#i continue to be fascinated by mew

[chickenstrangers]

ONLY FRIENDS | EPISODE 4

YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT HAS EXPERIENCED AN EMERGENCY by CHEN CHEN (2022)

[syrena-del-mar]

Very Rarely Do Men Know How to Be Altogether Good or Altogether Wicked

The last five minutes of today's episode left my mouth gaping, it really felt like I was watching a catastrophic accident happen in front of me and I just couldn't look away.

I wasn't completely sure on how Sand was going to learn about Ray and Mew's history, but I sure wasn't expecting that Ray's feelings would be exposed in such a volatile way. Maybe I’m in the minority here, I’m not exactly sure because I’m seeing a mixed bag of reactions, but I don’t necessarily agree that Sand ever needed to find out about Ray’s feelings for Mew. Much less from Boston.

This is partially going to be a bit of a continuation of my thoughts that Boston has a Machiavellian personality, followed up with SandRay's relationship becoming the unsuspecting 'victim'. Again, I'll be using pulling from Machiavelli's The Prince, but I'm also using his work Discourses on Livy. [Title credit to ch. 27 of Discourses]

Boston, still the Machiavellian 'Prince'

“Another difficulty to be added to the one mentioned above is that a state that becomes free creates for itself enemies rather than friends.”

― Niccolò Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy

Let me be upfront, I don't hate Boston, I actually enjoy the chaos he brings, but he's a fascinating character to break down and really analyze his actions. The last five minutes was, in my opinion, the most chaos that he has caused out in the open. This was never a situation of Boston 'saying what needed to be said.' This was Boston seeing an opportunity to take control of someone and doing so by unfairly outing Ray's feelings. I, again, stand by the idea that Boston is not a narcissist, but rather a Machiavellian personality type. This doesn't make him a 'villain'; Only Friends does a good job at showing that there are no villains in real life, just incredibly shitty people. Boston is simply a dick, who chooses to play with his friends to feel a sense of control when he doesn't have it. Has he ever cared for his friends? Does he keep them around simply for convenience? Hard to say. That doesn't make him evil, it just makes him a first-class jackass.

In my post where I had stated that he was more of a Machiavellian rather than narcissist, I came to the conclusion that, 'In his viewpoint, he is the kingpin, even in his group of friends, because he believes that he's the one that controls how his friends move since he knows how Mew is developing feelings for Top and is aware of Ray's feelings for Mew.' This time around, he practically admits it right after purposefully revealing Ray's feelings for Mew, "I just want to keep track of my best friends' romantic moments.' Boston hoards information so that he can throw it in people's faces when it fits him the best, there's no 'good intentions' on his keeping tabs on his friends.

Boston knows that TopMew are going to sleep together, they're serious and he's out of the running. Is it simply ego or is it because of self-interest? Whatever the catalyst is, he essentially has nothing holding him back anymore. He's seeing his "friends" getting "serious", while he's out there dealing with known (and unknown) filming of one-night stands he had being used as revenge porn. That'd hurt and anger anyone, but from what has been shown, Boston thrives off of control and so having his sex life used against him would feel like an even bigger blow. They're minor events that are snowballing and Boston likely needs to feel that control again. It's why he pushes Nick down without a second thought when Nick is trying to pull him away (opposed to how Ray lets Sand pull him back). So he claims that control back, he deliberately reveals what he knows, purposefully taking Ray down with him. While he may be feeling like shit, at least he'll be better off than Ray, who's left to pick up the pieces.

Sand and Ray, the intentional destruction of the 'kingdom'

“In general you must either pamper people or destroy them; harm them just a little and they’ll hit back; harm them seriously and they won’t be able to. So if you’re going to do people harm, make sure you needn’t worry about their reaction.” ― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

Yes, Sand and Ray are in a “situationship.” Yes, they’re constantly getting both physically and emotionally closer. Yes, Sand is developing feelings for Ray (arguably vice versa too). But that’s it. They started off as friends with benefits and while they’ve been shifting around, neither one has fully crossed that line. There was no defined area in the relationship, at least not before the implosion. They’re barely getting to know each other, Sand even calls Ray out because he knew that Ray had never noticed him before, not in a way other than just the Bar Performer.

Ray is working through who he is without Mew, without his crush on Mew. He's come to the realization that while he put Mew as his #1 for many years, he's knows he's not that for Mew, and is slowly coming to the realization that he may have never been. These are his feelings to work out and his alone. Sand and Ray are first and foremost friends, as they had agreed upon and they happen to hook up often. This was what they agreed upon. Even if one or both of them are catching feelings, it does not mean that Ray has an automatic obligation to come clean to Sand.

Arguably, Boston was unaware of this set up, but honestly he didn't need to know. This was not his business, Boston didn't suddenly spill the fact that Ray has had feelings for Mew for years to look out for Sand. No, this was an intentional hit on Ray, where he was positive that it would hurt. Boston has repeatedly used Ray's feelings for Mew for his own convenience (Exhibit A: Meddling at the pool party), whether it be to get Ray to react in a certain way or to have a punching bag. He knew how defensive and reactive Ray would get when he brought up RayMew's kiss and supposed sex (was this ever confirmed?) that they had.

Boston speaks in definite presumptions when he talks about others, he does this to Top and he did it to Ray. He spins realities to how he sees fit and with the confidence that he speaks in, he makes others believe him. It's why Mew never questioned that Top is accustomed to sleeping around and didn't think that Top really wanted anything more than sex, because that's what Boston specifically told him that Top was like. It's why now Sand believes that he has no hour in Ray's life, even when Ray gives him the opening to ask more, because Boston purposefully spoke in definite terms. Even the most secure person would be left feeling unsure and unbalanced.

So when Sand, who knows that their relationship is based on being friends with benefits, is confronted with words from Ray's supposed friend who explicitly states that Ray is in love with Mew and that he's being used as a rebound, what else can he do but believe that?

What little trust and rapport that they had started to build up has come crumbling down. They're frantically gathering the pieces of a 'kingdom' that has been turn into dust, the aftermath of the Prince's wrath. It's why Ray scrambles for the bottle and it's why Sand shuts down. How can they react to what Boston did, when they're struggling to salvage the little remnants left behind of what was supposed to be a blossoming relationship?

[spockandawe]

So, I'm more than a little obsessed with a new danmei novel, 'Evil As Humans'! The setting and characters are great, but the author also has a FABULOUS talent for incredibly vivid and memorable descriptions of these wild scenes. I hope this is just the first of many art pieces for this book! It's been a hot minute since I was regularly doing art like this, so I'm still scraping the rust off, but this takes me back to ye olde late stage hs days, when I think my art was at its best. And this is just one early scene I bookmarked for illustration potential, and I'm not even done with the book yet! Unshaded lineart behind the cut, because as much as I love my lines, I'm pretty delighted and fascinated with how the shading made this one pop

Expect me to continue howling about this book at length, it's truly been rewiring my brain. That being said, I think this is the last time I plan to draw a perfectly normal and unremarkable cat 🤣

“Meow…”

As soon as Xie Baocai’s voice fell, a soft mew sounded.

Immediately afterwards, there was a strange booming sound in the air, like a scalpel cutting through skin, and suddenly a gap opened out of thin air in front of the window.

A grayish-yellow mucus dripped slowly down the gap, attracting sticky filaments in the air before melting silently into the floor. The fat, fleshy limbs drilled out like loaches, moving completely symmetrically from left to right. Within five seconds, the weird “flower” bloomed again.

The “flower’s center” was facing the three of them.

In the thick darkness, fourteen dots of red light flickered and would move from time to time.

The soft, fleshy limbs danced lightly in the room; their rhythm matched the beat of the heart. As the fleshy limbs “opened the screen”, brain-like folds glowed in the moonlight.

Xie Baocai stopped yelling and stared blankly at the behemoth stretching along the wall before gradually revealing a disdainful smile.

“Hahahaha. I thought it was something, but it turns out that bitch is still obsessed with raising cats…”

[bengiyo]

Only Friends Behind the Scenes Ep 7

The biggest takeaway this week is that @shortpplfedup is right about Top. Jojo comments that Top is sad now because he is an underdog. I also liked Book talking through the mental steps he went through for Mew in deciding to burn that artwork and how he enjoyed trying to hurt Top.

Force is also so funny. I love his confidence and his spirit.

If you'll allow me a moment of simping, we should talk about Book's thighs more.

I also enjoyed First and Khaotung making fun of Ray still looking cool even though he crashed his car. They looked really satisfied with their partnered work this week.

It's fascinating seeing the poolside fight with Top from a crew perspective because Khaotung continues to maintain Ray's drunken miscoordination the whole time, while Neo maintains Boston's tendency to stand outside of this drama.

The timing of the pool kick is actually kind of incredible because Book has to jump after Neo immediately. I enjoyed the cast joking about the scene afterward. Neo suggested he deserves an award and he is CORRECT. Khaotung and Lookjun jokingly fist pumping for Mew was also great.

This cast clearly enjoyed this project a lot.

Once again no Mark in the BTS this week. Jojo, please show me my boy!

[ask-eden]

Etoile: Like for example! In most Universes... Earth's creatures are CARBON based lifeforms... So what I find a barren planet.. and try to make lifeforms that are NITROGEN based! Or BORON based!

Etoile: Or I see what happens when I plant the same seeds of DNA.. on a planet with only ice! Give it a chance to evolve and grow in new ways that are foreign to how Earth works! Or a planet with no seas! Etoile: Or I make non habitable planets, habitable! In my solar system, I terraformed Mars! I planted the seeds for a whole new set of life to occur! It is much greener than it was before! Etoile: Although... none of the life I've been able to cultivate is.. sentient.. most are still only plants.. or in the early bacteria stages.. I do have some with some fishlike creatures on it! Etoile stops, flipping upright to continue speaking Etoile: I did.. not get to create the lifeforms on Earth. It was not my job. I never got to create life and only ever had to work with what was given to me by another.. I never got to experience the true Origin Mew life... Etoile: The progression of life is extremely important to me. I love to see life thrive and persist through anything! It's extremely fascinating to me and I'll continue seeing how life begins in any setting! And I-

Etoile stops suddenly, gasping loudly and her short fur puffing up a bit Etoile:- AND I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO YOU! Look at me mewling away at you like a kitten!! Forgive my manners! Etoile bows in respect to Kyurem and looks up with a grin Etoile: I was given the name "Etoile" by others long ago, so that is what you can call me! Or you can just call me Mew if you prefer! I am accustomed to both! - - - -

[ @askthehoenngods ] [ First two panel backgrounds by @/sinnohsiblings ]

[loupy-mongoose]

So I'm not sure if this has been mentioned already, but what's the lifespans for the family? Especially with Randall being human more often than not, will he live as long as the rest thanks to Mo? Or does he still have to worry about what happens later?

Warning, this post discusses death, including that of the Lindens, primarily Randy. (I know a lot of people probably don't want to think about that, but I as the auther find it a fascinating subject. :>)

As one might expect, I haven't fully decided on how long the family will live. I've only given lifespans for the Mew species in general, which is roughly between 50-100 years. But they can live longer with their transformation ability. (I go into depth here.)

With their access to human helps and medicines, I imagine the Lindens will live closer to 100.

It's an interesting thing for me to think about. If Randy continues to spend a majority of his time as a human, then he'll age as if he's human and likely die a good decade or two before Akoya and Persim. (And the rest, but they're, you know, kids.)

However, at that point he'll be more at peace with his situation and in tune with his Mewness. Which gives him more time because that body is closer to Akoya's age. (I haven't fully decided, but I may have him subconsciously de-age his human body to fit the Mew body's physical age.)

However again, he doesn't have the same willingness to transform that Akoya has, so she may be able to expand her life while he doesn't.

Whatever the case, unless I decide to do something tragic, I do imagine Randy passing away before the rest of them.

[autisticbokutoenthusiast]

one thing i find interesting about where ray is when the show ends is that, in many ways his arc is just beginning (i don't think this is specific to ray im just having a bunch of thoughts about him)

i think this is because a lot of who ray is as a character is tied to the baggage he carries. a lot of his conflict is him being stuck, living in the past as others move forward. his feelings for mew are stuck in that moment mew showed up when he felt truly alone, his alcoholism is tied to his mother's, his self-worth is tied to his childhood and his dads money, (even netutral things, like his music taste comes from what his mom left behind), and so on. his relationship with sand begins because this baggage triggers some low self-esteem induced carelessness with his life that sand saves him from, in that moment he is so caught up in his past he just can't bring himself to care about even having a future.

*sandray interlude*

one thing i also find super fucking fascinating is that sand is almost the opposite. sand lives exclusively in the present, always living to try to make it to tomorrow. he doesn't like to hold a grudge because he likes to leave the past as the past, he isn't too lost in the concept of the future etc. the times we can see ray start to break out of the cycle he's in is when he's with sand. he smiles, he's free, he discovers new music, he discovers new experiances, he imagines himself being able to have a future for the first time, he even goes to rehab. even just visually speaking, his clothing changes to be influenced by sand as the show goes on.

we see sand as a bar singer who thinks its fun but doesnt think he'll become a professional musician, we see ray listen to the records his mother left behind, and we see them both pick new music together and plan to go to music festivals. we see sand's life in the present, ray living in the past, and together they can imagine a future.

ok returning to my original point we see ray get to decide to change, and we are left with that. i like to imagine the ray we know at the end of the series is a version of him willing to fight to break out of being overshadowed by his past, that he can dictate the direction of his life starting from someplace new. i also find this interesting given what we know of ray's future plans from the finale. him co-running the hostel is techniquely new but its also in his dad's old house and the set of a lot of painful moments for him. then there's sand's moonshining, sand saying he wants to stop selling his plum whine and find a new hustle is growth considering he's giving up something stable for him in present in order to help ray's recovery in the longterm, ray however says he should continue selling the plum whine but they can change the brand name. similar to the hostel this is something technically new but ultimately drenched in the past.

but these things aren't as significant imo because ultimately the most important thing about him in the finale is he has become somone who makes future plans at all.

[rocketturtle4]

Only Friends and the communication pay off that I desperately need to scream about. (Plus a little bit of meta about themes of acceptance)

Back after Ep ah 3? 4? what is time anyway, I wrote a post about:

I love how Only Friends is exploring and portraying communication

I have been continuing to enjoy this central theme of communication and honesty being portrayed. And me and the watchbuddies have been fascinated by the way forced honesty, rather than honesty by choice, has been flowing through the last couple eps and wrecking the relationships.

But this ep? Oh. My God.

The Pay off

THE PAY OFF

Lets start with the quite little victory laps me, @shouldiusemyname and @plantsarepeopletoo were doing through nearly every convo of this episode...

Ray Mew:

Kind of hard to read in tiny but we got it completely, Ray and Mew went to progress things physically, it got stopped, Ray got angry and then lo and behold we got that final (Beautiful) Ray Mew convo about how they were both basically using the other... Also Orya calling the survival of the Friendship as well 10/10

Also Paprika gets all the credit for the Honesty Theme

Also Sand Ray...

FINALLY COMMUNICATED SOBER (and then they kept doing it we got, what, 4 talking scenes??)

But then This Ep was all...you want honest communication huh?

HOLD. MY. BEER.

Sand Ray communication (plus more there was so much this ep, their journey of communication was so goooooood)

Ray Mew Communication (x2)

Boston Nick communication - or well Nick to Boston, but we got to leave something for the rest of the series

Nick Sand communication, not that they needed it but again oh my god, honesty leading to continued/further closeness.

Only Friends is really hammering home the point

And the point, in this ep, was about Honesty, Communication and ACCEPTANCE

Top voiced acceptance for Mew's needs in that moment, even as it wasn't what he wanted.

Nick accepts Boston's choice in that moment, even though it wasn't what he wanted.

Sand accepts Ray's conflicted feelings in that moment, even though it wasn't what he wanted. And in this case, also clearly conveyed that he wouldn't be waiting around if he got a better offer, while Ray figured himself out. and Ray had to accept that.

Even Cheum and Mew got a bonding moment over honesty and acceptance

...

There's so many things I could say with all the themes and connections whirling through the show.

The way honesty and surviellance are intertwined with forced honesty causing breakdown and Top's choice not to force Ray and Mew into that, even after he'd been forced, lead to him unknowlingly regaining some of Mew's trust.

Further links into discussions on the generational divide and the juxtoposition of presenting a queer community so reminiscent of the decades before technology permeated through our society and yet dogged by technology at every moment (@shouldiusemyname and I have been talking about this one a lot - how the present and the past are colliding in this show to show how things have and haven't changed from before the turn of the millenia)

The way hope continues to permeate through because being in your 20s is messy, and it's supposed to be, but that doesn't make anyone to broken to be loved.

More pain shall definitely come

Because a moment of honesty does not lead to perfection, and these characters still have a lot of growing to do...

But I am continuing to adore the honesty of the show

it's characters

it's themes

it's relationships

it's emotions

I'm adoring the heart of Only Friends

and I can't wait to see what's next

[phlurrii]

Ok so follow up to my "design" question and what actually sparked my curiosity. Since Meau chose what everything looked like, did she also design modern mew before bucket was born? Or was modern mew natural evolution?

I find it pretty fascinating that Meau birthed the first modern mew after being betrayed (via her neck tube) and these modern mews do not have said neck tube. Design flaw? Or an intentional choice by Meau so her descendants will never have to experience at least one thing she did.

She did very specifically design Bucket to look how they do, smaller, no second neck, short fur, etc. She never wanted her child to ever face. She doesn’t see herself as a flaw in design, but she does acknowledge the things that cause weaknesses. The neck allows a secondary and much greater power source, but can be yoinked or grabbed. And after what she endured… she’s not interested in that trait ever continuing ;3

[slayerkitty]

Only Friends and the (Lack of ?) Narrative Frameworks

Something I have been tracking as part of the ongoing discussions about Only Friends is the use of the narrative framework for each episode. I've been tracking them since episode 3 when we realized during our discussions that there were different frameworks that were being used and what they meant in terms of the story the show is trying to tell.

So it was very interesting that we went five episodes with various frameworks in place only to suddenly not have one in episode 6. (Whether episode 7 has one is something I'll come back to later.)

So when I put out my current narrative frameworks post, I wanted to see what people thought about the sudden lack of frameworks when we've had them so consistently to that point.

On that post, I put these thoughts up for discussion:

Have we moved away from the use of narrative frameworks? Is it because everyone is saying the quiet parts out loud? Is it because we’re no longer only seeing what they want us to see or want each other to see? Is it because the characters have stopped lying to themselves and each other? The use of the narrative frameworks was so fascinating to me as a story telling device and that it was used for about half the show feels important so the lack of them is jarring (on purpose?).

@twig-tea commented on my post with some thoughts about it as well as bringing it up in a post of their own and through our discussion we came up with what we thought might be going on.

Up through episode 5, each episode has it's own narrator (except episode two, which sees everyone serve as narrator) and the story is being told through their perspective (to a point). With episode 6, it's distinctly lacking a narrator and a framework.

The change is so marked that it felt jarring to me because for almost half of the show to have a framework and then to not use one? What are you trying to say, P'Jojo?

After speaking to @twig-tea, it appears that maybe Mew's glasses were more than just a metaphor for him (in that losing his glasses and getting Lasik finally means he can see the truth about Top) but also for us, as the audience. The characters have had their "rose-colored glasses" removed and all that's left now is reality.

Episode 6 is dark, literally. As in, the lighting. The episode starts off bright and sunny with Top and Mew in the pool, having a great time, being in love. The brightness continues right up until Mew has Lasik. The scenes after that progressively get darker. Mew goes back to his apartment, his room lit dimly. Ray meets Sand and the bar is darkly lit. There is a brighter moment with Boston, Nick and Boston's dad, but then Nick and Boston end up in Boston's dark room (it's so on the nose). The Ray and Boston confrontation seems (to me) to be lit indirectly. Then we get all the YOLO scenes - dark, dimly lit, and where the truth comes out. Sand driving after Ray, the Cheum and April making up in artificial light (and isn't that a statement), Nick and Boston lying in a dark room. And of course, the amazing Mew and Top scene, lit only by candles.

The reason this episode has no framework is because the characters are no longer living in the fantasy they've made up for themselves. The lighting and camera angles have indicated that we are in reality now. They are saying the quite parts out loud; they are no longer lying to themselves and each other (or us). That's why the framework had to disappear.

So prior to episode 7, I wondered if episode 6 was going to be the only framework-less episode. If episode 7 didn't have one, would that mean that we would no longer have them? Would they come back?

What's interesting about episode 7 is that upon first watch, I did not observe a framework. Then I had that conversation with @twig-tea, who in addition to her insightful comments, also linked me to this twitter post courtesy of P'Jojo.

I'll copy @twig-tea's loose translation of the tweet here:

Essentially he says they filmed short clips of everyone giving three words on Boston as the intro to ep6 framework (as well as this video of Mew cussing Boston as the camera holder out. Pretty sure he basically says "your name is Asshole-Ton" to the best of my crappy Thai) but then decided that Boston's character stood on its own, actually, the audience already knew who he was and they didn't need that extra framing going into the ep.

EPISODE 7 WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A FRAMEWORK AND THEY TOOK IT OUT!

(And while I agree with P'Jojo that the episode doesn't need a framework per se, because it does stand on his own and us as the audience do know who Boston is without the framework, I WISH HE'D LEFT IT IN.)

Having said that, imagine how this episode would be if they left in Boston and his video camera recording his friends opinions of him. It paints certain other visual moments in this episode way more into a serious focus than an over the top dramatic moment.

Moments like this shift into a different view if you think of this episode as Boston's "home movie".

(gifs are courtesy of @chickenstrangers who did me a huge favor!)

Mew's the villain, Ray and Mew are sleeping together, Mew rejects Top, and Boston is the victim.

Now, I don't know how much weight we can put behind these moments as a framework because they took the overarching framework out of the episode.

Still, as @topmeow pointed out, the dramatic "super zooms" (as I like to call them) are indicative of a soap opera/reality tv/telenovela editing that is still fun and adds interesting visual moments throughout the episode. On their own, they potentially do one of two things. They either present the characters who get the zoom with the consequences of their actions and/or they could always be indicative of us slowly headed back into fantasy (back into episodes with a framework). Whether or not that's what we're doing will be answered in the next episode.

Tagging the Ephemerality Squad: @lurkingshan, @waitmyturtles, @wen-kexing-apologist, @chickenstrangers, @ranchthoughts, @twig-tea, @clara-maybe-ontheroad, @distant-screaming

Apologies to anyone I forgot!

[7grandmel]

Todays rip: 05/04/2024

Hey there everyone it's Chaotic Beans! Hell yeah! We're a little angle girl and THERES A BEAN! Oh well hello there Mr bean! Thank you for welcoming me! So we're in the planet of the beans and we gots to find all the beans and explore the beans to find the planet!!!!!

Season 7 Featured on: RIPBLOX

Ripped by The Green Spy, Grambam36

Requested by airy! (Request Form)

Remember just two weeks ago back in March where I was making several posts in a row about rips containing jokes I had little to no knowledge of? Y'know, Poké Village, Viva La LOWAS, Luna, mi Amor - all rips that struck a beautiful emotional chord with me, even though I lacked the full knowledge of what it was in tribute to. In a way, Hey there everyone it's Chaotic Beans! Hell yeah! We're a little angle girl and THERES A BEAN! Oh well hello there Mr bean! Thank you for welcoming me! So we're in the planet of the beans and we gots to find all the beans and explore the beans to find the planet!!!!! is also part of that lineup - only here, its a cacophany of sources I had no clue about making me laugh way harder than they should.

Now, this is the first rip I've covered so far from Season 7's ROBLOX day, an event celebrating the game's 17th anniversary with rips of all sorts made in honor of the game. And as someone who both didn't grow up with it, and has no idea what the platform is like nowadays (other than the concerning monetization), I spent pretty much the entire event as clueless as can be. But even before I had this rip requested to me, it showed up from time to time in my recommendations - something about the ridiculous game title and cover artwork grabbed my attention, so I decided to take a peek.

To put it simply, Hey there everyone it's Chaotic Beans! Hell yeah! We're a little angle girl and THERES A BEAN! Oh well hello there Mr bean! Thank you for welcoming me! So we're in the planet of the beans and we gots to find all the beans and explore the beans to find the planet!!!!! feels like some sort of sensory overload. The original chaotic beans theme by SkyTheFloof is already a high-energy silliness overload song, bringing back memories of rips like :D or Wario's Hampster Mine - its energy is positively infectious, and it's a great touch that the visuals of Hey there everyone it's Chaotic Beans! Hell yeah! We're a little angle girl and THERES A BEAN! Oh well hello there Mr bean! Thank you for welcoming me! So we're in the planet of the beans and we gots to find all the beans and explore the beans to find the planet!!!!! are intentionally made to resemble its YouTube upload. What could then amplify that silliness more than - as The Green Spy and Grambam36 both are best at doing - a good ol' YTPMV?

On the complete opposite side of online silliness, 14 years ago, we saw the upload of the video "cat planet", by the fascinating internet personality raocow. I truly do wish I knew more about this specimen - he's been making "Let's Play" content on YouTube since near its very beginnings in 2009, and has since uploaded new videos almost daily with an unmistakeable goofiness to his commentary, a rhythm and bounce, the kind of voice that just sounds as if he's smiling the whole way through. His playthrough of cat planet sits as his most viewed video for good reason, its such an interesting time capsule of what online content once was, silly, unfiltered, improvised, made entirely for fun - an energy that, I suppose, ROBLOX creators just like SkyTheFloof are continuing to champion today? Either way, the legends behind SUNGORE and Mad Mew Mew Becoming Uncanny, some of SiIvaGunner's greatest YTPMV rips in its entire run, join forces to unite these two pillars of pure, distilled :3-energy. Its the chaotic beans theme with raocow's cat planet commentary melodically added to the song's backing and melody, a duet of two sillies - a shot of pure sugar that I cannot get enough of.

Through just this one rip, I learned a lot about ROBLOX, a lot about raocow, a little bit about internet history in general - and I learned how to have an absolutely :3 time. Hey there everyone it's Chaotic Beans! Hell yeah! We're a little angle girl and THERES A BEAN! Oh well hello there Mr bean! Thank you for welcoming me! So we're in the planet of the beans and we gots to find all the beans and explore the beans to find the planet!!!!! is just such a lovely time, such a cracked idea for a rip yet one I'm glad its two rippers pursued to the end, to give us such true sillycore music for ROBLOX's anniversary. I can never get it out of my head for too long, the two sources are just so infectious and endearing in isolation alone, but hearing raocow's rambles about the lovely cat planet to the tune of chaotic beans just amplifies it to a whole new level, the perfect merger of old and new.

So- congratulations, ROBLOX Day - You got one out of me. Maybe one day I'll take another plunge to see what else you have in store...

[nightofsky101]

Top 20 Animes of 2022

Sorry I skipped last year. Trust me I was watching I just didn’t feel motivated to make another list. However this time I am, but little longer. That’s right it’s 20 now. Plus I added my reasons too. Enjoy.

1. Dance Dance Danseur

Captivating characters, beautiful animation and intriguing story. I really fell in love with this one I went far as to read the manga translation AFTER episode one and continued while the anime was airing. I love how Jumpei over came the toxic masculinity to pursue ballet. His love for ballet really is inspiring. You can see the joy in his eyes. Plus I love Jumpei and Natsuki’s chemistry there’s more of them in the manga. I really do wish the manga would get serialized here in the USA and for Mappa to do another season.

2. Sasaki and Miyano

Cute sweet wholesome BL love story I LOVE MY BABIES. If I had to pick a favorite couple of the year it would be Sasaki and Miyano. AAAHHH I couldn’t stop smiling watching this anime it’s good for the soul. Even if you’re not into BL this is the most safest to watch. The anime version of Heartstoppers.

3. My Dress Up Darling

Cute fun wholesome and sweet romance blooming in front of you. Marine is such a joy no doubt my best girl. Goujo’s passion for hinadoll is inspiring. The animation is so pretty especially when they smile. This really did made me proud to be an anime fan. I can’t wait for more of Marine and Goujo.

4. Blue Lock

Out of the ordinary sports anime with some wild and intense animation. Forget about friendship and team work. It’s all about being an egoist survival of the best striker. I really love the characters. BTW I was watching this before the World Cup started and during it really was life imitating anime. Until Japan lost to Croatia. Root for them next World Cup. I can’t wait for more I probably will reading the manga.

5. Demon Slayer Season 2

I laughed cried and screamed. This season was full of emotions plus I felt like I was watching a movie. I love Tanjiro’s growth this season, Uzui was a badass he really is so cool. Nezuko was amazing. Daki and Gyutaro got me heartbroken. Zenitsu and Inosuke were unstoppable everyone really had a fantastic moment.

6. My Hero Academia Season 6

A whole lot better than season 5. A few nip picks here, but it didn’t bother me too much. I really did enjoy this first half. The voice acting was phenomenal and I was just so happy to see my favorite parts of the manga finally animated. Deku is a beast, Bakugou got me screaming, Shouto I want to hug him. I super excited for the next arc.

7. Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie

Cute and funny anime to watch. The moments with Shikimori, Izumi and their friends made me love this anime more. Who said a girl can’t be cute and handsome. BTW Hachimitsu is my spirit animal I love her.

8. Raven of the Inner Palace

The magic in this anime was pretty. The characters were fascinating, I love the Chines setting. Shouxue bring peace to the dead was uplifting. Plus I love Shouxue development she deserves the friends she has made.

9. Urusei Yatsura

The return of the original waifu Lum. I only watch a few episodes of the original anime they were pretty funny and the remake so far is fun to watch. I can see why Lum is so lovable.

10. Love Live Superstar Season 2

Between this one and Nijigasaki I like Superstar’s story more. Plus the series has broken some Love Live traditions. Liella really is a group you should be watching. Magaret and Lanzhu from Nijigasaki are queens. Love Live keeps on innovating new barriers.

11. Attack on Titan Final Part 3

Had me on the edge of my seat. Eren is a freaking beast I couldn’t believe this season it was shock after shock. I can’t imagine how this is going to end. I can’t handle anymore deaths.

12. Kaguya sama Love is War Season 3

Cute and super funny season. Ishigami had me proud like a mama. Miyuki and Chika’s rap was the best. Kaguya finally admitting to herself she loves Miyuki was so sweet.

13. Tokyo Mew Mew New

Another well done remake. I did watch a few episodes of the original anime when I was a kid. So this was kind of nostalgic to me. The girls are so cute I can’t wait to see more of the remake.

14. Mob Psycho 100 Final

A great ending to Mob. After 3 season it really was a joy and emotional journey to watch Mob Psycho 100. I will miss the crazy animation and deep story so much. Thank you Mob for everything a classic that will always be remembered.

15. More than a married couple, but not lovers

To me this was the vanilla version of Domestic Girlfriends. No step sisters, just a love triangle between a guy, his childhood friend and his marriage partner. So many funny and sweet moments. I do ship Jirou and Akari more.

16. Chainsaw Man

Wild and crazy anime to watch. It felt like I was watching a fever dream. I will be honest it didn’t get me hyped as the manga fans expected. But it was great to watch. It’s only the beginning though I do hope it gets another season.

17. Spy x Family

Funny cute and little suspenseful. It did felt like the Loid and Anya show though I do wish we got to see more of Yor’s assassin work too. The heart warming family moments really did touch my hear. Again family doesn’t always have to mean by blood.

18. Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting

Another cute and wholesome anime. Kirishima acted more like a big brother to Yaeka who knew a killer yakuza could have a heart. Family doesn’t always have to mean blood.

19. I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss

Another otome isekai, but it did felt rushed I wished it was more slowed paced. I love Aileen and Claude’s relationship they are so cute. At least they had a happy ending.

20. Shine Post

Such an underrated idol anime. Probably because Love Live was airing around the same time. Love seeing each girl’s reason for being an idol and how much they want to achieve their dream. BTW Rio has the best voice.

HAPPY NEW YEAR SEE YOU IN 2023 !!!!!

[drifloonz]

PLEASE CONTINUE RAMBLING ABT MISSINGNO I WANNA HEAR MORE OF UR THOUGHTSSS

basically, the missingno ramble came about bc i always thought that initially, pokemon were always supposed to be able to be turned into data and shit. eg, how pokeballs even work, how the pc works, how trading works, etc.

this is kind of long ( not really but a few paragraphs ( nevermind i made it longer. ) ) so im gunna put it under a readmore just so i dont irritate ppl in whatever tags i put this in

idk if theres evidence for this, it just feels like pokemon implied that more and has been recently backtracking and going "oh no theyre not actually like DATA lol." and kind of retconning it. but maybe im pulling all of this out my ass but idk it felt early gen pokemon was much more in that sort of direction. there were a lot of different directions in early gen pokemon in general, i feel

ANYWAYS given that i subscribe to that more than whatever theyre doing with the canon explanations for shit now ( also not helped by my general fascination with technology, ai, and glitches esp in fiction and how interesting they are if written well ), i think missingno is just . a glitched pokemon. which obviously. but. Like. it used to be a pokemon. they can be made easily if something fucks up in the data transfer from physical to pokeball or pc or during trading or something like that.

well, maybe not easily- i imagine missingnos are only made from particularly bad cases of this. complete malfunctions and breaks, probably. which would also be why missingno and glitch pokemon like the bad egg, M', female symbol, ? symbol, whatever other ones you can think of were much more prominent early gen and pittered out more in later games ( not entirely obviously, but yknow ) - technology advanced more and became more secure so these types of things happened less often.

and i think in terms of possible mew clone, they are clones of mew that could not turn into ditto because an error happened technologically. instead of biologically/physically, which is how ditto wouldve been made. why are they in the shore? who knows. maybe theyre kind of thoughtless and just somehow get physically dumped into the cinnabar shore. god knows why its kind of hard to integrate game glitch to actual story/lore but by god im doing it.

anyways. because of this in strangled red, i think missingno isnt an all powerful entity. i think its just something that fills miki's corpse with garbage data and puppets her around like a zombie. which would be oddly fitting for a pokemon that i think could be caused by a trading fiasco or other technological malfunctions that happen to pokemon in those sorts of things.

miki just got the worse of it physically, not glitch-wise. she just died. which, at least she got to go out and not be in eternal limbo. until, well, steven stepped in, but who knows if shes even sentient enough or if her soul is even in missingno-ified miki at all. i think its slightly there, just a fragment of it- but its mostly a husk.

when the trading incident happened, i imagine that if there's an error the failsafe in whatever trading mech you use immediately sends the pokemon back to the original trainers, but something screwed up in the wiring so she likely turned physical at the wrong time while still in the trading tube, which then ended up with the wires being wrapped around her neck, or maybe even stabbing into it.

i like to think in the strangled red universe it's a not very common thing that maybe even was the first or only reported incident. steven and mike just got extremely unlucky.

... which probably did not help stevens rage about the incident, losing his prized unique charizard who could evolve faster than any charmander ever has, and tank supereffective damage easily amongst other things and to the fact that it probably only happened to him. or at minimum a few other people ever.

why does steven know about missingno? likely tales when he was in cinnabar during his original journey about it. strangled red is a year or so before the canon story but i doubt the mewtwo thing happened exactly a year before reds story, so missingno still being there. yknow. makes sense if you think it exists like how ditto does. ( failed mew clone ) .

the only reason missingno has power is because it is a glitch, it is corruption, physicalized - in a way it was not meant to be even further than how a glitch is. pokemon can turn into data. you can see how that'd work. anything that can be digitized in the pokemon world, it has power over. i imagine something thats meant to be there like a normal pokemon or human would get corrupted by it if it touched or remained in an area too long, or if it were commanded to attack. which is why missingnos in universe have insane levels, odd or stolen cries ( along with the fact some of them just used to be a normal pokemon likely ), and are physically just a jumble of data or taking images from random pokemons appearances, and even the skeletons or ghosts of them.

ironically they are like miki, but if miki after the incident corrupted digitally and physically, and went into a state of limbo instead of outright just dying due to technical malfunctions. they probably barely remember their former lives or what they were supposed to be and become very mindless.

i also think this has interesting implications for the trade incident if it ever happened again with pokemon with trade evolutions. i don't think they'd die, i think they'd become corrupted in a similar but different way to missingno - like an unintentional and glitchy evolution akin to porygon-z.

anyways.

steven is desperate for anything and everything to bring her back, and maybe tried multiple methods beforehand if you think he was that desperate, but hey. missingno worked. even if miki's just a puppeted corpse being controlled by a mindless thing that used to be a pokemon. who is ironically, controlling a corpse of a pokemon.

[p-receh]

If you're still doing the character thing

2, 24, and 25 for sonic or amy :D

Hai Maiprim! I still am btw! I decided I won't putting it down very soon. I think this will be a fun task since I like answering ask box. I may be late but I'll always try to not left any questions behind. 😁

Wait, Sonic or Amy? How about both? 😅

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

- Sonic

The misinformation about hedgehog's fear of swimming. We previously witness accidental mistake made by the technology issues, this one however was purely man power's mistake. Despite the differences, this mistake is also become a unique trait to establish the character's value from the very first game. We don't need to know what his weaknesses are by reading his profile or interviews, we could already experienced it in practice. That is why the aquatic levels are both challenging and "frustrating" to some players (including me 🙃).

Full article. I can't stop laughing when sir Iwata asked about this in the Iwata Asks series lemao.

The other canon continuity I respect about Sonic Team is the core conflict about Nature vs Industry that is still showcased in the current game. Sure, this series--to this day-- is objectively "diverse", with a wide range of media, gameplay, music, graphics, and story. But this premise has not changed throughout three goddamn decades. It is surprisingly amazing to be fair how many times this series went down, they still managed to raise and gain success.

- Amy

I love that they have some background story behind her Piko-Piko Hammer. In Tails Adventure from Game Gear, there's an item called Pikkon Hammer.

Even it's not officially confirmed that's the exact same hammer she uses but it was really clear that's basically the concept of Piko-Piko Hammer before finalized it in the creation of Amy Rose.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

- Sonic

Ah, there's one that I felt really intact to my brain! Him and Mario in my opinion were reminded me of Percy and Jason from the Heroes of Olympus series. My 16 youth self constantly screams: 'This is totally Mario & Sonic holy shit!'. Their bonding was really cool and hilarious, that's also why the third book is my favorite of the series X'D.

- Amy

To be honest, Amy has many fandoms that remind me of her. She's a kinda mix of Sakura from Naruto, Heart from Sugo Chara, and ichigo Momomiya from Tokyo Mew-Mew, Sonoko from Conan... there's more but that's all I can think of honestly.

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

- Sonic

Again I talked much the first time I met him here. One of his most fascinating aspects is obviously his design. Before I know Sonic, the antrophormo.... Bleugh how do people nowadays say it? Ah, "Fury" style design that I have usually known about animal humanoid characters for years. Whether a simple cartoon or a heavier one like Beastar or Tom & Jerry. Or mixed up like half animal, half human(like the famous Centaur for example).

Until Sonic came in.

Concept art by Naoto Oshima and Yasashi Yamaguchi

In the first place, I can see he was inspired by Mickey Mouse or 70's cartoons based on his concept art. Yet, his final product is full of originality that almost has no resemblance to Mickey. The modern era also portrays his personality further. He is still imo one of the best designs, ever. His looks already steal the show from the very beginning before getting to know what his perks and traits are. I was interested in his looks without knowing what his abilities were. To be honest, I didn't know the meaning of the word "Sonic", heck I didn't know he was a hedgehog at that time. (I swear when I looked the CD package of Mario and Sonic, I legit staring at his design for hours. Only to analyze what the heck was he supposed to be. Yes, my 12 year old brain was not braining)

Earlier I learned about him, to me he is such a happy and quirky dude with a style. Moving so free like the wind itself without any regrets. That's how I see him the moment he entered the field in the first cutscene of 06.

(Talk about an entrance! 👀. Que to 02:25 , "Event: Sonic Appears" is one my fav Sonic introduction scene is series. Hear that glorious rearrangge ver of His World beibeh! 😎)

But the one that made me falls into this giant pit hole of this series was when I watch Colors after 06 and this scene happened.

Even though it short as heck, but the way he suddenly turn into serious was caught me off guard. I literally opened my eyes wiiide as egg benedict. Sonic Team sure ain't lying about Sonic in serious mode!

(original article, fan translation)

It's always such a rare moment but when he does, he's ridiculously scary! He looks like a different person! And I'm so glad this rare trait still respectfully presented in other media till today.

(Yeah I know 06 got tons of that but that kissing scene destroyed my youth brain that I forgot most of them afterwards lol)

My opinion of him tbh hasn't changed that much. As much as Sega has made some of the dumbest decisions ever, at the end of the day, I can't hate him. All of his VAs are great to each of their own with no exception (I'm not joking. Even I like my own country's ver of Sonic), His one-liner quotes are motivating and inspiring to me. His games really encapsulate fast action sequences and pioneers with the term "speedrun". His music resonates with me to this day. He truly is just a guy who seeks adventure above everything. And he is one of IP platformers outside Nintendo that's still strong as now. Which is really amazing to observe.

Yes, I get it, He can never beat Mario with all his glory. But hey, like it or not, he's the only contender left to match his style. Even if it takes time, I can hope the path that the Sonic Team chooses now... slowly but surely Sonic will be at least on par with Mario in terms of quality (and popularity in Japan).

(Straight to the point. 😎👌)

Even his very first page of his jp manual book from the first game says this:

Rough translation :

"Sorry for being cheeky.

Fusy people are the worst.

I don't do it for justice, I just do what I like to do.

But nevertheless I won't betray you."

- Amy

I always loved an energetic and optimistic trope girl so it's no surprise that Amy filled the checklists. Her main color code happens to be pink aaaaaaand she has short hair(quills in this case)! XD. She's instantly become my fav in the selection phase from the moment I laid eyes on her. She is probably one of the few characters to actually wield a weapon in the series. A female character using a giant item to fight is never old and she's no exception.

What I like the most about her is that she's essentially the mother of a group. Never give up hope when everything is ruined. As much as she is loyal to Sonic, even she bravely steps in against Sonic for what it's right to her.

In my opinion, her perks of protective over Sonic from strangers somehow led her to actually be the one who reassures and helps them in need. And she always did with most of Sonic rivals: Shadow, Silver, Blaze, Chaotix, you name it.

She's that simple! But why the fuck is she still being misinterpreted by fandom? Allahuakbar uuuuuuurrrggghhh I can't...

To be fair, both of them are the highest debated topics in the fandom. Every account can say their opinions and can stir other opinions in a flick of a switch. It's rapidly quick and miss. They constantly change and twist the debate per second, then magically forget for a week until they argue the very fucking same topic. This cycle tremendously repeats every month, every year! It just never ends!

It had gotten seriously worse since the pandemic and I. had. enough. This is why I never admit myself as a sonic fan specifically on the internet. I think I already explained enough before, so I don't want to add anything else.

I honestly love Amy US and JP voice. But as non both speakers, Sega must have created a middle decision to solve the confusion for Japanese and overseas players, especially in the west. Cuz hands up, their cultures are pretty in contrast with how distinct the scripts and the voice lines are. My only suggestion is the Sonic Team makes two different angles of a cutscene to match both tones. This strategy surprisingly has already been used by RGG, another dev team under Sega, since Like a Dragon 7.

I don't expect them to do another cgi attempt, nononononono. 06 and Unleashed are enough. But does it mean the Sonic team must do double animated scenes for US and JP scripts? From how the scripts were written in Frontiers, I .... guess so?

I mean, what else is left then? :/

[bengiyo]

Only Friends Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Boston played to win and achieved his goal of hooking up with Top again. Nick moved in with Sand and secretly recorded audio of Boston's hookup with Top. Boston convinced Top that Mew is lying about being a virgin and playing games with him and Ray. Mew is playing this virgin card too hard and is now losing. Ray continues to play hard for Sand, but threw him away to run to Mew. Cheum is the only one properly focused on their project. Yo is the only person in a stable relationship.

Yes, show. Remind us about how loudly Top was moaning in that car. He was present for that.

"Emergency Contact." Loving the names of these episodes.

I like the choice to use a 4:3 aspect ratio for the past sequence. Khaotung would have been just as beautiful in the 90s.

Man, I hated calls like this. You feel so powerless, but you feel like you have to do something when you think your friend is going to harm themselves.

Oof. We called that Ray has been like this for a while, and this was as sad as I thought his depression would be.

I feel bad for Mew. It couldn't have been easy to reject Ray when he's in a constant emotional spiral. You want to help your friend, but you also don't want to give him false hope.

Boston is such an ass for recording them. I get the curiosity and how it probably felt like a joke at the time, but he used it in such a malicious way.

Mew is unsubtle, but you end up being that way when you have a friend who's always intoxicated. They miss cues.

Mew needed to set that boundary with Ray. He can't get used to taking advantage of him like that.

We didn't get to see Mark and First work together much in Moonlight Chicken. I like the rapport they built for these characters. Sand is like, "Boston? Really?"

Okay this 80s style synth track sent me into orbit. I'm obsessed.

Top is good at this game they're playing.

Big bass drop on the question about the model plane.

It's interesting in this A-B shot with Ray begging Sand to let him spend the day with him that they put Sand center frame when we see his face, but he's almost offscreen when we see Ray. It feels like Ray is crowding him.

I hate that I'm getting used to Ray being drunk all the time.

I like that Sand can clearly state how he feels. Sucks that he knows he's falling for a problem.

Damn, Top destroyed Boston in that elevator, and not in a way Boston hoped for.

Top is still getting his on the side, but he's not messing around with Boston anymore. Mew really think he has this man on lock because he wants that virgin ass so bad.

Unsurprisingly, Nick is not afraid to go through this man's phone.

So, Boston gave a reasonable proscription against taking photos, but that only makes Nick more jealous because of the Top photos. Boston says Nick is always welcome, but that's dependent upon Nick being nice and lovely. He ain't ready for Nick.

He said, "It's Mr. Nick, if ya nasty."

Top is so fascinating. As soon as he understood what Nick wanted he took total control of that conversation, and he literally ends the meeting looking down on Nick.

So Top definitely fucked one of Sand's boyfriends. That beef felt specific and personal.

Thank you for confirming that, Sand.

Ray really came over here to piss with Mew after trying to snuggle back in with Sand. This man is a mess.

Yes, Mew, share your big secret that your friend still has a crush on you and you kissed once.

"I'm not an addict." Gurl.

Now, Mew. You already have an addict as a friend. Why would you even consider using transactional sex to encourage your would-be boyfriend to quit? I thought you were supposed to be the smart one.

Top is rich. He does not care about the little hit he just threw away. It's a small price to pay for victory.

No penetration? Oh lord I'm about to get trampled by the disk horse.

"I only have you." Top is now winning.

Damn, I can't even really believe that Top actually cares about Mew's feelings.

Oh, Sand. You know, and yet he's just too charming. I get it.

Looks like we're setting up for the spiral next week.

TOP IS BACK TO LIVING UP TO HIS NAME! Incredible week for him. He decimated every single character he encountered.

Mew, you lost, baby; he played you.

Nick and Boston, both of your half-formed plans looked tired this week and you both need to retool.

Sand and Ray, you are the only two straightforward characters and I am so looking forward to the havoc you will wreak when you are finally pushed over the edge.

Sand, you in particular will be my champion; you keep telling everyone exactly who you are and they keep fucking with you. Let me know when you need your bat, king.

[delta-holonfoil]

Greetings!

I’m Professor Blair S. Tenaza (she/her), and I’m now the head researcher at the Holon Research Tower, located in Holon City in, you guessed it, the Holon region! Our topics of interest at the HRT are as follows:

Find and study the mythical Pokémon Mew

Research the effects of electromagnetism both on the region and on its Pokémon, including and especially Delta Pokémon

Develop and refine artificial equivalents to existing Pokémon (this task primarily falls to our lead roboticist and his team)

Now, I’ll share a brief primer on Delta Species and Holon, as I know that is certainly the least known aspect of our research here. Originally, Holon was a region devoid of people. It wasn’t especially habitable for humans, and so Pokémon were its sole inhabitants. Then my predecessor came along and established Holon City and the HRT, specifically in pursuit of Mew. His machinery used in the search emitted electromagnetic waves on a scale previously unheard of, even beyond the special magnetic fields found in places like Mount Coronet and Chargestone Cave.

Prolonged exposure to these extreme waves altered the Holon ecosystem permanently, resulting in many Pokémon permanently obtaining different typings and mannerisms. Some of these Pokémon, remarkably, are recognizable as extant regional forms! For example, Kantonian, Alolan, and Galarian Meowth are all native to Holon now, where before only the Kantonian variety existed, and Cyndaquil evolved here become the once thought lost Hisuian form of Typhlosion. Many other Pokémon took on entirely new forms, such as the Gardevoir family becoming Psychic/Steel-types, and exposing a male Kirlia to a dawn stone produced an entirely new Psychic/Dark-type Pokémon known as Callord. For these altered Pokémon, the designations Delta Species (for all) and Holonnite (for the unique ones) were introduced.

These accidental changes to the environment were seen as both fascinating and concerning, and studies on their full impact were launched. It was quickly deduced that not only would removing the electromagnetic waves not revert these Pokémon to their previous forms, but that doing so would be detrimental to their health. Furthermore, it was discovered at this time that the islands off the coast of Holon’s mainland, distant from Holon City’s emissions, also held Delta Species. Prism Island was laden with crystals that seemed to be producing Delta Species, which briefly drew comparison to the Terastal phenomenon before further research confirmed no true link. Meanwhile, the further-out Scale Archipelago was found to be a nesting ground for Dragon-like Pokémon, and home to new forms that were determined to be natural Holonnite variations.

And that more or less covers the basics! I can get into Holonnite geography another day for those curious, but I think this post is plenty long already. Just know that those early days of research were nearly 20 years ago, now, and much of the staff here at the HRT has changed since then. We feel very strongly about not altering Holon’s ecosystem any further, and work hard to ensure the continued health of all people and Pokémon in Holon.

Finally, allow me to introduce the Pokémon I keep as research aides!

Claire the Castform. She helps me with studying the weather here in Holon, which has also been impacted.

Sprout the Holonnite Meganium (Grass/Ground). He’s great at judging the health of plant life, another important aspect of our impact.

Trace the Holonnite Smeargle (Normal/Ghost). He sketches anything I need documented, which is great because it can be hard to take pictures here in Holon. There’s solutions, but I just find him much more reliable.

Beacon the Artificial Starmie (Water/Steel). One of our robotics team’s creations. It’s extremely reliable for taking electromagnetic readings, and a trustworthy ride if I need to do work out on Holon Lake or along the coast, above water or below!

Shade the Alolan Persian. She’s my tracker. If I’m looking for a specific Pokémon, she’s almost always able to hunt it down. I chose her over the other Meowth variations present here because her Dark typing further helps in keeping a low profile to observe wildlife.

Magnus the Scorlev (Electric/Flying, evolution of Holonnite Gligar). He’s my aerial transport, and incredibly in-tune with Holon’s electromagnetic field. There’s quite a few options here for those needs, but what sets him apart is that Holonnite Gligar are a natural Delta Species from the Scale Archipelago!

Plus Zed, my PoryPhone. We use PoryPhones here in Holon because Porygon are already here and already proven unaffected by the extreme electromagnetism. We actually impose some fairly strict regulations here in order to protect visitors’ Pokémon, and that includes barring entry for many species which might be impacted by Holon’s unique conditions.

OOC

Oops! I made another one! This time it’s inspired by the Holon region, an official setting from the TCG in back 2005! With my own personal twists, of course. I made a big list of Pokémon known to officially be in Holon (regular or Delta), and then did some minor retcons if a Delta Species resembled an existing regional variant. For any missing evolutions (released in Gen 4 or later) I’ve invented entirely new evolutions to replace them, and for any existing Delta Species that didn’t match a regional variant, I’ve devised a new Holonnite variant matching the card game’s typing. Unlike in the TCG, it’s not just a glow of energy, but a whole new form

And yes, Blair is aware what else HRT stands for. It’s something of an internal joke at the Tower because a sizable portion of the team, herself included, is trans :)

My main blog is @tlblitz, and I also run @tlblitzle, @zenith-exploration-guild, and @squallsong-survival