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leo-interactive-fiction · 5 months

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RO's Pokémon Teams (Expanded)

Reverse ask. I will now infodump about what each pokémon teams the ROs would have. I know you answered it similarly before, but I want to do this in-depth. For additional flavor I gave everyone a pokémon that evolves by trade, which would happen in game as them trading it with MC, and a route specific pokémon.

Their starter is a shiny Meowth/Persian, since it can use its payday move to generate free money, plus it was a pokémon heavily associated with the main crime organization in the anime (Team Rocket and Giovanni). R’s luck manifested by giving them a shiny, shame it is one of the worst shinies available…

Next up: Super Luck Absol, a pokémon that can sense natural disasters and tries to warn others, and is seen as a doom-bringer as a result. Reclamation R uses it to intimidate their opponents, joking that they are *both* doom-bringers. Rebellion R is much more critical of the rumors and laments their inability to stop the disasters.

Third is Murkrow. Its signature ability is Super Luck, BUT R’s would have Prankster (an ability it loses upon evolving). Prankster!Murkrow works well as a setter in competitive, which means it sets up buffs and debuffs. Reclamation R teaches it Perish Song.

Fourth is Togekiss with Serene Grace. R has been raising it since it was an egg and is very happy to abuse its ability to make their opponents flinch (essentially lose a turn).

Number five is the trade pokémon. R has a Feebas, an ugly little fish that evolves into the regal Milotic. They hardly use it and regret being unable to find anyone they trust enough to trade it back. They eventually trade it with MC as “something to remember them by” and claim Milotic looks better on MC’s team anyway.

Sixth and final pokémon on their team is route specific, although both are rock types due to R’s interest in rocks. Rebellion R gets Sableye, a pokémon that lives a quiet life in caves and eats crystals, the rumors about Sableye stealing souls would synergize well with R being framed for a crime they didn’t commit. Reclamation R would get Glimmora, a pretty flower made out of crystals… of course, said crystals are made out of poison, but R would never use them for evil, how could you even think otherwise?

For a starter, E got Pawmot. Electric/Fighting pika-clone that evolves from Pawmo after walking 1000 steps alongside its trainer. This one is the most spoiled little thing.

Following that, E has a Fidough, their beloved puppy that helps them with cooking. It evolves into Dachsbun after E gets more confidence. Also, it has the Well-Baked Body ability (P hates it. Dachsbun is resistant or immune to almost everything on their team).

Third one is a Bewear, a big and fluffy friend that is ridiculously strong, to the point of accidentally killing its friends with bone-shattering hugs. Fitting with E’s power.

Fourth in line is Hitmonlee. Fighting type with a focus on legs. Fast boy. E goes on runs with it.

Their trade pokémon is a Swirlix. A cutie-patootie fairy goofball of a pokémon that they eventually trade with MC so that it can evolve and grow stronger. E keeps whatever pokémon MC trades them as a reminder to be strong.

Finally, their route specific puppies. Good Influence E gets a Boltund, a good doggie that can run for three days straight, easily break 50 mhp at top speed, and zap its enemies with electricity. Bad Influence E gets a Houndoom, a bad doggo that can give someone eternal, burning pain and chooses its leader via combat.

Their starter is an Inteleon with the Sniper ability, they have been together since before V was made a soldier. To quote the dex entry: “Its nictitating membranes let it pick out foes’ weak points so it can precisely blast them with water that shoots from its fingertips at Mach 3.” This pokémon has finger guns, V has a real gun, they are perfect.

Second is a well-trained Rockruff puppy that evolves differently depending on what route V is on. Civilian V gets midday Lycanroc, an extremely loyal pup with a calm demeanor, representing V healing from the trauma and learning how to form bonds. Soldier V gets midnight Lycanroc, who will happily sustain injuries for the sake of taking down its opponent, V’s just a soldier and their life belongs to their commander, why should their pokémon be any different?

Hatterene takes number three. This pokémon’s evolutionary line HATES strong emotions, so no wonder one of them would like having a trainer as emotionless as V.

Frosmoth is next for two reasons. First, I wanted V to have an ice type since they grew up in a cold region. Second, Frosmoth is a friendship evolution and it signalizes that V is not fully emotionless.

Their trade pokémon is none other than Pumpkaboo. Its dex entry mentions that Pumpkaboo are said to be the product of areas where lost souls lingered, so odds are V has seen their fair share of Pumpkaboo and had plenty of opportunities to catch one. This trade happens fairly late in V’s path and comes with V realizing that Pumpkaboo wants to be with MC, signaling that V is becoming more aware of other people’s emotions.

Lastly, V’s route specific pokémon are either a therapy dog or the brutal pokémon. Stoutland, a dog that can keep someone warm overnight in the wintry mountains, is taken in by Civilian V, being a friendly pokémon known for rescuing people, it seems fitting that Civilian V would end up with one for support. Soldier V catches Hydreigon, a pseudo-legendary with destruction as its main goal, the perfect weapon for a soldier.

Espeon is their starter. Little L was given an Eevee to keep them company, Little L got attached, and now L can be seen with an Espeon curled up on their lap while they read.

Second one is Luvdisc, because it is heart-shaped and L is a romantic.

Third down is Xatu, a pokémon that can see both the past and future. Fitting with L’s power. Also, bird!

Pidove is on their team and nobody can convince me otherwise. L, nerd that they are, struggling to dumb down their words so that their cutesy widdle pigeon buddy can understand. Pidove is friendly and sincere, and evolves into the intelligent and proud Unfezant. L wants to evolve it, but this process takes way longer than it should thanks to Pidove being their weakest pokémon and hardly seeing any combat until later in the story.

Kadabra is their trade pokémon. They spent a long time planning how they’d ask a possible future friend to trade with them so that their Kadabra could finally evolve. They end up shyly asking MC if they’d be up for a trade so that “they’d never be fully apart” due to having each other’s pokémon.

Time for their route exclusive pokémon, both psychic. Peace L gets Gardevoir, a pokémon that can see the future and is ready to summon a black whole to protect its trainer, everyone is lucky L keeps it under control. Resolve L gets Metagross, a pokémon with four brains and smart enough to rival a supercomputer, everyone better pray L doesn’t Mega Evolve it since its dex entries state, “Mega Evolution stimulated its brain. It emerged as a ruthless Pokémon that will clutch at any means of ensuring its victories.” and “When it knows it can’t win, it digs the claws on its legs into its opponent and starts the countdown to a big explosion.” Yikes.

Raven:

Their starter, Banette, is a doll that became a pokémon over its grudge of being thrown away. Sounds familiar? Raven found it roaming at night during their first week on the streets and the two have been together since.

Next up, Trubbish/Garbodor, a friend that Raven made years ago when they frequented the same dumpsters. Yes, it is sentient, poisonous garbage. Yes, Raven will cuddle it.

Bisharp takes third for being very sharp and stabby. Insanity Raven goes through the work of evolving it into Kingambit. Therapy Raven keeps it a Bisharp.

Number four is Doublade. Why have one stabby sword when they can have two? Insanity Raven keeps Doublade that way, happy to watch the twin blades slash foes to ribbons. Therapy Raven evolves it into Aegislash, deciding that more defense is worth slightly less stabbing.

Their trade pokémon is Haunter. Raven raised it fully planning on trading with MC. This pokémon is almost as clingy towards MC as Raven. Keeping up with both of them is an exercise in patience.

And finally their route specific pokémon. Insanity Raven gets Spiritomb, 108 spirits trapped into a stone as punishment for their misdeeds, with Raven often making cryptic comments about “making” a new Spiritomb. Therapy Raven, for their part, gets a Maushold to remind them of their goal to have their own family with MC.

S’s starter is Sandaconda. Ground types are common in the desert and its Sand Spit ability turns out to be way more viable when their opponents aren’t used to dealing with sandstorms.

Revavroom is a must for S. A motor pokémon that canonically gets used to power up vehicles? S has built a dozen starmobiles for their Revavroom.

Cyclizar looks like a bike, of course S would have one. It is their main ride when Sandrider is not available. S makes it wear Safety Goggles to protect it from sandstorms.

Their fourth pokémon is Vanillite, because ice cream jokes. S only got it after coming to the academy, which is why it is not evolved and low level. It grows into a Vanilluxe eventually.

For their trade pokémon, S has a Rhydon. They did not originally plan to trade it, nor where they interested in evolving it further. MC is the one to suggest a trade and S ends up deciding that Rhydon is the one they should trade away.

Now, both of their path exclusive pokémon are pseudo-legendaries, because S deserves it. Speed Devil S goes for Garchomp, a land shark capable of going at speeds equal to a jet fighter plane, the perfect Ground-type for a speed devil. Troublemaker S, for their part, gets Tyranitar, an insolent mobile disaster and their best partner in crime after MC.

P’s starter is obviously Blaziken. Fire/Fighting, solid ability in Speed Boost, and an overall solid starter choice. P has trained it since it was a Torchic, maxing out its speed and attack stats.

P gets Ninetales to match with their twin. P caught it as a Vulpix and was very quick to evolve it via Fire Stone.

To represent P’s interest in cooking, they get Garganacl, the rock salt pokémon. Its Purifying Salt ability makes it immune to status conditions, while its signature move, Salt Cure, helps ensure its opponent will not last long on the battlefield. P doesn’t use it much, not being used to its typing, so Garganacl often comes as a surprise to their opponents.

Annihilape takes fourth. A pokémon that got so angry that it died and came back angrier. P and their Annihilape act so similar, it is funny. Rage buddies refuse to chill until they kill one (1) shitty dad.

Their trade pokémon is Gurdurr. They insist they hate it and only traded it with MC to get rid of the damn thing. It has maxed out affection. Regardless of what MC trades back, P will act underwhelmed and mentions it will takes ages to train it up to their standards.

Path exclusive time, with two sword-themed pokémon to distance P from their father’s spears. Competition P has Ceruledge, representing their growing resentment, its dex entries state, “The fiery blades on its arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal.” and “An old set of armor steeped in grudges caused this Pokémon’s evolution. Ceruledge cuts its enemies to pieces without mercy.”. Cooperation P gets Scrappy Sirfetch’d, a chivalrous knight with a versatile movepool, which can make it a viable choice in both double and single battles.

Spheal is M’s lovable starter. Their father was hoping M would dominate the battlefield with Walrein, but Spheal has refused to evolve so far. It stays small and cute on Alt M’s path. It finally evolves all the way into Walrein in Maso M’s path.

M gets Alolan Ninetales to match with their twin. They didn’t catch it and instead got it as a gift (from a relative? a suitor? who knows). Took ages for them to evolve it, even though they could have easily gotten an Ice Stone.

Their Komala is next, a pokémon that stays asleep its entire life. They are nap buddies.

Their trade pokémon is Dusclops. It evolves when traded while holding a Reaper Cloth, a nod to M’s planned use of scythes.

Path exclusives are both bangers. Maso M gets Baxcalibur, a pseudo-legendary Ice/Dragon; its signature ability, Thermal Exchange, boosts its attack when it is hit by a Fire-type move, which parallels Maso M needing to be hurt to be at their most effective. Alt M, for their part, nets Slaking, a ridiculously strong pokémon with attack and HP on par with legendaries, but held back by its Truant ability that forces it to only act every other turn; this matches M’s own strength being held back by their sleepiness and forces them to plan around it.

Their starter pokémon is Serperior, a Grass-type that can stop its opponents’ movements with just a glare from its noble eyes. A smug grass snake for the smug forest royal.

Scolipede takes second. F likes to harvest its deadly poison to use in assassinations. It is a soft baby when it comes to F, though, happy to curl up at their feet while they are working.

Third is Drapion. It produces potent poison yet prefers using its physical strength to overpower foes. F’s loyal bodyguard that uses its force to intimidate anyone who might pose a threat to their trainer.

Next up is Parasect. Parastic mushrooms that take control over their host until it is nothing but an empty shell with nothing more to take. F loves their fungus zombie.

Their trade pokémon is Phantump. A child who died while lost in the forest and possessed a stump. F caught it during a rare moment of pity, they trade it with MC, claiming they got tired of babysitting. They will occasionally mention missing their Phantump, only to immediately scoff and pretend they never said that, what are you talking about?

For their route specific we have two interesting options. Royal F catches Tsareena, embodying F’s own cruel heart, with its dex entry stating, “In victory, it shows off by kicking the defeated, laughing boisterously.” Royal F loves when it does that. Peasant F gets Volcarona, a pokémon said to be the rage of the sun, a deity of fire, made to save people and pokémon from cold, and symbolic of F’s more heroic role in the Peasant path.

BONUS:

While it would be impossible to plan a whole team for MC, I believe their father would determine the available starters.

Papa Strom took MC to a military daycare center and had his kid choose from a hand-picked selection of starters. The options are:

Oshawott (Water): its final evolution, Samurott, is based off samurai. Since a Storm MC can have a katana, this seemed fitting.

Chespin (Grass): its final evolution, Chesnaught, is based off the concept of knights and armor.

Charmander (Fire): it seems fitting for a STORM MC to have a starter that can actually fly later on, not to mention how knights and dragons often appear side by side in stories.

Razor didn’t get to give his kid a pokémon. Luckily MC managed to steal one from a totally-not-fake pokémon professor that just so happened to wander on a poorly lit part of town with three starters on his belt. The options are:

Froakie (Water): ninja pokémon, perfect for a sneaky thief.

Rowlet (Grass/Flying): ghost archer with a Robin Hood theme, fitting for a more heroic Razor MC.

Tepig (Fire): its final evolution is based off a man who was assassinated by his own subordinates, foreshadowing MC’s own connection to assassins.

Dad Xero brought home a trio of pokémon he had been considering training for use in his lab. MC bonded particularly well with one of them and Xero decided to let his kid keep it. The options are:

Piplup (Water): evolves into a Water/Steel type, which is immune to poison. Having a pokémon with poison immunity is essential to many lab setting with dangerous chemicals abound.

Bulbasaur (Grass/Poison): the other side of the coin, a Grass/Poison type. Greatly useful for studying both antidotes and bio weapons.

Cyndaquil (Fire): its official category is the fire mouse pokémon, so it makes sense one would end up a lab rat.

Pops Scurra just sent a pokéball via mail one day, alongside a handful of trinkets. E’s mom may or may not have *gently* convinced him that his kid was old enough to get their own pokémom and mentioned a particular one she was sure MC would like. The options are:

Popplio (Water): a darling singer to provide musical accompaniment to MC’s performances.

Sprigatito (Grass): a magician ready to provide an enchanting performance alongside its trainer.

Scorbunny (Fire): its final evolution, Cinderace, has this tidbit on its pokédex entry, “It gets pumped up when cheered on. But if it starts showboating, it could put itself in a tough spot.” A good reminder for any performer.

#submission #This is too great to not post #bravo to whoever took the time and thought to make this

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rosie-kairi · 5 months

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I just want to say that it's really cruel (Genius) to give Ven a baby pokemon that evolves through friendship and is considered a 'weak' pokemon at the start, that most people box.

I know you said you wouldn't explain, but maybe a small ramble of the choices on their teams?

Hi!! Hello!! I'd be very happy to explain some of the teams for you!! Me saying "I will not explain" really just means that I won't explain unless prompted. So It's really just an invitation to ask me about stuff lol.

Ok, let's start with Ven's team.

For the more straight forward/less thematic ones, I chose Archeops because it's a fossil pokemon and Ventus is like a thousand years old, and Altaria because it's a more cutesy bird pokemon that I think he'd enjoy :))

Togekiss is pretty much the reason you said. Togepi starts out all but useless, but becomes stronger through the bond it forms with it's trainer. Ven has a very negative self-image of himself and only overcomes that once he forms bonds with actual people and not with intangible beings of darkness.

The three ghosts- Mimikyu, Zorua, and Banette- were chosen for about the same reasons. Banette was chosen due to the themes of abandonment prevelent in all of it's dex entries, as well as the toy vibes reminding me of a vessel and how Ven was essentially Darkness's own little puppet. Mimikyu and Zorua go hand in hand together- they're both not what they appear to be initially. Mimikyu wears it's disguise to get people to like it because of a desperation for companionship. Zorua is an illusionist who disguises itself to get revenge on those who wronged it- and I think Ven should get to go a little ham, as a treat.

The others don't really have as in-depth explanations so they'll go under the cut:

Ephemer:

Galarian Rapidash and Clefable were chosen for the fairytale vibes, and how the chi saga takes place in the Age of Fairytales.

Arcanine, Audino, and Goodra are all very loyal and friendly pokemon- just like Ephemer himself! Also, I had an Arcanine in my Black 2 playthrough that I named Ephemer, he was my mvp, so I'm a bit biased towrads that relation lol.

Then, Aegislash is a mix of both reasons, AND because Aegislash is said to have chosen kings and rulers in the ancient past, and Ephemer founded Scala!

Skuld:

These were all chosen almost entirely on vibes. Corviknight and Staraptor are both cool looking birds that I thing Skuld would greatly appreciate (also, similar to Ephemer, I named them after Skuld in two separate playthroughs lol).

Gothitelle and Absol can both predict the future/disasters, and Skuld in Norse mythos is a norn- in the most simply of ways, the norse equivalent of the Greek fates. Froslass and Tinkaton are mostly there for aesthetic reasons, also I think they're cool sue me.

Brain:

The most straightforward. Computer/sci-fi related. Cool hats. Intimidating vibes. His Chirithy.

Lauriam:

Pretty plant pokemon, all heavily associated with gracefulness and the like. Scolipede is there because it's kinda like Marluxia to me, I can't really explain that any better than that though. So do with it what you will.

Strelitzia:

Cute fairy types!! A Whimsicott to match her brother! Floragato to represent her Chirithy. Musharna's there to kinda represent her dreams of helping Player, it just fits her imo.

And then there's Trevenant. Who evolves from Phantump, a pokemon said to be created from the souls of children who got lost in the forest and died. Yeah.

Elrena:

Electric types (duh), Boss-ass bitches, and general coolness.

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pincurchinpostulator · 3 months

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BASELESS LEGENDS Z-A SPECULATION TIME!

On the assumption we're supposed to be pronouncing it "Z to A", would that mean we are returning to a beginning of some sort? The origins of modern Lumiose City? The popular use of Mega Evolution? The (re)discovery of Infinity Energy? Or maybe its plot revolves around fully evolved Pokemon returning to their beginnings?

The Fletchling in the final shot follows the arc that the Talonflame took in the shot before it. It was probably just visual flair, but I want to entertain the possibility that this is the first hint to the plot of the game. Infinity Energy's connection to evolution was a big theme of Gen 6, and now would be the perfect time to revisit it. Maybe part of the plot involves Pokemon evolution getting messed with somehow?

I'm imagining the problem starts with Pokemon's evolutionary states in flux. Some getting devolved like their energy is being taken away. Others getting engorged with energy, powering them up or causing them to evolve. This sudden change causes a spiked aggression, making Alphas more common. The equivalent to the Noble Pokemon end up mega evolving and becoming enraged due to not having a trainer with a keystone to balance them out.

If Z-A is set in the past once again, this could be when knowledge that mega evolution can be controlled with the help of a trainer is spread. Much like in Legends Arceus, people would be fearful and afraid of these rampant mega evolved Pokemon. The hopes of a city made for Pokemon and people coming to a halt until the protagonist comes in and calms the raging mons with the help of Korrina's ancestors. It would help reconcile the Alola dex entries and Mystery Dungeon with what was established in Gen 6 (which the Gen 6 anime kinda implied was already the case).

We know Zygarde is going to be involved in this, and the chaos following Pokemon's evolutionary states going in flux seems like the sort of ecological disaster it would be concerned about.

(This is assuming that they don't go a completely different direction instead of retreading similar ground obviously. Also, Zygarde getting drained and having to gather its cores would be a good way to have it with you from the beginning, but the Raidons already did that and this is getting waaay too long already.)

#pokemon #Pokemon Z #Pokemon Z-A #Pokemon Z A #Pincurchin Postulatin'#Pokemon Legends Z-A #Pokemon Theory #Mega Evolution #Infinity Energy #Pokemon Legends #Baseless Speculation Time!

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fernsnailz · 1 year

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Do you have thoughts about Shadow’s potential Pokémon team? 👉🏽👈🏽

ough my god ok. i'm so tired so excuse any grammar mistakes but i got mons on the brain so here we go

ok so. absol. this guy is literally called the disaster pokemon because it tends to show up right before shit goes down and so people tend to blame it for natural disasters - however it's actually WARNING people of disasters, not causing them. some dex entries:

idk how to fully put this into words but like. the rejection it faces from humanity despite genuinely trying to help them and consistently persisting despite it all is. that's shadow. that's it man. absol could also work well with silver so i declare that absol is the official sonic 06 pokemon

type null is. it's literally just shadow. it even has the inhibitor rings and everything like come on

i do think that type null would eventually evolve into silvally alongside shadow, but it takes some time since it's a friendship evolution

ummm clefairy is cute and funny and i like it. also it's connected to the moon which shadow is heavily connected to thematically after kinda esploding it. idk how to describe it but it makes sense in my mind that shadow would connect with the funny moon pokemon as like. not a way to make up for his mistakes, but more to come to terms with them? there's something there that i can't describe rn but it just makes so much sense to me i promise

ok galarian moltres is. shadow colored. and also cool. BUT i did give sonic galarian zapdos so i kinda wanted to continue that theme, and with that in mind i think i would give silver galarian articuno to sorta fill out that trio

not gonna lie i mostly put scolipede here as a placeholder because i love scolipede but i think it kinda works as a black arms connection? idk they all kinda look like bugs. bro im so tired LMAOO

hydreigon is here because i saw it on the list of pokemon and immediately went "BIOLIZARD!!!!!! BIOLIZARD!!!!!!!!" and i want shadow to have a very edgy and overpowered dragon type

ok yeah that's it. i purposefully did not include mewtwo

#shadow my boy your pokemon team means so much to me but i am so so sleepy and so tired. you figure it out #fernasks #long post

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theresattrpgforthat · 1 year

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i would like to know more epistolary rpgs! have you got any?

either 2 player or more, i suspect most will be 2 player but more seems intriguing

Theme: Epistolary Games (Round 2!)

Hello friend! The three games I start off with here all allow for more players, although you are correct that most epistolary games are better for a duet.

When I lived here, by a grumpy little critter.

You once lived here. Maybe it was a place of refuge, maybe one of torment, maybe it was just one of the many places you passed through, but something about this house hooked you, so that you lingered even after death. You are a ghost that haunts this place, sending a fragment of your memory across the gulf that separates the dead from the living.

"When I lived here..." is a play-by-mail storytelling game for 4-6 players about several generations of ghosts in a single house. Each player contributes a brief recollection of their life in the house, one-by-one building a fragmentary history of the house and the lives lived there.

The players will roll on a prompt list to help them come up with their ghost and the story related to them, then write a journal entry onto a sheet of paper that will be consecutively mailed from house to house. Because the final player is responsible for mailing copies of the game to all of the other players, I recommend planning out the movement of the letters before play, so that the person who gets it last is in the best position to make sure everyone gets a copy of the game.

Europa Base, by a grumpy little critter.

Europa Base is a play-by-postcard survival horror RPG for 2 players or 2 households.

One party plays the crew of Europa Base, a newly established scientific station on Jupiter's moon, Europa. The crew, or what's left of it, have just survived a catastrophic disaster, but their troubles aren't over yet.

The other party plays Earth Command, scrambling to offer support and encouragement to Europa Base's intrepid scientists across the vast, unbridgeable distance, or perhaps just conveying last the last words of Europa Base's crew to the loved ones they left behind.

This game actually uses the time delay of the postal service as an oracle to determine how bad the situation is on Europa Base. If players’ mail is routinely and quickly delivered, there are even rules adjustments you can make to re-introduce a level of chance. If you like the idea of suspense that you can play with over a number of days or weeks, you should check out Europa Base.

Message in a Bottle, by Kingpin33.

A mysterious bottle has washed ashore, and seems to be inviting you to a beautiful island paradise! Inside there seems to be a note from a friend you have yet to meet, and an application for island living. You seem like a shoo-in, this Nook character doesn’t seem too picky..

Message in a Bottle is a letter-writing game where players can create a village full of animal friends and their island home. The features of your villagers and the island will be entirely determined by the mailing information of the person who sent you your message, so be sure to send the game around to all your friends and see what kind of neighbuorhood you can create!

This is an adorable little game inspired by Animal Crossing in which you use the zip codes of your friends to determine what kind of animal you are. After everyone has created their friends, the author even recommends an Animal Crossing RPG that’s available for free to play your characters in!

But Wait! There’s More!

Additionally, you can take a look at the works of AdventureByMail, a designer who design games specifically for two players separated by distance. They have mysteries, vampires, interstellar stories and more!

You can also find more epistolary games in the Step Up For the Postal Service game jam, designed specifically to be sent in the post. (Did I mention how much I love game jams?)

Games I’ve recommended in the past

Forever Dex, by World Champ Game Co.

This whole post.

#letter writing #dnd #indie ttrpgs #tabletop games #asks #game recommendations #grumpy little critter out here doing the Lord's work #epistolary

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stunfiskz · 1 month

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Please tell me about the deltarune pokemon au. I wanna know about the teams

apologies this took me a bit to put together, i have had a Night LOL

this started as just a thing i like to do for a lot of fandoms where i make a handful of pokemon teams for characters, but it’s kind of expanded into its own concept in my head now X) i’ve been watching a lot of pchal’s videos lately and so my image for a full project with this au would likely be a romhack but i doubt it’ll ever actually get made lmao

basically, you play as kris still in it. they’re beginning their journey as a pokemon trainer a couple years after their brother asriel left on his own. almost all of their party will depend on what the player catches, but they have a starter honedge (can fully evolve it) that you cannot remove from the party. honedge is a fun choice to me because it doubles as both the knife they have in the light world and their weapon being a sword in the dark world.

susie, ralsei, noelle, and berdly are rivals. the latter two are more of the professors assistant (professor is alphys probably) type rivals, though- berdly in particular would focus on filling up his pokédex and would brag about all the pokemon he’s caught. susie is your traditional asshole rival and ralsei your friendly one. the idea i have for noelle is that she is like… a walking glitch cause, lmao. i always loved watching pokemon glitch compilations when i was little and think its a really fun idea for her. it could start with small things- like, a scene in the school where the curtains turn black when she enters and go back to normal when she leaves, up until she starts getting some REALLY weird shit like the bad egg in her party. unsure what exactly the climax would be for that but i think it’ll be really fun to mess with haha

i think that each chapters main boss would be leaders of their own evil team. i could see it like… king leader of team spade and queen leader of team cyber, maybe? rouxls could be a team spade admin (and maybe lancer i initially didn’t think of that but the idea of there being a like 8 year old as an evil team admin makes me lose it) and swatch & tasque manager as team cyber admins. unfortunately being rouxls brained means i’ve thought quite a bit for him in this au lmao, i think it’d be funny if he was a former member of basically every evil team imaginable but just kept getting kicked out for being incompetent 😭

as for the teams, i currently have

kris with their starter honedge

susie with a final team of hydreigon, hydrapple, druddigon, tyrantrum, scrafty, and toxtricity. all funny lizards, lol. in particular, hydreigon was chosen for a few reasons- one, i’m biased because the deino line is one of my favorites, but also because the progression of deino and zweilous having their eyes covered, the whole ravenously hungry thing, and all that fit susie very well imo. hydrapple was also chosen specifically because of the whole apple thing she has with kris.

ralsei has an umbreon, absol, altaria, cacturne, comfey, and zoroark. i initially wanted to give him a mono dark team but felt altaria and comfey fit him better than my previous picks. umbreon is a cute dark type with a fluffy prevo, absol is a fluffy dark type and i feel that its whole omen of disaster thing fits nicely with ralsei delivering the prophecy, altaria is fluffy + the whole soothing song thing fits well with ralsei’s pacify spell, cacturne looks like his hat lol, comfey is a healer and has the flowers thing like that one fuckass fangamer shirt i think about constantly, and zoroark is fluffy and ralsei himself has his whole mimicry thing going on.

noelle has an alolan ninetales, sawsbuck winter form, venusaur, azumarill, kabutops, and mew. alolan ninetales was chosen because she needs at least one ice type lmao, sawsbuck because Winter Deer, venusaur because a lot of glitch Pokémon will default to using bulbasaur’s sprite due to it being first in the dex, azumarill both because of the transgender marill glitch and the pikablu rumors pre gsc, and kabutops because one of the sprites that missingno can use in gen 1 is a fossil resembling it, and mew because Mew Under The Truck. i really want her team to be mostly themed around glitch/playground runor stuff but i'm a bit worried that these picks aren’t that recognizable/don’t make as much sense for her because of that 😅

rouxls has a leavanny, vivillon (polar), frosmoth, larvesta, dunsparce, and orthworm. leavanny has the Sewing/Caretaker thing as well as being an early bug evo, vivillon polar form in particular looks like him and is an early bug (easy to get), frosmoth is shiny and is a friendship evo meaning it doesn’t take much effort to evolve, larvesta is little worm, dunsparce is worm adjacent and has the whole “useless silly thing” going on as well, and orthworm is big silly worm. i tried to only chose evolutions that wouldn’t require a lot of effort, which is why larvesta and dunsparce are both unevolved. additionally, i didn’t actually realize this til i was sharing the team with gummy and it pointed it out, but he has a couple friendship evos, which is just always fun when evil team members have those lol.

lancer has a gastly, spheal, voltorb, gible, galarian darumaka, and munchlax. silly and round….

the rest i don��t have full teams for yet, but have some sort of idea for

i want king to have a mono dark team, particularly of more imposing pokemon. i currently have him down with a pangoro, obstagoon, and tyranitar. i really want to give him a guzzlord but im unsure how to be able to justify him having an ultra beast in universe haha. maybe the fountains could be like ultra wormholes and each main boss could have one?

queen has an electivire because. wires lol. and also a tsareena because queen pokemon + kick attack + i like it a lot that’s always been one of my favs lol

swatch has a smeargle, staraptor, porygon 2, indeedee, and spritzee (thank you jay for helping me with the last one lol). i still feel like im struggling a bit to find a real direction for their team though :p

i think it would be funny if tasque manager had a team full of luxray but im unsure how much im willing to commit to it lol

in theory i want berdly to be a bird trainer, but he could also fit well with other pokemon like alakazam for his smart boy gimmick. unsure what direction to go for him as well

ah, also! i think it would be very funny if jevil, spamton, and any other secret bosses had their own weird mechanics for fights, but im unsure exactly what. my first thought was jevil’s fight locking you into hardcore nuzlocke rules and spamton trying to steal your pokemon throughout the fight but the first feels a bit too morbid and the second im unsure how that would actually work so XD will probably go for something different there lol. also reminds me, i think it would be fun for the shopkeepers to still be shopkeepers, and each sell different items like tms or held items used for competitive play!

thank you for enabling me to ramble abt this lol

#ask #deltarune #uhhhh i feel like i should give this au its own tag as i probably will try drawing stuff for it at some point. lets go with uhhh #pokerune #is that taken yet. idk

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elwin-at-your-service · 6 months

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heyyy it's livvy. you now are not alone handling everyone's medical disaster!!

i had to delete the other livvy blog because it was a side blog on accident *facepalm* but this is the real me!!

what's going on in this chaos?

Ah, this chaos! Where to begin…

@therealsophieelizabethfoster is exactly as accident prone as you would expect. She seems to have stopped caring that Burn Balm is made with yeti pee, because she has picked up arson as a hobby.

I keep a yeti on diuretics in the basement just to ensure I have a constant supply available (his name is Thing. People kept thinking he was a massive mystery and I guess I can see how his name may have contributed to the misunderstanding…)

@dex-the-smart-one is even worse at seeking medical attention than Sophie. Ask him about his broken arm and his migraines…

Somehow, folding Bullhorn became a pastime. I was already exceptionally good at reattaching amputated fingers, but I’ve perfected the technique to the n’th degree now. Olive oil is the essential final step! The recipe is on here somewhere.

I’ve given out a few more emotional support stuffed animals. A chimera for Mr Forkle and an Aquadon for Marella.

And Amy gave me some stickers of human medical doodads. They’re my profile background! But I did get a few stuck in Bullhorn’s fur and it took a week to get them out (and even longer before he’d speak to me again).

So that’s a taster for you of some of the recent shenanigans. Oh, and I did also mention that once upon a time we used to go on expeditions sourcing rare medicinal ingredients, when someone asked me how I used to keep myself busy before Sophie came along needing medical care all the time. I did also break confidentiality and spill the beans on Bronte’s ingrown toenails at the same time (oops).

OH, AND - I found out the goblins have sandy green earwax, which was fascinating! Who knew???

#kotlc rp #ask dr elwin #kotlc medics #bullhorn may have done this enough times that i’ve got the fix down pat #you’ve got nine other fingers what do you want that one for anyway #emotional support stuffed animal

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foodfightnovelization · 6 days

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Foodfight! Workprint Analysis and Discussion (Part 1)

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Hey everyone! So, just like I mentioned in my previous post, we're going to be covering the Foodfight! workprint from August 2005, which contains early animation, storyboards and more! I still can't get over how incredible this is- this is a rough cut of the ENTIRE movie, from start to end, and features a ton of footage from early on in production. Did you really think we'd EVER get to see this? Or that the rumored "stolen" version of the film was actually just 7 minutes of completed animation created to show investors, almost all of which would be included in a workprint cobbled together from storyboards, scratch track and badly Photoshopped renders? Cats and dogs living together (literally in the case of Sunshine and Dex), mass hysteria, anarchy! I never imagined the early footage would be found or that this was how it would happen, but here we are! So without further ado, let's go back in time to 2005, before Foodfight! became the disaster it's known as today...

The workprint opens in much the same way as the finished film, with Mr Leonard closing up his store and saying goodbye to the last customer of the night, only constantly switching between finished animation, concept art, and storyboards cobbled together using Photoshop. This is a common theme throughout the workprint and it's emblematic of the movie's chaotic production- it never really seems to settle on a specific style to use, and so instead just kinda goes for all of them at once. And for something solely for internal use that's fine (even if the Photoshopped boards would basically be useless for the actual animators), but apparently this was shown to INVESTORS. Imagine that! It's no wonder so many companies pulled out of the movie as it went on, and it's mindboggling that anyone thought this was professional enough to show off that way. With that being said, the completed animation as the supermarket comes to life is fantastic- it's not as groundbreaking as something like Toy Story was, but it has its own unique charm and style, reminiscent of classic Warner Bros cartoons.

It then goes to ACTUAL storyboards as we're introduced to Dex Dogtective, mascot for Cinnamon Sleuth Cereal, as he faces off against the dastardly Fat Cat Burglar. This becomes a trend throughout the workprint- whenever there's an action sequence or anything particularly heavy on movement, actual storyboards that show the camera angles, motion and expressions of each character are used. I guess maybe someone convinced Larry Kasanoff they needed them for these kind of scenes, but he still insisted they didn't need them for the rest of the movie?

This sequence is similar to how it is in the film, but there are a few key differences- instead of Fat Cat Burglar sending the Hairless Hamster Henchmen to fight Dex, with him distracting them using a piece of cheese, here Dex is surrounded by spidery Ikes and he fights them off using his martial arts skills. There are also numerous differences in dialogue but I'm not going word-by-word on this, I'd be writing for years if I listed every single change. (The same goes for the rest of the workprint- I'll only write about dialogue being different if it's particularly significant or noticeable) If I had to guess, the intense fight with the spidery Ikes was cut as it was too hard to do in motion capture, as in the novelization they've already been replaced by the Hairless Hamster Henchmen but it still mentions Dex fighting them off (This also makes it clear the workprint is based off an earlier draft of the script than the novelization, but that'll be made far clearer later on).

Dex saves a basket of kittens from the Fat Cat Burglar, and meets up with his best friend Daredevil Dan to talk about his plan for proposing to his girlfriend Sunshine. There's some missing dialogue here- in the movie (and even in a draft of the script from around the same time) Dex talks with a reporter called Hedda Shopper a little before going to see Dan, but here he just walks right up to him. There are a number of these odd cuts throughout the workprint and I have no idea why, but I feel the changes actually help it flow better as a whole and keep the dialogue from overstaying its welcome.

Obviously there are still quirks with the pacing as some of the boards haven't been timed properly to various shots yet, but it's overall shorter and more coherent than the finished film, clocking in at just over 65 minutes despite featuring scenes that were left out of the finished film (thus somehow paradoxically containing more story in less time). I attribute this a lot to sequences not being so horrendously drawn out- in the finished film the big fight against Brand X is stretched out ridiculously long, but here it's kept tighter and shorter. It's a huge improvement overall and you feel the ripples of it throughout the entirety of the workprint, so I thought I'd bring it up the first time it makes itself apparent.

It's also around this time we first hear the main characters speak and as this workprint was created before any of the cast had started recording, all the dialogue is scratch track taken from various crewmembers doing a script reading (you can hear them turning pages multiple times while talking). Even though this was obviously never intended to be the actual audio, I still prefer the voices here over the final cast. The voice actor for Dex in particular puts a lot more emotion into the role than Charlie Sheen did, and gives a much more convincing performance overall.

Dex sits outside for a romantic dinner with Sunshine and attempts to propose to her, and this sequence (like many others in the workprint) is depicted entirely through poorly Photoshopped 3D renders of the various characters and environments. Apparently this was at the request of Larry Kasanoff, who hated how traditional storyboards made everyone look like "stick figures" and insisted investors "wouldn't understand" them. This is obviously a completely insane thing to say, and shows just how little he knew about the process of animation. Storyboards aren't there to look pretty, they're a way for members of the team to visualize the elements of each shot and what'll happen in each scene. These Photoshopped boards do none of that, so they would've been practically useless to everyone on the crew except Larry, who in the depths of his ignorance somehow thought these looked good.

They ARE useful today however, because they provide a look at several earlier character models and how they looked earlier in production. Because of these bizarre boards, later on in the movie we even get to see a ton of models for the various real-world brand mascots, which we otherwise would never gotten the chance to see. I'll make a separate post about those however, so I can count up how many we see in the workprint compared to the finished film.

Just like in the movie, Sunshine goes missing, and six months later Mr Clipboard arrives at the store pushing Brand X products, much to Leonard's disapproval. However there's a bizarre line included here where Mr Clipboard refers to Leonard as "the last of the great grocers"... now what does that mean, seriously? A great grocer? Groceries do not make one great.

Mr Clipboard's voice is far more normal in this workprint as well, still sounding somewhat wacky but nowhere near the absolute chaos of Christopher Lloyd's portrayal. Given how the character is similarly subdued in the novelization, it's crazy how memorable he ended up being in the finished film. Christopher Lloyd's voice and GJ Echternkamp's motion capture worked together perfectly to elevate a relatively forgettable character into what quickly became the most memorable and enduring part of the movie, likely what most people first think of whenever they hear the name "Foodfight!".

Mr Clipboard stomps on a bag of Kaptain Krispy potato chips, and just as Krispy says "No-one wastes me chips and gets away with it", it cuts to what may LOOK like a plain white screen...but actually, if you look very carefully, you can just make out the text "HOLD for Mr Pringles line "Now Kaptain Krispy, you don't want to be sent back to anger management". I have no idea why this text is barely legible, but the same line is in also in the script, making it clear this was supposed to be Mr Pringles' role in the plot (most of the actual brand mascots only getting a line or two). You also see the character later on in the workprint fully modelled and flying on a giant Pringle like the Silver Surfer, but more on that when we get to it.

There's a brief scene of Mr Leonard worriedly looking at the new Brand X display before closing the supermarket for the night (which IS in the novelization but left out of the movie), before we cut to Dex having a nightmare about Sunshine's disappearance. This nightmare sequence is pretty similar to how it is in the finished film, save for Dex inexplicably seeing what looks like a Brand X soldier taking Sunshine away. Given at this point in the movie he doesn't even know Brand X exists and would have never seen them before...how exactly does this work? I guess it's that special type of nightmare you only see in movies, where they can inexplicably reveal things a character would otherwise have no way of knowing.

Dex wakes up from his nightmare and T-poses so hard he starts levitating in front of Dan, who for his part doesn't seem to be particularly fazed by this. Actually, I'm just kidding around- this scene is mostly the same as it is in the movie, with Dex blaming himself for Sunshine's disappearance and Dan telling him that he has the Copabanana club to run now.

We then go to a scene that isn't in the movie at all but we HAVE discussed previously, on account of it being in the novelization- Dex making his way to the club while being accosted by Hairy Hold, who explains he's been struggling as the head of the USDA (United Supermarket Defence Association) ever since Dex quit, and that he needs to stop blaming himself for Sunshine's disappearance. I really wish this scene had been in the movie since it adds some much-needed depth to the characters- here we see just how badly Dex has been affected by Sunshine's disappearance, as well as a proper introduction to Hairy's character, making it clear that despite being something of a wet blanket he occasionally stands up for himself (In that sense, he kinda reminds me of Antoine from the 90s Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon...or Bartleby from the other, less memorable 90s Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon).

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Dex and Hairy's tense moment is interrupted by Dan, flying by with a Copabanana banner (try saying that five times fast) attached to the tail of his plane. And delightfully, this scene is FULLY ANIMATED! That's right, nearly two whole minutes of classic squash-and-stretch goodness. I've linked a video of the scene above so you can check it out for yourself, because damn if it's not satisying to watch. The actual content of the scene is similar to the finished movie ( only with less sexually charged jokes and the Keebler Elves instead of creepy gnomes) but visually the difference is night and day. Literally! This scene actually takes place at night whereas the finished film always looks like its perpetually mid-afternoon, despite the very premise of the movie being it's what happens in a supermarket at NIGHT.

Isn't it crazy to finally be able to watch a fully-animated scene in this style though? For those not in the know, only seven minutes of completed animation was actually made this way, part of a pitch reel to help sell the movie to investors. So there's only this and a handful of other fully-rendered scenes in the entire workprint (and that's all that ever existed- there's no more "lost movie" to be found, this is it) but looking at this on it's own you wouldn't know that, right? It feels like it's just a scene from an early 2000s animated movie in the vein of Hoodwinked or Jimmy Neutron, and it's impossible not to wish you could see the whole movie in this style.

Shortly afterwards, we get to see ANOTHER fully-animated scene, this time of Dex meeting local sleazebag Cheazel T. Weasel on his way to the club, saving Polar from having his pockets emptied by the schemer. As I'm sure is obvious from the picture above, Dex is a human in this scene instead of a dog. In case you're wondering why, at the time the aforementioned pitch reel was initially developed Dex was a human called "Dex Detective", with him being changed to a dog around 2002 due to the character not testing well with investors. However, it seems they never went back through the whole reel and changed him to a dog- there are a FEW shots where he's been replaced by a dog, possibly for a shorter version of the reel to show off the new version of the character, but there are an equal number of shots where he hasn't been replaced at all and is still a human. I'm honestly glad they made this change- human Dex just looks boring visually, and I feel it would've made the movie a little TOO similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Dex deals with the Weasel and we're treated to yet ANOTHER fully-animated scene as he arrives at the Copabanana, constantly shifting between human and dog like some sort of store-brand Animorph (see what I meant earlier?). I have to say, the crowd shots here are INCREDIBLY impressive for the time- there are hundreds, if not thousands of extras surrounding the club, something that would've been insanely tough to render at the time this was made. Apparently there was a special software called "Q-Tip" they used to achieve this, and the results speak for themselves. It's incredible- these crowd shots are actually more impressive than the ones in the finished film, which was released over a decade later. The whole scene looks incredibly visually appealing, and the various characters in the crowd actually look like they could be mascots for grocery products. I'm a particular fan of the tuxedo-wearing ant holding a tommy gun, who the script tells me is called "Ant Acid".... get it, like antacid?

Dex adds Polar Penguin (from the earlier scene with Cheazel) to the VIP list so he can be let into the club, and you'll notice at some points here the bouncer Maximilius is instead a large blue dog. This character's name was Panzer Pup, being replaced by Maximilius Moose sometime after Dex was changed to a dog. If I had to guess why, I'd say that it was so they didn't have two main characters who were both anthropomorphic dogs. I mean come on, you can't have TWO dogs, that's anarchy, that's chaos!

Dex enters the club, and it's here we see a type of animation that isn't used anywhere else in the workprint- it seems to be incredibly rough blocking using low-poly versions of the character models, presumably to help visualize how the sequence would look when finished. I have no idea why this is the only time it's used but it does provide us with a look at the M&Ms, who at this point in production were still intended to be part of the movie. The Green M&M tells the Red M&M "my therapist says I'm suffering from peanut envy" and I've gotta admit I find this joke really really funny. The inherent ridiculousness of these candy mascots talking about going to therapy, the pun on the Freudian concept "penis envy", it's silly enough that it tickles me in just the right way. It's also fascinating to finally see the M&Ms' role in the plot- by the time the movie actually came out, they'd been replaced with a Roman gladiator who rants about how he's "so excited to get a table" before falling into a cow's anus and whining that he's "stuck in a butt and it's so disgusting". I mean...just... what? Even if you take issue with the "peanut envy" joke, I feel like you have to concede stumbling into a bovine rectal cavity is just as inappropriate.

As Dex takes a seat at the bar we cut to Daredevil Dan on the other side of Marketropolis, making his way to the Copabanana on a horse-drawn wagon. He attempts to backflip off the wagon, only to land flat on his face right in front of Lady X, the Brand X Detergent Ike. This is another scene that wasn't in the movie but WAS in the novelization, so it's great to finally see a visual representation of it. I wasn't too sure about this scene when reading about it, but seeing it onscreen I think it would've worked. It's clear Lady X is supposed to be entirely cast in shadow here, building up a sense of intrigue while still making her entrance at the Copabanana later an exciting introduction to the character. We also get a good look at the Brand X Detergent building here, with a huge washing machine on the front being very noticeable (the reason I bring this up is it becomes relevant later).

Dex is still sat at the bar mourning Sunshine, when we're treated to another fully-animated scene as Lady X makes her big entrance, with all the Ikes instantly falling head-over-heels for her. These scenes really are incredibly well-crafted- I can't stop going back and admiring all the little details, like Lady X's pupils dilating in the light, or the reflections on the floor. Regardless of how you feel about the quality of the early animation (personally I think it looks great), you can tell a lot of care was put into it. And you know what? I'm not afraid to say it, Lady X looks gorgeous rendered like this, I wish I had boobs like hers. Unfortunately this is the last of the fully-rendered scenes for a while, as the majority of the pitch reel consisted of scenes from very early on in the movie.

Lady X introduces herself to Dex and the two start flirting in a scene mostly identical to the finished film, before Dan barges in calling himself her "sugar daddy". Kaptain Krispy interrupts all three of them to point out there's something dirty about Brand X on account of Mr Clipboard stomping one of his bags earlier, which provokes Dan into starting a bar fight. Since this is an action sequence, we're once again treated to some actual storyboards and I have to say these are my favorite part of the workprint ,second only to the animation itself. The photoshopped boards don't really tell you a whole lot about how various sequences were supposed to look, and since they use the same few images every time there's not much visual variety to them. However, with actual storyboards we can understand exactly how every shot would have played out...which of course, is the entire point of having storyboards to begin with (don't tell Larry).

I mean, look how dynamic this is and how it instantly tells you everything about the scene- from each characters' emotions, to the movements they're supposed to be making to how they're going to be posed, it really does a great job at showing how good this bar fight could've looked if not for Larry Kasanoff's meddling.

Dex quickly puts an end to the fight and tells everyone to get out of his club- and once again there's a scene here that wasn't in the movie but was in the novelization, where Dan is about to be thrown out of the Copabanana as well. Dex tells Maximilius to let him stay, but isn't quite sure what to do about Lady X.

Dex heads back to his office and after an INCREDIBLY brief animated shot of the doorway, Lady X arrives in an attempt to seduce him into joining Brand X. This scene mostly goes down the same as it does in the finished film, only just like the novelization Lady X is still in her red dress here- in the movie she's wearing a "sexy" schoolgirl outfit, which not only is it inappropriate considering this was supposed to be for children, it also doesn't even make a lick of sense. Apparently this change was made at the request of Larry Kasanoff (surprise surprise!) and "nobody liked" having to do this, but he insisted. So in case you haven't already put two and two together and figured out Larry likely did this so he could whack off to the scene, I'm putting that mental image into your head now and it'll never go away. Gross, isn't it? And I know I've said it before, but this scene (and the workprint as a whole) is acted far better than the movie was. I guess part of it is that the scratch track was done with crewmembers all reading the script together in the same room, allowing them to play off each other's performances, whereas the actual cast would've all recorded separately. Even taking that into consideration however, I think the voices for Dex and Lady X are a far better fit than Charlie Sheen and Eva Longoria were. For some reason, they just seem to suit the characters better.

Dex hears screaming outside and so after a very cinematic shot of Lady X watching him from the window as he runs toward the source of the noise, he makes his way to a crime scene- every Ike thrown out of the club earlier found dead, with the exception of Dan who's mysteriously gone missing. Dex surmises that someone tried to make it look like this was all a continuation of the bar fight, but that they were actually rubbed out by an outside force. In some dialogue that once again wasn't in the movie but was in the novelization, Hairy explains something similar happened with Sunshine, but quiets down as soon as he's about to mention that her body was never found. In addition, much like the novelization there's an actual crowd surrounding the scene, whereas in the movie it's just the principal characters standing out on the street by themselves. Basically EVERYTHING, every additional scene or line of dialogue initially thought exclusive to the novelization is included in this workprint, which points to a lot of these changes being made made very late on in production (as the novelization would've been written after this workprint was made and yet they're still included). And all of these changes make the workprint vastly more enjoyable to watch too- from added character depth, to more appropriate jokes, to just straight up making more sense.

During the day, we see customers going crazy for Brand X products and buying up all their stock, with the huge Brand X Detergent display and its accompanying washing machine looming behind. This scene wasn't in the finished film, but once again it WAS in the novelization- and on top of that, it was also in the Deluxe Sound Storybook we talked about a few posts ago. So really, it's in every version of Foodfight! except the actual movie...crazy, right? Dex watches on from inside his Cinnamon Sleuth box, concerned enough about the whereabouts of Dan to jump back into action. And I know I said this back when I covered the novelization, but I think it's a cool idea that from within their products the Ikes are still able to witness everything that happens in the store during the day- the only hint of this we get in the finished film is Kaptain Krispy making a comment on his chips being stomped as soon as it happens, but since the rules of the Marketropolis aren't so clearly defined in the movie that could easily be mistaken as voiceover.

Meanwhile in the supermarket's deli case the USDA are holding a meeting about the deaths of the various Ikes, and since the bar fight that started it all was between sugar and salt icons, it's being ascribed to a bittersweet flavor of bigotry-motivated violence. It's here we're treated to a number of cameos from real-world brand mascots- as I mentioned before however, I'll explain all the brand mascots shown here in a separate post. As head of the USDA, Hairy Hold decides to Brand X put in charge of the store, with some Ikes protesting the change and others in full support.

We then return once again to actual storyboards (hooray!) as Lieutenant X, one of the Brand X cronies, coerces Cheazel into bringing Dex to them. This isn't an action scene, but I'm guessing it got proper storyboards anyway because the way Cheazel moves is very specific and detailed, something that would be impossible to depict with Photoshopped 3D renders. These particular boards are also drawn in a different, much more detailed style than the other storyboards, although I couldn't possibly say why (possibly due to Cheazel being Larry Kasanoff's favorite character?)

In the finished film, this scene takes place atop a building, but here (and in all other versions of the story) it takes place in the Italian food aisle, modeled after the streets of Venice. The voices are very different here too- unlike the earlier Cheazel clip and the movie itself, where he was voiced by Larry Kasanoff, here it sounds like someone attempting to do an impression of Ugarte from Casablanca. Given he was the inspiration for the character that's not surprising, but it does make me wonder why Kasanoff didn't bother to voice him here. Lieutenant X's voice is different as well, sounding like an exaggerated impression of Christopher Walken and taking comically long pauses between each word.

The following scene is yet another Cheazel appearance and so is also drawn with proper storyboards, only this time they're back to the less detailed ones we saw earlier. I still absolutely LOVE these though- they're so full of life and character, and night and day compared to the utter lack of expressiveness in the finished film. Seeing Cheazel slither and snake around to Dex's increasing irritation is genuinely charming when drawn like this- it almost makes me wish we could've seen Foodfight! as a 2D animated movie, as clearly a lot of artists on the project had talent in that area.

Cheazel lures Dex right to the Brand X Detergent building, and he runs into Lady X. The two aggressively flirt as they start to tango, although their dancing isn't shown here as this entire sequence is represented through a single Photoshopped storyboard. This would've meant the animators had absolutely nothing to work from- even though they had already switched to motion capture around this time and so would've had the capture of actual dancing available as reference, it still helps to have storyboards for a sequence as complex as this. This does seem to happen more as the workprint goes on however, with multiple sequences only being represented by a single still image, suggesting they were pressed for time when putting the workprint together. It really does show once again how chaotic the production of Foodfight! was- no other animated movie on the planet is directed and boarded like this, no one would ever think to put it together in this way. And yet despite the bizarre way it's put together, it's still a thousand times more entertaining and appealing to look at than the finished film.

There's some additional dialogue here that's not in any other version of the story (not even the novelization or the script) where Lady X says "You've been playing in the wrong aisles, Dex. Snack foods are for kids, now detergents....well that's adults only". I really like this line, as it sheds some light as to why Lady X is so much more provocatively designed than the other Ikes- detergents ARE something that only adults buy, and so it makes sense the personification of that would be less child-friendly than that of a sugary breakfast cereal. I think this scene is especially well-delivered too- the people voicing Dex and Lady X are far more convincing as these characters, Dex having a lot more emotion in his voice and Lady X delivering all her lines with a throaty, seductive purr. I think they have a natural chemistry with each other here, far more than Charlie Sheen and Eva Longoria did in the actual movie. Even though this was just scratch track, I think they were a much better fit for the roles overall.

Dex refuses to fall for Lady X's charms, and so she sics her robotic Xobytes on him, in the process revealing that she used them to wipe out all the other Ikes the previous night. This scene was once again bizarrely left out of the movie (even though it contains a crucial piece of exposition), but it IS in both the novelization and the Sound Storybook I talked about recently, making this yet another scene that's in every version of Foodfight! but the actual movie. Crazy how that keeps happening, right?

The Xobytes swarm Dex and he's quickly rendered unconscious, Lady X sadly reflecting on how they could've had such beautiful products together (could they? He's a cereal mascot and she's a detergent icon...what does putting those two together entail?). The dialogue in this scene is somewhat different to other versions of the story, but there's not much to say about it other than, like all the other changes made here, the workprint does it better.

We're just about halfway through the workprint now, and unfortunately it's too long to cover in a single post (did you know Tumblr only allows 30 images per post? Yeah, me neither) but I hope you'll join me in the second half of this analysis so we can finish off covering the DEFINITIVE version of the Foodfight! story! I know I said the novelization was the definitive version back when I talked about that, but that was BEFORE a workprint of the entire movie from 2005 was discovered. Who knew this was ever going to be found? I sure didn't, but I couldn't be happier that it was. The animated sequences are incredibly well-crafted and it still blows my mind we finally get to see all the lost footage, the pencil-sketched storyboards are a delightful look at how certain sequences would've come together, the voices and dialogue are far better than the film itself, and even the Photoshopped boards give us plenty of glimpses at early character models. In short, every aspect of this workprint is better than anything in the finished film. Stay tuned for a brief interlude about all the brand mascots in this version of the movie as well as the second half of my analysis, and I'll catch you on the flipside!

#Youtube #foodfight #dex dogtective #daredevil dan #lady x #larry kasanoff #movie analysis #storyboards #production art #mr clipboard #cheazel the weasel

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greenerteacups · 2 months

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A non-Dramione question: Have you watched the recently released Netflix show, One Day? If yes, did you like it? Have you read the book? Most importantly—what do you think of the show’s tracklist?

Rare one! Sure. I:

(a) did indeed watch the show, on the orders of a friend;

(b) thought it was pretty good, and the main two were nicely balanced and interesting; I quite liked their storylines separately, but for some reason I didn't really feel their chemistry. The actors are nailing it, but I think the tougher, repressed, high-functioning-disaster-woman Emma and the softer, intuitive, Manpain-Forward Dex are more interesting in their own rights, but I wanted more sexual tension and "not forbidden but this is probably a bad idea" romance. There were scenes that got this right, but I wanted more of them. Maybe that's just the conceit of the show, I think year-long timeskips means development will always feel rickety and disjointed, which makes romantic chemistry insanely difficult to build well. Also I thought the ending was atrociously written, separate point;

(c) haven't read the book and am not currently planning to, mostly because I know the ending, and literally cannot imagine a way that the author could spin it that wouldn't make me want to fill his shoes with cat piss;

(d) I now realize why you sent this ask: The soundtrack was absolutely fucking UNSTOPPABLE and the power combo of moody 90's - early 2000's jams stole my heart. Every time a song started playing I immediately forgave the show for all its sins until the song ended and I remembered it had dialogue again. No Notes

(e) this isn't related but there was a scene where they had the (beautiful, young, very obviously twenty-something) actress playing Emma deliver the line "I was quite gorgeous in my twenties" with the wistful melancholy of someone supposedly approaching middle age, and I lost my shit. Probably not intended audience effect as that was a very serious scene and supposed to put a bead on some of the key themes of the series but it was like hearing a teenager talk about retinol, babygirl what do you mean you WERE quite gorgeous, you look like a covergirl ad who went light on concealer today. the makeup department left her to STARVE

#they did such a good job making her an interesting three-dimensional person and then they fucking fridged her anyway. death by knives!

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myheartismadeofstars · 2 months

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TGCF pokemon teams: made x

Xianle Quartet version

Xie Lian

Absol:

Pretty self explanatory. Absol is the Bad Luck pokemon and appears before disasters. No doubt XL encounters a lot of them. Absol would also keep an eye out for BWX.

Calyrex: a pokemon who used to be a king but has lost everything, even his friends...sound familiar? Also it can make plants grow and I love the unused Flower God!XL concept. Also I think XL deserves a legendary.

Hisuian Liligant: an elegant fighter and a beautiful flower. Revered in ancient times but almost forgotten in the modern era. Also I see H!Liligant as very nice and polite.

Mienshao: an unarmed fighter that fights with "ribbons" that remind me of Ruoye. Mienfoo are also mentioned to seclude themselves in the mountains to train.

Garbodor: our favourite trash collector needed a trash pokemon, okay? But also a joking reference to his terrible cooking lmao. (I think Garbodor could eat XL's cooking like HC can, but that's the same as calling it garbage lmao)

Dusclops: THIS is Ruoye. It wraps and binds people in the cloth bandages hanging off of it. It does hold a Reaper Cloth but XL hasn't been able to find someone to help it evolve.

Liligant, Calyrex and Mienshao have been on the team the longest. I think the newest member is Garbodor, but he has had several other pokemon over his lifetime that he lost due to his luck.

Hua Cheng

Ceruledge: allow me to quote the pokemon Scarlet Dex Entry "The fiery blades on its arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal." That's honestly enough for me, but also, wartime!HongHong-Er having a Charcadet and also it's a ghost/fire type lmao.

Inteleon: Inteleon can learn Rain Dance. But also the transition from a bullied kid to an emo teen and finally a cool and suave (seeming) adult who still has signs of being that scared kid at heart?

Houndoom: HC needed a dog. Also the fact that just HEARING Houndoom's howl can send people fleeing in terror and the burns hurting FOREVER. (Reminds me a bit of E-Ming's curse, though not perfect)

Absol: Pokemon believed to cause disasters and hated for it, even though it was innocent and was actually trying to warn them... Also Absol has red eyes! Unlike XL's Absol, HC's has Super Luck!

Honchkrow: Murkrow are supposed to bring bad luck but Honchkrow are the bosses of Murkrow and said to be merciless towards them, much how HC is with Ghost City.

Honedge (Shiny): E-Ming! The shiny form has red eyes on its hilt and the blade seems forged in blood. It's literally a cursed sword with red eyes.

I would say that Inteleon and Ceruledge and MAYBE Honchkrow are the only pokemon he has from when he was alive, though none of them were fully evolved (Inteleon was a Drizzile). Ceruledge evolved first.

Feng Xin

Hisuian Decidueye: hisuian Decidueye is based on a ronin. He's an archer wandering the earth without a master.

Mabostiff: Mabostiff are LITERALLY the Guard dog pokemon!! Of course our favourite bodyguard has to have one! Also supposedly has a "scary face" like our grumpy boy

Lucario: Protective and loyal and I've now seen several people say that FX is good at tracking and I would say Lucario is perfect for trying to track someone (aka: XL) by their aura.

Espeon: Loyal but also the Sun Pokemon! FX is the "Southern Sun" after all! I also have a headcanon about FX having a spoiled cat and I think Espeon is the most similar to the cat I have for him

Zangoose: Obviously a reference to his fighting with Mu Qing. (I also think Zangoose has Toxic Boost rather than Immunity. Because FX isn't immune to MQ's words and actions, just angered by them, ergo: Toxic Boost)

Male Pyroar: It's a noble and intimidating pokemon and I would consider them a very masculine pokemon that would suit his title quite well and also...since it's revealed that Pyroar do have similar social structures to real lions... Males have nothing to do with child rearing I'm so sorry FX I'm sure you'd be a good dad if given the chance idk if I'll give Jian Lan a team but a female Pyroar would definitely be on it.

Most of his teammates have been around for a long time. Decidueye didn't fully evolve until he ascended on his own, and I would say Lucario and Espeon are the newest members. But his "starter" was probably Litleo, and he got Maschiff when he became XL's bodyguard when he was 14.

Mu Qing

Umbreon (Shiny): counterpart to FX'S Espeon, and I think it fits "Enigmatic Truth" almost as well as Espeon suits "Southern Sun". MQ's is shiny mostly because I feel the blue rings suit him better lmao. Also MQ deserves something special dammit!

Seviper: Rivals FX's Zangoose. The poison typing brings to mind his own toxicity (🤟) and the bladed tail reminds me of his Zhanmadao and Seviper is just a bit longer than most Zhanmadao are.

Persian: Considered beautiful and elegant but fickle, just like our boy!

Leavanny: Leavanny reminds me of the fact that his mother was a seamstress. But also: they are kind to children (but can also learn Sword's Dance and have wicked bladed arms) Mama's boy cannot forget her.

Midday Lycanroc: Cautious and extremely loyal to those who treated them well. Considered Dusk Form considering how hot headed MQ is, but slightly prefer the Midday form for him because it emphasizes the loyalty while Dusk is notably difficult to raise I also headcanon him with a yellow coloured dog so midday suits that better

Empoleon: Proud in all evolutions, but still live in groups as Piplup and Empoleon, though solitary as Prinplup. Sounds like pushing people away and then realizing that you wanted them in your life after all.

While he doesn't keep it with him, he also has a Male Indeedee who has been with him since his servant days. He mostly stays in his Palace and manages things. MQ doesn't like to be reminded of those days, but it did introduce him to his friends.

The oldest teammate is Leavanny by quite a bit. Leavanny was with him before he went to Mount Taicang (though maybe not fully evolved) Lycanroc is the newest member, but I don't think Empoleon is fully evolved until he reconciles with XL and FX.

#tgcf #xie lian #hua cheng #feng xin #mu qing #tgcf au #pokemon au #pokemon fan teams #I'm currently working on sqx and actually having a hard time

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