#severalbakuras

@severalbakuras part two of splitting them up~

2.) Favorite canon thing about this character?

I'm supposed to be able to pick one thing? Augh.

Okay, well, since I was just thinking of it thanks to thinking about the mega evolution invocations and what they say about the people who say them — I love that Alan is motivated primarily by love! It's kind of funny, actually, because he does tend to brood given his situation, and people like to call him edgy . . . but the entire reason that Alan is dead set on becoming the strongest is because 1.) he wants to have the strength he needs to protect those he loves, and 2.) he loves Lizardon so much that he wants to prove that their "bond overcomes reason." (source: TSME 1) His love for Sycamore (and then Manon) leads him to pursue his training to become the strongest mega evolution user in the world. His love for Lizardon has him fight alongside Lizardon, and at one point risk his own life when Lizardon's was at stake. (source: TSME 3) Alan does not, and has never, wanted power for power's sake. That is meaningless to him. To him, true strength is when it is used to protect those you love. It's no wonder that his mega evolution invocation is "respond to my heart" -- this boy is motivated by love above all else!

(My answer could have easily been his relationship with Lizardon, though . . . the fact that his very first scene is his intense battle against Ayaka, but then his very next scene is him eating snacks with and petting Lizardon . . . that's what sold me on him. They are hands down my favorite human and pokémon relationship in the whole franchise, bar none.)

12.) What's a headcanon you have for this character?

. . . I'm supposed to pick one?? Augh. Okay, a quick and dirty list:

1.) He was abandoned by his parents as a baby, and from infancy to age 5 was raised by the adults of Isolé Village. When he was five, Professor Sycamore found him in the mountains there and took him home as a "research assistant"; this was actually an informal adoption.

2.) Alan found Lizardon's egg in a trash can, left there by an irresponsible breeder. He incubated said egg, and Lizardon hatched on Alan's 10th birthday.

3.) Alan has a sweet tooth, but also an extremely high tolerance for spice; in Galar this is known as having a "centiskorch tongue."

4.) He both obtains a doctorate (in pokémon evolutionary sciences) and becomes Kalos' Champion, but he doesn't enjoy being called either "Professor" (because despite the doctorate he feels he hasn't earned it) or "Champion" (because he's in it for the work, not the title). Manon, of course, calls him both to annoy him.

5.) If he entered Lumiose Fight Club (from Legends Z-A), his wish would be to go back in time so he could stop himself from agreeing to work for Lysandre, and thus hopefully prevent the Flare crisis from ever happening.

23.) Favorite picture of this character?

Basically any time he and Lizardon cuddle on screen . . . they mean so much to me . . .

28.) If you could have this character meet another character from another media, who would you have them meet?

@severalbakuras I am splitting these up so the post doesn't kill anyone's dash lol.

5.) What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

"You're Gonna Go Far, Kid" -- The Offspring

"Show me how to lie, you're getting better all the time. And turning all against the one is an art that's hard to teach. Another clever word sets off an unsuspecting herd. And as you step back into line, a mob jumps to their feet. Now dance, fucker, dance -- man, he never had a chance. And no one even knew it was really only you."

(as a bonus: I imagine Friede in the singer's role.)

12.) What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I genuinely believe that 95% of what drives him truly is scientific curiosity. Spinel is a foil to Friede not only because of their respective roles within their groups, but also because Friede, too, is driven by a powerful, almost insatiable curiosity. It's what keeps him going; fulfilling his curiosity is what makes life worth living for him. The crucial difference, of course, is that Friede has these little things called "ethics" and "compassion" that keep him from using people and pokémon as laboratory tools and experiments. If Spinel ever had any ethics or compassion, they left the building a long, long time ago.

But that said, while he doesn't let pesky little things like ethics or morals stop him, Spinel also isn't doing what he does out of malice. He just genuinely wants to see how far he (and science) can go. And if that necessitates removing obstacles in a lethal or otherwise heinous fashion, well, so be it; the ends justify the means. And in this case, the ends are scientific advancement beyond anyone's wildest dreams. It gives him a rush to reach new heights, and chasing that, seeing just how far he can go with it (what new horizons can he reach?) makes everything else completely worth it.

But really, rest assured, it truly is not personal. It's just science. :)

21.) If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

So, little(?) known fact about me: I adore writing villains. I also love playing them, whenever I do stage acting. The more twisted and awful they are, the better. And since Spinel has, in canon, demonstrated himself to be someone who is willing to both kill and torture in the name of science and progress, well, suffice to say that I absolutely love to write him conducting unethical experiments to his heart's content.

That said, Spinel is a scientific genius, and I . . . am absolutely not . . . so my least favorite thing is how much awareness writing him brings to my own ineptitude. I feel that I'm too stupid to write him, and yet I persist anyway.

26.) What's something the character has done you can't get over? Be it something funny, bad, good, serious, whatever?

What he did to Umbreon is just unforgivable. Not only is that his partner pokémon, but Umbreon is a friendship evolution. Umbreon loves him and yet he, without a hint of remorse or hesitation, put Umbreon into agony so abominably painful that not only did he unleash the most agonized scream you've ever heard, but the pain left him unconscious afterward. Everything else Spinel has done in canon I can forgive, but what he did to Umbreon crossed a line.

Rating: 9,000/10!

Thoughts: Keitor is the ship that we never got to see truly interact in canon, and while once upon a time that crushed me, at this point I’m kind of grateful for it because it means that JDS and LM never had a chance to ruin it like they did with everything else they touched.

Keitor was a ship that had potential for so many reasons right out of the gate. I was intrigued immediately, and not just because Keith was my favorite character and Lotor stole my heart with his very first scene. The parallels between them---and therefore the common ground between them---were vast and numerous. There were the very obvious things like how they were both half-galra and both leaders of their respective teams, but then there were smaller similarities such as how they were both separated from their original teams at the end of season four, how they were both independent thinkers and leaders who had their own visions that they were determined to see through, how they were both so incredibly passionate and determined, brilliant pilots and swordfighters . . . 

Of course there are differences between them, too, but those differences are part of what add to the intrigue of the potential relationship. Where Lotor has a silver tongue and knows how to keep things close to his chest, Keith is blunt and honest. Where Lotor strategizes and shows open frustration when things don’t go according to plan, Keith adapts on the fly and has little qualms about doing so. In this way, they complement each other’s strengths and compensate for each other’s weaknesses. Combine that with the fact that they’re both so passionate and incredibly determined to see the mission through to completion, and they’d be an unstoppable team if put together.

Alas, that never happened. Though they saved each other’s lives numerous times in canon (Keith even put his arms around Lotor’s waist to save his life in season five), they never really interacted until it was too late. And again, I’m fine with that. I’m fine with it because it’s not like canon is worth anything at all, and that gives me room to play.

And how do I play?

I have everything mentioned above, and then some. I bring in how AJ said that Keith “brings out the person in Lotor, and grounds him.” I bring in how Lotor truly values Keith, recognizes his strengths and capabilities and sees him as an asset, and values him as a person, not finding fault with aspects of Keith’s personality that others scorn or mock. I bring how Keith judges Lotor based on who he is, as a person rather than caring about his parentage or title, and how Lotor feels to experience that for one of the very rare times in his life. I bring in how they genuinely enjoy one another’s company, appreciate each other’s skills, and yet both understand what sacrifices have to be made for the sake of the mission (but also, when it comes down to it, which ones don’t). I focus on the fact that they are equals, that they are a team, that they understand each other and present the opportunity for each one to show their best. That Lotor can’t lie to Keith because Keith sees through and calls him on the nonsense is a boon to Lotor. That Lotor isn’t willing to let Keith sacrifice himself (or run off on his own / leave the team) when it isn’t necessary is a boon to Keith.

Okay, so, for everyone’s reference, I’m going to be using the Japanese numbering system here, rather than the utter nonsense VIZ gave us. So with that noted---

Obviously the entire pier duel arc is my favorite and could fill all five of these slots by itself, but the most most important chapter in the pier duel arc would have to be Chapter 198, because that’s when Yuugi confesses how much Jounouchi means to him and straight up says that he loves him and sajfkdsla;fdsafdsafdsakl. It’s definitely The Best™.

Next up would have to be Chapters 11 & 12, and yeah, I’m cheating by including both, but I don’t care. I looooooove Hirutani’s introductory chapters for so many reasons, and I mean, I probably don’t even need to say that considering I wrote a 100k canon divergence based off chapter eleven, but still. (And I still think that Whispers in the Dark was basically my peak as far as writing goes. I need to get back on that level. I also need to write the epilogue. I should do that . . .) But I love learning so much more about Jounouchi’s history, I love seeing Hirutani and his interactions with Jounouchi, I love seeing that small glimpse of Jounouchi’s home life . . . Jounouchi is my boy, so yeah, give me all the Jounouchi-centric chapters, please and thanks.

Once again, Death-T as a whole is amazing, but special mention goes to Chapters 32, 33, & 34. Chapter 32 is fantastic because it’s Jounouchi’s fight against Chopperman, and honestly, the fact that he was able to survive that fight while holding a baby is just amazing. I loved the tension in that chapter. 33 is fantastic because it has Jounouchi explaining how and why he used to hate himself, and how Yuugi changed that (flipped his world upside down), and gave me the fantastic quote I use for my ship tag. And finally, chapter 34 is great because it not only shows us exactly what Seto and Mokuba’s relationship has been like for the longest time (i.e. Seto is emotionally abusive to Mokuba in the extreme), but we also get yet another display of how much unwavering support and care Jounouchi has for Yuugi, as well as how much that means to Yuugi. We see Yuugi telling Anzu and Jounouchi about Atem, too, and we see him accepting that part of himself now that he knows his friends will still accept and like him no matter what. And yes, Anzu supports him as well, but there is far more emphasis on Jounouchi and Yuugi in that chapter. Anzu gets a tiny panel; both Jounouchi and Yuugi get huge close-ups. It’s significant. But yeah, all three of those chapters are a++++, they’re great.

Number four would probably be Chapter 107, because that’s the chapter where---after Yuugi forfeited the rooftop duel to Kaiba---Mai offers Yuugi her spare star chips, he says no, and then Jounouchi gives that amazing monologue about how being a duelist is worth nothing, and winning games is worth nothing, if it means placing your pride above what truly matters. I love this speech for a few reasons, one of which is because he’s honestly correct. Both Kaiba and Atem share the same flaw, which is their pride. That they so easily fall to pieces after a defeat---or at the prospect of possible defeat---is part of what makes them weak people. For Jounouchi to point that out in no-nonsense terms is extremely important, particularly because he ascertains what (or rather, who) is important to him in the process. And that’s another reason why I love it. We see, in visual representation, just how much Shizuka means to Jounouchi (well, we already knew, but we get that again), but we also see that he definitively prefers and chooses Yuugi over Atem, both in the speech he gives and the way he says he will actually fight Atem if Atem makes Yuugi feel bad for losing / forfeiting that match / taking the star chips. All it takes is Atem maybe hurting Yuugi’s feelings for Jounouchi to be ready to fight him, so for people who say that Jounouchi prefers Atem . . . you’re confusing him with Kaiba (and Anzu), friends. Also, you need better reading comprehension. And lastly, back to the original point, I like how this chapter does point out how much weaker Atem is in terms of being a person, how the fact that Yuugi---once he stops caring so much about what Atem wants / seeing himself as inferior---can pick himself up and try again is actually a stronger person. It’s a good chapter all around.

Finally, Chapter 343, which is the final chapter of the series. Yuugi finally defeats Atem, we get that heart-wrenching line from Atem once the match is over (“The champion shouldn’t be on his knees”), Atem gets to move onto the afterlife, and Yuugi---once and for all---gets the confidence that he is going to be okay, that he is himself, that he’s fantastic the way he is, et cetera. It was a wonderful way to end the series and is the definitive end to YGO. There is nothing that came after. Darkside of Dimensions? I don’t know her.

Thank you all for your feedback on that piece of old writing I posted last night. My writing spirit has recovered since that incident with that professor all those years ago, but it still feels . . . validating, in a way? To know that it wasn’t complete garbage, that the first advanced fiction professor I had really wasn’t a good professor (at least for me), and that I was right to keep pushing ahead and keep writing instead of just, you know, giving up on my dream wholesale, haha. So really, thank you. ♥ A few specific responses:

Tofu --- I didn’t have any notes or drafts explaining how it went down, haha. I kind of just had the first idea of the zombie roommate getting hit with the bat + rolling on the carpet, and then just ran with it from there. I don’t know if I did have some ideas for what was going on back then, but if I did I’ve forgotten them . . . so if I rewrote / continued this now, the overall plot would probably end up very different. :)

YGO was answered here, so I’ll go ahead and answer for Voltron. =)

The first character I first fell in love with:

KEITH. It was pretty much love at first sight. Literally, from the second he showed up on his hoverbike, I knew. I knew he was The Boy™. Everything I saw after that point only further convinced me that my intuition was exactly on the mark.

The character I never expected to love as much as I do now:

Hmmm, I’m honestly not sure. I didn’t go into this show with any expectations, so I don’t think I can really answer this question, haha.

The character everyone else loves that I don’t:

LANCE. It’s not that I hate him, or even that I strongly dislike him, but I can’t stand fanon!Lance and, more specifically, the way his stans treat him / other characters (especially Keith and Shiro) / other fans. God damn jesus fuck, his stanbase has all but ruined him for me. It’s sad.

The character I love that everyone else hates:

It breaks my heart to say this, but KEITH. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Keith has his fans, but goddamn does fandom at large love to bash and treat him terribly. ;_; Keith, sweetie, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this ugly ass fandom treats you this way. You deserve better.

The character I used to love but don’t any longer:

Lance once again. I mean, I didn’t love him, but I liked him, and then … then I encountered the fandom …

The character I would totally smooch:

I want to give Shiro a kiss on the cheek and then a hug.

The character I’d want to be like:

Allura. She knows how to have fun and have her soft moments, but she’s also very intelligent and capable as well as headstrong. Girl is a role model for sure.

The character I’d slap:

Lance deserves a smack upside the head for how he sexually harasses Allura (because yes, constantly and aggressively hitting on someone when they make it clear they do not want that DOES in fact count as sexual harassment, even if it’s PG-rated harassment), as well as how he tries to pick fights with Keith regardless of how serious the situation is at the moment. Boy needs to get clue, and maybe a clap upside the head would give him one. (Then again, he’s a teenager, so … might ask Pidge to do it for me instead. >_>)

A pairing that I love:

Keith/Allura and Pidge/Lance are the two romantic ships I care about. I think they’re both great. However, platonic Keith & Shiro is my favorite relationship in the show.

A pairing that I despise:

Keith/Lance. I didn’t mind it when I had only watched the show itself, despite not actually shipping it, but once again, the Lance stanbase and rabid shippers have ruined it for me. I absolutely, positively cannot stand it now. I know that there are perfectly nice people who ship it, and I mean no offense to them, but … yeah. It’s been ruined for me. Sorry, guys. =/

That said, although I am not an anti, I also NOTP romantic Keith/Shiro because trying to view their interactions as romantic squicks me out. Like, I even tried to give it a shot. I loaded up my favorite episode, 2x08 “The Blade of Marmora” to see if perhaps I could see it as romantic … and by the time we hit the part where they’re going to the Blades’ base in the Red Lion I felt my skin getting the creepy crawlies at the idea of the two of them being romantically involved, because their interactions just feel intensely familial to me, particularly in the sense that Shiro feels like a guardian figure for Keith. (Whether it’s big brother or a sort of blend of big brother / promoted to parent, like Guy and Luke in Tales of the Abyss, given that there’s only a four year* age difference there but Guy still absolutely, canonically did raise Luke, and Luke’s own father says that Guy is “[Luke’s] brother, his father, and irreplaceable friend” as a result of how he “looked after and cared for Luke”. It’s like that.) I also get a lot of Sycamore and Alan vibes from them (to the point of joking that their relationship is a Sycamore & Alan space AU), and since Sycamore is Alan’s (unofficially adoptive) father … yeah … I really cannot see Keith and Shiro’s relationship as being remotely romantic. It’s a squick.

Though, again, to reiterate: I am not an anti, and I’ve honestly never had a negative interaction with someone who romantically ships them / don’t want to Discourse™ with anyone over anything. You do you. It squicks me, but that’s why I use Tumblr Savior and stay in my own lane. I’m not here to harass anyone, shame anyone, or anything like that. You do you, I’ll do me, and we can all peacefully coexist and be friends. ♥ (I hope, anyway. If not, uh, block and move on? Easiest way to handle it, tbh.)

All of them have except for 66, so I’ll do that one!

66.) Celebi or Jirachi?

MMMMMM, this one’s really difficult!

I think if Celebi wins, it’s only by a slight hair, just because I love the concept of time travel, and also the beautiful shrine in Ilex Forest. It has such a hallowed feeling, such a feeling of awe and wonder, and Jirachi doesn’t really have anything similar to that in Hoenn that I can think of. While I do love the fact that Jirachi is based around tanabata (and while I’ll always love tanabata and everything surrounding it), Celebi has a greater feeling of awe and allure to me than Jirachi does.

of course the first person she suggests is steven lel

Well, the three have them did go through some things together in TSME, after all. It’s only natural that she might #ShipIt at least a little, or that she perhaps did back then, back before she found out about Wallace. ;) Particularly given how much Manon values ambition / strength / power / et cetera, she’d probably view them as a potential Power Couple™ (despite the fact that Alan was fifteen and Steven was twenty-five when they all met; I don’t think that’s something Manon, especially back when she was ten, would have cared about or noticed very much). They’re all still good friends besides, so it makes sense that her mind might jump to Steven first, especially if she #ShippedIt back when they first met.

Actually, on the note of Wallace---the dialogue didn’t end up making it into the fic, but when I was first outlining this fic in my head, I imagined an exchange like:

“[Steven’s] married.”

“So?”

“We were guests at his wedding.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t have a crush!”