#my way of texting undoubtedly leaks into the way i think the characters would text | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

neeterloveschenford · 3 years

Text

RNM 3x01

Howdy partners! It's finally happened. Roswell New Mexico has come back from the war! Last night was super exciting. I agree with everyone that said it was like a brand new pilot episode. I have slowly but surely gotten more excited over the last year, ever since she who should not be named got the boot. And it looks like things can only go up from here.

If you're new to my blog, I try to do a review of each episode just giving my opinions and speculating on what's to come. It's a long read because I really dived into almost every aspect this time, so I'll put the rest under the cut.

So without further ado, let's dive right in!!!

Mopey Max is mopey.

I know he was reverting back to his old way of doing things in not telling Michael and Isobel about dying, but I have to believe that he did it to have good memories for himself as well as for his siblings. I don’t know. Maybe I’m being generous, but I’m willing to give him a little grace this season. It’s a new beginning, so maybe we’ll get some growth from him this season.

Not gonna lie, Heath is a hottie. I can see what Liz sees in him. He’s kinda like if Max and Kyle had a baby. I hate her boss though.

Love the pod squad hanging out together. They were very funny and very much like real siblings when they were in the mindscape. And Isobel digging on Michael about Alex was so good! Also, how has no one noticed that Max is shooting up acetone like heroine.?

I’m gonna surprise some folks, but I ain’t mad about Delmanes. I think Greg has chemistry with everyone and they established that Maria and Alex are still in contact (I’ll get to that in a minute.) So I don’t think he’s going to have a problem with them. Frankly, I think they are going to sweep the thing we all hate under the rug and never bring it up again. And I am a-okay with that! Y’all, I want to love Maria so badly! She was my absolute favorite character from the OG and if they have to forget about questionable things that we all know were a product of CAM self inserting, then I am ok with it. Besides, she’s cute and he’s cute and they can just be cute together. I also don’t think she was dragging Michael when they were talking. She made a comment about Michael’s bad boy demeanor. Something that he has been cultivating for over a decade now. And her saying that some things aren’t meant to be…… I mean are we going to argue that point or something? I could have told her that last season.

Also, I want to try some of Bert’s mead.

Kyliz!!! I love their friendship so much! Few people challenge Liz the way Kyle does. He treats her with so much respect, but doesn’t hesitate to call her out when she’s being stubborn. Go Team Liz!!!!!

Michael Guerin stopping to fix his hair before he welcomes Alex Manes back just about broke me y’all.😭😭😭😭😭😭 My sweet son! I love him so much!! And I am so proud of him. I think the old Michael would have walked right up and made some sarcastic comment. But this Michael is respecting Alex’s choices and being a real friend. I am truly sad we didn’t get any one-on-one Malex content, but I know that this is just setting us up for an amazing journey for our boys.

It was also gut-wrenching to see Alex stepping off that bus and being confronted with Jesse’s statue. But it was nice to see him smile when Forrest came to meet him. I am nowhere near a Forlex shipper, but it was good to see Alex happy for once. And Michael’s face when he saw them.😭😭😭😭😭😭My baby boy. I just want to hug him so badly!!

Kyle trying to help everyone was so wonderful to see. He’s the best person on that show. If only folks would listen to him!!! But I am intrigued by this vision.

Damn Tyler Blackburn is ripped! Good lord son. You are killing me!

So here’s where we come back to Maria. It’s kind of a throwaway line, but Alex checks his phone and says it’s his brother and Maria making sure he got in ok. (Followed by that super cringy did you get in ok line from Forrest.) (No wonder they weren’t exclusive after a year!) This shows me that Alex still considers Maria to be his best friend. There’s no flinch. No negative reaction. He just starts returning texts before Forrest starts revealing that he’s in Deep Sky.

Wyatt Long is such a douche.

HAHAHAHA!!!! Forrest is nothing more than a low-level henchman! I love it! And I can’t blame him for falling for Alex. Who could? But let me tell ya bud, keeping secrets like that is no way to ingratiate yourself to one Alex Manes. You could see the wheels turning in Alex’s head. How much does Deep Sky know? Is Michael in danger? What lengths will he have to go to to protect him? I’m finding Deep Sky to be quite fascinating.

Max’s brain manifesting Liz when her song comes on the radio was so sad. He loves her so much, but is just so bad at being a good partner. You know he just wants to see her one last time before he dies. And once again, bravo to everyone’s hero Dr. Kyle. He’s tired of Max keeping this a secret. I just love them together. They hate, yet respect each other. It makes for a very interesting dynamic.

I’m like Liz and Heath. They had fun shenanigans! I enjoy shenanigans. And of course she would leak their patent to keep it from becoming a wrinkle cream. Like a boss!

“It’s a cactus! There’s a flower on that testicle!” Wyatt, you are an idiot. But why would anyone think that tacking Linda on the end of Rosa would be all that they need to do to integrate Rosa back into society. She looks the same! At least give her a new hairdo. And Wyatt was right on the money when he pointed out she writes on her shoes just like she did before. They really shouldn’t have given up on the makeover from last year. She definitely needs a new style.

Michael’s speech about being happy the last year was so good. He was so happy to have his family back. So was Isobel. They are totally right to be angry with Max. He always makes the decisions and never asks them. Their heartbreak hearing that Max’s body was rejecting the heart just made me want to cry.

I also didn’t hate Michael’s interaction with Maria. It’s rough having to be friendly with an ex. But they did care very much for each other. It makes perfect sense that he would want to let her know about Max to keep her from trying to force more visions. And she would of course want to comfort him when he tells her. He’s losing his brother. I would react the same way if that were happening to any of my exes. Because that’s how normal people react. And there was nothing even remotely romantic about that scene. Her teasing him about Alex didn’t bother me because it was just an awkward attempt to get back to their previous banter-filled friendship. Will they ever get there? Who knows. (Well, I’m sure Chris does.)

KYBEL!!!!!!! I had forgotten how much I shipped them in s1. I am all for them getting together. I have had a big suspension that smelling rain was an indication of a cosmic connection. It’s been confirmed so far with Liz and Alex. And Kyle did say that Max smelled like rain last season. He just needs to get some alone time with Isobel when she doesn’t have on the undoubtedly expensive perfume that she wears. I just know he’s the one for her.

Max listening to Liz’s tape was so sad and beautiful.

Kylex! (Has anyone else noticed that all of the really great scenes featured Kyle?) He’s so great at being the voice of reason. And I love that they are friends. If anyone other than Michael can convince Alex to not join Deep Sky, it’s Kyle.

So here’s my theory on Wyatt. Of course he’s going to forget that he’s a racist piece of crap after being injected with Byterical(?). I think Rosa’s going to try to help him be a better person and maybe come to terms with Kate’s death. But I don’t think it’ll end well. They’ve already talked about how the mayor’s racist son is going to factor into things this season. I think he’s going to end up trying to re-corrupt Wyatt. Either he will succeed or Wyatt will end up sacrificing himself to save Rosa. It’s not ideal, but as long as there isn’t any kind of romance there, I can endure. (Also, that was Maria’s necklace not Rosa’s, dumbass Wyatt.)

I don’t trust Max’s one night stand. I know in the sneek peaks she’s shown to be a reporter, but I think she’s more than just that. Maybe it’s because I remember how horrible a character she played on Teen Wolf, but I just don’t trust her. She’s after something besides a story.

Sorry, Forrest. You messed up and let’s be honest. You never could compare to Michael. Alex’s reaction was so bittersweet. He trusted him. But he knows what he has to do now to protect the people he truly loves. And that’s exactly what he’s going to do. So buh-bye Forrest. It’s been real.

I think that the alien mask guys that attack Maria are going to be part of some kind of racist gang.

I’m veering away from thinking it’s Michael that’s going to die. Alex was pissed, not distraught.

Why does Jones look like he’s a bad yogi? The shirt and the rings? Aren’t you supposed to be naed in the pod? Did Michael and Isobel put those clothes on him? Howdy partner indeed!

So that’s my take this time around. It’s been a hell of a wait for this episode. But all in all I think it delivered!. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season. I think we’re going to have a blast this year! Till next time1 my lovelies!!!!

#rosewell new mexico #s3ep1 #it's only my opinion

2 notes · View notes

brokenmusicboxwolfe · 3 years

Text

Sorry about this. I was in a mood today.

Today I sat there in my worn out clothes, insulated underwear poking out of the various tears, talking to Mom on the phone until I was coughing so hard I couldn’t get through a sentence. When I hung up I went to the heater and held my pink and painfully cold fingers right next to it to warm up before limping out to feed my pig. I was eager to get my ankle braces off, because while walking requires me to wear them they also hurt. I knew my umbrella would leak because it has many holes, but figured it would be better than nothing. I stumbled on one of the planks that bridge holes in my floor....

Something occured to me: At some point I became a character in a Victorian novel, not the heroine but the one there to remind the reader to pity the poor.

I don’t get the luxury of “brain fevers” brought on by a broken heart, like a sick heroine. No, I get the long suffering acquaintance , cheerful in spit of squalor and hopelessness, until consumption kills her in chapter 12. The actual heroine will undoubtedly be saddened and gain some valuable lesson, but then never mention me again after chapter 13, on their way to a happy ending.

Fuck it, I’m not gonna be the saintly friend, the unbroken spirit to be a martyr to goodness. I am going to bitch about my fate and be bitter! I’m going to resent people living cozy lives that actually complain about petty inconveniences. Poor spoiled babies, try fuckin’ living my life you assholes.

Yeah, I reject romantacizing difficulties and suffering. I am sick of fiction that romanticizes this notion that the miserable are only good if they stay continually upbeat.

If you are going to be sympathetic to the plight of others, then be sympathetic to ones that don’t just smile and laugh in face of their troubles. Feel for the ones that cry and rage against it. Care for those that never can simply accept their plight, even if fighting to escape it turns out to be impossible.

Don’t just love the beatific ones you can admire and draw inspiration. Those struggling shouldn’t be expected to feed your emotional well being and only express themselves in brave, optimistic, and self sacrificing ways. If the heroine wants to learn about living through pain let HER be the one with consumption.

Yes, I think I’m just fed up with people thinking they are complimenting me when they say they admire my “spirit” or my “determination” to keep going or the way I always smile at folks. Like these are choices!

Well, I guess they are choices, but just the choice between living and dying.

I do not need admiration for deciding not to die. I need practical help, like someone to give me a lift the the repair shop when I take the pickup or offer me a hand when I work on the plumbing and can’t be inside and outside the house at the same time or maybe just check on me with a damn text when they know I’ve been sick in a nearly unheated house in January.

But that’s hard. That’s effort. That’s them having to do something for me.

Admiring is effortless. Admiring is about how they feel watching. Admiring has nothing to do with how I feel.

And right now I’m feeling, tired, grumpy, lonely, fed up, and not the slightest bit admirable!

#rambles #rants #my day #mood #tired #depressed #struggles

6 notes · View notes

thestudyof5sos · 5 years

Text

Cryptic Messages (michievous!michael)

Summary: Charlie’s flying home for a last minute trip but she’s completely sleep deprived. To keep her self awake until boarding, she spends a few hours in the airport totally jamming to an album her best friend made her download at the last minute, 5SOS Meet You There Tour Live. She’s not super familiar with the band and wouldn’t recognize any of the guys if she was seated next to them. But wait, that’s what happens. Enjoy Charlie’s flight, Michael’s spy-antics, and a dash of Luke. Author: 🐾 @larryologymajor Fandon/Pairing: 5SOS / Michael x original female character (platonic) Warnings/Tags: fluff, mischievous Michael on a plane Word count: ~2.4k

Cryptic Message

Charlie swung her backpack over her shoulder and stepped forward to scan her mobile boarding pass. As she waited, she hopped her head and swiveled her hips to the beat of the music in her wireless earbuds. She smiled at the gate attendant, said thank you, then danced her way into the jet bridge. She rearranged her chestnut and caramel topknot and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

She was listening to a 5 Seconds of Summer album that her friend Bianca made her download while she was packing last night. Bianca said that she got access to an advanced copy of their new live album, recorded in London on their Meet You There Tour that just wrapped up. Bianca guaranteed Charlie would LOVE the band and the album. While the band had been around for a while and Charlie enjoyed the few singles she’d heard on the radio, she didn’t consider herself anything more than a casual fan and she’d never gone out of her way to look them up or check out their videos.

Charlie was dead tired on her feet. She’d been a walking zombie since her second double shift of the week three days ago. After work she rushed home to pack for a last minute trip back home to Chicago to visit her family. With a 3am wake up call, Charlie didn’t even bother going to bed the night before. She didn’t trust herself to wake up on time, so she stayed up all night packing and cleaning her apartment. She was mega grateful for Bianca making her download the album. The album was upbeat, face-paced, enough pop and rock, and the band members’ comedic antics on stage kept her awake and happy.

As she continued to groove her way down the jetbridge corridor, she peeked at the seat number on her screen before she slid her phone into her pocket. 27 Charlie. 27 Charlie. Charlie repeated the number in her head to the rhythm in her ears. That should be easy, she thought. Her birthday was on the 27th and Charlie has been a family nickname forever, short for Charlotte.

The line moved forward and a flight attended greeted Charlie as she stepped from the jet bridge into the plane. She walked down the narrow corridor and carefully tracked the rows, noting the main cabin was essentially packed and her randomly assigned seat was an aisle seat like she preferred. The aisle, she thought, allowed her greater freedom to get up and stretch or use the bathroom during the flight, which she would undoubtedly do at least once.

Still grooving and bopping to the music, she noticed an attractive guy a half dozen rows away from her, he too was seated in a aisle seat. He was eyeing her. Charlie caught him looking at her and made eye contact with him but continued to dance anyway. He smirked then quickly looked away.

Seconds before she reached her row, she reached around her bag to snag the rest of her her in-flight essentials from the front pocket and transferred them to her purse. Kindle: check. Phone charging cable: check. Backup phone battery: check.

She approached her row and frowned. Someone was in her seat. Not just someone but the cute guy who watched her dancing was in her seat.

While Charlotte tossed her backpack in the overhead bin she made brief eye contact with the guy sitting in her seat. For half a second too long she gazed into his green eyes before busting out her sassy attitude. “Excuse me, I believe you’re sitting in my seat. I should be 27C.” She watched the guy pull a crinkled up boarding pass from the seat pocket and study it. “Oops, I’m 27B.” He pushed his beanie back from his eyes. Charlotte rolled her eyes and watched the guy scoot into the seat to his left. She wanted a peaceful, non-hostile flight so she smiled at him, studying his face. “Thanks, 27B.” She lowered herself into the aisle seat. He chuckled and smiled. “I’m Michael.” Charlie nodded and returned the introduction. “Charlie. Nice to meet you.” She smiled again. As she carefully slid her kindle, phone battery, and USB cable in the seat back pocket, Michael engaged in conversation with a guy across the aisle from Charlie. She assumed they knew each other and thought that she should have taken the middle seat and let Michael take her aisle seat. Charlie didn’t have any clue that she was sitting next to the guitarist from the band she’d spent all morning listening to while dancing her way through the airport. She popped her earbuds out from her ears and wrapped them around the back of her neck and looped the ear pieces together in the front to form a necklace until she was ready to use them after takeoff. During the safety briefing video, Charlie listened to the boys on both sides of her chat back and forth about a tour and recording. She was so tired that she barely paid attention and didn’t really dwell on what they were saying or who they are. A short while later the plane was in the air making headway at cruising altitude. Michael tried to make small talk with her but Charlotte was tired. She opted for music and a nap instead of reading. She slipped on her earbuds and resumed Meet You There Tour Live. She was easily on her third or fourth iteration through the album today so she was starting to learn the melodies of each song. Charlie didn’t notice herself softly humming the chorus to Why Won’t You Love Me in her trance-like state of sleep. She felt the guy next to her shift but she didn’t hear him quietly call out to his friend across the aisle. She was mostly asleep and completely relaxed so she let the music drown out their chatter. “Luke! LUKE!” Michael whisper yelled across the aisle to his friend and bandmate. “What?!” Luke hissed. “Dude. I think she’s listening to us.” Luke raised an eyebrow. Michael continued, “I swear she’s humming Why Don’t You Love Me. Seriously. What if she‘s listening to Meet You There Tour Live? Ash said the label ‘leaked’ the tracks to an exclusive group on Tumblr.” “I highly doubt it,” said Luke shaking his head. “Although that would be dope.” Michael was hopeful. “My vote is yes. I saw her earlier when we were going through security. She was totally jamming to whatever she had playing in her earbuds.” Near the end of the flight, Charlie was still asleep when her phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor after bouncing off Michael’s foot. He glanced at her to ensure she was still asleep then grabbed her iPhone off the floor. As he picked it up, he couldn’t help but glance at her screen. The phone’s display lit up, recognizing that it had been moved He held it up towards Luke, grinning, and called out, “Luke! Look!” Luke glanced up and his smile grew wide. Michael was right after all. She was DEFINITELY jamming to MYT Tour Live. Michael was feeling mischievous. He held his pointer finger to lips, shushed Luke, and made a picture taking motion. Luke suppresses a laugh but grinned widely as Michael slid the lock screen over to the camera and flipped to the front facing camera. He carefully framed a selfie of him, Luke, and sleeping Charlie and snapped a picture for her to discover later. He then snapped the same picture with his phone. He also opened up the Notes app and quickly tapped out: Charlie, thanks for being a fan! We hope you enjoy the live album! Xx Michael & Luke 5SOS Then for good measure, he used the feature to insert a drawing and attempted to draw his signature. He used Charlie’s phone to snap a photo of his screen, then locked both phones. He shoved his into his backpack and wedged hers into the seat pocket in front of her. Michael gently nudged Charlie’s knee with his own. When she didn’t stir, he bumped her shoulder and she responded sleepily with a “Hmmmm” sound. “Sorry to wake you,” Michael started. “We’re starting the final descent soon. You dropped your phone so I picked it up for you. I couldn’t help notice you’re listening to 5 Seconds of Summer. I met them once, they’re so nice!” Charlie was half asleep still. “I don’t know anything about them, really. My best friend makes me download random music all the time. Sometimes I wonder why she likes half the stuff she recommends. However, I actually kinda like 5SOS.” Michael started to mess with her. “I heard their guitarist is super cute, dyes his hair all the time, and loves pranking people.” Charlie looked baffled and shrugged. “I have no idea. Never really seen them before.” The conversation lulled and Charlie enjoyed the quiet for several long minutes, the only sound in her world was coming through her ear buds. She closed her eyes and appreciated the lead singers smooth voice, the power behind each drum beat, the rhythmic way the bass thumped, and the fluid strokes over each guitar string.

The plane continued its descent and safely landed at Chicago O’Hare. Charlie was quiet as the plane taxied to the jetbridge. When the doors open and passengers started to deplane, Charlie gathered up her stuff, wished Michael a safe trip since he had a connecting flight, and shuffled towards baggage claim.

Standing in baggage claim, Charlie texted her best friend, Bianca.

Made it safely to Chicago! Got seated next to this cute guy but passed out and didn’t really talk to him.

Bianca fired back an immediate reply:

Glad you made it, but boo. Should have talked to him and gotten his number.

Charlie agreed.

Ikr. He wanted to chat but I was seriously so tired. After takeoff I passed out. Only woke up when Michael (cute seat neighbor) woke me up. He picked up my phone after I dropped it in my sleep.

Charlie opened her camera app then snapped a quick selfie of herself waiting in baggage claim to send to Bianca. In one swift motion she double tapped her iPhone home button to swipe the camera closed and switch back over to her text messages. Locating Bianca’s message, she clicked the add photo button to insert her selfie and squinted at the thumbnail previews of her recent picture. There were two new photos in her camera roll that she didn’t recognize.

Feeling confused, she sent her selfie to Bianca then launched the Photos app and swiped to the first unrecognizable photo.

The conveyor belt in baggage claim started to move and slowly spewed our luggage. Charlie didn’t notice. She was staring at a picture of herself sleeping, sandwiched between Michael and his friend who was squatted next to her in the aisle. Charlie’s fave furrowed in anger and the invasion of privacy. How dare a stranger use her phone to take her sleeping photo.

Charlie swiped to the next screen and looked at the message Michael left her. She gasped and her fingers instinctively dialed Bianca to FaceTime.

She picked up on the second ring and her face appeared on the screen. “Bee, I think I sat by 5SOS on the plane. And I think one of them used my phone to take a picture of me, well us. While I was sleeping!”

“What? How? No way!” Bianca sputtered.

“Seriously! What does Michael look like?” questioned Charlie.

“Let me check Instagram for the latest. Standby.” Bianca froze on the screen while she minimized FaceTime to check Michael’s social media. “At the moment, he’s wearing his fluffy hair blonde.” Her face unfroze on Charlie’s screen. “He’s usually not clean shaven. His eyes are super green and really pretty. His smile is wide. Usually he has a baseball hat on. And a black hoodie. Oh and his accent is lovely, quite posh sounding. I love it to be honest. Could listen to him talk for hours.

Charlie interrupted her, “How about Luke? Is there a Luke?”

Bianca laughed. “Of course there’s a Luke. He and Michael are the founding members of 5SOS although he’s the youngest of the band. He’s super tall, legs for days, like a baby giraffe. But he denies that he’s tall. He wears skinny jeans, pretty tops, leather jackets and heeled leather boots. I bet his boot collection would rival your Pikolinos collection. Gah, but his face. I love his face,” Bianca gushed. “He’s gorgeous. He has super bright blue eyes. And his dimples will swallow you whole. His dark blonde hair is chin length with unruly curls.”

Now Charlie laughed. “Hold on, Bee. I’m texting you something.” She sent the two photos but continued to talk. “Ummm yeah, your descriptions fit the boys perfectly.”

Bianca’s face froze again on Charlie’s screen as she opened her text. “Oh my God, Char. You totally met Michael and Luke! I am so envious! Although if I were you I probably would have fangirled and then drooled on Michael in my sleep!!”

“Hahaha!! I’m sure you would’ve been fine Bee! 100% put together!” Charlie winked at her best friend.

“Charlie! You need to insta this ASAP and tag Michael!”

Bianca gasped. She didn’t notice that her suitcase was the last one and it was going in circles on the baggage claim conveyor belt. “Bee! But what would I even say in the caption???”

“Well, Michael’s always changing his twitter handle and last week he posted a spy meme so how about something spy or detective related?” Bianca questioned.

“Hmmm,” Charlie was thinking. “What’s his insta handle?”

“It’s @michaelclifford.” Bianca knew it off the top of her head.

“How about ‘Thanks for the super stealth nap time reconnaissance spy photos @michaelclifford! It was a really nice meeting you! (even though I didn’t know who you are lol) I really love the new live album!’?” Charlie asked Bianca.

“Do it! I love it!” Bianca encouraged her.

Charlie paused FaceTime again while she posted the picture.

“I promise I’ll text you if my post goes viral,” she laughed. Charlie grabbed her suitcase and the girls said their goodbyes.

Charlie ordered an Uber and got in, heading to her parents house.

Her phone singer indicating a comment on her Instagram post. It was Michael Clifford. Her heart beat quicker for a minute, but her brow furrowed in confusion. He left a cryptic message that Charlie didn’t understand.

pa dhz tf wslhzbyl! p svclk dhajopun fvb qht av tlla fvb aolyl avby spcl ;) kt tl pm fvb lcly dhua hu hbavnyhwolk jvwf vy apjrlaz av zll bz spcl. ee -Caesar

It took Charlie a few days to decipher Michael’s message, but she finally figured out that it was a Caesar Cipher. Thanks for the clue, dude, she thought.

Michael’s message translated to:

It was my pleasure! I loved watching you jam to Meet You There Tour Live ;) DM me if you ever want an autographed copy or tickets to see us live. Xx -Caesar

And with that, Charlie smiled. She knew this was a story she would be repeating for years.

Tags:

@mycollectionofnuts

Want to be tagged? Let me know!

#5sosfic #5sos blurb #michael blurb #michael clifford blurb #michievous!michael #larryologyfic

5 notes · View notes

sage-nebula · 7 years

Text

yoshi12370 replied to your photo “I said it on the post you replied to, and I’ll say it again: “Anyone...”

I still stand by that Dusk is better written than frog. Whether or not it was written for Ash, and has similarities to the frog, Lycanroc was never set up as this great thing that Ash only could unlock because He Is The Main Character. Everything about the Dusk forme revolved around Rockruff rather than Ash. I will say that Ash getting a new Lycanroc forme because he's the main character is not an inaccurate deduction because as you said this isn't new to the anime. However what I'm saying is they handled this better. Dusk form was revealed in the game before showing Ash's Rockruff evolve into it. It already had official art from the game artist (Sugimori? I can't tell nowadays) and it's clear they put more thought into it and had planned this. Compare to Ash Greninja where it was only made to make Ash strong as a Mega User and was added to the game at last minute. The Battle Bond ability was vaguely explained and made just for Ash while Dusk is set up to be a new discovery.

Sorry for the late reply; it was six a.m. and I had to take a nap before work.

“Lycanroc was never set up as this great thing that Ash only could unlock because He Is The Main Character. Everything about the Dusk forme revolved around Rockruff rather than Ash.”

That Rockruff has a character arc of his own doesn’t make this any different from Greninja, because Greninja, too, had a character arc of his own. Ash met Froakie because Froakie had, once again, been returned to Professor Sycamore’s lab after failing to bond with a trainer. Although many trainers had attempted to raise Froakie, Froakie ended up rejecting all of them because he felt they could not help him reach his personal potential. Bond Phenomenon was as much Greninja’s journey as it was Ash’s; in fact, it could even be argued that the only reason why Ash pursued it at all was for Greninja’s sake, because Greninja wanted it. This was why Ash started to grow very uneasy and have bad dreams surrounding Greninja leaving him due to his failures, as well as why Greninja did temporarily leave him after the loss against Wulfric and Ash’s subsequent sulking fit. Ash had to win back Greninja’s favor and bond with him again, at which point Greninja---just as he had when he was a Froakie---knocked the pokéball toward Ash. Even when it comes to the lore, the myths about the special greninja were, again, myths about a special greninja, and the ancient text that Sycamore found specifically stated that only pokémon with a certain spirit or soul within them could unlock such a power. They needed the assistance of the right trainer, yes (because remember, this is just like mega evolution), but it was still always about the individual pokémon. The Bond Phenomenon arc was set up to be Greninja’s arc just as much as it was set up to be Ash’s, regardless of how much you personally enjoy Greninja’s existence.

Similarly, Rockruff---just like Froakie!---has been very invested in battling and growing stronger since day one. Just as Froakie kept rejecting trainers that he felt weren’t good enough for him, Rockruff kept sneaking off on his own to go to underground fight clubs so that he could try to force an evolution. And hell, even in this past episode, Rockruff once again went off on his own and deliberately avoided Ash because he felt that he had to do this in order to grow stronger and evolve. His “character arc” is just that he wants to fight everyone and grow stronger. It is, beat for beat, the same as Greninja’s, with the only difference that there isn’t a prophecy about him, likely because Ash is already the center of the Tapus for no explicable reason other than the fact that he’s the main character and a very special boy.

I also disagree that this evolution had nothing to do with Ash. Rockruff evolved into Dusk Lycanroc after Tapu Lele healed him, and Tapu Lele healed him after using Draining Kiss on Ash (as well as Gladion and Olivia’s lycanroc). The inference, then, is that Ash’s life energy was used to help Rockruff evolve. In other words, Ash was a necessary component, and it’s highly likely (almost certain!) Rockruff would not have achieved this form without him. So no, this really is not different from Ash-Greninja.

“Dusk form was revealed in the game before showing Ash's Rockruff evolve into it.”

Uhhhh, no, not really.

Dusk Lycanroc was only announced four days ago, and even then, it was because people were clamoring for Corocoro leaks as usual. That they included Dusk Lycanroc in this month’s Corocoro is absolutely because the anime got to the Rockruff evolution episode, and Game Freak felt they couldn’t wait any longer, likely because Dusk Lycanroc is going to be the anime shill for USUM. (Though that’s not guaranteed yet, I don’t think. It’s always possible they could release it in regular SM, but since USUM will likely be out in a couple months, I doubt it.) Dusk Lycanroc is the only news we’ve received about USUM since the announcement teaser. This is undoubtedly because the anime was going to “spoil” it, and so they had no choice but to say something now, particularly since saying, “Hey kiddos! You, too, can train this pokémon that Ash has if you buy the new games!” is a tactic they’ve been using to sell the games to anime-only fans for years now. It’s, again, the exact reason why Ash-Greninja was included in the SM demo. They really wanted to grab the anime fans.

So no, Dusk Lycanroc was not revealed in the game before the anime. It was shown in Corocoro (leaks) at about the same time as the anime episode aired because the anime episode aired and they couldn’t hold off any longer.

“it's clear they put more thought into it and had planned this. Compare to Ash Greninja where it was only made to make Ash strong as a Mega User and was added to the game at last minute.”

Nope. Let’s check the receipts.

After the conclusion of XY&Z, an interview was conducted with the current director, Yajima. And in that interview, Yajima revealed that Ash-Greninja was Game Freak’s idea and was planned from the start. Specifically:

“Yajima wanted to make the bond between Satoshi and Gekkouga a major part of the story, but felt it would be difficult to do so if it had to remain a Gekkouga, so he went to Game Freak, and they came up with the idea of a synchro transformation. It was put in Sun/Moon afterwards, but was created during this discussion between anime staff and GF.”

While it’s true that Yajima wanted a way to show that the bond between Ash and Greninja was special (so less about making Ash stronger, more about showing that his relationship with Greninja had reached new heights), the fact remains that Game Freak had this in their pocket since the start of the series. My guess is that they saved the special event for SM because there was never a Z Version for Kalos, and with ORAS it made more sense to have events with Shiny Beldum and whatnot due to the fact that Steven, too, was an important character in the anime again, and he’s a Hoenn character / the Hoenn Champion. Regardless, acting as if Ash-Greninja was cobbed together by the anime staff at the last minute is false. It wasn’t even their idea, it was Game Freak’s.

And as far as concept art goes, I will admit that I don’t know if Sugimori did art of Ash-Greninja specifically. I do know, though, that he did draw XY!Ash in the same pose and expression as Red from FRLG, so once again it’s not like Game Freak was hands off for the Kalos saga of the anime. They were just as involved then as they are now.

“The Battle Bond ability was vaguely explained and made just for Ash while Dusk is set up to be a new discovery.”

I disagree that Bond Phenomenon was vaguely explained. Bond Phenomenon was foreshadowed before it happened with the ninja village’s lore, particularly since Bonnie pointed out that the heroic greninja depicted in the monument was different from other greninja she had seen before. Then, after the kids realized that Ash’s greninja was transforming, Clemont created inventions to test the energy between them, as well as their vital signs, letting the audience know that the two were in sync (or, as Game Freak calls it, synchro) and connected. Then later still, just in case anyone still had any questions, Sycamore reveals the results of his research in XYZ036, giving the transformation the name “Bond Phenomenon” and explaining that although it is extremely rare (and therefore shouldn’t be limited to just Ash!), there have been recordings of it throughout history. Certain pokémon (as in, individuals, not species) have the right kind of spirit within them that allows them to unlock this hidden potential when they are united with the right trainer. That is pretty cut and dry. We’re told exactly what this transformation is, exactly why it happens, and we’re further given a motivation for Greninja’s desire to battle and grow stronger beyond “well, it’s fun lol.” Froakie / Frogadier / Greninja was so dead set on finding a trainer that could unlock his potential because, although he didn’t know of the legend, he could feel he had greater power within him. And he knew Ash was the trainer who could help him because their spirits / souls were in sync, something he could feel thanks to Bond Phenomenon. None of that is vague. It’s right there in the episodes.

In comparison, Rockruff also really wanted to battle all the time and was dead set on evolving, because . . . it’s fun and he’s aggressive. And he evolved into Dusk Lycanroc because Tapu Lele healed him after absorbing life energy from two other lycanroc and Ash, and that + howling at the sunset caused him to evolve into a never before seen form because . . . because. As far as I can tell, no other explanation was given. I’m really not seeing the masterful leap in storytelling you’re saying exists here. If anything, at this moment in time (and this could change), far less has been done to explain Dusk Lycanroc than with Ash-Greninja, particularly since Ash-Greninja at least had some foreshadowing (even if it was quick foreshadowing, though to be honest the Ash-Greninja transformation in the ninja village was very brief, so the real appearance didn’t come until later), whereas Dusk Lycanroc had none.

Lastly, I’d argue that having Dusk Lycanroc be a new discovery is even worse since it’s a new discovery Just For Ash. The fact that history exists in Kalos to show that Bond Phenomenon has happened before means that it’s not that Ash is a child of the gods, but rather that he just happened to meet the right pokémon at the right time. (I still maintain that the right pokémon for this is Pikachu, but whatever.) In fact, XYZ036 set it up so that it would have been reasonable to show other trainers (and one specific trainer, at that) unlock this power during the finale. By specifically stating within the canon that this has happened before, with others, they’re saying that what Ash is doing isn’t new. It’s extremely rare and therefore special, but it’s not new.

But with Dusk Lycanroc? It’s both special and new! No one else has ever evolved their rockruff into a dusk lycanroc! It’s a brand new thing that Ash was able to do because he is the protagonist and is special therefore. Similarly, Tapu Koko just gave him a Z-Ring for no reason because, well, he’s the protagonist and is special therefore. There might not be a prophecy about Ash in Alola (yet), but they’re still making him just as much of a special sunflower as Kalos did. Dusk Lycanroc is blatantly his Ash-Greninja equivalent. They’re exactly the same. The Alola anime has changed the art style, has tried to change the genre, and changed what one-dimensional trope they’ve based Ash on this time, but they haven’t changed the fact that they’re creating things to make him more special than the rest. That has stayed exactly the same.

#yoshi12370 #//pokemon discourse #long post for ts

6 notes · View notes