#so the focus was still mainly on the physical damage

[red-dyed-sarumane]

i like to point out the whole ego death part of aru sekai series bc that in particular hits me hard but like. thats very much not the only thing going on its been stated multiple times multiple places that yes the risk to an individual's ego is exceptionally high but also the entire physical world is also falling apart in real time. theres rain theres fire roads and buildings are destroyed people are physically injured out in the streets like theres a lot going on here

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

"Is this what sadness does to people?" Good omens season 2, please

Ough this is perfect,,,haven't written for this series in 3-4 years so it's good to be back

Time for some emotional damage(tm)

SPOILERS FOR SEASON 2 (of course)

........

The bookshop never felt emptier.

With Aziraphale having gone away to Heaven, possibly for good, it was just you and Muriel left to pick up the pieces and run the place in his stead.

You always offered to watch over it for him if he was ever out of town, not caring about whether he pays you or not. You're just happy to help a friend out.

In recent days, however, you noticed the number in your bank account has "mysteriously" gone up a couple hundred dollars, and after doing the math you realized it equated to the hours and days you worked at the shop.

You would have been eternally grateful, but it saddens you more.

Knowing he was watching over you and helping you pay the bills, yet never physically visiting you, left you feeling guilty whenever you spent that money.

Selling the books wasn't an option, as you knew that's not what he would've wanted. And you'd tell Muriel not to even think about doing that, instead letting them indulge in them and allow them to read things about humanity that piqued their interest.

You knew they were an angel sent to spy on things, but it never bugged you; their spirits remained optimistic, mainly because they're ecstatic to work alongside a "human person" such as yourself. They were a delight to hang out with as you showed them your human customs and the like.

Sometimes they'd have to report back to Heaven, though it's only for a short time, and they'd return to Earth to let you know how Aziraphale's doing.

"Oh, he's grand! The Metatron is highly pleased with his work! Big changes are coming from the upstairs, I can tell you that much!"

The one thing they could never say, however, is when he'll revisit Earth, claiming they couldn't personally ask him...and they'd rather not upset any higher-ranking angels with such a dubious question.

You understood, and left them be.

Still, you'd look across the street and hope that heavenly elevator would one day reappear..and you'd see Aziraphale step out, cutting his ties to Heaven for good, and making things right.

It could happen at any time.

A few weeks, a few months, a few years....or maybe a few hundred years after you're long gone will he finally change his mind.

Neither Heaven nor Hell (or anywhere in-between) will be able to stop you from coming back and giving that oblivious angel an earful should you learn of his return.

For now, however, you wanted to focus on the present.

And that meant not just running the bookshop...but also helping Crowley process all of this.

Nobody was more heartbroken than the demon who's been by Aziraphale's side for over 6,000 years and helped him stop Armageddon, only for their relationship to crumble in just one day.

All because he was pushed to communicate his true and honest feelings.

You had no idea it even happened until he showed up on your doorstep at midnight in a drunken stupor, saying he was "gone".

Your immediate thought was death or "discorporation", but then he managed to tell you that the angel went back to Heaven and it was "over" between them. He stayed the night, crying and blubbering nonsense when he thought you couldn't hear him, and left the next morning before you could tell him he can live with you.

Since then, he stopped by the shop less and less often, always wearing his shades despite being once comfortable enough to leave them off around you.

It hurts to see him close up all his emotions, not wanting to burden you with his "miserableness".

All he does now is go on long drives with his plants and shout at them for the simple crime of existing, jam to Queen and Hoizer songs to drown out the noise in his head, and drink until he can't walk straight.

Suddenly poison became his new preference over red wine.

When he does visit the shop, he just mopes around and rambles about something he and Aziraphale did a few centuries ago, clearly in a state of reminiscence.

He never did, however, explain what he did in a final plea to make him stay..

You'll soon come to learn that tonight as you were getting ready to close up shop, sweeping around while Muriel organized some papers on what used to be the angel's desk.

The bell above the door jingled, and you turned off the music, looking to see Crowley enter. For once, he didn't look immensely drunk, which was a good thing...but still, he had a persistent forlorn expression.

The same kind you'd see after somebody breaks up with the love of their life.

"Evening, Crowley." You smiled sympathetically, putting down your hot chocolate. "We were just locking up shop for the night."

"I can see that....is he..?"

"No." Sighing, you shook your head, before looking to Muriel. "Can you excuse us, Muriel?"

They blinked, staring at you and tilting their head. "Should I go upstairs?"

"Yes, if you could..thank you."

"Righty-o!" With a pep in their step, they closed up the book in their hands and headed up the steps, promising not to eavesdrop on whatever conversation you're going to have with the demon.

They honestly never minded his presence, even though they really should be reporting on his behaviors.

Either way, they respected your space.

Once they were gone, you glanced back at Crowley to see him flop into one of the chairs, ready to down the entire wine bottle that somehow manifested in his hands.

"I think that's enough for you, mister."

You walked over and took it from his grasp, watching him whine and mope that he can "handle" his liquor, to which you called bullshit..considering he very much can't. He hasn't since Aziraphale left.

"I see ya found your...replacement..?" His words were slurred, being hard to understand with his thick Scottish accent.

"Crowley, you're looking at this all wrong. Muriel's not his replacement-"

"Bullockssss...they're...so jolly and angel-like...like his stupid face was."

"That's because they're both angels. Look, can you just..sober up already?" You huffed, growing irritated. It's like you were trying to parent some 6,000 year old teenager. "I know you can do that instantly."

"...you do?" He gawked behind his shades. "Since when didja know that much about me? Who told you, silly human?"

"...you did. We celebrated New Year's Eve together. Several of them, actually."

"Ah....you got me there. But I promise 'm fine." He sat up, gazing at you intensely. "This is the only way I can tell ya what..um...really happened that day, and if I don't tell ya now I'm...I-I'm never gonna tell ya...because this "communicating" thing's getting to be real hard lately and-"

"I get it. I understand, Crowley." You pulled up a chair, sitting across from him with a slight frown. "Can you..just look me in the eyes so I know you're taking this seriously?"

"...'m as serious as I ever was, [y/n]-"

"Crowley."

"Fine. Is THIS serious enough for you?" With bitterness to his words, he ripped off his glasses to scowl at you. His golden eyes were already filled to the brim with tears, looking more animalistic, while simultaneously having lost their spark.

You tried not to flinch, having not seen them in such a long time that...you nearly forgot what they looked like at all.

When you didn't react the way he expected, he sighed and slumped back in the chair, keeping the glasses in his lap.

Eventually, he confessed to kissing Aziraphale in a last-ditch effort to make him stay and understand that he wanted to be with him and only him.

He wanted them both to go off to the stars together, like Gabriel and Beelzebub got to do after the archangel got his memories back.

It was so easy for them, yet apparently impossible for the two who have been collaborating for thousands of years...as Aziraphale simply couldn't detach himself from Heaven and thought that he could "fix" Crowley if he went with him.

It just didn't seem fair.

At one point, he nearly started smoking again, seething over three certain words that were spoken to him after that kiss...only to calm down as your hand came to rest on his knee, and you guided him through one of the human breathing exercises he once used.

This time, he got to ten without causing a lightning storm in the bookshop, thank goodness.

Only afterwards did he manage to tell you those words.

"He said..."I forgive you"."

"For..what?" Your eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

"Exactly my point!" He threw his hands up in the air. "Forgive me for what? That? Or for being an idiot who held onto the tiniest bit of hope that we could'a worked something out?"

"....you know, I never understood these...mushy feelings you humans get." He brushed away a stray tear that rolled down his cheek, only for another one to fall down the opposite side. But he gave up and just sniffled, hands clasped together. "Is this what sadness does to people?"

"...I wish I knew what he meant, Crowley."

There was a pause.

"Unfortunately, yes." You nodded, leaning over to take his hands into yours. "It sucks, and you wish it can all just go away with some drinks and Queen music..but as long as that hole stays in your heart, nothing will ever fill it."

"Then how do you cope? 'cuz those things haven't been doing a lotta good for me lately.."

For a moment you were quiet, wondering what you could possibly do to help him feel better in this moment. You couldn't just drag Aziraphale out of Heaven and demand him to do the "apology dance".

But you eventually did think of one thing that assures him that he's not alone and didn't have to carry this burden.

"Well, some of us humans appreciate hugs during times of sadness. Would you care for one?"

As you took your hands away, Crowley looked up to see your holding your arms out to him. His gaze was intense as he debated on whether or not to take this offer of yours.

Demons didn't give or receive hugs.

They didn't deserve them.

But he already came to the conclusion that he wasn't like most of his kind.

Why did he care?

"Listen..I know this won't make everything better. It won't bring him back, but-"

But you stopped as his head came to rest on your shoulder, although you wrapped your arms around him right away, ignoring the stench of sulfur in his clothes and wine in his breath. You knew he needed this comfort badly.

It didn't take long for him to break, his voice hitching with quiet sobs as he hugged you back, unshed tears finally flowing as he grieved for what could have been.

All you could do was let him lean on you, feeling your shirt growing damp.

"H-He was everythin' to me, [y/n]..."

"I know.."

"We...W-We could have been us. Together for eternity."

"I know. Maybe he'll come back some day."

"...i-it's gonna take more than a miracle for that to happen.."

[obsidianstrawberrymilk]

Ah fuck it Changes I would make to mha if god came down, pt 2

Fuyumi Todoroki should have been a hero and the more I think about this the more I will die on this hill. A) there's a severe lack of important female heroes and while Fuyumi is a side character I would have her take Endeavwhore's place in almost ALL of the times they fight Touya, both to give her more presence and because Touya being 'taken down' in any capacity by his abuser kind of sickens me. B) I want Enji a lot less present in the Todoroki plot than he currently is, even if he still gets some kind of a redemption. Fuyumi being a hero could both take his role physically and ALSO would give Shouto an actual reason for wanting to be a hero. C) I've always wondered like... why exactly Shouto would continue wanting to be a hero as he distanced himself from his father. His admiration for All Might doesn't seem like a good enough reason if his entire life has just been so isolated to only a few people and the major presence in his life his is abusive father who he's only ever seen misuse the power he has as a hero for his own gain. Fuyumi being a hero would actually give Shouto another hero role model to look up to, another reason to only use his ice, and give him a CONTINUED reason to want to be a hero. D) Also, Fuyumi's supposed to represent the 'fawn' response to abuse, and so her actively trying to do exactly what her dad wants and make a hero of herself and STILL be overlooked and discarded by him could really hammer in how Endeavwhore doesn't actually give a shit about any of his kids, even if they do what he wants; unless they're strong enough to beat All Might *with fire* like he wants he doesn't care.

I'm changing the entire entrance exam. It emphasizes entirely the wrong thing - killing things - above what heroes are actually supposed to focus on: saving people. If your hero school and society puts such an emphasis on 'taking down the bad guy' as opposed to saving people as heroes are supposed to do, that should actually be a point of discussion. That said, even if hero society still emphasizes defeating villains and looking cool for the camera above saving civilians, I'm changing it anyway:

Paper portion is the same as we get very little detail on it. My only change is UA students are tested on three foreign languages as well: English, Chinese, and Korean. They're expected to have a high level in all of them, mainly to add emphasis on just how hard UA is to get into (1 in 300 acceptance rate is fucking INSANE)

Practical portion!! This is completely revamped. Instead of the robots, current UA students are used as stand in civilians during a villain attack in a simulated urban area (a la the canon exam). There's only one giant robot, a few smaller ones, and the zero pointer. Students are put into groups of ten and are tasked with working together to rescue as many people as possible and take down as many villains as possible. Villain points are still emphasized over rescue points (which can now be gained from rescuing civilians and taking down the zero pointer, though very few do the latter), and the UA students are given pathways under the simulated area they can escape to if need be for safety. The practical feels more well rounded and realistic this way.

Also, this gives Shinsou an actual reason to be pissy about not getting into the hero course; the reason he got so few points in the practical was because as soon as the other people in his group found out about his quirk they refused to work with him, tanking his chances of almost any villain points (the mini villains are also robots). It also actually shows discrimination against people with 'villainous quirks' in hero society, something Horikoshi bought up but conveniently forgot about.

Kaminari doesn't have Whey Mode, it's a huge weakness and it's insane no one ever takes it seriously because of how big a safety risk it is for him. He can give himself nerve damage or kill himself if he uses his power too intensely, yes, but that's it.

Iida Tensi actually dies after being attacked by Stain.

Inko Midoriya is told about One for All and All Might's identity. She deserves to be in the know and it gives both All Might and Izuku another person for their support systems; she's the main character's only parent and yet she's so uninvolved in everything. It's disappointing. She would get more of a chance to voice her worries to both Izuku and Yagi, and she and Yagi could actually develop a friendship, which in all honestly Yagi really needs.

Momo is Class President and Tenya is Vice President.

Also like... Momo actually gets a chance to show off how powerful and strategic she is before we see her weaknesses hurt her. She's one of the most potentially powerful character in the fucking show die to her ability to literally create anything and yet we barely see what she's capable of before she is functionally rendered useless due to the author's inability to write female characters. I do like her arc about how her insecurities can get the best of her in the worst times and overcoming it but I want to expand on that. I want several scenes of her being academically and physically fantastic, top of her class, winning spars and overall seeming like the perfect up and coming hero, and THEN in the Sports festival, where she's one of the last few players, that's when we see her freeze up for the first time when one of her plans goes completely out of wack. And then, later (bc I'm putting the first villain arc as the Stain arc so USJ happens after that) when they're attacked for the first time, totally unprepared, she freezes up again and is saved by Jirou. This establishes her weakness - when she's in a situation she hasn't planned for or can't control she freezes up and that gets the best of her. Her arc is then learning how to better improvise in the heat of things (possibly becoming closer friends with Midoriya due to his ability to do exactly this) which she gets to show off during the Final Exams.

Also GIVE NEJIRE MORE PLOT TIME. Her, Mirio and Amajiki are meant to be a TRIO. I want her to get just as many fight scenes and emotional scenes as the other two, and let her be an inspiration to some of her younger classmates as well who also may have less conventionally strong Quirks, like Uraraka or Hagakure!!

Speaking of which: let Ochako be overpowered god damn it. Gravity manipulation is ALWAYS op (just look at Chuuya from BSD) and yet Ochako's never allowed to be just as powerful as she really should be. She has the potential to be one of the strongest characters in the series - she could basically neutralize as many hits or weapons as she could touch, could crush people into the ground with gravity, make herself or other people faster by making their feet lighter, or any other number of things but we never get to SEE IT!!

Also Ochako's foil is now Twice and Hawks kills Toga instead. I love both of them but Twice is unquestionably the more interesting character between the two from a narrative stand point and makes a very good foil to Ochako.

Hawks should have been used as a scapegoat for the Commission. From the beginning we've seen how he was basically brainwashed and conditioned to see everything they did as right; yet even when given chances to go against them that people in situations like his did take he continued looking up to them and supporting their actions. Like maybe after Dabi released the video of him killing Twice; the Commission uses him as a way to be like "hey, see!! We're the good guys!! He's the bad one so he's gone now!" Hawks killed for them and believed in them till his end and his reward would be either dead or as good as, a scapegoat for a mission they gave him. A tragedy of his own making, because he had chances to step away from them but chose not to. It would also be used to show how while the Meta Liberation Front aren't the good guys... well, neither are the HPSC. Like, at all.

Nana Shimura was a vigilante not a legal hero

And I've reached post character limit. Damn

[epicspheal]

Not Yet! We can fight on! An Iris Analysis

Ah Iris…I remember when we first got information about her through anime leaks how Serebii.net forums were going wild. A dark-skinned female as Ash’s companion? I was fighting for my life trying to defend her because people were…not that accepting of her to say the least.

I like Iris, both her anime and game counterparts. But this analysis is going to be centered on her game counterpart (since this blog is mostly gameverse centered). While our time with her in both Black/White and Black 2/White 2 is overall pretty limited we can still gain a lot of information about who she is in the game’s world

Let’s start with her name. Fun fact! Iris is the only champion (bar Red) whose name is the same in both English and Japanese. The name Iris comes from the plant genus named Iris which actually comes from the Greek Goddess of Rainbows, Iris. Now this Greek Goddess doesn’t have a whole lot of mythology around her, but her key role was to be the connection between humans and gods. A divine messenger of sorts. Given Iris’ ability to understand the hearts of dragons, the Tao Trio being revered in Unova, and her being from a Village that lives as one with dragon types it makes sense why this is her name. She’s a bridge between humans and dragon types which I think is really sweet.

Now back to the Iris flowers, we know Pokemon loves floral and plant symbolism. And the Iris flower has no shortage of symbolism with it meaning faith, courage, valor, hope and wisdom. Iris as a character certainly has a lot of courage being a dragon tamer of some pretty fierce dragon types at such a young age. She has a lot of faith and hope in her and her team’s power. She shows plenty of valor by offering to be Bianca’s bodyguard in Castelia city and stepping up against Team Plasma in the Plasma Castle. And as we see in Pokemas, she is growing in her wisdom.

But wait there’s more! Even the individual colors of the Iris flower (of which there are many) also have their own unique meanings. Since Iris is very much related to the color purple, let’s use that one for more analysis. The purple iris symbolizes royalty, wisdom, strength and courage. Wisdom and Courage are repeated themes for Iris as we see. Strength and Royalty can be tied to her status as champion as they’re the strongest trainers of the regions and (especially in places like Galar) can be seen as royalty among the league.

Now let’s take a look at her team. For this I’m going to be only using her normal mode team

We see here that she uses a mix of Dragon-Type Pokemon and Pokemon that are dragon-adjacent much like Lance. However unlike Lance, she doesn’t repeat any species (which is mainly due to Unova having more variety in Dragon Types). She uses 12 of then (at the time) 17 types with a fair spread of both physical and special damaging moves showing that she does value coverage a lot. She has a lot of coverage for ice types with fire and fighting to combat ice, and fire, fighting and ground to combat steel which resists dragon moves. Even though the fairy type had not yet debuted, it seems like Iris was already future-proofing her team with the addition of Aggron. She also tends to favorite spread moves (Surf, Earthquake, Rock Slide) and some high-risk/high-reward moves (Double Edge, Focus Blast, Endeavor, etc) which gives the impression her style of battling is very high-powered and likely means her champion room needs to be pretty sturdy to withstand the level of her attacks.

"I heard this lady's scream and ran after the thief as fast as I could. But this city is so big and so crowded… I'm afraid I lost them. […] But that's so bad! Taking people's Pokémon is really bad! 'Cause it's really nice when people and Pokémon are together! They each have something the other doesn't, and they help each other!"

This is our first introduction to Iris after she helps out Bianca after she gets her Pokemon stolen from her. We can see right off the bat that despite being young she’s very eager to help others, which gives me the vibes that in another universe she’d be a perfect Pokemon Protagonist. Also we see that she truly values the relationship between people and Pokemon which again tracks since she not only grew up in the Village of Dragons, her empathic abilities that allow her to connect with Dragon types at a deeper level would increase her love on the bond people and Pokemon typically share.

We also see in the Castelia City events that she does struggle bit with getting around the city, but that seems to be more of a result of Castelia being so unfamiliar to her versus her being like Lillie or Leon who have more overall struggles with with direction, since she can navigate Opelucid City just fine.

"That single Dragon Pokémon, along with twin heroes, brought a new region into being. And people and Pokémon had happy lives!! In its pursuit of truth, the white Dragon-type Pokémon sought to usher in a new and better world… Its name was Reshiram. And the other, the black Dragon-type Pokémon, sought ideals and to usher in a new world--a world of hope. Its name was Zekrom. But, but… The two heroes' sons started the battle again! And an instant later, Reshiram and Zekrom destroyed Unova with fire and lightning! Then, they disappeared! But, but… If people work with Pokémon in the right way, we don't have to worry anymore about the world being destroyed. I mean, Reshiram and Zekrom worked hard for everyone and made a new region! So, it should be all right, I think."

Iris is also the one in both versions to tell us the origin story of Reshiram and Zekrom showing her deep knowledge of Unova cultural history. Now here we get a bit of a divide where in Black she is Drayden’s apprentice and will teach the move Draco Meteor to your Pokemon, but in White we actually face her as the gym leader.

"The pain of my Pokémon… I feel it, too!"

Here we get a glimpse of her powers in action, albeit subtly. It’s very clear she’s an empath and that the bond between her and her Pokemon is so strong that she can feel when they take hits. Which when you think of the attacks she puts on her teams, shows that she tries to finish battles quickly to minimize the shared pain.

We see her again at N’s castle bravely fighting against the seven sages so Hilda/Hilbert can face N, once again showing her courage and I swear in another universe she was the BW protagonist. She fits the bill so well

"Sometimes I think about the village where I was born, but I'm totally OK! Because I met lots of Pokémon--and all of you!"

This quote comes from Caitlin’s Villa where she remarks about her time in the Village of Dragons, showing that she doesn’t mind being away from it because she’s made so many new friends!

"… Looking for Team Plasma? But Team Plasma disbanded two years ago!"

Fast forward two years in-universe and meet her once again in Castelia City as Hugh and Nate/Rosa are giving chase to Neo Team Plasma. As she helps them to the sewers we can see she’s gotten a better grasp on navigating the big city as she no longer complains of getting lost. We can see though, she is taken aback a bit by the claims that Team Plasma is still around, but nevertheless she still helps out.

"Yahoo! I haven't seen you since I ran into you in Castelia City! Are you here to battle Grandpa? Yep! Opelucid City's Gym Leader, Drayden, is my grandpa. We're not really related, though! Oh! The Gym is that way! Before challenging it, you might want to go to Route 9! Still, your Pokémon really respect you! I feel how much fun your Pokémon are having, even from inside their Poké Balls! Good luck!"

We meet up with her again in Opelucid City where we see in both versions that Drayden is now the one gym leader for the city which is foreshadowing that Iris has ascended to a higher position. But also we get a confirmation that Drayden and Iris have a grandparent-grandchild relationship even if they aren’t blood related. And once again we get a bit of hint of her powers as she can sense the fun the player’s Pokemon are having, showing that although her powers seem most related to draconic , she can still sense the feelings of other Pokemon too.

"Know what? I really look forward to having serious battles with strong Trainers! I mean, come on! The Trainers who make it here are Trainers who desire victory with every fiber of their being! And they are battling alongside Pokémon that have been through countless difficult battles! If I battle with people like that, not only will I get stronger, my Pokémon will, too! And we'll get to know each other even better! OK! Brace yourself! I'm Iris, the Pokémon League Champion, and I'm going to defeat you!"

I really love this quote in particular because it shows how much she looks forward to tough fights as it helps her deepen the bonds between her and her Pokemon. This is in contrast to at the time, the only other kid champion of the series, Blue, who was more concerned about gloating about his tactical mindset in assembling a powerful and versatile team. It shows the different mindsets we see between the two child-prodigies (thankfully though, Blue does change his mindset). The fact that we both began and end the 2D era of the franchise (Gen 1 to Gen 5) with the champion being a child is a nice way to bring it all together for that time of Pokemon.

Iris’ pre-champion fight quote also ties into a quote you can only access in the memory link cutscenes

"I've already decided! I know what kind of Champion I will be! There's a myth in Sinnoh that says that the reason why Pokémon jump out is because they want to thank people. I'm sure that we and Pokémon have helped each other and enriched the world since ancient times. These memories have been engraved in each Pokémon's heart! So, I want Pokémon and people to get closer and closer! As the Champion, I want to tell that to everybody!"

Here we can see once again how knowledgeable she is about myths, not just in Unova but Sinnoh as well. But also we can see how this helps inform how she wants to be a champion. That she wants to help facilitate the bonds between Pokemon and People. This really shows her mindset as being quite mature for her age as she’s not focused on showing off her strength as much, even though yes she still doesn’t like to lose.

"So, this room is the Hall of Fame! Your name and your Pokémon's names will be recorded here so these important things will never be forgotten: That you are an excellent and kind Trainer! That you are considerate toward your Pokémon, and you give them your whole heart! And that your wonderful Pokémon believe in their Trainer with all their hearts, and together you have a strength that knows no bounds! Hey, c'mon! Oh, excuse me… ! To the Trainer standing before me! And to the Pokémon at your side! Your beautiful bond has grown strong through battle! In order to make this bond an eternal treasure, your names shall be recorded here!"

I also find this quote really endearing as you can see that even though she’s giving a serious impactful speech, she’s still just a kid and sometimes slips up a bit. She is really trying to live up to the role of being champion which we see impacts her a lot in one of the Pokemon Masters EX events- The Shining Hearts of Dragons

Is he saying…I'd be an embarrassment to Unova?"

Oof…if ever I wanted to jump through my screen and throw hands with NPCs, it was those jerk adults who were calling Iris an embarrassment. It seems being a kid does not protect you from the harsh criticism of people who keep an eye on the league. We see Iris definitely feels pressure as being the youngest champion at the event. All of the other champions are adults (or in Blue’s case an older teen) and she’s coming off the heels of Alder who is a wise veteran champion.

"It's just…Diantha is so pretty, calm, and mature… […] Diantha is amazing…I wanna be that elegant and cool when I grow up, too."

You can see of all the older champions she definitely looks up to Diantha the most. Which is very fitting considering it’s Diantha who ultimately mentors her to help her get out of the funk once her Hydreigon goes berserk thanks to the actions of Team Break

"I wanted to make sure people knew me…and accepted me…I just wanted to make everyone happy. I wanted them to know that I'm the proud Champion of Unova… […]"I remember thinking I'd become a great Champion, just like Alder was! But I don't think I can do it anymore…I don't have the experience…and I'm just a kid…"

We can see how much the incident (and Lance’s stern warning) affected her. Hydreigon going out of control was also a hard blow because we learn in her “Day with Iris (Champion Alt)” story that she struggled to control it initially (again drawing more parallels to Blue as he also couldn’t handle his Aerodactyl at the start of his journey). So having Hydreigon act up again right when she was trying to show how capable she is as champion was a huge blow. She wants to be seen as mature and to be accepted. The acceptance part likely stems from her being from the Village of Dragons which has a vastly different culture than Unova and how she likely feels like an outsider at times. Poor Iris, she needs a hug.

Thankfully though she manages to find her way and get back to her peppy self by the end of the event. Feeling more confident in her abilities as champion. Which is important once we see her in the multiple Unova Neo Champion events where she presides as the main judge. In all the events she definitely seems to prioritize how people and Pokemon connect via their hearts and their ideas of strength

While Iris has certainly stepped up to the plate in showing her ability to be a mature, albeit young, champion. She thankfully still has time to still be a kid. A lot of her dialogue in the Pokemon Center talks about playing and having fun. But more importantly she got to get a whole bunch of candy, and new friends in Allister and Naganadel in the “Otherworldly Encounter” Halloween event. It was really adorable to see her team up with a ghost type expert like Allister who also happens to have supernatural powers much like her and just be able to hang out and enjoy getting a bunch of candy.

“But I can tell how it's feeling! I bet it was just afraid because it came to a place it doesn't know well!  was the same when I moved to the large cities of Unova from the Village of the Dragons! I was really nervous since there were so many tall buildings–and a lot of people."

I really liked this moment where she stands up to someone as domineering as Lusamine in defense of Poipole as she could relate to how the ultra beast felt being in an unfamiliar place.

“Yeah! I bet a concert with Roxie is gonna be so much fun! I understand how you feel, Roxie! I have an important dream as a Champion too...So I think I can sing with the same feelings as you!"

Lastly, I wanted to point out this small bit of dialogue from “Who’s the best singer” Where we see that Iris not only enjoys Roxie’s music but that she has a bit of musical talent as well. I really love instances like this in Pokemon Master’s where we can see characters step beyond just their defined role in-game. So not only have we gotten a chance to see her play with kids around her age and get candy, but we also get to see her sing with a rockstar! All in all, Game!Iris is a really incredible character who I’ve enjoyed since I first played White all those years ago. She’s certainly gone through a lot in her young life and I’d honestly love to see how she’s grown up since the events of BW2.

[wazzappp]

Ok @moosemonstrous here we fuckin go.

OK SO. I apologize if it comes off more Evangellion than Pacific Rim but I thought that making The Charger more slender would help to differentiate it and allow for a focus on agility (also helps it to look more skeletal and unsettling).

The Charger is built in layers. An outer layer that constitutes the armor, a thinner covering, metal scaffolding, secondary thin covering, and then finally the essential wiring that makes the 'nervous system' of the Jaeger. Most of the damage (corruption scars, nicks, paint chipping) is just cosmetic, and the structural nature of the Jaeger is intact.

HOWEVER. The same can not be said of the reactor core. At some point (maybe during Eli's death?) corruption made its way behind the main fans of the outer engine and into the main reactor that powers the Jaeger. In theory this should lead to a catastrophic failure, but in this instance Im thinking there was a chemical reaction that essentially stabilized the corrosive nature of the Corruption (were gonna circle back to that).

For the most part my version of Robbies suit is fairly standard. I added an orange tint to his helmet screen for flavor because hey. Why not.

The spine of the suit is probably newly integrated to allow for an updated interface, I imagine theres at least a little development in the technology between the time Eli dies and Robbie comes into play. That would make the suit a weird mishmash of past and new technology which could be VERY fun.

Also I LOVED the white accents @cicada-candy added for their design but I didn't want to steal ideas so I just added it in my own places. Your art fucks severely bro I just wanted to make sure and let you know that <3

TIME FOR MY FAVORITE PART: SPECULATION ABOUT THE CORRUPTION AND ITS THEORETICAL GENETIC EFFECTS IN DOSES ON A SUBJECT!!!!!! (AKA self indulgence part 2 electric boogaloo)

I believe you mentioned the Corruption being a Neurotoxin which would be Very fun and VERY cool but I also have a suggestion. Mainly because you also referenced an increase in Robbies strength, as well as another person who got fuckin deaded shortly after.

A rapid growth in muscle density to allow for this strength would be very interesting, but why would the Corruption cause that? Simple answer; it isn't. At least not intentionally. Whats actually happening is a kind of nerve damage that changes the brains regulation of muscular exertion. Our brains really only let us use a certain percentage of our real strength, because if we just let loose and used it all we would cause significant physical damage to ourselves. Like. ripping your own tendons free from their anchors. you could break your own bones. you would die SO fast bro.

Now it is POSSIBLE to access this strength in situations of extreme stress and thats how you get people lifting cars off of loved ones, but this does still cause damage. It also gets more complicated when you consider Fast Twitch muscle reactions but for the sake of simplicity: You Would Die.

So a release of cortisol and other stress hormones, combined with a lessened ability to control strength. This means they would be USING that strength A LOT against ANYONE AND EVERYONE. But maintaining this sort of metabolism is not reasonable. Someone suffering from Corruption would likely also suffer from Hypoglycemia fatally. So extremely strong, extremely scared, and extremely short lived is the kind of deal we would be talking about here.

SO. Having said ALL OF THAT. WHAT IS ROBBIES DEAL. Well heres my proposal: The Corruption is a virus that causes neurodegenerative disease.

If Robbie was exposed to very small amounts of it as a child, it's possible it was inactive or defective, which would have allowed for an immunization point. Its also highly possible that this is a virus that can not survive (well i say survive very lightly. theres significant debate as to wether viruses are actually alive at all but I digress) outside its usual area AKA Inside a demon. He could have been exposed through contaminated water, direct contact, maybe even breathing burned version through the air. Either way, he came into contact with a weakened version of the virus and it helps him later on.

As he comes into DIRECT contact with Corruption via plugging into The Charger this is when we would start to see some more interesting effects. This Corruption would still be different though because of the aforementioned stabilizing chemical reaction in the reactor. Also, because I think Eli's DNA would be integrated into it. This provides Robbie with genetic compatibility for the virus to jump off of. Remember, viruses don't want to kill a host, they just want to reproduce as much as possible (which does end up killing a host but still). And a fun fact about viruses is that we never actually get rid of them, we just get rid of the symptoms. Once you have it its in you forever.

SO. 1. Immune response from Robbies body begins to cause the nervous damage that would allow for his rapid increase in strength. 2.Immune system recognizes the genetic material is familiar (Eli doing something good even inadvertently I guess). 3. Immune system neutralizes the virus and incorporates it into Robbies genetic coding. All good right? Happy ending? WRONG.

BECAUSE WHEN THERE ARE COPYING ERRORS IN YOUR DNA (SOMETIMES FROM VIRUSES) WHAT DO WE CALL IT?? DING DING DING 10 POINTS TO THE MUTUAL THAT SAID ✨MUTATION✨

This virus still carries genetic material from demons, this would also be getting integrated into Robbies DNA. Places like his spine which would have the most regular contact with the Corruption would probably take the brunt of these changes. It's possible that the nerve damage never truly goes away and he continuously tears and then rebuilds those muscles, resulting in overall increased strength thats technically?? stabilized?? Also I could totally see his body going 'oh shit were finally growing with decent access to fuel? BET' and just. Reactivates the growth plates in his bones ('Look! I've fixed his runt of the litter insecurity!' 'YOU FUCKED UP A PERFECTLY GOOD PILOT IS WHAT YOU DID. LOOK AT HIM. HES GOT ANXIETY ABOUT THE STATE OF HIS HUMANITY').

Oh yeah its also worth noting that this would be like. Pretty painful. We're talking constant soreness, cramps, deep aches that just won't go away. General suffering <3

Of course tapetum lucidum OF COURSE TEEF obviously as if I could go without it. You can get funky with mutations because hey. fucky wucky demon genome integration whoop whoop. Also could be interesting to see damaged areas on the Charger manifest on Robbie as damaged tissue. His skin says 'AH. Damage' and copies itself as scar tissue instead of the usual.

Oh god Ive been writing for a solid hour and a half I was supposed to be asleep a while ago ok. Moose I love this au and its making me unwell thank you for sharing with the class I hope you will consider my virus proposal for body horror purposes.

[sometimes-sleeby-octopus]

I have a new AU idea swimming around in my head where the Smiling Friends are all mages trying to save their town from a disaster event so I drew Mage Allan recently!!! :DD

Shout out to @universallydestinytaco for listening to my infodumping and giving great ideas and feedback on the AU!!! :D

Haven’t worked out all the details yet but here’s some (as in a lot of) info on the au:

1. It would be called the Fifteen Minutes AU since I got the idea listening to the song Fifteen Minutes by Mike Krol

2. Background: The main four would still work for Mr. Boss, but the company would be called The Smiling Sorcerers instead! Their goal is to help out around the town using their magic to make people smile!

3. Glep’s design would be very similar if not completely the same to the design in this post.

4. The main four and Mr. Boss would all have different ways of using magic/spell casting!

5. Mr Boss is a future seer and randomly gets premonitions of events shortly beforehand, usually within the same day, except in the case of really severe events like the disaster, in which he gets a couple days notice. He cannot predict everything that will happen and essentially gets a general summary.

6. Allan utilizes magic cards as both physical weapons/tools and to harness their magic. The fortune’s in the cards, so he has increased luck that he can choose to pass onto others through giving them a card. He pulls them out/summons them from the area by his heart, right underneath his bow. The drawbacks are that she can’t change the size of the cards, only combine them, and she can only use so many before running out of energy, so she has to use them wisely.

7. Glep utilizes mind magic to read others minds and even transmit thoughts to them. He can also increase the production of certain brain chemicals like adrenaline for himself without any side effects. His mind reading also works for premonitions (which makes him find out about the disaster event before the other four). The drawback is that he has to focus to clearly read someone’s thoughts and when he does so, any thoughts that someone has (intrusive, impulsive, random, untrue etc) can be read, so he has to read between the lines and ask the right questions to find out truth. He also cannot use his magic for attacks, but he can utilize it to increase his existing physical ability like in the case of using adrenaline.

8. Charlie uses his hands to cast spells that interact with the existing physical world, mainly through things like levitation and object manipulation. There is no weight limit or energy limitations for his powers, but one of the drawbacks is that the heavier the object, the more concentration it takes to levitate it. Another one of the drawbacks is that he cannot change the "core meaning" of an object (ex: he can't just instantly turn an orange into a potato, he would have to use different steps of manipulations and associations to make that happen, and it could take a while if he can’t think of a proper association).

9. Pim uses a wand to cast his light spells!! They function somewhat similarly to electricity with the different levels having different effects. The lower levels have healing properties and the higher levels are more chaotic and cause damage. They tend to use their powers more so for healing and dislike using them to cause harm, which exacerbates the drawback: The chaos of the higher levels can be difficult to control.

Lastly, here are rough sketches of Charlie and Pim’s outfits!!!

More on this later in another post assuming I don’t burn out haha :’)

TLDR: The Fifteen Minutes AU is an SF au where the main four + Mr Boss are mages working under the company The Smiling Sorcerers, which helps people using their different magical abilities. It was inspired by the song Fifteen Minutes by Mike Krol. Maybe more on the plot later! :3

[geareduptom]

4 dumbasses living together: The Wedding

For the 'Episode's' breakdown click Keep Reading ^^

(Warning: I don't have a name for Cuphead and Bendy's dads yet. ^^')

So this is basically a concept of Bendy and Cupheads wedding. Where a couple of unexpected guests make their own appearance and this is the first time they actually meet/fight Felix.

Bendy in this 'episode' would mainly be concerned and kind of distracted by the fact his father shows up. A man who he wasn't aware was invited. (Cause he wasn't)

Cuphead on the other hand would be dealing with some insecurities that Bendy's half-sister had raised in an episode or something prior to the wedding making him feel concerned he wasn't enough for Bendy which is only kinda influenced by how odd Bendy starts to act.

Mugman on the other hand finds out that Elderkettle and their father were invited which causes him to try and hide or find a jacket due to the not-so-hidden black appendage that his right arm has become.

Meanwhile, Cupheads father is actually the one who brought Bendy's dad since he'd been invited and he didn't have a plus one so he brought his boss who is a close friend once he realized Bendy and him were related.

So it's an entire mess of an evening and when Cuphead finally comes out and is walked down the Isle by his dad, Bendy's focus finally shifts to his soon-to-be husband, and the whole evening shifts when Cuphead notices something odd about the gazebo Bendy was standing under.

So throwing his insecurities out the window he saves Bendy by football-tackling him into Boris who catches the 2 in time to pull them out of the way of Felix who is a bit more than ready for a large fight.

He even addresses Cuphead and Bendy's fathers by name. Since they were also a part of the reason he was there. Seeing as they both were involved in his predicament.

Which is when he reveals his soul ring. Which kind of activates Bendy and Cupheads and gives Oswald a very painful startle.

This leads to the whole wedding turning into a giant fight between Felix and the whole party who are protecting Bendy since that seems to be his main target.

It only ends when Oswald almost kills himself to protect Bendy and Felix runs away, not too happy about the situation.

The 2 still get married with Bendy proving to Cuphead he didn't need some stupid reason to love him and afterward they have a full-fledged talk with their parents. Cause Wtf.

Where they reveal Bendy's soul ring wasn't a natural gift, but a stolen one. Oswald is the unwilling Donor, which damaged Oswald and Felix's relationship. (A little physically since Oswald's ear and eye were removed to reach it.) Since losing a soul ring through surgery makes the Donor emotionally numb around their partner and can even hurt when the rings are activated by their S.O.

This is why sometimes Oswald will feel pain or a splitting headache and nothing will make it go away.

[triple-moon-rp]

Lua's List of Propositions for the Hotel

(This is free for anybody that works at the hotel to comment on, mainly any Charlie's, Vaggie's, and Lucifer's. Just going to put the whole thing under readmore due to it being long. It is written in first person instead of my usual 3rd)

After a few months of research and observation, I would like to offer a compilation of changes that I believe will allow the Hazbin Hotel to better meet its mission.

Peer Support:

The drive for acceptance among peers and friends plays a large influence on how people behave. While peer pressure is more harmful, having access to peer support helps encourage positive growth. This group should consist of volunteers, people with personal experience with what our guests have been through and have overcome. Finding them in Pride may be difficult, so perhaps seeking those that work or reside in Sloth and even Heaven if those in charge can be convinced to permit it. We also need more experts on mental health and rehabilitation in general as they can give more insight and viable suggestions for improvements.

Abusers and their Victims:

Since this is a limited operation for now, there's not much we can do to mitigate past abusers from potentially ruining the progress of their previous victims. Ideally, we would house them in completely separate buildings, investing in more property will be crucial but that will require allocating resources to it. In the meantime, we should focus on preventing the abuser being alone with the abused for any amount of time. One way of doing so is with a buddy system, one person accompanies the abused in communal areas that can help de-escalate situations where confrontation is impossible to avoid.

Permanent Sanctuary:

There's one important issue that I believe needs to be addressed and that is we need to consider what to do with Sinners that will always pose a risk to themselves and others not because they are "pure evil" but due to irreversible damage or developmental issues while they were still alive. We need to consider the possibility that for some cannot or even will not be able to make Heaven their new home, that Hell is the only place left where they can truly belong. Permanent resident or not, I don't think turning them away and forcing them to try to survive on their own is necessary. So long as they follow the rules, they should be welcome here at the hotel and enjoy the same accommodations as any other guest unless there is another facility better suited for them.

Manual Re-Judgement:

From my current understanding, Heaven relies purely on forces no one truly understands to make judgements. We should present a case to them showing that it is no longer sustainable nor reasonable, and that instead the entire council should look at all the evidence supporting a person's character and manually decide for themselves for once what deems a person good and safe enough to live in Heaven if that person desires to do so. If over 90% of the council approves of a Sinner's ascension, they should at least be allowed to stay in Heaven but under parole for a certain length of time deemed reasonable by the majority. If there are no signs of reverting to old harmful habits during that period, they should be allowed to completely integrate themselves among the Winners and seen as a changed person even if they don't look like it physically or weren't beamed up to the gates. We will need to prepare potential incentives for Heaven to participate before this discussion however, but it is something I believe will be ultimately necessary to actually meet the hotel's original mission. Otherwise, we need to shift our focus off Heaven completely, and focus purely on rehabilitation and social reforms in Hell.

[turigirl]

Could you tell us either abt ur ocs or your f/os? :-)

hi anon i love you

my ocs that ive been thinking about most lately have been those under the tag "fine & mellow" :o) theyre a 60s girl band! ive read a lot about the dynamics of popular bands, specifically in this time period, and i think the love-hate relationship that usually results is really interesting.

i think if i ever illustrated it in some way (art or writing or etc) id want it to be a comic. maybe a webcomic, maybe a physical comic. im not super sure on that.

id want to include things like interviews, magazine covers, album covers, photos of them, etc, played as from a real band (as real as a picture of furries can be). i have a list of album names and song ideas for each one (some being existing songs to pretend are theirs, some being "original" songs. meaning i made it up)

the band is founded in 1959 by dominique dalmatian, who is the main character. she's reserved- not shy necessarily but cautious of every new person she meets. she has bpd (projectionn of my symptomsss) and depression that creeps in slowly and immobilizes her. and she plays bass! she has a strong work ethic and will push her feelings (and others') aside to finish her work, in this case being f&m's albums.

fine & mellow is the name of the band, by the way, to be clear. it's named after a jazz standard and slowly becomes more and more ironic.

there are other guitarists before, of course, but the most important one is laura labradoodle. she's peppy and brings a lighter tone to their music as well as a more romantic light. shes a brilliant songwriter, despite it being really just a hobby. shes a full time photographer when they recruit her. when she joins in 1962, the band as a whole changes. she and dom write songs together, becoming closer and closer. that relationship and how it bends and breaks is especially what i would focus on. there's something so heartbreaking about getting so close, hearing a part of the others soul, only for something to backfire and send the band into a downward spiral.

clears my throat. so anyway, the drummer is named lolly lamb, and she stays from the beginning (until she's pushed out by jackie, who you'll hear about in a sec). she adores 40s and 50s fashion and has a seemingly instinctual sense of beat. drumming for f&m started out as a favor for her friend and ended up becoming so much more for her, and the rest of them.

in early 1964, after a couple months of no creative breaks, laura brings in... a hairdresser. her name is jackie jackrabbit, and she stares at the other two like they've grown new heads. but she's laura's friend, and they know the moment she sings with them that they've got something special. jackie is a little snobby and a little blunt, but manages to fit in fairly well. she can't play an instrument, but her singing ability more than makes up for it, and laura hands her a tambourine a few months later.

they release an album in july, and it seems to be the domino piece slowly falling into place. after months of arguing with jackie, lolly leaves the band.

they hire a session drummer, LAYLA, but she quickly becomes their permanent drummer for their next albums. layla (stylized in all caps) is the stage name of susie sloth-bear, a drummer who first got famous as a model. but she was good, playing as a session drummer across the states.

but the making of their next album with layla is FULL of arguments, and they go on a 5 month hiatus. the hiatus gave them the new material they were looking for, but they struggled to work together in making them. most of the songs on the next album would be mainly played by one individual member. only layla collaborated with the other three. the damage was done, and their 1967 album, fittingly titled "kill the lights," would be their last.

so that was kinda long, huh? i still don't have everything set in stone, but here's a summary probably way longer than you expected. they also all have refs! which are on my toyhouse (link). i would upload them here, and someday i might get around to it, but i dont have the energy to write ids for all of em. so. ill leave it at all this. if anyone has any questions, though, id be happy to answer :o) im still workin out the kinks!

[katerinaaqu]

Oban Star Racers Aikka Theme

Sooo this is the Part 2 of the "get better" gift for my dear friend Arts-Of-Metamoor (@artsofmetamoor) following right after my small sketch collection:

As you can see this sketch was done in the same day, finished it a bit after midnight but couldn't post it till now. Also I have a slight infection to one of my fingers when I got a light cut so with my hand kinda in pain couldn't do it yersterday either. Sorry for the delay dear! (yeah this is also an old sketch but it took me some time to re-post here as well!)

Once again forgive me everyone for the terrible quality of the scanning. I tried scanning the page of my hard-covered sketchbook so it was hard doing it without damaging it! Anyways one again tried to challenge myself into drawing something more complicated without the use of cheat lines and all. I probably messed certain body analogies but I am still satisfied enough with the result. At least I am convinced I can still do it, I guess!

So this is Diego lounching an arrow. The original plan was drawing him drawing the cord, but as I said to my friend the other day, I wanted to cover for my incompitence to draw fingers hold arrows so I made the arrow mid-launch instead.

So I need to mention that it was a conscious choice making him have a hip-quiver. One of them being that I didn't feel confident having him have it in the back but the other is that I was inspired by videos of people like Lars Andersen who practices historical archery and did several experiments in regards to quivers in the back and descovered they are not very practical when running in the forest so maybe Diego in high actions he would have his quiver at his hip and when he is stationary he would have it at his back (since my friend Arts-Of-Metamoor @artsofmetamoor also imagined him with the quiver at the back)

The choice of making the arrow at the draw side was also conscious one. Once again inspired by the historical observations that the arrow could be armed and launched from the draw side and in fact it would be quicker to do so in a heated scene of action: see here

The small piece of lyrics I wrote are of course inspired by the song published by Erutan on YouTube The Willow Maid (I know I know I became obsessed with this while writing about Diego! XD To be honest I have no idea why I imagined it being Diego's song, with his obsession over keeping Caleb close to him at any cost or that he doesn't understand what is going on inside him and in his attempt to do good also, he hurt Caleb immensely)

So a few information about Diego

Diego's back are solid muscles due to the fact that he practiced years in drawing the string of his bow. His body development is still "skinnier" than Caleb's due to the fact that he is not naturally as bulky as Caleb and because he mainly practices archery than heavy weapons like the sphere or battle methods like swordsmanship (although extensively trained to those as well)

Unlike polular belief, archers were some of the fittest soldiers in their units due to their extremely demanding and physical labor with the bow and the battle. However because Diego has a leaner bodytype than Caleb and has less bulky hands, he is oftened referred by Caleb as "skinny" for the funs of it

Diego is up to one point amphidextrous. His main dominant hand is the right one however he can use relatively well his left too. Also due to the excessive excersize with his bow, Diego can shoot perfectly well with both hands so he can hold his bow either with the left or the right hand.

Diego has eyesight higher than average so that allows him to be even more reliable archer. His slit, cat-like eyes have an incredible ability to focus (which allows him notice certain details much better)

Diego is often described as the coquet of his team. He loves wearing more extravagant or decorative clothing (unlike Caleb who prefers more practical and less showy clothing) but he still doesn't wish to lose his mobility and flexibility. So he would often pick comfortable leather boots with decorative buckles and waistcoats or capes with slightly more finesse.

As Diego described his own hair, it can be hard "like horsetail" and made to grow faster. (often compares it with Caleb's who has thinner hair that is prone to breakage. Which is why ultimately Caleb's hair would never grow hip-length like Diego's long locks of hair)

Diego's favorite drinks are Cider and Armagnac (when compared to simpler tastes of Caleb's with ale and wine) but he does enjoy drinking alcohol with friends just like Caleb does.

Diego is a few inches shorter than Caleb (as imagined by my friend @artsofmetamoor )

Diego's voice was inspired by my friend from Ramses from Dreamwork's movie Prince of Egypt and some aspects of his personalty suit too (desperately seeking for approval, taking things at heart, being completely into whatever thing Caleb might be scheming hehehe and above all being always there for Caleb)

Diego tends to have a sweet tooth from time to time. He enjoys puffy cream and custard when he can get his hands on that. He was also delighted when Caleb smuggled some chocolate from earth to Meridian and shared some with him

Diego always called his adopted father by name than call him "father" like Caleb. He might often call him so but more frequently he calls him "Julian" instead.

Ballard is the only known archer who can go toe to toe with his skills.

There are two primarily cultural groups of Shifters, the Mountain and the Desert Shifters. Diego, ironically and tragically descends from both.

@artsofmetamoor has plenty of amazing pieces and features of Diego!

[inagent]

GENERAL INFORMATION.

adrien was born with psychic abilities due to his mother undergoing an experimental treatment as her pregnancy had been difficult. she turned to her father, dr. brandon bailey, for help—though a bit reluctantly since the man was more focused on his work rather than his own family. however, the man came through, using his connections with umbrella to help his daughter.

these abilities manifested into three types: telepathy, telekinesis and psychometry. he has decent control over them now compared to before but he has to be careful in not to overuse as it tends to result in either painful headaches or nosebleeds.

PSYCHOMETRY.

⸺ developing some time after his telepathy kicked in, adrien can tap into an object’s memories by sensing the ‘echo’ of a person’s aura left behind on said object. it’s easier for him to tap into the memories of the object if it was more recent but he has learned over the years on how to selectively tap into older echos on an object to read. this ability is rather useful as he doesn’t need to read into a person’s mind to get information that he potentially needs, such as a password or code to a lock.

⸺ this ability, along with his telepathy, is why adrien developed a strong aversion to touch as due to his young age, his ability to control them was miniscule at best. to help, he started wearing gloves and continues to wear them even now, though it's more of a habit rather than a mechanism to help him control his abilities.

TELEKINESIS.

⸺ the third to manifest a couple years before the outbreak, adrien had little to no control over it but fortunately–possibly due to his young age–his level of power was minor. small things would happen, such as objects being knocked over, he would cause the lights to flicker and cause other minor infractions that could easily be explained.

⸺ currently adrien has the telekinetic strength to lift up a tank a few feet off the ground or stop a speeding vehicle. adrien doesn’t really practice enough to push his limits but if he did, he has the potential to lift more.

⸺ adrien is already a talented marksman and would only use his telekinesis in certain scenarios to enhance his aim. he doesn’t want to ‘cheat’ so to speak and he doesn’t really need that advantage anyways.

⸺ his telekinesis can feel somewhat ‘sensitive’ as when he picks up objects or people, he can partially feel the texture—which allows him to be gentle with fragile objects/people

⸺ he tends to use his telekinesis mainly to assist with his physical abilities, such as jumping, punching, climbing, enduring physical damage, etc. he can also enhance his body’s healing capabilities by speeding up the healing process telekinetically, a fine-tune process that tends to take a good amount of energy and focus. adrien can also potentially heal others as well if he becomes more open about his abilities and trust others more often.

⸺ similar to his ability to telepathically sense other mental signatures, adrien can use his telekinesis to sense other physical objects around him—basically like echolocation.

TELEPATHY.

⸺ started developing around the age of 7, manifesting in the form of headaches and noises + sensations in his head. due to his inexperience and young age, adrien couldn’t hear voices clearly, instead they manifested more as incessant noise and sometimes painful sensations. consciously he had little to no control but subconsciously a part of him was able to control to an extent, especially when the outbreak occurred.

⸺ part of the reason why he developed an aversion to physical contact, especially skin to skin, is that his powers ( particularly either his telepathy or psychometry ) would trigger inadvertently as a result. though he has more control over his abilities nowadays, he is still reluctant to let anyone touch without his consent, unless it’s someone he implicitly trusts or he reaches out first, which is rare either way.

⸺ during the outbreak, adrien was able to survive as he did ( especially in the sewers ) due to his subconscious use of his telepathy, warding off the undead and other bioweapons to ignore his presence. however, it wasn’t exactly 100 percent effective, mostly due to his young age or that particular undead or bioweapon would be able to push through the telepathic suggestion.

⸺ even as he got older and gained more control over his abilities, adrien’s ability to manipulate and influence other bioweapons was never completely 100 percent. sure, at that age and with his experience, he was able to control and manipulate on a more larger scale but sometimes there would be the occasion B.O.W that was able to resist his influence.

⸺ adrien can also influence and manipulate other people, but the sensation of taking control or even just ordering them to do something leaves him feeling almost nauseous. so he avoids it when he can and by the time he gets older, the nauseous sensation almost completely disappears but still rarely pulls this kind of move unless absolutely necessary.

⸺ an ability he would later develop as an adult is his capability to possess others, mostly bioweapons. though some are easier than others, a simple zombie is easy enough to take over but usually they’re the weakest of the bunch but something like a tyrant takes some determination to completely take over. he can do the same to people but it often leaves him feeling very sick afterwards and it’s something that he does not want to experience at all.

⸺ adrien can sense emotions and similar to human thoughts, each emotion have a different sensation and for the most part, he has learned how to block it out of his own head. Still, even blocked, he has a general idea of what the person is feeling but nothing more than that.

⸺ as a young adult and onwards, adrien is able to block out any thoughts and emotions to the point that he no longer needs to focus on it as it just happens naturally.

[a-tale-of-legends]

Reworking Cheren's team for the Legendverse! Mainly in movests. Gonna try and explain my mindset here and maybe realize some things along the way.

One thing that I'm realizing about Cheren is how much he tries to go for Big Damage when he sees it necessary. For example, his gigalith having stone edge, when it would be preferable to honestly have rock slide. It's Big Damage, even if there's a greater chance to miss. Even pokemon that would probably be better at a different thing all kinds ends up focusing on damage. Now, me being me, I want to diversify this a bit, while trying to keep things Cheren.

Liepard: As a lead, anyway. I would have given it more support moves, but again, it would kinda conflict with the gimmick it has set up. Use item, activate unburden, damage. I still ended up giving it thunder wave, mainly for the slower members of the team. I was thinking of adding u-turn for longevity despite the strat, but for now I'll just keep it ( mostly) as is. I will say maybe I shouldn't have given it the focus sash given how frail Liepard is.....but Cheren is kinda the berry guy. I can see him doing either or. Anything to activate unburden.

Serperior: Was supposed to be last but whatever. I. Do not understand why Cheren gave a focus sash to a bulky pokemon. I get it's a grass type but it's not frail. Leaf Storm in the og team movests is a perfect example of Cheren wanting Big Damage, and honestly when I think about it, it's not even that bad. Serperiors special attack is pretty identical to its physical I think. So it's alright to have one big leaf Storm with a primarily physical attack set. That being said, I am biased, so I changed it lol. Leech seed + leftovers for heath recovery. Coil and leaf blade for damage. Protect just to be annoying. Though, I kinda miss dragon tail. Dragon tail and stealth rocks are a wicked combo. Though I guess it would be null if Serperior is the last one standing? I might change this, might not. I did grow an appreciation for his og set though. Minus the focus sash. I just think that's stupid.

Unfeazant: I don't like Unfeazant but I couldn't think of anything else plus someone pointed out that Cheren uses a lot of early route pokemon despite his so called competitive mind and that changed my brain chemistry forever. I still think Unfeazant sucks. Maybe one day I will eat those words but that day is not today. Ahem. Anyway, Big Damage. Kinda. I truthfully never fully got why Facade was on Unfeazant for both Cheren and Hugh. Return is right there. I get not for Cheren bc Bianca's pokemon all have return on them, but Hugh? Okay. ANYWAY. I kept u-turn bc it's u-turn. Good for scouting and Unfeazant is fast enough to quickly go in and out. I kinda gave it a mixed set? Even if it's pretty impractical but I think that's the theme with Cheren here. I feel like Unfeazant is like. Supposed to be a nip, you know? Do chip damage and then come back with Big Damage in air slash and heat wave ( I should probably should ev that thing better). I was tempted to just make Unfeazant just a pure physical attacker, but a more special set could be interesting.

Simipour: The funny monkey. In general, I don't like the elemental monkeys all that much. I'm not a hater, I used one before, and I had fun. Still I felt outside of you know. The player, Bianca and Cheren having an elemental monkey, it didn't really fit Cheren to me. And it still doesn't. But the juxtaposition of Cheren and this smiling water monkey is funny. That and what I said before with Unfeazant. Another mixed attacker! Though I think Simipour is more qualified for that than Unfeazant. Scald used to be on its movest before being replaced with Surf. And I get it. I literally said that Cheren likes his big Damage. Surf is Big Damage ( outside of hydro pump but I don't like low accurate moves). Buuuuut scald is such a good move man. And it's holding a mystic water and has same type attack bonus and can burn. Cheren is a smart kid, I think he'd like his pokemon to have that. Also it'll be make Haxorus funnier. Low kick is an odd choice admittedly. I. Forgot brick break existed. I'll change that after this post hgvhvgvgvcg. Knock off is to be annoying :)

Gigalith: 1) Leftovers in it wasn't bad, but I didn't want to type multiple pokemon it so. Rip 2) I was thinking of giving it a custap berry, but decided against it. 3) Onto the actual moves. Gigalith in the og movest was the definition of Big Damage. Stone Edge, Earthquake, Giga Impact - Biiiiig Damage. Which is fair! The only thing I really changed was Body Press in replacement of giga impact. Though I don't think body press was in gen 5. I used the nat dex of gen 9 for this btw. So honestly if I wanted to be faithful to the gen 5 format I probably would have kept giga impact and just change the item. Oh! And I think it would be cute if Cheren met gigalith early on. I think it would be cute.

Haxorus: When. When you need someone to use surf but you can't don't feel like changing your pokemon movests so you fucking give it to the pokemon that should not be running surf. Yes, I know there reusable tms in gen 5, yes I know I just called Cheren smart, he is, but I just think it's too funny to pass up. If I ever go back in this, surf with be replaced with swords dance. Actually going back to the previous point: wouldn't it be funny if Haxorus was an hm user before this. It can learn cut, surf and strength. And Cheren looked at the options and went " yeah I'll keep surf, for practicality" EVEN THOUGH HIS SIMIPOUR IS RIGHT THERE. I mean. I guess Simipour isn't the best pokemon to ride on for surfing. Haxorus is bigger I think. But still! It's funny! Anyway, I gave it the salac berry so it can out speed opponents when given the chance.

Volcarona: A gift from Alder I think. Either that or Cheren found it on his own time, and it reminded him of alder. Either way I think it's cute. Standard Volcarona set. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of its signature move sorry.

Carracosta: I think Cheren would have gotten one during his time training under Lenora I think. Also I keep giving Cheren mixed attackers. I don't need to keep doing that, wadda hell. ANYWAY, I think this is what you expect from a Carracosta. I think it would be cute if Cheren's Carracosta and Marlon's Carracosta were buddies :3

I didn't add the reuniclus only bc I'm still thinking about it. Cheren's gym pokemon are fine to me. That and I'm lazy.

So yeah! I'll probably tweak the movests more but this is what I got!

[birdsareblooming]

Not a rhetorical, I'm actually curious, what's a good example of the difference between sexualizing boobs and not?

now THIS is a good ask, thank you.

It's really easy to say, other than the obvious "anime titty physics" where they're unrealistically large either in general or for that person's skinny body, there are three big tells.

the characters: it's how the characters treat the said booby character. Rouge is a good example because everyone treats her like everyone else. other than one or two characters having an embarrassed blush (which only happens when she says something to make that happen) the characters themselves never just see her boobs, to them they don't matter or even are a thing. like, you think shadow gives a single fuck?

Meanwhile a bad example is every character, specifically the male ones, only talking about, looking at, etc. her boobs. since i try not to watch garbage i don't have a good direct example

the camera: you've probably heard of the male gaze, that being a female character sexualized by the camera (this isnt limited to stuff filmed, even things like comics and etc have a metaphorical "camera"). this not only the camera focusing on their body parts, ass, boobs, etc. but also when the character herself is directed to make sexy poses, always stand like a model, and turn her ass/boobs towards the camera. it's a directing thing mainly. the prime example of this is poor megan fox in transformers. and like, a lot of anime.

rouge is a great example of the opposite because, if you've seen anything sonic, there's no ass shots, boob shots, focus on her body, etc. she's shot no differently from any other character. sometimes she takes stances in sonic x, but they're not exactly "sexy" ones just like. a way to stand. tbh she's just standing there like everyone else in these games, it's great.

the character herself: if she constantly talks about her big boobs, is "sexy", incredibly flirtatious, does a lot of sexual acts, etc.

again, rouge good example because I've only ever seen her flirt specifically to fuck with people. She does it to knock people off-guard so she can have an advantage. and even when she does it, it's not a lot. I dont think she even did it in sa2 and heroes.

long story short, media connects big boobs to sexuality, which comes from many many years of characters with big boobs being sexualized for them. thing is, now because of this people think they're woke by when a character has big boobs, they call out that she's sexualized. sadly in most cases this can be true, as them being sexualized is still very real. However, rouge is the example of how it should be. she looks and dressed a certain way and she's not sexualized by her writing, other character's writing, or the camera. she just... is. which is good to show people because like. people have big boobs. people exist and should be allowed to exist without an aspect of themselves always being sexualized. Someone in my tags also pointed out that it could be damaging to girls in puberty to imply to them that anyone with big boobs is sexualized.

it's the usual media illiteracy of not seeing a character for a character, but it has the back up of many years of that behavior, but saying a character with boobs that can be seen is sexualized does just as much harm. call out writing and the camera, not the character themselves.

[taras-toe-beans]

I was tagged by @kelandrin to do this challenge from @sporeservant

Izzrhys Illith'vir | he/him | drow | oath of devotion paladin | 103

What is your Tav’s…

favorite weapon: Glaive

style of combat: He's a human shield; throws himself in the middle of a battle and takes the brunt of the damage from enemies. Heavy hitter, loves his smites

most prized possession: He doesn't have a lot of physical items he holds dear. Most important is probably his amulet of Ilmater, as both a symbol of his faith and his spellcasting focus. The amulet is made of wood and red cord.

deepest desire: He wants to be useful, to be needed, and to help alleviate the suffering of others wherever he finds it.

guilty pleasure: He loves trashy romance novels. Both the cheesy, sickly-sweet kind of romance and the steamy, smut-filled kind. I'm starting to think the companions should form a book club.

best-kept secret: He doesn't go out of his way to hide this, but Izzrhys doesn't like talking about the fact that he has children in the underdark.

greatest strength: His compassion. While considered a bleeding heart by some, it has proven to be one of his best qualities. He will go out of his way to help others in need, especially if he knows no one else will stand up for them.

fatal flaw: Recklessness. Izzrhys is quick to lend a hand and equally as quick to put himself in danger. He frequently takes worse beatings than everyone else in battle.

favorite smell: Freshly baked breads and pastries

favorite spell or cantrip: Divine smite. Who doesn't love smiting the fuck out of baddies?

pet peeve: He gets really annoyed at people who have blind faith in any sort of leader. He's been there, done that, and at this point, watching it happen to other people just hurts.

bad habit: He frequently takes on way too many responsibilities and tasks. Time and time again, he's presented with the lesson of "you can't help everyone," and yet he still tries, even if he's spread too thin as it is.

hidden talent: He's surprisingly good with animals. No druid, of course, but animals have always been more drawn to him than a lot of his peers. He's also good at animal care and can usually heal them if need be.

leisure activity: He likes reading, mainly fiction. He's also very interested in linguistics and sometimes studies books on that in his downtime.

favorite drink: Brandy, fruity wines

comfort food: Has a not-so-secret sweet tooth. Especially loves fruit pies and pastries

favorite person: Gale- he would do anything for that wizard

favored display of affection (platonic and/or romantic): Hugging. Izzrhys is a BIG hugger. He loves holding Gale (he's 100% the big spoon), he makes sure that Karlach gets to make up for years of not touching anyone, and he ensures that everyone gets some physical affection, should they want it.

fondest childhood memory: He remembers the time he spent with his younger brother, Valdaer, in the underdark. It's all pretty mundane, some of the memories unpleasant, but any memories of his brother, he tries to hold onto.

Is there anything else you'd like to share? edit: totally forgot to fill out this section, bc I did have a couple of things to add. Izzrhys has severe arachnaphobia (needless to say the spiders under the blighted village and his meeting with Kar'niss did NOT go well). Also as mentioned, he spent his earlier years in the underdark, specifically in Menzoberranzan, but didn't escape until he was in his 80s.

[draconicsparkle]

Lighthouse au!!! Let’s gooooo!!!

Man oh man do I love this au. It’s so much fun. Don’t you all agree?

Also, there’s fanart for the last SCP I did. Here it is!

Hajime sometimes had a really hard time believing that the people he worked for were intelligent. Why? Because they had such reckless ideas and orders that they expected to be carried out. In spite of previous experiences suggesting that it wasn’t a smart idea.

Such as the instructions he had just been given.

“Hinata. You are to bring Izuru Kamukura down to Lab 15. He is to undergo a physical exam in front of us. You will assist by staying in the room with him as damage control. Understand?”

Outside, he simply nodded and replied, “Yes, sir.” But internally, he chastised them for their poor decision making skills. Had they not learned to not test the limits of what the Ultimate Hope could accomplish? Fools, all of them.

Nevertheless, he left the office to do as asked. He entered the elevator and ascended to Izuru’s floor. And he swiftly swiped his card and went in.

Izuru was actually asleep when he walked in. And Hajime really did not want to wake him. But past times had made it clear that the doctors didn’t care what state he was in when they requested him. He was to appear in front of them, and refusal to do so was not an option.

So with a heavy heart, he carefully approached the sleeping experiment. “Sir? We need to go down for something. So you will have to get up.”

Izuru’s eyes slowly opened, clearly not happy with having been disturbed. “The timing of this is… inconvenient, to say the least.”

Hajime gave him a sad smile. “I know. I don’t like it either. And I apologize for disturbing you. I strongly wish that I didn’t have to.”

“You have nothing to apologize for. But if you are so insistent on repenting, then you may carry me down while I’m still waking up.”

The brunette’s cheeks flushed. “Uh… y-yeah. I can carry you. How… do you want me to…”

But Izuru didn’t answer, only smirked. It seemed to send a message. One that made him blush even harder. “If… you want it, sir, then okay.”

He approached the bed, trying to calm his heart again. Once he was close enough, he slid his arms under the other man’s thin legs and around his waist. He lifted him up and off the bed with practically no effort. And Izuru wound his own arms around the caretaker’s neck, sighing contently. “Now take me to the lab. But take your time. I’m still waking up.”

Hajime could only nod. He had carried Izuru bridal style before, but not usually for very long. This would be the longest he would carry the experiment in this way.

But he would do his job and he would do it well. So he began walking out of the room. He made sure to keep Izuru’s long hair off the ground, not wanting to dirty it.

Something the experiment definitely noticed as they entered the elevator. “So considerate. So aware. So… faithful,” he whispered into Hajime’s ear, sending all sorts of shivers down his spine.

“I’m… glad you think so, sir,” he replied, managing to keep the stutter out of his voice. But that’s all he said, keeping quiet to let Izuru have some time to focus on the elevator ride down. He did love them a lot.

Sadly, it could not last forever. The elevator arrived at the fourth floor. Their destination.

Izuru turned his head to stare straight ahead, observing their journey. Hajime tightened his grip on the man’s body and stepped out. He knew where he was going. He knew where all the labs on this floor were located. He found the door to the lab already open, so he didn’t have to put Izuru down. Something he was thankful for.

But he did have to do so moments later as they reached the center of the room. There were all sorts of objects on a table in the room. What they were for, Hajime was sure they would find out soon.

Their focus was mainly on the large pane of glass that separated the lab they were in from an observation room next to it. Hajime knew that the glass was supposed to be bulletproof and extra thick. But he was not sure that would be enough if they ticked off the Ultimate Hope. But he guessed they would see what happened.

The speaker up on the ceiling crackled to life, the voice of a doctor coming through. “Hinata, you are to stay in the room with Izuru Kamukura. Shut the door and stand by it. Kamukura, you are going to perform all the instructions given to you.”

Hajime didn’t want to put him down. His greatest desire in this moment was to walk out with him in his arms and never return. But sadly, it was not feasible. The white haired man was still slightly sedated and Hajime was no superhuman. So he set him down on his feet in the center of the lab before backing away.

The speaker spoke again. “Kamukura. Demonstrate how much you can carry. Start by picking up the smallest weight on the floor under the table.”

Izuru stood there, smiling vacantly. He made no move to follow the instructions.

“Kamukura. Pick up the five pound weight. Now.”

Nothing. Izuru remained still where he was, staring right into the eyes of the one speaking.

“Obey your creators!” the doctor shouted, sounding both annoyed and on edge.

But still, Izuru didn’t move.

That’s about when Hajime decided to intervene. “Sir? Do you wish for me to retrieve the weights for you?”

Izuru turned to look at him, expression now a hint softer. He nodded, so Hajime walked up to him and handed him the smallest weight. He held it with no difficulty.

Hajime stepped back again, leaving Izuru with the small weight in his hand.

“Now that you have seen what needs to be done, pick up the ten pound weight,” the doctor commanded.

But Izuru again refused to move. He just kept staring in Hajime’s direction.

The caretaker chanced a look over to the window, seeing the veins practically popping out of the doctors’ heads. This was clearly getting on their nerves. And he wouldn’t deny it was amusing to see.

But alas, it wasn’t possible to continue for very long. Hajime was sure that if he kept it up, he would have more restrictions placed on him. Something Hajime wouldn’t allow. So he approached again. “Here, sir. Let me get you the next weight.”

He exchanged the tiny weight with another slightly bigger one. Izuru took the ten pound weight and held it like the previous ones.

The doctors, while not usually making good decisions, actually recognized that Izuru would listen to instructions given by Hajime. So they made use of that.

“Hinata. You are to relay any and all instructions to Kamukura.”

Yeah, he saw this coming. But that was fine, he supposed. So long as he didn’t have to request something dangerous.

And so it began. The doctors would bark out orders, which Izuru ignored. And in turn, Hajime would repeat the instructions with respect and carefulness. Which Izuru would perform the tasks, each successfully and with little effort.

Once they were satisfied with his physical capabilities, they tested his luck. One example being his ability to toss a puzzle cube up in the air and have it land completely solved. Hajime was astounded. And he praised Izuru for everything.

After some time, everything on the table had been used. So Hajime assumed that it was nearing the end of the test. He was relieved by this. He didn’t like how strenuous some of the tasks were. He was still slightly sedated. It can’t have been easy. So he was most eager to return the Ultimate Hope to his room.

“We need one more bit of pictorial data before we conclude. Hinata, remove Kamukura’s robe so that his body is visible.”

Hajime’s heart plummeted at the idea. And he felt a sort of rage. How dare they ask such a thing. Izuru was wearing undergarments, so it wasn’t like he would be fully exposed. But the idea of others seeing him without his robe infuriated him.

Izuru, the world’s best analyst, clearly saw this in his expression. He raised his hands and cupped his cheeks, tilting his head to make eye contact.

“Fret not, my dear caretaker. For I do not care if they see me.” He leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Though I will say your anger is flattering. And rest assured that only you may touch me.”

The words comforted Hajime. So he felt better about doing this task, even as the doctors behind him were exclaiming their disbelief over hearing Izuru speak.

Gently, Hajime pulled the robe off, revealing more and more pale skin. And… the large scar on his chest.

Hajime had seen it before. Many times. But still, the sight made him feel strange. Upset that he had gone through pain to acquire that scar. But also fascinated.

The sight also made his own ache. The scars he kept hidden. The residual effect of him surviving thus far. He rubbed one on his wrist, frowning at the phantom pain.

The red eyes noticed this, glancing down at his wrist before returning to his working eye. What that meant, he wasn’t sure.

But he didn’t have time to think much about it. The speaker came on again. “Hinata. Exit the lab and come to the observation room. Leave Kamukura in the lab.”

Again, it was a task he didn’t want to do. But he had to. So after a final look at Izuru, trying to express his apologies via eye contact, he exited the room and reported to the one the doctors were in.

“What did you need from me, sir?” he asked. “Were the test results unsatisfactory?”

He joined the older man in watching Izuru put his robe back on. “While this isn’t… ideal, this is still a good result.”

Hajime was confused. “How so, sir?”

The doctor grinned. “He’s controllable. He listens to you. Anything you told him to do, he did. So that bodes well for us.” The grin changed to a stern expression. “Don’t disappoint us. Make sure this monster is tame.”

“Yes, sir.”

Hajime walked out the door, returning to the lab. Those doctors didn’t know how incorrect they were. He was not loyal to them. He didn’t care about them. Especially not their approval. He was loyal to one and one only. And that was the Ultimate Hope.

“They are done with the tests. We can return you to bed,” he told Izuru, adjusting the shoulder of the robe to better cover the skin.

“Yes. Carry me back to my room, my dear caretaker,” Izuru replied, winding his arms loosely around the brunette’s neck.

Hajime nodded, picking him back up the same way he brought him down. This time with less embarrassment. For he had an important task.

But as they exited the lab and began walking, Izuru spoke up. “One thing before we return.”

Izuru reached over to the door where the scientists were currently. He tapped on the doorknob, smiling wide when it fell to the ground. “How unfortunate. Seems like their day will be inconvenienced by this. Similar to how they were inconveniencing us.”

Hajime grinned as he started heading to the elevator, ignoring the pounding on the door behind him. “Karma. It’s what they deserve. Now let’s get you back to your room.”

Masterpost

[slugdragoon]

RPG Role Analysis Series #4 - Pokemon Red/Blue vol.II

Ok, so Raticate might be a good example of a Pokemon that has a more focused role and niche within the original games.

Because, looking at their original statblock, Raticate only could learn Normal type moves by level up. Back then, there were Normal types in the game like Snorlax that were known to be able to access a spread of other types via TM, at the cost of the item. Raticate only gets Water and Electric for straightforward attacks, and Dig for Ground-type, which is a bit gimmicky, and still this is a small set of options that all come at the cost of an item. None of these TMs can be bought, and the Water ones are especially weak (no Surf/Hydro Pump), and none of these cover Raticate's weakness to Fighting, making it feel like a very intentional choice not to gear Raticate towards elemental coverage. Raticate also never is able to use an HM, so while other mons were designed for field utility, Raticate is conspicuously designed only to fight.

So, what is Raticate designed to do? Well, they're quite fast and physically strong, but does basic attacks, so in another RPG with adventurers instead of monsters they might be similar to a basic fighter class. Their key moves, Super Fang and Hyper Fang used to be exclusive. One of them always knocks the opponent down to 50% of their current health, which inherently makes a good opening, with diminishing returns, and also makes for a focused "armor breaker" attack against Pokemon with high HP, regardless of their defensive lane. The other attack is somewhat strong, and can flinch the opponent, which isn't a relevant effect if you're finishing them off. Ergo, flinching doesn't matter if Hyper Fang is used when they're down below 50% and the damage alone gets them to 0%, but it does matter if you're trying to save a few turns on a heavier opponent.

Say you open with Super Fang, do 50% damage. Doing it again for another 25%, then again for 12.5% might not be worth it, but if Hyper Fang takes 2-3 hits more, and some of those turns the opponent is blocked from attacking? Great! Raticate, IMO is a simple fighter with a specialty in bypassing heavy armor. As an aside, the option to take Quick Attack on a fast Pokemon is mainly useful only to outspeed an even faster Pokemon to get that final hit, and Focus Energy (which is bugged anyway) is a bit at odds with Super Fang as it doesn't affect the damage output, but works for other attacks you might make turn after turn, like Hyper Fang or some of the TM options.