#are we going to see more and more food pokemon become a thing?

[pokemonshelterstories]

You know how, sometimes, when you work with certain pokemon, they can sometimes imprint on you? And that leads to either the pokemon seeing you as a parent (if this happens while it's young) or seeing you as a potential mate (if this happens while it's older)? Well, I have a friend who is currently rehabilitating a dull and chronically rusty Skarmory, and this seems to have happened to him. Big ol' metal birdie has taken a liking to him.

Unfortunately, she has started getting aggressive whenever female staff members interact with him in her line of sight, doing things like flaring her wings and screeching. She hasn't actually attacked anyone, but the staff are worried nonetheless. Even dull, her wings have cut through whole trees in her enclosure before.

They have the equipment necessary to deal with a hostile Skarmory, but because of her dull and rusted state, some staff are concerned that it might just hurt her.

Is there anything you could recommend? Either a way to dissuade the Skarmory from its amorous feelings for my friend, or to keep her calm while she's being cared for?

this is something we see happen with human-raised skarmory on occasion. skarmory are not social pokemon by default and will typically only bond with other skarmory during mating and nesting season, after which they split off from each other and live solitary lives for the rest of the year.

this is about the time of year when skarmory begin breeding, especially in areas with warmer climates, so she's going to be hormonal and aggressive regardless. this is on top of her not feeling well, which often makes pokemon more quick to lash out.

for their safety and her emotional well-being, the best thing they can do for her is to really just. leave her alone unless she's actively getting treatment. don't let anyone linger around her enclosure. anesthetize her if they need to get hands-on. ball her if they need to enter to put out food or clean the enclosure. if he's the only person she'll tolerate for things like daily visual checkups, then assign him to focus solely on her as much as they can. for rehab purposes, skarmory is classified as an inherently dangerous pokemon (they fall under subclass Ib- pokemon with territorial aggression- and IIa- pokemon with whom physical contact can cause immediate harm), which means that she should not be handled in free contact unless proven not to pose a significant risk of danger. because of this, they should always have a barrier between her and staff unless she is under anesthesia.

you can't really argue with a skarmory's feelings- and it isn't safe to try, because it doesn't take much for a skarmory to cause severe injury to a human. even their bonding behaviors with their mates, such as preening and wing-slapping, are unsafe for humans because of how sharp their bodies are. hopefully as her hormones settle and as they lessen contact with her, she will become less aggressive. until then, though, the best way to prevent injury is to not give any opportunity for it to happen.

[kafus]

why dot & episode 41 of pokemon horizons means so much to me as a recovering social recluse

when i got into pokemon horizons i had no idea whatsoever that my favorite character would end up being dot, one of the best handled social recluse characters i've ever seen in a piece of media. pokemon places such a large focus on adventure and travel, meeting new people and pokemon, so really the idea of a respectfully handled social recluse character just didn't seem to fit in with the concept. but now that the environment travels with the characters in the form of an airship, dot was able to be created and my god i love her. as someone who's been a recluse most of my life, even as a child, (i would qualify as a hikikomori and/or NEET at different stages of my life!) who is slowly crawling out of that pit, dot means the world to me.

there's a lot of good episodes that have some level of focus on dot but episode 41 in particular really blew me away and for the sake of my autistic ass desperately wanting to tell people about it i'm going to explain that here in trademark rambling fashion. obviously spoilers ahead - though not just for episode 41, i'm also going to be talking about earlier episodes a little bit. you've been warned!! if you don't want spoilers don't read below the cut ty!!

so episode 41. we meet dot's mother as the viewer who is there to pick up dot from her "trial period" on the brave asagi, learn about how dot ended up on the airship in the first place, and then at the end dot gets to have a showdown against her mother's lycanroc essentially to prove that she wants to, and can, stay permanently on the rising volteccers crew instead of going home. this is a huge turning point in dot's development as a character - at first she was a complete unknown only audible through her bedroom door, irritable to anyone who tried to speak to her, then over the course of the show she's managed to make friends with liko and roy, become a pokemon trainer, enjoy food with other people for seemingly the first time, and even caught tinkatink on her own accord pretty recently. and now this episode allows her to say in her own words that she isn't just on the ship experimentally, or because of murdock, or any other reason - she is choosing to be there and is enjoying learning more about other people and experiencing the outside world. again, this is a huge leap for someone who refused to show her face to the main characters for the first half of the show!

this on its own is already a pretty admirable character arc, one i can relate to, but i am really impressed by & feel seen by the way the writing handles her and that's really apparent in this episode. first i'm going to focus on how the writing and characters in the show respect dot's feelings despite her introversion and reclusion here.

dot's mom (blanca) is introduced to us as incredibly overbearing, to the point of freaking out and sending a bunch of angry stickers when murdock and dot don't immediately respond to her messages. dot's first response to seeing her mom is frustration instead of any level of positive response or excitement, which implies they don't have the best history, even before she actually starts talking about her past. i'm not trying to make this a post about dot's family psychology, maybe another time, but similarly to liko her situation is a bit fucked lmao (though for opposite reasons!)

the thing is - the adults around her are ALSO uncomfortable, in particular murdock, blanca's brother, which conveys a lot about the situation. she's not just some stubborn kid, there's legitimacy to her feelings, because if there wasn't the mature figures in this situation probably wouldn't also be reacting negatively, especially not murdock, dot's other relative here. from incredibly personal experience, it is so easy to wave off the feelings of a child, especially one as "difficult" and reclusive as dot, as just being some sort of phase, but already the writers are directly contrasting murdock, an adult dot is comfortable with who treats her with patience and respect, with blanca, who she evidently is not comfortable with - and they're respecting her feelings by making the adults in the show respect her feelings, too. and they're about to do a whole lot more of contrasting her mother with Everyone and Everything Else!

dot is continued to be understood and respected by the people who know her best in the case of liko and roy choosing to approach her to talk first. dot has run off to her room, where she usually is to get away from people, a very clear sign that she's struggling. liko and roy recognize this and cut blanca off from making the situation worse. which, of course they would, they're her friends and they genuinely care about her and understand how she behaves! they even know how to get her to come out her room without banging on her door and continuously yelling or something like that - direct contrast to them struggling with this much earlier in the show, by the way.

dot is happy to see them and much more willing to talk pretty much immediately, because guess what, they're people who respect her space and her feelings!!!

and once again, when blanca tries to force dot to speak before she's ready to (i mean come on you literally jumped her with this massive thing out of nowhere), liko jumps in and cuts blanca off to defend her and once again respect her feelings in a way that blanca definitely is not.

and finally, when they end up having a pokemon battle with each other...

blanca says this, yet another invalidation of dot's feelings and the way she responds to situations. this line actually made me viscerally uncomfortable, i remember the bitterness and upset i felt when i was a young person and my feelings, especially my frustrations with my parents and the way they handled my introversion, were invalidated on account of my age. "oh, it's just a phase" or "it's just because you're a kid" - just so incredibly frustrating.

and you know what that's followed up with?

dot speaking her fucking mind and kicking her mom's ass baby!!!! get her ass!!! let's GOOO. this part of the episode is so fucking rewarding. it's so good to see this character who has grown so much finally stand up for herself. she still needed a little bit of a push but that's OKAY!! the important part is that she's doing it and the narrative recognizes that! having friends and loved ones to help you out is actually a very essential part of happiness and survival!

and before i delve too far into my personal feelings, i also want to talk about a second thing here; i just find dot's characterization really relatable, like i swear to god there's someone on the writing team who must have been a 12 year old autistic NEET or something. it's literally too fucking on point, it's uncanny, i swear there's times in horizons where dot is just a carbon copy of me when i was a preteen. i mean come on:

dot flopping face down into bed after being overwhelmed in an awkward social situation and being confronted with a situation she's been trying to ignore thus far... the amount of times i have done this in my life, holy shit.

the candidness in which dot speaks about being so interested in the outside world, but being unable to have those experiences for herself as simply a voyeur. the shot of her room being such a disaster because she rarely leaves it and stuff piles up in there, including food junk,

the way she spends all this time alone cultivating skills she's passionate about and then shrugs them off as "just something she likes" when an adult compliments her on her abilities, the contrast between her confidence in what she loves but her complete social awkwardness in talking to anyone about it,

her defining herself on the internet by being a homebody, hell even her cute little freakout about the streamer she likes noticing something she said,

waking up late and missing the activities of other people because her sleep schedule basically doesn't exist while she's at home,

even just her general body language of closing in on herself and holding onto something when she's nervous, hell even her clothing choices which are so obviously meant to be as comfortable as possible for her and easy to take on and off - i could go on forever even just with this episode alone but i think you get the point. i feel so seen by how dot is just in general and it's obvious from both the plot/writing and the way dot is portrayed and animated that the people making this show understand people like me, even the type of person i was as a child, too.

all of this means so much to me because like i said in the intro to this post, i was and still very much am a social recluse. i'm a homebody. even now i still rarely leave my room, i don't eat with family often, i struggle to do things in the "real world". growing up, repeated intrusions into my feelings and my life did not help me, they only made me whiplash further into feeling distant and not listened to by the people around me. they made me want to interact with real life less. finally, as an adult, when people started to give me a bit more space, when the ways i communicate began to be respected a little more, that is when i started making genuinely close and good friendships, that is when i began to venture outside of my room and partake in small joys with people, as a direct result of being given the space and time to do so, to have my own autonomy, to make my own decisions, to be myself. i think it's incredibly easy to see someone curling in onto themself and assume they need a fuckton of intrusive pushing, and sometimes they do need a little push, like how dot's quaxly pushes her to move forward in the moment sometimes, or how liko continuously tried to befriend her, but the important part is that by treading too far over her boundaries it is no longer a productive or respectful way of helping her - it's a balance, and a balance horizons always seems to get right, episode 41 included.

it really means so much to me to see dot's journey into coming out of her shell treated with so much respect by the writing and other characters. so often recluse characters are the butt of the joke, are pushed out of their comfort zones unrealistically fast, or never actually receive the support and growth they need - but horizons strikes the balance of being candid about the type of character dot is and giving respect and space to her feelings so she can grow at her own pace, but still giving her support and little pushes when she needs them, and showing that it's possible to grow and enjoy the real world, even as a recluse. it's refreshing, especially with a character who is a child, and a girl, too! i can count the amount of times i have found a young girl character i relate to at all on one hand, and dot is the best one i've ever seen, personally! horizons has been really inspiring to me to continue to cultivate my connections with others and continue to drag myself out of my shell at my own pace with people who love me, during a really chaotic and transitional part of my life and i really love it for that. i'm glad this episode exists for an infinite multitude of reasons but i really just wanted to talk about this specific aspect for a bit and how it relates back to me as a recovering recluse.

thanks for reading if you got this far jesus christ i talk a lot LOOOL. and i might talk more about my feelings on this episode or dot in general later. i have so much to say about likodot and also about the family dynamics in this show i'm practically eating thru drywall thinking about it rn

[typenull]

on laios's approach to his consumption and desires

i am so sick of people making laios’s entire thing about “eating monsters” and turning him into someone that would eat a pokemon or whatever given the chance, when his entire thing is actually about both being the monster that’s eating, and the human being that’s getting devoured. because “monsters eat humans, that’s why they’re so cool (and everything i want to be).”

laios’s interest in eating monsters stems from his desire to understand the individual species, and has since he was a child reading about their taste in books. it most definitely isn’t from an innate fascination with their value or specific usage as food. laios doesn’t eat monsters the same way that a human eats animals! this is most obvious when you compare him and senshi, who is focused specifically on the usage of monsters as a food item, and a foil to laios - who is willing to eat whatever just in order to understand it a little more.

he may be curious how specific species taste - do walking mushrooms taste like regular ones? do nightmares and living armor taste like regular shellfish? - but these questions stem from a desire to understand them deeper and in turn get closer to a world of animality. personally, i think he would be offended at the idea that his desire to eat monsters stemmed from something so human-centric.

(notice how he seems to care significantly less about being a ‘murderer’ than a ‘dragonslayer’ lol. )

we know that laios has been curious about the taste of monsters since he was a child, but he still takes it seriously. the only reason he eventually resorts to eating monsters with his party in the first place is because they were in a situation of life or death - and laios, like a monster operating under the rule of ‘kill or be killed’, knew that they were going to need to do so in order to achieve their goal on such low supplies. but he isn’t a surplus killer, nor does he kill solely for the sake experimentation or pleasure! he's actually extremely respectful towards monsters, all things considered.

on top of everything... even though laios is clearly pleased about getting a chance to eat monsters initially, since he finally gets to fulfill a childhood desire - this actually sours for him fairly early on. in the monster tidbits page for the cockatrice, we see him lament on the fact that the information he'd idolized for so long ended up being totally fabricated, and doesn't seem too happy about pursuing his 'dream' of comparing the taste of cockatrice and basilisk anymore. i think this says a lot about his motivations and feelings when it comes to consuming monsters overall.

basically tl;dr - what i’m saying is - yeah, laios eats monsters, sure… but he wishes he was a monster too, and he wants his own human form devoured. with this idea in mind, you can consider that by eating monsters, he becomes closer to them, and a little less ���human”. (even though he knows it isn’t that easy.)

this actually has A LOT of influence over late-game spoiler-related events - but i'll keep all late-game spoiler meta talk and panels under the cut:

even in death, laios's ultimate dream is to be consumed by monsters and become part of the natural world! but i think what's most indicative of this approach laios has towards consuming monsters is when kui kind of makes it incredibly obvious during the fight with the winged lion, lol. it's the definining point of the entire thing, isn't it?

laios, finally becoming his true monster form, is so overwhelmed by an unstoppable desire to consume his human self, erasing it from existence. he's so overcome with this desire to consume himself that on a surface level, it actually almost ends up becoming his downfall...

..but laios knew this would happen already, and with it in mind, he incorporated it into his ultimate monster self. he allowed himself to be able to consume other's desires - including the winged lion's. by consuming the demon disguised as himself, he's able to get to the core of the demon's appetite...

his same "kill or be killed" monster mindset is what allows him to win against something beyond human comprehension, something even beyond the human-monster dichotomy of this world. laios's existence as a monster and approach to life under these carefully considered rules of respect and curiosity are exactly what literally save everyone's lives, including himself and falin. it parallels all the way back to his initial decision to eat monsters at all as a last-resort decision of life or death to save someone he loves! laios saves the day by not being aligned with humanity at all!

through this laios gets to prove his love and devotion for those he cares about despite how far removed he feels from the human experience. he doesn't need to be understood by humans, nor does he need to understand humanity... as long as he has his strong desire to keep those he loves safe and love them with all his heart, it doesn't matter at all. this entire fight is one giant reflection of laios's inner workings throughout the entire series, and i don't see enough people view it through that lens.

laios is such an important character to me, and this wasn't even supposed to be a meta post, but i got so tired of seeing people make jokes about laios eating monsters nonstop!!! thanks for reading! check out my dungeon meshi tag for more long posts like this one :)

[warden-melli]

So we know how big Melli is right? Well that just means that he has to eat either more or equal to what his stuntank eats. Also I think that Melli has burn scars/current burns due to working with things that will explode any minute and a ball of electricity that will shock him at any given moment that he disappoints it. Electric burn scars/fresh ones and straight(not in Melli's case) up burn scars from the explosions. I think that he hides them so that no one will see, which is why he's always covering up.

I’ve often thought about how expensive Melli would be to feed lol, especially in a place where food isn’t as easy to acquire and prepare like in modern times

And yes! Love this headcanon! I have very similar one actually. I think it would be pretty easy to look at a character like Melli and come to the conclusion that he’d be the type of person who wouldn’t like to get his hands dirty or put himself in any danger, but I disagree. He may appear foppish, but there’s many canon details that let us know that he’s not afraid of danger or physical exertion

To even perform his duties as warden, Melli must first frequently climb Mt Coronet, an extremely large and dangerous mountain, populated by extremely powerful and aggressive wild pokemon. Then after finally arriving at the hollow he has arguably the most dangerous job of any warden, taking care of Lord Electrode. Like you pointed out, out of all of the noble pokemon, Electrode is by far the most volatile. It’s also not alone up there, as we know it lives with a colony of voltorb too, so (again like you said) I think it would be extremely unlikely for him NOT to be scarred or burned in some capacity, wether that’s from just living in a wild place like Hisui, travelling up the mountain to perform his duties, or taking care of Lord Electrode itself, among other things. We also know he’s not scared of physical confrontation (he overpowered the security corps to get into the meeting) and he doesn’t shy away from battles either, choosing to investigate the mass outbreaks on his own. Melli seems to be in situations frequently where injuries seem extremely likely. I also think due to the frequent mountain climbing and the physically demanding job that is looking after lord Electrode, that Melli is likely more muscular and physically fit than most people would give him credit for, especially given his slim build and aesthetic.

I think the idea of him covering up to hide scars is an interesting one, but I’m not too sure Melli isn’t just freezing cold from working high up on a snow capped mountain lol. Apart from wearing his hood (which we do get to see down in the offical art book) he’s no more covered than most other wardens, and Hisui overall has quite a cool climate. It’s an interesting idea to explore though! I personally think it would be very interesting in that situation for him to hide scars not necessarily because he doesn’t like the look of them aesthetically, but because he’s worried that someone may see the scars and interpret that as a sign of a past failure, something that would be unbearable for someone who’s main goal in life is to be useful to his clan and it’s leader. Like, how great must the great Melli truly be if he allowed himself to become so carelessly injured in the line of duty? In reality I think it would be an irrational anxiety, and that they (scars) wouldn’t reflect poorly on his performance as warden at all, instead being a sign that he was actively engaging in his duties. To an insecure character like Melli whose image is an extremely curated defence used to mask his true shy/timid nature, any perceived threat to that persona would be very hard to manage, and I could see him going to the lengths of hiding his injuries in order to maintain his image. It’s a super interesting headcanon to think about, so thank you so much for sharing!

Oh btw have you ever heard of a Lichtenberg scar (caused after being struck by lightning)? Irl these don’t tend to be permanent, but I could absolutely see him having these after so much time working with dangerous electric type pokemon

(pic under the cut. It’s not graphic at all, just wanted to be safe)

[arvensimp]

We're all so glad to see you here again! I still have pretty boy brainrot, so I've been thinking LOTS about him on your break. Silly question, if the paldea friend group went to the 'happiest place on earth', what do you think they'd all enjoy about it? Any dislikes for them? I know arven probably doesn't like the idea of themeparks but cmon! If his little buddy wants to go it can't be THAT bad, right?

Thank you! OKAY SO. I don't want to call myself a Disney adult because I don't want to necessarily associate myself with that sort of person.

But

I uhh

I do love Disney world and a lot of Disney movies and I go through a phase every few years where I get obsessed with the idea of going to Disney world again and planning a great trip and stuff. Like I grew up in a family where we spent a few years going to Disney a ton, then I didn't go again until adulthood when I ran their princess half marathon a few times.

So while I don't consider myself a Disney Expert(tm) I think I know a bit more than maybe the average person???

Also this isn't gonna be a fic but more just a bullet point list

•gotta start off with the obvious here, but Arven did not go to the pokemon equivalent of Disney as a kid. Like there were no family trips, so...yeah.

•he probably didn't even go as a part of end-of-year school trips.... No one to sign his permission slip, after all

•so when the urge to go to the theme park hits one of The Squad (probably Nemona or Reader id think) he's probably a little ambivalent to the idea, since he has no associated nostalgia. He may even feel a bit sour about it, since it reminds him of Yet Another Thing he missed out on

•but I do think he'd go along anyway. He can't let his buddies have all the fun without him after all

•at first the plan is to go to the park in Kalos since that's closest. HOWEVER as soon as Carmine hears about your intended trip, she and the BB Academy crew INSIST on you and your pals going to one of Unova's parks, so it becomes a Whole Big Thing

•ngl I don't see Penny or Nemona being the sort who would be willing to do all of the planning that goes into a well done Disney trip. Arven is Team Dad enough to do a good job of it, but even then I don't think that for his first trip he'd be invested enough in the planning details or really just know/understand

•so it ultimately falls on Lacey and Amarys to schedule things like meal reservations, fast passes, and other stuff

•the whole team probably ends up deciding on a deluxe resort choice because lbr with folks like Nemona, Lacey, and Drayton who are all probably loaded (not to mention any other secretly rich folks), I can see them being like 'oh yeah let's do the Poke-Wilderness Lodge

•which ngl Arven will LOVE. He's never been to a fancy hotel before, and he is super into the theming and decor and the convenience of how close to the parks y'all are

•he'd like the monorail too 🥹

•im not sure Arven would be a "ride" guy in terms of enjoying lots of roller coasters or things like that

•like he might like Splash Mountain maybe or like ONE dark ride

•nearly certain he would think It's a Small World was dumb tho

•THAT SAID

•i have this image of him in my head of him getting all blushy with a princess face character

•like maybe he grew up with an old VHS of Snow White. It was just a tape that the professor would play on repeat for him as a little, little kid, when he was still too small for school but old enough to start remembering things, so he would watch this movie about a really beautiful, kind lady who took care of animals and people alike and cooked really tasty foods for them and developed a baby crush

•then there's this person in front of him in real life who is the exact image of her, speaking in her voice

•i ABSOLUTELY see him going blushy and quiet. He KNOWS that's not Actual Snow White and that snow white isn't real. This is just some person in a costume

•but he still has this reaction and he's embarrassed about it

•BUT MOST IMPORTANT HERE

•Lets talk about food

•arven had no idea what to expect when it came to Disney food. Like maybe carnival food or traditional fair food?

•and yeah Disney ofc has that.

•but there are so many other restaurants and places to get really tasty foods!

•im thinking Lacey introduces Arven to like a DisneyFoodBlog-esque content creator a few weeks before the trip like "oh yeah there's like a whole Disney food culture! You can check out the latest with what's going on with their restaurants and things here"

•and he eats it up!!!

•hed really figured he'd have to pack sandwiches and stuff for park days just to make sure y'all get actual meals in

•but no there's really cool stuff!!!

•the group might even go during like the equivalent of the Food & Wine festival

•which yeah the more I think about it, that's SO up his alley

•im thinking Poke-Epcot would have pavilions for each region, rather than different countries, so there's like a kanto, johto, hoenn, etc pavilion on a world showcase with stalls selling foods from each place

•he drinks around the world with his snacks and y'all do one of those videos of like "this is drink one of nine, drinking around the world!"

•and by the end he's all red faced and slurring, but not belligerent or doing anything that would draw attention to himself to ruin y'all's day

•like he figured "oh a glass of wine or a beer with a snack? I can do that"

•he can but he's not sober about it lol

•also you mentioned how the rest of the gang would be so like

•nemona LOVES rides

•rides don't love her

•shes willing to fork over the cash for a ton of fast passes and things, especially because she doesn't have the stamina to wait in line for hours

•but for really intense roller coasters, she needs a break afterwards to just sit and breathe.

•like dark rides and most of the trackless coasters are fine, but anything like Superman or The Hulk or Dueling Dragons (none of those are Disney I know but still) don't sit well with her afterward. She still does it because it's fun, but she has to really pace herself.

•her favorite park would probably be the Hollywood Studios equivalent because it has so many rides like the Star wars ones, runaway railway, Tower of terror, slinky dog, etc.

•but PENNY????

•If penny's at all into any of this she's in it for the aesthetic and vibe

•im talking mickey mouse ears (which would probably be Pikachu or Eevee ears?), loungefly backpacks, pin trading, pictures of cute food

•magic kingdom is her place purely for the vibe

•she won't wait in a line to meet a character, but she'll definitely take pictures from afar

•something about her makes me think she'd like the soft vibes of the Winnie the Pooh characters best maybe, like that feels like something an Eevee fan would love

•she'd be a merch head who brings home souvenirs for the team star gang too

•speaking of them, just bonus thoughts:

•im really just imagining mela and Ortega wearing headbands of Anger and Disgust from Inside Out, respectively

•atticus gave Penny Disneybounding ideas too definitely

•i got nothing for eri and Giacomo because they're the most normal about this sort of thing in my mind

•like they'd be hanging out in Disney Springs being regular about everything. Maybe, like, see cirque du Soleil maybe

[genopaint]

Week 42 coming right at you!! LOOK OUT!!!!!!! OH MY GOD THEY HAVE THEIR EARBUDS IN THEY CAN'T HEAR US-

As always you can follow me on twitter where they’re posted daily

And read more info on each of them below the cut

Daily Dragon #294 - Golem Dragon

Man made dragons designed to complete particularly difficult tasks like mining or guarding treasures. Just slip a command on a piece of paper in their mouth and watch them work! They're powered by magic crystal held inside the rocks!

Daily Dragon #295 - Dragourd

These small cursed Jack-o'-lanterns are actually tiny fire breathing dragons! People will carve their pumpkins to look like them, but doing this often will attract the real deal! You dont want a crowd of them at your house.

Here's the concept art for this fella! I knew for a bit that I wanted to draw doing something where I use the mouth + eye pieces to make horns. Originally I was gonna do an ogre, but of course... Yknow... Dragons...

Daily Dragon #296 - Feral Gobold

Small and viscous creatures that love biting and scratching anything they come across. Trees and rocks near their nests are often covered in claw and teeth marks from top to bottom!

This is another redraw! Called the "Small Beast" from 2016 at the latest. It wasn't originally a dragon, and frankly idk if it was even a reptile. But it was some sort of Nidorina inspired creature because that Pokemon has one of my favorite small beast designs :)

Daily Dragon #297 - Galathia the Famished One

Galathia appears in the form of a massive dragon, the only vessel that can contain her power we can comprehend. While she's nice, the food she demands can be... drastic. A soul here, an eternity there. Maybe a whole planet?

ANOTHER redraw, this time of this old eldritch horror girl! I tried to make her a little more visually coherent, and while she's maybe a little less bizarre I think she looks a little more clean? Idk. The original is also from 2016 at the latest!

Daily Dragon #298 - Ba'ul

And here's another dragon I knew I wanted to do from the start! I was put off though for a bit because he's a little complicated and hard to find refs for. But ultimately I think he came out fantastic!! Please play Vesperia

I've also done a dragon from some of GOAT JRPG series but hadn't done one from Tales of yet. And I just couldn't let the challenge end without doing at least ONE and there's no one better than my beautiful baby boy Ba'ul

ALSO ALSO I HAVE to give the biggest shoutout to this artist who did an amazing study on Ba'ul's design. It's genuinely the best reference of him online and I could not have drawn this without making heavy use of it!

Daily Dragon #299 - A Dragon

Is something there? Can you see it? Did you lock your door? What was that by the window? Can you see it? It sees you

Just to not keep anyone in suspense, cause I dont think these things work that well with the whole transparency effect. Here he is :) what a lovely smile

I wanted to do this concept for a dragon basically all October but I couldn't make anything I liked that was actually unnerving. I still don't think this dude is that scary lmao. But yes his joints go backwards so he can walk on the ceiling and scare you

Daily Dragon #300 - Gorodin

A massive set of ancient bones that lie dormant in a valley. They become charged with cursed lightning, and start to swim in the sky. As it lets out a horrible cry sounding like a static whale call, it blows towns to cinders with powerful electricity.

And just like the last 2 times, this milestone dragon was made by combining YOUR ideas together! Thank you all so much for giving so many good suggestions on shorter notice than usual! As always I adjusted them a touch to make it all work, but thanks for your ideas regardless!!

And just like before, if I didn't use your idea, I have it written down so I can maybe do something with it later!!

BUT YEAH!! DAY 300!!! WE'RE ALREADY HERE! The end of the Daily Dragon Challenge is coming up quicker than I'm ready to admit!!

There's only 66 dragons left and as we move forward I may start planning them out a little bit. There's still a lot I want to draw, and a lot I know I won't get to in this time frame. But that's okay. It's not like I'll ever stop drawing dragons lol.

Thank you all SO much for your continued support and sticking with this whole big challenge even when I miss like, whole weeks at a time lol. Lets enjoy the rest of the year with lots of cool dragons :)

And of course, here's how it looks powered down!

[scarvi-tealdisc]

Heya! So this is my first time writing a fic for these characters! Pokemon Scarvi has become one of my favorite games to date, with the latest DLC igniting a love for the BB E4 cast. Especially Drayton, seeing that he reminds me of another white haired character (Friede from Pokemon Horizons) that I love haha

This fic is inspired from this ask response by @cheemken! It's a self indulgent piece mixed in with doses of self projection, and I had fun writing it! I'm hoping to get a better handle of their characters as I write more stuff about these characters in the future!

Series: Pokemon Scarlet and Violet | Indigo Disc DLC

Characters: Drayton, Crispin

Warnings: Plot involving food, eating food, intentions of feeding someone food

---

Crispin knew it’d be tough going into this but someone had to do it.

“C’mon Drayton, we gotta move all of this to the storeroom or else Lacey’s gonna flip!” Crispin stated in exasperation. He had his hands on his hips, trusty frying pan set aside for once. Narrowed eyes settled on his friend, who barely moved beyond lifting their head. 

“But there’s just so much of it. Can’t we just pile it in the corner and call it a day?” Drayton whined, sporting a cheeky grin that got Crispin’s blood boiling. 

Argh, why can’t he understand that they should have done this yesterday? Crispin wasn’t keen in seeing Lacey’s angry, disappointed frown even if it wasn’t directed at him! Drayton should know that she’d be on their case again for slacking off!

“Nope! These boxes needed to be moved yesterday but you wanted to nap first! No napping now! Move first, nap later!” Crispin’s insistence eventually led him to straight up grab Drayton’s wrist, tugging him to his feet.

Drayton wasn’t expecting this so they had no choice but to get up lest they faceplanted on the floor instead. While his friend rubbed the back of their neck, grumbling about feisty peppers or something, Crispin stared quizzically at his hand.

Why was he able to…?

“If you’re gonna make me get up for this, don’t zone out now.” Drayton’s voice snapped him out of the brief trance he was in. Right, they had stuff to do now. He should focus on completing this task first.

–

Hours later, Crispin still couldn’t forget it. He stared at his hand, fingers curling and uncurling around an imaginary wrist. He gently circled his own wrist with a thumb and forefinger, frown deepening.

Crispin didn’t realize how skinny Drayton actually was. Was it their attire that gave them the illusion of looking more filled out? He supposed the jacket hid their upper torso, while the cape wrapped around their waist made it seem… fuller or something. He wasn’t sure the right terminology to use, only that it didn’t sit right with him.

With how often Drayton snacked in the clubroom, the idea that he wasn’t eating enough never crossed Crispin’s mind. Sure, Drayton laziness rivalled that of a Slakoth but he didn’t think his friend would be too lazy to eat… unless there were other reasons? 

It made his head hurt a little when he tried to think too deeply on it. Crispin can’t just go out and ask them anyway. Knowing Drayton as well as he did, they’d probably wave of his concern, claiming that he was seeing things or something. Yet Crispin just can’t forget how thin their wrist felt. He hated the idea that one of his friends might not be eating enough.

After a brief brainstorming session that would’ve caused smoke to leak out of his ears, Crispin came up with a plan. He wasn’t as good as Drayton when it came to sneaking around and cooking up schemes but he was good at actual cooking.

Let's see what he had in his recipe book…

–

When Crispin poked his head into the clubroom, his eyes quickly landed on Drayton's slouched form by the desk. They looked to be munching on some snacks, which was far from nourishing in his opinion.

“Hey Drayton, are you busy right now?” Crispin piped up, entering the clubroom properly. In his hand was a small box wrapped up in a checker patterned cloth.

Drayton paused in his chewing. Slowly raising his head, he cocked an eyebrow, lips set into a faint grin.

“Nope. I'm pretty busy right now quality checking these snacks.” 

Crispin playfully rolled his eyes at the response. Drayton's teasing tone meant exactly that so he simply took a seat on the other side of the table. Placing the box in front of his friend caught their attention at least.

“So I've been doing some recipe testing. I wanted to spruce up common sandwich fillings, see if the taste can hold up even hours later. I tried them out and it's tasty but I want a second opinion,” Crispin explained while he unwrapped the lunch box. Upon taking off the top, it revealed various sandwiches with the crusts cut off, shaped in rectangles.

“What, so you want me to be your test Morpeko?” Drayton asked, arms now loosely crossed over their chest. They seemed interested at least with the sandwiches, which Crispin took as a small win.

“What, like I'd feed you bad food? Spicy food doesn't count!” Crispin quickly added before Drayton made a sassy remark. “But yeah, I could really use a second opinion and I do trust you so…”

Someone once commented that he had ‘eyes that were hard to resist’, which Crispin took as a compliment, thinking that it was his fiery spirit coming through. In actuality, he looked more like a pleading Lilliput more than anything.

Drayton locked eyes with Crispin for all of three seconds before they turned away, sighing.

“Alright, I'll give it a try. Geez, you'd think that should be classified as a weapon or something…”

Crispin ignored the rest of Drayton's mumblings, simply pleased as pie to watch his friend pick up one of the sandwiches. Looking at the color of the filling, that one had smashed eggs with a sprinkling of curry powder to give it an extra kick of flavor.

Drayton took a bite of the sandwich, chewing slowly before swallowing. The brief silence genuinely made Crispin sweat a bit but eventually, he got some feedback.

“This one's not bad. I'm getting hints of… some kind of spice.”

“It's curry powder! Specifically a blend that's pretty popular in Galar. Figured it would add a bit of a kick.”

“It's tasty. Adds a pop of flavor to the eggs.” Drayton took another bite of the sandwich. “I'm getting like different textures too. Smooth and a lil chunky. I like it.”

“Oh that's from adding some soft scramble with cut up pieces of boiled egg before I mixed both together in the sauce.” While Crispin beamed at the positive review of his creation, he also took note of Drayton's comment to file it away for later.

He seems to like contrasting textures.

Once Drayton finished their first sandwich, Crispin wasted no time in encouraging his friend to taste the next one. There was a bit of mild grumbling but Drayton did pick up the one that had shredded Klawf Stick next. 

This went on until Drayton finished tasting all the sandwiches in the box. Swiping off a bit of crumb from their bottom lip, Drayton flashed Crispin a lazy smile, leaning back against their chair.

“I suppose being your test Morpeko wasn't all that bad. You've been upping your seasoning game. There were all home runs, no strikeouts.”

Crispin tried to suppress a goofy smile. “Heh, thanks! I really appreciate the feedback too. Out of everything you've tried, was there a favorite?”

“Hmm… guess I liked the first one the best. The curry flavor added a lot to the filling.”

He seems to like curry flavors. Should look into making actual curry.

“Noted! Say, mind helping me out again tomorrow? I want to try out more fillings, maybe switching the bread up too.” Crispin tried to keep it cool, gazing at Drayton with his fiery eyes again.

“... sure, guess I don't mind.” Drayton’s eyes flicker to the left, one hand rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sweet! I'll see you tomorrow then!” Crispin gathered all his stuff before exiting the clubroom. With the door closed behind him, he pumped his fist triumphantly, hissing out a delighted yes.

Success! Drayton seemed none the wiser to his plan from the way they ate all the sandwiches he made. Crispin got some good information out of it too. It was important for him to take note of Drayton's potential likes and dislikes. Making food more tailored to their tastes will make things much easier down the road. 

Now he needed to come up with more enticing sandwich fillings for tomorrow. With a pep to his step, Crispin made his way back to his dorm room, where he will test out new flavor combinations for the rest of the day.

[bearballing]

various uk trip 2k25 things so far

while we were still over florida in the plane we saw lightning at sky level and it's in the top 5 coolest things i've ever seen in my life

i have been roasting the WHOLE time and it's barely reached 60F? my wife has been freezing the whole time lol

they don't have distilled water here and i went my whole life not knowing this. so i have to just put bottled water into my cpap

we've been here for uhhhh 4 days and we're still jetlagged what do you Mean it's already almost 2pm

me, bat out of hell freak, takes us to woking to see it on the tour since it's close enough to london. my wife, war of the worlds freak, absolutely delighted to see all the war of the worlds art around town and the real life horsell common (which is a nature preserve and not an actual common).

ah yes, the number one way of knowing we are in my hometown. there is spit all over the ground.

i keep pointing out shit here like "is that new????" and my wife telling me i said the exact same thing when we were here 2 years ago

they changed all the bus numbers and i don't like it

we went out to dinner at a restaurant in london and they do the whole making a big deal out of someone's birthday thing which happened 3 times but also a guy in a pink panther costume went around the whole restaurant once and we have no idea why that happened.

there are too many american candy stores in london and not enough SWEET SHOPS

my fight or flight response has been activated many times in such a short amount of time, which just does not happen that often in florida

i really do not miss living here lol

i have a uk sim card and a uk carrier data plan for my phone, WHY is the wifi and data so SHIT

harry potter is a fucking blight on this world and it makes me even more angry seeing merchandise and even whole stores for it here than it does in the usa

we're staying in a flat directly opposite a pub rn and it sounds just as youd expect but when we arrived yesterday the whole street was dead quiet????? pub not open, barely anyone around. i am going to assume they closed for VE day (which is almost obnoxiously in your face everywhere) (at least it's not as obnoxious as poppies™ have become)

i think kings cross station tried to have a 2 minute silence for VE day. being one of the biggest train stations in the country it obviously did not work.

the bowling alley here has done like a turbo shift to focusing on their booze over their food, like this used to be a place you could have kids parties at and there was tonnes of food lol. congrats to this place for giving me the most nothing saddest cheeseburger i have ever seen in my life

they added more shit to their arcade though and there's a turbo mode air hockey game. you use two paddles each and there's also a shittonne of pucks rather than just 1. it starts with the regular one then releases the millions of others and it's chaos, they're colour coded for amount of points you get lol

in the area around the bowling alley there is a mcdonalds (been there forever), burger king (been there almost as long), taco bell (new), dunkins (new) and a tgi fridays (new). the american shit is taking over man

hmv has gotten the disease where it doesn't sell anywhere near as much music/games/dvds but has a fucktonne of goofy nerd Merchandise.

the muffins at 10pm in asda were better than the ones at the fancy breakfast buffet at the airport hotel.

the tiny little game store where i got a dodgy copy of pokemon silver when i was 8 is STILL HERE and i am delighted.

[ohthehypocrisy]

Krookodile for Pokemon Unite!

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Prev: Iron Valiant - Primarina - Garganacl - Passimian - Incineroar - Cofagrigus - Glimmora - Galarian Stunfisk

Pokemon is a series that is as wild as it is fantastical. But that hasn't always been the case. Did you know that the series was supposed to end after Gen 2? That's why the majority of available pokemon up until Gen 3 was just some form of fantastical animal. It didn't stray too far from the original idea, which is how we got stuff like three-headed ostriches, seals with horns, poison slimes, extra cute ferrets, punchy ladybugs, and two headed giraffes.

When the staying power of pokemon was proven, they got very creative from Gen 3 and onwards. As such, we saw some repeat designs rectified with new and interesting concepts to bring the fantastical nature of the series to light. When Feraligatr came out in Gen 2, it was played safe and made a Water Type. Now that's all well and good, gators are cool, but what if it were a sand gator instead? In comes Krookodile, a sand croc, which is every bit as cool as it sounds.

So let's see what this wicked wader can do in Pokemon Unite.

-

In real life, crocodiles are sneaky ambush predators that take advantage of a vital resource point, guaranteeing that they will always have the food come to them. As such, Krookodile has pretty high Attack, as well as decently high HP and defenses. Its Speed is higher than you would believe for a sand croc to have, but these giant reptiles are well known for their burst of speed when going for the kill. Because ambush strategies seldom require much thought, it doesn't have very high Sp. Attack, but it doesn't need it. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's the motto of a crocodile. And also the motto of an...

All-Rounder

-

Basic Attack - Melee/Attack

Becomes a boosted attack after 4 hits. The boosted attack has the user jump forward and grab an enemy with their jaws. If successful, the enemy is bound briefly as the user bites down hard. The boosted attack deals more damage the less HP the enemy has.

The boosted basic attacks behaves like a Sure-hit Dash Attack. On a successful hit, the enemy is Bound for 0.25 seconds before damage is dealt.

The boosted basic attack deals extra damage based on the amount of missing HP the enemy has. The formula goes +2% damage for each 1% of missing HP.

If the target has Hindrance protection, the attack will still follow through, but can miss if the enemy moves out of range in time.

Nature follows the order of survival of the fittest, meaning only the strong will live to pass on their legacy. The weak or ill will most likely not survive another day, and become food for predators. I say all of that to give some flair to this basic attack, whose boosted attack effect is simply just bonus damage for each percentage of missing HP, which is something we've seen plenty of in Pokemon Unite.

It is quite slow, though, which sort of lends some extra power to the boosted basic attack. See, it takes 4 hits to boost the attack, and the lost HP turns into even more damage for the boosted basic attack when it comes out. Of course, that depends on if you can hold a fight long enough before the enemy can make a run for it.

The binding effect of the boosted attack can hold the enemy down for a bit. Since it's a Bound Hindrance, the enemy cannot use items to escape the hold. It's a very brief hold, a quarter of a second, but if you're bold enough to attack an enemy midswing, you can interrupt an attack with this bite. I mean, Krookodile is one of those bulky-All-Rounders I keep talking about.

But bulk isn't the only thing you've got going. If there's one thing crocs are known for, it's their focused power. You could call it Moxie.

-

Ability: Moxie

The user’s Attack increases when attacking an enemy whose Vision is Obscured. When a pokemon on the opposing team is defeated, the attack that KO’d the enemy increases in power until you are KO’d.

Your Attack stat increases by 70% when dealing damage to an enemy suffering from Obscured Vision, or blinded from certain attacks.

When you KO a pokemonon the opposing team, the specific attack deals increased damage by 10%. This boost stacks with multiple KO's, maxing out to 50%.

Any of your attacks can be temporarily boosted by Moxie, such as Crunch, Dig, even your Unite Move, Quaking Crash. The boost applies to all hits within the Move itself. This includes all 5 hits of your basic attack.

When Moxie is passively boosting a Move, there will be a number on it on the HUD to show the power level. Remember, it maxes out to '5' for +50%.

The power level does not transfer over too new Moves when learned.

Remember that crocodiles are ambush hunters, so Krookodile's ability to land a KO hinges on its ability to make surprise attacks count. Also, Krookodile is a Ground Type, which makes it even more dangerous since it doesn't need the water pools that real life crocodiles are dependent on.

Krookodile's idea of an ambush is to throw sand everywhere and strike at the enemy most blinded by the surprise attack. As such, its Moxie Ability powers up its Attack stat by a whopping 70% when attacking a blinded enemy. Now, of course, Krookodile knows some blinding attacks, but in Pokemon Unite proper, there are only three Moves that can blind the enemy; Gible's Sand Attack, Greninja's Smokescreen, and Chandelure's Unite Move, Ignite Midnight. The latter two are the only ones you can feasibly partner up with, but most of the time your ambush efforts will be either without these allies or by yourself.

Now, the effort will not go to waste. If you manage to land a KO, the Ability will permanently boost the killing blow by 10%. Now, when I say 'killing blow', I mean the move used to land the KO, which can be your basic attack, either of your Moves, or even your Unite Move. This Moxie boost can stack up to 5 times per move, so a full team wipe will not max out all of your moves, but can fully empower one attack if you were lucky enough to get all 5 enemies at once. Of course, the boost goes away if you get KO'd in turn, so you gotta be careful about overextending and instead look to ambush your weakened enemies. Once you've fed on enough weak enemies, then you can challenge the stronger enemies on the opposing team to claim your territory.

Rules of nature and all that.

-

At the beginning of the game, Krookodile will start out as Sandile. You can choose between Sand Attack and Bite as your first move. By Level 3, you'll have learned both.

-

Move 1: Sand Attack (Debuff)

The user buries itself in the sand for a while, slowly building basic attack power. This attack can be activated again to make the user leap out and throw sand everywhere, damaging and reducing the visibility and Defense of any enemy caught in the attack. 8s cooldown.

The pokemon is buried in visible sand for 8 seconds. This effect is purely visual and has no influence on its evasiveness in battle. However, your basic attack will gain boosts each second you are buried.

Sand Attack can be used again to throw sand everywhere, dealing damage to enemies in range and also obscuring their vision and reducing their Defense by 50% for 1.5 seconds.

If you are Thrown, Sand Attack triggers automatically, since it is technically being thrown into the air and forcibly unearthed in this way.

Since Moxie can boost the power of every single attacking effect at your disposal, Sand Attack is decidedly going to be one of your weaker options at the beginning. However, it is function over form, as you need some way to hinder the enemy's vision, as well as their defenses to effectively ambush the enemy.

The enemy will see you coming when you slither in while covered in sand, but they're probably going to keep their distance anyway, with you being a melee attacking croc and all. Still, if you manage to close the gap during Sand Attack, you can pop out of 'hiding' and throw sand everywhere. This little sand blast deals weak damage, but it blinds them for a moment and cuts a huge portion of their Defense for a short while.

What happens next is up to you. If you take your time hiding, your basic attack will increase in boosts passively, until you reveal yourself. You will benefit from being sneaky, hanging back on the sidelines while your lane partner does the fighting. Remember, your boosted basic attack deals increased damage to weakened enemies, so if you pop Sand Attack on a softened up enemy, your boosted basic attack might end up landing a KO from the combined Moxie Boost and Defense debuff.

It is a shallow range, though, so you'll have to pull off the ambush effectively from the Tall Grass, or while the enemy is distracted. Also, the sand covering does nothing to protect you from attacks, so you can still be hit from ranged attacks if the enemy sees you coming. That's why I put emphasis on this Move being ideal for surprise attacks. It's a great move to throw out midfight, but hardly effective for evasive endeavors.

By the way, do you know what time it is? I believe it's tooth o' clock.

-

Move 2: Bite (Melee)

A chomp attack that occasionally Stuns enemies. The less HP the enemy has, the more the cooldown of this move is reduced. 7s cooldown.

Bite has a 20% chance to Stun the enemy for 0.75 seconds.

The cooldown of the Move is reduced by 1 second for every 10% of HP the enemy is missing. The move cooldown is completely reset if Bite is used against an enemy with 30% or less HP.

If multiple enemies are damaged at once, the cooldown lowering effect logic responds to the enemy with the lowest HP.

If there's one thing gators are known for, it's their powerful bite. Now, Sandile is just as nippy as any other pokemon, but the species has a penchant for biting repeatedly and aggressively, what with being a Dark Type and all, and that behavior shines through in this attack.

Bite is a quick and powerful short ranged attack, but it's a difficult move to pull off since the enemy will be wary of getting too close to this little reptile. That's fine, as you're supposed to use your ambush attacks to get close to the enemy anyway. Once you're within biting distance, you're to aim for the enemy with the lowest HP.

When I say, 'lowest HP', I mean the lowest HP in percentage specifically. Not the lowest HP in numbers, it's gotta be percentage. See, suppose there's a frail Attacker within range, and you're thinking Bite might get a KO from the attack. That's reasonable, as a KO on a blinded enemy boosts the power of Bite through Moxie. However, if a Defender is low on HP nearby, they're the more favorable target. Why? Because Bite will lower its own cooldown the less HP the target has. If the enemy's HP is low enough, Bite will have its cooldown reset completely, allowing you to tear through the weakened HP bars of any opposing pokemon, frail or not.

All that biting critique also comes with an occasional chance to Stun. Incapacitating the enemy for nearly a whole second is a powerful boon in the early game, especially since attacking a weakened enemy will significantly lower the cooldown of the attack. Combining it with other cooldown reducing effects like the Energy Amplifier Item means you'll most likely hit the chance Stun once or twice before you evolve.

Speaking of which...

-

At Level 5, Sandile evolves into Krokorok. At the same time, Sand Attack becomes either Sand Tomb or Foul Play.

-

Move 1a: Sand Tomb (Area)

The user buries itself in whirling sand for a while, dealing damage continuously to nearby enemies. The user's basic attack gains boosts when damaging opposing pokemon. While buried, the user can move around, but moving hastens the duration timer of this move. Basic attacks, Bite, Crunch and Dig can be used during Sand Tomb, including your Unite Move, Quaking Crash. This attack can be activated again to Pull in all nearby enemies, Blinding enemies and reducing their Movement Speed for a short while. 8s cooldown.

At Level 12, Sand Tomb becomes Sand Tomb+.

Expands the area of effect and increases the duration of the move.

Sand Tomb creates a whirling circle of damaging sand around the user. The effect lasts for 8 seconds, but the timer doubles while moving. Your basic attack gains boosts each second while damaging enemies actively.

You are hidden within the whirling sand, but you can still be targeted by attacks during Sand Tomb. However, you can use any of your other attacks while Sand Tomb is active, including your basic attack, your other moves, even your Unite Move.

Use Sand Tomb again to turn the whirling sand into a powerful quick sand attack, Pulling in all enemies, Obscuring their Vision for 1.25 seconds, and reducing their Movement Speed by 30% for 2.5 seconds.

Sand Tomb+ expands the size of the attack by 25% and extends the duration of the move to 10 seconds.

Quicksand is made when the structural integrity of a section of land is compromised by a large basin of water deep in the ground. It causes the ground to become loose and shifty, absorbing whatever unfortunate mound of mass that happens to stumble into it. Ironically, quicksand doesn't have to be made of sand, as it can be any form of sediment, including plain old dirt.

If it just so happens to be made of sand, it's probably made from a cavity opening up deep below the surface. Or it could just be a hungry sand croc on the hunt. Or both.

Sand Tomb manipulates the sand around you to whirl with silent rage, damaging enemies within range. As it does so, you gain basic attack boosts, which is great because if this is happening, it means the enemy is within snapping distance. And that boosted attack deals extra damage the less HP they have, so Sand Tomb is technically powering up the boosted attack passively. You know, because it's dealing damage as it boosts.

Speaking of damage, the use of Sand Tomb does not prevent you from attacking normally. While the ring of rough sand razes all around you, you can use your basic attack, your other chosen move, and even your Unite Move, but more on that later. However, the sand does not protect you from damage as it's mostly just for visuals that you are hidden within the mini sandstorm. Also, the duration timer of Sand Tomb doubles while moving, cutting down 8 seconds of sandy stillness down to 4 seconds of quick quicksand.

It's not for naught, as ideally you'll want to activate Sand Tomb in the middle of a fight rather than approach with it. The fact that you have no protective cover from the move should make that clear. The whirling sand is meant to be used offensively, which is why the move has a second phase which has to be activated manually.

Using Sand Tomb once more, the sand is forcefully engulfed by the earth, Pulling in nearby enemies while also Blinding them and reducing their Movement Speed for a short while. If this where a fighting game, this finisher would be used to reposition a vulnerable enemy to be directly in front of you, allowing you to combo into another string of attacks. In this case, it's for the Moxie boosted attack of yours to let loose and finish off the enemy or enemies, since it is possible to pull in more than one unfortunate victim.

Of course, be careful that you don't pull in an enemy who is adept at escaping tricky situations like this, like Blaze Kick Cinderace or Fly Talonflame, as they can incapacitate you, fire back with a powerful hit, or both. Remember, Moxie is best used to attack and finish off weakened enemies, building up boosts until you can take on their tanks and frontliners. Be a bit selective with Sand Tomb, as difficult as it may be.

Or you can opt to play dirty.

-

Move 1b: Foul Play (Melee)

The user slings sand forward, blinding enemies within range and reducing their defenses for a short while. This attack can be used a second time, having the user deliver a brutal tail swipe, Shoving opposing pokemon away. This tail swipe deals additional damage to opposing pokemon suffering from additional Hindrances. The user's basic attack is boosted for each enemy blinded by the sand. 8.5s cooldown.

At Level 12, Foul Play becomes Foul Play+.

Throws more sand and the tail swipe becomes a sweeping tail dash attack.

Foul Play starts with a blast of sand shot forward in a shallow range in front of the pokemon. This sand shot blinds the enemy and also reduces their Defense and Sp. Defense by 75% for 1.75 seconds.

The attack can be used again to turn Foul Play into a strike with the user's tail, Shoving them away a short distance. The second strike deals an additional +50% damage to enemies who are suffering from a Hindrance each. The Vision Obscuring effect is one such Hindrance, meaning the second strike of Foul Play is already boosted if used in time before the effect wears off. You have 3 seconds to use Foul Play a second time after the initial attack.

Your basic attack gains a boost for each enemy you blinded with the sand blast.

Foul Play+ expands the area of the sand blast a little bit, covering a wider area. The second hit becomes a Dash Attack, sending you charging forward.

Pocket sand. If you get the reference, you'll be crowned king of the hill.

Dark Types are not above fighting dirty, and none is dirtier than a literal sand croc. As such, it comes natural to do whatever it takes to win, even throwing sand in the eyes of your enemy. Of course, the sand is far from the worst thing about Foul Play, as it not only blinds the enemy, but will also drastically lower their defenses briefly.

The thing is, the effective range of this dirty ploy is much smaller than Sand Attack. Think something closer in effect to Gible's version of Sand Attack, that's the range you're working with here. It's very shallow, yes, but you're going to be up close and personal with the enemy anyway, so the attack range is manageable.

Oh, but the move has a second part to it as well. Shortly after throwing sand about, Foul Play can be used again to unleash a thick tail strike forward. This tail strike deals an additional amount of damage for each hindrance the enemy is suffering from. Keep in mind, the Vision Obscuring effect counts as a Hindrance, so if the second part of the attack is used soon enough, the Foul Play attack has a guaranteed damage boost.

To recap, Foul Play blinds the enemy and reduces their defense drastically. The blind effect powers up Moxie, increasing the power of the second strike, which also gets an increase for each hindrance the enemy is suffering from. There's no limit to the amount of power Foul Play gets boosted from attacking a hindered enemy, so the damage potential of the attack scales extremely high, even for a bulky All-Rounder like yourself.

This may all sound like overkill, but Krookodile is hindered by its lack of range and movement options. It cannot feasibly get close to opposing pokemon that don't want their personal space invaded, so Foul Play will only be effective against two kinds of enemies, Defenders and opposing bulky All-Rounders. Some of the stronger Defenders can actually tank a direct hit from Foul Play, but only once, as they'll most likely have to retreat before your follow-up attacks finish them off. It's better to think of Foul Play as a wall breaker that's limited in range until it upgrades to Foul Play+, where the second strike gets some extra distance in its swing.

If you're up against a more tankier enemy, remember that Foul Play gets stronger for each hindrance the enemy is afflicted with, so your allies can contribute to the overall damage you deal. With a well timed series of hindrances, you might even one-shot an opposing Defender or All-Rounder.

Now that's teamwork. Just wait until you're actually a fully fledged gator.

-

At Level 8, Krokorok evolves into Krookodile. At the same time, Bite becomes either Crunch or Dig.

-

Move 2a: Crunch (Melee)

The user advances forward with three leaping bites, damaging nearby enemies repeatedly and occasionally Stunning them. The less HP the enemy has by the third bite, the more the cooldown is reduced. 8s cooldown.

At Level 13, Crunch becomes Crunch+.

Extends the dash attack distance.

Each bite of Crunch has the user advancing forward a little bit. Each bite has a 25% chance to Stun the enemy for 1 second. The Stun duration is reset if the chance Stun hits again.

The cooldown of the move is reduced by 1 second for every 10% of HP the enemy has lost by the time the third bite lands. This operates just like the move Bite.

Crunch+ extends the distance the user moves during each bite, extending the overall dash distance by about 20%.

Crocodiles use their big gaping jaws to grab their prey rather than biting them through, so that they can either drag the helpless victim into the water or hold them down while they spin, ripping them apart. Such acts of nature are a bit too cruel for Pokemon Unite, so instead, the grim nature of the Dark Type shines through when Krookodile chomps repeatedly with Crunch.

Crunch is a step up from Bite in every way, in that it hits three times, has much higher odds of Stunning the enemy, and even sends the pokemon rushing forward, though not by a lot of distance. And because the cooldown of the move is reduced based on the amount of missing HP the enemy has, Crunch can be surprisingly repetitive, though the requirements to fully reset the cooldown of the move is a lot stricter.

Now, because each bite has a 25% chance to Stun the enemy, this move can be a great opener in an ambush, though you'd have to be really unlucky to not get the Hindrance off. That comes with its own risk in who you target, since bulky enemies will come out of the attack with maybe 80% or 75% of their HP intact, and will retaliate in kind with everything they've got. You genuinely need at least one hit of Stun to make it out of this kind of encounter, as the enemy team will not take kindly to a melee All-Rounder who thrives in close quarters being so close by.

What you see is what you get with Crunch. Perhaps what you can't see is more to your liking if you were to pick Dig instead.

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Move 2b: Dig (Melee)

The user burrows into the ground for a while, becoming resistant to damage and immune to hindrances. The user can move around at increased speed, shifting the ground noisily as it moves. The attack can be used again to have the user erupt out of the ground with a wide mouthed bite attack, Stunning enemies within range. The less HP enemies have, the more damage this move deals. If this Move KO's an opposing pokemon, the duration of the move is reset. Sand Tomb and Foul Play can be used during Dig. 9s cooldown.

At Level 13, Dig becomes Dig+.

The user's Movement Speed further increases while digging.

The user dives into the ground and can stay there for 6 seconds. While buried, the user cannot be targeted by attacks or affected by hindrances, but can be damaged by Moves and Unite Moves. The pokemons position is given away by a mound of erupted dirt along with its black back spikes peeking out.

Your Defense and Sp. Defense increase by 30% and your Movement Speed increases by 15% while digging. Dig+ increases this Movement Speed buff to 20%.

Dig can be used again to have the pokemon pop out of the ground with its mouth wide open before biting down, damaging nearby enemies. Affected enemies are also Stunned for 0.5 seconds. The attack deals extra damage based on the amount of HP the enemy has missing.

The Dig attack duration is reset if this move KO's an opposing pokemon.

Sand Tomb and Foul Play can be activated during Dig. In the case of Foul Play, Krookodile will erupt from the ground in order to attack, before submerging back into the dirt.

Now you're looking like a true croc. Since crocs and gators ambush from the water, the idea of one being able to ambush from the dirt, where we live, is absolutely terrifying.

Thankfully, ground shifting gators aren't real, but if they were, we'd have to watch out for Krookodile using Dig to invade our spaces and taking out our weakened allies. A Digging Krookodile is almost impossible to stop, since the move grants the grumbling gator a boost to its defenses as well as Hindrance Immunity. Also, the ground obstructs the perception of Krookodile, meaning that, while it is clearly visible as it rips through the earth, it cannot be targeted by certain moves while underground. Manual aiming attacks will work just fine, but Sure-Hit moves will not register against Krookodile.

You only have 6 seconds to move and pick the best spot for your attack for when you resurface. After 6 seconds, or when you press the Move Button once more, Krookodile pops out of the ground with its mouth wide open and chomp with such ferocious power, even those behind you will feel the sting of your jaws snapping shut. It also Stuns enemies, though it's not a long Stun, lasting for only half a second.

The real power of the move comes from landing a KO. If Dig manages to KO an enemy, Krookodile goes back into the ground and uses Dig all over again, effectively resetting the move. Now, technically Crunch will also reset its own cooldown if it KO's an enemy, or nearly takes them out, but Crunch can be interrupted by hindrances, whereas Dig can't, since the move provides Hindrance immunity. Dig also makes you move faster and you take less damage while digging, and the upgrade, Dig+, makes you slightly faster. But compared to Crunch, Dig is a lot more demanding and requires a KO if you want to reset the digging time, whereas Crunch is guaranteed to have reduced cooldown unless the third bite misses somehow.

Also, Dig cannot be used to go under walls or Obstacles. It has to do with the fact that Krookodile keeps close to the surface while digging, as its back spikes are observable while using the move. Now granted, Crunch doesn't move you through walls either, but Dig already provides you with cover, a decent movement speed boost option for rushing past enemies, as well as Hindrance Immunity, so it's got a lot going for you.

At the very least, Sand Tomb and Foul Play can be used while digging. It will look a bit funny seeing Krookodile resurface for a brief moment to throw sand before going back under, but playing dirty never looked pretty anyways. Although, it goes without saying that using Foul Play while using Dig comes with a brief flash of vulnerability, meaning you aren't protected in the split second you pop up. To put this into perspective, Slowbro's Unite Move, Slow Beam, is a Sure-Hit attacks that can only target visible enemies, which you can avoid while using Dig. But if you resurface to use Foul Play while the Slowbro Player is spamming the Unite Move Button, you'll get caught by the binding power of Slowbro's autism, and I mean that affectionately as a fellow autistic myself.

Still, the move is worth a shot as a successful KO means that the dig time is reset and also that Moxie will be boosting the Move until you are KO'd. Against a poorly constructed team of Attackers and Speedsters, Dig will very likely reach max Moxie boosts easily enough. This also goes for Crunch, but Dig has better chase potential in this case.

But crocs don't chase, they ambush. Well, Krookodile isn't a normal croc, in case you haven't noticed.

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Unite Move: Quaking Crash (Dash)

The user leaps forward and shakes the ground with great power, dealing Piercing damage to all enemies within range. For 6 seconds afterwards, if an opposing pokemon is KO'd by the user, the cooldown of Quaking Crash is reset. Quaking Crash will also restores some of the user's HP when it KO's an opposing pokemon. 125s cooldown.

Quaking Crash deals major Piercing Damage to all enemies in a large area around the user wherever it lands.

If Quaking Crash KO's an opposing pokemon, your HP is restored by 15% for each KO.

After use, you have 6 seconds to KO an opposing pokemon. If successful, the cooldown of Quaking Crash will be reset.

As a gator, Krookodile holds within itself the indefatigable patience of an ambush hunter, silently storing power for bursts of energy for its quick and deadly strikes. But as a pokemon, that power must be tapped into in order to use moves like Earthquake. In Pokemon Unite, however, that power builds through Aeos Energy generation, building up as Krookodile fights. What happens when the awesome power of a sand croc builds and releases all at once? A deafening Quaking Crash.

Krookodile jumps forward with its powerful lower body, using its tail to propel itself off the ground, and touches down with a mighty quake. This quake disperses all of Krookodile's pent up ambush power into one ground strike, damaging all enemies nearby. The power is so great, in fact, that it deals piercing damage, gravely endangering frail and bulky enemies alike.

But that's not all. Because the ambush power is so easy for Krookodile to generate through fighting, the cooldown for the Unite Move will actually reset if Krookodile gets a KO very soon after using it. It doesn't matter if it was the Unite Move that got the KO or one of your other moves, though it has to be a credible KO, not an Assist. Not a problem, as Krookodile is very capable of picking off weakened enemies with its moves. As such, when Quaking Crash is used against fragile or weakened opposing pokemon, it is very easy to reset the cooldown, given that the Unite Move also deals piercing damage.

By itself, Quaking Crash imparts no debuffs to the enemy or boons to Krookodile when it is used, aside from the typical buff all Unite Moves grant to defense and movement. All it does when used by itself is deal piercing damage and restore HP through KO's. Oh yeah, Quaking Crash restores HP when you KO someone with it, I forgot to mention that. Well, since the Unite Move sends you jumping into the middle of a fight, the ability to heal through KO's is necessary for maintaining some form of longevity as an All-Rounder. Although, it has to be done through the Unite Move, otherwise Krookodile might get put down by the enemy team as they're fighting back.

Still, Quaking Crash helps Krookodile take over the battlefield as if it were a lagoon of fresh water, you know, because of the whole crocodile thing. But it's only as effective as your ability to combo together your moves. Quaking Crash complements the moves you choose, instead of completing it. The true power of Krookodile lies in the brutal malice in the animal controlling it.

You.

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Achievements

Earn a 5 KO Streak by using Quaking Crash.

I wasn't being poetic about that last line either. Playing Krookodile means you have to play mean, picking off the weakened enemies in order to not only activate Moxie, but also to remove problematic enemies that will pressure your teammates.

Speaking of Moxie, keep in mind that it only boosts a move's power if that move KO'd an opposing pokemon while they were blinded. As such, it'll be difficult but not impossible to fully flesh out your moveset with Moxie boosts. You'll need a few of these boosts to get this Achievement, since a 5 KO Streak is easier with a power boost to your deadliest moves.

However, the Moxie boost resets if you get KO'd, so only the most skilful players will get this achivement. That's sort of a Catch 22, isn't it? You need KO's to power up Moxie, but each fight risks your own well-being, quashing the Moxie Boost if you make a wrong move and get KO'd. And the best time to get a 5 KO Streak is when the enemy team is present for the fight at Rayquaza, which is its own can of worms. Losing the fight here may lose you the game, but you will most definitely lose out on this Achievement until the next battle.

An ambush only has to work once.

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Holowear

Now, here's what I've been waiting for. As a fan of pokemon in stylish clothing, Krookodile is one of the more inspirational choices for a model. However, I'm gonna have to tone things down here so that there isn't any obvious favoritism on display. Results may vary.

Starting things off, we've got Punk Style Holowear, giving Krookodile a mohawk wig, a spiky collar, a leather vest with the face of a bald human on the back, and some spiky bracelets on its arms. Then, we've got Explorer Style Holowear that gives it an explorers hat, a vest full of pockets, a backpack stuffed with supplies, and a charming little bow tie on its neck. For Wanderer Style Holowear, it wears a sharp looking hat and a big, tattered cloak that could fold around its whole body easily if it wasn't constantly billowing in imaginary wind. Outlaw Style Holowear gives it an impressive black cowboy hat, an ascot on its neck, black vest and leggings, and a toy pistol strapped to a belt. Finally, we have Pirate Style Holowear that gives it a tricorn hat, a big coat with a Krookodile skull emblazoned on the back, and a toy sword strapped to its hip.

A croc in pirate gear, sounds a lot like one of my favorite games of all time.

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Strategy

In the Japanese version of the Pokemon mainline games, the 'Dark Type' is instead identified as the 'Evil Type'. Now, it does not literally mean that these pokemon are evil, rather they incorporate malicious behavior into their element. To put it into perspective, Light and Darkness are two halves of the same coin, and humans are equally capable of generosity and cruelty. It's called balance, and to be capable of good and evil means to be human.

Dark Types have the ability to harness the cruel nature within themselves and it manifests as a dark power for their attacks. In order to play Krookodile well, you must do the same. Is it evil? Or is it just nature? It doesn't matter, as victory must be attained no matter what.

When the game starts, it may be tempting to call the Central Area for yourself. With the passive buffs from Accelgor and Escavalier, you'll have an easy time clearing out the mobs of Wild Pokemon in order to evolve quickly. However, Moxie will only boost your moves when you KO pokemon on the enemy team, and the soonest that will happen is in the middle of either the Top or Bottom Lane. Maybe you can use the EXP lead to boost with Moxie easier, but you could also coordinate with an ally for a cheap KO. The choice is up to you, but you choose at the behest of your team. If you can play the early game well enough, you might make it to the 8:00 minute mark with a Moxie boost or two under your belt.

When you do finally come face to face with the enemy, you need to take stock of the situation, as Sandile may or may not be able to get a Moxie boosted KO depending on who's on the other side of the lane. At Level 3, all you have for damage is your basic attack, Sand Attack, and Bite, and your range and mobility doesn't really get any better than this. As such, ranged Attackers will give you problems if they keep their distance, which is why there's heavy emphasis on making ambush plays all throughout the post. As long as you get the KO, which in turn gives you Moxie power, any dirty trick is a means to an end.

Melee attackers will be easier for you to handle, unless they're Speedsters. You can snap them down with your boosted basic attack, blind them with Sand Attack, or Stun them into submission with repeated hits of Bite, but they'll almost always get away. You need the help of a teammate to deal with them, as well as long range Attackers, and usually it'll be another Attacker on your side who's best suited for such a role. Of course, you're gonna have to do your part to keep them safe, at least until you evolve.

Reaching Level 5, Sand Attack becomes either Sand Tomb or Foul Play, and this choice has less to do with who you can hit the most with a specific move, and more with who you can hit harder. Sand Tomb is surprisingly effective against groups of enemies due to the threat of being Pulled in, blinded, and suffering from a Movement Speed debuff. It doesn't protect you from damage, but it doesn't stop you from attacking normally either, as you can use Bite or even Crunch while Sand Tomb is active. Also, the attack is passively boosting your basic attack as it deals damage, which is another threat the enemy has to deal with. If they can, they will keep their distance and attack from afar, though this risks dispersing the team, at your own benefit. Sand Tomb can be used again to Pull the enemy in, meaning if you want to KO an enemy, you most likely will.

Foul Play, on the other hand, leans heavily into the surefire ambush strategy, as the combination of buffs and debuffs that take place during Foul Play makes Krookodile incredibly terrifying to bump into out of nowhere. Of course the range is shallow, so it has to rely on cheap ploys in the first place. Because you're lacking in ranged and mobility options, Foul Play is a bit overkill with the damage potential it has. If that sounds problematic, don't worry, pokemon like Buzzwole and Azumarill have a similar duality going for them; amazing up close, but lacking in covering distance.

It's not until you upgrade to Foul Play+ that you get some distance to the follow-up attack, but at that point, you've also got your other move upgraded, as well as your Unite Move, so more on that later. Although, it should be noted that Foul Play's second strike deals increasing damage the more hindrances the enemy is afflicted with. And since it leads with the Vision Obscuring Hindrance, it has an innate power boost, as mentioned before. Of course, the boost can still be compounded by other hindrances inflicted by your teammates, but it will only boost with hindrances, not debuffs, so the window of opportunity for damage will be short without proper coordination. Still, Foul Play is your best attack against Defenders and opposing All-Rounders, especially if they have the EXP lead, who can dive into your team unchallenged.

The best time to challenge the enemy All-Rounders and Defenders would be after you've amassed a few Moxie boosts. You will need to take out weakened or fragile opposing pokemon, and do so without getting KO'd yourself, but a permanent boost goes a long way, even if it's just 10%. However, the actual best time to fight would be after you've evolved, because the stats will level up to reflect your new, scaly, form. Evolving into Krookodile comes with a choice of Crunch or Dig, and both moves are as effective as they are gory.

Crunch attacks three times in a short, advancing attack, and each chomp has a small chance to Stun, along with cooldown reduction based on the HP the enemy has lost by the third hit. If the HP of the enemy has dropped low enough, Crunch will reset its own cooldown, letting you attack again instantly. Of course, if you miss, no cooldown reset for you, so try not to be so gnash happy with your mashing.

Against more agile enemies, Dig may be the better option and gives you an in versus Speedsters. See, Dig makes you a little faster, a little tougher from the defense boosts, and if you end up KO'ing an enemy with the resurface attack, Dig will reset itself, allowing Krookodile to bury again and go for another sneaky strike. You can also use Sand Tomb or Foul Play while digging, though be wary of the moments of vulnerability during Foul Play. Also, I've already mentioned this before, but you cannot dig under walls. You're also immune to hindrances, so just take the scenic route to the weakened and vulnerable enemies.

While Dig offers a variety of boons over Crunch, it doesn't compare to the raw damage potential of Crunch, especially since it will always have some amount of cooldown reduced after the fact. Dig does make you more mobile and the enemy will not be able to stop you from tunneling towards their frail teammates in the backline thanks to the Hindrance immunity the attack provides. But once you use up the resurface attack, you'll be at the mercy of the backline unless you were able to secure a KO on your way up.

While all of these attacks and effects are powerful, they're only as strong as their combinations when used in tandem with the Moxie boost, as well as the Unite Move, Quaking Crash. Now, Quaking Crash is an explosive tremor attack that covers a wide area, but by itself it only deals piercing damage and restores some HP for each KO. However, if you do get a KO within 6 seconds after use, whether from the actual attack or from a follow-up, Quaking Crash will have its cooldown reset, and you get to repeat the attack right away, boons and all. Plus, the Unite Move will also be Moxie boosted, so KO's gotten through Quaking Crash result in an additional +10% damage boost on top of the healing.

Though, if you fail to KO anything, then you'll have to wait out the normal 2 or so minutes of charging the Unite Move, not including the short bursts of charge when you KO an enemy or Score a Goal. If you don't like the idea of such a long wait, then make sure that each Quaking Crash attempt ends in a KO, or save the charge by holding back after you've reset it once or twice. You know, so that you'll have it ready for the next fight very soon after.

Quaking Crash, Crunch and Dig, Sand Tomb and Foul Play, Moxie, even the basic attack, all tie in together to make Krookodile into one cool, cruel croc. Because Moxie boosts your attack power against blinded enemies, your opening attack will almost always be Sand Tomb or Foul Play. These two moves also passively boost your basic attack, which deals extra damage based on the enemy's missing HP when boosted. This means that, after the volley of Sand Tomb or Foul Play, Crunch or Dig, and Quaking Crash, if the enemy should still stand after this assault, your boosted basic attack will have enough power to KO the enemy on hit. Of course, you're banking on them being within attack range for this to work, but crocs rarely loose their meals after they're caught, so make sure your attacks strike swift and true.

Being an ambush predator, Krookodile has little to fear up close, but it struggles against long range enemies and bulky stalwarts who can actually muscle through its overwhelming power. As strong as Moxie is, a single use of Full Heal is enough to quash the power boost you would normally get from a blinded enemy. As of this writing, Full Heal isn't a common sight in Unite Battles, but I'd imagine that if Krookodile players are using the pokemon right, you'd see an uptick in usage.

And that's not even without going into the Defenders and All-Rounders who actually can out-wrestle a gator like Krookodile. Some bulky All-Rounders can be dealt with just fine, but others with specific effects are a little more difficult to deal with, like Buzzwole and Metagross. These are the ones who also thrive in close quarters, and Krookodile cannot win a fair fight against them. Emphasis on 'fair'.

Since the Moxie boost for each move and attack is permanent until you are KO'd, easy KO's will be your main priority. It has to be a credible KO, no Assists, though Krookodile would greatly appreciate a Supporter or a Defender backing them up.

This would also put pressure on the enemy team to squash you on sight, like a lone ant, since there's no telling how many Moxie boosts they've accrued. Krookodile also has a hard time running away, especially if it uses up its moves to dive into a fight. If Dig fails to KO an enemy or your Foul Play ploy falls flat, there's very little you can do to escape save using up your Unite Move, Quaking Crash, to make a break for it, though such desperate measures rarely work out in the long run.

All the enemy team needs to do is to stick together and attack from afar, disorient the gator if necessary, then go for the KO if possible. In contrast, you need to go for cheap KO's at every opportunity, pick off the enemy one by one, take out the weakened opposing pokemon during team fights, and use your Moxie boosts to take on the Defenders and All-Rounders on the other side. It goes without saying to watch out for hindrances as well, since Quaking Crash is powerful, but leaves you vulnerable to panicky counterattacks.

That is how the croc crumbles. Because sand is crumbly.

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And that's Krookodile for Pokemon Unite! I love that the mainline games aren't afraid to remix old ideas. Like, we didn't need another gator pokemon after Feraligatr, but I also can't imagine anything cooler than a sand croc. And that's what these posts boil down to, a grand gesture of appreciation to pokemon and Pokemon Unite. Hope you enjoyed reading!

Here's a hint for the next post.

Until next time, see ya.

[pokemoncaretips]

The seviper

A classic poison type and a sharp jump in challenge for those looking to take their poison type keeping to the next level.

General notes: The seviper is fairly common in grassland areas and savannahs. In Hoenn it is commonly located in the foothills of meteor falls. Before we move on to the rest of the care guide, let me be clear on one thing:

No, your seviper is not stretching out to measure you before it eats you.

This comes up ridiculously often. Though the seviper is both a poison hunter and a constrictor, it is also an ambush predator. Stretching out to measure its prey in the wild would wind up with it either starving to death or being attacked when it's noticed. If you wake up to find your seviper stretched out in bed next to you it's because you're a steady source of warmth. Too many friendly sevipers get rehomed because of this belief.

General care: Seviper need whole prey and can't eat kibble. They lack grinding molars to break it down. As live prey can defend themselves and potentially cause injury, frozen thaw is the best way to feed them.

A meal should be no more than 10% of your sevipers body weight, and no larger than the widest point of its body. Seviper have slow metabolisms, and can go months between meals in the wild. However, there is a difference between surviving and thriving. Here is a rough table for how often you should be feeding it:

Newborn-6 months: every 10-12 days

6-12 months: every 10-12 days

12-18 months: every 12-14 days

18-24 months: every 2-3 weeks

2-2.5 years: every 2-3 weeks

2.5-3 years: every 3-4 weeks

3-4 years: every 4-6 weeks

4+ years: every 4-8 weeks

If you're worried about it starving, don't be. Remember, it has a slow metabolism and doesn't process food as fast as us. It's actually healthier for a seviper not to eat too often. And as a fun bonus, this chart also applies to a fully evolved arbok as well!

There is significant wiggle room in these times, allowing for individual differences, seviper who battle frequently and need a bit more food, gravid seviper, etc. Keep an eye on its condition and don't be afraid to ask for advice. If the spine is easily visible, it isn't eating enough. If the spine is rounded and gently triangular, that's generally a good indicator of health. If you cannot see the spine at all and the seviper is round, it's overweight.

Seviper need warmth, as they can't thermoregulate. Seviper are most active around 32 degrees C, but what is equally as important is shade. A warm basking spot is great, but they also need somewhere dark to cool off. As they grow, a terrarium becomes impractical. Remember, these pokemon can be over 8 feet long and are SOLIDLY built. You may need to consider adapting part of the house to suit its needs.

A sevipers fangs are on a hinge. When hunting or fighting, those sabres are present. When at rest, they tuck into the jaw for safety.

Seviper need a whetstone for their tail. Keeping it sharp is important for their enrichment. Provide a large stone for it to use.

Around two or three times a year, seviper shed their skin. The indicator for this is a dull look, a lack of appetite and their eyes taking on a blue cast. It's tempting to help, but the new skin under the old one is still delicate. Only offer assistance once the skin is actually being removed, and avoid handling until then. If your seviper is approaching you and rubbing its snout against you it's asking for help. Hold the ends of the old skin steady and allow the pokemon to slide out at its own pace. It will likely need a big feed after, and will be perky and cheerful.

Serpent pokemon have a lot of care requirements to consider, but large communities means there's always people to ask for help. Care rating: Orange

Training: Seviper take to training well, and are generally good battlers. A note of warning, though.

This pokemon cannot be allowed in the same room as a zangoose. It doesn't matter how well it's trained. It doesn't matter how well the zangoose is trained. Once they spot each other, instinct kicks in. All of their training and restraint will be gone. They will just try to kill each other. Any good gym will step in if they see you have these pokemon on your team and will stop the battle from happening in the first place. If they do see each other in other locations, pokeball it immediately and leave. It may try and force it's way out of the pokeball. Just keep recalling it. DO NOT PHYSICALLY INTERVENE.

Other than that, the most important part of its training is "the dry bite", where you teach it when to release its venom or not. Having a seviper that knows this makes it safer to battle or even just to have roaming about. The process is pretty long, involving training dummies and food rewards. You're better off looking up guides on line or contacting your nearest poison gym. They can advise you the best and safest ways to teach this. Honestly, if it weren't for their venom, I think you'd see more sevipers around. They learn pretty well. Training rating: Green

Safety: It's a poison type. And a pretty nasty one at that. Though an adult seviper with years of good training under its belt can in theory be safe around small children and even small pokemon, you won't find any responsible trainers who will allow that to happen. Even if it doesn't feel inclined to bite, the blade on its tail is razor sharp and often carries traces of venom. It's strongly advised to cap it when out in public.

They are most dangerous when they're hatchlings, as they lack ANY training about dry bites. Though many pokemon have vastly different personalities, you have no way of telling the difference between an anxious newborn who will nip if you move wrong, and a chill calm little guy who will curl up and nap in your palm. Consider any and all newly hatched seviper "hot" and pick them up only with serpent handler tongs if you ABSOLUTELY must. Once you start getting a feel for their personalities, you can graduate to a thick glove. Any that are too nervous or aggressive should be rehomed. Many cities have facilities that "milk" seviper, ekans and other venomous pokemon to make antivemon, and they have a pretty good life there. Any hatchling too nippy to safely handle should ideally be sent to these farms.

Seviper venom affects the bloods ability to clot. If nipped or scratched, IMMEDIATELY seek medical aid. Safety rating: Red

Overall ranking. Though seviper have cool personalities and are often quite friendly, they need a LOT of safety precautions. Ideally, they should be kept by poison type keepers with the needed experience, and are considered to be of medium difficulty, and a step up from beginner level poison types.

[em-marti-capstone]

Week 2 - September 20

For this week's research, I narrowed down my topics to Comfort Food and Childhood, but overall focusing on the overall theme of Nostalgia. From this research, there were a few other categories of nostalgia that I found interesting, like nostalgia and marketing, the early historical context of the term, and some other details that I'll talk about below.

I started off by looking into comfort food and wanting to understand why it is so important. Why has comfort food become increasingly important over the years?

In the last few years, that has been more due to the pandemic and the emotional stress it caused everyone. Comfort food makes us "feel safe and in control," and during times of uncertainty, it is something that makes certain that we can be happy, even if temporarily (I say this as I drink an oreo milkshake for some temporary serotonin) (https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2020/12/10/84906/ ; https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/07/18/Comfort-food-and-beverage-trend#).

Nowadays—well, some people still drink or smoke to de-stress—my generation at least loves to turn to comfort food, whether by making it ourselves or buying it, as a coping mechanism. We worked hard on an assignment? We deserve a sweet treat. We dealt with an annoying customer? We deserve a sweet treat. We're stressing over adulthood? Sweet treat it is.

Anyway, one of the other articles I looked into discussed gender and our overall social lives in regard to comfort food. For gender, women go more for sweeter foods while men go for the savory. Additionally, "women tend to look to comfort food when they are feeling lonely or sad, whereas men seek comfort food as a reward. Women associate comfort food with negative emotions, while men associate it with positive emotions" (https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2019/02/25/the-importance-of-comfort-food/). People also associate comfort food with other people (like caregivers, friends, etc.) or memories/good experiences to make us feel less lonely. A quote from this article: "nostalgia can evoke a sense of belonging."

Then my research brought me down the lane of nostalgia and marketing/branding. A quote from this article, https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2024/06/24/Nostalgia-food-trend, "Everything old, is new." Brands have seen the power of nostalgia, and whether it's in a manipulative way or a genuine way to make people feel nostalgic about the past, it works. There are some negative nancies (sorry Nancy) who say things like "It's not like it was in the good old days" (aka the customers at my job complaining about their sweet treat that they've had everyday since they were tiny). But overall, most consumers love the familiarity. Even some consumers who didn't experience something from the past still enjoy the vibes. According to this article on how the marketing works, https://sproutsocial.com/insights/nostalgia-marketing/ , "Campaigns that incorporate nostalgia marketing aren’t limited to the people who have those emotional heartstrings attached to a memory. They have an opportunity to use nostalgia as a mechanism for brand storytelling and longevity by nurturing long standing fans while also attracting new prospects, especially from younger generations." We see this in social media all the time where people are doing fashion and makeup trends from the early 2000s, even decades before they were born. For more recent generations, it's fun and refreshing and 'new' to us, and for the older generations, nostalgic brands enable people to reminisce on the 'good ol' days'.

A quote from an article on Pokemon Go and how successful it was a few years ago (https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenfriedman/2016/08/02/why-nostalgia-marketing-works-so-well-with-millennials-and-how-your-brand-can-benefit/) : "How do you identify those special moments in time, those unique cultural events from the past that millennials crave? Nostalgia-centric marketing succeeds when brands keep a finger on the pulse of modern culture, listen to what people are talking about, and plug into those ideas to create new marketing campaigns. Monitor #TBT (throwback Thursday) on social-media channels and take advantage of trends."

Now, people aren't just posting TBTs on Instagram and Snap, they're also recreating those old pics, which I love and have done myself.

While researching, I went down a little rabbit hole of why internet cookies are called cookies because of the amount of times I had to click "accept all cookies" on these sites, but it had me thinking about how we name so many things food names to make us feel better about them. For instance, people were more likely to buy a cookie called "Grandma's Cookie" over one called "Premium Cookie," mainly because the term "grandma" made them think of warm and cozy and more comfortable for them (https://healthmindbodycare.medium.com/the-psychology-of-food-names-0b6b0a39d3d5). Many restaurants do the same thing with many items, tweaking the names of them to help customers think of their establishment as more welcoming and homey (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278431920300852).

I also enjoyed a Reddit thread of just people talking about things with food names that aren't foods. https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualConversation/comments/18612v4/me_and_a_friend_were_having_a_fun_conversation/

Fun little thread, but yeah more research!

I looked into the historical context of Nostalgia, where the term came from, and different variations of the term in other countries.

Early history of 'nostalgia' was pretty dark. Some quotes:

"The term 'nostalgia' derives from the Greek words nostos (return) and algos (pain). The literal meaning of nostalgia, then, is the suffering evoked by the desire to return to one's place of origin. The term was coined by the Swiss physician Johannes Hofer (1688/1934) to capture the adverse symptoms displayed by Swiss mercenaries in the service of European monarchs.”

"While sending the afflicted home was recognized as the best cure for nostalgia, scaring it out of them was also a popular treatment plan. In 1790, French doctor Jourdan Le Cointe administered the strategy of “inciting pain and terror” by threatening the sick with a jab from a “red-hot poker.”

Nostalgia was seen as something completely negative in the past, a disease, a form of depression, and only until the 20th century did it change to something a little lighter, longing for the past (depending on the person). The etymology article above also has other ways that nostalgia is translated in other countries, which was pretty interesting.

I briefly looked at Sonnet 30, a Shakespeare poem that discussed the bittersweet feeling of finding comfort in the past. Pretty sad, feeling heartbroken but yeah I can't remember why I ran into that. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45091/sonnet-30-when-to-the-sessions-of-sweet-silent-thought

Then of course I took some time throughout my week to enjoy Tiktok videos and Instagram reels, 1) because I just do that all the time, 2) to look at videos that show or discuss the increase in remakes and reboots of old shows/movies, the growing love for period pieces or shows taking place in the 80s like Stranger Things, and more. Some reboots and all just feel forced, but sometimes it is successful in bringing in older crowds to reminisce on the past. Social media platforms also LOVE to resurface old memories, like Snapchat sending me notifications saying 'On this day, 4 years ago..." and then I either laugh or cry at what I'm seeing. But woooo nostalgia.

Every generation also just has a different idea for what "simpler times" means. I think of simpler times as playing with my American Girl dolls with my sister, watching Blues Clues, and the only stress being my sister and I hiding our DSs under our pillows when we were supposed to be asleep for school. My dad's idea of a simpler time was when he and his brother would slide in the fire hydrant water while music was playing on a radio nearby and everyone was out on the block having fun, no internet or cellphones, just fun.

I had some trouble trying to make something for this week because I just was learning a lot of information and trying to see what other people's idea of comfort or nostalgia was, but I want to possibly get more responses maybe through a survey for this upcoming week, not sure yet. I made a pretty simple 'timeline' of starter packs (just a few photos that define a group of people basically), so nothing crazy, but hopefully whatever I make next week is stronger.

I feel like this week was more for me to gain a better insight on nostalgia, and the main conclusion that came from this (thanks to Nancy) was the strong relationship it has with power. I'm not totally sure what direction I will be going with this for this coming week, but I will figure it out. I did enjoy this week's research more than last week's though, so hope to see it go up from here. I feel like I have more to write but I'll just update the post if anything or save it for next week.

UPDATE: forgot to mention that so many customers came in to my job on Thursday and kept saying the same thing like “I remember these from when I was kid!” Or “This place is so nostalgic” (I did a double take hearing her say the word of the semester for me). Someone else’s grandma used to work at the bakery too and it’s just crazy. Anyway I came home yesterday and saw this on the fridge and it’s so interesting to see that “C” or “Correct” mark has not changed. I have so many tests and quizzes from when I was my brother’s age with that same mark and it’s always the same. Maybe I should try to get in contact with my old teachers sometime soon? We shall see.

[kelpiemomma]

I find it great that a lot of the fandom looked at two out of time, out of place characters. Ingo and Protagonist, two characters with similar origins and have so much to relate to and thus fans agree that it is criminal and inexcusable that Gamefreak barely interact in Canon.

Everyone literally said "Screw Canon, These two are found family, train guy is dad/uncle/friend now

Love your PLA fics of that dynamic. I don't know if you're still open to prompts. You don't have to do this if you don't feel it but here's a prompt I got for you.

Explore Ingo's and Akari's relationship that develops post-game.

Many fics have them bond during the main plot but not much do post game events.

(You could touch events that occured preplot or during plot and explore how characters felt before they met)

Ohhhh interesting interesting interesting..... I think that's because most of us find it easiest to maneuver them around in-game events, and I don't think I've done too much post-gaming myself (easily distracted, started two other playthroughs)

I am definitely intrigued by this idea though. Do you mean they have their basic interaction in canon, but the further relationship develops post game? And what are we counting as post game- calming all the nobles & fighting palkia and dialga, but pre-volo? Or is Volo still part of the main playthrough?

Because I can see (rolling in the dad direction, as I do, in various directions) Ingo being distantly friendly with the protagonist (let's say Akari, as is my usual :,D sorry) He provides training at the dojo with Zisu, sees Akari there mostly, but doesn't much interact with her otherwise. I truly can't imagine him seeing her kicked out of jubilife and not doing anything- moral-wise, at least, I feel like he would say or do something. Even if he felt it wasn't his place as someone not of Jubilife, I think that he (and most of us, I would hope) would protest kicking a kid out of a safe area. It's possible he either wasn't there (returned to the Highlands for a time) or saw it happening, but didn't see Akari's face and assumed she was just going out for another mission. By the time he does hear about it, or understand what happened, and goes looking Akari has already been picked up by Volo. Ingo asks Irida if she knows where Akari can be found and Irida promises she's somewhere safe but can't say more. So until she returns, all Ingo can do is be satisfied that Akari is safe. He no longer trusts Jubilife residents as he did, especially Kamado, and spends less time there. When Akari returns having tamed the two gods, Ingo decides that maybe it's a little fucked up that this kid has done all this on her own. She's still just like 15 at most, right?

He attempts to strike up conversations at the dojo without being creepy, because some part of him is well aware how it might seem if someone of his age shows too much interest in a teenager (the very thought turns his stomach in disgust. He feels regretful that he couldn't help earlier.) but thankfully Akari likes to talk about the Pokedex, and Ingo is a walking Pokedex as well in a way. There's no one able to battle quite like him, which actually helps Akari with her research. She starts searching him out more because he never requires anything or expects anything of her, and they can talk about pokemon or item crafting or food easily. In fact, she starts going to him when she finds strange pokemon in space-time rifts because Ingo almost always finds them familiar and has something to say about them. Sometimes they'll run into each other in the highlands and Ingo will take her somewhere cool, or just take her to a neat little meadow and tell her to chill out because she's spiraling in anxiety over the work she still has to do. They end up bonding over little things and helping each other, with Ingo gradually becoming the first person Akari goes to when she has news because his enthusiasm is always genuine and a little extra but it's nice.

They bond further after Akari battles Volo and comes down from the summit looking absolutely wrecked and in tears. She's been betrayed and had what she thought was a dear, close friendship destroyed. Ingo doesn't pry as much as he wants to- he's upset that she's upset, and he wants to know what happened because this time they're friendly. He cares for her as family and wants to hurt whoever hurt her. But Akari comes first, and so he takes her to his home and lets her wallow in her misery until she can tell him what happened. He asks if she wants him to track Volo down and take care of him, but Akari denies it and says he doesn't need to act like her dad when he isn't. Which kind of makes Ingo stop and think bc... Well. He doesn't have kids. Has never had much interest in having kids. But he likes Akari, and he thinks that she could use a father figure, and he wouldnt mind filling those shoes... So he accepts her request, but he tells her then and there that he doesn't mind acting as her father (figure) because he does genuinely care for her and her well being. Which isn't something Akari was expecting and she kind of stammers... Declines... Takes off. And it hurts but Ingo lets her go. It's her decision to accept or not, and he won't force her one way or another. He appreciates their friendship too much.

Akari avoids him for a couple weeks, which sucks but Ingo stands by his decision to not push. He continues his work in the Highlands, continues training at the dojo, until one day he finds himself standing in front of the photo parlor. He's gotten a picture of himself before, but he was alone and it didn't feel right. It felt like something was missing. Someone should've been by his side, at his back. He's lost in thought until he feels the wristband of his coat get tugged on and looks to see Akari standing beside him, shifty. She apologizes for running off and avoiding him, explains that she had to think, and he accepts her apology. Says he understands, because it was something he'd gradually come to realize and that he shouldn't have sprung it on her. And Akari is clearly Not Of This Time because she gets quiet and then asks him, really fast and kind of quiet, that he meant like being her DAD and not her DADDY right, because she REALLY didn't see him like that and- and Ingo immediately says NO ABSOLUTELY NOT. Just... Dad. Acting as a caretaker. Keeping her safe. Being a place of refuge. Platonic father feelings ONLY. And Akari looks relieved, and Ingo is also relieved because he definitely doesn't see her that way and is glad she now understands that. He shudders at the thought, and she laughs at him, and Ingo pretends to glare at her and scold her but she settles in a little closer.

She looks at the building with all the photos and paintings and asks what he was up to. He explains that he was wondering if he should try getting another picture done, that he'd had one taken before but had needed to throw it away because looking at it made him feel uncomfortable. Akari asks if he thinks it has something to do with the man in white and ingo... nods, because now that she mentioned it, yes. Because the man in white is not here, and Ingo is alone. Apparently he says that out loud, and Akari's face flushes as she takes his hand and drags him inside. Because Ingo's not alone anymore, she says, because they're family. So until the man in white is back, she's going to be where he was. And they take the picture, and it's not exactly perfect... She doesn't fit like he thinks she should, and the pose is weird and not quite correct, but as he looks at the photo she handed him before going to grab some of her gear to take up to the Highlands - there's something she needs to check on, she said, and since Ingo has decided she's his responsibility obviously her DAD needs to go with her! - he feels... Better. Not fixed, but still... Complete. He's not alone. He has family now.

He tucks the photo into his coat for safe keeping, and when Akari returns to his side (she said she'd see him as her father, would she call him dad? Should he call her his daughter? They'll need to talk about it.) he smiles, and she smiles back, and for now everything will be okay. He is not part of an incomplete set anymore.

[moonxpalace]

Do you have any Mom-Iris headcanons? Oliver and Lillian are so cute!

Sure!

Iris grew up without a family, so the parenting role was a huge ?? for her. She is very grateful to have Ash and Delia beside her, and of course her pokemon for support when things get tough

Iris prefers fresh ingredients when cooking to her babies, or simply serve hand picked berries/ fruit

We know how Iris is able to make her own home made remedies/ medicine? She has medicine against ANYTHING! They work, but the taste is awful. Oliver and Lillian never fake being sick because they know Iris will whip up some medicine for them

Iris loves her babies to bits ... But sometimes hearing the word "mom" being repeated 4532 times in an hour drives her mad.

Ash has some awful habits, like scarfing down his food when he's excited. Oliver and Lillian will copy his manners, which Iris finds annoying, since she wants her kids to have good manners.

As the years pass, Iris becomes more comfortable with the mom-role. She loves spending time with her kids and play with them. She also isn't afraid to act all silly and childish to make them laugh

Iris doesn't like to use make-up (she only wears it when she has to, like when she is appearing on TV or have Champion duties) Iris has learnt to hide all her make-up in the highest shelf in the bathroom, or else Lillian will paint the walls with them (and put a bit on her own face, too)

Iris is all about spirituality, so she doesn't tolerate cursing in her home. This is the only thing she is strict about (other than that, she is a pretty chill mom)

Iris' Dragonite is still all about acting tough. Iris will never not swoon about seeing Dragonite act gentle with Oliver and Lillian, like letting them play with his tail or cuddle with him

Iris has always woken up early, while Ash sleeps in whenever he can. Their routine is abruptly changed when they welcomed Oliver and Lillian into the world. Every morning, they are woken up by their kids jumping on their bed like a trampoline, while cheering and laughing. And then one of them will accidentally fall on Ash's stomach and knock the wind outta him.

Iris don't feed Oliver and Lillian a lot of junk (candies, chips etc.) But you can bet Ash and Iris has a hidden shelf full of candy that they eat when their kids go to bed 😇

Iris doesn't like to read. But she definitely will read a goodnight story to her kids when they ask her to do so. And then she ends up falling asleep with them

After months of trying to teach baby!Oliver to say "mama", competing against Ash trying to teach him the word "papa", Oliver's first word ended up becoming "pika". Pikachu was very proud 😭

Iris is not sure how she ended up with two kids who love ice and fairy type pokemon ... Oliver tends to catch ice-types, while Lillian adores fairy-type pokemon

Iris is careful not to dote too much on Oliver and Lillian. Sure she is a champion and a dragon master, and therefore money is never an issue, but she doesn't want her kids to become spoiled. Iris always makes sure to let them choose their own path

Iris learns early on to be careful about what's said in front of her kids, because Oliver and Lillian have nooo issues talking about her business at daycare

Cilan is still a close friend of Iris' and she appreciates him ... But she doesn't appreciate him influencing Oliver and Lillian to become mini-Cilans after he babysits them. Often Iris will have to listen to her kids lecturing her about trains, old-school movies, fishing etc. in great detail. Ash finds it hilarious, though

[poliwhirl42]

For the character ask game: Burgundy on questions 2, 6, 9, 21, and 25 (or Cilan if most of the questions I sent have already been answered for her).

I can always count on you to spur my Sommelier fix. 😂

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Burgundy: I think just how different she is from a lot of other characters. And her complexity, too. Burgundy wears her heart on her sleeve. I love her snark, I love her ambition and drive (even if it’s rooted in a desire for revenge), and I love the subtle way the writers show her love for her pokemon. I just wish we’d gotten more of her, and I wish more of her rivalry with Cilan had been explored.

Cilan: He is unabashedly proud to be himself, even in places he probably shouldn’t. He gives 110% in everything he does and always seems to make things fun for everyone around him (the Mistralton contest, Tepig “court scene”, and movie episodes instantly come to mind). I love how he has so many fun hobbies and is super knowledgeable about a lot of things, and is continually curious to learn more about others and the world. I think that’s what makes him an excellent Pokémon Connoisseur.

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Burgundy: Sadly, I think one of the traits I have in common with Burgundy is a negative one- but, hey, that’s life, right? I think we both have a lot of deep-rooted insecurities that have unfortunately landed us in hot water, either with others closest to us or even with reflecting on our own self-worth. This is something I’ve been aiming to work hard on, and I think it’s something she’ll eventually overcome, too.

Cilan: I think I’m easily excitable like Cilan is! It doesn’t take a lot to impress me, I love finding little details in everything and learning more about people and the world around me. I think also, due to my upbringing, I’m a bit similar to Cilan in terms of wanting to strongly follow my morals and follow the rules to a literal T. Sometimes I wish I could loosen up a bit about that though.

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

Burgundy: LOL, I honestly don’t know how that would go. I could see Burgundy getting easily irritated at little things, but I could also see us having a lot of fun together as roommates? I imagine we have similar taste when it comes to decor- kind of a shabby-chic aesthetic. And it would be fun to kinda just do life together and to live with someone who’s not afraid to be completely honest with me, for better or for worse.

Cilan: I think I’d be living in the lap of luxury if I were roommates with Cilan! I’m a pretty clean person but I have a feeling Cilan is the type that likes keeping everything pristine 100% of the time, so I could see him chiding me if there are a heap of unfolded clothes on my dresser or something. I’m sure he’d make some incredible food though (and of course I’d offer to help buy ingredients and help prepare meals and clean up), and I could see us having a lot of fun exploring our mutual hobbies and perhaps sharing them with each other, especially having movie nights!

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

Burgundy: I think, self-indulgently, my favorite thing to do is explore all of her feelings about Cilan. In my mind Burgundy is all over the place with her thoughts, words, emotions, and actions, and admittedly it’s a lot of fun to put all of these complex traits onto paper (er, a document lol). But I’ve learned over the years that in the fic I plan to write, much of the development I want Burgundy to have has little to do with Cilan (although, like most rivals in the anime, Cilan is both a catalyst and eventual support in spurring her to be a better Connoisseuse) and more with her internal goal to decide if becoming a Connoisseuse is something she really wants to do, for the right reasons. I love the thought of her growing and maturing, even if it means having to go through a variety of obstacles first.

Something that’s really not my cup of tea in fic is just making her too nice(?) and too lovey-dovey when it comes to Cilan, or like, she confesses her feelings all at once and they’re together at the end of the chapter. I think their relationship is very much a slow-burn. People refer to her as one of the biggest tsunderes in the Pokémon anime for a reason, and it’s satisfying when I see Sommelier fics done right when she’s especially characterized well. I don’t mean that she has to be an asshole 100% of the time though. I guess I just feel like she, like Paul, and Drew, and Trip and others, they have the clear capability to show love and affection, but some characters need a lot of time and development to get to that point. That’s just my opinion and my two cents though- I encourage anyone who loves this character to write what they wanna write and characterize Burgundy the way they see her!

Cilan: I’m so excited to explore sides of Cilan we didn’t get to see in the anime. I have two scenes in particular that I’m REALLY excited to write, because it’s Cilan at his most vulnerable. I feel like Cilan- though we see him comedically emotional in the show in certain cases- definitely puts up a front and wants to maintain a mature stance with things and be the voice of reason. But Burgundy, and other factors, they’re catalysts that break down those walls, and I’m very pumped to explore all of that.

The one thing I have difficulty when it comes to writing Cilan? It’s HARD. I love using fancy words and phrases, but dialogue in general for me has always been a bit of a challenge when writing, so I hope I can do Cilan a justice when aiming to make him sound exactly as he would in the show and to showcase his character decently.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Burgundy: If I remember correctly, it was a cross between annoyance and intrigue. I think Burgundy was sadly set up as an easy character for viewers to initially dislike, mainly because her debut centered around Ash and irrationally goading him to change his entire team of pokemon. But as time went on and she made reoccurring appearances in the battle club tournaments, she REALLY grew on me, and more and more I was hoping the writers would explore her history and rivalry with Cilan.

Cilan: Contrary to popular belief- because Brock is my absolute favorite character in the series- I actually liked Cilan a lot and found him incredibly entertaining! As much as I was heartbroken to see Brock leave after DP, I think it was a good move on the writers’ part, and I was satisfied with his conclusion of aiming to become a Pokémon Doctor. Cilan felt like a much-needed breath of fresh air, and I absolutely loved the dynamic he had with Ash and Iris. I just wish he’d been fleshed out a bit more, because he had immense potential, and unfortunately due to many factors the writers just decided not to capitalize on that.

[exquisink]

The Plot Thickens! // CONTESTSHIPPING / SHUUKURA

AO3 || FFN 

Harley taps onto the mic and cringes from the sharp feedback. “Testing, 1, 2, 3! Testing, 1, 2, 3! Ugh! This sounds awful! Someone fix–!” 

–his wish is granted, as the sound check folks do their jobs. One of them casts a thumbs up as a queue for him to start over.

He clears his throat, eyes scanning the impressive size of the crowd. If he has to guess, the amount of people who have arrived for this heist may fill up the entirety of the Indigo League stadium up to five times! Might he be exaggerating–he often is–he doesn’t really know or really care. This is not just a publicity stunt, you see. As always, there are ulterior motives in the world of Harley Davidson. 

“Excellent!” For emphasis, he clears his throat once more, shielding his mouth with a balled fist. “Welcome to the Slateport Grand Heist! I know the Ribbon Cup season has ended for the Hoenn region yet again, and things have gotten far too quiet to our liking. So let me set the scene–you are all cordially encouraged to embark on a scavenger hunt for a rare breed of a shiny Zorua. Its beauty is unmatched, and it’s a perfect addition to your team if you’re needing a new teammate! Not only are you going to win that Zorua to add to your party, you also win a delicious sum of cash! Don’t miss out! Sign up here! And please welcome my dear sponsor, Maybella Maple!” 

He gestures wide, loud, and proud to her as she steps onto the podium. Behind her, a huge projection screen to showcase her true ethereal beauty. She has grown well into herself in the last decade, establishing herself as a five-time Ribbon Cup winner and even upstaging Soledad and Drew! In this moment, she looks like a Queen gazing down at her subjects with a softness in her eyes, and a twinkle of that fiery, lively energy she has always possessed in her soul.

She has never dimmed in her light–not even when Harley tried to before.

Harley can’t help but respect that now.

May beams at the crowd as they roar and cheer, even earning a few wolf whistles which makes her blush just a bit from embarrassment. She lowers the mic to her level. 

“Hi everybody! If you do decide to enter this exciting heist, then we’d be more than honored to have you here! This Heist is also here to help fund for future Ribbon Cup seasons and local Pokemon Centers in the region. We hope to enhance the experience for new and old coordinators and the care which is provided in Pokemon Centers which has helped us for centuries! This is a great cause, and we wholeheartedly accept any additional donations!” 

As she steps away, Harley takes the spotlight once more, not without mouthing a ‘thank you’ to her as she gives him the space he requires to spread his arms out wide, like he’s giving the crowd a big bear hug for showing up for them. 

“We sure hope you’re ready! Sign up ends at 5PM sharp! The scavenger hunt for the Zorua begins tomorrow morning at 7AM sharp! Don’t miss out on the fun! Toodles~!” 

Harley steps away and takes in the applause, as he’s always lived for it. That’s the whole reason behind becoming a coordinator for him–the applause! The adoration! The admiration! The fame! It’s all important to him to a certain extent. It’s not as prominent of a desire now, but he still loves to gloat and showboat whenever he gets a chance to soak it all up like a sponge.

The roaring of the crowd dies down and soon they are dismissed to take care of sign ups and registration, which are held at the Pokemon Center here in Slateport. It’s good to be home. He’s forgotten what peace and relaxation is like. But he’s reminded every time he relaxes at the local beaches here. 

Harley and May retire to the back of the stadium, where they share some of the confection foods available. 

“Thanks for doing this for me, sugarplum,” he says from the bottom of his heart. This time, his sincerity is genuine. Well it has been for a long time. They’re no longer enemies or frenemies or whatever the heck people call it. “I can’t believe people actually showed up.”

“Well, why not? You’re a hot shot,” May teases, “It’s not like you to play humble.”

It’s not like her to be that observant . . . Harley only hopes she hasn’t figured out another underlying scheme of his. He may have spread a little rumor to the male identifying coordinators that winning the Zorua and the money also includes a date with this four course meal and dessert just before his eyes. If she isn’t going to date Weed Hair, then he may as well try to up the ante a little by forcing them into a little tight spot. Drew has refused to confess his feelings for the last decade or so of them all knowing each other and Harley’s grown exhausted from all of the dancing around the rosy bushes between them or whatever.

He’s had to take matters into his own hands. This time as a friend and not as some insecure POS who can’t accept there’s always going to be someone better or more talented than he is. Yes, he friggin’ says it! Leave him friggin’ be. 

Bringing a powdered donut to his lips, he hums in agreement. “No kiddin’. I’m not! So who do you think will be joining the heist?” 

“Probably everyone and their mothers,” May laughs earnestly. “It seems so fun too. I kind of wish I could enter to win that Zorua, but that doesn’t seem right since I’m helping to sponsor this event.”

“You’ve already got a golden team, hon. But I can always find a way to get another one of those Zoruas from a breeder if that’s what you want.”

“You don’t have to, but I appreciate the offer.” May sighs, bringing her glass of water to her lips. “I can’t believe how far we’ve come together. I’m really glad we became friends, Harley.” 

Harley lifts his own drink, offering a toast. “To us, hon.”

She giggles, raising her glass as well. “To us.”

Their drinkwares join together and clink, the sound seemingly reverberating through the room like a windchime. Maybe a spell has been casted–a blessing. This friendship is a blessing to them both.

Drew does learn of this Heist Harley’s hosting. He has to admit his interest is piqued. If not for any other reason, than the fact that it’s someone like Harley hosting it. 

Anything involving Harley is often a prescription for disaster in Drew’s world. He doesn’t trust that someone like him can change. Call him a skeptic. Call him a hard-ass. He doesn’t give a single crap. He’s always going to have May’s and Soledad’s back, and he’s always going to keep Harley at something much longer than an arm’s length. But no amount of space between them will ever be enough. 

Anyway, what leads him to sign up is because he’s been brought to light by an underlying motive in Harley organizing this event. Because that’s how he’s always operated before, and he’ll continue to operate that way for the rest of his life. Drew’s been raised on the philosophy of trusting patterns of behavior over someone’s words. 

Words themselves don’t sell someone’s character, after all. Anyone can say anything they want. 

Everyone with even the teensiest bit of critical thinking ability can come up with that conclusion on their own. 

Unfortunately, upon learning May is assisting him in sponsoring this event, and given May’s history of often giving Harley the benefit of the doubt in spite of knowing better . . . no one can blame Drew for wishing to investigate this event further. He’s putting on that tin hat. There’s never a pure reason behind Harley’s intentions, and those suspicions have been confirmed on his way to the Slateport Pokemon Center!

“I can’t believe Harley admitted we can ask May on a date if we win,” one contestant exclaims as he walks with his group of friends, just within earshot of Drew, who happens to be scrolling through his news feed. 

‘Old habits die hard,’ he thinks, scowling. Does he really have to rescue May AGAIN?

“Yeah, it’s not an official event but who cares? Gal’s single, gal’s famous, gal’s hot . . . “ Jackass #2 numbers off the merits of dating someone like May with those grimy probably oily as fuck disgusting fingers of his, and Drew can’t help stewing in pure agony at the thought of someone OTHER than him dating May. 

Especially if they don’t know how to treat her or appreciate her! 

“Whatever helps advertise the heist, I guess,” Jackass #3 comments, “I might decline, if I win, though.”

May not be that much of a jackass, with a little inkling of common sense and dignity! 

“Hello Drew. Good to see you again. Are you here to register?” Nurse Joy greets upon approaching the counter. 

“Yes, I’d like to enter the Slateport Heist.”

“Excellent. I have you all set up. If you’re looking for your friends, they are staying here, so you’ll run into them soon.”

Drew nods. “Thanks.”

He accepts his token and retires to his cabin. 

Yes, let the games begin, indeed. 

7 A. M. the following day comes along, and everyone’s gathered around the small stadium the city put together for Harley’s event. In the center, a medieval inspired gong, which Harley strikes to initiate the beginning of something either grand or something anticlimactic. 

Watching the contestants scramble around like headless chickens for the Zorua has been nothing short of entertaining for the Cacturne trainer, and he sits back and enjoys the show while May’s fucked off elsewhere for the time being. She monitors other areas of the city to make sure no one’s up to mischief. 

Speaking of May, she’s giggling at the prospect of all these younger trainers arguing over who deserves that Zorua. With its perfect IVs and fully trained EVs, its shiny new color, its cloaking ability . . . Zorua’s likely hiding in plain sight and these trainers are too busy arguing to see what’s right in front of them. 

She strolls through one of Slateport’s main streets and swears under her breath when she catches a familiar flash of green. A particular mossy shade of green. 

Approaching him from behind, she addresses him. 

“ . . . Drew?” 

Whipping around, Drew’s eyes widen for a brief moment before they soften immediately upon realizing that it’s her. Perfect. Just the girl he’s been looking for all of this time since the heist began. 

He needs to get her away from Harley’s scheming, grimy hands! 

“I take it you’re here because you really want that Zorua.” 

“An excellent guess, but no,” he replies, and May can’t help picking up on how his usually tense expression fades into one of pure softness. For her? Why, though? “I’m actually here for you.”

“Me?” May’s tone indicates incredulousness. Even after all of this time!? “What do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Um, why are you working on this with Harley?” 

May frowns. “We’ve established that we’ve outgrown that weird frenemy stage we had. We’re really good friends now, Drew. What’s going on?” 

Drew sighs, deciding against telling her the truth. Collaborating with Harley–or even being within Harley’s proximity–is never any good. He offers her a rose from seemingly thin air, which May graciously accepts.

“Never mind. Anyway, what’s in it for you?” 

“Nothing! It just seemed like a fun way to raise money for the Ribbon Cup.”

Things fall silent between them, but it’s comfortable. They decide to look for that Zorua together. 

They find themselves near the Slateport beach, close to where they first met. Drew looks off at the private beach area where he found May, and he can’t help but chuckle to himself. 

“What’s so funny?” May then picks up on it. “Oh. You’re thinking about how we met, huh?” 

“Yeah. On this very beach,” he says, “Hard to believe how far we’ve come.”

“Hard to believe we can stand to breathe the same air as each other.” 

Drew splutters, “I more than can just tolerate breathing the same air as you.” 

In fact, he dearly wishes to be with her for the rest of his life. He’s damn sure of it. He’s not going to admit that to her yet because he doesn’t want to scare her off.

A splash of salty water on him catches him off-guard. He turns to ese May with a mischievous grin on her face, and Drew shakes his head. 

“You rascal,” Drew teases as he joins her by the water, splashing her back. 

Suddenly, in the sand, Zorua pops out from hiding under it. Once he notices it, Drew’s mouth falls open. 

“Oh! There’s the gorgeous Zorua!” 

Zorua hops right into Drew’s arms upon recognizing him. 

Drew and May exchange a look. 

“Uh . . . do we go back to the stadium, then?” May inquires. Drew nods and they walk off, ignoring the icky wetness of their damp clothes. 

Eh. They’re going to dry off, they think. 

When they arrive back at the stadium, Harley’s relaxing on a lounge chair and enjoying the sun shining down on him. His goal must be a tan, as he’s angling a mirror to have the sun hit on his body. 

He hears the rustling of their footsteps, and he raises himself from his seat, resting his sunglasses over his head to get a view of them. 

“Oh! Excellent! Just as planned, Randy, you found Zorua!” Harley exclaims. “Well, I should say Zorua found you guys. I told it not to appear to anyone else except Drew. No one was going to be able to find Zorua by the end of the event.”

“Huh?” May cuts in, placing her hands on her hips. “Then what was the purpose of this heist anyway?” 

“Yeah,” Drew adds, “Why were you getting the male winners the opportunity to ask May out if they won?” 

“What?” May glares at Harley. “You conveniently left out that little detail! What in the world?!” 

“Sounding a bit envious there, Randy,” Harley snorts, “If you must know, I knew you were going to sign up for this heist if I put May in a jeopardizing situation. Of course nothing life-threatening. She’s just been single for too long after that jackass Brendan dated her. Lo and behold, you do enter the hunt, and not only do you earn the Zorua and the money, but you’re the one getting to ask May out on a date.”

“What were you going to do if the winner was a girl? This wasn’t well thought out,” May says, “Which is a first, coming from you.” 

Harley steps back, striking a defensive pose. His tone does indicate some sincerity but there’s no telling with Harley quite literally ever. 

He shakes his head as he vehemently disagrees. 

“I only told the men about that little addition. No girl was going to ask you out. And by the way, it wasn’t going to be a bunch of random guys, just the winner of the heist,  and I orchestrated everything so that Drew would win anyways. Like I already said, Zorua was not going to be found. Not easily. Zorua’s great at keeping itself hidden. Everything’s worked out in favor of you two finally biting the bullet and just going out already. We’re sick of you two dancing around the bush.” 

“I–!” Drew can’t even begin to express himself at that moment. He has to admit–he’s been fooled. Maybe Harley has changed for the better, in some aspects. In others, that’s still up for debate. 

Despite this, Drew may never completely warm up to Harley. 

Not even the fact that he’s dating Soledad. 

“So, Randrew Gayden, aren’t you going to finally roll for initiative like this is DND and finally give May the lovin’ on she deserves?” 

“Uhhhh . . . “ Drew’s brain may have short-circuited at that point. Picking up on that little brain fart of Drew’s, a rare moment for him indeed, May takes charge like the woman she always is because she always feels like she has something to prove. 

“Drew,” she begins, twiddling the rose he gifted her just moments prior to this interaction. “Will you take me to dinner?” 

Yep. That brain fart then escalates to a complete meltdown. His circuitry is failing him. There’s probably steam out of his ears from that system overload. 

System overload! 

May’s forehead creases. “. . . Drew? Do I have to do everything around here, or do I have to drag you to the nicest restaurant in this region?” 

“No! No, I, uh . . .” Taking a deep stabilizing breath, he finds that confidence he works so hard to fake the majority of the time. Yeah, you hear him right–fake. He’s not the sauviest of the suave, he has come to accept that. 

Especially if he can’t ask the most beautiful girl in the world out and she has to make the move first! 

He clears his throat, and meets her eyes, careful not to get too lost admiring how much those sapphire eyes resemble the deepest depths of the sea. 

“Yes, I’ll take you to dinner. Only if you let me spoil you rotten.”

Harley grimaces. “Damn, you really are living up to the name, Randy.” 

“Stop calling me that,” Drew counters.

“Over my dead body!” Harley then approaches May. “Don’t I get a thank you, hon?” 

“I’m not sure if I should thank you or slap you, but I’ll let you get away with it this time. Thanks, Harley. Now if you’ll excuse us, this is long overdue.”

“Of course, of course! Have fun ye hooligans! Farewell now!” 

Drew hooks May’s arm around his. “Where to? We’ll take a ride on Flygon.”

“I can go for something exotic and new, so surprise me, Mr Fancy Pants.”

“Anything for you.” Drew casts a dirty look at Harley over his shoulder, as if to say, ‘I’ll deal with you later.’ 

For now, he’s going to enjoy a wonderful date with a wonderful girl. 

[willing-but-not-able]

So, Tears of the Kingdom didn't exactly hit the mark in the story department. I'm glad I'm not alone as I usually am in these cases.

So, after some consideration, I decided to try rewriting the story right after I finished it a whole 200 hours after

I already did this exact same thing with Pokemon Sword and Shield, but just plotted the whole thing out and never wrote any of it because I figured no one reads my shit lol so I'm just going to do the same here, plot out what I feel would have been better and probably never write it... Unless you guys really like it and give me some support/motivation, seriously a comment goes a long way.

Anyways, I'm also writing a origin story for Ganon since he's bae a really unique Ganon but he was watered down to an OOT clone, lame 😒

! Major Spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom !

You have been warned.

So, the beginning of the game isnt going to start inside Hyrule castle. Instead, this is roughly five years after BOTW and Zelda and Link are traveling around on yet another job Zelda is fixated on. She asks Link to join her in exploring Hyrule to find a suitable place for a school.

The Calamity just wasn't a thing in totk and that doesn't make any sense if it was an event that just happened. I wanted it to at least be mentioned and be a major thing affecting Hyrule even now, years later.

After a leisure stroll to some of the more major and centralized locations, Zelda settles on Hateno, but she also wants to find a good teacher. Someone who knows about Hyrule's history, is heavily involved in their present affairs, and will be in their future events 🤔💭😮

A Sheikah!

So, Zelda asks you to find someone from Karakiko village who would fit the bill. A short tutorial trip later and now everything is in order.

Zelda then gives Link a few other tasks:

Find a carpenter to build the school

Travel out to Lurelin Village to become more acquainted with the growing sea village

And to get some food for a mysterious request.

Link, of course, doesn't have to do the top two, but the last one is a main mission. After getting 10 apples, some honey and making a meal, Link returns to Zelda's home and she explains what the food was for.

Now that things are settling down, I think it's time we repair the castle. I didn't want to prioritize it in case anyone needed assistance, but things seem to be calm enough for us to start planning the castle's rebuilding. I even found the perfect companion to carry all our things!

Btw does anyone else remember a trailer where Link and Zelda had a Dondon with them? Like what tf happened to that? 😭

Anyways, this could also be a little romantic moment for Link and Zelda. I personally don't like Zelink in this game, but for those who do, something could be here, a little spark if you will.

The pair rests for the day and plan to head out right when the sun comes out. Link and Zelda make their way to the castle and try and assess the damage and what work would need to be done. In doing so, Zelda finds a strange hole that seems to connect somewhere. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she slips down to check it out, with no way out, Link joins her in an attempt to help them escape.

They travel down the stairs and find the grave of Hyrule's first King and wonder what the slab means by the castle acting as a seal.

Now here is where I would put the beginning of the game. Everything can happen like it does with no changes. This includes the Great Sky island as well.

So, once Link finds a way back to the surface, he sees that things are different than what he remembers. The strange stones falling from the sky are a sight for sure. He heads over to the nearest stable and the owner explains what's going on.

I know it's been a while, but this stuff should be fresh in all our minds. Well, I still don't see how I'm even used to it. The Upheaval--as those researchers call it--was some strange event that occured and lifted Hyrule Castle straight into the sky and made those islands appear as well. I don't know much more than that, but those researchers set up a temporary base camp near the castle, they're the ones who would know more than I do.

The Upheaval just seems to have been an event that no one cares about. They're like "lol yeah that happened, but you wanna hear about Pony Points!??!!"

Link, informed of what's going on, makes his way to find out more and travels to the base camp. There, everyone is still shook that he's alive and everything that happened. He meets up with Purah and she explains her and Robbie discovered some strange entries and features in the Sheikah slate. As a result, with how much it was heavily modified, they decided to rename it to the Sheikah Pad. Yes, I'm not a fan of the name Purah Pad.

This strange text seems to have just appeared here. I can't read it, but there's a man who can possibly decipher it. Too bad I've been busy trying to go and ask for his help.

Why not let me do it? <

Of course I thought of you, but both you and Zelda were missing. I was more concerned with keeping that on a need to know basis.

Zelda is missing? <

Yeah, you both just disappeared and since you were heading to the castle, we came here to see if you would return. Anyways, now that you're back, it would be a really big help if you could take this to Kakariko Village. There's a man named Tauro there who could probably figure out what any of this means.

Then, The Thunderhead Isles quest gets placed here like normal. The four corners of Hyrule aren't affected by anything yet, no Blizzard Rito village, infected Gorons, Mucked Zora's domain or Sand Shrouded Gerudo Desert. I'll explain why later.

Link is then introduced to Mineru, the sage of spirit, who introduces him to the Tears ('cause secret stones is a kind of dumb name with the game being called Tears of the Kingdom) and the power they hold when given to a sage. She then goes on to explain her history to Link and that they man they met was most likely Ganondorf, the Demon King.

In my time, me and five other sages attempted to defeat him... But he was too strong and easily lay waste to us. However, the sage of Light devised a plan and you are at the center of that plan. Together with the Master Sword and the Sages power, we should be able to finally defeat the Demon King!

Mineru gives Link the task of finding the other Sages, that she will be right by his side if he needs any guidance.

I'm changing when you get Mineru because the "true ending" of the game makes it like I'm supposed to care Mineru moves on. Like, I just met her and have little to no attachment. She's no Navi, Midna, Tatal, Spirit Zelda, Ezlo, Lineback, or King of Red Lions. They needed to give her more significance in the plot if they wanted me to care about her.

She does have something she needs him to do, but that can wait. She explains the different races of the Sages and tells him to find someone with great prowess within those races.

It's clear who Link needs to look for.

I wanna make a small note here. I honestly want to make the gameplay reliant in a certain order, for ex. doing Gorondia would be much easier if you already have Sidon, Gerudo Desert and The Lightening Temple would be easier with Tulin. Just so their near useless abilities could have more use. 'Cause we all know Tulin is useless unless you're in the air. I would have just liked it if the puzzles were more complicated and were harder without a certain sage there to make it 100x easier.

Link returns to Purah and details what he learned to her.

Well that couldn't have come at a worse time.

What do you mean? <

I mean, everywhere is experiencing mass events and it seemed to come straight out of nowhere. I don't know if you'll be able to get their help while these strange phenomenons are going on. Maybe if you help them first, we can go forward with this plan after.

So, in no particular order, Link sets out to help the four corners of Hyrule.

Now, I'm going to pause here and talk about the game progression for a moment. As much as I love the depths, it serves no purpose other than to hide Ganon away. Josha and her quests can all be sequence broken to hell considering I found every place she wanted me to go to years before she told me about them, and I even ignored the "Master Koga" quest and found Ganon entirely by accident (I'll never forget that btw, it was too funny). So, I wasn't sure what to do with it. I understand it's there so the story doesn't seem to pop out of nowhere; but with the way it is, it just seem poorly added to be sure the players can actually find Ganon if they didn't jump inside the Hyrule Castle Chasm like my crackhead ass did.

I really figured to have the depths give us more backstory on Ganon. My original original idea actually involved us playing three different stories (Link- the Main one, Zelda- the adjacent one, and Ganon- the opposite one) so if they're not gonna give us Ganon as something more than just the big bad villain guy, then this is the best I can think to add. The depths would serve as a way for you to learn more about the world Ganon lived in as there doesn't seem to be any Gerudo Statues so I could imagine Hyrule was like "ya'll hoes are evil. Gerudo who?" And that might have sent Ganon into a frenzy. Also, I'll add something at the bottom about Zelda's part. Back to the main story 👋

Link is successful in awakening the sages and getting them on board to defeat Ganon; but they're missing two. Mineru did say there were five including herself, but they only make up four.

This is what I needed your help with, Link. I'm a spirit and would serve you no good in this state. However, I was developing a body that I can control even in this form I'm in. Please, you have to find where the Construct Factory is and find my invention. This way, I can fight along side you all.

Note, I think Mineru's construct body is actual 🗑. I really only use it to break ore deposits and to reach crap that's too high. She's just too clunky and slow to be functional, so I thought of this instead. You would still collect each part (however you wanted too. Either one after each sage or all at once after all the sages) and these parts attach to Link. Her legs would allow Link to fall without damage (ik she can do that already, but you can't really fall with her. She just slides until a safe distance off the ground) and her arms would act as a power bracelet replacement allowing him to lift much heavier things he normally couldn't. What heavier things you ask, idk, maybe the devs should have the gimmick of the game actually apart of the gameplay instead of just in the open world.

Link descends in the depths and manages to find the place Mineru kept a secret from Ganon. Collecting the final sage.

They were still nowhere close to defeating him as the Light Sage was nowhere to be found and the Master Sword was still missing.

From high in the sky, a roar shook the earth forcing them look at the source. No matter how far away they were the sad feeling washed over Link as he stared into the sky seeing the strangely colored dragon.

A overwhelming feeling overcame him and before his very eyes he saw tears fall from the sky. Why was the dragon crying? Were those tears for the struggling Kingdom? There was only one way to find out.

For the Geoglyphs, I would just rewrite them entirely, half of them felt useless to get and like they didn't add anything I'm looking at you tea party. One of my main issues was Ganon saying Rauru was arrogant but like, we haven't seen that at all sooo... Anyways, if anyone wants to see how I would rewrite them, feel free to comment or reblog and write your own rewrites, I'd love to see them.

Link manages to find all the Geoglyphs and sees all the hardship Zelda had to face on her own. He gets one hint though and that's the lost woods.

That part would be the exact same, and lead to the Great Deku Tree telling you where the Master sword is.

In finding a way up to the light dragon, he discovers the Master sword and pulls it out. As Link does so, the dragon writhes in pain fighting against the feeling of the sword being removed. Though, soon, it calms and Link pulls out the sword releasing one final tear from the dragon.

You must protect them all!

Now, it's just to find where Ganon is. He's been hiding away this entire time, where was he?

You all talked about something called the Calamity?

Yes, I can't be sure, but it seems the man you all refer to is the same man born as our King years ago.

Strange that he has been reborn once already, but the form I know him is different than the one you all battled. If that's so, it's safe to assume he still resides in the place where he was sealed, only disturbed by the Calamity I would assume.

Mineru's assumptions seemed to be their only lead, so with everything together, Link travels into the Hyrule Castle Chasm and finds himself in the heart of the gloom.

At this point, the ending can play the exact same. Now, at least to me, the ending feels much more satisfying now that we're led into a path that allows us to feel strongly towards defeating Ganon cuz for me, totk didn't give a good enough reason--or a reason at all--for me to kill Ganon.

~Fin~

So, here's my final revisions to improve everything.

Rauru is a very strange character. He's the equivalent of a God and yet doesn't explain why he and his sister just drop to earth and take the throne. He's "arrogant" despite no scene of that ever being present and he does seem to be hiding something but the game cuts off before we can explore that. I think Rauru and Sonia shouldn't have been romantic lovers, but simply married for political gain. It makes their strangely forced romantic interactions make more sense (and come on political marriage was common in those times)

Raru should have been the "gray area" good guy. Ignoring Zelda when she tries to bring up legitimate concerns, dismissing Sonia when he feels there's nothing more to talk about and thinking his way is the best way to handle things. I don't mean for him to be a giant asshole, but he could simply not want to talk about things "until later" and later means it probably won't happen ever. That way Rauru could have the plot point that Ganon feels Rauru's laid-back mentality isn't how a king--or God--should act. So when push comes to shove, Ganon chose to shove. Exposing Rauru and his folly. This would make him less of an idiotic ruler who seems to have little to no urgency about an event he was told will happen.

Ganon had soooo much missed potential. Not only did we miss the chance to have him as an ally/anti-hero, but we missed the chance to get real backstory over how Ganon came to be how he is. I don't think the excuse of "he has evil in his heart" can work with a person who called someone arrogant. Ganon clearly has idealism and not knowing where it comes from kind of sucks. Also, he just was chilling in a hole when he could have come out and tried to kill me any time Misko distracted me with a bottle. Just sayin' 🤷

He just needed some characterization somewhere in the game and since the depths have the different tunics, maybe Ganon's history is preserved down there as well

As for Zelda, I have no idea why she just isn't being more assertive with mentioning that maybe, just maybe Calamity Ganon is related to the same man she says has evil in his heart. There's no need to "keep him close" because it's canon that he's evil, Zelda already knows Rauru. Listen to her start planning already 👏👏

Alongside this, her "sacrifice" held no impact because I 1. Already found out she was the light dragon way before I even did the Geoglyphs, and 2. Stopped caring when I found out ItS iRrEveRsIbLe. I guess Sonia and Rauru missed that one. Zelda just needed to keep the matured tone she had from the end of BOTW

To end things, let me say this rewrite is not saying the game is horrible. Totk is actually a favorite of mine, but it's my favorite because of what I can obviously see is there, but isn't reaching for one reason or another. This game's story is trying its hardest to be something, but it can't quite become what it wants to be.

I hope this game can find its Light Dragon someday.

If you read all of this, thanks. If I managed to five you something to do for a few minutes, I'm happy you got even that out of it ☺

Again, thanks for reading and Hyrule is awaiting you