This will be my first post here so bare with me. (Excuse the grammatical errors as English is not my 1st language)
So here it goes.
My family, cousins and I had a tradition to visit our other relatives in the province and stay at our grandparents' house every Christmas to New Year celebration to gather and have fun.
So one day before holidays, we travelled and reach the place around 9PM in the evening, 9PM in the province is already too late and too dark around except the houses beside the highway. The first batch to arrive were me and my other 10 cousins (ranges 12-16 year olds), no adults yet.
We have to walk for 3 miles from the highway to reach our grandparents' house so we started gathering some candles and old coconut tree leaves and lit it up to light our way. None of us had cellphones nor flashlights at that time or if we have one it was useless bc the screen brightness was too weak.
There was one particular house that we need to pass, the pathway was literally just beside the house and we had no choice but to follow as the rest of the areas were tall grasses, huge trees and lakes. The house was known for its ghost stories and it has been left empty for decades.
As me and my cousins pass by, the massive tree beside the house started shaking, we stopped for awhile and look at each other's eyes, it stopped abruptly then it started shaking uncontrollably mad as if a lot of people was pushing and pulling the tree angrily in unison, as if a spirit wanted to tell us to leave.
We didn't hesitate and we all ran without saying anything.
We ran quietly and barefoot through the tall grasses.
We threw the candles and let the moon light our way, it feels like you were half blind running while the only sound you hear was the tree shaking loudly.
The next thing I knew we were already at our grandparents' front porch, 3 of my cousins threw up and the others were crying.
We didn't bring the incident up after that night as it was so traumatizing.

A few great collections of Ghost to Ghost marathons (the sound clears up after 20 minute mark of first track on collection 1)!
At times, Bell cuts caller off before the climax or resolution of story, which can be frustrating. But, altogether, awesome stuff. Listen with the lights on, though. You've been warned.
https://archive.org/details/allGhosttoGhost1/1993-10-30-ArtBellGhosttoGhost.mp3
https://archive.org/details/GhosttoGhost2of3
https://archive.org/details/AllGhosttoGhost3of3

Have seen two great dramas about ghosts. 'A Ghost Story', about a departed man who follows his wife, which I found really moving. And 'Personal Shopper', about a woman who's trying to contact her dead brother, which was brilliant and really absorbing.
Looking for similar movies along these lines. Not looking for horror unless it has something meaningful to say.

I'm looking for an out of print (it must be at this point) scary stories collection for children. One of the stories was about an old man who swallowed a pocket watch and when he died, it kept ticking from inside his grave and people walking by could hear it. There was even an illustration of a skeleton with a pocket watch sort of entangled around it.
I think there was another story about ghosts that throw sleet in your eyes and liquefy your bones, but I'm grasping at straws on that one.
I have been looking for this book for a very long time.
Edit: It is not Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Those books are not out of print and are incredibly popular. It would be pretty crazy to not be able to find one of those books from a story I've read in them.

One night, I was browsing Reddit as usual, scrolling through the horror subreddit. I loved reading the spine-tingling stories and getting scared out of my mind. But little did I know that I was about to experience a horror story myself.
As I read through the posts, I came across a thread titled "The Abandoned Asylum". As someone who loved exploring abandoned places, I clicked on the thread and began reading.
The post was about an abandoned asylum on the outskirts of town that was rumored to be haunted. The poster claimed that he had explored the asylum alone and had heard strange noises and seen ghostly figures lurking in the shadows.
I was intrigued and decided to visit the asylum myself. The next night, I made my way to the abandoned building, feeling a mix of excitement and fear.
As I entered the asylum, I immediately felt a chill run down my spine. The air was thick and musty, and the only sound was the creaking of old doors and the occasional rustle of debris.
As I explored the dark corridors, I began to hear whispers and strange noises. At first, I thought it was just my imagination playing tricks on me, but as the sounds grew louder and more distinct, I knew something was wrong.
Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around, but no one was there. I tried to calm myself down, but the feeling of being watched and followed only grew stronger.
I continued to explore the asylum, but every step felt like a battle against an unseen force. It was as though the spirits of the patients who had once been locked away in the asylum were trying to keep me from leaving.
As I reached the end of the hallway, I saw a figure standing in the shadows. It was a woman, dressed in a dirty white gown, her face contorted in a twisted expression.
I tried to run, but my legs wouldn't move. The woman started walking towards me, her eyes fixed on mine. I could feel her cold breath on my face as she whispered, "You shouldn't have come here."
Suddenly, the lights turned on and I realized that I had been caught in a trap set up by the poster of the Reddit thread. But even though it was just a prank, the fear and terror I experienced in the abandoned asylum still haunt me to this day.

So here’s the thing, I started the Ghost Bird like 2 years ago and mid book saw that the series wasn’t complete so I cut off the reading and waited like a year to check back in. I’m just confused and spoilers allowed I want to know if what’s already written is worth it?
For example how many more books are coming out? Is there a lot more to go where the story line is concerned so I should just wait until all the books are out? Or was the last book finished but the author is now wanted to extend the series? Can someone please explain 😂😩 it looked promising so I was interested in seeing the rest.
Also I know this is a slow burn but how slow are we talking? I remember there was a handful of guys in the harem so it can’t be that slow can it? What book does someone actually make a move?
Anyway lmk please and if y’all have want to have a discussion about the series also comment bc I don’t really care about spoilers, but make sure to tag spoilers for other people. Thank you :)

Does anyone know when they will be releasing the movie to crunchyroll? And if they will be releasing a dub with it or shortly after? I saw it in theaters but I’m dying to see it again.

Spoilers for anyone who hasn’t done the story for this season.
So… Amanda’s dead… 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Now that that’s out of the way here’s my question. Could a lost ghost ( one that doesn’t have a guardian or even our ghost ally Fynch) bring her back to life? I’m not saying that’s how the story should proceed but I remember a friend told me the story of Shin Malphur and in short, how he inherited his mentor’s ghost. If it was possible, our guardian could tell this to Fynch and they would have a guardian that they would actually want to travel and be with. I don’t know much about destiny lore so if the answer is clear as day light plz be kind and just tell me 😅.

And I'm going to prove it.
What follows is an in-depth analysis of the Pokemon world and its culture (hereafter referred to as the “Poke'verse.”) Where I’ll attempt to understand just what these beings actually are, and how they relate to the humans of their universe. The relationship between human and pokemon is obscure, but we'll be defining it today. For this post, I will reference the video game lore, but I will, to a large extent, be pulling examples from the anime. While I can understand why some might say this invalidates my points, I truly think the anime should be considered fair game. It depicts what the Poke'verse is truly supposed to be like, as the writers intend it to be, unhampered by the restrictions of a video game.

Let's dive in.

At this point, I know that the Pokemon fandom and the general public have a well-established and largely iron-cast interpretation of what it means to be a Pokemon Trainer, but today I’m going to attempt to challenge that interpretation. Because on the whole, it’s not especially flattering, and I think it’s false. You’ve seen the jokes, and the video essays, and the parody comics. You’ve seen it all. People have criticized Pokemon for the premise of the game effectively being a system of romanticized slavery. That the heartless humans kidnap these innocent animals and force them into sadistic dog-fights to further their own power, to the point where it is a global, televised sport. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you, Pokemon…are slaves. It's animal abuse. Those who argue it are in denial.
The funny thing is, most people don’t argue it. Which is because, to a large extent, most people don’t care. It’s just a video game, right? It’s not as though the Pokemon are outwardly suffering. Pokemon fans seem to just accept this premise and live with it, because the Pokemon world is bright and enjoyable and the formula of the games is addicting. To most people, the problematic premise of this universe isn’t a big deal. Nobody takes a passionate stance against it, apart from Gamefreak itself. They have little choice but to dismiss these claims, to argue against them…but nobody really listens. The franchise may do the best it can to play up the whole “friendship” angle, but the majority of fans, casual and otherwise, would say they’re not fooling anyone.

I see things differently.

This conclusion about the Pokeverse is not the only one that can be drawn from analyzing this world. It's also based on several assumptions, headcanons, and interpretations of this world’s symbolism. I interpret these things another way myself, and I’ll try to explain how. But the bottom line is that humans and Pokemon exist together in this world and have a unique relationship. Our world has humans, but not Pokemon, so one can assume that the Pokemon are a deliberate symbol of…something. What that something is will probably vary based on who you ask, but just about everyone seems to interpret them as the “animals” of their universe. As in, living creatures who are not human. (Because Humans…are also Animals, and that’s kind of the whole point right there, but I’m getting ahead of myself.)
We seem to draw an inherent comparison between Pokemon and #RealWorld Animals, which is where all of this stems from. I believe this is a mistake. Or if nothing else, it’s not the definitive interpretation of what they are. If anything, the closest comparison I can think of is…maybe Angels? But even that doesn’t truly describe their role. The more the Poke'verse gets fleshed out, the clearer it becomes to me that catching and training Pokemon are completely misunderstood concepts. They’re not really comparable to anything in real life, certainly not the training of animals or the keeping of pets. I genuinely don’t think that the relationship between Trainer and Pokemon has an equivalent in our world.
I do understand where the impulse to make this comparison comes from. Of course people look at Pokemon and see animals. After all, they're living, breathing creatures, magical creatures that coexist with humanity. A not insignificant number of them do resemble real-life animals or are otherwise based on them. The most crucial bit of evidence for this idea is that the Pokeverse, by all appearances, lacks “real world” animals of its own. There are no recognizable creatures from our world to speak of, apart from humanity. So I can see how people reached this conclusion and I get why they draw the parallel.

However, it’s just not a fair comparison to make. Not at all.

Some animals do have the means to defend themselves, of course. But Pokemon have abilities on another level entirely. They’re basically magic. They have superpowers unique to themselves. Can a human spit fire? Tunnel a hole in seconds? Can they summon storms in the blink of an eye? Can a human block all damage with Wonder Guard? The answer is no. They cannot do this. Humans are one race, and a relatively mundane race at that. While they are distinctly separate from Pokemon…that doesn’t make them superior. It doesn’t make them more powerful. The sheer variety in Pokemon species, not to mention the variety of their powers, means that if war was to break out between the two communities…the humans would not win. It wouldn’t even be close.
Pokemon are baked deep into this culture. If you had to guess which of these two societies was here first, would you really guess humanity? I wouldn’t. Just look at the spiritual side of this world. It has deities who are confirmed to exist, who created this world as we know it..and they’re all Pokemon. Who knows where the humans even came from, but the Legendary Pokemon are the ones who fashioned the universe. It is vanity to assume that Humanity is the dominant species of the Poke'verse.
They are not, nor have they even been in charge of this world. Pokemon explicitly range from human to above-human level intelligence. The humans attempt to understand them, but the Anime clarifies that they’ve chosen to name the Pokemon based on their speech patterns. Pokemon don’t “say their name” and nothing else. It’s the reverse. They speak unique languages that the humans elected to name them for. By contrast, Pokemon can clearly understand human language. There’s no way around it, they are smarter than us. So it’s no surprise that they have their own communities and systems, totally independent from humanity. However, there are also countless Pokemon who choose (read: CHOOSE) to work with humans, on individual and group-wide scales.

In fact, Pokemon and Humans may not be so different at all.

I bet their DNA is remarkably similar. They may descend from a common ancestor. There is consistent flavor text that verifies this, stating that on a fundamental level, Pokemon and Humans are all but the same. Perhaps humankind and Pokemon weren’t always separate beings? Perhaps they were once one and the same? It’s pure conjecture, but according to the Library in Canalave City, there was a time in the ancient past when Pokemon ate at the same table as Humans and would even marry them sometimes. That last bit of trivia is cut from the English version, undoubtedly because of the popular interpretation I discussed earlier. Fans see Pokemon as animals, and the dubbing team probably wanted to avert any weird implications.
What’s odd is that in Legends: Arceus, which takes place in the ancient past…humans and pokemon have clearly already been separated, and have no relationship beyond hostility and fear towards each other. There are exceptions, of course, but by and large, the idea of a “Pokemon Trainer” is a new concept to the humans in Hisui. I’m getting very off topic now, but it does make a fan wonder. Just what happened to separate pokemon and humankind? They were as close as kin at one point, before some kind of split occurred, and it’s taken countless generations for them to redevelop a closeness...there’s a greater mystery here that isn’t relevant to the topic at hand, but these questions are worth asking. Either way, the point is that the two communities are almost fated to come together.
The Pokemon are drawn to humanity, and whether they invest in an official “trainer” or not, they seek out humans just as often as the humans go looking for them.
The Pokemon will form these partnerships out of their own desire. A desire for what, you may be asking? I think it varies, but when it comes to the TrainePokemon relationship, we can assume the typical goal is shared strength. The human and the Pokemon form a symbiotic relationship in the Training system. This is stated numerous times, especially in the Anime - A wild Pokemon will never reach their full potential. Not without a Trainer. You see? It isn’t only the humans who benefit from this relationship, and the Pokemon understand this. The vast majority of them want to be caught, they seek a trainer who can help them harness their powers.
Mewtwo decries Pokemon Training as Slavery during Mewtwo Strikes Back. Pikachu contradicts him, and Ash literally puts his life on the line in the effort to prove him wrong. Much later, in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, the same question comes up. Lucario asks if Ash is Pikachu’s “master” and Ash rejects that terminology. Because Pikachu is his best friend, nothing less. There is a reason why the word is “Trainer” and not “Master” or “Owner.” Because Pokemon Trainers do not own their Pokemon. Full stop. The Poke Ball isn't a prison. It, and the PC Boxes from the games, are implied to be a kind of virtual reality. The Poke Ball is a symbol, a convenience more than anything else, but not a requirement. Ash is living proof. The Poke-Ball may be the norm, but if you're claustrophobic like Pikachu, or you're just not feeling it, you can abstain. Ash has never treated Pikachu as a captive. Or any of his Pokemon for that matter. We don't ever see anyone keeping Pokemon as prisoners apart from the villains.

But what about catching Pokemon in general? That's still messed up, isn't it?

There is an obvious counterargument to be made to my stance, a Donphan in the room, and I won’t ignore it. The counterpoint here is that capturing Pokemon is almost always done against their will. Or at least, that’s how it’s traditionally done, and the norm in the games remains consistent. Still. Ash winds up befriending the majority of his Pokemon instead, and he’s far from the only trainer we see doing so. James is another human who recruits his teammates primarily through his own likable qualities. You might argue that while obtaining a Pokemon can happen without fighting, that style is still unusual. But again, based on the anime, it doesn’t seem to be that uncommon. I think what’s considered rare is that Ash seems to specialize in doing this despite his intended goal of training Pokemon for battle.
Regardless, capturing Pokemon through battle still happens. It happens quite a lot. The examples that differ from this norm don’t erase that, nor do they erase how repugnant it is. After all, the Trainer is cornering a creature who more often than not, was just minding their own business. (A wild Pokemon is very often the one to initiate battle, but never mind.) The trainer then forcibly kidnaps them after violently assaulting them. Even the term “capturing” Pokemon has problematic connotations. No way around it - on paper, this sounds bad. It sounds horrific. But if I may, I’d like to offer a different perspective based on what I’ve been able to observe of the Poke'verse’s culture. First of all, I’d like to offer a scalding hot take about the violence of Pokemon battles. This may be where I lose a lot of people, but hear me out.

I challenge the idea that a Pokemon battle is “violent.”

Or at least, I don’t believe the characters consider it to be violent, not in the same way we understand it. A pokemon battle isn’t assault, because they’re not human. But it’s also not animal abuse, because the Pokeverse doesn’t have animals. Again, it’s worth remembering that Pokemon are supernatural creatures with magical powers, and I’d say their powers, the “moves” they learn, play by different rules than conventional fighting. There’s actually quite a bit of evidence to suggest that this is true.
In Mewtwo Strikes Back, the Pokemon very specifically fight their clones without access to any of their actual moves, after Mewtwo psychically blocks their powers. Everything about this scene is meant to convey tragedy. All of a sudden, a series that’s been all about battle is preaching against violence. Sure, we can call it bad writing, executive meddling, or anything we want. But ignore the Fourth Wall and ask yourself, why would the characters react this way in-universe? Why is it that Pokemon battling has always been okay, but in this one instance, it’s not? The movie goes to great lengths to show us that the Pokemon are hurting each other. Which we don’t normally see.

The only difference? The Pokemon aren’t using their normal moves.

From this, we can conclude that the typical, conventional Pokemon battle, where the two Pokemon fight using their special abilities...it doesn’t hurt them. It may tire them out, but a Pokemon Center can heal basically any injuries in record time. Nurse Joy is some kind of miracle worker…or maybe she isn’t. Maybe The Pokemon are being tired out from their battles, but not actually harmed in the long term. Ever wonder why Pokemon can use hidden moves in the field, even when they're supposedly "fainted?" Or why Pikachu is able to get right back up after fainting in battle to cheer Ash on? This would explain why Pokemon attacks don’t cause lasting damage to humans, either. Get hit with a Flamethrower? Don’t worry, you’ll just be temporarily stunned and have soot all over your face. The doylist explanation is, once again, that it’s a children’s cartoon, but that doesn’t explain what’s happening in-universe. Team Rocket has been electrocuted by Pikachu a near-infinite number of times. So how are they even alive?
Simple. Pikachu isn’t actually trying to kill them. Because of course he isn’t. It’s quite possible that Pokemon moves simply are not capable of inflicting serious damage, or perhaps Pokemon have an inherent resistance to them. But I suspect it’s not a lack of ability that stops Pokemon moves from being violent…but an almost universal choice. That when Pokemon go on the offensive with their powers, or at least, when they direct said powers at humans…they are always pulling their punches. That’s why the fight on New Island was so grotesque - the Pokemon were not remotely familiar with battling that way, engaging in true violence, and there’s little doubt that they were figuratively and literally scarred by that night. (The ones who still remember it, anyway.)
It’s no wonder they never use their powers to cause actual bodily harm to anyone - I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some kind of sacred, unspoken taboo among Pokemon against doing so. A taboo that wouldn't be known to the newborn clone Pokemon on New Island. A taboo that may not have existed centuries ago, in say, the ancient times of the Hisui region. But present day, communities of Pokemon are more civilized, and they a working relationship with human society that ranges from neutral to friendly. We’re in head-canon territory now, but this kind of law among Pokemon kind makes a lot of sense. There may be Pokemon out there who break this taboo, but they would be few and far between - probably outcasts among their own kind. It would add a new dimension to Pikachu's refusal to fight back against his clone counterpart.
Again, this scene makes a point of telling us over and over, that what we’re seeing is wrong. “Pokemon aren’t meant to fight. Not like this.” That line right there is precisely the point. Battling isn’t meant to be like that, and in practice, it almost never is. There’s a reason why Pokemon almost never actually die in battle, and only get “very weak,” a condition that is cured flawlessly with the medical science of a Pokemon Center. It’s almost like a Pokemon’s powers create a kind of invisible simulation system, allowing them to spar with their opponent safely. Because that’s what a Pokemon battle is, at heart. It’s a test of skill. It’s meant to just be friendly sparring. A kind of sport that the Pokemon and Trainers engage in together, and it’s stated many times that they need to be in sync to have any hope of a successful career in professional matches. Again, I refer you to Mewtwo Strikes Back. The Pokemon were able to use their powers collectively to restore Ash to life. There’s clearly a lot more to a Pokemon’s power than just combat. That part is nothing more than recreation for them.

I deviated tremendously from the original question about capturing Pokemon, but I feel that it’s important to address this point.

Pokemon Battling is not violence. It’s effectively a sport that all sides consent to playing, a sport that has safety measures practically built in, as well as further precautions offered like the Pokemon Center. In that sense, it's more or less just another interpretation of Pokemon Contests, and Showcases, and everything else. A human helping a Pokemon study their powers and use them to fullest potential. This is the reason why I don’t actually consider a Trainer fighting a wild Pokemon to be so obscene. However, that only addresses the question of violence. Trainers are still kidnapping Pokemon against their will, right? That’s why one has to “weaken” a Pokemon to catch them. Well, believe it or not, I’m going to debunk that too.
Barring exceptions, the wild Pokemon must be exhausted to the point that they can no longer resist a poke-ball, before you can obtain them. Their opinion about being caught is always a non-issue. By all accounts, it doesn't seem as though this is acceptable. But even this, I think, is part of the cultural dissonance. Among other things, we don’t know what the little “click” of the Poke-ball actually means. It signals that the capture was a success, but is that the Pokemon choosing to yield, or the Poke Ball’s technology locking them in? It’s a little ambiguous, I’ll freely admit as much…but I would argue that the former idea isn’t impossible. Again, wild Pokemon, generally speaking, actually want to find a Trainer. The first episode of the anime even hints that certain wild Pokemon are jealous of those with trainers. With that in mind, why is catching them even a fight to begin with?

I’ll tell you why. When a wild Pokemon battles a trainer, they are essentially giving that trainer a test.

They’re gauging the trainer’s abilities to bring out the potential of their Pokemon. If you’re a trainer, and your Pokemon defeats another Pokemon in the wild…you’ve just proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that your Pokemon is stronger than the wild one. You have now proven that you have something to offer, you’ve passed the test. The wild Pokemon now realizes that it stands to learn something, to grow more powerful, by accepting your tutelage. That’s why it’s considered acceptable to the Pokemon to follow a trainer after they are overpowered and captured. It’s like…right of conquest, but with fully informed consent.
Consent is key here, and I believe this cultural understanding to be the reason that most Pokemon are immediately comfortable with following the trainer who caught them. While one might argue that they don't really have a choice anymore...that simply isn't true. The anime clarifies that Pokemon can release themselves from a Poke-Ball whenever they want. Misty’s Psyduck is the most iconic example of this, but there are countless others. In theory, a Pokemon could just leave a trainer who they find unsatisfactory. Actually, that’s not just a theory. That’s canon. Something that most people don’t seem to realize (or at least, they forget) is that it’s not just Trainers who ditch Pokemon they no longer want. It happens in reverse as well.

Pokemon can and do abandon their trainers, if they deem said trainers to be unworthy of their talents.

Remember when I said that I would be chiefly referencing the anime, because it’s the most reliable depiction of what the Pokeverse is supposed to be like? This is exactly what I was talking about. Because obviously, this never happens in the games. Your Pokemon don’t just disappear from your party or PC boxes, because that would be an incredibly stupid and unfair mechanic. But in the anime, where the relationships between Pokemon and Trainer are more fleshed out? In the first season, Bad To The Bone is about a Marowak who chose to ditch his trainer after said trainer had his badges stolen. While the Marowak eventually changed his mind, at no point did any character voice the idea of trying to return him by force. That was never on the table. It was Marowak’s choice and no one else’s, which is why the trainer was heartbroken.
But that’s not a one-off, it’s not the only example. There are quite a few. Due to a misunderstanding, Gym Leader Pryce once believed his Piloswine had abandoned him. Then there’s Ash. Always the mother hen, he’s adopted many Pokemon who were abandoned by previous trainers, but the opposite has also happened. His Snivy, and his Greninja, are both Pokemon who were explicitly stated to have had previous trainers whom they chose to leave, because they didn’t feel understood. Typically, it seems that Pokemon choose to leave because they feel as though the unspoken contract that is “pokemon training” has been violated somehow, or they’re otherwise not getting what they signed up for. This is why the traditional method of “catching” Pokemon is so vital. Because it’s an honor system. There's a reason we aren't able to capture a Pokemon has already fainted. That would be the most efficient way to go about things, but the MC won't do it. Why? I can only assume this is to ensure the Pokemon gets a voice in whether they're caught.
Any time a human does attempt to force a Pokemon into submission or otherwise harm them through any method that is not the traditional system of capture, the story treats them as unquestionably villainous for doing so. The other humans react in horror, and attempt to stop them. This is because forgoing the “defeat them in battle” route and instead using some kind of technology or whatnot to claim the Pokemon is seen as dishonorable at the best of times, and evil at the worst of times. The Trainer is ignoring the agency of the Pokemon. Attempting capture in the conventional way is a mutually accepted system, the wild Pokemon know and understand that a trainer may attempt to take them, and if they really don’t want to be said Trainer’s Pokemon, they can always choose to leave after they are captured. But the use of other means takes that choice away from them. These villains, usually the evil Teams, are using methods of capture that fail to demonstrate to the Pokemon why they are a worthy Trainer, and likewise rob them of the ability to judge them as unworthy.

There are exceptions, but for the reasons I have described, I fail to see how the idea of “slavery” is applicable to properly trained Pokemon.

They have the power to attack their trainers whenever they choose. Sometimes they do. They have magical abilities that enslaved humans in real life do not have. Legends: Arceus does a great job of highlighting just how dangerous Pokemon could be toward their human counterparts if they really wanted to be. They also have the power to leave. A Pokeball is not a chain. The only time a Pokemon struggles to escape a Ball is when it is first used on them, and the connection is initially forged. But, as I’ve talked about, I believe this to be a ceremonial process and little else. Trainers will immediately send out freshly caught Pokemon to heal or train, and the Pokemon don’t run. But once again, they could. What is stopping them? Ash’s Charizard never saw fit to abandon him, but if he had, what could Ash have actually done about it? Basically nothing. He’d get a flamethrower to the face and then Charizard would fly off. The same thing is true for any of Ash’s Pokemon, or the trained Pokemon of any Trainer ever.
There’s another Donphan in the room that I’d like to touch on real quick. I’ve talked a lot about how the anime clarifies the nature of Pokemon and their relationship to their Trainers…but I also mentioned that the developers have openly tried to beat back the claims of animal abuse, of slavery. The anime speaks for itself, but what about the time Black and White openly addressed these criticisms? You were probably waiting for me to bring it up, but the truth is, I don’t have much to say. The idea of Pokemon and Trainers having a symbiotic relationship, and needing each other…the idea that they shouldn’t be separated…all of that is touched on in the games, but the subject is mostly used as a scapegoat by a wannabe dictator.
I have yet to see any character in Pokemon honestly make the same comparison that critics make in real life, and I doubt we ever will see that happen. It’s just not an idea that can be properly explored in the Pokeverse, because our world is unknown to them. Our way of doing things isn’t something that any in-universe Trainer could hope to understand. It’s an entirely different culture. The way we personally view Pokemon as creatures is colored by our context, by the fact that we’re on the outside, peering into this world with the perspective of a society that doesn’t have Pokemon. To the humans, this is the way their world works. Team Plasma came the closest to approaching that idea, but even then, they were the villains. It was made abundantly clear that they were wrong.
​

• In theory, Pokemon are servants at the whims of their Trainers. In practice, they’re actually the ones with real power and the relationship is balanced, nuanced, and heavily based on mutual trust.
• In theory, Pokemon are the wild animals of their universe. In practice, they have no equivalent to our world. They are, as we're told many times, "wondrous creatures." They have no explanation.
• In theory, Pokemon are forced to engage in senseless violence day in and day out. In practice, Pokemon battling is an art form that the Pokemon themselves choose to pursue, and it is not remotely dangerous.

If you've stuck with me this long, know that I appreciate you. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk. If you need me, I'll be shiny hunting for Klawf.

I (19F) got my first real crush. Crazy, huh? In high school I didn’t have the same opportunity to find relationships with people since my school had less than 100 students. (a hippie/alt school for ‘troubled teens’) Covid made socializing pretty much impossible for me since my mom is immunocompromised. Now, in my 3rd term of college, I have found someone who makes me very happy, and gives me butterflies every time he enters the room.
During early February, he started flirting and we would tease each other. This happened everytime I’d go to the study center. (which was 2-3 times a week) I had to stop going to the study center since I mentally could not do my homework (I wasn’t sure if my dad would live or die at the time.) Of course my crush assumed my absence was a sign that I wasn’t interested since my crush had no idea why I was gone. After overhearing a conversation he had with his friend about his new girlfriend last week, she seems like an introverted 🍃 addict who only really talks when she’s 🍃.
I only was able to get the context of him actually having a girlfriend by asking him if he did, but he then told me that he “doesn’t make a relationship official until a month in”. Right now, he’s about 2 weeks in the relationship. Since he basically said it wasn’t official, I took it as my opportunity to chase him again, but he’s not chasing me much at all anymore. I kind of told myself it’s now or never, so I texted him after school the same day and told him I liked him. He views my ig story, but other than texting me back dryly, he doesn’t interact with me at all. In person however, it’s mixed.
Him and his friend have a nickname for me, he talks to me differently than he does anyone else, he even seems a little nervous. I’m going by my moms advice to give it time, and to pretend like it doesn’t matter much that he’s no longer single, and to even flirt with other men, but it’s hard to do since I only see him in the study room. I guess I just want advice? I really really really like him. More than I’ve ever liked anyone else, even more than my last boyfriend who was an ass that practically ghosted me the moment we officially got together. This is so hard. He’s just so perfect, and the thought of him not being mine haunts me. What do I do?

So long story short, a low ranking Daeva got a bit overzealous while feeding and killed a mortal.
No problem, right? He buys some train tickets for the mortal, hides the body where no one will ever find it - and people assume she wanted to disappear. (It's the 60's, so not too hard to do)
Well there is one issue: the mortal's pissed off ghost - and while she doesn't remember being bitten, she does remember the guy she met at the bar. My Sin Eater players have followed up on this lead and just about have the vampire tracked down. They don't know he's a vampire yet (they know he's died before, so they're assuming he's a sin eater for now).
My question is: what is the Invictus's order of operations here?

• Dominate mindwipes aren't going to stick because a couple of ghosts already know what's up and can remind the players. (assuming all the players fail clash of wills)
• Violence seems very unwise due to Bound resurrection. (not that the vampires know that)
• Blackmail? The vamps have a lot more to lose than most of the players do
• Negotiation is probably their best bet, the players are likely going to want the killer to face justice (and that Daeva feels pretty doomed for the breach) . But that doesn't feel like it leaves a lot of leverage in the vampires' hands so I don't see them pursuing that option.

I was a young and eager journalist, always looking for the next big story. So when I heard rumors of a haunted hotel on the outskirts of town, I knew I had to investigate.
The hotel had been abandoned for years, and local legend said that it was cursed by the ghosts of those who had died there. Many had tried to enter, but all had been scared off by the eerie creaking of the old wooden floors and the shadows that seemed to move on their own.
Determined to get the inside story, I recruited a team of fellow investigators and set out to explore the hotel. As we entered, I felt a chill run down my spine, and I knew that we were in for a wild ride.
The first few hours were uneventful, and we began to think that the rumors of the hotel's haunting were just that – rumors. But as night fell and the moon rose high in the sky, things began to get strange.
We heard footsteps coming from the upper floors, even though we knew that no one was there. We saw shadows moving in the corners of our vision, but when we turned to look, there was nothing there. And we heard the sound of whispering coming from the darkness, although we could not make out the words.
Despite our fear, we continued to explore the hotel, determined to find the source of the haunting. We searched every room, every hallway, and every nook and cranny, but we found nothing out of the ordinary.
Then, as we were about to give up hope, we came across a secret door hidden behind a bookshelf. Curiosity got the better of us, and we opened the door to reveal a hidden chamber filled with ancient artifacts and strange symbols.
As we examined the artifacts, we heard a low growling coming from the darkness. Suddenly, a ghostly figure appeared before us, its eyes burning with an otherworldly flame.
"You dare to enter my domain?" it said in a voice that echoed through the chamber. "You shall pay the price for your intrusion."
We were frozen in fear, but then something strange happened. The ghostly figure began to change, its features becoming less menacing and more human. And then, to our amazement, we realized that it was not a ghost at all, but a living person in disguise.
The person explained that they had been trying to scare people away from the hotel because they believed that it was cursed and dangerous. They had been using tricks and illusions to create the illusion of a haunting, but they never expected anyone to actually find their secret chamber.
Feeling a mix of relief and disappointment, we left the hotel and returned to our normal lives. But the experience had left a lasting impression on us, and we knew that we would never forget the haunted hotel and the mysteries it held.
As for me, I realized that sometimes the scariest things in life are not ghosts or monsters, but the unknown and the unexplained. And so, I continue to seek out the mysteries of the world, always ready for whatever may come my way.

I have lived in the place I live now for 8 years. There is this neighbor girl who is a couple of years younger than me who I believe is using me to try and get to my husband.
Keep in mind, she has invited another woman's husband in my neighborhood to a place she was housesitting at and his wife tracked his ass there and went and made a scene at 3 am. She swore up and down they didnt sleep together. Yeah. Ok.
So I saw her over the weekend and she was telling me how she was in sooo much pain because she had slipped down the stairs at Christmas time and landed on her tailbone. She said she thought she may have fractured her pelvis.
She then ran into my husband that same day and proceeded to tell him that she hurt her pelvis "working out". She does NOT work out.
Um that's a completely different story. So it seems she is trying to impress my husband lol and I'm sorry but she doesn't have even a slight chance.
So she tries to hang out with me constantly and I either ghost her or tell her we will and then I flake. She is not getting the message!! I don't want to have to be straight up with her because that could get ugly. She lives three doors down from me and her kid is in my kid's class in school.
Please help me find the best way to approach this situation without an all-out brawl ensuing. Thanks in advance for your advice.

I (19F) got my first real crush. Crazy, huh? In high school I didn’t have the same opportunity to find relationships with people since my school had less than 100 students. (a hippie/alt school for ‘troubled teens’) Covid made socializing pretty much impossible for me since my mom is immunocompromised. Now, in my 3rd term of college, I have found someone who makes me very happy, and gives me butterflies every time he enters the room. During early February, he started flirting and we would tease each other. This happened everytime I’d go to the study center. (which was 2-3 times a week) I had to stop going to the study center since I mentally could not do my homework since I wasn’t sure if my dad would live or die at the time, which of course my crush assumed was a sign that I wasn’t interested since my crush had no idea why I was gone. After overhearing a conversation he had with his friend about his new girlfriend, she seems like an introverted 🍃 addict who only really talks when she’s 🍃. I only was able to get the context of him actually having a girlfriend by asking him if he did, but he then told me that he “doesn’t make a relationship official until a month in”. Since he said that, I took it as my opportunity to chase him again, but he’s not chasing me much at all anymore. I kind of told myself it’s now or never, so I texted him after school the same day and told him I liked him. He views my story, but other than texting me back dryly, he doesn’t interact with me at all. In person however, it’s mixed. Him and his friend have a nickname for me, he talks to me differently than he does anyone else, he even seems a little nervous. I’m going by my moms advice to give it time, and to pretend like it doesn’t matter much that he’s no longer single, and to even flirt with other men, but it’s hard to do since I only see him in the study room. I guess I just want advice? I really really really like him. More than I’ve ever liked anyone else, even more than my last boyfriend who was an ass that practically ghosted me the moment we officially got together. This is so hard. He’s just so perfect, and the thought of him not being mine haunts me. What do I do?

Greetings, Huntsmen, Huntresses, and gender neutral Hunters! Welcome to another week of writing prompts! If you are new here, this is a community-driven weekly event, and the purpose is primarily to generate creativity and have fun while doing so (whether you are a 100% real-meat person or not, we don't judge).

If you missed the news, /RWBY and the discord both have new moderators! Be sure to give them all a warm welcome! :)

What will be involved Special Note for Spoilers!:

Each week, three RWBY-related topics will be posted (subject to ties and special events!). Participants can write a short piece of fiction or dialogue based on that prompt. When writing, the suggestion is to aim for 1k-3k words, however, this is not a requirement. There is no goal - this is not a popularity contest - just write and have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! :)
SPOILERS:
You may write spoilers for the most recent episode into your works. However, we ask that you treat it like NSFW entries and post elsewhere (FFN, wattpad, etc.), link to it here, and provide proper warnings, okay? Great! <3

Rules (gore, NSFW, spoilers etc.)

The rules are the same as the sub's posting guidelines. Nobody here wants to see your story taken down, so please refer to them before contributing! If someone chooses to ignore these rules, the post will be removed.

Additional information

Pre-writing is welcome! /rwbyprompts is a sub with writing as a focus - there you will find an archive of all the threads as well as a somewhat fleshed-out wiki with odds and ends. :) A detailed spreadsheet of WPW things is here! Keep in mind that this houses a lot of the old prompts, but it also has links and things like early participation to previous WPW threads. We're trying this whole week-to-week thing in the face of the bajillion prompts we had built up. We might do something with them, or people might cycle them back in, who knows what could happen??
Find us on Discord at The Qrow's Nest! The permanent invite has been deleted due to Discord bot shenanigans, so dm shand if you want an invite!

The Prompts!:

This week is dedicated to Spring Break, which means we're going freeform! The theme is obviously every student's favorite time of year - write what you like (but try to behave yourselves haha!)

Next Week's Poll:

The annual Spring Break Beach episode is on, so we're still on last week's poll! :)
The Poll!

Last Week:

Some of the older threads keep getting updates - if you spotted a to be continued, you might wanna go back and have a peek! ;)
The [thread]()
The Prompts:

• Team RWBY always gets the lowest scores on "survival and evasion" exercises. Finally, somebody from another team has to explain that a trail of wanton destruction isn't evasion.
• The Rwby crew (can include villains or not) play among us.
• Yang's arm gets a Prosthetic Yang to replace the Yang it lost.

Alternate-Secondary Prompts:

• An AU where Pyrrha is Jaune's childhood friend.
• Pyrrha's ghost possesses Ruby so she could interact with Jaune. (Nothing "unsafe" happens, though)
• The tragic story of a young huntress (or huntsman), the ravenous horde of Grimm (s)he has fallen in love with, and the disapproving society keeping them apart.
• Team WTCH abridges a RWBY episode of your choice (btw the comment isnt stickied).
• The history of SDC corporate branding.
• RWBY/HI FI RUSH Crossover!
• Rather than be inspired by Qrow, Ruby instead bases her weapon(s) and combat style off of a different scythe wielder (not necessarily from the RWBY-verse).
• Top GeaGrand Tour Remnant Special, featuring Yang Xiao Long. Hilarity ensues, as is the usual for Top GeaGrand Tour.
• Young Maria going for tryouts at Haven Academy.
• One character has something in their teeth, and another JUST. CAN'T. STOP. STARING at it.
• JN_R visits the neighborhood where Pyrrha grew up.
• Yang finds a Terran main battle tank. Chaos ensues.
• When Crocea Mors was created, a soul was born in it. This secret is known by the Arc Family only, with the exception of Jaune. So when the sword reawakened, it introduced itself to Jaune while in front to Team JNPR.

Upcoming Events:

Next week is Spring Break!

Important Stuff and Things!

I have managed to rescue /RWBYFanfiction from an untimely demise! If you would like to share your fanfic or make recommendations, head on over there! I know that I've said something special was coming for this, but Ruby on Rails is hard and not cheap to operate. The fanfiction indexer that I was trying to set up just isn't working and probably needs someone with more experience in RoR programming/design. I haven't completely put it to bed, but it might be a while before I can circle back to it. In the meantime, the fanfic sub has actually had a decent amount of postings - head on over and say hi! :)
No matter how bad things may get, words will always have meaning. Now get out there and write something, but most importantly, have fun! :)

Has anyone here proposed of or heard about a Lost role playing game (RPG), using a dice rolling system? Ahead of time, I apologize for the geekery. I'm just curious to know if this topic has ever been discussed before. There are aspects to the settings and characters that would make for a very functional RPG. It's common for TV shows to exploit this, because franchise rights translate well to game applications. This is just off the top of my head, but I've been also thinking about it for a while. Since there likely will never be any further franchise production, I think it would be interesting to continue the story with fans using new characters in new locations.
The settings are simple enough, because they possess characteristics of a traditional RPG. Items that serve as resources like food or materials for crafting, weapons and even puzzle pieces that could allow players to unlock mysteries elsewhere later. Characters would need to go to the Black Rock first in order to access the hatch, for example.
Characters have distinct traits as well, with various skill sets and other advantages/disadvantages based on their backgrounds that could make them more useful in some situations and vulnerable in others. The usual traits would exist (strength, intelligence, reflexes, agility, speed, endurance) along with a given set of hit points in each character based on their class.
Skills might include:
- leadership (Jack, John, Ben, Ana Lucia, etc.)
- medicine (Jack, Juliet)
- marksmanship (Sayid, Kate, Ana Lucia, etc.)
- hand-to-hand combat (Sayid, John, Jack, Kate, etc.)
- tracking (Kate, John, Sayid...)
- driving (Hurley, Kate, Ben)
- boating (Desmond, Michael, Sawyer, Jin)
- hunting/fishing/botany (Jin, John, Sun)
- maps revealed (Ben, Danielle, John)
- engineering (Michael, Daniel, Stuart)
- language (Sun, Juliet, Sayid...)
- lock picking (Kate, Sayid, Sawyer)
- con man (Sawyer, Ben, MiB, Kate)
I could think of a dozen more, but you get the idea.
These skill sets could be categorized into character classes, such as "survivor, man of science/faith, killer. One class that I invented was the lucky charm. Someone with no helpful skills but bring extreme luck to a scenario, like Charlie, Claire, Miles or Hurley. Rare enough individuals fit this type, and perhaps while they can't do much, they're given breaks that other characters wouldn't. Hapless would-be victims that stumble backwards into secrets. They also seem to stick together whenever possible, like Hobbits.
Supernatural or clairvoyance powers could also be granted to key players during a campaign by the GM (with or without their knowledge).
- marked as "candidate" (Jack, et al.)
- telepathy (Walt)
- longevity (Albert)
- access to relics (Ben, Richard, Dogen)
- access to Dharma (Ben, Juliet, Sawyer, Others, etc.)
- ability to see ghosts (Hurley)
- ability to sense a corpse's final thoughts (Miles)
- impervious to electromagnetism (Desmond)
All characters should have backstories that come with drawbacks as well. Criminal or life-threatening situations, careefamily issues, or even health problems that can't be resolved.
Dice rolling would involve D10s and D20s.
So what do any of you think about this idea? Is this something you would like to try someday? Is this something someone has already tried? I'd like some feedback on this.