#she lets you make important decisions and do things in battle but shes a strong indipendent waman

[ralseinumberonebiggestsupporter]

i like making aus

[spacebarbarianweird]

Can I request Aasimar Tav headcanons (with astarion)? I barely see anything about Aasimar Tav since it's a mod to get in game

Astarion x Protector Aasimar!Tav

Masterlist

Headcanons

Aasimar are pretty new as a race and there are three main types: Protector, Scourge and Fallen.

Protector Aasimar is filled with the power of goodness to protect the weak, root out evil anywhere, and stand tirelessly in the path of darkness. From a young age, they receive advice and guidance that encourages him to resist evil.

Scourge Aasimar is filled with a divine energy that blazes within. It fuels a strong desire to destroy evil - a desire at best firm and at worst all-consuming. Many aasimars wear masks to shield themselves from the world and focus on containing this power, removing the mask only during battle.

Fallen Aasimar is touched by the forces of darkness in their youth or turn to evil as an adult. Their inner light has been replaced by shadow. Instead of angelic wings, they have skeleton ones which aren't fit for flying but good for intimidation.

I am going to do Protector Aasimar for you, and later I will do Fallen Aasimar for another request I have. If you want Scourge Aasimar or another vision of the character, let me know in the inbox!

You are born of celestial blood, a descendant of angelic creatures.

Raised among humans, your skin is pale, and metallic freckles scatter over your perfect face.

Your eyes are perfect silver, the glow in the dark.

A ghostly halo crowns your head.

And what is the most important, you have wings.

They are big and strong, you learned to fly before you learned to walk.

Your patron is Myllandra, a cold and distant creature.

Torn between two worlds, you are neither a celestial nor a human.

Not immortal, your lifespan is even shorter than one of a half-elf.

Your patron gives you orders and you have to follow them even if it means you ignore someone's sufferings.

You are given an order - you need to lead the fight against the Absolute.

If it means someone dies in the process, it's not your problem.

But you must not fight the Selunites' wars against the Sharns.

Don't look for the Night Song.

You obey and abide, cold and distant as you've been taught.

But the tadpole cuts your connection with your patron, forcing you to make decisions on your own.

You suddenly can decide whom to help. You can have fun. You can fall in love.

Astarion is absolutely bewildered by you.

An aasimar! A descendant of angels!

And, gods, your wings!

They are wonderful!

Your blood tastes divine in the truest sense.

And Astarion sort of corrupts you, teaching you to be selfish, to cherish material things - everything which was forbidden to you.

But the moment comes and he realizes he can't lie anymore. You are too pure, too honest, it's unfair to play games with you.

He confesses and waits for the divine punishment.

Instead, you hug Astarion wrapping him in your wings.

Corrupted and free, you are still an aasimar.

Now, when you are together, he often caresses your wings in public.

He especially loves cleaning the feathers of blood and gore.

And putting ointment on your back to ease the muscle pain after flying.

You are shocked to see the Night Song.

An aasimar! Just like you!

But why were your patron's orders like that? What is going on?

You act according to your ideals and win the war on your own terms.

When it's all over, you are ready to cover Astarion with your wings from the sun but instead…

He doesn't burn.

Your blood gives him temporary resistance.

But-

Your patron is back.

Myllandra is pissed.

She spares you the details of how much you have interfered with the divine plan and what a horrible creature you are.

As a punishment, she rips your wings off.

The pain is so unbearable you want to die.

Now you are locked in some interdimensional prison, restrained with chains and cursed with never never-ending pain of having your wings torn.

You've lost track of time, your life is only pain and suffering, the divine punishment for everything you did.

The thing is -

You aren't alone.

You hear the distant sounds of fighting, of some cruel battle outside the walls of your prison.

And then your chains are broken with the Orphic Hammer.

"Fuck, what has this bitch done to you", you hear the exhausted voice.

Of course.

Astarion isn't afraid of some angel who thinks too much about herself.

He is here. Along with the Night Song and the Selunites.

It takes you time to forget your imprisonment. The pain. The desperation.

What is worse, is the changes in your body.

You have the chronic pain in your back. Your skin is much darker than it was. Your eyes return to their "natural" grey color and don't glow in the dark.

Though, your blood still protects Astarion from the sunlight.

Even your patron can't take everything from you.

Together, you stay with the Selunites.

You are still Protector Aasimar - and there are plenty of ways to live up to your ideals.

Together, you are a peculiar couple.

A mutilated aasimar and a vampire, both in the Selunites' armor, go to the darkest and most cursed places to be heroes and adventurers.

--

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx @tallymonster @caitlincat-95 @tragedybunny @valeprati @lynnlovesthestars @marina-and-the-memes @waking-electric @ayselluna @connorsui @asterordinary @darkarchangel96 @locallegume @brainfullofhotsauce @coffeeanddonutscafe 

[utilitycaster]

Hi there,

You said in the answer you just gave that, "the Nein mechanically played really well to the casts strength." Could you talk more about that? I'm someone who hasn't actually played D&D before, and everything I've learned has been through osmosis with CR, and your more crunchy posts have been really interesting to read, too.

Hi anon,

Thank you! I can answer but this is definitely pretty subjective in terms of how I see the classes they played and my view of the cast's mechanical strengths so know that you're getting one very specific perspective here. You will notice as a theme that I am not one for indecision.

Anyway: I think Liam and Travis are both notable within the cast for being decisive, in and out of combat, and both played characters with a huge array of options, as arcane utility spellcasters (plus Fjord's melee and, later, paladin abilities) and so having people who can make a quick, confident decision and stick to it with their spellcasting was crucial. Travis also has, as I once put it, court sense, and so having a character with options at basically any range in combat (from melee to eldritch blast range) was extremely good for him. I also just think they like utility casting, which, as my url indicates, I obviously think is awesome; but not all people like it and that's okay! I also just think they like it - both have mentioned on 4SD that Orym and Chetney are much more limited in what they can do.

I think Sam can get really hung up on the optimal and ideal thing to do at times. Really, the best way to put it - and FCG's death is a great example actually - is that Sam is not precious at all with his own characters but is worried about letting other people down. So I think the fact that Veth had a limited but interesting number of choices was actually quite good for him - he could make creative decisions (and even think outside the box, as with fluffernutter) but didn't have an endless list. It also still provided spellcasting, which is important to him.

I think Marisha is one of the strongest players on adding flavor to combat which is purely non-mechanical but is important in actual play if you are playing a character who does mostly the same thing. For what it's worth a lot of the things Beau played to her strengths were on the RP side (give the notetaker a character who has a reason to know a lot of lore) and also, I like monks but they are very straightforward characters to play in battle for the most part so there's not a ton to say, but I think she had a good sense of melee combat and would love to see her play more melee characters; Keyleth was obviously incredibly versatile, but this meant she did spend a lot of time in melee! Marisha also has decent instincts for tanking (Keyleth as regular tank thanks to wildshape and Beau as a dodge tank) so Beau allowed her to exercise that.

Taliesin is also a generally strong player in terms of mechanics and I think, honestly, his strength is that he doesn't seem to have a strong preference on what sort of class he plays and therefore was able to lean into a character who was almost purely support without any resentment over not getting the kill. In general I think Taliesin is very good at just...doing what his character is built to do, which seems damning with faint praise but honestly I think people who get really obsessive about Subverting Their D&D Class are annoying so this is praise and respect.

Laura is an interesting one in that I think she really likes to do Big Damage but she actually is quite skilled at utility casting. Having Caduceus definitely allowed Jester to shine in that she didn't have to serve as dedicated healer, but she also was a strong healer. Laura can be somewhat precious about her characters and I think being a healer is a good antidote for that in that you have the power to heal yourself if you get worried (honestly, this is why I started off as someone who played healers until I allowed myself to accept that dying on graph paper, as Taliesin once said, is fine). Being a prepared caster is also good for someone who, like Laura, can be competitive - it's interesting because she and Sam have a lot of similarities but I think respond in different ways, and Laura having a lot of options and knowing she can change them works well for her approach.

Ashley is also quite strong at flavor descriptors but I also think she likes doing damage, and I think Yasha was very much a "right character at the right time" for her in that barbarians are complicated in the sense of maneuvering, but not in the sense of options - it's a much easier character to jump back into after being away because she is, for the most part, going to be hitting things with a sword. I think she's doing a great job with Fearne too, but wildfire druid is MUCH harder to put down and pick up.

Really, in short, I think the cast members who thrive on having a ton of decisions had them; the cast members who at times have trouble picking what to do had a much more limited list which helped them; and those who don't really have a strong preference had other stylistic elements that were a good fit.

(I also happen to think, as I alluded to especially for Marisha's portrayal of Beau, that the Nein played to the cast's RP strengths as well and/or were given the time and space for the cast to grow into things they were less confident doing, eg: Travis and romance; and I think that does bleed into combat in that it helps you take actions that feel right for the character which in turn helps the other people around you predict what you'll do. It's the drift compatibility.)

[strawberryicemoon]

You should watch Pokemon Horizons

You should watch Pokemon Horizons. No seriously. You should watch the most recent Pokemon anime. Obviously people have different tastes and a children's anime isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. But if you've ever enjoyed Pokemon, or are a fan of children's cartoons (particularly children's anime), I have to recommend trying Pokemon Horizons. Pokemon Horizons isn't finished yet, at 25 episodes, so there is always time for it to take a turn, but it has just completed its first arc "Liko and Roy's Departure", so I feel confident in recommending it. And with the English dub coming out soon (hopefully), bringing availability to a wider audience so whenever you get the chance, I’d recommend it.

Our main protagonist is Liko. And I don't want to define her by her predecessor, but she really is Ash's antithesis in the best of ways. Nothing against Ash, it’s just a change was necessary. Ash is a hot-headed, straight-forward, confident, extroverted. Liko is an anxious introvert. She's unsure of her identity, and what she really wants to do at first. You could say she's a lot like previous female Pokemon protagonists in that regard; though it's too early to make any conclusive statements about where she's going, I will say I think her particular flavor of self-discovering protagonist hasn't quite been fully utilized. To be brief, I think she's less focused on figuring out her dream, and more on figuring out what she wants next, in a step by step fashion. She’s learning to understand and prioritize what she really wants, not what she thinks she should do. One of the earliest bits we get in the series is her grandmother telling her the importance of that first step, and so as Liko continues to grow in tiny steps, and makes more of her own decisions it feels like growth. Liko is most charming for who she shows herself to be when she stops thinking. Stops hesitating and worrying about doing the right thing. Someone who jumps off buildings. Who charges into battle because it's the right thing to do. We are often treated to Liko's internal dialogue. Where we hear the thoughts she doesn't say aloud due to her more introverted nature. She often expresses her anxiety, her surprise when she does something rash or when something weird happens to her. Which makes her moments of strength all the better, as she grows into a strong trainer, who more easily and more deliberately makes decisions about her future. Also, despite not actively thinking about it as much, Liko does figure out what she wants. And without spoiling it, she’s more like Ash than it may seem at first.

Liko also is in the center of a minor chosen one narrative, possessing a mysterious pendant inherited from her grandmother (and it's suggested she may be descended from an ancient hero), with a power that only Liko can unlock. (Side note: we haven’t gotten too much of her grandmother yet, but she is just a fantastic example of a badass old lady). That may not necessarily be appealing to many people, but it’s a great catalyst for her growth and a justification for her to be getting involved in bigger conflicts in what will probably be a shorter series in a franchise that has escalated the stakes a lot since Red and Blue. She is at series start, a damsel in distress. She's a brand new trainer, targeted by an evil organization for reasons she doesn't understand, rescued by people who are just hired to protect her. But Liko, despite starting out somewhat meek, and overly people pleasing, decides very quickly that she doesn't want to just stand by and let events happen to her. She wants to chase them herself. It may have been extraordinary circumstances that lead her to the Rising Volt Tacklers. But she stays with them because she realizes that this is what she wants to do, this is where she'll grow, and become the person she wants to be. Currently in the series she has already shown very tangible growth as both a person, and a Pokemon trainer. 

Speaking of her being a Pokemon trainer, her Pokemon complement her and her goals well. She was given Sprigatito specifically as the result of an interview judging her personality, so we the audience are instantly cued in that we can use Sprigatito as a way of understanding Liko’s personality. At the beginning Liko doesn't understand Sprigatito, but she also admits that she also doesn't understand herself very well. All the while Sprigatito is very much so, a cat. Who does exactly what she wants to do, when she wants to do it, taking life one action at a time, something Liko does throughout the show. Sprigatito seems to respond better to Liko when Liko is confident and when she does things that she really wants to, not things she feels she should. Sprigatito and Liko are naturally on the same page, so when Liko deviates from that, in the name of doing something she feels she should do rather than wants to do, Sprigatito gets upset. This is an effective way of building up both their relationship, and helping us to clearly understand the girl who doesn't understand herself, providing a catalyst for Liko’s growth. In addition Sprigatito’s calming aroma, and ability to use Leafage as a smokescreen are fitting tools for Liko’s goals and habits.

Hattena, Liko’s first catch, is caught later into the arc, but also fits Liko well. And gets along well with Sprigatito. Hattena is a pokemon known for being sensitive to emotions, and requiring a gentle, calming trainer, which helps highlight Liko’s strengths, and is relevant to Liko’s personal ambitions.

Roy is a passionate, energetic, friendly boy. He has more of an idea of what he wants than Liko, which is to unravel the secrets of his mysterious ancient Pokeball, but he’s still rather laid back. This may make him sound more like Ash, to which I won’t disagree but he is still a defined character himself. (And being “Like Ash” could mean a lot of things considering Ash took on many characterizations throughout his history). He has a big grand dream, but it’s unique to him, and is well defined. He's not as nuanced as Liko, but he makes a charming foil to her. While Liko can be more hesitant and had to be circumstanced into the journey, Roy’s been itching for one for a while. Liko’s grandmother pushed her forward, Roy’s grandfather’s been holding him back. Liko has to learn to consider what she wants, Roy has to learn to support others. Like Liko, Roy’s been making progress on becoming a trainer, often through the support of each other and helping his Pokemon out. 

Though Sprigatito and Liko were a pair assigned to each other and had to learn to get along, Roy and Fuecoco just matched vibes and decided that they actually wanted to help each other reach their goals. Fuecoco and Roy are a great pair too. Fuecoco is a simple type of 'mon. He likes to eat, sing, and wants to be strong like Friede's Charizard. They sing a lot as a form of bonding, which is adorable

Roy's other pokemon is Wattrel. Another glutton. Who also likes to sing. Who has his own ambitions. Unlike Hattenna and Sprigatito who get along well, Wattrel and Fuecoco often argue. Both are boisterous Pokemon with a lot of (metaphorical as of now) firepower, with a lot of ambition. While Fuecoco is more cheerful, and Wattrel grumpy, their inability to naturally support each other fits with Roy’s more individualistic personality. 

Okay, Spoiler time...

The show has gone out of its way to keep them hidden. If you want to keep the twist please skip. However, I think this twist is going to go the way of the identity of Luke's father, so your days are numbered before it's spoiled forever. And I feel I can't really talk about Horizon's and why you should watch it without discussing them. So skip to the end of this section if you don't want to hear it. For the third member of our trio and Quaxly's partner, I am going to talk about spoilers.

While Dot's voice actress and presence in show was announced very early on, along with the rest of the crew, it wasn't immediately clear what was going on. Or rather, she was announced as Nidothing/Gurumin. Liko's favorite streamer. Which was an odd character to give such importance. But by the end of the first episode it's apparent there's more to Nidothing to the story. She does the next episode previews. And while Quaxly had featured in the first poster and was clearly set to be part of the crew, it was not clear who Quaxly belonged to, and it just so happened that Gurumin had a Quaxly. And then the reveal of a Quaxly and a Fuecoco that was certain to become Roy's partner already as part of the Rising Volt Tackler's crew made it a sure bet that Nidothing was part of the crew. The only question was who. The mystery was a good hook, at the start of the series, but they didn't leave it dangling too long.

Dot’s a shut-in, who has already shown tremendous growth, beginning to leave her room, interact with her fellow crewmates, and acknowledge her friendship with the other kids, and her partnership with Quaxly. While we haven't gotten as much of them yet, Quaxly seems to be the perfect partner to Dot. Quaxly is a showy type of pokemon. Energetic and confident, everything she exudes as her Nidothing persona. Though time will show more depths to both characters. While we don't know much at all about her backstory, we know she's been a full-fledged member of the RVT for a while, as essentially their IT person (and internet research specialist), and that she's Murdock's niece (we'll talk about him too). We know she was inspired to begin streaming by Iono (the ScVi gym leader). But what exactly caused her to become a shut in, join the RVT, and befriend Quaxly remains to be seen. We are, afterall, 25 episodes into what is sure to be a 70+ episode show, (likely 100+). And things are just getting started.

That's enough of spoilers.

The kids have a strong friendship that is just starting to grow. It's already clear that they're becoming the kind of true companions that any group of traveling companions should be. Real ride or die for each other, and we're only 25 episodes in. They're goofy, inexperienced, and intensely curious with great potential for growth. We've already gotten instances of them inspiring and encouraging each other. While I don't think they are the most compelling group dynamic out there, they've got potential, and they certainly aren't bad. They're connected, either directly or indirectly, to the mystery of an ancient hero, and want to know more.

They also make for fantastic rookie trainers. Their team sizes are small, and they accumulate pokemon slowly. Which gives them time to show the growth of their individual pokemon and their bond. There’s also a lot of focus on the kids learning to BE trainers. Learning how to come up with strategies, be creative, expect the unexpected, and actually train their pokemon. It’s one thing to show a trainer training a pokemon, and another showing a trainer learning skills to help them direct their pokemon in battle so it's always good to see multiple aspects.

When the anime started there were 151 known pokemon and a promise of more, but nothing crazy. It was feasible to give every pokemon some degree of focus. To try and get as many pokemon as possible some of the limelight. But now there's over 1000. That's not really possible, so I think the quality over quantity works better. More importantly, working with the individual pokemon helps to highlight the growth of the trainer and why they're important. It's very important in Pokemon that battles don't turn into trainers yelling orders that pokemon interpret into all sorts of additional things, and probably didn't need to be told to do in the first place. Liko and Roy are shown to help their pokemon grow by encouraging them, and providing guidance on how to use their moves, and shows how they help in the heat of battle, by strategizing and helping to figure out not just which moves to use but how to utilize them in different ways. In short, Horizon's does a great job of demonstrating what skills are necessary to be a good trainer, and shows them honing those skills, rather than just focusing on their personal-emotional growth or the growing strength of their pokemon.

But the kids aren't the only ones who matter here. The brave Asagi is filled with adults with their own problems, histories and goals. Adults that help guide the Asagi's three charges, and are excellent role models.

Now, to preface, Pokemon has been increasing adult presence in the games especially since Sun and Moon, for better or for worse. After all, such a big draw of the Pokemon franchise was the power fantasy for kids. The ability to see a world, see in themselves, the ability to be independent and strong. (Which is a large part of kids growing to be independent and strong). I'm not really a fan of the way that the most recent games have commentary about the ways adults fail children. In Sun and Moon it's Lusamine's condescension towards kids, Sword and Shield it's the way Leon keeps Hop and the protag away from the conflict for most of it, In Scarlet and Violet, it's for better or for worse the school setting. On the anime side of things we had Ash going to school in Sun and Moon, and then establishing a base at Cerise laboratories where he gets adult supervision (and Chloe going to school). We sure are getting a lot of school these days. I think that erases a huge part of the big appeal for Pokemon, at least for child me, and likely for many of you at one point or another. The disappearing ability for children to explore the wilderness was the inspiration behind the franchise to begin with. It's a world where kids are treated seriously. Where they can be strong, because their strength comes from their bonds and their friendships, where their age and lack of experience doesn't make them babied. Where they are in control of their lives and given the respect they deserve. And in a world that's increasingly hostile towards children, a world where we are increasingly taking away children's freedoms in the name of keeping them safe it's more important than ever that the pokemon world remains a world where kids as young as 10, are free to choose their own path in life, change the world, and not be held back by what adults say they can or cannot do, a world where the god makes no such age distinctions. So no. I'm not generally a fan of the increased presence of school and adults in Pokemon and the commentary of "how fucked up is it that 10 year olds have to save the world". No It's an amazing world because 10 year olds have the power to save the world and aren't subject to the whims of the adults around them.

But all of this is to say that so far, I'm liking how the adult presence is handled in Horizons despite my predisposition against it. I think it's because the characters aren't above our children protagonists. Our children don't match the adults in strength and experience. But they are shown to be strong and drivers of their own stories. They aren't helpless. They chose to join the Brave Asagi's crew because it was the best way to accomplish their goals. The adults support the kids, they are never there as an obstacle for the kids to overcome, nor do they impede the kids abilities to face challenges and peril on their own. And the kids, while they may cause them problems, are never shown as a burden on the adults. The adults aren't useless though either. They're full-fledged characters in their own rights. If anything the story goes out of its way to tell its audience that children and adults aren't that different after all (particularly in episode 19). Adults struggle, they cry, they get excited. Being an adult doesn't have to mean getting trapped in mundanity. Being an adult can include doing the things you're passionate about and chasing your dreams. Being an adult doesn't have to mean you have to give anything up. Which is meaningful in a franchise old and beloved enough that whole families across generational lines can be invested. Now onto those adult characters.

Friede, the partner of Captain Pikachu, and the main adult character. He's kind of a spiritual successor to Ash, with his Pikachu and Charizard, and leader of a group of world travelers with a desire to learn about Pokemon. There's something poetic about the main adult character having Pikachu and Charizard. While Friede isn't Ash and Captain isn't Ash's Pikachu, they do have some similarities. Friede and Ash are both confident, passionate hot-heads who are skilled, albeit unconventional battlers. Captain is an unorthodox battler who breaks the mold of what a Pikachu is considered capable of doing. Episode 18 is their backstory, and if nothing else I would recommend the episode. Friede is a young pokemon professor, disillusioned with the title. Who, due to a fateful meeting with Captain Pikachu is inspired to start the Rising Voltacklers (RVT). The name actually has some significance. Despite Pikachu being Captain, he's the de facto human leader. But the fact that Captain gets to be well, Captain, is fantastic. Friede often forgets to tell people about his plans, and often causes problems with his lack of communication, but he's a strong and clever battler, who knows a lot about Pokemon.

Orla/Orio is the team mechanic. We really don't know much about her yet besides the fact she is originally from Kanto and Friede's childhood friend who at some point moved to Hoenn, before Friede asked her to make the Asagi fly. She asked to join the crew as a mechanic of Friede's half-thought out dream, in lieu of payment. She's cheerful, passionate and friendly. Her partner is a Metagross, and she often works with more rough around the edges fire types to keep the Brave Asagi aloft. It's clear that it's a lot of work for her but is something she's passionate about. 

Murdock is the chef, and a lot of his promo art shows him looking stern, and he's physically the largest member of the Brave Asagi's crew. However, the fact he has a Rockruff and an Alcremie will tell you far more about his personality. He's basically a surrogate dad to all the kids. He's shown to get along well with Roy and Liko, and worries about the kids. But he has been shown to get intense when it comes to his food, and the people and Pokemon he cares about getting hurt, even if he isn't too much of a battler. We don't know a lot about him yet, though we do know he used to be a Patisserie with Alcremie and an old friend who he separated with on poor terms due to tension involving Alcremie's evolution, but we don't know how he ended up joining the RVT.

Mollie, while not yet stated outright, is heavily implied to be a Joy. She at the very least, is from a family of Pokemon doctors and while she does love taking care of pokemon, knows that for every pokemon who can make it to get treatment, there are others who can't. This isn't the first Nurse Joy we've seen do this (there was the one in the Orange Islands at least), but it's always nice to get more insight into the Joy family and the worldbuilding that comes with that. And also characters who take a path layed out for them and instead of following it, or simply heading in a different direction, change the path to suit them. Mollie constantly has a grumpy look on her face, and avoids going into Pokemon centers. But she really is kind and cares deeply about Pokemon.

Last but not least is Ludlow, who I don't have much to comment on, since we don't know much yet. But his fishing boat (the Asagi) literally forms the foundation of what would become the Brave Asagi, the RVT base of operations. He's the team grandpa. He doesn't really do much, but he seems to be the character who everyone gets along with and respects, and is often off on his own, and looks after the Brave Asagi when everyone else is busy.

The nature of the conflict between the Explorers and the RVT leads the encounters between them to be large scale and action packed. Battles that take place in the air, across cities, in cave networks and in old castles. It’s rarely as simple as a 1v1 battle. There’s usually traps, escapes via misdirection, sneak attacks, and strategy employed on both sides. Humans are also often involved in the action themselves, shown riding on pokemon, running around, and even facing attacks on occasion. There are still of course more traditional battles, but they aren’t the majority of battles. With the more traditional battle rules off the table, the possibilities are increased. This also allows the kids more agency. They may not be strong enough to directly counter the RVT, but with some luck, teamwork and some creative thinking they can get themselves out of situations or hold their own until backup arrives. 

I'm not generally one to comment on the more technical animation aspects, primarily because I'm not much of an artist, but I think it's worth mentioning. While Horizons is still, first and foremost a long running children's anime so it's not like its animation is particularly mind blowing. But, it's still worth credit. I found myself pleasantly surprised at times. The airship setting allows for some truly fantastical settings.

I’m not saying Pokemon Horizons is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen or anything, so don’t set your expectations sky high. But it is a show with a lot of heart that I think deserves to be seen, so if you’ve wrote, the show off as just the Pokemon anime, give it a shot. The premise is different from the previous anime and is a completely different kind of show. The characters are lovable, the plot is intriguing, the battles are dynamic, and the atmosphere is filled with wonder and discovery. I think you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised. 

[witchthewriter]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐱𝐚'𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

⤷ female, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!  

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ  

🌿INTJ 🍁Gryffindor 📜Lawful Neutral 🔮Capricorn Sun, Scorpio Moon, Leo Rising   

 SFW🌿

⭑ You were in opposing clans - yours did not follow Lexa’s rule. Your family had thought their representative should have been Commander. 

⭑ You both met and fell in love in the forest. 

⭑ She had taken time out of her day to decompress in the leafy cover, while you spent most of your time out there. 

⭑ Like Aurora (Briar Rose) and Prince Philip in Sleeping Beauty - 

⭑ She watched as you spoke to the birds, making sure not to step on snails or bugs. No matter your exterior, your heart was and always will be, gentle.  

⭑ Your romance was slow - building and building with each interaction. 

⭑You weren’t 100% sure if the woman you had met in the forest was the Commander. She didn’t say she was - but there was something about her demeanor that you found familiar. 

⭑ You’re basically the princess of your clan, with your parents in charge. But you don’t hold onto a monarch’s reign, the people just see you as a princess. It’s your nickname. 

⭑ You’re definitely a chaotic good 

⭑ And Lexa wishes she could have freedom like yours 

⭑ So she watches you while you can make your own decisions, without the world on your shoulders 

⭑ It isn’t jealousy, because Lexa knows that people have difficulties no matter how privileged they are or appear to be. 

⭑ You just choose to follow your heart

⭑ After getting to know Lexa, you realise how truly amazing she really is

⭑ Lexa always puts you at ease. She’s grounding. Truthful. Honest. While also being passionate. (Big Earth and Fire signs). 

⭑ You both kept the relationship a secret - only meeting each other alone, in the forest. It became your sanctuary, a place where you could go and feel safe. 

⭑ Her proposal struck you with great surprise. 

⭑ Lexa is highly protective of you and will do her best to keep you out of dangerous situations. But even as an important figure in the community, you want to do your duty and fight for your people. 

⭑ Your parents were completely against the marriage, not because you were both women, but because they hated the infrastructure that Lexa represented

⭑ So you married anyway

⭑ But you didn’t know that Lexa had extended an olive branch and during your reception, all your family was there

⭑ This created a huge change in the future. And this was written in the history books. 

⭑ Lexa lets you put on her battle makeup and she does the same for you 

⭑ And when the 100 arrives, and the world you know now is shaken to its core - you and Lexa still held strong 

⭑ The grounders appear even more collected, as your clan is rather large

⭑ And you’re one of the people to sway Lexa into letting the 100 live 

⭑ Relationship Tropes:

  ✧ Enemies to Lovers

  ✧ Forbidden Love

  ✧ Marriage Creates Allies

NSFW🔞minors dni!

⭑ Lexa is surprisingly very gentle during sex. She doesn’t like to be dominant and prefers to be slow and sensual. 

⭑ Her fingers grip your thighs as she smells your sex. Leaving little bites on the sensitive and exposed area. 

⭑ Pulling her hair and kissing her fiercely 

⭑ Grinding on each other and whining until someone gives in and rips the others’ clothes off

⭑ She has amazing fingers and can do wonderous things with them

⭑ Lexa likes fucking you on the throne

⭑ But her favourite place is on the floor, with you on your back.

⭑ Sex isn’t too serious, and light-heartedness surrounds the both of you while you pleasure each other

⭑ Isn’t into risky sex, and likes the safety of her chambers 

⭑ Having baths together are a must, and it’s there when she truly worships your body 

⭑ She likes humming while cleaning your body and nipping at your tender nipples 

⭑ Yeah, she would totally eat ass

⭑ And period sex would be a common occurrence. 

[k-martins]

Hello.... What do you think are Fushiguro and Itadori’s greatest personality strengths and weaknesses? Why? What do you love about their dynamic? Thanks if you want to answer....

Hello! Sorry for the delay in responding.

That's a good question, thanks for submitting it.

Well, I'll start with Yuji. I think his strong point (which was currently pointed out even by Sukuna) is his unshakable humanity. He is always willing to be a stronger version of himself, to evolve as a sorcerer and a person, to protect those he loves. No matter how many times Yuji falls, he will always get up and fight again to protect those he loves most. His willpower is impressive and one of the reasons why he hasn't lost control of his emotions yet, something Nanamin and Todo pointed out as being useless as a sorcerer (I felt like a proud mother seeing him fighting Sukuna so seriously, no. letting the memory of Nanami and Higuruma's "death" affect him, something that would have happened in his times in Shibuya.) I think this is what makes his character to the general public so good and easy to love.

Now, his weak point is certainly the great empathy he feels for people. Don't get me wrong, empathetic and kind characters are my favorites in any media, but Yuji takes it to a very high level. He feels guilty about things that are often not his fault directly (such as the large flow of curses that arose after he ate Sukuna's finger or the deaths caused in Shibuya). The empathy he feels for people makes him forget about saving his own skin (as happened in juvie, as Yuji sacrificed himself to save Megumi and Nobara and only managed to make things worse by, well, leaving sukuna free to kill him and cause harm to Megumi) and consequently puts her friends in danger. This is so real that even external characters have to state that he is not to blame, like Panda saying that Yaga died post-shibuya and Yuta hiding that Toge lost his arm when Sukuna expanded the domain, although it is pointless since Yuji is so trapped in the request from his grandfather who cannot bear to be responsible - directly and indirectly - for the deaths of innocent people.

In Megumi's case, I think his strong point is his wit and maturity. He is a very focused sorcerer who quickly analyzes situations and draws up logical plans to win. Even though she seems cold and distant, Megumi always thinks of others when he makes a plan and puts the safety of others above his own - something very similar to Yuji. His intelligence is what makes a character trustworthy, so much so that he was already going out on missions alone, he was praised by Nanami and Nobara and Yuji trust him a lot when it comes to having a plan. However, his weak point is, as Gojo said, his mentality. Megumi has serious self-esteem issues that end up affecting how he interacts with the other characters, remaining distant and stoic, and how he fights - always saving Mahoraga as a last resort because we know what happens when he summons him. He cannot see himself as powerful, so he does not fight much when facing a powerful enemy, using Mahoraga to secure a victory. He doesn't consider himself important to others, so much so that, despite thinking about Yuji when he's about to die in Shibuya, he doesn't regret his decision. This is Megumi's weakest point and it is for this reason that he still cannot suppress Sukuna like Yuji did. Megumi gave up everything when Tsumiki died (which is understandable) and is now just waiting for someone to kill Sukuna (I doubt he's waiting for salvation and I believe a "there's nothing left to be saved" moment could happen soon)

When it comes to dynamics, I love how Yuji and Megumi complement each other perfectly, which reflects in their fighting style. Megumi is a long-range fighter, while Yuji is a melee opponent. Yuji is muscular and Megumi is intelligent. And they're also a lot of fun to follow, both in battle and in their interactions. Going further, I really like how Yuji always claims that Megumi is someone who is smart, kind and trustworthy, valuing those little details that Megumi doesn't seem to notice (in fact, I really believe that Yuji is much more observant than most people he thinks, because that alone explains how he noticed Osawa's cute handwriting and the way she eats fish; my boy may be slow, but he's not a complete idiot). I also really like how Megumi always takes care of Yuji, whether it's making sure he's okay and thinking of ways so they don't have to kill in the slaughter game, and giving Yuji meaning to continue living ("so start by saving me, Itadori ", a real glue to repair the crack in Yuji's conviction and humanity).

Anyway, I think that's it. I'm a little tired because I woke up early lmao. Thanks again for submitting this question. It was fun and I love talking about my boys.

[simp999]

All good things come to an end

Ship: Arven x GN!Reader

Series: Pokémon

Word count: 2.6k

A/N: Please bare with me in with the slow beginning, it gets better I promise

Warnings: A few short sentences that hint at Arven having an anxiety attack

Themes: Hurt/Comfort, fluff, friends to lovers, bit of angst

Taglist: @5centsanhour @ultranimallover33

Masterlist

“Hey, would you like to hang out today?”

“I’m so sorry Arven, but I’m fully booked with fan meetups and interviews. We’ll have to try again sometime soon, okay?”

Alright, not a big deal. He can just try again some other time. 

Arven hung up the phone and put on some more comfortable clothes, now deciding to stay in for the day. He had hoped to take you out to lunch today, so he dressed a little nicer than usual. It made sense that you were busy, being champion and all isn’t just about having battles and doing whatever you want. Mabosstiff looked up at him, a little disappointed since he liked spending time with your Pokemon, and was itching for a battle soon.

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

“Hey buddy, are you down to go to the park? Mabosstiff wants to see you.”

He felt bad bugging you again only two days later, so he figured he’d try to persuade you with Mabosstiff.

“Ahh, I’ve got a battle with an important trainer from Kalos in a few minutes, and I hear she’s got a strong team. I’m not sure how long the battle will last, so I can’t make any promises for today. Sorry, Arven!”

No dice. Alright, maybe he just has to give more of a heads-up before meetings? It’s gotta work one of these days.

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

“Hi again champ, wanna make sandwiches together on Wednesday?” He was hopeful about this one, planning all of it out.

“Oh! That sounds fun! Let me see my calendar- aw shoot, I’ve got lunch with Geeta where we plan on discussing some league things. I’m sorry Arven, maybe some other time?”

Arven had already planned all around that timing, not like he had much else to do, so he made an extra two sandwiches for later, just in case.

It couldn’t be that you were avoiding him, right? You two were so close and worked so well together while fighting the titans, you must really just have a busy schedule, right?

He ate his sandwich alone, never being able to clear his mind of your image. 

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

Arven was out shouting moves for his Pokemon to use the next time he saw you. He was close to calling out to you, but decided against it, remembering how it’s been lately with your busy schedule. To his surprise, as soon as you heard his comforting voice and caught sight of his unique hair, you ran right over to him, calling out his name. You didn’t catch the way his smile grew slightly bigger.

“Oh, hey! I figured you’d be busy today, what brings you here?”

“This is like, my only day off this week. It’s been terrible lately, not a minute to myself!” You keep complaining about how all of a sudden everybody needs you to make decisions for the league, to do interviews, make ads, try on stupid clothes, go to all these dumb meetings, and so on. The both of you take a seat on a bench nearby and you eventually get to mentioning that you came here to train, since you’re got a handful of trainers you have to battle soon. You absentmindedly begin to run your fingers through Mabosstiff’s fur. 

Arven always loved how you cared so much for Pokémon, always treating them with respect and going out of your way to treat them with such care. He never missed the way you’d scratch behind Mabosstiff’s ear because you noticed that he really liked that, or how you’d always offer your Pokémon their favorite treats after trying new, difficult things or winning a hard battle. Or even when you’d offer to heal up a trainer’s Pokémon for them, and not be afraid to call out those who didn’t respect their own Pokémon. It seemed like it came so naturally to you, and Arven truly thinks you’re perfect Champion potential, even with all the complaining.

“Sorry about the rant, I’ve just been so pent up lately. How’ve you and Mabosstiff been? Taking good care of yourself?”

Your tone was so sincere, you definitely did care about him and thought of him as a friend, right? You surely couldn’t have been avoiding him with how honest you sound right now. 

He begins your guys’ first actual conversation in weeks, glad to finally be able to catch up with you. You were always so hard-working, especially during the gym challenge and while taking down Team Star, so you ended up not having much time with Arven back then, either. Actually, the only time you ever did get to hang out with him was when you were battling for your lives against the Titans. At the odd time, he was able to get his eyes off of the danger in from of him and take a glance at you, while you were completely entranced in the battle. He could tell that that was all that was on your mind, and he probably barely existed to you in those moments. 

The sandwiches afterward were another story though, savoring every bite and being sure to thank him and his godly sandwich-making skills over and over. He cherishes those moments with you. He didn’t get to see that wide smile after beating a Titan very often and adored the way you would sway from side to side a little when you were extra glad about how tasty his sandwich tasted.

But all good things come to an end eventually. With a short call from Geeta telling you about some rogue pokemon that was hurting people, you were off in seconds.

Arven comforted Mabosstiff after hearing a whine from him, sad that you left so quickly. Well, at least he was able to get a few minutes with you. 

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

The next time he tried to call, he was turned down immediately. Maybe you were on a call already? So he tried again a few minutes later, with the same outcome.

And again a few days later.

Same problem a week later.

And then two, then three. 'Why can’t I get ahold of you? Did I get blocked by you? Did you really hate that last meeting you had, and never wanted to talk to me again?' No no, that’s going way too far. But why, just why are you ignoring him? Maybe they just need some space, he thought. Arven put down his phone with a shaky hand, pulling his blankets back over him, ready to waste another day away. Mabosstiff comes to cuddle him, letting Arven bask in his warmth, hopefully gaining some kind of comfort. The stinging in his eyes may not express his gratefulness, but at least he has one buddy that always sticks around.

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

Meanwhile, you’re in Galar, visiting for a few weeks to challenge their strongest trainers. There’s an event going on, and lots of strong trainers and champions are all meeting up. Your mind is completely occupied with planning out sentences for when you meet these people and coming up with strategies for when you battle these people. Leon’s Charizard knows a grass-type move, so using a rock-type might be good. Man, you also have to consider other stuff like abilities and what strategies your opponents might attempt. So bothersome. The time difference isn’t helping either, and all these new people are giving you a headache. You know that most of these people are going through the same things, but you’ve all gotta sit, smile and act professional.

You finally get back to your temporary hotel suite, hoping to get some rest for the day. But of course, with no time to yourself, you get a call from your Public Relations Team. They’re the people who are meant to promote and protect your brand. They also get to control ‘unwanted’ notifications. Without them, you’d be getting tens of thousands of notifications from whatever social sites and random people trying to text and message you. It turns out that there's this one person that has been trying to contact you, and one of the newbies thought that it was some rando. They’ve realized how grave their mistake is when the entire top three floors of the hotel can hear you shouting into your phone. 

There’s a good chance that this decision may end your career as a Champion and may even get you banned from lots of places, but that isn’t even a thought in your mind right now.

You have to go see Arven now. Your face is burning with the frustration of a thousand suns, and the private jet’s pilot taking you home doesn’t even want to risk breathing wrong, or he might get thrown off.

Once you land, you have one of your bigger pokemon carrying you, running around Paldea as fast as possible while on the hunt for Arven. You’ve now calmed down and are now moreso in a state of panic rather than frustration, hoping that everything’s alright and everything is going on just as usual. You knew that he didn’t get lots of comfort growing up, and you knew that he didn’t have many- or even any- friends. You truly hope that he had just forgotten about you at this point. You’ve tried time and time again to call Arven, and nothing. You turned on your notifications and prayed to Arceus that he’d get back to you.

There he was. You had finally found him hours later. He was sitting at his picnic set up, feeding Mabosstiff the last piece of his sandwich. The biggest sigh of relief left you as you hurried over to him, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder, ready to explain and apologize to him.

Arven immediately recognizes the hand and stands up abruptly, feeling immediate anger bubble up within him. Swinging his arm forcefully to get your hand off of him, a yell leaves his mouth and he sends you flying. 

He takes a step back to intake the situation and feels instant regret, his conscience getting back at him, telling him that you’re still a person too, and he has no reason to lash out at you like this.

Then he catches the watery look in your eye and how tears threaten to fall. 'Did I… did I hurt you? Why is it so loud all of a sudden? I hurt my closest, my only friend? Everything’s so bright, why do I feel nauseous? Did I hurt the only person who was ever even somewhat close to me? No, no, NO! Please don’t leave me, I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please, please stay with me. I need you. Please comfort me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for bugging you and being so annoying, I'm sorry for making you fight the Titans, I'm so sorry for-

Arven feels warm arms wrap around him. One goes up to pet the top of his head, while the other rubs circles on his back. He slumps into their body without any thought, his mind going blank. Gentle fingers continue to make their way through his hair, and the circles being drawn on his back don’t stop. It’s the only thing he can focus on right now.

With the softest voice you can muster, you begin to talk.

“Arven, sweetheart, I know I apologize often, but I mean it every time. And please, please accept this as my most sincere apology, I am so very sorry for not being here when you needed me most. I always wanted to spend time with you, but I let other things get in the way of that, and foolishly accepted that.”

You weren’t hurt by him, not at all. Well, on the outside at least. You felt so very bad emotionally for what you’ve put him through, and can’t bear it anymore. You take a deep breath in and encourage Arven to do the same. He slowly tries to accept the situation and sits on the ground. You sit on Arven’s lap and continue to hug him and run your fingers through his hair, then bring them to cradle his face in your palms as comfortably as you can, to make sure he’s completely focused on you. He absentmindedly rests his head in your palms and nuzzles into them.

“It’s okay, I’m here now. I will not leave you anymore. I’ll stay here for as long as you want me to.”

You let go of his chin and bring his head closer to you for a comforting hug, you sit there in silence.

Until the inevitable happens. You feel a vibration in your pocket and contemplate even taking it out to hang up. You end up letting go of Arven with a soft ‘sorry’, and your hand makes its way to your pocket.

'Hey, are you just trying to toy with my emotions? Is this really just going to happen all over again? Did everything you just say mean nothing to you?'

You take your phone out and answer on speaker. Geeta is fuming and insists that you must be at the champion dinner and that this is incredibly unacceptable and blah blah blah.

Without a care in the world, you utter your next sentence;

“Alright, sure… as long as I get to bring Arven as a date.”

The silence coming from the phone and Arven would be deafening if you even cared a little about what she’d say. Worst case scenario, she starts yelling at you through the phone and you hang up on her and continue to cuddle with Arven, or, best case scenario;

“Fine. Hurry back over to Galar, you should make it on time if you leave in less than an hour. That may give you time to get prepared for the dinner itself.”

As much as you want to stay and comfort Arven, you’d much rather bring him to the Champion dinner as a sign of rebellion. And as a sign of love towards Arven because you are bringing him as a date, but that’s not important.

You quickly stand up and offer your hand to Arven, silently asking him if he accepts your offer to this ‘date’. He grabs your smaller hand, and you’re off to pick out your nicest clothing and hurry over to Galar.

⚛》》》》》◆《《《《《⚛

You and Arven are at long last sitting down, picking away at the fancy food in front of you after such a hectic day.

“Finally.” Arven lets out a sigh of relief, everything that just happened eventually processing.

“Hm?”

“I hope this means we get to spend more time together.”

“I’ll make sure of it. I’ll apologize for being away so much and not being better, and I’m ending that cycle right now. I’ll be there for you whenever you need me, even if I’m just a phone call or text away. I was definitely clear about you being an important contact, so there’ll be no more mix-ups.” You try to lighten the mood, and also want to clarify how important he is to you. Maybe what you said wasn’t enough, let’s try that again.

“Hey.” Arven focuses on your serious expression, as well as the way your hands meet his.

“I’ve loved you this whole time, and I’m going to act on it now. I’ll hug you whenever you need me to, I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek whenever you want. If you need some words of comfort, I’m here.”

“...And if you want a date? Well, I’ll just have to clear my schedule.”

2.11-12.22

4.5hrs

[oxygenbefore1775]

how colors from aot merchandise/official illustrations somehow correspond perfectly with each of the assigned characters

or

aot color analysis

*disclaimer for some controversial character/ship dynamic opinions but also stupid rumblings about color analysis*

Eren - Red

Do I fucking need to say more?

It's like a flag that needs to make itself seen and aknowledged. It spells warning and danger which Eren becomes in his adult years. Red is also agression and hatred, Eren's most prominent personality traits. It's a color most commonly associated with evil and Eren was known to the outside world as Devil of Paradis. But more than anything, red is a color of blood that gets spilled wherever there's violence and slaughter - very indicative of what's become of the Continent after Eren started the Rumbling.

But it's also important to remember that Eren draws blood each time before the transformation. Red is a color of sacrifice in this sense, the passion and zeal which drives Eren to fight. As it does to all of the humanity behind the Walls. Red is a great color for banners, the ones that encourage and lead people into the battle, just like Eren's presence did. In this sense, red bears a positive connotation for Paradisians as it represents life.

And let's not forget that color red is symbolic of warmth. The scarf that Eren gave Mikasa on the day she has lost her family was red. The color is indicative of home that Mikasa found in Eren.

Mikasa - Blue

Or rather navy blue.

Although Mikasa's signature color in anime is red but blue suits her much better. She's a stark contrast to red's aggression and energy. Blue, on the other hand, conveys the same calmness and security that Mikasa does. Blue is the stability which Mikasa craves the most in her life. There's not a lot of blue in the nature (if you don't live by the sea, that is) and the only blue thing commonly available is the sky yet it still very far away and feels foreign. So in that sense, Mikasa is one of a kind on Paradis and seems foreign to other people.

Yet blue also represents sadness. It's the color of the past and serves as the constant reminder of the gone days, bearing negative connotations. Also, blue and red - even if they compliment each other in a way - still create a very strong contrast, much like Eren's resolve to move forward opposing Mikasa's desire to stay behind and not fight the fate. When there's too much of blue, it may come off as unfriendly.

Armin - Yellow

And you thought it'd be blue, huh.

Armin is more than the ocean, he is the sun itself which is represented with color yellow. Invoking a feeling of optimism, it is the literal essence of Armin who stays perseverent and keeps up his spirits in the most dire situations. Much like the sun, survival of many people depends on Armin as he mostly came up with all the battle plans that ensured Paradis' victory. Speaking of plans - yellow is the color of intelligence and "enlightement" which Armin is mostly known for.

But as much as yellow can be optimistic and invigorating, it can also induce anxiety that Armin's sometime riddled with. This color is also representative of deceit - seeing how Armin often used manipulation for his plans to succeed, it seems very fitting.

Jean - Olive Green

Sometimes he's represented through light blue but I completely do not agree with this rendition. *cracks me knuckles* Get ready for a rant on this one.

What can I not say about the color green? It's everywhere, it's the nature, it's the very essence of life, but not in the grandeous and elevated way. Green is all-enveloping but still very much grounded in reality. Just like Jean, it's the representation of practicality as it doesn't reach for the stars and doesn't chase dreams. It symbolizes reason, which is very much Jean's most prominent aspect of personality. This color is the definition and celebration of life that Jean treasures so much. Green also exhudes calming influence and promotes the making of rational decisions in the moments of mayhem - just like with Jean, who often had to take control in his hands during critical situations since he was the only one with a cool head. Besides, green means safety and stability and that where its contrast to red sets in - although Jean is not afraid of danger, he'd assess the risks of a situation beforehand, whereas Eren goes into action recklessly.

Green also has its negative sides. As much as it is realistic, it can also be overly materialistic, turning to greed, represantion of Jean's initial goals when he became a Cadet. It can also symbolize the envy - feeling that Jean often felt towards Eren.

But when it comes to Jean's green - which is olive green - out of all colors of the other characters it reminds of the scout uniform the best. His green is more strict and militaristic, as if symbolizing Jean's true vocation as a soldier and a leader.

A combination of yellow and blue, green has properties of both of those colors. But Jean's olive green seems to have more yellow, signifying the major role the reason has in his life. And, it also makes it more comparable to Armin's yellow, seeing as they have intellectual dynamic going on between them. At the same time, it lacks the calmness of the blue which corresponds with Jean's occasional hot temper and anger outbursts.

Levi - Green

Just like with Jean, Levi's green is the representation of how down-to-earth he is. He doesn't have big dreams of grandeur and his motivations are simple, straightforward and rest on his desire to defend the lives of the innocent and provide others with safety, which is also symbolized through green. It's also the color of the nature and its immortality which in a way corresponds with Levi's persistence and undying resolve in the face of countless dangers. But that, of course, also has its negative connotations since Levi continues to stand, untouched, while he has to bear witness to the deaths of his comrades.

Levi's green is also reminiscent of the cloaks that the scouts used to wear while he's the only one who still wears one. It shows his unwavering loyalty to the old ways and how he still carries the spirit of the former survey corps.

In comparison to Jean's, Levi's green is more rich and cool as it has more blue to it, which represent his self-composure but also wisdom since among other scouts he has much more experience.

Hange - Purple

Oo, this one's going to be interesting.

A mixture of blue and red, two clashing colors, purple is very unique and Hange rocks it so well. First thing first, it's a color of royalty and its authority - quite fitting, seeing as Hange was in the leading positiion as the head of the survey corp. Color purple has also always been associated with ingenious minds. Purple welcomes knowledge and anything knew really, like Hange who is eager to learn if opportunity presents itself. It also represents knowledge - not grounded in reality one, but almost extraterrestial and mysterious. This color encourages to dream of something otherwordly. Part red, it also conveys passion, mostly passion for learning so it makes sense in a way that Hange and Eren were once united over their shared passion for titan knowledge. By some accounts, purple is described to be the color of insane emotions and energy which obvioulsy calls back to Hange's vigor that can be overwhelming sometimes. But on the other side, purple also has blue, a representative of authority and security that they, no doubt, bestowed upon their comrades and friends.

[starry2959]

A new Angel on the Block

But not for long

a/n: Aaaaaaa- first fanfic everrr. This is going to be a series where a gender-neutral (Y/N) is an angel, a Seraphim related to Sera and Emily who has been gone a while... They may not quite agree with Heaven's actions thus far and things might get a little messy. Eventually will be LuciferxReader, but we've got a few parts before things get juicy (brevity is not my strong suit...)

I hope you enjoy! <3

Part 1, eventual Luciferxreader. (Y/N) supports rebirth/reincarnation in my au and the Soul Department is responsible for making new Souls to go to Earth.

Extermination Day. Members of the Angelic army line up before the battle to hear Adam give a speech. The members of the hotel and their cannibalistic allies prepare themselves for battle- staring up at the sky awaiting the portal to open and the hordes to rain down. 

Up in Heaven the day continues like any other. The majority of angelic residents have no clue something Hell-shattering is happening. For them, it is another Tuesday. 

Sera and Emily enjoy breakfast, though they are two of the few angels who know what is to happen today. Sera’s morning meeting with Adam did not go as she had hoped- unable to calm him in his rage, he left that meeting just as hungry for blood as ever. Emily is upset that so many souls will be lost today and her sister does nothing to stop it. Sera has tried to console her, telling her that they will be replaced by the Soul Department in no time, but Emily rebuffs her. She knows full well that so much will be lost with those souls today, after all, human life is precious- whether in life or afterlife. 

At the base of the skyscraper the two Seraphim reside in, a new angel stands. Well, you’re not new. You’re quite old in fact, older than Emily at least. The middle Seraphim sibling, garbed in a middle-ages era set of armor, white leather armor with an angelic steel-plated breastplate stamped with the seal of heaven in the center, armor for your arms and legs, and a dark blue cloth hanging between your legs, stitched with the seal of Heaven again. Under your arm is a bird’s head shaped helmet. You stand at the base of the building, silver wings twitching, adjusting to the crisp Heaven air. You take a deep breath, preparing yourself to see your sisters again after so many years. 

“I don’t understand why you can’t just stop him, Sera! You’re a Seraphim for goodness’ sake!” Emily exclaims, exasperated. “You out rank him- just tell him you made a mistake in letting him do this in the first place and stop it here! Before any more souls are lost.” It seems their peaceful breakfast has been disturbed by the elephant in the room. 

“I can’t stop him, Emily. The Elder Council has approved it. There’s nothing we can do.” Sera tries to calm her sister down, afraid that too much show of disagreement with the Council’s decisions will end poorly for her youngest sister. 

“We both know the Extermination is wrong. Human souls should not be pointlessly slaughtered for his enjoyment! It’s wrong.” Emily says. 

“I know it's not ideal, but they were going to riot against us eventually. How else were we to decrease the numbers of sinners?” Sera’s fingers pinch the bridge of her nose, frustrated. 

“(Y/N) talked of rebirth, couldn’t they be reincarnated?” Emily mumbles under her breath.

Sera stands. A frown turns her face sour as she stares down at Emily, angry. “Do not speak of that. We don’t know that it’s a viable option, and the Council has forbidden talk of it. Do not bring it, or them, up again. Understood?” Sera’s voice is firm, she needs to express the importance of this to her sister. The gravity of speaking of something so blasphemous. 

Emily glares at her sister, defensive. “We saw that demon improve at the trial, he met all of Adam’s requirements, yet you turned him down for redemption. You won’t stop this Extermination, dooming him and every other hopeful sinner to death. What do you expect them to do? Nothing? Accept their fate? They have nowhere to go and no one to turn to. They are truly lambs at the slaughter and you see nothing wrong with that?” 

Sera looks away, ashamed. She opens her mouth to respond but Emily interrupts her; “At least give them an option- to be redeemed, to try, to improve. To see the light. Or choose to face your Exterminators. It's against our morals to kill, yet here we are. And human souls… I just can’t…” She turns away from her Sera, tears forming in her eyes. 

“Emily…” Sera reaches a hand out to her, to try to comfort her confused sister. This is simply the way it must be, why can’t she see that? The Council’s word is final. 

On the other side of the door, you’ve been standing, listening to this conversation for a few minutes now. Extermination? What are they talking about? What has happened since you’ve been gone? 

You swing open the door, knocking as you do; “Heyyyy guys, bad time?” You say with a slight smile, hoping to lighten the mood. 

Both sisters swivel towards you, blindsighted. Sera’s face drops in shock and Emily jumps with joy. “(Y/N)!! Oh my gosh!! It’s been so long!” She flies into your open arms, and you drop your helmet in the process of catching her. 

“Woah, wow Emmy! Look how big you’ve grown- and your wings! They are so beautiful, I knew you would turn into the prettiest angel of us all. Sera-” You turn to your older sister with a tight smile and nod. She’s recovered from your sudden arrival and turns to greet you with a hug as well.

“(Y/N). We’ve missed you very much. When did you get back?” Sera calmly asks, a little angry the Council gave her no notice her rambunctious younger sibling would be home. 

“Oh, not long ago. Barely had time to drop off my gear before coming here. How are you guys? It’s only been a few hundred years we’ve got to catch up on.” You say with a smile and sit at the table with your sisters. 

After chatting for a little while, you decide to bring up the elephant in the room again. “Sooo, I couldn’t help but hear a little of what you two were talking about before I came in.” You pause, testing the waters to see how pissed Sera would be at your snooping. She doesn’t react, as far as you can tell, so you continue. 

“What is the Extermination?” You ask cluelessly.

Sera chokes on her tea- she hoped that wasn’t what you were going to ask. Anything but that. Emily looks forlorn and stares at the ground, leaving Sera to respond. To account for what she has allowed to happen. 

“Well, (Y/N). Since you’ve been gone, the population in Hell has become… unsustainable. For fear that they would amass the numbers required to attack Heaven, we instated an… Extermination… to quell the rebellion.” Sera sips her tea once more. 

“What? Attack Heaven? How would they even do that? Sinners don’t have a way to get here, no way to open a portal, no weapons that could hurt us. Why would that be a concern?” You ask, confused. Hell had never been a problem before. Sure, Lilith’s singing didn’t help, but all it really did was cause riots, which doesn’t impact Heaven. Has Lilith turned Hell against us? You can see no other way Hell would be a threat. They’re much too disorganized on their own to actually attack Heaven, even if they had weapons and a portal. And even if they did- your army would wipe the insurrectionists out before they even reached the pearly gates. It would be utterly pointless. 

“Well, Adam believed-” You cut her off. “Adam?” 

Sera nods, refusing to look you in the eye.

 “Adam, as in the first man, Adam? That Adam?” You ask again in disbelief. “What does that brute have to do with anything?” 

Sera slowly looks at you for a moment before closing her eyes and sipping her tea once more. She then says: “Yes, that Adam. We instated him as your replacement as General of the Angelic Army.” 

You look at her in utter disbelief. No way. No way they gave your army, your girls to that… pig. That useless waste of a halo is in charge of your army. You built that army from the ground up- literally. You made each and every one of those angels yourself. Trained them, taught them battle strategies, fortified Heaven’s defense with them. Because that’s what they were for. Defense. 

“So… so let me get this straight.” You say, standing and placing your hands together in front of your mouth as a reminder to watch your words. “You let Adam- a human soul- control my army of Heaven-born angels.” 

Sera nods.

“And you listen to him? Are you insane? Because he is. He is deranged and obsessed with his life on Earth. And you gave him the most powerful tool Heaven has to offer. Wow Sera, I can’t believe…” you trail off.

“He is an Archangel. He is more than capable of handling the army and the duties that go along with it.” Sera states simply. She sets the cup of tea down and turns her gaze to yours. 

You are still stunned. 

“So, okay. Archangel. Right. I am a Seraphim! And the rightful leader of the army- why didn’t you take over, Sera??” You ask, frantic now. Dreading what nonsense Adam has fed her. You know she doesn’t have the time to lead the army, but you would have hoped she’d pick a better interim General than Adam. 

“I did what I had to do, (Y/N). Adam was who the Council picked.” 

“Oh the Council, how could I forget about the Council?” you snark. 

“Careful (Y/N). You know what happens when you question the Council.” Sera responds standing up to face you fully. The two of you face off while Emily pipes up; “Why don’t you tell them what the Extermination is, Sera?” She bats her eyelashes at the eldest Seraphim. 

Your head turns from Emily slowly to face Sera, your fangs bared. 

“Yes Sera, what is the Extermination?”

…

“You mean to tell me…” You stop, the room spinning around you.

No. 

No. Your Army. Killing human souls?? What were they thinking?? Why would the Council ever approve of that? 

“They go down there… They kill… and you? You let them? You approved that? You presented that to the Council and said ‘Hey guys, here’s a great solution for a problem that Adam fucking made up?!’” Your voice rises to a shout as your eyes glow silver and your fangs extend.

You were given some more… intimidating characteristics at your creation as you were intended for war. They show themselves when you are angry, and you are angry. 

“(Y/N). Calm down.” Sera’s words do nothing. Silver dust starts pooling in the room as you stew in your rage. Emily flies up to meet your eyes. She motions for you to take a deep breath and you do, the dust dispersing. You take one final deep breath and turn to Sera. 

“So Adam… convinced you to do this Extermination. How bad was it? How many souls did you kill?” you ask. Emily has returned to the ground and glances at Sera, afraid that if Sera answers your question, she might lose a sister today. 

She turns back to you and says; “Countless. The Extermination was not just a one time thing… They do it every year. Well…” She trails off, turning to Sera who picks up where she left off. “Now it is every six months, as of today.” She responds curtly.

You nearly fall to your knees. Every six months? How many souls could that even leave in Hell? Are they trying to truly exterminate the entirety of Hell? Dear Lord… 

You’re silent for a few moments. Wait. 

“As of today? What’s today?” You ask. 

“The Extermination.” Emily responds solemnly. 

No. This is not happening. Not on your watch. You stand and pick up your helmet. “I’m going down there.” You state simply. 

“What?” Both sisters respond in tandem. “You are not going down there (Y/N)! Be reasonable, the Council just allowed you to come home, please. Please let’s talk about this.” Sera steps toward you and you turn, eyes a fiery silver as you say: “Maybe they shouldn’t have allowed me to come home.” 

You walk out the door without a second glance.

[topaztimes]

Drago-Mel Invictus

Here’s the first character of the many yet to follow. Drago is the queen of the 5th reality and rules with her brother. She vanquished the Councils -- the government that was there before her -- and brought order back to Panel 0.

   This means nothing to you yet. I hope that soon this will be something you look back on for explanations of the amazing things that future me will create... but that’s probably not going to end up happening, lol. Still worth trying! The future is still mine to create.

Anyways, back to Drago; she is the Blue Spirit and is bound to the 5th. She has a calm temperament and constant wise judgement, which all hide a secret -- she’s been battling a dreary fight with severe depression for almost as long as she’s been alive, which is an abhorrent thought when you realise that she’s been around since before Earth and will continue to be eons afterwards.

   However, the Blue Royal Guard and Eogore, her mentor, keep her sane, which definitely helps her in her role of leading the Zeroians (those who live on Panel 0).

She has a thirst to prove herself to those around her -- perhaps a feeling fostered by her brother being more popular than her when they were younger -- and an overwhelming ambition to be as just as she can possibly be, for the sake of her people. She adapts a sleek, calm disposition when seen publicly, but when she’s with people she trusts, she has a foul sense of humour and a winning smile.

   Her moral compass is strong and unwavering, her drive directed towards a singular goal that she wholeheartedly believes in, yet she falters when she realises that even though she is omnipotent in her own right, her power is restricted solely to the 5th reality -- namely, the only one that can’t physically affect the others, rendering her magic useless when it comes to events in the actually important places. She is terrified of change, of making decisions, and used to struggle with her speech -- but Eogore never left her side over all of those years, growing her into the queen that she needed to be. Now they await the Key to the 5th’s awakening just as eagerly as everybody else.

On a lighter note, have some drawings, bahahaha (all by me, including the first drawing that I showed)

^Technically outdated reference sheet

A silly doodle of her holding one of her favourite dresses (yes I know she’s naked 99% of the time, it’s because she’s a feminist)

Her with her brother, Void

Her with icecream and little friend

Original caption: Drago when you start talking about internet culture and she remembers that she’s got to be doing something

And here’s a madly outdated drawing from 2020 (TWENTY TWENTY!!?????) but I still kind of like the vibe so why not lmfao

Let me know if you have any questions about her, or questions that you’d like to ask her! I’ll always draw her response.

[fatefulfaerie]

A Deal With God

For the weekly prompt from @zelinkcommunity . This week was decisions!

Link was all too aware of his haste as he knelt before the ethereal being, attempting to remember every bit of the formality he once forgot. Everything he had been told about this goddess from spined tomes and Hylian rumors contradicted themselves, and so he focused on speaking clearly and trying not to let his eagerness get the better of him.

“I have journeyed the skies,” he began evenly, his head bowed in feigned piety. “I have reforged the sword that seals the darkness, and harnessed the power of Zonai, all to reach this sacred place and curry favor with you, the Goddess of Time. I am a mere mortal seeking, begging to incur a supernatural thing, and only you can grant me what I wish.”

“Your heart is heavy, young one,” the Goddess of Time spoke, her voice neither male nor female, not low nor high. She shouted with a whisper and showed strength with gentility. It echoed, as if three or four voices were beyond her golden face. “Speak your truth, as it cannot lie.”

Link stood up. His power was undeniable, the Master Sword gleamed brighter than it ever had and lean-built muscles were broadcasted elegantly via the half-open green fabric draped along his left shoulder. His right hand and forearm shone turquoise, ebbing like a beating heart, with sharp nails that could cut through diamond.

“My...” Link hesitated as he allowed his heart to pang. The memory was both temporally distant and unabashedly raw. He could still smell her corpse in his nostrils, rotting as if she were long gone. The only thing stronger than that odor was Link’s denial.

“I lost someone,” he explained, as if she were merely misplaced. “Someone very important to me. With the power you once gifted the Zonai, I can rewind time, but not in the capacity which I seek. I would like to be rewound more than a few seconds. I want to go back several months, to the exact moment she fell. With my powers I can rewrite her fate at that moment, but I need you to take me there.”

“A grand request,” the goddess said, Link listening impatiently, his formality degrading. “Indeed, for a request so grand, it would seem the reward should be grander. Hero of Hyrule, for all your toil, would you not want to rewrite your story on a grander scale? Rescind the Great Calamity and your love’s past troubles, save the lives of so many?”

Link furrowed his brow.

“I am not the Hero of Hyrule anymore,” he said, his voice backed by equal parts determination and ire. “Everything I’ve done is for her, for our future together. I’ve mourned the past already, please don’t make me mourn her.”

The goddess closed her eyes and held out her hands. Her palms were facing Link, and yet they were quite aimed afar.

“Yes...future...”

She smiled and chuckled.

“I see it too...”

Her eyes could be seen moving in her lids, yet soon her eyes reopened and her hands descended.

“You are like no hero before you, Link,” she observed. “And none after you. In fact, I suspect you are the very last of the cycle, considering the manner in which you bested the behemoth known across time as hatred incarnate. You are the last in a line of Links who lost, and yet the first to demand a happy ending. I must commend you for that, but I cannot do what you ask without demanding a price.”

Link seemed confused.

“A price?”

She nodded, her hands clasping in front of her.

“As a Hylian, you learn of the goddess Hylia, a benevolent angel born of goodness and pure of heart. You also learn of the demon Demise, a being who cast aside the blessings imparted on him and vowed to destroy and to hate. The power of these two entities was so strong it carried into an endless battle that spanned generations of helpless victims, one of which a pitiless Gerudo man named Ganondorf. In all this, I have been the constant mediator, the referee of an infinite sport. You see time connects all these things and more, and thus as the neutral party, I am neither good nor bad, neither benevolent nor cruel. A wish such as this must be balanced with a toll of equal sacrifice, a fair trade not made unequal by kindness or stinginess.”

“I-I’ll give you anything,” Link insisted. “Anything except my life.”

The goddess smiled and shook her head, waving her hand alongside her negation of his terms.

“Your life is far too valuable,” she said. “I much prefer your arm, the one on the right, and the sword, the one you hold to your left.”

Link was shocked, and stammered speechlessly as he looked down at the gold-encrusted turquoise arm. He looked back up at her with small shakes of his head.

“No...I...”

He looked down and up again.

“No,” he pleaded. “This is how I can save her. I can reverse time on her body after she falls, I can lift her...I-I could even stretch down and catch her with this. There are so many ways I could save her and all of them involve the Zonai powers imbued into my arm. How will I save her?”

“That is not my question to answer,” she said. “To you I ask that and this: do you lose all the power you’ve built to risk this one chance to save her, or do you stay in this time and move on?”

Link only felt his breath as he pondered it all, his gaze looking at nothing in particular as even the gold of the Goddess of Time became a commonplace sight.

He tossed the hilt of the Master Sword in his hand so that the blade pointed backwards instead. Just that small reminder of weight begged him not to say goodbye to the spirit within the sword, who he had met and betrayed and befriended and bonded and broken and reforged again and again for what seemed like a thousand lifetimes. He hesitated as he looked down at his unliving companion.

“It’s time, Master,” he heard with a chime. The Goddess of Time either did not hear or did not care to react to the otherworldly voice. Link’s next inhale was shaky as he looked with pity at a face he could almost see.

But, he nodded in response to the voice and handed over the Master Sword hilt-first. Link expected the Goddess of Time to wield it, yet all she touched the hilt with was a mere fingertip and it disintegrated into gold dust, ebbing away alongside the calm breeze of the skies.

Next, Link tentatively held out his arm before him, wincing and closing his eyes as he thought of the struggle to come, reminding himself that his excitement to see her again was laced with the knowledge that he’d have to relive his worst memory, and remedy it at that.

How…

How would he pull this off?

Link nodded and opened his eyes, his gaze guarded and timid.

“Do it,” he said, the goddess tapping a single finger on one of his.

Not only did the power disappear from his arm, but the arm itself too was disappearing freckle by freckle as Link watched with wide eyes and a shocked gasp as every bit of his right-side mobility simply withered away. When it was all finished, his shoulder was a stub and the cursed etchings were gone. Panic danced in his eyes, yet when he breathed to voice his complaint, only an insulted scoffs echoed in his throat.

“You know better than anyone that the malice was eroding at your arm when the Zonai powers took root. In fact, it’s why the Zonai powers took root. Without those powers, the consequences of the initial damage remains.”

Link wanted to protest, yet this was the way to Zelda, this was the ‘anything’ he had advertised, and he was determined to see her again.

No sword.

No Zonai abilities.

Only one arm.

And only one chance to save her.

He’d have to make it worth it.

Link nodded, terrified. Excited, exhilarated, but terrified. Just do the impossible this one time, and everything else is possible. His long, dirty blonde hair billowed in the wind and he let his love for Zelda once again soar in his heart. He closed his eyes and felt the hand of a tall goddess place itself upon the top of his head.

[justworthlessreblogs]

waffleverse: full bibury fic author's notes

this fic is so long and i had so many writing decisions/notes i wanted to talk about that they couldn't all fit in ao3's 5000 character limit. so i figured i might as well put them here. they'll be under a cut to prevent any accidental spoilers!

writing notes:

- first off this fic drove me CRAZY. another one of its nicknames was “the frankenfic” because i really did feel like i had 3 fics i was shoving into one. and it also took on a life of its own. every day i wake up and scold myself for deciding that covering 33-40 was a good idea. it was not helped by me not having many strong feelings about any of the episodes in that set, which led to me feeling really bored when writing them, and then in the last month of writing i said “fuck it, we ball” and started just making up shit. i also remembered Hey I Made Bibury Try To Kill Rio Back In May I Should Do Something About That. so you get bibury backstory! plus i was sad that they never explore her’s and rio’s time working under noir in canon aside from like. one scene in episode 18

- rio is trying his best to be better at emotions but it is definitely an uphill battle and not linear. the other cures meant well by accepting bibury so easily - after all, it didn’t really work out that great when they were constantly suspicious of him - but he didn’t see it the same way they did. in his eyes bibury was getting away with everything even though she did similar things to him. this was inspired by how the show itself does not seem to ever hold bibury accountable (at least as of where i’m at) but makes it very clear that rio needed to do something to make up for what he did (which i am fine with! this is not a “omg poor rio he was so hated by the writers” moment. i just found it interesting and thought i could explore it)

- episode 37 was the reason for like. nearly all of my original writer's block. it almost got cut, but in the end 34 got the chopping block instead because i felt that bibury didn't really have a justification to be there and 36 got basically entirely cut because i thought it was boring. plus 37 was just… too important to not acknowledge unfortunately. i still definitely want to write a waffleverse version of 34, though, i just think it’d work better on its own! which is why i summarized it here. i had the entire thing written out and saved it, so the original version will probably get uploaded to spice of life someday

- rio being like “i am so mad at my sister. however she is upset so i will make her waffles” was very funny to me. the duality of rio kuroki

- i left the bib & rio talk at the end open-ended, since i had so many things they could have possibly discussed that i couldn’t fit them all in naturally no matter how hard i tried. so let your imaginations go wild lol. however i guess i do have to thank that original draft of their conversation since it was the thing that finally, finally, made me figure out what i wanted from this fic - exploring not just bibury, but bibury and rio. this fic was originally a lot more ciel-heavy than what the final product ended up being, and frankly bib & rio didn’t interact much at all, and i wasn’t able to get to the bottom of why they still hated each other until i remembered. hey. attempted murder

- you are all so lucky that i ended up incorporating 26 into this fic because the original plan was for the scenes that changed to be stuck into spice of life when i got around to writing them someday. the mcu-ification of waffleverse is defeated for another day

- no fantastic animale because i really dislike those super forms and the attack. this is one of two times i have actively disregarded canon, i usually try to stick as close to canon events as possible (which is why the crystal animals are in this. you have no idea how badly i wanted to cut them). fantastic animale is Just That Bad. this was literally the first thing i decided after i started planning this fic. so animal-go-round is powerful enough in this ‘verse. just roll with it please

- no "do sweets bring sadness?" dilemma here because i didn't vibe with that part of the episode. i was looking forward to bibury shenanigans :( the crystal animals are just cielbib shippers /j

- if the writing seems disjointed i apologize it's because this thing was written on and off over a period of 3 months and is also super long

- i had so much fun writing the bathroom scene. finally allowing myself silly rights. the flashback scenes were also really enjoyable

- i messed with the yukari v. kirarin fight because i was a little disappointed with how it played out in canon. yukari tells everyone right away here because she had a Realization because of part 4. kirarin is more resistant than the average fairy to diable in this universe but not fully immune

- RIO FINALLY GETS TO SAY FUCK WOOHOO i've waited so long for this. also bibury is definitely a character who would cuss if the show's rating wasn't the japanese equivalent of tv-y7 so i was a little looser here

- you all know it in your hearts that aoi was 100% a vine kid. also there was no way i was letting that joke slip past me

- did the math and i'm preeettty sure that rio's age in the prologue section checks out with the waffleverse timeline? when i started this series i was under the impression that rio had been gone for way longer than what the series ended up implying, and so in waffleverse i decided he was gone for about a year. he's 12-about-to-turn-13 in the prologue and 14 in the present (his & ciel’s birthday was shortly after part 4!)

-bib starts calling him rio pretty quickly because a) she may have been evil, but she respects people's preferred name choices and b) yukari already had an arc about realizing how he's not julio anymore and i really didn't want to write that same arc a second time!

- waffle’s secondary attack finally shows up!!! waffle protége my beloved. giving him some sort of barrier just Felt Right (and waffles are the perfect shape for it). i like to think he can split it apart and use it offensively a la rosetta reflection. it was originally supposed to show up in 34 (which got cut) then in 37 (then i cut the battle from the episode since it felt very forced) and then i worried i wouldn’t be able to fit it in at all but got the opportunity with the climax rewrite

- in regard to bib's aging i'm going with "noir's presence slowed down her aging a lot somehow, so she may be chronologically 106 or so, but in all other aspects she's around 13-14 and will now start aging normally again". the same would've happened to rio had he stayed with noir longer. insert noir child labor joke here

- hey remember that time noir tried to take rio back!? i guess 40 kinda busted that for canon by establishing he sees them all as expendable but in my defense while i was writing part 3 i saw it more as a twilight-dyspear situation. and then i ran with that. at this point i’m just gonna have to accept that waffleverse isn’t purely canon divergence any more thanks to me writing it as i watch the show, which leads to the show debunking things from earlier parts 

- was a bit disappointed that the great fairy meeting episode didn't really involve, well, a meeting. so they actually get some time to talk strategy here! i'm so sad the technological limitations of ichigoyama meant that i couldn't have waffle give a powerpoint presentation on noir like i wanted to. it would've been so funny. maybe i'll make it for fun someday

- yeah i messed with episode 40 like. a lot. sorry. it's just how it ended up working out tbh. i actually debated back and forth for literal months on if i should give bib a "canon cure waffle" moment or not, and nearly did it, but decided against it because in the end it just didn't feel quite right for a multitude of reasons. so you were going to get fairy combat and then bib yelling at grave instead. and then that got rewritten once i decided i wanted to expand more on why rio & bib are so antagonistic to each other. you can still see traces of the original climax though in ciel showing up with the fairies, as well as the part where bib confronts grave! bib also originally wasn’t supposed to be dragged into the town with them, she was gonna stay on the mountain and then venture down with ciel and the fairies. but rio said Nope She’s Coming With Us once the fic's course changed direction

- my beta enabled me on the "bibury hasn't slept in an actual bed in a century" thing. i originally sent it to him as a joke. he told me to go ahead with it. but let's be real noir would do something fucked up like that

- let waffle fight the townspeople 2k23. this is the other time i actively disregarded canon in the fic idc what it says He Would Do It

- bibury’s verbal beatdown of grave was inspired by her canon one in episode 40

- ciel & bib's relationship isn't gonna progress past "mutual crush" at any point in waffleverse simply because i cannot write romance sorry. rest assured it blossoms into a beautiful love story. they get married on the island where they met properly for the first time. rio is ciel's best man

- i came to the realization that a lot of my decisions regarding this fic were along the lines of "fuck canon". idk what that means

[gendrie]

what are your favourite things about arya that draw u to her character. also im wondering if u think arya might lead the brotherhood in some capacity (ik shes gonna be like 12 but idgaf) and what characters are gonna be important in her endgame (tdos) outside of the usual cast

this is a lot to unpack but lets go! first things first: arya’s intensity and depth of feeling is what drew me to her. her love and her anger are so sincere and so powerful. her emotions are a crucial aspect of her arc too. it’s not just relevant to her characterization but her actual plot. she is currently in a place that would have her suppress her “loves and hates” but they’re so strong she will never be able to do it. with arya we have a vulnerable little girl and a fierce direwolf existing in one package. that dichotomy is one of my favorite things about her. she's generous and protective and loving. she's fierce and audacious and cunning. she's scared and insecure and ashamed. you get it all with arya! and the elements of her arc like her association: nature, family, war, ect are really appealing to me. her storyline is dynamic and exciting. anytime, i’m reading an arya chapter i’m having a great time. i could go on forever but you gave me other things to address lol. 

as far as (unexpected?) characters who will be important to her endgame, specifically? thats a difficult bit of speculation for me. i’m really not thinking about ados that much yet. im like hyper fixated on the braavos plot mostly.......but to hit the brotherhood part of your ask real quick: YES! we already saw arya, at 10, lead the brotherhood at the stoney sept and on a mission of mercy no less. like that was arya! theres nymeria uniting all the wolves of the riverlands into a single pack she leads too. the foreshadowing is not subtle. arya should be the one to take over leading the bwb and restore them to their true purpose ned gave them.

ok so the past couple months, i’ve reread mercy a crazy number of times. i’m a lil obsessed. it’s a chapter with a lot going on and i think its is going to launch arya into an entirely new phase in her arc. but yeah, one of the main things it reinforces is that because of her trauma killing has become easy for arya. look, personally? am i clutching my pearls over her killing raff? no. but grrm is going to want to check her on it. trust me. i think that’s where lady stoneheart could come in. that is a killing that would not be so easy.

arya is very traumatized and there’s no erase button for that. she knows what its like to be a prisoner, to be in battle, to witness torture, to starve, to be enslaved, to take a life - and those will always influence her decisions in a lot of ways but not exclusively in bad ways. arya’s experiences are not associated, generally, with leadership potential, but they should be. leaders should understand the costs of war and few know that as well as arya. she is an extremely resilient character. she finds a lot of her strength in her pack. no matter what she has gone thru arya always makes friends and values those social connections. i do think that sense of community will be her salvation. (which is why the show ending and a certain degree of fandom support for said ending are so horrendous)

pivoting back to arya and lady stoneheart to say that i agree with you. i feel like meeting lsh......will help arya more then it hurts her? and it will hurt a lot, but arya is already mourning her mother and catelyn is dead! i cannot stress that enough. lady stoneheart =/= catelyn. grrm has explicitly said this. she is a remnant of catelyn's darkest feelings in a reanimated corpse. literally. but she can still provide arya with the closure that she needs. if arya doesnt meet lsh and continues to think catelyn wouldnt of wanted her back......to me thats bleaker than arya giving her mercy. it's not going to destroy arya or send her into that place she was in post trw. lady stoneheart is a soul in torment and she is searching for arya. they need each other. arya did not spend all that time in hob&w learning that death can be peaceful and gentle for no reason either, ya know? it comes for everyone. thats a part of life. thats a part of growing up. (its a part of stories too!) in the end, arya will probably have the greatest understanding of life and death in the entire series and that is invaluable.

[chaoticspacefam]

SWTOR Alliance Commander Ask Game!

Good god I found this in my drafts from like 5ever ago, oopsieee. Better late than never ig? :’)

I was tagged by the wonderful @outcastcommander, thank you Cast! :’D I’m super late to the party (as usual), so apologies for any repeat tags etc. qAq

I’m not tagging anyone in this purely because I am so fucking late to this party I’m so sorry ;w; XD but if you want to do this then go for it!!

1) Who’s your Alliance Commander? What class are they? Alignment? Random other facts you wanna share?

I actually have 2(3 counting Aria!) that all take different “parts” of the Commander storyline if you will.

Vano Shenly - Neutral Good/Light IV - Sith Warrior. The one who takes a carbonite nap, and who ends up subjected to Valkorion in her head. Aria’s wife and (one of) the one(s) who can actually keep Aria’s...murder tendencies, under control.

Saarai Ahaszaai - Chaotic Good/Light III - “Sith Warrior” (not actually a warrior and is in fact a descendant of the former Sith Royal Line, forced into exile when Valkorion/Vitiate took over the Empire as otherwise she would’ve been killed), Takes the Eternal Empress half of the Commander saga and commands the Eternal Fleet. Extremely tired of Valkorion’s shit, wants to Go Back To Her Beach Hut On Rishii Please And Thank You. XD

Aria Saal-Shenly - Chaotic Neutral/Dark II - Jedi Consular (Sith Assassin). Worked as a Sith plant for years, culminating in the Assault On Tython flashpoint battle. “Local dumbass tries to fight Satele and gets her vibes checked into next YEAR” LMAO. Vano’s wife, would fistfight Valkorion to get him out of Vano’s head if that were physically possible.  Technically not a full Commander in that she doesn’t take any of the “important” story strands but she’s Vano’s Emotional Support Commander ok? /lh

2) What’s a reason or two you like that this character is your Commander?

Vano - She was the first toon I ever did the expansions with, so she kinda got slid into the Commander role by default there. I’m also very much of the angle that the Alliance genuinely is a melting pot of all the better things from both Jedi and Sith and having Vano be (one of) the leader(s) of that really helps to show that. She’s not perfect and has done some dicey things and killed some people she shouldn’t have in the past, but for the most part just wants to solve things as peacefully as possible.

Saarai - She’s my favourite. Ahem I mean....I’m a sucker for “long lost princess taking her crown back but not in the way her overbearing ghost mom wanted her to”. Rai’s just a Very Fun character especially being a big and scary Sith who, when you get to know her is Actually A Very Sweet Person and its really fun to have her do the opposite of what’s expected and watch NPCs be super shocked about how nice/chill she is. Rai’s also the only one Strong Enough to actually kill Tenebrae when they get to that point

Aria - Honestly its just funny. Saarai or Vano try to go about things diplomatically and Aria’s first idea is always “Murder? >:)” She’s the one standing behind them with a “Want me to kill them for you? :’))” sign. Also, again, sucker for an anti-hero and Ari fits that bill to a T. She doesn’t like being nice to people but she’ll do it for her wife even if she complains about it at every possible opportunity and its incredibly funny to work with sdkjdhgjkdgj

3) What’s a reason or two you don’t like about them being Commander?

Vano - Despite being nice Most of the Time, she’s a petty ass bitch sometimes and does not know how to let things go, which creates a lot of tension with certain important alliance personnel (Koth, among others...) that makes certain plot points more difficult. There are certain points where she makes very Darksided decisions (due to stress, Valkorion’s influence etc etc) that are pretty Hard for me to stick to even if its what makes the most sense story-wise.

Saarai- SHE’S TOO DAMN NICE AND WANTS TO HELP EVERYONE INCLUDING VAYLIN. Rai please some of these people Legitimately Want To Kill You, they don’t want Hugs /hj

Aria - Same answer as above, re: “want me to kill them?” “NO”. Also when running her through that content I have to pick a lot more DS options than I myself would normally choose to because I know its something Aria Would Do and that is often Challenging for me!

4) Why did this character of all your OCs become Commander?

Vano - She’s canonically Vitiate’s Wrath, so it made most sense for her to deal with the carbonite nap side of the storyline. Also it would be way more boring and confusing if Rai did all of it lmao

Saarai - She’s my favourite. Valkorion/Vitiate/Tenebrae killed her parents and the rest of her family and for the most part I really wanted to give her the opportunity to canonically run him through for that. Girl deserved it after everything she went through cause of what he did to them. Also in spite of Vano’s other life experiences, she often backs down too easily and that’s where Rai comes in. She’s 6 ft 3 and built like a semi truck, she can intimidate people into backing off/calling off attacks without ever actually having to Get Violent, most of the time.

Aria - She and Vano are a package deal, you take em both or you get neither of them. Fully srs LOL

5) Who did they side with? Did they stay loyal or go saboteur? Or maybe you headcanon they defect properly?

At first, they side with Acina/the Empire, but especially towards the newer expansion stuff (AFTER KOTET), even Acina starts to get on their nerves and I headcanon the Alliance goes fully neutral at that point. They refuse to pick a side but can (and do) choose to get between the Imps and the Pubs before they Blow Each Other Up again.

6) Are there any NPC’s from the class stories you’d like to see/HC join the Alliance? Ex: Master Timmns, Ardun Kothe, Watcher One, etc.

YES! I HC that both Catha Niar and Cytharat go with Vano to Odessen/the Alliance (more accurately Catha replaces Quinn as Vano’s second pilot after the Quinncident, and Cytharat becomes apprenticed to my Sith Inquisitor who follows Vano to the Alliance)

I’m also kidnapping Vowrawn and Abaron (even tho Abaron has one (1) sidequest in-game I accidentally gave him Lore so he’s Mine now /hj), they join the Alliance shortly after the Iokath arc :D 

And I would love for Master Timmns to come join the Alliance too tbh, I just haven’t worked out how/when yet! 😅

7) How’s your OC feeling about the current Malgus situation?

I have not actually played fully through anything past the Tenebrae part yet so I’m not 100% sure to have an answer to this. Although, probably “annoyed”. ala “can we not leave you people unsupervised for FIVE MINUTES?!” 😂😂

8) Are any of your other OC’s part of the Alliance? If yes what do they do for the Alliance? Do they get along with your Commander?

Ni’kasi Ahaszaai - Lawful Neutral/Grey/Light I -  Sith Inquisitor. Saarai’s twin sister and Vano’s best friend. She dips out of the Empire the moment Vano and Lana do and goes with them to the original meet-up on Yavin IV, and this only cements her decision to defect to the Alliance when she discovers her twin is alive and also leading it alongside Vano. Ni’kasi is part of Vano and Rai’s inner circle of advisors, or the Alliance High Council if you will (alongside Lana, Koth, Theron, Hylo etc etc.). Ni’kasi is in charge of the Force Enclave as she’s the most experienced with the Force Fuckery side of things, in all honesty hahaha Adores Rai the most but is pretty close with Aria and Vano as well and considers them her best friend/a good friend respectively!

Merak Shenly & Ziv’erikreen - True Neutral/Light II - Smugglers. Merak is Vano’s little brother, and Ziri is the street kid he accidentally-on-purpose adopted after he found her as an orphan in a run down hospital on Taris. They work for Hylo as the Alliance’s main cargo freighter/transport pilots! They love Vano & Aria but Saarai kinda scares them. Giant Sith Lady = Scary, even if she’s Nice All The Time. Merak can’t quite shake the Sith = Bad mentality after all it was the Sith that took Vano from them on Mirial even if Rai had nothing to do with that, it’s a hurdle he can’t get past D:

Tyûk Ahaszaai - Neutral Good/Light IV/V - “Sith Warrior” - Saarai’s son and Ni’kasi’s nephew. Like Rai, he has the SW class in-game but doesn’t enter the plot until Forged Alliances/Rishii because he and Rai are hiding out there. He’s just happy to be here, honestly XD He’s not very good at fighting (and hates doing so) but he is an extremely talented blacksmith/weaponsmith. If someone in the Alliance has a broken saber or damaged armour, Ty’s the one they go to to get it fixed up uvu He adores his mom and thinks Va and Ari are “okay”. Aria’s a little stabby for his tastes. Vano’s alright but where Vano goes, so does Aria so he tends to prefer to stay away from them bc he...doesn’t really like Aria hahaha

D’leah Ahaszaai - Lawful Evil/Dark I/II - “Sith Inquisitor”/Force ghost - D’leah’s already dead by the time the Alliance is made, but she’s one of the Force ghosts hitching a ride in Kas’s head so by extension she does end up here lol. She’s the only ghost Ni’kasi doesn’t “release” after the Thanaton fight, because for the most part she kinda still likes having her mom to go to for advice 🥲 Come the time of the Alliance setting up on Odessen, D’leah tends to hang around the Force Enclave watching them teach the kids and occasionally giving the twins advice when/if they ask for it, rather than being directly attached to Kas herself, but as long as the girls are happy to have her there then her ghost ass is staying right on Odessen and not leaving hahaha Surprisingly, likes all 3 of the commanders and ofc loves her daughters tho she and Rai had a bit of a confrontation first (there’s backstory stuff they had to sort out first before they could go back to being OK :3)

I also have a (Light-side) Jedi Knight that I plan on chucking into the mix at some point but she is very much Not Fleshed Out At All rn so I can’t say any more than that currently LOL

9) How does your OC feel about Odessen? (Bonus: how do you feel about it)

They like it! It’s peaceful and balanced in the Force, what’s not to like about it? :D Saarai and Ni’kasi in particular are quite fond of it as its a bit closer to Dromund Kaas and/or Medriaas than say, Rishii was, and so it reminds them of their childhood etc etc,

Also I LOVE Odessen, I just wish we could explore more of it when not directly involved in the quest parts. LET ME GO RUN AROUND IN THE JUNGLE BIOWARE I BEG

10) How does your Commander feel about being the Commander?

Vano - She’s committed to trying to provide a safe haven that doesn’t force Force sensitives (esp. younger ones) to make an impossible choice between family & learning about the Force so she’s all in 100%. She’s not perfect and makes mistakes sometimes but that’s what her advisors are there for!

Saarai - She doesn’t exactly like it, but she understands that she has a natural air of authority and that people look up to and/or respect her. Her attitude is very much “If I don’t do this for them, no one will” sort of deal. But she’s never wanted to be a leader she just wants to go back to the beach with her son before all this complicated stuff happened ;-;

Aria - Actually enjoys it. She doesn’t like being the one calling all the shots but she’s taken surprisingly well to helping Vano with it.

11) Favorite place in the Alliance base?

Vano & Aria - I’m not really sure tbh, they really like the whole planet and don’t have a specific fav place.

Saarai - definitely the jungle. It reminds her of Dromund Kaas which she’s never been back to without having to worry about Diplomacy so she likes that she can just wander off into the jungle and sit out there and watch the wildlife for a bit and pretend that it is Kaas <’3

12) Favorite mission in KotFE?

Chapter 4 where they get the Gravestone, and Chapter 14/the Blood Hunt flashpoint where they first meet Shae Vizla and her Mandos. I care that Mando husband/wife duo so much ok. ;w;

13) Favorite mission in KotET?

Chapter 6 where you crash that big party of Vaylin’s. It’s so much fun. Also the final boss fight is p cool :’3

14) Least favorite mission in either? Why?

The fucking walker missions. That needs no other explanation LOL

15) Is your Commander successful because they’re skilled? Or are they perhaps just really lucky?

Honestly, a bit of both for all 3 of them lmao

Vano - She’s an incredibly talented saber duellist, and also has the most experience (much to her dismay) with Vitiate/Valkorion so naturally it made sense for her to be the leader as she’d know how to “deal with” him best.

Saarai - Slightly because of Luck since its Sheer Dumb Luck that she got away from Vitiate’s Inquisitors and they were too stupid to Check How Many Kids D’leah Had And Make Sure There Was More Than Just One (Kas) before they assumed They’d Won. BUT she’s also (despite preferring not to get physical if she can help it) incredibly powerful and strong so it’s nice for the Alliance to have a giant Pureblood who is Almost Bulletproof leading the battle party. Good for morale, ya know? XD

Aria - More luck than skill. Ya girl is just stupid foolish lucky LMFAO but she’s unrivalled when it comes to stealth/sneaking around so she’s got that going for her too! :)

16) From our OC’s point of view, SoR -> KotET wasn’t a fun experience, did they develop any fears as a result?

Vano - Force ghosts. And if Lana keeps trying to poke needles into her she’s gonna develop a needle phobia I swear to fucking god LMAO

Saarai - I wouldn’t say she developed any new particular fears but a running theme for her is that she worries she’ll be a bad leader/make the wrong call and someone (else) will die for it. The Vette/Torian thing was Rai’s worst nightmare qAq, also Vaylin’s death was pretty hard on her. She could relate to Vaylin and really wanted to help her (even tho Vaylin...did not want to be helped) and that weighed on Rai for a long, long time D:

Aria - Vano dying (again).

17) AU time! If your Commander wasn’t Commander, which of your other OCs would have likely taken their place?

Honestly I think it would be a hilarious disaster if Vano and Aria switched places and Valkorion ended up in Aria’s head. I think Valk would give up and leave bc he would not be able to do anything that phased Aria XD

Otherwise on a more serious note, Ni’kasi being the sole commander would also be pretty cool! And the ending would’ve worked out pretty different cause I don’t think Kas would’ve given up on taking the original Sith Empire back quite so easily so she prolly would’ve given Acina the boot in the end (not via killing her, I don’t think, but she would’ve produced centuries worth of geaneology and/or her mother’s ghost to basically tell Acina to hit the bricks cause that throne is hers so cough it up bitch 🤣)

So we prolly would’ve ended up with the Alliance taking over the Empire’s territories except Kas wouldn’t let the Republic bait her into Useless Turf Wars either, she’s also tired of that crap, so it’d prolly be just Malgus that they’d have to worry about. Maybe one day I’ll write a short AU thing about it idk. its not priority rn hahaha

18) Who’s someone your Commander hopes they never have to deal with again?

Arcann and Senya. All the way lmao Those two are not in any of the Commanders’ good books after what happened

Saarai is lowkey getting to that point with Acina now too tho. If she doesn’t stop trying to drag the Alliance into the petty ImpPub squabbling Rai is gonna throw hands LOL

19) Does your Commander hold on to/still use any titles they earned before KotET?

Vano & Aria both kept their Darth names and/or title(s)! Vano is Commander Wrath, Aria still goes by her Darth name (Canis) and is Commander Canis, though many in the Alliance have taken to calling her the Wrath’s Shadow as well because she’s usually stuck to her wife like glue to make sure nobody else tries to murder Vano again LMAO

Saarai - technically she does still have her Darth title. Just unlike Aria and Vano she hates using it. She doesn’t want anyone to feel she has more power over them which is typically associated with a Darth name, and would prefer everyone just called her “Saarai” <3

20) Share something, anything at all, you want about your Commander that you’ve not really gotten the chance to share before but really want to.

Rai may be a Reluctant Leader but at this point she’s so deep into it (and so fond of like 98% of the people in the Alliance) that even if she did get the chance to step down and leave I don’t think she would. She secretly is really glad to be able to protect and help people that have nowhere else to go :’)

Rai’s Darth name is/was Kemodu, which is a play on “Komodo” as in Komodo dragon, because the House Ahaszaai emblem is Chirikyât in his Hssiss forms and another “name” for Hssiss in canon is “Dark Side Dragon”. I lowkey wish Rai would want to use her Darth name bc its my favourite out of everyone’s but she hates using it so I don’t get to hahaha

Oddly enough Vano is probably like, the least mentally stable of the three now. What with the whole Valkorion thing. I’m not saying she’s gonna go full Vaylin but she’s defo not doing ok someone please give this woman a hug- XD

Rai is the Eternal Empress but Bioware can fuckin fight me about it being a solely-DS! title/thing. She’s a LS! Eternal Empress and I will not change that /srs

At one point Rai did offer the Eternal Throne/the Fleet to Aria instead as Rai really didn’t want to be in charge of that but in a shocking moment of responsibility Aria turned it down - she was worried that she’d make an errant spite thought about how much she hated the Jedi and end up nuking a planet by accident so she opted not to have that kinda power in her hands LOL

Aria’s Darth name (Canis) is a reference to her father’s Darth name (Noctis), who was killed by Baras shortly before the final confrontation with Vano/the SW in the DC Chamber. She was very fond of her father and wanted to have a Darth name to remember him by, and because his Tuk’ata ended up deciding She Was Pack Now she went with Canis :3

[works-of-magic]

How many pokemon do you have and how did you meet them?

Good question, thanks for sending! The answer, though... Oh my gosh, SO many. More than I ever thought I would!

Obviously they don't all come with me on our trips around the world, and also some of them are more permanently "mine" than others. It's a little hard to explain, but some of the Misdreavus that hang around aren't officially "mine", for various reasons!

I don't know the exact number off the top of my head. Numbers and I don't get along. But here's a list, going to go in order I met them!

- Ninetales: He was a present from my family (I suspect mostly from my dad) when I was like 7 years old! I met him as a tiny Vulpix, and for a long time he was my only Pokemon. He's one of my constant adventure buddies.

- Excalibur, a Pidgeot: I caught him several years later, when I first went on my journey to find a Misdreavus! He was a Pidgey at the time and my first wild catch. He makes great transportation, he's harness trained and everything, but he's also a bit of a homebody nowadays.

- Murky, my first Murkrow: I caught him in Eterna Forest on that same journey! Also wild-caught. He approached us because we were invading his flock's territory and he was acting as a scout, but he was glad to leave them behind after the way they ignored him calling for help. He might travel with me if he's bored, he might stay at home if he's feeling lazy.

- Missie, my first Misdreavus: I found her very hurt on the floor of Eterna Forest. She was caught and abandoned by her previous trainer and she wasn't strong enough to defend herself. (Arc, I'm seething just from typing that! Ugh.) At least she was socialized enough that she was happy to come with me after I healed her! It's a 50-50 chance if Missie will be with me when I'm away from home. She's an excellent educational ambassador though, very calm and friendly, so if I'm giving a speech, she's definitely there to demonstrate how well-behaved ghosts can be!

- Mistress was with Missie when I found them in the forest. Initially she only came with me because Missie came with me, and she did actually leave us at one point. (Obviously she came back.) Even when we tried getting her in a Pokeball, she refused to stay in and as soon as she figured out she could make it completely ineffective, she made sure she wouldn't even go in.

Because of her massive aversion to pokeballs, I guess I never really "caught" her officially. After about a year of traveling together, she seemed happy enough, but even happier when I set her and Missie free to roam the forest. So I offered to release her. Let her go, you know? It was a tough decision for me to come to, but I thought she'd be happier in the wild. And I was shocked beyond belief when she told me she didn't want to leave!

Now she's my ace and my constant companion; I won't even go to Galar because I can't bring her with me without a mountain of paperwork and they might still reject the request. She's not a service 'mon, but she's too important to me and we're too bonded.

- Trick: He paired up with Mistress before I caught him, it's a bit of a long story but I met him when Mistress didn't come back for three days and we went on a search, and found her with him and an egg! Luckily he wanted to come with us.

- Willow: Mistress's daughter! She was one of the first Misdreavus I bred. She's a Mismagius now, she wanted to evolve from the moment she knew it was possible. She usually stays home and keeps Sparky company.

- Sparky: Wild Litwick from Unova! I don't actually know when he started following us. We were only in Unova for a bit, but Mistress was really focused on practicing "ghost magic", as she calls it. That's why we were in Unova actually, to find out more about the dream world and magic around it. Sparky basically made himself her apprentice. He rushed to get her things, mimicked what she was doing, and honestly got on her nerves at first. He has no interest in contests or battling unless he's watching Mistress, but she eventually got used to him, and then he got used to me, and then we went home and he surreptitiously caught himself when I wasn't looking and hitchhiked on the plane home. He's basically a homebody. He haunts our library.

- Stella, Mismagius: It's a long story but basically Mistress wasn't eligible to enter the Trick or Treat competition in Kalos because she hadn't been caught in a pokeball and I didn't have a competitive League license or anything with her registered to it. It was just a mess. But I wouldn't feel right entering a competition without a Mismagius.

So basically a ghost trainer friend that was in Kalos at the time had a Misdreavus egg, they let me meet the parents and I thought their offspring would fit well with me, so they gave me the egg, and Stella is the Misdreavus that hatched! She wound up wanting to evolve, and she took well to battling. Luckily she was as excited about the competition as I was!

- Karma / Silverthorn, Aegislash: I keep alternating between names for her, even though it's been a few years since I caught her. She answers to both. I met her in the wild in Kalos, she was a Honedge then, and I wound up liking her fighting spirit so much, I trained hard enough with her that she could be on my Trick or Treat roster too!

- Squirrel: This is a Phantump I met in Kalos. I didn't use her in Trick or Treat because she didn't want to evolve, and frankly I think she was too young and shy for the intense competition. But she's a delight to play with and she keeps the more energetic Misdreavus occupied when I can't entertain them!

- Shadow: Another Murkrow I met in Eterna Forest. She and Murky got pretty deep in courtship before I took her home, and luckily she liked the idea of raising her broods away from the cut-throat flock politics of the wild.

- Nila and Shade: Two Misdreavus I met when I went to Alola. Nila was originally a candidate for breeding a battle line, but Shade wound up having a much fiercer and more loyal spirit. (He's an odd Misdreavus. There's really not much that amuses him, not even people screaming. But though he doesn't have a lot of patience, he has a very stable temperament! Excellent under pressure.)

Anyways, Nila's more for contest/show lines now, she also does well under pressure and has a lot of elegant movement that looks lovely in appeals.

- Diva and Berry: These two are Mimikyu from Alola. Diva was the first one that approached me, and after she played with me and my team awhile, she wanted to come with us. Berry was a bit of an accident. Berry actually only came out when I was playing with Diva; I think she mistook her cries of excitement for cries of distress! And oh my ARC, Berry's a heavy hitter! She likes to stay home and cuddle and play, but she's fiercely defensive of her family and she's a wicked powerful team member when I go anywhere we might battle.

- Alolan Mismagius: He doesn't have a name yet, but he also came from Alola! He just came up to us one day while I was letting everyone try the beans, and after feeding him too, interacting a bit, he watched Missie and Mistress play like they were in a double contest, he was so intrigued, and I complimented him on how handsome he is, and then he insisted I take him with me. How could I say no?!

- And, of course: 45 other Misdreavus, give or take. The most permanent and consistently-present residents are Starpoint (bred from Mistress+Trick), Sheera (wild-caught), Thorn (wild-caught), and Figment (bred).

There are also sometimes a Pokemon or two I'm fostering or having my Pokemon "tutor" for another trainer. Or for another breeder; occasionally I have a stud from someone else, or one of my studs staying elsewhere for awhile. Breeding business, you know.

So the thing with Misdreavus is they don't usually "settle down" and live in one permanent home. They have a favorite place to sleep, but they wander. They don't make the best house pets unless you *really* make it comfortable for them to be around. (Not too bright, not too loud, a constant source of fear/amusement, something/someone to socialize with, space to roam or taking them on walks once a day, etc.)

Even in the wild they wander quite a bit, and frankly I don't have the space indoors to keep them entertained. At any given time, a few of them might wander off into the forest, or further, and some of them have covens in the forest they still tend to or want to check on. Some wander off around October and April, and sometimes they don't come back. They don't always tell me what they're doing, a lot of them just laugh at my confusion. Mistress just calls it "ghost business".

Raising ghosts is weird.

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1107 review

The Egghead climax is definitely in full swing now, but it's still hard to tell how much of a full length, stand-your-ground fight to expect from this arc. Battles lately have left more like skirmishes. They're not about beating down your opponent until they physically can't move anymore, it's enough to make them dazed and in need of a moment to catch their breath so you get the chance to go on to your own objectives or keep them away from theirs. Plenty of other arcs have featured these kinds of 'smack the other guy away and get back to the more important stuff' kinds of confrontations (which people online love to extrapolate into being decisive wins or losses despite the result's lack of staying power) but never as a substitute for the traditional final battle. And I think this feeling that the final 1v1 could still come is the last thing that makes it hard to predict the remaining length of the arc.

Getting started, it's awesome seeing the Giant Pirates in action. With the scale normal humans can reach in One Piece, it's easy to forget how freaking big real giants actually are. They tower over the Marine warships enough to cleave them with single swings. And while there are humans who can also cut a battleship in two with their blades, those are individuals, and generally ones near the top of the food chain. When Mihawk cuts through a ship in an instant, it's a moment of awe. And giants are a whole race of people who can do that just virtue of their sheer size.

Usopp's joy at seeing the great warriors again is a wonderful moment. I get the need for a recap for casual readers, but I'd rather have seen some kind of explanation on the giants' timeline - when and how Dorry and Brogy gave up their duel and reunited with the others.

I feel like I'm starting to see part of the escape taking shape in the sequence with the ship sliding. The talk of Brook 'passing through in a moment' and not being able to stop seems to be setting up the crew on top leaping onboard as the Sunny slips past. There's probably going to be a little bit of tension and last minute saves with Jinbe and Zoro rushing to make the rendezvous and a Vegapunk having to rush inside to turn off the barrier (almost forgot about that) and then have to make it back in time, or just sacrifice themselves so the others can get away. With the giants right underneath, there's people there who could catch the Sunny and break its fall, or it could just do a coup de burst to ramp off the edge and into the hole in the Marine fleet made by the giants' arrival. That's my theory for how things play out from here.

Even though I floated the idea of Bonney being upset with her 'god' for not showing up sooner, I'm not at all surprised that she commits to him as a hero instead. While very dramatic, the other thing wouldn't quite have been Oda's style. I appreciate Luffy's casual dismissal of the Nika idea. He's still himself. But I do wish his reaction to seeing Vegapunk's injuries was a little more personal and had a bit more staying power before he shifted back into fun mode. Gear Five coming with a strong sense of euphoria isn't something I mind, but I want to see the difference split a little more evenly. Or at least give Luffy a chance to see a thing like this before transforming. I was close to writing off the lead-up to the attack on Saturn as well. The back and forth with Bonney almost makes it feel like the move is going to be more about showing her up than avenging Vegapunk, and that, to my mind, made it too much of a game. But after taking the stare attack from Saturn, the old Luffy shows his face. Nika will play with Bonney, letting it be her plan and a souped up version of her punch, but Luffy has a score to settle about his friend. The expression in that panel is good. He's still smiling, but it's a determined, focussed smile, with a furrowed brow that brings a wilder intensity to the wide Gear Five eyes. This is the version of Gear Five I want to see more of.

Vegapunk not being able to move without dying is an interesting complication to add. On the topic of having to stand and fight, it gives Luffy and Sanji a reason to defend this space to the end instead of stunning or knocking back Borsalino and Saturn before fleeing, but what happens after? Can we get Chopper down here to save the scientist? And if Vegapunk has enough medical knowledge to be sure of that, wouldn't Atlas, who shares his brain, have the same medical knowhow to do a patch job? Surely Franky has the strength to carry Kuma in her place.

Then there's the Sanji moment. He doesn't know. We'd thought that maybe because he'd acted less pervy around Bonney in some recent chapters that he had a sixth sense for it, but now we just have to say he doesn't know. This does mildly sour the coolness of the laser kick (as does the fact that he did it already two chapters ago without the big reaction). "Physics as we know it is dead" is a great line though.

I'm very interested to see how the choreography for a 2v1 for Luffy, Sanji and Borsalino will play out, even if it ends up being a short, interrupted one. In his earlier fight with Luffy, Borsalino proved an ability to zip around and attack from offshore one moment, up close the next. That speed makes him a terrible foe to have to protect a wounded ally against. In a tag team, however, one person can protect Vegapunk while the other chases Borsalino across the island. Could be fun, especially with Sanji's speed.

Now, that last scene. That's where it's all at this week. I've been asking questions about that Blackbeard ship tease for a long time, and we finally see the agenda. If that touch is what it takes for Catarina to be able to imitate Saturn (and what else could it realistically be?), shit's really about to get serious. It seems like Teach's go-to tactic is weaseling his way into the good graces of a group that has something he wants (Whitebeard's crew, the Warlords, and now seemingly the Celestial Dragons) and betray them to run off with the prize. Then there's this idea of them acquiring "the world" as an ultimate goal. Do we think it's a mirror of Luffy's own secret goal in some way, possibly relating to Gaimon's shoutout to "buy the world" back near the start of the series?

And then, in a one-two punch, we finally get Caribou's endgame. Oda's been stringing this one out for literally the whole timeskip, putting this slimey bastard in the right place at the right time to learn all kinds of valuable things about the Ancient Weapons and the Poneglyphs (as well as the Strawhats' idiosyncrasies) to make him the perfect asset to a final boss.

What a wild chapter. A finale coming together. Exciting action. Mixed feelings about the balance of goofball fun and genuine emotion in Nika. And the last two scenes feeling like they're bringing things Oda has spent most of the series coming to a head at last. The growing pains of Gear Five's implementation into moments of drama are easily forgiven in the face of these ultimate payoffs manifesting.

Oh, and Zoro's fighting Lucci I guess. There's basically nothing of note here except trash talk. The one clash we're shown isn't even particularly dramatic.

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