#one another- and in teams they tend to learn- and some pokemon do stick to just animals bc of that capability

[vaugarde]

people who get up in arms about pokemon eating each other or being eaten by humans are probably gonna have a field day with castor. if i decide to implement this properly in diamond storm

[oc-menagerie-archived]

ooc: Alt. Verses/AUs for Muses!

Final Fantasy 14 Midori: Midori is an Au'Ra who grew up in the Ruby Sea with two older sisters. The three were nobles, treated like precious dolls to serve their family. Midori was the youngest, always causing issues with her clumsiness and hiding away from others shyly. The three dreamed of seeing the world above after hearing from travelers about a grand revolution against a terrible tyrant. It was then that Midori learned of Yugiri, another Au Ra like herself, and grew to admire her.

When the oldest decided they wanted to leave home and break free from their confined noble lives, the other two went with her to explore the world. Since Midori admires Yugiri, she wants to be a ninja like her, training hard despite not being the best at it now that she is free to do so.

Final Fantasy 14 Xia: Xia is flirtatious and charming, using her beauty and words to attract anyone she desires. A masterful manipulator, Xia finds it fun to play with the hearts of others and trick them into thinking she’s desperately in love with them, only to be using them for power or fortune (or both). Kugane was her final stop. Xia had been around a majority of places, flirting and taking riches from both unsuspecting men and women.

She ran away before they could find out and catch her, hopping place to place before she found Kugane. She fell in love with the town, the people there never seeing a Viera before and willing to spend time (and money) on her. Xia thought about becoming a geisha but wanted to be more free in case trouble came to her again. She took up becoming a samurai in order to protect herself better, being in the rogue guild from some time but now living too far from them.

Final Fantasy 7 Xia: She used to live in the slums but ran from home, joined the Honeybee Inn, then after stole from Corneo and escaped. The Turks learned of her escapade and ran into her before hiring her on as a newbie. She found her calling being an undercover unit for them and is loyal to them while they are keeping an eye on her to keep her out of trouble.

Pokemon Gijinka AU Kyana: Kyana is a trainer aiming for the big leagues and championship. She wants that under her belt so that maybe she has a really good chance to become a fire-type gym leader. Though battling with a sort of single type of Pokemon is a bit tough, she loves fire types so much to stick with it. Kyana herself is very energetic and can be hyper, rushing into things without a lot of thought. She loves to battle but also kind of wishes there were contests like the ones she heard exist in other regions.

Kyana also tends to let her emotions drive her, including wearing her heart on her sleeve and tends to crush easily on anyone cute and charming.

Kyana’s Team is: 1. Fuecoco (Taco) 2. Growlithe (Flare) 3. Lampent (Calcifer) 4. Larvesta (Fluffy) 5. Charcadet (Zero) 6. Fletchinder (Phoenix)

Genshin Impact Iyumi: Iyumi is a Electro Fatui mage on the prowl for someone cute she can call hers. To most she acts vicious and snobby, ready to electrocute them should they get on her nerves. But should she find the someone she wants, she becomes more adoring and flirty, chasing after them until she can have them. Which can turn into an aggressive chase should the other not want her.

Genshin Impact Kyana: Kyana is from Mondstadt, growing up learning about the wind god as well as the knights of Favonius. When she discovered her Vision, she couldn’t control it well and caused many accidents. But her parents never hated her for it, instead worked hard and encouraged her to train herself and use her abilities for good.

After all, Visions were seen as gifts from gods, so she had a greater purpose to fulfill. Kyana feels like her purpose is to become a knight and protect the people of Mondstadt from any danger. She works hard to catch their eye so they will accept her in.

Kingdom Hearts Diana: Diana is the resident of a world called Eclipse’s Embrace, a medieval old European world with knights and even mages. At a young age, Diana looked up to her mother who was a knight of the kingdom and wanted to be just like her. She practiced hard though they had no need to worry about battles as the world was at peace. That is until the darkness came.

When the heartless invaded her home world, a very young Diana was sent alone on a gummi ship set to anywhere safe by autopilot. Her parents said they were going to join her in another one, making sure she was safe first, but never made it. Their whereabouts to her are still unknown. After a Heartless encounter in Traverse Town, Diana discovered she was a keyblade wielder and now is off to stop the darkness and find her family.

Tsareena Gijinka Iyumi (A Pokemon Gijinka version of Iyumi where she is a Tsareena. Prissy and can seem stuck up but is actually willing to help others. If you’re charming and caring, her personality flips and she becomes a lot more friendly and adoring.)

Demon Iyumi: A demon AU for Iyumi where she is a demon princess wanting to find her king and become a queen! Though her stuck up, snobbish attitude tends to scare away others. However, if she has interest in you, her personality switches and she’ll be nice and adoring towards you, possibly even flirty. Though watch out, when she sets her eyes on someone she wants, she’ll do anything to get them. Also has a Disgaea verse where she is a wannabe Overlord!

Goddess of Darkness Iyumi and Goddess of Light Miyuki: Twin goddesses with not only polar powers but polar personalities. Iyumi is a snob and a bit of a brat, seeing herself as above all others (especially mortals) though secretly wants to find someone to love (and dominate over) and has a secret soft side as well. Miyuki is sweet and kind and has a very sympathetic heart, willing to help any mortals she comes across that are in trouble. Though she is also quite gullible and naive. The two bicker at times but try to work with each other.

Kingdom Hearts Xia: Xia used to be a normal girl named Ai living in Radiant Garden until the darkness came and consumed the town and her along with it. Ai was a sweet, kind, lady that loved nature but the darkness had consumed her heart so greatly her Nobody ended up being nothing like her. When she became a Nobody she gained the ability to summon and control plants, her favorite things to summon being roses and vines. This power might have come from the fact Ai’s parents owned a flower shop and Ai’s favorite flower was roses. Xia woke up with strangely no memories of her past self, only her name Ai. This didn’t bother her though as she decided with her new found powers to explore the worlds. She had heard of a group called Organization XIII and discovered they were Nobodies just like her and spied on them for quite some time and decided to change her name to have an X in it as well. She’s hoping to catch their attention and become a part of them just to have some allies on her side. Or perhaps use them for her own devious purposes.

Fire Emblem Three Houses Ai: Ai Malificia is a Golden Deer student. A little shy but friendly and kind to all, Ai mainly focuses on magic, studying Reason and Faith. She can be seen in the library or the courtyard but especially the greenhouse with all the flowers. Ai loves flowers, especially pink roses. She also has a twin sister who has run away from home that she hasn’t heard from in a long time. The two were dotted on by their overprotective parents as both had Crests.

They feared what could happen to the two and though Ai didn’t mind, her sister had enough and decided to run away. Ai was sad for days until she heard about the Monastery. It took some convincing for her parents to let her attend as a student but finally they let her go. Now on her own, Ai strives to do her best and learn to be a healer in order to help others.

Goddess Ai: Ai is kind-hearted, gentle, soft-spoken, nature goddess who loves flowers as well as relaxing activities like painting or reading with tea. She is quite naive about the world though, only knowing little from books and hasn’t been outside much due to worrying that there is danger out there. Ai is sweet and could possibly never harm anyone no matter the danger she may end up in.

Vampire Xia: Flirtatious and mischievous, Xia loves to prey on those who fall for her charms. She of course aims for a meal but also likes luxurious things so she targets the rich and gets them to fall for her so they give her whatever she wishes. She pretends to be human, going from place to place to have her fun and doesn’t settle on one place for too long.

Twisted Wonderland Kyana: A Twisted Wonderland verse for Kyana with her as the MC! Suddenly transported away from her city home to the strange academy, Kyana is far from home with no magic and no idea how to get back. But she doesn’t let it get her down too much. Fascinated by the new world she is in, she sets to explore it and meet the various students of the dorms.

Still, why was she brought here? What is her purpose? These questions circle the mind of the spunky, fiery spirited girl as she attends the academy as a student, trying to learn all she can about the world and a possible way back.

Pokemon AU Nikki: A young trainer with octopus type Pokemon, her favorite being an Octillery she named Tickles! She can be rather strange, doing odd things and saying odd things but is rather friendly, even to those who might be evil. She sees every Pokemon as a potential friend, no matter how scary they may seem!

Yugioh 5DS Aku: Aku lives in the not so grand parts of Neo Domino though it’s not too shabby either. He loves to duel and duels with a rather tough, cocky, sadistic personality. His deck reflects him so that he was nicknamed the Dark Punk by random strangers. Nobody really hangs with him because of how he is but the friends he does make he is loyal and kind too. He became a duelist to better himself at dueling and become the greatest like his idol, Jack Atlas.

Angel Miyuki: Miyuki or Miyu is a young angel of heaven. She watches over humans with great curiosity but also a sense of duty to protect them. She is quite interested in the mortal world and wishes to visit it one day. Though she is no warrior, she wishes to use her healing abilities to help anyone in need. Miyu cares a lot for all living things and sympathizes easily with others’ struggles, even demons and fallen angels. The innocent angel only wishes to help whoever in need in whatever way she can. Face claim: Nasse from Platinum End

Fairy Miyuki/Miyu: Miyu is a friendly fairy that lives in the forest. Since people who come there sometimes get lost, if she finds anyone with such a case, she tries to help them in any way she can to find their way out and be happy. She feels sorry for them and also as someone who was born in the forest, finds it her duty to help those who don’t know the area well. Miyu is however naive and desires to help everyone even if they might have hidden intentions, and is rather innocent in nature. She could never hurt anyone even if they were to try and hurt her.

[ker4unos]

Media & Mythos #1 - Hisuian Starters

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is one of my favorite Pokemon games, not only because of its unconventional yet incredibly fun gameplay, but the way that it incorporates not only Japanese (Yamato) culture but Ainu and Hokkaido culture as well. There are many issues with regards to how PLA writes how the Galaxy Team and the native Hisuians interact within the story, but that is not the focus of this post.

In Ainu culture, the “kamuy” is a divine being that possesses a sort of spiritual energy or serves as a protector of an object, place, or idea. Like the Japanese “kami,” the Ainu term “kamuy” has a wide range of meanings that does not neatly translate into English. It is similar to the Greek “daemon,” which is a divine spirit that usually presides or lords upon a concept or natural force though his not predisposed to good or evil. According to John Batchelor’s The Ainu and Their Folk-lore, "the Ainu apply their term for god to such a variety of objects, both to the greatest and highest good, and also to the lowest and most malignant evil...”

Although the concept of the kamuy as it is is not in Legends Arceus, the starters of the game still allude to the different kamuy present in Ainu religion. The final evolutions of the starters - Decidueye, Typhlosion, and Samurott - exemplify the Ainu culture that Legends Arceus pulls much inspiration from.

Figure 1: Hisuian Decidueye (left) and the Blakiston’s fish owl (right)

Starting off with the Grass-type starter, Hisuian Decidueye may be based off of Chikap-kamuy (or Kotankor-kamuy, as some sources say). Chikap-kamuy is the kamuy of the land that takes the form of a great owl. In Ainu belief, the owl is said to be a watchful entity that presided over the relationship between the humans and the kamuy. It also presides over rituals and monitors whether humans carry them out.

In one legend, Chikap-kamuy sends several birds to the Heavens to deliver a message about a famine. However, Chikap-kamuy’s message was very long, taking several days to even recite. The hondo crow listens first, but dozes off. Therefore, Chikap-kamuy kills it. The mountain jay listens second, but dozes off too. Therefore, Chikap-kamuy kills it as well. The Siberian dipper listens third, and listens respectfully for six days and nights. Therefore, Chikap-kamuy lets it go, where it delivers the message to the Heavens.

The dipper returns to deliver the message that the humans had grown disdainful of the gifts from the kamuy, so the kamuy stopped sending their gifts. Chikap-kamuy then taught the humans how to hunt fish and offer the heads of deer to the inau (ritualistic wood-shaved sticks used in many Ainu practices). The kamuy are happy and the humans learn how to properly carry out rituals. “This myth both serves as an explanatory myth for the relationship with these animals and reemphasizes to the Ainu listeners the importance of making proper offerings, and of the proper ritual behavior that, because of the uncertainties of their lives, tried to ensure their survival.” (Michael Ashkenazy’s Handbook of Japanese Mythology)

Hisuian Decidueye and Chikap-kamuy share many similarities. For one, one of the inspirations for Decidueye seems to be the Blakiston’s fish owl, which lives within the Hokkaido region. According to Bulbapedia, “Hisuian Decidueye is said to have a stalwart, fierce personality, although it will tolerate those who do not act hostile towards it... It tends to have a nomadic lifestyle, wandering the region in search of food.” This is consistent of Chikap-kamuy’s distant nature as a watchful and fierce protector of the land. Though, Chikap-kamuy is not known to be a kamuy who is quick to fight, so perhaps Decidueye’s Fighting-type is a reference to Chikap-kamuy’s temper or derived from another inspiration entirely.

Figure 2: Hisuian Typhlosion (left) and a traditional Ainu household (right)

Moving onto the Fire-type starter, Hisuian Typhlosion may be based off of Kamuy-fuchi. Kamuy-fuchi is the kamuy of the hearth. It is said that she lives in the hearth within each home, as the hearth is the gateway to which the humans and kamuy can communicate with each other. She is one of the most important and powerful kamuy in the Ainu pantheon. She presides not only over the hearth but of domestic affairs and the household.

The hearth is also considered the residence of the dead, acting as a sort of underworld. Therefore, Kamuy-fuchi is considered a psychopomp, or one that guides the souls of the dead. Although Kamuy-fuchi rests at night, the hearth must never be extinguished. Her duty is so important that she never leaves the household, and employs other kamuy to act for her in the outside world.

According to legend, Kamuy-fuchi is the one who taught women how to make the kut (sacred belt worn on the lower abdomen that traces a woman’s matrilineal line). She is known to watch over mothers, for when a woman is going to give birth, a new fire is laid at the birthing place. “[T]hough she was served by men, her ties to women insured some balance between the sexes, at least inasmuch as familial and household affairs were concerned. Her myths demonstrate the relative independence and power that women assumed in Ainu society.” (Michael Ashkenazy’s Handbook of Japanese Mythology)

Hisuian Typhlosion’s typing pays homage to Kamuy-fuchi’s role as both a protector of the hearth and guide of the dead. According to Bulbapedia, “When eating spirits, it is believed that the spirits are purified by Hisuian Typhlosion's flames, before they are guided back to the afterlife where they belong.” Kamuy-fuchi is, as stated before, a psychopomp figure, and her hearth is kept pure by the humans. She does not eat spirits, but perhaps it is more of a symbolic reference than anything, since fire has a purifying aspect to it in many cultures. 

As a bonus, Hisuian Typhlosion’s signature move Infernal Parade may be based off of the Hyakki Yagyō, or the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. The Night Parade was a large parade of yōkai that manifested in the dead of night. It was seen as a sign of ill omen. “On nights when the grotesque procession worked its way across what was then the furthest edge of town, residents were obliged to take refuge in their homes lest they wind up sick, mutilated, or blinded by the sheer sight of its monstrous participants.” (Hiroko Yoda’s Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien) This ties in with the Ghost-typing of the move, since yōkai often translates to “ghost” or “spirit.” 

Figure 3: Hisuian Samurott (left) and an orca whale (right)

And finally, the Water-type starter Hisuian Samurott may be based off of Repun-kamuy. Repun-kamuy is the kamuy of the sea that takes the form of an orca. As a young child, he was known to be devious and unruly, though not truly unkind. He was an important kamuy because he provided gifts and food from the sea.

In one story, Repun-kamuy hunted a whale and her young and three them besides a village. A sea wren told him that the humans are cutting up the whales’ meat without showing the proper care to it. However, Repun-kamuy only laughed and said that the humans may do whatever they please with the meat, for it is theirs.

Later, Repun-kamuy saw that the sea wren had lied, and the humans cut up the whales’ meat with their sacred weapons while wearing their finest clothing. Feeling so grateful from the prayers and rituals of the humans, he held a grand feast for his fellow kamuy. He then declared that humans would know no famine, for the sea would keep them fed. “The mutually dependent relations of humans and kamui are well represented in this myth: The humans need food from nature (stranded whales were a major item of food), and the kamui need the prayers and offerings of the humans.” (Michael Ashkenazy’s Handbook of Japanese Mythology)

This comparison between Hisuian Samurott and Repun-kamuy is, unlike the other two, rather scant in terms of similarities and evidence. According to Bulbapedia, “Hisuian Samurott is said to have a cold and hard-hearted nature, and is deft with its shell blades. Unlike its Unovan counterpart, which prefers fighting fair, Hisuian Samurott will do anything to win a battle, and prefers to use tricks such as surprise attacks and cheap shots.” To my knowledge, Repun-kamuy is not an unfair or cruel god, merely a carefree and mischievous one. The plating on the back of Hisuian Samurott’s head somewhat resembles that of an orca (without the horn, obviously, since orcas don’t have horns). These differences are certainly due to differing inspirations for the Pokemon, though both Samurott and Repun-kamuy have a connection to water and the sea.

Although the Hisuian starters have varying inspirations for their designs and personalities, there is an undeniable link between them and the kamuy worshipped by the Ainu. 

SOURCES: - The Ainu and Their Folk-lore by John Batchelor - Bulbapedia - Handbook of Japanese Mythology by Michael Ashkenazy - Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien by Hiroko Yoda

[pokesplendor]

carmela’s team from my pokemon shield playthrough! not as happy with this bunch... info beneath the cut!

Graves - Inteleon - she/he - lesbian White - cis woman - age 30

Graves came from a very unconventional background prior to entering into the League circuit. Having raised since she was young by Interpol for undercover operations, she was there and experienced things a child shouldn’t for the sake of ‘justice.’ Who’s justice is really to question in this situation, as she never had a say. It’s only once she reached legal age did she take a ‘vacation’ and decide to try the league. That’s where she re-encountered Ella, who she had met on the job in the Champion’s guard. She uses her combat skills she gained from her rigorous upbringing, which you’d think would cause her to dominate the field, but that isn’t the case. She’s actually fairly bad at it. 

She has a bit of a problem interacting with others. She was trained in how to act natural, friendly, and unassuming, but she doesn’t know how to not act. What’s Graves’ personality? Well, she’s a crybaby whenever she’s alone. Little things upset her, her anxiety ramps up her paranoia, and she keeps it all saved beneath the surface until she’s alone and then she cries. Other than crying in her off time, she’s a voracious reader, and particularly likes poetry.

If Graves could ever be honest with herself, she’d admit she’s fallen for Ella quite hard. That bright ball of sunshine brought a smile to her face in a way she hadn’t experienced before. But she wasn’t able to voice her feelings, and Ella is now sadly taken. She’s also a poor leader, along with a poor battler, and she doesn’t garner much respect from her team. She’s often spoken over by Crusher.

Crusher - Sirfetch’d - she/her - lesbian White - cis woman - age 34

Crusher likes to think she’s a gallant, chivalrous knight that leaves women quaking with soaked undies are her arrival and her deep, rusty voice sends shivers up their spine when she announces herself, and she’d like to think that everyone wants her around, but she’s wrong. She butted her way into Graves’ team, seeing its lack of, well, many things, leadership, power, attractiveness… They obviously would benefit from her accompaniment. She didn’t care what they had to say, she was going to be on their team and they were going to worship her for what she brings to the table. She’d like to think she’s wanted, but honestly, not very much so.

As if it wasn’t evidence enough, Crusher is extremely up her own ass, overconfident, and unfortunately, with enough power to back up her words. She’s a demon on the field, knocking enemies out with a single sweep sometimes. She works out on the regular, and doesn’t wear armor to show off her many (sexy) battle scars. Otherwise, she’s into collecting antique tea sets and little glass kittens to display back home. Her house is full of them.

Crusher likes to think (man she likes to think a lot of things) that everyone on the team is slightly in love with her, when she is tolerated at best. Goliath likes her, but Goliath likes everyone. He spots for her when they’re working out together, and she respects him for his strength. She’s especially hard on Thrasher and Maverick for not pulling their weight until they evolved, citing them as a weakness.

Goliath - Grimmsnarl - he/they - gay Japanese - nonbinary - age 21

Goliath hails from the Glimmwood Tangle, from quite a large and loving family, but he got it in his head that he had to see the world beyond the forest clearing, he wanted to see where all the people braving its endless maze to reach the gym were about, he wanted to know! A regular yearning princess wishing to see what’s beyond her tower she’s been trapped in. And this is the family business Matilda had to leave her swamp for, bringing his ass home. She got there a little too late, however, already picked up by Graves’ group and registered into gym fights. He couldn’t leave! He made a promise to help! And look at his cool new friends.

When not spent daydreaming about adventures he could be having, he likes to keep in shape. His family home requires constant upkeep, lest the magical wood overgrows anything manmade within a few days. He likes to read, despite struggling with it due to his dyslexia, and he hopes to write his own book one day about what he’s experienced, he wants to have an adventure worth filling a book with. He’s a very positive lad, a happy one, who tries to share the happiness with those around him.

Goliath is still young, but he’s pretty sure about who he is as a person, he knows where he stands on morals, and her own identity as well. He’s chivalrous and kind, always trying to get the team to work together and get along. It has varying results. Grievous loves to mother him, and he likes to think he’s pals with Graves. Despite being younger, he tries to protect Thrasher and Maverick.

Blitz - Centiscorch - she/her - queer White - cis woman - age 33

Blitz, like Graves, was raised by Interpol for infiltration and undercover work. Unlike Graves, however, while the Inteleon was sanded down to being a weak, anxiety-ridden mess, it only strengthened Blitz’ nerves of steel, causing her to become cold and calculating. She only joined the League circuit because she had a mandated vacation following losing her leg from the knee down, and she didn’t want to get rusty on her skills. Not to mention she saw Graves attempting to lead and failing at it and thought she’d stick around to demean her for her lack of anything worthy of use for Interpol’s workings.

She doesn’t have many hobbies, she likes working out, staying fit, and occasionally cooking some ultra healthy superfood, but it’s not like cooking is her passion. She doesn’t understand why people think you need to have a life outside of your work, she’s perfectly happy to just always be on the job and do as it demands. She smokes, but only the occasional cigarette so as to not negatively affect her health. She’s a woman of few loves, few words, and she thinks that’s just fine.

Blitz scoffs when the team tries to have any sort of ‘get to know each other’ exercise. It’s never in good faith, and just ends in disaster so she tries to avoid it. Grevious tries to mother her on occasion, for whatever reason, she never had a mother and she doesn’t want one, so she doesn’t understand why her face gets flushed and hands get sweaty when the dragon’s around.

Maverick - Corviknight - she/her - lesbian White - trans woman - age 32

Maverick is a failed knight from olden times; she was sealed in a tomb in the slumbering weld with her previous king as a way to protect him in the next life, only to be revived by Graves and Ella exploring the area. Being awoken in modern times, she had a lot to learn and get used to, part of it being her king is no more. The body is gone, and the tomb ransacked. She failed, and this weighs heavy on her shoulders through the journey. She agreed to follow Graves, sensing a nobility to her, Ella already having Thomasin by her side while Graves had no one. She is skilled in battle, if not unsure of herself due to her failings during both in the past, and while she was asleep.

She holds herself to high standards, almost impossible for her to meet, but no one else. She does not expect others to keep up her strict training regime, it is for her alone to shoulder the burden of being known as a failure. Despite that statement, Crusher constantly challenges her, and they’re often sparring with one another. In her off time, she enjoys weaving and is learning the modern trades of ‘sewing’ and ‘crochet.’ She enjoys making clothes for herself and others.

Her strict lifestyle doesn’t give her many moments to herself or to consider her feelings for others. She dedicates herself to a cause and thinks of little else. However she enjoys Grevious’ company. She does notice the occasional stares from others, such as Thomasin from Ella’s team, and she wonders what it could mean. Does she resent her for not joining Ella? It seemed only fair at the time.

Grevious - Dragapult - she/her - bi Vietnamese - trans woman - age 45

The ghost of a test pilot that went down during a new dirigible’s trial run over Galar. Her body was never found, believed to be incinerated by the blast, and her spirit has hung on to the area as she never got a proper burial. Graves, hearing her plight, followed her to her remains, giving her the burial she deserved. Freed from her prison, she was free to pass on, but she denied doing so, she had to repay Graves for her service. And so, she was conscripted to the gym challenge, one she had seen many travelers pass by speaking of such a thing and she was always curious just what exactly it was. She had heard things of course, but nothing is better than first hand experience.

Grievous is a very noble person, but not too stuffy either. She loves a good joke, she loves puns, and she loves giving people a good fright with her ghostly status. It’s all in good fun, she’d never do anything malicious or something that would genuinely harm others! She loves to fly, she had always loved to fly, and dying didn’t exactly rob her of that love. Now she can do it without a plane! She spent so long as spirit, she kind of forgot what having hobbies is like, and she’s trying new things!

She’s a very motherly person, and, being the oldest of the group, feels very maternal towards all the young little ones around her. She’s particularly concerned for Graves and Blitz upon hearing around their upbringing. That’s no way to treat a child! She does her best to tend to the others of the group. Though she would be lying if she didn’t say that Crusher pushed her buttons more than once.

Thrasher - Obstagoon - they/them - lesbian Black - transmasc nonbinary - age 24

Thrasher comes from a foster home full of wayward kids who grew up on the downward spiral of life, and they themselves weren’t an exception. Originally from Spikemuth, they never knew their parents and their foster home travels were rough. No one seemed to want to keep them, and at one point they got sick of it and ran away from home. They ran and ran and never looked back, and found a job working in the professor’s lab in Postwick. They didn’t ask them where they were from, nor tried to contact anyone else, so it was good for them. They met Graves early into their gym circuit and decided to join her to perform some field work for the professor.

They’re quite down on themselves, never feeling like they’ll accomplish anything of worth. They couldn’t be a good child, they’re not a good battler, it took them a while to come into their own, and Crusher needling them constantly didn’t help. In their spare time, they play guitar and sing covers of existing songs. They don’t have a knack for writing, just another thing they fail at. It’s been a tough life, and they stumble along the way constantly trying to get to a better tomorrow.

Thrasher is a shy sort when it comes to their feelings, they haven’t been engendered into showing their vulnerable side to others. And Graves’ group isn’t exactly what you’d call family. But it’s a nice change of pace and they almost feel… wanted. And Grevious is a nice addition to their life. To have such a motherly person doting on them is, well, a dream come true.

[mudzdale]

u kno what screw it. nuzleaf supermysterydungeon hc timeline

-seedot leaves home and evolves into nuzleaf (around 18 yrs old equivalent). home is where he picked up his southern mannerisms and upbringing, which stick to him like glue despite the extensive travels and experiences he accumulates through his life

-spends ~15 years travelling the world

-encounters dark matter in an evil forest. details unclear but it’s because he opted to delve deeper into what was already a pretty ill-advised exploration to begin with

-agrees to partnership (read: yields to possession) with dark matter, having been promised power, influence, and respect, and they begin to travel the world with nuzleaf as a vessel

-dm already has a few full vessels, including yveltal, but dm and nuzleaf vibe the best. nuzleaf is given responsibility for many of dm's errands

-they encounter and recruit the beheeyem at some point, who become favored vessels due to their preexisting teamwork and psychic power. they were also a voluntary possession, although theyre not as ambitious. they prioritize the safety of their trio

-when a vessel is possessed by dm, they experience the voidlands for themselves--not sent there through being turned to stone, but thru visions such as nightmares, etc. dm uses this as leverage, to threaten its vessels with what will happen if they step out of line, but also to just. make em upset. fuel the stone-making rampage with bad vibes

-anyways. dm at this point is aware of mew having been reborn ~10 years ago, and with more of its plans coming into place, it wants to start tracking down the child heroes. it has nothing on the status of the human hero at this point

-nuzleaf tracks mew to serene village relatively quickly, but doesnt make his presence known

-having ‘secured’ mew’s location, the vessels of dm begin a globetrotting search for the human child, who they assume to be reincarnated as an infant the same way mew was

-dm eventually connects the dots and figures if mew ~just happened~ to wind up next to the sacred spring, the human likely will as well

-about 2 years have passed since dm came into the picture? it has also been recruiting a few more vessels during this time

-nuzleaf returns to serene village and sets up shop, establishing his presence as a villager, while the beheeyem orbit nearby, selecting a mountain cave to settle in (much like their old home)

-nuzleaf and the beheeyem begin to roll out on extensive forays, scouting the world around serene village for signs of the human hero

-it is on one of these scouting trips that they encounter a young pokemon, far from civilization and indeed any other living creatures, close to a small waterfall

-the human child has only partial amnesia at the time, and knows about the purpose to their reincarnation--they have only been recently recreated as a pokemon, at the top of a nearby mountain, and experienced no childhood like mew did. they retain much knowledge and maturity from their past life

-when approached by nuzleaf and co, they all kind of recognize one another--nuzleaf knows this is their missing puzzle piece, and the human can pretty quickly attribute the group’s suspicious behavior to dark matter

-dm/nuzleaf's intentions are to overpower the hero and schlep them up to revelation mountain asap, securing the goods for a fast and hard takeover. the dm gang and hero get into a scuffle over this

-beheeyem's psychic blast renders the hero truly amnesiac this time (although their personality remains largely untouched)

-nuzleaf's mind has been largely overshadowed by dm through this entire process, but upon the beheeyem’s report of amnesia, a moment of "good" nuzleaf shines through, and he decides to take the hero under his wing instead. dm is amenable to this plan, because drawing out its takeover over a length of time will generate more negative emotion from across the world, adding to its collective power

-end scene. script continues on as usual, nuzleaf gets left by dm to largely keep living pretty normally. nuzleaf is willfully ignorant of his growing attachment to the child, believing he is just secure in the knowledge on having an important asset in hand (when in fact hes happy to have this new family member. hes Soft)

-sometimes dm's presence grows heavy in his mind, affecting his mood and opinion of the child sourly (not that they ever know, he is very good at hiding this). "good” nuzleaf is largely content with this lifestyle however

-although hero and partner's departure to lively town was not met with utmost delight on his part, nuzleaf ultimately welcomed their absence as it made his errands for dm MUCH easier. less sneaking around to do, and allowed him to lay a trap at revelation mountain

-at this stage, different vessels were tending to turning to stone various pokemon across the world, especially the big hundos like legendaries (latias and latios, for instance, were attacked by fast-flying vessels). nuzleaf is set on the very precise tasks of setting up their fall guy(s) and ensuring hero stays within reach

-although nuzleaf orchestrated that krookodile's rampage to serene village would attract the attention of the expedition society, it was a coincidence that hero/partner were on the pursuit team. he intended to run to lively town and fetch them himself if necessary, crying havoc

-after the pursuit team get stone'd, nuzleaf and yveltal storm serene village, before collecting the beheeyem and moving on to lively town. they continue to work and hit established communities while hero and partner are in the voidlands, although yveltal takes its leave sometime during that to start attacking more big hundos

-espurr is caught right before nuzleaf and co storm the village, hiding in the bushes atop the mountain. nuzleaf doesnt initially expect to recruit her, but dm suggested her powers might be of benefit, given that the other beheeyem might have their hands full. he doesnt have to do much threatening before espurr keys in and agrees

-espurr and the "manipulation" of the expedition society are nuzleaf's jurisdiction as well, assisted by the beheeyem

-its during this period that the turncoat beheeyem starts showing hesitation. nuzleaf is on it like a fly on doodoo but obv hides it perfectly. starts laying the prehistoric ruins trap

-its not just dm speaking when they spring the prehistoric ruins trap--nuzleaf is exposing how he’s the kind of person who might agree to a partnership with dark matter in the first place. that said, hes not intrinsically THAT mean, and his evil factor is REALLY amped up by the possession. but its still largely nuzleaf in the driver’s seat at this point

-again back to the script. dm tosses its vessels around where they need to be, up until it fully takes over their minds and has them fight hero and co. after their defeat, dm is (temporarily) kicked out of their brains. its PIIIISSED about this and whisks the vessels into the tree of life for what essentially will be a slow and painful death, which is of course subverted by the heroes

-yveltal warps the vessel crew to the bottom of the tree of life, seeking oxygen, where the group stops to decide whether to take action or just give up. most are inclined to the latter, but nuzleaf is determined to go back and help the heroes until dm stops him directly. the others come around to his point of view, and yveltal returns them to the top of the tree

-with dm fully out of his mind now, nuzleaf is real sorry :( distracting the enemy from his kid for even one moment was worth a thousand ends in the voidlands to him

-after dm’s defeat, nuzleaf and co find themselves returning to consciousness in the forest, not far from where the heroes are similarly recovering. before they can get their bearings, arceus slips quietly out of the woods, escorting yveltal away with it for a Very Long Talk. the rest of the crew are scared out of their minds, but in an act of forgiveness, arceus refrains from passing Judgement on them

-with yveltal indisposed, the vessels are again left to follow nuzleaf’s guidance. they find the restored turncoat beheeyem and make up with one another, and decide to quietly withdraw and see what they can do to make up for their sins

-after apologizing to serene village and associated victims, nuzleaf roughs it in the wilderness for a bit, declining the beheeyem’s invitation to their mountain cave. he wants some time to himself (in fact the first he’s had since he encountered dm in the woods, so long ago). he orbits close to the village, however, seeking a glimpse of the hero

-after learning of the partner/mew’s disappearance through the serene village grapevine, nuzleaf vows to do whatever is necessary to help his kid, however he can. the beheeyem are of a similar mind. they get in touch with the expedition society asap

-follow script, etc etc. nuzleaf’s natural stealthiness is of benefit when it becomes necessary to track the hero’s movements

-after the partner is restored, the beheeyem return to their mountain home again, deciding amongst themselves what their next move will be. nuzleaf tries to leave serene village for good, having done his bit, and wanting to spare the hero any further angst regarding his presence. however, the hero stops him and convinces him to stay and recreate their little family home, which nuzleaf accepts

-partner and the hero return to the expedition society for a couple of years, conducting explorations and making frequent visits home. mawile comes up with the idea to plant an expedition society branch on revelation mountain, after she discovers that not only has the sacred spring not lost its power, but that the luminous water there is slowly returning. the site is marked a protected location, and the child heroes are put in charge of the new branch

-the beheeyem, the other village children, and the heroes’ parents are among those recruited to the new branch. the beheeyem handle most of the admin work, and the schoolchildren embark on a variety of explorations as they grow up, travelling between the city and village locations

-hero and partner more often than not form an exploration team with their dads, making a four-person expedition group that goes out for long expeditions. the kids are able to experience more quality time with their parents, carracosta can spend time protecting his child, and nuzleaf can sate his wanderlust without abandoning the ones he loves. its a solution that keeps everybody happy

-and they all live happily ever after :)

[turtlycute]

do you have an anime watch list for beginners like the best animes of all time

Hello Nonny, thank you so much for your question. This is going to be a long post so get comfortable.

Like any anime lover, I have my own ideas of what some of the best animes for beginners might be. Unfortunatly, a lot of the "best of all time" type anime is not really the best for newer viewers. Like for so many others, my first animes were epic series like Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Sailor Moon and Inuyasha. These all hold special places in my heart and are all fun nostalgic or first watches.

The anime genres I tend to gravitate towards now are slice of life, comedy, drama, romance and shoujo with some sports, supernatural and mystery animes thrown in. So, keep that in mind as you read this list. If those are not your kinda things, then this is not the list for you. A lot of shows on this list are classics or highly popular in these genres. I've also choosen anime that comes in both English sub and dubbed versions because, for beginners, dubbed is sometimes easier to follow and enjoy. Subbed or dubbed, there is no judgment here as long as you are enjoying what you watch. Finally, I tried to stick to anime with mostly 1-3 seasons only. There is nothing wrong with the more epic long running series and many of these fall under "the best of all time" heading but seeing that an anime has 100+ episodes can be kinda daunting for a novice viewer. Now to the list...

First of all, if you are just wanting to try anime but, not wanting to commit to a whole series, I would recommend starting with a movie or two. Some classic films I would recommend would be Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle from Studio Ghibli. Some more contemporary films like, Your Name, Weathering With You, A Silent Voice and Wolf Children, would also be great anime starting points. These films are staples for any anime collection.

Now, as for anime series, here is just a list of 10 that I think quality animes and would be great beginner watches.

Ouran High School Host Club:

Haruhi Fujioka is a scholarship student at the elite Ouran High School. One day, Haruhi becomes accidentally indebted to the school host club. Now she must work off her debt by playing the role of a male host to the female student clientele. Hilarity ensues.

This reverse harem show is a much loved modern classic for a reason. It's full of fun characters and lighthearted comedy moments with just enough drama and romance to keep you coming back for more.

Maid Sama:

Misaki Ayuzawathe is the first female student council president for a previously all boys school. Now, her life is busy with maintaining top grades, keeping the male students in line, recruiting more girls to the school and keeping her part-time job at a maid cafe a secret. When one day Takumi Usui, the most popular boy in school, discovers her secret job, Misaki finds herself doing everything she can to keep him from revealing the truth to the whole school.

This shoujo has enough of comedy, romance and drama to satisfy anyone's appetite.

Fruits Basket:

After finding herself orphaned and homeless, high schooler Tohru Honda makes a new home with classmates Yuki and Kyo Sohma along with there guardian Shigure Sohma. But the Sohma's have a dark secret, they are under a curse that causes them to change into animals from the Chinese zodiac when hugged by members of the opposite sex. Now, Tohru must keep their secret as she learns more about this family and their curse.

There are actually 2 different versions of this show. Many people would recommend that you start with the completed classic 2001 version but, I'm going to say it's okay to skip that for later and dive into the 2019 reboot and ongoing series. The newer series is so beautifully animated and has a more detailed version of the story than its predecessor. This shoujo is full of drama, comedy, romance, supernatural mysteries and inspirational moments. You'll definitely need a kleenex box when watch this one.

Kamisama Kiss:

One day high school student Nanami Momozono finds herself abandoned by her father, penniless and homeless. After she saves a mysterious man in the park, he offers to help her by giving his home to her. She soon discovers that this gift home is really a rundown shrine and she has magically become local land god. Now, she must learn to juggle her school life and her new position as a land god. Luckily for her, a reluctant fox familiar named Tomoe comes with the shine and has to give her assistance with it all.

This classic is part shoujo comedy and part supernatural adventure. I definitely recommend this in the English dub if for no other reason than to enjoy J. Michael Tatum's voice work as Tomoe.

The Morose Mononokean:

Hanae Ashiya spends his first week of high school with a mystery illness that has left him feeling increasingly weak. He eventually discovers that the cause of his illness is a large fluffy creature that has attached itself to his back. When Hanae comes across a flyer advertising an exorcist who expels youkai, he decides that exorcism might be just the thing to remove the creature. The flyer leads him to the Mononokean and a magical tea room which suddenly appears. The Mononokean turns out to be a fellow classmate, Haruitsuki Abeno, who reluctantly helps Hanae but, demands that Hanae work as his assistant to repay him for the exorcism. Now, Hanae spends his free time working to learn about yokai spirits and how to best help the yokai that live in the mundane world.

This supernatural comedy is just fun to watch, with enough drama to keep you interested. It really has that classic Saturday morning anime adventure feel but, for a slightly older audience.

The Devil is a Part-Timer:

Just as Demon Lord Satan, a.k.a the Devil has nearly conquered the world of Ente Isla and destroyed his enemies, a hero named Emilia corners him and forces him and his top general to escape through a portal to modern day Earth. Emilia, of course, follows him determined to finally defeat the Devil. But now they all find themselves on Earth with no powers, they must discover how to survive even if that means the Devil must get a part-time job at Mc Ronald's just to pay the rent.

What can I say about this show... It starts out with an almost stereotypical supernatural action/adventure anime feel only to turn into a comedic slice of life with a little romance and the ocational fight sequence thrown in. This show is one of the best examples of how versatile anime can be and a great way to get a little taste of a lot of genres.

Death Note:

High school student Light Yagami stumbles upon a supernatural notebook that allows its owner to kill by simply writing someone's name down. Light soon sees the death notebook as a way to reform society's ills by killing criminals and undesirables to create world without crime. Once the police discover that a mysterious serial killer is targeting criminals, they bring in the worlds greatest detective, L, to find and capture this serial killer. This begins a epic battle of witts between Light and L.

This classic anime is a lot darker than anything else on the list but, it's definitely worth mentioning. It was one of the earlier animes I watched and I'm still a fan to this day. It falls mostly into the categories of thriller, supernatural, mystery, horror and crime drama. It is also another one that I'd strongly recommend the English dub over the subbed version. So, if you want to take little walk on the anime dark side, this is a good place to start.

Yuri On Ice:

After a disastrous performance and coming in last place at the Grand Prix, ice skater Yuri Katsuki is thinking about retiring. That is until his skating idol and living legend Victor Nikiforov shows up to his home offering to be his coach. Now, with Victor's help Yuri works to rebuild his career and fight his way to a gold medal at the Grand Prix Final.

Yuri On Ice is my all time favorite anime so, of course it's going to make the list. So much about the struggles and perseverance of the characters in this sports anime is inspiring. Then, when you add in a little romance, flashy skating routines to a great original soundtrack and the drama of competition, everything about this show gets a gold medal.

Free!-Iwatobi Swim Club:

Haruka Nanase has always had a strong connection to the water and a passion for swimming. As he starts high school, Haruka is reunited with childhood friends from a youth swim team, Nagisa Hazuki and Makoto Tachibana. The three decide to start a school swim team. Now, they must recruit a fourth member and train to be able compete in their first swim meet. Watch to see these guys bond as a team and friends and as they pursue their goal to compete at Nationals.

There are a lot of great sports anime out there but, this one is a good one to start with. Free! exemplifies so many standard tropes within this genre and does in an engaging way with an easy to understand sport. There are multiple seasons and movies for this series but, the first season, Free! -Iwatobi Swim Club, is satisfying enough as a stand alone.

My Roommate is a Cat:

Subaru Mikazuki, an introvert writer with social anxiety, adopts a stray cat after a chance encounter. Together they both learn they are not as alone as each of them believed.

This slice of life anime is sooooo relatable, cute and funny. If you're looking for something that's low key and will make you feel all warm inside, than this is the show you should start with.

Here are some honorable mention animes to also consider: Toradora, ReLife, Princess Jellyfish (I just love this show and think everyone should watch it), Black Butler (if you're willing to sort out the correct viewing order it can be worth it), the classic Avatar: The Last Airbender (yeah, yeah, yeah is it anime or isn't, doesn't matter it's a great gateway) and Kakuriyo- Bed and Breakfast for Spirits

So here are some of my top favorite anime for beginners recommendations. A nice mix of classic standards and a few newer shows that really show off specific genres. These are just my opinions, I'm sure there are many other animes that should probably make this list. As always, if anyone wants to add to this list or make some different suggestions please feel welcome to add your own favorites in the comments or as a reblog. Thank you Nonny for the ask and I hope you find this list helpful.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #387

“today i woke up, & i hate myself”

What common problem have you never experienced? The loss of a close family member (that doesn't include pets). Alternatively, what's an uncommon problem you have experienced? Homelessness. Do you know anyone who opposes marriage equality? I sure do. What was the last thing you got really emotional about? Meerkat Manor: Rise of the Dynasty premiering. What's the longest amount of time you've been ill for? I don't really know. I don't get sick a lot at all. Who is your closest male friend? Girt. Do you know anyone who hunts for meat? Sadly. I say "sadly" because it's not like they need it. Have you ever lived with a boyfriend/girlfriend? Yes, although I wasn't a technical resident. I was there all the time, though. What do you wash dishes with? Sponge, scrub brush, rag, something else? A sponge. Is there anything you prefer to do the old-fashioned way? There's probably something, but I can't think of anything. Do you put your glasses and mugs right side up or upside down on the cabinet shelf? Upside-down. What was the worst part of your childhood? My parents fighting. Have you ever seen a high school relationship last long-term? (like 10+yrs) Yeah. Do you know any cancer survivors? Quite a few. Leftover pizza for breakfast... yay or nay? Good shit, man. Do you personally know anyone who's a psychopath or sociopath? I don't think so. What is your most used kitchen appliance? Lately, it's been the apple slicer. I've been on a real apple slices + peanut butter kick lately. What is something that you would personally like to be remembered for? For being a caring person towards all living things. Have you ever been diagnosed as clinically depressed before? Yes. Do you like bowling? Yeah, it's fun. Do you own binoculars or nonoculars? What do you use them for? No. Do you ever wish you had a telescope on the roof or attic to stargaze? Yeah, that'd be cool. Have you ever had to deal with someone close to you going off to war? No, thankfully. Who do you feel you have the most in common with? Sara, easily. Who in your life causes you the most stress or negative feelings? My damn self lmao. Have you ever had a teacher that also taught your parents? No. My parents didn't grow up in NC. What’s one thing that people definitely CAN’T count on you for? To remember like... anything. What about something they definitely can count on you for? Someone to listen to encourage them. What’s one food that you want to try but haven’t yet? I've always thought macaroons look good. Do you have anything planned for the summer? No. Do you walk fast or slow? Slow. Would you consider yourself an adrenaline junkie? No. What is a common slang word from where you live? Plural "you" does not exist. It's "y'all," lol. What’s the scariest thing you’ve accidentally found on the internet? *shrug* Probably something as a kid, going on those sketchy websites with loads of games and stuff. Thinking of every Halloween costume you’ve had, which one was the most creative? I don't think I've had any creative costumes for Halloween. What’s one random city you want to visit? It's not exactly "random" as it's a popular location, but anyway, I would love to visit Venice. What subjects do you or did you get the worst grades in? Math. When was the last time you ate cake and what type of cake was it? That's a good question, actually. Maybe my niece's birthday in February? I don't remember what kind of cake it was. Do you have photos to go with all of the contacts in your phone? No; I don't have any. Do you like snowy winter days or do you prefer rainy days? SNOWY! Name 3 things you find most beautiful in nature: Mountains, large waterfalls, and desert dunes in the wind. If you could ask one person one questions and get a completely honest answer who would it be and what would you ask? Jason. I'd ask if he thought I was emotionally abusive. What is your favorite winter activity? Building snowmen. Who is the greatest singer who is no longer living? Freddie Mercury. What is your idea of heaven? I don't know, really... I have to ask myself IS there a heaven in eternity? Living forever just... doesn't appeal to me. "Living" is an odd word to use there, but hopefully you get it. Existing on and on and on and on seems like it'd just be a drag, but at the same time I do like the thought of feeling relentlessly happy and peaceful with my loved ones. I guess that would be my definition of it, if it does exist. What’s one of the scariest things you’ve ever done? ODed. Have you ever watched the Superbowl all the way through? Just once, on my 16th birthday because I was at Jason's place and all of his family was watching it. I had absolutely zero interest, but we wanted to hang with the family. If you had to move to another country, where would you move? Canada. Do you watch American Horror Story? I haven't in years. It was Jason's and my first "show," and the first season was excellent. I lost interest in the second one, honestly. I'd be up for watching other seasons, though. How many relationships have you been in this year? None. What's your favorite cereal? Probably Cinnamon Toast Crunch. That's also the only cereal where I can happily drink the milk afterwards. Twitter or Facebook? Facebook. Do you like to paint your nails? No. What's the coolest place you've ever been to? Disney World, probably. Have you ever punched anyone? No. What's something you wish you knew how to do? Cook. :/ I really need to make an effort to learn. It'd be great to not rely on a microwave for the rest of my life. What's a celebrity that everyone likes but you don't? *shrug* What food do you eat the most? Probably bread in some form or another. That really needs to stop. Green or purple grapes? Either one, but they have to be firm. I cannooooooot with soft grapes. Have you ever cried over a text? Yeah. What's the background of your phone of? My lock screen is this pretty, simplistic periwinkle color with "work on you for you" written on it. It's one I plan on keeping for probably a long time because I connect to it so deeply with my stupid damn head frequently demanding I have to improve "for Jason" to prove him wrong. Which is a very unhealthy mindset to have, I know. My home screen is a cute lil Mark edit someone made with a very similar pale blue background, so my phone is just currently an #aesthetic. Do you have a Snapchat? No. What's your favorite sports team? (if you like sports)? I don't like sports, but I'm biased towards the Carolina Hurricanes hockey team because of my dad. Last thing you ate? I had Honey Nut Cheerios for breakfast. Do you take a lot of selfies? Definitely not. I just hate how I look so much; it takes way too much effort for me to get an "acceptable" one. Do you prefer strawberries or cherries? Strawberries. I hate cherries. How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Maybe like, three. -_- Our A/C is still out, and it was like, 87 in the house last night. It was impossible to sleep. Do you listen to music daily? Not EVERY day, but usually. Biggest insecurity? My weight. Do you play video games? Not as much as I used to. I'd probably play way more if I actually had a PS4 + the games I'm DYING to have. Do you consider yourself lazy? "Yes, but a lot of it is also health related for my lack of energy and motivation." <<<< This for me as well. What recently made you laugh? I was watching a bit of The Nanny with Mom yesterday. We love that show. Do you like gummy bears? Yep. What was the last song you listened to? I'm randomly hooked on "My Nocturnal Serenade" by YOHIO. Like, I've known the song for a long time, but NOW I'm bingeing it???? Describe your mom with one word. Selfless. What's the biggest turn-off? Probably being misogynistic. But being a cocky ass is definitely high up there, too. What fish scares you the most? Mfkng whale sharks terrify me. How do you feel about snails? They're cuties!!! What's your favorite app? Pokemon GO. Would you rather time travel into the past or future? The future, to see what's coming. I feel like you could come back with some pretty valuable information. What is the saddest song you've ever heard? I think "Terrible Things" by Mayday Parade has to come on top. What insect do you hate the most? I was reminded that stag beetles exist last night, and omfg those. Well, "hate" is the wrong word, really, I'm just terrified of them. Would you ever have a wild animal as a pet if possible? I 110% want to rescue an opossum, emphasis on "rescue." I'm not plucking one from the wild or anything like that. I would be in HEAVEN raising one of those angels. Are there any decorations that makes you happy? (lights, candles, plants..) I love those beds decorated with fairy lights, and just Christmas lights in general. Halloween and Christmas decor tend to give me sparks of happiness when I see 'em. Does race matter to you when it comes to dating? Not at all for me. When was the last time you painted something? Not since I was still in school and took a Painting course. When was the last time you really felt alive, and what were you doing? I have NO idea. What is one question you would like an answer to? Why the worst things tend to happen to good people. Name one favorite thing to do with kids while babysitting. I don't babysit, but if I was to be in charge of a kid, I'd love to teach them to play video games from my childhood. Playing Pokemon with my niece and nephew is always a blast, ahhhh. Name one flavor you like. Strawberry is pretty consistent. Name one thing you are hoping for. Venus' new terrarium soon... big sigh. I can't for the life of me find one that's a reasonable price and also adequately sized. I'm willing to put the rest of my cash into it, but Mom is helping, so I can't just buy the first one I see. Then I'd need more substrate, I seriously want a temperature gun and hygrometer, a cool hide, sticks and stuff for cover... It's going to be expensive, but I want Venus to have a truly proper environment she can thrive in. Write the name of one of your imaginary friends from when you were younger. Oddly enough, I can't remember the imaginary wolf that was my "friend." I say "oddly" because his whole idea was important to me as a weird-ass kid. Name one girl's name that starts with a "J" that you like. "Justine." Name one boy's name that starts with a "J" that you like. Maybe "Jaxson." Have you ever been kissed? Yeah. Have you ever feared that you would be killed? It's never been like, a fear I actively worry about. I just acknowledge it's always a possibility for anyone. What is the last great opportunity you missed? This was quite a while ago by now, but I'd say by dropping out of school, I really let photography opportunities slip since I became the newspaper photographer...

[missmitchieg]

The Phantoms, Triple Threat, Nick, & Caleb Covington as Pokemon trainers

Julie’s Pokemon: Sawsbuck (Bambi), Lurantis (Bloom), Mismagius (Magician), Pikachu (Sparkler), Solrock (Sunshine), Meganium (Long-Neck)

Julie’s a loving, gentle trainer that gives every Pokemon that comes her way a nickname and lets them out every once in a while to relax and play in a forest but goes hard in battles. She never loses. Her Pokemon never lose.

She’s good friends with every nurse Joy and officer Jenny and loves meeting new friends along the way to becoming a real Pokemon master. She never forgets her daily check-in calls with Ray and Carlos. She also keeps in touch with her best friend, Flynn, and loves the pictures she gets from her.

She likes to give her updates on “that cute but mischievous boy with the Gyarados and the Charizard“ that she’s pretty sure has a thing for her but she’s too shy to ask. Even if he seems to just “pop up“ wherever she goes after they met outside of a gym.

She genuinely laughed in Caleb Covington’s face when he tried, and failed epicly, to intimidate her. She thought it was the funniest thing she’d ever heard. Then she proceeded to beat him in battle. In public. Humiliating him. She hates him, and Team Rocket, and everything they stand for.

Bloom and Magician usually prefer to be out of their balls and walk and float around with her. She likes that about them. Sunshine and Lon-Neck seem to be closest with each other, but love the rest of the team as well. And they never run low on food or berries to munch on while they make pit stops on their journey.

Julie usually likes to wear a purple t shirt or sweater, a matching purple headband, white pants and sneakers and a black jacket. She always has a charm bracelet with 6 charms: A Poke Ball, a Great Ball, an Ultra Ball, a Master Ball, a Love Ball and a Friend Ball.

Luke’s Pokemon: Jolteon (Bolt), Charizard (Blaze), Gyarados (Bayou), Poliwrath (Polly), Zapdos (Tazer), Beedrill (Honey)

Yeah, Luke’s a bit of a genwunner. What’s it to ya? He knows what he likes and he knows what’s good. And yeah, he might have gotten himself in trouble with more than one officer Jenny more than twice for trying to steal a potion or two. (Nurse Joys always hate him so he’s learned to stay away from centers.) So he’s a rebel. Sue him. At least he cares enough to get them for his team.

Unlike those awful Team Rocket people that, rather than loving and caring for Pokemon like the epic, amazing, awesome creatures they are, they hurt them. Luke hates Team Rocket with all of his heart and he makes that fact known. He’s only ever met two, and they both sucked. One yelled at a kid’s Geodude and the other made a Togepi cry. Hard. He took it upon himself to comfort the little Togepi and feed him some (stolen) Pokemon food until he smiled and skipped away like nothing had happened.

Anyway, he loves being a trainer and exploring places with his Pokemon and he loves forest picnics (of stolen food, usually) and watching his Gyarados hide in waterfalls to jump out and scare people off. He also likes to keep tabs on “that girl that gives her Pokemon nicknames like a (pretty) dork” (Which is a thing he totally didn’t steal from her. He was already calling his team those names.) and tell the few friends he has about her.

Charizard and Jolteon have been with him since the very beginning of his journey, as a little but strong Charmander and Eevee and he loves them (and everyone else) like crazy. Zapdos tends to come out of his Ultra Ball without warning to spread his wings. Poliwrath is a big fan of swimming in lakes when they find them.

Luke generally wears a blue tank top with a black vest hoodie, jeans and black boots. He’s never seen without his blue knitted beanie (”My mom knitted this, so I’m wearing it forever.”) or the pink, red and blue friendship bracelet Reggie had gifted both him and Alex with before they went on their journeys. (”Reggie and Alex are my best friends, so I’m wearing it forever.”) Luke’s bracelet has a Master Ball charm and he loves it.

Reggie’s Pokemon: Eevee (Foxy), Braixen (Fire-Starter), Vulpix (Curly Top), Cyndaquil (Volcano), Teddiursa (Baby Bear), Togetic (Angel)

Reggie’s not necessarily too concerned with being a Pokemon master. You see, he’s more inclined to just have a good time and explore and let his Pokemon just be and give them all nicknames. He’ll sometimes pop into a Poke Mart just to say hi and grab a potion or two, mostly to not have to bother nurse Joy about his Eevee, who prefers to be carried around like a baby, (And who he doesn’t want to evolve into anything. Same with the rest of them. He’s very content with his “baby” team, thank you.), or his other Pokemon, again.

He likes hearing about his friends crazy adventures, though! And he likes hearing about their love lives, even if they’re both too shy to do much about anything. He likes telling his friends about all the stuff he sees in his town, like the old guy selling Pokemon food and the little girl that “just has an Arcanine, a Flareon, and an Infernape already! How did one little girl manage that?”

Reggie thinks he’s really lucky he’s never met a Team Rocket member, considering everything he’s heard about them from Luke, they suck. He’s honestly started to genuinely hate them by emotional osmosis at this point.

Reggie likes to dress in red and black flannels, white or grey t shirts, black jeans, black sandals, his own friendship bracelet that has an Eevee charm and a black jacket when the weather calls for it.

Alex’s Pokemon team: Sobble, Psyduck, Entei, Rapidash, Lapras, Starmie

So catching the Entei was kind of an accident. He’d just been exploring around a volcano looking to try and catch a Rapidash (he got it) when the volcano erupted and Entei appeared. He had (somehow) managed to calm the rather disgruntled Pokemon and catch it with a Poke Ball and Entei loves being part of Alex’s team, as do the rest of them. The Lapras was an accident, too, but that’s another story for another day. It involves a very grumpy, greedy hunter and Psyduck’s chronic headache.

Sobble, Starmie and Psyduck all just kind of felt drawn to him. He wasn’t going to question why an anxious duck with a permanent headache, a water lizard that always looked distressed and a star felt like sticking around him, but he loved them all equally. He loves updating his friends, Luke and Reggie on his adventures and catches (and the cute boy with the Blissey and Bellossom he met in a Poke Mart and keeps bumping into “on accident”*) or just calling to talk about nothing when he misses them.

(*It’s so not an accident.)

Alex likes to wear pink t shirts with a grey or black jean jacket, blue jeans, a white snapback and black sneakers. He never takes off his friendship bracelet and is very careful to not snag it on a twig or door handle or lose the Starmie charm.

Willie’s Pokemon: Blissey, Bellossom, Slowbro, Snorlax, Garchomp, Aromatisse

Earlier on in life, Willie had been pretty certain he wanted to be like his dad and become a real gym leader, but over time, he grew to like the idea of being a Pokemon doctor. His parents were a bit surprised by the news of their boy wanting to be a doctor, but they wholeheartedly supported his dreams and let him go to school to be a doctor, getting semi-regular updates from him.

Now, he’s often seen picking berries from trees and walking into Poke Marts to grab whatever he’d run out of that week, always happy to see the store clerks or say hi to a friend whose Pokemon he helped heal. (He especially liked when he ran into that Cute Blond Boy and he sometimes walks into stores just to talk to him even if he bought supplies just the day before, but shh. Cute Blond Boy doesn’t need to know that.) He also liked to offer grumpy, angry people a couple bites of Blissey egg to make them happy just because.

Willie usually likes to be comfortable and wear orange and white tie dye t shirts or orange and yellow floral t shirts, blue jeans, white sandals, and his hair loosely tied in a bun. After meeting Cute Blonde Boy, though, he started incorporating snapbacks and sneakers into his wardrobe. He liked how they looked on Cute Blond Boy better, though.

Flynn’s Pokemon: Liepard, Torracat, Delcatty, Pyroar, Lillipup, Persian

Flynn is honestly more of a Pokemon photographer than anything. She likes to hang around fields and forests to see the Pokemon roam free and take pictures or just watch while her big and little wildcats (Her favorites.) and her puppy (Accident. She doesn’t know how she fell so hard for the little pup.) either play or lie next to her and nap. She sends her favorites to her best friend, Julie and talks to her over the phone all the time. She likes hearing about her adventures and her cute boy and give advice on how to talk to him.

Flynn has only ever encountered Caleb, Dante and Fuego twice and she hated him instantly. The first time, she saw him snap at a little boy holding a Growlithe plushie. She had instinctively sicced her Pyroar’s flamethrower on him, yelling at him to leave the kid alone. The second time, she saw him physically grab a girl’s Hoppip and stomped toward him, commanding her Liepard to use Fury Swipes on him. She watched him struggle to walk away afterwards, gently handing the Hoppip back to the little girl and pointing in the direction of a Pokemon center just in case “her little friend got hurt when the mean guy grabbed her”.

Flynn is always seen wearing some kind of wildcat print in her outfits. Whether it’s the orange tiger t shirt and blue jeans combo with matching tiger boots she loved to put together, or the leopard print dress she saved for special occasions. She and Julie have always worn their matching charm bracelets with nothing but pride and love.

Carrie’s Pokemon: Mew, Sylveon, Dragonair (Shiny), Alomomola, Clefable, Audino

Listen, Carrie Wilson may be a pink princess, but don’t mistake her love of girly, glittery clothes and only having pink Pokemon on her team as her being weak. It’s not “she loves pink and glitter, but she’s strong and smart“, it’s “she loves pink and glitter AND she’s strong and smart“.

She simply has an aesthetic and an image to maintain and she maintains it, while having a team of strong fighters. She caught her Mew when all she had was a Sylveon and a couple of Pokeballs (What, like it’s hard?) and she’s proud to have a Mew, who prefers to float around her or piggyback her rather than be stuck in a ball, on her team.

She thinks it’s hilarious that Caleb assumed she would be at all scared of him. And assumed that she would lose to him. Carrie Wilson never loses a battle and she doesn’t plan to make that a habit of hers anytime soon. It’s simply not what Carrie Wilson does. Carrie Wilson instills fear into the hearts of weak little men, and has fun doing it.

But she’s always nice to little girls like her who love pink and love to beat boys in battle. She even gives girls strategic advice and runs into stores to buy them potions, poison heals and more just because. Little girls love her for it and she loves the little girls she comes across like her sisters.

Carrie wears a bedazzled white t shirt with a picture of a Love Ball on the front, a pink (faux, of course) fur coat, a sparkly pink tiered skirt with matching pink high heels. She saves her favorite pink and silver crystal dress for only the most special occasions.

Nick’s Pokemon: Cubone, Elekid, Wartortle, Chimchar, Pidgey, Butterfree

Nick is an aspiring baseball player, just like his dad. He’s not the best in battle, and he has to make quite a few emergency trips to Pokemon centers or clinics when he’s out of potions, but his team still loves him and fiercely (Well, as fierce as a tiny dinosaur, a ball of electricity, a turtle, a chimp, a pidgeon, and a butterfly can be.) protects him from danger.

Like that time when he accidentally angered a flock of Zubat by kicking a rock a little too hard and startling them awake. Emolga and Chimchar had to come to his rescue and they managed to get away relatively unscathed. Or that time he’d been found by a sweet old couple that offered him a warm meal, some Pokemon food and a bed for the night. After he’d been ambushed by a massive colony of angry Beedrill for walking too close to Beedrill territory.

Nick liked to wear a yellow t shirt with his dad’s baseball team, The Electabuzz, white shorts, black sandals and a white vest. He was always in either that or a regular white t shirt with a Poke Ball, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

Caleb’s Pokemon: Seviper, Grimmsnarl, Gengar, Skarmory, Umbreon, Spectrier

Caleb’s a member of Team Rocket. No one there really likes him or takes him seriously except Dante and Fuego, but he’s convinced himself they all do. No one, not even Dante and Fuego, is really sure how he managed to catch the Spectrier (or any of his team, because they don’t really like him much, either), but they also haven’t bothered to ask and he can’t really be bothered to tell.

He’s totally not friends with Dante and Fuego (yes, he is) and he totally doesn’t love them like sons, what? He doesn’t have a heart. (Except for Dante and Fuego.) He steals from stores and scares kids just by existing near them. Except Julie, Flynn, Carrie, and Luke. They’re not scared of anything. He’s more scared of them.

He hates the standard “bland, boring and ugly” Team Rocket uniform. With a burning passion. So naturally, he decided to dye the white parts of his uniform purple and cover it in glitter, replacing the hat with a much more his style top hat. He had gotten in trouble for the modifications to the outfit initially, but he didn’t care much. He was evil, but he wasn’t boring. And his boss had just sighed and decided he could get used to the non-regulation uniform after all.

[pokecommunitycenter]

Hi Dash !! It’s Time to Meet a Member of the RPC !!

Ditto would like to introduce... Dun Duuuuuun !! 

It’s Jason ♡ !! Though some of you may know them as @haematophiliac​ !!

Established in Spooky October of 2018, they’ve been around the RPC for a good long while as a Team Rocket Scientist OC, but here’s a looksee at some things you may have not known !! Ditto hopes you enjoy getting to know the writer just as much as Ditto did !!

♡ Interview... START !!

Ditto would like you to introduce yourself a little bit. The url you go by, maybe how you picked it. Was it a joke at first that you just stuck with, does it have significant meaning?

The username is what people would call a lover of blood. I started Jax in … 2018? Octoberish and he had the common username including Rocket in it and I decided to pick a theme more fitting to him. Eventually I settled with the current one as it fits him as a blood obsessor to put it bluntly. I mean he likes blood, works around a lot of it and all that so it just… Well, stuck!

Was there something about Team Rocket in general that drew you in? Over other ‘evil’ organizations, Rocket is considered the OG & probably largest. But, over Plasma/Galactic, what made you choose Rocket?

I’ve always been a Rocket fan. I started in the Pokemon fandom (can you call it a fandom back then) in 1998 when I was only eight by watching the anime. You could say that Rocket started my love for bad guys actually! I used to adore Jessie and James so much. They were just so fun, funny and adorable. Maybe I had a crush on one… Ahem! But yes, as a kid I fell for the trio (I didn’t forget loveable Meowth there!) and ever since then I’ve been a fan. I love all the bad guys mind you but Rocket holds a special place in my heart. Just always been like that.

A bonus question !! Did any characters from the original Anime / Franchise…  help you develop Jax at all?

A good question but Jax actually was inspired by a character I role played in a completely different fandom. I mean you cannot compare them - Jax is a human with so many faults and the other character is… Well, a plain old monster. But when I first made Jax I put little bits of the old character into him, such as formal speaking and love for blood. He started pretty much as a clean slate. I evolved him over the first few weeks.

Do you think that, because you play a character that is not a ‘good guy’ or as you put it, a monster, that people that may not know you well find you hard to approach?

Indeed so. Though I only speak of experience in the past here! When I played my full out monster in another fandom, people would tell others they were actually scared of me on an OOC level. Needless to say I’ve spoken to many people who were scared and helped them realise that it is just a muse I play. When it comes to Tumblr I find the fandom much more open and less afraid? Though I don’t know for certain because people could be afraid for all I know and I just don’t know. I hope I’m approachable enough anyway!

So then !! To help the part community that may not know you well, or might be a little hesitant because you play a blood loving bad guy, what are some things that you may have in common with everyone? Do you have a favorite pokemon? Or a region that just was WACK & you loved it so much? What’s on that most repeated playlist you got? Or maybe a few movies that you really love?

I read every blog’s rules and I’ve noticed that a lot of people are socially anxious. Which to be fair… I am too! I get nervous around people I don’t know and aahhhh, well, I’m in the exact same boat. We all start as strangers and all it takes is one foot forward to break that ice but, like others, I do find that first step very intimidating. I’m just your average nerd to be fair haha. As for my favourite Pokemon? Sneasel! I fell in love with that little critter after watching the Celebi movie when it came out. Favourite region would be Hoenn. I just have fond memories of it I guess as a Ruby fan. It was the first game my battery ran out of energy on. My music is too horrific for anybody’s ears if that’s what you mean hah. And movies? … … Digimon the movie (1+2+3 in Japan and just the first (all three combined) in UK and presumably other places too).

As someone who feels that weird wiggle when trying to step out of your comfort zone to make friends. Do you have any advice for people that want to get to know you better? Or, reaching out to people in general?

When reaching out to me - or anybody else - I find the best approach can be a simple hello. It instantly shatters that ice between two people. Like… Many of us are afraid to simply say hello. But if you manage to break that first bit it’s amazing! If you don’t there is always another day. Conversation can escalate from a mere hello. Or even reply to an open post if serious or funny! That first step is the hardest indeed but things get easier after that first hurdle. The worst someone can do is walk away and then perhaps it just wasn’t meant to be. Everybody has friends in the end and making more is great.

That said. We all know how the Poke RPC has its ups, & its downs. Sometimes both happen in one day. LOL. There is always room for growth though, & Ditto believes that everyone can work together to make that happen. Is there anything you would like to see change in the community?

Everything in life will come with ups and downs, it’s just how things go. We can all work through things however. If something bad happens there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. As a community it is great we can all work on whatever needs addressing. I understand some people rather turn a blind eye depending upon the situation. We all should work on what makes us comfortable. Nonetheless, if I could change one thing I’d change anon hate. Argh. That’s one thing that gets under my skin. We, as a community, should be open to criticism and praise alike and nobody should need to harass another person anonymously. If someone has a disagreement then they should tell the person. Only that way can they work on the issue. But then again there is needless anon hate without true purpose behind it and that makes me sad. But nobody is perfect and sometimes people will rear their ugly side. Yet when anon hate has popped up it has been utterly overwhelming to see everybody support each other with kindness!

Ditto wonders, do you think anon hate may… slow down, or go away, if it was ignored instead of responded to when received? Most times, the people that feel the need to do hurtful things to others is for response. The attention received whether it is good or bad.

I think it’s highly dependent upon the situation. As someone who has received hate in the past (not on Tumblr mind you) I found that even ignoring people doesn’t work. Yet every case is different. Some do it for response, some do it to just get under someone’s skin. We can’t tell which however. If, say, it is needless hate then to ignore it would be the best option, even reporting it to Tumblr’s staff. But if in the situation something needs defending like a misconception then it could be a good idea to clear the air. Keyword could though. I’ve learned that people will get ideas into their mind and battle for it rather than accepting what is truth. In those cases a good air clearing is good and then to ignore any further.... Jabbing could be best. But if people feel the need to respond they should have the freedom to, as well as the freedom to ignore it.

Is there anything you’d like to pass on to those in the RPC that receive anon hate? Maybe a word of advice, or just something supportive to remember if it ever happens?

Well, as long as someone isn’t breaking any rules, doing something bad OOC or whatever- Actually I was going to say they should keep going and doing their thing. And yet I feel the need to mention that all people make mistakes in their lives. Anon hate is a bad way to go. The person on the receiving end of a message is a person too. They have feelings and thoughts and a life also. If you ever receive anon hate then just remember that there’s someone sending it and perhaps they don’t realize their mistake. That isn’t to say it’s justified. Just that people do indeed forget there are real people involved. … I think I word things bad! I mean… Anon hate is wrong, end of. But it is so easy to forget that real people are sat to read it. If you ever get anon hate then it is best to ignore it. That spark could evolve into a full blown fire and make you worse off. Hm, I forgot my train of thought but in the end we all need less hate and to just enjoy ourselves. People tend to send hate from bad experiences with the person or disagreements if right or wrong on either side but words are just words on a screen. They can say all they want to you but you are you. You are a person who deserves a life and love and no mere text on a monitor - Or phone screen! - can ever truly harm you.

Ditto thinks you did a fine job. We all take time to find words in our own ways, & no one has the perfect ones all the time. So please do not worry about wording things. It takes some practice sometimes, when you’re put on the spot !! 

Ditto would like to wrap up with something uplifting & super positive. After your time here in the Poke RPC, what are some of your favorite memories? Things that make you stick around, or just enjoy seeing go on? Give Ditto a little insight ( & the RPC too ) on what makes you happy to be here.

I have a vast array of good memories. Mainly ones of that first move of saying hello to someone or just that first interaction. Then again you’re asking someone with a bad memory! I truly just enjoy seeing people having a good time, enjoying their time here. When people are comfortable enough to do crack threads, that’s something that makes me smile. For instance the RPC could have been super strict and look down upon anything not considered serious and yet there everybody is just having fun! I enjoy watching people get along all in all. When new relations are formed, plots explored, the crack-like threads that ensue. Dash commentary is always a favourite. It shows someone isn’t afraid to get involved. I like it when people aren’t afraid. As I said, we’re all humans with lives and just watching people have fun makes me smile, even if I’m not involved. And of course, being involved in things makes me happy too, to just be included :D

A big Thank You !! to Jason for allowing Ditto to take some of their time for this interview. 

Ditto hopes everyone has a good Monday !! 

See you next week for the next Community Interview. ♡

[professor-fanalia]

Call Of The Wild Charity - Event 1 Part 2 - Event 2

Romaine chuckled, as Icarus flew back to her arm for one last sunflower seed before flying off whence, he came, disappearing where a staff member seemed to be waiting for him to take him away. Facing back to the seats, Romaine continued. “Taillows are may be the Flying type that relies on agility and numbers to out mauver enemies or attract mates much like its other smaller flying type friends, but it’s the speed and power that most flying types much prefer. Consider Blaise here as one good example.”

Like a strong gust of wind, a shadow flew over their heads as it showered embers from the gaps in its feathers as it soars through the sky. Circling like a bird of prey, eyeing down at them as it flew around the amphitheatre “Living mostly along mountain ranges, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in cities in the Kalos Region. Blaise’s Talonflame brethren are truly speedsters of the sky, reaching speeds of up to 310 miles per hour, its tough wings even don't allow fire to pass through them.” Romaine spoke in awe as she smiled at the large flying type that would be standing at her shoulder height.

“Talonflames are elegant when flying to an extent, due to which how they soar with long wings held at a dihedral, which is an upward angle from horizontal in a fixed-wing aircraft or bird wing from root to tip. And their long two forked tail twisting as it changes direction, but as you can see here Blaise is a rather different. Normally Talonflames have long black tailfeathers marked with three yellow V-shapes, where the tail ends in two points and has another feather sticking out of the base on each side, resembling of the fletching on the end of an arrow and show off their beautiful brightly flame like colours. But as you can see Blaise is grayer in colour, this is because Blaise is a North eastern Variant, despite a change in colour she remains a Flying and Fire Type.”

A black hooded plumage covered Blaise’s head, wings, and most of her chest and back before tapering off into a flame pattern that was blue-black in shade. Her underside and hindquarters were creamy white which was finely barred from the breast to the tail. The tips of her long, tapered pointed wings were black giving off a straight trailing edge in flight. While black spots speckle her underside. Large yellow talons extend from the shaggy feathers on her legs.

She still had a pointed crest atop her head, but it was slightly curled forwards. White-and-blue replaced the black-and-yellow mask-like markings around her eyes. However, her black beak remained hooked with a yellow cere. Unlike the long black tail feathers that were marked with three yellow V-shapes, Blaise’s tail was longer and much more pointed with three white V-shapes. Before her tail ended in two points and had another feather sticking out of the base on each side, resembling of the fletching on the end of an arrow.

“Blaise’s colouration is due to the environment she had to adapt to in colder climates and a change in diet, Blaise’s beautiful colours mostly adapted into melanism which causes Flying types or other Pokémon to have an excess of dark pigmentation and is generally caused by a genetic mutation, but can also be a result of certain diets. Some species have a naturally occurring melanic form or ‘morph’, such as Blaise here.” Romaine explained as she watched Blaise glide.

“Professor Fanalia, care to help me with this next part?”

The red-head professor nodded her head as walked over to stand next to one of the railings among the seats. “Alright! Now, its common knowledge that Pokémon trainers work hard to get that small flying buddies up to speed in strength however; people tend to forget even Pokémon can get sick of doing the same thing over and over again, so its always best to think of new ways to entertain and train your Pokémon friend and to ensure your buddy can bond with other types.” Romaine chuckled as she playfully lifted her hand as if to whisper to the crowd, “This is also a good way to spice up their training with a few games and tricks that they can play with their fellow Pokémon! Like capture the flag, or a ring relay!” Romaine stated with a gesture, “But today we’re going do air Volley, which is Blaise’s favourite game, because it hones her accuracy and dodging.” During most of the event, Romaine explained the rules as she tossed a light volleyball into the audience, where Fanalia proceeded to catch it while gaining Blaise’s attention.

It was basic game where Blaise could choose to be on the catching or dodging team, as the ball was thrown between the members of the Rehabilitation Centre – even Lucario and Gallade took turns in catching it; though it ended in a bit of laughter due to Kryspyn earning a red nose from an unexpected toss from Blaise who cooed in amusement at Kryspyn who merely laughed it off. From then on Romaine said goodbye to Blaise who took her favourite toy with glee, and continued on with the show – introducing many Flying types, from Chatot and Swanna who sung together, an Red Eastern Noctowl who had a very comedic personality, to a battle between a Staraptor and a Honchkrow and a beautiful dance done by Beautifly, Vivillion and Masquerain.  

“Thanks, you guys that dance was beautiful!” Romaine clapped as the flying bug types chirped happily, waving at the audience as they left the amphitheatre. Turning back to the audience Romaine gave a sadden smile, “Unfortunately we are nearly the end of our show, but we will end this with one final bang. As you may know a new region has finally opened its borders, and what better way to welcome the region than to show one of its wonderful Pokémon to the world.” Romaine began.

“It was a long process and with requiring a permit, we were given permission to study the behaviours and Rehabilitate any Pokémon that are in need from the Galar region! We still have so much to learn about our fellow companions, and there are still new Pokémon to meet and befriend! So, for a special day like today we like you to meet a special guest.”

Turning her head to the skies, Romaine grinned. “Everyone, meet Oath from the Galar Region.”

Like a cascading shadow, large avian Pokémon resembling a raven glided down onto the stage with a large flap of its metal wings it landed beside Romaine. Letting out a mighty screech, before settling down calmly as it towered over the green-haired groundskeeper. Its red pupils scanning the audience as he stood on stage. “Oath is a Corviknight, their feathers are tempered with steel. Its mantle, breast, belly, flanks, and scapular feathers are smooth and resemble plate armour. Corviknight's talons, head, and upper beak are similarly armoured.” Romaine gestured to the parts of the Steel and Flying Type, “It is said to be the strongest bird Pokémon in the Galar region, being able to scare off any Pokémon that tries to challenge it. Due to its intelligence and flying skills, Corviknight serves a company called Galar Taxi, where it transports people from one location to another.” Romaine lightly patted Oath’s side who cooed, preening under her touch, “Though one of the fascinating things we discovered about Corviknights, is that they mate for life. A mated pair usually constructs a nest by improving a crevice by dropping sticks into it; it is then built on top of the platform formed.” As she spoke, she pulled out a berry from her pouch and fed it to the large avian.

“So, who would like to come down and meet Oath?” Smiling brightly, as she instructed those who wanted to come and meet Oath to rise from their seats and come up on stage to greet the large Steel and flying Type.

-----

With greetings and goodbyes to the Corviknight signalling the end of the show. You – @ask-pokemonranger-rai, @prof-bramble, @prof-peach, @themadprxfessor, @professor-hemlock-headcanons, @a-pokemon-daycare, @breederpatmos were all guided to leave the amphitheater, back towards a building just across the Guest House. Made mainly of glass panes, it’s a decent sized building that keeps in a regulated temperature and humidity for the cultivation of delicate or out-of-season plants/herbs/berries. Before Fanalia stopped in front of the Greenhouse, “Before we go inside the greenhouse, I am here to tell you there is a little game you all have to play as you walk through the building. These Booklets that my co-workers are giving you now have zoomed in images with small riddles.” Fanalia explained as each of you were handed a booklet.

“This is a game of Pokémon Bingo, figure out the riddle of who it is with the zoomed in too close photo and proceed to one of the six locations in the Green house.” Fanalia gestured to the building.

“With each Pokémon you discover and meet they will give you stamp that you fill at the back of the booklet. There two Pokémon for the six areas, so twelve stamps in total!” Kryspyn added on grinning happily. “Once you have all twelve stamps, deliver those booklets to Romaine who will be waiting at the door with a special treat.” Kryspyn finished gesturing to Romaine and Florges who nodded their heads.

“So work with your Pokémon companions and let’s draw numbers to see where you will be heading to first!”

-----

Ready for a Game of Pokemon Bingo? Pick a number from either 1 to 6 and I shall message you a description of the area and who you will encounter! Can you guess with only a clue? 

How would your proceed with this game? Did you pat Oath or watch from Afar? What was you favorite part of the show? What did you Pokemon do?  Re-blog your Responses whether it be written or Drawn - What are your Reactions? What do you do? Thoughts and feelings?

[mysmashplaythroughs]

Pikachu Playthrough (Fire Red)

Fighter: Pikachu

Game: Pokemon Fire Red, Game Boy Advance. First Released on January 29th 2004.

Fighter Bio.

Pikachu is a species of Electric Mouse Pokemon which is the evolved form of Pichu and evolves into Raichu through the use of a Thunderstone. It is found most often in forests but also has been seen in urban environments such as towns and power plants. Pikachus raise their tails in order to monitor their surroundings and have been known to use their electric power to shock berries in order to tenderise them so they can eat them. They store electricity in the pouches on their cheeks and when many Pikachu gather, they can build their electricity to the point they can cause lightning storms. Pikachus charge electricity as they sleep and therefore will be weaker if they have been unable to rest. A Pikachu holding a light ball, an item that only it can use, will have its special and attack power doubled which can make it stronger without evolving. Pikachus sometimes tend to have a rivalry with their evolved form Raichu and have been known to refuse to evolve.

There have been a few specific notable Pikachu in the game series, the most famous being Red’s Pikachu who has been the highest level Pokemon in the game series used by an NPC. Cosplay Pikachu is another specific Pikachu, in this case a female Pikachu who can be dressed in different ways. Outside of the game series, Pikachu owes most of its fame to the anime series where it is the main character (who is based on Red) Ash’s starter Pokemon and is the only Pokemon that has travelled with him through every series. Due to this, Pikachu is considered the mascot of the entire Pokemon series with it often receiving a new variant, move or form in each Generation of Pokemon.

Crossovers with other Smash characters: As with many Pokemon there haven’t really been any crossovers of Pikachu appearing in other game series. The closest to any sort of crossover is Mario vs Wario being referenced on a tv screen in the Copy Cat’s house in Saffron City. It’s an interesting coincidence that this city is also the one where the Pokemon stage for Super Smash Bros 64 takes place.

Why this game?

I decided to go for this game with regards to Pikachu for a couple of reasons. The first and simplest reason is that this is its debut generation with it being from the Kanto Pokedex. I chose Fire Red as I find Fire Red and Leaf Green to be the best versions of Gen 1 to play, with them having the majority of improvements that had been made to the series by the time it had reached the GBA as well as having a lot more content available such as the Sevii Isles and Pikachu’s pre-evolution Pichu for example which wasn’t in the original game. I also have a lot of nostalgia for these versions of the games which I will detail in Pokemon Trainer’s (Red) post later when it comes to the game specifically. There are later games that would have been just as good to have Pikachu on the team in, however the reason I went for this specifically is that a lot of Super Smash Bros Pokemon content is influenced by the anime, with Pikachu being based a fair bit on Ash’s Pikachu. Therefore, I felt as Pokemon Fire Red is the story of Red’s journey that it made the most sense that my choice for the game to represent Red’s Pikachu, which was based somewhat on Ash’s Pikachu. Finally I’d like to note, I did play Pokemon Yellow later on my list which has Pikachu as the starter and is based on the anime more, however as I wanted to go for the game which is more in line with the overall game canon I decided to stick with this choice for the standard Super Smash Bros Pikachu.

My past with this Pokemon.

So I suppose, although I have long denied it, Pikachu is in a sense my favourite Pokemon of all time. The reason for this is not because of Pikachu as such however, but because my favourite Pokemon of all time is Raichu. As I personally tend to look at Pokemon as the whole evolutionary line overall by extension it would make Pikachu and Pichu (and definitely Alolan Raichu) my favourite Pokemon also. When it comes to me specifically with Raichu, back when I was in school and Pokemon was becoming extremely popular, I remember for some time I hated it, mostly as it was everywhere and I guess I was determined to be a non-conformist. I’ve always been a big fan of figurines however, and I remember when I was at school, seeing someone with a Raichu figure, which really interested me. I forget now but I think I asked them a fair bit about it and they let me have a look at it. I always put that down as the moment I decided to finally give in and look at Pokemon, granted knowing how much of a Nintendo fanboy I am I know it was inevitable I’d probably have looked into it regardless, still I’ve just always found Raichu cool, and that it was the less popular evolution of Pikachu appealed even more to the non-conformist in me I guess. Since then I’ve always been a huge fan of Raichu and I’ll admit it’s made me somewhat tired of Pikachu getting all the glory, so when Raichu finally got something new with its Alolan form I was ecstatic.

Anyway, that’s enough about Raichu, when it comes to Pikachu, I think my favourite element of it has always been that despite its popularity, overall it’s not a huge draw in the games. Pikachu has over the years seen various upgrades such as the Light Ball which powers it up, various alternate forms and unique moves, however in the original Red and Blue it was a fairly simple Pokemon that was somewhat uncommon and would appear not too far into the game, in Viridian Forest. I think that’s always been my favourite aspect of Pikachu when it comes down to it, that it’s not a special event Pokemon, or even a starter Pokemon (barring games like Pokemon Yellow of course) but really just a cute and fairly useful Pokemon you can come across or just totally ignore if you want. I’ve personally often caught a Pikachu during my playthroughs of Gen 1 not just as I want Raichu, but I’ve just always liked finding it, it’s the main thing I tend to look out for in Viridian Forest really. Despite all I’ve said here, I did like however the starter Pikachu in Pokemon Yellow who follows you around, to the point as a kid I’ll admit I’d have a Pikachu plush that I’d like to pretend to go on adventures with. I guess my final comment on Pikachu is simply that whilst I like the current design, I’ve always preferred the chubbier Pikachu design, which coincidentally was the design used in the very first Super Smash Bros before the later games went with the more streamlined version.

My Smash Playthrough.

My Pikachu was Level 56 when I finished the game, with a Bold nature and having been met in Viridian Forest at Level 3. It has the ability Static and the moves Thundershock, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt and Thunder. I remember due to its unevolved form it would struggle a fair bit later in the game with its low defences. If it could pull off an attack however it could still do a fair bit of damage so it didn’t struggle as much as some of the other Pokemon I used in the playthrough. The Elite 4 were the biggest challenge as they often are, however more so in this playthrough than usual due to me using a fair few unevolved Pokemon. Pikachu was able to hold its own against certain Pokemon due to its type advantage following a lot of training, taking down a fair few of Lorelei’s Pokemon and doing well against Gyarados. Beyond this however there aren’t a lot of events related to Pikachu I can remember in this specific playthrough.

Specific aspects about the game relating to Pikachu in Smash.

When it comes to Pokemon it’s usually not too difficult to replicate their portrayal in Super Smash Bros. Pikachu had the moves Thundershock, Quick Attack, Thunderbolt and Thunder in my playthrough of Fire Red. Thunder and Quick Attack are directly used by Pikachu in Super Smash Bros, however in the Smash series, Pikachu uses an attack called Thunder Jolt which does not exist in the Pokemon series. Due to the attack not doing a lot of damage I therefore felt that Thundershock was the best alternative for it. When it comes to Pikachu’s other move from Super Smash Bros, Skull Bash, this move is only learned by Pikachu in Gen 1, and is not available for it in Fire Red. Due to this, I felt that the best move to give Pikachu based on its attacks in Super Smash Bros was Thunderbolt, which I feel can be seen as a stand-in for Pikachu’s forward smash attack, where it releases a large orb of electricity right in front of it from its cheeks, causing more damage than Thunder Jolt and therefore I felt matched Thunder Bolt. I can see the argument due to Pikachu’s forward smash being more close range that it should be a physical rather than special electric attack, however the only physical electric attacks I know of all involve Pikachu charging forward, except for Nuzzle which matches the description but does very little damage and is more used to paralyse opponents, something the forward smash doesn’t do. Volt Tackle, Pikachu’s final smash is only available through breeding and therefore I felt would require me to use a different Pikachu to the one I would use throughout the game’s story, so I decided against going for that set up. Finally, when it comes to matching the aesthetic of the Super Smash Bros version of Pikachu, I used a regular Pokeball to catch it, which is what is used when Pikachu enters battles in Super Smash Bros.

I would like to note that in later playthroughs of other games, I have managed to specifically replicate the Pikachu from Super Smash Bros, by bringing one from the Virtual Console release of Pokemon Blue to Sword and Shield, meaning it was able to learn Thunder Bolt, Quick Attack, Skull Bash and Thunder. This Pikachu is the closest in setup to the Super Smash Bros incarnation and is the one pictured in the screenshot from Pokemon Ultra Moon in this post which it was in before I transferred it to Pokemon Sword. With that said, the Pikachu I have been talking about in this playthrough of Fire Red is the closest I could get to playing through Gen 1’s story with Super Smash Bros Pikachu overall.

Credits.

For information on this game including dates of releases I must give credit to Bulbapedia.

The screenshots in this post are taken by me using Pokemon Ultra Moon and Let’s Go Pikachu, the reason why is because I am unable to get screenshots of Game Boy Advance games which weren’t ported to Wii U, also the events of Let’s Go take place in Kanto, so I felt they were the best alternative.

[winnerloser]

HC No.002 ; Marketability & Public Image

Part of the early stages of becoming Champion consists of crafting a profitable image; figuring out how to take an ordinary pokemon trainer, wrap them up into a little bow, and package them for public consumption. Leon likely is the same guy he was when he first became inducted, but... a much more refined, squeaky-clean version, for better or worse. A celebrity persona that seeps through your cracks and and sorta... melds with your inner, actual self. 

That’s just what the job calls for, and even though it can be argued that it’s somewhat... sinister or backhanded that the role is placed upon preteens (just get younger and younger- if Leon was 10 or 11 when he started, Victor is old for a fresh Champ), since there are many that aspire to be Champ without realizing this condition.

So Victor’s newly signed PR team had a lot to figure out when they received him; usually pokemon trainers tend to be quirky or eccentric in one way or another just by virtue of the job. Victor was like... a blank slate. Which is useful if he were maybe in another industry, and could have years of training his practical skills like speech and acting or whatever- but Galar needed him immediately. Whether he was ready or not. So the people in charge of selling him to the region were hard tasked in making him someone people would actually want to believe in.

Because it’s not a simple matter of being good at pokemon battling; trainer school teachers are good at battling, but they’re still set apart from gym leaders or Champions. It’s not the same. It’s like any celebrity role- you need something that sets you apart from everyone else. Things that are easily identifiable for people. Bea is a stoic karate prodigy. Allister is a mysterious spooky little boy with a “secret” shy side (which is publicly marketed anyway through his rare card). Opal is a kooky faerie grandma and stage director. Even though Kabu’s “character” revolves around pokemon and training- it’s fiery, and its outspoken. And he’s loudly marketed as foreign- it’s not played as a good or bad thing, just something that stands out. A keyword. 

Leon is the pillar of the nation. His cape billows behind him like a superhero’s, and has luscious fur lining like that of a fierce lion. He’s a king, with the duty of the knight. 

Who was Victor? He didn’t have a niche. He didn’t have any skill or quirky characteristic to play up. He was alright looking genetics-wise, but he dressed like an NPC, and his demeanor only amplified that. His stage-presence was terrible. He only shone on the pitch- with his battles that were like tug-of-wars and unpredictable in every which way; he could capture the eyes of people then, but only a fraction of his work was actually done on the pitch. And there were many fresh talents out there who could capture the attention of the crowd on the pitch and have marketability off of it. So it was like Victor’s marketing team got the short end of the stick.

They had to rebuild Victor from the ground up. At least, they tried. They tried to help and encourage (urge) him, and shepherd him into the limelight; but at the end of the day, Victor himself had to apply anything for their work to take hold.

The easiest thing was trying to get him to dress the part. It’s not like he was particularly picky or fashion-conscious, he was just so used to his outfit that he couldn’t bring himself to go parading around in the full Champion garb 24/7. They tried different styles for him. And while everything they could possibly try worked; it was another thing entirely for it to actually suit him and be convincing.

It was just so difficult for them to sell him convincingly, because he just... didn’t have the confidence to be anyone he wasn’t; and the current him that he was just wasn’t what the investors thought people wanted- let alone what they needed.

But, being malleable, eventually he started to dress more in-line with what was expected of him. He fumbled the initial interviews and television cameos that it took a direct hit to his image. Sure, the general public were forgiving at first considering he was young and everyone knew that; but they wouldn’t be like that forever before they all began to wonder why he was even the Champion in the first place.

So it wasn’t necessarily the team themselves- most of the people were just doing their job and trying to help Victor grow into his profession;

It was just... some higher up ordered down the ladder for Victor to do better. Or else.

So he would try to do better. Whatever that would entail.

Part of the reason why Victor camps, stays in the wild area or constantly moves with no median in-between, and generally does more ranger-esque work for the region is because it allows him to run away from the more performative aspect of his job while still getting “credit” for doing what he’s supposed to. 

It’s just that the more that he hides away, the more that he’s scared of any consequences or repercussions that would be waiting for him if he decided he wanted to dip back into the PR part of his career. What if all eyes were back on him? What if people started judging him again? What if he just fucks up so horrendously that he gets dropped?

It’s safe, hiding. He’s not doing better like investors would want. But he’s doing enough to remain in the clear, even though he’s limiting himself. His potential isn’t being fanned, but he’s a safe investment. The environment for which he’d have to grow in isn’t... actually conductive to his growth either. It could very well just chew him up and spit him out if he doesn’t have the resolve like the Modern Champions before him. Growing up in the spotlight will traumatize, as Victor’s already realized from the mere taste he got of what was to come. 

So he’s just running from the inevitable. Hiding. Because no one can really understand unless they were in his shoes, but... he sees Leon and he sees someone whose been conditioned by the very same structure to be closed off. The same goes for all the gym leaders, really. They probably all understand better than anyone; but the thing about Victor is that he used to be a civilian. He used to buy into their closed-off, squeaky clean personas as well. So even though he’s welcome to see them for who they are now, it’s just so... daunting. Because he’s only ever seen them as closed-off. And he just can’t bring himself to act like he can’t handle it all alone.

And no one else is really in his corner, otherwise. Not in the way he needs it. 

But when he is cornered into doing television appearances or magazine shoots, he’s started to get better. Learn what’s good and what’s bad. So that’s all that his sponsors need out of him.

[shatteredprismspirits]

Custom Pokemon Gijinka

Shattered Prism’s Gijinka Servitors

This is not the full listing, to see the full form please go HERE.

     While this isn’t necessarily an original idea for the Shattered Prism (after all, many creators in the Meta community have had similar ideas concerning servitors, thoughtforms and tulpas in the past) we are more than excited to present our very own spin on created entities fashioned from the likeness of the loveable monsters of the Pokemon franchise! Before we get to that, however, we would like to post a few small disclaimers:

     We do not own-- nor have we ever owned-- any facet of Pokemon. We do not claim to be of the official franchise, and we by all means wish for you to support them. In fact, this was made due to our love and nostalgia for Pokemon. That said, those interested in this service are paying for the energy woven to create a servitor in their likeness, and the binding formed to tie this servitor to your spirit; NOT the likeness itself. Basically, we aren’t selling pokemon. We aren’t even selling you beings/creations with appearances and abilities that resemble pokemon. You are paying for the work behind the service. Make sense? Awesome! Let’s move on.

     Let’s address their popularity! We know there are a lot of people out there who work long and hard on their servitors, so we at Shattered Prism would like to make something clear: this is NOT a cash grab. We already have a love of Pokemon, and we have worked together to experiment with Pokemon Gijinka Servitors in our off time. We wanted to provide something to the shop with our own unique flare. Time, energy and love goes into these creations, especially since some of us here are die-hard fanatics who have useless pieces of information stored away since their initial US release (stares really hard at Kaida). These gijinkas are made to stand out from anything else that we know of that are offered, and we hope that these qualities make this service unique (not necessarily better or worse) compared to other meta sellers.

     On our next point, servitors can be many things, but one thing they are not are slaves. We see our servitors as beings of another caliber. While yes, they do have their own safety features built into their energetic systems which prevents them from “going rogue,” they still have thoughts and feelings, and deserve to be treated with respect as any other being, living or otherwise. They are created, yes, but they are not machines. They are not sex toys. They are their own brand of people, and we hold them to the same rules and rights as any other vetted being we otherwise conjure.

     Finally, we would like to stress that, as with all things metaphysical, nothing is guaranteed. We can pour all of our time and energy into creating a servitor, but manifestations and other such displays of potency are also dependent upon other factors aside from our labor. This includes the keeper's perspective (meaning a Keeper’s magick ability, sensitivity, energetic blocks and even overall mood) as well as the veil between our world and the astral (some days are easier than others to produce manifestations because the barrier surrounding our plane fluctuates naturally). Please understand that as with all faith-based services, there is a level of faith to be put into these servitors. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your servitor, no refunds can be issued because the work we expended cannot simply be retracted the same way money can. That in mind, please set it firmly in your mind that this is something you want before making a purchase. No one wins in buyer’s regret.

Now that the formalities are out of the way, we can dive into the fun!

What is a Gijinka Servitor?

    Gijinka Servitors are creations designed to resemble pokemon in both their original and unique anthropomorphic forms. If you have no idea what Pokemon is, then we highly suggest looking into jumping into their storyline games to get a good idea about why there is so much hype surrounding them. Regardless, our servitors resemble a specified pokemon in appearance, personality, mannerisms, abilities and overall power. Not only do these Gijinkas look like your childhood (or current) favorites, but they pack a punch to boot! What they are designed to help with depends completely on the Gijinka’s design (what you desire) and inspiration (the general blueprints laid out according to their likeness). We work together to create an intelligent being with character and magickal potential that works fluidly with both characteristics and provides a servitor who will become your spiritual, lifelong partner.

    These Gijinkas are practically limitless in potential. Need help with ancestral magick? How about a Ghost type with a kind, wisened nature? Want to rekindle your inner child and rediscover the joy in life through your practice? Fairy types tend to be good with that! Do you just want a friend who will be loyal and stick by your side as you travel the astral realms to be the very best spiritual self you can? Well, the choice is yours. We honestly can’t wait to provide you with this service, but there are a few things to keep in mind when requesting your servitor.

     All Gijinkas will begin in their basic evolutionary form and grow with you on your life path. How they evolve and transform as servitors are, at least in part, determined by you as their Keeper. Evolution is “programmed” into their energetic systems to happen at specific points of growth, though evolution that requires specific items or circumstances in canon lore will need to be talked out in consultation regarding your order.

     Shinies are an available option! However, since these are more desirable and are considered extremely rare in canon, they cost a little bit extra compared to standard forms. Do you have a “special” design for your Gijinka like Pink Butterfree? Well, this is exactly the function you would use to do it! Simply mention it when filling out your form.

     Each Gijinka comes with a set “movepool” limit as well as unique abilities. A Gijinka’s “moves” are simply another term for their skills in magick, while abilities refer to powers which act passively (meaning without their conscious effort) either on a constant basis or in specific scenarios. Their moveset limit is and the total number of abilities are determined by their tier. This move limit may increase by evolution, and can be planned out prior to servitor creation. However, if you want to expand upon this, you can look at the table below to see what you can add for $10 per extra addition. Hidden abilities and special moves are the same cost as moves that can be learned normally in canon. If the pokemon can learn the move in the storyline games, a skill or power based on said move/ability (or the pokemon’s core personality) can be given to your gijinka.

     Let’s talk rarity! Everyone wants a Mewtwo on their team, while not quite as many people will be looking for Pidgey. Why? It’s mostly in terms of strength, rarity and canon lore. When making Gijinkas, we have to pour in a lot more energy to accurately portray a Lugia’s strength than, say, a Pikachu. That said, the rarity and status of a particular Pokemon will affect pricing. We have specific tiers for each type, so keep an eye on your options to hash out what you truly want in a servitor.

     As you might be aware, Jynx creates a wide array of servitors already, including Eros Servitors. Eros are R rated servitors created with the capacity for learning the art of sex magick, as well as having the ability to keep things exciting in the bedroom. We are pleased to announce that we will be offering similar options regarding the creation of Gijinkas! However, we would like to note that the standard applications for Eros Servitors also apply to Gijinkas.

     Concerning Mega Evolutions and Gigantamax/Dynamax Gijinkas: we will be offering these as well! HOWEVER! These will be separate add ons, as these require particular items and an extra expenditure of energy (both for us to build into it and for the Gijinka to be able to sustainably expend while taking these forms).

     Fusions are a topic among some enthusiasts that seems to be pretty popular as of late. Concerning Fusions, we will be taking these ideas tentatively as custom creations under the following stipulations:

Until noted otherwise, fusion gijinkas cannot be obtained by “meshing” two Gijinkas together. The fusion must be made as a single entity with a single form.

Fusions will not be able to evolve. This is because they require original designs and a fluid mesh of both influences regarding the pokemon’s form for each new fusion, which may clash as evolution progresses. We may make an exception should the fusion be deemed appropriate, but this is completely at our discretion. That in mind, fusions are the exception to the previous “start as basic evolution” rule.

Fusions will be considered custom listings, and need to be discussed prior to order. Before putting down a request through the shop, please consider contacting us at our email to discuss “blueprinting” your servitor.

     This brings us to the subject of the obscure realm of “Fakemon.” While we will create these gijinkas upon request, we do have a few special rules for these as well.

These Fakemon will generally follow the same rules as Fusions, with the exception that evolutions can be made for them. However, we need design concepts and enough “lore” for the Fakemon to work with.

If the designs are not your own, we ask that you come up with your own lore for the design. For example; if a “Witchicat” is a Ghost/Dark Type made by a pokemon fan in the online community, try to create your own story for them to start us off and we can take that and create something unique. Please do remember that, as stated before, we do not claim to own their designs. We simply create servitors in their likeness.

     If you want your servitor to stop evolving at a particular point, we have the option to create our own version of the Everstone for your Gijinka to carry or wear at all times. This stone is designed to convert excess energy into extra power behind current abilities/movesets, as well as reinforce and cement their current energetic layout in order to help keep the Gijinka from further transformation. The result is a servitor who’s strength becomes exponentially more powerful than regular unevolved gijinkas over time, which makes up for their lack of final stage in evolution. The sooner an Everstone is applied, your gijinka becomes much stronger far more quickly.

Gijinkas with multiple forms that it’s canon inspired origin can shift between one or the other will only be able to access a single form unless an add-on is purchased that allows the servitor to toggle forms. For example, a Meloetta will only take one form unless specifically requested otherwise. Also, Arceus and Sylvally will have a charge for each type form you wish to add (for example, Dark, Fairy and Bug forms will each need to be unlocked via separate additions)

[toxicdogars]

((Hilbert +D&D because I'm curious about how this would turn out-))

Tumblr Meets D&D - Your Muse as a D&D Character

Hilbert Dean Bailey

So, Hilbert here is the male protagonist of Pokemon Black and White, though @luckynatured here decided to take the character in her own direction, basing the muse in its entirety on a Nuzlocke Challenge of Pokemon Black. One of the aspects of this particular challenge drew my attention- the fact that Rowan chose to implement a rule involving dice rolls or coin flips any time there was a choice to be made. Leaving things to the whim of fate, almost seems perfect for a D&D character. Let’s make that a goal, we need a little randomness. Reading through some of Hilbert’s interactions also points to evidence that he’s extremely determined and exceptionally lucky to get so far without losing core team members. Speaking of team members, let’s make sure we have varied damage types to account for any threats, paying special attention to Hilbert’s main, league-winning team. Once again, we’ll be using Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and all books and articles related to it.

Ability Scores

These ventures will use standard array, a set of numbers given as a sort of average stat pool. Feel free to roll for stats if you wanted to use this character, just treat this arrangement as a general order for what stats are most important. No need to worry about multiclassing with this build.

Strength: 8 (Not needed) Dexterity: 13 (Useful) Constitution: 14 (Will be useful later) Intelligence: 10 (Hilly’s decently smart) Wisdom: 12 (Hilbert’s determined, and that tends to equate to decent Wisdom related saving throws and the like) Charisma: 15 (Our most useful stat here)

Race

Hilbert will be, surprise surprise, a Human. I could have gone a type of Halfling, which would have given him some extra luck, but Hilbert is shockingly tall, so that seemed a little out of place. Even so, we can make some choices early to get some handy bits of luck. Variant Humans also get some snazzy bonuses. Put the two free points Variant Humans get into Dexterity and Charisma to round those odd numbers up to evens. Then you’ve got your typical 30 feet of movement speed, a skill proficiency, and a free Feat. For Hilbert, also gets a base speed of 30 ft, a skill proficiency, and a free Feat. It might seem like a silly choice but let’s give him Perception. It will help with noticing things going on around him, and hopefully keep him aware of any dangers and it’s not a skill he’ll be able to grab from his class. As for his Feat, well I did say our boy needed to be lucky:

Lucky: You have inexplicable luck that seems to kick in at just the right moment.You have 3 luck points. Whenever you make an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can spend one luck point to roll an additional d20. You can choose to spend one of your luck points after you roll the die, but before the outcome is determined. You choose which of the d20s is used for the attack roll, ability check, or saving throw.You can also spend one luck point when an attack roll is made against you. Roll a d20, and then choose whether the attack uses the attacker's roll or yours.If more than one creature spends a luck point to influence the outcome of a roll, the points cancel each other out; no additional dice are rolled.You regain your expended luck points when you finish a long rest.

Class and Background

Alright, but hear me out on this. Hilbert... is a Sorcerer. Not only do magical effects line up well with Pokemon attacks, but there’s a certain subclass of the Sorcerer that is the definition of random, and is the best way, in my opinion, to reflect his combination of luck and skill that got him to where he is today.

Sorcerers start with a d6 hit die (which is... not the best out there), proficiency in Constitution and Charisma saving throws, daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, light crossbows, and two skills from a short list. Of the options listed, Insight and Persuasion make the most sense. 

As for his background, let’s focus on his rise as a Champion and give him the Folk Hero background, giving him proficiency in Animal Handling and Survival, as well as with two tools, two languages, or a language and a tool. Gaming sets are tools, so let’s giving our boy proficiency with a dice set, and might as well toss on a language like Elvish or something. Humans in the D&D world tend to pepper their native tongue with Elvish and Dwarvish words anyway, so it tracks.

This build is taking Sorcerer all the way from one to twenty, so let’s hit up what Hilbert gets at these levels one by one. At level one, he gains the ability to cast spells. Charisma is his casting stat, and it is added to his spell attack rolls and the DC of any spells of his that require saving throws to resist. He is notably able to use a spellcasting focus to ignore material components- let’s make that coin he always has in his wallet a casting focus. He can also pick a Sorcerous Origin, and the one that best fits our chance-manipulating mage boy is the Wild Magic Sorcerer. Wild Mages get two abilities:

Wild Magic Surge: Immediately after you cast a sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher, the DM can have you roll a d20. If you roll a 1, roll on the Wild Magic Surge table to create a random magical effect. A surge can happen once per turn. If a surge effect is a spell, it's too wild to be affected by Metamagic. If it normally requires concentration, it doesn't require concentration in this case; the spell lasts for its full duration. Tides of Chaos: You can gain advantage on one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw. Once you do so, you must finish a long rest before you can use this feature again. Any time before you regain the use of this feature, the DM can have you roll on the Wild Magic Surge table immediately after you cast a sorcerer spell of 1st level or higher. You then regain the use of this feature.

These two abilities work well in the randomness aspect of things, and give Hilbert some utility to manipulate what fate gives him. As for the spells he gains at this level, he starts with four cantrips and two first level spells from those in with sorcerer list. In case someone doesn’t know the difference, cantrips are simple magical tricks you can pull off at will, while leveled spells require expending one of your spell slots of a level equal to or higher than the spell’s level. First, the cantrips:

Shape Water: A transmutation cantrip that basically lets you manipulate water. A simple utility cantrip that you could make use of for a few clever things. A good reference to his starter being an Oshawott. Light: An evocation cantrip that gives you a flashlight so your weak little human eyes can see in the dark. Just kinda useful to have. Chill Touch: A necromancy cantrip that deals necrotic damage and restricts the affected foe’s ability to heal themselves. A neat little ghostly trick to represent Chandelure, perhaps?  Ray of Frost: An evocation cantrip that deals cold damage by firing a beam of icy energy- sounds like an Ice Beam if you ask me, something fitting for his Beartic or any Pokemon that knows Ice Beam.

And the spells:

Mage Armor: A first level abjuration spell that buffs up your armor class, setting it to 13 + your Dexterity modifier, which at this moment brings your AC from 12 (10 + Dexterity modifier) to 15. Pretty okay for a caster. It also lasts eight hours, meaning you can cast it at the start of a day and basically be armored for all your encounters moving forward. Chaos Bolt: Now this is the good shit. It’s just a first level evocation spell, sure, but the damage is pretty good, 2d8 + 1d6. And it can be decided what damage type it deals practically at random by selecting one of the d8s and using the element that corresponds to the number, starting with acid at 1, cold, fire, force, lightning, poison, psychic, and thunder at 8. Even more wild, if the d8s roll the same number, you can select a second target for the spell and make another round of rolls. This spell has some seriously wild propagation and represents so many types that it’s insane. 

Onto second level, which gives Hilbert a Font of Magic, which gives him Sorcery Points equal to his level, which he can spend to make more spell slots (or vice versa, converting spell slots to sorcery points) and, thanks to a class feature variant Unearthed Arcana article, cool protagonisty shit. Won’t go into too much depth on the making more spell slots thing or the converting spell slots to sorcery points, that can be found in the Player’s Handbook easily enough. The fun stuff are in the protagonist powers, like Empowered Reserve, which lets you spend two sorcery points in order to gain advantage on an ability check; Imbuing Touch, which lets you spend two sorcery points to make a nonmagical weapon magical for one minute; and Sorcerous Fortitude, which lets you spend a number of sorcery points and roll that many d4s, the result of which you gain as temporary hit points. Really handy options. He also learns another first level spell, so why not try out:

Sleep: A first level enchantment spell that has you roll some dice to determine how many hit points worth of individuals you can put to sleep. Great example of the Hypnosis move Munna and Musharna are famous for.

Sorcerer 3 gives ya access to Metamagic, also known as the stuff you spent your sorcery points on before that class feature variant UA. You get two metamagic choices at this level and can only apply one of them to a given spell at a time unless it’s stated otherwise. The ones I feel that reflect Hilbert most are the following two:

Unerring Spell: A metamagic option from the aforementioned UA, it lets you spend two sorcery points to reroll a missed spell attack roll, and you can use it even if you’ve used a metamagic option on the spell. You do have to stick with whatever the second roll is though, but if you’re using this then I would expect that first roll to be terrible. Pairs well with Tides of Chaos.  Careful Spell: Spend one sorcery point to make a number of targeted allies about to be hit by one of your area spells instantly succeed on the saving throw. A big way to prevent damage to your allies, though it won’t be to him right now since he doesn’t have any spells that could cause more trouble. Wonder when we’re going to fix that.

Sorcerer 4 nets you an Ability Score Improvement, let’s put that +2 in Charisma to make your spells- ahem, your Pokemon- even more badass. You also get a new cantrip and new spell, but you also get another spell at Sorcerer 5 and not much else, so let’s cover that too. That spell at Sorcerer 5 can be a third level spell so, I think you know what this means:

Shocking Grasp: An evocation cantrip that deals lightning damage and restricts the use of the target’s reaction. Pretty handy.  Mind Spike: A second level divination spell that deals psychic damage and magically tracks a foe, pretty handy representation of Musharna’s Psychic attack and his general ability to perceive things.   Fireball: A third level evocation spell that does big fire damage over an area, perfect for blasting shit with Chandelure. This is the one you wanna use your Careful Spell on so you don’t get any... accidents.

Sorcerer 6 will give Hilbert another fun way to manipulate dice rolls with the Bend Luck feature:

Bend Luck: When another creature you can see makes an attack roll, an ability check, or a saving throw, you can use your reaction and spend 2 sorcery points to roll 1d4 and apply the number rolled as a bonus or penalty (your choice) to the creature's roll. You can do so after the creature rolls but before any effects of the roll occur.

And one more spell, still of third level or less:

Tidal Wave: A third level conjuration spell that calls up a giant wave of crushing water. You know. Like Surf. Which I’m sure Michelle knows. 

Sorcerer 7 unlocks fourth level spells, but let’s not take any of those, instead dipping back to the third level:

Fly: A third level transmutation spell that gives ya a flying speed. Requires your concentration, but your Con saves are pretty good. Keep out of range on the back of your Altaria and you’ll be fine. 

Sorcerer 8 gives you an Ability Score Improvement, cap your Charisma at 20. Let’s also give him another spell, and let’s dip back to first level for:

Expeditious Retreat: A first level transmutation spell that lets you dash as a bonus action for ten minutes. Also a concentration spell, but if you need to make a run for it, this is the best way to go about it.

Sorcerer 9 gives our boy fifth level spells, so let’s take one:

Synaptic Static: A fifth level enchantment spell that is basically FIreball but for psychic damage. Wreck face with the power of your team leader, Hilbert!

Sorcerer 10 is also pretty simple, another metamagic option and a spell:

Quickened Spell:  When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can spend 2 sorcery points to change the casting time to 1 bonus action for this casting. Erupting Earth: A third level transmutation spell that rips up the ground, damaging foes and making int into difficult terrain. Perfect for an Excadrill’s Bulldoze if you ask me.

Sorcerer 11 unlocks sixth level spells, and let’s take one:

Investiture of Ice: A sixth level transmutation spell that transforms you into an awesome iceman, blasting cones of freezing energy, gaining immunity to cold and resistance to fire respectively. Something tells me Hilbert doesn’t like dragons. Put them on ice. Just don’t try using this tactic on a cold-focused chromatic dragon. A White Dragon... Like Kyurem. In D&D terms anyway.

Sorcerer 12 no new spell, but he does get an ASI. Let’s use that to bump up either his Dexterity or his Constitution, depending on preference. Dex will help him not get hit by attacks and Con will help him maintain his concentration spells.  

Sorcerer 13 unlocks seventh level spells, let’s take one:

Teleport: A seventh level conjuration spell that, well... let’s you teleport. Weird, right? Anyway, there’s some minute rules about how it works, but it basically boils down to making sure you have an object with a connection to where you’re going and you’ll be fine. Maybe Hilbert can use it to go home and talk to his mother for once. 

Sorcerer 14 helps streamline the randomness a bit with the Controlled Chaos feature:

Controlled Chaos: Whenever you roll on the Wild Magic Surge table, you can roll twice and use either number.

Sorcerer 15 unlocks eighth level spells, and we’re taking one.

Earthquake: This one’s for you, Garfield and Jude! An eighth level evocation spell that does just what it says on the tin, smashing up the ground and structures to damage foes directly and crush them under toppling buildings. A really fun spell that may very well be able to crumple a sparky sparky boom dargon held by a dude with a letter for a name. Specific, I know. 

Sorcerer 16 just gives you an ASI, so how bout we bump up either of Hilbert’s secondary stats? If you put this +2 in the same one, then you could max that stat in a couple levels, which could be really nice.

Sorcerer 17 gives our boy his final metamagic as well as unlocks ninth level spells, the strongest spells out there. 

Empowered Spell: When you roll damage for a spell, you can spend 1 sorcery point to reroll a number of the damage dice up to your Charisma modifier (minimum of one). You must use the new rolls. You can use Empowered Spell even if you have already used a different Metamagic option during the casting of the spell. Wish: A ninth level conjuration spell and one of the strongest spells in the game, capable of duplicating the effects of any other eighth level or lower spell, or alternatively any number of possible things that could be phrased in the form of a wish. This spell is a little finicky though and it really up to the DM how easily it’ll work out. Regardless, it’s the ultimate way to manipulate fate, which is why I chose it for this build. 

Sorcerer 18 if a nifty little level for Hilbert, since it gives him a nasty little ability I like to call Judgement. Same he ain’t from Sinnoh, it would reflect Arceus well. For now it will just represent the badassery of Reshiram:

Spell Bombardment: When you roll damage for a spell and roll the highest number possible on any of the dice, choose one of those dice, roll it again and add that roll to the damage. You can use the feature only once per turn.

Sorcerer 19 gives our boy his last ability score. Cap that secondary stat, or spread it around a bit. Focus on what’s mattering most based on how his battles go. Dexterity if he keeps getting hit, Constitution if he keeps dropping his concentration spells at the wrong moment.  

And last we have Sorcerer 20, which only gives you one kinda eh ability. I suppose it’s nice if you use them pretty often, which a lot of the Wild Magic features do make use of them pretty consistently. So maybe it actually will benefit Hilbert xD.

Sorcerous Restoration: You regain 4 expended sorcery points whenever you finish a short rest.

Final Thoughts

Okay, so the biggest pro we got with this build is the sheer amount of damage types available by all those spells. Even Chaos Bolt alone can deal a bunch of different damage types. Wish is also a fantastic spell that can easily save yer ass. Hilbert is a really good blaster with his spells, but he also has some utility with flight and the like, not to mention ways to protect himself and his allies by manipulating dice rolls. Don’t hesitate to make use of those Wild Magic abilities. Depending on the surge table the DM uses, there’s some darn good options on there that will greatly benefit you. 

Unfortunately, there’s just as many bad things that could happen. Or you could turn into a potted plant and be unable to do anything for several turns. Not to mention you’d have just... terrible hit points. Taking the average puts you well under even Homika’s 88 hitpoints. d6 hit dies are not your friend if you wanna soak damage. But that’s not what you’re good at. You’re good at taking down the big monster before you go boom. 

I tried to get something on there for Stoutland, but there aren’t many ways to get a Normal Type in there. ‘Cept maybe some thunder damage, equating it to Hyper Voice. I always wanted to get Awaken on this build so Hilbert could get his awakened shrub Carmen, but apparently Sorcerers don’t get the spell. I’d have to take him through bard or wizard or something like that too far to justify it. 

I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am with my choices

[oops-prow-did-it-again]

Pokémon Sword & Shield: The Novel (Chapter 5 - History Repeats Itself)

Part of Pokemon Retold. Find it on AO3.

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

------------

It wasn’t long before Gloria found herself on the train with Hop to Motostoke. It was where the Opening Ceremony for this season’s gym challenge would be held, as they all were, and all the up and coming gym challengers were expected to take part in it! Not that she minded. Although the idea of facing massive crowds unnerved her, she couldn’t shake an insatiable thirst deep down for the attention that being a gym challenger could bring.

“I can’t believe it! We’re goin’ to Motostoke! That’s where Kabu, the Fire Gym Leader, is, you know,” Hop explained. He leaned back in his beige and red booth and folded his arms behind his head. His eyes closed and he gave a slight smile. “He’s the third gym leader. But likes getting to host the introductions at his stadium every season.”

Gloria nodded. “Who’s the first, d’you know?”

Hop nodded. “’Course I know. That’s goin’ to be Milo. He specializes in Grass. Then there’s Nessa, with her Water types… And of course Kabu, but after him… Bea, the Fightin’ type… Opal with her weird Fairy types… Ah, I can’t seem to remember who’s in Circhester, but I know the last one! Raihan! Oh, oh, and before him there’s Piers!”

“Everyone knows Raihan,” Gloria grinned. “Lots of people seem to think he’s goin’ to do Leon in this year, you know.”

“Ha!” Hop put a hand to the table and pumped a fist. “Not if I get to him first!”

The train lurched to an abrupt stop. Hop was shoved onto the table from his rather unstable position, and the drinks they had sitting on the table between them fell over and spilled across the wood. Hop cursed under his breath as he scrambled off the table. Soda dribbled down his coat, staining the wool sticking out from his jacket’s interior with dark, sticky fluid. “Damn it,” he growled, “that’s just great…” Gloria would have been laughing but some soda had rolled down her legs too.

“We’re sorry to report, but the train’s been stopped by a flock of Wooloo on the tracks. We have rangers on the way now to try to safely clear them away from the tracks,” came a nasally voice over the intercom. “If you would like to continue on your own, we are stopped near the Wild Area Station, and trainers are welcome to traverse the Wild Area to Motostoke.”

Hop grumbled. “Well, I think I’d like to do that, so I can maybe set up a camp and change my clothes,” he said.

“Besides, maybe there’s some cool Pokémon out there,” Gloria pointed out. She had picked up some Poké Balls from the Wedgehurst Pokémon Center before boarding the train. “You do have Poké Balls on you, don’t you?”

“Of course!” Hop assured her. He finished gathering his things and stuffing his bag and then tossed it over his shoulder. He exited into the narrow hall out of the train and Gloria followed. Once out of the train, they had to walk just a few feet to reach the actual entrance to the Wild Area Station. Gloria glanced up ahead and couldn’t help but giggle at the enormous flock of Wooloo that had converged on the train tracks. They looked like one large mass rather than individuals.

“Hey, Hop, want to let your Wooloo out to play?” Gloria joked.

“Ha, ha,” Hop rolled his eyes. “Wooloo gets to stay in her Poké Ball unless we’re indoors or I’m watchin’ her close from now on. Bloody Wooloo about killed me that day. Literally.”

They checked in with the man behind the help desk in the Train Station, and as they each had at least one usable Pokémon, were cleared to enter the Wild Area unassisted. Both stood at the edge of the massive swathe of untouched land and Gloria listened as Hop sucked in a deep breath of the earthy, wild atmosphere.

“Alright! Gloria, I’ll race you to Motostoke!” he challenged, whirling to face her. He stuck his hand out to shake hers. “We’ll see who catches the most Pokémon on the way! You ready?”

Gloria grabbed his hand and gave it a hardy tug. “You got it, Hop!”

And with that, off they went, bolting uninhibited, all on their own, into the vast wilderness. Unbeknownst to them, a certain redhead had also been on that train, and had watched with nostalgic pangs as they discussed their race. Sonia drew a hand across her hair to pull a stray strand back. She had decided to take the train to Motostoke that day to see if she could find anything to research there. She and her gran, Magnolia, had had a rather nasty argument shortly before leaving for the train that morning. As usual, Magnolia was telling her that she was doing nothing with her life, that she was pointless, the usual. All while Sonia slaved away at Magnolia’s laboratory as her assistant.

She sighed. Watching Gloria and Hop reminded her of when she, Leon, Nessa, Piers, and Raihan had set out on their gym challenge. Leon had always been the star of the group, even long before he earned himself the champion title in his premier debut into the gym challenge. He was lively and charismatic, capable of making fast friends with virtually anyone, and being only ten years old, he had an endearing innocence about him. Sonia had been thirteen herself, while Nessa was fourteen. Raihan and Piers had both matched Leon’s age, and as such, the three were thicker than thieves most of the way, Piers occasionally following at a distance, while Nessa and Sonia tended to flock together. But Sonia couldn’t help but gravitate toward Leon whenever he just so happened to be around.

In fact, when Leon had just started, he bumped into Sonia leaving to enter the Wild Area. He had demanded a battle right then and there. Although he’d never admit it, Sonia was certain he had done it to impress her. She smirked, remembering how he had tossed out a young Charmander, and she released a strong Drizzile. The look on Leon’s face as he realized the mistake he had just made was priceless. She would later learn he had received the Charmander only a few hours before and it was Leon’s only Pokémon at the time. But instead of backing down, Leon fought hard. Not that it mattered. Sonia’s Drizzile made quick work of it with a simple Water Gun.

Leon had been embarrassed by being beaten so easily, but Sonia had helped him to the Pokémon Center, and from then on, they battled whenever they met. Sonia was never able to pull another win over him after that. She came close their second battle, but he stole it out just from under her at the last second. Somehow, Leon grew by leaps and bounds, while she felt like she grew by teetering footsteps.

Then, she sighed, he won that damned championship, beat her in the first match of the semifinals, and it was like their closeness faded. Although he was still friendly enough with her whenever he happened to run into her and she had his phone number, it was difficult to try to talk to him. He seemed untouchable, on another plane, and she always felt trying to call him would be pointless or just drag him down. He was always busy, after all; he didn’t even come home but perhaps one to three times a year. She had been pleasantly surprised to see how much time he was spending with Hop just a few days ago.

She looked at the ground sadly and scuffed her feet. She had given away that Drizzile—an Inteleon following the gym challenge—and the rest of her battling team a year or two after that humiliating semifinals defeat. It had become clear to her that battling would not be her forte. The only problem was, she never found one after that, either. She still felt lost as ever all these years later. Part of her wanted to be a bit angry at Leon, for having stolen a path out from under her feet, but another part of her knew that was silly. She could have definitely stayed in the rat race and kept battling and pushing for that title. But she just didn’t have what it took. So, she had thrown herself into being Magnolia’s assistant, doing her best to force herself into the role; it was the only other one she knew.

Her and Magnolia’s fight that morning, however, had reawakened those old anxieties. She was rubbish as a trainer, she was rubbish as a professor, so what now? Perhaps she would just have to go back to what she had always done. Work harder than everyone else around her to try to gain the same achievements. She pulled her jacket a little tighter and began to walk out across the Wild Area. Though she didn’t have a true battling team anymore, she still had Yamper, and he could help her out of tougher situations well enough.

[snippyrocket]

cw for abuse / suicide, and mentions of murder.

Their family begins as most families tend to. Average. Working class. Young, and full of dreams for the future.

The husband: Jun Yamazaki. A hard-working salaryman from Vermilion City, Kanto. The wife: Sachiko Yamazaki. A gentle, kind-hearted Pokemon Center employee with elderly parents back in Johto.

The couple were introduced by their parents, and the two were a good match. They had plenty of common, laughed at one another's jokes, and were really quite smitten with one another at the start.

They made their family home in Saffron City shortly after their marriage, and their son Shinya was born one year later in the City Hospital. It was 2:34am on August 2nd, a swelteringly hot summer's morning.

Sachiko devoted herself entirely to her family, giving up her role at the Pokemon Center to instead care for her newborn son and husband. Jun worked extremely long hours to provide for his family, keen to make a name for himself at his new job.

The boy remembers his mother well. The two of them were nigh inseparable during the early years of his life. Wherever Sachiko went, Shinya was sure to be found toddling about right alongside her, tiny hands clutching the hem of his mother's skirt.

A true mother's boy, through and through, and for a time things were good. Their happiness, however, would remain short-lived.

---------------------

The first time he realized his family wasn't quite like that of his peers, Shinya was seven. He'd stayed at a friend's house and found himself fascinated by the sights and sounds there. Their father would come home (so early, he'd thought) and greet his wife with a kiss to the cheek.

At the dinner table, the friend and his siblings spoke freely to their father instead of waiting to be spoken to. They smiled and they laughed and played with their food, and though Shinya was initially quiet and shy, he too began to feel at home.

It was lighthearted, warm, and so very, very free.

When he tried to emulate that same behavior at home the next day, he was struck across the face for it.

Few times did his father ever pay him notice -- and when he did, it was never good. Not that Shinya minded being out of sight. The man came home late at night smelling strange, always looked tired and grim, and (perhaps most importantly) he was the cause of much grief for his beloved mother, always accusing of this or that. Always so angry.

He'd hear them at night. It was impossible not to when the walls were that thin. In time, he thought that the neighbors must have heard them too. Did they not care? Did nobody care?

The boy never particularly liked school. He was loathe to be separated from mom and studying was a chore... But for a time, it became his source of entertainment and escape. At first it was small things. Restlessness in class, tossing objects, distracting the other students with his antics -- and the more the teachers tried to ignore the behavior, the worse it became.

But he was never a violent kid. Not really. He was social, had friends, and hung out with them on evenings and vacations.  He liked basketball and played games on the weekends. Sometimes he’d get to make crafts and bring them home to mom, and she’d smile at him like it was the absolute world to her. 

He was a class clown, certainly, but nobody regarded him as a bully until he moved on from Elementary to Junior High.

It was there that the kids he'd known all these years began to outgrow his childish behavior -- and where before his friends had laughed at his jokes and maybe even joined in, his efforts now went ignored as they focused on more studious pursuits.

They went to club practice and studied for tests, and Shinya... Did none of that. He skipped class -- and when he couldn't skip it, he slept through it.

---------------------

It was at this same time that his mother left.

Suicide, they said. He was told that she had thrown herself onto the train tracks. For what reason, he couldn't be sure -- completely unaware that his father had even filed for divorce to begin with. He couldn't have known that he had stolen her documents and illegally used her seal to force it through, claiming all of their assets for himself -- and, perhaps most painful of all, restricted access to her child.

Despite the fradulent nature of the divorce, once it's submitted to city hall, it is legally binding -- and it gives non-natives to the Kanto region no legal footing to stand on unless they somehow counter it before it's filed.

She was forced out of the home during the day, told never to return... And by the time Shinya returned from school she was dead.

He didn’t understand. He was distraught. Why would she do that? Why would she leave him when she promised -- fucking promised -- that she never would? Father never wanted him. Father never even so much as looked at him unless it was to express disappointment, and now he’d be stuck with him forever?

It wasn’t fair.

---------------------

From there, the pair moved on to a small apartment in Vermillion City, seeking to escape the emptiness and stigma that the death had left back in Saffron. Jun had parents there, so they would have family support, too. Shinya liked them enough, so it was nice to hang out with them from time to time when things with Dad got too much.

But with no friends and no motivation to stick around at his new school, Shinya began to hang around on the streets.

It was there that he had met some older boys who welcomed him with open arms. They were cool and smart -- and they commanded the notice of everyone around them. They walked with this attitude and pride that left the young man in awe. 

He wanted to be like that, too.

But it came at the cost of intimidation and violence: behavior which he took back with him to school... And, unsurprisingly, was quickly suspended for.

When he returned home, his father did not merely slap him for it, as he had before -- he came at him with fists and fury like that which he'd never seen before.

‘And who would blame me?’ he would say. The boy was ‘nothing but a nuisance.’ His grades were shameful. He disobeyed his teachers at his new school and picked fights with the other students. He’d bunk off from class, club activities, and especially his cram schooling, skipping studies in favor of messing around on the streets with his new ‘friends.’ 

It wasn’t long before he gave up on Junior High completely, falling afoul of the law on a regular basis. He fought with rival gangs for the respect and admiration of his peers, but it all came to a stop when he killed another teenager for the crime of simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

He didn't mean for him to die. He didn’t.

Luckily for him, he was never caught. It was enough to change his mind about what he was doing. Haunted by what he’d done, he decided that he wanted out... And he did well, for a time. 

He left home behind and sought refuge with his grandparents – decent, genuine folk who meant well. He tried to readjust to a more normal life, and they even attempted to get their grandson a part time job -- but their efforts were met with rejection after rejection. The community knew him well, and he was not welcome in any of their businesses.

Unable to cope with the constant disappointment and rejection, the boy repaid their kindness by stealing their money and fleeing, intending to make a new life for himself in Celadon City.

He didn’t know what the hell he was doing, and the money didn’t last. Quickly, he fell back into old habits, made friends with all the wrong people, and thus the cycle began anew.

---------------------

That’s when he first came upon Rocket. In the murky underground streets, they were impossible to miss. Everyone knew and respected them… And what Proton wanted most was to earn that same kind of respect and notoriety.

He had to join them -- some way, some how.

Team Rocket had a culture unlike any gang he’d ever seen before. On the streets, it was every man for himself… But life with them looked to be different. They were one unit who worked toward a common goal. They supported their subordinates well, and expected hard work in return… And yet they were somehow still capable of ruthlessness. They inspired fear in everyone they met.

It was something that awed and fascinated him, and so he demanded to be introduced to one of their recruiters... And, predictably, he got his ass absolutely handed to him for daring to be so gutsy, but it was a start. It got his foot in the door.

He was still just a teen when he joined the ranks, taking the codename of Proton.

Rash and impulsive, the kid had serious issues with obeying rules, and had a tendency to lash out in anger, but he was still fairly social around grunts, agents, and clients alike. He was likable and charming in spite of his faults, and his dedication to the team (plus a determination to succeed, no matter the personal cost to himself) was what ultimately kept him around. 

Killing was something he struggled, with, initially -- but when that same hesitation almost cost him his life, he quickly learned to get over it. Rocket was cruel, and Proton needed to be crueler to survive and thrive -- needed to learn to switch off those feelings of guilt and learned that he should crush the weak beneath his boot, lest he be the one to wind up in their place.

He was a nice boy, at heart, but he absolutely refused to take anyone’s shit -- and he was responsible. Not in the sense that he was particularly mature (in fact, he can still be terribly immature to this day) but he was always honest when things went wrong. He admits to serious wrongdoings and bounces back from them with twice as much enthusiasm. 

In time, Rocket was like his family -- and had in many ways replaced his own. He would much sooner die for his team than leave them behind, because they gave him the chance to make something of himself in a world where he otherwise wouldn’t.

 As he climbed the ranks, he’d take care of those beneath him because he depended on them not to stab him in the back when it was turned. He has never once thrown his squad members under the bus as far as failure is concerned. In fact, it has always been his policy to take the blame for the actions of his subordinates with his own superiors first -- because he saw their failure as his own failure. He could assign them their own punishment after the fact, and it would be fair. Rockets from other departments, however, never got that same luxury, and traitors even less so.

The promotion to Executive is a more recent development in Proton’s career -- and in many ways, he’s still adjusting to it. However, his unpredictable and explosive behavior is much easier to control under the direct guidance of a firm hand, and he’s flourished with the opportunities his new role has brought him. There’s still much for him to learn, but he’s willing and ready... Unless it involves Archer, because frankly? Fuck that guy.

He is absolutely in awe of Giovanni, and it shows. His boss is someone he can look to for the kind of support and leadership that he’s always wanted: someone who trusts him to take care of business, wants him to succeed, and ultimately treats him with respect. 

He’s like the father he always wanted, but Proton will never dare to admit that, because that’s... a pretty weird thing to admit to your boss, right? 

And, as always, he will come to be abandoned and disappointed yet once more.