this has been in my files for quite a while yeesh

I’m a big fan of both Rottmnt and Pokemon as you can obviously tell lol

So I thought it’d be cool to envision the Squirtle line in the rottmnt art style.

Squirtle’s look is solely based on his Squirtle Squad getup in the anime y’know, headband, shades, etc. I made his skin markings resemble water droplets/bubbles. Squirtle’s and Wartortle’s shell marks are just the hexagonal shapes that come from their original shell.

Wartortle’s look comes a lot from his canon personality, which he’s a bit of a ruffian. They’re known to get into fights and fisticuffs a bit and can be very aggressive, that’s why they have so many scratches and bandages and even chips in their plastron. Their skin markings come from what Wartortle is originally based on which is the minogame, a mythological turtle with seaweed and algae resembling a tail and it’s longevity. Wartortle is actually my favourite of the Squirtle line becuz I for one love the poofy/wispy ear and tail combo.

Blastoise is mainly based on his gigantamax form, cuz I needed alil bit more something to work with. Hence the white triangular markings, the turquoise eyes, the stickers that come from the gigantamax lighting. I did attempt to give him ears, but I didn’t like the way they looked so I tried to make it show with the mask instead (and his triangle marks).

So uh yeah thanks for tuning in to my fangeek time <3

Which Pokemon would you be and why? Pt1

Piles : from left to right

How to choose a pile?

Close your eyes and take a deep breath and ask the angels to show you the right pile for you and open your eyes. The first pile that catches your attention is the right pile for you.

Masterlist

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Pile 1

You would be Bulbasaur because you're known for your balanced and practical nature. Like Bulbasaur, you are someone who approaches challenges with a steady determination and a sense of responsibility. You too have a nurturing side, just as Bulbasaur carries a plant bulb on its back, symbolizing growth and care. This means you are likely to be a supportive and dependable friend, always looking out for the well-being of those around you. Your curiosity and willingness to learn and adapt, much like Bulbasaur's evolution, would make you open to new experiences and always eager to grow as a person.

Pile 2

You would be Pikachu because you're someone who is endlessly energetic, optimistic, and fiercely loyal. You have an infectious enthusiasm for life, always ready to take on new challenges with a smile. You are a natural leader, inspiring others with their determination and never-give-up attitude. Just like Pikachu's iconic thunderbolt-shaped tail, you too possess a spark of creativity and adaptability, making you quick to come up with solutions in times of need. Your sense of camaraderie would shine through in their friendships, as you prioritize the well-being of your loved ones and stand by their side through thick and thin.

Pile 3

You would squirtle because you're a spirited and adventurous individual. Much like Squirtle's water-based abilities, you would have a natural affinity for aquatic activities and a love for the outdoors. You'd be the type of person who enjoys spending sunny days by the beach, participating in water sports, or simply splashing around in a pool. Your outgoing and sociable nature would make you a natural leader among your friends, just as Squirtle often takes the lead within its squad of Pokémon. Despite your playful and energetic demeanor, you'd also have a strong sense of responsibility and would stand up to protect those you care about, just as Squirtle is known for its loyalty and courage.

Pile 4

You would be Snortax because you're incredibly laid-back and relaxed. You're the embodiment of the phrase "easygoing." Because you prioritize leisure and comfort above all else, often opting for long naps and hearty meals. You might give the impression of someone who enjoys indulging in life's pleasures. You might not be in a hurry to get things done and could be a bit slow-moving, but you're incredibly kind-hearted and approachable, always willing to share a meal or offer a comfy spot to rest. Just like Snorlax, you have a gentle and affable nature, making you a beloved presence in any group.

Pile 5

You would be jigglypuff because of your charming, social, and deeply artistic personality. Jigglypuff is known for its soothing singing and ability to put others to sleep, so you may embody a calming and enchanting presence. You are someone who enjoys entertaining others with their talents, whether through music, storytelling, or other forms of artistic expression. Jigglypuff's friendly demeanor and ability to make friends easily would translate into you being outgoing, empathetic, and values strong connections with others. However, you might also have a mischievous side, as Jigglypuff is known for drawing on the faces of those it puts to sleep, showcasing a playful and creative streak.

Pile 6

You would be Gengar because you are an individual with a dark and enigmatic aura. You have a mischievous and cunning personality, often enjoying playing pranks and indulging in a dark sense of humor. You might have a penchant for the mysterious and eerie, with a love for all things spooky and supernatural. Despite your eerie exterior, you are fiercely loyal to your friends and loved ones, always ready to protect them in times of need. Others might notice you lurking in the shadows, observing the world with a sly grin, but your loyalty and dedication would shine through when it truly matters.

A Pokemon themed set to add to the Squishmallow Mod! Highly recommended you download the original set for full functionality! Includes some notable characters from Generation 1, also in their shiny variants and sneaky ditto faces!

🌼 ─────[  DETAILS  ]───── 🌼 »    Base Game Compatible »    17 new meshes »    Regular, Shiny, Ditto variants »    Includes: Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle (plus Squirtle Squad Leader), Jigglypuff, Ditto, Meowth, Mew, Oddish, Eevee, Flareon, Jolteon, Vaporeon, Gengar, Snorlax, and Dragonite »    Ranging from 5" to 16" relative to Pokemon sizes.

🌼 ─────[ >>  TOU  << ]───── 🌼

🌼 ─────[   DOWNLOAD   ]───── 🌼 via Patreon via SFS

Computer Card Game Options

Two aspects of computerized card games that interest me are how you can remove the inconvenience of some physical card game interactions to make them acceptable and how you can keep information controlled - both secret and verified - to enable certain options.

Suppose you liked the Pokemon TCG but you hated the Energy Cards with a fiery passion.

In a computer version you could let players pay energy costs for their Pokemon's attacks with other Pokemon of the same type.

Now, this gets into a weird situation regarding information, where if you're using cards with built-in purposes to power your other cards, your opponent is learning a lot about your deck with every card you play. Imagine if to play your Pikachu's 1-electric 1-anything Thundershock attack the opponent discarded a Charizard to pay the 1 generic energy needed. Prior to this you might not have known they were even running Fire-types!

If you want you could leave this alone, of course. Let the player see what the other player is discarding. But if it's a computer game you don't have to. You could just show that the other player discarded an electric type and something else.

Also, by "discard" we could mean the card just gets shuffled back into the deck. There's no reason it has to be removed from the game. And unlike the physical game, there's no wear and tear on the cards or break in the action to shuffle. You pay the cost, the animation just shows the card(s) going "into the deck somewhere," and the turn moves on.

If I were making these mechanics in a physical card game I would feel like I had to allow players to see each other's cost discards, just for basic verification that nobody's cheating, and I would feel like I had to have the cost either go into a discard pile, which might eventually be shuffled if the game allowed for a lot of cycling and I didn't want it to end based on decking, or it'd need to "recharge" as Pathfinder ACG calls it and have the expended card go on the bottom of your deck.

...Huh. Another weird interaction I've never seen but could be neat in a computer card game: Verified Cards. Basically, a rule that if cards in your deck have been seen, rather than a shuffle screwing up this knowledge the deck gets shuffled around them. So you could play a Future Sight attack like in Pokemon video game titles, setting the attack to your third card, and then if you used, I dunno, a Squirtle Squad ability where a Squirtle pulled another one out of the deck, and then the deck was shuffled... First of all you wouldn't need to shuffle, because you could pull the Squirtle from a random location in the deck without revealing any other cards to either player. But if you did shuffle you could do so in a way that left Future Sight at card slot 3 no matter what.

Pitch for Pokemon Legends Z

It’s the Squirtle Squad out to stop the assassination of the Duke Farfetch’d from being Guilloutined by a Crawdant

And that’s how France was formed in the Pokémon world

based on what happened yesterday i just believe anything

Pokémon Favourites!

repost, don’t reblog!

FIRST GAME: Pokémon Yellow version was my first; I got it as a gift for completing kindergarten. My reading was still a little shaky, and I didn't understand that I had to click "save game" whenever I turned my Gameboy Color off. So, I perpetually restarted the game for a week until my dad helped me figure it out. Yellow version is how my dad and I first REALLY bonded, actually, because he'd take me around to his job a lot (busy man) and I'd sit behind his desk and ask him for help with reading the big words.

FAVOURITE SPINOFF GAME: A tie between Pokémon Stadium for the N64 and Pokémon Colloseum. Stadium is how I bonded with my little sister; we played the mini games like CRAZY when dad rented it for us from Family Video. Run Rattata Run was our favorite. And my dad actually would battle me on Stadium; his favorite Pokémon were Dugtrio and Pidgeot, and he loved to do dramatic character voices for the gym leaders, especially Giovanni. Colloseum was my first experience with a more gritty, dark video game plot line, and was the first Pokémon game I helped my baby brother complete. Orre is just. So good.

FAVOURITE EVIL TEAM: It's a tie between Team Rocket and Team Magma. Rocket, because I'm a filthy millennial and will never NOT love them. Magma for no other reason than the fact that my favorite color is red, and the rivalry between Magma and Aqua is so funny. I'm in a competitive Pokémon clan that got formed back in 2016 when I was super into the Smogon scene; there was a series of clan battles called "turf wars" where we played across a region map, and all the clans were based on the different teams. Me and Team Magma won several seasons in a row, and we've remained lifelong friends even though that larger competitive group no longer meets up.

FAVOURITE TEAM LEADER: GUZMA. I love my boy so much. He completely blew Maxie out of the water the moment I laid eyes on him. He is just so fun, so complex, and even though I write Giacomo now, Guzma will always have a place in my dumb little heart. It's ya boy!

FAVOURITE STARTER: Squirtle. This is a Squirtle Squad support blog.

FAVOURITE BOX LEGENDARY: Groudon. I fucking LOVE Groudon.

FAVOURITE POKEMON: /to the cadence of the cut screen from Pikachu's vacation: Mag. . . Nemite. . . Mag. . . Nemite. . .MAG-NE-MITE!

FAVOURITE PROFESSOR: Sada is my new favorite. She became the favorite as soon as she was revealed. Women can do ANYTHING!!!!

FAVOURITE RIVAL: Green & Silver. No you will not make me pick between the two of them. Green because he is so iconic, and Silver because his music in GSC is fucking great; also, the hilarious Pokémon Vietnames Crystal translation that was played through by Delicious Cinnamon is one of my favorite things EVER. They called him Chedr. His lines were great. Also. . . . Was I the only one who accidentally named Silver just ??? (BECAUSE HIS NAME POPPED UP AS ??? IN THE FIRST BATTLE AND I JUST COPIED THAT WHEN ASKED) when they first played gen 2 as a kid??????? Or was I just dumb????

FAVOURITE CHAMPION: Steven Stone's champion battle was VERY memorable for me.

FAVOURITE CHARACTER (if not already covered): Emmet and Ingo. No you will not separate them for this answer, they are a package deal in my brain. I was there for the height of Black and White hype and the dawn of Submas. It was magical. I love my silly train men.

FAVOURITE STORY: Black/White. Followed closely by Sun/Moon and Emerald.

FAVOURITE MUSIC: ALL of the music from Gen 5. Loved the Unovan Elite Four theme. N's theme. GHETSIS'S THEME STILL GIVES ME CHILLS. I also fucking love the Cipher Admin battle music from Pokémon Colloseum. Also, controversial kick, Miror B's theme in Colloseum was better than Gale of Darkness's choice. And of course Guzma's battle music is awesome, AND the Team Star Leader ost.

FAVOURITE REGION OVERALL: If you can't tell, I love Unova. Runner up is Johto; idc what people say, nothing will ever replicate the joy and wonder of playing through Johto for the first time RIGHT after the height of PokeMania in the 90's and early 00's. It was . . . Magical.

-Probably effed up the perspective of this, but it's inspired by a spicy fan fic called Starstruck on AO3 (R-18 tread with care). This is how I'd imagine their dynamic in that one: Volo was described as speaking in a deliberate and meticulous -somewhat pretentious- manner. I'd imagine his voice being like the flareon from the Squirtle squad as he says stuff like, "I'm above the base desires of the flesh because I'm going to one day meet the supreme being Arceus and create a new and better world."

Emmet, otoh, used to have one thing on his mind and one thing only. That was finding his brother Ingo who has abruptly disappeared. After a while, his focus shifted to wanting to bang Volo nonstop. He'd stare at Volo with an intense hungry grin but would remain a perfect gentleman and keep his thoughts to himself.

Volo might say, "Are you ready to look for your brother?"

-To which Emmet would reply, "What brother? I mean...yeah, lets go find that guy, whatsisname..oh yeah, Ingo. I want to find him verrrrrry much."

One day, they get hit with a blast of aphrodisiac spore from one of the Forces of Nature Enamorous. Volo gets the brunt of it. He gets the horny and starts spouting gibberish while wondering why Emmet doesn't seem to be affected. Reason? Because Emmet has been following him around for days feeling like that nonstop, but he isn't really expressive and always has a bright-eyed feral grin on his fixed, mask-like face. He gets clear consent by making Volo beg for his amusement, and then he's all over him like a voracious predator.

After that day, Emmet might tell someone, "Ya know, I once was so distraught over my brother's disappearance that I wanted to fist-fight God. Now I feel at peace and right with the world..."

I’ve created an interesting experiment in suffering with these two.  Since they were traded in to this file, they were having disobedience issues early on.  I had originally wanted Rex, Tortue, and Caesar to get along like brothers and go on a happy fun adventure without any angst.  But the circumstances I set up have been othering.  Rex and Tortue are holding everstones, because they hold positions in my living dex I don’t want to evolve them.  I also thought it would be interesting to challenge myself by bringing unevolved starters into the E4 fight.  So when they both hit level 11 and started disobeying commands, that was kind of like getting a story prompt straight from the game.  Why should they follow a leader that holds them back?

Rex is the son of Eliza and Konstantin, who were both resurrected memories from deleted games.  Their theme was that they’ve been through hell and came out stronger.  Their son should be reaping the benefits of their struggle, but an arbitrary challenge has been imposed on him.  And Rex started falling behind when we hit midgame.  There’s actually a lot of common rock, ground, and water-type Pokemon that he’s at a type disadvantage to.  And his unevolved Charmander stats just aren’t keeping up.  If he were a Charizard right now he’d be much stronger, and the additional flying-type would give him STAB on Aerial Ace, which is a move he inherited but can’t use effectively.  I’ve tried to level the playing field for him by tutoring him Seismic Toss, which does damage equal to the user’s level regardless of his attack stat.  But that still only deals 51 damage right now.

Tortue, as the son of Tortoise, carries an opposite legacy.  Tortoise is my most beloved starter (sorry Eliza haha) and has spent the most time with me.  He’s like a holy knight who defends a sacred relic (me) at all costs.  Protection is a big theme for this family because they’re turtles.  So Tortue went into this journey believing that he had inherited a very serious job.  And at first, he was really good at it.  He inherited Surf, which is bonkers OP for early game, and still holds up in late game in addition to its HM utility.  But now that we’re in the endgame stretch, he’s finding that he can’t take hits from the opponents he’s facing.  His unevovled Squirtle base stats just aren’t giving him the defense and HP to do his job right.  He’s failing to properly fight for his trainer, but it’s because of the everstone that his trainer ordered him to hold.  It’s like this must be some kind of test of his faith and resolve.

Rex and Tortue are as close as brothers.  Rex has a stronger personality and Tortue tends to follow his lead.  Rex thinks they should rip off their everstones and ditch the quest.  They don’t owe their trainer anything.  They could go anywhere, do anything, be something more than the role they’ve been assigned.  Tortue is starting to believe him, but hates himself for it.  His dad would never falter like this.

But now I have all 8 badges so they can’t do SHIT unless I give them permission!  Ha!

In all seriousness after I’ve completed the living dex and started transferring some of the squad up to 4th gen, I might let these two evolve.  But then they’ll both be required to provide heirs to fill the Charmander and Squirtle slots.  Maybe Grenadine would do them a favor?  (I don’t know how Caesar would feel about this)

DRAW MY FAN MADE WUBBOX IN YOUR STYLE PLEASE! (Btw I based him on Glamrock Freddy and that squirtle squad member with the triangle shades)

cool

cant rn but ill try to draw it on paper lol

I also wonder if they'll do appearances in a particular order based on who met up with who: Like, Misty -> Brock -> Cilan -> Iris -> Dawn -> May/Max -> Serena -> Clemont/Bonnie -> Goh [and Chloe]? Alola Gang is their own entity. If there's a ranch episode, maybe Tracey. (Gary floats in somewhere, question is where? If it isn't Beartic. Also, who would be in the Squirtle Squad episode, if Ash isn't solo here?)

My post did leave room for couple non-companion including eps so Squirtle Squad could be without one. OR Shigeru appears there, haha.

But idk about certain specific orders, haha.

Thoughts on the 150 pokémon

I recently drew the 150 pokémon in commemoration for reaching 150 followers on twitter… after 11 years. I want to share some of the thoughts I had during the process, some of which I shared on twitter as I was doing it, others which didn’t fit in the character limit. Thought this might be a fun read for some of you. 003: The Bulbasaur line is a lot more turtle-like than I’d previously thought. 004: I hadn’t realized the Charmander line doesn’t have any ears, it has horns. 006: Do you remember that in Gen I, Charizard can’t use fly? So many jokes were lost when they “fixed” that… 007: Although I’m trying to not draw the Pokémon from the Anime, it’s hard to give a Squirtle glasses and not make him look like one of the Squirtle squad, but I figured out a way. 008: I can fully see the argument on Wartortle being based on an axolotl now. 009: Blastoise was the first Pokémon that was hard to draw: it just has so many elements: the shell, the ears, the cannons… I have a lot more respect for Mr. Sugimori now. 012: Remember the fan theory that Butterfree was supposed to be Venomoth and vice-versa? It’s actually a good mnemonic for how to draw them! 016: Pidgey gave me a hard time with, unexpectedly, the dark spots behind its eyes, but it just wouldn’t be Pidgey without them 017: Made the hard decision of making Pidgeotto’s crest be a crown of several feathers rather than just a handful of very long feathers, mostly because I just wasn’t good at drawing feathers. 025: I hadn’t really noticed before that the Pokémon are numbered in groups approximating the areas they appear in the game 028: Any doubt I had Sandslash was based on a hedgehog has been dispelled with this drawing 029: How is Nidoran, literally one of the most generic pokémon, one of the hardest to draw?! 031: Nidoqueen always looks so imposing in the anime, but that's because all the characters are children. Canonically, she's only 4 ft tall! 032: I hadn’t noticed Nidorino’s spots until I had to add more indications that this was a Nidorino 035: I'm glad Detective Pikachu came out, because now it's cannon that Clefairy’s swirl is just fluff. 036: as it turns out, Clefable has REALLY short arms! 039: Jigglypuff’s huge eyes have an incredible potential for exaggerating its expressions. You’d think there was no way you could draw them “too big”, yet I somehow managed. I also discovered how imperfect scaling in Gimp is this way when I tried to use it to fix it. Luckily my expression is “excited” so blurred eyes don’t look wrong. 041: Question: are those two things sticking out the bottom supposed to be Zubat's feet or a forked tail? I never could figure it out! I originally wanted to do another "carrying it away in his talons" drawing but this question made me rethink the whole thing! 042: Golbat is the stuff of nightmares. We know it is able to close its mouth but looks horrible doing it! And how many toes is it supposed to have? Why do its ears shrink when it evolves? 043: Wait a minute, Oddish has no arms! And are those shoes on his feet? 046: one, two three… wait, Paras only has six appendages? If it looks like an arachnid, crawls like an arachnid and has fangs like an arachnid… it’s an insect!? 047: Parasect has a pattern on its mushroom? It’s not just random dots? 048: Venonat’s arms are ridiculously short! Surely it still has elbows and knees, they’re just hidden under its fur… right? It’s always bothered me that Venonat is #048 when Oddish is #043! You exit Mt. Moon having caught Venonat and you think you missed something, so you go back and… there’s nothing there! 049: ah yes the old “what’s under Diglett” joke, which was canonized in the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. 050: I have no idea what those noses would translate to in real life 051: I realize now how intentionally ridiculous Meowth's design is: no shoulders, no nose, skinny little legs, semibipedal…no wonder any costume he wears looks silly! (and yes, he was semibipedal even before the anime, I checked) 054: Spent way too long thinking about how feather fingers work on this one 055: What's the deal with Golduck anyway? weird beak, head spikes…toes?! 056: despite desperately not wanting to draw the Pokémon from the anime, it’s hard to think of Mankey behaving as anything other than the iconic one from the anime 059: There was an old rumor that Arcanine was meant to be the legendary fire dog (which eventually became Entei). I can totally see the parallels between Arcanine and Entei now. People often say arcanine is too floofy. I don't have a problem with that, but you know what did affect me? Too stripey! Oh well, at least it's not leopard spots again 060: Polwag is freaking huge, have you noticed? Not tadpole size! 062: I realize now Poliwrath’s "gloves" are webbing 063: Interestingly, I've always thought of Abra as an insectoid pokémon, but the more I read about it as I searched for a good reference picture, the more it became clear it's just a cat! But cats don't have those weird shoulder plates. You know what animal does? Rhinos. That's right: Abra is part rhinoceros! 066: What animal is Machop supposed to be? Bulbapedia implies it’s some sort of frog, but I've come to a stunning conclusion: it's a hippo. Think about it! No toes, smooth skin, big snout... 068: Sometimes when drawing characters, I wish they had two sets of arms so they could properly express the emotion I’m trying to convey, but always when I end up getting one that actually does, I have a hard time deciding what the second set of arms is supposed to do. I don’t think the anime ever had that problem / took advantage of that. 069: I always seem to misremember Bellsprout as more detailed 070: Weepingbell is another pokémon that freaks me out, like, is that a tongue or just the inside of its "cheek"? And what's with the little stalk tail? And the name! 071: Also let me add that the whole Bellsprout line is another one that's friggin' huge. We're used to their sizes because they appear so often in the anime but, come on, a flower shouldn't be bigger than a bouquet! 072: Tentacool’s head is scarily human-like in a Megamind-sort of way. I mean, why does it need a nose? Or those gem-like things? Why can’t it just be a jellyfish-octopus? 073: Tentacruel’s canon height is 5 ft (1.6 m) but that scene with the kaiju from the anime is the one that always come to mind when thinking about Tentacruel’s size, which is interesting because Tentacruel is a pretty common Pokémon that has been in a lot more episodes than that. The Episode, I feel, did not deliver on the hype created by showing it in the intro: the amount of kaiju-ing was remarkably unsatisfactory. (Yes, I watched it... that one time it aired on public TV... Turns out it’s supposed to be an environmental message) 074: Geodude is indelibly associated in my mind with his “coming out of the pokéball” animation from Pokémon Stadium 2, which attempts to explain his pokédex pose as flexing his muscles, but to me it always looked like he was saying "you called me out... for this?!" 076: While the anime will show us even the most ferocious Pokémon happy, they rarely show them just being kind 077: I have no idea how Ponyta's fire works. I get that it’s supposed to replace its mane, but then again, I have no idea how horse manes work either. Ponyta's pokédex size is friggin tiny, only 3 ft tall! We see kids riding them in the anime but that doesn't check out at all! 080: Slowbro is another freakishly huge Pokémon (5 – 6 ft / 1.5 – 2 m), especially considering it’s supposed to be “just” a slowpoke (3 ft / 1 m) that got its tail stuck in a Shellder’s mouth 081: Can steel type Pokémon sweat? Anime physics let them get “anxiety” sweat drops, but would they be physically able to produce them? 082: Magneton has to be the pokémon I most severely underestimated the difficulty of. I mean, who cares if each individual magnet is not in perspective? Me! And it's still not right! 083: I usually don't think of Farfetch'd, the wild duck Pokémon, as a duck, isn't that funny? 085: Dodrio's design always bothered me: It's all about the rule of three: 3 heads, 3 tail feathers, 3 front-facing toes (which is weird because Doduo has 4) ...Then why are there only TWO big plume feathers atop each head?! 086: Real seals always have a slight glowyness on their back from having fur so short and oily be so wet. It’s interesting that the anime has never tried to portray that with Seel 088: I’d never thought about it before, but Grimer has no actual feet! If it stands on a grate (or indeed, a tightrope) it would pass right through! 089: I had to pass by Alolan Muk when looking for references and oh my god it's horrifying! WHY do you people want more regional forms?! 090: TV tropes says when you don’t know how an animal would behave, make them behave like a dog or a cat. Is that what the anime does? Is that how Pokémon are supposed to behave? Is that what makes them so endearingly pet-like? 091: Why does Shellder’s face move to its pearl when it evolves into Cloyster? What happens if someone tries to pluck its pearl? Why is its pearl black!? Why are we doing water route Pokémon when we’re still not done with the Safari Zone??? 092: I couldn't figure out what cursed lavalamp-fire-smoke Ghastly is supposed to be giving off, but I’m more than a little disturbed by the realization that … it has wrinkles! … I can’t spell Gastly 095: Onix's rocks have a very specific order, did you know? I always thought they were a string of identical rocks, so identical it didn’t matter if you took one out, but no: specifically 15 rocks, specifically (starting after the head) oval, circle, flat, octagon, hexagon, square, 3 big, 6 small 096: Drawing Pokémon for so long is making me ask stupid questions like “how many toes does a cat have?” 097: People always make fun of Hypno for its nose, but it’s the evolution of a tapir! How can it not have a big nose? It’s the feet that bother me! 098: I figured out what's so hard about bug pokémon: on any other, lines just... end. With anthropods, it's like drawing bones! They curve, they bend back, there's nothing to cover them! 099: I honestly thought the "running" part was going to be the hardest thing to portray here. But no, you know what was? The butt! Kingler’s butt Is not shell-like, it’s roach-like! 100: Voltorb is interesting because it basically exists to be the pokémon world's mimic chest, yet still packs a personality. The anime turned this into the best running gag ever with Team Rocket constantly picking up sleeping Voltorbs from piles of pokéballs all through the Celadon City arc. And it's #100! How cool is that? 103: I previously joked Goldbat is the stuff of nightmares but that pales in comparison to Exeggutor's pokédex: The heads fall off as Exeggutor ages and become Exeggcute?! And they don't grow back?! So each head is potentially hundreds of years old?! 104: The hardest question here was how many fingers does Cubone have? It seems no one knows! 105: Marowak is never shown in a calm pose …but what are those lines on its stomach? Bulbapedia says they're reptilian… would that make the Kangaskhan theory wrong? I won't believe it! 106: Can we talk about how ridiculous Hitmonlee's design is? He has no mouth to roar with …and what's with those Big Bird legs?? 107: I hadn't realized how bony Hitmochan is until now. He's practically a skeleton with clothes! Also, I spent the whole time here thinking how pokémon clothes work. Does Tyrogue just tug on its trainer one day and say "Master, I'm about to evolve, so I need you to buy me a skirt and shoes" "You don't need boxing gloves?" "What gloves? Those are my hands!" I know Tyrogue is Gen 2 but still! 108: I had a lot of trouble drawing Lickitung’s head because I’m not sur what Lickitung is supposed to be! An otter? A bear? A frog? Some kind of dinosaur? 111: Several things tripped me up about Rhyhorn: The fact that its ears are basically built into its horns, that each plate has spikes, that you can’t see its shoulders, that it looks steel-like… 112: It was fun drawing Rhydon happy, but hard to make him not look like Nidoking. 113: I have unilaterally decided Chansey is an axolotl. Chansey is another pokémon with ridiculously short arms which seem to bend somewhere under its body fat. 114: Tangela is supposed to be a ball of yarn of sorts made up of vines, but in my mind, I’ve always conceived them as tentacles. I don’t know why. Also how is there only one trainer in the entire game that has Tangela? It's a picnicker East of Fuchsia city which I remember vividly because I had to battle her six frigging times! How did we not get “don’t mess with shuckle, er, tangela” jokes in Gen 1? 115: My apologies to Mr. Sugimori, but he really can't draw Kangaroos. Kanghaskhan really looks more like a Rhydon with a pouch 117: Why is Seadra’s mouth triangular? Horsea’s is nice and round! 120: Staryu always freaked me out. As a starfish, Staryu's mouth should be where the gem is, but then watergun comes out of its "arm"? 122: Few people realize Mr. Mime's whole point is "have you noticed how human frog hands look?" 123: Scyther is, for me, the emblematic bug-type Pokémon. 124: Much has been said of Jynx's face, but I want to ask: what's the deal with her ARMS? 127: …what do you mean Pinsir doesn’t have a neck?! 128: Tauros is a weird pokémon, seemingly representing the entire bovine family. It’s a bison but also a buffalo but also a bull but also… 129: There is an episode in the anime where we actually see how to use a Magikarp that only knows Splash in battle: you throw it at your opponent! 131: Lapras is often described as the water transport pokémon. Yet when the anime tried to actually use one for this, we see how hard it is to fit everyone on its shell, what with its spikes and the fact that Lapras just aren’t that big! Misty constantly rides on its tail! 132: It was once widely accepted as Fanon that every Ditto start out unable to Transform their face, like the one in Ditto's Mysterious Mansion. When Duplica (its trainer) showed up in Goldenrod City (Johto) with another Ditto that couldn’t change its size, fans quickly amended this to “every Ditto has some aspect of transforming that it have trouble mastering”. It turns out picking aspects is remarkably hard (Ditto OCs disappeared within a matter of weeks), so Ditto instead became the butt of all the breeding jokes. 135: Electric-type Pokémon that seem to have quills instead of regular fur have always bothered me. Yes, I’m talking about Jolteon. 137: Sugimori also obviously knew nothing about 3D modeling when he designed Porygon: the top half of the side of its face has a notch for the eye! That’s a big no-no, all polygons must be convex and preferably have no more than 4 sides or the renderer will get confused! Porygon’s eye must constantly be clipping through it! Plus, if Porygon was made with 1995 technology, its eyesight must suck since computer vision was horrible at the time! 138: Omanyte has 10 tentacles. Ten! No wonder it almost never gets animated! 139: Why is Omastar the only Pokémon that gets a proper octopus beak? 140: There is actually two designs for Kabuto’s back: one that is beetle-like and the other that has a false face at the top, both trying to interpret the dome fossil. I tried combining them and I’m not sure if the effect works. 142: Aerodactyl has actual fingers! They’re not bat-like! I’d never noticed that! 143: People sometimes forget that Snorlax is quite a capable fighter, quite capable of standing up 146: As a kid, I always thought Motres was supposed to be a heat mirage, but successive generations have revealed that it's just the shape of its feathers! People's favorite piece of useless trivia here is "the legendary birds are name uno dos tres!" but I have a more useful one: Moltres is so-named because it's MOLTING! 147: I couldn't decide if Dratini is supposed to have scales or fur 149: Dragonite is the only Pokémon that is always portrayed smiling or waving. Look Game Freak, we already like Dragonite! You don’t need to make it more likable! 150: Canonically, there is only one Mewtwo, and we got a whole movie dedicated to his personality. I’m not sure, then, if it would react how I’ve shown him. 151: Mew is so distractable, but then again, it literally knows nothing of social norms. I do love how Mew’s design gives you a sense of closure, of peace, just by looking at it.

Idk how to start the rambling but twisted wonderland x pokemon crossover stuff with some of my favorite characters go brr and since there’s spoilers I put it under the cut

Vil would definitely be a fairy (or dark and/or poison in overblot) type trainer. I just can’t see him as any other type and most may expect him to have an Alola Ninetales or Gardevoir or something elegant like that. Instead though, he has like Mimikyu or Togepi. Ooh, or he has Galarian Rapidash. Overblot wise, I can see him having a Gastly/any of its evolution line

Rook would be a wildcard. Good luck preparing for a fight with him since who knows what pokemon he’s gonna have? He just loves all the pokemon and can’t decide on a favorite (outside of Decidueye, that’s a given). He’s probably also the very first one to volunteer if a pokemon needs babysitting or he takes care of pokemon similar to when people foster home pets & stuff. Rook mainly takes care of the cat ones

Lilia’s thing is just bats. He has literally all of the bat pokemon and he makes up stories for where he caught each one too. The bat pokemon love to join him whenever he hangs upside down and they follow him everywhere (Kalim and Cater often bring food for the pokemon when they follow Lilia to his club meetings too). Outside of that: dark/fairy type and I refuse to believe it’s not canon /lh

Okay so it’s extremely obvious the Octavinelle dorm would be water types but I can totally see the second type changing based on their magic or something; like Jade would be a Water/Electric trainer for example. Jade and Floyd having  Eelektross may be too obvious but it fits. And the Squirtle Squad but with Azul and the twins would be cool. Like they all have Squirtle but with subtle details that match them (the twins’ would have fedoras or something). 

Like Rook, Kalim would be a complete wild-card. He’d literally bring any pokemon back to Scarabia (much to Jamil’s dismay) so expecting like 20-40 random pokemon with unknown owners running around isn’t anything new. He’s surprisingly serious when it comes to making sure all the pokemon are taken care of. The definition of “no, we can’t get any more pets. We already have too many” (Jamil would be saying the quote but it still fits)

Bonus: 

Everyone expects Malleus to have big and super intimidating pokemon like Hydreigon. In reality, he just has a couple first evolution dragon types (like Gible) and since Lilia’s bat pokemon tend to cling to everyone in Diasmonia, he often has a couple Noibats or Zubats sleeping on his horns. 

who are your favorite pairs / lines of loona ??

choehye aka 01 line is my ult they are the lomls choerry is my bias and olivia hye is my bias wrecker !! so the rest of the rankings excluse choehye :)

pairs 

hyewon (olivia hye + gowon)

chowon (choerry + gowon) 

catfish (hyunjin + jinsoul)

yeoseul (yeojin + haseul)

hyunwon (hyunjin + gowon)

2jin (heejin + hyunjin) 

lipsoul (kim lip + jinsoul) 

lines

triplet line (hyunjin + choerry + olivia hye)

97 line (yves + haseul + jinsoul)

triple h (heejin + hyunjin + haseul)

cutie/aegyo/fake maknae (??) line (chuu + gowon + choerry) 

maknae line (choerry + olivia hye + yeojin)

00 line (heejin + hyunjin + gowon) 

most of these are unpopular or seem non existent but the very little moments they had had a big impact on me !! i see all of loona as best friends soo !! tbh i love all pairings/lines !!!!

Now this one based on @blackhakumen with the Lucas protection squad. My version will be about Pit from Kid Icarus, and these are my headcanons who joined so bare with me 🤣

Leader/founder: Palutena

Of course the goddess is the one who created the squad. While she does loves to mess with Pit, she deeply cares about him and always proud of him for getting his job done. Also give him floor ice cream for breakfast.

Emotional Support/Girlfriend:

Leaf

Yes I ship Pit and Leaf together, don't judge lol. But girls like her would always cheered him up, whatever he felts down or get teased by anyone. Leaf would be the one who encourage Pit and always tell him not to give up or she hesitate and call Squirtle, Ivysaur and Charizard to beat someone's ass who mess with Pit.

Co-founder:

Viridi

Look, her and Pit are buddy buddy. But deep down in Viridi's mind. She does deeply wants to joined the club and keep an eye on Pit if Palutena isn't no where. Not only that, she's doing this for money.

BFF:

Sora

Why not. Screw death battle, these two are besties. Not only they look like each other, but they do share the same brain cells. Although, I gotta admit that Sora is sort of smarter than Pit to get him out of trouble before Sora himself would get himself in trouble hehe

Bodyguard: Simon

Weren't they were in the same crappy cartoon before? Pit does look up to Simon of how strong and brave he is. Also Simon would keep Pit away from Bayonetta 🤣

Role Model: Megaman

Oh look another friend of Pit who also involved with the crappy cartoon. I mean, look. Megaman is so cool to Pit and he look up to him. He wants to be like that Robot boy.

Bro Call: Dark Pit

Last by not least. Dark Pit, sure they fight but Dark Pit does cares about Pit and view him as a brother. He may not say it to his face but prefer it that way so he won't felt embarrassed if Pit ever overheard him.

doodles based on the infinity train ama that johnny young (min’s va) hosted w/ sekai murashige (ryans va) on twitch a couple dayz ago :]

contexts under the cut

first pic: sekai said he was really into pokemon, so i asked what he thought ryan and min’s partner pokemon would be, he said he didnt kno but his favorite pokemon was palpitoad, and johnny added that his favorite is squirtle and referenced the squirtle squad from the anime

2nd pic left to right: sekai said one of his favorite games was smash bros, and someone asked what his main was and he said he was a “random main”, johnny proceeded to be like “WOAHH HES SO PRO HE CAN GO ON RANDOM AND KICK UR ASS” so. ryan and min playin smash. someone in chat said “autistic min and adhd ryan” and johnny responded with something like “yeah i mean hwo knows!” so big win for the autsistic and adhd communities. at some point johnny was telling a story about his time like in school for like theater acting, about like a freakout he had cus there was some famous actor there i think? he yelled “FUCK” and it made me really wanna draw min yelling fuck also KFGHDG

The Matter of Red's Starter Pokémon

So, I've mentioned a couple times on here that I have a pretty big Pokémon WIP that's been sitting on the backburner for a while, and that I'd like to talk about it here to get some feedback/thoughts from other Pokémon fans, especially since I can rather easily think myself into a corner when all I have are my own thoughts and the internet. And I figure what better place to start than with a topic very near and dear to my heart: Starter Pokémon

(VERY big post, reader beware)

To start, let me just elaborate on what this project is. Because moderation is for the sensible, I have planned out my own complete retelling of the Pokémon story. The full timeline, across multiple regions, with a rotating cast of protagonists, Pokémon Adventures style, drawing on elements of the games, the anime, the aforementioned manga, promotional art, and various other pieces of Pokémon media to create a united whole. The Pokémon multiverse is so ridiculously vast and undefined that there really is no strict "canon" of events, so I figured why not make my own? "This will be my own version of things," I thought. "Maybe I'll even write it down someday and put it somewhere online for people to shower it with praise or laugh at it or do whatever it is people do."

So, one of the first big things to take care of in such an endeavour was to decide on teams for all of the protagonists, since most of them do not have defined teams. And so I did just that, using their appearances across various media to construct teams for them, as well as taking into account some popular fandom opinion and my own ideas for some originality. The point of building the teams this way instead of just picking and choosing whichever 'mons I felt like for them is to make them feel more authentic, like you could look at them and recognize them as legitimate versions of the Trainers they're based on, and in turn see my versions of those characters in the pieces of art, animation, etc. that they draw on. I attempted to avoid clashing with any established portrayals/teams of the characters whenever possible, unless I had a very good reason for it.

And of course, what kind of creator would I be if I didn't constantly go back and fiddle with those teams? I review them fairly regularly, often making little changes. Sometimes I make them better, sometimes not. And the one thing I seem to stumble over more than anything else is which characters get which Starter Pokémon.

For some characters, it's easy. Whether they've only ever been associated with one, or something about their appearance just screams that they belong with one of their region's three in particular, there's a clear, standout pick. For others...not so much. Maybe they've never been strongly associated with one Starter over the others, or maybe, like in the case I will be discussing today, there's a solid case to be made in favour of two or more.

And first on the list of Starter-problem-children, is the first main character, the mainest of the main protagonists, Red.

This shrimp here. At the beginning of his journey, he is presented with a choice between three Pokémon: The Grass-type Bulbasaur, the Fire-type Charmander, and the Water-type Squirtle.

And this is what I'd like some feedback on, because I'm not sure whether to give him Charmander or Bulbasaur. There's a very good case to be made for both of them, which I have outlined below. There really isn't a "right" or "wrong" choice here, I guess, but I want to be sure that I choose what's best for the story and not just whatever my personal biases direct me towards.

(Sorry Squirtle fans, the Tiny Turtle never stood a chance. You will taste no victory here, but the Squirtle Squad will live on, forever. Godspeed.)

Some General Info before getting started

As I said above, I am a pretty big fan of Starter Pokémon, so their role(s) in this story of mine will be pretty important. In line with the game-verse(s) Starter Pokémon will be extremely rare and special. If I had my way, only one of each would appear in the story ever, but given a handful of important NPCs with Starters, I can’t quite get away with that. Eventually trying to write Leon without a Charizard is a headache I don’t need to have. That said, I can still limit Starter distribution as much as possible, and I definitely won’t repeat Starters among the protagonists, so that means we’re looking at 3 Starters in Kanto, no more, no less. So while there will be occasions in which Red has all three Kanto Starters, it will be because he borrowed them from Blue and Green. Most of the time, they will have one Starter each.

While just having Red start with Pikachu would be quick and easy, I'd rather not take that route because I feel like the choice of Grass, Fire, or Water is too iconic to skip.

Disclaimer: I am using Blue and Green’s western names, making Blue the rival and Green the girl. I am doing this because I happen to live in the west and so those names are the ones by which I best know them, and because I happen to think they suit them better.

Also, yeah, Green’s here and has a role in the plot because she’s fun and I say so. I will also be treating Green and Leaf as the same character because I really see no reason not to.

The Case for Charizard

The three Kanto protags have their namesake game mascots as their aces, and that’s just some nice consistency. Aesthetically pleasing too. (Especially relevant as Red is the only version to stay constant. Blue and Green have fluctuated in name/release but a Red Version with a Charizard on the cover has always been there.)

Aligns with the following media:

One piece of early promotional artwork depicting Red and Charmander.

Pokémon Origins.

The Pokémon Anime (Ash counts as a counterpart of Red, and while his first Pokémon is Pikachu, and he catches all three Kanto Starters, Charmander stands out by being the only one to evolve, and Ash’s Charizard is easily one of his most famous ‘mons. Also lines up with Gary, a counterpart of Blue, having Blastoise as his Starter Pokémon)

By extension, the Electric Tale of Pikachu manga, which is based on the anime but diverges from it substantially. Doesn’t really deserve its own point, but definitely a mention. Again, Ash starts with Pikachu, obtains Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, and only evolves Charmander, ending up with a Charizard.

Pokémon Zensho (With Satoshi as a counterpart of Red) (Very obscure, but still counts)

Super Smash Bros (Dubious, but again, “Pokémon Trainer,” [who really is just Red] has all three Kanto Starters, but all in different forms, with only Charizard being fully evolved)

Pokémon Generations, Episode 3: The Challenger (Blue has a Blastoise, implying this episode’s Red has a Charizard)

ArtFX-J figure depicting Red with Charmander.

Pokémon Masters.

The final episode of Pokémon Evolutions.

I have a pretty solid story idea I could use for having Red start with Charmander, and eventually wind up with Charizard as his ace, but still spend a lot of time early on with the Bulbasaur line. Put very simply, after a scuffle with Team Rocket for which Red, Blue, and Green are present, the protags’ Starters get mixed up, which they don’t realize until they’ve already gone their separate ways. Red gets Green’s Bulbasaur, she gets Blue’s Squirtle, and Blue has Red’s Charmander. They’d remain this way until fairly late in the RBG story, probably until somewhere around the 8th Gym, at which point the three would finally have the opportunity and the understanding of each other to make the switch back. This storyline has a number of side benefits, including:

Charizard becomes a centerpiece in Red and Blue’s rivalry. Having been trained by both of them, emotions run high and battles between the two of them have an extra layer of depth and intensity.

Allows for early exploration of the Trainer/Starter bond and dynamic, particularly with what happens when a Trainer is paired with the “wrong” Starter. Since Starters are pretty pivotal for my story, I’ve added a few extra layers to them, including a greater need for synchronicity with their Trainers than pretty much any other kind of Pokémon. A Starter Pokémon can work with anyone, but unless it’s paired with a Trainer it can be in perfect sync with, it will not grow like it should. Notably, a Starter Pokémon will not evolve unless it’s with a Trainer that can really bring out its true strength. In the case of the Kanto trio, this means that each Trainer will be temporarily reunited with their original Starter in certain climactic moments, in which the Starters will evolve, before going back to their pro tem Trainers until the final swap-back occurs, which ensures that the bonds between the original pairings stay strong and aren’t completely erased or replaced by the new, temporary pairings.

Sets up a precedent for the Kanto protags being willing to swap around their Pokémon on occasion, which could be a fun little dynamic for them to have, and lays the base for times when Red has all three Starters, having borrowed them from the others or temporarily traded for them.

Admittedly runs three major risks, those being:

The initial mix up may prove to be difficult to pull off without it seeming contrived, forced, or just plain weird. Doable, but weird.

The swap back could be even worse to pull off well, because after spending so long with the new status quo, it may throw off hypothetical readers, or seem like a step backwards. There’d always be this little nagging desire to go back. Plus it could just come off as cold. Like “Thanks, you were great, but you’re outta here now that I have my real partner back.” And that’s really not the point, especially when I am trying to pay respect to the Red and Bulbasaur pairing, not downplay it or shit on it.

Since the swap is ultimately temporary, it may wind up feeling kind of…pointless? in the end. Like yeah, it has some lasting effects, but is it too big a stunt to pull for extra, mostly invisible depth? A gimmick more than a plot point? I honestly don’t know.

I think the personalities of the protags match those of their Starters best in this arrangement.

We know from various Pokédex entries that Charizard are competitive Pokémon that deliberately seek out strong opponents in order to test their own power and grow stronger themselves, but that they go easy on opponents they deem clearly weaker than themselves, presumably so as not to hurt them. And as for Red, aside from his trademark silence, the personality traits we can infer from his actions are that he loves Pokémon and despises anyone who mistreats them, is highly competitive, and is exceptionally determined to accomplish his goals. Competitive spirit, pursuit of strength, and a sense of honour and care for others. That sounds like a Charizard to me, not to mention the symbolism of sprouting wings and rising in a blaze of glory and all. Charizard is a pretty prototypical “Hero’s Pokémon,” and Red is a pretty typical Hero Archetype. They fit well together in that sense.

Meanwhile, Blastoise constantly has a smug expression on its face. It’s cocky, turning its snout upwards to look down on others, matching Blue’s initial attitude. It’s progression from Squirtle fits Blue as well; it starts out laid-back and fun-loving, secure in its own strength just as Blue is confident in his skills, but as it evolves, it grows more aggressive and ferocious, to the point that it sprouts actual cannons, mirroring the more direct and brutal battling style Blue takes on as he grows more and more nervous about Red nipping at his heels. Also, Blue wears sunglasses in Alola, and sunglasses are famously linked to the Blastoise line via the Squirtle Squad. That’s a pretty important connection.

The there’s Venusaur, who's calm and gentle, but also the trickiest in battle, relying on status conditions and recovery in battle more than the direct offense of the other two, which is reflective of Green's mischievous nature. She's content to let the boys squabble over the Champion title while she does her own thing, occasionally dropping in to mess with them.

On a related note, Red having Charmander as his Starter also feeds into his early underdog persona. Charmander is well-known to be the hardest Starter to use in the early game of Kanto, since it struggles against both Brock and Misty, and doesn’t have an actual advantage until Erika. Meanwhile, Blue would have Squirtle, the ideal choice for a Kanto speedrun, which is exactly what he’s trying to pull off. Red managing to succeed against all odds and stay only a few steps behind Blue would only feed further into the idea of Blue growing steadily more nervous. Whereas if Red starts with Bulbasaur, then he has the best possible Pokémon for early Kanto and can breeze through it unchallenged while Blue would have a Charmander and should thus struggle with the early Gyms instead of blasting through them like he canonically does. Red seems less like a battling prodigy in that case and more like a guy who just got dealt a really good hand.

This also plays into Red’s conflict with Giovanni. Red has an advantage against Ground-types with both Charizard and Venusaur, but more so with the latter. Venusaur dominates virtually the entirety of Giovanni’s team, whereas Charizard, while immune to Ground attacks, struggles to hit back, and it’s severe weakness to Giovanni’s ace Rhydon’s Rock-type is a major detriment, making the Rocket Boss a real obstacle for Red to overcome instead of someone he should sweep through via type advantage alone.

Charizard and Blastoise have a well-established rivalry across multiple media, most notably things like the anime and Origins. I can take advantage of that rivalry and have the two of them parallel their Trainers, making the famed Charizard vs. Blastoise battle(s) that much more intense by making it not just a contest between Red and Blue, but also between their two rival aces. Think Ash’s Infernape vs. Paul’s Electivire. That kind of multi-layered competition. Meanwhile I just don’t see Venusaur as the rivalsome type.

Having Charizard as the main Pokémon of the mainest of main characters allows me to explore several fun plot elements I otherwise would have to cut entirely or just severely downplay. Those things include stuff like the existence and importance of Johto’s Charicific Valley, which takes on an entirely different form in this story, Leon being a Red fanboy and styling himself after his idol with the same main Pokémon and taste in hats, and the entire existence of Mega Charizard X. The very first time Mega Charizard X was revealed to the general public was in the last episode of Pokémon Origins, under the ownership of Red. It was his Pokémon before it was anyone else’s, and thus is deeply tied to him. If Red didn’t have Charizard, I couldn’t really explore that connection or the significance of this second Mega. At best I could give it to some other Charizard-having Trainer, but I’d really prefer not to have one of those in the first place if it can be avoided, and even if I did go for it, say I gave it to Lance or something, it wouldn’t carry the same weight. I’d be sweeping Mega Charizard X under the rug rather than exploring it to its fullest potential as a unique, signature Pokémon.

The Case for Venusaur

The Kanto protags do not have their game mascots, but there is still a pattern: Red-Grass, Blue-Fire, Green-Water. Each one has the type their name-type is strong against.

Aligns with the following media:

Various pieces of old promotional art

The above image where Red, Blue, and Green are facing off against each other with Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, respectively.

An image depicting Red and Bulbasaur vs. Blue and Charmander.

An image depicting Red using an Ivysaur to battle a Lass and her Pikachu.

An image in which Red, riding a Pidgeot (odd, since Pidgeot is typically associated with Blue) pursued by Blue riding a Charizard, implying that Red has a Venusaur.

Pokémon Adventures.

The Pocket Monsters manga (The one where Red’s Starter is that awful Clefairy. He also has a Venusaur in there, and Blue’s counterpart has a Charizard for a Starter, so that’s a thing)

Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee.

Also the card based on Red’s appearance in that game that depicts him alongside a Bulbasaur. I don’t think this one deserves to be a full point, because it’s directly based on Let’s Go and not its own separate thing, but it warrants a mention.

Pokémon Generations Episode 1: The Adventure (Generations is pretty overtly set across multiple timelines, what with Team Aqua and Team Magma both being portrayed as the more prominent Hoenn evil team in different episodes and a few other instances of timeline shenaniganery. In this case, while Episode 3 implies Red has a Charizard, Episode 1 clearly shows him alongside a Bulbasaur)

While Venusaur is the best choice in-game, for us it’s the underdog. It’s the one with the reputation as the one that gets left on Professor Oak’s table. Having Red start with the oft-overlooked Bulbasaur sets him apart from the crowd in the readers’ eyes, especially when he is able to succeed with it. Charizard vs. Blastoise may look a bit more epic, but defeating a Charizard with a Venusaur is far more impressive. A fire dragon and a cannon turtle seem relatively evenly matched, as odd of a sentence as that is, but the flower frog seems at a clear disadvantage against the flying fire dragon.

Plus, Charizard gets more than enough hype and pandering already, and seeing Venusaur in the spotlight for a change could be refreshing. And I feel it’s likely that my style of deep-dive, lore-heavy writing may appeal more to the Venusaur crowd anyway.

And more specifically, the story of “A Trainer and his Charizard” has already been told numerous times, my version would just be another one in the pile. Whereas “A Trainer and his Venusaur” is something you can’t go find just anywhere.

While I don’t think the connections are as strong, there are still links to be made between the Starters and their Trainers in this configuration. Red’s typically subdued persona fits well with Venusaur’s more calm demeanor, and his competitive spirit is reflected in its sheer stubbornness. Blue’s arrogance and fierce battle tactics pair nicely with Charizard’s own pride and fearsome nature, and the two could share and arc about mellowing out and learning to have confidence without an excess of hubris. And Blastoise’s haughtiness could be shifted away from overconfidence in its battle prowess to something more tricksy, like Green’s confidence in her ability to deceive and/or beguile virtually anyone.

My thoughts here are that Red and Venusaur work really well together, both visually and in terms of compatibility, Green and Blastoise are a bit of a stretch in the personality department, but they’ve been so closely associated with each other over the years that it can be made to work pretty well, and then that things just fall apart with Blue and Charizard. I just can’t see these two together, it doesn’t look right to me. There’s plenty of support for the pairing, but it’s one I struggle to wrap my head around. And like I said, Charizard is a Hero’s Pokémon, so relegating it to the rival role feels real heckin’ weird. I have no doubt I could make it work, but it would always feel off on some level.

I don’t have a complex side story like the Starter Swap planned out if I go with Venusaur, which could ultimately be a pro or a con. Con because it’s cutting out an idea that I think would genuinely be fun and interesting to explore, especially given the overall themes and role of Starters in this project, but a pro in the sense that it keeps things simple, and Kanto thrives on simplicity. And there are still some other things I could explore, like the anime’s secret garden of the Bulbasaur.

Putting Red and Venusaur together would mean a pairing of a male player character with a Grass Starter, which is something that is extremely rare in my planned teams for the other regions. Not out of any bias, I just don’t associate many male player characters with their regions Grass Starters; I think the Fire or Water ones almost always suit them better. So it would be nice to have another instance of it with Red to balance things out better.

Venusaur is easily the most competitively viable of the Kanto Starters before Mega Evolving, which would allow me to incorporate more legit battling strategies straight out of the games into Red’s battles, making his wins based in actual, usable strategy as opposed to the more anime-style tactics I’d be more likely to employ with Charizard as his ace.

Then again, anime tactics are often really creative and fun and I would be using them anyway because that kind of outside the box thinking is what would make someone a truly exceptional battler.

And there you have it. The thoughts that plague my dreams. I suppose it's only right to mention here that I myself am a Charizard man. I'm sure this was not obvious at all.

Jokes aside, because of my preference, I feel inclined towards putting Red and Charizard together in the long run, but like I said earlier, I want to make this choice based on what is right for the story; what would be the most interesting, compelling, and thematically appropriate; not just what I'm biased towards, and I really do want to give the Bulbasaur line the chance to shine that it deserves.

So I'd really like to hear what y'all think. Preferred outcome, sure, but also just go nuts. Add more to consider into this hurricane of overthought, deconstruct my points and point out mistakes, tell me my brain is pretty but I'm taking this way too seriously, whatever.

And feel free to ask questions and inquire about further details. Plot elements, team compositions, anything you feel will help solidify (or at least elucidate) your thoughts on the matter.

(Artwork by pon_yui)

I'm not really looking to have this decision made for me, choosing one or the other and running with it is easy. What I really want to accomplish here is soothe those nagging doubts that I've made the wrong choice, that going the other way would have been the better decision for the story. At the end of the day, the choice is mine, and I could make either one work, but I want to do right by myself, my potential readers, and this series that's been such a big part of my life. So I guess the question really comes down to this:

Which story would you like to read more?