#beyond the obvious 'not in games'

[kalosian-woods]

unhinged thoughts on southern kalos?

You have enabled my brainrot, anon, now get ready for the rant of a lifetime mwhahahaha!!! >:D

But seriously, this is such a fun question/ask. Ever since I heard about the ever-forbidden Southern Kalos I just wanted to get it into the AU heh... probably the way how I stopped seeing this as just a 'rewrite' and more 'alt universe'. It didn't help things when I saw this one tumblr post talking about how those episodes where the gang where going to so many towns in XYZ could be in Southern Kalos, like YES that's such a great idea!!

This might get long, so posting this under a read more :P

I've been scratching my head about what can Southern Kalos have as a destination a lot ngl. We know thanks to Sawyer's badges (that we actually see) that there are at least 3 other Gyms in Kalos beyond the main ones- Fire, Water and Flying.

(Don’t get me started on the order of his last ones. Why did you go to Anistar only to backtrack to Valerie again before running down the other side of Kalos for the Iceberg Badge?? Is Sawyer okay?? /lh)

To be fair, two of these are already taken up as Elite 4 Types, as well as these just plain being references to Hoenn (the 4th, 6th and 8th Gyms there), but it really got me thinking. Kalos does have a really big culture centered around Sky Battles, and even reading up about France there's this well-known strong wind near the south of it (called the Mistral lol, which apprently means master wind). What if there were Gyms down there? We can't really judge the distance considering how almost no one apart from Ash are getting the badges in order in Kalos (Alain's last badge being from Shalour, hopefully Trevor had more than one badge by the end of S2 considering his latest known one was the Bug Badge, and I have no idea what Tierno was doing), so it's plausible that these Gyms could be in Southern Kalos.

I mean, let's look at the map from the beta designs of Kalos:

(easiest one to look at for me heh)

The big blue dots are cities and the green ones are towns, with purple (with yellow borders) being significant buildings/artifical and purple (with purple borders) being significant places/natural. Those two islands were going to be, from left to right, Mirage Island and the Battle Facility (presumably Battle Maison). The town that follows Kiloude seems to be a port, and the two leftmost purple on purple dots are assumed to be 'outdoor dungeons' (e.g. forests) while the northmost and southmost ones are 'indoor dungeons' (e.g. caves). I know it would make more sense to have a 'Water' Type Gym over at the port, but hear me out:

Let's have the Flying Type Gym over there instead.

Look at the geography. Lots of winds can come through the sea or the land/I hope they are mountains, and especially since there is Mirage Island (that pops in and out of existance... thanks Hoopa :p) the winds can be pretty unpredictable there. The city can be Water themed considering how close it is to the coast, and at the furthest reaches could be Fire-typed. I’ve heard about the caves being where the Mythical mons could be, like Volcanion, so having the Water and Fire places being next to each other would be pretty cool imo.

But what would the purpose of the Gyms be, if most people go through the main 8 instead?

This is what I posit: these Gyms are training/lower level Gyms, as holdovers from the past in an area where people aren’t so inclined to battle. I mean, we’ve seen the Kalos League—only 64 people showed up, and we already know quite a few of them (and how overpowered they are). I’d like to think that Southern Kalos, and to an extent the whole of Kalos, are extremely used to peace. Their Legendaries are asleep and are alike to Mythicals in their infrequent encounters, the war was 3000 years ago and Mega Evolution is just now becoming more wide-spread and well-known. There’s this subtle theme in XY with what path you want to take your life in: passively, living by, surviving no matter the costs, or willing to be active and making a change. Lysandre proclaims that the world is leading towards a worse tomorrow and that not everyone can continue to live the way they are now— Serena has been seen by her mother as the continuation of the Rhyhorn racing legacy— In the games the Rival Trio have different views on their futures (Shauna wanting to collect memories, Trevor wanting to explore Pokémon and their potentials/differences, Tierno just wanting to have a good time dancing with his Pokémon). Clemont in the anime (I mean what does he have in the games tbh NO HATE btw) has been stuck without an outside view until Ash came along and changed his worldview, Ash is faced with being one of the few strongest and most active people around and facing the consequences of it.

In a world where people and Pokémon live in harmony, where nothing has changed, what would you do? The same thing day in and day out, probably. Following your parents footsteps or just slightly veering off into your own life, eking out a living until you die. Life and death and maintaining order, always. While Northern Kalos is more hectic and running around with new devices, new fashion, new crazes, I feel like there would be a much more calm yet almost aimless (is that the right word??) structure to Southern Kalos. Tbf Vaniville is also pretty south overall, so it would work well I think heh. While even Shalour has started to embrace the future, Southern Kalos would probably stick to what has been proven by time to work best, and so Gyms wouldn’t be so much as to gain a badge but to be prepared for outside. They probably do have Badges but for most it would just be a sign that they can handle Pokémon rather than using it for the League. Not very well-known unless you take the side roads, which may be what Sawyer was doing heh.

(I think in that way of living passively/actively, both sides of Kalos have their own brand of passivity— with north living busy but quickly tiring lives while south being peaceful but a little empty and removed. Man I wish I could explain this better but hopefully you get the point.)

(Yes, I am still workshopping on it but I've Got Thoughts and this really helped me direct some of it outwards. Seriously, feel free to add whatever ideas you want to this heh, I like seeing things from a different point of view.)

More misc ideas ig:

In the actual AU itself I really want the main gang to go to Southern Kalos and just get hit by the totally different vibes lol. Tossing up between after the Lumiose Gym Battle/5th Badge so they get some time off after that arc buildup or after Wulfric. Definitely around there for me.

There will be other characters who go there (it’s not a journey if you don’t travel to some random place) but it’s going to be a ride for sure for everyone involved :P

Mega Evolution will be kept to particular families there I feel like, and people will be pretty friendly but also wary at the same time. Lots of nature and agriculture but also signs of technology and civilisation taking its toll on the land.

Have some sort of idea for the not-really Gym Leaders (going to have to make a name to explain their job heh)?? I think I actually wanted Fire to be Ground instead (to match the secondary typings of the Legendaries with the Gyms) but we'll see. Especially since the furtherest town is surrounded by five locations, so it can symbolise how the ground is connected to all things *wink wink hey Zygarde*

Yes I'm moving the gadget festival here and no one can change my mind

Also c'mon free space for Showcases!! For Ash to battle beyond the Gyms and random people he finds!! For Clemont to see beyond Prism Tower!! For Bonnie to do Bonnie-like stuff!! There are so many possibilities here and we can take those here!!

This has bascially been one big brain fart but just understand that you gave me a good thought today, especially with all of the stress lol. Might revisit this post for more thoughts when I'm less bogged down. But also:

Southern Kalos Real In Anime?? (Not Clickbait) (But seriously whyyyyyy did we miss out on it???)

[lambda-core]

I am way too tired/jetlagged to make this post right now, but the reason Armada Starscream is so specifically well done to me actually isn't just the way he's got more depth than just wanting to take over Megatron. It's the way he falls back on this image he has of himself as someone who is solely focused on Megatron. And he is obsessed with Megatron, but the disconnect between Starscream and his image of himself is what gives him actual depth.

The reason this is so cool to me is like, that self-image--that he is single-mindedly obsessed with Megatron and will sacrifice everything else for that goal, no matter who gets hurt--is pretty close to what every other Starscream is. (The selfishness you associate with Starscream is a little more subtle, but it's there in the "no matter who gets hurt" clause imo.)

So if you go into this as a Transformers fan, you're already expecting Starscream to betray Megatron and try to best him and rule the Decepticons. But so does Starscream, even when he's demonstrably proven to both his peers and the audience that he's more than that. It's almost like his past incarnations--or the audience's expectation of him--haunt him. It turns his own internal man-versus-self conflict into this really cool man-versus-narrative conflict.

And what's crazy about this is, through the last moments of this arc, Starscream does grow beyond the narrative we'd expect from other Starscreams! But he never admits that to himself, because it's easier for him to cling to the idea that he's laser-focused on his hatred of Megatron. Every time he helps the minicons--every time he helps the humans--even in his last words, he LIES to himself and everyone around him that everything he did was always about Megatron. Because it's easier to simplify himself than to grasp that he might be a complex character. Because he's a person and he has all the messy conflicts that come with that. He falls back on the same ideas every single other Starscream did, and THAT is his undoing. Not that he is self-centered because he's Starscream. Not that he is obsessed with Megatron because he's Starscream. That he THINKS he is all of those things and he will not LET himself be anything else.

I would argue that that's a bigger theme in Armada, as well. Optimus and Megatron more or less spend their final fight coming to terms with their story roles in Transformers. I really feel like if you sneezed on them, they would realize they do this in every universe and in every timeline. Starscream's is the most interesting example to me, though, because he's such a departure from other versions of Starscream; hell, he acts (and looks, lol) a lot more like some incarnations of Thundercracker. But he's still got classic Starscream in him in this roundabout meta reference. He's like an homage to his namesake. It's so cool! And it works perfectly with the story he's a part of.

[itsmistyeyedbi]

I've finally got the time and energy to carry on with the rewrite and I am... stuck.

I've reached the part where I need to make the kiss obvious now, Zuri can't skirt around it anymore. Not in her own head, at least💀

The problem is, the body language that Zuri and Bobby exhibit is important to the dialogue they exchange and the kiss (especially since I'm writing around the "unwanted kiss" version in the books, I'll go into detail about that a bit in the tags) but a full on flashback isn't going to work with the way I've already written this.

So... do I just keep the dialogue and leave the details out and up to imagination? Or do I keep them by having the memory be in italics and split up between her current thoughts + anything else happening around her?

[majimaisms]

i think my biggest problem with the pirate game is majima's absolutely unhinged emotional sheltering being presented as like. a good and healthy and normal thing. which. like. i SUPPOSE the only acceptable situation to do that in is with a child youre responsible for. but its still not acknowledged at all that its unhealthy..? but then again this is how kiryu saga has been for years too. youre just supposed to look at it and know better. they dont really spell it out. at least they didnt until infinite wealth

[redjennies]

i understand the need to defend Veilguard as something unique and different from other games because it's the natural response when you are enjoying the new thing that is different than previous installments and is therefore, of course, getting flack from the old guard over not being like previous installments, but I will say, everything I've seen out of Veilguard, particularly what people are liking about it, does seem to be extremely Mass Effect-esque to the point where it feels extremely weird to see these posts praising Veilguard as such a new and unique thing and then word-for-word describe things that literally made the original Mass Effect trilogy such a beloved franchise in the western RPG canon like we are suddenly from a universe where Mass Effect does not exist.

[my-current-obsession]

To be fair, the whole, “I’ll come back to you even if you don’t promise to wait,” is a line pulled directly from OG FFVII. It’s mentioned late game by Cid (who hilariously went to see a showing of loveless in Midgar but fell asleep then woke up just in time to view this ending scene 😂). But if you wanna deep dive on the meaning of this line, it’s worth noting that a version of the line is used in FFVIII in reference to the main ship of that installment — Rinoa and Squall — who also happen to be another mage/swordsman pair. And if you wanna go big brain square enix energy, there’s also the famous, “I’ll come back to you; I promise…I know you will,” between Sora and Kairi in Kingdom Hearts when he goes off on another journey while she awaits his return. If you go down those rabbit holes, it seems square really has a type for their main pairs, no?

I don't remember that line in OG FF7, but it's been years since I played it so I'll take your word for it. But you're right that similar lines/sentiments pop up frequently in other FF and KH games, so yeah, Square has a type. I still think the conversation between Cloud and Aerith in KH2 is the quickest and easiest parallel to make here though, considering the same pair can have basically the same interaction, in an entirely different game. Yes, Cloud could also have this conversation in the play with T or Y. But only Aerith's would have the added depth of being a potential callback/reference to another moment the pair shared.

And considering this game liked to callback to several moments between Cloud and Aerith in the previous game (him remembering their first meeting being what snaps him out of Sephiroth's control, the "will you be okay getting back", "if I said I wasn't" in the ending...) I think it's totally reasonable to assume that Square might have subtly referenced at least one Clerith moment from outside the compilation.

[moe-broey]

AU I made when I was REALLY fixated on Pokemon Violet where I just put everyone in the fucking academy as transfer or exchange students. Originally it was just the SuMo squad and I had some comics (unfinished) about it, interactions between everyone, ect! Then I got distracted and months later I pick up White 2 and well. Back on my bullshit LMFAOOO 🫡

Unfortunately Lillie and Gladion look much better in person, did not show up on camera well 🥲

All of this is just proof of concept anyway!! Espppp trying to get a feel for color palettes and having fun pushing the uniform rules to their limits LMFAO, and also wanting to show how a character wears a uniform can also be a reflection of themselves!

[arolesbianism]

Everyday I see another youtube video or whatever say smth along the lines of "this character is badly written because they're unlikable/annoying/insert negative description here" and everyday I end up massively disappointed because I came here for analysis on the actual writing of a character not just a description of the feelings they made you experience

[thegreatyin]

My issue with ToTK is the same as my issue with Mario Wonder it's way too easy

there's nothing that kills my interest in a game like sitting in a boss blindspot and watching it wail on nothing.

Nintendo should make more Grandmaster Galaxies or those fuckass ball sections in Mario Galaxy 1 that have you screaming and crying. Give me more Extremely Precise Platforming with a Yoshi that is incredibly difficult to Control and you have to start it all over again if you miss a single jump please

very fair tbh. a lot of nintendo stuff has weird difficulty balance problems

[uncharted-constellations]

(I would include the game art but their designs are identical despite not being the same character)

TLOZ Zelda: Breaks the triforce of wisdom to hide the pieces from ganon before being captured, Link is called upon by her nursemaid Impa after saving her, to re-assemble the the triforce of widsom, destroy ganon, and rescue Zelda from his clutches. (Link was about 10 at the time, Zeldas age was unestablished)

TAOL Zelda: Many generations ago she was cursed by her brothers associate into falling into a deep sleep after she refused to give up information about the triforce. Link now 16, is told by impa that he is destined to awaken her due to the mark of the triforce, and is sent on an adventure by her to do so, where he inevitably uses the triforce to wish her awake (again this zeldas age is unestablished, other than technically being several generations older due to magic nap, the other zelda from the first game does not make an appearance)

[impossible-rat-babies]

me grabbing the microphone hey yeah hey the first phase final trial of EW includes the leitmotifs and even straight up borrowed sections of all the previous final trial bosses up through the whole game. notably missing—save for the very beginning of the track—is Shinryu’s theme. this suggests a couple of things: 1) shinryu’s theme is the backbone of the song—much like the actual gameplay, and 2) that we haven’t yet heard the track + we aren’t yet done with zenos.

we’ve fought shinryu, yes, but we haven’t yet had a one and true confrontation with zenos himself in his own body. The music reflects this, choosing the theme of shinryu’s fight, but not a song that is associated with zenos. this comes later with the solo instance with him where the track Endwalker is used and thus a brief theme is established for *zenos* and not just shinryu

[todayisafridaynight]

born to do a Saeko Only y7 run forced to be technically illiterate

[chimeramoth]

TEARS OF THE KINGDOM SPOILERS

I JUST PIECED THIS TOGETHER

ZELDA BECAME A DRAGON AFTER SWALLOWING HER STONE...

SO THE OTHER DRAGONS... ARE THEY ACTUALLY THE GODDESSES DIN, NAYRU, AND FARORE?

[crimsontroupe]

Hello I am awake now. Now I can write the thoughts in my little head. Under read more due to probably length since I have no idea. And also for heavy content. (please read the tags on this post)

There's a lot of things that I could write about yesterday's session (and. on friday. Why did we play for 13/14 hours between two days again? insane people) and while I am bad at making such things apparent during session, writing down makes it clearer to me. These are all very discombobulated stream-of-consciousness thoughts so if it doesn't make sense. Bear with me here.

I am thinking about the incredibly hard choice between betting on a spell that might not work, and something that involves ending a life to take on a much harder gamble of resurrection. And how normally - and with a Pharasmin cleric by their side - this would be a no-brainer. Something so easy to choose, something they all know.

Something so hard to do when the circumstance is a kid who had unspeakable things happen to him and was still struggling with the consequences of his actions - actions that he knew he took, but that people did not blame him for it. 'You have gone through something terrible, because people did something horrible to you. You are not guilty of this, you did not choose this fate. You are so very young, and you have so many things to see still'.

There is something to say here about one of his anathemas as one of the Eldest: harming children is the easiest way to get on his bad side. Even if you are his friend, he will firmly oppose you. And again, there were many thoughts running across his head in a few seconds: that he did not want to be removed from the room (he had to see to make sure all would be right), that he could not be left unattended (what would stop him from acting out of impulse and ruining things/his own intrusive thoughts of stopping people doing harm to children no matter the cost/knowing it'd almost be better if he was tied down if he did not want to leave) but ultimately deciding to stay and observe. To stay and hold this kid's hand and calm him down and tell him all will be right. Ignoring how - internally - it took all of his willpower to simply not do anything about it.

Adonia, who is capable of great kindness but unspeakable violence. Violence that runs contrary to everything he stands for and looks like/talks about. Violence that he only applies in very specific cases: when people cross the threshold of what he deems as 'evil' and 'unacceptable'. Meddling with people's free will, with their minds. How that easily makes him turn on you. Adonia very often prefers to hit vital points so his enemies do not suffer even in death. That it will be painless and swift, nobody deserves to suffer even in death. So you really have to wonder what it means when that elegance - that restraint - is gone. When he fully embraces the violence he himself says most of the time that he abhors.

Adonia is a man who clearly judges you based on your virtues and your actions, and the extent of how nice or merciful he is depends exactly on that. What does it mean when he decides to - instead of piercing his enemy's chest and ending it right then and there - ignore his own wellbeing, strategy that he values above all and go clear for your head. And while knowing you are dead, still waste time making sure to hit you again. Once more, ignoring something he values very clearly.

Strategy to him is incredibly vital, and while he might suggest a reckless plan here or there... Adonia is a man that really applies calculated risks to almost all that he does. Something to be said when that all drops and you have a clear reminder that there is a huge part of his brain that has ceased to behave in any way that is resembling human! That there is something either wrong or amiss with him, the clear warning that while he is very composed and serene he is very willing to commit either unspeakable acts of violence or put you through a horrifying death if he thinks you deserve it!

(Not to say there were not other factors in play: he was disrespected as a fey and that already puts you in a hostile position towards him, the very clear threat to a person he loves and the necessity to protect the people he considers family are also present in his decision-making and affected a lot of his decisions. 'I can go down because Arlas will not let me die'/'I have to keep at this no matter how terrible it might seem because if we do not stop this it will only get worse'/'I am the only person that can do effective damage that would make this end sooner'/'I cannot stop and close my own wounds because that would buy time for the enemy to do something we are not prepared against'. These were all there and valid! He has seen his friends throw their highest spells and attacks and have that not do much so he knows it ultimately boils down to a kill-it-before-it-kills-you situation)

Something also to be said about his aversion to having the blood of people he considers 'evil' on him/his clothes. It doubled as 'there is a kid here and I cannot be seen drenched in blood because I voluntarily decided to decapitate another man', but truly is because he was disgusted. Not at his actions, but to be sullied with what he sees as 'irredeemable'. People who manipulate others, beings who take free will away from others. Individuals that see no worth in life - in nature - and decide to trample over such essential values. 'Harming children', 'perform mind controlling magic', 'destroy nature' would all be (and are) parts of his anathema as an Eldest/Archfey.

Adonia himself is all of these things - a person who, if he viewed his actions without his named attached to it, would think of himself evil - and a 'clear but unintentional' parallel to. well. (points) if you know you know. Adonia, who hates mental effects but would do it if he needed to (and often does it). Adonia who sees no problem in necessary sacrifice - although he might struggle about it - and gambling with things above his own power because he is not going to avoid taking risks to get what he wants. Adonia, who is a hypocrite. Adonia, the personification of 'do as I say but never as I do'. Adonia, who deep down is selfish and struggles with it. (me repeating what I said to lux on discord) What is the difference between a conqueror and a savior? Are they both not working towards a goal that would benefit them first and foremost?

[boatswainscall]

Nothing makes me feel immediate overpowering resentment and envy like hearing about people who have D&D campaigns that last years. Meanwhile every campaign I've ever done with my friends has choked and died four sessions in due to schedules getting too fucked and tangled to maintain ANY kind of consistent play schedule

[latchofficial]

awake at 6am. kept awake by getting incredibly frustrated over minecraft steve being in smash again