#sash factor

[anistarrose]

The possible explanations for why the fuck Barry could've felt the need to open that scene with "are you afraid?" have been analyzed by this fandom for basically ever since the Red Robe identity reveal, and a lot of people have brought up good theories that I've adopted bits and pieces of from each. But one thing that I haven't actually seen proposed as a factor is this:

Talking to Tres Horny Boys through the facade of the faceless "Red Robe" might've just been Barry's backup plan. Plan A was, quite possibly, to sneak Junior's ichor out of Lucretia's private quarters, be able to actually inoculate THB, and actually have them recognize him. (A proper reunion, with no cryptic warnings. With no dancing around static — just Barry and Tres Horny Boys, actually trusting each other innately.)

Why do I think this is plausible? Let me clarify the timeline a little: at the start of the Petals arc, before THB leave the Bureau, all is normal with their soon to be ex-roommate Pringles/Robbie (Ep. 18). Upon return, THB are informed that at some point during their (overnight, so 24 hour-ish?) absence, Pringles was thrown in the brig (Ep. 28).

It's eventually revealed by Pringles and Barry, in The Suffering Game and Reunion Tour respectively, that Barry possessed Pringles to do "reconnaissance" on the Bureau, specifically on where to find the second Voidfish (ie, Lucretia's private office, which is where Pringles "woke up" and was "arrested summarily").

I will note that Barry describes this as just recon — implying information gathering, and not necessarily a Voidfish ichor heist. However, this was an explanation he gave through a recorded message in the coin, where he was likely choosing his words carefully to confuse THB the least amount possible. And moreover... I just find it hard to believe that Barry wouldn't let himself hope, leading up to and during this infiltration, that he could make it out with the ichor he so desperately needed.

After all, Barry may be Going Through It during the podcast, but he definitely knows that as much as he needs information, it's going to be a lot harder to pull off his eventual heist if Lucretia catches him in the act, and winds up knowing that he has that information. Barry also chose to make his infiltration attempt while the Bureau was distracted, monitoring the Gaia Sash — in a lot of ways, this might've seemed like not just his first chance at the ichor, but also his best chance at it.

Barry's both an incredibly determined and opportunistic, calculating guy. I don't think Barry would've left Pringles' body unless/until he was absolutely cornered; no hope left of getting out with the ichor this time. He wouldn't pass up a chance to restore his family's memories — because of his deep, deep emotional and practical stakes in restoring those memories, first and foremost — but he even feels kinda bad about possessing Pringles (calling it "unfortunate collateral damage"), and would certainly prefer for his unsavory tactics to be, you know, worth it.

So when Barry fails? When he comes away from his mission he's no doubt been planning for weeks, waiting intently and single-mindedly for his chance with the right Relic-based distraction — and it turns out he has information, but no ichor, to show for it? When he fails, Barry's left on the back foot.

He'd dared to hope it might turn out better than this. He'd dared to hope this might be a turning point, and the world might remain in danger, but at least he'd have his family back. He'd dared to hope he might be able to speak to them, in his right mind, with his memories, and be recognized for the first time in a decade.

So when none of that comes to fruition? When he knows his boys won't recognize him yet, no matter what he does? Yet he still needs them on his side? He still needs them to be prepared for the horrors coming?

Well, he just fucking improvises.

"Are you afraid?"

[blackkatmagic]

A'sharad Hett for the ask game!

“It has to be earth,” a voice says, insistent, and A'Sharad pauses before he can round the corner, faintly surprised. He’s never heard Echo raise his voice like that outside of contentious strategy meetings and—

“General Hett?” Fives demands, pitched to incredulity, and A'Sharad raises a brow, entirely caught off guard by the mention of his own name. “Look, General Kolar is an earthbender. General Hett isn't pigheaded—”

“Fives,” Droidbait says on a sigh, and Fives makes a wounded sound. Over whatever he’s about to say next, Droidbait pitches his voice up deliberately and says, “You know personality doesn’t factor in to bending, that’s a myth.”

“If it’s a myth, then explain Mace Windu,” Cutup jokes, and then yelps like someone just thumped him. “Droidbait!”

“Fine,” Echo says at the same moment, sounding annoyed. “If he’s not an earthbender, what is he, Fives?”

Amused, A'Sharad leans back against the wall, interested to hear the verdict. It’s a game initiates in the Temple sometimes play, guessing Jedi's talents, and something about hearing his squad engaged in the same debate curls warm through his chest despite the chill of the ship.

“An airbender,” Fives says, with the full conviction of a man set in his opinions. “Tatooine has a lot of wind, right?”

“And a lot of sand,” Echo insists. “He’s an earthbender.”

“It’s also hot,” Cutup offers. “And it has two suns. So firebenders would be extra powerful, right?”

“If the planet made that much of a difference, there wouldn’t be a single earthbender born on Kamino,” Droidbait points out. “It’s just—chance.”

“Every firebender I've ever met has a temper,” Fives says. “Just look at Hevy. You're telling me personality doesn’t play any part?”

“How would you even judge that?” Droidbait sounds like he’s rolling his eyes, and A'Sharad hides a smile. “We don’t know General Hett that well.”

“Well enough to know that he’s an earthbender,” Echo insists.

“You mean well enough to know that he’s an airbender,” Fives counters.

“Odds are he’s a firebender—” Cutup yelps again, and there's a scuffle. “Fives, let go—”

“We’re taking this to the mats,” Fives declares. “Whoever wins has the highest likelihood of being right.”

“When you lose, you have to scrub out my footlocker,” Echo says, and steps retreat. A'Sharad risks a glance around the corner, and snorts at the sight of Cutup caught between Fives and Echo, Droidbait being frog-marched down the hall by Fives. It is, he’s coming to learn, not an unfamiliar sight, even if he’s only had his squad for a few weeks now.

“Sir,” Hevy says from behind him, and A'Sharad turns, finds his new commander just a few steps away, brows raised. “Everything all right?”

“Perfectly fine,” A'Sharad allows. “You managed to contact Knight Secura?”

Hevy shakes his head. “I got her padawan, though. Commander Tano says they spotted a Nightsister in one of the neighboring towns while scouting, and General Secura went to investigate. It could be Ventress, but they're not sure.” He offers up a familiar pouch, beaded in the Tusken style and hung with krayt teeth, and gives A'Sharad a look. “I think you forgot this, sir.”

A'Sharad takes the waterskin, clipping it to his sash beneath his outer robe. “Thank you, Commander. There's little risk when we’re in hyperspace, though.” Pauses, considering the waterskin and then considering Hevy, and says mildly, “What are the current odds for the betting pool, Commander?”

“I have no idea what you mean, General,” Hevy says, but that smirk is saying quite a lot, too, and none of it good for his squadmates.

A'Sharad makes a sound of amusement, tugging his robe a little to cover the waterskin. “If there is a particular time it would be most convenient to reveal myself,” he says, faintly dry, “I can oblige. For the squad’s morale, of course.”

Hevy snickers, but falls into step with A'Sharad as they head down the hall. “Thanks, sir. My caf rations will appreciate it.” He casts a glance ahead of them, and then says more quietly, “You don’t waterbend often. I wasn’t sure if it was something you didn’t want to share.”

A'Sharad weighs the question for a long moment, then breathes out. “Water is both scarce and sacred on Tatooine. Waterbenders are valuable, both to my people and the settlers. My mother was a slave, Commander, taken for her bending ability, and she was terrified I would share the same fate. Using my power sparingly is habit, at this point.”

Hevy curls his fingers, brushes a thumb over the dramatic shockwave paint on his armor. A'Sharad can feel his conflict, and just for a moment, there's an image A'Sharad can see, one impossible burst of fire so vast it covers the whole room.

Hevy doesn’t use his firebending often, either. A'Sharad has noticed that, over the last few weeks.

“We grew up with bending just being another way to fight,” Hevy says after a long second. “It’s good to remember there's other things it’s meant for.”

Like surviving, A'Sharad doesn’t say. Instead, he reaches out, touches the glowing red heart of the explosion on Hevy's armor, one light brush of fingertips, and says, “Your squadmates just headed for the practice room. I believe the bets are about to increase.”

Hevy snorts, but his grin has an edge of teeth behind it. “Just in time for me to cash in. Sesid has a lot of water, right?”

A'Sharad hums in confirmation. “The planet’s landmass is primarily island chains of varying climates, but it is mostly water.”

“Perfect for waterbenders. What a shame only Cutup can appreciate it.” Hevy opens the door to the cockpit before A'Sharad can reach for it, and his expression is full of amusement. “I don’t suppose you're going to need to use your bending one week from tomorrow, sir.”

It will take them three days to reach Sesid, and then likely two more to reach Aayla. A'Sharad raises a brow, then says, “Odds are good I can hold off that long, Commander. Can I ask what you’re hoping to win?”

“Four devoted servants for life,” Hevy says, perfectly smug, and A'Sharad chuckles as he sinks down in the pilot’s chair, already reaching for the comm.

[call-me-insane-but-wth]

Something that I've come to realize from interacting with the mzds Fandom and the #canon jiang cheng tag is that a lot of avid jc defenders and apologists don't even like Mdzs. Even, no, especially BECAUSE the story is straightforward and told plainly with not much room for interpretation.

The mmc was brought back to life and faced evidence of slander and appropriation of his work and name. Shrugs it off as 'history being told by the victors'. Discovers the real reason behind his death. Falls in love with an old colleague.

That's it. That's the bare bones of mdzs.

Wherefore do all of these think pieces come from? That sides with the *antagonists* of the story? The very same ppl who slandered and appropriated the mmc's name and work?

There's a lot of condenscion and pretentiousness being tossed about, couched in variations of "*I* know how to be objective and separate fiction from reality!1!!" But do you, though?

Because the reality is that the fiction you've consumed is not only telling, but SHOWING you who/which characters were in the wrong and how. Although you may not like the main character, mdzs IS 3rd person omniscient. The bias that jc stans are so bitter and venomous about is simply... Canonical unbiased 3rd person omniscient exposition.

In the final analysis, doesn't this/that mean that to you, the *author's* morality and her narrative no longer hold any value? After all, the author herself was the one to say that her mmc was morally good and righteous. So if you're calling the authors cognition of right and wrong into question, what on earth did you like about this work in the first place?

Don't like, don't read is an age old tenet of Fandom for a reason.

I had the pleasure of conversing with someone who considers that the consensual dubcon play between two consenting adults (lwj and wwx, incense chapter) to justify coercing the mmc into bowing his knees in reconciliation with his former shidi and wanna be patron (😅). Bc that was a moral failing worth punishment, I suppose.

Another post I saw that had me going ??? Was a post in which the op admitted to their own bias, but in summary, considered Wwx to be faulty simply because his 'idealism' was unrealistic and un-pragmatic, and hadn't amounted to a quantifiable sum.

Hey, forget the dissonance of admitting that the obvious plot of classism, scapegoating, disenfranchisment, and exploitation being lost on you, but to scorn a failed attempt at living up to ones principles... Isn't that also another way of allying oneself with the antagonists?

After all, scorning the 'short sightedness of rebellious peasants/immature youth' is straight out of a sneering gentry's playbook/lexicon.

So the onus isn't being put on the arbitrary and unjust laws of the setting of the world, but on the characters who dared to hope, to resist, but fail?

The narrative committed the horrible crime of being idealistic, so let's put on a sash with printed blocky letters of 'I'm being objective and realistic!' And critique a mc for daring to resist, fail, and not have the temerity to stay dead in a setting that has ghosts, supernatural animals, reincarnation, flying swords, and spells?

I feel like wwx would've been better received by this Western audience if he wasn't so... complex. I hate to say it, but I'd bet my last dollar that much of the disdain and dislike towards Wwx as a protagonist is that he (mdzs) challenges ppl's latent sexism. Ironically, from the canon jc tags, jc stans are the ones to attribute feminizing factors to Jc in an effort to leverage their defense.

[uovoc]

it's fun to see how much of Nezha's iconography tends to get distorted in the media adaptations. The signature double topknot tends to get replaced by hipper short hair or manbun. Props to Demon Child for bucking the trend and giving him... whatever that hairstyle is. The fire-tipped spear always sticks around since it's got manly cool factor. Armillary sash has visual appeal of swooshy bright fabric plus sexy bondage potential so sometimes it sticks around, but other times gets morphed into an armband. Qiankun hoop usually gets lost, which is a shame since I love it for being an unconventional weapon. Wheels are prone to getting turned into skateboard/motorcycle/cooler vehicle. There's usually some kind of death and resurrection scenario, but the whole lotus root body thing seems to have become optional. Sometimes there's lotus imagery or details in costume design but he's not out there wearing his litte lotus skirt anymore, alas.

[mysticwolfshadows]

Taken - Zutara - Part 94

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

Zuko did end up sending a letter to his Uncle, who arrived a few days later. They also managed to get word to Aang, who met them on the way to the island to get On Ji's class.

"This is so exciting," Aang laughed. "I didn't think we'd be going back!"

The Headmaster and the travel group was waiting in the courtyard. Zuko and Katara came off the boat, walking through town and getting more than a few stares. Zuko was dressed in his usual regalia, the flame crown still in his hair, while Katara was in a thin layer of water tribe blues with a red sash. Anyone that recognized them was clearly shocked.

When they got to the academy, and were standing before everyone, is when they got the real reaction. A few people screamed, the headmaster looked like he was about to faint, and Zuko swore he heard 'Kuzon's friend Shoji whisper 'I knew it'. Zuko knew that Katara was finding this all hilarious.

"F-Fire Lord Zuko," the Headmaster said, one arm twitching. "It's... An honor... For you to have chosen our academy. For this... this honor."

"Of course," Zuko said, gesturing to Katara. "This is Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe and Ambassador to the Fire Nation. She'll be running this... field trip, with the help of Kuzon." He paused. "Sorry, I meant Avatar Aang."

The Headmaster twitched again, looking very pained.

Katara grinned.

They were on the boat in a little over an hour. Katara gave a speech before they boarded, giving a short itinerary for the parents. They'd be studying some of the local fauna, visiting the local bending school, and observing a Southern Water Tribe celebration. She didn't elaborate that 'studying fauna' included penguin sledding or that the 'observing a celebration' meant joining a Water Tribe party.

When they got to the colder waters, Katara and Aang passed out fur lined coats. Zuko pretended not to notice that Aang spent a little extra time helping On Ji get her coat on.

When they got to Wolf Cove, Zuko was surprised. The village wasn't a village anymore. The little igloos were replaced with more regular buildings, and there were more of them. With the warriors home, there were more people around. The large training building Katara had told him about stood proudly next to the longhouse. There was even a proper dock now.

"There's Fire Nation people here," one student gasped, as they were unloading from the cruiser.

Katara beamed, and Zuko pretended his heart didn't flutter.

"The Southern Water Tribe has welcomed all who come to join the tribe," she explained, walking backwards as she led the group down the main road - the tribe had a main road. "There are lots of blended families here. From my understanding, the first child is due in July."

Aang bounced excitedly on his toes. "The colony, Yu Doa, is also a blended community! Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom. The mayor's daughter is even an earthbender."

Zuko had heard about that. All three of colonies they'd be keeping - Yu Doa, Linsho, and Hu Xin - had noticeable blended populations, but Yu Doa had the largest. It was good to see. That blended families could work. It was one factor in his and Katara's favor, if the council tried to argue against them.

When Hakoda came out to greet them, Zuko split off from the group, and went to the longhouse. Katara and Aang were going to take the students penguin sledding.

"Zuko!" Sokka called, grinning as they came in. He was sitting on a stool, Kya carefully styling his hair. "You made it!"

"Thank Katara," Zuko snorted. "She's got most of my council either scared of her or desperate for her approval."

"Bullying a whole government," Sokka said, with far too much approval. "Sounds like my little sister."

He stays with the chiefs family most of the afternoon. They spend most of it talking about how things were going.

The Fire Nation had been doing shockingly well since Zuko became Fire Lord. Other than his slow (nonexistent) progress with Azula, Zuko hasn't had any problems. There had been no assassination attempts, at least none that Suki and his guard had thought to bring to his attention, and the people had been shockingly approving. In fact, things had been going so well with the citizens, that they were being flooded with volunteer workers for each project, who Zuko still paid despite Minister Chang's protests.

The South had also been doing well. Since the end of the war, they had been expanding daily. With the Fire Nation people that had decided to stay, and the Northern refugees, the Southern Tribe's numbers were promising. They might even have enough people to start bringing back the outer villages that had vanished after the raids.

"They're starting to slow down," Hakoda said, though he didn't look very sure. "In the beginning, it was entire boats of people. Almost every day. Now, it's just one family, or even just one person, in a week."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Zuko asked. "Your population will be stabilizing."

Hakoda shook his head. "The first people that came, they were like my mother. Escaping arranged marriages, running from forced gendered roles. These last few..." He shakes his head. "They don't want to talk about why they left."

"You think something's happened? In the North?"

Hakoda shook his head. "I can't say for sure. Just... Be careful, Zuko." Standing, he cleared his throat. "But enough politics. My son becomes a leader today."

First / Previous / Next / Masterpost

[the-muppet-joker]

I have decided to explore my attraction to puppets further than my attraction to Kermit by examining whether I feel lust for certain puppets and why. I have decided to examine H. R. Pufnstuf first as I have found him deelpy attractive, even as a youth. I am, of course, ranking how lustful these puppets make me on five different factors:

Style, Kinks, Anatomy, Fertility, and Treatment. This will be known as the SKAFT meter. With that explained, let us dive right in.

Style: All he ever wears is a blue sash. Not good.

Kinks: I feel that HR Pufnstuf would be into bondage. I often fantasized that he would take off that blue sash, revealing it to be a long blue ribbon, and tie me up in the most delightful positions. Highly appealing.

Anatomy: He is very large, which can be appealing in many ways. I also enjoy how large his mouth is. However, his head is just so large and the proportions to his body are odd... I am conflicted

Fertility: I think HR Pufnstuf would be infertile, unfortunately. He does not appear breedable, nor does he have traits indicative of his ability to breed others. Not good.

Treatment: He would be a tender lover. A soft dom. He would make me feel taken care of and held while pleasuring me... Highly appealing.

Overall ranking... 5/10. I could go either way with HR Pufnstuf. Let me know what your thoughts are, fellow puppet enthusiasts, and which puppets I should rank in the future.

[dballzposting]

OK so long story short the other day I was abusing the computers at my job to look up dragon ball characters and I came across THIS IMAGE of GOTEN that I found out was from DRAGON BALL AF which is a fan-made thing and idk . Dont worry about the details.

I thought it was soooo cool like put my chin in my hands and sigh lovingly. But also it was more of a rant-and-rave kind of adoration. Becasue I couodt beleieve how cool it was. Becasue here is why

Im super bad at deisgns or redesigns and sometimes I have epic ideas but if I don't then I don't. I think it would be stellar if we had a design for Goten & Trunks when they're older than GT and running the sword dojo. And I've tried to cook some up. But it vexes me for two reasons. First of all Dragon Ball deisgns when colored are gaudy and stupid looking. But also sometimes they use neutral colors. And they're eccentric and unique. And I try to mix all of these factors and the result Does Not Work. Becasue despite the plentiful love that I have for colors, I Do Not Understand Color Theory. Definitely not enough to push it to its limits like dragon ball does. My second problem is the actual clothes themselves. There is something wrong with me that makes it so that i eschew research like my life depends on it. I'm sure it's totally possible to gather a minimal understanding of what sorts of clothing / eras / disciplines certain dragon ball styles are based on, and to cross-reference that with what is actually depicted in dragonball, and come up with an outfit that gels. But I cannot do that. So yeah

This outfit featured here is so familiar yet unique enough to turn my head a bit. For an example. The yellow above his shoes. What is that. Don't answer that. I'm in love either way

THEY JUST ... PICKED TWO COLORS? That's it? THAT'S ALLOWED ????? Just TWO COLORS and only ONE of them isn't a dead-tone-neutral-non-color. Well I guess it's four colors, and still, only one (yellow) isn't a non-color (grey and white and black). I'M SO IMPRESSED !?!??!?!!??

The only idea that I had for post-GT Goten was FOR SOME REASON the visual flair of something long and sharply flowing off of him. Like a scarf, or a long sash, or a Dr Drakken style rattail. But I can't do all three. Becasue that's too much. But I like all three. So IDK what to do.

YEAH THEY WENT ON AHEAD AND GAVE HIM THIS SASH ON HIS HEAD. Sure. Go on ahead. Throw it on there. Looks good. Good contrast against his black hair. Makes it to you can draw his eyebrows over it and so he can emote clearly. SO GENIUS. So simple. I'm gobsmacked

HE'S COLORED LIKE A BUMBLE BEE ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??!?!

My conclusion is that this is the best non-canon design of adult Goten that has ever been and we should all adopt it immediately from Dragon Ball AF. I am so stunned and impressed by the fact that he is wearing just grey and yellow. I have tried to break down all of Goten's canon outfits to find a pattern in the color schemes but I could not find one. But I can tell when it works for him or not and I don't understand how or why. I have at various points tried to design new outfits for him. I have experimented with yellow, teal, pink... Never really red because red only appears on two of his outfits in a minor way. More astutely because red is not really Him (like it is for Bura or Videl).

Definitely the most promising color I've found for him is Yellow. It's a sunshine-soulchild color. But I still haven't figured out how to practically incorporate it. For example, is it a predominate color or one of several? I've seen dragon ball outfits go either way. I definitely prefer the former becasue that's how I'm used to seeing it in my silly little western cartoons - every character has a color, don't they? And that's Their color. But this is dragon ball.

If you pull a warm yellow or pair it with orange, you are reminded of kid Goten and his orange gi. If you keep it colder or pair it with green, you get something reminding you of his EOZ "Goten Son" shirt. But what if you want something new? The next step in the evolution of Son Goten, but still unmistakably him? You would want to stay away from yellow and orange, becasue Trunks wears a lot of that himself. What about yellow and not a green bice, but a forest green? What about muddy non-colors? Dragon ball colors tend to be warm-shifted becasue it was the 90s, but you can work within that color range. But exactly HOW? What about yellow and pink? Teal? Aqua?? You can't use lavender (Trunks's color). And to be fair I have experimented with grey before, since he wears grey pants in DBS:SH. But I always tried to find other colors to shoehorn in there because I thought I had to. And what's really left...?

DRAGON BALL AF has the answers.

Yellow and GREY.

....THAT;S IT!!!!!!!!!!!

A mature grey. NO OTHER FLUFF.Just straight up. Yelloew and grey.

And he looks like a bumble bee. I love bumble bees. You love bumble bees. He loves bumble bees. We all love bumble bees.

I will close with a quote:

"Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see." (Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860).

THIS DESIGN IS GENIUS.

Thank You ALL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dwaekkism0811]

black pearl

chapter 1

{ bang chan x seo changbin }

pirate x merman au

stray kids members & itzy included, other ships to be announced

pirate captain chan, merman changbin, mermaid chaeryeong (sister), hurt/comfort, violence, found family, kidnapping, minor character death

cross-posted on ao3

. * . * .* . loading . * . * . * .

The grotto is quiet around this time of night. Boats don’t usually pass through their portion of the water often but occasionally the odd navy ship would; Changbin only recognized the difference by the obnoxious bright colours they use. He only knew of the navy at all because he’d overheard some talk of them when he was close enough to the humans when they passed through, some sort of authority team of whatever human governed the local land. None of this affected his little pod, so far removed from the population in their grotto.

Their little pod only consisted of him and his little sister. Years and different factors had them losing their parents and extended family at a young age; Changbin having to step up for Chaeryeong and shoulder the responsibility for their safety, meals, and teaching her their history and ways of life.

It was hard, knowing what to tell her and what to show her. None of the old pod families were still around to provide him guidance in rearing her, he had to use his best judgement. Changbin was only just older than a guppy when his parents decided to stay in the grotto while the rest of the pod moved on to other waters after the human raids. He missed his old friends and he knew Chaeryeong did too, only just a little guppy back then too. Changbin was naive back then, exploring the land and even having a human guppy friend- boy his mind supplied after the fact.

That all changed when the humans came back a second time on their quest for scales and gems. Chaeryeong had seen nothing past his fingers covering his eyes and mouth, keeping her quiet as he watched it all happening, helpless. It’s exactly what their parents had instructed him to do in this kind of emergency situation- he still felt like a coward.

“Binnie?” The familiar tone of clicking knocked Changbin out of his thoughts. He turned away from where he was staring up at the surface, light filtering through in wavering lines broken by cutting waves.

Chaeryeong had yet another string of shells around her neck. It was definitely newly made as it was a colour combination he hadn’t seen before. It hurt a little to see how her talents reflected their father so closely. Their mother had received strand after strand of carefully crafted necklaces from him that she rotated to decorate herself and mark herself mated. Not that it was ever in question; their pod was a humble size and everyone was close enough that it was common knowledge. Every day Changbin saw more of their parents in her, it was enough that he never feared forgetting their faces or memories.

“Where have you been little fry?” By the moon, he should have known not to ask. He groans loudly when he sees her face twist with guilt. “Nevermind.”

The older merman shakes his head and reaches around for the pouch floating out behind him.

“Want a new addition?” He presents the algae washed shell in one hand. It was a habit to store away pretty little things he found, fond as ever of the way his sister’s face brightened with each present. Her face lights up now, routine, saying nothing and attaching the new shell to the netted sash around her waist. He’s prepared for the resulting hug but not for the hushed thank you she whispers into his shoulder.

“You know I just want to keep you safe right?” It was a tough job as an older sibling and a stand-in for two parents and a community but if he had to serve tough love, he would.

Chaeryeong nodded, chin digging into him which he suspected as intentional. “I know, but you also need to let me learn. I’m not a little guppy that doesn’t know up from down anymore.” He knew she wasn’t. It was a truth he had difficulty coming to terms with. Wanting to protect her didn’t have an expiry date, he’d forever want to keep her happy and safe from any danger. The most pressing danger being the humans that she seemed infatuated with.

Wanting to lighten the mood despite his worries, Changbin pulls at her ear resulting in a squeak rivalling their dolphin friends. He laughs because it’s his job to tease her. “I saw you swim and almost get stuck in the reef just last week.” Her resulting giggling shows she’s over the squabble.

“Well, I’m a week older now, so!”

--

“Chae? I got us some flatfish, your favourite!” A week later and in the darkening waters, Changbin’s call was met with silence. Maybe at any other time he could expect some delay from the mermaid but, like every other afternoon, Chaeryeong should’ve been just a swim away; taking time to sunbathe on her favourite flattened stonebed. She always raved about how it caught just the right amount of sunbeams through the cuts of the waves above, lulling her into a perfect nap. “Chae?”

The fish Changbin caught couldn’t go much longer without eating. He frowned and moved to stash them in one of the baskets they’d found in a shipwreck a few months ago. His stomach protested waiting longer but his priority was the suspicious feeling he had in the pit of his gut. He attached his small serrated knives to each side of his netted sash.

It wasn’t too far to the surface. Changbin took care to swim at an angle, not wanting to risk popping straight up from their home and exposing it. He had made the trip many times, especially years back, so when his head popped above the surface, he recognized his surroundings. He didn’t see his sister lounging anywhere at first. It took him two laps around the little extended piece of island before he moved on to the main land. She wasn’t there either.

He was at a loss of where else to look. It wasn’t like her to not be home at this time, especially without telling him she would be exploring further out past their waters. She had to be Above. He was almost ready to give up and go back under to travel west when a glimmer caught his eye from behind the cliff.

“No..” He breathed out.

Chaeryeong’s sash was crumpled over the spiking rocks. It was an immediate sign of trouble. Their sashes belonged to their parents, mended over time due to errant coral or a feisty fish. In no logical situation would she have left it behind willingly- Changbin knew even when she snuck on land and took her legs, she either kept it on or tucked it in her shoulder bag. This was bad. This was so so bad.

Taking his legs to search on land would set him back further than he already must have been, having to find human clothes and the sorts so he wouldn’t get arrested at first glance would cut into precious time. He carefully took the sash and wrapped it around his waist, layering it over his own for safe keeping.

Changbin jetted off, wasting no time in coasting the edge of the land. His core and tail was strong enough to keep his upper half afloat, eyes searching and searching for some sort of familiarity. He prayed to the Moon Maker that his sister had just not noticed the sash missing despite how he knew in his heart it was too unlikely.

He swam for close to an hour, only stopping when he was too close to the city to continue above the surface. Hope was dwindling quickly; soon he would have to make the decision if he would continue fully Above or not.

It was a close call, with his distracted line of thinking, that he almost didn’t see the familiar brown panelling of a sailing ship. It came from the right corner of vision. Unlike usual ships he would avoid at all costs, this one had a marker flag masted at its forefront.

Pirates.

At any other ship, Changbin would have dipped quickly under the surface to disguise himself. Pirates were the only humans deserving of his kind’s respect, or indifference. He didn’t know all the intricacies of their faith but through experience he knew they looked to the Moon Maker and her glory in some similar form and wouldn’t mess with her children.

Gathering his courage, Changbin swam closer to where the boat was cutting the water. He surveyed no movement aboard from his position- head only exposed to his nose. It would always be a bit of a risk catching the attention of a ship like this; there was a chance it could be a decoy or a rogue immoral crew that was out specifically in search for mer.

His patience rewarded him in the form of a man coming to the edge of the stern, lips pursed and eyes in search of something. Changbin squinted to get a better look at the man, looking to see if he adorned typical piratewear. His brown hair was slightly waved, parting in the middle underneath a black hat. When he swam closer to call out, surprise almost had him sinking back under the water. This pirate had a familiar face. The scar to the left of his cheek only cementing the connection.

“Minho?” At the call of his name, the man turned directly to him- surprise reflecting back in his eyes.

[water9826]

Cursed Guardians Masterpost!

Hello, dear readers! For any visiting from AO3, hello :D! For those reading exclusively on Tumblr, here is a guide to the cursed souls that are in this fic. This will include a guide to the names and inspirations behind the cursed souls, concept art of the characters (particularly the cursed souls), fanart I have received :D, likely a future Q & A or FAQ, and more! Let's get started!

AO3 Link

Start Fic On Tumblr Here

CURSED SOUL NAMES

Gojo = Infinite

Nanami = Overtime

Choso = Supernova

Todo = Boogie

Megumi = Chimera

Nobara = Resonance

CURSED SOUL DESIGN INSPO

Gojo = Infinite (Based on Eastern Dragon for overall design, Harpy Eagle for talons and beak, White Peacock for vibes and tendency to spread his tail)

Nanami = Overtime (Based on Mummies for his wrappings, Lava Monster for the left side of his body (I pictured Te Ka from Moana the most), Daki from Demon Slayer for her ability to control and weaponize her cloth sashes)

Choso = Supernova (Based on Black Main Coon for overall body, Porcupine for his spines (but I also wanted to incorporate his iconic spiky spacebuns with the spines), Antman for his ability to shrink and enlarge (purely bc I really like Paul Rudd)

Todo = Boogie (Based on Tibetan Mastiff and Grizzly Bear for overall body, Cubone from Pokémon for the skull helmet he wears, and his pendant is a reference to the pendant Todo is seen wearing during the Shibuya Arc (he's seen kissing it in the intro for anime-onlys)

Megumi = Chimera (Based on Hexxus fom Ferngully bc of his goopiness, Susuwatari from Studio Ghibli bc of his ability to shrink into his own shadow and his sea urchin-ness, Gaster from Undertale for more goop inspo)

Nobara = Resonance (Based on a Marionette Doll for her body and movement, Biollante from Godzilla for here weaponized roses, and Mannequins from Resident Evil 8 purely for the creepy factor she can have)

CURSED GUARDIANS CHARACTER CONCEPT ART (Not Complete)

Infinite

Chimera

Overtime

Resonance

Boogie

Supernova

Sukuna

Ryomen

Baby Yuuji

CURSED GUARDIANS FANART!

I received some beautiful pieces of fanart from one of my readers who is an incredible artist. All the works so far featured are drawn by @n0bluev! Check them out on Tumblr!

All fanart is tagged with #cursed guardians fanart

Fanart by @n0bluev: Infinite Chimera Baby Yuuji Cursed Soul Shenanigans

I am honored by all creations made from this fic! I'm always open to any submissions or questions! This fandom can be quite unhinged at times, but also very sweet. Y'all are the best!

[theonevoice]

Mini painting process breakdown

I'm really bad at explaining my mostly-winged-it process, but since a couple of people asked here's a mini-breakdown of what I have been doing on my journey to this pseudo-painterly style:

Disclaimer: I have no formal art training of any kind, I'm guessing my way through this artsy season of my life that just restarted last October; this is merely a general description of what I am doing these days, not a tutorial or a guide to tell anyone what they should do. Anyone has a different process and I am a strong believer in doing whatever works for you, no matter what "The Rules" or other people say.

0. Before I even start drawing, I collect a bazillion reference pictures for every single thing that I plan to represent, from Michael Sheen's face to gold embroidery texture on 1800s extant garments;

1. (undocumented because when I said that I'm bad at this I meant it and sure enough I forgot to grab a screenshot of this step) I establish the general background color and draw a very loose sketch of the character;

2. I switch to a basic hard round brush and free-hand some color blobs to establish the position, general shape and values of the character, using the colors that are already in the background to make sure that the charater "belongs" in that space (tip: if I need to introduce new colors I pick a shade that seems close to what I want, put it on a separate layer, and then lower the opacity of that layer until the background color bleeds through and harmonizes the new shade);

3. I divide the character into smaller bits (face, hand, jacket, sash...) and apply clipping masks to bring the color blobs into reasonable shapes, in this case a left hand (I found that I can fine-tune the shapes at any moment by playing with highlights and deep shadows on the edges);

4. I then switch to an equally basic airbrush for the main rendering, using the color picker tool to blend midtones and highlights/shadows until my shape starts looking 3Dish (this part can be quick or take forever depending on a variety of factors that I honestly cannot explain);

5. I bring down the airbrush size to add finer details that can sell the illusion (here still in progress);

6. (eventually) I add a ton of adjustment layers to make sure that the completed part is consistent with the rest of the image (tip: if there are more bits of the same "family", e.g. skintones, I use the color picker tool to grab the midtones that already exist instead of mixing them ex novo).

That's it, I believe, unless I am forgetting something. Feel free to ask if there is something more specific that you'd like to know!

[lyledraws]

Castoff AtLA AU. Kinda proud of the Rori sketch, might clean that up for Rori time. Wasn't sure what to do with Sage, since we know so little about him; other than that he's the source of everyone's problems, obviously.

(4: AU or Headcanon)

Clockwise from the top left, the handwritten text reads

Vector: "What's happening?!"

'Green sash', with an arrow pointing to Zera's sash.

Zera: "I will find him, Firelord. On my honor–"

(offscreen): Go then, Earthbender. Do not fail.

'School belt repurposed as headband', with an arrow pointing to Arianna's headband. 'Sarashi & old school jacket', with an arrow pointing towards Arianna. 'Scavenged armor (cool factor)', with an arrow pointed to Arianna's pauldron.

Arianna: "Need a light, Twitchy?"

Vector (offscreen): "N-No! I'm fine!" "It's not that dark..."

Arianna: "It's pitch black?"

Marina: "Please be careful, Ari."

Arianna: "'s not that bad..."

Rori: "Nyeeeh!"

Frankie (thinking): "This time it won't catch fire..."

'Metal leg', with an arrow pointing to Frankie's right leg. 'Wood arm', with an arrow pointing to Frankie's right arm.

Clockwise from the top left, the block text reads

Vector

Nonbender

Raised by Sister Marion in the ways of the Air Nomads.

Strong connection to spirits (b/c he is a spirit)

Wanted by Firelord for Reasons

Ears go pointy when spirit powers manifest

Zera

Earthbender

Fire Nation soldier (it's complicated)

Has a strong connection to spirits, but dislikes it.

Sage

Firebender

Former Fire Sage

Not a good fighter, but knowledgable about spirits.

Was exiled for causing a spirit convergence.

Arianna

Firebender

Mercenary / bounty hunter

Gets involved with Vector during a job. Things go off the rails.

Necklace is a memento of her brother.

Was saved from death by a spirit as a kid.

Marina

Waterbender

Left the North Pole and settled in the Earth Kingdom after encountering a spirit.

Trained as a healer, but knows a bit of offensive bending.

Rori

Airbender

Latent bending ability was awakened as a baby after an encounter with a spirit.

Mainly uses her bending to escape guards and steal things.

Frankie made her glider. After she stole his arm.

Frankie

Nonbender

Inventor

Badly injured in Fire Nation attack

Makes prosthetics for others, no charge

Many of his inventions are inspired by spirits

[sl-newsie]

Behind Masks (Dr. Jonathon Crane x OC) Ch. 17: A Friendly Game

I love my job.

Well, most of it. My daytime routine isn’t exactly painless. The injuries I've acquired will never go away. Both physically and mentally. But the liberty of night makes up for it. The highlights of each evening’s… encounters make it the best factor of my job.

And I love it even more now that I have an official uniform. A title. 

The Reaper’s attire consists of a jumpsuit made of sleek, black fabric. The material is loose enough to be flexible but still outlines my feminine curves. Across my chest is a sash with pockets containing instruments of death. Knives, poisons, toxins, even a fold-up scythe. On my feet are plain black leather boots with a tiny heel to them. Inside each is a knife hidden in the heel. The article of clothing that completes the ensemble is the hood. I stitched a black hood to the neck of my jumpsuit, almost creating an assassin-like appearance. Thus the Reaper name. On my face I wear a Halloween mask I found on sale. Covering everything but my mouth, the mask allows me to taunt my victims before their conviction. My voice is the last thing they hear and my eyes are the last thing they see.

Such as the man sprawled on the pavement in front of me.

“It’s you! If- If it’s money you want I can-! Ow!”

I fling a small knife into his torso. This man, like many others, has been cheating his company’s employers out of a proper salary. Instead of rewarding the appropriate amount for their hard work he diluted the money to fund his new yacht. 

“Money does not save you from judgment,” my muffled voice grunts through the mask. “I’m here to further the process.”

I grip my scythe and lift it high. One swing and-

Slice!

The man’s speechless face gawks up at me as blood gushes from the fresh cut on his throat. He slumps over dead in less than a minute. Police will find the body in the alley in approximately twenty minutes. Just enough time to make it eight blocks over.

“Aahhh! No! No more! Aaaahh!”

Hm. Those screams weren’t caused by me. Which means-

“Ophidiophobia. How deliciously… normal. Do you know how common it is to have a fear of snakes?”

Which means Dr. Crane is back to his old tricks. Tonight he seems to have chosen a young man who looks more nerdy than Nigma. As usual he’s wearing that sloppy mask.

I lean the scythe against a dumpster and take out my whip, courtesy of Selina. I shouldn't butt into another villain's scheme, but just because I'm a killer doesn't mean I'm completely heartless.

Crack!

Both men’s heads turn to face me. I can’t see Crane’s reaction but the geek looks like he just spotted a ghost.

“Not another snake!” he screeches.

The Scarecrow lets out an annoyed groan. “I’d like to finish my experiment, if you please. So if you could make yourself scarce that would be the best for both of us, Reaper.”

“Now, now, be nice.” 

I shove him away and jerk my head to tell the man to scram. He takes off running as if I set him on fire. Crane isn’t taking it well.

“I assume honor among criminals doesn’t apply to you?”

Behind my mask I roll my eyes. “My my, you haven’t changed a bit, Dr. Crane.”

In one swift movement I swipe my leg under his feet and send him crashing to the ground. He tries to get up but I kneel down and push him against the wet ground.

Behind Crane’s own mask his eyes widen. “Wha- Calico?”

“Hello hello, Johnny.” I smile sickly sweet at him. “Seems like you’re in a bit of a pickle, eh?”

I can’t tell if he’s trying to laugh or yell. He wiggles and thrashes beneath me but I’m still stronger. He’s not going anywhere without explaining this.

“So. You drug college students now?” I snatch his mask off and his furious eyes glare a hole through my skull. “I never thought you’d prey against someone so similar to yourself.”

“Says the woman who drenches her hands in blood every night,” he seethes. “Now get off of me!”

“First I need to know that you’ll pick your test subjects more carefully.”

“Fine!” Crane hisses. “Happy now, Mother Teresa?”

My temper sparks. “Remember that I helped bring your consciousness back.”

He shakes his head. “No, you just walked away after I’d just escaped death. You left me!”

“You drugged me!” I bite back. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten that.”

Crane doesn’t answer right away. He just keeps glaring at me, almost as if internally debating if he should be sorry or pitiful. “Get off me.”

Very well. I stiffly rise and pivot to walk back to the dumpster, grabbing the scythe and warningly point it at the flustered doctor. 

“No more poisoning innocent lives.”

With that I rush back into the dark streets, back to home. What did he expect? That all is forgiven just because his sleeping mind trusted me? I will never forget what he did. That terrible feeling, those eyes…

I shake the dark thought away and make my way back. There’s no question that I will run into him again. The lingering question is on what terms?

Oh. Was that tomorrow? It is. 

Tomorrow night is the night I promised Nigma that I would attend a small card game. Since Batman’s been gone it’s easier to plan get-togethers without too much fuss. I guess abstaining from killing for one night to partake in some social time won’t hurt.

General POV

“You did tell her, right?” 

The Riddler groans. “Yes, Harley. Callie should be coming.”

“Selina won’t be here,” Ivy informs the two as she takes a spot at the table. “Said something about infiltrating Wayne Manor for a party tonight.”

“I could have attended,” Mr. Cobblepot inputs. “But there are far too many cops in attendance at tonight’s Dent memorial. Ms. Kyle is bold for attempting such a robbery.”

“Well, you know her. Always the risk-taker.”

The four criminals take on a comfortable silence and sip their drinks. Everyone can sense the changing tide in Gotham. Whispers have turned to rumors. The familiar League of Shadows might have set their sights on Gotham once again. It’s all a matter of time.

“Don’t all of you start without me,” a voice drones sarcastically.

“Sit down, sack-head,” Harley drawls and pulls the Scarecrow into a chair. “Why do ya look so glum?”

Nigma chuckles. “Probably because his fear toxin failed. Again.”

“Or maybe he’s still sour because he’s soft on Callie,” Ivy smirks. “Pity she isn’t so easily corrupted.”

Cobblepot sips his drink. “We’ll see about that when she gets here.”

Dr. Crane’s thinking comes to a halt. This whole time he’s kept his growing feelings for the darkened young woman deeply buried. He will never admit to it but he can’t shake the guilt that has also multiplied. Why, why did he have to give her that dose? To prove to himself that he didn’t care? Well… Joke’s on him. But the Penguin’s words have his thoughts swimming.

“Wait what did you-?”

“Hello everyone.”

All heads turn to see Dr. Prentiss strutting down the aisle towards the table. Only it’s not the Calico they remember. It’s the Reaper. 

“Deal me in while I order something strong.”

She lowers her hood and walks off to the counter. While she talks with the bartender Dr. Crane tugs on Nigma’s jacket.

“You devious lunatic! Why did you invite her? Need I remind you that she is not on our side?”

“She’s on no one’s side,” Harley intervenes and pulls the men apart.  “As long as she doesn’t kill us I say we’re square.”

“I agree,” Ivy says and glares at the crazed doctor. “Thanks to you she’s been through enough to go off the deep end. Kind and caring Calico Prentiss is now the sinister Reaper. Bravo, Crane. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

Talk about rubbing in shame. Crane doesn’t meet the green botanist’s stern gaze. Instead he’s trying to muster enough nerve to keep calm as Calico marches back to the table, a fresh cocktail in hand. It's not fair for someone to look so- so... captivating, and still be so-. Why does he hate her? Because she's good... But she's not anymore. She's a killer. A ruthless, cold-blooded... Stubbornly red-hot killer.

Dr. Jonathon Crane is wise in many things, but decrypting emotions is not one of them.

Calico's POV

Of course he’s here. I knew I’d see him again, just not… so soon. Fortunately I think the terms are in my favor. 

“Finally take a night off killing to see your old pals?” Harley chimes.

Her bubbly personality is a refreshing change from the usual dreariness I encounter.

“You know me, Harley. Always working.”

“And may I be the first to say that your new look is dynamite!” Riddler applauds.

“Thanks, Nigma.”

Penguin nods in approval. “Indeed, Ms. Prentiss. The upgrade in your criminal expertise is most impressive.”

Harley elbows the quiet doctor. “Whaddya say, Crane? Callie sure looks good!”

I can’t get a read on him. Is he sad, bitter, resentful? He lifts his head with a cocky gesture and pretends to scan my uniform for the first time.

“If you say so.”

Silence resumes and Penguin begins dealing cards. Harley’s subtle attempt to seat me next to Crane goes south and I inch closer to Ivy. No offense to the clown girl but the pathetic excuse for matchmaking has long sailed. 

The night goes on. Bets are made, money is lost. I never gamble anything other than my life so I keep clean. Eventually the hour grows into the early morning and we start saying goodbyes. First Penguin, then Ivy, then Harley, then Nigma… And now it’s just Crane and me.

“Have you-?”

“No, Dr. Prentiss. I have not drugged any ‘innocent lives’ since our last meeting.” He finishes his drink and dares to lean closer. “You don’t like the attention, I can tell. But off the record I do like that outfit on you.”

His intuition is surprisingly thoughtful. Not that I should care. But a fraction of me does anyway.

“A lady’s attire can be both elegant, captivating, and yet practical. It’s not as catchy as Selina’s but my goal is to not be seen. Still, the Reaper needs something to wear for the funeral.”

This gets a chuckle out of him. Why am I being so laid-back? I need to hate this psycho! 

“I never stopped thinking about your psychosis,” he murmurs after a while. “What new phobia you have, what makes you tick. What you find… arousing.”

In the corner of my eye I see he’s looking straight at me. I will not give him the satisfaction of eye contact. Even if he hasn’t diagnosed my phobia from that last hallucination episode I do not feel like addressing that nightmare again. Especially not with him.

And yet… There’s a hidden intention behind those blue eyes. He’s not asking only for his obsession with fear. Does Jonathon actually care about something other than fear? Or perhaps someone?

“While I appreciate that I’m the Scarecrow’s current unsolved puzzle, that almost borders on being obsessed. You need a new hobby, Dr. Crane.”

I give him a quick pat on the shoulder and excuse myself for the night. It’s been fun but now it’s back to work. Tomorrow I have to- Ugh. Right. I can’t wait.

[sburbian-mechanics]

Settle an argument between me and a friend of mine, please.

If you got twelve lords - and i mean fully powered up, maxed out, god-tiered, ultimated selved, sash-full-of-badges, absolutely perfect lords -, one for each aspect, gave them all the prep time they needed, and pitted them against each other in a fight on a dead planet...

who do you think would come out on top?

my boondollars are on the lord of rage, but my friend's convinced the lord of void takes the cake. It's gotta be the LoR, right???

I don't really think powerscaling classpects is possible? I mean, these hypothetical lords could have hundreds of different types of personalities, intelligence, combat-experience, mindsets, and willpower levels- all of which could be a deciding factor in a fight. You really can't tell a winner from a classpect alone, because it's the Person who decides the fight, not the Powers. The Powers could be useful, but it is how the Person uses them. They might not think of certain way to use them because they are unflexible, or they might try to negotiate first! Someone could have weaker powers, but are smarter about using them, so they come out on top! Classpect powers are mainly imagination and mindset anyways- so how someone percieves themself and their own capabilities could be a deciding factor, even if their classpect was theoretically "more powerful!" Frog whhhhyyy are you forgetting the human aspect!!!!!! People aren't robots that are perfectly rational!!! They are not weapons!!!! THERE IS A SOUL BEHIND THAT POWERSET, AND THE SOUL IS MORE IIIIMPPPPORRRTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Huff...puff.....

Anyways, the Lord of Heart would win because Heart is the best aspect. /j

----------<I>----------

[newcomer-karp]

Day 17 wait no its 18 isnt it, Solosis!

Charm: D'awwww, look at the jelly baby. Squishy. I LOVE this creature. If you don't like solosis then I'll personally hunt you down. 10/10. 100/10 even.

Care: This might be THE bulletproof pokemon. Temperature, pressure, any of that nonesense? Solosis does NOT care. I don't know if it even needs air. Legit just give it a bit of water and food and its happy. 10/10.

Safety: So this thing has immense psychic power, buuut, they have a remarkably harmless natural move learnset. It also only really uses its powers against things it actively percieves as a threat. 8/10, cause it could probably still pick you up with its powers if it wanted to.

Utility: When fully evolved into a reuniclus it can use strength and rock smash. Regardless though, it's a smart pokemon with strong psychic powers so you could totally teach it to do tasks for you. It has substantial telekenetic abilities so it can definitely help you lift and move things, just remember that its still a lil guy and not to overwork the fella. I'm not exactly qualified to speak on em, but I've heard they make effective service animals too. I think this level of utility deserves a great score, so this ranking is definitely gonna pander to psychic pokemon lol. For the amount of space taken by a solosis this is probably a 8/10? It's not like... time travel or anything, and solosis is still a younger pokemon so it won't be the best from the start and requires a lotta training.

Battle: Reuniclus is a spectacular pokemon. It can and has been used at high-level battle since it was first discovered. It hits like an absolute truck, and is either immune to all indirect damage via magic guard or recovers tons of energy on switching out (regenerator). Magic guard also nullifies the negative effect of life orb, making it a free damage boost. In the modern meta it struggles with the overwhelmingly common and powerful kingambit, but even it doesn't wanna risk switching in and getting focus blasted to smithereens. I think a solid 7/10 is warranted, and honestly I think reuniclus could go absolutely ham if supported correctly. Also, someone or some group brought solosis itself to one of the 2012 world championships. It was actually a useable pick apparently? Set up trick room with a focus sash and use endeavor or something.

Final Score:

Charm: 10/10

Care: 10/10

Safety: 8/10

Utility: 8/10

Battle: 7/10

Score: 43/50 *New Record!

Pet Score: 28/30

Trainer Score: 15/20

Notes: Solosis scored incredibly high! I've been tempted to get one for some time now, I could really use a psychic type. Due to some factors about genetic code n stuff, these are used quite a bit in genetic engineering. They have very desireable genetic segments for making an organism more durable to injury and disease. I even heard that you might be able to use one as a base to clone an organism... sounds far-fetched to me but if we have artificial pokemon I guess it only makes sense we could have artificual humans.