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bahamutgames · 5 months

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Random Video Game Themed Question Prompts - Part 2

Part 2 of this little video game prompt thing! I thought this one would be easier because it's actually all Pokemon themed! But they asked a lot of questions I just don't know cause I haven't played all the games lol. But regardless, this was very fun! And I'm having a bit of Poke Mania after beating Platinum!

Thank you all for dealing with this and indulging me as I answer random questions for fun lol. If you wanna see some Pokemon opinions, go ahead and click the readmore :)

Part 1 Part 3 Part 4

1 - Favorite Pokemon

My favorite Pokemon for ages now is Charizard. I know it's a basic pick but think about for a bit and it makes total sense. Dragon. Fire. Salamander theme. Green elements. It's kind of tailor made for me. Not to mention Firered was my first game, and Charmander my first Pokemon! Also, I love him in Smash Bros. ALSO YEAH I LIKE POPULAR THINGS OKAY THAT'S WHY THEY'RE POPULAR-

2 - Favorite Game

Personally I am still really biased to Pokemon Firered. It's my first, so I have a lot of really good memories with it. I love the GBA, I love the sprites and music. And it's just a deeply important game to me. Though I do think SoulSilver is better in pretty much every way, I just have too much love for Firered. But if we're not counting spinoffs currently Emerald is my favorite!

3 - Favorite Spinoff

This one is easy, it's Pokemon Snap. Both games are seriously some of my favorite video games of all time. And it's the closest we'll ever get to a Pokemon Shmup/On-Rails Shooter. I also just love taking pictures in video games and I love seeing Pokemon in their natural environments, so it's pretty much tailor made for me. A close runner up would be Pokken but the only reason it's not number 1 is cause 3D Fighting Games are harder than 2D ones lol.

4 - Favorite Legendary

It's Mewtwo, let's not beat around the bush on this one, it's Mewtwo. He's one of my favorite characters ever, one of my favorite Smash Bros. characters, the star of one of my favorite movies, he's bad ass. I just really love Mewtwo. But some of my other favorites are Lugia, Groudon/Kyogre/Rayquaza, and Kyreum!

5 - Favorite Mega

I'm sorry all these answers are so predictable It's the Mega Charizards. With a preference for X, but they both RULE. I actually love a LOT of Mega Evolutions though. Some of my other favorites are Gengar, Aerodactyle, Gardevoir, Mawille, Aagron, Banette, Garchomp, Abomasnow, Steelix, Lopunny, and Audino!

As for Gigantimax... Eeeeeh I think these are kinda stupid looking for the most part, apologies. Alcremie kinda clears though in my opinion. Coalossal, Appletun, Durraludon, the Kanto starters are ok though.

6 - Favorite Regional Variant

Honestly, really looking at it. I'm not sure which is my definitive favorite but DAMN Galarian Linoone is just PERFECT. It's better than actual Linoone imo and I think I like it more than Obstagoon too honestly. I also like Alolan Golem, Galarian Corsola, Alolan Muk, Hisuian Zoroark and Hisuin Goodra. This is still one of the best concepts introduced into Pokemon, btw.

7 - Favorite Starter

It's Charmander. Sorry guys it's just the coolest and evolves into my favorite starter. But since that's such a predictable answer at this point I'll do you one better and list my favorite Starter from each region (I pick my favorites based on their final forms lol): Charmander, Totodile, Mudkip, Turtwig, Snivy?, Fennekin, Popplio, Grookey, Sprigatito.

Also I think Kanto, Jhoto, and Kalos have the strongest set of final stage starter Pokemon! Meganium, Typhlosion, and Feraligatr in particular are 3 of my all time favorites.

8 - Favorite Region

In terms of Pokedex? It's between Kanto, Jhoto, Unova, and maybe Kalos? In terms of games? Kanto, Jhoto, Hoenn? In terms of where I'd want to live? While I haven't played them all it's between Kanto and Hoenn I think.

9 - Favorite Pseudo Legendary

NOW THIS IS A TOUGH ONE! Lately the Pseudo Legendaries have genuinely become some of my favorite Pokemon from each region. Of course, right? They're all dragons lol. Goodra is probably the winner because I love slime and dragons. But some REALLY close runner ups are Tyranitar, Garchomp, and Dragapult.

While some are certainly stronger in terms of design and concept than others, I like them all though. The only one I'm eh on is Baxcalibur and even then I see the idea and I think some small design tweaks would really fix it for me.

Also random side note, but if they removed all the Pokemon currently in Smash and had to replace all of them with new ones. While I'd cry over Charizard and Mewtwo leaving... Just replace them all with all the Pseudo Legendaries. In fact, the Pseudo Legendary from each region would be a shoe in for each smash game if I was in charge!

10 - Favorite Mythrical

Darkrai. Next question.

Okay but seriously, I ADORE Darkrai. For a lot of similar reasons to Mewtwo. Bad ass design, cool concept, and their movie is one of my favorites. You guys know I love edgy badboys with hearts of gold and tragic backstories. Darkrai's movie is seriously one of my favorites and one of the only ones I've rewatched.

For runner ups? I didn't realize Genesect is Mythical? I LOVE Genesect. Also had a great movie. Also Meloetta is hot dude

11 - Favorite Rival

I've only played the first 4 games but personally I think I have to give it up to Blue. I think he's a lot cooler and more interesting than people remember. I feel like he gets remembered as a mean guy, but actually I feel like he's playfully a rival with you. Because he actually helps you a LOT during the game. But then as the game goes you progressively see him get more and more obsessed with power. And then finding out he's already the champion and having to tear him down is REALLY cool. I think it's one of the best parts of RBY.

Personally I haven't been super thrilled with the friendly rivals but I did think Wally was a neat idea where he starts out as a sick kid but genuinely gets pretty good. But it is messed up that you have to tear him down too lol. Just looking at the designs I like Bianca, N, Hubert, Shauna (though I remember her being annoying), Gladion, Marnie, and dude Klara is so fucking hot dude

12 - Favorite Professor

From the games I've played, Oak has kind of been the most interesting one no contest. But I do LOVE the designs of Juniper, Sonia, and Sada cause they're so hot dude

Although I kind of get the vibe that Kukui is gonna be my favorite by the time I get there.

13 - Favorite Elite 4 / Gym Leader / Champion

TOUGH QUESTION! I don't want this spoiled so I'm gonna only look at the ones I've beaten. Starting with Elite 4: It's probably Lance. He's really cool. Though Karen is absolutely up there. And I also like Lorelei, Phoebe, Drake, and Bertha. Also seeing Koga get upgraded between 2 games was cool.

Gym Leader: It's probably between Claire and Flannery? Dragon types obviously but also slightly older mean girls/tomboys. You know how it is. Erika is cute, Janine being Koga's daughter is cool, Giovanni was a cool concept, Whitney, Jasmine, Morty maybe, Roxanne, Norman is a great concept, Gardenia, Crasher Wake, Candice. Volkner has a cool design.

Champion: Again, probably Blue. I think it's the best built up for sure. And while seeing Lance get upgraded was cool, it's just Lance no offense. Steven could've been an ALL TIMER but Emerald kinda dropped the ball with that sadly. So, if not Blue. It's Cynthia. I'm sorry for being so thirsty on this post but she's SO hot and so cool and has such good taste in Pokemon.

14 - Favorite Villain Team

I think Team Rocket is neat but they're a little basic. But they're done pretty good in the first game and I think it's cool that they're a little more grounded than the rest. And Galactic is pretty crazy but I feel like the whole team isn't that cool as much as they're like, insane.

I probably have to go between Magma and Aqua. And while Aqua are pirates so objectively they're cooler. I think Magma's grunt designs are my personal favorite grunts so far. I genuinely want their evil hoodies with horns on them. And they love Groudon whose the coolest of the trio from Hoenn.

15 - Favorite Character

It's between Mewtwo and Darkrai. Again, they're both deeply important characters to me and both star in some of my favorite movies. But ultimately I do have to give it up to Mewtwo for being an edgy badboy made in a lab, his movie is also just really really good and I love him in Smash Bros and the Birth of Mewtwo and he's just so cool. I love Mewtwo. Darkrai runner-up

16 - Favorite Route/Town/City

I hate to say it but I don't really remember a lot of them off the top of my head. ATM I'm obsessed with Route 209's night theme from Platinum though lol. Going soley off of memory I would probably want to live in a place a little busy but not TOO crazy crowded. Maybe I'd like something like a beach town in Hoenn? Sunnyshore in Sinnoh was also a neat idea.

17 - Favorite Soundtrack

Ooof, tough question. I am certainly the most nostalgic for Firered personally. But I think from my playthroughs so far, a lot of Platinum songs really stuck out and stuck with me. 209, vs Galactic, the Celestic town guitar strumming theme lol. I also feel like I'm gonna REALLY like Black/White's ost cause from what little I played a lot of those songs stuck out to me. But yeah, I might have to give it up to FireRed personally. With my favorite song from it being Vs Champion Rival.

18 - Least Favorite Pokemon

SO... I hate to be a hater. But lately there have been some serious stinkers. However, I have 3 main "least favorite Pokemon". Number 1! Intelleon. Stupid design. Stupid motif. Never seen fanart that made it into a hot girl. How does it go from emo to 007? Huh? Wha? Stupid.

NUMBER 2! Calyrex. Stupid design. Looks stupid on the horses. Looks stupid off the horses. Drags down the cool horse designs. It's the best you could do for a KING pokemon? Seriously? I hate it.

NUMBER 3!! The worst of the worst: Quaquaval. No joke the only Pokemon to dethrone Intelleon to me. I HATE this Pokemon. I get the theme. I see the vision. But it's SO stupid looking. Again I don't want to be a hater, I know people like it. But it's design STINKS dude. I just hate it. Idk.

19 - Favorite Battle

My favorite battle COULD'VE been when you team up with Rayquaza to fight Groudon and Kyogre. But sadly that's only in my fanfic.

There's some really good ones. I love teaming up with Steven to fight the Magma admins. I liked fighting Giratina a lot, I thought that was cool and a nice surprise. I liked having Wally come back suddenly and be super strong at the end of victory road. But ultimately, again, I think I have to give it up to the RB Champion Blue fight. I know I keep saying it but it's so good and so well built up in my opinion. And unlike the friendly rivals, while I think Blue is friendlier than people believe. Watching him become more power hungry makes it feel good and like you have to cut him down when he starts getting out of line. Idk.

As for the Anime? I really like when Mewtwo fights Genesect and only beats him by giving him the overview effect lol. There's a lot of really good ones in the anime if I sat down and thought about it though.

20 - Favorite Type

It's Dragon Type, hands down. Dragons are cool, I love a lot of dragon types, and I LOVE the idea that ANYTHING can be a dragon, even a tree. It matches my love and philosophy of dragons a lot.

Outside of the obvious dragon pick. I like a lot of Fire types, Electric is one of my favorite powers but I'm not super married to a lot of Electric types, I'm always shocked by how many Water types I'm OBSESSED with considering I'm not crazy about Water powers. Ground, Poison, Dark, Bug, there's a lot of good types lol.

21 - Favorite Move

This is really tough. I love a lot of the big HM moves that make my runs super easy. Fly, Surf, Waterfall, ect ect. I love stuff like the elemental punches conceptually. I also like a lot of the dragon moves like Dragon Claw / Draco Meteor conceptually. But I think my all timer is Blast Burn! Again... Charizard lol. I had it on my Charizard in FireRed as a kid.

22 - Favorite Ability

I'm gonna be real with you... I don't know about any of those dang "abilities". But I do always like ones that up the type of the Pokemon. And I'm sure there's some really unique ones if I ever felt like reading through them all. Maybe I'll come back and update this one later. For now, let's go with Dragon's Maw cause it's a dragon theme.

23 - Favorite Item

The only items I really focus on are the held items. I really like, similar to abilities, ones that make certain type moves stronger. I use those a LOT during my playthroughs. I also pretty consistently get Quick Claw and make use of that, I think conceptually that and Dragon Claw are cool. I think King's rock conceptually is cool. As for Pokeballs I thin Ultraball looks cool, Net Ball, Heavy Ball, Dusk Ball... I never use them but they look cool lol. For battle items... uuuuuuh... Max Revive... idk.

24 - Favorite Z-Move / Max Move

I haven't gotten to Sun/Moon yet so idk what these even look like. I watched them all before but fuck me if I can remember them lmao. Just from skimming through: Splintered Stormshards, Pulverizing Pancake, Genesis Supernova, Bloom Doom (reminds me of The End FF8), Savage Spinout, Neverending Nightmare, Devastating Drake, Corkscrew Crash, Black Hole Eclipse, Tectonic Rage are all cool...

I actually think Tectonic Rage might be the best cause I was NOT expecting that shit lmao. Maybe that and Black Hole Eclipse!

25 - Favorite Shiny

Another good question! Off the top of my head I'd probably have to give it up to Charizard, cause edgy black Charizard is just SOOOO bad ass, but I can take a look through the Shiny Dex real quick and pick some other favorites: Nidoking, Golbat, Venomoth, Muk, Kingler, Weezing, Dragonite, Mewtwo, Mew, Yanma, Umbreon, Shuckle, Heracross, Tyranitar, Sceptile, Swampert, Gardevoir, Altaria, Relicanth, Metagross, Rayquaza, Lopunny, Bronzong, Garchomp, Giratina, Gigalith, Crustle, Haxorus, Druddigon, Braviary, Mega Gengar, Tyrantrum, Salazzle, Pyukumuku, Naganandel, Hisuian Sneasel, Hisuian Zoroark, Appletun, Veluza, Sandy Shocks, Iron Thorns, Hydrapple

That's a lot and I still think I missed some lol. But some of these I'd never seen before and actually gasped when I realized how good their shinies are. Like Haxorus, Salazzle, and Appletun whose shiny I now PREFER over the regular one lol

#prompt

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evilpenguinrika · 8 months

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Hosie+fankids Pokemon AU

I AM WEAK FOR AUs, WEAK I SAY😭😓😞

Anyway here's a list of Hosie+my Hosie fankids's Pokemon team and the explanations for why I picked the specific Pokemon for them under the cut bc this got long and I don't wanna spam the tag with constantly long-ass posts all the time (especially when those long-ass posts are AU specific lmao rip)🙏

And who knows mayhaps I'll draw a Hosie Pokemon AU in the future one day. Gotta have a point of reference for me to look back to👀

Okay, enough rambling from me, hope you enjoy this long list of Hosie Pokemon AU and also so sorry for all the reading under the cut

Hope Mikaelson

Delphox

Lycanroc Midnight

Gliscor

Garchomp

Absol

Alolan Ninetails

Hope’s first three Pokemon represent her Tribrid side. Delphox = witch, Lycnroc Midnight = werewolf, Gliscor = vampire. I don’t think there’s really much need to go into detail as to why I picked these three Pokemon for Hope 😛

For the other three, Garchomp, Absol, Alolan Ninetails, it’s all about aesthetics, really. Garchomp, I found out, is a pseudo-legendary, so I think it fits her pretty well being a Tribrid. I mean, aside from her eldest daughter Lana, there’s no one else in the supernatural world that’s a Tribrid like her. Plus, Hope with a Dragon type on her team is pretty dope if you ask me.

Absol has this infamous connection to disaster. And… Well… I don’t need to explain too much about why I picked Absol for Hope, do I 👀? Plus also it gives me this like, lone-wolf type of vibe which fits Hope’s vibes a bit.

Finally, Alolan Ninetails! Look, I don’t know why, but I associate ice/snow with Hope. It just somehow happened that way (maybe also because Hope=ice Josie=fire and the typical ice/fire tropes in some ships 👀). But Alolan Ninetails is also majestic as fuck, and that’s also Hope. She is also majestic as fuck and she deserves to have a gorgeous and majestic Pokemon on her team.

Honourable mentions: Zoroark, Mawile, Lucario, Smeargle

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Josie Saltzman

Sunflora

Spiritomb

Mismagius

Houndoom

Haterene

Leafeon

The two Grass types, Sunflora and Leafeon, in Josie’s team made me think of her affiliation with plants and I do not remember if that is a canon thing that Josie really loves plants, or if it was a fanon thing that was created through, well, the fandom. But I thought it worked regardless

For Mismagius and Spiritomb, I picked them specifically to represent Josie’s (Siphoner sorta) witch and her Dark!Josie era on the show. Mismagius obviously being the witch and Spiritomb being Dark!Josie. It helps that Spiritomb is also a Dark type, and it does make me think of when Josie like put all that dark energy into that dark object, so it works!

I picked Houndoom for Josie because of her pyromaniac tendencies teehee 😜 lol I'm half kidding. I did remember there was a moment with her character and fire: Penelope's hair, the confession letter, that one scene where she blows out a little match–I thought it wouldn't be a Josie team if I didn't have a Fire type with her. And the reason for Houndoom specifically is because Houndoom is cool and also part Dark type which ties back to her Dark!Josie era.

Haterene and actually Leafeon too, are because I’m a sucker for giving twins paired Pokemon haha. So while those two are Josie’s, Lizzie’s has Grimmsnarl and Glaceon. Haterene because she also has this fairytale witchy vibe, which I thought was kinda fitting for that one fairytale scene in the show where Hope jumps into Josie’s mind or something to deal with Dark!Josie. Leafeon because, c’mon. Eeveelution pair Leafeaon and Glaceon, it’s too good of an opportunity to pass up!

Honourable mentions: Lechonk, Plusle, Gothitelle, Lilligant

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Lana Mikaelson

Delphox (shiny)

Mightyena

Hydreigon

Brambleghast

Meowstic (F)

Froslass

Lana is also a Tribrid like Hope, but I also wanted to give her some differences in her starting three Pokemon so she’s not like a carbon copy shadow of Hope. With that being said, I do have her first Pokemon be Delphox, like Hope’s. I thought maybe it would be sweet for Hope's Delphox to have eggs and Hope passed one to Lana and it hatched into a Fennekin. A next gen thing. But shiny because in my mind, Lana's magical fires take on a more black and purple hue (even if shiny Delphox’s fire is still red lol).

Mightyena and Hydreigon represent her werewolf and vampire side in her Tribrid title thing. Now, I know Hydreigon is a three-headed Dragon and nothing to do with vampires or even has a vampire motif. But lemme tell you something: it's fine. Don't worry about it. Lana with a kick-ass Dragon type like Hydreigon is hella dope don't come at me I'm fragile. Also Hydreigon, I just found out, is a pseudo-legendary type, which I think fits with Lana’s Tribrid nature. Not full legendary rare, but still rare enough that there’s no one else like her except for her Mom (which is also very fitting because Hope has a pseudo-legendary with Garchomp, another Dragon type).

Brambleghast is an immediate must because aside from black-purple fire, I think it's neat that her magic also manifests in brambles/briars. So this Pokemon is literally perfect for her.

Meowstic and Froslass give me this like, stand-offish and cool vibe, which honestly fits Lana's entire personality of a typical ice princess vibe who may or may not have a superiority complex.

Honourable mentions: Vileplume, Haterene, Tsareena, Abomasnow, Doublade

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Hayley Mikaelson

Lycanroc Midday

Primeape

Toxicroak

Gallade

Nidoking

Espeon

Hayley is the only werewolf–aside from Lana but she’s a Tribrid–amongst her supernatural siblings. So I thought it would be rather sweet if Hayley also have a Lycanroc but Midday form. I like to think that maybe Hope’s Lycanroc had babies and Hayley ended up getting one of the Rockruffs. Like passing on a legacy hehehe.

Asides from that, Hayley’s the type who will pull punches, she will act first and asks questions later type of person. So having a few Fighting types on her team was a no brainer. Like Primeape, Toxicroak, and Gallade–the latter which I just found out is part Fighting so that was a fun discovery.

I also thought Poison types would fit Hayley pretty well (and maybe it had something to do with the fact that Poison type logo colour is purple, and purple is her colour lmao). Which is where Toxicroak and Nidoking comes in. Plus, they would also fit in the power punches that is more of Hayley’s playstyle in combat.

Like with Josie, I love, love, love giving paired Pokemon to twins because I’m a massive lame unoriginal dork! Except I did bounce between giving Hayley either Flareon or Vaporeon to match with Jay’s Jolteon. Ended up not picking Flareon even tho she’s a spitfire because I feel like fire is a bit more of Jay’s thing even tho I picture Jay having more of an affinity to lightning. So then I thought maybe Vaporeon? But in the end I picked Espeon (it did pain me to not give Jay Umbreon because to me, Espeon and Umbreon are a pair) because purple is Hayley’s colour but I also think Espeon fits her, especially because Espeon is a Psychic type and Hayley has a few Fighting types, and Psychic is effective against Fighting. It also would tie into the fact that, despite Hayley being very hard-headed and tough, she still has that vulnerable moment to her that she tends to hide away from other people. It’s a pretty good balance!

Honourable mentions: Noivern, Weavile, Scrafty, Pangoro, Mienshao, Medicham, Swoobat

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Jay Mikaelson

Jolteon (shiny)

Toxtricity Amped

Spiritomb

Yamask

Flygon

Typhlosion

Look, I don’t have to repeat that I love giving twins paired Pokemon, because we been knew lmao. Jolteon is perfect for Jay because I always pictured him to have this affinity with lightning. However, I am a bit stumped on if I want Jolteon to be shiny or not, because Jay’s main colour is green (more like olive green), but we shall see. My answer will probably end up being a “yes his Jolteon is shiny and Hayley probably hates that he got a shiny Pokemon” haha. Shiny Jolteon it is then!

To keep in theme with his association with lightning, I gave him Toxtricity Amped form because I thought it’d be cool. Sometimes there’s just no deep reasoning. Sometimes it’s just “i think this is cool” lol.

Spiritomb for Jay is the same reasoning I have for Josie except he doesn’t really do what she did in the show and messed around with a dark object. But I thought it would be neat to give him Spiritomb (maybe this is actually Josie’s Spiritomb that she passed down to Jay, who knows). With Yamask, I didn’t have much of a story on why he has one, but I think I thought it fits him? I don’t really know how to explain why I think that. It just does.

Gave him a Flygon on his team because, like with Toxtricity, I just think it’d be neat! Also green lol. No but there is actually a little bit of reasoning. So asides from lightning, I think Jay would also have an affinity with the Earth/ground. So it fits that Flygon is a Ground(/Dragon) type as well. Flygon also has pretty good speed stat, and to be honest, Jay is very nimble and agile when he’s in combat and isn’t using his magic. I have a lot of his melee fights incorporate a lot of contemporary dance and gymnastic moves because I think it would be really interesting for him to use a lot of that in his melee fights, plus it would be pretty creative writing-wise to see what sort of things I can come up with to make those fights feel fluid because he is very agile and dextrous.

Typhlosion is there because I am biased and I love Typhlosion, fave starter of gen 2 babeyyy. But also has that little small spark of fire that he and Josie shares and I think that’s pretty neat heehee.

Honourable mentions: Raichu, Grovyle, Breloom, Altaria, Pidgeot, Ambipom, Toedscool

---

Leo Mikaelson

Litleo

Chansey

Granbull

Sliggoo

Aggron

Mimikyu

For Leo, I obviously had to give him Litleo. There was no way I couldn’t not give him Litleo, his name is practically in the name. Perfect Pokemon for our sweet summer child boi.

I actually had a tough time picking out the rest of Leo’s team and had to go back and forth with his way more than the others. Mostly because I had a thought of “what if he just has primarily Fairy types for the rest of his team” which evolved into “oh what about he has Fairy and Dragon types” which then evolved into “what if he just has these conventionally “””scary””” Pokemon on his team in contrast of his sunny bright disposition”. I think I did end up sticking with that regarding Granbull and Aggron.

Chansey came about because Leo wants to help his family out no matter what. That includes learning how to do potions even though he has no magic. That means learning up on werewolf packs and diplomacy even though he’s not a werewolf. That means researching the history of vampires–which becomes a family history thing–and figuring out ways to help rippers. He also makes sure his family is taken care of if they end up in some battle and are hurt. That’s where Chansey comes in. In Pokemon, Nurse Joy’s in every Pokemon Centre has a Chansey. They are like the poster Pokemon for Pokemon Centres. And in some of the Dex entries, Chansey is a very helping Pokemon. Whether that’s giving people or Pokemon its egg to eat to heal them, or bringing trainer’s happiness if they’re caught. That’s Leo. That is completely Leo.

Gave him Sliggoo to also balance out the Fairy types that he had on his team! I think it'd be neat for him to have a Dragon type. Because, tbh, Leo is gregarious and befriends creatures so quickly no matter what or how they act. Leo has amassed an army of creatures who will protect him no matter the cost and that's super precious to me haha. Which brings me back to my reasoning for giving him Granbull and Aggron lol (I know they're not scary ok).

And with Mimikyu, at first it was because I personally love Mimikyu but the more I thought about it the more I went “oh wait the lore of Mimikyu would maybe perhaps fit Leo’s arc of being the only human in a family of supernaturals and feeling very low of himself and inferior because he’s the “token human”. Like it would play into his insecurities a bit, but then he would, of course, eventually learn to embrace that yeah, he is the token human and will fuck shit up for those who underestimate him because he’s just a human.

Honourable mentions: Shinx, Tinkaton, Dedenne, Grimmsnarl, Tyranitar, Altaria, Flapple, Garfaiai, Smeargle, Victreebel, Ditto, Bewear

#hosie #hosie fankids #hosie pkmn au #hope mikaelson #josie saltzman #eprika rambles #pokemon

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sinisterlutist · 2 years

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Hehe late night Demands [gun emote here] 3, 15, 16, 23, 25, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47, 49, 51, 53, 57, 59, 61, 63, 69. Also u can't say Joltik is ur fave electric AND bug type u gotta pick it for only oNE

(✨w✨ ) ouhohohouuu,,, (also >:0 rude!!! Mah poor spood! … wait hold on that works out well for one of my other faves…)

…. You (accidentally-ish) picked these numbers like a teacher giving math homework.

3. Favorite dual type

Is this like, favorite type combination? Or favorite pokemon that IS a dual-type? What does this question mean? Most of my faves are dual-types. For a little whimsy I’ll answer… like this.

I think, conceptually, we need a water/ghost type that’s a terrifying deep sea legendary. For that matter, Gamefreak, give me Dive back! I want more underwater stuff!

That said, I think the most OP combination on a pokemon I’ve ever had is either Marshadow’s Ghost/Fighting or Hisuian Zoroark’s Ghost/Normal. Type immunities that are also ghost-types my beloved.

15. Favorite shiny

Favorite shiny legendary HAS to be shiny Dawn Wings Necrozma. The deep blue and soft pink go so well together, and I am fortunate to have one made out of a shiny Necrozma I got from a trade and a shiny Lunala I caught myself (named Merlot!)

Favorite regular shiny… well, I have a lot, honestly, but I’m going to go with shiny Lampent. It’s one of my most favorite shinies of one of my most favorite pokemon. I LOVE its palette, and I wish those colors had stayed into Chandelure. There’s sooo many I want to put here but I told myself this was getting restricted before it turned into the song list question. (I did these out of order.)

Special mention to Wo-Chien, for doing with its palette that Leafeon did not: FALL COLORS! I… I really need that cryptid grass snail.

16. Least favorite shiny

Alright this is one I had to check the dex for, because it’s something I tend to forget until I see it. There’s also a lot of these I’ve never really seen.

Shiny Kantonian Moltres is a really good contender, that thing looks like a plucked chicken on fire. Those are really unfortunate colors.

Mismagius is also unfortunate. Great pokemon, great normal colors, but that yellow is pretty hideous.

Swoobat, why? Scrafty… I don’t like Scrafty anyway but the shiny is worse.

OOH ALOLAN GRAVELER! That’s a moldy orange. It even has hair. And poor Pyukumuku, why green and yellow??

23. Favorite music track from a pokemon game

This is an awful, terrible question. I have SO MANY and this is likely going to be longer than it should bc I can’t discount any of them. There WILL be some I forget and it’s going to kill me later but here we go. These are in no particular order.

• Midnight Theme (Hisui)— it’s a shame the midnight theme is so short, because it genuinely makes me happy to be running around in the night, looking at the stars, watching the moon move through the sky… I know a lot of people rag on the graphics of PLA, but, I think it was really beautiful.

• Ancient Retreat— something about the ancient retreat music sounding like it’s made of clocks, as a little nook lost to time. And it’s truly so relaxing. Not just as a track, but as an experience, the first time we’re brought there, led by Volo after everything that’s happened that day… I associate this track with just… some peace. It’s relaxing to think about sitting next to the river, crafting pokeballs or carving clefairy dolls while Volo’s sleeping against his backpack and Cogita making tea… it’s the theme of a safe place. I miss that time.

• Malie City (night)— This was such a relaxing theme, and I was glad I played Moon and Ultra Moon because of the time swap, so that I got to hear this theme more often :)

• Po Town— more of an ambient track, really, with the constant rain in the background. I liked this one so much I made it the little online area’s theme in Ultra Moon.

• Unwavering Emotions— I don’t know exactly WHY, because I don’t think it ever plays when he’s onscreen, but my mind ALWAYS associated this song with N and it makes me want to scream. (Though they did use a beautiful acoustic guitar remix of it for him in PokeMas, and it just felt right.)

• Farewell— this one IS played with N, right at the very end of BW, and, similarly, makes me want to scream. I can’t go into full detail bc I’m so bad at explaining it but. hhhhhh. (I have this statement that I make of yes, we play the role of “protagonist” in BW, but I maintain that the main character of the story is really N, and we’re just seeing it from a different point of view. The credits roll when he leaves.)

• Rt 10 (Unova)— I don’t even know how to describe this one. In general the Unova soundtrack is SO GOOD, but you can really feel something here. It’s got a mellowness to it that just hits so well for being right before victory road. There is. So much here, and I don’t understand many songs with lyrics as much as I understand the route 10 music.

• Driftveil City— you know this one. you know it’s a jam.

• Team Plasma battle theme— a lot of times, the team battle themes get kinda repetitive to me, but Plasma was an utter exception. What an ABSOLUTE MONSTER of a track. I always looked forward to battling the Plasma Grunts.

• Seafolk Village (night)— another town in Alola that I liked to kind of just park the game at for a while to just enjoy the night and the music. Very relaxing.

• Undella Town (spring, autumn, winter)— this one is just so peaceful. The waves crashing worked in and everything… it feels like sunset.

• N’s Room— I love N’s theme in general, it’s so fitting for him (& despite being one of my favorites it’s close enough to this that I am TRYING to pare it down), a little mysterious and odd and wonderful— so entering his room in the Plasma castle to hear a sort of eerie broken music box version of his theme, in this room meant for a much younger person, the room where he’s been stuck, and lied to basically all his life… it gets the point across.

• Burgh’s Gym (BW2)— Burgh’s remodeled gym was SO cool and SO bug. The music that played fit the atmosphere perfectly, in an eerily calming way. I parked BW2 here a lot.

• Obsidian Fieldlands theme 1— first of all, one of the reasons I loved this one so much was I was IMMEDIATELY reminded of Burgh’s Gym theme in the first part. I think I remember the first time this particular theme played was when I was wandering the Fieldlands after the night theme had ended, and I got to a new area on the map. Then the cello (or bass?) kicked in, and everything aligned for this brilliant sense of wonder that really got me into the world. It’s really pretty, and really relaxing.

• Volo’s battle theme— where do I even begin? I know a lot of people chalk this up as a mere Cynthia piano redux, but… I think there’s so much of Volo in this song. It’s a serious fight, but one that was so much fun— and that’s reflected in the song. After the imposing start, you hear the playful woodwinds poking in, dueling with violins, and by the time the bells hit, I was just completely enraptured by it— and the whimsy continues into an ending-theme-sounding part that… well, it doesn’t sound like a hardcore antagonist theme to me. Nor does Volo feel like a hardcore, truly evil antagonist. Most importantly, those whimsical, light-hearted, fun parts of the song are entirely his. There’s no such lightness that plays in the piano track before Cynthia’s champion battle. This is Volo’s theme, there’s much more to him, and I think this reflects that SO very well.

• Rt 15 (Kalos)— ah yes, the theme of eternal fall. This isn’t just a nice track, but it really serves well to remind me of how the route looked. It’s also very fitting for the later Mamoswine trail, as several different parts in the song sound like you’re pushing forward through the snow, or making your way through the ruins in rt 15. It’s a song that sounds like it ought to be in a high fantasy series. With adventure, there is tribulation.

• Slumbering Weald— a fitting track for the spooky woods Right Next To Your House. It’s like a light-hearted mystery- until the voices of the legendary wolves can be heard. There is something IN the woods, and it is not just a myth.

• Crown Shrine— I think, in my opinion, the best song in SwSh. It’s ancient and majestic, but supremely relaxing. You respect it, and it will take care of you.

• Coronet Highlands (Summit)— this one is leaking atmosphere EVERYWHERE. You can hear the iciness, you can tell something is different. The air has changed, and you are getting closer to something. There’s a bit of danger to it, like the song itself is a warning. The vocal parts are a nice addition too.

• Relic Castle— another one I can’t quite explain outside of the sense of wanting to keep going, looking deeper, and finding out what’s in here. Well-crafted for a castle buried in the sands.

• Mt Lanakila (League)— another beautiful mountain theme. You can hear the snow crystals falling. It’s different from the victory road theme- you’ve made it all the way here. But you’re not done yet. It’s a little beautiful, and a little imposing.

Special mention to Verdanturf Town (RSE) for being one of my original favorites back when Emerald was the only one I’d played, and Glimwood Tangle for its wonderful use of pizzicato and woodwinds to make a spooky little atmosphere :) Also to the music that plays in the cutscene right before you battle the frenzied Lord Arcanine in PLA for genuinely running a shiver down my spine. That was straight out music from a horror scene and it was AWESOME. And also to the Battle Giratina theme (Hisui) for the section of it that sounds like a heartbeat monitor slowing and flatlining. AMAZING.

25. Favorite design of a pokemon

*tap tap taptaptaps table in front of me* I actually can answer this with purely no actual in-game connection bc it’s JUST THE LOOK!

Wo-Chien! It’s a cryptid-looking grass snail! It’s got VINES and LEAVES all over it and it has been one of the things I’ve been looking for in a pokemon design for a while now! Get a little cryptid with it! Get a little spooky with it! I can’t think of any fault with the look of this funky leaf pile snail guy. And its shiny is fall colors?? Perfect.

29. Favorite normal type

Hisuian Zoroark. I was thrilled to see that one of my favorites was given a variant, and it ended up being such a strong typing combo as well! I got very attached to my boy Pollix, and he did an excellent job. Before PLA, I think Hoennian Linoone.

31. Favorite fire type

Hisuian Typhlosion. My favorite fire type starter gets a ghost-type upgrade and beautiful flames and colors? There was no question what starter I was picking in PLA. I made the right choice, as Kastor was both good company and an invaluable team member.

33. Favorite fighting type

Marshadow!! I didn’t really like any fighting types enough to have a favorite before the marshmallow lad. Nice shape, cool effects.

35. Favorite water type

Pyukumuku, founding member of the Bean Committee (Pyukumuku, Snom, & Pincurchin). That’s just a little creature. Why is he made to fight? He’s just a guy. What a shape.

(Once again though, special mention to Tatsugiri bc I haven’t played SV and thus don’t know if I can properly count them here, but I gotta get me one of those curly lads)

37. Favorite flying type

Some years ago, this would’ve been Rayquaza. And while I do still have a soft spot for the big ol snake, in recent times I’ve acquired quite an appreciation for Togekiss, the peace and love owl. Volo and his Togekiss influenced me similarly to how N and Zoroark did, and aside from what raising a Togekiss from a Togepi says about Volo, I love Togekiss’ cry and pillowy marshmallow shape. Where it appears in the Ranger game Shadows of Almia speaks a lot to it too. I would like to hug a fluffball of a bird :) (Noivern was a close contender though, I love its design and movement)

39. Favorite grass type

Had I played SV, this would almost certainly be Wo-Chien. I’m not kidding, I love that grass snail’s look. As I’m answering this differently though, this title is instead shared by Lurantis and Alolan Decidueye. Before I even played Moon, I’d drawn a little Lurantis with a necktie and called him Peppermantis. Decidueye was such a nice design, with its little archer cloak and hoodie strings, feather arrows… and the ghost typing was a lovely surprise! Twos, my boy, you are excellent.

41. Favorite poison type

I thiiiink Dragalge? I love the leafy sea dragon look to it. I do also like Nihilego, best jellyfish pokemon, and the story with it and Lusamine

Special mention to Clodsire. I would like one. Friend shaped.

43. Favorite electric type

JOLTIK!! I love a little spider. He’s so cute, and I knew the first time I saw one in Chargestone Cave in Unova I needed to have one. I loved how jittery they were in the gen 5 sprites, which will always be my favorite representation of them. If I was in-universe, I’d have one just as a little buddy that didn’t battle. My first ever Joltik (now a Galvantula) is named Jirii and remains in my copy of Ultra Moon for the time being.

45. Favorite ground type

SANDSLASH. A cute little friend, very good for digging. I had one named Rune on my first team, back in Emerald, and she went on to be in the Hall of Fame there. Excellent shape. Cute spines.

47. Favorite rock type

For a while this probably would’ve been one of the fossil pokemon, maybe archeops or omanyte, but I never really had a proper favorite rock-type until Lycanroc (specifically midday or dusk), and then PLA came out and dropped Hisuian Arcanine in my lap, so they get to share this title. (Special mention to Naclstack, because once again, while I haven’t played SV I love that little guy? The name is so fun to say and it’s a clever name, and the dude looks like a Minecraft creature and I Want One.)

49. Favorite ice type

My beloved angry snowflake Cryogonal. The first one I got in BW, Gel, caught my attention with his immaculate geometry, crystalline cry, and fancy little face chains. Gel may be grouchy, but we are friends, and Cryogonal remains my favorite icy lad despite the introduction of Snom, who is the runner-up. (Killian the Snow Frolicker, I love you.)

51. Favorite bug type

Volcarona! It’s one of my favorites, but unfortunately, as it kept being only available later on, I’ve never really had one incorporated into a team. BUT ITS A BIG FLUFFY CECROPIA-LOOKIN MOTH AND I LOVE IT

53. Favorite dragon type

Gonna go with my old standby, the original cute little snek, Dratini! It’s just so cute and Shaped and I love it. Best quality: his wiggles.

57. Favorite dark type

Zoroark. I like it in its own right as well, of course, cause it’s ability is really neat and the design is one of the BEST and it’s so FLUFFY, but my first real encounter with Zoroark was as N’s “last friend.” Receiving his Zorua in BW2… I took it on my team, and I still have it. That was my first Zoroark, and I’ve loved the species ever since.

59. Favorite psychic type

In the interest of trying to not repeat species, I’m going to put Sigilyph here instead of Dawn Wings Necrozma. What is a Sigilyph, you ask? I don’t rightly know. But it sure is a Creature and it has a very nice ability, and to the lovely Garia in my BW game I gave a Rocky Helmet, and she did me many favors in battle. As a rule, if you give me a Funky Little Thing, I will almost certainly love them, Sigilyph being no exception. Reuniclus is the runner-up, nice cell friend.

61. Favorite steel type

Alolan Sandslash and Corviknight! You’ve seen my thing about Sandslash, a lovely shimmery spiky friend. Corviknight, though- I love me a corvid and this great big bird was lovely to have in SwSh. I named mine Somnus, and with his ribbon he is Somnus the Great Friend. :)

63. Favorite fairy type

Mimikyu!! As previously mentioned, what’s better than a funky little guy that you might die from viewing directly that wants love? Also I have a plushie Mimikyu in a scarecrow costume I got a few years ago and I love my terrible son. His name is Kyuvi.

69. Favorite pokemon card

I’ve never really been into the TCG? I’ve played a little bit of the virtual one, but that was because the pokemon newsletters kept handing out codes for it and I went “well why not” and gathered a few of them from those packs. I also have never seen most of the cards. The thing is, though, that I’d be lying if I said I didn’t try to get packs a little harder after they revealed this Volo card. (Image from tumblr user jadeazora)

I love the way it looks like there’s sunbeams falling onto him. Very pretty card, lovely art, and perhaps one day I will have one of my own that’s not virtual.

—————

*sigh* WHOOF. okay that one took a long time, but it is done!! I have a great many feelings about game osts,,, but thanks for that question, honestly.

Sorry I answered so many of these with multiples but I mean there’s over 1000 pokemon, I can’t just pick one.

「x」

#answer #ohooo despite being Many these were easier to write up‚ haha #aside from the music one which. well

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whaleaddict13 · 2 months

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Bored and did a tier list of the legendary groups

Explanation for every one under the cut because I can’t be normal

Top Tier:

Treasures of Ruin: my favorite thing to come out of Scarlet and Violet. The designs? Awesome. The lore? Even more awesome. Their abilities? Cool. Their music? So so good. If not for my bias towards the weather trio these would be solidly my #1, but they’re just fluidly #1

Weather Trio: I think they are the epitome of a legendary group. While their design is simple, it clearly conveys what they represent. The lore between Groudon and Kyogre is great but I think we all know which one excels in that category. Music as always is a banger and their signature moves and abilities are cool too. ORAS’ addition of the primals and megas made them that much better

Creation Trio (+Arceus): though I never played the sinnoh games, I think they’re really cool especially in terms of design and lore (hard not to be cool with everything Legends Arceus did too). Their music is cool, their signature moves are cool, and Arceus’ ability is cool. The trio kinda got the short end of the stick with abilities (pressure being the like. Default ability for legendaries) but they’re still cool to me

Aura Trio: never played XY or the ultra games but they are visually and lore-y really cool. Life and Death and then the Ecosystem where they interact. Poor zygarde got the short end of the stick in terms of. Well. Everything. But the Ultra Games picked up the slack enough for me. Music’s cool too, xerneas and yveltal’s moves and abilities are cool, but zygarde’s are cooler. Like the music too.

Light Trio: these are really cool to me. Especially necrozma. They really took the sun and moon title of the games and went. What if literally. The designs and lore are cool (especially Necrozma), and the fusion mechanic was a nice addition. Ultra necrozma is really funny. The music is really good too.

Dogs & Eternatus: I just think they’re neat. Really like their design and the tie in to the dynamax mechanic, but I wish we got more out of Eternatus. Lore is classic fairy tale heroes vs dragon which is always fun to see. Come on though. Pressure as an ability again?

Really cool

Mew and Mewtwo: I like the duality kinda thing of the genetic ancestor and the genetic descendant. Design is good, but not my favorite, and they’re really held together by the movies.

Galar Birds: THIS is a good redesign. Cool moves too. Not much to say about them, they kinda just show up, but they look super cool so they make it up here.

Eon Duo: they’re this high up because I’m biased. Getting a legendary in the middle of the story that can mega evolve? Cool. The eon flute? One of the coolest things GF ever did.

Regis: at first they were cool. Then gigas came along. Still cool. Then swsh gave us 2 new ones. Super cool. The fact you can have a full party of regis is so funny to me. Plus, giving more thought into the whole typing system. I like them because I only ever got them in swsh so I didn’t have to learn braille. That would have pissed me off

Calyrex + Horses: much as I despise them in vgc, the crown tundra story and design are really cool, so they get to stay up here. They’re kinda cool too. I guess.

Island Guardians/Tapus: good way to introduce terrain as a mechanic, also they look really cool and are lore cool too. I just don’t see them on the same level as those in the above tier.

Definitely have their place

Ho-Oh/Lugia: Ho Oh was my first legendary pokemon card, and it’s really cool. Never played the johto games, but Lugia drags it down to me. So much potential, but does not get there. Psychic Flying? Guardian of the seas? Interesting choice. Ho-Oh has a great theme but Lugia’s is kinda just okay to me

Forces of Nature: I actually think they’re quite cool. Even enamorus. The therian and incarnate thing is pretty cool, I also transform into something else in a mirror. Lando T is also funny and has a slot on my VGC team. Not because of intimidate, but it certainly helps and is my only counter to the bane of my existence (Urshifu)

Tao Trio: I never played BW. Or B2W2. I have no emotional connection to these guys, so they are just White Fire Dragon and Black Lightning Dragon to me, and I don’t really like their design. Kyurem holds them up a lot higher for me, as the fusion mechanic is really cool here. The music also kinda just feels like Legendary Pokemon music until the sound effects, and they never felt connected to the mons for me

Cresselia/Darkrai: I think they look cool, but that’s pretty much my only opinion on the matter. Design alone and dream theme gets them up this high, but honestly, seeing either of them in the daytime weirds me out

Koraidon/Miraidon. Really. Ko-Ride-On and Mi-Ride-On? For the pokemon you ride on? It’s fine though, their design is cool and even though they’re way overpowered they’re really nifty in the story. Sandwich smiley face

Great

Lake trio: only this high because of their music. One of my favorite themes in the series. Design wise, they needed to be similar, but they’re kinda just okay. Story and red chain gathering session from PLA make me like them enough

Paradox Swords of Justice: an improvement on the original designs, so I like them more. But a lack of paradox keldeo is truly unfortunate

Paradogs: also an improvement on the originals that make me like them more

Good

Kanto legendary birds: they’re. Kinda just fire ice and electric birds. Not much interesting about them for them to be higher, especially when you compare them to their Crown Tundra redesigns. Like the Spanish counting thing though.

Johto Dogs: much like the birds, they’re kinda just there. They get a little boost from the burning tower story, and their designs are a little better, but they aren’t as special to me as the other ones.

Swords of Justice: again, never played the unova games. They’re just like. Alongside the lake trio, they’re the first ones that usually appear on the mirage islands, and they’re kinda all just okay designs to me. Keldeo is cool though, so they don’t get their own meh tier.

Loyal Three: um. Of all the legendaries, this group is the one I’m most unsure of GF’s intentions. Did we need some poison type representation? Yes. Was this the move? I don’t think so.

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bearpillowmonster · 2 years

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Top 5 Games I've played in 2022

I replayed a few games this year like BBS, but Kingdom Hearts gets a spot on pretty much every list that I could make so I'm going to leave stuff like that and Pokemon Colosseum out. I also didn't want to include more than one from each franchise, just like the other lists.

Mass Effect: Aw man was this good, I understand now. I bought it and didn't want to put it down, I just continued on to the second game, no buffer. There's just so much to like about it and I know it's an unpopular opinion but I prefer it (legendary edition) to ME2 so I included it instead. Great gameplay, great characters, a lot of choices. It's great.

Conker's Bad Fur Day: I almost didn't want to include this because I started it before but just never finished it then I thought that maybe I had to. You see, I love platformers and there are very few on here, heck there are very few now and days in general. I think some of it is funny, I think some of it is overloaded with rauch when it doesn't need to, but at its core, the gameplay is really fun, being able to float around with your tail is a joy and I wish other games would take note.

Metroid Fusion: I tackled. I wrestled with this one because I played five Metroid games this year and they were all really good, it's just a question of which was the best. I should've just made it Other M and been done with it (audience laugh) but I think when it comes down to it, the ones that I held highest, I virtually liked for the same reasons. First off the speed and movement of the gameplay is spot on, impressive, it amazes me how the more games that come out, the better it feels to control. The subtle details of the bosses and environment really get you invested in what amounts to a 2D game like the system isn't outdated at all. So which one did I pick? I'll leave that up to you to decide but I know which one.

The Force Unleashed: I played this when I was younger but only got to the first level because I thought it was hard and I was scared that it might not have aged well but I stand corrected, I had a lot of fun, the physics are fantastic, still stands up pretty good today, the story is great, it calls upon a lot of what I like about Star Wars, it's something I'll always consider in my canon despite what others may say. (looks at Andor) Oh, look at that.

Super Castlevania IV: Uh...did that just happen? Did this one squeak by? I literally just finished it but I went back through the list and yeah, I think it might be better than a lot of the other contenders. Sure, there are some that might be better suited (Like Elden Ring) but I haven't finished those yet so I can't include them. I don't think this game overstays its welcome, I think it's pretty well crafted for what boils down to a sidescroller, I could barely notice. It did what I asked so why shouldn't it be on here?

#super castlevania iv #super castlevania 4 #castlevania 4 #the force unleashed #star wars #swtfu #metroid #metroid fusion #conkers bad fur day #conker #conker's bad fur day #mass effect

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team-heavenly · 2 years

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Chapter 6

AAAAA

Couldn’t have picked a better title myself.

A’ight, I did the best I could to limit the screenshots, but this is a long chapter so I need to expand onto another post. Click here for Part 2!

Trial by fire, G O!

In an effort to save space, I ultimately cut Andrea saying, “Wait, haven’t we seen them before?” But I just wanna say, it’s always baffled me that the partner couldn’t recognize them right away. I imagine the robbing of such a precious item would be a memorable event. Especially because it’s the night you met your best friend for life? Anyway, I digress.

The Return of Team Water Meanies! 💀 💧 But we beat them once before, we can totally do it again.

...Uh... I think...

If it’s a legendary, we’re screwed.

WAIT-

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! 🤣

I was hoping for a water type to fit the “Water Meanies” motif but you know what? I’ll take it. This is way too funny. Mob boss Kricketot.

Anyway...

I don’t wanna know how he makes the stink cloud though.

Atta girl ❤️️

Finally!

There’s a lot of new Pokemon to introduce here and, yes, I’m calling out each one. It’s just how I do things. Friendly reminder that if you’re having trouble keeping track of who’s who, I have a master guide listing every character replacement, including NPCs! I update it after every chapter is posted 😊

But first-

I love these three already. Although Rotom losing his arms kinda freaks me out... it’s just... a floating tack

Rampardos -> Octillery

Grotle -> Pachirisu

Thank you Yellow Gummi reference

Starmie -> Mr. Mime

Bastiodon -> Zigzagoon

...Get away from me, old man

Natu -> Heracross

So I should have taken a picture at the beginning of the interaction for consistency’s sake, but. This is Wynaut, as would be expected since I had to toggle off NPC UI portrait downloads. Then I went to redeem our two prize tickets...

Yeah. What’s up with that?

On the second ticket pull (I believe it was a Silver Ticket), I actually managed to win the grand prize. Which I was NOT expecting to happen so soon, but hey, I’m not complaining. I mean, look at this entourage-

I can’t even come up with a quip for this one. It’s just... priceless.

(By the way, the grand prize was a Sitrus Berry.)

We know Team Glee already, but this moment made me realize I messed up in a previous post. In Chapter 3, I said that Nuzleaf was (probably) Ledyba and Carvanha (probably) Politoed. With this dialogue hint, it’s obvious that they are swapped. My apologies!

Remember when Finkecleon let me have a Wonder Gummi for free in the same chapter? I saw another opportunity with the Golden Seed below...

But no dice this time. I guess this glitch only works for specific items? Who knows.

(Nothing remarkable happened after this so we fast forward a day or two...)

This speaks for itself XD

Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any good shots of the Guildmaster’s near meltdown. (Trust me, the shaking effect made the ones I got an eyesore.) Don’t worry, though, we’ll see it later!

I’m including this for no other reason than this being perhaps my favorite line in the entire game.

...Okay, maybe that’s hyperbole, but it’s certainly one I vividly remember.

(Nothing remarkable happens again today.)

🤦‍♀️ Here we go.

Some “mysterious” reason, huh? *raises hand, speaks in a dull tone* Pick me, pick me! I know why...

Apple Woods is known here as Laughable Sanctum. Probably because Team Water Meanies is gonna laugh their butts off at their upcoming prank 😒

Before departure, we found Gulpin finally at his station! It’s... uncanny that the randomizer picked the previous game’s merchant for the link shop. What are the odds?

Interestingly, the first floor of Laughable Sanctum is always one giant room.

Okay so it did take me a few tries to get through here. I gained a Skorupi recruit... then fainted on the next floor. On the next attempt, I recruited what was honestly an OP Cherrim: she had Psychic, Skull Bash, Dragon Pulse, and Softboiled. But then I lost her too 😔

My successful run was arguably the wackiest one. For starters, I stumbled upon a Secret Room!

We can’t open any of these yet, so whatever is inside is a mystery... for now.

Now, picture this, if you will (since I failed to capture the moment visually): We’re traveling through 11F, finally drawing near the dungeon’s end. We enter a room and... Monster House. I swear softly under my breath - I already used my single Foe Hold Orb on another Monster House earlier on. My thumb hovers over the power button as I wonder whether it’s worth giving up when I’m so close.

Well, at least look at your bag again before giving up, I thought. So I reluctantly open the menu to see what I can work with.

An All Mach Orb... A Slumber Orb... Hmmm... I take in the room again to pinpoint any possible escape routes. There’s none, really, except the hallway we just came down.

And then I have a crazy idea. It’s a long shot at best, but what the heck. I didn’t have much to lose.

I slam down the Slumber Orb, then the All Mach. Then I change Andrea’s Tactic to “Get the hell away from here.” I attack an empty tiles for a turn so we don’t swap spots. Then I book it after her. Not a moment too soon, since enemies are already waking up.

I have no real plan after this, except to follow Andrea and pray she takes us to the stairs somehow. We go through a room or two, and I’m starting to get nervous. What if the others find a way around and cut us off?

But no. Andrea did her job to a tee: she literally ran onto the stairs tile in the next room. Again, not a moment too soon as enemies emerged from the other hallway.

Cue me laughing in relief at this absurdity, and then again when I see we spawned right next to the stairs on our last floor. I still can’t believe that actually worked!

Ah, but with every victory comes a price...

I can tell you how, Andrea, but unfortunately it involves getting physically walloped and spiritually downtrodden.

Hmph. You’ll never be the real Team Skull. Long live ya boi Guzma!

In theory: great idea! In practice:

Over ten years later and this still makes me so mad smh.

So we go without dinner. And then...

*plops face first into pillow* I can’t... I can’t do this. He looks so cute here. I can’t upset this little guy.

Totodile’s Law: You can look blue, but don’t feel blue.

Now, the progression of faces that follows here is real nice- and I honestly don’t think this scene could have been done as well with any other ‘Mon (besides the other starters.) He goes from the sad face (not shown) to teary-eyed, then straight up bawling as it gets more and more intense.

(Last one is a bit of an eye strain, sorry.)

I want to draw your attention to his sprite in the first shot, though. At first, I thought this was his typical pose - the one done by the hero and partner on various occasions, etc. But actually, it’s a frame of one of his attack animations! (Shout-out to @tzhaar-rayne for helping me figure this out!)

Which really makes me think: we got blessed to have a starter as Wigglytuff. Anyone else, and the sprite would probably just be walking in place. (Or maybe it just rips another attack animation, idk. But still, the point stands.)

*clenches teeth* They’re friends all right - friends of my fists. (Or wings, I guess.)

Click here for the rest of Chapter 6!

#pokemon mystery dungeon #pmd explorers #randomizer #chapter 6

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adventures-on-foster-island · 3 years

Text

Hi, my name is Ellisa! Welcome to Foster Island!

After many years of studying Professor Oak’s research on the relationship between Pokémon and humans, and witnessing first hand just how often Pokémon end up neglected, abandoned, or abused, I’ve made it my life’s work to find the causes and solutions, both in the short term for individuals and in the long term for all of Pokémon-kind.

This pinned post will serve as sort of a message board, advertising ongoing events and programs, as well as ask rules and listing tags I use to organize this blog. Please read before interacting.

What’s Happening Right Now On Foster Island?

LycanRocket is a program to help connect ex-villians with Pokémon who the courts have deemed "dangerous" as a way to rehabilitate both. Message me to enroll yourself or a Pokémon!

The Island is open and accepting both employment and adoption applications! Please read the instructions below for submitting.

We offer paid internships and apprenticeships to students globally. This comes with free housing, healthcare, and food while you are working with us. Come learn about Pokémon caretaking, healing, and psychology, or farming and environmental science!

Looking to adopt? Foster Island lets the Pokémon have a big say in who they go home with, so we don't list them for trainers to pick out. Send me a message or an ask with the following information so that I can ask around the island to find you a few to meet: name, age, region and city/route.. or a detailed description of the climate you live in, home size, list other humans and pokemon you live with, allergies and aversions, how many hours you spend away from home each week for school/work, and tell me about yourself and your goals with your new partner as well as anything else you think I should know. We do not accept anonymous adoption applications. I'll find three to five Pokémon that I think you would get along with, and then you'll schedule an appointment to meet them and make a decision together.

Link to the discord server

We accept mail from Pelipper and other flying Pokémon, but please keep it civil! Don't send threats or bombs or anything here. We also operate as a safe place to drop off any Pokémon you can no longer care for. I would much rather a trainer surrender their Pokémon and get the chance to say goodbye than have to rescue a scared, sad Pokémon that the trainer dumped somewhere it doesn't belong. No magic anons or anything like that please.

Ask Rules

This blog is meant to be for all ages, aside from mild cursing. If reading about Pokémon (animal) abuse, neglect, and abandonment makes you uncomfortable, then this is not the blog for you. The purpose of this blog is to talk about how these kinds of things would be handled in the Pokémon world, and how to prevent it. There may also be biology topics, including mating and the life cycle, that may not be for everyone. I will do my best to tag things, but please just ask me if I forget or miss something.

I reserve the right not to answer any ask or message for any reason.

Legendary and mythical Pokémon should not be caught by any trainer, but can be interacted with. I do not study them nor do I know much about any of them, and asks about them will likely be ignored.

Breeders must have a permit. Permits are hard to get. Only certain kinds of Pokémon are bred, such as those species that are highly domesticated, and ones that are endangered, or as service Pokémon.

People eat Pokémon, but it’s more complicated than that. Certain species are culturally acceptable to eat in one region but not another. Some Pokémon will lose parts of their bodies as they grow and age (like Krabby), or as a defense mechanism (like Slowbro), and those freshly discarded parts are generally acceptable to eat. Very few are universally acceptable, such as Magikarp, Basculin, and the eggs of certain flying-types.

No kind of bigotry will be tolerated on this blog. Neither will talk about religion in any way that does not relate to the Pokémon world (Arceus and other Legendries are God-like, but I still may not answer). Be warned that any homophobia, transphobia, racism, or other hate speech will be ignored and blocked.

The games, manga, and anime all exist in the irl Pokémon world. They are kind of like combining sports and pet media. They exaggerate and distort a lot of things for the story or game play mechanics.

Here’s A List Of Tags I Use To Organize Things

General : Pokemon irl, Pokéblogging, Pokémon headcanons, Pokémon adoption, Pokémon Mythconceptions, How to care for your Pokémon, LycanRocket, Ellisa talks / Lynn talks (by itself, or "to trainers/to Pokémon")

Posts will also be tagged with the names and typing of any Pokémon talked about, as well as any seasonal event the post is a part of.

About us

Ellisa and Lynn are long term partners working together to make the world a better place for Pokémon. They met as teenagers while Lynn was in ranger school and Ellisa was studying to become a professor. Lynn’s main team consists of: Charizard, Torterra, Gengar, and Lucario. Ellisa’s team members are: Ripley the Empoleon, Lizzy the Sceptile, Pearl the Gardevoir, Stewart the Sandslash, Dusk the Drifblim, Zero the Houndour, and her two service Pokémon, Pan the Espeon and Nyx the Umbreon. They have an assortment of house Pokémon that seems to grow larger every day. While Ellisa handles the face of her facility and her patients, Lynn takes care of security and rescues.

#pokemon #Foster Island #Ellisa Talks #pokemon irl #pokeblogging #rotumblr #updated 8/25/24

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howaboutalittlehelpneos · 3 years

Note

What are everyone’s teams in your Pokemon au? Do you have a plot set out or is it a more causal au?

Oooooh this is a fun one

You'd better fucking BELIEVE we have a plot set up, I have poured so much effort into the Pokemon au

Okay, so: when it comes to teams, I decided that everyone should have at least one legendary Pokemon in their party as a way to be faithful to the ace monster concept, but it wasn’t until much later into the au that I realized I’d failed to do that with Sora’s team, which led to a very fun plot point involving his secret 7th Pokemon he keeps in his box

Teams under the cut because it’s gonna be a long one, boys

Yuya has: Groudon, Sandshrew, Popplio, Hippopotas, Aipom, and Ekans

In his box, he’s got Phanphy, Charmander, Politoad, Ducklett, Liepard, Skorupi, and Lycanroc (Midnight form)

I wanted him to have as many Pokemon as he could that reminded me of the monsters in his deck, and since Yuya is a coordinator in this au instead of a regular trainer, it just felt right that he’d have a lot of different partners he could swap out for various contests

Also I’m mad that there isn’t a legendary dragon that looks like Odd Eyes, so I had to give Yuya Groudon instead, making him the only Yu boy in this au to not have a legendary dragon type Pokemon

Yuto has: Eternatus, Bisharp, Aegislash, Aggron, Lucario, and Shadow Rider Calyrex

Okay listen, I know I was supposed to only give everyone One legendary Pokemon, but with Calyrex I feel justified because it looks So Much like it could be one of Yuto’s Phantom Knights, I mean

Just look at it

Yuto gets to have two legendaries to make up for Arc-V killing him off so early into the show

Aside from this guy, the rest of Yuto’s team just felt like it should be comprised of steel types ow the edge so that’s what I gave him. His Pokemon are as edgy as he tries to appear to be and that is enough to amuse me.

There also weren’t exactly many good Pokemon equivalents of his archetype, so I made do with what I had.

Yugo has: Latios, Scizor, Claydol, Porygon 2, Ponyta (Shiny), and Sudowoodo

Yugo was honestly so hard to come up with a team for because all his Speedroid cards are just like... toys and stuff for the most part, so I agonized over what I should pick for him for a Long time. In the end, I feel like I got close enough to his general aesthetic with the Pokemon I picked.

(His Ponyta is there because of Speedroid Horse Stilts, and while it is a shiny, the dumbass has no idea about it, and thinks he just happened to get a special blue horse that was born a little differently- he never claimed to be smart.)

He also deadass thought Sudowoodo was a grass type for the longest time. Rin had to be the one to tell him it wasn’t.

“Yugo. Sudowoodo? It sounds like pseudo? As in fake wood?”

“Ohhhhh is that what its name means? Wow Rin you’re so smart.”

No Yugo you’re just exceptionally stupid.

Yuri has: Naganadel, Seviper, Victreebel, Toxicroak, Vileplume, and Roserade

For the most toxic of battlers, I felt it only necessary to give Yuri an all poison type team. I included an even mix of plants in there to tie into his Predaplant deck, Seviper for the snake eye vibes, and Toxicroak... just feels right, you know. I couldn’t find any other poison plant themed Pokemon that seemed like they’d fit his vibe, so he gets a poison frog instead.

Yuzu has: Meloetta, Sylveon, Meowstic (Female), Gardevoir, Florges, and Jigglypuff

I tried to stick with Pokemon that had very feminine vibes for Yuzu, since her deck is comprised of pretty singing ladies, so Meloetta and Jigglypuff in particular feel very fitting in that regard.

Serena has: Cresselia, Delcatty, Glameow, Lopunny, Persian, and Pyroar (Female)

The moon vibes with Cresselia felt perfect for Serena, and as for the rest of her team, all cats and a bunny to pay homage to her Lunalight deck ^^

Rin has: Celesteela, Mismagius, Hatterene, Glaceon, Froslass, and Chimecho

Her team vibes with the witch part of her Wind Witch deck, at least for Mismagius and Hatterene. Glaceon, Froslass, and Chimecho are there due to the etymology of her name, where possible meanings of it include “cold” and “bell”, which I thought was pretty cool, no pun intended.

Ruri has: Galarian Articuno, Pidgeot, Noctowl, Chatot, Altaria, and Unfezant (Male)

Some softer birds for the soft bird girl, for the most part. I liked the thought of her team being all birds like her Lyriluscs, and just... yeah. They’re all very friendly birds that Ruri’s bonded pretty closely with. Also I made sure she had Galarian Articuno for no reason other than it is purple like her, and I think that’s all the reason I need.

Gong has: Kartana, Machoke, Samurott, Golisopod, Hariyama, and Conkeldurr

Gong was really easy to assign a team to- just had to find as many samurai themed Pokemon as possible, and fill in the rest with really strong fighting types, like Machoke, Hariyama, and Conkeldurr.

Shingo has: Type: Null, Dusclops, Misdreavus, Spiritomb, Decidueye, and Cramorant

With Shingo, I tried to go for Pokemon that had the same vibes as some of his Abyss Actors, and I think Dusclops is the best example of this. Tbh I am very proud of giving him a Type: Null because Type: Null is an amalgamation of other Pokemon, something that was created in a lab to be a fighting machine. There’s nothing natural about Type: Null, and it’s kind of terrifying to Yuya specifically, who’s always viewed Pokemon as creatures to befriend. This experiment created purely to kill... unnerves him, and serves as a very good foil to his beliefs when it comes to Pokemon.

And they were narrative foils

Oh my god they were narrative foils

On a sillier note, I chose Cramorant purely because of this quote from its bulbapedia page: “Cramorant are also rather unintelligent as they can't remember which Pokémon they fight in mid battle, but never forget Trainers that they trust. However, they try to attack their Trainers if they steal food from them.”

I just thought the idea of Shingo having this dumb bird that occasionally pecks at him over food would be funny tbh, gotta dunk on the rival at least a little bit.

Sora has: Banette, Vanillish, Swirlix, Stufful, Litleo, and Buneary

In his box, he has a Guzzlord

I feel like Sora’s team is very straightforward, as it’s a mix of sweets themed Pokemon, and Pokemon that represent monsters in his deck- Stufful for Flufflal Bear, Litleo for Fluffal Leo, and Buneary for Fluffal Rabbit. Guzzlord... is relevant later on in the plot after shit goes down, that’s all I’ll say for now.

Masumi has: Diancie, Sableye, Corsola, Aurorus, Tyranitar, and Lycanroc (Dusk form)

Gem Knight girl deserved to have a bunch of good rock type Pokemon, and Diancie is like. The best possible legendary I could have given someone like her lol, the crystal aesthetic is just perfect for her. Not much to say here honestly, I just really vibed with these specific rock types and thought they’d make a good team for her.

Yaiba has: Zeraora, Kecleon, Pangoro, Scyther, Purugly, and Stantler

So I actually threw this list together just now because I realized Masumi was the only member of her trio to have a full team, and that just wasn’t right. I tried to base this team off the XX-Sabers as well I could, but it was a little hard with how many humanoid cards Yaiba has. With his legendary, I actually chose it based off this monster right here!

I think they’ve got similar enough vibes aesthetically for Zeraora to fit him. Scyther is based on Emmersblade, Kecleon on Ragigura, Stantler on Garsem, Purugly on Gardestrike, and Pangoro... Honestly, it just makes me think of Yaiba himself when I look at him. I think they’d get along well.

Hokuto has: Deoxys, Espeon, Grumpig, Starmie, Lunatone, and Malamar

Psychic type Pokemon just sort of felt right for him to have, considering that his deck is based on constellations and has an overall space theme to it. Not sure why that translates over to psychic in my brain, but you know what, it looks right, I love this team for him, and I’m not gonna question it.

I especially think Deoxys makes a good legendary for him considering it is literally a space alien, and Hokuto’s whole thing is space, so yeah, he gets to have the space alien.

Shun has: Galarian Moltres, Skarmory, Fearow, Dodrio, Staraptor, and Talonflame

Pretty straightforward team I feel- it’s all birds of prey for the Raid Raptor boy, and I just thought the Galarian version of Moltres was neat. Makes me think of his Blaze Falcon since they’re both black and red.

Dennis has: Hoopa, Mr. Mime, Delphox, Zoroark, Alakazam, and Hawlucha

Hoopa seemed like a very good legendary for Dennis to have, given his deck archetype and all, he just kind of looks like a little circus dude. Its unbound form makes me think about the swap Dennis has when it gets revealed that he’s actually been a double agent the whole time, and the play gloves finally come off.

The rest of his team... I feel like they speak for themselves. I tried to give him Pokemon that matched up with his deck archetype, so there’s Delphox to rep the fire themed monsters, Mr. Mime because it just fits Dennis’ general personality- and I love the thought of those two being friends and just copying each other’s theatric poses. Chaotic dynamic duo.

(Also: Zoroark's ability letting it disguise itself as another Pokemon is just another parallel to Dennis pretending to be one of the good guys at first, and I love it)

Shinji has: Buzzwole, Beedrill, Vespiquen, Ribombee, Kricketune, and Leavanny

I tried to give the bee man all the bees I could, but there are only so many bee Pokemon out there 😔 I knew the rest of his team had to be insect types to make up for it, so I picked Kricketune because he is just... a friend... a musical buddy who definitely gets along well with the kids. Leavanny is just a bug mom who also helps patch up the kids’ clothing when they get tears in them, which I just love the idea of. Sweet bug mom whose dex entry talks about how they sew for other Pokemon looks after her trainer’s kids when she’s not battling.

Buzzwole: witness the fitness

Throwback to the Smash Bros mains lmao

Crow has: Murkrow, Braviary, Starly, Swellow, Pikipek, and Corviknight

Bunch of birds for my Blackwing user... This team was partially picked out by June, and it was mostly meant for the Other Pokemon au, but I don’t really see a reason to change his team here. Crow is the one person without a legendary on his team, which makes me sad, but there really isn’t a legendary bird out there that fits his vibes, so as much as I wanna give him a legendary, he will have to make do without one. Sorry Crow.

Hoo... that’s finally all the teams down. Now I can talk about the plot! So, as I briefly mentioned in a previous post (I think), this particular au is inspired by Pokemon Diamond/Pearl/Platinum! It’s the era where contests really became a big thing, which is perfect for a lot of these characters because it’s easy to translate dueltaining over to coordinating in this world. Much like in canon, Yuya aspires to be as great a coordinator as his dad was, and strives to entertain people the way Yusho could. He’s not much for battling, and far prefers getting to show off his Pokemon’s talents in contests than anything.

Academia is going to play the role of Team Galactic in this au, which is incredibly fitting with their mission in canon: to remake the universe in their leader’s image. In this case, with Leo Akaba taking on the role of Cyrus, his intent is, presumably, to either destroy the universe that took his daughter from him, or create a new one where she can live once again, no matter the cost.

Sora being a key member in Team Galactic is a very big part of the plot in this au: his mission was to capture one of the lake legendaries, Uxie, since Leo needed all three of them for his plan to remake the universe, but things don’t exactly go well for him, and he ends up losing his battle against Uxie, resulting in all of his memories being locked away, and essentially making him a blank slate.

Side note: the Galactic grunt haircut reminds me a lot of Sora, I mean just look at it

Practically same bangs as him, just add an upturned ponytail and you’ve got my son.

This post is getting very long... but I will add one last plot related thing to it before I go: Uxie can erase memories, Mesprit can erase emotions, and Azelf can erase willpower. All three of these lake legendaries play a very important role in the plot, due to being the keys to Leo Akaba’s plans to remake the universe. Sora was touched by Uxie, effectively doing away with all memory he has of being in Team Galactic. Yuya ends up touched by Mesprit in an attempt to save them, and subsequently loses his emotions as a result. Riley?

Riley had been affected by all three of them before the plot began, which is why she is the way she’d been in Arc-V: Emotionless, unable to remember anything about her past except for those brief, fleeting flashes of memory when put into certain situations she’d experienced before, and without any will of her own. She’s so dependent on her older brother because she quite literally has no clue what to do with herself without being told to, and needs orders to function.

Hoo, if you’ve made it all the way to the end of the post, congratulations! I think this is the longest one I’ve made... ever lmao. I hope you guys found it enjoyable! If anyone wants to know more about certain aspects of this au, feel free to ask! I look forward to talking about it more c:

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gale-gentlepenguin · 4 years

Text

Gale’s Top 10: Favorite Pokémon

Rules:

1. No mega evolutions/gigamax alone. I have to like the Pokemon outside of just those bits.

2. Regional versions are covered if they make the list.

3. These pokémon are not Meta, they are my personal favorites.

4. This is simply my favorites. I would love to hear yours.

_______________________________________________________________________

10. Volcarona

This thing just looks really f***ing cool.

The Fire bug typing.

The mothera reference. The insane special attack.

Stupidly fun to use when playing.

Volcarona is Alder’s ace for a reason. And if you don't kill it quick. You will be begging for your life by turn 3.

When ever I get the chance. It always has a spot on my Unova team. No question about it.

_______________________________________________________________________

9. Guzzlord

The Ultra beast with the code name Glutton.

I will say that gen 7 was... interesting in its approach towards Pokémon. I honestly didn't care much for the designs (outside of the Alola forms). The Generation did have a few cool things going for it, but I found most of the line up to be kind of boring.

UNTIL THIS MOTHERF***ER SHOWED UP.

This Dark Dragon type Pokemon just looks so ... monstrous. In the Ultrasun and Moon games, The pocket of space where you find it is a decimated city with nothing in it but it, waiting for something to eat. This thing destroyed its world, likely ate every person and Pokemon. Its downright terrifying. It looks like a boss monster or the final form of a JRPG boss. (Plus his appearance actually made me watch the anime for a brief moment, so kudos)

And it hits like a truck. Sure fairy type attacks grind it to dust. But outside of that, I can just RELATE to this thing. Being unable to fill its stomach and wanting to eat all the time.

But the reason he is so low is that... you can't really use him until late game and in a sea of other ultra beasts, his impact is minimized

_______________________________________________________________________

8. Electivire

I just love this Thunder Yeti.

One of my favorite build on evolutions. The means of getting him are a bit hard, (having a special item to trade with just to do it) but the benefits are vast. He is fast and his ability neutralizes electric attacks, allowing him to go even faster.

His movepool allows him to use fire, ice, ground, rock, steel and even Psychic attacks.

He can even learn a move that lets him get rid of his ONE TYPE WEAKNESS.

Regardless of what side of the fight he is on, Electivire is one tough customer.

_______________________________________________________________________

7.Arcanine

He is a big fluffy boi!

ITS A DOG THAT BREATHES FIRE AND IS BIG ENOUGH TO BE RIDDEN!

My 10 year old self DREAMED about having one. It has soft fur and is loyal. It also is mega versatile. It can learn dragon type, electric type, ground and even grass type moves. It also just looks so cool. I wish we got to see it more commonly used, but sadly it is always outshines by ANOTHER fire type of the gen and that is sadly that.

_______________________________________________________________________

6. Rayquaza

Its a giant green dragon that looks like Shenron and has the best mega evolution. He is also my favorite Legendary. Sorry all other Legendaries. not even Arceus or Mewtwo could touch this beast at his best.

It is majestic, and I have played through emerald version MORE times than any other Pokemon game ever.

So let me tell you about how monstrous this thing is. Its mega evolution was banned BECAUSE IT WAS SO RIDICULOUSLY OP and it is the reason why Mega evolution is no longer allowed because Z moves couldn't counter this thing.

It always is cool. And THIS is what a dragon is.

______________________________________________________________________

5. Empoleon

This might have been shocking to see him so low on the list. Only barely making the top 5.

His design is one of my favorites. And his evolutionary line is my favorite LOOKING of all starters.

Its just... I always keep forgetting he is steel type and when someone uses a ground or fighting move he gets rekt. Now this is more on me and not on the grace that is empoleon.

I also wish this Pokemon got more love. It was overshadowed in the anime, its constantly ignored by most when talking about Sinnoh, and it has a diverse move pool.

I just wish it was either more of a tank or more of a fast sweeper.

I want to love him more, but battling is kind of important to me and I just feel on edge using him.

______________________________________________________________________

4. Hawlucha

My favorite Gen 6 pokemon.

Bar none. This wrestling bird is just so cool. It has THE best Shiny colors. It is based of a luchadore. It has its own special move, Flying Press. And it hits like a truck.

He has great versatility, he also is just fun to look at. And the Pokemon anime gave me a new appreciation for this bird. If he was a penguin, he would be number one.

_______________________________________________________________________

3. Lucario

Okay I admit it, Lucario is my more obvious pick. BUT COME ON!

It is one of the coolest Pokemon ever created!

It is fast and strong. It has Aura Sphere (one of my favorite moves in the game)

He was also my main in smash before Ultimate came out and nerfed him.

He was my boy. He also has one of the better Pokémon movies made about him and he deserves it.

Also you know a trainer is a bada*** when he/she has one on her team. Its like a status symbol.

And with the coverage he has, its no wonder he is so well loved.

Plus his design is amazing, his shiny is one of the coolest designs, and he looks like a good boy.

_______________________________________________________________________

2. Raichu

HE IS SHAPED LIKE A FRIEND!

okay so I always liked the Raichu line, but I always felt Pikachu was overrated.

I still love the electric mouse, but I always evolved him.

When Gen 7 happened and THIS form of Raichu happened. I fell in love. Look at this Electric Psychic typing. And the answer to evolve or not was put to rest forever.

Having access to Thunderbolt, surf, psychic and an assortment of other moves. I just love how amazing it is to use. He also looks so cute and cuddly. This is the ideal Pokemon design, you may not agree, but this is what perfection looks like.

Plus, his tail is a surfboard. Your argument is invalid.

_______________________________________________________________________

1. Feraligatr

Let me tell you all a story.

My first Pokemon game that I ever played by myself was Pokémon silver.

My first starter was Totodile.

I started my journey with this little gator and every step of the way, whenever I was backed into a corner, this guy came through for me. I called him Gatorhawk. Because he had the little red tuft that I thought was a mohawk.

I remember playing the game in the car on my way home, doing my best against Lance and his three dragonites. The rest of my team was down. Only Gatorhawk remained as I faced his 3 remaining Pokemon. Surviving attack after attack. Yet somehow finishing off his dragonites.

I got down to his last Pokemon, Out of healing items, and up against charizard.

My Gatorhawk was in the yellow. I was so close. All I needed to do was survive that Charizard’s attack.

It fired a hyper beam. I thought it was over. All of the hardwork I had gone up to this point, it was for nothing.

But Gator tanked it. By some logic He tanked a hyper beam with only one HP left.

And he hit with a critical Surf. It was over. We had won.

I screamed so loud my mom thought something bad had happened.

I was a pokemon champion. I had beaten Lance. No older cousin help, no sister assistance. it was just me, and my Gatorhawk.

So when I see Feraligatr. I think of Pokémon, I remember the nostolgia, the good times.

I remember what it meant to be the best.

#Pokémon #pokemon #gale's top 10 #Gale's top ten #man I love pokémon

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distortiondragon · 3 years

Note

9, 11, 13, 19 !

oh boy! let's see if tumblr mobile doesn't break my formatting.

9 — favorite type?

oh god oh fuck. i always default to bug on this question because a lot of my faves (not just limited to ones listed in following question) ARE bugs, but god is the type kinda. shit to use. the designs can really go off though, Venonat and Ariados are just nice, Spewpa is adorable to me, etc. typeswise I guess it's an endearing shittiness in battle, so i think i'll stick with it and then have runner up type be either poison, dark, or dragon.

11 — list your top 6 pokemon

FUCK, okay, but in no particular order and chosen by random from a larger pool of favorites:

- Zubat, because he is just a little guy and also a friend

- Deino/Zweilous, because they are bastard(s)

- Scizor, because i really love scyther also but scizor is red and kind of a powerhouse

- Sneasel, because of our kindred catboy energy

- Servine, because the first pokemon game my idiot child brain figured out how to beat to completion (become champion, not 100%) was Pokemon Black, and this was my favorite stage of my starter's line

- and Noivern, because i love its design and i think it would be fun and sexy to threaten people with saying i'll make my big scary bat dragon rip them to shreds. it's a powermove. when will they add mugging now-defenseless trainers you've beaten in a fair battle for more prize money /j

13 — favorite legendary pokemon?

this is also difficult. can i just kinda rank them by gen? if so:

gen1: Mewtwo, mew is mythical unfortunately

gen2: Lugia. it's lugia. has to be. that pokeani episode with the baby lugia made me unreasonably upset that i couldnt breed lugias like phiones with ditto but god was the baby lugia fuckin cute. shouldve been a dragon type though

gen3: fuckinnnnn Latias counts right? i like her, she's cute :)

gen4: genuine tie between Giratina (the objectively correct answer) or Azelf (the subjectively correct answer)

gen5: Reshiram is up there. Cobalion is kind of a blip on the radar against it since it's my fav of musketeer trio but i think reshi is the way to go.

gen6: Yveltal. sorry for being edgy

gen7: Necrozma hands down. not for being very op but just because i adore its design and lore/concept actually and i kind of fuck with the ultra space a lot

gen8: you played gen 8? uh. hm. i had to look this up to pick bc i genuinely forgot if there were any more other than the dogs and bootleg necrozma on basegame since i refuse to buy the dlc and there isn't really. Zacian I guess? it's a sword dog.

19 — which evil pokemon team is your favorite?

depends on how the hyperfixation is hitting, but rn its Rocket, followed directly by Galactic. probably not based taste but i feel confident in my answers

#ask game answers

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nickburn · 4 years

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Things I Enjoyed in 2020 Despite Everything

Seasons Greetings! This year has felt like an eternity for so many reasons, and before it’s over, I’d like to take a look back on the distractions that got me through it. Along the way, I’ll occasionally point out where I was emotionally at the time and whether I got into a particular thing before or after the pandemic hit in mid March. I hope you enjoy this little retrospective of some of my experience during one of the worst years of human history!

Games & Mods

Might & Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven

When I was making my 2020 resolutions list late last year, one of my goals was to play more old games in my backlog and not buy many new games this year. That goal largely went on hold, because, well, I sought out enjoyment wherever I could find it instead of forcing myself to play one thing or another. But before Covid, I was really enjoying my new playthrough of M&M6. I’d made attempts at it before, but it was really GrayFace’s mod that made the game click for me. Modern features like quick saves and mouselook make the game much more accessible, and I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to try an old-school RPG. It’s a great stepping stone into a mostly-dead genre. I’m hoping to get back to it soon. I just jumped ship to simpler ventures like Doom Eternal after the pandemic hit and haven’t looked back since.

Pathologic 2

I learned about the Pathologic series late last year and have since become a little obsessed with it. Hbomberguy’s lengthy video essay on the original game really intrigued me and lead me to trying the sequel/remake in April via Xbox Game Pass. In a weird way, it was cathartic to be a doctor in an even more dire situation than our current one and still see signs of the townsfolk trying to help each other deal with a supernatural plague and little help from their local government. The game helped me express a lot of what I was feeling at the time, when I was still getting used to working from home and wondering just how long this could go on for. I’ve gone back to it recently, and I’m hoping to finish it someday, if I can find a way to stop dying. Above all, Pathologic 2 teaches you how to make choices in no-win scenarios with little information or resources and still persevere, despite the world going to Hell around you. And that’s maybe the most important thing to practice at the moment.

Overwatch

I’ve continued to look forward to weekly Overwatch nights with my friends every Thursday, and it’s really important to have something like that right now. Even if it’s just a new episode of a show airing, a new video from a favorite YouTuber, or a regular Zoom call with coworkers, it helps so much to have something to anticipate from week to week and month to month. Otherwise, it’s really easy to feel like nothing’s going on besides the entropic deterioration of the universe. Overwatch itself helps with this, because it’s such a positive, bright, and optimistic game, as only Blizzard can create. And it’s improved a ton in the past couple of years, in a lot of ways. If you haven’t played in a while, hop in and check out all the new content with your friends; I think you’ll have a great time. It’s looking more and more like Overwatch 2 is right around the corner, and I’m very much looking forward to it.

I learned how to play Go after watching a documentary released this year about AlphaGo, the computer that beat the Go world champion, and I have a huge appreciation for the game now. I think it’s even more beautiful than chess, though even more insidious to learn. If you haven’t played before, start with a 9x9 board, teach yourself the basics, and try playing with another beginner friend. I guarantee you’ll be amazed at the amount of strategy and imagination that a game ostensibly about placing black and white stones on a grid can inspire. Go’s one of several new hobbies I’ve picked up this year, and those new hobbies have really helped me pass the time in a way that feels productive as well as take my mind off whatever depressing news just got blasted across Twitter.

Doom 64

Doom Eternal was fine, but Doom 64′s where my heart lies. The PC port on Steam is great, allowing everyone to easily play the game with mouse and keyboard. Its levels are tight and colorful, often asking the player to backtrack multiple times through the same areas to unlock new ones and take on whatever new twists await down each darkened corridor. It’s a surprisingly fresh experience. Unlike many modern Doom mods that strive to be sprawling marathons, 64′s levels are short but memorable, and the game is a great entry point to the series for newcomers because of that. Retro FPS’s continue to inspire and entertain me, and Doom 64 is one of my new favorites.

Golf With Your Friends

I’m not usually that into party games, but Golf With Your Friends strikes the right balance between casual tone and skill-based gameplay. The maps are vibrant and devious, the different modes are creative and often hilarious, and the pacing is near-perfect. If you’ve got a squad itching to play something together for a few nights, I guarantee you’ll have a lot of laughs trying to knock an opponent off the course or turning them into an acorn just as they’re about to attempt a nasty jump.

Quake 1 Mods

I probably sound like a broken record by now to a lot of you, but I won’t rest until I get more people into retro FPS’s. The outdated graphics and simple gameplay can be off-putting at first, but it doesn’t take long at all to get hooked after you’ve played the likes of excellent mods like Ancient Aliens for Doom 2 or Arcane Dimensions for Quake 1. And it’s only getting better, with this year marking probably the best year for Quake releases ever. The industry even seems to be taking notice again, with many talented mappers getting picked up for highly-anticipated, professional indie projects like Graven and Prodeus. And while the marketing around the retro FPS renaissance as the second coming of “boomer shooters” should be much maligned, the actual craft involved in making mods and brand new games in the genre has never been stronger. I even contributed four levels to the cause this year, but you’ll have to play them yourself to decide if they’re any good: https://www.quaddicted.com/reviews/?filtered=burnham.

Streets of Rage 4

I had not tried Steam Remote Play before this year, but it works surprisingly well if you have a decent internet connection. Because of Remote Play, I was able to complete Streets of Rage 4 with my friends, and it was very close to the experiences I had as a kid playing brawlers like Turtles in Time on the Super Nintendo. The game is just hard enough to make you sweat during the boss fights but just easy enough that the average group of gamers can complete it in a night or two, which is ideal for adults with not a lot of free time.

Hard Lads

Hard Lads is a pure delight of a game by Robert Yang about the beauty of a viral video from 2015 called “British lads hit each other with chair,” which is even more ridiculous than it sounds. It made me smile and laugh for a good half hour, and I think it’ll do the same for you.

Commander MtG

The Commander format for Magic: the Gathering is one of my favorite things, and in 2020, I dug into it more than any other year. More so even than playing or watching it being played, I created decklists for hours and hours, dreaming up new, creative strategies for winning games or just surprising my imaginary opponents. I sincerely believe this little ritual of finding a new legendary creature to build around and spending a few days crafting a brew for it got me through the majority of this summer. I didn’t have a lot of creative energy this year, but I was able to channel the little I did have into this hobby. Especially during the longer, more frustrating or depressing days at work when I had nothing else to do or just needed a break, I could often dive back into card databases and lose myself in the process of picking exactly the cards that best expressed what I wanted to do for any given deck. And it’s nice to know I can always fall back on that.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

I played a lot of Yu-Gi-Oh! growing up but never had the cards or the skill to be particularly good at it. I just knew I enjoyed the game and the 4Kids show, but I quickly them behind when I got to high school. Fast forward to 2020, and the game and franchise have evolved substantially, not always for the better. But I do find it so intriguing, with a skeptical kind of adoration. It’s not nearly as well-supported as Magic, but what it does have are gigantic anime monsters on tiny cards with enough lines of text to make your head spin. And it’s so interesting to me that a franchise like that can continue to thrive alongside more elegant games like the Pokemon TCG and Hearthstone. And the further I’ve delved into how the game has changed since I stopped playing, the more invested I’ve become, going so far as to start buying cards again and looking into possible decks I might enjoy playing. An unequivocal win for Yu-Gi-Oh! is Speed Duel, which seeks to bring old players back to the game with a watered-down, nostalgia-laden format with fewer mechanics and a much smaller card pool. So if all you want to do is pit a Blue Eyes White Dragon against a Dark Magician, that’s 100% still there for you, but the competitive scene is still alive, well, and astoundingly complicated. And I think that’s kind of beautiful.

Black Mesa

I wasn’t expecting to have the tech to play Half Life: Alyx this year, so Black Mesa seemed like the next best thing. And it really is a love letter to the first game, even if it’s far from perfect. I even prefer the original, but I did very much enjoy my time with this modern reimagining. If you’ve never played a Half Life game before, I think it’s a great place to start.

VR via the Oculus Quest

Around halfway through this year, I started to get really stir crazy and yeah, pretty depressed. It seemed like I’d be stuck in the same boring cycle forever, and I know for a lot of people, it still feels like that. So VR seemed like the perfect escape from this dubious reality where you can’t even take a safe vacation trip anymore. And you know, I think it works really well for that purpose. The Oculus Quest is especially effective, doing away with cords or cables so you have as much freedom as you have free real estate in your home. I don’t have a lot of space in my studio apartment, but I have enough to see the potential of the medium, which is completely worth it. Next gen consoles are neat and all, but I’ve got my heart set on picking up the Quest 2 as soon as possible.

* Beat Saber

I was most looking forward to trying Beat Saber on the Quest, and I was not disappointed. You’d think rhythm games had reached their peak with Rock Band and DDR, but the genre keeps on giving with gems like this. It’s hard to convey if you’ve never tried it, but the game succeeds so well in getting your entire body into the rhythm of whatever song you’re slashing through.

* Half Life: Alyx

Again, I really did not expect to be able to experience this game as intended this year, and I still don’t think I really have. The Oculus Link for the Quest is admittedly a little janky, and my PC barely meets the minimum specs to even run the game. And yet, despite that, Alyx is one of my top three games of 2020 and maybe one of my all-time favorites. Even as I was losing frames and feeling the game struggle to keep up with all the AI Combine soldiers running around, I was still having a blast. For me, it is one of the best reasons to seek out and own VR and a pinnacle of game design in its own right.

Hades

For me, Hades has mostly been similar to every other Supergiant Game that I’ve played: fun and well-polished but ultimately not engaging enough to play for very long. And there’s always this sheen of trying to be too clever with their dialogue, narration, and music that rubs me the wrong way. But Hades is certainly their best game, and I can’t deny the effect it’s had on people, much like Bastion’s reception back in 2011. And I’m really hoping Hades gets more people into roguelikes, as a more accessible and story-driven approach to the genre. Timing-wise, I wish it hadn’t come out around the same time as Spelunky, because I think it did make some people choose one over the other, when the best choice is to play both and realize they’re going for very different experiences. The precise, unforgiving, arcade-like style of Spelunky isn’t fun for everyone, though, and Hades is thankfully there to fill in that gap. I’m really glad I found more time to play it this year at least to succeed on one escape attempt; it’s a fun game to think about in a game design context. And I do think the game has a lot of merit and is doing some clever things with difficulty that the studio likely could not have honed nearly so well without the help of Early Access. The most impressive part of the game to me is not the story or the music or the combat but the massive amount of contextual dialogue they somehow found time to program, write, and record at a consistently high level. All of this is just to say, Hades is obviously one of the best games of the year, and you should play it if you have any interest in it at all.

Spelunky 2

I’ve spoken a lot about this game on Twitter, so I’m not going to rehash much of that here. For me, it’s been a journey of over 1,000 attempts to learn the intricacies and secrets of a deep and demanding game that’s been as frustrating as it’s been rewarding. But it remains a constant source of learning and discovery as well as mastery and pride for me, and I still have hopes of reaching the Cosmic Ocean and getting all the trophies someday. It’s been a joy to watch other Spelunky players too, even as some fair worse than me and others fair far better. And the Daily challenge keeps me coming back, because seeing my name high up on the leaderboard just makes me feel so damn good (or at least I’ll get a good laugh out of a hilarious death). At its heart, Spelunky is a community endeavor, and I think it succeeds at that better than almost any other game this side of Dark Souls. I think it is my Game of the Year or at least tied with Alyx, I really can’t decide. If you don’t think you’d enjoy it, all I’ll say is, the frustration and difficulty are integral to the experience of discovery and surprise, and your brain is better at video games than you think.

Chess

Okay, yes, I watched and enjoyed The Queen’s Gambit, but I think 2020 had already primed people to get into chess this year regardless. Like Yu-Gi-Oh!, chess was a childhood pastime of mine that I really enjoyed and then quickly left behind as I discovered things like music and the internet. If I had to assign a theme to my 2020, it would be rediscovering old hobbies to remind myself how good life actually is. And now I’m more committed to chess than I ever was before. I’m watching international masters and grand masters on YouTube (as well as the incomparable Northernlion), I’m playing regularly on Chess.com, and I’m even paying for lessons and probably my own theory books soon. Like most fighting games, chess is a complicated form of dueling a single opponent with zero randomness, so mistakes are always on you. And modern chess platforms offer extremely good analysis tools, showing you exactly how, when, and why you screwed up so you can do better next time. Like Hearthstone, it’s a quick, addicting, tense, and rewarding way to train your brain and have fun. And it seems more popular now than ever, in part due to a certain Netflix original TV show...

The Queen’s Gambit

I think a lot of people want to be Beth Harmon, even if they know they shouldn’t. It must feel so good to be the best at something and know you’re the best, even while under the influence of certain substances. It’s what makes characters like Dr. Gregory House so fun to watch, though you’d never want to work with the guy. For me, anyway, I always wanted to be a prodigy at something, and what little success I’ve had made The Queen’s Gambit very relatable to me. More so, it’s easy to relate to growing up in a conservative environment with few real friends and fewer outlets of expression, only to realize you’ve finally found your thing, and that no one can take it from you. That’s mostly what I’m going to take from The Queen’s Gambit anyway, more than chess or the Cold War commentary or the problematic relationships Beth has with her cadre of rivals/boyfriends. The show gets a strong recommendation from me for fans of chess as well as lovers of optimistic coming-of-age stories.

March Comes in Like a Lion

Similarly, March Comes in Like a Lion features a protagonist who is scarily close to a version of myself from like eight years ago. My best friend has been urging me to watch this show for years, and I’m still only a few episodes in. But I love how it portrays a young person who’s moved to a big city away from home for the first time, with nothing more than some meager possessions and the hopes of becoming the best in the world at something. And Rei is not confident in himself or outgoing at all, he’s extremely depressed despite pursuing his dreams and trying to distance himself from his somewhat toxic family. It’s a great reminder that the smallest kindnesses can often change our entire perspective on the world, and that even the people that seem the most well-equipped to handle life often still need help. I’ve been very fortunate to have people like that despite mistakes I’ve made, and I hope to be that person for others too.

Umbrella Academy

I’m pretty burnt out on superheroes, but UA put a good enough spin on them that they felt brand new. The show is rough in places, but it’s surprising in some really clever ways. And the comics are some of the wildest stories I’ve ever read, like Hitchhiker’s Guide meets Watchmen.

HunterXHunter

I binged about 100 of the 148 episodes of HxH this year, which I recognize is not a significant number in the wider world of long-running shounen anime, but it’s quite an undertaking for me to finish a show of this length. The series goes places I never expected and made me care so strongly for characters I thought I’d hate at first. It’s the smartest and most endearing show about a band of misfits going on crazy adventures and punching people for the good of the world that you’re likely to find.

Hannibal

This is the rare show that’s simultaneously comforting and nightmare-inducing if watched for extended periods. I can remember nights after binging a few episodes where I couldn’t get many of the disturbing images out of my head. Fair to say, Hannibal is not for the faint of heart, nor is it without some low points. But for those who enjoy gory thrillers or gritty detective dramas, it’s a must-watch.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Original Series, English Sub

You can probably imagine my surprise as I discovered this year that the Japanese version of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime is not only much better than the 4Kids version we got in the States, but it’s actually a decent show. The plot makes much more sense, it’s more interesting, the stakes are higher, the voices are better, and overall it’s just more enjoyable to watch. I don’t know if I’ll stick with it long enough to finish it this time, but this is definitely the way I’d do it and would recommend to others.

Fargo Season 4

It’s a miracle we even got another season of Fargo this year, let alone on time and of the same high quality as the first two seasons. It has a great setting, cast, and conflict. I love Chris Rock, and it was so cool to see him act so well in such a serious role. There’s a Wizard of Oz homage episode that is nearly flawless. And the post-credits scene at the end of the season is just the cherry on top. If you haven’t checked out Fargo by now, you are really missing out on some of the most interesting stuff happening in TV. I can’t wait to see what Noah Hawley does with the Alien franchise.

Movies

Cats

I had to include this one because it was the last full movie I saw in theaters before the pandemic hit. I technically went to Sonic too, but my friends and I walked out after about 30 minutes. The less said about that movie, the better. Cats, though, is a strange and curious beast (pun intended), adapting an already unruly animal (pun intended) to the big screen and yowling to be recognized (pun intended). But for every awkward or embarrassing scene, there’s one of pure joy and magic, like the extended ballet sequence or Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat. The film knows exactly what it is and leans into it hard, like a familiar yet slightly insane feline begging to be stroked, which I imagine is exactly what fans of the musical wanted.

Children of Men

There’s not much I can say about this film that probably hasn’t been said better elsewhere. I was intrigued to watch it when I learned it was one of my friend’s favorite movies. And I have to say, it’s really profound in a prescient way. Clive Owen gives one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. You should watch it, but only when you feel like taking a severe hit to the feels.

Basic Instinct

Vertigo is probably still my favorite film, so when I learned this year that Paul Verhoeven made a bloody, sex romp homage film to it in the 90s with Michael Douglas starring, I simply had to watch it. And you know, it’s not bad. It’s nowhere near as good as Vertigo, and you can see the ending coming a mile away. But what it does have is the immaculate Sharon Stone, who you cannot take your eyes off for the entire movie. And the movie knows it, making her look as alluring and suggestive as her character is to the detective investigating her. You could do worse than to watch it, just don’t expect any of Hitchcock’s subtlety or looming dread to seep into the final product.

Books

Dune

I finally finished Dune this year, and I can genuinely say it lives up to the hype. It’s not the easiest book to get through, but it’s by no means one of the most difficult either. I’m still bummed that the new film was delayed, but it might give me time to read the rest of the original book series.

The Fifth Season

Another fantastic piece of fiction, I cannot recommend this book enough. N.K. Jemisin is one of the best living authors of our time. If you want an original setting with a brilliant magic system and complex, compelling characters, look no further.

Video Content

Northernlion

I’ve been a fan of NL for years, though I’ve never been that into The Binding of Isaac. He just has a charismatic intelligence to him that sets him apart from most “Let’s Play” YouTubers to me, and he’s very funny to boot. I guess I’d say he seems a lot like me or the person I could picture myself being if I were a professional video content creator. So I was really excited for NL’s series of Spelunky 2 videos, and I still watch them every day, months later. And now he’s teaching me how to get better at chess, being a good 600 ELO higher than myself at the moment. His sarcastic and improv-laden banter have withstood the test of years and gave me some much-needed comfort and laughter in 2020. Somehow, the man even found a way to keep up his prolific output this year while raising his firstborn child. There are those who said it couldn’t be done...

The Command Zone - Game Knights

Josh Lee Kwai and the rest of the crew at The Command Zone continue to put out some of the most well-produced tabletop gameplay videos on the internet. It’s perhaps no surprise, seeing as how Lee Kwai created trailers for such blockbuster films as Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and Jimmy Wong had a supporting role in the live action remake of Disney’s Mulan. But the crew around the two hosts are just as important and talented, and it’s clear that they all share the same singular vision for the channel’s future. They’ve carefully crafted a team of expert editors, animators, cosplayers, and voice actors to deliver one delightful video after the next at a consistently high level. If you’re into Magic: the Gathering at all, you simply need to watch Game Knights.

Cimoooooooo

I found Alex Cimo’s channel shortly after the algorithm learned I was interested in Yu-Gi-Oh! again, and at first, I was less than impressed with him. But it’s clear to me now that he not only loves what he does, he’s an expert Yu-Gi-Oh! player and analyst. Plus, he’s very good at explaining some of the more complex concepts in the game in a way that newcomers can understand. I’ve watched every new episode of The Progression Series and The History of Yu-Gi-Oh! so far, and they’re the best way I’ve found to learn how the game developed and changed over the last 20 years.

Team APS

This is another great Yu-Gi-Oh! channel, focusing more on skits, gimmick videos, and casual games rather than analytical or theoretical content. Mostly, they seem like a really great group of friends that just have a blast playing Yu-Gi-Oh! together, and their love for the game makes me want to play more too.

Tolarian Community College

Somehow, a community college English professor’s channel went from a quirky little deckbox review platform to the most popular Magic: the Gathering channel on YouTube in only a few years. But it’s easy to see why when Brian clearly loves what he’s doing more than most people ever will. He’s not only a fantastic reviewer and MtG scholar, he’s one of the most outspoken voices for positive change in the community and the game. Is he too hard on the Magic team at Wizards of the Coast? Perhaps, but without his measured and well-reasoned takes on all things Magic, I think we’d be much worse off.

IRL

Cooking

Even I get tired of eating the same things every day, so I’ve taken it upon myself to learn how to make more dishes, mostly out of sheer boredom. And I know I’m not alone in that, but I have to say it’s been a rewarding and fun adventure. It’s really surprising what you can throw together with a decent recipe and a little creativity in a modest kitchen when you decide to break away from the microwave for once.

Chinchillin’

Like many people, I felt that I needed a pet to survive this year, and I’ve always wanted a chinchilla. So I took a risk and bought one from a seller on KSL a few months ago, and my life has definitely changed for the better. No longer simply alone with my thoughts all day, I have a furry little companion to commune and bond with. And it’s more difficult to find time to feel sorry for myself when a basically helpless tiny creature depends on me for almost everything. Not to say it’s been a perfect experience however, people don’t say chins are difficult to care for for nothing. And I have learned more about them than perhaps I ever cared to know before, but that’s only made them more interesting to me as a result. Overall, I would recommend them as pets, just be prepared to give them a lot more time and attention than you would to say, a fish or a hamster. I’ve seen the commitment compared to that of a large dog, and I think that’s fair, though chins seem far more difficult to train and are far less cuddly. Basically, imagine a fluffy, super fast squirrel that can jump half your height, shed its fur at will if grabbed too tightly, that sleeps all day and bathes in dust, and that cannot get wet or too hot or eat 99% of human foods without serious complications. And they get lonely, and they all have their own surprisingly distinct personalities, some shy and mischievous, others bright and social, and everything in between. But I’m glad to be part of my little buddy’s life and hope to make it a long and enjoyable one for him. Part of why I wanted a chinchilla so badly is they typically live between 10-20 years, much longer than the average rodent or even many cats and dogs. And they’re sadly endangered in the wild, poached for their incredibly soft fur, which is why I believe it’s critical that we care for and learn more about them now. And above all, I adore my chinchilla’s antics, even when he continually tries to dig up and eat the paper bedding below his cage when I’ve provided perfectly edible hay and pellets for him in much easier to reach locations.

And that’s all, folks...

If you’ve read this far, know that I really appreciate it and hope you learned something new about yourself, art, or the world. And please do let me know what’s kept you going the most this year too, as I suspect I’ll still be searching for new distractions next year, even after I’m able to get a Covid vaccine injection. As Red Green would say, we’re all in this together, and I’m pullin’ for ya. <3

#2020 #hobbies #art #youtube #reviews #entertainment #games #books #film #tv #netflix

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shantaelove · 5 years

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Best SUPER SMASH BROS REVEALS

For now I want to look back and think of all the best reveals for character in the Super Smash Bros series. The list will talk about not only the character itself, but the significance of their inclusion. Let’s dive in.

10. Piranha Plant

Let’s start the list off with the definition of Joke characters. When the final direct aired before the release of Ultimate, we were expecting one more amazing character or two to be added. Once Ken and Incineroar were announced as the final additions the base roster, all the excitement died down easily. Then Sakurai surprised everyone with a bonus character like no other. The reactions for this was amazing. People were speechless in Youtube videos, but the reception ended up being more positive than expected. Even if it was another Mario character, an obscured character more than anything, the internet seemed excited to play as him .. her ....it? Whoever thought you could play as a Piranha Plant, or let me be more specific, a FREAKING PLANT! Even if this did feel like Sakurai was pulling out the middle finger up to all the annoying fans asking for ridiculous character requests *cough* Waluigi *cough* Piranha Plant was an unexpected yet welcome edition to the roster.

9. Joker

From what I read online, Joker was a character that gave a new meaning to phrase “didn’t see that coming.” This was character that wasn’t leaked at all (at least to my knowledge). A lot of people said it would be cool if this Persona 5 character could be added (pretty much a dream character for most), and once the game awards strolled around, Reggie throws announces that this mother f*cker will be added. Sadly Joker also set the stage high for first fighter pass. It was announced that the higher-ups at Nintendo picked the DLC for the game, so people’s first instincts were to assume that first-party characters were the obvious go-to’s. Thus the protagonist to the award-winning Persona game on was crowd pleaser for sure, and Joker was definitely a character worth buying. I’ll be honest and say that it got really annoying to see Joker be played in every tournament, but he at least a guy under the name MKLeo is got his fame from this dude.

8. Mewtwo (again)

The addition of Mewtwo for Smash 4’s DLC was very important because the legendary pokemon was the first DLC character in Super Smash Bros history. This opened the door to allow more characters to be added into a Smash game. Though Doctor Mario was the first returning character from Melee, it was still chocking to see Mewtwo, who was missing for years, return to the ring. This gave Smash fans hope to see some of their mains from the previous installments get an invitation again. What led was not just the return of previous fan favorites, but more unexpected guests like Ryu, Cloud and Bayonetta. And when Ultimate got announced at E3, the rest was history.

7. Sonic

Even for Sonic fans and non Sonic fans, the blue blur’s inclusion was a long time coming. Snake may have been the first third-party character added to Super Smash, sonic was the more impactful. And although Mario and Sonic had made an official crossover before Brawl in the Olympics, seeing these two icons clash it out in Smash felt more special. His trailer on the Super Smash Bros’s dojo website was simply badass. With the sassy hedgehog kicking ass and “Live and Learn” playing in the background, what more could you ask for? It was just as exciting to see Sonic return for Smash 4 and be a bigger part of history by being in an official picture with Mario, Meagan Pac-Man.

6. Ridley

This was the beginning of what will be the “ultimate” Super Smash Bros game. Compared to every other highly requested character, Ridley might have been the easiest to make playable. While K Rool and Banjo were owned by other companies and people, Ridley was already a Nintendo character that could easily be made into a fighter. The problem was, and as the joke goes, he was too big. For a long time it made sense to not diminish the character since he has always been seen as a giant boss in about every game he’s been in. But DAMN the demand for the space dragon was off the roof! And if finding out that every character was returning for the 5th installment was enough, the Nintendo E3 2018 presentation ended with a big bang. Ridley finally got his wish to be playable. Sorry Waluigi fans but this awesome space monster finally deserved his spot in the roster.

5. Bayonetta

A controversial character that can from left field. At the time, Bayonetta was the last character I would have expected to be added, and I am big fan of her. Super Smash Bros is one way or another a game made for everyone, or to put it more likely, a game that kids would more than likely get into. With cute characters like Kirby, Pikachu, and Yoshi, it seemed out of place for an angel-killing witch from one of the most violently series ever to be added in a what is suppose to be a family-friendly video game. Bayonetta’s inclusion was a great end to the dlc roster for Smash 4. And to top it off, she was basically the strongest character in the game. She was so strong that fans were annoyed and asked for her to be banned in tournaments. Sadly (and this is just my opinion) the umbra witch got nerfed a lot in Ultimate. Hopefully she gets a well-deserved return in future patches, but even if she doesn’t, her spotlight was not ignored.

4. Pac-Man

Easily one of the most important inclusions in the history of Super Smash Bros. The reveal to this character was also special. The build with the colors of red for Mario and blue for Sonic and Megman was a great lead into the yellow, which was obvious as to who it was going to be. Though Pac-Man is a weird character to control (Pac-Man mains are freaking wizards), it is still amazing to see one of if not the most iconic arcade/video-game character get an invitation to Smash Bros and fight side by side with Mario, Sonic and Megaman. It was also very frustrating to see people upset that he was included and not a character people have constantly been requesting. It doesn’t matter who you wanted, the yellow dude deserved to be in the game. Plus it’s kind of funny to see him always smiling even when drowning ha ha.

3. Cloud Strife

If there was any character that REALLY (and I mean REALLY) opened the door for possibilities it was this one. Before the time of his reveal, people were asking and expecting characters that would be more likely to be added in Super Smash Bros. Cloud Strife was more or less a dream character for many. But aside from a small cameo in a Kingdom Hearts spinoff on the DS, Cloud was more of a Playstation character than anything. He really raised the bar for future additions and created the hype train of DLC characters. Cloud was really the high point of newcomers during the end of Smash 4. Though people were expecting other characters like Shovel Knight or a returning character, Cloud really came out of no where (like Lucas lol). Seeing an iconic character from the legendary franchise that is Final Fantasy guest star in what arguably is the greatest crossover game of all time felt like history in the making.

2. Snake/EVERYONE IS HERE

This might be a bit of cheat. Snake first appearing in Super Smash bros was really cool, but also very unexpected. At the end of the day he was an awesome character people loved. But his return was as significant as the words “EVERYONE IS HERE” appearing on the screen. With that phrase in front of the Metal Gear Solid star, it was clear that every character was returning to the 5th installment of Smash. From huge third-party guests such as Ryu and Cloud, to forgotten characters like Young Link and Pichu, this was true indication that this was going to be the game to the live up to the title “Ultimate.” More importantly though this presentation proved that Sakurai and his development team listened to their fans. They knew that many people wanted to see some of their favorite characters come back, and they accomplished that. This also led to bringing highly requested characters like Ridley, K Rool and Banjo to the forefront. They said that the team used the Smash Ballot from 2015 to create the roster for the next game (this explains how odd it was that Bayonetta was the winner). I can’t think of any other game that pleases their fans more than the people behind Super Smash Bros. They literally went out of their way to make the perfect game, which in turn leads to a roster of 74 characters and counting. You can go ahead and like Melee more, but Ultimate is the best in the series for what it represents.

1. Banjo Kazooie

I am going to assume that the famous duo was probably the most requested character ever. I didn’t go one day without seeing someone online saying their most-wanted character was Banjo & Kazooie. Everyone wanted them only since the ballot, and more importantly everyone wanted them since Melee or even during the 64 era. Banjo & Kazooie was a huge part of our childhoods that it felt wrong to not have this iconic duo in a game that celebrates not only video-game history, but Nintendo history. At E3 2019, everyone’s wishes came true and the reveal couldn’t be anymore special. At first it was an exact replay of the King K Rool trailer, which made us believe a new villain was going to be added. As the trailer kept playing, we had no idea where this was going, but once a jiggy was thrown across the screen, everyone knew who it was and what was about to happen. Banjo & Kazooie don’t have to be the greatest character to play as, but his inclusion is testimony to the dedication Sakurai and his team put into creating the best game for their fans, and the picture above proves what this inclusion means to the world. They are home where they belong, and this inclusion just proves anything is possible.

#Super Smash Bros #Smash Bros #Super Smash Bros Ultimate #Nintendo #piranha plant #joker #mewtwo #Ridley #sonic #cloud strife #Bayonetta #Solid Snake #snake #banjo kazooie #Pacman #pac man

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atrainernamedradish · 4 years

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I have been meaning to do this list for quite some time. I’m glad I waited till Generation 8 to do it since this list would be slightly different. Keep in mind this is my own personal list so some of your least favorites might be on this list, or you might have a totally different opinion all together. Since this is a top 10 some Pokemon didn’t get to make the list so...

Honorable Mentions: Espeon, Mightyena, Breloom, Gardevoir and Mega Gardevoir, Regigigas, Rockruff line, Cofagrigus, Diggersby, Minior, Drampa, Bewear, Slugma, Rowlet line, Lunala, Altaria, Absol and Delphox.

Top 10 Favorite Shiny Pokemon

10) Zygarde 50% Form

This is such a lovely shiny. It takes the boring black and ugly radioactive green of the original color scheme, and turns it into this crisp and clean sparkling white and minty green. Simply breathtaking.

9) Giratina

I love how this shiny really embraces the ghost typing of Giratina. The color scheme is terrifyingly beautiful, if you will. I usually like shinies that take dull gray and black color schemes and soften them up or change them to a white or silver color. This is hands down my favorite legendary shiny. So gorgeous!~

8) Sableye

I am not normally one to like the color of metallic gold, but something about this shiny just looks so stunning in it. I like having the chest gem changed to green because it gives the color scheme a sort of greed feel to it, and that just makes the shiny even better.

7) Slurpuff

This shiny is not only cute but also delicious. The colors are so playful, if you will, and I like how Slurpuff goes from being strawberry and vanilla to cherry chocolate. Overall it is a tasty and fun shiny, and I simply adore it!~

6) Metagross

This shiny is so sleek and badass looking! Silver is one of my favorite metallic colors, and the fact that it is accentuated with a nice golden yellow that stands out real nicely to the silver really earns it some brownie points since those are some of my favorite colors put together. I just feel like the original is just, well, boring, and in the shiny Metagross just looks like this steel juggernaut! There’s a reason this is on a lot of top shiny lists. It’s just so fucking cool!

5) Rapidash

Usually Ponyta gets more attention and praise for its shiny, but honestly I feel like the blue flame shinies are just so… cliche and not in a good way. What I like much more in Rapidash’s shiny is that the charcoal lavender looks so striking and elegant. Overall it’s just a pleasant shiny to look at it and it has always been one of my favorites~

4) Ninetales

This is hands down one of the most beautiful shinies I have ever seen. The colors are just lovely. I simply love how beautiful but deadly the vibe of this shiny gives off. It is easily my favorite Generation 1 shiny of all times!~

3) Milotic

This shiny is just down right GORGEOUS!~ There is not much I can really say other than that because it’s true. I just love it so much.

2) Ampharos/Ribombee/Furret

These three are on here since I couldn’t choose between them, with them all here for the same reason: well-made pink shinies. I think all of their shinies look good and even make the Pokemon cuter *especially Furret*. These are much higher on the list because I’ve liked some of these shinies since they debuted in Generation 2 and it would be a shame not to put them on the list as well as any lower.

1) Alcremie

And here it is the obligatory black shiny. I spent such a long time trying to hatch one of these! It took me almost 600 eggs before I finally got one! I had the candy and nickname already picked out as well as I was saving the mushrooms for the Gigantamax Soup I was going to give it for when it finally hatched. This took so long but it was worth it! It is literally a cookies-n-cream shiny and I love that! This shiny overall just does everything right for me to where it deserves its place on this list, and I can’t wait to use it in a future playthrough!~

#shiny pokemon #zygarde #giratina #sableye #slurpuff #metagross #rapidash #ninetales #milotic #ampharos #ribombee #furret #alcremie

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necrowriter · 4 years

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monday thing: may eighteenth (on hidden obstacles)

lately I've been thinking about video games.

I've played quite a bit of Animal Crossing since New Horizons came out. so, as you just might have noticed, have a lot of other people. by pure coincidence it happened to come out at a time when a great many people needed exactly the kind of escapism Animal Crossing offers. it's peaceful and soothing and soft, an imaginary getaway to a distant island where the neighbors are all friendly, the waves lap gently against clean bright sand, and there is never anything much to worry about it.

but New Horizons was eagerly anticipated long before anyone had any inkling what the circumstances around its release were going to be. it's the fifth game in a very successful series. Animal Crossing has had something appealing to offer for a long time. in the wake of the success of New Horizons I've seen a number of people wondering--many jokingly, some not--about why, exactly, the series is so appealing. is it really that much fun to pay off a home loan? to pull weeds and water flowers? are people really so invested in the thought of buying furniture or catching bugs to sell?

the usual sort of answer--again, often a joking one, sometimes not--is that the appeal is that you can pay off your home loan, without stress or fear, without interest accumulating, without any consequences if you don't. you can earn all the money you need by doing simple, easy tasks, and in the meantime your tanuki landlord will happily wait on you for years if he has to. well ain't that an impossible dream, amirite? we might as well enjoy doing it in a video game because we have no hope of doing it in real life.

and that answer is true, I think, but it only scratches the surface of something that extends well beyond Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing is perhaps the most extreme example, but many--maybe even most--video games offer the chance to pursue relatively normal, everyday sort of tasks even when the main focus of the game is something very grand and exciting. massive, open-world adventures and RPGs with epic, sweeping stories very often also allow you the opportunity to customize the living space or wardrobe of your main character, play minigames to earn money and prizes, or pursue smaller sidequests to build relationships with friends or lovers or just to help someone out. start a business! care for pets! grow flowers! hell, just take a nice walk if you want.

and if you listen to people talk about playing these games, you will often hear that they spent a great deal of time and energy on such tasks, sometimes much more than they ever spent on the main story or the bigger quests. given the choice, it seems, people are just as often drawn to the smaller things, even in games that also offer the sort of thing that seems like much more conventional wish-fulfillment. certainly I can attest to this. in Minecraft, a game where you can build enormous castles or terraform entire continents, I have spent many enjoyable hours instead building a small farm or a lakeside cottage. Breath of the Wild is a game where you play as a legendary hero reawoken to battle an ancient and terrible foe that has devastated your entire kingdom and sure, I took on that quest, but I did it in-between spending a lot more time gathering ingredients for cooking, feeding apples to my beloved horse, or taking pictures of birds. as soon as Pokemon offered the chance to take a break from becoming a master trainer of cool, powerful creatures to give those creatures head scritches and feed them cupcakes, you can bet I grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

why do we so often choose to do smaller, even ordinary, things, in these situations where it is just as easy, if not easier, to do great, big, awe-inspiring, impressive ones? when given the chance to be a hero of great renown wielding a sword of legends to save the entire world, why do I so often put doing that off to instead enjoy riding my horse through a sunny meadow? would you not expect the thing that I could never do in real life to hold more appeal and draw than something entirely possible, even ordinary?

well, that's obviously a hell of a deep psychological rabbit hole to go down, but I think part of it is this: games have a way of removing hidden obstacles. alright, and not-so-hidden obstacles, sure. if we look back at the Animal Crossing example, some of the obstacles the game removes are very. obvious. your loans have no interest or deadline, no consequence for failure. making money requires no resume, no qualifications, no applications, no stress, no fuss, nothing more than a butterfly net or fishing rod and some time to spare, at most. there are no taxes, no global warming, no troubling political news.

but there are smaller obstacles shaved off here and there as well. in the world of Animal Crossing it is not just big things that become more accessible, but also day to day things which in real life are often rendered accessible to achieve, but not to enjoy, because of the difficulties attached to them.

let's take gardening. a few posts back I talked about my own personal troubles with gardening: that it was something I did find enjoyment in, but also struggled with a great deal because ADHD presented so many challenges to doing it that I came to believe it was something I was simply inherently and permanently bad at. in Animal Crossing, on the other hand, most of those challenges don't exist. when you go to buy a plant, you always know exactly what it is. its needs are simple and straight-forward, and if the game doesn't tell you them then you can surely find them laid out clearly and easily with a quick visit to any of dozens of wikis and game info sites. there are clear signals included to help you carry out what you need to do. you can tell if you've watered a flower because it will sparkle. you can tell if a tree won't grow where you're trying to plant it, because the game will tell you so.

the gardening in Animal Crossing specifically is very simplistic. but it offers to you, and keeps, a promise which even games with more complicated requirements keep: here are the steps, here is the list of what you need to do, and if you do it right, something will grow, and grow well.

of course this also takes away some of the things that make the whole pastime worthwhile in real life. there is no sensation of digging your fingers into rich dirt, no fresh crop to pick and eat right off the stem. and seeing a pixel plant sprout and grow in stages will never quite compare to watching something very real and alive grow from a seed that you planted yourself. yet still I find distinct enjoyment in walking between the plots of my virtual garden in Animal Crossing, in raising virtual flowers and watching them bloom.

with some video games, I find the wish fulfillment to be as straight-forward as that: the emulation of an activity I want to do in real life, but find to be more difficult than enjoyable because of the obstacles associated with it. sometimes it's less direct. I have always enjoyed simulation and management games, games about building, cultivating, growing, raising, developing. but I've found myself particularly drawn to them over the past few years. building cities or kingdoms, running a large farm, managing a theme park or a zoo--there's great appeal there for me, even though I've never longed to pursue city planning or business management in the real world. but when things have felt at their most stagnant and hopeless, when I have felt unable to find any sign of progression or improvement in my own life, I have found comfort in being able to watch something grow, to put work in and see the results clear and apparent before me, however ephemeral those results are.

for me, I find that most often, the obstacles removed by doing something in a game mostly relate to the same thing: the struggle of planning, organizing and carrying out tasks, which is so often made so much easier when laid out for me as it is in a video game. it's a common criticism about some video games--sometimes, about the entire concept of video gaming--that playing them is essentially a matter of watching numbers go up. and, well, you've got me. it's true. I do like seeing numbers go up. I like seeing progress bars fill and skills unlock and quest objectives with check marks next to them. I like it because it's not something I get to experience much in real life: that sense of concrete progression, of knowing what I need to do and in what order I need to do it, of some acknowledgment and achievement for completing a task--yes, even if it is only a number going up! even if it is only a small cosmetic change, a new coat for my character, a section of map filling out, a pixel flower blooming on a pixel stem. better that than no sense of progress. better that than never really feeling sure if I've accomplished anything at all.

this is not something I always knew about myself. I've always liked video games, certainly, but thinking about the enjoyment I get out of them has gone hand in hand with learning more about how my own brain works. it's not only that video games can remove obstacles; by doing so, they can reveal to you that there were obstacles in places you never before realized. and there's value in that, I think. because sometimes it can show you that a problem you thought was in one place was actually in another place altogether. if something you think of as being boring, mundane, dull and exhausting becomes something you are willing and able to spend a lot of time and energy on, and get enjoyment out of, when it is framed in a different way--it may follow that the problem was not, as you thought, with the thing itself. the problem was in the obstacles around it.

of course, that's not always the case. the act of doing something in a game is often so thoroughly divorced from any semblance of doing it in real life that enjoying one has no bearing on enjoying the other. we play lots of games centered around doing things that most of us would never have any desire to do in real life. but sometimes it can lead you to discover that you enjoy things you didn't think you enjoyed, or are capable of doing things you didn't think you could do.

if nothing else, I think every single Animal Crossing island currently being developed, being visited, being joyfully and proudly shared online is evidence in the case against the idea that people fundamentally don't want to work and won't work if they don't have to. as is every painstakingly constructed Minecraft world, every Stardew Valley farm, every virtual city intricately planned, every virtual business budget carefully managed, every kingdom saved and map fully explored and character fully leveled and kitted out. because you don't do those things without putting time and concentration and effort into it. you just can't. it's not possible.

I think video games have a lot to tell us: about obstacles, and about effort, and about ourselves. some obstacles are incontrovertible, certainly. there are things built into the world which we can circumvent in video games but cannot, with all the best will in the world, change in our real lives. some things are always going to be more appealing virtually. my difficulties with gardening, for example, are always going to exist in some fashion because I cannot change the nature of how plants work. but knowing that something is an obstacle for you, and identifying why it is, can go a long way toward helping you figure out how to navigate around that obstacle, even if you can't remove it.

and sometimes when you realize that something is an obstacle, you realize that it doesn't need to be. that doesn't always translate to being able to do anything about it, of course. I doubt anyone needed Animal Crossing to tell them that home loans would be easier to repay without interest, and yet here we are. but I think there are a lot of things which we just sort of assume have to be difficult and boring and tiring and just thoroughly unenjoyable, because it is simply the nature of that thing, or the nature of us as people. nothing to do about it, just the way the world works.

sometimes that may be true. but surely not always.

I don't know.

but I will tell you this: by god, be proud of your virtual gardens.

they have worth.

#nonfiction #monday thing #monday thing may eighteenth

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loopy777 · 5 years

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You've got me curious now as to what anime youve seen, enjoyed and why.

Oof, I don’t track that type of thing. I’ve been asked about anime I like previously, and I feel like I always forget something. I suppose I should start a MyAnimeList one of these days, just for reference.

So let’s list everything I can remember, as well as a pithy reaction.

Baccano!This one is just so much fun. It’s violent and crass in a classy way, it’s funny in a weird way, and it’s a great example of a non-linear narrative. I love it.

Code Geass (Season 1)Ugh, I only watched this one because people solicited my opinion on it. Well, my opinion is that it’s not as smart as it wants to be, there’s too much contrived melodrama (and considering the wild premise, that’s saying something), and Kallen would be a wonderful and interesting character if she wasn’t always being demeaned for fan-service. I quit when the first season finale kicked off, because I felt things were just getting too contrived. I hear it really fell apart in the second season.

Cowboy BebopI found this a bit pretentious. It had good episodes and bad episodes. The production quality is good. But I'm not sure why it's legendary. Still, I liked its sense of humor, and enjoyed it when it wasn’t trying to be super serious. My favorite character is Ed.

Demon SlayerI'm mainly watching this because my brother wanted to give it a try on Toonami, but I kind of checked out when it unceremoniously removed everything difficult about the sister being a demon and made her into an order-following sidekick that fits in a suitcase. Now the latest episode introduced a loud annoying side character, so we may quit. I have no idea why this one is so popular.

Fullmetal AlchemistCovered

Gatchaman CrowdsI was asked to watch this one, as well, but it went a lot better than Code Geass. It’s a bit weird, and I think it's naively optimistic about the internet in many ways, but I still found it's exploration of Internet-age superheroes to be interesting, and it's the best, most mature take on the Power Rangers-style ‘sentai’ genre that I've seen. I don't know how well it matches up with its Gatchaman legacy, but as its own thing, it's pretty good.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (including 2nd Gig)This is another legendary one that I think is good but a bit over-rated. It's a good piece of modern Cyberpunk, but it's very talky, and very jargon-filled. I'm almost convinced that the viewer is not meant to follow half of the conversations, that they're just part of the ambiance. I tended to like the stand-alone episodes better than the storyline episodes. Still, it’s a very smart series, and probably the best thing in the franchise, from what I’ve heard.

Log Horizon (first season only)I’ll tell you what- I think it’s possible to make a good anime with the premise of people from the modern, real world entering a fantasy realm (either another dimension or a VR video game). Log Horizon did not end up being that ideal. The main character is a Gary Stu, his romances with girls who are either ten years old or just look like they’re ten years old are creepy, and it got boring seeing the protagonists’ plans always succeed without much of a hitch.

Lupin III (series 4 and 5)I like this franchise when it's being clever, when it's springing a twist while playing fair. Sometimes, though, it doesn't play fair with its twists, leaving me underwhelmed. And while the regular cast is amusing, they're fairly shallow characters; this isn't always a bad thing, as that allows them to slot into all kinds of genre fare, but does limit the storytelling ambitions. It’s fine.

Macross franchiseSuper Dimensional Fortress MacrossI still like the original, despite how dated it is. It's probably the best possible implementation of 'soap opera in space.'

Macross PlusI'm not sure why this one is so revered. I feel like it doesn't play fair with its mystery, despite being such a short story, and whole thing with the killer popstar AI just left me cold.

Macross 7I like the music, but the story really drags for the first half with a formula that’s repeated far too long, and then falls apart in the end. The love triangle isn’t resolved, and in fact I’m of the opinion that two of the participants didn’t even know they were in competition. The bad guys are allowed to sail off into the sunset, forgiven, despite still inhabiting the bodies of kidnapped humans. But this isn't a series you watch for the story; this is a series you watch because you like the idea of a rockstar flying into space in a transforming mecha, controlled by an electric guitar, to sing at alien invaders. Personally, I think the idea is dumb. Plus, this ruins the premise of the original series by adding in what is effectively magic.

Macross ZeroThis is pretty good and has the best dogfights in the series, but it has one of those weird arty endings that anime sometimes likes to do where no one can tell what actually happened and we need to find translated interviews with the creative team to get it explained.

Macross FrontierBy this point, I was wondering why everyone is so eager for the Macross franchise to get American distribution. It’s better than Macross 7, but feels like a first draft of the intended story, and the creative team lost track of their own subplots. The two AU movies do a more satisfying take on the same basic story, but sometimes they come across like an abridged recap of the series, so you really need to watch everything to get a satisfying experience. That said, the final experience was indeed fairly satisfying, making this the second best thing in the franchise for me. Still, I wouldn’t say it lives up to the original in any way.

Macross DeltaBoy, this one was dumb. Everything wrong with Frontier is worse here, with none of the good stuff.

The Melancholy of Haruhi SuzumiyaI still want an ending for this, despite nothing worthwhile coming from it since 2011. It wouldn't even be hard to pick it up again; set it in modern times, and explain the fact that everyone has smartphones now to be a result of some weird off-screen Haruhi antics.

Mobile Suit Gundam franchiseMobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded OrphansI've only ever experienced the Gundam franchise because my brother wants to get into it and he keeps trying to find a vector. This was my first experience with it, and I found it very 'teenage boy,' in both tone and story. I was underwhelmed.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096Another case where the storytellers reached the end only to have forgotten the rest of the story. Why does that happen so often in anime? And I think it assumes the viewer is familiar with the whole rest of the franchise, because there was a lot that just went straight over my head but didn't seem like it was supposed to. Nice animation and art style, though.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin - Advent of the Red CometEverything I said about Unicorn, only more.

My Hero AcademiaCovered

NichijouThis thing is still hilarious, even after a rewatch. Stick with the sub, as the new dub's voice-acting doesn't have the same range and power of the original, losing a lot of the humor.

Outlaw Star I'm struggling to remember a lot of this one. it’s another I watched because my brother was interested in it. I do recall that it was a fairly standard Space Western that ends in a way that's more like serious science fiction, and that for some reason a Japanese swordswoman in classic clothing was part of the cast. Now I wonder if that was an homage to Lupin III. Or maybe Japan just really loves throwing classic samurai into everything, regardless of setting or genre.

Pokemon (part of first series)I was in high school when this franchise first came to America, and for some reason all the geeks in my high school thought it was the greatest thing. The games were good, yeah, but the anime? I don't think it's bad for a kiddie cartoon, but it obviously has no greater ambitions than pleasantly occupying the kids for 22 minutes. Personally, what I really want is a series about Team Rocket done in the style of Cowboy Bebop.

Princess TutuCo-owner of the Best Magical Girl designation. I forget who asked me to watch this, but I owe them.

Puella Magi Madoka MagicaCo-owner of the Best Magical Girl designation. I still haven't bothered with anything but the original series, and I continue to be happy with that choice.

Samurai ChamplooI liked this better than Cowboy Bebop, but only because its ambitions were lower. It leaned more into its genre, had fun with its style more even when being serious, and as a result became more enjoyable. I overall liked going on a journey with these rascals, but I think it ended at a good point. I don’t need more.

Spice & Wolf (first season)I watched this on someone's suggestion, and found it a little underwhelming. What I really appreciated were the two main characters, especially that they seem to be into each other, romantically and sexually, and aren't freaked out by it while at the same time not being in a hurry to become a couple. It was just a kind of, "Yeah, this could really be something if we ever find the time." It was so amazingly mature and real. Too bad the main Economics plotlines just wound up being tepid.

Tekkaman BladeMy thoughts haven't changed on this.

Tiger & BunnyI'm still fond of this one, and I'm actually kind of curious to revisit it in light of My Hero Academia.

Transformers ‘Unicron Trilogy’These three cartoons are true anime, produced by and for Japan. (The other cartoons in the franchise were written, and sometimes animated, in the west.) It's garbage that assumes its child audience are morons, and on top of that the first two series wound up with laughably bad dubs. How this trilogy revitalized the franchise, I have no idea, and thankfully I'll never have to worry about it.

Volton (original)Either this or Robotech/Macross was my first anime; I was too young to say which I discovered first. I'll admit that the original Voltron isn't good, despite the toy being neat, but I have a soft spot for it. I tried the Netflix reboot, watching the first three episodes, and found it to be vacuous junk. Maybe some day a version of this will come along that will do justice to the toy.

And I think that’s it. If I remember anything I left off, I’ll reblog with the addition.

#Anonymous

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