#this pokémon is cool and all and i think its typing is Very cool‚ especially for a starter

[front-facing-pokemon]

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Could I request hcs of reader with an Iron hands who is a gentle giant and loves to battle against other trainers ( like nemona and penny) but arven is always on edge around the iron hands.. always thinking that it could hurt someone else like the other area zero pokemon hurt mabostiff. Reader and co tries to convince him that that this one's diffrent and would never do that to anyone?

((Generally fluff.. it doesn't need to be that angsty))

I love Iron Hands fr fr so thank you for this <3

My main one (who I affectionately named Raiden) is a tera raid powerhouse, but besides that I just,,,love my funky metallic futuristic Hariyama

.......

You often wonder if your Iron Hands had some kind of glitch in its system...

Because it's simply the sweetest fighting/electric type machine you've ever had the honor of capturing.

Its default expression is pretty much like "^^" 24/7.

When outside its pokeball, it's such a gentle giant towards the smaller Pokémon--whether they're on your team or out in the wild.

It absolutely loves comparing hand sizes with everyone (especially you, even though it knows very well that its palm size surpasses every single human's).

And of course, Iron Hands likes the thrill of battle, being all charged-up to fight whoever challenged you both.

Nemona herself is always eager to battle the Paradox Pokémon she witnessed you capture firsthand.

Penny gets a little nervous sending out her Vaporeon or Umbreon, knowing they'd get clobbered by a thunderbolt or drain punch easily.

But even outside of battle, Iron Hands is a kind and gentle soul around her Eeveelutions. They like to play around in the field, so they don't bear any ill will towards it.

The only person who feels genuine fear around it is Arven...and for good reason.

You saw it the moment Mabosstiff and Iron Hands stared each other down at one of the school's tournaments, with you taking one turn to boost its attack....while your friend remained frozen on the spot, suddenly unable to utter a command to his buddy.

He ended up running away, and the match was suspended, with you and the girls chasing him down to find him at the lighthouse.

Iron Hands is just stumped, confused as to why he looked so angry at it.

But you, Penny, and Nemona knew exactly what was up.

He was just scared of it hurting Mabosstiff (or other people) and making him weak all over again.

Of course, Arven was still traumatized by what happened during his first time in Area Zero--and being ambushed by a group of Iron Hands before you went up to the time machine certainly didn't help matters.

But you reassured him that your Iron Hands was nothing like those wild ones.

It was kind, loyal, and you've trained it well and understood each other...even though its origins remained shrouded in mystery (you had to lie about it being a Hariyama in a cool suit, but it took no offense to that).

The girls also agreed that it was good and patient in battles, never overdoing any attack.

Still, it's gonna take Arven some time to fully trust it, especially in a battle with Mabosstiff. So you just set up picnics and allowed Iron Hands to interact with his Pokémon, getting to know each and every one of them.

You even encouraged him to use the sponge on its metal plates, giving them a good shine.

With time (and more exposure therapy), he'll be comfortable enough seeing Iron Hands always at your side whenever he's making sandwiches or asking you for advice on his newest recipes.

[sapphicc-ace]

💗About me!💗

MY DM NOTIFICATIONS DONT WORK USUALLY AND ITS ANNOYING IM NOT IGNORING YOU AAAA

They/she, sapphic

Pretty self explanatory. I'm still kinds figuring out my gender identity but for now I'm a femby, feminine leaning non binary person. If you don't respect that move along. I dont at all mind being referred to femininely but a they once in a while might be nice, still figuring things out yknow? And when it comes to the next two topics, as the name implies I'm very sapphic, meaning I'm not rlly into the masc side of things. But all gendered peoples are welcome here and I'd love to be friends with anyone!! Also I have a lot of social anxiety so forgive me for being stupid fhfhrjf

Aromantic...maybe demi?

I think im aromantic. I'm not actively looking for a serious relationship, but who knows maybe thatll change one day. Just keep it in mind when you dm me im not really looking for a relationship, pls dont get your hopes up. However, I love being flirty and making people happy and flustered with complimentsand teasing😋 I'm open to queerplatonic/poly stuff and would love to be an encourager to any fem feedees, or just make new friends! So feel free to reach out as long as you respect my boundaries (and ofc I'll respect yours, be sure to tell me them so I know!!)

If I think you're cool and am comfortable with you and you live in or near new york...👀

A graysexual feedist?

Yes, asexuality is a spectrum, and in truth I think i reside more on the lines of graysexual. For some, asexuality means not being sexual whatsoever. For others, like me, you can still experience stuff like arousel, without the need for sex itself. I personally am put off by sex organs of all kinds. Sex itself is physically pleasurable, but conceptually does nothing for me. Tldr, I only get off on feedism, my love for feedism is an aesthetic fixation consciously, while my body gets horny about it.

And as the name implies I loooove soft feedism! Casually encouraging someone to overeat, praising and teasing their softness, cute shit gets me so bad. I do enjoy some more hard stuff too, but usually only if my partner is into it. I naturally lean more soft core.

Feedism topics i love:

-Button pops

-Gluttony🥴😵‍💫 🥰(especially the "helpless" style of gluttony)

-Tight clothes

-Jiggles

-Burps (in particular lil borps from being too stuffed)

-General soft feeder-feedee stuff

-Bloating

-Before/after, seeing progress, that kinda thing

-General chubby love especially from non feedist sources, call me a dork but that pureness makes me heart sing🥺

Stuff I'm neutral on (can be cute in the right scenerio):

-Pet play

-Belly noises

-Slob

-"mommy" type stuff

Things I am NOT interested in however:

-Graphic stuff about genitals/holes. Knowing youre super aroused can add to it but just...no holes pls

-Blueberry stuff

-Vore

-death feedism/health issues

-Inflation

-Abusive situations

-Any bodily fluid or substance that comes out of you lol

(BTW anythibg on here that's halfway is like neutral, like I won't be sad over a lack of it but I like it!)

Neurodivergent

ADHD, undiagnosed autistic, probably an anxiety disorder, yeah I'm kind of a mess

Other interests:

-Videogames, generally big on Nintendo stuff and play plenty of steam games. Not really into super competitive stuff, realism or most shooters, but some big names are Kirby, Smash Ult, TF2, Pokémon, Celeste, Animal Crossing, and I'm a huge fan of many roguelikes like Binding of Isaac.

-Animals: pls send me cute photos of your cat🥺

-Magic the Gathering (filthy commander player who hasn't bothered learning the meta for other formats)

-Failed artist but I love seeing other works!

-Foodie (no honestly outside of kink I'm a huge slut for good food, but I'm as picky as a 5 year old so it's a struggle lol)

-Weird horror stuff, warning I WILL tell you my analog horror theories

-Animated shows like adventure time

-stupid movies, I will quote some bad movie I havnt seen in years because it suck with me for no reason

That's pretty much everything I think is important to know about me. I'll edit later if things change. Hope you have a good day full of delicious foods! (Or full of adorable fatties if you're an fa!)💗

I am both of these btw spiritually (credit: punkitt)

[pkmnprofloblolly]

I noticed awhile back that my grandmothers new pet sneasel has a little splotch of white fur covering her upper snout. I’ve never seen a sneasel with that marking before and asked my grandma about it, and she told me that she was born with it. I thought it was super cool Pokémon could be born with little distinctions like that! Do you know of any other examples of that popping up? Or is my grannies sneasel unique?

yep, small differences in color and pattern are a common sight across most pokemon species! this is especially prominent in those popularly bred, since folks select for things like interesting coat patterns or unique colors. very domestic pokemon like eevee, rockruff, or the many 'starter' pokemon are some of the most common this is seen in, since such traits can be selected against in the wild, decreasing their occurrence, while they are often seen as desirable in pets.

(a couple varieties of selectively-bred snivy, differentiated only by appearance- typical, broken stripe, and solid-color.)

white patches in particular are a common kind of pigment difference- leucism is the overall term for partial loss of pigment (different from albinism, though) which can include piebaldism. piebald organisms have blotchy patches of pigment loss across their body. you may also be familiar with vitiligo, which can look very similar to piebaldism, but are fundamentally different conditions.

(a piebald staravia. leucism isn't a super uncommon sight in the wild, with birdwatchers in particular recording many instances.)

that said, i think i may have a specific explanation for why a sneasel would have a white patch, depending on where your granny's sneasel traces its ancestry. up until the mid-1800s or so, there were two varieties of sneasel- johtonian and hisuian (hisui being an older name for the sinnoh region). johtonian sneasel is the variety we have today, ice/dark type with black fur and red "feathers" which evolves into weavile. hisuian sneasel, on the other hand, was poison/fighting type with white and purple fur and "feathers", and it evolved into the now entirely extinct pokemon sneasler (alas, i don't think there's ever been a "sneaslest").

in the early 1800s, johtonian sneasel were introduced to sinnoh's frigid northern areas by people moving into the area. or, perhaps more apocryphal, even by "anomalies in space and time" as noted by a contemporary ecologist. while not exactly provable, there are indeed some records from the time of similar-sounding events, and it isn't like sinnoh nor johto are unfamiliar to their share of time-bending myths and phenomena, thanks to the legendary dialga and celebi. so, hey, maybe it was time travel. or both time travel and more mundane means. or maybe not time travel

these johtonian sneasel and weavile became an invasive species in the region, quickly acclimating to the area and coming into direct competition with hisuian sneasel and sneasler for food and territory. sneasler was known to breed infrequently- only once every few years- so they were particularly susceptible to lowering populations causing more collapse. the johtonian sneasel also proved to be more aggressive, and together with increasing human population drove the more solitary variety into smaller and smaller areas, until its eventual extinction, with the last known sneasler passing away in 1867.

however, during the time in which the two varieties did overlap, they uncommonly interbred. as a result, it isn't too odd to see sneasel/weavile from sinnoh today with patches or white or purple in their fur or "feathers", and veeery rarely even one that has one of the hisuian sneasel's typings (i REALLY need to expand on how typing works sometime soon). all that is to say- if your granny's sneasel or its ancestors are from sinnoh, the white splotch could be a result of hisuian sneasel heritage. it could also just be regular patches of pigmentation loss, as mentioned before, especially if the sneasel traces its ancestry outside of sinnoh.

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

Trying to think of all of my favorite Pokémon; and a lot of them I don’t think would be very good pets haha (Gliscor, Larvesta, etc)

But one Pokémon I really love is Whimsicott! I’m curious to see how living with one would fare, especially with their mischievous nature!

(Btw I love this blog, I love the way you apply the Pokédex entries to real life and in comparisons with real life pets! It’s super fascinating and cool!)

(Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy my blog!)

This one really caught me off (cotton)guard, but once I got into the analysis I ended up being surprised that whimsicotts' score didn't end up lower. Unfortunately, a whimsicott would not make a good house pet.

They're small, lightweight, and cute, of course! And as far as the danger of their move pool goes, its pretty standard grass-type faire, with rare but possible poison risks and nutrient absorption. While we always stress that these risks should be heavily considered when thinking about taking in a pokémon as a pet, these point detriments weren't really what dragged down whimsicotts' score!

Let's consider wild whimsicotts' observed behavior, to get a better feel for why the species wouldn't be a good fit for a home. Whimsicotts float about freely on the wind, passing from place to place as they see fit. They are known to infiltrate people homes to cause mischief, their favorite pranks including rearranging furniture (X), hiding important objects (Ultra Sun), and making a mess by leaving bits of their cotton scattered all over the place (Black 2/White 2). This behavior, while annoying or humorous depending on your mood, isn't even the issue. It is said that whimsicotts can, "like the wind, slip through any gap, no matter how small" (Black). This means that it is nearly impossible to keep a wild wandering whimsicott out of your home. It also means, critically, that keeping a pet whimsicott inside your home would be similarly impossible. Whimsicotts are nomadic by their nature. After wrecking their mayhem, they never stay in one place (Ultra Moon). This means that even if you were somehow able to seal up your home so much that your whimsicott couldn't wander outside alone, they would likely be unhappy when prevented from running off and may lash out.

One time, in the real world, I asked someone who worked at an American zoo why they didn't care for any beavers. They told me, quite simply, beavers can not, and will not, be contained. It seems that whimsicotts may very well be the same way. By all means, treat the wild nomadic whimsicotts that float on by kindly, but they would likely not thrive as a house pet.

[wingsonghalo]

A Match(a) Made in Heaven: a Pokémon Fanfic- Chapter 1

Hello everyone!

I posted this on Ao3 yesterday so I figured I should post it over here too. About a month ago, I started talking about the potential of shipping Carmine and Penny with @forwortuntodawn. Penny calls her pretty, Carmine loves being called pretty; they'd both be snarky together; their personalities would balance each other out... there's so much to love about them! Eventually I dragged several other friends into the CarPen pit with me, and here we are.

An extra-special thank you to the aforementioned KC, my #1 Beta Bestie and COO of CarPen. Rarepair Hell's more like heaven with you. Thank you also to two other dear friends, @smilelikeaknife and @litlyre, who along with KC are the KEWLest writer pals ever. You all give me something to strive for, and I admire you all so much! Thank you for all your encouragement and all the laughs. Just as before, this and all CarPen content is for you. 💖💖💖

I hope you take a chance on this pairing, reader. I promise I will do my best to make it worth the read!

================================================

Title: A Match(a) Made in Heaven Fandom: Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Pairing(s): Carmine x Penny, Arven x Juliana Wordcount for this chapter: 6,549 Summary: "Hey, Red-n'-Blue," she murmured out the side of her mouth, "am I crazy, or is Juli putting out mad vibes with the tall chef guy?" The shorter girl's gray eyes looked up at her. An eyebrow stretched towards her multicolored bangs. "You ARE crazy if you think we're going to gossip about my friends before you even learn our names, Stretch." Carmine ropes Penny into her plans to get Arven and Juliana together, but she might end up focused on more than just that relationship... Carmine x Penny and Juliana x Arven! Also available on: Ao3 Support me on: Patreon | Ko-fi 

A Match(a) Made in Heaven

Chapter 1: A Pact

Despite what anyone else, especially her brother, might say, Carmine was totally a generous and thoughtful person.

No, really!

She carefully observed others to determine things about them—their emotional state, their likes and dislikes, where they'd come from, their social status, all that type of stuff. Sure, sometimes her observations included just asking other well-informed individuals about persons of interest, but that was its own kind of savvy too, wasn't it? You had to know who to ask, after all.

One of the things that captured Carmine's interest the most lately was the romantic entanglements of her peers. She was a teenage girl and found such matters of the heart fascinating (It had nothing to do with "needing more hobbies" or being "too nosy for your own good, sis," thank you very much, Kieran. Hmph. As if he could talk, when his hobbies were 1) fanboying about an old legend, 2) obsessively training in Pokémon battles, and 3) there was no 3; that was the end of the list). And yeah, maybe sometimes she wished that the romantic drama involved her once in a while, but whatever. Being an observer was cool. Carmine was fine with just sitting on the sidelines. Absolutely. 100%.

It was fine, okay?!

Anyway, she'd recently met a girl from Paldea on a school trip. Juliana was her name. Short, dainty, shiny chestnut-colored hair, big sparkly cinnamon-brown eyes, perfect smile (not as perfect as her own, of course), magnetic personality. She was almost annoyingly cute, like a little mascot designed for people to immediately latch onto. Carmine had initially just thought of her as another lame outsider who'd come to goggle at their tiny backwater hometown. A good-for-nothing tourist.

Juliana had not been a good-for-nothing tourist.

Instead, she had been… probably the second genuine friend Carmine had ever had, after Amarys. She'd been Kiki's first genuine friend. Juliana had taken everything both siblings had thrown at her in stride, and still emerged from the mangled mess of misplaced resentment and jealousy and distrust as their ally and confidante. Though it pained Carmine to admit it, she owed much of her newfound understanding with her brother to Juliana.

(It pained her to admit it, and that was why Carmine had no intention of doing so to anyone but herself. Maybe Juliana, sometime, if Carmine was feeling generous; which, as we've established, was frequently, okay?)

The point was, Juliana was an almost impossibly good person and everyone liked her. Even Kieran had been irresistibly drawn into her thrall at first, totally infatuated within minutes of meeting her, despite Carmine's continual insistence that he not get suckered by anyone who pretended to be interested in lame ol' Mossui Town, talent in Pokémon battling notwithstanding. (Didn't he know that was how evil land development companies got their claws into vulnerable little rural towns, sending people out to get information from unsuspecting yokels before turning on them and erecting a mall or whatever?!) In this one particular instance, however, her caution had been unwarranted: Juliana really was the compassionate, pure-hearted little angel she appeared to be, except in battle, where she suddenly became a demon (or an ogre?) with an angel's face. Carmine had been forced to confront the fact that she had—inadvertently, mind—been keeping herself and her brother confined to their own little world, never letting anyone else get too close until Juliana waltzed in with that silly little cherubic smile of hers. She seemed to exist just to break them out of their shells, to get them to open their eyes to all the people and places they'd never cared to look at before.

It was because of this fresh perspective on things, this newly-discovered consideration for things outside her usual bubble, that Carmine came to be curious about Juliana's feelings.

At first, she was only interested because Kieran was all googly-eyed over her. She had to scope out anyone who might eventually become part of their family, right? She couldn't let anyone get all buddy-buddy with her brother if they were just going to break his heart.

(It turned out that her efforts to watch over the two of them, to protect her brother's feelings and safety, had only cemented Kieran getting his heart broken—though not for the reasons she feared.)

(Whatever, Carmine wasn't thinking about that right now. Not again.)

Juliana had treated her brother with kindness, acceptance, and good humor. She had always worn a gentle smile, and frequently asked Kieran what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go, what he thought about things.

Actually, she had been so considerate of Kiki that at times Carmine had found herself wondering whether Juliana had any thoughts or desires of her own.

This willingness to let others take the lead had nearly tricked Carmine into believing that Juliana was weak-willed, but it turned out that their new friend was merely one of those people that kept their own thoughts hidden for fear of hurting others.

Hmph. Like that ever turned out well.

(Carmine did not envy Juliana's selfless nature. Not one bit… that she would ever admit to out loud, anyway.)

Regardless, she had gleaned from her careful observation—and okay fine, consulting other people—that Juliana was not interested in Kiki. Not in a romantic context, anyway. She seemed to dote on him in an almost sisterly way, which Carmine tried not to be too offended by. Kiki already had the world's best sister, thank you very much. But she understood. Kieran had a way of making you want to protect him, take care of him, even when he was being an antisocial little jerk.

Or maybe that was just Carmine that felt that way, because it was Kiki.

Whatever; not important.

Where was she? Oh yeah. Juli friendzoning (brotherzoning?) Carmine's brother.

Though at first she had wondered what the hell Juliana's problem was in not responding to Kieran's obvious infatuation, Carmine was almost positive she knew the reason for it now:

Juliana was already in love with somebody.

For an annoyingly long time, she'd been stumped as to who the object of her friend's affections could be. Juli tended to treat everyone with the same level of friendliness and warmth, so it could have been anyone from back home in Paldea, or maybe one of her fellow students in the BB League Club, or perhaps even Carmine herself, if Juliana had had any taste.

(Okay, she at least knew it wasn't herself, but honestly, why not?! She was a catch, damn it!)

But as soon as Juli's closest friends from Paldea visited Kitakami—and, well, as soon as Carmine was no longer a mochi zombie—it had become pretty glaringly obvious who had captured her inscrutable Paldean pal's heart.

She lingered around him even when she didn't need to, sticking close at his side; glancing back at him when she got too far ahead; tucking her hair behind her ear as her warm brown eyes shyly flickered up to glimpse him. When he walked into a room, Carmine swore she could watch little flames spark to life in Juliana's eyes, see her smile spread like a spring bud opening its petals.

It would have been adorable, if it wasn't so hard to watch.

The guy—what was his name again? Carmine still hadn't committed it to memory—seemed just as enamored with Juliana. His gaze followed her as if magnetized whenever she moved around, wonder reflecting in his pretty turquoise eye, as if the short girl was an awe-inspiring sunset. He hovered around her like he was her guard dog, fixing an intimidating glare on anyone who dared get too close to his "little buddy," as he called her. He could have made a pretty good living as a bouncer or a bodyguard, with those muscular arms, wide shoulders supporting the most ridiculously oversized backpack Carmine had ever seen, and brooding expression that warned others to keep their distance… but it couldn't have been more clear that there was only one person he wanted to protect. He was gorgeous, honestly, but he seemed devoted to Juliana to the point where he could barely see anyone else, so he usually came off as surly and reserved unless she was around, at which point he pulled a complete 180 and became jovial and perfectly gentlemanly. What was his deal? Had Juli saved his life or something?

Despite his obvious admiration of her, he seemed content to just be near her, like she was the sun and he was a pathetic little weed growing by the side of the road. Juliana, similarly, seemed happy to just exist beside him. Evidently they weren't an item. Carmine wasn't even sure if either of them were aware that they looked at one another like the other person was an oasis in a desert.

She needed more context from someone who had been around them longer. Luckily, Juliana had brought two more of her female friends with her for this little visit, both of whom had also fallen victim to that renegade wannabe air-freshener's mind-control mochi.

The taller one was kind of intimidating. She had the reckless sort of hyperactive energy that Carmine was usually only used to seeing in wriggly Lillipup that hadn't been housetrained yet and knocked the fine china off the walls. She was friendly, but frankly, Carmine was afraid if she struck up a conversation with her, she would demand another 5 battles.

That left the other one—a small, scrawny girl with short, brightly-colored two-toned hair, enormous glasses, a frumpy gray sweater, and the cutest little Eevee backpack the world had ever known. She seemed quiet, her bespectacled eyes always moving over her surroundings like she was scanning them into a database. Or perhaps she was simply zoning out and was just very good at pretending otherwise. The few times Carmine had heard her speak, a rather posh Galarian accent had emerged, which had somewhat startled Carmine at first but now sort of fascinated her. Did she say so little because she was self-conscious about her accent, or did she just truly have little to say?

She intended to find out as she sidled up to her, her eyes still fixed on Juliana and What's-His-Face engaged in lively conversation. "Hey, Red-n'-Blue," she murmured out the side of her mouth, "am I crazy, or is Juli putting out mad vibes with the tall chef guy?"

The shorter girl's gray eyes looked up at her. An eyebrow stretched towards her multicolored bangs. "You are crazy if you think we're going to gossip about my friends before you even learn our names, Stretch," she said, and it kind of wasn't fair how her accent made everything she said sound more intelligent.

Carmine frowned. "Well, I bet you can't tell me mine either!"

The girl in the sweater shrugged, crossing her arms. "Make yourself more memorable, and then I'll consider it."

She scoffed, her temper beginning to flare already as she clenched a hand into a fist by her side. "How rude! Anyone would find a face like mine memorable!"

A smirk lifted one corner of the other girl's mouth. "Maybe the face you're making now, sure—talk about scary."

Carmine's mouth dropped open in shock, and then her other hand curled into a fist as well. "I—you—how dare you!" she sputtered. Her face was filling with indignant heat, but when her nails bit into her palms, the unexpected sensation worked to ground her. She'd just met this frumpy little runt; why was she letting her rile her up? She let her eyes fall closed, took a deep breath, and let it out before opening her eyes once more and staring right into those cold, appraising ones. "Yes, I agree, I'm so beautiful it can be scary," she fired back smoothly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "But if it helps you remember me, fine. The name's Carmine." She threw out her best charming smile, the one she was fairly sure had stolen the hearts of many a wretched suitor that was simply too awed by her radiance to approach her. "Don't make me repeat it."

An intense thrill of satisfaction buzzed down her spine at the sight of those gray eyes widening behind the big round lenses, pale, slightly-sunken cheeks coloring slightly. "Hmph," was all the other girl said, though, as she averted her gaze and fiddled with the sleeves of her sweater. "I remembered your name anyway because your brother said it before, but whatever… guess your face is plenty memorable too."

Ha! It was big of her to admit it. "And you?" Carmine prompted, resting her hands on her hips.

The shorter girl locked eyes with her again, silent for a moment before thrusting out her hand. "Penny," she said, and Carmine read a challenge in the determined set of her mouth. "Better remember mine too, or I'm never telling you a thing about Arven."

Carmine was never one to back down from a challenge. "Nice to meet you, Penny," she purred as she squeezed Penny's hand. A grin crept across her face. "I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…"

"I have a feeling I just made a pact with a demon," Penny replied mildly, but there was a smile growing on her face as well.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Penny, Carmine would soon discover as they walked around the festival the next evening after making their little deal, was rather difficult to get information out of… unless you knew what to offer her in return.

Having used the rest of yesterday to talk to Penny about Kieran's and her own history with Juliana, she had decided that today she would focus on inquiring about Juliana's history with Arven. But she hadn't gotten any further than asking, "So like, what's their deal? How did they meet?" before Penny was raising an eyebrow at her, unimpressed.

"What, you want all this intel for free?" Her usual gray ensemble, which usually served to help her blend in, now stood out like a sore thumb amid all the festivalgoers in their traditional jinbei and sandals, but it was Penny's own fault for not accepting any of the clothes Carmine's grandparents had offered, in Carmine's opinion.

Carmine scoffed at the other girl's audacity, frustrated at being shut down before she'd even gotten her first bit of information. She had brought a small drawstring money purse for the festival, of course, but she'd really been planning on using it for—hey wait a second, why was she even considering paying this twerp for answering such a basic question?! "I don't think this really counts as 'intel'!" she huffed, attempting to toss her hair before remembering that Grandma had put it in an updo for her. "I could just ask Juli about it for free!" Juliana was probably wandering from stall to stall with Arven right about now, actually, their hands close enough to touch, but neither of them daring to close the distance. Even the thought of it was irritating.

"Hmm, you could," said Penny, nodding with a half-smile like Carmine had just passed some sort of secret test. She plucked a bit of Carmine's cotton candy without asking, then popped it into her mouth and silently dared Carmine to comment on it with the quirk of an eyebrow. "So why don't you, then?"

Carmine contemplated that for a minute. While it was true she could hear this straight from the source, she had a sneaking suspicion that Juliana would become flustered and evasive if she tried to probe her for information about Arven. "Juli's the type to downplay her own victories and gas up everyone else's," she finally settled on, also taking a nibble of her fluffy pink festival food. "And Arven…" She snorted. "If I asked him, I'd probably just get a sermon about how great Juliana is."

Penny's eyes were glinting behind her glasses. "Wowww," she said, drawing out the word in a way that was simultaneously sarcastic and yet mildly impressed. "Maybe you do have more than two brain cells knocking around in that pretty head of yours."

"Hey!" said Carmine sharply, and then a moment later, more hesitantly, "You think my head is pretty?"

The other girl just stifled a laugh, which was vexing. It had been a legitimate question! "All right, Carmine," Penny said after stealing another bit of sugary fluff, "the truth is I wasn't around for when they met, so I only know what they've told me. What I can tell you about firsthand is the perilous adventure we all went on that brought the four of us together as friends, buuuut…" She peered around at all the festival stalls, her gaze landing on the shaved ice. "I'm feeling kinda parched since I'm not used to talking so much…" Shrewd gray eyes flickered up to meet hers, prompting.

Carmine sighed. "What flavor might quench your thirst?" she asked flatly.

"Raspberry, please," Penny chirped, a bit of a spring in her step as they made their way over to the shaved ice stand, Carmine pulling out her purse.

***

"That's… that's so sweet!" Carmine burst out after Penny concluded her story. She blamed the thickness in her throat on the sugary cherry syrup, hiding her sniffle by ducking her head to take another bite of the shaved ice. "I can't believe she was there for him when he had to say goodbye to the Professor… geez, I thought Kiki and I had issues about our parents, but at least they were all right while they were around…" She clamped her mouth shut as she realized she'd gotten a little personal there with no preamble, and glanced over at her companion to gauge her reaction. She'd found herself rambling a bit yesterday, too, come to think of it.

Just as before when Carmine had accidentally entered Backstory Mode, Penny's expression hadn't changed, mostly because she was still digging into her blue-raspberry ice with a gusto that would suggest her little plastic spoon was actually an icepick. "Meh. We've kind of all got family issues of varying types," she said once she'd dislodged a syrup-soaked chunk to fling into her mouth. "Crazy that Arven's involved a time machine and a scavenger hunt for magic plants though, I'll give him that."

Oh, and the plants…! Carmine's eyes prickled with emotion at the reminder of the supplemental information Penny had provided—the part about Juliana helping to restore Arven's beloved partner Pokémon, Mabosstiff, to full health after he'd been injured by one of those crazy violent Pokémon the Professor had brought to this time period. Carmine couldn't even imagine something like that happening to her precious Mightyena. The mere notion of it made her lip wobble.

Yes, she thought as she plunged her spoon into the red ice for another mouthful of fake-fruity deliciousness, if someone had helped her save her Pokémon and then journeyed with her to a lawless pit to confront her own family issues, Carmine would also be hopelessly devoted to whoever it was. Her heart would start up a beat like those taiko drums making a racket over there every time she saw them, too. Arven looking at Juliana like the sun shone out of her ass made a lot more sense now. By comparison, Kiki's fascination with her when they'd first met seemed shallow, almost fanciful. Kieran had seen in Juliana a hero from a storybook that he longed to emulate and look up to, not a real-life hero who would take him by the hand to save him personally. It was no wonder Juliana had scarcely noticed the awed looks from Carmine's brother, if she was already used to being looked at like Arven looked at her. "Okay, y'know what?" Carmine decided. "I'm officially on board. I'm getting those two together."

For a few seconds there was only faint crunching as Penny stared at her and devoured her shaved ice. She had a lot of nerve looking at Carmine like she was the silly little child, when Penny was the one who had blue syrup dripping down her chin. "You think you can do that, huh?" she deadpanned. "You got the knowledge and tools to back up that confidence, toots?"

"W-Well…" Carmine pursed her lips and frowned, quite certain no one had said the word toots since last century. "No, I guess I don't…" If she could just win Penny over, she might have a chance, though.

In a move perhaps influenced by the Big Sister Instinct left over from when Kiki had been a baby, Carmine impulsively grabbed Penny's chin and used one of the napkins in her lap to wipe away the dribbling syrup. "But I do have you!" she finished her earlier statement, putting on her world-class charming smile again.

Penny, who had completely frozen up like the ice still lingering in her paper cup at the unexpected contact, blinked widened eyes before quickly regaining her composure. "Hmph," she scoffed, turning her face away and muttering something that sounded like maybe sometime if you're lucky. The flickering orange light cast by the standing stone lanterns near them made her cheeks look as if they were glowing pink.

"What?" said Carmine, having been unable to hear her words well over the din of the festival.

"I said shipping my friends is yucky!" the shorter girl growled as she faced Carmine again. Actually, maybe it was more than the lighting—her whole face looked slightly pink.

Carmine tilted her head slightly, perplexed. She could have sworn those weren't the same words Penny had muttered, but oh well. It probably hadn't been anything important. Things other people said scarcely ever were.

"Anyway..." Penny tossed her empty shaved ice cup into the trash can next to their bench, and Carmine wrinkled her nose as the shorter girl proceeded to wipe her hands on her leggings rather than just using a napkin. "I'm surprised you're not angling for Juliana to date your brother, actually. Weren't you going on about how good of an influence she is on him yesterday?"

She blinked, surprised that Penny had actually been listening then. Carmine had indeed rambled on about that a bit while explaining what Juliana had done for her and her brother, but as Penny had been tapping away at her phone the whole time and only giving an occasional yeah and oh, mm-hmm, she'd thought it hadn't really sunk in. "Well, it's true that I thought she might be good for him at first," she admitted, poking at her melting cherry ice a little, "but now that I reflect on things a bit more, maybe what Kieran needed was just… support." Her shoulders slumped as guilt pressed down on her again. "Support I shoulda been better at givin' him in the first place, as his family." Her voice, which had accidentally slipped a little into the vernacular Kieran still spoke with, was quiet. "I was just lookin' for Juli to solve my problems," she finished in a murmur.

"Psh." Penny's scoff made her sit up ramrod straight again, head whipping over in indignation. The expression Carmine saw on the other girl's face wasn't disdain or mockery, however. There was a wry smile lifting one half of her mouth, and a complicated sort of furrow between her brows. "Welcome to the club," she said, and Carmine realized that the look on her face was the same one Kieran wore whenever he said things like All that stuff happened 'cause no matter how strong my team got, my heart stayed weak or I get why no one would wanna waste their time on me anymore... no one to blame but myself, I s’pose. It looked like regret. Self-deprecation.

Had Juliana played a part in saving all of her friends from themselves, Carmine wondered?

Before she could ask about it, though, Penny was shrugging, watching a little kid in an Eevee mask tear up the stairs despite his father's protests that he slow down. "Well, good on you for realizing it, at least," Penny said as her eyes followed the kid's movement. "Guess you're not the oblivious princess you seem to be."

"I seem like a princess?" Carmine's voice was hopeful.

Penny's gaze snapped to meet hers again in surprise, and this time when she laughed, she didn't stifle the joyful sound. Her eyes crinkled up, and the unguarded smile that broke her usual deadpan facade seemed to transform her. "How... how is that what you got out of that statement?" she asked incredulously, shaking her head as she almost doubled over.

She was laughing at Carmine. Carmine should have been outraged. But somehow, hearing Penny laugh felt like witnessing a rare natural phenomenon—like a rain shower in the sunlight, or something like that. She couldn't help but avert her eyes, confused at the strange bubbly feeling that had just sparked in her stomach. An answering smile crept across her face without her realizing it.

"Okay, Your Highness," Penny said, laughter still lingering on the edges of her words as she got to her feet. "This has been fun, but I've gotta get my hands on one of those masks now."

"What?" Carmine's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to dress up for the festival!" And after she'd been offered the cutest jinbei, too!

"That was before I knew there was an Eevee mask." There was a particular sparkle in Penny's eyes that reminded Carmine of Kieran's whenever he used to get hyped up about the ogre legend (though she guessed she could no longer call it a legend). "I will obtain one of those masks or die trying," she declared solemnly.

"Did you not see how terrifying it looked on that kid?" Carmine pointed out, getting up as well and throwing out her empty shaved ice cup. "I get that you like Eevees, but you're gonna make kids scream if you walk around in that." Heck, Juliana's other Paldean friend, Nemona, had already frightened people earlier, barreling up to passersby to ask for Pokémon battles wearing that uncanny Pikachu mask she'd bought.

"It's the principle of the thing," Penny informed her with a shrug, jamming her hands in her sweater pocket. "I see Eevee things, I get Eevee things. Also, I want to get back at Nemona for that hideous Pikachu mask."

"Fair enough."

Penny hadn't invited Carmine to keep walking around the festival with her, but somehow that was how it turned out. They went from stall to stall, arms close enough to touch, but both of them comfortable enough to not worry about it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carmine was used to being the one who could wheedle others into doing what she wanted. Once she figured out someone's weakness, it was only too easy to use it to her advantage. From the time she was a little girl, Carmine had become a master of sucking up to influential distant relatives who might throw some financial support her family's way; of flattering popular kids so they allowed her to hang around them and left her brother alone; of flirting with stupid teenaged tourists who were hoping to sucker an ignorant little country girl but ended up getting bled dry themselves instead. It had become somewhat more difficult the older she got—teens and adults were much harder to dupe than children, after all, and as cunning as she was, her wits regrettably almost never exceeded those of richer, more well-connected peers or socially-savvy adults—but for the most part, she was still fairly confident in her abilities.

With her newest acquaintance, though, she found that she had somehow become the sucker in this equation, continually promised juicy tidbits of information which were withheld from her until she provided some sort of compensation. She would have been angrier about it, if she wasn't so begrudgingly impressed. Penny wasn't even fake-nice about her demands like Carmine would have been—she would just hold out her hand and say, "What do you have to make it worth my while this time?"

Despite this, though, Carmine didn't dislike hanging around Penny during the 3 extra days the Paldean friends spent in Kitakami after the festival had concluded. Her snarky, quietly muttered remarks often made Carmine stifle snorts of laughter, she was surprisingly easy to talk to (if you didn't mind being looked at like you were an idiot), and she was content to let Carmine have all the attention in social situations if she could linger in the background. She'd also called Carmine pretty a few times, though she wasn't sure whether the other girl really meant it as a compliment or a mocking statement.

As for Arven and Juliana, she couldn't find many opportunities to ask them questions about one another (plus Penny said she shouldn't bother them on their vacation, and well, that was valid, she supposed), and it was a bit difficult to observe them without making them suspicious (Penny had also called her a voyeur when she attempted to follow them, and had dragged her away with a strength Carmine hadn't known she had).

It was fine, though. Those two lovebirds were definitely going to get together, especially now that she had recruited one more Cupid (albeit a reluctant one)! Even when Carmine couldn't be there back in Paldea, Penny would keep her updated on any updates via messaging.

"You will keep me updated on any developments on the Juli-and-Arven thing, right?" Carmine pressed her partner in crime—matchmaking, she meant; her partner in matchmaking—as the 4 Paldean students waited at the bus stop for their ride to the airport. Carmine and Kieran had of course accompanied them to say goodbye.

Penny rolled her eyes and sighed. Her hair was still sticking up a little in the back, and there were circles under her eyes that stood out against her pale skin—evidently, she wasn't the best at waking up in the morning. Though the summertime insects cried out noisily and the birds cheeped in the trees, the early morning light was still a sleepy orange haze on the horizon. "Yeah, yeah. But you know it's not gonna happen faster with us scrutinizing it, right? The watched pot never boils and all that?"

"I've never heard that saying," said Carmine primly, lying through her teeth.

The shorter girl pushed up one side of her glasses to rub at her eye with the heel of her hand as she yawned, not even bothering to hide it. It reminded Carmine a little of how Ninetales yawned. "Well," said Penny when she could speak again, "thanks for hanging out with me during this visit, I guess, though I know you had ulterior motives." She fixed Carmine with a lopsided smile. "Despite the crappy cell service and you dragging me around to spy on my friends, I still had fun. I'll kinda miss it here."

Carmine abruptly realized that she had made a friend, completely by accident, and was now going to have to say goodbye to her.

"I… I'll miss having everyone here, too," she blurted, words clumsy with the unfamiliar sentiment. Her gaze dropped to the ground, and she felt fidgety all of a sudden. "But don't be a stranger, all right? You can message me—"

"—if there are any developments with those two; I know," Penny finished with another sigh.

"For any reason," Carmine corrected her firmly, taking a step closer. "You can message me whenever you want." She held out her hand like Penny had done not so long ago. "We're… we're friends now, right?"

Penny stared at Carmine's outstretched hand, eyebrows raised, and then lifted her eyes to lock onto Carmine's. What she saw must have reassured her, because a quiet smile stretched across her face, and she returned the handshake, her small hand cool against Carmine's. "Sure," she said. It might have sounded dismissive from someone else, but the warmth in that single word told Carmine that her acceptance was genuine.

Carmine grinned, joy sparking bright in her chest like a firecracker, as she squeezed her new friend's hand.

After Juliana had hugged Carmine and Kieran both about 3 more times, and goodbyes were exchanged all around, the bus arrived, and the 4 Paldean visitors were on their way.

"I'm surprised ya got so close with them, Sis," Kieran pointed out as they trekked back to Mossui Town from the bus stop. "You're usually so eager for outsiders to get out as soon as possible."

Carmine hummed, her eyes following the Yanma as they came to light gracefully on the standing pools of water in the rice paddies, only to flit away again moments later with a quiet buzz of their wings. "Maybe some outsiders aren't so bad. I wouldn't have minded if they'd stayed longer," she admitted.

Kieran gawped at her. "Wowzers," he breathed, almost tripping on a stone in the road. "Sounds like you're growin' up."

She reached her foot over to kick at his heel playfully. "I don't want to hear that from my little brother. And eyes on the road or you'll go toppling into a pit, dummy."

Kieran stuck out his tongue at her. "I'll just pull you in with me," he promised, and then took off at a jog ahead of her. "Race ya back to the house!"

She couldn't help but smile. Only a month ago or so, Kieran would never have let himself act so childishly. It felt like catching a glimpse of the little brother she'd known while they grew up, chasing each other around Kitakami Road with sticks, laughing and smiling despite the skinned knees and bandaged elbows and muddy shoes. "No fair; you got a head start!" she complained, breaking into a run to catch up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her phone chimed, and Carmine immediately snatched it up to check it. As she'd suspected, it was a reply from Penny.

she's sitting across from him at lunch. but before u ask: no i don't think they're playing footsie

She suppressed a laugh and merely smiled, tapping out a reply: Well, maybe you should put the idea in their heads!

and how do u suggest i do that miss mind control?

Carmine let a snort escape at that before starting on another reply.

"Sis?"

Kieran's voice pulled her back down to earth from the little world she always went to when she was texting Penny. Her eyes found him, gazing at her perplexed from where he sat at his desk. Carmine was sprawled out across his bed, having come here to get some quiet study time since Kieran rarely had guests at his dorm room. "What?" she prompted him.

"I've been tryin' to get your attention for the last couple minutes," said Kieran, frowning at her. "Are you textin' that Eevee girl again?" He shook his head. "Seems like you're talkin' to her all day sometimes."

"Her name is Penny," Carmine sniffed, sitting up straighter and pointedly putting the phone aside, "and I do not text her all day." They’d have to be in the same time zone to do that, she reasoned to herself.

Kieran looked unconvinced. "Sure. Look, I'm glad ya have a friend an' all, but if you're just gonna sit there and text the whole time, why bother comin' to my room to do it?"

"Your room's quieter," she defended herself. "And is it so unusual that I would want to spend time with my precious baby brother?"

"Yes," Kieran deadpanned, raising his eyebrows. "Seems to me like you're just usin' me and Penny to procrastinate doin' any work."

She scoffed in feigned outrage, even though he'd partially hit the mark. "How rude!"

Privately, though, she was glad he hadn't caught on to her additional motive: keeping tabs on Kieran. Ever since he'd fallen into that self-destructive spiral of his last semester, she'd been trying to keep a closer watch on him when they returned to Blueberry Academy. She’d been haunted by the memory of being so powerless, and was determined to prevent it from ever happening again. Every now and then she was still plagued with nightmares about Kieran descending alone into a shadowy pit; Kieran's eyes, cold and devoid of light; Kieran's cheeks becoming more sunken and gaunt until his uncanny smile became that of a grinning skull's. She would wake up gasping, eyes sticky with unshed tears, a scream still caught in the back of her throat as fear and guilt clashed in her stomach.

She'd been so grateful for Juliana sticking her nose where it didn't belong back then. But there was a part of her that still felt… bitter. Wounded. Someone without any siblings had had to come along and do a better job of pulling Kieran's head out of his ass than she could, and as thankful as Carmine was that Juliana had been that someone, it had also left her with her pride as a big sister damaged.

Surprisingly, Penny had proven to be a great source of comfort in that regard. It turned out that she was a little sibling herself, and recently, whenever Carmine found herself worried about Kiki, she'd message Penny, who would usually tell her to stop hovering over him and let him make his own mistakes. She'd also advised just telling Kieran that she was concerned about him, but she couldn't do that, could she?

just be honest and tell him ur worried, Penny had said the last time Carmine consulted her about this. or if u can't do that, at least threaten to forcefeed him a vegetable. my big sis said that to me once. it was obnoxious but i guess the sentiment's appreciated, lol.

"I… want to make sure you're eating properly," she ventured, catching Kieran's attention before he went back to studying from his textbook. "You lost so much weight before, Kiki…"

Carmine caught the way her brother's eyes widened for a moment before he looked away, putting on a nonchalant face. "I eat fine," he grumbled, his cheeks coloring slightly. "And even if I didn't, what're you gonna do about it? You can't even make tea without Sinistcha's help…"

She jumped off the bed, catching Kiki in a headlock and grinding her knuckles into his dark hair with her other hand. "You've got a lotta nerve insulting your big sister like that! I can totally cook if I want to!"

"Agh, no, not the noogie!" Kieran squawked, flailing in her grip. "All right, fine, you can cook, geez!"

"You're darn right I can!" Satisfied, she released him, popping her hands on her hips. "But I don't feel like it, so I'm going to treat you to a meal instead. Feel free to tell me how generous I am."

Kieran sighed, but there was a reluctant smile on his face as he smoothed his hair back down. "You're a real piece of work, Sis," he said, but Carmine heard the gratitude hidden behind the complaint.

Well, either that, or Carmine was very good at only hearing what she wanted to hear. She'd been told things like that before.

She made a mental note to thank Penny for her advice as she and her brother made their way to the Cafeteria.

================================================

Next time: Penny comes to Blueberry as a special coach, and both girls go to a party! I hope you'll look forward to it, and thank you for reading! 💕

[gothamcitycentral]

Conrtoversial onion: object Pokemon are good and to point at them as proof that they "ran out of ideas" is ridiculous because 1. they make up a very small percentage of any dex, really and 2. it does take a lot of creativity to take something that isn't even alive and make it feel like it could be. Garbodor is my best friend

YES. Especially because object mon are so often judged completely at 1st glance instead of being examined for what they fully are. A Pokémon shouldn’t be given value based on “object or not” but rather how they use “object” in their design

The Garbordor line, Klefki, and the Chandelure line are pretty frequently harped on, but I think they all use the nature of “object” very well.

Trubbish and Gardordor aren’t plain old piles of trash. First, they use trash bags to give them dimension and proper shape. Then they use that shape to give cues to alley / trash cats (Trubbish being featured in official artwork with other cat mon) and literal dust bunnies. Furthermore, I hate the notion that they’re an example of “running out of ideas”, Unova is based on New York City, of course they’d take a jab at pollution, especially since they complete the trifecta of Muk and Weezing. Water pollution, air pollution, and now land pollution. Not to mention that to me, they just look like friends! They don’t even have a foul order if eating a proper diet.

Klefki is, well, easy to insult. It’s design on it’s own doesn’t move very fair beyond keychain, a personified, charming, and very cute keychain, but still a keychain. However, if you look at them as whole, it’s concept is crystal clear. It’s a Fairy type, after all. It’s a very common trope for fae creatures to take interest in human objects and such without quite understanding what they are. Klefki is fascinated by keys, so collect keys it will.

When it comes to the Litwick, Lampent, and Chandelure, the immediate thing to acknowledge is that they are, well, ghosts. The possession of objects is ghost trope 101. Even then, they’re not just possessed objects. Litwick’s nature as a melting candle is used to personify it, it has a little hair cut, a mischievous grin, and tiny little hands. It creates a simultaneous cute and sinister character very effectively. Design trends like these carry throughout the line. Lampent uses its fire to form a mouth and its handles to create surprisingly natural arms. The artwork of real life chandeliers is used give Chandelure very seamless eyes and mouth, along with its candle holding features becoming still expressive arms. Three stage lines run the risk of middle stage syndrome, where the middle stage is an awkward middle ground between the first and final stages. Lampent however, can function completely on its own. This line uses a very natural progression of different objects to advance through evolution that gives each stage its own identity. Furthermore candles, lanterns, and chandeliers are very ghostly I’d say. How common is it in ghost media would a character take a candle stick or lantern to guide them through the haunted house or forest? Making it so that the candle is what’s haunting you all along, is brilliant.

Even with Pokemon I don’t like all that much on a personal level, there’s still merit to their designs.

Voltorb and Electrode don’t seem like all that much on their own. They’re just living Pokeballs, how lazy! You have to realize that they’re Pokémon’s installment of the RPG trope of mimics. You’re supposed to go after them thinking “oh cool an item!” only to be met with either angry eyes or a smug grin that explodes in your face. It’s genuinely clever and charming when properly contextualized.

Vanillite, Vanillish, and Vanilluxe aren’t my favorite Pokémon, but I strongly disagree that they’re “just floating ice cream”. The line uses snow to decorate themselves to charm their way close to prey so they can freeze them to death. Those aren’t even their eyes, just apart of their charmingly innocent ruse. I particularly like their cones, using sharply defined icicles to be their base body is genuinely cool. I also like this small bit of world building with just their existence, there’s an implication that the Pokemon world invented ice cream from inspiration from these mons.

TLDR: Object mon are good, actually.

[magnuficent76]

No pressure but like. If you wanted an excuse to talk more about your ocs' (hypothetical) Pokémon (teams). This is it oooo ooo

(<- would really like to hear more if you have ideas for what mons your ocs would have bc I seem to now be so in love with the concept) (but no pressure)

Oh Beetle, you know me all too well and you just know I will absolutely talk more about random Pokémon on this blog. Here we have the Solar Years guys and their mons !

BALTAZAR (They don't have a main type because they're just a farmer, but back in their elite 5 days they were probably grass/dragon)

- Torterra [It's just a big fuggin lad !!!! A huge guy !!! It's nice and steady and good for a guy who's lived in a farm for most of their life. I like to think they would let kids ride it around too :]]

- Tangrowth [Its a huge guy with crazy hair. I just can see Balt with a Pokemon like this so clearly its insane. I love this Pokémon too so ofc im giving it to my favorite little guy !!!]

- Salamence [Probably was the symbol of his old elite 5 team, but once that crashed and burned.... yeah, they don't like talking too much about it. This guy brings back bitter memories, but Balt does his best to separate them from the team itself. Its better for both of them.]

- Haxorous (shiny) [Same as salamence, but even more so. It makes Balt feel bad that he ever put these poor guys in harm's way by battling with them as hard as he did, but he already apologized like a thousand times for it so they already forgiven him don't worry. Honestly probably a huge baby, given Hax was given to him when he was young <3 they grew up together !!]

- Leavanny [I just think Baltazar deserves a buddy okay !!! Its a silly little lady !!! Also Sewaddle is adorable and I love the idea of Balt finding a grub in their garden and taking care of it instead of throwing it out okay. Grab that Grub]

LUIS (ice/fighting or ice/dark. Are you surprised that the angry ice guy is angry and ice. Probably training to be elite 5, and getting pretty fucking close to it)

- Walrein [This is Luis' starter simply because I just think the Vibes are fit. Probably just picked up a spheal in his youngin days and it stayed with him forever !... this sounds a lot sadder now, huh..]

- Sneasel -> Weaville [Angry and competitive little fellow with a fondness for stealing ? Why, that's just exactly like Luis !! He didn't even have to try to catch this guy, it just showed up one day and then stuck around because Luis kept giving it bacon bits. Now they're the bestest smuggest buddies...together ♡]

- Annihalape [No surprise here huh. This Pokémon follows literally the same premise as Luis' whole story: Got so fucking mad it dies and comes back wrong. Luis saw this Pokémon for the first time and is like you just like me fr (takes good care of it to project)]

- Krookodile [It has cool ass sunglasses and it kicks a whole lot of ass on the battlefield. Luis gets it primarily for aesthetics but secondarily for its sheer power. More than happy to kill for any of his mons but especially this guy]

ANDROMEDA (Fairy/Fire gym trainer !)

- Volcarona [That's her starter right here. It slays cunt and its also a gorgeous little thing !! Just like xem fr fr !!]

- Flareon [Matches with Sylveon because they were from the same litter ! Evolved to keep Andromeda safe because this fuckin idiot keeps getting himself in situations and shit. Extremely defensive of everything but mainly because of the first thing- just a really well trained guard dog that forgot how to have fun. Still very soft and silly]

- Sylveon [Matches with Flareon because they're from the same litter ! LOVES Andromeda to death and it is absolutely mutual ! Most spoiled ever !!! Also insanely brutal. don't worry about it though 🙏]

- Alcremie [Just a sweet lil thang. I like to think this one is mostly for aesthetics but its still really well cared for]

MARSH (FIRE FIRE FIRE FIRE FIYAAAAHHH]

- Quilava [Starter Pokémon. I think the angry looking and explosive personality just sold it to him. He wants to evolve it SO bad but they're both still working on it.]

- Houndour [Its a fire ouppy... he has to have the fire ouppy. They're both young and growing up together but they'll both be the most destructive hounds ever just you fuckin' wait <3]

[nonbinarv]

ask game! <3

loop (isat) - 5, 12, 23, 25

ena (ena) - 2, 3, 4, 13

absol (pkmn) - 1, 6, 23, 24

ena

2. the basis for her design is a cool concept :o

3. does the end of temptation stairway count /hj

4. hmm. pokémon bc i have made a team for her before. she would find fun there i think. a strain of joy she recognizes

13. 🎭. yes this is just my ena tag on my kin blog but like am i wrong,

absol

1. i forgot when or how i really ended up attaching to absol in particular but like. the pokédex entries… it just wants to keep people safe but is scorned for it… it's really just the black cat of the pokémon universe and i want to hug it. also i know people call its design edgy but i consider it more majestic than anything ngl. idk i just want it to be happy

6. could use a hug

23. look at its little tail wags… its paw movements… ;w;

24. …hm not sure tbh? design-wise mayyybe joshua twewy. mega absol in particular. it's just the Vibes™

loop (under the cut for spoilers)

5. so technically there's an official playlist for them i haven't listened to yet- but the very first one that comes to mind is sundial by lemon demon thanks to this comic. since that's more of an overall siffrin song than specifically loop though (it's on my kin playlist too which has a lot of songs that overlap for obvious reasons), there's also upside down & inside out by ok go and you are getting a ramble on discord about my logic later tonight owo

12. okay okay hc time. so the thing is siffrins are not very subtle creatures right. so i think that just like odile was suspicious of the time loops before having enough info to really put the pieces together, she'd be suspicious as all hell of loop in a post-canon scenario where they join the family. while they'd still keep their façade up there'd be all these little things that she can and would notice. especially considering her own guilt that she expresses in act 6 for not pushing more to find out what was wrong she would confront them so quickly about it and they would not react well because in addition to pineapples siffrins are also extremely allergic to being vulnerable. also this odile may be a near perfect copy but not quite, not theirs, a complete stranger wearing her face- loop wouldn't go full act 5 but they'd definitely ramp up their playful exterior out of desperation and flee.

odile ends up the first to know (besides siffrin of course) after siffrin is 👀 at them and loop has to experience the other side of self to self therapy momence. self-recognition through the other (derogatory but necessary bc if siffrin has to start opening up to the others then so does loop it's not fair for only one siffrin to). maybe going the 'if you got to tell them about my time loops i get to tell them about this if you don't' type thing but not in like a manipulative or getting back at them way more a 'i know you'll never actually say it otherwise but you do have to come clean eventually' thing if that makes sense. bc how are they supposed to start healing from it if they won't even admit it

she takes it surprisingly well; she'd only push to a certain point (not as necessary to like with siffrin and his wish, the universe isn't breaking over it) and let loop know that while she may not be their odile they're still a part of the family all the same and that she's there for them too not just siffrin. may ramble more @ you later on discord about how i perceive loop's relationships with the rest of the group bc this question has me rotating them in my mind

23. not a favorite emotionally bc they deserve better but also ough. the moment of their old appearance shining through before the battle. and this pic when they talk about their second wish, stuck in it for so long that they just break and want someone to help them, for it all to stop… it's gonna kill me when i get their act 6 stuff. it's the emotional impact of it

25. initially an absolute bastard. not quite hatred but also damn "have you tried not dying?" fuck that y'know. they're still very much bastard but now it's like. i get it sdgfkjhl i can't say anything really. i want to give them a hug because they're just as touch-starved if not even more so. old friend start again siffrin continuing to go through hell, again of their own making…

[darkx-the-dragon-kn1ght]

Chapter 10- Part 9

Well, regardless of Tangrowth’s appearance, we’re still in a battle. Being Grass/Poison, there’s a few things we could try, but first and foremost we need to hinder it somewhat. So, let’s start by paralyzing it.

Oh- okay, that’s…okay. Had a feeling something was going to happen on this first turn.

I will say, it’s a very cool animation for the PULSE reaction or whatever this is called, I got so distracted watching it that I didn’t think to screenshot it. That was my bad, sor-

GOOD GRIEF, WHAT IS THAT!?

Oooookay, okay, okay okay- this is fine! We’re fine! Nothing’s changed about the strategy, sure it’s spamming a field-boosted Mega Drain but we haven’t damaged it yet so it’s a nonissue!

Luckily, Glare manages to get off Screech and lower Tangrowth’s Defense, so now we can switch her out (which is even more necessary because her health is in the red) and bring in Prong.

If you’re wondering why Prong’s Sp. Defense is down, it’s because she switched into Acid Spray, which…well, lowers Sp. Defense. I don’t think I like that very much, but with luck, we won’t have to deal with it a whole lot. 

With the Tangrowth’s lowered Defense and the boost from the field, Bug Bite should do a ton of damage!

That’s not a ton of damage!

It’s a good thing the Tangrowth was too paralyzed to move this turn, because I need to rethink things. I…don’t know what to make of this. Bug Bite…didn’t get a field boost. I don’t get it- Struggle Bug got a boost, why didn’t Bug Bite? Is it that only some Bug-type moves get a boost? Well that’s- I don’t like that! I greatly dislike that, in fact! Let Prong get a field boost, dangit!!

I mean…we could keep Prong in, but…I don’t know, that Sp. Def drop is really bothering me now, especially since this is gonna be more of an endurance test than I thought…

So, let’s switch out to bring Prong’s stats back to normal, and bring in Breeze instead.

Gust should be able to do…something, right? That’s a Special move and not a Physical one, but…it’s still gonna be super effective! It’s gotta do something to this thing!

That is still barely anything! What is this Tangrowth’s Sp. Defense stat, holy heck!

This is…a problem. I think I need to sacrifice a Pokémon to get Prong back in and reset the tempo in my favor, and while Nibble seems like the obvious choice- I can’t remember if the Pokémon needs to be conscious (i.e. not fainted) to use its HM move and I don’t know if we’ll still need to use Cut after this- 

(Future edit: No, the move can still be used if the Pokémon is fainted I think, so I could have sacrificed Nibble at some point and been fine.)

So, uh…I think it’s safest to sac Breeze. But she’ll go down swinging with one final Quick Attack!!

Your sacrificial chip damage will not be in vain, Breeze, mark my words!!

It’s Prong’s turn again, and even though she won’t get a field-related boost, Bug Bite still seems like the most damaging thing she can do here.

I’ve been getting some lucky Paralysis moments from the Tangrowth, and I swear they are saving Prong and this whole battle right now. Maybe the game heard (read?) my HP bar rant from the last chapter and decided to throw me a bone here- a bone that I will probably never be thrown again.

With another free turn thanks to Paralysis, I’ll take it to have Prong use Charge- not to power up a subsequent Charge Beam, but for the Sp. Def boost in case Tangrowth uses Acid Spray again.

And now, all we can do is just…keep up the Bug Bites! You can do it, Prong, just a little more!!

JUST A LITTLE MORE! GO, PRONG! FINISH THIS!!

YEEEEAAHH!!!

Maybe there was a way we could have won without sacrificing Breeze, but…who knows, maybe that chip damage Breeze dealt with Gust and Quick Attack made all the difference in the end.

Uh…where did Tangrowth go? Did it just go back into its Poké Ball, or did it like…you know, die?

Oh dear, the screen is starting to shake, that doesn’t seem good-

Oh! Well, that’s exactly what we came here for! And I guess that also explains why everything’s shaking like an earthquake-

…You mean to tell me they’re gonna move that whole machine? By themselves? And sneak away with it amidst all the shifting plants? Uh…good luck with that, I guess.

Gosh, day by day I wish I could go back and change Xera’s name to…well, “Xera”, the name I’ve been using for her. There’s gotta be a way to do that, right? To change the player’s name? I’m sure there is- I’ll have to look it up after this session.

Previous

Next

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Been binge reading your poke pasta stuff, I don’t see much it especially reader fics so I’m very greatful. I saw your explaining new gens to Glitchy.

If you could please write that or with another character if possible! (Btw my fav piece of urs was the reader saving Blake 🙏🙏🙏🙏 luv him sm)

“Oh hey, Gold! There’s a new kind of Tyranitar that I think you’ll love. Wanna see it?”

Nodding, the limbless trainer floated over, sitting down beside you on the bed as you showed him your [Scarlet/Violet] game.

While the rest of the pokepasta trainers either rejected or were indifferent to newer generations of games, Gold was impressed by some of the new features, such as the Mega Tyranitar you showed him earlier today.

You had a feeling he’ll adore this version just as much.

“So here’s a Tyranitar, but from the future. It’s called Iron Thorns.”

He blinked in surprise upon seeing the robotic dinosaur with metallic armor on your screen. It had bluish-green liquid encased inside it, visible through transparent pieces.

His face didn’t show much of an initial reaction, but you went ahead and explained the gist of Paradox Pokémon without diving too deep into spoilers (not that you think he’d care about them, but you’re considerate).

“That’s..really cool..” He rasped after you finished, giving you a small smile. “Are there-?”

"Jeez, are they running out of ideas or what?”

You jumped, completely forgetting that Glitchy Red was also in the room with you. 

He was in the corner, looking through your trading card collection when your rambles of Paradox Pokémon got his attention--while also irritating him at the same time. It was enough to make him snap the book shut and teleport over to you, huffing.

Normally, he wouldn’t care about all this new stuff; he only got curious when you mentioned Charizard’s mega evolutions, and he thought it was a cool and simple concept: a more powerful form of a Pokémon done via a special stone, with its appearance depending on the game.

That didn’t sound too bad.

But then he accidentally put himself into a Diggserby’s hole when he wondered out loud what else changed in the series. You ranted to him about regional forms, Ultra Beasts, Gigantamax, Z-Moves, and Titans.

Suddenly nothing made sense to him, and it gave him a headache as he simply wondered...why?

Back in his day, the most complex evolutions were Eeveelutions, the only “variant” that mattered was a Shiny, and there wasn’t any past or future “relative” nonsense...only fossil Pokémon.

“Honestly I think it’s cool and brings some unique stories to the game.” You frowned slightly as Glitchy sat on the other side of you. He took off his hat to run his hands through his hair, clearly lost. “Don’t give yourself any viruses, bud. It’s not that deep.”

“I just....it’s unbelievable. They’re just grasping at any theme they could find out there..trying to keep players coming back for more.” He scoffed. “So what’s next? Pokémon changing their types now?”

The ridiculous idea made him chuckle a bit..

Until he noticed your expression was dead serious.

“Wait..don’t even tell me-”

“Actually they can. Scarlet and Violet also have this new battle mechanic called “Terastallizing”, where you can use Tera Crystals to alter your Pokémon's type.”

“..I was joking. Why would--ugh, nevermind...” Groaning, he put his hands over his face. Gold could see how distressed he looked and pouted a little bit.

The Unowns spelled out “I KNOW” for Glitchy, showing that their trainer sympathized with him. He looked at them, and then to him, sighing. “I’m stunned your head isn’t exploding again.”

"Boys, you’re being dramatic.” You chuckled, shaking your head before deciding to continue the game. “Now if you’ll excuse me..I got a Charizard raid battle to do. You’re both free to watch me play. My Tera Crystals have some cool and unique effects to them.”

His eye twitched at your emphasis on those words, and he would have retaliated with some snark had Gold not shuffled closer to you, watching the screen. 

And after some hesitance himself....he gave in and ended up doing the same, observing the battle while making sure he didn’t accidentally corrupt your gameplay.

Both of them were actually impressed by the way you battled.

If you were in their world, you’d be a great Pokémon trainer for sure.

Hopefully not cursed like them, obviously.

[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!

[bigboobshaunt]

New Pokémon in Scarlet and Violet, my thoughts! Spoilers obviously.

A bit of a disclaimer but I haven't seen most of these in motion, and sometimes a species' entire quirk or charm appeal is conveyed by gameplay, so it's very possible I may change my tune about many of these later on.

So, for starters... the starters! I actually think they are all pretty good this gen!

*Sprigatito line: you know me, I was hoping it would go bipedal and luckily it got a pretty cool theme going on as a magician. That's fun.

*Fuecoco line: HONESTLY in love with these. I thought the egg that the second stage carries was a sombrero when I first saw it, so I was worried it'd be another Ludicolo situation, but I love the idea of a croc Pokémon that also comes with An Additional Creature to mimick how crocs will sometimes ferry a bird and allow it to pick stuff off their teeth. It's a very inventive idea ESPECIALLY for a starter! My first playthrough pick for sure.

Quaxly line: The ugly duckling of sorts evolves into a very flamboyant peacock-duck hybrid. It's got pretty cool animations, seeming to always be dancing. Miror B is sweating.

*Pawmi line: Honestly a pretty good visual demonstration of why Pikaclones don't usually evolve. I like the idea of its ability, but design wise these could have very easily been one or two stages.

*Smoliv line: Honestly? Outsold. The final evolution was one I didn't think they would have made that cool, but it actually rocks.

*Wattrel line: The first stage is pretty boring, which is kind of a pattern this gen, but I love the second one being a frigate bird with an electric sac. Another one I want for my team.

*Nacl line: MINECRAFT.

*Maschiff line: Honestly my first disappointment. I liked the first stage, but the second doesn't change a lot except for losing the fun coloration? they both kinda just look like an irl dog. Not very exciting.

*Greavard line: I think the first stage was universally beloved, but the second is gonna be polarizing. That said, I'm a HUGE fan. I love how it actually evolved into a spooky creacher with a skeletal look, and I can't not admire the gumption of how its disguise-candle became A TOMBSTONE.

*Lechonk line: Lechonk evolving to be yassified was unexpected but very fun. I like both its gender dysmorphic (maybe) forms, they're simple but very cute.

*Fidough line: Honestly just very good and cute. Making it a dachshund was a good decision and it has a fun ability to play off its design as a toasted bun.

*Tarountula line: I've seen a lot of hate for it but while the first one is kind of underwhelming, I was the only one in that group who got the soldier motif and I think the evolution is great. This gen has great bugs and I'm always happy to see that.

*Nymble line: Kamen Rider grasshoppers. I don't think I need to explain why that's cool.

*Flittle line: BABY. A LOT of mons this gen are microorganisms, and it doesn't always work but I do love this one. Garrish colors match the psychic type well, and its ostrich evolution is super cool.

*Finizen line: First form is cute and simple and we were late indeed for a dolphin Pokémon... sadly, its evolution kind of sucks, not gonna lie... I don't think anyone in the thread liked it at all. Everyone was saying it has an alternate evolution, but it turned out to be more of a form change that makes its evolved form BECOME the Super Hero Dolphin.

*Gimmighoul line: This is one I don't quite know what to think of yet, but if anything, I admire the creativity to make That what it turns into, even if I'm not personally sure I like it. Certainly one of the more outlandish designs this gen.

*Tinkatink line: VERY fun to have a pink cute creature wielding a huge steel hammer. I like that it's going through its Joker Arc. And with THAT move? Girlboss.

*Flamigo: Guys this is quite literally just the animal. Like, outright. I'm not sure what was the idea, but also I DID hear it looks more fun in motion so who knows.

*Tandemaus line: Just Two Guys. I think they're cute, and the fact that they just have kids when they evolve is cute, but also their individual designs are too simple in my opinion.

*Squawkabilly: VERY good. So good, in fact, that it was also my idea for my own fanregion, so... so much for that! The Rockabilly aesthetic is fun.

*Rellor line: I thought I wasn't going to like what they were doing with the dung beetle 'mon but damn that evolution looks amazing.

*Bombirdier: AAAAUGGGG BOMBER CRANE MY BELOVED.

*Bramblin line: Same deal with Rellor that I think the base form looks whatever but the evolution is great.

*Orthworm: I agree with a friend who said it shouldn't have eyes or mouth (certainly not both bc it looks like a snake otherwise) but I'm more mystified by how it summons pseudofeet from its collar. I dig it though.

*Tatsugiri & Dondozo: VERY FUN. A fish Pokémon who pretends it's a teeny piece of sushi but then commandeers a big catfish from inside? It even comes in different colors.

*Glimmet line: I need 7 of these in my room Thank You.

*Varoom line: The Team Star car engine WAS a Pokémon all along! We were right!!!

*Shroodle line: WHAT IS UP WITH GRAFAIAI'S PRE-EVO LMFAO

*Frigibax line: LOVE it. Classic case of awkward first and second stage dragons who become great, an ice type spinosaurus in their case, let's goooooo.

*Paldean Wooper line: GREAT remix of a great Pokémon. A large plush of Clodsire could fix me.

*Paldean Tauros: I had a feeling we were gonna have less Regional Variants from how they've only shown us 1 officially thus far. This said, I think the base form for it is very boring - it's just a black Tauros with slightly shorter horns and one less tail... LUCKILY, this one has two separate forms. Fire/Fighting and Water/Fighting and I do think both look very cool.

*Annihilape: Primeape got so angry it died oh my god. It looks very badass, too.

*Kingambit: Super cool. Bisharp was a good pick for an evolution. Don't have much to say on it.

*Dudunsparce: While I think Dunsparce getting an evolution will make a lot of people happy, I've seen many disappointed it didn't turn into like a Dragon or whatever. I think the idea of a Big and Bigger Dunsparce is funny. I like this one and think it's a better fit for a tsuchinoko.

*Wiglett line: Wiglett is a funny fella, and Wugtrio turned into pretty much exactly what I imagined it would.

*Toedscool line: The other convergent line, Toedscool is amazing, honestly. A mushroom Pokémon that looks like a Tentacool and Tentacruel is such a cool idea. To see what you assume to be a jellyfish walking on land is great.

*Legendary Quartet: Rapid-fire thoughts but I like the idea that all of these are sealed and their vessels are incorporated in their designs. Individually: Snow Leopard outsold. I don't know what I'm looking at with the Deer. The flame Fish seems like it could use more workshopping. The Snail is an absolute legend (literally) and my friend.

*Paradox Pokémon: REALLY COOL MECHANIC. I like them more than megas tbh. I have no idea why they waited until now to reveal them. I know some are disappointed that Violet's all share a theme of looking robotic, but I still think they look better than other Scarlet ones and I think robots are cool. I understand that they have Titles instead of names and I do think it's cool but I'm gonna refer to them as the Paradox forms of the Pokémon they're based on, even if they're not form changes per se. Individually:

*Paradox Donphan: I think the Scarlet version one looks cooler, because the Violet one kinda doesn't look like an elephant anymore.

*Paradox Volcarona: These are both amazing. I think a Volcarona that takes more after Larvesta is a good idea, and the Violet one looks almost like an angelic robot which rocks, and the Poison type is a plus.

*Paradox Jigglypuff: I do really like how not all Paradoxes are fully evolved Pokémon but I do think this one's a flop.

*Paradox Misdreavus: See above and what I said about Scarlet's.

*Paradox Gallavoir: This one is. Awesome! Essentially an androgynous robot version of a Gallade+Gardevoir fusion who's Fairy/Fighting. Nothing could be cooler.

*Paradox Delibird: HOW they managed to make Delibird cool is beyond me but they sure did do it!

*Paradox Magneton: Magneton with legs is CRAZY. I Iove it.

*Paradox Hariyama: Not my favorite still but it looks much cooler than its OG self.

*Paradox Salamence: The clear favorite and for a good reason, too. It looks amazing. I get why many Violet preorders were canned over it. It's cool how it kinda retroactively explains its Mega too.

*Paradox Hydreigon: I am legit surprised they made a Robot Hydreigon but DIDN'T use its beta design from BW's development, as it was going to be a tank. That said, it still looks dope

*Paradox Amoonguss: I love this thing. Not the most dramatic change from its present self but it's ok by me.

*Paradox Tyranitar: MY personal favorite. It has such a good color scheme with what look like LED spikes on its body. It's also very clearly based on Mecha Godzilla (and the RoboTyranitar from Pokéstar studios) and IIIII adore it.

[benkipo]

Geeta's Team Fix

This team is not the worst but I feel a few improvements could really make it great. The big standouts are Gogoat and Avalugg. I don't mind new trainers having older gen Pokémon but I definitely don't prefer it. Especially if it doesn't add to their overall theme. A good example of it being utilized well is Aegislash for Leon, since it is literally a sword and shield Pokémon. Plus they're both from gen 6 which is weird unless Geeta has some implied history with Kalos. I think they're fine Pokémon but they don't really give off top champion kind of Pokémon to me.

Here is my proposal team for La Primera

So there is a few things I already like about her team. Her ace is good for me. Resembles her in a weird way and its a very unique Pokémon to be the ace for the top champion. Really separates her from all the dragon aces out there. Is kind of lame how its ability is more useful at the start rather than the end of the match but so be it. Kingambit on the team is perfect. The reveal was so unexpected and its probably her strongest mon. Perfect for a fearsome champion. Espathra is fine. Its very middle of the road and fills out the team well. Veluza is not good to me. I associate too much with Kofu with his "vaultin veluza" and it repeats the psychic typing. But it is a gen 9 mon so its fine enough. If I were to change it, I would go for Dondozo. So starting off I would introduce Rabsca. No other gen 9 trainer is utilizing him which is a shame because he's one of my favorite new mons. Also because he and Pawmot are the only one with 1000 step evolution method and revival blessing, I think it would be fitting for the 2 champions in the game to have them (Nemona already having Pawmot as her partner). It's also very mystical and mysterious which I feel like fits Geeta's vibe and theme. Next would be Ceruledge/Armarouge (depending on your version of the game). I think its fun to play up the dual game nature of Pokémon and this would be such a cool addition to the top champion's team. I feel like they add a lot to the team feeling very strong and intimidating like a top champion's team should. Because they gave her such a cool title as top champion and La Primera, I found myself disappointed with her team's composition. I feel like these 2 switches really add a lot to her team and it would better embody a top champion's team.

[youllallriseintheink]

Okay, I came upon this theory (that I do not believe but do think is cool) about humans having latent pokemon types that determine what pokemon they gravitate to, and that some people can even develop powers, personality traits and weaknesses by leaning into their type. Anyhow, headcanons for this? Especially for what powers might develop?

Oh man, that does sound fun to think about! Here goes.

-Everyone has one or two latent types that they are born with. There's no formal test you can take, but you can probably make a good guess if someone goes on a journey and brings back a team favouring one or two types.

-Competitive battlers are the most likely to realize their type and develop traits because of it, but there are others who do. Some examples of this include sailors and swimmers for the water type and the fighting type for martial artists and professional fighters. You do need a certain amount of contact with Pokémon of that type to develop traits, though. About 3% of the population has some sort of power developed through their type.

-Many abilities you can develop through type come with a corresponding weakness. For instance, dark-types can see very well in the dark but less well in the daylight (though this can be corrected with glasses, water-types are graceful, fast, and have endurance in water but are less physically capable on land, and ice-types will be practically immune to cold but get overheated easily with the opposite being true of fire-types.

-Leaning into a type will not change your entire personality, but it can increase a trait or two that you already have. For instance, electric can make you more energetic or talkative.

-Psychic abilities are one of the flashier abilities that can develop, but even most people with the latent psychic type can't learn anything completely overpowered. That takes the correct type, natural talent, and training. Most with this type will maybe develop a psychic bond with one of their Pokémon or something on that level.

-The normal type's personality trait is an appreciation for the mundane and a love for things as they are. Its weakness is rigid-mindedness and its power is a strong immune system. It is the least flashy type by far.

-Not everyone or even most find and use their type. For instance, about 15% of gym leaders specialize in a type that doesn't match their own. One can be completely happy this way and there are no negative effects.

-Cynthia's type is dragon/normal, Nemona's is electric/fighting and N's is grass/dark, but they're generalists because they love all Pokémon so much. Similarly, Steven Stone's is rock/steel, but he also loves ground types because he's so into geology in general.

[gothamcitycentral]

Top 10 Bug types?

10. Orbeetle

While this is definitely recency bias (not that their bad or anything, just it being a part of the top 10) thanks to me using it in my current Shield nuzlocke. Their inspirations are very layered which makes them such an easy mon to appreciate. They’re also fun to use. Despite the fact that they’re designed like a alien supervillain, I can’t imagine them actually being mean? Maybe it has to do with it’s pre evolutions, but they seem more like an asocial team member who hangs out in the corner than something that do anything actually villainous.

9. Parasect

Enough with the creepypasta shit! Do you know why Parasect doesn’t eventually die after evolving? Because the Paras you nicknamed isn’t wholly separate from the mushroom that grows out of it. The time you spent training and loving that little bug is time spent with that mushroom. Your care for the bug through its suffering isn’t unfelt by the mushroom. That’s why it doesn’t die, why it doesn’t become a husk, because (let’s say) Enoki is just as much the mushroom as it is the bug. It doesn’t want to not be your Pokemon anymore.

8. Genesect

Normally I don’t vibe with Mythicals, but Genesect is on it’s own level. They’re a physical embodiment of Team Plasma’s hidden hypocrisy. Despite their goal of liberating Pokemon, they dragged a Pokemon back from the dead to convert it into a living weapon.

7. Galvantula

They are fuzzy little guys and they are causing a city wide power outage.

6. Venomoth

Venomoth is one of those causes of Gen 1 simplicity being rather charming for me. They’re sorta of a mix of cute and kinda creepy. I like how surprisingly good they are in later generations and in general I just like moths.

5. Centiskorch

Literally just a funky guy. I love how it combines centipedes and stove tops really well despite how just, unconnected those ideas are to each other. It’s strong, cool, and has a mustache made of fire.

4. Heracross

I feel like Heracross and Scizor are the blueprint for all the following ‘cool’ Bug types. I think beetles are rlly cool, and Hera is such a well put together design. Simple, but cute and looks as strong as it is.

3. Leavanny

Leavanny is just, such a Pokémon?? The design is slick as hell and is so surprising strong. Like you expect a bulky healer that’s practically useless because of its Bug / Grass typing, but no. There she goes sweeping teams with naturally learned Swords Dance. They have such a seamless personality and are so expressive.

2. Scolipede

Nostalgia is definitely playing a part of it, Scolipede is the first Bug type I’ve ever used, but I’d still love them without that. Their design really makes them look incredibly strong. Venipede looks like a little scamp, Whirlipede is my favorite and also probably one of the funniest cocoon pokemon, and Scolipede is a millipede as a horse and that speaks for itself.

1. Golisopod

Golisopod is so insane oh my god?? It almost doesn’t look like a Pokémon it’s so cool. It has such character and it genuinely make me proud it see it evolve from something so little and scared. And how it’s Guzma’s Ace just says so much about both of them instantly. Despite Guzma’s short time in the anime they incorporate his character arc so beautifully with Golisopod’s Emergency Exit, especially since his Golisopod was just as much of a character with development as he was. I just?? Love them so much

Honestly this was hard to put together. I really like so many Bug types.