#this is so long jfc sorry

[sojutrait]

i did a thang

this post is long as shit omfg ANYWAYS look at her !! it's techinically 2 lots but i tool'd around to make em look cohesive

also look at these crazy kids (one of ronnie's sons and his crush hehe)

[genericpuff]

hate to be cynical on main but it really do be like this every single time a new "not like social media" art platform comes out of the woodwork and then people migrate to it in droves just to find out the only other people using it are other artists that they're competing with for any scrape of viewership from an increasingly oversaturated internet that didn't exist when we were teenagers in 2009

[timblrdrake]

Afternoon Mr Drake-Wayne,

I understand you're considered quite a gifted little computer expert, especially in compsec. I've recently acquired @officialdailyplanet and I'm interested in branching into some more extreme investigative journalism.

Let me know if you would be interested in contracted work, and it's so wonderful to see you've truly bounced back after the unfortunate incident with your parents.

Lex Luthor he/they

hi there.

i’m interested, but i’m curious as to what you mean by ‘more extreme investigative journalism’. provided more details i’d consider it.

thank you.

[ferociouslycreativemystery]

The Best Ending to a First Episode in the History of Television ↳ Last Tango in Halifax (2012) - s01e01

[h4unted--h0use]

pt 7 of stranger things textposts! it's a silly one!

pt 6 - pt 8

[thatdeadaquarius]

HELLO IT IS I AGAIN (Razor's mom /real)

So you know those imposters aus where characters chase the reader for being an 'impersonator'?

What if... It's a continuation from my ask (where we meet Razor first before everyone), and Razor is just confused at the patrolling knights near Wolvendom constantly asking him if he have saw 'the impostor'

Tbh he just shakes his head. Who tf is the impostor????? Wtf is an impostor???????

Many question marks later..

He had encountered an epiphany (not really it's just the Springvale ppl talking about someone copying the creator's looks).

The 'Impostor' they have been searching is you.

But you're not an impostor! Razor knows it! Andrius knows it! And with how the nature and the monster responded to you, Teyvat knows it too!

So like the good son he is, he sheltered you even more severely.

Ur not allowed to go out of his sights at this point (he'll still take you to places with many lampgrasses if you still wanna make a crown w it)

And my imagination ends there, do you think there's something else he'd do?

Ty for answering my last request btw, ur the best and I hope you get your favorite characters w one 10 pull and your desired artifacts w the best stats <3

Much love and sweets

-Razor's mom

RAZOR'S MOM!! HELLO aw im so glad u liked it :)

Srry about the late reply! 💜💜💜

Ok, so I think this is a good time to point to my shiny

Writing Requests/About Me Post I have pinned on my 👉 blog!!👈💅 taaa daaaa :) i did it guys here ya go

Yall have been GREAT so far abt keeping the requests chill and fun, and i dont have that many "Donts" that arent obvious (homophobia, transphobia, ableism,etc)

♡

Dont worry Razor Mom, i just wanted to use this as a way to talk about this!! /nm /gen

♡

About Imposter AU, there are plenty of other blogs/posts that write for that or posts under SAGAU tag! :)

I said wayyy earlier on in some of my first asks, but basically I really want to lighten up the Genshin SAGAU / Isekai tag and branch out from all these darker Imposter AUs :)

And also add more world-building posts or AUs <3

(language brainrot for example)!!

◇

TL;DR: I am not accepting hunting down/yandere/cult au/imposter au Genshin Sagau, only a funny or chill version of it.

Please check my writing rules post :)

Example: u look like Creator, but everybody's like, "oh lucky them wow rlly blessed, have a free drink, etc.

OR omfg where r they?? They descended to Teyvat oh fuck we lost our god-"

♡

Heres the Razor post !!!

If u wanna check it out :]

Cracks knuckles, Saddle up Baby, bc its time for my version of the Imposter AU 🤭😋😈

(and sorry for answering super late/possible scare Razor mom anon!! :'/ )

♡

So it begins rlly small right?

Like, Razor does not know the new knight patroling Wolvendom's borders

,, weird but ok, he thinks basically

And then when it was time to visit some domains a little closer to Springvale for grinding

(Or rlly just to get some of their tiny restaurants homemade food yumm)

He notices more Favonius knights lurking around than usual

Or at least widening their patrols

And hes like wtf?

Ur like, huh.

I'll ask Springvale ppl wtf goin on

The locals respond that the search for the Great Creator has begun.

...

...you and Razor: 👁👄👁 w h o m s t ❔️

◇

Upon further questioning

(which was apparantly weird that yall didnt know, but eh, u just used the whole "feral wolf child with feral blacksmith parent living in woods ignorance" excuse)

Admittedly yall, quite literally, live under a rock lmao

They explain theres a whole ass prophecy

Abt how the Great Architect would succumb to a long slumber somewhere else in the vast universe after making the planet.

And when the time is right, they will reconnect to Teyvat, and awaken, and descend in a mortal form

(like the archons)

◇

..but the kicker is nobody knows wtf they look like bc:

1. All that lore is hella crumbly and old, and very hard to translate

2. Mortal forms sometimes look different than god forms, so even if they did know some defining features of the Creator, that wasnt guaranteed to be them...

◇

(i.e. they will have brown eyes, well. Thats a fuckton of ppl with brown eyes innit? 💀)

♤

So thru certain signs, that this mysterious prophecy wooooo

Said would happen, the nations of Teyvat and their many supernatural inhabitants are aware the ultimate god has descended

(The crops flourished? Animals got more wily, many of the sick ppl got better for no reason, the Irminsul started regrowing/filling out its base- like how it looked like a lightning struck tree rn 💀)

So every country are now trying to find them to be the first to welcome them home

Needless to say its lowkey a competition

◇

Meanwhile you and Razor are just:

... (゜▽゜;)

"Haha yeah cool..."

(Andrius already told u what u r to Teyvat and explained to Razor)

Ur both immediately slapping a cloak on u and keeping the hood up all the time

Yall dont wanna be seperated :(

Ur both paranoid for diff reasons,

Razor's just scared his Lupical is going to be taken from him again bc there r better, more refined humans wanting to be ur Lupical ;-;

And ur like-

Omfg that sounds like sm work 💀

While its nice to daydream abt what itd be like to be famous, realistically,

U could not handle that shit.

People crowding you all the time?

U cant just look busted anywhere u go, like a midnight snack run

Ppl would also expect u be,

Responsible??

To act like a competent ruler maybe???

Hell no.

U just wanted to play a pretty gacha game and spoil ur skrunklies

(At least, if they do wanna call u that, they dont make u do anything political 💀 but u doubt it)

◇

Needless to say, Razor is glued to ur side everywhere u go.

A domain a half mile away? Oh he'll come with dw

Ur gonna go stop by that food merchant further up the road for ingredients? Cool he'll sniff the best ones!

Ur going to see Andrius??

Oh he needed to see him too-

😭😭🥺🥺 poor babe

♧

Surprisingly enough,

Or maybe not his house is right tf there

Diluc is the first person to actually recognize you.

Razor had been subtly steering u away from Mondstadt for 3 weeks now, ever since yall talked to the Springvale locals

An u cant say u didnt notice, but u werent rlly stopping him

You wanted to be like Venti, chillin among the ppl regardless of ur powers, not the Raiden Shogun :/

And maybe shock some ppl who dont know ur a god like him too lol

◇

Diluc had been looking around the lesser patroled areas of Mondstadt to search for the Architect

He didn't even need those incompetent knights to tell him their god had finally descended

He already saw the signs long before Mondstadt

Bc youve been in Wolvendom, the area has flourished over time, more fish in the water, more game to hunt and bigger, crows making circles in the sky despite there being no corpse

And one of the closest places to you,

Is the Dawn Winery.

Diluc's security against Venti began to hold up better, the staff didn't have to clean as much things like dirt or weather damage to the manor,

His hawk had never been faster delivering his letters, he almost thought the little guy had been drugged with something

◇

He patroled Stormterror's Lair, and deep in the woods surrounding the manor that the knights hadn't bother to go into

Afterall, he figured you'd never had a mortal form before, so u were unlikely to fend for urself for very long in the woods lol

so he wanted to find u quick (aww softy :')

He even made a trip out to the Thousand Wind Temple and Dragonspine (he did report that one to the knights, he didn't want Amber, Bennett, or Creator-forbid Klee, being the few pyro users to have to explore it)

Finally, after doing the further away locations, siginificant in history and rich with leftover magic

Diluc figured that's where you might land first, so he saved Wolvendom for last

It would at least let him check on that wolf kid and maybe get to talk to him long enough to ask him if he's seen anything unusual.

The lord of Dawn Winery manor heads into the Wolvendom woods, just as sunset colors the trees...

◇

It was a Friday evening, the sun was setting, the weather was pleasant and it was time for all of the Lupical to come together and eat a big feast!! :)

About once a month, Andrius will come out for a few nights and dine with all of yall

Hes an old wolf give him a break, he takes long naps

So u cook lots of Mondstadt favorites to eat on and a few Liyue dishes too

Razor, ur favorite helper, has helped u finish the last dish and is now romping around with the puppies bless <3

U guys have dragged ur coffee table dining table setup out to sit and eat at

Andrius lets out a not too loud, not too quiet howl, and as the wolves, Razor and you lmao join in

Yall dig in, bones flying everywhere, spagetti noodles flingling around, it would put toddlers to shame lol

◇

Diluc hears a howl that is too... big to be a regular wolf.

It filled the air of Wolvendom like no howl before it, as he used the glowing lampgrass to help light the path deeper

He sneaks past a hilichurl camp or two, all fast asleep

He scans the woods, and figures he'll search the woods besides the path after he gets to that old stone carved pit-

Food?

Diluc sniffs the air, and squints deeper into the forest

The black branches shade the way ahead, but just barely... he can see the flicker of orange and blue light?

He summons his claymore, bracing it on his shoulder, and creeps into the treeline to better hide him

◇

You swear to god (dammit swear to.. you??) someone is watching you.

You look around the piles of fluffy doggos, happy and stuffed full they r slowly forming puppy piles

Andrius is finishing his meat platter, also sitting on all four legs on the ground

Razor is splayed on his back beside you, eyes closed, his feet sticking out the other side of the table, u chuckle at him

But not a single Lupical seems to be looking at you.

Gulping down your last few bites, you scan the treeline

U refuse to be that bitch in a horror movie where their gut says smth is off and they brush it off or barely look at their surroundings

Turning around to the treeline behind you, u see something... red fur?

U sit up some more, peering over the bushes at the bottom of the trees

You meet a pair of warm brown eyes, widened like they're just as shocked to see you

As u notice his familiar red high ponytail (but also not?? Its weird going from 2D to 3D and still recognizing bitches)

U peer down at his chest, as he carefully stands out of the foliage-

That familiar star shaped button that u can press for the character menu screen, the same thats on Razor, on Benny, on Fischl, on Lisa-

Hovers over Diluc's chest.

◇

Diluc is in the bush, observing the human(???) stranger (he really doesnt want to attract the attention of that.. giant spirit wolf thing)

The figure sitting at a ... table?? (He can barely process all these absurdities at once, hes only got so much brain space)

Has sensed his presence, and as he grips his claymore, ready to demand answers,

Razor startles, and jumps up, smelling the pyro user, he summons his weapon-

The figure locks eyes with him, and all he sees is gold.

Diluc drops his claymore.

☆

♡

☆

Have a cliffhanger bc idk 🤷‍♂️ Also srry it wasnt exactly Mondstadt finding u, and it somehow turned into a whole scenario?? Idk man

🤧 welp i hope that was decent Razor mom! Tysm for ur sweet feedback abt our beloved son 🙏💜🐺

Feel free to always talk again, thru comments, asks whatever!! :D

♡

Cheers,

💀♒️

(guys im so stupid i coud've been signing off with this simple emoji combo the whole time,, 😭i didnt actually think abt emojifying my name, just making it look pretty with some of my fav emojis... 😔)

If anyone reads this u should let me know which one is better lol

💀♒️

OR

🌒🌧🌊Aquarius♒️🌌🌘

OR like a combo???

♡my beloved♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

[evidenceof]

uprooted is our mountain oak by @pfctipper

Relationship: Winnix, Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters

FIC REC

The most inconspicuous appearance of misplaced shaving foam hit me with yearning the size of a fucking comet. SHAVING FOAM. I’ll be thinking about it for weeks.

I love how this work feels like it was held with both her hands, and how it really feels like she was falling in love with both Dick and Lew while she wrote. Falling in love happens in the quietest instances: a soft clump of map-tousled hair, the absence of a name on a dog tag, and a countdown that means you jump out of a plane and then, and then, not towards death.

If you love Classic Winnix™️, you will want to drown in all 42,000+ words of this pre-war and war fic, and the fantastic way @pfctipper’s prose and research sing together so, so seamlessly. Her historical accuracy never veers towards pedantic and instead punctuates Dick’s conflicting longing and period typical brain so thoughtfully. You’re never bogged down by the history because it urges you on instead and into the loving arms of Winnix. That is, whether you’re new to this fandom and this ship, or if you’ve read and annotated all the RRLs for BoB and Winnix, you will never feel lost, just honest to god convinced that this is a True Account of The Events. What I find dragged me in and trapped me was just how Dick’s and Lew’s ways of yearning were made so distinct; it makes you ache the way they do. The mere mention of shit on a stick made me cheer, so you can imagine how I yelled at the pitch perfect ways Easy and Co. were woven in.

Words are not enough to express how wonderfully and lovingly written this is! You’re a gift @pfctipper.

[krackkokichi]

transparent cutout edits

i decided to cut these out from the black backgrounds because i was tired of everyone using that sloppy bonnie edit (the op said it was done by a website, so i'm not attacking anyone). i was going to do monty too, but i struggled so hard with motivation on chica and roxy, and these four are a set in the ride anyway.

no credit necessary if you decide to use these for some reason

bonus edit of bonnie under the cut:

(if you use this one please credit me tho)

[veeisgayasf]

✨h a n d s✨

[heronchildlove]

Heronchildstairs AU where James and Cordelia go to the beach and meet surfer or just like, beach playboy!Matthew and maybe Matthew helps one of them out after they get injured on the ocean or get fainty because of the sun and then James and Cordelia spend one moment too long staring at the water droplets running down the abs of the very pretty and nice and charming surfer and immediately decide they need to get Matthew back home with them.

[bromcommie]

Helloho, for the ask game:

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

and

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

Thank you! :)

Hi hi, thanks for the ask! <3 🔪 ⇢ oh man, not sure if this is that much of a weird one (or I just don't know what's normal anymore), but I do have several leaked CIA manuals saved as PDFs on my computer?? mostly just bc it's informative & horrifyingly eyeopening in general. I like to research a lot of sociopolitical stuff, or at least I try to, so a lot of highly specific Cold War/WWII/present day intelligence apparatus things tend to end up in my search history. Other than that not to go the "winter soldier + red room umbrella" cop out route, but...winter soldier + red room umbrella. Lots of layman's psychiatry & neuroscience, accounts of drug effects/use, lots of "asking for a friend but theoretically what would happen to your body long term if you had XYZ happen to you and walked away", waaay too much on JFK/other assassinations, lots of stuff on weapons specs and indoctrination and "gangs in St Petersburg in the 1980s?" and stuff like that.

Also like... which kinds of birds were native to NYC in the early 20th century and the relevance of catholic socialism in working class circles and medical papers on the side effects of the use of stramonium in asthma cigarettes, lol. (That might be one of the more specific ones, objectively.)

Again, this all feels pretty typical for Cap fics so idk how weird it is (and it's just a fun learning experience overall and mostly doesn't even end up in the writing) but I feel like my IP's on a lot of very confused yet suspect government lists at this point.

🧩 ⇢ oof, this one is rough. I try to always give fics with a good desc & tags benefit of the doubt, but I've also been around long enough that I can kind of tell if something's going to put me off, y'know? I guess I'm not a big fan of infantilizing adult characters or coddling relationships, especially if it's presented as an unproblematic given. I like softness as much as the next person, and I'm all for protectiveness and loyalty and comfort being at the core of both friendships and romantic relationships, but I like when it's a mutual thing that was arrived at after some time or even after it being a point of conflict/misunderstanding bc people deal with this stuff in many weird, differing, sometimes counterproductive ways.

In stevebucky fics esp while I love that element between them, I'm really not huge on Bucky bundling pre-serum Steve up to hide him away from the mean mean world, primarily because I think it would make Steve want to bludgeon him with a shovel for it repeatedly and Bucky would know that, and vice versa for them post-CATWS + dealing with each other's guilt (+ even and maybe especially the Sam-Steve relationship as it pertains to that as well). Which is not to say that I don't love to read about these conflicts being explored or a good "I want to help you PLEASE let me help you"/"you shut the fuck up and sit in the corner and hold my hand while I deal with my shit on my own" dynamic even if it's borderline unhealthy or codependent at a point - I just think it takes a bit of friction to make it interesting to read about and for it to arrive at a satisfying point in the end.

[nectarine-neuroticism]

none of my other irl friends have my tumblr, but my roomie does and i have his. i can even see his gore side blog if i wanted to lmao. and i think that is a testament to our friendship.

[leslieseveride]

oh i hope we get a super soft “i don’t wanna be mad at you” chenford hug and tim wipes away a single tear from lucy’s cheek.

[3416]

all the leafs fans that get mad at players who don't love the scutiny in toronto are part of the culture that makes it hard to play there, lol. then they act like you're not a true team player or you dont have some innate passion while also constantly dragging the guys that DO stay here through the mud all the time, lmfaooooo.

[phoenix-flamed]

Alright, let's see if I can get this all written out. Please bear in mind that this headcanon is written with general Anabella, Clive, and Joshua in mind, rather than based on any specific muses/portrayals -- so don't worry if you don't agree! Naturally, these subjects are going to vary based on interactions with individual muses of aforementioned characters, and based on the headcanons attached to those muses and their personal stories. But this will give insight into how my Elwin thinks, feels, etc., and why he makes decisions he does, be it for better or worse.

Considering this headcanon is going to be talking about my muse's relationships with his family members, which includes Clive's relationship with Anabella -- reader discretion is advised.

This is probably going to be a very long post, which I profusely apologize for.

Let's start with my Elwin's relationship with Anabella. Canonically, we aren't told much about their personal relationship, at least not from Elwin's side. Much of what I pull from for my headcanons regarding their marriage is the bedroom scene at the start of the game and how they interact during it, and Anabella's final confrontation with Clive and Jill, as well as little context clues throughout the game of things that Anabella either says or does.

My Elwin didn't have a necessarily "bad" marriage with Anabella. They were arranged to marry, both as the two eldest children of their respective branches of the Rosfield family, and, due to their close blood relation, as two of the most likely candidates to produce the next Dominant of Phoenix after Elwin's father had passed on. But at least in the beginning, they didn't dislike each-other.

He did care deeply for Anabella, though it wasn't necessarily full-on romantic love, or if it was, it wasn't necessarily the same type that he felt towards the two he had been in a relationship with before his marriage to her. (Obviously the depth of his feelings towards specific Anabella RPers is always subject to vary, depending on the Anabella RPer's headcanons, chemistry between our muses, and how the other mun feels regarding the two!) But he, if nothing else, loved her as a friend and a partner, and he trusted her, even if there were so many things they didn't agree on all across the board. She was not only his wife, but the Duchess of Rosaria -- his fellow ruler, his equal. It was his understanding of their relationship that the two should work together and fulfill their duty as the current heads of the ruling family, which was to faithfully look after for their people.

It was also their duty to teach their children of their family's legacy that would then be passed on to them as well, and to lead them by example of how to serve their people for when their own time came to take over.

When I say that my Elwin was "afraid" of Anabella, please bear in mind that it isn't fear of what she can do to him physically. Elwin wasn't, deep down at heart, an overly confident man, although he hid it well. Beyond his most trusted friends and his brother, the only other person he had shown his "real" self to was his wife. He trusted her enough to let his guard down and take off his mask, so to speak; he trusted her enough to be vulnerable around her, if only in glimpses. As a result, whether she chose to use them against him or not, she knew his weaknesses -- she knew where to wound him with her words and get into his head or appeal to his emotions. She knew how to manipulate him, and conversely, she also knew how to soothe and reassure him.

They were, in short, opposites, but two sides of a coin. And in this respect, and this respect alone, they did fulfill their roles as equals in power.

However, for all of their disagreements on how the duchy should be run and what the future should hold for it, and many other political matters -- the biggest divide between them, at least on Elwin's part, was Anabella's reaction to Clive's "rejection" by the Phoenix, and her resulting poor treatment of him. He didn't, and still doesn't in the post-Phoenix Gate verses, understand how she could base his worth as a person, and his worthiness of her love, on something beyond the child's control. Clive had done nothing wrong; if anything, their firstborn did his very best to do everything right, in order to prove his worthiness to everyone, but especially to her, and to earn her love. To see Anabella continue to shun him as a "failure" despite his efforts broke Elwin's heart each and every time, made all the worse by his father knowing of the rumors started by the other nobles of the court. In Elwin's viewpoint, and whether true or not, these rumors were likely an attempt at disrupting their family's relationship by targeting what could be perceived as the "weakest" part of their marriage. Whether it be for the end goal of planting a seed of distrust on his wife's side, or taking a swing at Anabella's pride and the importance she holds for things like status, reputation, appearances, and most of all her personal duty of birthing the next Dominant of Phoenix... he isn't sure which it might be.

But doubling back to that mention of my Elwin's "fear" of Anabella, this is another instance, and perhaps an even bigger one, where it comes into play: it's the fear of how deeply Anabella's words are hurting Clive, and a fear that with a single wrong move, Elwin could cause Anabella's attitude towards the boy to worsen. In short, it's a fear that his wife may redirect her frustrations or anger or discontent with her husband out on their child, who has himself done nothing wrong beyond being Elwin's son too.

Maybe it's because he sees so much of himself in their eldest son, right down to the fact that they are both "ordinary men" rather than Dominants, and thus have to work hard to make up for the inherent shortcoming in terms of power when compared to a Dominant -- but my Elwin is undeniably incredibly attached to and protective of Clive, even if he has a difficult time of outwardly expressing it. That is his baby, his first ever child, and he can't stand even just the thought of him being hurt in any capacity, be it directly or indirectly.

The subject of Clive and Joshua is an incredibly complex one for Elwin, and it's made even more complicated by his and Anabella's unsteady relationship, which I'll elaborate more on that specific part in a bit.

But first. As much as Elwin may have aspired to overthrow the traditional order and dismantle the societal hierarchy to ensure equality for everyone, including Bearers -- he was still the ruler of a nation, and he was still part of a royal family and lineage. Because of this, no matter how much he may have wanted to just do and say whatever he wanted, whensoever he pleased, the reality was that he couldn't. Even if he didn't give a damn about the opinions of his fellow nobility, and even if he didn't feel like he needed the support and favor of the court, he was still very much a servant to the people of the duchy. During the banquet scene, when Joshua asks why the Phoenix is always born into their family, Elwin explains it's because they, the Rosfields, have been chosen to uphold a duty to the people of Rosaria, which is to share the power granted to their family by the Mothercrystal's Blessing with all of them -- and the way that they have been chosen to do that is through the Phoenix first and foremost, and by using the magic that comes along with it for the betterment of all.

This was a duty that my Elwin held extremely close to his heart. He had been raised and taught and so wholly immersed in this mentality, that the Rosfield family was meant to use their power to serve and protect and guide Rosaria, and that the Dominant of Phoenix was more than just the rightful ruler of the duchy, but was also the symbol of hope and strength for their nation as well.

This isn't to say that he had ever viewed Clive as inferior or as a failure for not awakening as Phoenix's Dominant, or that he only cared about Joshua because he is Phoenix's Dominant. It's the opposite; he loves his boys unconditionally. But he also considered their family's duty of serving their people as something to be proud of and aspired to, whether it be through the Eikon of Fire's power or through swordsmanship and the life of a soldier.

Before the Night of Flames, he didn't understand that both Clive and Joshua needed reassurance on a more personal, emotional level from their father, or that there actually is a distinction between expressing his love for them as his sons versus expressing his love for them as heirs to the Rosfield legacy -- and that these two sentiments, while co-existing, are separate from the other. In his mind, the roles that the two of his boys each played are not what define them or their worth, no, but they were something for the two to each hold their head up high over. They are, at the end of the day, Rosfields, and it was the Rosfield family's traditional duty to carry out this obligation to Rosaria, as it had always been in generations before.

The same way that Elwin adhered to tradition in this sense, as is incredibly fitting for the Archduke of a nation referred to as the "Bastion of Tradition", he also tried to navigate his relationship with his children in a way that supported and encouraged their growth in their devotion to their people. Especially when it came to Clive being a part of the ducal army, and with them having been the ruling family, he felt that he must straddle the line carefully between expressing his love for his eldest son while avoiding showing favoritism or preferential treatment towards him versus the other soldiers. If the message he was trying to convey was that everyone deserves to be treated as equals, then shouldn't members of the royal family(including Elwin himself) be treated as equals with the common man?

He didn't want to be a hypocrite, nor did he want to unintentionally cripple his eldest son in terms of personal growth and strength, nor weaken others' opinions on Clive with the impression that Clive had been handed his esteemed position rather than earned it. In his mind, Clive very much deserved to be respected and admired for his unwavering devotion, perseverance, tenacity, and strength. But Elwin still tried to respect and love him as a person as well, which was why he did things -- or rather, didn't do things such as force Clive to join their fellow soldiers during celebratory events like the feast held at Phoenix Gate.

He knew full well that Clive was full of talent and promise. He saw it in every aspect of the boy -- from his demeanor, the way he regarded and treated others regardless of their status or position, his skills in combat, the quiet compassion he extended to people, so on. He wanted others to see it, too, especially Anabella. Because at the end of the day, there was also the fact that both Clive and Joshua were Rosaria's future, and he wanted his wife to see for herself that the future of the duchy -- and perhaps more -- were in good, capable hands.

This was why, for as many times as my Elwin had confronted the Duchess about the boy's capabilities, he did ultimately make the mistake of encouraging Clive to prove himself to her. He believed that he, even as the young man's father, was incapable of changing Anabella's mind and her harsh opinions about their firstborn son, despite his praise for him and reassurances to her of his skill. If she wouldn't listen to reason, he surmised, then the only alternative was for Clive to outright show her.

Should he have pressed the matter more relentlessly on Clive's behalf, and gone to greater lengths to curb Anabella's harsh, undeserved treatment of him? I personally believe so. By urging Clive to prove himself to his mother, and while Elwin's intentions were good, it was more likely to backfire than to succeed -- especially because of Elwin's turbulent relationship with Anabella. In short, whether he had intended to or not, he had put Clive in a position where he was being pitted against Anabella, and both of their sons were regrettably caught in the middle of the tension between their parents.

The fact that Elwin was so frequently away from Rosalith to attend to business, be it on the political front or on the battlefield, didn't help in the slightest. It ensured that no, he couldn't be there to defend their son each and every time the Duchess started in on him, treated him with contempt, or altogether refused to not ignore his existence.

When it came to Joshua, their youngest son was at a disadvantage with regards to forming a bond with his father. Joshua just happened to have been born during the onset of the conflict with Kanver, when Kanver decided it wanted its independence. As we find out in the Ultimania book, this entire situation lasted for around eight or so years, and at the beginning prompted Dhalmekia and Rosaria to enter an alliance, so that they could work together to stop Kanver from obtaining its goal. Towards the end of the conflict, things had escalated into full-blown war, with Dhalmekia and Rosaria fighting against Waloed after Waloed stepped in to stand against Dhalmekia in particular.

Both Rosaria's history, along with its "present" time, was filled with conflict and struggle. Before the Kanver situation, Elwin had to deal with the Northern Territories and Silvermane choosing to try to invade Rosaria in the wake of their Mothercrystal's death and the loss of more and more of their lands at the hands of the Blight. There was the issue of the Blight in and of itself, and finding methods to protect the duchy from the creeping devastation. Then there were the political relations that needed to be upheld across Storm, and all of these factors were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of responsibilities. They all ensured that, in short, both the Archduke and the Duchess had their hands full, and Elwin was often the one that had left Rosalith to accompany his men onto the front lines.

He missed much of Joshua's young life, and because of that, missed so many vital moments and opportunities that would have given him the chance to forge a deeper connection with the boy. He by no means meant to neglect Joshua, or to abstain from getting close to him emotionally, and he did try to reach out to him. But because he didn't know him in the same way that he had known Clive when Clive was little, because he hadn't been granted the same time and opportunity to get to know Joshua, to learn his needs and understand his thoughts and feelings, and at least to some degree watch him grow through the years -- Elwin struggled. But he did love Joshua, and he never considered Joshua's only value to be as the Dominant of Phoenix. The child was his son first, and the bearer of the Eikon of Fire second.

His decision to take Joshua to Phoenix Gate to have him carry out the tradition of communing with the Rosfield family's ancestors for guidance in the upcoming war with the Iron Kingdom was not a decision made lightly. It was also not a decision that he wanted to make, but it was ultimately a choice between his duty to Rosaria and his love and protectiveness as a father. The fight against Waloed's army, and Dhalmekia's abandonment of the fight -- and subsequent forced retreat by Rosaria -- highlighted one very important problem for Rosaria, in terms of strength and defense: unlike most of the other nations of Storm, they didn't have an Eikon fighting at their side.

His father, the previous Dominant of Phoenix, had passed away so many years prior due to sudden illness, leaving them to have to fight their battles after that point on their own. And even with Joshua's awakening as the next Dominant, Joshua was far too young during that time to go to war with them, leaving them at an extremely great disadvantage. Even Elwin, for as skilled and strong of a fighter as he was, for all of his prowess with a blade, was still just an ordinary man, and his strength would never be able to hold up against that of a Primed Dominant.

And so he had to make a heavy decision, one that he would continue to regret long after The Night of Flames had taken place: despite Joshua being a child, and despite the boy's susceptibility to illness, Rosaria needed the Phoenix with its army on the battlefield, as well as to gain that valuable insight from their ancestors -- because the Dominant of Phoenix was the only one who could enter the Apodytery and perform the ritual to commune with them. Even against the Iron Kingdom, who presumably had no Eikon of their own given their grim views towards Eikons, the Phoenix would give them a much-needed advantage, because remember, Rosaria has been struggling against the Iron Kingdom on and off for centuries by that point for control of Drake's Breath, and each time they've fought, Rosaria has been forced to retreat.

Unfortunately, because of this situation, it also meant that Elwin had to ignore his wife's pleas for him to reconsider when it came to Joshua, and had to ignore his wife's attempts at appealing to his better sense and emotions as Joshua's father.

Now, this leads into another glaring matter:

Elwin loved his family with all of his heart. He really, truly did. However, in the end, without fail, he always prioritized duty to his people, and the people of Rosaria in general, over the needs of his family. It wasn't right, no -- but it was what he believed at the time was right, regardless of his personal feelings. He was, after all, the reigning Archduke, and it was his obligation as both ruler and as a Rosfield to serve and protect and care for his people, no matter the cost. It was what he knew, what he had been shown, what he believed was a necessary sacrifice of a good ruler.

I think I managed to cover everything that I wanted to cover? Uh. You're one hell of a trooper if you've managed to read all of this.

[perenlop]

Aim to be a Pokemon Master! Episode 11: The Rainbow and the Pokemon Master!

It's bad scoob.

I feel mean saying it's as bad as it is, but like... honestly, I don't see the need to hold back. This was a sendoff to one of the most recognizable anime characters of all time, a character that's been around for years and years and years, so his final episode should've been handled with the upmost care. Otherwise, it'd just be disrespectful to the fans AND the characters themselves.

So how did they handle it? Badly. Under the cut because this got really long. Sorry in advance if the readmore breaks.

The episode is a mess of "throw a dart at the wall" style quicktime events with a kinda tangentially related question about what being a Pokemon Master even means. Which, the more you think about it, makes the entire miniseries feel like a waste of time.

Again- I am fine with this miniseries being a relaxed time calling back to old filler episodes by just having Ash, Misty, and Brock chill out and interact with the world. But it really feels like they wanted to have their cake and eat it too with the Eon Duo plot. You cannot act as though the miniseries is just going to be cute filler and then act like there's actually an overarching plot that we should absolutely care about.

What makes the Eon Duo plot feel even weaker is that it barely plays a part in this final episode. It is the reason Ash is now home. Because... the Latis also went home, I guess. Yeah they don't really connect it all that well. But beyond that, and Ash reminiscing about them a couple of times, they have zero relevance to the final episode. It really makes the whole thing feel like a waste of time more than anything.

I'm three paragraphs in and I haven't even talked about the actual plot so let's do that. Although in my defense, the pacing in the episode is awful, so if anything, this post being poorly paced is kind of an artistic choice if you think about it.

So, Ash, Misty, and Brock all say goodbye again in kind of a hilariously underwhelming way (I get that they've done it before, these characters will most likely see each other again, and they were never going to do anything as impactful as the OS finale, but... still) and Ash just kinda fucks around at Professor Oak's the whole time. There is a missing Charmander quicktime event that has nothing to do with the conflict, but it gets Gary to appear and ask Ash if he's closer to becoming a Pokemon Master, which sets up the "main conflict". If you can call it that.

I actually think Gary presenting this question is a good idea. Ash has been chanting about being a Pokemon Master for so long, yet has never had an answer for what that means. So his original rival who used to put him down so often being the one to really make him think about it is nice.

But... why on earth did they put it in the final episode and not the first? Why not have the entire miniseries be about this question? Hell, the marketing made it seem like that was going to be the case by having Gary pose the question in the trailer, implying that this was going to be the main conflict of the miniseries... and then it isn't. It's just the characters dicking around for ten episodes, and THEN we ask "what's next?" and that's really weird to me. Now the conflict has no space to breathe because we've only got like 15 minutes to cover, and any answer he has is going to feel rushed.

Speaking of rushed- boy howdy is this episode just a series of sidequests all shoved out as quickly as possible! Team Rocket's shitty breakup plot has ONE SCENE where they all just sorta huff at each other before they reconcile for the simplest reason ever (they all want to capture Pikachu. Which they were doing anyways and there's no reason why they would think the other members weren't in on that after the breakup). The missing Charmander sideplot leads into nothing and is an episode prompt that was done better in several other episodes before this. Gary is shoved out of the plot as soon as he's said "Pokemon Master".

And then there's Pidgeot who gets its own paragraph because this part of the episode actively annoys me and it's probably the most mean I'll get... I just wanna say... does any actual fan of the show (IE: people who still watch the episodes, keep up with the show, not someone who just kinda accepts stuff like "team rocket are teenagers" at face value because they haven't seen the show in years) actually care about Pidgeot as a character? Because I don't. Pidgeot is nothing to me. Pidgeot has absolutely no substance as a character. All it did was try to eat Caterpie that one time, pop balloons, do search parties, and then leave.

It might seem silly to insist it has no character when it's an animal that can't talk, but that feels like an empty argument when the other Pokemon are so expressive, even if it's just in certain episodes. Even Primeape, who spent muuuch less time on the show, left more of an impression with it's character arc before it left.

But in any case, the reason it seems like the bird has stuck around is because of it's release episode, which caused several people to write clickbait articles about how Ash is actually this fucked up horrible trainer because "he said he'd be back for Pidgeot!! He ABANDONED Pidgeot!! I can't believe the show wants us to think he's good when he was so HORRIBLE to Pidgeot!!" Ignoring that the line was actually a dub-exclusive one and there was never any implication that Pidgeot wanted Ash to come back for it. The idea that Pidgeot was abandoned is fanon. There's nothing to correct. There's nothing to "redeem" about Ash because he did nothing wrong.

But of course JN LOVES its clickbait- I mean, respectful character cameos! So of course we have to spend time in this episode bringing Pidgeot back in the most underwhelming and contrived way possible (Team Rocket nabs Pikachu and Ash left his Pokemon behind for... some reason.... and Pidgeot is just there and helps out and Ash is like "Wow Pidgeot you should join the team again!"). It had to right this horrible sin the OS committed! We gotta redeem Ash in the final episode you guys!! Now all those clickbait articles- I mean loyal dedicated fans are satisfied!!

So basically, they canonized something that people who actually watch the show don't actually care about, because we gotta get those clicks in I guess. Keep in mind, there are other Pokemon that got released that could've used the spotlight way more, that actual fans would have appreciated a lot more than this. Like I dunno... Ambipom? A character that was notoriously done dirty by her original season? Butterfree, a Pokemon more people love and remember? (We even got a glimpse of that in the JN finale so like... obviously it was a plot they knew people would have liked to see) Hell, why not bring it around to the first JN episode and have Pikachu reunite with Kangaskhan? Have a little cohesion and really make the journey come full circle?

Nah, obviously the bird no one cares about beyond misconceptions is more important here.

The actual reunion isn't even good. Usually, when a Pokemon returns to the team, it's an event. It's a stinger, like when Gliscor came back during the Sinnoh league and ended off the episode, and then the beginning of the next one builds off from that. Here... it just kinda happens. Pidgeot rejoins the team and then the episode runs off to the next sideplot with no space to let it breathe. Nothing about the plot would change if Pidgeot just stayed with the Pidgey flock. Wow. What fanservice. They really did care about this plotline you guys.

Anyways. So after that happens, while Delia is trying to give Ash the ugliest shoes I've ever seen (poor woman, her son runs out on her so much that she hadn't had time to make anything better) Ash and Pikachu get stuck in a rainstorm, and they watch the same gen 1 Pokemon they've oogled at all season, go "wow the world is HUGE!!!!" again because of course they do, and Ash is like "Well, I didn't actually feel the champion thing all that much. I think being a Pokemon Master is about loving all Pokemon. So let's go love more Pokemon!" and then he takes the shoes without saying bye to his mom and then he's out of the show forever.

... What

He's been.... he's been doing that the whole time though? Why are they acting like this is an epiphany and this is something Ash has to change if he wants to be a Pokemon Master? Shouldn't he be one already by that logic? If Ash didn't care about becoming champion, why did we spend so much time on that? Doesn't that undermine a lot of the show?

What was the point of any of this?

And I think that's my main issue with this miniseries: there is no point to it. It barely feels like a finale, it just makes the weakest gestures possible to make it seem like a finale, and then it just ends. It's a mess.

It feels less like a respectful conclusion to the character, and more like... "Eh we're gonna try something new next season, but we don't wanna leave Ash off the table if it bombs, so let's just kinda put him on the sideburner and wait and see". It's non-committal. It's frustrating.

"Well, why is that so bad? Pokeani always clings to the status quo, they never let the characters age and grow, why would they stop now?" Well... because it's literally the end of Ash and Team Rocket's time on the show? Because they ARE about to change the status quo by bringing in an all new cast and setting? Because this whole miniseries was advertised as an ending and celebration of Ash, and therefore the expectation is that something substantial has to happen to justify him not being in the show anymore?

Ash not changing after DP or XY or SM is a little strange, but it's also fine because he's gotta keep on trucking for several episodes. Part of the point of Pokeani was it's longevity, so keeping the general setup and characters the same was part of the point. But now, there's no expectation for Ash to keep up the same routine. He's passing on the mantle to Liko. Why SHOULD he stay the same? Why not take the chance to substantially change up his life to justify him leaving? Why leave Team Rocket in such a depressing spot where they apparently just keep chasing Pikachu their whole lives when that's not actually what their fans wanted?

Why end the character's arc the exact same way the other series probably would have ended it? What exactly is the point of ending it at all or having a celebration in that case?

This episode isn't the worst thing ever, I don't even know if it's one of my least favorites, but it is definitely one of the more frustrating ones to me. It could have been good, but... why challenge anything if we don't want to?

Very disappointing. I'm sad this is the end for Ash and Pikachu. They deserved better.

Oh also some psychic damage for reading this far. I have to end off this long ass project with something worthwhile