#cryptid flavored variant

[egginfroggin]

“O-oh!” the professor said, Oshawott wriggling in his arms, and he nervously smiled at the man as he held the little Pokemon tighter. He eased a step forward, as if to draw level with the twins, “You’re that fellow from the sky –” The Faller flinched back, smile dipping into a scowl. “Stay away,” he hissed, and Laventon promptly took two steps back.

Hi! Guess who bumped up the chapter count? 'Twas I!

We've got a whole host of problems going on here, folks.

Happy reading! ^^

[lynnaquinn]

Oooh Title...ummm...game dev stuff!

I was working on my game yesterday (Rustbelt) and figured out how to narrow the game down from 4 books to 2 that could be combined if I needed to. That wasn't the greatest effect of this change though. So before yesterday, the game had 4 Factions that were super setting oriented and in a working state, 2 Factions that were setting oriented and not even started yet, then 6 Factions of various points of completion that were Tropes being added in for the basic Genre setting! The change yesterday brought it down to a solid 6 Factions that were completely flavorful and setting oriented! The other thing it did is reduce my workload, making all 6 in some state of workability and even a state of quasi-tested! Let me explain for one of the factions: The Dwellers are basically the "Conscience Ghouls" of the setting, acting as the changed humans that aren't quite zombies and aren't quite mutants, but are surviving. They have a risk of becoming the more mutated, and dangerous, Lurkers as time goes on (so again, like Ghouls from FO.) They started as a "Fisherman" faction, became the "Mariners," but then evolved into the Dwellers when we started reducing things down! But with this change, they would take on the Stat-Line of the Mutants and even one or two of their leaders as well as the Unit/Leader Options they used, the Faction Rules for Zombies, Some of the Leaders from the Cannibals as well as the Spawn NPC Class that was tied to them as their secondary NPC Class. This allowed the Dwellers to use the Tropes of each of these, creating a situation where their themes weren't lost, but keeping it within the scope of the World's setting; allowing for the tropes, but not warping the world to keep them.

Second Example: The Cultist were the first Faction I had statted out for the game, so they felt...unpolished at best. I had this strange Iconoclast direction for them with a half-worship/half-follow of the original 3 NPC Classes that made them feel like they were the Survivor version of the three (ET, Cryptid, Cosmic Horror.) This was from a Trope perspective originally, but eventually when we started to combine them, I knew the secondary NPC Class for them would be the "Clandestine." Clandestine in the game is the secret military cult that kept the Corporations in power and the people subjugated under their boot, the Jackboot of the CEOs. They were kind of themed around the Enclave from Fallout, but my own take with a Cyberpunk leaning. Then there was the case of the Extra-Terrestrial faction that was originally there to be a monster faction to fill possible player wants, but eventually just didn't fit the themes right in a sense of design space but were still needed to be an element. The easy solution...make this the primary NPC Class of the Cultist. The only question left for them was how unhappy I was with the design space...and this comes to our last part of the Cultist puzzle. I had done most the testing using the Ganger Faction, one that would be lost to the condensing...but thematically would fit well with the changes to the Cultist all too well. The last change was to give the stats and Leaders from the Gangers over to the Cultist; making them a drug fueled, speed obsessed, hit and run faction!

Two factions figured out that I didn't know how they would fit. Almost every tropey faction that I wanted to put in preserved, only leaving out the Slashers and at this point that honestly is fine. Only problem at this point then is the few NPC classes I worked on that still didn't have a home. Well, the Variant for Ghostrunners had NPC's called the Darkness that I could never figure out...this is where the prior Cosmic-Horrors come in. I just relabel them with the more thematic name "The Darkness" and give them to the Ghostrunners. Then lastly there is a case for the original Standard Setting table. Most of Terrain in this was designed so I could easily change the theme if I needed and still have them be top down design. And that is what I'm going to do. An example of this is I could easily use the rules for the "Forest" to be instead the "Ground Zero" only changing up how many can come up when rolling for terrain; all 12 can be preserved easily! And lastly, the last old themed table I started working on (the Dockside Town) can easily be used for one of the two Variant Setting Tables I need and be MORE thematic than it was before! Simple changes that just work well to the setting!

All in all, it was a productive day that took my total amount finished from less than 30% and overwhelmed to an easy 60% and feeling confident! I think these changes will make the setting stronger too, giving the localized feel to the Rift-Torn Walled Cities even more of a focus and bringing the focus away from tropey monsters and instead explained factions that paint the world with their colorful brushes!

[trinketprince]

All the Youkaimatsus so far

JExcept sets that have all of them as the same youkais (Nekomata, Tanuki and the various Kitsune sets from Tabimatsu)

Pinup Poster from the Osomatsu Character Book #6 (July 2016)

A classic. The very first iteration of Youkaimatsu. Kind of hard to find since it was a bonus poster from the character book, so unless you were actively looking for the book, you wouldn’t find this.

Osomatsu - Kitsune (unknown how many tails he has but is often depicted in fan artworks as 6 or 9, 9 meaning strongest/wisest a kitsune has been, Spirit Fox)

Karamatsu - Karasu-Tengu (pun on Kara, Bird Man)

Choromatsu - Dodomeki (usually a woman cursed with long arms littered with many bird eyes because of greed. Most popular one imo)

Ichimatsu + ESP Nyanko - Nekomata (Two-tailed cat, legend says that cats who live longer than a 100 years gain a second tail)

Jyushimatsu - Rokurobi (available in two flavors. Long Neck and Floating Head. He is the former. Theorized to not actually be a youkai but created for entertainment. Also used as a literary device for a wandering soul.)

Todomatsu - Yukki Onna (Also a joke on Todo being scared stiff. Yuki Onna pull tricks on humans that usually end on the person’s death via cold. Has a harsh and soft side)

Youkai Units from The Great Youkai War event from Hesokuri Wars (November 2016)

Most popular Youkaimatsu set, this baby could get milked for miles, but for some reason isn’t. Has a lot of variants (Awakened, Darkness, Snow, Sakura and Hyakki Yagyou) and connected to a lot of other sets: Denki Mystery, Colorless Overalls, Mononoke and a bunch of others. She is the top DOGG set.

Osomatsu - Shuten-Douji (Oni Leader with a penchance for Sake, literally carrying a big ass bottle of it on his back, since he is the leader of the sextuplets and the one seen drinking beer the most)

Karamatsu - Aoandon (Summoned after 100 supernatural stories are told. Originated from the blue (ao) paper lanterns (andon) that were sometimes used to give a chilling atmosphere)

Choromatsu - Daitengu (Great Tengu, Tengus were theorized to be ascended souls, but also has its origins in a Dog Beast that looked like a comet. For some reason Dog Beast turned into Bird Man. The bird man’s beak is often anthropomorphized into long noses. Tells humanity to behave by throwing invisible stones at them)

Ichimatsu - Nine-tailed Kitsune (So wise. So powerful)

Jyushimatsu - Inugami (Dog God that possesses people)

Todomatsu - Bake-Danuki (also known as tanuki, mischievous spirits, mostly known in pop culture for their BIG FAT NUTS)

Dayon is a miko, a shrine maiden. Hatabou is an Onmyoji, an exorcist, Dekapan is a kannushi, a shrine priest. Totoko and Iyami are regular civillians

Youkai Hyakki Yagyou merchandise from Animate Girls Festival (September 2017)

One of the lesser known sets, considering that it’s just designs for a line of merch but their designs are so good? Why don’t people use these designs more often.

Osomatsu - Karasu-Tengu

Karamatsu - Nine-tailed fox

Choromatsu - Shuten-Douji (A possible reference to Season 1 Episode 2 where he gets the most drunk?)

Ichimatsu - Mizuchi (Legendary Water Serpent/Dragon)

Jyushimatsu - Kamaitachi (Beast that rides on dust devils. Cuts people using it’s scythe-like nails. The wounds are sharp but painless)

Todomatsu - Ungaikyou (A haunted mirror that can be used to trap spirits. The spirits in the ungaikyou can manipulate the reflection shown on it’s reflection.)

Kitsune Servant Set from Tabimatsu (September 2017)

Ok I know I said I wouldn’t cover the Kitsune sets from Tabimatsu since there are like 5 different Kitsune sets, but this one is noteworthy cause they have secondary Youkai traits other than the regular kitsune traits.

Osomatsu - Oni’s horns

Karamatsu - Tengu’s wings

Choromatsu - Orochi around his neck

Ichimatsu - True Kitsune (Or Nekomata’s paw?)

Jyushimatsu - Wanyudo (Flaming Wheel)

Todomatsu - I don’t know, but there’s something around his neck?

Japanese Youkai set from Shimamatsu (January 2018)

Shimamatsu was such a good game, what a shame it ended so soon. The 3D models were so cute. Edit: The two designs are from before and after evolution!

Osomatsu - Enma-san (A wrathful god in charge of judging souls in the afterlife. Resides over hell)

Karamatsu - Yamato no Orochi (Eight headed and Eight-tailed serpent/dragon)

Choromatsu - Kamaitachi (wields an actual scythe)

Ichimatsu - Youkai Catman or a Bakaneko (Catboy, furry)

Jyushimatsu - Yobuko (lives in the mountains, repeats whatevers shouted into the mountain, explains the phenomemon of Echos)

Todomatsu - Yuki Otoko (Snowman, a Yuki Onna basically)

“Inn” Osoma and Choroe from Osomatsu Season 2 Episode 17

A BUNCH OF PEOPLE REMINDED ME AND HOW COULD I FORGET THE BEST YOUKAI EVER. Osoma baby,,,, I’m so sorry..... Srsly, this skit was so good, I hope they make more skits like this where they make entirely new characters out of the framework of the sextuplets.

Osoma - A Zashiki-warashi, child spirits who live in store rooms or extra rooms, they died buried in their homes. Pranksters but meeting one is said to bring good fortunes to families. Osoma gets crossovered a lot with the other Youkai sets in JP fanart. A popular pairing is Dodomeki Chorosuke (from Denki Mystery) and Osoma also Kitsune Osomatsu (from the poster) and Osoma.

Choroe - Not necessarily a youkai, in fact in the episode she’s presented as just a regular human. But is theorized often to be a Yama-uba. An old woman banished to the mountains. She provides shelter to weary travelers (in the myth it’s just a humble shelter but you know. an inn is also considered a shelter) before eating them. In one story she eats the recently birthed baby of a woman who had to give birth in the mountains. 

Mononoke from Hesokuri Wars (May 2019)

Technically they are all the same type of being, Mononoke, but they look different from each other. Mononoke can posses individuals and cause suffereing and even death. And technically they aren’t Youkais but Onryos, vengeful spirits. But Onryos can also be used to refer to youkais and truthfully I just wanna include this set cause their designs are so cool looking. This set’s attacks contain glimpses of units of other sets. 

Osomatsu - Bear themed

Karamatsu - Wolf themed

Choromatsu - Rooster/Chicken themed

Ichimatsu - Spider

Jyushimatsu - Boar

Todomatsu - Bull or Ox

Edo Rock The Great Youkai Harvest Festival from Tabimatsu (October 2019)

This set is interesting cause rather than youkai alone, they are also musicians. This set also has another set like Hesokuri called The Great Youkai NEET which is basically the awakened versions, properly showcasing more of the youkai traits.

Osomatsu - Shuten-Douji (Again, we need to stage an intervention for you damn)

Karamatsu - Karasu-Tengu (Again)

Choromatsu - Mizuchi (actually riding said serpent)

Ichimatsu - Black Kitsune (Hot Topic, Goth version)

Jyushimatsu - Frog. Just. Frog. (could be a reference to the legend of Jiraiya, the ninja who could shapeshift into a frog/ride big frogs. His mouth is cover just like a ninja is too.)

Todomatsu - Kamaitachi (could be a reference to season 1 where Todomatsu wields a scythe)

Iyami - Oni (not sure if he’s any particular oni but he does have the horns and metal club)

Atsushi - Ibaraki-Douji? (White hair and singular horn, most imporant servant of Shuten-Douji)

Promo Merch from Sega Cafe collab (September 2020)

Edit: Thank you @zenryokubatankyu for notifying me! Another set of promo youkais! You can get them by random by ordering a drink or meal at the now-defunct Sega x Osomatsu collab cafe. And the return of F6? Damn I haven’t seen you since Season 2!

Osomatsu - Oni

Karamatsu - I’m not exactly sure but he seems like a Mizuchi, a water serpent/dragon. He also could be another legendary serpent/dragon though.

Choromatsu - Kappa

Ichimatsu + ESP Nyanko - Karasu-Tengu

Jyushimatsu - I’m not sure, at first i thought it might be a crab youkai judging from the legs, but upon closer inspection he has spider webs on his robes, so they may be spider legs instead. Could be a Jorogumo, a youkai that wields fire breathing spiders with it’s spider legs

Todomatsu - Bakaneko (I think? The veil could be the napkin a bakaneko puts on it’s head)

Ayakashi Sextuplet’s Retro Halloween Cafe merch from Web Kuji (October 2020)

Thank you @gradelstuff​ for telling me about this! Ayakashi are Youkai that appear above nearby bodies of water. Although the youkais they’re dressed up as (or are?) aren’t really what you would call ayakashi? Although it’s cafe themed, it isn’t actually from a cafe collaboration. These designs are merchandise meant to be won through lottery. So if say you really love Kara and Choro’s designs (I do), then tough luck buddy!

Osomatsu - Oni

Karamatsu - Now you may think he’s Dodomeki since he’s covered with eyes, but turns out there are two other eye-relateed youkai! Mokumokuren is a youkai phenomenon where eyes appear from torn paper walls and tatami floors, initially i thought this was it given the checkered pattern he was wearing. But he might actually be a Hyakume, a youkai covered head to toe in yellow eyes specifically. Underneath those eyes is a body of flesh roughly in the shape of a man. This Youkai isn’t particularly malicious, only detaching one of it’s many eyes to follow you and survey you for criminal activiy. He might also be a BackBeard, a youkai allegedly from the US, err that would make him a cryptid I guess? A Backbeard is often characterized as a shadow with a Yellow eye with a red iris in the center. Note: Backbeard’s true origins are not known as there doesn’t seem to be any cryprid called a Backbeard, it first entered the Japanese public eye as an antogonist in the show Gegege no Kitaro. Although ever since then this “yokai” has appeared in other media and games in Japan.

Choromatsu - He isn’t exactly dressed as it (only themed as it) but the youkai he represents is the one he’s holding, a Kasa-obake, One of my favorite youkais and it’s literally iconic. Thought to be a Tsukomogami, an object that gains a spirit after it turns 100 years old.

Ichimatsu - Edit: I’m not sure but he might be a Kuchisake-Onna. In the description attached to his teaser, it makes mention of specifically his wide smile, his dos dagger and his beautiful shirt. A kuchisake onna is a yokai that wanders in the street covering her face with a mask (skull mask for ichi) and a sharp object (his dos dagger). TW GORE DESCRIPTION: She asks you if you think she’s attractive and depending on your answer she muders you with her scissors, plunging it into you OR she takes off her mask showing her wide smile, her mouth slit at the corners to her ears and asks “how about now?” and depending on your reaction she cuts you in half with her sharp object OR she slits the corners of your mouth to look like hers. END DESCRIPTION. Ichi has the mask, sharp object, wide smile and “attractiveness”. Obviously it would be inappropriate to portray ichi in the same fashion as the kuchisake onna so he was probably given the internal organ tattoos to represent the gory yokai. (internal organs usually = gore in japan). This is speculah and he might be another youkai but this is all i can think of rn.

Jyushimatsu - sailor themed Jiangshi. Jiangshi are basically Zombies originally from Chinese culture. They hop around, and crave for life force. this little jyushimatsu has taken to tomato juice instead. (Bonus: the zombie that osomatsu is in the zombie set in hesokuri wars is also a Jiangshi)

Todomatsu - Kitsune (sly fox)

“The Night Path” Youkai from Osomatsu-san Season 3 Episode 6 (November 2020)

The latest and what sparked me to make this post tbh. This set reuses the Rokurobi design from the very first Youkaimatsu iteration! Full circle yo! I like to think of this set as an addition to the original youkaimatsu, since they’re both from the primary sources.

Jyushimatsu - Rokurobi (Again)

Totoko - Amabie (mermaid with three legs? prophesized about either good harvest or an epidemic, trivia: “Amabie” trended when Covid 19 hit the world)

Hatabou - Azukiarai (a youkai that originated from the sound of something like beans being washed near a river, anyone who comes near will fall into the river)

Dayon - Nopperabou (Faceless spirits that take the form of humans. They are harmless usually, they just scare humans)

Dekapan - Kappa (Mischievous River spirits)

That should be all of them! 

Recap: 

Osomatsu has been a Kitsune, Shuten-Douji (twice), Karasu-Tengu, Enma-san and an Oni

Karamatsu has been a Karasu-Tengu (twice), Aoandon, Kitsune, Yamato no Orochi and a Mizuchi (?)

Choromatsu has been a Dodomeki, Daitengu, Shuten-Douji, Kamaitachi, Mizuki and a Kappa (No repeats!)

Ichimatsu has been a Nekomata, Kitsune (twice), Mizuchi, Bakaneko and a Karasu-Tengu

Jyushimatsu has been a Rokurobi (twice-ish), Inugami, Kamaitachi, Yobuko, a Frog from Jiraiya and a Jorogumo (?)

Todomatsu has been a Yuki Onna (twice), Bake-danuki, Ungaikyou, Kamaitachi and a Bakaneko

You can definitely see a trend (lmao), I’m looking forward to more Youkaimatsus from Osomatsu-san!

bonus:

Osomatsu-san cameo from Yokai Watch!!!

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Normal Type

Taking one more page from Bogleech, now that we've reviewed 809 Pokemon and with Sword and Shield news about to go into overdrive, why not review the individual types in a retrospective-style review! We'll be going over all 18 types, talking about the underlying themes, the best Pokemon of each type, and a little bit about what more we could expect from each one! I was gonna hold off on this until after I reviewed Gen 8, but since we're in a speculative phase with Gen 8, I'd like to state my current “Pokemon Wishlist” in some way or another before Gen 8 comes out. Just to see how much it fulfills!

Of course, we're starting with the Normal type today, and then we'll be covering the three Starter types in the usual order. From then on out, I'll be covering each type in order of overall least favorite, finishing off with my favorite type of them all.

So... Normal type then! Normal type is rather obviously meant to be something of a non-type. Being the second most populated type in the game at 109 Pokemon, the typing is usually reserved for regular mammals and birds. And typically is the first type of wild Pokemon you encounter in the game. The type is strong against nothing, but only Rock and Steel resist it. Along with only being weak to Fighting, and it and Ghost are totally immune to each other. Obviously in reference to how ghosts are incorporeal and would pass through any conventional touch, which is pretty clever.

Along with referring to creatures of no element, it also seems to be used as a “neutral” state among Pokemon. Type-based Form Changers or evolvers like Arceus, Castform, and Eevee tend to have Normal type as a default.

Also interesting is the type's association with sound. A fake Sound or Sonic type is usually a common thing to see on Fakemon, but I'd say Normal covers the concept of sound fine. Sound is nothing more than vibrations in the air, after all. It's about as elemental-less a projectile or “Special” attack can get, yeah?

Fittingly enough, I tend to be pretty Neutral on most Normal types. There are outliers obviously, but there's only five Normal type Pokemon I'd say I adore. The type is simply designed specifically to be ordinary, which is a bit of a fault in general. I'd say if Normal types were a bit more like Audino or Dunsparce in that they were treated a bit more like creatures that just happened to have no elemental affinity I'd like the type a lot more. Cause most of them are more or less treated like unimpressive creatures. Just look at ones like the Lillipup line and most of the common early-game woodland critters. They're all mostly treated like just regular animals that aren't nearly as interesting as the stuff that can shoot fire and conduct electricity at will.

I do also tend to like it when the Normal type is associated with very simple concepts that normally couldn't fit in any other type. Like zigzag lines for Zigzagoon or eating for Snorlax. Even ones like Skitty or Lopunny which have the theme of more or less just “looking pretty.”

There's also that odd set of Pokemon that are both an elemental type AND Normal type. What's up with them? I suppose the idea is that this group are just a little less elemental than the others. Deerling and Sawsbuck has aspects of Grass types but aren't entirely Grass type. Diggersby moves around in mud a lot and thus is Ground type, but is still a regular bunny-rabbit. Bewear does a lot of things associated with Fighting, but in the end is still a walking big plush-doll-like bear in the end. You get the picture.

I'd say the flavoring would be a bit more appropriate had the type been called Neutral or something similar. Normal just seems to lend extra emphasis on how ordinary these Pokemon are.

But I suppose that is the point to an extent. If the Normal type is good at anything, it's appearing ordinary. They rarely get too adventurous but I have the occasional soft spot for one of these.

Top 10 Normal Types:

These tend to be the weirder set as far as the Normal types go, but I also quite like the grossly cute ones like Furret.

Bottom 10 Normal Types:

Of course for these reviews I'm not really gonna sweat it for what order these are in. Point is, even among the boring type these are the most boring.

The Cutest:

The Coolest:

The Prettiest:

Yeah, stretching a little bit for this one haha. Kinda falling back on the ol' “eye-catching design” definition.

Weirdest/Most Unique:

For this segment, I'm gonna moreso count them as such in a “in relation to the type in general” sort of way.

Most Inventive Use of the Type:

A new section specially for these reviews! Here I'll be listing the Pokemon where the use of the typing is at the most creative. Not much here, mostly the aforementioned Pokemon that are “Normal” but are used mostly to refer to their purity or complete lack of Element. As well as the use of simple concepts to be made into Normal types. I’ll grant it’s hard to invent on top of how “normal” something is.

The Best at Being... Ordinary:

And here's the Pokemon that are just. The most “just an animal” out of all these Normal types.

NORMAL TYPE WISHLIST:

And here it is, my wishlist for the sort of things I want for each type! There may or may not be a couple types where I simply can't think of anything I'd like, but I can think of a handful for Normal, surprisingly enough.

A Toy Blocks/Lego Bricks Creature/Something Made of Toys:

C'mon guys, I know Digimon has one of these!! I know Stakataka has somewhat fulfilled this role, but I'd love to see one specifically made out of giant toy blocks or Lego pieces! There's literally endless possibilities there, and even an excuse to have the Pokemon drastically change shape when it evolves! The blocks just went and formed a completely different creature themselves!

In particular, I'd think it'd be fun to see something that looks like a critter right from the Lego Mixels line. Again, there's endless possibilities here!

Another Digital-Based Pokemon:

I'm not even overly picky on it. It could be pixel-based or wireframe or Tron-esque or whatever. I'd just love to see a new man-made Pokemon that looks like it was made on a computer. A TRUE, modern successor to Porygon! Porygon’s GOT to be running on some ancient software at this point, after all!

A Jackalope:

Just because more Cryptid-based Pokemon would be neat.

A Handful of General Mammals I'd Like to See in Pokemon Already:

We're at Gen 8 and we still don't have a Moose, weird, right? And I know there's Girafarig, but I mean a properly taaaaall Giraffe. Though I'd also take an Alolan Exeggutor-ish Girafarig regional variant where it actually looks like a Giraffe. Maybe make it look even more chimera-esque and give its chompy tail-head a serpentine neck.

And just sayin, with the region the Gen 8 games are based on, a Corgi is likely now more than ever.

But of course if any of these made it into literally any other type that'd  probably be even better. I just stuck em here in Normal because they don’t 100% slot into any other type on their own.

[Archive]

[maxknightley]

major cereal subgenres:

healthy

fake healthy

fruit-flavored

contains marshmallows and has monster/mythological creature/cryptid as mascot

designed to emulate a different breakfast food (e.g. french toast, waffles, cinnamon rolls)

variants on cap’n crunch

[stygian-zinogre-zero]

11 Question Ask

{i was tagged by @ask-magala​, so here goes}

Rules: Answer the 11 questions, write 11 of your own, tag 11 people.

1.What’s your favorite MH Weapon to use?

{dual blades! insect glaive in close second}

2. Least favorite weapon?

{great sword, i prefer fast weapons. sorry gs users :<}

3. Old retro games or brand new games?

{hmm hard to pick, but probably a bit more towards new games since i didn’t play many retro games}

4. What would be in your ideal Monster Hunter game?

{monster-wise, having great jaggi/baggi/wroggi instead of the drome. being able to play as a prowler again would be nice too. aside from that, probably a large pool of monsters}

5. What is the weirdest thing on your desk/work space right now?

{a weird clip that my friend swiped from work and has been sitting here ever since}

6. What’s the one monster you hate hunting?

{most aren’t too bad once i figure out the attack patterns, but initially...probably cephadrome? constantly chasing it around in the dunes is annoying}

7 .Favorite thing to eat on a lazy day?

{if i had some leftover that i could just reheat, curry. otherwise, instant noodles with homemade kimchi}

8. What’s the last thing you played?

{Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix...critical mode is fun...hehehe...}

9. What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever had?

{balut-duck egg with a baby duck inside}

10. Cookies or Ice Cream? (Cookie flavored ice cream and ice cream flavored cookies don’t count!)

{ice cream, especially sea salt}

11. Poogies or Moofas?

{moofas, they remind me of the japanese alpaca toys. also they are so fluffy}

{here are 11 more questions for the next 11 victims people}

1. What was your first Monster Hunter game?

2. What weapon did you start with and did you end up using it as your main?

3. Favorite monster type (i.e. Fanged Wyvern, Elder Dragon, etc.)

4. If you could make a variant of a monster what would it be and what element?

5. Favorite video game?

6. Favorite mythical creature/ cryptid?

7. Favorite book/ book series?

8. Least favorite food you have tried?

9. If you can spend a week anywhere where would it be and why?

10. Favorite weather?

11. What was the last movie that you saw?

{next up. how do you want to do this? @nuclear-brachy @thatsnotmysammich @ask-spicy-boi @dragonkingteo @ask-tigrex @kodachi-kuno-catclan @shen-gaoren @ask-zinny @ashagarusinquisition @lucent-nargacuga-lulu @brimstones-and-brachydios sorry if you’ve already been tagged, you don’t have to answer}

[egginfroggin]

Impulsive 3AM doodles of The Blorbo Ever (Blind to All but Gold Emmet [cryptid variant of WtST])

warmup of The Blorbo, stars I haven't drawn him in weeks

"This is my blorbo, I love him a lot. Can you tell?" (yes that is the Family Guy death pose he's doing)

"Well well well, if it isn't the consequences of my own actions" Arrow pointing to Emmet: "Hasn't slept in ~ 2 days Arrow pointing to Emmet: "Stood up too fast :<"

POV you are Kamado at the Temple of Sinnoh and the Weird Guy you banished and his death ghost fire weasel have Had Enough

I need to figure out how to harness my sleep-deprived 3AM self's innate creative drive and aim so that I can use it during regular, healthily-awake hours

(Program: Krita; time taken: about 1 hr)

[egginfroggin]

Breaking news: Non-local Man Sighted Rendered in Ballpoint

First page doodles:

The warmest hat anyone will ever have

The Warmest Hat off-duty

Angle practice

The Warmest Hat, now evolved!

The Warmest Hat's final form, Emotional Support Fire Weasel (also, sleeves)

Second page doodles (for the cryptid-flavored variant):

The he, overview

The he, but with perspective

Action shot practice

Eye detail

Rear view

Thumbnail for something showing the sheer scraggliness of this man (and that I'd like to draw more seriously someday)

Perspective but pen so non-erasable so it looks incredibly janky please don't look at it please just don't aaaaaaa

[egginfroggin]

Hiya!! You said you wanted an ask? Hmmm what about the cryptid Emmet au? Where Emmet is vibing doing his own thing while Akari and Rei follow his tracks in confusion because he is doing their job??? What is he doing?????

Does Emmet become like a folktale legend in this au???

(also sorry if I haven't responded/interacted in a bit the Fog ™ is real hahaha Orz)

Thank you for existing!! All the luck to you in defeating the Fog ™!!!

Hi! Thank you! ^^ Ough, the Fog is so real, you're correct. orz

Emmet is doing a lot of things in the Cryptid variant, including but not limited to quelling nobles, terrorizing the local pokemon populations with his slightly-overleveled team, and trying to ignore the fact that he hasn't received human touch in an increasingly long time. And of course, as always, he is doing his best.

As for what else he's doing? Well. It just wouldn't be an installation in the series if someone didn't get hurt at some point, right? :>

I wouldn't say that he becomes a folktale, but maybe a bit of a legend. He's a bit spooky, and tends to avoid people unless he's quelling Nobles or befriending the Ride Pokemon (also referred to as Nobles in my fics, admittedly). When he eventually leaves Hisui, his presence remains in exaggerated stories children from the Clans and Jubilife share with each other, as well as in a few records put down for posterity's sake -- Professor Laventon's diary tells the most about him, and even that remains relatively vague, with his name left a mystery in order to prevent any Time shenanigans from happening should someone come across the records in the future.

I hope to touch up on more of the other characters' POVs, especially the little twins'. Not that there won't be bits from Emmet's POV, but a lot of it is turning out to be Akari and Rei.

Also, my estimate for the wordcount of the fic -- currently titled Blind to All but Gold -- has noticeably gone up, so despite the results of the poll, I'm heavily doubting that it will be a oneshot. ^^;

Thank you so much for the ask! Don't worry about not interacting too much lately -- the Fog is an insidious thing, and when it hits, it hits. I hope it leaves you alone soon, though, and I hope you have a very good day! Thank you again! ^^

(Blurb under the cut! Mild cw for blood and implied injury)

The Gabite all but glowered at them, claws buried in the snow, and all Rei could think was of how it was a dragon-type, it was weak to ice, yet here it was, tenacious and strong enough to weather what should have killed it. Chimecho tilted itself, sending a warning series of chimes. There was something on the dragon's front, he noticed – something painted along its tightly muscled, scratched-up chest – it was darker than the red already there, gleaming in the faint light. The Gabite lowered its half-raised claws down and to the side, exposing its front. It rumbled, stepping back into the shadows, and neither of them dared to breathe. It came back, shuffling the snow before its feet, claws still held harmlessly down and away. Its tail lashed behind it as it shuffled just a bit farther into their light. It was blood that was smeared on its front. Patchy and dark, but unmistakable in the better light and in its viscosity. Raichu’s ears lifted slightly, and the Gabite shuffled back. Then forward again. It swung its head around, twisting, and they could see its tail swinging an agitated arc in the snow, kicking up powder heedlessly. It looked at them and keened, and Akari let out a breath, Rei doing the same.