#stop attacking masuda

[nadiaslemaneid100]

This article by the Onion is considered as an example of misinformation. This article has no malicious intent behind it, however, its goal is to spread this article around to people who may be gullible enough to believe this article as such. The intent of the Onion is overall to be a comedic parody of news sites and click-bait articles.

The following article and the situation featured was an example of mal-information. The situation that occurred here was that the Twitch streamer Atrioc was using a deepfake porn website which was of a fellow streamer QTCinderella. Deepfake porn of popular social media creators and celebrities is an unfortunately popular form of mal-information.

The January 6th insurrection occurred as a result of disinformation. During the 2020 election cycle, he noticed that he was losing the popular and state votes so he began to imply on social media (Twitter now X) and through news outlets that the election was rigged. His supporters began to spread "Stop the Count" online and through in-person protests as well. Trump did not stop and only enforced the disinformation until it built up to his supporters fully believing that Joe Biden was robbing Trump of the presidency.

This in-class assignment was created with Masuda Mahazabin

[fantasyresident]

There’s Something I Have To Address

Just like when the Dexit controversy was stirring, there is now a ���new” controversy (if you want to call it new) that is causing unhinged fans to go after Masuda. Only this time, they decide to do it in response to people wishing him well for his BIRTHDAY. Last time it was a wedding, this time it’s his fu**ing BIRTHDAY. I missed this insane ordeal, which happened on January 12th (5 days ago from now) but I thought it was important to respond because I always consider harassment wrong, especially against people who work hard at what they do. 

Apparently people are automatically assuming Pokemon were cut in the first place to be added later for money, even though they took the time to make a free update that allows you to get them through trade. Now it is true there is still a little bit of a “paywall” for them since Pokemon Home is a paid service, but if you’re operating a service like that, shouldn’t you be allowed to charge for it? And if it’s a low price like Pokemon Bank, that’s an extremely small paywall especially compared to what other games expect you to pay for various things. The other cost is the Nintendo Online subscription, which again is a service that has to be constantly run, which I and anyone else who believes in paying for hard work would think, SHOULD be paid for. Not to mention, the Online Membership has different payment packages you can choose from. The single member plan is quite cheap (compare it to the terrible price of Play Station Plus). Many PS4 games lock online content behind that $60 PS+ paywall and nobody complains about it. Yet Pokemon expects you to pay for the same thing only for far less and suddenly it’s a “problem”.

This isn’t to say that everything is perfect with the Pokemon Company. In fact, I do believe there is some level of corruption going on somewhere within the company. (Most likely the marketing department) But then again, you look at any company these days and you find the same exact issues all over the place. However, since Pokemon is a huge brand and people have seriously extreme attachments to the franchise, people complain more about Pokemon than other franchises that pull the same (and even far worse) tricks. Do I believe Masuda or Ohmori are behind any of this. NO. Masuda and Ohmori seem very passionate about their work in the Pokemon franchise and I don’t believe they called all of these shots. There’s more to a company than just a couple people making decisions. Many people make decisions in a company and normally most of the decision-making process is made privately, so we Pokemon fans don’t even know the full picture of what’s going on behind the scenes, yet many people are harshly judging others. Masuda did give reasoning for dex cuts previously, referring to things like game balancing, better animations, etc. For one, they most likely did try out game balancing, but realized when everyone was using the same broken Pokemon that their plans for that were done for.As for the animations, many did improve or were worked over entirely, even if a handful remained the same. (New animations wasn’t a total lie like everyone’s making it out to be.) Referring back to the gameplay balancing, the timing makes sense, considering not long after the first tournament they decide to reveal the DLC expansion pass for more Pokemon. (They probably used the results of the tournament as a way of judging how well the game was balanced.) There’s literally a million things that could have happened behind the scenes to change their minds, yet people interestingly enough automatically glue their minds to the word “corruption” and “greed”. Negativity spreads like wildfire and not everyone wants to deal with that shit. I’m very skeptical of big-shot gaming companies, but do I automatically assume the worst every time Game Freak does literally anything that people doesn’t fully understand? Of course not. If you’re going to attack Masuda for making very good DLC for $30, then attack the creator of Call of Duty for the COD Black Ops 2 season pass that costs $50. Or you can criticize all of the other games that have season passes that cost just as much or more than Pokemon SwSh’s very expansive passes. 

I realize that some of you critics will refer to how supposedly “empty” the base game of Sword and Shield was and then rant about how games that are complete from the start deserve to have highly priced DLC, but let me address that point. It may be “incomplete” in your opinion, but it’s not in others’. For me, the game felt fulfilling and I especially loved the new gen of Pokemon creatures. The only thing that felt a bit bare was lore, and SwSh aren’t the only games to lack that, so it’s not that shocking to me. They’re still great games. If you’re going to call SwSh’s expansion passes expensive, then be fair and consider all other expansion passes/season passes. Not only that, but DLC as well. Consider the often absurd cost of skins that are marketed in many games like Final Fantasy Dissidia NT. Just because the Pokemon Company decided to do DLC, that doesn’t mean they’re planning to make us pay heavily for pre-existing Pokemon. Again, there are small pay hurdles, but considering I only have a small amount to spend per month and I can even afford to pay what the Pokemon Company is asking, that really speaks volumes for how relatively cheap the content is. You also have to consider how companies need methods for earning revenue in the long term, something inbetween releases of major titles, and a service like Home will not only benefit the Pokemon players, but it will also benefit the people putting their time and effort into making the service a success. A win/win for everyone.

What I’ll say is, leave other people the f*ck alone, this includes Masuda. Whether if your biased mind wants to admit it or not, game developers DO work hard and they don’t deserve to be attacked on their birthday of all times. Nobody does. When you act, put yourself in someone else’s shoes first. Would you want to spend such a long time on a game that you felt passionate about only to be put down by a bunch of people on your own birthday? This really just shows how fans don’t even think of game developers as people, they just think of them as factories for making games. Whether if you liked Sword and Shield or not, that doesn’t matter. Stop attacking Masuda and bombarding him with paparazzi-style questions that imply he’s cheating fans their money.  

[lethargicsunlight]

“Masuda’s Strange Occurance” Part 4

A SpookyQuirkF!Reader X Aizawa story I never originally intended to post, but it looks like we’re here to stay!!

You can ffnd the other parts of this series only my page’s directory here: LINK (all of my stuff is on there, this one should be towards the bottom!)

Title: Live Again

Summery: You receive a call from Japan’s Former #1 Hero, requesting your help with one of his students.

Yes, your help. And he’s convinced you’re the only person for the task.

Upon taking up the favor, you wind up with the title of ‘Guest Teacher’ at U.A. High. And while trying to help a young Midoriya cope with his ghostly visions of the former holders of One for All you learn what it’s like to live again as you become integrated into the lives of U.A.’s renowned Faculty.

Aizawa’s never looked into the possibility of a domestic life. He’s a creature of habit after all, and things had been going steady for years.

But, as Villains begin attacking the school and targeting his students, things have started to become complicated. His quirk wanes with every use, and since All Might’s retirement was in the rear-view, consistency was no longer reliable.

Stubborn as he may be, he begins to wonder about the propositions his friends often make to him. To relax, take some, live a little.

Whatever that means.

WARNINGS: BIG SPOILERS IN THIS CHAPTER!! ESPECIALLY FOR THE SPIN-OFF SERIES, FEATURING SELECT EVENTS IN AIZAWA’S PAST. SFW, possible adult themes, injury, gore, descriptive gore, spooky/ghostly themes, platonic and romantic relationships. (Also, as a reminder, I am not a scientist and this story does not always follow canon events.) <3

You gasp.

The force of impact, landing straight on your back upon the dirt path, had knocked every bit of air from your lungs.

"Y/n!" Toshinori calls first, addling towards you while Aizawa leaps into the opening to confront whatever force had assaulted you.

Thin fingers grip your shoulders as he tries to pull you upright. To you, he looks like something big and yellow and fuzzy.

"Ouch.." You groan, and something like relief pours out of Toshinori's chest in a deep sigh.

"...I don't see anything." Aizawa says, noting you were at least okay enough to complain. He stares into the dark of the open building blindly, searching for something, but he's familiar enough with the room to know that no one was in it. At least no one he could see.

A palm pressed to your chest, you rise with Toshinori's guiding hands, but it's difficult. Something pounds against your skull, like noise, like the angry rhythm of a dance club's bass. "That's unpleasant.." You mumble, trying to focus back on your surroundings. You were the eyes here, after all.

"What is it?" Toshinori asks, his hands not leaving your shoulders.

"It's like I have amps in my brain going off, and its the worst music." You say quickly before refocusing, "Masuda?"

No answer.

"Detective Masuda?" You call again, and fear sinks into your chest. "Shit."

You quickly begin to rise, and you can hear a warning die in Toshinori's throat. "I'm fine," You say, and he's doesn't move to stop you.

Both men eye you warily, as you turn about, palm now pressed to your eye-socket. "I.. I don't see him.."

"We can go looking for him after," Aizawa instructs, his attention returning to the opened door. "We need to figure out what that was."

You want to argue. But as usual, he was right. Damn him.

Following his gaze, you peer into the dark room and slowly approach. Both men stand in behind you, Aizawa with one hand at his capture weapon, and Toshinori holding his cell phone up with it's flashlight on.

Foot finally across the threshold, your body begins to ache. Thrumming even worse now, you have to force your breaths through your nose—but as you scan the room, you see nothing. You were being beaten down by nothing. " No one's here," You say through your short forced breaths. "Is there another room?"

Aizawa motions towards a back corner. "There's locker rooms, restrooms, and a basement for storage."

"Great." You wheeze, making your way further in.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Toshinori asks, and you continue walking despite his worried tone.

"Yep." You force out, but as you near the door you pull to a stop.

"...Maybe, this time, I stand to the side?" You say, moving to place your body against the wall next to the door instead of in front of it.

Aizawa nods, taking hold of the latch.

This time when he pulls it open, you see what transpires. There's a sweeping gust, like a thermal, but there's no wind or air displacement. You can only barely see the distortion of the air, while it threatens to pull you away again. Like somehow, briefly, the air had looked 'static', waves flitting by like disruptions on an old television screen.

"Should be good," You say, and round the corner of the doorframe to enter the hallway that conjoined the lockers after it fades.

None of the options were particularly welcoming, but between the locker room entrances, there existed a door that was just ajar. The one presumably leading down to a basement.

How fucking cliche. Because you were going to head straight for it. Why not? Obviously that was the source.

To confirm your presumption, the headache worsens, and you start to feel as though you might vibrate out of your own skin. This time you reach for the handle, softly pulling it further open. A noise from down the staircase makes you jump, and both men shove themselves into the space beside you, expecting something to be in the stairwell.

There's nothing of course.

"Masuda?" You call, taking a tentative step down, hoping.

They both stare at you as they let you go first, almost with contempt at your cryptic actions and lack of description. They share a look, and follow you downward, descending in a line due to the width allowed.

"L/n..?" A voice calls, and it jolts you enough that the pain almost dissipates. It sounds distant, echoing as though you were in a valley rather than an abandoned basement stairwell.

You reach the bottom of the stairs, "Masuda?! We're here, can you tell me where you are?"

His voice returns in hushed, inaudible verbiage. Toshinori's phone appears from over your shoulder, and you search over the bins of equipment and stacked shelving. It looked like a maze and rank of mildew.

"Is he down here?" Aizawa asks, hands still brandishing stretched loops of his capture weapon—scarf.

"I think so, but I can barely hear him." You answer, branching further  into the room. Your stomach rolls, and you clutch it a moment before moving on. "Whatever's causing this might have a hold of him somehow, especially if it's strong enough to affect me."

"I take it this has never happened before?" Toshinori asks, his cellphone's light directed out ahead of you.

"Nope."

"L/n—..!" Masuda's voice returns, the slightest bit louder.

"This way," You say, directing them further between the shelves and boxes, heading towards what you assumed to be the furthest point of the room. "Stay with us!" You call out.

But the quicker you move, the worse you feel.

The room begins to shift and ripple, and you recognize the weird distortions as they begin to creep along the walls that reflected the light from Toshi's cell phone. They pulsed with the rhythm in your skill, and sparked with odd colors.

Teeth grinding, you ignore the agonizing discomfort and use the odd phenomenons as your guide. They lead you into the back, and finally..

To a desk.

———

Hizashi sips loudly on his soda, shoulders hunched, a finger displayed in front of him as if to say, Hang on a minute.

Kayama Nemuri, or the Pro-Hero Midnight, fellow teacher and friend to Hizashi, sat across from him with her chin in a palm. She 'tsks' when he takes too long to get a damn drink.

"Ahh! Sorry—anyways, where was I? Oh right—he was totally rude to her, right? Then, all the sudden we're eating lunch and he just tells me all of this stuff about her, and now she's not dating Toshinori, but she's some sort of contract worker and has a weird quirk and—"

"Woah woah, slow down." Kayama lifts her head from her hand, using the other to wave at him like he's steaming. "You're going to overheat at this rate."

"Yeah sorry, it's been a crazy couple of days."

Kayama grins at that.

Technically, it'd been a crazy few months. Starting with the USJ incident at the school, things had progressively gotten 'worse'. At the announcement of Toshinori Yagi's retirement as All Might—it's like their lives had made a nose-dive into uncertainty. Amidst it all was also the now slow decline of their lives—something Kayama really really didn't like.

Not to mention all of this stress was going to give her wrinkles.

So, upon finding out about Hizashi's newest hyper-fixation: The Guest Teacher, she dug her heels in and prepared to rub elbows with her karaoke buddy. Kayama wasn't a slacker, despite her ostentatious appearance in the media, but the mundane distraction was a welcomed one. Anything that would make life feel a little more normal; and bonus points if it makes her feel young again.

And—gossip about someone possibly dating the most notorious Hero in Japan? Hell yeah, that's gold.

"So, she's a contractor, working for Toshinori?"

"Something like that?" He clams up a bit, and she can tell he isn't divulging everything.

"Hm." She leans in a little more, eyes narrowed on him. His gaze beneath the dark lenses immediately avert, as though the corner of the table suddenly became very interesting.

"Well I mean, I know he's the reason she's around at least." He shrugs a bit, "According to Shouta though, they aren't dating even though they've been friends a while. Might be someone from his childhood. A sister figure maybe? Shouta didn't trust her at first, but evidently they had a chat outside of school hours and now he knows all of this stuff about her. It's the most he's ever said about anyone that.. wasn't a villain or a student. Still kinda rude, though, towards her."

She isn't satisfied with his answer, but she lets up. She'll find out eventually. "I guess I'm not surprised that Aizawa would be a little.. rough around the edges with her at first. Poor thing."

"...The night before that, we got into an argument about it."

"Oh?"

"Er—well, you know Shouta, it wasn't really an argument, but... he's been really stressed out lately since his students have been at the forefront of every disaster, and I just, I wanted him to let loose a little. I'd hoped this whole ordeal would get his mind off things, so he could, you know.."

"Live a little?"

He sighs, slumping even further into his chair. "Yeah..."

"Tough luck with that one, babe. Our little Shouta is a hard one to crack." She says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Ugh, I knooow." He braces both palms against his eye sockets, dramatically leaning back into his chair. "I mean—he's never really socialized outside of you and me. Even when I drag him out on the weekends—he just sits there, talks to me, and that's it. That's it! For all this time, I figured he would get at least a little lonely, or cooped up, or something."

Kayama sighs, allowing herself to be swept into Hizashi's dramatic performance. "Oh, the humanity. Our poor Shouta, cocooned in his little quiet world of nothing but work, work, work.."

Suddenly she slaps the table, causing Hizashi to jostle and return to her alert with sunglasses half-way down his left cheek. "You know what that means?"

He adjusts his glasses, letting go a held breath. "U-uh.. no?"

"It means, we have to fix it." She says, sure of herself, leaning back to cross her legs.

"...I thought you said it wasn't right to get into people's lives like that—especially Shouta's, since he's all.. 'introverted'" He emphasizes the word with finger-quotation marks.

She smirks, "I know what I said. But this is different! Trying to change someone is cruel, but helping someone is the right thing to do! He's our friend, and we're frankly the closest thing he has to a support group. We have to do our due diligence."

Still unsure, Hizashi raises a brow. "...Okay?"

Kayama rolls her eyes, "So, this woman. Is she.. pretty?"

The change of subject suddenly has Hizashi catching on. "Oh, certainly."

"Certainly, huh?"

"Kinda.. somber though. Not sure I know how to describe it. But.. are you thinking..?"

"It's a start. I'll have to do my own digging, but if this little new-comer has been able to hold his attention for more than three minutes—whatever the reason—I think this is as close of a clear chance that we're going to get." Her grin widens, smug. "But.. you have to tell me everything you know. And I mean, every-thing."

——— "What is it?" Toshinori asks, inspecting the odd gadget that lay on width of the desk.

Unbeknownst to him, but glaringly true for you, it pulsated an ungodly amount of weird static-energy-stuff. Hands at your temples, you try to focus through, looking for Masuda. "Can you turn it off?"

Aizawa leans over as well, tentatively touching it and rolling it over. It appeared to be some form of hero-equipment, like an arm piece or cuff. Very outdated by the looks of it, complete with knobs and dials and a screen that appeared to have numbers burned into it from being left on too long. Speaking of which.. "It's.. not on."

"What?"

He picks it up, twisting his wrist so you could see it more clearly. The innocent gesture almost sends you spiraling, and you grimace. He points to an obvious switch, "It's set to 'off'."

"Geeze," You groan, "Can't be that easy, can it?"

"Do we need to leave?" Toshinori asks, but you shake your head.

"Not without Masuda. I can't let him stay trapped here."

"L/n.. here..someone.."

"Masuda, slow down.. I'm only getting every other word!" You say aloud, shaking your head further. "It's like my quirk is getting bad reception."

"Reception?" Aizawa asks, squinting at you.

"Yeah, you know—like old radios." Your response comes out a little harsh, between your teeth. The pain was driving you to be irate.

"Reception.. you mean radio waves?" He asks, eyes overcast as he turns back to the gadget.

"..." You abruptly remember a moment, one millisecond, where Young Midoriya had mentioned 'vibrations' in his mumbling about you, your quirk, and your affiliation with All Might. "Does it look like it might produce vibrations? Radio waves, whatever?"

"It's not on, and it's not vibrating." He twists it over again, finding a panel on the back. "Hm.."

"I could look for a screw driver," Toshinori offers, noticing the same detail.

"We don't have the time," Aizawa says gravely, waving a hand out. "Everybody back, in case this decides to blow or something."

"If anyone should open it—" Toshinori goes to say, but Aizawa silences him with a look.

"You and I both know you aren't strong enough. Now stay back." He says, fingers already gripping unto the surface. It felt like plastic; which further eluded to how outdated this technology was. Plastic had a much too low melting rate to be useful in the field. They didn't even use it for practice equipment anymore.

Getting a hold of the panel was difficult, but though his quirk had waned—his strength most certainly had not. Denting the plastic, he gets purchase, and with one quiet grunt—the panel comes free.

Another burst of energy exudes from it, and you take a second step back. Flowing out of the compartment, you see a lighter shade of static, one that melts to the floor and begins to reshape..

Into Detective Masuda.

His corporeal being flutters and spits colors like a glitching image. The expression on his face is akin to someone that looks ill.

"He's here!" You announce, filling with relief. "He's.. not all right though. What's inside?"

"Looks like some sort of battery, or power storage." Aizawa confirms, pulling a cylinder from the compartment. There's an odd symbol painted on it, which looks like a radioactive warning. "This needs to be properly disposed of. Think that's what's causing the issue?" He asks over his shoulder.

"Has to be.." You say, and there's a 'pop' in your ears like a great pressure being released. The vibrating terrible-ness doesn't go away, but it appears to be less dense.

"I'm sure one of our equipment specialists will know what this is... For now," Aizawa takes a better look at your still tense, slightly bent-over self. "We need to get out of here as soon as possible, there's no telling what that thing could be leaking. I'll leave this here and contact paramedics while we head back outside."

You and Toshinori nod, and Masuda makes a pitiful moaning noise.

"Come on," You encourage, until the ghost seems to find purchase and follow you all back up the stairs at a snail's pace.

———-

"So." Aizawa startles you, as he comes to stand next to you, leaning against the concrete wall that borders the school grounds. "I suppose I owe you an apology."

You raise a brow, mimicking the way he crosses his arms. "Oh?"

He's slow to answer, his profile outlined by the flashing blue lights of an ambulance and two police vehicles.

"Your quirk allowed us to find a leaking electro-magnetic radiation charged battery. It's not..  life threatening by any means, but it technically counts as a safety concern."

Even when he was being complimentary, it still sounded a bit condescending. You go to rebuttal, just the right amount of snarky, but he starts talking again.

"I meant.. I'm sorry about startling you and dragging you back to the dorms like a criminal."

Oh. Maybe he wasn't being mean after all.

"It's fine," You say, waving a hand. "Like you said, it was.. procedure. You were just doing what's best for the students."

He goes quiet after that, peering at you over his scarf for a moment longer before he stares off at the opposite wall.

"How are you feeling?" You ask.

"...It wasn't enough radiation to—"

"Sorry," You give Aizawa and apologetic look. "I was.. talking to Masuda."

"Oh." He goes back to staring at the wall.

Masuda, sitting on one of the courtyard's benches, sits up a little more. "I feel strange still, but it's getting better."

"Good." You say with a nod towards him. "You can stay at the dorms, if you want."

"Nah, I better get back to others and let them know. If they feel anything like that, they should know to stay away."

You smile, "Just what a detective would say. They're lucky to have you."

He shakes his head, "We're lucky to have you. If you hadn't been around and I'd tried to investigate that building by myself, there's no telling what could have happened. I might have been stuck in there forever, if I'd ever managed to get inside."

The air gets stuck in your chest as your heart swells. You go to deflect, say something like: you would have been fine without me, but the door nearby opens and Toshinori steps out, gentle smile on his face as he waves good-bye to the paramedic standing outside the back of their vehicle. "Thanks!"

As he finds the two of you, he chuckles. "Quite a night, huh?"

Aizawa just hums, and you try to smile—but as you really inspect Toshinori's face, his happiness almost looks forced. You shrug it off.

"How are you feeling L/n? Still have the headache?" He asks.

"No, no. It's gone. I'm, right as rain." You say, stepping further into the hallway. "Thanks, both of you, for the help."

"We didn't really do much.." Aizawa comments.

"You opened a few doors. I appreciate that." You say, getting a little cheeky.

"Well, you should probably get some rest. We all, probably, need some rest..." Toshinori pulls up his phone, checking the time. "It's practically midnight."

And, as expected, the four of you separated at the entrance to the dorms with quiet 'good night's and, 'see you tomorrow's. Masuda mentioned coming back around in a few days to check on things, and sauntered off through your wall to wherever his other ghost friends hung out.

You'd intended to do what you were expected to do—but this new discovery still had you pumping with energy. At first, you paced restlessly in your main room, the notebooks from before still open on the coffee table. Every few minutes, you would pause and jot something down.

Strong Electro-magnetic radiation = ghost trap?

Not, of course, that you ever had the intention of trapping a ghost; instead the knowledge was startlingly opposite to what you understood. It has been supposed that electro-magnetic fields actually enhanced ghosts, or allowed them to manifest more easily; similar to accounts that were linked to flowing water.

You suppose, though, that those theories were drawn by people who couldn't actually see them. Still, the information was worth investigating.

You add another note; a reminder to seek Nezu later on to acquire more information about the device and what it was used for. Since house-hold appliances create electro-magnetic radiation on their own, this would have been an abnormal amount.

Eventually, when two or three AM rolls around, you do find yourself dragging across the sleek tile with fingers rubbing at your eyes. You sigh, leaning against the counter of your small temporary kitchen, looking down at your phone where you'd been researching.

"I suppose I owe you an apology.."

You're surprised when the creepy, looming Aizawa invades your groggy thoughts. But, the comment makes you smile. It felt good to have garnered some respect out of him. At the very least, you wouldn't be so scared to cross paths again.

Actually, not even that, but ask him for help.

You should be upset in that regard. That he knew, and possibly anyone else if he chose to share, about your quirk.

But there was something infinitely.. exciting about the prospect. That he knew. That he didn't care, beyond the logistical use of it, and didn't have any weird suppositions about it.

Well, at least not yet.

Before you finally head to bed, you mark off 'Masuda's strange occurrence' in Midoriya's case file.

———

The door to Aizawa's classroom slams open at five thirty seven A.M.

Said teacher grumbles, giving himself six more seconds before he unzips the sleeping bag—just a little bit—just enough to see which early-bird student wanted to incur his wrath this morning.

Except, he doesn't see a student. He sees nothing but the closed door.

He shifts, shimmies, until he can see the student desks—but still nothing. No overly-excited Iida, nor nervous Midoriya.

He blinks, eyes dry, and yesterday's events run through his mind all over again, still fresh.

A door slam, and nothing to cause it. Could..

Ghosts do that?

It's bizarre when he realizes his hand had already crept into his pocket, reaching for his phone.

He was going to text you.

Was, because he hears the obnoxious squeaking friction of Hizashi's jacket before the man leans into his view.

Shortly after, a finger also appears in the slit-window of Aizawa's vision. Silently, he fights the urge to close it, and the rest of the world along with it.

"You have some explaining to do!" Hizashi says, much too loudly. Like he was hungover, Aizawa just groans.

"Also, I brought you a coffee."

———-

"Aww man! Why am I always on the receiving side of these things?" Hizashi complains, slouching in his seat in the teacher's lounge.

Aizawa remains silent, back against the wall, knee bent. He takes a sip of his coffee, making a gnarled face once he realizes it'd ran cold during his retelling of last night's radiation incident. 

"...I'm starting to get jealous. I mean, she's only been around a few days, and you've already spent so much time with her! I just weirded her out.." Shoving his chin into his hand, Hizashi gives his friend the most gloomy look.

"Jealous? It's not like she's some kind of spectacle."

"What? Are you kidding?" Hizashi shoots up from his chair, "Not a spectacle? She's a friend of All Might! She can see ghosts, she's essentially a special investigator—WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE'S NOT A SPECTACLE?!"

Aizawa squints at his volume, "Shh, keep it down. No one else is supposed to know, remember?"

Hizashi throws his arms up, "Oblivious. That's what you are."

"No, I just have my priorities in order. She was surprisingly helpful, so I took the opportunity to get involved."

"It's always work with you."

"It's always work for everyone. And she's not here to be your entertainment."

Hizashi feigns injury, clutching his chest. "Ouch! I didn't mean it that way.."

Victorious, he raises the coffee back to his lips but rethinks it last minute. Instead, it goes to counter, and he checks the time.

"You know.." Hizashi shifts, hand to his neck. "Midnight and I were talking, and.. we think it might be kinda cool if we invite her to the next karaoke night."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? We're totally kickin'! And she did save us from some sort of radiation leak, right? She deserves some kind of recognition!"

Aizawa deadpans. "So, you're going to offer recognition in the form of forcing her to watch you two sing drunken, sappy love songs?"

Another bullet shot, Hizashi clutches his other shoulder. "Damn, Shouta! Kill me, why don't ya?"

Rolling his eyes, Aizawa checks the time again. Five more minutes. "I just think you're trying too hard."

"I can't help it. She sounds pretty cool to me. Midnight too, and we'd make sure she had a great time." He slows down, giving his friend a once over. In a more serious tone, he adds: "It's been a while since we've.. made new friends."

He emits a sigh, "Fine. Do whatever you want."

Hizashi's arms rise again, "Yes! Now I just have to find the perfect time to ask! Maybe we can get with her at lunch, or if she starts her presentation she can come by your class—" He continues to ramble, a decidedly sure sign he really was excited.

Gaze still narrow, Aizawa's attention turns to the window. He could see the teacher's dorms from here, just as Hizashi had the day Toshinori had lead you to your room.

Caught red-handed, Hizashi slides up next to him. "...So?"

"So what?"

"Have you asked her yet?"

"Asked her what?"

"About Shirakumo."

[kirnet]

wip wednesday

nobody tagged me i just had stuff to share today lol

Mr. Masuda was having a decent day.

Decent, not great, not terrible. The checkout line at the grocery store was longer than usual for this time of day, but there was also a discount for his favorite brand of sparkling water, so in the end it evened out. The weather was slightly too chilly to go without some sort of jacket, but Mr. Masuda could start to feel sweat gathering on his brow as he hiked up the quiet street to his house. Still, he mused as he batted a tiny curse away from the tote bag under his arm, it could be much worse in either direction. 

Decent. Uneventful. Just the way Mr. Masuda liked it.

His life hadn’t always been as such, so Mr. Masuda liked to savor these boring days. It was meditation, almost, and it kept his mind and joints feeling young even as age tried to creep into them. Why bike or drive when an ambling walk would suffice? He had seen the way people drove in the city these days, and how the kids swerved their bikes fearlessly through the mess of traffic, almost begging to get hit. Oh, and the motorbikes! He glowered at one parked near the front of his steps, the rims scratched and splashed with muck. They were the worst. Reckless and noisy all in one. 

No, Mr. Masuda preferred to walk. It kept him spry, so he told his teasing nephews and cousins. Nothing could replace the feeling of the crunch of a particularly crispy leaf under the shoe. 

A feeling he partook in now, securing his grocery bag in both arms as he walked up the steps to his home. Predictable as ever, the door stuck slightly to the wall, though, Mr. Masuda noted with satisfaction, it slid open a little smoother than he had expected. 

The interior was warm, cozy, every definition of a home. Decades of accumulated decor adorned the walls, though each item had its own space to breathe. (Mr. Masuda hated clutter). He dutifully wiped his shoes in the mat before toeing them off and placing them neatly in the shoe rack. The small kitchen was a similar sight, filled to the brim with spices and old, trustworthy appliances and trinkets. 

He set his day’s spoils on the counter and started to unpack, a quiet joy bubbling in his chest as he saw the amount of sparkling drinks at the bottom of the bag. He opened the fridge to find space, his eyes drifting over the door to the corner he called a dining room. 

Mr. Masuda dropped the can in his hand. It hit the hardwood floor with a tinny thunk. 

The figure that sat half in shadow at his place at the table was not accounted for in his plans for the day. He wasn’t sure that they were breathing, their chest eerily still under the leather of their jacket. A motorcycle helmet, as glassy and reflective as the figure’s eyes, sat on his worn table. The only indication that they were alive was the occasional movement when they drummed their fingers along the ridge of the helmet. 

Despite himself, a chill rolled down his spine. Mr. Masuda might only be just a window, but he knew enough about sorcery for the panic to set in. Whoever this was, they were off-center. Wrong. Still, ever prideful, he picked the can up and set it down on the counter, his fingertips able to feel the bubbling liquid under the metal. The figure’s eyes followed the movement, though they made no indication to explain themselves. Or to draw a weapon and attack, which he was thankful for. 

Mr. Masuda puffed out his chest and hid his trembling hands behind the open fridge door. “If you’re here for that bastard son of mine, you’re too late. Some other thug got to him first.” He did nothing to stop the bitterness from seeping into his voice. 

The figure tilted their head to the side, something like amusement on their face. They remained silent. 

“Not him, then?” Now Mr. Masuda was at a loss. His son was the one with enemies and boxes of files on his misdeeds, not him. He was just a decent old man that no one, not in the civilian or sorcery worlds, paid any amount of attention to. “What do you want, then?” He paused, and then curiosity got the better of him. “Who are you?”

“Hello, Mr. Masuda,” the figure rasped like the sharpening of a blade. “I’m the thug who killed your son.”

[authorialarcanist]

Gracidea Blossom Chapter 4: Trouble Clef

(Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum x Little Busters!)

Mirror Links: AO3, Pokécommunity, Spacebattles

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Previous - Next

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“…And that’s how we ran out of Pokéballs.” Kyousuke’s face is buried in his hands as he recounts Rin’s training. “Rin, you really are a legendary no-con.”

“Shut up! I don’t want a title like that!” Rin hisses at him over her bread.

After Masato and Kengo’s battle and Rin’s throwing practice wrapped up, the Little Busters have decided to pause for lunch before heading into Mt. Coronet. Although the tunnels leading from one side of the mountain to the other are reasonably well-traversed, it’s still always best to be prepared before heading in. Terra and Sly are sleeping beside Riki on a boulder, while Lennon is curled up in Rin’s lap nibbling on a berry.

“If you want to talk about no control, look at these idiots!” She glares at Kengo, who looks away.

“I tried to stop them when they went past the first knockout, honest…” Riki sighs. As usual for Masato and Kengo, ‘first elimination’ had morphed into an all-out battle until both of their teams had been totally wiped out.

Masato finally snaps under the pressure. “Look, I get it, okay? I got carried away! I’m sorry!”

“Well, I guess it’s alright,” Kyousuke says. “We won’t be able to count on Masato and Kengo in the mountain, but that just means Riki and Rin get to take point!”

“W-w-what?” Riki waves his hands in front of him, trying to get Kyousuke to slow down a moment. “What do you mean, we’ll take point? There’s no way Rin and I are ready!”

Kyousuke shakes his head. “I can step in if any of the wild Pokémon are too strong for you to handle, but the two of you won’t get stronger if I do everything for you.”

Unsure of how to reply to that, Riki just focuses on eating his bread. He’s not sure where all of this talk about strength keeps coming from. He doesn’t care about getting stronger; he just wants to stay with his friends.

“Hey, Kyousuke!” Masato pipes up. “Didn’t you pack any cutlets?”

“What sort of trip do you think this is?” Kyousuke gestures at his backpack. “Does this bag look like it could hold a cooler to you?”

“Come on! How are we supposed to build any muscle without protein?” Masato gestures at Riki. “His training’s gonna be meaningless without giving his body the right building blocks!”

“I’ve got jerky, Masato. That’s the best you’re going to get.” Kyousuke pulls a sealed bag out of his backpack and tosses it to Masato, who catches it with a resigned sigh.

He’s about to pull out a piece of jerky when Kengo snatches his wrist. “Weren’t you talking about how Riki needs protein?”

“Ugh…” Masato stops for a minute, seemingly at war with himself, before finally giving up and thrusting the bag at Riki with both hands. “Fine! Riki, take my hard-earned jerky before I change my mind!”

Riki waves his hands in a placating gesture. “Why don’t we just split it evenly between the five of us?”

Masato gasps. “Of course! Riki, you’re a genius!”

“No,” Rin says, “you’re just an idiot.”

“Riki, you’ll defend me, won’t you?” Masato looks at Riki hopefully, but Riki’s face contorts sheepishly as he tries to think of any way to contradict the accusation. The pause stretches on to a minute before Masato buries his face in his hands and groans. “Noooo! Not even Riki’s on my sideeee!”

Kengo bonks him lightly on the head with his wooden sword. “If you don’t want to be called an idiot, you should try not being one.”

Kyousuke’s voice is neutral as he speaks up from behind his own lunch. “Oh? Riki, could you remind me whose idea started that Pokémon battle, again?”

“Gkh—” Kengo chokes on his tongue, and after failing to come up with a retort, hangs his head in shame.

“I do believe that makes me the winner here,” Kyousuke chuckles. He reaches over to snag the jerky from Masato.

Rin snatches it out from under his nose. “Says the one who watched that show and then spent a month trying to get Masuda to hit ground types with Thunderbolt.”

“You promised you wouldn’t tell!”

“Give that back! I need protein to live! Proteeeiiiiin!” Masato dives at the jerky, earning a startled high-kick for his troubles as Rin scrambles away. Riki looks on as his friends scuffle, a fond smile on his face.

“Riki, back me up! I’ll give you half of my jerky if we win!” Masato’s hand reaches out to grab Riki and pull him into the fray.

“Woah!” Riki staggers into Kyousuke with a startled cry, and then it’s every man for himself.

——

Once the group has finished recovering, Kyousuke stands up. “Alright then, team. We’re not far from the cave entrance now, so we should make sure we’re prepared for the wild Pokémon inside Mt. Coronet. Rin!” He points to his sister suddenly, startling her. “What do you think we should do to get through safely?”

“Hm…” She thinks for a moment. “You go in front of us to take care of the Pokémon there, Masato guards from the right, Kengo takes care of the left, and you go behind us to take care of the Pokémon there.”

“Amazing!” Kyousuke responds with a shocked expression. “Have I always had these incredible powers of duplication? And when did Masato and Kengo’s Pokémon get healed?”

“I’m sure she meant something deeply meaningful by it…” Riki chuckles sheepishly.

Rin just hisses in response.

“Anyways, that won’t work. Riki, keeping in mind there’s only one of me and that Masato and Kengo are out of usable Pokémon, what do you think?”

“Well… I guess, I could go in front to defend against any land-based Pokémon, while Rin and Lennon keep an eye out for Zubat? I think Ember is the only attack either of us has that would be able to hit a Pokémon in the air.”

Kyousuke nods. “That sounds good to me. I’ll follow behind, and take over if any evolved Pokémon show up.”

Riki looks around, making sure that everybody is ready with backpacks secured and trash packed away. “Then… I guess it’s time for us to move? I’ll keep Terra in front for now, so… Sly, return!” After withdrawing his Bonsly, he turns to Kyousuke for confirmation.

Kyousuke nods. “That’s right. The entrance should be just a short ways further west. We should be able to reach Oreburgh by nightfall.”

He’s not wrong about the cave entrance; once the group is moving again, it takes them under an hour to reach and cross one more bridge from their island to the other side of the river. Riki boggles for a moment at the water far below them, reflecting the misty grey of the sky, and then they’re across the bridge and facing a steep mountainside. In front of them, a jagged entrance has been carved into the rock, leading into the mountain.

“Is everybody ready?” Kyousuke meets Riki’s eyes for a moment, waiting for his small nod before moving on to glance at each of the others in turn. “Once we’re inside the cave, we won’t be able to rest until we’ve reached the other side.”

Masato and Kengo give their assent, and then everybody turns to Rin. She shrinks back, but after a moment she gives a hesitant nod.

“Very well, then! Mission Start!” At Kyousuke’s shout, Riki gathers his courage and steps into the tunnel.

The caves inside Mt. Coronet are brighter than one would expect. Light filters in through the cave entrances and from openings higher in the mountain wall, casting the interior in a dusky half-light. Calm pools of water reflect this faint twinkling from where they lie scattered through the interior. Zubat and Golbat flutter overhead as Riki leads the way into the mountain, and some drop closer to examine the new arrivals. Occasionally a Zubat decides that the group must be prey and swoops in to attack them, but each time one does, Lennon scares it off with a few Embers.

Partway through the cave, the group finds their path blocked by an array of fallen boulders. Riki tries to see if they could slip between them, but between the rocks in front of them and a long pool of water limiting them to a narrow path, there’s no way forward.

Riki turns to Kyousuke beseechingly. “Could you have your Pokémon use Rock Smash?”

“Hm.” Kyousuke examines the blocked path. “I could.”

“That’s great! Okay, let’s go!” Riki turns to move forward, then stops when he realizes Kyousuke isn’t following. “…Kyousuke?”

“Yes?”

“Could you please have your Pokémon use Rock Smash.”

“Yes, I could.”

They stand there for a minute, Kyousuke making no signs of movement.

Finally, Riki speaks up again. “…Will you have your Pokémon clear the way?”

“No,” Kyousuke says, “I don’t think I will.”

“Kyousuke…” Riki glares at him balefully.

“There’s a detour through the middle of the cave. We can take that. It’ll be good experience!”

“Kyousuke, this is the main travel path through Mt. Coronet! As the Champion, shouldn’t you clear the way?”

Kyousuke thinks for a moment. “Hm. That’s probably true. I’ll have to come back and open the path once we’re through.”

Riki gives up. “Ugh… Alright, which way is the detour…?”

At that, Rin shouts incredulously. “You’re going along with him?”

“What else can we do when he’s made up his mind like this?” Riki sighs, and turns around to follow the detour Kyousuke points out. The group skirts around the nearest pool, making their way north until the water at their side gives way to more land, and turns west to find the ramping body of rock that dominates the center of the cave. Long ago, somebody carved stairs into the formation, creating an alternate path for trainers who need it. Several Geodude are sleeping on the stairway, and they wake up when Riki and Terra draw near.

The Turtwig fights them off, but its tackles take a while to weaken them through their tough, rocky skin. At the end of the battle, Terra is a little unsteady on its feet, so Riki sprays it down with some potion and then withdraws it to let Sly take the lead.

The group climbs up the rough stairs to the top of the rock formation, where a flat path has been carved through the jutting rock. Right in the middle of the path, however, is a small pile of sleeping pink Pokémon. They’re round, with stubby limbs and pointed, brown-tipped ears. Riki can make out a sworl of fur on the forehead of one that’s facing him, and a large curled tail beneath two tiny wings on the back of another.

“What do we do? I didn’t see another detour we could take,” Riki whispers.

“They’re just Clefairy, but… I’d feel bad waking them up just for your training. We should be able to sneak past them,” Kyousuke replies.

“Mm. So… we just need to be quiet and work our way around the edge of the path?” Rin’s voice is also hushed.

“Yeah. Just be careful, and we’ll get by.”

“What are you guys whispering about?” Masato pipes up from the back of the group, his voice raised to cross the distance.

Riki shushes him, gesturing wildly at the sleeping Clefairy, and for a moment the whole group holds their breath, waiting to see if they’ll wake up. After a moment, they let out a sigh of relief as one as the Clefairy don’t seem to have woken up.

Rin whirls on Masato. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU IDIOT?” Her shout echoes all over the cave for a moment before she catches on and covers her own mouth in shock.

“Oh, no…” Riki slowly turns from where his gaze had followed Rin. The Clefairy, now roused, don’t seem to be pleased at their intrustion. Riki’s eyes move higher as one in particular rises from the middle of the pile, reaching a full height of just over four feet. This Pokémon’s body is larger and more oblong than the Clefairy, and pointed, pink fairy wings flutter out from its back. This is a Clefable, the evolved form of Clefairy.

“Oh, I’m an idiot, am I? Which one of us actually woke them up?” Masato’s voice drips with vindication as he needles Rin.

“I— Shut up! It’s still your fault!”

“Guys, they’re coming at us!” Riki’s voice wavers as he takes a step back from the Clefable. “Maybe you could argue later?”

“R, right! Lennon, Scratch to the right!” Rin finally comes to Riki’s support and her Litten jumps into the fray, raking its claws across the nearest approaching Clefairy.

“Sly! Use Flail on the one on the left!” The Bonsly, already closer to the wild Pokémon, begins to thrash about and rams into any Clefairy that try to get past it.

Still, the Clefable advances angrily. It’s strong enough to hardly notice when Sly’s flailing knocks into its leg, just lightly kicking out to send the Rock-Type tumbling away. The first thing to make it pause is a flash of sound and red light as a Pokéball lands in front of it and bursts open.

“Go, Chaplin!” Kyousuke’s voice rings out over the sound of battle, and the light resolves into a thin section of tree trunk, standing on two legs. Oblong yellow splotches track up its torso to where a branchlike arm sticks out on each side, each tipped with three green spheres. Further up, at the top of the body, are two beady eyes and a wide mouth stretched into a dopey grin. Above the face, one last small branch sticks straight up from the top of the Pokémon’s body, splitting into what look like two cut-off twigs. This is a Sudowoodo, the second stage of Bonsly.

“Use Head Smash!” Kyousuke shouts a command, and with an excited wiggle, Chaplin lowers its head and rams into the Clefable at full force. Even though the impact looks like it should snap off the twigs on top, instead of bending they stay perfectly rigid. Like Bonsly, Sudowoodo aren’t real trees - just Rock-types mimicking them. The Clefable reels away from the impact, dazed.

Riki’s attention snaps back to his own part of the battle. Sly, too, seems to have stopped its assault for a moment to watch its evolved form. A Clefairy takes advantage of its distraction to assail it with a barrage of slaps, but Sly’s rocky skin renders the attack largely ineffective. At a shouted command from Riki, the Bonsly returns the favor, smacking its rocky head down at the Clefairy’s skull. The Clefairy topples backwards and another takes its place. Sly is beginning to be overwhelmed, and Riki can see that Rin isn’t doing much better on the other side of Kyousuke. She’s withdrawn Lennon and has her Chingling squeezing an opponent with its tendrils instead, but more Clefairy are piling past their companion to attack Santa.

“Ah crap CHAPLIN GET BACK!” Kyousuke’s shout draws Riki’s attention to him, and Riki sees Chaplin leap backwards from the Clefable now hovering a short ways above it. The Clefable’s wings push back and it smashes into the ground with a devastating punch, clipping the retreating Chaplin and sending it tumbling head-over-heels. Kyousuke’s Pokémon is stronger than the wild Clefable, but a super-effective move as powerful as Meteor Mash still has to hurt.

Meteor Mash… wait, that’s it! At his sudden thought, Riki shouts a new command to his Bonsly. “Use Copycat!” Sly goes still for a moment, some mysterious instinct freezing the Clefable’s attack in its memory. The Clefairy swarming it seem to sense something, but they back off too late to avoid the hammer-blow from the Bonsly’s head as it imitates the Meteor Mash. Several Clefairy skid away, too weak to fight, and a boulder that happened to be too close splits apart. One fragment of stone bounces into the air like a pop fly, and Riki watches it as it stalls for a moment at the peak of its flight. Sly is standing straighter after the last attack, power surging through it, so maybe it’s ready for… “Sly! Rock Throw!” The chunk of boulder comes down, directly above Sly, and at the last minute the Bonsly swings its head into the rock, sending it flying with a *crack.* The projectile slams into one of the Clefairy attacking Santa, and Rin shoots Riki a thankful nod.

At that moment, Kyousuke’s Sudowoodo stomps the ground, and several chunks of rock fall from the ceiling directly at the wild Clefable. Although it attempts to hover out of the way, the attack is too wide, and it has no choice but to be entombed in a prison of stone. “Well done, Chaplin!” Kyousuke bends down to rub the Pokémon’s rocky head, indicating that he’s helped enough.

Deciding to let Sly rest, Riki throws Terra’s Pokéball past Kyousuke so the Turtwig can help Rin clean up the last of her opponents. A couple minutes later, all of the Clefairy have given up their assault, and the friends resume walking before the Clefable can break out.

They make it to the end of the raised path, and after climbing back to the ground level they sit down next to a pool of water to catch their breath.

Riki pulls out his water bottle and takes a drink, the cool water refreshing his parched throat. He swallows and says, “So how did we do?”

“Not bad,” Kyousuke replies. “The two of you were able to handle yourselves, aside from the one that was far outside your level.”

Kengo nods. “Things like that use of Copycat were just what I meant about recognizing how to use your Pokémon’s strengths. And Rin, acting to restrain and block your opponents was also a good idea - if you’d had one more person who could support you, or if you were comfortable commanding two Pokémon at once in a double battle, you could have taken advantage of the openings you created.”

“Also, don’t I deserve an apology? After all, you were the one who woke them up,” Masato says.

“S-shut up!” Rin glares at him. “I wouldn’t have shouted at you if you hadn’t been loud, it’s still your fault!”

“Come on, Rin! Just one ‘I’m sorry’ can’t be so hard, can it?” Masato grins, approaching Rin as he teases her. “It’s not like I’m asking you to go around saying you think my training routine is the coolest—”

“Like hell!” Rin freezes for a moment, and then bolts away.

“Wah - Rin, come back! Don’t leave the group!” Riki stumbles to his feet and chases after her, trying to keep her in his sights. He follows her down a straight path through the cave, and their surroundings grow gradually brighter. Riki barely has time to register that they’re nearing the exit before Rin skids out of control in front of him. A moment later he also steps on several hard, round somethings, and loses his own footing. For a moment he glimpses something purple jumping out of the way, and then he crashes into Rin and the two tumble to the ground.

“Oww…” Riki extricates himself from the tangle of limbs and rubs his head. After a moment, he feels at the ground beneath him and picks up a small glass bead. “A marble…?” Confused, he looks up and meets a pair of blue eyes.

Their owner cocks her head before speaking in a jovial tone. “Wow, you two surprised me! Why were you running like that in a dark cave? That’s dangerous, you know!” She’s a girl in a white shirt and checkered skirt, as well as a pair of striped knee socks. Her magenta hair is tied into a side-ponytail with four round, pink hair ornaments.

“What I’d like to know is how these marbles got here. We could have gotten seriously hurt!” Riki’s head is still sore, and he glances around him in search of a possible explanation. The only person around seems to be the girl.

“…You shouldn’t run in caves,” she repeats, her tone not changing in the slightest.

“…Did you put these marbles here?”

“…Running in caves is dangerous!”

“More dangerous than spilling marbles everywhere?”

“…Well, who did what isn’t important!” The girl waves a hand dismissively.

“Wh- the culprit doesn’t get to decide that!” Riki climbs to his feet, careful not to rest his weight on any of the hazards. Looking down, Rin seems unharmed, although she’s still dazed from the crash. “Come on, you should clean these up!” He turns away from the girl and starts gathering up marbles.

The girl doesn’t budge. “Where are you going?”

Riki glances back, confused.

“Our eyes met. You can’t do anything until we’ve had a Pokémon battle!” She grins, gesturing from her eyes to his with her left hand.

“Seriously? Nobody actually follows that rule,” Riki chokes out through mounting exasperation.

“Actually, you should do it.” Suddenly, Kyousuke speaks from behind him.

“Gah!” Riki jumps, slipping on a marble again and falling on his rear. “Kyousuke, how the heck did you catch up so fast?”

“I’m nimble. What matters is, this is a perfect opportunity to get some more practice in! Hey,” he calls to the girl, “How many badges do you have?”

“I’m the proud owner of one badge!” She looks extraordinarily proud of herself for someone who just caused a high-speed pileup.

“One badge versus no badges, that should be within an acceptable range of strength. Riki, your mission is to battle her!”

“Ugh…” Riki glares at the girl halfheartedly. “Fine. But if I win, you’re not going to get out of cleaning this up!”

She just shoots him a smug look in return. She holds out a Pokéball in her left hand and presses a button in the center, causing it to shoot out a beam of red light. The beam ends in a pool of water opposite the cave entrance, and expands into the shape of a small jellyfish, with a bulbous top and a flared bottom. When the light clears, it reveals a light blue body with a beak and two beady eyes just sticking out of the water line. Higher up, the bulb is decorated with three clear red domes. A small one faces front in the middle of what one might call the Pokémon’s ‘forehead,’ while the other two are larger and set near the top on either side of the Pokémon. The Tentacool looks around for a moment before the girl shouts “Soap, I choose you,” and it snaps to attention.

“Go, Terra!” Riki throws a Pokéball, and his Turtwig pops out just by the water’s edge. He doesn’t give a command yet, glancing at the girl instead. “…If we’re going to battle, we should at least know each other’s names. I’m—”

“Riki, right. I heard the other boy.” The girl smirks. “My name’s Haruka! And — Poison Sting! — You’ve left yourself open!”

[benthedinosaur]

Heartbeats - A Dabi/Reader fic

You walk down the alleyway to your bar, Haven, keys jingling in your hand. Your music is blaring through your headphones, and your head bops along with it. You open the door with a click, and you walk into the dark, empty bar, and start dancing as you switch on the lights. You begin your routine, sweeping and mopping the floors, and then slam down the stools and chairs in a practiced dance, each step in perfect rhythm. At about 12, your cook, Machi Takeda, walks in. You wave at her, and hand her the breakfast you bought for her. "Hey, Machi-chan! Iwasabi is coming back today, so make sure to have our ramen stock up." She grabs the breakfast package and smiles back. "Will do, (y/n)-chan! Do you have the supplies we bought for Iwasabi-san?" She spends a few hours cooking up the food you offer, and by five pm, the doors open.

  Business picks up slowly, and your first few people are the villains, as usual. Greeting them all with a smile, you sling cups of booze down your bar, and one of your regulars, Iwasabi, settles in front of you with a sigh. You pour him his drink, and set it in front of him. "Got out of jail quickly this time, eh?" He looks up at you with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah, somebody posted bail." You pretend to look surprised. "What a coincidence! Also, Matsui gave me this for you." You pull out a box of baby supplies from under the bar, and handed it to Iwasabi, who stared down at the box in disbelief. "Yeah, yeah. He was the one who arrested you and all that, but it was in order to get the money for this. And you know how it is, can't be too friendly outside of here." Iwasabi blinked up at you, his fingers elongating randomly, the only sign of his inward relief. His voice cracked as he began to speak, and he faltered and tried again. "T-thank you. I...we are thankful." You grin down at him as you polish one of the glasses. "Don't mention it. We take care of our own." "Hear, hear!" A slightly drunken patron cries out in agreement, raising his glass in your direction.

  You chuckle, and turn back to Iwasabi. "Any food today?" "Yeah, I'll take some ramen." You call his order out to Machi, and within minutes a steaming bowl of ramen is in front of him. He begins to eat, and you walk off to take care of the other patrons. Regulars revolve in and out, heroes and villains alike, and everyone greets each other with a smile. Food and booze and camaraderie fill the bar, and you swirl through the building, grinning and joking with everyone you see. The night is going great, and then trouble hits. You were talking with a hero, Shimmer, about her new job offer and cracking jokes with her, when a new customer, a villain, but barely more than a petty criminal, really, starts getting louder. “Why the hell do we let heroes in here? They get all the space they want, we deserve this bar!” Your grin gets strained, and you quiet. “Excuse me, Masuda-san, it seems I am needed elsewhere.”

  You turn and walk over to the villain. His angry voice just gets louder the closer you get. “Every day, we are beaten down, suppressed, killed by these heroes! We deserve a space just for us!” He is getting bigger, wolf-ish teeth sprouting from his jaw. You grab his shoulder. “Sir, I need you to calm down.” He shakes you off and turns to you. “You. Where is the owner? I want to talk to him.” A hushed silence falls over the rest of the bar, and it feels like the building itself holds its breath.

  You look at him, unimpressed. He glares down at you, and grabs your jaw with his newly emerged claws. “Did you hear me, bitch? Take off those ugly-ass headphones, and listen to me!” There is a clatter, as several bar stools fall to the ground from patrons jumping to your defense. You chuckle and raise a hand, signaling for them to sit back down. You look up and grab the man’s hand, and rip it off of your jaw. “I am the owner.” He laughs. “You’re the owner? Then tell me, why are there heroes here? They are against us, so why do you let them in?” You glare up at him, grip tightening on his hand. “Here in Haven, there are no villains or heroes. There are patrons, and there are non-patrons. I usually have a three strike rule, but you pushed too far. That means you are now a non-patron.” He stares down at you in disbelief. You smirk, and turn on your battle playlist and grab his empty beer bottle by the neck. “Now, you have ten seconds to leave on your own, or I will… escort you out.” He yells, and lunges at you. You sigh. “Guess it’s the hard way.”

   You flip the bottle, and catch it by the neck again, and bash the butt against his head, sending a pulse through the glass, shattering it on contact. He staggers backwards and clutches at his head. “You crazy bitch!” He runs toward you, claws out, and clearly out for your head. The beat of the song moves through you, and your limbs thrum with power. You grin, and slide under him, through his legs. You spring off a soundwave from your foot, and land on his back, tackling him to the ground. He rolls over, and takes a swipe at you, and catches your side. You huff. “Now you’re really pissing me off.” You grit your teeth, and stomp your foot down, releasing a soundwave that knocks him off his feet, and then you lean down and flick his forehead, knocking him out with another small soundwave. You lean back, and notice the blood dripping down your side, and then when you flip off your music, you realize that the bar has started moving again, and Dumbbell drags the man out of the bar, and dumps him a few buildings away. Machi rushes out towards you, hands outstretched and ready to heal. You accept it, and then call out, “Hey, someone arrest that asshole next time you see him. He insulted my headphones.”

  The bar bursts out in laughter, and everyone goes about their business. Machi looks down at you in concern. “(y/n)-chan, you have to be more careful. You could’ve gotten really hurt in that fight!” “Ah, it’s fine. Takes a lot to keep me down.” You chuckle, and stand up again. “Still…” Machi holds out a hand. “You should be more careful. I’ll get you some soup, and then you can get back to work.” “Alright, fine.”

  You sit down next to Shimmer, and lean into her. The warmth radiated from her shimmering body soothes your aching muscles, an unfortunate side effect of your quirk. You slide right back into the conversation. “So, twilight, are you gonna accept the offer?” She glares at you and pinches your arm. “I hate it when you call me that. But, yeah I am.” She looks you over, hesitantly. “I’m gonna miss it here.” You sigh, and Machi brings over your soup. You slurp it gratefully, the salty broth warming your stomach and boosting your energy. “Well, you will only be a train ride away.” She sighs again, mirroring you. “I suppose you are right. Still…” You gently knock her arm. “You aren’t gonna stop coming to karaoke, right?” She gasps, mock horrified. “I would never!” You laugh, and finish your soup. “I’m gonna get back to work. See ya later, Masuda.”

  The rest of the night passes without incident. People file out, and the bar closes at four am. You sweep and mop again, and put the chairs up. Music plays from your headphones, but your energy is gone, and there is no dancing. You lock up, and walk down the alleyway to your apartment. You walk into your apartment, and your cat weaves itself through your legs, meowing plaintively at you. You chuckle and feed him, and spend some time scrolling through your phone. A news alert flashes across the screen. “League of Villains attacks jail, breaks out the dangerous-” You swipe away the notification. Whatever happens with the world is not your business. Your life is the bar, and that’s about it. As you fall asleep, you think about karaoke night with Machi, Masuda, and Okamoto, and the going away present you will have to get Masuda. After you fall asleep, another notification pops up on your phone. “Dabi, from the League of Villains, is in your area. Stay safe and report any sightings immediately.”

[sage-nebula]

how do you like sword/shield so far? i'm a little leery of the whole reduced pokedex thing, but then again, they did this with black/white but worse. mostly, i'm intrigued by the rivals :D

The lack of a National Dex was not done with Black/White, and certainly not worse than it is here. While it’s true that only Unova pokémon were able to be found and caught in the wild in Black/White during the main story, once the main story was completed and the National Dex was obtained, players could transfer in any pokémon from Gen I to Gen IV. The ‘dex was never limited, and in fact in an interview given around that time, Masuda said that they would never limit the ‘dex because they didn’t want to cut people off from pokémon they loved the way they almost had to between Gen II and Gen III (before finding a way around it with FireRed/LeafGreen and the Colosseum/XD games). So no, the limited ‘dex that we have in Sword/Shield---and that we’re going to have in the foreseeable future---is not something they already did in Gen V. It’s brand new, and is unfortunately never going away.

That said, a brief rundown of my thoughts on Gen VIII so far, keeping in mind that I only have Sword and that I’m only just past the first gym (because I’m trying to get a Galar Ponyta through Surprise Trade and it’s not going well):

Pros: 

The trainer customization is already much better than it was in Sun/Moon, and I like that you have a clothes shop right in the first (real) town, so that you don’t have to be stuck with an ugly outfit for too long if you don’t want to be. I do wish that there was a genuinely purple color option for hair, but the fact that my trainer is at least wearing good clothes soothes the wound for me.

Being able to skip (some of) the tutorials was a GODSEND. I must’ve missed the way to skip the “how to catch a pokémon” tutorial with Leon, unfortunately, but I was able to tell the others to fuck off when it came to learning what a Pokémon Center is and whatnot, and that was just so great. Honestly, I’ve been playing these games since before these characters were even conceptualized, I do not need them to tell me a goddamn thing.

I like seeing pokémon in the overworld, because it makes it not only easier to know what you’re about to do battle with, but also more realistic (in the sense that it doesn’t make sense to have a huge bear just attack you out of nowhere in tall grass; there’s no way you shouldn’t be able to see it coming).

The game is so BRITISH that I find it really charming and amusing. I like that even in the US version they kept all the English slang and terminology, and even worked it into some accents (like you can tell that Marnie is supposed to have a working class London accent, and I like that).

I like most of the characters so far, and am especially thrilled that we finally have a jerkass rival again. It’s been three thousand years . . .

I like several of the new pokémon so far. My team is only four ‘mon at the moment (would be five if I could get someone to TRADE ME A PONYTA), but they’re all good.

While there are some graphical areas that don’t look so hot (those Ocarina of Time trees . . .) other aspects, like the water, look pretty nice.

Cons:

The music, by and large, is so generic and doesn’t have a Galar feel. This has been an increasing problem with the past two gens, although admittedly there were certain themes in the Gen VII games that tried to spin a Hawaiian sound for Alola (e.g. the PokéCenter theme). In earlier gens, the wild battle and trainer battle themes were all distinctive, sometimes to the point of leaning heavily on certain instruments (e.g. Hoenn’s famous trumpets, and I remember Sinnoh having quite a bit of percussion). But in recent times the themes all kind of sound alike, to the point where the main overture can be heard in standard Galar trainer battles. As someone who always loves OSTs, that’s pretty disappointing to me.

THE STUPID Y-COMM BADGES ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE SCREEN HOLY SHIT. The fact that you cannot turn these notifications off naturally is maddening. I keep having to turn wireless communication on and off to clear the notifications because that’s the only way I can figure out how to do it (because even in Local Communication you get notifications for shit you just did like?? I know what I did, leave me alone??). Y-Comm is definitely better than RotomDex, don’t get me wrong, but oh my god that thing is bloody annoying. If they could patch in a way to turn off Y-Comm notifications that would be real swell.

It’s not as bad in the spot where I am at right now, but in the beginning of the game for sure I was being stopped by either Hop or Sonia every ten seconds and that was really annoying. The writing was a bit repetitive at times now (e.g. I don’t need to be reminded every two seconds that Leon gets lost easily, I got that the first time you told me).

If you have wireless communications on in the wild area, the lag is pretty noticeable. Aside from the Y-Comm notifications, this is another reason I prefer to keep it off.

I spent $18,000 on a Gym Challenge uniform and my trainer still wears the ugly default one in challenges and I see no way to change this. I feel like I was personally victimized. (Speaking of, the Arcanine shirt is $30,000 while all other shirts are $980 hello?? Considering Arcanine is one of my signature ‘mon I feel personally attacked by this.)

The weather effects in the wild area seem random and don’t really make sense, haha. Like I get it, there are phenomena in real life where you can be in a place that’s raining and then drive through it, but how is the sunlight harsh in one spot, but two steps later it’s snowing . . . like I live in a place where we experience every time of weather phenomena there is to experience throughout the year (we have summers over 100 F easily, and then winters -10 F easily), sometimes on a day to day basis, but even then, this is kind of ridiculous lol.

I’m starting to think none of the big pokémon in the wild area will be catchable until after I beat the game considering how they’re all mysteriously still too strong after I got my first badge, but we’ll see I guess lol.

There are probably more things I could say for each, but this is where I’m at right now. I am enjoying it more than I thought I would, but my expectations going in were also rock bottom, so that’s not really saying much in terms of kudos to Game Freak, haha. We’ll see how things shake out for the rest of the game.

[graphicabyss]

WORLDISTA TOUR REPORTS

I haven’t gathered that many reports this year, most just top instances of member ai but there’s some great stuff there. This is full edition, including the ones I posted before.

NEWS 静岡 3/10昼 MC アナウンス

MC: Entering Mc zone.

NEWS: Sexy Zone?

And so it began, the running “joke” of the tour.

M: Marius?

T: Huh?. Accessing sexy zone! (grabbing Koyama’s crotch)

K: Stop it, please. 

WORLDISTA  NEWS 福岡 3/16 

T: Hey, when are you bringing umeboshi?

S: Remind me, I forgot.

T: I was going to but I thought you’re smart! But you’re more of an idiot than I thought!

S: HEY!  

WORLDISTA 3/17福岡1部 MCレポ

The Shower Talk

S: By the way, the water pressure at this venue is so low! Also, the water gets cold doesn’t it?

T: It does! I, Shige-chan and Koyama-san took shower at the same time. However, only in Shige’s stall the pressure was fine. Did you choose it?

S: I did. When I came to this venue, I checked all the stalls and check the pressure in them. Then I left my shampoo and stuff in the best one.

T: That’s so sly!

S: That is why yesterday I took shower early. I had to hurry and take my spot.

T: I was next to him so when Shige-chan was done, he approached my stall.

He was like, “Tegoshi, you can use mine. He said “mine”.”

S: “Won’t you come to mine?”「…俺んとこ来ないか？」

K: What about Massu?

M: I also checked them all, there are about 8 stalls. First I used the one Shige used but the water got cold so I went to a different one... but it was cold too... so I was shaking.

K: So in between you were loitering all naked? What a suspicious person.

T: Where did you go in the end?

M: In the end, I used Shige’s.

K: We’ve been talking for 15 minuted about showers alone.

M: So after Shige, Tegoshi came into the stall? Why was the shower head so slick?

T: It wasn’t me.

S: Not me either. I don’t touch the shower head.

T: I’m also the type to let it be.

K: Did you know? I clean the shower after Tegoshi. There was a sponge soaking on the floor.

T: There is goes! Oh, Koyama-san, this is where you are wrong. That wasn’t me. That is because I am the type to not use the sponge.

K: Which means... It is you who is next to Tegoshi!

S: Oh, my! You have made a mistake! And that’s because I also do not use the sponge.

K: Massu?

M: Nope, definitely not me. I treat my sponge properly.

K: Well, then... who was it???

M: But there are zones you can’t reach without the sponge!

T/S: There aren’t! (locking their hands behind their backs to show)

WORLDISTA福岡3/17 2部

S: Yesterday me and Tegoshi-san went to eat mizutaki.

At one point, Tegoshi sat in Masuda’s lap.

About Fan Clubs (s)

K: Have you ever been a part of a fanclub and took part in a lottery?

T/M: Yes!

S: I haven’t. 

K: Me neither.

K: Massu?

M: B’z. (starts singing)

K: Tegoshi, were you in Hyde’s?

T: Me? Is it ok to say it... In middle school I was in an all-boys school so I was in Morning Musume fanclub. (shy)

K: Really? Tegoshi Musume. So you were a fan! Did you also lose a lottery? 

T: I did! That’s why I understand fans’ feelings. 

S: Did it happen that other people in school won and you lost?

T: It totally did!

About Sexy Zones (s)

T: My first impression about Sexy Zone is crotch!

K: Stop it! There are children here! 

T: Got it! I forgot just now.

Where were you when Tegoshi humped his bed every concert??

About Parents Coming to the Shows (s)

K: Today some came without telling their husbands or without telling their parents!  (s)

M: I didn’t tell them! I told them about Shizuoka but not Fukuoka!

K: But they’re your biggest fans! I think mother knows your schedule better than anyone.

M: For me, it’s like parents coming to your sports event so I kinda don’t want them to come... I think Shige feels the same way.

S: I am...

M: Shige is the same.

K: You’re too fast, he hasn’t said anything yet.

S: I don’t mind...

M: It’s the same, right? (pressing)

T: Can I talk about my mummy? (s)

K: “Mummy!” ^^

T: When did the lottery end?

S: Last month I think?

T: It was exactly that time I came to her and the first thing she said to me was “Yuya! I won Shizuoka tickets!”

K: Mama won!

T: It was the first day of Shizuoka though the seat was the one in the back of the stands under the ceiling.

S: She came to Shizuoka!

T: It seems like all the relatives do the lottery and exchange tickets.

K: Your relatives really know your schedule well.

T: They are my #1 fans.

WORLDISTA 4/6仙台 [s]

In the preliminary song, Tegoshi was hugged by Shige. Tegoshi went to Shige’s stop and lay down there.

Later they talked about Shige doing Tegoshi’s hair and make-up in the early days and also how they went out to dinner together the day before.

[s]

T: The music you hear when you are born affects you, doesn’t it?

S: So please do not listen to I’m Coming.

M: I wish girls under 25 did not know about Tegoshi’s existence. For boys it’s at least until 18. 

If only...

WORLDISTA 宮城2日目夜 4/7

Tegoshi ran off on the letter song again and this time Shige grabbed him and dragged him back to his spot.

S: How many times are you planning to do this? [s]

WORLDISTA 広島 4/27

At 4/27 con, the shower talk continued. It seems like Shige is still being sneaky, checking all the stalls in advance and reserving the best one for himself. He only takes about 3 minutes in there though. Tegoshi has attacked Koyama in the shower again, which is basically a custom. Shige said he can sense it by now.

During the song where a lot of rolling and humping takes place, Tegoshi decided to climb on top of Shige. They messed around for a bit after which Shige pushed him off and pinned Tegoshi down instead.  (s) 

There better be photos this time!

NEWS WORLDISTA 広島4/28昼

The shower talk just kept getting better, contemplating a highly complicated polyamory arrangement. Koyama complained about being constantly attacked and unable to shower in peace.

M: After the two of them are done, let’s wait and go together without hurry.

K: I’ll shower with Massu.

M: Go shower with me.

K: I like the time with Massu the most. ♥

M: It’s peaceful.

S/T: And we’re stimulating/exciting?

K: If I were to marry, I’d choose Massu. [s]

T: So you’d marry him but come to me too!

K: For Tegoshi it’d be once a week at most. For Shige, I could make it about 3 days but with Tegoshi 1 day a week is my limit!

M: If you go to Shige 3 days and 1 day to Tegoshi, that means you won’t come home to me most days! My husband won’t be home most days!

T: Masuda-san is the wife? [s]

M: I don’t know.

T: There’s that!

M: We don’t need to go there.

Well, someone’s being greedy. I’m sorry but Massu deserves someone who comes home to him every day.

NEWS広島4/28夜

They talked about doing something special for the new era.

T: I wanna do an Asia tour!

K: Let’s do it!

T: Reiwa starts May 1st so let’s have concerts every day for 365 days!

S: I’ll die! Shige will die! @_@

During the humping song, in a running joke, Shige was apparently open for sexy zone exploration and Tegoshi decided to use that opportunity.

T: Ah, Can I look? It’s sexy! Yay! (he said and came closer to look at Shige’s crotch

S: O! Thank you！

T: Sexy thank you！

S: Sexy welcome！[s] [s]

WORLDISTA 5/4大阪

After the 4th song they made up letters with their bodies. Tegoshi settled in between Koyama’s legs putting his head on his crotch. 

K: Hey, wait a minute. Tegoshi’s head is in my most embarrassing place...

T: It’s a Tempur pillow.

S: Is it memory foam?

K: Who are you calling memory foam??

Tegoshige laugh.

WORLDISTA 大阪5/5夜

This time Tegoshi puts Koyama’s head on top of his crotch.

S: It’s different!

K: My head is...

S: Shake it!

K: Ok! (Koyama raises and lowers his head)

T: It hurts! (Tegoshi gets up and runs back to his position in N)

WORLDISTA長野 5/25 

It is the song where they make up different letters with their bodies. Tegoshi starts fooling around, goes to Shige and captures him in a hug and Shige hugs him back. Then Shige picks Tegoshi up and carries him like a sleeping child to his original position.

Shige: This isn’t your place. This child is such a handful!

Koyama coos.

[s] [s] [s]

During 2nd song, Tegoshi bit Koyama. During Weeeek Koyama kissed Tegoshi on the cheek.

They talked about annoying things about girls and Koyatego acted stuff out.

K: What is more important to you, me or work?

T: ?

M: Hey! Who is more important, me or Koyama?

T: Huh??

S: Hey, what about me? (they’re all talking in a feminine way)

K: (pointing to Shige) Hey, who are you?

M: Who are you?

S: What do you mean who am I? Who are you? What is this, Yuya?

T: I had a role where I was a 3-timing man but it wasn’t like this... [s] [s] [s]

Having 3 boyfriends can be tough. But also rewarding. 

WORLDISTA 長野5/26 1部

As Tegoshi was about to leave the stage, Shige stopped him.

S: Hey, Tegoshi! One more time! (takes out a cockroach toy and throws in at Tegoshi)

T: Waaa!~ You’re awful! 

S: Yesterday I also kept playing with it.

T: I, Shige, and Juniors went to a meal together. The Neverland parka Masuda-san made was all dirty with say sauce.

S: Well, it’s Worldista now. We can fool around. [s]

What are you, 5?

[ladybrightcynder]

Why I don’t want forced Exp. Share in Pokémon Sword/Shield

Rant incoming.

So y’all might have seen a couple news articles floating around saying that Exp. Share might end up being forced on the player, and it seems that this has been confirmed.

Source: https://www.gonintendo.com/stories/348837-game-freak-explains-why-exp-share-is-baked-into-pokemon-sword-an

Now I personally have a huge problem with this for multiple reasons. My biggest problem is how much it trivialises the difficulty. The moment I turned it off in X/Y was when I realised I was several levels higher than the gym leader’s strongest Pokémon, and since then, the only times I’ve used it are for mass grinding post-game, or for levelling Pokémon for evolution and dex completion. It’s a good feature, but the fact that we get no say in the matter is unfair on people who like to decide their own playstyle.

I’ve been playing Pokémon for 20 years, and some players even more than that. The lack of true difficulty modes has led to a lot of people making crazy challenges just to keep some modicum of difficulty for themselves. Yes, Pokémon is primarily a kids’ series, and there should be options for kids to be able to ease the experience - but forcing a grinding method is worsening gameplay for longtime fans who have been begging for difficulty modes for years. This isn’t what we wanted.

One of the reasons I disliked Let’s Go! Eevee so much was, by the end of the game, I didn’t feel like I had grown a bond with each Pokémon in my party. “Bright!” I hear you call! “This is a dumb kid’s game, why are you so concerned about bonding with nonexistent monsters?” Well, aren’t you supposed to form a connection with characters in RPGs? They’re not real, but you still get to know them and grow fond of them. In LGE, my party had grown so much without me putting in any effort into training each one individually. I hadn’t gotten to know each Pokémon’s individual strengths and weaknesses - they were just pictures and attacks. I had so little connection with them that I had no qualms about restarting my save when I got bored. Compare this to my experience of White 2, where I had persevered with my team, gradually training and growing to love my little guys, and I was so proud of them by the time I beat Iris that I burst into tears of joy. (Yes I am super embarrassed to admit this)

One of the things that annoy me the most is the reasoning behind forcing Exp. Share. According to the article, Masuda claims that “most players had it turned on.”

Um, source?

Did you actually ask anybody about this, Game Freak? I don’t think I know anybody who has it on all the time. Most people I know use it depending on the situation. And is it really fair to force this on people who really don’t want it?

Masuda has also stated that “Those who have it turned off want to train one specific Pokemon. We thought: is there a way to achieve that? There is, simply by putting the rest of your Pokémon in the PC.”

FIRST RULE OF GAME DESIGN: DON’T INCONVENIENCE THE PLAYER.

I really can’t believe they’re serious about this. Surely, surely it would be easier to just give players a toggle? It cannot be hard to program, especially since it was a feature in earlier generations. I know a lot of people are going to be saying “But you’d be going into the menu to turn off the exp share anyway!” Stop and think about that. Think how many little steps it takes to move a Pokémon to a box. Never mind five others, and continually swapping them out every 5 minutes.

I hate decisions being made for me. This is my save and I’ll play it how I want to. Call me a brat, but Pokémon has always been such an individual experience for every person. Everyone I know plays completely differently.

Taking away options is going to really hurt that.

As for me, I’m still going to be getting Shield, but this is a real sour note, never mind the sweeping dex cuts. If the Exp Share nonsense is balanced like it is in LGE, I might end up raising a team of 12 just so I don’t end up a demi-goddess by the second gym.

[dr-awo]

groovy duel | trial 3.6 | re: bellamy, megumi, shou, mugen, attn: hana

Satoshi turns to Bellamy and nods.

"I think the answers to your questions go hand in hand: firstly — Tsukino-san did have both arms when we bumped into each other. She sustained a pretty bad scratch on one of her arms, but it wasn't torn off or anything. Buuuut, that being said… second — the blood on my left side, that's all Tsukino's. Blood on my back is also Tsukino's. On our way up to the top of the waterfall, her injuries started catching up to her, so I supported her. And, uh, I'm pretty sure the tiger is responsible for tearing off her arm. When that happened, I dunno, I was shocked to learn that her arm had been ripped off in the first place, so it had to have happened sometime after I got knocked out, but, uh… I think we can all agree that only the tiger is really capable of that kind of damage."

He grimaces a bit at the thought before scratching the back of his head.

"Sorry to say, but I'm right handed! Guess I break the mold in more ways than one aha ha! Pretty upset about busting up my arm because of it, though. Shouldn't be hard to test this, or those with good memories might recall me writing exclusively with my right hand."

Then to Megumi, a quirk of his eyebrow and a tilt of his head.

"Oh? You know something about that, Imaizumi-san? Please share, if you would. I, uh, I'm not trying to be sarcastic, anything helps. If you're implying Tsukino couldn't recognize faces either, though, then… I really wouldn't know aha ha…"

To Shou, he only sticks out his tongue.

"Boo, you're never any fun Shikabane-san. But you were entertaining the idea of using the tiger, huh? Seems like more trouble than it's worth…"

He makes a face. Then stops. God, this is so stupid actually.

"Wait you said you told Masuda-san, too? … Aha. Aha ha. Jeez, this is going to sound really awful I think, but… Masuda-san? Could I ask you about your alibi? Please."

His smile is taut and remains strained as he turns to Mugen.

"If Tsukino shoved me off the cliff then I would've said so from the start and this would've been a very different trial, I think. But let's entertain the idea: let's say Tsukino did push me off the cliff. Then what? Not only was I knocked out, I was injured. Tsukino would've had the upper hand, y'know? But alright. Let's say I was conscious, somehow. I attacked her, but — whoops! Weren't her stab wounds on her back? How does that factor in?"

[natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk]

[The Cabbage and Eyebrow Samurai share the same seiyuu as the Red Rock and Pikachu?]

Okay, I just finished Koutetsujou no Kabaneri.

Just so you know, both Tasuku Hatanaka and Toshiki Masuda are in it.  [Hatanaka plays Kaminari and Ikoma while Masuda plays Kirishima and Kurusu]

Looking at MyAnimeList would make you think that Kabaneri is a bad, terrible, good-for-nothing, crappy anime. It’s overall score is a 7.3 out of 10 (which is lower than SAO among other things), and the majority of reviews are within the 2-3 range (yes, out of ten my dudes). 

I’m here to say that this anime is a good anime. It did nothing wrong besides probably convincing everyone that it was an Attack on Titan ripoff. I’m not gonna say that it isn’t, but... I’ll explain more below.

Review will be below!

Koutetsujou no Kabaneri Review:

Story:

STOP. THIS ISN’T ATTACK ON TITAN. First, they’re not big, and they’re clothed this time. While it is of the same genre and while it does take some of the same liberties as Attack on Titan, these are two different shows. One has a setting that is more European while this one takes place in an alternative steampunk Japan. Instead of Titans, we have Kabane, and unlike Titans, Kabane are basically zombies but arguably tougher to beat. And while this place has walls too, they aren’t always inside the walls. They travel by a big iron train, and that’s where a majority of the story takes place. They are constantly on the run and trying to survive while finding survivors along the way. 

It’s well-paced, and it will keep you entertained. It’s only 12 episodes for this series (there are summary movies and a sequel movie... apparently). The story isn’t too deep since we do get the usual, “Are we going to let fear control us, or will we rise to see the sun rise another day?” We have the usual, “I must become one to fight them.” But we also get to see behind the scenes. Our characters have to be smart about the decisions they make because a lot of the decisions they make are crucial for several lives. 

Unlike a lot of other anime, this is an original. They didn’t have any source material. 

I know this has been done before, and it will be done again somewhere else! But this anime did it in a way that I enjoyed.

Characters:

We have had these kinds of characters before, but this cast differs from Attack on Titan. Ikoma is our protagonist, and he’s an inventive, witty, and slightly petty engineer who gets into some of the worst situations possible. We have Takumi who is his best friend and right-hand man who will do anything for him. We have Kurusu who is like a knight to Ayame who is practically a princess. He’s noble, she level-headed and strives for the greater good. We have some badass engineers and some other side characters. Personally, I found the cast to be of the right size. It was enough that I wasn’t going, “Who the heck is that?” They gave all the characters a good amount of the time considering the fact that they only had 12 episodes to use. 

[Not gonna like, I don’t know who Kibito is...]

Art:

ALL BECAUSE IT’S THE SAME STUDIO DOESN’T MEAN IT’S ATTACK ON TITAN. 

Wit Studio did this one too! They did an amazing job with it. The visuals were awesome, and I liked watching the fight scenes. Let me put it this way... EVEN THE 3D ANIMATION LOOKS GOOD. Yeah, that’s right. The corpse monster with corpses falling out of it looks awesome. This is not the same as Attack on Titan. They took different directions with this, and you can probably tell. I’m just gonna pulls up some gifs to enhance just how good the animation is.

Sound:

I’m saving the best for last! 

We have the soundtrack written by the legendary genius Hiroyuki Sawano, and some of the vocals are provided by Mika Kobayashi. The OP and ED are both good too! EGOIST and Aimer provide them if I remember correctly... basically, if you like Guilty Crown or Attack on Titan or really a whole lot of other stuff, you’ll like this stuff. And again, soundtrack was amazing.

Voice acting is where I wanted to get it because this show might’ve been not-so-risky in most of the other departments.

This is where the anime takes a huge risk!

Both of the leads, both Ikoma and Mumei are voiced by new young voice actors. Tasuku Hatanaka and Sayaka Senbongi were both relatively unknown prior to this, and they’re still building themselves up, but this role really cemented their talents. They gave it their all, and you can hear it. The rest of the cast doesn’t let up either. Toshiki Masuda impressed me too. Those are the ones that stand out the most for me because I’ve kind of heard everyone else before. But Hatanaka and Senbongi both impressed me a lot. I haven’t heard either of them in leading roles before, and hearing them absolutely kill it really shattered my expectations. 

Summary: This is a solid anime that was seen as a safe play by Wit Studio, but it can still hold its own to Attack on Titan with its diverse cast, great and unique visuals, and an amazing soundtrack. It has a strong cast with two breakout roles for the leads, and I was very impressed.

I know no matter what I say about this anime, people will forever say it’s an Attack on Titan ripoff. In a sense, they will treat this like a little sibling. It will forever live in the shadow of the older sibling, but those who take the time to get to know the little sibling will realize that although they look similar and have their fair share of similarities, they are really unique and different. They have their own characteristics and way of doing things whether it’s for better or for worse. It just depends what you’re into.

Score: 8.4/10

[trashexplorer]

BLCD 2018: September Releases

Legends:

✓ - have      

💡 - interested

✘ - not interested (but will probably still listen to)    

🙏 - dying for

1. Yuutori Buka ni Namerareteimasu 2 ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/11

Cast: Shirai Yuusuke x Okitsu Kazuyuki

Synopsis: Second installment of the series.

2. Danshi Koukousei, Hajimete no ~Summer Vacation 2018~ ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/14

Cast: Can I not? It’s so long. 😭

Satou Takuya x Suzuki Yuuto

Tachibana Shinnosuke x Tamaru Atsushi

Takeuchi Ryouta x Okitsu Kazuyuki

Furukawa Makoto x Murase Ayumu

Shirai Yuusuke x Masuda Toshiki

Yashiro Taku x Shingaki Tarusuke

Eguchi Takuya x Kawanishi Kengo

Yamashita Seiichirou x Kobayashi Yuusuke

Hatano Wataru x Hayashi Yuu

Horiuchi Ken x Hirakawa Daisuke

Synopsis: Third anniversary mini drama cd featuring all then pairs spending their summer vacations.

3. Beautiful Life + ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/26

Cast: Kawahara Yoshihisa x Yamanaka Masahiro

Synopsis: Beautiful Life after story.

4. Idol Datte Koi wo Suru vol. 1 ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/26

Cast: Kawahara Yoshihisa x Yamanaka Masahiro

Synopsis: During his second year of being unemployed, Koishikawa Hiromu became a manager of an idol unit under “La-Plus” after being invited by an acquaintance to apply. He was in charge of a four member group named “EmpReal” and he becomes considerably close with the group’s youngest member - Kiriya Kureha. One thing leads to another and Kureha asks him for sex? He's fucking sixteen! Stay right there, I'm calling the police!

5. Rakka ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/26

Cast: 

Takahashi Hiroki x Ono Yuuki almost made me interested but no

Furukawa Makoto x Nakajima Yoshiki

Synopsis: 

(first story) Stockholm syndrome. Basically, this is a poor psychotic man’s MODS. When Ringo, a top-selling bitch (literally and figuratively), gets his face cut up in revenge by one of his clients, he gets taken in by the creep who just watched him get cut up because if he ever stopped it then Ringo wouldn’t have lost his job making him unable to get a chance at him. 

(second story) Leo x the shop manager. Idk. I don’t read the scans and I have no intentions to.

6. MAKARE ~Ma wa Kitarete Kare wo Otosu~ Vol. 3 Ji Hen “Vollerei” & Ten Hen “Fleischeslust” ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/28

Cast: 

Horie Kazuma x Nakazawa Masatomo

Furukawa Makoto x Nakajima Yoshiki (oh that's twice in one month you two 😂)

Synopsis: 

(Vollerei) It’s been two years Taichi and Lucifer have gotten into their contract and they’ve been spending their days peacefully until one day when Taichi discovers that he could use magic. Sensing that his magic resembled what Satan once had - Lucifer was quick to warn him and help him conceal his abilities but despite their efforts, a visit from Pandemonium’s council in search for “Satan’s Memory” will surely blow his secret out of the water.

(Fleischeslust) After an attack by some demon upon the world above, Helvim, along with Michael and his subordinates, engaged in battle. During the fight, both Helvim and Michael were attacked but at the end of the day, it seemed like nothing major - until they discovered that they could no longer use their magical powers the day after. After consulting a doctor, they find out that they were under a curse put on them by the demon that attacked and that they couldn’t use their powers if they weren’t by each other’s side.

 7. Wankokei Buka no Shitsukekata ✘

Release Date: 2018/09/28

Cast: Itou Kento x Shirai Yuusuke

Synopsis: "Please use this fleshlight in front of me." Sasaki works for an adult toy company. Souta Nakamura, a puppy-like jock (who's also an idiot) gets transferred to his department. Souta's very motivated and begs Sasaki to test his sample product. Sasaki agrees, but he feels awkward using a fleshlight while being watched... But things start to go even further and they eventually...! An office love story between the "jock puppy" Souta and the socially awkward Sasaki, who himself is in an odd relationship! (Renta!)

Huh, I actually don’t like any of these. What am I going to do in September then? 😂

[rogerblackwolf]

沼の主

Numa no omo

'The Lord of the Swamp'

Ramree Island, Burma (modern day Myanmar)

-February 8-17, 1945-

"January 20th, 1945

The Empire of Japan knew no bounds when World War II began. By 1938 the Japanese flag flew over the lands of China, Mongolia, and Manchuria. Japan's Imperial Army then invaded French Indo-China, the Dutch East Indies, and Burma. In the Pacific the Imperial Navy was undisputed as it claimed all between the Philippines and Gilbert Islands. For a time we were unstoppable, none could face the might of Japan, even the United States was not spared our might as nearly all US ships were destroyed or severely crippled at Pearl Harbor. In doing so, we only sealed our fate by unleashing the fury of a sleeping giant. At the battle of Midway, we lost four of our six carriers and for the first time we were being pushed back by an enemy driven by a warrior spirit comparable to our own."

The rumble of heavy artillery interrupted the man writing as the shockwaves loosened dirt and dust from the tunnel ceiling and walls. Only one kind of gun could shake the tunnels so violently, Naval guns. A young man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Japanese Army came into the room and saluted before he spoke. 

"Gunso (Sergeant), Nagazawa Taisa (Colonel) wants to have a word about the coming battle. He is at forward command." The young soldier said, his Arisaka Type 38 rifle at his side.

"Thank you Nitohei (Private), I will be there shortly."

The man closed his journal, stowing it in his pack next to the table he was sitting at, before he went to find the commander. As he travelled the maze of tunnels, getting saluted by the other soldiers he passed, he finally came to a calmer portion of the tunnels. Here he saw several other officers around a table lit with an overhanging light that flickered every so often, as well as a radio man in the corner trying to intercept the enemy radio signals with some success.

"Nagazawa Taisa, Masuda Ryuzo Gunso reporting as ordered sir." The man said with a salute.

"At ease." The Colonel said saluting the Sergeant. Ryuzo came over to the table and noticed the plans of the island, as well as the markings of the enemy landing force off the coast. 

"The Allies will bombard us first with their naval guns, their planes have already taken over the skies, and tomorrow they will land their troops. A full division." Colonel Nagazawa said as he outlined the map with his finger.

"We number only one thousand men. Against such a force, we stand little chance of victory." One officer says.

"We can. We have a more defensible position." Another spoke up.

"But we are outgunned, what the enemy will not be able to gain in manpower they will use their naval guns to lay siege." A third added.

"Taisa. By chance we are forced to retreat...what is our plan?" Ryuzo asked the Colonel.

The Colonel pointed to the mangrove swamps.

"If we lose the town of Ramree, and our base is overrun we retreat through the swamps. I will take responsibility for the defeat. I ask only for you all to have faith in our Emperor." Colonel Nagazawa says.

"Hai." All the officers responded.

After roughly another hour or so the officers were dismissed to their quarters. Ryuzo stayed up for a time before he dozed off, remembering his home in Okinawa, his wife soon became the focus of his dreams. The thought of him returning to her gave him a warmth in this cold and harsh reality.

Over the following weeks the Japanese garrison were pushed back to the town of Ramree, where they attempted to hold but on February 7th they were outflanked and forced to retreat through the swamps. Many of the units were scattered during the retreat, many more were falling behind as they trudged through the thick mangrove trees. But soon the shame of defeat was replaced with terror as the units came under attack by a new enemy.

Many in Sergeant Ryuzo's unit were taken by scaled beasts in the water. A flash of scales, a splash of water, and blood being all that was left of his men. The days and nights were filled with gunfire and death cries as throughout the swamp crocodiles feasted on the men of the garrison. And despite Ryuzo's best efforts, he could only watch as many of his men were devoured by these voracious beasts. Luckily, Ryuzo and his men met up with another unit led by a sergeant named Haida Itashi. The two sergeants now had roughly forty men at their command, but these men were exhausted, starving, and the crocodiles were still a problem. Ryuzo pulled out a map and showed it to Haida.

"Where did you say you got separated from the main unit?"

"About here. The enemy is trying to block the streams leading to the coast, but this one is still open. The Colonel radioed the mainland, they're going to send rescue crafts." Haida said drawing invisible lines with his finger.

"If we cut through these trees, with luck we'll regroup with the main unit. Let's move!" Ryuzo shouts, folding the map and leading the forty men unit through the new path. Several minutes passed before the unit came under attack again, a bask of crocodiles emerged from the trees swimming towards the rear of the unit. The men began firing with some rounds hitting only to anger the beasts as they each took a man.

"Aim for the weak spot, behind their eyes where the neck meets the skull!" Haida shouted as he killed one by hitting the spot.

Ryuzo followed suit as did his men as they began to hold their ground. As quickly as it started the beasts were gone, leaving pools of blood in their wake. Without time to breath, Ryuzo ordered the unit to move once more. Five men were lost in the attack but fortunately as they took the shortcut the crocodiles stopped their pursuit. Night had fallen when the unit decided to take a short rest, the men were exhausted from the trek and their rations were low as well, Ryuzo still checked his men despite being exhausted himself.

One in particular, a Nitohei named Kaito Ikehara, started to struggle, he was the youngest among them and all he had left was the tasteless crackers from his rations. Ryuzo offered him half of his rice which he reluctantly accepted, they even began to chat about their homeland. Both were from Okinawa, although from different towns the two men shared stories that made them feel at ease. Stories like how their fathers worked as fishermen before conscription made everyone sign up for the war and Kaito even admitted that he had a crush on a girl but still couldn't find the courage to confess. Ryuzo gave him a comforting pat on the shoulder before he continued eating, every so often the sound of gunfire in the distance made everyone alert and the screams would haunt them forever.

An hour passed before Ryuzo and Haida got everyone up to move and it didn't take long before they stumbled upon something else. The unit passed multiple skeletons and mutilated corpses of crocodiles, many either half eaten or simply ripped apart and crushed. Both sergeants couldn't explain what was capable of such carnage, plus the thickets of mangrove trees were bent and in some spots snapped or flattened to create new trails for something big. 

"That's why they stopped chasing us." Haida said

"This place is a killing ground." Ryuzo added. He also noticed the men were on edge, but he assured them that they were close to the rally point, just a few more miles.

The unit could hear faint engines in the distance, Haida ordered a couple of men to some high ground to get a better view. Ryuzo placed his foot on what felt like a tree root, as in the waist deep water he couldn't really tell, and steadied his Type 38 on a low branch. Another soldier, noticing a partially submerged log, placed his Type 97 sniper rifle on it and scanned the area in front of the unit. The rest of the men also slowly climbed onto the moss covered high ground, but it felt too hard to be a sandbar.

The man with the Type 97 suddenly felt something off, he placed his hand on a knot only for it to flex and blow air at his hand. The log then began to move and rise, the soldier looked at the thicker part of the log and another knot opened revealing a large reptilian eye. Ryuzo's root suddenly shifted knocking him back, the high ground also shifted making several men fall into the water as the large creature revealed itself. Fifty feet of armored scales, a row of spines down the center of the back, legs like tree trunks, and a long triangular jaw filled with teeth the size of shortswords, the enormous crocodile shook its head side to side before lifting it skyward to let out a bellowing roar that filled the men with terror.

The first strike was at the sniper, a swiping chomp sprayed the men with blood as the man was devoured in one gulp.

"OPEN FIRE!" Haida yelled.

Every man with a rifle and machine gun focused their fire at the beast only to have the bullets ricochet off it's armored hide. Ryuzo got off a shot before dodging a foot that splashed him with water and mud, the beast opened its jaws scooping up two men and devoured them in seconds. A man armed with a Type 96 machine gun fired at the crocodile's side while trying to reload the tail swung his direction, sending him flying above the trees, his scream drowned out by the chaos of men trying to run and shoot. 

While Ryuzo was reloading his rifle he noticed that the beach was no more than a couple hundred yards away.

"The Beach! Everyone to the Beach!" He shouted. The men nearest followed orders and began running for the beach, Haida was helping his men over the roots as the monster thrashed and snapped it's jaws.

Ryuzo tried to reach him but Haida shouted

"Get to the beach! I'll cover you!" As he picked up a discarded Type 96 machine gun and drew the crocodile's attention.

Ryuzo followed his men but turned back just to see the crocodile devouring Sergeant Itashi, even clasped between the beast's jaws he stabbed with his bayonet before his body went limp, his fight done.

Ryuzo regrouped with his men on the beach and watched the last of the rescue craft disappear into the distance. Despite this, he took a headcount seeing he only had fifteen men left. A roar from the swamps, followed by the sound of trees being crushed and shifted, made the men turn towards the trees. 

Ryuzo looked around the beach, noticing several foxholes, he hatched a plan. Five men were placed in a foxhole, bayonets fixed, ready to face the beast. The first trees landed on the beach like crashing thunder, the earth shook under the great beast's foot falls, and the men shuddered from the sound of it's roar. 

"Fire!" Ryuzo ordered, the men focused their fire at the beast but it didn't stop as it went for the nearest foxhole. Two men were devoured, a third was crushed under its foot, and the last two were ripped apart. One man threw a grenade that landed next to the creature, the beast actually recoiled in pain but it seemed more angry than before. As the crocodile charged the next hole everyone scattered, but with a swing of it's jaws three men were scooped into its maw. Another two were crushed under its foot, one man charged the beast sticking it with his bayonet but a whip of the tail broke the man with a sickening crunch. The beast turned to the remaining four men and lunged, missing the group, as it turned to grab one man, Ryuzo turned to Kaito.

"I'll distract it, you run."

"But-" Kaito protested.

"Don't question me, just run." Ryuzo said.

Ryuzo turned to see his final man get devoured, the crocodile then faced him. He fired his shots in quick succession to no effect, in frustration Ryuzo threw his rifle like a spear embedding it in the crocodile's shoulder. A bellow of pain was heard before it grabbed the rifle in its jaw and snapped it with ease. Ryuzo drew his final weapon, his sword, and took a stance as the beast slowly walked towards him. Kaito got to the treeline and found a Type 96 machine gun with an extra magazine, quickly he loaded the gun as he saw Sergeant Ryuzo dodge and slice futilely at the crocodile. He took aim as Sergeant Ryuzo was thrown a few feet away, landing on a bayonet which stuck in his arm. Kaito racked the bolt and fired at the crocodile, spraying the face and side of the beast. It let out another roar as he reloaded, he began firing again as it walked towards him, no effect. Quickly Kaito grabbed his two grenades, pulled the pins, smacked the heads against the tree lighting the fuses.

"For my brothers!" He shouted, throwing them and diving behind cover. Once both blew he looked up and barely dodged the bloodied maw of the beast, it was injured but still able to fight. Kaito pushed himself into the deep foliage and trees which slowed the jaws but they kept coming closer and closer. The jaws were so close he could smell the fresh flesh between the teeth, the next lunge would surely drag him into those same jaws that ate his friends. 

"Tenno heika Banzai!" A familiar voice shouted. Kaito looked above the beast's head and watched as Sergeant Ryuzo plunged his sword into the weak point behind the crocodile's skull. What followed was a roar of pain that made Kaito cup his ears as the body went flat, the jaws slowly closed as the animal breathed its last, it's blood turning the swamp water red. Ryuzo pulled his sword free and, with Kaito's help, got down from the beast. The two men walked to the beach and began to search for more boats, surely more men had escaped, just waiting to be rescued. They were both surprised when they were confronted by a group of twenty men, their uniforms identified them as British troops.

Kaito looked to Ryuzo for their next move, Ryuzo stabbed his sword into the sand and raised his hands in surrender, Kaito reluctantly followed suit, both knowing they couldn't fight back even if they tried. Both men were escorted to the Allied camp and detained with roughly fifty others, without saying a word they all knew they had been through the worst possible hell, one not even the Allies could match or imagine.

Six months later, Ryuzo and Kaito were able to return to Okinawa after being released by the Allies. The war was over, Japan had surrendered, and the two men came back to a land they did not recognize. The two men went their separate ways and despite the horrors of war, there was one thing that gave Ryuzo peace. The look of his wife when they finally were reunited, his dream became reality as they gently embraced.

[groundsnow]

イツカ

I gotta act normally. Prof. Matsui specifically instructed me to keep watch on Aki without letting her suspect me.

"Remember, Horikawa, you need to get close to her as much as possible, but don't let her or anyone suspect your actions. The Cirql System is determined to keep this a secret from the general public. Only the concerned authorities are aware of our operations. You can think of yourself as Masuda's bodyguard, keeping watch 24/7. Do anything you deem appropriate to accomplish this task as long as you uphold the principles of Cirql."

Anything? So, basically, it's up to me to handle this case? That is, as long as no one discovers about the secret society... and Aki's true identity. I'll get creative then, I guess. I look at my wristwatch— it's 9:48 pm! Damn, I can't be late. It's going to be another violation. The dormitory's curfew is at 10 pm. I'll definitely make it before 10!

I run as quickly as I can. Recently, I noticed that my endurance has improved. The trainings must have really paid off! I'm about the enter the gate now. It's 9:53 pm. Well, that was fast. Whew!

I put in the key and turn the knob. I open the door and see that Aki is still awake, sitting in front of her desk and facing her laptop. She's probably studying. I enter the room and put my stuff on the desk.

"Yo, Aki" I greet her with a two-finger salute.

"Hello, Horikawa." She waves at me.

"Busy, huh. Studying again?" I ask.

"Yes, we're gonna have a quiz on Thursday. She says.

"You know, Aki, you don't have to speak so formally to me." I say. She looks so startled.

"O-okay, Sena." Am I actually intimidating her? She can't even say it loud enough.

"Right. From now on just call me by my first name. " I say cheerfully. She looks surprised then laughs.

"Okay." She looks embarrassed by what I just said. Maybe she's just really shy.

"By the way, Aki, I have a question." She looks at me intently, her eyes not blinking.

"Eh? What is it?" Her face looks surprised. She's too easy to read! If someone wanted to pull a prank on her, I'm sure she'd fall for it easily. But I won't do that, ever. Not to an innocent and gullible person like her. Sorry, Aki, but I have to do this. Please forgive me! I run my fingers through my hair, then look her in the eyes.

"Can you stop being timid? Seriously, it's stupid. Don't waste your potential by being a nerd who avoids people. You shut-in." It's mean, I know. But this is the fastest way to know if she has DID too. Silence fills the room, and she's still staring at me. She doesn't blink or move at all. I move closer and wave my hand in front of her.

"Hey idiot?" She slowly turns her back on me. I guess I have my answer now. I hear a loud, manic laughter, which startles me. She slowly turns to face me again, this time her eyes turn blue. Okay, now that's unexpected. Is this part of the gene mutation too?

"HAHAHAHAHAHA IDIOT? YOU MUST BE SO FULL OF YOURSELF. YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO." Whoa dude that 180° change to a totally different personality. She's still laughing manically. She really has MGID, plus DID. I just confirmed my theory. The aggressive personality is triggered when she's faced with a potential threat. Her facial expression, voice, and overall aura are completely different. She's turned into someone else.

"Who are you then?" I respond, trying to find out how the other persona reacts.

"HA. YOU WANNA PLAY A GAME, HUH?" She smirks then grabs the closest thing she can reach then throws it at me. I quickly dodge it. She's finally gotten violent. She throws a punch at me, which I dodge again. She laughs while attacking me. I catch her fist and try to stop her. She's surprisingly strong despite looking so petite and weak.

"Tell me who you are." I ask her, now holding her fists to prevent her from punching me.

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, IDIOT!" She twists her arms, causing me to lose grip of her. She attempts to kick my abdomen, but I quickly dodge. Is she actually trained in martial arts? I don't want to hurt her so I've taken a defensive stance all this time.

"What are you doing?" I ask again.

"YOU'RE ANNOYING!" Yikes. I never thought the other personality would be this violent. She continues to throw punches and kicks at me, all of which I either dodge or block with my arms. I grab her arms then pin her against the wall. Her sharp gaze pierces through me. I suddenly feel something hard on my stomach, forcing me to fall on the ground. Right. She just used the one-inch punch on me. It hurts. I can't help but cough. She's about to throw me a punch. Running out of options, I grab a needle pen from my pocket then stab her left thigh. She still gets to hit my left jaw though. A few seconds later, she loses consciousness. I catch her just before she hits the ground. Phew. That was tiring. If only I fought back, I wouldn't have been hit. I just chose not to injure her. I'm now carrying her to her bed, my arms supporting her back and the back of her knees. She's so light that I don't feel like I'm carrying a person. I'm glad the tranquilizers worked on her. She'll wake up soon.

I sit on my bed, still watching her. I'm now feeling the injuries I sustained earlier. My left jaw is lightly bruised, and my abdomen still hurts. I stand up to get some ice cubes from the refrigerator for cold compress. Now sitting on my bed, I can't help but look at her who is sleeping peacefully. I can't believe that I'm looking at a 16-year-old, because she honestly looks like a 12-year-old kid. Her face is too young-looking, and she looks so innocent, which is too different from the other persona earlier. I've proven that she indeed has DID apart from MGID, and how the violent persona is triggered, but I can't let Cirql know about it, or else I'm doomed. Prof. Matsui would surely scold me for being reckless.

I put down the cold compress bag on my desk, realizing that I haven't changed clothes yet. I quickly grab a t-shirt and a pajama so I could rest on my bed. I'm lying down, facing the ceiling. Ugh. Still can't sleep. I'm wondering why her violent persona was triggered when I told her to stop being timid. She was probably bullied in the past. I face sideways, now facing her. She sleeps in a fetal position, which makes her look cuter. She's almost like a kitten. I let out a sigh. Well, at least, I have some leads now in handling this case. I've uncovered some clues on her identity. I hope everything goes well.

I check the time — it's 4:36 am and I still haven't had a wink of sleep. Damn. I keep tossing and turning. I'm thinking about what happened earlier. I specifically thought of asking that question, because I somehow knew that she'll react to it strongly. We haven't talked a lot, but my intuition tells me that it'll cause internal conflicts for her, hence an ideal trigger. I suddenly feel guilty for doing that to her, still, it's the only way to know. I'll take responsibility for this, and won't let anyone know about the reckless move I made to confirm my theories.

Looks like I won't be able to sleep at all. It's 4:50 am and I have a 7 am class. I'm not even sleepy. I get up and gather my toiletries before going to the shower. If I keep lying on my bed, I might fall asleep eventually and miss my class.

It's now 6:00 am, and I've finished preparing. She's still sound asleep. I check her class schedule on her desk. She has an 8:30 am class. Should I wake her up now? It might be too early though. Aight, I'll just stay here until it's 6:45 am so she can sleep for 45 minutes more. It's like making up for what I did last night too.

Her phone rings, and for some reason, I get curious who sent her a message. Her screen's locked, but notifications and details are still visible.

Hiromi Horikawa

Hi Aki! :)

What the hell? Why is that bastard chatting her? Seriously, what is he up to? Does he know that she's a case?

I grab my phone from my pocket. I gotta text someone. I search the bastard on Telegram.

Annoying Bastard

Sena: Do you know Aki?

Hiromi: Yeah, we're blocmates. Why?

Sena: Stop talking to her.

Hiromi: Why should I listen to you?

Sena: Because I'm the sentinel assigned to her. Get away from her.

Hiromi: What? Since when did she become a case?

Sena: Haven't you heard from Prof. Matsui at all?

Hiromi: No. I don't understand what you're saying.

Sena: Idiot. You don't attend meetings, that's why. Talk to Prof. Matsui then.

Hiromi: You know that I've filed a request for inactivity. I need to focus on my studies.

Sena: Focus on your studies, and yet you've chosen to abandon the most important duty bestowed on us. Nice. Just talk to Prof. Matsui. And don't get near Aki again, or I'll personally report you to Cirql. I'll be destroying this convo now.

Hiromi is typing...

I tap the "delete conversation" button so that there's no trace for both us. I can't risk that bastard doing something stupid.

[gadgetgirl71]

Top Ten Tuesday 8 September 2020

Welcome to this weeks Top Ten Tuesday. Originally created by The Broke & The Bookish, which is now hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week it features a book or literary themed category. This weeks prompt is:

Books for My Younger Self:

(These could be books you wish you had read as a child, books younger you could have really learned something from, books that meshed with your hobbies/interests, books that could have helped you go through events/changes in your life, etc.)

Well there are a few series that I would have liked my younger self to have read which are mainly fiction along with only a few non fiction and they are:

Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang

A new edition of one of the best-selling and best-loved books of recent years, with a new introduction by the author. The publication of Wild Swans in 1991 was a worldwide phenomenon. Not only did it become the best-selling non-fiction book in British publishing history, with sales of well over two million, it was received with unanimous critical acclaim, and was named the winner of the 1992 NCR Book Award and the 1993 British Book of the Year Award. Few books have ever had such an impact on their readers. Through the story of three generations of women — grandmother, mother and daughter — Wild Swans tells nothing less than the whole tumultuous history of China’s tragic twentieth century, from sword-bearing warlords to Chairman Mao, from the Manchu Empire to the Cultural Revolution. At times terrifying, at times astonishing, always deeply moving, Wild Swans is a book in a million, a true story with all the passion and grandeur of a great novel. For this new edition, Jung Chang has written a new introduction, bringing her own story up to date, and describing the effect Wild Swans’ success has had on her life.

The State of Me by Nasim Marie Jafry

It s 1983 and 20-year-old university student Helen Fleet should be enjoying the best days of her life, but while all her friends go on to graduate and have careers in London, she is forced to return to her parents home, bedridden with vile symptoms that doctors can’t explain and often don’t believe. She is eventually diagnosed with M.E, a cruel illness that she must learn to live with over the next decade. All of her relationships are tested and changed by her condition, but Helen s story is so much more than an account of her suffering. Far from it. The State of Me explores the loneliness and chaos of one of the most misunderstood illnesses of our time, but also celebrates the importance of family, friendships, and sexual love. A stunning, eloquent and linguistically perfect debut novel.

Autobiography of a Geisha by Sayo Masuda

Sayo Masuda’s story is an extraordinary portrait of rural life in japan and an illuminating contrast to the fictionalised lives of glamorous geishas.

At the age of sis Masuda’s poverty-stricken family sent her to work as a nursemaid. At the age of twelve, she was indentured to a geisha house. In Autobiography of a Geisha, Masuda chronicles a harsh world in which young women faced the realities of sex for sale and were deprived of their freedom and identity. She also tells of her life after leaving the geisha house, painting a vivid panorama of the grinding poverty of rural life in wartime Japan.

Many years later Masuda decides to tell her story. Although she could barely read or write she was determine to tell the truth about life as a geisha and explode the myths surrounding their secret world. Remarkably frank and incredibly moving, this is the record of one woman’s survival on the margins of Japanese society.

Geisha: The Secret History of a Vanishing World by Lesley Downer

Ever since Westerners arrived in Japan, we have been intrigued by geisha. This fascination has spawned a wealth of fictional creations from Madame Butterfly to Arthur Golden’s Memoirs of a Geisha. The reality of the geisha’s existence has rarely been described. Contrary to popular opinion, geisha are not prostitutes but literally arts people. Their accomplishments might include singing, dancing or playing a musical instrument but, above all, they are masters of the art of conversation, soothing worries of highly paid businessmen who can afford their attentions. The real secret history of the geisha is explored here.

A Night Out with Robert Burns Arranged by Andrew O’Hagan

January 25, 2009, marks the 250th anniversary of Burns’s birth. It will be a huge event around the world, not least across Canada. And we have the book!

Robert Burns (1759-1796) is part of your life. If you’ve ever given or received a romantic red rose, or talked about a “do or die” situation, or if you’ve sung “Auld Lang Syne,” you’re included.

Others celebrate this ploughman poet with an eye for “the lasses” more directly. Every year, literally hundreds of thousands of Canadians, from coast to coast, go to Burns Suppers in January to celebrate his life. This year —2009 — will be the biggest ever, since it’s a 250th celebration of his birth.

CBC TV is joining with the BBC to produce three one-hour programmes on his life, all written and hosted by Andrew O’Hagan, who is now the authority on Burns. This is because this book, published by Canongate in 2008, has already become a classic, bringing Burns to ordinary readers. Because Burns was on the right side of history, against privilege and rank and for everyone getting a fair chance, he is beloved around the world — in Andrew O’Hagan’s words, he is “the world’s greatest and most loveable poet.”

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Bequeathed a rare diamond by her late uncle, heiress Rachel Verinder has no idea it was stolen from an Indian temple or that it has a cursed history. When the diamond disappears on her eighteenth birthday, multiple suspects – including Rachel’s suitor, Franklin Blake – are implicated in its theft. Determined to prove his innocence, Franklin begins his own investigation. Did one of his fellow Englishmen steal the jewel? Or was it whisked back to India? The case, which unfolds through multiple narratives, takes startling twists and turns in pursuit of the truth.

Widely considered the first great detective novel written in English, The Moonstone is one of Wilkie Collins’s most famous works.

Dead Witch Walking (The Hollows Series) by Kim Harrison

Rachel Morgan lives in a world where a bioengineered virus wiped out most of the world’s human population – exposing the existence of supernatural communities that had long lived alongside humanity. It’s her job as a white witch working for Inderland Security to protect the humans from things that go bump in the night.

For the last five years Rachel has been tracking down lawbreaking Inderlanders in modern-day Cincinnati, but now she wants to leave and start her own agency. Her only problem: no one quits the I.S.

Marked for death, Rachel will have to fend off fairy assassins and homicidal werewolves armed to the teeth with deadly curses.

Unless she can appease her former employers by exposing the city’s most prominent citizen as a drug lord, she might just be a dead witch walking.

The Last Orphans (The Last orphans series) by N W Harris

One horrifying day will change the life of sixteen-year-old Shane Tucker and every other kid in the world.

In a span of mere hours, the entire adult population is decimated, leaving their children behind to fend for themselves and deal with the horrific aftermath of the freak occurrence. As one of the newly made elders in his small town, Shane finds himself taking on the role of caretaker for a large group of juvenile survivors. One who just happens to be Kelly Douglas—an out-of-his-league classmate—who, on any other day, would have never given Shane a second glance.

Together, they begin their quest to find out why all of the adults were slaughtered. What they find is even more horrifying than anything they could have expected—the annihilation of the adults was only the beginning. Shane and his friends are not the unlucky survivors left to inherit this new, messed-up planet. No, they are its next victims. There is an unknown power out there, and it won’t stop until every person in the world is dead.

A spine-tingling adventure that will have you gasping for breath all the way until the last page, The Last Orphans is the first book in an all-new apocalyptic series.

The Breakers Series by Edward W Robertson

In the Breakers series, humanity faces not one apocalypse, but two: first a lethal pandemic, then a war against those who made the virus. This collection includes the first three books and is over 1000 pages (350,000 words) of post-apocalyptic survival.

BREAKERS (Book 1) In New York, Walt Lawson is about to lose his girlfriend Vanessa. In Los Angeles, Raymond and Mia James are about to lose their house. Within days, none of it will matter. A plague tears across the world, reducing New York to an open grave and LA to a chaotic wilderness of violence and fires. Civilization comes to an abrupt stop.

Just as the survivors begin to adapt to the aftermath, Walt learns the virus that ended humanity wasn’t created by humans. It was inflicted from outside. The colonists who sent it are ready to finish the job–and Earth’s survivors may be too few and too weak to resist.

MELT DOWN (Book 2) In upstate Idaho, Ness Hook is run out of his mom’s house by his bullying brother Shawn. In Redding, California, Tristan Carter is graduating college, but with no job and no prospects, she’ll have to move back in with her parents.

Then the world ends: first with a virus, then with an alien invasion.

Ness and Shawn take to the mountains to fight a guerrilla against the attackers. In California, Tristan and Alden are taken prisoner. Separated from her brother, Tristan crosses the ruins of America to track him down. She will stop at nothing to get Alden back–but her fellow survivors prove even more dangerous than the monsters who broke the world.

KNIFEPOINT (Book 3) Raina was just a girl when the plague came. She survived. Her parents didn’t. Neither did the world. As civilization fell, she took to the ruins of Los Angeles, eating whatever she could catch.

After two years alone, she’s found and adopted by a fisherman and his wife. Their makeshift family lives a quiet life–until a man named Karslaw sails in from Catalina Island with an army of conquerors. Driven by visions of empire, he executes Raina’s new father as a traitor and takes her mother captive.

But Karslaw’s people aren’t the only ones vying for control of the ruined land. As violence wracks the city, Raina joins a rebellion against Karslaw’s rule. She will stop at nothing to free her mother–and to have her revenge.

Wrong Number, Wright Guy (Bourbon Street Boys Series) by Elle Casey

When a mysterious text message summons May Wexler to a biker bar in downtown New Orleans, she knows something is very wrong. Her sister has sent out an SOS, but when May gets there, she’s nowhere to be found and May is the one in trouble—she’s wearing pink espadrilles, she’s got a Chihuahua in her purse, and she’s in the middle of a shootout.

After tall, muscular Ozzie comes to her rescue, May has no choice but to follow him to safety. At the headquarters of his private security firm, the Bourbon Street Boys, she finds a refuge for the night—and the offer of a job. But it’s not long before a gun-toting stalker isn’t the only complication in May’s life: the more time she spends with Ozzie, the less she can deny that they’ve got some serious chemistry. A wrong number got her into this mess…Will it also get her the right guy?

#JustForFun #Top Ten Tuesday #TopTenTuesday #TTT

[comyet]

What are all methods you use to shiny hunt? Any specific ones or anything? Or are a good few of them just luck and only some by method? Cause from what I've seen you've been pretty lucky! Which also makes me wonder if you have a shiny charm? If not how far are you from it in needed Pokemon?

Oh damn questions ok- Well, I haven’t tried soft resets yet because I’m not too interested about shiny special pokemons, but I do Masuda and SOS.

I do have a shiny charm because I completed the Alolan Pokedex :D

For Masuda (egg hatching): There are a few methods to make the shiny come faster (in generation 7).

Most of my pokemons are french, and the other pokemon in couple with them is a foreign Ditto (my game is french and this Ditto is british). Having a foreign Ditto will multiply your chances of getting a shiny by four.

I have the Oval charm, which is a charm that increases the chance of getting an egg. It makes the whole egg collecting process faster.

To make the hatching faster, I have in my team a Pokemon that has “Flame Body” as a talent (so for my case, I use a Talonflame). This talent, I believe, divides the number of steps to do by two. (therefore the hatching speed is increased).

With all that the shiny chance is reduced to 1/1336, but the Shiny Charm allows you to divide this by 3, so it gives you ~1/445 chance to get one!

If you want to make the process even faster, disable the manual disposal of eggs and make it automatic so your eggs get send automatically in the PC when you go get your eggs. With your “Flame Body” talented Pokemon, go pick 5 eggs in your team each time and use Tauros to reduce the number of your steps. Go and pick eggs from time to time and send them to your PCs until the 5 eggs you have in your team hatch, and if none is shiny, repeat the process!

For SOS:

Reminder that SOS is a method that’s only available in gen7 so far. Basically, it’s making a pokemon call for help over and over until the helping Pokemon that appears is shiny!

My SOS team is made of Decidueye, Lurantis and Xurkitree.Decidueye and Lurantis both can learn False swipe (reduces enemy to 1 HP) and Synthesis (self healing). That way, you can increase the chance of the enemy Pokemon calling for help, and minimize the use of medical items with Synthesis because your Pokemon heals itself! Having two of them reduces the use of Leppa Berries since I can switch between them, because they have similar attacks.Xurkitree is just one of my favorite pokemons because I love it’s design, and also because it can learn Hypnosis and Thunder Wave. Paralysis multiplies the chance of catch by 1,5, and sleep by 2, as well as making the shiny enemy stop calling for help and preventing you from catching it. (obviously, try and get a team of Pokemons that are way more powerful than the shiny you’re hunting, above lvl 70 is best!)

I have over 900 Leppa Berries. XD These are extremely important because they allow your Pokemon to regain 10 PPs to moves that have dropped to 0. And believe me you’ll drop by 0 quite often.

There’s a rumor that says chains are very important. Basically, chaining the Pokemons that are called for help (basically summoning the same Pokemon over and over without Pokemons from any other Pokemon families interrupting this chain, or without interrupting the battle) increases your chance of getting a shiny as it progresses.

Don’t forget to switch the Pokemon who calls for help to the newly summoned Pokemon every once in a while, so it doesn’t run out of PPs itself and kills itself to end the battle, so you don’t break your chain.

I’m probably telling you things you already know, but who knows! I have no idea if the people who follow me are interested just a bit about shiny hunting, but it’s a newly found passion of mine and I love talking and learning stuff about it, so why not, maybe this can help!