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prettysweetprettysweet · 2 months

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boy there is so much to unpack based on what Karan's sister said to her mom about how Karan was raised. its so crazy that his parents reinforced what they valued and what they didn't value by withholding reactions/not engaging with Karan if they didn't like or approve of what he was doing (and up until the present part of the story, didn't think this was harmful??). i don't know if the writers meant for it to be so profoundly sad, but the thought of a queer child who already felt deeply conflicted about his identity trying to express himself, find out who he is, and share his excitement about cool things he finds in the world only to get nothing from his caretakers to acknowledge it is heartbreaking. his flames burned out because he was doing it in a cold empty vacuum. she said he would pursue those things until it "got boring" but really what that means is he pursued those things/expressed himself in certain ways until the lack of interaction from his parents made him feel so insecure, self-conscious, and lonely that he phased it out. and then when he started getting engagement from his parents again, he would internalize that he shouldn't go where his instincts/pleasures/interests guide him because they're the makeup of an unacceptable person.

so Karan's historical self-deprecation in regards to his queerness and his uncontrollable, tear-filled reaction to hearing his mother indicate that she does want to support and engage with he and Achi, makes all the sense in the world. when he confessed his feelings to Achi he apologized multiple times essentially for letting the real Karan take over and control what his brain and heart were doing, ruining things between them. i love that Achi's immediate reaction to that was "you're sorry???" because its so bewildering that Karan would apologize for being himself, feeling his feelings, or thinking his thoughts. but he has been trained his whole life not to indulge or engage with his authentic self, so he feels like a failure when he does. he built his life around models of perfection and ways of carrying himself that were molded by other people.

Karan asking his mother "are you disappointed" that I'm gay/in love with a man really gets to the heart of it. like, if his mother had a choice, if his mother had the ability to change things about her son to fit her image of a better person, what parts of Karan would she remove or swap out? this is something he has had to consider, if not on a conscious level then definitely on a subconscious one, for his whole life: what parts of me are scraps, what parts of me are unwanted?

its such a relief that Achi stated that for him, caring for Karan means supporting him in doing the things that he likes and that bring him pleasure (like cooking and spending money on things that he and Achi can do together). Karan had asked Achi to "bear with" him but its clear that Achi isn't bearing anything. Achi takes pride in his charge of caring for Karan -- and helping him indulge his wants, abandon the constant grind for perfection, and reconnect with himself is a huge part of that.

#karan crying after hearing his mom's change of heart and asking about disappointment is so rough #bc the unfortunate truth is that for a lot of queer ppl -the answer from their parent is 'yes' even if they can't say it out loud.#and if they were able to change that part of their child - they would #cherry magic #cherry magic thailand #cherry magic th #yo mismo

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eclipseshotel · 1 month

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Me busting into Elder Predator’s chambers to chew his ass out after he ignored my gauntlet call six times in a row (he was taking a much needed old man nap)

#big guy was knocked out #being an ancient yautja is exhausting #and then dealing with my bitch ass…#oh he’s gonna bite a good chunk of my ass off when he wakes up #pardon my behavior I’ve just been very dickprived as of late #it makes me say and do things I shouldn’t #also yes I spied on him and memorized the key code to break into his chambers #he knows this already unfortunately I leave my scent behind when I snoop around his quarters #I also shed so he’s always finding strands of my hair #and I leave very small gifts around for him in places I assume he won’t notice right off the bat #but his finely tuned observations detect traces of my phantom presence #he’s contemplating setting up a trap to catch me redhanded #yes I must answer for not respecting his personal space #especially to discipline me for my poor cloaking execution #now he can’t bring any Yautja women around cuz they’ll smell me there #but let’s be real he hasn’t done that in a long time #yautja #avp elder #elder predator

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phantomarine · 1 month

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it's a good Discord, Brent

#phantomarine #just talking #the answer was unfortunately yes

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kangals · 6 months

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January puppy forecast has been downgraded from a “likely” to a “maybe possible” :/ should know for sure in a week but there’s pretty even odds that I’m going to have to start over again on my search. stellinas litter also took a few misfires to get to so I’m trying not to be too bothered but I am emphatically not good at handling uncertainty.

#i have the opposite of commitment issues I fucking love committing #if I don’t have a solid yes or no answer about things I get VERY annoying #and unfortunately we’re just hitting a string of bad luck here #hoping very much it still works out

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mister13eyond · 10 days

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ask meme 5 for the demons and angels gang

5.) SPEECH!

#myart #my art #my ocs #vin #nik #ike #alkali #calcine #SORRY I ALSO WANTED TO DRAW SOMETHING FOR THIS ANSWER LMAO #ENJOY!#comics #oc comics #..... unfortunately yes i did handwrite all of that

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mckinlily · 3 months

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Um, okay this is a loaded question, and if you want to play it safe, you can answer me in DMs, but...I personally feel that there's something wrong about how VLD placed Keith in the lead. In a way, I can see him becoming Black Paladin, but Shiro...it feels more natural to me, it feels right that Shiro is Black Paladin. I'm not into VLD beyond Shiro, Keith's parents, and the Lions personally, but I know someone who loves it and makes good points about Keith as a leader, but something just isn't aligning for me. Maybe it's because Shiro and Keith are two radically different archetypes, and they got swapped when they shouldn't have, I don't know.

I came here because I saw one of your post S2 rewrites, and I appreciated it. So, again, feel free to answer me in DMs (if you have problems DM-ing me, let me know and I'll fix it for you) if you don't mind discussing this with me.

As a final note, I'm not trying to hate any particular character. They're all fine on their own, and I don't want to treat one as worse than the other. I just want to figure out this problem I'm having with Shiro and Keith.

Thank you for reading this, and take care.

You came to the right blog! Because I adore Keith and believe he certainly has qualities that could make him a good leader—and absolutely hate him as the Black Paladin.

The thing I never understood about Voltron fandom debates about who should be the Black Paladin is that they always seem based in the idea that because Shiro is a leader and the Black Paladin, that means the Black Paladin is the ONLY leader on the team.

It is worth noting that that premise was disproven in episode one. It was Allura who made the final call on whether the paladins should run or stay and fight Sendak, and Shiro explicitly bowed to her authority. From then on, Shiro and Allura both lead Team Voltron until the show decided to destroy their characters, accepting influence and trading responsibilities depending on which one of them fit the situation at hand. Typically, Allura functions more in a commander and diplomat role and Shiro is more of a field officer, but they both pick up the lead where needed.

I know you didn't bring up Allura, but I think it is vital she is included in any conversation about leadership in Voltron. She is introduced as THE princess of an entire planet, she has more knowledge and experience of the intergalactic landscape than any of the other characters, she's been set up to be a leader since birth, and she IS the leader of Team Voltron for two whole seasons. Shiro makes it VERY clear he considers her to outrank him.

So the question you have to ask any time you consider replacing Shiro as Black Paladin: why NOT Allura? If the Black Paladin is the "best leader", why are you skipping over the one character already established and thriving in a leadership role? (And then you have to ask yourself if that character being a Black woman has anything do with that.)

Now I do think there are ways narratively you could answer that question. For instance, if you keep the Lions as sentient beings, that means they can make choices—including wrong ones. For instance, for a time when I believed anything might be salvaged after season 3, my head canon for Black choosing Keith was that Keith was the one missing Shiro as intensely and desperately as Black in that moment. Therefore, the choice was not about Keith being "better" but rather them being at the same place emotionally and that allowing the bond. The major problem with the Lion swap in canon is that we're given NO reason for Keith to be Black Paladin besides "plot device said so". Especially when we have Allura right there. It's just bad writing.

(By the way, you don't have to be pro-Black Paladin Allura. There's nuance to be had, and I personally am actually more One True Black Paladin!Shiro. But you can't just dismiss her--a capable and proven leader--from the conversation. Erasing her character is not the answer.)

ANYWAY. Back to Keith. Or rather, leadership on Team Voltron. Thing is, there are many different WAYS to be a leader. We already touched on the differences between Allura and Shiro. Keith does a good job of making split second decisions in battle or calling shots if Shiro is incapacitated or somehow separated. If you're in the middle of a fight, the plan has gone to shit, and the team just got separated, Keith is great at telling people what to do and mobilizing because something needs to get done NOW.

But that's not the only way to lead. Keith, for instance, is terrible at pep talks. He misses a lot of the nuances going on between him and his teammates off the battlefield. He doesn't plan ahead, like, ever. Sure he's great at making up stuff on the fly, but sometimes you need a plan.

But it's not just Keith. For instance, when Shiro, Lance, and Pidge go on the mission to rescue Slav, it's Pidge who calls all the shots. Is that not leadership? Pidge is often the one telling people what they need to do to solve technical problems. She's a center for information, typically the one collecting it, organizing and interrupting it, and then instruction others based on her conclusions. We see her take point on a mission, give orders to her teammates, coordinate efforts, problem solve in real time and relay a new plan in order to navigate unexpected challenges. Why not argue PIDGE should be the leader?

And there's when they freed the Balmera and Hunk took the lead. That mission was more challenging, but I'd argue in that arc, Hunk's leadership mattered less in terms of orders and more in terms of determining what type of team they'd be. Hunk was ADAMANT they free the Balmerans and set a tone for the team where they didn't leave suffering people behind. Hunk set up a moral imperative for the team that they'd be lesser without.

And Lance! There's actually lots to say about Lance and his strengths and types of leadership. But it's easy to point out that Lance is the one initiating fun and team bonding outside of battle. And when you're operating a giant robot held together by emotion connection, that's pretty dang important!

Point is, they're ALL leaders. They all have the capability to take point when needed. We SEE them all take charge at different points of the show.

So what's the Black Paladin then? If Shiro's The Leader then what does that mean? And this is the cool part! Because you know what Shiro is really really good? Know who else to put in charge. He's the one who first acknowledges Allura as an authority because he sees she has knowledge and experience he and the others do not. He selects which paladins to go together on which missions based on their strengths and the situations. He steps back and lets Pidge or Lance or Hunk call the shots if they're in an area of their expertise. Shiro's job isn't to tell people what to do. It's to decide who to put in charge of what and place them in best position for success.

There's another aspect of Shiro's leadership that is supporting his teammates, offering comfort, teaching, and giving the kids something solid they can believe in so they don't have to care the full weight of the war. But like letting others take charge where they shine, Shiro's leadership is all about enabling those he leads. One of my favorite Shiro lines is "It's too dangerous—I'm coming with you." Shiro's goal is never control. He is support. He leads the paladins because he sees the best in them and helps them reach it.

Narratively, also, Shiro is just set up to be the Black Paladin. The parallels between himself and the Black Lion are too obvious. From both being controlled and abused by Zarkon to Shiro's missing arm and Black's mission bayard. It's a kid's show. The symbolism isn't all that subtle. And if that weren't enough, we literally get an entire episode A plot in Space Mall about it where Shiro literally fist fights Zarkon for the Black Lion and in the end, he wins because he makes it clear it's the Black Lion's choice and trust.

Remember when I said the problem with Keith in the Black Lion in canon is that we're never given an explanation beyond "because I said so"? We're shown repeatedly why the Black Lion chooses Shiro. Even before we meet most the Lions, the other paladins themselves choose Shiro as their leader when Lance asks him if they should go through the wormhole. We repeatedly see Shiro seek to understand the Black Lion better, and Black responding. We see the similarities between their situations and backstories. We see them bond.

And I think this is really important because when Shiro is in the Black Lion, it's not about him being "in charge." It's about his relationship with the Black Lion. Yeah, of course, the other paladins are leaders! And they should be! But none of them have Shiro's relationship with the Black Lion. In this narrative, the Black Lion isn't a prize to be won but a relationship to nurture, and Shiro has put in the work for that relationship.

Which is really important because it means the Lions aren't a hierarchy. The Black Paladin is one role, an important role in Voltron, but no more important than any of the others. "The Leader" is not the most important person in the room. Instead, Shiro is a facilitator who enables all the others to perform their roles better.

Also can I just remind everyone just how well the Red Lion fits Keith? The paladin who keeps throwing himself out airlocks get the Lion most likely to go AWOL and fly off to save him. Keith defends his friends and team by attacking first and asking questions later, and Red started destroying a planetary body to get to Keith. The kid with abandonment issues gets the Lion who doesn't hesitate a second to go after him. And even the way they're shown to bond—that it's so physical and based in action rather than words—it's so Keith. I freaking love Keith as the Red Paladin. He gets to be as chaotic and free as he was always meant to be and gets a Lion who meets him every step of the way.

But if you say, no, Keith should be the Black Paladin. Well. What about Red wasn't working? Why was that role not one Keith fit in? Because from my reading of canon, Keith was thriving in Red. He got a secure attachment to his favorite person in the world, he gets the freedom to fly while also being part of something bigger, and he's making friends. It's still in its beginning stages, but he's figuring out how to bond with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge and you get the sense these are a kind of friendships he's never experienced before. But you know what could kill that really fast? Making him The Leader, a position that inherently sets him apart from the rest.

This is actually a problem twice over for Keith because unlike Shiro, who is shown to be given his role voluntarily by everyone around him and repeatedly shows he's earned that trust and respect, Keith is basically thrown into the Plot Device Machine and gets a t-shirt that says YOU'RE THE LEADER NOW. And we never get a reason beyond that.

This is actually my biggest problem season 3 and the Lion Swap. Because as soon as they made that choice, the Lions became a hierarchy. But what other explanation do we have? Keith won Favorite Character status got "prompted" to Black Paladin. But as soon as Black Paladin is a promotion, that makes the other paladin roles inferior. Red becomes the "second in command". So Lance get prompted but can never be equal to Keith. Allura gets the "Training Wheels" Lion/Blue, and they didn't have to write that as a massive demotion, but they sure did anyway. Hunk and Pidge are no longer leaders because they aren't in the "Leader" Lions.

It makes me so mad. One of the things I loved first about Voltron was the message of equality and servant leadership. The idea that a leader (represented by Shiro) is someone who elevates and enables everyone else. A recognition for the more "feminine" types of leadership—nurturing, compassion, emotional support. Which support roles are seen as vital and just as if not more important than being the "boss."

But we only got two seasons of that before they pulled the rug out and said, "Nope. We're returning back to patriarchy." Suddenly the Lions were in a strict chain of command, one character was the boss and the rest were his subordinates. There was a top position and a bottom position, and the characters were all fighting over each other. Perhaps most damningly, the Lion lost all personality and agency and become trophies to symbolize a character's power. And I'm not saying they're an accidental representation of how women are treated in Western media but I MEAN. It's right there.

My response when anyone says "[X] character should be the Black Paladin!" is—Why? Is their connection with the Black Lion deeper than Shiro's? Do they have more in common with Black than Shiro does? What could they achieve or obtain as the Black Paladin that they couldn't where they currently are?

And, though I don't think most of us realize it, the answer to that last one is power. Because we're soaked in patriarchy and a certain portrayal of "leadership (derogatory)" that many fans automatically assumed the Black Paladin HAD to be in control of and have power over the other paladins. So of course you want your favorite character to be the Black Paladin! You don't want your self-insert to be inferior!

But that's all the patriarchy talking. The other paladins are NOT inferior. There is NOT a hierarchy of types of people. Keith doesn't have to have Shiro's role because he's already equal as Keith.

Keiths look different from Shiros, but they're all equal and valuable as they are. Same goes for Lances, Hunks, Pidges, and Alluras. The whole point is they're stronger together. Their differences make them BETTER.

So yeah. Of course, Keith has some good leadership qualities. There's plenty of situations where it only makes sense for him to take the lead. But why on earth does he need to be the Black Paladin to do that? He's already Keith!

#voltron: the legendary salt mine #thanks for the ask!#oh gosh this got so long #would you believe this is the SHORT version?#I have a LOT of feelings about leadership and patriarchy and how it shows up in voltron #i didn't even get to go into hunk and lance's roles #and how they deserve so much more respect and appreciation than they receive #hunk especially #if you're somehow not sick of me and want to chat more feel free to dm #or hit my inbox and i'll answer with another monster probably #mckinlily writes #long post #could i use a read more? yes #will i? unfortunately for everyone no

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moe-broey · 16 days

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Textpost redraw that only works in a modern setting, so. I gave them silly outfits (and a little bit of lore!)

Some zoom ins on the illusts!

And Lore

Moe is like. A SHUT-IN shut-in. So in any modern setting that isn't "Hey wanna visit my hometown for a sec (events so far have followed canon at least loosely)", it would have to meet Alfonse under Extremely Specific Circumstances.

And finally! Textpost under cut!

#fire emblem #feh #I PUT. SO MUCH LOVE INTO THIS ACTUALLY IT'S INSANE. ESP FOR A TEXTPOST REDRAW LMFAOOO #the vision was so clear to me though. the vibe of the post (struggling). a catastrophic fall from grace.#the idea of alfonse venting about almost losing a social interaction. a performance slipping.#a setting where he isn't performing at all now. there is nothing to perform here bc moe. well.#also the visual. i am imagining a very specific nostalgic shitass swingset in my mind.#one that doesn't exist anymore actually bc they rebuilt it (probably for the best.) but that thing #would leave rust on your hands and arms and leave your ass blue. it sucked but it was awesome #the rust marks don't show up as clearly here unfortunately LMFAO so i had to point em out.#ALSO. I AM ACTUALLY SO INSANE ABOUT THEIR OUTFITS ACTUALLY. bc BOTH of them are hiding #alfonse is trying to blend in. pass as normal. moe is trying to distract you. but also desperately trying to communicate Something.#like do you wanna be seen or not little buddy (the answer is Yes.)#back to alfonse like if not 'normal' then at least 'put together'. will suffice. i think he's also beginning to loosen up here too tho #like. so at the beginning of it that he isn't Really LMFAOO but. he painted his nails black. just to try it.#it was also so fun to freehand the patterns... camo and argyle (the socks) (hardly noticeable but that's the intent!)#'beginning to loosen up' actually i think he's just starting to fall apart.#fe alfonse #moe tag #summoner oc #my art #my comics

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codenamesazanka · 4 months

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Thoughts on afo gave tenko decay theory?

I absolutely hate it!

#Do I think it's possible? Unfortunately yes #eating dinner right now but I'll answer in full later #though I know I've written about it before #nalslastworkingbraincell

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tswwwit · 1 year

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That art does remind me, does Bill know about the lamby lamby dance? Who told him and what's the reaction from both him and Dipper? Is there, perhaps, some Lamb for the Slaughter imagery introduced into certain activities?

He does, and nobody told him - he went through people's brains about it! Plenty of people have seen the performance, even if Dipper tries not to think about it.

Dipper, however, doesn't learn that Bill learned, until Bill makes a very pointed comment at exactly the right time, leaving Dipper stunned. And cringing. And maybe horrified as well, for the hat trick!

As for Dipper being a Sacrificial Lamb - it seems like a Bill thing to suggest! So long as he gets to play the Big Bad Wolf.

#answers #Bill puts on the wolf ears and everything #Dipper protested this idea a great deal but Bill's unfortunately very convincing #If Bill wasn't also doing a Dumb Role Dipper would have vetoed the suggestion but this way it's. Mutually silly. In a good way.#Plus the outfit is significantly different for Dipper; that adds some difference #In that it's considerably skimpier #95% chance there's a break in the action for them to make puns at each other. Or they pause at a particularly stupid line to laugh #Everything simultaneously very stupid and kind of funny and - once Bill pins him down and bares his teeth - okay. Yeah. Dipper gets it now #Very much a bared throat and clothes shredding situation with a Big Scary Monster #Dipper also points out that Bill didn't need to wear a. Uh. Tail on himself but Bill says it helps him get into character #Yes that's implying what you think it's implying

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whichwoods · 8 months

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In lsts is Aemond obsessed with Lucerys scent??? I was rereading it and the man is always munching on Luke's scent glands, I found it deliciously possesive and also rather adorable!!!

obsessed with luke's scent, obsessed with luke in general, only the gods can say!! the crook of luke's neck definitely clears that boy's top five favorite places to be, though

the area on the neck and around the scent glands is also fairly sensitive, so it's easy to leave marks :)) or maybe he's practicing for something? who knows!!

#lsts #lucemond #between being his babies' fave spot to nap and his husband's fave pillow luke has a face in his neck or on his chest 99% of the time #bc the answer to ur question anon is yes ://// unfortunately for him #wynch writing

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goldenpinof · 1 day

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So does WAD going up on YT mean Dan has officially given up on getting someone to buy the distribution rights?

depends on how it goes on youtube. come back tomorrow evening :)

#answered #but yes. if there's no deal with youtube then no one bought the rights and by uploading it to the platform Dan is basically killing #all chances for it to be bought further #since it's not gonna be exclusive #he still can put it on dvd. by himself. but that would cost money and time. so i don't think he will #but yeah no bbc or channel 4 unfortunately #wad dvd

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rabble-dabble · 4 months

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It is in character for Rick Sanchez to recite Karkat's attention worthless human speech verbatim.

PLEEEAAASE why are you so right though. this is so funny ive been thinking about it so much now

(also i did post this to ao3 akdjfhsdlafhdslf)

#answered #anon #evil john anon #rick and morty #homestuck #pesterlog #long post #kinda #i had to change some stuff around unfortunately bcs it didnt work with rick in character/universe but i pretty much left it as is #proshippers dni #i hope you know i DID spend 2 hours coding a new ao3 work skin to make the fic work. YES it was worth it i cant wait to go to work tired #theyre so irritatin to each other #he'd absolutely just say this to morty and mortys response is 'stfu + no one asked + u suck'

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nemesis-is-my-middle-name · 4 months

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One of the strangest takes I've seen is that Ingo and Emmet would somehow not know anything about pokemon from regions outside of Unova, even pre-pla amnesia. Like they're battle facility heads, they must get a huge variety showing up all the time, from tourists if nothing else. But even outside of that they just don't seem like the type of guys who would be so... insular, with their knowledge. Just because they only have Unovan pokemon on their bw/bw2 teams doesn't mean they aren't familiar with others. Like I said, weird take that I've somehow seen a number of times lately from different sources and I'm not entirely sure why

you see an ask open with "one of the strangest takes i've seen" and you know it's gonna be a wild ride. anyways EH??

i mean... the one angle i kind of understand it from is maybe, not wanting to make them OP? ingo in particular, i do kind of see the impulse to nerf his encyclopedic pokemon knowledge bc it does make him very uh. idk how to term it exactly. nobody else in hisui can do that and it gives him a wild advantage over everyone else in battle. which is how it should be! but i think this stems from a wider issue of fandom being unwilling to make their characters like... too skilled at anything? maybe this is a thing i am imagining, but i do feel like it's a recurring thing that people shy away from just having their favs BE impressive and respect-worthy in their fields. like they're overcorrecting from having people complain about mary sue-ness or something.

regardless tho this is a dumbass take!! like, are they probably more familiar with the intricacies and mannerisms and needs of the pokemon they handle regularly, like their teams or their depot agents' teams? yeah. they probably couldn't tell you the specific dietary and social needs of a tinkatink off the top of their heads. but like. there are people In The Real World who have an encyclopedic knowledge of every pokemon's types and at least a general expectation of their stats and dex entries. it's not even a difficult thing to acquire you've just gotta be a nerd about it for long enough. and these guys Live in pokemon land and yeah, WOULD have actual practical experience from battling tourists and anyone who had pokemon from elsewhere in the world.

besides, this is not just a job but a PASSION to them. they run the battle subway! they adore pokemon and battling! you think in at least some of their off time they're not, like, watching gym match recordings? reading up on the current move meta & new developments? fucking, swapping stories with the facility heads of other regions?? fuckouttahere. you underestimate the power of a special interest.

but yeah tho, the thing i said before, that would be my observer's take on it. fandom just has this weird aversion towards making their characters too powerful/skilled/etc at anything. it's dumb. there is, and i say this as a deeply ace person, nothing sexier than watching someone be really really good at the thing they are good at. COMPETENCY PLEASE.

#the nemesis speaks #the nemesis answers #anonymous #pla analysis #i spose i would appreciate second takes on this #like is this just a me thing? am i the only one who feels like this is a trend?#or even is this a more widely discussed thing/someone has a better guess as to where it started #i DO feel like there was pushback against it (OP characters) a while ago that has sort of lingered in an unfortunate way #like... yes. let them fail. but also let them succeed...?

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