#even with all the technological advancements of the pokemon world

[shou-scribbles]

Someone on the discord got me on the topic of pokemon and now here we are!

Will also be spriting Nick, Jason and Salim at some point over the next week or so!

[bogleech]

Also going to finally make a pinned post for all my stuff:

BOGLEECH - my tumblr blog is named after this website I created around 2002 and still update. Thousands of pages worth of content focusing on creature design as well as real biology. My review of the original Legend of Zelda monsters might be the most straightforward example of my articles.

Links to some of the most popular content:

POKEMON REVIEW ARCHIVE: - I rate and review each and every single Pokemon, in Pokedex order, on its merits as a creature design. I also do so as someone whose favorite animals are all parasites.

DIGIMON REVIEW ARCHIVE - same, but more chaotic.

CREEPYPASTA COOKOFF ARCHIVE - for several years I hosted a yearly writing contest before it grew too big for me to keep up with. There are over a thousand user submitted horror, fantasy, sci fi and surrealist stories here emphasizing unconventional, original ideas you seldom see from the "creepypasta" community!

The original "MORTASHEEN" Monster Archive - since the early 2000's I've created and illustrated more than 800 creatures and counting for my own monster-catching world, now set for release as a tabletop RPG setting.

AWFUL HOSPITAL: SERIOUSLY THE WORST EVER (page one): an interactive comedy-horror-sci-fi webcomic I started in 2014 about a medical facility that could maybe be better.

Some of my other internet stuff:

PATREON - constant work makes my patreon updates inconsistent, but the content backlog goes back years with a huge amount of exclusive art and writing. I try to put up new exclusive stuff whenever I can.

ETSY - I design all sorts of original enamel pins like these, plus I sell zero-maintenance terrarium plants (just leave them in a jar!), original books and other things!

COLOR THE ABYSS (available on the above etsy!) - a 30 page educational deep sea coloring book! Includes a few famous favorites like giant isopods and hagfish, but mostly focuses on less popular, often much weirder animals.

UNBELIEVABLE BUGS - also regularly restocked in the etsy store, 30 of the strangest and most surprising arthropods most people have likely never heard of, illustrated by myself and @revretch, written for even the youngest kids to understand (but will likely teach you something new at any age)

My Itch.io and Ko-fi - both sell digital versions of my books, including some creepypasta collections and my first novel, "Return of the Living," about a world of entirely ghosts suddenly dealing with the appearance of ghost-hunting monsters.

TWITCH CHANNEL - I now try to stream something at least monthly, sometimes weekly when possible, from horror games to books and art.

YOUTUBE CHANNEL - archives my twitch streams and other little things.

INSTAGRAM - look at pictures of my huge weird collection of toys and Halloween collectibles

BLUESKY - I'm going to put mainly just updates to my stuff on here.

SEE ALSO:

HUMANS-B-GONE - a science fiction animated series by my partner @revretch, about a world of kaiju-size, technologically advanced insects and arachnids to whom vertebrates like us are just pesky little "gubs." Also has a tumblr account @humansbgone

FINALLY, HERE'S MY GUIDE AND RESOURCE TO MAKING YOUR OWN INTERNET WEBSITE IN A FEW MINUTES WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF CODING

[harmonia-university]

The humans had modern technology and maybe even advanced. Were nuclear weapons used during the war? Is that why places were renamed, the nukes ravaged the landscape until it no longer looked like what it once was. I don’t think we ever see what lies outside of tagniere we’ve seen other cities like nimabasa and dark type city but never what’s in between. Are these cities like safe havens from the radioactive wastes outside?

Elsie: Nuclear weapons weren’t used. You know what happened on that front.

Humans used mainly standard weapons and also, Pokemon themselves- which is honestly controversial in and of itself. Many pokemon were still loyal to their human trainers- it was like the most violent pokemon battle ever.

The humans did have some specially made weapons and armor to deal with Pokemon elemental attacks but they were just technological upgrades to regular weapons. Stuff to suppress Pokemon powers and be able to fight back fairly.

Haha, so no. The rest of the world isnt some radioactive wasteland. It's still pretty much the same as before. In fact, humans were the ones who started renaming the regions and all that, we just finished the job.

Anyway, Isn't this whole shtick supposed to be mostly focused on this particular university? That's probably why you haven't seen anything outside of here. If you asked some of the other guys nicely to describe their hometowns or maybe prod them to go on a vacation maybe you'd see some other locations. *shrugs*

[ anon ]

[diamondwerewolf]

A Quick Chat About AZ

Which won't be quick at all.

I've talked for a little about coming to understand Lysandre, and now I'd like to talk about AZ, who is still somewhat of a mystery to me. We know of his backstory, but what I'm missing is what defines his personality. We don't speak with him enough in game to know it, so I had to do some digging around so I can form some assumptions. Most of this post will be me using Canon and Non-Canon [But still official] sources to get a grasp on what kind of man AZ is, just in case we don't get more information about him in Legends ZA.

-I want to know what he's like, because I want to make more artwork with him. ^^'-

Before I get into what I've found, I want to first talk about a character who I think is clearly defined, by his sheer simplicity. That's right,

It's Larry.

Larry, for example, has very clear likes and dislikes. He's an overworked, professional, brooding, middle aged man, who has respect for rules and simplicity. He dresses plainly, and uses relatively ordinary or normal type pokemon. He's vocal and assertive of his preferred lifestyle, to the point of stubbornness [ of which is only thwarted by his desire for his paycheck]. He also loves food and the pursuit of an extraordinary meal. Despite his introvert-like demeanor, he's shown to be friendly, deeply contemplative, and hiding a quirky, dad joke-like sense of humor.

With all of this, I can extrapolate what kind of decisions Larry would make if I were to put him in a new non-canonical situation. And, I can also define where I'd like to bend or add on to his personality in my own form of fandom play.

--

Now, back to the main topic. All of this to digest with a grain of salt. I also apologize in advance if I hop around a little between sources.

AZ, I can only assume is underutilized because of his grand age. 3,000 years old, means 3,000 years of knowledge or a direct eye witness of history. He wondered in search of his best friend, gradually witnessing the world transition from ancient to modern. Chances are, he can answer regional mysteries that gamefreak wouldn't want to touch upon. So, he's here one moment, and then gone the next after serving his key purpose in the game narrative.

Which brings me to all of the other official items I looked into and some thoughts on his intelligence. I watched his appearance in the Pokemon Generations Episode 18: The Redemption. [ no one asked but i think i prefer the japanese voice much more ] And I also was given a data bank to look through Pokemon XY game script.

AZ build the ultimate weapon. Though, if he had any assistance with it, it's unspecified. IF I RECALL CORRECTLY, in the recent XY development leaks, Sycamore, Lysandre, and AZ were all the same character, before the role was properly divided into three. Still, I'm under the impression, that AZ wasn't just a king, but a well respected researcher.

There’s research material on the bookshelf [In Lysandre Labs] “The king was proud of the technology he had used to bring Kalos prosperity, but he couldn’t help but use it in a way that had never been intended... AZ, the man who was king, disappeared.”

I think, AZ being keenly intelligent, is an easy assertion to make. He could build and operate complicated machinery, and probably still can. There are even more side notes I can make about his more complex understanding of pokemon. I don't think I have the clarity of mind to pull out even more examples, so I'll use just this one:

AZ does have a Golurk of unspecified age on his small team. I wonder...is it possible he built his Golurk himself? There are many pokadex entries stating the creation of, and ancient use of pokemon in these old cities. AZ appears to understand the infinite energy that dwells within pokemon well enough to contribute to the society he ruled over. I don't think 'artificial' pokemon construction is beyond his understanding, if he knew well enough that he could bring one back to life.

---

Moving along.

After building the weapon to revive his friend:

"...his rage still had not subsided."

I absolutely love this flashback sequence. I love how they portrayed the rawness of AZ's emotions. The unnerving look in his eye as his horrific choice forms. You get the sense that he truly did just...snap.

Which Makes Me Wonder: How tethered is AZ to his emotions? Is he like Lysandre, who appears to allow himself to freely feel his own anger and frustration, letting it drive him to obssession. Does he have a slight sense of entitlement, too? Entitled to take the world's problems and other lives in his hands. If so, did he leave that wicked part of himself behind?

AZ is royalty. He's a former -literal- king during a time of war, unlike Lysandre who's a more metaphorical king during a time of general peace. That may be an excuse for him easily taking on, beyond important, harrowing decisions. I wonder if this was the most difficult point in his reign. That aside, AZ doesn't seem to be concerned with that title living in modern day.

He doesn't demand that he should be treated like his former title. I'm going to make another assumption that he has let that go a long time ago. He struggles with being forgiven, maybe even struggles with caring about himself. He's traded his old royal regalia, a robe, golden arm cuffs, and golden neck piece, for old, worn, patchy clothes. He doesn't care about his royalty, or his clothes, and AZ never makes any mention that I can remember about his own height.

None of it appears to matter to him. Only "where is she?"

---

Speaking of.

AZ's ability to hold on to hope is...something.

When yeh know for certain sure yeh ain’t never gonna meet again... Well, yeh can give in and accept it. But if yeh think there might be a chance, and yeh wander the world for 3,000 years tortured by that flicker of hope... I tell yeh, sprout. I couldn’t have stood it.

I don't think I could have stood it either. To not give up on his Floette for 3,000 years, to muscle through that torture until finally you meet again. What would you call the kind of 'grit' that would make you endure something like this? In the XY manga, he's plagued by nightmares of his past. He described his ordeal officially in the game as 'endless suffering'. Is it a certain kind of stubbornness? A kind of unconditional love? I'm not sure... AZ, in another one of my opinions, has got to be one of the series' most strong willed characters. You can't survive 3,000 years with weak resolve. He can't die of old age, but..well...

...

Despite the horrors he's capable of, he's got a gentle quality to him. I like the contrast, between a giant and a pokemon so delicate and tiny. I'm sure the juxtaposition of AZ and his Floette is purposeful, and in itself helps inform of his character.

This is from the Pokemon Adventure XY Manga, and isn't canonical, but...look at him. I found him greeting Trevor's Flabebe so sweet. He's respectful to the children also, and doesn't belittle them in the slightest.

His smile. He calls her beautiful, and she is! He has some stony expressions, but also some very softened ones in Anime, Game, and Manga. He hasn't lost his ability to smile after all this time. Which is nice...

OOF, I've been writing this for a long while, so I'll wrap things up. I can't trust myself to write a comprehensive summary, like Larry, at this time, but I hope to have one later. Again, I'm hoping Legends ZA will provide more before I start my true 'blorbo madness'.

Here are all of my assumptions in a list AZ is:

Extraordinarily Intelligent, capable of making and operating dangerous technology. I believe he wasn't just a King, but a contributing engineer/ researcher.

Deeply emotional, allowing himself to openly cry, feel anger, and sorrow. Despite his intelligence, his emotions can cloud his judgement. THOUGH, he may have much more emotional maturity now. [ i find it interesting both he and lysandre are allowed to shed tears ]

Strong of will, or is a person of unwavering conviction.

Stern, somewhat of a languisher, but gentle.

That's all I have for now. Let me know if anyone else has thoughts!

[almaignismare]

That raises a very interesting point. Most Pokemon builds we see are based around competitive battling, or travelling the wilderness (HM slaves etc). This is normal because we always follow the perspective of a Pokemon trainer travelling to challenge the League.

But for regular people, living their daily lives, getting a Pokemon "team" will probably be less about these things, and more about the general comfort of daily living, either by being amazing pets (like the Flareon above) or by helping with everyday chores.

Something like an Octillery will give you a Helping Hand with the dishes by using Soak and Bubble Beam, and then never dropping them ever due to its Suction Cups ability. Or Musharnas helping insomniacs fall asleep with Moonlight (for the atmosphere), Calm Mind, then finally putting you to sleep with Yawn or Hypnosis. They could even warn them of potential threats while sleeping with Forewarn.

Not to mention all the industries where Pokemon could work as replacements for specialized machinery: we've seen plenty of Machokes and Conceldurrs (using Strength, no doubt) on construction sites, and electric types as batteries/power plants. Excadrills could help with creating tunnels and mining. Not to mention the singular god-esque figures that can just alter the laws of physics to their trainer's every whim.

For a world full of willing creatures that can do so much, they are *very* underutilized. How is this society *less* advanced than our own technologically and especially infrastructurally (just a couple of small towns, maybe one large town per region, most of them not even connected with regular routes, just tall grass roaming with wild animals). Even the Flintstones used their dinosaurs in more creative ways.

Outside of that, thanks for being my first ask ever. If anyone wants to send more, feel free to do so :)

[the-cosmos-foundation]

Hello, Worlds!

We bid thee welcome to the official Rotomblr blog of the Cosmos Foundation, a multiversal-focused study advocacy group and think tank for the applications of what our fellows have been capable of beyond the veil.

Our world has long been cut off from the multiverse sans rather sparse moments or through the power of beings of extraordinary powers, and only through recent developments have we been getting signals that allow us to connect with the broader tapestry of creation that spacetime has given us access to. As such, the Cosmos Foundation follows three key tenets:

To advocate for technological growth and development of a more robust, stable connection to other dimensional planes.

To assist and fund efforts in the former through our own research and in bettering the lives of both our fellow man and Pokemon alike.

To push for the uplifting of those that require the help our current systems cannot help in any meaningful way.

We are a group of people dedicated to the improvement of the star we live upon. Those with disabilities here may have more meaningful assistance elsewhere we can draw inspiration from. Technology may be far more advanced, but at achievable levels reached with close examination here. And of course, worlds where Pokemon play an even more integral role that is not simply in service of humanity, but in cooperation with them.

Our main moderation team is threefold: Mods Crescent, Luna and Apogee, all denoted with the appropriate colors you see here! Click their names to get to know us all a bit better!

We hope to get to know you better as we explore the multiverse together!

//Welcome, welcome, one and all to this rousing circus' outlandish call.

I am fully invested in my bullshit, and you're gonna need to find out for yourself whether or not this blog is what it says it is or not~!

Mun's an adult, all mods are adults, this is however an officially-facing PR account for a "Team" of sorts. Whether or not they're closer to something like Team Magma and Plasma, Teams Yell or Skull or even the Aether Foundation is up to you all to find out~!

Have fun harassing the mods, they're all here for the long haul!

[the-fluffiest-trainer]

[A video is attached, once again from the labs' control room. Fluttershy is nowhere to be seen; there are only Twilight, Bryony, and Celosia standing together in front of the Ultimate Weapon.]

So. We'd better do something about this.

Right. It's safe to say Lysandre's plan is dead–

Good chance the man himself may be too, after that.

Interpol is taking him to a hospital right away. A well guarded one. Now, the Weapon...

[Bryony steps closer to the displays and inspects one of them.]

Still a lot of charge remaining, even after one shot and with the Legendaries escaped. A hundred and seven percent of the baseline Lys set for reducing the population to sustainable levels without wiping out everyone in Kalos.

Which means it would still do a lot of damage if someone got in here and activated it again.

[Twilight's horn lights up with magic, and the Weapon's key turns back to the neutral position and slides out of the keyhole. It floats through the air to Twilight's side, and she packs it snugly away in her saddlebag.]

And I won't let anyone do that. I'll figure out some safe place to keep that key, but also...

[Magic sparks again, and a shimmer of pink forms over the keyhole, blocking it with a kind of forcefield.]

Just in case.

Good idea. That thing's a menace until it can be properly tuned to–

[Twilight shoots Celosia a sharp look, and the scientist stops abruptly and clears her throat.]

Like I said, that thing's a menace.

But it doesn't have to be.

Just what I was thinking. Since the legendary pokemon are gone, and even if we had them, we couldn't give their stolen power back – right?

That's right. It's like donating blood. Anything taken out regenerates over time, and then you can't pump it back in without hurting them.

Then that power isn't going anywhere. And I don't care to leave Kalos with a bomb for anyone who decides to explore an abandoned building to stumble upon, so my idea is... these labs stay open. Not owned by Lysandre, not under the banner of Team Flare, but most of the equipment here is intact and there's still good work to do.

Bryony, Celosia, I think your first job should be to work on focusing lenses. Study the footage of the shot we fired today, figure out what shape will concentrate the Weapon's output as tight as possible–

I thought you didn't want it used again.

Not as a weapon. But if there's one thing I've learned from being in this world... one thing that fueled this world's technological advancement above and beyond Equestria's... it's electricity. Made from spinning a turbine, done by boiling water into steam. And it doesn't matter what you use to boil that water. You can burn rocks you dig out of the ground, you can use the wind, use the waves, use the sun... If we can focus the Ultimate Weapon's power, and turn it on just a trickle, it could supply electricity to the whole region.

I suppose so... How much would that be?

Hold on, let me do some math...

[Bryony taps a few buttons on her holocaster, then types a command on one of the Weapon consoles. The screen in front of her flips to another view, and then she returns her attention to the holocaster, now with a calculator app pulled up. There is silence through the room for a solid thirty seconds while she types.]

Well, alright then. Damn. Assuming perfect energy conversion, which you never should, this thing could put out enough electricity to cover Kalos's entire demand for 19 months.

And that's if you turned off every power plant in the region too. I guess there's something to this idea after all.

[Twilight's face lights up with a wide grin.]

Oh, good! I was hoping it would be something significant like that, to be a big help to the region while we drain the batteries here.

I guess that's the plan, then. You two, start work on converting the Ultimate Weapon into a generator, and as long as you're doing that I think I can keep Interpol off your backs. If anyone else from the Team shows up, you can have them help, but tell both me and the police first. Don't want any Lysandre loyalists trying to slip in, but we can't turn down talented minds either. Got it?

[The two human scientists exchange a look, and then both nod as Celosia answers for the pair.]

Got it... boss.

[Video ends.]

[galacticgrunt155]

What "better future" are you working towards? Like...unions?

Well I mean I guess unions can be part of it but we're thinking more along the lines of, less overall human and pokemon suffering. With the power of science, we can help advance medicine, bend physics to our will, and maybe even undo the worst mistakes in our history! We can speed up technological advances! Team Galactic started as a tech company, after all. We've been pushing the limits since the start! And it can be accessible, too! They're behind a lot of warp technology, and they added an attachment to my wheelchair to make it go faster. Did you know we get the best healthcare? We have our own doctors, they've been covering my spinal injections. Imagine if the whole world were like Team Galactic! No more sadness, no more pain! Wouldn't that be the best?

[silvereyedzoroark]

Scooby Doom: Witch and Zomshao

Episode 13 another episodes which had more than one villain, always more tricky to figure out what to do with them.

First I was like, drat should have saved Delphox for the witch...then was like wait, not all villains need to be turned into Pokemon! this 'Witch' it ordering around the Zombie so why now make them a Pokemon trainer, like a Hex Maniac?

So presenting the Hex Maniac Witch and her Alpha Zombie Mienshao, because what's more terrifying than a Zombie Pokemon? An Alpha Zombie Pokemon!

She even has a 'wooden' pokeball for her minion!

Honestly its funny to think that 'magic' dose exist in the Pokemon world, but it's gotten overshadowed by its advancement with technology that even the natives of that world seem to forget it exist.

Anyway ramble aside is this an elderly Hex Maniac who's gone to the next level and has summoned a Zombie Pokemon? or some people in good cosplay?

A) Real Witch, Real Alpha Pokemon

B) Fake Witch, Real Alpha Pokemon

C) Cosplayers

[sillygoblinantics]

Click her for the first four generations!!!

Gobbo’s Semi-Complete Pokémon Retrospective!!

Pt 2.

The previous post wasn’t able to save the rest of the draft that contained the layout of Gen five and so I will be continuing my retrospective starting with Gen five, here! Please know this is based primarily on personal experience as well as some bits of bias but I’ll try to not let my word take away from experiencing these games from you! With new advancements of technology it’s now possible to enjoy if not through a not entirely exact structure and gameplay of the originals to replay these older games without a DS or cartridge via emulators! So if you can I highly suggest trying them out! Alright let’s get to it!

Heads up this will be quite long of a read so take breaks if need be

Gen V (halfway there!!)

My memories of this game is very limited as this was a very sad time where my brother and i’s pokemon journey would end after the 3ds came out. But I will share what I do remember and then go over some interesting findings of this game!

My mom usually took both of us to GameStop to get the newest pokemon games only this time when black and white came out, my mom took me to get the game I wanted (I personally wish I goth pokemon black because I personally loved the design of reshiram more and its symbolism/ties to daoism representing Yin) on our way home my mother kept reminding me to not let my brother see me playing the game to which I followed! Up until my brother saw me playing while I was chilling in my parents room to which he gasped and exclaimed no fair before racing downstairs yelling for our mom to take him to GameStop, I all wide eyed would race to advance further in the game before he got back only to lose the race! XD I had made it to the third or second town from the starting town when he caught me! Oh and my starter was a female oshawott I named Shelly! I also had a massive crush on N. And didn’t need to fight him four times to get further in the game.

Now for the trivia part:

The biggest addition that sadly didn’t make it out of Gen five was the changing seasons that would change whenever you next opened the game if my memory is correct? This was also a sort of reintroduction of the pokemon franchise! The small roster of new pokemon shaked things up for long time fans especially with the exclusion of older pokemon but in post as well as the sequels you could still get some of your favorites without having to hack them in like a certain ralts enthusiast has done to paint a biased narrative. LILY.

Unova being the first region not based on a specific area of Japan like the first four games were, unova took place in a ingame version of the Empire State, New York, NY! In an interview the unique meaning behind the region’s Japanese name truly illustrated the very common experience one has to traveling to a new country.

The Japanese name roughly translates to: “From afar there is one” if we take this in the context of the region’s real world inspiration and the perspective of someone who’s never left their home country and is travelling to a country they’ve only had a very limited understanding or experience with only going by caricatures or stereotypes. From afar they believe where they’re traveling has only one type of people but as they get closer they learn and realize that there is a much broader and diverse picture of a multitude of combinations of people of many different backgrounds and ethnicities!

New York cities Ellis island was the birth place and port that welcomed many different families of many different backgrounds that would disperse across the city and the states.

It’s no wonder that in gen five we are given not the standard eight gym leaders instead we have ten! Each one being a representation if not stand in for the different kinds of people you meet in NYC. And outside of trainers and characters the Pokémon themselves even reflect the diversity found in NYC and the states as a whole. From elgyem and beehyeem being the greys and flatwoods monster, the Gothitelle line being based on well goths but also Lolita-goth fashion, braviary being the national bird the bald eagle (and a continuous scientific paradoxical mystery that rattles my mind to this day XD), several exotic pets that get brought to the states, and something very interesting I learned given new information that I find is an example of GameFreaks’ attention to detail when it comes to making new regions:

Golett and Golurk

As I’m sure we are all aware of, these Pokémon are suppose to be the golem from ancient Jewish mythology. For those unfamiliar: the golem was a humanoid creature made of a special clay adorn with special ornament and prayers. The golem would only move when given a task that would be written on a scroll or parchment that would then be placed in its mouth, once active the golem would then fulfill this task and once complete return to a dormant state awaiting its next task.

But something that stood out to me has always been the arm bands and head spike golurk seemed to have apart of its design. When talking with someone who has given me insight of his culture I learned of a prayer that stood out in how familiar the concept was! This (below) is a

Tefillin. The way the belt on the arm is wrapped can mean a multitude of things when in prayer the box on the forehead also holds different prayers as well!

Keep in mind I’m just speculating this but the implied detail of this in a pokemon that debuted in a game based on New York City which has been a starting for many Jewish families who immigrated to the US while still looking for refuge in thousands of years of exile. Sorry I got sidetracked on the cultural history!

Please remember that I in no means intend to discuss or promote a political stance on my page and this is all I’m going to say on the matter, my only intent is to share information and insight into the making of these games and elements of the story and concept process.

Back to Pokémon! Outside of cultures that were brought into the use there’s a lot of native or indigenous influence as well!

But Unova has more than just the Pokémon and influences in design, there’s the mechanics and worldbuilding still left to address!

From the subway battles to the musicals and even the studio in the sequels there’s the secret world that varies based on game exclusives. But out of all of this there was a new battle mechanic that gets overlooked, I’m of course talking about rotation battles which involved three of your pokemon out in the battle where you could rotate and decide not only what move to use but which of your pokemon attacks first as the your opponent could easily rotate their pokemon to easily avoid or minimize damage from the move type. Essentially it was a triple battle with finesse!

Of course the story continues after the first games in the sequels unfortunately I wouldn’t get a chance to play them as my brother would end his journey one fateful day when his friend was over, taking all his ds games and ds lite into the garage and to my childish horror smashed all of them with a hammer beyond repair! I had no time but only to cry out “no not twiggy!!” Twiggy being the name of my brother’s starter in Gen four, turtwig. It would be after this where I began buying both games to keep the spirit of our tradition alive. We can now move on to…

———————————

Gen VI

Yes this is the generation where my oc Ripley came from as well as the backstory for Brid.

I also love Gen six however one gripe I had with the game was the exclusion of contests which if you remember the anime, was a thing for one of the characters and in universe something Diantha had done too! I’m still bitter about it but my enthusiasm and anticipation for PLZA is tenfold as now we get to see the possible era of French history known as the rebuild of France! Which lines up with some of the most impactful artistic historic movements in art, writing, science and fashion! I’m getting ahead of myself as this game is almost out! And this’ll have to this post into the second part of probably three or four.

Kalos is gorgeous with how bright and vibrant the world is with delicate touches of detail. Being the first of three games to be on the newest console that had the gimmick of being 3d, it also brought some controversy in regards to the transition from the top down 2d sprites to the jarring switch to 3d models. Of course the way the game opened was a way to transition that change from a restricting aerial or birdseye camera angle to a freeing and semi limited 360° camera movement. I chose fennekin as my starter and was sad when I didn’t get a girl but I didn’t let that stop me.

I nearly forgot to mention the big pull that Gen six brought to the battle mechanics of the competitive scene: Mega Evolution, the next step and true show of synchrony between a Pokémon and their trainer. And no Lily it’s not a sexual thing, we know what you wrote.

We also got introduced to what has to be one of my favorite types on a conceptual level: Fairy types!

It made more sense to add this type especially in a region based in Europe as many countries there have many variations of faeries or fey. And the added bonus of its type advantage being a reference to many children’s fairytales while the disadvantages being a call back to the Gaelic or Celtic origins of the faerie world! I.e. the weakness to iron which was used to protect children from being stolen by the fey. I also as of writing this had an epiphany as to where the poison weakness came from: the poison apple from Snow White or many other Grimm fairytales involving the use of poison! I just realized that!

This would be the last region where we would get a new eevee evolution that would not come back since the release of X and Y.

The fact these games are so heavily intertwined with such a rich usage of mythos and legends of Europe fills such a warmth for world building inside my heart. From the Nordic mythology the legendary trio of this region have ties to, to the dark ages of sickness and pain the black plague brought to even Arthurian mythology! With my personal thoughts of legends arceus’s art already set my excitement as of now calmed radiates as we get closer to the release of the legends ZA game’s art direction!

———————————

For now I think I’ll end here and continue when I’m more awake to finish off with the last three generations! Let’s hope I can get through the three games in one last post but I can already tell I’m gonna be going on about Gen nine so that’ll be fun!

[smilingmxsk]

Alt!

Send me “alt!” and I’ll introduce you to a character I’ve rped in the past, want to play in the future, or are currently playing elsewhere!

Mirrors twinkled everywhere in the vast expanse of the Distortion. Each one reveals a snippet of the overworld, viewing the passing of humans and Pokemon alike. Flocks of Peliper, packs of Lycanrock, heated battles clashing between Pokemon trainers, their valiant companions fighting hard for their victory...

And then there were the mirrors that saw beyond the overworld. The mirrors that showed glimpsed of legends and myths, tucked away far from the human eyes. His own siblings flying between the dimensions of Time and Space. Even... the Maker, the one who created all that was to be, Arceus, resting secluded in their own realm. Perhaps they knew that he was watching. Perhaps not. It did not matter.

All he ever did was watch and observe these days, for his own sake. To become involved with the overworld was to set a target upon his back. He didn't believe all humans to be bad... But there were just enough that prevented him from wandering the world for very long. To risk being spotted by their ever-advancing technology... oh it was not a mistake he wished to make. He'd seen what happened to the Eon duo. A frightening display of power over myths.

So there he sat. Watching the world from a place that knew no laws... besides the law of matter. Nothing here, in his prison sanctum worked in the same way as the Overworld. And that was just the way Vladimir liked it.

[mbenz1357]

Extra blurbs for my Pokemon Skytrekkers concept:

Hanji

When Hanji was in Lental, they were assisting Professor Mirror and his crew for research. It was one of the most fun they had in a long time, but like researching titans, they kept putting themselves in harms way ("No Hanji! Get your head out that Hippowdon's mouth! No, you can't hug a Bewear 'for science'!) They gave everyone mini heart attacks everytime...

Hanji started to identify as nonbinary some time after they Fell. They always felt they didn't feel like a woman or a man, they just didn't realize there was a name for it.

They didn't really mean to become captain of the Sky Trekkers. It just sort of happened.

After some trial and error (and a few things blowing up) they took to PokeEarth's much more advanced technology like a fish to water.

Hanji modeled the Sky Trekkers flag after the Wings of Freedom (different colors with crystablooms), but they instead called them the Wings of Redemption (name subject to change). It's also the name of the ship.

When making the flyers for hiring crew, they made it say somewhere along the lines of "Fallers especially welcome", just to see how many worlds have made their way to Poke-Earth. It worked since the crew is 99% Faller, not counting everyone's Pokemon.

Dogday

Despite his face being in a permanent smile, Dogday is actually very expressive. His eyes, ears, and body language make it easy to tell what he's feeling.

Due to his legs being chopped off, Dogday gets around on a wheelchair made from spare parts from the Neo-One (Made by Professor Mirror and his crew.) It even turns into a saddle when he rides on Drampa.

Understandably, Dogday was very suspicious around scientists ( he thought Mirror's niceness was a facade and Hanji just made him uncomfortable). He only felt a bit more at ease after being treated like a person for the first time in years, plus them making a wheelchair from scratch gave him tears of joy.

Before he got his chair, Hanji carried him around like a backpack so he "can get fresh air," much to his chagrin. But it did help them bond.

He's good with the younger kids that travel with them.

Aoi

When he Fell in Johto, he was taken in by a elderly librarian in Goldenrod City, who also offered him a part-time job. He still keeps in touch him after joining the Sky Trekkers.

Was surprised that he can still hook his cyberbrain to the foreign internet with no problems (he's still debating if PokeEarth's internet is more primitive or more advanced than his home world). He was even more shocked that a stray Porygon he found while searching the net followed him out of the computer.

After learning about how in the Pokemon world, gods and magic are flat-out real, tangible things, he did have a small existential crisis ("There's actually an afterlife?!").

Being a hacker, it was decently easy to find information that wasn't available in the library (though he couldn't find everything, the guard Porygon-Zs can be pretty trigger happy) it was alarming how many borderline world ending events happened in the past decade alone, only to be thwarted by many region's current champions ("How is this world still standing??")

You know how in Ghost in the Shell cyborgs have to eat food specifically made for them? After having dinner with the librarian at his insistence, Aoi found out he could eat the food on Poke-Earth with no issues. He still doesn't know why (Magic~!)

He met Sela before joining the rest of the crew. She was visiting Goldenrod for sightseeing and stopped by the library. Aoi has heard of Fallers from the librarian, the books and the net, but seeing a non-human one was shock.

He's usually the one teaching the less tech literate of the crew how to use the internet.

Why did Aoi join the Sky Trekkers in the first place when he's "not a team player"? Not even he's sure why. Joining at all took some convincing from the old librarian, so far he has no complaints about the crew, other than them being loud at times.

That's what I have got so far! More characters are coming soon!

[paragonrobits]

saw a video the other day about fashion in Pokemon and however well meant it was, it still annoyed me on a fundamental level and I think its probably because I don't much care for fashion on an industry level, and what SPECIFICALLY bothers me if the concept of how it seems to run on the idea that there are certain ways you ought to dress, and ways you should NOT be dressing because its not in fashion now

its a very transitory thing

fashions come and go; you should Dress a certain way NOW because that is the fashion, but it will not be the fashion in a few months and then you will need to wear something different because that is not the Fashion anymore and the entire concepts just BOTHERS ME A LOT

so, channeling that into writing.

one of the basic premises of my setting, especically the less overwhelming weird variants where the setting is technically post apocalyptic but stabilized enough to have things like organizations, trends and relevant here, fashions. The worlds where mortals dwell are separated into a number of different categories based on the political power of their dominant organizations, relative standards of living, organized use of magic and magitech, and stability. The most advanced and sophisticated ones (or who see themselves as sophisticated) are called the Heaven Worlds; closer to cyberpunk and solarpunk themes depending on local culture influences, these have the most well-to-do mortal worlds, with high standards of living and regard themselves as blessed or inherently better than the other worlds, with a big case of exceptionalism and a tendency to look down on the others, either maliciously or through unintentioonal condescending compassion

at the other of the scale are the explicitly post-apocalyptic Garbage Worlds, where my main characters are from. These have few, if any, established organizations, being in constant chaos and buffeted by destructive magical disasters all the time, but nonetheless are where most of the lost magitech designs and archives wound up after a previous cataclysm destroyed the original realm of mortals, and its debris literally fell down, forming the Garbage Worlds, which are the detritus of mortalkind, and are constantly plundered because that's where all the vital loot the heaven worlds rely upon to maintain their standards of living

their inhabitants are often regarded as lazy brutes, bloodthirsty warlords and brutal monsters lacking in civilization, and not coincidentally is often where the beings considered inferior or inhuman were tossed away; robots who became sapient, beast folk from less appealing animal varities like insects and scavengers, or even squatters occupying the treasures that 'rightfully and obviously belong to the sophisticates of the heaven worlds'. THey have access to the same treasures, but due to the necessary education and knowledge to make use of them being hoarded by the Heaven Worlders and deadly trial and error being the only real solution they have to figure it out, they don't have much opportunity to make use of it, and are often run off by the more aggressive or imperialistic organizations of the Heaven Worlds to loot their homes

so my characters more or less by default heavily resent the Heaven Worlders, and this brings us around to fashion; the Heaven Worlders can afford to indulge in things like that, while the Garbage Worlders don't, and REALLY fixate on the idea of high fashion in particular as something that they hate.

So, my main squad is likely to go up against Heaven World adventuring teams, who are professional rivals for the most part, as they engage in the same activities; hunting monsters, delving dungeons, recovering lost technology blueprints and magical lore, trying to build up enough power to carve out their own territory from the raw magic of the multiverse and just make their own homes. These rival teams come in roughly two different templates; bullying sophisticates looking down on them, and genuinely benign royal archetypes who lean towards the solarpunk side of things. They have similar aesthetics, including fashion, and my team is very likely to take out their seething resentment on both without much understanding of which ones are actually malicious, and commentary on how their clothing could be updated to modern fashion trends (whether well-meant, or genuinely insulted) is likely to set them off.

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

thinking about the relationship between humans and Pokemon again bc like… i think what most people get wrong is assuming humans are the dominant life form in the Pokemon universe, and we've seen that at least historically this isn’t the case. people used to be fucking terrified of Pokemon. even stuff like fucking shinx which is a kitten. but it’s a kitten that shoots electricity. humanity is not the apex predator of this universe- they’re probably better off than stuff like magikarp and farfetch'd, which they’re mentioned to have historically eaten, but they're helpless against a lot of pokemon.

which is presumably why there’s like eight cities per country- development is a lot harder when you just get fucking electrocuted to death the second you go outside the village walls. while technology is more advanced than in our world- presumably due to the fact the laws of physics are made of paper- the Pokemon world is much less industrialised outside of a few specific areas. humanity is Not able to just urbanise everything because theyre fucking weaklings in the food chain.

so, what is with Pokemon trainers? have they reversed this hierarchy? absolutely not. i think the assumption that Pokemon trainers are the ones with the power in the agreement isn’t entirely true. it’s a symbiotic relationship that benefits the both of them- trainers get to survive in a world where there’s dragons that try to eat you on the way to school and pokemon get to benefit from inventions like potions and shit like it must be way less dangerous to be a trainers Pokemon than a wild Pokemon. plus, both get companionship and both get to battle, which is a mutually enriching experience! it’s like playing fetch with your dog (or kitten). pokemon fucking love that shit. you can’t force a Pokemon to battle any more than you can force a dog to play.

so, while it’s sorta similar to humans and pets, it's also a world where the humans are the weaker party. in a lot of cases, the less intelligent one- a surprising amount of pokemon are mentioned to be startlingly intelligent. and Pokemon are vicious creatures too. if they weren’t okay with their trainers they’d just fucking kill them. like, canonically. Pokemon killed humans all the fucking time. but they don’t anymore, and that’s bc they Like each other and are in a mutually beneficial exchange.

like, yeah, abusive trainers exist, but abuse is possible in any dynamic. but the dynamic of a trainer and pokemon is an equal one, it’s just the terms usually used muddle that. but it’s sooooo obvious in the lore that pokemon are fucking hype as shit to go travelling with some twelve year old and beat the shit out of each other. god literally gives you a part of itself to do that. the only reason that your Pokemon don’t murder you at 0 friendship is game mechanics and even then pokemon like honedge try to drain your life force if they hate you in pokemon amie.

[sparkel-dog]

yeah saying this again: pokemon fans piss me off. they hate the newer games when guess what: they are pretty much exactly the same (if not better) than the older games story and character wise. If anything the games re getting better with more gameplay, bigger worlds, technology is just generally getting more advanced.

youre just not ten years old anymore and youre jaded hypercritical adults. Trust me i’ve literally played all the games (except for the black and white sequels. and platnium. but ive played black and diamond so :/) i have experience with pretty much all the games and i can say for certain: its all just pokemon. and i love the older games as much as the next guy (Johto is SO nostalgic! Sinnoh is beautiful and one of my favorite regions, the older generations are beautiful and so fun and rich with stuff to enjoy)

but honestly the story and gameplay has only gotten better if youd give it a chance. i was hesitant to play swsh because i had heard bad things about it: but its a really good game with wonderful characters! and scarlet and violet is also fucking amazing with the different storylines, the beautiful new models and textures, the new gameplay and freedom to do what you want in this new world, the music, the ending which blew me away: Its all great. Legends arceus is the best pokemon game they ever made fight me.

People complain about “bugs and glitches” that are very rare and do not hardly ever interfere with gameplay. people complain about the graphics or animations like “its not realistic enough, i wish it was better or more” sorry to break it to you: The graphics are fine, not everything needs to be super realistic (cartoony styles are good actually). I never even understood that complaint because ESPECIALLY in scarlet and violet when weve FINALLY got brand new models with NEW TEXTURES and stuff: The graphics look better than they ever have! and the animation complaint is fucking stupid, it is literally on par with (and id argue better than) games like black and white and yall seem to love that game. the pokemon move all the time and have unique animations, and even the way your character stands, their idle animations when they shivers in the cold, looks around with wonder in their eyes: im sorry its way better than it was before and i just. cant take that shit seriously

im sorry for being mean i just. it pisses me off so bad. the only reason you like the older games more is because you were a baby then. and theres nothing wrong with liking the older games, but the newer games are not as bad as you make them out to be.

[kayzero]

The Third Genesis (Pokémon)

I found an old Pokemon AU folder from like, 2017. It had two documents inside, and one of them was blank. Never got off the ground in the same way Zero Win Game did.

Nothing really seems to.

And Zero Win Game is stalling out, I'm having trouble finding motivation for it. Tomorrow I'm gonna start doing my writing exercises again, I'm gonna force myself to sit down and do an hour-long sprint and not give a shit about anything except that the words hit the page.

That's for tomorrow. Today, please read and enjoy my long-forgotten piece detailing Arceus' failed experiments—and Their idea to make this one succeed.

Pokémon were boring.

At least, they were the first time Arceus created the world.

Pokémon were to be Their greatest creation. Different species of creatures made from Their fifteen aspects of power, set loose upon a blank canvas. They were created with inherent power and ferocity, each of them had power that made them unique and individual. They were perfect.

But they never did anything. A pecking order was created in the first hundred years of existence, and it was rarely challenged from then on. Few Pokémon did anything truly great, and even fewer had ambitions past what they already accomplished.

Arceus considered the experiment a failure and salvaged what They could. Three Pokémon were created incidentally as a result of the world’s creation and served to influence what little they could. They were taken into Arceus’ personal dimension, and the world ceased to be with but a thought.

The problem seemed to lie in their sentience, Arceus mused. The Pokémon were little more than animals, and needed a guiding hand to move them in the direction that They envisioned. On Arceus’ second try, there were two sets of creatures.

Humans, as a contrast to Pokémon, were very interesting. They weren't touched by any of Arceus’ seventeen aspects, but their formation was oriented towards their mind, giving them an advantage of sentience over power.

It took time for their brains to develop, and in the early years it almost seemed as if Arceus had failed, for they were slower than the bestial Pokémon. It soon changed. Humans, realizing the great power of the creatures they dwelled with, understood their importance. They befriended the Pokémon, and together they overcame obstacles, they made civilizations, they progressed and advanced.

Unfortunately, sentience and awareness came with greed. The human opinion of Pokémon shifted from trusted friend, to amusing pet, to tool. Association became slavery, and comradely became dominance. Wars broke out, civilizations degraded, the planet slowly withered away.

Another world, ceased with a thought.

Idly, Arceus created a world without Pokémon in it, to observe the human element. Without the presence of significant power, advancement was slowed by nearly a millennia. It came though, and the humans’ previous reliance on Pokémon was replaced by a technological crutch. Their greed came forth once more, and the world was destroyed without Their influence.

Despite their obvious flaws, up to and including an unfortunate disposition for self-destruction, the humans were needed to spur the Pokémon to new heights. Ambition was needed to ascend to new heights, to fulfill the dream Arceus had for Their creations. But even with the corruption of the humans, Pokémon themselves never descended into war and self-destruction.

Arceus stood, planning once more. They would use all eighteen aspects of Their power to infuse the Pokémon with the humans’ ambition.

“Come.”

Ruby eyes lazily drifted open and saw nothing but a dreary gray expanse. It uncurled from Its sleeping position and stretched high, red and black stripes pushing against gold and gray carapace. It flapped Its black wings once and began to climb the Pillar in the center of the world.

Giratina appreciated Arceus taking pity on It, because Its birth was a mistake. The excess power that They used to create the First World pooled in the center, and it gained sentience, became Giratina. Just as the creation of the world from nothing gave birth to Palkia and the manipulation of time gave birth to Dialga.

Arceus had since refined the process of world creation, and Its birth would not have been replicated like it was with other such titans like Groudon and Kyogre. They were merciful and took It into Their home dimension.

The thought didn’t stave off the utter boredom. This time between worlds was the worst.

As It climbed the Pillar, the drab gray transitioned to a vortex of colors. Shards of the universe whizzed past Its vision, all while roars assaulted Its hearing. The Twins were fighting again, if they ever stopped in the first place.

The rainbow gave way to a bright white plane, looking as holy and opulent as Arceus Themselves. The white plane was usually interrupted by Their plates, displayed as glass-stained windows depicting each of Arceus’ different aspects.

The plates were missing though. Arceus was at work.

Hovering above the flat surface of the Pillar’s top was a clear orb, deceptively small for what it would contain. On the underside of this orb was Arceus, whose current form was equally as deceptively diminutive. Their human form stood no taller than four feet, was clothed in a pure white suit, and had red and green eyes obscured by silver hair.

Those same eyes flicked over to Giratina for a short moment before returning to the orb. “I've decided on my next project.”

Giratina would have to crane Its neck to look at Arceus, so instead It stared out into the bright expanse. “Have you figured out your human problem, then?”

“Perhaps.”

They raised a hand and seventeen plates materialized, each a different color. They whirled around in a chaotic rainbow before halting, hovering above Arceus’ head. Pale gray glowed eerily as energy leaked into Their hand, coalescing into a small ball.

“Stabilize,” They commanded, throwing the ball at Giratina, which sunk into Its scales. Wings stretched and split into black tendrils tipped in red, and legs sunk into the body and merged with a tail. Its titanic size grew by half again, and Giratina flew to orbit the canvas that Arceus would be using to sculpt a new world.

“Care to share how this experiment is going to be different from the others?” Now in Its proper form, Giratina began emitting an aura of antimatter, in order to trap Arceus’ flooding power and send it back into the world as it began to escape. It was less stabilization than it was prevention. There was only room for one Giratina, after all.

The dusty brown shard glowed now, and stone began to gather in the center of the world sphere. Red flickered on and off as the rock pulsed with heat and came to life.

“Humans were made to be a tool of motivation,” Arceus began as Their arms stretched in front of them. The left hand clenched into a tight fist, and the stone was shaped into a perfect sphere. It slowly expanded in size as the hand inched outwards. “An indomitable force of change and advancement.” The fingers of the right hand twitched randomly as the ever-growing pool of magma at the center of the earth carved channels and pathways.

“Oh, and did they ever change things!” Giratina smirked, almost cruelly, and stared at the rapidly growing orb. “They advanced right into chaos!” The word was emphasized with a flex of Its power, halting the world’s growth at a third of the sphere.

Arceus hummed, loosening Their grip on Rock and Fire and taking hold of Ground instead. “I didn't quite anticipate their aptitude for extinction, no.” They knelt upon the surface of the world sphere, clasping Their hands together and raising them high. “Nor their willingness to turn it on themselves.” They scowled and brought down Their fists, slamming into the plane and shaking the world. Webs appeared on the surface as it caved upon itself, sections of the planet depressing and rising simultaneously.

They stood and allowed Water to wash over Them, and Their form loosened from the previously rigid stance. Arms moved and waved as deep blue stained the plane, and rain poured from the top of the sphere, filling the cracks and crevices.

“So you need the motivation without the destruction. How does this come about?” Arceus stopped, as if pondering the question. They began pacing along the world sphere, Their plates following along. The silence prevailed for a long minute before They stopped short and inhaled deeply. Cerulean glowed with the exhale, and the world was filled with air.

“An outside influence used my creations as tools for destruction.”

“Yes.”

“So the influence shall now come from within.”

It was Giratina’s turn to stop and think. Arceus waited patiently, traversing the sphere and sprinkling green energy everywhere, coating the world in Grass. They stopped at the very top of the sphere and stretched out a hand to the pole.

“So the Pokémon become humans?”

White blue glowed now as Arceus clenched the hand slowly. Ice formed underneath the water, freezing the waves and making a giant glacier. “More complex than that but…” A leg was lifted high and summarily slammed back down, splitting the glacier into many smaller pieces and kicking up a series of snow flurries. “Essentially.”

“Is that why you've taken that ridiculous form, then?”

“Yes.”

“Did you intend for it to look like a child?”

“It's a comfortable size.”

Giratina rolled Its eyes before returning to the discussion. “What's preventing corruption from within, then?”

Arceus closed Their eyes and raised a Their arms high, collecting energy both yellow and red. Beneath Their feet, another ball formed, generating light for the world. They walked to the other end of the sphere as They answered.

“Despite the humans destroying themselves, Pokémon never followed suit. A form of self-preservation, maybe.”

Their arms stretched directly outwards now, and Their left hand glowed pink as a second, smaller ball was formed underneath Them. 

“I simply have to strengthen that aspect as I add the human element.”

Their right hand whipped forward, covered by a pitch black shroud. The black energy covered half the world, blanketing it in night. The pink ball still glowed brightly.

“Keep the energy contained, Giratina. This is the most important part.”

It simply nodded as It moved to surround Arceus now. Their plates began to spin rapidly around Their head, and the glow threatened to blind It. The glow pooled in Arceus’ outstretched palms, forming a much looser ball than had been made before. It wobbled in Their hands, unsteady and fragile.

The plates came to a stop as Arceus balanced the beginning of Their creation in one hand. The other hand gestured to the magenta plate, and a thin trickle flowed into it for a few moments.

Arceus stretched out Their hands, as if offering the world the gift of life to inhabit it. The plates fled back to their places, staining the opulent white with a rainbow of colors.

They stared at the ball, the small blob of life, fed with the essence of a human, and wondered. Wondered if this experiment would end in yet another failure, if there was no true way to make this creation come to life.

The ball dropped. It splattered on the world sphere, and droplets rained onto the earth below.

“Let us begin.”