#i could gush all day

[arcielee]

OMG for ur WIP, may you tell about all of them? 😍🤤

Oh my goodness, of course. 💜 I will give a snippet for three of them, but the But you came over me like some holy rite, dark!Aemond x Reader is just a continuation of that "one-shot" I did: Only if for a night. I have not actually started that one yet, but I have an outline for it.

Anyway, the snippets are a bit long, so read more to help with the clutter.

This will not end well [Aemond x Stark]

“I have a gift for you, my dear.”

She was leaning against the balustrade and watching how the sun rose above Gods Eye. Its rays shone against the blue-green gemstone surface that shimmered from the rippling effect as it met with the shoreline and to to where the Isle of Faces jutted from its center; the weirwoods shifted with the breeze, its red foliage broke away and littered the laketop, dots of blood.

My twisted passion to be your world [modern Aegon x Reader]

More than anything, Aegon wanted a drink. 

No longer was he plagued by the tremors that once rendered his hands useless with how they would shake from the anticipation of his next drink, but right now he wished for the comforting burn of whiskey down his throat, something that would distract him from this moment. He wanted that bitter taste to seep into the cracks of the cemented anxiety in his chest, just an ode, a toast to his old escape mechanism.

Darling, I would do it again. [Osferth x Reader]

It was a quiet exhilaration when it was announced that Uhtred and his men had returned. It felt too long since you had last laid your eyes on his motley crew, in particular the monk tagalong that you were increasingly fond of. 

Anyway, that's what I have.

Osferth won my last poll, so my idea is to finish that, but goddamn I love the pending story title This will not end well, only because I don't usually do angst, like, ever. 😂

[kinselu]

they have him pinned, but at least they're warm!

fanart for @tsunochizu 's backwards through the snow fic! im SO normal about this story (still emotionally recovering from chapter 15) i love this fic so much <3

they are the STINKIEST of family...

(for those who haven't read this fic, first of all, go read it now. but also pebbles is mostly ok. kinda. hes just dirty and stinky... amongst other things)

[senditothemoonn]

That one scene from Emma, I can't stop thinking about it as scotfra

This isn't an au though I just wanted Scotland to scold him because he really needs it

[umbracirrus]

Okay, so, I have recently been thinking about axes and their importance in Nord culture in Skyrim, in part because I have something planned in a fanfiction that involves giving an axe and have been doing a little bit of research into it, and I have gone down a bit of a rabbit hole so please bear with me on this mini essay in which I have pulled together my thoughts/observations about axes in Skyrim and my two favourite Jarls, Balgruuf and Ulfric.

So, as anyone who has done the Civil War quests in Skyrim would know, there is a pivotal point in which the balance of power in Skyrim shifts either towards the Empire or the Stormcloaks based purely upon the player's alignment - when Whiterun either aligns with the Imperials or is taken by force by the Stormcloaks. Of course, there is one particular event which happens immediately before the battle begins, and that is the delivery of an axe.

However, at this point I would just like to bring up something which will become relevant later no matter what your alignment - at the point of the axe being sent, you have been named a Thane of Whiterun. Balgruuf won't hear anything to do with the Civil War when a dragon is attacking the Western Watchtower, so becoming both Dragonborn and a Thane is a prerequisite to the Civil War.

If you align with the Empire, it is Balgruuf who decides to send an axe. If you ask why, he gives the explanation that "if he returns it to you it means we have business to settle. If he keeps it, then we are at peace.", and if you ask whether you should say anything, he says that Ulfric knows what it means (also important for later!). The other dialogue option which isn't just 'sure, okay, I'll do that' also says that it is tradition, and that Ulfric honours traditions.

Obviously, Ulfric doesn't accept it and you return to Balgruuf with the news that he will be attacking Whiterun and suddenly, the city is under siege. When you win, Balgruuf personally thanks you for what you have done after his victory speech.

Now, on the other side of things, if you side with the Stormcloaks, it is Ulfric who gives you the axe to take to Balgruuf, but his explanation is much more... succinct. "If he keeps it, I will bide my time. If he returns it to you, it means war."

And as with the other side, because the game would be pretty boring is Balgruuf was to go "sure, I accept Ulfric's axe", he rejects the axe and that in turn means that you return to Ulfric with his axe, and he expresses his disappointment that Balgruuf had done so.

The two Jarls wanted the other on their side, but their views were fundamentally different they couldn't accept. 😭Sending their axes was just a formality, a way of saying 'this is it, we have to fight now'.

So what I am basically getting at, the civil war quest establishes that giving an axe is a way of determining allies and enemies, depending on whether it is accepted or rejected.

Coming back to what I mentioned earlier, in order to do the civil war quest and to talk to Balgruuf in order to either give him Ulfric's axe or to give his axe to Ulfric, you have to have become the Dragonborn and are a Thane of Whiterun. When you become a Thane in Skyrim, you end up receiving a weapon as a reward, typically named 'Blade of *insert hold name here*'. Except in two places.

Whiterun, and Eastmarch. In those places, you get either the Axe of Whiterun or the Axe of Eastmarch.

If I remember correctly, the blade weapons are randomly generated so have the potential to be axes, but these two are specifically named to be and are axes.

What else is in common with Whiterun and Eastmarch?

Their Jarls (Balgruuf and Ulfric) are the only two people in Skyrim who actively partake in and have knowledge of the tradition of the sending of axes.

When you become a Thane of these two holds, you are not just becoming a Thane, you are becoming a trusted ally of the Jarl, somebody who they can rely upon. Even more so with Ulfric, because you can only become a Thane of Eastmarch with Ulfric as Jarl if you are Stormcloak aligned.

Speaking of being Stormcloak aligned, how about a diversion back to the Civil War, specifically when the battle for Whiterun has reached its penultimate stages, Balgruuf has been defeated and has surrendered control of Whiterun. After an argument with Vignar (and I'll get into him later because he makes my blood boil), Balgruuf turns to you and says a line which absolutely breaks my heart - "And you. A Stormcloak? I'd thought better of you." 😭

Balgruuf thought you his ally, he had given you his axe, and you have just gone and stabbed him in the back (figuratively, and quite possibly literally depending on character build). As I said, it breaks my heart when he says that line.

Basically, what I am getting at, is that the depth of such a simple tradition in Skyrim is immense and I wish that there were more things like it (beyond the duel to the death for the throne thing, looking at you Ulfric) or saw it used more in the game. And that Balgruuf and Ulfric are by far the best Jarls in terms of character development and just how much their homeland and traditions mean to them. And I wish that there was a way to keep Balgruuf as Jarl even if you are Stormcloak aligned because fuck Vignar, and you know what? Fuck Maven Black-Briar too, she sucks. Laila is pretty incompetent as Jarl but at least she isn't Maven and that's a rant for another time. But not having Maven as Jarl is main reason I join the Stormcloaks more often than not. Balgruuf is usually the main reason that I join the Imperials on playthroughs.

Now... Vignar Gray-Mane. When you make him Jarl of Whiterun and he names you Thane, he gives you the Blade of Whiterun, not the Axe of Whiterun (yeah, I know I said that I think the blade weapons can be randomly generated as axes, and no doubt it was given to stop you from having multiple axes of Whiterun, but I just don't like Vignar soooo....). That's mean. Especially after we protected the city and helped him become Jarl too. There's another layer of insult there if you've rescued Thorald, his nephew, from the Thalmor. At least Brunwulf Free-Winter gives you the Axe of Eastmarch when he is Jarl if you defeat Ulfric for the Imperials and complete that shitshow of a quest 'Blood on the Ice'. Brunwulf is a bro, not Vignar. Hmph.

[kitkatsgalore]

in a world soaked in orange sunlight, you shone so bright the backlight paled in comparison ☼

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

I'm back on my bullshit thinking about the Hawke siblings again and how much I love a "both twins live" AU... but y'know what I love just a little bit more? An AU where all three Hawke siblings are alive, but one of the twins still get attacked by the ogre in Lothering and is presumed dead when they actually survived.

I like to think that since the narrative in DA2 is framed as a story Varric's telling Cassandra, we can play around with the fact that he's an unreliable narrator. Varric wasn't there in Lothering. He only knows what Hawke told him. It makes for a better story if Leandra, Hawke, and the surviving twin get to huddle around the dead twin and say their goodbyes... especially if they didn't actually get to do that. I mean, a lot of us already have that train of thought when it comes to Leandra's death and Hawke getting some closure through her final words telling them how proud she is. Whose to say Varric didn't do that for the lost twin, as well?

All that to ask what if the ogre attack happened, but the group was so overwhelmed by darkspawn they had to flee further and couldn't check the twin who "died?" Flemeth still showed up, but it was too late to go back and say goodbye.... so Hawke made a deal with the Witch of the Wilds and they all pushed forward to Kirkwall.

Imagine Bethany, left behind with broken bones and bleeding in the sand, fading in and out of consciousness as the remaining darkspawn surround her. She knows how to heal, how to fight back, but she's weakened. Her staff lays out of reach. Air shakes in her lungs. She tries to call for help, but only wheezes come out. Where's her mother? Her siblings? Did the ogre get them, too?

At this point, we all know what happens to the women darkspawn take, and Bethany could've met that fate; she doesn't have the strength to fight back as they drag her away. But before they can bring her underground, she's saved by another group of survivors. Perhaps they're more soldiers fleeing Ostagar, or townsfolk who recognize her from Lothering. They do what they can to treat her wounds but she needs a healer, so they bring her with them to seek refuge in Redcliffe... except they eventually realize she's an apostate. Well, she doesn't seem dangerous, but they still contact the templars.

Bethany wakes in a warm but unfamiliar bed with skilled healers tending to her. Templars hover by the doorway. First Enchanter Irving greets her, gentle in explaining she's safe inside of Kinloch Hold and that she's going to survive. When Bethany asks about her family, he gives her a sympathetic smile and says they only found her.

Bethany, who never took to embracing her magic the way her older sibling did and always felt like it burdened her family... has lost that very family. Could they survive the ogre and darkspawn? Or did the ogre tear them apart, too? How did she survive... but not them? Did the Maker really have such a sense of humor? How else would she end up in the Circle, a place her family went to great lengths to keep her safe from?

She doesn't want to think about it. She hopes they made it to Kirkwall, but the prickle of dread that crawls up her spine knows how unlikely it is. Bethany finds comfort in speaking with the mages who rotate in to heal and bring her food. Some feel trapped by their magic just as she does, but others remind her of her older sibling in the way they embrace their magic, a gift from the Maker. The younger apprentices who aid the mages ask her questions about what lies beyond the walls. The templars mostly keep their distance, but one is friendlier than others. A man with curly blonde hair and a sympathetic view of the mages bothers to speak to her more than his fellows do.

She's still in recovery when Uldred and his blood mages attack the tower, but she survives. Bethany heals, even as she's haunted by nightmares of the ogre wrapping its tainted hand around her body to crush her, flinging her aside to lay among the limp bodies of her family... haunted by the horrors the blood mages unleashed on the tower. She aids in restoring the tower the best she can, and accepts her new home, her new life. When she's well enough, she lights a candle for each of them; her father, mother, her eldest sibling, her twin... she even lights a candle for the family mabari, and prays to the Maker to give them her love as they stand at His side.

The Blight ends. Years pass. Bethany settles into her new life, becoming a fine example for the younger apprentices she mentors. She witnesses wrong doings against her fellow mages, loses friends to their harrowings or tranquility. She accepts what she is, even if bitterly. The Chantry's teachings about magic scar more than enlighten; she sees it in some of her fellow mages, feels it in herself. Secret meetings. Whispers of escape, of freedom. More escape attempts. Harsher restrictions.

Around this time, back in Kirkwall, Knight-Captain Cullen stands where he always does in the Gallows courtyard. He notices Hawke appear with some of their companions. It hurts to think back to Kinloch Hold, but something occurs to him: he knew of another Hawke who was brought to the Circle while he served there. They only spoke once before... well, before. He wonders if there's any relation. When Hawke wanders over to speak to him, as they always do, Cullen brings it up.

Hawke pales. A beat of silence. Cullen recognizes heartbreak; he sees it unfold in their eyes and swell in their throat as they realize that all this time, their baby sister was alive.

Then the day comes where new whispers float among the mages in the Circle. A visit by a Grey Warden. Most, including Bethany, assume he's here to recruit... until Irving comes to her. He says this warden's requested, though more like insisted, he see her now. But then Irving smiles; the warden in question said his name is Warden Carver. He received an urgent letter that his sister is here, alive, and he demands to know if that's true.

Bethany nearly collapses when she sees him.

While the reunion can't last; she can't leave the Circle and he has his calling; the twins embrace, sobbing out apologies and exclamations that they thought the other was gone. Carver tells her of Kirkwall, the expedition that led him to the Grey Wardens, and their older sibling's status as Champion. With a gentleness she never knew her brother to have, he tells her what happened to their mother, and more tears flow freely. Their sibling learned about her from a templar, though Carver grumbles that the bastard could've said something sooner.

There's the Maker's humor again.

...Now flip the script: imagine Carver being left behind instead.

For as strong and passionate as he is, that ogre still picks him up and slams him to the ground. Bones crack. Black splotches flood his vision, agony exploding across his skin. His sword flies from his hand. The soulless bastard tosses Carver aside like he's nothing, and he's left to lay there. His mother's cries muffle in his ear as though he's stuck underwater, sinking slowly into the dark.

It figured, honestly... that he'd survive Ostagar while his fellow soldiers were cut down all around him, that he and his eldest sibling would flee the field when all hope was lost... that he'd make it home to get his family out of Lothering... only to die protecting his mother. And why not? He is a protector. A warrior. It's a honor to die saving those he loved... so why didn't it give him peace?

Carver eventually wakes in the night among the bodies of fallen darkspawn. Everything aches painfully hot and his thoughts reject coherency. He knows his family is gone; they're dead, or they've fled... either way, he's alone; left behind. Something's broken inside of him, but he has just enough will to pull himself up at the sound of approaching footsteps. A group of survivors find him- funny enough, the same group who aided Bethany in an alternate timeline. Imagine that.

That's how Carver ended up in Redcliffe's Chantry with an overworked healer tending to him. He doesn't even flinch when the mage works their magic on him, knowing all too well the sensation of healing magic seeping into his skin, mending the flesh. He tries not to think of Bethany, or what might've happened to her.

The Chantry's overwhelmed with townspeople hiding from a danger outside that he can only assume is darkspawn... except it's not. He wonders how hard he hit his head when he hears the undead have come from the castle to slaughter what they can of the town every night. But then he sees it with his own eyes when one breaks in, taken down by a templar, and never before has he ever felt so useless.

Then the last two remaining Grey Wardens arrive. They're crucial in the final fight against the undead, swearing to enter the castle to stop the attacks at the source. While Carver couldn't participate in the final fight, something he complained loudly about, he did what he could in his condition to help like sharpening swords and handing out supplies. Mostly to keep his sanity and quite his thoughts throughout his recovery.

When the time came, he took up his sword again in the name of all those he lost.

An archdemon was said to be on the horizon, and the Grey Wardens needed everyone they could get to fight. Carver fights in the battle of Denerim where the Hero of Fereldan defeated the archdemon. He cuts his way through every darkspawn he sees. Ostagar flashes red behind his eyes. Lothering clutches at his heart. So much anger and sorrow built up inside him, flooding out in his tears and screams. Blood everywhere. Fire and smoke.

Then it's over.

In the aftermath of the Blight, like so many others, Carver has no home to return to. No family. He thinks to go back to Lothering to help rebuild, only to hear the lands were too tainted. These tainted creatures took everything from him... That's what eventually brings him to Vigil's Keep, standing before the Hero of Fereldan themself, asking to be made a Grey Warden. He already dedicated nearly two years of his life to killing darkspawn, and he had nothing else. Even when faced with the Joining, holding the chalice of darkspawn blood and being told to drink, he didn't flinch.

Life as a Grey Warden isn't as simple as he assumed it would be, but Carver finds purpose in his calling. Over the years, he grows to view his fellow wardens as family. He travels all over Thedas, venturing down into the Deep Roads to help clear out hoards of the darkspawn. But then comes the day he finds himself in Kirkwall, and it doesn't take long before he hears the name Hawke on the lips of the townspeople. His eldest sibling was not only alive, but they're quite popular among the people. But what about Mother? Bethany? He doesn't have to snoop too far to learn templars took Bethany away to the Gallows, and that Leandra Hawke was the final victim in a string of murders committed by a blood mage.

Carver finds himself standing outside the estate, glaring at the door. Furious. Heartbroken. Bitter. He wants to scream. This entire time, they lived. He's torn between wanting to reunite with his older sibling again, to get the truth from them, and wanting to barge into the estate, demanding answers to how they could let the Circle take Bethany... after what Carver sacrificed, how could they let Mother die like that? Was it all pointless in the end?

He leaves without knocking. He can't bring himself to see them. Not that it mattered. Before he could leave Kirkwall, the tensions with the qunari finally overflowed, and chaos fell upon the city. He's forced face to face with his older sibling again, but he wasn't prepared to watch the recognition slowly bloom on their face, or for all his anger to turn to mush. Carver's the first to speak.

"Somehow, I knew it would be you."

.............So, yeah. I really like this idea.

[bunnygirllover45]

pls do ignore this if u feel uncomfy:'D‼️ Since Johann is ur persona can we take it that everything projected onto him is basically u?? (breeding kink.)

Lmao. Yeah. Anything related to his preferences or uh, specific tastes is mine as well. The only point where we both differentiate is the attitude. He's far more serious, a fucking psychopath, and a little bit murdery. On the other hand, I'm a chill guy who plays stardew valley on the weekends and simps a little too much for genshin characters (I'm ashamed.), I'm not going to kill someone if they dare to look at my partner, he certainly would.

[randygrim]

Serial designation B for @spinnydraws cuz theyre awesome

[heyybeach]

Learning that Philip Michael Lester has written gay fanfiction has honestly improved my life

[pencilofawesomeness]

What is Twisted Wonderland and how would you sell someone on it?

Ohoho. Ohohohoho. Anon. You have activated my trap card >:D

(I'm about to be soooo annoying/unhinged and I'm sorry. I'm not.)

Alright, so:

Twisted Wonderland is a Disney mobile game made in Japan and co-produced by Aniplex. (Yes, that Aniplex.) I'm not here to sell you on the game, so much as the story, but it is a sort of story-book rpg with turned based fights and rhythm games, where you build character units from a gacha pull. As far as gameplay goes, it's very simple, and most of the emphasis lies on the characters and the story. And it's wonderful.

The on-the-box description of this game doesn't do it justice, per se, but that might be because Disney has a little bit of influence on it and they suck at knowing who their target audience is. It is about a high school based on classic Disney villains—but no, not in the way you're thinking, because I once made that mistake too. It is not a villain school. Rather, the world of Twisted Wonderland is its own entity, with characters built as sort of nods or foils to classic Disney characters. The world itself is somewhat built with these films as its past, and history has become so twisted (ha) that modern society views some of these classic villains as the heroes or supporting characters of their stories, and respect them as The Great Seven. (The seven in question being the Queen of Hearts, Scar, Ursula, Jafar, the Evil/Raven Queen, Hades, and Maleficent. None of them are remembered by name, though.)

The game takes place in the modern era, a society with both technology and magic. Specifically, it takes place in a magic high school called Night Raven College, an all-boys dormitory prep school where the only requirement to get in is a magic mirror that peers into your soul and determines whether or not you can a) do magic and b) kin the Great Seven. And, of course, the player character is a regular-ass human who gets isekai'd in and gets stuck with a talking magic cat direbeast named Grim.

Now. That is the general synopsis. I, on the other hand, affectionately call this the Mental Breakdown game.

See, here's the kicker. The magic system is pretty nifty; while it's functions as a standard magic-is-magic sort of soft system, it has ✨consequences✨

Magic has this byproduct called blot. It's this icky stuff that builds up when you a) use too much magic and/or b) are emotionally distressed. But less so in a "I'm panicked right now" sort of way and more so in a "I have chronic depression and/or anxiety" sort of way. And, when a mage is powerful enough, and sad boi enough, and then goes and uses way too much magic and sad boi juice in one sitting, this amazing phenomenon occurs called "overblot"—which is pretty much a super-powered evil form that turns the mage into the darkest form of themselves and then uses magic until they die.

Naturally, this happens in the game. A lot. The formula is pretty much that each "book" of the story, there is an overblot. One for each of the seven dorms, which are based off of the seven villains/the movies they come from. (And "based on" is pretty loose. Yes you can see the similarities, but these are dumb teenage boys with their own hopes and aspirations, and, sometimes, the game completely lies to you about what character they emulate the most. The guy who's Jafar? Well yes but he's actually just a really stressed out Genie stand in. The Hades guy? Whoops that's Meg. Is that a card soldier or the White Rabbit? Doesn't matter, he's got problems.)

The characters are so well written. I could gush about them forever, and they are the driving points of this plot and it means everything to me. They are some of the most traumatized and messed up individuals, but also, they are dumb teenage boys who do dumb teenage boys things. It is all incredibly well balanced and startlingly realistic for a game that amounts to beating the emotional constipation around people. Mostly because it cannot be beat out of them. The blot can, but they have to deal with their emotions with their own two hands, with varying levels of success.

And the shenanigans!!!! Oh, the shenanigans. I call this the Emotional Trauma game but I have once laughed so hard someone heard me through the floor. It's not all doom and gloom for sure. Sometimes you're watching your friend fall apart because his toxic mother instilled debilitating perfectionism and slowly start making enemies of everyone and sometimes you're sending three of the most gremlin students plus one cinnamon roll to infiltrate a gala that a bunch of weather fairies are throwing in the greenhouse because they stole your temperature regulating magestone to be shiny jewelry and you want it to stop snowing inside your dorm room. And sometimes you can have the exact same character who experienced losing his little brother right in front of him gush about a magical girl sledding anime and all of his gacha games. It is the best of both worlds.

And, that's not all! No, no. We get amazing character interactions. Not just pre-determined friend group interactions, but also random interactions. Yana Toboso (the writer/artist) really likes to stick names in a jar sometimes and make them interact and it is the best thing ever. Every single one of these characters I hold in my hands. Every single one of them gets to have their moment to shine. You can emotionally invest in all of them and be rewarded for it.

The game itself is free and pretty easy to get into. There's not really a bad power creep so you can get through it with what you got. Of course the fun part of collecting cards is that there are stories attached to them that you can watch, and those are also sources of joy. (And it's well documented, so you can find things online pretty easily to catch up and see more.)

I just think it's neat. (Read: I accidentally became wholly obsessed with this game and its characters and they are all blorbos to me.)

You should definitely fall into this rabbit hole with me :))) It's so worth it :)))

[sketchy-tour]

hello!! just dropping by to say... Dandy is so cute 🍏

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 /pos

Hello augh it's still so crazy that you followed me back! Your traditional work is so captivating like I don't even know how to describe the mood you manage to capture.

I saw you even did art of Stefano Valentini!!!! I LOVE the evil within! The second game being my favorite only because I have a soft spot for the ridiculous villian Stefano! Seeing an artistically driven villian drawn in SUCH a way was such a delight to see!!!!!!!!!

[mayoiayasep]

random tag game sponsored by the fact that i love seeing people ramble about music in the tags: name your favorite voice actor/character from a musical anime/music project/etc and why you like them so much!

[senditothemoonn]

Hello, I am here to present some fanart inspired by @oumaheroes’ wonderful fic The Cleaner !

The whole miniseries is just so intriguing and profound and I thoroughly enjoyed reading them and I hope u guys do too ✨ I sound calm while writing this description but honestly guys I’m frothing at the mouth GO READ THESE FICS IMMEDIATELY

[sassylich]

y'all are gonna make me CRY with all of these asks omg!!!! and the posts!!! i'm printing these out and hanging them on my WALL

[savingthegeneration]

Hector and Lyn | Chapter 33

[subwaytostardew]

(This is the anon who wrote about the farmer finding a wild Pokémon.) Just thought of this after I submitted the previous post, but about your view about Joja being an evil team that succeeded, if my prompt from earlier did happen, do you think Morris or Joja Corp would first attempt to steal the Pokémon and if that didn't work, put the farmer in a position where they have to give them up (assuming that's what Joja is like in this mod)?

*Evil smile*

So you wanna know about Joja Corp and how they are like in this mod.

Pull up a chair grab some popcorn.

I'm about to give you the whole run down of how they are.

Now to start off - Morris here has NO IDEA. What Joja Coporation has done in the past when it comes to the extermination and deportation of Pokémon.

Yes, I said the word extermination. Fair warning things are going to get very dark here.... There is a reason why all of this is has happened in the past or behind the scenes. (Meaning, won't be directly said in the mod itself.)

Also just to keep things on track! Submas... had no idea how big of a mess they got into, and are too busy with the station to look into it much. This is your silly story in which you help submas integrate in a run-down town who fears Pokémon as an invasive species! There's not much you can do besides helping them settle and hope the common sentiment changes a bit. Joja stuff is something the farmer can't get too involved in because Morris isn't even that involved in the big picture… Joja already succeeded. There's a lot going on outside of Pelican Town, but just like the war with the Gotoro Empire, there's nothing you can do about it but experience the ripples from its effects from a relatively isolated town.

Morris himself has grown up without any Pokémon around - meaning any information about Pokémon from schools, libraries, etc is heavily censored or outright struck from history.

The most he knows is that Pokémon were once a thing in the valley and now they are not. He does not know about the involvement Joja Cooperation as a whole had, and honestly, Joja is keeping it that way.

Plus, Morris as a character is always trying to impress his higher-ups. What better way then to make sure the Joja Mart he was entrusted with thrives within the small town that is Pelican Town! Coupons! Coupons everywhere!

He just wants to do his job and do so where it will make the higher-ups be proud of him.

But really he is just one of the many pawns Joja Coporation has at their disposal.... To keep a hold of the people you need to keep ahold of the consumer. Buy from Joja Mart! They are Mega Corporation!

And as stated from the Stardew Valley Wiki.

"A megacorp that seems to cover shipping, warehousing, distribution, mining activities, emergency medical services, and energy drink production."

Which means they most likely have a political or social stake claim within the governing body of The Ferngill Republic. Think about the war that is currently going on with the Gotoro Empire. Medical supplies sent via Joja itself to the troops of the Ferngill Republic.

Joja Coporation itself clearly has control over what the people can say or do etc.

Between Morris and submas... They're evenly matched. They have one-track minds when it comes to doing their job. They're workaholics, but politics isn't in their standard operating procedure.

You as the farmer (If you did not skip the intro) worked in a cubicle! And there where security people, most likely CEO's looking down below at you from glass windows as you work!

(Like a prison....)

So when it comes to Pokémon itself; Joja Coporation got rid of them to have more control over the people.

Over the Republic as a whole.

From spreading false information, propaganda and playing the messy board game that is politics. They convinced the government and the people Pokémon were bad and that the ecological system was at risk due to them. And during the time that Granny Evelyn and George where growing up in...

Pokémon were either....

Killed.

Captured and deported.

Or the Pokémon themselves found means of escape out of the region with their lives all while their habitats were being wiped out (meaning food, berries etc.) That made them thrive.

I imagine the berries to be their first target in their plan of wiping out Pokémon... Joja provides medical supplies and growing berries is practically free healthcare (curing poison and paralysis?). It's just one step in their monopoly and also serves to make their job of eradicating Pokémon from the region easier. They would just starve off. It may have been a bit difficult to convince the general public that killing off Pokémon directly is for the supposed greater good at first (animal empathy and all), but they could have managed to spread something about how Pokémon berries are bad. Their healing properties are a bit absurd, so they could spread fear about them being sketchy (think like... how MSG occurs naturally in tomatoes but everyone has a bit of xenophobia about MSG as a concept).

Not to mention... Pokémon are quite powerful. There's some truth in what Joja spreads. They easilly overrun an ecosystem (as shown by pretty much every other region...), so not removing them from a region runs the risk of regular animals going exctinct instead. It's one or the other. Being a megacorp having control over one of the last few regions without Pokémon puts you in a pretty good position from a business standpoint since everyone relies on you to be a major exporter of normal goods. It's basically world domination for Joja.

Without Pokémon there was no more that sense of companionship or the ideas of traveling or journeying and discovering one's selves as a kid. Jobs became more laborious, less fun, and overall people had to adapt without Pokémon.

Not to mention the tactics which Joja used painted Pokémon in a harsh light... Which means you're in the Hisuian Era of thinking when it comes to Pokémon. Because no one understands them anymore.... and it doesn't help the fact that the Ferngill Republic is isolated from the rest of the world as a region and home.

It's sad, but submas gets used to it eventually. Which makes a certain someone perfect for the job of dealing with the Hisuian era...

Now I can hear that question brewing.

"BUT STEWARDESS KADE! WHAT ABOUT THE POKÉMON LEAGUE!? WOULDN'T THEY BE ABLE TO STOP 'EM?"

Oh, for sure.... If they even had a Pokémon League body government to begin with.

The Ferngill Republic has no Pokémon-focused government even when they had Pokémon. Think of regions within Pokémon canon like - the Almia region.

If you have not played Pokémon Ranger series as a kid when growing up I highly recommend it! I draw a lot of inspiration from Shadows of Almia in terms of how Joja Coporation is.

As for the mainline games, Alola- despite having a focus on Pokemon- is pretty isolated since they haven't quite established a League like the others yet. You can get away with a lot when there's no Pokémon League.

There is no Pokémon League or Gym System. They're just people living their average lives. Small towns. Some cities. etc. Sure, they have the Ranger Union in Almia, but not every region has a Pokémon Ranger base. The same could be said for the Ferngill Republic.

Joja as a whole had completed its goal of taking control.

At least so they think....

The funny thing about history is that - it is never truly gone. People still find out what has happened.

So what do you think is on their minds when they find out that the government has accepted paperwork and access for oh I don't know two train conductors to come over and repair a train infrastructure within Stardew Valley itself.

Joja CEO's is going to tell Morris to do anything he can to get that railroad... And Morris won't question why. Until things don't start to add up... Why care about a bunch of train conductors with Pokémon?

Oh, now suddenly you are learning more about Pokémon.... and you begin to question the history of everything. You begin to question Joja itself. That control is slipping and it has been possibly before Ingo and Emmet even arrived.

Now, what if I told you there are two divisions of Joja here. The ones who believe that Pokémon are horrible and must be gotten rid of. And the ones who believe that they must adapt and thrive with them as partners.

Joja itself is going to be infighting as you now have a Team Plasma and Neo Plasma situation going on.....

But, as a farmer, a grocery store clerk, and a pair of conductors, you can't do anything about it. You don't even know where to start. Your only lead is a general store manager who's pretty uninvolved in the political aspect. You have no choice but to remain uninvolved and just hope they collapse on themselves.

To put it simply, you the farmer, Ingo, Emmet, Morris etc. This is all going on in the background... outside of the valley. This is all stuff that is way above everyone. You're just average everyday people and the world is going to keep turning and keep burning (love that song so much...). It going to keep developing in the background and you're just going to get glimpses here and there of its history.

So really No, Joja or Morris won't go after Pokémon. After all, Joja Coporation has a public image to uphold and maintain now they completed their goals. But that doesn't mean they can't find other ways to prevent such things from happening or control slipping from their grasps.

As for your Joltik... They're in the clear! Properly documented and legally immigrated despite everything. A wild Pokémon might not fare so well, but at least Emmet can file the paperwork away to keep your Pokémon safe when it comes down to it.

◁ Station Stewardess Kade