#maybe. pokemon is nostalgic to me
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stimboardboy · 4 months ago
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sylveon resin charm
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ygoartreviews · 2 months ago
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Forgot to add but we also saw destiny deoxys and while it's not a voice acting thing, one of the main characters in it is -literally- just Bakura and we ended up calling him bakura lite for the entire movie bc it's. Its him. They put a bakura expy into my alien pokemon movie
Destiny Deoxys was one of my faves but for the life of me I can't remember any of the specific characters from it. I wasn't going to rewatch any of the other movies any time soon, but like, I have to see this Bakura clone now. I just have to.
.........after I'm good and put some reviews in the queue LOL
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bogkeep · 1 year ago
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the way the most recent pokemon games don't let you turn off the exp share or the affection mechanic bonuses is nothing short of maddening. i think they make great accessibility features If Only They Were Optional and the flavour text is cute, but i want to have a fun casual playthrough that's at least mildly challenging without having to make it a nuzlocke or something. i don't want to feed my starter bitter medicines to make her hate me :(
#JUST LET ME TURN IT OFF... PLEASE....#i can't do nuzlockes i do Not have the willpower to stick to the rules and they stress me out haha#anyway i am a fool who's left all of my DS games in norway and i got a hankering for replaying sinnoh games#so i decided to get shining pearl right. figured it might be fun even if ill miss the 4th gren spritework something fierce#what ensued was a needlessly complicated process just to get a copy that was slightly cheaper than full price nintendo blood money#there's a store that listed shining pearl at a lower price. not brilliant diamond - just pearl#i feel like maybe it's by mistake since that's the price of a nintendo DS cartridge. so maybe wires got crossed#the norwegian version of the store does NOT have the price disparity.#anyway i can't order online without a swedish phone number. and the local store is out of stock#so i have several long walks to the store to get them to order it in for me and then to order it delivered to me etc#and then of course another long walk to pick up the mail BUT I HAVE IT NOW. I HAVE VIDEO GAME#and it's very nice and nostalgic with a couple quality of life upgrades#my first pokemon game was pokemon diamond. when i got it i was still learning english and had no idea what was happening at any time#good times good times#obviously no pokemon run is ever gonna be as challenging as my first ever run#it does not need to be! u can immediately tell that a lot of difficulty in earlier games is that leveling up your team was a hassle#and almost always required grinding. i do not miss that at all ! but the remakes seem to be Extremely Faithful#so they're not rly structured around how fast you can level your whole team#or that your pokemon are gonna start doing extra crits or hold on to last HP before u even get to the third gym#OH WELL#you know what's very exciting for me though. i have a misdreavous!!! they're pearl exclusive and not in platinum#ive always wanted to do a sinnoh run with a misdreavous on my team for some reason
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meownotgood · 2 years ago
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au where I help aki heal his inner child by forcing him to play all of the games I hyperfixated on in my youth
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abimee · 1 year ago
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One of the biggest struggles is growing up in the woods so you never played like. pokemon or watched digimon or anything and trying to talk to adults your age
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bynineb · 1 month ago
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my favorite & least favorite Pokemon from each generation!
GEN 1
FAVE: VENONAT
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my lovely buggy boy! this is partly for nostalgic reasons as my very first slot car i built with my father was called VENOM, and had a little Venonat figurine perched on top. but the design is also precious, a Kuriboh style fuzzball gnat in a whimsical purple. also when it runs it hops!!! like a bunny!!!
Runner Ups: Nidorino, Poliwhirl, Porygon, Charizard, Haunter
LEAST FAVE: GOLDUCK
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a wet fart of an evolution that loses all of psyduck's walleyed charm and replaces it with... nothing. it has no identity. even its pokedex entries are lame - it can swim fast and that's it. usually the simpler gen 1 pokemon still appeal to me just due to sugimori's art style, but no such luck for the duck.
that being said, i don't completely hate it. it just needs more to latch onto design-wise
Runner Ups: Rapidash, Hypno
(the rest is under the cut!)
GEN 2
FAVE: FLAAFFY
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once my all-time favorite pokemon, although that has since been ceded to Venonat, i adore Flaaffy to bits. it has that perfect amount of cuteness and patheticness that endears me to some of my favorite designs, said patheticness owing to its stubby arms, mangy coat, watery eyes, and peculiar bowed stance when it stands up. i love the striped horns and tail, the colors are very pleasant, and the wool gives it a je ne sais quoi that the otherwise similar Ampharos lacks, almost like a wooly muffler and hat. (not knockin Ampharos btw, love it too). there's a reason Fynn took so much inspiration from this fluffy fellow!
(also, the rental Flaaffy in Pokemon Stadium 2 had Thunder Punch and Fire Punch. considering the sorry state of rental movesets in that game, and my lack of an N64 link cable, Flaaffy carrying me through those fights may have helped cement our bond!)
Runner Ups: Skiploom, Dunsparce, Forretress, Unown, Magcargo
LEAST FAVE: TYROGUE
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not only does it not really resemble the hitmons - maybe hitmonchan? - it's just not a flattering design. the bandages and ear guards give it some definition and trainee-like character, at least, but the colors are gross, and frankly it just looks too much like a human being. in general i dislike pokemon that too closely resemble humans and Tyrogue is one of the biggest offenders. even its name is dumb! it's not roguish at all! what a hitmonchump
(also the beta version was so much better imo. linked art by @racieb)
Runner Ups: Qwilfish, Smoochum, Noctowl
GEN 3
FAVE: DUSKULL
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aww duskull... what a charmingly spooky spirit. the single red eye behind the skull mask is a killer design motif and i love its fishlike phantom body, arms tucked behind its back in eternal contemplation. so halloweeny!
Runner Ups: Trapinch, Lunatone, Illumise, Shedinja, Tropius
LEAST FAVE: DELCATTY
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it lacks in personality, and i don't think the color scheme looks good. its head shape also freaks me out the longer i look at it... but i do like that its neck resembling a pincushion, that's clever
Runner Ups: Castform
GEN 4
FAVE: REGIGIGAS
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hey look, it's game freak's favorite whipping boy! i'm a sucker for hulking construct-type designs and regigigas is such a thoroughly excellent example of one. the black runes and mossy accessories give it a feeling of ancient, unknown significance. unlike a lot of gen 4 legendaries, it doesn't feel overly busy but still feels complex enough to have that "legendary" impact
Runner Ups: Giratina, Carnivine, Torterra, Bastiodon, Gliscor, Drapion
LEAST FAVE: AMBIPOM
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i have to say gen 4's designs usually feel distinct, particularly the new evolutions for older pokemon, which go out of their way to differentiate themselves from their previous form, for better or worse. not so for Ambipom, though!- which is just Aipom but worse in every single way. its once nimble fingers reduced to swollen udders, its cheeky grin slackened into a vacant smile and marred with an unpleasantly singular nostril, that dreadful haircut, and even the introduction of elbows to its vestigial arms that further emphasize the seeming impracticality of those wretched bulbous tail hands. and maybe even worse, it doesn't evolve the base concept in any way, aside from doubling the number of party balloons that limply float behind it, possibly the least interesting iteration on the existing concept
nothing unique to it is good or interesting, and that to me is way worse than a design that tries something new and fails
in terms of what i like about it... i guess it does seem like a pretty friendly guy. maybe he does tricks at parties. and it's nice that they can hold hands with one another in a group
Runner Ups: Gallade, Lopunny, Magmortar, Glaceon,
GEN 5
FAVE: HAXORUS
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god if this thing isn't cool! the exquisite color palette, the subtle contours of its armor, the bloodred axe-tusks... elegant simplicity in a terrifyingly brutal beast. it feels out of time, jurassic yet medieval...
Runner Ups: Roggenrola, Heatmor, Scolipede, Cofagrigus, Mienshao
LEAST FAVE: GURDURR
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there are very few pokemon that make me feel disgusted by looking at them, but here's one of them. its creepy lumpy head and bulging veins make me deeply uncomfortable. i must give credit for the base concept of a clown-ogre-construction-worker... that's ambitious, at least, and i think it pays off pretty well in Conkeldurr.
Runner Ups: the monkeys, the genies, & the musketeers... the fillerest of filler
GEN 6
FAVE: GOURGEIST
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SUCH a fun design. it blends a candle and a jack-o-lantern into its own original creature with a very unique shape, and what a cutie at that! it coming in multiple sizes like a real pumpkin would just seals the deal. another perfectly halloweeny 'mon, it and Duskull would be best friends
Runner Ups: Avalugg, Barbaracle, Clawitzer, Espurr, Trevenant
LEAST FAVE: VOLCANION
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one of the pokemon i forget about the most, and i am never happy to remember it. what a waste of the first fire/water type! its face looks constipated, its colors are lame, and it doesn't do jack-all with the concept besides the most obvious "it can shoot out steam." at the very least, though, i can say it has a unique silhouette. i think the design has potential, it's just that a lot of the particulars are very clunky and lame
(also, give me the fireball seal from the beta game freak!!)
Runner Ups: Hoopa, Braixen
GEN 7
FAVE: CHARJABUG
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BEEP BEEP!!! oh how i adore this little battery buggy. i didn't think much of it back when it was first revealed, but as soon as i heard its cry i immediately fell in love. it really is unique, too - no other pokemon has this shape. even cooler it has a support-based playstyle unique from its evolution based around its Battery ability, improving its allies' damage passively. thanks charjabug : )
Runner Ups: Type: Null, Celesteela, Bruxish, Stakataka, Melmetal
LEAST FAVE: LYCANROC-DAY
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i don't particularly dislike Lycanroc really (Alola's designs are bangers), but the rock typing is so thoroughly phoned in. and if you get rid of that you're just left with a wolf, an animal i don't care about. midnight form is fun though!
Runner Ups: Passimian, Toucannon
GEN 8
FAVE: SNEASLER
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this pick is probably not too popular, but i can't help but love Sneasler because it looks so much like what i would doodle in my high school notebooks, monster people with huge claws and wicked eyes. it's a cringe OC and that's badass. it carrying you around in a basket is also just precious...
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special mention also to legends arceus for making the diamond/pearl legendaries look way cooler. to me, anyway, i just think they're so much more fun in this surreal state
Runner Ups: Carkol, Cursola, Falinks, Ursaluna, Hatterene, Toxtricity
LEAST FAVE: CINDERACE
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i generally don't care for the set of designs made for sword and shield. (my favorite gen 8 mon isn't even from sword/shield!!) it feels like over half of the dex is either a guy with a job, or tries way too hard to be "memetic" and funny. cinderace falls into the former camp, an uncannily humanoid and unnatural design. i also don't like the colors used... that being said, it's going for a very different aesthetic than what i prefer, so i can imagine some people loving this design just as much as I dislike it.
i think the idea of kicking a pebble that becomes a blazing fireball is rad though, and Court Change is a sick move
Runner Ups: Boltund, Eiscue, Kubfu, Coalossal, Skwovet, Greedent
GEN 9
FAVE: GLIMMORA
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this perfect angel was one of the most unexpected delights of my scarlet playthrough. i love how otherworldly and surreal it is, its beautiful flower-like blooming petals that conceal its deadly poisonous nature, and its barreleye-fish-like-eyes that are at once adorable and haunting. it's amazing that we're 1000 designs in and game freak's artists are still able to create wholly new feeling concepts that are this cool...
Runner Ups: Slither Wing, Espathra, Houndstone, Ogerpon
LEAST FAVE: RELLOR
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WHY DO YOU HAVE THE FACE OF A HUMAN, RELLOR?! WHY!?! i am begging gamefreak to stop giving so many pokemon mustaches and beards. i also don't like the weirdly smooth dunkin-donuts-lookin' dung ball and how none of its colors match the bug's colors... that being said, it does at least have personality, i can't deny that...
Runner Ups: Iron Jugulis, Frigibax, Iron Crown
well that was cathartic! to end on a positive note, i must say that I think Pokemon's overall design track record is very good. most designs have a likeable quality to them, and so many are bursting with creativity and charm. honestly even the ones i just criticized are probably some people's favorites, and they're not wrong to think so. thanks for reading!
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andreabandrea · 11 months ago
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I absolutely don't mean this in a bad way, but I think a lot about how Pokemon is a power fantasy for kids. And I know this is obvious because it's a game for children, but let me ramble.
Think about it: you can go wherever you want, knowing you're safe because your Pokemon will protect you. In the later games, you can dress however you want and express yourself freely. You can connect with nature and communities of friendly kids and adults around you. You can make a meaningful, positive impact on the world. You can stand toe-to-toe with adults who, in real life, would ignore or even belittle you because you're just a kid. (And, of course, you have superpowered pets that love you.)
I think about how in the original games, Brock and Misty are presented as kids/young teens and become friends with Ash. But, Lt. Surge presents a difficulty spike-- if you chose Bulbasaur, you can easily sweep the first two gyms with it, but now you don't have a supereffective match up unless you plan more. I think it's meaningful, then, that Lt. Surge is portrayed a big, scary adult man and military to boot. In the anime, he's presented as being condescending and intimidating toward Ash. But, you as the player are able to overcome this intimidating man through the power of your Pokemon. The same can be said for people like Team Rocket and Giovanni-- Giovanni's original sprite in Red & Blue makes it look like he's looming over you, sneering at you.
It can easily be forgotten by adult fans, but you're seeing this world through the perspective of a child. Giovanni looming over you represents how it feels to be a child, powerless, and face an adult who's cruel to you. But you defeat him at every match up.
Satoshi Tajiri would go on to say that Pokemon was inspired by his childhood, in which he'd go out and collect bugs. Miyamoto would say that the first Zelda game was inspired by his childhood in which he'd explore the local area and caves and so on.
It makes me sad to think that, as the world becomes more modern, more urbanized, and (as parents tend to see it, at least) more unsafe, this childhood that inspired these classic games become further out of reach for kids. When I was growing up, I lived in a suburb full of concrete. I couldn't walk anywhere, and even if I could, my mother was too anxious to let me just go around unsupervised.
This is why getting the bike is such a big moment in Pokemon-- you can go so much farther as a kid on a bike! But, I also could only ride my bike up and down my boring street before running into a major street full of cars going 50 MPH that would have murdered me instantly.
This isn't a doom post. I still believe that we can repair the damage that capitalism and cars have done to the world. But, I think that in times like this, it's more important than ever for kids to have access to these power fantasies, these escapes from a world that they have no ability to fix, but still suffer from regardless.
Ironically, I think that when I play Pokemon now, I play it to feel smaller rather than to feel bigger, the opposite of how I played it as a kid. Now, it's comforting to escape from work and stress into a world in which your only concerns are walking to the next town, catching a new Pokemon, and maybe fighting a gym leader. The same can be said of any piece of media that someone is nostalgic for, but I think Pokemon feeds into it well because its design is so baked in the experience of being a child.
When I'm playing Pokemon, especially when replaying an old game, I still remember things like only saving in Pokemon centers so that my character could sleep there in a nice building, or imagining them setting up camp if I had to save and quit on a route. If I had time, I would feed my Pokemon some Pokeblocks or etc. at my little 'camp' so they wouldn't be hungry (which is why I felt like the cooking and camping systems from SwSh were so real for me, haha).
I don't think that there's a 'wrong' way to play Pokemon-- I know people enjoy competitive Pokemon, and strict challenge runs, and stuff. And I can enjoy that, too! But, for me, Pokemon is about childhood, you know?
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weirdmarioenemies · 4 months ago
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Name: mario mini
Debut: Super Mario 64 DS
Today's Weird Mario Entity is a Weird Mario Head! Mario is the least weird Mario Entity there could possibly be, but there is an easy solution, and that is to remove his body, and hide it from him. Everyone loves when that happens! His floating head in Super Mario 64 is iconic and nostalgic. His floating head in Mario Teaches Typing is oh so funny. But I think my personal favorite Mario Head is mario mini! What is mario mini? I won't tell you, because I don't know!
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Here is one sighting! This is the Tox Box Shuffle minigame. Yoshi is under one of the Tox Boxes, and you need to watch to find out which one! But you are not the only one watching. Oh, no. Mario Head is watching. And he is SO watching! There on the top screen, gazing down at the bottom, watching the boxes swap around. Is this divine intervention? A heavenly Mario Head here to advise you? Two heads are better than one, and a Mario head is worth at least four standard human heads!
He's just here to watch, though. Maybe he's fascinated by the Tox Boxes here using their original design instead of the one this very game gave them. He will not help you. Help? From Super Mario? When his dear friend is in peril? No way! You are on your own, and he will react according to your choices. If you find Yoshi, he will be so happy! He will laugh, using the voice clip normally heard when his tuckus is set ablaze. And if you get too many wrong, he will act like he got knocked out, and fly back in a daze! Maybe this minigame is his new torso, and you're toying with his vitals!
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He behaves pretty much the same in Boom Box, the game where you must match the sounds made by chests. He also reacts in delight upon hearing each sound! He recognizes them! Like a dog seeing a squirrel on TV! There is a lot here for him to be interested in seeing, I think. A fascinatingly still image of Yoshi opening a chest on the shore, with a wooden chair submerged behind him, and to top it all off, the chest isn't even using the same design as the actual interactable ones. I'd expect nothing less from a mario mini product!
So now we ask, what IS mario mini? Mario's head is just in front of what seem to be a bunch of screens displaying its name, like he's floating in a department store where every TV is synced, showing the same commercial on loop. If these were TVs, they would certainly be mini. But maybe this is a view from INSIDE the mario mini? Imagine it. A revolutionary VR experience where you can look at a bunch of screens that say mario mini on them. How much would you pay to do that? J-just curious!
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The "mini" is probably because these are minigames. But then, why these two? I guess they were the ones they had the least ideas of what to put on the top screen for! To me, mario mini above all else reminds me of Pokemon Mini, like a tiny Mario game you can put in your pocket and take with you instead of taking a much better Mario game with you. But we will never know the truth of mario mini! Mario Head will never tell us, and we would know. We've been holding his torso for ransom this whole time!
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parasolladyansy · 3 months ago
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NPC Ansy
Drawing BW2 Ansy in that last comic with a raincoat like standard Parasol Ladies made me do it lol. Definitely nostalgic, looking up BW2 battle screenshots for this. ^_^
Parasol Lady is a trainer class who specializes in weather teams, but usually rain. There are certain moves, abilities, & types that have an advantage depending on the weather, like Weather Ball (a normally Normal move that gets a power boost & type change depending on if it’s raining, sunny, or snowing / hailing). Castform is generally their signature Pokemon, along with any with abilities like Swift Swim, Rain Dish, Hydration, or Drizzle. 🌧️💧
You probably would encounter her later on in the game (whenever Altaria evolves, around 35), but beat her fairly easily lol. Her default dialogue would be about the weather, her dear Pokémon, or maybe cloud cookies. ☁️ 
PS: I didn’t know you can catch Castform in BDSP (very rare Trophy Garden encounter), & I can’t not have Sora on the team if she’s available sooooo I did some rearranging on Ansy’s DxP team lol. I’m honestly planning on just redoing these profiles eventually (maybe after Chapter 1), but yeah, just so you guys know lol, Ansy has her raindrop baby. 🥲🩵
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crystallizsch · 1 month ago
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HI okay so about that multifandom post — these are the ones that comes to mind i might post about in the future (with a lot of them having oc x canon stuff as well)
(the headers are my fan ocs btw 💕)
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obey me!
i’ll very likely do this tbh
potential crossovers??? seven sins/brothers vs the seven overblotters???
i’ve been thinking about this for a long time actually (for example: obm mc and twst mc switching places)
and if you must know my faves are simeon and mammon >:]
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stardew valley
maybe i’ll post about it???
i barely have time to play this game 😭 and when i do, i play it for like a week straight and dont touch it for several months (which is something i do with a lot of the games i play anyway 😔)
maybe potential twst x sdv au
as for the characters i’m into: it’s the alcoholic and the emo boy, if you know you know
IF THEY CAN’T LET ME HAVE ROBIN IM COURTING HER LOSER SON I GUESS
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our life: beginning & always
a niche(?) visual novel with a customizable mc
augh i’ll definitely post about it bc i have SUCH a soft spot for it
it’s cheesy to admit but the game got me through some rough times before i landed on twst lmao (and it's literally the ONLY game i did somewhat of a self-insert hgdkfj)
if you’re into slice of life visual novels, PLEASE check this out, it’s free on steam (it has paid dlcs (that i all paid for bc i love the game so much) but the game is still VERY enjoyable without it)
it has so much 2000s-2010s nostalgic vibes, and it doesnt force you to a romance if you don’t want to (at least from what i remember but im pretty confident that’s the case)
and the main “love interest” is the CUTEST OUGH
it’s not really “exciting” per se since it’s a slice of life, BUT BUT—
ONCE I START POSTING ABOUT THIS I WILL CONVERT YOU GUYS MARK MY WORDS
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pokemon
HUGE MAYBE THAT I’LL DO STUFF ABOUT POKEMON bc i struggle with animal art ;;;
so probably i’ll just do occasional crossovers/aus with twst
or sharing some trainer/gijinka ocs
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misc games/anime/etc.
the arcana (nix hydra): another niche(?) visual novel free on the app store about a magician mc and tarot cards (grossly summarizing it), i’d recommend if you like fantasy/dark themes 🫶 i have a soft spot for it too bc it was one of my first oc x canon i started posting when i was younger <3 (i’d like to consider the art style of this dating sim “unconventionally pretty” like it’s not your usual anime otome game art style. it’s definitely not for everyone but i personally like it)
cult of the lamb: i have a one-off lamb oc but if i do post about this, it’s probably going to be more about gameplay than oc-posting tbh
honkai star rail: i have no ocs in this game but i LOVE playing for the characters/story so it’ll prob be just me reacting to story stuff and agonizing over gacha pulls
+ probably other franchises (like other anime or video games and stuff) i might make fanart of or just talk about
AGAIN TO CLARIFY: i'll still be twst-posting first and foremost because i know it’ll be my main fandom for a LONG while, i really don’t see myself dropping it any time soon!! these other fandoms are just side interests
and considering my track record of ONLY focusing on certain twst characters/ocs, i don't think the fandoms i mentioned here will show very often anyway 😭
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extra-vertebrae · 10 months ago
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Hello! I followed u an eon ago on a different account, and am so excited to see ur art come up on my feed again. Idk if this is the best place to send this; Id feel awkward sending a whole email for this and I dont have a twitter anymore (dumpster fire.) i love all ur designs, but I keep coming back to ur pokemon ones. I’m so fond of them. It makes me want to experiment w body horror art.
I know ppl have sent u mean-spirited asks in the past abt them. I just want to say: I went thru ur old art and said a variation of “aww, a cutie!” Or “oh, poor babyyy :(“ in the occasion that their breeding has created things like chronic pain. At no point was I thinking. Idk, they were ugly or mean (to the pokemon franchise)? To me, ppl like that just have bad taste 🤷🏽‍♀️
I do wanna see more of ur original stuff, certainly! Im just being nostalgic rn.
Thank you so much for your message! I'm glad you still enjoy those old designs, and that they're inspiring you to give body horror themes a try!
Thankfully most of those types of messages are gone, though I'm sure my lack activity in the Pokemon space since then has probably helped a lot in this regard.
Haha, I still find a lot of them pretty cute, too. There's some good design shapes and ideas in some of those older pieces that maybe I can recycle and refine or develop into something new someday.
I definitely would like to share more original work; I'm going through a sort of transitional phase with my art at the moment, so there isn't much to share that I legitimately feel like posting. I can, however, share this lineup of vehicular characters that were sketched up some weeks ago for Funky Town:
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I've always had a general appreciation for mechanical shapes and design; I've learned that that general appreciation runs deeper than anticipated, so hard surface focused / adjacent design has been where my mind has been at recently.
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wholesomecryptidart · 5 months ago
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I think it'd be cool to see Thorton in your style orrrrr maybe Lance?
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took me so long to figure out how i wanted to stylize Thortons hair ahaha but i think i did alright in the end!! Hes a goober/aff Lance is probably the most nostalgic of the pokemon champions for me, i remember thinking he was peak badass when i was like 8
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runawaycarouselhorse · 27 days ago
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I found a new (to me--it's actually quite old!) heartwarming collection of cute, collection of fables/fairy tale-esque children's stories anime, Fukuyama Gekijou: Natsu no Himitsu [Fukuyama Theater: Summer Secret]--I found it via Pinterest because look at this adorably sweet mermaid design!!!
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It's by one of my favourite artists ever, Fukuyama Keiko, who painted those touching scenes used for the end of Pikachu's Summer Vacation (yup, the first Pikachu pre-movie short!) and a lot of old Pokemon postcards! Osamu Tezuka fans will also know her as the artist of the Melmo-chan reboot manga! It's where this super cute bunny came from!!! I used to mistake it as something from Chibi Maruko-chan! It used to make the rounds on tumblr a lot.
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The intro/narrative frame of little mice reading stories gives me the same so-heartwarming-it-makes-me-teary nostalgic feeling as Maple Town. (Side-note: so many punny references to Fukuyama-sensei's name everywhere!)
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The rabbits' story is just bunny propoganda, poor wolf!! He's as pitiful as Tom! But I am very amused at the catchy song just trying to get kids to eat the veggies. See, the wolf is ugly because he hated carrots, but the bunnies are smart, because they love carrots, fff.
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The longest story is a silly, Flintstones-esque story about cavemen living among dinosaurs, namely focusing on an aspiring artist (Henoheno), trying hard to make it big, supported by his friend (later wife ♡) Pink and dinosaur friend Shiro (Shiro also ends up a mom to many, many little dinos, but the father amusingly isn't shown, Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Short, pfft.) Also, there's a famous established artist called (Moheji.) Yes, his and the lead's names are puns on the henohenomoheji doodle. As you can tell by the disclaimer, you are not to take this anachronistic story too seriously, it's just a sweet, funny, uplifting little story!
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This little punk in the End of Semester Cleaning Contest story is very funny. Cute story. I did worry it'd take a dark turn when he fell down the stairs (they even had him wonder if maybe he died whe he fell), but no, it ended nicely... even if it's a little bittersweet.
There's some shorter stories that are mostly songs (another one about rabbits sung by a kindergartener and one song about yearning for love starring a little black dog named Kuro who does find a home!), and the last story is easily my other favourite after the mermaid story, and I'm so glad it was a longer one too... it's a very poignant story.
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The Origami Princess is a little like Thumbelina, but very Japanese. A little girl, with her mother's help, makes an origami princess, but before she could go to the beach, she falls sick, so sends the princess in her place, floating her on a boat-shaped leaf down the river...
The princess is amazed by the beauty of the world and befriends a telescope goldfish (Kinguro), who was accidentally flushed while his tank was being cleaned, and he aids her as she seeks the sea, even as he warns her of the danger...
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There's a dignity and grace in this story that's very beautiful.
(Also, tanuki statue spotted!)
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ohthehypocrisy · 1 month ago
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Pokemon: Paradox Paradigms (a Third Person Shooter concept by me)
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As a gamer, I'm well versed in a lot of genres. I owe this diversity to my upbringing, having grown up on Nintendo consoles and titles. Yes, I have played PlayStation games, but I've never owned one, and I've never even touched an XBOX controller. As a result, I had lived for a very long time without touching a Shooter game.
You might be thinking to yourself 'Ah, I see. Splatoon was your first shooter then?' and I'll tell you, no, it wasn't. I wanted to get into it, but I never got around to playing the games. I was well off watching my brothers play Splatoon and Splatoon 2 and figured it was a pretty decent experience, but not one I was willing to commit to learning about. Not that I have anything negative to say about Splatoon, it was just a matter of not the right time for me.
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So what was my first shooter? Overwatch? I did want to try it out, but it wasn't available on Nintendo consoles when it came out. And also I still don't own a PlayStation console, even now. What about Call of Duty? Nah, too gritty for me. Fortnite? Too time-consuming.
Well, what was it? You might be surprised to learn that my first shooter had a solid hold on my attention span for nearly a year, and it wasn't even a conventional shooter in the literal sense of the word.
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It all started on a whim, when I rented out Plants VS Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. I figured 'At worst I'll play it for a few days and then return it' only to get caught playing this game every day for nearly an entire year. The only reason I stopped was because the Daily Missions had glitched out on me and I couldn't get the cosmetic reward. I had tried reporting the bug, but all I got was silence and I had to question my commitment to a game lacking in support. Ultimately I decided it was time to shelf the game and move on to other experiences, but I still find myself feeling nostalgic over my best plays and KO streaks and wishing for a sequel.
Nothing more ever came of it, I haven't played another shooter since. There has yet to be another hero shooter that scratched that itch I got playing Battle for Neighborville. I mean, there is Marvel Rivals coming out soon, but it won't be available on the Switch console. Star Wars Hunters looks promising, but I'm not really a Star Wars guy. Eh, I wasn't really a PVZ guy either before picking up Battle for Neighborville, so maybe I'll check it out sometime soon.
But for now, the only way I know for sure I'll have another experience like PVZ is to pretend to make my own, which brings me to the topic of this post. What if we put the Paradox Pokemon, all past and future ones, into a third person hero based shooter? I made a similar concept before in a post featuring the Future Paradox Pokemon, but I excluded the Past Paradox Pokemon because I thought the concept wouldn't work for them. But now, I don't care all that much about cohesion, I just want to relive the wacky shooter experience of Plants VS Zombies, so of course I'm going to pit Past VS Future here.
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Of course the game has to have a plot to justify the infighting. Let's say that the Paradox Pokemon are fighting for control in a land caught in between time, with the AI Professors from Scarlet and Violet leading charge from their command post. A similar story beat plays out in Plants VS Zombies, with Crazy Dave directing the plants and Dr. Zomboss commanding the zombies. They spoke in babbles in their games, though, which won't cut it for this game. They would HAVE to be voice acted, which would be a little strange for a spin-off game, if it weren't for Pokemon Masters already taking that first step for us.
Anyway, the playable pokemon are segregated into separate teams. As in, you either play for the dinosaur team or the cyborg team. It works this way for the Plants VS Zombies shooters, though because this is a pokemon spin-off, you can expect to have an unrestricted mode separate from the Ranked and Casual games.
The Control Scheme
As for the actual gameplay, first we have to look at the button layout and what they do. Here's a Nintendo Pro Controller for reference, since this game would most likely be on the Nintendo Switch, or Switch 2, I suppose.
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Let's start with the shoulder buttons, since they simulate the trigger of actual pistols.
ZR - Primary Fire - You press this button to shoot. Do note that the bullet type, shooting speed, and recoil varies across all pokemon.
ZL - Aim - The camera zooms in to where your reticle is pointing to. Your Primary Fire will also change slightly while zoomed in, though it depends on the character. For example, sniper pokemon will shift to a scope view in order to get more accurate shots.
R - Defend - The defensive option your pokemon uses to try and evade damage. This button varies greatly across all pokemon and can be either a manual shield, a dodge, flight, invisibility, or even a counterattack. It should be noted that you cannot attack while holding your defense.
L - Jump - A short jump. A mildly evasive maneuver, but it varies with each pokemon, as per usual. Some can jump high, others not so much but deal damage upon landing. Some can even double jump or slow their descent while falling.
X & Y - Sub 1 & Sub 2 - Two customizable moves which change depending on what TM's you've taught your pokemon. You cannot use two of the same TM's for both slots but also not all TM's can be learned by all Paradox Pokemon. We'll go over the TM's later but it should be noted that, because the face buttons take the thumb away from the Right Control Stick, which is used for controlling the camera, moves set for Sub 1 and 2 will be typically proximity attacks like protective walls or bombs.
B - Melee - The close range attack used for when enemies are in your face. Again, it's different for all pokemon, but because it's a face button, the attack is tricky to aim. Most of them will cover a wide area so aiming won't be a problem, if it can be helped.
A - Paradox Paradigm - The so-called 'ultimate attack' of each playable pokemon. While Sub 1 and 2 are customizable, the Paradox Paradigm is a powerful attack unique to each one. It's also the move with the highest cooldown in your entire kit, so it shouldn't be used carelessly.
Left Control Stick - Movement - As with nearly all games, the left stick is how you'll move your pokemon around. But each playable pokemon is different in their own way, so naturally each one moves slightly different. Some are fast, some are slow, some make big loud stomps that can be heard across the map, while others are quiet like a gentle breeze. Also, if you hold forward for a while, the pokemon will start running. You can trigger running automatically by pressing in the control stick.
Right Control Stick - Camera - It wouldn't be much of a shooter if you couldn't aim, huh? The camera function is exactly the same for all pokemon, though the reticle will be different for each pokemon due to their unique abilities and projectiles. It's also used for the Quick Chat and Emote Wheel. Speaking of which...
Directional Pad - Quick Chat/Emote/Taunt/Pokeball - Communication is key for fighting as a team, so of course there's got to be a feature for getting your message across. Three of the four buttons of the D-Pad brings up a small menu of words, stickers, and animations that you can use to express yourself. They're preset, but you can swap them around in your Settings before each match. The Down Button, however, is called Pokeball and it sends the pokemon back into its pokeball to return to Base or to the Character Select screen. More on that later...
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Playable Pokemon
So you know how the game will play, but what pokemon will you choose? Let's go over the Playable Paradox Pokemon in order of Dex Number and see what they can do in a shooter.
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Great Tusk
Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆
Not a great first impression for a shooter, but Great Tusk can hold its own in the middle of a firefight. High HP and damage potential service it well when fighting one-on-one, but it lacks the guile to get around and can't hit far away targets feasibly. Still, if it does manage to get up close and personal, those wretched robots will be reduced to rubbish when Great Tusk is through with them.
Primary Fire: Great Tusk takes a moment to tear up the ground and pull up a giant spherical rock. After pulling it out, Great Tusk will hold the rock with its trunk and massive tusks, which acts as a shield from opposing enemy fire. The rock can take a lot of hits, but it's not invulnerable and can be shattered from heavy fire. Before that happens, press the Primary fire again to send the rock rolling like a primitive bowling ball. The rock explodes on hit with a wall or enemy, dealing massive damage to all nearby. This damage does not scale with the 'HP' of the rock. When Aimed, Great Tusk will chuck smaller stones instead, though its throwing arm, or trunk, isn't all that great. Great Tusk cannot dig up rocks or stones while airborne.
Defend: Great Tusk will attempt to reach out and grab an enemy with its trunk. If successful, it will pick up the enemy and throw it in the direction you're aiming. If you're holding the boulder picked up with your Primary, Great Tusk will swing it in a wide arc, swatting enemies away and dealing damage scaled off of the rock's HP.
Melee: Great Tusk brings up its trunk before slamming it back down in front of itself. If it was holding the big rock, it smashes it down in front of itself, dealing increased damage in a wider area.
Jump: A stout jump that shakes the ground upon landing. If Great Tusk jumps or falls from a great height, the quake damage increases.
Paradox Paradigm: Great Tusk goes on a rampage and starts charging forward wildly. Enemies receive major damage and are knocked away.
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Scream Tail
Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★☆☆☆☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆
Do not mistake Scream Tail's cute front for an easy opponent, as it is neither weak nor merciful. Its high HP is beset by low damage output, but it more than makes up for this with its mobility, range, and supportive abilities. Scream Tail plays for the team more for itself, but it'll happily shout to its own tune when it brings discord to those dastardly droids.
Primary Fire: A wide ranged scream wave emitted in front of itself. This sound wave is harsh but not all that damaging, but it does cover a wide area. Enemies can hide behind walls to avoid damage, but the echoing shrieks will reveal their position to others, making it unsafe to be within earshot. When Aimed, the wide scream becomes a focused shout, which bounces off of walls. Holding the Primary Fire has Scream Tail take in air before shouting, increasing the size and damage of the echo.
Defend: Scream Tail puffs up and holds in its voice for a few seconds before deflating. If Scream Tail is damaged before it deflates, it'll let loose an ear-splitting screech which stuns nearby enemies for a bit. If Scream Tail does deflate, however, it cannot Defend again for a short while.
Melee: A wild whirl of its hair tail. The tail whips all around itself, knocking enemies away.
Jump: A floaty jump. Can be pressed repeatedly to gain a bit of height, or held down to drastically slow its descent, allowing it to cross wide gaps.
Paradox Paradigm: Scream Tail lets out a hangry scream for a short while before shifting into prowl mode, increasing its Movement Speed. Enemies that heard the screech will become targets for Scream Tail. If Scream Tail approaches an enemy marked by your Paradox Paradigm, it'll open its mouth drastically before taking one big bite. If this bite KO's the enemy, Scream Tail can hunt for another target.
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Brute Bonnet
Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★☆☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range:★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆
Now, Brute Bonnet would not have looked out of place in a Plants VS Zombies game, but unfortunately it has been branded with the pokeball symbol since the beginning of time, apparently. Even so, the irony of drafting it into a third person shooter is not lost on me. It may not be gunning down zombies, but blasting apart the ireful iron monstrosities from the future is a fair substitute.
Primary: Brute Bonnet launches a hardened ball of spores in an arc. This spore ball bursts with a small explosion, damaging other enemies nearby. The lobbing arc of the projectile means that it can be used to bypass walls that the enemy might hide behind, though this means that it has pathetically low range against enemies at higher vantage points. When aimed, Brute Bonnet launches slow moving spore bombs directly forward. These projectiles are pathetically slow, but they are very light, very persistent, and Brute Bonnet can launch a whole bunch of them to fill the sky.
Defend: Brute Bonnet guards itself with its pokeball pattern caps. Its defense increases greatly while guarding, but it can still be KO'd. If it receives an attack directly onto its caps, a cloud of spores is released to deal counterattack damage. Any enemy nearby gets bounced back as well.
Melee: Brute Bonnet claps its mushroom hands together like a pair of cymbals and release a small cloud of debilitating spores. The spores deal continuous damage passively for a short amount of time, but by the time they wear off, Brute Bonnet can use its Melee attack again.
Jump: The stretchy nature of mushrooms means that Brute Bonnet has one of the more intricate Jump functions in the game. It can Jump high initially, but if you Jump again when you land, you'll Jump even higher the second time. Stick the landing one more time and you'll Jump even higher. The third Jump is your maximum height, but if you hold the button instead, you can build up power before jumping up for the skies. Any more jumps after that will not gain any extra height, but Brute Bonnet can scale big cliffs or reach the roofs of big buildings on the map. One more thing, while Brute Bonnet is holding Jump, its body is squash so that it can build up tension. If an ally jumps onto Brute Bonnet while it is charging Jump, they will also be launched high into the air in the direction you're facing, allowing vertically challenged teammates to reach higher vantage points.
Paradox Paradigm: Brute Bonnet starts to shake and flail about wildly while a primal power builds up from within. After a short jig, Brute Bonnet unleashes its powerful spores in a mighty explosion, ejecting them so forcefully that a great mushroom cloud rises up from ground zero. The blast deals major damage to all nearby enemies but the damage increases further the less HP you have. Also, the survivors will be put to Sleep for a while afterwards.
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Flutter Mane
Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★★★ Support: ★☆☆☆☆
The destructive power of the Ghost and Fairy Type is made alive in Paradox Paradigm, as Flutter Mane wields some of the most damaging projectiles in the whole game. From relentless wisps that bypass barriers to sneaky shots from so far away, Flutter Mane is just what the Ancient pokemon need to turn the tide against those wrathful robots from the future.
Primary Fire: Flutter Mane starts to cackle as burning will-o'-the-wisps gather around itself. It'll keep gathering wisps for as long as the button is held, but once the trigger is released, Flutter Mane will unleash a volley of ghostly fire straight ahead. This is functionally similar to a 'minigun' in more modern shooters, complete with the telltale sound of the ammunition being loaded. Enemies will hear the cackle clearly, even during a raucous firefight, and they'll know they need to either make a break for it or take out the wailing banshee. The projectiles have a ghostly property as well, in that they can pass through up to 1 wall before bursting. Flutter Mane can only see through walls while Aiming, but it shifts into a sniper scope when it does so. While holding Aim, the pearls on its necklace glow with power, gleaming brightly when fully charged. Firing at this point launches a powerful single beam that deals major damage to enemies through headshots. However, the sniper fire cannot pass through walls. Either way, these attacks are powerful, but very clearly give away Flutter Mane's position when they're used.
Defend: Flutter Mane turns invisible, leaving behind only a shadow that gives its position away. It is still vulnerable to enemy fire, but it'll take a lucky shot to hit Flutter Mane. The invisibility will only wear off when released manually or if Flutter Mane gets incapacitated.
Melee: A terrifying shout that damages all around itself. The attack power doubles and can Stun enemies if Flutter Mane attacks an enemy's backside while invisible. Keep in mind that Defend normally prevents the pokemon from attacking while held, and Flutter Mane will become unable to turn invisible again for a short while afterwards if it jumpscares an enemy.
Jump: Flutter Mane flutters a bit and gains some height. Holding the Jump button has Flutter Mane hold itself in the air at max jump height and will remain there until the jump button is released. Alternatively, Flutter Mane will continue fluttering if you use your Primary Fire, Aim, or Defend, in which case it will only drop down when these effects end.
Paradox Paradigm: Flutter Mane amasses a huge amount of ghostly energy before unleashing a massive ghastly visage straight forward. The ghost projectile resembles Flutter Mane itself but with a mildly distorted laughing face. The projectile will travel across the map at moderate speed, passing through walls and floors and dealing great damage repeatedly to enemies caught in the attack.
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Slither Wing
Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆
The ancient past was a world full of opportunity and potential, but not one of forgiveness. Every genetic mistake was swiftly corrected, leading only to the survival of the fittest. Slither Wing was a pokemon that was slowly developing its powers over the course of thousands of years, but as it is now, its power varies greatly. Still, it has enough power within itself to pulverize those pesky piles of pots and pans.
Primary Fire: A steady stream of flames shoots out from its tiny mouth. The flames reach far, but the rate of damage is much higher closer to the pokemon itself and deals pitiful damage from far away. Also, the fire stream takes a lot of air out of Slither Wing, so if it runs out of fuel, it needs to catch its breath before it can fire again. When Aiming, the player's sight shifts to a sniper scope. Slither Wing gathers solar energy from the sun while aiming, building up power for its sniper shot. Its wings flare up while at max power, making it highly visible from across the map.
Defend: Slither Wing leaps backwards quickly, leaving behind some glittery dust from its wings. It is completely invincible while jumping away, but the evasive jump always sends you backwards and can be difficult to aim. The glittery dust damages enemies continuously while the dust cloud lingers. The dust can be ignited with your Primary Fire, dealing increased damage and inflicting Burn.
Melee: A lunging bite. A direct hit restores HP. If Slither Wing is airborne and uses its Melee attack, it will latch onto enemies and bite repeatedly if the attack is timed correctly. The last hit heals for a lot of HP if it KO'd an enemy.
Jump: A slow but mighty jump. Slither Wing uses its large wings to lift itself off of the ground, leaving behind glittery dust. Just like with Defend, the glittery dust can also be ignited with Primary Fire. Slither Wing deals damage to enemies if it lands on them with Jump, causing it to bounce again in any chosen direction.
Paradox Paradigm: Slither Wing harnesses the full power of the sun and casts the entire area around it with a primordial glow. The glowing light deals damage to all enemies within range. At the same time Slither Wing is healing itself, and the amount of HP restored turns into extra damage for this attack.
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Sandy Shocks
Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆
Of all the Future Paradox Pokemon, Sandy Shocks has the biggest grudge against them. As one of the early pioneers of electricity and magnetism, the white noise emitted by the futuristic Paradox Pokemon screams like relentless thunder to its ears. It wants nothing more than the peace and quiet of a less noisy future.
Primary Fire: Controlling electricity wasn't exactly perfected yet back then, so the main source of damage coming from Sandy Shocks is a controlled stream of energy. Electricity flows out of one horseshoe, out into the open, before curving back around and completing the circuit on the other horseshoe. It covers a wide area, but in a shooter, it hardly covers much distance. However, this charged line carries with it floating ironsand particles, from Sandy Shocks own body. It doesn't deal extra damage to enemies, but it does coat allies in a bit of protection, granting them Armor that builds up slowly over time. When the attack shifts with Aim, each eye will instead shoot a condensed beam of energy. There is an 'autolock' feature with Aim where up to 3 enemies will be shot at with a separate beam, one for each eye, and will continue to deal damage until they move out of sight.
Defend: Sandy Shocks amplifies its magnetism to pull in all the ironsand within reach to come together and form a wall directly in front of itself. The wall can take a bit of damage before crumbling apart. Sandy Shocks can only make one wall at a time, so using Defend again takes all the sand away from the last wall made. It's also solid, so it can take a beating, but you can't really see through it.
Melee: Sandy Shocks powers up its magnets again to charge the area around it and pull enemies inward. It's only for a brief moment, but enemies will be Stunned as they're pulled in.
Jump: A short jump, but one with a secret trick. If you hold the Jump button and jump into a wall, Sandy Shocks will cling to the surface and can walk around on it as easily as it could on land. It only has about 10 seconds to make use of this mobility, but Sandy Shocks can actually still attack with Melee and Primary Fire while wall clinging. Once you jump off though, whether it be because you ran out of time or were shoved off by an enemy, you cannot cling to the wall again until after you touch the ground for a couple of seconds. It can get disorientating, though, so don't overdo it.
Paradox Paradigm: Sandy Shocks launches a giant lightning bolt straight forward after a brief charge. The lightning bolt magnetizes the area around itself, drawing in even more ironsand with its residual energy. This causes Sandy Shocks to overflow with electricity, gaining Armor with its excess ironsand and improving the Armor granted to allies with its Primary Fire as well as increases the size and HP of its ironsand wall made with Defend.
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Iron Treads
Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆
The wheel, as an invention, is proof of evolving ingenuity, and it is a testament to the advancements of technology that the shape continues to persist in the future. Yes, everything that floats can fly, but gyroscopic motors are the backbone of futuristic designs. It's understandable to us, at least, and definitely beyond the understanding of those undignified dinosaurs.
Primary Fire: The dirt that gets chewed up as Iron Treads rolls around the earth is collected and processed for its projectiles. Out of its trunk pops concussive blasts of silicone and carbon, usually used to blow apart walls and obstacles. They have a bit of a curve to them, so they can't reach very high, but they do pack a punch. When Aimed, the constitution of the projectiles changes to become sticky, more like mud, and they will stick to walls without exploding. They still can't reach very far, nor can there be too many in play at once, but the Ability to Aim these proximity mines makes for precise traps.
Defend: Iron Treads retracts its trunk and begins to spin its 'wheels' around at high speed. The centrifugal force deflects some of the power of the projectiles that strike it, reducing damage. Your movement speed increases greatly, though, and you can deal damage to enemies by ramming into them, knocking them away a short distance.
Melee: Same as Defend, except Iron Treads spins its wheel much faster, you cannot move for a second, and when it fully revs up, Iron Treads launches itself forward at high speed, dealing great damage to enemies and knocking them up into the air. You have about a second to turn around while Iron Treads is charging, because you cannot move or jump until the attack ends and Iron Treads screeches to a halt.
Jump: A short jump, but Iron Treads lands with a damaging quake, just like Great Tusk. However, it can also cling to walls using its magnetized treads, just like Sandy Shocks can, granting Iron Treads excellent mobility.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Treads spins very quickly, ripping up the earth under itself and slinging chunks everywhere. These stray slags are actually its Primary Fire being loaded and launched very quickly in a wide area around itself. The shots detonate upon landing or after hitting an enemy.
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Iron Bundle
Health: ★☆☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★★☆☆
Iron Bundle used to be a pokemon that spread joy and holiday cheer everywhere, but times changed, so instead it dispenses refreshingly ice-cold water to thirsty patrons. It can still fight in a pinch, and it's more than happy to wash the filth off of those deplorable dinosaurs from the dark ages.
Primary Fire: The water in its bundle doesn't come from nowhere, it has to draw in moisture from the air before it can be shot out. This extraction process is very noisy, but once Iron Bundle has enough water, it shoots a powerful stream straight forward. The ice cold water slows down enemies on hit, but Iron Bundle also has to slow down in order to hold its canister steady. This attack operates just like a minigun in traditional shooters, which suits a small pokemon like Iron Bundle very well. When Aimed, Iron Bundle holds the canister over its head and launches ice cubes rapidly. The projectiles are weaker, but it's quicker to attack in this way.
Defend: Iron Bundle puts its ice maker into overdrive and starts building a pillar of ice. It starts out as a short wall, optimal for cover and returning fire, but the more ice you add to it, the taller it gets. It'll only get as tall as three 'blocks' but you can move Iron Bundle while holding Defend to make more ice pillars. It's slow, but the pillars are slow melting and are handy to make a decent fort in anticipation of a raid.
Melee: Loads of snow are thrown from its canister pointing forward. It has less range than it looks, but it can slow down enemies approaching from the front. Additionally, Iron Bundle's movement speed increases when it is moving backwards while holding Melee, due to the snow propelling it backwards a bit. Also, the Melee attack is used automatically when Iron Bundle is moving normally, but the canister is pointed backwards instead, slinging snow behind it.
Jump: A short jump. If Iron Bundle falls from a great height and holds Jump, it points its canister straight down and starts blowing snow forcefully, slowing its descent and damaging enemies underneath.
Paradox Paradigm: Upon activation, Iron Bundle takes its canister and starts to shake it vigorously like a bartender and his favorite tumbler. This shaking accelerates the ice maker in the canister but also is very loud and pervasive. After about two seconds, Iron Bundle points the canister forward and launches a dense ice ball into the air. A trail of snow follows the projectile as it flies, until it hits a wall or enemy, in which case it'll explode into a flurry of slush. The snow lingers for a while and increases your team's movement speed while also decreasing that of the enemy team.
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Iron Hands
Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆
There is no such thing as a perfectly designed robot. Each automaton is built to specific measurements meant for its function. Iron Hands may be very large, but it is built that way for one thing and thing only. It was made to pummel those primitive pokemon from the past. And also to guard things, I guess.
Primary Fire: Iron Hands holds its hands out and generates a powerful electrical field in front of itself. This electric field acts as a mobile barrier that it can carry and summon whenever possible. It can also damage nearby enemies that touch the barrier, though the damage is weak. The barrier can take a certain amount of damage until it breaks, in which case it cannot be made until the shield has fully regenerated. Beyond that, it regenerates normally when not in use, and dealing damage with your other moves accelerates the shield's regeneration. When Aimed, Iron Hands launches shots of its electrified palms forward. These palm shaped projectiles are slow moving, but they can intercept enemy fire. They cannot block laser beams, though, due to the property of the different projectiles.
Defend: Iron Hands clasps its hands together in an attempt to grab an enemy. If successful, Iron Hands will lift them up into the air before throwing them in the direction of the player's reticle. The thrown enemy will be damaged upon landing and can also damage other enemies on hit.
Melee: Iron Hands charges its palms before bringing them together in a loud clap. The clap unleashes a powerful shock wave that stuns nearby enemies.
Jump: A short jump. It should be noted that Iron Hands can Jump during the grab and throw effect of its Defend ability.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Hands performs a traditional sumo stomp with both feet before launching a supercharged shock wave from its hands. The shock wave moves slowly, but it behaves like a moving wall, damaging and pushing enemies away as it flies. Enemies squashed by this Paradox Paradigm attack will take massive damage.
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Iron Jugulis
Health: ★☆☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★★★★★ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆
Two heads are better than one, so naturally three heads are superior. You put a machine like this in the skies, and nothing will escape from its sight. It's a good thing too, as those pesky primal pokemon are very unsightly and must be obliterated on sight, as decreed by Iron Jugulis' programming.
Primary Fire: Iron Jugulis breathes an evil flame into the air. This flame covers a wide area and is easy to hit. The attack sets opposing pokemon on fire, dealing damage continuously to them. Also, the two other heads of Iron Jugulis will automatically attack nearby enemies, prioritizing those set aflame by your Primary Fire. When Aimed, the flames turn into an explosive fireball launched intermittently. The two other heads will also target enemies damaged by your attack.
Defend: Iron Jugulis retreats backwards while its two other heads linger in place, shooting a stream of fire forward. The attack lingers for a while or until Iron Jugulis attacks again. This attack can only be used while Iron Jugulis is 'grounded'.
Melee: The two heads reach out to bite and grab an enemy. If successful, they'll pull the enemy inward for a short distance before letting go. Iron Jugulis can fly over gaps, so it's possible but difficult for the player to drag an enemy off a ledge and pull them into a bottomless pit.
Jump: Instead of obeying gravity, Iron Jugulis can increase its elevation by holding the Jump button. It can fly very high, nearly up to the top of the map, and becomes very difficult to shoot down once it gets here. If you do get hit, though, you'll be forced to fall a few meters before Iron Jugulis recalibrates its position. You can manually descend by holding the Defend button. You move faster by using your Primary Fire without Aiming.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Jugulis and its other two heads charge up powerful shots in its mouths before launching them in the direction of the player's reticle. Each shot will explode on hit with an enemy or the ground or wall. Also, each shot can inflict a random status effect like Poison, Burn, Confuse, Slow, Freeze, or even Blind. This Paradox Paradigm is one of the quieter ones, though the charging effect is bright and noticeable.
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Iron Moth
Health: ★☆☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆
In the future, the sun becomes a limited resource for the planet. Instead of fighting for it, humans decided it was more important to make our own, so we turned a pokemon revered as a sun god into a portable Vitamin D dispenser. Unfortunately, there isn't enough sunlight to go around, and Iron Moth will certainly not share any of its sunny rays with those uncivilized dinosaurs, unless it's administered directly to their faces.
Primary Fire: All six of Iron Moth's wings light up with intense heat before unleashing a ray of sunshine. The beams are very damaging but Iron Moth has to slow down in order to attack. When Aimed, the reticle turns into a sniper scope and solar power fills its wings. It takes a while to reach full power, but the shot is extremely damaging even if it grazes an opponent.
Defend: Iron Moth takes one of its wings and holds it out, pointing forward. Holding the button for long enough causes the wing to detach and linger in the spot it was used at, becoming automatic. The lone wing will fire at any enemy within sight, and multiple wings can be detached in this way. However, each wing detached cuts down the power of your Primary Fire and Melee attack, so be discerning in where you deploy the wings.
Melee: Iron Moth brings its wings forward and closes them down on any enemy in front of itself. The residual solar energy being discharged heals you for a bit of Health, though the amount of damage dealt and Health regained varies depending on how many wings you have.
Jump: A lengthy Jump. Holding the button causes Iron Moth to send out a signal to all of its detached wings to rendezvous back to it. Iron Moth will float as it does so and will float for the same amount of time each time, regardless of number of deployed wings.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Moth puts its wings together and creates a fireball of great heat and intensity before launching it forward. The more wings you have, the bigger it is. In contrast, the less wings you have, the faster it flies out. The charge time and damage dealt is the same regardless of how many wings you have.
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Iron Thorns
Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆
Huh, I think I saw this in a movie once. Well, that's not important. What is important is that Iron Thorns is a Paradox Pokemon made for demolition and destruction. With an indestructible hide, razor sharp thorns, and a penchant for revelry in obliteration, Iron Thorns is our strongest spearhead against those dastardly dinos.
Primary Fire: Iron Thorns builds up power within itself before unleashing it out through its mouth. It takes a while for Iron Thorns to build up to max power, and it slows down while doing so, but the damage it deals is deadly. The charge time cannot be changed and you can't perform any other attacks, but you can use Sub 1 and Sub 2 freely if they're available to you. When Aimed, Iron Thorns launches its electro barbs forward instead. It needs a valid target, though, as to not waste precious ammo. In exchange, the barbs have a homing function. All you need to do is to lock on to a viable target, hold for long enough so that Iron Thorns can lock onto the enemy's signature, then release the button to let those barbs fly. It's slower generating locks onto a single target, but each 'new' target gets a new lock instantly. The electro barbs can get blocked by walls and obstacles.
Defend: Iron Thorns reveals its namesake, a series of hidden electro barbs shoot out from its body in defense. These sharp thorns damage nearby enemies and increase its defense for as long as the button is held. Iron Thorns cannot do anything else while holding Defend. Dealing proximity damage to nearby enemies supercharges the batteries within Iron Thorns, though. Basically, the more damage you deal with Defend, the faster its Primary Fire charges up. It also speeds up the 'lock-on' effect of its Aimed Primary Fire as well.
Melee: A series of claw swipes with its stubby arms. Holding the button shifts its posture as its tail extends, and letting go of the button has Iron Thorns twist its body around, thwacking enemies with its extra long tail, knocking enemies away. Just like with Defend, damage dealt with Melee charges Primary Fire.
Jump: A short jump that deals quaking damage. If pressed in midair, Iron Thorns shoots a powerful beam from its mouth, propelling it upwards. The beam deals damage but cannot be aimed well, and Iron Thorns will eventually run out of power for its flying beam. It does move very quickly while airborne in this way.
Paradox Paradigm: You know how pokemon are shrunk down to fit into pokeballs? Well the opposite happens here. Iron Thorns grows to massive size with the power of a tyrant and goes on a rampage. While supersized, Iron Thorns deals damage with each step it takes in a wide area. Its Primary Fire becomes a plasma breath that coats the ground in flames. Its Melee attack is a 1-2 hook combo. And its Defend is a brutal slam of its tail aiming backwards. This supersized form has a separate HP bar from Iron Thorns and can be depleted, but it is about 3x bigger. It also cannot be used in areas with a ceiling and you cannot use your Subs.
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Roaring Moon
Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★★☆☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆
I do think it's kind of weird that, of all the Mega Evolutions left behind in Gen 7, Mega Salamence came back to us in the form of a Paradox Pokemon. Quite literally a blast from the past. Well, it just proves that these superpowered forms are timeless, meaning they'll outlast those hunks of junk from the future.
Primary Fire: Roaring Moon builds up dragon power in its mouth before shooting it outward. The projectile explodes on hit with an enemy or obstacle. Holding the button extends the charge time which increases the size of the explosion as well as the damage it deals. When Aimed, a stream of dragon fire is shot out. splaying outwards on contact with an enemy or obstacle. The flames linger on the ground where the flames hit and opposing enemies will be set on fire for a short while.
Defend: Roaring Moon flicks its wings forward, creating a powerful wind current that pushes enemies away while also propelling itself backwards.
Melee: Roaring Moon lunges forward and swipes with its claws.
Jump: A short jump, but holding the button causes Roaring Moon to glide if it has enough air space. While gliding, Roaring Moon can gain elevation by aiming upwards and using Melee, or aiming downwards and using Defend. Its descent stalls a bit while charging Primary Fire or while Aiming and firing.
Paradox Paradigm: Roaring Moon leaps into the sky instantly, flying very high until it reaches the moon. Once it reaches the apex of its jump, Roaring Moon will aim itself downwards onto the map, giving you a short amount of time to adjust your reticle. Afterwards, Roaring Moon will fly straight down and slam into the ground with a burning quake, damaging all enemies in a wide area and setting the ground ablaze with a crescent shaped brand. Roaring Moon cannot use this attack while under a ceiling.
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Iron Valiant
Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★☆☆☆☆
As life on earth evolved, two things fazed out of the gene pool; weakness, and gender. One cannot afford to be merciful when it's survival of the fittest. That is what Iron Valiant embodies. That and the destruction of gender norms. Oh, and it also hates dinosaurs too.
Primary Fire: A wide psychic blade is launched forward from its arms. Holding the button charges the attack, unleashing a wider beam forward. Because of its orientation, the projectile can easily be stopped by a wall or corner, but the upside is that the projectile can pass through multiple opponents. When Aimed, the psycho blade projectiles shrink, behaving more like proper pellets in a shooter. Also, the psycho blades weaken the enemy and softens them up for Iron Valiant's Melee attack.
Defend: A quick dash in the direction of the control stick. This dash is immune to all damage and effects.
Melee: The psycho sabers are formed into a dual edged staff and Iron Valiant spins it around like a baton. This spinning can deflect weak projectiles except for lasers, as long as the button is held down. If Iron Valiant attacks while jumping, it lands with a large psycho sword swinging downward. This jumping slash cuts in a large area and deals bonus damage to enemies damaged by your Primary Fire. The multiplier is reset afterwards.
Jump: A normal jump. If the button is held, Iron Valiant will start running along the wall for as long as the button is held. However, it cannot run for long, nor can it turn around or run up to get more height. It can, however, jump for greater height and can run along another wall if one is nearby.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Valiant extends its blades outwards and begins to zip about, moving like lighting and covering the area in cuts. The attack covers a wide area as Iron Valiant shifts about slightly. Before the final slash, all enemies are coated in the same psycho energy as the Primary Fire. The last hit deals major damage in a wide area, dealing extra damage for the amount of psycho energy the enemies were afflicted with.
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Koraidon, The Winged King
Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★★☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★☆☆
Very little needs to be said about Koraidon, the most familiar Paradox Pokemon of them all, along with Miraidon, but there is something to be said about its overwhelming control over its territory. It sits at the top of the hierarchy of the world of the past, so it doesn't take too kindly to the robots of the future laying waste to the land it owns. As such, it leads the charge against the cyborgs, uniting the normally ambivalent creatures of the past against the mechanical monstrosities.
Primary Fire: Within Koraidon's wheel shaped dewlap, a concentration of fighting energy is made and expelled forward. The projectile looks and behaves like a runaway tire, bouncing along the ground and rolling forward until it hits a wall or enemy. It can't shoot very high, but it can be used to hit enemies behind cover. When Aimed, the wheels are launched sideways. They gain more distance this way, but they still can't reach very high and lose their ability to bounce. However, hitting an enemy causes the spinning wheel to ricochet, bouncing off and flying towards another nearby enemy. They'll bounce one time, but score a headshot and it'll bounce two times instead.
Defend: Koraidon shakes the ground around itself and lets out a loud roar. The quake stuns enemies in place and the roar knocks them away. Airborne enemies cannot be stunned by the quake but they will still be sent flying by the roar. If Koraidon is airborne, it'll descend rapidly to the ground to use this attack.
Melee: With a powerful twirl, Koraidon sweeps the ground around itself with its tail. This attack knocks enemies upwards. Any ally riding on your back is forced off behind you. In the air, this attack grants you a second jump. If Koraidon is running, this attack turns into a sideways charge. Holding the button while running causes Koraidon to 'drift', damaging enemies as it slides and releasing the button allows it to take a sharp turn and continue running in another direction.
Jump: Koraidon leaps up with its powerful legs and head wings. Holding the button charges the jump, allowing you to jump higher. Also, an ally can 'hop on' to your back while you are holding jump, as Koraidon leans down to charge. The ally sits on Koraidon with their back turned and can only Shoot and Aim while on Koraidon's back. The ally can dismount by pressing Jump or Defend, or wait for Koraidon to force them off.
Paradox Paradigm: Koraidon summons intense primal power with its Orichalcum Pulse, causing it to float in the air briefly. Allies riding on Koraidon are forced to dismount. After a while, Koraidon begins to spin with great speed before shooting off in the direction you are aiming. On hit with a wall, the collision creates a massive explosion of fighting energy, damaging all enemies nearby.
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Miraidon, The Iron Serpent
Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆
Very little needs to be said about Miraidon, the most familiar Paradox Pokemon of them all, along with Koraidon, but there is something to be said about its stranglehold on the power reserves of the future. A built-in generator provides the paradox pokemon of the future with a stable power source, and as such it commands the others like a king. This self-established monarchy is beyond the understanding of the underdeveloped dinosaurs of the past, and so it seeks to maintain its dominance over the ecosystem with its infinite power reserves.
Primary Fire: A bolt of electricity launches from Miradion's mouth. On hit, the bolt will deal damage, but if an enemy is nearby, a second bolt splits off and deals damage to them as well. When Aimed, the view shifts to a sniper's scope. Holding the button down charges power for the shot and it takes a second to reach max damage, but enemies will see this sniper shot powered up from afar due to Miraidon's brightly glowing electrical antennae flaring up.
Defend: Miraidon overclocks its circuits for a short while before restoring its settings. If Miradion is damaged during this effect, it unleashes horrible static discharge all around itself, stunning nearby enemies. Holding Defend while airborne causes Miraidon to float for a bit.
Melee: A quick slash of Miraidon's electrified tail aimed forward. The lash is quick and has greater range than it appears. It can also be used repeatedly and can destroy weaker projectiles. Ally pokemon riding Miraidon will be forced to dismount when this attack is used.
Jump: A lengthy jump forward. Holding the button has Miraidon jump further when charged and released. Miraidon leans down to charge its jump, so an ally can approach from behind and hop on. While riding on Miraidon, the ally can only Shoot and Aim. They can dismount by pressing Jump or Defend, or wait for Miraidon to force them off.
Paradox Paradigm: Miraidon becomes overloaded with electric power bursting forth from its Hadron Engine, causing it to float for a bit. When its reactors are at full power, it launches a burning column of light forward. The attack is a carpet of electricity that trails along the ground, unleashing a powerful beam straight up into the sky. The attack runs on until it hits a wall or falls off a ledge.
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Walking Wake
Health: ★★☆☆☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★★
Is this the pokemon that was brought back to life in the Burned Tower in Johto? Not likely, but it's fun to imagine dinosaurs wandering around sacred grounds like they own the place. Speaking of sacred grounds, the territory of Walking Wake and its buddies are jeopardized by the existence of the future paradox pokemon running around, so it's time to power wash those dirty 'droids.
Primary Fire: A blast of scalding water is shot forward. It doesn't reach very far, but it deals a lot of damage up close. When Aimed, a condensed bubble of steam is shot forward. It bounces along the ground and pops with intense power when it hits a wall or enemy, blowing them back. It should be noted that Walking Wake can extinguish fires with its Primary Fire, on the ground and on allies, and they heal for a bit of HP when cured.
Defend: Walking Wake makes a large puddle of cleansing water around itself, which slowly restores the HP of itself and nearby allies. It cannot move while healing.
Melee: A powerful stomp with its long legs. It should be noted that Walking Wake can cross bodies of water if there are any on the map, which are functionally pits of death otherwise. They aren't all that common, but Walking Wake can use Melee while standing within water to make a huge splash. Realistically, this is only useful against Iron Bundle, who can also travel over water by skiing.
Jump: A normal jump. If the button is charged, however, Walking Wake creates a geyser at its feet, which send it upwards when the button is released. The geyser lingers for a while, allowing allies to climb the geyser as well to reach new heights.
Paradox Paradigm: Walking Wake lets out a loud roar as it fills the earth underneath with thermal hydro power. Shortly afterwards, multiple hot geysers erupt from the ground, damaging enemies and healing allies a little bit passively. The geysers erupt randomly for a while, but cannot penetrate ceilings, failing to damage enemies hiding above them.
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Iron Leaves
Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★★★★☆ Support: ★★★★★
The existence of Iron Leaves proves that the planet in the future is still thriving with plant life, at least enough plant life to build a robot with the stuff. This means that the efforts of the present day to preserve the environment are not for naught, and that humanity can thwart natural selection with enough perseverance. This love of nature is beyond that of the beasts of a bygone era, who tear through the lands as if they own the place, so their numbers must be culled to save the planet. At least that's the excuse.
Primary Fire: Sharp leaves are launched forward from its neck. The leaves deal damage, but they stick to allies on hit. Each leaf lingers for a while before restoring a small amount of HP. The leaves disappear if the ally receives damage. When Aimed, Iron Leaves launches a large psychic blade from its head forward, which can destroy weaker projectiles. The blade can be charged to increase its size.
Defend: A wall of iron leaves is made in front of the pokemon. Each leaf represents the amount of HP the obstruction has, and the more damage it takes, the smaller it gets. Using Defend again deletes the old wall and makes a new one.
Melee: The psychic leaf blades on Iron Leaves neck spin quickly, dealing damage all around itself. The button can be pressed rapidly to spin the blades quickly like a fan. In the air, this rapid mashing can be used to slow your descent. If you mash fast enough, you can even cross large gaps with the extra hang time.
Jump: A tall graceful jump. Holding the button creates a platform of iron leaves underneath you, holding you up in the air. The platform lasts only for a while, as the iron leaves fall one by one before it dissipates. You cannot make another platform until you touch down on solid ground. The iron leaves platform also can only be made above solid ground.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Leaves summons a whirlwind of iron leaves around itself before launching it forward. The massive torrent of leaves damage enemies but also stick to allies, just like its Primary Fire. However, these leaves are faster to heal and do not disappear when the ally receives damage.
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Gouging Fire
Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★★
The reveal of a past paradox Suicune sent our imaginations running wild as to what the other beasts could look like, especially since they were all going to be based on dinosaurs. A couple of us were correct in guessing that Entei was going to be a shield-faced triceratops or something, so the actual reveal was met with plenty of excitement. As for Raikou...not so much. But hey, at least we know that dinosaurs are cooler than robots.
Primary Fire: The burning bulwark on Gouging Fire's head ignites with great heat, emitting in such a way that it forms a wall in front of itself. When Aimed, the fire is ejected forward in a shield shape, blocking other projectiles. The fire shields travel slowly and have a low shooting speed, but they can block multiple projectiles except for lasers.
Defend: Gouging Fire's shield crown absorbs thermal heat from the area. In this state, Gouging Fire takes reduced damage and stockpiles attacks aimed at it. At the end of the charge, the fire shield erupts into flames, dealing damage to all enemies nearby while also launching a flaming projectile directly forward. The more damage absorbed, the more damage this counterattack deals.
Melee: Gouging Fire charges forward headfirst a short distance before tucking in and launching the enemy upwards with a fierce horn jab. Enemies caught in the attack are sent flying upwards.
Jump: A short jump that deals quaking damage, except instead of ground type damage, it deals fire type damage. Gouging Fire ignites the ground when it lands and creates a burning trail for a while.
Paradox Paradigm: Gouging Fire unleashes a terrifying fire fueled roar straight forward, setting the ground and walls ablaze for a short while. Only what is visible to the player will be set ablaze.
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Raging Bolt
Health: ★★★★☆ Damage: ★★★☆☆ Mobility: ★★☆☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★★
You know, that long neck is a bit of a detriment to a pokemon meant to be used in a shooter. I mean, nothing sticks out to the enemy more than an exposed head like Raging Bolt, but it's a matter of principle that it's playable, along with Walking Wake and Gouging Fire. We can safely say that it is the most interesting design of the Paradox Pokemon, which again, proves that dinosaurs are cooler than robots. Which also, again, is a statement self imposed by those who have read the Scarlet Book.
Primary Fire: Raging Bolt lets loose a vindictive thundercloud floating forward slowly. The cloud floats at a steady altitude until it hits a wall. If an enemy is detected underneath, the cloud shoots thunderbolts down at the enemy in random intervals. When Aimed, the cloud remains static in the air. If an enemy approaches close to the thundercloud, a powerful bolt is sent at the enemy. All nearby clouds join in on the attack. The clouds disappear after launching a thunderbolt.
Defend: Raging Bolt coats itself in a powerful circuit of electricity. The electric field deals damage to nearby enemies.
Melee: A powerful stomp with both front legs. If Raging Bolt is standing on a thundercloud, a thunderbolt is released downward at nearby enemies.
Jump: A surprisingly high jump. Holding the jump button has Raging Bolt create a solid thundercloud underneath, allowing it to stand solidly in the air. The thundercloud lingers for a while and can only be used once until you touch the ground.
Paradox Paradigm: With a great roar, Raging Bolt fills the sky with black thunderclouds. The clouds bring down thunderbolts at random, aiming at nearby enemies for a while. The thunderbolts will not be able to penetrate roofs.
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Iron Boulder
Health: ★★★★★ Damage: ★★★★★ Mobility: ★☆☆☆☆ Range: ★★☆☆☆ Support: ★★☆☆☆
Bigger, badder, boulder. What more can you say about this modified form of Terrakion? Sure, it may have lost much of its fighting spirit, but mastery of technology comes with a full understanding of one's mind and the limits of the body, now untethered. This additional psychic power also gives it total mastery over the face of the earth, allowing it to completely crush those feral fiends from the past.
Primary Fire: Iron Boulder carves into the ground and creates a boulder with its psychic powers. The rocks condense closely together, and the longer you hold the button, the more rocks you gather and the bigger the boulder gets. The boulder behaves as a mobile shield for Iron Boulder, taking damage from the front. The boulder splinters off when damaged, but the shards linger around with psychic power. Using Primary Fire again launches the boulder and any rock shards forward in the direction you're aiming, with the shards moving faster and the boulder moving slower. When Aimed, A small rock is shot forward, dealing damage. It will, however, bounce when it hits a wall and it deals more damage if it bounces a couple of times.
Defend: Iron Boulder arches back before digging its horns into the ground, dealing damage and knocking enemies away. If you're holding a psychic boulder, the attack deals more damage the more 'HP' the boulder has, but this attack also weakens the boulder, breaking it down further into rock shards.
Melee: Iron Boulder charges forward with its horns scraping along the ground. The attack deals extra damage for each rock shard you have floating, but this attack recombines the boulder, reducing the number of shards you have and restoring the 'HP' of the boulder.
Jump: A short jump with a damaging quake. The shock waves reach further out than normal, reacting to the positions of nearby enemies. Jumping and landing reveals the position of nearby enemies for a short while.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Boulder is filled with heroic might before charging straight forward recklessly. This charge does major damage to enemies hit and will also completely demolish barriers set up that try to stop it. If Iron Boulder runs into a wall, all nearby enemies at the point of impact will be stunned if they were earthbound and have their positions revealed through walls for a while.
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Iron Crown
Health: ★★★☆☆ Damage: ★★★★☆ Mobility: ★★★☆☆ Range: ★☆☆☆☆ Support: ★★★★☆
A common misconception about future Paradox Pokemon is that they are called 'iron' but most of them aren't Steel Type. Well, that's because they aren't made of steel, but rather a combination of different materials like silicone, aluminum, copper, synthetic rubber, etc. You know, we are also made of different stuff as well, but we aren't defined by a single type. Iron Crown is most definitely made of Steel, though, and it is perfectly suited to running through fleshy beings like us, or the past paradox pokemon rather.
Primary Fire: Two tachyon blades shoot out from its iron horns, curving in a wide arc before returning to the pokemon. Enemies caught on the return will be dragged inward slightly. When Aimed, the blades reach further and fly in a straight line. A direct hit will pull enemies further in. Iron Crown cannot use its Primary Fire again until both blades have returned to it.
Defend: The chromatic plates on Iron Crown's body refract the light around itself, turning the pokemon invisible for as long as the button is held. The pokemon moves faster while invisible, but receiving damage interrupts the refraction process, making Iron Crown briefly visible.
Melee: A sideways swipe with Iron Crowns large horns. If Iron Crown was invisible by using its Defend, the strike becomes a downward swing. Not only that, the invisible attack deals extremely high damage if it lands on an enemy's back.
Jump: A regular jump, but Iron Crown can double jump. If Iron Crown is invisible, it can triple jump.
Paradox Paradigm: Iron Crown lets loose a brilliant flash of light, stunning nearby enemies and turning invisible for a while. Iron Crown shifts into a hunting stance and turns invisible. Iron Crown can then approach any enemy hit by the attack and strike them down with its super sharp horn blades. If the attack resulted in a KO, Iron Crown becomes invisible again and can use this finishing move a second time against another enemy.
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Phew, that's every single Paradox Pokemon known to exist. It seems like such a small roster, though. If they don't make any new Paradox Pokemon after Scarlet and Violet, this game would be the perfect opportunity to add some more.
Like, say, a Paradox form of Tinkaton for both past and future. The past form would resemble a stout little caveman, adorned with bones on its waist and as ties for its hair, and would be called Bone Sledge, and also would be a Ground/Fairy Type. Meanwhile, the future form would wield a large grenade launcher and would be called Iron Bazooka, being a Fire/Steel Type.
I say that there should be loads of new Paradox Pokemon added into the game over time in this way, since for story reasons, we most likely won't see any more Paradox Pokemon, unless we run into more extraneous time travel shenanigans. That would undercut the impact of Scarlet and Violet's story ending, so if we can only get more Paradox Pokemon through a spin-off title like this one, so be it.
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Technical Machines
Way back in the Control Scheme section, I mentioned that the X & Y buttons are reserved for Subs, which depend on what TM you've assigned to them. In game, you can assign a Technical Machine, or TM for short, to nearly all of your buttons, not just X & Y, to add an extra effect. Each TM is different and offers a small boon when assigned to a button other than X & Y, but usually it makes a big difference depending on how it's applied.
In the mainline games, TMs are limited in distribution, and the same applies here. If a TM sounds like it'll be really busted or not work correctly on a particular pokemon, it's safe to assume that that pokemon would not be able to use that TM. Now, I'm not going to reference the eligibility list of TMs in Scarlet and Violet for every single Paradox Pokemon listed here, and neither should you. This is a spin-off game, and some TMs can or can't be learned by a pokemon for balancing reasons. No room for fickleness here.
I won't list every single TM for the game, just enough Moves to give you an idea on how customizable you can make your pokemon.
Sub 1 & Sub 2
Protect - Prevent hindrances for a short while and gain a small amount of shield.
Water Pulse - A short ranged expulsion of water that knocks enemies away.
Synthesis - Heals a bit of HP. Heal a little more HP when you are standing in an area without a ceiling.
Earth Power - Plants a proximity mine in the location you are standing, which erupts when an enemy approaches.
Reflect - Creates a bubble that can absorb damage before breaking. The shield can absorb other bubbles made by allies to reinforce itself.
Fly - Sends the pokemon flying straight up. Deals heavy damage if the user collide with an enemy while ascending.
Volt Switch - When activated, the pokemon teleports back to the point of activation after a short while.
Shadow Ball - Creates a black hole that absorbs projectiles for a short while, and also damages nearby enemies.
Light Screen - Creates a wall of light that reflects back lasers.
Iron Head - The pokemon takes less damage and becomes resistant to head shots for a while.
Agility - The pokemon can move faster and jump higher for a short while.
Swords Dance - The pokemon deals more damage and its Melee comes out faster.
Stealth Rock - Invisible floating stones are cast, which damage enemies on hit and exposes their location for a short while.
Gravity - Creates a pressurized atmosphere that slows down enemies within and also weakens their Jump.
I'll also include TMs that can modifiy your other buttons. Remember, it's one TM for each slot, and not every playable pokemon can learn all of these TMs;
Primary Fire
Flame Burst - The enemy creates a huge explosion when KO'd.
Charge Beam - Deals more damage over time until you miss.
Muddy Water - Scoring a head shot blinds the enemy for a while.
Vacuum Wave - Your projectiles fly faster.
Hyper Beam - Your lasers reach farther and last longer.
Bullet Seed - Extra ammo.
Aim
Scary Face - Slows down opposing approaching projectiles while Aiming.
Stored Power - Your Primary Fire deals more damage the more Ammo you have.
Smart Strike - Landing a head shot refunds some ammo.
Psychic - Enemies are revealed to the pokemon through walls.
Defend
Charge - Holding Defend refills your ammo gradually.
Fake Tears - Receive reduced damage while holding Defend.
Mud Slap - A splash of mud is made when Defend is used, blinding nearby enemies.
Disarming Voice - A shock wave is emitted when Defend is used, revealing the location of all nearby enemies to all allies.
Zen Headbutt - Receiving damage while holding Defend refills your ammo.
Imprison - Prevents hindrances from affecting the user while holding Defend.
Jump
Heavy Slam - The pokemon deals damage to enemies by landing on them. The greater the fall, the more damage dealt.
Earthquake - Adds a quake when the pokemon lands, or increases the damage and size of the quaking landing.
Acrobatics - Adds an extra jump to the pokemon.
Aerial Ace - The pokemon deals more damage while airborne.
Brave Bird - Your movement increases while airborne.
Dragon Dance - Each jump refills your ammo.
Melee
Poison Jab - Deals damage over time, which worsens the more hits you land.
Smack Down - Deal increased damage to airborne enemies.
Drain Punch - Steal ammo as you deal damage.
Leech Life - KO's restore a lot of Health.
Poltergeist - Deals more damage to enemies high in ammo.
Reversal - Deal more damage the less ammo you have.
Giga Impact - Knock enemies away on hit.
Left Control Stick
Surf - Increases your running speed and deals damage on collision.
Grassy Terrain - Creates small patches of healing grass as you walk.
Electric Terrain - Generates electrified ground that increases shooting speed.
Sludge Wave - Leaves behind puddle of damaging poison as you walk.
Flame Charge - The pokemon deals more damage while moving.
Rest - The pokemon's Health is quicker to restore.
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The only button you can't assign a TM to is the Paradox Paradigm, as that is the unique, unchanging skill of the pokemon you're playing as. It would be overkill to add an extra effect to those moves and stuff.
The Pokeballs
One other thing that you can customize, however, is the pokeball your pokemon comes in. In the mainline games, these balls don't really do anything other than look flashy and are a means to an end when it comes to actually catching pokemon. But due to the nature of how KO's work in this game, the pokeballs are decidedly designed to add more than flair to the game.
During normal gameplay, when a pokemon is KO'd, they play a quick fainting animation before retreating into their pokeball. At this point, the KO'd player has three options. One is to wait out the 7.5 seconds of the respawn timer before they reappear back at the checkpoint on the map, ready to try again. Alternatively, if an ally is nearby, they can try and manually revive the ally by approaching the pokeball. It takes 5 seconds of uninterrupted focus to successfully reduce the ally, but it may win the game to continue the attack rather than wait for the respawn and rendezvous at key objective points.
Of course, the player can respawn manually by holding Down on the Directional Pad to skip the wait time and reappear at the checkpoint. It's up to the players what is the best option in the moment.
Outside of reviving, if you hold Down on the Directional Pad, the pokemon will play a cute farewell animation before retreating into their pokeball. This takes 5 seconds total and can be cancelled if the pokemon receives damage, but if successful, the player will return to the character select screen where they can either change pokemon, switch out TMs, or even change their pokeball.
As you can imagine, the pokeballs themselves have differing functions when the pokemon is forced into their pokeball via KO. What they do is listed as follows;
Paradox Ball - Revive with 75% Health instead of 50%.
Great Ball - Gain a great movement speed boost after reviving.
Ultra Ball - The ally reviving you gains increased defense and cannot be interrupted.
Heal Ball - The ally reviving you restores Health.
Dusk Ball - Become invisible for a while after reviving.
Repeat Ball - Shortens the revival period after each successful revive.
Lure Ball - Can be revived from further away.
Timer Ball - Revival speed hastens the longer the match timer runs for.
Net Ball - Traps nearby enemies for a while when the pokemon fully retreats into their pokeball.
Friend Ball - Hastens revival if both players are the same pokemon.
Nest Ball - When revived, both pokemon have their ammo expanded.
Quick Ball - Shortens the revival timer as well as the respawn timer.
Master Ball - The revival timer is shortened for each KO the player has earned.
I'm sure I'm forgetting some pokeballs, or excluding a few, but this is already a sizable list. Some archetypes are better suited to using a particular pokeball over others, but you gotta remember that an ally needs to commit to the attempt to revive you in order to activate some of these effects.
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Game On
The very last thing I'm gonna talk about is a bit about the experience of playing this game. I can't really go into too much detail without any screenshots of a menu or maps, so you're gonna have to follow me with your imagination on this one.
When you start the game for the first time, you'll be thrown right into a firefight against either the Past or Future Paradox pokemon. Which side you'll join is entirely random, and you'll be playing as either Roaring Moon or Iron Valiant. From here, you're going to figure out the controls for yourself, but this is more to get a feel for the game and its responsiveness.
You aren't able to pause or access any emotes and stickers, but don't worry too much about losing, it's literally impossible. The score will be up by 50 points and the enemy will have no TMs in their loadouts and will be played by the lamest CPU AI that can be programmed. Also, it's 1:30 to Time Over and your allies are very aggressive. Basically, it isn't possible for your team to lose enough points to actually lose the game, so take the time to figure out your buttons and stuff.
After the game ends, you'll appear in the hub world where you can shop for in-game items, manage your TMs and pokeballs, join Online in either Ranked or Casual, or do a bit of Recon in the available maps. Like most shooters, the maps are rotated weekly, but you'll be able to visit maps out of rotation if you feel like it. You can even switch sides easily, though expect a snarky comment from the AI professor when you leave.
If you do decide to join a game, you'll have to pick which mode to play in first. Ranked is unavailable to you right away until you have enough TMs to fill out all of your buttons. Matchmaking works by looking for open games and pitting you in against other players of a similar skill level, though don't expect the system to work favorably if you have any bad behavior documented against you. IE; leaving losing games frequently, harassing players, using foul language in your name, etc.
When you do join a game, you'll first have to select a pokemon and their loadout. You can switch teams if you want, but only if there's enough room on the other side and that switching sides would not leave your team with too few players. Also, you'll almost never join a game that is nearly finished, unless there are no other games to join, in which case you won't see much change to your Rank whether you win or lose.
Also, while this game is technically a hero shooter, there is no draft pick enabled. Meaning you can load out your team with 5 Great Tusks and a Scream Tail or 6 Iron Bundles if you wanted to. You'd have to coordinate with the team, though. Oh, and the more serious games limit both sides to 6v6, just like in the mainline pokemon games.
I mentioned Rank earlier, and it's something that rises or drops based on your performance in Ranked Games. The game will keep track of all of your efforts throughout the game and keep a tally for you outside of battle. You can look this up in the hub world when you have a moment to spare. You'll be able to see the number of head shots you landed, your KO streaks, number of successful revives, the Rank mastery on each pokemon you've played, the Rank mastery total, all kinds of stuff. Each tally is shown as a medal, and each tier unlocks some custom titles for you to show off online. You really want players to shiver when they see xXBumBonker_68Xx the Relentless and Hungry on their Kill Feed.
Oh, speaking of which, you will be KO'd a lot while climbing the ranks, but instead of feeling sorry for yourself, you need to pay attention when it happens. Upon getting KO'd, you'll see the enemy who got you, their name, rank, any flairs they've established on their names, titles, and graphics, but more importantly, you'll see what Move they got you with along with the TM they have affixed to that function. As the meta develops, every bit of information is vital, so take the KO on the cheek and keep it all in mind for the next encounter. It's important to know if they've got a Melee attack that drains HP or one that slows you down, and it's all info you can share with your team if you've got comms opened.
As for the actual maps, they'll be all mostly original. I can't imagine GameFreak giving any special permissions to use key locations for maps for this game, like Spear Pillar or Sootopolis City. That said, I don't think they would've fit the theme of the game even with special privilege, as the game is centered around Past VS Future, with nothing to do with the Present.
And I really want the whole Past VS Future dynamic established strongly in the maps themselves. Picture this, take half of an ancient island with an active volcano and splice it with half of a floating futuristic city, held together with the cosmic glue of the space time continuum. The side with the volcano belongs to the past paradox pokemon, whereas the city holds the future paradox pokemon, obviously. It looks freaky but impressive, and also establishes whose side belongs to who, and all the other maps are like this too. A large, lush cave system spliced with roadways littered with abandoned cars, or an intricate primitive village mixed in with a futuristic abandoned mall. There'll be unique maps for the more interesting game modes, but these are the ones everyone will be playing on throughout the map rotations.
Although, it would be fun to play in strange areas like the Distortion World or something for extra special events. It'd be fun to dream about... and that's what this whole post is, a dream. Not unlike these Paradox Pokemon but still, a fun dream nonetheless.
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After I finished with 'Plants VS Zombies: Battle for Neighborville', I had a newfound respect for the shooter genre as a whole, but I still had my preferences. I mean, I now understand why games like Call of Duty and Overwatch and even Fortnight bring in the number of players that they do, but I have a special fondness for the whole fun, wacky hero shooter that was the PVZ shooter spin-off. Maybe I'll pick up a shooter in a similar vein and see if I can't recapture that magic, but there's a reason I haven't done so already. All I can do right now is wait for the right game to come along.
Until that happens, I'll still be here having fun with pokemon spin-offs like Pokemon Unite and Pokken Tournament.
See ya next time.
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shepscapades · 8 months ago
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not you coming back just to remind me of my old pokemon obsession/j
I remember watching Pokemon XYZ series when I was younger (probably the closest thing to anime I've ever watched) I used to be a hardcore fan back then, used to watch many gameplays theories stuff and all...-
Pokemon were like,,, my only interest back then? Damn I used to be crazy about those creatures, still remember how whenever I was playing a Pokemon game my team was almost exclusively flying types (birds! I love them!) and an Eevee (later one of the eeveelutions, probably vaporeon)
I don't recall watching your animatic in the past but it feels very familiar to me like some kind of deja vu so it's possible I've actually seen it before! And I must say it has a very nostalgic feel to it! I can see how much you've improved since then but the animatic still is very cool! I love it <3
(ALSO I almost forgot how much I loved Sycamore's design back then ghghhghghgh he's such a pretty man)
Welp, now I go back to watching Welsknight and some other Pokemon animatics because you messed with my algorithm and led me into diving into an old obsession -
LMAOOO MAY <3 I’m so sorry for the YouTube algorithm that’s so funny XD yeah idk, Pokémon’s one of those things that never left me— mcyt has been at the forefront of my hyperfixations for a very long while but I still always play the new games and have brief Pokémon obsessions every now and then hehe (also!!! flying pokemon and eevee beloved!!! <333333)
Funny enough, it always happens at times like these when most of my Drawing Brain+Brainrot is taken up by school or professional work, bc my free time is instead spent playing games I can zone out to like Pokémon :>
About 2 months ago I picked up Legends Arceus for the first time since I didn’t get to finish it two years ago, and seeing cheeky references to the characters I grew up with + the insane plot that is this game gripped me so tightly that I’ve kinda been in a Pokémon spiral (/pos) ever since LOL. I’ve been a submas freak lately and if anyone who has ever been into the funny train men has me on discord they’ll know that my status is very telling <3 maybe I’ll post some of the background doodles I’ve been doing lately!! I’m such a freak about minecraft idk why I’m embarrassed to be equally freakish about the other ““game for children”” LMAO
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driftingballoons · 21 days ago
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for pmd ask game, 2, 5 and 13? :DD
2. 2D style all the way! The sprites/2D style are really charming to me, and given that I started with that style, also has a nostalgic feeling :3 don’t get me wrong, the 3D style is great too, and the dungeons/scenery in particular are really nice, but I feel like the main issue is because of the mystery dungeon format itself. When everything is so much more detailed, things like the size discrepancy between pokemon look more…off in 3D. Like, having a first form look proportionally larger than the evolution bc they both occupy the same amount of space/the evolution is more detailed doesn’t look too funky when each character only has a limited amount of pixels, but when they’re a fully rendered model, it’s a bit weird. The other thing with the 3D version is some pokemon—especially those specifically designed in 2D—are just kinda ugly in 3D 😭
5. From gen 7, I could definitely picture rockruff, jangmo-o, and salandit as potential options! I’m also thinking maaaybe stufful, but somehow they seem more background character-ish to me. 
For gen 8, honestly didn’t feel like there were many candidates. Could imagine yamper, but could equally imagine them being a side character too. The other two I was considering would be wooloo (bc fan favorite) and clobbopus, just bc the latter has the little guy energy a partner needs.  
13. Pmd explorers: we need more background about the dark future. Replayed until the dialga fight fairly recently and oh my GOD we are desperately lacking in context/knowledge of the dark future. I think, if they ever were to do a remake, they could consider adding a special episode about hero’s life in the future, meeting grovyle, and the events that lead to them deciding to go back in time and save the world. It would be so interesting to learn more about the future we’re fighting to hard to destroy. And I’m wondering if that’s partly why we didn’t? Like if you knew more about it and saw the ways it didn’t 100% suck, maybe the idea of eliminating it and having everyone unmade would be a little more unsettling. New conspiracy: the plot was written by the Planetary Investigation Team, which, based on Grovyle’s description of them, sounded just a bit like a cult 😭 Nonetheless, I would’ve loved to meet them or literally ANY other pokemon in the future other than grovyle, dusknoir’s circle, and the feral pokemon. 
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