#fairy and psychic work well together too

[feehippielove]

💜🖤💕 𝓙𝓾𝓶𝓫𝓸 𝓓𝓪𝓻𝓴 𝓢𝔂𝓵𝓿𝓮𝓸𝓷 💕🖤💜

💜🖤💕💜🖤💕💜🖤💕💜🖤💕💜🖤💕🖤

[randomfoggytiger]

X-Files Collector's Fic: Injured but In-Charge Scully (Poll Results: 1st)

This list was inspired by this poll, winning by a ~3% margin.

**NOTE**: I have a ton of Scully-In-Charge fics in my other fic list Creepy and Cozy Cabins, which includes the works of @discordantwords, @sarie-fairy, LuvTheBeez’s Snow (a personal favorite), and Karen Rasch’s By the Wind Grieved. Anyway, onward!

Loose chronological order below~

30xf's Young At Heart - Chapter 1

""How's the ribs?" Mulder asks, returning from the door with a large pizza box in his hands and setting it on the coffee table.

"Better," Scully sighs, stretching out and making herself comfortable on his couch. "I can almost take a deep breath without it feeling like someone's stabbing me."

"Well that's progress," he allows before disappearing into the kitchen. He had intended to grab plates and cutlery, but of the three plates he owns, only one was clean. And not having plates makes the cutlery a little useless. After a quick search for napkins turns up nothing, he remembers why they usually eat at Scully's place."" 

Post Young At Heart Scully is recovering and fending off Mulder from further poking her bruised ribs.

@spooky-nerd’s (Ao3) A Minor Inconvenience

""He is afraid to touch her and yet, illogically, touching her is the only thing that will quell the panic that is slowly building inside of him, bubbling up into his throat and making it hard to breathe. His fingers brush the side of her face gently, and her eyes flutter. His heart does a nauseating flip.

"Hey," he says, in case she can hear him, rubbing her cheekbone lightly with his thumb. "Hey, you're okay. You're gonna be okay," he says as much to himself as to her. He hopes she can't feel how hard his hand is shaking.

Her eyebrows draw together, etching painful lines into her forehead. She inhales sharply and cracks an eye open. "Ouch," she rasps.""

AU S3? Mulder realizes he loves Scully after she gets rag-dolled by a psychic. She wakes up, asks if he's okay, then starts listing her symptoms. He drops an "I love you" after that.

Donna’s Without a Trace

"I'll get a rock. I don't think that lock will be too much trouble."

She nodded and stepped onto the porch to look closer. "I think it's already broken," she said over her shoulder and tried the door. The sound of the gun going off paralyzed him for an instant, then he was racing to her as she lay on the weathered wood of the porch.""

AU S3? Mulder and Scully wake up on isolated train tracks with amnesia. They quickly rebuild trust and scavenge for a way back to civilization-- unfortunately, the first shelter they find is very booby-trapped; and Scully has to guide Mulder through a bullet retrieval.

@tatooedlaura-blog/tatooedlaura/Laura Sprys's

Lucky Ones

""Slowly opening her eyes, she searched the room for some kind of clue that she was actually alive. A moment late, she focused in on the body wedged painfully in a chair against the wall.

Choosing that moment to check on Scully, Mulder met her gaze and held it for a moment before sliding out of the chair, trading for a more comfortable spot on the side of the bed. Lowering himself carefully onto the mattress, he spoke softly, "sleeping beauty awakes."

"More like came off the pain medication," she answered back in a hoarse whisper.""

Scully is shot cleanly through the shoulder while protecting a little boy. Miraculously, his head was never hit-- though it should have been.

Your place or mine - Chapter 3

""Did they really have to end the case with a dead kid, a burned out house, a bullet wound and a desperately long de-briefing?

By the time they stumbled up to Scully’s door at half past three in the morning, they hadn't slept in three days and Mulder was so stressed and tense, he threw their bags to the ground and slammed the door shut hard enough to knock the mirror hanging beside it to the floor. The resounding smash left mirror shards strewn from the front door through to the kitchen. Scully would have yelled at him if she hadn’t been wincing at the pain in her upper arm from the through and through gunshot and if she had the energy to care.

She did not.""

Mulder hunkers down with a recovering Scully, continuing their inside joke of "love is--"; and barrels her out of the bed when Maggie drops in unexpectedly.

Foul Ball

""You don’t want to hear the story?”

Wincing when she shifted her shoulders, “first I want out, then you can tell me all about your time in the slammer and why baseball games are fun to go to.""

Dating-- Scully is knocked over by an aggressive baseball fan; and is driven home later by Mulder (after he pummels said fan, gets jailed, then bailed out by Frohike.)

@baronessblixen’s (Ao3)

Unnamed

""Mulder reacts before he even knows what is going on. There against the wall, pinned up high, is Scully. A large, fat hand around her throat keeps her there, strangulates and chokes her. Her feet dangle in the air, try to kick and fight. 

“Let her go!” Mulder’s yell reverberates through the room and the intruder turns to Mulder, bares his dirty, yellow teeth like an animal. His hand opens, lets go of Scully, who slips to the ground. Thump, only once; a sad sounds swallowed by the carpet.""

S5 Mulder is horrified that Scully was attacked and almost killed by a random serial burglar in the motel room right next to his.

Fine (Ao3)

""You’re not carrying me.” The way she says it leaves no room for negotiation.

“Then how are you planning on getting back?”

“I’ll walk,” she says, hopping on one foot.

“Let me help you, please,” he begs her. “Just… let me make sure you don’t break your other ankle, too.”

“It’s not broken, Mulder.”

“Potato, potahto.""

Mulder and Scully are still dating, and Scully still gets another leg injury.

Twisted

""Scully!" She hears the breathless desperation in Mulder's voice and the rustling sound his boots make, running through the leaves surrounding them.

"I'm fine," she yells back, hoping he'll slow down. If they both fall and hurt themselves, then how are they going to get out of here?""

Scully falls down a hole and twists her ankle; and Mulder ditches the search party to carry her back to the car.

"You're okay, I promise" (Ao3)

""It hit her,“ Mulder screeched, “He hit her!“

Scully didn‘t know what ‘it‘ was, or who ‘he‘ was. Maybe ‘it‘ was the thing that was gripping her head violently, squeezing it as if it were an orange.""

Scully, dazed, falls to the ground after being clubbed with a baseball bat; and listens to Mulder make a big racket until he is allowed to run over and provide moral support.

Fictober Day 26 (Ao3)

""I’m too heavy for you. Let me down. I’ll try to walk myself.”

“Scully, you weigh next to nothing,” he assures her. “Good thing I didn’t hurt myself this time, huh? Though you’d probably try to carry me anyway.”

“I would,” she says, smiling softly.""

S6 or S7 Mulder and Scully may be dating, but that won't prevent her from getting a leg break in the forest.

Prove It

""I have a headache,” she says, swallowing her standard ‘I’m fine’.

“Let’s get you back to the motel.”

She should have known he wouldn’t leave her alone once they get back. His hands are on her as soon as she’s out of the car. His concern, while exaggerated, is sweet, and she smiles up at him.

“Now that’s what I like to see,” he mumbles, his own lips curling into a smile."" 

Post Theef Scully lets Mulder care for her.

There's No Place Like Home

""You should get checked out at a hospital. I can drive you.”

“No,” she says, picking up speed to prove her point to him. “Look, I’m fine. I just need to walk it off.” He loves her stubbornness. Once, she told him that she fell in love with him because he was stubborn. Well. That was the pot calling the kettle black. No one is as stubborn as his Scully. Any other day, he finds it cute. When she refuses to budge because she knows how things should be done, he admires it. But when she’s hurt, hobbling away from him, holding her side and grimacing, just so she can appear invincible, he can’t accept it.""

Revival Scully is banged up from her garbage chute tumble; and Mulder is thrilled when she asks him to drive her home. This leads to a discussion about how much they missed each other.

Jodithann827/DrDanaScullyX's How to Save a Life

""It hurts to breathe Mulder. Short. Of Breath.”

“Do you think you can make it to the entrance? I wasn’t kidding about carrying you,” he replies.

“I… Mul…,” is all she’s able to get out before shaking her head, suddenly knowing something is very, very wrong.

“The bullet didn’t penetrate the vest, did it, Scully?” He's already moving his hands back to where the bullet hit the vest. She shakes her head. “No blood,” she replies. Mulder lets out a deep breath for the both of them and looks longingly in the direction they came.

“Mulder, something isn’t right,” she whispers, and Mulder snaps his head towards her."" 

Post Folie a Deux Scully's vest stops a bullet; however, the impact causes air to build and pressurize in her lung. Mulder has to perform an emergency "puncturing" procedure (with her guidance) to save his partner's life.

Vickie Moseley 's Split Seconds

""Why wasn't his door locked? He pushed it open cautiously, his gun already in his hand. He saw movement and the flash of metal. Whoever was here was armed. He saw the movement toward him and the sight of metal being raised. No! He fired two shots as he threw himself to the side. Mulder heard him fall and rose carefully to his feet. He flipped on the light and froze.

"Scully?" A whisper, then he was beside her, frantically searching for her vital signs. "Scully!" This time was a cry as though to call her back to him. No pulse, he ripped her blouse open. Blood, too much blood. ...what had he done? He was performing CPR, nothing. Nothing! "Scully." This one was a sob. She was gone; he'd really killed her time. No dream. He pulled her up against him, but her arms didn't go around him and never would again. Never. Time disappeared as he held her.""

AU-- Post Tithonus Mulder shoots Scully, kills her, and goes crazy. Scully is able to heal anyway and talk him down from madness despite her injury.

Oracle's (TheOtherSide) Deluge (Gossamer)

""She is trembling, shivering, and doesn't speak. He stands quickly and pulls her to her feet, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Scully?"

When she looks up her face tilts towards a streetlight, allowing him to read a bleak horror in her expression.

"Scully," he says, clasping her shoulders, leaning close to her. "Scully, it's okay. I'm okay." He hears a dull, shaky edge to his voice when he speaks, but can't help it.

"I know, Mulder," she replies, seeming calmer, the pain fading from her eyes.""

AUish? Post One Son Mulder almost loses himself in a brutal case, barely being saved from traffic by Scully (who had flown in last minute after recovering from a recent injury.)

@mappingthexfiles/Apostrophic’s Agua Mala

""The infection wasn’t severe, it should only last a few days, but it meant Mulder trailed after her into the kitchen, a shadow she’d acquired with her temporary impairment.

He folded his hands and laid his head atop them, then pointed at her. Had she slept, or would she sleep? One or the other.

“I’m fine,” Scully said, covering all the bases. “And I can still hear you. Mostly.""

Post Agua Mala Scully has a bad cold resulting in hearing loss. Mulder brings a bad movie and jokes to ease her recovery.

@ghostbustermelanieking/skuls's

mondays on an endless loop (Ao3)

""She doesn’t speak, but her eyes are surprisingly alert; her leg is moving, off to the side, and he’d like nothing more than to hold her, to try and help her. “Don’t move too much,” he tries, moving a few inches closer, hoping Bernard isn’t watching. “It’s okay.”

Scully grunts, very pointedly, and he sees her leg moving again. He looks down to her foot and sees what she is doing: she’s sliding her gun over towards him with her foot. Bernard forgot to get it.""

Monday-- Mulder and Scully alternate "getting shot" days; when it's her turn, she uses quick thinking for his sake even though she's dying.

bearing north

""She tastes blood in her mouth, maybe from where she fell. She drags herself off of the ground, wincing at the pain in her head. The suspect’s footfalls are far away now, from where she was shoved down into the empty pool. She touches the sore spot where her head smacked the concrete and hisses with pain.

“Scully!” Mulder’s voice, echoing frantically from somewhere above her. His dress shoes pounding the stairs of the pool. “Scully?”

“I’m here,” she croaks, pushing herself into a sitting position. Nausea clogs up her throat and she swallows it back, blinks owlishly in the dark as Mulder approaches her.""

Revival Scully is banged up while pursuing a bad guy. Mulder helps her out of a pool, and takes care of her back at the UH.

Athene's Learning to Share

""Scully inhaled deeply, and then resolutely met his eyes. "I have a low-grade concussion, and a horrible headache." She paused, then went on, voice just slightly rougher. "If it hadn't been for you, Mulder, I think I'd be dead." Forcing back a reflexive dread at disclosing weakness, she kept her gaze on his eyes, and saw a glow begin in his eyes as her answer registered. She reminded herself again that the reward for her unaccustomed emotional transparency was greater intimacy with this man.

Mulder quite obviously reveled in her newly overt trust. He slowly extended his left hand, touching her forehead lightly with his fingertips, and gently swept a few strands of stiff, blood-sodden hair away from the cut.

"That would have made two of us dead," he whispered in an odd, hoarse voice.""

Post Millennium Scully blocks most of a baseball bat weapon, but still has a concussion. She is amused that Mulder is ogled by the patients and nurses in the ER; but her amusement dries up when Maggie nails her on the relationship she shares with her partner.  

@alienbaby-babymama/ABBM515‘s Smart Enough

""It came in threes this month. Not only was Scully down for the count with the flu and a sprained ankle from running after Mulder who was chasing an unknown entity through the dank woods in the early morning hours, but it was also her time of the month.

Dana Scully was miserable."" 

Dating-- Scully has a triple "injury"; and Mulder is both amused and mother-henning her at the same time.

@wexleresque/hllsteeth’s Fictober 2021 - Chapter 16

""Her injury isn’t his fault, per se, but it feels like it is since he’s the one that opened the case that had sent them out into the forest in the first place. Scully had been climbing a tree, ascending higher and higher and wiggling between branches in search of evidence she’s suspected a killer had been hiding at the top.

It might have been her shoes- heels that were admittedly impractical for tree-climbing -or a distraction in the form of an animal making noise in a nearby tree. It might have just been a plain old accident. Regardless, something had caused Scully to miss a branch by just a fraction of an inch, sending her crashing through the canopy of the forest. She’d landed with a crunch and a scream, a sound that has brought bile to the back of Mulder’s throat every time he’s remembered it in the last twenty-four hours.""

Dating-- Scully breaks her leg after a fall from a tree; and Mulder helps care for her cantankerous self, using saran wrap to cover her cast so she can shower.

@jewish-mulder/@anders-hawke/@iwtbscully/BananaChef‘s 

Us

""He rushed into her hotel room with the force of a tornado, per Scully’s words as she relays his mindless pursuit of her beside.

“You could’ve died!” Mulder says, a tortured look on his face.

She rolls her eyes and looks at the stark white ceiling. “I’m fine, Mulder.""

Dating-- Scully's newest injury require forehead stitching. It rattles Mulder more than her.

@scullyphile​‘s (Ao3) Unnamed

""I’m OK, Mulder, really,” she offered in her calmest voice, but her hand was still touching the spot where the ball had struck.

“Josh,” the young male teacher called, “what did I tell you? Go get the ball and apologize to the lady.""

Dating-- Scully gets hit in the head with a tennis ball while on a museum date with Mulder.

Lapsed_Scholar’s Variations - Chapter 3

""If only her body would be so acquiescent. Her nausea was better, but she was starting to feel light-headed again. This ultimately annoyed her. There was nothing wrong with her (there wasn’t), and she expected her body to obey her.

She walked (only a bit unsteadily) over to a chair at the terminal and sat down. Oh, yes, much better. She took deep, calming, surreptitious breaths. She could do this. Just wait for the darkness encroaching in her peripheral vision to pass....

The floor was at an odd angle. She tried to make sense of this, opened her eyes a little more. Oh. Must have passed out. Again. Fantastic. How humiliating.""

AU Requiem Scully INSISTS on going back to Bellefleur with Mulder, ignoring his mandates and silent pleadings. Unfortunately, she embarrasses herself by collapsing in the airport and scaring her partner to death. (This is a comedy; and it is amazing.)

WildwingSuz/Suzanne Feld's Existessence

""I glared over at Mulder, who had set his gun on top of the dresser and was leaning against it. “I don't believe you,” I snapped at him. “You kidnapped this poor woman out of her house?!”

“What was I supposed to do?” he said plaintively. His eyes followed Alma Jackson as she went into the small bathroom then we heard water running, and she returned drying off her hands with one of the cheap white motel towels which she tossed back into the smaller room. “I can't deliver our baby alone, Scully, I was terrified that I'd screw it up and hurt either or both of you.”

“Ya coulda just come told me you needed a midwife, ya didn't need t’shove that gun in m'face,” Alma said succinctly. I found myself liking and trusting her more and more by the minute.""

AU Essence Mulder swipes Scully from her apartment and drives them out to a motel in the middle of nowhere. His next brilliant idea: kidnapping a midwife last minute.

TheAddict4Dramatics's Enough

""I couldn’t stop thinking about this morning.” Scully said suddenly, breaking the gentle silence that Mulder had been enjoying. Her voice was tight now and her eyebrows were drawn low over her eyes. “When he pulled the gun and I thought he was going to shoot... I couldn’t stop thinking about this morning and you and Will waving me off from the doorway.” 

“It’s okay.” He soothed, stroking his fingers over her hand. She’d started crying again and it was breaking him. 

“It’s different now than it was before. I have so much more to lose!"" 

AU S9 Scully is injured while on duty with Doggett; and she sorrowfully recounts the events and her realizations to Mulder (after peeking in on her little baby boy.)

Girlie_girl7’s Day in the Life 39 - Super Bug

""She seems to have developed a blister on her heel."

Mulder frowns behind the mask and looks at the broken blister. "The first time I talked to her she mentioned that she was going to change her shoes.

"NF can enter through a wound or weakened skin. This is no doubt the point of entry." ...

"Will it continue to infect her?" Mulder questions as he looks at Scully's face.

"We hope not but NF does tissue damage at the subcutaneous level and it's hard to judge just how much damage there actually is.""

AU S9 Scully has a big family with Mulder; but tragedy still strikes-- this time in the form of an infectious blister that turns deadly rather quickly.

Nonspecific Timeline

@purrykat/mylifeinshadow’s Prompt #6: "I can't breathe"

""All at once, it comes back to you — the suspected psychic who turned out to be just your garden variety psychopath, the pursuit, your partner’s voice sounding far away as a gun appeared in your peripheral vision, the bulletproof vest you’d had the forethought to strap yourself into. The sigh of relief leaves you sputtering against warm, wet lips. Mulder. His body covers yours as he attempts to resuscitate you needlessly. You’d blacked out; clearly had the wind knocked out of you, and in typical Mulder fashion, he’d panicked.""

Scully is knocked down on duty; and Mulder almost comedically crushes her trying to help.

@ghostbustermelanieking​/skuls‘s (Alt. Ao3) 

Unnamed 

""Mulder lay on the floor inches away from her, his mouth half-open, gasping on air. His mouth formed the first syllable of her name, soundlessly. Near them, the feet of strangers pounded the carpeted floor, every footfall reverberating through her body like nails on a coffin.""

Scully and Mulder are gravely injured; and she reaches for his hand just before they pass out.  

in another world - Chapter 7 

""A smile spreads involuntarily across her face. “Mulder, you’re an idiot,” she rasps, and he laughs so hard that he cries."" 

Dating?-- Scully shoves Mulder out of harm’s way, taking a bullet for him. During her recovery, she keeps the mood light and teases Mulder out of his guilt.

Lovesfox's Close Call

""The liquid that had dropped on him, and most likely what he had thought was condensation on the rungs, wasn't water or oil.

It was blood.

"Scully?" Mulder gasped out, and stopped in his tracks, clinging to the ladder. The word echoed slightly in the shaft, for he had spoken louder than he had intended to with his shock. He cringed - expecting to hear a barrage of gunfire, or perhaps a voice shouting out detection.

"Scully, you're bleeding," he tried then, in a voice just above a whisper, when nothing happened.

"I know," Scully replied faintly, and sucked in a noisy breath. "Not much...we can do about it right now," she said next. "We've got to...get out of here.""

Mulder and Scully are escaping from a set up-- unfortunately, Scully has been shot in the side. She fades on their journey back through the woods, and Mulder puts his spare medical techniques to use.

@scullysexual/PostApocolypticAlien's

100 days of 100 word - Chapter 31

""Scully is trying to yank her arm out of his grasp.

“Mulder, it is fine,” she is insisting through clenched teeth.

“Just humour me, Scully.""

Mulder makes sure that Scully gets her injured arm tended to by EMTs (despite her protests.)

the_eternal_optimist’s Distraction

""I don’t like them on in the middle of the night,” she told him petulantly, but he knew it was a lie because she usually left a few lamps on in her living room and kitchen. “And I didn’t know you were back in town,” she added slowly. 

He could tell Scully was trying very hard not to fumble over her words. His delight faded at the thought and he reached towards her, beginning to grow concerned. But she took a step back, towards her bedroom. Because he was overtired and prone to dramatics when he’d been away from her for a while, a wave of panic crashed over him. Why was Scully trying to get away from him? Was she mad? Had he overstepped too much this time, showing up in the middle of the night? Had Skinner found out he was MIA and asked Scully to rein him back in?""

Mulder returns from a mandated trip, realizing that Scully hasn't called because she'd been injured on the job. He reiterates her importance in his life.

LuminousPie’s

Five Times Mulder Got Injured and One time Scully Did

""She feels like a rag doll at the moment, all loose-limbed and pulled in too many directions. She was sore too, her skin burning for an ice pack. She knew her hair was matted, coated in blood.... She sniffed it and recoiled. Someone placed a small bandage to the laceration on her chin. It wasn’t big, probably wouldn’t even scar but it was another war wound. One to add to the many she already carried.

She batted away an EMT and an overly fussy Mulder. It wasn’t that she didn’t appreciate him here, she did. Familiarity oozed out of every pore and she welcomed his comforting aesthetic. But she didn’t need his grief or his worry. She needed to patch up her walls and build them higher.""

While Mulder gets most of the injuries in this fic, Scully gets a small one at the very end. She's more annoyed with the EMTs than concerned about a possible concussion.

trustmescully's Bang Bang

""She's a fighter. Dana will make it. Just as she has always managed. She's not dead yet, Fox. Dana is alive. She lives and fights. Even if their injuries are severe and we can't do anything for them at the moment. You are absolutely not to blame. Don't blame yourself, please."

Images flashed in his head. They were images of horror. Blood.

Blood everywhere.

Scully's blood.""

Scully saves Mulder, getting shot in the process. Maggie comforts Mulder during surgery; and Scully banters the tears away when she wakes.

sixthfinger/spookyanthropologist/shadowkissedsoulmate's

I Think He Knows

""—lly! Scully! Can you hear me? Come on, Scully, wake up. Scully!”

There’s a hand pressed up against the side of her face. 

“Scully! Come on, come on!”

It’s definitely not her hand.

“Please, Scully.”

Oh. Mulder. It’s gotta be Mulder’s hand.""

Mulder and Scully suffer various injuries throughout the years; but in section iii, Scully is attacked in her autopsy bay. Mulder doubles back and helps her out.

Enjoy!

[empyreasheart]

kingdom hearts pokémon teams

been playing the scarvio dlc lately and of course i always have to connect everything to kingdom hearts so ive taken the chance to build the three trios + naminé's teams according to the types i assigned them! this will probably end up being lengthy so i'm putting this under a readmore. all teams made on pokémon team planner!

sora

i think sora definitely admires cool pokémon & other "cooler" types, but normal pokémon would appeal to him the most, speaking to how he feels about not being chosen for the keyblade / not being a particularly special person. he enjoys showing other trainers that normal type pokémon are still powerful and formidable foes. while sora loves battling he has a soft spot for cute pokémon!

as for specific pokémon: if it's not clear litleo is a reference to his kh2 pridelands form.. i couldn't resist putting in an alolan pokémon (trumbeak) and some flying types! as references to destiny islands & sora's name meaning "sky" respectively

also, most of his pokémon are brown and to be honest i just thought him looking a little like his pokémon team was really cute<3

riku

out of the destiny trio, riku is probably the most serious about battling & the strongest trainer. he wants to prove something to others and himself. (another mentally ill pokémon rival) i actually think in some kind of kh-pokémon crossover spinoff, riku and kairi could both work as rivals - riku being a more serious counterpart to kairi.

however, despite dark pokémon being his preferred type to fight with, his woobat stays on his team no matter what. it's his dear friend ! <3

on specific pokémon: probably obvious, but woobat is supposed to be komory bat! i picked alolan rattata because... mickey mouse... lol. his umbreon matches the rest of the destiny trio's eeveelutions ! i also made sure to include a ground type (riku means "land"!)

kairi

kairi would 100% gravitate towards the cutest pokémon, specializing in water & fairy types. but don't let that fool you into thinking she wouldn't love battling! not only does she take good care of her pokémon, but she trains them to be strong too. she doesn't like people thinking she or her pokémon are weak just because they're cute.

i thought fairy fit kairi's aesthetic well. like sora-sky, kairi means "sea", so i had to include water types too!

on specific pokémon: i was inspired to put tinkaton because of @rhythmmortis's tank kairi agenda. to keep the theme with the rest of the destiny trio, kairi has an eeveelution as well. i was torn between vaporeon & sylveon but decided vaporeon suited her personality best. i decided to include a kalosian pokémon to represent radiant garden - floette fit perfectly (it even looks like baby kairi!). like the rest of the destiny trio, kairi has an alolan pokémon (ribombee)

naminé

nami is a psychic/flying trainer! in COM, her psychic types would probably aid her in manipulating people's memories. i think she would gravitate to flying types more, though, because she resonates with them - naminé is trapped in castle oblivion like a bird in a cage.

because in this au the organization would have forced naminé to use her pokémon to battle & manipulate memories against her will, i don't think naminé partakes in battles often, if at all. her pokémon team are her friends and she treats them with the kindness she was denied in castle oblivion. she's especially insistent on not making her psychic pokémon use their powers if they don't want to.

on specific pokémon: this team was honestly so easy to put together, everything just fell in place... i picked hatterane because of its witch imagery, jirachi because of nami's lucky charm. i added swanna because i wanted a water type to connect her with kairi & her name (naminé means "wave"). i included espeon too to match with the destiny trio - when she replaces kairi in sora's memories, i imagine her espeon replaces kairi's vaporeon as well. also wouldn't it be so cute if nami and repliku had matching espeon and umbreon!

i wasn't sure if oricorio fit at first, but it's an alolan pokémon - she might not be from destiny islands, but she imagines herself growing up there, so i think it's fair for her to have an alolan pokémon

roxas

roxas is definitely super serious about battling pokémon and would 100% make defeating sora in battle his mission. he specializes in dark & electric types. i don't have a specific reason for these, i just think they fit him.

on specific pokémon: roxas and sora both have zigzagoons, but roxas' is galarian! i wanted them to have a similar pokémon like this, as in "two sides of the same coin". i had a similar idea with morpeko, since it has a hangry mode, focusing on the "dual" aspect of roxas' character. i named my pawmot in-game after roxas so i couldn't not add it to his team! it looks just like him<3

xion

like kairi, xion would love cute pokémon the most! however, she'd definitely be a more casual trainer, battling friends for fun but not taking it too seriously. she specializes in ice types & ghost types. the latter is because her existence as a replica & an erased memory post-days, while ice is from my personal headcanons.

on specific pokémon: honestly, i just picked mimikyu cuz it was cute at first, but then i realized how well it fits xion, as she was made to mimic sora's powers. so in a way, she and roxas are kind of matching. i chose vanillish for sea salt ice cream - xion totally seems like the type to have pokémon that have sentimental meaning to her. sandygast is because of xion's love for the beach and collecting seashells - i want to imagine that she caught it when the sea salt trio finally went to the beach together!<3 lastly, she has a water type on her team for similar reasons as naminé - to connect her with kairi and her name (shio meaning tide).

axel

while i think axel would enjoy battling, he is definitely focused on the aesthetics of his pokémon, though he'd never admit it. he's not the best at strategizing and only has attack moves. he thinks his pokémon are the awesomest ever

on specific pokémon: i like the idea that axel & saïx have matching armarouge & ceruledge. they've grown apart but still have their respective pokémons on their teams.

i wanted to give him a houndoom, but i didn't really want to repeat pokémon on this list... so i offer you a headcanon! when roxas firsts joins the organization, he has no pokémon, so axel gifts roxas his houndoom. <3

ventus

ventus is an aspiring trainer! most of his pokémon are low-leveled, because he's just starting out. he wants to become strong like aqua and terra. he specializes in grass types, because his favorite color is green, but i included some flying types to fit his name (ventus meaning wind).

i don't have as many headcanons for the wayfinder trio as i do the destiny & sea salt trios, so i apologize for this being a little bare... maybe ventus has a skitty waiting on him, just like chirithy!

aqua

aqua might be the most dedicated & serious trainer - she's very strategy-focused and uses type-matchups to her advantage. for obvious reasons, she's a water-type trainer, but most of her pokémon are dual-types, allowing her to protect her team against water type's weaknesses.

terra

terra is trying to become a strong trainer, though he's not as good at battle strategies as aqua is. he focused too much on offense, and sometimes that puts him in a bind. his pokemon are still pretty strong though!

and that's all i've got! thank you so much if you've read so far, i hope you've enjoyed my ramblings. now i am very tired so zzzz

[formulaorange]

2023 Summer Anime

This is the anime season I've been waiting for this year:

Jujutsu Kaisen - Season 2 speaks for itself, long awaited, goated characters, fun action packed story

Bleach: Thousand year Blood War - Season 2 One of the best come backs of all time for an anime, the first season was absolutely worth waiting 10+ years for. Season 2 back to kill it again I'm sure.

Horimiya: Piece - 13 Episodes One of my favourite shoujo romance series. This isn't the second season but it's a lot of new content that didn't make it into the original series. Another one lots of people have been waiting for.

Another one of my all time favourite shoujo (?)/fantasy? series is coming back this season as well: Sugar Apple Fairy Tale This was such a brutal cliffhanger to leave us on in the first half and I honestly cried so much. This is a highly anticipated second cour for me. We also have Mushoku tensei season 2 coming this season. While I feel like it's definitely one of the top isekais out there, I'm not too sure how this second season will do, it seems a bit darker and has a different vibe to it. We'll have to wait and see. There's also a bunch of series that attempted to air in the winter series but were halted for one reason or another: The misfit at demon lord academy - season 2 The devil as a part timer!! - season 2 After watching what they did release originally, I feel like these series could honestly have been left alone and been such solid series. Who knows if they'll redeem themselves. NieR:Automata Ver 1.1a - it seems like this is only going to be 4 episodes, not too sure what's New Series:

The Girl I like forgot her Glasses A new romance series that looks straightforward and wholesome. Pretty much what the title says. It's done by an older studio, known for the 2012 anime "K". It seems like they're trying to make a comeback as they're also releasing the following show this season: The Masterful Cat is Depressed Again Today I've heard of the manga for this series and it's supposed to be quite highly rated but I honestly know nothing about it. My guess is that it'll be popular with the manga readers but likely won't get too much traction in the wider audiences. My Happy Marriage Historical romance series that honestly looks like it checks all the boxes for me. Arranged marriage by evil step-mother of a quiet girl to a supposed cold hearted commander with money. The quality animations are honestly a bonus.

Zom 100 I think this is exactly the kind of show that'll do well as an anime, it's big, loud, and stupid (in a good way). A 24year old salaryman realizes he never has to work again when the zombie apocalypse hits japan. Definitely a fun one to watch this season.

Helck This is a new fantasy/comedy series where a human - Helck, is nominated as demon lord. Big muscle brain who hates other humans and wants to destroy humanity. The manga was just released in english so I've heard the name around recently and think it'll be a fun watch. Dark Gathering A new horror/supernatural series where a shut in start working for a child prodigy psychic who wants to hunt down the spirit related to her mothers disappearance. Seems like it could be a half-decent supernatural series, it's been a while since I've watched one so i'll likely check it out.

Undead Girl Murder Farce Another interesting dark looking series. It's about a disembodied head who's a detective who travels with her half-demon friend and maid around Europe solving supernatural related mysteries. Liar, Liar A big brain battle anime about people faking each other out to win some kind of tournament (?) I know people like this kinda series quite a bit, like Classroom of the Elite so I figured I'd throw this in incase you're interested. Level 1 Demon Lord and One Room Hero A new comedy fantasy series that's popular in the manga realm. After 10 year the hero and the retired demon lord room together as the Demon lord tries to get the hero back in shape. What I wanted from Devil as a part-timer. Record of Ragnarok - Season 2 I honestly have so much fun with this series and have no complaints about the animation style, looking forward to the new battles. Along the same lines: Hanma Baki- Season 2 Easy brainless violence/entertainment Link Click 2 I really need to get to watching the first season, I know this is supposed to be an incredible series with solid animations. Fate/Strange Fake A new season of fate, animated by A-1 who'll be doing solo leveling. I've been putting off watching the series but honestly will likely try and catch up for this season. Sequels: Masamune Kun's Revenge R (season 2) Rent-A-Girlfriend Season 3 BSD Season 5 The Duke of Death and His Maid Season 2 Spy Classroom Season 2 Others/Isekai/Fantasy: The Gene of AI - technically just sci fi - detroit become human meets medical show Hero Classroom - honestly the one that has the most potential out of this list - Hero/Fantasy/Ecchi/School Genre Atelier Ryza - looks a little promising, new alchemy apprentice in fantasy world Reign of the Seven Spellblades - Harry Potter type fantasy school (but not really in a good way)

[dootplusone]

McSpirk's Pokemon Teams

I decided to try and put together some pokemon teams for McSpirk just for fun. These teams are mostly comprised from vibes.

All under the cut because this is a looooooong long post

Bones

Meganium

Chikorita is cute

Its pokedex says it can calm aggressive feelings.

Overall, I just think it'd be a cute pokemon for him to raise? Maybe one he's even has since childhood.

Blissey A classic pokemon for Doctors and Nurses. They heal other pokemon in the wild. Just very caring and fitting for Bones, honestly. A must-have.

Togekiss Imagine him raising a Togepi. IMAGINE IT. Evolving Togepi to Togetic through friendship. And then to Togekiss Also "It shares many blessings with people who respect one another’s rights and avoid needless strife." Is it fitting or funny, who knows.

Umbreon A contrast to Spock, which you'll see later! I like to think this pokemon was a gift from Spock and/or Kirk, given to him so that he has a "battling pokemon" for protection - the catch being that Umbreon is mostly a defense pokemon, rather than an attack-focused pokemon. Plus, it can glow in the dark for him. One of the three eeveelutions that evolves through friendship.

Miltank Look this was mostly just a funny addition. But also Miltank makes Moomoo Milk, which is a healing item in-game.

"Its milk is packed with nutrition, making it the ultimate beverage for the sick or weary."

Drakloak Okay I was originally just going to have Umbreon be his only pokemon capable of fighting. However, after going through pokedex entries, I thought this pokemon would also work as a great part of his team. Drakloak dotes on Dreepy until they evolve. It gets restless if it does not have a dreepy to care for, and will care for literally anything as a substitute. Also its evolution is super cunty, I almost gave it to Spock. Maybe this, too, was gifted to him, and he's just in the middle of raising it into a Dragapult.

EXTRA: Either has raised or will raise a Cubone at some point. Like are you kididng me. I was gonna put a mudsdale in the team, but decided that maybe he left his Mudsdale that he grew up with to Joanna, so that they can take care of each other

I think his "main" pokemon would be Meganium or Blissey.

Spock

Espeon Contrasts with Bones. A pokemon that evolves with high friendship. A psychic type. Plus I think he'd love its big ears. Overall, just a very fitting pokemon for him.

Lucario "A well-trained one can sense auras to identify and take in the feelings of creatures over half a mile away." "It can tell what people are thinking. Only Trainers who have justice in their hearts can earn this Pokémon’s trust." Another pokemon that evolves through high friendship. I just think it's a good fit.

Gardevoir Will create black holes to protect its trainer. Make of that what you will. An extremely loyal psychic and fairy pokemon. Has a general air of grace and nobility that I think suits Spock.

Intelleon Look. I know what you're thinking. Why the fuck would I choose Intelleon over all starters. Honestly, I was tempted to give him Sceptile or Meowscarada. However, wanted to give McSpirk different types of starters. And out of the water starters, it was between Intelleon and Samurott. So why Intelleon? I think him raising a very tearful little lizard into a lanky, cunty spy lizard is fucking hilarious. So yes, this is a bit of a meme option.

Haxorus "While usually kindhearted, it can be terrifying if angered. Tusks that can slice through steel beams are how Haxorus deals with its adversaries."

While Spock does have some strong pokemon, I think this one is a good one to sort of underly that somewhat Secret Vulcan Strength.

Ursaluna I disregarded any qualms of time-related forms, so paradox pokemon and Hisuian pokemon were considered! This one was decided on with help from the lovelies of the McSpirk discord server! Spock has this pokemon as a reference to the sehlat of Vulcan. This is a pokemon he's had since he was a child, and it's shiny to boot. A unique pokemon to match a unique guy like him.

EXTRA: I think he'd raise an Abra at some point. I was torn between a Goodra and a Haxorus for him, I do think that they all have more than six pokemon, and that these are just the ones most commonly in their rotation. So maybe he does have a Goodra that stays on Vulcan or smth!

I also considered some Poison types for him, namely Roserade or Crobat!

I did consider giving him a Mewtwo. Genuinely.

I think his main pokemon would be Espeon or Ursaluna.

Kirk

Okay, Kirk was an interesting one. So far, I was able to pretty much make teams that I think could fit both AOS and TOS. However, Kirk gave me the most trouble with this. So of the three teams, I think this one is probably the one I'm not as certain on.

Charizard A classic pokemon, one that searches for challenges, and never attacks those weaker than itself. Its pre-evolution Charmeleon purposefully gets into fights, which I think fits AOS Jim pre-academy lol.

Sylveon The third eeveelution to evolve by friendship. Its pokedex entries talk of its ability to soothe conflicts with its calming aura. A very affectionaste pokemon, I see it being close with Bones and Spock's eeveelutions, and perhaps being the most outgoing of the three.

Scrafty "While mostly known for having the temperament of an aggressive ruffian, this Pokémon takes very good care of its family, friends, and territory." Suits the outer perspective of him, and I also think AOS Jim in particular would vibe with a Scrafty.

Dragonite LOOK AT IT. It's a kindhearted pokemon that always feels the need to help others, and frequently rescues others from drowning. Just a very Jim feeling pokemon to me, honestly. Also a classic.

Ampharos

Smth smth... Guiding light? Ampharos is known for the way it shines in darkness, and is known to be a beacon for the lost. Juat has the vibes of a Jim pokemon to me

Clodsire

"When attacked, this Pokémon will retaliate by sticking thick spines out from its body. It’s a risky move that puts everything on the line." Risky moves, you say? Well that definitely sounds like Kirk.

EXTRA

I think his main pokemon would be Charizard.

Was tempted to give AOS Jim a Cyclizar. Maybe he has one, and it's just not in his regular rotation?

I think at some point he'd at least befriend a Latios. "Latios will only open its heart to a Trainer with a compassionate spirit." - If it wasn't for Dragonite, Latios would be his dragon-type pokemon. And that goes for either version of him.

I was tempted to give him a whole Mew. Just for the fun of it.

Maaaybe maybe, Bones gifts him the Cubone-now-Marowak that he raised. And Spock gifts him the Abra-now-Kadabra he raisedm which evolves into Alakazam. Just maybe.

Bonuses

While I think all their Pokemon are more than happy to hang out, I think the eeveelutions in particular love being together. Find them in cuddle piles if they're not with their trainers.

In AOS I can see Bones and Spock raising a Cubone together.

While I was making these teams, I thought about how the Lake Trio from Diamond and Pearl suited them. Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf: Bringers and also erasers of Knowledge, Emotion and Willpower

[works-of-magic]

🧙‍♀️ well hello there. can you spare this little witch some fact about mismagius if you can? @mono-colored-ghosts

Ahh, hello! I'd love to share some Mismagius facts with a fellow witch!

Mismagius tend to have specialties! Sure, every Mismagius theoretically has access to any chant they'd like to use, but just as with any Pokemon move, they have to learn the chants and practice them to get better.

Did you know Mismagius tend to have really good ears for music? Don't let their lack of external ears fool you. The rhythm, pitch, and speed of their chants can change its effect, and they're really good at picking out rhythm, pitch, and tempo of a song, too!

That's actually how I taught Mistress (my ace Mismagius) to speak English. I figured, their voices are flexible, they can control their chants, they can change their pitch and syllables and string together effects almost like a sentence... I mean, she's intelligent, that probably helped, but I think it worked so well for her after a few years because she's a species that already has a flexible voice! The hard part was actually getting her to talk without accidentally casting something in the beginning...

That's another thing, when they're freshly evolved, they don't have control over their voice yet! It takes time to hone that skill, usually just a few weeks. They can spend the rest of their lives learning new tricks, though!

And what a selection of tricks! Even just on the battle front, they can learn Ghost type moves, and psychic and dark type, that's not terribly unusual for ghosts, but they can ALSO learn electric moves, and grass moves, and fire moves, and fairy and rock if they learned them as a Misdreavus! They're so VERSATILE!

Ahhh, I could ramble about my favorite purple witch ghosts all day, but I hope these were fun to read!

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s1 ep3: Time and Again

Episode three is a nice little time travel paradox episode, nothing revolutionary, but well done.

It annoyingly opens with the first of many references to the Delaney sisters, and Tom's attempts to get Harry to agree to a double date with them- I don't know why men think twin sisters 'come as a pair' for dating purposes, since I've never met a pair of twins who had the same tastes as far as dating goes, nor who wanted to do absolutely everything together all the time and be thought of as one unit.

Gross male fantasies about twin sisters aside, I think it's a solid episode that has nice moments and a cool concept, and gives an intro to Kes's developing psychic abilities. Though I quibble with having Tuvok say he has no reason to trust Kes's perceptions, since Vulcans have telepathic abilities, and it would be illogical to assume that someone from another species he's never even met couldn't possibly have them too. And major gag for the scene where Kes is in tears telling Neelix about seeing a whole planet dying, and he's patronizing her with 'it's just a dream, Ocampa having psychic abilities is just fairy tales, it can't be real' like omg what a jerk! Even if he doesn't personally believe in it, he could at least entertain the idea for her sake. If you care about someone, you don't sit there and dismiss them and invalidate their feelings when they're in distress, jfc. But this is only the first of many times Neelix treats Kes like crap, which I will come back to in future episodes.

Other things I liked included B'Elanna and Harry working together to come up with the way to rescue the Janeway and Paris. B'Elanna and Harry are actually pretty similar in their science nerdery, despite their differences in temperment, and I really like how they got to be like kids doing a science project together here, and I wish we could have seen more of them working together on it. I also like the alien-planet-of-the-week's costumes this time round, unisex corset and skirt outfits are a lot more genderbendy than what we usually see on 90s Trek, and they look great on everyone. And I love when Captain Janeway wears her hair down when it's long, she has fabulous hair! I honestly don't know if it was Kate Mulgrew's real hair or a wig, but she was rocking it. My girlcrush only grows stronger as time goes on tbh.

The bouncy hair, the corset, it's such a look! Werk, gurl! And Tom is there too, lol. But actually, I did like how Janeway and Paris had a responsible older sister and goof off younger brother dynamic going on. Even in these early eps, whenever Tom isn't saying gross jerky dudebro lines, he's actually a lot of fun. (And again, risking his life to save people he barely knows, for the second time in three episodes. Clearly such a bad boy, ha.)

Tl;dr: a good episode, fun to watch.

[wardenmages]

baldur's gate 3 yu-gi-oh deck archetypes

combining my oldest special interest with my new one let's goooo, with the caveat I have not watched any YGO series fully since Zexal and only skimmed the synchro arc of Arc-V, so this is mainly going to be archetypes from the first 3 series simply because I stopped paying attention after that point lol

Wyll - Fortune Lady (Carly's deck from 5Ds) I like the dark magic vibe with a little bit of "forces from beyond looking over your shoulder" from them being used to read the future, but also the cards all work together in tandem in an interesting way

Gale - Magician-theme (Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, etc.) Partially because haha wizard but also I think the spell counters and the way it all flows together would fit him really well

Karlach - Guardians (Rafael's deck from DM, like Eatos) Each of them has a corresponding weapon card they're tied to which I like, and also that none of them should ever hit the graveyard. I was tempted to go with a fire theme like O'Brien's Volcanic deck but it's focused on getting cards into the graveyard, the exact opposite to Guardians, so I guess either would work depending on her arc

Lae'zel - Gusto (psychic/wind) I was tempted to go with a dragon theme but I think the combo of psychic and wind fits her very well. I used to run this deck and it's very defense-heavy and about getting the most Gusto monsters on the field at once to overwhelm the opponent

Shadowheart - Black Rose (Aki's from 5Ds) it was too easy. the flower motif. the repression of emotions and memories. being manipulated by a dark force who wants to use your powers to hurt where you could have healed. She is very Aki-coded, to me

Astarion - Light Burn/Heal (I can't think of an equivalent in the anime/manga but like, examples of monsters would be Honest and Avenging Knight Parshath) listen I almost went for the obvious vampire deck joke but genuinely I like this a lot. The light theme for that missing part of his life (returned to him during tadpoling). Despite being light/cute sometimes you can hit really hard with it and make it eerie/creepy, and I think Burn/Heal would definitely be something trained into him

Halsin - Fairy/Spirit World (Ruka's from 5Ds) Everything about duel spirits/the spirit world fits Halsin so well, esp if like I did with Shadowheart you compare the Shadow Curse to Ruka having to drive darkness out of the spirit world to save Ancient Fairy Dragon. Also it's just a very powerful deck that's deceptively cute/small but hits hard

Jaheira - Crystal Beast (Johan's from Gx) I thought about giving this to Halsin but I really think the family vibe of the crystals fits Jaheira so well, and they're all very sarcastic & stubborn like she is, she would absolutely just sit around petting Amethyst Cat even though no one else can see her

Minsc - Amazoness (Tania's from Gx) strong women kicking ass for our strong man who drinks all of his Respecting Women juice

Minthara - Volcanic (O'Brien's from Gx) the best reason not to give Volcanic to Karlach was because I like it for Minthara. I can't articulate entirely why this feels right (outside of similarities to the very militaristic saboteur vibes she and O'Brien share) but there's something about her saying "When the trivial parts have been whittled away, and I have sifted through what remains, in most cases a person amounts to nothing at all."

[doridoripawaa]

ok your thoughts?

love live girls main pokemon companion? or the mysme peeps? (whichever is easier to figure out)

Tell ya what. Love Live here and then I'll do MysMe on my MysMe blog!

Year first, youngest to oldest, then within each year it'll be smile->pure->cool!

u's

Rin deserves a cat Pokémon, but will she be allergic? I hope not. Because she would have a Skitty as her partner. An energetic and perhaps a bit erratic cat! It's considered rather feminine in appearance, and I think Rin would have liked having a cute, "girly" Pokémon when she was younger to help her with her dysphoria and to avoid teasing from kids who told her she looked weird in skirts :(

Hanayo is a soft-spoken girl who only seems to perk up around rice and idols. She's extremely shy and insecure, and she would either need a Pokemon who can soothe her or one who can speak up for her. I think a Jigglypuff would be ideal, because it loves to sing but it can also be really tough! Plus it's super cute and fluffy, which fits Hanayo.

Maki has an Audino! Her parents gave her Audino because of their association with hospitals and healthcare in certain regions, but this Audino turned out to be an amazing help for Maki's pursuit of music! Audino have extremely sensitive hearing, so helping Maki with tuning her piano and fixing rough spots was easy.

Honoka has major Growlithe energy, since she's fiery and headstrong and determined. Her Growlithe keeps her from doing anything too dangerous.

Kotori OBVIOUSLY has a bird. Swablu is perfect with its fluffy, cotton wings for our baby bird seamstress! But when it evolves, it's surprisingly powerful, much like how scary Kotori can be when she's serious!

Umi has to have a water type, of course. I propose Oshawott. It's cute and spunky, which probably helps Umi smile and laugh. However it evolves into a samurai, which is fitting for our traditional and honorable beauty!

Nico wants a Pokémon that can shine on stage with her. She builds her team around the concept of cuteness. But we know she bites. Mawile is a fairy type and quite cute... until the jaws come around!

Nozomi definitely has a Gardevoir. The spiritual queen needs a psychic type! Plus, Ralts are good at soothing emotions, which I'm sure she needed as a kid when she was constantly moving around and painfully lonely without any friends. :(

Eli grew up with a Snorunt she received from her grandmother. Now she and her fully-evolved Froslass can dance together elegantly with their thawed hearts!

Aqours

Hanamaru has a name that literally means "flower circle." I propose an Oddish, which is very much a round grass type! Ultimately, as Hanamaru builds confidence as an idol and trainer, her Oddish evolves into Bellossom who dances alongside her!

Ruby would totally have a fairy type. But hear me out: Sylveon. She started with an Eevee like her big sister Dia, but her love was so strong she ended up with a Sylveon!! Trans icon covered in ribbons.

Yohane's best friend is an Absol. She's got horrible luck, but her Absol can sense disasters in advance to try to keep her safe! Plus, Yohane is edgy and would love a dark type.

Chika is the embodiment of the sun, if you ask me. We also know she loves mikans! Not quite an orange, but I think Cherubi would be a good companion for her! Once she evolves into Cherrim, I have no doubt she will spend most of her time in sunshine form because Chika is so radiant! (But it's okay to be in overcast form when you're struggling, Chika!)

You needs a partner who can brave the seas with her! As basic as this may seem, I think Squirtle would be perfect! We know they work well in squads, so Captain You should get along great with Squirtle as her first mate!

Riko, my sweet girl with severe depression. Miss Sakurauchi should have a grass type, right? I think Chikorita is a great idea! Meganium's aromatic flower can soothe emotions, and its breath can revive dead plants. I think Meganium could help "revive" Riko's spirits, too!

Mari is known for being shiny, but we mustn't forget she's lonely too. I like to picture her with a shiny Zoroark. She found a lost and scared Zorua on her family's huge lawn, and she took the little baby in. Zoroark are fiercely loyal Pokémon, and they will use illusions and intimidation to keep enemies away. I bet... Zoroark has had to comfort Mari a lot during her loneliest times. Also Mari would 100% gush over her giant purple edgelord like it's the cutest creature in existence. Metalhead Mari my beloved.

Kanan obviously has a water type partner. She needs a Pokémon who can keep up with her on both land and sea, and so I think she'd bond with a Buizel from a young age! Once Buizel evolves into Floatzel, it can help rescue divers who run into trouble with its flotation sac!

Dia is elegant and refined. She's determined to make her family proud, and she's highly traditional. However, she's also devoted to her dear sister Ruby. Do you remember the Kimono Girls in Johto who each had an Eeveelution? That's why Dia and Ruby both started with Eevees! Dia's Eevee evolves into Glaceon, which suits our New Year's girl (and is even colored like a diamond). A bit cold, but loving and protective nonetheless.

Nijigasaki

Shioriko is extremely disciplined, perhaps too much so to the point where she comes across as uptight and controlling. I think she'd do well with a Medicham, which is elegant but also has sharp senses by training its mind & body with meditation & yoga!

Rina needs an Espurr. I cannot emphasize this enough. Do I even need to explain this?

Kasumi is another idol who thrives on her cuteness. I have to go with Fidough. It's a PUPPY made of BREAD. Mia teases her about that relentlessly.

Shizuku has to have a water type, since her idol icon is raindrops! Starting with a Popplio makes sense, since it's got a lot of tricks and skills to show off on a stage, and a fully-evolved Primarina is perfect to join Shizuku in a musical!

Ai is a ball of energy and laughter and fun. I can totally see her and Misato having a Plusle and Minun, respectively, as they start their journeys together! (Misato needed to wait for her health.) Plusle loves to cheer people and Pokemon on, using "Helping Hand" as needed for an extra boost. Is that not Ai?

Ayumu is a flower girl. Her songs and story are rife with floriography. Conceptually, I think Hoppip would be perfect. Much as Ayumu sings about moving forward one step at a time towards her dream, Hoppip can join her for a hop(pip), skip(loom), and jump(luff)!

Setsuna is the embodiment of fiery passion. She pours her heart and mind into everything she does. I know it sounds basic, but I love the idea of her having a Charmander. They kindle each other's flames and keep the other going. Plus, she's deeply into superheroes (the super sentai type), and I feel like Charizard would be perfect to help her reenact some crazy scenes. She has a big presence, and who fits that better than Charizard?

Lanzhu is a queen and she won't let you forget that. However, she is also associated with angel imagery. I think she'd grow up with a Togepi and then a Togetic, but Togetic refuses to evolve into Togekiss until Lanzhu finds peace and kindness in her heart.

Kanata needs a nap. While Drowzee may come to mind, her idol symbol is a sheep. I think she'd be wonderful with an Ampharos. It evolves from little sheep (Mareep and Flaafy), and its light is so bright that it can serve as a lighthouse or otherwise as a beacon for those who are lost. Kanata is always tired because she overworks herself as a devoted big sister; she wants to be the light that leads others to their dreams.

Mia would receive a music-related Pokemon from her parents, given her role as a member of a prestigious musical family. I can see her with a Chatot who's just as sassy as she is. Chatot helps her with composing new songs but also parrots all of the cursing that Mia does when she's struggling. Oops.

Emma has a Skiddo named Neve and I do NOT accept criticism! She doesn't need her Pokemon to be super strong--she just wants to be friends with her Pokemon! She can ride her Skiddo while singing, like a traveling bard.

Karin is beautiful, cool, and competitive. She's kind of a dork with a horrible sense of direction, too. I can see her with a Lopunny, as a strong, elegant counterpart who also has a soft & cute side. Specifically with the ability Klutz.

Liella!

Natsumi has a Persian she raised from a Meowth. She isn't a very good trainer, but at least Persian is independent enough to best some weaker trainers. Uses Pay Day a lot for quick cash.

Kinako is fox-coded, as her symbol indicates. Most fox Pokémon tend to be sly or cunning, but our country girl Kinako is as sweet as they come. I could see her with an Eevee that comes to the city with an Everstone, but later Kinako takes off the stone as they grow together. Eevee evolves into Espeon because of her friendship.

Mei loves cute things and people, but because other kids fear her "scary" face, she would get an equally "scary" Pokémon because she'd think cute ones don't suit her. I can see her with a Houndour... who happens to love belly rubs and whimpers when you won't play with her.

Shiki insists her Beldum is the cutest Pokémon in existence from the moment she catches them in her "lab" as a child. As a Metagross, they're even cuter. Don't ask about how Shiki uses her steel/psychic partner for science experiments. Don't. :)

Chisato MUST have a round Pokémon! Maybe a Bounsweet who evolves into an AMAZING dancer Tsareena!

Sumire needs a space-themed Pokémon so she can be the best coordinator in the galaxy! Cleffa (eventually Clefable) seems like the natural choice! How could anyone NOT want to watch a pair of cutie pies shine on TV?

Keke loves pandas, but that seems too... cliche. I think she'd have a Snubbull partner! People judge Snubbull at first glance because of appearances, but they're loyal, determined, and loving Pokemon. Keke looks like a happy-go-lucky and carefree girl, but her burning passion and dedication to idols is beyond everyone's expectations. Also she's a star student. How. Girl. Share your secrets.

Kanon grew up with her family's Rowlet! Rowlet is a quiet little guy, storing energy during the day and flying silently with ninja-like attacks. Kanon is someone who chooses to stay quiet after she thinks her dreams are over, but she's also a reserved, anxious person in general. I can see her sitting in the sun "photosynthesizing" with her Rowlet. They grow stronger together, but even Decidueye lurks in the shadows and stays silent. Don't make either of them do public speaking, please.

Ren loves her Stoutland Chibi dearly, but Chibi is not a battling type. She actually has a Sinistea as a partner! She poured some tea and left it for a moment, and in a large, lonely, empty house like hers... a spirit was all too willing to inhabit her cup. But she didn't mind the new resident in her manor, where the emptiness is oppressive. Two lonely souls who became unlikely friends. (And of course hers is antique)

[ashestoshadows]

Welcome to another long-ass post by yours truly! Today we're talking about my personal favourite Pokemon I think are most aesthetically pleasing from the ones I've got at my disposal since I saw these lists online and figured I'd do my own, with my own Pokémon

(there will likely be spoilers for the new Pokemon Snap, the Pokemon sword/shield crown DLC and that stuff.)

(photos are taken by me and are mine, thanks for reading btw <3)

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No. 1

First, let's start with the OG beautiful Pokemon; Milotic. The creature is called the "Tender Pokemon," They sound beautiful just from that pokedex name alone, don't they?

The Pokemon originates from Gen III and is indeed a beautiful Pokémon- Besides in mannerisms, its graceful with its movements generally and makes an appearance in the Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo Switch.

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No. 2

Next up, second place is Xerneas. My first ever caught legendary and is absolutely gorgeous in general, even without my bias. The Pokemon brings everlasting life when its antlers glow colors and can sometimes undo its counterpart's destruction. Sounds like a magical and beautiful Pokemon as well that's because it is.

The Pokemon originates from a game of its own called "Pokemon X" for the 3DS/DS (Gen IV) (It appears in the New Pokemon Snap and is a part of the ending of the game)

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No. 3

In third place is Suicune. Another gorgeous Pokemon, this Pokemon is the embodiment of the rain that took out the rain of the Brass Tower and is said to be the also embodiment of the northern wind/Borealis and the compassion of pure spring water. Quite a Pokemon, hey?

Normal form

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Paradox form was introduced in Gen IX for a limited-time event

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Originating from From Gen II it is also the mascot of the game, Pokemon Crystal and appears on the game's boxart. He also got a paradox form which was an event called "Walking Wake" Suicune also appears in the New Pokemon Snap after you finish the game and get the credits but if difficult to take photos of due to it being quick (It appears in the New Pokemon Snap after the credits roll and you finish the game)

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No. 4

Gardevoir, ah Gardevoir, one of the most simped Pokemon for its female appearance and graceful movements and cute animations- its pokedex name is "Embrace Pokémon," Not much is said about it from me as I just think it's pretty, but others think otherwise of it

The Pokemon originates from the III Gen and got the fairy-typing alongside its psychic one in Gen IV. (This Pokemon appears in Pokemon Snap too alongside Pokemon Unite)

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No. 5

I think it'd be illegal to not mention the best fairy type currently, Zacian. An absolute darling who is likely to be a female which people debate due to its pokedex entry. It is the counterpart/sibling to Zamazenta who together make the hero duo who worked alongside the king to end the darkest day.

This Pokemon is a steel-fairy type without its weapon it's just a lone fairy type and also out of battle. This cutie is the mascot of Pokemon Sword which is Gen VIII. (Zacian doesn't appear in Pokemon Snap but is in Pokemon Unite)

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No. 6

Next up is Articuno, both Galarian and normal as both are gorgeous in their own rights and ways and I don't have much to say besides they're pretty :D

Galarian form

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Kanto/original form

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The Pokemon originates from Gen I and in Gen VIII it gets an upgrade to a psychic-flying type instead of its original Ice-flying typing (Articuno appears in Pokemon Unite)

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No. 7

Next up is Lunala! I actually own a statue/figurine of both of the Alola legendaries from a few years back, which I still have, but I'm getting sidetracked majorly- The Pokemon is known as the "Moone Pokemon" and is the emissary of the moon, its wings are gorgeous which is an understatement in and out of itself.

This bat Pokemon is the female counterpart to Solgaleo who is its supposed male counterpart, she was introduced unannounced and was introduced with context a month or so later and is the mascot of "Pokemon Moon" for the 3DS and is from Gen VII- she comes from Nebby/Cosmog. (She also has a Full moon phase where an eye appears on her forehead- and no, she doesn't appear in any games like Snap or Unite :p)

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No. 8

Everyone probably saw this coming, didn't they?? It's Hatterene. A beautiful pastel-colored fairy type who will beat your ass if you live 30 miles from a forest where a Hatterene lives because you got angry you stubbed your toe and cursed Arceus' name. Or maybe because she hates the fact people are making her the new Gardevoir of simping, who knows? Cause I sure as fuck don't or want to.

She was introduced in Gen VIII and is the female counterpart of Grimmsnarl who share no real evolutionary line to but is still related. (She doesn't appear in Pokemons Snap or Unite)

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No. 9

Ninetales is a gorgeous fox who got mixed up with a wolf at some point by people? But nonetheless, some would want to fuck and others would like to take a nap with the creature because it looks very fluffy and warm to the touch (probably just me) but regardless, she's on this list

Alolan form

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Kanto/normal form

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She was introduced in Gen I and has been a favourite amongst people since the beginning. She has another form from Gen VII which is gorgeous and you can only catch it in Pokemon Sun. It has a blue/white coat and is very fluffy and her hidden ability is "Snow Warning"

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No. 10

I'm probably biased on this but the second to last spot as this is already long enough is Miraidon. I just think the Pokemon is gorgeous whether I stand alone on it or not doesn't matter to me I have a huge thing for robots as I've always been intrigued by them and no offence to Koraidon or people who love it since I rarely see any fans of the Electric type counterpart but it looks cooler, plus the colour scheme doesn't look so... Odd? Hard to pinpoint the word for that.

The electric-dragon duel-type legendary was introduced in the most recent game, Pokemon Violet. Which was published in November of 2022 as the future version/counterpart of Koraidon and their generation is Gen IX

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And finally No. 11

Calyrex! The Kind of the Galar region, and the region got the king wrong. He isn't an actual human but rather a Pokemon! And honestly, I figured it was likely a Pokemon anyway. But regardless- he helped stop The Darkest Day alongside Zamazenta and Zacian. He was introduced in the Crown DLC and was, and is loved, by the residents of Freezington and can speak to the player via another human (Peony) or via telepathy which we see when we catch him.

He was introduced in Gen VIII with the Crown DLC and is a Psychic-grass type, but can be a Psychic-ice or Psychic-ghost type when with his steed. You can pick between two steeds, I went with the ghost-typed one called Spectrier but there is an Ice-type one. It just depends entirely on where you plant the seeds for its carrots.

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And that's my list of Pokemon I think are aesthetically nice. I hope I didn't offend people, especially with the Miraidon one- I enjoyed making this list and I hope people enjoy looking through my favourite aesthetically pleasing Pokemon with me and I will make a second list as this is long enough

[morathor]

Lancer Theory: Johto Edition

This is a followup to my previous lancer theory post, which the tl;dr is: I think that type themed trainers should have one pokemon that’s not of their chosen type, both to spice up the battles and to add flavor to the trainer.  And I made a list of what teams I would build for all of the Kanto gym leaders and the Elite Four from red/blue, or, fire red/leaf green.  It wasn’t generation specific it was just about the lineup.

Anyway in that post I said I would come back and do Johto so.  I did that.

Falkner

⦁ Natu--There aren't any mono-flying types until generation five, but leading with Natu adds type diversity without letting go of the bird theme. ⦁ Clefairy-Well there goes the bird theme.  I did think about Psyduck, but it doesn't really showcase Falkner's dedication to elegance.  The other thing I think Falkner is dedicated to is legacy; he inherited his father's pokemon, he dresses in a slightly archaic style.  Clefairy has a little bit of that ⦁ Farfetch'd--I really don't like changing aces, but I also feel pretty strongly that an ace should be fully evolved.  And while, yes, I guess Falkner could trade his impossible Pidgeotto for an impossible Pidgeot, I think Pidgeot is too strong for this stage in the game.  Farfetch'd is more appropriate stat-wise.

Bugsy

⦁ Pineco--Okay this is a good sight tankier than his current Metapod (or Kakuna), but having a level 14 Metapod that could have broken free of its coccoon ages ago is.  Sad.  Plus Metapod's moveset is just tragic, Pineco will give you a little more to work with. ⦁ Krabby--A non-bug arthropod feels a little too obvious, but Bugsy's a little one-note to me.  I did consider stretching a little, and if the Bellsprout line could learn fury cutter I might have gone with that.  But nah.  The crab fits the aesthetic, learns fury cutter, and counters fire and rock. ⦁ Scyther--Ace unchanged, no notes.

Whitney

⦁ Jigglypuff--Because this list is so hypothetical, it's not really pinned to a single generation, and therefore I have no idea if Clefairy would even be a normal type.  But Jigglypuff doesn't drop the normal type even when it gains the fairy type.  It also doesn't have the unpredictableness of metronome, but it has a pretty diverse moveset, so it can be hard to deal with in that way.  Also, I want to say that while I usually push for diversity of secondary types, when the primary type is normal, secondary typing tends to feel like it's overriding it. ⦁ Flaffy--It's cute and fluffy and pairs well with Miltank.  I also considered Vulpix, but I don't think it fits her vibes as well. ⦁ Miltank--Ace unchanged, no notes.

Morty

⦁ Gastly--There still aren't a lot of ghost types to choose from, but at least we don't need a double Haunter lineup.  In fact this lineup doesn't have any haunter. ⦁ Misdreavus--When you've got a new ghost trainer in a new generation, it seems like a huge oversight not to give him any new pokemon. ⦁ Murkrow--I think this fits Morty's vibe and aesthetic as well, and when your gym is suspended over a pit you want things that can fly, right?  Offensively, dark doesn't give Morty any coverage he didn't already have, but defensively a Murkrow can handle opposing ghosts that may have threatened his team, as well as psychics (and ground in gen II) that threaten his Gastly line. ⦁ Gengar--Ace unchanged, no notes.

Chuck

⦁ Heracross--I didn't really want to give up the pure fighting type from Chuck's team, but I did want to showcase one of the new fighting types, and Hitmontop didn't really fit Chuck's vibe.  (And Tyrogue is not nearly strong enough to offer a challenge from a major player.)  I could have given up Poliwrath, I guess, but it adds more than just typing to Chuck as a trainer. ⦁ Graveler--Fits Chuck's aesthetic really well.  He surrounds himself with rocks--mostly for breaking, but why not one that breaks back?  It's all coming together baby. ⦁ Poliwrath--The only note I have for this is that, apart from being a fighting type, Chuck living on an island and having a pokemon that can surf is a neat detail to me.  And yep, that's the only reason I kept this and not Primeape.  Well, the main reason anyway.

Jasmine

⦁ Magnemite--There are no mono-steel types in Johto!  That's wild to me.  Given that, Magnemite is a good pick because it showcases a previously non-steel pokemon as being steel now.  That's neat. ⦁ Wartortle--I considered giving Jasmine the lighthouse's Ampharos, but I feel like it's actually more impactful that she takes care of it if it's not her pokemon.  So we have Wartotle.  It's tanky, the ears kind of remind me of Jasmine's hair, and water covers steel's weaknesses to fire and ground.  I considered Corsola, but I worried its novelty might draw a little too much attention to it, compared to her comparatively familiar ace. ⦁ Steelix--Thought about swapping the ace for something that's not evolved from a previous gym leader's ace, but... nah.  Similar to Magnemite, Steelix's connection to gen I helps give the new steel type context.  I think it's a good pick.

Pryce

⦁ Sneasel--No mono-ice types in Johto either.  I could have kept the Dewgong, but I don't want a team too water heavy.  Besides, Pryce is supposed to be the "teacher of winter's harshness," and Sneasel is the embodiment of cutting ice cold winds. ⦁ Slowking--It's regal status and stately appearance make this a good fit for Pryce's vibe, plus its typing will help counter ice's weaknesses to rock, fire, and fighting. ⦁ Piloswine--Ace unchanged, no notes.

Clair

⦁ Dratini--Dragon is in the same boat as ghost once again, which is still a better boat than in Kanto.  And there are two major dragon trainers, so expect a lot of pokemon to get reused.  Anyway, Clair was real good at giving her dragons different type attacks, so Dratini can focus on electric. ⦁ Dragonair--Only two from this line, and they don't even have to be the same evolutionary stage.  I'd let this one focus on ice moves. ⦁ Gyarados--Thought about using a Charizard as her lancer, but Clair's ice queen aesthetic doesn't lend itself well to fire types.  There's a reason that in her original lineup, her wide array of moves does not include fire. ⦁ Kingdra--Ace unchanged, no notes.

As for the elite four/champion...

Will

⦁ Kadabra--No need to double Xatu when a mono-psychic type will cover its roll nicely. ⦁ Exeggutor--Will is already doing a great job with type diversity, we'll be keeping most of his picks. ⦁ Jynx-- Not much to say, I'm glad she has some psychic moves in this gen. ⦁ Noctowl--Will seems to like birds.  Noctowl has psychic moves, and while it's not as bulky as the Slowbro it's replacing, it still can fill a bit of a tank role here. ⦁ Xatu--Ace unchanged, no notes.

Koga

⦁ Venomoth--Didn't want two bug/poison.  Ariados fits the aesthetic better, but Venomoth offers more tactically that Koga doesn't otherwise have. ⦁ Tentacruel--Bringing this back from Kanto.  It's still a good fit for largely the same reasons. ⦁ Muk--Hey, I'm not the one who wrote Koga ditching his Weezing when he goes to the Elite Four.  Neither is as suited to be his ace as what he's bringing now, though, and I like Muk's vibes a little better than Weezing. ⦁ Forretress--I could have brought back the Magmar, but nah.  Foretress is already exactly what a lancer should be. ⦁ Crobat--Ace unchanged, no notes.

Bruno

⦁ Hitmontop--I could swap out some of these to give him more type diversity, but this is a case where the thematic benefits of having all three hitmons overshadow that. ⦁ Hitmonlee--Nothing new to say. ⦁ Hitmonchan--Nothing new to say. ⦁ Pinsir--Bringing this back not so much because I gave it to him in the Kanto league, but because I don't want Chuck and Bruno to both have rock lancers.  I think Graveler fits Chuck better than Onix fits Bruno, and Pinsir is a lot more threatening at this point in the game. ⦁ Machamp--Thought about Heracross here, but we'll let Chuck call dibs on that.  Machamp hits just a little harder and has just a little more physical bulk, and anyway I don't like to swap aces without a compelling reason.

Karen

⦁ Umbreon--Karen's team is pretty solid from where I'm sitting, I only want to make one change. ⦁ Murkrow--And this isn't it. ⦁ Sneasel--Here it is.  I don't NEED Karen to have every dark type in the game, but she has enough room on the team for it and I only want one pokemon for her lancer. ⦁ Vileplume--Listen, I love a good Gengar, but I think Vileplume is the more creative choice for the lancer.  Dark and ghost are very similar types, and while obviously I'm not opposed to pairing rock and ground or water and ice, highlighting the dark type with a night themed pokemon adds a little more flavor to her character. ⦁ Houndoom--Ace unchanged, no notes.

I'll be honest, I considered not doing Lance, or not doing him using the usual setup.  Champions often have diverse teams, so letting him have a bunch of vaguely dragon-like pokemon could have worked.  But he was established as a dragon trainer, both in gen I and throughout the game up to this point, so no sense changing him.

Lance

⦁ Dratini--Lance's larger team makes it harder to diversify, but we'll do what we can.  I'd say Dratini can focus on setup and status--light screen, thunder wave, that sort of thing. ⦁ Dragonair--For these next few I'd say focus on type coverage.  The first dragonair can bring in some fire moves. ⦁ Kingdra--The only other dragon type in the game, Kingdra can break up the onslaught of Dratini-line.  I'd say let this one have some ice moves to distinguish it from Clair's.  Or throw in rain dance to set up super accurate thunders from the next one. ⦁ Dragonair--This can be the electric Dragonair.  Again, if you must give it thunder, pair it with rain dance on either this or the Kingdra. ⦁ Aerodactyl--I was so tempted to give him Charizard.  But Aerodactyl gives Lance a physical attacker on a team dominated by special attackers. ⦁ Dragonite--Originally Lance's ace was a dragonite with fire blast, but its iconic move was the devastating outrage.  So focus on that, maybe mix in wing attack to give it a flying STAB and and let it throw in a hyper beam here or there.

I could stop there.  But, there's eight more gym leaders in the Johto games.  So we'll be back for those...

[kitsquared]

BSD Pokemon AU: Main Route

Chuuya's team

Torchic -> Blaziken

Ralts -> Gardevoir

Below the cut is the long explanation for Chuuya's team and other details

Ralts is Chuuya's first pokemon. Chuuya actually went a few years without a pokemon because his ability was enough even against pokemon and rival groups ( he also had the support of the Sheep's pokemon). Ralts is the first pokemon he made a connection with since waking up in Suribachi. Ralts is not usually seen around Suribachi but it seemed to have wandered into the vicinity and had an interest with Chuuya. Ralts are known to gravitate (ha) towards cheerful people and idt Chuuya was that approachable at first but he has his happy and thoughtful moments. He's straightforward and kind. And seemed interested in this shy wandering lil pokemon, too. They got along quite fine.

Chuuya and the psychic/fairy type Ralts together make a formidable team altho id think Chuuya does most of the rough work and Ralts levitates and teleports allies away. The later evolutions are known to manipulate gravity which is a plus in having paired with Chuuya while also being attuned to his emotions. I also think there is an elegance to Chuuya having a Gardevoir and the whole evolution line can work for whatever rich girl act couldve happened. I think Kouyou would love Chuuya having a Kirlia/Gardevoir, too.

Ralts/Kirlia did not feel comfortable with Dazai at first especially during his and Chuuya's more rough interactions but it sees the bond they have and how trusting they are with each other that Ralts/Kirlia trusts Dazai, as well. When corruption is activated, it is agreed that Dazai will take care of Chuuya's pokemon. Kirlia is usually instructed of Corruption's use or aware of Chuuya's emotional state to make the decision to teleport itself and Combusken to Dazai for safety.

For one Stormbringer scenario, I would put Verlaine's Dusclops against Chuuya's Kirlia for being pokemon that can manipulate black holes.

Torchic is Chuuya's second pokemon. He inherited it from Rimbaud as a Torchic along with his hat. Rimbaud found the little one after he lost his memories. Hugging a torchic grants you warmth so I thought it nice to give Rimbaud a Torchic. I would think the vast energy created by the two transcendental's fight plus Arahabaki attracted random pokemon to gather and thus Torchic and Rimbaud met.

For Chuuya, when I was picking pokemon associations, I was picking a lot ot fire types (my bias). But having a fire and fighting type pokemon that I could give a connection to Rimbaud sealed the deal. I think it great for Chuuya to have a sparring partner that excels in devastating kicks, too. Fire cuz i liken Chuuya for being a bright presence with a fiery personality( a star that turns into a dying star with corruption) and Arahabaki being a fire god. Blaziken can jump 30 story buildings in one leap so I also liked the image of Chuuya and Blaziken soaring through buildings side by side.

I think Torchic would have evolved into Combusken by Stormbringer especially since it had experience as Rimbaud's pokemon as well. I don't want Verlaine to beat a baby torchic.. but i have Ralts evolve during Stormbringer so...

(Also from the start i wanted Kirlia to go up against Dusclops but i just found out Dusclops tend to swallow embers or will-o-wisps into their void of a stomach and I really want to sell why Chuuya lost to Verlaine on their first meeting even with both a ralts and combusken).

Other details (includes a lot of Dazai)

The little tidbit about hugging torchic and getting warmth applies to Dazai who liked holding it before its evolution even when they were around Rimbaud.

Torchic /Combusken is closest to Dazai between Chuuya's two pokemon especially with their sparring and is usually who Chuuya lends/trades to Dazai when he needs a strong pokemon.

Chuuya either has one or the other at his side or both in their pokeballs. It's for intimidation purposes when both are out and at his sides. Both pokemon have quite a refined and strong look about them so Chuuya has quite the image as an executive.

Ralts/Kirlia preferred to be in their pokeball in HQ so Chuuya often walked around with Combusken at his side.

Kirlia and Combusken evolve before the main story but after Dazai's defection.

I imagine him to be a gentleman with his Gardevoir.

The Ralts evolutionary line all have psychic and fairy typings and fairy-types are strong against dragon-types (Dead Apple hmmhmmm )

If Chuuya didn't already have two pokemon at their final evolutions while being a busy executive, I would bet he would have gotten a dog pokemon. Maybe laterrr...

^ I've thought of how he was satisfied with seeing Dazai's Zorua around but then Dazai defected. Chuuya had to restrain himself around Zorua after SKK's reunion 4 years later.

This follows canon BSD, so abilities are still not widely known. Yet quite a number believe god Arceus or some other Mythical bestowed upon humans these abilities.

Corruption exists. They still call the entity Arahabaki.

I'm stubborn about having it connect to a legendary/mythical cuz thats for the legendary route ..

I have a thing where i hand my favorite character a Ralts because it is the emotion pokemon and i need my faves' feelings to be validated and have a dear ralts cheer them up.

[pkmn-spira]

Laura Baldwin

An enigmatic Gym Leader and twin to the Gym Leader of Cosmos Observatory, Ella Baldwin. She currently presides in, or rather settled her Gym base of operations in Grandmoss City, just underneath Grandmoss Tower.

About

Age: 19

D.O.B: November 30

Height: 5'4"

Birthplace: Grandmoss City, Spira Region

Biography

Born from a psychic and a hex maniac, Laura and her twin Ella had a rather unique upbringing, with said upbring oftentimes having led to them being ostracized in their youth, even moreso when an earthquake struck on Grandmoss City, causing them to be orphaned. They would then spend several years fending for themselves and doing all they could to survive, up until a man named Noah Schneider took them in and raised them as if they were his own daughters. And such, they were given a better life, as well as proper education throughout the years.

Some time after the thwarting of Team Andromeda's plans, the 4th and 7th Gyms were among the Gyms left vacant, alongside the 1st, 5th, and 8th Gym. And as such, Ella applied for position as the 4th Gym Leader, while Laura herself applied for the 7th, with the then current Champion at the time holding the aptitude test via battle to see if they have the mettle to take the mantles of the Gyms they have applied to, and as such, they passed.

Nowadays, Laura has used the old, and now unused underground crypt of Grandmoss Tower as her Gym's base of operations.

Pokémon Team (Gym Leader)

On a normal Gym Battle Involving Trainers, Laura uses at least 5 Pokémon out of her main 6:

Umbreon

Held Item: Leftovers

Ability: Synchronize

Known Moves: Wish, Foul Play, Toxic, Protect

Houndoom

Held Item: Houndoomite

Ability: Flash Fire / Solar Power (Mega)

Known Moves: Nasty Plot, Fire Blast, Sludge Bomb, Dark Pulse

Grimmsnarl

Held Item: Light Clay

Ability: Prankster

Known Moves: Light Screen, Reflect, Play Rough, Throat Chop

Incineroar

Held Item: Incinium Z

Ability: Intimidate

Known Moves: Swords Dance, Darkest Lariat (Malicious Moonsault), Flare Blitz, Outrage

Malamar

Held Item: Dark Gem

Ability: Contrary

Known Moves: Dark Pulse, Psycho Cut, Superpower, Hypnosis

Pokémon Team (Serious)

When battling stronger Trainers from other regions, or when situations get dire that puts the Spira Region at risk, Laura uses the above Pokémon, followed by one more, thus completing a whole team of 6:

Hydreigon

Held Item: Life Orb

Ability: Levitate

Known Moves: Dragon Pulse, Dark pulse, Nasty Plot, Flash Cannon

Public vs Private Knowledge

Public:

-Occupied the underground crypt of Grandmoss Tower, turning it into her Gym upon becoming a Gym Leader of the Spiran League

-Twin sister to Ella Baldwin. During exhibition shows, oftentimes partners up with her twin in double battles, under the team name 'Dioscuri'

-Despite being part of the Schneider family via adoption, she and her sister still opted using the Baldwin surname

-Has some sort of rivalry with Morgan Pennywort, the Fairy Type specialist of the Elite Four

Private:

-Works under Team Celestial as Admin Deimos, alongside her sister who goes by Admin Phobos. Almost always seen together, though they often work with Admin Eris, too

-Trespassed Cryptid Isle along with her sister during several Celestial operations

-Is partly responsible for the creation of SYM-06

-While Ella is a psychic and inherited more of the psychic attributes from her psychic parent, Laura inherited more of the occult attributes from their hex maniac parent

-Is responsible for the sudden spur of anomalous activities in Illusory Castle

[pesterloglog]

Vriska Serket, Tavros Nitram

Act 5, page 2349-2351

AG: Taaaaaaaavros!

AG: Go outside and look at what I 8uilt for you! You are going to FLIP!

AT: oKAY,

AT: i THINK THIS, iS,

AT: pROBABLY MEANT TO ANTAGONIZE ME,

AG: What are you talking a8out. Look at my 8eatiful 8uilding. Don't you think it's a8out time someone got a little cre8tive with this game????????

AT: uMMM, mAYBE,

AG: Everyone always wants to do things the 8oring way.

AG: Didn't we make a truce, Tavros? That we would try to 8e less 8oring from now on?

AG: You don't want to 8reak your truce with me, do you Tavros?

AT: nO,

AG: Gr8. Now get clim8ing!

AT: pLEASE DON'T READ THIS AS,

AT: a BORING THING, i HOPE,

AT: bUT,

AT: iT'S PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO THAT, mOSTLY,

AG: Man. I knew it. Toreasnooze is 8ACK IN ACTION.

AT: wHY DON'T YOU, iN LIKE,

AT: a NOT BORING WAY, bUILD,

AT: mORE INCLINED SURFACES, lIKE YOU DID OVER THERE,

AT: mAYBE YOU COULD COLOR THEM, wITH FUN COLORS,

AT: sO YOU WON'T THINK THEY'RE BORING AND GET ANGRY AT ME SOME MORE,

AG: I 8uilt that ramp 8ecause we were in a hurry to save your life, remem8er?

AG: A dead Tavros is even more 8oring than an alive and crippled Tavros 8y a slim margin.

AG: My stair structure is lovely and I'm not changing it.

AG: Now hop out of your wheel device and get clim8ing!!!!!!!!

AT: uHH,

AT: cLIMBING,

AG: Or crawling. Whatever! Stop 8eing so helpless. It's pathetic.

AT: iT WILL TAKE A LONG TIME,

AG: What's the rush! You're in the game, safe and sound. Look in the sky. Do you see any meteors? I sure don't!

AT: bUT, tHERE ARE IMPS AROUND,

AT: aND i'LL BE SORT OF DEFENSELESS,

AT: lYING DOWN ON STAIRS,

AG: Siiiiiiiigh.

AG: You did not just use that excuse. We 8oth know you can commune with these things.

AG: Hey! Why don't you psychically command them to carry you up????????

AG: Oh my god that is a gr8 idea. Once again, leave it to Vriska to come up with the cre8tive solutions.

AT: i WOULDN'T REALLY,

AT: WANT TO MAKE THEM DO THAT,

AT: i JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND, wHY,

AT: wE CAN'T DO THIS THE EASY WAY,

AG: What good would that do you?

AG: Whatever the purpose of this game is, it makes you work hard for it!

AG: That way you 8ecome stronger along the way and you are 8etter prepared for whatever's next.

AG: Remem8er when we used to flarp together???????? It was the exact same principle. And that's why you were always outmatched! You were too soft and not well prepared.

AG: Nothing comes easy, Tavros. That is why we go through the trials in the 8rooding caverns when we are young.

AG: To make sure we are strong when we come out!

AG: Do you remem8er the trials, Tavros?

AT: nOT VERY WELL, nO,

AG: Well, I do, and they were a 8itch.

AG: 8ut now that I think a8out it, it would make perfect sense if your trials were really easy 8y some mistake.

AG: That is why you are such a soggy phlegm sponge, and why you got picked 8y such a sad, frail little lusus!

AT: }:(

AG: 8ut that's ok, it pro8a8ly wasn't your fault. Just a 8ad 8r8k!

AG: You're lucky you have me as a server player, so I can challenge you and help you get strong.

AG: Now hop out of that seat and get clim8ing! I will deliver the device to you once you are at the top.

AG: Clim8, Pupa!

AG: Cliiiiiiiiim8!

AT: mAYBE i SHOULD ASK TINKERBULL ABOUT THIS,

AT: hE'S REALLY SMART, nOW THAT HE CAN TALK,

AG: No!!!!!!!!

AG: You don't need help from your lame 8ull fairy. He is only holding you 8ack.

AT: hE'S MY FRIEND,

AG: God. Pathetic.

AG: This is getting frustrating.

AG: Why did I have to get stuck with the cripple? Just my luck.

AG: Do you have any idea how inconvenient this is? Do you have any sympathy for what I'm dealing with here?

AT: uHH,

AG: You're so inconsider8. You just sit there looking smug. It's infuri8ing to look at you.

AG: You haven't even thanked me! Or apologized for that matter!!!!!!!!

AG: uHHHHHHHH THANKS VRISKA, fOR sAVING UHH MY LIFE,

AG: uMMMMM IT SURE WAS 8RAVE AND HEROIC AND PRETTY OF YOU,

AG: aLSO uMMM dUHHH,,,, uMMM,,, i AM SORRY FROM THE 8OTTOM OF MY NOOK,,,,,,,,,,

AG: Seriously, how hard would that have 8een?

AT: oKAY,

AT: tHANKS, i GUESS,

AT: bUT,

AT: sORRY FOR WHAT,

AG: For 8eing crippled, you ass!

AT: yOU WANT ME TO APOLOGIZE,

AT: fOR BEING PARALYZED,

AG: Yes.

AG: Say you're sorry.

AT: i DON'T MEAN TO BE RUDE, oR bORING,

AT: bUT THAT'S RIDICULOUS, gIVEN,

AT: uH, tHE CIRCUMSTANCES,

AG: 8ullshit!

AG: It's something called 8asic decency and civility you fudge8looded 8oor.

AG: Now get down on your useless wo88ly knees and apologize.

AT: nO, i DON'T WANT TO,

AG: >::::O

AG: Apologize, Pupa!

AG: Apologiiiiiiiize!!!!!!!!

AG: Say you're sorry for being a cripple! Wheeeeeeee!

AG: Aaaaaaaahahahahahahahaha!

[villain-in-love]

Psychic Type, Fairy Type and Normal Type with Jamil? :3

First of all, thank you for this ask. Second, sorry about your time, because there was a lot I wanted to write and I have no self-control.

🖤Normal Type🖤: What do you and your F/O do on an average day?

Since there's different definitions of a normal day for different parts of the timeline, let’s take a look at the second year in Twisted Wonderland specifically.

On an average day Jamil is busy as hell: he has to take care of Kalim, he has to manage the entire Scarabia dorm (let’s be real, he might not be a housewarden, but he still functions as one most of the time), and after all that, find time to study.

On a completely regular day, and not “why is my life like this” regular day, the worst Ramshackle Prefect has to deal with is her friends’ nonsense. So she has much more free time that she often chooses to spend with Jamil.

So there’s two options: either they text each other throughout the day or she goes to Scarabia to provide emotional support to Jamil, even though Jamil himself calls it “getting on his nerves”. He doesn’t really mean it, Katarina’s way of being annoying is probably the least insufferable and the most entertaining he ever encountered.

Either way, it’s not like they hold any kind of serious conversation through the text, they are most likely just commenting on what is going on around them, maybe complaining, maybe asking each other for quick opinion or advice, maybe just sharing some random thoughts that seemed interesting.

If she has plenty of free time, Katarina goes straight to Scarabia dorm to follow Jamil around and maybe help him in his usual duties, both as an excuse to spend time with him and win some free time by taking care of everything faster. Jamil had issues with it at first, secretly worrying that he might be too boring to hang out with and he’s burdening Prefect by having her help with all his chores (though the rational part of him reminded that actually it was always her own and rather insistent initiative). Prefect herself couldn’t care less about it, actually.

Katarina usually just leaves Grim to hang out with Kalim. She and Jamil are kinda like parents who let their children play together so they have something to do and won’t bother the adults.

Late in the evening they usually just sit either in Jamil’s room or in some secluded part of the dorm, talking and listening to music, finally being themselves. Not always, but often complaining and making fun of annoying people they had to deal with during the day. There’s also this thing where they consult each other about any possible plans or schemes they are currently developing. And then there’s music – while their music tastes are not identical, they do overlap, so they often share favourite or newfound songs and listen to them together.

It's rather calming, until Grim finds them and demands Katarina to go home already because he's tired.

🔮Psychic Type🔮: Look into your crystal ball and tell us what you think your future with your F/O looks like? Do you want to live together? Get married? Have the two of you ever talked about it?

Jamil and Katarina definitely talked about the future and Jamil was shocked by Katarina’s careless attitude and approach that sounds like “I could never predict what kind of wild life-changing shit will happen to me next time, so why bother.”

Well, I didn’t yet plan their story this far to give a clear answer, but here’s a few general predictions:

One thing I’m sure about is that Jamil will be the one to break his family’s centuries-long tradition of serving the Asims – if Kalim won’t do anything about it, then I’m sure Jamil will figure out something by himself, no matter how questionable the methods shall be.

What will happen to Katarina is a bigger mystery. She considered working in S.T.Y.X, but she does not want to be stuck at the Isle of Lamentation all the time, so perhaps she could become their agent on the outside. At the same time Chernabog is likely to push her into obtaining power and wealth so that she could become a better agent for him.

I think that she will eventually move to the Land of Scalding Sands because Jamil is the person she cares about the most in Twisted Wonderland and she would prefer living closer to him. I mean, she doesn’t have a home in this world anyway, so it’s nothing for her, and the main language seems to be the same everywhere…

Jamil’s wish was always to travel the world alone, and Katarina is mostly okay with it, as long as they continue to stay in touch (and if he brings her sweets from different countries). But after a few years he started seriously doubting whether being alone is still relevant to him, because at first he just wanted personal space and freedom from having to take into consideration other people all the time. Now that he already got what he wanted, he will probably start inviting Katarina with him because he actually likes her company (also he missed her terribly all this time). And since Katarina is curious to see a whole new world that she wasn’t born into, plus she's allergic to routine anyways, she will most likely agree.

Actually, there is a chance that they might get married someday, but they will most likely do it for legal benefits first and foremost. They are one of the very few selfships of mine for whom it wouldn’t be too out of character to get married and it’s unlikely to interfere with their lifestyles, even though I still think that they would rather live separately but visit each other regularly. And come on, Jamil basically has “husband material” written all over him, so…

🧚Fairy Type🧚: If you had to pick a fairy tale to describe your relationship, what one would you pick? Why?

What is this, a trick question?.. Am I supposed to answer with Aladdin or not?..

I went through world’s most famous fairytales, russian fairy tales, arabian fairy tales, but couldn’t find anything that would fit just right. Anyways, it would be hard to find a fairytale when protagonists given to you are like this: *gestures at Jamil and Prefect*

Well, almost all of my ships go through a phase where I contemplate them in the “Beauty and the Beast” AU, even though with these two it would be hard to decide who would be the beauty and who is the beast… Both are beautiful on the outside, both are arrogant and unpleasant people who need to learn how to love and be loved… Now I feel like making my own fairy tale.

H-hmm, then what about this:

Aladdin AU, except the thief and the princess are not important or are not even here. Instead the main characters are the cunning vizier and the trickster genie from the magic lamp he found. Wouldn’t that be more fun? They can either take over the country or go traveling in the end, both versions are good.

[libraford]

The short version: We had a serial thief at the flower shop. She’s retired recently and I think that due to Covid she really means it this time. 

The long version? hoooo boy, here we go.

This story, and others, are viewable on Tablo

There are rules and there are rules.

In dealing with shoplifting in retail, there are rules on how one engages with a thief. The handbook, if there were one, would consist of a single word. 

Don't. 

Don't pursue, don't interrogate, don't accuse. Let them take the merchandise, let them get away. Let them return the Cricut machine for an equivalent amount on a gift card to be exchanged once again for drugs. 

Let them. 

There is no handbook on how to handle Flower Thieves. Prior to working in a flower shop, I never thought that this was a problem. 

Life is surprising. 

 I'm sure some of you have figured that out by now. 

The Flower Thief is notorious, and she has a system. There are days when you simply know that she's going to be in. 

"Break the heads off the flowers before you throw them away," Grandpa will say. "She's going to be here tonight, I think." 

And sure enough, she would be. At 6:45, a quarter til we close- the Thief would announce her arrival. Loudly. 

"Heeeeey, baaaaaaby!" 

The very first time I encountered the Flower Thief, she came in through the back door. 

"Oh Hiiiii, Darlin'- ain't seen your face around here: you must be NEW! I'm Wren, you know- like the bird? Well, Kyle and I have an agreement that I come and work for y'all sometimes. You should take out this trash, it stinks to high heaven. Anyways, nice talkin' to ya, see ya later." 

I may only be a little bit psychic, but I've spent enough time around liars to know insincerity when I see it. Kyle, at the time, was the manager of our store and I have it on record that he's tried to throw her out of the building once or twice. 

While I was taking out the trash, her pile of purchase became so tall it towered over her. I watched Clark massively undercharge her for the sake of getting her to go away. 

She has a pattern.

She comes in during the design classes because she knows that when there's twenty people in the store, there's not enough people to watch her and make sure she's not stealing. "There's a class today," she asks as if it's not literally every Tuesday. "Don't worry I know you all wanna get out of here on time." 

The Flower Thief announces her presence in a grand way and then makes her way to the back to grab a trash bag or an empty box and then proceeds to bury any spare parts she finds in the cooler in the trash bag, hiding them under the things that she's actually buying. 

After that, she checks the garbage cans for things we might have thrown away that will last another three days and stuffs them underneath her other ill-gotten goods. 

Just when you think she's finished, she'll go through her pile of flowers and say: "You know what? I don't need this eucalyptus." And she'll go back into the cooler with it, stuff it in her purse, and walk back to the register. 

And when she's all done being sneaky, she asks one of us to come ring her out. 

This is the part that no one wants to do. Because ringing out the Flower Thief means haggling with the Flower Thief. 

"Oh baaby, you know I don't pay those prices." 

"Oh baaaby, I only pay $19 for roses." 

"Oh baaaaaaaaaby, those carnations were on special." 

She'll talk you down to under $100 with a sob story: 

"Oh baaaaby, you know I'm donating this spray to the family. It's for that woman you know- you know the one. She got herself murdered a couple nights ago? Two children and she was pregnant too! Pregnant! Can you believe it? Who murders someone with child? What's the world coming to? So I need a good discount to make sure we treat this family right because they got a looooong road ahead of them." 

"Oh baaaaaaby, you know this one's for that car crash over on Cleveland Avenue? I hear he was taking care of his dying father himself, so it's such a shame for him to go first like that." 

"Oh baaaaaaaaaaaaaaby, this is for that little boy that shot himself, isn't that sad?" 

Thank you, Sister Mary Loquacious. 

And you nod because you don't want to come off as an uncaring sociopath. And while you're nodding and adjusting the price for her sad, sad consequence and mulling over how good she is for donating to these people in their time of need, she steals some greens from the trash can and sticks them in her bag. 

She hands you crisp $100 bills. You check them and she makes jokes about how she printed them this morning. They're legit. Counterfeiting isn't why she went to prison. 

What she went to prison for was drug trafficking. 

"Do you need some help," you ask, trying to be a good citizen. 

"Oh no, I got it," she insists. "I'll make it in two trips. I'm stronger than I look!" 

And don't you dare get caught looking to see what she put in the bag or she will give you one hell of a lecture. 

By the time all of this has passed, the class will be over and there will two minutes left in the work day. She's spent thirty-seven minutes in the store. Your register is unbalanced because now you don't have enough small bills to balance it and only have one $100 bill to get you through tomorrow. 

And that's why there are rules. 

On occasion, a new person will break the rules not knowing that there's rules. One such occasion was when Clair decided to be helpful. 

"You know what? I don't need this eucalyptus," Wren said. 

"Oh! I'll put it back for you," Clair suggested. And before Wren could protest, it was out of Wren's hands and nowhere near her purse. 

It was mentioned to Sage, who only worked for us one summer, that Wren had failed to pay for something and she immediately chased her out into the street. 

Wren drives very fast. 

If you cross her too many times, she'll make sure you never forget it. One day, she stomped her way in through the front door, angry. 

"You ain't treated me better than a damn THIEF," screamed the Flower Thief. 

Grandpa, who was helping Blue make a wedding bouquet at the time, departed from the desk. "Beg pardon?"

"A thief! You been treating me like a thief ever since they made you manager and I'm sick of it! I see you bringing in your henchmen, following me in the cooler, chasing me down the street. Treat me with some damn respect." 

Words were exchanged. They were not kind. We thought we'd seen the end of her. 

But she was back one week later, doing the same damn thing. 

So now there are rules. 

If you make something and there's an excess of flowers left over from the pack, you have to make something out of the leftovers or she'll pick through them and stuff them in her bag. 

If you cannot make something out of them, you must throw them out. 

If you throw them out, you must break the heads off first. 

The trash cans must be emptied every night before 5:00. 

We do not keep trash bags in plain sight. 

Break down all empty boxes, or she will use them in place of trash bags. 

Do not leave any food or drink where she can find it. 

Do not leave any half-used rolls of floral tape where she can find it. 

Do not let her know anything about you- lest she use it against you. 

If you speak of a Thief, you summon a Thief- speak quietly, and never her name or you invite trouble. 

The basic rules one makes when dealing with pests. Or fairy-folk.

There are rules and there are rules and there are rules. 

If you want to keep a pest away, you make these sorts of rules. But if you want to get rid of a pest indefinitely, you have to remove their food source. And Wren's food source was her discount. 

You start exercising your right to say 'no' to a customer in small ways. 

She saw a bunch of carnations in the trash and said: 

"Oh baby, these are still good! I'll take them off your hands for you!" 

"They've been sitting without water for hours." 

"They're still good!" 

"They were out in the sun." 

"Oh baby, I've been working with flowers for 40 years and I know that these will still be fine for a couple of days!" She picks a bunch of them out of the trash and shoves it in my face. "See, it's still stiff- it's still good!" 

"Okay," I said. And before I could stop myself: "Full price."

Her eyes just about popped out of her skull. If it were just a little bit colder, I would have been able to see steam coming out of her ears. 

We stared at each other for about a minute, waiting for the other to flinch. She took the bunch away from my face and threw them back into the trash. While she was in the cooler, I took the liberty of snapping the heads off of them and burying them further into the garbage. 

And so began a war between the flower shop and the Flower Thief.

She came in: every single night. And each night, she got me. 

Again.

"Oh no, baby! These carns are supposed to be 39 cents a stem. I can bring up the email." 

"Sure." She brings up the email. "I see that they are 39 cents but... this was for Saturday." 

"Yea, and I bought those carns on Saturday and you charged me full price!" 

"Saturday." 

"Yeah." 

"You didn't buy these on Saturday. You bought them Friday." 

"Well I didn't know that they'd be on sale, so I need them for that price because I didn't know they'd be on sale." 

"The sales are one-day only. I can't adjust a sale from Friday to reflect Saturday's sale... on Sunday." 

She made a noise that reminds me somewhat of a cement mixer. 

 And again.

"I got a bad banner last time, can you print me a new one?" She shows me the banner in question. It's white. The 't' and the 'h' in 'mother' ran together. 

"Sure." 

"Okay, I need it to say 'Beloved Mother' and I want it in pink." 

"Sure." 

I print it. I ring her up $5. 

"Oh baaaaaaby, no, that one should be free." 

"Grandpa said- banners start at $5." 

"Oh, but you sold me a bad one last time." 

"We haven't sold you a banner in three weeks. How long have y'all had that body sitting in your cooler?" 

She grumbled, and paid. 

 And again. 

"I swear you been workin' every night this week! You must be tired," she said, nerves plain in her voice. "When do you get a day off?" 

"When the work is done." 

"That ain't what I'm askin'. When's your next day off, baby?"

"I stop working when the work is done, Wren." 

She narrows her eyes, which is a fun change from them bugging out of her skull like a fruit fly. "You don't ever get any days off?" 

"When the work stops, I rest."

 And again. 

"I'll be in and out, I know y'all want to get out of here on time," she said- announcing her presence to the entire class. She piled her stuff across the register counter and Grandpa began ringing her up. 

"Oh baby..." 

"No. We're doing away with the discounts." 

There are twenty people in the workshop for the class and Grandpa doesn't want to make a scene. She pulls her into the back, and I choose to make my instructions louder to mask the sound of them yelling. 

"So you're going to take your hypericum berries and you're going to cut the stem to about ten inches-" 

"How can you do this to me?" 

"And you're going to slowly fill the vase with these berries to kind of set the shape of the arrangement." 

"After all these years and this is how you treat me?" 

"Fun fact- you might know hypericum berries as their more common name: St John's Wort! St. John's Wort has been used as a medication for depression prior to modern medicine." You see- I, too, have taken notes from the Chattering Order.

"You can't do this to me," Wren said, stamping her feet like a toddler.

"But I wouldn't recommend eating them. However, they do smell somewhat like baked brown sugar." 

Stamp, stamp, stamp. 

Wren threw herself into the cooler and began putting a bulk of her flowers back. 

"This is robbery," I heard her say to Grandpa at the register. 

"Is it now?" 

 And again. 

She came in and immediately reached for a half-empty box of oasis bricks (the green sponge material that we use to hold flowers.) She said few words to me, few at all. She talked to Carrie about how she was going out to the country for awhile, to take care of her nephew's property. She needed to stock up. And oh- don't worry about it, she knows what she's doing. She's part of The Family.

She is in no manner of speaking, a member of The Family that owns this shop. Not even a third cousin. 

I saw her beeline for a rose I'd set in the trash. I picked it up, opened my mouth, and bit the head off of it. She stood in the middle of the workshop, absolutely stunned. 

Rose petals have the vague texture of arugula, by the way. Slightly sweeter, though. Tough to swallow in one go. 

She ran back into the cooler and didn't talk to me. 

I began taking down numbers. 

27 bricks of oasis. One pack of roses. Ten calla lilies. 1/2 pack of assorted greens. 

I punched the numbers in to the register. As if sensing something was amiss, she emerged from the cooler. 

"$54? What do I have that's $54?" 

"The oasis. They're $2 each." 

"Oh no baaaaaby, they're $1." 

"I can text Grandpa and ask her." 

"... that won't be necessary. Why are you charging me $22.50 for roses? You know my prices by now!" 

"22.50 is the price for a pack of roses." 

"22.50 is everybody prices." 

"Welcome to 'everybody.'" 

"I ain't paid a price increase in 7 years!" 

"The price of milk went up, Wren. So does everything else." 

She was seeing red, I knew it. There's a vein in her forehead that pops out when she's angry and it's the same shape as the river that runs through my home town. She sized me up, as if wondering if she could take me. 

I'm 256 pounds of 4H beef, and I have a knife. Try me. 

"I'm gonna call Kyle on this." 

"Do it." A lifetime of retail has made me immune to 'I'd like to speak to the manager.' 

She grumbled and put things back. Carrie offered to watch her, I held up my hand. 

"Can you do something for me  on these carns? They're the last pack in there and they're lookin' kinda ratty." 

"9.50." 

"9.50's the regular price." 

"Regular price is $14." 

"No it ain't." 

"Is today. You're taking our last pack and we need those for funerals." 

She put them back. 

She gave me a credit card. It seemed fake, but it ran. Every time I see here, she's got a different card. Did she print this one this morning, too? At least she stopped trying to sell me on Bitcoin. As you can see, it made her incredibly wealthy. 

She gathered her things and left. "Guess I'm getting the rest of my flowers from KROGER!" 

There are things you want to say. Like... I hope they enjoy your company just as much as we do. Or: Haven't graced them with your presence in awhile, huh? But at the time, it was better just to watch her leave with her minuscule bunch of flowers. I get a choice in where I loan my voice. 

Not here. 

Is it over? Nah. She'll be back for another round. But one day she'll finally retire in the way that she's always threatened to. And then? Then it can be as over as it ever will be. 

It is shocking to come from a history of retail, where you're not allowed to even hint at the idea of a customer being wrong, where you have to override every single price change to get the scores up, where you have to just let them steal your things and pull the wool over your eyes... 

... to flat-out telling someone 'no.' 

"No." 

It's such a great word. 

There are rules and there are rules. 

And there are thieves that the rules are made for. 

And there are words like 'no.' 

And all those things are magic in very human ways.