This AU is about a nonexistent fictional mental health condition. There is imagery of straitjackets and other restraints, as well as mention of discrimination based off of health conditions. If you are uncomfortable with this content then please feel free to click off and enjoy something else. Thank you.
Dressing Sketch
Uniform Sketches
League Party sketch
Sketch dump for Battle Addict! This art has been gathering dust for a few months 😭 only just remembered to post it here.
These sketches are from Ver. 3 of Battle Addict, aka Battle Addict Twins, where both of them get the HCCM diagnosis.
The base idea for Battle Addict is that while most people enjoy Pokémon battling, there comes a certain point where one's love/obsession for battle starts bleeding into the rest of their life and becoming detrimental to their everyday life. This is usually called Combative Mania (CM), which is present in a large part of the population (40%-60%) hence why battling is so popular and so many different forms of it are made to keep people satisfied. The extreme form is Hyper-Competitive Combative Mania (HCCM), wherein a person spends so much time and energy for battles that it starts to affect their physical/mental health as well as their social life, since they neglect them in favour of their obsession.
Often what divides CM patients from HCCM patients is what they're willing to give up for battling and the extent of their knowledge regarding battles. CM patients usually only have a casual interest in battling or just enjoy the thrill of battling, but operate normally and have other interests outside of battle. They have basic to intermediate knowledge of battling, and can often partake in research or battles.
HCCM patients will often forgo food, water, sleep, school, work, and relationships in favour of researching and competing in battles. It is the only thing they find interest in and they devote most of their time towards it. Patients often memorize entire charts of statistics and different strategies and counterstrategies for battle, with different patients often having a certain subject they specialize in. Most patients with HCCM are unaware that they have it, they either assume that they have CM or that they are completely normal and just enjoy Pokémon battles. They often go into fields that work directly with researching Pokémon or battles, such as professors, scientists, gym leaders, elite four members, league workers, battle facility operators, and so on.
Ingo and Emmet do not know they have HCCM. They engage with battle and researching battle in a way that they think is typical for a hobbyist. Ingo tends to read on academic papers, textbooks, and study guides regarding the statistics and capabilities of Pokémon, whereas Emmet takes a more hands-on approach in studying Pokémon anatomy and battle strategy. Ingo often charts and studies natures, EVs, IVs, stat spreads, abilities, moves, and their properties. Emmet sketches anatomical diagrams and studies of Pokémon, including skeletal structure, musculature, organ systems, and physical appearance, highlighting pressure points in the body for executing the most damage and for keeping his own Pokémon protected. He also tends to read into psychological studies as well as conducting his own long term tests to predict a person's strategy in different situations. The two feed into each other's interests, teaching the other of their own discoveries and celebrating breakthroughs together. As a result, their total knowledge of battling is immense, which led to them becoming Subway Bosses straight out of college.
The two lived and worked fairly normally; they were very passionate about their work and it provided a way to sate their need for fighting on a regular basis, as well as giving them the space to experiment with different fighting styles and analyze others' strategies. Of course they still continue their studying outside of work, which often leads to them trying different methods or revisiting recorded battles to see how they could improve. The twins still believe their hours long discussions, piles of notes, and stacks of study materials littered around their house are perfectly fine, only stopping to reconsider after a comment from a coworker highlights how they must be crazy or incredibly disciplined to have as huge of a win : loss ratio as they do.
They end up taking the issue to a psychiatrist after dwelling on the idea for a few days, which is where they get diagnosed after a few tests and a description of their lifestyle and interests. Their case is considered moderate but could easily escalate into severe if left unchecked, though the main concern is whether this would make them a threat to other people due to their work and prominence. Obviously they don't want to lose their jobs, but this kind of thing could get them removed from the League Council if it got out, so they have to consider whether they share this information with their employers or not. Ingo thinks it'd be best to keep it under wraps, but Emmet fears that this could be used as blackmail and argues that they need to release this information themselves before someone else ruins their lives with it. Eventually they do take the diagnosis to the League Council and it gets out to the public.
Emmet takes the fall for Ingo, claiming his case is severe whereas Ingo's is mild so that the League Council will be more distracted with him to bother Ingo. That ends up with Emmet getting a new restraining uniform because the League no longer trusts him to handle himself in public based off his diagnosis. Neither of them are particularly pleased about this, but Emmet tells Ingo to look on the bright side. Emmet actually starts to find the jacket to be more of a little challenge than a hindrance, as it adds an extra level of difficulty to battles that he's been looking for, but Ingo still thinks it would be better if he hadn't had to wear it at all. This unfortunately extends to League parties where he has to be restrained to even be allowed entry, which he is much less happy about.
This post is getting ungodly long as it is but there's also a branch off of this concept where Ingo and Emmet land in Hisui together and Emmet's uniform looks like this. He deconstructed the uniform he was given to modify his jacket since by that point he had a bit of a sentimental connection to it and didn't want to just swap it out.
(Bonus fun fact: Ingo and Emmet decided to pull the biggest gag on the Pearl Clan when they first land by pretending to be one person under the alias Eki. Ingo is the polite one in the dark coat by day, and Emmet is the energetic one in the white coat by night. "Day Eki" is more popular with other Wardens and older clan members, whereas "Night Eki" is more popular with the village children and insomniacs.
The whole Warden Eki concept is technically its own AU in the background but it did originate from Battle Addict. Also I already drew Emmet in the Pearl Strait I can't take that back)
Anyways uhhh there's more let me see if I can condense it:
The twins went to a University specifically focused on battle (Champion's University), where they ended up studying subjects in their specific interests. Emmet took psychology of battle and Pokémon anatomy to learn about the weak points in trainers and Pokémon, and Ingo took general statistics and study of moves which are exactly what they sound like
The twins use the Vs Recorder all the time, both to track their own progress and to observe how passengers fight. It's often stuck to the glass windows to catch the Pokémon in the middle of the car, though they have considered buying Rotom Drones expressly for this purpose
Emmet actually has a stack of different studies on weak points in the human body but he doesn't share that with anyone, not even Ingo
Emmet's study of trainer psych has led to him often predicting tactics before they happen and dodging/countering them with his Pokémon. He often challenges himself to predict a person's team, moveset, and strategy based on appearance, gait, and body language, sharing his guesses with Ingo in case he makes any useful observations
Ingo and Emmet are possibly the first instance of causing "learned HCCM" in their Pokémon because after the training that they do together, the Pokémon have developed their own independent bloodlust and have started memorizing the move strategies that the twins have them use
Sometimes to celebrate fully completing a study on a particular set of Pokémon, the twins will eat one. This is mostly as a treat and an inside joke, but they will research what's in season/allowed and go hunt for one. Ingo is usually the one to catch it, and Emmet is the one to cook it. There's some really goofy shitposts about them going after pseudo-legendaries overseas, or Palkia's leg in Hisui
The twins can perform full medical care on any Pokémon and can often grind for hours nonstop since they can heal their teams themselves. They also save a lot on healing items this way
After releasing their diagnosis, the perception of the twins have gone in wildly different directions. Some people treat them as subhuman or as monsters, some people don't care, some people call them psycho yandere boys on twitter. Emmet tends to get more of the negative connotations, Ingo tends to get the more "positive" ones. Emmet also tends to get a lot of stares due to his restraint and status as a crazed fighter, which he pretends doesn't get to him
I think that's everything, I'm going to go collapse. Hope you guys enjoy 👍
Amanda and Cecilia think thonks (THIS IS NOW GENERAL RANDOM SAW THOUGHTS)
“I grifted off his name. Shitting on his legacy was just a bonus I’ll admit that.” - Cecilia on her fathers work/legacy
“It is I who will carry on John’s work after he dies.” - Amanda on John, who basically is her father and his work/legacy.
Don’t know why these lines intrigue me, however I’ve kinda stated before how I find the comparisons between these two interesting. I don’t believe they are perfect mirrors but there are some similarities to look at, alongside their major differences as well.
Cecilia uses her fathers name to benefit herself, she takes advantage of it and others to get what she wants. She is aware that what she is doing is wrong and if found out, would tarnish the Pederson name.
Whereas if we turn to Amanda, she heavily dedicates herself to continuing John's work and the Jigsaw legacy. However, obviously throughout the Saw franchise, she begins to question his methods and goes against them.
One takes advantage, the other is taken advantage of.
“I rob, I steal and I cheat.” - Cecilia
“I’m a murderer. He took my life from me, so I just returned the fucking favour.” - Amanda
They both admit what they're doing isn't correct to a degree. However, neither has or likely will stop what they're doing. Cecilia scams and Amanda rigs her traps to be impossible, in a way her own form of scamming?
What I mean by that is, the whole point of the traps is to be a lesson- It's supposed to be escapable, any survivor of it will tell you that... Obviously, there are some places to question the tests/traps even outside of Amanda, but we're not looking at that right now. Anyway! She basically scams people out of a chance of surviving due to her own past experiences. Lynn Denlon in Saw 3 being a perfect example of this really? She died due to the shotgun collar going off yes, but she likely would have anyway due to Amanda shooting her- Which Lynn had already PASSED her test by that point really.
(Honorary Angel Trap mention)
I don't think I have to go too in depth about how Cecilia scams people, but she doesn't just take their money. She also in her own way takes their lives- They leave thinking the treatment will help them, spending savings and such when really it's fake. We’ve also got the fact that Cecilia outright murdered Gabriela.
This comparison of their characters and the reception to them by the fandom/audience is something I find fun! Yes, people dislike Cecilia for being a scammer, but the main cause of people's hatred that I've seen isn't even what she did to John? At least here on Tumblr, it's the fact that she killed Gabriela....
The reason I find this ''fun'' is because well, Amanda was the one who put Gabriela in that scenario in the first place and yes of course- We have to acknowledge that Gabriela was part of the scamming which is why she was tested alongside her being a drug addict, however at the end of the day I think it's agreed upon that base level, she isn't a terrible person. She did what she did to survive.
So I wonder, if Gabriela had just died in her trap, whether there would be uproar about her death? Would people be angry at John and Amanda the same way they are at Cecilia? And to answer my own question, I don't actually think so.
I believe this because of the circumstances of death, reactions and the reason why. Cecilia didn't just kill Gabriela whilst she was in her trap, she did it afterwards. She effectively stole her ''second chance'' because of how money hungry she was. Cecilia also showed no remorse for doing such.
Then we have Amanda's reaction.
It goes without saying she was likely rooting for Gabriela the entire time, she reminds Amanda of herself for one and she's also distraught because Gabriela did WIN. I see this as a catalyst to Amanda's future behaviour alongside deaths such as when she ''mercy'' killed Adam and then Laura from Saw 2.
I'm also going to drop this link to a previous post I made, which I think fits in to what I'm saying here and possibly adds to other points. (I have a tendency to repeat myself or ramble)
Almost nobody in the Saw franchise is either fully ''good'' or ''bad.'' That's what I like about it, they are people with faults- Some characters have more redeeming qualities/traits, others not so much.
The most beloved characters are likely the Jigsaw apprentices (And Adam). At least the MAIN three ones. Which, let's go over their crimes!
Fun fact! These kinds of crimes are the type that would land you in PRISON. It goes without saying that the moral compasses of all 3 of these characters are basically broken or spinning constantly.
Yet, as I stated before- Amanda, Mark and Lawrence are some of the fan favourites of the Saw franchise.... And don't get me wrong, I'm an Amanda fan myself for example! However, it's so interesting the reception these guys get compared to other characters in media and generally in the Saw universe.
If we go black and white/narrow our views, they are actually the villains at some points. The crimes speak for themselves and generally whilst watching the movies, you're supposed to be rooting for the people to get out of their traps- Not always mind you, but a good percentage of the time.
So many people justify their actions due to their backstories, a common thing for villains and or ''bad guys''. It's understandable, because the shit all of them have gone through would definitely leave anybody unhinged... At the end of the day though, that doesn't mean they should be excused.
I think I'll end this here because I've gotten so sidetracked? As I always say at the end of something like this, these are all just my thoughts and opinions- Not fact or concrete either, I'm open to discussions with people who disagree with me for example!
IF YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR DOWN! THANKS FOR READING, ANYBODY WHO LIKES AND REBLOGS MY RAMBLINGS DO MAKE MY DAY.
-MAL OUT
This is a little silly fic that I'll be posting to AO3 later probably ;3
(KAIS FEAR SCENE IN THE CAVE REAL OMG???!?!?!?!?!? Character study :3)
Kai stared ahead, determined to reach the end of the cave- he needed to, after all. The flame in his hand flickered, faltering before extinguishing itself into small puffs of ash.
The Fire Master turned his attention to his hand, snapping it a few times in a fruitless attempt to get the flame back. He groaned when it didn't work, turning around to the others and-
...Where were they?
Kai squinted, seeing nothing but a cloud of darkness. He took a step forward, worry squeezing his heart tightly. He didn't need to worry, not yet- but how could he not? A few months would never be enough to meld that torn piece of him back together, that piece of him that wondered if he'd simply finally given to insanity, seeing nothing but hallucinations.
He shook his head quickly, not letting his thoughts drag him under. This moment was real, he was certain- and he was certain his family was not within his sight.
"Lloyd?" Kai called into the darkness, voice steady despite the worry dripping from him in borderline solar flares. He frowned at the lack of response, moving his flameless hands to cup his mouth. "Nya! Lloyd!"
Again, no response.
The worry was practically tearing him apart inside out now- something he would likely never admit. Kai walked further back into the cave, attempting to locate the others. If he was mildly frantic about it, no he wasn't.
Kai came to a halt at the sound of what could almost be called a scream.
One that he was far too familiar with.
Kai whipped around, already falling into a defensive stance as he watched Lloyd run to him, tears streaming down his face. The Fire Master didn't comprehend how young he looked in that moment, as if he were a confused and scared 11-year-old again.
It didn't matter how he looked, not at all- and it never would. It was Lloyd. His brother. Someone he swore he would always protect. Pulling Lloyd closer to him before adjusting his stance to be semi-in front of the younger came almost as second nature.
Kai watched closely as something slunk out of the darkness, towering over him. The thing smirked, a hand coming out from behind it.
The thing held Nya by the neck, she flailed around for a moment, trying to pry the thing away from her neck so she could, most likely, breathe.
The Fire Masters eyes widened, stance faltering for just a moment before his expression hardened. Sparks filtered from his fists.
"Let her go."
The thing sneered at Kai, its devoid face crinkling into something akin to disgust before tightening its grip. Nya squirmed for a moment before beginning to wheeze, her attempts to pry the things hand from her neck growing weaker and weaker.
Kai stared, pulse buzzing violently under his skin.
His blocked flames bristled, a blazing inferno deep in his core.
And he lunged.
He lunged for the thing, anger in every grab and tear at the monster.
Rip.
Tear.
Rip.
Tear.
"LET HER GO!" He screamed, eyes burning as his attacks grew more and more helpless.
The thing snickered despite its current state, amusement in its unforgiving eyes.
Kais' anger only grew, the inferno raging until it obscured any rational thought he could've had. Unshed tears clogged his eyes, limbs trembling as he tried to withhold himself from killing the thing. A mercy it didn't deserve.
And then he was on the other end of the cave, gasping in gulps of air, dizzy, with an unbreathing sister beside him. His inferno sizzled out, water dimming it to a few half-hearted sparks. The shaking of his limbs increased tenfold, his tears finally boiling over and burning his cheeks.
"KAI!" Lloyd- oh, oh FSM wasn't he protecting him-
Kai threw himself onto his feet, looking a complete mess as he watched in what felt almost like slow motion as The Thing dragged his younger brother further into the darkness, a snicker echoing the cave before something zapped him.
Kais' mind had to do a double take on that last thing, actually. He was staring at the stone floor of the cave, shaking mildly- but there were no tears in his eyes, as if they'd been boiled away.
He was zapped.
Zapped?
Was Jay nearby? Oh, FSM. How would he ever explain all this- he couldn't handle The Lightning Ninja right now-
No, no. It would be a good thing if he was there now, wouldn't it?
Kai was pulled to his senses by the sound of the others talking. The others. Lloyd and Nya. His family. His siblings.
He inhaled shakily, trying to wipe what must have been a horrified expression off of his face, then stood up.
Featuring: Cmdr. Sophie Shepard, Maj. Kaidan Alenko, Lt. James Vega, and Dr. Liara T'Soni
Sophie, I don't know what you are- or who. Not since Cerberus rebuilt you. For all I know, you could be their puppet- controlled by The Illusive Man himself.
Mass Effect 3: Legendary Edition (2021)
ngl i find it pretty cute that Truth Bullets are actually just hajime’s inner notepad, so when he “adds it to the handbook,” he’s technically just keeping that piece of evidence in the back of his mind.
…and of course i gotta bring komahina into it aND I JUST THINK ITS CUTE OKAY—
after the betrayal thing too i think it’s pretty adorable that hajime still takes nagito seriously even though most people don’t.
(for those of you who MIGHT be wondering, this takes place during the Ibuki/Hiyoko case investigation where hajime was gonna overlook (??) the rope but then nagito came in and BOOM, hajime is suddenly a believer)
just sketched some fave scenes of a current fave fic!
if you stay. byler x the proposal (2009). mike wheeler, threatened by the near deportation to his homeland, drags his assistant, will byers, into a fake marriage to keep working in the usa
OFC i made zaire in bg3 and i havent finished his run yet BUT HAVE THIS CLIP GGRRRAAHHHHH
i was torn between romancing wyll or astarion but since my brother is gonna play wyll's origin after i finished zaire's run so i went with wyll (aggrgrhrhrhhrh wyll save me)
still disappointed that wyll doesnt have a romanced greeting lines and apparently i heard (i havent got his act 3 romance scene) hes the only companion that the game doesnt show the sex scene??? wtf larian, give us more wyll content
minor spoiler for dark urge
also i made zaire durge instead of tav mainly bc i want that cape that sceleritas fel gave (giving it to astarion ofc) but i'll take the angst
also i think him and aries make an interesting durge contrast (one is more angsty than the other)
Bayonetta 3 is such a mess that it convinced everyone that the Bayonettas played as in 1, 2, and 3 were different people (they're not) bc this is the sort of reveal it does setup for. But there's a throwaway line in Rodin's flavor text buried in menus that confirm that all 3 games take place in the same central universe. So I can't blame anyone for being wrong about it but everyone is wrong about it always
Here’s my drawing of the Rostov siblings as my little ponies! It was bound to happen.
The top row is Natasha and Petya, the bottom row is Nikolai, Vera, and Sonya.
I also have sketches of a bunch more war and peace characters as ponies, which I will get around to drawing. Let me know if there are any characters you specifically want to see from me :)