#2) POKÉMON BLUE. IN JAPANESE.

[damthosefandoms]

everyone else rn: losing it bc Dan said Darry and Paul kissed and also that Paul didn’t buy Darry the letterman jacket (we all know he did)

me rn: omg brody grant put a Pokémon card in his phone case and went to the Tokyo Pokémon center and—

[mizushidokoro]

"Ryuurin, Hanpatsu, Tsugai no Ryuusei" -- the incantation for World Slash, and an epitaph to Gojo Satoru.

In JJK, incantations are supposed to boost power of a particular technique. When Sukuna used World Slash to kill Gojo, he imposed a binding vow that allowed him a single-use activation without the requirement of a hand sign, in exchange for using incantations and directing the attack for all subsequent uses.

In this post I'll examine the specific phrases in Sukuna's incantation and argue that each phrase of the incantation corresponds to an application of Gojo's Limitless technique. Then I'll briefly relate this to the binding vow requirements to argue that Sukuna's promise to never forget Gojo for the rest of his life is one of the conditions of that binding vow.

1. "龍鱗"

First, "ryuurin" (dragon scales) describes the basic application of Limitless, a strong defensive barrier like the scales of a dragon. This one is the most obvious, hinted at by Sukuna's words at the beginning of the fight, telling Gojo he plans to "strip away his scales." More will be said about the dragon references, in the discussion of the third phrase.

Less relevant but still interesting - there’s also a Buddhist reference here, according to this forum post:

At surface, straight value, it is just the literal scales of a dragon. The word can also be used to mean "a large quantity of things". Ryurin is also a metaphor for the power/authority/influence of heroes and of the Heavenly People (the residents of the Japanese version of the Devaloka, where devas and gods reside. Just a heavenly realm, basically.) Lastly, Ryurin means a dangerous condition/situation or a dangerous thing. So. For Sukuna, its basically 'dangerous divine power/authority'.

2. "反発"

Next, "hanpatsu." Hanpatsu means recoil, which is the equal and opposing force of an action. This describes Purple, which is the rebounding damage created by the collision of Red and Blue. At first I thought hanpatsu described Red, because Red is a “repulsing” force. Except “recoil” is not the same thing as repulsion. Another possibility was that hanpatsu described the relationship between Red and Blue — Red as the “equal and opposite” of blue, and vice versa. But we know the two aren’t equal in power, and neither technique is accurately described as the “recoil” or rebounding force produced by the other.

3. "番いの流星"

Finally, "tsugai no ryuusei." A few things here. First, the wordplay and translation. Like ”Ryuurin”, this term references dragons. Here Ryuusei, meaning meteor or comet, is also pun on the word dragon, ryuu (which isn’t novel, see the Japanese word for Pokémon move Draco Meteor, et al.). So a plausible English translation could also be “Twin Dragon Meteors.” Second, how dragons are relevant to Sukuna’s mythology. In Hida, there is a temple Senkoji said to be founded by “Ryomen Sukuna … approximately 1,600 years ago. A central architectural feature of the temple it Dragon Ceiling, a portrait of two dragons painted by Kano Tansetsu on the ceiling of the main buliding. From the website,

According to temple legend, a general of the Sengoku period committed suicide there by seppuku, staining the floor with blood. For the repose of general’s soul, the floorboards were incorporated into the ceiling of the main temple. Some time later, Kano Tansetsu visited Senkoji and painted the dragons on the ceiling. At Senkoji, the objects of worship include not only the main temple and the priest’s quarters, but also the entire temple complex.

According to this Reddit post, the temple’s founding tale describes how Sukuna fought off a dragon god living in the mountain and built a shrine in its place. So — from the fact that dragons are the mythological enemy of the figure Ryomen Sukuna, we may infer that the words of the incantation refer to an enemy or target of the World Slash technique.

What could "twin meteors" refer to other than the related techniques of Limitless, the twin floating spheres Red and Blue?

Another potential connection to Red/Blue rooted in dragon mythology is the tide jewels — the tide-ebbing (a repelling force, like Red) kanju and tide-flowing (an attracting force, like Blue) manju, possessed by Ryuujin, the Sea King.

The final reason I think the incantation refers to Gojo’s technique is because of Sukuna’s explanation in 236 for World Slash — he describes the process of developing the technique as figuring out how to target Limitless with Dismantle. So it makes sense that the incantation to power World Slash operates by describing its target, not World Slash itself.

It also lends significance to the order of the incantation — first visualizing the most generalized application of Limitless (ryuurin), then passing through Purple (hanpatsu) to finally arrive at two separate applications, Red and Blue (tsugai no ryuusei) — a conceptual "bisection" of Limitless into two discrete components.

4. Binding Vows

Isn't this pretty romantic? But wait there's more. We know now after Chapter 255 that in exchange for unleashing the World Slash that killed Gojo without using the hand sign, Sukuna now has to recite the incantation every time (+using the hand signs and directing the attack with his palm) he uses World Slash.

Assuming what I've previously argued is true (the incantation describes Gojo's Limitless), this gives Sukuna's last words to Gojo another layer of significance. When Sukuna tells Gojo he will never forget him, it's not just an expression or a promise, but a statement of the binding vow Sukuna has to make in order to land the killing blow. In other words, the cost of killing Gojo is having to remember him forever, to integrate him into Sukuna's own technique through a verbal invocation that must be made every single time Sukuna uses the world bisecting slash. Yeah, that's pretty romantic.

[kitthepurplepotato]

Shenanigans EXTRA (1/2) - A trip to another universe!

Summary: Y/N, Katsuki, Izuku and Shouto goes on an adventure to another universe. Having of each is already enough but two?! Things get weird really quickly.

Warnings: Swear words, sex jokes, horny thoughts

Helpful note:

To make it easier I tried to play around with names to make it obvious who’s who, so…

Izuku - Normal Izuku

Deku, Midoriya - Other world’s Izuku

Katsuki - Normal Katsuki

Bakugou - Other world’s Katsuki

I hope that helps!

If you want to start at the beginning, CLICK HERE for the first chapter!

If you want to read the Alternative Universe Arc alone, CLICK HERE! (It can be read without knowing the full story! It’s only 3 chapters!)

Check out all my works HERE! 💥

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

A few months ago in another universe.

Bakugou Katsuki. University student. Hobbies: Drums, nerdy things, Marvel and All Might movies. Secretly collects Pokémon and Yu-gi-Oh cards. Loves Funko Pops. Top student. Drummer in a cool, edgy band. Definitely not a hero but apparently he is one in another universe. Because that shit exist. Yeah. Shocker.

How does he know that? Because he met the love of his life when the gate between the two worlds had suddenly opened. She fell from the sky. Literally. He swears he wasn’t on any substances when this had happened. He does drink quite a lot, don’t judge him, he’s a fucking UNI student, but drugs aren’t his thing. He also have two bozos, Deku and Shouto, who can vouch for him if you don’t believe him. They were also completely sober, even though with those two, Bakugou is never sure. They look high 24/7.

So long story short, this random, absolutely gorgeous lady fell from the sky, she knew them by their names and she also told Bakugou that his other self hates her guts and he got so angry he started crying out of pure frustration, promising this gorgeous girl that he’ll find her in his world and fucking marry her on the spot because Bakugou was head over heels for her the second her lovely butt touched the ground.

Bakugou did not a give a fuck about love before but now he does. Oh hell, he really fucking does. This lady was only with them for 24 fucking hours but it’s been months now and he still can’t forget about her. But here’s the problem; this lady wasn’t Japanese. She was a fucking foreigner living in Japan. Which means, Bakugou had to work his ass off while doing UNI full time to have enough money to fly to her country for a whole month. It was terrible. He had no life, no time for anything, he was tired 24/7 and even though he just landed on this foreign land and he should be excited about it, he just want to fucking sleep for a week, which he won’t, because he only has 4 fucking weeks to find this bloody woman and make her fall for him. No time to sleep here.

“Kacchan, you won’t woo her with a face of a serial killer, you do need to sleep.”

He hates when his best friend is right.

So he sleeps. For one whole day. That will hopefully be enough to rid him of his Gucci bags.

He’s out of the bed by 7AM the next day, fueled by a weird feeling which makes him believe that Y/N is close by - Which would be ridiculous. Meeting her on the first day? Absolutely not possible. Life isn’t that kind and Bakugou doesn’t believe that faith has the power to connect two people out of the blue even though he literally fell in love after a foreigner fell from the sky for him and is literally spending all his money to find her right now. He’s a fucking hypocrite, isn’t he? Yeah, whatever. He believes in faith in a way, he believes that you can feel when you are on the right path, you can feel when you meet the right people, but faith opening the right doors to find the right path is nothing but a fairytale. Again, says the guy whose girlfriend fell from the sky.

With that said, Bakugou leaves the house in his fanciest clothing which only makes him look like half a nerd and not a full one. Should’ve gotten contacts though. His glasses are really fucking nerdy. He can only hope that Y/N likes nerds because otherwise, this mission is a failure from the start.

He decides to take it easy and get some breakfast instead of searching like an idiot. The other world’s Y/N gave him some potential addressees he needs to check but he can’t do this shit with an empty stomach, so he runs into the nearest coffee shop to get some pastries and a big jug of black coffee but some bozo decides to run into him, trying to get through the door first, even though there is enough space for the both of them inside.

“Oi, careful!” Bakugou reprimands after realizing that the girl he just bumped into is much more fragile than him. Because he’s a fucking gentleman. You heard it right, a GENTLEMAN.

Okay. No fucking way. This is a fucking joke.

“Fuck’s sake, this is the shittiest day of my life!” Y/N tries to squeeze past mumbling back in English for some reason, but there is no way Bakugou will let her run away.

“It’s 8 in the fucking morning, silly.”

Oh god. He sounds so lovesick. And his accent is so shitty. The Y/N of the other works spoke perfect Japanese so he must say he’s a little bit uhm… surprised. But at least she speaks English. That’s… helpful.

“The fuck are you so happy for? Did you win the lottery?” Y/N tries to acts nonchalant but her cheeks are dusted red.

“Yeah, I think I just did.” He admits with the silliest smile on his face.

… there goes Katsuki’s plans to be cool. Nevermind.

“Well, you have a weird way of flirting. I’m intrigued.” She answers back. They are literally standing in the doorway, blocking the exit but no one dares to speak about it. What a chill country. Maybe he should move here after retirement.

“Well, it’s far more believable than saying that I’ve met your twin from another universe a few months ago and I was kinda looking for you for several months now.”

“Is it weird that… I can kinda believe that?” Y/N looks into Bakugou’s eyes and that’s when Bakugou completely loses it. His face becomes a mess of emotions, there is adoration, wonder, a weird kind of anxiety he’s never felt before, his urgent need for coffee long forgotten.

“Can we share a table, then?” Bakugou tries his best to sound confident, but his voice wavers when Y/N looks at him with eyes full of rejection.

“Not unless you can help me with my Japanese homework. I have an exam in two days.” She sighs, finally moving away from the door, leaving the lovelorn Bakugou alone in the doorway.

“Well, luckily for you, I’m Japanese.” Katsuki answers in his own mother language, trying his best to not smirk menacingly, but he probably does it anyway.

“Study date with a stranger?” Y/N fucking winks and that’s when Bakugou descends into another world, thankfully, not literally.

“Oh my god, you two, get a table.” The bartender rolls her eyes and it’s weirdly sounds like “get a room.”

~•💥•~

Bakugou and Y/N has a study date. By the end of the day - yes, they’ve been at it the whole day, eating pastries for breakfast, lunch and dinner - Y/N looks like she’s about to pass out, but she has a content smile on her face as she looks at her notebook filled with random notes from Bakugou himself.

Bakugou isn’t the most patient person when it comes to studying so needless to say he did end up yelling at the poor girl quite a few times but instead of the usual resentment he got nothing but cute giggles as a reaction. Bakugou is already head over heels for this version of Y/N. She’s fierce but cute, she can handle his temper perfectly and they just… click. It really feels like they were meant to be.

“Any chance you are the type of nerd who’s great at everything? I also need to catch up on math and English.”

“Same place, same time tomorrow?” Bakugou smirks and Y/N smirks back at him.

“Deal.”

“See you tomorrow, Y/N.” Bakugou leaves a cheeky kiss in Y/N’s hair and runs towards the door, trying his best to hide his red face from the crowd.

“How do you know my full name?!”

Bakugou doesn’t need to think about an answer for this one.

“Faith.”

~•💥•~

Bakugou helps Y/N with her studies every day for the whole month. It’s around the second week when Y/N admits she’s been looking for opportunities to study in Japan. She doesn’t need to say anything else for Bakugou to know there is something more behind that decision than Y/N’s dreams to see Tokyo; the way they are cuddled up on Bakugou’s floor surrounded by random notes is more than enough for him to know that he’s not the only one feeling this weird connection between them.

Y/N kisses him on the lips when they say goodbye at the airport. Bakugou sells half of his clothes to make space for her stuff in his closet after he gets home.

~•💥•~

Now back to the hero world.

“Are we all ready?” You yell loudly to gain everyone’s attention.

“Let’s go!” Yells Katsuki, exhilarated.

“Yes.” Typical Todoroki. He doesn’t even look excited.

“What if we get stuck there? Are you sure you are capable of doing this, Y/N? There must be a limit to your powers, what if something goes wrong and we will be stuck in a weird in-between or in the quantum realm like in that cool superhero film? What if by the time we manage to come back all out friends are dead?! Oh my god….”

Do you even need to say who that was? Probably not.

“Well, have fun.” A grumpy voice comes from the background. “Don’t worry about me being left out. Honestly, no biggie, I’ll just cry myself to sleep, alone in my room while my friends are having a pajama party in a cool universe…”

You would love to be able to bring Eijirou with you as well, but someone needs to run the agency.

“Shut the fuck up you stupid red monkey, I told you I’ll stay back the next time!”

You sigh and decide to just go for it before poor Izuku’s brain explodes from all the unnecessary worry.

Everyone screams. Then they scream some more when they start to fall into eternal nothingness.

You think about the University those guys go to. About the green grass and the benches surrounding the small clearing right next to the University, you think about Midoriya’s eyeliner, their unproblematic smiles and suddenly, a small spot of light appears right under your foot, the spot getting bigger and bigger as you fall and fall and fall until your butts hit the pretty green grass.

“Fucking hell, babe, that was a shitty landing!”

“Sorry, princess, I’ll get you a massive bed for the next time, okay?”

“Fuck you.”

“You wish.”

“Always.”

“Guys, I’m… me is looking at us?! Okay, I’m officially freaking out. Oh my god, I’m wearing an eyeliner. I think I’m going to pass out. Guys, I’m passing out. Oh my…”

“Pay up, halfie.”

“I’m not mad, just disappointed.” Shouto pulls out a note from his pocket and hands it to Katsuki.

“Y/N!” A really gay-looking, lanky nerd jumps on your back and hangs there like a monkey. You decide to show off your new strength by catching the guy’s thighs and give him a piggy back ride.

“Oi, put your filthy arms away from my woman, you nerdy little shit! Also, your other self just passed out on the floor!”

“Oh my god, that’s me?!” Midoriya jumps off your back and goes towards Izuku to take a better look. Todoroki (the other one.) runs back to their bench to grab a bottle of water and sits down next to your Izuku, absolutely ignoring his other self for the sake of your world’s Izuku.

Well, now… it’s really hard not to laugh.

Picture this. There is a passed out Izuku on the ground, surrounded by two worried Todorokis, one lean and nerdy and one looking like a greek god. Then there is this world’s Midoriya, slim and wearing the colors of the rainbow, shamelessly touching Izuku’s massive arms with pure wonder, at least until he looks up to the Greek God Shouto; he stares at the guy with hungry eyes, looking him up and down, and he just says.

“I would let you ruin my favorite underwear in a heart beat.”

Katsuki hollers.

“Oh my god, this guy is Deku? THIS?! Are you fucking kidding me?! Also, you just let your boyfriend salivate over another guy right in front of your face?” Katsuki looks at the other Todoroki who only shrugs at that.

“Well, technically, he is me. So he’s salivating over me just with more muscles.”

That’s fair.

“Hi, I’m Todoroki Shouto. Nice to meet you.” Shouto shakes Todoroki’s hand. Katsuki is about to pass out from all the laughing, still laying on the floor.

“Uhm, hi. I’m also… Todoroki Shouto.”

Awkward silence. Katsuki is dead.

“Okay, while I really enjoy your shenanigans, let’s move to somewhere private before someone gets a heart attack from seeing this shit.” You giggle. Shouto is about to take his boyfriend into his arms when Todoroki stops him.

“I’ll take him.” He takes a deep breath while Midoriya snickers in the background. Needless to say he can’t even lift the guy off the ground. “Nevermind. You can… take him.” He moves away awkwardly, back to his partner’s side who looks at him with nothing but pity in his eyes.

“We will start working out from tomorrow.” Midoriya gives Todoroki a shoulder pat.

Todoroki doesn’t say anything just nods.

Shouto takes Izuku’s body in his arms without even flinching.

“I think I peed a little a bit.”

“Oh my god, Deku.”

~•💥•~

“You are so cute.”

Those are Izuku’s first words after he finally decides to wake up properly, now in Todoroki’s room. This world’s Todoroki blushes like a maniac.

“How long am I going to be ignored? Huh?” Katsuki decides to throw an actual hissy fit, hand on his hips and everything. “What about me?! I look fucking hot too! Don’t ignore me!”

“Yeah, where is the other Kacchan?” Izuku asks the million dollar question.

“Yeah, where is my other boo? I wanna kiss his stupid face for making me realize this guy isn’t just an asshole.”

It’s harsh, but it’s the truth. Without this world’s Bakugou you wouldn’t be here right now. You must thank him properly.

“Oi, don’t ignore me!”

“Kacchan, don’t worry, you look gorgeous, honeybun!” Midoriya decides to save the day. “I love the undercut and damn, that waist!”

“Finally, thank you!” Katsuki mutters with a red face. “Fucking ignoring me, I can’t believe this shit…” He mumbles in the most adorable way and you can’t help but cuddle into him, your eyes full of adoration.

“I love you, you gremlin.”

“Asshole.” He mutters back but he kisses your forehead anyway.

“SURPRISE BITCHES!” Todoroki’s door opens and that’s when it’s your time to loose your shit; seeing this world’s Bakugou again is already enough for your heart to act up but there is another person next to him, none other than yourself. “No fucking shit! No way! Y/N!” Bakugou is right in your personal space, hugging the shit out of you while your other self gawks at the whole scene.

“So that comment before wasn’t a poor attempt at flirting?! Katsuki?! What the fuck is going on?!” Your other self stares at you for several seconds before she finally speaks again. “Damn, I’m hot! Damn, you are hot! The fuck are these people?!”

You are just about to answer your own (?) question when Bakugou makes a move towards your boyfriend, extremely pissed all of a sudden.

“You fucking asshole!” Bakugou attempts to hit Katsuki but needless to say, he dodges it and literally just grabs the guy’s shirt and yanks him up and far away from him, like he weights nothing. “Oi, let me fucking hit you! You broke Y/N’s heart, you absolute moron, you are the e stupidest fucking blonde in the whole wide universe! I’m ashamed of you! Shame! Shame! Shame”

“You know Kacchan is mad when he starts quoting Game of Thrones.” Rainbow Deku adds helpfully.

“Stop fiddling and calm the fuck down! I’m doing my best to not fucking hit you myself for cuddling my girlfriend back then! I was so mad I couldn’t sleep for three days after that!”

“Oh?” Finally, Bakugou stops moving around and just looks at himself (?) with a questioning look.

“Yeah, oh, you fucking idiot, do you think I actually hated her guts back then? I was stupid, but I’ve learnt my lesson so stop fucking trying to kill me with your chicken arms!”

“So, you two…”

“Yeah. I fucking love her. Of course I fucking do. We just moved in together.” Katsuki finally puts Bakugou down, blushing like a school kid.

“We also have a pet pigeon, Steven… wait no. Stephanie.” You put your arm around Katsuki’s torso and pull him close. He leaves a tiny kiss on your forehead again.

“We also have two grand kids. Stephanie just had babies.” You look up at your boyfriend like you are talking about your actual grandchildren and not just about some random pigeons who decided to live on your balcony. Katsuki looks back at you with so much fondness in his eyes it kinda makes you tear up.

“Oh my god, get a room.” Deku smirks at your boyfriend, who smirks back.

“If there is a spare room we can use, I’m happy to oblige.”

“You can use Izuku’s room, it’s free!” Todoroki says right away and Bakugou slaps his own face out of embarrassment.

“Honeybun, you just told them to go and fuck in my room.” Deku puts his hand on Todoroki’s shoulder who gets as red as a lobster when he realizes his mistake.

“Why is human language so hard?”

“Don’t worry, you are not alone.” Shouto goes over to himself with an understanding look. “I’m also terrible at understanding these things. I get in trouble all the time. Or I just get laughed at. Just smile like you’ve meant it as a joke and then they’ll think you are just funny. Don’t ask me why, I don’t understand either, but that’s what I was told to do.”

“Okay, why don’t we sit the fuck down? I’m starting to get dizzy from seeing two of the same people. I need a moment of silence to get my head around this shit.” Your other self speaks up and honestly….

“Same.”

… Last Chapter!

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Potato ramble:

- Sorry for being so late with this, I finished this chapter ages ago then I forgot that I need to post it? 😂 I was also busy writing the two upcoming series, one Bakugou x Reader and one Kirishima x Reader (different reader) spin-off for this series! Please please please give them a read when they come out! I’m so excited for them!

- I hope it wasn’t too hard to understand who’s who, I really tried my best!

-I’ll try to post the last chapter of this one as soon as I can, I’m almost done with it! I will post the Kirishima one first though, so you guys can have a little peek into what’s coming! 💜

- Thank you for all your support during this series, your comments give me a reason to live 💜

TL: @sixxze @iwannahaveaprettyaesthetic @hanatsuki-hime @cloroxisadelectabletreat @cheesenmax @coffeent @smolsleepybat @therealpotatobish @qardasngan @canarystwin @unofficialmuilover @nanamomo1 @mikestuffffs @p4ndawrites @yao-ai @porusuniverse

[normal-paldean-student]

Cerise 101

Name: Cerise Akasaki (née Rene/Renée, mainly relevant for flashback stories as Cerise was adopted as a name very recently)

Gender: female (transgender)

Pronouns: she/her

Born: February 27, 1986

Age: 17 (approximately)

Notable abilities: psychic foresight (about five seconds)

Languages spoken: Japanese*, French*, Unovan, Paldean

Canon counterpart: Red

*Notably, she's referred to the languages she spoke as a child as Japanese and French rather than Kantonian and Kalosian, as well as mentioning that animals existed back home, suggesting that her original universe may have been much more similar to the real world than modern Pokémon canon is.

Cerise was raised by a single mother in Pallet Town, Kanto, with her father out of the picture earlier than her first memories. She had a close childhood friend, a boy named Green, and a takeover event during Muse Mixup Madness indicated there was a girl named Blue around as well. (Her own family name, Akasaki, means red.) Green was friendly as a young child, only taking on the less savory traits of his canon counterpart after an unspecified incident when he and Cerise were about six years old. Cerise has stated that she considers the incident to have been her fault.

When Cerise was ten years old, well... she's a Red. I'm sure I don't need to rehash the entire plot of Pokémon Red Version to you. Her starter Pokémon was a Charmander, which she named Charm, and the first Pokémon she caught was a Rattata named Whisker, which was in her party at least long enough to evolve into Raticate before being replaced.

As proper rivals along their respective journeys, Cerise and Green were able to begin healing their relationship, and they became proper friends again after she defeated him at the Indigo Plateau. Cerise's final team was Charm (a Charizard by that point), as well as a Raichu, a Tauros, a Slowbro, a Fearow, and a Primeape.

Well... friendship wasn't the only thing between them by the time everything was over. Both of them were around the age to start having their first crushes, and there was something mutual between them. However, it was the 90s, and as far as both of them knew, they were both boys. It's unknown how Green processed his feelings (though in a timeline where Cerise never left her home universe and Blue was the protagonist instead, he did end up marrying her at some point), but Cerise, well... between the spotlight she was getting as Champion and the growing realization that she might not be straight, she eventually decided that the best way to handle the situation was to disappear to Mt. Silver for a while while she tried to process everything.

End Act 1.

Cerise didn't end up staying on Mt. Silver for long. Definitely not long enough for a certain Johto protagonist to come by and challenge her. Unfortunately, though, that wasn't because she decided to return home. It was because was pulled through space directly out of her home universe and into... her home in Pallet Town? But it wasn't her home. It looked like it, but everything was off, and even the people weren't the same as the versions of them she knew.

Cerise hasn't elaborated much about what happened in that second universe. She especially hasn't talked about what happened to her mental state when she realized she had no way to get back to anything or anyone she knew, though it can be reasonably inferred that it was nothing good. There are, of course, some things that we do know happened, but I'm sure I don't need to rehash the plot of Pokémon Green Version to you.

End Act 2.

Again, Cerise woke up in "her home" in an alien Pallet Town. She hasn't said anything at all about what happened in this universe, though logically it must have been another blow to realize being pulled out of one universe and into another wasn't just a one-off event. Other than that, all we can know is that overall, events must have followed the plot of Pokémon Blue Version.

End Act 3.

There's an obvious pattern here, isn't there? Cerise hasn't said anything about it, but it can be reasonably inferred that this universe followed the plot of Pokémon Yellow Version.

End Act 4... actually, end the acts completely. There have been so many worlds, so many universes. It's hard to keep track of the numbers after a point.

Obviously, her first universe after Yellow clued her in that it wasn't always going to be variations of the same story. Then she got to Crystal, and finally decided she was going to be a girl. And so on and so forth, through universe after universe, living through the stories of every main series game and several side games as well—the Ranger and Mystery Dungeon games have been confirmed, but they're not the only ones. And always as the protagonist.

She's gotten several injuries along the way, ranging from minor nuisances to disabling ones that should have been permanent, only for her body to be back in pristine condition in the next universe without even a scar, as if none of what she'd just been through was real. She's not ungrateful for having a fully functional body, but the disconnect between her experiences and her physical reality causes a lot of distress at times.

At an unspecified point during one of her many journeys, she went back into the closet, pretending to be a boy from that world on and only coming out as a girl again in this most recent universe. She hasn't pursued more than social transition, though, as the physical reset isn't limited to unwanted injuries—any and all physical changes disappear in each new world, regardless of the type. She can't pierce her ears, for example, and the few times she managed to get HRT, the few months' effects she was able to get disappeared the next time the cycle advanced. Without being able to access the long term effects of anything, it doesn't feel worth going through all the effort it takes to get it.

Cerise isn't actually completely certain of her age. She knows her birthday, and the year she was born, but she's definitely not in her 30s. 17 (18 on February 27, 2024) is the age on this world's legal documents, so that's what she's going with. It's not wrong—she is an older teenager at this point—but the amount of time she's experienced feels like it's been longer than seven years.

After the events of The Way Home in this Violet universe, Cerise ended up staying in Paldea much longer than she expected to. She got involved with Pokédex research with Mr. Jacq—both filling out the complete Pokédex and some more in-depth work with Dudunsparce and the Pokémon in Area Zero—and also may or may not have done a few things with Ms. Raifort. Nothing can be proven on that second front.

She also became close friends with Ella @oh-shinx and Mare @aura-acolyte, though her relationship with Ella is more sisterly and her relationship with Mare is, well... after a long mutual pining period with both of them being silly about their feelings, they eventually had to talk about it after a heat-of-the-moment kiss happened between them between the events of The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disc. Cerise isn't comfortable dating when she knows she's going to disappear any day and lose her, but everything's out in the open now.

The most notable things about The Teal Mask were as follows: Cerise thought Carmine was pretty, Kieran had latent psychic abilities that resonated with Cerise's during his breakdown and caused her to lose her composure too, and after Cerise tracked down and caught the Loyal Three to prevent them from causing any more trouble, she temporarily got replaced by a younger version of herself who somehow managed to rehabilitate them through the power of friendship and the power of knowing absolutely nothing about the situation, much to the normal Cerise's confusion when she returned.

The events of The Indigo Disc more or less followed canon as well, though Cerise expressed a strong dislike of Unova before going to Blueberry. Carmine was particularly upset about Drayton referring to his cafeteria meeting with Cerise as a date, on top of her normal dislike of him. Cerise did not notice this, as she was too busy thinking both Drayton and Carmine were cute. Cerise was also able to recognize Kieran's psychic abilities during their Championship battle. She hasn't said anything about what happened in Area Zero during the DLC's events, besides saying that the group was successful in what they were trying to do and there were no major injuries.

Also this world's Arven is basically a were-Lycanroc and I couldn't find anywhere to fit that in properly.

On February 27, 2024, Cerise disappeared, pulled into her next universe. Nemona, Penny, Arven, Kieran, and Carmine took over maintaining the blog, though none of them made very many posts.

Almost a month later, on March 26, 2024, Cerise was discovered to have been pulled into Kalos when one of her friends from her new universe, Tierno @santalune-swords-dance, made a post about how she'd chosen to name a Luvdisc Mare. So far, this journey seems to roughly mirror the plot of Pokémon X/Y, though with the timeframe updated to be in 2024 and with some of the cities now having contest halls. Her other new friends are Trevor @pokedex-parfaite, Calem @friendly-neighborhood-calem, and Shauna @poke-mon-amie.

Caught in Paldea:

Cerise's current Pokémon are as follows.

Caught in Kalos:

???

Blossom (Meowscarada F) (with Hazel @grass-pokemon-appreciator)

Ribbon (Annihilape F) (with Nemona)

Tim (Dragapult M) (with Nemona)

Lady (Palafin F) (with Nemona)

Cheese (Espathra F) (with Nemona)

Chonk (Clodsire F) (with Nemona)

Chime of Eternity (Iron Valiant) (has not been seen since Cerise's disappearance)

Gluttonous Beast (Miraidon) (with Arven)

entirely too many Dudunsparce (with Jacq)

Caught in Kitakami:

Ember (shiny Arcanine M) (with Carmine)

Ogerpon (with Kieran)

Munkidori (with Mare)

Fezandipiti (with Mare)

Caught in the Terarium (all currently unnamed and currently with the League Club):

Okidogi (with Mare)

Pecharunt (with Mare)

Alolan Dugtrio F

Dodrio F

Alolan Ninetales F

Duraludon M

Whimsicott F

Flygon F

[sistersavelorn]

Fish List

I love fish so much. I have only been thinking about fish. Here is a list of my favorite fish in no particular order, with facts and random commentary sprinkled in between.

Copper Rockfish

If someone asks me what my favorite fish is, I'll say Copper Rockfish. It was the first fish I ever caught (and had to put back, since Rockfish are endangered), but genuinely I just think they look really neat. They're my favorite out of all of the Rockfish species.

2. Quillback Rockfish

Though Copper Rockfish are my favorite Rockfish, I'll also shoutout Quillback. I really like how their spines are blue, and standout really well against the yellow and black. All Rockfish are venomous (to my understanding), but I've always found these ones to be the most intimidating if only because the spines are so much bigger than the other subspecies.

3. Sockeye Salmon (spawning)

For those who don't know, salmon spawning is when salmon return to their birthplace (freshwater) to lay eggs and die, and they also change appearance. Pre-spawning, while they are in saltwater, all the different subspecies pretty much look the same: silver and lumpy, with only minor differences between them. When spawning, they all turn more green and red and become more distinct from one another. I've always liked Sockeye the most, with their green heads and bright red bodies, and the shape of their heads/mouths. I think it's really an iconic look.

4. Flounder

I love flounder just because they look stupid. Fun fact: they don't actually start flat. They're born looking like "normal" fish, with one eye on each side of the head, but as they grow the face shifts onto the top and they flatten to better blend in with the sea floor. Imagine hitting puberty and you turn into Flat Stanley lmao.

5. Cabezon

Cabezon, like Rockfish, have venomous spines. Also their meat is blue until you cook it, where it turns white, which I think is neat. Usually, they reside really deep in the ocean, but in fall and winter they come more into the shallows to make nests and lay eggs. The males are left behind to guard them, so this is the best time to catch one if you don't want to go out on a boat, and also don't want to worry about catching a female. I've never eaten one, but my dad says that they have a texture more similar to chicken.

6. Betta

Pretty basic species of domestic fish, but I still really like them. I had a red and blue male as a kid named Spike. Bettas are usually surface/top fish, but Spike liked to go to the bottom to feed with the Emerald Corydoras I had, and sleep on the moss ball (like it was a little bed). He had a surprising amount of personality for a fish.

7. Emerald Corydora

Corydoras are basically just little freshwater catfish. They like to be in groups, so you have to have at least five if you want to have them at all. I had Emerald Corydoras growing up, and I loved watching them spend all day picking at the sand with their little whiskers for food. They remind me of cows.

8. Panda Corydora

Panda Corydoras are also really neat. I like how shiny they can be, I think it makes them look like little Pokémon.

9. Albino Corydora

Albino Corydoras are cool, especially in comparison to the other species. I think they all look like little old men.

10. Koi

Another kind of basic fish, but they're still cool and I want to point them out. They can get really big if they're not kept in a small enclosure (Domestic Koi can get between 12 and 15 inches, Japanese Koi between 22 and 26, and Jumbo Koi between 34 and 36).

11. Pufferfish

Like flounders, they also look stupid and it amuses me endlessly. They have these two front teeth for breaking into snail shells and slurping them out. I remember there was this really big one at the fish store I used to go to (nearly identical to the one pictured on the left) that would follow your finger if you dragged it across the glass, all the while with that big-ass stupid smile on it's face. They're just so full of whimsy.

12. Telescope Goldfish

Never owned them but I think they're really neat. "Awooga!!" ahh fish. What are they goggling at smh.

[nekoanything]

The origin of the Japanese names Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan and the origin of the Japanese names adaman and irida

I think everyone probably already knows 😂

bulbapedia tells the origins of these two names. But I will explain in separate words. which is very interesting Because the original is in Japanese and has been translated into various languages. Translation of Pokemon names Translation of trainer names Translating place names into different languages I think we should know the origin of the word's origin. It will make the doubt disappear.

Why do Pokemon translators name Pokemon this way?

Why do Pokemon translators name trainers like this?

Why do Pokemon translators name places like this?

It is also considered to be learning vocabulary. (For me too because it's my favorite character in this game)

I'm not good at explaining but I'll try to explain it to you. I know only a little Japanese. and my English is very bad 🥲

I'll start the diamond clan first and the pearl clan last.

Image sources : 1 / 2 / 3

DIAMOND CLAN

The clan's name and character's name come from the kanji 金剛石 (Kongōseki)

The English name is Diamond Clan.

The Japanese name is コンゴウ団 (Kongō-dan).

コンゴウ (Kongō) is the katakana, which is derived from the kanji 金剛 (Kongō).

**The writing method is different, but the reading and meaning are the same. It means diamond**

団 (dan) means group,clan.

Separate Kanji 金剛石 (Kongōseki)

金剛 (Kongō) means diamond

石 (seki) means stone

When changed to katakana, it becomes セキ(seki), the Japanese name for adaman.

After combining the names

Written in Kanji 金剛石 (Kongōseki)

Written in katakana コンゴウセキ (Kongōseki)

**The writing method is different, but the reading and meaning are the same, meaning diamond stone**

The Diamond Clan's symbol is designed to resemble the kanji 金 (kin), meaning gold, that is irregularly shaped within a pentagon. This is reminiscent of the diamond on Dialga's chest.

Image sources : 1 / 2 / 3

PEARL CLAN

The clan's name and character's name come from the kanji 真珠貝 (Shinjukai)

The English name is Pearl clan

The Japanese name is シンジュ団 (Shinju-dan)

シンジュ (Shinju) is the katakana, which is derived from the kanji 真珠 (Shinju).

**The writing method is different, but the reading and meaning are the same, meaning pearl**

団 (dan) means group,clan.

Separate Kanji 真珠貝 (Shinjukai)

真珠 (Shinju) means pearl.

貝 (Kai) means shell

When changed to katakana, it becomes カイ(Kai), the Japanese name for irida.

When the names are combined

Written in Kanji 真珠貝 (Shinjukai)

Written in katakana シンジュカイ (Shinjukai)

**The writing method is different, but the reading and meaning are the same. It means pearl oyster*

The Pealr Clan's symbol is designed to resemble the kanji 真 (shin), meaning true, which is a distorted design of the kanji. Inside the circle is similar to the pearl on the Palkia's shoulder.

My personal opinion

The group names Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan and the character names Adaman and Irida are based on Dialga and Palkia, representing time and space. These two were like the human forms of these two Pokemon Diamonds and pearls were used to create these two characters, whose personalities and preferences were very different from each other. and every time we meet, we always have to fight like Dialga and Palkia are the perfect combination.

I like these two using Leafeon and Glaceon. These two use Pokemon that the other one is losing to. (Besides, these two people don't get along. The Pokémon on the team are no longer the same😂)

It's very much a showcase for the shinoh region, as these two Pokemon debuted in their 4th generation.

These two Pokemon are similar to these two.

Adaman-Leafeon

adaman's eye color is like leafeon's brown eye color

The adaman's brow scars are like ears and the green tail resembles leafeon's tattered leaves.

adaman doesn't like cold places like leafeon.

Irida-Glaceon

Irida's eye color is the same as Glaceon's blue eye color.

irida doesn't like hot places like glaceon.

I like the design of these two characters. It's take-san's design. I really like his character design!

I admit that the game freak team collects very good information. There are a lot of interesting things in PLA games. Regardless of naming the character Naming the region If there's a chance, I'll collect information about this later (maybe).

If I provide incomplete information or provide incorrect information You can tell me! Or you can exchange ideas with me.

[jenna12381]

Thieves In Time Redux Progress Meme #2

I can't wait to share everything I picked out. So I will.

As you may have already seen, each episode, including Episode 0, has a piece assigned to it. All of these are from Paper Mario: The Origami King.

Paris Tutorial: Musée Champignon

Turning Japanese: Toad Town Ghost Town

Go West, Young Raccoon: Toad Town Red Streamer Removal

Clan Of The Cave Raccoon: Toad Town Blue Streamer Removal

Of Frogs And Mechs: Toad Town Yellow Streamer Removal

40 Thieves: Toad Town Purple Streamer Removal

Paris Epilogue: Toad Town Green Streamer Removal

Aftermath: Title Screen

Yes, I'm also giving the boss fights music as well. Not everything will be from Origami King.

The only boss I haven't assigned anything yet is Miss Decibel. Any ideas?

Here are my boss selections...

El Jefe: Boss Fight + Thinking (Paper Mario: The Origami King)

Toothpick: Vellumental Battle + Thinking (Paper Mario: The Origami King)

The Grizz (Phase 1): The Shifty Sticker + Thinking (Paper Mario: The Origami King)

The Grizz (Phase 2): Battle! (Ash) (Pokémon Masters EX)

Robo-Penelope (Phase 1): Battle! (Wally) (Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire)

Robo-Penelope (Phase 2): Battle! (Wally) (Pokémon Masters EX)

Sir Raleigh (Phase 1): ???????????

Sir Raleigh (Phase 2): Chain Attack (Xenoblade Chronicles 3)

Miss Decibel: ?????????

Le Paradox: Battle With King Olly + Thinking (Paper Mario: The Origami King)

[bethanythebogwitch]

Welcome back to the series where I go over the real-world origins of all aquatic Pokémon. As we all know, Hoenn has too much water and there it also has a lot of aquatic Pokémon to go over. For previous entries see Gen I part 1, gen I part 2 and gen II. For my previous series where I went over the origins of all fish Pokémon, see here. For the fish of generation III see here. I’ll be going over the starters and legendaries on their own so no Mudkip line or Kyogre today.

We begin with what I’m astonished to say is still the only grass/water line 6 generations later, the Lotad line. Seriously, this should be a type combination rich with inspirations to drag from: sea grass, algal blooms, mangroves, seaweed, lotus, kelpies, all great options for water/grass types. The Lotad line is based on lily pads, the leaves of the water lily plant. These plants grow in shallow water and are famous for their round, often dish-shaped leaves that rest on the surface of the water. The pads are strong enough to support small animals like frogs and birds, which is the basis of Lotad acting as a ferry for small Pokémon.

(Image: giant lily pads with a human for scale)

The other main basis for the line is the kappa, a creature of Japanese folklore. Kappas are aquatic humanoids with duck-like bills and dishes on their heads that hold water. The lily pad of the Lotad line acts as the dish, though unlike the kappa, the Pokémon will not become powerless if their dishes are emptied of water. Kappas are malicious beings that grab people and pull them underwater to drown. Lombre’s prankster behavior is a toned-down version of the kappa’s.

(image: a depiction of a kappa)

Lombre and Ludicolo are also based on stereotypical depictions of Mexicans, with the lily pads looking like sombreros and their dancing behavior being similar to Mexican folk dances or mariachi bands. Ludicolo also looks like a giant pineapple.

The Wingull line are based off of seabirds, with Wingull being a seagull and Pelipper being a pelican. Seabirds rely on having access to water (or in the case of seagulls, the local landfill) and feed largely on fish or other aquatic animals. Wingull has some other influences, with the size of its wings and method of gliding on air currents being similar to an albatross and it building nests on sheer cliffs is a refence to many species of seabird, including murres, kittiwakes, and Atlantic puffins. Pelipper is a pelican, seabirds famous for their large throat pouch that can be used to scoop up and carry lots of food. Pelipper is also based on boats. It can float on the surface  of the water and its silhouette in profile looks like a boat, with its beak being the hull and its head being a deckhouse

(Image: a pelican with its throat pouch visible)

Surskit is most directly based on water striders, long-legged insects who have their weight distributed over their long legs to lets them stand or skate around on the surface of the water. Surskit being an aquatic first-stage that evolves to the bug/flying Masquerain is a reference to many species of insect that have an aquatic larval stage that metamorphoses into a flying adult stage, such as mayflies, caddisflies, and dragonflies.

(Image: a water strider making a mockery of us gravity-bound mortals standing on the water)

Wailmer and Wailord are, of course, based on whales. Specifically baleen whales, who have replaced their teeth with thin plates of baleen that filter seawater so the whale can feed on plankton and small animals. Even more specifically, they are based on blue whales, as evidenced by their blue coloration and sheer size, with Wailord being the largest normal Pokémon and the blue whale being the largest animal to ever exist on Earth. Both stages are also based on inflatable objects, Wailmer being a beach ball and Wailord being a blimp, which is referenced in their species name of Ball Whale and Float Whale Pokémon and their very low weights for their sizes. Wailord also looks a lot like a submarine. Wailord can leap out of the water and splash down, a behavior known as breaching that is most commonly observed in humpback whales. They are also social animals, living in pods like many real whale species. Its ability to dive incredibly deep on one breath is a reference to many whale species, perhaps most famously the sperm whale.

(Image: a blue whale: the absolutest of units)

Corphish and Crawdaunt are based on crayfish (or crawdads if you’re an infidel), freshwater crustaceans that look very similar to (and are related to) lobsters. In many of their Pokedex entries, the line are said to be an invasive species that are outcompeting the native wildlife. Because of this and their red and orange colors, the line are probably based on the red swamp crayfish, a species native to the southern United States and northern Mexico that have become invasive in many other parts of the world. Their tendency to drive off native species and live in poor-quality habitats are often traits associated with invasive species. The sheer size of the line may also draw from extremely large crayfish like the Tasmanian crayfish, or from cooked lobsters. Crawdaunt seems to display batesian mimicry. This is an adaptation where a species mimics another to avoid predation. In Crawdaunt’s case, the star on its head and zig-zags on its shell make it look like the head of a shiny Sharpedo.

(image: a red swamp crayfish)

The Hoenn fossils might be my favorite as they have both the obscure origins of the earlier-gen fossils with more diverse pypings than the Kanto fossils. Both lines are based on aquatic animals and lived in water despite neither being water-type. Lileep and Cradily are the fossil line based on crinoids and may also draw inspiration from sea anemones. Both are sessile species with a central stalk and a flower-like “head” ringed with flexible “petals”. The similarity to plants is why the live are grass-type. Crinoids are still alive today, but they seem to have been more abundant in the past and are very common fossil finds, hence the line being fossils. Cradily is also called the Barnacle Pokémon, but other than being a sessile marine animal, it has no similarity to barnacles.

(image: a fossil reconstruction of a crinoid)

Anorinth and Armaldo are based on some of the oldest predators we have evidence for: the anomalocaris. They were a genus of predatory (with some filter-feeders) crustaceans with stalked compound eyes and two large, grasping appendages attached to the head that swam with several hard plates emerging from the side. They were enormous for their time and a few species were likely among the earliest apex predators. While the anomalocarids likely never lived to see life emerge on land, Armaldo clearly did as it can go onto land itself. It retains some of its anomalocaris traits but also gains a lot of dinosaur traits. Its upright posture with dragging tail is based on outdated reconstructions of theropods while the thagomizer on its tail comes from a stegosaurus.

(image: anomalocaris paleoart. source)

I covered Feebas in my fish Pokémon series, but not Milotic. This is because Milotic is a sea serpent, though a much more gentle and benevolent take on see serpents than Gyarados. It also draws from mermaids with its pale upper body, scaly lower body, and great beauty.

(Image: A painting of a mermaid by John William Waterhouse)

Lore on mermaids is very varied, but some accounts have them as shy and gentle beings, fitting Milotic’s calm temperament and tendency to quell violent hearts. Milotic also has similarities to oarfish, which are very long, slender fish that are believed to have played a role in inspiring sea serpent legends. Like Milotic, oarfish are very large but are not violent and are harmless to humans.

(image: a fisherman with a juvenile oarfish. Yes, that's a juvenile. They get huge)

The weak and ugly Feebass evolving into the beautiful Milotic is also a reference to the story of the ugly duckling.

The spheal line are all pinniped pals, specifically based on seals, sea lions, and walruses found in the arctic ocean. Spheal and Sealeo draw from seals and sea lions (aka furred seals) due to their furry bodies ( a sea lion trait) and lack of proper hind limbs (a seal trait). They are also based on old circus acts using sea lions where the animal balances a ball on its nose. In this case Spheal is the ball.

(Image: a screenshot of a youtube video showing a sea lion balancing a ball on its nose)

Spheal is stated to be a poor swimmer, which is likely a reference to how juvenile seals and sea lions can’t immediately swim and must rely on their mother’s care until they can survive on their own. Walrein goes from seal and sea lion to walrus, pinnipeds in their own family that are famous for their great size and prominent tusks.

(image: a walrus chilling on the beach)

Clamperl is still one of the weirder pokemon as I still don’t have any explanation for why a bivalve turns into eels. The only guess I have is that maybe its pearls isn’t actually a pearl but rather a fish egg laid by one of its adult forms in the shell of an unknown Pokémon. Oysters are the bivalves most famous for making pearls, though others can do so as well. Its size and shape comes from the giant clam. There are actually several species of giant clam but the largest is Tridacna gigas, the largest known specimen of which had a shell measuring 137 cm. They can get so large thanks to a symbiotic relationship with algae living in their bodies, which provide extra energy in exchange for protection. There are stories of giant clams clamping shut on people’s limbs and drowning them, but this is most likely not true as they close very slowly, many can’t even close all the way, and they only close for defense. A giant clam couldn’t even eat somebody, they feed on plankton.

(image: a giant clam)

[best-tv-theme-song]

ROUND 3 RESULTS

Sorry for the delay, I had a hell of a day yesterday lol. Round 4 will start on Saturday!

Group A

The Addams Family vs. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy vs. Dexter's Laboratory

Danny Phantom vs. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (S4-7)

VeggieTales vs. Steven Universe (Original)

Doctor Who (S1-2) vs. Adventure Time

Batman vs. Friends

Sesame Street (S1-23) vs. Looney Tunes

Pinky and the Brain vs. Pokémon (Pokémon Theme)

Gravity Falls vs. Neon Genesis Evangelion

El Chavo del Ocho vs. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

Good Omens vs. Bob the Builder

Arthur vs. The X-Files

The Fairly OddParents vs. Spider-Man

Law & Order: SVU vs. Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?

Yellowjackets vs. Yuri on Ice

Ducktales (1987) vs. Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Group B

Kim Possible vs. Animaniacs

The Muppet Show vs. Reading Rainbow (1983-1999)

Hannah Montana (S1-2) vs. Inspector Gadget

Futurama vs. iCarly

Digimon Adventure (Butter-Fly) vs. Star Trek: The Next Generation (S3-7)

Carmen Sandiego vs. Sailor Moon (Japanese)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (S1-2) vs. The Flintstones

The Nanny vs. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Bill Nye the Science Guy vs. Star Trek: The Original Series (With Vocal)

Cowboy Bebop (1998) vs. The Twilight Zone

Rugrats vs. Twin Peaks

Dragon Tales vs. What's New, Scooby-Doo?

SpongeBob SquarePants vs. Firefly

Bear in the Big Blue House vs. Black Sails

That's So Raven vs. Malcolm in the Middle

Teen Titans vs. Phineas and Ferb

[greenxprof]

Public vs. Private Knowledge

> Public (anyone can know)

Green Oak, 30 years old.

Grandson of Professor Samuel Oak (Yukinari Ohkido).

Rival to his friends Red and Leaf/Blue.

Kanto's Champion at Age 13, beaten by his childhood friend Red after 15 minutes.

Viridian's City Gym Leader for 3 years. Resigned when he was 16.

Participated in Unova's Pokémon World Tournament in the Champions Bracket when he was 19.

Studied in Kalos' University of Lumiose City for 4 years.

Worked as Prof. Rowan assistant in Sinnoh for 2 years.

Worked as Battle Legend in Alola's Battle Tree for around three months.

Got his PhD in Ecology and Evolution and has written several papers on pokémon evolution.

Appears in a very popular pop song from the 2010's Music Video as the singer's love interest.

Featured in several fashion magazines while he lived in Kalos.

Racer for the Sinnoh Lunar Festival of 2024. Won first place at the water track.

Inherited the administration of his Grandfather's Laboratory in Pallet Town at age 29.

> Semi-Public (friends and close acquaintances can know)

Transgender Man. Top Surgery.

Has an older sister named Daisy.

Born on 22th November. Sagittarius.

Vegetarian since he was 20 years old.

At Age 16, he left Kanto to work as minor assistant to Prof. Sycamore. He finished high-school there and would live with the Professor as a favor.

Studied Biology & Biochemistry at the University of Lumiose City. (Age 18 to 22)

Got his master's degree in Evolutionary Biology at Jubilife City's University. (Age 22 to 24)

Finally, acquired his PhD in Ecology and Evolution in Saffron's University. (Age 25 to 29)

He can play the drums and is an awesome dancer. He's always willing to attend a party or a rave, feeling good amongst big crowds.

He often rides his pokémon to move around, usually flying on his Pidgeot or riding his Arcanine. He's been to some regional races and is very interested on Pokémon Riding.

However, he does own a convertible car, being a huge fan of cars in general. He usually uses it to drive friends around or show off.

He's omnisexual with a slight lean towards masc-aligned.

He completed the pokédexes of Kanto, Sinnoh and Kalos, with some help of friends to register Legendary Pokémon.

Green has never been able to find a Legendary Pokémon in the wild.

Green can speak several Languages: Japanese, English and Kalosian. He is also fluent in JSL and ASL.

He knows morse code.

> Private (close friends and family can know)

Came out as a transboy at age 10. Chose his name by then, after his favorite color.

His relationship with his grandfather is strained and pretty awkward.

His father left his mother after he was born; She is bedridden since then, weakened by a autoimmune disease that affects her lungs.

His Father is Lysandre's Younger Brother. Therefore, Lysandre is his uncle.

He tried battling Giovanni in Silph Co. but was easily defeated.

His raticate partner died in the middle of his journey through Kanto. She's buried in Lavender Town.

Since 2022's halloween, Green's soul is connected to Spectrier. He has a scar on his ribs that often hurts because of that.

Extremely well-groomed, Green's very serious about his appearance. He has an everyday skin-care routine and has the most expensive hair products.

Green's freckles go down his shoulders and cover his whole back, and a tiny bit of the upper section of his thighs.

He's pretty good at mending machines and general coding.

Is planning some Battle Gear focused on riding battles, like heat resistant, electric and water proof gloves and special parachutes. It's on a very early stage, however.

Has only had girlfriends in his life, all of them while he lived in Kalos. It seems that all of these relationship ended in bad terms. The last one of these ended up deteriorating Green's image which lead to him becoming more focused on his studies and less on his social life.

He will never admit it but he was an obvious crush on both his childhood friends.

[thebladeblaster]

Time for part 2 of the reverse of my original Pokémon and Vanguard crossover

Hilariously Hilbert is kinda Aichi in this situation because he’s goofing off and having a good time in the outdoors completely unaware of the supernatural zombie apocalypse going on😅.

Onto the girls 👏.

So Green is tracking down Red to drag him home. She’s accompanied by Blue and they meet Lucas pretty early into the story. Let’s just say the results are similar to when a certain other sister of a protagonist tried to bring her brother home. They both end up being a big help in the long run. Green helps with not only fending off the reverse but keeping everyone’s morale high in their dire situation. She had helped Red defeat Team Rocket though hadn’t really been too into the gym challenge. The first serious battles she had were against Team Rocket to help her brother which made her more motivated to get stronger. She was absolutely crushed when he left and honestly wants to slap him in the face for all the grief he’s caused her and her mother. It’s been 6 years that she has been searching for him and at this point it’s evolved beyond slapping to throttling him.

Lyra kinda just ends up getting blindsided by the whole invasion and gets reversed. When she is free she is able to help gather people with Green to storm the enemy. She ended up catching Suicune. She did fight Team Rocket a few times when she ran into them and helped Ethan make a fake uniform to sneak into the base.

May ends up fighting Brendan while reversed. After coming to her senses she’s pissed and wants revenge on the person responsible. She trains like crazy and is able to track them down with scent alone. She’s really good at finding stuff and survival which makes her very good in this situation. She takes down a lot of reverse fighters because she’s mad and wants all the smoke. May has always been very drawn to battling though isn’t naturally talented. After her father nearly got himself killed by a Salamence she became even more strongly motivated to become a powerful battler not only for herself but to protect her loved ones and never feel helpless again. She’s gotten to where she is though effort alone and is always preparing for the next challenge. After RSE she completed the Battle Frontier and just went on to continue competing in official tournaments.

Dawn is currently in the 1800s😅. She’s not really physically present in the story and is in flashbacks. Lucas has been lovesick for her for a while but she is as oblivious as a shonen protagonist. It also doesn’t help that Lucas has no confidence and feels like she’s out of his league. She’s had a very big impact on the people around her which has left them feeling hollow in her absence. Dawn has been missing for a few months by the beginning of the story. Overall, not too much to say because she’s not present.

Hilda like Hilbert appears WAY later. I’m still thinking up the set but she’s one of the first main characters outside of the Japanese regions to realize that something strange is going on and there’s likely a coverup. As an actor she’s been to a lot of different places which is reflected in her team. Her team is actually magical girl themed because instead of super heroes being the craze in the Pokémon world it’s actually magical girls. The role she plays is that of Mienshao Mask. Through her perspective we get to see the growing suspicions of the outside world about what’s really going on in Japan.

Their teams:

The story would start in Sinnoh with characters like Green and Blue going there for their own reasons. At first they’re just trying to find out everything they can about the reverse while avoiding getting reversed. That would shift to them launching attacks on their major hubs with the reverse rings. A turning point would be when the assault on Hoenn happens and one reverse fighter slips through. There’s other stuff in between but I haven’t ironed out all the details 😅. Eventually they find out that to end the whole thing that they need to beat Olympia which leads to the big final siege on where she’s living.

The reverse edits that I’ve made so far. Note: The characters that I have made reverse edits for aren’t confirmed. I just want to cover my bases in case I decide it later. I’m going to make reverse edits for everyone involved in story eventually whether they get one or not😅. Lyra has Suicune, Dawn has Giratina, and I’m still debating on if Hilda has Meloetta. They’re not shown on the teams for the same reason as the guys.

Overall, I tried to give each of their reverses different vibes to make them feel distinct.

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Got some more! :D probably be it until a few days

1: as seen in Nightwing: a new order, Jake had a voltron robot in his room, most likely Dick introduced him to it, do you think dick showed him more of his childhood like how some parents do?

2: since Jake is a fan of basketball both fanon & canon, does he look up basketball stuff? I bet he likes the first space jam movie ;)

3: does the starburst duo like horror movies? If not, what’s their favorite costume to wear on Halloween?

4: if they can dye their hair what colors would they be?

5: when they are older, what would their favorite nostalgic moment between the two of them?

6: what’s their favorite superheroes? both in universe and maybe some heroes from different superhero comics.

7: does Chris have a crush on mar’i when they are older? I can totally see Jake and Chris becoming brother in laws

1. Oh very much he would. It’ll be all the works of what Dick grew up with as a kid. It further contributes to all those times of people, both Titans and Batfam, can look at those just once and make a remark about the Family Resemblance. All that’s missing is that Jake having blue eyes like Dick’s and as Dinah Lance once put it “It’s like Dick somehow became younger while we all got older”

2. Yes he would. Whether it be entire history articles about how the major league teams came to be, the records being held up, etc, It fills up his search engines on all of his devices like there’s no tomorrow. He would also like that movie, whether basketball related or not, at least for the sheer novelty of it, having a good laugh at its plot and select moments of it alongside his friends and loved ones on some movie nights.

3. They want to like them and they’re fascinated by them….the issue lies in the factor that no matter how much they’ve trained and seen all sort of actual in universe terrors throughout basically all their lives, one too many splattering moments and jump scares are enough to send them scurrying straight to their respective parents’ rooms.

As for their preferred costumes on All Hallow’s Eve; Chris designed a custom built rubber monster suit akin to all those Japanese monster movies Conner showed him once. His in particular is very influenced by Godzilla, only instead of dorsal plates and iguanodon arms, his monster design has a frill, velociraptor arms along with toe claws and Carnotaurus horns. Then there’s Jake who basically design a Pokémon trainer outfit with his superhero colors (Basically a Discowing colored version of say Red or even Satoshi/Ash)

4. As once suggested not too long ago by a friend of mine, @spider-jaysart , Chris would have a black streak in otherwise brown hair whilst Jake’s streak in turn would have a red one.

5. Maybe one of the favorite moments they look back in the most would be the time they performed as part of the band (Chris on Bass and Jake on Drums) for Bludhaven Academy’s Last Day of School Dance along with Thara and Meredith (who which they played Rhythm and Leas Guitar respectively) in front of all of those classmates, their parents, staff members, all the while not cracking under the pressure. They still keep photos of that performance and their band group shots in their albums to the very day

6. For the both of them in universe, they both agree on Superman being a strong favorite for many obvious reasons. As for other heroes besides the Big Blue Boyscout, Jake more or less bases his entire hero work on Robins from the past, primarily his Father and (the still current one in my personal preference though I digress) Uncle Tim. For Chris, he also looks up very greatly to Tim Drake as Robin and the only other hero that can come close to that appeal for him would be either Shazam (Billy) or Cyborg.

As for other heroes which aren’t native to the DCU, there’s principally two mains for the both of them: Invincible aka Mark Grayson and Peter Parker, The Amazing Spider-Man

7. Actually (and apologies if I end up disappointing you my friend, sincerely) but Chris Kent and Mar’i Grayson are an example of two friends, boy and girl, that don’t end up in a romance between them. For one thing, Chris is already crushing the aforementioned Thara Ak-Var (Long story Incredibly short, she’s much younger here as Chris’ contemporary, New Krypton coexists and she’s an exchange student at Chris and Jon’s school) while Mar’I, if she lands at date at all, would be with someone outside of the Graysons’ social circle, as in not within any one of the superhero community whatsoever, much to Dick’s overprotective nature of course. In fact, Mar’i actually helps Chris with his strategies for getting closer to Thara.

I how these answers are to your liking @gothicghost2000 . They’re really fun to do. If you have any questions, suggestions or otherwise, reblogging and/or replying would be greatly appreciated.

[odakuram]

Electricity Forecast Music/Lyrics: Inabakumori Illustration: Nukunuku Nigirimeshi Singer: Hatsune Miku

A thunder jolt rushes in!

あなたの　心を　つかむため あたしは　隠れて　待っている  簡単には　見つからないように  きまぐれな　世界を　信じているのよ

I’ll hide in wait so I can capture your heart Like it can’t easily be found, I believe in a quirky [1] world!

触れないように　歩くための  気持ちは　魅力に　あふれている  まっさらな　図鑑が　埋まる　たびに  知らない　街まで　歩きたくなるのよ 

The mood that drives me to walk so I won’t touch is overflowing with charm Every time a brand new index [2] is filled up, I want to walk down to an unknown city!

あああああ  はじめまして　あたし　あなたの　心です  かわいい　だけじゃない　ってこと  知ってほしいの 

Ah, ah-ah, ah-ah! Nice to meet you, I’m your heart It’s not just because you’re cute, I want you to know that!

でんげきが　はしる！  画面を　またいだ　あたしと　目が　あって  捕まえたのは　あなた  感情を　知らない　きれいな　声は　離れない 

A Thunder Jolt [3] rushes in! You strode across the screen and looked me in the eyes I got you! That beautiful voice that can’t understand my feelings won’t leave

しょうげきを　くらう！  不安定な　空模様に　とどめばり  動けないのは　あなた  感情の　いたみわけを　して  回復すれば　いいよ 

I’ll take this impact! At an unstable look of the sky, I use Fell Stinger [3]! You can’t move now! It’d be great to Pain Split [3] our feelings and restore our health

心　体　すべてに　効く　技は  あたしを　連れていくと　生まれるの  まずは　しびれさせて　しまおう  のちの　あなたが　楽に　なるために 

Moves that affect the heart, the body, everything, arise as I am taken along First, I have to make you go numb, so you’ll feel a lot better later

１人だけの　ままじゃ  飛べない　乗れない　潜れない　音が  世界の　図鑑と　誰かの　時間を  埋めて　満たして　いく 

A sound that  can’t fly, be ridden or dive by itself, fills the world’s index [2] and someone’s time all the way to completion

しょうげきを　くらう？  誰かにとって　この声は　いまひとつ  捕まえたのは　あなた  感情を　知らない　きれいな　声は 

Wanna take this impact? For someone, this voice is not very effective [4] I got you! That beautiful voice that can’t understand my feelings

でんげきを　ためる！  プラスと　マイナスの　言葉が　ぶつかって 

A Thunder Jolt [3] is amassing! Words of plus and minus [5] collide

暗闇を　明るく　照らし  かなしみのなか　強くして　連れてって  見つけたのは　あなた 

Brightening up the darkness Gathering strength, taking me out of sadness, I found you!

でんげきが　はしる！  画面の　向こうまで　届け　あたしの声  捕まえたのは　あなた  感情を　知らない　きれいな　声は　離さない 

A Thunder Jolt [3] rushes in! May my voice reach you from across the screen! I got you! That beautiful voice that can’t understand my feelings won’t let go

しょうげきを　つなぐ！  心　つき動かして　イナズマドライブ  繰り返すのは　あなた 

I’ll connect the impact! I’ll move your heart with Electro Drift [3] You repeat!

『感情を　でんきにかえて  すてきな　声に　なるでしょう  以上　電気予報を　お伝えしました

“If you morphed your feelings into electricity, it’ll become a wonderful voice, don’t you think? That’s all for the electricity forecast [6].

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

hoo boy where do we even begin in the translation and personal notes

Notes: 1 - The term きまぐれ is how the Quirky nature is written in Japanese--note that if a big word gets written in hiragana it's more than likely a specific Pokémon reference. 2 - ...with the exception of 図鑑, the Japanese term for the Pokédex, but I translated it without the Poké-connotation since it's not written as ポケモン図鑑. 3 - Everything marked for this footnote are all Pokémon move references which correspond to Pokémon that appear in the key illustration--in order of appearance:

でんげき - Thunder Jolt (A Pikachu-exclusive move (and a Smash Bros and TCG-exclusive move too--this was quite hard to find) とどめばり - Fell Stinger (A move that can be learned by Togedemaru (the ball flying on the red balloon, which in itself is an item used to negate its extreme weakness to Ground-type moves)) いたみわけ - Pain Split (A move that can be learned by Mimikyu) イナズマドライブ - Electro Drift (A Miraidon-exclusive move (the purple dragon at the back of the key illustration))

4 - The term いまひとつ is how 'It's not very effective...' is written in Japanese. 5 - プラス and マイナス correspond to Pokémon abilities that can be held by Plusle and Minun (the red and blue babies in the key illustration) 6 - And finally the title itself. It's a pun based on how 電気予報 (denki yohou) sounds like 天気予報 (tenki yohou). I would've translated it to something like 'Thunder Forecast' since it sounds similar to 'Weather Forecast', but unfortunately, 電気 not only specifically means simple electricity, it's also how the Electric-type is written in Japanese--and it can't be confused with the Japanese name for the move Thunder (かみなり/kaminari) either!

[wispisstillverybored67]

Poikkeus

Sphinx (also known as Team Sphinx)

A trio of rogue Pokémon Trainers under the name of Sphinx. They are extremely skilled battlers, and are ruthless to their enemies, and have no qualms for using their Pokémon to enact destruction. Having arose a couple of days after several hundred thousand dollars worth in technology from the Japanese government, they are under suspicion for that crime as well, but due to their efficiency, they leave no traces of themselves while carrying out their business. They consist of the intellectual yet psychopathic Sphinx #1, wearing a blue mask, the childishly sadistic Sphinx #2, wearing a yellow mask, and the hammy yet crass Sphinx #3, wearing a red mask. They all managed to acquire extremely rare Pokémon, such as Shiny, Mythical, and even Paradox Pokémon, but their methods are all unknown.

They speak of "pulling the trigger on this world", and their cries become more audible as the days go by. They all appear to be slightly young for their skills, judging from their voice, but nobody knows what secrets lie under the Sentai masks...

??? Ten

Sphinx #3

"The Ghastly Requiem"

The only girl in the Sphinx triad, red #3 likes to act all cheerful and condescending to her enemies, but she's actually nagging and cross. Remembers everything and forgives no one. Vocal about "pulling the last trigger". Only has a soft spot for her beloved Shiny Mimikyu, Lilian, and her boys.

______________________________________________________________

"The train's here. Let's go," I called out to them. We quickly headed inside with our stuff, and sat down in an isolated cart. Just the three of us moving to Sapporo, in search of more strength. Three kids moving to another home yet again would look slightly suspicious.

We adjusted ourselves, then Nine pulled out the book, containing information for what Pokémon can be found where, and extensive "tips" for catching and raising them. Squinting to read the words, the rest of us waited expectedly for him to say something.

"Can you read it? What does it say about Hokkaido?" I asked, half-aware of why this arrangement wouldn't work.

"Yeah, what's it? What's it?" Twelve impatiently wanted an answer.

"*sigh* I told you... You can just ask one of us to hold it up so you can see." Taking the book away from him, I stood up and held it far enough without gaining any attention so he could see. "We'll find you some glasses, soon." I assured him. To this, he blushed at the fact, that he's farsighted.

"So... What are we going to expect over in Hokkaido?" I asked, slowly. The train has been since moving along, so I was careful not to stumble. In this day and time, not a lot of people would be here... But we'll see.

"Ah, listen to this. There's a number of ones like the Roserade, Garchomp, Weavile, Yanmega, and Togekiss lines, and even things like the Ezo forms of Pokémon. Plus, there've been sightings of Mythical Pokémon, such as Manaphy, Darkrai, and even Zeraora," He recounted. How nice, I thought.

"Since it's mid-spring, the first and last two lines shown over here would be especially populous. Efficient for about half a day's worth of time spent catching, I reckon," I sat back down once the info was relayed between the three of us.

"Does it say anything about Goomies? I wanna make, like, the biggest stack of them!" Twelve jumped at the thought of having even one of the little guys.

"Those things usually come out in the fall and winter. While the place IS cool enough, it's also a wee too late for Goomy to pop up now, don't you think?" I told him. He slumped back into his seat, making a face: >:P.

"We'll get there soon enough, keep your heads down, boys," I reassured the two. Actually, it would be a few hours, more or less depending on how the conditions turn out, so we'll get there at the late evening.

Soon enough, the train became slightly packed, even at the far end we situated ourselves in. We did manage to keep them at bay and away from us through keeping up space on the seats with our luggage. Admittedly, it wasn't much, since we took only the essentials, but who's gonna be the judge of that?

From across, we felt the eyes of other passengers gazing at us, perplexed, maybe concerned, or piteous at us. But it's all a bunch of lies woven under a soft velvet of obligation and threads of apathy barely hidden together. People are full of lies. We can only rely on each other, it's better that way. We had nothing to do but ignore them. I was scrolling through news reports on a tablet I picked up a day ago. Nine quickly fell asleep from a combination of staying up until late to read, and the gentle rumbling of the train. Twelve was glued to the window, curious, and antsy to do something else, something fun, but we can't do anything that would draw attention. Though I suppose the book-reading also counted... Regardless, the goal is to get to Hokkaido quickly and quietly.

Of course, the surprise we got on the ride was something I can't forget. You'll find out why soon...

From the back of the seat, someone was kicking the seat in the back of me. An annoying, jangy sound, but then whoever was pulling this stunt off started poking my shoulder, or hitting my head with something, but it was light enough so it wouldn't be noticed. Or, rather, light enough so if you'd complain about it, you'd seem sensitive.

"Ten?" Twelve perked up about the scene, half confused, and half enjoying it.

I turned over to the other seat. A teenager and a child in her side, the kid was no older than 5. No sign of an adult, so that's good. "Cut it out," I quietly, but sharply implored him.

"Hey-" The teenager with him was going to say something, but I looked back before she could.

The train made a stop. More people file in. Still, it's not fully stuffed. More like, semi-quarter full.

"Excuse me," Another woman's voice went as we began to move again. Discreetly, I turned around to her direction, but made sure not to look at her in the eye.

"Hm?"

"My niece tells me that you've been bothering her, and her friend too. And that's my seat," No, it's not.

Reluctantly, I actually faced her. An Aroma Lady was the source of the voice. Her face was neutral, her stance protective, and her hand was on the younger child. It's become a habit of analyzing body language to detect any possibilities. Face, language, tone, stance. It was better than nothing. But this woman... A knot formed in my stomach. I had to confirm it later if things escalated.

"This is our seat," I said, flatly. "And that kid has been continuously hitting me with who-knows-what since 4 times the train has stopped." Her brow furrowed, then she looked at the lad, who, as I checked, was back at the other side, and just mouthed an "It wasn't that hard". Hmph.

"Well, that's one mystery solved. But yes, this is my seat. I couldn't sit next to my niece once I entered, so the ticket instead reads Line I-35, cart F-"

"Side C, section 9, either side. Ergo, what is on my ticket," I didn't even bother showing her the source, but she was stumped once she heard it, and when she stuck her hand out, I had no other choice.

"But that's preposterous. My ticket has the exact same settings!" *sigh* Just what I needed... An eventful day.

"Hey... where are your parents, anyways?" She instead pondered, pointing to us three in total. I know the answer to that one... bitch.

"Well, alright. How about this? You and me battle right now, one on one, and whichever girl wins gets the seat. We have enough space anyways, I think..." She held out a Nest Ball to her chest, then showed it to me. I grumbled a bit, then looked to the boys. Nine has woken up, judging from him rubbing his eyes. Ugh, I need to have him to sleep better tonight.

"What say you, then?"

"Alright then... But no more than this. And if I win, you will leave us alone," I held out my Repeat Ball. Lilian should suffice. She is my oldest friend.

"Sorry," I briefly apologized to the guys, then stood up to the car hall, where the other passengers have cleared the way so we can battle.

At my end of the hall, the woman was at hers.

"You can call me Bachiko. Bachiko Hanamura." !! Fuck! Why couldn't you have just left us alone?!

"Now, go! Lulu, it's go time!" Bachiko called out her chosen Pokémon. A Breloom. A sight I recognize.

"Come to me, Lilian." Then I called her out. "Call me... Rin," In this void of emotion, I only wanted to end this already. Consider me annoyed.

She seemed confused when she saw Lilian, so I provided a bit of expo.

"Mimikyu... Disguise Pokémon. A Ghost type. Found in vast quantities in Hawaii, but also in Tokyo, and the equatorial islands. Mimics Pikachu out of a want of friends," I sighed. The Fairy type theory isn't very widespread, so I kept quiet on that. "Lilies have a variety of meanings... based on color. The orange lily symbolizes both passion and hatred," I later remarked. She shuffled awkwardly in her position. So I made the first move.

"White lilies symbolize purity and innocence. Now, Shadow Sneak," I uttered. From beyond the shadow... *shwoosh* Quickly, now. I want to end this quickly now.

"Oh! Right... 'Kay, Lulu, use Poison Jab!" Nice try. The attack connected, but it just destroyed her front.

"Hey. What's up with Mimikyu?" She inquired.

"Ability... Disguise. Once a battle, the disguise she bears nullifies exactly one attack. This species is said to never forgive those who break its shroud," I remarked. She tensed up at this remark. Now, what shall I do with her...?

"Leech Life," Let me just take some health... Yoink. There we go.

"Ouch... Lulu, now use Seed Bomb!" She then fired at will. Nice try... Seeds crash, seeds that look more like pumpkins, but Lilian barely took a scratch. She was left duped. Absolutely duped.

"Bulk Up," Feel this last hit. I'll end this next.

"Poison Jab!" Don't waste your breath. Lilian even shrugged this hit off with only a bit of damage. Though the other's Breloom seemed to have caught on that something is a little off.

"Now, Lilian. Shadow Claw," She slipped back into the shadows, leaving the target stumped. From behind the bewildered foe... *sshwing* This battle is over. Bachiko is perplexed.

"Woah. You've got... strong stuff," Resigned, she walked back to me. "Ten, was it? Has anyone ever told you that you look like a 'Shinobu'? How come your parents called you a foreign number?" You misunderstood.

"You remind me so much of... someone I knew before. Little Ryūko from the past..." And you don't even remember. What do I expect?! "Well, you've got me good. I'll be on my way," Before she left, she handed me the prize money. 4,389p, huh? I'm not complaining, but this much? I would've expected, like, 900p or so. And just like that, she and her group left for another cart. The cart we're in seemed to have cleared up a bit, or at least everyone shuffled away from us. Somewhat satisfied, I sat back down to the boys. The two of them had a strange look on their face. One of concern.

"Ten? You OK?" Twelve asked, unable to mask his worry with his usual lightness.

"That look in your eyes as you battled her... You're never this angered, much less with a stranger," Nine knows, at least. He at least knew a bit more of that sight.

Looking around, I guessed that it didn't hurt to say it all. "That was my mother!" My tone was deafening, yet quiet. "My birth mother was Bachiko, and she's forgotten about her abandoning me!" The two boys were chilled, at the new information presented to them. From birth, to now, and to my death. I've always been able to remember all things clearly. I caught her name shortly before she handed me off to an orphanage in Yokohama. Now, she doesn't even remember me. Of course...

Twelve glanced back at the direction the woman went, not having got an image of her face. So he just pointed to her old direction out of mild disbelief. Nodding a 'yes', now they both had the look. I didn't even bother sending Lilian back into her Ball. Her presence helps calm me down, and I didn't notice the white knuckle I had my fists in until I went back to my seat.

I don't believe in honoring family. Much less, honoring that hag, when the nicest thing she ever did to me was dropping me off in the middle of Yokohama, where the Athena Project scooped me up, and leading me to meet Nine and Twelve, and Lilian too. If I had a "family" to consider, it would be us. But we're not family. Just a trio of children, and their Pokémon, trying to survive on their own, because we only have each other TO rely on. The little one nuzzled up against me, wanting snacks, I assume.

You should probably get some rest, too, I thought to myself. But I have to keep watch, and handle supplies and whatnot.

It was barely breaking evening now. We'll be there soon, but... Grumbling, I pulled the fuel bag closer to my side, and clung to myself. A whisper escaped my lips. I'm so tired.

"I want to be free from this world..."

[demonfox38]

Completed - Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen

Don't worry, guys. I know what I'm doing.

I suppose this will surprise nobody, but I always have some kind of portable game console in my purse. This is usually a Nintendo DS, given its ability to play both DS and Game Boy Advance games. In its carrying case, I have a few staple comfort games, like:

"Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls"

The Castlevania Double Pack (Containing "Harmony of Dissonance" and "Aria of Sorrow")

"Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow"

"Pokémon FireRed" and/or "LeafGreen"

Now, my copies of "Pokémon FireRed" and "Pokémon LeafGreen" were purchased second-hand online. (If you decide to go that route—don't buy Game Boy Advance games unless they show you the game's circuit board. No need to pay stupid amounts of money for a counterfeit.) Out of curiosity, I opened up both games to see how far the player had gotten. Both shared the same character name (Dylan), so I assumed that the owner had been trying to beat both games. "LeafGreen" had stopped just outside of the first gym, so I felt no remorse in wiping that one out. "FireRed," however? That one had literally stopped right before Victory Road. Like…what? He was right at the finish line!

So, I beat them both. Like, not simultaneously, but over the last year or so.

Damned if I didn't have a surprise struggle at the end!

You know, as someone who was in the target demographic for this series, I may be assuming that the reader (i.e., you!) may already know quite a bit about this set of games. But, that's a wrong assumption to make. If you are unaware, "Pokémon FireRed" and "Pokémon LeafGreen" are Game Boy Advance remakes of the original "Pokémon" games ("Red"/"Green" in Japan, "Red"/"Blue" elsewhere. There is a Japanese "Pokémon Blue," but that is both its own thing and the root code source for the international releases of the first "Pokémon" games. Yeah, it's like that!) Its existence is both an update/remix to the original massively popular game, as well as a way to implement catching Generation 1 and 2 Pokémon without making backwards compatibility to the previous Game Boy games. It's also now in this weird situation where getting Pokémon from the original games is technically easier than getting them from this. I mean, if you bought digital copies of "Red"/"Blue" and "Gold"/"Silver", anyway.

Look, man. Catching 'em all is a mess. And frankly, a lie.

I originally bounced off the Generation 3 "Pokémon" games because…well, frankly, I was pissed that there wasn't a Game Boy to Game Boy Advance transfer system. That, and I wasn't big on the ability system that was added in. Also, Gen 3 is slow and grindy. Like, I'm sure I'd have problems with Gens 1 and 2 if I went back, but I still have the tools to speed them up (i.e., "Pokémon Stadium" games, glitch knowledge, and a Game Shark.) Long story short, there wasn't a reason for me to play them then. Now, I've at least got a DS and some incentive to yoink Pokémon from these games using their backwards compatibility, if I wanted to do that. But, then again, that's relying on the DS to 3DS transfers working correctly, storage systems not being discontinued, etc.

Pokémon is suffering. Heartbreak, too. (Like, I'm sorry man, but your "Gold"/"Silver"/"Crystal" batteries are toast by now. Our teams are gone. Head to Lavender Town and work it out.)

What's the goal of "Pokémon FireRed"/"LeafGreen"? Allegedly, capturing as many of the little Pokéjerks as possible, then raising them into a fighting team to propel you through eight gyms and a final trainer gauntlet, proving your superiority at Pokéhusbandry. It's not a task you can accomplish alone. By trading with other people (or at least, other copies of the games), you can fill out your Pokédex and experience different styles of play, often at an accelerated pace. Hypothetically, you'd need three people coordinating with each other to successfully accomplish this task. Which, God knows I can't get that locally. But, I do have a Game Boy Advance, a Game Boy Advance SP, a transfer cable, and a terrifying knowledge of Excel spreadsheets, so given enough time, I can get a lot done on my own.

Look. I know I'm a Gen 1 Pokémon player. I know the stereotypes that come with that. But man, I can't for the life of me see where people would pick Gen 3 as their favorite Pokémon generation. At least 4 onward had Internet connectivity. I applaud 6's addition of Fairy type, if for no other reason than to make Dragon type trainers panic (and for The Pokémon Company to consistently freak out and hit the Steel/Dragon type combo button). "Pokémon Legends Arceus" is also the realest experience, man. Garbage boss fights, but such a cool loop.

What's my point? Well, Pokémon games are the best when you either have other people to play with or access to an array of cheating devices and/or services. Barring that, boy, are the older games a slog.

I grew up in Nowhere, Iowa. You think I had access to any of the specialty events that would unlock extra legendary and mythical Pokémon? I barely had access to people that would talk to me. I even lost access to a GameStop, so I can't even get them now. Regional-based special events are not in the cards for me. Like, obviously, don't cheat in competitive circles or against other people, but do what you've gotta do to fix the gremlins in your brain, otherwise. (There are many nice Discord servers to help you out with that, too.) Plus, cheating taught me hexadecimal and address/value manipulation! Just a little casual computer science course in the wild!

This isn't being much of an evaluation, is it?

Well, I think it helps you to know where I'm coming from, regarding my activities with these games.

If you were like the millions of kids that played "Pokémon Red"/"Blue" from 1997-2000, you can probably beat "Pokémon FireRed"/"LeafGreen" in your sleep. There are a few curve balls that you will hit regarding getting a drink to the Saffron City security guard and the whole Sevii Islands addition in the latter half. Otherwise, it's just rinse and repeat, but in higher fidelity. (I do think it's strange that they didn't modify the original Pokémon babysitters to have the breeding capabilities as well, but it's nice that there's at least one location where you can get your little critters to mash.) Moltres also gets moved out to a mountain in the Sevii Islands, so don't panic if you can't find it on Victory Road. Also, the game will give you a spin at nabbing one of the Legendary Beasts, so that's definitely worth saving a Master Ball for.

You know. Assuming the kid that previously owned your game DIDN'T ALREADY USE IT.

I can't go forward without discussing the agony that was hunting Raikou without a Master Ball. Like, I did it before in Gen 2, right? You paralyze it, False Swipe it down to 1 HP, then track it as it runs off via the Pokédex or whatever tools you have available for watching its location. "Pokémon FireRed"/"LeafGreen" has a critical bug with both Raikou and Entei that make hunting them especially miserable. If either of these two Pokémon use Roar, it will not only terminate the battle, but wipe them out from the game, forcing you to reset or lose them for good. Like, it's a 40-50 hour deep bug to find, but man, it's aggravating. Imagine not knowing about that and losing them to that oversight.

Also, fiddling with the moveset of various Pokémon did scratch me a little bit, at one point. Apparently, some funny guy thought having the higher-level Vulpixes in Route 7 losing their ability to use Ember was a good idea. Why did you think I picked them up before, Funny Guy? I got a Grass gym to beat and want a Fire type to do it with!

Whaddya mean I'm supposed to use a Flying type Pokémon? That's dull, man. (Although, I did have a fondness for Dodrio this time around. Hooray for the Runaway ability and getting through dungeons ASAP!) 

...do I even bring up the one time I saw a shiny Pokémon and lost it because it was in the Safari Park, and I was stuck using that shitty system? Because that sucked, man. Not that I really needed another Nidoran♀️, but it's hard on a person to have that happen.

You know what I did like and ended up using quite a lot? The VS Seeker item. It was nice to go back and fight trainers. More XP, more money. Good. There was a particular set of Fighting-type trainers before Mt. Ember that I used to really drill up stats. So, thanks for that, game!

The weird thing about discussing this game is that I don't really want to talk about its functionality as much as I want to talk about reflections I had during the "LeafGreen" replay and finishing off the previous "FireRed" file. I mean, what can I say at this point? Game kinda slow, trades make it go faster, bugs not helpful, glad Bulbapedia exists. Got it. I'm going to use the next chunk just to reminisce about the passage of time. That may be more illuminating than anything else I can say regarding these games.

Gen 2 was so right to make both the Dark type and breeding a thing. Just a whole A+ idea there.

I don't get why people are freaked out by Lavender Town. It's a burial ground. Why are you surprised that there are ghost Pokémon here? You know what's actually screwed up? The Pokémon Mansion on Cinnabar Island. It's gutted, being actively picked over by thieves and scientists, and filled to the brim with goopy monsters that were likely created as a result of experiments with Mew and Mewtwo going horribly wrong. And there's a gym key in here. Why? Did Blaine put it down here as a gauntlet for warning other trainers, or did some other scientist drop it (possibly after getting eaten by a Muk)? Also, that power plant is nuts, too. Why did it get abandoned, anyway? Was it because Zapdos did something, or did it just like having a free lunch and roosted there?

Man, the political structure of the Pokémon League is bonkers. You'd really think there would be more complaints about the lack of access to the Saffron City and Cinnabar Island gyms. Get a gardener for Vermilion and Celadon, while they're at it. Not to mention the whole "oops, the final gym leader was a major criminal" fiasco. Is no one paying attention? Hello? Why does a ten-year-old have to act as the judicial system around here? I mean, it's all stuff to make gameplay happen, but I resent having to use Cut and Flash (see below.) Or, maybe I'm now appreciating more of the active role other trainers have in future games a little bit more. It's nice to have at least one other person go, "Wait a minute. This is dangerous. Let me help you punch this gang/cult leader/tech prick in the throat."

God bless the latter games going "You know what? We're done with HMs." Because man, I'm done with HMs, too. Surf, Fly, and Strength get a pass for at least being halfway decent in battle. Trash moves, otherwise. (Okay, Waterfall is fine, too. I just find it irritating to saddle my Water-type Pokémon with map moves.)

Man, how many of these monsters are part poison in this generation? 33? God. Entirely too much. No wonder Psychic types dominated this generation. Poison types even outnumber Water Pokémon here! (I mean, not by much. By one. But, still, that's weird.) Someone's gotta get the EPA on this region. Or, whatever the Japanese equivalent of the EPA is.

At this point, "Pokémon FireRed"/"LeafGreen" are games that are difficult to recommend, especially to anyone that was born after the year 2000. Technology's progressed far enough that you'll either have better access to the original version through a digital storefront or—more likely, what you want—better ways to get older Pokémon. Otherwise, it's cost-prohibitive and requires multiple copies/playthroughs to get even remotely close to the old end goal of a completed Pokédex. Even getting to the in-game special events now requires cheat devices. Not that I'm against that, but that's expensive too, man.

I mean, if you want to spend, like, $400-$500 dollars on cheating devices, consoles, games, and connecting devices for this particular experience, that's up to you. (Not that I spent anywhere around that; I've got an electronic hoard built up over the decades, remember.) But, honestly? Coming from a retro fanatic? You can get a better experience today.

By that, I mean you can probably still find a good copy of "Ultra Sun"/"Ultra Moon" and a 3DS for a half-way decent price. "Pokémon Legends Arceus," too. Maybe "Sword"/"Shield." I guess "Scarlet"/"Violet" also has DLC now, but geez. Not sure I'm down to spend $40 USD for that.

Pokémon is pain. Also, fiscally irresponsible.

[the-cloudy-dreamer]

Tea and Books Asks

Thank you Dreamling Nation server for being so unhinged as to make this an actual tag game!

So @quillingwords @mathomhouse-e @firemandeanbuck tagged me and at this point I think I’m the last one to make this so if anyone’s missing feel free to do it!

1. What period of history do you enjoy learning about?

Honestly I think I enjoy it all! I love history 🖤

2. Who is your favourite fictional character and why?

I have too many! as of right now I can honestly say that spots goes to Dream of the Endless—he is a complex character full of tragedy and contradictions and I love him for it.

3. What do you order at a café?

Usually I drink black coffee but if I go out to buy myself coffee I guess I’ll go for an extra strong coffee with a dash of milk.

Sometimes I get a caramel macchiato but that’s when I feel like I want a special treat not an everyday sort of coffee.

4. Libraries, botanical gardens, or art galleries?

In theory I love libraries and gardens are lovely as well but my heart will forever will be with museums and art galleries.

5. Do you have a favourite film soundtrack? I’ll do you one better and name a few: Labyrinth, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain, Coraline, Lord of the Rings/ The Hobbit.

I love OST music 🖤

6. What does your dream home look like?

It would have to be a cozy little house tucked away somewhere quiet —perhaps in the middle of a forest? I would love to be able to relax, enjoy the nature and do all the things that I love like reading and drawing and painting ✨

7. What makes you feel better on gloomy days? Warm soft things like a thick blanket and a nice cup of tea—perhaps eating something sweet and listening to my favorite music or watching a comfort movie/series.

8. What are your top three films? Books? My mind is *blank* so I’ll name just one of each because *awkward hand gesture* Movie Perfect Blue, Satoshi Kon Book Almond, Sohn Won-pyung.

9. Are you an organized person, generally? I am perhaps a little *too* organized! I’ve been working on trying to be more relaxed about it. And I think I’m making a good job at it!

10. Do you have a favourite classic novel? Several—I’ll chose The Bell Jar , Sylvia Plath because it’s been sometime since I read and I miss it.

11. What character archetype or trope is your favourite? I have a soft sport for creatives, rebels and truth seekers probably because I see myself in those.

12. Do you prefer baking or cooking? I don’t think I prefer one over the other but I do find baking more relaxing and rewarding.

13. Which season do you feel at home in? Autumn! Or more specifically that little place between changing seasons always feels wonderful.

14. What is your opinion on poetry? Love it!

15. Do you speak formally when texting and emailing? Since I only text family and close friends then no but emails probably yes since most ( if not all) of them are work related.

16. How do you organize your music playlists? I’m basic so I usually organize them by language ( I have list in English, Spanish, Japanese and Korean for example) Genre and *sometimes* mood.

17. Who is your favourite author? I collect those like Pokémon so I’ll pick one at random and say my beloved Banana Yoshimoto.

18. Chai or hot chocolate? Both! Though I usually drink hot chocolate only during the winter.

19. Do you prefer forests, sea shores, or meadows? Forest for sure!

20. If you were to cultivate a fruit orchard, what would you grow? Probably something basic like apples or cherries mostly because I grew up climbing those and I have lots of fond memories of sitting and eating on those trees while swinging my legs back and ford and feeling like I was on top of the world.