#pokémon alternate reality

[cookiewarriorexpert]

O Luna o Moon

Pokèmon! Shapeshifter! Reader x Sagau Genshin Impact characters

(Archons (ft, Tsaritsa) Harbingers, Traveller, Paimon, Dainsleif, Diluc, Kaeya, Wanderer, and Albedo)

Summary: O Sol o Sun (Lunala ver.)

[name] yawned in their Lunala form, hanging from a large branch while in the winter snow of Snezhnaya while basking in the gentle cold while Albedo was drawing comfortably while watching his divine creator taking a small nap.

Meanwhile Dottore was actually doing something while his grace was asleep, with their permission of course! What man could he be if he didn’t?!

Dottore touched the Lunala’s skin, feeling like he was in the presence of a cool night in the fall.

His grace was the literal embodiment of the sun, he could see that! The stars and sky might be fake but this was a divine revelation that the creator was in fact the moon themselves!

As his hand dipped further into the galactic theme skin he could feel a glare from Ei, he scoffed before touching the yellow horns that were on the creator’s head, cool to the touch.

Capitano and Pierro were locked in a glaring match with Venti and Zhongli while Wanderer was feeling a bit bashful as the creator nuzzled their face into his stomach thus his entire being being enveloped by the creator’s wings and making Childe wheeze.

The wanderer glared and lunala’s psychic powers causing Childe’s legs to become frail and to fall backwards with an ‘oof!’, the wanderer was now smirking smugly like he just found out his new privilege.

Aether was admiring his creator’s sleeping form while Paimon was hovering around the creator looking in awe before taking a nap on top, lured in by the cool of the moon.

Pantalone was humming to himself and looking at the skin with possibilities in his head, the galactic skin from their creator would certainly catch many eyes and profits.

Arlecchino was alongside Columbina, admiring the creator’s sleeping form while Sandrone was taking inspiration for new machines.

Pulcinella admired the skin’s soft and silky appeal and texture.

Nahida meanwhile was trying to calm the situation down between the gods and harbingers and more harbingers began to notice and the gods starting to put the blame on the Tsaritsa. Diluc joined in and he was not ready to give up his grace to the Fatui, Kaeya was all relaxing near Albedo, watching with interest.

The tsaritsa was pissed to say the least.

“First you come into my lands without permission and after centuries, you have the audacity to disregard me so you can take up the creator’s already limited time? I’ll have you know-!?” Said the Tsaritsa as the other gods began to glare at her and the harbingers glaring back ready to fight while Childe was grinning while holding his blades and the wanderer and Albedo looking unamused but annoyed and nahida looking stressed out before-

Snap!*

[name] Stirred in their nap.

Everyone looked to see that it was Dainsleif who broke the branch and he seemed unbothered but on the inside he was having a mental crisis.

The creator opened their eyes and yawned, a purr mixed with a drowsy roar was evident as they hovered over the snow as their eyes now turned into the default narrow eyes of the pokèmon, looking like they were not happy about being woken up early.

Everyone held their breath as the creator approached dainsleif as he went still, some looking eager to see how their dear creator would kill in that form or some legit terrified of the creator’s wrath.

But dainsleif was surprised when he got licked right in the face, causing a part of his blonde hair to stick out.

After seeing that their was no bad blood, [name] positioned back up to the tree branch eager to nap again, being in the moon pokèmon form was enough for them to be lax and ready for anything.

As their eyes close they heard Dottore question them.

“Could you perhaps take us to another world, your grace?” Said Dottore.

Ooo now that was a request they are excited to explore- but wait! They must look badass otherwise this would be embarrassing!

The Lunala’s eyes opened up instantly and looking at the doctor, before instantly hovering over the snow and growl a bit,’get on’.

Dottore grinned as he excitedly grabbed ahold of the wing and hopped over, the archons and harbingers looked appalled.

Lunala turned to them before nodding their head.

After everyone got on, and Childe making Diluc go mad while Kaeya teased tf out of the wanderer making him pissed-

[name] roared loudly, making everyone shudder and shut up, their galactic skin turned into a pale blue before flying up into the air and letting out a large blue and purple blast that tear open a wormhole.

“Hold on, this might be a rough ride.”

Everyone was holding on tight while the insane like Childe and Dottore were cackling like this was a roller coaster.

“Incredible….” Said Dainsleif, breathless at the sight inside the wormhole, a flurry of colors and other wormholes, different sizes and colors all in weird places.

Then they saw the one where their grace wanted to go to, a large, pristine white wormhole, the Lunala roared as they swooped down, passing through the wormhole.

There they were amazed by a sight, creatures of all sizes, shapes, colors, and origins were either swimming, flying, running, or even dancing.

But the most important thing was the sky, it was real, the sky holding beautiful warm colors with pink clouds as the sun began to gracefully glow, the moon barely visible.

“Our grace is too kind!” Sang Columbina as her lips curved into a graceful smile.

“This world is so beautiful.” Said Nahida as she watched the grass type and normal type Pokémon coming to their woodland area for a new day of living in the forest and play.

[name] looked proud of themselves before hearing the cries of Solgaleo! The Sun pokèmon leapt past the creator and returned, roaring out in a challenge.

“Is that the sun?” Said Paimon as she held onto Aether.

Everyone looked in awe of the warm design and the stoic roars.

“Solgaleo wants to challenge me to a race, think that I’ll win?”

The smug but funny tone of the creator as they looked back at their subjects, the archons, harbingers, Diluc, Kaeya, dainsleif, and Aether and Paimon all nodded their heads like this was an easy answer.

“Hold on!”

The creator roared the blue moon color glowing more and Solgaleo roared back their features turning into a pale yellow before they both sped off across the Alola region.

Dottore cackled as Child hooted and laughed as Venti cheered on [name].

They all saw the lights of the cities below the pokémon that roamed they even saw Groudon roaming by!

Soon enough a yellow, red, pink, and purple flashed by and appeared on both sides of Lunala and Solgaleo.

“The Alola island guardians! I’m surprised that they are joining!”

The creator laughter boomed as they flew away from Solgaleo and the guardians before their acolytes were warning them of their approach.

But with one final flap of their wings they were already at the Temple of the Moone, Solgaleo cried out, seemingly pouty of its loss but grateful for the opportunity to play with its counterpart.

After returning back to Teyvat, the earth welcomed their arrival with flora and gifts, and also Dottore and Albedo fighting over who should do the interviews.

The Archons were also more clingy while the Harbingers were more obsessive.

[ashleyleygraves]

Dear diary,

A few days have gone by. Penny has suggested to Director Clavell that he should hire a new teacher to teach about internet safety and how to better secure their information as she has seen every student's private info while trying to find my phone number.

Nemona has been challenging every student to a Pokémon battle. Some accept, some deny, but most people just run away because Nemona's a bit aggressive when she asks. I've tried telling her, but she won't listen.

Arven hasn't been to school much since he found out about his parents. I go to the lighthouse every day to check up on him. He's been cleaning it out a bit. When I asked why, he told me that he spent half of his life hating his parents. But to honor them after their deaths, he's cleaning up their lighthouse lab and he will make it a new restaurant run by him and Mabosstiff named Sadaturo Sandwiches.

I've invited them all to come to my mom's house where we'll do each of our interests together. A Pokémon battle free for all where we'll all be battling each other at the same time. A sandwich cooking competition where Mom, Miraidon, and Koraidon are the judges. A Penny-modded video game where it makes the single player game into a 4 player game and we're going to beat it. And my personal interests from the Sinnoh region where I used to live, we're going to have a Pokémon contest! The theme is "cute" and I can't wait to see who everyone chooses. I just hope Penny doesn't choose Sylveon as her choice of Pokémon, since I'm already using my Sylveon.

[skiddodeeznutz]

The sound of the snow crunching underneath my bare hands was not there. Nor was my own breath.

I remember my hair down. I could at least feel that, and the color. I thought it being covered in the powder, but instead had been transitioning by color to snow, no longer the tone of the warm dirt.

When I did finally stand, the snow was melting away and all I held was an odd shaped pokeball. I watched it go static in my hand. I still could not hear a single thing, even as I shook the effects of the ball- to no avail.

I knew I was panicking for my chest heaved and hoed and my body tensed harshly. But there was a glow, so I looked towards the light. There was a staircase, wooden and painted the color of summer shells, while blinds covered the tall window. There was me. She didn’t look like me though, she had darker skin, and such a small room. Where was the space for her and her pokeballs? The enclosure for her Espurr and other pokemon??

She had something in her hand. A simple Arc Phone that she was glued to. Over and over she typed and over and over her expression never changed. I did not know why I was brought here. But I remember seeing the tiny, adorable dragonite plushie by her. Perhaps, I thought to myself, if I pushed it to fall- she could notice. Perhaps notice this was her destiny.

The window was closed. And I could not reach her. Yet the plush did fall. An odd creature, an Espurr creature without the same soul of one, plopped besides her. She seemed to wake up from her own dream- and stare at me.

Then I awoke.

I don’t usually like sharing these stories, but for a moment I thought, for a moment, maybe I could see a glimpse into another life…another place where I am not a student. I am not a trainer. I am not some wannabe scientist. I am just a girl, dreaming. I wonder how she feels…

[bakingtype]

So I took a job at a coffee shop and today I caught a combee in a cup against the drive-through window and my coworker came and put a lid on it so we just had the combee in a coffee cup on the counter for a while. Anyways, who needs pokeballs!!

[plaid-maniac]

Would an ar tower defense game be fun or too metaverse-y

[gryphonlover]

Linked Universe AU Directory

Anyway, I didn't put every single AU on this thing. I do not have the time and energy for that because there's over 600 LU works tagged as alternate universes on Ao3. I did follow some general guidelines when I was deciding which works to add, the most important one being that the AU had to be more than just canon divergence and had to affect all the characters equally. Feel free to add onto this post, if you think something is missing.

Link to the Ao3 Collection

Age Swap | Age Shuffle AU

Apocalypse - Unspecified | Brothers In Arms

Apocalypse - Zombies | Autolysis

Apocalypse - Zombies | LU Zombie AU

Fae | Across the River

Fae | Flower Garden

Fae | From Open Seas, to Dark Tangled Depths

Folklore | If You Thought This Was Gonna Have a Cool Title, You Obviously Don't Know Me

Fusion - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Hyrule's Adventures in Wonderland

Fusion - Among Us | Good Riddance

Fusion - Atlantis: The Lost Empire | The Sage's Journal

Fusion - Big Hero 6 | Fierce Hero 9

Fusion - Captain America: Civil War | United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Fusion - Dungeons & Dragons | LU x DnD Crossover

Fusion - Full House | Full House AU

Fusion - Lethal Company | Linked Company AU

Fusion - Lethal Company | Linked Universe AU: Lethal Company

Fusion - Mad Max | And the World Ends Again

Fusion - Monstrous Regiment | Linked Regiment

Fusion - Nailed It! | You Really Nailed it Right There, Buddy!

Fusion - Pokémon | LU Pokémon AU

Fusion - Pride and Prejudice | Pride and Prejudice but it's a Fair-Play Whodunnit

Fusion - Tangled | LU Tangled AU

Fusion - The Hunger Games | LU Hunger Games AU

Fusion - The Incredibles | Linked Universe Incredibles AU

Fusion - The Secret World of Arrietty | The Secret World of Wild and Twilight

Fusion - Spirited Away | One Summer's Day

Fusion - Star Wars | Tales of Courage from Across the Galaxy

Fusion - Warrior Cats | Faronclan AU

Gods & Goddesses | And the Universe Said "I Love You"

Heist | Heist AU

Historical - 1800s | City of Light and Dark

Historical - Supernatural | 1931

Science Fiction - Space Crew | Linked Nexus

Mermaids | Flared Fins

Miscellaneous - Disability | Shatterproof

Miscellaneous - Intrigue | Castle Intrigue

Miscellaneous - Magic | We Could be Immortals

Miscellaneous - Unspecified | Eyes Wide Open

Miscellaneous - Unspecified | Manus Lupus

Modern | Adoption AU

Modern | Good Enough

Modern | In the Heart of Hyrule

Modern | LU Modern AU

Modern | Modern Zeldas AU

Modern | Ranch House AU

Modern | The Many Realities of the Hero Spirit and Modern Living

Modern | The Roadtrip AU

Modern | The Weather Outside is Frightful

Modern - Actors | Linked Universe Actor AU

Modern - Coffeeshop/Café | Looking for Group

Modern - College/University | All You Need to Know

Modern - College/University | Linked University

Modern - College/University | Oh No, They're Theater Kids Now

Modern - College/University | RIP

Modern - Emergency Services | Of Officers and Stuffed Elephants

Modern - Farm | Fresh from the Farm

Modern - Ghost Hunters | A Haunting in Hyrule

Modern - Healthcare | How to Save a Life

Modern - Healthcare | LU in Healthcare

Modern - Magic | Everything but Blood

Modern - Magic | Family is Made of...

Modern - Magic | Maybe Human 

Modern - Magic | Summer Camp Lon!

Modern - Magic | The Chain that Binds Us

Modern - Magic | Wild's Magic Shop AU

Modern - Monsters | Here There Be Monsters

Modern - Movie Theater | There's a Remlit... Loose in the Theater!

Modern - Music Camp | Linked Repertoire

Modern - Newsroom | BSX: Hyrule SatellaNews

Modern - Newsroom | Professions and Professionals

Modern - Office | Linked Corporations

Modern - Opera | Opera House AU

Modern - Retail | The Hot Topic Debate

Modern - Retail | What Goes Down at Festival Foods

Monsters | Seelies and Selkies

Murder Mystery | How to Kill a God

Post-Nuclear War | Chain Reaction

Royalty | Every Other Star

Royalty | I'll Be There

Royalty | Royal Links AU

Royalty | Lost Prince AU Part 1 & Lost Prince AU Part 2

Soulmates - Platonic | Marks on Your Body, Marks on Your Soul

Soulmates - Romantic | Castle Town Coffee Shop

Vigilantes | Empty Streets Full of Life

Vigilantes | We Will Find You, Wherever You Are

Wings | Four's a Dad!?

Wings | Wings AU

Wings | Wing Bois

[jadeazora]

Quite a long read below, but I have to admire the dedication to the meme 😂

Feeling blue? It’s because there’s too much water. Your mood can turn gray on rainy days. From a broader perspective, water is the cause of all the world’s woes. All life exists on land. It is where Pokémon hatch from their Eggs. Where they train, battle, and evolve. It’s the source of the Berries that heal and sustain them. Even the mighty Mudkip, Hoenn’s beloved Water-type first partner Pokémon, sees a limited future for itself in water. Why else would it evolve into the Water- AND Ground-type Marshtomp?

Deep down, we all recognize the dangers of water. Land rhymes with grand. Boom! Roasted. Speaking of which, you can’t roast anything in water, and roasting is one of the five best cooking methods—but back to water’s imminent dangers. Even a puddle can ruin someone’s day, so the only safe amount of water is none. While humans fall victim to technology, turning away from nature’s sanctity, Pokémon remain deeply connected to nature. And Pokémon know that water is dangerous; why else would Dragonite dedicate its precious time to flying over immense stretches of sea to rescue people from drowning? How far have we sunk morally that this noble Pokémon must exhaust itself rescuing humans from this dire threat when there is an alternative solution at hand?

If we’re being honest—which the anti-water faction can afford to be with the advantage of facts and Groudon on our side—water tastes terrible. There’s an entire line of products specifically designed to enhance its flavor. It’s worth noting that there are no products to enhance the flavor of earth, because it tastes fine exactly the way it is. If you were thirsty in the middle of the ocean, what would you do with all that water? Clearly, the deranged water apologists bent on marinating us all in this deadly liquid have failed to accurately assess the threat that it poses to humans and Pokémon alike.

It’s no accident that many sports and leisure activities are devoted to avoiding the water. Boats are the most common method of traversing the stuff, and yet their entire purpose is to help you stay dry. Surfboards, jet skis, wetsuits, and even ridable Pokémon like Lapras, Mantine, and Basculegion are all indicative of humanity’s natural and entirely logical aversion to water. In reality, you can enjoy all these activities on land. Sandboarding is every bit as thrilling as surfing. And from a purely fashionable perspective, life vests and flippers ruin any ensemble. Of course, to each his own. Who am I to judge if someone likes the frayed shorts and bandana look? As a person whose style is impeccable, though, I’m much more aware of how important it is to look your best.

Like any person of reasonable logic, I could pontificate on the many dangers, drawbacks, and downsides of water for longer than Groudon’s subterranean slumber, but I have responsibilities elsewhere. I hope I have managed to plant the seeds of doubt concerning this insidious substance. Should you decide to take up our cause, you know where to find me.

Seeing red? You probably need more water. Irritability is a proven side effect of dehydration. There’s no problem that can’t be solved by water. Water is life. Without it, there would be no Magikarp struggling heroically to overcome the limitations of its biology, inspiring us all with its courage. No surfing Pikachu lifting spirits with its gnarly moves. No Squirtle, and certainly no Squirtle Squad. Eager young Pokémon Trainers would visit Professor Birch, excited to meet the Mudkip that would become their first partner on their Pokémon journey, only to find an empty Poké Ball.

What’s so great about land, anyway? There’s a reason land rhymes with bland. You know what isn’t bland? Soup. Everyone knows soup is the epitome of culinary ambition and delight, and what is soup if not seasoned water? If only being bland were the land’s only crime. Land is dangerous—volcanoes, quicksand, drought, and so forth. You know what extinguishes volcanoes, liquefies quicksand, and ends drought? Water. In fact, Kyogre, that magnificent master of aquatic realms, is known to save people suffering the effects of droughts. Without the parched, overrated land, the world and its many beautiful Pokémon would never know the horrors of another drought.

If the land is so safe, explain shoes. While swimming or otherwise interacting with water, we shed our footwear, instinctively wanting to maximize our physical contact with water. When walking on land, though, we wear shoes, acknowledging the inherent danger and uncleanliness of the earth. It’s not unreasonable to theorize that any pro-land faction is secretly funded and driven by Big Footwear.

If land is so wonderful, explain the existence of swimming pools. What are these giant, land-bound containers if not an expression of humankind’s yearning for the soothing, invigorating embrace of that life-giving liquid? Similarly, we embark on cruises because we long for the sea. Without water, we would forever lose the majesty of jet skis, gliding as effortlessly as Lapras. Snorkeling, kayaking, diving, windsurfing, wakeboarding, and water polo would all cease to exist without water. Water aerobics, which we can all agree embodies the nobility of the human spirit and incredible capability of the human body, relies entirely on the presence of water. Without it, we would be left with just aerobics—a pale and paltry imitation.

Finally—our bodies are roughly 60% water. Without it, we would be dried, unrecognizable husks, which is an accurate description of anyone unfeeling enough to dismiss the beauty and wonder of soup, the sea, jet skis, Squirtle, and our existence. Long live the water. I hope these arguments have sufficiently piqued your interest and whet your appetite for knowledge about the benefits and necessity of water.

Article here.

[rei-ismyname]

X-Men/Mutant Dynasties

Something I've always felt uneasy about is when offspring of Marvel mutants basically inherit their mutant gift 1:1. The X Gene (though I don't love that either) is supposed to be a naturally but randomly occurring thing in humans that causes them to develop a strong mutation. In many cases, a superpower as opposed to six toes. I'm sure people experience such minor mutations as well but it's not due to the X Gene.

A character that exemplifies the my dislike of this is Raze, the alternate reality/'future' child of Wolverine and Mystique. Them existing in a pretty ridiculous era with a constant nostalgia recycling is a factor too.

This idiot. He literally just has both parents gifts - shapeshifting, claws, and a healing factor. Maybe it's a Mystique thing and she's like a ditto in Pokémon breeding because her kid with Xavier is this chump.

It's just Charles Xavier again! I'll admit part of the dislike is them featuring in such mediocre, unimaginative stories, and they're pretty transparent Nostalgia bait. Has it lead to good stories? I don't think so, not as a critical element.

Also, I think taking the randomness out of it just leads to eugenics and bioessentialism - a place the x books should not go, or at least not have nominal heroes doing it. Leave it to Mr Sinister.

Mutant trait inheritance has been around since almost the beginning. Polaris has Magneto's powers but weaker, Siryn has *similar* powers to Banshee, Nightcrawler looks like Mystique (though that makes sense through retcon. Shit, maybe she IS a Ditto.) On the flip side, there's even more Mutants that inherited none of their parents' mutation.

IRL Mutation is supposed to be, well not random per se, but the result of damage to genes. In our universe it's neither a good thing nor bad thing. In 616 it's pretty muddled tbh. I'm not a scientist - I'm a writer, so I'm not going deep on something that doesn't have internal consistency. I'm always going to dislike thin characters trying to evoke familiarity through mashing two iconic ones together, but it's more than that. What's the source of my discomfort then?

Yeah, it's the eugenics. HoxPoX actually took it further, revealing that Moira and Charles intentionally sought to breed reality warpers, to the point of researching partners that would give the desired result. They were successful too, resulting in Proteus and Legion, two of the most powerful mutants alive. The ethics of these actions aren't editorialised but I think they're meant to be read as horrifying - especially when you consider the context of the 'pairings' and the lives these poor kids have had. Maybe it's not so surprising Xavier views David as a weapon and Moira seems to hate Kevin. It makes Chuck and Moira look terrible.

Pic unrelated, I just wanted to break up the text and what better than Beatnik Namor?

The superbaby schemes never come to light and they're not really punished for being shit parents. Certainly not socially. I'd love a book where they were, but the time has kinda passed. Maybe the fairy tale morality of big two comics doesn't have the framework or the desire to explore it, though I think that if you're going to put eugenics in your fiction you probably should.

I've been sitting on this draft for months because I feel like I don't have the knowledge or vocabulary to explore it properly. I'm probably missing something. I've decided it's been edited and rewritten enough and I'm posting it as is, so if you have any thoughts on this I'd love to hear them. Join the conversation!

[4ster-bl4ster]

Aster, need my words well…

I am Meta Vitch, leader of Team Novae. I have taken over my alternate’s blog to spread my crusade across this multi-universal platform.

You have been chosen as someone who can help me in my crusade to save existence.

Your life is being wasted, trying to fit in amongst those who are below you. Their work is meaningless to the span of the cosmos. They will die, and all who remember them will die. Down your sorrowful path, you will mean nothing in due time…

But it doesn’t have to be this way. With the power stolen from the Solar God, I have broken past the chains that bound humanity to the plane that we are stuck to. We have already begun to make our mark, and we crave more.

Existence is tearing at the seams, and the Gods have failed us. It is time to stand up and fight for the continued cycle of the Ether.

With you by our side, you too can share in our revelry, and be remembered and exist forever in the cosmic expanse. The pain of life will be nothing but a nightmare in the face of a reality beyond simple consciousness.

If you accept my offer, then we will fully provide for you. Food, shelter, accommodations, whatever you need. And we will also provide these boons to your close friends and family as well, protecting them when your universe dims.

If you refuse… then you will experience the wrath of the new Solar God as he wipes away the light from your reality, and leave your meaningless existence in the dark.

You have 48 hours to make your choice. I hope you choose the right one…

Meta Vitch, the new Solar God

@metaoflocasol

Didn't you also send this exact ask to Harte as well? +10 points for being original I guess.

First off, I don't appreciate ya tellin' me that I'm wasting my life. I'm chasin' my dreams in the way I see fit regardless of what others say. Fittin' in isn't my forte, I hope ya know. Maybe if ya did a bit of research into who you're tryin to recruit you'd be able to make a more compelling arguement than that.

Second, the concept of bein' eternal and revered as a god for all time is stupid. I've seen what happens to people who try to play god using legendary pokémon. Considering what I've seen— (you killin' your world's Necrozma if I remember correctly) you're just like 'em, n' I hope ya know it'll lead to nothin' but pain and regret.

Though, considering you want to make life as bland as a saltine cracker I can see you prolly want to avoid that. (Unfortunately knowin' how the universe works you're walkin right into what you wanna avoid.)

Anyways, as I was sayin'—

I've faced multiple legendary pokémon, I wouldn't mind addin' one more to the list of gods I've thrown hands with and won against.

You sound a bit too full of yourself anyways, maybe a proper thrashin' oughta do ya some good. Knock that ego down a peg, yea? Whatcha say, maybe you'll impress EVO enough that they'll grace you with their presence in battle.

Or maybe you're jus' a coward who's all bark n' no bite— 'cause you never did anythin' to the others who rejected you.

So what'll it be, "friend"?

[sylver-drawer]

The Writing of Pandora Hearts and its Depiction of Human Ego or an essay I wrote for class because I love PH so much (mainly spoiler free except for a small tangent on Lottie’s character)

When you think about aspects of the Shonen Demographic, what tends to come to mind? Usually it’s something along the lines of fluid yet repetitive action, a lovable cast of characters who get down but quickly move on, and a protagonist who can handle anything. But when you ask a fan of renowned and well-liked shonen such as Hajime Isayama’s Attack on Titan or Hiromu Arakawa’s Full-Metal Alchemist, what’s most reminiscent is how the characters are written and their depth. That’s why when anyone asks me what shonen I’d recommend, I always immediately recommend Jun Mochizuki’s Pandora Hearts. Jun Mochizuki is a master at her craft, be it with her beautiful watercolor illustrations, the fantastical and fairytale-like world building, or what I associate with her most—how bitterly human she writes her characters and how it hits the reader. The way Pandora Hearts’ ornate writing twists from this alice-in-wonderland inspired gothic adventure, to a story about the beautiful yet ugly depths of human will and ego, genuinely makes me believe that it deserves one of the top places in the Shonen Demographic.

It’s a relatively standard set up. Pandora Hearts follows a young boy by the name of Oz Vesalius on the brink of his fifteenth birthday. During his coming of age ceremony a sinister group called the Baskervilles condemns him for his sin of living, and casts him into the Abyss—a hellish nightmare dimension resembling a broken toy box filled with grotesque monsters called ‘Chains’. With the help via contract of an amnesiac girl who calls herself Alice, her identity being the chain “Bloody-Rabbit” that strangely takes an alternative human form, he escapes the Abyss only to find himself ten years in the future. The first few chapters set up our boyish protagonist’s temperament and desire, as well as the dangers he will encounter with sprinkles of what the world of Pandora Hearts is like. I relate this to the beginning of Attack on Titan, introducing Eren and his friends’ personalities and values before getting thrust into the harsh reality of their apocalyptic world.

The story begins in a cliche, yet familiar way. It starts off relatively light and almost whimsical as it makes you think it’ll follow the monster(chains)-of-the-week format; Oz seeking out the Baskervilles for the reason of his ‘sin’, and Alice seeking out her fragmented memories. Preceding the Shonen Demographic, kids grow up with something like Pokémon or Digimon where there’s a new ‘monster’ to ‘defeat’ quickly each week. It’s a way to progress the story for the very young child viewer in a fun and easy way, even if they miss an episode or two. The main purpose of presenting the idea of this familiarity, is to rope the reader into a false sense of security.

This format is abandoned just as quickly as it was proposed as the story gets more convoluted, pulling the reader in. All the characters seem to be hiding something, the enemies are closer than you think, and at some point you genuinely question yourself if they’re truly the enemies here. You begin to realize that despite all the secrets everyone has—no one actually knows anything. The protagonists, their comrades, and even their enemies; everyone is in the dark in regards to the truth of the catalyst event a hundred years prior, The Tragedy of Sablier, except for the main villain of the story. The fact that the reader is on the same level of knowledge the vast majority of characters are on allows the reader to empathize with them almost as actual comrades, instead of seeing them as simply characters in a story.

Usually in shonen, the reader is given scenes of the antagonist’s side so that the reader has information the protagonists do not, such as displayed in Full-Metal Alchemist where the reader is exposed to multiple scenes of the Homunculi and their plans before Ed and Al are. Shonen villains tend to be bastards after all, pure and irredeemable evil in support of an evil system. This is meant to build a sense of foreboding for the reader, as well as anticipation for how the main characters deal with this danger. It’s because of this storytelling method that separates the readers from the characters, driving almost a wedge between them. Readers' thoughts go from, “I wonder why this happened” (solving a ‘mystery’ in the moment alongside the characters), to “I wonder how the characters will deal with this” (an event the reader already knows will happen soon).

Particularly what sets Pandora Hearts apart from this, is that Jun Mochizuki allows us to empathize with the villains due to their similar level of ignorance as the heroes. We are shown scenes of the villains, but not so much that we gain any major insider plot knowledge. Rather, the most important insider information the reader receives are the bonds between the villains almost paralleling the bonds between the hero cast we’ve already fallen for. Charlotte, who is somewhat one of the Baskervilles’ ringleaders, presents herself uniquely. She is very devote to the Baskervilles’ cause of obeying their leader, and kills and torments without a second thought. Yet, Lottie is as desperate for answers as Oz’s crew. You can see it on her face, where she contemplates as she stands beside her fellow Baskervilles whom she loves like family, “Is what we’re doing truly right?”. It is a very subtle writing strategy, one that acclimates the reader to feel for and humanize the ‘inhuman’ enemy, gradually building up to Pandora Hearts’ crescendo.

This intricately planned writing Jun Mochizuki has drip fed the reader pays off during the story’s climax. By the time the truth is revealed to all, the reader is left in an array of chaos alongside the cast, questioning everything. One of these, being the protagonist himself. Everything we associate with our dear hero, Oz; his classic young yet burdened hero demeanor with a high moral compass, his complicated emotionally charged relationship with his estranged family, his immortalized friendships with Alice and his childhood friend Gilbert that feel as if they could stick through everything—at some point, all of those threads that make up ‘Oz Vessalius’ fall apart. His connection to the antagonist and how it affects the story and narrative still shakes me to the core to this very day, and you’re left wondering what exactly is left and where we can go from here. Everything Oz knows, everything we the reader knows about him and the cast we’ve come to love, suddenly becomes false. You can’t help but feel played, yet when you read back desperately to validate your feelings, there’s the cruel realization that you were never lied to. All the signs were there in your face and it was you, the reader’s, choice to misinterpret them. It’s difficult to manipulate the reader using the reader’s own assumptions and prejudice, and yet Jun Mochizuki has done it in Pandora Hearts.

How Pandora Hearts takes everything the reader knows and destroys it is such a transformative experience that transcends the expectation of a normal shonen. The layers in which Jun Mochizuki had written are so deep, that the characters' roles we tend to reduce to tropes and generalizations have so much meaning to them. Oz, our heroic protagonist, maybe isn’t the strong willed boy he’s supposed to be; and maybe the Baskervilles, despite the atrocities they’ve committed, maybe aren’t wishing for world destruction. Our lovable cast of characters are hypocrites, sometimes betraying themselves or people they’ve sworn to, and reasons we expect to be grandiose turn out to be simple selfish, raw human desires. Those that selflessly fight for ‘love’ are simply fighting for self preservation, and those that do everything for their ‘ego’ crumble so easily in face of their love. Pandora Hearts is just like other shonen, but also not. There’s action, characters who get down but sometimes need time to move on, and a protagonist who tries his best to handle anything. Most of all, they’re all so painfully human, and I think that’s what is at the heart of shonen. Jun Mochizuki’s Pandora Hearts’ intricately written story, with its raw portrayals of the human will as well as the world crashing twists and cast you can’t help but love, is exactly what the shonen demographic deserves.

[ashleyleygraves]

I reach my hand out. Nemona looks over at me. "Ooo getting ready to battle?" Nemona asks.

"Hm? Oh no, I was thinking about everything. Like... what's it like in the future?"

Nemona looks puzzled. "What do you mean exactly?"

I look up into the sky as clouds pass over us and reply, "well... all the future Pokémon look robotic. Like, as if they aren't even living anymore... did they adapt overtime or did humans rebuild Pokémon... like did all Pokémon die out?"

"You're sounding like my parents," Arven pipes up as he walks over to the picnic table and sits with us.

"You're late," Nemona says.

"Yeah, sure, but where's that hacker girl?"

"Penny couldn't make it today," I reply pulling out 4 sandwiches. I give Arven and Nemona each a sandwich and hold out the 3rd to Miraidon and Koraidon, "share nicely, you two." I then take a bite out of my sandwich.

_______

... and yeah. This is a small snippet of what I think happens after Pokémon Scarlett/Violet.

In this AU, where there are no differences. Both of Arven's parents have died. Both Miraidon and Koraidon exist as 2 future forms of Cyclizar.

I, Quinny, have decided to give Miraidon and Koraidon to Jaqc to study their biology and how Cyclizar will evolve over time.

I will most likely not keep this at all up to date or anything. Just thought this AU should exist as an interesting concept

[alecrytr]

Mathias x Erik in an alternate reality

In an alternate universe, Eric sent a Pokémon selfie to his bf instead of Olivia.

[bakingtype]

who the FUCK is team calm

[im-lost-on-mt-silver]

The results are in! Moving forward, this blog will be an ask blog for my alternate take on Blake!

I might include drawings in answers, I might not, we’ll see as we go!

Info under cut

In this interpretation, Blake did not survive the events of Easter Egg: Snow on Mt. Silver. However, he didn’t die either. He’s in a state between life and death, but he manages. Although he’ll never be the same person he was before scaling the mountain, he’s regained some of his spunk after eventually coming to terms with his new reality.

-Dead Red will make appearances when appropriate, but will not be one of the main focuses of the blog

-Blake does know the other trainers from Hypnos Lullaby, but any appearance from them by me will be little to none as once again, they are not the main focus of the blog

-His other Pokémon are stuck in a similar situation as him, with a few differences. While Blake remains unable to fully die, his Pokémon are in a constant cycle of dying and reviving while being husks of who they once were

If you saw that I forgot to remove an arm no you didn’t

[auramage111]

The Dark Path Cast

Juliana: The Main Protagonist of the Alternate Universe and student of Naranja/Uva Academy. She is chosen for the joint Kitakami trip by lottery and her trip will become an adventure that will forge a new friendship and cause a fellow student to make dire choices.

Kieran: A First year student of Blueberry Academy and Carmine's younger brother. He is shy and quiet, but over his time he grows confident and learns to be brave. However, this growth comes at the price of being strained from his sister. He is learning how to make masks from his Grandpa

Carmine: A third year student of Blueberry Academy and Kieran's Older brother. She is less than welcoming to Juliana and is brash and stubborn. Soon, the stubbornness turns to pride and she begins to make wrong decisions and even befriends three Loyal Pokémon.

Lacey: A second year student of Blueberry Academy and a member of the BB League Elite Four, who specializes in Fairy types. She takes Kieran in as her trainee after Carmine's dark change and swears to help him see some sense to his sister. She is Driftveil City Gym Leader Clay's daughter.

Crispin: A First year student of Blueberry Academy and a member of the BB League Elite Four who specializes in Fire Types. While he is a good cook, he is a bit of an airhead, which is why he is unaware of Carmine's Dark Path and Kieran's worries. He is classmates with Kieran.

Drayton: A second year student of Blueberry Academy and BB League Champion-turned-BB League Elite Four, who specializes in Dragon Types. He may be intelligent, but he is lazy and laid-back, which is why he had to repeat a year three times. He has a brotherly bond with Kieran and Carmine, which is why he is dedicated to helping talk some sense into Carmine… sort of. He is Opelucid City Gym Leader Drayton's grandson.

Amarys: A student of Blueberry Academy (we don't know what year) and a Member of the BB League Elite Four who specializes in Steel Types. She is best friends with Carmine and knows Kieran due to being friends with his sister. Amarys is most affected by Carmine's change, but she hides it with her stoic expressions.

Florian: A young man with a Terapagos. He befriends Carmine when she is at her lowest and follows her dark path of revenge on Juliana. He is a strong obstacle for Juliana. Kieran and the BB League Elite Four.

Gladys (Original Character): A first year student of Blueberry Academy from Galar. She used to be a BB League Elite Four, but lost her position. She is a Grass expert. She comes from Turffield so she can train to be strong and be a dependent Gym Trainer for Milo. She is classmates and good friends with Kieran while she barely interacted with Carmine. She is also classmates with Crispin.

Ogerpon: A Grass type Legendary Pokémon who can use four masks. In Mossui Town's eyes, a menacing ogre that spread fear towards the village, in Kieran's eyes, a brave creature that valiantly took down three Pokémon. In reality, Ogerpon is a lonely Pokémon who is hiding in isolation after the incident that killed her friend and ostracized her from the village.

The Loyal Three: A trio consisting of Okidogi, Munkidori and Fezandipiti. In the eyes of the villagers, these three are heroes who sacrificed themselves to repel a fearsome ogre, but in reality, they are greedy Pokémon who stole Ogerpon's masks and they paid the price. After their defeat upon resurrection, Carmine caught her and they became friends with her for her insanity.

Terapagos: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero and a Pokémon under the ownership of Florian. He, alongside Florian, met Carmine and they decide to help her walk her path of darkness.

Pecharunt: A mysterious Pokémon mysteriously found in Peachy's. Pecharunt was originally the child of an elderly couple, Pecharunt ended up stranded in Kitakami when it and the Loyal Three stole Ogerpon's masks and ended up losing to Ogerpon. Years later, when it was time for Carmine to leave, Pecharunt sensed Carmine's anger and flew to her house. It decided to be her Pokémon in exchange for strenght. Now, alongside Sinistcha, Carmine sees Pecharunt and the Loyal Three as her only friends, isolating herself from even her own brother.

Posting this because I dunno how secondary blogs work...

[vo-kopen]

I briefly was interested when I saw the first issue of a new Edge of Spiderverse comic was beginning before rapidly losing interest. The synopsis claims it will be starting “the build to the biggest Spider-Versal story (marvel) has EVER DONE!” And that immediately pushes me away.

I wanted to see some windows into other spider realities, this is an anthology about parallel realities, can’t that be enough? Does it need to lead into a crisis? Does it even make sense for there to be a crisis? The comics Spiderverse has been almost destroyed so many times in the last few years, it’s lost its impact. I just want an anthology, not another ever escalating event. Let us breathe.

I don’t crave to see Dragonball Z/Super levels of threats, I don’t want all of reality constantly at risk, I want a snapshot into another setting with its own heroes. Like give me a neat concept for a alternate version of a hero, have them do street level stuff or at least stuff limited to their own universe, and I am peachy. Maybe do a riff on Pokémon/his dark materials and have the spider hero be powerless but have a familiar that is a radioactive spider? Or a spider medic in WWI trying to save everyone caught in the war, bandaging wounds with webbing and sneaking through no man’s land to get the heavily injured medical treatment? Maybe follow up on the Hobie Brown Spider-Man from that Secret Wars tie in? Let Valerie the Librarian be the star of a setting? Or just revisit Spider-Rex again, at least that’s fun. Give me standalone snapshots (of Spider-Man)

Sorry for ranting. But remember how the og Crisis on Two Earths was just “Barry helps Jay come out of retirement and take down three villains who are just robbing people?” That’s the stakes, just helping a retired hero suit up again and solve a crime wave in one city? Why can’t we get those kind of stakes in multiverse stuff? Street level and person stuff? Why must every multiverse anthology lead into a crisis crossover? And *grumble grumble grumble whine whine whine*

@thefingerfuckingfemalefury @nitpickrider @espanolbot2 @docgold13 @newx-menfan am I so out of touch? No, it’s the children who are wrong.