#i'm almost halfway through the roster y'all

[genesisgijinka]

hello! i've been reading genesis for...oh god, since 2017-2018, i think. and it's been a blast, i love the series a lot! it's a really unique storyline with one of my favorite characters (mewtwo, beloved) and your art is fantastic! i was wondering how much of the storyline you have planned out/had planned out, and how much of it has changed over time? and how far along we are in the storyline/how much is left before the end. i hope you have a good day!

Oh wow, you've been around for a while lol Hi friend!

I'll be honest, Genesis had the most bare bones of starts. I created the characters for what I thought was going to be a one-off costume month long challenge, with some other old ocs to fill out the roster. I had zero plan to create a story with these new characters, since I was brand new to the idea of having a story based off of pokemon game play. I've always been a first and foremost Zelda fan and was actually slowly picking at my own Zelda story at the time but I couldn't quite get the story to go the way I wanted and I was determined to draw that comic first.

And then I drew this:

This is the first time I drew Prime, and a younger M2-K, I think. One of the very few things I drew before I launched into starting Genesis. Y'all might recognize this scene from the first few pages of chapter 2 lol. I was riding off of that high of finishing my first long-term project and now I had somewhere where I could start. So three months after that October challenge, I decided screw it, I'll just draw this pokemon comic as a practice, be done in like 2-3 years, then work on Zelda again. And then lol here we are almost 7 years later.

Read more bc it accidentally kinda got long :'D

A lot of my planning has gone like this; I draw a thing, and then work it into the story somewhere like threading pearls on a string, then I add more beads in between the pearls as I go.

So Genesis has points that I know I'm going to hit (the ending has probably the thoroughly written script of all of Genesis and I'm quite happy with it) but a lot of it is in a fuzzy grey area of I only kinda know what's going to happen next, I just need to write how to get there. It keeps me engaged with the story and the few drawings I have as story concepts are the juicy carrots I dangle in front of myself to keep the motivation going even if I'm going through an art rut or if work has been particularly draining.

As for things that have changed? Alcina didn't exist in the beginning. I sketched up a gardevoir gijinka in my sketchbook bc I needed K to talk to someone. And then she stuck around. Heph wasn't originally planned either, and he actually replaced this guy:

left to right: M2-K, Talil the heliolisk, and Jean-Luc (mega'd)

Talil was originally going to be the one to fix K's prosthetics, but that's all I really had him around for, and he eventually got scrapped. Which is a real shame, because heliolisk is one of my favorite Kalos mons. I did later use the concept of shorting out K's prosthetics when he fought a luxray in chapter 1.

I can't remember when V came into being, but I think it was sometime after Genesis had started, but well before she was introduced. She was originally supposed to be that one mewtwo from the Genesect movie (and that's where the V in M2-V originated from, M2-K was originally short for Mewtwo-Kalos. And then I made it worse by going alphabetically :) )

As for how much longer are we going to have? We've definitely passed the halfway point. But since I've had a revelation and added [REDACTED] in to the story, chapter 3 got longer unexpectedly and is gonna be split into a surprise fourth chapter. And then an epilogue, but //handwaves that's farther down the line.

[confusions-shed-of-ideas]

Tressa’s Chapter 1, Badly Summarised

(Aka: If you rob me I'll kick your ass)

Tressa: Hi my name’s Tressa Colzione and I’m a merchant

Tressa: One day, I'm gonna explore the world!

Tressa: Good morning parents

Tressa's Parents (Olneo & Marina): Good morning Tressa

Tressa: Aight let's do some store stuff y'all I'm gonna go out and stock these shelves

Olneo: Hold on young lady, now do you remember what the three things a merchant needs most are-

Tressa: They need to be smiley, mannerly, and early obviously!

Marina: And they need to look out for pirates causing trouble around the taverns

Tressa: Ma that's four things

Olneo: And they need to look out for pirates causing trouble around the taverns

Tressa: Okay f i n e aight goodbye now!!

Tressa's Parents: Goodbye Tressa!! ^^

*After Tressa leaves*

Olneo: Ah, youngsters

Olneo: Y'know, back in my day, when I was her age-

---

Fisherman: Hello Tressa! Here's today's catch

Tressa: Ooh nice I'll pay you this much for it

Fisherman: Lmao this fish is worth a bit more

Tressa: Oh

Tressa: Well I mean... I was going to ignore the damage your hooks did to the fish's guts-

Fisherman: Alright fine I'll take the cash

Tressa: Yippee!

Fisherman: Can't believe I just lost a debate with an 18 year old lol gj kid

*Elsewhere*

Tressa: Hi I need to buy some wine

Beverage Vendor: Aren't you a bit too young to be-

Tressa: It's for my parents' store

Beverage Vendor: Okay but-

Tressa: Hey I'm 18 that's old enough to drink wine in a lot of places

Beverage Vendor: Alright but do you have an ID

Tressa: I don't think we have IDs in this game

Beverage Vendor: What

Tressa: What

*TV static noises*

---

Tressa: Ayy we got it done

Tressa: Man I wish I could explore elsewhere

Tressa: But I've gotta stay here in Rippletide. If I don't take over my parents' shop, no one's going to. Sometimes I wonder if I do have opportunities elsewhere. Maybe there's a whole other life out there, just waiting to be explored! But I don't know. What do I really want? What do I want in life? What's really out there? *sigh*

Tressa: The ocean sure looks big

Tressa: That's a big ship that's coming into the harbour

Tressa: Wait a minute I haven't seen that ship around here before

Tressa: Holy crap that's a real nice ship

Captain: Hello there lass I'm the captain of this ship

Tressa: Hi I'm Tressa and you have a really neat ship say do you mind if I take a peak at what's on board

Captain: Sorry but I only allow those I trust on board

Tressa: Aw man

*Loud noises in the distance*

Tressa: Omg what was that I'd better go check that out

Tressa: *Runs off*

Captain: Ah, kids these days

---

Mikk: Hi I'm Mikk

Makk: Hi I'm Makk

Mikk and Makk: And we're here to rob your stuff!

Mikk: I'm obviously the captain because I'm so cool

Makk: Lmao no I'm the captain you're just the first mate

Mikk and Makk: Fight me

Pirate Lackey: Y'all chill

Mikk and Makk: Alright let's continue robbing people

Tressa: No

Mikk: Says who?

Tressa: Says me

Makk: Oh it's just a little girl lol

Tressa: Little girl my ass I'm 18

Mikk: Is she allowed to say "ass"

Makk: Beats me

Mikk: Omg is that wine

Mikk: *Steals the wine from Tressa*

Tressa: Hey I bought that with my own money!

Makk: You don't even look old enough to drink lol

Tressa: Fight me

Captain: Lass, no

Tressa: Aw but-

Captain: They won't listen to reason, just let them be

Mikk and Makk: Yeah lol okay now goodbye y'all thanks for letting us take your stuff

Captain: It's okay to be scared of the pirates lass

Tressa: Pft I'm not scared

Captain: But your legs were trembling

Tressa: Oh

Street Vendor: Damn pirates won't leave us alone

Street Vendor: Idek what they're doing staying in the Caves of Maiya

Tressa: ...

---

Tressa: I'm gonna go bargain with the pirates

Captain: Lass no

Tressa: Lass yes

Captain: Okay but like do you have a weapon or a plan or any method of getting your stuff back

Tressa: Well uh I won 50 debate competitions in 3rd grade

Captain: I already told you they weren't going to listen to reason lass

Captain: If you walk in there they're going to kick your ass

Captain: Am I allowed to say that to you

Tressa: Well yeah but I can't just sit here and let these other merchants starve to death because they have no money to put food on their plates

Tressa: And y'know what, maybe I will fight the pirates

Captain: Hm alright then if you're so determined then I won't stop you

Captain: But I'm going to help

Captain: If we succeed and you find something on my ship that catches your eye, I'll let you have it

Tressa: Aight deal

Tressa: Now let's go kick some pirate ass!

Captain: Okay but are you allowed to say "ass"

Tressa: Brb I'm gonna buy some stuff first

Captain: Alright

Captain: Lass is that weed

Tressa: It's sleepweed :D

Captain: Oh what would you need that for

Tressa: Oh y'know, I just thought the pirates could use a nice nap after all that looting

Captain: I like your style lass

Captain: Alright now good luck

---

*At the tavern*

Tressa: I put the sleepweed in the wine

Tressa: Now all we have to do is bring the wine to them

---

*At the Caves of Maiya*

Tressa: Ahoy there

Pirate Lackey: Oh it's the little girl again

Tressa: Here, have this wine. It's a gift from me and the other merchants because we're soooooo sorry we thought we stood a chance against you swashbuckling pirates

Pirate Lackey: Omg wine

Pirate Lackey: *Brings it inside*

Tressa: Lmao I can't believe they fell for it

---

*Inside the Caves*

Mikk: Lol the townspeople are so weak I can't believe they didn't try to put up a fight

Makk: Well I mean it doesn't look like they can LMAO

Mikk: "The strong take while the weak quake" amirite

Mikk and Makk: LMAO

Makk: Wise words by the one and only Captain Leon Bastralle

Mikk: Totally not gonna bite us back later

Makk: Yeah because we're super cool and want to follow in the footsteps of Captain Leon Bastralle

Pirate Lackey: Captains the little girl have wine

Mikk and Makk: AYO WINE?? Hell yeah y'all

Pirates: Cheers!

---

Tressa: That should be enough time

Tressa: *Walking around the Caves* Oh boy, look at these sleeping pirates, I wonder what happened to them

Tressa: Aight time to take the stolen wares back

Mikk: *Waking up* Oi what are you doing here little girl

Tressa: Oh no

Mikk: Wake up Makk it's the little girl from town

Makk: Oh so you were going to take your stuff back when we were sleeping huh

Tressa: Oh no

Mikk and Makk: Y'know we ain't gonna let you take our hard earned loot back

Tressa: Hard earned my ass y'all didn't earn anything you just stole it

Tressa: And I'm not gonna just stand by and let you take it

Mikk and Makk: Fight us

Tressa: Y'know what hell yeah

*Epic boss battle ensues*

Tressa: Oh yay we won

Makk: Oh what she beat us

Mikk: We aren't letting you get away with this. Mateys!

*Other pirates appear*

Tressa: Oh no

Tressa: Might as well take on you all to get these goods back

Mikk and Makk: Lmao time to face defeat little girl

Captain: Not so fast

Captain: Were you guys seriously going to pick on this little girl

Tressa: Captain I'm 18

Captain: You all have no right to speak about how the world works if you only pick on the weak and defenseless

Mikk: Oh it's that guy from earlier

Mikk: Lol anyways let's fight them

Captain: *Defeats everyone*

Makk: What how'd you beat all of us

Mikk and Makk: Omg wait that's Captain Leon Bastralle

Makk: Who tf are you

Tressa: Wait holy crap that was you???

Captain Leon: I'm just a merchant, no longer a pirate

Captain Leon: But say, have you gentlemen ever heard of the phrase "dead men tell no tales"?

Mikk and Makk: Y'all we gotta go

*The pirates escape*

Tressa: Captain?

Captain Leon: Just call me Leon, lass

Tressa: Thanks for saving me Mr Leon

Captain Leon: Well then, gather the goods and head back home. I'll have to leave soon

Tressa: Wait already??

Captain Leon: Yep, but remember to come on by my ship. We had a deal, remember?

---

Tressa: Mr Leon are you sure I can come aboard

Captain Leon: Well I said I only let those I trust aboard right

Tressa: And?

Captain Leon: Exactly

Tressa: Oh

Tressa: OH

Tressa: Thank you Mr Leon omg omg

Tressa: Yo this place is packed are you sure I can take one of these

Captain Leon: Mhm

Tressa: Omg thank you

Tressa: Ooh I think I'll take... this diary

Captain Leon: Um, lass, I'm afraid that won't sell for much

Captain Leon: Some guy I let on board just left that there and it got mixed in with the treasures

Tressa: Hm I still think I'll take it though

Tressa: It calls to me

Captain Leon: Alright then, you can have it

Tressa: Thank you Mr Leon :D

Captain Leon: Okay now goodbye lass

Tressa: Goodbye!

---

Tressa: I'm gonna speedrun this book

Tressa: Hm so it talks about someone's adventures around the world

Tressa: That's so cool, I wish I could do that

Tressa: Oh whoops it's past my bedtime

*The next day*

Tressa: Good morning parents

Tressa: I'm going to see the world!

Olneo and Marina: You're going to what

Tressa: I'm gonna become a traveling merchant!

Marina: But dear-

Olneo: You have no experience! You need to spend a hell lot more time in the shop before you go out and become a traveling merchant

Tressa: Pa I'm 18 I can handle it

Tressa: Besides I can learn on the road n stuff so I'll be fiiiiiiiine

Olneo: Well okay then you can go

Tressa: Wait really

Marina: Wait really

Olneo: I mean she'll get experience out there so I think it should be fine

Marina: Fine then, but do take care!

Tressa: Omg thanks Ma and Pa! Goodbye!! :D

---

*Outside*

Tressa: Hm the author only filled in half of the book

Tressa: I guess I'll have to finish the story myself

Tressa: AYY I'M GOING ON AN ADVENTURE!! WOO!

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK

---

These are fun to do but I don't think I'll get to do this very often when school starts in two days

Tressa my beloved I know you're 18 but why do you seem so much younger

Tressa would've dominated all the debates in class I'm calling it

Anyways bye y'all I hope you enjoyed