#wishlist : careful the path they take. wishes come true

[pctaldrunk]

ok but arranged marriage btwn 1) a wedding dress sales employee disenchanted in marriage/love 2) the ceo of a declining company of wedding planning / related chain of areas, in order to project their "fairy tale romance" to the world as the best marketing campaign to save the company -

[moonchild701]

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Wish List

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Summary: Dabi makes a Christmas wish

Pairing: Dabi/Reader (it's mostly just kinda Implied tbh)

Content Warning: Angst, SFW

Word Count: 800

Disclaimer: Character belongs to Kohei Horikoshi

A/N: This is the 1st of 12 fics for a 12 Days of Christmas event. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!

Prompt: Wish List

My Masterlist

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The crunch of ice and snow beneath bootfalls echoes within the alleyway.

Dabi's hands are stuffed into his pockets as he makes his way down the path, to the fire escape of the side of a building. The sound of creaking metal fills the still quiet of the chilly night air as he climbs it.

Settling on the roof, he stares out at the distant buildings. Normally this would be dangerous, with all the heroes patrolling, but the air is far too crisp for the average person this high up, so it's safe enough. His quirk keeps him warm, and the height keeps him out of sight.

He'd needed to get away from the others for a while. Toga's constant spiel about the holidays and how they should celebrate was getting insufferable.

When he was younger, when he was Touya, he can hardly remember the holidays being the happy and joyous time people would consider it being.

Christmas somehow felt colder than it should be. Not because of the falling snow or the chilly air, but because of the stifling atmosphere within their house.

You'd think that living under the roof of  man with a fire quirk, it'd be warm and cozy. But then you'd of course remember that it's Endeavor, so, of course.

Though, it wasn't really always like that.

At first, it was normal enough, he thinks. His mother and father would shower their first born in gifts and joy and love.

Their first born they were so happy to have, so proud of, that they'd beam when he babbled at them.

And when his quirk came in, all the more joy, playing with his two younger siblings, taking care of them. He's going to be a hero after all! Heroes take care of people!

Of course that didn't last very long, as they learned that his quirk hurts him; his body not suited to it. And in his father's eyes, a failure. A waste.

And so they had another child, one last attempt at correcting the smear on the oh so great Todoroki name.

When Shouto was born, on that cold January day, the chill of his existence seeped into their very bones. Into the walls of their home, the floors beneath their feet, the ceiling over their heads, pressing in from all sides.

As Dabi, the joy he vaguely remembers are mere fragments, they're so distant in the past.

So when Toga said she wanted to celebrate, his scars itched.

Itched like they were freshly healing, like they were raw.

He doesn't know how to celebrate anymore, doesn't know if he ever really knew.

He doesn't know if he'd be able to pretend to enjoy himself, or how he'd react if he actually does enjoy it.

Because his true wish is to be able to do that freely. But alas, his bastard of a father still breathes, and when he does take his final breath, most likely so would he. So it doesn't seem to be in his realm of possibilities.

Though, he supposes, that's really all a wishlist is for.

Wishing and hoping and dreaming for

things you want, but you know deep down isn't really possible.

Looking at a particular building, an apartment complex, he sees a little family eating dinner through open curtains.

A father, a mother, a young girl and two boys, one older than the other two.

It's what he would've had in an ideal world.

It's what he used to wish for on particularly cold nights, curled up beneath his futon, bandages around the wounds littering his tiny body and the cold indifference in his father's eyes seared into his heart.

The father in the window ruffles his eldest son with a smile just as the first few specks of snowflakes begin to fall, and Dabi thinks maybe having a little wish might not be so bad.

It's not going to come true, he knows, but he still wishes.

On a whim, he reaches out to catch a snowflake like he's seen others do.

And he makes another wish. He wishes that at least the future will be better.

That as much as Toga is a little brat, as much as Twice can be annoying, as much as Shigaraki is an ass, as much as Compress is a showy snob, as much as Spinner is a Stain kiss ass, and as much as Kurogiri has a stick up his ass......he gets to keep them.

As much as he loves and doesn't deserve you, he gets to keep you anyway.

He wishes that he can keep his new family this time, wishes that they'll keep him too. Wishes that at the end of all of this, maybe he can actually be happy.

Who knows? Maybe it'll be a Christmas miracle.

*****

The snowflakes melt before they can touch his skin.

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[notringwinner]

[ ... ] — ACCOLADE.

— Any award, honor, or laudatory notice — re:   Fanmail

[ ... ] — AESTHETIC.

— Having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty. — re:   Aesthetic Posts

[ ... ] — BILBO BAGGINS.

— ❝ I come from under the hill, and under hills and over hills my path has led. And through the air, I am he that walks unseen... ❞ — re:   Bilbo's Thoughts

[ ... ] — BERSERKER.

— Violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged. — A warrior who fights with frenzied rage in battle. — re:   Bifur

[ ... ] — CHRONICLE.

— A chronological record of events. — re:   Admin's Life

[ ... ] — CLANDESTINE.

— Characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment; private or surreptitious. — re:   Anonymous Messages

[ ... ] — CUTTHROAT.

— A person who cuts throats; murderer. — Ruthless. — re:   Dwalin, son of Fundin

[ ... ] — DISTRACTION.

— That which amuses, entertains, or diverts; amusement; entertainment. — re:   Memes

[ ... ] — ENDORSEMENT.

— Approval or sanction. — The signature, instructions, etc., placed on the reverse of a commercial document, for the purpose of assigning the interest therein to another. — re:   Promotions

[ ... ] — FEAST.

— Any rich or abundant meal. — re:   Recipes & Food

[ ... ] — FESTIVITY.

— Festive character or quality; gaiety; merriment. — re:   Christmas, 2015

[ ... ] — FINANCIER.

— A person skilled or engaged in managing large financial operations. — re:   Gloin, son of Groin

[ ... ] — FRIPPERY.

— Finery in dress, especially when showy, gaudy, or the like. — re:   Wardrobe

[ ... ] — GAME.

— An amusement or pastime. — A competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance — re:   Wardrobe

[ ... ] — GLOSSARY.

— A list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage, with accompanying definitions. — re:   Dictionary

[ ... ] — GOURMAND.

— A person who is fond of good eating, often to excess. — re:   Bombur

[ ... ] — HAWKEYE.

— One who bears keen eyesight. — re:   Bofur

[ ... ] — HEALER.

— A person or thing that heals; a medical practitioner. — re:   Oin, son of Groin

[ ... ] — HEDONIST.

— A person whose life is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure and self-gratification. — re:   Bilbo Baggins

[ ... ] — IMPULSE.

— The influence of a particular feeling, mental state, etc. — re:   Sexual Urges

[ ... ] — INDOMITABLE.

— One who cannot be subdued or overcome, as persons, will, or courage; unconquerable. — re:   Thorin II Oakenshield

[ ... ] — INGENUITY.

— The quality of being cleverly inventive or resourceful; inventiveness. — An ingenious contrivance or device. — re:   Admin's Creations

[ ... ] — INSTIGATOR.

— One who urges, provokes, or incites to some action or course. — re:   Gandalf Greyhame

[ ... ] — JUDICIOUS.

— Using or showing judgment as to action or practical expediency; discreet, prudent, or politic — re:   Elrond Earendilion

[ ... ] — KIN.

— Someone or something of the same or similar kind. — Of the same kind or nature; having affinity. — re:   The Company of Thorin Oakenshield

[ ... ] — LARCENIST.

— A person who commits larceny, i.e., the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another from his or her possession with intent to convert them to the taker's own use. — re:   Nori

[ ... ] — LORD.

— A person who has authority, control, or power over others; a master, chief, or ruler. — re:   Sauron ( filed under 'The Lord of the Rings' )

[ ... ] — MARTINET.

— A strict disciplinarian. — Someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules. — re:   Bungo Baggins

[ ... ] — MELODY.

— Musical sounds in agreeable succession or arrangement. — re:   Music

[ ... ] — MEMORABLE.

— Worth remembering; notable. — re:   Good Times

[ ... ] — MINUTIAE.

— Precise details; small or trifling matters. — re:   Small Headcanons

[ ... ] — PATRICIAN.

— Befitting or characteristic of persons of very good background, education, and refinement: — re:   Dori

[ ... ] — PERSIFLAGE.

— Light, bantering talk or writing. — re:   Skype / Friend conversations

[ ... ] — PORTRAIT.

— A likeness of a person, especially of the face, as a painting, drawing, or photograph — re:   Admin Photos

[ ... ] — PRECIOUS.

— Of high price or great value; very valuable or costly — Highly esteemed for some spiritual, nonmaterial, or moral quality. — re:   The One Ring

[ ... ] — PROPOSAL.

— The suggestion of something for acceptance, adoption, or performance. — A plan or scheme proposed. — re:   Wishlist

[ ... ] — PROSE.

— The ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse. — re:   Saved Writing

[ ... ] — RECOGNITION.

— The acknowledgment of achievement, service, merit, etc; the expression of this in the form of some token of appreciation. — re:   Bias Lists

[ ... ] — RENOVATE.

— To restore to good condition; make new or as if new again. — To reimagine; refresh. — re:   Blog Work

[ ... ] — RIDDLER.

— One who speaks in riddles. — re:   Gollum

[ ... ] — RIDDLING.

— Any enigmatic saying or speech. — re:   Admin's OOC Posts

[ ... ] — SAVANT.

— A person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar. — re:   Ori

[ ... ] — SANCTUARY.

— A sacred place. Any place of refuge; asylum. — re:   honorwinning

[ ... ] — SCION.

— A descendant. — re:   Frodo Baggins

[ ... ] — sempiternal.

— Everlasting; eternal. — re:   Thorin II Oakenshield & Bilbo Baggins

[ ... ] — sentiment.

— An attitude toward something; regard; opinion. — re:   PSAs

[ ... ] — SLANDER.

— A malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report. — re:   Hate Mail

[ ... ] — tête à tête.

— A private conversation or interview, usually between two people. — re:   Messages

[ ... ] — usurper.

— One who seizes and holds (a position, office, power, etc.) by force or without legal right — One who uses without authority or right — re:   Smaug the Golden

[ ... ] — valorous.

— Courageous; valiant; brave. — re:   Fili, son of Vili

[ ... ] — venturous.

— Having or showing a disposition to undertake risky or dangerous activities; daring. — re:   Kili, son of Vili

[ ... ] — verdure.

— Greenness, especially of fresh, flourishing vegetation. — re:   Nature

[ ... ] — vindictive.

— Disposed or inclined to revenge; vengeful. — re:   Thranduil Oropherion

[ ... ] — wanderlust.

— A Merriweather, innate desire to rove or travel about. — re:   Places

[ ... ] — wayfarer.

— A traveler, especially on foot. — re:   Belladonna Baggins

[ ... ] — wise.

— Having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion. — Possessed of or characterized by scholarly knowledge or learning; learned; erudite. — re:   Balin, son of Fundin

THE RINGWINNER MAIN VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: 51 LOCATION: Erebor

An open-ended verse in which Bilbo returns to the Shire after his journey. Whether he stays or goes is up to the thread's discretion.

THE WILD CHILD THE CHILDHOOD VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: From 1-33 LOCATION: The Shire

The lost years, in which Bilbo serves as the local black sheep of Hobbiton. Curious, naive, and somewhat invasive, he wishes to learn all he can about the land beyond his homestead's borders.

THE BAGGINS THE PRE-QUEST VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: From 33-50 LOCATION: The Shire

Properly tamed, Bilbo Baggins lauds the title of one of the most respectable Hobbits in the Shire. He has little to no interest in associating himself with anything to do with adventures, thank you, and would especially rather not deal with troublesome wizards or barbarous Dwarves.

THE TOOK THE QUEST VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: 50 LOCATION: Variable

Baggins or Took? Bilbo struggles with compensating his two warring mindsets as he acquaints himself with the world outside of the Shire -- and the Dwarves who have led him straight into it.

THE DEBAUCHER THE MODERN VERSE

ALIAS: BARNABAS Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: London // Variable

Beck is a boarding school baby and is set to inherit his father's investments. He's savvy and bears formidable intelligence -- but lacks direction in his life. He fills the void by seeking thrills and letting his imagination run wild, and co-heads Durin Corporation, a security conglomerate, with his partner Thorin Oakes.

THE RENEWAL THE GOD VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo, God of Renewal AGE: Variable LOCATION: Variable

Charming, spirited and not the least bit cunning, the God of Renewal spends half the year tending to the livelihood of fields and forests. The other half, however, sees his life spiral into welcome darkness, where Bilbo is known as Consort and formidable lord of the dead.

THE RAVENCLAW THE HARRY POTTER VERSE

ALIAS: BARNABAS Beckett Baggins AGE: Variable LOCATION: Often, Hogwarts

A clever Ravenclaw who tends toward Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures, but has a strange affinity for the Dark Arts in later years. He's also got a knack for Charms.

THE SUNCHASER THE STAR TREK VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

Wherein Beckett holds a career in Starfleet as second in command under his captain, Thorin.

THE CORSAIR THE PIRATE VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

Beckett seeks his cousin, Dominick Baggins, formerly under the employ of the King's Navy and now missing for several months. He will do anything, include stow away on pirate ships, in order to find him. Swords and bar fights haven't stopped him yet.

THE 411 THE UNDERGROUND VERSE

ALIAS: [REDACTED] AGE: [REDACTED] LOCATION: London / Variable

He is cunning, shrewd, and greatly enjoys his ability to run people in circles. His loyalties are hard to pinpoint and his services come at a high price. If one wants information from him, they've got to intrigue him first -- be it a solved riddle or an exceedingly lavish gift. secrets are his trade, and he is not willing to part with them easily. Often he can be found working as an informant for the highest bidder -- unless they win him over completely, that is.

THE KNIGHT THE KINGSMAN VERSE

ALIAS: Percival AGE: 33 LOCATION: London / Variable

❝ After the death of his father, Percival's mother takes him to the forests where she raises him ignorant to the ways of men until the age of fifteen. Eventually, however, a group of knights passes through his wood, and Percival is struck by their heroic bearing. Wanting to be a knight himself, the boy leaves home to travel to King Arthur's court. After proving his worthiness as a warrior, he is knighted and invited to join the Knights of the Round Table." ----LE CONTE DU GRAAL

In which Beckett Baggins takes up the mantle of Sir Percival, rectifying the wrongs of the world with panache and aplomb.

THE SURVIVOR THE WALKING DEAD VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

He used to co-own the most profitable business in the world, but it's all gone to shit and they operate on a new kind of currency. Separated from the man he loves, Beck's ongoing mission is to locate Thorin Oakes. His weapon of choice? One reliable dagger and all the cunning a multi-millionaire can still afford.

THE INSPECTOR THE GARGOYLES VERSE

ALIAS: Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: London

Detective Inspector Beckett Baggins isn't really surprised to be thrown off of the Eyrie Building on an investigation. What does surprise him is the winged, beclawed creature who snatches him right out of the sky -- and proceeds to offer him a story his inner novelist could never resist.

THE INSPECTOR THE GARGOYLES VERSE

ALIAS: BARNABAS Beckett Baggins AGE: 33 LOCATION: Variable

Beckett is The Ghostwriter, who can bring ideas to life with the flourish of a pen and turn invisible at will. He uses his powers as he sees fit and tends not to be persuaded into teamwork, preferring to set forth his own sense of justice.

THE DUALITY THE BBC SHERLOCK VERSE

ALIAS: John H. Watson AGE: early 30s LOCATION: London

In which Bilbo Baggins is John Watson, and John Watson is Bilbo Baggins. ...Wait. That can't be right, can it?

Too bad he can't remember.

( Based on this plot. )

THEY LOOK SO SHARP, THEY LOOK LIKE ONE THE QUINTUPLET VERSE

ALIAS: Bilbo Baggins AGE: Variable LOCATION: The Shire

One Bilbo Baggins is quite more than enough for Middle Earth to handle. Four is just overkill.

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Bug Type

Oh boy, it is indeed TIME for the finale of all these type reviews. Covering my absolute favorite type of them all: Bug!

I had always had a loving fascination with insects and arthropods since I was a young child. I'd not be shy to let them crawl on me so long as they weren't outright menacing like a particularly dangerous spider or some variety of ant with some mean chompers. I was THAT KID that caught caterpillars, fed them until they became butterflies, and then let them go. The kid that tried (and sadly failed) to keep an ant farm. I only kill bugs in my house that are being particularly invasive (and even then I always feel awful doing it); the rest I just escort outside. I don't care what any “whoa kill it with FIRE!!!!” kinda commenter says, spiders are pretty much welcome to stay in my room.

How sad is it that as I see it, one of the perks of having an outdoors day-job is I regularly get to make friends with insects?

Point is, bugs are good. They're good for the environment, and important to Pokemon's history itself. The man credited with creating Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri, cited the major inspiration for Pokemon being his childhood memories of collecting bugs. OF COURSE bug would get its own dedicated element in this sort of RPG! As well as being one of the more populated types in the series.

It's just sad that it's not exactly THE most meta type out there. It's weak to a lot of types that are bad to be weak to like Fire, Rock, and Flying, but don't have much in the way of resistances or type advantages. The one real perk they have resistance-wise is blocking Fighting. They're at least good against some types that are handy to have a counter to. Either way, I pretty much CAN'T go a whole playthrough without picking up a bug buddy. It's impossible.

It also comes to light to me that, when you look over the whole roster of buggies like this, it turns out not one Bug is really designed to be “gross” or unappealing outright. I mean, I guess shed cicada skin can be uncomfortably crusty to the touch, but other than that, hmm. Nah, the closest we get is “arthropod menace” and that's about it. How do was have a COCKROACH Pokemon in the series at this point and the type is more or less squeaky clean as ever?! I guess I kinda do appreciate that Gamefreak rather legitimately celebrates insects as some really neat and fascinating creatures. Bugs aren't gross, they're cool! Bugs aren't nasty, they're neat! It's heartwarming to know a series as big as Pokemon sees insects and arthropods in more or less the same light as I do. Heck, I'm sure you could credit the series to warming up PLENTY of other people to be less squeamish toward bugs. Or at the very least think twice before they go squashing one that's minding its own business.

...That said, I wouldn't say no to them making more gross-looking bugs.

Top 10 Favorite Bug Types:

HNNNGH. This is too difficult. I can't. I gotta highlight more.

The Other Top Favorites:

There. My heart is a little more at peace now.

The Bottom 10 Least Favorite Bug Types:

Okay Fine

The 10 Bug Types I Wish Were A Little Bit Better:

Because the only Bugs in the whole type that just outright aren't my jam are Volbeat and Illumise, and that's it. The rest have just a little tidbit or two that I'd change or do a slight redesigning outright to get em to be up to par with other Bugs. Additional mention to Mega Heracross just because I'd almost rather Mega Heracross was its own, unique Pokemon instead of an alternate form of Heracross.

The Cutest:

Gen 5 is so good with adorable Bugs oh my goodness.

The Coolest:

The Prettiest:

The Spookiest:

...See what I mean? There is a CRIMINAL lack of spooky bugs in the Bug type!

Weirdest/Most Unique:

Shuckle is still a mystery.

Most Inventive Use of the Type:

How many times have I gushed about Shedinja's design throughout this whole review series? It's hard to make “the fact that it's a Bug” a real inventive thing by itself since it's a rather matter-of fact state of being for monsters like this. But these bunch in particular REALLY take advantage of their bughood and really show the designers at Gamefreak did their homework or just in general had some really neat ideas. Araquanid being a reverse of a real-life diving bell spider, a mosquito that sucks blood to increase its FLEXING capabilities, a cockroach that is a self-grooming neat freak just like real cockroaches are. Escavalier and Accelgor lumped together because of their specific interaction reflecting a real-life interaction between a beetle and its snail prey; albeit the ending is a little bit happier for this snail than in real life. Kricketune is a sadly unsung little stroke of minor genius in how a violin beetle gets to actually BE a violinist that plays its own violin body. Kricketune's just overshadowed by its own memey cry, sadly.

The Buggiest of them All:

I'm always perfectly fine with stylized body types when it comes to bugs, but I can also take a moment to appreciate the Bug types that are convincingly insectoid. Plus y’know. It helps when the odd bug type has the correct number of legs.

BUG TYPE WISH LIST:

NOTE: These Type Wishlists were written out before any news on new Pokemon from Sword and Shield. The Pokemon revealed over time will not affect these wishlists. Just to present them unaltered despite spoilers and in the interest of getting the wishlist out there, and to see which items on said wishlists get fulfilled by Sword and Shield!

[Inhale]

A Grasshopper/Cricket:

Despite their english names, Kricketot and Kricketune aren't actually crickets, but are actually moreso designed after beetles. So we've still yet to have any true orthoptera species of insect in Pokemon yet!! And that is a CRIME because Grasshoppers and Crickets are criminally underrated just because they're fairly common insects. God I could comprise of list of just some neat orthoptera I like. You could even kill two birds with one stone here by having an inter-species evolutionary line where a cricket evolves into a grasshopper!

Termites:

I'm still bummed Durant's evolutionary path is painfully underwhelming compared to actual ants. Where's like, the Queens?! And big-headed Majors?!? Either an expansion of Durant's current forms or a new set of Termite-mons would be really nice!

A Fly:

How weird is it that we've still yet to get a common house fly?! We technically have Cutiefly, but I'd love to see a more traditional-looking house fly. Or any other number of fly species if you're feeling adventurous!

A More Traditional Mosquito:

Buzzwole is absolute gold and I don't at all mind it, but I'm still feeling a bit of an itch (hah) for a more traditional looking mosquito. My first shot at making a mosquito monster in the form of my own Fakemon was incorporating the aquatic larval form as a scuba-diver that eventually evolves into a water-drinking and squirting big mosquito. MAINLY because I didn't think Gamefreak would ever even slightly elude to blood if they ever made a mosquitomon, yet here we are.

A Wheel Bug/Assassin Bug in general:

I just point out Wheel Bugs because they're easily my favorite kind of assassin bug, distinguished by the big gear-shaped hump on their back. But I'd love any assassin bug, really. Just look at their goofy faces.

A Giraffe Weevil:

I'm sure tons of people have seen pictures of this thing around the internet. And if you still haven't there it is. You will lay your eyes on this stupid thing and you will immediately understand why we needed a Giraffe Weevil Pokemon like, four generations ago.

A Bombardier Beetle:

While it may not look like much of the surface, this beetle is packing a venomous spray that it ejects from its abdomen to ward off predators! We could always use more Bug/Fire types, so why not pick this thing up and a flame-spewing or actual-bomb-chucking beetle!

A Dragonhead Caterpillar:

There is an irritating lack of insectoid dragons in the Pokedex that are actually classified as insects. You passed up DRAGONflies multiple times, guys! So fine, I guess I gotta pull out a more obscure wish; one of these bad boys! The Dragonhead Caterpillar is easily one of the sickest looking caterpillars out there, and totally befitting a Bug/Dragon type as is! The one sad thing about this is, like the antlions, it's another case where something's larval stage is a lot more neat looking than its adult form; for A Dragonhead Caterpillar would eventually become one of these:

...Yeah, while the Plain Nawab is pretty, its significantly less impressive looking than its caterpillar form, huh? Still no reason you couldn't just elect to give us a draconian butterfly while you're also at it! I guess I wouldn't be TOO upset even if an official Pokemon version of this bug wound up with a more fun base stage than its final stage.

Any Wooly Caterpillar:

I don't care which one you pick, a big ol fuzzy caterpillar is something CRIMINALLY missing from Pokemon at the moment!!

A Devil's Flower Mantis:

Mantids are some of the micro-world's coolest monsters. It's a shame then that the three mantid monsters in Pokemon so far are 1. A lizard with some mantis parts on, 2. More of a lobster, and 3. Not actually a mantis. And that sadly the latter means orchid mantids are out. While I'd be overjoyed to see any new mantis Pokemon, I think a Devil's Flower Mantis would be my personal go-to for a new mantis. It's just so god dang WICKED looking!

This Mind-Controlled Snail:

Because this thing has to be demonstrated in gif form to really portray the oddity of what's going on here. Although, the description is on the gross side, so here's a fair warning to skip past if you're squeamish.

This particular species of parasitic flatworm preys on snails. When they're eaten up by these unsuspecting mollusks, they'll soon find themselves getting their brain taken over by the pulsating worms that wriggle inside the snail's now-bloated eyestalks precisely to make the snail more enticing to birds to eat. Not only that, but the parasite also hijacks the snail's brain. Snails normally prefer damp and dark areas where they're relatively well-hidden away from any predators. These parasites force the snail into bright and wide-open areas like the tops of bushes specifically to make it as easy a meal as possible. They multiply in the bird's stomach before beginning the cycle anew when the bird, ahem, “drops” them off.

Obviously there's a lot of parallels to draw here from this and Parasect. But heck to it if I'd say no to a new, freaky mind-controlled hypno-snail. It'd be such a cool effect on an ingame model to see their eyes pulsating in color. You could even go ahead and make it a candidate for our first Bug/Psychic type!

A Stick Bug:

It's not super pressing that one gets in. I just think stick bugs are neat.

A Black Widow:

I know we got Ariados, but something feels missing from the spider roster in that we don't have a traditional creepy crawly-type spider. A Black Widow is about the most stereotypically creepy spider out there, but I'd love to see it for its potential either way.

A Peacock Spider:

One more spider while we're on the subject of spiders. And offset a spooky spider with a cute one! There's all sorts of fun takes to have on a peacock spiders.

A Pelican Spider:

No hold up. Wait a second. One more spider because I had literally discovered this thing as I was writing this very list. Look at this thing. Look at this spider. What the hell. What the actual hell. What is happening. What. I want one now.

APPARENTLY this Pelican Spider is a species of spider that specifically evolved to eat other spiders. Its weirdly long “neck” and extended mandibles are designed to keep its prey at a long length away from itself so they the spiders it catches can't retaliate with their own bites. That's so neat. I could see how you can intemperate that into a gameplay sense; make it specialize in biting moves and have an ability that makes all biting moves no longer make contact. Maybe that's not HUGE but.

A Dobsonfly:

Again, no pressing reason I can think of other than dobsonfly are underrated, and getting a nice Pokemon to go with em would be cool.

Gah, there's probably a good billion or so I could continue to think up but I SUPPOSE it's gotta stop at some point.

“How on Earth did we wind up with some internet person talking about insects for about half an hour's worth of reading?”

ANYWAY, that's the final of the type reviews. Sword and Shield are just two weeks away, believe it or not. It’ll be a while before I’m back into the funk of making reviews. As I’ve said before, I’d like to take a month or two to really absorb all the new Pokemon they have on offer. For a brief little preview-opinion, the new Pokemon are overall pretty dang good so far. There’s already a couple I’ll be excited to talk about, but if preview event-goers are to be believed, there's’ apparently a TON of new Pokemon to look forward to.

ANYWAY Future-talk:

I dunno if I’ll do something in the meantime review-wise. I would go back to look at the recently discovered Beta Pokemon from Red and Green and Gold and Silver, but I feel like I’ve not got a ton to add to that conversation in particular. (Literally the only hot take I can really come up with is the Baby Vulpix is kinda lame)

I MIGHT look into doing character design reviews for some non-Pokemon properties. I felt like it was eventually gonna happen at some point, I’m just not sure about it happening YET given SwSh are so close and once I’m ready for those reviews I’d have to put the non-Pokemon project on hold. Tell me what sorta series y’all would like to hear my thoughts on for character design. My personal biggest candidates are looking at the creatures from the Pikmin series, the various boss characters from all the various Mega Man games, and looking over the Champions from League of Legends, as well as reviewing the monster cards of Yu-Gi-Oh.

Mega Man would probably be the easiest. Robot Masters don’t exactly require deep analysis to critique their designs. (Though that wouldn’t stop me from getting rambly.) It wouldn’t be until the X, Zero, ZX, and Battle Network/Starforce series that the designs get crazy detailed.

YGO and Pikmin would be easy too, the only issue would be figuring out a format for what order to do them in.

League would easily be the hardest to do. Cause being the completionist that I am, I would want to cover EVERYTHING. Old versions of the characters, NEW versions, as well as every single skin. The problem is figuring out an order to put it all in. The easiest would just to do iit in alphabetical order and cover the skins of each champ as we come across them. But I’d ideally like to do everything in chronological order. Start with the first 40 champions and then pan out to cover each one in order of release, skins included. It’s just really difficult to find a consistent timeline on League content, especially for skins. I dunno. That’d be something I’d have to look into.

Either way, no matter what I end up going with, I’ll see you next time!

[Archive]

[okdr]

It’s been ages since I did wishlists for upcoming years... 

http://okdr.tumblr.com/post/41860497912/pledis-keeps-granting-some-of-my-wishes

http://okdr.tumblr.com/post/26852227853/my-pledis-2012-wish-list-updated-july-9th-added

So long that Pledis has changed a lot since then. I stopped doing wishlists when I saw music promotions for After School weren’t being granted, Hello Venus joint project became Fantagio’s group without Ara & Yoonjo, and NU’EST wasn’t getting the LOVE they deserved translated into album sales... I was also tired of hoping for a SEVENTEEN debut date in vane. I mean, that I knew they would debut eventually, but just keeping high expectations for a certain period, was frustrating, so I decided it was better to just chill meanwhile. This 2017 started with a blow and sad decision that ended up being for the best: NU’EST JR, Minhyun, Baekho and Ren taking part in survival music show contest, Produce 101. I wasn’t fearing at all for SEVENTEEN or PRISTIN, not even for After School, a group I had the theory Pledis is just waiting for the right to to declare it dissolved or to blow us with a revamp (both possibilites are there, but I believed more the first one). The year has been satisfactory enough for me. I am not going to complain as a Playgirlz, the only thing that bugged me was Pledis complete omission of After School’s 8th Year Anniversary. They are still keeping the brand and the remaining members, even if they don’t use the name when they introduce themselves (or some rather use Orange Caramel’s), it was an ugly move towards the fans whom are still supporting them. However, this year Pledis did the right thing to follow up to Han Dong Geun’s success and to properly reward BUMZU -whom might had sign under them with a promise of seeing his singing career re-launched if he worked as a producer for their acts first- with single releases and a final mini-album. Yes, we quite didn’t have official notices until recently on his releases, but in the end, Pledis stood up and did what was expected if they want BUMZU to have a succesful singing career. Even Raina got promotions! Which is more than I previously expected earlier this year. Oh, and NANA kept taking big steps into her acting career and RENEWED her contract with Pledis. That certaintly made my year. I was debating whether I’d do a 2018 Wishlist or not, because it’s been ages since I used to do that, but This year has settled such high standards for Pledis that I need to do it. MY 2018 WISHLIST: 1.The remaining Orange Caramel members to also renew their contracts.

I won’t say I have high hopes. I always kept my hopes for Raina, but this year Lizzy has been posting on SNS like she felt leaving Pledis was something bound to happen when her contract expires. It doesn’t necessarily mean she will or that she trully meant what she said whenever hinting at Pledis not caring much to give her work to do. NANA surprised me because, after Uee’s decision, I thought that maybe none of the AS girls whom had solo careers launched (acting, modeling or singing) saw the perks of staying at Pledis. 2.For Pledis to keep giving NANA reasons to renew after 2 years. I read that’s the longest she’s signed up for. It looks like she’s giving them a chance to step up their game as agents for her acting career. People whom love to follow dramas and actors often point out that Pledis isn’t a strong company in that department, however, they have always managed to launch their idols into performing for dramas and even movies. The key point is getting them into bigger roles for bigger succesful dramas and movies to become more influential in that world. 3.For all acts to be healthy, on leave members to come back.

And no more drama on SNS regarding anything or anyone. Certaintly, no more FAT-shaming. See what Bekah experienced from K-netizens repeat once again with Kyla trully made me sick. Especially after K-netizens played such a huge role into Oh My Girls’ JinE’s relapse to anorexy.  Minghao also hope his back injury heals and he takes proper care from now on, because injuries can always come back. 4.For Pledis to keep doing what they did right during this 2017.

Seriously, they don’t even need to step up their game. Just to follow the path they’re walking right now. And, yes, to not screw up (again) this time. Keep that expensive new website up-to-date for once. 5.For fans to unite even more and to support with whatever means are at each one’s reach BUMZU. I do believe he deserves it. He works so hard for everyone at Pledis, he sings beautifully, he deserves some of that love he gives back. I also believe that Han Dong Geun doesn’t need any special extra support, he’s just adorkable and he does have a huge fan-base in South Korea (or so it seems), plus he’s in a niche-market and still manages to sell decently. 6.Give us more Happy Pledis interaction. Heaven deserves an MV. But I guess we should give the Dance Practice more views first, don’t you think? I don’t believe Pledis will invest their money into releasing that song if the DP video doesn’t go trully viral. This post’s photo is my personal suggestion LOL, but other convos are welcomed. 7.If AS are going to come back (Kpopalypse predicts it, and he’s a good predictor), not to be a random and badly planned one. Otherwise, I rather have them not promoting with music.

Quoting Playboyz Adam, 

This fandom doesn't want an After School comeback, this fandom just wants a comeback with After School members.

Which I do find to have a certain truth. People are desperate to see the remaining members back with some music, but it really doesn’t equal that people want what the group, AS, was created for and stands for to come back with music. Which could imply new additions or even some graduations. I also don’t want just whatever song and concept to be chosen for a come back. If AS are bound to come back, I want the whole company and the involved members to profoundly think about what are they going to bring into the table and to do it in order for the group concept to continue in this new era. Not a come back to keep us content for a short while that would probably don’t get the results we all need for AS to keep existing in this new K-Pop. I don’t want a Rainbow 2.0 happen. 8.Is Yoonjo trully there? Think wisely what are you going to do with her then. I think she’s out of The Unit, isn’t she? (Couldn’t find her name anymore nor her face in the performances). I wouldn’t mind her joining AS if needed. Just don’t waste the girl a second time around if it’s true she’s under you again. 9.Open new subscriptions for your FC! Selfishly, I missed ㄴ.ㅇ.ㅅ.ㅌ. ‘s second recruitment this year (hadn’t the money either), and I waited for ages to be able to join that FC, along to Playgirlz... I am not sure if recruitment has happened for HIGH’s yet (and don’t know if DONNI’s works the same).CARATs, we sort of assumed (?) this year that we shall renew that yearly (?). 10.For the fandoms to be respectful with each other. Acknowledge that each act has worked its own path and no-one trully owes the other nothing for the hard work they’ve put into their training and debut.  Investments and funds trully don’t work on just milking a single act, not ever since Son Dambi. She was the one whom spent a certain time being the only idol under Pledis’ roof, helping the company to take shape thanks to her success (that obviosuly attracted investments to develop future projects). While your favs were making money, AS members were also working their arses with solo stuff or even group promotions overseas, some even bringing in huge amounts of money thanks to their CM deals (Uee, Juyeon, NANA...) and NU’EST were being overworked in Japan. They owe you nothing. Of course without SEVENTEEN’s success, probably Pledis wouldn’t had never planned to debut a large group like PRISTIN afterwards, but the girls also paved their own path competing in Produce 101 and training for even longer that some of SEVENTEEN members, so hating on them is like hating on NU’EST because some people  believed Uee was sustainting the whole company back when NU’EST debuted. You don’t have to like all the acts under Pledis, but disrespecting them and throwing your ignorance on them at the Net (usually hateful comments show a complete ignorance on the hated subject), only brings your hate right back at you and your whole fandom, plus helps shaping a certain image of unwanted fandom among others. Besides it is rude to the fans that support more than one act or the whole lot. That also applies to non-Pledis’ acts’ fandoms. Fanwars between company factions are always trully ugly to see.

[pctaldrunk]

today on ro is stealing plots from shitty internet novels again - I need double transmigration into a transmigration novel au. Like...A transmigrates into a novel as a minor villain where the original main character is a transmigrator. They decide the only way they're going to survive is to join forces with the major villain (tm) and yeet the mc. Then they go see the major villain and the major villain is so ooc A is like...hello...aRE YOU FROM MY TIME PERIOD??? and the major villain, B - literally starts crying of relief bc wTF FINALLY A FRIEND -

and then they work together to Survive (tm) the plot.

[pctaldrunk]

i have a sudden and intense craving for “they’re on the run together for some reason (maybe they each have their own reasons, maybe they’re not entirely sure of each other’s reasons, maybe they just don’t really want to talk about it) and don’t necessarily trust each other completely but have to set aside their differences, bridge their traumas and try to work together. eventually they slowly start trusting each other, maybe fall into a routine, and it’s easier and maybe a little domestic.” + some bonus “they open up about their vulnerabilities and end up becoming fairly close friends/found fam/ maybe making out in a dingy motel bathroom, idk, that’s entirely up to the muses, I’m not gonna stop em”

[pctaldrunk]

sometimes u read some books n u just start needing that good court revenge bullshit so uh hit me up if you’re down for a (probably v specific im so sorry we can tweaK ALL THE THINGS I PROMISE) scenario : 

muse a and muse b have known each other since birth, pretty much, and are both from important/powerful families that have a lot of status/influence in court. the families are close - possibly one is indebted to the other, possibly they have always held power/peerage in neighboring places and helped each other out, possibly one is loyal to the other, we can work out how they’re connected later.  muse a and muse b are childhood friends. their parents are simultaneously important and yet a threat to the emperor/people in charge (very likely both military families with a lot of sway in court).  

muse a’s family, at some point, becomes too much of a threat and is wrongfully accused/set up for treason/some other crime and everyone’s wiped out - only muse a survives, either by chance or else because the royal family wants insurance/to appear merciful. regardless - muse b/muse b’s family takes in and hides muse a. over the years, muse b helps muse a with their plans of revenge, including helping them come up with a fake identity and re-entering court to look for clues/evidence/make political moves. they trust each other most and keep each other relatively sane, even if they sometimes disagree on how to go about handling matters.

and also, building off that same set up: muse c is a member of the royal family that was also childhood friends w/ muse a and muse b. they’re personally innocent re: muse a’s family’s demise. they’re convinced that muse a is dead/imprisoned and so this person must just be someone else, but find themselves drawn to muse a upon their return, even if they can’t put their finger on why. muse a is specifically interacting with muse c because muse c is a step in their revenge plan, even though sometimes they feel bad about using muse c.

some fun bonus tropes: someone could have an incurable illness that stems from trauma an old sickness, the country could suddenly go to war, muse a could be found out, etc. etc.

and finally: if not platonic, all of that can be flavored with some leg of arranged-marriage-that-has-been-in-place-since-birth. for the ship vibes honestly i would ship all three as an ot3 or a/b or a/c. b/c is interesting by itself but we could work on it till it worked.

[pctaldrunk]

Muse A has a crush on Muse C, so they hire Muse B to write Muse C love letters. Maybe as Muse A and B get closer, Muse A realizes maybe they actually like Muse B and no longer wants to pursue Muse C and/or Muse B realizes they like Muse A and have to keep it quiet bc they think Muse A wants to be with Muse C. Or - maybe as Muse B and Muse C exchange letters they realize they Understand Each Other on a Different Level. Maybe all three of them end up getting to know each other. Maybe they all (or some) fall in love, and obviously pining and confusion on literally every end ensues -

[pctaldrunk]

u kno what i suddenly need...star athlete and reporter aus  

jaded/worn out current events/crime/political/social/other heavy topic etc. journalist fucking up an assignment and being delegated to the sports column for the season as punishment v.s. bright-eyed bushy-tailed upstart/rising star of xyz sports field that they’re assigned to covering.

jaded/worn out maybe-considering-retirement living legend who has struggles and a real human life and maybe other pursuits they’ve been neglecting beneath the glistening surface v.s. the bright eyed busy-tailed reporter who is maybe-possibly-kind of-oops a fan showing up to do a documentary on their life and realizing the expectation vs reality is wildly different. 

bright-eyed bushy-tailed young upstarts in both sports and reporting having a season of interviews where they just vibe and they’re not quite sure if they can also vibe as people and what it would mean for either of their lives. growing together over the years/seasons as people and professionally and weathering all the problems that come with their worlds while maintaining their relationship.

[pctaldrunk]

amusement park dates. that’s all.

[pctaldrunk]

i never get off my train but fam...currently I have a Craving For Romance...

[pctaldrunk]

 - legitimately being inspired by dash now (thank you, brilliant friends) but - gimme some kind of reverse time travel/transmigration au where in a flash of light or smth someone in fucking, armor and armed with certified dangerous spiritual weapon crashes through your coffee table in the living room while you’re having breakfast and you just. are forced to house them for the foreseeable future because what are you gonna do, turn this disaster on the world??? and keep them from wreaking havoc and try to help them integrate into your world/time. shenanigans ensue, obviously.

[pctaldrunk]

Also...double the need for that h.ualian? x.l and someone??? A.nastasia au now...please...

[pctaldrunk]

so remember when I said Sometimes I Just Want to Angst My Muses...yeah so I need an exes dynamic where they used to be secret? or at least on-the-downlow lovers who chose to separate (maybe it’s a one-sided decision maybe it’s mutual idk I’m flexible) because their circumstances or duty demands it or because they Can’t Live Like This Anymore, even though their feelings say they don’t want to. Just a dynamic where one Puts This Love Second Place on their list of priorities and the other person Gets It but Doesn’t Want to Live Like That, and either or both were like “what if we didn’t do this anymore.” because there’s nothing to do about it other than stop seeing each other. They’re Obviously Hurt And Bitter And Unhappy About it (and they’re valid to be honestly), but have to act normally around each other / Some Type of Way Around Each other, idk, mostly I’m here for the “oh, i’m seeing you 20 years down the line at your wedding, looks like you got the life you wanted” vibes. The knows this person so well but? perhaps not anymore?/can’t show it in public, have to pretend to be strangers. Vibes.

[pctaldrunk]

u know what i need. rental relationship aus. rental bfs/gfs. rental siblings. rental friends. rental parents. rental daughters/sons (OF AGE OBVIOUSLY, child labor not good).