#if hes being raised by Meloni same situation

[cryptocism]

Since I think about clones like I’m getting paid for it, I've been rotating those alternate universe "what if Bart and Thad were actually raised together" scenarios in my brain, with Thad either post-redemption-arc or pre-villainy. Because adjusting Thad's character to fit an ally role while still keeping true to his core motives and personality is so so fascinating to me.

Like I think there's an immediate first instinct to slot Thad into a "bad" twin category: ie rebellious and prickly, doesn't get along with people, mean lil shit. And obviously it's not wrong bc we're outside the realm of canon, but the reading still feels a little left of center.

Because Thad is mean and prickly in canon. In the Impulse comics he belittles Bart and Bart’s friends/family constantly in his appearances. He loves to goad, and monologue about his own superiority and intelligence. He’s very Not Nice, and he causes many problems, and he even does it on purpose.

But, I think it’s important to consider the context. From the jump Thad knows very little about anything except which team he’s on and who he’s playing for. He gets his orders from an unseen authority and he carries out his tasks because success means his team wins.

For all his self-aggrandizing talk, everything he does is in service of an end goal that doesn't actually center him. He's trying to get revenge for grievances he's never personally suffered, retribution for actions never committed against him. Everything he does is on someone else's behalf.

Thad sees in black and white, us or them. Up until the final few issues of Mercury Falling, Bart and co. are Thad's enemies, of course he's not going to be nice.

So Thad's motivation seems pretty simple: Thawne Supremacy™.

But it’s in Mercury Falling where this starts to fall apart, and the real core of his motivation gets revealed. Thad pretends to be Bart and suddenly Helen is nice to him. Bart’s friends think he’s funny. Bart’s teachers are impressed with his grades. Max ruffles his hair and gives him hugs and tells him he’s done a good job.

If he was actually an inherently mean and standoffish character, if Thad actually had significant personal stake in the Thawne VS Allen conflict, the weight of such tiny acts of kindness wouldn’t completely break him the way that it does in canon.

Thad thinks his goal is superiority and revenge and Thawne Supremacy™, but he's chasing validation. Thad doesn’t have a personal stake in the Thawne VS Allen conflict. He wouldn't get much satisfaction if he actually destroyed Bart and his family. Thad's personal victory would be the recognition after the fact: the praise and attention from the other Thawnes (a group of people he has literally never met) for his success.

He wants validation. That's basically it. And the fact that he gets it so easily from Bart's family and friends doesn't align with how he's told himself things are supposed to work.

Actually tangentially, Bart and Thad’s respective relationships to authority is so diametrically opposed and tbh kind of subversive in a superhero narrative. Where the hero is the one carving his own path without regard to social or societal rules, no fucks to give what anybody thinks of it. And the villain is a chronic people-pleaser.

Just based on Thad’s reaction to simple praise and affection from Max I really think Thad’s motivation has more to do with the response he gets than whatever the details are of any given task. He has no actual personal convictions beyond getting positive attention, and whatever he did have crumbled as soon as Bart’s friends laughed at his joke one time. Which of course leads into the core of his whole conflict at the end of Mercury Falling. He cares too much about Bart’s friends and family now, he doesn’t want to kill them, but worse than that, he’s faced with the sudden realization that he’s on the wrong side.

The Allens gave Thad everything he actually wanted and needed, but his conception of himself is inexorably tied to the Thawnes: who gave him jack shit. These two facts are in opposition to each other, and he can’t reconcile the reality of it.

Anyway all this to say, in an AU where Bart and Thad are raised together or Thad gets an actual redemption arc etc etc, I think my personal take on Thad’s personality whether it be pre-or-post-villainy would be one that is extremely socially conscious. He is much more of a people-person than Bart. Whether he's actually accurate in assessing people's feelings and how to respond to them can be hit or miss, but he wants to behave in a way that gets people to like him.

Pretending to be Bart isn’t remarked upon as, like, a difficult task for Thad. In his internal monologue he’s literally bragging to himself about how easy it is. But what’s especially notable to me is where his act differs from Bart's typical MO. Everyone notices, and lots of people comment, and presumably if Thad didn’t have the excuse of Max’s illness to “motivate” Bart to do better he would’ve been found out immediately. And those things are, specifically: paying attention in class, doing his chores, staying on task, and being helpful around the house. The one thing about Bart he chooses not to emulate is Bart’s rebelliousness.

Thad wants to prove himself, constantly, to whatever authority he respects (probably Max in this scenario) and will do whatever it takes to make that happen. In contrast to Bart, who only listens to authority when the shit they're saying actually makes sense to him. It’s excessively difficult to convince him to go against his own interests. (And I think a key part of that is Bart’s security in knowing that no matter how much he fucks up or doesn’t listen, the people he loves will always love him back.)

Thad’s got the people-pleaser in him that has to deserve whatever he’s given. It’s why he’s happiest when he’s given a clear goal or objective to complete, because it gives him an opening to prove himself.

All this to say that if we are quantifying Bart and Thad as a "good" or "bad" twin, in the eyes of every authority: Bart is the bad twin. Bart is the bad twin, Bart is the bad twin. Bart is the one who doesn’t care about school and whose grades vary wildly depending on his personal interest. He’s the one who goes off to do dangerous shit for fun and gets in trouble constantly and doesn’t do his chores and is thoroughly unconvinced by any authority figure trying to sell him bullshit. 

Thad is the one who needs to know all the rules just so he can experience the joy of following them. Relentlessly obedient. He'll put all his effort into doing all the right things that’ll endear him to whoever he wants to impress - meaning he’s the asshole who reminds the teacher about the assigned homework. Bart might be the most popular boy in school, but Thad is a pleasure to have in class.

Like Thad can (and should) still be high-strung and short-tempered and sarcastic and edgy and mean, because he is. But he can’t be doing all that without rhyme or reason. Colouring every interaction has to be that one-zero binary of ally or enemy. He needs to have somebody he’s proving himself to: a team he’s on and a team he’s against. He’s not an inherently rebellious character. He can go up against The Enemy, whoever he deems as such, but it has to be in service of a hypothetical future in which somebody eventually tells him he did a great job.

And in the interest of continuing to beat a dead horse, it connects to their respective upbringings. Thad and Bart were both raised in VR, but Bart’s experience had the side effect of basically hard-wiring him against insecurity. His world was a playground tailor-made for him, and he was never made to feel bad or insufficient about any aspect of himself. His first interaction with a real human person was Iris moving heaven and earth to save him, without him knowing her, without her knowing him, with no reasoning for the act needed beyond Being Her Grandson. Which is probably a significant factor in why Bart moves through the world with frankly atomic levels of autistic swag.

Thad’s VR upbringing installed self-consciousness in his psyche before any other personality trait. As in: he is immediately made conscious of himself and his relationship with everyone he will ever encounter. He’s told two things: he’s a clone of someone else (inherently derivative, lesser) and that he was made to be superior (a status to achieve). Which is such an instant clarifier for Thad’s everything. Where superiority is a condition that everyone either has, or does not. It’s the one-zero binary again: are they better than me or am I better than them. Being above others is mandatory, and if his superiority is ever challenged by hard evidence or god forbid nuance Thad’s brain physically cannot take it. He needs to be better, to be worse is unthinkable, and there is no other way to be.

And this status of better or worse is, crucially, not up to Thad to decide. He needs The Authority to validate him. Bart never tries to prove himself because he has nothing to prove. Thad’s entire identity hinges on the self-worth he gets from doing a Good Job.

It is such an inherent part of his motives in the Impulse comics canon, which is why it always feels a little off when he’s interpreted as a jackass indiscriminately.

Like I don't think he needs everyone to like him. But I do think he has either one person or a set of very particular people that he needs to like him. Everyone else is either in that circle or outside of it.

(Which is why Bart is such a great foil for Thad tbh. There is no set of words or behaviors that’ll change Bart’s opinion of Thad, because Bart is unaffected by obedience or charm. So ironically Bart is probably one of few people that Thad doesn’t bother to put on even a little bit of an act for.)

While Bart goes with his instincts, his personal beliefs and convictions at all times, Thad is hyper-conscious of big-picture goals. They balance each other out that way. Thad's keeping track of whatever expectations he has placed on him, and how his actions reflect on him and the team beyond short-sighted solutions. He's a team player. AND he's an asshole.

[melonlthawne]

Oooh, how would meloni raising Thad change things? Bc I’d imagine it’d change a lot lol

HI. sorry this took a bit. im notoriously terrible at answering asks or like anything at a practical pace so i had to get my brain into the mood to answer. but thanks for sending i really appreciate it!

so yes the short answer is that A LOT changes. i think the main aspect here is that thad is actually raised as a wanted, loved child with his own thoughts and feelings that matter versus president's thawnes upbringing of him only being useful when he can be used as a tool to terminate bart or hurt the flashfam. though meloni definitely wasn't expecting another child in this au, she welcomes thad in with open arms knowing that if he's raised by eobard, thad won't be loved and she would never want that if she could help it. so the best option she has is to take him home and raise him herself.

she's not the best parent ever. no one is. but if there's one thing meloni can ensure she does is make sure thad knows hes loved and appreciated no matter what his origin is. when thad is older she probably explains the complex situation to him so that he doesn't have to find out in some other way that could be traumatic.

assuming things go to plan, mel would encourage thad in any way she could much like how she does with bart canonically in the very little time they have together. in this au/verse, bart's rapid aging either doesn't exist or is solved when hes still a baby which makes things a bit more normal though i imagine raising any speedster child can be a nightmare at times.

i'm sure some traits that thad has typically still show up, like him being very dedicated to whatever his tasks/responsibilities are, maybe being a little unintentionally rude or blunt, and he and bart would probably still bicker and fight a lot but not physically or to an extreme degree. just like typical sibling junk. but because from the moment they got him thad isn't "trained" to be evil or whatever he probably just ends up in a sort of chaotic good position or maybe even chaotic neutral but NOT evil. he still has the potential to be bad just like we all do but it would only end that way if he has some other influence outside of mel bart & don that is frequent and persistant enough to outshine mel's well intentioned upbringing.

he'd probably still end up as a hero. idk if he'd still be inertia maybe cause its just a cool ass name but maybe with a different suit that isn't inverted-color impulse since he has his own life now and has different interests and thoughts outside of his genetical coding being identical to bart. he's allowed to become his own person no matter what his dna says. he's not constrained to JUST be the better or inferior bart/bart-clone. and meloni and don would make sure thad always knows he is his own person and he's not just an extension of bart. they may be brothers but they are not the same person.

i could probably ramble even more on this and i will probably. i have that fic i plan on touching after like a year and a half of nothing. i have a surgery coming up and a buttload of time to recover so i might get some writing done soon. if you're interested in this stuff, keep an eye out! plan to get more art and writing in this verse asap : )

[salandition]

10 and 126 with Raihan please 💖

A/N: i love writing these because I’ll look at the prompt list and then my eyes will bug out when I see what y’all chose. It’s very fun. ESPECIALLY for this one- my eyes got all big and I went “YEHHH” out loud. So that’s great lmao 

Prompt(s):  “I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”/ "I think about you all the time, it’s freaking annoying."

---

You’ve known the Dragon-Type Gym Leader, Raihan, for a long time. He’s got quite a few different names, actually, which was pretty interesting. The Tamer of Dragons, The Dragon Lord (that one always made you snort), or even The Great Raihan. In a way, he kind of fits those names, but you just like to stick to ‘Raihan’, ‘Rai’, or ‘Daddy Long Legs’. 

He hates it when you call him that last one, so you make sure to use it often. 

You can easily call Raihan one of your best friends. Though time has a history of bad effects on some relationships, you don’t think that’s the case for you and Raihan; the more time you spent together, the more your friendship solidified and became reliable and comfortable. You didn’t ever get bored or tired of Raihan, and despite your first initial anxieties that he’d get that way towards you, he didn’t. So the two of you are best friends, though and through. 

And that’s exactly where your problem lies. 

Raihan is your best friend, so- you can say confidently that you know him pretty well. And you know that Raihan isn’t the most enthusiastic about relationships- deeper, romantic ones. He likes to indulge himself every so often, but whenever you talked about crushes or something like that with each other, he always seemed distant and reluctant about entering a serious relationship with another person. The only reason this created a sense of unease in your stomach is because- well- lately… You’ve found yourself liking him a bit more than you used to. 

You’re not sure when it happened. You just realized one day that maybe you stare at him for just a bit too long, maybe you’re just a bit too excited whenever the two of you are able to hang out, maybe you stay up with him a little too late on the phone when he calls. 

Realizing that perhaps you have a crush on Raihan- it created a fit of anxiety within you. Because falling in love with someone you’re so close with- when did that really ever turn out well? Sometimes it worked, if you were lucky, but you don’t really think the word ‘lucky’ describes you very well. And then there’s the fact that you’re keenly aware that Raihan is definitely not interested in you like that. 

Even if he was, you know he doesn’t like deep relationships- and you’re not sure how comfortable you are with being a fling or thrusted into a ‘benefits’ type situation. 

So, once you realize your feelings, you do your best to squash them before they have the opportunity to get even worse. You drill the fact that Raihan doesn’t like you and you can’t like Raihan deep into your skull; you remind yourself over and over that you aren’t in love with him and you’re just friends. 

And that’s fine. You’re happy to be his friend. That will always be the truth, regardless of the little hiccups along the way. 

Usually, though, hiccups don’t last this long, and they don’t hurt this badly. That’s something you’ve come to realize as time has passed. 

Because, hiccups- they’re temporary things. Unexpected bumps in your throat- and sure, sometimes they can hurt and leave a funky ache in your chest- but hiccups are supposed to go away after a quick glass of water or something like that. 

And this particular hiccup isn’t going away. So it’s probably time to stop calling it that. 

You’re not sure what to call it. Torture? That’s a bit too brutal. What about ‘agonizing, lovely, awful torture’? Still a bit dramatic. 

It’s a problem is what it is. You know what? It’s almost like a virus, actually. Because it started out as just a tiny problem- a little crush, and then it slowly spread throughout your body and created lots of other problems in it’s wake. Problems that are getting worse as time goes on. 

Things like how your body will tingle and ache when Raihan hugs you, how your face will burn when he compliments and teases you, how you don’t even know how to look at him correctly anymore without giving away that you’re slowly falling in love with him. Which wasn’t supposed to happen in the first place. You weren’t supposed to fall in love with The Great Raihan, The Tamer of Dragons, The Dragon Lord. 

You were supposed to just be friends. So what happened to that? 

---

You know Raihan is starting to suspect something is wrong with you. He has a way of accidentally clueing people in that he’s thinking about something or that he’s curious. It’s the little way he lifts his left eyebrow, his lip quirking up with it, and his head will tilt just a tiny bit. It’s a subtle tell. 

You kind of hate that you’ve stared at him long enough that you can recognize such meager things. But it helps you, regardless, because it lets you know when you’re being a bit too obvious and you should leave before he starts to ask you questions. 

Except you can’t really leave without giving him more questions right now; because you’re hanging out at his house, planning to spend the night as you drink together and watch movies, and if you left now, that wouldn’t be any good. He’d certainly grill you about it tomorrow, and you’re not sure if you’d be able to come up with a good enough lie as to why you ditched him. 

“So,” you clear your throat, trying to look away from his gaze on you as you lean on his kitchen counter, beer bottle in hand as it leaks wet condensation on your hand. “Tell me more about your challengers this year. Anyone catch your eye?” 

Raihan hums, lifting his own bottle to his lips and you definitely don’t watch as his throat moves when he takes a drink. “No one in particular yet,” He tells you. “I did hear one of the challengers really gave Melony a run for her money, though, which is pretty interesting. She’s a tough lady- I look forward to seeing who can battle so well against Ice Types, considering they’re one of my team’s weaknesses and all that.” 

You nod along as he speaks, and you try not to look bothered when he crosses the counter and leans on it, same as you- right in front of you, actually. Which would only make sense, considering you’re talking to each other- you want to look directly at the person you’re speaking to. But does he have to lean in so close? 

“That’s a good point,” you take another drink to distract yourself from his piercing eyes. Maybe it’s not really a good idea to drink with him in the first place, considering he already makes your stomach do pathetic flustered flips, but it’d be odd if you rejected it now. “Besides the frivolous chit-chat, as much as I love talking about your work- I want to see the movie you picked out.” 

“Of course,” Raihan grins, leaning off the counter and leading you into his living room. Not like you need to be led, considering you’re more than familiar with the layout of his apartment. “So, I know you hate horror,”

“Raihan,” you groan before he can even finish, and he laughs as he shows you the case of the movie.

“Okay, but we have to! It’s a classic, and it’s not that bad. It’s old, so the effects look shotty to begin with. You’ll be fine,” he assures you, but you doubt he’s being honest. He’s lied to you before to get you to watch horror films with him. You purse your lips, crossing your arms together, still holding your drink between your fingers at the rim. 

“You just want to see me scared.”

Raihan turns from you, putting the disk in the player, and you huff. “Maybe,” he singsongs, “you can cuddle into me and hide if it’s too much, don’t worry!” 

You fall against his couch and roll your eyes, trying not to let him see you blush as you lean against your hand. “In your dreams, long-legs.” 

“I like that better,” Raihan hums and sits next to you, said legs already taking up a lot of space as he crosses them. 

“Ah, sorry. Daddy long legs.” 

“I guess I deserve it if I’m making you watch this,” he huffs, and you smile. 

“Exactly.”

The movie starts, the two of you quieting your banter as the intro scene plays. But you’ve always been chatty during films, especially when it’s horror- talking helps ease your nerves as you groan loudly at the screen, and Raihan absolutely thrives off some of the comments you make, so it’s a good time overall. He also makes some jokes and crude comparisons to the things on screen that makes you laugh, so that’s nice, too. 

Despite your nerves and your growing affections for the man sitting beside you, you try to remember these moments. He’s your friend- your best friend. Even if he doesn’t love you like that…

You sneak a look at him during a particularly slow moment in the movie. His eyes are focused on the screen, face lit up blue from the screen, and he laughs at one of the jokes that’s made in the script. You quickly chuckle, turning away from him so he doesn’t catch on that you weren’t paying attention- and your stomach does that funky flip again. 

Even if he doesn’t love you like that, at least he loves you at all. You should be grateful for that. For what you have. 

Before you even realize it, the movie is over, which is surprising. Usually you can’t wait for the ending, but you were zoning out in your thoughts so much that you didn’t even realize the credits were rolling until Raihan leaned forward, grabbing the remote and turning the TV off. It’s significantly darker in the living room without the light of the television, but you can still make out those blue eyes when he looks your way. 

“So,” he relaxes back on the couch, one of his hands grabbing at his knee and the other rests in his lap. “You’ve been weird.” 

You snort. “If you wanted to get my guard down for a talk about feelings, you should have chosen a better movie.” 

“Would it have mattered?” He raises an eyebrow. “You hardly even reacted to most of it.” 

You suppose you can’t argue with that. 

Raihan shrugs, sighing a bit through his nose as he turns his head away from you. For that, you’re glad, because he just looks too intense when he looks you in the eye. “Figured I’d give you an opportunity, since you’re not bringing it up yourself. Don’t have to talk if you don’t want to.” 

You frown. You’re still holding your beer bottle, now empty, and you place it on the floor before you lift your feet up on the couch and criss cross. “It’s not a very big deal, Rai,” you tell him softly. “Honest.” 

“Doesn’t matter if it’s a big deal,” Raihan looks back at you, “we’re mates, right? Doesn’t have to be a big deal for you to tell me.” 

There’s little room to argue with that. He’s right, and you know that, but this is different. Your shoulders drop as you purse your lips. “I don’t want to bother you with this,” you say, and Raihan just laughs through his nose. 

“You once called me in the middle of the night because you felt something weird on your bum and you acted like it was the end of the world because you had bum-cancer.” 

Without even thinking, you grab a pillow on the couch and you hurl it at him full strength. “That was a valid concern! And I told you that you’re not allowed to bring it up ever again!” 

Raihan barks out a laugh, giggling like a child as he grabs the pillow you threw at him and he tosses it back. You smack it on the floor, making him laugh harder. 

“My point is, we’ve been close, yeah?” He says once the giggles finally end, and he smiles at you so genuinely that you have to look away. He notices. “That’s it. You keep doing that. Why?” 

“Doing what?” Acting dumb. Grade A plan, sure to work. 

Though you can’t see it, you can hear how he rolls his eyes based on his tone. “You keep acting distant. Looking away from me like I’ll jump you or something.” 

That’s funny. You actually want him to jump you, but, you know. In the cute, kissy way. 

Why’d you think that? Shut up. You shake your head, as if that will shake away the thoughts as well. “It’s not that,” you tell him. There’s a dread building up in your chest once you do- because you know where this conversation is going. 

Raihan is nice and respectful of your boundaries, and he’d never make you tell him something you’re not comfortable sharing. The issue is that he’s too nice, and it makes you want to tell him that much more. Because he deserves to know, right? 

There’s really only a few ways that this conversation would go. You know- you know that the next thing he’ll say is going to be something like ‘then what is it?’ 

“Then what is it?” He asks, and you curse yourself. You knew it would be a bad idea to hang out. 

You finally look at him again, biting your cheek as your eyebrows furrow. “Raihan,” you shake your head again. “I can’t.” Your voice is soft- a whisper, at best. 

Truthfully, you didn’t notice how your hands began to tremble in your lap- but Raihan did. His lips tug into a frown. 

“Why?” 

You huff, and he shrugs. 

Maybe you should rip off the bandaid and get it over with. If Raihan has figured out that something’s been bothering you, and if you leave the conversation tonight without telling him what it is, you know he’s going to pry it out of you eventually. It’s only a matter of time, now. 

“You really wanna know, Raihan?” You hold your hands in your lap, trying to get them to stop shaking, and Raihan nods. All right, you think with a deep breath, this is it. Time to tell him and have the awkwardest rejection of your life.

You don’t have the guts to look at him, so you look up at the dark ceiling, and honestly, your eyes are already burning. And you’re definitely not going to cry. Despite that, you sniff, and your voice leaves you shakily, “I think I’m in love with you, and that terrifies me.” 

It’s quiet, and a rush of anxiety courses through you again. You stutter and stumble as you try to explain yourself. “I- We’ve been friends for so long. And- and I’m not- not interested in ruining that. I don’t want to ruin our relationship. Because- well, because I love you,” you laugh, “and I- I don’t want to ruin it by getting all weird and reading into things. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, either.”

Finally, you lower your head and let it hang as you sniff again and lift a hand to run through your hair, ruffling through it harshly. Come on, you think, get it together. 

It takes a lot of courage to look at him- and you honestly don’t have the courage, so you basically just turn your face his way and then stare at the couch cushions instead. “...Sorry,” you apologize weakly, though you’re not sure why. 

From your peripherals, you see him uncross his legs, his body leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He sighs, which doesn’t really make you feel good as you quickly look to the floor instead, even further away from his eyes. “You don’t need to be sorry about that. Not like you can control your feelings,” Raihan finally speaks. “That would just be silly.” 

You shrug. 

“I guess I can understand why you didn’t want to tell me,” He continues, his hands coming together and rubbing before he entwines his fingers, cracking his knuckles with a swift movement. “Would you like to hear something funny?” 

Your eyebrows furrow, suspicious. “...Sure.” 

“Well, it’s funny for you, maybe, but it’s been annoying for me,” Raihan chuckles. “It really is. Cause the thing is, I think about you all the time. So much that it bugs me. It’s distracting, too, cause you really shouldn’t be popping up in my thoughts the way you do when I’m trying to ride on Flygon. That’s just dangerous.” You finally lift your eyes to meet his, and he shrugs with a smile when you do, his pointy tooth looking odd when his face is so soft and bashful. “You do anyways.” 

You squint. 

Raihan rests his face in his palm, laughing gently under his breath. You’re both in a weird staring contest, as if it’s a test of wits. He reaches forward as you stare, and before you realize what he’s doing, he flicks your nose. 

You jolt back in shock. “Hey!” 

Raihan just laughs, his nose scrunching up and his eyes squinting as he chuckles. “What I’m saying is, I think you’re not alone with your feelings. Either I’m a creeper for thinking of you so often, or I love you, too.” He raises his brow. “You pick which one sounds more appealing to you.” 

“Don’t joke around, Raihan,” you can’t help but sigh as you rub your nose. 

“Sorry,” surprisingly, he apologizes. Which is odd, catching you off guard as he finally looks away from you. “I’m not real good at this, either.” 

“Raihan...” You softly call his name, and he purses his lips. There’s no other way to describe his demeanor other than ‘shy’, which is never a word you’d think you would use to describe him. 

“The feeling is mutual, is what I’m saying.” 

You almost want to laugh. “What happened to not liking serious relationships? Would- do you still feel that way?” You can’t help but ask him. Just because- wow- maybe he loves you, doesn’t mean that’s changed. 

“Well, I’ve never loved anybody before.” Raihan lifts a hand, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck as he finally stops slouching over his knees and straightens his posture. “But if you’d be into it...” He trails off. 

...Hm. Slowly, your hand reaches forward, and you grab Raihan’s as gently as you can. It makes your heart speed up a bit, and Raihan’s eyes snap toward you when you do- but you smile. “We can go slow. See what happens. If it doesn’t work for you- I’m still going to love you.” You tell him, honesty in your tone. “I can’t expect you to be the world’s best boyfriend if you’ve never even thought about being one before.” 

“I’ve thought about it sometimes,” he mumbles, and his hand is absurdly long in yours- you notice it even more when he fumbles with how small you are before squeezing your palm. “Are you sure you’re okay with that?” 

“Yeah,” you nod at him. Surprisingly, you’re honest- you feel sure of yourself. “You’re my best friend, Raihan. You’ll always be my best friend, no matter what happens.” 

Slowly, he smiles back, and it’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen. In the back of your mind, you realize that Raihan is actually a sweetheart, and you wonder how he’d react if you added that to his long list of nicknames. 

Perhaps you’ll try it out. 

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

What would the gym leader act like if they're feral? Like raised by pokemon their entire lives/survival instincts/ isolated for a very long time/ feral not the other ones. (I'm sorry if you don't want to do this the only reason why I'm asking is because your rules didn't prohibit this or I miss interpreting it. I have read your rules like 3 times before typing this.)

Thanks for reading through my rules. This should be fine, since I don’t think it’s going to offend anyone. If it does bother anyone, let me know and I’ll fix it.

Milo was raised by grass types, who make very good parents and raise Milo well. He’s a vegetarian by default of course (raised on nothing but fruits and veggies) and he’s still just as strong. He’s not great with people because he’s not socialized but he’s very kind and gentle.

Nessa is an incredible swimmer. She was raised on the beach exclusively, so the first time she sees grass she freaks out. She somehow learned to live off of raw seafood and kelp. She’s a lot more aggressive than Milo because her pokemon weren’t as gentle. But she’s still kind and learns very quickly.

Kabu is practically fireproof. Burn scars everywhere, but he’s fine now. He’s probably the only one that gets to eat cooked meat because pokemon usually don’t know how to cook. He’s very aggressive because that’s just how fire types are. He can’t stand even a little cold.

Bea is also extremely aggressive. She learned to fight literally everything that moved. However, she is incredibly strong for it. She doesn’t socialize with other humans and she doesn’t care to. She would have to be contained because she would be a huge danger to other people.

Allister’s situation reminds me of a book I’m currently waiting to arrive so I can read it. It’s called “The Graveyard Book” and it’s about a boy who was raised by ghosts in a graveyard. Anyway, he’s pretty much the same honestly, just less able to deal with other people than usual. Maybe even developed some ghost powers because...? Ghosts? I guess?

Opal was raised in the Ballonlea woods and was actually pretty normal. She learned how to just Exist. She lives like a fae, and honestly? People leave berries and whipped cream out for her so she doesn’t break in and steal their shit. People think she can curse you and seeing her is either a very good omen or a very bad one.

Melony became able to withstand temperatures way too cold for normal humans. She almost died but she made it through. She hates anything warm enough to melt snow. She and Kabu are friends in canon, but they’re mortal enemies in this feral au (sure it’s an au now I needed a name for it). I’m not going to get into how she had kids if she wasn’t socialized so don’t fkn worry about it.

Gordie was born into an ice pokemon family, but he left because ice types don’t make the best parents. He was taken in by rock types and learned to be tough like them. All I see is that scene of young Toph and the Badgemoles honestly (yes, I’m still on my ATLA  bs don’t fuckin worry about it). He barely feels a scratch anymore, but he lost his inability to tolerate the cold.

Piers is a wild animal. Probably has rabies. Yes, bites. But the bond between groups of dark type pokemon are strong. He takes care of his sister and is extremely protective. Another one that would have to be detained because he’s a danger to himself and others just because of how wild he is. He’s 100% a bad omen. But Spikemuth leaves food out for him and Marnie because they just love him and his band of Zigs/Linoones/Obstagoons so much.

Raihan is incredibly strong and he can withstand any condition just because he had to survive in all conditions while living with dragons. He’s a legend. People have tried to find him, but he’s super elusive. Try and catch him? No way, he’s already climbing that cliff and is gone. Can’t catch him can’t stop won’t stop. He runs into Leon and they fight every time they see each other.

Leon was raised on the Isle of Armor. His brother was taken in and socialized, so Hop isn’t there while Leon is raised by all sorts of pokemon. He’s incredibly powerful and could easily defeat any of the other gym leaders because he didn’t just learn from one type. I could see him being raised mainly by a Ditto. Hop leaves to find him and take him in so he can have a normal life, but he’s already and adult and it’s kind of too late. Hop is the only person who Leon won’t/doesn’t attack though, because he remembers Hop from many years ago.

Oh, by the way, have you heard of the book “Ferals?” I’m currently reading it and it’s pretty good. I actually like it a lot.

[samsonet]

Silver Dreaming (3/6)

Do Not Disturb shuts off automatically at six in the morning. Raihan regrets this when he’s woken by the sound of a million text messages.

There are rules when it comes to messaging. One of those rules is that you don’t text people before nine a.m. unless it’s an emergency. Raihan glances at the notifications and finds nothing urgent about them. He’s not in the mood for this right now.

He leaves his phone on the bed and heads into the hallway. There’s a pot of coffee ready, and the scent fills the air like petrichor.

Nessa probably made it, like usual. She’s the best.

When Raihan arrives in the living room, coffee in hand, he finds Nessa doing her morning stretches as she usually does. Her hair is tied in a loose bun. She’s wearing the t-shirt and sweatpants she’d brought over last night to sleep in. She looks normal, like she’s not a supermodel and gym leader in her day jobs.

(Sonia is nowhere to be seen. She’s probably still asleep. No need to wake her; university doesn’t start again for another two weeks.)

“Wanna join me?” Nessa asks, pushing her legs into a perfect split.

Show off.

“You know I can’t do what you do.”

“You can do something basic. Don’t you stretch before you train?” She looks up at him, her eyes calm and deep. “It might be the last time we get the chance, Rai. Please?”

With a sigh, he gulps the rest of his coffee and sets the mug out of the way. Then he sits across from her and pulls one arm in front of his chest.

One, two, three…

Nessa says, offhandedly, “Milo taught me about thinning the other day.”

“Milo… taught you… about thinning?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s a gardening thing. When you’ve got a bunch of seedlings together, sometimes you have to uproot some so the others have more space to grow.”

“Ah. So you’re saying that it might be time for a certain golden flower to get uprooted so a certain water lily has space, right?”

“It’s not like that, it’s — I mean…” Sighing, she pulls up one knee and pushes against her leg. “You leaving would really shake up the league. I stayed up last night thinking about it. I’ll be fine, I think. I’m flexible.”

You’ll be more than fine, Raihan thinks. You’ll thrive.

Being flexible her thing, the way weather is his. It’s how she wins battles and how she wins at life. She moves through any situation like water, and his absence won’t make that any different.

He pulls up his leg, copying her pose. One, two, three...

She continues. “I wanted to be Hulbury’s gym leader since I was six years old. I wanted to be a model from the time I was fifteen. I wanted to be close to Sonia and Milo and you since the day I met you all. And I get to have all of that, because I’m flexible.”

“And now you’ll get even more. Congrats, Ness. You’ve earned it.”

She leans forward, stretching her back. “Did I, though?”

Come on, Ness, don’t say it like that.

“Aw, are you having doubts? Come on, it’s supposed to be my identity crisis here.” He says it with a grin, like it’s all a joke. But Nessa isn’t laughing.

“You wanted to be champion when you were a kid, didn’t you? Instead, you ended up a gym leader. You’ve just been treading water for the last ten years. I always knew you’d be heading to a bigger pond someday — to a place where you could really stretch your legs. I would just be taking advantage of that.”

Treading water. A bigger pond.

The league is supposed to be a place where dreams come true, if you’re strong enough, if you’re good enough. Everyone’s dreaming of something as they step in the stadiums.

It’s been a long time since Raihan has really thought about his own dreams.

What does he want? Not as the gym leader of Hammerlocke, not as the potential champion of Alola. Not as Leon’s rival or as Nessa’s friend.

What does he want?

To beat Leon?

To have battles where he can fully show off what his Pokémon can do?

He’d wanted to be Galar’s champion at one point, sure, but his goals aren’t as concrete anymore.

He wants validation. Adoration. Respect.

Will he get that in Alola? Does he honestly get that here?

Nessa leans to the side, almost bent over double. Raihan tries the same. He’s pretty sure he heard his back pop.

One, two, three...

“I think you should go,” she tells him. “Thin out the dandelions. Make some space for the golden flowers to grow like they’re supposed to.”

*

At seven-thirty he can’t pretend to be asleep anymore, so he checks his phone and gets ready for the day.

Piers was right about how quickly the news would spread. On Chattr, the words Hammerlocke and Alola Champion are trending. All his accounts are getting pinged.

It feels like everyone who’s ever had his number has sent something. His mum is mad that she had to find out about this from social media. Gordie and Milo give congratulations. Kabu and Melony ask if he’s really going. The reporters he’s given his number to — the ones he usually depends on to set the narrative he wants — are asking for a comment.

He apologizes to his mum and copy/pastes a “No comment as of now” to the reporters. He’ll reply to everyone else at lunchtime.

A new message pops up. It’s from Camilla.

Angry fans outside the stadium. Disguise?

He’ll take her word for it.

Raihan digs through his closet and brings out The Outfit.

It’s a league staff uniform, complete with a hat and sunglasses. Every gym leader has a couple of these uniforms, specifically tailored for them. Nobody looks twice at a lowly staff member, after all.

Raihan puts it on, tucks his hair under the cap, and slouches a little to hide his height. He puts his usual clothes in a duffel bag.

Passing by Nessa in the living room, he waves goodbye.

*

True to Camilla’s text, there is a crowd outside the gym. They’re chanting something, but he can’t quite make out what it’s supposed to be. He spots a sign reading OUR DRAGON TAMER and another that reads YOU BELONG TO HAMMERLOCKE.

Nobody seems to notice that their dragon master is standing there among them.

Raihan catches the attention of one of the fans, a young teen with an orange bow in her hair.

Making sure his sharp tooth doesn’t show, he asks: “What’s goin’ on?”

“You haven’t heard?” She stares at him with wide eyes. “Raihan got scouted by the Alola league! He’s leaving by the end of the year!”

“Really? That’s news to me. Has he confirmed it himself?”

“Well, no, but it only got leaked last night. Still! He’s leaving! Can you believe it? Like, I don’t have any problems with Alola — I’m half-Alolan, myself, actually — but it’s like, don’t they have any strong trainers there? Why do they have to take our gym leader?”

As much emotional distance Raihan tries to keep between himself and his fandom, there’s something about the sincerity in the girl’s words that makes him pause. He was born and raised in Hammerlocke, after all. He’s its representative, its guardian. The people here have watched him grow; some have even grown beside him. One could say he’s like a brother, almost—

A blond woman gestures passionately in his face.

“Right?” She doesn’t seem to realize (or care?) that she’s interrupting a conversation. “They’ve got to have a hundred good trainers over there, but Leon only has one rival! What are we supposed to do without him?”

He sucks in air through his teeth.

He may be Hammerlocke’s older brother, but his family will always be more enamored with the cool kid from down the street.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” he says, and pushes through the crowd toward the gym.

*

He takes his time changing in the locker room.

It would be a lie to say that the fans’ words didn’t bother him. Leon has been part of his life ever since he was a kid; when Raihan does interviews, it’s only a matter of time before he gets a question about him. Their rivalry is a big part of Raihan’s public image, maybe even the biggest part. The weather manipulator, the fashion icon, the selfie-obsessed influencer, the history geek — all are forgotten in favor of the label Leon’s rival.

He loves Leon, but there’s resentment there, too. That resentment came years ago, when Raihan realized that there was nowhere in Galar he could go to get away from Leon’s face.

Alola, on the other hand...

Alola is a warm region. There, they have an endless summer. Even when it rains, the sun is still shining. He’ll be happy there. He will.

Even if he has to leave two of his most trusted partners behind, it would be worth it, right?

It had to be.

Finally, Hammerlocke Gym Leader Raihan emerges in full uniform.

That’s the signal for his gym trainers to acknowledge him, so they do. Sebastian gives him the day’s weather forecast for the Wild Area. Camilla passes along a message from the gym’s sponsor. It’s all normal, routine things.

They’re in one of the training rooms when he decides to tell them.

“Aria?”

“Yes, Leader Raihan?”

“Can you do me a favor?”

And good old Aria, cautious as ever, says, “That would depend on the favor.”

She’s always been the sensible type, even from her earliest days at the gym. Out of the three, she’s the most skilled and the most dedicated. Raihan doesn’t play favorites, so he can admit that.

“I would like to ask you to care for Sandaconda and Duraludon for a while,” he says. “I can’t bring them to Alola.”

His trainers look at him with near-identical expressions of anxiety.

“I… Of course I will care for them,” Aria says. “I presume you are… truly leaving, then?”

He puts his hands in his pockets. There’s a weight on his chest, but even with deep breaths, he can’t dislodge it.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I am.”

Sebastian rushes forward and hugs him. He’s got tears in his eyes. Seb’s always been sentimental like that.

Raihan allows the hug, gently patting his back.

Then, cautiously, Camilla and Aria join in the hug, too. It’s unprofessional of them, Raihan thinks, but in this case, it’s forgivable. They’ve been a part of his life for years. It’s natural that he’s going to miss them.

He doesn’t try to comfort them. He’s not sure he can, honestly.

What he finally says is, “I’ll have to tell Alola’s chairman by tomorrow. Keep it quiet for now, okay?”

*

The rest of the day passes quietly. Solemn, almost. Everyone’s acting like he’s going to die. Even his phone doesn’t provide a distraction: his notes are full of people tagging his accounts in the hope that he’ll give them the smallest hint of what he’s doing.

On the way home, he stops by the grocery store and buys a Pinap berry. He poses with it in front of the gym and takes a selfie, posting it with the caption Tropical.

Then he sets his phone to Do Not Disturb and lets the internet do its thing.

*

Hours later, Raihan is woken by the sound of someone pounding on his door.

He blinks, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and reaches for his phone to check the time. It’s one in the morning. Whoever’s knocking, they had better have a good reason for waking him up.

Raihan pulls on some trousers and shambles to the door, opening it up to find —

“Leon?”

Huh.

The champion of Galar looks like a mess. He’s wearing his usual uniform but without the cape. His hair looks ruffled, but less in the sexy windswept way and more like he’d just been thrown out of a hurricane. He looks tired.

Leon pushes inside the flat, because Raihan has never been able to stop him, and asks “Is it true?”

“What are you doing here so damn early?”

“It’s the only time I’ve got in the next three days. Is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“That you’re leaving. To be the Alolan Champion.”

Raihan locks the door and leans against it, holding his arms loose at his sides. “I haven’t officially decided. But it looks like it, yeah.”

“Why didn’t you ask me first?”

“Wasn’t aware I needed your permission, mate.” He laughs, casually, like it’s more of their mid-battle teasing.

But Leon seems to think differently.

“Well, then,” he says, gritting his teeth, “if you believe you’re champion material, then why don’t you prove it right now and battle me?”

And Raihan says —

Well —

“No.”

This seems to leave Leon speechless. He draws back, golden eyes darting toward Raihan’s face and then just as quickly looking away.

“Why not?”

“Mate, it’s one in the bloody morning. My partners are tired. I’m tired. And what are you thinking of getting from this, anyway? Do you think that if you beat me, I’ll change my mind? Because we both know I’m going to lose.”

“You might win this time,” Leon mumbles, but it’s half-hearted and they both know it.

Raihan sighs. “How about this, mate. Why don’t I get us both some water and we can sit down and talk about things, like adults?”

He steps forward, toward the kitchen. Leon follows like a lost Yamper.

They’d left the Leon Jar out earlier. Raihan quickly palms it, sparing a glance to make sure the man himself didn’t notice it. When he gets to the kitchen, he shoves it on top of the fridge.

At last, he sits them down in the living room. They’re on opposite sides of the same couch. “So. You have a problem with me leaving?”

Leon wrings his hands. He doesn’t show that kind of nervousness in public, Raihan notes absently. He can’t. A champion has to be confident and alert at all times. But he wrings his hands, now, when they’re alone, when Raihan is the only person who can see it.

“I don’t… Rai, be honest with me. Am I boring you?”

“What?”

“When we’re battling. Am I boring you? I-I try to come up with something new every time, to challenge you, but if it’s not enough we could — we could do something else. I could talk to Rose, ask him if we could try doubles for our next match—”

“Leon.”

This makes him stop. He looks up, and his golden eyes look very lost.

Raihan sighs. “Leon, it’s not about you. This was entirely my decision, alright? I’m not dissatisfied here, I just — I want...”

He wants his own kingdom. He wants to use Z-Moves again. He wants Leon to be happy for him, to stop staring at him with that expression.

Curse his beautiful eyes.

“I wanna spread my wings a bit. Try something new. It’d be nice to live in a more relaxed region, you know? Maybe I’d get to battle without having being treated like a feral Obstagoon.”

“You don’t have to battle like that now. We could come up with something—”

“And maybe I’m tired of being second place. You ever think about that?”

Leon grimaces. He hangs his head, and the brim of his hat covers his eyes.

Raihan really doesn’t know why he’s upset. Leon is the one who wins, after all. He won Chairman Rose’s approval. He won the champion title. He’s won every battle he and Raihan have ever had since they were teens. He’ll be fine.

So why isn’t he acting like it?

“You are leaving because of me.” Leon holds up a hand to cut off any interruption. “I mean, I hear what you’re saying about wanting to get stronger. I want you to get stronger too! But it’s just — I’m the reason you feel so restless here, right? Because I’m the champion, and you have to always hold back to make me look good. I couldn’t figure out a way to fix that, a-and now you’re leaving. Just like Sonia did.”

Arceus.

It takes a special kind of conceit to expect a rival to stay close forever, even if they never win. It takes a special kind of conceit to blame oneself for their leaving.

But maybe part of it is Raihan’s fault, for letting things get this far. For diving headfirst into their rivalry, for acting as King Leon’s greatest knight. Being champion means you’re limited in who you can spend time with. It’s not like Leon has any other close friends.

Raihan moves forward, pulling Leon into a hug. His rival hugs back, tightly, like he’s afraid Raihan will leave right this minute if he lets go.

In a year, maybe, they’ll meet again, champion to champion. Maybe they’ll have an exhibition match. Maybe Raihan will even win. Either way, if he leaves, their relationship will never be the same.

He pats Leon’s back, rubbing small circles like he’s comforting a kid brother. “Listen. It’s not like you’ll be all alone. Oleana’s planning for Nessa to be your new rival. You like Nessa, right?”

“She’s okay.” There’s a pout in his voice. “She’s not you, though.”

“Give her a chance, yeah? And, you know, it’s not like Sonia left you, either. I literally saw her yesterday.” Two days ago? Another reason not to have conversations at one in the morning. “She’s following her gran’s footsteps. If you told Rose you were studying Dynamaxing, you could probably see her whenever you wanted.”

“I’ve tried that. She won’t battle me.”

“She’s a grad student, she doesn’t have time for that. There’s more to friendship than battles, anyway. Why don’t you ask what she’s studying? Maybe she’s got info about some Pokémon you’ve never seen before.”

Leon hums an acknowledgement, but doesn’t say anything. Raihan lets the conversation lapse.

They hold each other, quietly, sharing their warmth.

In the silence, Raihan’s thoughts turn to Professor Kukui. A guy that obsessed with moves and leagues has to be a strong trainer, right? He fought Lance, after all. He must be tough.

Is he as tough as Leon?

He thinks about asking for a battle. Just a practice match, just a way to test the waters. Testing himself, to see if he really is champion material. See if he can put up a good enough fight.

“Rai?”

“Huh? Uh, yeah?”

“I think I’m done. Thank you.”

Leon lets go. Raihan lets him go, lets him pull away, lets the sun slip out of his hands.

His (soon-to-be-former?) rival stands, one hand smoothing over his hair.

“I know you said you don’t want to battle, but can we go to your stadium anyway? Charizard is going to miss Duraludon. I want them to have a chance to hang out before you guys go.”

Leon doesn’t know, does he.

Raihan makes a mental note for Aria to let Duraludon train with Leon.

He says, “Let me get my things ready. Then we can go.”

[ooc-but-stylish]

OMG I just read your anti-WA post and it was beautiful- you've put into words what has been circling in my mind. I really feel that Iris was forced into WA by 10 eddie being killed 2) bombardment of "proof" like newspaper or marriage on E2 3) Barry literally now knowing how to leave her alone and her own father (creepy AF) fetishising about his children. Thank you!

You’re welcome! And I’ve got an even bigger wall of Anti-WA text!

I wanted to support the ship, but as the show went on it deviated from the comics. The comics didn’t have to rely on forcing Iris into dates with Barry or establishing that she wasn’t even his first choice, and none of that “adopted siblings” nonsense either. Iris was never presented as Barry’s anything-relative in the comics and I’m sideeyeing the show hard because they went through disturbing lengths in the first season to tell us how Barry and Iris slept a door down from one another, how they grew up together, that Iris sees him as a brother, that Barry sees Joe as his father, that he was as much Joe’s son as actual blood would be, and that his inclusion into the household was what made them “a family” in non-romantic context.

The typical argument against the “it’s incest!” idea is “Barry and Iris knew each other since before Nora died, so therefore they’d know each other and be in love as adults anyway”, except.... Flashpoint happened.... where Barry got the timeline he wanted... where neither of his parents died and he and Iris lived in separate households... and it turns out neither of their families kept in touch. 

Iris knew him not-too-well in elementary school, and forgot about him right down to his name. She said “You barely even know us” to Barry in reply to his concern for Joe. Joe legit said to him “we’re not partners and we’re not friends” and referred to Barry on a last name basis. Henry and Nora knew Iris as “the girl you’ve been stalking for the last three months”, not the girl he’d been in love with since he was a little boy “before [he] knew what love even was”. They would’ve mentioned that if they thought of it that way. So, not only did the Barry native to the Flashpoint timeline not have feelings for Iris (or otherwise outgrew those feelings like every other normal person with a childhood crush) until he was overwritten by the Barry we’ve been following for three months, but any feelings for Iris that Barry would ever have persisted in E-1 because he had constant contact with her as an adopted/foster sibling in the West household, otherwise they wouldn’t even know who the other is. 

So he only likes her because of the incestuous situation, is what I’m saying. We don’t know how the original timeline versions of Barry and Iris met, but in Earth-2 where Iris worked in the CCPD of her own accord, it’s plausible they had maintained a relationship as coworkers and bonded that way into becoming more-than-coworkers, but on Earth-1 she never got to be a cop even though she tried for it, so...... Oh yeah, friendly reminder here that Joe’s response to her applying for the police academy, despite him being a grown-ass man, was to give her the silent treatment until she rescinded her application, just like he gave her the silent treatment when he found out she was dating Eddie. Even her page describes his actions as a “passive-aggressive form of emotional blackmail”. So fuck him.

That’s bad by itself, but then the writing around Iris was pretty much how the men in her life knew how she felt better than she did, to the point where she couldn’t be relied on for her romantic interests because according to Barry, "things would change” and she’d realize he was the one, and according to Joe, she would, for no real reason other than “reasons”, regret marrying Eddie if she picked Eddie over Barry. It just screams “male fantasy,” the typical trope of “Oh, that woman who says she doesn’t like you and turned you down? She really does love you deep down, she just needs to come around to it”. It’s gross.  

So like... the Flash show and the fans can go on and on about how WestAllen is OTP and how ~*destined*~ their love is and how they’re meant to be, but the fact is that the men around Iris (except Eddie) were being creepy, obsessive, patronizing, passive-aggressive, claimed to know how she felt about her own romantic interests and boundaries better than she did, treated her like property and not a person, and also Barry will legit murder her in this universe, but it’s okay because it won’t happen yet you guys. I could draw a comparison between this to the changes made in Game Of Thrones from the book to the show it’s so bad.

Like. Jesus. I know that the comics have the “famously complicated” family tree with Don getting together with Meloni, and the entire Thawne family line coming from Barry’s twin brother, but you know a plot is effed up in-show when I’m saying the comics version makes more sense. The comics at least had the decency to dilute the bloodline with so many generations of Thawnes between the 21st and 31st centuries (without time travel, it’s an estimated 30-35 generations in 1000 years) that Don and Meloni are genetic strangers, and they were raised as contemporaries in the same century, not as relatives in the same household.

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

I’m having a bad day with my family so.... kabu and Melony being parent figures to the league hcs?

Sorry that this isn’t the same day. Hope it got better. If not, I hope this helps.

Kabu is definitely the kind of person to give advice. Melony comforts.

Kabu parents mostly Raihan. He taught him to be more level headed and helps him when he struggles.

Melony parents mostly her own son, but also Piers. She helped him raise Marnie and helped him through his hardest times.

Kabu and Melony often team up to parent the others. They’re good friends and trust each other a lot.

They even parent Opal a little bit. Because she’s so chaotic. They tend to be her voices of reason.

They help Milo to relax a little. He works so hard on the farm that he often forgets to take care of himself. Kabu gets him to step away and Melony mothers him until he’s all rested up.

Nessa, despite being a water specialist, is a bit hotheaded. Kabu gets her to calm down and not do anything stupid. Melony helps her reason through her problems.

Melony sometimes mothers Kabu when she thinks he’s getting ahead of himself. She makes him sit down and take a break.

Bea also works herself too hard. Kabu convinces her to take a break and sit down. If she gets hurt, it’s Melony who steps in and takes care of her.

Allister is very young and in need of some parental figures. Kabu offers him advice and the ability to get stronger. Melony takes care of him and shelters him when he needs it.

Kabu knew Melony before Gordie was born. He’s a parental figure to him, too. Gordie calls him “Uncle Kabu.” He’s the closest thing Gordie’s ever had to a dad.

Kabu pulls Melony out of situations that are too much for her. He grounds her and helps her stay calm in stressful situations.

Melony is pretty much Piers’ adopted mother. She takes care of him like she does her own children. Kabu, on the other hand, supports Piers in ways Melony can’t. Piers was outed publicly, and it destroyed him. Kabu experienced the same thing and was able to help him through it.

Raihan was very inexperienced when he first became a gym leader. He had a bad temper and a bad attitude. He was bitter about losing to Leon. Kabu took him under his wing to knock some sense into teach him. Melony was a bit softer with him. Kabu is intense, but he got the job done.

Melony gave Leon pointers with Hop, and also let him rest when he was overwhelmed. Kabu defended him when he needed to. Kabu does a little more than Melony, since Leon never had a father figure before this.

Hope this helps. :)

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

HC’s about Gordies dad???

Gordie’s dad is actually all the kids’ dads. It’s a very interesting situation, to say the least.

He and Melony had an off and on relationship. He’d show up, leave when Melony gets pregnant/they get into a fight. Then he’d come back and the process starts all over again. Melony was so weak for his charm and looks.

The last time any of them saw him was when Melony got pregnant with the triplets.

Gordie didn’t know him well. He knew him as a guy who would show up and romance his mother and then vanish. He only actually met him twice. He never made an effort to bond with him.

He wasn’t abusive, nor was he an addict or anything. He just didn’t care about being a father. He didn’t want anything to do with any of his kids.

He was tall, charming and handsome. He took advantage of Melony’s wild spirit and that’s how he kept weaseling his way back into her life. What Gordie got from him was was some of his partying personality and the blond parts of his hair.

Gordie remembers when he came back right before his sister was born. He was so excited to meet him, and his dad promised to take him out for a day. He never did. He learned from that time to not trust his dad.

Then he came back right before the triplets were born. Gordie made sure to protect his sister from the same heartbreak he experienced from realizing their dad didn’t care about them.

Melony feels really guilty for letting him get into her life. Even more so for letting him disappoint Gordie and her daughter.

He didn’t give her much. If anything, he spent a lot of her money and left. But he did give her a lot of kids she absolutely adores.

She hopes to raise them to be more responsible.

He never really grew up. He likes to blow all his money and party all night. He was drawn to Melony because of how wild she was. Thing is, she grew up and became more responsible. He never did.

Kabu absolutely hates the guy. Ever since he met him. Every time he told Melony to stay away from him, she didn’t listen. They both agree that if he ever comes back, Kabu has free reign to chase him away by any means necessary.

[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

I’m curious as to how other gym leaders reacted to piers becoming a gym leader, especially ones like Kabu and Opal who could probably see how he was struggling more before that. Do you have any other gym leader hcs?

Great question, anon. Before we get into it, we have to cover a few quick things.

Timeline of Piers’ life:

Went on Gym Challenge (Age 12, still lived with abusive parents, Marnie was not born yet) –> Marnie is Born (Age 13, Parents are still around, and still abusive, but only to Piers) –> Parents Left (Age 15, Marnie is Age 2) –> Became Gym Leader (Age 18, Marnie Age 5, Morpeko is given to her shortly after)

Piers’ family wasn’t very wealthy, but they had a house and enough food for one meal a day. I’ve been skirting around it for a while, but Piers’ parents were really shitty. They spent most of their cash on drugs and alcohol, and were verbally, emotionally and sometimes physically abusive. They manipulated Piers almost every day. They were not cruel in any way to Marnie when she was born, but they were still addicts. They were neglectful to her. I know these things can be kind of touchy, so I will add a tw in the tags. I always say this when I have smth like this, but if there’s an additional tag that you need me to add, please let me know and I will be happy to do it for you.

Not all of the gym leaders that are gym leaders in the game were gym leaders when he became one. The gym leaders that are still around in the game and were there when Piers joined their ranks were Milo (Who Was Pretty New), Nessa (Also Very New), Kabu (Who Had Been a Gym Leader for a While), Melony (Had Been a Gym Leader for a while), Opal (Had Been A Gym Leader for a Very Long Time), and Raihan (New). Leon had been Champion for some time now, and was also part of the group that Raihan and Piers had been in when they went on the gym challenge, though he was probably the youngest there, as he was 10 and most other kids were 12.

OKAY, now we can get into the actual headcanons.

Milo:

-He was a new gym leader when Piers joined the ranks.

-Milo was part of Piers’ group in the gym challenge, but they didn’t interact much.

-When Piers became gym leader, there were a lot of rumors about him being a bad person (bc he’s a dark type user) that Milo believed so he avoided Piers for a while.

-However, when someone becomes a gym leader, the others are supposed to visit and get to know them. This is when Milo really met Piers and learned about his situation with Marnie (vaguely, Piers doesn’t pour his life story out for anyone). And he changed his mind.

-They get along alright. They don’t hang out much, but they’re friendly towards eachother.

-Bonus headcanon: Milo is the tallest person in his family. He and his younger brother get along very well and are quite close.

Nessa:

-Like Milo, Nessa was new when Piers joined.

-She did not partake in the gym challenge, so she never saw Piers battle before. She was a bit skeptical since he always looked “dead” to her.

-When he became a gym leader, she was the first to march over to Spikemuth and welcome him to the team. She learned about Marnie and Piers’ situation (again vaguely) and was absolutely smitten. She thought it was so sweet that Piers was taking care of her and she absolutely loves little kids. She thinks Marnie is just the cutest.

-They get along well, and bc crazy shit always seems to happen at his concert, Piers will call Nessa just so she can get her drama fix.

-Bonus headcanon: She’s got an insane appetite. She can eat for like hours and still be hungry (and skinny cause she’s also got a crackhead metabolism). She’s scared away more than one date with this.

Kabu:

-Kabu’s not great at reading people, but when Piers came to challenge him, he could tell he was stressed and upset. He figured it was nerves, so he gave Piers the same advice he always does “You can challenge me as many times as you’d like.” Piers beat him in the first try (w/o dynamax so yeah he doesn’t need help with battles Kabu)

-Years later, Piers became the gym leader and Kabu came to congratulate him. Learned about Marnie and was all “oh is this what you seemed upset about? People are usually unhappy about being separated from family during the challenge” and Piers was like “um no she wasnt even born yet” so Piers ended up telling Kabu about his parents.

-Kabu tries to be supportive of Piers and help him feel better about his parents and past abuse (but Piers is already doing better bc he has Marnie). Piers appreciates it, but Kabu and Piers aren’t very close.

-They get along pretty well because Kabu really respects Piers’ strength both in battles and emotionally.

-Bonus headcanon: Opal thinks he’s a fool who focuses too much on pokemon battles to even notice anything else around him. She is correct. Sometimes he gets so involved in training he doesn’t notice his pokemon accidentally set his clothes on fire.

Melony:

-By the time Piers made it to Melony’s gym, he was tired, upset, frustrated. His parents had berated him for not dynamaxing, but he wanted to stay true to Spikemuth. He ended up telling Melony this after their battle. She comforted him and stayed with him until he was ready to move on from Circhester.

-Not long after Piers’ parents vanished, they got back in touch. Piers needed her help with Marnie and she practically adopted them. She brought them groceries, invited them to dinner and holidays. Really, she saved Piers more times than he cares to count.

-She was so thrilled to hear Piers was a gym leader. She always knew he was a talented trainer and was sad when he decided he didn’t want to do battles anymore. She’s glad he’s able to do both training and music at the same times, bc he loves them both and is good at them.

-They get along fantastically and see each other on a regular basis just bc they’re practically family. Piers gets along well with Gordie bc of this, but now that they’re fighting, Piers comes around less. He doesn’t like to hear people getting angry and doesn’t want to have to pick a side.

-Bonus Headcanon: Absolutely the best hugger. She always wears fluffy clothes, she’s pretty tall and somewhat stout so she’s pretty soft herself. Everyone loves Melony. There’s not a single person alive who can say they genuinely hate her.

Opal:

-Opal may be a fairy type trainer but she’s like a PSYCHIC. Give her 3 seconds and she’ll know your name, your favorite food, your favorite color, your BMI, your great great great great grandfather-

-She knew something was up with Piers the second she saw him, and being who she is, used her quiz to figure out what it was. Eventually, he spilled and told her everything during the challenge. She gave him some solid advice about protecting himself and sent him on his way with his badge.

-Later, when he became gym leader and she came to see him, she was able to get what had happened after the gym challenge out of him. She offered some more advice and then played with Marnie like old ladies do.

-They’re pretty friendly. Piers is slightly scared of her and she knows it, but she really cares about Piers and hopes he’s doing okay.

-Bonus headcanon: “I’m old, I can do what I want.” -Opal

Raihan:

-Raihan was the challenger that knocked Piers out of the gym challenge during the finals/semi-finals. Raihan was obsessed with how strong Piers was and kept trying to coax him into challenging him again and dynamaxing. Piers left after he lost and didn’t bother to see the rest of the challenge. Piers went home to his parents, who were livid that he lost.

-Not long after Piers’ parents left, he ran into Raihan again, who quickly figured out that it was just him and Marnie. Not long after that, Raihan became a gym leader and used that to help Piers get by and coax him back into training his pokemon.

-It was Raihan who got him to become the new Gym Leader for Spikemuth, so he was very happy. He was the one who introduced Leon and Piers.

-They’re close friends, even though Piers doesn’t act like it.

-Bonus Headcanon: Raihan was raised by a single father. His mother died when he was very young and he has no memory of her. Time to be sad, fellas.

Leon:

-Leon became champion in the finals that Piers was beaten in. He bested the old champion and then met back up with Raihan, who became his friend over the course of his gym challenge. Raihan spoke of nothing but beating Leon and finding Piers. Leon wasn’t very familiar with Piers. They never really met.

-When Piers became Gym Leader, Leon was supposed to go congratulate him, but he was really busy. Raihan weaseled his way into his schedule and dragged him to Spikemuth. There, he met Piers and Raihan explained Piers’ experience from his parents (which Raihan found out about later on) to his situation with Marnie. Leon really began to feel sympathy.

-Leon attempted to become friends with Piers, and it worked to an extent (through Hop I suppose mostly). It wasn’t until much later that Piers and Leon would become good friends.

-They’ve always been on friendly terms, though.

-Bonus headcanon: When Leon became champion, he became very arrogant and distant from his family. Hop was born after he became champion and he wasn’t the best bro at first. He simmered down, though, and really began to bond with his family again.

Thanks for the ask! This one took a while to write because I hadn’t really thought of that.