#Goh: 👀👀👀

[stgosupremacy]

okay so even though the Ash and Goh goodbye was ages ago, i still wanted to say something about it.

So, basically, looking back at all the goodbyes Ash has had in the past with other friends, I just noticed that they seem to be the one thanking him, and saying the kind of stuff along the lines of 'I'm glad i met you', in different ways I guess. (Like Lillie literally just says it, or Serena...yeah did that 👀) as shown...

Long story short, when it's time for Ash and Goh to say goodbye, i love how bittersweet it is and how they both have that fond look on their faces too, like neither of them really want to end their journey. This isn't even the point I'm trying to make rn but it's so cute kjhadzjs

ANYWAY (look at their smiles oh my god i cant) We find that in the end ASH is the one who suddenly announces to Goh, first as well, 'I'm glad i met you.' and he even goes on to say 'Thank you' after that as well.

I honestly thought that was so sweet, bc especially after Ash has travelled to so many regions he's used to being the one to be thanked by other people and it just kind of shows how much important Goh is to him. Even Goh was surprised and the bit where he said he might cry made me want to cry too 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

OK even though i wanted to maybe have a more better goodbye (maybe i'll talk about that in a later post) this was a very sweet moment that my attention latched onto <33

I MISS THEM SO MUCH BUT I HOPE WE SEE THEM AGAIN

The future is in the palm of their hands after all <3

Also terrible quality picture I'm sorry <33

[lookismaddict]

Lookism Chapter 437 Memes/Thoughts I Have:

(SPOILERS !!! I don’t own any of the Lookism panels and the translations. Only the memes that I made.)

Sorry guys, late once again because I had a test today. But damn… Jihan ambitious? 👀

DAAAAAAAAAMN, THAT’S RIGHT. GET BITCH SLAPPED!!!

TELL ME WHY THAT PANEL REMINDED ME OF THIS??? HAHAHAHAHAHA THEY HAD A WILL SMITH AND CHRIS ROCK MOMENT. 💀💀💀💀💀 I BET PTJ USED THIS SCENE AS A MODEL. BUT IF HE REALLY DID, THEN IMMA BE CRYING TEARS.

Damn. So, my question is... are they all brothers or something? And how are they even family related? Is he their uncle? Am I missing something here? 😭😭 Can one of y'all let me know who this Jichang mf is to them? *am confusion* (Update: I forgot "Hyungnim" is a term for older brother. My dumbass... ignore me. I haven't been watching k-dramas anymore so I forgot. My bad.)

OK MAN, LISTEN. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN... I DO ADMIT. YOU ARE ATTRACTIVE. BUT IF YOU DO THAT TO JAY ONE MORE TIME, I SWEAR. IMMA-

This dude is thriving now, but when Jay pummels him... WHEEEEWWWWWWWWWW I CAN'T WAIT TO SIP OUTTA MY FANCY ASS WINE GLASS JUST TO SEE HIM ON THE GROUND.

YEEEESSSSSS JAYYYYY!!! ATTACK HIMMMM!!! BEAT HIM WITH SYSTEMA!!! 😤👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Omg, I can't wait to see him use Kali Arnis. represent 🇵🇭

Oh, sorry. Those were my boobs, my bad. It caught you off guard tho, right? 👁👁

Um... B O I. Your picture would appear under the word "ignorant" because you have no idea who you're messing with. 💀💀💀 YOU'RE LITERALLY, FIGHTING WITH H GROUP CHAIRMAN'S SON. WDYM? You have no idea how much power this kid has, let alone his own PROWESS. 🤡 Also, if this boy Jihan doesn't stop wrecking Jay...

Get it? Since, Jay is already HARMED... then Jihan is about to catch these MF HANDS EITHER WAYYYYY!!!! 👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽👊🏽

BRUH, I'LL END YOU! TF???

Oh great, it's the smartass twink again...

Has anyone noticed how big Mandeok's hair is? That it's even protruding out of the panel? PTJ you comedic genius...

Oh, wouldn't you like to know? Eugene...

Damon Goh's rubber duck must know some secrets. I bet it even knows the secret to the two bodies AND stuff about Charles Choi. You never know where it might have gone off to. Ooooouuu, it said, "I'm a detective." 😎 And I love how goofy Mandeok can be, even when he's unintentionally funny. Like, man's got the humor and all without him even knowing. (For instance, there's a panel in Ep. 373, which was the chapter when Daniel moves into the Workers' Casino and both Eugene & Mandeok welcome him. Then all of a sudden, Mandeok just grabs onto Daniel then physically shakes him upside-down because Eugene said it's for security purposes. 😂)

SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THIS DILF IS ACTUALLY A FRIEND OF ALEXANDER SOPHIA'S???? OMGGGGG BRUH. YOU HAD NO IDEA HOW I SCREAMED WHEN EUGENE MENTIONED PARK JINCHEOL. HONESTLY, I LOVE THE PTJ UNIVERSE SM. CONNECTING ALL WORLDS INTO ONE LIKE THEY IN SOME MARVEL UNIVERSE. 😭😭😭

DON'T MIND ME SKIPPING THE PARTS WHEN JAY WAS GETTING BEATEN, BUT YEEEEEEEEEEEE BOIIIIIIIII. TIME TO GET WACKED!!!!! 😆😆😆

"To think you'd look for a woman late at night, Jay Hong." ... hmmm. That line really stuck with me. I've been rereading that over and over again to the point that I lost count. So... does Alexander Sophia know or had a feeling that Jay is...? 😳

AWWWWWW HELL YEAH, THERE'S AN UPGRADED VERSION OF ALEXANDER'S KALI ARNIS!!! THAT'S SO COOOOOOL!!! 🤩🤩🤩

YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS JAYYYYYYY!!! YOU DID ITTTT!!!! I love how Jay has such a big heart. Even though Jihan is an enemy, he still considers his health. He even knows his own POWER TOO AND WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OF. ALSO, HE ISN'T AS WEAK AS HE WAS BACK THEN. LIKE DAAAAAAAAMN JAY, YOU GOT SO STRONG!!! AM PROUD. 😩😩💖💖💖💖💖

GOD PTJ, DON'T MAKE ME CRY HERE. YK I AIN'T READY FOR A SOB FEST. 😭😭😭😭

I TOLD Y'ALL, IMMA BE SIPPIN ON MY WINE GLASS. GOT THAT ROSÉ IN HAND, EXTRA FRUITYYYY. 🤪

Yeah bro, it's some sexy pervy illiterate demonic Enemy of the State Japanese Yakuza mf named Jong Gun Park.

OH LOOK, THERE HE IS! HI BAE, I MISS YOUR PSYCHOTIC ASS!!! 😩😩🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 DON'T MIND YOUR SON GETTING YEETED BY A 1ST GEN KING. HE'LL BE FIIIIINE... hopefully.

AHHHHHHH SHIIIIII. NOW IT'S DANIEL'S TURN FOR THE SPOTLIGHT. What if Hudson and Jay come to the rescue when Daniel is at his lowest while fighting Jichang? Well, that's one of my guesses on what'll happen in the future. But, I have faith in Daniel. I hope he'll knock Jichang down a peg, next chapter. Well, until next week! 👋🏽

God, I hate how I'm busy on Thursdays now. Almost every week, I be posting my reviews super late now. Smh me. Sorry guys. 😓

[jadeazora]

A better look at those Bandai minifigs from the other day. These tend to feature Pokemon that will appear in the anime, so I'm looking at those starter evolutions like 👀👀👀 (I think it's possible to have an early series evolution for the protagonists' starters. Liko and Roy likely won't stick around as Ash did, and Goh evolved Scorbunny pretty early on into JN.)

These release in November.

[wannaeatramyeon]

i just saw that you are biased towards vasco tabasco as well 👀👀👀👀 i beg for anything, i have read all the fics on this app twice and im getting withdrawals from my bit tit himbo 😭

Tell me who isn't biased towards our baby Tabasco and I'll fight them!!

Ty for the ask! I just love Vasco so much. He's THE ride or die and has always treated little Daniel so kindly from the start.

He doesn't always get it right but he tries and he learns and his heart is in the right place 😭😭

I feel like there's just SO much I want to read and know about Vasco. HC, x reader, drabbles, novels. But here you go anon, take some wordvom instead

Vasco Headcannons

The Burn Knuckles said they started the gang just cos they like him. Vasco was probably just shouting about protecting people and being all pure then attracting all these macho dudes that were going down the wrong path. He has a sense of justice that is just... Irrefutable. The kind that kids have before they grow up and get cynical and corrupted and he reminds them of a simpler time.

Also he's strong af so if you don't want to die, you come around to his view pretty quickly.

Damon Goh the rubber ducky guy hid away his ducks until Vasco saw them one day and was like 'omg!! These are so cute!!' with his typical heart eyes and asked for one. Since then, Damon just unapologetically carries them around.

No idea Leonn Lee is a girl. Doesnt care if she is, Burn Knuckles membership is open to all.

Doesn't know there's a tool council, thought it was something for architect class. Never made the connection with the Tool nicknames either.

Unapologetic crier. You've seen his tears. Encourages Burn Knuckles to show their emotions. They hold therapy sessions like a confessional but apart from Jace - Vasco and the rest of the gang share 1 braincell so no good can come from this.

Makes friends everywhere he goes. We've seen Vasco make his own crew out of the Homeless, and that's just how he is. He's made friends with BEARS like cmon.

Not that great with names or faces though, and he's just a general clown so he doesn't actually remember a lot of people.

Has a rather childlike and innocent view of the world with justice and lookism. It used to be pretty black and white but he learns and is understanding of the shades of grey pretty quickly. Let's be real, if Vasco was leader of the world - we would all be a lot better off.

Toxic masculinity who? Gender roles what? Zero interest in subscribing to men can't do this or women shouldn't do that. Will be the best provider or househusband ever, whatever makes his partner happy!

Daniel or Jay busy or out of town? If Vasco is available, he will be looking after Enu or Jays puppies. This is absolutely non negotiable. He always gets first dibs.

Seen and heard enough about Vin Jin to think there's no redeeming features with this guy. Although Vasco might be the only person that thinks his rap is pretty good lol

Very little sense of self awareness and decorum around girls. Not really sure where he's going wrong until Jay spruced him up and his post-date download with Jace.

Says he's married to the Burn Knuckles and he's talked less about finding a partner since then. In all honesty he finds the dressing up and the flowery words exhausting. He just wants to find someone that loves him for him, BNC uniform and all :(

And this is the perfect segue into...

Vasco x Reader headcannons

Vasco is the ultimate friends to lover trope. He needs to get to know you first and your personality before he can begin to develops feelings for you. Your morals aligning with his is a must.

Doesn't think too hard on confessing if he likes you. He's a straight forward guy. Main obstacle is Jace giving him terrible advice based on trashy romcoms.

Only Jace (occasionally) or family call him Euntae. Will be so flustered if you do.

He is 100% innocent your honour!!! You likely need to take the initiative in the relationship. He's a romantic at heart but doesn't know how to express himself and is worried about being too foward. First hand hold? First embrace? First kiss? Gonna be all you.

Gets more relaxed the longer you date. Once he's more confident of your comfort levels and knowing that he can be himself around you, will initiate a lot more.

Not a huge fan of PDA but loves holding hands and holding you. It just feels right with you in his arms.

Vasco would naturally be the big spoon, but omg if you were the big spoon? He has never felt so protected and loved and will absolutely melt.

Huge fan of couples outfits. Not the cool ones, the cheesier the better. "If found return to Y/N" "I'm Y/N". And tbh Zack is sick with jealousy that him and Mira don't do that.

Still has an old fashioned sense of chivalry where he wouldn't want you to fight even if you could. After seeing you fight a few times though, he reluctantly let's you get on with things. Will try to step in where possible, but more that he doesn't want to see you get hurt.

Loves the novelty of classic dates at first, especially after seeing and reading about it all so much. Fancy 3 course meals, grabbing a coffee together.

After a while though, would prefer to just have more meaningful dates and take you to his favourite places. Even if it's that Fish Soup place lol, but you don't mind cos you can see how happy he is and being with Vasco is enough.

Expect good morning texts, good night video calls and everything in between! This man isn't afraid of the double or triple text. There's a lot of "I can't wait to see you!" and "I miss you!!" and just random ones like "I tried to buy milk but forgot my wallet lol"

As long as it's not against his morals, he will do A N Y T H I N G for you. Tired? Foot massage. Craving at 3am? Let me run right out. Prefer him clean shaven? Hold on I'll get the razor. He loves you so so much and it shows!

[shima-draws]

Okay last poll for now unless I think of any others lol

I know I’m missing a lot but I can only put in ten answers 😭 I just went off of what I know to be the generally more popular/well-known ships in the fandom. I have a fairly good idea which ship is the most popular but I am curious to see what the general consensus is 👀

[amburrlance]

*Bernie Sanders voice* Once again, I’m here to post OFFICIAL ARTWORK of Ash and Gou and call it cannon. And the fact that Chloe is barely in any official art, only these two 👀 Heck, Leon and Raihan, too. Almost always by themselves. Cannon…(to a degree, let me have my serotonin 🥹). If Pokemon had the balls to openly admit to making an androgynous character (Gou/Goh), they can do more…

[aloneinthehellfire]

just wanna preface this ask by saying i absolutely love love LOVE the GOH series it's so close to my heart <3 I love it and you for writing it

I saw you take questions about the series so just wanted to ask you what your favourite moment from it is? what's something you're excited about writing or expanding on in later chapters?

Thank you so much 😭

Writing this has been harder than I thought since I’m usually writing with certain dialogues and storylines already created for me so, weirdly, I think my favourite moment is literally the beginning of this series. I like the chaos (not a surprise) and so writing the part where the apocalypse begins made me so excited to continue everything ahhhh.

I also have a special place in my heart for the steve x reader moment where reader finally talks about her feelings, specifically how horrible she’s felt after her sister died

I’m really excited for everyone to read what happens next, there’s a lot to expand on but I am most looking forward to exploring their relationship as well a little more insight into what started this apocalypse in the first place 👀

[eternalstargazer]

Ash is now in the Master Class and is about to face the toughest trainers and champions in the world, yet he still makes the time to accompany Goh on his trial missions. While I'm sure Goh would be disappointed if Ash stayed behind to train, I'm also confident he'd understand. Ash made a promise though to Goh, that he would cheer him on, and Ash is not about to break that promise. 🥺

Ash's enthusiasm to help Goh succeed is matched only by Goh's enthusiasm to help Ash succeed. Sometimes I feel both boys hold each other's dreams as close to their hearts as their own. When Ash learns that he can't join Goh on this mission, he's visibly disappointed, and while Ash undoubtably enjoys going on these missions because they're like mini-adventures, he does it too because he wants to help Goh. He said just that in episode 102. What does he do since he can't directly help Goh? The next best thing, which is encourage him to give it his all! 😊

Aww... look at Ash popping in to give Goh a supportive smile. 😊

He wants to make sure Goh knows that even though he can't be right there alongside him, he's there in spirit, and rooting for him. 🥺

How thoughtful of Ash to cheer on both Goh and Tokio! Goh's his guy, but he'll support Tokio too! 🤗

Uh, Ash? Did you already forget about Tokio? He's kinda in trouble too, right alongside Goh...

I feel bad for Tokio. Ash forget about him the instant Goh could potentially be in danger. I love too how Ash gets to his feet and tightens his fists. You know he wants nothing more to rush in there himself and protect Goh. His immediate instinct is to get to Goh's side. 😭

Sorry Tokio, but I absolutely adore that.

... Ash? Tokio is standing right there, victorious, alongside Goh. So much for cheering them both on. 😅

That's okay, Ash. Cheer for your boy! Cheer for him at the top of your lungs! 💖 Which shouldn't be a problem for Ash (nor does it seem to be an issue for Goh during Ash's PWC matches...). 😂

Though I'd watch out for that Gardevoir... I think it senses your favoritism, Ash. 👀

Ash knows Goh is putting on a brave face. He knows Goh is hurting, and that hurts him. 😢 These two have become so close. They care so much about each other. Whatever one is feeling, the other feels as well. Not only do their dreams matter to each other, they matter to each other. 💕

With all that said, it's obvious why Ash is overcome with happiness once he hears that Goh will receive two tokens for second place. Goh may not have won first place in the trial mission, but he's first place in Ash's heart. 💖

[kohakhearts]

For the ask game: 2 and 9? 👀

heyy thanks ollie! :D

2: a headcanon you weren’t sure about at first but have come to like!

this one's kind of tough, i'm kind of blanking tbh. uhh maybe photographer chloe? i know it's like relatively well-liked by people, but i just didn't fully see the basis for it initially and now i think i do! don't really have a strong career headcanon for her personally, but i do like that one :)

9: a ship that isn’t your otp but that you enjoy

hmm ok there are a lot of these, i am very much a multishipper LOL. i'm going to say diodeshipping! i think aside from gary and goh, clemont is probably my favourite character to ship ash with (though these days dawn is a close second, but tbh i didn't used to like them together at all really :p). they have a lot of chemistry and just idk, good scenes. you won't hear me say many good things about serena's crushTM but i actually do feel like the way it affects the dynamic between her, clemont, and ash is Interesting. i don't really like the ot3 because i don't really like serena with either of them let alone both of them lol but i SO see why people do like it. anyway yeah. diode. NEED to write a fic for them someday jkdfghjfk

love your fandom ask game

[ask-ash-and-goh]

Hey Ash, what do you think of Goh's school uniform? 👀

Goh, what do you think of Ash's Alola wrestling outfit? 👀

[gretchensinister]

I decided to listen to a gragoh playlist I made way back when and it had slow by depeche mode and show me your teeth by lady gaga on it and like- damn these gramps be horny 😂 then I remembered that YOU recomended these songs to me lol

Anyways just wanted to comment that these songs back-to-back are so fucking hilarious, cause you get skekGra being all 👀👀👀👀 about some slow torture Goh can put him through while urGoh over there is like "fuck slow and gentle, I want you to take a bite of me" jdbfjfbf two sides of a horny coin

:D :P

I have written them as two sides of a very horny coin and I WILL NOT STOP

Just for you, I will share an unrelated conclusion reached in a conversation I had with a friend, to wit: based on the way the stones in the puzzle chamber vibrated when stuff wasn't working, Gra and Goh could definitely make a magic-powered vibrator on purpose if they wanted to

[stgosupremacy]

MY SATOGOU GOODBYE RANT.

so yeah i said i would do one so here i am. honestly dont know how long this will be so let's get stuck in lmao <33

I'm starting after the 'im glad i met you part', bc i kind of already did a post on that anyway lol (and just wanted to add, in the dub they changed it to 'I'm sure glad i met you,' and Ash says it so soft omg i literally died on the spot watching it ;-;

(headsup ignore the fact some of the images are off a youtube channel i couldn't find the scenes💀)

so i hope this is all in order, but this bit is so so SO sweet when Goh tells him 'thanks for reaching out for me' like no surprise i was literally crying at that point like sgdxkjnfsgf it's so sweet to me that without Ash none of his journey would have really happened, but tbf you could say the same for all of his companion tbh. either way, i am very glad goh met satoshi too omg <3 🥺

theennnnnn this part is Ash just offering some sweet words of advice and comfort, talking ab their dreams ect, like, nothing too bittersweet to see here, but i guess you can say the way he said 'WE' and meant both of them is sweet lmao

OK so on the palm of our hands thing i have a few things to say

first of all i love how Ash knew that he knew what to continue with bc they are just so in sync with each other ofc <3 and OFC they had to put that scene in for the last episode, like when it was in the Mewto episode for the first time, i was honestly screaming of how cute it was LIKE THE FACT ASH MADE THE LITTLE ADD ON OF 'OUR HANDS' IN THE FIRST TIME THEY DID IT JUST MAKES IT EVEN MORE CUTER EJHSKF

but anyways as much as i love this scene because of how 'the future is in the palm of our hands', can be interpreted in some otherways, 👀 I also couldnt help but thing about something else.

after/before the Project mew stuff actually started/finished (pretty sure it was after,) we see a scene of Goh, Gary and Horace using the 'palm of our hands' phrase together, and yeah its rlly cute lmao, but i was kind of hoping it was something unique for Ash and Goh, not trying to be a fusspot, but i think the scene now feels slightly less special to me now Goh used it with some other people?

I mean sure, ash and goh were still the first people who did it, and it IS their kind of thing lmao, like they created it. Even tho it was just an initial thought, it is still really sweet that goh used it with others don't get me wrong <3

when i was watching this i was like no way this is it lol like are you not gonna confess

jokes but thankfully they made a bittttt more to it (and good bc if they left it there I would be sitting there like what)

so they start to walk away from each other and you see Goh is still quite sad while Ash is still holding up, my heart was dying </3

STOP IT WHEN GOH STOPPED AND HE WAS ABOUT TO CRY AAAAAAAAAA 🥺🥺🥺

BUT OFC

OFC ASH HAS TO CALL OUT TO HIM AND THE WAY GOH'S EYES HAVE THE LITTLE SPARKLE WHEN HE HEARS HIS VOICE 💖 The fact Ash actually thought while he was walking away 'oh shit need to check up on the bf' lol and climbed up the little hill to wave him off again is the cutest thing; CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE this made their whole goodbye for me tbh 💕💕💕

SUPPORTIVE BROS FOR REAL <3

ofc they want each other to achieve their dreams aww

ok but THIS

the bit where they nod at each other is so comforting to me like it's weird, but it gave me a little more satisfaction i'll say, lmao. also gives you a hint that they are wrapping up the goodbyes fully so it gave me some very brief preparation time 😢

and with that, Goh runs off into the distance.

</3 (my boy has grown up sm) 🥺

OK i do love that when he runs off, he's more confident, and when it switches back to Ash, it has him watching over Goh until he can't see him anymore, which is rlly cute <333 ahhh they're so pure man

Ash runs off to his new journey too, and he begins to talk about Pallet Town to Pikachu...

Thats it

yeah

SOOOOO BASICALLY THIS IS MORE OF THE RANT SECTION:

uhmmm so first things first. Did i like the goodbye for them? Well, yeah, it was quite cute, especially the end part where Ash gives him that last bit of encouragement and called out his name, because SHEESH if they left that part out and gave them that first goodbye without Ash calling out to him, and they just left each other....yeah, i wouldn't be happy.

see, i just kind of thought they deserved a bit better. It was v cute and all, but like they've been through so much together 😭 😭 😭 😭 like I'm saying this as a shipper but still 😂 tbf if they hugged I probably would have cried but let's be honest I could cry at anything at this point

but hey what we got was pretty cute, I just would have tweaked some things because honesty this duo are literally the closest I've ever seen in the anime, and I would have hoped for a little bit more, BUT IT'S FINE IT HAPPENED *mentally counts*

9 MONTHS AGO (??? where has the time gone)

but thank you for coming to my TED talk <33

[alolanrain]

Can I throw a couple of thoughts towards you??

💜 IMO, we were robbed of platonic partners Altomare Latias and Ash- like, supersonic jet dragon and basically a knight? Sign me up!!

💜 Oh! What about Chaos Trio Victini, Pikachu, Ash?? I feel like BW!Era Ash especially deserves to be a bit of a gremlin (don't get me wrong, Cilan and Iris are pretty okay, but... gremlin!Ash, my beloved, y'know?? )

💜 [disclaimer: I *do* like Goh] Hot Take: Goh's a good comedic/dramatic foil for Ash but feels otherwise overrated- so whenever 'Catch 'Em All (Including Literally The Gods)' vs 'Would Want To Catch 'Em All, But Some Have Big Responsibilities' is juxtaposed is just magnifique ™️

💜 Leon and/or Raihan × Older!Ash is good, you write it so dang well, we love to see it! and Jealous Leon is a Look™️ and ohh 👀

💜 Ash gets transformed into a pokémon (dealer's choice) during the Su/Mo // Journeys era, no one really notices until the Team Rocket Scheme Du Jour happens

I am so sorry this took so long, also thank you for separating the thoughts as I shall dk the same to each one.

🤍 Ash and Latias are a Duo that we should have had more content off then just Altomare and I am greatly sad every time I remember. It be really nice to see a come back in journeys or another anime, even though I’m not caught up with Journey in the first place, but there has been a few rare good fics with them on AO3.

🤍 Gremlin!Ash my beloved, my love, how I horn you do dear. But seriously? Victini should have the damn right to travel alongside Ash and Pikachu as the Terror Trio. Ash and Pika would have been the best trainer and friend for them AND they’d love Victini just as their first ever trainer had.

🤍 thank you!! I find it really great and though provoking how I write Ash and Goh together when their Vs. Each other on this topic that you’ve stated. Especially, and I don’t think I’ve written so much about this point yet, how Ash was almost like Goh when he first started out. Now though Ash realizes that a majority of the Legendaries do have responsibilities to their shared planet, even when their throwing tantrums or being kidnapped and enslaved by shitty shorty humans, while Goh doesn’t quite get the concept yet and Ash is desperately trying to make sure he lives another day and not get himself killed.

🤍 thank you yet again!!! I really do like it when people comment on my older Ash stuff, especially when he’s shipped with Leon or Raihan. It outweighs the negative or hurtful comments I get from people who genuinely don’t like it. And I get it! It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I also specifically make sure that either their Ash’s age in the very rare instance or Ash is older in every instance. I’d never actually ship Ash with an older person in the anime when he’s still ten. And also Jealous!Leon is a Look and I love it so much.

🤍 I would love to see Ash transformed into another legendary or mythical, something small like Shaymin or Victini but my heart also wants a baby Lugia or Tapu Koko.

[soulsilversprings]

Hello again! This week, let’s ask this: who are some characters who have never met that you’d love to have meet? I think that Sapphire and Iris would have a lot of fun outdoorsy adventures! Alternately it would be immensely entertaining to put Gary, Ruby, Drew, Paul, Harley, Barry, Burgundy, and Gladion in a room together like some sort of hellish rival gathering just to see what happens. Bonus ask: place your guesses on how that would go if you feel like it. Go wild. 

Ahhh!!! Let's see:

Gary and Chloe. You know the drill. Chloe's Eevee arc. Gary's Umbreon. Chloe becoming a researcher anyway just like her dad, just like Gary did after his grandpa. Plssss it literally would've been perfect!

Chloe and Iris + Misty. Ok rly all three should've met but since Chloe's thing was meeting all the girls, I think she would've had a really fun snarky dynamic with these two! Misty literally lives a town away, and Iris could've sat with Chloe and Dawn for the M8!

Chloe and May. Wanted to just lump them in with the above, but their dynamic would be more sweet and relaxed!! Also throw in May and Iris now that I'm here bc they have similar adventurous foodie vibes.

Dawn and Drew + Harley. Oh my god, the banter would be incredible. Would love to see her sass / yell at them both. Just picture her cooing "Mr. Roseeee" at Drew omfg

Drew and Zoey. Mainly bc Drew actually battled outside of contests, which Zoey is against. And bc I wanna see Drew enter a Sinnoh contest in his normal aqua pants and Zoey go "absolutely not."

Tracey and Dawn. The Professor Oak fanclub ever, and just rays of sunshine in general!

Cilan and Mallow. Restaurant owners, Grass-type trainers, wholesome, you get the drill!

Chloe and Zoey. Ships with Dawn aside, early Zoey would've eviscerated Chloe for trying contests when she was unsure what she wanted to do. But later Zoey would be a great mentor and friend for her! (Dare I also say it'd be a good ship 👀)

Iris and Bonnie. I've talked about this a bit but omfg. They have similar fun / chaotic vibes, and Bonnie would totally specialize in Dragon-types. I could rly see Iris mentoring her!

Drew and Serena. Since May is clearly dating them both, as evidenced by the last JN cameo and the rose on Glaceon (/lh, /j). The snark and romance would be fun!! (Picture, in the case of bi Serena: Drew flirting with someone who isn't oblivious???)

Gary and Paul. Bc imo, purple boi deserves a swift punch to the face.

I was just saying this in a group chat but I hc that Max, Sawyer, Barry, Kenny and Lyra all meet during their travels and become a friend squad! The vibes just fit idk

Delia and Caroline!!!!! They are in love your honor (source: kait)

And finally, Misty and Serena. Just so they can get ice cream together (and maybe kiss) to put an end to the ship wars.

EDIT Tracey and Goh!! As @gaycey-sketchit once said, the gay autistic transmasc solidarity they would've had 👏

[shinneth]

hello~!! didja see the journeys ep with paul yet? what did you think of it? 👀

Oh, I sure did! Less than 24 hours after it came out, no less. Which is saying something, since I've not watched any of the Pokémon anime since XY (more had to do with getting rid of cable + general burnout; not to knock on XYZ, but Best Wishes hurt me).

Thoughts on it? Well, a little on the mixed side. Least I can do is go over it in more detail. Without watching Journeys at all outside this episode, I've got the overall gist well enough. So, guess it's time to pick this apart.

Cramming 2-3 plots in one episode was a misstep imo

I heard the last time Ash's reserve group at Oak's lab was featured in Journeys, it did a less-than-stellar job showing them off. Apparently, a good chunk of them weren't even seen in that episode, let alone had a role in it. This episode rectified that and made sure every single one of Ash's currently-owned Pokémon was at the very least visible, as even the ones who only got background/still-shot moments at least got to display an element of their personality. That much I greatly appreciate. Guess it's inevitable that pulling this off well will only become increasingly difficult as the series presses on with Ash as a protagonist, so at the very least I can respect this episode for going out of its way to make the vast majority of these Pokémon relevant in one way or another.

Especially since the Fire-type brigade had a special purpose in helping Ash's Gengar learn Will-o-Wisp. And as someone who values the strategic aspect of Pokémon battling, I'm super happy it was this move that Gengar learned and not something like Fire Punch. I enjoyed seeing this being shown in such detail! It really did feel like stepping back to the older seasons that actually put effort into showing off the importance of training.

However, as I watched the episode, I noticed how much time was being invested in these two plot points and remembered this is supposed to be the episode where Paul returns after a 12-year absence...

And from what I understand, Paul ain't gettin' any more appearances after this. This is it! This is all we get after a decade-plus of nothing!

So, in all honesty, I think at the very least the plot of Ash reuniting with all his Pokémon, Goh properly getting acquainted with them all, and the training for the Masters 8 should have been its own episode. Because I do believe it's very important to honor history and give everybody their due diligence when the anime gives them time to actually show up and matter.

Now, with Gengar learning Will-o-Wisp? That meshes in well with Paul showing up. I'd keep that. But the abundance of nostalgic fluff (that I love, but I gotta tell it like it is) really made this episode feel more than a little truncated in the areas that should have mattered most.

It was a competently written comeback for Paul...

On a superficial note, I am a little bummed that Paul didn't get any tweaks in his design (such as colored irises, which Ash was granted from Best Wishes onward; before then, his eyes were just as dotted and black as Paul's). I certainly didn't expect him to get a new outfit or anything since they didn't give Dawn that much (... from what I recall they DID give that to Serena, buuuut Serena's from the era of customizable PCs so I guess that makes a little more sense? Didn't play Gen IV's remakes, so idk if they offered that in those), but it would've been cool.

Then again, I HAVE heard about the interview in which the logic for never ever letting Ash age for the sake of keeping some "feeling like the first day of summer every day" sentiment... much as I roll my eyes at that, I've pretty much given up on the progression of time EVER being feasible in this series. Up through DP, I could at least pretend Ash was aging a year per major region (minor quests like Orange League and the Battle Frontier didn't warrant full-year lengths to me). At this point, given the design and how many generations we're in now, there's really no other choice than to accept this is basically Anime Simpsons time-wise.

Paul having his own Gyarados, Garchomp, and Metagross was completely believable, of course. He's been doing this Pokémon training thing just as long as Ash has, and there was zero indication that he would have stopped after Ash beat him. Unlike Gary, Paul didn't decide on a career change. He was set on challenging Brandon again (more on that later...). So, yeah. It would be perfectly logical for Paul to have about as many reserves as Ash. Reggie's got a big-ass backyard for that, after all. And all three of these Pokemon are ones I'd totally see have Paul having on his own journey.

Would've liked a longer battle, ngl

I'm not sour that Paul lost to Ash again here. Ash losing to Paul at this stage probably would have damaged his cred significantly (considering what all he's accomplished from XYZ and Sun/Moon) - this is right before the Masters 8 stuff starting up, after all.

But I think I would have at least preferred a tie.

Then again, with a certain other plot element I'll get to in a bit, I suppose that might have weakened that message a tad. Really, though, I would've liked a longer battle. I'm just used to Ash/Paul battles being lengthy affairs, full of twists and turns and crazy-ass strategies being utilized. Like, in all fairness, all 3 of Ash's Pokémon gained significant abilities from this battle alone (Lucario got Bullet Punch, Dragonite got a crazy-ass combo move, and Gengar got Will-o-Wisp). I am bummed we didn't get a resurgence of Counter Shield - THAT would've been cool to see make a comeback! And it's one of Ash's few legitimately clever tactics. Though I guess that technique was more of a Dawn-related thing, ultimately. Still, didn't stop Paul from copying it in the Sinnoh League :P I wanna say Dragonite's made-up technique may have been some kind of loose reference/spiritual successor, but in practice it looks like they serve completely different purposes.

Thanks to so much time being eaten up with Ash's Pokémon reunion, there sadly wasn't much left for there to be an epic fight. What little we got was good enough, and it was very nicely animated.

The real appeal in Paul and Ash's rivalry, though, was in how Paul actually made Ash question himself and his methods/motivations. Paul on the outside came off as someone who should have no business being as good as he is because he isn't all about the "love and friendship" aspect of Pokémon. Naturally we're past that development for both of them, but this extended into their battling as well. Their first full battle was loaded with multiple switch-outs on both ends, Ash being forced to wonder what Paul had planned when something didn't immediately make sense to him, and it was just a glorious display of battling psychology.

I guess switch-outs being forbidden from the off in this battle played a role in how this could have been just a little bit more in-depth. And it'd be foolhardy to just expect this battle to be right up there with both of the full battles that happened in DP. The characters are both in very different places now compared to then.

Still, I couldn't help but roll my eyes a little when Paul actually wondered "Oh shit, is Burn really affecting my Metagross' strength?! The thing that the Burn status effect has always been?!"

ofcoursehefuckingknowshehasafuckingmagmortarwithflamebodyandREALLYfuckedpikachu'sshitwiththeburnstatussowhytheeverlivingfuckisheevenwonderingaboutthistohimselfgoddammit

... a GYM LEADER you say

So. I'm of two minds about this.

It's REALLY COOL the series itself is acknowledging that Paul is far too talented to just be an aimlessly-wandering nobody trainer and gave him something that'll elevate his status and reflect just how his presence positively affected the series.

Bonus points if (and this is SUPER-DELUSIONAL OPTIMISM btw) Paul actually became a Gym Leader for the next series AND was adopted into the game canon by actually being a Gym Leader in the Scarlet/Violet games.

On the other hand...

COME ON, HE IS AT LEAST A FRONTIER BRAIN CANDIDATE

YEAH FUCKING REMEMBER THAT? LAST THING WE KNOW PAUL DID POST-LEAGUE WAS GO OFF TO CHALLENGE BRANDON AGAIN.

WHEN ASH BEAT BRANDON, HE WAS OFFERED A POSITION TO BE A FRONTIER BRAIN.

SO EITHER

PAUL BEAT BRANDON BUT TURNED DOWN THE OFFER BECAUSE WHY BE A FRONTIER BRAIN WHEN YOU COULD BE A GYM LEADER AND IT'S NOT LIKE THE ANIME ESTABLISHED FRONTIER BRAINS > GYM LEADERS OR ANYTHING OH WAIT YES IT HAS

"It’s a group of facilities, somewhat like a Gym, but more intense where you challenge and battle against an amazing group of powerful trainers called Frontier Brains." -Brock

OR

PAUL JUST NEVER DEFEATED BRANDON I GUESS

(also lowkey I really really really would've loved for Paul to meet Cynthia again...)

His behavior in the battle this episode DID have him more in, say, a "gym leader's" mindset, I would say. I'd go as far to argue that Paul wasn't really putting his all into any of those matches with Ash. He really seemed interested in drawing out new powers from his opponent. The few times where he shows something of a reaction during the battles, it's when one of the three new powers/techniques started showing that aura-like flare.

I'm certainly not saying Paul wouldn't make for a good Gym Leader. Given the subtle showings of his growth in the episode, such as Infernape actually following Paul's suggestion; something he wouldn't have done in DP regardless of Paul's prior ownership of him... also, him telling Electivire to play and all that, yeah. That's indicative that he's not as excessively rigid as he was before. Paul has the maturity and discipline to be an excellent Gym Leader; certainly 8th Gym Leader material for sure.

My thing is... this is very much beneath him. If the episode had more time, maybe we would have gotten Paul saying that in his pursuit of gaining power, he realized that wasn't ever going to stop someone out there being more powerful than him no matter what he did.

We could have gotten something like, Paul admitting that his fascination with seeing power really felt the most rewarding when his influence drew power out from his opponents.

Looking at the facts, almost every time Paul and Ash battled in DP, Ash would either get one of his Pokémon evolved or they'd learn a significant new move or ability (or technique). Paul is really good at making Ash dig deep and bring out the best in all of his Pokémon.

It stands to reason that Paul's passion might lie in bringing out the true potential of other trainers; it gives him a better battle to have that improves his own team while simultaneously benefiting his opponent.

With a specific sort of focus like this, added with the fact that Paul has zero type preferences of any sort (all we know is that he really likes powerful 'mons who are as good at tanking hits as they are at dishing them out), that really screams "Frontier Brain" more so than "Gym Leader".

In all fairness, it's never outright said whether or not Paul accepted the offer to become Gym Leader. Which can let me headcanon that while he went to Professor Oak to educate himself, it wasn't necessarily to become Gym Leader. Paul's realizing that he can't rely entirely on self-taught methods to ascend in this way of life. Whatever he becomes in the future, Paul's clearly taking the steps necessary to reach the level he seeks to be.

So while I wasn't really thrilled about Paul being used as the "measuring stick" for Ash's chances against anyone in the Masters 8, at least there's an implication that Paul isn't exactly spinning his wheels, either. Much as I'd love to have him be part of the Masters 8 (no guesses on who I'd have him replacing in that), clearly the powers-that-be did not have that intention from the onset.

Hell, one can argue that Paul becoming Gym Leader is just his stepping stone to reach greater heights. After all, it's not uncommon for Gym Leaders to later challenge, on on rare occasions, defeat and replace members of the Elite Four.

So there's an ounce of hope here. Of course, I don't expect we'll ever actually see Paul in the anime again. Maybe 24 years from now. I'll be lucky to be alive by then!

Paul plz

gawd you're still so tsundere af

BITCH YOU HAVE BEEN IN NO LESS THAN FOUR POKEWORLD EQUIVALENTS OF THE SUPER BOWL

SHUT YO' ASS UP

I'd post more pics/gifs but I ran my limit now

So uh... yeah! Those are my thoughts on the episode. In a vacuum, it's great, had lots of nostalgic potential and at the very least they didn't completely ruin Paul like they EASILY could have. Kudos on the writers for making him show his maturity through his subtle cues rather than making him overtly friendly like the rest of Ash's recurring posse.

I really do enjoy more strategic elements being employed in the battle and the episode overall. I feel like Gengar's Will-O-Wisp especially will be a game-changer for Ash's chances in the Masters 8.

However, I would've really appreciated having more time, maybe not compact this episode with three major events, y'know? I'm sure there's a filler somewhere in Journeys that could've been trimmed out to facilitate this.

Also not thrilled about the prospect of Paul becoming a Gym Leader as it's very much beneath him (unless this is some clever-ass tie in to the games and god is that ever wishful thinking or his stepping stone to reach the top), but I do like that I can infer that Paul's at least found a reason to battle for his own sake now.

Yeah. Remember when Brandon asked Paul why he battles? We never got an answer to that, ever.

So this might be the closest we get: not a Gym Leader aspiration, but a necessary step in Paul's mission to bring power out in others to improve his own style.

Could use some work, but considering I'm almost certain this is all of Paul we're gonna get from here on out, I'm just gonna treasure and headcanon the hell out of it.

[askthejourneysgang]

Hey Ash and Goh, what do you think about the Paradox Pokemon

Ash: I like the past ones

Goh: I like the future ones 👀

...But, to be honest, they all look kinda dumb? With the exception of Koraidon and Miraidon... And I guess the Donphans

Speaking of which, why all the secrecy? We know which pokémon they're supposed to be! Koraidon and Miraidon get special species names, so wynaut the others, too?

Ash: Goooh, if you keep criticizing a new gimmick like this, our bosses will get mad 😥