#while i work on starters

[scribz-ag24]

I've recently seen again a post talking about the Sableye and Dusknoir's relationship so i'd like to put my two cents in the discussion, for I love screaming into the void about PMD. (this isnt meant to discourage any other interpretations btw this is just my take on theirs and Dusknoir's relationship, bc I think they're very fun characters and I am very glad the game actually gives these minions a bit of relevance in se5).

Tbh I don't buy that Dusknoir treats the Sableye nicely, at least not out of kindness. I don't think he's a tyrant or inexplicably mean, of course, and I think his minions ADORE him, but i also believe that doesn't mean he's nice to them, sth that i consider meaningful for their character arcs.

Throughout the entire game he's exclusively giving them orders, in se5 he concocts a plan that involves thrashing them MULTIPLE times (he's lucky Grovyle isn't one to try and kill enemies in battle ig), and the cherry on top is that the first time we see him being fully genuine he does this:

(yes, he is in turmoil in here, but there's not a single thing implying that 1. this is an unusual response towards the sablye, 2. dusknoir feels bad for it at some point or is surprised at himself, 3. this has any impact in the sableye at all. You can argue these reactions happen off screen and we don't see them, they don't happen bc they have pressing matters to attend to or they happen after they return to life, and that's perfectly valid, but i'm sticking with what the game shows us, here.)

I must say, though, the fact that the Sableye, despite having been almost mindless pokémon up to now, STAND UP TO AND ATTACK Primal Dialga for their boss and even try to look after him despite him ordering them to check on Grovyle and Celebi first is SO important to me. they are goons to the bone and they love that scheming ghost so much.

My own view is that Dusknoir is generally polite to them (you wouldn't randomly break your own revolver or weapon without any reason, would you?), but is quicker to get mean with them than with people he doesn't know or he is seeking to manipulate. He doesn't care about their behaviour as long as they get the job done, which is why I think the anime thing of the Sableye climbing onto his shoulder isn't that remarkable, rather it's a very cute moment, one that is showing how they've been working together for long and how their size difference affects their interactions, but it is not necessarily conveying an affectionate bond (this is a bit random, but it reminds me of Disney's Jafar with Iago lmao. throw your pet sableye at your enemies so they mock them and then return to your shoulder). Additionally, Dusknoir letting the Sableye onto his shoulder is probably as close as we are gonna get to a villain turning around in his chair while petting a cat in PMD lol.

[this isn't meant to be a one-to-one comparison, it's just a detail i find cute and shows that this gesture can have multiple interpretations, with none being the only right one]

Leaving that aside, I hesitate to claim Dusknoir trusts his Sableye as allies, as Grovyle makes a point in the main story of how the Sableye (your Sableye, he says, as if objectifying them; not friends, but tools, weapons at Dusknoir's disposal) are lacking compared to the way hero/partner/grovyle support one another (power of friendship and hidden information babyyyy). The Sableye are used to Dusknoir's way of doing things, though, I'm sure. They know what happens when he's displeased, after all.

I think, most of all, the Sableye are meant to look disposable: they are 6 identical pokémon that almost act like a hivemind, and we are not supposed to think at all about how we may hurt them in battle any more than we do with the angry Manectric pack or random dungeon pokémon. This, I believe, is why the game has them stand up against Dialga and gives them unique dialogue at the end of se5. They're meant to show their inner shine, just as Dusknoir managed to do. They suddenly gain an individuality they had never shown while they were working to maintain the dark future.

Where they abandoned Dusknoir in the Old Ruins, now Grovyle has motivated them to look for their dignity and fight for a better world, and that starts with protecting their leader from Primal Dialga's rampage, and supporting his new objective and allies in their quest to save the future. In their own small way, they've also grown as characters throughout SE5.

I believe that, overall, Dusknoir saw the Sableye as tools, but thanks to their growth and clear care for him, there's a possibility he might start to see them (and by extension other pokémon) in a more genuine, less pragmatic / objectifying way in the future. Now that Dusknoir has the chance to live a fulfilling life, he may learn to care for others without surrounding himself by so many walls. If anything, I think their future is quite bright. Not that the Sableye would mind if he still thrashed them around, though lol, they're clearly not bothered much by it (special episode 0 had a great depiction of the sableye imo, you can check that romhack if you haven't yet).

In conclusion, look at these little guys who adore their can-get-mean-but-is-mostly-polite boss and probably have a body count but now are good, they're so cute:

[kamabokobun]

A sculpture I made of my slug fakemon starter :]

[violinist-rachel]

An old photo!

[missallanea-a]

BRAINROT STARTER CALL : like this post for a short starter from QUEEN CLARION !!

[hostradio]

you  there,  hello  —  !  what  if  i  wrote  you  a  STARTER  for  the  low low  cost  of  you  liking  this  post  and  /  or  replying  with  the  url  of  your  sideblog?

[flameleads]

"I seem to have a talent for creating more work for myself."

[wr1tten]

starter call for the following muses;

vanessa shelly

nick nelson

lestat de lioncourt

louis de pointe du loc

belly conklin

conrad fisher

daisy jones

iris stanley

kate carter

bellamy blake

mickey milkovich

the hero / the long quiet ( slay the princess )

[pumpkinhcad]

STARTER CALL (MUTUALS ONLY). I got home an hour ago, but I have a massive migraine that is not going away. Therefore, even if I might not be active today because I wanna sleep it off, consider this post a starter call! Y'know the drill: will contain a couple of paragraphs at least, multimuses choose your muse, expect me to show up in IMs for plotting if I were to need it, yadda-yadda-yadda.

[firediaz]

ok , since it's been a while -- this is a starter call ! LIKE this post if you'd like a little something from eddie. the starter may be set during the current season or a previous season , depending on mood. if you'd prefer something specific -- let me know. multi's please indicate muse !

[uncanines]

𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃           ˃˃           𝚃𝚁𝙰𝙽𝚂𝙼𝙸𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙾𝙽 _ 𝙺𝙰𝙶𝙰𝙼𝙸 & [ 𝚁𝙴𝙳𝙰𝙲𝚃𝙴𝙳 ]           ˂˂           the   sauna's heat   pressed   in   around   him,   thick   with   damp   warmth,   turning   every   breath   languid⸻   sweat   tracing   slow   lines   down   his   chest, down the curve of his spine, before vanishing into the towel hung low on his hips, loose, like an afterthought. and akeno   sat   still,   back   straight   against   the   wooden   paneling,   eyes   shut as  the   rest   of   him   lay   bare,   marked   by   old   scars   and   defined muscles   carved   from   years   of   exacting,   deliberate   movement. but despite the pretense of calm in his expression, he wondered about how the world schemed beyond this room :   a whisper   here,   a   leak   there, information   bleeding   into   the   wrong   hands with a traitor in their midst. he heard the wooden door   creak, telltale sign of someone   else   joining   him,   their   presence   a   quiet   ripple   through   the   heat.   but akeno didn't care, too deep in thought to pay them any mind.   well, not until a tangled knot of a theory needed someone else's mind to unsnarl. lifting   his   head   slightly,   he   slowly opened his eyes,   gaze   cutting   through   the   haze to look at the other operative.   his   lips   curved,   a   lazy,   knowing   smile.             "             tell   me,           "              he   murmured,   voice   smooth,   seeping   into   the   space   between   them.             "             it would make an awful lot of sense if the mole was an envy, lust, or gluttony agent, right ?           "              a   pause,   akeno   exhaled   slowly.   if his own theory was right, that   would   make   himself   a   suspect   too,   wouldn't   it ? but the   thought   only amused   him.             "             the   deadly sins   designed   to   slip   through   cracks,   to   collect   secrets   and   slit   throats   before   disappearing   without   a   trace.   i think it   makes   sense   for   the   traitor   to   be   one   of   us. what do you think ?           " 

[cursedfortune]

open.

The witch stood idly amidst the sprawling field, fingertips grazing the tall flowers as she minded herself. Nature was full of places of power she could indulge in, accumulating energy without damaging her surroundings. This time, at least. It wasn't a prairie nor waterfall, it wasn't the shore with a seemingly endless ocean. But it sure was pretty.

She knew what the land looked like when it was desolate, when it was ashen after flames destroyed the lush greenery. Even chaos was beautiful. Death and desecration were normal parts of life. Shame they rarely allowed for flowers.

"It's a field, you know. Generally speaking, sneaking up on someone in such a place is usually going to fail." At least, with her, almost anywhere it would fail.

Giving the flower a little flick, she turned her attention upon them.

[tewwor]

who would spare this tired, tired, exhausted man a kiss or two? ( with permission, always )

[isforever]

anyways while i fiddle around in photoshop ... hit the heart for a one liner from vaggie <3 multis , specify who you want her for.

[secr3trings]

one-liner starters with something in my playlist ...

[iinsomnium]

     ❛     BEEP   BEEP   !   HEY   ,    YOU    —    one   life   span,    three       dimensional   5   cents   skin   puppetsㅤㅤlet   me   take   your   meat   sack   of   a   body   on   a   joy   ride   !   ㅤ         ill   make   it   worth   your   while       ❜     

[wr1tten]

like this for my high activity muses that are listed below!

boq woodsman ( wicked ), daisy jones ( daisy jones and the six ), dolores madrigal ( encanto ), elphaba thropp ( wicked ), emma swan ( once upon a time ), imogen heaney ( heartstopper ), iris stanley ( jekyll and hyde inspired oc ), kate sharma ( bridgerton ), louis de pointe du lac ( interview with the vampire ), mallory ( ahs ), nick nelson ( heartstopper ), nick scratch ( agatha all along / caos ), pam beesley ( the office ), sophia roberts ( galatea / barbie oc ), & vanessa shelly ( five nights at freddy's ).