#pretty much every generation that comes out there's just that One pokémon that makes me go ouoouhruhhghuoHRUOgHOURGHO

[front-facing-pokemon]

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

The Top Pets of 2023!

Hey everybody! I hope you’re all doing well, and I thank you for bearing with me with the last few weeks of hiatus. We may be a little over a week into 2024, but let’s take a step back and celebrate the top ten pet contenders of the year according to score!

Well, okay, top ten is a little bit of a stretch. As it turns out, there’s quite a few ties in the top ten scores, and we’re covering them all. This is gonna be a BIG post, so let’s get right into it!

TENTH PLACE

Our tenth place slot is shared by not one but four pokémon! In no particular order:

One of only two Mythical pokémon in our top ten(ish), Mesprit is a pokémon that comes with some caveats due to their lowercase-“l” legendary status. But hey, numbers are numbers!

Next up is another psychic-type, fan-favorite natu! Look at them! They’re looking at you!

Living, breathing keyring coming right up! If you’re adopting a klefki, you’re gonna want quite the supply of keys to keep em happy, but that’s nothing to a dedicated pet owner!

Finally, we’ve got eevee! Reliable, adorable, harmless, cuddly: eevees have it all. Be careful though, this species is one of the easiest pokémon to evolve by accident!

NINTH PLACE

We have two pokémon tied for ninth place! First,

Hey, it’s a recent one! Delibirds are great pet candidates! They’re known not just for looking a bit like a certain holiday icon, but for being exceptionally generous!

Another small Mythical pokémon, another A-tank pet with some pretty big caveats. The chances of any of us even running into Celebi are pretty low. But, if you happened to meet them, I’m sure they’d be delighted to be your houseguest… for a time, anyways. “Pet”? Ehhh…

EIGHTH PLACE

In eighth place, we’ve got a four-way tie again!

First up: silcoon! Uh… Well, silcoons get a “A?” Score for a reason. This pokémon would be the definition of a pet that doesn’t do much. But hey, that’s what some people might want!

I was very excited about this score. C’mon, it’s abra! These little teleporters are adorable! And very sleepy! So far, eighth place seems to be the “doesn’t do much” category…

Except for ditto! What can’t dittos do? Well, they can’t do much to harm anyone, but we can transform into any person, pokémon, or object they want! Dittos are great! You can’t go wrong with a ditto! Look how cute we are! Adopt a ditto today!

Wooloo! Eighth place ends with another normal-type pokémon, and another one that I personally was excited to see score so high. Wooloos might have my very favorite cry out of all thousand-or-so pokémon discovered thus far!

SEVENTH PLACE

Just two pokémon this time around…

What do you know, a “just-a-cat” pokémon made it into the top ten! Listen, as a real-world cat owner, I’m very biased towards any pokémon that resembles mine in either looks or behavior. Skitties are a great pet option. If I had one, I would name them Skittles.

Wow, it’s been a long while since we covered fidoughs, and yet they’ve held strong in the rankings all this time! Special shoutout to my sister, who requested this pokémon!

SIXTH PLACE

There are three pokémon tied for sixth place, so let’s keep it moving!

Speaking of pokémon we covered a long time ago, it’s squirtle! The only starter pokémon in the 2023 top ten, squirtles would make great pets for anyone who likes to play in the water and/or doesn’t mind getting splashed with water every once in a while. I also hear that they look pretty rad in sunglasses…

Spiky baby! Spiky baby! Spiky baby! (Enough said, honestly.)

Would you look at that, it’s a “just-a-bird” contender! Do you like birds? Do you want a pet bird? Do you want a really smart pet bird? Then a chatot may be just right for you!

FIFTH PLACE

Just one pokémon holds the fifth place crown this year and… hold on…aw man…

It’s…uh… it’s another cocoon pokémon. Don’t get me wrong, I think pokémon like metapod and silcoon are charming in their own ways, but I recognize that they’re not the most exciting species to end up in the top ten-ish of the year. To the metapod lovers: congratulations! To the metapod haters: sorry?

FOURTH PLACE

Almost there! The fourth place slot is taken up by a single pokémon as well:

Cherrims are the one and only plant-like pokémon in the 2023 top ten! If you’re looking for a sweet-smelling, low-maintenance pet, them cherrims might be just right for you!

THIRD PLACE

Third place is the last category with multiple pokémon! We’re almost there!

Look at that little celery bowl-cut! Ralts are a great option for pet owners looking to adopt a psychic or fairy-type pokémon! They may be in tune with your emotions, but be warned: your mood will affect a ralts’. Don’t look to a ralts for a emotional support pet!

Wow, psychic-type really seems to be holding strong in the 2023 top ten-ish! So long as you don’t have an aversion to a lot of noise, a chimecho would make a great pet!

SECOND PLACE

In second place, we have another pokémon that we covered pretty recently: alcremie! I personally would still hesitate a little bit, just because I don’t have a great grasp of how a pet made out of a substance that’s at the very least similar to whipped cream, which is so easily dissolved by just water. But hey, alcremies are great! Very few alcremies are the exact same with so many possible variations of appearance, which is an added bonus.

FIRST PLACE

Without further ado, the best pokémon pet candidate of 2023 is…

Chansey! This one caught me by surprise, especially given how large they are! Who’d have thought that a three-and-a-half foot creature would get the highest score? It really all comes down to their friendly disposition and healing abilities. This is a pokémon that isn’t only receptive to living alongside humans, they actively enjoy caring for humans and other pokémon! That being said, they’re surely not common pets: this is a remarkably illusive pokémon that is rarely caught by trainers, so adopting one might not be as easy as popping over to the shelter. Thankfully, they can be found in many regions of the world.

So there you have it, the top ten twenty-one pet candidates of 2023! I’ve said it again and again, but thank you so much for following along with this silly blog! I’m hoping that the blog continues to grow and be enjoyed in the coming year. How far will we get in the pokédex? Who knows! Who can even say how many new species will be discovered this year? We’ll have to just wait and see.

[aether-bun]

Hey, not sure if you’re doing the whole ‘Emoji Anons’ thing, but if ya are, I’d like to claim 🐉 Anon. Anyways, on with the request.

Could I get a platonic comfort for Pokémon Kieran with a reader who is like a really strong Pokémon Trainer and like his older sibling? Like, the reader is Champion level strong. Maybe the Champion of the Alola region? They recently heard from Carmine (since Kieran canonically doesn’t have a phone.) about what happened at Kitakami and how Kieran is extremely upset, so the reader goes to visit Kieran at Blueberry Academy to try and cheer him up. Because honestly, this kid needs a hug, badly.

You can ignore if ya want, but this is just a thought.

-🐉 Anon

The Boy Who Felt He Couldn't

Shadow (noun):

"A shaded or darker portion; an imperfect and faint representation."

❗: Reader is not referred to with any gendered terms, but is the eldest sibling of Carmine and Kieran. This fic is purely platonic and takes place after the Teal Mask DLC for Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.

[author's note at the end!]

Alola was a temperate, calm, and quite scenic region. It held diverse pokemon, beautiful agriculture, and best of all, it had one of the strongest champions in the world.

That was you. Quite modestly, you never really used that knowledge for your own gain, but on Alola you didn't need to. Mind, you lived there, so eventually over time the people grew to treat you normally again. This settlement meant you weren't forced to be a beacon - You could just be you.

Paldea did not offer this luxury.

Home to ancient ruins and terrifying legends, Paldea was a region of freedom, to an extent. It had every landscape a student could dream of, it had deserts adjacent to snowy hills with springs and forestry between. It was beautiful.

This beauty was very hard to see over the heads of the giant bustling crowd that had apparently come to see you. You didn't know how they knew you'd be there, but oh boy, apparently word got around.

You shook hands, signed pokeballs, and went over the usual speech of how great it was to see your supporters, before managing to shimmy your way out of the hustle and bustle of the aspiring trainers, reporters, and fans.

Unfortunately, you weren't there for any sightseeing or meetups, though you did make a mental note to at least book a tour of the region later. Right now, you were here for family.

Specifically, a little boy named Kieran. Your younger brother. According to your sister Carmine, he'd been incredibly upset, and if her story was true, you could honestly understand why.

It wasn't every day that the ancient pokemon that travelled with your bloodline for generations rejected you for some new star student. You figured you'd be pretty upset too, if you were him.

Kieran was unfortunately cursed with misfortune. Every time he tried to help himself to his goals, it always somehow managed to backfire. His Pokemon journey was not unlike the start of your own, but it was much worse than yours.

You knocked cautiously on his door. It was quiet. A small note on the door had the words 'KEEP OUT', but the writing had smudged, and there were blots of tears causing the ink to bleed. You could make it out, though. It hurt your heart.

"Kieran? C'mon, buddy, it's me.." You tried, cautious.

Immediately you heard rapid footsteps. The lock fidgeted wildly, until finally the door snapped open, revealing the disbelieving face of your brother. He looked at you for a long moment, eyes wide in disbelief.

"...[Y/N]?"

"Hey kid. I'm so sor–"

Kieran's arms were around you instantly, and he was squeezing you as tight as he could. You could hear his breaths stuttering, you could feel him trying not to stain your shirt with tears, so you simply readjusted, kneeling down and swallowing his shaking body in a warm embrace.

He sniffled into your shoulder, and you gently rubbed his back. "I'm sorry everything went so badly for you, Kieran." You said, soft, hoping to introduce the subject in a way that wouldn't antagonise him (something your sister was not very good at), and judging by the way he leaned into you further, you figured it was working.

-•-•-•-

Eventually, after many minutes of angry exclamations and scrambled words, Kieran calmed down. It was a process, getting him to breathe and recenter, but he always felt calmer with you, so the process wasn't too long. Not that you minded.

Kieran retold his story; His struggles with his own frustration, his exasperation towards Ogerpon's continuous dismissal, and he even admitted his own faults with his lashing out and sabotage attempts.

It felt easier to talk about these things with you. You never sighed and waved him off, never chalked any of his problems up to being a fault of his own. You listened. You spoke when he wanted you to, and you eased him into some advice that he tried to then take on for himself. This time was no different.

"Why did you feel the need to fight them, Kieran?" Your voice was still calm.

"I just...I tried everything to make Ogerpon feel welcomed! I catered to her needs, I did what ever I could to make her like me and nothing worked! I was so...so..."

"...Jealous?"

Kieran's silence meant he knew the answer was yes. You pursed your lips and sighed.

"Did you apologise?"

Again, he was silent. You were almost about to lecture him on the importance of admitting his faults, but then he managed to force out a small admission.

"I did." His tone was off, but you tried not to think too much of it.

You smiled sadly at him, bringing him close to lean on your shoulder. "I'm glad you said something, at least." You felt him tense a little, which unnerved you.

Then, in an effort to relax him, you noticed the way his hair looked.

"What's with this, huh? You never have your hair up..."

Kieran huffed. He didn't even appear to hear you through his own mental train of thought.

"I need to show that Trainer I can do more than just lose."

This made you stop and look at him. What?

"Kieran..."

"I need to show them I'm capable of winning. That I can be the star, too."

You frowned. This wasn't good.

"Kieran."

"You don't get it!" He snapped, shoulders tense as you fell quiet. "Ever since you started your journey, you've had good pokemon, good people! You're one of the strongest trainers in the world! No one treats you like a kid!

I need to show everyone that I'm able to be strong. Stronger than them. Stronger than anyone they've ever seen! Stronger than you!"

His voice cracked and broke. He looked so...angry. You couldn't let this go on.

"Kieran." You put a hand on his, and he seemed to come back to reality. He looked at you with wide, remorseful eyes. You furrowed your eyebrows, concerned.

"I-I'm...I'm sorry." Kieran mumbled, looking back down at his lap.

You knew where an attitude like that often lead people. It lead some of your friends down windy, dangerous roads. It created villains out of pure, innocent people. It created evil.

You very quickly decided you wouldn't let that happen to your baby brother.

Taking his hand again, you squeezed it. He looked up at you and met your worried eyes with poorly hidden fear.

"[Y/N]...?"

"Kieran...Your resolve is very important. Your will to do the right thing has always been one of my favourite parts about you. Your love for pokemon, your justice, it's all so important to me," You said. He looked away again, so you gently nudged him, and he very barely met your gaze again.

"I will not stand by and watch you tear yourself up. I don't want you going down a path you can't come back from."

"[Y/N]...I-"

"It's okay. I'm not going to make it a big deal. But...I am taking you to therapy." You chuckled, though you weren't joking. Kieran seemed to immediately deflate.

"It's not because you're messed up, or wrong, so don't you dare think that," You said, catching onto his thought process. "It's to help you regulate your emotions. I can be there with you, if you want me to, but I want you to try it out at least."

There was a long pause between you. You were still holding his hand, though your grip had eased enough for him to let go if he wanted to. He didn't.

After an eternity of silence, he slowly nodded. You mentally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled a little at him. "Thank you, Kieran." You said, watching him try to smile back a little. He was so tired. You stayed with him the rest of the afternoon, and at some point, he'd fallen asleep. The bags under his eyes suggested he hadn't slept enough recently, so you managed to get yourself comfortable and let him rest.

The process of undoing all of his emotional issues would take a very long time. It would be strenuous and taxing and he'd reach times where he felt it wasn't worth it.

But every Thursday, after he'd finished his sessions with a lovely therapist you happened to know in the region, you'd give him a signature bear hug, and you'd talk about whatever was on your minds.

Eventually, you did have to go back home to Alola, but when you left, you made sure he was in good hands. You made sure Carmine was aware of how to go about talking to him. You made sure he had people he could fall back on.

Even when you weren't there, you made sure he knew you were still around if he needed you. You gave him a Rotom Phone of his own, one that he positively beamed at from the patterns on the case, and made sure he knew to call you whenever he felt like it.

Every Thursday, he was reminded that you were there.

Every Monday, you called him and checked in.

And after a while, he realised something very elating: That with you and Carmine and his new friends he'd managed to make, it was going to be okay for him now.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Full disclosure, I never actually got around to playing the new DLCs, but as an older brother myself, watching a playthrough of it made me so sad for this little kid man :(

���Anon thank you SO MUCH for this request!!!! This is officially the first request I've done and I'd like to think I did a fairly good job on it! I'd like to think the endgame for this fic would be that we don't have to worry about the threat of Kieran entering a Syndrome arc sobs

Leave your requests in my inbox!! Thank you for reading, and ciao for now ♡

[loki-zen]

Have you read Bogleech's review of Pokemon designs? They're pretty good and thoughtful. You won't always agree with them but it's cool to see someone confident and defined in their own aesthetic tastes critique the most popular monsters in the world.

https://bogleech.com/pokemon/parchive

Oh yeah! I've definitely read some of these back when there were way less of them.

I find that I tend to agree with him when the principles behind the critique are simply good visual character design ethos, and then less so where it's more focused around his particular tastes within that - he tends to favour a particular sort of goofiness in the facial design that's a sometimes food for me.

Similarly, there's some loose agreement around this (eg his praise of sticking with quadruped designs during evolution) but in general I find that I have a strong but hard to define (except in the negative) notion of the sort of thing a Pokémon is and should be that he doesn't especially share.

Like for me fundamentally a Pokémon is a sort of critter or imp or embodied spirit or idk in a way that just doesn't work if it's too humanlike or too obviously referential of human creations (except in certain specific situations that basically come down to it actually being a haunted, animated object or a mimic).

As an illustrative example, the much-maligned Gen 1 anthromorphs I don't actually mind.

Jynx is based on a kind of ice spirit that imitates a young maiden to lure men to their deaths, and like, yeah, totally. It looks like something that is not human trying to look vaguely human for nefarious purposes, every aspect of its design from the shadowy lack of face to the animate wig to the weird dress-shaped body is giving that.

Mr Mime looks like an example of convergent evolution - it has an ultimately human-ish shape but it's entirely built out of Pokémon parts. I imagine it would be weirdly smooth and dry and a little bit too yielding to the touch. The 'gloves' are part of its body and the protrusions that this flesh covers are evolutionarily unrelated to human hands, perhaps cartilage or rigid muscle or something. It is a bit like 'why' but whatever mimes are eldritch you wouldn't want a lot of Pokémon to be like this but as a one-off its fine.

Both of these things are entirely distinct from being just like an anthro animal with no especial reason to be anthro, that's made of sleek lines and shit like it's supposed to be cool or even sexy. (Mr Mime is not cool or sexy!)

On a kinda-similar note one thing I've had a lot of scathing things to say about at home lately is the Vanillish line. (Pokémon shouldn't be food!) Like its ability and stuff suggests that it's meant to be an ice elemental so why on earth would it look like an ice cream that just makes no sense.

The only way they could save it for me is if it looked like an ice cream in order to get unsuspecting children to lick it, who are then stuck by their tongues and in danger of freezing to death and becoming its prey. Or something. (Same reason it's okay for Galarian stunfisk to have a protrusion that looks like a pokeball - motherfucker is a mimic, of course it looks like an item you could pick up!)

[remimibanana]

Thank you, Pomu!

By the time I post this, Pomu has graduated (╥﹏╥)

I want to take this time to thank her. THANK YOU POMU FOR EVERYTHING!!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!! I ALWAYS HAD FUN WATCHING YOU!!! (*´▽`*)

I tried writing this twice elsewhere but it didn’t save both times much to my dismay so I’m doing it here because it’ll save and I can add pictures.

All my sappy rambling below the cut!

I didn’t watch Pomu as much, in all honesty. Just like I don’t watch many of the vtubers I like since I don’t have time to watch streams in general. Woes of being a uni student.

But from the ones I did catch, and the clips I’ve watched, Pomu never failed to make me laugh or smile. Not once.

My favourite clip is where Pomu is reacting to a Nintendo Direct with Elira and they laugh their butts off at the casting for the Mario Movie. I’ll never forget Pomu going “CHRIS PRATT?????” and then subsequently laughing insanely alongside Elira.

I’ll also never forget when she said that the Mario Movie will be good upon seeing Jack Black lol

Another one of my favourites is where Selen is totally drunk and is playing Minecraft. Pomu is in the server and when Selen tells her that she’s stuck in Seffyna’s wool shearing farm thing machine, she just straight up leaves LMAO

When Selen says she'll have to kill the sheep she's stuck with, Pomu comes back going all NO NO. Pomu gets stuck in an attempt to help Selen, Selen kills the sheep anyway and then they break the farm in an attempt to get out and then they try to fix it.

They fix it and then Seffyna comes in and Selen snitches when Pomu ditched LOL

I love drunk Selen and I love how Pomu was practically a babysitter lmao

I love this clip so much.

I was watching Pomu’s Totsumachi, and at the end of it she mentioned that she wanted to wipe ass at Pokémon Black since she was doing a challenge where she would beat the game with six Chandelure.

I wrote YESSSSSSSSSSS into the chat, and pretty much after I did, Pomu said “YESSSSSSSSSSSSS”! It happened twice! It felt so cool, you know?

I’m not sure if it was my comment exactly but I’m going to pretend it was. Delulu is the Solulu, my friends.

Speaking of the Totsumachi, I was there for when Pomu talked to Vivi! I honestly didn't know too much about Vivi, I saw a few clips here and there but I really like her now after this!

They talked about Gaia Online at the very end, and Pomu mentioned how she wanted to try and log back into her old account. I heard of Gaia Online but I never played it. I played Moshi Monsters, Poptropica and Secret Builders as a kid. I'm old, I know lol

My interest was piqued and I made myself a Gaia Online account. It’s so early 2000’s, I love it. Reminds me of the old internet, it was much more happier and fun.

Feel free to friend me if you have an account.

I actually watched the entirety of the stream where she played Pok��mon Black, and I’m so glad I was able to be there to see her complete the challenge! She beat the Elite 4, N and Ghetsis with six Chandelure! It was so entertaining and honestly nerve wracking to watch!

The RNG at one point was so bad, Stone Edge never missed and Flame Body never hit lol

It was a lot of fun.

As you can see, I sent Pomu a super chat! I have this tradition where I send one to those who are graduating as a final goodbye and to show my support for one last time.

I did it with Pikamee, Mysta, Mika and now…Pomu. The list keeps growing...

Why does every person I like leave ;;

I also became a member! I wasn’t going to initially, but I wanted to show my support and use emotes for the first and last time. I joined the lowest tier at first, but decided I wanted the Member Wallpapers, so I upgraded.

I managed to get them all, which I’m really happy I did! Pomu’s membership got paused after her graduation so there’s no way to access any of the perks anymore.

For Pomu's graduation stream, I caught all of the Crab Game with Niji EN and the final part. One of the reasons I sent the super chat in the Pokemon Black stream was because I wasn't sure if I would be able to catch the graduation stream at all.

It started at 3:30am for me and I had no idea how long it would go for. I'm a bit surprised it went for 10 hours, but I'm glad it did because I was able to watch a bit of it at the very end!

I think it's better I sent the super chat in the Pokémon Black stream, since I love Pokémon and Pomu! It feels more special to me.

I think graduations only prove how fast time flies and how one day, the people I like to watch will go too. I know its bound to happen and it is a part of life but still...it hurts to see those who you like to watch go.

I remember waking up one morning and seeing the notice of Pomu graduating, I went "WHATTTTTT??? POMU???? NOOOOOOOOO". I really didn't think she would graduate, but it was right there. People were sad, and I didn't know how to feel.

I felt like I didn't watch Pomu enough or support her enough as I could have. I still feel the same way. I did show my support at the very end, but it shouldn't take a graduation. I should have showed my support from the start, or watched her more. You never know what you'll miss until its gone, I suppose.

But I can't change the past. I'm happy I was able to watch her at the very end, and that's what matters! I'm glad I could say goodbye, watch a full stream from her and have fun until the very end!

Once again, thank you Pomu! I wish you all the best in life! We're all Pomu at the very end, aren't we?

I'm going to take the PP Energy Pomu gave us and be more confident this year! I won't let you down, Pomu! I'm going to work hard to be the best person I can be.

If I could be anything like Pomu at the end, then I think I would be happy. Someone who is so kind and is like a beacon of light people go to.

Pomu was a pioneer, and I hope she knows just how much she was loved by all. We will never forget you!

OtsuPP!

[k8aclysm]

I'm mad about Jynx again (The Pokémon)

Okay so most people who have even been residually exposed to the Pokémon franchise are familiar with Jynx, the Psychic/Ice type Pokémon introduced in the first generation. Either for the controversies early on, or just because it's a good example of a strange looking design. Due to the reasons I just stated, and/or due to the fact that it's an ice type - a type typically seldom seen until very late game in most entries - I'm willing to bet most of you have never bothered to use one, either. To be fair to it, It's no as awful as it looks! It's got paper-thin physical defense, but decent speed and pretty good special attack that pair perfectly with it's typing! It's an interesting pick if you're looking for a run with mons you've never used before... But this isn't a post about convincing you to use Jynx, I'm here to rant about an aspect of it's design that has driven me completely fucking nuts for the past decade or more.

Looking at the sprites for Jynx in the first three generations, everything looks as you'd expect. Exactly how it looks in the anime, as well as in the manga and other spinoff media.

The problem begins to show itself when we reach the sprites from generation 4.

You see that? You see those strange.... tendrils coming off the dress? Just below the arms? If you wanted to argue in good faith, you could say that this is simply a sprite that poorly communicates depth in the skirt... But then we arrive at generation 5 - where the sprites now have animations and more inherent depth. Generation 5 is where many believe gamefreak had mastered the spriting game and are considered the final sendoff for the sprite style in the franchise.

It's those GOD DAMN TENDRILS. This time, it's very clear that they're not just miscommunicated depth on the skirt and are now actual, un-questionably, tendrils of some sort that jut out of the skirt or create some sort of odd "spike". This sprite is what I consider to be the beginning of what I like to call the "Jynx miscommunication", where -someone, somewhere down the production line - completely misunderstood the sprite and somehow managed to canonize one of the most bizarre design choices I've ever seen. Yeah, I said "Canonize", and I'm not joking. Because it actually happened. Every appearance of Jynx in the 3d games have featured this interpretation of Jynx's dress. ALL OF THEM. Here's an example; pictured below is the model rip from generation 6 and 7; the 3DS games.

Somehow it's become even MORE spikey; as if it's body underneath the skirt has MASSIVE spikes jutting out on each side; the dress isn't draped over it like something implied to be cloth-like in behavior should; it almost reminds me of what the barbs on Corsola look like.

Anyway, my point is mostly made now, but just to drive it home once more... To really just illustrate how deeply ingrained this design "choice" is... I need to explain that every Pokemon in existence was given brand new artwork for the Pokemon transfer service - Pokemon Home. In pretty much every medium outside of the games, Jynx was never depicted to have these weird spikes, so surely they'd refer to previous artwork of Jynx when making the illustration for it in pokemon home, right...? RIGHT...?

WRONG. Jynx officially has the spikes in it's most recent artwork, it's models, AND it's Gen 4 remake menu "sprite". The most infuriating part about this for me, though is that the Sword/Shield menu sprite Doesn't include the spikes at all. Like holy shit it's model in sword and shield even HAVE the spikes like all the others do! RAAAAAHGHGHGnfjnv....

This situation is just so uniquely fascinating to me because Pokemon is a franchise that - at least contemporarily - is known for it's extremely particular design guidelines and squeaky clean, on-model consistency when it comes to the Pokémon designs. I refuse to believe this was ever an intended design choice for Jynx and that gamefreak just don't think anyone gives enough of a fuck about Jynx to ever notice this. Hell, maybe they didn't notice it themselves. Why this happened is likely never going to be brought to light, but at the very least, Jynx isn't in gen 9 so I don't have to look at it at all! ... for now...

Anyway, I hope this post has enlightened you and made you privy to something that makes an already unpopular Pokémon even more unpopular. I'm usually never one to make elaborate posts like this but this piece of bizarre trivia pisses me off so much I just HAD to make a post about it. Send all of your complaints to gamefreak, thanks.

[pokemonislanderprincess]

“...so, you wanna be my Valentine?”

Misty slowly looked up from her sandwich and shot Ash an unimpressed look. “Seriously?”

“What?!” Ash cried, straightening up. “I asked, didn’t I?!”

“Yeah, like Pikachu was about to thunderbolt you if you didn’t,” Misty scoffed. “I’ve heard you have more enthusiasm over a commercial you like coming on the TV in the Pokémon Center!”

Ash scowled. “Any other complaints?”

“You asking me while I’m in the middle of eating lunch is also pretty lame.”

Rolling his eyes, Ash got off the bench and began stomping away from his girlfriend. “Fine! I’ll do it over!”

Misty watched him go in silence, her own eyes ever so slightly narrowed. From the tree behind her, Brock poked his head out, shaking it with clear disappointment. “I told him not to do that.”

“Well, you know Ash: he doesn’t listen,” Misty sighed, putting her sandwich down. Raising an eyebrow, Misty looked over her shoulder and asked, “how long have you been hiding back there, anyway?”

“Long enough,” Brock vaguely replied, fully stepping out into the sunlight. 

Huffing, Misty placed her head in her hand. “What if he never grows up?”

“It’s highly likely,” Brock answered far too quickly for Misty’s liking. Before she could snap at him, however, Brock continued, “but he does love you. That’s not even a question. So, you might just have to live with him making a few mistakes along the way.”

“I guess,” Misty grumbled. “Although, I think calling it a ‘few’ mistakes is pretty generous.”

Brock chuckled, and when he saw Ash returning with a far more mellow expression, his smirk managed to widen. “Ah, look who’s back!”

Ignoring the Pokémon doctor, Ash approached Misty, avoiding plopping himself down on the wooden bench this time around. Holding his hand out towards her, Ash politely asked, “will you please follow me?”

Misty hesitantly looked over at Brock, but he was busy pretending to stare up at something in the sky. Groaning, she turned her attention back onto Ash, who was still waiting quite patiently on her. Unable to fight the little smile that was playing on her lips, Misty giggled and placed her hand in Ash’s. “Sure.”

Excitement managed to break through Ash’s gentlemanly demeanor, and he grinned almost wildly as soon as Misty intertwined her fingers with his. With his newly increased fervor, Ash pulled Misty up from her seat, causing her to yelp in surprise as he tugged her away from the picnic table. As Ash’s laughter and Misty’s pleas for him to slow down grew more distant, Brock finally lowered his head, watching in amusement as his two younger friends flitted further and further away.

“She’ll learn. Not today, but eventually.”

Ash didn’t have to drag Misty much further before he reached their destination. Misty still wasn’t pleased about being dragged along like a toy on a string, and she had every intention of letting Ash know that. The comment died in her throat, however, once she saw where Ash had pulled her to.

In front of a large, crystal clear lake were both his and her Pokémon, with Pikachu front and center, gathered around a very impressive bouquet of flowers. Psyduck was even sporting a crown of them around his head, looking very confused about the whole situation and causing Misty to giggle.

“Is this better?” Ash asked. 

Misty snorted. His question seemed genuine, like he really wasn’t sure if it was or not, but he still had that big, dorky grin on his face. Misty could never be fully sure when he was being wholly naïve or playing dense on purpose.

For whatever reason, she found that to be one of his most endearing features.

“Yes, this is better,” Misty confirmed, deciding it wasn’t worth it to test him on it. “Actually, it’s perfect! Where’d you manage to get these flowers from? I know you didn’t just manage to gather all these up in the last 10 minutes.”

Ash sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Nah, I’ve been putting them together for a little while. I kind of knew this was what I was gonna surprise you with the whole time, to be honest.”

Misty furrowed her brow. “Hold on. If this was the plan, then what was with the weird ‘wanna be my Valentine’ question before?”

“I thought you’d be more mad if I interrupted your lunch, so I tried something simpler,” Ash reluctantly admitted. “Brock told me not to do that, but...”

“You didn’t listen,” Misty concluded when Ash trailed off, guiltily poking his fingers together. “That’s what he meant!”

“Guess I was better off just starting with this, huh?” Ash muttered.

Misty smirked and strode forward, grabbing onto Ash’s hands. “Yeah, you were. But that’s okay! You’re learning.”

“Heh, I guess so,” Ash laughed nervously. “Really, really slowly, but - “

“Still learning,” Misty cut him off, leaning in to give him an innocent kiss before pulling away to smile at his delicate blush. “And I really appreciate it.”

[wifeysaremylifey]

Well, golly gee, here we go!

Comfort food(s): Very unfortunately, it is a dessert which I can never have with any degree of frequency: tiramisu. I don't think anything really comes close that is easy to make, and I just have that, like, once every several months? But if I do need a comfort item for consumption in general, it's always the next one.  

Comfort drink(s): Coca-cola, original flavor. Been very addicted to it for the majority of my life, 25 years at least. I'm able to control my intake properly now, but it was remarkably bad in my more depressive teenage years when I was downing multiple bottles a day. To this day, there's nothing else that just serves as an instant shot of happiness to me, and I find that to be really unfortunate.

Comfort movie(s): I don't think I have one, I very rarely watch movies willingly. And when I do, I don't watch them more than once. I imagine I had one as a child, since I know I watched stuff several times then, but it's been forgotten now.

Comfort show(s): ... Do those old Looney Tunes shorts count? If not, then- Yu-Gi-Oh GX is probably the closest one to it. It is pretty silly early but also fun- and kind of existential and sad towards the end. And I happen to like a mix of those.

Comfort clothing: Big coats. Yes, even in warmer days.

Comfort song(s): Now this one has too many to count, I have different playlists that fit certain moods. But I'll break it down. So far as regular music goes, I like electro swing in general, but specifically for comfort I listen to Swingrowers a lot. Also sea shanties have that effect on me too, it's easy for them to get me to sing and feel better afterwards. An album I tend to come back to is The Green Knight, by Heather Dale. And in it, The Maiden and the Selkie is my favorite song, since it's kind of a chant and a fairy tale in one and I kind of love that. Other than that, game music has always been with me, and the original soundtracks of both Ragnarok Online and Chrono Cross will probably follow me forever and be big sources of comfort. Out of those, even if CC is a bit old, the soundtrack is worth a listen to this day, if you're ever curious.

Comfort book(s): I think I mentioned in a previous meme that Alice in Wonderland and the Sherlock Holmes novels are favorites of mine. They're also definitely comfort books and I both read it and heard their audiobooks dozens of times each- not as much Through the Looking-Glass, but it's catching up nowadays, Other than that, the Andrew Lang compilations of fairy-tales are books I read back to several times.

Comfort game(s): Hmm, I have to think about it a bit, since the games I find most worthwhile to play tend to make me actively uncomfortable and I kind of appreciate that. The clearest example in my mind is Pokémon. I just do a lot in that series, from replaying with small restrictions to active marked shiny hunting. Other than that, I do enjoy games where you have a contained gameplay loop that you can repeat several times, especially if they're co-op. Stuff like Payday 2 and Deep Rock Galactic. Lastly, if I've invested enough time in a gacha game, it tends to become a comfort game- potentially because of the whole habit-setting that they all covertly do, but still. Honkai: Star Rail is the main one I play currently.

tagged by: Someone who's called me out for not finishing Dragalia Lost *cough* @celestialprayer*cough* tagging: @iceiclehorned, @divinityunleashed, @puzzledmemories, @dragonknightsworn, @mysticallities, and whoever sees it and happens to want to do this (and potentially didn't finish Dragalia Lost either, don't let me be the only one to carry the burden--)

[chibishortdeath]

Fuck it, Simon Belmont, because why not you basically themed your blog after him

You don’t have any specific numbers, so I’m just answering every question >:3c mwahahaha—

1. “Why do you like this character”:

A lot of reasons!!! First off, most of his games are super fun and some of my favorite platformers just in general. I replay CV1, Simon’s Quest, and SCV4 most often cause they’re a real joy to play! I also absolutely LOVE Simon’s story, I’ve considered making comics about it if I could ever get out of recent art block whoops, even though I’ve seen many people say he doesn’t have one (´TωT｀). His designs are really cool, he’s got great music in his games, there’s just a lot to love and I’ll explain more in detail in other questions.

2. “Favorite canon thing?”

I really like the concept that he looks up to Christopher as this legendary hero and then ends up considered the same kind of legendary hero by Juste and others after him. It’s pretty ironic, kinda bittersweet, especially after being hated for so long. Castlevania loves its cycles like that. Also just Simon’s Quest in general, I love that game.

3. “Least favorite canon thing?”

Ooo that’s very hard. There’s kinda a lot of things about him that aren’t explained or confirmed, especially personality wise, but I kinda like that in a way cause it leaves room for interpretation and whatnot. Idk hmmm. I’m gonna go with Grimoire of Souls in general. I had some hopes for it, but it ended up being kinda lame. A lot of the characterization was weird and don’t even start me on things like the Cursed Whip theory being in there 💀. So I just choose to ignore it and not consider it canon.

4. “If you could put this character in another media, what would it be?”

I have thought about drawing him as if he was a character in other series for ages lol. I’ve already drawn him as a Pokémon trainer, I’ve thought about drawing Castlevania and Soul Eater crossovers before, and I tried drawing him in the style of Resident Evil 1 but could not get the art style down. Idk put him in Fortnite or something that’d be funny we already got Solid Snake so Konami has been in talks with them I guess X,,,,,,,,,,D

5. “What’s the first song that comes to mind when you think of them?”

Probably either Simon’s Theme (of course lol) or Bloody Tears, but I do wanna mention that I have a YouTube playlist of songs I wanna make Simon animations with eventually (alas animation is HARD).

6. “What’s something you have in common with the character?”

Mostly negative things unfortunately d(;w; ). Like self comparison, doubt in my own abilities, trouble making and keeping friends, etc etc. Although a lot of these are based on assumptions and interpretations, as a lot of him usually is. Simon does have a really similar hair color to me on the NES box art tho so that’s cool.

7. “What’s something the fandom does with this character that you like?”

There’s a lot of really nice art of him!!! Usually portraits, but sometimes there’s other doodles and whatnot too :3. Cool fan redesigns too! I also have seen a lot of neat headcanons, a lot of which I’ve adopted. I also appreciate the Captain N reunion stuff for the most part, it’s pretty wholesome.

8. “What’s something the fandom does with this character that you don’t like?”

I’ve seen a lot of comics, especially around when Smash Bros Ultimate came out, that were really… weird. I think all of them could kinda be boiled down to “old = bad” in the way that the artists probably just found out he was from the 1600s and then decided to make him the Boomer to Richter’s Gen Z for whatever reason (ya know despite Richter being from the 1700s but anyway). Simon would either be the jerk in the situation and/or the butt of the joke. I don’t think that Simon would have any issue with any of the female characters’ outfits let alone start harassing them for it. I saw some comics that made fun of him for not speaking very much in some genuinely disgusting ways too. Like making him not able to read or practically just the generic caveman stereotype. Especially in cases where the artist would depict other silent NES protagonists really nicely after making Simon out to be a complete idiot and asshole. There was also the trend of making him generally be all “oh no witchcraft!!!!!!!!!! What sin!!!!!!! The horror!!!!!!!!” about like anything and everything. I guess a lot of this comes from Smash Bros fans not usually being fans of Castlevania, but I’ve seen it in the Castlevania fandom too just less frequently. There’s also the “Simon has no story” thing oof. I’ve seen people tell people to skip his games or play fan games instead before :(

9. “Could you be roommates with this character?”

Realistically, no, my room is too small for another person :(. If that wasn’t an issue, then yeah probably :).

10. “Could you be best friends with this character?”

I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO—

11. “Would you date this character?”

No, he’s probably married, generally feels more like a bestie, and I’m aroace lol

12. “What headcanon do you have for this character?”

Too many oh my god. I think he probably makes things. That’s a very vague sentence lol, but think like armor, knives, general woodworking, all his necklaces and headbands and stuff, etc. He generally seems like he keeps to himself and lives mostly alone, so I can see him doing all that by himself. He keeps some bones and teeth of things he hunts most of the time. A lot of people have him as the most super Christian of the family, but I see him as like Christian but really not organized or strict about it, if that makes sense? I’ve seen someone else describe the Belmonts as like “Christopagan” before and yeah I think that fits. Idk why but I have consistently drawn him with his cross necklace in his mouth sometimes. I headcanon him as semiverbal (I think that’s the correct term for it, basically like inbetween speaking and nonspeaking). I like to think he’s like really average height for the 1600s cause he’s about as tall as other townspeople and skeletons and stuff. Which is funny cause that’d make him like 5’5-5’7 ish and that’s kinda short in modern day lol. And I guess that makes his 8bit sprite being used all the time make more sense XD. I have way more, I didn’t even get into Simon’s Quest related ones, but I don’t wanna make this too long aaaaaaaaaaaa

13. “What’s an emoticon that reminds you of the character or you think they’d use a lot?”

Ok this is funny cause I actually do have one for this and it’s got context. It’s the “:3”. So I was watching a bunch of people’s playthroughs one night cause I was bored and ran into a channel with a toooooon of speedruns of maps from Harmony of Despair. Whenever they’d get to a boss battle they’d use the typing feature just to go “hi” with a different cutesy emoticon every time, but when they got to Dracula they specifically went for the “hi :3” and then went “oh no :(“ when Dracula started attacking and now that’s the way I think he’d text I guess.

14. “Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character”

How does one properly explain how much this guy slays in one aesthetic term—

15. “What’s your favorite ship for this character?”

Oooooo, in canon probably like his wife (Selena) and/or the Mysterious Woman (who could be the same character depending on what theories you go by), but outside of that Simon Belmont x Getsu Fuma and I can’t even explain exactly why, but it’s pretty cute.

16. “What’s your least favorite ship for this character?”

Any BelmontXBelmont shipping ugh, it’s unfortunately really common on some places… also the whole Lucas or Pit or whatever other child character thing the smash bros fandom had ugh. I guess I also just don’t see the appeal of shipping any of the Belmonts with Dracula.

17. “What’s a ship you don’t hate but it’s not your favorite?”

I’ve also seen people ship him with Solid Snake, Palutena, or Bayonetta before. Ummm he doesn’t really have a lot of other characters he’s shipped with tbh. Idk I saw someone ship him with one of the priests from Simon’s Quest once.

18. “Relationship in canon you admire?”

Unfortunately he doesn’t really talk to people enough in game to form canon relationships 😔

19. “Relationship in canon you don’t like?”

I don’t even know if I can answer this one for the same reasons as the above 💀💀💀. I guess the townspeople hating the hell out of him, but I don’t hate that cause it’s kinda integral to the plot???? Yeah idk lol

20. “What character is the ideal best friend for this character?”

Simon and Shanoa would get along a lot I think. Sara too. Hmmmm… I think he and Alucard would probably also be good friends. Christopher too for many reasons. Simon just really needs friends my poor dude is out here in Dracula’s Castle and the Romanian countryside after being cursed alone like this poor guy :’(

21. “If you’re a fic writer, what’s your favorite thing to do when writing this character? What’s something you don’t like?”

I have not written much at all, however what small comics I have done I looooove to make sure to sprinkle in whatever symbols he has in the games into it. He has a lot of cool things ranging from like rose thorns to The Hanged Man card and a lot of them end up meaning things like martyrdom and whatnot idk I made a post about it a while ago :3. I also like specifically Simon’s Quest speculation stuff, like what if scenarios for the vague, left open spots of it. If it’s not something super angsty or lore heavy, it’s usually just wholesome character interactions or doodling him being comforted by Christopher or Trevor cause I was sad or something lol. As far as things I don’t like writing uh idk that’s hard, maybe just any kind of filler scenes cause I’m not very good at those oof. Dialogue is hard too 💀💀💀

22. “If you’re a fic reader, what’s something you like/don’t like to see in fics?”

I’ve mentioned a lot of things I don’t like seeing in uh question 8, but things I do like is when people really try to go full horror with him. I’ve seen some Simon’s Quest fics (sadly there’s very few :’3) that really try to get that same feeling of anxiousness and dread the game does and I love that honestly. It’s a really dark story in the series! I also saw one that went psychological horror with it with him kinda losing himself a little at night it’s just ough it’s cool :D! Simon is a horror protagonist! Make him afraid!!!

23. “Favorite picture of this character?”

Again, too many!!! X3

24. “What other character from another fandom reminds you of them?”

Not from fandoms I am in (yet, hopefully I’ll get into these), but Ragnvaldr from Fear and Hunger I’ve heard is just directly inspired by him and Alfred from Bloodborne also, to me, seems heavily inspired by him. The whole Vilebloods section seems very Castlevania inspired tbh. From other fandoms I’m in, that’s hard to say, there’s not really any I don’t think.

25. “What was your first impression of this character, is it the same as now?”

Well I got into Castlevania through Smash Bros and at first was completely indifferent about him, he was just kinda fun to play as. Then Richter got me to play SotN and actually get into the series more. I had no idea I had SotN on XBOX360 for a long time, but that made it pretty easy to start playing. And now I am absolutely hooked and Simon is my favorite character so uh yeah X3.

26. “Freebie!”

I guess I just say anything? Ok, I am currently half trying to cosplay Simon’s Simon’s Quest design rn! I have like everything but the armor, but I’ll have to wait a while to be able to get materials for it oof. But yeah :). Hopefully that works out. 

Ok yeah that’s pretty dang long wow, but yeah, thanks for the ask!!!! I am happy to rant about Simon anytime :3

[mewintheflesh-2]

How would you go about designing fusions?

Like, I think my design for Razor looks more silly than scary (mainly the beak face why are beaks so hard) and I don't know if it fits with the rest of them.

Im honestly not 100% sure about the process of how I do it! 😭 I guess I just do?????? But I’ll try my best to explain my thought process even if it might be what you were already thinking/doing

I think mostly what I do is look for very prominent features on the Pokémon first, like for example, the legs of a Zoroark, its claws, and its face markings. That, and its ears. I also take notice of how on some parts of the body there’s longer fur jutting out of places like the elbows or the hips. With Mutt, who to be honest I haven’t made art of in a long time but I don’t feel the need to change him that much, I just compiled all of the features I thought defined the Pokémon and found ways to incorporate them into/onto the human body.

With Alexandra (Dragonite girl) I took the antenna, wings, and big tail as main points of the design I wanted to incorporate into her and found ways I liked it. I used them in pretty basic ways, but I did replace her ears with miniature Dragonite wings as well, as I was inspired by some art (of which I don’t know the fandom of) where there were bird-people with wings for ears.

If a Pokémon has distinct legs I will incorporate those by replacing the human legs entirely, and if the Pokémon has claws I’ll replace their fingernails with those instead. Pretty basic stuff though

I think almost all of the fusions that I’ve posted about so far aside from Parasect Girl have tails too, so that’s a little funny to me.

Also, I don’t always make every Pokémon part completely proportionate to the human body, with a certain fusion that will go unnamed, instead of shrinking fhe Pokémon’s “tail” to be how a normal sized tail would be for a human, I made the tail big and thick, which would no doubt get in the way of normal living, but that’s one thing that’s consistent with most all of the fusions. It disturbs their ability to live “like a normal human would” even if they tried their hardest.

Fusions can also take away senses and disable you to some degree. Like for example, Parasect Girl has extremely low vision and relies mostly on hearing to tell where things are/what’s happening. As a result her hearing has gotten very very good.

I think my main thing when designing fusions is that I’m not afraid/hesitant to make their bodies impractical/take away vital limbs for living/adding limbs that actively inhibit them. If you got your legs replaced with a dogs or a birds, wouldn’t you feel disoriented too?

One fusion I made also has a beak, a tentacruel fusion, but for that one I ended up making the squid beak act as weird lips. The actual “beak” design parts on the tentacruel ended up going other places, like jutting out of her arms.

ALSO another thing I like to do is spare no expense when it comes to adding details. Fuck “over designing” do what you want forever. Though that doesn’t mean that designs can’t get incomprehensible, it’s a somewhat delicate process (I guess??? It comes easy to me so I’m not sure.) ANYWAYS if you see an empty spot on the body and you’re not sure if you want it to stay empty or not, go ham and try out as many things as you want until you’re happy with it!! It might take a bit but what doesn’t when it comes to character design?

For a clearer example that might show my line of thinking more, I’ll generate a random Pokémon and brainstorm what a human fusion of it might look like.

Okay so I generated a Pokémon and I swear to god

SLUGMA BA- [gets shot]

This one is a little difficult since it doesn’t have too many distinct details if you just look at it at a glance.

let’s list off some features of it first!

Okay, so: Yellow pointed eyes, antenna like features coming from the head, very goopy, and also RED.

Also taking into account how hot the temperatures slugma gives off.

So. Let’s take a human, and try to fuse them together. More often than not when I get a pre-evolution fusion, I make them a child/just generally a younger person. However I think that for this we’ll just go with no age in particular.

So! First, I think the extreme temperatures wouldn’t fuse well with the human body, it would make them very melty/goopy. I would likely add little drips of their skin at their lips, and maybe even take away their legs in their entirety. Maybe they could just be a torso and melty pile of searing hot goop/flesh/magma beneath them? I think i would make it magma just to keep more of the Pokémon incorporated into the design. I would make the whites of the eyes yellow, make their eyes a more almond/pointed shape, and their irises either black or piercing bright red.

I think their hands would be a little goopy as well. Perhaps their hair would be melting/dripping over their head/face or maybe even acting similar to those visual heatwaves you see when it’s super hot outside! Now for someone who is literally searing hot and melting, I don’t think they would have any resemblance of clothes, but since their body is so melty, I don’t think it’d matter to be covered up too much. I think at some point as the flesh melts and drips off, it turns into magma. It’ll never be anything but complete magma when it falls off of the fusions body unless you actively take it off. (Looking at you FUSE. He’d probably be very curious how they’d taste.).

I think they’d have fire jutting out of their forehead in the shape of the fire antenna, or maybe it’d be their hair instead standing up and waving like flames in a strange way. I think they’d leave a constant burn/melting trail behind them, melting the floors as they slug around, and melting anything if they get too close. They’d likely have to be fed/given water similar to water tribe prisoners in ATLA (That one girl who taught Katara blood bending). Speaking of water, I don’t think they’d be able to get anywhere near it, it would hurt them severely, but that would mean they couldn’t drink water whatsoever. Maybe they don’t need water to live? Would they even have blood anymore? Or would it have all been boiled out of their body? Questions like these, questioning how Pokémon anatomy/natures would pair with humans/human behaviours is also important to designing fusions for me. I’m not sure exactly how important it is for it, but it’s definitely a part of what I think about when designing fusions.

Let’s try another shall we?

Wartortle! This is a nice design.

Something I immediately take notice of is the feathery ear like projections out of its head, along with its feathery tail. Boom, replace their ears with the feathery protrusions, and give them their feathery tail. I think their hair would also look similar to their ear protrusions, a wavy ocean look. Their arm hair, if they have any, would probably look the same, same for their leg hair. Wartortle’s also got white claws coming out of its hands, so those go onto the humans hands as well.

Then of course there’s the shell. You could make it look like a weird backpack, but that’s not something I would do personally. Especially since I’d want them to have the ability to hide in their shell. I would make the shell larger than their body, which would probably limit their movement quite significantly. Now about the front of the shell, I’m not sure how that would work out. If it’s proportionate to the back of the shell, then that would limit their movement even more. But if we strike a good balance of size, they can still move around decently while still being able to hide away in their shell. Now I like that a lot better. Their mouth would likely be wider than normal human mouths, and they would have decently sharp canines poking out of their lips. Their eyes would also be decently slanted and red, or atleast instead of slanted, would be in a permanent “im pissed off” look.

Okay so I actually really like the Wartortle concept a lot so I think I’ll keep them. TEEHEE >:3c

Oh yeah! Also another thing, specifically with Momo, is that Furfrou’s ears are pretty large/long compared to their head, so I exaggerated that to an extreme for her, making them go down to her middle-upper leg.

ALSO when it comes to clothes, pretty much all of the fusions have clothes that they wear, even if it’s just a shirt (See Mutt and Momo.). Unless it’s a Slugma fusion situation, they will pretty much always have atleast one article of clothing. I don’t put distinguishable human nudity in any of the fusions, the closest you’d get to that is Mutt if he didn’t have a shirt on, or like I mentioned, the Slugma Fusion.

I hope this helped literally at all!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I’m not even sure if this made sense in any way at all aside from the impromptu fusion design brainstorming

[tiny-cloud-of-flowers]

Tell me a little (or a lot) about one of your newest OCs, and one of your oldest! ^w^ (dragonsmooch)

Oh!! I can certainly do that for you, dear Dragon!! Thank you so much for this!!

(source: this post (technically?))

Alright, so, for one of my newest OCs I'm going to pick Tsutsuji. She is an OC I created for the world of Final Fantasy XIV, and I've recently managed to figure out some more story I can give her, so now is as good a time as ever to talk about her, hopefully!

First of all, here are some screenshots I took to show you what she looks like. And from there, I can give you some facts about her!

Tsutsuji is approximately in her late twenties, and is exceptionally tall for a female Au Ra - though this may not be saying too much considering said exceptional height is only 158.5cm. For context, that's about 5'2.4", which makes her shorter than Lorenza. The fact she wears raised sandals does very little to actually help her in this regard.

Her pale-coloured scales and cranial projections identify her as a Raen Au Ra, and she is originally from somewhere in the Yanxian kingdom of Doma. However, she came to Eorzea some years ago, ostensibly on a whim in pursuit of further magical discoveries; the impending umbral calamity about to hit the region at the time, in the form of the moon turning red and falling out of the sky, did little to dissuade her.

On the note of story, Tsutsuji currently fits into it by being a potential Warrior of Light; she wouldn't really fit that mantle if there were other (more archetypal) adventurers in the vicinity, but she does at least have the Echo, which would probably make her a Scion (or at least quite associated with them). Given that she fights as a summoner, the fact she has faced down primals directly without much risk makes summoning egi forms of them a lot easier for her. She's also generally very magically capable, so she's definitely not someone you want to be up against in battle, lest you get ruined by three different types of elemental attacks in rapid succession.

More concretely, Tsutsuji is part of the alliances that raid the Crystal Tower, having joined NOAH's expedition in search of the Allagan knowledge within it. She uses some of the information she reads about on the way up, plus the convenient monumentally-enormous voidgate at the top of the tower, to successfully summon a certain voidsent to the Source in her entirety - this of course being Lorenza. The two of them do make a pact - Lorenza's knowledge in return for Tsutsuji's aether - but Tsutsuji is fairly happy with the information she gets from Lorenza, and basically just.. lets her go and do her own thing in the Source pretty quickly. It's a very unconventional dynamic for a voidsent and the mage that summoned them, and Lorenza is very baffled by it.

In terms of personality, Tsutsuji is.. chaotic, to sum it up succinctly. As you may have gathered from how I've described her thus far. Incredibly spontaneous and theatrical in her ideas, appearing and disappearing on any given scene quite without warning, never seeming to take a bad situation seriously or let it affect her emotions in the slightest.. this one-of-a-kind demeanour would be remarkable enough in its own right, but it's compounded by her incredible arcane knowledge and magical capabilities, so she manages to strike fear into just about every villainous soul you could come across. I'm trying to think of a good comparison, but I'm falling short. Maybe like.. Elena from Pokémon Reborn but with extra "super chaotic/energetic nerdy scientist" vibes.

The name "Tsutsuji" is actually an alias of sorts - it's the Doman word for azalea flowers, which she is always seen wearing in her hair (I know that's a chrysanthemum in the screenshots but it was as close as i could get in-game okay), so over time people started referring to her by them. She'll never introduce herself by this name (or any name at all, honestly), but she does answer to it if you call her by it.

While she doesn't tend to speak much of her family (or any of her past, really), Tsutsuji does have a younger sister called Ajisai (which translates to "hydrangea"). She has also made the arduous journey to Eorzea, but much later in the story, arriving by boat alongside Yugiri and many other Doman refugees during the main story. She wants to find her sister, but the way Tsutsuji conducts herself doesn't exactly make that very easy for her (the fact she isn't using her actual name, for example).

My current voice claim for Tsutsuji is Xingchen (Stardust), the Synth V vocal. Which technically doesn't quite fit, considering that Xingchen is a Mandarin Chinese vocal whereas Tsutsuji (being Doman) is supposed to be Japanese, but it's more about tone of voice than accent. It's specifically how she sounds in this song, particularly the higher parts in the choruses. However, if she ever sounds as low and subdued as the song's verses sound, You Have Done Something Very Wrong. Her voice is usually a lot more light-hearted and all-over-the-place in terms of its tone! ..The song still does kind of fit as like a boss fight theme of sorts for her, though, honestly.

..Oh, crumbs, this is long. Sorry. Let me make another, separate, post for the older OC (I'll tag you in it when I'm done with it)

Thank you very much for this opportunity, friend ;w;

[doubleddenden]

I genuinely am so excited for Sonic p-06. I have a lot of thoughts about taking a massacre and making it fun and my unironic love for the original 06.

Basically Sonic 06 was going to be this huge revolutionary game in the franchise, Basically the fabled "Sonic Adventure 3," and it had potential. Amazing music as usual, a pretty amazing concept for story, one of the darkest and most diabolical villains of the franchise ever- Lots of heart and soul was crammed into it.

Then... the assholes up top interfered. There's a few conflicting theories- Microsoft wanting it to be a 360 launch title, SEGA wanting it out BY CHRISTMAS- bottom line, corporate greed got in the way of artistic vision, and it was rushed before it could be completed to the detriment of EVERYONE.

What resulted is- as fans of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet will know- a buggy mess of a game thats pretty much mostly known for it. Unlike SV though- even though you could tell they were really trying with the story- it still needed some revising to iron out plot holes. Unlike SV as well, it didn't reuse the same mechanics and models from previous games verbatim, and was coming during the time when everyone hated the franchise and thought it was cool to shit on it for every little thing, so the gameplay was definitely lacking and the reception was definitely not up for debate: it was an utter failure that still chars gaming history. Because it failed, we pretty entered a timeline where we weren't allowed serious games anymore, and that's actually the last time in a 3d game that someone other than Sonic or basically a Sonic Clone would be playable.

But the thing is, as shit as the original 06 is, it was one of my favorite games because I sort of identified with it on a meta level, even if I didn't realize why at the time. I could see the potential of this humongous plot that to this day still has the highest stakes out of Sonic's history. I mean, Generations is a close second for similar reasons, but 06 basically had time erasure, world ending, the whole Iblis Trigger bit, AND you had to fight a literal bonafide god.

Also confession, I liked how they looked in this game vs everyone being squished down in following games. I know stylistically speaking the newer models are probably more on brand and I'm not a fan of the 06 mouths, but I like that they're a little taller and... realistic? I guess?

The stories, while maybe not being completely in character, and a little confusing considering other games (Blaze still confuses me), still had some really charming and amazing moments. Shadow's interactions with Omega and Rouge are some peak Team Dark bonding, Mephiles is downright diabolical and is really fun (and Dan Green basically being an evil Yami Yugi but unhinged and turned to 11? Good lord, brilliant shit), and his brief team up with Silver was actually pretty cool. Silver is such a fun design and concept, and I really felt for him considering the predicaments he was forced to live through- I especially hated that such a cool character came from a bad game, pretty much ruining any chance to play as him again in something other than the psp exclusive Rivals games or as a side character in spinoffs. Not to mention, the moment Blaze sacrificed herself for Silver and allowed him to see the bright blue sky in his own future? Heart jerking. And Sonic and Elise?... okay, the kiss was a little much, but their interactions really brought the best out of each other, and while Sonic doesn't really change, you can see him influence her for the better- and their last goodbye? Heart breaking.

All of this to say that 06 was Potential incarnate and I always knew it. P-06 just proves it from a mechanical angle, from speed being tweaked to all characters to Shadow being an even bigger combat driven badass, to Silver's MASSIVE improvement to his speed and psychokinetic powers and just straight up amazing visual improvements, and even just reworking characters like Amy, Knuckles, Tails, and Rouge to actually be fun to play as.

And the thing is, they didn't stop there. They added small little cut scenes too, added lip flaps and small animations in certain spots- this really intrigues me and just really makes me want to see the team try their hand at attempting to fix the story as well. By fix, I mean just fill in some plot holes, maybe write in some character interactions, and- the biggest thing for me personally- making Blaze's inclusion and non interaction/willing hunting of Sonic WAY LESS confusing. Another big plot hole: right at the beginning, where Elise sees Silver in a flaming battle field as she sees Sonic, only for this to never really happen or for her to be conscious to meet him as a child.

They don't have to do that. Lord knows DBZ has way more plot holes and is still enjoyed to this day. But maybe, just maybe, if they could? Oh the potential to take the worst game and turn it into the best game is ridiculously high. Hell, they could even make a plot about the original 06 being an alternative timeline and give a completely new ending here.

Even if they don't though, what the team has accomplished is still amazing. I reckon they're still going to be ironing out bugs and making tweaks- maybe even sprucing up the Last Episode and all the boss fights. If they make new content, maybe some levels for Knuckles and Omega would be fun.

I hope to be able to play some day.

[hwaksimpokemon]

give us your honest opinions on all of rainbow rocket, then. if you have time

Ooh, boy. Okay. Someone's going to show up at my house-

I do want to preface this by saying I don't agree with any of their actions relating to legendary pokémon. I'm talking about the person I interact with out of necessity at the meetings.

Maxie: Maxie's a bit... sharp around the edges. But he's not bad at all, really, once he trusts you a little bit. We've had our disagreements, sure. He really did not like me when we first met. We can talk, now. And it's nice.

Archie: Archie and I get along well! We have a similar outlook on a lot of things, especially on Giovanni's trapping methods. And he realizes now that his plans with Kyogre were a little... well, his intentions were good. Same as Maxie. The methods weren't. Archie is one of the few people at those meetings that does look out for me where he can, and I appreciate that.

Giovanni: Oh, Giovanni... I punched his lights out pretty recently. And it felt amazing. And I hated it. I hate being angry, I hate being violent when I don't need to be, but he just would not. Stop. Talking. And I needed him to shut up. I am so sick of the way he makes me feel, the way he makes me look to people around us- I hate that he makes me look stupid, makes me look weak. I despise the hold he has over me, and I hate that he won't tell me what he keeps me around more. ... I hate him.

Chairman Rose: Rose and I don't speak often. I barely even know what he does- he's not been at the meetings since I started attending, dealing with some 'personal issues' back in Galar. I really don't have a strong opinion either way on him.

Piers: I admire how he looks after N. I also admire his honesty. We don't talk much, but I think he's a good kid.

Ghetsis: I despise him. The way he treats both people and pokémon makes me sick. I healed his Hydreigon once after a battle, and it showed up at my house that night, that's how shit he is to it. He's a vile human being, and I don't know how Colress deals with him. He was almost nice to me once, when he made me a cup of tea, before promptly criticizing my husband for marrying a man. He also tried to kill my brother, and nearly killed me. Giovanni had to stop him.

N: Honestly, I don't really know what N is doing in our meetings. He's uncomfortable around Ghetsis, which is completely fair, and I don't think he even really wants to be there. I sit next to him. We have nice conversations. I gave him a fidget cube once when he was anxious, and he returned the favor at the next meeting. He's a good kid.

Colress: Colress is lovely. Redirecting his efforts to something beneficial now that he's not fully tied to Ghetsis is amazing, and he's genuinely just a lovely person. We've battled on occasion, and I've normally lost, but it's always a fun time. We play Scrabble together, and have a rule where you can spell words however you want. We are both dyslexic.

Lysandre: I have... mixed feelings on Lysandre. For reasons I can't really delve into. It would be unprofessional of me. I do want to say, though, that he never did anything to me directly. Of Rainbow Rocket, he is nowhere near the worst.

Lusamine: She was awful to her children, and I resent her for that. I'm also from Alola, and was visiting when she opened up the wormholes. She put my family in danger, and I resent that too. I know of nothing good she's ever done.

Cyrus: Cyrus is... complicated. One the one hand, he's friends with Kamiya (who I will get to, don't you fucking worry), but on the other, he's... decently pleasant when he visits. He comes over to my house every now and then, and we talk. I worry about him wandering the island so often. I hope he's alright.

Kamiya Sakoda: Where to fucking start with you, Kamiya? He helped me through my second divorce. Namely, he helped me realize the way my husband was treating me and my son. Let me stay at his house while I was figuring things out, and was generally helpful to me. Even set me up with my new husband. Then he got upset that my attention wasn't fully on him anymore. And he started being a dick. I had been hiding from my father, at the time- meeting with him and my brother occasionally, but not letting them know where I was staying. For my own safety. But they found out eventually, and dragged me out of my home to beat me. Twelve hours in, they called our family doctor (who just so happens to be Kamiya's fucking wife) so of course, he showed up. Carried me back to his house, insisted I stay for my own safety. Generally 'caring', when he wasn't hitting my injuries. Turns out, he was the one that told my father where I was. I was furious when I found out. Angry at him for doing such a thing, angry at myself for not seeing it coming- it was horrible. I'll never forgive him. For any of it.

Haruka: My ex-husband. The one Kamiya helped me get away from. I don't want to think about him.

Zero: Zero freaks me the fuck out. I'm sure that's probably his whole thing, but it works, and I don't like it. He's horrifying to look at, boring to talk to, and overall just not my cup of tea.

Lucio: Lucio is just plain unpleasant. He thinks he's better than he is, and it shows pathetically. His business is shady at best, and at worst, plain predatory. He also has an annoying habit of hurting people that work for me.

[glassmarcus]

Marcus' Super Picross Review

*Played and Written in January 2022. I generally still agree with it, but I'm less salty now.

It was the Summer of 2016. This was one of those summers where I was in-between college semesters. I’d work a 9-5 internship that wasn’t challenging or stressful, but due to the 1hr+ commute back and forth, was always draining. I’d come home from work every day and try to wind down with a video game. I didn’t have any energy to get my clam shell toaster of a laptop to fire up anything at a reasonable frame rate, nor did I have any hot new console games I wanted to play on my last gen hardware. My go to system to play was the Nintendo 3DS and the beginning of my summer was spent playing Pokémon: Alpha Sapphire. Pokémon is kind of the perfect game to play when you’re exhausted because it doesn’t demand much from you and you can pretty much go on autopilot the whole time. But I completed it pretty quickly, and the only post game to speak of was the hunt for Legendarys. I am a self proclaimed hater of Legendary Pokémon, so this didn't appeal to me. And unfortunately it was a hunt to catch Legendary Pokémon though, and not a hunt to exterminate them from existence, so I couldn't get invested.

I figured maybe I could buy something for cheap on the Nintendo E-shop next. I didn’t want to spend too much, but fickle as I was, even I knew a 5 -10 dollar game would make no difference in my attempts to stay on top of my college tuition. Sorting through the cheapest games on the digital store I came across a bunch of free products that I immediately wrote off as Free to Play shovel-ware. One did manage to catch my eye though. Pokémon Picross. I’d heard of Picross, but never actually played it. I knew there was a Mario Picross on the Game Boy and that it was pretty good, but Pokémon Picross flew right by me. It was indeed Free-to-Play, but my curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded it regardless. I did a quick google search and learned that the game does have a finite amount of content, so I wasn’t worried it would take over my life schedule forever like that One Piece mobile game I used to play did. I loaded up the game, played until I ran out of…play points??? Stamina?? I don’t know what terminology was used, but it was whatever currency that recharged each day to get you to play it daily. By the end of the play session I realized something very profound about myself. I like Picross.

At first it was just a fun “fill in the blanks” sort of game. Look at what each row and column require and make a cute picture based on those rules. Pokémon Picross had a unique take on the Picross formula that I didn’t realize was unique until I played other Picross games. Each puzzle represents a Pokémon you can catch. Each Pokémon has a power that automatically fills out squares in a different pattern. You had to strategically use your Pokémon to fill out the Picross within the time limit and it was so visually simple, yet mentally stimulating. My brain would be completely dead after my commute back from work and playing Picross would never fail to resurrect it. In retrospect, the way you have to build a team of “Pokemon” to effectively solve Nonograms (that’s what Picross puzzles are actually called fyi) is brilliant and I want it to be expanded on in other games. It’s a wonderful system, but it doesn’t relate to why I love Picross so much.

There are Nonograms in Pokémon Picross which you are not allowed to use Pokémon on. Some of these puzzles seemed impossible to solve without having at least a few automatically filled squares. At first glance it appeared like I was face to face with a guessing game. At 14th glace it appeared like I was face to face with a guessing game. But at that 15th glance I saw something else. I stopped looking at what squares could and had to be filled out and instead started viewing what couldn’t be filled out. Only then did I catch a glimpse into what the true form of the matrix really was. An intricate nonlinear string of raw logic. You look at the Nonogram and get stuck thinking you’ve done everything you can, but when you analyze every line and extinguish every impossibility, you WILL succeed. You may not succeed as quickly as you’d like. You may not do it in an efficient or clean way. But it will be done. And that’s the true beauty of it all. Every good Nonogram is built upon this one comforting adage as it’s foundation “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth”. Going from hopelessly stuck, to finding that one chink in the proverbial armor is the most satisfying feeling in any puzzle game I’ve laid my hands on. Because when you find that one pixel you overlooked, endless possibilities(or impossibilities) cascade one after the other. It’s the puzzle equivalent of landing a chunky combo in a fighting game when your back is against the wall. Every difficult Nonogram has the potential to become it’s own underdog story where the hero narrowly slinks by with the W.

It didn’t take long for me to get hooked on Picross, and I could no longer bare playing only the 30 minutes of free Picross the game allowed per day. I bought Mario Picross from the E-shop and got to experience a Picross game with no gimmicks. I also started playing Picross online during my breaks at work. I became a Picross fiend. If I hadn’t played Dark Souls later that same summer, Picross would probably be the defining game of that year for me. I eventually caved and just bought enough extra time in Pokémon Picross so that I could play whenever I wanted to until I beat it. Yea, I paid money for a Free to Play game like some kind of sucker. That’s how bad I had the Picross bug. Eventually I took a break from Picross and only stuck to playing Picross games online when I felt like it. Every once and a while I’d pick up a new Picross game that had a nice twist such as Murder by Numbers or Pictoquest, but I didn’t fall back in hard until recently.

So I guess I can start writing about the game now.

Around one year back, Mario's Super Picross was added to the Nintendo Switch Online Library. I had no idea this game existed and that was because it was never released outside of Japan and PAL regions. I just got around to it near the end of 2021 out of sudden curiosity only to find that this has not been translated in the slightest. I had to navigate through this game using nothing but past knowledge of how UI are typically designed. I’m pretty sure I completed everything the game has to offer, but I can’t be certain. There could have been a hint mechanic for all I knew, not that I’d ever use it. In fact I think there was something like that, but I had no clue how to work the damned thing and it would just result in me messing up the puzzle.

Lack of translations aside, Mario's Super Picross is probably the best and worse Picross game when it comes to the quality of the Nonograms themselves. Everything else is pretty par for the course. It’s the logical evolution of the first Mario Picross. The original only had the gimmick of a roulette that fills out 1 row and 1 column. Everything else is a pure Picross. While it’s delightful, it’s a bit limited. The Nonogram Grids in Mario's Picross max out at 15X15. 15X15 is fine enough, but after a while that becomes a bit too easy. Mario's Super Picross was released on the Super Famicon, and thus assumes you aren’t squinting your way though the game on a tiny screen. Because of this, you are given 20X20 and even 20X25 grids to work with. They can get pretty grueling, but that only makes them more satisfying to overcome.

The difficulty of the grids aren’t even that much of factor in determining these as quality Nonograms. I may have understated the importance earlier, but the image produced upon completion of the puzzle is integral to the gameplay loop. Slowly filling in the canvas with pixels and then figuring out the intended scene is gratifying on a completely separate level. By the end of the puzzle you won’t just feel like you solved a problem, you’ll feel like you really built something. Super Picross is good at having the Picross image be something with a strong silhouette. You can still solve it by following the rules, but eventually you can also solve it by knowing what the image is supposed to look like. Recent Picross games do not follow this philosophy. They are reliant on color to make the image for them. It’s sort of why I fell off the last Picross Game I played before this, Hatsune Miku: Logic Paint S. The completed image makes no sense in black and white and then presto, you have a cute colorful anime girl’s face.

Mario’s Super Picross does just about everything right, outside of a few quality of life changes modern games would have such as: locking in completed rows and columns and graying out numbers that are already used. I would say it’s the quintessential Picross experience…. as long you don’t play through the entirety of the Wario Campaign. Mario’s Super Picross is split into 2 Parts: The Mario Levels and the Wario Levels. The Mario Levels are akin to most levels in the original. Nonograms of increasing size that you have to solve within a time limit. Any mistake you make takes minutes off the timer, and the amount of minutes increases exponentially after each mistake. And like I said before, you can use a roulette to knock out a row and a column if you chose to do so. These levels are perfect I’d say. Once you do these you unlock the Wario campaign. Wario is Picross in it’s truest form. No roulette, no timer, no alerts for when you make a mistake. Just you and the Nonogram, locked into a room until one of you remains standing. It’s the best part of the game as it test your confidence in your Picross skills. It’s also the worst part of the game because it breaks that cardinal law of Picross I described earlier.

It was around the last few levels of the Wario puzzles where the challenge started to get real nasty. My deductive abilities had never been pushed this far and I could feel my true Picross powers awaken in the heat of battle like some sort of Bleach episode. They were tough, but I was only becoming more confident in my strength. And much like my confidence in every aspect of myself, it quickly shattered. I soon was face to face with seemingly the most complex Nonogram yet. It was a 20X25 full of 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s with very little symmetry. This was an indomitable beast. I tried my best to box it in, but I just couldn’t do it. I analyzed every angle and every approach, but there was no guaranteed move I could make no matter how hard I looked at it. After 2 hours I caved and looked up the solution, and upon my search I saw some forum post talking about, not just this puzzle, but other similar puzzles near the end of the Wario Campaign. It was then I learned that I didn’t fail Picross; Picross failed me.

There was no logically sound way to solve this. Trial and Error was required and I don’t think I’ve ever been more betrayed in my life. This is a side of Picross I did not like one bit. For hours I studied this thing, thinking there was something wrong with my approach. Everything before this point could be reasoned with, but suddenly the game expects you to just pick an equally valid option, hope it’s the right one and then keep on going. After the paradigm shift became apparent, I wasn’t slowed down too much. I had glorious emulation technology on my side, I can just reload a state when I fuck the puzzle up beyond repair. That’s not the point though. It’s designed so that you shouldn’t have to do that, so it’s infuriating for the game to go back on that design and not say anything about it. Pretending like everything is as hunky dory as it used to be. Why am I being Gaslit by Picross? Why am I being Gaslit by WARIO??

Only a handful of these Nonograms require guesswork, but I didn’t know that before hand. Every puzzle after this point had a high chance of being bullshit as far as I knew. The trust was broken and the illusion faded. I couldn’t take any of the puzzles seriously because I was so paranoid about the skullduggery that could lie at every corner. I only gained some pep in my step when I finished the Wario Levels (and the Special Wario Levels (and the ULTRA Wario Levels)) and unlocked the EX Mario levels. The Mario levels don’t expect perfection from you, thus I don’t expect perfection from them. If there’s a suspect Nonogram on the grid, I’ll only lose like two minutes of time when the grift occurs. No big deal at the end of the day. But once I finished EX Mario Levels (and the Secret EX Mario Level) I unlocked the EX Wario levels (and of course the Secret EX Wario level (and how could we forget the OTHER EX Wario Level(But let’s not leave out The Third Ex Wario Level))). This last batch of Wario levels straight up wilted me and I almost regret doing them.

I looked at that completed 300 Puzzle File and it filled me with nothing but apathy. I wasn’t glad it was over, but I kinda was. I felt proud I completed it, but also I wasn’t. I can tell the designers were trying to include more content, but they went too far. If there were about as many puzzles in this game as there were the previous one, the game would be immaculate. It would have ended on a high note at least. Instead, we had pernicious padding to make sure the game has exactly 300 puzzles, regardless of how poorly thought out they might get. To bring up Pokémon one more time, Mario's Super Picross is the Pokémon Generation 5 Pokédex of Picross Games to me. There’s a lot of great Nonograms in there, but also some that weighed on my soul. Still a good time, the majority of the journey is satisfying, but the picture at the end of the puzzle is not as beautiful as I’d like it to be.

[elizabethvonbean]

Pokémon Violet, beat December 28th.

Just to get the easy stuff out of the way, this game looks and runs like shit. Like there were some times the environments looked okay (usually at night) but most the time it was poopy and low res (Not that Pokémon has really ever been good at environments). And the performance is just constantly god awful it’s genuinely so fucked up. I did really like how the characters and Pokémon themselves looked however, but the low resolution certainly made them look a bit crusty. Sometimes the animations were cool but a lot of the times they were very simple or janky. Speaking of jankiness the game has a lot of it. Sometimes it’s funny, a lot of times it kinda fucks up the flow of the game, especially with the bad performance and load times, and honestly is probably why I dropped it for over a year. I don’t know what they did to this game but I really want it to be fixed. But it’s been over a year with some patches and dlc already so idk man.

Now for the rest. The game is quite fun! The performance makes it feel so much worse than it needs to but I was still able to find a lot of enjoyment despite all of that. The general changes and improvements to core Pokémon gameplay elements are so nice too, although strangely a few things were missing from Legends Arceus (likely due to the games being developed at the same time and coming out in the same year) but generally speaking everything about finding mons and battling them and catching them feels a lot snappier than before (when it works)

As always the music and character designs are great. I don’t think any Pokémon game has ever missed with that, lots of good tunes and scrunklies. I really like how the game’s dynamic music is implemented and also how they went about doing character model textures and lighting, they look pretty nice all things considered. I really liked the rivals and their personalities too, and interactions between them in the last stretch of the game particularly were fun. There were a lot of times however where I felt like nothing was kinda happening until that last stretch though, as it was more linear, but I guess that’s how it goes with open world games. Particularly I felt like every single twist was very easily predictable due to the constant blatant hints and that most of the ideas, while pretty cool in concept, were kinda rushed past and didn’t get a lot of exploration.

Overall, pretty fun and charming game that would probably be one of my favorite Pokémon games if not for the god awful performance, load times, and jankiness that affects the gameplay more than it usually does for me, they really needed more time. I might get the dlc just because I’ve heard some cool things about it but I’m not sure.

Also shoutouts to Penny, Nemona, and also my team! I really liked them :)

[vveakfish]

re: tags on lrb

thinking abt the journey and a half my DC hyperfixation has been.

I was a DCAU only girlie for so long. (BTAS, Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, YJtv, GLtv). I enjoyed the DCEU too, but i was WAY too wrapped up in MCU brain-rot to dive too deeply into those. But that was it. Zero interest in comics themselves as a lil squirt.

Eventually I stopped caring abt the DCEU entirely. (around WW’84, tho it had nothing to do with that movie, i just never saw it — and didnt see any of the movies that came after). And got WAY into Marvel™. And i kinda just rode that wave.

When Marvel started branching out into shows i was HYPED — esp since they started that shit off with WandVision. I’d always loved Wanda, and the fact that they brought Billy and Tommy in was all i needed to push me into reading comics

i tore through the young avengers (UGH i miss them <;/3), and other titles associated with them, and was having a blast. At some point around the season finale of Loki (good show, this was just also how the cookie crumbled) I just fell off Marvel in general. A lot of this probably had to do with school ramping up around this time — but i stopped reading comics & watching their shows and movies almost entirely.

Around this time tho, bc i Missed reading comics — i started reading webcomics. And as much as i enjoyed reading Marvel comics for that short period of time, webcomics were what made me fall in love with Comics™ as a medium.

6th semester ended, i was elbows deep in world building for my own webcomic project, and started watching anime while working on it. Again, anime was always one of those things i enjoyed (Digimon, Sailor Moon, and Pokémon were some of the most influential pieces of media in my entire childhood), but my love for it as an art form was really solidified during this time

[side note: can you Tell i was dealing with art school shit during all of this? couldn’t turn the critique brain off literally Ever, so anything i enjoyed got put under the art student lens]

But my interest in anime stayed entirely on the animated side of things for a Long Ass Time. It wasn’t until Jujutsu Kaisen that i got shoved headlong into manga. God that stupid fucking anime changed my life, ANYWAY.

I finished the anime (umm maybe like. 5 times), and then HAD to know what happened next. So i devoured the manga. Every spare moment i had was spent reading it, until i was Done. then i was like orz. what do u do now ??

The answer was do the exact same thing with Demon Slayer. which was ALSO a life changing experience. read 鬼滅の刃 pls pls pls

Now. When i finished KNY, i was also like *head in hands* how do i even keep on living?? But this was also while working on my thesis project, and still doing a lot of work on the side as far as my own comic was concerned. (like… 60k words worth of world building & drafting scripts + designing characters), so its not like i had all that much free time.

anyway — i finished up my 8th semester, and barely gave myself a chance to breathe before i threw myself into working on my comic practically full time.

I was working on a one shot to submit to a contest for Webtoon, and they were asking for a pretty substantial amount of content (60+ panel Action comic one shot. and I, as always, love to make things harder on myself, so i think in one of the later drafts it ended up having over 100 panels).

needless to say, i Did Not finish the oneshot in time (its still not done to this day T~T i’ll come back for you forge, dont worry). But, toward the end of that… 3 month span of feverishly working on this project, i found myself falling in love with DC all over again.

I mentioned YJtv before, but that show was Also something that changed my life as a 10 year old.

(its really funny to think about that show now & how it’s release date lines up with the beginning of the N52 continuity, and how both the show & that particular reboot are so strongly disliked by a vast majority of DC’s fanbase — but thats a post for another day)

I’ve rewatched the show at least once a year since my roommate let me start using their HBOMax login. I know seasons 1 and 2 like the back of my hand bc of how much i watched them growing up, and i like season three well enough. But the thing was that on this unsuspecting summer night, i was about to discover that there were New Episodes.

Dude i was hyped, i was losing my shit. I had resigned myself to the knowledge that this show was never coming back. I was okay with it too. But here it was, alive and kicking after what felt like forever.

Heres the thing tho. They killed off Kon.

okay not really, but at the Time boy boy was Dead, and i was devastated. Thats My Boy. He had been my favorite character from the jump, and i did not know how to process him being gone. So i took a break from the show, and turned to ao3 instead.

At this point i was Not an avid fic reader. I wasn’t an avid reader period – outside of manga – but i had read a few really good fics recommended to my by some of my JJK pals. So i looked at the Kon-El | Conner Kent character tag on ao3 and just scrolled until i found something interesting.

In this case: a Timkon fic (this one in particular).

I knew who Tim was before this (He shows up in YJtv. He's there in BTAS), but I had never thought about him and Kon as... anything really. In the versions of them i was familiar with, they don't interact all that much. They're from different generations of heroes, but i was like, hey, what the hell this sounds cute. And man oh man, it was all down hill from there.

I read more TimKon fic, and just fell in love with them. But i was also... confused. Like... why do these two guys have such a robust fanbase... wheres the link.

THAT is what pushed me to start reading Detective Comics Comics for the first time. I wanted to get to know these guys For Real, and the only way to do that was by digging into the source material.

This post is So long oh shit. I have thoughts about How I got to know the kiddos & how the comics i read (as well as the order i read them in) have influenced my understandings of these little guys. But i think thats a post for another day. I have other things to do than write out a post about my media consumption habits

o7 signing off.