#the battle facility yes

[onemillionfurries]

one thing i dont get about the "pokemon is made for 8 year olds, not 20+ year old fans" argument for why pokemon games are so easy and bad is like.... so is mario. so is kirby. so is zelda. so is splatoon. so is basically EVERY other nintendo franchise, but they don't seem to have this problem?? adult fans and children alike can both enjoy those games. i feel like this is an argument that just kind of excuses the terrible yearly release schedule and crunch the developers have to go through.

pokemon fans can be whiny and annoying dont get me wrong, but we fucking LOVE this franchise and just want to see it get better. the pokemon company unfortunately knows that the vast majority of the people buying these games are parents buying it for their children, and being the largest media franchise in the world, they know that they can get away with garbage.

[raynavan]

hi yes i have created another au

help

there are generally two types of dragons, winged and wingless. Ingo and Emmet fall under the wingless group. they grew frustrated with the lack of quick transport for those without wings, and decided to dig tunnels all over the region, eventually building a rail line, gear station.

Elesa, on the other hand, is a winged dragon.

shes still a model. as she should be. (and also a good friend of the twins)

if ya want to suggest other characters you want me to driconify you can ask- also anything about the au.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Do you think in-universe that there's actual pokemon levels? If so, how do they measure it? And if not, how do they keep things like the battle facilities level-capped? I remember you mentioning before that you think battles are largely for show, and that in gym battles the leaders/trainers will basically "fight down" to whatever predetermined strength level they've trained their pokemon to fight at depending on how many badges a person has. And that basically they're not actually "fainting" from some kid's baby pokemon, they just have a set amount of damage they can take before they concede the win. Assuming I'm remembering correctly anyway.

But like... are those standards just arbitrary? I assume the various Leagues have rules about that kinda thing, so their gym leaders and Elite Four/Champions are trained rigorously (gym leaders more so, I think, because they'd have to learn eight different levels of difficulty by heart, whereas the Four and Champion only need to abide by one difficulty level). But in a battle facility or tournament, you're not just limiting what your pokemon are allowed to do, you're also somehow making sure that your opponents are doing the same, at the exact same difficulty level. If there were actual levels I think that'd be easier (although I'm still not sure of the actual mechanics of how it'd force them down to level 50 or whatever), but if there's no levels and it's all arbitrary, then literally how would they even tell or enforce it?

Or is this the kinda thing that's just me entirely overthinking video game mechanics that have no logical or reasonable in-universe explanation. Because maybe it's just because it's really late here, but I'm drawing a blank. Although, I guess the pokemon universe does have some mind-bogglingly advanced tech that would in no way work in ours, like Bill's machine that turned him into a clefairy or a functional doomsday device 4,000 years before the modern era or even just the PC system as a whole, so I guess if there are levels it'd make sense that there was some kind of tech that could measure and suppress them?

oooh, really tough question.

so your first paragraph summary is basically right lol—what makes most sense to me is if pokemon battles are like, for show, or honor duel type things, where they're—generally speaking—stopped long before the point where either party would do lasting harm to the other. (there are exceptions, like in the case of frenzied alphas or other certain wild battles, but usually if it's not a scenario that is legitimately life or death, they're not gonna fight like it is.) it's just a matter of demonstrating that one is stronger, and their opponent conceding. & yeah, the corollary that goes along with that is that gym leaders and other high level fighters really are, as they rightly should be, much more powerful at a baseline than you are when you fight them—but to make the fight fairer, they'll try to match strengths with you.

levels though. yeah, it's kind of a toughie. even if you don't assume the above, levels are kind of tough to make coherent in-universe. this might just be one of those situations where game mechanics sort of run up against inworld depiction, yeah, like when an npc tells you to press the B button to run? or the apparent metaphysical law of reality preventing anyone from having more than 6 pokemon on their team at once. it might be that in reality, "strength levels" (inc. not just xp levels but also EVs/IVs and that kind of thing, since some trainers (ingo again) have also shown that they can modulate those) are just sort of a thing a high-level trainer and their team gets a general feel for as they advance, and then maybe they have to do some extra training to actually do the moderation, but the general sense for different strength levels is already there. like, maybe it's not as granular as "okay, now be level 37," it's just "yeah put in like... 40% of your normal effort. great."

but then yeah, the idea that there's no hard and fast rule for it makes stuff like the battle subway kind of hard to explain. since like, there's no way to actually stop someone from cheating and going over 50, and if they do there's no actual Numbers for them to point to and say "no, you've gotta take it back a bit." they can only rely on vibes to determine whether someone isn't strength scaling appropriately? that seems like they wouldn't be a fan of that.

on the other hand i do love the idea that modern day pokemon people have invented some kind of machine that can just scan your pokemon and output a bunch of numerical summaries of their general stats. ooh, maybe that's one of the things a pokemon center machine is doing when you heal, it's giving them a lil blip and updating their info chip in the pokeball-or-however-it-works with their latest info. if it was anything that was actually enforcing a level standard i think it would have to be based around that, since modern pokemon are at least partially data based and i think it would make some kind of sense to be able to sort of. put checks on that data.

alternately, there's no actual physical limitations, it's just that if you try that you will be kicked out of whatever you're participating in. and there would probably be like, sports news drama about it, depending on whether you were participating in some kind of tournament. so people generally don't bc the payoffs of winning once aren't worth it when it's so immediately obvious to everyone that they're breaking the rules. (there could even be some kind of like, known scammer's/cheater's art of trying to just barely toe the line of "rule-breakingly strong" without anyone being able to strictly prove it and punish them for it. but for the most part that's more investment than people want to do for not a lot of gain, it's easier to just fight normally)

...but then the thing you always circle back around to when talking abt this is like. from the battle subway forwards, you're not just going down to 50, they can make you go up to 50 too. which is like, how the fuck, even. how are they juicing the fuck out of my level 20 starter to make them match with everyone else. which is why i feel like there might not be any physical in-world numbers about it, and it's just a matter of it being accepted that both opponents should play down to whatever the weakest party member is, and 50 happens to be the standard level the games represent that as for ease of calculation.

-ok wait a second i just went to check and according to bulba in post-bw games, like in the battle maison and further, they stop doing that scale-up-to-50 thing. it's just the fucking battle subway that does that?? hi?? hello?? out of universe i guess this makes sense from a gameplay perspective, since they're a much earlier-game and generally more accessible facility than other regions, so it's actually unlikely that a player would have a level 50 team when first boarding. in-universe, though?? what the hell are you guys doing over there???

[jabber-wockin]

Jabber's TMNT AU/iteration ask game!

Send an ask with a number corresponding to a question you want to ask about someone's AU or iteration

SETTING:

Where is your au/iteration set?

Do the turtles live in the sewers?

What is the lair like?

Do the turtles have money? If so, how do they get it?

What is the origin of the mutagen?

Is there a battle nexus? Is it a respected facility or operated by criminals?

Are there aliens?

Are there yokai/magical beings?

Are there other dimensions?

Are there utrom/kraang? PLOT:

Who is the main villain?

What is the main villain’s motivation?

Who are some villains that are less of a threat?

What is going on with the foot clan?

Is the Hamato clan history relevant? How did the clan originate?

Were the turtles and Splinter mutated intentionally?

Do any characters get mutated during the story?

Do any characters die during the story?

Do any characters get disabled during the story?

Do the turtles go to space?

Do the turtles time travel?

If there is a battle nexus, who fights in it? CHARACTERS:

Are there any OCs?

Is there a Bebop and Rocksteady?

Is there a Baxter Stockman?

Is there a Bishop?

Is there a Rat King? If yes, can he control Splinter?

Is there a Mona lisa?

Is there a Renet?

Is there a Venus?

Is there a Jennika?

Is there a Slash?

Is there a Metalhead?

Is there a Mondo Gecko?

Is there an Angel?

Is there an Alopex?

Is there a Leatherhead?

Is there a Tang Shen?

Is there a Karai/Miwa?

Is Saki the shredder?

Is Karai/Miwa Saki’s daughter?

Is Karai/Miwa loyal to Saki?

How old is April?

Is April a scientist?

Is April a journalist or reporter?

How old is Casey?

Is Casey a vigilante?

Does Casey play hockey? If so, what position?

Are the turtles the same species?

Are the turtles the same age?

Was Splinter born a rat or a human?

Is Donnie only knowledgeable with technology? If not, what else are they interested in?

Who is the leader of the group? How did they become the leader?

Who is the team medic?

Who is the best cook?

Who is the best fighter?

Are any characters disabled?

Are any characters neurodivergent?

Are any characters queer? CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS:

Do Raph and Leo fight often?

What is Bebop and Rocksteady’s relationship?

What is Casey and Raph’s relationship?

Is Splinter the turtles’ dad, sensei or both?

How did Splinter meet the turtles?

Is April considered a sibling?

Does April consider Splinter a parent?

How did the turtles meet April?

How did the turtles meet Casey?

Is there a romance? If so, between which characters? SPECIFY A CHARACTER:

What hobbies does — have?

Who is —‘s favourite sibling?

What is —’s favourite kind of pizza

What interests does — have?

What weapon does — specialise in?

Tell us a fun fact about —’s species! EXTRA:

Who is your favourite character?

What character do you relate to the most?

Tell us something you want to share about your au/iteration!

I had help making this, so shoutout to @genderfluid-envy, I had a lot of fun deciding on questions with you! And thanks to everyone else in our discord server who helped out :D

[saphronethaleph]

Double Dialing

Anakin looked around, cautiously.

“Was that the last of them?” he asked.

“Last ones we know about,” one of the liaison wookiees reported. Chewbacca, Anakin thought his name was – the son of Attichitcuk.

“All right, good enough for me,” Anakin decided, deactivating his lightsaber. “Skywalker to Five-oh-first command, report in?”

“Their attack has stalled, sir,” Appo reported in. “We’re preparing a counteroffensive move, but it’s not urgent – I’d appreciate your input if you can give it, sir.”

“I’ll head back to the command post,” Anakin replied, rolling his shoulder a little.

He had a pleasant burn in his muscles, and he’d done some really cool things so far today. Sure, he wasn’t a Master, and that was still a bit annoying, but it was a lot harder for it to feel annoying when he was helping out to save an entire planet!

Again.

And saving a planet full of wookiees was particularly good at making you feel like you were completely kickass and amazing. If they needed help, and you could give them that help, it was well worth it. Especially as a sign that the Council was willing to let him pick his assignments.

Then his comlink crackled again.

“...guiding light to big handful,” Obi-Wan’s voice said. “Guiding Light to Big Handful, over?”

“Master, it’s me,” Anakin replied.

“You’re supposed to say, Big Handful copies,” Obi-Wan pointed out, reproachfully. “Really, Anakin.”

“Sorry,” Anakin said. “You know it’s me, though. And I still think whoever picked that codename was being cruel. I wouldn’t have picked it for me.”

“Nobody picks their own codenames,” Obi-Wan replied. “It’s like nicknames. Anyway, Anakin – I’ve got some good news.”

“Oh, that’s… good?” Anakin replied. “Hang on, I think I remember, weren’t you on Utapau?”

“Yes, but that was a while ago,” Obi-Wan told him. “You must have missed the last update for the Council.”

Anakin felt a bit guilty about that, except that he had been in the middle of a lot of fights on Kashyyyk over the last few days. So he’d probably just ignored his comlink when it was ringing, because he’d been trying to cut a tank droid in half or fend off STAPs or make sure his crashing hoverspeeder crashed into the enemy without anyone on board. Instead of crashing into their own command centre while there were still two liaison wookiees on board.

It really had been an eventful few days.

“I probably did, Master,” he admitted. “So what’s been happening on Utapau?”

“I beat Grievous,” Obi-Wan said, just tossing it off there. “He was quite good, but not quite good enough. But before our battle I overheard him telling the Confederacy council to run away, heading to Mustafar.”

“Mustafar…” Anakin repeated, thinking. “That’s not all that far from here. I could probably head over-”

“Alas, you’re too late,” Obi-Wan replied. “The Open Circle fleet chased them to Mustafar. That’s actually what I’ve been doing, I led the assault on the mining facility they were holed up in twenty minutes ago. The whole CIS leadership has been captured.”

“Great!” Anakin said. “Does that mean we can bring an end to the war?”

“Not just yet, Anakin,” Obi-Wan apologized. “I’ve been interrogating the Trade Federation leadership, and Nute Gunray is quite clear that he’s been working for Darth Sidious for the last thirteen years at least – since before we met. Which is why I called you.”

Anakin was silent for a long moment.

“...I don’t get it,” he admitted.

“I captured their computers, Anakin,” Obi-Wan explained. “Including current comcodes to contact Darth Sidious. I’m hoping to get R2’s help in tracing them.”

“Yeah, he could do that,” Anakin replied. “Though…”

“Though what?” Obi-Wan asked.

“I’m just thinking about something the Chancellor said, once,” Anakin explained. “He said that, if Darth Sidious walked through the door he’d try and negotiate with him.”

He shrugged, not that Obi-Wan could see him. “Just a thought.”

“That might actually work,” Obi-Wan said.

Anakin stared at his comlink, not that Obi-Wan could see that earlier.

“It might?” he asked.

“Well, it’s a plan you came up with, Anakin, and I’ve had plenty of experience in how well those go,” Obi-Wan replied. “Which is to say… distressingly well.”

“Thanks,” Anakin said.

“It’s better than the alternative,” Obi-Wan replied. “Unfortunately, the codes seem to be secured to this computer. We can’t just send them to you or to the Chancellor.”

“That’s okay,” Anakin decided. “I’ll get back to the command centre and hook up R2-D2…”

“Chancellor, you must appreciate your position,” Mon Mothma said, reasonably. “Your arguments that we are still in a crisis situation are becoming increasingly threadbare; this is not, necessarily, a problem that is impossible to solve, but it is a problem that needs solving.”

“I hardly see how it would qualify as a problem, Senator,” the Chancellor replied.

“The war is coming to a conclusion, Chancellor,” Bail pointed out. “It is going to be time to transition back to normal governance at some point soon… that transition is going to go more easily, for you and for the Republic as a whole, if you are willing to make it rather than dragging it out.”

“I’m not sure what you are insinuating, Senator Organa,” Palpatine began.

“It’s not an insinuation,” Bail replied.

He shrugged. “It’s a statement of fact. Speaking purely from the point of view of securing public support, it is a matter of fact that the public responds better to someone who is willing to face an electoral challenge than someone who fends it off as best they can. If you continue to run the Republic in a crisis situation until the end of the war, then – speaking purely in terms of fact – that makes it far more likely that you will lose the subsequent election.”

Palpatine glowered.

“Assuming I accept your assessment,” he began. “What is your suggestion, then?”

“Abandon your emergency powers, or make a clear statement with a short timeframe as to when those powers will be abandoned,” Mon advised. “There are also issues relating to the courts, to be clear.”

“I don’t consider such issues to be issues at all,” Palpatine said, then there was a beeping sound.

He picked up the comlink from his desk.

“Yes?” he asked, then smiled. “Anakin, my boy! It’s good to hear from you. How have you been doing on Kashyyyk?”

“Is this… a bit impolite?” Bail murmured to Mon.

“Skywalker did call him,” Mon replied. “You know how the two are friends.”

“...that sounds marvellous,” Palaptine said. “Oh? ...yes, I remember. I’d be happy to negotiate with the CIS leadership… I’m sorry, who are you talking to?”

“And… there we go,” Static declared. “It’s using a priority override key, the only one in the system. You’ll show up as being Nute Gunray, since we know he had contact.”

“Excellent,” Obi-Wan replied, nodding to the expert. “Anakin?”

“Ready, Master,” Anakin replied. “I’ve got the Chancellor on the other call, I’ll put the comlinks next to one another.”

“Very good,” Obi-Wan said. “I’ll do the same.”

He triggered the system, and for a long moment nothing happened.

Then the call connected.

“Explain yourself, Nute,” came a sinister voice, and Obi-Wan shuddered.

Who would ever think such a man had their best interests at heart?

“I assume you are referring to Nute Gunray?” the Chancellor said. “I believe he is not available. However-”

“Begone, then,” Sidious snapped.

“Please, allow me to finish,” the Chancellor requested. “This war has been going on for too long already, and I believe there are grounds for a peaceful settlement.”

“A peaceful settlement?” Sidious asked, chuckling darkly. “What kind of peaceful settlement could you possibly be talking about?”

“Surely the conflict between the Jedi and the Sith has some basis in the past, but that was hundreds of years ago,” the Chancellor pointed out.

“The conflict between the Jedi and the Sith is quite recent,” Sidious replied. “The Sith have developed techniques which some would consider… unnatural… and the Jedi were opposed to them from the start. They wished to keep the secret of healing the very ill out of the hands of the galaxy… many of them won’t even know it themselves.”

Obi-Wan closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling to ward off his intense dislike for the Sith.

That was an obvious tissue of lies, phrased to manipulate and with a built-in reason why the listener might not have heard of it.

“There must be a basis for peace,” the Chancellor protested.

Sidious made an amused noise. “Very well, then, here is your proposal. The Jedi Order must be dismantled.”

“I will not accept that,” Palpatine replied. “Some Jedi are my personal friends. Anakin Skywalker, for example, is a hero.”

Sidious chuckled. “You’re not expecting me to change my mind based on that, are you?” he asked, sounding amused. “What if I revealed to you that the Jedi do not have your own best interests at heart?”

“I would be very much inclined to not believe you,” Palpatine said, with a sigh. “Your Confederacy has caused enormous bloodshed!”

“The Confederacy was never a Sith creation,” Sidious replied. “It was a creation of my apprentice, Count Dooku. But Count Dooku is not the Sith. What the Sith want – what I want – is to be free from the tyranny of the Jedi.”

His voice became silky and insinuating. “Haven’t the Jedi resisted your own influence? Prevented that hero you spoke of from achieving the rank of Master? What other reason could they have – they must be hiding something.”

Obi-Wan felt sick for a moment.

The way this Sith was speaking was almost calculated to get under Anakin’s skin, as well as that of the Chancellor.

“I… don’t think the Jedi Order is quite so corrupt as you suggest,” Palpatine replied, after a moment, which was almost worse than an agreement.

Did the Chancellor really think he could give orders to the Jedi?

“You know what it would take for a peace,” Sidious said. “It’s the only way to stop the bloodshed. The only way that the Sith would feel… comfortable… sharing our superior knowledge of the Force.”

Then the call ended, unceremoniously.

“...well, that could have gone better,” Anakin muttered.

“It was worth a try,” Obi-Wan said, though he privately agreed with Anakin.

Static and Sparkle were checking if they’d managed to track down Sidious during the conversation, and once they delivered their verdict Obi-Wan would check with Anakin to see if R2 had achieved anything. Maybe he’d even managed to send a virus.

At least Sidious had stayed on the line for a while.

Palpatine heaved an enormous sigh of relief, setting down the comlink he’d been using to talk to Anakin.

He very much hoped to never have to do something like that again.

Then a tiny sound made him look up.

Bail Organa and Mon Mothma were staring at him. And, in a shimmering blue hologram, so were about half of the Jedi Council.

“...what. The kriff. Was that?” Mace Windu asked, eventually.

“Ah…” Palpatine began. “...performance art?”

Nobody seemed very impressed by that answer.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could you do a scenario about Nemona, Penny and Arven with a real who has type null please? Maybe something about it transforming in Silvally?

YES NULL/SILVALLY TIME

I have one in Sword who I call "Bestie", and it's carried me through the Crown Tundra DLC. I want it in Violet so badly aaaa

Also this just reminded me of my fic that I wrote prior to Sun/Moon's release. Ya'll can give it a read if you so desire <3

That being said, this scenario will be like a sequel of sorts

........

Revealing Type: Null--or "Nully" as you've affectionately called it--to your friends was something you were initially nervous about...

But today was finally the day.

Moving away from Alola to attend school here in Paldea was quite the stressful journey, especially for your masked companion who had never know any place besides stark white labs and sandy beaches.

People kept warning you about how dangerous it was, but you never listened...and now your bond with the mysterious normal type has never been stronger.

Ever since you rescued it from an Aether Foundation facility that exploded due to its rampage, it put its trust in you and loved you unconditionally.

Learning the truth behind that supposedly "good" organization and its leader broke your heart. Although nothing devastated you more than realizing Nully had been held captive there as both experiment and prisoner.

You've tried researching its species, checking for notes and hacking into secret files the foundation kept under lock and key--and you discovered that Type: Nulls were basically created as "tamer" versions of Arceus, even having memory discs similar to the plates manufactured. They were meant to kill the Ultra Beasts should they invade Alola.

Instead, they went on a rampage (of course, that's what happens when humans try replicating a god's powers) and were confined to masks and put into cryogenic stasis. The whole project was deemed a failure.

As tragic as it was...you were relieved to have found Nully when you did and get it away from that horrible place.

Even so the mask still made it feel absolutely miserable, but unfortunately you couldn't find any further information on how to remove it without causing your precious Pokémon serious injury. There were no visible clamps to unlock, pulling it off would only cause it great pain, and cutting seemed too risky.

The only benefit was that it made Nully immune to critical hits, but the cons definitely outweighed the pros.

Maybe one of your friends knew more about the Type: Null species, and so you decided to call them all over for a picnic if they had free time.

All you could do was pray that they didn't lose their cool and scare your companion.

That's the last thing either of you needed.

Arven was the first to arrive, with Mabosstiff at his heels as usual, but he stopped dead in his tracks upon seeing the bizarre-looking Pokémon standing by your side. You could tell he was trying not to look too worried, considering the poor thing was hiding behind you now.

Still, it's obvious that he didn't have the slightest clue what he was looking at, so you explained everything to him: where you found Nully, why it looked like a rejected Arceus, and the memory discs you kept in a small folder.

So far, you haven't figured out how to utilize them in-battle. But despite the space they took up in your bag, you refused to throw them away.

"Are you sure there isn't a slot for these somewhere on its mask?" He stared at one of the floppy discs, before glancing back up at Nully, squinting. "It looks like there should be one."

"We've been pals for nearly three years, Arven..I'm pretty sure I would've found the slot by now if there was one." Shaking your head, you took it from him, sighing. "My only option is to get that thing off. The slot's probably on its body somewhere."

"Right...maybe there's a stomach hatch or-"

"¡Mira! You were right, Penny! They do exist!!"

"Nemona, slow down!! They're not going anywhere!!"

Hearing the shouts of two certain ladies from afar, you and Arven looked to see both Nemona and Penny coming over the horizon. The student council president was dragging the poor girl by the arm, with her stumbling to keep up and not lose her glasses.

When they arrived, Penny was dazed and annoyed as she scowled at Nemona, tearing her arm free of her iron grasp. But her attention was quickly set on the peculiar Pokémon who was cowering behind you yet again.

"Wow...I..never thought I'd see one up close before.." Adjusting her glasses, she gazed at Nully with interest.

"You've heard about them before?" You asked.

"Back in Galar, I found some top-secret stuff about Macro Cosmos trying to make their own instances. They literally stole the blueprints from the Aether Foundation."

"...yikes." Nemona remarked, tilting her head as she tried getting a better look at Nully herself. "It seems shy. Maybe a battle will help it-!"

"No battles, at least not right now." You smiled apologetically, patting it on the head as you looked at each other. "I know you're nervous, Nully..but it's okay. They're nothing like the jerks back in Alola who used to pick on us. They're my friends. You can trust them, I promise."

Nodding its head, it relaxed its haunches as it cautiously stepped away from your side, gazing at the trio and seeing their smiles, too.

They weren't looks of pity.

They seemed genuinely thrilled to meet it.

It stood there for some time, taking in everything you've said to it and thinking about how far it's come since you rescued it that fateful day.

Somehow, it knew it was always meant to be your companion--from the very moment you held it as it cried in the Pokémon Center, reassuring it that it's not a monster, but a sweet creature worthy of love and care.

Ever since then, your friendship has grew...and now it feels stronger, willing to put its life on the line for you if need be. Even though most of its powers have been concealed, it didn't feel like some weak and helpless lab experiment.

Oh no.

It was far from that now.

Thanks to your bond, it felt unbelievably strong.

So much so that....the normal-type realized an extraordinary change was imminent.

And you were about to witness it.

"Look! Nully's glowing, [y/n]!" Nemona pointed, her eyes widening as your companion was basked in a familiar light. "Is it evolving???"

"Oh my god...I think so." You gasped, never realizing the possibility of it evolving, but you're now certain that friendship is what triggered it at last.

The most noticeable thing were the cracks that started appearing all over its helmet, pieces of what you assumed was indestructible alien material falling apart. Nully shook its head vigorously, trying to get rid of it as much as possible.

Then it turned its attention to a nearby boulder, letting out a cry before performing a move similar to a Headbutt, ramming into it and letting the rock shatter the helmet completely.

At last, it was free.

When the glow faded, you and your friends gazed in awe as Nully looked back at all of you.

With its mask finally gone, what lied underneath it was a beautiful creature made of both nature and machine, with a beaklike mouth that smiled proudly.

"Nully...?" You murmured, stepping closer.

"Ally." It chirped, walking up to greet you.

Tears began forming in your eyes as your grin widened. "I can't believe it...friendship was all it took to-"

Suddenly, your rotomphone decided to ruin the sweet moment by flying out of your pocket.

It displayed a new entry in your Pokedex, and you grabbed it to read what it had to say, while Arven, Penny, and Nemona checked their own phones.

"I see, you're Silvally now." You gazed back up at Null--Silvally, watching it bow its head respectfully. With a small laugh, you mimicked the gesture, before petting it lovingly as you sighed. "Wow..."

You noticed one of the metal bolts on its face open up like a CD player, indicating that something had to go in there-

"Wait.." Remembering the memory discs, you took one out and held it up. "Do you want me to use this?"

Silvally nodded, although before you could do anything, Arven interjected.

"Hold on, which memory is that?"

"The Dark Memory. It probably just changes its type, but I believe this represents all the pain Silvally had to endure while being trapped in that mask, not knowing what it did wrong or why people shunned it for simply existing." You placed a gentle hand under your companion's jaw. "But now I think it's ready to turn that painful memory into power. So let's see what happens.."

"Silllllv!"

Carefully inserting the disc into the open slot, you watched as it closed up. Then you stepped back, seeing the colors and spikes on its body turn smoky black.

Even its eyes changed, and when they opened they looked even more menacing than ever.

And they stared directly at you.

With a low growl, it crept closer to you, while your friends held back..tense and worried that the pokedex entries were correct: this wasn't something you could so easily control.

There was probably a very good reason for the mask-

Yet any hostility Silvally seemingly expressed disappeared, as it smiled and licked your cheek affectionately, causing you to laugh once more. "Hey, that tickles! C'mere you!"

Hugging its neck, you grinned as you received even more kisses, hearing it purr with happiness. You petted its feathery crest, relieved that it completely trusted you now.

"Wow..it's way cooler than Arceus!" Nemona laughed. "Do you think I can battle it-??"

Silvally just shot her a wary look, and she immediately fell silent, a nervous smile on her face. "Haha, you're right. Not yet. But I swear we're gonna have an epic battle one day!"

"Yeah, one day. But for now, I have something special for this big guy."

"Sill?"

You managed to regain its full attention with a simple yet supereffective move of your very own:

It's called "chin scritches", something that none of your other Pokémon could resist receiving.

The mask obviously made it difficult for Silvally to receive proper affection back then...and you vowed to find a way to break it so you can do just that.

Now it was free of that awful and heavy thing, having a brand new life to look forward to: battles, friendships with other Pokémon, and more.

Even better?

Your three closest friends in all of Paldea were here to witness its evolution--a sign that despite all the odds...your bond was unbreakable.

[radiance1]

So you know that thing about Sam being a plant goddess? Where she was basically Te Fiti and was made of plants and was a giant woman?

Now imagine that, but Tucker. Except he's made of Sand. How did this come to be? Weeeeeeell, Tucker may or may not have absorbed the powers the Scarab Scepter.

And may or may not have also consumed Hotep Ra in a battle of wills where he managed to overpower him with a great surge of willpower.

Tucker became something more than human, his flesh literally turned into sand and everything he could've done with scepter he could do by himself since he, you know, absorbed it powers into himself. He also has the powers of Hotep Ra since he, well, consumed him too.

Except he can also summon Hotep Ra to be his true servant now. The ghost is now fully under his thumb and wouldn't be able to plot against him or anything of the like, you could basically say that he's bound to Tucker after Tucker consumed and basically claimed his soul.

So, Tucker gets thrown into the DC universe, most likely either an accident with his powers, a portal, or both. He doesn't exactly know where he is, so he does some research and finds out that this place has heroes, villains, extraterrestrial beings and even gods and demons!

So what does Tucker do when faced with all of this? He starts looking at all the technology, the companies, everything.

He also, hacks into various government buildings and leaves before anyone could trace his location. He hits a small snag when he encounters 'Oracle' and he had to retreat earlier than he had planned to after Oracle nearly managed to get an accurate handle on his location.

Hit an even bigger one when he tried to hack into Mount Justice and for some reason encountered Oracle again and he had to retreat. Except, that his location was found, and he had to leave right away.

He left Hotep behind to occupy them while he made his getaway.

Cut forward to a while later, where Tucker infiltrated a place to get his hands on a piece of tech and was currently hacking into it when said place was once again infiltrated by none other than the team of Young Justice. So, obviously the first thing Tucker decided to do was throw Hotep Ra at them while he continued trying to hack into the tech so he could take it for himself.

Only for Oracle to once again pop up, cause him severe problems, and ultimately managed to stop him from hacking into the tech long enough for everything to be wiped clean and nothing left for him to claim.

He then turned quite a lot of things into sand from frustration, he had an admiration for Oracle yes, but they were being a pain. So he called back Hotep Ra to his side and turned into sand to leave the facility behind.

Only to be faced with the Justice League themselves.

[inuyashaluver]

wingwomen - leah williamson

leah williamson x reader

description: in which you and your best friend are dragged to a double date to play wingwomen for your friend, fortunately you both get a free meal but you end up getting something you’ve both been dreaming of

warnings: swearing, so long but i had to capture the pining!!!

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you and your best friend, leah are in love with each other. everyone knows it..except for the both of you. you’d think the lovesick expressions and longing glances would say everything but the two of you were absolutely clueless.

—

you met years ago at a match with your national teams, australia and england. you were introduced through mutual friends, caitlin and steph, who were the ones that managed to convince you to move to arsenal. you and leah were eternally grateful to the both of them.

“leah, this is (y/n), (y/n) this is leah” caitlin waved her finger back and forth between the two of you, you smile at each other shyly, leah went to exchange a handshake but you pulled her into a hug instead. she hesitated for a second but hugged you back, she’s never felt so safe in a stranger’s arms.

when you pulled away, you couldn’t help but smile brightly, a light shade of pink evident on both of your cheeks. she was taller than you and it made you slightly nervous, she was also gorgeous so that also made you nervous. if only you knew, leah was in an eternal battle with herself debating whether she could pull you into another hug, she also wanted your number but she was terrified.

“you were so amazing, leah” you gush, giving her a light squeeze on the arm before letting it go. “you as well, you’re brilliant” she smiles at you, caitlin exchanges a look between the two of you and smirks to herself. “you know, leah’s a year older than you, chicken” caitlin teases, you instantly glare at her, pinching her arm and making her yelp.

leah raises her eyebrows amusingly, “chicken?” you look down bashfully, sighing before muttering up some courage to look in her eye again, “when i first signed for australia, caitlin thought it would be a great idea to call me chicken because i was 17 and tiny” you rolled your eyes at the memory but leah smiles at you. she opens her mouth to say something but her name gets called by beth and she quietly curses her.

“sorry, i’ve gotta go, i hope to see you around?” leah smiles hopefully and you nod, pulling her into another hug. “i hope so, williamson” you say cheekily, making the girl laugh before she waves at you and caitlin.

you watch her in fascination before turning back to caitlin, to see she was already looking at you with a mischievous grin. “what?” you groan, giving the girl a shove, she just laughs and shrugs. “nothing” she laughs, you glare at her again and count to three and she sprints off.

—

when you walked in the arsenal training grounds for the first time, leah had to do a double take. there stood the girl she’d stalked on instagram almost everyday for 6 months and asked caitlin and steph about for 6 months was standing there. next to caitlin and steph. in an arsenal training uniform. smiling at her.

steph calls leah over and you instantly pull leah into a hug, she instantly returns it and gives you a light squeeze, lifting you in the air briefly and making you laugh gleefully. “you’re a gunner?” leah exclaims after she places you down, holding both your shoulders and giving you a light shake.

you, caitlin and steph laugh at her surprised face. “yes i am, williamson” you smile and leah returns it. “well, this is exciting! you need a tour, come with me” she hurriedly grabs your hand and gives you a light tug, pulling you along with her to give you a tour of the facility. in reality, you already had a tour, but you weren’t complaining about the one on one time with leah.

—

you’d now been the best of friends for over 3 years. you both assured people that it was strictly platonic, unaware that both of your hearts would ache every time you had to say it.

so here you were, at training, cuddling in your cubby (not uncommon at all btw) while a desperate caitlin is on her knees in front of you. “please!” caitlin pleads, looking at both of you with a desperate expression.

leah was sitting on the wall of your cubby, her legs spread while you slotted in between them. your back rested against her chest while she wrapped her arms around your waist and rested her cheek against yours. you were holding her hands and playing with her rings (hm, friends alright), looking at caitlin with a concerned face.

“i’m a little confused” you say sheepishly, leaning further into leah and letting out a little huff. “what exactly do you need us to do?” leah lets out a little laugh in your ear and a little shiver runs up your spine, you shake it off and look at caitlin again. she groans in frustration, throwing her head back and looking at you in disbelief.

“were you even listening to me?” caitlin exclaims, giving you a slap on your thigh and gaining a protective glare from leah that caitlin just rolled her eyes at. you nod but she’s not convinced. “it's because blondie over here is giggling and whispering in your ear” caitlin accuses, pointing her finger at the taller girl behind you. you giggle and lightly squeeze leah’s hand, you can feel her smile on your cheek and you can feel yourself growing warm.

“your point, foordy” leah smirks, giving you a light squeeze and pulling you impossibly closer to her body. she was so warm and inviting, both of you never wanted to move. “you both suck, anyway, i need you both to come on a date with me and katie because i’m too nervous to go alone.” caitlin explains like it’s obvious.

“i don’t understand why you’re nervous when you’ve known her for ages.” you question, caitlin raises her eyebrows at you, “you’re one to talk, chicken” your eyes widen and you tense against leah, leah was about to ask what she meant by the comment but you quickly change the subject.

“so, you want leah and i to double date you?” you conclude and caitlin smiles at you proudly, “so you’re not stupid!” caitlin jokes and you let out a little laugh, leah narrows her eyes at her. “watch it, foord” leah warns and caitlin just waves her off, you feel leah’s lips graze the side of your jaw and you tense. she moves down to whisper in your ear out of genuine concern, “you okay, love?” you slightly turn to make eye contact with leah and nod reassuringly, feeling the blood rush to your cheeks immediately.

leah nods and rests her chin on your shoulder as you turn back around. leah gives you a little squeeze on your waist and you have your answer. “alright, caity, we’ll come if you pay for the meal” you mock, leah laughs brightly, “that’s my girl!” leah exclaims brightly, taking one hand off your waist and holding it in front of you for a little high five. you smile at her term of endearment and slap her hand gently, caitlin just scoffs but agrees, “fine, thank you! dress nice” caitlin gets up of the floor and kisses you on the forehead while she claps leah’s shoulder.

you feel leah’s arms tighten around you but you think nothing of it. it was then time for training and leah moves her hands to your hips, giving them a squeeze to indicate for you to get up. you get up and hold your hand out which she happily accepts while you help her stand. she stretches with a yawn and slings and arm on your shoulder to walk you out towards the pitch.

“why did we agree to this date?” leah giggles, giving you a little kiss on your temple as you both walked. “we need to help out caity” you say sympathetically, wrapping your arm around leah’s waist and placing your hand in her jacket pocket.

“nothing wrong with a best friend date, lee” you cringe as the words escape your lips. leah slightly frowns at your words but nods with a pained smile. “yeah, exactly, a date with my best girl” she winks at you and walks you over to the rest of the team.

it was freezing outside, so when you were having your team talk, you naturally stood behind leah and placed your hands in her pockets.

she places her hands on top of yours to keep them warm, she was incredibly thankful you’re behind her. she was so incredibly red from your contact, she was completely swarmed with butterflies, unaware that you were panicking by your bold actions. you were being too obvious and she didn’t even like you like that. (idiots)

you pair up for training and it goes well, both of you were serious but would goof off from time to time. she hugs you every time you do something well and you both blush profusely, all your teammates exchange knowing looks and smirks as they watch you both interact. many of them wanted to speed things up but they knew you both needed to come to terms with your own stupidity with mutual pining on your own.

you and leah would giggle and whisper to each other frequently, but the two of you this time we’re just talking about katie and caitlin. “i knew they liked each other” you pull leah down to your mouth as you spoke in her ear, her bangs lightly tickle your forehead as you do. “it was so obvious” leah speaks in your ear as everyone has a quick break. you laugh and nod along with her, if only the two of you would realise this for yourselves.

after training was finished, you and leah waited for each other as she was driving you home. you both carpooled together as you lived 5 minutes away. you say bye to the girls and throw caitlin a wink, and she smiles nervously at you. you were all meeting at a nice restaurant in london at 6.

when leah pulls up to your flat, she does her regular routine, walking you to your door, giving you a tight hug and leaving your doorstep as soon as you close the door. she drives home with a thumping heart and a nervous grin, she was going on a date with her best friend that she happens to be in love with.

as soon as you closed the door, you door your usual routine of cupping your warm cheeks and smiling brightly at the thought of your best friend that you were in love with.

you get ready, full of nerves. you had to call caitlin numerous times just to ask what to wear, getting no help whatsoever. you just decide to wear something nice but comfortable, making a little extra effort for your pretty best friend.

you sit on the couch and wait for leah to ring your doorbell, you were so incredibly nervous, you couldn’t stop fidgeting. at 5:30, leah arrived.

you open the door to see her looking absolutely breathtaking while holding a bouquet of your favourite flowers in her hand with a sheepish grin. when leah sees you, her breath hitches, she shamelessly checks you out and looks down for a moment. “fuck me” she mutters under her breath before looking at you with a bright smile.

“you look absolutely gorgeous, babe” leah says in awe, handing you the bouquet. you smile back at her and pull her into a tight hug with a quick kiss to her cheek as you clutch the flowers. you breathe in her scent and you both stay there for way longer than a friendly embrace but whatever. “look at you, lee! you look hot” you hold her hand and drag her in your house, both yours and her cheeks burn crimson at the comment.

you lead her to the kitchen and look for a vase to out the flowers in. she watches your every move in awe, her heart tingling at the slight domesticity. once you find one you were satisfied with, you and leah engage in small talk as you arrange the floors, thanking her profusely for them as she waves you off. leah drives you both to the restaurant to meet up with a shy caitlin and katie.

“hello, lovebirds” leah teases as she places a hand on the small of your back, you laugh at their pink cheeks. “yeah yeah, whatever” caitlin groans, nodding her head towards the door to enter. she holds katie’s hand and you and leah fangirl behind them, whispering and giggling to each other in amusement. while you’re waiting to be seated, the manager comes up to you with an apologetic grin.

“we’re so sorry, we don’t have any tables for 4, only 2 tables of 2” he looks like he’s going to throw up, you step in immediately, “no problem at all, that’s completely fine” you smile reassuringly and he smiles appreciatively. leah nods with you and you both glance at caitlin who also looks like she’s going to throw up too. “you’ll be fine” you whisper, she looks at you nervously but nods, asking the manager to lead you to your seats.

to everyone’s amusement, the tables were on complete opposite sides of the room. you and leah get seated and you notice the girl in front of you looks flustered. “are you okay, lee?” you ask, grabbing her hand on the table and rubbing your thumb over the back of it. leah hesitates for a moment but nods, your frown. “do you want to talk about it?” you say softly, leah looks right into your eyes and swallows.

“how about we order first?” leah picks up her menu and browses the options. you nod, not wanting to push her and make her uncomfortable. “okay” you smile. you both order and begin to eat, you both swear it was one of the best things you’ve eaten, probably because caitlin was paying.

you and leah fall into conversation, offering each other bits of your meals, feeding each other and giggling. you can’t help but wonder how caitlin’s going but leah has about 99% of your attention right now. “i think this is the best date i’ve been on” you admit truthfully, leah nods instantly. “definitely the best i’ve been on” leah smiles at you and you melt.

you glance nervously at your plate before looking at her again. leah does the same thing, both of you look at each other so bashfully, it would startle anyone you knew. “you’re so pretty” leah utters, both of your eyes widened as you stare at each other. “you’re beautiful” you whisper as you lean forward towards her, she smiles and moves closer to you.

“i think i’m ready to talk” leah sighs, you perk up and hold you hand out again and she gratefully accepts it. “when we agreed to this date, i was a little upset to be honest” she murmured, holding onto your hand tightly as she felt it tense in her hold. “oh” you breathe out, “why?” you say so sadly, leah looks at you in shock.

“baby! no i said that wrong, fuck” she blurted, reaching for your other hand as she gave them both a gentle squeeze. your heart jolts at the term of endearment. “i just meant that i wanted to go on a date with you under different circumstances” she admits, eyes trailing over your features. “different circumstances?” you question and she nods softly.

“i’m going to admit something and you need to promise not to hate me” she begs, you look at her offendedly, “i would never hate you, lovey” you say softly, smiling at her to continue. leah felt herself melting into a puddle under your gaze. you sitting in front of her illuminated by the warm candle light on the table gave her this newfound confidence she didn’t know she had.

“okay” she breathes out, “i’ve been wanting to go on a date with you for a long time” you were trying to brace yourself for rejection. “as friends right?” you mutter sadly and leah’s eyes widen. “no! not at all actually” she says shyly,

“i wanted to go on a date with you, more than a friend, and i wanted to be the one to ask you” leah confessed, you look at her with wide eyes and your jaw slightly slack. she looked concerned by your reaction so you snap out of your trance. the girl you were in love with felt the same. someone needs to pinch you.

your face completely shifts, an elated grin overtaking your features. “are you serious?” you say, unable to stop grinning, causing leah to grin uncontrollably. “dead serious” she mocks your tone and you laugh. “i’ve wanted the same thing for a long time, williamson, took you long enough” you joke and leah laughs amusingly.

“oh what! this isn’t just on me, why didn’t your cute little face say anything?” she objected half heartedly. “i didn’t know you felt the same” you exclaim and leah looks at you in genuine shock.

“are you actually taking the piss?” she laughs, “don’t feel the same? i worship the ground you walk on” leah emphasised and you can’t help but smile, “well why didn’t you say anything?” you protested, “i didn’t know you felt the same”

you’re perfect for each other. “leah catherine williamson, you’re fucking joking!” you say in disbelief, sweeping her hands, “it’s pretty clear that i’m obsessed with you, i put my hands in your pockets!” you cry and leah laughs.

“i know” she says proudly, “i’ve been thinking about it all day and knew i needed to make a move” leah smirks at you and you giggle, moving slightly closer to her and your knees brush against each other under the table.

“how do you think the other two are going?” leah whispers, you let out a laugh and glance above her, they were in the same position as the two of you. you nod your head to them and leah looks over, smiling so brightly. “pretty good i think, baby” you joke and leah tenses, “baby?” she smirks.

you’re eyes widen, “oh, so you can say it and i can’t?” you say offendedly, going to drop her hands but she grips them tightly. “oh you can definitely say it, baby girl, i like it a lot” she claims, both of your cheeks are burning and it’s incredibly crystal clear to both of you now.

caitlin comes over to the two of you with a smirk and a thumbs up, she paid already and said her and katie were leaving. “don’t do anything we wouldn’t do” you wink at her and she just glances between the both of you confused.

“i think we would be doing the same thing” caitlin says simply and you and leah both freeze, caitlin laughs at both of you before yelling over her shoulder. “stay safe” such a little shit, you thought.

leah leads you out by the hand over to her car and opens the door for you, you kiss her cheek appreciatively and she smiles so brightly as she walks around to the drivers side. when she drives to your house and walks you to the door, she’s about to leave but you pull her close to you. “it’s a little late for you to drive back now, do you wanna stay?” you say shyly, leah nods quickly and wraps an arm around your waist.

you both change into comfortable clothes (she had numerous clothes her from your many sleepovers) before settling on your couch, cuddled up with a movie. it took about 15 minutes into the movie before you get caught staring at leah. she just grins knowingly, placing a hand on your cheek before pulling you closer to her.

“is this okay?” she says against your lips and you nod enthusiastically, she breathes out a laugh before leaning in to place a sweet kiss on your lips. it’s familiar, soft and tender all at the same time. you place a hand on the back of your neck to keep her close to you and a couple minutes later, you’re tugged in leah’s lap.

she looks up at you with blown out pupils, her breath fanning over your lips as you card your hands through her hair. “i love you” she breathes out and you can’t help the shit eating grin that makes its way on your face. “i love you too” you say without hesitation. you and leah stare at each other for a minute, taking in the situation.

her hands are resting on your hips and running her hands up and down them. you gently scratch her scalp while you lean down to place a kiss on her cheeks, her forehead, her nose and finally her lips.

she hums into you immediately, kissing you back passionately before she suddenly parts from you. you whine and she looks at you breathlessly with a smile present on her kiss bitten lips.

“will you be my girlfriend?” she says breathlessly, moving a hand up to cradle your cheek.

you nod instantly, “if you’ll have me” you say cheekily, she lets out a little laugh, “oh i’ll definitely have you, and i don’t plan on letting you go” she admits and you can’t help but hug her tightly. she holds you tightly, rubbing comforting circles on your back.

“you’re such a sap, lovey” you part with a kiss to her cheek. “only for you” she says cheekily, placing a quick kiss on your lips. “will you be my girlfriend?” you mock her accent and she rolls her eyes amusingly. “definitely” she scoffs, smiling and kissing you sweetly again.

you make sure to text caitlin a thank you as the blonde you love sleeps soundly on your chest. her hands are buried under your shirt and resting on your skin. you both slept easy that night and training was certainly interesting the next day.

“is that a hickey?” caitlin screams as she hugs you hello and the entire change room breaks out in screams and chatter. you let out a groan and glare at leah. she holds her hands up in surrender as you narrow your eyes at her. “sorry, baby” she mouths half-assed, clearly proud of herself.

you shake your head and leah walks up to you, hugging you and kissing your cheek affectionately. smiling brightly when your arms immediately wrap around her. “so the plan worked then?” beth laughed and looked at caitlin. caitlin’s eyes widen when you both snap your heads to her. “what plan?” you question, leah scowls at caitlin who is now hiding behind katie.

“well you two were taking forever!” caitlin defends, quickly bolting towards the pitch. when you and leah run towards her. “whoops” beth laughs, lacing up her boots as she heard the screams of terror coming from outside.

as it turns out, there was never a table for 4 - it was planned all along by caitlin. she payed the manager extra for the little gimmick. though, you and leah weren’t really complaining, you both got the girl and that’s all that mattered.

⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆ ★ ⋆

you know the drill - just pretend it’s you !! ily wally

liked by caitlinfoord and 44,232 others

leahwilliamsonn: got a free feed and the girl of my dreams

view all comments

yourname: sap

↳ leahwilliamsonn: for you only, my girl

yourname: my girlfriend is so beautiful

↳ leahwilliamsonn: my girlfriend is gorgeous

↳ yourname: i love you

↳ leahwilliamsonn: i love youuu

caitlinfoord: where’s my thank you?

↳ yourname: thank you for the free food!

↳ leahwilliamsonn: yeah thank you! the food was fucking delicious

↳ caitlinfoord: that’s not what i meant

[windser]

PLEASE write out that sylus work. The fandom beeds more spicy MCs and i can tell she would give him a run for his money

pairing: mc x sylus (soulmate!au) wc: 1.2k+

a/n: loooool here is just a bit of a teaser for how i imagined it all playing out. i highly doubt this is how mc and sylus will meet BUT its so fitting for how i image their dynamic playing out. but i really do want to wait for the official drop so I can confirm his characterization. [based on this post]

⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄ ⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄⋆.ೃ࿔.𖥔 ݁ ˖*:･༄

"he’s asking for me ?"

"he identified you by your mark."

your palm immediately goes to cover your wrist, blocking the neat scrawl from view. but it was little too late at this point.

you had never really taken care to hide your soulmate mark from the world. to bear it publicly was often a act of seeking from the individual, showing it proudly as if it might attract their pair sooner.

but for you, it was just as obscure seen or hidden, the mundaneness lining the words that felt like it would never truly have meaning.

‘you’re beautiful’

in your youth days, you thought it was the most romantic gesture to know that your fated person had such a high option of you at first glance. but the years tarnished that same phrase, after hearing it from too many loose lips with hollower intentions.

now it was just a first tattoo, fated second.

the slouch of your shoulder is nonchalant in gesture, though equally weighed down by the situation. “he probably just has intel on it. i’m too careless in the field if i can be identified so easily."

it was a crude bluff, a mere diversion from the pending truth. because yes, it was an indefinite, but only one individual in the world would ever need to find someone based on it.

besides this was the presumed leader of onichynus.

even considering the idea was a headache.

tara shuffles to the right at the sound of your name and you both look up to see jenna waiting, ready by the door.

her quiet nod feels like a direct pang to your temple.

right, a headache indeed.

࿓࿓༄༄࿓

though captured, albeit suspiciously easy, the operation did not come without effort. reportedly there were no casualties but it had been a battle enough in the end.

jenna warns you of as much as the two of you descend further into lower levels of the security facility. there weren’t many criminals who fit the eligibility to be locked behind maximum security. the hiss of the heavy steel doors partying to grant entry spoke volumes about the threshold needed to hold such a threat.

the leader of onichynus was an old tale but not the first. it never occurred to you until now what other individuals might be stored away here for the safety of linkon city.

“ma’am”

the hunter standing before the last sealed door saluted jenna with a stiff salute, the action drawing your attention to the smear of red against his palm.

a battle indeed.

jenna answers with a more tempered gesture, less precise with exhaustion.

“any changes?”

you’d been sent home early into the conclusion of the operation, leaving the higher ups to decide how to deal with the sour victory. it had been less than twelve hours since then and you doubted jenna spent a second of it resting.

the same could he said of the officer standing guard who looked like if he leaned against the wall for even a moment he would slump over.

“none.”

his gaze flicked briefly to you, then down. “is this...?”

it seemed that the leader of onichynus was very vocal with his demands. even without tara's penchant for information, it was now no wonder how everyone knew of your predicament.

you had taken care to clasp your arms behind your back but it seemed the damage was already done.

“the deal was confirmation enough, though at this point it’s all formality.” jenna is addressing you now. her lips turn as she observes the door as if she could see through it. perhaps feeling the aura was enough.

“this is late to mention but you don’t have to do this.”

tardy indeed given that she had already led you to the lion’s den. your face seems to display enough of that sentiment given her sigh.

“if this is true-“ if this man if truly your soulmate, goes unsaid. “then council will reassess the situation.”

the words taste asinine even when they don’t come from your mouth. it wasn’t as if your fate could twist their judgement. the man behind those doors has earned his sentence, it was too late to draw you into the equation.

besides, what would you even do with a criminal as a soulmate? this early in the game, you could cut your loses and actually prepare for a non-fated pairing.

what you did know was that nothing was going to change with one-half meeter of steel between you.

“well let’s see what’s behind door number three.”

jenna doesn’t comment on the joke, likely attributing it to nerves. but in truth, you were just as ready as everyone else to get this over with.

given you had not been present at the exact capture, the face of onichynus still a mystery to you. though this close, you couldn’t help but recall that feeling of the ominous gaze hanging over you. it was one of the few times you had placed the feeling out of your nightmares. the knowledge that it came from the individual fate had decided to pair you with may as well have been the jest of the century.

so yeah you want this over with so you could get the last laugh.

with Jenna’s assent, the officer clears the few steps needed to join his peers where after a short order, the final steel doors began to part.

jenna doesn’t move forward, so neither do you. though you can’t help the slight tense in your limbs as you prepare for ... what a fight or flight?

there was research, anecdotes and stories about the first gaze but you never really summed up what you thought your experience would be.

‘you’re beautiful’

you’d heard it so many times before. would it really be so different this time?

what you notice first is the bareness of the room, appearing as just that, an empty space. well not completely empty; for at its center was a man. one who someone took up every parameter while only being rooted in a single square.

UNICORNS holding measures were … questionable, leaving him in a simple chair with only what you imagined were handcuffs to keep him rooted. this man who nearly cleared an entire squadron. though you supposed an escape wouldn’t come easy for him.

him, who was not just a man, but the dangerous leader to an illegal organization chasing the aether core. a figure with ashen hair and vermillion eyes. a figure with ashen hair and vermillion eyes, likely deprived of rest since his capture, though he didn't give off the impression of losing any sleep over it. he also sported more than a few smudges of dark crimson, making him appear every bit as dangerous as his lore suggested.

you think you hear a sound of protest from jenna as you take a challenging step forward, but it falls on deaf ears as inquisitiveness wins out.

he certainly fit the bill of a criminal figure. yet as he sat there, chained to a simple chair, chest rising with each breath with that slight tilt of his lips. there was just something else that made it hard to believe that this could possibly be your soulmate, questionable choices aside.

the man seemed to take your silence as an invitation as he spoke first.

“you’re beautiful.”

and in that instance, all of the violence and ominousness bled away, leaving just a man tied to a chair with dark eyes looking up at you with expectation.

you don’t realize your lips are curling downward as your eyes flicker back to his hands which were pinned behind his back.

and with your next words you sealed your fate forever.

“sorry, I’m not into subs.”

[chaoticallyfluffy]

"What are you, a cop?" and "Now you see me now you don't" both sound interesting

For "What are you, a cop?"

Billy is deaged (actually deaged. He goes from 15 to 10 or something and doesnt remeber the league) during a mission. He suddenly woke up in the middle of a battle so he's freaked out. the Justice League take down the threat then try to calm the boy down, explaining that theyre heros and here to help.

Billy takes a moment to take that in... then bolts.

It takes a bit to catch the kid, he's surprisingly agile for his concerningly small size, but they manage to get him into the jet and hes pouting in the corner looking angrier than the league has ever seen him.

They try to ask questions. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Why are you so thin? Is there anyone we should call? But Billy stays silent and his glares stay intense until he finally speaks.

"I don't talk to pigs." he spits out, giving them the nastiest look as if his glare alone could poison and kill them.

They stare at him for a moment, processing that.

"We're not cops???" Clark says, unconvincingly. Hes never been more confused in his life and has definitely never been confused for a cop.

"Whats wrong with being a cop?" Barry, the forensic scientist, pouts.

They knew that Marvel had a bit of a weird relationship with cops but they didn't realize he hated them, and especially not with such a passion!

The league spends the whole jet ride back to the tower trying to convince Billy that not only are they not cops, but that cops shouldn't be something to be afraid of anyway.

Billy spends the whole trip explaining ACAB to them and that yes, they are in fact cops, and here's all the things that the police system has done wrong that the league have probably also done or been complicit in..

I just want to write Billy radicalizing the Justice League and the league helping to reform the police system.

---

For "Now you see me, now you dont"

In the original comics Billy can and will transform in front of anyone at anytime and they wont realize that it was a transformation. Why?because plot armor. They will just think that the boy ran away right as Captain Marvel appeared or something, and when Billy reappears they don't question it either.

In the fic, its a magic perk that came with the whole Champion of Magic package and its a perk he uses often and irresponsibly. He takes it to the extremes by transforming in front of large crowds (no one questions it), while being recorded (The camera shorts out and stops working completely), and even in front of villains (they curse when the captains escapes yet again, completely ignoring the little boy standing in the middle of their secret base)

The last one is how he figured out that even if he is very much Not supposed to be somewhere, he wont be questioned as long as the only people who see him there also saw Marvel transform in that area. If someone who didn't witness the transformation were to see him, they would realize he wasn't meant to be there and call him out which would cause the witnesses to notice it as well. Leaving the room and then returning would also snap them out of it and he would be questioned.

Its a pretty overpowered ability for a child to have access to and when your a street kid without any video games to play who gets chased out of public parks for being too 'dirty' and can't afford any toys, you have to get creative with your entertainment.

Billy wants to see just how far he can take this power, and decides to transform in front of as many people in one day as possible while on the most highly secure facility in earths orbit- the Watchtower.

Follow Billy as he stretches his powers to their limits by transforming in front of the Justice League while praying he doesn't get caught and see what pranks he's able to pull off in that time!

I really like both of these ideas and I definitely want to write them someday. I already have lots of ideas for ways Billy can abuse that particular power! For now I am focusing on a few other fics but these ones are somewhere in the queue.

[byunpum]

Experiment 56

Neteyam x Human reader ( like a mix of human and Navi )

and sullyFAM x human reader, why not? &lt;3

Tw: mmm neteyam baby, reader being mutant, neytiri being a sweetheart, nothing really out of the ordinary (until now ), all the characters are aged up 20's.

POV: Y/N is surprised that it is an indispensable piece for the human race. But for her family…

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7

Experiment 56 masterlist | Experiment 56 sequel Masterlist

Note: I had that story in my head for some days, and since nobody published something similar, I decided to create my own reading. From now on I warn you that I am not very expert in this Navi culture, but I did my best. And I'll be using events that happened in the movie, but they won't be exactly the same. And sorry for the spelling. English is not my mother tongue.

Document #456 “experiment 56” [human-navi] southern area:

“The experiment is making progress. After 30 attempts, we can finally say that the first embryo is taking shape. If this embryo grows as we all hope. This will be a huge turnaround for the human race."

Dr. Herdenson signs.

Yes, that was you… an experiment. Or better said “experiment 56”. A perfect mix of navi and human. You had your human body, but in your hair you were accompanied by the distinguished queue of the navis (tsaheylu) and the ability to breathe the air of pandora without any problem. You were a beautiful baby. Or that's what Jake said when he saw you in norm's arms. After the great battle, and after the humans were sent to earth, the peaceful scientists were the only ones who stayed, and that was when the investigations of the facilities that the military had in Pandora began. And that's where they found you. A newborn baby. Norm didn't know what to do and neither did any of the scientists, you were a whole new species, but you were still human. They had enough with spider, who was still a baby. So when Neytiri and Jake were picking up Kiri in the lab, Norm didn't hesitate to introduce him to this baby.

"what kind of baby is this?" Jake asks as he holds you in his arms.

“It's an experiment, I'm terrified to know what else they did, but… this is some kind of mix between human and navi. From what I could investigate they wanted to create a new race of humans.” said norm.

Neytiri didn't take her eyes off you, she couldn't believe that a human could have some navi characteristics. You were physically like the people in the sky, but you had your little braid. For neytiri you were a great miracle, eywa would not let any creature be created, if it had no meaning for life.

"I thought… since you guys are going to take Kiri, why don't you take Y/N" Norm said.

"Y / N" neytiri has taken you from Jake's arms and placed you on his chest. She felt something special…she didn't understand why she felt compassion and love for something created by humans.

"Well… I don't have a problem, but neytiri…" Jake looked at neytiri, who was already mesmerized by the baby she was holding in her arms.

“I will help you, I will also teach her about human culture. But I think it's only right that you take care of her these first days of her life. I know you guys will do a better job than me." Norm kept talking to Jake, and explaining how they found you. While neytiri, he was holding kiri and you in his arms. You wouldn't be her daughter, but she would take care of you like one.

Arriving home, neytiri quickly introduced the new babies, to her already born son, neteyam. She placed the three babies together, and looked at them for a while. Until the warm silence was interrupted by Jake. He placed his head on Neytiri's shoulder.

"Are you comfortable with all this? It's not much… ”Jake said, while Neytiri turned to see her mate now. “We have to introduce you to the clan, kiri and y/n…. they must be presented to eywa”. She said as she smiled.

And that's how you grew up in the sully family, you pretty much lived with them 24/7, occasionally going with norm and the other scientists to learn about your other culture. But your home was in the forest. Over time more members arrived, loak and tuk. And sometimes they were accompanied by a boy named spider, which neytiri did not like. You didn't understand why she didn't like the child, he was just like you, the only thing different was an oxygen mask and that she didn't have the queue. But otherwise he was just like you.

"why don't you love spider?" you asked as neytiri traced your hair. You were only about 10 years old at this time, and you already noticed the differences in treatment. “He's not like us,” Neytiri said, her voice serious. "But he looks like me" you raised your head higher, to make eye contact with the woman who was lovingly combing your hair. "Yes, but you're not like him… you're a navi." Neytiri did not want to delve too much into the subject. To her you were special, her special gift from her just like Kiri. She didn't like discussing these topics with you, plus they were difficult topics to understand.

The years passed 15, 16 then 19 and now 20 years. You were quite a woman, and it was not to brag, but you were very beautiful. Even mo'at she said it "for a mix, you are very beautiful" she always said this while you helped her with the medicines. And this is also not overlooked by the eldest son of the sully, neteyam.

You grew up with him, literally together. As children, you did everything in each other's company. Since you were smaller than normal navis children. Jake gave neteyam the task of taking care of you and always being by your side. Even when it came time to choose your ikran, neteyam made sure it was one you could master, but this turned out to be a disaster as your size prevented you from riding your ikran easily, to which neteyam promised you that his ikran was also yours. You were able to bond with smaller animals, but Jake was always afraid you'd get hurt. Therefore, you and neteyam always accompanied each other in hunting and exploring pandora. You were inseparable. You were attached to the other brothers, but with neteyam it was different, it seemed that you were meant for each other. Or so loak and spider said, while he made fun of you two for looking like gumballs.

“Jake is going to kill you…you know that” you said while Kiri was at your side. You referred to Jake by his name, but eywa knew that you loved him as your father.

"Well, if you keep quiet no one will find out" loak, trying to see what was left of a ruined laboratory. area that Jake had forbidden them to go to.

"I think we have to go, that's enough… kiri, spider, tuk y/n let's get out of here" neteyam got up from the grass while he took y/n's hand.

“hey, wait… we just started. Nothing will happen. We're just going to look and we'll go quickly” Spider said taking your other hand and pulling you closer to him. Neteyam did not find this gesture comfortable. He was in charge of you. Neteyam knew that if something happened to loak or spider the punishment would be light. But if you, kiri or tuk got hurt, he had to disappear from the peace of pandora. Because his parents were going to kill him. And, on the other hand, he didn't really like the physical contact that spider had with you. He felt intimidated, in the end spider and you shared more physical similarities. That you with him and that broke his heart.

"Come on, just for a while" tuk yelled as she made little faces at her older brother. “Don't be a party pooper…come on!!!” loak came out of the undergrowth and behind was spider going both to the laboratory. Kiri sighed and followed them and behind her was a tuk.

“We are going to get in trouble” said neteyam as he looked at you. “Well yes… but it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Come on…and I swear I'll stay by your side.” You look at neteyam, while he gives you an approving smile and chases after the others.

Upon entering the laboratory, they noticed that everything was consumed by nature. There were abandoned paperwork, among other things. Something was very noticeable, there was a very bad smell. "ahhhh disgusting" tuk shouted, while kiri covered his mouth. "Shut up, we have to be quiet" Kiri replies, as he continues further into the offices. Everything seemed taken from a movie, one of those you'd seen with norm. Everyone was investigating random things that were found, neteyam was by your side. His tail flicked back and forth alertly and would occasionally curl around your leg. "Neteyam I'm fine… calm down" you told him as you passed your hand through his arms. "You know I feel like this is not right, we should go." Before you could respond to neteyam, loak called you to go look at some documents he had found.

As you approached, you noticed that they were in an old desk, and this was in front of a capsule that was already broken. And these papers were in a folder, which had written on the front "experiment 56" and in small letters "new species (mutated humans)". Neteyam stood behind you, loak was on your right side and kiri and spider were on your left side, all of them were surrounding you. And they looked at you with great intrigue.

You knew you were different, but you had never seen yourself as a human, since neytiri always said that you were equal to a navi. And no one ever said anything about your appearance, or you never heard anything. So you didn't care much about your appearance, but you weren't unaware that you were different. So when you saw a title that could be related to you, you were shocked.

"Give me I open it for you!!!" spider took the documents and began to read them. You all knew how to read without any problem because norm had taught you as children. “experiment 56, we want…blah blah blah improving the human race, uniting the genes of the navis with the human. The purpose is to create a new race of super humans. So they can live in pandora and blah blah blah.” Spider kept talking, while the others just listened intently. Neteyam noticed how you were moving towards the capsule that was further on, I accompanied you "y/n…" he started to speak, but you interrupted him "I'm a damn experiment… a thing. I am a monster” Your eyes began to fill with tears, neteyam knelt down and made you look into his eyes “spider shut up… y/n look at me!!! You're not a thing, much less a monster. You are a navi, you are our family" Kiri approached and hugged you from behind "it's true, ignore what those papers say. Maybe they have nothing to do with you” you looked at neteyam and kiri with so much love. You loved them both so much. “but… the only person here with a tail and is human is y/n. So this talks about you” said loak while everyone looked at them with angry faces. And of course, you also loved that idiot.

You approached the papers, you took them and kept them in a small bag that you had on your waist. "How about we continue investigating?" They all started, but not even 5 minutes passed when a voice came out of the choker "y/n, where the hell are you?" It was Jake's voice. You pressed the button on the right to answer. "I'm with the boys for a walk?" You hear Jake's ragged breathing into the microphone, you know very well you're lying, "Is everyone there with you?" "Yes" they all respond at the same time "Listen, get out of wherever you are and go back home. Now!!!" the voice was stern "I hope you guys aren't in the abandoned lab or else" Jake's voice was interrupted when tuk replies that she's sorry, and that loak forced them to go.

While Jake began to scold loak, you and Kiri looked at each other in shock as they heard some voices coming from outside. You guys quickly left the back of the lab, making as little noise as possible. all of you ran silently into the forest, "I think voices are no longer heard here" said tuk, until a hand grabbed your hair and placed you on the ground. More people came out and took them all. Between screams and whimpers. A tall avatar came out of some corner of the forest, he had an authoritarian and evil appearance. He approached you and looked at your features "So you are the guinea pig they were looking for, you are beautiful" Your teary eyes could only look at the sinister look of that man, while you heard the screams of your family in the background.

p.s: This is a pilot, if you like it let me know, I have the whole story in my head.

[guppyfish77]

Your piece on the trains of the Battle Subway is oh so informative! It makes you wonder why the devs put in so effort into a Battle Facility, an area that not many casual players go to. But I digress, so if the Battle Subway is more based off Japan's railway system than America's, can the same be said about Ingo and Emmet's outfit?

The devs have put a lot of effort and details into Unova in general! For example, the Marine Tube has a custom diagram that tells you that the glass is 9.8 inches thick. There's an NPC in Virbank Complex that tells you some of what the structures do (mainly has to do with oil and gas.) There's a variety of TV shows within the game, including one that (dubiously) offers a way to introduce Pokemon Moves into everyday life. I can go on and on!

Alas! That is not the main point! To answer your question, yes! I believe so! I am not the first to point this out. While the Subway Boss's uniforms are more exaggerated and have a lot more flair added to them (in an interview they stated that they made coat longer, the stripes are meant to represent railway tracks, and they have clown elements incorporated into their design), the hats are what give it away!

Here are the uniforms for JR East for comparison, first image is of the Station Master Uniform and second is the station staff uniform!

(Depot Agent for good measure)

The uniforms and hats are not the only thing lifted from Japanese Railway staff! The way that they point in their poses, and some pieces of Emmet's dialogue ("Check safety. Everything's ready!") are most likely referencing to something called Pointing and Calling! It's a safety thing that workers use where they would point at the thing they are confirming and saying what they are confirming out loud.

Here's a short of a driver using it! (The paper he points at is the schedule)

here's a conductor using it (He's checking that the signal is ok and the monitor shows him that the areas around the doors are clear so he can close them before departing)

[off-color-darkrai]

Every time I read a fan fic where Ingo or Emmet struggles to beat Arceus or any of the other legendaries in a fight, I kinda just sit there in disbelief, mainly because canonically, in game, you can go up to Ingo with any of the Legends, including the creation trio and Arceus, and he will absolutely kick your a*s six ways to Sinnoh if you aren't prepped, with only two pokemon or less.

This man has no access to abilities or TMs or held items any more, and he gleefully shmears you into paste. Don't tell me his brother wouldn't be able to do the same.

Those level limiters on battle facilities are purely for civilian protection, I assure you.

(Yes I know that the struggle is for dramatic story tension in the fanfic, hush, let me appreciate the OP train men in peace)

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Please, talk about the Gom Jobbar scene

Oh hell yes.

So this is one of those posts that really should be a short video essay of me talking over the scene but instead it is gonna be a loooooong wall of text and screenshots. Maybe it will assume its final form some day if I'm ever in possession of the free time and patience to make video essays. I also highly recommend watching Denis Villeneuve's own breakdown of this scene from 2021. I'll try not to duplicate things said there.

We have to start with the setup, which begins with this scene:

We see Jessica on her knees, in the rain, waiting for an arriving ship. These are the first shots in the movie where we see Jessica when no one else is watching her, and this woman who stood calm and composed before representatives of the Emperor of the Known Universe is terrified. Which creates an immediate sense of dread over whoever is coming in that ship.

Whomst in the fuck now?

We also get this shot where we're alone with Jessica. It's a little hard to see in a still frame but there's a moment where she, like, steels herself before she wakes Paul up.

Holy fuck tho, I just noticed the similarities between this shot and the one of the Bene Gesserit arriving, with the almost monochromatic color palette and the shafts of white light.

Once Paul wakes up we shift to his POV. He immediately knows something is off ("What's wrong?" is the first thing he says) but gets no information about what's happening.

Then we get this short scene, where Paul is told he is going to meet the Reverend Mother and but not much else about what's going on. The whole "She wants to know about your dreams." "How does she know about my dreams?" [no answer from Jessica] exchange, I think, implies that she knows because Jessica told her about Paul's dreams, which is this little tiny betrayal of confidence that gives Paul the first inclination that his mother may not be someone he can fully trust in this situation. Which is exactly what Dr. Yueh warns him about immediately after.

We also get two new languages used in this scene. Dr. Yueh speaks to Paul in Mandarin, which he understands and presumably Jessica does not. This gives us a piece of information about Paul's curiosity toward other cultures and his facility with languages. And Jessica uses the Atreides battle sign, which Paul also understands. Outside the library, Jessica pauses to give Paul one more silent warning, although she still hasn't told him what's about to happen.

This is just the setup. So before we've even entered the room, we've created this sense of unsettled foreboding dread (the Denis Signature Vibe) without a clear understanding of why things are happening--which is exactly how Paul feels.

I should also add that in the book, this scene takes place during the day, with the Reverend Mother sitting in front of a window. Shifting it to the middle of the night not only makes it way creepier but also tells us that (1) the Reverend Mother is the kind of person who can command Jessica's attention at any time of day or night and (2) this is all somewhat illicit and possibly is happening without Leto's knowledge.

Whomst in the fuuuuuuck?

We get this sort of weird POV shot of Paul crossing the room when it's not actually happening:

which I think is supposed to suggest some subtler form of control than the Voice, which Paul resists.

Before they've even properly entered the room, Mohiam manages to insult both Paul's parents ("defiance in the eyes, like his father" and dismissing Jessica with a curt "leave us"). And the first thing Paul says is to defend his mother's place in the social hierarchy ("You dismiss my mother in her own house?") with all the haughtiness you would expect.

The power dynamic gets rapidly clarified.

Momentary aside to say that I love the composition of this shot. Neither of them are quite on the third--they're just a bit too close to each other to make the shot look balanced. But neither of them are in center frame either--the box is in the center. They're not exactly aligned to the light gray columns between the bookshelves behind them, either, and the bookshelves are just slightly asymmetrical. It all makes things feel just a little claustrophobic and unsettling. Denis Villeneuve frequently uses this technique of creating unbalanced shots and intentionally leaving too much space in awkward parts of the frame to create a sense of unease.

Paul isn't kneeling in the book either--he's standing beside the chair in a setup that I don't think would actually work given the heights of the actors here, or would look awkward as hell. So they've solved a practical blocking problem and done some storytelling with it as well.

This is where we get our first look at the Voice at full power, and it's one of only two scenes where we get some subjective POV of what it feels like to be Voice-controlled (the other one being Feyd-Rautha and Lady Margot's interaction which deserves its own post). I really like that they didn't go for Voice Slow (zombie shuffling across the room) because Voice Fast is much more disturbing. The subjective experience of it seems closest to like, blacking out and waking up in a place or doing a thing and not knowing how you got there. The camera effect is just a really fast dolly and a slick edit, but Timothée really sells it with his split-second moment of confusion and shock before he realizes what happened and gets angry about it.

So now we're here, with the poison needle and the pain box.

"No need to call the guards. Your mother stands behind that door. No one would get past her."

This is a slick fucking piece of editing. Because just as Paul is learning that his mother has not only trapped him in this situation but is ensuring it continues uninterrupted, we cut to Jessica for the first time since she left the room and we see how absolutely terrified she is.

Also from this point, the sound in the film starts crossing the barrier of the door--we hear some of the dialogue between Paul and Mohiam when we're on shots of Jessica, and when the pain sound effect starts up, we hear it continuously on both sides of the door. So even though Jessica is not literally experiencing the pain, it feels like she is vicariously.

It would be really easy to tip the balance of sympathy in this scene one way or the other--toward Paul who's realizing his mother has handed him over to a painful and potentially lethal test, or toward Jessica who is listening to her child scream in pain and not only cannot stop it but is tasked with making sure it continues. But Denis Villeneuve is an absolute master at controlling and directing your POV in a way that allows you to feel sympathy for multiple characters at once and engage with complicated, contradictory emotional landscapes, and this is a little demonstration of what he's going to do on a much larger scale later in the story.

Timothée's pain acting...is excellent, that's all I'll say about that. Love that he's allowed to get all gross and drippy with it.

Now we get to the litany against fear.

Jessica starts it specifically in response to hearing Paul scream on the other side of the door. So, practically, she is using it to control her own fear. But the way the scene is intercut, it plays as if she is almost coaching or guiding Paul into controlling his own reactions. With every line that she says, we cut back to Paul as he is starting to master the situation.

"I must not fear." Paul is not in control here and seems about at his physical limit for keeping his hand in the box.

"Fear is the mind-killer." This is the one where it really seems like he could be reciting the same litany in his head or under his breath.

"Fear is the little death that brings obliteration." We don't really see Paul's face in the accompanying shot, but the pain sound effect really goes into overdrive, like she is pushing him harder.

"I will face my fear and I will permit it to pass over me and through me." Seems like Paul is getting to some kind of Zen place or whatever where he can withstand the pain.

This is when the first flash of vision pops up and the balance of power starts to shift in Paul's favor. We realize it at the same time both he and the Reverend Mother do.

Then we have this great moment where he looks up at her and we don't quite know what is happening but somehow Paul has started to win this interaction. And we go through a whole Face Journey with him that's intercut increasingly rapidly with Jessica's lines, flashes of the visions, and Mohiam's reaction as she starts to realize she's lost control of the situation.

"And when it has gone past--"

"I will turn the inner eye to see its path--"

"--and where the fear has gone, there will be nothing--"

"Only I will remain."

This part is great because like...nothing is happening. He just looks up at her. But we know that whatever battle is going on between them, Paul is winning now.

(Side note: this is a duel, right? This is his first of three duels, and like the duel with Feyd, he wins it on his knees.)

Then as soon as she says, "Enough," the facade cracks again a little.

And then he does the thing!! That is one of my favorite Paul physicalities!! Where he tilts his chin up so he can look down his nose at someone. Which is particularly audacious when you're on your knees.

It looks arrogant but there's also something a bit...childish? about it. It's something that he does specifically when he feels he does not have control of the situation and he's trying to regain it. He does it to the Emperor at the end of Part Two.

Anyway I LOVE the whole section of intercutting between Jessica and Paul because like. They are physically separated by a door but emotionally they feel connected. She put him in this situation, but then it's almost like she is reminding him that she also gave him the training to survive it. Which like, isn't that a microcosm of their whole fucked-up relationship?

"...You inherit too much power."

"What, because I'm a duke's son?"

"Because you are Jessica's son. You have more than one birthright, boy."

Almost all the dialogue from this scene is taken word for word from the book (although sometimes condensed). This is one of the few lines that got changed. In the book, Jessica is the one who reminds Paul that he is a duke's son--not her son. In general the movie dialogue is more faithful to what's in the book than you might expect. But every once in a while there is a line that feels like it's talking back to the original text like this.

There's another little emotional reversal right at the end of the scene, when Jessica comes in and her face just floods with relief at realizing Paul is still alive. But meanwhile you can see that Paul is really processing how betrayed by her he feels.

And then, after all that, they do talk about his dreams.

Denis has said in interviews that this was one of the very first scenes they filmed. Which is. Insane to me. This is an iconic scene from the book that every fan will come to with expectations and it's a really hard acting job! For everyone involved but especially for Timothée, because so much of the scene turns on him having an intense reaction to something that's not real and generally just...doing stuff with his face, and hoping that the sound design and the score and some scenes that haven't been shot yet will sell what's going on. Usually you would want to work up to an intense emotional scene like this, give the cast and crew a little time to get comfortable with each other. Nope! Anyway Denis has also said that he knew after this scene that he had cast correctly and yeah. I would say so.

[imaginethesepages]

say my name.

What do you mean you don’t know when she’ll wake up?

Captain, please, the impact on her head when she fell from the attack did a damage to her skull, leading to her current state. There is nothing much we can do but wait.

Huh? What— what’s going on? What are they talking about, and is that… Captain Narumi?

Nothing? No. We have the best facilities and the best equipment. What do you mean there’s nothing we can do!?

Captain Narumi, stop! Let go of the doctor now!

Master Moron, you need to calm down.

Wait— what is going on? Nothing is making sense.

I’m sorry, captain. We did our best; it’s all up to her now.

Every day, I hear them come and go, the soft clicks of a door closing, the tiny creaking noise of a dragging chair, and the constant beeps copying the rhythm of my heart. Sometimes, I can sense the cold wind on my skin or calloused fingers brushing my cheeks and grazing my hand. But I’m not too sure.

Everything is reverberated with dullness, like how I can hear the voices but never make out the words. It’s all muted and unclear.

How long will you keep sleeping? You’re worrying everyone, you know.

I don’t know, I want to say. I’m trying — really, I am. But everything is so heavy, like my muscles are too lazy to function, and every fiber is on a strike, not wanting to do its obligations.

You need to wake up, you hear me. You promised to follow me into battle, to have my back as I have yours. I’m holding you to that promise.

I remember. I did promise him that. 

My finger twitches, and I hear a gasp. Already, moving a single finger feels like lifting an enormous boulder with my entire being only an inch off the ground. But the same calloused fingers grab my hand, warm and encouraging — cheering me to push forward and out of the abyss.

You need to wake up. Who else would pull me away from my games if not for you? Who else would control my impulsive buying? Who else would I listen to? 

Ah, he’s right. Who knows what may happen if I leave the captain alone? He’d probably make Hasegawa-san want to pull out his hair — and that’s saying something when he’s already bald.

I chuckle. It probably sounded like a concerning wheeze. But it doesn’t matter, for all I can think of as I forced my eyes open is, “I cannot let Captain Narumi down.”

And what a sight for sore eyes he truly is.

How bad were my injuries? Did you really try to hurt the doctors who took care of me?

Can I still fight? Will you still let me stand beside you?

Did we succeed with the mission? What else did I miss?

Have you set the First Division up in flames yet? I pray and hope not.

How long have you been waiting, captain? Did I make you wait long?

I’m sorry for worrying you. Though, I can’t promise I won’t do it again.

I want to say so much and ask so many. But all that comes out is…

“He-hey, Gen.”

jeuel, did you just write a 500+ word drabble? well, yes. yes, i did. and let me tell you, it shocked me as well.

if you're new to my inconsistent and random drabble posting, i normally write for whatever fandom i feel like with whatever concept i can think of — mostly angst, not much on comedy. and usually, they only end up within 100 — 300 words, never 500!!

so this, for me, is a monster drabble 🤯

idk what happened, i just kept writing. and when i was editing it, i just couldn't keep it within my preferred word count range. when i took some paragraphs out, they didn't make sense without them. so, i just said, "screw it!! leave it like that."

anyway, enjoy xx

[milksnake-tea]

━━ homecoming.

He was always your favorite, ever since the day you'd found him. But you knew you couldn't keep him forever. One day, he would have to leave.

merman!blade x gn!reader

contains: fluff, hurt/comfort, a smudge of angst, blade is a little shit, reader is a scientist, potentially ooc blade, a hint of abandonment issues, making out (but nothing suggestive), not edited we die like jing liu, written before version 1.1

word count: 1.7k

a/n: posting this on the last day of mermay because ofc i am (im pst so shhh its not june yet). anyways merman blade is the most genius thing i have ever thought of no one will convince me otherwise

Your research facility was unlike any other in the world.

The hallways were enshrouded in darkness, with the only light sources being the illuminated tanks that lined the walls. They varied in size and shape, some cylindrical, others rectangular. Some tanks were lucky enough to have entire biomes in them, ranging from gorgeous coral reefs to murky kelp forests, and some had nothing in them at all. But what every tank had in common was an eerie glow of cyan that pulsated throughout their waters.

As you walked past the exhibits - your footsteps echoing loudly throughout the empty halls - your specimen began to unravel to life.

Electric eels sparked with lightning as you passed, and beside them, gigantic sea serpents hissed and coiled. Grindylows peeked from behind their forests, and jellyfish of all forms drifted aimlessly through their tanks. An eye the size of a soccer ball watched you from the largest exhibit of all, the giant squid thrilled to see its master.

This institute was home to mythology and biology alike, where fables rested alongside common knowledge. Here, in the middle of nowhere, with no land in sight, you were in the eye of the storm - vulnerable to the truths behind old sailors’ tales.

Despite this, you loved your job more than anything. These creatures that you studied, that you nurtured and raised, were like your children. Even the various hippocampi (who you didn’t have the heart to keep within your walls), were dear to you, and you to them.

Yes, there was the occasional sea monster that you had to shoot down. Yes, there were the occasional sirens who would try to lure you to your death. Most of the ocean’s creatures were dangerous, and well aware of it. Unfortunately, you were too smart and too stubborn to die.

A sharp tap on glass snapped you out of your thoughts. Smiling knowingly to yourself, you walked up to a cylindrical glass tank that spanned two stories tall, encircled by spiraling stairs.

“Hey, Blade. Missed me?” You greeted, placing a hand on the glass.

Out of all of the creatures that you held within your home, he was your favorite.

He really was a beauty. Gifted with a slender black tail, seared with a vicious red, the merman swayed gently in his tank, sleek, almost sharp fins flowing around him. Blackened scales gave way to fair skin, scarred with scratches and bites from previous battles. His hair billowed around him like a dark cloud, fading from black to a soft maroon.

You'd found Blade a few weeks ago, bleeding out in the coral reefs surrounding your little island of a facility. He’d likely gotten into a fight with other merpeople, as the more territorial ones tended to do. Even now, the wounds hadn’t completely healed, with bandages still wrapped around his abdomen.

Blade’s ever-cold face barely budged at your greeting. The second your hand met his tank, he backed away, swimming up towards the top of his tank - naturally expecting you to follow. You sighed, shaking your head knowingly.

By the time you had climbed the staircase to the top, Blade was already lounging on the stairs leading into his waters. His wet hair clung to his body as he watched you expectantly, his tail flicking small waves into motion. Sunlight cascaded over him from a glass ceiling, bathing him in a gentle light.

“You’re late.” His eyes never left your body as you neared him, eyeing you like a hungry predator.

You dropped your bag off some counter lining the walls. “I was dealing with the new shipments.”

“Oh? Am I finally getting some company?” Blade asked sarcastically, stretching like a cat in the warm sun. You don’t think it was an accident that he rolled over, shamelessly showing off his sculpted abdomen.

“Like I could just order a merman off the web,” you scoffed, sitting next to him and dipping your legs into the tank. “You’re just a special case.”

He didn’t respond to that, merely watches you with an emotion that you can’t quite pinpoint. Knowing him, it could be anything from warm affection to a mischievous desire to inconvenience you by the slightest amount. He was petty like that.

Briefly, his tail came to brush against your legs. You giggled at the action, the thin fins ticklish against your skin. A flicker of a smile flashed across Blade’s face, gone just as fast as it had appeared.

“How are your wounds?” you asked, your hand absentmindedly coming to pet his head. Where Blade would have bitten anyone else, the merman keened at the touch, closing his eyes briefly.

“Better.” His voice was barely above a whisper as you threaded your fingers through his wet hair.

“That’s good. No pain?”

“None,” he answered. As you removed your hand, for a moment, he chased it, before he met your teasing eyes and remembered himself. Coughing, he quickly turned away, refusing to meet your amused gaze.

“At this rate, you’ll be leaving sooner than expected,” you hummed. Blade’s eyes widened at your words, an unfamiliar pang hitting his chest. “I’m sure you’ve been missing your friends.”

Blade scoffed at the notion, rolling back onto his chest to stare at the floor. “Hardly.”

“Well,” you shrugged, kicking up some water. “At the very least, you’d miss the open waters.”

That, he couldn’t deny. But even still, the thought of finally leaving the facility had become foreign to him. Three weeks prior, he would’ve jumped at the opportunity to get out of this place, this tank. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

“Hey, chin up.” Your hand cupped his cheek, bringing him to look up at you. “It’s not like you’ll never see me again. You can always visit.”

He doubted that. Out in the ocean, he had little free time to himself. He would spend his days constantly on the run from various mermaid kingdoms and tribes, and if not that, he’d be hunting, searching for his next meal. He journeyed the seas without end. Blade was a vagrant, a wanderer without a home.

But here, perhaps…

His body moved without thinking. Pushing himself up onto his arms, he leaned over you, water droplets falling onto your shirt as he caged you between his arms. His gaze had become hazy, his eyes lidded. His breath shuddered in his chest as he pressed his forehead against yours, drinking in as much of you as he could.

Blade didn’t say much, but he didn’t have to. You heard his words loud and clear, without him needing to say a word.

Stay.

It was unclear who he was talking to, whether it be you or himself. There was a subtle desperation in the way his chest heaved as he breathed, breathless without a thief.

Your arms, your welcoming arms, wrapped around his shoulders like a warm blanket, bringing him in for an embrace. Immediately, he latched onto the opportunity, gripping onto you as though you’d disappear if he dared loosen his grip. He buried his face into the crook of your neck, breathing in your scent, forever engraving it into his memory.

If only he was human, he’d lament. If only he could walk the lands like you did. If only the two of you weren’t separated by land and sea. If only - his grip became just a little tighter - he could stay like this a little longer.

You stroke the back of his head gently, feeling Blade shiver at your touch. He wasn’t crying - you didn’t know if he even remembered how.

Deep inside, you wanted him to stay. You didn’t want to let him go. It was an ugly, selfish part of you that wanted to keep him for yourself. But you knew you couldn't keep him here. He had to return to the ocean, where he belonged.

He pulled away from you, yet still held onto your arms like a lifeline. You never thought you’d describe the stoic merman as desperate, but there was no other word that could properly depict the emotion swirling in his eyes.

Your hands came to cradle his face gently, unable to say a word. Blade’s breath hitched.

His lips barely parted as he spoke, his voice raspy and low.

“Forgive me.”

That was the only warning you got before he crashed his lips into yours.

His kiss was unlike any other you’ve had. Whereas your previous experiences were tender and romantic, this was hungry, raw, depraved. Blade kissed you with the fervor of a starving man, as though you would be his final meal. He was aggressive with his affections, practically clawing onto your shirt as he clutched you closer to him.

Your heart raced in your chest as you met his violent dance, parting your lips for a moment to allow him to slip in his tongue. You welcomed him in, firmly holding his face. Emotions swirled in you like the blurred voices of a crowd, overwhelming and satiating you at the same time.

To say that you were surprised by his actions would be a lie. You’ve known his feelings for a while now, and had plenty of time to accept yours. It was obvious, in the gentlest touches, in the way he could make you smile just by being around you.

You’ve avoided acknowledging these feelings for the longest time, and so did he.

When the two of you finally parted, a string of saliva connecting the two of you, the only thing you could do was watch. You studied Blade’s face, clearly now, for the first time. Your fingers traced around his jawline, admiring how his cheeks had become dyed with a pretty red. You swiped over his parted lips, still catching his breath from the kiss. Your thumb rubbed just underneath his eyes, brushing away the loose strands of hair from his face.

You’ve always known he was a beauty, but in this moment, he simply took your breath away.

Blade covered your hand in his, nuzzling into your palm. He softly pressed his lips to your inner wrist, a stark contrast from the kiss he’d just ravaged you with. He kept his eyes solely on you as he did this, trapping your gaze with his stare.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Huh?” You blinked, trying to snap yourself out of your daze. Blade smirked against your palm, swiping out his tongue and dragging it against your skin.

“Come, now,” he mused. “You didn’t think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?”

reblogs w comments are appreciated !!