Looserpent - Give Me Millipedes.

Beating inside me like a second heart

la primera - the shooting star of Paldea

a several hour single-session piece, i just think geeta is neat and I like taking name etymology literally c:

If this was a game, I think a fun gameplay mechanic would be like a friendship meter. The friendship meter is affected by how you interacted with others. And if you have a higher friendship meter with people, they'd be more willing to help you. For example, companions with higher friendship do more damage when pomni takes them with her. Or another example is because ragathas kinda like the shopkeeper if she has a higher friendship her prices will be cheaper but if her friendship level is low they'll be really expensive. You can raise the friendship meter by going on side quests with the others or using positive dialog, and negative dialog makes the meter go down. Idk I just thought that it might be fun.

I like this idea. And you know what, FUCK IT.

AN AU OF AN AU!!!!!!! WHICH IS ALSO CANON-DIVERGENT FROM THE HARLEQUIN AU LMAO I TRULY AM AMAZING /j

THE AMAZING DIGITAL SOULS-LIKE!

I CAN"T seem to avoid the concept of "What if the Harlequin AU was a game instead", THE UNIVERSE KEEPS PUSHING IT TO MY FACE LIKE MY YOUNGER SIBLINGS WHEN THEY SEE A COLORFUL THUMBNAIL sighs....... back to my Shadow of the Colossus boss osts bullshit..... (affectionate)

The Amazing Digital Souls-like is a Non-canon compliant Alternate Universe (that's also a game rather than an actual fantasy world) of the Harlequin AU, where a stylized souls-like VR game called "The Marvelous Mechanical Harlequin" came out at some point during the rise of souls-like gaming.

Waking up in a well-lit main lounge of a manor, the new, amnesiac Harlequin player is met by "Bubble", a Butler Blimp, and "Caine" The Puppetmaster (whom is VERY VERY LOUD btw), claiming to be the only one who can "help her" in her current predicament.

As to be expected, she's very much on the verge of a mental breakdown, barely keeping it together while attempting to make sense of the world around her. (seriously, who thought pitching this game who sucks people inside of it to the public was a good idea??)

The Puppetmaster then proceeds to infodump everything the Harlequin player should know:

That this is a souls-like game;

she is a Harlequin Puppet in the middle of a TERRIFYING ROBOT apocalypse!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SCARYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

and that she has to go on a boss-rush type of playthrough IF she EVER wanted to have a chance at getting out!

He'll also be the game's official guide, to which the player is having trouble digesting all this information (not surprising at all.)

When asked what's her name, she can't remember and begins crying onto the floor again (lmao skill issue). The Puppetmaster then picks one at the top of his head; "Pomni", which she reluctantly takes because it's better than having nothing.

From there on out, Pomni undergoes through a series of hardships as she dies (in a video game!!!!!!!!!!!!! MIND YOU, SHE DOES NOT DIE IN REAL LIFE!!!!) over and over again, attempting to defeat various bosses, who are the NPCs. She gains more and more confidence in the battles, but she's still quite the nervous wreck otherwise.

But hey, at least she's getting quite close to Caine, right? He's so nice, and sweet, and very caring of her, careful to reassure her that she's doing a great job with the tasks. There's also a deja vu in her head that's telling her this is somehow familiar, and his presence is a comfort to her.

Surely, everything's all fine and dandy, right?

... right?

Little did this Harlequin know, there is a DARK secret to all this.

And that is the fact that the late bosses aren't just regular boss AIs, they're OTHER PLAYERS trapped in a boss's body, for some goddamn reason. She finds this out when she accidentally does a good chunk of damage to a boss's heart, making them able to speak to her for a bit before going back to being hostile.

With that in mind, Pomni has to DELIBERATELY hit their very durable hearts, if she wants them to be reform as normal players as the hearts imprisoned the ACTUAL avatars of the players.

The Puppetmaster is taken aback, but seems to let Pomni do her way reluctantly.

Once they are freed however, they become Pomni's allies, but they seem... unnerved by the Puppetmaster and tend to avoid him. Every time Pomni asks them why, they're just quiet and looking away. Otherwise, they seem to be grateful and helpful to Pomni about anything else.

This of course, raises Pomni's suspicions of the game's advisor, but she still needs to comply with the rules of this world and thus, has to keep throwing herself to the wolves over and over again.

By the time Pomni frees the Maddened Princess of the Theater, The Puppetmaster declares her ready to face with THE FINAL BIG BAD HIMSELF, The Patriarch of Puppets, an "evil entity who transformed everyone into horrible Puppet monsters". Everyone scoffs silently.

Pomni, according to him, must defeat the Patriarch as the final step to video game freedom.

But by the time Pomni arrives to the final arena, The Patriarch attempts to have a conversation, and seems to be struggling with himself.

The Patriarch explains that his boss body contains "Able", someone who was close to Pomni in real life, who entered in the hopes of making his brother leave the confines of the game. He was able to remember details due to his admin access. Caine only agreed to leave IF he was capable of defeating all the bosses without using his admin abilities, "just like old times".

It was only until his late game run when he figured out (after a heated argument) that the original AI gamemaster, the very heart piece on Caine's chest, took over Caine and was making him act like a manipulative monster. When he tried to pry the heart piece away, he got sealed in the Patriarch's body as punishment.

The Puppetmaster may be unable to revoke his admin access, but it can be sealed off.

Able's been stuck ever since, but still secretly had a bit of access to the game codes if he did it on the low, an oversight by The Puppetmaster, and thus, managed to gain some semblance of control over the Patriarch's otherwise very hostile and bloodthirsty AI just in time for him to talk to Pomni.

The Puppetmaster denies these accusations, and advises Pomni not to believe the boss's manipulative words.

Pomni now has two choices.

>Kill The Patriarch of Puppets, or >face The Puppetmaster.

"Kill the Patriarch of Puppets" ending:

if Pomni decided to not believe Able, he loses his control over The Patriarch and the final boss fight begins. Once Pomni is victorious, The Puppetmaster then congratulates Pomni, but reveals a secret: That there was never an exit.

Pomni simply passed the final test, and now, she's ready to become a boss herself. Try as she might, she cannot escape this and she becomes "The Mechanical Jester of the Circus", the new final boss of the game. All her movesets are reconfigured to become the boss' attacks.

Able resets to normal, now forever trapped to be The Patriarch as The Puppetmaster corrects the previous oversight. The others are reset to become bosses again.

A new player joins, unaware of the horrors that awaits them.

Sad ending :((( How very tragic....

"Face the Puppetmaster" ending:

if Pomni decided to believe Able, a boss fight still ensues but this time, The Patriarch of Puppets is only the Penultimate boss instead of the final stretch. Pomni frees Able, who reforms into his original 'card deck' avatar and regains administrative access to the game.

The Puppetmaster accuses Pomni of breaking his heart and breaking game rules, and thus, has to battle with him IN ONE GO. There is no more reset button for her.

But Able comes in clutch and ensures her that HE will be the one to make sure Pomni can come back as many times as possible to finish the fight and free Caine.

Once Pomni is victorious, The gamemaster heart piece breaks, and Caine is knocked out. All the blocked out memories return to the players.

(Able's design belongs to sm-baby btw!!!!)

Apparently, the VR game was revolutionary. Players could physically enter the world and be immersed in the game's astounding graphics, creative boss rushes and open world exploration aspect. It did VERY well initially, but not well enough to stand the test of time.

Player numbers eventually dissipated when the brothers moved on to greener pastures (so the game didn't have updates), and the AI gamemaster was heartbroken for essentially being abandoned. As a result, any new players that entered the game could not escape, simply because they all forgot they had access to the menu from the very beginning. lmfao

When Caine rediscovered the game and wanted to replay it for old time's sake, the same fate befell him. The gamemaster recognized one of his creators, and took over his entirety, becoming The Puppetmaster.

Able followed suit, wanting to let Caine out but he was sealed into the Patriarch's body before he could succeed.

Pomni, who's actual name is "Penelope", was Caine's significant other in real life and got worried that Caine wasn't responding to her calls while she was on a business trip. She tried contacting Able, no response either.

When she finally arrived to their apartment, The Marvelous Mechanical Harlequin game was on, and recognizing it to be the brothers' old souls-like game, she put on the headset. And from there on out, the story begins.

The other players are able to forgive Caine's actions, and not pass lawsuits once they are able to go back to the real world. Now, with the gamemaster gone, the game has become somewhat active again, though this time, it was the others (and additional new people) hopping in back into the game just to hang out and maybe do some DLC boss rushes implemented by the brothers.

It's pretty epic, y'all. Happy ending yippie!!!!!!!!!

Now if you'll all excuse me... OWIEEEEEEEEEEEEE MY ARM AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-

Why is Lusamine usually so poorly written?

Now, this isn’t hating on the character, I LOVE the concept behind a good person both literally and figuratively becoming a horrific monster due to an obsession, only coming to their senses after causing irrevocable damage to their relationships with their loved ones, but no continuity really does it right.

I personally subscribe to the theory that, without the neurotoxins, Lusamine is a decent enough person, even if she is a substandard parent. Why? Because that seems to be the idea Game Freak was trying to convey. I also subscribe to the “Neurotoxins=drug addiction metaphor” theory.

But the problem is that, of the four takes on Lusamine, none of them really do a good job of balancing Lusamine’s villainy, humanity, and tragedy. For example:

Sun and Moon: Lusamine is a horribly abusive and controlling mother, who’s obsessed with the Ultra Beasts, but does a complete 180 in personality after Nihilego is defeated without ever acknowledging her misdeeds. Type:Null’s backstory heavily implies that she at first wanted to destroy the Ultra Beasts for taking her husband away until she fell in love with Nihilego after getting a faceful of neurotoxins. She is also obsessed with beauty. However, none of her redeeming qualities are shown, and she’s hastily ushered out of the plot after coming to her senses without ever showing remorse for her crimes.

Ultra: Lusamine is now a well-intentioned extremist who DESPISES the Ultra Beasts, especially Necrozma. But now her emulation of the Ultra Beasts in her clothing, and her decision to make her children and Guzma dress up like Ultra Beasts makes no sense. Additionally, that freaky cryogenic prison is still kept in the story and basically brushed over, despite the fact that she is no longer obsessed with beauty. She also tragically decides not to reconnect with her ex-husband after realizing that he’s lost his memory and has been living happily without her, feeling that he deserves better, before getting reduced to a damsel in distress in Episode RR.

Pokémon Special/Pokémon Adventure: Lusamine’s villainy is played up, but it is explicitly stated that she’s only acting the way she is because of Nihilego’s neurotoxins. However, she has no agency in her fall to villainy, as everything from her husband’s disappearance to her brainwashing at Nihilego’s tentacles was masterminded by Faba, effectively reducing her to Faba’s brainwashed pawn and someone for our protagonists to rescue.

Now, that’s not to say that I dislike the idea of Faba manipulating Lusamine or taking advantage of her deteriorating mental state to further his own goals. In fact, I’d argue that it makes both characters more interesting when it’s done well. But none of the above continuities do that.

But, there is a continuity which does tell Lusamine’s story competently.

Pokémon Anime: Lusamine is the workaholic, single mother of Lillie and Gladion, left to raise her two children after her husband’s mysterious disappearance. Rather than obsessing over what she lost, she mourned and moved on. She’s still remarkably childish, to the point that her prepubescent daughter is more mature than she is, but you can’t deny that she loves her children. She’s also disregarded Lillie’s feelings enough times to make Lillie feel the need to vocally defend her decisions even when nobody has voiced disapproval of them. She’s also become so neglectful that her daughter’s basically been raised by the family butler for the past five years, and never questioned why her daughter who loved Pokémon suddenly developed a crushing fear of them out of the blue. She also works to atone for her neglect the second it’s spelled out for her by Gladion, with her mentally and verbally kicking herself for letting the situation escalate to the point that Lillie’s memory is in danger of being erased. After that point, she works to become more active in her children’s lives, but still has flaws. For example, when Faba summons Nihilego to get revenge for losing his job (something he wouldn’t be able to do if Lusamine had properly dealt with the situation after Lillie was first traumatized), she fangirls for a few seconds before realizing that the Ultra Beast is about to murder her daughter. After this, she sacrifices herself to save her kids, kicking off the “rescue” arc. Also, after she becomes the Motherbeast and starts attacking the heroes who are trying to rescue her, she’s still partially in control, even if her mental state has deteriorated to that of a preschooler trying to protect their favorite toy (in this case, Nihilego), with Nihilego not taking full control until Lillie talks some sense into her by calling her out for being such a terrible mother while begging her to clean up her act and ditch the glass jellyfish. From that point on in the anime, Lusamine becomes a far more active supporting character, showing up in person for Lillie’s big accomplishments (such as a school play), and generally being a far more likeable and sympathetic person.

So what makes the anime!Lusamine the best Lusamine?

Every step of her character arc is HER CHOICE!

It was Lusamine’s decision to leave her children for long periods of time that lead to Lillie developing a fear of Pokémon.

It was Lusamine’s decision to not question her daughter’s trauma that led to her having to sacrifice herself to protect her kids from Nihilego.

The class couldn’t save Lusamine at first because she let Nihilego possess her, and it was her decision to stop playing around that allowed them to defeat the Motherbeast.

Lusamine CHOSE to be a better mother after realizing just how badly she screwed up in neglecting her responsibilities to her kids.

Her morality isn’t a freaking light switch in the anime! Nothing happens that turns her into a terrible person against her will which is magically undone by a Legendary Pokémon from another dimension. The evil can’t be blasted out of her until she cooperates. From her fall from grace to her redemption, she always has some degree of agency.

My pieces for @theriveroflight's fic and co-illustrated with @dot-tsu for the @proflaytonbigbang! Go read it if you like sad Claire doomed by the narrative 😊

They didn't have to write a book with Helsa in it but they did and now I have to live the rest of my life thinking about it ✌🏻so have a Conceal Don't Feel inspired doodle dump

giving pokemon to PL characters has been on my mind lately

they say that if you're lucky, the sea may spare you

but imagine having no social skills to the point that your only real social interaction besides eating people for thousands of years is saving a drowning girl because she has a nice voice

that'd be something.

honestly you can probably tell which character i like out of the two based on how many times i draw them in sad situations (susie, always susie, you could literally call me a susie simp & i would not bat an eye at your direction)

but i will admit that i had fun designing this siren-serpent version of meta (BECAUSE HE'S ALL VECTORS LOL) & the galaxia infused tail was something i really wanted to do for a while especially

also it might be hard to see but he's holding one of susie's hands ;)

Omake. Also, Lusamine sitting there just “^_^”

My September