#And to have more chance to become regional professor)

[critterbitter]

I have a question about the twins regarding starters. Yes, Chandelure and Eelektross are perfect for them, and I adore them. But if they were given a chance to choose one of the Unova starters, which ones would they pick? I think the Oshawott line fit Emmet, and the Snivy line gives me Ingo vibes. Tho, I'm not sure a Serperior would really get along with his Chandelure. And if they don't like the Unova starters and could choose from any starter of any other region, which one would be their choice? I'm asking this because I noticed they don't have any way to really hit ground types for super effective damage, so they might be interested in getting a water type and a grass type to cover that gap. 🤔

More under cut!

My favorite trope is when the obvious starter-trainer pair is, in fact, swapped six ways into sunday and comes out a jumbled wreck on the other end.

In a way weirder alternate universe, Ingo and Emmet would be given the two “trouble” starters from Professor Cedric’s batch much like how Pikachu is thrown at Ash in the pokemon anime— through a series of unfortunate accidents.

In this au, I would like to postulate they become the starter’s emotional support humans and end up running a battle gym, while Elesa (armed with a tepig) ends up head of a battle faculty.

Bonus AU elesa… she’s plotting ways to motivate her lazy tepig. She’s scheming. That��s a constant.

FEEL FREE TO ADD ON TO THIS AU! It’s free real estate.

((As for the rest of the ask: chandelure would absolutely throttle that samurott. Eelektross and servine (i cant imagine wanting to loose limbs as serperior) would be friends faster then a house on fire, and probably cause fires.

Also, the submas gang being utterly decimated by ground types makes me honk with laughter. Earthquake is a constant nightmare in this household.))

Link to submas masterpost!

[esamastation]

Part thirty of Shizuroth, aka, the SOLDIER General's Self Saving Shizun.

Ao3 link.

Previous parts: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine

-

"... And so, to minimise the chances of further incidents, Sephiroth was immediately assigned a priority mission in the Wutai region," Tseng concludes his report, his eyes fixed squarely by the President's nameplate on the desk. "A decision approved and backed by Director Deusericus, seeing as Sephiroth had fourteen missions pending in the area."

President Shinra hums, noncommittal. "And now I have an irate Head of Science Department to handle."

"I thought it would be better than the alternative," Tseng says simply.

"Hmph," the president answers. "What is Sephiroth's status now?"

"He's on board the troop transport SXR-774 and will be landing directly in Wutai in approximately twelve hours," Tseng reports. "Mentally and physically it's hard to tell - the last thing he did when still in this building was throw up a considerable amount of blood -"

"Hah!" The President snorts. "Yes, I saw the video."

Damnit, Reno. "Yes, sir. In any case, my people on board the transport report that he seems to be feeling better now."

"I see," the President scoffs and looks away, drumming his fingers against his enormous desk and turning away. "And what about his supposed newfound abilities? Hojo mentioned something about a new level of energy control - is Sephiroth finally starting to justify all the money that went into his creation?"

"... Sir?"

President Shinra slaps his desk. "Is he finally living up to his damned heritage? Is this him finally exhibiting Ancient abilities?"

Tseng hesitates. Ah. That. "Though it's… difficult to say for sure, it does seem that Sephiroth has developed some kind of new ability," he admits. "My agent with him heard him call what he was doing energy alignment, and said that Sephiroth also questioned the source of MP and where it resides in the body. So, one might reasonably theorise that Sephiroth is becoming more… aware."

The President stands up. "More aware," he repeats and turns to the windows that cover the walls of his penthouse office with their complete view of the city. "More… aware. Energy alignment. Professor Gast told me that the Ancients could feel the Mako flowing in the Planet. Could it be something like that?"

Tseng hesitates. "I… couldn't say, sir. It's possible."

President Shinra hums. "Good, good. And you sent him to Wutai too. Excellent," he decides. "That's better than Hojo locking him up in the labs! Better let the boy test his new abilities in the field. And your people will keep an eye on him?"

"Around the clock, sir," Tseng promises.

"Good! That's good," the President nods, clasping his hands behind his back and looking over Midgar with satisfaction. "Two decades of waiting. It's been expensive, but finally we will have some return for our investment. And who knows… maybe in Wutai he will find us the Promised Land, and we can put an end to all the… waste here."

Tseng presses his lips together and says nothing to that.

The President nods to himself. "Good. Keep me posted on Sephiroth's progress. The moment anything comes up, I want to know about it."

"Yes, sir, of course," Tseng bows his head. "What about Professor Hojo?"

"I'll handle him," President Shinra mutters. "Hojo has gotten a little annoying. It's unfortunate. All his best contributions are decades behind him - he lost his vision a long time ago, but… he still has his uses."

Mostly as a deterrent, yes. Tseng thinks. "Very good sir. If that will be all…?"

"Yes, yes, go - oh, and get me the full file on Sephiroth," President Shinra says and nods to himself. "I should refresh my memory."

"I will have it delivered to your desk within half an hour."

Tseng heads down from the President's office, taking a moment to arrange the file delivery. Cissnei could handle it, she has the evening shift. Checking his watch, he then considers his options, and the likely trouble waiting for him should Professor Hojo find out that Turks were involved in ferrying Sephiroth out of Midgar.

Reno and Rude are in the air, and there wouldn't be any updates either way until tomorrow. And Tseng has finished his paperwork for the day…

Loosening his tie, Tseng rolls his shoulders and mentally punches out for the day. He's out of the building and on a train before anyone can stop him - and soon after that, he's on his way down to Sector Five slums. The way down there is as familiar to him as the way to Shinra Building… though it's been a while.

He doesn't quite relax until he enters the sphere of Aerith's influence, and sees the first specks of green in the ground. Finding her isn't difficult - all you need is to follow the flowers. 

They're always facing her, wherever she is.

Right now at the Leaf House school, dressed in a pale blue dress with her long hair done up, helping the school staff arrange some sort of evening party. They're stringing fairy lights all around the schoolyard, and Aerith is setting up flower arrangements. It takes Tseng no time at all to figure out it's for someone's wedding party.

He hides in an alleyway and watches as Aerith spreads flowers, joy and life all around her, effortless and natural as breathing. She's sixteen now, and really coming into her power, that mysterious power no one truly understands, but everyone wants a piece of.

Power, which Sephiroth was supposed to have.

Tseng has read his file - all of them, even the one Hojo buried and pretended didn't exist, the one written by his predecessor, Shinra Electric Power Company's original Head of Science - Aerith's father.

How alike they two are. Aerith, the daughter of Professor Gast Faremis and Ifalna, and Sephiroth, the son of Professor Hojo and…

Sephiroth was an accidental success born out of a failure. The experiments that went into his creation made the SOLDIER program possible - but that's not what he was originally intended for. He was supposed to be the first step in the return of the Ancients… but he never showed the right signs. 

Instead what he had was raw, unmitigated power. And Shinra Electric Power Company liked power. And so the SOLDIER program took off.

If Sephiroth now starts showing powers like those of the Ancients… What would it even look like? Comparing Sephiroth to Aerith's is really like comparing a sword to a flower. They aren't even in the same realm as each other. Tseng really can't imagine it. The idea of a SOLDIER with the power of the Ancients…

Sephiroth is what Shinra made him, ultimately. He has never made anything grow. 

In the schoolyard Aerith laughs at something another girl says before making a mock offended face and throwing a flowerbud at her. They end up chasing each other around a table before heading inside the school, arm in arm, two girls with far too much hope for the world in their hearts.

Sighing, Tseng adds an annotation to Aerith's watch logs about her being in good health and safe, and turns to leave. 

He has no hope for Sephiroth, but if his existence keeps Aerith, who's growing up so fast, off the company's radar a little longer… he can't help but be grateful.

-

Btw I am ignoring lot of Compilation stuff here, and no one (except for SY and Hojo) know that Jenova isn't actually an Ancient.

[detectiphoenix]

A silly little Viravos-centric Pokemon AU where Viren is a Pokemon Professor, and Aaravos is a near-immortal Mythical Pokemon disguised as a human ~

I'll be tagging all art in this AU #phoenix's tdp pokemon au, so if the content bothers you, please block said tag! On the other hand, if you decide to make art/content of this AU, please use said tag 👀

Typed out tidbits underneath the cut!

AARAVOS, DARK/DRAGON MYTHICAL

Is "The Fallen Star"

Can appear as either his draconic Pokémon form or human - can also sprout horns and a tail if comfortable

Likes living as a human. Likes creating rumors about himself more

In his many years of life, has mastered fluent human Standard speak, but can also communicate telepathically

Horribly enamoured by the cute little Professor who thinks he's on top of the world

AMAYA HANSEN, GYM LEADER

Commands the easiest gym in the region, but boasts an impressive combat threat outside of gym battles

Celebrated for having extremely deep connections to her Pokémon

Favorite part about being a gym leader is giving new trainers their first badge

CALLUM ASPEN, POKÉMON TRAINER

Pokémon enthusiast!

Is very serious about his "catch-em-all" mission

Met Rayla when they were both trying to catch the same Pokémon

Acknowledges his last name is the name of the tree, and won't stop talking about his fate being to be a Pokémon Professor

CLAUDIA CYPRESS, POKÉMON TRAINER

Wanted to stay with her father to help him with his research, but he convinced her to stay with Soren for the time being

Determined to be a Pokémon Professor one day

An expert with her items and consumables

Cheers every time a trainer engages her in battle

EZRAN ASPEN, POKÉMON DAY CARE ASSISTANT

Is almost old enough to get his starter Pokémon, but isn't sure if he wants to be a trainer

Sneaks treats to all of the Pokémon under his watch

He thinks he's being sneaky, but everyone knows he's sneaking treats and no one says anything because all of the Pokémon adore him

HARROW ASPEN, POKÉMON CHAMPION

Defends his title with pride and a bright smile

Popular for his natural charisma, even outside of his region

His great-grandfather was a Pokémon Professor

Pip, a Talonflame he raised from a Fletchling, is his star fighter

JANAI COETZEE, ELITE FOUR

Despite being the newest member, is considered to be the most difficult challenge of the four

Often described as having a threatening aura during battle

After battle, however, her kind nature is clear

RAYLA COLLINS, POKÉMON TRAINER

Got the Pokémon

Determined to be the Champion one day

Wants to make her dads proud (they're already proud)

Began her journey saying she would only fight using stronger Pokémon to increase her chances at becoming the Champion, but gets extremely attached to every Pokémon she catches

RUNAAN COLLINS, RETIRED POKÉMON CHAMPION

Used to be the region's Champion, before retiring to spend more time with his husband and adopted daughter

Isn't that old, but has enough funds from his championship that he is able to live comfortably without a job

Still assists his husband, Ethari, with his Battle Items Shop

SOREN CYPRESS, POKÉMON TRAINER

The trainer that will run up to you and engage you in a Pokémon battle

Determined to be the Champion one day, or at least a cool gym leader in his home region

Very suspicious of that guy who keeps spending time with his father

Likes to travel across regions and bring his father Pokémon that don't appear in their home region

VIREN CYPRESS, POKÉMON PROFESSOR

Has spent the vast majority of his life researching "The Fallen Star"

Believes Aaravos to be a researcher as passionate as himself in the same field

Wants to be the first to discover "The Fallen Star", sees Aaravos as frustratingly intelligent competition

Needs reading glasses to read, but despises wearing them

Would have found "The Fallen Star" already, if not for an insufferably attractive individual's meddling

[profchamomile]

Hello everyone!

Hi Rotomblr; I'm one of your newest members! I'm not much the blogging type, so sorry if this intro seems a bit awkward, haha!

You can call me Chamomile (they/them). I'm a newly certified Pokémon Professor, I grew up in the Orre region and very recently moved to Paldea for work. Someone recommended I try blogging about some of my research and observations on this website, but based on what I've been seeing so far since making my account, I'm... A *little* skeptical. But I'm going in with an open mind and giving it a chance, nonetheless!

I specialize in Pokemon Biology, Pokemon Behavior, and Ecology. My research is centered around finding easier ways to care for Pokemon while still giving them the best quality of life possible. In short, I aim to find more accessible ways to care for Pokemon, for people who may find themselves in situations that make it harder to care for Pokemon the way they used to (or at all for that matter).

I do have a pokemon team; though they're not really for battle. My team is:

1. Belle (Banette - my first Pokemon)

2. Queenie (Slowking - service pokemon #1)

3. Ignis (Arcanine - service pokenon #2)

4. Putty (Ditto - my #1 field research assistant)

5. Nurse (Blissey - I didn't name her that but it makes for a good pun when I got my PhD)

6. Circuit (Rotom - The silliest little ball of energy!)

Aside from Ignis (and technically Belle), all of my pokemon are rescues, and I love them to bits! They help me a lot in many aspects of my life and they're absolutely wonderful!

I believe that's all I've got to say for now. So I'll leave you with a picture of Belle! (She's still adjusting to the timezone change; hence why she's outside in the daytime).

// OOC note: Chamamomile's story starts post-core game story of SV, and pre-DLCs. In my version of canon they're basically the new regional professor after Turo and Sada was confirmed to be dead. Regarding boundaries: I'm pretty chill with anything, just no NSFW stuff. Never done tumblr RP though so like... that might change as I get a feel for this.

//everything is on; magic anons are on but lightweight only

//Canon's a mix of games, the anime, and some personal headcanons. Also orre region is based on where I live irl so headcanons on that are based on personal experiences.

//I also run @porygon-supremacy , @anomaly-sanctum , and @kidresearcherindigo , and lores are all connected

//Little bit of ic hate is fine. But don't be too much of a dick yeah? No slurs or discrimination. Also, like... I'm trying my best with the science and pokemon care headcanon stuff, but I'm not the best at that kinda thing; if it sounds off, that's on me, not a reflection of the character's competence

//this blog is low stakes for the time being; may become drama stakes down the road, but I portray all the characters involved in the plots that may fit under that category. If you WANT to be involved, though, feel free to ask!

[thewhumpcaretaker]

◈━ 𝑩𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒄𝒆 - 𝑪𝒉. 𝑰: 𝑷𝒆𝒔𝒌𝒚 𝑯𝒖𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑽𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒍 ━◈

Summary: On a flight to Antarctica, Jens struggles to power through his pain and prepare for inevitable collapse. But reality is already breaking down.

TW: nightmare, panic, generally scary imagery, mention of hallucination, mention of passing out

To Professor Elinor Fernsby, or To Whom it May Concern: If you find this letter on my person, it is because you have, despite my best efforts, discovered me unconscious at an inconvenient time. As you know, I was cleared with sufficiently good health for this excavation despite chronic pain in the form of migraines, and a history of fainting spells. I received a clean medical screening stating that elevation changes do not affect my condition and that I have not had a fainting episode or incapacitating migraine in the past six months. At the time of the screening, that was true. My health has in fact been all but normal of late. However, I neglected to mention some changes that began almost as soon as preparations began for the trip. I'm confident that it's only pre-trip jitters, but I have lost consciousness five three times over the past week, for over an hour on each occasion. Therefore, I thought it best to give you some explanation in the event of my collapse. You've been very good to me, Professor. It wasn't my intention to deceive you or to compromise the effectiveness of the team. I have full confidence that my symptoms will not impact my performance. They are sure to lessen as I settle into the excavation site. They are also not a danger to my long-term health. I will recover without any treatment - simply place me out of the way and I will awaken within several hours shortly, good as new, truly as if it never happened. If I'm screaming, If I make any sounds, please ignore it. I assure you that I don't feel a thing. Above all, I implore you not to send me back. I don't need to be airlifted, under any circumstances. My body's eccentricities are a nuisance, I know, but not a real issue. I have signed all of my waivers and I reiterate here that you bear no legal or financial liability for my health. I want to personally assure you that you bear no moral liability either. It's my wish to remain onsite no matter what. I MUST be on this mission. It's at the crux of my research and I may never get another chance. You understand what that means to a man like me. I remember your stories of traveling to the Nevado del Ruiz in Columbia when you were younger - how you flew out despite conflict in the region. Surely you understand that risks must be taken at times for the sake of discovery. So, I leave my pesky human vessel in your very capable hands and hope to be back inside it soon. Sincerely, Jens Vídalín

Reading it back, Jens realized that the last sentence was the most egregious lie of them all. He had never hoped to be back inside his human vessel once in his entire existence. Was it better than the places he went when he wasn't there? Yes, but that didn't say much.

He scribbled a few more times over the crossed-out sections and folded the letter safely out of sight into his pocket. Thank goodness he was seated far enough from the others to do that, and thank goodness it was done. He was shaking all over from the effort of keeping his eyes focused enough to write. The pain had started almost the moment he'd signed the final paperwork for the trip, and it hadn't stopped for even a moment. It was at first just a dull ache at the back of his head, but by the time he boarded that morning, it had become an incessant, stabbing shard of ice embedded through his skull from back to front. The back of his head was cold to the touch and his face looked visibly bloodless. He was sweating profusely and it wasn't from heat - the thin bomber jacket around his shoulders certainly wasn't keeping him warm. It was almost enough to tempt him into retrieving his snow clothes out of the overhead bin, but he didn't want to draw attention to himself. They were nowhere near Antarctica yet and wouldn't be for many more hours. Yet his body seemed to have decided he was already there.

At times like this, a thought sometimes flashed through his head, an unwanted thought: that it would be very good to be wrapped in something warmer than fabric, to have arms around his shoulders. The thought confused him because the real thing had always been so underwhelming. He found himself thinking of Emily, back in Liverpool. Her arms had been so ridiculously bony, and seemed to go everywhere and jab everything without enclosing anything. He hadn't liked to be touched by her. No, he wanted to be wrapped in something more substantial than arms, something like the all-enveloping sunlight on a summer's day.

He dared to slide open the window porthole a fraction, but there was no rush of heat. Outside, a white fog engulfed the plane. It had traveled south with them on a tailwind for thousands of miles now, blocking out the sun and creating turbulence. The cabin jolted for the umpteenth time, and as it did, it seemed to smear out of itself, to double in his vision.

His eyes flashed back to the cabin interior, away from the window. It wasn't the same way he'd left it. As he looked down the center aisle, it stretched on forever, the cockpit door quite missing and instead giving way to an endless, empty corridor between the seats. There were no people in them. He was alone.

That's not real. That's not real. You're just hallucinating. Never mind that it wasn't exactly reassuring to be hallucinating already. Things were getting bad.

The pain was gone, he noticed. So he wasn't in his body anymore. He was passed out, probably sagging against the open porthole as if asleep. Worse than hallucinating, then.

He fought with his breathing, tried to focus on the mottled plastic texture of the armrests under his knuckles, staring down the aisle the way one might stare down the ledge of a skyscraper. Don't look at it. It's not real. If it's scaring you, and it’s not real, you don't have to look at it. But he couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. If he did, surely someone would walk down the aisle towards him. He knew it. There was someone else on the plane with him - not his colleagues and innocent strangers on the real plane, but someone or something among these infinite rows of seats.

He should get up, he should run. With fumbling hands, he reached to unlatch his seatbelt, and looked both ways. There was no one. But yes, yes there was. In one of those seats, wherever he wasn’t looking, there was someone, and he even thought he knew where: probably towards the back of the plane. He started walking in the opposite direction, towards where the cockpit had been.

Wrong move. A low "ding," and the seatbelt light turned on. No leaving your seat. That meant the thing saw him. He cautiously disobeyed it, took another step forward, and the cabin lights went dark. Only the seatbelt signs continued glowing, over every row, a sickly green. He was a sitting duck. He threw himself into the nearest seat and latched the seatbelt. “Just don’t hurt me. Please, whatever you’re trying to do…we can talk about this.” But the lights didn’t come back on, and seatbelt signs stayed lit. He leaned back, pressed into the headrest, and let himself hyperventilate.

They were behind him, whoever they were. He knew it, he could feel it. Look back. Don't look back. Look back. Don't look back. He drew air into his lungs at a frantic pace until his fingertips were stinging with thousands of stars. Stars... the dark cabin clouded over fully black and he was in space. In deep space, where there is nothing between anything else for farther than he could comprehend and so it must have a direct line of sight straight to him. The void clutched at him and tore at him, tore the air out of his lungs into the vacuum before he could finish inhaling, and suddenly the wall of the plane jolted into him and he was awake in his seat with his head throbbing so badly that he had to close his eyes.

He'd gotten even colder, in his mind's absence. His heart ached too, like he’d been shot through the chest, and somehow, it made the cold feel a hundred times worse. He checked his watch. It had been four hours.

Was the thing still there? He started to look over his shoulder, towards the back of the plane, and found he was too terrified to do so. Yes. Even if it couldn’t reach him right now, it was still there, watching him.

Leave me alone, he thought, as harshly as he could. Whoever you are, leave me alone. But he had no possible leverage against it. He was begging.

Next ▹(coming soon)

Image Sources: 1 2

[kohakhearts]

i missed you so much + satogou if it strikes your fancy?

"i missed you so much." wc: 1631

For a while, Goh isn’t sure how to journey on his own; in spite of Grookey’s enthusiasm for being on the road, the Pokémon doesn’t offer much in the way of helpful advice, and can always be relied on to get them lost even when there’s a perfectly fine path they could have followed instead.

Cinderace and Inteleon are a little better with directions, but only just. After the fear of being lost wears off, though, Goh comes to find he prefers taking the backtrails after all. The long way—if it can even be called that, considering how convoluted some of the routes they take are—is reassuring in how void it is of other people. And quickly he adjusts to being by himself, so much so that he begins actively avoiding other people as much as is possible.

He's not a battler, so he doesn’t feel any remorse turning down battle demands from other trainers whose paths he does he cross, and he feels even less for parting ways with others shortly after meeting them. It’s his journey, he reasons, and he can’t depend on anyone else to help him get through it.

He catches many more Pokémon in the Kanto and Johto regions, and then he explores other parts of the world too, just him and his partner Pokémon. He calls Professor Cerise and Chloe often, of course, and sometimes he even talks to his parents. Once or twice, he toys with the idea of calling Ash, but just can’t bring himself to. He’s waiting for a reason—he’s waiting for something big to happen, so he can say that his journey has had meaning and purpose, but so far…

But Goh is not a quitter. Never has been. He boards a plane to the Kalos region and then hikes through the mountains to Paldea. He catches Pokémon Professor Cerise has never even heard of there, which they ooh and aah over on the phone as they learn more about them, but he never finds one that feels like enough.

So, he moves on from here too. He travels through Sinnoh and Hoenn. He battles with Legendaries in Unova, and even befriends a wayward Zapdos somewhere along the way. But when he thinks of some of the adventures he has heard Ash has been on, he knows that is not enough either. By the time he is heading back to Vermillion City to discuss some of his findings with Professor Cerise in person, at last at a loss for where to travel next, he has begun to wonder if anything ever will be.

It's been years of nonstop travel by this point, and he welcomes the chance to rest. Though disappointed to learn Chloe has gone off with Dawn to the Hoenn region for a while, the chance to see his Pokémon again and to work alongside Professor Cerise more than makes up for it.

He scours web forums and pores over research articles about various regional phenomena for weeks, trying to come up with a new travel plan, but if only privately, he can admit that he’s worn out from travelling, even as he itches with restlessness.

Some weeks into his stay at the laboratory, Professor Cerise surprises him while they are running some blood samples together:

“Professor Oak tells me both Ash and Gary are home for a while as well.”

Goh fumbles the phial in his hand, but Professor Cerise seems to have been expecting it; he wordlessly reaches over to steady his hand.

“Ash and Gary?” Goh asks, weakly.

“That’s right. I thought you might want to pay them a visit.”

“I… Well, I’ll think about it.”

Cerise peers down at him, far too critically for Goh’s liking. “Don’t be concerned about us. You know we can manage things just fine here without you for a while.”

But the prospect of seeing old friends again is not as warming as he thought it would be. He just shrugs, and Cerise thankfully drops the topic, at least for now.

Unfortunately, it becomes unavoidable a few days later, though whether the professor is to blame or not is less certain. Goh is in the park tending to the tangled fur of his recently evolved Pawmo; it puts up a bigger fight over being brushed than it did as a Pawmi, perhaps due to its added dual typing, but just when he has finally gotten it to work with him, the sound of approaching footsteps from behind Goh has it standing upright and bolting away before Goh can even hope to catch it.

He deflates, turning to berate whoever snuck up on them like that, but is stopped short as the offender greets him: “Hey, Goh! Long time no see!”

Goh tenses. His eyes flick up to see Ash’s familiar beaming grin. Though years separate them now, he is the same Ash as he ever was, Pikachu perched excitedly on his shoulder, and Goh’s throat dries up immediately.

“What kinda Pokémon was that?” Ash is craning his neck in an attempt to get another look at Pawmo, completely oblivious to whatever ridiculous emotion has tightened Goh’s chest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before.”

“Well,” Goh says, a bit hoarsely, “you could’ve seen it if you hadn’t charged in here and scared it off.”

Ash laughs; it only makes the feeling worse.

“Sorry,” he offers. “I was trying to be quiet, but you know me.” He shrugs. “So, what was it?”

Goh glances back at where Pawmo disappeared, swallowing thickly. “It’s called Pawmo. It’s a Pokémon from the Paldea region.”

“Whoa, cool! I heard you’d gone to Paldea, but I still don’t know much about it, honestly.”

Goh whips his head around again, blinking. “Who told you that?”

“Uh…” Ash thinks about it. “Gary, maybe?”

“Who told—” Goh stops, shaking his head. “Never mind. Professor Cerise must’ve told Professor Oak and he must have mentioned it.”

“Gary wanted to go there too,” Ash says, “but he got caught up in Kalos for a long time. I think he’ll go now, though.”

Goh can’t bring himself to ask the question brimming under his lips. He stands and dusts off his pants, not meeting Ash’s gaze. “So, what are you doing here?”

“I came to visit you!”

As little as a week ago, Goh thought this was what he wanted, but ever since Professor Cerise mentioned that Ash was back home, the idea has done little more than grip him in steely panic.

He takes too long to respond; at last, Ash realizes something isn’t right, and immediately he steps closer. Goh stumbles back without even thinking about it, then hates himself for it.

“Goh? What’s the matter?”

Goh can’t bear to look up and see the expression on his face; it’s bad enough to hear it in his tone.

“Sorry,” he manages. “I just wasn’t expecting anybody. It’s…been a long time.”

“Yeah, so we want to hear all about your adventures, right, Pikachu?”

Pikachu jumps down from his shoulder and approaches Goh. Perhaps because he has spent so long surrounded only by Pokémon, Goh doesn’t so much as flinch as he approaches and rubs affectionately against his leg.

He breathes out, some of the tension fleeing him as he crouches down to pet Pikachu.

“There’s not much to tell,” he admits after a long moment. “I caught a bunch of new Pokémon, but nothing too exciting. I could introduce you to some of them, if you want.”

But Ash is frowning at him when he finally manages to raise his eyes up and just look.

“That’s not like you,” he says. “Aren’tcha excited about catching more Pokémon? I bet they’re all awesome! And now you’re even closer to your dream, right?”

Goh looks away again, then pushes himself back up to his feet. He turns around and tells Ash, “Come on, then. I’ll introduce you to them.”

It takes the better part of the afternoon, but with each new Pokémon they meet, something seems to loosen in Goh. Ash and Pikachu both are buzzing with excitement at each one, and eventually that molten dread in the pit of his stomach begins to fizzle out. He laughs alongside them, and it feels the same as it ever did.

The feeling becomes something different, then; something painful, still, but so much lighter. An ache that has been there all along but makes itself known only now as it lessens, ever-so-slightly.

When they have toured the whole park, Goh stops Ash just before they are about to re-enter the lab. He averts his gaze as Ash turns to face him, but still digs up the courage to say, “Hey, Ash? I really missed you. I missed you so much.”

A beat, and then Ash puts a hand on his cheek and forces his eyes back up to his. He beams at him.

“I missed you too,” he says, and it’s all the warning Goh gets before he’s pulled into a crushing hug.

He closes his eyes against a sudden stinging sensations and lets himself melt into the hug. All this time, he has felt that nothing he’s done has been good enough for Ash; only now does he realize how foolish that was. Of course nothing would ever be good enough—he never had to be anything more or less than exactly who he is for Ash to want to call himself his friend.

When they pull apart, Ash tactfully says nothing as Goh swipes at his watering eyes. He smiles as brightly as he ever says, and remarks, “I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat!”

Some things will never change, Goh supposes. That’s just fine with him; turns out, he doesn’t want them to change too much anyway.

send me a prompt + a character/ship!

[astorythatwritesitself]

Re-intro time? Re-intro time

About Me & This Blog:

• Paine. Queer, 30, any pronouns. I follow back from dr-paine; and you'll never guess what my AO3 username is.

• Writing for 20+ years in some capacity

• Genre of choice is Fantasy. (High, low, slice of life or ungodly horror, mixed with sci-fi or the most classic Medieval sword and sorcery bullshit, I just need a touch, even if only implied, of magic.) I don't delve much into NSFW but it may come up; in any case: please only follow if you're 18+, and treat this blog with the mindset of 'creator chose not to use archive warnings'.

• I crave interaction, especially via tag/ask games - seriously. I reblog a lot of them. Do Not Hesitate. (And I always try to send an ask if you reblog any from me!)

• Hobbyist writer - I'm not aiming to be published, but I do want to improve my skills and eventually like... 'win a NaNo' in the sense of writing a complete, longform story one of these days. But also having fun is a priority, and ADHD + work is a cruel mistress, so I'll jump between WIPs on a whim, or just. Drop shit for months on end lol.

Vague List of Active Projects

While I have a ton of ideas, these are the ones that actually have like... any sort of substance to them, whether it's actual words or just a solid outline + desire to work on it. Each will eventually get a dedicated links/resource post, but for now, here's the basics!

Relentless As The Tide

(Mass Effect fics (roughly) following canon events/characters)

Adrian Shepard has been primed for heroism her entire life. Her first chance ended in a tragedy, one neither she nor the Alliance has ever properly owned up to. Saren's betrayal and the beacon's vision offer her the chance to atone for her failure at Akuze, and she'll do everything in her power to do so - even (and especially) if it kills her in the process.

Or so she believes - but uncovering the truth means looking for allies, and the more she gathers, the harder it becomes to believe that her death should - or can - be the end; and that perhaps heroism is just a means of distraction from confronting her own demons.

Unnamed Pokemon Project

(Loose follow through/retelling of Pokemon: Soul Silver)

Giovanni Rossi, former leader of the Viridian City pokemon gym, has confessed to heading the infamous Rocket organization, whose poaching and illegal trade has devestated the Kanto ecosystem for the past twenty years. However, he claims it was all for a good cause - just prior to founding Rocket, Giovanni had been part of a team trying to create artificial pokemon... and their most viable subject escaped. Rocket existed for the sake of tracking down and eventually overpowering this creature, but now... well, he wishes those in the Kanto and Johto regions the best of luck.

Following a break in at the New Bark Town lab, an assistant to Professor Elm - a reclusive young man named Linden - tracks down the suspect, only to find it's none other than Silver Rossi, Giovanni's own son. The boy claims he wants to take down the creature his father helped create and clear his own name from the scandal... and Linden has reasons of his own that make him want to see how things play out, even if it means he must shadow Silver's journey by embarking on one of his own.

Unnamed OC Project

(Original fantasy work)

In a world of faded magic, Elora Ryba cares little for talk of soon-to-come saviors or the sightings of dragons. No, she has other things on her mind - return to the town she was forced to leave over ten years ago, and steal its most precious treasure. And, ideally, marry her, as Elora promised that night she was forced to flee.

Which is why Elora's spent the past month searching for a priest corrupt enough to join a pirate's crew, but not corrupt (or worse, moral) enough to turn her in, and she thinks she's finally found one.

And the big list of fandoms/shit I like!

[bellafragolina]

HERE ME OUT! Based off fanart but other way around! - Jes

What if hero was from modern Galar before being yoinked, and confesses to Laventon craving and painting an applin to give to him.

HHHHHHHHHHH YOU KNOW ALL MY WEAK POINTSSSSSSS

🍓🍓🍓

It’s been a blessing amongst the curse that was your fall. Lost within a strange land, in a strange time, surrounded by strange people and Pokémon, all suspicious of, if not threatening, you. But amongst them all is a sweet Professor, one that hails from your home region of Galar, albeit from a different time period.

Still, it’s fun, comparing notes with him. Hearing how things used to be while describing how things changed. Laventon listens to you so intently, takes such stock and interest in your words. It’s nice, to feel appreciate and seen by him. He comforts your homesickness by being familiar, even if just by accent.

You easily fall, so easily.

And you know what Galarians do when they’re in love. So you take to the craftworks. You learn from Anvin the basic or wood carving, how to make it smooth, how to make it last, how to paint it, and so on. You practice with him for a month before you feel ready.

And that month is torture for your dear professor.

He’s terrified every time he sees you working and laughing with Anvin. Sure, he knows the craftworks owner is a charming man in his own right, but your interest is so out of the blue! Laventon feels like he’s upset you in some way, to have all the personal time usually shared with him stolen by given to Anvin instead.

He’s so confused he nearly asks Anvin, only to quickly scold himself. He isn’t your partner! He’s started the proper courting measures, yes, but you’re in no one forced to accept him! After all, you’re the hero of Hisui, from somewhere far far away from here. It’s not like you’d stay with him here if given the chance to return home.

Laventon’s misery and pitying is interrupted by familiar boots. He snaps his head up from his (now cold) plate of mochi, stammering a greeting as you smile down at him.

“May I join you?” You ask, nodding to the bench space next to the professor.

“O-of course!” Laventon says, unable to deny you anything. He scoots over so you can sit, and dwells on what to say. He’s curious, but he can’t just- “So I’ve noticed you’ve been favoring the craftworks lately!”

Apparently, he can. Goes to show how desperate he’s become.

You nod, absolutely beaming. “Yes! Anvin’s been teaching me how to carve and treat wood for decoration!” Laventon’s interested noise makes you grin wider. “And I made you something with my new skills.”

Guilt wracks Laventon. He’s been so jealous of you spending time with another man, and here you are, gifting him something!

“O-oh!” Laventon exclaims, bashful now. He darts his eyes away, only to look back when you reveal your present. The wooden Applin sits pretty in your palms, bright and beautiful and a near spitting-image of the real thing. Laventon stares at it, his jaw slack. “Oh.”

“You know what this means, yes?” You confirm. You hadn’t asked if Applins were still a confession, in fear of being found out. You hope you weren’t wrong in assuming. “You know what I’m asking?”

“Yes.” Laventon squeaks.

You smile. “And your answer.”

“Yes.”

“Is that all you’re going to say?!” You ask, laughing.

“Yes!” Laventon throws his arms around you, capturing the carved Pokémon between you. You laugh more, cradling him close as your dear professor weeps into your shoulder. “Yes! Yes!”

“Yes.” You echo him, leaning your head into his. “And thank you.”

Laventon strokes the carving with his thumb.

“I should be thanking you.” He says. You wipe his tears away. “I’m the happiest man in Hisui.”

“I’ll do my best to keep you that way.”

Arceus, is he in love with you.

🍓🍓🍓

Ehehe this was fun!! Thank you for requesting my boy!!!! I love him!!

Have a good day!!

~Renee

[monterraverde]

How Paldea works (Monterra edition)

Paldea has a constitutional parliamentary democracy and a prime minister, but while in the past this body has essentially ruled over the region, the last ten years they have become increasingly hands-off, only focusing on funding and legislation. Everything else is more or less funneled through the pokemon league. Geeta is, by the amount of duties and responsibilities she has, the proper head of state, and is actively working to essentially merge the two to further her dream of a better Paldea.

The Champion Assessment and all its parts was devised as a way to keep just any trainer from being champion. The Interview is unflinchingly upheld to keep out people who will simply abuse the title or are just looking to collect champion titles like they're trading cards. Champion rank in Paldea is an extreme responsibility, you'll be asked to assist with league operations, and called to action if anything ever threatens the region (assuming you're physically able to do so), therefore only those who genuinely, honestly answer the questions correctly are permitted to even challenge the Elite Four. Rika can (and will) fail you on vibes alone if she determines you're only reading from a script and not being honest with your answers

Because of the nature of the Top Champion position, it is inherited. The current Top champion will select a current champion ranked trainer to personally train to eventually take over their position, this is currently happening with Geeta training Nemona.

The Elite four are chosen primarily on a sponsorship system, where a current Elite four member will pick and train a champion ranked trainer when another member has indicated their intent to resign/retire. The sponsored champion is then subjected to a far harder version of the champion assessment, where they must run the gauntlet again, but against the other members higher leveled teams. If they succeed, they earn the title. If not, it's another year of training, or they drop out completely.

The E4 and champion have two separate teams. One is known as the 'regulation' team, and is only used when students are challenging the league. Its a strong, but intentionally flawed team build, forcing them to sandbag a little so the kids have a fair chance. Students can be molded further into the champion rank through deeper training, which prompts the need for holding back against them. Anyone older then 17, though, takes on a much stronger version of these teams, where the Elite four and champion are allowed to take the proverbial gloves off and go a little harder, utilizing more competitive strategies to really challenge the applicant, as an adult should have more of a grip on pokemon battling then a child.

An Elite Four has the capacity to become Top Champion in case anything happens to the current one, similar to how the US president and Vice president line of succession works. If Geeta, for whatever reason becomes unable to perform her duties as top champion, the duty falls to the next in line. The current line of succession is: La Segunda (Rika), El Tercero (Larry), and El Cuarto (Hassel), El Quinto/La Quinta is currently a vacant position because Poppy is too young to inherit it, but it would likely fall upon Nemona or the MC should the title ever need to be invoked.

AREA ZERO IS STRICTLY OFF-LIMITS TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE. THE ONLY WAY TO BE GRANTED ACCESS IS TO BE INVITED BY THE PROFESSOR THEMSELVES OR GRANTED EXPRESS PERMISSION BY THE PALDEAN GOVERNMENT. There are cameras and motion sensors EVERYWHERE that will IMMEDIATELY alert the Elite Four and champion if a human presence suddenly enters the space, prompting search and rescue efforts and heavy punishment for the perpetrator, up to stripping them of their trainer license and jail time- if they're not immediately killed by paradox pokemon of course.

Paradox pokemon escape from the crater occasionally, and their existence is kept as an extremely confidential secret. The Elite Fours main duty outside of the usual is to capture and contain these escaped paradoxes, which usually sees them closing off roads to make sure trainers keep a wide berth under the guise of a 'vicious pokemon outbreak.' The Hospital in Levincia is uniquely partnered with the league to keep knowledge of these pokemon from getting out while they treat any elites injured because of the paradoxes.

Paradox pokemon DO NOT PLAY FAIR. They'll attack the trainer giving commands as well as the pokemon itself- whichever one is the bigger threat in the moment, they're incredibly dangerous and unpredictable.

Tera orbs are obtained only through a letter of recommendation from either the academy staff or a current champion ranked trainer. They're attached to your trainer ID and heavily tracked, as the level of power they command has the potential to cause damage to both the region and other people if not used correctly.

(Will add more to this as needed, feel free to ask questions if you need anything clarified/are curious about other aspects)

[thenationaltreasuregazette]

Aftermath, pt 2

Last time, we discussed the medical and legal aftermath that might have followed Team Treasure’s return of the Declaration of Independence to the FBI.

Now it’s time to turn to the next category our list:

Archeological

Sadusky would likely have Trinity Church cordoned off for as long as it took to make other security arrangement but like, yeah: Where is the treasure going? Does it stay in the cavern until it can be distributed among the museums? Who is doing that? Does Ben have to form an LLC and hire a Treasure Return Coordinator? How does he do that? When does he do that? What happens in the meantime?

An abundance of logistical questions, and a deep dive on triaging the Declaration of Independence ↓

Does he go to Columbia University’s archeology department and ask for help? From who? He just wanders into the dean's office? Some poor professor's office hours? Maybe he knows an American history professor in the area who once laughed him out of a lecture and turns to her for help figuring out what to do next.

What are Abigail’s connections like with New York-based institutions? Who has jurisdiction over which pieces? If there are American papers in the treasure cache they probably belong at the National Archives, but most of the treasure is, you know, treasure. Do different museums and institutions start squabbling over who gets what? There’s no way that many academics agree with each other about how to even go about cataloging the place let along distributing the artifacts.

When do foreign institutions and governments get involved? And who is overseeing that to make sure nobody starts an international incident when they can’t agree which country a particular artifact belongs to?

What becomes of the cavern once its emptied? Does it become a museum? If so, does Trinity Church own admission to the museum? Are they expected to run it?

Speaking of the cavern, who’s in charge of safety? Who’s going to be hired to build a stable freight elevator down there? What kind of construction firm do you even approach to consider a project like that?

Needless to say, there are a lot of logistics to figure out regarding the safety of the treasure, both from theft and deterioration, as well as the safety of anyone going down to work with it. There’s the matter of who is running point on this operation, and which institutions are involved to what degree. And then there’s the probably months- or years-long process of getting all of this work done.

I don’t envy them, and 100% no judgement if Ben hands off a lot of these responsibilities as soon as he finds competent people to give them to.

More immediately than even the immediate items regarding the rest of the treasure, there’s the matter of the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration

As you point out, there is a branch of the National Archives in New York City! I did not know that! Actually, there are National Archives branches all over the country. That makes sense I guess, but I never stopped to think about it. Each one holds records from that state or regions. For example, the New York branch holds records generated in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

So yes, I think it’s safe to say that the Declaration will be moved to the National Archives at New York City. If I were the FBI, I would move it by armored truck—not taking any more chances for nonsense!

The FBI likely brought a documents expert with them, or at least they should have. Someone internal, from say, the FBI’s Questioned Documents unit may be the best bet from a security standpoint, but from a conservation perspective, Sadusky ought to have a person or team from the NY archives en route to the church as soon as he gets Ben’s call. And since he seems to care about what happens to the Declaration and the treasure, it makes sense to me that he would have a document rescue plan.

Because although Sadusky doesn’t know where or under what circumstances he’ll get the Declaration back, he fully intends to get it back. And I have to assume that part of that means a plan to take care of it as soon as it’s out of criminal hands. There are National Archives branches in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston, as well as in Washington D.C. My guess is that all of them were on alert and in communication, ready to receive the Declaration at the closest location to its recovery point, and generally aligned on the treatment process.

Stan or someone else from the D.C. Archives might have been heading this up once they were cleared of involvement. As the keepers of the Charters of Freedom, they'd be the experts in the Declaration’s exact preservation requirements.

So as soon as the Declaration is recovered, the plan is launched into action. The National Archives—officially known as the National Archives and Records Administration, NARA—runs tests such as this flood-soaked document simulation to test various drying methods on archived materials. They offer multiple resources on preserving family documents after floods, and seem generally prepared to respond to document emergencies. The “Preservation” page of their website even has a tab for “Records Emergencies.”

Now, most of these emergencies envision large amounts of documents damaged by water. Think floods, hurricanes, burst water pipes, etc. None of them involve Nicolas Cage squeezing lemon juice onto the Declaration of Independence. However, we can extrapolate a bit about what the priorities and methods might be based on the more plausible scenarios.

First of all, as @arsenicalbronze put it in their guest post on Ben’s dubious relationship with invisible inks, Abigail

goes with damage control. She takes the lemon from Ben so that she can paint the juice on the back in the least destructive way possible (e.g. not just squeezing lemon juice all over it and soaking it).

This spares the Declaration from some of the potential moisture damage from the cypher process, but not all.

Actually, the Wikipedia on Conservation and restoration of parchment lists the most common threats to parchment documents as

Relative humidity changes

Water and excessive moisture

Oxygen

Mold

Heat

Light exposure

Flaking and friability

Poor storage

Throughout the course of the treasure hunt Team Treasure managed to hit…pretty much all of them, lol.

While revealing the cypher, Abigail is likely doing double duty with the hair dryer. She’s both trying to dry out the moisture added by the lemon juice and use the minimum amount of heat necessary to reveal the text. If hot breath can do it, they don’t actually need much heat.

Every source I read mentioned that mold is a major risk to wet documents, whether paper or parchment, and can set if if not dried within 48 hours of moisture exposure. Based on our timeline we’re approaching that window, and that brings us to an important item that the archivists at the NY NARA will have to contend with. In fact, this is their first order of business:

How are they going to dry out the Declaration?

Despite Abigail’s best efforts there is likely still some moisture on the document, and for most of the rest of the treasure hunt it’s sealed in a plastic container with no air flow. It will need to be dried. Possibly even humidified to combat any warping and then dried.

Interestingly enough, when the Charters of Freedom went through their last major conservation project in 2001, the Constitution and Bill of Rights underwent this humidification and drying under tension, but the Declaration did not because it has sustained much more damage over the years than the other documents. However, the treasure hunt might lead to a different approached. The Declaration’s been acidified, heated, rolled and unrolled multiple times, touched, turned over, and run over with a car. Ouch.

When it does come time to dry the document, the archivists have some options.

Air drying

Freezer drying

Dehumidification drying

Vacuum freeze-drying

Vacuum thermal drying

Thermaline or cryogenic drying

Some of these are exactly what they sound like, and again, they’re described in the context of a damaged collection of material. How much material they’re suited for, how accessible they are, whether records are still available when drying, and whether they require being moved off site are all take into consideration.

For the Declaration of Independence, I’m looking straight at “cryogenic drying.” This is “intended for manuscript and rare book collections bound in leather of vellum” and while the most expensive technique, is also the one that minimizes distortion of the material the most.

And distortion is one of the most significant risks to the Declaration. Parchment expands and contracts in response to heat and moisture, and it’s been out of its controlled environment for a significant amount of time. Since that 2001 restoration, the Declaration has been kept in an aluminum and titanium case filled with argon gas, with a relative humidity of 40% and a stable temperature of 67 °F. Fluctuations in these variables up or down can cause damage. Too humid and it warps, too dry and it cracks.

Restoration is also a very manual process. Obviously technology is a huge help, and conservation science has come a long was in recent decades. Still, that lemon juice is going to be washed off by hand. Every crease and crack the Declaration sustained is going to be evaluated and steamed or repaired by hand.

Speaking of the people involved in this process, Abigail is probably feeling a lot of things as the Declaration gets taken away to the NY Archives. She saw her initial goal through to the end—she kept the Declaration safe, sometimes at the risk of her own safety. She also willingly put lemon juice on it. And heated it up. And let Ben keep rolling it up. She did or witnessed more damage to the Declaration in one day than it’s seen in decades. And now she doesn’t get to help clean up the mess.

I bet part of her wants to run to the Archives and start work right that moment. Forget that she’s so exhausted she can barely see straight. Forget the pounding headache in her skull or the strange numb ache in her shoulder or the way every muscle in her body is begging to collapse. Forget all the FBI eyes on her, and everyone who’s waiting for answers. The Declaration is hers. She is the Custodian of the Charters of Freedom after all. (Or at least, that was her title in the 2003 script.) Abigail is the person most qualified to be handling this emergency, and she can’t.

The best she can do is tell the archivist(s) who come to retrieve the Declaration what exactly happened to it since it left the National Archives two days earlier. The more information they have, the more accurately they can diagnose and treat any damage that occurred. (Like, lemon juice straight out of a goddamn lemon might not be their first guess?)

If you just want to be kind to Abigail, I would make this person someone she doesn't know or know well, but whose work she respects, or even a friend.

If you want to torment her I'd make it someone she hates or is academic rivals with.

I will leave you with this 144 page document on parchment conservation which I did not read, but you may find useful in your National Treasure-related adventures!

Next time: Interpersonal fallout

[briar-craft]

Pokemon ideas

Okay, so recently I've been playing Pokemon Black 2 again, and had an idea for an older trainer/ranger. Now, imagine a young boy living near a nursery, where one of the pokemon there was a Leavanny who has eggs of her own from time to time because hey, just part of pokemon. He wants to go on an adventure when he grows up, so his parents decided to let him have a pokemon. He's so excited until they bring him a Sewaddle. He knows Grass/bug types are really weak, so he's pouty for a while, until he sees how scrappy the Sewaddle is. The Sewaddle, while loving his mother's creations of clothes and such, is not the best at it himself, but loves to battle and wants to get stronger.

While at home, Sewaddle's clothes stay in shape because he has his mom around to help. But, once it's time to go, it starts to get ripped here and there. He at least keeps it in tact enough to wear and not look strange, but the patchwork jobs he does is patchy, and is noticeable over time.

Finally, he is now a Leavanny himself, but he still has no sense of mending his own clothes. One time while they were at home visiting, he was sitting and watching his mother when she collapses. She's older now, frail, but she helps him accept nature and death. Since then, his clothes are his most prized possession, even though they are tattered and patchy, holding onto his mother's love while walking beside his trainer. Though sometimes he'll be taking a nap while his trainer is getting berries or something, and passing by trainers think he's hurt just because it's rare to see Leavanny's clothes having small holes and large chunky patch jobs.

And now a bit of "what if" for the protags of Legends. Spoilers to come under the cut. And for the sake of making things flow better, I'm going to refer to Dawn as the protagonist, but if you wanted to do something with them, you can swap in Lucas if you want.

Now, what if at the end of Legends Arceus, the protag actually does get to go back to their time. Sure, a bit hard at first, but they missed their home: Twinleaf Town.

Even though they are older, I believe the game says 16 or so, they can no longer just sit at home in their tiny town anymore. So they set off the Diamond and Pearl plot basically. Now before, they don't really react to Professor Rowan just because they knew about him through the tv programs, so they knew he was the descendant of Kamado. Dawn is a little caught off guard at Lucas' appearance, just because Rei didn't really seem that interested in a relationship with anyone, and just focused on his work as a scout. But whatever happened, doesn't really concern her anymore, she's just happy it seems her friend found someone.

The first time she's really thrown for a loop is meeting Team Galactic. And not in a good way. She's a bit more fired up due to them using Galaxy Team's emblem to cause trouble.

Then, she starts to meet the commanders. Mars and Saturn she knows, but not really Jupiter, but that doesn't stop her from trying to have Team Galatic change their ways with mixed effects.

The biggest obstacle she faces though is when she sees Cynthia for the first time. Volo had betrayed her in a way she could never forgive, not to mention the terrifying pokemon that was Giratina had flashed in her mind first seeing Cynthia. I would say there's a good chance she had no idea about Cynthia before this due to Cynthia not being on TV as much as the professor, plus she apparently wasn't interested in becoming a trainer until after her trip to the past so she wouldn't look into the champions of the regions.

Whenever Cynthia does come up, Dawn is so carefully guarded against her considering Volo was nice in the beginning too but turned out, from her perspective, to have a hand in almost destroying the world just because he wanted to meet Arceus and had grown power hungry.

During the fight with Dialga/Palkia, she's calm, collected, because she knows the true kind of power they could have in them but they don't have access to it. But then, when she gets to the Champion's room, seeing Cynthia there she gets chills. It's made all the more worse when Cynthia sends out Spiritomb first and it all rushes back at Dawn ten fold.

The sickening power running through the air. The look of excitement in her eye. The cry of the ghost/dark pokemon in front of her. She gets overwhelmed, passing out from the rush itself, the fear of seeing those red eyes once again in front of her. She later wakes up in the infirmary of the Pokemon League. Barry is right by her side, and he's freaking out, wondering what the hell happened in the champion's room. She apologizes and explains everything that happened when she had disappeared. She never told him as it just sounded insane to herself, and she was the one that lived through it. But she lays it all out to him there. Turns out Rowan and Lucas were just behind the door, listening as well, and Rowan comes out to offer Dawn some time on Cynthia's behalf, not having to face the E4 again before challenging Cynthia herself again, to recover from such an experience with therapy. Maybe going to another region to clear her head. Maybe she'd meet a train master who lost his brother while doing so.

[pokeglitchden]

Lilycove Meeting Notes: 001

I had the chance to meet with a fellow Glitch Pokemon researcher, Professor Zzazz from the Glitch City region. @professorzzazz

There is a LOT to discuss about our meeting. In spite of some complications, much was learned, though I feel I came out with far more new information than I was able to provide. The region of Glitch City seems to be a treasure trove of data when it comes to glitch Pokemon, complete with its own biomes, local fauna, and even contains a league of its own.

I plan on requesting some time off to take a sabbatical there if I do get the chance, though more on that later.

I'm going to be posting my notes on this meeting in parts, since there was much to discuss, and much that I've learned. I would like to have clear documentation of everything, if you will bare with me.

This first section will discuss particularly my observations about her hybrid Missingno. Null.

Null is a pokemon quite unlike anything I've seen before. And that's saying quite a bit considering the pokemon I regularly work with. Null has characteristics of an Aerodactyl Fossil and ghost form Missingno fusion, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Null is an incredibly inquisitive and sweet pokemon, and likely one of the best trained Missingno. I've encountered. It presented a tendency to Mimic the pokemon interacting with it, a common trait for certain forms of Missingno., but what surprised me most was its interaction with a glitch Pokemon I've been working with, Query, shown below

Query has up to this point showed no intent of interacting with any other pokemon or people up to this point, but to Null, it seemed to become immediately more at ease, and even perhaps affectionate. For a pokemon that has never shown any emotion as long as I've been observing it, this is already a breakthrough.

From what I was able to gather through my conversations with Zzazz, Query is, by all accounts, a pre-hatched pokemon. Though it is in a state where it can interact with its surroundings, and even take part in battle if it wishes, it is still in a state of such early development that it is likely still learning how to interact with its environment. This explains why Query for so long seemed to be such a passive pokemon.

I've also learned that when it hatches, the form it takes will resemble an egg itself. I've decided to begin attempting to carry Query more often in hopes that it will hatch. We are still trying to replicate the procedure that led to Query's emergence in the first place, but this brings us far closer than we've ever been.

I will follow with more shortly.

-S

[littleladymab]

FebruarOC - Calanthe

My field researcher druid, Calanthe! She premiered in the prequel session we played for Sagas, "Dishonored Guests", which was my first time playing Pathfinder! And HEY, wow perFECT TIMING I SWEAR I DIDN'T PLAN THIS, you can now check out @sagasofthesunlessreach where you can find our brand new personalized podcast feed! There's a lot of excitement in this paragraph!!

Anyway. 

For the Sagas one-shot, she was part of a group tasked to investigate a location called Grandelodge where there are some suspicious Goings On. I'm not going to spoil it, because y'all should go listen to it, but she does end up starting her frog collection here. She works out of the major university as largely a research specialist instead of a professor/teacher and her specialty is: poisonous plants! She loves them. They are her babies. She has probably eaten nightshade, for science (shoutouts to Dianne, this one's for you). 

She adds poisonous frogs to the mix, but that's just a hobby not part of her actual research. 

She has a leshy familiar which is a strand of bougainvillea that twines around her arm. It's got a single bud, with bright pink bract and two little flowers that are its eyes, if you were to give it a face. His name is Reginald. 

When I get back to doing Mutiny project, the thing I want to do with her is use it as a chance to expand on granular world building in my own way. In game the crew only came across one noticeable plant (I was using bits from Tomb of Annihilation at that time because we were still in DND) and actually now that I think about it, Calanthe would love to get her hands on that flower... she'd just become another version of the scientist who developed the poison. The world truly isn't ready for her. But I digress. 

Mutiny (the world is called Assalia) is my favorite sandbox, as it is the world I have the grandest and clearest scope of that I have created. So, naturally, it would make sense that I can just go hog wild on world building details and create flora for all the different regions. Do I need to? Absolutely not. Do I want to? Hell fuckin yeah!! I blame Dianne! I'm just going to make it worse by also getting Calanthe a geologist rival. Does this mean I have to start learning things about science so i can properly utilize these characters? Hmmm.... consequences of my actions. 

As she was created for a one-shot, I don't have much figured out about who Calanthe is as a person just yet. The bulk of her character in this setting is just... researcher at the university. Who occasionally goes out into the world to cause problems (not on purpose) (okay sometimes maybe rarely on purpose but she has friends that are SO much better at that than she is i'm looking RIGHT AT YOU APRICUS "SET SEVERAL PEOPLE ON FIRE" THE LUMINARY). Whenever I sit down to write her field journal for Mutiny, I'll work on fleshing her out a lot more. Does anyone have any good solo journaling games that have to do with being a field botanist? No? Is that too specific a subject? Hmm. 

You can see the art that Buddy did for me! and the pin board I made to give Buddy inspo is here :) 

If you want to see what her character sheet looks like, it is over on my patreon!

[ask-wildmons]

[@saguaropokevariants, Saguaro and Lunar]

The Cinderace sits to act as a barrier between Ari and Saguaro, showing that the human means no harm.

"If I may ask, what was your home like? I know it can be difficult to trust other people after certain events, I can fully understand that..."

"Which is why I brought my partner here... I thought maybe a Pokemon would make you feel a little more comfortable than a human."

( Heyo! Thanks for the ask, @saguaropokevariants! )

Ari can easily tell that Lunar trusts Saguaro, so they decide to give them a chance as well. Ari attempted to push themself to their feet, using a tree for balance, just so they didn't have to look up at the other human.

"It was… nice at first. I lived in the Johto region for much of my early life. I even became a Pokémon Trainer. But I wasn't in it to be the League Champion or save the world from calamity."

"I wanted to be one of the bridges between people and Pokémon, to help us understand each other."

"I'm pretty sure my original plan was to become a Pokémon Professor, sorta like this one other person that visited from Sinnoh... I think we always just called her Ms. Cinnabar, who was going through training." "Of course, we all do stupid things as we grow up, and I got involved with the wrong group of so-called "friends". It wasn't until just a few months ago that I realized the mistake I'd made. I'd been running ever since. And I know I can never go back."

"Few days ago, I hopped on a cargo ship, and you know what happened from there." Ari finally stopped trying to push themselves onto their feet, and sat down against the tree. They were still pretty weak from that fiasco.

"I have many regrets from back then, but stands above all the others… One I'll never forgive myself for. Since then, I've realized one ultimate truth: nothing is worth losing sight of yourself and who you are…"

"Don't lose sight of yourself too. Your Cinderace trusts you, and I'm sure you know that, but no one is completely immune to losing their way. If you do..." Ari gave a toothy grin to Lunar, doing their best to hide the sadness that those memories brought with them. "Well, I'm sure you can knock a little sense into them for me if that happens!"

Bonds and Ask Hints have been updated!

Your biggest regret?

[puppyluver256]

"O-oh, good, you did come! Should've expected as much from the new Champion, yeah? Anyway, welcome to the Aspen Rehabilitation Lab, my dad's...no, you're not here for a history lesson, I know. So yeah, this is where we've been trying to restore the Quaralith population. It's been going pretty good, but lately there's been some suspicious activity in that old ghost town down the way that's got some of 'em spooked. And me too, to be perfectly honest. Hopefully this isn't too much to ask, but could you check things out for us? Linda may not have the best opinion of me, but she has good reason. If you think she has a point then don't do this for me, but for the Quaralith. They'll appreciate it just like I would."

Hey, probably didn't expect to see any newcomers to the Cantessy region after so long, didja? Yeah, I had a postgame area planned and I'd designed new Pokemon for it and just...never did anything with the human characters in it for so long, hehe. Anyway, here's the current head of the Aspen Rehabilitation Lab, Professor Brett Aspen. He really doesn't seem like the type to be in charge of anything, kind of flaky and nervous and self-doubting. It doesn't help matters when his prior history of plagiarizing in school comes up, but he insists he's been on the straight and narrow since that incident, especially after seeing how badly it disappointed his father. Being the professor's kid may have gave him one more chance to clean up his act, but that's all he got.

Professor Aspen will arrive at Professor Chestnut's lab to ask for the player's help after they've become Cantessy's new Champion, and she is not happy to see him again after all these years. They went to college together, you see, and not only was she the fellow student he plagiarized out of what he claims was desperation...well, let's just say that his studies weren't the only thing he was cheating on at that time.

💖🐶 Check out my pinned post for ways to support my artwork, among other things! 🐶💖

~Likes are appreciated, but reblogs are preferred as they let more people see my artwork! If you have something to say, feel free to give feedback in tags/comments/replies as well!~

Pokemon and related concepts © Nintendo/GameFreak Professor Brett Aspen, Quaralith, the Cantessy region, and artwork © PuppyLuver Studios

[sunsetdew0101]

Second Chance

Chapter 3

Ash arranged the clothes scattered around the room. Her backpack was ready on the table for the next day. Her humming bespoke her excitement for the day ahead. Tomorrow was the day.

She and Gary would finally get their licenses, get their starter and go on to become real trainers. They'd been waiting forward to it for years, and now that it was so close, it felt like a dream.

Aisha had prepared herself in the best way possible for the trip, the notebooks full of training notes and recipes, now stored in her backpack, were proof of that. Nothing would pull her out of the blissful cloud she was in.

Not even the feeling of deja vu she felt while shopping for materials and packing her bag.

Espeon had noticed Ash's disturbance, but she didn't make a fuss to alert the other humans. She knew her trainer well enough to realize it wasn't the appropriate time to show her concern.

Despite her infinite energy and delight in learning about every Pokemon and Region, Aisha was very secretive about her thoughts and feelings: Even with her family.

Part of it was her mother's fault. Even though she had good intentions, which no one believed, Delia was a bitter and manipulative woman. Thanks to that, Ash became wary of strangers and careful of what she said.

The deja vu sensations she had, as if she were doing it all over again, didn't help her wanting to expand her horizons. Until now, only Espeon knew about these moments, and Ash intended to keep the information within her team.

Knowing too much was dangerous nowadays, especially with Team Rocket having their fingers in every pie. Ash didn't know where these feelings or vague knowledge came from, but she wouldn't publicize it. She was just another trainer from Pallet looking to try her luck in the big leagues. Nothing more, nothing less.

She pretended she didn't feel the slight chill down her spine, concentrating on talking to Daisy, who had come to wish her good night.

Ash loved Professor Oak. She really did. The man had been a father and grandpa to her and had opened the doors of his home to her and defended her from Delia.

But regardless, he was an idiot. And Ash thought about it with all the esteem possible. The Professor was a genius, and his research and discoveries about new Eeveelutions were proof of that.

But he, after twenty years of being a Regional Professor, still managed to forget to sleep the day before the delivery of licenses and initials. This time, the lack of a healthy sleep schedule in recent months made him forget that he would have four trainers instead of the usual three.

Fortunately, there were still a few houses with lights on in town, so only Ash and Gary were present to observe the chaos. Daisy decided she still hadn't had enough coffee to deal with the current crisis once the Professor cuss. Now she was leaning against a wall sipping with her Sylveon.

"I have an extra Pokemon," he muttered absently. "But he hasn't been tamed yet. And he's more aggressive than I feel comfortable with, to give him to the other coaches. But I don't have an alternate starter either."

"Can we see him, Grandpa?" asked Gary.

Later the Professor would say that he almost denied his grandson's request. After all, having already taken care of a Pokemon or not, that one was too aggressive to show to beginners. But something urged him to agree.

Once he returned with the Pokeball, he released the Pokemon.

He was a little dusty and looked like he could use a few extra meals. And if the flash of cheeks said he would make anyone stupid enough to approach him to pay.

Ash always wanted a Charmander as a starter. But, at that moment, when she looked into Pikachu's eyes, a weight settled inside her. She didn't know how, but something told her that she would regret it for the rest of her life if she left Pikachu for another trainer.

And Ash knew better than to ignore those feelings.

Look, Ash wasn't the most planner out there. But she had made a plan for her trip around the Kanto region: She marked the routes, the cities, and the gyms she desired to challenge to stop by or wanted to take. And she even planned budgets for food, medicine, and bus and boat tickets.

Essentially, she prepared herself for eventualities. Things happen. She just made plan B, in case.

But she hadn't planned to owe a bicycle on her first day of travel! And for a good reason! Bikes cost an arm and a leg. No new trainer could pay the price for one at the snap of a finger. But once she got separated from Gary in lane 1, she accidentally pissed off some Spearows who attacked her and her two Pokemon.

Luckily Espeon got inside the Pokeball, but Pikachu refused to, causing her and the electric mouse to run halfway to Viridian City while being chased by the flock of hell birds. Pikachu was injured, and Aisha tried to defend him with her body. But Pikachu decided she wasn't that bad and fried the Spearows and the 'borrowed' bike.

The only good thing about the story was that they got to see Ho-Oh, and Ash was able to take some pictures of him. Pokedexes were underrated. But the disaster did not stop there. Once at the Viridian Pokemon Center, and after expounding Pikachu's sorry state, she assured Misty that she would see every penny of the bike's price back, the worst happened.

Three members of Team Rocket invaded the Pokemon Center and demanded all the Pokemon present. And as much as Ash wanted to battle them, Pikachu had just come out of surgery, and she doubted Espeon was strong enough to fight them.

Ash and Misty helped Nurse Joy transfer the Pokeballs from the storage room to Pewter while the Rockets searched the Center. Both girls were scared, and although she tried to hide it better, so was Nurse Joy. And it was not for less.

The Rockets were a constant danger, and although their attacks had lessened in tone, their presence was perceptible in both Kanto and Johto. Every year hundreds of trainers, new or veterans, were missing.

At best, they found the corpses of the missing trainers. At worst, they found them alive but so severely injured that death would have been a mercy. Some of the rest willingly joined the Rockets or were forced to.

Luckily only the three of them were at the Pokemon Center that night. Unfortunately, only two were active trainers, and one had been a trainer for less than twenty-four hours. At least Nurse Joy had sounded the emergency alarm for the station, but by the time they arrived, a lot could happen.

When Officer Jenny arrived, the Center had blown up thanks to an electrical surge created by Ash's Pikachu and the others that worked at the Pokemon Center. The Rockets were unconscious and tied up in the wreckage, while Ash and Misty were outside, covered in soot and a few light scratches.

"We will travel," declared Misty. Officer Jenny was taking away the Team Rockets' grunts in front of them. "What?"

"Together," she explained to Ash. "You owe me a bike, and after today's show, I bet the Rockets will keep an eye on you. So, you want some company?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?" asked Ash resignedly. The smirk on the redhead's face was self-explanatory.

Maybe the Rockets would ignore them, and when she finally got the bike paid, they could go on their original routes. After all, what is one new trainer among many?

Ao3

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