky Pillar, and an updraft over Mt. Pyre.

Primary area effect: tailwind

Regional Titan Boss: Salamence (Flying/Dragon)

The Endgame Plot: after the titans are quieted

Once every boss has been defeated, the endgame storyline starts. Despite every titan being quieted, the land still quakes, and the seas still swell. The elders of Mt. Pyre urge you to investigate these at their source: the inner lava chamber of Mt. Chimney (subregion of Volcanic Slopes), and the depths of the seafloor (subregion of Deep Blue).

As you can probably guess, this is the introduction to Kyogre and Groudon.

The first fight with each of them uses your own pokemon, and gives you a "false" win- after you "faint" them in a suspiciously easy battle, they each revive into their primal forms, and head to the mountain island that would become Sootopolis. Hear, they battle on a kaiju-like scale. The MC watches the destruction from Mt. Pyre.

For the second time in the game's story, the MC makes a wish: this is beyond me. I wish a savior would come. Jirachi directly unveils itself for the first time to answer the call, touches the MC, and speeds off into the distance. A cutscene follows Jirachi to Sky Pillar (only a raw, uncarved spike of rock at this point), where Rayquaza is seen coiled around the top. Jirachi leads Rayquaza into the upper atmosphere, where it undergoes a primal/mega evolution. It pivots, shooting down towards earth, building speed.

The player takes control of M-Rayquaza as it slams down to earth, staggering Kyogre and Groudon away from each other, and engages in a special fight where they have to defeat both of them.

After this, Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza may each be found at Seafloor cavern, Mt. Chimney, and sky pillar respectively, and may be defeated and captured. But its highly implied that they only go along with this willingly, and will freely resume their duties as the lords of the land once the MC passes on.

After the plot is completed, steps and murals start being carved into Sky Pillar, allowing access to the Delta Stream.

The post game would allow for infinitely generating Titans, rematches with previously captured Boss Titans as "enrichment" for them, and general gameplay loop grinding for items to train pokemon.

Yay, okay, no ones gonna read this far but uh. Yeah. That's the general idea I had. Hope it made at least some sense LOL

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review 32 – The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty

This is the first book this year I picked up specifically and entirely because it got a Hugo nomination; I’d previously vaguely heard of it, but never in any detail and the title didn’t really grab me. Despite what an exercise in masochism the whole ‘read every nominee for best novel and novella’ turned out to be last year, I’m actually very glad I stuck with it. Not sure I’d actually vote for it – this years best novel slate is actually incredibly strong – but it was an absolutely lovely and just fun read.

As one might assume, the story follows the eponymous Amina al-Sirafi, infamous and legendary corsair, smuggler and general rogue plying the Indian ocean sometime in the 12th century. Dragged out of an obscure retirement by the aristocratic mother of a former crewman whose fate still haunts her, she is sent on a mission to rescue the crewman’s kidnapped (or runaway) child by the twin incentives of more money than she could ever spend on one hand and blatant threats to the safety of her own family on the other. From there, she puts her crew together, has an unfortunate reunion with her demonic not-technically-ex husband, makes a pact with an island of officious peris, and races to prevent a Norman warlock from seizing control of an ancient relic to make war upon God.

The setting is honestly the point of this as much as the actual plot or any of the characters are. The late medieval Islamic maritime world and the wider Indian Ocean trading networks are an incredibly rich milieu to sink your teeth into, and one the author’s clearly fallen wholly in love with. I can’t speak for their accuracy, but little details of life and flourishes of historical terminology drip off every page, and the whole thing sings with the amount of research that was put into it. It’s the vanishingly rare work of fiction with a list of further reading at the end that actually makes me want to go hunt them down.

Specifically placing it in the twelfth century is kind of interesting, in terms of placement in the Islamic Golden Age – long, long after political power became fully fragmented and the Islamic world was linked more by economic and cultural ties, in the midst of the Crusades in the Levant, but still a few generations before the Mongols sack Baghdad. I really don’t have any ideas or assumptions about te why here, it’s just centuries later than the voyage of Sinbad the book is clearly riffing off of, so it makes me curious.

The enthusiastically researched and real-feeling setting does sadly kind of stop with the characters. Amina is sincerely religious and comfortable with the supernatural in a way that feels much more fitting than the vast majority of fantasy protagonists, but in every other sense she is clearly written to be relatable and sympathetic to an assumed audience of modern liberals. (Near-)Queernorm settings are great, but does jar with the fixation on historical grounding a bit. (The whole beat where dragging a runaway bride back to their family and decades older rich fiancee is unfortunate but for their own good until it’s realized they’re trans also kind of feels like a parody of a certain kind of identity-focused liberalism).

Between this and the Radiant Emperor duology I’m definitely rediscovering a real love for historic low fantasy. The research burden is immense but it’s hard to beat the actual past for making a world that feels lived in and real, and provide the vital sense that there are a thousand other stories happening just out of shot. The complete lack of generic-western-fantasy magic and monsters is also nearly as appreciated as the lack of castles and earls.

Which is good, really, as if you ignore the setting there isn’t really much to chew on here. To an extent this seems deliberate – the story is trying to be a pulpy, larger-than-life swashbuckling adventure, what with the getting dragged out of retirement for one more big score and the getting the band back together and the cackling 1.5-dimensional villain trying to make himself as unto god. In the main it absolutely succeeds at this (though the introduction of a generous and competent pirate captain who lends Amina a ship and a spirit-cutting magic sword out of nowhere at the end of the second act does strain things a bit). It does end up feeling a bit like using the most gorgeous, lusciously details stage in the world for a bunch of puppets to act out a pantomime, though – Amina is basically the only character in the entire story that feels like a person instead of a cartoon. They are, at least, more amusing cartoons than not. Raksh the murderous but cowardly ambition-seeking incubus husband was a highlight.

All in all, a very fun, page-turning read. I’m looking forward to the sequel.