#mari and naoko’s relationship is...interesting

[cenistar]

I have a feeling that Hanae is in the wlw relationship.... or maybe Mari and Naoko?

🤔🤔🤔

[grey-eyed-menace]

So!

I'm coming straight outta left field with this one, but hey, some of the best things in life come from spontaneity!

Er... Maybe.

Anyway, here's my Pokèmon AU!

Featuring the Female Protagonists I played as, their names, general differences from canon, and personal headcannons I came up with during my first playthrough of each game!

...and how they fit into the wider world! Maybe. Kinda.

I'm only doing the main series females in this post, with potential a potential sequal in the form of the side game females!

I do know that the main series male's will have their own post though! Mostly because I legitimately cannot control myself, and it's already halfway done!

So, without a further ado...

Arden Forrest!

Childhood friend of Red Audra, and the maternal cousin of the one and only Blue Oak.

Chose Charmander as her starter, named the little guy Flare, and is extremely defensive of the nickname. She is/was ten! Sorry if her creativity wasn't up to par!

Ended up having to travel with Red because her mother absolutely refused to let her leave Pallet otherwise.

Simply stick with him out of convenience after Viridian Forest, mostly because at that point there really wasn't anything to gain in separating from him.

In this continuity she's the older sister of the Sun and Moon protagonists. More on that in Jericho's section.

At the end of her journey, her team consisted of Flare the Charizard, Lenz the Jolteon, King the Slowking, Knott the Vileplume, Skye the Pidgeot, and Blue the Raichu.

Raichu is a stuck up little shit, and pampered, the nickname was obvious. To her at least. Oddly enough, Blue the Raichu hates Blue the human.

The only reason Giovanni remembers her is because she straight up decked him across the jaw when he threatened to kill one of her Pokèmon.

Somehow ended up acquiring Silver as a travel companion for three weeks, Red was bemused. He was also incredibly confused when that feral eight year old showed back up three years later in the news.

Ended up hanging up her battling career shortly after she lost the championship to Lance, and handed over Flare to Red to battle on a more permanent basis.

She still trained the rest of her team, and still does, she just realized that despite her talent in the profession it just... Wasn't her calling. She wasn't as quite as in love with it as she was at the start of her journey.

Bounces around the world for a bit during the three or so years between the Blue/Red and the HeartGold/SoulSilver storylines, and after Lance wins the championship back from her. Trying to find herself.

She participates in the Galar league around the same time as Leon, Raihan, Sonia, and Nessa, mostly as a curiosity, and maybe as a way to try and reconnect with her battling roots, but jumps ship after Opal because fucking hell is their League a killer for self-confidence.

Her jersey number, for the record, was 069. She deeply regrets keeping the uniform years later.

She also finishes the Unova circuit, but doesn't challenge the Elite Four or the Champion, and she tries to do something in the Ferrum Region for a bit before packing up and returning home.

Perpetually pissed off that no one can remember her fucking name.

And no, it isn't about the Championship thing, she was fine with that, really, it's just that the moment she introduces herself ahead of Blue or Red people tend to either treat her like a commodity, or like she doesn't exist.

Made it through the Elite Four and beat Blue before Red.

So yes, she is the official record holder for the shortest Championship. Which, if you're wondering, is exactly thirteen hours, seven minutes, and thirty-three seconds.

She and Blue played Go-Fish for two hours while Red finished up with Bruno.

The ensuing eleven hour battle with Red both traumatized and bored Blue in equal measures.

Blue had the title for a week. Red bolted to Unova shortly after winning and declined the position, turning it back over to her. She proceeded to hold it for another six months before a match with Lance turned it back over.

Actually ends up as one of Professor Oak's lab assistants once she ends back up in Pallet, and... Eventually finds her calling in research.

She throws herself into her education with everything she has. And... Never really loses that passion and drive.

Has to be physically dragged to Passio during the Master's tournament/festival. Dragged. And no, that's not an exaggeration, Blue physically throws her over his shoulder, books their shared flight, and well, he basically kidnaps her.

If it makes you feel any better, he pretty much did the same thing with Red, only it was a private flight that was prearranged.

It makes her feel better, anyway.

She spends the entire tournament/festival in borrowed clothes.

She takes solace in mock-poker matches with Red, Grimsely, Lina, and, oddly enough, Cynthia and Steven Stone.

She does eventually end up becoming a professor in her own right, with a focus on Abilities and how they affect a Pokèmon's mental and physical growth, and also ends up with an engineering degree as well.

In her late thirties I see her taking over Professor Hasting's job for the Ranger association. Mostly because, in my head-cannon at least, Regional Professor status isn't all that it's cracked up to be, and at that point in her life the only reason she would even take over for Oak in any capacity is out of sentimental value for the Pallet Labs.

That, and it's a cushy job, plus she gets to see small children scramble around for over jumped flying tops. So really, it's a win-win.

Teases Jericho relentlessly over her relationship with Gladion.

Not that her romantic life is much better. Someone idly points out that Red is romantically pursuing her when they're nineteen and she proceeds to have a minor breakdown.

Or, you know, she just remains forever oblivious, and Red remains extremely passive in his pining.

Completely blind-sided by Blue's wedding, and honestly doesn't know what to think of his wife, but plays the role of doting aunt pretty well once they have their first kid.

Shows up in the White 2 storyline in a rental tournament, wrecks Rei's shit, comes back a day later during a Team Switch Tournament, and proceeds to destroy the battlefield.

Then, once Rei is the Unovian Champion, she comes for an actual vacation, and actively, and willingly, participates in the Cross-Region Tournament, makes it to the finals, wrecks Rei's shit again, and then destroys the Stadium when she goes up against Red in the semi-finals... Yeah, I'm not sure what storyline to put to the whole rage vent thing, but it's there. It exists. And Red pays for it.

I'm thinking Blue just gets in over his head a week or so before the tournament, and she quietly simmers all the while.

I think if I were to make a fic about her journey/life, I'd call it 'The Trials And Tribulations Of A Run Of The Mill Pokèmon Trainer'. Because... Ya know, against Blue and Red, she's actually a pretty average trainer.

Compared to Red, who'll have participated in over thirty league circuits in his lifetime, (and plowed straight through the champion in a pretty good chunk of them), Arden has only actively participated in maybe five, mantled a single Championship, and completed two other circuits, with the last three or so having her jump ship due to pressure, having to put it aside for prior commitments, or a simple lack of interest, (the incredibly vague Greece based region I have an idea for is incredibly interesting history wise, in universe, it's Gym and tournament circuit on the other hand... Lacks pretty much anything to make it even remotely interesting).

Red will be a living legend once all is said and done at the end of his career. While Arden has a single legal achievement to her name, the famed recognition of being one of three people to take down the Pokèmon equivalent to the Mafia, and a pretty average badge count for a career trainer.

Also, Lina loses to Red on Mount Silver. She knows, she was drafted as the referee because when she came to drop of Red's food for the week. She's pretty much payed off to say otherwise though.

And she doesn't know why.

She's convinced it's a conspiracy.

Fades into relative obscurity around the time of the Sun & Moon storyline, but her damn if her tiny fan club isn't dedicated.

Doesn't show up in Alola for the battle tree because Blue couldn't find her for three solid months.

No one knows what the fuck she was doing.

...she may or may not have been the Gates To Infinity protagonist.

There's a tiny aside to a Snivy named Leaf in article concerning Overgrow and how it affects the Snivy population at large though.

And that's Arden Forrest, a bit clunky, but hey, they're randomly ordered facts, not a character sheet. Next up is the Crystal heroine!

Marie Smith!

Traveled through Johto about three or so years before Arden, Red, and Blue began running around Kanto.

Older than her sister, Lina, by seven years.

I actually don't have all that much on her because I got to the third Gym on Crystal before my brother destroyed the Device I was using to play the game on.

What I do know, from this information, though, is that she disappeared around said time.

No build up, no cries for help, nothing. Just up and gone. She just cut contact with her family, things happened, and she's absolutely infamous for nearly killing three thousand people. Somehow, she's officially recognized as someone who completed the Johto Circuit though.

She got recruited by Cypher.

Again. Shit happened.

Oak blames himself for an incident in the Kiro Region, (Egyptian Region), pertaining to her.

Lina's entire journey is an event and a half because of her.

If I were to make these little things into a fic series, she'd get... Like a seven chapter mini-fic told from seven different people's perspectives throughout her journey.

Those people, in order, would be... Her mother, Whitney, Naoko of the Kimono Girls, Giovanni, Clair, and Oak.

With an extra chapter detailing her death during the Kalos invasion.

She shows back up in the Kalos storyline in this and traumatizes the ever loving fuck out of Serafina.

She chose a Chikorita. Who she loves dearly, even when she's pretty much gone off the deep end, and then some.

Lina Smith, local trouble maker, owner of a perpetually terrified Feraligator, and the best friend of the very weird Ethan Aurum, and the only person who seems to be on Silver's good side. Vaguely.

Oh so vaguely.

Youngest out of three children, her older brother, Gregory, is an incredibly average guy who's extremely confused as to what the fuck happens on her journey, and never NOT worried about her.

Parents died in a car accident some two years before the start of the storyline, is cared for by Gregory at this point in time

Don't ask why Greg is a thing. He just is.

Like Arden before her, Lina takes a very proactive approach to dealing with Silver during the Radio Tower Incident. Which involves decking him in the jaw.

Surprisingly, this is the part where there relationship improves.

Chooses a Totodile and names him Reyne, and is fiercely protective of him. The little guy could put a Sobble to shame... This also means Silver ends up with the incredibly overly energetic and affectionate Chikorita, all for my personal amusement, (said Chikorita is named Lyra, and no, he does not spoil her, shut your mouth Aurum!).

Her entire story isn't so much focused on her gym challenge or the reappearance of Team Rocket, as it is finding out what the fuck happened to her sister.

Ethan starts tagging along after Goldenrod, and starts to reveal he knows a lot more than he's willing to admit about the situation.

Gets caught up in a lot of nasty things, and nearly ends up dismantling an operation to kill Red, Lance, and Cynthia.

(Where are our favorite colored duo, and supporting tree, during all this you may ask? Why, still recovering from trauma of course! Like reasonable, sane, run-of-the-mill people. More specifically, Blue's officially taking over Viridian gym before the start of the Kanto gym circuit season, Red's fucking around in Hoenn for a good bit before coming to Mt. Silver just two months before Lina gets there, and Arden's in that vague Greece based region getting therapy.)

Her journey is just a really long incident report, and Looker has half a mind to slap her at the end of it.

A good portion of it is Ethan's fault though. Ethan, by the way, nails the looking right through you stare.

And a girl named Sarah Morgendy comes up a lot, although it turns out she's just a kid trying to protect her adopted brother from the shit shoe she got them involved in illegally.

The only two problems with that is she's about eleven and emotionally compromised.

Gets recruited by Interpol after everything is said in done.

Gets the code name Agent Lenz.

Demands therapy for herself, Ethan, and Silver. She gets it.

While she's training as an agent, Ethan and his mother move to Unova so that he can attend an Academy meant 'rising stars', and Silver becomes Elm's apprentice.

...somehow ends up married to Blue years down the line. They have two kids between them. Maria and Reginald

[asreadbydana]

March 2018

I read 12 books in March so to spare you a long post (sorry mobile users):

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham ★ 4 (🎧 audiobook)

As a lover of Gilmore Girls, I loved this book. It was great hearing Lauren's behind-the-scenes thoughts and feelings about both the original series and the reboot. I also learned a bit more about the industry which was interesting. As for the writing, I liked the decision to make it conversational because it really added to the effect that she was telling the reader her career story. Now all I want to do is binge watch Gilmore Girls--again!

The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen ★ 3.5 (📱 ebook)

I kind of felt the same about this book as I did about the first one. Albeit, we did get answers to a few questions, but I think this one raised more questions and concerns than it addressed. For one thing, I was even more confused about the timeline and the world in this one. Nevertheless, I was interested enough to continue on. I just hope the next one clears things up a bit.

The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher ★ 3 (🎧 audiobook)

Another nonfiction book?! Basically after reading Lauren Graham's book I wanted to read more from people who have played some of my favorite characters. And so the next logical book was one by Carrie Fisher. Star Wars is one of my great loves and this book was a nice little look into Carrie's experiences filming the first movie. Although, I felt there was too much of a focus on the Harrison Ford affair. Don't get me wrong, he's great, but I'm here for the Princess.

An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson ★ 4 (📱 ebook)

I really enjoyed this book. It filled my fairy-loving heart with joy. It was the perfect story of a human being thrust into the world of fae. I especially liked seeing how the fairies could take something old, and through magic make it look new (spoiled food, anyone?) However, I felt like this book needed to be longer (not just that I wanted it to be) and so that's why I only gave it 4 stars. The plot needed a bit more fleshing out.

The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler ★ 3.5

This book was decent. Unfortunately it didn't have the same impact on me as Fixing Deliah did by the same author. I think perhaps because the family in this one, the sisters anyway, only served the purpose of creating this "taboo" for dating the love interest. However, I did like the relationship between Jude, the main character, and her father.

Sailor Moon #2 & Sailor Moon #3 by Naoko Takeuchi ★ 4

I read the next 2 volumes in the Sailor Moon series and I gave them both 4 stars. I loved them, I am loving reliving this story through the pages and I can't wait to rewatch the show when I'm done.

Warcross by Marie Lu ★ 3.5

I think it's safe to say I was... underwhelmed with this book. I liked the concept and I liked the main character, but I wasn't that invested in the plot. I didn't realize before reading that Warcross was essentially a fighting game--definitely not my favorite. I also guessed the ending, but that happens with me a lot so it's not the books fault. That being said, I am still interested in seeing where the story is going to go and I will definitely be picking up the next book.

Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast ★ 3 (🎧 audiobook)

Slowly making my way through this series! Like most of the books in this series, it was good enough. These books do have their faults, but they are quick, fun reads and that's all I want out of them.

The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis ★ 3 (🎧 audiobook)

I finally finished this series! I had read some of them when I was younger, but I never completed all 7 books. I started my reread in October of 2015 and now in 2018 I have fulfilled my goal of reading the entirety of the Chronicles of Narnia. Thsi book was better than the last one, and listening to it on audiobook definitely helped me mke my way through it. C.S. Lewis' writing is not my favorite, but I do think these are important children's books to read.

Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb ★ 4.5

Wow, wow, wow. I am SO glad I finally picked this book up! I have been wanting to start Robin Hobb's books ever since Sam of Sam's Nonsense on YouTube first mentioned them. This was definitely a slow build fantasy, but by the end I was totally invested and those last 60 pages or so made me eager to pick up the rest of the trilogy.

Destined by P.C. and Kristin Cast ★ 2.5 (🎧 audiobook)

Unfortunately this book introduced another problematic element. I had to take off a half star for introducing a character with blindness only to have the blindness taken away pretty much immediately. And the worst part? The girl was thankful and accepted her new status right away.

[cenistar]

Could you tell us about the relationship between characters? Who's friends with who, etc.

I won’t really talk about the relationships formed during the killing game, but i will say a bit about how each school’s students/representatives got along before!! There aren’t many ‘ultimate’ students at each branch (they’re a small percentage of each school’s student population) so students tend to know (or at least know of) each other if they’re from the same place.

Information on their actual relationships under the cut!

Branch 1: Keiji and Akio

It seems like they’ve hardly interacted, which is odd considering that they’re in the same class. On top of that, Keiji talks to pretty much everyone. He has tried talking to Akio! It’s just that Akio had been unresponsive towards him. According to Keiji, Akio reminds him of someone else he knows.

Branch 2: Daniel and Takeshi

They’re in different years, and due to their lack of common interests they don’t seem to interact much. They are aware of each other’s existence, but neither has a solid opinion on the other.

Branch 3: Rieko and Jiro 

Rieko is a year older than Jiro, but despite that they work together a lot and are well-acquainted with each other. Rieko looks out for Jiro, and Jiro trusts her a lot. Them working together has a lot to do with their talents.

Branch 4: Chikao and Hanae

They get along well! They’re not extremely close, but they do enjoy each other’s company. Could have to do with them being in a tight-knit class of ultimates.

Branch 5: Hikari and Emi

Despite being in the same class, they haven’t interacted much before. Hikari isn’t particularly close with any other ultimates; the ones from her school tend to keep their distance.

Branch 6: Ibara and Masato

It’s really unclear whether they like each other or not. One minute they can’t stand each other, next minute they’re hanging out like good friends? Man, that’s confusing.

Branch 7: Mari and Naoko

They work really well together! Mari likes to help Naoko with class events and Naoko greatly appreciates Mari’s assistance. Mari claims that the two of them are really close, though Naoko has said before that she doesn’t know much about Mari herself.

Branch 8: Aaron and Finch

Instantly best friends since the day they met. Finch got Aaron into “memeing” while Aaron introduced her to gaming. The two of them are associated with childish pranks and games, though they also enjoy going on runs and training together.