#(except Hilbert/Hilda in BW2)

[pokemon-npcs]

Hello :D I was wondering, do you know if there's any NPC quotes in LGPE that mentions the RGB trio going on their journey 4 years ago? I could've sworn an article online had a screenshot of it, but I can't find it anymore.

I can try to look it up! I don't know if anyone mentions them all at the same time, but I'm pretty sure that they are all mentioned. You can encounter all of them, after all. Not as sure that Green is ever referenced in a past tense, though.

....Y'know, this reminds me of the fact that we found out in XY that Blue went to Kalos to study. I love fun little stuff like that :)

[mymailody]

legends za being an actual direct sequel to x and y opens doors to so many implications of characters that are probably still around kalos that we can encounter. like they didnt show much in the trailer with the exception of az (which, by the name of the game, i had already assumed was gonna play a huge part) but like look here

if this isnt confirming looker and/or emma i would be very shocked.

but think of who we could meet again!! sycamore and diantha, learn more about their relationship with each other and maybe with lysandre? will this game lean on the implications of what team flare left in kalos?

maybe calem and serena are also around? the possibilities are endless and these i highly doubt we will meet (think how hilbert and hilda are never really mentioned in bw2) but think of what could be!!!

and what about clemont??? he's the lumiose city gym leader, he's definitely still around right? imagine a slightly grown up clemont. and bonnie!!!

i really hope this game doesn't dissapoint and even if it does, i am afraid i am incapable of thinking critically when it comes to kalos so i will love it nonetheless.

[doubleddenden]

Okay, onto gen 5 characters. I've said it before, but gen 5 is probably my favorite for a lot of reasons, and in this case, it's the most like home imo, and the characters are fantastic all around.

Starting with Hilbert, the male mc of BW1. Hilbert is basically a callback to Red in a few ways, but he's also the protagonist I have always found the easiest to project onto. Why? As a teen, that was probably the closest to me a Pokemon mc would get. The thick brown hair and brown eyes especially. The outfit is simultaneously a disaster and pretty cool, I'd maybe unzip the hoodie, perhaps untuck the shoes, and maybe I'd just have a regular backpack, but he's probably my favorite vanilla MaleC out of all the others. Hilbert and Hilda are supposed to be a little older than past protagonists, and their designs definitely have a broader range of age most could project onto imo- basically a Scooby Doo situation, where you can be anywhere from 15 to late 20s and kinda pull off whatever you're going for. 9/10, Samurott coded

And of course, the best vanilla MaleC is paired with the best vanilla FemC. I might be biased by the short shorts and ponytail, but when I was a teenager, Hilda came in around the same age I was and really NAILED that American girl look- other than the vest and wrist bands, this could literally be any number of girls I grew up with and had a crush on, my age, slightly younger, or older than I was. Hell, to this day, this is still how a lot of girls dress in the summer here, maybe subbing the boots for tennis shoes or sandals. To me, that's the PERFECT blank slate for those people, perfect for any age range really. Other FemCs tend to be more girly girl in design on a vanilla basis, but Hilda really is that tomboy girl friend you had growing up. 10/10 design.

We'll skip a little to the bw2 protagonists. There is a slight change of art style that I think is probably my favorite interpretation of the Pokemon art style by none other than Yusuke Ohmura. He has a pretty nice shading style that really works well with character design, and the Pokemon he designs are pretty top notch- Samurott and its family being some of them.

Oh GOD NO. NO NO NO. Not this one. Okay look, BW2 are my favorite games in the series, and I do like a decent chunk of the outfit- except the hair and hat. Some fan art manages to fix up the hair, but official art just makes it look awful as they can on every level. Nate is such a huge downgrade from Hilbert in so many ways that it's so hard to project onto. I know they're going for a sporty triathlete look, and from the neck down he has that covered- maybe a little TOO pasty, but it's passable. But with the head and hair, he reads like of those dorky aged 40 to 50 something people that are athletic, but wear the stupidest clothes possible- except Nate also looks like he's having that midlife crisis at the ripe old age of 14. 5/10 man, that hair and hat just ruin everything. Such a shame because it's literally my favorite game and my favorite gen.

Rosa on the other hand is definitely the standout protagonist of bw2. Other than the hair and hat, I've definitely seen women my age (at the time, so 17 or 18) or older wear a look like this. The hair is definitely stand out, but Princess Leia twin tails is such an iconic look that it just works really well for her. Maybe the short shorts a little frilly, but I have seen joggers wear dolphin shorts with leggings like this, and tbh I've seen people without the shorts going to Walmart. The shoes sort of combine the style and sensibility of Hilbert and Hilda and the top is honestly a nice choice for a sporty look- if I could ever find them in my size, I'd love to wear baseball shirts like this. I remember the bra? Bikini top? Whatever that pink thing is peaking- it caused some ruckus when she was first revealed, but honestly it's fine and I think it's a cute addition- plenty of people would expose more and be safe in a realistic setting. I wouldn't say she's as good as Hilda, but she manages to retain that neutral age range where you can sort imagine whatever you want, which to me she reads as 18 or so- although I do think it is harder to call her a blank slate with as much personality as she has. Still, a fantastic design, and proooobably when a lot of guys starting played as the girl simply because they tend to look better than the guys. 9/10, we can pretend Nate doesn't exist, right?

Now onto the rivals, starting with BW1, and probably my favorite cast of rivals given their stories

Cheren is a good mix of analytical and competitive in my mind, and certainly read like a character that would have gone Sasuke on the rest of us were it not for intervention from Alder. His team is also pretty unique and decent, and I personally just can't see him with anything other than Serperior as a starter. He's a decent challenge- not scary like Route 110 May or Azalea Town exit Silver, but he keeps you on your toes and is a decent friend to you- maybe not to Bianca at first, but I kinda ship em after a bit. An 8 for a really good story arc, I really thought he'd end up as another dragon chosen in the Pokemon Grey we never got.

Design wise? Oh God we stole ALL his rizz. It's definitely just shy of "um ackshualee" nerdy, the hair just... boy, who cuts your bangs? Fire them please. And also, I fucking hate pants with exposed ankles- nobody but hipsters wear pants like that. Nobody. No. "But I do" no you don't, you don't exist or you're a hipster. I think this is actually the start of the fad of exposing most male ankles in the series and it drives me up the wall. Get regular fit pants, the skinny jeans ruin it, and please fix your bangs, bro. 5/10 on design

Congrats on the transition, Barry- oh sorry, force of habit- Bianca. Jokes aside, again with the green and orange. Someone at game freak was craving carrots I stg. The outfit definitely read as someone that was sheltered by her daddy for a long time, an innocent and sweet type that's kinda clueless to the world- especially its fashion sensibilities (I headcanon Elesa helped her pick out better clothes eventually). Its definitely an outfit I might have seen on some of my church girl friends- in different colors mind you. Its fine, but it definitely isn't something you should reasonably be exploring with imo. 6/10, bw2 is just a better fit

On a character level, though, I really do admire her for at least trying to come out of her shell. She didn't land among the stars, but the decision to leave home against her father's wishes to *find herself* is such a relatable experience I've always felt I could have experienced had things gone only slightly different at home. She is such a sweetheart, and her heart is stupid big (like her forehead). I feel like she's actually more dangerous than other rivals in some cases, often ambushing you at really inopportune times. Technically, I think she might be stronger than most female rivals, too. I definitely feel like her character could have used a little more development in BW1, but BW2 finalizes it in a way that I can't help but just really enjoy her character. 8/10

Cheren BW2- not so much a rival anymore, but a mentor figure now and the first gym leader we fight, taking up the Normal type from Lenora. I definitely still abhor the bangs and the ankle exposing skinny jeans, but he does look better and more realized. He's nervous about his new job, but he's doing a fine job as a gym leader and teacher. He did lose the glasses for some reason- wonder where they went hmmmm? But honestly, I think he looks better without them.

I do love how he's still super gung-ho about stopping Team Plasma, even with his new job. He's still our bro in arms, and I gotta respect that- I will say, I do think being a normal type kinda comes from nowhere, unless maybe Bianca lent him her Stoutland or something- maybe in exchange for those glasses hmmmm? But all teasing aside, I guess starting as the first gym leader- a role meant to endure loss after loss- shows remarkable character growth from the previous game of being obsessed with strength. That, and I guess you gotta start from the bottom if you're going to become a gym leader. In my ideal BW3, I'd see him become a mix type final gym leader akin to Blue tbh.

Design is an improved 7/10. Character arc is an 8.

Oh honey, you look so much better and much more comfortable. Bianca looks so much more sure of herself, too, now acting as Professor Juniper's assistant, and imo should hopefully become a future professor. Her BW1 outfit felt super restrictive and tight in some places, but her BW2 outfit feels a bit looser, a bit more cozy, and honestly kind of a good representation of what happens when she finally follows her own path rather than her dad's wants or the gym path. The green and orange even look better here! And- HEY THERE'S CHEREN'S GLASSES! What a cutie lol.

I really love her character in BW2, going from a girl that's unsure of which foot to step with first to becoming a big-sister type mentor to us. She's a lot braver and even travels with us through Reversal Mountain in a mutual aid to each other- I've definitely grinded my ass off in there a few times with her to help heal my Pokemon. Honestly, probably one of the best character growths in all of Pokemon.

Design is an 8/10, character is a 9/10

Hugh, our rival from BW2. He definitely has Nate beat in terms of drip and hair. Probably one of my favorite rival designs in the entire series- ruined by ankle GOD DAMMIT WHO AT GAME FREAK IS FROTHING AT THE MOUTH TO SEE MALE ANKLES SO BADLY!? Well, in any case, he has that edgy look DOWN, with a really nice blend of navy and red that avoids being outright black- as evident from his gloves and shoe accents. The white also really helps his design stand out. The design really makes him seem like this super badass, and he kind of is on some level. 9/10 design

On a rival level, though, he's less of a rival and more of a bro, which is kind of surprising given the Adidas Sasuke vibe he's got going on. His little sister's Purloin was stolen by Team Plasma two years ago, and that's enough to send him on a revenge quest, recruiting us to help him in this endeavor and only testing our strength a few times in game to make sure we're still up to snuff. He is RIGHT in the thick of it, their down fall and the rescue of that cat being the only thing this guy cares about. It is kind of admirable and cool on some level, although he definitely isn't as good of a character or rival as Cheren and Bianca. In fact, once he gets the Liepard back, his character kinda halts into just testing your strength. Also, his team isn't really the most fleshed out- he does have some interesting picks like a starter he bred from an egg, a Bouffalant (probably what he's best known for), a FLYGON, an Eelektross- unfortunately, for most of the game, he only really uses his starter, Unfeasant, and a Simi-ape. It reads a bit like he's too tunnel visioned and single-minded to bother training too many Pokemon, being too busy taking out Team Plasma to find that Pokemon.

As a character, I'd give him an 8. As a rival, maybe a 7.

Finally, probably the most complex character from gen 5 and maybe the most complex rival of all time- because he's also a puppet evil team leader, champion, king, and chosen hero of a legendary. Unlike every other rival, N's teams are never the same, basically only being comprised of Pokemon he's locally captured and then released so that he can allow them to be free. As a character, he's the first in the franchise to really bring the question of whether Pokemon battles are even ETHICAL, and he's also the first evil team leader to be a champion, AND the first rival to use a legendary against you. He's a super complex character, believing Pokemon to be inherently abused and misused by humans strictly because his "adoptive" father (green hair adopts green hair? really?) basically manipulated him childhood into only being exposed to abused and neglected Pokemon. Given the information he's working with, it's honestly no surprise he's willing to go so far to save Pokemon, and is kind of admirable to see just how far that conviction takes him. The information fed to him is a lie, but his belief in doing the right thing is real, and that I think makes him one of the best "villains" of the entire series. I especially love that he mellows out after BW 1 and is dedicated to learning how to enjoy Pokemon battles- in BW2, he even has rotating WEATHER teams based on what season it is. He's clearly super smart, just mislead, and when given the opportunity to do right, he's quick to do so once he understands things. As a character, I think he's super cool. 9/10, I sincerely hope we reunite the BW1 protagonist with him canonically (and not in Masters).

Natural Harmonia Gropius, though? Man wha the- that's a fucking 1/10 name. I am so sorry your dad hated you, bro.

On a design level, I think it's a pretty clever one. In BW1, he wears an outfit that pairs pretty decently with the BW1 protagonists, and the hat is a very interesting choice- a call back to Red's in a way, much like how Hilbert and Hilda are gen 1 callbacks to a certain extent, but his hat is black and white- much like the games, and also to sort of flip the original script. The outfit is pretty clean, although I will say, it does not read much like a "king" or "evil team leader" by any means. It does read like someone purposely trying to blend in, though, so that does get points. The green feels like a call to nature in a way, yet his eyes are *empty*, as if lifeless- very unnerving, especially with his super fast text speed (fun fact, it is actually a little faster than the fastest text option, and will play that fast even on the slowest setting) and his ability to talk to Pokemon. It's all pretty evident of a character that's being manipulated or maybe a little insane. He literally is Black and White, a man of both Truth and Ideal. 9/10 on the character design.

Oof. And then next is gen 6.

[ghostchanuwu]

Unova stuff hell yeah

Hilda and Iris went to Blueberry Acadamy together when they both got their Licenes (Hilda's starter was Oshawott and Iris had Axew) they had a fun little rivalry going that evolved into them being travel partners when they officially started their journey (Cheren and Bianca joined in along with Hilbert making a few appearances)

Follows BW1 with the exception of the final battle between N and Hilda ending in both of them exhausting themselves to the point to where Ghetsis does them both in (theyre both persumed dead due to Hilda's Victini fleeing to Opelucid to find Iris)

BW2 starts 2 months after with Ash arriving (follows BW anime for the most part with the exception of no Iris until Castelia and no Trip) Castelia immediately goes to Virbank for 2nd gym and eventually ends up in Aspertia where Nate and Rosa become traveling companions (Ash's group are their designated travel guardians since the twins are still in school both being 13)

N starts making appearances around Driftveil once the Plazma Frigate docks (its Zoroark, N managed to sneak it out of the castle ruins while Ghetsis wasnt aware and has been instructing it to gather as many strong trainers it can find to put an end to Plazma, Ghetsis has control of Kyurem at this point)

Colress finds out in Opelucid whats going on with that and instead of ratting Zoroark and N out he helps them wherever he can because he is only interested in studying the bond between humans and pokemon (he is still very uncanny pulling that from the SpeManga)

Giant Chasam is not the final Ghetsis encounter and is instead the real N having broken loose taking him on with Reshiram only to fall as it gets absorbed (Iris is too late but N is able to throw her the Dark Stone before being frozen)

Pokemon League is the final encounter where Neo Plazma has reclaimed the ruined castle turning it into a fortress (Iris has been crowned champion because Alder had yet officially done so, it would have gone to Hilda or N otherwise) she fights Ghetsis and Kyurem-White and the Dark Stone awakens with Zekrom choosing her as the Hero of Ideals (its sadly all but confirmation to her that Hilda is gone since she was its prior chosen, Victini joins boosting Zekrom since it is literally the embodiment of victory)

Ghetsis gets frozen the Plazma fortress is destroyed and Iris goes back to the chasam to defrost N now with both Zekrom and Reshiram

Right before leaving Colress lets everyone in on a little secret that he has been keeping that he thought he saw someone fitting Hilda's description leaving the cave after Kyurem came back but he could be mistaken (he isnt, Hilda was frozen too but was kept much deeper in the cave to avoid Zekrom from gaining the will to fight again)

[antihibikase-archive]

For my own reference because I forget <3 The ace Pokemon (plural) of the Blight / Blur guys (except all gym leaders minus Cheren since they have canon ones) in each arc;

Hilbert - Emboar (BW), Reshiram (BW2), Mega Absol (RC)

Cheren - Samurott (BW), Cinccino (BW2), Mega Lopunny (RC)

Bianca - Serperior (BW), Musharna (BW2), Mega Audino (RC)

Hilda - Mandibuzz (BW), Simisear (BW2), Mega Medicham (RC)

Nate - Jellicent (BW2), Zekrom (BW2)

Hugh - Flygon (BW2), Keldeo (BW2)

Rosa - Swanna (BW2), Landorus (BW2)

N - Zoroark (BW), Darmanitan (BW2), Sawsbuck (RC)

Colress - Beheeyem (BW/RC), Mega Metagross (BW2)

Ghetsis - Hydreigon (BW/RC), Kyurem (BW2)

Marshal - Gurdurr (BW), Machamp (BW2), Mega Blaziken (RC)

Shauntal - Chandelure (BW), Froslass (BW2), Mega Banette (RC)

Grimsley - Bisharp (BW), Honchrow (BW2), Mega Houndoom (RC)

Caitlin - Gothitelle (BW), Gallade (BW2), Mega Alakazam (RC)

Iris - Haxorus (BW/BW2), Mega Altaria (RC)

Benga - Volcarona (BW/BW2), Mega Garchomp (RC)

Calem - Aromatisse and Mega Absol (RC)

Serena - Slurpuff and Mega Lucario (RC)

Also for the past lives;

The Hero of Truth, Ludwig - Volcarona

The Hero of Ideals, Felix - Jellicent

The Warrior of Truth, Anita - Mandibuzz

The Warrior of Ideals, Grey - Unfezant

The Scholar of Truth, Babel - Swoobat

The Scholar of Ideals, Rosalita - Lilligant

The Heart, Gabriel - Golurk

The Priest, Harmonia - Sigilyph

The Doctor, Acro - Beheeyem

[franstastic-ideas]

Actually, you know what the funniest thing about shipping Leaf or any of the first four gen girls is? THEY'RE ALL WAY OLDER. You'd think the biggest complaint fandom would have is going nooOOO they're ELEVEN. Except for the part where Gen 1 and 3 happen at the same time. As do Gen 2 and 4. With a three year timeskip. And then a TWELVE year timeskip. Two more; BW2 and XY happen at the same time. Add another year for Alola. Red and Blue are stated to be like. I think it was 31 in the S/M/USUM games last I checked. Leaf would be almost 10 years older than Leon (his Charmander could've been a child of Red's Charizard for all we know! I actually like to write Kantrio visiting Galar and inspiring the next gen of trainers in game-verse.) Instead I'm mostly meddling around in the anime-verse which is mostly a found-family fic so all my ships are really just joked about. Doesn't mean I haven't recycled through a ship or two as I was playing around with the fic though lol, but alas the interest wore off and I need to stick with my themes. I'm curious though, is Leaf and Green endgame for you? Also LOVE whatever you're doing including Mizuki in your Au. With the aforementioned "Kanto kids are millennials" my Leaf (game-verse) has lowkey adopted the Alola kids (with them completely unknowing she was One of The Famous Kanto Trainers From The 1996(7?) Indigo League, until Red and Blue come to Alola and hugs! reunions! tfw your mom is super friendly with your idols and your world view is flipping upside down) what's your version :D also YES shaking your hand Red and Leaf siblings trueee. out of all the protags, they look the most like twins to me. Even Hilda and Hilbert have diff eye colors, May and Brendan literally have diff parents and skin tones. Probs the only character other than Kris and Gen 2 Gold who doesn't appear as an NPC. Also, I like Thundra as a name for a Raichu! I think it fits :) laughing at you going with Kaminari as a name tho, bc I legit did the same thing with the Jolteon I give her in pre-anime fic AU (its a whole mess) or Denki (yes bnha lmao) until I saw someone spell it was "Denshi" as a nickname and thought that was cute and made it less like an obvious reference. Also considered Raijuu.

I think the funniest thing about the core series timeline topic is the fact that technically, according to several developers, there actually IS no true canon timeline.

Masuda: It starts to get a little complicated if you pay too much attention to timelines. Like, there might be a professor that appears, and it wouldn’t make sense at all if we applied that kind of timeline logic. So we try not to apply it too rigorously.

Matsumiya: Elapsed time is secret. Imagine freely!

I certainly will imagine freely, Mr. Matsumiya.

I stated this in the last ask I answered, but Sisterhood operates under a different timeline than the "canon" one. For example, the events of SwSh take place after HGSS/DPP and before SM/USUM, which takes place before B2W2/SV. BW also takes place at the same time as XY, and between FRLG/ORAS and HGSS/DPP.

I do have a visual guide, for reference.

As for Leaf and Green being endgame, I've considered Sisterhood being somewhat similar to an otome game, in the sense that the protagonists have a selection of boys they could date in a series of alternate story paths. However, for most of them there is someone who I consider their "true" love interest in Sisterhood.

For Leaf, this is Green. For Touko, this is N. For Haruka, this is Steven. For Hikari/Akari, this is Volo. And so on.

Some of the male protagonists are the sibling of the female protagonists in Sisterhood: Leaf is Red's younger twin sister, Touko is Touya's older twin sister, Gloria is Victor's younger sister by two years, and Juliana is the older twin sister of Florian. As a sidenote, Gloria and Juliana are first cousins.

Even when they normally wouldn't appear in canon if not chosen as the protagonist, every character has a role in Sisterhood somewhere. Kris is Kotone's friendly (but still tough) rival!

And speaking of Leaf's Raichu, 'Kaminari' was sort of a beta name until I found something else I liked better.

This ended up being 'Lumine'.

[quixot1sm]

this'll hopefully be my last and most conclusive post on the matter re:isshu(/ferriswheel)shipping discourse. please read this before sending me anything regarding the matter:

what masuda said in 2012 is not absolute word of god, or an unchallengeable truth- at least one person involved with bw's story writing has stated that the protagonists were intended to be 16. hilda and hilbert were advertised as being older than any previous protagonists, and n is, according to pash! magazine, 20 in the anime- during the same arc where cherens bw2 role + design is used.

also, pokemon itself isn't afraid to change around characters' ages to better fit their circumstances. anipoke serena, for example, is 10, while her game counterpart appears to be in her late teens. this is to say that while there is a definite, set range for a character's age to be within, ultimately no singular number is going to be universal.

the reason why i personally use 16 over 14 for the bw protag ages has to do with the contents of the actual game first and foremost. all things considered- unova taking inspiration from america where 16 is typically when coming of age occurs, cheren and bianca having adult designs and careers only two years later, and ns role as a narrative foil to the protagonist, 16 is the age that makes the most sense. to add to that, the protagonist and their friends are remarked to be on the cusp of adulthood at least twice in game:

there's also the matter of the protagonist and n's relationship itself. the two are, by all means, meant to both contradict and compliment each other, to act as inverted mirrors. n checks all the boxes for what would usually be considered a protagonist (his design, his narrative as a hero, obtainment of a box legendary- pretty much everything except being playable), and he has physical traits that mirror both hilbert and hilda. most importantly, he is canonically obsessed with the protagonist. he thinks that they are meant to be his counterpart, so much so that he wholly believes that they will be able to awaken the opposite dragon without issue. in bw2, he misses them deeply enough to linger in the place they last saw each other, and comment on how he wonders if they'll meet again, and that he wants to tell them how he feels.

then, on the protagonist's end, they literally drop EVERYTHING, leave behind all their friends and family, to search for n when he leaves. that's the only thing they do that we, the player, have no control over.

finally, although pokemon masters is noncanon material, there is just. so much. alluding to their dynamic leaning towards romantic. the best badge you can earn from their reunion event is "N-describable Love". n has dialogue where he indirectly states that he loves hilbert-

and hilberts well. hilbert

all these things would be INCREDIBLY uncomfortable and inappropriate if the audience was meant to see the two of them as definitively an adult and a minor. a two year max age difference just works the best in this context, and the ages of 16 and 18 have evidence to back them. i understand any apprehension and/or discomfort anyone may have with shipping them, and i'm also not going to tell you that you can't headcanon them with a different dynamic (because thatd defeat the whole purpose of pokemon and its encouragement of creative liberty) but this topic has much, much more to it than a glance at the first google result.

tl;dr : while masuda is a respectable source to draw from, his claim doesn't align with pash!, toshinobu matsumiya, or the marketing surrounding hilbert and hilda during bw's release, neither does it fit the story of bw without causing some very uncomfortable dynamics and scenarios. overall isshushipping/ferriswheelshipping is fine. who cares

[felidaeng]

hey !!! i found you on twitter and i really really love your ideas and characterisations alot but do you ship n and hilbert together? cause iirc hilberts 14-16 and n is 18-20 :[ apologies if this isnt actually the case, thanks if you read and have a nice day kody felidaeng !

this is something i’ve gone over multiple times before, but to summarize, hilbert is 16 and n is 18. this is based on interviews that place n as 20 during bw2 and the anime (which uses many elements of bw2 in regards to team plasma specifically), story writer toshinbu matsuyima stating that hilbert and hilda were designed to be 16, several other sources claiming that hilbert and hilda were supposed to be the oldest pokemon protagonists at the time, and these ages fitting into the story of the game much better than the alternatives (n’s coronation ceremony that seems to take place just before the game begins would be a fitting coming of age ceremony for an 18 year old, 16 being the age that in america [unovas inspiration] is seen as young peoples first steps into being an adult on their own hence becoming a pokemon trainer, bianca and cheren having adult designs and legitimate careers only 2 years later, n being referred to as terms like boy/brat, etc.). n and hilbert (and by extension hilda, but canon leans much more towards hilbert) have an almost comical amount of subtext that begins with n being an inverted mirror of the player character through the story- being team plasmas protagonist, with his own box legendary and design that mimics what you’d expect of a pokemon protagonists. he’s also a deliberate parallel to rival blue, even going as far as to paraphrase a line of dialogue blue says to the johto protagonist, and saying it to the bw2 protagonist, while hilbert is a direct parallel to red. for them to have a significant age gap would be out of place, and does nothing for the story except make several instances in the game itself bizarre and off putting.

additionally, even though it’s possible that in-game canon hilbert MIGHT be 14, the protagonists do not exist as realized characters in the main series, instead being placeholders that the player can make into whatever they want them to be. even pokemon itself does this- serena, who appears to be in her late teens at earliest in her xy design, is 10 in the anime, and has romantic subtext with ash. going off of that information, you’d think that there’d be more upset about it being done…. but there’s not. you are supposed to project whatever ideas you’d would like onto the player character, which is how i’ve been able to build a whole original canon from the basics that the game gave me. this is also why i’m fine with people headcanoning the characters differently, and it’s more than okay to not want to engage with my artwork based on that, just as i personally don’t want to interact with content that portrays n and hilbert with a significant age gap and/or if it’s interpreted as a familial relationship, considering how i view the characters.

tldr; hilbert and n are only 2 years apart in age

[harusha]

by last 2 gens, I meant SUMO and SWSH. I loved XY, but liked SUMO characters better. USUMO could have made great sequels. Lillie as prof. Gladion as champ, Hau as a kahuna. Etc. Would also make the transition to wormhole traveling more realistic if they were set in a universe where the events took place. I loved Gen 2 for letting us see Kanto 3 years later, and BW2 for letting us see what's changed in Unova. Just frustrating with the direction of things

Whoops, sorry anon. I never got the notification for this, so this is probably a week old or so. Tbh, I feel you though. I don’t want to be a spoilsport, but it feels like the mainline games are riding somewhat on name brand at this point. Making games is hard don’t get me wrong, but there’s a lot going on w/ SWSH rn on release.

I love the whole sequel stuff, but my only concern is “canonzing a protag.” Like…look at Alexio/Cassandra from AC:O. Sheer madness in how those arguments go on “canon. Like, I like ambiguity because I can avoid that.

Tbh alongside the sequel idea and the coherency it would bring, I would love it if wormholes let you go to the OG timelines (RBY–>GSC, FRLG/RSE–>PDPT/HGSS->BW->BW2), and that’s why you get hidden abilities, rare Pokemon, and increased shiny chance. They could just explain it as the wormhole changing the Pokemon’s characteristics. RBY timeline is basically “no one had abilities,” hence the drastic changes, FRLG timeline could be “they decided to go with you, and now they changed to fit your timeline.”

 Like they wouldn’t have to put every single region in; they could even just make it to where you visited parts of each region, perhaps the most iconic locations and/or moments, as a post-game/high difficulty thing (everyone is set to lv. 100 and have ideal spreads+sets). Like dropping in on Mt. Silver at the foot of the mountain, and have the area name pop up as “???” and have the player traverse the dungeon (w/ the HGSS encounters but inflated to 80s-90s so the observant veteran player can go “hmm this is familiar”) and have it accumulate in walking in on EthanVSRed on Mt. Silver, and it ending up in a double battle with them. Like that would blow people’s minds and make them realize what the post-game is, a love letter to every single generation so far, and set the stage for the rest of the post-game.

They don’t even have to confirm the canon protagonist for Johto if they just cover them up in snow gear (ie. put a cloak on them and have the hood up), and give them Meganium, Typhlosion, Feraligatr, Tyranitar, Raichu, and Espeon/Azumarill. The three starters, the Pseudo-Legendary of the generation, Raichu to parallel Red (also small callback to how Ethan was supposed to be Red’s younger brother in the old GBC pamphlet), and Espeon if they want to showcase the OG day/night cycle gen+it being the gift Pokemon and a Easter egg part of Red’s original team. Azumarill is if they prefer to reference the childhood friend.

They could even make this a chance to up the difficulty through the excuse of “alternate universe/wormholes caused their Pokemon to change abilities.” Make Red’s and Ethan’s teams complement each other and have them carry optimized spreads and sets for doubles. Ex. Blastoise or Pikachu with Fake Out and Focus Sash sets up rain and Ethan’s Raichu w/ Air Balloon/Choice Specs and carrying Thunder+Surf and has Lightningrod (wormhole shenanigans gave it a Hidden Ability) and so forth. Give them things such as Magic Bounce Espeon, Dual Screens Meganium, Mega Charizard X (wormholes made it happen), etc. Just showcase them as a bonus challenge and their status as legendary trainers akin to Mameo from Digimon. Perhaps give a reward of something like “Red gave you that extra Master Ball he never used” or a music player from Ethan so you can listen to curated songs from the older games. Or even simply clothes modeled after their original designs (Leaf and Kris outfits for girls and Red+Ethan for boys; or make it all available as unisex outfits where the inspiration is obvious but it’s not exactly the same).

And if they want to make it even more of a nostalgia bomb, have Ethan’s Raichu have a spiky/notched ear to imply that it’s a timeline where the special Pichu evolves and had Surf instead of Pain Split as the special move.

Other iconic moments could be dropping in at Turnback Cave and traversing Distortion World again and saving on Lucas, Dawn, and Cynthia and rescuing them from Giratina. Reward is catching Giratina and a battle against Cynthia, Lucas, Dawn, and perhaps Cyrus. Avoids picking a canon protagonist and arguments over who should have showed up. Focus is single battle gauntlet with each trainer giving a choice on whether you want to heal after each victory (exception is Cyrus).

Have Lucas/Dawn mention how they like trading and that’s why one of them has two starters (or multiple gift Pokemon) to help avoid narrowing down the canon protagonist. Lucas could work in Trick Room (Torterra, Cresselia/Dusknoir, Vaporeon, Magnezone, Heatran, Machamp). Showcases the notorious number of roamers/legendaries in Sinnoh, Mt. Coronet evolution, trade evolutions (GTS), a new gimmick of the gen in Trick Room, and incorporates a gift Pokemon). Dawn could work with Iron Fist Infernape, lead Empoleon w/ Stealth Rock (showcase that infamous entry hazard), Paraflinch Togekiss, Porygon-Z, Lucario, and Glaceon. Gift Pokemon+showcases the (then) new evolutions of that gen.

Have Giratina be like lv. 80-100 with Totem Pokemon stat to explain how in the darn, everyone lost with those sorts of levels.

RSE could be dropping in on Brendan and May going up Sky Pillar and setting Rayquaza off to stop Groudon and Kyogre, and it starts a side quest of following them to experience the climax of the Hoenn Saga. Climax is them itching for a fight from seeing your skills. Have Brendan (Sceptile, Mega Blaziken, Celebi , Salamence, Starmie, and Latias) and team up with Steven and May (Mega Swampert, Gardevoir/Gengar, Latios, Metagross, Jirachi, and Ninetales) with Wallace in a doubles. Both teams have callbacks to stuff like the manga (Brendan with Celebi and Salamence), references the two Pseudos of the generation, the roamers, trading with Orre for the promotions (Celebi and Jirachi for US and JP respectively) and Red/Leaf in Brendan’s case, Wally’s OG signature, or even the OG Mystery Dungeon. Have Brendan wear his Emerald outfit while May wears the Ruby/Sapphire outfit to blur who the canon protagonist is. Bonus fight could be seeking out Archie and Maxie in their atonement/voluntary isolation for a fight.

BW is dropping in on Hilbert and Hilda encountering Kyurem (since it feels wrong to interrupt N’s goodbye tbh). Teams would be [Contrary Serperior, Samurott, Victini, Archeops, Zoroark, and Mandibuzz] for Hilbert and [Emboar, Keldeo, Genesect, Volcarona, Braviary, and Carracosta] for Hilda. Their teams aren’t amazing, but it’s meant to showcase the generation’s fossils, gift/event Pokemon, and version exclusives. Have it be you saving them from the snow and from Kyurem. Have them talk about how they’re thinking of setting off together to find their friend N, and how much they want to see him again. Make it emotional and have them talk about what they’ve learned about Pokemon from him and their interactions on their journey.

BW2 is saving Rosa and Nate from Ghetsis’s murder attack and fight Ghetsis. After you all return to a Pokecenter, have the two of them challenge you to a Rotation and Triple Battle respectively. Rosa runs a rain team with Drizzle Politoed, Octillery, Smeargle, Kabutops, Kingdra, and Ludicolo while Nate runs a Sand Team with Hippowdon, Sand Rush Excadrill, Rhyperior, Garchomp, Scizor, and Gliscor. Have it be a gimmick to where weather is infinite again in this wormhole location since their teams are meant to be a callback to the weather wars of gen v and the stars of those teams.

And have N show up to thank you for saving Rosa and Nate since he was almost too late right as you are leaving through a wormhole. Have the player tell him about what Hilbert and Hilda said and how they want to meet him again+urge him to meet his friends again and have it end with N saying something to the effect of “…I’ll think about it.” and leave it on an ambiguous note to whether he will meet them.

And finally, have it end with Red encountering Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave and have it diverge by you saving him from Giovanni (he lied about quitting and it’s only after you defeat him that he leaves for isolation until Ethan/Lyra/Kris beat him up again). Ends on a note of “this is where it all began.” Reward is catching Mewtwo and battling Red in a single. Here, they can make his team diverge from canon because it’s pre-Mt. Silver Red/alternate universe. Alakazam, Dragonite, Zapdos, Persian, Eviolite Chansey, and Mew. Showcases popular threats of that gen+trade evolution, irony in Red having Meowth’s evolution (Giovanni is associated with Persian b/c anime), the mythical #151 and source of playground rumors, the pseudo, one of the “your reward for exploring” stationary legendaries, etc.

Could even do a bonus of letting you travel to Kalos (but just the port) and meeting Serena and Calem who are both arguing about fashion while waiting for Sina and Dexio. Make their reason for battling you something lighthearted like you interrupting their argument to say “both of your fashion senses suck.”

Have them carry [Delphox, Chesnaught, Tyrantrum, Furfrou, Mega Gyarados, and Goodra] and [Greninja, Talonflame, Aegislash, Mega Kangaskhan, Meowstic-M, and Aurorus]. Showcases starters, Megas, radical gender differences, fossils, popular threats of Gen VI meta, Furfrou cuts, etc.

And if that’s too much, just recreate parts of the legendaries OG encounter dungeons, Cerulean Cave for Mewtwo, Bell Tower for Johto, etc.

Like…Gen VII was the “this is the 20th anniversary of Pokemon” gen and that would have been a great time to pack everything into one gen. Like…they had space for multiple walking Pokemon animations on the cart that they could have taken out or even tweaked these ideas so the dungeons would be slightly smaller (ie. fit to cart) or reduce the weirdly high number of Lillie models in the game. This isn’t an entire region (or regions) either, but snapshots and small locales to revisit. It also incorporates more fights with the Team Leaders at higher levels and difficulty.

Like idk, I made myself sad because I realize this would never happen unless some mad lad decided to create a massive rom hack/expansion, Masuda gets a larger team (and Pokemon stops with the yearly releases so the team isn’t pressured as much), etc.

Idk, I feel like the games for the 20th ani weren’t as good in hindsight for what they made out to be a year of Pokemon. But that’s just me griping again about Alola.

Also perhaps solviing all this gives you a final wormhole where you’re taken to fight Leaf. Give her Clefable (Clefairy’s original yet scrapped mascot thing), Golem, Flareon, Jolteon, Aerodactyl, and Omastar. Showcases fossils, gift Pokemon, other Eeveelutions, etc.

[verycharismaticdragon]

Hilbert for the character thing

favorite thing about them

(obviously this is fully headcanon but) He is genuinely considerate of others and he always does his best to put himself into the other person’s shoes, but not at the cost of his own morals/beliefs. He will not reject an idea just because it’s new or doesn’t align with his current worldview, but at the same time he will not accept an idea just because someone else strongly believes it. Basically he is a strong-willed person who is also just… kind, which is something I strive for.

least favorite thing about them

(again, this is a flaw I gave him myself, but) His patience and consideration have a limit and that limit is when someone consciously hurts other people or pokemon. After that all bets are off and there’s no such thing as “going too far” for him to bring that person down. Ultimately he is willing to sink down to the villain’s level to deal with that villain. Like, I joked once that the reason BW protag isn’t in BW2 is because he would straight up try to kill Ghetsis and they couldn’t let pokemon protag murder anyone, but then i realized he… actually would not be above that? 

However I should also say that he is aware of that being a flaw, and like… one of the big character beats for him is that he sees Ghetsis as a sort of “dark mirror” of himself, and does his absolute damnedest to Not become that.

favorite line

I’ve been thinking about it just yesterday but the fact that all of his lines in unused BW2 data boil down to “words are meaningless except when N is saying them” makes me dumb soft in the heart. (before battle: “Words are the source of all misunderstanding! Everything can be understood through Pokemon battles!” after battle: “Make your dreams come true! Someone once encouraged me to do that. Even now, I’m continuing my journey to realize those dreams”)

But also… since he doesn’t have actual canon lines… I can give you uh, this, from a thing I’ll never finish writing:

“So, N, my goal… my dream… is to be the person who holds out his hand and tells someone who needs to hear it that everything’s gonna be okay. That it’s fine to be different. That everyone is free to choose their own truth and follow it. And that as long as they aren’t hurting anyone, I will stand up for them when they need it. And I’m here to do just that.”

brOTP

Nuvema trio, but especially him and Bianca. I hc that he is basically her biggest fan and supporter during their BW journey, always believing in her 100%.

I also am rather attached to the idea of him seeing Elesa as his mentor! Her “But it’s important to keep trying, to learn about the differences between yourself and others… To learn that being different is OK” line really struck a chord with me and it fits really well into the character arc I have in mind for him so!

OTP

isshu but we all already knew that

nOTP

mm… i dont have anything straight up blocked, but i have to say i don’t really get Hilbert/Hilda, like specifically gameverse. no hate but just… i sleep

random headcanon

This is absolutely not random but i hc him as a trans dude. don’t ask me why, it just made sense to me right there and then on a character selection screen.

Another headcanon is that he never really wanted to be a Champion and stepped down from that position as soon as he got it. He enjoys participating in Pokemon Musicals much more and even considered making it his career at one point.

unpopular opinion

Does ignoring popular fanons for the character count as unpopular opinion?

song i associate with them

some (most) of these are ship aligned but i can’t do anything about that can I

Night Light and Never Quite Free by The Mountain Goats

The Promise by When In Rome

mentioned Staing At The Sun by MIKA before, also by the same artist: Heroes and Talk About You

A Place For Us by Fitz and The Tantrums

Shine Your Way by Owl City & Yuna

favorite picture of them

I really love this sprite! Also this from the Battle Subway illustration:

Basically my fav illustrations of him are the ones that play up the shadow-over-eyes serious/intimidating look!