#kansai is used in Johto

[trivial-pokemon-ramblings]

Ok but what if Rika is Wallace’s solder sister? They look so similar.

[parasolladyansy]

hi!! i'm the same anon from the languages ask. (thank you for answering btw!! it was very interesting!) i've been having thoughts about pokemon languages for a WHILE, and i'd like to know what do you think was the expansion of "japanese" (let's say hisuian) from hisui to the other regions. if the pearl/diamond clan speaks "japanese", then the galaxy corps learned it from them, yeah? or were they settlers from before that were ALREADY speaking "japanese" (therefore there is no conflict with kanto, johto and hoenn speaking "japanese" too, even if it might have evolved slightly differently)? i have this headcanon that celestica people (who were there even before than the clans) spoke our equivalent "russian" instead, what do you think of that?

also THE LAST CHAPTERS OF THE D&P REWRITE HAVE BEEN HEARTBREAKING AND AMAZING THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE SMALL REUNION I LOVED IT ;;;

also if i am annoying feel free to tell me to stop i am Sorry ;; i just like languages a lot.

Hm! I would imagine they were all speaking Japanese, if we were to believe that they all came from “Japanese” regions originally (which I find very likely - there are a couple who have descendants further out in the world like Unova or Kalos, but for the times, I think it makes more sense for them to be from Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn).

I would actually guess that the Celestica people would have spoken “Ainu”, as I think the Celestica people are supposed to represent the indigenous people living in Hokkaido, the Ainu (the story of Legends Arceus being based on the colonization of Hokkaido in the mid-1800’s).

Another thought is that they could be speaking the Pokemon equivalent of an ancient Hellenistic language like Latin, as all the ruins & the Temple of Sinnoh are more styled like ancient Grecian / Roman architecture:

If so, my memories of Art History make me wonder if it’s a reference to the Silk Road at all? Though honestly, I think it’s to communicate that the Pokemon world is a lot more multicultural & diverse than ours is / was (like people who live in “Japanese” regions don’t seem to necessarily be genetically Japanese you know? Ikrit’s an example of that, being white rather than asian) &/or it just “looks ancient” lol.

As for Russian - the Ainu people lived (live?) in Russia as well as northern Japan, so maybe? I could see it being a substitute for Ainu, seeing as it’s an almost dead language, & could make sense in universe? Depends on the direction one wants to go in I guess! If it were me, while I COULD try to excavate my old memories of high-school Latin lol, I’d want to try including Ainu in some way, even if it’s a couple words or a phrase. ;u;

Thank you very much! I hope you keep enjoying the story (lol it’s all good - I love world building, & languages are a part of it!)

PS: Oh! I forgot - while all the “Japanese” regions probably speak “Japanese”, different parts of Japan have their own dialects, much like how different parts of the US have their own words, phrases, & accents.

This showed up in Legends Arceus when Kamado had a moment of losing his cool - in the US English, he seemed to have an almost Southern / country accent, but in Japanese, he talks in a Kansai accent (aka Johto accent). It’s also worth noting that the fire caused by Ho-Oh in Ecruteak City happened about 150 years ago, & as of PLA (set about 150 years ago), Jubilife Village is only 2 years old…

[scraftyisthebest]

SV DLC Ramble

After quite some time we finally got in-game footage of the Scarlet and Violet DLC (The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero), both from Kitkami and the Blueberry Academy. And I’ve gotta say, this is looking to be great, and perhaps even grander than the SwSh DLC which stayed put in Galar.

Kitakami as we all expected seems to be travelling overseas back to a Japan based region, Kitakami even being a place in the Iwate Prefecture in the real world. The Iwate Prefecture is located in the Tohoku region in Japan, which is south of Hokkaido and north of the Kanto region in real Japan. 

If we were to use real world Japan as a basis that would mean that Kitakami would be south of Sinnoh and north of Kanto+Johto (the latter being based on Kansai), with Hoenn being the furthest south of the five.

Kitakami does seem to be based in the Pokemon world’s equivalent of Japan in that regard, with the presence of Johtonian Wooper being one of the biggest signs: unlike previous games, this time we’ll actually get to see the original forms of the regional forms Paldea introduced (and by extension Quagsire) actually be catchable in Kitakami. Perhaps Kantonian Tauros will also be available in Kitakami as well. 

The three “hero” legendaries seem like an interesting trio. They uniquely possess the ability Toxic Chain which seems to badly poison opponents if they attack. It’s pretty nice to have Poison-type legendaries nowadays after Poison was shafted as a legendary/mythical type for so long: first Eternatus and now these three. The fact that they are Poison-type however does raise questions as to what their relation to Ogerpon is: especially since poison implies toxicity and negative impressions. Ogerpon is an interesting beast, being under a mask, and perhaps having connections to the Terastal phenomenon.

The Blueberry Academy on the other hand seems to have more new characters like the director Cyrano and a fellow student in Lacey. 

I was curious how they were going to incorporate wild Pokemon aka the returning Pokemon to catch in the Indigo Disk with it taking place in the Blueberry Academy, an underwater school and facility but it seems they’re using a giant Terrarium that acts as a wildlife preserve and park, filled with a variety of environments to boot. Pretty cool way to incorporate that into a modernized facility setting. Hopefully there’s a battle facility of some sorts here as well.

It’s also interesting that the Blueberry Academy also involves traveling abroad (aka overseas), much like Kitakami. Together, both of these places being entirely separate settings in the world from Paldea, unlike with SwSh which stayed in Galar, would imply that the Terastal phenomenon has been found in places *outside* of Paldea, which puts it more in line with Mega Evolution in that regard. While Z-Moves and Dynamax are pretty deeply entrenched in Alola and Galar and the latter cannot be used outside of it, Terastal while originally found in Paldea seems to have sightings of it being present in other places as well like Kitakami and the place where the Blueberry Academy is. This is somewhat of a parallel to Mega Evolution albeit with slightly less dubious origins, in that while Mega Evolution is dominantly found in Kalos and was believed to only be found there at one point, Mega Evolution energy has also been found in Hoenn and has its own origin story there as well. 

Perhaps a similar case is occurring with Terastal as well: like Megas being found in Hoenn, another Japan-based region has sightings of Terastal, and in this case Ogerpon may play a role in the lore behind the Terastal phenomenon as well. Terastal is already my favorite super mechanic since Mega Evolution itself, and lore wise it’s looking even more interesting than Z-Moves and Dynamax ever were which may draw me to it more. 

I definitely look forward to playing this DLC, travelling to new places outside of Paldea and exploring new landscapes (which for the record, are looking incredibly vibrant and diverse, even moreso than Paldea) and exploring the lore of them in relation to Terastal, Terapagos, and Area Zero is interesting, and I genuinely enjoyed SV in spite of its technical problems so the DLC is gonna be more icing on the cake (contrast SwSh which was underwhelming and the DLC had to save it, and even then was overall smaller in scope than SV+DLC is setting up to be).

[rabbitholeresearch]

Pokemon Legends Celebi because talk of the Sinjoh Ruins came up quite a bit. But also ALSO: Pokemon Legends TRILOGY. This photo has been circulating as people begin talks of Gen5 remakes or possibly the fan-named "Pokemon Legends Kyurem." their evidence is seeing our Hisuian starters alongside starters of the same typing.

However, I don't think this is a hint to a Gen5 legends game. Solely because of Oshawot and Snivy.

To say there's a formula would imply repetition. With Arceus being the only Legends game as of writing this, I doubt they'd use Snivy for Ancient Unova.

For the most part, Arceus went with vastly different starters, pulling from a roster we were already familiar with. They even provided our Sinnoh starters which are much more abundant in the wilds of Hisui (def going to be working on that theory later).

Which is why, our little buddy, Piplup, is our first hint at this being a Legends starter. Piplup being present brings me to one theory: Pokemon Legends Johto is all but confirmed.

but what does that have to do with BW remakes or Unova at all. Well the fact that we see 2 unovan starters.

With Arceus, we received a bit of information regarding the Sinjoh Ruins, a place only accessible in the postgame of HGSS.

But wait, what about Tepig? glad you asked because I think this will continue, leading UP to what will be our gen5 remakes...or sequels.

Ladies and gentleman, I'm not only theorizing that with the newest Unova game, we will not only see Black3/White3 but we may also see a THIRD Pokemon Legends game, which somehow ties into the events of B3/W3.

Afterall, Pokemon Legends, while a spin off, is a MAINLINE game.

In fact, I would say as to go a step farther, Pokemon Legends Johto as well as what I believe will be Pokemon Legends Kanto, in which Tepig is our fire Starter and we get to explore Kanto, during the war, and maybe even we invent Porygon.

Also Commander Kamado is confirmed to be from Johto, given how he switches to a Kansai accent when All Mighty Sinnoh begins to wreak havoc.

So like, given how Pokemon LOVES to hint at the next game, seeing as god knows they're already beginning actual development five seconds after starting another game, they would have enough information to instantly confirm what the next game will be.

but also please let it be confirmed that torchic will be a new starter cuz gen 3 is literally my favorite

[pkmnathlete]

What's up?

元気? It's your soon-to-be Pokéathlon Medalist Extraordinaire, Haruto (that's 陽翔, for you kanji fanatics)! Out on the field, they also call me Helios, the shining sun. Choose as you wish! I'm 23, and I go by he/him!

This soaring star's origin story all begins in Johto's Goldenrod City! I stuck around the home rather than journeying to take care of my old man after he got injured at sea, but I spent a buncha time in the National Park, running circles around those local Beedrill!

Since then, my accomplishments include serving as a Gym Trainer for Gym Leader Bugsy, studying Sports Psychology at Naranja-Uva Academy all the way out in Paldea, and now starting my journey as a Pokéathlete!

My main team is full of little guys I've met full of fightin' spirit: Sunny, the Sunkern who's gonna go all the way, Peepy, my hardboiled little Togepi, and Ommy, my cool, calm, and collected Meditite!

I've also got my old gym team with me: Slicey-Dicey, who's really sweet once you get past the scissor hands, Pewwy, who's a bit explosive, and Stabby, who's got, like... zero chill. She's hella fast though!

Looking forward to seeing you all on the training field! Later, rivals! (OOC below cut.)

General warning for unreality of the Pokémon variety!

Hello, it's Ace of @aceoflilies (she/he) out here with yet another Pokéblog! Both mod (21) and muse are adult, if uncomfortable with that feel free to block!

I decided to make Haruto since I realized there's not much coverage of Pokéathlons here, and I recently spent several months in the Kansai region of Japan, where Johto is based off of! As such, Haruto will sometimes use "Kantonian" (Japanese). I'll put translations in the tags. (I should mention, I am NOT Japanese myself. Let me know if I absolutely mess something up, I'll fix it.)

Haruto is mostly going to be low-stakes, but has some (moderate) darker aspects to his background that might be explored in mini-arcs. Any specifics would be warned and tagged, of course! (I'm also open to involving him in medium-to-high-stakes Johto events!)

He's also more than a bit of a flirt. I won't direct that on other blogs that aren't my own without asking first though! And though I'll generally avoid explicit content, if something is suggestive it'll be tagged as such (#suggestive).

Anyways, that aside, I use the usual tags: #pkmn irl and #pokeblogging. Asks will be tagged as #haruto answers. OOC notes will be tagged as #//(content).

Hope you enjoy him!

[obi-mom-kenobi]

Saw you were wondering about the Pokémon regions, sooooo here's aboutttt what they're like:

Kanto: Big, populous, and highly developed in canon, but as it was the first region it's also rather simplistic and quaint in-game. It has a bit of everything. Based on the Kanto region in Japan.

Johto: Old-fashioned with a lot of traditional Japanese architecture, music, landscaping, very naturalistic and forested. The Pokémon are all very cutesy. Based on the Kansai region in Japan.

Hoenn: A land that sits firmly between the extremes of volcanism and the ocean. Much warmer and lusher than the previous two. This was the first to lean into the solarpunk utopia themes of the world. The music has a lot of bells and trumpets. Based on the Kyushu region in Japan.

Sinnoh: Cold, mountainous, and often rugged. There's a lot of lore here (in the sense of oral history, stories, old religions), and a sense that humanity never triumphed over the vastness of nature. The music has a lot of piano. Based on the Hokkaido region in Japan.

Unova: Very modern and dense. In many ways, the spiritually successor to the Kanto region. Music is chic and pop-like. Based on New York City in the US.

Kalos: Extremely picturesque. This region is seriously one gorgeous locale or landmark after the other, looks like the whole thing could be a painting. The vibes are like, "mystical and magical" and the whole region is pretty harmonious. Based on France.

Alola: A group of cheerful tropical islands, small-scale and diverse in cultural background. There's obviously a fair bit of tourism, but it's generally chill and pleasant. Based on Hawaii in the US.

Galar: A culture focused on ascension and competition, with one side being a humble rural countryside and the other a tremendous city, with a gradual transition between. Classic European architecture, often looks like it came out of a fairy tale. Based on the UK.

Paldea: Hot, sunny and arid for the most part, and vaguely mediterranean. Lots of bright warm colors feature in the architecture, stucco, and claywork like terracotta and ceramic tiling. Based on Spain.

Oooooo thank you! I'm very new to pokemon and don't have a way to play most of the games, but I wanted to learn more about it all!

[gen4grl]

completely forgot that bill is FROM johto which explains why the anime and english translations of the manga gave him accents!! trying to mimic the kansai dialect!

he’s such a weird but important side character in canon and i love involving him in my au!! i loved him & daisy in the manga together (omg and how they got beautiful full arts in the ‘recent’ 151 set… heh) so i always imagined them as being together since they were like 16-17. i think it shocked a lot of people in small town pallet (mostly blue) because of how popular daisy was and they couldn’t imagine why she settled with bill who was always just the computer geek with the “weird accent”.

while a brother in law to blue, i think red + leaf also see him as their older goofy brother figure (& like i’ve talked about a couple times on here, leaf eventually works alongside him in cerulean in the pc/storage system).

when red went missing and leaf was working in the pc system, bill was the one that tracked reds use of the storage boxes. i don’t think he initially told leaf about this knowing that she wouldn’t want to know for 2 reasons: 1. if his infomation was regularly being updated that meant he was alive but not responding to anyone’s messages or 2. if it wasn’t being updated, something had happened to red that she (and everyone else) wouldn’t have the heart & mind to process. he was ultimately the one that informed the professor that after nearly a year of silence, red’s storage boxes were being used again.

look at his :3

[lanceappreciationblog]

The person who talked about johto and kanto having different dialects is correct when you compare the two regions to where they're actually based (because johto is based in kansai, and the dialect there is called 関西弁/"kansai-ben!")! I'm not sure if that's true in the script of the og games, but as far as I can tell, no one from johto in pokemas speaks with kansai-ben though,,, it's a shame because the dialect itself sounds very melodious, and I bet lance's japanese va would sound amazing if he does it, too 😔

But, here's another lance fact in the japanese pokemas dub: he uses "ore" (俺) to introduce himself, which is a ✨️ very manly ✨️ way for a man to do so in japan! For reference, other characters who uses "ore" are most of the young male rivals (like silver) or a few of the older male adults (like raihan and leon)! 🤭

Oh!! Thank you! This is very helpful information!

I've heard of this particular dialect before, but as a non Japanese speaker, it's a bit hard to understand without hearing it. I'll listen out next time when I hear it! 👐

[klonoadreams]

the fact that iono is out there wearing painted and trained magnemite still sends me. miriam could only make do with hair unfortunately. her up do does look pretty similar but like. still not sure why thatd merit immediate jump to "they're related"

Not to mention, hair bows aren't exactly a recent thing either, I remember being in high school, seeing different students styling parts of their hair into a bow.

It's a very cute hair style. :V

Mimi used to work at a Pokemon Center before ending up at the academy and was friends and coworkers with a Model by the name of Naiara - which I find interesting. Because they might've gone separate paths, but some of their likes overlap, with Naiara being a model, and Mimi picking fashionable clothes. So it's likely that Mimi's always been interested in fashion at the side and cutesy things.

Also from Iono's trailers, I think she confirmed them in her first trailer that they're just really fancy hairclips. Which is fucking PHENOMENAL from the way they exaggerate some of her emotions and move around. She likely had them commissioned (or more likely, given Pokemon's recent technological advances, there might be a Rotom inside keeping it so fluid :V). Either way, they are VERY unique. So it's a lot harder for someone like Mimi to look around for one.

side note, one of the headcanons I have is that Mimi is a Paldean native, while Iono is from one of the PokeJapan regions (Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh - likely not Johto, due to her dialect - speaking of which, ScVi JP pixiv fics tend to lean into Rika being from Johto because she speaks in the Kansai dialect, which is an interesting trend :V). Why Iono would be in the Iberian Peninsula???

The thing about Spanish is that it shares linguistic similarities with Japanese. Meaning that it's actually pretty easy to learn Japanese if you know Spanish, and vice versa. And honestly, she looks young enough to have likely gotten yeeted into the Academy as a foreign exchange student likely on a scholarship or no, and like. Streaming has reached the point of mainstream that makes it even easier for the younger generation to easily pick up on it (I say this as someone who's been streaming since they were in high school, it is a LOT easier now, since OBS has come a long way, and the access to better mics and headsets that are affordable have made it easier too, now that it's no long so niche)

Iono's been streaming for quite a while that she's finally achieved stability that'll allow her to keep streaming until she chooses to retire, and like...it's only upwards for her as her connections make it possible for her to grow even more.

(this proves to be quite the stark contrast with Grusha, since snowboarding is a physical sport career that often sees people retiring in their early 20s, with most snowboarders starting their careers while they're in high school and being in their actual PRIME during those years before they hit 20 - meaning Grusha is likely not that much older than your player character and their friends. Meaning there's a likely possible chance that Grusha feels a bit bitter about Iono's career. So do what you will with that information, and I just wish to see Grusha and Iono having petty fights similar to what we see in memes with Raihan and Iono lmao :V)

anyways that's my blip of the day for headcanons, do what you will with them. I like analyzing characters and going my own way with what I take away from certain interpretations (being a comm major has it's perks, but also GOD DAMN, am I a fucking nerd sometimes).

(sometimes, the stars will align, and I come across other people who think similarly that create the content that I'm too busy - or lazy - to make myself. Currently, I am in rare pair hell because Larry/Rika is not as popular of a ship on the EN-speaking side as it is on the JP end of things, hence my daily pixiv dives to read machine translated fanfic and look at hella nice art on twitter. AO3 only has given me three fics for crumbs lmao, I'm reaching desperation where I might fucking write one of my own)

(I will continue this blurb in a different post, do keep an eye out for it)

[trainerkyanite]

I am still looking at that essay in that one post

Sitting here like man how do i answer this one question and BAM this smacks me with a headcanon

Rika and her parents were from Johto but moved to Paldea when she was a little kid. This also then explains them going out and exploring the region and the initial draw to wooper because hey! That reminds me of where i used to live. There were wooper there too! And then that ALSO leads into the plan of Pancake having found and empty pokeball and handing it to Rika and headbutting it so he can stay with her.

Anyways mini tangent aside why johto? Well in a few different languages Rika speaks with a different dialect. Specifically Romanesco in italian and Kansai dialect in Japanese. She also refers to herself in 3rd person in Japanese which is kinda neat! Ya learn something new everyday. Thanks Bulbapedia!

Anyways so where in Japan is Johto based off?

YEA THATS RIGHT

Therefor

Rika has an accent thats she’s kept because of the people around her also had that accent

Pancake is symbolically like Rika. Species from another region (johto) but has adapted and flourished in calling another region home (paldea)

[kob131]

I finally decided to spring the $35 for Scarlet’s Season Pass since Indigo Disc comes out on the 14th. I’m a bit of a Japanophile, so I actually know what the area you go to for the school trip is based off of. It’s modeled after Japan’s Kansai region, which is the Japanese countryside. People who live there are stereotyped by people living in central Japan as being country bumpkins, similar to southerners in the U.S. I have Crashing Wave, the Beasts of Ruin, and my Skeledirge with me, so I’m gonna Ruination and Torch Song the shit out of the competition.

Huh.

A. So that's why Carmine is so high strung about her hometown and why she doesn't like outsiders- it's based off the concept that the area is full of bumpkins who disrespect her home. I have to admit, that aspect was underplayed but I can actually see it as Game Freak just working off Japanese culture and assumptions with it not translating to other countries.

B. Yeah, same region as Johto right? I figured as much. It all did have a similar vibe to Johto so I figured it was from the same place. It also explains why we see Hisuian Pokemon there too- the Arceus event established that Sinnoh and Johto share a connection. Also makes sense with the theme of time (past/future)- Johto is from a very traditional area full of ancient culture and references whereas Unova is based on America, a rather young country, that's more modern.

C. Nice to hear. If you haven't guessed already- I very much enjoyed the Teal Mask and would actually endorse it. Hope you have fun. Say hi to the ogre and Kieran for me.

And D. Yeah...Piece of advice. Try that on the Kitakami Ogre Clan trainers and see how far that goes. Cuz it's rumored that the Indigo Disk is...quite a bit harder. The third to and final fights alongside the Ogres are the hints to the difficulty coming up

P.S. For people in the US- it drops on the 13th actually. The 13th at 5/6/7/8:00 PM to be specific. Blame time zones, that's why the 7 Star raids arrive and leave early.

[peskyhil-bee]

// Off topic for a sec.

// I’m getting used to the whole Tumblr thing. But anyway, one of my head cannons is that (If Johto was a real place) it would be a sideways flipped Massachusetts. (Yes I know Johto is inspired of the Kansai region but I don’t give a shit.)

// Everyone there has some sort of an accent. Gold, (yes, that Gold.) has a Boston Accent. Ethan’s is less extreme though. Gold’s voice is literally Scouts voice.

[shinygoku]

Johto is kind of Quaint

...while symbiotic with the other regions.

Yeah, after my analysis and conclusion of Kanto being an unfortunately grimy and less-than ideal place to live (but that does make it a cool setting in its own way!), I remarked that the other 3 Japan-Regions are little slices of Ghibli vibes. But out of those, Johto feels the most tricky to actually define. The closest I can come up with is Remote, while heavily leaning on Kanto and later, Sinnoh, for more actual substance. Paradoxical, ain’t it? Let’s have a deeper look...

Imagine (or possibly, remember!) you’ve just slotted your brand new Gold or Silver into your Game Boy, after having played Gen 1 faithfully for years. How this brand new region both looks so much like what you’re used to, but there’s more colour, and an exciting new Day and Night difference. As you play, you realise the routes in between Towns are more winding and natural feeling, and even once you hit the most developed location, it’s an odd one out and a considerable distance off from the others. It ain’t just more of the same!

It’s rural and lacks the hustle and bustle of Kanto, which is a deliberate design choice. Kanto, after all, shares its very name with the real-world region that contains Tokyo, so while Johto got a new name for itself, it’s basically the Kansai region. Home of historic areas and temples, and a reputation for being laid-back and easygoing. Johto has mostly small towns that seem to pride themselves on being small and humble, and is all bordered with either dense forests, vast cordoned off ocean or a jagged mountain range. There’s even an early route to the 2nd biggest and the single most developed city, except that it’s so tree lined that even one fake-tree blocks the entire path!

Yet... Johto doesn’t feel entirely like its own thing. In a way, the contrast with Kanto is the defining feature it has, but what else is there? Is it truly a region we can consider a separate entity, or the balancing half to the urban sprawl of Gen 1? It gets weirder when you factor in the native mons, generally being unassuming and underwhelming, except for some of the best and coolest concepts, which are very strangely limited to being found only in Kanto once you gain access. The Psychic Killer type being mostly confined to the postgame is pretty crummy! That’s a pretty bad choice that ain’t even fixed in the remake, unless you know how to rig the Safari Zone... but still, you can’t walk around Johto at night to find Houndour or Sneasel? Why not?! My best guess is that it’s incentive to keep combing through the slightly shortened version of Kanto for goodies, but who’d think to look for the unseen new mons in the stomping grounds of the past? And yes, both real life and even in-game past, it’s explicitly set 3 years after the events of RGB.

What’s the deal with the level scaling and extremely sparse spread of Trainers in the later parts of the game? A poor attempt to allow for choosing your own route after Ecruteak means the 3 possible Gyms are all low levelled. You trek through an abandoned Victory Road, where the implication is that Silver scared the NPCs off with Major Character Powers, and Mt Silver (...no relation lol) is also deserted save for the surprize reveal of Red at the peak. Is Johto really that low energy that they don’t feel the urge to battle?

It may be this, honestly. Johto seems way more friendly and personable than Kanto. A whole game mechanic has you getting phone numbers for swarm info, rare items or pointless chitchat. Other than Team Rocket’s weedy attempts to re-assert their dominance, the only somewhat antagonistic characters are 2 sore loser Gym Leaders and Silver the Human. There’s even the brand new Friendship mechanic for your team, and breeding!

Overall, Johto makes me think of summer evenings. It’s exciting but in a small, cosy way. You can imagine running up a hill to reach a small house at the top with the windows glowing with yellow light and the door invitingly open. It’s also like a crisp autumn morning where the sky is clear and blue and you can leisurely sip at a hot drink. The Ruins of Alph are weird and spooky, but not in a ghostly way, but one that makes you want to unearth the mysteries. There’s tall wooden towers to climb and whirlpools to swim around. It feels like a great place to have an adventure, but also one where you can get back home in time for supper.

A very early build of GS had the region take place over a theme park version of the WHOLE of Japan, I think it’s very good that they re-planned it to be the Kansai region instead and give Kyushu and Hokkaido their own focuses later too, all these areas get a lot of loving attention to detail as a result.

As for the symbiotic traits with the fellow regions, I’ve got a lightweight summary here:

Kanto - Literal next door neighbours who are also yin and yang. A lot of Pokémon overlap and Prof Oak has much more presence in Johto than Elm, plus the whole shared Indigo League. For some reason Mt Silver is regarded as Kanto but I’d argue for it being a Johto thing lmao.

Hoenn - Less so, though the playable character (Brendan or May) is from Johto as their dad, Norman, went up enough in the ranks to be given a gym position in Hoenn instead. Hoenn thus feels bigger both figuratively and literally, having its own branch of the Pokémon League that Johto doesn’t quite manage.

Sinnoh - Similar themes of reverence for history and old myths. Again there’s a lot of Pokémon species overlapping with new Evos and Prevos. The two halves of Sinnoh being divided by a vast mountain range echoes how Kanto and Johto are geographically, plus Mt Silver is the only other place to Sinnoh with fallen snow.

Oh yeah, and there was the whole Embedded Tower (where you find Groudon/Kyogre/Rayquaza) and the Sinjoh Ruins that you only access with an event or hacked Arceus from the remakes! Well, I’d say they borrow more the Vibe from their respective regions, which I’ll soon cover!

[h-worksrambles]

so i saw your post on kamado, and i wanna add a fun tidbit. when kamado freaks out at spear pillar and says "forget the fancy talk!", he starts speaking in kansai-ben in japanese. this means he's most likely from meiji-era johto, since johto's layout is based on the kansai region of japan.

now recall what happens in GSC/HGSS era with a raging gyarados. recall that kamado's hometown was ravaged... by maddened pokemon. not only that, but misdreavus was introduced in GSC, and mismagius, its evolution was introduced in the DPP era (fun little connection in a sense). mismagius are incredibly fickle and prone to casting wicked spells—"its cries sound like incantations. those hearing it are tormented by headaches and hallucinations", and "the incantations mismagius chants can ward against misfortune, so a custom exists of inviting it into one’s home. incur the pokémon’s displeasure, however, and disaster will surely ensue."

now, what could cause a gyarados to go berserk all of a sudden? and just how many could it kill? just how much damage could it do?

idk, i just thought that was a fun connection to make. kinda spitballing but using canon info, so take what you will.

Now THAT’s an intriguing and chilling thought to be sure. I am actually familiar with the theory that Kamado is from Johto (and being the gen 2 trash that I am, it puts a smile on my face). But I never thought to put together that part about Misdreavus. That would certainly provide a lot more context to Kamado’s mistrust of Pokemon if THAT was how it went down. Thanks again for pointing this out!

[superhero--imagines]

A/N: Yes this is a shameless written work to make my application for a zine stronger, what of it?

Jokes, just kidding, but if you like my work please check out this internet form, linked here, to gauge interest in an x reader Haikyuu Zine I’m thinking of making!

Might make this a series too idk, I have a really good idea for Hinata and Kageyama

Osamu

* I feel like the first pokemon he ever got was an Eevee

* It was definitely a well thought out decision that he spent a lot of time thinking and debilitating about

* Since the region they live in is in the Hyōgo prefecture, which is in Kansai (which was sort of the blueprint Johto was based on) he might have considered Chikorita, or a Larvitar.

* A hardy pokemon who he could grow with

* Maybe even a pichu, which has three evolutionary stages, perfect for each period of his life

* But Osamu is still learning who he is, he’s always growing and changing

* So he goes with an Eevee, a versatile Pokémon that can grow and change with him

* No matter how hard he tries the Eevee sits on his shoulder all the time

* “Man, yer an affectionate thing ain’t ya?”

* After a while he just gets used to it, holding his arms out on instinct so he can carry his little fox

* At first he and Atsumu travel together but it becomes pretty apparent to him that while the occasional battle can be fun

* He doesn’t want to battle all the time

* Honestly the most fun thing is cooking and learning to make delicious dishes

* So they split up so he can learn more about cuisine and what he wants to do

* I can see Osamu having a larvitar and a lapras too

* The Lapras he got purely by coincidence, someone he met on the beach said that they breaded a Lapras but, it seemed to like to battle, would he like to have it?

* Osamu, who is usually a little lazy and apathetic towards everything, has stars in his eyes as he nods

* He raises it with a lot of love and care, and often doses off on it’s back on lazy days when Lapras wants to swim but he just wants to nap

* The Larvitar he hatches from an egg he got from a traveler

* I feel like it would be stuck in the Pupitar stage for a really long time

* To the point it starts to get frustrated that it can’t evolve

* “Don’t worry, these things happen when they happen, ain’t anythin’ to worry about” he says patting it softly

* Eventually it does evolve into Tryanitar, and like Eevee it’s very affectionate

* I think they all play a part in setting up/helping out at Onigiri Miya when Osamu decides he doesn’t really like battling anymore and just wants to cook and make delicious food

* The Tryanitar, though clumsy at first, serves orders, or at least tries to

* Osamu usually take Lapras to various islands and locations to get ingredients and learn different cooking techniques

* And the Eevee is sort of the mascot for Onigiri Miya

* I’m a little conflicted, because I can see Osamu keeping his Eevee an Eevee, saying something like:

* “You’re fine just the way you are, no need ta change if ya don’t want to”

* But I can also see the Eevee evolving into a Sylveon just from how much Osamu spoils and loves them

* He also has a munchlax somewhere around this time, that he found in the alleyway looking for scraps and basically adopted to be his taste tester in the restaurant

* “How’s this one? Better or worse than the first?”

* He’s super proud of his Pokémon either way

* And he loves them all equally

* Hanging on a wall in Onigiri Miya is a picture of him and Atsumu with their Eevees as kids, and a picture of Osamu with his Pokémon team

* It’s all very sweet

Atsumu

* Oh my god

* This dude is an impulsive hot mess

* You know how Osamu thought a lot about his starter Pokémon and what he wanted long term?

* Atsumu saw Osamu pick and Eevee and said

* “Me too, Ah want one of those too”

* But that’s about where the similarities end

* He can’t wait for his Eevee to evolve

* “Man a flareon would be bad ass, but Ah wouldn’t sneeze at an umbreon or anything”

* The Eevee does a Pokémon equivalent of a sigh before turning so they don’t have to look at him

* “Aw, don’t be like that!”

* Osamu and Atsumu travel together at first

* And I 100% believe Atsumu gets into a feud with an Aipom who’s always pranking and torturing him

* “‘SAMU THAT DAMN THING STOLE MA CLOTHES AGAIN!” He shouts before stomping into the woods, following the trail of clothes that the Aipom left behind

* Osamu raises an eyebrow as he continues stirring the curry

* “They’re just teasin’ ya ‘Sumu, they’d probably stop if you didn’t react like that” he mumbles under his breath, smiling when his Eevee bounds over to him

* The Aipom is just trying to get a rise out of him, and can you blame him? Atsumu is pretty easy to tease

* “Ah just wanna have a heart ‘ta heart with ya” He’ll say one day, hoping this will change things between them

* After baring his soul to the Aipom for over thirty minutes it gives him rather soulful eyes, before stealing his hat and a pack of crackers, and running off into the woods

* “Come back here dammit! Ah really liked that hat!”

* Osamu and the two eevee’s just watch

* “Well at least this is entertaining” he shrugs

* I can totally see Atsumu challenging every trainer he see’s to a Pokémon battle and being super aggressive about it general

* “We locked eyes! That means we have to battle, ’s the law!”

* “No it ain’t” Osamu says lazily beside him

* “IT’s tHe LaW!”

* He totally befriends a Totodile

* “‘SAMU, ‘SAMU, LOOK WHAT I CAUGHT!” He says, holding up his caught totadile who spreads their arms with a wide smile

* “Hmmm”

* “AIN’T HE THE COOLEST?”

* He just totally digs this weird creature

* They both have super chaotic vibes tbh

* Around the time he catches his third Pokémon, a scyther he got lucky enough to find, he starts getting impatient about his Eevee not having evolved yet

* “When are ya gonna evolve? It’s been years!”

* “Atsumu it’s literally been three weeks”

* “WEEKS!”

* He pouts when his Eevee sighs like she can’t stand his outbursts, and turns away from him

* “I’m just looking forward to seein’ who you become” he sniffles, and eevee’s ears twitch. Sighing she moves and sits on his lap

* She’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now, he is her trainer

* He doesn’t say anything, just pats her head and smiles

* Halfway through, Osamu realizes he’s really not into battling, and that he’s more interested in learning about the different cuisines and dishes in every town they visit

* Atsumu is all about battling though, and after a while they part, with Atsumu going to compete in the league and get all the gym badges he can, and Osamu sails away on his Lapras to learn more about food

* His first night alone Atsumu is feeling pretty lonely, he’s never been without Osamu, when he hears a rustling outside his tent, he charges outside with his camping light expecting to see a thief, or maybe a member of team rocket or something

* But instead it’s just his Aipom

* His in the sense that it’s the Aipom that’s always tormenting him

* “Oh, it’s you,” he lets out a sigh of relief as he sits on the ground “well what do you want?”

* The Aipom frowns rubbing it’s head then pointing to Atsumu

* “Oh him? He’s gone, why ya miss his curry?” He grins, but the Aipom’s frown only deepens

* “Don’t ya get sad on me, he just had a different dream ‘s all”

* The Aipom looks at the ground for several second, a determined gaze when he looks up again

* Then he scampers over to Atsumu and perches himself on his shoulder

* “Ya wanna come with me?”

* Aipom only nuzzle it’s face into Atsumu’s neck, and he grins

* “Alright, sounds like a plan”

* After that, things get a lot more relaxed

* The time alone does him good and he matures

* He spends his time battling and learning from trainers he meets, battling the occasional team rocket goon, and getting the random egg from a townsperson he might meet

* He still has some childish tendencies

* “Damn it! How long am I gonna have to spend at this stupid lake looking for a dratini?” He shrieks, sitting on the edge of a pond in the safari zone. Eevee shakes her head, stretching after yawning. “And how am I supposed to catch anything with just these dumb pieces of bait and poke balls?”

* He sighs, and goes back to the task

* His exercise of patience works out though, because he managed to find a dragonair

* Atsumu still keeps his aggressive battling style, choosing raw power

* But it’s much more thoughtful and relaxed than it was at first

* “Nothing wrong with taking a break every now and then” he says to his Scyther as they widdle different wooden figurines

* It take a little over a year, in which time all of his Pokémon have evolved

* His totadile to a Feraligator, Scyther to a scizor, Dragonair to Dragonite, and his Aipom to an Ambipom

* The only one that hasn’t is his Eevee

* “That’s okay, take ya time, there’s no need to rush and grow up”

* There’s a possibility that his Eevee becomes an Espeon or even a Leafeon, but I think his Eevee decides to stay an Eevee, comfortable just the way they are

* He probably gets halfway through the Elite 4, before he has to start again, the second time with a typhlosion, and becomes league champion

* But he declines the position

* “Standing around waiting’ for someone to show up so I can battle them sounds boring, I’ll pass”

* He decides to go to different regions to meet more people and have more adventures

[1358456]

Regions

This is something I wondered about before the surgery, and I had discussed it with a friend who used to live in Japan.

So, everyone has heard of "kansai", namely from the kansai regional dialect. But how many know what "kansai" actually means? Kansai (關西), or west (西) of the gate (關). And its counterpart, kanto (關東), or east of the gate. Korea doesn't have these regions (tiny landmass, vertical peninsula, no gates (not in that sense, 門 vs 關), etc), but China and Japan have them.

In China, I believe everything to the east of the former capital Luoyang (洛陽) and its surrounding gates is considered "kanto" (or however it's pronounced in Chinese) while everything to the west of the former capital Changan (長安) and its surrounding gates is "kansai".

So I asked my friend, "Tokyo and eastward is considered kanto, and Osaka and westward is considered kansai. So what's the "gate" in reference here?" And upon consulting his Japanese buddies, he told me that the "gate" is apparently a series of checkpoints on the main highway that connects most of Japan. And everything to the east (Tokyo and onwards) is kanto, and west (Osaka and onwards) is kansai.

Anyways. Why am I bringing this up here? The Pokemon region Kanto, is written as 關東 when in Chinese, and its equivalent in Korean too. And sure enough, to the west end of Kanto, is a huge gate, in the form of the Victory Road. In fact, in HGSS, when you beat all 16 Gyms, Prof Oak tells you that he'll tell the gatekeepers to let you through, giving you access to Mt. Silver, which is then accessed from the gate, which also leads up north directly to the Indigo Plateau. ... I don't think he says this in GSC, giving how in Generation II, the games still don't really tell you sh*t.

So, the region Kanto is, sure enough, to the east of a giant gate. Which then means the region Johto is to the west of the giant gate. ... Johto is the Pokemon equivalent of kansai. ... Doesn't Bill have a kansai dialect? And his house is in Goldenrod City (though he lives in Cerulean Cape)...

So does that mean... should Crystal have a... kansai regional dialect? She doesn't, but... should she? Heh. For some reason, when I try to imagine Crystal talking in a kansai dialect, it's just... really funny.