#you're more pokemon than human at this point

[carlyraejepsans]

for real WHERE does the idea that [utdr humans] are nongendered so that "you can project on them" come from. their literal character arcs are about NOT being a blank slate to be filled in by the audience

i think i understand the assumption on some level for undertale, because there is a very intentional effort to make you identify with the "player character" in order to make your choices feel like your own (the beating heart of undertale's metanarrative lies in giving you an alternative path to violence against its enemies after all, and whether you're still willing to persue it for your own selfish reasons. YOUR agency is crucial).

of course, the cardinal plot twist of the main ending sweeps the rug from under your feet on that in every way, and frisk's individuality becomes, in turn, a tool to further UT's OTHER main theme: completionism as a form of diegetic violence within the story. replaying the game would steal frisk's life and happy ending from them for our own perverse sentimentality, emotionally forcing our hand away from the reset button.

i think their neutrality absolutely aids in that immersion. but also, there's this weird attitude by (mostly) cis fans where it being functional within the story makes it... somehow "editable" and "up to the player" as well? which is gross and shows their ass on how they approach gender neutrality in general lol.

but also like. there's plenty of neutral, non PCharacters in undertale and deltarune. even when undertale was just an earthbound fangame and the player immersion metanarrative was completely absent, toby still described frisk as a "young, androgynous person". sometimes characters are just neutral by design. it's not that hard to understand lol.

anyone who makes this argument for kris deltarune is braindead. nothing else to say about it.

[yanderes-galore]

Can I request platonic Mewtwo hc’s? Maybe Mewtwo could also communicate with its trainer through telepathy, similar to the anime.

Ohhh, Mewtwo could be fun! Sorry for the long wait :)

Overprotective! Mewtwo Concept

Pairing: Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective behavior, Manipulation, Mind reading, Violence, Murder, Blood, Slight gore, Forced companionship.

Before meeting you, Mewtwo spent most of its life in isolation.

It was created from Mew's DNA to be a weapon... a powerful Pokemon devoid of compassion.

When it escaped the labs, creating destruction where ever it went, it fled into one of the deepest caves in the Kanto region.

Mewtwo didn't expect to be found... It didn't want to be found.

Humans only caused trouble....

But then, years later, he met you.

You were Kanto's newest "Champion" who had heard rumors of a rare Pokemon deep in Cerulean Cave.

Once you managed to surf your way through to the cave and crawl deep within... you were greeted with Mewtwo.

Mewtwo wasn't fond of you, the idea of humans still finding it down here irked it.

"You are a foolish human to come down and find me."

The voice of the Pokemon rings in your head, its tail flicking.

"Begone with you!"

So battle ensues.

Your team was trained to deal with strong threats like this so you mostly handled things quite well.

By the end of it, a ball was tossed and Mewtwo was sealed.

Your "bond" with the legendary starts rocky.

Mewtwo was used to violence and being used.

It often ignored you and the little communication it did in your head with telepathy was usually cruel.

You often tried to get along, feeding the Pokemon and trying to touch it.

Mewtwo usually batted your hand away with a snarl.

"Stop trying to be nice! I am at your command, aren't you going to use me for your pitiful ideals?"

However, no matter how cruel Mewtwo was with you... You were never cruel back.

Mewtwo often observed how you treated your own team.

Despite how strong they were trained, it was done with care.

Mewtwo never understood compassion...

Not until it grew closer with you.

You surprisingly rarely used Mewtwo in battle.

You stuck with your team but kept Mewtwo around.

It had no idea for what... for chatter?

Why do you enjoy talking to it?

Mewtwo wonders if you know about its true nature.

Did you know that it's killed before?

Are you naive?

Mewtwo had no idea why it even decided to play along with this.

Did it really enjoy your company?

You treated it more like a fellow human than Pokemon.

You often wanted it to speak with you through telepathy... and it felt comfortable with this.

Mewtwo eventually began to see you as a companion.

You were technically its master, but it didn't see you like that.

Soon enough the powerful legendary even allowed you to pet it.

It felt nice... it has trouble admitting that.

Mewtwo has a vague sense of what compassion is, but it's still a weapon.

Compassion is only given to you and maybe some of your Pokemon.

You have tamed Mewtwo for the most part.

However... all that comes crumbling down the moment you're attacked by Team Rocket.

Mewtwo already had issues with other trainers.

The Pokemon would glare at those you communicated with, still not used to human contact.

Although, Team Rocket was a group Mewtwo couldn't cooperate with at all.

Mewtwo remembers what they did to it.

Which is why when it senses you in danger and comes out of its ball... the Pokemon freezes.

Team Rocket heard that the Champion had managed to tame Mewtwo and wanted to utilize that.

The thought makes Mewtwo shake.

Not from fear...

Rage.

It's at this point you lose control of the legendary

"How dare you touch them... I am not for you to use! I belong here... and I plan to stay beside them."

You can imagine that the end result isn't pretty....

Mewtwo has killed before, if you didn't know that before... this was proof.

Mewtwo doesn't feel any remorse when it attacks.

By the end of it there's corpses on the ground and Mewtwo's covered in splatters of gore.

"They'll blame you... You know that, right?"

Mewtwo's voice echoes in your mind, turning to you with a piercing purple gaze.

"Let us flee. I can find somewhere they'll never find you or me."

When you don't move, the Pokemon frowns.

"You see me as a monster, don't you, Champion?"

When you stare, Mewtwo steps closer before using telekinesis to drag you close.

The Pokemon mimics an embrace, even if you fear it.

"Let's be honest, human... I was always a monster... something that shouldn't exist..."

Mewtwo pulls you along, away from the murder scene.

"You may have changed me slightly..."

Its grip tightens as it carries you.

"But I will always be that very same monster."

[indigodiskmybeloved]

Defending Penny from Pokemon

No, Penny isn't a terrorist who's malicious and some kind of evil genius who is on the same manipulation level of Ghetsis.

This isn't an attack on the person who made the post, it's more of a counter argument. Don't harass others, and be respectful.

"Penny is a terrorist group/started on by making Team Star!!"

Penny first made Team Star as a way to combat the bullies who were well, bullying her. I am a victim of bullying myself, and Penny had more guts to stand up than I ever did.

However, it went too far, with the Team Star captains driving the bullies away. Penny REALIZED she fucked up. She realized that and told the Team Star captains that they need to stop because of how they damaged their reputation. And when that didn't work, Penny asked the MC to take down the bosses so the bullies couldn't leave in fear like she did, and the Team Star captains won't be expelled. Penny KNEW she messed up, and WANTED TO FIX IT.

If Penny was like "Oh the bullies are gone! Yay! Now let's take over the school!" Then I can understand your reaction. But she didn't act like that. She wanted to fix things.

"She really only started Team Star just so she could have a friend group of misfits like her!"

Wow, who would've thought that a group of kids who can relate to the issues of being bullied would join a team to bond together?

Seriously, human connection is a thing. Like, Penny could relate to the other outcasts in school. All of the Team Star captains were bullied, and that was something she could relate to. Like "Oh, you've been bullied! Same here!"

It wasn't just "GRRR WHY IS NO ONE MY FRIEND I AM GOING TO BECOME A TERRORIST AND MAKE THESE PEOPLE MY FRIENDS" because that's what Penny is like apparently.

Context clues and media literacy is important.

"Penny is a criminal because she hacked into the League and Deservers jail time!"

Okay, out of all the takes, this is one that I can agree on.

I do agree that Penny deserves SOME kind of pushback for hacking into the League Point system and stealing from them. However, she is still a child, albeit teenager, and should at least get something inbetween of slap on the wrist and jail time.

There are options between nothing and going nuclear. Chill.

Though, on that topic, Penny isn't gonna be like "LET'S HACK INTO THE GOVERNMENT FOR FUNSIES" because she knows that's a bad idea. The only reason she hacked into the League Point system was to give the MC LP for taking down Team Star bosses. She wasn't doing it out of malicious intent.

And she even STATED that she herself should get more of an extreme punishment. This is more a fault of the game for letting her get away rather than Penny herself saying she should get away with this.

In short, you're allowed to hate a character. But exaggerating what they did without showing the context of it all, it just makes you look bad.

If you find the original post, please don't harass them. That isn't okay.

[doubleddenden]

So the stories leaked from gen 4 development are certainly interesting, eh? I'm sure everyone has their own feelings about it- some of you are apparently ECSTATIC about fucking your Machokes. Good for you, my guy. Some are horrified, thinking something's been defiled (it is fiction and most importantly non canon, you're fine, get a grip).

Me? I think the lady (yes, it was a lady) that wrote all of these is REALLY PASSIONATE about her craft, and was also referencing real world mythos and how they portray similar instances- I think we all know that Zeus has probably done worse on all giving and receiving ends of these stories, as well as Poseidon, Loki, and probably some other myths from Europe, China, and definitely JAPAN- key word there. In fact, the Typhlosion story is probably a reference to a similar story about a badger yokai that can alter its face to appear human, and the Octillery story is definitely a reference to- well, tentacle porn is a thing for a reason that goes pretty far back as a way to get around censorship in hand painted porn. The contents of the story aren't really much different or more terrifying than mythos we'd see in the real world (or if you're in the bible belt like me, probably EXPOSED to with morning bible studies before class growing up), and it's mainly just shocking to see it in the context of Pokemon.

And I think that's kind of the point. Sinnoh is already a pretty dark region in terms of lore and myth, and has surprisingly religious undertones considering the family friendly nature of Pokemon and its general target audience. Obviously none of the horse, badger, sloth monkey, octopus, god, or... Lapras fucking made it to the final cut, although in Japan they still reference People and Pokemon being so equal at some point that they could marry- that's even kind of referenced in Legends Arceus with I think a diary written by a man kidnapped by a Froslass? its been a minute, but you probably know what I'm referencing.

I think an interesting question would be "How did we get to these terrifying stories?" Especially Typhlosion and Slakoth.

Its important to remember this: None of this was meant to see the light of day outside that office circa 2003 to 2004ish. Yeah, surprisingly you weren't supposed to see the story of a man fucking an Octillery BEFORE throwing it back out to sea in a rated E for everyone game, and you didn't! You saw it via twitter, reddit, 4chan, tumblr, discord, or your local weed guy who all spread it from someone who got it from confidential office logs we wouldn't see unless someone took that info from Game Freak's darkest depths of other secrets they'd prefer to keep hidden. Every game and media company has this, good and bad, to various degrees of sfw and not. Did you know Disney has an entire vault of actual PORN that animators would make of their own anthropomorphized characters? Locked nice and safely, too... with uh, some exceptions breaking containment, I think?

So with that being said, we understand this is meant to be privileged info only a handful of people were supposed to see. That means they can use words and stuff you normally wouldn't see- Adventure time for instance had Finn and Jake saying "fuck" in story boarding, kinda funny- because its meant to be workshopped and tinkered with, refined until you get something desirable.

In fact, creators will often propose darker ideas than what they actually want so that they can more easily talk censors into an outcome they ACTUALLY desire. Alex Hirsch did this a few times in Gravity Falls' production, and you know Disney was a bitch to deal with (although he probably didn't propose stuff like this, but you get the idea). So this being said- Obviously nobody wants a story about a Typhlosion engaging in a non-con relationship with a minor it kidnaps. Nobody wants to read a story about humans MUTILATING Slakoths for fun and then getting revenge impregnated by a Slaking, only to give birth to a Slakoth and have it killed and thus kill yourself out of grief for your lost child (people reading this without context- ho boy you guys have missed out on some crazy shit that's popped up). So what is okay from here?

Maybe a little Pokemon death after going a while without it and accruing a reputation of being safe for kids? Mention of Pokemon bones being picked clean of meat and put back into a river so it can come back reborn? Some darker undertones of Pokemon being tormented by Team Galactic? How about a story of a boy slaying Pokemon with a sword, but less detail of mutilation of Ursaring and Slakoth? All of this made it into Diamond and Pearl, didn't it? Add in a little Human and Pokemon "Marriage" that is easily scrubbed out and replaced with "eating at the same table" for the more sensitive Western audience, and you have some pretty believable, dark, somewhat uncomfortable but child friendly lore for Pokemon.

Not to mention, a lot of this was probably pitched just to get a feel of the vibe they were going for in the game. If you read back through the stories, bits and pieces end up being used in other, non Poke-fucking stories, or recontextualized. See the above.

While its certainly a relief that they're non canon, it is a rather interesting look at the development of gen 4 lore and actually makes it feel more... realistic, in a way- again, comparing it to real world mythos and religious tales. That, and honestly? The religious backstory is actually, unironically amazing- HEAVILY based on real world religion, but plenty of real world religions steal from other religions and mythos anyway (coughchristianitycough).

Its actually a bit sad, because in any other JRPG, Arceus becoming a wounded woman that an ordinary man cares for, Arceus falling in love with this man because he treated her so tenderly, bearing human twins, the twins becoming Dialga and Palkia to fight some Titan that would become Mt Coronet, and Arceus loving this man so much that she took his soul to create Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit to spread love and joy throughout the world? That would literally be INSANELY GOOD world building. Plus! Arceus was a human woman when she did this! It was also consensual! Can you imagine what the world would have been like if we had gotten not only FEMALE Arceus- god of all Pokemon universes- but also a HUMAN INCARNATION of her? And this was BEFORE Giratina came into the picture, apparently. If anything, we got robbed a bit of some deep lore and potential story telling from this being cut, imo.

But one more thing to consider is this: All the stories, even if they did make it to the final cut, would still be stories within a story. Fictional folktales within a fictional setting. If we judge the above by how relevant the ACTUAL content that made it into the games were to the actual overarching plot... It'd be overall kinda useless beyond some flavor text. That's kind of the sad fact of it. Pokemon Players especially, grown adults too, are not exactly known to be well read and some play the game by rapidly A pressing every ounce of dialog they come across, even in brand new playthroughs. I'm sure some remember that one idiot on twitter that thought he made the discovery of the century when he found Snowpoint Temple in Legends Arceus, right? So understandably, especially when you're working on a clock, on limited space, on new and unfamiliar hardware, and trying to be as broad and reachable to audiences as you can- things get cut. Even... Some of the coolest lore building of all time SERIOUSLY A FUCKING PANTHEON WHAT THE HELL.

And I lied, there is one more thing to consider, especially for anyone actually morally offended by some of the content mentioned- Keep in mind that this is in 2003 to 2005ish Japan, with Game Freak (who we know are pretty out of touch in some regards, even by today's standards), before twitter, before tumblr, during a more edgy time for... well, everyone alive at the time, and especially adults. That's 20 years ago. Some of you may not have been alive at that point (did you finish your snacks and juice, lil guy?), some of you probably had a lot of your formative education influenced by the more puritanical side of tumblr or twitter, but it was simply a different time and place. That's it. The people involved in this have moved on and have probably grown into better people, and probably haven't made more fics like this. Maybe. Who knows. It's fiction anyway, and nobody real got hurt from it, and that's what's most important at the end of the day.

So that's my thoughts on it. I think I'm more annoyed by the fact that one of my favorites got a worse Vaporeon treatment than anything, and there's possibly the risk of Nintendo/TPC/Game Freak overreacting and gatekeeping Typhlosion out of the games for a bit. Sigh. My first pokemon, man. Well, anyway, try not to take it too seriously if you see the jokes and memes about it. It'll pass.

But hey, sexy Latina Skyla is canon! Shadow the Hedgehog wins!

[diamondwerewolf]

I Also Wonder

Since AZ was an underutilized character in Pokemon XY, it's very easy to miss information about him. [I have a quick post with some bullet points on canonical details very easy to pass over if you aren't looking for info across all official materials.] Now that he will be a staple character in an expanded city, will they go in depth about his past, or still leave those previous blanks?

yes i'm gonna talk about this again i'll get to a point stick with me If you're new to him, or need a refresher:

---- AZ was the former King of Kalos from over 3'000 years ago. During his rule, a terrible war between unnamed regions broke out, in which lots of human and pokemon lives were sacrificed. It escalated so terribly, that there became a demand for more and more powerful fodder. This was at a time where pokemon were still considered tools or 'monsters' rather than creatures to be cherished and respected. Eventually, Kalos' own soldiers forcibly ceased AZ's beloved Floette, a gifted pokemon from his mother, to fight in the war. She did not return to him alive. Desperate to have his beloved partner back, AZ, who had already contributed miraculous technology to ancient society, built a crystalline machine that could harness the infinite energy of powerful pokemon, and bring her back to life. He succeeded in bringing her back, however...He was still deeply enraged with the state of affairs. The enemy and his own army be damned, he adjusted the machine, the ultimate weapon, to obliterate the war in its entirety. Friend and Foe, turned to ashes.

The price of reanimation is very steep. He was no better than the war for using pokemon lives in such a selfish way. This wasn't her partner anymore. After AZ's actions, Floette rightfully found him wicked, and left. Both cursed by the radiant energy of the machine, AZ's and Floette's life became eternal. For 3,000 years he wandered the world in search of his soul mate, until finally, at the end of pokemon XY, he battled the champion, and remembered how much he cherished pokemon. The wickedness in his heart was lifted, and with this, Floette finally returned to him again.

----

Quite a story. So what was the point in me saying all of that? There is...an entire additional subplot of the 3,000 year war that you can blink and miss. You can only find this if you take time to read books on one of the floors of Lysander's lab. The text is very brief, but the implications are significant.

What on earth...was going on between AZ and his brother. I want, more than anything, for AZ to mention something about that in PLZA. Or at least, be able to read about it somewhere. I am speculating based on what text we were given, but His unnamed brother MAY HAVE BEEN the cause of the war, and POSSIBLY the reason why AZ's own army betrayed him. I can not stress this enough, Floette's inclusion in the war was forced by Kalosian army. I assume there was some erosion of respect for the king for that level of insubordination to occur. Shouldn't something like that be forbidden?

In the Lab notes, AZ's brother was using the war to take Kalos for himself. He was so guilty after his brother disappeared, that he took it upon himself to burry the ultimate weapon. Why are you so guilty....what the hell did you do...?

The idea of 'family' and lineage is a theme I find prevalent in Pokemon XY, and I feel like they ran out of time to flush it out. I mean duh, it's 'france' kings and queens and all, but, still.

It's on the back burner when it =feels= like it's significant that all of these issues do appear to be family related. The fact that AZ and Lysandre are relatives is certainly an interesting choice, but I can't articulate what about it that makes me circle around it in wonder.

Info Text in game is stated so casually and matter of factly, but wait wait wait hold on just a fucking minute... what do you mean his own brother-

I hope that was followable ^^;

[pokemonshelterstories]

hi there, rockruff owner here. he’s getting progressively more and more hostile as time goes on, despite me not treating him any differently from usual. he’s running away from the house a lot, too, and coming back with scratches… I think he’s been training, but I can’t help but worry. I think he’s going to evolve soon, as I’ve heard these are symptoms of rockruff evolution. he’s made friends with a few lycanroc, too. should I let this continue on so he can evolve, or should I be worried about how hostile he’s being? is this normal?

it's pretty typical for rockruff to become more independent/aggressive as they grow out of the puppy stage. as they get older, they start to disperse from their social group and find their own territory, so their social behavior shifts pretty significantly. this can be worked around with proper training and enrichment, but it's not uncommon for trainers to feel like they're in over their heads.

that being said, you absolutely should not be allowing your rockruff free access to the outdoors if he's regularly escaping and coming back injured. that's not safe for him, as he could get hurt too badly to make it back home or could pick up diseases; it's not good for people or pokemon he may attack; and it's not good for you because it's encouraging his inappropriate behaviors and could result in him evolving. if you're struggling with him as a rockruff, you definitely don't want him to evolve into a much more powerful pokemon with more intense training and care needs. you also don't want wild lycanroc hanging around your house.

the first thing you need to do is restrict his access to times he's outside without supervision. even if you have a fenced in backyard, a rockruff that wants to leave will just dig his way out unless your fence is set deep into the ground. if you ever need to leave him alone for more than an hour, ball him to prevent him becoming destructive trying to leave. the next thing you need is to get a professional trainer to help you out. don't try to work with a pokemon that's actively aggressive toward you on your own. if you're going to succeed in training him, you need professional intervention at this point.

now, getting him to a point where you can work with him safely and have a good partnership is going to take a LOT of time and work. if this is getting to be too much for you and you don't think you can raise him, don't feel bad about choosing to rehome him instead. this is common with rockruff. they aren't good pokemon for beginners, and it's a shame that people are often given a rockruff when they're cute and sweet only to have to give it up when it becomes too difficult for them to train and care for. just make sure you absolutely do not release him into the wild, as he's been with humans for far too long.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Sentimonsters Vs Tropes

It's no secret that I hate the fact that Adrien is a sentimonster, but I figured I'd take a minute to clearly explain why it bothers me so much because I don't think that I've done that and I should. There's obviously the issue that he will never have true free will and that's deeply upsetting, but my dislike of this theory came long before canon made that issue clear, further fueling my hatred. My baseline dislike is routed in the heart of the theory and the tropes it's brushing up against.

There are two standard tropes that you usually see with something like the sentiplot. The first trope is the humanization of the outsider and the second is the questioning of what it means to be a valid living creature. Let's quickly define both of these.

Humanization of the Outsider

This trope takes some external group and presents them as bad. They are the irredeemable enemy who must be stopped at all costs, the lesser race who are fit to be nothing more than slaves, or some other inherent disparity that's just a base part of this world. Whatever the setup, the story then introduces a member of this external group as a key character in the story and somehow creates a connection between that character and the "good" guys. Through that connection, we come to learn that this individual is, in fact, not inherently lesser or bad or what-have-you. They are just as valid as the "good" guys. From there, we are forced to reassess our assumptions about every member of the external group. If this one individual isn't what we thought, then are any of them? For a well-known example of this, think Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon.

The point of this trope is to make people question the way they view others. To suggest that maybe you're viewing a situation through biased eyes. Is any group inherently bad/lesser or do you just not know the whole story? What have you been taught and why?

What Makes You Worthy of Life?

This trope is basically the inversion of the humanization trope. Instead of focusing on how we view others, it focuses on how we view ourselves. It says that you're valid no matter where you come from or who your parents are. That you are not defined by others or arbitrary catagories. For a well-known example of this, think of that Mewtwo line that people love to quote:

“I see now that the circumstances of one's birth are irrelevant. It is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.” ― Pokemon, The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back!

Combo Attack & Variations

Before we circle back to Miraculous, it's worth noting that these two tropes are often used in tandem. A non-human or outsider may question if they're valid and, though that struggle, teach others in-universe to question their prejudice. You can also have variations such as the non-human or outsider viewing themselves as totally valid without being part of a larger group, leading to the type of discussion that you'd expect in the humanization trope even thought, setup wise, it's more in line with the validity trope. Star Trek: The Next Generation has several episodes about this one, mostly focused around the character Data. Heck, Stark Trek hits every one of these tropes at one point or another because they're incredibly standard Sci-Fi tropes. A large amount of Sci-Fi is all about philosophical questions! This brings us back to Miraculous.

Dunking on Miraculous

When you use a standard setup like the introduction of a non-human who is supposed to be seen as human, you are joining a vast canon of literature that discusses this topic, adding your voice to thousands of others, making your statement on humanity and personal worth. Or, at least, that's what I expect to see when you introduce this type of setup. The problem with Miraculous is that it doesn't add to those conversations. There is no discussion of Adrien's worth or the worth of any other sentimonster. If anything, Miraculous has so far spat in the face of these tropes. To show you what I mean, let's look at what canon has given us from two directions.

Direction One: What makes a sentimonster valid?

Their creator. Adrien was made to live like a human and so we must treat him as one. If a sentimonster wasn't made to be equal to humans? Then no worries, go ahead and destroy them! They don't matter because their creator - aka their parent - decided that they're worthless. The circumstances of their birth define their fundamental right to exist.

Direction Two: What did finding out about their sentistatus do to Felix and Kagami's perception of their own self worth? Does finding out a sentikids' sentiness status change how others see them?

Canon seems to have no interest in even acknowledging that someone might ask these questions. Felix has known what he is for years, but doesn't seem to have any hangups about it. He wants to ensure his freedom, but that's not unique to sentimonsters or saying something about his self worth. Once he has his ring and the peacock, his lack of true free will and the whole remote-self-destruct issue don't seem to bother him. You could replace his status with any sort of magical control and get the same plot because the plot is about acquiring macguffins and nothing else.

Even Colt's abuse is only used to make Felix a sad little uwu who can't be held accountable for anything and not as a setup to Felix questioning his worth. We see Felix called "monster," but Felix has not been shown to have taken that insult to heart. He doesn't view himself as a monster. We don't even learn about the monster insult until Felix is "good." The most I can say is that there is a vague sense that Felix probably views humans as lesser, but it's hard to be sure about that based on the actual text of the show even if the word of god is that Ladybug made Felix trust humans. So that's a bust on Felix addressing this issue even though he's the best character to do it. What about everyone else?

Kagami seems to learn the truth in the middle of season five and she's totally fine. Not really human? Not a problem! Her love life is far more worthy of attention. Make her a human who falls in love with a sentimonster and, once again, nothing changes.

Marinette is implied to learn the truth during Felix's play and has no reaction. The fact that she's Miraculous Ladybugged away sentimonsters and even tossed a few in the sun doesn't appear to even cross her mind. The only impact this has on her is that she now has more secrets to keep from Adrien. Her view of him, Kagami, and Felix has not changed.

We don't even get Nathalie or Gabriel reacting to the idea of destroying sentimonster! For fifteen years, the only sentimonsters they've dealt with are Adrien, Kagami, and Felix. They appear to see these three as real human children and yet they have no problem switching to using other sentimonsters as canon fodder. If anyone should have reacted strongly to the death of sentibug, it's Gabriel because Nathalie is wielding the power to poof away his son and she just showed a total lack of regard for what is supposedly a fourth valid sentimonster, but we get nothing.

Given all these tepid non-reactions, I guess that the audience is not supposed to care about the fact that Adrien was the only character with no hopes or dreams in Wishmaker. That meant nothing about his worth or psychology! It was just a bit of fun foreshadowing! He's a real boy because his mommy and the writers said so. No greater discussion is needed.

What's the show's actual message then?

Now, do I think that Miraculous was trying to give us baby's first eugenics lesson? No. Absolutely not! This is, at best, incredibly clumsy writing that is trying and failing to tell a moral that I truly can't figure out. At worst, the sentiplot shows us that the writers have a fundamental lack of curiosity. A complete disinterest in using their massive platform to say something of value. They are here to shock audiences with poorly setup twists and nothing else. Whichever path you pick, it's not a good look.

I truly love these tropes and grew up consuming media that played with them. They have positively shaped how I view the world. That's why I find Miraculous' handling of this topic so incredibly depressing and upsetting. The problem is not that Adrien is a sentimonster. It's that he was made into one - robbed of his freedom and humanity - for nothing more than shock value. It's that other, "lesser" sentimonsters are being treated as disposable by one of their own kind. It's that there is no greater lesson here or, if there is, then it's going to be told in a way that completely fails to connect with the audience due to the show's terrible pacing and inability to use the type of focus you need to tell a coherent arc.

These are the writers who had Adrien give the high road advice at the beginning of season three and then didn't revisit that issue until the end of season five without so much as a flashback to remind viewers what the heck he was talking about. Rare is the viewer who can follow that plot and I don't expect the sentiplot to be any better assuming that there even is going to be a plot. If there is, then I already hate it! I don't want Miraculous discussing hard topics with superfans and no one else. I want it having those discussions in a way that the intended audience can follow. If it can't do that, then it never should have tread on such morally complex ground.

[raikirikiri]

okay so i have this idea for an isekai, which is normally not my forte at all and something i never really think about but i digress. so kakashi and obito isekai'd into the pokemon universe. more specifically, they end up in hisui prior to the protagonist of PLA's arrival, similar to ingo in PLA except they have no idea what pokemon are, nor how these creatures can use techniques without any chakra but are still similar to raiton, katon, suiton, fuuton, and doton. these creatures also use techniques they've never seen before and have no name for. i imagine kakashi watches a staravia use hyper beam and almost passes out from sheer mental strain of trying to understand.

neither of their sharingans reveal the chakra network these creatures use and it's deeply distressing and unsettling to the point where, individually, they wonder if the sharingan even works anymore. spoiler: it does and they still can use chakra. kakashi, the feral little thing he is, fights off an onix using suiton while barking and snarling at a rock snake. he also has to juggle the realization that he's fighting a rock snake that has no master and is not a doton but is in fact a snake, made of rocks, that is entirely self-sufficient.

now for some vague and loose ideas i have for this AU that may or may not be written at some point:

post-rin, pre-minato death. obito is not coping, kakashi is not coping. they are both in some of the worst spots they've ever been in. kakashi has no idea obito is alive. obito is filled with an empty rage and is making plans with zetsu

something happens, idk what, but boom. no more naruto world.

kakashi lands in a mudpit in the crimson mirelands and he lets himself sink in the mud, unblinking and uncaring. nothing matters anymore and really, getting up would just be exhausting.

unfortunately, his instincts are razor sharp and his body moves on its own to get out of the way of an attack from small skunk like creature and kakashi is forced to come to terms with his reality

he's found by some members of the diamond clan who approach him warily. they ask if he's from some place called jubilife and kakashi...he has no idea how to tell these people he's from an entirely different universe

on the other hand, obito lands in a snow bank in the alabaster icelands and is immediately pissed off, spewing katon everywhere and acting as a one man climate change machine

he's subdued by some pearl clan members and their pokemon partners and he's forced to cooperate because he has no idea where he is or what these weird animals are but he would much prefer to kill everyone

he doesn't and he heads back to the pearl clan settlement, they give him a blanket and stare at him curiously because no human can use pokemon attacks and they've never known a zoroark to be able to use fire type moves

obito, in all his doom and gloom, explains that he has no idea where he is but he knows he has to go home so he can save the world from despair

pearl clan members are like ....uh...... well.... okay?? while you're here though, you can stay with us as long as you don't try to kill us or our pokemon

obito reluctantly agrees. he needs information and a place to stay, especially because the icelands are cold and he hates being cold even though feeling temperature is pretty hard for him at this point

kakashi is taken to meet adaman who's freshly been made clan leader and adaman takes one look at him and decides the kid needs a bath and some good food

kakashi is scrubbed clean, given a diamond clan uniform, and a bowl of some sort of food he's never seen before; he eats it and tries to find any amount of joy but it's hard when he has no idea where he is and he's more alone than he's ever been

they both befriend pokemon. kakashi bumps into a lonely teddiursa and stares it for a long time, trying to understand this small bear creature but the teddiursa looks at kakashi like he’s its mama and latches on. kakashi, confused and distressed, stumbles back to the diamond clan settlement with his new friend

obito finds his first pokemon friend on a trip to the obsidian field lands. some pearl clan members took him under their wing (and some of them were hoping an alpha pokemon would eat him, not knowing he’s half plant and permeable at will) and on an expedition for food, obito stumbles across a playful aipom.

obito hates it at first. he wants to punt the little monkey but it grows on him over time, especially after trying to scare it away over and over again never worked. the pearl clan members with him are both endeared and terrified because their newest…member? can…teleport??? obito, of course, explains nothing.

both obito and kakashi are both surprisingly good with pokemon. it helps that if one breathes fire at them, they’ll just breath bigger, hotter fire back. it scares the native hisiuans but hey…as long as they aren’t attacking the clan.

it’s not until the main story of the game starts that kakashi and obito meet again. kakashi doesn’t believe obito is real, he thinks this member from their rival clan just strongly resembles his old teammate

he becomes very attached very quick and sobs upon meeting him. obito, annoyed, appalled, distraught and aggravated, growls and pries open kakashi’s sharingan so he can see obito’s chakra network. “it’s really me you stupid fucking idiot”

kakashi believes he lost it. only for a few minutes. obito, annoyed and irritated that be has to take care of some he thought he hated, talks him through it.

by this time, both of them have worked their way up to being right hands to their clan’s head so irida and obito become close and kakashi becomes something of a younger brother to adaman and mai. their reunion helps strengthen the clans’ relations despite it seeming like kakashi and obito hate each other

they don’t. kakashi really does not hate obito and obito has had enough time away from shinobi land and madara and zetsu and more time around people and little terrifying creatures with special powers to heal a little. he’s annoyed by kakashi but he doesn’t hate him.

they kiss, of course

obito still has madara’s heart seal and he convinces kakashi to stab him in the chest. there’s a huge miscommunication and a war almost breaks out but everything fixes itself and obito gets to live without the weight of madara’s expectations and desires

kakashi gets darkrai obito gets shaymin

after the events of arceus, they leave hisui together to try and find a way home, but also, to see what the rest of the world of pokemon has to offer

anyway. there’s more for me to build off of here. like what pokemon they end up with. where they keep them (kamui, they keep their pokemon in kamui and its very comfortable). do they manage to return to their universe (i think maybe yes but also maybe no) etc etc etc.

[haveyouusedthispokemon]

FAQ

[Art by @kagooleo] Hey there! Welcome to the world of Pokémon Polls! Everyone calls me Hyutp, and I'm the professor's aide. To paraphrase Professor Juniper, this world is widely inhabited by mysterious creatures called Pokémon! They come in many shapes and live in many different places. We humans live and work together with Pokemon; we complement each other in many ways. My main point of focus is how people and pokemon interact as a whole! We may all face similar challenges, but who and how we choose to deal with them can be entirely different. But that's enough about me; I heard you had some questions?

Hey, what do shiny pokemon have to do with this?

Well, the current set of polls was chosen per popular vote! The idea is to find out how frequently people encounter Shiny pokemon, intentionally or unintentionally. With the information we get out of the polls, we can loosely infer how desired some shiny pokemon are and compare it to what shiny pokemon people actually have acquired.

Does it matter where I got the shiny pokemon?

We accept shiny pokemon from any source! Main game, side game, fan game, mods or cheats. If it has the shiny Pokemon as presented and a ‘luck’ factor at base, I’d say it counts.

What about how? I chained/soft reset/matsuda method bred/etc. for it, but I don't see the option?

Well, the 'how' is less important in this instance. This decision was made mostly because of how diverse shiny hunting is, even if we stuck with just the mainline pokemon games! If we listed every method, it would wind up changing the focus from ‘intent to find’ to ‘preference of hunt.’ We may do a follow up to this where we specifically focus on how people hunt, but for now, the fact you specifically looked for it is more important to us than how you searched for it.

What if I found a shiny for a pokemon while actively searching for a different pokemon?

Then it sounds like you found it by chance! Even if you did something to increase your shiny chances, it wasn't the one you were aiming for! So it would be by chance.

Actually, how do I define 'intent'?

That's pretty hard to answer! It varies case by case, and you're free to send either an ask or direct message and I'll be happy to offer suggestions or make an argument for one side or another. At the end of the day, however, you are going to know better than me what your goals were. Vote how you feel best fits your situation; I'll have full belief in your decision. ^^

I no longer have the shiny, how should I vote?

There's a couple of different answers for this one! If you simply evolved the shiny, how you met them would carry from what stage you met them. A Butterfree you caught as a Metapod would have the same answer for both of them, but you could not say the same for Caterpie (unless you have a separate one). If you lost them through a deleted or lost save file, then they're still with you in spirit! Feel free to vote as though you still have them. If you traded them away, the suggested option is to vote based on what you traded for. If you traded for a different shiny, that new shiny will have a specific vote. If you wonder/surprise traded or gifted the shiny to someone else, you can vote for one of the 'no' options that best fits your situation.

Where did you get the pictures for the polls?

I list and link my sources on this post! I do resize all the pictures and edit sprites from gen 1-4 to be non-looping if they're animated. I make minor edits here and there for better viewing as well, but try to keep it as close to game-accurate as possible.

Why do the non-looping gifs?

The mainline games for gen 1-4 did not have looping animations, so the non-looping gif is meant to imitate an encounter in those games. Also, it felt like an interesting way to make the blog a little more unique and cool!

Why aren't all the photos animated?

They don't have a gif, yet! I aim to use the gifs when available, or sometimes make them myself, but there's not always time to do so before the poll is posted or is not readily available.

Did you mean to post the non-shiny version?

I did indeed! That's part of the little premierpoll minigame, as explained in this post.

I don't see my question on this list?

Please ask then! Whether it be through the askbox, or direct message ^^

[smashy-headcanons]

Pokemon Natures for the Super Smash Bros. Fighters, + some additional headcanons

Making a new post since my old one was from year 1 and a lot of my headcanons since then have changed. Also because I don't want to have to scroll down for ten minutes to glance at a reference sheet.

Raichu (formerly SSB64 & Melee's Pikachu, now the Alolan Raichu found in a Poke Ball): Rash

Brawl-Ultimate's: Brave

Female Pikachu (Ultimate alt, often referred to here as Pikette): Hardy

Pikachu Libre (Ultimate alt): Brave

Jigglypuff: Adamant

Pichu: Jolly

Spiky-eared Pichu: Naughty (canon ability in HGSS)

Mewtwo: Lonely

Red's Ivysaur: Quiet

Red's Charizard: Bold

Red's Squirtle: Jolly

Leaf's Ivysaur: Sassy

Leaf's Charizard: Adamant

Leaf's Squirtle: Timid

Lucario: Quiet

SSB4's Greninja: Hasty

SSBU's Greninja (formerly Ash's Greninja): Hardy (canon ability in Sun & Moon Demo)

Incineroar: Gentle

Additional headcanons:

With the exception of Red and Leaf's teams, nearly all the Pokemon fighters collectively belong to Master Hand & Crazy Hand. They're all shared between the two of them.

Raichu wasn't intended to evolve at any point, it found a Thunder Stone on its own between Melee and Brawl, so finding a new Pikachu ended up being added to the list of pre-Brawl preparations. (They didn't want it on stage because Alolan Raichu wouldn't be revealed for another decade, give or take.)

Most of Raichu's accessories have been passed down to Pikachu, with the exception of its red and green party hats and its green fedora. Pikachu would eventually follow in Raichu's footsteps and give Pichu its goggles from its Melee days.

While it is in a Poke Ball, Pikachu Libre doesn't technically belong to Smash, instead belonging to either Brendan or May (feel free to decide for yourself). Because it enjoys non-standard forms of competition such as Pokemon Contests or Pokken, it was registered to compete in Smash.

Speaking of Brendan/May, a big reason Pikachu Libre was given entry into Smash is out of thanks for taking care of SSB4's Greninja. While Greninja was obtained to be a fighter much like the others, it only really liked to fight with an audience present, so training it outside of official matches was... a pain. It was given to Brendan/May after the Hands realized it was more partial to contests rather than actual battle.

Jigglypuff and Master Hand's relationship is one where you can definitely tell they're close and have been through a lot together over the years, but they also tend to be stubborn which leads to them butting heads a lot when they don't see eye to eye on something. As a result, many are surprised to learn that Jigglypuff is closer with Master Hand than Crazy Hand.

While Mewtwo is the only legendary to not be found in a Poke Ball in Smash, that doesn't mean the other legendaries (and mythicals, if you want to be pedantic) belong to the Hands; they're all released back into the wild after each competition. Mewtwo not being in a Poke Ball was something it specifically requested, because containment in human-built devices was a major source of discomfort.

On a related note, the vast majority of the legendaries are all pretty trusting of the Hands, and while that makes bringing them back for a new entry easy, it also makes stealth a challenge (it doesn't matter how many layers of disguise you have, you're still gonna get weird looks when the god of the sea starts treating you like a familiar pal).

Lucario, much like Ash's Pikachu in the anime, is very strongly opposed to being in its Poke Ball.

Much like Meowth in the anime, Lucario can speak human language using just its mouth, though it's also capable of telepathy.

[kooldewd123]

my one friend and i have a running joke that pokemon is incapable of creating an actual twist villain because the hair is always the tell. every single time they try to hide the villain, they give them the most phenomenally stupid hair. if you ever get partway through a pokemon game and can't figure out who the villain is, just point at the person with the worst haircut and you're probably right. i mean come on:

nobody has hair like this except mad scientists, ancient kings, and maniacal bad guys - and look at that, lysandre fits all three of those categories. get a comb and try to not look blatantly like a villain next time, okay?

ma'am that is a cone. hair is not supposed to be in that shape. I've seen mummies with fewer chemicals in them than that thing.

I'm genuinely upset I didn't predict penny being the leader of team star pre-release because this is the most logistically confusing hair I've ever seen in any character design. so the hair is in two completely different colors? and the blue hair is, like, covering the red hair? and it's cut in this weird asymmetrical pattern? huh????

rose is fine, actually. hair-wise, at least. this isn't notably more stupid than standard pokemon human designs, but then again, rose isn't notably more anything.

volo is the only time pokemon has ever managed to pull off a twist villain because they somehow finally had the foresight to just give him a fucking hat. no joke, when he went full villain at the end, we just sat there in stunned silence for a moment and the first thing either of us said was "holy shit he was hiding his stupid hair the whole time." excellent work game freak, take notes for the next game.

[ya-bug-boy]

I had this crossover stuck I had in my head for a while now. But how about a Reader that was originally a powerful demon from Demon Slayer.

That somehow got transported into Pokemon Legends Arceus and became free of Muzan's control and somehow become Human probably thanks to Arceus 👍

But they still got some of their superhuman strength, night vision, and demonic fangs.

I would imagine that they become something like a urban legend, of a tall, intimidating, and handsome masked man with the pack of Zoroarks and Zoroa's that help lost travelers in a dense and dangerous Forest. Probably an attempt to atone for their sins as a demon by giving them a place to stay and leading them out of the forest safely.

And they meet and befriend warden Ingo who was lost in said Forest, which later turned into a romantic relationship?

SFW & NSFW if possible please, sorry is this is to much. If you can't do both please make a part 2

Thank you!

Warden Ingo x Demon Reader

Truth be told, despite how many decades you've been alive but remained the same age, you still have no clear answers as to how you got into this world.

The world you lived in prior to this one, you considered to be far more dangerous despite the abundant fauna that seem to possess inhuman powers. But at least you can say with confidence who are humans and who weren't. To put it simply, you're a demon.

You were once a human and fated to die like one until a man changed your destiny by forcing you to become one of his subordinates. Whoever you were before no longer mattered as long as you proved yourself worthy enough to him. You were promised with honey sweet words that you'd live a life of comfort but in truth you were his test subject. He was hell bent on surviving in the sun again and to make his ambitions come true, he used your body like a lab rat. You grew stronger but put through constant torment. And to make things worse, your existence could only be continued by the consumption of other humans.

You could no longer take the abuse. You'd rather risk it all than to continue living like this.

And then...you came here. To this world filled with strange wildlife.

Once you came here, you felt your master's control over you disappear. You were released to this world, with your abilities and hunger...

And yet, you did not eat any more humans after coming here. You recall what you had said right before falling into this world, "I'll never eat another human again!" you screamed before running into the sunlight. Because of that, you ultimately fear what might happen to you if you did.

You began to travel the world for a bit and accidentally became the leader of strange shapeshifting creatures when an extraordinary large one challenged you. You defeated it but spared its life, and as a result the pack now bends at your command. When the alpha died, you decided to wear its pelt, taking on a new life as a hunter who lived in the woods.

Seeking a warmer climate, you decide to rest in the forest, building your home there. And that is when you met her, the one named Akari.

She tried to catch one of your pups and you scared her away, she fled the scene but came back the next day. And the days following after that. She kept insisting that she was lost, but you would point out how she's always in the same spot where you see her last. She makes up a playful excuse to retort back. this amuses you.

Curious, you decide to talk to her, finding strange comfort in how you two both came from strange different worlds.

At first you feel horror, praying that she didn't come from your world. Then you feel comfort that you two are similar. When she gets "lost" you find her, makes sure she eats and rest before sending her back on her way. She is the first companion you've had in so long that you start yearning for her affection, eager to hear her stories and the people in her new life. Though you're not quite sure how old you originally where prior to your demon life, you feel like a father figure to her, lamenting that she can't stay as long as she'd like to.

But when she starts taking longer to appear, you worry. And when she does finally show up, she looks more haggard the days before she left.

You snarl and grit your teeth at her horrible stories, ones when she's put into great danger by the commands of others. It reminds you too much of your own situation. Though you cannot provide for her the way the village does, you tell her that your pack will protect her in this region of the woods. For the first time, Akari cries when she has to leave. You give her one last hug and a kiss on the forehead, you and your pack's watchful gaze following her until she exited the forest.

Then one day, the sky turns red.

Your pack alerts you to a presence in the woods. And that is when you met him, the warden of the mountains. Though you command him to leave, he locks eyes with you, demanding you to bring him to Akari, dismaying both of you when you realize that neither of you have seen the girl in days.

You demand Ingo tells you more. He demands information first.

You grit your teeth and your pack snarls at him... but if he can help you find the girl, you'll do what it takes for now.

[yanderes-galore]

I would like to see what a human romantic Yandere Mewtwo would be like! :3

Honestly, I like this idea. Keep in mind this is a HUMAN POKEMON story, which means Mewtwo is a human with some Pokemon-like characteristics and powers.

Yandere! Human! Mewtwo Concept

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Dark themes such as the following; Human experimentation, Neglect, Telepathy/Telekinesis, Violence, Mass Murder, Blood, Clingy behavior, Delusional behavior, Kidnapping, Forced relationship implied.

In this story, Mewtwo would be more of a chimera than anything.

He's mostly human but has been spliced with Mew's DNA.

As a result, he is a human with a purple tail, white nubs near the top of his head like horns or ears, and extreme psychic abilities.

He has white/silver hair, purple eyes. and a lean but strong build.

He is the first attempt at a living weapon, a human spliced with the raw power of a Pokemon.

Naturally, due to his upbringing, he comes across as volatile.

You meet the chimera hybrid as a scientist/caretaker.

You were hired to research the new experiment as he learns and is trained.

Obviously, Mewtwo feels less than human.

All the other scientists treat him like he is below them.

But he knows the truth... he is easily better than all of them with his power.

The one person he does not feel this way with is you.

Similar to how Mewtwo in canon has never felt proper compassion, you give said compassion to him.

You're the only one who gives such a thing to him.

You can't see this experiment as a Pokemon.

You feel Mewtwo is too intelligent and human-like to be treated as anything less than that.

Really, what makes him different other than some characteristics and powers?

You pity that he only gets to wear loose experiment clothes or some sort of tight skin-tight suit for training.

You wish he could live a normal life...

In secret you try to give him that, even if he's behind some glass.

You talk with the hybrid in private and even teach him some things.

You answer any questions he seems to have.

He often asks why the other scientists aren't as nice as you... to which you say you aren't sure.

If he wants to speak to you in private he trains his telepathy to continue to read your thoughts and converse with you.

Naturally, if you're the only one he feels is safe to be around, he gets attached to you.

When he sees you he acts very cat-like, purple eyes dilating with his tail swaying when he sees you behind the glass.

He may look very cold but his telepathy says otherwise when he appears to be ecstatic when projecting his thoughts.

You are never allowed to touch or hold the experiment and can only interact behind the glass.

You slide food into his enclosure and provide him stimulation through speech and tests.

Yet Mewtwo always voices his distaste to you for this arrangement.

Mewtwo probably feels a connection with you to the point he wonders about romantic attraction.

Granted, he still is new to such a thought.

He's a genetically altered human and can read the thoughts of others.

Eventually, he interprets his feelings for you as romantic due to the thoughts he's picked up.

I imagine Mewtwo's mental state drops as the transition to making him a weapon begins.

When they put him in a tight battle suit and all that heavy armor... he's frightened.

Even more so when he sees you're no longer in his sight.

After all, by this point, he no longer needs to be watched.

He's a weapon... almost able to be put to the test once his mask slips on.

It all becomes too much.

Mewtwo makes his big escape... a massacre left behind him.

The facility collapses, his psychic power causing tech to fail as he lays waste to the scientists who have created yet imprisoned him.

He cares for none here... none but you.

Blood covers the heavy armor he wears as he searches for you.

Even if you weren't in the facility at the time, he doesn't stop his search.

The faster the hybrid finds you... the faster his carnage ends.

By the time he finds you, he sees you cowering.

You stare at him like he's a monster, a weapon...

Perhaps that is what he is in the end.

But he doesn't care now.

He pulls off the mask they gave him and drops it to the floor, you can see the pale purple tint on his skin as he stares at you.

All you smell is metal and gore.

He would try to comfort you... yet now he and you will be on the run.

He proposes the idea of you both becoming a "couple" like humans usually do.

But you don't answer him.

Oh well... maybe you'll come around?

It's then that Mewtwo decides to take you to Cerulean Cave, a cave out of the way for the two of you in Kanto.

You can live there with him...

Maybe even teach him how normal humans live life now that the facility is in ruins.

[sweetbabymantykes]

Do you know if a Tatsugiri needs to bond with a Dondozo? Or is it fine to raise one without the other?

Good question! Tatsugiri and Dondozo are a symbiotic pair, so in the wild you'll often find them cohabitating, to the point that Tatsugiri use Dondozo's mouths as a safe place to raise their young. You'll also frequently see them paired up in battle settings, for the same strategic reasons as in the wild- Tatusgiri as the commander, Dondozo as the fighter. Captive Tatsugiri do not require a Dondozo to be happy, though! As long as they feel safe and well-provided for, Tatsugiri will be perfectly happy to interact with teams without a Dondozo, or even to be a solo pokemon.

This might be a harder ask of wild-caught Tatsugiri than ones born in human care, as they will be expecting something big and strong they can rely on to protect and provide for them. What you'll need to do is prove that the big and strong thing is you! Tatsugiri are extremely smart, one of the smartest dragon-types out there- and they're incredible judges of intent. You can't just win them over with regular feeding times and enrichment, these little guys know you're smarter than their usual partners and they will test you. Don't take it personally- they want to know that you're reliable enough to protect them and smart enough to know how. They'll defy training and hide things, or hide themselves- reactions of violence and anger will naturally make them less trustworthy, but keeping calm and composed and engaging in problem-solving will help them come to respect you. A Tatsugiri that's come to view you as a friend and reliable partner will feel more like a cat pokemon than a fish- they'll feel safest near you, and while they'll still be a bit mischievous, they'll be engaging in those behaviors for fun, not malice.

As always- your mileage may vary. Pokemon are individuals, and individuals have different reactions to the same situations. Your Tatsugiri might be more fearful than the one I described- be sure to spend time in the same room, doing calm activities so it can get used to you. Your Tatsugiri might have a lot of aggression that it'll try to take out on your furniture or other pokemon- have a firm (but calm) hand and give it some battle training to prove your tactical strength. Maybe your Tatsugiri will cuddle up in your lap the second you let it out of its ball! There's no one size fits all approach, but having a good idea of species tendencies in training is never a bad thing to have.

[balanceoflightanddark]

your post on how you channeled your anger towards writing really resonated with me. because like, what else are you supposed to do?

I thought you should know that I'm glad that you wrote your fic for many reasons though. one, always love a fun Azula fic. but more importantly! I actually made a new friend irl in who knows how long because of your fic! my coworker's into all the kaiju stuff, which i didn't see the appeal of until I read your fic. but now, after researching and watching some films myself, I can actually nerd out with them. I'm actually being social and going out and feeling like real life can be fun again, and it's been so long since I've ever had all that. So yeah, I appreciate it, dude.

Thanks anon! Sorry if I haven't gotten to you sooner. I was busy with some other stuff these past few months. Life is constantly getting in the way, you know? Only so much a single person can do.

It's part of the reason I wrote this fic, actually. That and why I started on Tumblr, though sometimes it's hard to find the words to express yourself. I DID know I was okay with writing. I mean, I had written a Pokemon fanfic before this which was decently received. And I knew I had to do SOMETHING about my issues with how they handled Azula. I just wanted to do it in a way that was actually productive and not a pure revenge fic, you know? I don't necessarily believe in that.

So I thought...what if I paired ATLA with something that could better explain my point, perhaps better than I could? Share my thoughts in a way that brings my issues to light. Godzilla, I felt was the best way to do that. The series does examine numerous times how humanity's failings cause these monsters to be such a problem, whether it be through reckless usage of nuclear weapons, degradation of the environment, warfare, or other various means. Show the weakpoints in our society and all.

Okay, that was a fancy way of saying I wanted to really really mash the two series together. But in a way that pays tribute and respects the themes of both and feels in an organic way. Like you can go into this as a Godzilla fan and get a good story out of it. Same if you're a fan of ATLA or Azula. These series and characters mean something to people, and I wanted to do them justice. And if I could express my love for them in the process, all the better.

Glad to see you found the appeal in them. And glad to see you've made a friend in real life and got more social because of them. See, that's the power of fiction. There's a reason why we get attached to characters. I can go on record to say Azula's changed my life, possibly for the better. Same thing with Godzilla. Hell, the guy has monuments and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. You don't get to that level if you haven't reached somebody. It's part of the reason why I wanted to do my take on them since...well, I think my issues with the comics and how Azula has been handled post-canon (and a bit in-canon) shows a lot. I wanted to do her justice because characters like these are important to everybody. Hell, wheeling it back around to Godzilla, remember how there was an uproar over how he was handled in the '98 Roland Emmerich movie? Granted, I managed to get over that, but that's proof right there.

It's cheesy to say, but fiction and fictional characters mean something to everyone. And I'm glad some of mine helped you out a bit. Thanks for reading. I AM writing a skeleton of the next chapter. And thanks again for the ask.

[eldritch-spouse]

Any Dusknoir related thoughts?

Fucking love em my favorite Pokémon

[Eyyy, they're probably my favorite too right now.]

I mean, if you've seen my Twitter then you know I have some "thoughts" on Dusknoir, lmao. A somewhat more anthro Dusknoir, but still.

And they're not related to Mystery Dungeon, because I don't think I've ever played those games for more than two seconds before getting bored.

I just really enjoy the thought of a dusknoir getting the hots for you and sort of demanding to become a part of your life.

Let me ramble, I guess...

Maybe you're swallowed into that huge hot mouth and you think it's the end, you're pretty sure he's going to eat your soul and spit your corpse out like a piece of food stuck between someone's teeth- But no, he just had to put you in his mouth because the cuteness aggression he was struck with at the sight of you was irresistible!

You're spat out gross and definitely half-molested by a lewd and very interested tongue, but you still have your soul.

And he's just staring at you, beside himself with infatuation...

Everyone else looks at this dusknoir and they see the most stone-faced, intimidating pokemon out there, but that's not at all what you specifically are greeted with.

Your entire team can see the way he changes like a light switch, and they try to warn you in their own ways that you're in danger, but all their attempts are thwarted when a certain ghost type keeps looming around, shooting them pointed stares that gaze straight to the soul.

One day you might just find one of them lying soulless on the ground, misery and agony etched on their face.

Dusknoir thinks he's being very patient with you, not insisting when you push him away, when you hold his tongue at bay, tell him to tone down the affection in public, weasel away as soon as he gently tries to corall you into your bedroom -Because that's where humans do their mating, right?- But even he has his limits.

Trying to plant suggestions in your mind isn't enough, being the most powerful pokemon at your disposal isn't enough, getting rid of the useless teammates that try to meddle isn't enough-

What is he supposed to do when you keep rejecting him?

The second time he stuffs you into his mouth, he knows exactly what he' doing, it very much wasn't an impulse, it was pre-mediated and guilty. But he couldn't take it anymore and the opportunity reared its ugly head at just the right moment.

He's making the most out of it.

Licking you from top to bottom, weaseling his tongue absolutely everywhere, tasting the sweat on your skin, the tears running down your face, your saliva, the peaks of your tits and the slick of your cunt. It'd be easier to list the spots he isn't running his tongue over...

All the while, one big hand holds his mouth securely closed, the other coils around his cock and pumps hard enough to make him see stars.

He doesn't think about how you'll react or how wrong what he's doing is. Dusknoir only thinks about how heavenly you feel inside him and focuses on what'll probably be the most intense orgasm of his life.