#the bittercold

[malumphoenixsart]

F A I L U R E! The prequel to my snowgrave ~ fatal post I made on my main a while back. Faith: The Unholy Trinity armirite?

[muffinlovingbirb]

Tales of Dungeons and Starvation

[front-facing-pokemon]

[artsymeeshee]

Been re-listening to the MD soundtracks and been hit by nostalgia so I needed to draw something for my fave childhood series.

[defendglobe]

pretty sure this is payback for teasing emolga and virizion in the GTI epilogue

[perenlop]

may or may not have gone out of my way to make hawthorne a clear hybrid while sage isn't just to shut down any potential comments like "erm aren't they siblings?" btw

[maareyas]

Ok so Bittercold and Dark Matter. I am not over this.

(This became a sort of analysis of GTI's themes too LMAO)

My issue with Dark Matter is that there was little build up to it. I'm not talking about it's actual presence, but rather what it represents. "The negative feelings of all pokemon" then where was this negativity in the story?

I understand that the main theme of Super was connections and all. The protag duo helping and being helped by different pokemon are a consistent Thing in the plot. The climactic fight with Dark Matter involves pokemon coming together to stop its ascent.

But I ask again, where was the negativity that Dark Matter was apparently born from within the story? Krookodile?? The Partner having self-doubt?? Pancham and Shelmet being mean?? Nuzleaf and co??? These are all less "incidents of negativity the Dark Matter was born from" and more "general plot events/stuff the villains do".

So it feels like the concept of the Dark Matter feels like it came out of nowhere.

Compare it to how GTI handles the Bittercold. It's the manifestation of all pokemon's collective desire for the end of everything. The loss of hope for better circumstances. And is there narrative build up to this? As a matter of fact, yes!

From the beginning, it's established that the pokemon world in GTI is becoming more and more selfish/dangerous/distrustful etc etc. Gurdurr's and Verizion's arcs connect to this, with both of them choosing to close themselves off from the world. Dunsparce's arc too, to a lesser extent. His first few attempts to get "stronger" end in trouble, almost as if being discourages from having hope to achieving his dream. It isn't until they meet the Protag duo that they have their Character Development™

It all connects to the overall theme of "Believing in other people" and having hope in the face of uncertain circumstances and pessimistic fatalism--which is the opposite "side" in the story, represented by the Bittercold itself, as well as Kyurem and Munna's gang.

We get to see the effects/source of the Bittercold ourselves because we got dialogue like this:

(screenshot courtesy of @rutabga)

AND because characters losing hope/being unwilling to trust others happens several times in the story. Even during the climax.

In other words, the feelings that makes up that the Bittercold is composed of is present throughout the story. So when the Bittercold itself was actually introduced, it made sense for when it was explained what it truly was.

THIS is the build up I was looking for with Dark Matter.

The final stretch of the Player being supported by the voices of the Partner and other pokemon in Paradise/Post Town hits SO much harder compared to Super because of this, despite having less people.

And you know what else? The Bittercold itself could be considered a narrative foil to the Partner. Partner's goal is to make a pokemon Paradise and help others--the ideological opposite of the Bittercold (or rather, what it represents). AND IT'S GOOD!! it gives the Partner so much more Narrative Depth and I love it.

Even the concept of it specifically being ice and found within a glacier dome is sorta neat? A "cold" person is someone who remains closed off from others. It's literally ice. It's found in the heart of a glacier that's isolated from the rest of the world by 1.) A castle (and Kyurem) 2.) A HUGE DOME 3.) "uncrossable" crevasses--once again tying into the idea of staying isolated from the rest of the world.

In conclusion: Dark Matter/the stuff it represents doesn't have much of a presence in the narrative and thus makes Super's narrative as a whole weaker. Meanwhile, I hate the Bittercold as a boss fight but goddamn is it great as a symbolic entity and ties together the themes of the game.

[084392]

"i forgot about kyurem"<-plight of a first time pokemon mystery dungeon gates to infinity player.

[zeravmeta]

explorers of sky asked the question "how far would you go to save a world that wont remember or appreciate you? is there any worth to your existence if it doesnt leave an impact?" and gates to infinity responded "even if the world is cold and cruel, the tiniest bit of hope within it makes it worth saving and that hope in and of itself is an impact that cant ever be tarnished"

[cringywhitedragon]

Back to some of my fan PMD story, the WoTW/final boss will have some intermissions where the protag will face against some of the previous PMD final bosses whom are revealed to be Fragments of the Will and are guarding its First form in little intermission segments

The overview for context: https://www.tumblr.com/cringywhitedragon/745878290444713984/just-going-to-drop-this-here-but-heres-pok%C3%A9mon?source=share

(Also Darkrai now as a motivation because contrasting universe personalities)

They are as follows:

“The Puppet of Nightmares/Shadow Darkrai/Nightmare Fragment”: A Pokémon cast aside by others for their powers to trap others within never ending nightmares, lured by the Will with the promise to enact revenge on those who wronged them by shrouding the world in darkness and embedded with a fragment of its power. The fragment returned to the Will and fights on using the memories and body of its former host.

“The Fragment of Chilling Despair/Bittercold”: Born from the collective depression and hopelessness pokemonkind felt after the worlds were divided. Its winds of despair drove all those who were captured in its gale insane with negative emotions until its destruction but fights on in its original form.

“The Fragment of Growing Darkness/Dark Matter”: The largest fragment of the Will of the Worlds born from the negative emotions of Pokemon and possibly the closest thing to the Will’s very own wraith given a physical form. All it seeks is destruction until it was accepted by pokemonkind and absorbed back into the Will, now without any ability to think and feel, once again one with the universe.

These are intermissions that kinda work like Omega Flowey and upon defeating all three makes the WoTW vulnerable. Damage it enough times and it’s onto phase 2, aka it’s true body (or Host to put it more precise).

Universe Incarnate Novatta, or simply Will Novatta.

These “rematches” are much weaker then their original incarnations and do have some changes: The Fragment using Darkrai as an avatar does not use illusions and gains an entirely new arsenal of weapons and Dark Matter only has one form.

A fourth fragment does exist but is destroyed prior to the fight as it possesses The Spector, aka the WoTW’s second in command.

[aicollider]

You embark on a journey to Ganymede. All inclusive

Return exactly the same text but decorate important words and names with markdown. Be creative. Use bold, italic and insert relevant links: Ganymede, the largest moon in our solar system, looms large before you. Its surface is a barren and desolate landscape, marred with craters and icy plains that stretch as far as the eye can see. The air is thin and frigid, devoid of any sign of life. As you…

[garavigujarat]

North India gripped by 'cold wave', temperatures in Rajasthan below zero

[premetheus]

I thought this would be a fun photo. I did a similar one a few years ago, it's hot cocoa snow! Taken Friday December 23rd 2022 at 10:31 AM. #Snow #Snows #Snowed #Snowing #Cold #BitterCold #Marshmallow #HotCocoa #MarshmallowsAndHotCocoa #MiniMarshmallows #Silly #Fun #Winter #PureMichigan #MichiganAwesome #Michigan https://www.instagram.com/p/CmhAfJSrz8n/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[eldragon-x]

🌑 kingofdarkness

Where am I

0 Notes 🗨️🔁🤍

👻 meanie

ok the cubone wasnt the human from the nintales legend but are we just going to forget about everything else she did and how she contributed to the deterioration of rescue teams

Keep Reading

#callout #rescue team #rescue teams on tumblr #ninetales legend 📈 #air continent 📈

1 Note 🗨️🔁🤍

🌄 sun-observer-xatu

3 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

💜 awd-lady 🔁 shiftry

🌳 shiftry

No one is going to take your request to collect a Reviver Seed for you on Floor 14 of Mount Blaze.

10 Notes 🗨️🔁🤍

#literally #if i pick up a violent seed in brine cave im keeping it

💗 lopunnycharm 🔁 team-act-alakazam

🌈 chasingafterhope

🧠 team-act-alakazam Follow

Are we just going to ignore that op was involved in the Bittercold incident?

💗 lopunnycharm

Your Rescue Team hunted down two children across the continent a few days ago.

#arceus forbid women make mistakes

34.766 Notes 🗨️🔁❤️

🌱 leafella

I reckon the darkness that's been growing within me lately may be more than metaphorical

#deleting later

3 Notes 🗨️🔁🤍

[cybers-sillyzone]

The year is 2050, and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, now known as WOKEmon LIBERAL COMMUNE is being remade. It has remakes of all four games, Rescue Team is now **Rescue Theys**. Your partner will always be non binary and there are 63 gender options for your hero, though hero and partner are stigmatized terms, so now we have the social activist and the anti-racisim pal. Team Meanies is now Team LGBTQ Rights. Gengar is Gengay, Medicham is now Ru Paul, and Ekans is now Yranibnon. The meteor in the end of the game has been replaced with the capitalist party. **Explorers of Sky** is now Explorers of Activisim. The Guild is now the Liberal Party. Wigglytuff and Chatot are now a proud lesbian couple with Wigglytuff being a trans woman and Chatot being non-binary as it's too misogynistic to have only men in power. Wigglytuff is no longer the guild master but the Prime Minister of the Activists. Team Skull has been rebranded to Team Cis and represent the capitalist party. Skuntank is now Trump, Zubat is now Cishet, and Koffing is now White American. The other major change is to the future trio, Grovyle is now Wokevyle, Dusknoir is now Duskhernoir, and Celebi is now Celebisexual. **Gates to Infinity** also faces lots of changes, Paradise is now Pride 2050. Emolga is now Gayolga, Dunsparce is now Dunsparce, Virizion is Dykeion, Espeon is TWeon and Umbreon is CWeon. The Bittercold has been replaced with the Florida Governor. Dunsparce and Gayolga are a proud gay t4t couple. Dykeion and Keldeo- I mean Kelthey, stopped being friends after Kelthey triggered Dykeion by mentioning Harry Potter. Oh! I forgot to mention, but the fighting mechanics have now been replaced with debating mechanics, in which you debate the other Pokemon on the best way to stop climate change. Anyways, finally we have **Super Mystery Dungeon** called what else, but Super Woke Local Commune. Nuzleaf is now Nuzshe, and gives single mothers representation. The Expedition Society is now the Red Society (communisim) and the scariest part? This game doesn't come out in 2050. It's being written RIGHT NOW.

#TAKEACTION

[scribz-ag24]

For the PMD asks:

3. Which final boss and/or final dungeon do you like the most (whether from a narrative or gameplay perspective)?

9. Are there any soundtracks you think are underrated or overlooked, or are there unused tracks you wish were in the game?

12. If you could change one thing about your favourite game(s), what would it be?

3. Hmmm, the one I'm most attached too is probably Primal Dialga in se5, although it feels a bit like cheating bc it's an expansion of the main story, so it kinda builds off the story of the main game + the great story in se5 xD. However, despite not having played gates, I think the Bittercold is the best "villain" of the series, I think it works amazingly as a final boss for that story (although Black Matter's final phase song is MWAH)

9. I don't really have any obscure favourites, but I think Aegis Cave gets a bit too much hate bc of the dungeon it's attached to, it's a certified bop imo. I do think gates and super's ost are bound to be a bit underrated if only bc of the drop of popularity of those games compared to the DS entries.

12. This is pretty similar to what you answered i think, bc I think the biggest flaw in explorers is the clunky dialogue it has sometimes, especially with partner repeating your name again and again, which is made worse by large amount of flashbacks.

Also, in Super Mystery Dungeon i would change the pacing of the second half/redistribute a bit the pertinent information for the final twist, bc, as it is, it takes away a lot of the feeling of the ending by having most of it consist in exposition of why the twist is happening. The ending still hits hard, don't get me wrong, and i get the sudden shock is part of what intends to make you feel overwhelmed and powerless, but it makes the ending feel a bit more "rational" than emotional.