#featuring my take on his arceus design

[joshuamj]

Haven't drawn Volo before, an i wanted to fix that

[es46]

Prompted muse: Submas Reunion

- Per the Submas Reunion prompt by user @sleepy-shinx , I decided to muse on how Ingo and Emmet could reunite after Arceus's time twisting, and Emmet was up to while Ingo was in Hisui. In line with my prior post on potential Unova progression, this would take place seven years after the events of BW2 and one year before BW3-headcanon, in which Ingo has been absent for three years. - Eight months after Ingo vanished, Emmet moved to Anville City. It was difficult to leave the Subway behind, but it had been more difficult always thinking he'd just seen his brother among the crowds. The town's calm and quiet helps Emmet focus. He works on the old turntable, and old trains, and sometimes old picket fences. Anville Town opens a train museum. Emmet personally oversees design and implementation on the exhibit featuring his brother. It hurts, but not as much as the idea of letting Ingo fade from Unova's memory. Drayden retires. He and his wife Pariel move to Anville, right next door. Some nights, the three sit on the porch and quietly conversate. Drayden admits that he feels estranged from his grandson, and Emmet assures him that family can always find a way back together. Some nights, Emmet dreams of a man in grey wandering a strange region. The man is lost, but he is resolute, and when Emmet awakens, he is almost reassured. Elesa visits occasionally, sometimes with Skyla. Elesa's ambitions are exceptional; she's competing to join the Elite Four. Elesa wants Unova to shine brighter than ever, and Emmet has to laugh, knowing exactly how Ingo would react to the venue designs she shows him. One day, Elesa is uncharacteristically reticent as she admits she's intending to propose to Skyla. Emmet smiles, knowing exactly what Ingo would say: For once, Elesa, no theatrics, no glamour. Some nights, Emmet dreams of a man in grey staring at a great mountain. At its peak, something terrible stirs. Emmet no longer feels reassured when he wakes. Anville feels too quiet. After Drayden gives his word he and Pariel will ensure everything remains as it is, Emmet leaves. He stays in Castelia for a time, enrolling in Burgh's gym as one of its trainers. The Nymble he raises is a calculating but earnest Pokemon. Some nights, he stays with Burgh, occupying his mind with painting until the sun rises. He paints trains, mountains, and a man in grey. He returns to Nimbasa for a time. Clay's wife, Pumice, has been overseeing management of the Battle Subway (and wherever else the family industrialism can influence), and graciously gives Emmet a handle on the Join Avenue. He thinks on what Ingo would like to see, how he would arrange the stalls, and it helps. Lacey comes home, graduated with highest honours. She tells Emmet stories of Paldea, of shimmering crystals and Pokemon from across time. She tells Emmet how fun it'll be to convince Clay to remake Driftveil Gym into a Fairy paradise. Emmet smiles. Ingo would be so proud of Lacey. Some nights, Emmet dreams of a man in grey standing before a creature unlike any other, whispering words that can't be forgotten. When he wakes, it's as if the creature had spoken to him as well. He is reassured. Emmet returns to Anville. His home is as it was. He works on the old turntable, on old trains, and sometimes old picket fences. One day, most everyone in town leaves, eager to see the live broadcast of Unova's first Terastallization battle at the PWT. Emmet sits on a bench, and he waits. A man in grey sits beside him. He exhales slowly, as if he has been walking for a long time. He ponders his words carefully, and in the end settles with: "They built a museum. Is my statue taller than yours?" Emmet's rehearsed his side of such a conversation for nearly three years. He had every word memorised. Every gesture. He even scripted a moment to burst into tears. All of that leaves him now. Emmet simply chuckles and replies: "One inch shorter. My only opportunity, you know." Ingo chuckles with him. The brothers stand, embrace, and make their way to the musuem.

[prince-kallisto]

Giratina! Larry AU Evidence

I’m going to do it, I really have gone insane haha. After my Missingno! Larry post, I thought it would be funny to do a Giratina! Larry post also giving evidence. This is all just for fun please don’t take me seriously

Larry has exactly six strands of flyaway grey hairs. Giratina has a reoccurring motif of six: six red spikes on the wings, six legs, six wings in its Origin form, and six gold spikes on its chest. Perhaps no matter what form Giratina takes, six is a constant motif?

Larry has three noticeable clouds on his tie (he has more, but y’know). Three is a pretty important number in Diamond and Pearl for the Creation Trio and the Lake Trio. Continuing this theme is the fact that Larry has three jobs.

Giratina observes from the Distortion World (it silently gazes upon the old world), and Larry is known as the The Exceptional Everyman. The everyman character is meant to connect with the audience for how normal he is. Part of what distinguishes the Everyman from or hero or villain is that he observes and avoids engaging in situations unless he is forced to. Larry has a very passive role, keeping an eye on everything. (I hold onto the theory that Larry is in Medali to watch over Area Zero)

Larry’s facade doesn’t make much sense. I made a post about his Facade in case you want more in depth explanation, but it’s never made clear what his “facade” really is. He doesn’t hide his emotions or his position as an Elite Four member, so maybe his entire being as a person is his facade.

His title can be very deceptive as the “Exceptional” Everyman. Exceptional can mean “outstanding,” but also “unusual” and “abnormal.”

I love the reoccurring joke about Larry’s mysteriousness, but really, his identity as a gym leader and an Elite Four member is purposefully kept in the dark. Even in the art book, there's a question mark instead of a photo of him in the Elite Four section, and he keeps his back turned whenever there are photos of him.

Giratina is on the cover for Pokémon Platinum, Larry has platinum eyes. Plus, with all the focus on the Diamond and Pearl games lately (remake, Legends Arceus), this lines up

Larry is unique for several reasons, such as being the only character to be both a gym leader and Elite Four member, only gym leader to battle inside, terastallize more than one Pokemon, and only character to have square-shaped eyes. Giratina is unique in the Creation Trio for having its own battle music, different stats, even different box art. Giratina is also the tallest Generation IV pokemon, and Larry is one of the tallest characters in SV.

Regular Giratina’s color scheme features red and gold, quite an opposite to Larry. However, Shiny Giratina’s color scheme is blue and silver. Am I trying to imply that Larry is a shiny Giratina? Yes.

Giratina represents Antimatter. I always thought this was a unique choice to complete the Space and Time duo. Pokémon depicts it as an opposite force through the Distortion World. Larry stands out A LOT because of how normal he is compared to literally every other character in Pokemon. Giratina sees reality different than the normal Pokemon world, where "common knowledge is distorted and strange." Perhaps he designed his appearance off of what was normal to him? I’ve seen people say that Larry looks like he doesn't even belong in the world of Pokémon. He’s normal to us, as the players, which in theory makes him not normal to the Pokémon universe. Additionally, Larry is the only character in Scarlet and Violet, and I think even in the whole Pokemon universe, to have square-shaped eyes.

The Summoning of the Everyman is a 15th-century morality play where the English word “Everyman” was first used and defined. A morality play often features personified concepts, angels, and demons. These characters often try to convince the generic everyman towards either good or evil, so morality plays center around temptation, the fall, and redemption of the Everyman. It’s a very religious story, but I won’t go too deep in those aspects. There are certainly some religious influences in the concept of Arceus and Giratina, as Giratinia is literally the Renegade Pokemon (although Giratina is not a representation of death, underworld, or the devil). Oddly coincidental connection to the play??

The conclusion? I’ve become insane, but Giratina! Larry suffers from a similar situation to Missingno!Larry where he tries way too hard to be human. Shiny Girantina is drinking his coffee while desperately trying to hold on to a resemblance of sanity, and trying to make it through the work day.

Yes I’ll also be making a Arceus! Larry post because ive already gone this far xD

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Hi, what is your favourite pokemon games ranking? If you'd like could you say why you like/dislike them? For example I like pokemon violet not really for the story or the battle mechanic, but because of how easy shiny hunting is

Ah, the hours I've spent playing pokemon games are finally useful. Caveat that some of the games it's been a hot minute since I've played them, so I'm going off memory here.

Also note that I'm just going by the general game, not which version of the release (e.g. Heart Gold, Soul Silver) or the specific color (Gold vs. Silver) or anything like that. We're also not doing the extra/spin-off titles like Pokemon Mystery Dungeons, Hey You Pikachu, or Arceus for that matter.

In order of favorite to least favorite.

Gold/Silver

This gets top slot if only because I remember it more than I do red/yellow/blue (which I played but was a little too young to fully appreciate at the time).

I frequently replay Heart Gold/Soul Silver.

To me this game is peak pokemon. We have puzzles that are actually challenging to solve and a thorough amount of them. The game is appropriately long where the Team Rocket shenanigans, the dungeons, the cave systems, everything takes time and there's always more left to explore.

There's also challenge in battling and catching pokemon I appreciate. Yes, Tentacool, Rattatta, and Pidgy are Poke-God's vermin upon this green earth, but there's something refreshing about being able to have to try to catch things and build your team. Similarly, we get a little boost in experience for one pokemon, but not the entire team as in later gens that gives some challenge in leveling up.

When I defeat the Elite Four it feels like I did something and I'm energized for the post-game content. Which, speaking of, the ability to go to Kanto during the post game to me was just amazing and blew my mind.

It felt as if the game went "here, you liked this? Have another equally good game, have fun."

It's also the last game where you get a rival who's just the worst to you. Silver is a legitimate criminal who commits pokemon theft (which in the pokemon universe is like the worst crime you can possibly commit). He appears at you out of nowhere at the most inconvenient moments and "nope, you don't get to heal your team, fight me now". I enjoy absolutely destroying his team each and every time in a way I just can't when the rival is your derpy childhood friend who's simply annoying.

Team Rocket are actual gangsters in this who are a worrying, corrupt, threat. Upon beating them, I do feel that I saved a lake from giant red mutant Gyrados, or a city from being brainwashed, or any of their very threatening schemes.

Getting the legendaries is a real challenge that you have to work hard to achieve and the story behind them, to me at least, is one of the more compelling ones.

Not to mention I just like the gen 2 pokemon designs, the introduction of the then new types, and all the starters.

God, I love Gold/Silver.

Yellow/Red/Blue

This may have made the top slot if I remembered it slightly better but what I do remember is a very solid game. Yes, we didn't have the diversity of types yet, there's some buggy things, it's the pixel graphics but it has great puzzles, the gyms are very difficult (Brock especially is a challenge if you don't have a Bulbasaur or Squirtle as your starter, a far cry from many of the other games where fire starter all the way baby), a small set of pokemon that's still interesting, and a fearsome Team Rocket.

The gyms were challenging, the Mew-Two subplot was interesting, and it did feel by the end of the game and all the shit you go through you really are a pokemon master.

Pokemon yellow was great in that it allowed you to get the other starters in game in a way that pokemon usually doesn't allow so you have reason to buy both sets of games tee hee. You had your pikachu walking around behind you (which as the first game that did this was very cool as a feature).

And then there's Gary, beautiful Gary, who is the world's biggest shit. He is the most annoying punk in the universe, who never knows what he's talking about, and it's so satisfying to punch him in the proverbial face every time you meet.

"Yes, Gary, I am good at this, please stop mocking me."

Gary to me is one of the best rivals in that while he's not as scary as Silver (who is... very mysteriously questionable in his morals), he's so annoying and purposefully so. You're supposed to hate him and you do.

Ruby/Sapphire

I still really enjoy Ruby and Sapphire and play it often. Again, some of the best puzzles in the series, great terrains to explore in terms of cave systems, the diving feature, mountains, and so on. Here we get the berry system that added a lot to the games, pokemon beauty competitions were new and fun and less annoying, and the scenery started to get very interesting (we got deserts, rainforests, the depths of the ocean, and more).

Team Rocket's slightly dumber in this version in that it's unclear why Team Aqua and Team Magma think their respective ideas are in any way good. Boys, I love land and the ocean too, I don't think we should destroy continents/boil the water. However, you do feel a threat from them and it's difficult to stop them at every turn. What I especially appreciate is we see their plans connect and culminate. You stop one thing and you learn they either got what they needed and they were just toying with you or else this was a plan B they were never that serious about.

As a result, as you go through the game beating gyms they feel like a real, present, and growing threat so that by the time you meet the legendary it feels appropriately legendary and fearsome (the near destruction of the final town was particularly well done).

Like Gold/Silver, this game I felt had really quality post game content and I loved beng able to go on the boat and further explore the ocean.

The Gen 3 pokemon introduce a lot of fun things including Spheal, the glorious Spheal, whom none of us should live without and also a lot of pokemon that speak to the new diversity of landscape in the game (we now have desert pokemon, rainforesty pokemon, seagulls, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALES, and so on).

The tag team battle is an interesting dynamic here and well used and it's a solid game I return to a lot.

More, of the friendly rivals, I'm going to say that Wally and uh your friend's name who I forget are my favorites. We see a lot of growth from Wally as a character throughout the story that makes his constant need to fight and prove himself to you less annoying than most of the other rivals. He actually has a reason to be doing this. Your friend is obnoxious, in that he only shows up to annoyingly battle you and then leaves because he has better shit to do than talk to you, but I kind of like that he's annoying and that he clearly has some kind of inferiority complex going on. The guy has a reason to fight you all the time and be a complete brat about it and while not compelling as Wally and not as interestingly antagonistic as Gary/Silver, he's far from the worst.

Black/White

Black and White earns this spot on account of N and having an actual interesting Team Rocket story going on. N is the first (and only) time I can recall an in-universe character seriously debating the ethics of Pokemon battles. Should people in the Pokemon universe be using Pokemon to fight each other for profit? Should they 'own' Pokemon at all?

You find yourself having actual debates with N as his arguments are frightfully compelling and you as a character have to wonder what you're fighting for, what your relationship with your Pokemon is, and if N is right or not.

Of course, then you learn that N is being manipulated by gangsters who are summoning terrifying creatures, and that thus you were right all along but it doesn't change the fact that N's storyline is by far the one with the most depth and with it Team Rocket of the game's is the one with the most depth as well.

It's a compelling story.

It's also not too easy yet. It's easier than other gens, and I'm starting to become less of a fan of some of the pokemon introduced, but it's still a somewhat challenging game where your rival still has an interesting backstory and motivation and reason to fight you.

To me the world isn't as interesting as Ruby/Sapphire, Gold/Silver, or Red/Blue (not quite as interesting maps, I don't love the Pokemon as much) but it was a solid game and I'd play it again to refresh my memory.

Diamond/Pearl

And this is where we start our descent downwards into what Pokemon has become today.

It's telling that this one is actually hard for me to remember when I played Brilliant Diamond very recently.

I actually appreciate that this is one of the last games where we're still in Poke Japan as I find the Poke World thing that's been going on since... kind of gimmicky and very unnecessary. So, it's nice that Sinnoh hasn't really become that yet.

The game's starting to get a lot easier than previous games, your rival is now very forgettable and just kind of shows up to either a) annoy you with encouraging words then fight you anyway then tell you how amazing you are b) show up to annoy you.

Team Rocket... exists, they're not entirely stupid like later games but what they're up to doesn't feel that memorable either that I... welll... actually remember it.

To me this was just a really forgettable gen that added some interesting new pokemon but not enough to draw me back anytime soon to this game specifically. I would much rather play the ones listed above.

X/Y

Poke France, here we come. We now get a lot of features I just don't care about such as being able to accessorize my avatar.

It's not as bad as some of the later ones in terms of Team Rocket plot, but I was never entirely sure why we thought destroying the world was a good thing in the first place (versus earlier gens having just evil gangsters, hilarious environmentalists, or poor poor N).

I really liked the legendary design here and the end of the world did feel quite chilling when we got that far. The gyms weren't really memorable to me, nor were the pokemon introduced in the gen, and it's just a game that really starts to pale in comparison to the other gens.

It's not bad, not as bad as the ones below it, but this was a game I played and wondered if I should buy the next gen or not.

Scarlet/Violet

Previous thoughts on Scarlet/Violet.

This earns this spot for being less annoying than Sword/Shield and much better than Sun/Moon. That's it. That's why we're here. If this was all the Pokemon series had to offer I would never have bought another game.

The puzzles are virtually non-existent or laughably easy, because of how experience can be earned the game is ridiculously easy in terms of leveling up, gym battles, etc. Type matchups are no longer a problem as it's ridiculously easy to get powerful pokemon in any environment pretty damn early in the game.

The plot is hilarious but awful in that we get these three plotlines that are just... bad...

You have Nemona who just shows up to battle you then leave and wants you for a rival when she's already Champion because I guess everyone else sucks that hard. You have the plot line where you bully cosplaying nerds to get back to school because of a really hamfisted plot about abuse of power/bullying that is just begging me to feel something about Team Star (I do not), and Arvin's robo-dad who... am I supposed to like him? Am I supposed to think he was a good father deep down? The robo dad plot was the icing on the cake as it hinted at a better game: the game in which we work with the professor and Jurassic Park happens as he keeps summoning pokemon from the goddamn future like a lunatic (but of course we will not get that game in pokemon).

To make it seem like there's a lot to do, you have the Titans, the gyms, and the Team Star thing all happening at once but to accomodate them all happening at once they're all uninteresting/very easy if you're leveled appropriately.

While it's nice to be able to actually catch insanely powerful pokemon you never can otherwise (I actually got all Eevolutions, that never happens, along with a Gyrados, a Dragonite, a Blissey, a Hypno, and a whole bunch of Pokemon that are stupid hard to get usually) it also means that Gyrados are now the Rattatatta of the sea and building a team of gods is... really really really easy.

The open world is a nice thought, but I don't think it complemented the game in that it really did want you to be certain levels for things and there wasn't enough content to justify wandering around. Gotta have the interesting side quests if you want the open world.

I finished the game, saw there was post-game content in which I could... evaluate gyms or whatever I'm doing, and I happily logged off and went on to play Kirby instead.

That said, Pokemon is shifting towards a younger and younger audience (and perhaps rightfully so) and I can recognize that as someone's first serious game where they have to read and solve puzzles this is much less frustrating than previous gens were and perhaps what said audience is looking for.

And hey, I finally got a shiny for the first time in my life, so that's wild.

(I also thing tetralyzing or whatever is dumb, but it's less dumb than some of the others.)

Sword/Shield

Here because it's better than Sun/Moon but... that's really it.

This was like the trial run of open world in Pokemon in that you have the big open area in the middle. The thing is, that place is mostly just frustrating as even if you beat something more powerful than you, you won't be allowed to catch it because reasons.

Once again this game was so easy it became boring. I could switch out pokemon whenever I liked, They all gained ridiculous amounts of experience from battles, I could capture very powerful pokemon very easily int he open area. It took the challenge out of the game and for me the fun.

Add to that that this felt... really really gimmicky to me. The gym leaders went from forgettable to utterly insufferable, your pink rival who becomes adopted by a gym leader is no exception, Team Rocket is just an annoying group of die hard sports fans who won't leave this one girl and her Frakenstein Pikachu alone.

The whole game tries too hard to get me to like all the characters, that there are no bad characters, and it just makes it really hard to get through.

And then we have the even dumber version of tetralyzing: pokemon become real swol sometimes. They just... become really really big. And while I appreciate the graphics I just don't care.

(And I really don't care about the raid battles in general, I tried to do them for a bit as I thought they would be helpful, but the game was so easy I didn't need them and in the end I just found them annoying.)

As a result, I didn't even end up finishing. I couldn't do it. I asked myself why I was playing and then realized I wasn't having fun and moved onto a different game, I have not returned.

Sun/Moon

This one was just real bad all around.

I didn't get far into it but the gym battle system was actively obnoxious, the new gen pokemon weren't interesting, even the map itself just wasn't as fun as other games.

While the concept of the same pokemon having different types in different regions was a neat one, it wasn't enough to pull me into the game with everything else about it.

I got even less far into this than I did Sword/Shield.

[franstastic-ideas]

Hmm Volo and Akari for the character ask?

Volo

First impression

Completely brushing aside his resemblance/connection to Cynthia, his design looked appealing to me. I love seeing longer hair and soft features on male characters.

And then I discovered he's LA's antagonist.

Impression now

Yes, he is the game's antagonist, but rather than him being an outright villain, I believe he's someone who's made some bad choices. I've been thinking about this for a solid year.

Favorite moment

When he approaches Akari to help her after she's been exiled from the village by Kamado.

Yes, this entire predicament was due to his actions, however, his plan was WORKING. He threw a giant Mankey wrench into his best chance at dragging Arceus down from The Hall of Origin, and I believe that he was fully aware of this.

Additionally, him taking the time to speak on Calaba's behalf. It says so much about his character, I think. That wasn't just a throwaway line; it was there for a reason.

Idea for a story

I've mentioned this frequently before, but because LA's ending left the player with more questions than answers, I'm in the process of writing a four act story that will gradually resolve some of these, including what became of Volo after his disappearance as well as his eventual return.

Unpopular opinion

This doesn't really count as an opinion because the possibility of this being true is quite high, but...

Volo is not at all involved with Ingo appearing in Hisui.

Ingo arrived either via a space-time distortion (and what causes them to occur is never stated), or an Ultra Wormhole.

Favorite relationship

His and Akari's/the protagonist's.

Volo shares the most interactions with Akari, due to him being something akin to a living ghost. He's rarely acknowledged by anyone outside of her and Cogita - and Cogita clearly finds him annoying at best and behaves dismissively towards him.

Favorite headcanon

Volo never actually left after postgame.

He's still there sometimes, watching from the shadows. And that's all. Maybe he's considering approaching Her again, to explain himself, to apologize, but he never can muster the courage.

Akari

First impression

I thought she deeply resembled the female protagonist from DPP, and I assumed that was the point.

I was not, however, expecting the isekai element.

Impression now

She is, without a doubt, the strongest of all the protagonists thus far, having not only survived in combat against several Noble, Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, but conquered them.

I love her, immensely so.

Favorite moment

In-game, seeing Akari reduce the man who unrightfully banished her to his hands and knees was immensely satisfying. I imagine she only forgave him then out of obligation.

Idea for a story

Aside from a continuation of LA's postgame, I would enjoy eventually writing a story that details how she eventually becomes just as obsessed with Volo as he is with her~

Unpopular opinion

Akari is the player character, so I think her age should be up to individual interpretation.

Also, between you and me and anyone else reading this post, I'm not too fond of Akari's role as protagonist being reduced in certain works so Ingo can steal the spotlight, because Akari is a fifteen year old girl, a wee babe, and needs him to be the hero instead.

Favorite relationship

Hers and Volo's, of course.

Their relationship starts out soft and sweet in my alternate universe, but it becomes complex and steeped in tragedy. They only met as a result of Volo tearing the space-time rift open, after all. It's a love that was seemingly never meant to exist - and yet it does, and still has the potential to be something beautiful again.

Favorite headcanon

Akari is an older Hikari, following her becoming Champion of Sinnoh. She's already saved the world once.

But this time, she might receive a Hisuian boyfriend for her efforts by the end of this adventure.

[creation-help]

the first two are clementine pre n post wither storm n the third is an oc ive just been calling [DATA EXPUNGED]

theyre both pokemon ocs, w clem specifically being a mash up of being a minecraft storymode oc and a pokemon oc

[DATA EXPUNGED] is the Champion of Arceus n is v ? theatrical ? fancy ? either way he speaks like its the early 1800s, i also dont have much of a backstory for him since i created him like, 4 days ago n im VERY slow at giving ocs backstories

clementine on the other hand ive been making a backstory for several months so i have a lot to say but i wont so to sum up her backstory (in a way thats prolly shit ngl) its:

clem n her (still unnamed n undeveloped) friends go to a con, they win, they go to a post con festival, clem meets some guy, the same guy clem meets makes the wither storm, she defeats it but is v traumatized from it, she becomes a mayor of a town at some point but she ends up running away from kalos to kanto

[Is not familiar with the Pokémon storylines you're talking about and thus has nothing to comment on it, so apologies if that is relevant to the review]

I'm assuming [DATA EXPUNGED] isn't, at least in the current state of things, related to Clementines story at all?

I'll tackle [DATA EXPUNGED] first!

Very solid color scheme, I think the dark skin tone fits perfectly with black white and gold, especially since the shirt (top?) is white. The accessories and face patterns really give off a fancy, perhaps priest like aesthetic and it makes the whole collective come across as very distinguished. Supernatural too, considering the one white eye and again, face patterns, although it leaves some ambiguity since this could also just be a very fancy cultural getup. I have to say though, I'd probably have made the roses some other color: though the black is strong and very cool, you can't really see them from the black hair and thus it sorta muddies the effect and makes it look more like the character is wearing some headgarment rather than a rose crown. Unfortunately, since this is a picrew, i can't say much for more core aspects of the design like the shape of the face, eyes and nose, which I consider very essential aspects of designing human characters. This is no fault of yours, as I said, picrews can be limiting in this aspect.

Judging by the art style though I'm going to guess this character is meant to have a strong angular face and jawline with a straight, square nose. Strong but elegant brows, I assume? The beauty mark on his jaw though is a very nice touch! Gives some uniqueness and personality to the otherwise very conformed, untouched image the character has.

The character strikes me as a very learned, wise personality who knows things beyond this world, and I can definitely see that he'd speak more theatrically, like a preacher or professor (the book and quill help this).

If the character ever ends up drawn by free hand, here's things I'd suggest adjusting or adding to [DATA EXPUNGED]: Facial traits. I think a strong nose with a bit of a greek shape would do wonders for a theatrical, regal looking character like him, and if the angular jawline is intended, keep that!! Depending on age (or how dramatic you want him to look), I'd also suggest more visible cheekbones perhaps? Strong brows and serious eyes would contribute to this vibe but depending on of course where you take this character, you can change things to suit that! For what I'm suggesting here, the character feels like a sort of apocalypse preacher person who is more interested in studies and has a tendency to push people away. However you could also easily go a softer route with him as well but I think, if you do, I'd still keep the angular dramatic facial features. The rest of my suggestions would just be to add maybe the smallest bit more decoration or jewelry, maybe something with a more personal touch? Earrings, rings, ect. I feel like he'd be the type to carry around some very sentimental piece of jewelry or other item, something he holds in great value. He doesn't seem like he'd pretty up just for appearance sake. Also I feel like sideburns or some stray hair whispies would add a fun little touch that could divert from the more serious groomed image the character gives, just something to create uniqueness in general. Doesn't have to be those exact things I suggested.

Then Clementine!

Design is simple but functional. Personally I think she could also use a bit more to make her less generic ykno? To be fair this could also be a fault of whatever you used to make these images (not sure if that's a picrew or some other dollmaker thing). I like the amount of change you have between the before and after states, especially liking the touch of her expression changing, even though its not related to design here lol. The first one with the simple, a bit girlish and old timey dress works well with the half up hairstyle and simplistic outfit to establish a younger character who's out to see the world. The two things diverting from this image are the sword and maybe(?) her being barefoot. The sword evokes imagery of either someone who seems more innocent or naive but turns out to also have sharp, honed skills. OR a strapping enthusiast who is looking for adventure and her place in the world, with only the clothes on her back and this sword she found (lighthearted tone). The barefoot aspect also gives a bit of a rural vibe, of being more in touch with nature. Which is something the After™ version contrasts, with a more modern feeling outfit, and the loss of the sword.

I really like her having a longer hairstyle in the latter one, with the braids/dreads. Hairstyle changes are a great way to communicate something in a character so it fits! It feels more subdued mature while still keeping a bit of that openness and freedom, with the dreads hanging freely, and hey, still being in a half up style! Good one!

I'd suggest maybe adding more signs of experience or wear on the latter version, just to communicate her having gone through something major, even traumatic. Scars or something like more visible eyebags, or something to show a more scuffed up appearance ykno? You could also make her more stocky and built, or maybe a bit chubbier in the latter, bc to me it feels like a slightly older version of the character and so, getting more built feels appropriate for that.

Overall just add more simple, small touches to communicate personality more. I think the latter one is good at that but the first one feels more generic. If it's meant to be simple though, I understand! But still. Doesn't have to be anything major, could just be things like small accessories or things she's personalized for herself. Maybe In the first version she could have a little patched up clothing to show her outdoorsy lifestyle? If not, you could add something else, just a suggestion.

From a purely visual standpoint, [DATA EXPUNGED]'s design is lots more interesting and distinct looking, and I'd only really adjust the person under the clothing and accessories. For Clementine, I feel that she could use to stand out just a tad more. However I hugely appreciate them both being poc and also having natural hairstyles (both having dreads at some point) to it! Definitely helps make them more diverse, which is always a design plus!

[waywardstation]

i'mma throw a hot take out: kamado doesn't get general fandom apologism bc the fandom at large doesn't find him pretty or attractive. (they have no taste but i digress)

hear me out.

volo was prepared to erase the entire world, everything that ever was, just so he could meet arceus and recreate the world to his liking. he was willing to work with the being that has been (wrongly) coded as satanic in nature JUST to do that. he groomed and used a vulnerable child to satisfy his own need to see arceus. but he also saw the celestica people, HIS people, die off to foreign invaders who bastardized his culture (the diamond and pearl clans) and then saw colonizers come in and do the same, but now with the added "benefit" of using the wildlife to their advantage. he's not a pokemon trainer, he's a WIELDER. that's a DIFFERENCE. like, he's got a sizeable amount of trauma, but that shouldn't excuse his actions! buuuuuuut he's pretty, so he's secretly a good person deep down. and everyone loves him. and there's fanart and AUs all over my dash of him. and like, he's a great character, and deserves the love, but no. he's a shitbag. he's not good deep down. he has the capability to be BETTER and i'd love to see that, but he's a villain/antagonist just like kamado was.

on the other hand, what does kamado get? hatred for his actions, regardless of his trauma, and like, one piece of fanart for every thirty there are of volo or the submas brothers. like, i'm not arguing that he was right to exile the player character, he was not at all, and i wanted to beat his ass like everyone else until i learned more about him, but i AM arguing that nobody loves the old man like i do and therefore i am correct sldkfjgkbh

(to be clear: this is half-joking, half-serious. i am salty that there are fewer old man smoochers than pretty boy smoochers when the old men are just as complex as the pretty boys, but i'm not gonna judge people for loving volo)

A huge part of it does seem to be in regards to how the fandom views characters’ appearances! I have seen SO MANY posts of people acknowledging Volo’s actions but disregarding what he’s done over their appreciation for his appearance (usually played for laughs but still serious about it to a degree haha)

I think Kamado’s design is seriously a great one, and while I don’t find him attractive (that’s just a me thing though, I only have platonic admiration for the all the PLA characters haha) I do objectively think his design should be appreciated! I don’t talk about him a lot but I really love a lot of his design aspects. I really like his outfit with the golduck design and gradient, and the jacket over it. And his features that point to being professor Rowan’s ancestor are fantastic.

Though in part I do expect the fandom to more appreciate younger characters/young adult characters purely because the franchise itself is primarily for kids and teens. So I am not surprised Volo is popular among the fan base!

But I do agree with you! What Kamado did was wrong, as you didn’t argue that, but there is a lot about him that is good. He just made the wrong choice when things were going very bad, and threatening to put his village in danger for a second time. The first time was traumatic, so the second time around would have been too much for him to go through again; of course he would do drastic things. And again I do joke about him a lot, but genuinely I do feel like his actions are forgivable. What he did was realistically pretty abhorrent when you think about it, but you turned out completely fine (as expected) and he apologized profusely after you reached him. It came from a place of (fresh) trauma, uncertainty, and trying to protect the masses.

[emmetrain]

Emmet's Friendship Questionnaire!! || THE CHAMPION HIMSELF IS HERE? Getting to Know Lance ( @drgnbld )

"Hello, champion! It is verrry nice to see you! Burnt orange is an interesting choice, but makes sense considering your aesthetic!" Lance posters for fans usually featured the color after all. "Your favorite types are water, ghost, dragon and BIRD!!! DRAGONITE IS A BIRD! I KNEW IT! It has wings. It flies. Bird."

"It was hard to choose for you but you love Dragonite, and don't have a least favorite! I see!" Dragonite plushies will fill Champion Lance's house to the brim soon. "And you like your current job, which is not surprising! You make an amazing champion!" Emmet did not have a terabyte of documents named "Studies on Champion Lance's Battles and His Strategies" for nothing.

EMMET IS NOTING ALL THAT DOWN. "Tiny pastries. You should come have breakfast with me and Ingo. You will have all pastries and tea you might ever need or desire! What kind of music you like, I wonder. Capes are amazing on you, so YUP, please say it. I like running and hiking too! Please take me with you!!" Emmet will not be having battles throughout their hike. Nope.

"That means I would not be kicked out! Yup! None of this applies to me. See, we would be amazing friends!"

"You would throw your young like darts?" Champion Lance was already his favorite, and now he is climbing to new heights in that list. Emmet wheezes. "I see, I see."

"BATTLING, YOU SAY? I WOULD LIKE TO DO ANYTHING OF COURSE, BUT BATTLING WITH YOU?? IT WOULD BE MY FIRST CHOICE! For food, I will make sure! And... You like your family, yes, to throw them like darts."

"VOLO, YOUR ARCEUS IS GETTING STOLEN~"

"Clothing and accessories. Hmm. I can do that."

"Thanks! I hope to make everybody smile! And I want to be good designing clothes so that... a dear friend would like to wear a design I make one day. You know."

[lookforthefuture49]

HEYHEYHEYHEY MUTUAL PLEAS INFODUMP ABOUT YUOR POKEMON OCS

OK OK OKOKOK LETS DO THIS LETS GO

OK so. I have like 200000 different oc universes because it doesn't make sense to have everyone in the same place, so I'll go down the list!

*Very important note: many of the universes have deliberate chosen ones. Basically, the universes are connected by The Original One, the first and original form of Arceus. Each universe has its own fragment of Arceus, as does each main Pokemon universe (theoretically- Arceus makes it pretty clear the Arceus' people have are just fragments, therefore leading me to believe each universe in the Pokemon world has its own fragment of Arceus). The Original One tends to force those it deems worthy to be the Chosen of their home land.

-Main: the unnamed main universe. Holds the majority of my Pokemon characters and is based primarily by Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, so the society is built around guilds & Mystery Dungeons. Currently, there is no decided Chosen, as the world has not faced a major threat that would call for it. It's mostly home to Roy, my most dearest Zoroark oc, and characters associated wth him. He's apart of a guild, but many of the characters (Xzavier the Xatu, Coal the Arcanine, Eve the Vaporeon, Sapphire the Persian, etc) aren't actually involved in guilds. Coal is in the same guild as Roy was- known as The Adventurer's Guild (made it when I was like 9 do not judge)- but many of the characters involved are not. Also, main is mostly used for my oldest characters.

-Apocalyptic 1: unnamed Apocalyptic world. Features a man ironically named Emmett (an old original character I repurposed for this) and his silly Pokemon. The world isn't exactly Apocalyptic but it's basically run by a bunch of rich people who have genetically altered most Pokemon around to perform certain functions. Dig1t is an Umbreon who's front body is a screen, used for information. There are 3 unnamed characters- a Flareon with a glass tail simply meant for hot cocoa because people are really that lazy, a Voltorb filled with cola, and a Charizard made for baking with an oven built in. Important note: all of them are basically machines. They are not alive in the sense an unaltered Pokemon is. They are simply created from another Pokemon, so the soul that was once in the body is long gone. For example, Dig1t is an Umbreon, but he is not synonymous with the person the Umbreon was before it was Dig1t.- anyway, there's also Desert Runner, a messenger Umbreon, Claire, a healing Lefeon, and another unnamed character I just remembered who is a Drowzee meant to help people go to sleep. They're very sweet. So yeah basically Emmett and Dig1t meet first and throughout their journey to potentially obliterate the corrupt government or something. Pretty light hearted for sounding

-Apocalyptic 2 electric boogaloo: this one is much darker. It gets into Pokedex spoilers for sv so I won't talk about it but it consists of a friend group and also like. The whole friend group dies except 2 of them. It's sad help.

-The New One: one of the universes in need of a Chosen. A Buizel is picked by The Original One, but he's kind of cynical and absolutely DOES NOT want to be a hero. The Original One promptly makes him Immortal so that way he can finish his mission (but slowly his world falls apart so instead he's forced to watch as he's truly unable to actually stop the enemy that's destroying it but he can't die so he's been mortally wounded time after time by the enemy unable to beat them)

-OUADW: Once Upon a Dream World is a side thing where I just make designs based on Pokemon Dream World. It's silly heh

I think I've rambled enough, so here, take my ToyHouse

https://toyhou.se/DoubleKKookie

I'm updating bios for my sillies so :)

[mushroom-for-art]

So due to bad eyesight and just woke up brain fog I thought a mew drawing @phlurrii did had extra arms and I stole and snatched that idea with my little grubby mushroom mittens, so introducing Vismay! Who I suppose is my art world equivalent of an ancient/old/experimental mew made by Arceus! So credit where credits due they are inspired by Meau being an ancient mew

Lore mcthoughts:

I don't think Vismay was made intentionally by Arceus, my thinking is Arceus was creating some of the original Pokémon so obviously his direct kids Giratina then the twins Palkia and Dialga then likely started on the concept of what would become mews. I know logically he probably poofed them into existence from nothing/stardust or something but I like the idea of Arceus trying to intentionally craft and mold their designs from whatever resources they had brain is basically imagining the big guy struggling to do clay sculpting with his nubby feetsies. Regardless he morphed Vismays form with the elements available weaving the sparkles of stars and elemental space dust ect into their shape (ngl I am taking mental inspiration from the creation of the listener dragon from the last dragon chronicles who's name escapes me (Its Ganzfeld, we love him) but he's a very special boy made from stars snow and his ears the exhaled breath of a polar bear very cool visual stuff love that series so if u know what I'm referencing fuck yea go you) and crafted extra arms possibly it was somewhat like that painting of man with multiple arms but for moveability reference check he'd put the arms on right but then Vismay came to life unexpectedly likely because he felt complete like Arceus had molded the perfect vessel and the essence of a soul immediately burst a flame into existence because this was them this was who they were and they were alive!

This is why they're called Vismay which means surprise because when the body went from vague form to suddenly puffed with fur and color and blinking wide and awake Arceus probably got quite the shock.

So Vismay was the first 'mew' to be created but like Meau he's the 'mew' before the true mew/the mew we're familiar with. Arceus probably tried to recreate this because hm one isn't enough but the others didn't take life, so he redesigned them a bit making them smaller as like Meau Vismay is bigger than a standard mew probably about 3 foot? Maybe more, who knows. And removing the second arms streamlining the fluff until the first true mews were created to help with maintaining the earth and being the parents of the subsequent other mews I've designed later down the line.

These mews probably reproduced through the flower method we love thank you xxtc for creating it's amazing, the DNA exchange method were they would exchange DNA segments with other mews to create an offspring that has other mew DNA or even have DNA of other Pokémon to create mews with features like that of the other Pokémon parent but still pure mew, kinda like how Randall belonging to Loupy is more long and Meinshao (and when I say exchange I do just imagine them handing a glowing sparkly dna orb to another mew consentually to absorb and then they exchange a sparkle orb back but they probably can also do it organically, mews can fuck as a treat) or I imagine there was probably a third option for when a mew felt that they were done and had lived where their body would in essence disintegrate but their DNA information would be all scrambled and rearranged and a new adult mew would form from the old mew phoenix style or mew kits would be left if the DNA split into smaller bits and those kittens were usually adopted by other mews.

Vismay probably helped watch over and protect the mews as the world was new and feral, he probably has higher stats than a normal mew because he's bigger and stronger so he's like a tanky protector but I imagine modern day he's doesn't really have any mews to protect anymore mainly because I doubt any of the mew siblings he originally had really exist anymore? I feel like every mew he knew probably rebirthed themselves and the generations of mews to follow never really learnt of him they don't realise his significance to their origins because it's lost to time really. So he's kind of become obsolete with time in a cruel twist of fate way.

He gets by on his own though, he still helps with maintaining of species in the Pokémon world, honestly I feel he really enjoys watching new Pokémon start to evolve, he notices a fish Pokémon with a random genetic difference that's beneficial and observes them survive watches them evolve the evolution still expressing this trait which is still beneficial in evolution and watches them have young some also with that trait watching it continue for generations the advantage the specialisation the recoloring redesigning as they start to fill in a new niche in the ecosystem until, they're something entirely new! Watching the process never gets old as they grow so unexpectedly and he can't help but feel proud of them they did that all on their own.

Of course he also feels great sorrow misery and dispair when another species fades from existence because of environmental change they can't adapt to fast enough or because they just don't work in an ecosystem anymore, he makes sure to save their DNA sequence learn it recognise remember it inside himself and take with that the memories of this wonderful species promising the last member the confused lonely endling that it's okay, I will be with you you're not alone, and I will remember you I will remember each and every one of you forever all of you will continue to exist within me, you did so so good you were perfect even I'm so proud, you have no idea how much your kind has shaped this place the environment the landscape the other species and even the folklore that will be saved and told by humans the imagery created about you. You are so so special and you've done so wonderfully and you're allowed to rest now you've done all you can and you did it so well, I'll be here, you won't be alone, and maybe I'll see you again and I promise I will impart your history to the newly fledged evolved kin and I will watch over them and love them as I've loved you.

He has witness so much new life and so much death, he understands the cycle well and knows all he can do is watch and learn and love. He likely possesses the potential to create so many lost species from having their dna saved inside him but he wouldn't resurrect something for it to only die again confused and struggling.

Though I can see him using his abilities to add old dna into a species with dwindling members because by reintroducing old dna it would suddenly and vastly improve the gene pool and saving the species, he will do this where it is not their fault that their numbers dwindled and where the species could still survive and they should thrive it's just the gene pool that's an issue, he won't do it with a species that is barely in a survivable environment because that'd just be introducing young to a place they will die. Though, I suppose if there was dna that could be safely added and they could theoretically adapt he may try to give them a boost of a trait that could be advantageous and lead to them evolving a new type or trait to better suit the environment if it's possible.

He does what he can where he can. I like him a lot I'm very attached to them tbh and I'm really happy with how they turned out.

Acquaintances can call him Vis but he only let his original mew siblings call him Vissy because it's a cute nickname of his name and he wouldn't want strangers calling him that it's more casual and fun saved for family plus it's kinda like Fizzy also a fun alternative probably from the second generation of mew kits who called him uncle Fizzy and his original siblings probably also would in sibling tease call him Sissy like sister on days where he felt feminine leaning but Sissy from them for him was always in a none gendered way and didn't mean girl.

Maya is also an off limits nickname saved only for again his original siblings and perhaps anyone he did feel close enough to to let them call him that, fun fact Vismaya is the feminine version of his name and I wanted to make them a bit ambiguous, he leaning but somewhat feminine and although Vismay is He/They, Maya is probably for slightly feminine leaning they days without fully committing to the She pronoun, so if he let's you call him Maya he probably trusts you to fully understand and respect his pronoun choice and to use Maya in a way that is in no way she/her. Mews can be something that are so gender complex.

Also Vismays original sketch just for fun since the eyeliner patterns weren't originally there, also he has a big ass forehead XD

[snailfen]

oi! 9 and 14 for the salty asks?

-0

9. Most disliked character(s)? Why?

hmmm... ok i didnt think this was gonna be a hard one! then again, everytime i get a question like this i have a hard time coming up with an answer.

Oleana and Rose are up there for their writing 100%. I don't like how Oleana is just a crazy secretary in the games. im so so SO happy about her Twilight Wings Episode; but i really wish that we saw this in-game (then again i havent. seen the dlcs AT ALL so if she does show up again... i wouldnt know lol). Rose is just.... a mess. Like, I see people debate whether he's good, or bad, or morally grey, but thats the thing- I feel like his character is all OVER the place and he was just. Done so badly. I'm ok with these two otherwise but when it comes to their character writing its just. help me

Professor Bellis(?) From Pokemas. Why do you use so many languages in your dialogue PLEASE

Paulo, at least his character arc rn. Please DeNA just hurry up and make him evil already or whatever its taking forever. also give my girl Tina some time to shine on her own.... i love Paulo but DeNA drawing this out longer than it needs to be.

Can't think of any other characters I'd say I actually dont like for once.

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

i need every single fandom member on twitter to move to tumblr STAT im not logging back on there for pkmn content /hj /lh

People can complain about how no one hates pokemon more than pokemon fans, or how pokemon fans are never satisfied, but thats because these games are just... disappointing coming from GameFreak.

Like, ok, I wouldnt call Pokemon Legends: Arceus terrible. I thought it was great! It was really fun and I played it for MONTHS. But theres issues that reflect how badly the time constraints are on the games quality: Its storyline and graphics aren't the best, they arent complete shit but they are pretty disappointing coming from a 90 billion dollar game development company.

I'm not saying that means they should be perfect at making games, I'm saying that means they should have the time and money to create something at least enjoyable in every aspect. Another example with SwSh: Good graphics, great character design and beautiful environment design for the towns, but oh my god did the plot of the game suffer.

PLA also came out with no Pokemon HOME compatibility as well as BDSP, which is also disappointing: you think that these games would have compatibility soon after release but that didnt come out until May 18th, approx. 4 months after PL:A came out. IIRC, Sun and Moon got Bank compatibility 2 months after their release. These games are coming out missing core features and adding them so much later! It's disappointing.

With ScVi coming out tomorrow (despite being leaked COMPLETELY) I can't say my hopes are too high about it, and its likely I'll have to wait until Christmas for it to see the whole thing for myself. ScVi apparently began development in 2019, but unless it can reflect that it's been given the time it needed, they have GOT to stop cranking these games out every year.

[doubleddenden]

I posted my absolute worst Pokemon day prediction

Now I wanna do the exact opposite that's a for sure chance of never happening, but is almost comedic in how unlikely this is. And again, I know this won't happen, but GOD I wish it would.

Opener is a group of business men on their hands and knees apologizing for the state of the games since gen 8, refunds everyone $300-$600 for the unnecessary drama they've caused by releasing unfinished and unpolished games or just straight up stealing ideas from and lying to fans.

Ohmori is demoted to coffee guy for all of his cut corners. New main directors are Morimoto and Iwao. Address steps they'll take to fix things including cycling games out between GF, ILCA, BAMCO, a Nintendo internal studio, and Genius Sonority with their own crew back. Devs include alumni from Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Tales of, etc. Each game will have a minimum of 5 to 6 years dev time going forward (with ones today being developed quietly in the background) with no crunch time, promises to improve employee morale and tenure, and promises to polish both their games and put their new pokemon designs through more passes, including a bigger and more robust design team with fresh blood from the best side of the fakemon community.

Also, going forward, fan games are welcomed, encouraged, legal, and no longer subject to legal interference. Anyone who was subject to any Cease and Desist order will be financially compensated. Talents from some of their favorite fan games have been hired.

They're announcing "indie" game spotlights in addition. Going forward, certain fan game devs will be given the opportunity to create their own 2d eshop games and fakemon (now official), and are essentially given the Sonic Mania treatment. Basically everything fun about the fan game scene, but now they have financial backing, and additional help with coding, music, and artwork.

Unova remake, but it's in a hybrid style between SwSh DLC, ORAS, and Legends Arceus, and they've been given more than a year and a half to make it (unlike bdsp) and have free reign to do fun new stuff. It's a combo of B1+2 and W1+2, with a bonus "episode 3." Includes new Pokémon forms, evolutions, paradoxes, convergents, and variants, a robust character customization system with original outfits and new bits, and Challenge mode available right out of the gate. Looks incredibly polished, a firm art style that's reminiscent of og BW 1 and 2 with Battle Revolution's and New Snap's semi realism, and runs well on Switch. Also voice acting.

Legends Unova is revealed- its a Unova far in the future that's been abandoned and reclaimed by nature. More new Pokémon and forms, including more natural looking takes/fixes to certain pokemon like Delphox or Inteleon. A promise to finally meet the original dragon is made, we meet descendants of characters, etc. Also incredibly polished. Everything good about Legends Arceus but better. Releases in 2025.

Ports of Gen 1, 2, and 3 games to eshop- if you already purchased any on the 3ds, you just have it for free again. All ports include events or Japan exclusive things that occurred, including a way to activate exclusive E-Reader battles and events and with working Union Cave encounters (and a way to add new e-reader events made by fans, as has been done recently). FRLG includes more scrapped islands to travel to for fun.

A special hd remaster to Colosseum and GoD is made in tandem. A tweak is made so that you can access pokemon from gen 3 port boxes and Home, and another to speed up Shadow purification to ease tedium. Releases summer 2024.

Builds to Colosseum 3/other title that will release summer 2025, made by the guys that made the originals and given permission to do all the WEIRD shit they wanted to do. Features the first new Eeveelutions in 12 years (as of 2025) as your starters, and is more of the amazing double battle strategy game I loved, and has graphics that would make an average pokemon bootlicker shit themselves with amazement.

Anime project teased is an anime adaptation of the Adventures manga, given the JoJo treatment basically. High quality animation by studio Toho, uncensored, includes the cool fucked up bits like Charmeleon bisecting an Arbok.

Anime movie teased that's basically a new adventure for an older Ash and Pikachu, including a team of new Pokémon. Has him giving guidance to a new kid as they have to deal with... let's say the Ruinous Quartet. Actual battles happen that's not just a bunch of disaster shots, Ash actually has a character and reason for being there and shows growth. New kid goes through growth as well and sees Ash like a big brother. Mythical actually has a reason to be there, and so do Team Rocket. Essentially the Black Clover movie treatment that's just (non sexual) fan service and beautiful anime fights all around.

Any new Pokémon shown today will be added to SV and the Unova remakes for competition purposes once they are available.

Pokemon music album by indie artists that have actually played the games. Not just a gen 1 fest or popular artists. Includes remixes that will appear in the games.

Clothing merch is basically just a bunch of real life versions of clothes worn by player characters, rivals, and certain characters like Brock or Mallow with larger size availability. So you could feasibly dress like Hilbert and Hilda in one case. Brendan's wig hat is included.

They end the stream by signing a contract on. Stream. Swearing to finish and polish their products going forward at any expense, or face contractual consequences. They open a time capsule scheduled to open next year- you see a bar of gold and silver inside, as well as what looks to be an opal and a boomerang, and they seal it. Some items in the capsule will not be expanded upon until next year or later.

Go, Unite, Masters, CafeMix, or any other mobile game is not mentioned because they suck

That is the purposely impossible high bar set, and a reminder that I'll never get what I fully want because the pokemon company sucks and have no remorse for how they've treated us these last few years.

Tomorrow I'll give the "reasonable" expectation.

[spiritshaydra]

Looks like I haven’t posted art here in months and this is my fourth time trying to add a description to this because it keeps getting purged whenever I switch tabs >:( 

Anywho, here’s some Pokémon gijinkas I finished earlier in the week ^^

Additional info stolen from my amino post down below c:

Howdy!

This took me WAY longer than I thought it would. I started this group back in December, and only now just completed it ^^

I’ll be showing them off in the order I finished them along with some info on each character c:

✨Here they are!✨

🏙 Reshiram 🏙

She’s not as complex as the rest of the batch because she started off as just a headshot test and practice for drawing humans ^^’ then everything else kinda just got more complex. Her design is more of a work in progress than the rest.

She’s a living lie detector :)

🎆 Palkia 🎆

[

She took a LONG time to draw and is probably the most complex. Sorta. She’s also probably one of the first gijinkas I’ve designed so her design is pretty solid for now. She’s based off of Roman gladiators and Valkyries. Palkia is also a total jock with a short fuse that constantly gets in fights with her brother, Dialga. She’s kinda a loud idiot but that’s okay. She’s also very rash and tends to act before thinking. Will kick down doors and attempt to put brother in a headlock. Probably chugs sport drinks and punches drywall. Will challenge poor unfortunate souls into doing arm wrestling matches. Has very strong opinions on science fiction. (Stuff with space is superior!) Curses like a sailor and likes to get creative with insults. Cannot organize things at all. Room probably looks like a bomb went off. Has the worst handwriting in her family. Middle child and the shortest out of her siblings. Is uncomfortable around Giratina but feels bad about it.

🌄 Giratina 🌄

Giratina’s another one that I’ve had designed for a while and am pretty happy about it! I tried to give her a more inhuman and unsettling appearance (gaunt features, pale skin, sunken eyes, long limbs, digitigrade legs, four arms, etc) She’s pale from the lack of sunlight and her hair is borderline uncontrollable. It’s in a constant state of poofy rat’s nest.

Believe it or not, she’s probably the friendliest out of her family despite her off putting demeanor. She completely lacks social skills and is still trying to learn how to speak normally after being locked away for eons. She’s best friends with a Shaymin and has gardening as a hobby. She just really wants friends :( She likes stupid paranormal shows and animated movies. Not violent at all unless provoked. Absolutely fascinated by car windows and toasters. She’s the second tallest and the “baby” out of her family. She wishes to have better relations with her siblings and parent but struggles :(

🌺 Shaymin 🌺

Shaymin. Oh boy Shaymin. So with her I was wanting to do something completely different from the usual Lolita and cutesy based gijinkas. So I made her a punk :) Shay acts like she eats nails for breakfast and isn’t afraid to fight god. She’s short but by god, she’s going to go for the kneecaps. She has a nasty temper and is very protective of her strange noodly demon bestie. Taught her how to garden. She’s loud, argumentative, and ‘Tina’s siblings are probably more scared of her than the Terror of The Distortion World. Does not do well in cold weather. She rides a motorbike, and is the one who generally drags ‘Tina around to get her used to the normal world. Big fan of slasher films and loud aggressive music. Loves nature and is generally enthusiastic about funky plants.

Very short. Very aggressive. Wears stud covered platform boots.

🪐 Arceus 🪐

Oh boy. Arceus.

He was VERY hard to design but I think I’m happy with the results. For now. I wanted him to look somewhat regal and nasty, and not exactly human.

He’s a major asshole, prick, and elitist, and is petty to the highest degree. Got offended whenever someone suggests that he should go to an anger management class. Probably a Karen. He’s the type to wear a fluffy bathrobe while drinking box wine on a lawn chair on the porch to look scornfully at the neighbors whenever they get too close. Not a great parent. (Loves his gaggle of goblins in his own strange way) Kinda hates everyone. Rude. VERY VERY short temper. VERY stubborn. He’s short and is going to make it everyone else’s problem. (Refuses to just... change his height himself. ‘Cause he’s some primordial creation entity. He just... doesn’t) He woke up one morning and just chose violence. takes great pride in his creations. Awful taste in music. No sense of style. Cant dance. He’s offputting and unsettling to be around because he has a very “off” feeling about him. Really really likes to get the upper hand on others. There are a f e w times when he actually acts like a decent person. Likes to put an air of regality onto him even though he’s a total train wreck. Wears three to four inch heels.

🌌 Dialga 🌌

DIALGA. I also wanted to do something different with him! So I made him a nerd. He likes to take things apart and put them back together. Especially clocks. He’s more level headed than his sisters and has a longer fuse than Palkia. But he’s also very stubborn. He’s a total workaholic and perfectionist. He doesn’t sleep much and can be a nervous wreck whenever he’s behind on whatever schedule he runs on. He gets into fights with his younger sister a LOT and will often try to use her as a lab rat. They’re sorta like Yzma and Kronk. But he’s less diabolical and Palkia’s more aggressive. Like Palkia, He also has very strong opinions on science fiction (Stuff with time travel is WAY better!) he’s also very organized if not organized chaos. He wears a heavy pair of boots that one could hear from a mile away. Think large goth boots with metal in the soles somewhere. Also a metal head. He will blast loud metal or rock music (sometimes more classic rock. Depends on the mood) as he works on whatever insane project he decided to tinker on. He has a large collection of very cursed socks. Somewhat poor eyesight. Generally easier to get along with than Palkia who’s more abrasive. He tends to think more before acting upon things. Probably runs on entirely coffee and energy drinks. B A D taste in fashion. But not worse than Palkia. Likes to read. Not very good handwriting. Tends to bump his head on doorframes. Will walk into things if lost in thought. The tallest out of his family and the oldest out of his sisters. He’s somewhat afraid of ‘Tina.

Approximate Time Taken: About 27 hours

Program Used: Procreate

[heccapeach]

Since it’s Valentines Day, I guess it’s time for me to share the fictional crushes I’ve had on characters throughout my life:

My Fictional Crushes Throughout History:

Shadow The Hedgehog

Shadow was the first fictional crush that I had as a kid and the one that I can mention at the top of my head with some bravery and expectation of confusion and humiliation from others. I guess after learning of his existence in Sonic Riders (my first Sonic game) and onwards into the Sonic series (and a bit of Smash), I started to develop a crush on Shadow thanks to his design and personality after learning more and more about him. I believe that his portrayal in Sonic X especially had an effect. I mean, I wasn’t the only one to have a fictional crush on Shadow, considering how many fan girls he’s had over the years.

Mephiles The Dark

And then after Shadow, I eventually developed a fictional crush on Mephiles from Sonic ‘06. I believe I was 12 or 13 at the time that I did. I’d say this one is even weirder than the Shadow crush. But if it wasn’t for my interest in Mephiles and well, Solaris as a whole, I probably wouldn’t have discover my interests in the sources that beings like Solaris is based off of, like biblical mythology and other forms of mythology, space-time itself, and the sun and the moon. Therefore, they have been an important and influential character to me as unique as that may be to others. Delving more into Solaris in ‘06, I started to believe that he wasn’t the true villain of Sonic ‘06 as he was an entity whose power was being misused in the wrong hands of a very desperate and selfish human. That being the Duke of Soleanna, who wanted to save his wife from whatever presumed death that she had by harnessing Solaris’ power over time itself and even find a way to give humanity the power of time-travel in order to correct their past mistakes which mind you, is a bullshit and an absolutely dangerous, selfish, and idiotic idea. Perhaps one of the worst ideas I have ever heard in my life. Humanity absolutely does not deserve to be in possession of such abilities at all, PERIOD. Imagine all the recklessness, greed, bickering, fights, and just flat-out stupidity. Ugh, you’re just giving humanity the ability to not only make more mistakes, but potentially worsen their past mistakes. LIKE, WHAT THE HELL WAS HE THINKING?!?! I mean, when you learn that, it’s absolutely no fucking wonder why Solaris got all pissed and went batshit crazy throughout space-time. I mean, I would’ve too if some fucking idiot tampered with my power and form like that. And it didn’t help that Eggman was obliviously trying to repeat the same stupid action that the Duke did. I swear mad scientists tend to be the true evil and the creator of evil in existence. They’re one of the archetypes that do a great job at pissing me off. Well, they’re not called “mad” for nothing.

Solaris is just a misunderstood entity who just needed better guidance and treatment in existence. It’s why I even imagined the possibility of Solaris being saved and given a better chance towards redemption and understanding. After their backstory, I felt so sympathetic towards them as a character. Sure, Mephiles plan could’ve made more sense in the script by being less convoluted and more simple in the script alongside the time-travel plot itself, but we can’t forget that ‘06 was indeed rushed in development so it’s no surprise that writing for the game’s story was also rushed and didn’t have enough time for some scenes and decisions to be reconsidered.

But regardless, Solaris holds a special place in my heart and the inspiration they have given me has been a gift. So even if they’re outside of the existence of the Sonic universe, I shall never forget about them.

Crazy Hand

There was a time where I got really interested in Master Hand and Crazy Hand from Super Smash Bros. After discovering Crazy Hand’s existence in Melee, I suddenly started watching more videos featuring him and Master Hand, even if it was the same few videos. Like I was deeply analyzing the two hands in action. I was so fascinated, yet pretty intimidated by them. I believe that Crazy Hand had fascinated me the most, given the way of how he parallels Master Hand and his personality. Then all of a sudden, I started crushing on him...How utterly weird of me to be crushing on a giant floating disembodied hand of chaos and destruction....

Daxter

Daxter was my top favorite character of the Jak and Daxter series. Not to mention how much the series is a childhood icon to me. I also loved the design of ottsels/precursors. It inspired me in terms of anthro designs. I know, I’m pretty much a furry at this point with these crushes. I guess that I can now relate to Tess, who eventually became an ottsel/precursor just to officially be Daxter’s girlfriend.

Joker (P5)

Back when he was announced to be included as a fighter for Smash Ultimate. It was my first exposure to Joker and Persona 5 itself. And back when his Smash fighter self was still in development, I felt interested enough to research Joker then eventually look into Persona 5. I started to adore his design and silent protagonist self. His fluffy looking hair, glasses, phantom thief design, and personality, and that smile made me develop a crush on him. He’s pretty much the only fictional human character that I had a crush on out of all the crushes here and that’s saying something.

A Fan-made Genderbend Waifu Nightmare From Kirby

Okay....how the hell do I explain this..? So back when I had a peak interest (and fear) in one of the most underrated Kirby characters and final bosses, Nightmare, I looked up fan art of him and discovered this sorta genderbend waifu interpretation of him on the Internet. I was interested in the design, enough to make an original character of mine have their design inspired off of it and that’s mainly where my crush was targeted on. Knowing that this had to do with Nightmare from Kirby of all characters, this is perhaps the weirdest and most embarrassing crush of them all. This would just be the beginning of me getting invested into oneiric (dream) characters.

NiGHTS

When I was starting to really invest into the NiGHTS universe and NiGHTS themselves, I started to appreciate their design and personality to the point where I found it attractive and relatable at times. This crush hasn’t been a constant nor lasting one though, so I see it as a small crush instead.

Wizeman and My Own Fan-made Gender Bend Waifu Parallel of Him, “Wize-Chan”

Ah jeez, here we go again. So, um, like Nightmare, I had a notable interest in Wizeman as a character and was also greatly intimidated by them at the same time. I eventually started thinking that he was a bit cute in the first game. Seriously, why I do I eventually develop crushes on the same characters that I get scared of? Am I a psychological masochist or have Stockholm Syndrome or something? In order to ease my fear, I made the jokes on this platform on Wizeman and the other NiGHTS characters. Sometimes, fear can be a great motivator and that already scares me alone. One of those jokes involved redesigning Wizeman as a Waifu named “Wize-Chan”:

When humanizing the design, I wanted to maintain the surrealism of Wizeman’s design, so I made sure not to humanize it too much. That’s why the shadowy legs are phantom-like and the robe acts more like a cloak than a robe with a presumed shadowy phantom body underneath. Probably think of it how Darkrai from Pokémon has these slim legs that it can make to stand on something. Idk. Jokes aside, I felt that this was an embarrassing thing to make. But recently, I’ve looked back on the design and I started to develop a fondness over it. She was just too adorable to ignore. It motivated me to draw more of her and establish a personality. She still maintains Wizeman’s personality and god complex, but with a tsundere touch to it. She also uses the insult “degenerate” occasionally since I imagined Wizeman in Journey of Dreams using it. (Example: “Eh? You want me to step on you? Ugh, DEGENERATE.”) She can get accused of being a furry, but she gets offended and denies it. There’s never a place for violence in a relationship, but Wize-Chan differs. I suppose Wize-Chan here can be compared to Bowsette, since it’s taking a villain and turning them into a Waifu character. You could look at it that way if you wanted to. Wize-Chan also likes to bully Owl whenever she gets the chance.

Speaking of Owl, I recently designed a Waifu form of him—

Arceus

Just a little bit. It was a minor crush. Afterwards I changed my mind and started seeing them as a mother figure instead. I like to refer to them as “mom”, “mommy”, “Mama Llama”, "o-ka'a-san" (Japanese for mom), and “Mother”. Arceus just naturally feels like a mother figure to me, as weird as that sounds. I mean, it makes sense, considering that they’re Pokémon God and God is always interpreted as referring to his creations as his children. That’s been interpreted the same for Arceus. I mean, it’s okay for your mother or father to be your valentine, right? That, and why am I so invested in creator entities/deities so much?

So over the years, I’ve had fictional crushes on 1 anthropomorphic artificial hedgehog with alien DNA, an anthropomorphic otter and weasel hybrid that also belongs to a race of ancient beings that run the universe as its god, a sun god of time, a giant floating disembodied hand that’s the destructive god of the Smash universe, Pokémon God itself until I started seeing it as my Pokémon mother, a Waifu form of a personification of nightmares, a disobedient nightmaren then eventually just their creator as well as a Waifu parallel of him, and 1 human..huh.

[evanaaml]

"Well, this is where I live" -Sequel

As asked by pok3n, here's a sequel to the prompt I was given some time ago. Sorry it took so long!

"I have to say, you really picked a winner with this place, Ash", Misty exclaimed. "Right by the mall, close to tons of little boutiques and restaurants, short walk to the magnet train, it's prime!".

"I thought so, too. It's not exactly cheap, but could be so much worse. And I come here enough where it's worth it to me", Ash explained.

The two had just finished their afternoon in the city of Goldenrod. After lunch, Ash treated Misty to a shopping experience, an offer which she was not about to pass up. They were now in the elevator, returning to Ash's condo. Ash carried a couple bags of various purchases, (most of which were Misty's), while Misty herself carried a smaller bag. When the elevator reached the room, they entered and put the bags down by the door.

"Has Delia seen this place yet? Or anyone else?", Misty asked, sliding the bags over so they wouldn't trip anyone going in or out.

"No, she's only seen pictures. She hasn't been to any of my places. I think you're the first to come to this one. Usually when I'm seeing people, I go to their places, not the other way around", Ash answered.

"Ohh, so what you're saying is, I'm super special?", Misty asked. Ash chuckled.

"Yeah, you're special alright", Ash retorted. The punch that came afterwards, he felt, was at least somewhat deserved. "So then, what now?"

Misty walked further into the condo, just to the left of the stairs. She looked around.

"I think I want to appreciate your place more. It's still blowing my mind that you have this", Misty said.

"And it's blowing my mind that you're so easily stunned by all of this", Ash said back. Misty ignored this and laid down on the shag carpet. The setting sun was shining through the patio windows and on to her. The sun's rays and carpet fibers felt great on her bare legs and lower back.

Not as good as Ash's hands would feel on them though.

Wait, what?

Misty immediately shook her head, trying to get that thought out. As she did, she turned to her right and saw a large metal box that was hidden under a table behind the couch. There was a digital screen that showed a temperature. Next to it was a wooden rack, with different types of glassware positioned carefully on it. Some hung upside-down from their stems in little rafters, while other, stemless glassware sat on shelves.

"You have a wine cooler?", Misty asked, though it came out more as a groan. Of COURSE Ash had one here.

"Yeah, for guests. Want some?", Ash asked, walking towards it. He pulled two wine glasses off the mini rack and then opened the cooler. He looked through it for a brief moment and then pulled out a large bottle. "Think you'll like this one. I can't say I'm a big wine connoisseur, but I do know this is a good brand".

He grabbed a white towel from the rack and carefully popped the top of the wine bottle with it. Misty just laid there on the ground, absentmindedly twirling the shag carpet strands with her fingers, as Ash poured some wine into the two glasses. When he finished, he placed the wine bottle on the table above the cooler and handed Misty one of the glasses. She sat up and took it.

"Cheers", Ash said with a smile. The two lightly clanked the glasses together. Ash took a sip and stood up, making his way to the kitchen. Misty waited a moment before taking her sip. She swallowed, and waited.

...You gotta be kidding me.

While she wouldn't call herself an expert on the matter, Misty fancied herself as someone who knew her wine. She knew this wine. Pinot Noir. And he was right, she did like it.

Since when did Ash know wine!?

The last time she had a conversation with Ash about wine, they were young teens. Ash thought the only difference between red and white wine was the color; as dense an answer as she would have expected. What happened since then? When did Ash become such an expert?

Why was this making her want to pounce on him!?

She shook her head again and took another (larger) sip of wine. Damn her "thirst"!

"You alright? Is it not to your liking?", Ash asked. Misty snapped out of it and looked up. Ash stood above her, carrying a wooden tray and looking at her with some concern. She shook her head and stood up.

"What? No, no! It's fine, better than fine actually. What's that?", Misty asked, trying to change the subject quickly.

"Oh, just cheese and crackers. Sharp Cheddar, pairs with the Pinot Noir well. I'd put out a red meat, but this place doesn't have a lot of food and we just ate, so this should work", Ash said, putting the tray on the table beside them.

He knew wine pairings, too!?

Misty felt her body temperature go up. She only had a couple sips and she had plenty to eat at lunch; she knew it couldn't be the alcohol. What was making her so flushed? What a dumb question, of course she knew what it was. It was Ash, suddenly being an adult, a man! Her man, who she wanted!

Another sip.

"So, how is it? Johto is more known for their saki, but they have a nice wine shop in town. That's straight from Kalos, I figured it was more your style", Ash explained. Misty paused.

"Wine...from Kalos?", Misty responded. Ash nodded.

"Yeah!", Ash answered, taking a sip from his own glass. Misty looked to the bottle on the table, next to the cheese platter. She recognized the logo, it was one of the best wines to come out of Kalos; one of her absolute favorites.

Kalos, the region of wine and romance. And Ash knew she'd like it. The condo, the interior decorating, the wine; Ash was so much more mature than she thought. This was a whole new side of him that she never saw before.

"I want you so bad", Misty shuddered under her breath, her voice muffled by the glass.

"What was that?", Ash asked.

"I'D LIKE SOME CHEESE!", she suddenly blurted out, much louder than she anticipated. Ash stood back in shock while Misty placed her glass down on the table in a rush and grabbed some cheese. She plopped a small chunk in her mouth and chewed, her nerves getting the best of her.

"Uhm...Misty...you uh...y-you doing ok?", Ash asked. She acted a little odd earlier when she first saw the condo, but he figured it was just shock. Now however, she was acting far stranger than normal; even for her.

"W-Why do you ask!?", Misty asked back, her mouth filled with cheese and crackers. She swallowed and grabbed more.

"Well, your sudden addiction to dairy products aside, you're acting a bit funny", Ash replied.

"Funny!? Me!? Noooo! Don't be foolish! I'm fine, I'm fine, I'mnotfine", Misty exclaimed. The end of her sentence was rushed and quieter than the rest of it. She took a swig of wine. Ash sighed.

"Ok, how about you just lay down and rest then, huh?", Ash said, taking the glass from her and gently walking her over to the couch. "Vicky, play outdoor ambience". A soft ding was heard from the corner of the condo.

"Playing outdoor ambience", a female robotic voice replied. Suddenly, the sound of a steady rainfall echoed throughout the room. Misty stopped.

"What was that?", Misty asked aloud and in shock. Ash tried coaxing her to the couch, but to no avail. He sighed lightly.

"I have a 'Vicky', it's a smart home feature. It plays music through my speakers throughout the place. I use this to help me sleep sometimes", Ash replied.

"Your condo's nicely decorated and smart!?", Misty said out loud.

"Is it really any more surprising than anything else here?", Ash asked, still amazed at how impressed Misty was over his design tastes.

"But, why rain?", Misty asked. Ash sighed, he was trying to get her to lie down, but she was too easily distracted.

"Because it helps me relax. Reminds me of traveling. Rain helps you sleep too, so I figured you'd like it", Ash replied.

"...you remember?", Misty asked. There was a moment of pause.

"What? Yeah, of course I remember. We traveled for years together. You loved listening to the rain outside when we were little. This sound reminded me of you, that's why I downloaded it, Mist", Ash replied. There was a longer pause. The only sound came from the fake rain.

Ok, that was it.

Before she knew it, Misty threw herself into Ash, her lips planted firmly on his. Ash stood back in shock, almost losing his balance. Misty moaned, wrapping her hands around his head and kissing more. Ash could do nothing but stand there as she kissed more passionately.

She didn't know what she was doing, but it felt waaay too good to stop now. But she was running out of breath, and eventually had to pull away. She was breathing heavily and her face was as red as the Pinot Noir. She huffed, released Ash, and started walking towards the stairs.

"I, you, that, w-wait! Misty!? Wh-what was that!? What's going on!?", Ash asked, short of breath. Misty rushed up the stairs, and from where he was standing, Ash could hear her jump on the bed.

"ASH KETCHUM, IF YOU DON'T COME UP HERE AND MAKE OUT WITH ME RIGHT NOW, SO HELP ME ARCEUS, YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!", Misty yelled. Ash stood there, trying (and failing) to comprehend what had just happened.

"...I'm so lost", Ash said to himself.

"I'M WAITING!", Misty yelled. Ash took a moment to think it over...but then shrugged, smiled, and rushed up the stairs.

I'm sorry it took so long! I hope this is to your liking, pok3n! And to anyone else reading, if you'd like, I have other stories you can read on here. Later!

[lumiose-fletchling]

Okay, now that I’ve set down the game after playing all day, here are my 12 hour thoughts (while having a cold):

I think the graphics are really pleasant to look at. While there are things that lack detail (lamps, other small decor items), overall, character design is nice and character animations have been improved. Hop does have one repeated animation that is absolutely carried over from Hau; is this lazy? It’s... visually boring if you’ve played SuMo. He does have his own quirks, though.

Did you know Leon has no sense of direction? He gets lost! Haha, gosh, is he bad at knowing where to go. If he didn’t have Charizard... Well, who knows where he’d end up! Leon’s hopeless at these things. Why, he’d be wandering the Wild Area for years if you didn’t give him a map, and even then, can we please stop hammering this point every time we see him please

Sonia is interesting to me, because it seems like she’s holding back for a reason. That comment that Hop made about how she came out of the Weald in a huge state is... compelling. What if she doesn’t want to find out the truth? Or what if she knows too much, and this is pushing her to lie about it? Her relationship with Leon is tense, too. Did he move up and onward while she seemingly stagnated? Who is Leon when he’s not The Best?

Customization in terms of clothing is really good, and you will spend thousands on your Look.

Controversy over Nessa’s outfit and Nintendo’s trend of creating dark-skinned characters with revealing clothing is a tough one to judge. Believe me, I get it-- the trend is there. But place Nessa in the water gym where everyone is dressed like that, give the player a chance to wear her outfit, and put her amongst other water trainers in the series, and she fits right in. Heck, what she’s wearing is a professional racing suit. But again, following Olivia... there’s an argument to be made. I’ve also seen cosplayers and artists who identify as poc love her, and I’m not about to tell them they’re wrong, so, I’m not sure there’s a clear answer here. I see both sides.

Other controversy was over “void backgrounds,” which largely happens inside buildings. It does come across as incredibly lazy. There couldn’t have been a background created with hotel counters or walls or... something? It’s strange.

However, there are plenty of environments that are well done and nice to look at. The cities and towns have a wonderful feel, and I’m liking them immensely.

Pokémon have their own personalities that really come out in camp. I love camp. I just watched my Dubwool, Sage, race my Dottler, Pepper. Sage won by not just a mile, but at last a few minutes as Dottler slowly crawled across the screen to her, dust cloud and all. It was ridiculous. I loved it. This, as I sat there waving a pokétoy and trying not to get killed as two other team members pummeled the dang thing. Have you ever seen a giant snapping turtle chortle with glee at a jingle bell? Dear Arceus on high, camp is the best.

Making curry is fun! And I really like how all this stuff is actually a huge help when things are dragging in the overworld, or you need to rest. There are so many benefits to this feature, and I’m glad they put it in.

While moving along, I genuinely ran into the problem of leveling up too quickly? Things evened out, but by the first gym, I had some sassy teens in the group who could only be smoothed out by that badge. Journeys between towns go by quickly, but I almost feel like this is going by too fast? 12 hours later, and I’m on my third badge. That’s not... fast... but it feels that way.

I think there’s a rushed sense to the plot so far where Hop is barreling forward, always racing his own race, saying how slow we are, and even Oleana at the second major town is like, You. Go get your water badge. Now. And I did. Yeesh! Did we even eat with the Chairman? Hot take: Oleana is obviously evil. Chairman Rose is well-meaning but easily led. He’s also too powerful for comfort. Powering the region, owning major companies heavily invested in the Gym Challenge? Yup. I found the plot!

But, maybe this will be tempered soon.

What I did like, looking back, is that my team is all new pokémon. Even now, as I’m picking and choosing who goes where, there’s enough to explore and wonder about. Snapple the Applin is... confusing to me. I don’t know what he does yet, but, he’s in a box until I find out.

Honestly, at this point, there is no justification that I can think of for no National Dex, so either you can get over it or you can’t. The boycotts are really silly at this point, and I doubt we’ll see any major change. Still having fun regardless.

And that’s what it comes down to-- I’m enjoying myself. Things are different for me, enough so that I like exploring, and I’ll continue to play the game because there’s still a lot of joy to be had here.