#(yes I consider platinum a part of diamond and pearl)

[lyricalchrysanthemum]

Thought about hgssspe again

(Hidenori Kusaka voice) I can do so much character assassination

[tatakaebomb]

Maybe I do wanna be like you

ꕥ Pairing : Mikey x Reader

ꕥ Synopsis : When you’re asked to marry into the Sano family, many conflicting feelings form due to their bad reputation. Does Mikey’s demeanour really repulse you or is it just a clear reflection of what you wish to be?

ꕥ Word count : 2.2k

ꕥ TW : smut, royal AU, mikey is a bit of a meanie, bathroom sex, fingering, bratty sub!y/n, dom!mikey, a little degrading if you squint, creampie, dirty talk, slight mention of alcohol, corruption kink (?), mention of arranged marriage, probably others i can’t think about lol, 18+

"But mother, i don't want to get married"

You whine out, playing in your food at the dinner table, gold fork neatly placed in hand.

"You have to, Y/N , your father already arranged you a dinner date with King Sano's son." She says, wine glass twirling in her hand before she takes a small sip.

"King Sano?" You roll your eyes at that name, you grew up between different wealthy families and as far as you know, you've never met anything worse than them.

Vulgar language and improper clothing choices, the fact they could still be considered royal never fails to amaze you.

"Yes darling, i'll call over Sonia and help you get ready" Your mother says as you sit up from the table, back slouching disappointed while you walk upstairs into your room.

Sonia was the families maid, and often helped you get ready with important meetings and parties, making sure you looked flawless every time you stepped out from the palace.

You part your lips and let Sonia apply the red lipstick on you, staring at yourself in the mirror as your mother pulls harshly at the corset strings behind you .

"Ow, OW"

"Sh, quit whining it ll be done in a minute" She coos at you making a tight knot in the back.

"I can't.. breathe" You choke out as you turn around and wiggle on your dress uncomfortably.

You stare at yourself in the mirror and your reflection looks nothing like you, dark red lipstick covering your lips and your hair done up in a neat bun, diamond earrings falling from your ears.

You run your hands up your dress to your pearl necklace, lightly tugging on it with furrowed eyebrows. You hated it.

"You look beautiful" Your mother places her hands on your shoulders watching you in the reflection as she smiles.

You move your gaze down with a frown and turn around to face her,

"When will the dinner start?"

"He should be here any-"

DING DONG

Your mother rushes down the stairs and you walk out slowly after her, trying to balance on the small uncomfortable heels.

You could never bring yourself to tell her, but you never liked being part of the royal family. Having the pressure to always look perfect and stand tall even when you don't feel like it, the idea depressed you. It's like you we're even considered human, just some puppets for the world to admire and look up to.

Your gaze moves to the big entrence door watching a man walk in, looking down and slouching with his hands in his pockets.

A grey hoodie and joggers clinging off his skinny body and his platinum blonde hair falling messily on his face. You saw this coming.

He stares up at you and smirks, putting a hand out mockingly to help you down the stairs.

You bite the inside of your cheek to stay silent and take his hand in yours, taking small steps towards the dining hall.

You watch him as he rushes to take a seat in front of you, exhaling loudly with an uninterested look on his face as he checks the time.

You've had many "dates" like these, but never once has a man showed up at the door wearing THAT, and have the audacity to not even pull your chair out and wait for you to sit down before he does.

"If you're expecting me to help you sit down as well you gotta take your mind off it." He spits out, not bothering to even look at the food in front of you before pouring himself a generous glass of wine filled to the brim.

You scoff and sit down in front of him, placing your hands neatly in your lap as you stare at him gulping down on the drink. He just did not care, at all.

You awkwardly clear your throat and let your voice come out softly,

"Excuse me , Prince Sano is it?"

"Manjiro, just Manjiro"

"Prince Manjiro, I-"

He places the wine glass back down and leans back in his chair, rudely kissing his teeth with an annoyed expression.

"I said, Manjiro, leave the formal bullshit out of this"

You roll your eyes at his whole demeanour, the way his hair is messily in his face not bothering to push it back as his speaks, the way his tone mocks you with every word that comes out of his throat. Its okay, he didn't wanna be here, and you didn't either.

You stand up and place your hands on the table as you move your gaze to his, gritting your teeth in annoyence.

"Since neither of us seem to want to be here how about we stop wasting each others time, mm Manjiro?"

"Sit down Princess , as much as i'd rather be doing anything else my father would be very mad at me if i made a bad impression." His tone changes to be softer, more proper but it was so clearly faked it was painful to hear.

"Well you did."

You spit out before turn around to leave. You feel a hand places on your wrist pulling you back down.

You turn around and meet his jet black eyes again , a smile planted on his lips as you scan his face.

"I think we might have gotten off on the wrong foot here, Princess Y/N"

You sigh and clear your throat,sitting back down and deciding to give him one more chance. Your heart feels like its beating out of your chest as he slowly lets go of the grip on your wrist.

"Let's start from the beginning then, Prince Manjiro"

You tease him and he grits his teeth, continuing to flash that awfully obvious fake smile.

"Shall we eat?" He asks, and you nod gracefully.

"We shall"

After you finish eating he convinces you to drink a glass of wine, which turns into two, which turns into three.You're feeling lightly dizzy as you begin ranting to him about something even you had no idea what was meant to lead up to, the classical music muffled in the background .

He sits up slowly from his chair and walks over to you, pulling your chair from under you making you stand up.

"Y/N, give me a dance"

You raise an eyebrow silently as he places his hands on your waist, pulling you closer with a smirk. You lift your hands and allow them to wrap around his shoulders loosely as he leads you elegantly through the large ballroom, making you giggle.

"Didn't expect you to know how to slow dance" You softly say as you follow him step by step.

He pulls you closer as you continue to dance and breathes on your neck making you part your lips slightly,

"Tell me, is your impression still a bad one?"

"Terrible but.." You pause as his head peaks up, his eyes glistening in the warm chandelier light,

"at least you're being real" You sigh, your head starting to spin as your head falls into his chest.

"Mm, you should stop being so uptight"

He mumbles out from above you, and you pull away and cross your arms.

"Im uptight? Right." You scoff out, your face twisting as he points at you and chuckles,

"See, look, relax... not everything has to be proper"

"I really, do not like you"

You push away from him and walk towards the exit, fists clenching hard as you frown looking down at the marble floor.

"Do you not like me, or is it you wish you could be like me?"

You turn back around and forget about everything for a second, your eyes glowing red with anger as you stare at his stupid smirk.

"Who in their right mind, would EVER-"

You get interrupted by his lips pushing down onto yours, a hand latching on your neck tugging down at the pearl necklace, pulling you deeper into the kiss. Your face relaxes then tenses up at the realisation, pushing him away causing him to rip out your necklace in the process, pearls scattering across the ball room.

"What the fuck?" You impulsively say out loud before covering your mouth ,the red lipstick smeared at the corner of your lips. He lets out a loud chuckle and watches your face turn bright read,

"That's more like it,"

"You're an asshole" You manage to stutter out before he picks you up and starts kissing you again, his hands sliding under your dress and grabbing your ass roughly .

You gasp surprised into the kiss pushing your body forward, making him groan as he feels your clothed cunt pushing against his cock.

"Where's the closest bathroom?"

He whispers into your ear, his low voice making your heart skip a beat.

"2nd door, left"

You pant out, and before you knew it, you were half naked and being slammed against the locked bathroom door.

"You're such a stuck up bitch, you know that?"

He growls against your neck, making you arch your back on the wall and pull him in closer.

"Maybe because im a princes- "

You let a loud sinful gasp and shut your eyes tightly as his hand drops down to your panties, slipping his fingers in between the fabric and playing with your clit.

He shoves two fingers into your mouth, smearing your lipstick down and letting your moans get muffled as you buck your hips against his fingers,craving for them to be inside.

"Aaww what would mommy and daddy say about their little princess now?"

He slowly pushes the fingers inside, letting them wiggle and curve against the g spot making you whine out when he takes them out.

"Shut up- please.." 

You look up at him as he bites his lower lip, his eyes glowing with lust.

"What? You want my fingers deep in your cunt?

Say it"

He starts slowly running his fingers between your lips, dipping in slightly teasing you as your face turns redder.

"I want... your fingers in my cunt" You bite the inside of your cheek and he smirks before shoving them slightly in, making your lip quiver.

"Like this?"

"Deeper Manjiro" You let your head fall back against the door as loud moans fill the bathroom walls along with the sounds of him drilling his fingers into you roughly, groaning softly as he feels his cock straining against his pants.

He drops his hand down from your mouth to his pants and tugs down on it, freeing his cock and picking you up suddenly making you gasp.

"Fuck- Manjiro" His name rolls off your tongue as he slowly shoves his length inside you, letting you adjust to the size and girth of it.

Your mouth falls in pleasure as it finally reaches fully in, the tip kissing your cervix as he slowly starts stroking in, somehow reaching deeper with each stroke.

"You're so tight, for me, fuck you're just a whore playing innocent " He groans out as he quickly starts picking up his pace, slamming you down on his cock and watch your tits bounce up and down in front of him.

"I fucking hate you" You say between moans, causing him to smirk and slam you down harder, making you throw your head back with screams of pleasure.

"Sounds to me like you're loving it, princess"

You clench down on him hard as your orgasm approaches, your whole body tensing up as you widen your eyes and look up at him.

"Let go, let this whole palace hear you scream my name" He whispers before placing a quick kiss on your lips. And you do, you let go, hard.

"Manjiro fuck-"

Your vision blurs as you let out a loud moan cumming all over his cock. His stokes become sloppier as he slowly starts pushing in an out of you, his dick twitching inside your walls.

"Cum inside " You pant out with a smirk, watching his face twists as he desperately begins drilling in and out if you.

"Fuck, that was so hot" He groans out before his head falls back and you feel his warm cum shooting up deep in you, filling you up.

You look at him through your teary eyes as he pulls out and places you down gently on a bathroom counter, stepping back to admire your make up smeared and ruined, and your cunt pushing out cum. his cum.

"Stop staring" You dip your hand down embarrassingly and try to cover up your cunt, but he chuckles and pushes it away before kissing you.

"Let's get married" He mumbles between small kisses, and you suddenly remember thats what this was actually about.

"Like i'd ever marry you" You roll your eyes and pull him closer, biting down at his bottom lip causing him to wince.

"You should thank m-"

"Thank you, Manjiro"

His eyebrows furrow and he looks down at you confused, waiting for you to continue. You blush and break eye contact,

"You were right, maybe i do wanna be like you"

He smiles and places a finger on your chin, lifting it up to meet his eyes again.

"You have alot to learn"

[epicspheal]

Heya! I hope your doing well!

Ever since swsh gave the rivals something to do after the fact( something that I believe only happened to Blue), I can't help but think of the rivals prior who haven't. What do you think they end up doing? I know that Blue ends up becoming a gym leader, but would still be interesting what you plan for him too! :3

Hi there @ihopethisendswell! So actually, it's the norm typically for the rivals to have something to do, even if it's just continuing being a roaming trainers. Being a roaming trainer is still just as valid of a career path as other routes given the way the Pokemon world works, it's just not as solid of a career path as say gym leader or research assistant. Pokemon Sword and Shield is one of the only main games that really puts emphasis on the rivals' alternate careers paths as part of the plot outside of the gen 5 games. So like you have Blue who becomes gym leader and also helps his grandpa with his research by still be a roaming trainer (much to the frustration of anyone trying to challenge his gym). By the time of Sun and Moon/USUM he has ditched the gym to become battle facility which ultimately given his status as a former champion ends up being a much more fitting role. Granted he needed that time as a gym leader as long standing humbling exercise so it wasn't a bad call at all. Then we have Silver, who remains a roaming trainer, though he kind of mainly sticks around the Dragon's Den because he really wants to avenge that loss to Lance and show how much he has changed. Then we have Brendan/May (when not the protagonist) who end up going back to being full time assistants professor Birch. Wally on the other hand, is much like Silver in that he continue to be a roaming trainer, with him staying around the Battle Resort in ORAS with him eventually going to the Battle Tree by the time the SM/USUM events occur.

Barry also follows the roaming trainer route with him staying Stark Mountain in Diamond/Pearl and with Platinum he hangs around the Survival area.

Gen 5 is where the rival's future goals get the most attention, and was the best well done (SwSh in my opinion failed hard on the rival's goals bar Klara and Avery's). Bianca is still my favorite "how to do a future career path" ending in the entirety of series which is she really doesn't know. She ends up taking up a position as Professor's Juniper's assistant. However it's this linefrom Bianca in Pokemon Black 2/White 2 that I really enjoyed:

"Actually, I'm not sure being a professor's assistant is really what I want to do... But when I do the work, I have lots and lots of fun!" I really appreciated that they allowed Bianca to have doubts that this is her final career path. She's still a child and I can remember when I was her age (God, I sound so old) how many career paths I thought about in that time frame...and only one of those comes even remotely close to what I'm attempting to go back to school for. I liked how she's just trying to things and aiming for experiences while not trying to commit herself to one specific path. Now obviously this could theoretically be true for any number of the rivals as with the exception of Blue (and Wally although for some odd reason they didn't give him an aged up model considering he'd be just as old as Red and Blue are) we don't see them as adults and their ambitions could very well have indeed changed over the years. Then you have Cheren who after that scolding from Alder really begins to question his pursuit of strength and what he really wants to do. Cue 2 years later in BW2 where we see him as the Aspertia City gym leader as well a lecturer at the trainer's school. Fitting as it shows his desire and capabilities as a trainer but also allowing a more concrete goal than just pursuing strength but actually overseeing the future generations. And Hugh, another one of my favorite characters, concludes his story arc on forgiveness (since he had absolutely none for Team Plasma at the beginning of the story) ends up a roaming trainer but also helping the good side Team Plasma in Driftveil City reunite Pokemon that were stolen during the events of Black/White to their original trainers. So he has a goal and really touching one I might add, one of the few that doesn't revolve around battling or researching.

Then there's the XY rivals who were admittedly the most shafted. They all pretty much end up as roaming trainers except for Trevor who already had the aim of completing the Pokedex for Professor Sycamore and he continues to do so.

The no specific aim works the best, in my opinion, for Shauna as she really didn't have much of a goal to begin with outside of travelling/making memories, and much like I said with Bianca, it's okay for characters to not have a specific end game (although I personally see Bianca's route as better as although she isn't quite sure what she wants to do, she does take initiative and actively pursue a goal to gain experience and see if it's for her).

Serena/Calem (again when not the protag) having no set aim also works because they were most competitive of the group and continuing to be a trainer makes sense, but since they get hardly any development it just feels hollow and not satisfying. At least with characters like Wally, Silver and Barry who are roaming they all went through some major development. Lack of major development plus no end game just makes Serena and Calem unfortunately just not stand out.

Then Tierno...poor Tierno. He's my favorite XY character and I hate that screwed over so poorly. He actually a goal but the game doesn't allow us to see how a dance team would work. Kalos really could've benefitted from a Pokemon Contest/Musical like sidequest where Tierno shines in. So him being a roaming trainer is just...meh.

Now moving on to Gen 7 and best boy Hau (Hau's up there with Blue and Leon as one of my favorite Pokemon characters PERIOD). In both Sun and Moon and USUM he's a roaming trainer but I argue that Sun and Moon actually wrapped up his character better, despite USUM giving him much more in the way of development. By that I mean he explicitly mentions to the player that he wants become strong enough to find his father who fled Alola because the pressure of being the Kahuna's son was too much. So yeah he is still just a regular trainer, but he does have an explicit goal that goes beyond just trying to continue to measure up to the player. He also helps to train the reforming Team Skull grunts in the art of Alolan SuMo. In USUM this is erased for a more generic roaming trainer scenario unfortunately. Gladion's fate also changes depending on what version of the Gen 7 games you play. With Sun and Moon he ends up taking over as Aether's president but also still trains on the side as he is one of the challengers that can come for your title in the post game. In Ultra Sun and Moon he actually takes the "I'm going to Kanto" route instead of Lillie although he actually back and is essentially a roaming trainer since Lusamine's villainy was nerfed and therefore allowed to stay as Aether's president

Then there's Trace who ends up champion then loses it, but keeps on going in this endless circle of trying to reclaim it from the player. And then finally the Gen 8 rivals where we have Bede, Marnie, Klara and Avery all become gym leaders and Hop is a professor. Despite this cast having the most focus on their future paths since the gen 5 rivals I don't think they were done that well. Like Klara and Avery's worked, really well and they're probably the only rivals bar Trace and Blue who actually their goals (with them actually maintaining there dream status because their goal didn't involve becoming champion).

I've talked about Hop's on this post before but the lack of genuine foreshadowing just made his sudden declaration of wanting to be a Pokemon Professor just come out of nowhere. And honestly considering the fact that he had just come out of a depressive stage and still hadn't quite addressed his idolization issues I think he would've been served better with the Bianca route where yes he becomes Sonia's assistant, but it's clear that he's still trying to find his new path and that he's just open to trying out research rather than making a rather bold claim that this was his new career path. Either that or do better in the foreshadowing where he shows he has a much clearer interest in academia but feels like he needs to be a champion like his brother.

Then there's Marnie who I've also stated was kind of screwed over. Because she made it rather clear to Piers she didn't want to be gym leader (which makes sense given that she saw how that position screwed over older brother that she admires). She's pretty much doing this because she still has the motivation to save her hometown which is extremely admirable and mature. But also it's sad, like if she didn't have to do this, would she honestly still be gym leader. I think not, at least not immediately. Considering that gym challengers can still compete on the big stage with the champion's cup rematches and some even can be invited to the Galarian Stars Tournament, I think if I had of written that I would've focused on how with Leon as the head of MC he's going to actually work with Spikemuth to revitalize without shouldering the responsibility on one single person, especially a minor. And let her be a roaming trainer and live for herself and not continue to be Spikemuth's martyr.

Then there's Bede who quite vocally states when crashing the Champion's Cup that he was ready to retire. Like poor boy goes from being used as Rose's wishing star collector and fall boy to Opal's reirement plan. Like yes it's great that Opal actually remembers his name and gives him a support system and teaches him some discipline. But still it's kind of sad as he was very much okay with retiring but more or less gets goaded into staying because of the stadium audience.

So this post got way longer than I what it was going to be but hey that happens. But yeah too long don't read, all of the rivals do have a goal, even if a lot of them end up as roaming trainers. If I'm honest in most cases (bar the gen 6 rivals because they lacked developent) the roaming trainer thing works. Because they're kids and they still have their whole lives ahead of them and they don't need to have concrete job just yet. Especially because in some cases the concrete plan just doesn't always fit the character. It works best when it feels like an organic part of the story and not just trying to wrap things up for the sake of wrapping things up.

Finally, to answer your question about how I deal with Blue. Well in my Pokeverse (dubbed cactusverse in case you see me refer to my AU as this), I tend to be fairly canon compliant to the games. So after he loses his champion title to Red he becomes Viridian gym leader, slightly patches things up with grandfather by helping with the research and eventuallya head of the Battle Tree as an adult once he gains the Battle Legend Status (which is an actual legitimate title in cactusverse held currently only by him, Red and Leaf, although one of my OCs gets this designation as well). So nothing that really deviates from canon except for some offscreen events. Basically the battle legend status is bestowed if a major event happens that is taken care of by an already established powerful trainer. So there's a rather major plot thing the Kanto Trio gets involved in that once they take care of gives them their status.

Also for cactusverse there's the whole issue of the Viridian City gym. So it eventually it gets passed down to Trace as Blue has shown that he's become a bit too powerful to be a gym leader. He was honestly when he first got it probably still a bit overkill for an 8th gym leader, but he also really needed an attitude adjustment. And with Lance being a far better father figure to him than Oak could ever dream of, with the help of Agatha tried to rein in his egotistical and self important ways by giving him the position. Which worked very well. Still in cactusverse there's rules on the win percentage a gym can have and that's determined by position. Win too many for your rank and you get moved, vice versa if you lose too many, and sometimes you might even lose your position. The first and last gym leaders are always the most at risk of losing their status. This actually happens to Wallace, Iris and eventually Raihan because they just end up exceeding the strength of most challengers who try to challenge them. Hence why all three of them end up champions at some point cactusverse (Raihan does not become Galar's champion, but Johto's champion since I really like the idea of him spreading his wings beyong Galar).

Blue between the time of BW2 and SM had ended up getting to a point that no one had gotten a gym badge off of him in a couple of years which is unacceptable by league standards and he would've gotten booted out sooner had Lance not personally asked my OC Terra to come kick his butt and get a badge off of him. And cue possibly the most iconic and brutal gym battles to have ever gone down in a region of outside of Galar because two heartbroken champion tier trainers, who broke each other's heart is a recipe for a frightening battle. Lance happened to referree that match and might be a little traumatized. Terra won and he was able to give out his last badge before Red came back from his latest global trip and said let's go to Alola.

[shinyacademy]

My Collection: Ponyta

Meet Nyx, my shiny Ponyta! Has anyone else always been a big Ponyta/Rapidash fan? Right from when Pokémon first came out, Ponyta and Rapidash were always high on my list. Shiny Ponyta is even more exciting with deep blue flames (I find Rapidash’s periwinkle flames a little disappointing in that respect).

Nyx was given to me as part of a birthday celebration giveaway. She was offering legit shiny Pokémon (any non-legendary Pokémon from Johto in whatever ball you want with whatever name you want. But wait, how was she able to do this? How is it possible to catch that many legit shiny Pokémon in such a small amount of time?

There is a known glitch in Pokémon Heart Gold, Soul Silver, Pearl, Diamond and (I think it still exists in) Platinum. Very basically, certain trainer IDs will encounter high amounts of shiny Pokémon as long as they are of a certain gender and nature. It’s a very rare glitch so if you’ve never heard of it despite playing all of these games don’t be too surprised.

There are programs and apps that have been made to help you time the creation of your character to try and get one of the glitched trainer IDs but none of them connect directly to the DS so it’s not hacking. While I would consider it an exploit, the Pokémon produced by it are 100% legitimate by even Pokémon International‘a standards.

If you’re saying to yourself, “But Professor, this sounds like cheating,” you’re not entirely wrong but you’re not entirely right either. While we call it a “glitch” or an “exploit” we don’t know if this is the case. It’s possible that it was written into the game intentionally to give some users a very unique experience. After all, it survived two whole series of Pokémon games. And yes, it could just be a big that some people exploit but there’s still work involved. Is the work that goes into perfectly timing your character creation to get the right ID less legitimate than manipulating the odds by soft resetting? Only you can decide.

I’ll be trying this method out on my own sometime in the future so keep an eye out for a future post but if you’re curious in the meantime and want to look it up it’s called, “The Cutie Glitch.”

If you’re looking to get your own Kanto Ponyta your best options are probably Masuda Methid egg hatching or Overworld encounters in the SWSH DLC. If you have some of the older games there are some more options open to you but transporting the Pokémon up through those older series can be a big pain. Your time is probably better spent on one of the other methods.

Have you ever tried the Cutie Glitch? Let me know in the comments. If I can ever manage it I’ll likely do a custom giveaway myself!

Until next time, happy hunting! ✨

[1358456]

Rambles About Short Story - Alone

Well, I’m pretty bored, so... I’m going to scan through the last short story and point out all the references and parallels I made in it! How many can there be, right? It’s pretty weird to make references/parallels to parts of the story that don’t officially exist, but I did it anyways.

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This whole short story focuses on Red’s loneliness when Blue’s not around! Just like in Legacy after her death, just... without the tragedy this time. So Red’s depression actually becomes rather cute, if you think about it. And unlike in Legacy, where everyone else is unable to cheer him up, this time, he has people helping him out.

Blue: “What if you ran into a clone of me, who looks and sounds the same, and has the same memories and everything, but is not the real me? Could you replace me with her?” Red: “Uh… well, if I had you, I don’t think I can replace you with anything, a clone or not.”

This is probably the most obvious one, since Blue asks something very specific. The bad ending of Legacy happens because Red could not replace her, not even for a completed clone of her. Not to say that it was a bad choice on his part. Thus the tragedy. Was it a wrong choice? Well, discussing right/wrong morality in a fictional setting that has no ultimate right/wrong is completely meaningless, so... moving on.

Crystal notices Red’s loneliness and calls Platinum to help. In Legacy, Crystal sends Platinum (and Gold) to find Red once he succumbed to his depression and ran off. And in the bad ending, Crystal is the one to notice his depression after he had doomed both Platinum and Blue/K3 to their fates.

Crystal gets groped by a pervert known as “Ass Catchem”. Well... that’s a substory from a different game. And a reference to a short story that could’ve been.

Red had disguised himself as a clown, wielding a party bat on this mercenary job. Just like in Hitman.

THE CROWD’S LOVING IT! - Party Bat. Yes, the bat talks. It’s a... pretty f*cked up game considering all the “for fun” parts.

The pervert tries to sue Silver for “ruining his sense of touch”. Well...

Pervert mistakenly thinks that Silver is a girl, and... yeah.

So Silver’s ass has... hehe. Gold will mock the sh*t out of him for that. I wonder how Blue would react.

Red doesn’t want to sleep on the bed now that Blue’s not around. In Legacy, the empty bed is one of the biggest reasons why Red can’t stand his house anymore. And so he gets really mad when Platinum puts him there after she finds him drunk. I didn’t have the space/time to write that out in the short story though. Originally, as Platinum gets ready to sleep, she’d find Red on the couch and ask why he isn’t sleeping on the bed upstairs. And after explaining his situation, Red would sleep on the couch while Platinum sleeps on the set-up blankets on the floor. But it felt kind of weird to write it out given the overall mood, so... ehn.

Platinum is going through issues of her own but still tries to help Red in his lonely times. In Legacy, Platinum definitely has her own issues, but still tries (and fails) to help Red.

Y is recovering from an injury at this time. In Legacy, Y is nearly killed by her own Mega Garchomp and falls into a coma. And Platinum blames herself for failing to save her junior. This time though, it’s nothing too major and is unrelated to Platinum, so she’s not devastated by it. It would’ve been a potential DE chapter or a short story, as X takes care of Y all day every day.

Platinum and Moon have a “fight” because Moon had been lying and hiding something important from her, and Platinum absolutely hates deception among those she trusts. Platinum says something she quickly regrets, but it’s too late and she had hurt Moon quite badly. Diamond and Pearl find Moon before she does something drastic. In Legacy, Moon runs off before anyone could catch up to her, and she ends up doing something drastic that ultimately gets her killed, thus starting the whole Corpse Party shenanigans.

So comparatively, Platinum is still falling apart a bit in the short story, but not nearly as much as she would have in Legacy.

Platinum deeply hurts Moon, a younger sister figure, emotionally in a “fight” out of anger, which she quickly regrets but is too late. And then instead of making amends, because of her own fears and guilt, “flees” to Kanto to seek advice. In Legacy’s bad ending, Red deeply hurts Platinum, a younger sister figure, both physically and emotionally out of anger, which he quickly regrets, but it’s far too late since she’s bleeding out. And instead of trying to help her and make amends, he flees the scene, ultimately buries her alive, and flees again to Unova to finish the fight against the enemy. Red also does the same to Blue’s clone. He deeply hurts her emotionally, regrets it later on but it’s too late, and tries to flee from his guilt.

Platinum is ashamed by what she had done. In Legacy’s bad ending, Red is also very ashamed by what he had done, and the tremendous guilt forces him to sacrifice himself to be freed of it all in the end.

Red can’t imagine hurting Platinum... which is exactly what he ends up doing in Legacy’s bad ending.

Red: “I don’t know if it’ll be the same, but… think how you would feel if I hurt you like that. Would you actually want me to go away forever, or would you want me to return to talk to you and make things better again?”

Red does exactly that in Legacy’s good ending, after he finds enough courage to talk to Platinum again. And in Legacy’s bad ending, one of Platinum’s last thoughts would be wishing to have the old Red back like the happier times in the past.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whew. I think that’s all of them?

[gelatoromantorchwickneopolitan]

Neo’s love for pearls began early in her life. The toothless old lady who used to sell trinkets on the corner of one of Vale’s seedy streets loved to tell a legend that The Girl in the Tower cried deeply after her cruel father cast her out of the palace and locked in the lonely tower, and her tears created a lake of pearls, that’s why it was believed that if you wore pearls every day, it would stop you from crying forever. Of course, the cunning old woman tried to use this story to foist on someone her cheap and long-rusted jewelry, which she passed off as “the purest pearl necklaces.” Neo just rolled her eyes in irritation, because real gems in this part of the city were as scarce as hen’s teeth, and stealthily stole a thin platinum chain right from under the old lady’s nose. But this legend touched something deep in her heart - her parents also drove her out of sight, locked in an even more terrible place - in an orphanage, from which she had long fled. It would be better if they immediately threw her out into the street. She shed so many tears that, probably, it would also be enough for the whole lake - and if her tears also turned into pearls, then she would no longer need money at all. She had seen pearls before - on the large colorful showcases of expensive jewelry stores, in which she, the grubby girl, of course, was not allowed, and serene beauty of pearls attracted her at first sight. Although she allegedly did not believe in the legends, but still, somewhere deep in her soul, she hoped that as soon as she put on a pearl necklace, then all her adversity would pass at once, and the tears would never flow down her cheek. That’s why she started stealing for a few pearls every month to add to that platinum chain, so in a while she would have enough pearls for a necklace. But when the necklace was ready, Neo was too afraid to wear it as supposed, so she wrapped the beads around her arm and hid them under her sleeve. Only deep at night, hiding in her nook, Neo looked at the soft white lustrous orbs, on whose surface the reflections of the moonlight danced, and recalled another story – this time Mistralian which described the gems as drops of dew that dropped from the sky during the nighttime, into the moonlit ocean. She had never been in the open ocean before, but that did not prevent her from daydreaming about this marvellous scenery. Later, from the lips of the same chatty old woman, she heard another story, this time about the famous ancient ruler of Vacuo. Legend had it that she took the gem from one of her pearl earrings. She then dissolved it and drank it! Supposedly, this was done to show her opponents that the entire nation’s wealth could be devoured in one, single gulp. Neo was angry at her wastefulness and at the same time very envious of the queen’s wealth. She herself couldn’t afford a life of luxury… at least for now, living a poor life of a street rat. Talking about the queen’s, firstly she found out about the “queen of pearls”, or the “pearl of queens” in the book she sneaked from the local library together with the sign language manual. That book was full of fantastic stories which fueled her overactive imagination, and there she read two legends about the rare black pearls which she had never seen in any local jewelry stores. According to one Sanus legend, pearls were formed in the heads of Wyvers, which were perceived to be cleverer than other Creatures of Grimm, and the Wyverns carried the pearls between their teeth until killed by a Hunter. The book also stated that one of the Wyverns was apparently laying dormant within a mountaintop near Mountain Glenn, and only the bravest and cleverest Hunters capable of slaying the Wyvern would be able to obtain the black pearl – so exotic, so rare, and of such an exceptional value. Thus it was considered a symbol of infinite wisdom. Neo only shook her head – this certainly was a childish story. Another legend – from Mantle – told her that black pearls were often associated with everlasting love and therefore were an ideal symbolic gift to a loved one. Legend had it that Mantle god of aurora, gifted a black pearl to his beloved. This book looked kind of old, and Neo didn’t know if this view that a black pearl symbolized love persisted, but she was sure that no one would care enough to give her a gift only queens dared to wear…

Well, look at her now. Ten years after sitting in the corner of the old cellar with a leaky roof and trying to read a crumbling fairytale book, she was standing in the Yanshui Pavilion situated in the upper-class part of Vale, and Roman, who stood in front of her, was smiling with a wide, toothy grin that covered the entire bottom half of his face. He was handing her the five-stranded black-pearled necklace – yes, the same famous necklace of the late queen of Vale which just a day ago laid safely in the museum.

-         The “queen-gems” for my queen, – said Roman, beaming at her proudly, delighted with a success of the heist. – They are just as you – cold and aloof, yet at the same time seem to mysteriously and alluringly invite you in.

Neo poked him in a feigned anger. When was she aloof with him? Well… maybe… she was a bit at the start, when she was very suspicious of a thief taking an interest in her, but that was long ago!

Roman chuckled lightly at that.

-         And, as you, they possess an elegance that can shine alone, but their serene beauty – pure and fair to look upon – also makes them perfect complements to flashier gems – “king-gems”, brilliant and resistant. As, for sure, I am. The sun to your moon. 

Now Neo couldn’t stop herself from a silent laugh. Roman was sometimes too boastful for his own sake, but that was one of the things she truly adored in him. Actually, she adored everything in him with her whole heart.

‘Are you trying to tell me that now I need to steal for you a diamond?’ she signed quickly with a mischievous smile, and then, standing on her tippy toes, raked a hand through Roman’s hair and got a good handful to pull him closer, forcing him to bend down, and lightly run the very tip of the tongue around the outline of his lips with darting touches before actually kissing. Roman broke the kiss to murmur into her mouth: “That’s not what I meant…”, but she shushed him mouthing ‘I know’ and lightly run fingers up along the neck. Roman brought up the hands to cup her face before pressing a soft kiss on the nose, “I”, another chaste kiss on the forehead, “love”, and the last butterfly kiss on the lips, “you”. “Do you want to try on a necklace, my ice cream cone?”

Neo excitedly shook her head in agreement.

From now on, as her long-wounded heart sincerely hoped, she would never shed a single tear again, just as the legend said.

[puppyluver256]

Why I Defend Video Game Remakes but NOT (most) Film Remakes

Had some thoughts about the slew of half-assed film remakes coming out within the past few years (lookin’ directly at you, Disney) and it got the gears turning further. We all know the main reason that films get so many remakes (it’s copyright retention, plain and simple), but they could at least strive to be a little less obvious in their motives. I just wish Hollywood in general were more focused on creativity than cashflow so the barrage of unnecessary remakes would end. Films do not benefit from remakes in the same way video games do: both an old version and new version will be equally viewable by most audiences.

Due to the nature of film and TV, you can release an old cult classic on new formats and it'll be fine. May look a bit weird due to aspect ratio/camerawork and the acting/effects standards may not be up to modern par, but that's down to preference. How many times have we seen old films like The Wizard of Oz or the Gene Wilder-starring Willy Wonka being re-released on dvd and bluray with digital remastering or added behind-the-scenes content? If a good movie is good, remaking it risks ruining what made it so good in the first place (a risk with all remakes, admittedly), and if a bad movie is bad, an outright remake probably isn’t going to benefit it that much. I’m not going to enjoy Citizen Kane if it’s suddenly in full color and a modern actor replaces Orson Welles. (and yes I know that film’s considered a classic, I respect what it did for film techniques but I just personally do not like the characters or plot and it doesn’t help when the plot twist at the end has been spoiled to hell and back in parodies and no i will not say what it is because i’m not an asshole who spoils endings to films regardless of my personal opinion of said film)

Video games, on the other hand, can't just be ported to a new system without at least making a few tweaks. There are MAJOR differences between consoles made by even a single developer, much less competing systems and the swath of possible PC setup combinations, so even just a slightly cleaned up remaster is going to need updated code to work with the new hardware. In some cases, like with the Pokemon franchise, there’s a strong metagame where features introduced in newer titles could be beneficial to add to older titles (like new moves, new personalization between different Pokemon of the same species, and even new types/type changes), and if those titles were released all the way back before nearly-instantaneous updates through online services, remaking the game would be the only way to bring it up to the current titles’ standards. In situations like the recently announced Persona 5 Royal (and similar cases with P4 Golden and P3 FES/Portable), you can add characters and scenarios that weren’t present in the original version and create a familiar yet simultaneously entirely new experience. And for those who want to play a game in its original state and the devs don’t want to release it on digital shops for a more reasonable price than a lot of those old rare games often end up going for, emulation may be an amazing thing, but too often is it under attack by devs who likely wouldn’t re-release those old games even with the clearly vocal group of people who would be more than willing to buy (if this had been a few years ago I would’ve used EarthBound as this example, but it’s a miracle it had both a Wii U and 3DS virtual console release outside of Japan), and sometimes it just isn't possible for certain games to be emulated at all--iirc the Saturn is notoriously difficult to emulate, meaning that if it weren’t for updated re-releases or people willing to pay exorbitant and over-inflated prices in the second-hand market no one would get to play the gems of that library outside of people who got their hands on it in the initial run.

Obviously not all video game remakes are always better than the original, and not all film remakes are worse than the original. I can’t think of any film examples at the moment (I don’t watch a lot of movies anymore ^^; ), but there’s at least five notable examples of video game remakes that were objectively (I think?) worse than or just not as great as their original counterparts, at least if you care what that dude says, I’ve only played one of the games featured in that video in either original form or remake and I personally have no qualms with that one specifically so my perspective is somewhat limited there. And even with remakes that aren’t objectively worse or better than the original, everything is down to one’s opinion, obviously. I know at least one guy didn’t care too much for ORAS over Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, and I do personally think that while they were a good pair of games and I enjoyed my run of Alpha Sapphire they weren’t quite as fleshed-out as Emerald was, kind of a symptom of keeping them as separate entities when the third part of that set tied the stories together nicely. I genuinely dread that the much-begged-for Sinnoh remakes (which are inevitable, slap a Pikachu on something and it still basically prints money) will return us to the lack of fire-types and overall slow slog that was Diamond and Pearl or just not include any of Platinum’s improvements.

But what do you guys think? No remakes? Yes game remakes? Yes film remakes? Remake all the things?

[fortitude-sakura]

Noir [3/?]

“Promotions”, the ghost of past loves and family come to visit.

Rating: M

AO3

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SAI: When are you coming back to Konoha?

INO: august :) i can’t wait to see you

SAI: If you really can’t wait, why don’t you come back earlier?

INO: you know i would -kissyface-

INO: i have a few jobs booked until then

INO: gotta make that bank $$$

INO: sai?

SAI: I miss you.

INO: aw! i miss you too babe <3  

INO: i’ll bring back a big present for you

INO: promise!

SAI: I just want you all to myself when you’re here.

INO: haha of course ;)

INO: although I did promise sakura i’d have dinner with her as well

INO: that’s one dinner date I can’t miss.

INO: hey forehead :)

SAKURA: Hey pig. What’s up? How’s New York?

INO: Same old same old >_>

SAKURA: I’d hardly call it that, pig. It’s not as if every photoshoot you do is different.

INO: haha XD it’s not as glamorous as you think

INO: anyways i’m coming home in august

INO: dinner?

SAKURA: Sure, let me know closer to the date. Need a lift from the airport? I can borrow Tenten’s car.

INO: no it’s okay

INO: i have a ride

SAKURA: ;)

SAKURA: In both senses?

INO: you know it ;)

黑

“No personal texting when you’re on the clock, Haruno.”

Her Team Leader had been coming down on her hard since that meeting and everyone felt it. Sakura found it ironic that she’s being reprimanded for something as minor as sending a few texts and yet he had no problem sending her on personal errands for him (as punishment for the meeting).

Thankfully, next week that would be ending since the Intern Program forced interns to rotate departments to take on different work. ‘ To find the best fit for each candidate’ said the information packet.

She hadn’t told anyone what had happened. Not even Tenten, who would have fired up and told her to stick up for herself. As much as she would have liked to do that, she was only 3 months in to a 12 month internship and burning bridges now would only hurt her career long term.

She would however, have a glass of wine and watch reruns with Tenten when she got home.

黑

“You made it!” Izumi squeals happily, pulling Sasuke into a tight hug. “Come in!”

“Like either of you would let me live if I didn’t.” Sasuke says, as he takes off his shoes at the door.

“That’s for sure, little squirt.” Shisui says, taking advantage of Sasuke bent over and puts him in a head lock and ruffling his hair, “You know how much your brother loooooves you.”

Sasuke manages to get Shisui in the ribs, hard. Shisui howls in pain and Izumi laughs.  

The three of them had been inseparable since they were children and the bond between them only grew stronger. Both Shisui and Itachi were the kind of men who loved unconditionally, deeply and without restriction. Izumi had a big heart and wanted the best for his brother and Shisui. While Sasuke didn’t really understand how none of them imploded from jealousy (Sasuke himself was not the type of man to share), he couldn’t imagine them without each other - they were just that.

“Little brother.” Itachi says warmly, emerging from the kitchen.

Smiling, he walks into his brother’s embrace. “Happy birthday. I got you your favourite - 12 year old Kamazaki.”

“You spoil me. We’ll crack it open later.” Itachi says smiling, accepting the bottle of whisky. “Mother says she’s stuck in traffic. They’re going to be a bit late to dinner.”

Sasuke had known about the three of them for years but so had their parents. To his surprise, they had never made any off colour comments about their eldest son’s arrangement (as some relatives would call it).

Mikoto had been nonchalant about it - or at least seemed that way when Sasuke had overheard a hushed conversation between his parents.

“Anata, your son loves both Izumi and Shisui. You’ve known this ever since they were children. Was there ever a time they weren’t together?”

Fugaku hadn’t said anything - something he usually does when his wife is correct. Which is a lot of the time.

“Does his preference somehow change him?” she asked gently when Fugaku stayed silent a touch too long. “Does it stop Itachi from being the kind child he is?

“No.” said Fugaku firmly, “No, Itachi has always been a child that’s full of love. I hadn’t anticipated just how much.”

For Izumi and Shisui’s birthdays later that year, they were given with heirloom gifts - Mikoto’s pearl and diamond earrings and Fugaku’s sapphire and platinum cufflinks. Sasuke understood the importance of these gifts, especially the cufflinks from Father. It was their way of welcoming them into the family and to hell with the gossipy relatives.

The topic of weddings and children were never brought up - they all figured that they’d talk about it when they were ready to share.

Dinner consists of Itachi’s favourite dish - ochazuke. Even though technically it’s considered the kind of simple dish you make when you have next to nothing in the fridge but last night’s fish, Shisui’s version is anything but simple. The dashi is beautifully savoury and the fish fresh, the skin crispy. Shisui serves it with some of his homemade pickles, featuring vegetables he had grown himself. Sasuke doesn’t partake in dessert - unlike his brother, he isn’t much of a sweet tooth. Mikoto makes fun of Itachi and says that he’s eating too much of the Izumi’s Fluffy Cheesecake and that he’s getting chubby. Fugaku praises Shisui on the pickles and Shisui tells him to take some home with him as Izumi is getting sick of seeing all the canning jars in the fridge. It’s when Fugaku and Shisui are discussing gardening techniques (as Fugaku himself has taken to it) and Izumi is encouraging Mikoto to come to her yoga lessons that Sasuke notices his brother’s absence.

Sasuke finds his brother later in his study, nursing a glass of whisky. Escaping family gatherings for a few minutes with a glass of his favourite liquor was a habit of his.

Pouring himself a glass, he sits down in an armchair.

“Another year older.” Itachi muses. “You know, we’re thinking about trying.”

Sasuke raises an eyebrow. “Trying?” inviting Itachi to elaborate further.

“For a baby. Izumi isn’t getting any younger. She keeps making jokes about her body clock but I know she’s anxious.”

“Oh.” is all he can say. A million more questions flood his mind and he needs to ask the obvious.

“Whose?”

Itachi laughs. “Like I said, we’re just thinking of it. I know okaa-san wants a grandbaby to spoil.”

This was true. Mikoto had been teasing the three of them, asking them when she could expect a little bundle of joy. At first it had been just a casual question but the question was popping up with more frequency.

Itachi notices Sasuke making that weird frowny face. The one where lips make an almost frown and that frown line on his brother’s otherwise smooth forehead makes an appearance. He only makes this face when he wants to ask something but doesn’t know if he should.

“Go on, ask.” he says.

“Are you happy?” Sasuke blurts out and for a moment, he’s reminded of Sasuke as a child.  

“You’ll have to be a bit more specific.” Itachi says gently.

“Being here with Shisui and Izumi. Not having any part of the business anymore. Are you happy?”

Itachi smiles. Every once in a while, Sasuke would ask him about his lack of involvement in the company started by their father. He himself never once cared for business, although it so happened that he was good at people. All he ever remembered wanting was a quiet life with Shisui and Izumi. Business didn’t allow for that. Nor did it allow for Itachi’s softer, gentler nature. His little brother was much more suited to it. His stubborn streak, his eye for detail and his ability to remain collected in the face of difficult situations made him a natural candidate.

Of course, that’s not what the papers saw. The papers saw an ambitious younger son (indeed, Sasuke was ambitious in that he didn’t want to live in the shadows of his older brother) overthrow the elder son to take position as the Director of Uchiha Enterprises, leaving the elder to find a different vocation. What they didn’t know that Fugaku had never planned for Itachi to remain Director for multiple reasons. Fugaku only asked that Itachi take the role for a little while, so that Sasuke himself could learn about the business from the bottom up. Not to mention that Itachi’s complex relationship would be fodder for media vultures and he’d wanted to spare his elder son from the scrutiny. Fugaku knew his sons well and had enough faith in the both of them to run the business well (while he went with Mikoto on that trip around the world he had promised her when they had gotten married).

Itachi doesn’t think his father ever said any of that to Sasuke. Fugaku was never one for proud, sentimental words (at least not directly) even though he think that Father was secretly the most proud of his younger son. He does know that Sasuke does put a heavy burden on himself to uphold the Uchiha name and to run the business well - a self imposed burden.

“Yes, Sasuke. I’m happy.”

Time for you to find yours.

黑

From: Takaya Ito (itotakaya@uchihaenterprises.com) To: Sakura Haruno (harunosakura@uchihaenterprises.com) Subject: Internship Program - 2nd Quarter Placements

Hi Sakura,

I hope you’re enjoying your internship. As you are aware, interns will rotate roles and departments on a quarterly basis, with the eventual goal of finding the best fit for you at Uchiha Enterprises. The next quarter, you will be working under Director Uchiha as his executive assistant. Please see Keiko on Friday for handover.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

Kind Regards,

Ito Takaya

黑

Sakura’s jaw clenches when she reads the email. Executive assistant.

She didn’t suffer through 3 years of university just to become someone’s coffee fetcher! This must be some kind of cruel and unusual punishment - from her Team Lead and from divine forces unknown.

The other interns organise a dinner, to celebrate getting through the first quarter of the program.

All the interns were being moved to various departments according to the disciplines they had majored in. Annoyingly enough, Toshiro is moved to a project team and was using the dinner to lord it over the other interns.

“No one fucking cares, Toshiro. So do us all a favour and shut up.” Ami says, having reached her patience quota for the night and downing her drink.

“Sakura, where are you going next?” Hiromi asks, leaning in.

For some reason, Hiromi reminds her of a vulture (a blonde vulture) and she isn’t sure if she doesn’t want to answer out of shame or because of Hiromi.

“Uhm, I’ll be working under the Director as his executive assistant.” she says quietly, moving the rest of her bean salad around on her plate.

She sees Hiromi’s jaw tighten. Sakura is sure Hiromi would have loved to be in her position, working under the Director and Sakura would have swapped with her gladly as Hiromi was also moved to a project team. The other interns are surprisingly sympathetic but she can’t seem to shake off Hiromi’s stares for the rest of the night.

When Friday morning rolls around, she heads to the 38th floor to find Keiko. She finds Akane at the front reception desk.

“Oh! Sakura! Welcome! My name is Akane. I’m the office manager here. We’ll be talking a lot. I organise meetings and run the office - make sure there’s enough ink in the printer that sort of thing.” Akane shakes her hand vigorously.

I hear you’ll be replacing Keiko. Director Uchiha’s office is that big one all the way out back. You’ll see Keiko at her desk just outside. Between you and me, as long as you get the Director’s coffee order right, he’ll be happier with you than with Keiko.” she says with a wink. “Good luck!”

Sakura finds Keiko at the desk, looking as bored as she did in that meeting a few weeks ago, flipping through what looks like the latest issue of Haute.

“Oh finally. You’re here. He’s not in yet.”

Keiko is blunt and to the point. There isn’t much to the handover - just the handful of appointments and a few dry cleaning tickets (although the pile of papers seem to suggest otherwise).

“Usually the Director already knows what meetings he has.” she says, shoving the last of her desk ornaments into a file box. “Thank fuck I won’t have to get any more coffee.”

“Where are you transferring to?” Sakura asks. She’s curious to know where on earth Keiko is going to warrant being replaced by an intern.

“Marketing. Anyway, good luck!” Keiko says with a smug, catlike smile before sauntering off with her file box, leaving Sakura at the desk.

Good luck, indeed.

黑

“Tenten-chan!”

“Yes?” Tenten puts down the fabric scissors and pokes her head out from the sewing room.

“Ah there you are!” the elderly Yoshikawa-san says, patting Tenten’s arm. “A very important customer is coming in this afternoon. Can I ask you to perform the fitting? Asahi is meeting another client.”

“Of course! Leave it to me.”

Tenten smoothed the suiting fabric she was working with that day. She hadn’t expected to find herself in this line of work - she had originally dreamed of becoming a traditional Chinese dancer. However a combination of lack of jobs and oversaturation of talent as well as her body proportions (she wasn’t the delicately emaciated maiden that most dance companies looked for) made it difficult. Luckily, over the years she had altered her own dance costumes and clothes which led her to  a part time alterations job at a dry cleaner’s to pay the bills which then led her here.

Sure, it wasn’t the career she had dreamt about, but it paid the bills and she was good at her job. She loved Yoshikawa’s little shop. It had all the original fittings - dark oak panelling, brass doorknobs and creaky doors with tinkling bells that chimed when customers walked in and out of the shop. On the glass window, ‘Yoshikawa & Sons’ was printed in a beautiful serif font.

Yoshikawa Inari was the best bespoke tailor in Konoha and Tenten considered herself incredibly fortunate that she works for him. Not very many bespoke tailors took on female apprentices but the Yoshikawa-san saw something in Tenten and decidedly hired her when no one else would. Yoshikawa-san was extraordinarily kind, humble and patient as he taught his craft to his grandson, Asahi. He treated Tenten as part of the family and would always give her a generous quarterly bonus.

She just about finished with the vest lining she was working on when the doorbell chimes.

“Ah welcome! I’ve been expecting you. Have you been well?” she hears Yoshikawa-san address the client. "How is your father?"

She hurries into the small kitchenette to prepare some tea while they make small talk. Placing two porcelain cups and the teapot on a wooden tray (all of which were antique), she walks out, almost dropping the tray in shock.

“Ah! This is my apprentice. She’s cute isn’t she?” Yoshikawa-san beams as he introduces them, “This is Hyuga Neji. You’ll be performing his fitting today. Tenten-chan? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost!”

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[cherry-interlude]

Marilyn Monroe (Puppy Love) - Lana Del Rey Lyric Breakdown

I didn’t realise how depressing the song gets

It's not puppy love Puppy, puppy, puppy love It's not puppy love Puppy, puppy, puppy love You make me wanna be Like one of those girls From the 1950's

Lana admires this period of time and she wants to be like the women from it, such as Marilyn; they were ‘idealistic’ housewives who took care of their husbands and maintained the home

Wearing those big pearls

Lana likes the style from that time too, and the debutante-housewife ideals; it’s a symbol of her beauty and her money

I'll cook you breakfast

Lana wants to look after him like a housewife from the fifties; women would cook for their husbands and though it can be considered sexist today, Lana just admires showing how much she cares for someone

Coffee on your desk, yes

This person is clearly the breadwinner, much like in the fifties, the same way Lana is taking on the homemaker character, as the desk implies he is a hard worker

I might burn your toast

Lana is acting clumsy like Marilyn, who put on a ‘ditzy blonde’ front on her movies; it’s also showing that Lana isn’t perfect or isn’t really the best homemaker but (see below)

But baby I'm still the bestest

Lana still feels that she’s great despite her lack of housewife skill and it isn’t the most important thing for either of them, since there is more to her than just that

It's not puppy love

Puppy, puppy, puppy love

It's not puppy love

Puppy, puppy, puppy love

You make me wanna be

Like one of those girls on the coloured TV

It was a new world

Lana feels that she wants to be part of the exciting time where everything was “new” (such as the shows and the “coloured TV”); this person may make her feel the same excitement towards him as well; this may link to TV In Black and White

The Dick Van Dyke Show

We're Cher and Bono

Sonny and Cher performed together and were a musical couple which is a reflection of Lana and this person and how they may work together, become famous together or create music together

The way I sing 'I got you babe'

The song Sonny and Cher sang together

Makes you say "Oh no"

Lana always sings the song and it makes this person feel ‘annoyed’ that she does it, or perhaps she sings it in a silly way; it’s showing that Lana and his relationship is silly and they joke with one another

Cause you're the class president

The “class president” shows that they’re most likely still in school;  it refers to the president of the United States, which Lana has mentioned in songs such as JFK and referenced in National Anthem

Without Jackie O

Jackie Kennedy was the wife of JFK, the president during the fifties; this person doesn’t have anyone but Lana, as Lana is pretending to be Marilyn Monroe who had an affair with the president and with ‘Jackie O’ out of the picture there’s no competition

And I'm singing happy birthday

Like Marilyn Monroe

Lana may link this to National Anthem, where she sang Happy Birthday to the president; this could show the first moment they really connected with each other, the same way Marilyn Monroe sang on Kennedy’s birthday

(One)

This is not a school girl crush

Lana was told it’s just a high school crush but Lana knows it isn’t; this shows they’re still in school and they have strong emotions around that age; though Lana feels the strong emotion, she knows it’s not just because she’s school age

(No, two)

This is not a puppy love, (uh-un)

‘Puppy love’ is a silly teenage infatuation and it usually passes

It's the real thing

When you told me you loved me

Lana knew it was real when she was told she was loved; this may show that this person is usually considered a bit of a player (as the “class president”, like Kennedy) but because they told Lana that they loved her she knows it’s meaningful

Promise I'll never see Arthur or Bobby, baby

Arthur Miller and Bobby Kennedy were who Lana was married to and had an affair with respectively; Lana is saying she’ll never see those men because she wants this person instead, so by promising not to see them she’s making a commitment to this person

(One)

This is not a school girl thing

(No, two)

What about the diamond ring? (uh-un)

Lana is referencing a wedding ring but perhaps also a class ring, showing there’s commitment between them both; Lana questions how any person can think it’s not serious when she has a symbol of meaning

Everyone knows I'm like Jessica Rabbit

Jessica Rabbit is like Lana in that she is a singer with sex appeal and is quite flirtatious and considered to be a ‘bad girl’, but ultimately she was dedicated to her husband, Roger Rabbit

I'm your leading lady, I gotta have it baby

Lana is implying she is the main lady this person wants, but she is also the star on stage and the most important

It's not puppy love

Puppy, puppy, puppy love

It's not puppy love

Puppy, puppy, puppy love

You make me wanna be

Like one of those girls

Calender pin-up queen and platinum curls

There are ladies of the fifties who were ‘pin-ups’, so were models for sexualised images; Lana is like one of those women who are beautiful and admired; they also often had blonde hair, which was favourable; platinum implies expensive, so she has a lot of money or is worth a lot of money

I'll do my summer pose

Golden sand between my toes

You can pack my favorite snacks of

Veuve Clicquot with Ho-Ho's

You're everybody's hero and you're hitting it home

Lana looks up to this person, as does everyone else (as many did with Kennedy), with respect and admiration

While I'm singing for the soldiers like Marilyn Monroe

Lana, out of her Marilyn Monroe role, sings for her audiences, and she may say they’re “soldiers” because she wants to sing to lift spirits and have people enjoy her music; Lana is fond of her audience and doesn’t just sing because she likes it but also for those who are her fans

CHORUS

And if I call you on the telephone

Lana is referencing to the calls Marilyn Monroe made on her last day, as she locked herself in her bedroom with the telephone and said things which sounded as if she was to commit suicide (which she did)

I might overdose

Lana is referencing the suicide of Marilyn, which was most likely an “overdose”

Cause I'm strong, but I'm lonely like Marilyn Monroe

Lana is feeling depressed, like Marilyn Monroe did, and may look up to her because she recognises that they both feel similar; this song may reflect the story of Marilyn Monroe through the chronology, as after she sung at Kennedy’s birthday (which Lana references in the song) Kennedy finished with her brutally; Lana may have, now the song is nearly finishing, separated from this person and is now feeling suicidal and “lonely”, yet the song finishes with her optimism of the chorus, showing she still believes it isn’t just “puppy love”

CHORUSES

I like requests

[nautilusopus]

I haven't played Pokemon games in years, but I'm considering trying one out. Any recommendations? Or should I just look at the most recent release, I think it's Sun & Moon?

Depends on what you want out of your game. I think Sun and Moon are excellent games in the series but also have some noteworthy flaws – they’re definitely paced very well, there’s a lot to do, and this is really the first Pokemon game that’s upped its ante, but it does still have its issues. They brought EXP scaling back from gen 5 (because everyone loved that so much), the Festival Plaza, the new Online Hub Thing, is just… genuinely awful (there is literally no way to view your own profile/stats. None. They never put that in as a feature. You have to fucking ask a friend to view it for you and tell you what it says), and I sure hope you like Fearows! And nothing else! Ever!

Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon (this gen’s Crystal/Emerald/Platinum) fixed the issue of there being Infinite Fearows everywhere and anything that isn’t a Fearow stupidly rare, and added some more cool stuff to the postgame, even if I’m still super mad about what they did with Lusamine in that version, and gave it some graphical updates and at least attempted to make all the clothes less terrible by adding shirts that aren’t the same empire cut in different colours. 

Sumo/USUM have their perks, too. This is definitely the most RPG-ish that a Pokemon game has ever felt to me (and I do mean this in a good way). It takes a lot of interesting risks, and some of these risks were ill-advised (Festival Plaza), and some of them really made it stand out as a game (no gyms in this one!/no more HMs thank god hallelujah). As far as Pokemon games go, this is also one of the more difficult ones. If that’s the kind of experience you’re after, it’s absolutely worth playing, but I couldn’t say for sure if that’s the kind of thing you’re after to get you back into the series. It’s very cutscene heavy in the beginning, and depending on who you are that could be a dealbreaker or a draw. Gen 7 doesn’t want you to miss ANYTHING and will hold the shit out of your hand for a little while until it feels comfortable letting you swim in the deep end of the pool. 

If you’re just looking for straight difficulty, I’d say definitely either Ultra Sun/Moon, or Platinum, which I think is still the hardest title to date. Cynthia is still best champion. Actual difficulty, too, not janky level curve difficult. There were a lot of battles that wound up genuinely challenging, and Platinum brought back the the trend Crystal started of having a rich postgame (and introduced Looker!). However, the engine for Gen 4 is just… agonisingly slow. That’s the one huge drawback these games have in particular. 

If you do pick Gen 4, pick Platinum. There’s zero reason to play Diamond or Pearl. They’re weird, less good beta versions of Platinum where they hadn’t quite worked out a lot of design kinks and it shows. (Entering a gatehouse forces you off your bike, Surf speed is half your walking speed, the ONLY other Fire type available in the whole game besides the starter is Ponyta, and a lot of Pokemon that were introduced in this gen are unobtainable unless you import some stuff from Gen 3 to evolve?????? why Game Freak.)

This might be a weird thing to say, but if you want to get reintroduced, I could also recommend X and Y, which are vastly underrated and I think actually some of the stronger titles released. It has the vastly superior PSS for online functions, and while it is one of the easier games in the series, what really makes this game for me is the sheer Pokemon variety available, and how quickly the game lets you start teambuilding. There’s a huge variety of Pokemon available on nearly every route, and putting teams together that you’ve tracked down yourself is one of my favourite parts of trying a new Pokemon game. There’s this one awkward bit between badges 1 and 2 where you do a dumb thing with someone’s dog and a Snorlax because Gen 6 was trying very hard to reel the Genwunner crowd back in and not every method it used to do this was exactly graceful, and your dumb friends can be annoying sometimes, but the game is otherwise fairly fast-paced, with plenty of neat little distractions sprinkled throughout the region to where you never feel too restricted. 

Plus, the clothes options are better. Just objectively. Cheaper, too. 

On that note, ORAS incorporated a lot of the great features XY did, and is a great blend of those quality of life improvements coupled with the familiarity of a solid, older title. Not much to say about this one because Gen 3 is good and Gen 6 is good and they’re two great tastes that taste great together and complemented each other well. Only real downside to ORAS is, well… 8.5/10 too much water. Maybe it’s because I’ve played Gen 3 around 57 times (not an exaggeration), but the water routes are kind of annoying to get through. 

WHOA CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT but I really do feel like the Pokemon games have only gotten better with each installment. Kalos and Alola in particular feel so much more like living breathing worlds, and going back and playing Gen 1 again, even the remakes, puts it into stark contrast just how much has changed for the better in terms of making it feel like you’re actually exploring a region. 

TL;DR: Pick Ultra Sun/Moon if you want a challenging, richer game experience with a solid story (even though Sun/Moon’s plot is technically better grumble grumble Lusamine Lusamine), XY if you really enjoyed teambuilding and fighting a wide variety of Pokemon and are into the aesthetic of the games, Platinum if you just want a challenge and don’t mind the Slow, and ORAS if you want Emerald with more quality of life and XY with more freedom. 

Don’t start with HGSS. I know everyone loves it, and they’re definitely good titles, and yes it’s really cool you get to have your Pokemon behind you and explore two whole regions, but that level curve is a huuuuge bitch so if you’re not already willing to tolerate that for the sake of doing the whole other half of the game it can be very frustrating when it hits, and coupled with the slow engine, grinding becomes an exercise in frustration very quickly. 

[rabbit-man]

Letting You Know 6 Amazing Tips to Buy Diamond Jewelry

Hued precious stones are rarer to discover. These pearl stones can end up being a little expensive over the translucent precious stone stones. In any case, the hued stones are alluring to take a gander at, particularly on the off chance that you cherish brandishing unpredictable types of adornments.

Telling you 6 extraordinary ways on how you look for hued precious stones:

Carat weight of precious stones isn't the main value influencing determinant

You have an assumption that a 1 Carat precious stone is costlier than a 0.90 carat stone by 10%. As far as its weight, yes it is. In any case, the costs can be very deceptive, all things considered. A precious stone may look littler on its fringe surface zone however may have a thicker support or a more profound structure.

Hued precious stone stones, are once more, rarer to discover. Thus, the evaluating of a 1 carat precious stone can be higher than a 0.90 carat by even 40%. As in hued jewels, the slice is basically done to feature the tint or the shading. In white precious stones, the slice is done to feature the brightness or brilliance. It is in this manner basic, that the costs of precious stones, are not built up, just by the heaviness of the stone alone.

See shading, setting and the styles

Again when you need to pick dazzlingly planned precious stones, contemplate numerous elements. Simply don't pass by a partial thought, all things considered. When you need to choose an unadulterated white precious stone to mount on a white gold ring or platinum, level D can be picked. While for yellow gold, levels G, H or even I can be picked.

Image source At the point when the jewel pro searches for uncommon types of hued precious stones, unique consideration is given to the shade of the stone. Dark, brown and yellow are moderate hued precious stones. Oranges and top notch yellows are mid-extend. Ultra-present day and luxurious stones, that are extremely uncommon to discover, incorporate shades like blue, green, pink, purple, violet and glittery reds.

The more the considerations, the pettier the jewels are

In the event that you go for a faultless precious stone, it comes to you with definitely no-defect no-consideration, sort of a stone. The staggering completion is practically identical to none other. In any case, at that point, there is one striking viewpoint, parcel of purchasers, neglect to get it. A super clearness stone can be somewhat dull.

Stones with the edges, picques or incorporations add to the truly looking appearance of a scope of free precious stones. In the event that you go, for getting a wedding tiara, or a solidified type of neckband planned, you essentially need to pick stones with incorporations.

SI1 and SI2 scope of jewels have incorporations that are unmistakable to the unaided eye, all things considered.

Go for the cuts in an insightful way

An adjusted cut or a princess cut stone is the most costly one to be sure. You can go for square cuts, pad squares and oval formed stones, so as to spare your wallet by at any rate 40 to half.

State for example, a cycle 1 Carat jewel with a VS1 clearness costs you $9000. While the oval formed one is $6500. For a 0.5 carat stone, a round molded jewel costs you $1,700 while an oval formed stone costs you $1,350.

Shaded precious stones with extravagant cuts make the adornments look prettier and increasingly remarkable.

Brilliance a viewpoint to be considered

When you go for a fluorescent jewel, you can get the stone at a marginally scaled down cost. Relying on blemishes, is the thing that spares you, the cash too. To the extent white jewels are concerned, individuals incline toward going in for the fluorescent stone, as it adds to a superior level of brilliance or whiteness.

Fluorescence is anyway an angle that is just unmistakable under an UV empowered light. When you plan purchasing gems containing yellow jewels, the fluorescent part of the stone, should be considered at profundity. For other shaded jewels, this is in any case, not a significant thought that requires investigating.

Settings add to the stylish estimation of the adornments

The thing you have to truly concentrate on, is this. Have a go at getting the adornments structured in a state of harmony with the most extreme potential, the stone really offers. In the event that you go for a stone that has a lower lucidity grade, you can conceal the stripping of the stone with prongs or by utilizing plume like incorporations. Yellow precious stones can be set with yellow gold crowns or yellow prongs. Pink stones can be enhanced on a rose-gold setting. Along these lines, you can add to the quite looking appearance of the adornments and set aside cash, also.

[tumblunni]

Actally, that reminds me, that was an underrated addition they made in Platinum! It was a shame they never actually really did anything with that potential plotline, but that kinda worked effectively in its own way?

Like, there’s a lot of stuff to think about in a villain who sees himself as a mentor to you, sees something relateable in you, desperately DESPERATELY tries to corrupt you into his successor and then absolutely fails. That’s.. really rare?? How often does the ‘villain tries to corrupt you’ plot end in such a way where the hero has 100% of the power and them actually considering becoming evil is just Never Even An Option. Cyrus is basically batting at a screen door ineffectually like ‘nooo how can I defeat this’, he’s this giant scary super intelligent nihilistic monster villain who’s repeatedly outwitted just by a small ordinary child who says ‘yeah, actually, I don’t really wanna betray all my friends and destroy the world. Want a cookie?’ And this drives Cyrus absolutely mad. This is the only thing able to break through his years of surpressing his emotions, the only thing able to make him explode into anger for the first time in so long is when he’s DEFEATED BY SUCH A FRIENDLY FRIENDER AND HER FRIENDS

Its oddly pitiful, I wanted to give the guy a hug and try and help him talk through what seemed to me like a guy who’s purposely isolated himself from all human contact yet some part of his subconcious is screaming ‘PLEASE. LET ME BE FREE.’ It feels like he doesnt even realise that he wants to be friends with you, so it manifests in this weird messed up way?? And I also totally headcanon that he also subconciously sees all his evil minions as like a substitute for the non-abusive family he wishes he had as a kid. "ha ha, they are but pawns”, says local villain, as he builds the ‘Official Team Galactic Nap Room’ and puts ~uwu take care of yourself~ posters all over the walls of his HQ...

So i think it would be cool if it was less of just one vague line at the end of the story, and they actually tried to do something more with this idea. And I liked how the Pokemon Special manga and Diamond And Pearl Adventure manga both tried to do this kind of plot in their own unique way. I preferred Pokemon Special because I think Dia was more believeable as an innocent symbol of goodness, and its not like he stayed oblivious forever or anything. He had a whole character arc of coming to grips with how the world is darker than he expected, and sometimes you have to fight in order to preserve peace, and like.. it seemed more effective to me that he faces darkness and doubts himself and still decides to remain optimistic and good even in the face of all of that. Its more badass when a positive character is like someone who chooses to fight against cynicism WHILE UNDERSTANDING CYNICISM, not like just ‘oh theyre only optimistic cos they’re too stupid to know otherwise’ or whatever. Also, he had a cuter dynamic with Cyrus as like a lil brother big brother thing but also Cyrus respecting him as like His One And True Only Enemy and then seeing this tiny boy almost as a mentor in the end once he switches sides to join the heroes. It was nice to see super scaryman elevating our tiny goofy hero up on a pedestal, when he’d been like just the comic relief to everyone else for so long. I like how all three heroes got their own moment of ‘Yes, I’ve proved I’m the protagonist!’, and there’s never really an actual answer to who’s The Official Leader or anything. Its the best handled example of a multiple protagonists story I’ve ever seen that wasn’t like a thing with perspective changes between multiple jrpg parties. Like usually its all ‘each of them is a leader to their own smaller group’ instead of just a group without a leader. Anyway, I think Dia had the best one of these moments cos his was connected directly to redeeming the main villain through just being So Damn Powerfully Cute, Holy Shit. i think Dia could probably convince a HP Lovecraft monster to stop destroying the world if he just offered it one of his cakes!

MAN now I’m getting nostalgic again for this game and that one random comic adaptation!!!!!

[emptypokedex-blog]

hi so i'm trash and i was scrolling down your blog and i saw the homestuck au and i want to draw art of it so do you have any like, references or ideas as to how everyone looks? like, horn shapes, symbols, outfits, etc? or are they just like the same from the manga? sorry for bothering you btw

2: hi, specialstuck anon again. any ideas for like their online handles and ancestors? sorry about bothering you about this bc i just realized that your posts about that au was from like months ago and idk if you care about it anymore i’m so sorry

Hello! I’m sorry for not responding. I’ve just been a shitty blog-runner, and haven’t been here. This ask makes me really happy because I honestly still like Homestuck and genuinely think its well written. I was really into classpect assignments back in the day, so this was a fun little project.

I didn’t post about it because I didn’t think anyone liked it, but here you are, proving me wrong-ish!

AND OH MY GOD YES, I LOVE WHEN ASK TO DRAW ART OF MY IDEA!Don’t worry nonster, you’re not bothering me at all! I’ve literally done nothing over the summer.

I’ll post the pictures separately too just so you can zoom in.

I’m putting a cut because this got longer than expected.

Okay, so I had a guide with all of their horns and symbols, buuuuuut…I lost it. So, special for you, I made a new, updated one! My hand was cramping so bad after this. I would scan it, but I don’t trust my printer/scanner right now, because last time I used it, it completely crumpled my drawing (its the kind that eats the paper and scans it)

BTW I changed some stuff.

In terms of online handles, I dunno. Those are haaard. Ancestors, ignoring the sexes of the characters, would be the character’s parent of the same gender, unless there is only one parent, or if the character has no known parents or no living parents, they would be a sibling. If there are no siblings belonging to that character (Emerald, Red, probably someone else I’m forgetting), they would be a fictional character or OC or someone else from the canon that has some sort of familial or social relationship to the character. So for Silver it’d be Giovanni, Sapphire has Birch, Ruby has Norman, Crystal and her Mother, Green could either have Oak or Daisy. Yellow’s could be her Uncle. And so on.

Clothes would probably be the same, except for the trolls, all their shirts would be black instead of the color they normally are and for the humans all their shirts would be white.

In terms of Lusi (Lususes?) for the trolls, their starts fully evolved forms would be them. So, like, Swampert would be Ruby’s Mudbeast Lusus or Meganium would be Crystal’s Neckbeast Lusus. The same for the humans’ consorts, except in that case, they be the unevolved versions.

Gonna get my caveats out of the way now, I wanted to stick to the ‘one-of-each’ format Homestuck has going on while adhering to the gender-roles, so, at the end, some characters were left with God Tiers that didn’t really fit them *coughsilvercough* So, for those characters, I’ll provide what they were left with and the alternate I would have preferred. The hardest was finding a Breath player. Only the humans had repeats of the trolls.

(Top: Gold, Silver, Crystal Bottom: Pearl, Diamond, Platinum)

Gold: Knight of Blood, Land of Sap and Bells, CueKind, Non-Psionic Yellow-Blood, Prospit.

I forgot why I designed Gold’s horns the way I did. I think it had something to do with resembling his hair. His symbol is the logo for HeartGold.

Gold is a character who’s arc is about feeling inferior to his friends and overcompensating. When he finds out that he didn’t have a title, it broke his heart. The Knight class experiences change and growth throughout the game, and the Blood aspect is about platonic relationships and bonds. Come to think of it, I think Gold could also pass for a Page.

I can see Gold being on the characters who starts one of the teams and competitively tries to get the people he wants to join his team.

Silver: Rogue of Breath*, Land of Dust and Masks, IcePickKind, Non-Psychic Rust-Blood, Derse.

*Not only could I not figure out what Silver would be, but he was also the one to get the most out of character God Tier. I can see him as a destructive class, like Prince of Blood, but both that class and aspect have been taken. I am very unhappy with the result.

I had so much trouble drawing Silver’s hair, that I ended up putting it in a ponytail, but, let’s admit it, we all need for more of that. His horns are supposed to look like an ‘R’ when put together, so one is curved and the other has a hook on the end. They’re asymmetrical. I know its hard to see, but they are. His symbol is supposed to be the logo for SoulSilver. 

I refuse to explain Rogue of Breath because there is nothing to explain. Rufioh, in canon, is a Rogue of Breath and these characters have nothing in common. A Rogue of Breath would steal Breath – or Direction – for the benefit of others and I genuinely cannot make this work. So, instead, I’ll explain Prince of Blood. Prince is a destructive class that destroys with the aspect, in this case Blood, or bonds. Prince can also be one who destroys the aspect. So, Silver destroying past bonds he no longer wants. 

Silver would befriend Blue over the chat, become fascinated by the concept of siblings and request to be Blue’s sister (cause she was explaining it in terms of being his unrelated sister), to which she’d agree for him to be considered her brother.

Crystal: Thief of Doom, Land of Wheels and Flood, FootKind/ShoeKind, Non-Psychic Teal-Blood, Prospit.

One of Crystal’s horns is supposed to be straight, only curving at the end, and the other one has a star on the tip. Her symbol is, surprise surprise, a Star.

I know what you’re thinking. Thief of Doom? Crystal? No Way! Well, I’m gonna explain. Thieves take the aspect to benefit themselves, and the concept of Doom ranges from just a simple burden to death itself to complete planetary destruction. In the Pokespe canon, Crystal was hired to complete a job Green and Red failed to finish, and she was happy to do it. This makes me think that Crystal is willing to take on certain burdens that coincide with her interest, something a Thief of Doom would certainly do.

Potentially the other team leader, maybe the only one who thinks this is an awful idea. Begrudgingly agrees.

Pearl: Seer of Space*, Land of Peaks and Frogs, FanKind, Slightly-Psychic Brown-Blood, Derse.

*Could have been either a Seer of Space or a Mage of Space, but Seer fit his behavior more.

Pearl’s horns are supposed to look like the antenna and tail of a Chatot, so the one behind his hair resembles a music note (see Chatot for reference) while the other one just has a ball on it. I think I’ve seen his horns drawn like this before by other artists, so I don’t think this is the most original decision, but I still really like it. His symbol is a Circle/Pearl.

One of the most important parts of a Seer is their ability to observe. This is why it was so hard to me to pick between Black and Pearl when it came to choosing a Seer. However, because I wanted Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum to be Time, Space, and Void no matter what, Pearl got the honor. A Seer of Space observes Space and exists in the present moment. They may also oversee or take charge and are creative types.

Pearl’s weapon is FanKind because he picked it when he was young and practiced in the art of fan-to-fan compensate.

Diamond: Heir of Time*, Land of Fruit and Geysers, LadleKind, Non-Psychic Cobalt-Blood, Prospit.

*I originally listed him as a Page of Time, but changed it after giving Wally the role of Page. Either works for him.

Dia’s horns are supposed to look non-threatening, so they are wide and not very sharp. They’re kinda Munchlax-esque. His symbol is a Diamond.

When picking between Heir and Page, I went with Heir because Wally took Page Diamond has a sense of time from the beginning. Heirs become their aspect in one way or another, hence why they’re called ‘Heirs,’ and Diamond has such a grasp on his flow of time (not to mention his major-legendary equivalent being Diamond), that I see this working. If he were a Page, which would also have been good, it’d mirror his rise against Pearl is the DP chapter.

Diamond makes food puns constantly in chat and there is no way of stopping him.

Platinum: Sylph of Void*, Land of Snow and Tomes, UmbrellaKind, Non-Psychic Violet-Blood, Derse.

*To be honest, a lot of the female-based classes in the Void aspect fit her character, except Witch.

Platz horns should look like the faceplate of an Empoleon. Same situation as Pearl, I think I’ve seen this done elsewhere my multiple artists. Her symbol is the Berlitz family sigil.

Void is nothingness. Pretty much any class enacting Void is lacking something, since Void is the lack of anything. As a Sylph of Void, one could create Void because Sylph is a creative class, and Platinum does this in a social sense by ignoring the claims of other people and acting as though they never happened. In terms of her behavior in early chapters of the DP chapter, she also acts as though she isn’t supposed to emote.

She will never admit she is friends with a lowblood.

(Top: Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald Bottom: Black, White, Wally) 

Ruby: Prince of Light, Land of Mirrors and Silk, NeedleKind, Non-Psychic Rust-Blood, Derse.

I exaggerated Ruby’s scar a bit for this. The horn on the side of his face with the scar is broken, but both of his horns used to be symmetrical. They’re supposed to look like the antennae of a Milotic. His symbol is the pattern on Groudon’s arm.

A Prince of Light would destroy knowledge, which, at first, sounds very out of a character for Ruby. But knowledge doesn’t only apply to books and science. Instead, is refers to anything known. Considering how Ruby acts at the end of the RS chapter, throughout the Emerald chapter, and again in the ORAS chapter, where is constantly pretends as though the confession never happened and lies about a variety of things, actively destroying what people know, I think this is the most fitting God Tier I’ve provided. Ruby is also a character I can definitely imagine playing the role of minor-villain at some point.

He’s super salty about not only being the lowest of bloods, but not having any psychic powers to compensate.

Sapphire: Witch of Rage*, Land of Thorns and Thunderstorms, ClawKind, Non-Psychic Indigo-Blood, Prospit.

*Would rather have Maid of Rage, but White fit the Maid role better for multiple other aspects. Witch was all that was left.

Sapph’s horns resemble Gamzee’s, but are thicker and less curvy. They’re just supposed to look wild and are not based on anything. Her symbol is the pattern on Kyogre’s flipper.

As much as Maid of Rage fit, I had to give her Witch of Rage, which, in actuality, would probably belong to an incredibly unstable person. Witch’s have completely control to manipulate their aspect while also fully embodying that aspect, and when that aspect is Rage, chances are that person isn’t to in a safe psychological place. Maids, on the other hand, start by relying on other people for their aspect and where to enact it before learning on their own to use it as they please. Sapphire would have gone through this change twice: once when she was younger and changed when Ruby was hurt and she realize she couldn’t that girly anymore, directing her Rage towards her younger self and/or people like that, and again when she changes in the RS chapter and compromises.

Sapphire leaves animal pelts at Ruby’s doorstep to make stuff out of. She brings most of the meat to Dia and feeds the rest of it to her eggbeast lusus.

Emerald: Bard of Mind*, Land of Dunes and Towers, PistolKind, Non-Psychic Olive-Blood, Derse.

*Couldn’t for the life of me figure out what this kid was. Rald

I used his current design because I couldn’t draw his croissant-hair. You’ve probably already guessed it, but his horns are based on his eyebrows. His symbol is the pattern on the head of Rayquaza.

Again, same as Silver, I’m not going to explain it. But for Rald, I just don’t have anything else to say. I’ll put it simply: I don’t think Rald is a destructive player (in fact, he might be a manipulative player), but I’m out of stuff and I’m stumped.

Immediately joined Crystal’s team without a second thought and before knowing what the heck they were doing.

Black: Mage of Hope*, Land of Kaleidoscopes and Skyscrapers, RockKind, Powerful-Psychic Brown-Blood, Prospit.

*Seer of Hope was also an option, but it is taken by Pearl. They both make great Seers.

Hexagon. Everything about Black is based on hexagons here. Horns and Symbol. Put his horns together and you get a hexagon.

Mages fully experience their aspect at some point. Admittedly, a Mage of Hope would be naive and maybe a bit too hopeful, but Hope is definitely something Black has a lot of, even up until the end (y’knoow, up until he became a rock). A Mage of Hope would be dedicated to making it to their goal because they would genuinely believe that they’d get there, a la Black when he wants to become a pokemon master.

Sees the world in hexagons a lot like he does with Musha on his head.

White: Maid of Heart*, Land of Roots and Carnivals, WhipKind, Non-Psychic Cobalt-Blood, Derse.

*I also really liked Maid of Hope for her.

Y’know White’s hair-antennae? They’re her horns now. They’re close together and bend back over hear head, not outward. I didn’t know what Symbol to give her, so I just made it a box.

Heart and Blood are very similar in that they’re both about relationships, but Heart is more about the impact of those relationships. A Maid of Heart starts by relying on someone else for their relationships and enjoyment, but would eventually come to do it on their own. If anything, regardless of aspect, White is definitely a Maid.

Had Black sign a contract that ensured he would join the same team that she was on.

Wally: Page of Life, Land of Pumps and Corridors, PumpKind, Non-Psychic Teal-Blood, Prospit.

Wally’s horns are tiny because I felt someone like wally wouldn’t have especially large or threatening horns. His Symbol is the pattern on the face of a Kecleon.

Wally was hard, but I eventually settled on Page of Life. Pages and Maids are very similar in my eyes, because they are both classes based around personal growth. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned out that Pages were the male equivalent to the female Maid. A Page of Life would lack Life in the beginning, which would manifest itself in physical or emotional health. As a Page, he’d grow in health, perhaps to the point of overdoing it. I think this God Tier mirrors his subplot pretty well.

Blindly follows Ruby around where ever he goes.

(Red, Yellow, Blue, Green)

Red: Heir of Blood, Land of Rivers and Lightning, BallKind, Prospit, Consort: Bulbasaur.

I FORGOT HOW TO DRAW RED’S HAIR! His Icon is a Pokeball.

Heirs have a need for their aspect, and one thing Red really enjoys is his pokemon and having a group friends, and even protecting people/showing off to neighborhood kids. As an Heir of Blood, Red would need to embody the Blood aspect and pretty much be the connecting force between the other characters. I picked this because he essentially started the series and, as the first character, I interpret him as the driving for keeping older characters together. Heirs also have a natural talent for their aspect, and I think the term ‘natural talent‘ in general is a decent description of Red. Plus, he’s really good at making friends.

Yellow: Sylph of Life, Land of Keys and Ink, RodKind, Prospit, Consort: Can a Snake be a Consort? ‘Cause I’m thinking Ekans.

Her Icon is a Lightning Bold (Also could have done a feather.)

I mean, come on. Like I said before, Sylphs are a creative class and Life is synonymous with health, and, therefore, a Sylph of Life creates health. Naturally, Yellow would be the teams healer. She could probably bring things back to life or give like to inanimate things by creating Life itself.

Blue: Thief of Space, Land of Coins and Frogs, CrowbarKind, Derse, Consort: Squirtle.

(Oops, she looks like an axolotl) Her Icon is a Mask.

A Thief of Space would steal Space for their own benefit. Blue would probably use this by stealing size from one object and applying it to herself or transferring size between things, switching the location of herself and something else or the locations of two items. It’s be great for stealing from other people.

Green: Prince of Time, Land of Fog and Beats, FistKind, Derse, Consort: Charmander.

His Icon isn’t a pomegranate seed, it’s supposed to look like his pendant, but I can understand the confusion.

Prince is a destructive class, so Green would be destroying with Time. As a result, a Prince of Time would be impatient and easily annoyed and unable to cope with the passage of time. Some of these aspects match Green at an early age. As we known, baby Green had a lot of trouble with patience. They’d be stubborn and have trouble listening to others. This pairs well with early-Green. Current-Green is a lot calmer and smarter that he used to be.

If I didn’t feel the need to have one of each, the cast would look like this (In the same order as all of the above):

Knight of Blood, Prince of Blood, Thief of Doom, Seer of Space, Page/Heir of Space, Sylph of Void, Prince of Light, Maid of Rage, (Whatever Emerald would be), Seer/Mage of Hope, Maid of Hope, Page of Life. (Minus the Humans)

[julystorms]

What if the Looker we met in ORAS was a Faller from the non-Mega Evolution timeline, just like Anabel?!

That was my original theory, but it’s very difficult to writeinto a comprehensive fiction. Suspension of disbelief can only take us so far,after all.

My original timeline was:

Looker is born in Red

Jumps to ORAS’s timeline

Then we have the events of Diamond/Pearl/Platinum

Black & White

X & Y

And finally Sun & Moon

I really love the idea of the global police agent on the S.S.Anne being Looker. So much so, in fact, that the long’fic I started in Decemberran with this theory.

But, uh, writing a history for Looker is more difficult than it sounds.

The two biggest things to consider when putting together thishistory are his amnesia and his career, because across all the games it isLooker’s career that defines him, not just because of his missions, butbecause, well, we only know him by his code name.

(Apologies, this got long.)

1.) Amnesia

Looker has amnesia in ORAS but that doesn’t mean he keeps it.The first thing to decide with him, regardless of whether or not he’s comefrom a different timeline, is: what’s up with his amnesia? Like Anabel’s it isretrograde, which means he’s only lost previous memories and has no troubleforming new ones. That said, does he get his old memories back or, like Anabel,does he at best remember just a few inconsequential details? Does he evenremember his name?

Anabel is the only other amnesiac person we’ve seen in-game; we’renever really made aware of what caused her amnesia in the first place, either.Lusamine, Guzma, the Sun/Moon protag: they were all in Ultra Space and didn’tlose their memories because of it, so is it a prolonged period there thatcaused her amnesia? Was it trauma? Or was a combination of both?

See, my original theory was that Looker was just like Anabel:the dimension shift/trauma he experienced was too much for his brain and henever regained his memories. Worse, he didn’t get his name back, either. Thisis why Anabel, who doesn’t go by a code name, calls him Looker: his code nameis literally all he has by way of a name. ORAS kind of hinted at this with thewhole amnesia thing/his code name being the only name we ever hear him referredto.

But…this brings with it a LOT of issues. First, it’s impossibleto guess whether or not Looker’s amnesia is permanent the way Anabel’s issuggested to be, but pretending it is, we have to consider suspension ofdisbelief: could he have worked closely with Anabel for at least a handful ofyears without her learning of his amnesia? Without her suspecting something wasoff about him? It’s possible he could keep a lid on it, but, I think, notwithout refusing to ever talk about his personal life, which makes me thinktheir working relationship would be, well, kind of…tense. (See also: personnelfiles, coworkers, et cetera; the truth would be bound to come out, even if it’snot something other people are supposed to mention. Like, let’s be real: twoamnesiacs working together is going to start a flurry of confused rumors withinInterpol.)

There is another option, of course—the only other one. We cangive him his memories back, which means he’ll remember his name, hisprofession, the names of people he thinks he works with. Not that it will dohim any good in another dimension, but he might know enough classifiedinformation (perhaps about Team Rocket) to make Interpol believe his claimshave some validity.

Which brings us to:

2.) Career

This isn’t a problem so much as something that has to beseriously considered. What are the chances that someone who was a global policeagent would become a faller and then, in another timeline, be recruited by whatis essentially the same organization? 

Okay, yes, before you can say it: I am aware that Interpolrecruits fallers. The original faller-bait woman is one example and Anabel isanother. Both were most assuredly unqualifiedfor recruitment and yet were recruited off the street with no credentials andno history. Cool.

But the problem with this happening to Looker, too, is that itgives him a very personal stake in this fallers-as-bait business.

And it also leads us tothe question: why isn’t Looker beingused as bait, then, if he’s a faller?

The obvious answer wouldbe, “Well, he just doesn’t carry enough energy on him,” which makes sense.Remember, the UB from 10 years ago went after his and Nanu’s team member—not Looker.However, as stated above, why would Interpol recruit him if he’s a defunctfaller and has no credentials or history?

Don’t worry—I’ll get toit.

Personally I feel that there are only so many options available for a basic history for Looker: either he is a faller or he is not; either he regains his memories or he does not.

In every instance, he will have lost his memory at least temporary due to [insert event here]. And in every instance he still ends up in the same situation: working for Interpol as a detective using the code name 100kr/Looker.

So here are the four options I think are most likely (and of course, if anyone has anything to add to these/any other combinations, I’d be happy to read them, so feel free to reblog & add to this):

#1: Looker is from another dimension; he doesn’t regain his memories and isrecruited SOLELY because he is a faller. 

This is the ONLY way to make permanent retrograde amnesiaLooker work, IMO. It’s possible he could remember a few inconsequential things butbecause he goes strictly by his code name, and has turned it into a real name(almost as if it started as a joke and then became real) it stands to reasonthat this version of Looker doesn’t actually know what his birth name was.

Consider the TVseries Get Smart. 99 always goes by 99; in fact, her real nameis never revealed and even after the two are married, Max continues to call her99. Max, however, is known interchangeably as Max and Agent 86 by pretty mucheveryone. As far as how this relates to Looker: Anabel only ever calls Lookerby his code name. (But she doesn’t seem to have one, herself...or at least, she doesn’t care to use it.)

In order for Interpol to decide to recruit Looker, he had to have something of value that they wanted/needed. In this case, it would be his status as a faller, so we have to assume that when he was found, the energy levels on him were high enough that Interpol recruited him despite his lack of credentials--in much the same way they recruited Anabel).

That said, we know thatduring the event “10 years ago” Looker and Nanu lost a teammate toGuzzlord. So if you’re going to assume Looker was recruited because of hisstatus as a faller, then you have to assume, too, that by the time the eventof “10 years ago” took place, the energy levels on him had fallen too lowto make him of any use.

This would suggest that between ORAS and this event of “tenyears ago” there is a gap of of time to allow those energy levels to drop into uselessness: a couple of years at least. This would imply that ORAS is at least 12/13 years before the events of Sun & Moon instead of the generally-assumed gap of 11ish years.

So thenthis timeline would look something like this:

Looker from Red ended up in ORAS with amnesia, was recruited byInterpol, lost his usefulness as a faller, but proved useful in other areas(due to years memory-muscle experience from another timeline that he doesn’t remember) andso kept his job.

#2: Looker is from another dimension; he is a faller, he does get his memory back, and he isrecruited by Interpol because he has experience. 

Looker’s status as a faller in this case is just a bonus; his energy levels were toolow to be of much use from the start. Because he got his memories back we can safely assume that unlike Anabel, he didn’tspend very much time in Ultra Space.

This allows him to kind of jump right back into working withouttoo much of a problem.

Regaining his memories means that he has useful information on his person. It might not be all 100% applicable/correct due to this dimension being a slightly different one, but surely some of it is useful—or at least gives his claims some immediate validity.

Not that he especially needs it. Interpol knows about fallers (after all, they find and recruit the woman who later dies on Poni Island), so they know there is a very high chance that Looker is telling the truth about his career in the other timeline. They would approach him regardless of whether or not he gets his memories back, but with his memories, they may very well want to recruit him solely for his preexistingskillset. 

This arrangement also allows for ORAS to take place closer to the “event of tenyears ago” but I’d probably put at least a year in between them for sanity’ssake (catching up on training, getting reacquainted with the world, getting into the swing of things at work).

Thistimeline would be:

Looker from Red ended up in ORAS with amnesia but recovered hismemories and investigated the situation he was in. He was able to join theInternational Police due to his skillset. As soon as the term “faller” was given to him along with a definition he was able to put two and two together. I think for sanity’s sake he would probably be made aware of this early on just because he would try to get in contact with his family ASAP and would fail spectacularly.

These aren’t terrible theories by any means, but they are prettycomplicated. I find the latter a bit easier to swallow, personally, since itdoesn’t stretch suspension of disbelief too far.

(Additionally, I’m pretty sure Generations wasgoing for the “officer on board the S.S. Anne” being Looker with the whole connection to Team Rocket thing, which, in a manner of speaking, helps support the theory that Looker is a faller.)

Anyway we have two smaller theories to consider:

#3: Looker is a faller who didn’t leave hisoriginal timeline.

This means he recovered his memories (probably, due to even lesstime in the wormhole/lack of timeline shift trauma), is a defunct faller with little to no wormhole energy onhim, and has his family/friends/job all waiting for him when he recovers from his ordeal.

This brings with it some huge advantages when it comes to writing something consistent, either fanfiction or RP. In this sort of situation, Looker is grounded in the world more firmly and has lifelong connections that keep him there. It also means that even though he’s been lying to Anabel about herself all these years...he hasn’t been lying about his own life...and hasn’t had a reason to keep anything personal from her, either.

He’s still a faller by definition, but he might not feel the same connection to Anabel that a faller-from-another-dimension version of Looker might feel. Anabel lost everything, after all, and Looker in this case would have only been temporarily inconvenienced.

This timeline would look like this:

Looker was born in the ORAS timeline, was pulled into a wormhole and spat back out again into the same timeline. He regained his memories after a short time and was able to carry on with his life almost as if nothing had even happened to him.

#4: Looker isn’t a faller at all; he was onlyin a bad accident on the S. S. Anne.

This could be split into two categories: one where he regains his memories and one where he does not, but I personally think it’s more interesting if he regains them.

The thing is, due to circumstance, it’s very likely that Looker himself mightsuspect he is a faller due to evidence that seems too obvious tojust be a coincidence. In reality, he isn’t actually a faller at all...just anInterpol agent who met with a bit of a bad time, probably on the S. S. Anne.

This theory is really simple, but it does have some potential for entertainment due to him mistaking himself for a faller.

The timeline is:

Looker was in a bad accident/met with a bad time on the S. S. Anne and washed up on the beach in Hoenn sans memories. He regained his memories, picked up with his life where he left off, but later ends up suspecting he’s a faller due to all of the similarities between his situation and Anabel’s.

No matter what theory I go with I’ll always choose onewhere Looker regains his memories because I don’t think two people sufferingfrom permanent retrograde amnesia could work together for as long as Looker and Anabel have without the truthcoming out—not without Looker having to go to extremes to keep her from putting the pieces together...which does not seem to canonically be the case. All things told, they act quite friendly around one another.

Currently #2 is my default go-to theory just because it works tolerably well (and I’d rather not piggyback on other people’s headcanons if I can help it). Plus there is a lot of room for Quality Angst™. Think about it: all these years Anabel probably felt incredibly alone but he’s gone through something similar and has been there the whole time unable to confide in her.

I can’t deny, though, that a part of me is like: isn’t itangsty enough that the last ten years Looker has known more about Anabel thanAnabel has? Isn’t it angsty enough that she’s been super promoted just to beused as fucking bait? That her position wasn’t honestly earned and she doesn’tknow it yet? That her bosses don’t give a SINGLE shit about her health? That Lookerhas to deceive some kid to get their help in protecting Anabel? That Looker hasto deceive ANABEL to recruit the kid in the first place and has to lie to her face when he’safraid she’ll die because Interpol didn’t give her anybody who could actuallyhelp???

Adding more onto it steps so close to overdramatic badfic territory that it makes it scary to think about writing. To work well, it would have to be incredibly well-written. Looker’s character would have to be well-established and remain so throughout the entire story, and all of the important questions would have to be addressed: for example, Looker remembers everything but has been separated from his family* whichbegs the question: what’s worse, knowing what you’re missing or being obliviousto it? Is this even comparable? 

*This could get really angsty, too. It’s bad enough to lose yourparents/siblings/grandparents/nephews/nieces but it’s also possible he wastaken away from a significant other and/or children as well. Not to mention all of his friendships, contacts, acquaintances. They all probably think he’s dead.

Too, Anabel’s writing is really important; and you might say, “but this post is really about Looker” and that’s true, but please don’t forget that Anabel, as a fellow faller, is incredibly important and a big part of Looker’s life. Regardless of how they view one another, they are on friendly terms and Looker goes way the hell out of his way to try to protect her; this implies a certain level of closeness. It’s not “how he treats everyone” either: the dude risks the life of an 11-year-old to act as PvP DPS peel-bait without even telling the kid that’s what they’re being recruited for. He’s a little ruthless about protecting her. They are close. They have to be for that kind of behavior to make any sense at all.

Anyway, Looker in the case of #2 at least remembers himself. Even separated from his family and friends, he knows what makes him him. This is not a luxury Anabel has been afforded in this timeline. She probably has a lot of self-image issues (among other things), and they need to be included if for no other reason than as a foil to Looker’s dilemma/situation/outlook. That said, it’s easy to fall into the trap of making Anabel’s entire personality about her amnesia, and that is a.) boring, and b.) pretty offensive to people who suffer from or have experienced memory issues/loss of any kind.

What I’m getting at here is that even though picking a theory is pretty easy, writing it seamlessly is not. The characters have to stay in character according to what we know of them, and their relationships to one another can’t suffer as a result of that attempt. 

Anyway, out of all four theories, I find #2 and #3 to be the most likely, followed by #4. #2/3/4 run less risk of Looker and Anabel both reading as exactly the same in writing, and IMO would give an author less trouble than the others. #1 could be fun but like I said, it brings with it a lot of issues with regards to writing Looker’s relationship to Anabel, and probably others, too (in particular Nanu).

I’m not about picking a route just because it’s easy, but I tried to make #1 work and it didn’t work for me personally; I stressed myself out trying to make it make sense.

In the end, I’ll probably always use #2 just because it’s been working pretty well for me. (I do realize my Looker blog kind of contradicts this in a thread but I was still feeling everything out when I got to that part, so consider that retconned if you happened to have read it lmao.)

The TL;DR version: I've been on board that train for a while and I agree it’s one of the more plausible theories.

[1358456]

Review Response, May 12-18, 2019

I was hoping to get Legacy finished before I did this, but... damn.

Heart #004

1) I’m so sorry! I didn’t realise this updated until your tumblr post! I always love junior trio’s shenanigans and schemes their relationship is really nice and refreshing to me for some reason :)

Yeah, can’t go wrong with simply having multiple generations of Dex Holders hanging out together! ...

2) Eh, I liked this filler chapter. Unlike most filler episodes in anime, it was worth reading.

Anyway, I really like how the juniors reacted. At least Moon seems to be giving reasonable "support" imo. Platinum's reaction to Y mentioning the word "date" was probably my favorite part of the chapter though, as maybe it's finally starting to dawn on her. Maybe.

Awesome writing and I am very much looking forward to this little competition at the Battle Zone. Can't wait for the next chapter!

This filler does show a lot more of interactions between Dex Holders that weren’t shown before, I suppose. ... Mostly Moon, I guess, since she’s still “new”. This filler also makes a handful of Tumblr Short Stories “canon” to Heart! Such as Practice Battle 2, and The Feast. ... The Feast is just a copy of this Heart chapter, but with stuff removed and other stuff added. Not that anyone really cared about that short story. ... Which also shows in the chapter itself!

Indeed Moon shows the proper support. Not nosy like White or Y (from Legacy), but willing to help out if asked. And yes, this is the point in time where Platinum begins to realize what is happening, and then she panics because she did not anticipate it, nor does she know how to handle the new information, which then causes her to isolate herself as she tries to avoid Diamond and Pearl, just like in SA, so that she can try to sort out her thoughts in solitude. Not that she succeeds with that, causing her isolation to last much longer, so that other Dex Holders have to intervene to assist. ... Spoiling much? Ehn, who cares.

Ah, the competition for her heart... Well... that chapter is not happening ANY time soon. Probably not until next year, if that.

Legacy Prologue - Kanto

1) Alright, Nicole. On to the review for this story! Alright, first thing's first. I'm not much of a luckyshipping fan, but this is adorable. From Blue's guilt, to Red's kindness, I mean it's super cute. Though, sad at the beginning. It gets happier towards the middle, then bam! You get hit with Blue's insecurity, ma poor baby. She never deserved any of this, but isn't that life. Anyways, writing was on point as always. Though something that's different about this chapter, is that if I were to describe it, it'd be fluffy and light. Which doesn't make sense, 'cause it's actually pretty sad, but still. I can't shake that feeling. Anyways, don't know how you did it, but good job.

And thank you!

You know, you really should’ve read Destiny first before Legacy. This prologue part and Blue’s state is like a mirror to her state in Destiny. Destiny begins with Blue feeling lonely and abandoned, that gets progressively worse as someone isn’t really... ahem. But in Legacy, she begins feeling lonely and abandoned and immediately Red changes that around, leaving her feeling truly happy! ... And then her insecurity hits, which would increase “the feels” factor. But it still shows just how much brighter and happy everything is! ... In fact, if you follow the recommended order (SA, then Destiny, then Legacy), and focus on Blue, her happiness and “status” is progressing throughout all three. SA denies her the happy ending, and she’s kind of never really happy even in the very end, nor does she ever get the chance to be happy. Destiny begins with her miserable but she gets a happy ending in the end. Legacy begins with her happy! So... yay!

Legacy Prologue - Sinnoh

1) This was a simple chapter, and it was very nice. It wasn’t sweet, but it wasn’t sad either. It was almost like a slice of life chapter, but that’s sort of impossible with these characters. Anyways, I recognized the physics reference (yay!) and was rather proud of myself. Haha, but straying from that, I really like how you incorporated a lot of characters and these sort of “side stories” into this chapter, and yet it still didn’t feel too cluttered. It was very nice handling in your part. Thank you very much.

Cannot wait to read the next chapter!

Having “slice of life” chapters are important! Can’t be all chaos and mayhem, after all! Hehe. I have to give the characters some break time before the breaking time. Physics reference, huh? Free fall? Hehe... Behold the power of gravitational pull! Ahem. Hehe. Thank you very much!

... Can’t wait, eh? ... It’s been like 5 days, so... you seem to be waiting or bogged down! I look forward to seeing your review to the next and final prologue and then the actual chapters!

Legacy #006

1) So by boy Black still isn’t getting respect by the other Dex Holders, huh? Wonder if something in the upcoming chapters is going to change that? Hopefully pls?

Heh. Black will finally get true respect once he’s out of that damn rock. And so far, no one like... really commented on how he has a Bisharp now? :( ... It’s a cool Pokemon that does suit him, but... Sorry to break it to you, but... also considering how I don’t really think too highly of Black... it’s not looking too bright for him getting “respect”. ... I mean, there’s going to be a Practice Battle short story that’ll happen in the actual chapter as well where Y just destroys him in a battle (it has thematic importance for later in Legacy)... ... Sorry, Black. But... I rank the Generation V Dex Holders’ combat prowess to be one of the lowest, so...

DE #032

1) This is the first of your story’s I read and after finishing all of them I came back and reread it and I realized I really like the mixups (ruby white and sapphire black). Do you think you could ether write more in here or possibly make a whole new story for mixups.

Ah, more scrambled pairings? Certainly! Some are going to happen! ... Not too soon, but soon enough. Diamond & White, or one. Maybe Ruby & Platinum? We’ll see. ... Do note that these scrambled chapters are insanely hard for me because of the way I write the pairing chapters. So there won’t be too many of these.

[artificialqueens]

Primary care (a.k.a. the Poundcake ficlet collection) 2/13 [Katya/Alaska] - Spoky

A/N: I was so happy to see that many people enjoyed Chapter 1 of Primary care! (You can read it here !!) Getting even one star would’ve made my day and I am forever grateful that you guys made the effort to share the love. Thank you, so so much. *teary eyes*

On a happier note! Some info on Primary care: all parts will work independently (very similarly to Poundcake) but they also form a hopefully coherent story (very similarly to Poundcake) on how we all need someone to take care of us every now and then. <3

See disclaimer in Chapter 1.

Thank you again. xx

P.S. Any feedback hiiiiighly (pun intended) appreciated!!

Primary care   (a.k.a. the Poundcake ficlet collection)

Chapter 2 - ‘High’

Neon sticks, smell of vodka, people bumping into each other, outrageous dance moves, a familiar tune… Now sissy that walk!

Justin stood in the crowd and sipped his Becks Blue. The show had thus far been excellent and the idea to wear a mask to the party had worked as planned. Only the bouncer had any inkling that he was in the club, watching her. They had started as rivals, which quickly had been replaced with friendship, which then had progressed into a small interest and now could be accused of being a full blown obsession. He would of course never admit to it, but to pay entrance fee to a show he knew he could get into free, just in order to hide his presence, was rather pathetic. Even for him. Maybe not as earth shatteringly mortifying as watching old youtube clips of Alaska drunk on stage, in the worst case scenario sucking Sharon’s cock - but somewhere on those lines. Justin shook his head to banish the flashbacks and focused to study the audience instead.

She’d gathered quite a turnout. The club was full and everyone seemed to be at good spirits, excluding the blasé twink behind the bar.

‘… and then it fell! It fell! Can you imagine!’

Justin recognised the voice easily, especially as the person was practically yelling into his ear.

‘Sorry sorry, excuuuse me. Can I pass? We need to get to the-’

Justin squeezed himself to the wall, but knowing Violet the extra ten centimeters provided would not make her happy.

‘Darling, can I call you darling? You really need to step asi-’

Violet stared at Justin and then smirked. ‘Pearl! Come here bitch! I found us a bear!’

Justin swore silently.

Pearl arrived similarly to Violet in full drag. Just 15 minutes ago the pair had been on stage, what were they doing in the crowd?

‘Bear? I’m really not into bears, why do you- oh! That’s more like a teddy.’

Pearl and Violet examined Justin’s mask in fascination.

‘That’s really appropriate for this show, you know, bears are Russia’s national animal.’

Violet turned to Pearl. ‘Seriously? How the fuck do you know shit like that?’

Pearl shrugged. ‘Long story bitch.’

Violet chuckled. ‘Well then, Teddy, you coming? We need to get drinks.’

Justin panicked. Think! Think fast! Did he want to be exposed? He was going to get exposed. Maybe if he just came clean now? Maybe if… Could he try a different voice? Would the two queens be drunk enough not to recognise him? Not Alaska, something else, a higher voice, something boyish, speak quickly rather than drawl, use language Alaska and Justin wouldn’t.

‘Alllrighty’then.’ Justin said cheerily and grimaced. What in Michelle Visage’s name was wrong with him? That was awful!

Violet grinned and grabbed Justin’s hand. ‘This way!’

Pearl pushed Justin from the shoulders and together the three arrived to the bar.

‘Two rum and cokes and a-’ Violet turned to Justin, who shook his head and lifted his half full Becks to indicate he didn’t need anything. ‘Two rum and cokes.’ Violet repeated to the blasé twink, who rolled his eyes.

The music quieted down and people started to fidget to see the stage better.  

‘Oh, second act,’ Pearl noted.

‘It’s not like we need to be ready, we’re done,’ Violet said raising her eyebrow.

‘I promised to help out at the back. Give me that,’ Pearl grabbed one of the drinks that had just arrived and hurried back to backstage.

‘Bitch,’ Violet noted and sighed. ‘Well, it’s just you and me, Justin - just you and me.’

Justin choked to his Becks. ‘There there, no reason to die on me,’ Violet smirked.

Justin took a deep breath after his coughing fit. ‘You knew?’

‘Never have I ever seen a guy in a gay club drinking a nonalcoholic beer while wearing a ridiculous animal mask - no, wait, I have, namely Alaska.’

Justin had to admit Violet had a point.

‘Also the bouncer is a friend and might have mentioned it.’

That made more sense.

‘Pearl knew too?’

‘Yup!’ Violet smirked and took a sip of his drink. ‘Why else would we risk coming into the crowd, we wanted to say hieeee!’ Justin sighed in defeat.

‘You do realise that in backstage you could see her dancing half-naked?’ Violet asked but refused to turn her gaze from the stage where Katya Zamolodchikova had just started her number of ‘All that Jazz’.

Justin decided not to respect the comment with a reply. What could he even answer to that? That he knew, and that it was exactly why he avoided the backstage whenever possible? Because of Katya half-naked Zamolodchikova. And yes, he could pronounce and spell Zamolodchikova now, thank you very much.

‘Look, it’s none of my business but-’

‘No, it’s really not.’ Justin interrupted Violet who took immediate offense. Justin could see it on her face - and to be honest, she probably just wanted to help. Justin sighed. ‘Sorry.’

‘Mm.’

A long and awkward silence surrounded the pair. Katya bounced on the stage like a duracell bunny and Justin knew he had to offer Violet some type of peace offering.

‘It’s awkward.’ Justin started and Violet nodded her beautiful head once, indicating she was listening. ‘It’s lust and want and I haven’t been properly fucked for a while an-’

‘And Kayta is one of the rare tops in RuPaul’s Tupperware collection,’ Violet interrupted.

Justin burst out a laugh. ‘Exactly.’ Not quite.

‘Oh trust me, I get it girl. Just fuck him out of your system and then you can move on. That’s what I did.’

Justin froze. In many occasions had he wanted to strangle Violet fucking Chachki: when she pretended to have stolen Sharon’s crown, when she acted like a privileged prat on season 7, when her overflowing confidence showed Justin exactly how shaky his own was, but none of those times compared to the feeling of wanting to jump the younger queen right at this very moment and claw her eyes out. Justin forced himself to relax. Jealousy was such an ugly feeling.

‘Oh yeah?’ He asked and placed his now empty bottle of Becks on the bar.

‘Yeah, and don’t get me wrong, he’s amazing. Very attentive. But like, way too old. There was no real connection, like at all.’

Justin chuckled. Old indeed. Well maybe for the baby primadonna in front of him Katya seemed ancient. For Justin, well, not so much.

‘I’ll remember that.’

Violet nodded in approval. ‘Look, I think you should just chill, she’s a slut, just ask, she’ll do you - and if not, you can always pay her,’ Violet laughed at her own joke and Justin rolled his eyes. ‘Here.’

Justin glanced down to the open pack of cigarettes Violet was offering him. They looked suspiciously wonky.

‘My treat,’ the young queen smiled. ‘I know you appreciate the natural remedies.’ Justin nodded and picked one. It would be pleasant company while walking back to the hotel.

‘Thanks.’

‘No problem. Look, I’ll see you around. Don’t be a stranger.’

Justin nodded and watched Violet disappear after Pearl. What a night.

It was chilly outside when Justin stepped out of the club. There was barely anyone on the streets and the bright lights of advertisements lighted the wet asphalt. He lit the joint Violet had given him and started to walk toward his hotel just a couple of blocks away. It really was amazing how happy he felt after just seeing her from afar. To see her energy and hear her humour. To know that underneath, it was really him. The sexiest bisexual Russian hooker Justin had had the pleasure to meet.

He reached his hotel room and opened the curtains. He was faced with a beautiful dawn. The sun was playing with the damp scenery and everywhere sparkled like small diamonds. Justin was relaxed, and happy, and calm. He considered the view, it really was breathtaking. Almost exactly as beautiful as the alluring creature that had danced on the stage tonight in her prostitute red boots and messy platinum bob. Justin started laughing at his own train of thought.

‘So hi-i-i-i-igh on the view, high oh the view,’ he sang spreading his arms wide. He really was baked.

Couple of blocks away Brian McCook sat in front of a mirror and fiddled with his phone. He’d heard from Pearl that Justin had come to see their show, but had not come to backstage to say hello. Brian couldn’t figure out why. Why an earth had he not come to say hello?

  —

A/N2: If someone is wondering why Violet and Pearl were chosen as co-stars for this chapter and why Visage was mentioned in a rather odd way, I would like to refer to the second verse of ‘High’:

I found the words to fight it / The sweetest smelling violet / Like diamond to a dazzling pearl / Your scent intoxicates me / While your Visage elates me / My universe before you unfurls