#Fun fact: Umbreon and Espeon are my favorite Pokémon

[autoantonyms]

Joker Out as Eeveelutions (Pokémon)

Bojan as Eevee

"It's ability to evolve into many forms allows it to adapt smoothly and perfectly to any environment."

- I know we joke a lot about how he can do anything, but this is literally an explanation for that ^

- smallest of them all

- also the cutest

- fluffy brown hair and brown puppy eyes

- I feel like the normal type gets overlooked a lot but it can be quite useful

- abilities: run away from your finnish lover and homosexual feelings

Kris as Espeon

" It evolves from Eevee when leveled up with high friendship during the day." (0:19)

- Kris needed Bojan to evolve into his full form ^ (Bokris agenda is high in this household)

- I associate pink with him

- both of them just stare into your soul

- model face and slay pose

- they both look like elegant bitches with their long limbs and juicy asses

- ability: synchronize *if the Pokémon is hurt, the responsable Pokémon will be inflicted with the same status condition* I just feels like that's something Kris would do. If someone's e. g. mean to him, I think he would give them the same treatment

Jan as Umbreon

"When exposed to the moons aura, the rings on its body glow faintly and it gains a mysterious power."

- Jan's just overall the dark kinda vibe

- needs high friendship level to evolve as well but at night (0:20)

- blue lights elevate him in my eyes (Shiny Umbreon has blue rings instead of yellow ones, which I like a tad bit more)

- Umbreon seems like someone who would look sexy while smoking

- gay vibes

- feel like they both really need time to get comfortable with people but when they do, their bond becomes inseparable (X)

- also Umbreon and Espeon are counterparts of each other, both from the same gen, Kris and Jan being the guitarists of the band (yes that is the same thing in this case) and they're both so mysterious on their own way

Nace as Leafeon

"When you see Leafeon asleep in a patch of sunshine, you’ll know it is using photosynthesis to produce clean air."

- photosynthesis as a metaphor that he's capable (and essential) to help his friends when they're in need (Bojan's panic attack)

- they both give chill vibes

- lovely, nice and pretty

- Pokédex is claiming that Leafeon smells so good, it's scent is also sold as a perfume (Nace looks like he smells really good)

- it isn't really a happy fighter, but it WILL fight for its friends <3

- also: "Leafeon is very proud of being able to split tree trunks itself." is so Nace-Dad coded lol

Jure as Jolteon

"It concentrates the weak electric charges emitted by its cells and launches wicked lightning bolts."

- the hair

- Jure always seems like he's buzzing with energy

- Jolteon would be the drummer in a band

- weakness: ground (7:14)

- Jolteon looks like trouble, and so does Jure

#this took so long omg #Fun fact: Umbreon and Espeon are my favorite Pokémon #also this is kinda a crack post so please don't be mad at any of the points I made if you disagree #<3 #joker out #bojan cvjetićanin #kris guštin #jan peteh #nace jordan #jure maček

[peskygirl13]

In the Twst x Pokemon AU, what's your story? What's your team when you arrive in Twst? What region did you come from? Were you a champion, coordinator etc?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm going to assume that you mean me personally, not connected to the MC's in my posts.

Buckle your seatbelts, because this is kinda long. I kinda splurged while writing this.

Story

My home region would be Unova because it's my favorite region and it's based off America, which is my home country.

I like to think my journey would start after the plot of the Pokémon BW games, around the same timeline as Pokémon B2W2.

Because of the whole incident with Team Plasma, my parents wouldn't let me leave for my journey, so I'd start my journey later than others.

My mom's a teacher, so let's say that we moved to Asperita City (The hometown of the B2W2 MCs) to teach at the new trainer school.

According to this, my partner would be Riolu, so let's say I caught one in Floccesy Ranch.

I'd probably do gym battles for a while before realizing that I didn't care for them that much, so I'd probably either quit halfway or finish just to say I did the gym challenge.

Let's say I completed the gym challenge and won against the Elite Four, but didn't win against the champion.

My sister's a cosmetologist and she's always wanted to go to Paris, so I like to think that she'd be learning hair in Kalos in this au, and I decide to go visit her (after the gym challenge), where I get introduced to Pokemon Showcases.

I try a few, I get hooked, and decide to travel to Kalos and become a Pokémon performer.

After traveling around Kalos, I'd go to Hoenn to try the contests there and after Hoenn, I'd go to Sinnoh (Cue me simping over Cynthia).

I'd travel to the other regions too, but mostly for sightseeing or catching new Pokémon (I can promise you I would travel to Galar just to get an Alcremie).

Eventually, around the time I'd turn 18, I'd return home and try to bring contests to Unova.

I like to imagine my life after returning to Unova, trying to incorporate contests in the region, would be similar to White's work in the BW manga, where she runs an agency that provides Pokémonfor films, commercials, and other stuff.

Fun Fact: In the BW manga, White (the female mc) is responsible for the Pokémon Musical in Nimbasa City, and the musical was one of my favorite things from the game.

While in the midst of bringing contests to Unova, it's around this time that I'd be transported to Twisted Wonderland.

After my initial fear of being transported to another dimension, I would be so pissed because I got dragged to another dimension with a bunch of angsty teens while in the middle of my passion project.

Despite my dislike of the dorm, I'm positive that the Pomefiore boys would be interested in helping me with the contest project. Well, Vil and Rook would. Epel would be more interested in the battles.

Team

Unova: Lucario(Starter), Lilligant, Zoroark, Haxorus, Volcarona, Gothitelle, Reuniclus, Bisharp, Druddigon, Zweilous

Kalos: Delphox, Sylveon, Pyroar (Female), Meowstic (Female), Florges

Hoenn: Gardevoir, Milotic, Mightyena, Wobbufet, Beautifly, Dustox, Salamence, Seviper

Sinnoh (fun fact: BW is my favorite game, but Pearl was my first game): Infernape, Roserade, Glaceon, Leafeon, Blissey, Garchomp, Luxray, Pink Gastrodon

Alola: Rotom Dex, Primarina, Ninetales, Raichu, Oricorio, Ribombee, Lycanroc (Midnight Form), Bewear, Tsareena, Mimikyu, Mudsdale, Salazzle

Johto: Meganium, Umbreon, Espeon, Togekiss, Ampharos, Corsola, Shiny Gyarados

Kanto: Venusaur, Jolteon, Flareon, Vaporeon, Ninetales, Rapidash

Galar: Rotom Dex Becomes Rotom Phone, Grookey (No evolution, just Grookey), Corviknight, Alcremie (I’d try to get every form. I’d have a small army), Rapidash, Obstagoon, Gigantamax Eevee, Gigantamax Pikachu, Appletun, Grimmsnarl, Hatterene, Toxtricity (Amped Form), Gigantamax Charizard

The beauty this is I can add as many Pokémon as I like.

I think that’s about it. I may add stuff as I think of it, but this is the gist of what my Pokémon life would be.

#ask #pokemon #disney twst #twisted wonderland #twst x pokemon #twisted wonderland x pokemon #pokemon au #twst #pokemon bw #pokemon black and white #self insert #pokemon conests #pokemon showcases

[evils-corner]

Top 5 Pokémon?

1. Umbreon

Umbreon has been a favorite of mine for a very long time! Fun fact, my first username online (on DA) was evil-umbreon! I just really like the design, the aesthetic, the moveset....I play through with Umbreon on my team in every game that I can honestly!

2. Vulpix/Alolan Vulpix

Vulpix was my first favorite Pokemon when I was really young, partially thanks to Brock from the original show! And of course Pmd Explorers of Sky - I played through as Vulpix so many times...and Alolan Vulpix is so cute, and I really like that one of my faves from gen one was given a regional variant/new typing/more love 🥺

3. Luxray

My beloved....I so wish that you were Dark/Electric type like you deserved to be...but I love this electric lion to pieces. Another I use in every Sinnoh playthrough, as well as one I use a lot in Explorers of Sky!

4. Shaymin

Is so small and cute....and I really loved the movie Giratina and the Sky Warrior, which was a movie I watched in repeat a LOT. I definitely love Shaymin Sky Form more than Land Form, but....shaymin cute......

5. Zorua

I'm pretty basic with a lot of my answers, what can I say. But I just have so much love for the little illusion fox.....I love it's design, I love it's evolution, it's shiny, it's moves, the whole idea behind it....

--

Honestly I had a bunch of different answers I wanted to put, but the runners up were Espeon, Leafeon, Gardevoir, Lucario, Scorbunny, Nickit.....etc etc.

#thanks for the ask! #Pokemon #pkmn

[sage-nebula]

Hello! I know that it is not actually a pokemon type so to speak but I'm staring down an essay deadline with less than half the word count. Would you mind talking about your favourite pokemon that is a dog or canine? Like the pokemons that are also dogs? Does that make sense? Sorry I'm very sleep deprived right now. Thank you so much for always being such a lovely presence on my dash and I hope you have a brilliant day!

Thank you for the compliments, and I would be glad to talk about some of my favorite PokéCanines! I’ll talk about all of my favorite canine pokémon, though please do note that I am leaving out the Ecruteak Trio because it is hotly debated whether they are canines or not and I do not feel like getting into that tonight. (For the record, I feel that Entei is definitely canine, Raikou is feline, and Suicune is too hard to tell, but still, I don’t want to get into it, so I will leave it at that.)

Growlithe / Arcanine — Probably my favorite of the canines for personal, sentimental reasons. When I imagined my previous dog in the Pokémon world, I imagined her as a Growlithe who would evolve into an Arcanine, because the PokéWorld doesn’t have a sheltie pokémon and I felt that the fluff and warmth of Growlithe fit her best, along with the ‘Dex descriptions of them being very loyal and willing to do anything to protect their trainer. My previous dog was exactly like that. But I also feel that Arcanine would be just such a wonderful pokémon to be companions with because they are gigantic, fire-breathing fluffy puppies, and riding them across the countryside would be AMAZING. (Not that I live in the countryside, but I do live in the midwest, so the plains are everywhere and not hard to find.) They’re just so good.

Smeargle — Okay, I will admit, Smeargle loses some points for being bipedal. HOWEVER. They gain those points back by virtue of how cool they are! While they’re not very useful in battle, sadly, due to low stats and the like, Smeargle are cool because each Smeargle has a different color paint (it’s not really paint, more a bodily fluid they use like paint, but close enough), and that as they grow up they let other Smeargle that they are close put their pawprints on their back. (So in other words, Smeargle A let’s Smeargle B use Smeargle B’s ink to put Smeargle B’s pawprints on Smeargle A’s back.) The ‘Dex always says “comrades,” but listen . . . we know what it means when two Smeargle have each other’s pawprints on their back. They are in love. 

Houndour / Houndoom — ACTUAL HELLHOUNDS, THEY ARE GREAT. True, the fact that their breath smells like sulfur is kind of gross, but their design and concept are so incredibly cool, and I also just absolutely love the mental image of a Houndour puppy having gigantic paws they have yet to grow into. It’s just the absolute cutest. I also like to imagine that my current dog would be a mixed-breed Houndour and Poochyena in the PokéWorld, so there’s that, too.

Flareon & Umbreon — Listen, some of the Eeveelutions look like felines, some of them look like canines, and others (such as Jolteon) make it really hard to tell. But I’m convinced that Flareon and Umbreon are both canines, and I love them both. FIRST of all, Flareon DOES NOT deserve the hate it gets. It is small and soft and so incredibly warm, it CAN be useful in battle, and most importantly, FLAREON WAS NOT THE FALSE PROPHET AND DID NOTHING WRONG, EVERYONE WHO HATED FLAREON DURING TPP SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES. If you don’t know what I’m talking about there, you don’t need to know about it, but just know that Flareon had a lot of libel posted about it and it was completely unacceptable. As for Umbreon, Umbreon is the Eeveelution I connect with the most given that I am naturally nocturnal, and I love how its rings grow stronger depending on what phase the moon is in. Shiny Umbreon is also choice. They’re definitely the best two Eeveelutions (though Espeon is also up there, sorry Espeon, although Espeon is also one of the feline ones and so shouldn’t be discussed here anyway).

Poochyena / Mightyena — As discussed in another ask, technically hyenas are not canines (or felines), but I’m still going to include them here because the localization team at the very least thought that Poochyena looked like a puppy (“pooch”), hence its name. I LOVE these two. Although my Mightyena ended up underperforming in AlphaSapphire, I’ve always loved the scruffy look contrasted with how loving and puppylike they can be. Also, again, I like to think of my current dog as a mixed breed Houndour/Poochyena, so there’s that, too.

Absol — Absol is another contested one, but I always thought Absol looked canine to me, so I’m going to count it. Absol is wonderful because it not only has a super cool design (though could also benefit from a dual typing, I feel), but also because this is another poor baby who has had so much unfortunate slander spread about it. Absol just wants to help! Absol wants to warn people! And people decide that instead of being grateful, they want to blame the messenger!! Absol does not deserve this at all, and the world likewise does not deserve Absol. That is a fact.

Lillipup / Herdier / Stoutland — Before anyone says anything, NO, these are not shelties. Lillipup is more like a yorkshire terrier, and while Herdier and Stoutland seem like they could be herding dogs of some kind (it’s even in Herdier’s name), I can assure you they do not resemble shelties. More like they resemble oversized yorkies. REGARDLESS, I loved them. Lillipup is adorable, so is Herdier, and while Stoutland is less cute and more gruff, it is also an absolute BEAST. BW confused me because I always took Cheren down easily, but Bianca regularly fucked up my shit with her Stoutland. (And yet they tried to make Stoutland Cheren’s ace in the sequels, smh . . .) My Stoutland was also very reliable. Very good doggos, 10/10

Rockruff / Lycanroc — WOLVES!!! FINALLY WOLVES!!! oh my GOD I waited SEVEN GENERATIONS for this!! To be fair, when I was a child I mistook MIghtyena for a wolf because of the coloring and the fact that it looked like a canine, but as I got older I learned the truth and was back to being disappointed. And while the fact that this line is pure rock (which has a million weaknesses) is disappointing, and while I’m also not fond of Midnight Form being bipedal, I can forgive it because we finally have wolves AND ALSO Rockruff is adorable and perfect AND ALSO because so is Midday Form. Plus, despite rock-type having so many weaknesses, my Midday Lycanroc is pretty strong, so. It works out.

Yamper / Boltund — Okay, I will level with you: a corgi evolving into a greyhound is kind of weird. Also, I do question why they used yorkshire terriers in Unova when they should have saved them for Galar, and instead maybe had like, American bull terriers (a.k.a. pitbulls) in Unova instead (although I guess some could argue that Snubbul / Granbull are pitbulls, but I disagree, I think they look more like English bulldogs than pitbulls). Regardless though, anyone who says that Yamper is anything other than adorable does not have eyes (the puppy has a heart on its butt), and also they are the GOODEST of puppers in how they bring your pokéballs back to you. And while it took me a bit to get used to Boltund, my Boltund, Poppy, is AMAZING and  love her very, very much. This line is great and I love them. ♥

Zacian & Zamazenta — FINALLY, SOME LEGENDARY WOLVES!! And not only are they legendary wolves, but one has a tuft of fur it can turn into a shield around its neck and the other CARRIES A SWORD IN ITS MOUTH, HOW BADASS IS THAT. I do get a little annoyed when people call them doggos when they are actually wolfos, but that doesn’t change how excited I was to have some legendary wolves at last, particularly ones dedicated to beating up hellspawn from space. I love them, they are beautiful, 10/10.

So those are my favorite canine pokémon!! If anyone disagrees with any of these pokémon being canines, I do not care and I do not want to fight about it, please do not send discourse my way. And as a final note, here are two lists of future canines / dog breeds I hope to see in future gens:

Dog Breeds: SHELTIES, miniature schnauzers, Italian greyhounds, German shepherds, Siberian huskies, dachshunds, shiba inu, some kind of spaniel, chihuahua (and it HAS to be fighting-type, it HAS to), and many others. You can never have too many doggos.

I also have to have one more final grievance at the fact that we didn’t get shelties in Galar either considering that sheltie is a nickname for shetland sheepdog, and this breed of dog ORIGINATED IN SCOTLAND, which at least part of Galar (particularly the Crown Tundra) was inspired by, ffs Game Freak why did you miss this opportunity. 

Wild Canines: Maned wolves, African wolf, African wild dog, dingos, coyotes, and just more wolves in general, honestly. I would say more foxes too, but we already have several fox lines, and while I wouldn’t say no to them, I want to see more wolves get attention first.

Anyway, thanks for asking!! I love Pokémon and I love canines, so this was a fun ask!

#pokemon #bladeangelx

[airyairyaucontraire]

So the real question here is... which eevee evolution is your favorite? Which eevee is best eevee.

Oh my goodness, well, I don’t have exhaustive experience of any of them but here are my thoughts:

Basic bitch Eevee:

Such a good little foxy bunny thing!  In a sensible brown that won’t show the dirt, Eevee is a reliable friend and simple classic.  Doesn’t put on airs.  You don’t need to dress up for Eevee but you’ll have fun with it.  Looks like it would lick your plates for you before you put them in the dishwasher.  10/10

Vaporeon is the Eevee that manages to look the most like simultaneously a cat and a mermaid, a purrmaid, if you will.  I like its little Tudor ruff.  A stately Pokémon such as you might see sporting in a neoclassical fountain like the Trevi in Rome. 10/10

I like Jolteon because it looks naughty!  I cannot be trusted to remember that its name is not Volteon.  A pointy punky Pokémon that listens to the Misfits and would like to chill with Thor.  10/10

The puff of blond hair on top of Flareon’s head reminds me of Donald Trump.  This is not Flareon’s fault but is an unfortunate association.  Despite all the original Eevees having a ruff round their necks Flareon is the only one that it somehow doesn’t suit.  Sorry Flareon, you could have done more with your bitchin’ fire theme.  I think Guy Fieri would like you even so.  8/10 because you are still an Eevee.  

Espeon looks nice and creepy.  I am not sure I trust it.  Another very catty-looking Pokémon.  Japanese folklore says that an old cat will grow a forked/double tail, change its name to Nekomata and dick around with people (sometimes they do necromancy and arson!).  I think that’s what the Espeon’s tail refers to.  Smells like lavender and looks good in photos, 10/10.

Umbreon looks extremely naughty.  I like it.  The basically considerate nature of an Eevee is evidenced by the fact its dark coat is broken up with hi-vis yellow rings to prevent you tripping over it on your way to the loo at night.  A good Eevee to take with you to do crimes, 10/10.

Leafeon is delicately beautiful, a sylvan elf of a Pokémon, rich in chlorophyll, it traps carbon dioxide, reoxygenates the atmosphere and will save us all.  I have never met a Leafeon.  I just think they’re pretty.  10/10

Is Glaceon the only Pokémon with bangs?  I can’t think of anything else about Glaceon.  Looks naughty.  10/10 anyway.  

The ribbons are a bit much, and I couldn’t find a picture of Sylveon in a uniform size with the other ones.  Sylveon sounds like it should be Leafeon’s name because it implies this Eevee is from the woods or the forest.  8/10 because it’s just too frou-frou even though I really like fairy types.

In conclusion:  All Eevees are good and beautiful.  Sylveon and Flareon are not my first choices.

#pokemon #eevee #eeveelutions #its-decido #Airy answers

[zinnia-apologist]

All It Takes Is A Fall

Author: Kendall McIntosh (BittersweetNSour, Eskay64)

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Characters: Arena Tycoon Greta, Zinnia

Content Warnings: Survivor’s guilt, suicide urges

Summary: In the aftermath of an Ultra Wormhole opening up above the Battle Tower and Anabel getting dragged in, Greta - Anabel's girlfriend up until the incident - deals with her grief very poorly. It takes a surprise visit from Zinnia to stop her from doing something drastic.

~ [Serebii] ~ [Fanfiction.net] ~ [Archive Of Our Own] ~

It had been a month since the sky ripped open above the Battle Tower, and a huge black beast came out of it and wreaked havoc. Nobody was sure what it was; not even Noland, the one Frontier Brain that actually held a Pokédex, nor anyone that the various picture-taking bystanders at the base of the tower brought the photographs to for identification.

But it really didn't matter. It came, it caused massive damage, and it left, right back through the wormhole in the sky.

And now Anabel was gone because of it.

Greta had been waiting in the lobby when it happened, watching Anabel's latest Gold Symbol challenge on a big screen. For dramatic effect, she had just recently decided to start moving all such challenges to the roof of the building. And of course, that put her right in the way of the alien creature's destruction, when it came. Her and her challenger both.

Anabel had been on the losing side of her challenge, and as per Battle Frontier regulations, she had only brought three Pokémon up with her. She hadn't planned on using two of them anyway -- she called on the favor of Raikou and a Latios for the sake of a battle, but Legendary Pokémon rarely allowed themselves to be legitimately caught by humans, instead simply coming as called as a temporary ally. And by the time the strange black creature appeared, the two Legendary Pokémon had already come to fight and left in defeat, leaving Anabel with a wounded Snorlax, an Alakazam, and her starter, an Espeon who rarely battled anymore. Greta knew Anabel was in no shape to face a creature like that, especially one that -- at least based on its appearance -- seemed to be Dark-type.

Truth be told, Greta doubted she stood a chance against whatever it was either. But it didn't matter. She had to be there to help her childhood friend, her rival, her girlfriend, in this crisis. So, as soon as she possibly could, she made her way through the panicking crowd and toward the first elevator to the top.

She didn't make it in time.

They were gone.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A month since that happened, right down to the day. The Battle Tower was closed to everyone except Scott, the remaining Frontier Brains, and anyone who had volunteered to help clean up the damage and maintain the building, which had become a memorial to Anabel. Greta had unrestricted access to it.

So now she was on the roof, standing on the edge, looking down.

The events of that awful day kept playing in her head, over and over and over. Seeing the beast come out of the sky, rushing to the elevator, watching in agonizing pain as the floor number sloooooowly rose to the top, the doors opening to a wrecked roof.

Too slow. Too slow. TOO SLOW.

It was her fault, she thought. She insisted. She should have been there, she was so close, but it didn't matter. Her girlfriend was presumed dead. Even if she wasn't, Greta would never get to see her again.

They'd been together since the beginning. Her Umbreon was from the same litter of Eevee as Anabel's Espeon; Greta could have gotten a starter Pokémon two years earlier, but wanted to wait until her first friend, her best friend, her favorite person, got hers. They'd traveled all across Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, and Hoenn together, and been there for each other's worst points -- and Greta, having depression and borderline personality disorder, had a lot of worst points. Somehow, Anabel had always managed to keep her going strong without even trying -- whether it was words of encouragement, or sending pictures of Umbreon plushies captioned "saw this and thought of you!" on bad days, or sharing a laugh poking fun at Lucy's obsession with snakes. Somehow, Anabel always had a way of making her happy when it mattered.

Until now. She was gone.

It should have taken me! She kept insisting to herself. They can all live without me! They all deserve better than someone who can't save someone who actually matters, then keeps obsessing over her when she's gone. Real useful, aren't I?

She inches closer to the edge, clinging with one hand to the railing. All it takes is a fall, she tells herself. All it takes is a fall, and then if Anabel's dead, I can see her again. And if she's not… the others deserve better anyway. Scott deserves better! Nobody would even remember me -- who talks about Greta anyway? Nobody, nobody does, nobody cares, nobody would care if I--

"Pretty night tonight, huh?"

Greta yelps and whips around, almost toppling off the edge before catching herself instinctively. Behind her is a very short girl, with black hair cut into a bob not unlike her own, and wearing a cape and an ankle brace with a strange marble-like stone embedded in it.

"Wh-who are you?! H-how did you get up here?" Greta's voice trembles. Nobody was supposed to know she was here!

The mysterious girl smiles and hops up onto the railing beside Greta, sitting down and kicking her feet over the side. "They don't have a Battle Tower where I'm from. There's plans, sure, but they haven't actually started building it yet. Gotta say, it's pretty darn impressive!"

Greta just gives her a confused look. Not only did the girl avoid both of her questions, she didn't even seem to acknowledge the fact that she was about to jump off!

"...L-listen, whoever you are… I, uh, y-you shouldn't be here. It's off limits. Frontier Brains and authorized personnel only, g-got it?"

The mystery girl just shrugs. "You left the doors unlocked behind you. Thought it was safe to follow you. I like high places, y'know?"

Well, that answered one question. Next time, lock the doors to the stairwell.

"Well, um… it… it's not safe here. L-listen, just leave!" Greta shouts.

The girl sighs. "You can't climb up here specifically because it's dangerous and then tell someone else not to, that's just hypocritical. Nope, I'm staying riiiight here, so you're just gonna have to get used to the company!"

Greta groans. It wasn't supposed to be like this! She can't do it now that someone's watching her! She climbs back over to a safer position, only now realizing just how badly she's shaking. "O-okay, I'm… I'm safe. You happy now?"

The girl smiles again. "Better! But I'm still staying."

Greta sighs, trying to calm herself. "...I-if you say so. Can I… at least get your name?"

The girl kicks her feet idly. "I'm Zinnia! You're Greta, right? The Arena Tycoon?"

Greta nods. "Th-that's me, yes." Calm down. Just. Calm. Breathe. Breathe…

"Nice to meet you!" Zinnia spins around and hops back off the railing, leaning against it. "Soooooo… what's on your mind? I'm gonna play therapist for a bit, if that's okay."

Somehow, Greta doubted it mattered if she said it wasn't okay.

"I… lost someone. Really close to me. You might have heard about it on the news, it was… it was the girl who ran this building before."

"Mmmmm… can't say I really keep up with the news." Zinnia shrugs again. "But still, sucks that someone died. It'd suck even more if someone else did, y'know?"

"I…" Greta starts to say something, but realizes she doesn't actually have a response. This whole situation was catching her incredibly off guard. She fumbles for words. "I… I… don't think therapists usually say stuff like that…?"

"Well, guess we know why I don't have a license, then! But whatever, that's not the point. I… well, I know how you feel, Greta. I lost someone close to me too. But you know how she would have wanted me to respond to it? She'd want me to keep fighting! For the people we haven't lost yet!"

Greta spends several seconds in silence. When she speaks again, she's very quiet, almost whispering. "I… guess so. And… she might not actually be dead either…"

Zinnia beams. "Well, that's even better! Keep fighting until you find her, just like I'm gonna keep fighting until I find my Aster again! And if I don't… well, wherever she is, I'm gonna do everything I can to protect her. You do that too, okay?"

Greta pauses. After a moment, she slowly nods her head. "I… okay. I will. For Anabel."

"For Anabel!" Zinnia smiles. She extends her arms in an invitation for a hug. Greta hesitantly accepts, but when she does, it's an eternity before she lets go.

"Hey… I'll keep a look out for her, okay?" Zinnia whispers. "For Anabel, I mean. I travel a lot. If I see her, I'll tell her someone's looking forward to seeing her again. Got it?"

"Thank you… thank you, Zinnia."

They finally break the hug. Greta gazes out over the Battle Frontier one last time, then turns back around to start climbing back downstairs. Astonishingly, Zinnia is already gone, as stealthily as she came.

Greta promised herself she wouldn't disappoint her.

#fanfiction #pokemon #pokemon emerald #pokemon oras #greta #arena tycoon greta #zinnia

[sage-nebula]

Scrawlers you’re not gonna leave the fandom are you? I know a lot of people who are dropping Pokemon altogether because of this National Dex fiasco, which is really upsetting. Personally even though Pokemon’s main games have been in a slump lately I always stick with this franchise in the hopes that things will turn around but I know not everyone is that optimistic. I’d hate to see you leave because your passion for these games something I’ve always loved but it’s your choice in the end.

Your timing for this ask is spot-on because I was just about to make a post about it, haha.

Short Answer: No, I’m not going to leave the fandom.

Longer Answer:

Pokémon is not just a fandom for me. I usually express this through two separate jokes (“Pokémon is a way of life” and “Pokémon is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter”), but I honestly mean it in all seriousness. I have loved Pokémon for 21 years. Pokémon helped me overcome bullying (though my fists also did that) and make my first friends (my fists weren’t involved here) in elementary school. Pokémon was my go-to escapist fantasy during the hellish life I had in my childhood and adolescence due to parental abuse at home. I bred my arcanine so that my platonic soulmate would have a way to still be with me even after her death. Of course the arcanine is not the same as having the real, breathing dog, but it’s the best I can do with what I have. The original Pokémon overture brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. It’s the one fictional world I would want to live in, without hesitation.

That isn’t something I can let go of, or leave behind. Pokémon is way too special to me for that. It’s not something that I could replace with another monster series (hence why things like Yo-Kai Watch hold no appeal to me), or another game series. The idea of dropping the Pokémon games forever from here on out is painful to me. I pass on lesser Zelda titles all the time if they don’t look like they’ll be fun or interesting. I do the same thing with lesser Sonic titles. But Pokémon? The fact that the Let’s Go games were main series games that were such trash and that threatened in ruining the main series forever (which it seems they’ve succeeded in doing since no one listened and everyone bought them new anyway) upset me deeply. For the first time since 1998 I didn’t buy a main series Pokémon game. Sure, I saved $60, but it really, really hurt and upset me that I couldn’t be excited at the launch of a new main series Pokémon title. To be fair, I wasn’t excited for Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon either, but I still bought and completed Ultra Sun because at least it didn’t carry the threat that if it sold well the rest of the franchise would be negatively impacted. Let’s Go Pikachu / Let’s Go Eevee did carry that threat, and have now made good on that threat, and so I skipped them to do my part to try to save the franchise that I have loved with all my heart since I was eight years old.

But I alone wasn’t enough.

Masuda Junichi has given several different reasons why the National Dex won’t be in Sword / Shield, but every single one of them is nonsense. 

“We don’t have time,” he says, but not only would no one mind if the games were delayed if it meant making them better, but they could always patch in non-Galar pokémon later, and everyone would be fine with that since Home won’t be released until some time in 2020 anyway. 

“We’re making all the models unique and over 800 is too many,” he says, but:

Scorbunny’s kicking animation is the exact same as Buneary’s (pretty sure it was Buneary; maybe it was Bunnelby, but still)

The models they created for X / Y were future-proofed, meaning that they were already fully rendered 3D models that just weren’t being shown in the highest possible resolution on 3DS. They don’t have to remake models for all the old ‘mon, just the new ones.

They have walking / running animations for every single pokémon through Alola that they just haven’t used, meaning that so much of the work is already completed.

They could just upscale pokémon for Gigamaxing, and could have done the same for the Totem Pokémon in Sun / Moon, but apparently they don’t know how to do what is honestly a rather simple thing to code because they chose instead to make brand new models for the Totem Pokémon and likely the Gigamax one, and also created brand new models for NPCs for completely unnecessary reasons (e.g. they made a brand new Lillie model for every area she appeared in, which bloated the amount of models in the game for no goddamn reason), something which was found in the Sun / Moon datamine. If there is a lot of work to be done, it’s because Game Freak is purposefully choosing to work harder, rather than smarter. All this, despite the fact that they hired a programmer specifically for consoles about two years ago.

“We care about game balancing,” he says, but not only has Masuda in particular been adamant about killing off the competitive scene (removing things like the Battle Frontier because he thinks players will find it to be “too hard,” removing EV training from Let’s Go, and so on), but the only reason why having certain old pokémon in the game would throw off game balancing worse than in previous gens is because the Galar pokémon have stats that are just that bad, which spells bad things for competitive play in these games anyway. These games which, mind you, were supposed to be for us, the core players.

“We want to stick to a regional theme and will pick pokémon that apply to the widest base of players,” he says, meaning that only popular ‘mon and Pikachu are likely to make the cut.

“Having 800+ ‘mon is very intimidating to players,” he says, which is what ties the blame back to Let’s Go and its sales. Let’s Go only had the Kanto ‘dex (+Meltan) because they didn’t want Go players to be intimidated by the large amount of pokémon typically available in a new game. Of course, we all knew this logic was flawed back when that was announced: If Go players would be intimidated by the national ‘dex in Let’s Go, how was limiting it there supposed to help them get used to it in Sword / Shield? Well, now we have our answer: Masuda never intended to give it back to us. He always wanted to limit it, because he doesn’t want the core players to play the games anymore. He only wants the Go fans to play.

Here’s the thing: The majority of my One True Team™ is already confirmed to be in the Galar ‘dex. Charizard, Arcanine, Espeon, Umbreon, Mimikyu, Kanto Raichu, and most likely Lapras are all going to be in. (I say most likely, because a Lapras regional evolution was in the leak that has been spot-on about things such as Nessa and Gigamaxing so far, so I would be very surprised if Lapras wasn’t in.) The only ones who are still up in the air for me are Furret and Midday Lycanroc. So the issue here is not what I personally am able to bring over. The issue is the principle of the matter.

See, here’s the thing: I’m lucky because most of my One True Team™ are pokémon that most everyone likes. Everyone loves Charizard. Everyone loves the eeveelutions. Mimikyu was a surprise hit. Arcanine, while less loved than Ninetales, is tied to some cool east Asian mythology and so is unlikely to be cut, and so on. But not everyone is in the same position I’m in. My best friend’s favorite pokémon is Scolipede. Her second favorite pokémon is Kabutops. How likely do you think it is those two will make it in? And if they don’t make it in Gen VIII, how likely it is do you think they’ll return for Gen IX? 

Every pokémon is someone’s favorite. For everyone that hates Trubbish or Vannilluxe, someone out there loves them. And to say that those people shouldn’t be able to bring the ‘mon they’ve raised for generations over to this new region, even eventually—and to double down and say that every single new generation will be like this from now on—is unacceptable. During the press conference that aired the week before the Pokémon Direct, they said when announcing Home that the purpose was to allow us to stay connected to the ‘mon that we’ve bonded with over generations. They know that there are those of us out there who have brought pokémon up ever since the Game Boy generations, and they want us to continue journeying with them. They made it sound as if we could use Home to transfer our pokémon to Sword / Shield, and now they’ve yanked that away from us. They’ve gone back on their word. They lied not only to their fans, but to their stakeholders, during that press conference, and if you were watching Nintendo’s stock around the time the Treehouse video was airing live, their stocks took a dive as a direct result.

And while this is the thing I’m most angry about, it isn’t even the only thing. They also announced during the Treehouse that they’re not only removing the National Dex, but that they’re also removing Mega Evolution in favor of Gigamaxing. This one actually does impact me directly, because I bred and raised my Charizard around the fact that I would Mega Evolve her into Mega Charizard X. I painstakingly hatched hundreds of Adamant Charmander. I EV trained her so that her stats would be perfect. I gave her a moveset built around ‘Zard X. And now, even if I can bring her over to Galar, I won’t be able to Mega Evolve her because the Key Stone and Charizardite simply won’t be available in the game. This, despite the fact that they have the assets for it thanks to Let’s Go. There is absolutely no reason to remove Mega Evolution when Mega Evolution’s assets are already available in a game on this system. There is no excuse. They’re just doing it anyway, because they want everyone to focus on their shiny new mechanic, and demonizing Mega Evolution apparently didn’t do a good enough job of that in Gen VII. (That said, they’re also removing Z-Moves, so apparently they weren’t too attached to those either.)

I just … I can’t support this. I cannot support any of this. It kills me. I feel incredibly conflicted, because there is a lot in Sword / Shield that I still am excited for. I love a lot of the new pokémon, such as Corviknight, Zacian, and Yamper. I like several of the new trainers we’ve seen. I think the region looks gorgeous. But I don’t want to give Game Freak and Nintendo money for any of this, because that will make them think that what they’re doing is a good idea. Just like with Let’s Go, where Masuda said that if those games sold well they would shape the next twenty years of the franchise (which they did, and they are), I don’t want to reward them for poor decision making.

So I’ve decided to buy Sword used. 

When you buy a game used through Game Stop or a similar store, the store gets every single cent. Nintendo and Game Freak see none of it. I still want to play these games for the features I like. But I do not, and will not, support Game Freak and their asinine decision making. So while I might not be able to get Sword on launch day (though we’ll see; I’ve seen used games in Game Stop on launch day before), I’ll be able to get it soon enough and play it in a way that just doesn’t support Game Freak or what they’re doing. I’m only one person, and as we saw with Let’s Go, my lack of sale isn’t going to be enough to stop the train wreck. But if the severe backlash they’re facing now isn’t enough to do it (last I checked, the Treehouse video had 13k Likes in contrast to 24k dislikes, and angry hashtags about this are trending in both the west and Japan on Twitter), then I want to contribute in any way that I can. I love this series too much to just passively support every bad decision Game Freak makes that lessens not only my enjoyment, but also the enjoyment of so many others.

So no, I’m not leaving. I will always love Pokémon. And if Game Freak and / or Nintendo decide to listen to the backlash and backtrack this decision—say, make a statement saying they’ll patch in all the rest of the pokémon later, and hopefully even give us Mega Evolution back—then I’ll happily go back to buying a new copy of the game on Day 1. But until then, I’m buying used from now on. They don’t deserve my money if they’re going to act like this. And again, I alone won’t make a difference, but if there’s one thing that Pokémon has taught me over the years, it’s that that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try.

#orasforlife #pokemon #pokemon sword and shield #pokemon swsh #bringbacknationaldex #long post for ts