#less cyrus and more volo

[kurara-black-blog]

White Lily/Dark Enchantress: I must know why cookies where created!

Me: Dear, probably not even the witches know why they were created, calm the fuck down

[marinecorvid]

brainstorming some outfits for my platinum girl dawn “dusk” dušková

[jadeazora]

With Volo, I'm guilty over it in the past, and thought he's more evil than he actually is, since his tenure as a villain is so short and with how manipulative he is, it left me with a lot more questions than answers and wondering how much of what we saw was real. Like, I know people refer to his friendship evolutions a lot, but the only one we know he's had from the base form is Togepi (non-Alpha Lucario and Roselia can be caught wild, and his Lucario and Roserade are only on that team for the final fight), and it's hinted he experienced some tragedy in his past, but the severity of it or if it warranted such an extreme reaction is unknown. Masters fortunately elaborates a bit more, he actually does love Pokemon but due to the emotional walls he built around himself, is unable to recognize that himself, or that his own Pokemon really love him. (They also implied he's like this because he was used in the past, forming a "use them before they use you" mentality.)

Lysandre, from what I've seen, a lot of people take his clunky, weird "beauty" dialogue and his team's obsession with fashion literally, and think he just wants to kill all the ugly people, rather than him seeing most of humanity as greedy and how overpopulation and greed will lead to shortages of resources and violence as people fight over whatever scraps remain, which is the thing he actually finds ugly. (Also, while he does show remorse and cries over innocent Pokemon having to die, I see a lot of people claim he shows remorse over innocent people dying too, but I don't recall any moments like that???)

Cyrus is a mix of people thinking he's more evil than he actually is (he feels like he has less conviction towards wiping everybody else out compared to Lysandre, considering that, once he gets something similar to what he wants, he tends to leave others alone, like deciding to chill in the Distortion World with Giratina in Generations or backing off from the player's world in Alola after he's defeated while all the other villains still have the desire to continue their schemes despite losing to you, and he has shifted his views towards completing spirit rather than eliminating it entirely in Masters), and also tend to take his whole "emotionless" facade too literally. Tho tbf, there's a lot of characterization differences between DP/BDSP and Platinum, and his backstory and elaboration on his motive is tucked away in out of the way areas (including one originally locked behind an event), and some more humanizing portrayals like how he's depicted in Masters are more niche.

[leggerefiore]

self-aware au prompt... letting them pick a youtube video to watch

Ingo delicately turns on a video related to train travel and watches it while adding in commentary about his personal opinions about the mode of train present in the video. He does not particularly use YouTube too much.

Emmet turns on a video related to some historical moment in train history, like how they used to just crash them to retire them sometimes. He is silent and enjoys the video quietly. There are a bunch of new videos in your watch history slowly over time. When you're too busy for him, he's watch videos.

Cyrus turns on some far too detailed video about mechanical engineering and then reports on their techniques and how he feels. He seems almost entranced, if that were possible. You do not dare interrupt. He enjoys himself in his own way. He does not often watch YouTube, but you do a find a few sporadic videos that align with his tastes.

Volo turns on assorted videos about culture and the modern era. He seems obsessed with gathering as much information as he possibly can. It is difficult to get his attention as he watches since his mind is simply so focused on it. He often does turn on videos when you are not on your phone. The issue? He deletes them from your watch history, so you have no idea what he is watching.

Maxie naturally turns on videos about geothermal power and volcanoes. He attempts to explain it back to you what the videos show. Do not call him a nerd no matter how tempting it may be. He is sharing his interests with you so plainly.

Archie turns on a video of sea-shanties. Nothing more. Nothing less. He appears to be quite contented with his choice.

Lear turns on a video of his battle theme and sits there in contemplation. He still despises reality and has no interest in leaving his beloved Pasio. However, he does have too much free time. You will find him entertaining himself with assorted new stories about real-life royal families. It seems the French Revolution is something he dislikes greatly (making you laugh).

[realm-sweet-realm]

What would it be like for the Pokemon villains to live with each other for months?

Oh, boy, these are always great! So, here’s the scenario: due to some sort of mad science gone wrong, Giovanni’s mansion has been teleported onto a desert island along with all the Pokémon villains. Estimated time before Colress (whose fault this is, naturally) can get them back: three months. This is not gonna be a fun time for most of them.

Giovanni: It’s his house, his rules, and his responsibility to keep these idiots from killing each other or going insane. One such method of establishing some familiarity between them is that twice a week, one member of the group has to spend the evening teaching the group about a skill or subject. He also set up a “scream room” where a person can vent their frustrations to a camera and/or hit punching bags, or a pair can go to physically fight and/or yell at each other. It has thick walls and a schedule. He is so ready for this to be over.

Archie: is hands-down the most popular person there. Lusamine relies on him. N and Guzma like him. He’s good company, good in the kitchen, and just generally is making the best of this. Before the end of the three months, he and Maxie have broken up, reconciled, and gotten back together thrice, used the scream room for couples disputes eight times, and many of the other villains are calling their relationship “the soap opera.”

Maxie: The stress of the situation is grating on him. Alternates between being annoyed with how freakishly well Archie is handling this and being glad he has him. During their “on” periods, he’s also happy to be Archie’s safe haven (even Archie finds this place kind of crazy). Helps out in the lab where he can and spends a good deal of time outside to help keep his sanity. This does not always work. Frequent user of the scream room.

Cyrus: This place is chaotic. These people are idiotic. This may be the most unpleasant place he’s been in his adult life. Spends a great deal of time in the lab, either on his own or with Colress, in attempt to expedite things. If he isn’t there, he’s probably cloistered somewhere he won’t be found. Avoids Lusamine and Ghetsis like the plague. By the end of the twelve weeks, he has a reputation as the resident cryptid and the others have figured out that he can be goaded into extra chores or work tasks if it means he can skip group activity.

Volo: this is the time of his life. Everyone there that has researched a legendary, owned a legendary, met a legendary, or been within twenty feet of a legendary is getting interviewed at least once but probably several times by him. Some love it, at least at first. Some want him to shut up and take a long walk off a short pier. He’s trying to be pleasant, but ultimately if he’s interested in more information, he’s getting it from you. Maybe he’ll give you a gift for your trouble afterwards.

Ghetsis: After his first “I hate N” speech, much of the house became… less than favourable towards him. He and Guzma are no longer allowed to be alone in the same room after an incident left them both needing medical attention. Cyrus is no longer allowed to fix everyone's coffee after he dumped salt in Ghetsis’ twice. And there are several other rules made to essentially grant him protective custody. Generally speaking, Ghetsis is a terrible roommate who expects everyone else to cater to him. He’s earned almost everyone’s ire by the end of their stay, to the point where Giovanni was tempted to lift the rules meant to protect him. Frequently uses the scream room for rambles about N and complaints about the others. Absolutely horrified by the effect this event is having on N.

N: After Ghetsis’ first “I hate N” speech, he suddenly acquired two new dads (Archie and Maxie) and two new brothers (Guzma and Piers). Even Giovanni has become protective of him and has given him a talk on how Ghetsis is using him and nothing he’s said is true. The group activities are helping to broaden his very narrow horizons, he’s meeting lots of new people (even if a lot of them are various shades of evil) and he can always slip off into the woods if he wants to be alone. He’s having a great time. He understands the frustrations of others, but honestly he’s more worried about returning to his old life- sadly, this is a big improvement to it.

Colress: since he’s charismatic and more importantly their ticket out, the others treat him nicely even though he put them in this situation. Uses this period to look for a safety net for if he’s ever in need of a place to go post-Team Plasma. Gets into Lusamine’s, Lysandre’s, and Cyrus’ good graces and spends a good deal of time attempting to get to know them better to decide which he’d prefer. Lusamine is glad to have an ally. Lysandre likes him just fine. Cyrus thinks he’d be a good addition to Team Galactic but also wishes he and Volo would go pester each other and leave him alone.

Lysandre: there’s no sense panicking over this. Is polite to everyone and doesn’t talk about the unworthiness of the poor unless it’s with someone he’s sure will agree with him. Attempts to do some networking, and get himself some trade partners and allies with the assorted wealthy people there. He’s generally decent company even though he can’t wait to get away from some of these peasants. *coughGuzmacough*

Guzma: He trusts Plumeria to hold down the fort in his absence, so this is just a luxury vacation if you think about it. Plus, he gets to meet his favourite Galarian musician. He’s the reason behind a lot of Giovanni’s rules (take your physical fights outside or to the scream room, stop leaving your dirty socks everywhere, no loud music after 11 pm, and for the love of God your goliscopod cannot fix his own breakfast, get him out of the kitchen). Attempts to teach the group breakdancing when it’s his turn to teach, disregarding that most of the group would injure themselves trying to do that. Gets on everyone’s nerves by showing no one the reverence they think they’re owed, which he’s proud of. Spends time with Piers, tries to teach N how to live, and avoids Lusamine like the plague.

Lusamine: was separated from nihilego when she ended up there. The nihilego poison withdrawals were terrible at first, causing her to have wild mood swings and erratic behaviour. A few of the others (especially Archie) are able to help her through it, and within a few weeks, she was feeling clearer-headed than she had since she met nihilego. Even after that, though, she struggles to connect with the other villains due to the bad first impression. She’s anxious to get home, patch things up with her children, and undo her ills. It’s not a fun time for her.

Rose: Oleana is able to handle everything while he’s away, so once he’s come to terms with the fact that he’s surrounded by evil people with no way to do anything about it, he basically treats it like a vacation and is very go-with-the-flow about it. Generally one of the more popular and liked people there, a lot of people come to him to feel like they're talking to someone sane for once. Tries to recruit N as a new potential champion multiple times only to have one of his new fathers or big brothers guide him away.

Piers: spends a lot of time alone, playing music and worrying over how Spikemuth and his little sister are coping with his sudden absence. Also spends time with Guzma, who is a big fan of his music, and N, who is a nice kid and clearly needed the support. Wonders what the hell he did to end up here with all these evildoers.

Penny: After the initial panic wore off, she’s content to just sit back, be unnoticeable and take as many pictures, videos and notes as she can. Her friends, the true crime fandom, and the international police might call it fake, but you never know, and she’s going to have so many stories to tell.

[sporesgalaxy]

hi! :] i'm the one rando who wrote scrangle meeting cyrus a couple of years ago and i just wanted to let you know within the past week i've become batshit ex-catholic insane about volo so i was wondering if i can ask permission to write scrangle again in the context of that illness?

YESSSSSSSS OOHOOHOO IM SO DELIGHTED THAT YOU WANT TO WRITE SCRANGLE AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEREs some endgame & postgame Scrangle & Volo that I don't believe I've posted yet, which may or may not come in handy! ^_^

•••

during banishment

(due to circumstances, instead of talking to Diamond and Pearl clan members immediately after being banished, Scrangle has a [reassuring] battle with Ingo. I think I've posted this before but changed it since then...)

•••

??? [offscreen] "Krr!"

[Scrangle looks up and turns around. A Shinx approaches them. They lean down and stare at it. It yips happily at them and then runs off again]

[Scrangle watches as it runs over to two Luxios and chirps a greeting. The Shinx then runs off, its Luxio parents following close behind.]

[Scrangle watches them go, and then continues staring after them, at a loss for what to do.]

[someone in a familiar blue and yellow uniform approaches behind Scrangle]

??? [offscreen] "Strange events seem to follow you wherever you go, don't they?"

[Surprised, Scrangle turns around quickly, pulling out a Pokeball as if prepared for another fight. They lower their throwing arm when they realize it is Volo approaching, smiling amicably as always. Scrangle's frown deepens.]

Volo "Found you at last, Scrangle!"

Volo [leaning forward, wagging his finger] "I've been looking all over for you, you know!"

Volo "What would I do if I were to lose one of my favorite customers?"

[Scrangle gives him a tired, incredulous look, but they are clearly waiting for Volo to continue.]

Volo "I heard all about what happened. A good merchant knows well the importance of staying abreast of all the latest news."

Volo "It's quite the pinch you've gotten yourself into. The Galaxy Team pinning you with such wild accusations...and you, claiming that they're true! Right in front of the Diamond and Pearl clan leaders, no less!"

[Scrangle breaks eye contact to look away moodily, but doesn't stay anything.]

Volo "The rumors are outrageous." [Despite his words, he looks & sounds much more excited than skeptical.]

Volo "I mean-- a monster in disguise, stronger than any Pokemon! It can't be true...can it?" [his smile widens and he leans in further.]

Scrangle [looks up at him again, expression sour as always] "...I don't care what you think I am."

Volo [smile doesn't waver] "...What I think you are is a friend in need."

Volo "And I know someone who can help you! She's something of an expert on things like this." [gestures vaguely to the sky]

[Scrangle tilts their head, curious.]

Scrangle "Who??"

Volo [^_^] "I'll gladly introduce you! Just follow my lead!"

[Volo leads them to Cogita's camp.]

•••

postgame

•••

Volo "The temple lies in ruins now... Columns cracked and broken... Like pillars now turned into spears, stabbing into the heavens..."

Volo [suddenly less gravitas] "Well, I detect a distinct lack of Giratina."

[Scrangle stops walking, and looks at him, perplexed.]

Volo "Hmm? Is something bothering you?"

Scrangle [frowning hard] "We just got here."

Volo "Ah, I do beg your pardon. I suppose I must seem to be behaving strangely!"

Volo "I daresay you deserve to know what I'm really after by now."

[Scrangle just looks more confused]

Volo "Ever since I became convinced that Arceus really does exist, there has been one question that consumed my thoughts... How can I meet such a being myself?"

[Scrangle's expression pinches with uncertainty, concerned where hes going with this.]

Volo "It was in an attempt to answer this question that I originally sought out Giratina and had it tear open that rift in space and time--"

[Scrangle's eyes widen with angry recognition. Volo caused all the problems SCRANGLE was blamed for!!]

Scrangle "You caused--?!"

Volo "--because it was Giratina who wished to stand against Arceus. But that didn't do the trick..."

Volo "So then I had you gather the fragments of the all-encompassing deity, just as the murals of the ruins directed."

Volo "Eighteen plates said to be the fragments of the all-encompassing deity... You hold in your hands seventeen of them. So, you must be wondering: Where is the last one?"

Volo [pulls the plate out] "Why, it's right here!"

Scrangle [furious] "GIVE IT TO ME!"

Volo [shocked laugh] "...Pardon?"

Scrangle "YOU OWE ME!! I WAS BLAMED FOR YOUR RIFT!!"

Volo "Huhuhahaha!! Now, now! You're the one who told Kamado all that nonsense about monsters and tyrants. Maybe if you had been more honest--"

Scrangle [REALLY pissed] "I DID NOT LIE!! "

Volo [getting annoyed] "...Whether you are creative or delusional makes no difference to me, little girl."

Volo "What matters is that I will be the one to bring all the plates together! Now give them to me!"

[Scrangle takes a step back. Volo takes a step forward.]

Volo "My desire to meet Arceus cannot be contained any longer! I need to know what it is! I MUST know what it is!"

Volo "If I can meet Arceus myself, then I may also be able to subjugate its power... And using that, I will attempt to create a new, better world--!"

Scrangle [practically snarling] "You stupid worm!!! The Tyrant should be annihilated!!"

Volo [eyes widen] "...Oh."

Volo [grinning maniacally] "So that's who your Tyrant is! Huhu...You keep finding ways to surprise me, Scrangle!"

Scrangle [gritted teeth] "I will destroy Arceus at any cost!"

Volo "Ha!! As if I would ever let that happen, you little brat!! I'm not above taking those plates from you by force!"

• Upon being defeated

Volo "Why? Why would Arceus favor a disrespectful wretch like you?!"

• After being defeated

Volo "Why? How?!"

Volo "I've devoted myself to Arceus beyond any other! I worshiped it as the creator of our entire world! I bent all of my passion and interest to its study! All the time I've spent poring over the legends... Everything that I've done—!"

Volo "You rotten brat!! It's almost as if you were spat out of the space-time rift just to get in my way!"

Scrangle [sneering] "You are the most annoying punishment the Tyrant has forced me to endure."

Scrangle "But now, Arceus has abandoned you!" [holds out their hand] "So give me the plate!"

Volo "No, this isn't finished yet!"

Volo "Can't you feel it? The chill creeping through your veins—the eldritch presence icing your heart?"

Volo "Giratina! Strike her down!"

• After Giratina is defeated

Volo "Turning tail and running? From this puny HUMAN? Pathetic--!"

Scrangle "Not human!"

Volo [ignoring them] "--I was the one to feed you the power you needed so that you could take on Arceus! I was the one who gave you the chance to claw open that space-time rift, driving the deity of space and time mad so that you could drag the creator out from hiding!"

[Scrangle, furious at being ignored, starts approaching Volo]

Volo "How? How could this happen?! Almighty Arceus, if you have any heart within you, then--!!"

Scrangle "SHUT UP ALREADY!!"

[Scrangle begins grappling with Volo, trying to nab the last plate from him by force]

Volo "You--! You--!! Grr! You little MONSTER! Do you even understand what you're trying to do?!!"

Scrangle "I'm taking my revenge!!!"

Volo "No, you moron!! Without Arceus, the world will be destroyed with nothing to take its place!"

Scrangle "Liar!!!! Destroying Arceus will destroy my prison!!! I'll finally-- grr! -- get my old body back!!!"

Volo [a little genuinely distressed] "You're insane!!!"

[Volo and Scrangle have shuffled dangerously close to the cliff. Scrangle is infuriated by what Volo just said, and jumps to try and grab the final plate out of his hands. They manage to get a hand on it, but lose their footing when they land, and end up hanging over the ledge. Volo only just manages not to be dragged over with them.]

[Scrangle is barely hanging on to the smooth plate and beginning to slip. Volo stares at her.]

Scrangle [looking down, suddenly full of instinctive fear] "Oh. That would hurt."

[As they finish speaking, Scrangle makes eye contact with Volo. In that moment they are clearly nothing more than a desperate, scared child.]

[Volo lets go of the plate.]

[He watches Scrangle fall, and then reflexively squeezes his eyes shut when they would have hit the ground. But instead of a thud, he hears the distinctive cry of Giratina. He snaps his eyes open just in time to see a spacetime vortex closing.]

[crystalelemental]

Pokemon Team Characterization - Geeta

Earlier today, a Reddit post for Pokemon Masters asked about who the most popular of the less popular champions was.  The general results are inconsequential, if depressing to me personally.  What this particular story is about is a comment that mentioned Alder feels like he was designed to be weaker, with one of the reasons cited being he uses “off-meta” Pokemon.  Which is wild, because that’s the same reason people big up Blue.  Blue’s Pidgeot, a Pokemon which has always been bottom meta (barring its mega giving it short-lived half-relevance), is considered a prime example of his characterization as someone who really does care about his Pokemon, because he keeps what was his first capture all the way through the League, indicating some sentimentality.  Which is correct!  That’s how it should be.  Look at the team, and get a sense of what that character is about from how they construct their battle lineup.  But this never really comes up beyond Blue’s sentimentality, characters like Cyrus and Volo having friendship-evolving Pokemon to indicate the good in them, or claiming Red is the best because he “doesn’t need legends to win like other protagonist.”  Which feels like a very limited way to approach things.

But also it’s been like 20 years and no one’s really dug into teams to craft a sense of personality before that I’ve seen.  And if no one else is doing it, I guess it’s time to do it myself.  So I’m starting with the last winner of that poll, and the generally acknowledge least popular champion: Geeta.  I did a general analysis of her team before, so consider this a sort of spiritual successor.

Here is Geeta’s team, as listed on Bulbapedia.  The top left is her lead, the bottom right her ace that comes out last.  I’ll break this down talking about what I interpret for the lead, for the ace, and any general impressions from other Pokemon added in.

The Lead Geeta’s Espathra is one of my favorite leads.  I think this is exceptionally clever, if relegated to a game that makes it too easy to be over-prepared.

Opportunistic copies your buffs.  If you try to set up on her, she will copy those same boosts.  As a very fast threat, Espathra is difficult to outpace, which can make boosting a tempting choice, only to run into how badly you’ve played yourself.  Lumina Crash, as a sharp debuffing of special defense, doubled down on this.  Trying to accept playing defensively will run into the issue of Espathra breaking you down really fast.  Quick Attack handles finishing a job against Sturdy or something that barely survived, and Reflect as team support to block physical attackers, which are much harder for Espathra to handle.  While Dark-types are generally more resistant, Dazzling Gleam is the best bet to respond to them as well.

A lead like this shows that Geeta is someone who can get inside of the opponent’s head, and consider their possible actions.  From second 1, she’s set up immediate countermeasures to most methods of setup, both offensive and defensive.  She takes immediate, decisive action, while considering most possible angles of attack.  She is someone who’s thorough and deliberate, and takes advantage of an opponent who can’t respond quickly.

General Team (Avalugg, Gogoat, Kingambit) The remainder of Geeta’s team is largely bulky offense.  Nothing is particularly fast, but much of it is geared toward bulk.  Of note, however, is that very little emphasizes recovery.  Despite Avalugg having Recover as an option, Geeta opts instead for raw offense, choosing moves like Body Press and Avalanche, which utilize Avalugg’s strengths and weaknesses to full effect, dishing out better damage from physical defense and from going second respectively.  Gogoat is the exception to this, with Horn Leech and Bulk Up.  Notably, this is Geeta’s only form of setup sweeping.  I think of further note is that Gogoat’s coverage moves are...odd.  I know it gets Ground-type moves.  That would be infinitely more valuable as coverage, yet she opts for Psychic and Fairy, which ultimately do very little for Gogoat’s performance.  And of course, there’s Kingambit, which every likes to point out, should probably be last in her team to make the most of its ability.

Gogoat being her second suggests to me that, when her immediate plan fails, Geeta’s the kind to step back and operate with more deliberation.  She’ll take things slow and get the measure of a situation, trying to buy time to properly assess the next move.  It may also indicate a sort of overconfidence; she didn’t think she’d need to come up with a backup plan.  The lack of sensible coverage implies she’s not necessarily quick on her mental feet, and requires that time to make more sound judgments.  Considering the next three, I think she generally gets there.  She’s able to take stock of what’s present, and emphasize strengths while covering weaknesses.  She gets a generally full picture, but her approach is still fairly...brute force.  She wants a quick resolution; something that’s do or die.  She’s not someone who backs down, stalls for time, or gets defensive.  She’ll push ahead regardless.  She’ll take an early minute to come up with a Plan B, but she’ll always keep going.  If from there it’s a loss, then you take that loss and wait for another chance.

Her Ace Glimmora as the ace is widely considered a bad move, given that its Toxic Debris does nothing for her that late in the game.  Its coverage moves are very sensible, but again, it’s raw power with no real embellishment.  This being her Tera Pokemon, it shifts to Rock, a type notorious for being good offensively, but atrocious defensively.  It’s also an exceptionally rare Pokemon in Paldea proper, with significant ties to the crater.

The emphasis on offense is, again, just her MO.  She plays a bit more aggressively.  The decision to go against Poison, a much more defensive typing, suggests a sort of unwillingness to back down.  Geeta is someone who always pushes forward.  But at the same time, the insistence that it be her ace, her last Pokemon to bring in, suggests that, although she can leverage strengths and weaknesses as seen through Avalugg, there are certain values or structures she’s unwilling to compromise.  Some things just have to be done a certain way; there’s a certain rigidity to her thinking that can be seen as highly inflexible.  But it’s important to her, and she’ll hold to it come hell or high water.  As for the crater connection...

Where The Team Is Found All of her Pokemon correspond to specific areas in Paldea.  Gogoat early in the east, Espathra early in the west, Avalugg at the mountain, Veluza at the lake, Kingambit in the north, and Glimmora in the crater.  The wide-spread focus on where they’re found implies a general appreciation for her region; a sort of love for all it has to offer.  But of interesting note is...they’re all common.

Skiddo and Flittle are super common.  Veluza’s really common at the lake, even if less so than Tatsugiri (which I wish she had but oh well).  Kingambit itself is hard to acquire, but Pawniard are like the most common thing in the bamboo forest.  Bergmite are not hard to find.  And within the crater, Glimmet and Glimmora are exceptionally common.  The fact that, barring Glimmora’s surface presence being non-existent, all of her team is common?  It suggests an appreciation for the mundane and every-day.  In contrast to a champion like Cynthia, whose team is largely comprised of the hardest stuff in the region to find, Geeta champions what’s most easily found.  Not even necessarily the glamorous or marketable every-day.  She doesn’t have an Arboliva, which is both common and a sort of mascot evolutionary line for much of the region.  Just...regular old common stuff you’d find anywhere, and wouldn’t be exceptionally celebrated.

Geeta is someone who takes joy in the simple things.  While she’s someone in a position of significant power, who is very driven to perform well in her career, the things she enjoys most are the little things, like seeing the students of the academic learn and grow as trainers.  In a way, it’s that emphasis of “everyone starts somewhere, and can grow into something exceptional.”  Kingambit is a decent example; that thing is hard to get to evolve because it takes some dedication and know-how.  The base form may be common, but putting in the effort to build something exceptional is how Geeta operates.  She’ll take anything at what it is, and make it shine.

But I think there’s also a connection to the whole treasure theme of the game, in Glimmora.  Going into the crater is a rarity.  It’s not something anyone gets to do, and it’s a very unique experience.  One that she apparently cherishes, given that Glimmora is her ace; the one she insists on using last as her most precious partner, despite how little tactical sense it makes.  It’s a sentimentality she carries with her, and a reminder of a cherished memory.

Summation Geeta’s team suggests someone who is able to carefully consider all possible outcomes, and produce a countermeasure to address as many obstacles as possible right away.  She’s someone who, when a plan goes wrong, falls back and tries to take a slow, measured approach before responding, but often falls back to more direct approaches.  She’s able to conceptualize strengths and weaknesses, including her own given the implied understanding of her need to step back after an initial setback, and operates well with them in mind.  But at the same time, there are things she won’t compromise on, even if it’s directly to her detriment.  She enjoys the things that are mundane and ordinary, but cherishes unique experiences more than anything, and may be rather sentimental at times, letting emotionality override her generally logical and structured nature.

If anyone has a different read on her, I’d love to hear it.  I actually really like Geeta, in spite of her being fairly bland in the base game, so it always bums me out to remember she’s unpopular.  Hearing from others that like her would be a nice change of pace.

[sp1derc1der]

*SORRY!!!!! Accidentally posted!!!

As I was saying, what kinds of roars do you GC the weredragons having (like archie having a crocodile bellow, hau having a cat-like meow, etc)

Since younger weredragons don’t have the ability to roar, they instead use chirps, meows, screeches, or what have you

As for the older weredragons:

- Giovanni can’t roar, but he can yowl

- Silver instead makes baby crocodile noises

- Maxie’s roars are more or less Jurassic Park velociraptor-based

- Archie’s roars are actually based on whalesong!

- Zinnia sounds like an oversized seagull

- Cyrus hisses and screeches

- Cynthia more or less bellows as a form of intimidation

- Volo does the same

- N doesn’t actually roar, but he does have a cry that sounds similar to Reshiram and Zekrom

- Ghetsis??? Oh boy does he roar

- Diantha usually makes pigeon noises, but she’d have an ethereal-sounding roar (kinda like Aurorus’ cry)

- Lysandre is more lion

- Guzma squeaks like a death’s head hawk moth

- Gladion instead makes Silvally-like noises

- Lusamine? Well, she’d make very loud roars that could theoretically break the sound barrier

- Piers is more or less BUILT to make sound, so he screeches like a bat

- Leon probably sounds like a cross between a bellowing crocodile and a sheep bleating (Hop bleats a lot)

- Chairman Rose? Well, you know how Pokémon sound like when they’re Dynamaxed/Gigantamaxed? That’s what he sounds like

- For Professor Sada, insert the Tyrannosaurus’s roar from Jurassic Park

- And for Professor Turo? He sounds like a car engine revving up or a Transformer

In short, weredragons sound weird

[sneasedtomeetyou]

Who is your muse's ancestor? What were they like?

//Casi's canon ancestors are Volo and Roku Ginkgo. Roku/Celeste being my PLA protagonist character and Volo being... Well, Volo. Roku technically has his own blog but in-character posting has long taken a hiatus due to me having no clue how to have him function in this timeline honestly. Also for clarification so no assumptions are made, Celeste fell to Hisui as an adult and adopted the name Roku after living there for some time. He and Volo meet as adults. Got it? Great.

Both of them are why Casi's family are the way they are, in a lot of ways. Their complicated relationships with Giratina and Arceus trace their origins to there. Their deep connections with Hisui and it's history largely start there. Celestic Town where Casi grew up is populated by their family because it exists on the grounds of the Ancient Retreat. The importance of the nobles and Sneasel/Sneasler specifically started there.

Roku was a very volatile man, he had the tendency to get into Pokemon battles and outright fights often. He was the type to carry two swords with him. One was for himself, of course, and the other so no one could use not having a weapon as an excuse to avoid a duel if they got in an altercation with him. He saved the world (along with his brother) but also his husband was the one who nearly tore apart the fabric of reality itself to face an uncaring god. He loved battling and Pokemon and the religious traditions of Hisui, especially the rites of their dead. He's a ghost type specialist who also trained a great deal of other Pokemon due to his work on the Pokedex.

Originally in this canon a great deal of what actually happened and Volo's role in it was deliberately destroyed by Roku towards the end of his life. Roku didn't want people to know about the Red Chain, the plates, or that one could make a pact with Giratina. In this Volo does have a sort of redemption, he doesn't actively try to destroy the world again, but he still insists on finding every last bit of information regarding the legendary Pokemon of Hisui. Essentially Roku tries to erase any trace of what happened from history so it never happens again and their descendants don't have their reputations tarnished generations before they're even born, while Volo more or less left detailed instructions for people like Cyrus to eventually find in some forgotten corner of Canalave Library.

It's considered a bit of a family secret that Volo was the one to do all of this, Cynthia is well aware of it but the general public does not know. I think Cynthia would be a much more controversial figure in Sinnoh if it was common knowledge. Ironically Roku's involvement is also largely downplayed.

[giantchasm]

top 10 pokemon characters/story arcs?

Hi! Sorry this response is coming a little late. I can take a bit to answer asks, but I swear in general I will get around to them. Life's just been hectic.

To answer your question, though (And assuming this only applies to mainline Pokemon— I'll do everyone a favor and spare you from hearing me talk about my feelings on PMD characters... unless people WANT to hear about those too?)

As a note, this is within the context of how well developed I think their characters/story were, so it's not in the order of my favorites in general. That would vary slightly. For example: I love Raifort, but her ass does NOT have that much going on. I'd also put Volo much higher up than I did on this list.

1 - N - Honestly, I had a lot of trouble deciding whether he or Lillie deserved first place. They're more or less a tie in my book. I think they both had character arcs handled extremely well in different ways. I ultimately opted for giving N this slot because I think BW is just the more thematically rich game as a whole, but I do love Lillie. N is just so fantastic, though. I love his arc as well as the different facets of his personality. He was the first character that was ever truly a "blorbo" in a fandom sense to me and with good reason. I would take Ibuprofen with him any day.

2 - Lillie - Like I said, Lillie almost made first place. I really do love her. I think her arc about learning to stand up for herself and generally carve out her identity as an abused child is extremely well done. She is my FRIEND and it made me VERY SAD when she left at the end of the game. I hope everyone who complains about Sun & Moon's story without ever having actually bothered to engage with it blows up forever.

3 - Arven - Say what you will about Scarlet and Violet- they're buggy, rushed games, but their story slaps. I think Arven's arc and the general way he's characterized is super well done. Although that goes for all of the ScarVi cast! I think they're just sincerely good characters. Blowing up everyone who didn't pay attention to the story then had the audacity to complain about it being bad with my mind here as well. [This is malice directed specifically towards Alpharad for his read on Penny, but don't tell anyone that]

4 - Silver - Silver's interesting in that he comes from a time when Pokemon character arcs weren't super defined but he has such a solid one, so he really stands out! I love him learning to open up, trust, and love his Pokemon and think the way that story is told organically through elements such as his Golbat finally evolving is wonderful. His Pokemas event with Ho-Oh made me cry.

5 & 6 - Cheren and Bianca - I feel weird separating these two because of the way their arcs parallel each other, so they're going together. They really do exemplify the way that Black and White were sincerely well-written games and I love their individual stories as well as the way they play into the themes of the overarching story as a whole.

7 - Cyrus - What a character. Cyrus is well and truly one of the most offputting yet interesting characters in the entire series. His nihilistic outlook burying what little he does seem to sincerely care about is so fascinating, and his backstory easily gives him even more depth. He's just this guy who's like... sincerely mentally unwell, and not in a cartoon villain way. He has legit psychological issues. I would love to study him under a microscope.

8 - Volo - This guy's one of my favorite Pokemon characters, but even I've gotta admit he doesn't actually have that much going on. I feel like so much of what I like about him just came from my head. That said, he has a fun charisma about him, even in canon, and I loved getting stabbed in the back. Please stab me in the back more, GameFreak. ([A flying ice-cream truck appears over my head, a la SpongeBob] IN THE STORY! PLEASE DON'T STAB ME IN THE BACK BY MAKING DISAPPOINTING GAMES...)

9 - Barry - Yet another fantastic character from gen 4. I love him realizing he needs to actually take some things seriously and the way he grapples with his failure to protect the Pokemon of the lake. For the third time in this post I'm blowing people up with my mind, specifically the people who just see him as annoying and loud and don't pay attention to the way he changes over the course of the game. ADHD king.

10 - Bede - Tbh... I don't know if Bede actually deserves to be on this list. I think it's probably a little offensive to put any SWSH character on this list. But truth is... I just like him! Even if it was ostensibly poorly executed, I'm a complete sucker for the "spoiled brat gets smacked in the face by reality and has to learn some goddamn humility" trope, and he embodies it well. I also like how ultimately he finds himself and his place in the world through embracing things stereotypically associated with femininity :) I simply think it's nice.

[thedragonagelesbian]

future and mistake for cyrus? :o

:oooooooooooooooooooo

oc asks: not so nice edition

future: What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

Solas: You truly are content to sit in the sun, never wondering what you could've been, never fighting back.

Varric: Ha, you've got it all wrong, Chuckles. This is fighting back.

Solas: How does passively accepting your fate constitute a fight?

Varric: In that story of yours—-the fisherman watching the stars, dying alone. You thought he gave up, right?

Solas: Yes.

Varric: But he went on living. He lost everyone, but he still got up every morning. He made a life, even if it was alone.

Varric: That's the world. Everything you build, it tears down. Everything you've got, it takes. And it's gone forever.

Varric: The only choices you get are to lie down and die or keep going. He kept going. That's as close to beating the world as anyone gets.

Forgive the somewhat abstract answer, but this banter gives me brainworms, and I can't help but understand it in the context of Cyrus' worst possible future. Even in his other worst case scenario--being hollowed out and reduced to nothing but a symbol and a weapon--there's that possibility that someone else will be able to save him, that he will still be surrounded by people who care about and love him even if his soul is fractured and his body is claimed by arcane entities beyond his comprehension.

But losing everybody? Having to go on living alone? Having to make peace with failure and to face loss with grace? Will he ever be the type of person content to sit in the sun, to accept his own stubborn happiness and survival as a furious refusal of a world that has marked him again and again for death and despair?

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

DA2 Cyrus: leaving Bethany behind on the Deep Roads Expedition. He doesn't know that he would have lost her no matter what, of course, just that his absence led to her being taken to the Circle. The irony of course is that telling Bethany to stay in Kirkwall was a unilateral protective big brother decision.

He's tried very hard to fix this particular error, despite Bethany's insistence that he come to terms with the situation. In the month after returning from the expedition, he got himself badly hurt many times trying (and utterly failing) to break her out of the Gallows, and he spent more than a few nights imprisoned there himself. He keeps carrying that guilt and anger for years. Of course, Bethany does eventually leave the Circle in the end... if under less than ideal circumstances.

Pallybarb Cyrus: breaking his oath; it was a moment of pettiness and frustration with profound consequences, but with Karlach's help, he was able to accept it and even embrace the uncertainty and the flexibility that being a full-fledged oathbreaker comes with.

Shadow Sorc Cyrus: not stopping Astarion from emptying him like an industrial strength drain snake. He wouldn't have considered it a mistake if he had just died (pallybarb Cyrus did not mind that NEARLY as much as he should've), but instead it started a chain of events ending with his body lost and his soul bound to a sword, and that's not counting all the weeks of dysphoria and alienation and isolation and active self-destruction and...

So, um. No. He hasn't fixed it, and he DEFINITELY hasn't moved on no matter how much he tells himself and others that he is Really Super Fine (don't mind him screaming at abdirak to hurt him as bad as possible or letting volo icepick him or shotgunning tadpoles or--)

Ranger Cyrus: trusting [redacted], eventually remedied with a sword through the gut, a crack of divinity like a lightning strike burning out the hollow of a tree, a blur of blood and tears and screaming even as he cradles the dying body

[kanatajelly]

~fandoms/characters i will write for~

here i will list the fandoms and characters i will write for, organized by how interested i am in them at the moment. i’m more likely to write for the fandoms/characters that are in the “most interested in” category, but feel free to request other characters who aren’t listed (though i may be less likely to accept those requests). 

fandoms/characters i am most interested in

twisted wonderland - jade leech, floyd leech, azul ashengrotto, rook hunt, sebek zigvolt, rollo flamme

fragaria memories - merold, rimicha, hangyon, pikero

pokemon (games only) - n, volo, cyrus, ghetsis, colress, kieran

diabolik lovers - kanato sakamaki

naruto - sasori

other fandoms/characters that i will still write for, but not as interested in

rain world - five pebbles

project sekai - rui kamishiro, mafuyu asahina, tsukasa tenma

honkai star rail - aventurine, blade, silver wolf, herta

genshin impact - wanderer (scaramouche)

jujutsu kaisen - mahito

hunter x hunter - illumi zoldyck, feitan portor

bungou stray dogs - fyodor dostoyevsky, nikolai gogol, saigiku jouno

[mynamesaplant]

Do you have any thoughts about PL:Z-A? Any specific Pokémon you’d like to see in the game?

That's a hard one. I know some people would like to see Emmet in PLZA like Ingo was in PLA, but I'm not sure I would. I think it could be funny, but it also makes me sad. Like, they have less of a chance of meeting ever again.

I feel like Volo is going to make a cameo. I would love to see a younger AZ and more info about the Pokemon war that takes place. I really hope Mega Evolution makes a comeback.

I'm honestly scrambling here, anon, bc I don't remember much about XY from when I was playing it in college. I remember thinking it was pretty, but I felt the story was weak. Lysandre and his motivations felt too much like Cyrus's, so he bored me.

I would love to see a Miltank, Luvdisc, and Shuckle variants or evolutions.

[leggerefiore]

Pokevillians Dealing With Jealousy

hahaha im unwell💕

cw: jealousy, accusations of cheating, happy endings for all, though

characters: Lysandre, Archie, Volo, Colress, Cyrus, Maxie

🔥Lysandre🍷

☕️ A man like himself saw nothing to be jealous or envious over. He had vast wealth, connections, and a social circle that fulfilled him wholly. With you, there was even less reason. He trusted you entirely, too, and truly felt that your relationship was something you both treasured. Yet, the painful feeling seemed to ignite within him when he saw you with an unknown man in the streets of Lumiose. You stood too close to a man dressed in a trench coat tucked away in an alley near his café. Your expression was unreadable due to your position of facing away from Lysandre, but he could see as the man leaned forward. He had enough at the perceived intimacy.

☕️ His strong voice called your name, making you jump. Your wide-eyed expression became apparent as you turned around from the man. Lysandre came to stand at your side with an arm firmly around your shoulders as he stared at the admittedly well-dressed man. He was not an idiot, however. It was obvious the career of the stranger at a glance. Jealousy mixed with a possible betrayal in his heart as you stood in silence. What was going on here? The man politely excused himself from the situation. He made only one last glance at you before he vanished into the busy streets of Lumiose. Lysandre felt mild annoyance and relief at the change.

☕️ “… You know I despise people who take things that aren't theirs,” his hand came to hold your chin, “My love, could you please explain what that was?” While a kiss upon one's cheek could be a platonic greeting, he simply could not shake the feeling of seeing such an exchange in a place away from prying eyes. Had he been too busy as of late? Were you so lonely you took a lover in some detective? His head hurt. The perceived reality crashed against the trust that he held in you.

☕️ “He was whispering something in my ear, Lysandre,” you explained, “It was some madness about your plans needing to be stopped. I had tried to explain that I had no idea what he was talking about when you showed up.” Your hand came to gently try to remove his own from your chin. He relented to your will. Was that detective aware, then? That could be a mess if left alone. The Team Flare Boss would handle it later. “Were you jealous, darling?” you smiled playfully, “Come on, I'd be a fool to even think of another man with a lover like you.”

☕️ He nodded along with your words. Yes, you would be, but Lysandre should have known you were no fool by this point. However, your beauty was something beguiling and unfortunately would draw those with disgusting intentions towards you. They were the dangers, not you. Just as that detective had proven himself. His hands cupped your face instrad as he gazed into your eyes tenderly. “Forgive me, my dear,” he spoke in a softness reserved solely for you, “I allowed myself to be overcome with doubt. I should have known better than that.”

☕️ You leaned into his touch, even resting a hand over his own. The amorous look which you returned to him made him feel even more cruel for the assumption. “It's alright,” you reassured him, “You did end up helping me, after all. I wasn't sure where that interaction was going to go if it kept up.” He leaned down to peck your lips. Perhaps, you needed a guard. People attempting to use you against him was simply a horrifying scenario. Another thing to consider later.

☕️ “And I will always help you if that should be required,” he moved away from the intimate moment to be aware once more that you were still both standing in an alleyway, “My love, let us head into my café. We should talk at once about what baseless claims that detective espoused to you.” Lysandre needed to see what all he knew and settle any possible seeds of doubt it might have sown within you. You nodded and followed at his side as he walked. Jealousy was long forgotten and replaced with worry and concern. The last thing he wanted was another delay in his plans.

🌧Archie🌊

💧 Jealousy felt foreign to Archie. It was extremely rare that he even felt that way. Well, so long as it did not involve a certain redhead. Really, the only thing that ever made him feel jealous always seemed to be related to Maxie. Otherwise, he could not think of a time jealousy had really bothered him. That was probably why he instantly felt upset upon seeing you at the market in Slateport with the Magma Leader. His feelings were like a raging sea when he saw Maxie hand you something and you gasp excitedly.

💧 Archie ran over in a obvious fit, scaring both of you. He immediately felt a bit bad at seeing how he upset you but confused by the harsh look the redhead sent his way. Seriously? Maxie went on a date with his partner and has the balls to act upset with him? Before Archie could pick a fight with the other man, the Magma Leader readjusted his glasses and politely bid a farewell to you both. He only gave a second look at you, to which you hid whatever he had given you away from Archie's sight. This only upset him more.

💧 “Luvdisc!” he pouted at you, “Of all people, you'd go with Maxie over me?” You looked horrified at his words. It made him reconsider his accusation again. Would you even do that? It was not like you at all, but it was also weird to see you out with him, too! His brain felt fried. And, really, what gift you given by Maxie? You were clearly hiding it. He crossed his arms. “Ah – sorry,” he corrected himself, “Why are you out with that guy?”

💧 You looked away nervously, clearly unsure how to respond. The item was still hidden from him. You cleared your throat. “I don't think I've ever seen you get jealous before, Archie,” you tried to change the subject. He was not going to let you and attempted to look at what you had, which made you hide it more. What was it? This was really going to bother him. He now felt the jealousy coming back. What if it was some romantic gift?! Chocolates, flowers… maybe even a ring?!

💧 “Don't tell me… Yer actually in love with him?” Archie gasped, “Is that some gift of his undying affection?!” You looked mortified at those accusations. In trying to hide whatever it was, you only drove him deeper into the worries that you were really in some weird affair with Maxie. You felt distressed by his sudden fit of jealousy and the fact he was not going to stop until he knew what the item was. Sighing, you revealed it to him. This uncomfortable back and forth needed to end before it became a scene that attracted onlookers.

💧 Archie gazed at the Sharpedo plush doll in your hands as you frowned at him. “I asked Maxie to help me find you a birthday gift,” you explained, “I know you two are hot and cold. But, he was your best friend at some point, so I figured he'd know best. This was the choice we picked out together.” He gasped and felt his stomach twist. Between accusing you of cheating and ruining a surprise from you, he almost deflated. Scratching the back of his head, he looked away from you in shame.

💧 “I - I see,” he nodded, “Er, I'm sorry for accusing you of cheating.” Archie was not sure how to make it up from here. “When it comes t' stuff involving him, I just don't think straight most of the time,” he admitted. You sighed and let out a weak laugh. What happened, happened, you supposed, and you held out the plush to him as an early gift. He took it meekly. “I'll treasure it,” he promised, “He can hang out on my work desk. No, wait, Matt might want to take 'em then…” You laughed brighter this time at the thought. In the end, you both managed to move past the moment of jealousy.

💫Volo📜

⭐️ He wanted to claim he was not a jealous man. Volo desperately wished to say feelings of envy did not swirl inside his chest at a variety of things in his day to day. The feeling of jealousy was an unfortunate friend to the blond's lonely existence. He did feel justified in this case, however. The annoying leader of the Diamond Clan had his arm disgustingly wrapped around your shoulders while he let out a laugh. You smiled back at him and leaned slightly into the hug. It was maddening to Volo. He was your lover – him, not Adaman.

⭐️ Putting on his amicable smile, he approached you both. You pulled away from the affection to approach Volo, expression too innocent for the indulgence he had just seen you engaged in. He caught your wrist in his hand as he pulled you into an embrace. Arms locking around your back. Envy still ate at his heart, even with you returning the affection and no matter your surprise at the suddenness of it. His eyes bore into Adaman, who seemed indifferent to the scene before him. He bit his tongue until it drew blood.

⭐️ Soon after the situation, you both bid your farewells to the clan leader and headed back towards a base camp. His hand was tight around your hand as the scene would not leave his mind. It kept eating at his brain enough to cause him to stop in the middle of the marshlands to turn his attention fully to you. His eyes were not the usual ones, filled with a strange curiosity as his hand came to cup your cheek. “Just what were you and Adaman doing earlier?” he asked with a cold tone.

⭐️ You almost wanted to flinch at his behavioural shift. Volo did not quite seem like the friendly man you had come to know. His demeanour seemed almost entirely different; something desperate and feral. His touch was not one with a usual affectionate kind, but something possessive and demanding. You sighed. Was Volo jealous? He did not really strike you as the type. “He was thanking me for battling him,” you explained, “The hug was just him wanting to show his appreciation for saving Hisui.” Volo's suspicious look did not subside.

⭐️ “... Do you really think he wouldn't want more from you?” he tilted his head, “You're a hero to everyone here. Many people would want to court you for the prestige alone.” You grabbed his hand that was on your cheek. Did he think you would just leave him the second another opportunity made itself known? Volo usually seemed so confident in himself. You leaned closer to him and gazed at him lovingly.

⭐️ “And why does that matter when I love you, Volo?” you told him, “I don't want anybody else.” His gaze finally softened at that, appearing to go back to normal from whatever had possessed him. He pressed his forehead against your own and pulled you into a tight embrace. It was nearly suffocating and consuming, but you preferred to him spiralling in jealousy. Seriously, why would you want anyone but him? He arguably was the best bachelor in Hisui, just from his descendant alone.

⭐️ “Good,” he mumbled out, stormy eyes piercing into your own, “I apologise for my odd behaviour. I simply hate the idea of anyone else having what I believe is mine.” You wanted to roll your eyes at his wording. Well, if you were his, then he was yours. Pressing a kiss to his lips, all the tension seemed to fade in the now setting sun. Whatever had come over Volo was gone when you arrived at the base camp, instead replaced with eager chatter about our of the old verses you had found and graciously allowed him to read.

🥼Colress🛸

🧪 Jealousy… It was a strange thing for Colress. Not common at all. Mostly because he was too busy with his work to really focus on things like that. Yet, somehow, seeing you on the beach of Alola with that bug-obssessed man made him feel strangely upset. The way you bickered with him in a strange familiarity made his brain surge with odd thoughts. He knew they were untrue, yet for some reason he felt certain that you were interested in the other man. His typing on his keyboard came to a halt when you leaned into his shoulder to laugh.

🧪 His feet carried him over to you both with little thought. You nearly jumped up at the sudden appearance of Colress, his face eerily serious. Your conversation partner, Guzma as he introduced himself, was unsettled by him. The scientist found himself asking endless questions about this white-haired man, and even challenged him to a battle to observe more data for his research. This all culminated in the blond effectively chasing off Guzma and leaving you alone with him.

🧪 You looked at him curiously after he sat beside you on the beach, taking the place of where his apparent rival had been. With Guzma gone, Colress seemed to have finally processed his feelings and felt even more confused by them. You tugged on his blue stand cruelly. “Col, what got into you?” you tilted your head, “I don't think I've ever seen you act like that. You just kept going on and on about your research and were clearly trying to chase him off.”

🧪 Colress took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Why had he become so jealous? Was it because he had not expected to see you with another man? Or was it the way you leaned into his shoulder and laughed that reminded him too much of your time spent cuddled up with him? He wanted to say he felt embarrassed, but he really did not. Mostly, he was confused and curious about what brought out those emotions. “I was jealous,” he said plainly, “I'm not even sure why I was.” You let out a laugh at his words.

🧪 “Wait, really?” you were honestly a bit amazed, “I thought you only had like… three modes. Research, happy, and, uh, 'playful'.” You were mindful of the children on the beach and monitored your language. Well, there was also hate, but that was only reserved for a certain someone. Otherwise, he mostly was predictable, excluding a few specific circumstances. He chuckled at your words and put his glasses back on.

🧪 “How did you meet him?” he asked curiously, “I know you've been running around Alola while I've been busy with my work, but I hadn't thought you had become close with anybody.” You just shrugged. Guzma was someone you just kept running into when his grunts annoyed you. It eventually became something amicable between you both. Certainly, nothing romantic. Colress just sighed at the end of your explanation. Perfectly normal and expected, honestly. It made his strange fit of jealous feel even more confusing. Your hand came to grasp his gloved one. “How interesting… You've brought forth a new side of me,” he laughed lightly.

🧪 You laughed, too, and leaned against him to watch the Alolan sea in all its grandeur. You both had gone to such a romantic place, and neither of you had done anything all too romantic. “Well, let's make sure you don't have to bring it out again soon,” you looked into his bright yellow eyes, “Why don't we have a date? It's been a while. Maybe that's why you got jealous.” His expression brightened at your words. It seemed that he believed that could be exactly it.

🌌Cyrus🛰

☄️ Jealousy was a rare thing for him to experience, like most feelings. Cyrus believed he had mastered fully suppressing his spirit, yet, somehow, you continually proved him wrong. Why did his heart ache at the sight of you eagerly chatting with that Gym Leader? The blond had your full attention while you sat on the bench that Cyrus was supposed to meet you at. He was unfortunately familiar, too. A reminder of that painful place. It stung even more when you laughed at something Volkner said and his lips twitched into a playful smile at your reaction.

☄️ You, however, noticed Cyrus before he had to disengage and calm himself down. Waving at him, you called out his name with that tone he failed to resist. Volkner even turned his head to gaze at the blue-haired man, a bit stunned to see him again. With his hands locked behind his back, he approached you both. Minor, polite conversation was exchanged with the Gym Leader as he questioned what Cyrus had been up to, but he seemed to catch on as to why you two were meeting up and excused himself away. Cyrus felt his brain surging with unfortunate thoughts.

☄️ After he had gone away, it remained just you and Cyrus in the secluded area of the park. The blue-haired man took a seat beside you and attempted to realign himself. He was not a jealous person. Envy was a useless thing that caused pointless strife. Yet, the thought of you becoming charmed by Volkner and choosing him over Cyrus was disgustingly consuming. The Gym Leader had charms and was someone that caught many people's eyes, he knew well. His grip on his knee became painful as he tried to force the nightmarish scenario from his head.

☄️ Your sudden touch on his shoulder grounded him back in reality. A soft smile was on your lips. The sun captured your beauty perfectly, making his heart ache even more at the thought of losing you. Your kindness and affection were the only things that held him back from fully dedicating himself to his plans. “… Are you jealous?” you asked curiously, “Cy! That's adorable.” He glared at you for your word choice, which only made you laugh. Everything felt a bit lighter after that sound entered his ears. He would never admit that it was jealousy, however.

☄️ “I… I simply was confused as to why he was here…” Cyrus lied, “Amity Square does not seem to be a place that would attract him.” You tilted your head and nodded along with his words. Volkner really did not seem like the type to want to go to a place full of cute pokemon. You moved to lean your head against his shoulder and hold his hand. Cyrus gripped your hand in return. Why did you even choose him? He was someone who was difficult to get along with and clearly unwanted by most.

☄️ “Who cares? I was just chatting with him to pass the time,” you reassured him, “He said he was the Gym Leader of Sunnyshore, so I got curious if he knew you.” His stomach dropped at that. What had he said about him? Had it been about his isolation in his youth, or how his parents had been utterly disappointed with him? Jealousy had been replaced with dread. “He said you always seemed like someone with a lot of potential,” you turn to look at him sweetly, “When I said you were interested in how power was generated, he said he needed you to return to Sunnyshore.” He wanted to grumble at his lie getting even bigger than it already was.

☄️ “Now, Cy,” you pulled him up from the bench as you stood up, “There's no need to be jealous! You're the only one I love. I doubt I'd ever meet anyone like you again, so don't worry about anyone else stealing me away.” Your arms came around him to squeeze him into a tight hug. His cheeks burned with heat at everything you did to him. He brought a single arm around you and patted your back awkwardly. You just laughed again at his hesitance. And with that, his worries were put to rest. Somehow, you did truly only want to be with him.

☀️Maxie🌋

🪨 The Magma Leader would admit he had moments of jealousy. He was no saint above human emotion, but he prided himself on his control of his feelings. Maxie rarely let them cloud his thinking. Rarely, being the key word. However, a certain anchor wearing man seemed to have this effect on him that caused his train of thought to crash hard and explode. Which is why he nearly screamed at the sight of you at the Lilycove department store with Archie. His hand was resting on your back as you both leaned over to look at something. Envy instantly stabbed directly in his heart. Why were you with Archie?!

🪨 A loud 'ahem' from him brought both of your attentions away from whatever you had been looking at and up to him. You gasped while Archie shot him one of those grins that just made his blood boil. His face barely reflected it, but both of you could read him with unfortunate ease. Sensing his upset, Archie quickly gave 'bye' and left you alone to handle the upset redhead. You rose up to your height and smiled as kindly as you could at Maxie.

🪨 “May I ask just what you were doing with Archie, of all people?” he questioned with a cocked brow, “I hope you know that he and I are rivals. I thought it was fairly obvious.” His scrunched his face up as you scratched your head. If you were going to have an affair with anyone, did it have to be him? He would have preferred it being Tabitha or that rock-loving champion to Archie. You looked completely guilty, too! Frustration was boiling inside him.

🪨 “… Maxie,” you finally replied, using a soft tone, “I was just… looking for something, and I asked Archie for help.” He felt ready to erupt. His hand came to rub his eyes while pushing his glasses up. Your phrasing was not easing any of his concerns that you had decided to run off with the Aqua Leader. You nervously looked away from him. Maxie felt strangely vulnerable and hurt by that idea. Archie was not an unattractive man, nor was he without his charisma. It would not be the first time someone chose Archie over him, and he was certain it would not be the last.

🪨 “… Fine,” he felt too hurt, “I understand if you want to be with Archie, but at least end your relationship with me first.” Your shocked expression got him off guard as he gazed at you. Instantly, you were close to him and holding his hand tightly in your own. You shook your head at his words. Was that not it? Then, why on earth were you here with him in such a position. He did feel the urge to hear you out with how hurt you looked by his accusation.

🪨 “That's not it,” you shook your head again, “I asked him to help find a gift for you… I asked Tabitha but he was not sure, and I didn't think Courtney would want to help me. The only person I could think of was him…” Maxie looked at you suspiciously. A gift… for him? His birthday was coming up. He suddenly felt a bit mortified himself. Gazing at the shelf finally, he saw Numel themed merchandise on it. Oh, no. You were not lying. Archie's hand on you made sense with how touchy he was. His face dropped. The situation had been completely misunderstood by him.

🪨 “M-my dear,” he awkwardly shifted to grip your hand back, “I apologise. I shouldn't have made such a callous accusation… especially while you were doing something so nice for me.” Archie had unfortunately led you right, too. It appeared you were both looking at a large Numel plush before he had interrupted. His cheeks were nearly the same colour as his uniform. “… Doubly so for ruining your surprise,” he wanted to give himself extra paperwork as a punishment for this. You seemed at ease, happy that he had stopped thinking you were cheating on him. The both of you agreed to put the moment behind you, thankfully.

[realm-sweet-realm]

What would happen if the pokemon villains got sent back to Hisui?

Giovanni: He ends up landing in the middle of nowhere. After a few days of wandering without food or shelter, he nearly gets robbed by the Misfortune Sisters before fighting them off with his Pokémon. They see that he has some of the strongest Pokémon and most money they've ever seen and make him their leader. Giovanni resents his reduced living conditions and misses his old life, but otherwise he’s fine.

Archie: Lands near the shores. The Ginko Guild take him in. It’s honestly not a terrible gig for him, though he did plan on becoming a sailor once he’d made a bit of cash. But then he found Maxie in Jubilife, and everything changed.

Maxie: Fell in the Coronet Highlands. It took him a few days to find civilization, and the civilization was Jubilife. He joined the Agriculture Corps and had all but given up getting back until he realized how many others around him were also from the future. Though they don’t tell anyone where they came from, seeing how the protagonist is treated for being in a similar situation, they have secret meetings where they talk about their previous lives and make plans on how to keep suspicion off of them (it is VERY suspicious that so many people have suddenly cropped up, but they’re helpful and seem harmless, so they’re allowed to stay, for now at least). Lusamine gives them some hope of returning, but not much of it.

Cyrus: Falls in the Fieldlands, found quickly by the Survey Corps. In order to earn his keep in Jubilife, he joins the Building Corps. It’s a very humbling experience for him as he tries to adjust to the less advanced technology- when it comes to this old stuff, he’s not the techiest guy in the room anymore, in fact he has quite a bit to learn. He also finds Cyllene and tries to win her approval and tell her about his ideals only to be brusquely told that they’re nonsense. Participates in the secret meetings, which convince him to keep his head down somewhat more, but he’s not happy about it.

Ghetsis: Falls into the middle of Ursa’s Ring. He tries bullying some wild Pokémon with his own team, only to realize that Pokémon of this time period are much more aggressive than back home. He ends up being rescued by Volo and forming a loose partnership with him in exchange for Volo keeping him alive. There’s frequent power struggles, but Volo almost always wins them, and Ghetsis is helpful in getting the plates.

N: Falls near the Diamond Clan, and they find his way with Pokémon to be a wonderful thing. He ends up replacing Arezu as Oursaluna’s warden once she becomes a hairstylist. With freedom, open spaces, endless Pokémon to interact with and no Ghetsis to abuse him, he’s having a wonderful time. When he finds out about the Survey Corps, he urges them to stop, and once Adaman tells him off for it, he sabotages them however he can without being found out. Melli is his partner in crime in this regard. Thankfully, he never sees Ghetsis.

Lysandre: much like Cyrus, he opted to join the Construction Corps after he was found wandering the earth. He and Cyrus have something of a rivalry, but eventually gain a grudging respect for each other. Lysandre ends up with a grudging respect for a lot of people there, actually, despite them being far from his ideals. Participates in the meetings.

Lusamine: initially in the Gathering Corps, once Lusamine finds out about the time-space distortions, she joins the Survey Corps to maximize her chances to study them. She’s been dragged unconscious out of more distortions than she can count while trying to find a way to use them to get home. No luck yet, but she’s trying. She’s having a harder time adjusting to the lack of luxury than anyone, and didn’t even want to reveal her identity to the other villains at first since she doesn’t have access to her usual beauty products.

Guzma: Discovered by the gathering corps, joins the Survey Corps. It could honestly be worse. He has a steady income and people treat him okay. He misses home, though- Plumeria, people getting his pop culture references, and so on. But Lusamine is on that and thankfully is leaving him alone, so he just has to wait it out and keep his hope up. He attends the secret meetings sometimes, even though he loathes the company.

Piers: When Irida finds him passed out in the Coronet Highlands, she takes him back to the Pearl Settlement. He ends up a decent addition to the clan, and he's being considered as the next warden after one of the current ones steps down or is incapacitated. He misses his sister and modern music, and he's worried about how Spikemuth is doing without him. Even his own body, stronger and more solid now thanks to his new lifestyle, makes him feel like his old life is miles away. He does like singing for the Pearl Clan, though, and Arezu does his hair as close to his old style as possible to help him feel like himself.

Rose: After he’s found, he joins the Gathering Corps. He ends up sharing some modern mining techniques with them. It could be a worse life, but he deeply misses home.

Penny: landed in the Icelands, quickly taken in by the Pearl Clan and then passed to the Diamond Clan when she can’t acclimate to the cold. The lack of internet is… less of a problem than she assumed it would be. Once Uncle Rose finds her, he visits whenever he can, which helps her to miss home a little less even though she never liked him much before she was sent back.

[flyingincandescent]

This fucking sucks. I do all this shit for this fuck, and what does he do? He fucking kicks me out! Is he really that pants-shitting scared of what I might do, even after I literally came to the aid of damn near everyone in that village? I've seen Jubilife grow before my very eyes as a result of my actions, and yet this shithead can't get his head out of his ass and blames me for the weirdass timespace bullshit in the sky! I can't even fucking use my time powers in this realm! So for now, I'm staying over at some place that Volo lead me to, after the two clans both said they were too chickenshit to take me in. There's something weird going on, and its more than the sky turning red.

Volo took me to see this woman called Cogita, and I get this feeling like she's wise beyond her years or something. Meanwhile with Volo… I don't get what's with him. He's been looking at me differently since I ran into him on the way up to quell Noble Avelugg. I asked my pokemon what they thought of him and a few of them got defensive against him. Alpha Gardevoir has been glaring at him, Slayer the Zoroark hissed threateningly, and Manaphy started crying. I feel like there's something going on, but I can't quite put my finger on it. So now, I'm on a quest to ask the three lake guardians for assistance on the Red Chain. Apparently Cogita thinks its the right thing to seek out, though my past experience with red chain bullshit tells me otherwise. I don't have any other leads however, and seeing as my phone is going with it, opening secret passages out of nowhere and all, apparently I'm supposed to do this. So far I've visited one out of the three.

Mesprit, the being of emotion, gazed deep into my heart, enough to alert Gracidea. Apparently they were satisfied with what they saw, or maybe they were just surprised that I was already Connected to a network of close friends and family. Either way, I passed the trial and was given a plume. I assume this is the Actually Intended method to create the Red Chain, and not the absolutely unethical way that team galactic tried in the present. I wonder if this is the point where they went wrong, when the shitty group that they used to be kicked out the fuck who actually tried to do things the right way. But then again, Cyline, Cyrus's ancestor (who would probably be ashamed of the shit that her descendant did), actually has a backbone and has been supporting me through this whole-ass situation, even sending her abra over to let me access the pokemon I caught. And the last order she gave me… "Don't die alone out there". She may not show it easily, but I can tell she actually fucking cares about me. I don't know how much she sees what I do for everyone, but she actually wants me to survive. Granted, I'm not sure if I can even die properly while I'm here, seeing as I'm able to get back up after I black out against nobles, but the thought behind the order… it makes me want to cry.

Regardless, if I'm expected to set things right here, then I will, even if there's a part of me that wants to spite Kamado for wanting no less than that just to let me back in the door, but I can't let my bitterness get in the way here. Countless lives are at stake here. The people and pokemon here still deserve to not be threatened by disturbances to time and space. Regardless, I still have two more trials to face. At least they're bound to be more fair than any shitty attempt of justice that would be used against me out of fear.