#pokemon team characterization

[crystalelemental]

Pokemon Team Characterization - Geeta

Earlier today, a Reddit post for Pokemon Masters asked about who the most popular of the less popular champions was.  The general results are inconsequential, if depressing to me personally.  What this particular story is about is a comment that mentioned Alder feels like he was designed to be weaker, with one of the reasons cited being he uses “off-meta” Pokemon.  Which is wild, because that’s the same reason people big up Blue.  Blue’s Pidgeot, a Pokemon which has always been bottom meta (barring its mega giving it short-lived half-relevance), is considered a prime example of his characterization as someone who really does care about his Pokemon, because he keeps what was his first capture all the way through the League, indicating some sentimentality.  Which is correct!  That’s how it should be.  Look at the team, and get a sense of what that character is about from how they construct their battle lineup.  But this never really comes up beyond Blue’s sentimentality, characters like Cyrus and Volo having friendship-evolving Pokemon to indicate the good in them, or claiming Red is the best because he “doesn’t need legends to win like other protagonist.”  Which feels like a very limited way to approach things.

But also it’s been like 20 years and no one’s really dug into teams to craft a sense of personality before that I’ve seen.  And if no one else is doing it, I guess it’s time to do it myself.  So I’m starting with the last winner of that poll, and the generally acknowledge least popular champion: Geeta.  I did a general analysis of her team before, so consider this a sort of spiritual successor.

Here is Geeta’s team, as listed on Bulbapedia.  The top left is her lead, the bottom right her ace that comes out last.  I’ll break this down talking about what I interpret for the lead, for the ace, and any general impressions from other Pokemon added in.

The Lead Geeta’s Espathra is one of my favorite leads.  I think this is exceptionally clever, if relegated to a game that makes it too easy to be over-prepared.

Opportunistic copies your buffs.  If you try to set up on her, she will copy those same boosts.  As a very fast threat, Espathra is difficult to outpace, which can make boosting a tempting choice, only to run into how badly you’ve played yourself.  Lumina Crash, as a sharp debuffing of special defense, doubled down on this.  Trying to accept playing defensively will run into the issue of Espathra breaking you down really fast.  Quick Attack handles finishing a job against Sturdy or something that barely survived, and Reflect as team support to block physical attackers, which are much harder for Espathra to handle.  While Dark-types are generally more resistant, Dazzling Gleam is the best bet to respond to them as well.

A lead like this shows that Geeta is someone who can get inside of the opponent’s head, and consider their possible actions.  From second 1, she’s set up immediate countermeasures to most methods of setup, both offensive and defensive.  She takes immediate, decisive action, while considering most possible angles of attack.  She is someone who’s thorough and deliberate, and takes advantage of an opponent who can’t respond quickly.

General Team (Avalugg, Gogoat, Kingambit) The remainder of Geeta’s team is largely bulky offense.  Nothing is particularly fast, but much of it is geared toward bulk.  Of note, however, is that very little emphasizes recovery.  Despite Avalugg having Recover as an option, Geeta opts instead for raw offense, choosing moves like Body Press and Avalanche, which utilize Avalugg’s strengths and weaknesses to full effect, dishing out better damage from physical defense and from going second respectively.  Gogoat is the exception to this, with Horn Leech and Bulk Up.  Notably, this is Geeta’s only form of setup sweeping.  I think of further note is that Gogoat’s coverage moves are...odd.  I know it gets Ground-type moves.  That would be infinitely more valuable as coverage, yet she opts for Psychic and Fairy, which ultimately do very little for Gogoat’s performance.  And of course, there’s Kingambit, which every likes to point out, should probably be last in her team to make the most of its ability.

Gogoat being her second suggests to me that, when her immediate plan fails, Geeta’s the kind to step back and operate with more deliberation.  She’ll take things slow and get the measure of a situation, trying to buy time to properly assess the next move.  It may also indicate a sort of overconfidence; she didn’t think she’d need to come up with a backup plan.  The lack of sensible coverage implies she’s not necessarily quick on her mental feet, and requires that time to make more sound judgments.  Considering the next three, I think she generally gets there.  She’s able to take stock of what’s present, and emphasize strengths while covering weaknesses.  She gets a generally full picture, but her approach is still fairly...brute force.  She wants a quick resolution; something that’s do or die.  She’s not someone who backs down, stalls for time, or gets defensive.  She’ll push ahead regardless.  She’ll take an early minute to come up with a Plan B, but she’ll always keep going.  If from there it’s a loss, then you take that loss and wait for another chance.

Her Ace Glimmora as the ace is widely considered a bad move, given that its Toxic Debris does nothing for her that late in the game.  Its coverage moves are very sensible, but again, it’s raw power with no real embellishment.  This being her Tera Pokemon, it shifts to Rock, a type notorious for being good offensively, but atrocious defensively.  It’s also an exceptionally rare Pokemon in Paldea proper, with significant ties to the crater.

The emphasis on offense is, again, just her MO.  She plays a bit more aggressively.  The decision to go against Poison, a much more defensive typing, suggests a sort of unwillingness to back down.  Geeta is someone who always pushes forward.  But at the same time, the insistence that it be her ace, her last Pokemon to bring in, suggests that, although she can leverage strengths and weaknesses as seen through Avalugg, there are certain values or structures she’s unwilling to compromise.  Some things just have to be done a certain way; there’s a certain rigidity to her thinking that can be seen as highly inflexible.  But it’s important to her, and she’ll hold to it come hell or high water.  As for the crater connection...

Where The Team Is Found All of her Pokemon correspond to specific areas in Paldea.  Gogoat early in the east, Espathra early in the west, Avalugg at the mountain, Veluza at the lake, Kingambit in the north, and Glimmora in the crater.  The wide-spread focus on where they’re found implies a general appreciation for her region; a sort of love for all it has to offer.  But of interesting note is...they’re all common.

Skiddo and Flittle are super common.  Veluza’s really common at the lake, even if less so than Tatsugiri (which I wish she had but oh well).  Kingambit itself is hard to acquire, but Pawniard are like the most common thing in the bamboo forest.  Bergmite are not hard to find.  And within the crater, Glimmet and Glimmora are exceptionally common.  The fact that, barring Glimmora’s surface presence being non-existent, all of her team is common?  It suggests an appreciation for the mundane and every-day.  In contrast to a champion like Cynthia, whose team is largely comprised of the hardest stuff in the region to find, Geeta champions what’s most easily found.  Not even necessarily the glamorous or marketable every-day.  She doesn’t have an Arboliva, which is both common and a sort of mascot evolutionary line for much of the region.  Just...regular old common stuff you’d find anywhere, and wouldn’t be exceptionally celebrated.

Geeta is someone who takes joy in the simple things.  While she’s someone in a position of significant power, who is very driven to perform well in her career, the things she enjoys most are the little things, like seeing the students of the academic learn and grow as trainers.  In a way, it’s that emphasis of “everyone starts somewhere, and can grow into something exceptional.”  Kingambit is a decent example; that thing is hard to get to evolve because it takes some dedication and know-how.  The base form may be common, but putting in the effort to build something exceptional is how Geeta operates.  She’ll take anything at what it is, and make it shine.

But I think there’s also a connection to the whole treasure theme of the game, in Glimmora.  Going into the crater is a rarity.  It’s not something anyone gets to do, and it’s a very unique experience.  One that she apparently cherishes, given that Glimmora is her ace; the one she insists on using last as her most precious partner, despite how little tactical sense it makes.  It’s a sentimentality she carries with her, and a reminder of a cherished memory.

Summation Geeta’s team suggests someone who is able to carefully consider all possible outcomes, and produce a countermeasure to address as many obstacles as possible right away.  She’s someone who, when a plan goes wrong, falls back and tries to take a slow, measured approach before responding, but often falls back to more direct approaches.  She’s able to conceptualize strengths and weaknesses, including her own given the implied understanding of her need to step back after an initial setback, and operates well with them in mind.  But at the same time, there are things she won’t compromise on, even if it’s directly to her detriment.  She enjoys the things that are mundane and ordinary, but cherishes unique experiences more than anything, and may be rather sentimental at times, letting emotionality override her generally logical and structured nature.

If anyone has a different read on her, I’d love to hear it.  I actually really like Geeta, in spite of her being fairly bland in the base game, so it always bums me out to remember she’s unpopular.  Hearing from others that like her would be a nice change of pace.

#pokemon #geeta #pokemon team characterization #I'll be doing more of these under that tag #starting with a lot of the champions #but I already know one in particular I really want to do

[kagooleo]

I did this one to celebrate Silver's bday back in 2021, a sonboy to me who deserves the world ;-;

#kagarts #rival silver #silver pokemon #trainer silver #pkmn #pkmn hgss #hgss #pkmn gsc #gsc #i think i've seen a lot of characterization of him that makes him like. edgy brooding and cynical #and yeah sure i half understand that given his whole story but i think a lot of ppl miss the whole like. growth part of his arc #learning to care not just for people that genuinely support him but his own team as well #competitive mindsets are temporary; love is forever to your team and your friends #but i think he can be a little rascal as a treat (a trait he totally didn't get from the rest of the quartet lmao) #don't enable me i could write an essay about him but i'm a full time student #character development good i definitely don't have a ton of headcanons stashed away with friends somewhere

[oncillaphoenix]

i wonder why the game devs made the decision to give life orbs to some of the pkmn on N's season battle teams. that just seems like...jarringly out-of-character.

#were they just trying to make mechanically strong teams with no regards to characterization...? #because the alternative is that he's going 'yeah i still hate pokeballs and want to create a better world for pokemon but also i've decided #i'm totally okay with hurting my friends for the sake of winning a low-stakes battle now :)' #nposting #n pokemon #n harmonia #trainer n #pokemon bw #pokemon b2w2 #pokemon n #natural harmonia gropius #honestly n in the bw2 postgame is a lot of. 'ok yeah that makes sense that makes sense wait what why would he do THAT' #(someday i'll get that post about how giving you the dragon doesn't make sense edited into a coherent form.) #oncilla speaks

[lovenpeace-pkmn]

Hello :)! Sorry to bother, but i’ve been looking for advice on how to care for pokémon eggs, and then newly hatched pokémon… I saw you two work with pokémon, so I was wondering if you could spare some advice?

If it’s any help, I think it’s a Litleo egg, since my partner’s Pyroar found it. We have it snuggled up with our Pyroar but like. When it hatches, do we have to do extra things to care for it, or will its parent handle that? Do we have to catch it?

Sorry, these are probably very basic questions, but any help would be much appreciated ^-^!

- Connor ( @antirrhinums-de-lis )

First we would like to clarify that we are not any kind of licensed rehab; all advice offered here is strictly non-professional.

So. The good news is, if Pyroar has already taken an interest in caring for the egg, that will make things much easier on you in many regards. You won't have to worry about incubation, and the hatchling should learn things like species-appropriate social skills, play behavior, and fire control from its parent.

However, since it appears Pyroar is a male, you will likely have to take charge of feeding the hatchling. Hatchling feeding schedules are very species-specific, so you will have to have to look up specific care guides. Feeding newborn hatchlings often involves waking up at ungodly hours of the night. Just...be prepared for that.

As for the species: Litleo is a strong possibility, but given that you don't know for sure where the egg came from, it is not a given. Even if Pyroar is the father, Pokémon are more likely to be their mother's species, so you could technically speaking end up with anything in the Field egg group. (Not with equal likelihood, local availability and interspecies dynamics influence what's actually probable, but that is not a formula we're prepared to solve.) If Pyroar is not the father, and it brought home an unrelated egg, then you could end up with anything under the sun.

As for catching it: technically you never have to catch any Pokémon. However, if you want it to be legally yours, you will either need to catch it or have it registered to your trainer ID at the Pokémon Center, and if you decide you are going to rehome it it will be easiest if it has a Pokéball.

Finally: the Pokémon Center is your best friend here. They can assess the egg to determine a likely species, and they have many more resources on egg and hatchling care than we can offer. The hours for your local Center's trainer resource helpdesk should be listed online, and recently some larger Centers have given the option to ask questions by text instead of in person or over the phone.

#connie post #anthea post #<-we both contributed to this #pkmn irl #pokeblogging #pokemon irl #pokeblog rp #answered asks #//by the way. this asker's ok i don't mind doing these pkmn care asks on occasion but i would like to head it off at the pass and say: #//please don't everyone come and bombard me with asks about how to take care of pokemon just cause i answered this one. #//these longform worldbuildy posts take a lot of spoons to do and most of the time i'd rather spend that energy on #//characterization or the areas of worldbuilding that really excite me (like team plasma stuff or the myths and history of unova.) #//there are lots of blogs that do the pokemon care advice thing. i mostly fill a different niche in the pkmn irl ecosystem

[panoramicvacuum]

He's here!!!!

#tfw the Masters writing team gives him more characterization in one line #than the anime writers gave him in multiple episodes #Steven Stone #pokemon masters #sygna suit #deoxys #its the space twink

[perenlop]

its probably just bc its the current arc and all but man. kinda sad that ash’s JN team is kinda seeming like his definitive team, especially since this is like hinted to be his last season for real like if he leaves off with this team as his definitive team the marketing will want to push then ill be pretty sad

#im not even saying this bc im bitter gliscor didnt get as much attention and they ignored a lot of ash mons #im saying this bc he has so many other iconic pokemon that are just way better in terms of characterization and iconic moments #like i may not like his charizard as much esp since i got to infernapes arc first as a kidbut you're telling me #that his sirfetchd is more iconic than SEISMIC TOSS SHOWDOWN #also infernape greninja lycanroc sceptile bulbasaur #all of whom had iconic moments and memorable personalities #like gliscor is admittedly just me being me i understand why logically it doesnt show up as often. hard to animate and its not really iconic #even tho she should be but whatever thats the reality of it #but you are telling me that this team of randos shows off ash's prime team meant for worldwide competitive championships #better than infernape or charizard. like genuinely. #like i cant really say much abt his current team bc i find them to be kinda dull and notclose to him or iconic #echoed voice

[kittyslashers]

payday 2 special enemy pokémon types because i need to combine my SpIns or i'll die

tasers: electric

shields: ground/steel

dozers: ground

cloakers: dark/fighting

medics: fairy

captain winters: steel/fighting legendary

(security guards, regular ol' cops, and your standard swat unit are all just normal types. the route 1 normal types of payday)

#shields and dozers are based on certain large ground types (like mudsdale) being SUPER tanky #and medics are fairy because a lot of fairy type pokemon do take on the medic role and have moves that heal themselves or their teams #tasers are obvious theres nothing really to explain there #cloakers have the dark type because of the characterization of dark types typically being like. rude. and cloakers are... definitely that #and also fighting because they beat the shit out of you #captain winters i don't have a solid explanation for it just Makes Sense to me #payday 2 #payday #pokemon #payday the heist

[powerin]

so anyone who knows me, knows that I’m not the hugest fan of the pokemon anime (no thanks to them for the ”Nanu worked with Giovanni” and ”Professor Sycamore doesn’t know who Lysandre is” memes), but I’m actually liking how they characterize Lysandre.

When Mairin goes in for a hug, Lysandre puts his hand on her shoulder:

… and then he attempts to push her away. A subtle touch, but I enjoyed it.

#like “ew” #who the fuck is this child #lysandre i love you but you can’t even hold in your sociopathy for like 5 seconds #characterization #pokemon xy #pokemon x and y #team flare lysandre

[books-are-my-life-stuff]

Aaron is so precious. It's amazing how he went from a character that I didn't have much opinion about to one of my favorites thanks to Pokemas expanding his characterization.

Also, my respect to him has been significantly increased thanks to his CSMM stages, and him being a really great support unit. His CSMM stages are always the ones that I had the most difficult time with, and as a support unit he's very versatile and a great teammate to SC Subway Bros. He's amazing and strong!

#personal #pokemon masters #aaron saying 'i sometimes wonder how you view yourself' really hits me #he asks that very innocently #i'm sorry aaron i don't really view myself that greatly #but i appreciate your friendly gesture so much #glad to have you in my team #let's keep doing our best! #pokemas really did a great job to make a character that i used to not have much opinion about #to one of my favorites #just from small dialogues and interactions like this #and sync pair stories too #its story and characterization are the reason why i keep on playing

[pokemonxhyperfixation]

Hey, weird question, but have any of yall heard of an RBY rom hack called Pokemon Lavender? I found it on the Internet Archive and it’s really nice, but I can’t find any information on it. It’s plot is basically that team rocket wants to take all the ghosts from lavender town, so a mew wisks you away to stop that and then you just kinda proceed from there. The starters are Machop, Gastly, and Geodude, and you play as Kris from Pokemon Crystal. Just asking the void (yall) if you’ve heard of it. (And if not, then grab it off internet archive’s big ol list of pokemon rom hacks and slap that bitch in mgba. It’s nice, they made the font italics.)

It’s in here somewhere if you want it

#pokemon #pokemon rom hack #hack I can’t find shit on #I didn’t make this i swear #i deadass have no idea how to do rom hacking lmao #i might fanfic-ify my playthrough because i have grown attached to my team and my characterization of my player character Violet #=)

[critterbitter]

I'm wheezing over Ingo and Litwick's dynamic jgjbjjxjsjwkfiisiq and TYNAMO FITTING INTO EMMET'S SCARF IS SOOO CUTE!! Love how you draw the little sbubby bois, their conductor themed outfits are soo freaking cute!!!

I have so many thoughts when it comes to them it’s insane. Glad you like the characterizations!

Here’s a quick one shot under the cut, as a treat for making it this far.

Emmet finds Tynamo three months before Ingo meets Litwick. Ingo has some thoughts.

Ingo and Emmet are part of a pair.

If Emmet is the fuck around and find out, then Ingo’s been relegated amused damage control. This has always been the case, right up until Emmet found tynamo. Then suddenly, it’s “wow emmet, you’re so responsible!” “Golly gee Emmet, what do you mean you don’t want to go exploring the cave systems after dark?” “Gee whizz, what do you mean curfew for your eel puppy?” “Why in Reshiram do you get to have a whole pokemon three months before we agreed to get starters, and i don’t?”

Ingo doesn’t say the last part. He’s a bitter world-weary twelve year old languishing about the unfairness of the pokestray distribution system, but he also loves his brother. Emmet found an injured tynamo in chargestone cave and decided to help— tynamo decided to stay. It’s every child’s film plot. Ingo being a grouchy gengar makes him objectively a terrible friend.

Oh dragons, is Ingo a bad brother?

“Ingo!”

Speak of the cold, and he shall enter. Ingo swings his whole body around to better brace for the flying tackle.

“Emmet!”

“I am emmet! You are sulking.”

Ingo clicks his mouth closed and tries not to sulk harder. He fails.

“You are not being verrrry convincing, brother dearest.”

“I do not have any idea what you are going on about,” Ingo’s traitorous mouth blurts. “Be convinced I love you and am not planning dastardly plots.”

Do not think about getting a ground typed starter. Do not think about getting a ground typed starter.

Emmet shoots him a judgemental look from under the brim of his hat. Ingo glowers back, and slowly starts leaning forward, smooshing Emmet under his weight.

“Ttttell me why you look like a crushed joltik.”

“Keep this up and you are going to be the crushed joltik.”

Anyways, Emmet is becoming more bold by the day and even actively discussing electric types with the new girl in elementary prep, Elesa. Ingo thinks she’s cool, but she flinched when he blurted a once again too loud greeting so he’s… letting that cool off. They definitely don’t have anything to talk about beyond pokemon, and Emmet and her already have pokemon. Ingo feels a bit left out.

Caught in the ennui of not having a blitzle or tynamo, Ingo slips as Emmet rolls out from under him. The two go down in an ungraceful tangle of limbs.

“Tell. Me. What’s. Wrong.” Emmet gently slaps Ingo’s face like a ripe oran berry. “You want to tell me sooo badly. Ooh.”

“Emmet- aurgh. Gerroff’”

“I don’t speak denial.”

Ingo gives up. His entire body deflates. Emmet, not expecting the sudden loss of spinal infrastructure, slides sideways and knees Ingo’s lungs.

Ingo wheezes. “I’m sulking because you were crushing my spine.”

“Tell me the truth.”

Uh oh. Ingo studies Emmet’s face. It’s the same one he looks into the mirror with, but marred with concern and self consciousness. Ingo made Emmet worry. He’s not just a bad twin. He’s the worst.

“You are Emmet.”

“I am Emmet.”

“You have Tynamo.”

“Tynamo’s charging at home.”

Smart ass! Emmet knows what Ingo means. And by Emmet’s smug grin, Emmet knows too.

Ingo struggles to explain that Emmet has Tynamo, and Elesa, and… that’s only two other individuals. He is truly the worst twin in all the land. Emmet gets two new friends and Ingo’s being an infant about it.

One day, Ingo will have his own pokemon partner and team— but right now, Ingo only gets to have Emmet.

Ingo feels this is an unfair trade equivalent, but he does not want to say it in a way that sounds rude, so he stalls.

Emmet has no such prefunctures. He squints at Ingo, who avoids eye contact and squirms. “You are… jealous?” He tilts his head in visible confusion. “What?”

Ingo covers his face with his hands, defeated.

“You arrrre jealous!” Emmet cries, bewildered. “Why??”

Ingo lets out an unintelligible wheeze. Emmet remembers he still has a knee on Ingo’s chest, and hastily sits back.

“I don’t want to be jealous,” Ingo finally bursts. “I am very happy for you Emmet! You and Tynamo are a winning combination!” His voice cracks embarrassingly. Emmet doesn’t flinch at the volume, even muffled under Ingo’s palms. “I don’t want to be a bad brother being jealous.”

“You aren’t a bad brother, Ingo.”

“I am. I am angry that you found your starter and I haven’t. I’m sad I interrupted your schedule with my inane demands. I have made you feel like you did something wrong. I apologize.”

Peeking between Ingo’s fingers, Emmet’s face falls. Ingo wants to be struck by a giga impact rather than face this. He would rather be a dusty imprint. Where is Uncle Drayden’s Haxorous when you need her?

“Ingo, Ingo listen to me.” Emmet’s hands dart forward to settle Ingo’s shoulders. The pressure is grounding. Real. This is where Emmet tells Ingo he’s being stupid.

He hears Emmet exhale.

“I’m sorry.”

Wait, that doesn’t sound right. “Pardon?”

“I wanted to train Tynamo as my conductor, and I left our two-car train unmaintained.”

“Pardon??”

Emmet looks uncomfortable and sad. It makes Ingo uncomfortable and sad. “Yesterday night. When you wanted to go to the caves. For our weekly charting. I said I’d rather help Tynamo.”

Oh. Yeah, Ingo remembers that. It had stung. “You are not obligated to say yes,” he protests. “In fact, you should say no more. You always say yes.”

“Yes.”

“What did I just say.”

“No. You’re my brother. I left you out.”

Ingo slowly puts down his hands. His face still feels warm, but he feels less scared. Now he just feels embarrassed. He can’t help but let out a meek plea slip. “Don’t go where I can’t follow, Emmet. Please.”

“I would never! We are going on our pokemon journey together, yep yep. You, me, tynamo, and whoever your starter will be!”

The two sit there on the side of the dirt road. Emmet’s declaration sounds like a dangerous promise. Ingo realizes at that moment he would do anything for his brother, who’s his best friend and confidant and world, starter or no starter. He opens his mouth to tell Emmet that.

“Wwwwwait. You are trying to go back to the caves. Ingo! Are you trying to find a starter by yourself!?”

Never mind. Emmet’s gone for his soft underbelly, and Ingo’s in pain. “Emphasis on trying,” he mutters instead. The joltik are not interested in him. The local tynamo swarm fled. A curious drilbur had sniffed him once, turned up its nose, and then trundled into the wall.

“…ah.”

Nothing had felt right for Ingo— too scared, too judgemental, or too uninterested. He’s starting to accept that maybe none of the pokemon in this town area match his truth or ideals.

Emmet was quiet for a long time. He had his thinking face on, so Ingo did not interrupt. He took the time instead to look up at the sky, watching the giant puff of clouds drift by. A plume of swabloo lazily inches their way across the horizon.

A shadow falls over Ingo. Emmet dusts himself off, and helps drag his twin to his feet. The two sway, clasping hands.

“We’ll ask Uncle Drayden,” Emmet decides, and Ingo is enthralled by the sheer truth of that statement. “He’ll let us use the subway! And you can look elsewhere, for a starter who is ideal for you. Wwwwith me and Tynamo, instead of by yourself.”

“Truly?” Uncle Drayden is a scary man.

Emmet nods. It’s easy to talk to Emmet— he just says words that Ingo would spend hours ruminating on. “I am verrrry persuasive.”

“You mean staring at him from the corner until he cracks?”

“Brother, you know me so well!”

Ingo cant help but laugh. He still feels guilty and bad for feeling envious, but a world with emmet by his side is significantly less hostile. Emmet’s hand is warm in his.“Thank you!” He cheers, startling himself with his volume. “Bravo,” he tried in a quieter tone.

“Bravo!!” Emmet replies, pointedly louder. Ingo squawks as Emmet pulls him off balance. “You are my brother! We’re going to find you a starter!”

Ingo tugs back just as fiercely. “Bravo!! We are going to harass Uncle Drayden into letting us board the train!”

Emmet leans with his whole body, dragging Ingo into the fulcrum of his centrifuge. “BRAVO! YOU ARE GOING TO HELP ME WITH TYNAMO’S TRAINING!”

Ingo digs his heels in, and then stumbles. “BRAVO, I, what?”

Emmet looked distinctly patrat-esque. “We’re in this together, Ingo. No backing out now.”

Ingo thought about it long and hard. He gets to see his brother get electrocuted. But he will, also, most likely, get electrocuted.

(Tynamo is Emmet’s starter. But maybe, it can also be Ingo’s friend.)

But brother say brother do, and Ingo’s probably obligated to run damage control if Emmet decides to, say, shove a fork into an outlet for Tynamo to snack on.

(Emmet fucks around. Ingo finds out. Even two steps apart with new people between, this is the way of their world.)

“Alright,” he crumbles. When they step this time, they step in sync. “We do this. Together.” (Enjoy this? Here's the link to the rest of my rat crimes.)

#art #sketchbook #pokemon #myart #submas #fanart #pokemon ingo #subway boss ingo #submas comic #litwick #subway boss emmet #submas fanfic #subway master emmet #kidmas #baby submas #ask #mailbox #oneshot #fanfic #critwrites #man this is dialogue heavy #this is why i stick to comics hfhfhdhdhd #feel free to use these characterizations to your whimsy #the nightmare children r fighhttting #pokemon fanfic

[crystalelemental]

Pokemon Team Characterization - Carmine

Look, I knew I was going to do this the instant I saw she had a Vulpix. Also I think Carmine might have accidentally become my favorite ScarVi character. Oopsie doodles, I guess. It's been a while since I've done one of these, so for the unfamiliar, this is where I look at the trainer's team and talk about how their team composition and move selections inform their character. Carmine being a favorite, I of course hold many opinions.

I'm sticking with just her final team. Reason being, her team never changes. Interestingly she has Vulpix at the start, drops it in your second battle and all quest battles, but picks it back up for the finale. Morpeko and Sewaddle show up in the battle where Vulpix leaves instead. I don't have anything profound to talk about on that which can't be talked about in the larger analysis, so with that!

The Lead (Mightyena) Mightyena as a lead means Intimidate. This can be seen as mostly a competitive move; lead Intimidate is frequent in the series. But I think it says a little more regarding Carmine, and the specificity of "Why Mightyena?" It's not exactly super tough as a Pokemon.

Carmine, in her entirety, operates off the difference between how she presents, and how she actually is. The impression she projects is one of strength and severity, but the core of her person is...fairly soft. When she opens up to the player, she's able to act as her genuine self, which involves some pretty silly photos taken together while searching for the masks. A big fluffy hyena-dog that can snarl real nice and seem scary is the perfect entry to this idea. There's intimidation, but if you can get past that, the rest is pretty easy to handle. Not that she'll make it easy. Play Rough belies a tendency to be a bit critical and, dare I say, nasty at times? She does openly mock you if you use a not-very-effective attack. But she can come around. I think Howl emphasizes her straight-forward nature. It's one stat getting buffed, and it's attack. No frills, just straight to the point.

The major change of its set is going from Take Down to Sucker Punch. Take Down deals recoil, and implies a certain...self-sabotage. Meanwhile Sucker Punch is taking initiative, and getting ahead of things. Something between her first fight and last fight changed, and altered her mindset to go from a self-defeating one, to one of taking charge.

The Ace (Sinistcha) Sinistcha's defining feature is double status. Stun Spore with paralysis, Scald with a chance to burn. Both play into Hex, which doubles in power if the foe is afflicted, while Matcha Gotcha absorbs HP based on damage dealt. Operating together, I think this shows Carmine as someone who is most in control when others are put down. I don't mean that to imply she's nasty, more that she is someone who is avoidant toward the possibility of losing, or facing someone stronger. She won't fight as directly, especially if she can't win. She'd rather hinder what people can do to threaten her, than push herself. The Occa Berry is an interesting choice as well. There are other weaknesses Sinistcha has, but it's specifically Fire, the threat of being burned, that she worries about. She's guarded.

But at the same time...Hospitality. This is the last Pokemon on the team, and its ability emphasizes healing of a battle partner. In singles, this does nothing. But in doubles, it implies the sense that if she feels you have her back, she'll have yours. She'll take care of people she feels comfortable around.

Care and Control (Leavanny and Ninetales) Leavanny, and prior to this, Swadloon, are an interesting addition to the team. For those not familiar with the Pokelore, Leavanny knits leaf clothes for Sewaddle and Swadloon, with Swadloon being completely bundled up within them. The decision to have Swadloon at first is, I think, the sense of self-protection. Swadloon's set even focuses on speed control through Sticky Web and Trailblaze. Its appearance in her second fight is revealing. Sticky Web is playing to her team's general structure of disrupting the opponent, but Trailblaze is setting out to do something new and different, and its function is building herself up.

By the time it's Leavanny, she's now focused on attack, emphasizing that direct nature. But Fell Stinger is an interesting choice, given X-Scissor's presence. This move boosts attack by 3 if she lands a KO. I think this speaks, generally, to Carmine's confidence. Despite the outward appearance of someone so confident she seems arrogant, internally there's an anxiety around being shown she's not as strong as she thinks. When the player wins, she seems genuinely upset at the loss, but not in an outburst way like Ortega, or even a truly disappointed way like Hop. Like something's been revealed that she wish hadn't been. She doesn't like that she can't be as strong as she presents. Fell Stinger implies the sense that, when she meets with success, she responds well to it. There's an excitement to seeing something pay off, and it suggests she focuses on those shots of reinforcement. There's no reason to carry two Bug moves, but she wants to feel that sense of accomplishment.

By contrast, Ninetales is there at the start, leaves, and comes back. Its moveset does not change. It is the only Pokemon that does not change a single move, and includes Will-o-Wisp, and Disable. Moves for disruption. Specifically, cutting the damage she receives, and removing attacks she doesn't like. Flamethrower is the obvious offensive move, but Extrasensory is an unusual choice. By coverage, the best pick is Energy Ball; Grass hits all of Fire's weaknesses super-effectively. Extrasensory is interesting because it's a naturally learned move that has flinch. Again, disruption. But also, Ninetales only knows moves it can learn naturally. This also true of Leavanny and Mightyena. I think this focus on what's learned naturally is reflective of her attachment to her home. Carmine cares about Kitakami as it is, and concerns herself with allowing others to visit sacred areas, or the degradation of culture to tourism. Maintaining a sort of natural essence seems important to her.

Double Sided (Morpeko) But at the same time, Carmine operates on multitudes. On the one hand, she cares deeply about the preservation of Kitakami's culture. But on the other, by the end of it all, she's come around to having people visit. On the one hand, she's intense and critical, but at the same time genuinely does care. Morpeko's form shift shows both sides, with Focus Sash being the near guarantee. To really understand Carmine, you have to understand both sides, and its moveset further reflects this.

On the one hand, disruption through Thunder Wave. On the other, building herself up through Aura Wheel. Both sides coexist within Morpeko. It's interesting to note that, as one of two that have TMs, one of the moves she taught it? Lash Out. Dealing greater damage when stats are lowered. When shaken, when threatened, she'll react strongly. At her core, she's reactive, and responds to perceived slights or injustice with an intense retaliation.

Summation Carmine's team suggests someone who is, at once, presenting as entirely collected while avoiding her shortcomings being known. She operates on a reactive, defensive approach; disrupting opponents and preventing them from getting too close to the core of her personality. She thrives off of seeming superior, but genuinely does light up at her accomplishments, and lives for the satisfaction of success. While initially fully avoidant, by the end of the DLC, she's come around to trying to work on improving herself, but likely still has trouble letting go of frustrations with setbacks and fear of failure.

If you have a different read on the team, I'd love to hear it. As mentioned, she kinda accidentally became my current favorite of ScarVi, so I'm very up for discussing her character.

#pokemon #carmine #pokemon team characterization

[braixen]

what your trainer type says about you

normal: nothing burger. humans are normal types.

water: can you stop chilling and stand for something but without turning into a mfing tempest? you're either 0 or 100

fire: STOP being so impulsive

grass: it's not fucking weed you piece of shit stoner

fighting: all pokémon fight. just because yours do martial arts doesn't impress me

electric: i understand from the deepest part of my heart some of them eat electricity to live. that said, i really wish you guys wouldn’t cause blackouts when i’m battling. we have to pause the whole thing and get the gym generator running and it really ruins the flow of the battle.

dark: you know three songs that were popular in the amv scene by heart huh bud. i like how evil teams use them but you stand by them. you are every rival that wore all black and ranged from either apathetic to an angry front but had a pokemon that evolved with high friendship.

psychic: you are not an empath because you can read the room. go to therapy. unless you're one of the psychic trainers that have psychic powers. i appreciate you leaning into it so much

poison: was it worth never letting your pokemon on your furniture and always having to eat outside

rock and ground: do you guys ever get into arguments about how distinct they are?

ice: i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. you cannot ethically own ice type pokémon in hot regions. that said, assuming every ice type owner that doesn’t live up on that mountain where the kanto champ dipped isn’t housing their pokémon in their cities ice type facility isn’t true either

bug: i’m so sorry everyone thinks bug types are weak. ilysm. you have as big of a heart as the dark type trainers.

steel: you think you’re better than the ground and rock types until the fire type comes out.

ghost: PLEASE put them on the leashes specifically made for ghost types or keep them in your pokéball!! they’re known to scare people and STEAL CHILDREN.

flying: everyone who characterizes you guys as airheads instead of. like. idc. very intelligent pilots at best and somebody who’s calm and gentle enough to befriend pokemon as flighty as flying types at least. sorry for the flighty pun you probably get that a lot.

fairy: be so honest with me is valerie actually fae. why do her eyes look like that. she has anime eyes.

dragon: this is what i imagine dragon being weak to dragon is like

#pokémon #rotomblr #pokemon #pokemon irl #pokeblogging #pkmn irl #shed petals

[epicspheal]

Alright so I've been seeing a lot of discussion surrounding Volo and his Togepi on Twitter and I wanted to put my thoughts on the situation. In the latest Pokemas event we see a part of the story where Volo's Togepi greets N and N hears her voice. N clearly tells us that Togepi states that Volo takes care of her. And it's mentioned earlier that it's clear Volo does love his Pokemon. Yet people have noted that in the lodge the subject of "Love for Pokemon" is in his "interesting" topic category (as compared to say, "Excitement Building" or "Super Exciting"). Therefore it's led people to believe he actually hates his Pokemon and that he's actively manipulating them. I don't think that's the case. See one thing Pokemon has done well since Gen 1 is environmental storytelling, often done through the teams. You can learn a lot about a character's personality through the Pokemon they choose and the move-sets. Volo is no different. Him having a Togepi (and later in PLA a Togekiss). This is important because Togepi as we know evolves via high friendship and GameFreak often gives Pokemon who evolve via Friendship to antagonistic characters when they want to show they're misguided over just flat out cruel. And it's not just Togepi/Togekiss...by the boss fight with Volo we see him have a Lucario and Roserade...both Pokemon who have stages that require a friendship evolution. Togekiss and Lucario are also notable for being Pokemon that can sense feelings and they stick by Volo even when he's ready to remake the entire world.

This is GameFreak's signaling that Volo, despite him being a major backstabber, isn't 100% full of malice. That there's part of him that have good traits. But then why, you may ask, is "Love For Pokemon" so low for him on the lodge topics? Well it's likely because it's not a topic he's super passionate about. The lowest tier is "interesting"...and not "dislike/boring". Sure IRL, depending on tone "interesting" can be a polite way to say "I don't really care" but for Pokemas "interesting" topics just seem to be topics the character may either know only a little about or is intriguing but not something that would make them start talking a mile a minute. Volo having "Love for Pokemon" as an interesting topic likely points to the idea that he doesn't make that a huge part of his daily thought process as say Leaf who has it as her "Super Exciting Topic" (and indeed a lot of her Pokemas characterizations surrounds this as she is super passionate about it). Is it a noteworthy topic enough that's he's willing to talk about? Yes, but it's not something he's super passionate about compared to say myths and legendary Pokemon. It doesn't mean he's secretly manipulating his Pokemon and hates them. He has Pokemon that would be able to sense his true intentions if that was really the case. He has trust issues for sure (his lines about using others before they use you sound like he's been betrayed)...but that seems to be aimed moreso at humans (and Arceus) than his own team.

#pokemon volo #pokemas #character analysis

[ether-gearhead]

Not that I’m that big of a Geeta fan, but anyone dragging her for her team comp is totally oblivious to her role in the story! Like, y’all realize she’s ultimately a glorified Gym Leader, right?! She actually WANTS challengers to become Champions, she’s not actively defending a title! I mean, I guess people will hyperfixate on “I am utterly incapable of holding back when it comes to Pokemon battles,” but even then, there’s no way at least a few challengers haven’t failed the Champion Assessment because they couldn’t cope with two layers of Toxic Spikes on the field the whole battle along with Kingambit’s max power Supreme Overlord sweeping through their tired teams!

In other words, Geeta winning too much hurts the League as a whole, so she makes it a point to use Kingambit early and save Glimmora for last - the exact inverse of when both Pokemon should be used - because she actually WANTS to be able to lose every so often! It’s not like she exclusively fights player characters who can metagame the fight. This is one of those instances where characterization takes precedence over challenge. Not saying it works well, just that we’re all missing the point here.

#pokemon scarlet and violet #top champion geeta

[mynamesaplant]

It Changes, like Water (CH. 1)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary: Akari has just met Gaeric for the first time and is still a little rattled by the experience. Ingo tries to reassure her by telling her a story.

Content Warning: Blood, bodily injury, and wild animal attack

Notes: I've made this in honor of Monsoon-of-Art and their PLA mer au (and just a touch from a different au where Gaeric acts as Irida's guardian). Many of the scenes in this fic are directly inspired by their work, there mer stuff more specifically. I've been a big fan of them since I started playing PLA and I've only grown to love all their characterizations of some of my favorite characters in all of Pokemon. Don't like to read on Tumblr? Read it here on AO3.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey Ingo?”

The large mer was studying the near microscopic flute that Akari had, humming in acknowledgement but still absorbed in his observations. The light wasn’t the best for looking it over in the tidal cavern, but this was the only place he felt safe meeting Akari so close to shore, the cavern offered some protection from any would be outside observers of the clans or the humans. Ingo was trying to think of any mention of a flute quite like this before in the time he had been with the clan, but nothing seemed to jump to mind.

Akari was in the process of reorganizing her bag before returning to the settlement, how it always got to be such a mess was always a mystery to her but her efforts were thwarted by events of the day. The teenager’s mind was still on her earlier encounter with the not quite so large but infinitely more terrifying Warden Gaeric. He was instantly suspicious of her, commenting on her small size and color of her coat after a brief interrogation, ears pinned back and a snarl on his face as he looked at her uniform like he was trying to place it but couldn’t, that was just before Ingo came to her rescue.

“Gaeric’s the one messing with all the supply ships, isn’t he?”

That caught Ingo’s attention, looking away from his open palm to her. Akari was squinting up at him, trying to parse any subtle emotions in his expression. He knew eventually she would ask; it wasn’t hard to put two and two together given Gaeric’s attitude. Despite knowing this question was inevitable, Ingo felt a cold spike of guilt lance his spine and his ears droop even lower. That was answer enough for her.

“He wouldn’t hesitate to hurt me if he knew for sure, would he?”

“Gaeric doesn’t hurt pups.”

His answer was swift, but it wasn’t quite a satisfactory one and they both knew it. Ingo was certain that, even if anyone else other than himself knew the truth about Akari and her mysterious flute, they couldn’t bring themselves to hurt her. Akari was a child – the magical white coat helped with the illusion, at least at first. It made everyone pause in complete befuddlement. Was she sick? Why was her growth so stunted for someone her age? It was hard to see Akari as anything but a sick, stunted pup with that pale coat. Although she was representing herself illegitimately and she was part of the exploration team that was causing irreparable harm to the fisheries of both clans with their presence, Ingo didn’t think a single member of either clan could bring harm upon her… especially not with how close he was tailing her.

“But I’m not a pup!”

She protested, her stomach souring when she considered how close her call with Gaeric could have been. They both knew the truth and Akari had the sneaking suspicion that Ingo was softening the truth to spare her from the dangers of her situation.

“He wouldn’t hurt you. Gaeric attacks vessels, he doesn’t hurt the people on those vessels.”

“Ingo, he leaves them in ice cold water for hours on end after destroying those supply ships. Some of them don’t make it. They die from hypothermia. We don’t have thick fur like you guys do!”

He flinched, turning his head away and tugging his cap over his eyes to obscure the pain in them. He could see it from both points of view. Gaeric’s priority was the clan, protecting them and their territory, and he saw the Galaxy Team as a threat – which they were. They were horning in on their territory, taking away from their primary food source, and potentially endangering their vulnerable pups. The team’s presence was a threat that no one in the clans knew what to do about. Gaeric, never one for subtly or decorum, did what he thought was best to dissuade the Galaxy Team from settling there. Ingo knew it was too late for that, but there was no point explaining that to Gaeric. It wouldn’t stop him, and it would already make Ingo seem stranger that he was defending humans.

Akari and her team were explorers and researchers, their interests lie in the sea, so of course they were going to butt heads frequently with the elusive mers, whether intentionally or not. Galaxy Team thought of them as monsters, huge moving shadows beneath the water that would destroy all they had built in an instant – Gaeric was certainly not helping in that regard. These people were mostly curious, and he could sympathize with innocent curiosity.

“Gaeric is concerned for the wellbeing of Pearl Clan, Akari. I understand his methods seem drastic, but-”

“Seem drastic? Ingo, they are drastic!”

Ingo’s frown deepened. He wasn’t trying to justify his fellow warden’s actions, but that was certainly how he made it sound. He knew why Gaeric was the way he was. His love for his clan ran deep. The mer glanced toward the sun sinking steadily toward the horizon from the exposed mouth of the cavern, soon to be swallowed up by the sea. He looked back at Akari, jaw set and mouth quirked like she was trying hard not to cry in front of him.

“I apologize.”

Ingo said gently, sinking lower in the water to be more on her level. Akari quickly spun away from him on the rock on which she was perched, her arms folded over her chest.

“I’m not trying to minimize the damage Gaeric has done and the people he has hurt. Gaeric doesn’t feel as though anyone is being proactive in the case of the hu – Galaxy Team. So, he takes it upon himself to be proactive, and takes it too far. He has a lot of misplaced guilt when it comes to protecting the clan… May I tell you a story before you return to your settlement? It might help you understand where he’s coming from.”

Although she was not facing him, he could tell he had caught her interest and he folded his arms over the large rock, resting his head on his forearms. He did his best to recall all the details.

Next Chapter >>

#pokemon #legends of arceus #pla #pkmn #fan fic #fan fiction #fanfiction #fanfic #pokemon legends arceus #pokemon: legends arceus #pokemon legends: arceus #p: la #pl: a #pla mer au #mer au