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#i don’t know any of your fandoms except pokémon (by name only)

miraculouscontent · 2 years

Note

Hello I’m to rant about gale heads up some of this is going to be kind of misspelled because I’m dumb, also I’m gonna say the fuck kind of a lot so sorry.

First of all dude you can just block fucking tags and you don’t have to be passive aggressive to someone you don’t like just block them. The best way to experience fandom is to curate your experience to what you like for example me following you because I like your content.I think gale should just block the lukenette tag if the idea of Marinette being with Luke bother him so much block the tag. You would enjoy the hell scape known as the miraculous ladybug fandom if you block that one tag everyone who likes that ship

Two, I don’t like how he uses some thing you made as a sign of bad fanfic and can’t even bother to get your name right. Let’s start with using the ladybugoutAU as a sign of too much salt, it’s kind of insulting because people who read it can see how much a foot you put in to the snippets of the full fanfiction(it got me following you actually) despite it being a salt fic it’s well written and none of the characters feel out of character. Because newsflash gale Adrian it’s kind of an entitled brat and Clarity, you got how he acts accurate enough to the show. Now let’s talk about how he got your name wrong, last I checked your name is not candy it’s Clarity it feels kind like a dick move to call someone a slightly different name to the actual name. Sure I may have missed read your name as chansey (like The Pokémon some reason) for the longest time but it’s still in the same ballpark it’s not candy

Gale has a stick up his ass because he ships the LS and he doesn’t have any major criticism from the show. Can some salt and criticism people have a be a little bad faith media yeah sure. However I don’t know how to break this to you him but Adrian is such a boring character that flower is more spicy than him, there’s not even a lot of chemistry with Adrian and Marinette in the show. Because the only chemistry they have is the hold a meant for each other which is bullshit. Gale it’s not better than anyone for shipping A basic bitch ship with a basic ass character who has nothing going on for him except for being entitled Twatt.

My closing statement of this is gale should really get off his high horse and other block you/Lukeinette tag. Or he can keep being a hypocrite, i’m tired and I want him to shut up. And since I’m here again I would like to tell you that I love your content and you’re the only reason why I’m still in the fandom. I keep writing the lovely tube blueberries together because they deserve happiness✨

Stay awesome and I’m going to sleep for a whole day, i’m sorry if there’s a so chaotic it’s late where I am.

Thank you so much! I’m glad people feel such a need to defend me~

And yeah, I don’t understand why people purposefully go into tags either to salt or to seek out content they don’t like. Apparently we’re toxic people for watching the show despite being so salty over it yet what they do is fine? (Also, anyone who follows my Lukanette blog knows that I had to make a whole new Lukanette tag for everyone because the original one was poison.)

I did used to be called “Candy,” but I had changed it a good while before Gale had made that post. My name is right on my blog, it’s not hard.

I appreciate the comments on LadyBugOut! I feel like using any fic as some sort of “measurement” is silly. There are bad ideas and good ideas, but most things are up to opinion and to automatically list an idea as “bad” supposedly without actually doing research? (Some people might remember the controversy when Gale refused to acknowledge his Villain Luka AU as Luka salt). Again, I don’t care what love square stans think of my AU (I just use it as a measurement for how well I did lol) but the fact of them being exposed to my AU at all when it’s tagged is just... veeeery suspicious.

I just wished they’d own up and either name drop me/the AU directly or not bring it up at all; not this wishy-washy middle ground where they’re salty but don’t want to be obvious about it.

There was also that one weird comment about “salt against salt cancelling it out” that I’ll never understand, but I won’t pretend to get someone who rants against salt and then actively seeks it out.

#category: salt #salt: fandom #other: ask and answer

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drshojo · 4 years

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The World, My Childhood And My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Hello friends!

Its Dr. Shojo coming at you with a post that will be divided into three parts!

Part One: The world as we know it!

The world has changed a lot since we last connected. For starters, TOILET BOUND HANAKO KUN HAS NOT ONLY A PHYSICAL RELEASE BUT A GORGEOUS ANIME! And not only that, but MY NEXT LIFE AS A VILLAINESS: ALL ROUTES LEAD TO DOOM! IS GETTING AN ANIME AS WELL! The last time I wrote about Katerina there wasn’t even an official English translation of that long-ass light-novel-title. And now?

A WHOLE ANIME. A BISEXUAL HAREM AWAITS! I am JAZZED!

Do you think it’s my fault? No matter, I’ll take all the credit. All the manga I talk about are getting anime adaptations. I’LL DO MY DUTY AND TALK ABOUT SOME MORE!

But first. Let us address the Covid-19 shaped elephant in the room

I deeply regret that it took a whole-ass pandemic to get me back to writing. In my defense, I bought an iPad and started drawing like 900 kokichi oumas. I was really busy with that. And then I started reading fanfiction. Then that got me thinking about how fanfiction such an interesting look into how people interpret fandom, use it for wish fulfillment and escapism, and good god is everyone OK cause that bulimia fan fic was super detailed....and I am officially on a tangent. Off track. Ahem.

We are all staying inside a whole lot more which means y’all probably need some reading material and Dr. Shojo has your back! Go read “Horimiya”! It’s amazing! Ahhhh, my work here is done! I'm serious, if you’re here for a Shojo rec, that’s it! There's also like 8 million more Otome Isekais to check out now. It’s like they’re multiplying like rabbits..............

As a Doctor, I must advise you to stay inside and read some manga and practice social distancing. Embrace your inner hikikomori.

Allright? All good? Okay now one final disclaimer:

This post is going to be talking about something a little different than usual and I want to start by giving you some context about who Dr. Shojo is in real life.

Part Two: Dr. Shojo Exposed

You see, when I was little I was obsessed with Japanese media. This doesn't surprise you at all I can tell. Probably because I walk around calling myself Dr. Shojo and shout about manga that you should read.

Anyways, the reason why I was obsessed wasn’t because of the big eyes or the spikey hair or the interesting new culture. It was because it tended to have more character development and overarching plotlines than the media I was used to in Canada. Dexter’s Lab, Magic School Bus, pretty much everything I saw on TV was episodic in nature, so imagine how much my mind was blown when I saw Naruto and Card Captor Sakura, heck, even Pokémon had the Indigo Plateau! Here were kids that were learning more and more each day and got to see enemies become friends and vice versa. They lived and grew older just like me. Except they were cooler than me. And had more interesting lives than me. I gotta tell you, I was so sad when I was 12 and Kero didn’t tell me I had latent magical powers. But there was magic in my life and it was the magic of a complex narrative story. And not only that, it had a sense of movement and had cool costumes. I was hooked immediately.

Also, fun fact, at that age I happened to be a complete and utter tomboy! I loved pretending to fight my friends in the playground and was really worried that puberty would ruin my life because being a girl sounded so CUMBERSOME.

Which leads me up to my confession. Before I became Dr. Shojo, I was in fact......Dr. Shonen.

Bleach? Naruto? One Piece? I've read every single chapter there is.

Hundreds of hours of watching fight sequences. Another fun fact, I only got into shojo because my aunt bought me volume 7 and 8 of Fruits Basket thinking “all mangas like the same right? Kids love comics?” It’s a tribute to how episodic western media was back then that she thought buying volume SEVEN and EIGHT was a REASONABLE PLACE TO START READING.

Now you might also say, Hey! Dr Shojo! Cardcaptors was a shojo! And you are right! but back then the anime was marketed to boys over here in the west and they actualy like, edited out episodes that they thought wouldn't interest boys?! Second fun fact, Once when I was in Grade 3 I was told I was not allowed to join a club under the stairs cause I was a girl and it was BOYS ONLY. The point of the club? To talk about how great Cardcaptors was! I Kid you not!

So anyways, your pall Dr. Shojo loves Shonen manga to this day!

The only reason I made this Dr. Shojo blog specifically about shojo is because, being a tomboy with no female friends, reading shojo manga was the first time I really thought about what it meant to be a girl and fall in love. And y i k e s. Shojo manga, like most media, fails miserably most of the time in displaying real world relationships. Or at least, it doesn't prepare you for how disappointing everything can be. When I had my first kiss, I was thinking about how it didn’t feel at all like how I felt reading Zen and Shirayukis kiss in Akagame No Shirayuki Hime. Those were formative years, and shojo was one of the only places I saw romance being talked about for younger audiences. I liked reading romances where no one had any sexual experiences and were figuring out what love meant to them. But let’s shelve this topic for now.

The point is that gender roles are dumb and if you have an open mind there's a world of stories out there for you. Take this time inside to read something you wouldn’t normally. Critically think about the ways that the worlds you see in stories and how you experience the world differ. What are the messages a story is trying to tell you? And why do you like the stories you do? Reflect on how the stories you tell yourself color your view of the world. Even mindless entertainment leaves an impression on us. Anyways.

Whilst you're doing that, I'm going to absolutely lose my hecking mind over the Shonen Jump series MY HERO ACADEMIA: Vigilantes!

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!

Part Three: I downloaded the one month free trial of the Shonen Jump app and made you read all that, so I can tell you that today Dr. Shojo is going to rant about a spin-off of a shonen manga

THAT’S RIGHT, OF COURSE I READ HERO ACA AND YES I DID PICK UP THE SPIN OFF SERIES. SHONEN JUMP LETS YOU READ ALL THE NEW CHAPTERS FOR FREE ON THEIR APP. KIDS, IF YOU LIKE SHONEN AND YOU’RE PIRATING ON A SCANLATION SITE STILL GET OUT BECAUSE YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE THOSE WEIRD PLASTIC SURGERY AND DENTISTRY ADDS ANY MORE.

SHONEN IS HERE AND ITS LEGAL AND ITS FREE FOR YOU. GET OFF MANGA FOX OR MANGA ROCK OR WHATEVER THE KIDS ARE USING THESE DAYS.

OK, so by this point in the article you have learned two very important things about me: 1) I love Shonen manga and 2) I read a lot of fanfiction.

Specifically, I read an absolutely biblical amount of My Hero Academia fan fiction and let me tell you, A solid chunk of it is vigilante/ Deadpool / criminal with a heart of gold themed.

So when I saw Hero Aca had a spin off, and it was about vigilantes, I was NOT SURPRISED IN THE SLIGHTEST. Ao3 sure is powerful.

Now, if you will permit me a tangent in a post full of tangents—HOLY CRAP, THERE ARE TOO MANY VIGILANTE AUS. I CAN'T KEEP TRACK OF EM. IT’S THE ISEKAI PROBLEM ALL OVER AGAIN. I GET AN EMAIL A FIC HAS UPDATED AND I’M LIKE IS THIS THE FIC WHERE DEKU HAS AN ABUSIVE MOM OR THE ONE WHERE HE HAS SPLIT PERSONALITY DISORDER OR THE ONE WHERE HE’S VIGILANTES WITH HITOSHI. OH WAIT, nvm, it’s the one where deku has a healing quirk.

OH WAIT WHICH OF THE 6 DEKU WITH HEALING QUIRK VIGILATE AU FICS IS THIS ONE?! ARGH WHY DIDN’T I WRITE A DESCRIPTION IN THE BOOKMARK FOR THIS!

My gripes aside, there's a reason why there's such an abundance of vigilante story telling—

Deadpool made like an absolute buttload of money and people love sass and memes.

People have a desire for a story in which they see themselves. Or, how they think of themselves.They like a story about someone who maybe came from nothing. Someone who has less money, maybe someone who is unlucky and had some bad breaks. Someone who never learned they had magic, never got their Hogwarts letter, never saw Kero, someone who never got that God-level quirk from All Might. And if your on Ao3 They want someone who also has seen a lot of memes and kind of wants taco bell and is also questioning their sexuality a bit?

Enter our new hero VIGILANTE DEKU.

But the cannon can't do this, cause hey, Deku is the chosen one. Albeit, chosen by All Might, He’s got his own thing to do. But how can we still cash in on a vigilante story?

And thus enter our New-New hero KOICHI HAIMAWARI—code name Nice Guy and then later The Crawler. True to his relatable roots. He’s just a dude in an hoodie who can go about as fast as a bike.

First off, I love Koichi. He wants to be a hero and fight crime, but most of the time he has to run away because at the end of the day he's just a dude.

He’s cute but not wildly good-looking, A bit of a nerd but not like an extreme okaku. He’s got a part time job and hates violence.

And this is where Koichi really shines—in every day stuff. He helps out wherever he can. Often, that just means listening to people complain and maybe helping his friends out with whatever they’re going through. He’s the kind of guy who smiles, not because he's especially brave, but because he just takes things one at a time and doesn't sweat the past. I think it’s really telling that he missed getting into hero high-school because he skipped the entrance exam to help someone. He’s the kind of person who lets us experience the superpower of human decency and empathy. And you know what? That’s something the world need desperately.

This theme of human decency is really the driving force of Vigilantes—it’s a manga about how the laws are there for a reason but sometimes they unfairly impact the poor and vulnerable. It's about how a lot of criminals are just people who fell into bad social circles or on bad times. People have the capacity for cruelty and violence but that’s never all they are.

Now, speaking of crime, the entirety of Hero Aca falls into some murky water when it comes to its evil doers. Much of the fandom has a huuuuuge problem with how much the franchise is willing to sweep under the rug in the name of redeeming their baddies. RE: people getting mad about forgiving Endeavor’s child abuse, or Bakugo’s suicide baiting. Or Mineta’s blatant sexual harassment.

But this theme is in Vigilantes even more than it ever was in the main series. To start off with, there’s this guy who tries to rape Pop Step early on, and the later he later winds up befriending everybody. It becomes a running gag that each new villain winds up befriending the other villain guys and then they all open a cat café together.

Using jobs as a way to lift people out of lives of crime is great and all but in the story there is no nuance or consequences for past wrong and well.....it feels very weird. It's like Vigilantes plays at having an opinion about moral ambiguity and the complexity of human existence and then just.......lets everyone get along because who has time to get into all that. Make of that what you will but it sits weird for me personally.

Anyway, let's move on and talk about POP STEP our main girl!

I love pop stars and I love vigilantes and a guerrilla performer is defiantly a character I could get behind. And I think they do a good job with Pop. She is actually kind of shy, but has this secret edgy persona she puts on when she performs. She is every girl on tumbler in the early 2000s. I also looooove that they make her not that great a singer. SHE’S GOT PASSION AND CHARISMA and maybe not born talent but like why should that stop you! Talent can be earned through practice and this is a great lesson to show people.

Unfortunately, Pop is also a great example of everything wrong with romance in Shonen.

It’s established early on that Pop loves Koichi because she is the girl he rescued all those years ago and yada yada yikes we’ve heard this one before. Many times before.

Sure, it's fine that they’ve met before, but gosh am I sick of damsels in distress. It's like she can't love him just because she respects what a great guy he is in her life and in the community at large, no no, she just needs to be rescued on top of that. And LOLOLOL isn't it funny he never noticed she was a girl because she was a child with short hair?! Once he realizes she has boobs now they will for sure fall in love! That’s how love works!

She's just with him all the time—nothing romantic ever happens she just gets a little tsundere.

I am never ever going to believe Koichi likes Pop because he spends like sooooo much time with her and they never have like, a moment. The first time he considers her is when Makoto is like, ‘hey I would love to get together with you, but have you thought about if you are crushing on Pop’. (Also this entire plot point is suspect—she's arbitrarily falling for Koichi cause he.......is the protagonist?)

Say what you will about shojo, they give you the emotional conversations, the moments where you think.....ahhh I can see why she is falling for him. They give you context! Shonen likes to just say HERE’S A GIRL YOUR AGE. YOU CAN DATE LATER WHEN THE ADVENTURE IS DONE.

Just when they might get together, Pop suddenly turns evilllllll. The evilllll beeeees made her eeeevilllll (and more sexy).

*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

Because why on earth would they get together if Koichi didn’t get to rescue Pop one more time?

I’m tired. These troupes are tired. I’m sure you are too. HOWEVER! If your still with me, Let’s move into why I'm really writing this post. Let’s get to the part that got me screaming to my friends, who by the way, don’t even care bout Hero Aca….but listened anyways. May you all find nakama like these my friends.

Anyways,

HOLY FUCK ERASERHEAD’S ENTIRE BACK STORY IS IN THIS AROUND CHAPTER 60 AND IT IS WONDERFUL AND ABSOLUTLY HEARTBREAKING AND IS ONE OF THE BEST CHARACTER BACKSTORIES I HAVE EVER SEEN AND IS THE REASON WHY THIS SERIES IS A MUST-READ FOR MAIN SERIES FANS.

AND BY ALMIGHT.

WHY. IS. IT HERE.

I present to you my late night text messages to my friends

ALSO, AIZAWAS TEACHER IS PRINCE?!?!?!

AHEM, so as you can see, I kinda lost my shit.

And now, I would like to formally defend my claim that DESPITE HOW AMAZING IT WAS, ERASERHEAD’S BACKSTORY HAD NO BUISSNESS BEING IN THE VIGILANTES SPIN-OFF MANGA.

Eraserhead, aka Aizawa Shouta, is a side character who is working with the police on some crime stuff. He is not a main cast member in this spin off. He’s a guest character that fans of the main series will be like OH COOL. GRUMPY CAT MAN LIKES CATS ON HIS OFF HOURS TOO. LOVE THAT FOR HIM.

So, my imagine my absolute surprise when Aizawa runs into Koichi and the following happens:

It starts to rain, so, like in any good manga, this means some great FORCED BONDING TIME

Except no. It doesn't because rather than start talking, Aizawa JUST STARTS REMEMBERING—ABSOLUTLY SILENTLY TO HIS OWN PRIVETE SELF—HIS ENTIRE TRAGIC BACKSTORY.

AND THIS GOES ON FOR CHAPTERS.

THIS GOES ON LONGER THEN ARC ONE IT FEELS LIKE.

I LOVE IT, BUT KOICHI IS ABOUT TO JOIN ATSUSHI NAKAJIMA IN THE DUBIOUS CATEGORY OF “PROTAGONISTS THE SERIES FORGOT ABOUT IN LIEU OF COOLER SIDE CHARACTERS”.

AND LO IT HAS NO BEARING ON THE REST OF THE PLOT, CHARACTERS, OR STORY

What the ever-loving-just WHY?

WHY?

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?

SURE, IT’S A COOL TIE-IN.

YES, OF COURSE I LOVED IT. I SHIP ERASER MIC, I DREW THIS FOR HECK’S SAKE:

AND YET I AM ANGRY.

I AM ANGRY BECAUSE MY FRIDAY WAS RUINED BECAUSE VIGILATES SUCKER PUNCHED ME WITH AN AMAZING STORY THAT REALLY WASN’T PLOT RELEVANT AND PROBABLY SHOULDN’T HAVE BEEN THERE.

IS THIS WHY THEY TOOK LIKE NEXT-TO-NO CARE WITH POPS ARC?!?

I mean its ongoing, so it’s too early to say but—

In conclusion—

Excuse me one more,

AIZAWA WAS TAUGHT BY PRINCE!?!??!?!?!?!? PURPLE RAIN PRINCE!?!??!?!?!? WHAT!??!?!?!

It’s so ABSURD that I HAD TO WRITE SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I HAD TO WRITE PARAGRAPHS TO JUSTIFY YELLING ABOUT THIS ONE THING. WHAT THE ABSOLUTE—

Ahem,

Anyways, I hope you liked this weird rant/personal-story/random-diatribe in three parts.

If you’re reading this, thank you, stay safe, and I’ll be back with more shojo manga next time.

Ciao!

Dr. Shojo

(aka Dr. Shonen)

#my hero academia vigilantes #koichi haimawari #pop step #my hero academia #erasermic #Cardcaptors #Shojo manga #Shonen Manga #Dr Shojo #read Horimiya

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caedmonofthehighlands · 4 years

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Harry Potter Fic Rec List

I’ve practically been reading Harry Potter fics since I was out of the womb and unsurprisingly, I recently ran out and have been searching the web for stories that I haven’t yet read.

I figured that with all of my fanfiction knowledge, I should make a list like the ones that have helped me to find interesting and well written fics and so, I present to you a list with my favourite Harry Potter Fanfictions. Some are Classics, some are Muggle Au’s, but they’re all worth a read.

Gelosaþ in Écnesse by Batsutousai | Completed | 98.5k | Mature

Pairing: Salazar Slytherin/ Harry Potter

Summary: Caught in the backlash of Voldemort's Killing Curse, Harry is thrown through time to a world so very different from his own.

Notes: It’s a time travel fic! I have a special place in my heart for that trope and I love this one particularly. The pairing is one I’d never even seen before and at first, I was a bit sceptical at first but I was pleasantly surprised the way everyone interacted with each other and the amount of research that clearly went into this fic. In my experience, every work of Batsutousai’s is a good read.

Gray Skye Mourning by KneazleGriff | Completed | 183.4k | Mature

Pairing: Severus Snape/ Harry Potter

Summary: As Severus Snape lay dying on the filthy floor of the Shrieking Shack, bleeding in the arms of Harry Potter, a profound, devastating realization awakens a long lost love, latent for years, torn asunder by time’s cruel fate. Is love strong enough to overcome the pain of the past and ensure severus’ survival? Time-Travel fic. SSHP

Notes: Okay, I know the summary is kind of cheesy but this fic is fantastic. It explains why Snape was such an ass in canon and it’s really touching. It’s a very emotional fic. There are a few smutty scenes so you’ll want to make sure you’re okay with reading that. Also SSHP fics that I enjoy are pretty rare since I usually steer clear of Teacher-student relationships as well as Minor-Adult relationships.(Part of why I love time travel fics so much)

Zubats, Zubats Everywhere by RenderedReversed | WIP | 16.8k | Teen and Up

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle

Summary: In which Harry is pretty sure his Pokémon journey isn’t supposed to have such a copious amount of Zubats—or just the figurative one, since Arceus knows Tom Riddle pops up in his life often enough to be a Zubat in disguise.

Notes: This fic is adorable. They have Pokemon Pet names, they buy each other stuffed animals and accidental stalking? It’s more of a Oneshot Collection than a continuous fic but don’t let that stop you. Comedy, Fluff and Harry Potter. What else could you need?

Away Childish Things by lettered | Completed | 153.8k | Teen and Up

Pairing: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Summary: Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

Notes: This fic. The way lettered handled the whole ‘people from the wizarding world find out about Harry’s home life’ amazingly. The characterization of the characters, their younger selves and their opinions of themselves is just... *Chef’s kiss*. I’ve read this one over and over and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Harry Potter and the Boy Who Lived by Santi | WIP | 147.7k | Mature

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Female OC

Summary: Harry Potter loves, and is loved by, his parents, his godfather, and his brother. He isn’t mistreated, abused, or neglected. So why is he a Dark Wizard? NonBWL!Harry. Not your typical Harry’s brother is the Boy Who Lived story.

Notes: One of the only ‘Wrong boy who lived’ Fics I’ve enjoyed. Technically, Harry twin brother is the actual BWL so it’s not exactly the wrong one. This Harry is very OOC, keeping only his name and his physical features. His twin brother is really more ‘Harry Potter’ Personality-wise. Despite all of this, I absolutely loved this fic. The way Durmstrang operates is amazing and much better than Hogwarts.

The Spellmaker by SonnyGietzel | WIP | 166.7k | Mature

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle | Voldemort

Summary: Latin; a dead language with no practical applications except perhaps the deciphering of old texts and as a particularly quaint party trick.Thankfully, as Harry finds out, Latin is not as dead as he was first taught when he decided to learn the language. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, of course; he loved Latin, and would have been proud to know it even had it been as useless as it was pretty. But in the world of Wizards, the world of Magic, Harry realizes his rare talent with words is particularly valuable, and allows him to use magic that no one's ever heard of, that no one's ever seen. But as time goes on, and he becomes more and more entangled in the webs spun by those around him, he starts to realize just how deep the magical rabbit hole goes and how dangerous power like his can be.All Harry had ever wanted was for the world to make sense.

Notes: Latin? Hell yeah! Harry’s spell casting by knowing latin and understanding science is so cool. Plus I just really love the librarian. It’s still updating too so you’re not just torturing yourself for the sake of entertainment if you read it,

SCHOOLED by WyrdSmith | WIP | 113.6k | Explicit

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle

Summary: 7th Year Gryffindors learn why it is never a good idea to piss off Ravenclaw Hadrian Morgan. His payback during Professor Slytherin's class is BEAUTIFUL. In carrying it out, orphaned pureblood Hadrian catches the interest and libido of the present Lord Marvolo Slytherin, who -- with the assistance of the entire Slytherin student body as well as a few other surprising characters -- tries to lure Morgan into his life and his bed. But just how naive is Hadrian Morgan, really?1945-era mash-up of most major and minor characters of HP and other fandoms, as well as historical characters. [WAIT, PLEASE! .... ahem.... If you just heard a mental screech of brakes, please understand that this is not a farce, nor crack, nor crap. This has many reviews from now-devoted readers who almost bypassed it, but are now glad they accepted the dare to just try chapter one.]

Notes: My opinion on this fic is complicated. It’s brilliantly written. Harry is witty, sneaky and ruthless and I just love him. Tom is just a lil bit predatory. You should definitely give it a read because it’s awesome, just make sure to properly read the tags and the summary first.

Time to Put Your Galleons Where Your Mouth Is by Tsume Yuki | Completed | 46.3k | Teen and Up

Pairing: None

Summary: Harry had never been able to comprehend a sibling relationship before, but he always thought he'd be great at it. Until, as Master of Death, he's reborn one Turais Rigel Black, older brother to Sirius and Regulus. (Rebirth/time travel and Master of Death Harry)

Notes: I love this. I love this so much. Harry is so great To Sirius and Regulus. He may be a bit OP but he’s honestly just a king in every single way other than literally. This was an amazing read and a great change from the more romance-centric fics that usually catch my eye.

Kudosed, Bookmarked, Subscribed by maquira | WIP | 49.6k | Explicit

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle | Voldemort

Summary: By day, Harry works as a lowly assistant to his boss: the cruel, controlling Tom Riddle.By night, he lives, breathes, and writes fanfiction. And when he's not writing, he's obsessing over the work of his favorite Ao3 author: Lord_Voldemort_.So, of course, it’s only a matter of time before Harry gets caught reading Voldemort’s latest fanfiction at work… by none other than his boss.

Notes: I know it’s Harry Potter and the nearly everything about the books has to do with magic but Muggle Au’s are my guilty pleasure. Pair that with maquira’s beautiful writing and I’m hooked. Really, check out any of maquira’s other fics, they’re all just as good.

Let’s Start the Show by Terrific Lunacy | WIP | 29.9k | Mature

Pairing: Kind of Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle

Summary: It started as a game. When two highborn lords come looking for a distraction from boredom, they merge the worlds of the highest class with those of the lowest class. An invitation sets things in motion that were supposed to stay locked away. Because a kingdom on the verge of collapse, a noble without a past and a circus performer with a secret are not a good combination.

Notes: Something about this fic just captivated me when I first read it. It still does, really. I love the plot, I love Harry’s cheek and you’ll love it too.

Dreams and Darkness Collide by Epic Solemnity | WIP | 209.5k | Mature

Pairing: Harry Potter/Voldemort

Summary: Though he was raised without the expectation of saving the world, Harry still possesses a savior complex. Only, it's so dark and twistedly immoral, he created an alter ego to practice vigilantism. His second identity makes a name for himself and immediately ensnares Minister Riddle's complete and obsessive attention. A game of cat and mouse begins and morals are questioned.

Notes: I’ve read this so many times I could probably recite it by heart but I could still read it a thousand more times.

My Name is Cameron Sage by thesewarmstars | Completed | 41.8k | Explicit

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Severus Snape

Summary: Things are going poorly for the side of the light, and in a last-ditch effort to fulfill his destiny, Harry goes back in time to try again.

Notes: Another Time travel fic! A particularly smutty one but Sevvy has a friend for once in his life and they’re so sarcastic but they’re also really sweet.

Consuming Shadows by Child_OTKW | WIP | 312.2k | Mature

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Voldemort, Harry Potter/ Male OC

Summary: On the night of the attack, Lily managed to escape with her infant son, but at the cost of her husband’s life. Distraught and distrusting of her friends, she fled to France with Harry, to raise him away from the corruption in Britain and the rising influence of the Dark Lord. She trains him to the best of her abilities, shaping him into a dangerous, intelligent and powerful wizard.But when Britain re-establishes the Triwizard Tournament, and Harry is forced to return to his once-home, he finds himself questioning whether he really wants to kill the Dark Lord. Voldemort finds an unexpected challenge in the child, and as his intrigue and amusement grows, so too does the desire to possess the spark in those defiant green eyes.

Notes: Harry attending foreign schools is also a favourite trope of mine. I love the different interpretations of different wizarding schools. Bonus points if he visits Hogwarts to attend or participate in the Triwizard Tournament.

To be Set Free by Merrinpippy | Completed | 35.8k | Teen and Up

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle

Summary: Harry Potter, raised and abused by the Dursleys ever since his parents died, lives in the cupboard under the stairs. He has no friends or family who love him and his life is dull until one day a letter arrives arrives for him, written in green ink, that promises freedom. Sounds familiar, right?King Thomas Riddle's illness combined with his political paranoia pushes him to arrange three royal balls, after which his son, Prince Tom Riddle, must choose a guest to marry, thereby securing the kingdom's future and solidifying their strength in the eyes of their allies/enemies. Tom is convinced that he will be able to defy his father and choose no-one, or at least he is until at the first ball he meets an attractive stranger with dark hair and glasses who won't tell anyone his name...

Notes: Fairytale Au’s are magical and this fic just proves it. You barely even need to put a spin on cinderella to fit Harry into his role in the story, which is sad but also absolutely perfect.

Azoth by zeigeistic | Completed | 88.7k | Explicit

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Draco Malfoy

Summary: Now that Harry is back at Hogwarts with Hermione for eighth year, he realises that something’s missing from his life, and it either has to do with Ron, his boggart, Snape, or Malfoy. Furthermore, what, exactly, does it mean when one’s life is defined by the desire to simultaneously impress and annoy a portrait? Harry has no idea; he’s too busy trying not to be in love with Malfoy to care.

Notes: Portrait Snape. That’s it. That’s all I have to say.

Death of Today by Epic Solemnity | Completed | 500.8k | Mature

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Voldemort

Summary: Raised in a Muggle orphanage, Harry arrives at Hogwarts a bitter boy. Unusually intelligent, he's recruited by the Unspeakables and the Death Eaters at a young age. As he grows older, he constantly has to struggle to keep his footing around a manipulative and bored Dark Lord, who fancies mind games and intellectual entertainment.

Notes: In all honesty, I don’t have much to add. Epic Solemnity is a fantastic author though so make sure to check out their other works.

Hermione Granger’s Hogwarts Crammer for Delinquents on the Run by waspabi | Completed | 93.3k | Teen and Up

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Draco Malfoy

Summary: 'You're a wizard, Harry' is easier to hear from a half-giant when you're eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you're seventeen and late for work.

Notes: I live for this Au. I would give my right hand and make quite a few human sacrifices for a sequel to this story.

Rebirth by Athey | WIP | 269.7k | Mature

Pairing: Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle

Summary: Two boys grow up together in an orphanage, grow powerful at school, are torn apart by death and brought back together by rebirth. Horcruxes aren't the only way to live forever. Necromancy, reincarnation, TR/HP Slash dark!Harry.

Notes: Ah, reincarnation. I always figured that Harry’s type of immortality would be much more interesting than tom’s in this story. A little bit of smut near the end there so you might want to watch out for that.

#harry potter #fanfiction #tomarrymort #tomarry #drarry #snarry #rec list #Salazar slytherin #Honestly #i just love these

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seanfiction · 4 years

Text

Fanfic Writer Game

Tagged by @pandirpus =)

How would you describe your fanfic style? I set the scene, a character gets to do some introspection concerning their relationship with another character, then porn happens. I like describing how intimacy makes people feel, the idea as well as particular touches.

What tropes would you never use? Eh, what even constitutes a “trope”? Whatevs... So what would I never write? Tons of shit, obviously!? But here are a few things I notice in fics I read that I absolutely hate:

changing POV (to the point where it changes every other paragraph and the fic feels like it started out life as an RPG)

cheating at narration (i.e. a character knowing more than they possibly can because the author really wanted to get that piece of information in)

porn between the lines (that’s what I read/write fics for!)

pairing (or killing) off another character who is frequently shipped with someone in the main ship so they’re out of the way (I don’t get it, it feels so unnecessary and forced)

aged-up characters (if a character is a minor in the source material then I don’t want to read about them in college or whatever)

healthy/normal families (I don’t even know why; the best you’ll get is if families aren’t mentioned)

What tropes do you ALWAYS use? As Pandir helpfully put it: I don’t think in tropes. When I think of fanfics, I think in ships and kinks and ratings. So I will list kinks and related themes that keep popping up in my writing:

bondage (any variety)

age gaps (even and especially the kind some folks deem problematic)

hate sex/aggressive sex

power imbalance (in many different ways, but this is what it often boils down to)

Domination/submission

being overcome by desire (despite knowing better)

non-con/dub-con

explicit consent (obviously not in the same stories that the previous point occurs in XD)

Where do you write? I publish stuff on AO3 and tumblr. I’m not good at keeping track of these things, tbh.

How many names do you write under? Why? I just use SeanFiction for everything, never saw the necessity for more than one name.

What’s your usual rating level? It’s not “E for everyone”, I’ll tell you that. 8D

First fandom you wrote for? The first fandom I wrote proper fanfiction for was Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, I think. EDIT: I just remembered I used to write DC and Marvel Fanfiction (comic verse) on LJ way back when! That must have been even earlier!

How long did you read fics before you started writing them? Seven years or so? I never really felt the need to write fanfics, I just wanted to read them. I wrote originals instead until I met folks who inspired me to go into fanfiction. XD

Do you usually write chapter fics or one shots? One shots, pretty much exclusively, because they serve my content best. I explore a scenario and that usually only takes one go. Sometimes fics are connected and take place in the same universe, but that’s about it.

Your fandoms: I haven’t been writing much fanfiction recently (or much of anything, really), the last few fics I wrote were for Hikaru no Go, Pokémon and Ties of Lapis... some of these a while ago. 8′D I don’t even consider them “my fandoms” (except maybe ToL) because I don’t think about them much or anything.

Tagging: Tag, you’re it!

#writing #personal #thanks for the tag #it was really fun to think about these things

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theangrypokemaniac · 4 years

Note

Your whole Contest rant read almost like a parody. The Contests were the most popular goal for female companions in the anime, and the vast majority of fans of Contests were female fans. Likewise Misty had already gotten stale and dull in Johto, and Contests brought in better battles, storylines and character development. Saying they're all about being girly makes me think you have no idea what they're about, since most are abut battles and combinations. I doubt most will agree with you.

Oh, but Nonny, you don't believe in what you're saying since you won't put your name to it, so why should I listen?

It's a 'rant' because you disagree, not for actual content.

The nature of a rant is crazed disorder, but this comes in numbered sections clearly laid out.

More aptly, the first three words of that post were 'I hate Contests'.

If this view is such an anathema, why did you keep on reading?

Who's the fool here?

Whether anyone agrees with me or not is immaterial. Truth isn't a popularity contest.

It's still my opinion whatever anyone else thinks, no lesser or greater.

If you want to be liked, then lie.

I tried this method, keeping my feelings to myself, never daring to speak my mind, and where did it get me?

• Unfollowed

• Ghosted

• Insulted

• Blocked

• Shunned

Where is the incentive to hold back if that's the reward?

Might as well say what I want. I think I've a right to on my blog.

It is you who misunderstand. I complain Contests are vacuous and girly, and your defence is that they are for girls and most fans were girls.

Well, yeah. That's what I said. A show once having universal appeal downgraded itself to be toddler fantasy pap:

The anime began aimed at everyone, especially children and teenagers, but now, when its concern with fluff and sparkles takes precedent, it's a fantasy for toddler girls.

You tell me I'm wrong by concurring it's for girls, then you insist considering it to be girly means I know nothing about it.

Eh?

Girls got along fine watching Pokémon for years without being pandered to and infantilised by shallow spectacles like this.

Pokémon used to be for everyone, although because game-players were, and still are, mostly boys, what one saw of the fandom was largely their input.

• Letters to magazines were mainly from boys.

• If you knew of any fans at school, they were boys.

• Attendants to downloading Mew were nearly all boys.

The exception were fan sites, shipping and art, which were dominated by girls.

Then along came Contests, and that balance tipped, until we get to the point now that I doubt many viewers of the anime are male, because it no longer holds any appeal.

Why should they put up with a monotonous fashion parade when they watched it entirely for fierce showdowns?

We started with tough girls like Jessie and Misty, then along came the Contest blender, and we ended up with feeble vessels like Mallow and Lillie.

Ultra girliness is all very well on the periphery, or as part of an ensemble, but when it's the only stock feminine character available, it's boring to the point of paralysis.

Why should I be pleased a series with edge devolved into a mess of pink and cuddly cushions?

With whom were Contests the favourite female occupation? Fans?

What were the options?

• Tagged along because she was going that way (Misty/Iris).

• Contests/Showcases (May/Dawn/Serena).

• Lives nearby (Lillie/Mallow/Lana/Chloë).

I'm not really surprised at the result. I still don't see why this invalidates my take.

Amid your ravings, I am told that 'most are about battles and combinations'.

Most? Some aren't then?

What are these few about then? Vietnam?

By your own admission, a few are nothing but vacuous posturing.

Again, you agree with me. What's the complaint if I'm right?

What storylines? New Ribbon or no Ribbon?

And what character development? May and Dawn began wanting to be champion, and finished wanting to be champion.

Since that was the close of their story, any 'lessons' they learn are redundant as we'll never see them put into application.

Better battles? Better than what?

Have have you the nerve to lie that Contests are about combat?

The entire premise is showing off how pretty attacks are, not the strength.

Were it a display of power, as a normal fight is, people would be entering with teams of enormous hulking beasts, leaving the likes of Piplup bloody lost.

Some ugly Pokémon, like Gabite and Ambipom, are included, but because they've got some shiny move up their metaphorical sleeve.

Come on, man! The first round is decided on who's bustin' out the sparkles!

Every subsequent round may pose as battling, but you don't succeed by beating the opponent unconscious as usual.

You win if your 'energy bar' is highly than theirs, bought about by pulling off attention-seeking stunts.

Knocking 'em out is a blessing as it assures a win, but it's not the goal.

How is that battle in any legitimate sense when the very markers of victory and loss are removed?

Since beauty is subjective, the winner doesn't succeed because they are measurably superior to their opponent, or at least capable of thinking on their feet.

They win just on the whim of this set of judges liking their performance more. Another day, another panel, and it'd be different.

A real fight in a proper competition doesn't depend on arbitrary standards like that. You take 'em down here, you'd take 'em down in any stadium, any country. It is thus a quantifiable achievement.

In real life, we don't class a sash from a beauty pageant as of equal value to a black belt.

It's okay, but we know it was a matter of luck, whereas any sporting trophy comes from clearly out matching the rest, with hours of strain, sacrifice and suffering paving the path to that moment.

Contests involve no such effort. You pick what glitters and the rest is rehearsal. No need to enter a single fight to hone your skills.

Why isn't Ash eager to get in on the action then, if it's 'truly' such a test of combatants?

The answer is because it's nothing to do with his career as a Trainer. If it were, we wouldn't need the separate term of 'Co-Ordinator' to describe entrants.

Trainers train Pokémon, Gym Leaders lead Gyms, Co-Ordinators co-ordinate routines to be spectacular.

Why have different descriptions if it's exactly the same?

Martial arts, both in fantasy and reality, have a spiritual element. Those who dedicate their lives to it are regarded as having reached a higher level of being.

Battles share that quality. It's not about brute force, focus is place more on inner strength, in heart, courage, determination and loyalty.

A Pokémon which, on paper, is weaker than its foe, can still come out on top if it's prepared to go the distance and want it at all costs, compared to an apathetic opponent.

Simultaneously, the Trainers have their own battle of minds, picking up on style and mistakes, always ready to pounce.

Contests have no such deeper consequence. They are wholly fixated on what's flashy and external. Ice shards are no more glassy just because you really mean 'em.

Combinations are a couple of attacks put together to look nice. How is this refuting my assertion they are but ephemeral bits off fluff?

Why should I be interested in a career so hollow, and ultimately futile, since neither girl won, and now never existed?

Your also claim the ejection of Misty is warranted since she became 'stale and dull', as if refuting my words.

If you'd bothered to read it properly rather than twisting yer knickers, you might notice I wrote exactly the same thing.

Perhaps it makes no difference. By Hoenn they'd rendered her a leaden blandness sucked dry of all that made her special.

I am not saying a Hoenn Misty would've been a more interesting companion. Her personality had to be erased before being allowed back at all.

I was mocking the excuse given for her exit, that she had no longterm goal, when there was no reason she couldn't participate in Contests.

A. If featuring them is intended as promotion, the audience is more likely to invest in the activity of a familiar face.

B. Just ruin her character if it's an obstacle, as they did everyone else.

C. Contests are a rip off of a competition Misty entered!

The truth still stands that had Misty stayed, we'd have no May, and in turn, no Max, and that's a bad thing?

In conclusion, you disagree with me by agreeing with me, so what exactly is the issue?

Since you fail to object elsewhere, I take it that the remainder is to your taste, and you also think Jessie was shafted, resembles a backwards country cliché and that May and Dawn should have won.

Not a bad dissection then.

#pokémon #contests #misty #hoenn #inbox

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lil-purplebird · 5 years

Text

Handle with Care - Chapter Thirteen

Fandom: Pokémon

Rating: NC-17

Genre: Romance/Drama

Words: 16,494

Pairing: Mewtwo/Mew

Summary: Having been loving mates for five years, Mew desires for a baby, even though Mewtwo feels the opposite, believing he cannot have offspring. As strong as their bond is, receiving nothing but bad news and unfortunate events slowly tears them apart and pushes their relationship to the edge. A fragile heart can break in any hand that handles it for too long. It can be put back together as many times as possible, but it’ll never be the same.

Note: while the fan fic is still on-going, uploading the chapters are going to be sporadic at best. The chapters may be uploaded daily, weekly, or whenever I get banners finished.

Can also be read here.

The cold twilight air stung her nostrils and throat when Mew slowly inhaled, rubbing at her eyes for what had to be the fourth time since getting up. She blinked up at the dark trees, picking at the corners of the card and readjusting her scarf to cover her shoulders. Her ears perked as Mewtwo exited the house and locked the door, having just finished his last-minute security checks. Once he pinned a note beneath the knocker, he turned to look at her with a gentle, yet tired, smile on his lips.

“Nervous, dear?”

She shook her head a little as he walked up to her side, throwing on his cloak. “I'm just a bit sorry we're leaving on such short notice.”

Leaving before the break of dawn wasn't ideal either, but neither of them had slept well to begin with. Mew had tried, it was just too awkward to lie beside him after months of having the bed to herself.

“Have any of the neighbors made plans with you?” he inquired.

“Not at all.”

“Then there are no regrets to be had.” He rubbed his cold knuckles against her cheek, which she shivered from. “They will understand.”

The petite feline shifted a little, glancing over at the note to find Mewtwo had written only two simple sentences:

We left for a small vacation. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Mew knew he was right that they didn't need an explanation. She could briefly recall Wigs telling her however-long-ago to take a vacation, and the others were quick to agree. Even Marjorie, whom she hadn't spoken to (let alone seen) since the fight, reportedly wanted her to go on one, and wished for a full recovery. For all of her faults, the specter had a good heart when it came to her neighbors.

Placing her hand in his, she passed him the invitation. “Do you happen to recognize the address?”

Skimming through it, the clone shook his head a little. “Nothing comes to mind. We just need to pop into a human services center for a quick research, is all.”

She grimaced a little. “But we'll get caught...”

“That is why we are leaving early. Most of them have of yet to open their doors.”

“But it'll take a couple of hours to get to the nearest city by flight,” she added, tugging at her scarf.

A chill ran up her spine at the sly beam in his eye, and her mouth formed an “O” in realization. Holding her close with an arm, he covered her eyes with his other hand, coaxing her to relax and clear her mind. There was a slight howl of wind and sensation of stretching past dimensions before he released her a second later. Numerous sounds hit her eardrums at once, making her quickly flinch and throw up a shield before she would look around.

They were in an alley, the walls and trash bins covered in crude art and other grime. The streets were empty, but there were clearly sounds of crowds bustling down unseen roads. Right in front of them was a stout but sterile building, the window strip dark to inform them it was of yet to open for business.

Mew stared up at what little of the hazy sky there was before turning to Mewtwo. Her face steadily fell in slight disapproval at the smile he was sporting. “You come here behind my back, don't you.”

“Seldom do I come here,” he rectified unashamedly. “But I did scavenge your cooking utensils from a restaurant near here when we moved into our home.”

“So you did rob from humans?” she gasped, dropping her shield.

“They were replacing them, so I took them off their hands. I sterilized them before use and made repairs where necessary.”

Even with clarification, she still frowned up at him.

Mewtwo gestured for her to wait in place before teleporting inside the building. Mew cautiously approached to peer through the glass as he switched on one of the computers and shortly began operating it. From the bluish glow lit on his face, his brows only furrowed once as he stared thoughtfully at whatever he was looking at. A thought came to mind on how she was lucky to have become friends with him, she knew of no other Pokémon who understood human technology as well as he.

Pawing at the ball of wool dangling from the scarf, the feline cast her eyes about the streets, flinching whenever a figure in the distance walked across an adjacent road. Glancing back inside, she did a double-take at the gleam of lenses installed in a corner behind Mewtwo. In a panic, she transported herself to his side, grabbing him by the shoulders.

“Mewtwo, I think you're being watched!” she announced, pointing at the device above them, then spotted a few more in the office whirling her head about.

He didn't bother turning away from the screen. “I had disabled the cameras when we were outside,” he responded, psychically punching in letters (the moving keys looked to be too small for him, so he was miming a glowing hand above it). “The humans will not notice a thing. Ah, here we are.”

Mew blinked at how bland everything before her looked. “This is human entertainment?”

“It is an information search engine, it is not supposed to look exciting.” Briefly glancing down at the invitation on the desk, he fluidly inserted the address into the white bar in the middle. “These humans need to get better security installed. It was not that hard to hack into their database.”

“You broke into technology?”

Mewtwo gave her an aside glance. “Why should you worry? It is not like I was going to take this home.”

She sighed a little, folding her arms. “But you would, right?”

“Not this particular piece with its flimsy cybersecurity. I would be more comfortable building my own operating system from scratch.” His eyes then lit up at the images that popped up on the screen, and he deeply frowned. “It is the address of the hotel mentioned in the invitation.”

Mew rolled her eyes. “That was pointless,” she muttered.

“Not exactly, since it is located at Indigo Plateau.” He looked down at the printed address again. “Which makes sense, considering his celebrity status.”

“Doesn't matter, it was right there in our faces.”

Mewtwo raised his brows at her. “Why are you getting so worked up over it? Have you ever been there?”

She slightly pursed her lips. “I've traveled a lot myself, so I may have flown by it. Don't give me that look, Mewtwo, I don't always drop by to ask for the name of places I've seen.”

He quickly pulled up a picture of a large stadium. “Then have you seen this before, by any chance?”

Mew tilted her head, glancing away. “...maybe...”

The clone shook his head, doing a few other things on the screen before shutting off the machine, throwing them into shadow. “Not that it matters at this point. I know where the place is, so we shall head there immediately.”

“But the time zones?”

“It is a couple of hours ahead of ours.”

Mew's brows knitted. “So we'll be out in broad daylight?”

“Of course not, we will camp out someplace nearby. When it is dark and quiet, we can go for a walk, go for a swim, go dining, anything you want.”

She squirmed a little in place. “Do we have to sleep 'til then?”

“Not exactly.”

Her ears drooped a little, swiping the card away before crossing her arms. “We should've thought this through.”

He gave her an exasperated look, but still pulled her in close to teleport themselves away. Before her eyes, the gray dreariness transitioned to a highland of luscious greens and blues, the sun having just passed over the mountaintops. They could take it all in from above, everything from the bordering woods to the lively village that surrounded a large stadium. Mew felt an energy reverberating in the air, and the building didn't look like it was currently in use with its closed rooftop.

“Interesting how active it is,” Mewtwo noted. “It is not time for the Indigo League to be hosted, and yet the streets are crowded.”

“People do live here, right?” Mew questioned. “It's just a community with one attraction?”

“It does not have a city population, for certain. Perhaps these are the guests.”

She blinked down at them, slowly sucking in a breath. “He knows all of these people?”

He quietly chuckled. “I suppose so.” Glancing over at her, he nodded his head to the side. “Let us find ourselves shelter. We can tour later, if you wish.”

Tucking the invitation into her scarf, they traveled a ways searching the plateaus for any caves. Finding none, they hunted down any large trees to duck under and ended up combing the perimeter before coming across some pitched tents by the lake. No other signs of humans were nearby except for the occasional intercom announcement in the distance, and despite none of them being currently occupied, Mew wouldn't allow Mewtwo to borrow one.

“That was never my 'intent',” he joked, smirking wryly.

“Seriously, Mewtwo?” she groaned, fixing her scarf.

“It was on im-'poles'.”

She caught on to what he was doing, but she couldn't even muster a scoff. “I'm not in the mood for this, Mewtwo,” she muttered, flying off along the banks.

He was back at her side in the blink of an eye. “How about we play a game?”

Mew furrowed her brows at his sly smile. “Why? Are you up to something?”

“Of course. I will let you pick.”

She frowned a little, not liking this sudden eager side of him. It felt forced, even if it was out of impulse (she shuddered thinking back to his pun moments ago).

With a shrug, he spoke up when she remained quiet, “Well, if you are not going to pick, then I will suggest tag.”

“Mewtwo, you've never played it with me.”

“Times change.”

Mew turned her head, grasping her scarf closer. “I don't like where this is going...”

Swerving in front of her, Mewtwo gently touched her shoulders to stop her, dropping them when she flinched. “I mean it, Mew,” he said softly, his expression faltering. “We agreed to treat this as a vacation. I want to spend time with you, and before we can relax, you will need to take a breather.”

Her gaze lowering, she took a glimpse at the reflections in the water. She couldn't see themselves very well at the angle they were currently at, so she followed the shimmering sun spots toward a rock formation further across the lake where the mouth of the river was. As though drawn to it, she backed away from the clone, shooting him a glance.

“Then can't you pick an activity that you would actually like?” she quietly suggested. “Something that could... give us a little space?”

“Hide-and-seek.”

She almost grimaced from how quickly he answered. “You'll cheat.”

“I will not.” His toes scarcely skimmed the water's surface as he approached her.

She matched his gait-like speed while still keeping a respectable distance. “You find a way to cheat at everything.”

“And I am telling you, you cannot cheat at sex.”

“And I'm saying you would find a way!”

“Everything has loopholes.”

The feline whipped around fast enough for the bulb of her tail to sweep over the cool surface. She tried to look past the mischievous twinkle she caught in his eye. “Are you pulling my leg? That has to be it, right?”

With a smirk, he swooped in to snatch one of her legs and pull it to his side. “Now I am,” he purred.

Mew blushed as her heart fluttered and her hands curled against her chest, realizing she had been played. “Wha... what has gotten into you?!”

His fingers gently squeezed. “Your face is red, a result of being thrust into a situation that has made you embarrassed, or aroused.”

She immediately shoved herself away and hurried over to the rocks, only to turn around and shout, “That's not funny, Mewtwo!”

“Well, I thought it was clever.”

“It's not! Your jokes aren't funny, Mewtwo!” Mew swallowed down the lump that threatened to break her voice. Sitting down, she bunched up the scarf around her lower face even though the growing heat (both from the daylight and her still-pounding heart) was making her squirm in discomfort.

A quiet moment passed before she looked back up, noticing he hadn't budged from where he levitated. Despite the eye-contact, she had a feeling he wasn't actually looking at her. It was after he tilted his head back that he spoke again, “If we are finished with our bantering, do you wish to accompany me for a morning swim?”

She gradually scowled as his words sank in. Glancing down at the water for a second, she slowly shook her head. “This isn't like you,” she murmured. “None of this is adding up.”

“Could you speak up, dear? The rapids are a tad loud here.”

Gritting her teeth and fur bristling, she raised her voice, “Just go on without me. Only you are crazy enough to swim in the winter.”

He kept quiet, making her squirm at how profound his eyes looked. Then he canted his head, casting a shadow over half of his face. “Interesting. Well, as a brief reminder, I still remember the time when our roles were once reversed.” He turned to dive into the water, cloak and all, and vanished.

Staring after where he left, Mew curled up in her scarf and dropped her eyes to the folded card. Tapping her toes together, hollow pangs vibrated in her chest as his words sank in. “I guess... you can't help lying to yourself, too.”

*~*~*

Dropping his façade, Mewtwo made his way back to shore, but remained hidden by keeping to the treetops. With ease, he dried himself and his cloak off without slowing in his drifting while minding his distance from the village. He didn't have a reason for going on a stroll through the outskirts, and it was possible his weariness from a restless sleep still had a hold on him, but he needed some space for a quick breather. The hassle with Mew's unstable attitude was something he had expected to go through, yet it was no less frustrating having her constantly shoot him down.

A peal of giggles brought him pause, noticing he had come across something he shouldn't have. It was clear it was spontaneous given how the couple had deliberately isolated themselves from the crowds to have some privacy. They weren't very aware of their surroundings, too engrossed in cozying up to one-another and giving in to desire beneath the shade. Mewtwo knew better than to spy on them, and once the man's hand disappeared under the woman's blouse, he went down a different path to clear his thoughts.

By the time the clone returned to Mew with a handful of fruits he had scavenged for breakfast, he found her asleep, buried in her scarf and invitation in hand. While disappointed he had missed his chance to voice his concerns right then, he honestly couldn't blame her for being fatigued. Carefully picking the feline up, he followed the river until he found a ridge partially hidden by a hanging tree they could take shelter on. Gently tugging the cloth away and rolling it into a makeshift pillow, he lay her down on it in the shade as well as her share, slipped the card beneath the scarf, then sat down by the riverbank to watch the current.

Slowly munching on an apple, Mewtwo mulled on if they had made the right choice given their rife situation. The events of yesterday were still too fresh and they had lacked the energy and fortitude to fully talk about it. How was he certain leaving the house for a few days could heal them? Even if it was to help them look at it from a different point-of-view, what were they going to accomplish? Were they going to swallow down enough pride to confess their wrongdoings, or try to warp it into something that was “necessary”? What question or confession was going to be the clincher, for better or for worse?

How were any of them going to forgive each other? Could they even forgive themselves for hurting not just each other but everyone around them? Would it be able to patch up their reputations?

Huffing, Mewtwo hurled the apple core he had finished into the bushes and reached for the next fruit in the pile. It didn't take long for him to find himself subconsciously fiddling with the seeds he picked out, and remembered how he'd consult with Mew about the kinds of foods she wanted to grow and would pocket the ones she wanted to take home. Having been without a garden for weeks didn't change his habit, but he chose not to bother and instead flicked the seeds out of sight.

Rising, he glanced up at the sky where he noticed clouds were rolling in, and studied the ridge. Rain wasn't absolute, though there was no way to keep themselves out of the elements. Choosing to wing it, Mewtwo flapped out his cloak before tying a corner on a branch with nearby creeping ivy, and the other end pinned under a boulder. As he smoothed it out and down the sides, he glanced over at Mew, who was still sound asleep. He didn't expect to hear from her in a while, yet when he strained his ears, he caught a mumble.

Cautiously, he slipped through the cloak to sneak closer, peering down at her profiled face until her body repositioned onto her stomach, bending a leg doing so. The tip of her tail gently plodded and an ear flicked, a movement he couldn't help cracking a smirk over. Careful not to nudge her, he enclosed the scarf around her.

Then a small breath hitched which made him wince, immediately followed by her upper body tensing, and eyelids and nose twitching. Mewtwo held himself back from touching her cheek, unsure if it was just a result of her dreaming until he noticed sweat was developing on her neck. He glanced down right as her hips lurched slightly, a string of drool dripping off her bottom lip as another quiet gasp escaped her.

Not liking what he was seeing, he straightaway shook her by the shoulder, and Mew jerked some more and choked on her voice. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked disoriented for a few seconds before her vision settled on him. He quickly sat back to avoid looking suspicious, hoping his expression was neutral.

“I apologize for waking you,” he said. “I brought you some breakfast.”

“Huh?” was what she uttered before rubbing the back of her paw on her lips, seemingly unaware her face was still flushed. “'S breakfas' now?”

“If you wish.” He gestured to her pile. “But if you are not hungry, you can sleep some more. I was just transporting you to a safer spot out of the sun.”

She blinked up at him, then dropped her gaze to poke a berry. “Oh...”

Mewtwo's jaw locked a bit when he caught a glimpse of a small wet spot as she eased herself up. “What were you dreaming about?” he couldn't help asking.

Mew visibly went tense. “Mm... surfing.”

He knew she was fibbing, but he didn't wish to probe her further. “Interesting.”

“Yeah... it was weird.”

“Hm.” The clone scooted backward to duck under the cloak.

“Where're you going? What's with...?” She trailed off, sweeping her eyes above her.

“It is to keep the rain out, and perhaps some privacy from passersby.” It felt as if he stumbled on his response, thinking only half of it made sense. For whatever reason, he zoned in on “privacy” like it presently meant anything to them. In the off-chance they weren't in the middle of a fight, would it even be proper to be intimate just before attending another's wedding ceremony?

“But where're you going?” she repeated.

“I will be scouting the area some more. I advise you to keep your explorations brief if you wish to go out.” Mewtwo then hopped down from the ledge and followed the riverbend. His eyes were focused forward, yet his thoughts remained back with Mew to relay every movement, every sharp breath she had made.

Over the rushing waters, he could hear the trilling chirps and songs of any Pokémon in the area, obvious mating calls—odd, as mating season was typically in the spring. Bird and insect Pokémon occasionally darted out of the trees in playful chases, small mammalian Pokémon tumbled out of bushes or pursued each other in the opposite direction, an exception being a pair of Buizel leaping out of the water with other fish Pokémon, and there were Stantler resting by the bank nuzzling each other. The distant hiss of a waterfall got him to continue down the path, and once he reached it, he checked for a hidden opening.

Pausing beneath the spray, Mewtwo slumped against the rocks, hands balled into fists. What was he thinking in looking for a secluded area, anyway? What was the point? He might as well scout the area like he said he was doing, but then why didn't he invite Mew to accompany him? She would've liked to follow the river, perhaps play around a waterfall or two. If it took them further into the mountains, so be it, more wildlife to see and explore, more inhabitants to meet, more opportunities for privacy—

The clone quickly soaked his head under the falls, pulling away only to clear his eyes and nose. “Give me a distraction!” he growled to himself, or perhaps to anything in earshot. His mind's eye continued to converge on Mew, but he got an idea when he swept his gaze along the waterfall. Taking in a breath, he stepped back beneath it and flattened his palms together at his sternum. His chin dipped slightly, he attempted to ignore all sensations the running water assaulted him with and gently closed his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was he either got used to the cold or he lost all feeling, but focusing on that tidbit was bringing back that stinging temperature. He diverged his thoughts toward his aura, recalling his source of harnessed power to spread it evenly throughout his body. Warmth followed suit, and he steadied his breathing, allowing the cool air to disperse inside his core before expelling heat to counterbalance. Overlaid all of that was his heartbeat, a powerful yet relaxed rhythm felt not just in his chest but his entire venous system. Delving deeper, he sensed his spirit pulling itself out from the darkness, covered with burning cracks that needed to be mended.

I miss her...

The quiet blip of a worldly thought caused him to flinch for a moment and counteract, No, empty your thoughts and close yourself off from the world. There is no room for two, let alone one. Concentrate. Forget everything, all of the source of your troubles. Focus...

His inner eye caught the glimpse of a blurry figure zipping through the void, leaving behind faint afterimages in its wake. His balance was knocked askew upon recognition, his heartbeat splitting into two with one half dropping below his center. He attempted to reel it back swiftly and calmly, but then a pair of blue irises froze him in place. A mixture of familiarity and yearning pierced his mind, and a voice not his own pealed like bells around him.

Mewtwo...

It conflicted him on how to respond, should he dare to acknowledge it. His breaths wavered, and a physical touch was pulling his body out from nothingness. His heart was out-of-sync by then, the bottom part growing heavier and overtaking that which remained in his core. A second heartbeat from the outside made itself known, and a softer breath sounded over his.

Mewtwo... Mewtwo...

Mewtwo jerked as one of the cracks widened, being pried apart by wandering fingers. He felt exposed, ashamed he couldn't protect his weak points from the intrusive entity. And yet, he didn't mind, trusting the hands would put him back the way he was once they were done with him. Judging by the touch, they had an intimate knowledge of him, which oddly gave him peace. Knowing very well of the repercussions of intervention, he reached out for a feel, his fingertips skimming matching heat—

—and he found himself repelled backward, breath knocked senseless out of him when he slammed into the rock. Sliding down into a sitting position, his vision swam out of focus for a few moments before he managed to see the agitation on Mew's face. Drops of water fell from her drenched fur onto his skin, and as he was still manifesting back into the material world, he had a stray thought that he could feel steam enveloping them and a tile wall pressed against his back.

“Mewtwo, are you okay?” she asked through the fog and roar of the waterfall, sounding breathless herself. “Do you remember what you were doing?”

The question baffled him, and he tilted his head as he gathered his thoughts. “Well... I was meditating?”

“I guess?” She frowned as she pulled away from him, much to his disappointment. “You were gone for quite a while. Then it started to rain, and I... I then felt your psychic signature flowing down the river. So I followed it.”

Feeling uneasy he had been broadcasting, the clone staggered to his feet. “I apologize for making you worry, Mew. I needed to clear my head.”

“Of what?”

Mewtwo inwardly cringed, catching a glimpse of her crestfallen expression before she floated back out into the open. He noticed the pouring rain then and hurried after her, psychically throwing up a full-body shield to deflect the raindrops. She shot a glance over her shoulder at him when he reached her, and stared at his out-stretched hand.

“You are going to catch a cold, Mew,” he said, softly.

She pointedly locked her gaze on him. “Being under a waterfall in the winter is a surefire way to get sick,” she retorted.

He couldn't help a chuckle even though it felt like a stab in the back. “We both are gluttons for punishment, I suppose.”

Her ears drooped at that, and she dejectedly swerved her tail into his hand. Once the rain rolled off her, she shook her fur dry just to recoil nearly out of his hold when he reflexively reached out to help. Tearing his eyes away from her, he led the way downstream, keeping his grip on her tail loose and trying to swallow down his heart.

It wasn't very long before she broke the awkward silence, although she almost went unheard. “Mewtwo?”

“Hm?” He quickly cleared his throat. “Yes, Mew?”

She wriggled a little in discomfort, and he quickly strained his hearing to pick out her voice. “I... I-I really am sorry about everything. It was just awful what I did... and all I did was hate myself...”

She was shamefully withdrawing back into herself. Not wanting to lose her so quickly, he tried to coax, “Mew, you should not take all of the blame.”

“No, I should,” she pressed. “I've just been so selfish, so inconsiderate to you and to everyone else. You all just wanted to see me get better... and I kept pushing you all away...”

Mewtwo shook his head. “You were hurt, but what I did was make it worse by not attempting to help you sooner.” He glanced over to find her holding herself, almost curling away from him. “However, I honestly do not know if I was being too hard on you, or not at all. We canceled each other out so much that there has been no sign of progression between us, and yet...”

“Should we have mourned the egg?”

Her voice wavered when she interjected, which brought him pause. Turning away from her haunted expression, the clone momentarily thought back to that cursed day he felt the empty weight in his hands. “That was why I agreed to the cremation,” he solemnly stated. “There was hardly anything to cremate, but it was better to have had a little something to remember... Lucky by. But, well, I suppose I reaped what I sowed for choosing to not consult with you, first.”

Mew fell silent, and they continued onward. Once they rounded the corner and he spotted his cloak, he nudged her forward to duck under first so he could tug on it some more and shake the water off. Compared to the outside, the dry cover had helped trap in a little warmth, although he still felt the chill between them as they sat on opposite ends of the ridge. After scanning over the untouched fruit, he reclined against the cliffside for attempted rest, lolling his head away from her direction and focusing on the hiss of rain.

“...Do you regret becoming my mate, Mewtwo?”

She was still quiet, but it jolted him out of his relaxed state. He didn't dare look over at her, dwelling on her question in the hopes the cool indifference would keep him calm. An agonized twinge rooted him in place upon the recognition they were picking up where they had left off last night, albeit reversed.

“No.”

He couldn't bring himself to further elaborate his rationale, unsure what to say to such an inquiry. The raw emptiness ached just by brushing up against it, and so by keeping his heart closed off, it could minimize the damage and allow the bruising to fade. And yet the cursed weather prevented that by forcing them to coop up in such close proximity with nothing but their thoughts and bodies to stave off their boredom—

“Then why didn't you answer immediately?”

Mewtwo was glad she poked that sore spot to remind him of their current predicament. He was more growling at himself than he was at her when he blurted out, “Allow me to reiterate, Mew: Do you regret becoming my mate?”

He felt something inside him stir when she whimpered, clearly taken aback by his counter. “O-Of course not, Mewtwo!”

Sitting up, the clone finally faced her in time to see her jolt at his movement, and couldn't stop himself from bringing up a thought that had bothered him. “Then why did you say to me that it was 'typical' of a male to leave his mate behind? You have known me for ten years, Mew. You know how... atypical I am.”

Mew was visibly shaken, but she still managed a grimace. “How could you say that if you never regretted mating with me?” she hissed, her fingers clawing at the ground. “What did you know of mating prior to me?”

He gritted his teeth, feeling a vein throb in his neck as he groaned, “Damn it, Mew, this is why we ran in circles for months! Why should—” He paused when his agitated tail smacked the cliffside and almost swept aside the cloak. Curling it around his hip, he let out a sharp breath before continuing, “Why must we spend so much time mulling over what we had believed in prior to starting a relationship together? How does that help us move forward?”

She shivered and turned away, also wrapping her tail around herself. Outside, a gust of wind brought a heavy volume of rain down on their cover, and she scooted away from the edge she had been coiling up against. Mewtwo took note of the space between them and straightened up, but deep down, he wanted to pull her onto his lap and let her stretch out however she pleased.

“Would you—” she shakily started whispering, only for her voice to catch for a moment. “...W-Would you ever have found a new mate?”

“...You need to be a bit specific, Mew. In what context do you mean by that?” He knew exactly what she was talking about, but he wanted to hear it from her.

She squirmed in discomfort, which gave him some sick relief to see she was in torment, though he figured she never expected him to keep pushing. “Would you have found yourself a new mate if I had continued... doing that?”

A split second of her gasping flashed before his eyes, which he hurriedly pushed away by focusing solely on her hapless, cowering state. “Why would I abandon you just because you were pleasuring yourself?”

He saw her shoulders trembling before he heard her gulp. “I-I never forgot about you, Mewtwo,” she mewled. “I thought of you a lot...”

Although he was fighting back the memory, an echo of her screaming his name and complimenting his anatomy rang in his ears. “Mime mentioned you always had me on your mind,” he said, feeling his throat tighten. “It hurt to see you avoid me, but knowing you could not stop thinking about me kept me motivated.”

Sluggishly, Mew half-turned to look at him, her eyes glazed over. “How about you, then? Were you... thinking of me, too?”

He really didn't want to remember his spiel of loneliness, but he had to be honest with her. “You were all I could think of. But I did not... like doing it.”

“Doing what?”

He needed to quickly clarify and to consciously keep his hands to himself. “I did not like masturbating while thinking about you. I fought so hard to not do it...” He bit his tongue to stop himself from going further, although his pained expression helped in getting his point across. At the moment, it kept his thoughts from drifting back to him crouching and weeping into a rocky corner.

She appeared to scrutinize him before dropping her gaze, looking drained. “...I wish I was as strong as you, Mewtwo. I gave in too easily... I thought up of so many... things you could do to me. And it got out of control...”

You should have come to me for help, his thoughts wanted to be heard, but Mewtwo knew it would set her off because of insensitivity, or she would misinterpret it. He had to hesitate speaking again, unsure exactly where to go from there. With the heavy atmosphere weighing down on them, if there was any hope of getting her to open up to him and carry on a discussion, he needed to lighten the load from her.

Thinking back to how Mime carried his sessions, about what it was what got him to explore his thoughts, he picked at a part of Mew's statement he believed had merit. As originally intended for their “vacation” from home, if they were going to reminisce, he might as well try to bring up what was good between them. Or at least figure out what the cracks were in their foundation.

Carefully planning out his approach, Mewtwo probed, “Have you always fantasied about what you wanted to do with me? Not during these last few months, I am talking about since we have been together.”

Her eyes seemed to gleam for a moment, looking lost in thought. His core wavered anxiously waiting for her response, feeling like he should already know the answer and that it was ridiculous of him to ask. Then it started to mock him, Imbecile, of course she has fantasized doing this-and-that with you! She could hardly keep her hands off of you when she could help it!

“...I did,” she finally answered, but then her face fell. “I was just too nervous... maybe too afraid to ask you if you were okay with them... But that doesn't mean I wasn't happy, Mewtwo.”

He wanted to smile at her comment, yet unfortunately couldn't bring himself to. The inward cackle of Told you so! felt like a reflex, which he quickly brushed off to nod. “I see. I am guilty of that, as well.”

“Really?” She sounded a little surprised by it, which he should've been amused by had she not been so defeated.

“I mean... I have teased them before. But I never went through with them because I like my head where it currently is.” He tried to playfully wink, but it felt too much like a tic to him.

Her mouth opened only to close immediately, her brows furrowing. Thinking she was closing herself off because he staring at her too much, he looked away and noticed the rain had stopped. He took a quick peek outside to make sure, only to frown up at the dark clouds still hovering above.

“Was... was one of those fantasies a sex change?”

It was like a kick to the gut, not having a clue as to where she got that idea from. He whirled around to look at her. “A sex change? In what context?”

Gasping, Mew swiftly turned her back on him. “No... never mind...”

“No, do not pretend to hide it,” he chided. “Give me an explanation, please.”

She shook her head, refusing to look at him. “Mewtwo, no, forget I said it—”

“Tell me what this 'sex change' is about,” he urged, daring to get closer. “Was this one of your fantasies?”

She covered her face to smother a wail, then peered up at him with an ashamed stare. “Please believe me, you really were all I thought about! I-I never thought about having sex with anyone else...”

His heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling rejected by her words even though that wasn't what she insinuated. “Please tell me, Mew,” he pleaded once more, finding himself leaning in. “Explain how this works.”

She recoiled from him, sobbing, “You're going to think it's gross, or weird!” She yelped when he gripped her shoulders to steady her, eyes scrunching shut to avoid looking at him.

“Mew, I am willing to talk about it. What was it about a sex change that was bothering you?”

“I fantasized you as a female!”

Mewtwo felt as if an icy blade pierced his heart when her cry echoed.

Scarcely giving them breathing room, her face flushed a deep red as she stammered out, “I-It was still you, Mewtwo, I swear! But... oh, God, I had never thought about it before, it just happened! A-And... and it wouldn't go away! I couldn't... I didn't want to stop thinking about it because I liked it!”

His gaze briefly trailed down her quivering figure when her thighs shifted and drew closer to her body. He couldn't catch a glimpse of whatever he was hoping he'd see, a thought which horrified him, and he pulled away from her. Mew broke down harder when he did, finally managing to look up at him.

“You're mad at me, aren't you?!”

“No, I am not—” he tried to deny, but his voice was uncharacteristically quiet.

“You think I'm disgusting, don't you?! Because I am!”

“Mew, no—”

“It was wrong of me to think of you like that, Mewtwo! Don't pretend it was okay!”

He clawed his thighs in frustration. “Damn it, Mew, listen to me—”

“HOW CAN YOU EVEN STAND TO LOOK AT ME, RIGHT NOW?!” she screamed, shaking her whole body. She lost herself to tears before she could breathe long enough to add, “I defiled who you are in so many ways just so I could feel better about myself! I'm a horrible mate, Mewtwo! Why can't you see that?!”

She shot outside and headed up the cliffside before Mewtwo could react.

It was a second too late that he shook it off to exclaim, “Mew, come back!”

He just about tore away the cloak to spring upward in an attempt to reach her as her tail disappeared past the cliff. No matter how fast he was going, her tiny figure allowed her to nimbly flee from him and dodge the trees, and with her aura closed off from him, he was quickly losing sight of her.

“Mew, please, let us talk it over!”

A flying branch cut across his midsection during a turn, knocking the wind out of him, and he tumbled out of the air into brush and mud. He had been swift enough to protect his eyes, but not his recovery time, and knew she had vanished just before he picked himself up. He stumbled along hunched in pain, uncertain if his face was wet from rain or tears.

“Damn! DAMN IT!”

Mewtwo nearly tripped over a raised root just to nick his ankle against the tree trunk, scraped his palms on thorns pushing foliage out of his face, got his tail caught in another prickly bush, then somehow smacked his forehead against a low-hanging branch, all of which he could've easily avoided without a thought he allowed without a care. No matter what cuts and bruises and other forms of humiliation he was getting running through the woods, his thoughts were consistently on Mew's plight. Even if he were to ever find himself entering the village in his stupor, he wouldn't care about the unwanted attention just as long as it would bring her back to him so he could make it up to her.

In his disorientation, he found himself overlooking a rocky hill down at the river, sweeping his eyes along the other side. The cloud cover had gotten thicker and rain was pouring again, which helped in washing him down, but he couldn't care about it. It was nothing compared to air burning his nostrils and throat, which was just a nuisance unlike the sharp, crippling pangs in his ribs.

“No... no, get up,” he growled when he caught himself from collapsing to a knee. “She needs you... She needs to be found...”

At his leisure, he made his way down to the bank and eyed the width of the river, noticing it was about to flood from the rain. A couple of boulders jutted out from the water, but were too far apart from each other, and weren't close enough to jump to. Frowning, he tested his levitation in place for a few moments, and when there were no negative effects or changes, made his way across—although he quickly swerved for one of the rocks to cling to for a breather.

The forest continued through the plateau and up the mountains, and Mewtwo was certain he was closer to wilderness than human settlement. Still unable to sense Mew's aura anywhere and the cold made him numb, he hurried to shore and resumed trudging through. It was foolish, he knew, and he knew the other Pokémon who spotted him thought he was crazy, but he was too troubled to think about his own safety. For the most part, the trees took the brunt of the rain, so he was more grimy than drenched the further he walked.

“Mew... Mew, answer me!” he called out for the umpteenth time, almost choking on a breath.

The clouds still hadn't passed, and he hadn't been keeping track of time all day. As most Pokémon had taken shelter, he hardly came across a face or a helping hand, even though he had doubts they'd be of much help. Would any of them even know of who or what Mew was if he were to name or describe her? Would any of them really care enough to give aid to an unknown species that was too human for his own good?

Mewtwo coughed when he tried hollering for Mew again, doubling over from pain. He blearily glimpsed down at himself and grimaced at the scarlet bruise across his ribs, seething when he touched it. Sweeping the area, he searched for any shelter he could squeeze himself into, though nothing in reach looked dry or safe enough to curl up in. It was also just his luck there was not enough timber or other supplies to gather for a makeshift cover to protect him against the elements.

It wasn't until he neared the mountain that he could even find a trench to crawl into after assessing it. It appeared to have been an Onix trail, but he couldn't be picky in his state. Once he was able to recline at an angle that hurt the least, he peered at the damage and slowly gauged his breathing before daring to touch it again. Closing his eyes to peer into his aura, he focused on the hot, swelling spot on his side and nearly clicked his tongue in disapproval to see it was a fracture. It luckily was just the one rib, he'd live with the bruising.

With a glowing finger, he gingerly traced along the afflicted rib until he could tell it had been mended. Hoarsely sighing, he dropped his hand and made a mental note to himself to get it checked out once he got home. A pessimistic smirk flashed on his muzzle as he scoffed, “Behold my powers! Broken bones mend by touch, but broken hearts bleed with mere words! What do you say to that, doctor?”

The corners of his mouth twitched when his thoughts drifted, hearing the distant rustle of leaves in the breeze. Slowly glancing up at the gray sky, Mewtwo flexed his fingers as he dwelled on where to go from there; not for directions through the forest, but for the upcoming days. Should he ever reconcile with Mew, what could they do for themselves? What could they do to return to normal in the community, with friends and colleagues they had rejected? How could they ensure this would be their lowest point and not make it worse? What should he say to Mew to get her to open back up to him? How could they talk it over? Should they both pretend she never said anything about...?

He furrowed his brows, recalling how mortified she became when she had blurted it out. Perhaps he shouldn't have pushed for more information and just left it be, but it was an oddly specific fantasy. And her tearful explanation didn't help matters, although it coming out so shortly after confronting about each other's self-pleasures...

...A sex change?

Never had he ever imagined he'd think about such a procedure, let alone for the bedroom. She might have misspoke for all he knew, but for presumably being one of her fantasies, she was extremely uncomfortable about it. And when she mentioned she had thought of him as the opposite sex...

A hand clenched. When did she start thinking that way, and for how often? She had said that once she got that thought, it wouldn't go away, but yesterday... standing right outside of the door...

“...your cock feels so—”

Mewtwo swiftly shook his head and lurched forward to cover his face. Why the hell am I thinking that?! Smacking some sense into himself, he got to his feet and climbed out of the ditch, though an abrupt dizzy spell sideswiped him. Shivering, he staggered to the nearest sturdy object—the raised wall of dirt and rock—and knelt down to breathe.

“What... what is this...?” he groaned, ducking his head. It felt as if needles were jamming themselves into his brain from behind his eyes, provoking vertigo and black spots to pop before his vision until he shut them tight. Rasping as he lost balance, he curled up and bit back a whine bubbling in his throat until the only sound he heard was his erratic breathing.

Mewtwo...

He shot a hand up to grasp something he knew was in reach, but his fingers clawed air and went limp, remaining outstretched where he lay. His eyes rolled behind their lids as he fought to remain conscious, sensing the cracks of his soul were aflame. Stars sparked in the darkness as a blurred figure came into view, surrounded by aura that changed color with every twist and turn. Going against the darkness' wishes, he wanted it to come closer, help him up, talk to him, anything to keep him from falling into the abyss.

Mewtwo... does it hurt?

The voice didn't sound like it came from anything other than the wind, but the whispering in his ear calmed his nerves. The figure disappeared off to the side, which stung his heart thinking he was being ignored. A hand then smoothed its way over his shoulder and down his front before snagging one of the cracks, making him jerk and gasp from heated agony, but he managed to relax under its touch.

In response to the question moments before, he murmured, It hurts... I dare not touch it.

How come?

It took him a moment to speak past his shame. I... fear I would make the pain worse.

There came a quiet hum as something thick snaked into his feeble grasp. Painstakingly, his thumb pressed it and started to stroke, feeling content just having something to hold. It was then he heard another breath, higher-pitched than his and quieter, but it filled the space he was in like it was meant for his ears only.

What will make you feel better? Anything at all?

Right then he realized there was a weight pressed against his back, rubbing more of the cracks. The fingers slipped beneath to feel his center, and he couldn't stop a moan from escaping, joining the other voice in a duet. He was torn between wanting the figure to cease its actions, and for it to keep going and expose more of him. Deep down, he had always felt like a prisoner inside, yet attempting to pull the shell off piece by piece always made him bleed.

Until she came into his life...

Unsure if his eyes were truly open, he requested, Let me see your face... please...

The second breath hitched, but didn't stop. Something soft and warm rubbed up against his cheek, almost melding into his skin. He tried to look over to see it for himself, but he was unable to move as more of his core was probed and bigger cracks crept across his form. His hand gripped tighter, and the resulting gasp from the voice perked him up. Light flashed for a split second, and his body stirred.

Ooh... you're not supposed to get distracted, it giggled.

Two sides of him immediately fought for control: One wasn't comfortable with sharing space and being explored, the other wanted to keep his companion with him to the end. Both sides, however, agreed that he needed to be open. It didn't matter to him how it happens just as long as he could stop hurting.

Straining against the darkness, Mewtwo released his hold to reach up to grab the hand still stroking his soul. The figure fought to pull away, having not expected him to react. Mewtwo, why?! You know better than to—!

I have decided to endure the pain just a bit longer, he declared, remaining calm in spite of the burning touch. So until then... come back to me as before, Mew.

Upon twisting his body around, he watched the figure's blue eyes widen as they slipped from each other's grasp. He welcomed the bliss of nothingness, if only because of the promise of rest for his battered soul. But alas, he remembered how to move again and awoke to the cold ground and shadowed trees circling him. Inhaling slowly, he drew his outstretched arm closer to find it had become numb, which didn't bother him as he further scanned the skyline.

So exhaustion finally caught up to him, he gleaned, once he realized he wasn't looking at clouds anymore but dusk. He could've shrugged it off had it not been for the situation he was currently in, in the midst of losing his livelihood for good. There was a possibility Mew was upset enough to have fled the area, and he lost too much precious time to ever catch up to her.

His heart struggled pitifully against the cold shackles as he once again thought back to her anguished cry from earlier. He still didn't know how to process it, or how he could approach her about such a... peculiar concept, but she first needed to be found. Perhaps it was too soon to have left without telling anyone of their plans, especially Dr. Mime. It was looking more and more to have been the wrong choice in their current state.

Grunting as he carefully got to his feet, Mewtwo checked his levitation before ascending over the treetops. Facing north, he studied the river and thought about heading back the way he came, but as he had come this far and no one's crossed his path yet, he figured he could follow it downstream. If nothing else, he could always find someplace to camp for the night and give her some needed space—wherever she may be.

After rounding a couple of bends of the plateau and the last of the sun's rays vanished, he spotted the lights of the village not far ahead, coming to a halt. “Are you serious?” he muttered in bewilderment, raising a hand to his temple. Scanning the landscape, he realized he had gone opposite of where he and Mew had explored that morning. He hadn't been very observant of his surroundings, and there he was on the other side as a result of some cruel twist of karma. Then again, he always did have a penchant for finding his way to human civilization...

If he was quick, he could cut across just on the outskirts and make his way back to the cliffside before his morale depleted. For good measure, he searched for Mew's aura one last time just to confirm that, yes, she was still dodging him. Once dropped, he skirted along the treetops, keeping an eye out for any wandering humans that could be nearby.

And he abruptly paused, the back of his mind tingling when he caught a blip of a weak, but familiar vibe. It wasn't Mew's, that much he knew for sure, but it had a similar wavelength. It baffled him that he even felt it, for the one exuding it didn't seem to be in complete control or was aware of how much it fluctuated. The source was not too far from where he was, and as it continued to gnaw away at him, Mewtwo changed course to hunt it down.

As soon as he landed, a nearby brush rustled and his eyes fell on a Pikachu crawling out, which gasped in surprise when their visions crossed. The clone felt himself bristle instinctively, but he loosened his stance as soon as a voice called out, “Hey, where'd you go, bud?”

The aura, surprisingly firm, grazed his before Mewtwo watched the young man trudge into view. It wasn't surprising that he looked no different from the photograph, although there was stubble along his jaw and his stature was taller and broader than he had thought. But as normal as he looked, what was undoubtedly that of Ash Ketchum was his face glowing the instant their gazes met, the boyish looks of winded dark hair, zigzag-marked cheeks, and large brown eyes having remained unchanged from his memory of fifteen years ago.

When he spoke, as rough as his voice was, it carried an animated tone like he had been anticipating their meeting. “You came after all!”

Mewtwo solemnly nodded, taking note of how easily he relaxed before the human. “Congratulations.”

Ash grinned, rubbing his nose as his Pikachu scurried up onto his shoulder. “Thanks! I'm a bit nervous about it, though, the more I take it all in. Pikachu here has been the most excited of all of us, haven't ya, buddy?”

The electric rodent chirped in agreement, affectionately rubbing their cheeks together. The man's laugh was gravelly yet calm, and almost contagious. Patting the Pokémon's back, he made direct eye-contact with him, quirking a pointed brow. “You look different.”

The clone smirked knowingly, slightly lifting his chin. “Says the boy who became a man.”

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “Touché! Guess what I've meant to say is you act different, or something. It's been a long time, I'd be surprised if you haven't changed.”

“I see your perception has improved greatly.” He paused, noticing the atmosphere had softened up since they started talking. “So, you have been training in aura?”

Ash's eyes slightly widened before he made a noise of acknowledgement. “Oh, guess you can sense that. Yeah, kind of. It's cool, but kind of unnerving at the same time.”

“You will get used to it.”

“Yeah.” He then blinked and came closer, much to Mewtwo's dismay. “Whoa, I'm just noticing you look rough. Did you get into a scuffle?”

He winced from the question, though from the way Ash cautiously approached again, the young man had misinterpreted his movement. “It is nothing to worry about,” he attempted to dismiss. “I just need to rest.”

“I have some extra Potions I can give to you—”

“I can use Recover!” he rebuffed, almost snappily. Pikachu's ears twitched as his fur stood on end, and the clone promptly backed down with a low sigh. “I apologize for raising my voice. I am... somewhat on edge.”

Ash chuckled like it would lighten the mood. “Yeah, I get that. You weren't expecting this encounter, I suppose, so if anything, I should be apologizing for disrupting you.”

Shaking his head, Mewtwo scanned the wood, wondering if their voices were carrying. Whether it was from observing visual cues or through instinct, the man gave a quiet cough and gestured to the side with his head. “Wanna get closer to the lake? It's not that busy this time of year, so no one will see us.”

Finding no harm in taking up his offer, the feline agreed, and they meandered for the water. Pikachu ran ahead as if to taunt them for being Slowpokes, which Mewtwo smirked to himself over the comparison just to snap back to focus. It was odd how lax he was finding himself becoming just by reuniting with an acquaintance. Aura training or not, something about Ash was calming him down, and he almost forgot about his current troubles just by striking up small talk.

Once at the lakeside near the mouth of the second river, the man hunkered down on the grass and his Pokémon hopped onto his lap. Mewtwo took his seat at a respectable distance, but close enough that he noticed something about him looked ruffled. “I mean not to pry into your personal affairs, but has something been troubling you lately? I thought you would be spending time with your mate-to-be.” He suddenly felt self-conscious about how he said it, recalling that no human ever says “mate” in that context.

If Ash noticed, he chose to ignore it when he answered, “I was just with my fiancée, actually. She had to turn in early, but I needed some more time between Pikachu and myself. This is a big step for the both of us.” He sighed, looking up at the sky. “It's strange. I've done a lot of challenging stuff over the years, and yet it's marriage that's my most difficult. Don't get me wrong, I want to marry her, but I've been wondering if there's something I should be doing first.”

His aura suddenly spiked before settling, making Mewtwo slightly leery. Whatever were the experiences he had while growing up, there was something off about seeing the young man questioning his own ambitions. “Have you gotten any advice from your friends and family?”

“Well yeah, though I think my mom's just happy to have a daughter-in-law. I guess I'm...” Grimacing, his jaw briefly rocked back and forth. “I'm just a bit worried of this chance of pace. We're both Pokémon Trainers with expertise in our chosen fields, so we could travel together if needs be, but... she may want to settle down... start a family.”

He honestly didn't know what to say, yet his insides writhed once Ash said it, and a flash of Mew entered his thoughts. Almost regretting asking but knowing better than to abruptly shut the conversation down, he continued, “Have you two talked it over?”

Pikachu frowned knowingly up at his companion, ears slightly lowered. The man absentmindedly rubbed his knuckles under the mouse's chin as he nodded. “We're both on the fence about it, but I can tell she's been thinking about it a lot. The thought makes me a little nervous, though.”

Fighting back a shiver, Mewtwo averted his gaze to the dark waters, the moon in his peripheral. “I suppose that is a normal feeling for all males,” he assessed, hoping it was enough of a broad-brushed statement to avoid dragging his own troubles out into the open—

“I probably shouldn't ask, but have you ever thought about that kind of stuff?”

His insides dropping could've had enough weight to make the ground tremble beneath them. There was no escaping that boy, not even when he was looking so uncharacteristically unsure of himself. Perhaps his aura training made him more susceptible to negative emotions, and being a Psychic Pokémon struggling with his own inner turmoil, they were naturally drawn to each other. Although as he glanced over, Ash had a quizzical expression on his face, silently telling him he was still oblivious.

Swallowing down his pride, Mewtwo reluctantly replied, “I have.”

Human curiosity winning over, he queried further, “Did something happen?”

Ducking his head in shame, he sighed through his nose as he pieced together his thoughts. “...I am having what you humans call 'marital troubles'.”

A small breath of awe escaped both him and Pikachu, a reaction he wasn't pleased to hear. “Ohhh, that explains why you look a bit different—and why you're exhausted-looking.” He glimpsed over in time to watch Ash throw his arms behind his head. “Man, guess I really am late on the whole marriage thing. Most everyone else has tied the knot.”

Mewtwo's lips twitched upward, which he quickly hid.

“So do you have any kids?” He sounded a bit more than just intrigued, which the psycat found rather amusing to have an adult human virtually reverting back to that as a child asking about the quirks of life. But he still wasn't willing to talk about himself, and had to force himself to make a vague response.

“We... have been struggling.” Inwardly, he sent numerous notions to drop it since she wasn't there.

Nothing indicated to him he got the message, but Ash looked distraught. “Oh.”

Fighting back against the heavy atmosphere, Mewtwo diverted the topic back around by straightening up and giving him a fervent stare down. “But this is not about me. If you need some advice or just someone to talk to, I am willing to lend you an ear or a hand.”

Again, his vocabulary sounded stilted talking to a human. He still didn't understand why he caved in and agreed to attend the wedding, and why he struck up such a loose, intimate discussion like they were old friends. Ash's aura was as stable as a young Pokémon's, yet even with its rough edges, it still quelled his troubled heart. The young boy—man, now—left an impression deep enough to follow him well into his golden years, but they were never friends. He was content with that, yet perhaps the human's naïveté thought otherwise, hence the invitation.

And besides, what right did a Pokémon have to give a human advice? And a clone, on top of that?

Intentionally or not, Ash's voice broke through the clamor with a simple question: “Is it hard?”

His mind scoffed with an Of course it is hard!, but his soul gave pause to ponder. If it was such a simple answer that everyone should know, then why was it hard? In terms of his own experiences, was it hard by nature, by principle, or by choice? If it was always hard, then how was it he took to Mew so fast? They had their struggles, their differences, their own lives to consider, and yet there were times where everything was working out in their favor, seemingly without effort on their part. Then somewhere down the line, they took one misstep, and it all fell to ruin.

The more he dwelled on it, the more Mewtwo didn't feel worthy to give an answer. He didn't have a success story to spin, didn't have proof he could truthfully tell an optimistic, but nervous young bachelor everything will work out for him. He was literally the worst candidate to ask, yet there he sat, staring out at the lake with a human he couldn't even call friend after fifteen years. It was a sight he imagined Mew would've been glad to see.

Breaking the silence, and appreciating Ash's patience, the clone at last declared, “Indeed. You no longer have to think about your own welfare, you have another life to care and provide for.”

It seemed to have been the right call to make, for the man took a deep breath of relief and grinned. “That should be simple enough, then. I'm a Pokémon trainer, after all.” His Pikachu nodded.

His optimism was something to behold. Mewtwo went on to add, “There is also the clashing of your personalities, your likes and dislikes, your ideologies.”

“Sounds no different from my own journeys and companions.”

He stared at him, unsure if it was appropriate to get annoyed by how easily he shrugged off the advice with a comparison to Pokémon training. If he already knew what the perks of marriage entailed, however he had come to understand it, then what was even the point in asking?

“Do you want children, Ash?” he tried to move on, hoping that would stick.

“I told you, I'm not sure yet.”

“And yet you are willing to add a new Pokémon to your roster every time you are out on your journey.”

“Kids aren't like Pokémon, I get that.”

It wasn't that Mewtwo didn't believe in his words, but he was willing to continue poking holes if it meant getting through his thick skull. “You say the two of you are both trainers, both willing to travel the world together if needs be. But already you two have clashing ideologies that need to be settled as soon as possible, even if she has not said anything yet.”

“I have a place to live, if that's what you're wondering,” Ash proclaimed, looking a little defensive. Even Pikachu shrank back a little at his raised tone. “So I've already ensured we have a home to go to, and it's in order.”

“And could you guarantee it would still be there if the both of you are halfway around the world?”

“Because of my duties, I have to travel a lot, so I do have a housekeeper. Although without me asking, my Pokémon have watched the house before.” With a moment's pause, a sheepish smile spread on his face as he whispered an aside, “Also it's embarrassing that my mom still dotes on me. It was the best way to finally get her to back down and stop worrying, for once.”

Mewtwo didn't have a hard time envisioning his Pikachu and the other Pokémon he remembered dusting rooms, sweeping floors, even bringing home food to prepare. It wasn't something he was going to verbally admit, though. “So should you ever have any, are your children going to be well-off?”

“Yes. Actually, one of the last things we're in the process of approving is for my health insurance to update to cover my fiancée, and that's been bit of a pain, no lie. Should be ready once we register our marriage and she gets everything of hers approved to show for it.”

The clone almost tuned Ash out once he zoned in he was looking more confident about his future, which bemused him that he was being apprehensive about having a family of his own. Whatever had led up to now, he had been losing himself to his thoughts to the point he was needing time to himself. Even life had to catch up to an ambitious trainer someday, but from what he deduced, it wasn't as if he was suddenly being thrust into that position. Humans were always willing to rise to the occasion when it came to personal benefits or merit.

He was probably stepping out of line, but Mewtwo, the intellect he was proud to be, wanted to think outside of the box a little bit. Figuring he could use his title as a champion against him, the benefits of this human health insurance notwithstanding, he imparted, “Now let us flip this conversation around and look at it from your wife's perspective. Perhaps you two are free to travel together no matter the conference, but consider an opportunity to travel for longer than usual, for a few months or so. However, this is a journey where your wife cannot accompany you, and you potentially may not be able to contact her most days. Would she be able to handle being left alone for that period?”

The man became thoughtful, though he was noticeably growing antsy once more. “She has her own Pokémon—”

“But what can Pokémon do for her biological human needs?” he stressed, watching his face tilt into shadow. “You are getting married, Ash, because you must have a desire for companionship beyond that of friendship. This is the result of a choice of wanting to spend the rest of your life with a woman who is willing to stay by your side through thick and thin, because she cares for and loves you. But if she wants to have a family or desires love, she cannot do it alone if her husband is hesitant or absent.”

The last time he had seen Ash look irritated, it was when he had attempted to throw punches at him. It was impressive (albeit humorous) to have a ten-year-old angry enough at him to charge him, but from the way his aura sizzled, he chanced an uppercut if he were to provoke him further. If it hadn't been for Pikachu reclining in his lap, he might've done so or gotten to his feet to emphasize his leer, but Mewtwo ultimately wasn't afraid of him.

“We've talked about this and more, Mewtwo,” he curtly objected. “Trust me, I think we can handle it just fine.”

The topic was practically asking to get dropped, but the feline couldn't stop himself from retorting, “So then why are you getting upset over the thought of a family?”

“I'm nervous, not upset. No need to bite my head off over it.” Ash's mouth then curled to the side, dark eyes glinting. “Also, no offense, but these questions are getting kinda out-of-hand. You're turning into my mom.” Pikachu snorted under his breath.

Mewtwo cringed, but it wasn't from the mother comparison. He lowered his gaze as he quickly reviewed his attitude, and why he had gotten so invested in the rather-one-sided discussion on human behavior. “...I apologize. I got a little over my head...” He slowly flexed his fingers, feeling inadequate with everything around him, himself included.

The silence lasted only for a few moments before Ash briefly leaned into his line-of-sight. There was no reason for him to have done so other than to get a better look at his face. “You've lost someone close to you, haven't you?”

It wasn't what he wanted to profess to because it invited pity, but he had been unintentionally projecting himself into the conversation, and the human wasn't completely inattentive. Mewtwo found it refreshing he could have someone to talk to, and that the floor was technically open to him, but the timing was wholly inappropriate. And it was humiliating that someone just now entering a life-long commitment could lend an ear to someone like him, a being stuck between two worlds, and one was crumbling beneath his feet.

A somber sigh bubbling in his chest, he crossed his arms on his knees. “...I have come very close, yes.”

A breath being reflexively sucked in made him glance back over. “I guess this talk of family is a hot button topic for you,” he noted, running his fingers through his hair. “I didn't mean to rile you up like that.”

Mewtwo never intended to guilt-trip Ash for wanting some confirmation, and he didn't want to mislead him into believing otherwise. “It is not your fault, not when you wanted some answers. Do not concern yourself over me.”

Pikachu quietly agreed, which got the man to sit back. “Well... if you're willing to, could I ask you something very quick?” When he was given a silent nod and wave of the hand to continue, he soberly stared up at the stars, face scrunched in thought. “Okay... if you could give any marital advice, what would it be?”

As a Pokémon, naturally he shouldn't know what could be appropriate to tell some human about marriage when there was nothing to indicate he lived the lifestyle. The thought alone was silly, and it would warrant some odd stares from others who were listening in. Yet, it was a question that put Mewtwo on equal ground with him. And he recalled that for as short as their interactions had been, Ash never saw him as a Pokémon or an abomination.

Scrutinizing his aura once more, he was beginning to understand why it was he thought it was similar to Mew's. Through their eyes, they only saw individuality and a life that was worth living. Being a Pokémon, while man-made, meant nothing to them just as long as they could see eye-to-eye. And perhaps that was his connection them: to Mew as a mate, and to Ash as... a friend.

Trawling through his many memories, he tried his best to stick to the positive ones in spite of his current state. But even during the sad times, there was still a thread that linked them together, sticking out the most and looking to be the strongest. “It would be to talk to your wife,” he decreed. “No matter what it is, or how personal or troubling it gets, talk things over first-and-foremost. Make compromises if needs be, but never make yourself or her live a lie just because you were afraid to break her heart. It is not just you, it is a team effort. The two of you need to be open with each other, but it has to start with yourself.”

He didn't sense an aura of cockiness, agitation, or boredom, suggesting to him Ash had gotten something out of it. It was still possible it was a repeat of what he had previously learned elsewhere, and it didn't matter to the clone if he was taking it to heart or not, but the warm smile and nod he got in return was more than he could ask for. “Sure thing, Mewtwo.”

Suddenly perking up, Pikachu jumped out of his lap and bolted down to the riverbank. The man got up in slight concern, though Mewtwo also turned his attention to where the rodent was headed. Pikachu nearly rounded a whole corner until his tail was seen, but he hopped on an unseen platform and there came a gasp of fright. Through a gap, he spotted a pink blur zipping into a tree, and the electric mouse squeaked in concern.

“Hey, what'cha find, buddy?” Ash called, about to jog over only to be caught in Mewtwo's hold. “Hey, wha...?”

The clone frowned deeply, but couldn't bring himself to get upset at the eavesdropping. Setting Ash down and coaxing him into staying, he strode over to find Pikachu gawking up into the branches. Stopping behind him, he eyed Mew curling by the trunk to blend in with the shadows. She froze when their gazes met, ears lowered and tail tightly wrapped around herself. He heard her sniffle as she quickly turned away to wipe at her face, and he let out a slow sigh through his nose, hanging his head.

Pikachu's brows knitted in worry as he silently put two-and-two together. Mewtwo only gave a nod of silent confirmation before glancing over at the man when he arrived.

“Hey, what's up?” he asked.

Looking back up at Mew, Mewtwo gently said to her, “If you wanted to meet him, you could have just joined us.”

She took in a few deep breaths before she eased herself down, yet remained hesitant to get nearer. When he extended a hand to her, she stared before gripping a finger and allowed him to guide her to his side. She first kept her eyes on Pikachu when he exclaimed in humble awe, a small smile on his pudgy face.

“Did he startle you?” he murmured to her, almost tongue-in-cheek.

Mew bashfully glanced back up at him, then pulled away to get closer to Pikachu's height. The Mouse Pokémon managed to stand his ground and reached out a paw in greeting. She tensed for a moment until she lightly gripped it for a small shake.

Ash almost couldn't hold back his surprise, but he didn't move from his spot. For just that moment, Mewtwo once more saw him as the ten-year-old he remembered, and he couldn't help a smirk. “Did you want an invitation to come say hello?”

Mew looked up when Ash came forward, taking him in with the same awe-struck expression.

“Hey, there. The name's Ash Ketchum.”

She nodded, but stayed silent.

He chuckled. “Guess there are shy Mews out there. The one I know is very bubbly, it likes to play with Pikachu whenever I visit as part of my training.” Pikachu rubbed the back of his neck.

Mewtwo noticed his mate's expression fell slightly, and lay a wavering hand on her shoulder. She jolted in place, but mercifully didn't pull away. “Mew is her own individual. It is why we became mates.”

Ash grinned as brightly as the moon. “I must say, Mew, you got yourself a lucky catch. Mewtwo's a great guy. You two must get along very well.”

Mew blushed deeply, dropping her eyes.

“I'm glad you're doing well, Mewtwo. This has been one of the biggest surprises yet, right up there with the day Brock got himself a girlfriend.” He laughed once more, and even Pikachu giggled.

Briefly, he skimmed his thumb down to her shoulder blade. She trembled beneath his touch and her tail sharply swung into his side, but he kept the façade steady. “You have Mew to thank for that. She talked me into accepting your invitation, if only because she wanted to meet the young man who changed my ways.”

The man nodded, folding his arms. “That makes sense, then. I thought it was a little bit suspicious you marked 'yes', 'cuz I kinda expected you to pass on it.” He smiled when the clone raised a brow, maintaining eye-contact. “But no matter, you're here now, and I'm glad I got to see you again.”

He didn't address it out loud, but Mewtwo felt guilt for being so disinclined to attend the reception and continually dragging his feet until the last minute. Ash wasn't a terrible human, and like Mew had commented months back, it was a sweet gesture to have thought of him despite having mutually lost contact. For as rocky as their conversation was, it was of good intentions.

So he meant it from the bottom of his heart when he said, “Once again, congratulations. I wish you nothing but the best.”

“Thanks, Mewtwo.” Looking up at the moon as he shuddered a bit, he casually mused, “Man, it's sure gotten chilly. Do you two have a warm place to sleep?”

Mewtwo felt a twinge of guilt as he thought back to the ridge, letting his arm drop from Mew when she glanced up at him. “We should... or so I thought.”

Ash didn't pry further, though he and his companion shared a look that he couldn't decipher. “You can have my hotel room if you want. Pikachu and I were thinking of staying out here longer anyway.”

“Are you certain?”

He nonchalantly shrugged. “Yeah, though thing is, the hotel address should've been listed on your invitation. They're kind of expecting that number of guests to be staying there, but I forgot that I was to make yours a bit different.” He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head and peering out through one eye. “I also didn't take into account you'd have company.”

Mew shrank back a little until the clone gently stopped her with his tail. “If it is too much trouble, we will decline.”

“I think it'd be more comfortable than sleeping out here in the cold,” Ash insisted. “I don't know where you two were planning on staying, but trainers have been known to sneak out during the night for practice battles or to catch some Pokémon in the area.” He gave a wry smile. “Nothing that you can't handle, but I'm just saying.”

It was playfully sinister, and Mewtwo for a brief moment felt a long since subsided flame rekindle. He reckoned it would make for an interesting battle and would do him some good, however, remembering where they were and that he wasn't fully in good shape was what snuffed it out. “Perhaps another time,” he politely declined, and the man slumped slightly, but he didn't lose his smile. “How would we get in?”

“My room's got a balcony, so I'll check in, and we can pass by each other that way.”

“That is against regulations, is it not?”

“Only if you get caught.” Ash cheekily winked.

Looking back at Mew, Mewtwo could tell from the glimmer in her eyes she had been considering the offer. And in comparing it to the current outdoors, as much as a change in scenery was refreshing, the thought of a warm bed was more alluring. With a low sigh, he turned to the man and nodded. “You make a fine bargain, Mr. Ketchum.”

He laughed, jogging backward with a wave. “See you two there!”

When he was gone and the quiet nighttime atmosphere enveloped them, Mewtwo nudged his mate. “Let us go gather up our belongings, Mew.”

She let out a breath until it faltered, shaking her head and hugging her arms close. “Why do you do this?” she murmured. “Why can't you take the hint and just... Why do you not...?”

“Leave you?” he finished softly. “I cannot, not as you are.”

“But why?” she urged. “What do you see in me?”

As she was refusing to look him in the eye now that they were alone, he had to scan her trembling figure. Unlike with him, she didn't have a battered appearance, and it was because of how the moonlight shone on her that he was able to take in the tear residue streaked on her cheeks. Neither Pikachu nor Ash had made any comments on it, so he wasn't sure if they had drawn to conclusions.

Pensively, Mewtwo answered her, “I see someone whose broken heart still longs for happiness.”

Mew's figure slouched. “I don't deserve it...”

He turned her around to face him, though she anxiously averted her gaze and wriggled from his hold. He choked down a rising lump in his throat to whisper, “Please do not hide anything from me anymore, Mew. I brought you with me so we could talk things over, and come to a decision together. But most importantly, it is to clear our minds, and expel the negative thoughts that plague us. It is an uncomfortable subject, but understand that it is between just us two.”

“How can you say that?” she accused, although it was half-hearted.

“Because I am not angry with you, Mew. Perturbed, yes, but not angry.” It still hurt that she would close her eyes to avoid seeing him, but he was steadily getting through to her now that she stopped shaking. “I should not have forced anything out of you, and I apologize for making you uneasy... but we cannot keep sweeping our troubles under the rug. Sooner or later, it was going to come up.”

Mew's fingers dug a bit more into her arms, then she relaxed her shoulders. Feeling she was placated enough for them to get themselves moving, Mewtwo gestured to the lake. “Let us get going, dear. Cannot keep him waiting for us.”

He lifted himself up to fly over the water, only to halt when she swerved to be in front of him. She still kept her head low, but she was able to at least look in his direction. “Just so you know, Mewtwo,” she informed him, voice still soft, “I don't feel comfortable sleeping next to you right now. Not now...”

He reluctantly nodded in agreement. “You do not have to sleep in arm's reach, but I ask that you stay close by for your own safety.”

Having reached an impasse, they returned to the ridge to find the cloak only hung on thanks to the stone, but it was tattered at the corners. Mew's scarf was caught in a hanging shrub, possibly due to passing wind, some of the neglected fruit remained in place but were bruised, and the card was missing. A quick scan of the area turned up nothing, and they concurred it wasn't worth tracking down. Once wrapped back up, they slipped through the shadows toward the inns, scanning for balconies upon arrival. Random windows would occasionally light up or go dark, and Mewtwo clenched his teeth remembering Ash never told them which building and level had his room, and he hadn't asked.

“Which one is he staying in?” Mew questioned obliviously moments later.

He fought the urge to facepalm. “The one with the balcony...”

“Um... which one?”

“He is getting married and he cannot give simple directions,” he grumbled. “Funny how that works.”

From an adjacent building, they heard the call of his Pikachu trying to sound casual. Mewtwo considered giving the supposed-adult a flick on the nose as they slipped over to greet him, but he couldn't bring himself to do more than entertain the thought. Mew entered the hotel room first before Ash could step outside, studying the lone bed before shaking off her scarf and moving on to the lamp and digital clock.

“I'll be back at about six in the morning,” he told Mewtwo after tearing his eyes away from the curious cat. “There might be a fog, too, so that should be plenty of cover for you two to disappear to wherever for the day. I had room service delivered not long ago, so there's some food in the refrigerator for you guys if you're hungry.”

“Are you certain you want to do this? Being nocturnal, I can forfeit the bed to you still.”

Ash snorted, taking in his bruised ribs. “Has anyone ever told you you're a bad liar, Mewtwo?”

He glowered, but held his tongue. From inside, Mew could be heard pushing buttons on the phone, and the man quickly let out a sharp “No, don't touch that!”, and swooped inside to hang it back up. She put space between them, a baffled expression on her face, then whirled around and had newfound interest in the television suspended in the corner.

“Is this what humans call the 'teevee'?” she wondered out loud, which made Ash blink and smile at her reaction.

Mewtwo's heart fluttered watching her study the flat screen and trying to look at her dark reflection. He hadn't seen her eyes light up with curiosity in ages. “What is with this sudden interest in human entertainment?” he tried to tease.

She slightly pouted over at him.

Returning to the balcony, Ash held his arm out for Pikachu, and nodded over at the clone. “Have a good night, Mewtwo.”

“Thank you for your hospitality,” he said, fully grateful even if it still felt he was being intrusive.

With a salute, he gave a whistle and dove over the railing, hands out-stretched. Like a speeding bullet, a large Gliscor swooped in from above of which he snatched by the feet, and they glided off into the shadows. Mewtwo stared off where they disappeared to, impressed with their dynamic, then hurried inside just in case someone was looking out their window. Once he drew the blinds closed, he hung his cloak over the chair and took in the hotel room. Mew was unsurprisingly swallowed up by the empty, yet cozy space, but all he cared about was that it was large enough to accommodate him, even though there wasn't much to do. He could tell by a glance he could scarcely fit into the tiny kitchen space, and by peeking into the bathroom, the tub was smaller than he was used to. At least the chair looked like it could support him.

“Hey, how does the 'teevee' work, anyway?”

As it was the only other piece of entertainment in the room, Mewtwo figured he'd let her give it a shot to hamper her boredom. Spotting the remote on the dresser, he picked it up to wave it in her line-of-sight. “You operate it with this.”

She cautiously approached him, keeping her eyes glued to it. “That's a lot of buttons.”

“Here.” He powered on the equipment, and what flickered to view was of a Pokémon Contest, specifically an Altaria in the middle of a Whirlwind. Noticing no audio was coming through, he checked for the right button to press, and immediately they could hear the announcer exclaiming her thoughts. Tapping the remote, he continued, “Use these buttons here to change the channel. The numbers do it as well, but do not mind them for now.”

Mew tilted her head. “Those triangle ones?”

“This changes the channel, this turns the volume up or down.” He passed it over, but still hovered by the bed as she sat down.

“What about the other smaller ones?”

“Do not worry about those. You just keep flipping through until you find something of interest or tire of it.”

She held down a button and looked up at the numbers scrolling through, although the screen remained black until she let go. “Is this what humans really do all day when they're not out training Pokémon?”

“Humans are easily entertained, I suppose. A whole slew of technology at their fingertips, and they squander it with that.” He nodded at the sight of a woman getting knocked off an obstacle course while her Pokémon companion looked on in surprise.

Pressing the button once more then releasing it a few seconds later, Mew frowned at the nature documentary blasting ominous music when a pair of wild male Ursaring crossed paths. The narrator was droning something about the scene either nervously or eagerly in a heavy accent. “Perhaps it's for humans who can't travel like we can?”

“A possibility.”

While she continued browsing, Mewtwo opened the drawer below the television to find a booklet. Skimming through it, his brows furrowed when he noticed the inn had listed it was using satellite television, and mentioned any usage outside of the inn's default channels would be added to the patron's bill. The list was contained in one column, and his mouth quirked at the revelation.

Many apologies, Ash, for our ignorance, he sighed to himself. Then out loud, he said, “I think that is enough television for one night.”

“Why?” And she let go of the button.

“—IN SO DEEP, AAHHN!”

They flustered at the grunting and squealing filtering through the speakers, Mew's eyes and mouth widening as she dropped the remote where it popped open and the batteries went flying. Mewtwo scrambled for the parts, accidentally knocking her backward onto the bed doing so. Once he shakily got it put back together, he had to face the screen to get a low-angled eyeful of the faceless copulating couple before it powered off. Lowering the remote as he trembled and gripped the duvet pulling himself up, the clone glanced at his mate to see her squeezing her arms to her chest, fur standing on end, and a flush rising to her cheeks. She flinched and gulped when their gazes crossed, drawing her legs close.

His vision drifted too much, zoning in on areas that got him shaking with anticipation: her parted lips as she breathed deeply; the way her hands smoothed over curves; her pelvis twisted to put emphasis on her wide hips; her toes pressed against the covers. He swallowed thickly, watching her tail curl around herself as if to hide from his sight, yet she tipped her head back to peer desirably at him through her eyelashes. Where she glowed pink, he identified them as hot spots for him. Those were areas he could—should—touch to get her going, to make her moan and sing praises to him, then gasp and beg and cry and scream and—

Defying the burning urges, Mewtwo roughly got to his feet and strode for the bathroom. “I will be in the shower,” was all he could muster, scarcely stopping himself from slamming the door behind him.

The water was cold since he didn't turn the knob all the way, but he didn't care. He let it stream down his back as he steadily collapsed to his knees and switched to autopilot, his heart still pounding in his ears. A choppy slideshow of her body flashed continuously in his mind's eye in a teasing, seductive dance, her face beaming at his frustration, and he could hear her calling his name each time her lips parted for a breath. He didn't dare move lest he crossed the point of no return.

Going against his wishes, his wild imagination projected him to kneel at the bedside, so he got to watch Mew toss her head back into the sheets as she cried out and writhed beneath a perfect imitation of himself—or it was him in a memory, but he couldn't confirm through the shadow. With him hunched over her and grinning triumphantly, they flowed like water, pelvises undulating and slamming together in a rhythm that was uniquely theirs. It didn't matter she was scrunched up against him and fought for breath under his weight, she desired the security of his body against hers. She looked beautiful drowning in euphoria...

“More... Mewtwo, pleeease...”

Her breathless whimper struck a nerve in him, and Mewtwo wanted nothing more than to lash out at his reflection. Memory or not, he wasn't the one who was presently on top of her. He desired nothing more than to lose himself inside her, to fill his senses with all she had to offer. There was a twinge of excitement in seeing her from a different angle, however, it was nothing more than some sick cruelty to have him experience all of the senses secondhand. Yet despite his inward pestering to step in and “reclaim” her, his body remained rooted in place. He couldn't even reach out to grab her hand.

Mewtwo jolted when the image of himself flickered, and the sudden disturbance in the atmosphere made him nauseated before he could clear his vision. Nothing much had changed, yet kneeling over Mew was a mirror image of herself, whose paw and tail were plunged deep inside her. Even when shifting to interlock together at the hips, the way she quickened her pace got the bottom Mew gasping and mewling in ecstasy at a level he couldn't recall her ever reaching. Like she was enjoying it more...

“That's the spirit, toots,” was the venomous purr, a chuckle on her lips as she induced them to start rocking. There was a notable jerk once their clitoral hoods bumped. “Let him know that's just how you like it.” Pulling out her dripping fingers to lick them, her icy gaze casually locked eyes with him.

When he managed to tear away toward his mate, Mewtwo was certain her streaming eyes seemed a bit too unfocused to tell if she could even see him or not. Fingers harshly tugging the sheets, she mouthed through her panting for a few moments before she squeaked out, “Don't... don't look...”

In a flash of white, the clone found himself blinking at the drain, water stinging his eyes and his ribs throbbing from pressure. Recognizing the aches in his joints and loins, he loosened his grip on his penis to stare at the ejaculate dangling from his fingers. He strained his hearing past his breathing and the shower for any sign of Mew to no avail, questioning the validity of the vision and his sanity.

It really was like the universe was taunting him.

#pokemon #mewtwo #mew #mewshipping #handle with care #chapter thirteen #fan fiction #mature

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sage-nebula · 5 years

Note

So have you read Masuda's new statement about the National Dex because holy CRAP

Oh, I sure have. Those who haven’t read it can do so here, but here’s the TL;DR version:

“We’ve heard your complaints, but we don’t really care and aren’t going to do anything about it. You should buy the games anyway, though.”

Masuda didn’t say anything in that statement that we didn’t already know. Everyone already knew that any pokémon that weren’t in Sword / Shield could potentially return in other generations (potentially, because there’s no guarantee, especially for less popular / marketable ‘mon). We already knew that, but it doesn’t matter because every pokémon deserves to be in every generation, and there’s absolutely no logical reason for this decision that doesn’t have a solution (e.g. if the problem is they can’t program the games by November and they absolutely cannot push the games back*, then all they have to do is release the National Dex ‘mon as free DLC patches sometime in 2020). Of course, Masuda knows that, which is why he didn’t even attempt to explain this decision in more detail. That entire statement was the equivalent of the shrug emoji, except far less cute. It’s basically Masuda showing once more that even if he does decide to listen to feedback from players, he really and truly does not care about it and does what he thinks is best when making the games, rather than listening to what the people paying money for the games actually want.

Well, that’s fine. If that’s what Masuda really wants to do, clearly we can’t stop him. This doesn’t mean that we should quit, of course; I feel bad for the social media manager in charge of the Pokémon twitter account, but I encourage everyone using the #BringBackNationalDex tag on that site to continue doing so (albeit civilly; no name calling, no harassment, no death threats---be the best, the very best, that you can be as you go about this), tagging the main account and Masuda’s account as you do so. So long as you’re civil, that’s absolutely nothing wrong with letting them know exactly how you feel, and the longer this is kept up, the more attention it will gain and therefore the more weight it will carry (particularly if it comes with screenshots of canceled pre-orders---seriously, those are genius, keep them coming).

But know that while such campaigns do sometimes bring success (the Community fandom got that show revived after it was canceled, the Tales Series fandom encouraged Namco-Bandai to give localization another change, the Mario fandom got Super Mario Maker 2 multiplayer fixed, and so on), they don’t always. So in case this one doesn’t pan out either, I strongly encourage no one to buy these games new. If you buy Sword / Shield new, Game Freak gets that money. And when Game Freak gets that money, the message they receive along with it is that they can do whatever they want and it’ll work out for them in the end anyway. Postings on Twitter can be ignored. Not meeting sales expectations for one of the most successful video games series of all time cannot. If we don’t get the National Dex back now, and if Sword / Shield sell well regardless, the National Dex is gone for good. This is just like Let’s Go all over again: Masuda told us that if those games sold well, then they would be the starting point for the next twenty years of the franchise. Well they did, and now they are, but if people finally wake up and decide to say no and not support the nonsense, maybe we can salvage something. And keep in mind, I’m not saying to not buy the games at all: I’m saying to not buy them new. If you can wait just a little bit (or get very lucky on release day---I’ve had it happen before and I’m hopeful it’ll happen again) and buy Sword or Shield used, Nintendo and Game Freak will not see a single cent of that money. Instead, it’ll go entirely to Gamestop or whatever other retailer you shop from. This way you get to play the game, and bad messages aren’t sent to Game Freak. It’s a win/win scenario.

So please: Unless Game Freak decides to respect those of us who have been here for years by giving us a basic feature in games that are more expensive than their predecessors when we ask for it, do not buy these games new. You can still buy them, you can still play them, but just buy them used so that Game Freak doesn’t get that cash reward. And before anyone tries to start in on a guilt trip, no, this will not hurt the lower tier employees at Game Freak. Nintendo’s executives tend to take responsibility when their sales numbers are bad, and Game Freak are putting the bulk of their staff behind their new IP, Town, regardless. And even if they weren’t, you are not responsible for what Game Freak does. Particularly considering I would wager that most everyone reading this post right now isn’t exactly financially cushy, you’re allowed to be critical of how you spend your money (and in fact, you’re encouraged to be critical!), and you are not responsible for the lives of Game Freak’s employees. You are not to be held accountable for what their supervisors or bosses decide. Don’t ever let someone try to guilt trip you and make you believe otherwise.

Game Freak, and especially Masuda Junichi, have been blatantly ignoring player feedback, stripping out features and gameplay elements, and pushing Pokémon to the backburner for too long, and the only reason we’ve been given so far is that this is to suit Masuda’s personal taste. I love Pokémon with all my heart. I’ve been a diehard fan of the games since 1998 and Pokémon was there for me through some of the worst times in my life. But that does not mean I have blind loyalty to Game Freak, and if there is one running theme in Pokémon, it’s that you should always band together and stand up when something is wrong. Even if it seems hopeless, you keep fighting. My favorites have pretty much all been confirmed for the Galar Dex, but this isn’t just about me. It’s about everyone. And I’m not giving Game Freak another cent until they make this right. I will pay Gamestop before I pay Game Freak, and that is not a threat---it’s a promise.

(*The main excuse I’ve seen for why they “can’t” delay the game is the PokéAni, but that is nonsense, because the PokéAni exists solely to advertise and sell the games. The PokéAni is dependent on the games, not the other way around. If the games needed to be delayed, all they would need to do is make a filler season or two for the PokéAni, which they have done in the past. Hell, it might not even be necessary to come up with a whole filler region this time, given that the Alola anime is so fluffy as it is that filler episodes wouldn’t even feel like filler episodes. So no, “the PokéAni needs the games to be released!” is not a good excuse. The PokéAni exists to sell the games. It is not the number one priority in this franchise, and it does not get to call the shots. End of discussion.)

#pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #bringbacknationaldex #bring back national dex #Anonymous

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still-heta-trash · 5 years

Text

What Hetalia Means to Me

Howdy folks, Lady here.

Hetalia was the first fandom I was actively in and the fifth or sixth anime I'd ever watched and from the very first episode I knew it would consume my life for a very long time.

Suddenly, it was my everything.

My room at the time had several posters and scrolls adorning the walls but I had two very large ones that combined would've taken up a whole one: The Great Wave of Kanagawa and that god damned Paint it, White! poster I bought at my first Comic Con for a criminal price, but to me it had been completely worth every cent. I did so many things to earn good girl points to get my parents to take me to Hot Topic to buy more Hetalia shirts than I really needed (and most of those I still have!) I had a Hetalia wallet (it's pretty busted now and I'm saddened to say they stopped making them) and had even worked on my own casual cosplays. Needless to say, I was very heavily invested.

While it most certainly made an impact on my wallet, Hetalia affected my life in many other ways as well. Drawing fanart and even creating my own Nyo! America AU ask blog (if I remember correctly she was a fallen angel, and although my art was absolute crap at the time she'd gotten pretty popular) led me to discover art, which was something I had zero interest prior to and is now a big part of my life. Writing self insert Hetalia fics pushed me to get better and better at writing and has led me to realize my passion and dream to become a publisher author. It gave me drive when I had none.

But the biggest way Hetalia impacted me was definitely socially.

I had a really, really, really difficult time maintaining let alone gaining friends. Still do, to be honest, but I made so many friends throughout the years because of Hetalia.

The people I want to talk about most are Ton and Tay.

I was a new student at a school in a different area than what I was used to and living with my mom and her new boyfriend and his son (neither of which I really got along with) and was really nervous. I had given up all of the few friends I had had for years at my old school and was so scared that I would be alone for the rest of the school year.

Then Ton, who was basically class representative, took me on a tour of the school.

"Hey, um, I don't know if you knew this, but that's a Soul Eater necklace you're wearing. Would you by chance be an anime fan?"

You bet your ass my face widened in to the biggest grin.

I had confirmed that I was then brought up my all time favorite at the time, which, I really don't think you need me to say again.

And like that we were best friends.

I went over to her house all the time after school and even dated her older sister for a bit (my first lady friend btw, who was also a Hetalia freak) and most of our conversations were centered around the show. Of course, that wasn't all we had in common, but it was a big one.

Skip ahead maybe a month or two in and Bam there's another transfer student. A boy this time. With pale blond hair, soft blue eyes, dark blue rectangular glasses, great with computers, kinda serious but laid back at the same time- yeah we thought he was just really in to Estonia and was playing the part but the closest thing this kid had ever experienced with anime was seeing a DBZ poster in his cousin's room and maaaaybe an episode or two of Pokémon. This dude even had the haircut down and for a while I was convinced he was a mega fan and was just screwing with us, but nope. Was just a really weird coincidence.

And of course, we never left the poor guy alone and only ever referred to Tay by his actual name when in reference to him to other people. Surprisingly he was cool with being called Estonia all the god damned time, especially after we showed him a couple clips of him. As far as I know he never got in to Hetalia, but he thought it was kinda funny how close in nature and appearance they were so he let it slide.

Of course, that didn't mean we didn't annoy the crap out of him in general, but every single time he'd attempted to hang out with another boy in our grade and/or below, he just came back to us after a bit. I think he secretly found us rather endearing but was way too embarrassed to admit it (he was a tad bit "tsundere-ish", as Ton had put it) I mean, as much as he complained about Ton and I, he always made sure to stick around and defend us if someone said anything. Not gonna lie, I had a tiny crush on him. Looking back he most likely had one on me too but at the time I thought he just didn't like me as much as Ton.

So he was our Estonia and Ton and I had decided that I was Lithuania (since I had always worn my hair in a long side braid and looked relatively similar to his Nyo counter part) and she was Latvia because she was ridiculously short and sweet and also because he was the only one left. Unlike poor Tay, we were still Ton and Lady, but we made lot of weird fanfics with the concept.

For the rest of the year this would be my gang. We did pretty much everything together and we'd all helped each other grow academically. We loved each other more than any other non family member any of us had ever known at the time.

Unfortunately after the school year endee we all split up and never heard from each other again.

My mom dumped her boyfriend and I went back to my old school district. Ton lost the password to her Paigeeworld and Wattpad (both of which I was forced to delete because of a rather unpleasant grounding) so after a week or so in to summer. Last time we would ever talk was the second week of school via my mother's phone. As for Estonia...

Ton and I honestly had no clue what happened to him. He was supposed to attend the same school as her, but he just disappeared without a trace. Ton had his address but he wasn't there. He was just... Gone. No note. No final goodbye. Just... nothing. And like that, nearly a year of friendship had vanished with him.

It still saddens me to this day about what happened, but I don't regret a single thing (well, except maybe finding out Tay's email) but I can say I owe it to Hetalia.

Hetalia gave me passion. Hetalia gave me skills. Hetalia gave me friends. That's why even though I hadn't really given it a second thought until recently, it will always hold a special place in my heart. Thank you, Hetalia.

You're more than just a silly little webcomic or anime to me.

And thank you, the one who read this stranger's story till the end.

Stay frosty, folks.

#storytime #anime #axis powers hetalia #hetalia fandom #hetalia #nostalgic #short story #aph fandom #fandom #thank you #axis powers ヘタリア #pro hetalia

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flyswhumpcenter · 5 years

Text

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me I give myself self-indulgent requests according to this marvelous card!

Really glad of myself for not giving into the shitty pun I could have made about the Healing Touch and Derek losing it in Trauma Center UTK2. Instead, you get a neat little Marissonshipping fic! It’s fluffy and all, to counterbalance how edgy Red-Dyed Diamond was and how overly edgy and dark “Knife to the Throat” is gonna be next (if not it, then it’s gonna be “Stabbing”, and it’s gonna be really edgy too).

(also they’re older there, like Alan’s 16 and Manon’s 14-15 because 1. headcanons 2. my ship my story my town)

Foyer

Summary: (Foyer: substantive. From the French "foyer", meaning "household" or "fire") Spending most of his time alone has made Alan responsible for himself despite his age, yet there is one need he cannot find the solution to. The answer is obvious to the outside eye, but you'd never know, if you had spent so much time on your own, right?

Fandom: Pokémon (anime, post-XYZ series canon) Ships: Marissonshipping (Alan/Alain x Mairin/Manon, light, implied)

Wordcount: 1.5K words

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here.

Alan realized there was one need he had failed to fulfil for a long time when Manon’s hand brushed against his.

Despite being no older than sixteen, he had learnt how to sustain himself and his team by himself. He knew where to find drinkable water, how to gather and cook food properly, how to make himself a good spot to sleep, had memorized the most convenient spots to rest in a city, had taught himself how to handle money and a tight budget. There was no need of his he couldn’t fail at handling.

Except one, a tiny little one he had tried to ignore for a while, but which he couldn’t fulfil alone, much to his chagrin. It seemed like the most benign thing at first, something he should have gotten over when he had stopped being a child; but everyone remains a child all their life, in a way, and he wasn’t grown up yet. That was bothersome, to say the least.

It wasn’t even like Alan had spent all his time on his own. He had Charizard with him, she had always been there for him and would have never let him down for anything in the world. He had his other Pokémon always with him, a handful away from him at best, buckled around his waist. He had been joined by Manon and Chespie anyway, so loneliness was out of the question. He was fine, he had to be fine, nothing could have been wrong and there wasn’t anything that he could have thought of that could have gone wrong with him.

It wasn’t too surprising, though, that there was something that had gone rotten.

It was an odd, unfamiliar feeling. His skin felt feverish despite his body temperature being plainly normal, his blood keeping its natural coldness, overly sensitive to the touch. Every time something brushed even the slightest against it, even a calm and otherwise soothing breeze, it acted up. For someone so composed, collected and cold-blooded, he was suddenly very sensitive, as if starving for something he didn’t know about.

And, truly, what was he starving for? Food? Health? Company? No, all of these were fulfilled. Even in his nightmares he wasn’t alone: Charizard, if she was out of her ball, would shelter him with her wing if he started thrashing in his sleep, Manon would tell him it was going to be fine and show him she cared for his well-being, that insisting about his shoulder all these months ago was a sign of affection and not just a selfish want to see him stick around with her. Everything was fine, as good as it could be at least, so…

Why was something missing? What was the piece of the puzzle he couldn’t find, and where was he supposed to search for it?

Sitting in front of the campfire on one night, everyone asleep around him, Alan is kept awaken by that question: what is it that I am missing? No answer to that, obviously, or he’d otherwise have found a solution and have fixed the problem already. Knees against his chest, arms wrapped around his forelegs, skin heated and shivering to the dwindling heat of the flames gently lightning his face, he was left pondering upon the question. Alone.

He did feel somewhat lonely, during these moments of temporary solitude. There was nobody to talk to, nobody to distract himself from the dark thoughts still festering in the back of his mind and constantly trying to make it to the front of his brain, nobody to enjoy life with, in a sense. He knew this only lasted for a night – it always only lasted for a night –, yet the idea still stuck around, the impression never left: he felt alone, infected with an uncurable loneliness that would, seemingly never leave him alone.

Closing his eyes, focusing on the soft crackling of the campfire, he had a distant memory of his childhood. It was on a day where he didn’t leave his bed, let alone his house, kept in the vicinity of his parents’ attention. It was vague, the sound as if he was underwater as he tried to remember the words he had exchanged with his mother on that day. He, however, remembered the touch of his mother’s arms wrapped against him, the warmth of being lodged against her chest, the soothing aura she was draping him in with.

Still in a remembering trance, he almost hadn’t noticed the soft brushing of Manon’s hand against his, as she slept right next to where he was. He had insisted on saying he was fine, aware of how fake it had to have sounded to her but nonetheless hoping Manon would blindly trust him on that one (despite how much he must have had disappointed and hurt her before), even if there was no convincing himself that he was fine anymore. He simply wasn’t, as he contemplated the starry night sky with a spirit filled with insomnia and unanswerable questions.

“…hey, Alan…”

Manon’s drowsy voice made him jump as she stirred in her sleep… only to open her eyes. There must have been some kind of a twisted, embarrassed, awkward “smile” creeping up on his face while he watched her do so, he was sure of it.

“M-Manon?! I thought you were asleep!”

“Could ask you that back, y’know…”

She rubbed her eyes as she sat up, their faces aligning as he had turned his in her direction.

“Well, huh… I couldn’t sleep, that’s it.”

Despite her undeniable clumsiness and her forgetful appearances, Manon was always quick to wake up, a natural early bird. Seconds after he had seemed to wake her up, she was fully awake, staring at him with doubtful eyes when someone other than her would have still been left half-awake and unable to give him that stinky stare she was clearly giving him. Awkward.

“And why couldn’t you sleep? You’ve had nightmares again, Alan? I told you to tell me if you did!”

She lightly punched his shoulder as a way to enforce her message. As he had feared, it made his skin act up again, leaving him with a strange impulse coursing through his arms. He refrained himself from letting them go wild with what self-persuasion strength he had left.

“I’m not sure. It’s nothing big, though. You should go back to sleep, Manon.”

He thought he had made the emphasis on her name sharp and strong, just how he liked them, but it failed its purpose rather epically.

“I’m sure that’s a big lie! Tell me what’s wrong, I’m not a little kid who can’t handle a friend’s problems!”

It was a tempting offer, it really was. He was tempted to tell her about the weird fever in his skin, the constant need for something akin to attention but still not fulfilled by the friends he was surrounded with, the weird obsession his mind had to always fixate itself on memories of his distant childhood, all the little things he felt that he couldn’t understand, even after thinking about them for hours. It was tiring, to be left with so many unanswered questions without a single answer, to have a need he didn’t know how to get rid of.

Something did tell him the surge that pulsed through his body when she brushed her fingers against his hand had a link to it all, but he wasn’t sure how, or why. The enigma was exhausting to try and solving, he had never been that big on puzzles and unsolved mysteries.

“I… really don’t know, Manon. That’s the problem there.”

“Mind telling me, then? Friends are here to listen to each other’s rambling and problems.”

She sat right next to him, causing his right side to send that now-familiar pulse through his limbs again. Compelled by his growing impatience and her insistence, knowing her stubbornness barely knew any limit, he told her about most of what he could, excluding the daze of his blurry memories from times long gone. He wasn’t ready to see her smile so widely, so gleefully. Had she already found an answer to his questions? It seemed like so.

“Ah, I see! You just need a big hug, you dummy!”

“You… You’re not making fun of me, right?”

To that doubtful question, she seemed offended.

“What, you don’t believe me?! I’ll show you then!”

Without missing a single moment, Manon threw herself on him, pulling her against her in an embrace far stronger than he would have sworn she was capable of. Yet, despite the unexpected nature of the event and her reaction to what he thought was a normal question, it did what it was striving to do: fulfil a need, answer his questions.

This what he had wanted all along. And, as it was the one thing to quench the intelligible thirst, he simply let himself indulge in the physical affection his closest friend, if not more, was giving him.

When they pulled out of the embrace, she was still holding his hand and looking into his eyes, sheepish smile never leaving her face. In the light of the fire, she seemed even more luminous than ever.

“See? I told you I wasn’t lying! You’re just in need of affection!”

He let silently himself nod in response before they’d inevitably have to go back to sleep.

#bad things happen bingo #pokemon #pokemon (anime)#marissonshipping #hurt comfort #fluff #emotional hurt comfort #alain (pokemon)#mairin (pokemon)#otp: charizard boi and chespin gal #bthb 1

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mala-sadas · 5 years

Note

10, 6, 21, and 45 for the fanfic author ask!

10. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfic for it?

Absolutely! My earliest fanfics were for Warriors and Harry Potter, and they were written before I even knew that fanfic was a common thing on the Internet. Same goes for my earliest (unposted) Pokéspe fics. By the time I started posting my fics, I had read a couple Pokéspe fanfics, but they were all focused on the earlier Dexholders. I hadn’t seen any focusing on the B2W2, XY, or SM kids, so that’s why so much of my earlier stuff is about them.

6. Is there any fic that makes you super embarrassed to reread and remember you wrote that?

Most of my unposted fics, yes, and that’s why they remain unposted (lol). Of the posted stuff, How Rachel Got His Name makes me cringe a little because it’s a crack fic that’s based on a dumb inside joke that had already mostly died out by the time I posted it. I don’t know how many people in the fandom even know the actual origin of Rachel anymore.

21. If someone starts kudosing and commenting your fics in a spree and has a few works of their own, would you go look through theirs?

If that ever happened - and that’s a big if, because I’ve never had anyone go on a kudos spree through my fics besides guest readers - I’d definitely at least check theirs out! (please go on a kudos/comment spree through my fics I would love you forever)

45. If you had to call yourself an author of a single genre (besides fanfic) what label would you give yourself?

UH. I don’t know. My fics range all over the place, focusing on wildly different regions, different characters, different events. Most of my fics tend towards the fluffy side, but there are some angsty ones as well. It’s really impossible to categorize all my fics into a single genre besides fanfic. I guess the best genre I can come up with is “realistic fiction with fantastical elements” - 90% of my fics are focused on putting the characters in as realistic of a scenario as possible while still preserving canon worldbuilding (i.e. the fact that Pokémon exist). The only exceptions to that rule are Stone Heart (which just adds soulmate timers to the existing universe) and Prom-ises (which is pure realistic fiction).

Send me fanfic author asks!

#fanfiction #it was a dark and storm-y write #about me #ask game #mythgirlimagines #thanks for the ask!!

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awkward-arthur-rimbaud · 5 years

Text

About the Admin!

As a new member of the Awk-Squad, I thought it was my duty to answer this questionnaire by @awkwardbsd !

(Nick)name? Preferred pronoun?

In public, I have two nicknames I’m most comfortable with — Linkle, which is one used by everyone, and Tippi-chan, which is a nickname given to me by a dear friend of mine on another site and has only ever been used by him. I like both of these, but Tippi-chan I consider to be a more familiar way of addressing me that I associate with people to which I’m very close.

I’m a girl, so she/her pronouns, please, when you’re referring to me and not my muse.

Birthday?

That’s a secret to everyone except my closest friends, and I’d rather it stayed that way. ~

How would you describe yourself?

I would say that the way I present online and the way I present in person is very different; online, I enjoy socializing through writing and overall am just a very outgoing and talkative person, while offline, I am extremely introverted and would much prefer to speak and carry on conversation through text than audible words. In both cases I am shy in my own ways.

Don’t ever expect to audio or video chat with me, sorry; that’s completely off the table.

Hobbies/Interests?

I love writing analyses, meta, theories, etc. about my favorite series; I also write fanfics, RP, draw, play video games, watch my favorite shows, and run several different blogs. There are honestly too many things to list here.

Fandom wise, my biggest interests are Bungou Stray Dogs, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Legend of Zelda, Ace Attorney, and Doctor Who (up until Series 10 of NuWho), and although I love them all nearly equally, it would likely be in that particular order if I had to choose. I am extremely opinionated and firm in my beliefs, but I also have no troubles socializing with people who have differing opinions and respecting them greatly.

I love music in general, and my tastes are all over the place.

Are you a fan of anime? If so, what are your favourite ones?

Um, am I the only one who thinks that’s kind of a silly question, considering I’m a member of the Awkward Squad? Yes, obviously, I am. My absolute favorite anime is Bungou Stray Dogs, without any equal. I also enjoy Persona 5 the Animation, Mushishi, and Noragami, though truthfully I don’t watch very much anime outside of BSD.

I do like Diabolik Lovers as a series a little, but I wouldn’t list the anime as being one of my favorites though I’ve finished watching it, and I’ve only watched some subbed playthroughs of the games; I’m not that into romance and mostly just appreciate the characters themselves to some extent.

Do you ship? If so, what is/are your favourite ship(s)?

I do ship, although given I’m ace, for me most of my ships tend towards the platonic side even when they’re romanctic; I’m fairly innocent minded as a general rule.

You can learn most of my primary ships through a certain section on my main blog’s directory, but in general my biggest ships from BSD are Platonic! Odazai (Dazai x Odasaku), ChuuArt (Chuuya x Randou/Arthur Rimbaud), AkuHigu (Akutagawa x Higuchi), and Kyouka x Atsushi (which I’m not sure of the official ship name for). Yes, I know, most of my main ships are rare pairs and some a bit controversial, but I love them all dearly.

Favourite Character(s)?

Dazai, Odasaku, Chuuya, and Randou/Arthur Rimbaud are all my equally loved BSD babies. 💙

I also adore Yashiro Tsurugi from Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, Clay Terran from Ace Attorney, and Link from the Legend of Zelda.

If you could bring any character to life to become your best friend (or partner), who would it be?

I couldn’t possibly choose who to bring into this world, because all of the characters I love most have someone they deserve to be happy with, so I couldn’t separate them.

Maybe Shad from the Legend of Zelda, because we could do Historical work together.

If you could have any superpower (it can be from an anime, movie, video game, or anywhere really), what would it be?

I’m happy with who I am and the abilities I have just to speak to others this way and do the things I do, but if I had an ability other than those, I think it would be one to peaceably stop wars and have everyone just be happy together. It’s corny, I know, but it’s true.

How many posts do you plan on posting a day?

I’m not sure. It depends on the day. I have a lot of drafts to clear out in my main blog, but I imagine it should be a fair number of posts even from here, so long as there’s content and people wanting to interact with me.

Time-zone?

Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).

Other blogs/social media you want to share?

My main blog is @linklethehistorian.

My other current side blogs are the following:

@linkles-historian-blog (A blog with only canon information and my personal works/headcanons/things that align with them)

@linkles-art-blog (A blog only for the art I make)

@ask-bungou-stray-dogs (My ask blog for the characters of the BSD universe)

@linklesbungoustrayblog (A blog for only BSD-related content)

@linkles-blog-attorney (A blog for only Ace Attorney-related content)

@linklesthebloggingofzelda (A blog for only Legend of Zelda-related content)

@linkles-pokeblog (A blog for only Pokémon related content)

For other information, please see my main blog’s Informational Grand Directory.

Anything else you’d like to mention?

Please go visit my bf, @awkward-arahabaki ! uwu

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miraculouscontent · 3 years

Text

Askplosion #12 4/4:

(I would like to state for future reference that, while I do not mind long/multi-part asks, if you’d like to engage in actual discussion with me over a non-Miraculous topic, my DMs - Tumblr Messenger - should be open; I lost pieces of three multi-part asks this time just due to Tumblr not sending the remaining part(s) so yeah, I just wanted to make that clear)

(like, this askplosion ended up being super long because of this section and that’s not really what I want to have going on since I’m supposed to be a primarily Miraculous blog; I don’t want to have to stop answering non-Miraculous related asks but I might have to if this keeps up:)

.:New non-Miraculous Asks:.

Anonymous said:

What are your experiences with some really rude anons?

It’s partly my fault when it happens. Like I’ve said before, I’m an aspie, and part of what that means is I struggle to understand situations emotionally. I can come off as insensitive or read the mood wrong which often leads to people misunderstanding my intentions or where I’m coming from.

More often than not, what I’m saying will make 100% sense to me but not the person/people reading it. I also stick a lot more firmly to my opinions than I should because people tell me I fold too easily, and I come off as more egotistical than I actually am to cover up my low self-esteem lol.

So yeah, can’t think of any experience in particular but sometimes it might be my fault? At least I suspect that it is?

Anonymous said:

“Killed by kindness” makes me think of an assassin who kills people by giving hugs and compliments to people and the occasion gift that isn’t tampered until thre target does like Conrad Birdie making women swoon into fainting by singing.

omg

yes

Anonymous said:

You're watching Yashahime right now? rip

MARINETTE TAKE 2 MOROHA DESERVES BETTER

SETSUNA HAS SO LITTLE REASON TO HANG OUT WITH THE OTHER TWO GIRLS

IF I SEE ANOTHER DEUS EX TOWA I’M GONNA KICK SOMETHING

(so yes, I’m watching Yashahime)

Anonymous said:

Since someone recommended Remarried Empress, I would like to recommend my own webcomic: Princess Love-Pon! It's about a young girl named Lia Sagamore who becomes the titular magical girl and purifies people's hearts when they're tainted by the Dark Queen! It's really cool due to its diversity, the main character is black and her best friend is Afro-Latina, the villain and her prince son are also black, and there's a Japanese girl, a black guy, and an Indian girl. Plus, loads of pink and frills!

Thank you very much, though I actually don’t take recommendations, even from close friends. The Remarried Empress anon wasn’t a recommendation; they were more pointing something out to me and then I went to confirm.

Anonymous said:

Unrelated to MLB: Which Pokémon are your favourites?

I used a “Favorite Pokemon Picker” because I prefer going by generations to pick favorites and that was the easiest way of going about it. I struggle picking super favorites so here’s what I got form each generation! (my only rule was “one Pokemon per evolution line” with an exception of the Eevee line since they’re different types, and also Alolan/Galarian forms)

(note: the blue-patterned Vivillon is my favorite and I honestly don’t like Charizard normally but the Y version actually slims him down and gives him the wings I feel he should have; it’s an improvement of the design so it gets my seal of approval, I don’t like the X version at all)

(lol I was looking through this after I was done and find it really funny how it’s like, 50% cute things and then the other 50% is just EDGY, there’s very little in-between with me I guess)

Anonymous said:

Bridgerton the Series: Yay or nay? Sorry if you haven’t seen it or it’s not your thing. I was just curious.

Never seen it, though when I brought up to someone, they didn’t recommend it to me at all ahaha.

Anonymous said:

I previously kept having this argument about The Bechdel Test with someone. She keeps insisting that the test is invalid because there's nothing wrong with talking about men and that it was created for lesbians only, and not for feminists, with the implication that being a lesbian somehow means that you dislike men or want them gone. And she also thinks the test is about NEVER talking about men, rather than merely occasionally talking about other things. I keep telling her otherwise, but...

jdfhkgdfhjgdfg “lesbians only”

now all I can imagine is “lesbians only” sections at restaurants and such

Anonymous said:

Have you ever played Akinator, with or without the Miraculous Ladybug characters? Because I played it with Ochaco from MHA and Marinette and he guessed them within a second(can your character control gravity? Is your character a protagonist?). I even played it with myself as the "character" and he guessed "your shadow" lol. How about you?

I’ve played Akinator before but I don’t specifically remember what I was searching for lol.

Anonymous said:

The cast for the newest Power Rangers series got revealed, and I hate that as soon as I saw the Pink Ranger's bio mentioned she was an internet journalist, I thought of Alya. I really hope she doesn't have the same problems as Alya in the series proper.

fhgdfkgd journalists have been ruined for us forever

Anonymous said:

Have you noticed that in many shows, especially shonen shows, people tend to hate the most "feminine" female character? Like, in Naruto it was Sakura, in Death Note it was Misa, in My Hero Academia it was Ochaco(although a lot of people like her so I'm not so sure about that last one?). The most hated character in one too many a shonen is almost always the "girliest" of the characters. They're always claimed to be useless or reliant on a man. And this is within the fandom who should know better!

It probably didn’t help with Sakura that she was decked out in pink hair; that’s an instant girl label for you (or lesbian label, depends on the person :P).

I don’t think I’ve been in enough fandoms to have such an experience but I definitely see where you’re coming from.

Anonymous said:

Rewatching Chat Blanc and Here To Help from Star vs. and hearing Adrien/Marco tell Marinette/Star that they always liked the girls from the beginning makes me so pissed. It's not that I don't ship Starco(I do! But I also like MarcoxJanna), although I don't ship the love square, but I'm so annoyed with writers finding the need to make the audience "know" that the main ship's characters "always" liked each other, as if that makes their love for each other more true, even if it's obvious they had other crushes? Like, what happened to Kagami Tsurugi? Jackie-Lynn Thomas?

News flash: Teenagers are allowed to have crushes on multiple other people before they find "the One". It doesn't mean their love for that "One" is any less valid. And if you still want to pull the "they always liked each other since they first met", at least make it actually TRUE!!! Don't have them have crushes on other people before moving on to the "official" crush and be all like "Oh, by the way, I liked you from the start," when it's dead obvious they didn't. You're doing a disservice to the romantic "false" leads.

I'm willing to forgive Star's crush on Oskar and Tom since she's not the one claiming she always liked Marco(even though she fell in love with him LONG before he fell in love with her, which is a nice turn of events), although her "love" for Oskar was merely an infatuation at most and I personally don't see why it was needed. Why don't they just say that their old crush didn't do it for them???

UGH, I remember watching that show and being so annoyed because I really liked Marco and Jackie and wanted them to be a thing but I knew that they’d pull Starco in the end because of course they would.

It also totally makes it seem as if love is the most powerful relationship there is (aros would like a word), which is so bizarre when there are so many “power of friendship” tropes. Like, a male and female lead have to get together because their relationship is the strongest.

The love square would hold so much more meaning to me without this love drama nonsense. It’s tiring.

Anonymous said:

Have you seen Yuki Yuna Is a Hero? If so, then what are your thoughts on it? I was thinking of watching it but it seems to be another "taking away the empowerment of the magical girl genre by making the girls suffer instead" type story. I read about it on TV Tropes and apparently it's a deconstruction that takes after Madoka Magica which already puts a bad taste in my mouth, but then I got to the examples and they're basically about how girls who get magical powers lose their body parts one by one and that the reason only girls can be heroes is because "young girls have always been sacrifices".

Not to mention it was written by a man and aimed towards a seinen(adult men ages 17-35) demographic, making it torture porn for adult men. Also, both the laconic page for Yuki Yuna and Madoka Magica say "Being a magical girl sucks."(though for Yuki Yuna it adds "Unless you have the power of friendship.") and to be honest that kills any desire in me to watch the show. Should I give it a chance?

Oof.

Yeah, after bringing it up to a friend of mine, it was instantly recommended of me not to watch it, so I’d say, “no.”

Anonymous said:

Let's make one thing perfectly clear. I, love, love, LOVE Sailor Moon. And I love the transformations, too. But if there's one thing I don't love, it's that their outfits all look pretty much the same but with different colors/different lengths of gloves and shoes and stuff like that, and that they all have the exact same body type save for the one fat girl who's made to look bad. I don't like Madoka Magica, but at least they all had unique/different costumes(but they still have similar bodies).

We’re not allowed diversity here. Take your different body types to a show that cares; we’re all about femininity here and how girls can be beautiful and powerful no matter wha--oh wait...

Yeah, I don’t care for the design in Sailor Moon, but that’s because skirts don’t interest me design-wise unless it’s really unique/interesting.

(note that there’s a lot of talk about tomboys, sexism, and TV tropes and such below, and then Madoka Magica after that; that’s basically the rest of this askplosion:)

Anonymous said:

I just saw the thumbnail for a video called "Why You Should Watch Princess Tutu(Yes, I Know The Name Is Stupid)". Umm, why is it stupid exactly? Because it's "girly"? What is with people thinking that in order for a girly show to be good they have to first separate the show from its girliness in order to enjoy it? It's like how men will say a show is good despite it being girly, or that since it's good it's no longer girly. Nobody does this for boy shows, because boy things are "never" stupid.

Princess = girly thing

Tutu = girly thing

girly things = bad

That’s the formula~ They should’ve called it something edgier and manly so that more people would be interested.

Anonymous said:

I'm wary of any woman or girl who says, "I'm a girl, but I'd rather read books about guys" or "I'm a female writer but I mostly write stories about male characters". I feel like those women are the "not like other girls/one of the guys" type who suffer from internalized misogyny and don't like female characters. I also feel like they're the type to not care about female representation, because in their minds, girls shouldn't care about female role models. We can enjoy males just as much! I do!

To be fair, they might also just be writing about shirtless men doing “handsome” things. ;P

But nah, I see your point. Me personally, I try to find a balance of writing both, but I do think there can be bias.

Anonymous said:

Do you think it's okay to like a ship but acknowledge that it wouldn't be safe or healthy or condonable in real life? Because I was just thinking of how a lot of people like some really "toxic" ships like Veronica/JD in Heathers, Yuno/Yukki in Future Diary, Madoka/Homura in Madoka Magica(although some people don't like it because of its toxicity/like it but don't realize it's toxic), almost any villain/hero ship, the list goes on. But they're aware of the fact that it's not a good standard for healthy relationships in real life.

An alternative I've seen is people having a crush on "dangerous" characters like JD and Yuno, or Karma from Assassination Classroom(there's not a single video on YouTube with him in it that DOESN'T have comments full of people saying they want Karma to father their children), but still being aware of the fact that the character is a) not real and b) wouldn't be a good partner if they were real(and that's assuming they even want to be with you. But sometimes there's a good reason for falling in love with a "toxic/dangerous" character.

Take Monika from Doki Doki Literature Club! She's obsessed with the player(not the player CHARACTER, the flesh and blood player themselves) to the point of killing off all the other girls and "trapping" you in a room with her where she talks endlessly about lots of things. But she's actually a lonely girl who's driven insane by the fact that nothing around her is real. She latches on to you because you're the only other person who's real and sapient and has got a mind of their own. You're literally her outlet to the outside world.

She's personally my favorite character in the game due to her actually being a more fleshed out, sympathetic(and not in the idealized "moemoe" way), and realistic take on the Yandere archetype(which, like many moe archetypes, is kinda misogynistic in nature in that it reinforces submissiveness; it's basically animes version of "woman scorned".). So it makes sense that people would sympathize with her and want her to become real, because all she's ever wanted was to be real and to talk to real people. Especially since she really did care about her friends and even returned them back to life because she saved their backup files, taking herself out of the picture.

I read a few "Monika becomes real and lives with you" fanfictions where she's really sweet and not at all crazy and cares for you a lot, and it's never felt the same as all those other "Yandere/psycho lives with you and is your girl/boyfriend" type stories precisely because those stories tend to just glorify possessive partners that kill your loved ones, drive your family members to commit suicide, and tear up your stuffed animals and dollies for the sake of it, rather than go into why they're so crazy for you, and often reinforce Stockholm Syndrome.

Plus, those "things" she talks about in the empty room? They're actually quite smart and make you think about the world for a bit. Not many "crazy" type characters actually get that. They're all about how "I'll slice your boyfriend open with an axe if you don't date me wa ha ha", and even if they're not, it's all the fandom will focus on, to the point of ignoring any and all other aspects to their character. Because that "crazy in love" aspect is the most appealing part of them. Maybe it's due to forbidden fruit/bad boy(or girl) appeal? Who knows? But I'm starting to wonder if it's still as bad if people recognize the problematic aspects of "crazy in love" characters or "dysfunctional" relationships.

Because if they recognize it's not real and don't really want it for themselves, then it's probably not much of a problem. But if they just go on wanting it to be real and never take a step back and go "wait a minute, this isn't real love; they're only together because he latches onto the first girl to show him any kindness and affection and she's a doormat who doesn't want something bad to happen if she leaves him", then that's bad.

Obviously it's not as bad as being in love with literal stalkers, killers, and rapists in real life(which is an actual thing, believe it or not, it's called hybristophilia), because fictional characters will never be real. Karma Akabane will never be real. Yuno Gasai will never be real. JD will never be real. But loving fictional characters who do those things and not realizing the problem with it may cause people to seek out real criminals, so it's best to separate fiction from reality.

I can’t help judging a little internally, but yeah, I think people can ship whatever as long as it has that “not in real life” scenario going for it. It’s ultimately fiction, so just because I don’t like it and/or think that it’s bad doesn’t mean other people can’t ship it.

Anonymous said:

I'm getting tired of all the racists on TV Tropes getting upset whenever a trope has a Japanese name. Whether it's Tsundere, Yandere, Meganekko, Genki Girl, Bokukko, or any Japanese anime name, people will complain that the trope exists beyond anime so it shouldn't have a "cute anime name", and that it should instead just be given a broader(read: English) name with the same meaning. Or that the site is too obsessed with anime. I'm just sick of people saying that anime names are bad.

The other thing is that we don’t actually have English words for certain things? I mean, the whole reason we say, “tsundere,” is because it says everything in one word. It’s easy.

(Also, people are aware the the English language isn’t some unique thing that takes no inspiration from other languages, right? It’s a mix of things, so accept that other languages exist because we literally wouldn’t have English without them.)

Anonymous said:

Have you seen the TV Tropes reviews for "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic"? Holy crap, they are all a perfect example of the "Real Women Don't Wear Dresses" phenomenon that I have mentioned earlier and is so fucking present on this site. While some reviews praise the show for showing that "it's okay to be strong AND girly"(such as Hadles' review, which was really splendid), and that girl shows are no less good, others either insult the show by calling it "girly, saccharine, and stupid" as if "girly" is synonymous with anything bad about a show, or feel the need to distance it from its girliness in order to praise it as if a show can't be good if it's also girly.

Some people were saying things like "the show might seem girly at first, but it's actually a good, brilliant show with intricate plot twists, well-developed characters, and even some scary moments" and "the characters aren't just shallow girly-girls, they have depth!" So what, girliness is mutually exclusive to anything of value? One person even said that the Girl-Show Ghetto was the reason they couldn't get into the show or respect it. Just...wow.

And one review even said "Rarity's pretty tough for a girly girl!" Excuse me? Tough FOR a girly girl? So being a girly girl somehow automatically disqualifies you from being tough? Like "yeah, she's tough despite being a girly girl! Because girly girls aren't supposed to be tough."

It reminds me of the phrase "you're pretty for a black girl", which, while it's never been said to ME, I have heard other people complain about. It's sick and it hurts, just like this. And the few people who didn't say things like that still said that they couldn't get into the show at first because it looked "girly and vapid", before changing their minds and thinking that the show either proved their biases about girly shows wrong, no longer think it's girly since girly shows "can't" be good, or like it "despite" it's girliness.

And there were 70 reviews in all. 70 reviews full of this misogynistic "girly is bad" shit. So in conclusion nearly all the reviews on TV Tropes for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic were along the lines of one of three things. 1) "This show is girly so I looked past it because girly shows are dumb." 2) "This show is good despite being girly/the characters are good despite being girly." and 3) "This show is not girly to me at all because it is well-written and captivating and girly shows aren't capable of such things."

Granted, some people there were able and willing to call out those who judged the show badly for being girly(or gave it the "not like other girls" treatment, but in show form), as well as people warning other potential viewers to get rid of any potential bias they may have against it due to it being girly. But there were still more people insulting its girliness as a reason they think it sucks or denying its girliness to justify their liking of it than the other way around.

I would've accepted it in the form of "If you think this show is bad because of its inherent girliness, then you are wrong!" or "This show is proof that a show being girly or aimed at girls doesn't and shouldn't take away from its value, as people seem to believe." or "A girl can be girly and be a strong female character.", but no, instead I got shit like this. It's especially insulting when TV Tropes is a site that devotes itself in part to critiquing sexist tropes found in media, only to turn right around and reinforce them.

I don’t read TV Tropes that frequently, so I fortunately missed out on all of these complete idiots who associate girly products with being bad.

(that “pretty for a black girl” comment makes me hate all aspects of “expectations of beauty” and it’s like--plz let these die)

I could maybe see an argument for criticizing a girls show for being “saccharine” if it were like, “girls’ shows written by men who clearly don’t know how to write girls are usually bad,” because then it’s not a criticism of girls’ shows exactly but rather who keeps being put in charge of writing them.

Anonymous said:

I get so annoyed when people get upset when confronted with the matter of female representation with "what's so wrong with one show having a male protagonist or mostly men and one/a few women? Why do we have to include women in everything?" These people clearly do not understand that one show doing it is one thing, but when multiple shows do it, it's an obvious problem. It's even worse when they turn around and diss shows with largely female casts for "not having enough men".

And as for people getting upset that "every show has to include women/come with a checkbox nowadays", as if it's bad to include women in your story...look around. Women make up 50% of the population. They're literally everywhere. What reason do you have to not include a substantial amount of women?

These people act like male is the default and women are a last resort. They see no problem with men dominating a cast because it's justified(despite that not reflecting real life), and yet having female characters, or, hell, a female-dominated cast(I know they also don't reflect real life, but there are still female-dominated spaces; most colleges are 2/3 female) is "unrealistic" trying to fulfill a quota, or a straw feminist agenda, as if characters can't be female for their own sake. You shouldn't have to be forced include women because their presence should be a given.

How many stories nowadays take place in the war front in Viking times or whatever? A lot of men just don't want to include female characters or see them represented(well) in media because those who are overrepresented tend to want to stay that way. They likely also have insecurities about their masculinity and are worried about female characters flooding their shows with estrogen and ruining the shows they love, because they can't relate to female characters or enjoy shows about them without negating their girliness(ie. This show seems girly, but it's actually good), since they're ashamed to associate themselves with anything feminine due to looking down on women or seeing them as bad.

Plus they want to be the center of everything so the second a show is about mostly women they get upset and claim it's "sexist against men" because it's not about them. Hence why bronies(bless their souls) are made fun of for the grave sin of enjoying a female-centric show with a female protagonist and largely female characters. Granted, there are some freaky fans, but there's still some sexism at play here.

This reminds me of a post I saw about a boy who actually looked up to female characters because you can pick a role model who doesn’t fit your gender. Crazy concept, I know. ;P

And yeah, that’s how it goes with equality. People who are best/most represented don’t want equality because they think it means less for them and they don’t want that, like a child who doesn’t want to share their cookies with everyone else.

Anonymous said:

I love TV Tropes, but if there's one problem I have with it, it's how often it associates femininity with weakness. The "Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy" trope is a good example of this, but the worst offender in my opinion is the Girly Girl With a Tomboy Streak, as most of the examples there are simply of girls who are strong-willed or fierce or can fight. Because you know, those traits are male. It's bad because there are ALREADY tropes for girly girls who can fight, Girly Bruiser and Lady of War (which TV Tropes even goes out of its way to SAY shouldn't be counted as a "Tomboy Streak" and yet does stuff like this), but it's also bad because ANY girly girl with these qualities, no matter how feminine they are otherwise, will be seen by TV Tropes as having to be at least somewhat tomboyish(read: masculine) in order to have those traits. Because regular girly girls are just weak and fragile and only want to be housewives.

It's even worse when you realize that much of these characters are created with the exact purpose of subverting the stereotype that girliness equals weak, and instead present a new and more empowering form of femininity: that femininity is strong and DOES NOT equal being a passive sex tool for men's pleasure. They're MEANT to show that being a tomboy is not the only way to be strong, and TV Tropes acknowledges that! But then they also go and claim these characters have "Tomboy Streaks" thus undermining the positive message by insinuating that you have to be tomboyish to be strong and that even girly girls have to have some level of masculinity to be deemed respectable and equal human beings, plus manipulating many impressionable folks into thinking strength and bravery is automatically tomboyish.

Worse yet, they often put a character here because "she's a big eater" or "she burps/farts a lot". Gee, I didn't know women had bodily functions? I didn't know women had digestive systems? So basically any time a girl shows that she is a human being and not a pretty, passive doll to be idealized, she is acting like a man. Because only men are fully-fledged human beings. Even outside of that, look at basically any masculinity-femininity contrast trope(Tomboy and Girly Girl, Sensitive Guy and Manly Man, Masculine Girl Feminine Boy, etc.). The "masculine" character will often be described as dominant, assertive, or outspoken, and the "feminine" character will often be called weak-willed, passive, emotional, and timid. It's fucking sickening.

The Tomboy With A Girly Streak trope is similar to its inverse in that a tomboyish girl will often be placed under this trope with their proclaimed "girly" streak being that she's tender or cries a lot or is soft spoken/a doormat. Because being girly is about not taking up too much space, not having any ambition or aspiration, and overall being a weak and shallow waste of space. For a site that claims to dismantle such sexist misconceptions, it sure does reinforce them just as much.

I almost want to stop using TV Tropes based on that and many other reasons, but it's a genuinely informative site that at least tries to avoid these stereotypes(plus it's edited by more than one person), it just doesn't do enough. For example, they made an awkward claim once that women can't fight while on their periods, and even have an Improbably Female Cast trope, as if it's abnormal that a cast could consist of mostly women and demands an explanation. To them, femininity=inferior.

And then in comes the “anti-girl tomboy” characters who basically do everything “girls don’t do;” glares at things like make-up and such, rolls eyes at the subject of “girl talk” or “romance,” drinks anything carbonated and spreads their legs wide open, etcetera.

Guys really don’t get the same version, at least not that I’m aware of? Like, at best, they don’t participate in “guy things” but that’s about it.

Having characters acknowledge it just makes everything more blatant, like if a woman comes by and the guys have to assure “DON’T WORRY, SHE’S LIKE ONE OF THE GUYS.”

It’s like a woman can only hang out and engage in “guy talk/time” (the concept of which I hate but that’s besides the point) if they can crush a beer can against their forehead.

Anonymous said:

OMG TV Tropes called Cirno the Ice Fairy from Touhou a "tomboy"? Why? Because she's boisterous and outspoken and not a "shy girly-girl" like Daiyousei! TV Tropes clearly believes that any girl or woman who is more than just a pretty face(which ALL women are, by the way), who takes up space, who has a dynamic personality and isn't just a weeping wallflower(which I'm not saying Daiyousei is) is a tomboy. Because she's acting like a man that way. Ugh, so over TV Tropes and their sexism.

And all the girls in Touhou(including Cirno) wear big frilly dresses anyway so it doesn't really make sense to see ANY of them as tomboys. But no, apparently any girl who is rowdy or tough or is active and not passive is a tomboy. You gotta be a tomboy to have attitude. You can tell they think so because they often say things like "strong, but still feminine" as if those things are opposites. They even described femininity as "weak and susceptible, vain and superficial". Like, ugh, kill me now.

I legitimately want to see a bullet point list here of what qualifies as a “tomboy.” Like, what, anyone who does one thing that isn’t “girly”?

Can we just throw out all of these terms; not even replace them, just throw them out?

(the below ask is incomplete - the first part is missing - but the asker clarified after I asked them, so clarification is below:)

Anonymous said:

Tropes is because I'm working on a story and I hope when it becomes famous that TV Tropes will write about it, but as it stands, I'm beginning to wonder that TV Tropes undermines most stories or plots to do with women one way or another. I mean, they constantly create tropes with the intent of calling out inherent biases, yet reinforce those biases themselves.

For example, they have a trope called Men Are Generic, Women Are Special, which points out the bias of male being the default, and yet on almost every other page on the wiki describing a trope, the default character will be a "he"(especially if it's a character trope), and whenever they mention "The Hero" or "The Big Bad" it's always a he unless it needs to be female(like if the heroine is in a romance story, or if the villain is a seductress). Female characters at best, can hope to be "The Heart" or "The Chick" of the group(which is often used in a demeaning way).

They even have a trope called "Improbably Female Cast" in which they point out all the instances of a story's setting having an "over-abundance" of women or girls with no men in sight, and claim that such stories have majority female characters when it is "unusual" "unlikely" or "lacks justification". Someone even suggested that the trope should be called "Where Are All The Men?" as if there's something inherently weird or wrong when a story is dominated by female characters, and like the story is in dire need of men, as if only men can be protagonists.

Even if the story has a justifiable reason for having mostly women, the fact that the writer made that choice at all is somehow deserving of mention. The mere fact that there's no "Improbably Male Cast" trope shows where the site's biases lay. They don't see anything wrong with a show being dominated by men with little to no female representation(ex. Death Note), and yet a show dominated by women(ex. MLPFIM) is somehow an anomaly and demands an explanation(even if the story does provide a reason for it, TV Tropes will still list it and presume it "improbable", as if to say "I mean, yeah, but there's no reason why you couldn't just make them mEn instead", as if writers who have mostly female characters are going out of their way to steer away from the "default" males.

In fact, they even admit that "Men Are Generic, Women Are Special" is their reason for having such a trope, but not the inverse. They even say that it's not the trope if the show revolves around a group of girlfriends with no indication of the gender ratio in the wider setting. So any time the females outnumber the males a story it's instantly labeled "improbable" because there's NO WAY any setting AT ALL could have more females than males. That's improbable! You see, this is why when women are 1/3 of the people in a given space men perceive it as "majority female" because they're uncomfortable with women having more of a presence than men.

We'll never have true equality if shows with majority female casts continue to be scrutinized under a microscope and assumed to be of inferior, lesser quality, just because there's no male characters around and it's women who are driving the plot. My problem isn't that they have a trope for majority female casts, it COULD be a testament to gender equality(ie., "there used to not be a lot of shows revolving around women, but now they're becoming increasingly common and well-known), but it's that they single out such stories as "unlikely" and thus discredit them.

And worse yet, they refuse to change the name, because they don't see a problem with it. So now every single show that doesn't have an equal number of males and females or more males than females is going to be called "improbable" by TV Tropes, because there's something(bad) to be said about shows that choose to make most of their characters women. Death Note and Naruto can slide by the radar of having loads of men, but Madoka Magica and Touhou are "improbable"? Because they have loads of women?

the clarification:

Anonymous said:

I started out complaining about how TV Tropes says that boys will watch Star Vs. The Forces of Evil only because of Marco(who's great, but it comes off like boys can only relate to boy characters) and that the show only looks girly but has a deep complex plot with scary moments(as if a show can't be dark and complex and still be girly; girly=shallow, watered down fluff), hence my complaint about TV Tropes undermining girly shows or anything "girly".

Yup, exactly like I said.

Good stuff in “girly” things is the exception. Good stuff in “manly” things is expected.

Which is funny when you consider stuff like “edgy” reboots of things. Like, Disney remakes their original movies and that usually means making them worse (like in Beauty and the Beast - god I hate that remake - where the objects are going to become complete objects when the last petal falls even though the enchantress is explicitly a good person and it comes off as super cruel and unnecessary), but that seems to just be its own breed of bad I guess.

Then there are terms like “chick flicks” and “soap operas” which are usually women-oriented and tend to be considered dumb/over-dramatic.

You know, not like MEN shows with their sexualization of women, guns and MEN things.

Anonymous said:

Remember what I said about TV Tropes being sexist? Well, they also have a trope called "Girly Run". Like, that's literally the name. Girly. Run. Thankfully the first example(which is under advertising due to the forms of media being in alphabetical order) is an aversion from the blessed Like A Girl campaign, but...just reading the page lets the casual-yet-bold-faced sexism speak for itself.

why can’t things just be like the Sims where characters can wear whatever the hell they want and have any personality without any judgment or criticism from other Sims?

(more Madoka Magica talk - and ONLY Madoka Magica talk - below because I’ve unleashed a monster apparently:)

Anonymous said:

I know you don't like Frozen but I saw a theory somewhere that Elsa's powers came from making a contract with Kyubey and her wish was to impress her sister and anyway I can't stop rolling my eyes. This isn't(just) because of my distaste for Madoka Magica compared to my love for Frozen, but if Elsa's a Puella Magi then why didn't she become a witch long ago? How did she make it to adulthood? How did she become emotionally stable? And why do her powers have to come from a negative source?

I think it might just be people looking for excuses to do their crossover fanfiction which--yeah, I’m not crazy about that.

Anonymous said:

Did you know that Cristina Vee voiced Homura Akemi in the English Dub? It's very noticeable, especially during the Cake Song, where I could've sworn she sounds exactly like Marinette. By the way, I'm still not sure what the hell was going on in that song. Could you please explain it to me(if you know)?

Nooooo don’t make me think of Homura when I think of Marinette!! fjkdgjnfdg

lol but seriously, I think the Cake Song is just meant to be one of those “weird but meant to be dEeP” things that shows do sometimes to be cool (not a criticism technically; depends on how it’s used).

I think the cake is the labyrinth and Homura saying that she’s the pumpkin makes her the odd one out since pumpkins are associated with scares and halloween, so it’s “foreshadowing” her being the witch. The things that they say they are... they’re like--ingredients for a meal, but not a cake, so the the cake is the labyrinth and they’re the things that would go inside it.

Homura and Madoka are the only ones who really get descriptions to go with them. Homura says that she’s “full of seeds” (despair?) and Madoka implies that it’ll bring sweet dreams once she’s sliced (which is either referring to the godly freedom given to magical girls before they turn into witches, or foreshadowing Madoka being “split” after Homura stops Madoka from purifying her, leading to Homura’s “sweet dream” of what it’s like when everything is “normal” after her reality twisting).

Anonymous said:

May I ask what you don't like about Kyoko's character? Is it because she was the stereotypical "jerk with a heart of gold"? Or because the writer made her flip from hating Sayaka and wanting her dead to suddenly dying for Sayaka even though she barely knows her compared to Madoka(because the writer doesn't understand how girls' relationships work)? For me it was a mixture of both(though I still don't mind KyoSaya!), but I still liked her enough, she just felt a tad stereotypical. Your thoughts?

It’s both. I just don’t like characters like her at all and the runtime of Madoka Magica can’t maintain all of these characters, “developing” them, and then killing them off. I don’t even have any time to get attached to them because they’re dead within a matter of a few episodes.

And it’s always like, “okay here’s this character’s backstory to make you feel emotionally attached--HA NOW THEY’RE DEAD. SEE??? WE TOTALLY GOT YOU.”

Like, no, you didn’t. I didn’t even have time to care about THEM, much less their actual death.

Anonymous said:

What about the girls in Madoka Magica? Do you think they're strong female characters? Now, obviously the show is not feminist, since it misses the whole point of Magical Girl, which is to empower girls and show them that girls can be powerful and feminine and can find strength in solidarity with each other by instead making them suffer and fight each other and have their power come from their emotions, which are exploited and turned against them because women can't be powerful, but still...

It’s the same way I feel about Marinette; there are some who I want to say are strong characters, but the writing is ready to just kill them off at any time and bully them for essentially having emotions.

Basically, imagine a male writer hands you a character sheet and is like, “AW YEAH CHECK OUT THIS sTrOng FEMALE CHARACTER I WROTE.”

Like, even if they were right, their ego and obnoxiousness about the whole thing, along with what they actually do to said character, makes you not want to give them any credit for it.

Anonymous said:

How do you think Puella Magi Madoka Magica would be different if they had magical boys as well(which can mean either gender-bending canon magical girls or introducing original magical boys)? Do you think the show would be better? Worse? Or would it be just about the same?

Personally I feel like having magical boys would be good and bad; good because there would be no more of the “teenage girls are hysterical” crap and it wouldn’t just be girls suffering because they can’t handle power, and bad because it would still be problematic(for stereotyping all teens as over emotional and deserving to be taken advantage of by the Incubators, and it would still be about kids suffering in a genre meant to empower girls, having some of them be boys wouldn’t help that much).

I also feel like Gen Urobuchi would still make the girls suffer more and have them be more emotionally and mentally unstable. Holy crap it feels like he read up on Aristotle’s views on women while making this show.

It would at least be more balanced I guess? Like, teenage years are a fragile time, so it would make sense for both girls and boys to be taken advantage of. I still wouldn’t like it but it would be nice to point out, “there are emotional boys as well as emotional girls.”

Anonymous said:

Literally all the problems with Treatment of Marinette, Chat's Entitlement(TM), and the sheer sexism in general(ex. all the teenage girls and even women villains being catty and bitchy, while the male villains are cool, suave, and calculating; female villains being irredeemable scum while male villains are "not as bad as they seem", etc.) could all be solved if the show just got some more female writers! You know a show isn't feminist like people claim if none of the writers are women.

That's what I love about Friendship is Magic; the show is written and directed by a woman and actually has a variety of both male and female writers! Plus, Lauren Faust explicitly identifies as a feminist and claims her works are meant to empower women and show them that there's no wrong way to be a girl. And the show reflects that! There's no "token girl" who checks all the boxes; the females have realistic flaws, diverse personalities, and let's not forget ARE THE HEROES!!! Not to mention that the cast is actually PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE. Do people have any idea how refreshing that is?!

And that's why whenever people claim that shows like Madoka Magica are feminist when it's written by men for men while also dismissing actually feminist shows written by women for women as "sexist" or "demeaning", I cringe inside. It's not just what the show looks like, it's what the people behind it say.

And Gen Urobuchi is not a feminist. At all. Just listen to the things he says about the girls, that they're terrorists who are full of hubris and destined to be alone, and that actual magical girl shows weren't his inspiration beyond the show's cosmetics, he just based it off of porn games. He only watched those shows after making Madoka Magica and admitted they were weird to him. Well, maybe they wouldn't be weird if you actually used them as inspiration! Why are you even making magical girl? So basically he admitted that all the suffering the girls go through is because it's his fetish.

I knew I wasn't imagining things when I saw all those weird shots and angles(ex. zooming in on Sayaka's thighs and breasts when she collapses to the floor, Madoka gripping the bed sheets between her legs when agitated, zooming in on Kyoko's ass when she takes her phone out of her shorts' back pocket, it's all for cheap titillation). And yet people keep saying the show is devoid of male gaze and sexism and why? Because apparently men know how to represent women better than women themselves.

you said “Madoka gripping the bed sheets between her thighs” and it gave me an immediate flashback, I hate it

I find that it’s a similar thing with gay anime/manga; I’m more likely to trust a F/F story if it’s written by a woman since they’re less likely to sexualize everything.

Anonymous said:

Homura in Puella Magi Madoka Magica: But Madoka, what's going to happen to you? You'll end up all alone here forever! You'll never be able to see your friends and family! Homura in Rebellion: Haha, screw Madoka's friends and family! Only I am worthy of Madoka's love! That girl belongs to me! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!(I'm sorry for the over exaggeration, but this is how it felt for me.)

Apparently, it was better for Madoka to just have all of her memories and powers yoinked away.

Sayaka is Madoka’s right hand girl so idk why Homura has this idea that she needs to sAvE Madoka. The fact that this whole thing comes out of a misunderstanding (because Madoka doesn’t have her memories) is so irritating.

Anonymous said:

I actually love Madoka Magica, but I completely agree with you on the hysterical women thing. Why couldn’t they just have... both magical girls and magical boys? Like, just mention that magical boys are a thing? They don’t even have to change anything but that, they don’t even really have to show it, just be like “yeah there’s magical boys too but that’s not really what this story is about, it’s about our characters we have here”. I don’t know, feels like that would have at least helped stuff.

Yeah, they don’t have to bother having the magical boys around. Just to know they exist would be enough. I mean, the fact that the focus is on them would still be bothersome (they’d probably do a thing where each girl represents a different emotion that is easily manipulated/easy to control), but it’d be something.

Anonymous said:

One thing that weirds me out when people are talking about Madoka Magica is when people refer to the characters as "little girls". Like, excuse me? They are not "little girls". They are teenagers! All of them are at least 14 years old! I hate when people call them "little", it's just so condescending and infantilizing, especially when the show does enough of that to them already. After all, no one makes that mistake with the heroines of Lucky Star and Hidamari Sketch(who are also drawn by Aoki)!

I feel like it’s the equivalent of when people call women “girls,” y’know? Sort of a “treating females as younger than they really are,” which is probably what gives guys the feeling that they have control.

For a gender that claims to be so dominant, certain ones sure have to delude themselves a lot to make themselves feel better.

Anonymous said:

I was thinking about what you said about Puella Magi Madoka Magica passing the Bechdel Test, and if it counts if there's barely any men to talk about. And while I do agree that it counts, I also feel that it doesn't really matter much in shows such as Madoka. This isn't even about feminism, this is about the fact that if a show has next to no men in it at all then it's pretty much a given that they won't talk about them since it would be impractical to talk about something that doesn't exist.

So because of that, I think there should either be an alternative test which only applies to shows that have a significant or equal number of male characters and yet the ladies still pass the test(making it feel more "real" since the option to talk about men is there), or the test should be rewritten entirely so that it only applies to shows in which the cast is either equally gender-split, or has a majority male cast/significant amount of males even if the females still outnumber them.

Reminds me of how, on TV Tropes, someone suggested that there should be a "Weak" and "Strong" Bechdel Test, where "Weak" refers to the women talking about something other than men because it is literally what's relevant at the moment(such as two female police officers discussing how to catch a female killer), thus applying the Bechdel Test there seems semi-void, while "Strong" is when they could talk about men but choose not to(ie. two female students talking about their grades during lunch).

And just to clarify about the "Strong" one, when I say they could talk about men but choose not to, this isn't to imply that female characters should talk about men, or that something's wrong with them for not talking about men, just that there's nothing stopping them from doing so, but they choose to talk about something unrelated to men. I think this strategy is much better than the test we have because it makes conversations between female characters seem more real since they're discussing things other than men of their own volition, rather than the non-male-centered talk being because they have to talk about it in-universe. I say that because The Bechdel Test serves to show that women's lives don't and shouldn't revolve around men, and they can talk about other things if they want to, but if the conversation is because they have to(like the example I gave), that gives sexists the opportunity to go "Yeah, well, they're only talking about it because it's their job!"

But if the female characters talk about things other than men of their own free will(as in, when the option is still there), then it shows that women really do have their own free will to talk about their own things and that there is NO REASON to not pass the Bechdel Test in today's day and age(I keep hearing people claim the test is stupid and doesn't matter, but then it should be easy to pass). "Oh, but if they had the choice, they would talk about men." No, because men don't sit around and talk about the women in their lives all day so why should women talk about the men in their lives all day? And to the people saying these types of tests are getting in the way of their "creativity", well, now that we know that you think female representation is stupid and something you have to be forced to do, we don't have to listen to a word you say. ;)

I like the idea of adjusting the Bechdel Test for other circumstances and expanding it as such!

You could also extend it to things like sexualization, because--I mean, having two female characters who talk to each other probably doesn’t mean much if they’re half-dressed or the writer wanted to make them bisexual for “The Fanservice.”

Anonymous said:

To be honest deconstructions of Magical Girl confuse me. There are some good ones out there(such as Princess Tutu and Revolutionary Girl Utena, so I know they're not all just torture porn, my only gripe with Utena is the implication that girls who take on the feminine "Princess" role are weak), but at its heart Magical Girl has always dealt with death, gore and pain just as much as female empowerment.

It makes me feel like the people who write these stories haven't seen magical girl and think it's all just sunshine and rainbows and that just because it's "girly" it's vapid and has no substance, and since the only way to have substance apparently is to be "dark", they go "screw it with all this princessy magical shit! Let's make our show dark instead!" When in reality if they had just sat down and watched a magical girl anime, they would understand that this is not the case.

Not to mention that many of them tend to have fanservice and the idea that magical girls have to suffer, so instead of empowering young girls, they end up misrepresenting the genre and turning it into fetish fuel torture porn for adult men(Madoka Magica and Yuki Yuna are very good examples of this; the writer of Madoka says that the girls are terrorists and full of hubris and that he was inspired by porn games). It's not that you can't deconstruct the genre at all, but it's almost never done tastefully and the magical girl themes are just a cover used to explain the suffering the girls go through. :(

Another thing about magical girl deconstructions is that they often reinforce patriarchal themes, like that girls shouldn't want things for themselves and that genuinely doing something for someone while also having ulterior motives that help yourself are a BAD BAD BAD thing, no matter how ultimately harmless they are, even if they help everybody involved. They also tend to reinforce Tall Poppy Syndrome and portray the powers as harmful or a bad thing, implying that girls shouldn't have power.

Honestly, I think there can totally be even more substance in magical girl anime that doesn’t have to resort to “make it eDgY” (which I feel like is a slippery slope that can easily come off as lazy); for example, I’d really enjoy seeing something deeper to magical girl powers than something like, “oh, this magical girl happens to have the power that fits their personality,” such as a magical girl who has a power she feels she doesn’t fit but it’s a matter of perspective/seeing herself differently, or a magical girl who does have the powers that “fit” her personality - like a “fiery” girl with fire powers - and the weaknesses in her powers correlate to the weaknesses in her personality, so she has to either iron out those issues or find workarounds, as true “perfection” isn’t possible nor practical, which is something all the girls have to accept despite whatever pressure they’re under.

.I dunno, I like lore and powers revolving around metaphors. It’s fun.

Anonymous said:

About what you said in regards to "no pueri magi because it doesn't hit the shock value threshold enough", I remember this interesting comment I saw on an article called "The Problem With The Dark Magical Girl Genre"(which I would totally recommend checking out, by the way!) which said that shojo magical girl and seinen magical girl both embrace a different philosophy regarding strong female fighters. In shojo, they tend to embrace femininity as a strength and show girls that they have the power to do whatever they want and undergo dangerous professions. But in seinen, which conveniently enough is more likely to "deconstruct" the genre(ugh), rather than admiring the girls and supporting them in their endeavors, the girls are meant to be pitied(often to the point of infantilization) when bad things happen to them, with the fact that they are girls serving to make everything worse. It operates under the idea that girls are fragile, in need of protection, and shouldn't be fighting at all.

That's why deconstructions like Madoka Magica and Yuki Yuna don't sit right with me, and also why I don't consider them feminist series. People can say whatever they want about Sailor Moon and Pretty Cure, but ultimately they also had dark and dangerous themes(to the point where some kids had nightmares), but ultimately allowed the girls to rise above the hell they went through and find the strength in them to save the day. We feel bad for them when they die, not because they're moe girls, but because we were actually given the time to form a connection with them and want to see them succeed, rather than just be expected to pity them because they're cute manipulated girls. That way, when they ultimately save the day, it's all the more satisfying. Princess Tutu was a deconstruction that actually went about it in the right way, because the girls eventually found the courage to defeat their enemies in a way that made sense. Why the hell is it a "good" thing to subvert that?

No clue, but I basically agree with everything there. I mean, Madoka Magica’s entire stick is basically that all the girls are like “uwu” in terms of the style (with Madoka being the “cutest” of them all) and then being put in this dark and edgy plot+setting; it’s for both the shock value and the “contrast” of having “moe” characters be thrust into these situations to essentially die.

And the conclusion doesn’t end up being satisfying (at least to me) because the villain doesn’t have emotions so he’s just like “owo” (seriously, I wouldn’t hate on Rebellion so much if Kyubey had been given emotions rather than going crazy; Homura can basically do whatever she wants and it was SUCH A MISSED OPPORTUNITY) so it ends up being more about the journey getting there like wow look at all the sUbvErSiOnS and dEaTh we had along the way!

Because at the end of the day, it’s still like, “the girls give into their ‘hysterical emotions’ in the end basically no matter what,” even if they get saved by Madoka in the end.

Anonymous said:

Do you remember, in Madoka Magica, when Kyubey said that humans would still be living in caves if not for the Incubators? First of all, keep in mind what Incubators do. Their entire purpose on this earth is to feed off the emotions of young teenage girls as they spiral into despair as a result of their delusions of power. Like wow, let that sink in. Apparently humanity's advancement relies on the exploitation of women. We are literally the punching bags of the universe. Isn't it lovely?

No! You see--we’re so important to the world! If we weren’t emotionally exploited, the world wouldn’t be the way it is now! :D

(kill me)

Anonymous said:

I once saw a tag on tumblr that read "The only good magical girl anime is Madoka Magica because it's gay, and even it has problems." Like, ugh. Really? Has this person not watched ANY other magical girl anime? Such ignorance. So many things wrong with that statement that I can't--and WON'T--even begin to unravel here.

MADOKA MAGICA IS NOT GAY AND I’M SO TIRED OF PEOPLE CLAIMING IT IS

s T O P

I DON’T EVEN CONSIDER YURI ON ICE TO BE GAY. MADOKA MAGICA? NAH MAN.

Anonymous said:

Do the girls in Madoka Magica even have transformation phrases? You know, like how Marinette says "Tikki, spots on!" or how Sailor Moon says "Moon Prism Power! Make-up!" or how Iris in LoliRock says "Iris! Princess of Ephedia!" etc. But in Madoka Magica, there doesn't seem to be any of that. At least in Yuki Yuna they pressed a button on their phones. But how do the Puellae Magi even transform? Just goes to show you how Gen Urobuchi knows next to nothing about the genre he claims to deconstruct.

Transformation phrases are magical and cool and you can’t take that away from me.

Anonymous said:

I had a shower thought about Madoka randomly in bed last night: If a Magical Girl's Soul Gem loses control over its user when 100 metres or further away from it, that meant that when Homura got Sayaka's Soul Gem back for her, Sayaka should've regained consciousness once Homura was less than 100 metres away, even if she didn't have her Soul Gem yet. I also love to ponder why on Earth Homura would even bother retrieving Sayaka's Soul Gem if she only cares about Madoka and Madoka's well-being.

I think it’s just a complicated process of Homura trying to make sure Madoka doesn’t fall into despair herself (in a non-witch way) and is convinced to make a wish.

Anonymous said:

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Sayaka really got the worst deal out of the whole thing. While her story may seem more "mundane" compared to the others(she just wanted the token Ill Boy osananajimi to like her back), she's the only one who somehow isn't brought back when Madoka recreates the universe, loses her Soul Gem on more than one account(and on the second, she starts decomposing and her crush sees her and calls her a monster because he thinks she's pretending to be the REAL Sayaka), is supposedly the weakest Magical Girl, getting swiftly taken out by both Kyoko AND Homura(the latter of which doesn't even make sense, if her body can heal why was she taken out so quickly?), takes a long while to show up in Magia Record, and Gen somehow finds it suiting to single her out as the one who is "destined to die" every time she makes a contract. Apparently the series director wanted Sayaka to live/be brought back, but Gen refused because it just had to be edgy.

Of course, MEN are allowed to have wish fulfillment power fantasies and dream like the sky's no limit and aspire to be all they want to be, but the second WOMEN try to be the strong ones, the powerful ones, or dream of something for themselves and others, they have to learn a lesson about how unrealistic their fantasies are and how they'll never live out their dreams. Hence why Sayaka puts the blame all on herself, saying that she's not a hero and was stupid and selfish the whole time.

"token Ill Boy osananajimi“ dfhbgjhfdgdfg

It was a real shame because I liked Sayaka somewhat (not saying much but still) and she was such a predictable one to go. Like, “oh wow, an angst-y anime all about shock value? so basically the best friend is dead then with no chance of survival.”

I think I do remember being told/reading somewhere (so don’t quote me) that Sayaka is the one that’s hardest to keep alive in the games, so you have to work hard for it. It just sucks.

Anonymous said:

Yet another thing that bothers me about Puella Magi is how the show frames the young ladies as if everything is their fault even though they have no idea what they're getting into because the person who makes the deal doesn't even bother explaining shit to them and all the show's attempts at deconstructing is just taking lighthearted elements meant to empower girls and show them that they can be brave and strong as well as feminine and make them dark and morbid.

Like, I get the whole "having young girls fight is a little unrealistic" aspect, but most magical girl shows actually do touch on that! Only difference is that over time, they become stronger and better at fighting(which is only to be expected, whether you're a teenage girl or not) and become more competent along the way because the whole genre is about FEMALE EMPOWERMENT.

Not to mention how the show seems to forget that the Incubators are villains and even seems to put them in the right and the girls in the wrong, what with the claim that they rationalize with the girls they make contracts with like sentient human beings(yeah, because emotionally manipulating young girls and literally taking their souls out of their bodies and making them liches without their consent is definitely treating them like sentient human beings), and that they always follow up on their end of the deal whereas it's the girls' faults their wishes go sour because they never wish for what they truly want(I'm sorry, but I simply DO NOT buy that. Homura and Mami outright wished for what they wanted. Their wishes went sour because the plot "decided" that they should have wished in a different way; plus, you're telling me that if Sayaka had outright said she wished "for Kyousuke to love her back" that the show wouldn't just "make" him mind-controlled or have Sayaka "outgrow" her feelings by the time he falls in love with her, all the while making it out to be "her" fault he's so heartbroken because she was some kind of tease or whatever, further demonizing girls' sexualities?).

Plus they explicitly claim that every woman in history was a magical girl and that without them, humanity would still be in caves(as in, humanity wouldn't be able to progress without the oppression and exploitation of women, and women can't gain power without going insane because female power is some unhealthy, inhuman, infernal thing.). Even if we take this all as a reflection of patriarchal society(which I highly doubt it was, if anything, it reinforces it), all it does is imply that the oppression of women is the natural order of things, required even.

As for the girls themselves, they routinely beat themselves up and the show makes no effort to tell them they're wrong(up until the massive cop-out of an ending), like how Sayaka's last words before becoming a witch are literally her "admitting" that she was "stupid, so stupid" for wanting a boy to love her and be healed of his infirmity. It just seems like we're supposed to think "you know, maybe the Incubators aren't that bad!" while ignoring that the girls are being treated like the disposable trash bags of the universe. This show already does the magical girl genre dirty but treating it like everything the Incubators did was necessary and like it's all the girls' faults these things happened to them in the first place is the icing on the stale, sour cake. Nothing like a giant heap of sexism to help get you through your day. :/

I’ve noticed this a lot in Miraculous, but Madoka Magica somehow does it worse; this “one (supposed) mistake leads to all of these consequences you never saw coming.”

Like Ladybug calling Lila out. We know that Lila’s pettiness in “Chameleon” shows that it wouldn’t matter whether Ladybug yelled at her or not; the simple fact that Marinette opposes a liar led to Marinette getting expelled, even if only for a while. Then there’s “Miracle Queen” and all that garbage that came with it.

These two shows put their teenage girls through hell for having emotions and there’s no way to undo it.

Anonymous said:

Honestly, the Madoka Magica fandom is basically the magical girl equivalent of "not like other girls" type women. I can't say I'd be surprised if they didn't watch a single magical girl show other than Madoka because they're all "stupid and girly but this one is edgy and dark" just because those shows are written by women to inspire other girls and show femininity as a strength while Madoka Magica is written by men for men who want to see young girls suffer without any actual feminism.

Like, let's go through their arguments one-by-one to prove that they don't hold up. They love to say that Madoka Magica is better than other Magical Girl shows because "it's dark and edgy and shows the downsides to being a Magical Girl unlike other shows where it's all sunshine and lollipops". First of all, other Magical girl shows also got very dark. Princess Tutu and Utena are also "darker" takes on the genre, but even more lighthearted shows like Sailor Moon and Precure had scary moments.

The only difference is, with them, they still managed to critique problematic aspects of the genre and actually provided ways to improve it, while STILL managing to keep their target audience(FEMALES) in mind, without condescending to them and infantilizing them. And they still showed the girls being empowered and overcoming the darkness.

In Madoka, there's none of that, there's no actual critique of the genre because Gen didn't have the respect for it to do his research, it's aimed at men so it doesn't keep female viewers in mind by definition(which is also another reason why it can't be a deconstruction; deconstructions should be done FOR its target audience), and the girls are constantly put down and treated like Moe crybabies by the narrative even when they're not(cause, you know, teenage girls are "emotional"!). And it doesn't offer ways the genre could improve, it just takes a female-empowering genre and twists it to be this system of oppression that the genre is meant to avoid.

Magical Girls tend to have a very strong focus on girls empowering girls and all that awesome stuff, and yet when Madoka and Mami form a special bond and Madoka encourages Mami by telling her she's not alone? It makes her big-headed and overconfident and she gets devoured by Charlotte. See what happens when girls rely on each other? Madoka is Sayaka's best friend, but gets pushed aside in favor of Kyoko, who later dies for Sayaka because girls who want to help each other had better be prepared to suffer and die for their beliefs. Sayaka loses everything, which happens to include her best friend, over a guy. And the whole witch process means that any female solidarity that could be found in the show is thrown out the window since the core concept of the show is girls being forced to brutalize and kill and exploit each other.

People act like Madoka is Yuri when it's not, Gen was asked if Homura really was in love with Madoka and if Kyoko really was in love with Sayaka, and what did he do? He beat around the bush. Naoko Takeuchi and Kunihiko Ikuhara(the latter of whom also worked on Sailor Moon R; woah, what a surprise) both admitted that there was gay love in their stories, yet people act like Madoka is super progressive regarding homosexuality when it's just implied and those shows were MUCH more open! Doesn't stop people from claiming the show is "honorary yuri" and saying that the meaning of "yuri" should be broadened to include any close bonds between two female characters, whether or not it's actually romantic, AND favoring the show(and HomuMado) above actual yuri shows that are made to appeal to women. If all this were actually valid, Sailor Moon would be yuri as hell.

I hate seeing people fap over this show and act like it's so revolutionary for recycling things that the genre was ALREADY DOING, because I know full well that the ONLY reason it gets this wide acclaim is because Magical Girl shows have traditionally been written for women and this show is aimed at men. That's literally it. Because nothing a woman writes is good enough, especially when it dares to go against patriarchal constructs of femininity as weak and docile by portraying it as cool and awesome. It doesn't matter how cool and dark and diverse and inclusive and complex Sailor Moon and Precure and Princess Tutu and Utena are, they're written by/for women with the intention of empowering them so they're automatically invalid, cheap, happy-go-lucky crap where nothing bad ever happens and anything those shows try to do ought to be discredited because they don't appeal to men like they should so what's the point?

But the second a MAN comes in and intrudes on a female-dominated space by doing all of those things but with a very shallow understanding of how they ought to be executed, people are all over it because a MAN did it and now it's interesting and respectable! I have seen so many people say that they don't like Magical Girl because it's girly and shallow and stupid, but then they praise Madoka for things that the girly and "shallow" shows have already done! Men are always taking away things meant for women and distorting it to fit their patriarchal views and yet when they do it it's somehow better and anyone who complains is simply a whiny straw feminist!

The fandom does it all the time, someone complains about the show and why they don't like it and find it sexist, and the response is always "you're just not smart enough to understand it; you have no idea what you just watched". Because obviously since it's made by a man it's sooo much smarter then the traditional sappy stuff made by women. That's why it's so annoying when others praise it at the expense of other works in the genre: they know their reasons for liking it are, more often than not, rooted in sexism against female-aimed and female-empowering works, so the only way they can praise it is at the expense of said works, hence them being just like girls who claim they're "not like other girls" when there's nothing wrong with girls being feminine and in fact many of those girls may like the same things you do!

So while I'm not saying there's anything inherently WRONG with liking Madoka, I DO have a problem with people who act like it's better or more serious than other shows in the genre and simply discard them on the grounds that they're "for girls", since they obviously didn't watch them.

me when I initially watched Madoka Magica: I don’t get why this exists.

me when I learned it was written by a man: ohhh, now I get it.

I also take issue with people comparing things that are made for different demographics. Like look, I don’t care if you enjoy your angst display over here, but also maybe don’t compare it to the stuff not even made for you unless you’re willing to get into a fight over it?

It comes off wrong, like they have to trash on stuff because it wasn’t made for them, y’know?

Anonymous said:

Honestly, I am so sick of people saying that Magical Girl shows are sexist or anti-feminist, when all they do is portray girls being awesome and powerful while also being feminine at the same time, because "Well in Japan it's actually gender conformity because it's telling girls they can only be strong if they're feminine! You're just projecting your Western values onto an Eastern work!".

First of all these shows are made by women for women and often have explicit feminine messages that you literally cannot miss unless you are simply blind or trying not to see them. And they also tend to have a very strong focus on women supporting or empowering other women. Just think of Sailor Moon, which constantly gets this "criticism", and yet there's an episode where the girls explicitly protest against a villain who claims women are all shallow and useless and can't do anything without men's help. Would Naoko Takeuchi put that in the show if she weren't a feminist?

And then there's the fact that she has said that one message she wanted the female leads to convey was to value their relationships between other girls because girls are strong and don't need to waste time depending on men. There's also the fact that most Magical Girl shows tend to treat the powers as something special and awesome that's unique to women and girls, paired with the coming-of-age themes present in the show, and you get a magical equivalent of female puberty, with magic mixed in.

But no, all of that gets thrown out the window because they dare to be "feminine" while doing all of that stuff and the Japanese are forcing their girls to be girly through Magical Girl propaganda. And I just HATE when people act like anything feminine must be societally forced onto girls, rather than girls just happening to like them. In addition, stating that they are simply reinforcing gender roles by being feminine is such bullshit because the whole purpose isn't about conforming to patriarchal femininity, it's about reclaiming femininity.

Too often, femininity is associated with being weak, powerless, helpless, submissive, docile, vapid, catty, bitchy, petty, vain, stupid, the list goes on. Magical Girl saves femininity from a bad reputation. It shows femininity in a new light, as something strong and powerful and, hell, even admirable! It's about telling girls "Hey, you can be strong and powerful and smart, but you don't have to be a tomboy or act like a man to do so". Girls are always told they have to act masculine to be taken seriously because the only way to be respected is to be like a man, which is an indirect way of saying that only men deserve respect.

Magical Girl does away with all that in favor of showing the feminine as something innately powerful, and yet naysayers MISS the point and say that it's just stereotyping girls instead. To see people claim that Magical Girl forces girls to fit a feminine ideal to be respected is just disappointing. It's supposed to be a female power fantasy for young girls that shows them as the ones being powerful and empowering each other.

Take how in Sailor Moon the heroine often says something along the lines of "I won't let you take advantage of girls", which Wedding Peach went on to imitate. The purpose of the genre is for girls. To empower girls. So why on earth would they show them fitting into a "male" mould of power? Do these people think that any time women are shown acting distinct from men that they are doing something wrong?

And the hypocritical part is that nobody pisses on male-oriented anime for reinforcing a harmful narrative to boys that they have to be masculine to be valued and respected. Of course they don't! Because being "masculine" is never seen as a bad thing to be. It's assumed that masculinity is always strong and good and awesome and there's nothing wrong with boys being forced to be masculine because you're supposed to want to be masculine. You're not supposed to want to be feminine.

So of course people will shit all over Magical Girl for embracing, empowering, and reclaiming femininity, because it's not supposed to be that way! You're not supposed to be feminine and also be strong. You're supposed to deny your identity as a woman and assimilate into the boys' club because only boy things are worthwhile! And they cover it up by saying that Magical Girl forces girls to be feminine, when in actuality the WORLD forces girls to be MASCULINE. Magical Girl doesn't force girls to be feminine, It ALLOWS them to. Do you see the difference there?

Another thing I'd like to bring to the table is that the claim is racist and here's why: The claim that "Magical Girl shows are seen as feminist in the US for portraying femininity as a source of strength but not in Japan because it's telling girls they have to be feminine"...what does that mean? Japanese people can't be feminist? All Japanese people are sexists and think girls have to fit in a certain role? Do Japanese feminists HAVE to be anti-femininity? Are there literally no Japanese people who think you can be feminine AND strong(who also obviously identify as feminists?) Because it seems hella sexist to insinuate that Magical Girl shows are sexist because they're made in Japan and they don't believe you can be feminine AND strong there.

While there is some credibility to it since Japan IS, by and large, much more strict with gender roles, hasn't it ever occurred to these people that these types of shows exist to counter that belief? Not only that, but it implies that people aren't allowed to have opinions on works that aren't made in their culture, and that anyone who sees those shows as feminist are just projecting their Western beliefs onto an Eastern work. And even worse, when people say that, they don't have the same opinion of Western Magical Girl works.

Just look at LoliRock, Miraculous Ladybug, Winx, W.I.T.C.H., Star vs the Forces of Evil, and countless other European/Western Magical Girl works. Where are the people saying "They get their power from femininity and that is sexist!"? Nowhere! They're silent! Even though those are very much like Magical Girl works from Japan(although I don't think the genre originated from there), while still being original.

It's because people think that any media exported from Japan is automatically sexist and demeaning and so anything they create, no matter how empowering their intentions, gets twisted into something that's somehow toxic or unsafe for girls to watch. But when Europeans do the exact same thing nobody complains. Because Japan is not allowed to do anything empowering whatsoever; something's always wrong with it, apparently.

So that's why I have a problem with people who say those things; it's so problematic because they think they're being all open-minded and aware/respectful of other people's cultures, but all they're doing is reinforcing negative stereotypes further. It's kinda like what I said earlier(in another ask) about how people love to praise Madoka Magica for being a unique, dark, and interesting take on the genre when all it did was rehash elements of the genre that already existed, strip away the female empowerment, and gear it towards grown men, which is why people like it more. How about instead of speaking for Japanese people you let them speak for themselves?!

I would also like to add that there’s even a limit to women acting masculine because that’s still “not enough” for those kinda of men who would promote those beliefs. Women need to act more masculine to “be taken seriously” but then you have men who’ll tell them to “dress less” or whatever.

I think what it comes down to is that they want women to not be “emotionally taxing” with all those dAmN eMoTioNs of theirs (unless it’s for the sake of their angsty magical girl anime where the girls suffer for having emotions), but they also need to look pretty and be sexualized.

We can’t win.

#other: ask and answer #other: non ml talk

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azuleif · 6 years

Text

11 Questions!

I was tagged by @gardenoftulip, @nessajjewell and @rueitae to answer some questions. Thank you all, you made me feel special! 💚💙

Rules:

1.always post the rules

2. Answer the questions given by the person who tagged you

3. Write 11 questions of your own

4. Tag 11 people you want to get to know better

Sorry this got a bit long!

Questions from @gardenoftulip

1. Name 3 things in nature you find the most beautiful? The sky, stars and animals.

2. What's the funniest way you've been injured? I'm clumsy. I could fill an entire post with stupid and funny ways I've gotten hurt! The most recent though, was probably trying to walk across a clear living room floor with a dead leg. I tripped over literally nothing and managed to sprain pretty much everything possible in my ankle! I spent 12 weeks in a walking cast...

3. If you could ask your pet 3 questions, what would they be? Can you please exist? 😂 I don't have a pet, sadly. I would LOVE a cat though.

4. What are your pet peeves? Hmm, tough one. Maybe when people interrupt me for no reason when I'm watching or listening to something. Especially if I have headphones in. Can't you see I'm busy??? I'm 100% the kind of person that aggressively pauses my show until they're done.

5. What's the first thing you ate today? Toast! With marmite on.

6. What makes you laugh? A lot. It's not hard. But puns and bad jokes are especially a huge weakness of mine.

7. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what? If I do, it must be really well hidden...

8. What's your zodiac sign? Does it fit your personality? I'll be honest, I have no idea about zodiac stuff. It's not something that interests me So I'm afraid I can't answer.

9. What is your favourite holiday? Any holiday that means I can stay home and not interact.... 😂

10. If you have one, who is your celebrity crush? Yoo Kihyun, the main vocalist from the Kpop group Monsta x. I think Jeremy Shada might be getting there too...

11. If you could be a genius at something, what would it be? Anything? Please? Okay seriously though, I'd have to say music. I love music, but I just don't have the skill for it myself.

Questions from @nessajjewell

1. What is your favourite food? My favourite food changes a lot. I guess the only consistent thing is fresh seasonal fruit?

2. place you've always wanted to go? A tour of Asia would be cool. Or France.

3. Favourite show? J-just one??! Voltron Legendary defender has to be my all time favourite, at the moment at least. But I also love shows like Scorpion, marvel's Gifted, miraculous ladybug, full metal alchemist and Teen titans.

4. Single or nah? Single!

5. Video game you last played? Monster Hunter.

6. Can you do a weird talent? Not that I can think of. What would even class as weird?

7. Tennis shoes or sneakers? Uh oh. I uh... what's the difference??

8. Soda or pop? As in fizzy drinks? I don't tend to drink any.

9. Favourite drink? Coffee! I live off the stuff!

10. What is your favourite hobby? Gaming. As much as I love drawing, it does sometimes get stressful, especially if it isn't working out how I want it too. Gaming is my stress relief and always fun~

11. Is there a store you go to frequently? I'm very introverted, and shops are sooooo stressful for me. I do all shopping online if I can! But I make exceptions for certain comic book, game and merch shops.

And finally, questions from @rueitae

1. Movies that had a great impact on you as a child - you know the ones you vividly remember watching as a kid? There are so many! Eldorado, Sinbad, Osmosis Jones and all the pokémon films really come to mind though.

2. What is your occupation? Or what do you want to do as a career? Tell me about it! My actual job is pretty boring, so I'll talk about my dream job instead! I've always wanted to be in game design. I love designing characters, and I would LOVE to be on a team that creates concept art for games.

3. Spinning rides or up and down rides? I get motion sickness really easily... But having said that, I love spinning rides for as long as I can enjoy them without feeling ill.

4. What is the most neat place you've ever visited? Would you live there? I haven't really travelled much, even within my own country. But I've been to Newcastle a few times to visit family, and I do love it there. I don't think I'd live there though, I'm a country girl and I think the city would overwhelm me too much after the novelty wore off.

5. How did you find your current fandom? My uncle watched Voltron before I did, when it first came out. We're really close and have similar tastes so when he got excited about it, I was definetly interested! I kept putting it off though, and it wasn't until I kept seeing it on Tumblr through miraculous blogs I follow that I eventually watched it, only a month or two after my uncle did.

6. What's the hottest wing sauce you've ever eaten? I don't really know, sorry! But I do like spicy food.

7. What's the fic/art you've always wanted to write/draw but haven't gotten to for any reason. Oc? Original story? Tell me all about it! Oooh boy. I am ALWAYS coming up with story ideas. I have an entire universe of stories that I've wanted to write and draw since I was 13! I've got entire timelines and realities planned out, and even every single side character has concept art!

My favourite story of mine at the moment is probably Thieves Heart. It's so much fun to draw! And I love coming up with new ideas for it. I even love the designs I have for my main characters, Kyrad and Chiel, which is a rarity.

Kyrad is a thief because it's his family business.

Chiel is a thief because she loves the thrill of it all.

They keep crossing paths, and while Chiel adores the competition and might have a growing crush on her newfound rival, Kyrad isn't so keen. He'd much rather steal in peace.

He does have his eye on a cute but sassy civilian though, and has no idea she's actually the very same thief stealing all his hauls!

There's so much more I could say, amd although I really want to enthuse about all of my stories, its kind of nerve wracking and I also know that once I start, you literally can't shut me up. I get carried away easily...

I do keep toying with the idea of starting a webtoon, but my own lack of confidence holds me back I think.

8. Comfort food. if there is one snack/meal that is your go to- what is it? Maybe it's a drink? Any kind of hot food including rice, noodles or soup works for me. It could be my mum's chicken soup, it could be instant ramen. It depends a lot on my mood.

9. One person you really look up to as a role model. It's... really hard choosing just one person. I can't choose only one from my family, so I'll have to go for a friend of mine instead. She's a good 10 years older then me, but age doesn't matter. She's such a dear friend and I don't know what I'd do without her! She's helped me through so much. She has a lot of the same issues I have, and seeing how strong and amazing she is really inspires me. She's helped me with my anxiety in such a huge way, and if I could be a fraction of the person she is I'd be so happy. I want to help people like she's helped me through my problems. ❤

10. Favourite colour combination? Maybe pastel blue and silver?

11. What is your favourite outfit? That one clothing combination that makes you feel hip or comfortable or both. Just jeans and my Star Labs hoodie. My hoodie especially is my favourite piece of clothing and is so comfortable, it's baggy, it's soft and warm. I miss it every time it goes in the wash!

Again, thank you so much for this, it's been fun! I'm sorry it got so long.

I'd love to tag some people to answer some of my questions but not only have I spent a little too long on this already, but I'm a nervous wreck when it comes to tagging people So... oh well?

#tagged #about me #i got to gush about a story of mine a little bit!#thank you #11 questions

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needlekind · 6 years

Note

I've been aware of Fire Emblem for quite a long time, but have never played any of the games. Is there a specific order that I should play the games in?

for the most part, the answer is no! fire emblem is kind of like pokémon or (as far as i know, having never played any final fantasy) final fantasy, where some games are loosely interconnected (taking place on the same continent/in the same world, featuring characters from other games) but, with a few exceptions, each is still completely standalone and can be enjoyed by itself! there are a couple games where the order matters but not many.

for starting points i would probably recommend either fire emblem: awakening/fe13��for the nintendo DS, or fire emblem: the sacred stones/fe8 for the gba! FE13 is the game that got a lot of people into the series; a big draw for beginners is its casual mode, a newer feature which disables permadeath. in general it’s accepted as being easier to play! it also has a ton of new features you’ll find that most of the games don’t, though, like marriage and the avatar unit and having so many goddamn support options and skills and shit, so working backwards might be hard. FE8 is probably my favorite in the series; it’s one of the easier FE games in general and it isn’t super long, so it’s a great way to introduce yourself to FE in general! the plot is really good and the cast is an absolute riot with a lot of heartening friendships. this game also absolutely has the best and most diverse villains of any fire emblem game in my opinion. i just really adore it! if you’re okay with playing with permadeath (which usually means resetting the chapter when someone dies lmao), i would absolutely recommend fe8 as an entry point to the series.

as far as games where the order matters go!

so there’s fire emblem fates/FE14. fates is actually made up of three games; fire emblem: birthright, fire emblem: conquest, and fire emblem: revelations. the protagonist has to make a choice about which country they’ll side with at the beginning of the game; birthright is one choice, conquest is another, and revelations is a “true end” sort of deal where they refuse to take a side. they follow the same premise in the same world where the difference is, of course, “how does this choice affect how the story goes.” fates is hugely popular, but very polarizing in the fandom; i haven’t played it myself and don’t really recommend it, though i’ve heard conquest has great maps if you’re really into the gameplay part of things.

there’s also fire emblem: path of radiance/FE9 and fire emblem: radiant dawn/FE10, for the gamecube and wii, respectively (the Tellius games, named for the continent they take place on). they’re kind of crazy difficult to get your hands on these days but can be emulated easily enough using Dolphin! FE10 is a direct sequel to FE9, and you probably actually do want to play these ones in order. these games receive less love in general because they’re so hard to find but they’re very good, featuring one of the most heartfelt casts you’ll ever find in a FE game, and some of the best political intrigue.

fire emblem: blazing blade/FE7 is a prequel to fire emblem: binding blade/FE6 (the Elibe games), each for GBA, but each is standalone and can be enjoyed on its own in any order! FE7 is a classic, so you should definitely play it at some point. FE6 never got an english release so it’ll have to be emulated with a patch. i never actually finished it myself, i think it’s kind of higher up on the difficulty scale?

the only other games with a prequel/sequel situation are fire emblem: shadow dragon/FE11 and fire emblem: new mystery of the emblem/FE12 for the nintendo DS (the Archanea games). these are remakes of the very first fire emblem (and the third, its first remake + sequel)! Shadow Dragon can honestly be skipped, it’s not very exciting, support conversations (the only real source of character interaction) are removed entirely for some reason, most characters don’t get more than a line or two of dialogue total ever so it’s hard to get invested in any of them—it’s not great. New Mystery is really good, though, and neatly summarizes the plot of Shadow Dragon in the first like ten minutes. unfortunately New Mystery never got an english release (probably because Shadow Dragon did so poorly) so it’ll have to be emulated with a fan patch, but i really highly recommend New Mystery! archanea doesn’t get as much love these days but New Mystery is just such a fun game with some real gems in the character cast. Awakening also takes place 2,000 years after the Archanea games on the same continent, so you get all kinds of cool nuggets of backstory and lore that way (and also one returning character!).

the one other game i wanted to mention is fire emblem echoes: shadows of valentia/FE15 for the DS. it’s a remake of the second fire emblem game, fire emblem: gaiden/fe2, for the famicon. i wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as an entry point just because it’s very different, mechanically, from literally every other fire emblem game. a lot has changed in FE since the 90s, but the remake kept all of the battle mechanics exactly the same, while updating the plot and characters. SOV is honestly probably my favorite FE game, usurping FE8′s decade-plus-long reign, and if that one garners most of your interest, i don’t think it’s a bad place to start by any means! it has a causal mode option, and also an “undo” that lets you go back however many turns/moves you desire for a limited number of times per battle, so you can make your own difficulty that way. just be aware that if you do start there, adjusting to literally any other game might be tough. it takes place in the same world and time period as the archanea games and features a couple of cameos, and the continent also appears in awakening all those years later.

honorable mention goes to fire emblem: genealogy of the holy war/FE4 and fire emblem: thracia 776/FE5, both for the SNES, neither of which i’ve actively played but they are each completely standalone, and they have small but active and dedicated fandoms so i think they’ve held up very well even though they’re older! FE5 is legendarily difficult iirc, though.

happy fembleming anon!!! if you want more specific recommendations based on your personal tastes let me know and i’m happy to provide :> i really love this series so i’m super happy you came to me to ask about it!!!

#anonymous

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atopfourthwall · 6 years

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Settle in for a bit of a post, kids – time for Linkara to talk about some pokeymanz.

So as I’ve stated on numerous occasions, when I first started playing Pokémon, it was on an emulator. I was young, I didn’t have money, and it was rare for my parents to spend any money on video games or video game consoles (we had PCs, if we wanted to game, plenty of good games out for PC). I would eventually get a Gameboy Pocket and a proper copy of Pokémon Blue, but when I started? Emulation was the way in.

Now of course being young and stupid and not being able to foresee problems in the future, I did not think to KEEP the save files in those ROMs, never figuring that I’d still want to have those Pokémon or even know how to transfer them over to a proper cartridge like I do now. As such, they have many, many times been saved over, deleted, and lost. Still, my computer has been built on top of itself a few times over, to the point where I do still find files from 2001 or the like if I dig deep enough. So occasionally, on a whim, I will go through the old emulator files I have to see if I can find an old save file of one of my original playthroughs. It’s a hopeless endeavor and I’ve done it multiple times now and it never yields results.

So during one of these efforts, I stumble upon my Pokémon Sapphire ROM. As a reminder there, much like with the Gameboy games, I didn’t have a Gameboy Advance until muuuuch later (and an SP at that) and my fandom in Pokémon had fallen off the map by the early 2000s, so when Ruby and Sapphire came out, I didn’t even really pay attention to it. Then, on a whim, I decided to get the ROM for Sapphire and play it. For the record, I was not a fan. It wasn’t that it was terrible, just that the Pokémon for Gen 3 didn’t really do anything for me. I played through it as best as I could, eventually beating the Elite 4 MOSTLY because I didn’t know much about the game and assumed that, like Gold/Silver, I’d be able to travel back to Johto after I beat the Elite 4 and play through a second region like in those games. Hell, there even seemed to be two ports that served no other purpose in the game (whooo, you can sail between them… when you could also just Fly…), but of course to my disappointment that was not the case. I was grumbly about it, did some Gameshark codes in the emulator to get a team of legendaries, then a team of Pokémon from Gens 1 and 2 that I liked, but in the end just gave up on it and moved on.

So on a whim, I load up the Sapphire ROM and look through some of the save states. I find the legendary one, I find the one with Gen 1/2 Pokémon… aaaand then I find a playthrough of my original team. This was Pre-Elite 4, but after I had reached Evergrande City, so I was clearly just training for the Elite 4 at that point. So here they are – the six Pokémon that I had trained to be my team in a game I didn’t really like all that much. This was the earliest team of Pokémon that I had ever raised that were still available. The save file was from 2003. They were almost fifteen years old. They had just been sitting here, waiting. Their future had been erased. Their only fate was to sit and wait to finish the game when that was never going to happen, never going to continue, hoping that their trainer would finish the job that he had started.

That was unacceptable.

I may not have liked Gen 3 that much, but dang it, these were my first ones from it, and I’ll be damned if I was going to let them spend another day there instead of fulfilling their destiny. I fired up a bunch of the equipment that I had gotten for the Gen 1/2 trade-up video (some of it was in disrepair, like the GBA Flash cart, so I used the DS emulator trading option I described in the video to get them) and got these bad boys up to Alpha Sapphire.

Hell yeah. Not only are these six going to beat the Elite 4, they’re going to beat a TOUGHER Elite 4 – the one for the remake games, since obviously I had already beaten Alpha Sapphire (I liked Alpha Sapphire more, but that team was 5/6 made of Pokémon from other generations – my starter was a Zubat – just wanted a team of Pokémon I had always wanted to try). Let me introduce you to these dudes.

Back in the day, I didn’t nickname my Pokémon – thought it was dumb. I’m older now and I LOVE nicknaming them. Gives them more character and uniqueness. First up – Sceptimus. I’m not particularly fond of any of Gen 3’s starters, which is a shame since they’re all good, so at the time I went with the one I disliked least, which was Treecko. Nowadays while I hold no particular attachment to them, I do still appreciate Sceptile’s badass tail and leaf blade arms. And of course now in Alpha Sapphire, he’s a friggin’ DRAGON, too.

Next – Sniperbird. A lot of times the token bird of the generation ends up on the team, usually as a well-balanced Flying-type and this Swellow is no exception. The name comes from a bit in Birdemic where twice a random bird just straight up swoops on and kills people with one shot. I affectionately referred to it both times as Sniperbird. Now look at this Swellow – tell me you can’t see this thing flying in and killing you in one hit.

Third – MAKIT. This one, as you can tell by the original trainer name is an in-game trade for a Slakoth. Most would probably keep the Slakoth to get a Slaking, but at the time, knowing nothing about the game, I didn’t know what a Makuhita was and Slakoth didn’t impress me. While Hariyama has never really done much for me, Makuhita is an adorable little boxer with a permanent grin and I love it. While Hariyama’s design might not impress, it’s my first Fighting Type I ever had as a party member and he will beat your ass like a drum.

Fourth is Positra. Plusle and Minun are Gen 3’s Pikachu variant and of course at the time I didn’t realize it would never evolve, but look at this thing – it’s adorable and its cheeks are shaped like plus symbols. Positra might not be the strongest, but damn if it ain’t cute and it can still zap you if given the chance. Electrike and Manectric always looked weird to me, but Plusle is fast and it can hit hard if given the chance.

Then we have Geist. Sableye, until Fairy type came along, used to be a Pokémon without any weaknesses. I don’t even remember catching this guy back in the day or having him on my team, yet here he is. I likely just enjoyed him because of the weird ghost design and wanted a Ghost type for my team, but of course he has so much more to offer, especially nowadays since his only weakness is Fairy. His stats are not the best, but like Sceptimus his Mega Evolution can compensate for that.

And finally, Oceanus. I wasn’t fond of ANY of the water types for Gen 3 back in the day. These days I like a lot more, but for a place with so much water, I’m fairly certain I used some other Pokémon for surfing for the longest time simply because I didn’t have anything else I liked, but I was quite fond of this Legendary. Not my favorite, obviously, but it’s a big-ass whale and it can flood the entire damn planet, so you don’t mess with it.

So yeah, used the Blisseys Secret Bases to power-level them up and I’ve now beaten the Alpha Sapphire Elite Four. Hello, old friends – it’s been too long.

#pokemon #pokemon sapphire #pokemon alpha sapphire #plusle #Makuhita #Sceptile #Sableye #swellow

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