#and if I'm being honest it's actually better than Pokemon in my opinion

[otiksimr]

Monster Hunter Stories 3 when Capcom.

[aisy15-chan]

"I don't think about you at all."

This is a more detailed explanation of the little post I made the day before yesterday lol (this long guys)

"I don't think about it after all" is probably the most fitting sentence to describe Rin's emotions towards Volo after the Hisui arc & if Rin was more honest with Volo they would probably say a harsher version of this sentence actually… This sentence refers and is based on how Rin doesn't like or even very hates getting involved in anything related to Hisui and Arceus anymore. because who wants to remember being the one who was randomly sent back in time? Dealing with crazy things? Dealing with a crazy blonde guy who wants to destroy all life and replace it with something fake and boring how wastw already makes Rin want to puke and get sick and think maybe he'd be better off being a mad scientist than getting involved in this crap and Volo again.

On the other hand Rin's sentence hurt Volo more precisely and effectively than anything he's ever received before. Rin is the person he can connect with the most and also makes Volo's blood boil more every time he thinks about thier compared to the heroes of Arceus. Volo initially forgave Rin's intelligence & strategic ability in pokemon battles to train his pokemon to defeat the hero Arceus by doing stupid competitions they do every time they meet. training together and expressing opinions together… They are close Volo doesn't know any other word that fits to describe their relationship other than that… When Volo felt he could manipulate this situation Volo was defeated with an iron fist by someone he could call "close" without mercy right after he almost reached the top then Rin quickly knocked him down and with his ego just like that…

"Is was all always just about them?"

Yes this is base on and reference to that one c!Tntduo scene- I always wonder why every post related to c!tntduo always matches Martabakshipping and I remember… they are indeed based on C!Tntduo… Well, this used to be just based on a joke by making a joke comic of my silly oc x canon that became too serious until making the C AU where they really became C!Tntduo gosh… I can never run away from them *tepar* damn.

An Rip my phone old memory and all of my wip cuz software error 😔🙏🙏🙏 I'M AT MY LIMIT I ALMOST SNAP OKEY BUT I'M FINE *TEPAR*

[castletown-cafe]

Life Updates, AuDHD, and A Mental Trainwreck

Content Warnings: Mental illness, current events, betrayal trauma, abuse, & family death.

It's time I talked about how things have been for me lately. I'm tired of hyping up all these things/projects I can't commit to, it feels like I'm making promises I can't fulfill. I get too ambitious, I get too many ideas, and even the ones I manage to see through, I just do not enjoy the writing portion.

About a year ago, my focus drifted away from Castletown Cafe. Many of you here may know what that's like to lose interest/hyperfixation on one thing and get fixated on something else, that's natural for us with autism and ADHD. We get an intense hyperfocus on a topic or project for a while only to shift to the next topic, losing interest or forgetting about the previous. I got really fixated on Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Splatoon 3, and ACNH this past year, as well as making my own unrelated cooking projects revolving around seasonal ingredients. This fall, I got crazy ambitious for an entire fall-themed cookbook and even a Halloween one, things that obviously will take years of practice and experimentation (and need year-round work).

On top of that, however, I have not been feeling as well mentally this year. I've had less motivation to draw, and felt a stronger dislike of writing. If you have ADHD you know how hard it is to get yourself to do something you don't want to do. It's like pulling teeth. I've always had issues with executive dysfunction, and I wonder how much of it I've succumbed to this year. And while I've never been diagnosed with clinical depression, I'm wondering/concerned if I am showing signs of it like I might have been this year with my lack of motivation, my focus and drive getting worse, loss of enjoyment of things I ordinarily enjoy doing, such as drawing, feeling sad more often, and either sleeping too much or too little.

Granted the events of this fall haven't helped. We all know what's going on in the world right now. It's horrifying, it's depressing, and it's easy to feel helpless, but we all have the power to protest, to boycott, and to use social media to amplify voices of the marginalized. I have been very active on Twitter with this, but it has also been hard to enjoy my favorite times of year, the fall and Halloween, when tens of thousands are being massacred. It's no wonder I have been so depressed this fall, knowing the country we live in is siding with the colonizers and is actively funding genocide. Our tax dollars are being used to fund this and many, if not most, American brands and companies are also in favor of it.

Then, in November, I discover that an 80s band I liked is guilty of VERY inappropriate behavior toward women. One I had been listening to for the past few years. Fronted by a guy whose music I had enjoyed since childhood. I shouldn't have been so surprised, but it still broke me anyway. Another betrayal was a YouTuber who turned out to be an imposter with no thoughts or opinions of his own, only stolen from others. Yet another was a confirmation of suspicions I had toward a certain animator having NPD and being abusive, (who, to be honest, I never actually liked, just her art style and cartoons).

Oh, but that's not all! Here's where it gets really personal, but I think I really need to disclose this. On top of everything going on, I had two deaths in the family recently. One was a parent whom I didn't get along with very well, the other was my old pup Oscar. My old doggo has been easier to grieve, because he was a sweet, good boy....and honestly....he deserved a better end to his life than what he got. He was living with my father, keeping him company. My father was the parent I had a bad relationship with, and is the reason I advocate strongly for responsible and careful drinking. Because he failed to do that. He always used alcohol for self-medication, something you should NEVER do. His substance abuse got worse and worse over the years, driving him meaner and more abusive. He was never really kind to me, even if he tried to be. I never had a good relationship with my father, and honestly I know a lot of people can relate to that with one or both of their parents. A lot of us have betrayal trauma from growing up, maybe you have parents who don't love you unconditionally, or parents who never wanted to be parents, emotionally or physically abusive parents, you get the idea. Mine just so happened to be a man born and raised in a time where there was no diagnosis for his neurodivergence. He had tons of internalized ableism that he pushed onto me, and modelled horrible, angry behavior. He also had depression, but never sought help, and I believe that's due to toxic masculinity.

He can't hurt me anymore, though. I moved out of his house almost 5 years ago, and I wish it had been sooner. I'm not sure how to feel about his passing, because of how he treated me when he was alive. One thing I have been feeling though, is stress. He has left behind a house that is a disaster because he neglected to take care of it, tons of debt because he had failed to pay his bills, and no will whatsoever so inheritance is also going to be a mess to untangle. My family and I have been going back to that house to clean it, get it repaired, and figure out what to do with everything left behind. Right in the middle of a holiday season. What fun /sarcasm.

On the topic of Oscar, it's safe to say how he passed/what happened. My father went first, and so Oscar just curled up next to him.....and stayed there until he also died. And honestly....that's just heartbreaking.....I wish Oscar could've howled for help, that someone could have heard him and come to his rescue and taken care of him....but he didn't....I just wish i could have been by Oscar's side in his final moments. I know he was an old dog, he lived to be 15 and a half...but he's with my grandma now and I hope she's taking good care of him, wherever they are.

Meanwhile, Penny has been a new family member since July. She has been by my side to give hugs and cuddles, and I've needed them a lot these past few weeks. Since Oscar stayed behind to keep my father company when I moved out a few years ago, I missed my puppy, and having a little doggo around. And so, enter Penny. She's even registered as an emotional support animal, or ESA, and she goes all kinds of places with me. I love the attention she gets from other people when we go shopping together. Her cuteness lightens up a room and makes the day of many people.

My little fluffy girl has been a big help getting me through everything this season.

Back to Castletown Cafe, it may take a while, but I hope one day to return to it. I have all kinds of ideas and things I want to make and practice, and I also hope to create more content in 2024, even doing more live gaming on Twitch. I got a new computer for streaming, but I still need a monitor for it. I wanna have a streaming schedule and everything.

I really appreciate all of you who are still here even though I haven't been able to make many new things or deliver upon hyped ideas. I feel bad about my lack of content this year, though with recent life events I think it's really understandable as to why I haven't been able to churn out much in that regard.

One more thing: I do want to disclose that my ADHD is unmedicated. I can't get medication for it (not with this hell-thcare system) and I don't know what I should take for executive dysfunction. For those of you who made it this far with ADHD, what do you recommend?

Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read this, especially if you made it all the way to the end here. I know it was a lot, and some of this is REALLY heavy stuff. These are things that we all do go through, however.

Thank you.

~ Mari 🧡

[yugioh-rare-pair-poll]

There are many things that one should be thankful for this Thanksgiving. One such thing is the tradition of our ship names, a convention still in use in the Pokemon fandom, a way to get across what pairing you're talking about whether you use their original names or if you associate them more with their dub names.

But how are those names chosen? Well, I can't answer that, but here are some of your theories about why they're named that way.

Shrimpshipping- They shrimps | If you mean why it's called "Shrimpshipping", it's probably a reference to their heights; compared to the rest of the main cast they always look super short. I would mention the fact that official bios state that they're a pretty average height, almost half a foot taller than Yugi, but that's neither here nor there. Despite what the bios say, the anime makes them look miniscule, so that's where the name came from.

Angstshipping- They’re probably the angstiest characters in the whole show, Marik with his whole family thing and Ryou with the whole “constantly getting possessed and having dead family” thing.

Beautyshipping- bc theyre both beauties | because they're both beautiful

Utopiashipping- For their duel in Dark Side of Dimensions, Aigami(Diva) says Yugi has potential like the Planas, and offered him the chance to create a "Utopia" with them, hence the name Utopiashipping.

Identityshipping- I’m pretty sure it’s because they both have secret identities? Like how Rishid lies about being Marik at first and Ryou obviously has the spirit of the ring rattling around in his brain

Stubbornshipping- [didn’t know ship name] |Theyre both strong willed characters | They are both known to stick to their opinions!

Sideshipping- I honestly don’t really know, I assume because they’re “side characters” but I’d consider Anzu a main character? Actually wait I looked it up and it’s because they’re always cheering on their friends from the sidelines! That’s pretty cute

Siblingshipping- It’s because they’re both siblings of main characters..! It’s… unfortunate though, isn’t it? I mean doesn’t it give you the wrong idea? Who did this???

Rescueshipping- I have no clue and I wish it had a better name :(

Snareshipping- Named so because in order to gain publicity Otogi set up a hidden trap (such as what a snare is) for Jonouchi to fall into. | because of the first ep otogi was in I heard that the trap that he prepared for katsuya is called a snare or something im not actually sure LOL | Idk maybe they play guitar together? that would be sweet

Cyndia/Kisara- They still need a ship name; maybe something like Obsessionshipping or Objectshipping or Idolshipping because they're both objects of obsession from men that break away from them towards each other hypothetically?

Switchshipping- Because of how they switch places in the arc that Adina shows up in

Fadeshipping- I honestly have no idea. My best guess is because fading away can be a way of saying dying??? No idea

Lector/Nesbbit- It has no pairing name! **cry.** I'm still looking for the perfect one.

Timaeus/Kisara- I'm not sure they even have a name I'm gonna be honest (if I had to give it one call it Wing or Guardianship? I'm sure it's been used else where but I mean they are dragon and they protect others so seems fitting to me)

Familarshipping- I mean they are in away Kaiba's familiars I suppose. They're two dragons heavily connected him and that he controls / uses so it certainly makes sense for the name.

Yearnshipping- There was no name for their ship, so I made it up. They both yearn for love, even if they had different goals.

[shayminlucario07]

God. I wish Pokemon Black and White 2 were as good as people act like they are.

Those games are not anywhere near as good as they're perceived to be, and it makes me kind of mad. And really, really sad. I wish I could have that opinion too. But I can't.

The gameplay is quite possibly the epitome of "It was probably good if you played it when it was current and lived in a big city where there could reasonably be a solid community who played it as well but there's nothing of substance there if you don't meet those specific criteria", which is. Impressive, considering that that exact phenomenon is the biggest problem with every single game in the franchise, but that's not all.

It gets heralded as one of the best stories in the franchise, which, for Black and White, I can totally see and wholeheartedly agree with. But Black and White 2? ...Really? The games with next to no actual story, that barely include the three (Four but the protagonist doesn't count because silent Pokemon protagonist) main characters of the story, and cut out arguably the most compelling Gym Leader (Lenora, the museum curator who is SINGLEHANDEDLY THE REASON THE ENTIRE CONFLICT OF BLACK AND WHITE COULD BE RESOLVED BECAUSE OF HER HISTORY KNOWLEDGE)? Those games are the best in the series, and are better than Black and White. That's the hill you're dying on. I don't know why you decided to die trying to defend a pit, but okay.

I could do a whole essay on this- and I probably will someday, since if I'm being totally honest, it's really only a matter of time before I start making video essays about my dumb opinions on video game stories that no one agrees with, but for now... this really just depresses me.

[maareyas]

finished Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeons' postgame arc so it's time to write down my thoughts on the game I guess!!

Overall opinion: Gameplay was pretty good, story made me feel.......eh.

Playing this after finishing Gates was both a good and bad thing.

okok I'll start with the positives. The improved balancing is welcome after GTI's mess, even if it is still difficult (Super seems to be the most difficult game in the series?). Even the maps have improved, and it's much less tedious to explore dungeons ✨ That being said, I felt/was underleveled throughout the whole thing. It reached the point that I used an infinite health cheat from Submerged Cave onward, because I just didn't have enough motivation to struggle through the endgame just to finish the main story.

The emera and looplet mechanic is fun though! idek if I would want them in future games, or be something unique to Super, but yeah I like the extra support it gives. The "limited number of steps to get them" was kind of like a tiny puzzle ✨ Wands, I'm feeling a bit mixed on since they feel redundant next to orbs, but they're alright.

Other misc. features:

Connection Orb! - I'll be real, I did not understand how this mechanic worked for most of the game. It feels like a roundabout way for recruiting and job requests. Conceptually, I think it's interesting, but in practice it feels clunky. Especially if you want to take on multiple jobs in the same dungeon.

Cafe Connection - I can't help but feel like it makes finishing jobs less personal, but I do get that it's to streamline getting the rewards.

The callbacks!!! - One of my favorite minor details about the game is the returning NPCs all the way from even Rescue Team!! Team ACT, the Persian from Felicity Bank, Makuhita Dojo, Whiscash, The Wigglytuff guild members, Future Trio (though I haven't done their quest yet), Team Charm, Armaldo, Swanna, Munna and co.,-- I could go on and on XD It's very sweet esp as a long time fan of this series. Makes me wonder how the protags of the previous games are doing too.

Now onto what is my main gripe. The story.

This is the part where playing GTI beforehand was actually detrimental to my opinion of Super lmao. To be honest, Super's story feels like the weakest of the series. It's not terrible, but like. it didn't have the same impact. Hell, I wasn't even in a rush to finish the post-game arc about getting your partner back.

I wouldn't be so ":/" about the plot if the ultimate boss, Dark Matter, wasn't the manifestation of all the negative feelings of all pokemon,

when we already went through fighting the Bittercold, which is very similar in concept.

It just,,,, after that it just felt like Super was trying to reuse the story ideas from GTI. And I can't even blame them, because I don't think that many people played through Gates bc of it's issues. But whenever someone says Super's plot is better than Gates I go "hngggggg >:I". The build up to the Bittercold was handled SO much better than Super with Dark Matter. I can write a whole post just about this topic in particular.

I will say though. Nuzleaf's betrayal was nice and gave me a reason to say "Dad sent us to hell :^(" while explaining which part of the plot I was at to my friend lmaooooo

The ending is........hm. Theoretically, the last plot twist should've destroyed me. But it didn't. I was a bit sad yeah, but my interest in the plot kinda dwindled at that point. The weight of it didn't really settle in until after you meet Mew in the post-game. The characterization for the Player poke is very nice 👌

Partner's revival was very kingdom hearts-esque also--not a judgement of quality, I just thought it was neat.

In summary: I am salty about this game's story. It's fun to play though.

[a-tale-of-legends]

One thing that really annoyed me about the anime was the fact Charizard kept getting new gimmicks like not one but TWO megas in gen 6, a ride taxi in gen 7 and a gmax in gen 8...and yet they never used Ash's Charizard specifically to demonstrate them. like why keep introducing so many random characters with Charizards of their own as opposed the one Charizard who everyone is most attached to thanks to his compelling backstory and character development?

Because sometimes it ain't about Ash's Charizard lol. Charizard has already done a lot for Ash in the anime if I remember correctly, way before these gimmicks were introduced. While Ash having mega evolution in the gen 6 anime would have been dope, but the fact of the matter is that it wasn't about Charizard. It was about Greninja and his bond with Ash. Simple as that. And yes Greninja doesn't exactly mega evolve, but Ash Greninja is a mega evolution equivalent, essentially. And thus, the anime ends up focusing on that and the struggles with that.

In my eyes, Ash not using all the Charizard gimmicks was ultimately to make room for his newer pokemon and giving them time to shine. If Ash's Charizard kept coming back for every single gimmick that it was clearly not meant to be showcased with, it'll get real tiring. Real fast. It would make the writers seem like they're just trying to build up height with Ash's Charizard over and over and over again, when the poor thing already did its thing. It is essentially in retirement until Ash needs it again. And by that point, Ash would have gotten his own arsenal of pokemon to use.

The big caveat to all of this is something you mentioned anon: There's just. So. Many. God. Damn. Charizard trainers. So many. As someone who used to hate Charizard ( I don't anymore lol) That shit is annoying. Especially when they're ultimately just there to show a gimmick. Alian? Okay sure, he's our gateway into mega evolution, so I guess it's fine. Charizard X is probably the most popular mega ( design wise) so sure, make a character around that. Kiawe? Very odd choice. He never had one in the games, but okay???? Someone in the main group had to show the Charizard Ride pokemon. I guess. Leon? I'm actually not upset by this since I like game! Leon and just wish the Galar stuff in the anime was just well written ( and the entirety of journeys tbh), but at this point, I can 100% understand it feeling like Charizard is getting too much and too many random trainers are getting it. Also Friede has a Charizard and I don't know why. I mean I guess it's big enough for him to fly on. Like I'm not against it,but damn. Anyway, Ash isn't in that anime so let's move on. It's 100% understandable that one would feel like it would be just better if Ash's Charizard had these things, but again the problem ( at least in my eyes, DO NOT take this as fact) is that Ash has other pokemon to explore gimmicks with. Greninja with it's weird mega but not mega form, then later Lucario as an actual mega. Ash's Pikachu was honestly the biggest highlight of him using Z-moves, but so was using his other pokemon with Z-moves if I remember correctly. And Gengar being the main dynamax pokemon was so cool to see too. So yeah, they ( the writers I guess) didn't need to bring in Charizard when they had other pokemon to fill that role. Again, it ain't about Ash's Charizard. But again, the price to pay is Charizard trainers popping up. Way more than one would like.

Of course, this is all just my opinion! And I hope I didn't come off as invalidating your frustrations anon( and sorry if I did!) I'll be honest, I'm actually not. Super into the anime as I was a kid. I keep up with like. Blog posts and stuff. What I'm saying is that you can always take my stuff with a grain of salt. Or ignore it completely lol. But as always, thanks for the ask!

[koffing-time]

//OOC: So I've decided to try and make a full set of the 22 Major Arcana with a character or blog representing each one. That being said, I'm not an expert on this topic, and I don't know everyone well and in depth, so maybe not all of them fit perfectly. And obviously, this is my opinion, so pls don't hate on me :)

(and no pink for this one because it's way too long and that isn't fun to read)

Also sorry for the mass ping :)

Here we go

0 The Fool: I've actually needed to think a lot about this one because most people kinda fit this card, but not entirely. But i think Grace from @trainergraceneedstherapy is the best candidate for it.

I The Magician: I have thought a bit about which arcana they would represent best, and I've landed on this one for @professor-amaryllis

II The High Priestess: @runicsorceress is definitely the gal for this arcana. And not because she always lurks in the tags. But that definitely played a role when assigning this card

III The Empress: who else than rotumblr mom to all @frostbite-yinny? Like, for real.

IV The Emperor: There are a lot of people who would fit into the category for this card, but I'll go with @prof-lemon

V The Hierophant: i think this is possibly controversial, but @thetravelingymleader is the best option for this arcana in my opinion. It's not the first that comes to mind for Nox, but i think it fits well.

VI The Lovers: there REALLY isn't any other choice than rotumblrs favourite disaster lesbians @oh-shinx and @gwendoline-of-lumiose

VII The Chariot: there are also A LOT of peopel who would represent this card very well, but @aura-acolyte is the obvious choice here, right?

VIII Strength: i mean, almost everyone could qualify for this one, right? But i think @pkmn-scntst-ana is my choice.

IX The Hermit: I'm actually not quite sure on this one, but @plasmaapologistseems like a good fit.

X The Wheel of Fortune: Bane @teamphobia is the best candidate for this one, fight me. Like, i feel like the card was basically made for him.

XI Justice: i nominate @professor-devious for his one. Maybe it sounds weird, but i think it fits.

XII The Hanged Man: i think i'll go for @frozenflmes here. I'm gonna be honest, not my first choice, but that's mainly because i don't know snow very well. I think its history provides enough support to this claim though.

XIII Death: honestly i also don't know them very well either, mostly because they were gone for the most time i was actively on rotumblr, but i think @skygodtraumabond is a good candidate for this arcana.

XIV Temperance: i believe @humming-pokemon-helpers is a very obvious choice here, but also one that just fits very well.

XV The Devil: well, the devils reign seems to have come to an end, because @ariadosanon is the one i see most fitting for this card.

XVI The Tower: I'm going out on a limb here, but i'll appoint this card to @deadly-brand. The problem is that i don't want to name a whole evil team, but i also don't follow many actually evil or destructive people. I actually don't follow them either, but i know what it's kinda supposed to be, so i'll name him. (I know Bane also fits this well, maybe even better on a personal rather than interpersonal level, but i like Bane as the Wheel of Fortune).

XVII The Star: I'm gonna be honest, this one gave me quite the headdache, there are just a lot of candidates. But i think naming @eartheats is the right choice here.

XVIII The Moon: Ok, but for real this one was VERY diffcult. I name @occulticvioletdepths but i'm really not sure if she are the best candidate out there, or if there is someone "better". Reason being again, i don't know her very well. (i don't mean any offense with that btw)

XIX The Sun: would anyone oppose if i claimed @flowerliker for this? No? I thought so.

XX Judgement: I'm gonna make a bold move and name @plasma-veracity here, specifically for the current memory loss arc.

XIX The World: It's also quite difficult to find someone for this arcana. I was about to nominate myself lol. But if i'm honest, i think Ellisa from @adventures-on-foster-island is a way better pick for this!

So, here we have it, a full set of Tarot cards, represented by a character from rotumblr. Also, as you can see, i've chosen not to include canon characters. Tell me what you think, or if you would change anything :)

OOC: my brain just gave me an interesting thought

Which of our characters would represent each major arcana in tarot?

My persona 5 brain has made a resurgence lol

[refractedglade]

Shadow ball, Bug Buzz, Venoshock

yesss thanks for the ask [x]

tumblr drafts fucking obliterated everything i'd typed i hate this fucking website

Shadow Ball - Favorite Ghost type(s)

Gholdengo is the best dude ever look at him. We honestly thought he was stupid until we actually got him and threw his ball to have him follow us and he zoomed around on a fucking GOLDEN SURFBOARD this dudes my Best Friend.

Froslass is a gorgeous design, has a good silhouette, and a pretty and haunting cry. and also gen IV bias.

Haven't actually played the games they're from but Hisuian Zoroark and Alolan Marowak are dope as hell and honestly better than the original designs. Hopefully they come to S/V at some point. Mismagius is a lovely lil ghostie. Ceruledge is just child-friendly edgelord material and I love that, also something something megaman joke.

Bug Buzz - Favorite Bug type(s)

Welcome to the little guys category, the part of the show where favorites are chosen purely on the basis of being: a little guy. It's here where we were devastated to learn that Flygon's pre-evos are not in fact bug types.

Snom: Snom

Volcarona and Frosmoth (SNOM SWEEP) are two really pretty moth types that I've taken to using together and might keep playing with in the long-term.

Spewpa is such a little guy, if you're mean to him I'll fucking kill you. It looks like a tiny caterpillar or something wearing a cloak, it's adorable!

Combee is 3 (THREE!) little guys in one. It's here mostly because I really like bees if I'm bee-ing honest.

Galvantula(/Joltik, I have a really hard time choosing between them) is a lil spider with a really nice color scheme, and something about Electric Bugs feels RIGHT.

Venoshock - Favorite Poison type(s)

LEADING THE BOARD IS CLODSIRE.

LOOK AT HIM.

LOOK AT HIS FACE.

GLimmora is a weird and pretty design that's like, a floating flower made of rocks that also poisons you? Baffling, which is endearing. Also it's constantly Looking with little eyes its great.

Sneasler is uh

A bat with no (visible?) eyes and SCREAMING is peak creature design. Zubat is a favorite of gen one since childhood tbh.

Roserade is probably a little gen IV bias, but it looks cool and the whole evo line is honestly great.

Finally, Ivysaur is on the list so I can state the opinion that it's better than both Bulbasaur and Venosaur.

Pokemon Asks!

[softieshake]

what do you think of pokemon starters' evolutions being bipedal?

It depends on what the goal is that they were trying to achieve when they made the Pokemon! The way that I see it, Pokemon that are bipedal are often humanoid, and Pokemon that are quadrupedal are usually more animalistic. It's not how it always is, but more often than not, that is the case. This is just my personal opinion, but I believe that a majority of Pokemon should be based on animals. That's the appeal of Pokemon to me, to befriend CREATURES, not Barbara the sumo-wrestling Hariyama from across the street. For starter evolutions? No qualms with Kanto starters, I actually like that Charizard is bipedal, and Blastoise too - it suits them - but they still very much act like the animals they are based on. Especially Blastoise, spinning in his shell and stuff rapidly in battle! That makes it all the more interesting to me, that he doesn't just toddle forward in that oversized shell! Johto starters - this one is a little tricky, honestly. No problems with Feraligatr except for his weird arms. My problem with him is not that he's bipedal, but the weird stance they gave him. As for Typhlosion - I love him - but his 3D model really did him dirty, the placement of his arms makes him look SO awkward and I am definitely one of the people that think he looks better with his fire. But sometimes I see him depicted in the same way as Quilava, running on four legs and standing on two, and I LOVE THAT duality. It's perfect, for me, it's the best of both worlds. Hoenn starters really rocked, but then we got Blaziken... I'm sorry, I just really don't like him at all. We could have had a quad-ped griffin, but instead we got an ugly chicken man and I don't know why, to be honest. I can say it's definitely unique though. Just not the kind of take that interests me. Sceptile is a god, enough said, that stance has done him so many favours over the years and he remains one of my favourite starter evolutions to date. But man... SWAMPERT IS A W. Seriously, they put him on all fours, but then have him stand up all menacing on two! And they didn't make it look weird or make him look awkward standing either way. Swampert is by far my favourite example of what I feel like you should do to posture in animalistic Pokemon when taking design into account. Despite my opinion and me being quite fond of the Sinnoh starters, I actually don't have much to say about them. It's not that they're not interesting or anything, they're just what I expected them to be and they're pretty awesome! I think you'd struggle to find someone who thought Piplup would go quad-ped, haha! ...I love Unova so much, but COME ON, we could have had quadped Emboar with bigger tusks, he could have been a hell-hog GANON-LOOKING MONSTER. He was still great, but it's such a missed opportunity. Quite honestly, the only mystery in Unova is the de-evolution of Snivy's legs. But that mystery is countered by the fact that it works so well and that Serperior looks so regal and awesome! Ah, Kalos. The hugest missed opportunity on this planet. If you'd have just given Delphox a witch hat. She's be perfect. I've not really got much to say about her though because I think she's a perfect evolution for Braixen! I still like her very much and I think that in order for her to have that mystical aura around her, it's better translated when she is standing on two legs as she already does! Greninja, 10/10, I don't need to say more, he hops like a frog but runs and battles like a ninja, he's the best. As for Chesnaught he's kind of what I figured he'd be. A big spiky grump on two legs! I like him, nothing more to add. I only have one thing to say about Alola... why did you make Incineroar buff? You ruined your first kitten starter, HOW? Well, that's enough about Incineroar... Decidueye is so cool and I LOVE that they elongated his legs so much, both for the Alolan and Hisuian version! It shows off just how strong they are and it's such a great design! Love the wings, with the feathers acting like long fingers. Galar. Oh, Galar... you started out so good and then you just shat on everything you gave us, LMAO. We got Randal, Harambe and frickin' Furry Beckham. I really hate how thin they made Intelleon, like-- REALLY HATE IT. I don't think he's cool, I don't think it suits him in any capacity, I think that we should have had a quad-ped chameleon who skitters around sneakily for the most part and then stands when sniping and has great aim. Like I talked about before, the whole "best of both worlds" thing. Cinderace... he's not too offensive to my eyes, but it's just that they gave him human legs... it's too weird, he looks half man, half rabbit, it's such furry bait and you KNOW it's on purpose. Nothing wrong with furries of course! And while Rillaboom is repulsive and the prop drum is so ridiculous, he's exactly what I thought they'd do to poor little Grookey. As for all the Paldean starter evolutions, I think they're perfect. I love their themes, I love that each conveys what they are based on so well, even just on appearance alone. I love the shapes they gave to Meowscarada's legs, they didn't give her human legs like they did to Cinderace! They have actual cat anatomy and I like that so much more for a Pokemon. If you must make it humanoid, I prefer it to retain it's root attributes. And Quaquaval is just so gorgeous, so much going on and he moves so elegantly, yet aggressively! Wonderful design, Pokemon really outdid themselves this gen! BASICALLY, TL;DR, I have some fantasies about what it would be like if some of the mons that were bipedal turned into quadpeds: but I still like the vast majority of them no matter their physicality, as long as their design and motifs are good!

[aj-anime-blog]

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts - Review!

First review here we go!!

So, after being completely and utterly obsessed with Jujutsu Kaisen and AOT season 4, I decided to check out MAPPA studios and watch a bunch of stuff from their roster. My so-called "MAPPA binge" included this strange and unknown piece: Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e, or in English, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts. An adaption of a manga originally released in Bessatsu Shounen (you might recognize this as the magazine that released Attack on Titan!), it looked pretty promising. I do have to admit that I didn't read a page of this anime's manga, though the art style on it looks gorgeous!!

The concept behind the show: A war has torn two halves of a nation apart, split into the North and the South. The Northerners, who were previously greatly outnumbered in battle, created a half-human, half-beast species known as "Incarnates" because of their God-like abilities. But the Incarnates begin having some issues when their beast forms take over their bodies, turning them into monsters. When the war ends, our protagonist, Hugh Hank, an Incarnate and previous captain of the Incarnate squad, swears to kill all of his mutating Incarnate buddies before they can destroy the world.

This review will not contain spoilers until the labeled "Spoiler" section at the bottom.

In general, what do I think?: 4/10, this show kinda sucked. Ouch! I hate being that blunt! Especially on my first review here! But To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (let's call it TTASB from here on out!) had glaring flaws that, while it did hold up as a show, made it uninteresting and hard to love. Not only were the characters mediocre and boring, but the show seemed to contradict itself and its own opinion of the Incarnates all the time! Are they bloodthirsty monsters that need to be killed? Are they misunderstood humans who should be given peace? I don't know! Our main characters don't seem to either! Other than the "war bad" motif that gets shoved down your throat from episode one, the show felt stagnant in what it was trying to make the audience feel.

I hate being so cynical about it, though, because it does still earn those 4 points! Even though a lot of it falls flat, as a whole, it's still an ok show! Hank and Schaal have good concepts and their dilemmas are interesting in certain parts when the writers manage to nail pits and pieces of their development! The fight scenes were cool and I think that the concept for the world was neat! And the show does have a pretty cool title. Let's be honest, To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts sounds super metal.

So what about those characters?: 5/10! Hugh Hank and Schaal are our two main protags for the show, and they both have pretty interesting concepts! Hank is an Incarnate, he used to be the leader of the other Incarnates, and he made a vow with them that when they lost their minds, he would kill them himself. Schaal is the daughter of one of these Incarnates that fought under Hank. Interesting, right?! How could these two opposing characters get along with one another?

TTASB tries to give the two of them a sort of grumpy-old-mentor-teaches-a-cheery-youngster relationship (which, admittedly, is one of my favorite tropes) and manages to forget everything good about having this kind of relationship. To start, it feels like Schaal has next to no reason to be tolerating Hank, and vice versa. She follows him around because *insert some excuse about understanding the Incarnates?* and Hank lets her because *insert I really don't know*. It really feels like Schaal doesn't need to be there, and she's just a plot device to move along Hank's character development.

Then, the two of them never really interact in ways that really moved me. It never felt like they made a deeper connection that meant something to the plot. They interacted, sure. They spoke about their issues, yeah. But it never felt like Hank needed Schaal, or that Schaal was emotionally tied to Hank, until the show spoonfed it to you that they were.

In the end, neither of their developments felt compelling or interesting. There were a few scenes that maybe, if you squinted, hinted towards them growing as people, but for a 12 episode anime, it was very menial. It also felt like said scenes were fairly forced, with their development not really leading them to the point that they ended up at. Again, TTASB has a bit of an issue with contradicting itself.

The villain was so meh. He has a motive, yeah. It's pretty lame. He's not compelling at all. Nothing about him is interesting or kept me hooked on him. The show probably could've existed without him, to be entirely honest. I don't really have much else to say about him! I just did not really care about him at all.

The best characters in the show are hands-down the supporting cast of Incarnates. Each one has fairly interesting motivations, and even though they're only given an episode or so to tell their stories, they feel the most genuine. My biggest qualm with them is that the show doesn't build their connection to Hugh Hank at all, so when he gets emotional over them, you're kind of like "uhhh u know this guy??". More about this down in our spoilers section, as I'll go over a scene where this is prominent.

So characters were meh, but what about the story itself?: 4/10, just as meh. Again, very interesting! Lots of potential! But it fell flat where it mattered. To be clear, just before we dig deeper: the 12 episodes of TTASB isn't the entire story. It's clearly intended to be continued, though, as of writing this, I haven't been able to dig up any news about a potential season 2.

I don't really mind if animes aren't completely original, as long as they're fun, but TTASB didn't really do that. A lot of the episodes felt boring and reused like it was a watered-down copy-paste of other material. Some episodes were repetitive and seemed to be trying to hammer in the same themes, only to be later contradicted by other episodes. TTASB will spend a few episodes showing you how misunderstood and sweet the Incarnates are and then have an episode where an Incarnate murders a bunch of people. I would love it if it was, in any way, shape, or form, sarcastic, but it is not. TTASB just thinks it can get away with the blatant disregarding of its own morals. It only ends up feeling disconnecting and frustrating.

It follows an almost monster-of-the-week style format for introducing the Incarnates, which does them a bit of a disservice, in my opinion. I really would have liked it if there was a bit more overlap between the Incarnates and their stories! We know that they're all very close (or, at least, the show tells us that they are without really showing us) so seeing them interact with one another outside of their respective episode would've been fun!

The story tries to be darker and grimier than it actually is. I didn't end up caring much for the nation itself and much of the politics that the show tried to utilize felt boring and, again, watered-down. It felt like the show wanted to make it a political drama about war and human rights and only ended up shying away from what makes those genres impactful. Again, this isn't to say that TTASB's story is bad, it's just not as good as it could've been.

But it's MAPPA, so the art has to be good, right?: Yeah! Art was cool! Nothing golden, like MAPPA's newer stuff, but a solid 7/10! The fight scenes were nice, and even though a lot of them felt redundant to watch, they were still smooth! I have some qualms about a few of the Incarnates' beast forms (especially Hank's) looking like they belong back in 2001, but they still looked cool nonetheless.

I don't really have much to say on this front! Nothing really blew me away, but I never looked at the screen and winced away.

Ok and finally, pacing!: 4/10. 12 episode animes always have tricky pacing to them. I like to think about the show being pretty much only 5 hours long, which isn't that much time to cram in as much story and plot as they might want to. Overall, TTASB actually had pretty decent pacing, with a long enough build-up that led to a final showdown. If you ask me, I do think there was a pacing problem in the second half, as it felt far too stretched out, but that could've just been my perception of it.

My biggest issue with pacing loops back to the characters again. They're never really given time to explore or build up relationships. Especially not Hank and his prior team of Incarnates. I think that there should've been more screen time dedicated to their time in the army, to better explain the emotional distress that he's going through as he's forced to hunt them down. Instead, TTASB relies on a throwaway line or scene to deliver this emotional blow, and it nearly always falls flat.

Music!!!!: 6/10, The soundtrack in this anime really wasn't memorable and I don't remember much from it. Whoops!

I did like the opening a bit! It was done by Mafumafu, who I think has done a Pokemon intro song? Either way, it was energetic and fit the theme of the show well! The ending is also a bop, now that I'm thinking about it! It manages to be nostalgic and sad without being too slow! So good music on both fronts!!

OK, now we're in spoiler territory! Be warned!

I don't have too much to say regarding spoilers. Nothing in the show really feels important enough that I have to mention it under a spoiler tag. A few small notes, I suppose.

The show treats Hank like the more important character but then throws him away in his "death" to focus on Schaal, which was a very frustrating episode. Schaal felt so bland and useless in it, even when she faced her father again. Bringing him back to life felt like a sad excuse to force her into character development. I did like it when she found the courage to shoot him, but I also thought that it wasn't really as emotional as the show wanted it to be.

Hank's connection with Schaal, particularly in the second half, feels completely unnatural and forced. When she gets kidnapped, he has some sort of mental breakdown over her and it, if anything, felt creepy. It was undeserved and was forced down your throat rather than built.

Beatrice was the best character in the show and I think that if they stuck to ideas like hers (misunderstood creatures who just want to go back to their old lives), the story would have been much better. Instead, you switch to characters like the Gargoyle Incarnate, who just goes on a murder spree, and it ruins a lot of the development that Beatrice brought to the table.

& our deep deep look at one part: Forgive me if I get this screwed up a bit, it's been a weekish since I finished the show and my brain dumped out all details of it already.

Hugh Hank goes to the mountains and fights the Garmr Incarnate, Rex (Roy? I'm a bit confused on his name), in an epic show-down. Obviously, at the end of it, Hank wins, killing Rex. Now, if you're like me, you sat there for most of the fight going "who tf is Rex and why is this battle important?" and only at the very END, when he's dying, do you see a clip that you might remember from the very beginning of the anime, with Rex talking about Schaal. You go "oohhh I know who he is!" but you wished that you remembered this ten minutes ago when the fight started because it would've been so much more impactful. The show didn't remind you of this scene. It didn't tell you that Rex was this same person that you already met. It expected you to remember, and I didn't. This scene sums up a lot of the character problems with the show, where even if something does have emotional weight, the show doesn't act on it.

Now we're done!: Sorry if this was harsh, but that's my full review on To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts! I'd love to hear if you agree with me or think that I'm totally wrong! If you've read the manga, tell me if it's better or worth a read! And thanks for reading!

(The crossed-out "Hugh"s are all of the times that I got Hank's name wrong! I'm not super great with character names, but I always take it as a bad sign when I screw up the name. )

[rival-ado]

owo I'm curious. But like could order like all the pmd and why you like/dislike each one?

AHHHHHH !!!!! okay hope ur ready for a lot of rambling this might be one of my favorite asks ever fjlsjfJTKFJ

1.) pmd2 !! this is my favorite by far and my first pmd game , specifically explorers of sky !!!!

the story is SO good , the characters are really good and interesting and memorable , theres a lot to do main game AND post game , not to mention special episodes [ theyre ALL so good but i give my life to special episode 5 . ive replayed it so many times ] !!! i could go on forever ahfjsjkfkg . the only negative things i can rlly think about rn are fixed in the later games [ moving in dungeons can be slow and depending on ur type a lot of dungeons can be hell + teammates can be a nuisance rather than helpful ] but !! a rlly big plus is you can make your own missions thru a generator online and get literally any item you want , its super helpful [ reviver seeds are super important to have ] !! i havent replayed it in a while so i might have more to say later but i really could write papers about this game i love it so much alfjskfk

2.) psmd !! the most recent pmd game , and my second favorite !!!

this game has every pokemon gen 1-7 and every single one has a different mission AND theyre all connected to each other . you can get missions from characters from previous games [ grovyle + celebi mission ; __ ; ] . i recommend playing this game last tho if you plan on playing them all !! the story is pretty good and has some rlly good twists , theres post game but not a ton [ unless u want to do every mission ] , you can befriend and play as any pkmn you want which is rlly cool !!! also theres a pushing mechanic which is not only super helpful but rlly funny to me [ shoves an entire line of teammates out of harms way ] . for the negatives ... the characters are interesting but i dont remember them as well , i wish there was more character development . i dont hate the final boss but ... its kinda a reused concept from pmd3 which i wasnt fully a fan of in the first place [ spoilers ? the final boss isnt a pkmn , its just negativity ] . they bring back apples which isnt rlly bad but i sure didnt miss them . leveling up is HELL . i rlly dislike the fact that you have to buy saves for dungeons though , no quicksaves if you have to do something all of a sudden , no saves at rest stops mid dungeon . you gotta buy em and bring em along , im pretty sure its only this game that does it but i hope they dont keep it . nevertheless its a solid pmd game !!!

3.) pmd3 !! gates to infinity !!! i gotta be honest im barely putting this above red/blue rescue team but i WILL bc despite its very big flaws it also has a lot of ups !!

okay this game along with everything gen 5 gets a lot of hate and i can sure see why with this one but i still think its rlly good !!! im actually gonna start with the negatives on this one to get em out of the way but . paradise building does not interest me . no stacking missions [ you cant do more than one at a time ] , the rewards are just supplies that go towards building paradise , the final boss doesnt rlly interest me [ again spoilers same as psmd: its not a pkmn ] , and it just has so many differences from the usual pmd formula and i cant promise that theyre all ..... positive . plus the VERY limited choices for hero and partner [ i wont complain much bc i wouldve chosen the given pkmn over other starters anyways but . no quiz , only 5 pkmn compared to other games 15+ ? oof ] A..... ANYWAYS now that thats over . POSITIVES ..... i rlly like the characters ! the main ones and even the villains have a little development !! [ dunsparse emolga hydreigon ILY ] the story itself is good ; im not a fan of concepts that appear for one game and are never even mentioned later but the entercards [ ? ] are interesting and the frozen chasm recorder thing may have made me want to cry . i dont want to specifically spoil anything but this game can be a little brutal at times too ? leaving friends behind , being chased down by the villains , being split up from your friends , not gonna say the exact scenes bc of spoils but when things get rlly bad and how desperate the hero and partner can get when theyre trying to protect each other ..... [ cries ] . while some mechanics of the game arent my favorite , the story is good and can make u damn emotional .......

4.) pmd !! red/blue rescue team !!! i cant even call this my least favorite bc i have no real least favorites when it comes to this series but i just like the others a little better ahkfjsjfkc

im a little more biased bc this is the last game of the series i played even tho its the original . BUT i still have so many good things to say about it and i would probably recommend this first ? i dont remember there being a lot of characters compared to the other games but they sure leave an impression on you . i also like how the partner is kinda sassy and like , they just met you but would literally do anything for you and believe in you even when you dont believe in yourself . every pmd game has good twists but i RLLY like the one they pulled here . also you spend a good amount of the game being on the run from people you trusted literally trying to kill you which is fucked up but i really like how they played the story . i didnt even play it that long ago but writing this makes me want to play it again smfjkskfj ... the main negatives i can think about are all stuff fixed in future games again [ and you can also do the same make your own mission generator and get items to make the game easier ] . a lot of the bosses are the same type / resistant to the same type so depending on your hero / partner it could go rlly smoothly or rlly badly [ to anyone choosing grass type pkmn . godspeed ] . i think this might be the shortest pmd game and it might be hard bc its the first , but if youre looking to rlly get into the series id go with this one first . if you just want to test the waters id go with pmd2 !!

T.... TYSM FOR THE ASK and these are all opinions of course and its just my thoughts but if you got all the way down here . ily

[sage-nebula]

i'm so mad with those popular pokemon blogs acting superior just because the movie thing didn't bother them and they're now complaining about the fandom's reaction with words filled with disdain. fortunately, they're very few

Hmmm, I’m not sure who the BNFs in the fandom are (though I think pkmncoordinators is one, and they seem to be just as salty as the rest of us---same goes for ommanyte), though yeah, it is pretty aggravating when people act holier-than-thou about not being upset, or when they claim that the only people who are upset are Ash/Misty shippers / genwunners.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am an Ash/Misty shipper, but I’ll also be the first one to point out that I didn’t think there would be any actual shipping content in this movie, even if Misty was in it. I mean, what we were led to believe was that this movie would take place during the OS—that there would be a recap of Ash’s first day, followed by a sort of “lost story” about Ho-Oh. In that case, it would make sense for there not to be any shipping content beyond what we got in the OS, which was ship tease but nothing confirmed canon. And even then, I wasn’t expecting any ship tease; it would be nice, of course, but we already had a Pokéshipping movie (The Power of One), and the focus of this movie was meant to be on Ash, Pikachu, and Ho-Oh. Even if Misty was there, I wasn’t expecting any shipping content, so no, that’s not at all why I’m so salty / disappointed. (Especially since, honestly, I also ship Ash with other characters and value his platonic soulmate bond with Pikachu over romantic ships with him anyway, so really, I’m not just here for “muh otp.”)

Second, I’m not just upset about Misty. I’m also upset about Brock, Gary, and tbh I’d like to see Tracey as well (and I’m one of the few who feels that way), so. If I was really just here for the ship, Misty would be the only character I’d be bitching about. She’s not.

Third, while the OS is my favorite saga of the anime (and even then, really just the first two seasons of the OS, because Johto had its merits but that’s where the formula really started to set in), I’m far from a genwunner. My opinions on the games aside (which are very detailed and spread across seven generations), my favorite character from the anime (and from anything at all period) is Alan, who wasn’t even introduced until the Kalos series. And really, on that note, The Strongest Mega Evolution ties with the first two seasons of the OS as my favorite saga, tbh. Like, Kalos as a whole might not be my favorite, but TSME + the Flare arc was goddamn phenomenal. I adored it. So yeah, I’m really not a genwunner, even if my favorite saga was the (first two seasons of) the OS, due to it having a certain flavor (to use Cilan’s word) that the following seasons just don’t possess. 

So to say that the only people are upset are “genwunners” is inaccurate, at least from where I’m standing. I’d say it’s especially inaccurate because I also see people upset that Dawn wasn’t included after the Piplup tease, as well as people in general who might not even care that much for Misty and Brock in particular, but who still see how completely asinine it is to give Ash two brand new companions for an OS journey—and no, it doesn’t matter if this is “an AU,” because even setting aside the fact that it doesn’t matter with regard to the canonical anime whether it’s a retcon or an AU (i.e. the Alola series would literally not be affected either way), the fact remains that if your only change is remove beloved canon characters to insert two brand new ones no one has ever heard of, you’re pulling the bad fanfic trope of removing characters to insert your OCs instead. People wouldn’t champion and gush over this in a fanfic (and would instead roll their eyes, scoff, “Mary-Sues,” and move on), so why they’re so hasty to defend it when the Pokémon Company does it in an anniversary movie is beyond me. (Well, except for those who are doing it because they’re a.) spiteful, b.) ship Ash with someone else and see Misty as a threat. I understand those reasons, even if I look down on them for being petty and immature.) To be honest, a twelve-year-old fanfiction writer has more of an excuse to pull this nonsense than the Pokémon Company does, and that’s the goddamn truth.

Anyway, the point is: Those who act as if they’re better than other fans because they’re not upset about this very justifiably angering thing are aggravating, yeah. And those that take it a step forward and straight up attack other users for not being excited (/being upset about) the movie are both aggravating and should piss-off, because there’s absolutely no excuse for attacking someone like that, especially not as a result of a reaction to a movie made for a children’s anime. Most of us are adults; we should behave like it.

That said? If someone is making untagged posts on their own blog, then even if their behavior is unsavory, they have the right to do that. It’s one thing if they’re filling tags with hate; at that point, they should be asked not to tag their hate, because that’s common courtesy. However, if their post is untagged, then they have every right to post it. It’s their blog, and they have the right to vent. So if you follow BNFs who are acting holier-than-thou and making disparaging comments about people who are justifiably angered about the movie, and that’s upsetting to you, then unfollow them. You deserve to have a good tumblr experience just as much as they deserve to vent on their own blog, so if your good tumblr experience is tarnished by their posts, unfollow. It’s really the best thing for everyone involved. 

[giraffeseatingcake]

And that's totally cool, some people are like that. My mother-in-law in THE bluntest most bold, loud, direct person I've ever met and she's a cis woman. She is also a butch lesbian, so everything about her presentation and communication is masculinized and it does change how people view her as a result, for sure. It's a combination of things. You read as very femme. Your presentation and voice are extremely feminine, but your communications tends to be very blunt and direct at times (not all the time though), it's just who you are. These things can co-exist.

And to be perfectly honest, if we're talking about a real life situations and not just internet speculation (and we SHOULD be), no one is going to go "Hmm, that person with a high voice and boobs wearing a skirt didn't use the indirect form of questioning when they asked me where the bathroom was, clearly that's a man!" Like, that's not realistic. Subtle syntax will impact how the people who know you view you and your personality, not strangers clocking you or not after 30 seconds of talking. You are rather blunt. (You're also autistic and that's a huge part of it. Same here, also honestly your syntax might be more likely to get you read as autistic than misgendered). Just being polite with strangers IRL will likely mask most bluntness in how you speak anyways.

Now for my uninformed opinion. I'm sitting here listening to your clip talking about the new pokemon game (which you're 100% right about holy) and thinking, it sounds here like you're speaking in your chest voice more, which comes across less feminine (I know you know that). It sounds to me like you're trying to balance it by making your voice a bit more nasal rather than talking more in your head voice. I know that's something that's frequently taught to mtfs in voice-training, and I know there is debate surrounding it, to put it lightly. You also have a very feminine laugh, the register of it is not just higher but also lighter, if that makes sense. Like it's not just about pitch, it's kind of like the part of your throat you use when whispering, without actually whispering, just softening your voice. It seems like when you're more relaxed, you speak in your chest voice, which yeah makes sense since you've been doing that for like two decades and are trying very hard to unlearn it. It's fucking hard.

I do honest to God thinking your voice has come so so far from following you a few years ago, or listening to old clips. And I do honest to God you will continue to get better as you practice. And I also think having a pack of yes-men telling you "No Queen! Your voice is a girls voice because you ARE a girl 😍😍" and ignoring you when you say you're getting clocked by strangers doesn't help, but I know you know that too.

A little late to the party, but that whole feminine-language thing people were talking about has a name, it's called an "indirect request" and it's how women tend to communicate compared to men. Googling "indirect request women" brings up articles talking about it. Women are trained to be passive compared to men, so requests and questions are posed in "optional" or passive ways, while a man may address or command someone directly w/ questions. All generalizations of course but maybe useful info.

...... I think it's cooler to be direct.

[klug]

Is it okay if I send you two for the ask meme, bc I'm doin' it. Hollow Knight and Pokemon (your choice which game)

YES thank you...i don’t mind at all. i love both even if pokemon isn’t a super big interest in my life atm...cut because it’s long!

Hollow Knight

Favorite character:Probably the Radiance, though I’m really fond of Quirrel, Lemm, and Hornet too!

Least Favorite character:I know the Pale King is probably the most expected answer but...yeah I love/hate him. I think my other least fave would be like, the Soul Master or something, even if he’s up my alley in terms of backstory I don’t really feel like he was justified.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon):I don’t have that many ships but Monomon/The Radiance (just trust me), The Radiance/Pure Vessel, Quirrel/Monomon, Quirrel/Lemm... I think those are the ones that feel the most relevant

Character I find most attractive:Monomon... Scientist ladies have my heart.

Character I would marry:See above, though I’d also marry Quirrel to be honest. He’s a comforting presence.

Character I would be best friends with:Quirrel! and Lemm but probably more of a business relationship because I appreciate his work and want to respect his desire for solitude

A random thought:As much as I love the game I wish some boss fights were better, mostly the one with Nosk! I know this is probably an opinion people have heard before but that fight had such great buildup it was a bit sad that I kinda figured out a way to cheese it.

An unpopular opinion:I don’t like it when people baby Ghost or characterize them as being less rational than Hornet? She’s definitely always seemed the most impulsive and ready to up her ego, I never really saw her as a level-headed character when her interactions with Ghost seemed to be her on edge all the time. This especially bothers me when Ghost seems to have been and lived through way more, outside of Hallownest, than Hornet... if we interpret the void outside of Hallownest as being trials and hardships I guess.

My canon OTP:I actually really like the White Lady and the Pale King even if they were like. terrible...? I find the WL to be kind of a funny character on account she is just, kind of, an absurdly horny god being...

Non-canon OTP:Radiance/Monomon *sniffles* i want them to be dream realm girlfriends lol

Most badass character:Hornet, because of her weird spider/god/maybe void depending on interpretation thing going on, her fighting style is also just SUPER sleek and I’m pumped to play as her in Silksong. Also I kind of feel like Hive Knight is pretty badass even if at the end of his life he was kind of just being controlled by the infection.

Pairing I am not a fan of:I don’t really care much for Grimm/Pure it’s like meh, i see it on twitter all the time

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):Tiso... I know he was like a backer character but hm. I feel bad.

Favourite friendship:Ghost and Quirrel, and Hornet, Ghost, and Pure Vessel :3 Also I like Cloth and Ghost’s friendship n_n

PokemonI’m gonna do Gen 4 games since my memory is best for those?

Favorite characters:DPPt: Both of the player trainers, Cynthia, Candice, Saturn, CaitlinHGSS: Silver/Rival, Eusine, Lyra, Whitney, Jasmine

Least Favorite characters:DPPt: Looker (kinda, I don’t hate him but meh), Aaron, FlintHGSS: Clair, Giovanni (if he coutns lol)

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): I don’t have too many pkmn ships but I always liked Candice/Maylene

Character I find most attractive:Probably Argenta, even if I never fought her.

Character I would marry:Cynthia...

Character I would be best friends with:BARRY. and Silver/HGSS Rival

A random thought:I find the visual styles of the Gen 4 games super charming and I wish Game Freak didn’t have a weird practice of throwing new things out all the time because sooo many of the gimmicks in Gen 4 made me extremely happy, like the watch in DPPt and the little berry pots in HGSS

An unpopular opinion:I don’t think these gens are overrated but idk how unpopular that is

My canon OTP:None??

Non-canon OTP:??? Not sure

Most badass character:...CYNTHIA...

Pairing I am not a fan of:okay she’s not a Gen 4 character in the incarnation i’m thinking of but i do not like Anabel with Looker... she’s VERY lesbian to me and hashtag important to me in weird ways so like, I guess that counts. Because Looker is involved.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another):UM SINNOH ELITE 4 i guess i didn’t feel as endeared towards them as the like Johto elite 4, but, idk. also Lucian is just a Will knockoff smh

Favourite friendship:Dawn/Lucas/Barry and Kris (or Lyra ig but I like Kris better)/Ethan/Silver are all epic friends.change my mind.