#since i finally evolved them into polteageist...

[rubynymphyy]

Galette [she/it], chandelure*, naughty and strongly defiant! Ability: Flame Body.

the only member of my kitakami team who didn't get a design during pokeddexy~ I shiny hunted for it as a lampent for a long time and did not realize... that shiny chandelure... was those colours.... I appreciate her but wow compared to normal chandelure the shiny is.. underwhelming.

[marshmallowprotection]

hello hello. i dont know if you're into pokemon but I started playing Violet the other day and I tend to nickname my pokemon after whatever my current hyperfixation is so ofc right now they're getting mysme nicknames (right now my charcadet is (suit) Saeran (gonna evolve into ceruledge), my kirlia is Ray (gonna evolve into gardevior). i plan to catch a sneasel/weavile for unknown (totally didnt get the idea from an art i saw). Trying to pick something for saeyoung but nothing has felt right yet. an electric type? fire? maybe a dog pokemon bc with his loved ones saeyoung is both an excited puppy AND a guard dog)

ANYWAY so I started wondering about everyone's favorite twins and pokemon

What kind of pokemon do you think saeyoung and the various saerans would have? what would they be if they WERE pokemon? in a canon setting would they play pokemon?

i can see saeyoung with fire/steel/electric types, especially robot- or machine-like pokemon. ray/ge saeran with grass types is obvious, but I can also see him with fairy types. theyre deceptively cute but can mess you up. suit and unknown scream dark type teams. maybe some poison types for unknown. like i think he'd have team rocket/[insert region team] grunt-esque pokemon.

saeyoung and all of the saeran's have at least one pokemon (probably their first/partner) that they found abandoned and in bad shape that they took in and it decided to stay with them after it recovered.

maybe they have an espeon (saeyoung) and an umbreon (saeran) to complement their "we're opposites but in a balanced and complimentary way" vibe.

and also bc i must inflict this on all my faves who are convinced they're bad and unlovable: at least one pokemon on their team evolves with high friendship/affection. even better if for some reason he doesn't know what causes that pokemon to evolve and he maybe cries a little when he finds out. what do you mean he's LOVED??

ANYWAY sorry for the really long ramble haha. this was supposed to be a short ask but it kinda got away from me 😅 anyway, i hope you have a good day!! i love your writing and character analyses!!

Oh, you've come to the right person today, because I spend my time stressing out over what Pokemon I would use on their teams if I ever wrote a story for it. I've done this a few times before but I can never really make my mind up so I wouldn't say that this is a concrete idea. So, here is a slider I would use for Ray > Suit Saeran > GE Saeran. I think some of it is self-explanatory. I suggest dark, ghost, and grass if anything.

Phantump for a Ray who feels lost and dead to the world. Polteageist for his desire to feel like a prince in his haunted castle. Budew for a boy who can't be fully blossomed just yet... but, he's so close to that chance. Suit Saeran would only use one Pokemon in my mind and it's Banette. A Pokemon that happens to be seeking revenge in the same way he is. It might seem like a major stretch but mega evolution seems incredibly possible in this situation.

Shaymin is the Pokemon of gratitude and I feel like it would appear in the garden when he is in the process of thanking you for being there with him as he finally freed himself from his heavy chains. He and Saeyoung do have a set of Eevee together! I feel like they need to have a matched set, and his Eevee has been tucked away in their pokeball for a while until he realized the error of his ways.

Whereas, Saeyoung is always really tough to work with because there's so many different Pokemon that would work for him symbolically. Sure, we can pick some joke options if we want to do so, but I'm trying to imagine what would work for his work in the agency. Did they give him a team or is it a team he's caught himself?

In the end I just decided to give him a team that he crafted. He deserves to have a cat that shoots fireballs from its mouth. Of course, I don't imagine that'll end well for him since the cat likely gives him a free haircut everyday with burnt edges. Rotom is the given. Everybody who's ever drawn him with the Pokemon always gives him Rotom. It's right. Three heads are better than one! Magneton helps to hack and unlock problems!

His Eevee doesn't battle. It's kept safe in his bunker, or it's Pokeball. He hates to make Eevee sad about not seeing its own twin or Saeran. Magearna makes sense to me, because what is more in character for him than to discover this mechanical Pokemon and help bring it back to life? Minior for the stars! It's either that or Clefairy. I couldn't make up my mind but in the end I decided on stars.

Which brings me to Unknown and SE Saeran. Yeah, SE Saeran will receive that Megearna as a gift from his brother. His Porygon-Z likely was released after Mint Eye was taken down, or it's still in the box for now since that was likely his main partner for being able to hack into the RFA. Mimikyu and Banette are self-explanatory. Budew would be a new addition in his time spent trying to enjoy the clouds and grass! Milcery is a surprise, though! I have a feeling that is a companion he made one afternoon that tried to sample his ice cream and now he's got a friend that helps him craft his own ice cream.

[avernale]

Have You Seen ScarVi's DLC Pokémon? Have You SEEN Them?

I don't know how long its been since my last one of these. Seriously. I tried searching the #haveyouseenpokemon hashtag on Tumblr, and it looks like the last one I did was for Scarlet & Violet's final pre-release trailer? Which makes enough sense, as I remember saying in that one that I wasn't sure I'd comment on DLC Pokémon or anything I encountered in-game (Quaquaval best starter evo, BTW). But then I tried searching on my own blog and it couldn't find one after Sword & Shield? The heck? I didn't even have this hashtag back then!

Pretty sure I haven't commented on the last couple of DLC trailers (mostly because I overlooked them), so let's start with the latest one. I put the video under the "Keep Reading" link since the title alone will kinda spoil it.

So, am I the only one who laughed at "Nice tea meetcha?" No one? Okay, then...

One thing that occurs to me is that this is literally the newest Pokémon. The object itself is ancient, but the Pokémon doesn't manifest until smart phones are a thing, apparently. That's pretty recent in terms of world history.

While my first thought was "Convergent evolution of Polteageist," the thought did occur that this could be an alternate evolution for Sinistea like Dipplin for Applin and Runegrigus for Yamask. But no. According to the website, it's definitely its own Pokémon. For one thing, it's made of matcha powder instead of liquid (and hence, Grass/Ghost). Unlike Polteageist's pot, the eyes on Poltchageist's tea caddy blink. It also actively poisons people (with Old Movie Disease, apparently) rather than wait for someone to drink it before sapping their energy.

I think I like this design. It's probably not going in my party, though. (I'm making a new one because my old one got to level 100 training to take on Iron Leaves) But I will catch it. I do wonder if it has an unevolved or evolved form (the website compares it to Sinistea rather than Polteageist, though maybe just for sake of distinction) or if it's just a single-stage Pokémon.

Another thought occurs that a lack of evolutionary line would be just another thing that makes it buck the pattern set by other convolutions. Toedscool and Wiglett both get one evolution each. The other thing it bucks is the naming convention. The other ones rhyme with the Pokémon they resemble but start with different words (Toed and Wig instead of Tenta and Dig). Poltchageist still rhymes with Polteageist, but still starts with "Polt." I'm not sure what else sets it apart from other convolutions' relationships to their original, but there might be. The pattern still holds that it rhymes, and that the difference uses a single syllable. Of course, if you're making up your own convolutions, you need not be beholden to any sort of pattern at all. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to come up with a good name for a pure Fire-Type Kirlia that sings.

Okay, let's look at other DLC Pokémon introduced so far real quick...

Archaludon, evolution of Duraludon. Not bad, I think. Looks kinda like a staple remover and transforms into a bridge for its signature attack. Does the Tower Bridge get struck by lightning a lot? No plans to put it in my party, though now that I think about it...

Dipplin, a new Applin evolution. When I saw this, I thought it was a regional form of Applin specific to Kitakami (Applin's already in ScarVi, I think). Nope. Also, the website says its two worms instead of one. Weird. I'm tempted to put this in my party. I wonder if its an item-evolution like Applin's other two, and if it's a candy apple or just the coating...

Iron Crown and Iron Leaves, Future Paradox forms of Cobalion and Virizion. Not impressed. Interesting that they are Psychic types instead of Fighting, though. One can assume the same will be true for Paradox Terrakion, as well.

Raging Bolt and Walking Wake, Ancient Paradox forms of Raikou and Suicune. Most Ancient Paradox forms are cooler than Future Paradox forms, and that includes these two. I saw a Humongo Walking Wake in one of Austin John's videos and was severely disappointed mine wasn't that big. At least it wasn't as hard to get as Iron Leaves was. My first thought on seeing Raging Bolt was "Giraffe" (it's yellow, c'mon), but it's actually a dinosaur, too. I feel like I shouldn't like this design, but I think it looks pretty good. I usually shy away from putting Legendaries or Mythicals in my party (unless the game gives me a reason to, like Calyrex or Arceus saying it wants to travel with me), but I could make an exception...

What's my team look like going into The Teal Mask (Teal? Tea? Hmm...) so far? Right now, I've got Fuecoco (that I got from a trade), Sprigatito (Hidden Ability, HOME integration giveaway), Toedscool, Revavroom, Miraidon (the one you can catch), and Gardevoir (one I used in my Sapphire party). The starters are low-level, and I want them to stay that way as I understand that The Teal Mask is intended for early-game stuff (though judging from Isle of Armor, who knows) while The Indigo Disk is supposed to be post-game. I still have time to change my mind, of course, but I'm also considering putting together another new team for Indigo Disk.

Which way will I actually go? We'll find out once The Teal Mask drops on September 13. There might still be something amazing that I'll be itching to train. Until then, it remains to be seen.

[starrycrim]

*runs to ur front door and politely knocks on it* does your reborn ocs have a theme for their pkm teams/any reason for specific pokemon? i am v curious

pls feel free to knock the door in anytime <3

ok this is a fun one!! lemme go one at a time

Emery- (Delphox, Ninetales, Heliolisk, Volcarona, Lilligant, Espeon)

emi has a sun team! Fennekin is their starter, they love fire types and they just found it really cute (among some other reasons! it has a rlly affectionate personality yet little bit of a mischievous streak, and they just fell in love). they have some other members of their team that Don't Make It (spoilers) that aren't mentioned here as well-- this is just their final team. they prefer Fire-types but they're pretty largely sun-themed as a character and their team reflects that!

Rowan- (Gardevoir, Umbreon, Absol, Delphox, Meowstic-M, Thievul)

they're the opposite end of the spectrum as Emi-- largely moon-inspired. they specialize mainly in psychic and dark although they aren't a specialist for those types by any means, it just kind of happened to shake out that way for them. their starter was Also Fennekin (which comes in handy when they're hitchhiking with Emi when she picks a starter) and they have a really strong bond as they've been together for so long. Absol is probably her signature mon though, just as it's the one she uses most often/Mega Evolves.

-

Soleil- (Primarina, Mimikyu, Sylveon, Gengar, Togekiss, Rotom)

they're a ghost/fairy specialist! they actually originated when a friend and I picked dual monotypes for each other to do in a monorun and I decided to make an OC out of it. they're rather fond of ghosts as they love history, and ghost-type Pokemon tend to hang around those kinds of historical sites. they also found that ghosts were often pretty friendly to her and tended to be misunderstood, so she took a liking to them. fairies they just really like. it started when their Eevee evolved unintentionally into a Sylveon-- they just loved it at first sight.

-

Lyra- (Minior, Cosmog, Clefable, Beheeyem, Starmie, Musharna, Deoxys)

lyra actually originated just because I'm a really big sucker for space and galaxy themes and wanted to design an OC based on that! there's a lot of interesting space/alien/star-aligned Pokemon, so their team is based on that. they're also primarily a reserve psychic leader, so Minior and Clefable usually act as wild cards during battles. Deoxys and Cosmog xe don't get until postgame, and Cosmog eventually evolves into a Lunala (although it's just a Cosmog for a pretty long time because they don't fight with it and xe thinks it's Too Dang Cute).

Niko- (Rotom, Hoopa, Noivern, Zoroark, Polteageist, Toxtricity)

his team is largely based around theme of electricity and sound and his arcade theme rather than any one type! Noibat -> Noivern was a gift from Arc, and they often fix machinery in the nightclub together with their Rotom. Zoroark comes in handy when they have to disguise themself when going down to Seventh with Arc, and Toxtricity helps with the music in the club obviously. she has the same kinda mischievous personality as Hoopa, so that's totally something she'd pick up in postgame.

-

Shira- (Gardevoir, Sylveon, Ribombee, Alolan-Muk, Salazzle, Roserade)

shira's team has undergone a few changes since I usually update my OCs in either design or lore a decent amount, lmao-- they're largely a poison and fairy specialist now. eevee was their first Pokemon, and they barely knew anything about Pokemon at the time, so she didn't have any special stones or know about any specific evolution conditions for it, so it ended up evolving into Sylveon due to their high levels of friendship and it happened to know Baby-Doll Eyes (Shira is not immune to the puppy eyes). Gardevoir was a gift from Soren, who has Gallade-- while Roserade was a gift from Ace and Taka.

Soren- (Silvally, Porygon-Z, Gallade, Delphox, Rotom, Froslass)

their team is more based specifically on technology as it's their specialty, with a few exceptions-- Snorunt was their starter, but Type:Null is their signature mon. they ended up finding Null abandoned and hurt before they joined meteor and attempted to heal it back to health-- it just started following them around after that. Gallade is a counterpart specifically to Shira's Gardevoir, while Delphox was a gift from Ace. they're originally from Ametrine, so that's where they ended up finding Snorunt as their first Pokemon within the mountains :>

-

as for nicknames, I like it when characters nickname Pokemon, and it's in character for every one of my OCs-- just for different reasons-- so they do all nickname their team members as well. let me know if you're curious about those, I just didn't want to make the post too long :>

[junglefurytrash]

Starlight Express but it’s Pokemon Pt.5

So it’s been way too long since I did Part 4 of StEx but they have Pokemon, sorry about that. But now it returns! This time, it’s the other Coaches who’ve been in the show.  Not sure who else I’ll do after this. Perhaps the Freight?

I know I said I would only do Belle the Bar Coach in another earlier part, but I decided to go back on that and do Memphis Belle too. She’s still a Coach who was in the show after all, even if only for a brief time! She doesn’t have a proper type specialty, but given her team we can say Grass/Psychic specialist. Her team is (from top left to bottom right): Swadloon, Abra, Galarian Slowpoke, Persian, Lapras, and Meganium. - Swadloon, Abra, and Galarian Slowpoke each represent the fact Memphis is a Sleeper Coach. - Swadloon creates and wraps itself in leaf blankets to protect itself. They would absolutely make blankets for Memphis too to keep her protected and cosy, especially on winter days. - Abra are said to sleep for up to 18 hours a day, but can also get Memphis out of danger using Teleport if need be. - Slowpoke as a whole are known to be more dopey, but I went with regular Slowpoke because it’s tail is said to taste sweet, and Memphis herself is a sweet and good-hearted lady. - Persian meanwhile represents general elegance and sophistication, which Memphis as an older Coach definitely has. - Finally Lapras and Meganium are both said to be very gentle Pokemon, again befitting Memphis Belle’s gentle and kindhearted personality.

Onto our OTHER Sleeper Coach, Duvay! She is without a doubt a Normal type specialist. Her team is (from top left to bottom right): Delcatty, Slakoth, Komala, Mareep, Furret, and Jigglypuff. - Delcatty is said to be very un-fussy about where they sleep, choosing whatever spot works and dozing off there. People also joke it has a travel-cushion for fur around its neck. Very good and calm house pet for Duvay. - Slakoth are said to sleep for up to 20 hours a day, even more than Abra. Again, a very calm and simple pet for Duvay to look after. It enjoys being brushed after Duvay returns from work. - Komala meanwhile are quite literally BORN asleep, somehow. They also enjoy clinging to friendly Pokemon trainers. Duvay’s Komala is always clinging to her, be it on her shoulder or her arm, and she adores it. :) - Mareep is the only Pokemon here to not be Normal type. It’s fleece is very fluffy, and I imagine it’s little light-up tail would be a good alarm of sorts for Duvay. Also, counting sheep joke. - Furret are said to curl up around their offspring to help them go to sleep. Also Furret is, VERY big and long and fluffy. Absolutely the perfect Pokemon for Duvay when she gets tired. - And lastly Jigglypuff’s singing can help people go to sleep. Not that I imagine Duvay NEEDS it, but hey, we all have those nights.

Other Belle now, our Bar Coach, and she was BY FAR the hardest come up with ideas for. But her type specialty is, vaguely, Grass/Bug. Her team is (from top left to bottom right): - Shuckle, Vanillish, Petilil, Breloom, Polteageist, and Combee. - Shuckle helps her with making juice, as Shuckles are known to be able to make a tasty berry juice in their shells. - Combee likewise helps with making drinks sweet, as it’s a bee and thus collects honey, which can be used in drinks. Belle’s is a female too, so it may eventually evolve into a Vespiqueen. - Vanillish also helps with making drinks, in their case being able to cool down drinks with their icy breath, or by making ice cubes to go into the drinks. - Petilil’s leaves on the top of its head are mentioned to be harvested safely from the Pokemon and used to make an energising tea. Belle may not make teas often at work, but someone’s bound to order it. It gets along well with Combee! - Polteageist is here because, it is quite literally a haunted teapot. It can still MAKE tea though, and trusts Belle enough to help with providing it while at work. Hers is a legitimate Antique form, passed through the family. - And lastly there’s Breloom, who acts as Belle’s bar bodyguard and bouncer. It’s simultaneously friendly, but also able to pack a very strong punch that can rival BOXERS.

Last but not least, Carrie! Who as you can see, is a Fighting/Flying/Grass specialist. What a combinaton. Her team is (from top left to bottom right): - Sneasler, Pidove, Steenee, Machoke, Pelipper, and Gogoat. - Carrie’s whole team as a whole focuses on helping her in her job of helping people with their luggage, which could definitely prove to be a lot or be heavy even for someone specialising in it.  - Machoke and Gogoat are seen in the games being able to carry both heavy cargo AND people. Machoke in the Gen 3 games are even seen helping with house-moving services. - Pelipper are said to be able to carry Pokemon around, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be able to help with bringing someone else’s Pokemon safely onboard. - Sneasler are also mentioned to be tough and strong. They’re also quite sassy Pokemon, which definitely fits with Carrie’s personality. Sneasler’s are also said to be more solitary Pokemon, but Carrie’s is the opposite, being very extroverted and cheeky. - Steenee are said to have a strong body that can withstand Flying type Pokemon, so it’s quite safe to have around Pidove and Pelipper. Steenee are also said to have a sharp kick, no doubt helpful when combatting someone trying to steal someone else’s luggage. - And lastly Pidove is part of her team in reference to carrier/messenger pigeons. Though Pidoves aren’t used for that, they’re a bit too forgetful for the job, they’re loved by trainers anyway for being loyal and sincere. Carrie’s Pidove likes to sit on her head while she’s working.

[magicalfxgirl]

LO Characters as Pokemon Trainers: Primordial Gods/Titans

We reach the end with the finale with the remaining titans in LO. This includes; Helios, Nyx, Prometheus, Metis and Styx. No Leto as she is in a different blog and the other titans appeared in the previous entry. This is it. Side note Prometheus entry is based on greek myth. Let's begin with the one person Zeus never dared to cross, Nyx.

Nyx: the premordial goddess of night

Nyx the premordial goddess of night, mother of Hypno and Thanatos. Nyx team is based around darkness and death. Darkria nicknamed Night has been by her side for longer than anyone can remember. Nyx like Darkrai are not evil, yet are feared by others. Its pokemon Saphire pokedex entry state "It can lull people to sleep and make them dream. It is active during nights of the new moon." Thus a perfect fit for goddess of night and mother of the god of sleep. Hydriegon and Glararian Moltres nicknamed Strife take after her brutal nature and those of her children. As some myths indicate that is the mother of Eris (goddess of Strife) and the Erinyes (the furies). Her Hypno a gift from her son Hypnos, while her Dusknoir was a gift from her son Thanatos. Murkcrow is eyes and ears in Olympus. Her Mawhile, Chomp is adored by Nyx due to its cunning nature. Thanatos does not like Chomp as the pokemon likes to sneak up and bite him.

Styx: goddess of the underworld River Styx

Styx is literally a river, but sense she still appears in LO, I thought she deserved her own pokemon team. It also should be noted that she "the spirit (diamon)personification of hatred (stygos)( theoi.com). Styx is filled with souls and her pokemon team is made up of almost entirely of ghost types. Marshadow is her ace and represent her more vicious nature. Her Cubone is sadly trying to find its mom among the spirits. Styx took pity on the pokemon and decieded to care for it. Along with all cubone, despite them avoiding water due to being to week to it. Yamask are also sacred to her due to the fact its pokedex states "Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry." Phantump pokedex Y entry states "According to old tales, these Pokémon are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died while lost in the forest." Need I say more. Her remaining pokemon include Glararian Corsola and Polteageist.

Metis: Titan-goddess of good counsel, planning, cunning and wisdom

Metis poor and her team have been trapped since Zeus ate them. Before you ask yes she tried to use Teleport to get out and it never worked. Her ace is Reshiram as the pokemon "helps those who want to build a world of truth". Her team also contains the Lake Guardians: Mesprit (The Emotion Pokemon), Uxie (The Knowledge Pokemon) and Azelf (The Willpower Pokemon). All three being aspects needed to be a wise person. Metis' Latias telepathic ability helps Metis comunicate with her daughter Athena and give advice to Zeus. Although Zeus just claims he did it all himself, but no one believes him. Latias ruby pokedex entries states "Latias is highly sensitive to the emotions of people" while its saphire entry states "Latias is highly intelligent and capable of understanding human speech." Making it perfect for the mother of the goddess Athena. Rumors has it Metis and her Pokemon team taught Athena everything she knows while Athena was child inside of Zeus. Cutiefly was the pokemon that she was pokemon she was tricked into tranforming into by Zeus. He then ate her along with the poor Cutiefly she used as reference and the rest of her pokemon team. None of Metis' team have managed to escape to Zeus on either. So they now provided her company in her tragic fate.

Helios: The God of the Sun

Helios team is filled with pokemon related to sun which means Solrock makes its third appearance. His ace is Solgaleo the personification of the literal sun. Helioptile is literally named after the sun, while Espeon is refered Sun Pokemon. The two also evolve due to the sun as Helioptile evolves into Heliolisk with a Sun Stone. Eevee evolves into a Espeon through level up with high friendship during the day. He also has ponyta and a Blaziken. Astreas has noted that despite is serly nature, Helios loves his pokemon dearly. His anger is partly due to no longer be able to play with them, like he did in the past. Helios used to have a Volcorona, but gave it Prometheus. As he wanted to annoy Zeus by supporting someone who went against him.

Prometheus: Titan god of forethought and crafty counsel, Creator of Mankind

Prometheus's pokemon team was considered lost until Heracles freed them and their master. His ace is Deoxysis as it is the DNA pokemon and Prometheus was the creator of Mankind. Two other pokemon that reference Prometheus creation of mankind include Mew (the first Pokemon) and Reuniclus. Moltres is was born from the flame that Prometheus gave to humans. Volcorona and Gigantamax Coalossal are reference to how Prometheus saved the humans by giving them fire. As both pokemon having pokedex entries where they helped save people. Volcorona's pokedex entries indicates " When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun." Coalossal pokedex entry mentions that "When Galar was hit by a harsh cold wave, this Pokémon served as a giant heating stove and saved many lives." His Volcorona was a gift from Helios. Although he still confused that Helios gave him a gift as the two are not friends.

Wow I did it. This blog series has been a blast to do and I hope you enjoyed it.

[aviculor]

*cracks knuckles*

metaphorically, of course, since my finger is still fucked up. But let’s talk about this flood of pokemon.

Applin and Flapple are clearly the line that gigantamaxes into the caramel apple tsuchinoko creature. They’re certainly neat, but I can’t help but feel like we’re missing a third stage on them. Flapple doesn’t really have that Final Stage feel to it. What we saw of the G-Max actually appears far more different than just a souped-up version of Flapple. I like it, but I was expecting a pokemon with a more finished feel to it that doesn’t hinge on using the regional gimmick. I should mention that despite being based on a “worm in an apple”, it’s a tiny dragon rather than an actual worm. A wyrm in an apple, if you will. And the real worm in an apple is a caterpillar anyway.

Centiskorch does have a pre-evo like I began to suspect, and it looks more formidable in its in-game model which alleviates some of the concerns I had earlier (the same I just expressed towards Flapple). That said, Sizzlipede doesn’t really wow me. It’s just a tiny Centiskorch with fewer details. Centiskorch is one of my top Galar pokemon, but I can’t help but feel like its line is lacking a bit of creative spark. What if Sizzlipede were a house centipede rather than just a little nubby...bandaid with legs? I mean, I’m going to consider it a Scolopendrid in my tree, but I’m just saying that because of its evolution. If you took Centiskorch away, I wouldn’t even know what to consider Sizzlipede phylogenetically. It’s literally just Centiskorch with features removed from it.

Dragapult....it’s a Diplocaulus, a pipa pipa, and a stealth bomber all in one. I am so feeling it.

Galarian Darumaka and Darmanitan....who is going to tell TyranitarTube that the ice type Damage in the Sun Extreme Randomizer is real?

The fossils are unsettling, but one of them is Dunkleosteus. Fossil revival is conformed to be horrible mad science, when it was only moderately implied last gen.

Galarian Mr. Mime and Mr. Rime are horrible in the best way.

Hatterene and its preevos are pleasant.

The evolved poison/electric is not what I had in mind. I’m not sure I know what that line is based on now.

Cufant and Copperajah are interesting. Coffee elephants. I’d like to know more about them. I bet they’re version counterparts with the Polteageist line.

Speaking of, Sinistea, huh? I would have expected its name to be Entitea since that’s what the guy who made it originally thought of:

Indeedee I don’t have strong feelings about, mostly since I can’t discern its hook. What is it and why should I care? Some frowny little ungulate fur bait. I bet it’s normal type.

Falinks is exciting, but it kind of looks like a fakemon I was brainstorming so I might have to let that one go. Is it a squad of little guys huddled up or an armor-plated millipede designed to give that impression? I assumed it was the latter and would prefer that.

Stonjourner is Stonehenge, that’s pretty much all there is to say.

Eternatus is a giant draconic skeleton that can morph into a UFO with a giant arm. Not too shabby at all.

[1wngdngl]

Pokemon Shield playthrough

I’ve been playing this game a lot since last night, and I still haven’t gotten on the train yet ;) I like to take games slowly to make sure I notice and experience everything along the way. It looks like the best way to share my game progress is through screenshots, so that’s what I’ll do. Cut for length and spoilers - I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers and leaks for the past couple weeks, so if you want to be able to experience the games fresh yourself, now might be a good time to click away. [This post covers up thru getting the Dynamax band]

I went ahead with the “standard” female character, but you can bet I’ll be customizing her as soon as I can. What’s with that knock-kneed stance, anyway? Pokemon trainers should stand strong and confident!

Chairman Rose greets us. Everyone online was guessing he’ll turn out to be evil or something. He certainly looks suspicious, doesn’t he?

And here comes the first surprise of the LP - a brand-new Pokemon, not even seen in trailers! (except for that fuzzy 1-frame image from a while back.) Its trunk looks kinda like a soup ladle. Maybe it’s a play on a teacup/teapot elephant? I wonder if it evolves...

Here’s Leon fighting an unknown trainer - maybe a Gym leader?

I really like the art style of the map - it’s so whimsical :)

The map also shows current weather for all locations. Look at all the different stuff going on in the Wild Area at the same time! I’ve been to the real England, and I don’t remember it having such extreme weather...

The map also has a few useful features, like displaying your next objective, and showing the facilities in a town (but only once you’ve been there yourself). The towns and such all have really interesting names that emulate that old English sound.

First thing I do when I gain control in a new Pokemon game? Change the battle style to “Set”. It seems more fair, plus it helps make the game just a bit more challenging.

I’m a little sad that the old option to change menu/text box borders seems to be forever abandoned, though... >.>

My house. It’s a pretty decent-sized place. We have a pet Munchlax and a few Budew outside. My character practices her whistling.

My mom. Or “mum” as the game calls her. The dialog is noticeably slanted toward a more British dialect - I wonder how they handled the accent in other languages?

Speaking of my mom, she seems rather big compared to me, doesn’t she? Quite a bit taller. I’m guessing my character is around 12 - when I was that age, I was the same height as my mom and done growing. Maybe they think people won’t believe this character is the mom’s child if she’s too tall?

Also, my dream is to one day have a /dad/ in a Pokemon game. Seriously, why does every other house I visit have a husband and wife, and my character is always stuck being the only child of a single parent? What if in one of these games, my dad was the champion or the evil team leader - how fun would that be?

My bedroom. The pink clock on the wall reminds me of one from a previous Pokemon game - was it ORAS that had those round clocks on the wall that you could set?

My first step on my journey. Looks like my mom spends every minute gardening - I guess the Budew help her?

Ah yes, every Pokemon game needs a “power of science” guy :)

Here’s another surprise - how many Pokemon games give you a fishing rod right at the start?! Usually you have to track down three different fisherman to get the three versions of the fishing rod. I’m also happy to see that Pokeballs have their own pocket again :)

The handy map tells us where to go next, with even a little picture of our destination.

The champion of Galar, of course, has a huge house.

Wow, a Purrloin! I forgot that they stood on two legs. I like its little bed.

Also, Leon’s family decorate their house mainly in trophies.

I guess this is Hop’s room - I like his artwork. I know Leon has a Charizard - does he have these other two Pokemon too, and that’s why Hop has posters of them?

Leon’s room is mostly a shrine to hats.

Speaking of Leon, he really knows how to play to the crowd ;)

So, some people are wondering if /Leon/ will turn out to be evil in the story. I didn’t really get that vibe from him. He seems like a genuinely nice guy, but he does seem like he has some worries on his mind, like his cheer is sometimes forced?

Maybe he actually hates the limelight and gets uncomfortable with attention? Maybe he’s secretly terminally ill? Maybe there’s some massive threat about to attack the Galar region? He seems really concerned with making sure that Galar has lots of strong trainers. Maybe he knows something about the legendaries?

Alternately, some people were saying that maybe Leon isn’t actually a great champion, and his fights are rigged in his favor by the chairman. /If/ that were the case, I bet that Leon is actually unhappy with that situation and wants to make the tournament more fair.

Or maybe everything in the game is exactly as it seems ;)

Nothing important here, I just like this screenshot. I wonder if Fletchling are native to Galar too?

My first Pokemon! (in this game, at least...) I picked Sobble because he’s the most endearing.

My first battle! I like how the interface is laid out, and how detailed the background is beyond the fighters - you can even see Leon standing there.

My Pokemon's details. I don’t play competitively so I don’t know if it’s a particular “good” Sobble. It seems like this species is a fast special-attacker, so I’ll have to keep that in mind.

The Slumbering Weald (my spellchecker doesn’t even recognize that word :) ) It’s very spooky and seclusive - and it’s right next to the starter town too! You’d think if it was really that dangerous, people would put up more than a flimsy wooden gate to keep trespassers out...Hop, of course, is an idiot and runs right into it; and I, the spineless protagonist, have no option to say no. >.>

My first wild encounter! This starts the trend I noticed all during the opening hours of this game - most of the wild Pokemon are brand-new, totally-unrevealed species. Like this squirrel thing. (Although some people guessed we would get a new squirrel based on that shirt design). I wonder if it evolves?

This part was actually pretty scary, with the Pokemon (I can’t remember its name...) suddenly appearing out of the fog. The Pokemon acted almost like a hologram in battle though - my attacks couldn’t touch it.

What if the twist is that the legendary wolf Pokemon are just illusions, perhaps even man-made ones created to keep intruders from discovering some secret in the forest?

Anyway, we escape from the situation perfectly fine, because of course we do ;)

I noticed that this particular generation gives you quite of a bit of money at the start, but I guess that’s because you encounter the first boutique so early. There’s a fair number of affordable options too. Some of these Pokemon shirts I wish were /real/ shirts.

My new look :) Mostly I just ditched the dress for jeans. This looks like a comfortable outfit, although that knapsack is a bit unwieldy.

We visit the professor’s lab. She has a lot of books, plants, and a tea set. I wonder if she ever has problems with Polteageist?

The new Pokemon center design. I love that the move deleter/relearner and nickname functions are all in one place - I always hated flying around the map trying to remember where they were.

That Pokemon behind the counter is another totally new one. Could this be a Galarian Audino?

Using mystery gift, I was able to get this “Gigantamax” Meowth. However, due to my rule of only using Gen 8 Pokemon, it’s just gonna chill out in the box >.>

Leon is very generous with Pokeballs. Even the items you find on the ground are generous, often containing 2 or 3 “copies” of an item when you check it out. Is that a new thing for Pokemon?

Here I battle my first trainer that isn’t named Hop. He has that squirrel shirt and is a total pushover.

Just chilling by the professor’s house. It looks like maybe you can only fish in fishing spots (those darker circles on the water), but at least you get your fishing pole right away.

Also, I discovered that while I could not sit on beds or chairs inside, I am able to sit on this bench :)

The way the Pokemon mill about in the tall grass is very interesting. Some will try to avoid you, others like this Yamper will chase after you. It makes the routes feel a lot more populated.

I guess this is Sonia’s room. It’s very pink. I wonder if she even /wants/ to do Pokemon research, or if she’d rather be a fashion designer or something.

The in-game time of day doesn’t seem to match up with the Switch system clock, at least not from what I’ve seen so far. For example, suddenly it is sunset and I catch a falling star. (look how the reflection in the water changes :) )

I haven’t decided yet if I want to buy the Switch online service, but in the meantime I decided to at least pick my profile picture. The icons you can choose from actually reveal quite a lot about the trainer classes and gyms that are in the game. For the first time ever, we have a Dark-type gym! Their logo is a sideways version of Team Yell’s logo - does that mean that Team Yell or Marnie is the Dark gym leader?

I spent a while catching Pokemon around the professor’s house. I can’t tell if I got every possible species without looking online, but I did build up a good roster.

I found it really cool how many new, surprising Pokemon showed up this early in the game. There’s the fox one (which is a Dark type and reminds me of Zoroark), the turtle one (which has got to be a pre-evolution of Dreadnaw, probably the 1st of 3 stages), the bird one (based on the “Rook” in its name and the fact that it learns Dark-type moves early, I’m guessing it’s a pre-evolution of Corviknight), and the bug one (can’t wait to see what its final stage looks like).

I went through the party to find the best Pokemon that fit my self-imposed rules (only new, Gen 8 Pokemon, no overlap of types). I know that this means I won’t be able to use Galarian forms or Gigantamaxes of old Pokemon, but just because I’m not using them in my main playthrough doesn’t mean I can’t catch them :)

Next time: I step onto the train and leave my home behind.