#reintroduced me to pokémon as a whole

[front-facing-pokemon]

[rosebloodcat]

Poor I had an idea while thinking of the time trav l hopscotch for an alternative way the hopscotchera met younger Ingo. Basically Elsa is introducing them to the single most important form of transportation they need to be aware of when it comes to a big city like Nimabasa, the subway! Naturally she explains that she has a couple of really dorky conductor friends so they are expecting to see someone when they walked down the stairs and into the main entrance of the Subway, they jsut expect those someone’s to be a pair of twins in a very familiar uniform.

They’re waiting for them in the crowd next to a brass band that playing, Emmet is dancing to the music while Ingo is nodding along and tapping his foot. Bother Electross and Chandelure are out and swaying alongside Emmet when Elesa comes jogging up to them with the hopscotchers. Irida and Akari let out gasps the moment they see him, one of his rare smiles on his face as he watches his brother dancing.

“Ingo! Emmet!! Hiya, guys, you seem to being Electabuzzing today, is that an actual smile Ingo!?” Elesa grins as the boys turn to her, Emmet quickly patting down his coat to regain some measure of professionalism when he notices her guests.

“Hi Elesa! I am verrry excited, it’s really lovely today with a new band and…” Emmet begins a sIngo is busy recalling their Pokémon before suddenly freezing, “…was that a pun?”

Elesa just grins while Ingo lets out a snort, having caught onto the pun himself. Pokémon now recalled, he steps up the introduce himself,

“I’m Ingo and this is Emmet, we’re the Subway Masters. Welcome to Gear Station, Elesa has told us a lot about you.”

The group share a small glance with each other before awkwardly reintroducing themselves to their friend. Theo whole white Emmet is groaning as Elesa continually throws out more and more bad puns until…

“Come now, Emmet. We’re here to help conduct these folk to the correct route so they may arrive at their destination safely, no need to be Gloomy about it.”

Emmet nods along and was about to open his mouth to agree when his brothers words registered,

“UGH! BETRAYED BY MY OWN FLESH AND BLOOD!! Elesa you have contaminated my brother with your horrible sense of humor!!”

Both Elesa and Ingo bust out laughing while Irida hides a smile behind her hand while Akari giggles and Adaman and Laventon are failing to hide their snickering. It seems the Ingo of this era is a bit more outgoing than they expected, but still quite a pleasant fellow who apparently likes to tease his younger twin. And apparently had a terrible sense of humor and a love of puns to go with it!

XD

Love me some good, bad puns. And it seems the same can be said for Ingo and Elesa.

[nordic-language-love]

Langblr Activation Challenge: Introduction Post

To be fair, I think it’s time to reintroduce myself anyway. Thank you @languagessi for this challenge!

Basics

My name is Jo (or Victoria, or Yoana, or Jonna, or Jen, depending on what language I’m speaking/where you know me from)

I’m 28 years old

I’m English and I’ve lived in England my entire life (although I would very much like to leave)

I’m a pole dancer, aerialist, fire performer, stilt-walker and aspiring contortionist (I have a side blog for that if you’re interested)

(I also do boring admin shit and proofreading for my dad’s IT company by day but that’s nowhere near as exciting as my performer/teaching job)

INFP-T

~55% Gryffindor, 45% Hufflepuff

BSc Nutrition, MSc Sport & Exercise Nutrition

Hopefully, providing I can secure funding, I’ll be going back to uni to study Psychology with Counselling in September!

Languages

My primary target language is Norwegian. I’ve been learning it on and off since 2016, but I started taking it more seriously last year. I’m now at a B1/B2 level. I primarily write bokmål, but I sometimes dabble in nynorsk, and I’m trying to learn a little stavangersk too.

I’m dabbling a little in Icelandic and Finnish. Recently I’ve started picking up Finnish properly.

I currently take Spanish classes, although I’m debating dropping it at the end of the academic year

I’ve also been learning about Setswana, although that’s taken a back seat recently as I’ve been more preoccupied with other projects

I’m forever resisting the urge to learn Korean (I will learn it one day, but the time isn’t right yet)

I’m interested in a lot of other languages, including German, Italian, Japanese, Old Norse, Old English, Polish, Arabic, Swahili, Dutch and others

I have a really niche interest in comparing the similarities and differences between different Norwegian dialects and other northern germanic languages

I love etymology and I’m interested in linguistics as a whole, although I don’t know enough about linguistics to know specifically which areas interest me

Non-Language Interests

As mentioned above, I’m interested in circus and aerial arts

I like reading, although I don’t do it as much as I want to (feel free to add me on Goodreads)

I’m an amateur writer (yes I have a writeblr too), and although I dream of getting something published, I’m not sure it’ll ever happen. I quite like just writing for myself really!

I love Pokémon and I’ve been playing since RBY. My favourite is Eevee :)

Other video games I like include Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and Final Fantasy (VII, X and XII are my faves)

I play piano quite poorly, sing fairly okay and own a guitar, bass, two saxophones and a flute (none of which I play on a regular basis)

Okay this was less of an introduction and more like my entire life story lol hope you enjoyed it

[non-binary-laurie-strode]

My Sword and Shield #Thots

So, this weekend I bulldozed my way through Sword and Shield. I know that they had leaked beforehand, but I did not look at the leaks because I wanted to play the game blind, as I haven't played Pokémon blind since like 2007 with Pearl. And because of that, I had to stay off of social media for a couple of days, because I follow too many Pokémon accounts, and I am sure I would have seen something had I stuck around. (I did actually see Sobble's final evo's head and the witch hat girl beforehand, but I recognised what those posts were and just scrolled away quickly.) So, I started at like 3pm on Saturday and just chugged away until last night, when I got the final "The End" screen and officially beat the post-game!

Anyway, here are my #Thots! (Obviously, spoilers.)

* We were supposed to get Shield because I wanted the cotton-candy Ponyta, but Amazon sent us Sword instead. Which is fine by me, as I like Zacian more than Zamazenta (and, from my competitive friends who have already dipped into competitive SWSH, Zacian seems like the better choice so yay), and you can get Deino in Sword. But I do want G-Ponyta and Larvitar especially, of the Shield exclusives. So if you have extras, heyyyyyy.

* My final team was Inteleon, Corviknight, Toxtricity, Flygon, and Excadrill. I also had Thievul, Meowth (the long boi event Meowth), Orbeetle, and Centiscorch all in the sixth slot of my team, but I never really used them all that much. Meowth was good in the early game (especially with Pay Day), and Centiscorch notably took down the Dark gym, but otherwise they were just kind of there.

* Of the starters, I have to say that, while I love the base forms and the final form of Scorbunny and like the final Sobble form, I don't know if I would call them the most cohesive starters we've ever had. Like, Sobble's whole crybaby thing just vanishes when you get to Drizzile, and I don't see anything in Sobble that would even hint at Inteleon's spy gimmick. They're the cutest base forms, but the finals are... something. (Also Cinderace totally has a harness, I will not hear anything against that.)

* Also, idk the movesets of the other two starters, but Inteleon, you have got to get a better movepool. I literally ran around with Snipe Shot, Liquidation, Water Pulse, and Tearful Look through the end of the game because it just... doesn't learn anything by levelup. It's Watermove, Watermove, Watermove, Watermove over and over. I got the TR for Ice Beam after beating the final antagonists of the post-game, so at least I have that now!

* So the starters are kind of Hm, but overall I do really really like the dex in general. The designs all feel so whimsical. Like, they are very plainly by the same guy who gave us Vanilluxe and stuff in gen 5; but again, they're very fun. Falinks made me !!!!! when I first saw it because it's such a simple concept but I had never thought of it until now. I love the witch hat girls, and I need to find one. Cursola, as an evolution of Corsola which died due to climate change, is just brilliant.

* The idea of bringing over the Raid battles from Go is a neat idea. It's a very convenient way of allowing them to reintroduce Pokémon that they couldn't fit into the game normally by making them Raid battle events. (Which is kind of the Thing To Do in game nowadays: Run constant events so that people have a reason to keep playing the game and keeping your hype alive.)

* I hope we never get the Eternatus Max form because that thing would be absolutely broken in competitive. The Primal Hoenn mons warped all metagames in which they were allowed around them, and so I don't need to say that we don't need an 1100+ BST mon causing the endtimes.

* There are only a few clues that they ran out of time making this. Like, we're all aware Nintendo has Pokémon on a strict annual release schedule for like the exact same weekend in November, right? And Let's Go PikaVee was totally just padding so Sword and Shield could have more time? Like, Animal Crossing is a low priority franchise for Nintendo, so they can totally get an entire year-long delay because they're not ready, but I feel like the big money would have had someone's head if Pokémon had tried to get a delayed release. But like, there are definitely some graphical moments where it's like, Oh, you needed more time to do polish this up. Hop's catching of his Wolf is probably the most "You couldn't animate that any better? :/" moment, but also the tree textures and the overworld shadows are rough. They just needed time to clean up the art in a few places. But overall, it's like 9/10 for everything else they managed to create. Like, it's definitely a very pretty, very detailed game except for those little blemishes.

* I also have to laugh at that one angry, over-the-top discourse post that circulated a few days before SWSH's official release which was like, Game Freak doesn't care!!! They'll just make bad product without even trying and people will eat it up!!! The final scene of SWSH is literally a slideshow because they couldn't be bothered to work on it any more!! And it's like... That's hilarious in how incorrect it is. I was totally waiting for a slideshow moment at the Champion match and at the very end of the post-game, and it just never happened. There is ONE cut to stylised art, and it's when the villain is moodily gazing out a window at the moon while giving the audience the typical villain monologue, and honestly, it works so much better than an actual in-game model just standing there. So, you look like a fool for spreading that.

* Overall: I really really loved it, and it was pretty much everything I wanted. It exceeded my expectations, honestly: I was so worried it was going to be Bad because of the whole time crunch resulting in Dexit, and I guess everyone's negativity got to me. But honestly honestly? It's right up there with Black and White with how much I genuinely enjoyed playing through it. It's a very pleasant experience. And I feel like the whole Wild Area is the best post-game situation they've left us in to keep us playing the game. So it's got some longevity to it. I would for sure recommend it if you enjoy Pokémon at all because I really did love it.

So yeah, on to grinding up a team for competitive!

[puclpodcast]

Pokemon of the Week #44 – Tyranitar

Stomp…Stomp…Stomp…Crash!!!…ROOOOAAAAARRR!!!

“Run for your lives Tyranitar is rampaging through PUCLcon! No Thatch, don’t try to be a hero you can’t fight him off with your barehands”. “But Pokemon are my friends, I have to protect them”, said Thatch. Thatch used Charm and the wild Tyranitar was calmed just as its flamethrower was about to roast Thatch alive. Welcome friends to Pokemon of the Week #44, I am your guide SumtimesIFly, and today we are going to crunch our way through information on one of the most consistently strong Pokemon ever seen, Tyranitar. So grab your Safety Goggles, throw on your Overcoats, and lets get to it.

National Dex #248 – Tyranitar

Description: The Armor Pokemon Type: Rock / Dark Abilities: Sand Stream Hidden Ability: Unnerve Competitive: [Smogon OU] Evolution: Larvitar -> Level 30 -> Pupitar -> Level 55 -> Tyranitar -> Tyranitarite -> Mega Tyranitar

Origin: Tyranitar’s origins appear to be that of a kaiju, namely Godzilla. Apparently it is based on the Armadillo Girdled Lizard in real life which would explain the Sand Stream ability since they are sand dwellers, but I don’t quite see the resemblance. Its name is a combination of tyrant and (I looked up all english words that fit) either Scimitar or Guitar…I think the “-itar” part is just a cool way of ending its name. Original Appearance: Pokemon Gold and Silver Dex Entry [Ruby]: Tyranitar is so overwhelmingly powerful, it can bring down a whole mountain to make its nest. This Pokémon wanders about in mountains seeking new opponents to fight. Shiny:

  TCG:

Fates Collide

Ancient Origins

Ancient Origins

Analysis:

Tyranitar has one of the oddest evolution lines until the Flygon line. Unlike Flygon however, there is no real world equivalent explanation for the cocoon like transformation of Pupitar. None the less Larvitar has to be one of the cutest baby pseudo-legendary Pokemon out there. Tyranitar’s design is from Generation 2 so it goes without saying that not only does it look great, like a terrifying mountain monster, but also very clean. Competitively, it has always had a place in the meta with well above the mean base stats and an aggressive offensive typing.

One of Tyranitar’s most useful traits is its ability, Sand Stream. Not only does Sand offer great synergy with other top tier Pokemon like Excadrill and Mega Garchomp (and if you are cheeky Sand Veil Garchomp), it also innately boosts the Special Defense of Rock types including itself. Unnerve is almost never the right choice unless it is reintroduced to a future VGC format and your team doesn’t synergize with weather. Its stats are perfectly balanced between Attack and bulk, allowing it to fill any roll from wall to all out attacker. I know I used to use it to counter Talonflame back in the era of always active Gale Wings. When it Mega Evolves its relevant stats all get substantial boosts including a nice Speed boost that will come into play later.

Because of its monstrous origins, Tyranitar also has a monstrous movepool. For STAB its best moves are Stone Edge (yes despite the accuracy) and Crunch. For coverage it gets all the punches, Bolt/Beam combo, Iron Head, Earthquake, and Superpower. Finally for utility Tyranitar is rocking Taunt, Roar/Dragon Tail, Pursuit, Rock Polish, Dragon Dance, Snarl, Stealth Rock, and if your opponent ever rests it will even appear in their Nightmares. Honestly this only scratches the surface, it has so many moves that I loved picturing it learning like Outrage, Whirlpool, and Focus Punch that I do suggest you check it out yourself.

The most common set in the current meta is Choice Band because the extra power is needed with the bulkier teams running around. I remember in ORAS it used to run scarf instead. Nowadays it even switches to Adamant for more power. Max Speed investment is there to out speed Mawile and slow Landorus. It runs the Stone Edge/Crunch combo for power, and Earthquake for Magearna, Heatran, and Tapu Koko. The final move slot is what I think sets Tyranitar apart from others which is being a top tier Pursuit trapper. Its bulk means it doesn’t have to rely on Speed to counter things like Scarf Lele or Latios and guarantee a knock out on them with Pursuit. Another set I’ve seen is a bulkier Assault Vest. In Sand Tyranitar’s Special Defense is through the cave’s roof allowing you to check many Special threats and get off some Adamant attacks. The move set is up to you but I would recommend Ice Punch to try and catch incoming Landorous and maybe Dragon Tail so you aren’t set up fodder.

Mark331

Mega Tyranitar is exactly like Tyranitar but with bigger spikes and slightly better stats…right? Almost, that little boost in Speed is just enough so that when it uses Dragon Dance it reaches a much better Speed tier to start sweeping. Almost every Mega Tyranitar set runs Dragon Dance for this reason. Move choice is key here and greatly depends on what your team has a hard time dealing with. The most popular is Stone Edge for a strong STAB, Ice Punch for Landorus, and Fire Punch for Ferrothorn/Scizor/Magearna. Oh no now you don’t have Dark coverage or without Pursuit you can’t trap Latios and your team has a hard time beating Latios otherwise. Maybe you need Thunder Punch for Tapu Fini. There are a lot of choices and only after analyzing your team and performing some key Damage Calculations will you come up with your optimal moveset.

Tyranitar is the big bad, striking fear into travellers from Mt. Silver to Terminus Cave. Look at its moves, Snarl, Nightmare, Scary Face. To counteract all that evil I have a less threatening set this week, for those of you more avid battlers, let me know your thoughts and if you have any desire to test it yourselves (I don’t think that’s a good idea this time)! Welcome suicide lead Tyranitar. It runs Taunt, Stealth Rock, Fling, and Stone Edge. For stats you want max Speed and max Attack. Here is how the battle goes. You encounter an enemy trainer and Tyranitar greets their Pokemon by placing a crown, Kings Rock, on its head causing it to flinch in delight. Then you Taunt your enemy with some friendly banter, and on the third turn you show them some of your favourite Stealth Rocks. At this point it has done its job and greeted the opponent with the utmost respect. What is this! After your friendly Taunt the enemy has attacked you, this demands retribution, you must unleash the fury of the mountain upon them with Stone Edge getting off whatever damage you can before you are KO’d. The success of this set mostly depends on how its Speed lines up against other leads to ensure the Taunt works and honestly Fling is not nearly as good as Focus Sash + Counter would be (if Landorus Earthquakes turn 1 it is good bye Landorus) but I really like Fling.

When you were exploring the wonders of Mt. Silver in the Pokemon Gold and Silver maybe you should be thankful that all you encountered was Red the strongest trainer in the region, instead of the sleeping mama Tyranitar that was only a few paces behind him barely outside of your gameboy’s view box. Until next time, SumtimesIFly

  from Pokemon of the Week #44 – Tyranitar