White: "Come on, Lady Platinum. After all that rehearsing, you should have much more fluent movements than before!"
Platinum: "... I apologize, but I am still sore from all those rehearsals..."
White: "It's been over a week! But today, your movements are so stiff, it's as if I've been teaching Red instead!"
Red: "What?"
White: "Huh? ... Oh. Sorry. I once heard that dancing isn't exactly your strong suit, and I just wanted to make a point."
Red: "... Is she saying that I suck at dancing?"
Blue: "Well... in so many words..."
White: "Sorry, sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up..."
Red: "Unbelievable! I mean, really?! Saying that about your senior?! Looks like I have to teach you a lesson and put you in your place!"
White: "Huh?"
Blue: "... Red, come on..."
Red: "I'll show you what a real dance looks like! HIT THE MUSIC!"
White: "!!!"
Platinum: "... ???"
Blue: "He's... been practicing..."
Another one of those "stuff I want to work on, who knows if I'll actually get to 'em any time soon" posts.
1: Short Story - The Storm
Headcanon Chronology progression. Red and Blue visit Platinum after everything suddenly went horrifically wrong.
2: Short - Manners
A very short and light toned story about the mannerisms (or lack thereof) of the Dex Holders as generations pass.
3: Short Story - New Perspective
(Requires #1 to be completed) Headcanon Chronology progression. Platinum learns to accept her new circumstances with the help of someone unexpected.
4: NG+ Excerpt - Victory, at a Cost
I think this is the third time this is on a list like this. Third time's the charm?
5: Short Story - Conflict
(Requires #3 to be completed) Headcanon Chronology progression. Moon's honest thoughts on Platinum's engagement.
6: Wings Excerpt - The New Ally
A WHAT excerpt?! ... Well... maybe. I often feel like writing a big brawl scene and this is the place for that.
So, once upon a time, I made a little banter post about White teaching Platinum how to dance to a song.
This one. What I had in mind for the dance and pose that was being worked on here is...
Though I doubt that Platinum would be performing the whole thing... And since I don't think that Platinum is very good at dancing (given her performance right before her only Contest participation), performing the whole dance might take a lot of lessons and rehearsals.
And I bring this up because I'm thinking of a "Dex Holder Life Skills" post, where I ponder how good they'd be at non-battling stuff, like singing, dancing, music, repairing, and whatnot. Maybe once the cut on my finger heals a lot more. Thick bandaids help a lot, but it's still uncomfortable to type.
So after fiddling with my new computer, I now have... well, something that can use doc files, so I can finally start re-writing everything that was lost to the void.
... Or I would, if it didn't physically cause me pain. There was a minor accident involving broken glass recently. Nothing major. In fact, I didn't even notice that I was hurt at first. But the cut is at the tip of my index finger (half a centimeter up and the glass shard would've stabbed into my finger right under the nail, which probably would've hurt like hell), which means it's just a mild annoyance. But when I'm trying to type, it becomes a bigger annoyance. Even typing this is taking so much longer with so many more mistakes than ever before. So until this cut fully mends, and it's going to take some time, given how deep it is (it's the second deepest cut I've ever had in my hands!), typing is going to be such a pain in the ass that I'll refrain from doing so.
Isn't it convenient that just when I felt like writing stuff, my computer died, then when I got the urge again, I noticed I didn't have Word, and then now that I got that sorted, I hurt my finger? Heh.
I don't ever recall seeing any franchises within the Pokemon world, Special, or otherwise. You only get to see local stores that are limited to that particular locale. Like the pharmacy that gives you the medicine for Ampharos in Johto. It's just Cianwood Pharmacy. Localized, and not a franchise, like the real world's Shoppers Drug Mart. But surely, the Pokemon world would have franchises? I'm not considering Pokemon Centers or Marts as being franchises, for the same reason as to why "supermarket" is not a franchise in the real world.
In other anime/manga/game stuff, franchises and series are usually just copied from existing ones with the names changed slightly so they're not technically the same despite being totally the same thing. I think I once saw a Ploystation and a Y-Box. And of course, the Hitman series has the ever so popular soda called Fountain View.
Maybe I should simulate that a bit more. Like, instead of a generic soda (it's literally just Soda Pop in the games), I'll give it a random name. But maybe avoid too similar sounding stuff. Like... no Popsi, or example. I don't think I can avoid Poke Cola, though. Or maybe I should call it Poka Cola... and make it as monstrous as Nuka Cola from Fallout. "Introducing the brand new Poka Cola Quantum! Twice the sugar, twice the calories, twice the caffeine, twice the carbohydrates, and twice the taste! And look at that patented red glow!" ... Nuka Cola bottles are shaped like rockets, so does that mean Poka Cola bottles should be shaped like Pokeballs? That's not going to work...
What if Moon got to take care of some kid? How would that go? She goes from being the rather pampered little sister of the Sinnoh cast to being the older caretaker of some brat.
Diamond: "How's that kid doing?"
Moon: "Ugh..."
Diamond: "That good, huh?"
Pearl: "Ah, reminds me of the days when we had to take care of you. Feels like just yesterday."
Moon: "Surely I wasn't anywhere near as needy and whiny as this kid? ... Right?"
Pearl: "Well, you had your moments."
Moon: "I don't remember nagging at you guys every 5 minutes. This damn kid just won't leave me alone. "Can I have this? I want to eat that. Can I play with this?"... Ugh..."
Diamond: "At least that kid is asking for permission first. You tended to just do whatever it was you wanted without asking or telling anyone."
Huh. I'm just noticing now that this computer doesn't really have Word (why is it installed if I still need a product key? "This computer has all these features! ... You just can't use any of them.")... Well then... guess I won't be making any progress on any writing until I get that sorted. Either that, or I resort to Notepad...
... Really need that Santa Saejima Bakamitai clip right about now...
Another random question, do you think the dex holders would be into watching movies and stuff together? And of that note for some reason after watching it I can't help but imagine you liking the movie bloodsport with jean Claude van damme, and no it isn't because of the stereotypical Asian fighting thing đ but you see like you would be into martial arts movies for some reason.
Movies, eh? Hmm...
Other than White, who most definitely watches a ton of stuff for work and to see the Pokemon under her talent agency performing, and Silver who's seated in front of the TV for at least 50% of his waking hours, I'd imagine that most wouldn't really care. Diamond would probably watch some stuff, though I don't know if he cares about random movies that aren't his favorite show, but if he does, he's definitely watching with Platinum and/or Moon. But at that point, it's not about the movie itself, but spending time with Platinum and taking care of Moon.
Martial arts movies? Ehh... not really. I'm guessing I might appear to like them mostly due to Yakuza game influence. There are certainly a lot of martial arts moves and masters you meet over the games (Komaki, Granny White, etc), but the stuff you learn are more for ruthless brawls rather than disciplined combat.
If you look at all the hand-to-hand combat scenes I've written, before Yakuza influence, they're just... pathetic brawls, really. And after, they're violent and ruthless brawls! None of them give the "martial arts" vibe.
I wouldn't really call it "legitimate", though, since I abused the save states in an emulator. And the result was not something I could've gotten without it.
It reminded me of a discussion I had once upon a time, regarding a shiny Modest (or was it Timid? ... Not sure) IV 31 all Mew from Emerald version (Eppie's Mew, I think it was called?). It was considered "legit", as in, not cheated or hacked or anything. But I argued that it shouldn't be considered "legit", because it was the result of an emulator RNG abuse. Obviously, I used RNG abuse a whole ton, so I wasn't discrediting that, but rather, the fact that it had to use an emulator. I also know how RNG works in Emerald version. It's time based (on a depleted game battery, which makes everything consistent), and 60 frames pass every second the moment the game loads (as opposed to Generation IV and V, that also depend on the system time and the delay between the game loading and the save loading). So to do the Latias/Latios RNG for Emerald version, I had to wait around in front of the television in Littleroot Town for about 24 minutes, if I recall?
Now, the Modest IV 31 all frame requires you to reset (select + start + L + R?) and just sit there in front of Mew that's playing hide-and-seek in Faraway Island, for about 5.5 years. While Synchronize makes it easier to land on the frame with the corresponding nature, no timer runs that long. And if you mess it up, there goes another 5.5 years. This frame is simply impossible to reach legitimately (as in, on a physical Emerald version) without resorting to an emulator's "advance frames" option.
But in my experience, no one ever listens to reason, so the issue was ignored, and I didn't care remotely enough to bother any further so I dropped it.
Anyways. So I wouldn't call it legitimate. I might as well have used cheats for infinite money or coins. So in when I redo the FireRed Random Team run (with a new randomized team), I will not be doing the same thing at the slot machine.
So... my computer died! Reasons unknown. But my bet is that the internal SSD just degraded too much over time. That thing is pretty old, after all. Though it's not as old as the laptop itself... meh, whatever.
Now, given how the thing died with no symptoms or earlier warnings whatsoever, I could not back anything up since the last backup, which was... two years ago.
Did I lose anything important? ... Yes. Did I lose anything critically important? Eh, no. So I'm just mildly annoyed. That said, the other Thought Dump document that I put so much work into in recent months has vanished into the void. ... Welp. There goes 25000 words. Meh, whatever. It's not like it would've seen the light of day ever anyways. But the first Thought Dump document has also gone down the drain, and that one contained stuff for this Tumblr. So the bad news is all the update progress for everything is back to 0%. The good news is that I didn't actually lose that much progress to begin with. Hehehe.
But I guess I did lose the FRLG random team run stuff (after grinding all those coins, too), so I have to do THAT again. There is a Draft on this Tumblr containing the HM tests for the first two generations, so that's not lost at least, even if those game files themselves are.
I would've inserted a video clip of Santa Saejima singing Bakamitai for situations like this, but that clip is also lost to the ages, so... f*ck.
So, recently, I got to experience a VR game along with some friends, and it was the first VR experience for me. And of course, the prepared VR game was... a horror experience.
Friend: "Let's hear you scream!"
Haha... yeah. Well, I'm usually so calm and composed, so I suppose it would've served as the ultimate test! Could I retain my calm and composed demeanor in a VR horror game?!
... Turns out, "calm" was an understatement. I remained completely unfazed. So unfazed that I felt bad about the friends who screamed. Heh. Something about the fact that I knew it was VR made me kind of disconnect from "real" feelings?? There was one moment where these gigantic spiders were crawling all over us. Normally, if I saw a spider that big charging straight for me, let alone dozens, I'd freak out (quietly). But in that game, I just didn't care.
There was a moment where the lights flickered and a giant maniac with a butcher knife charged at us.
Me: "Oh hey, that guy kind of looks like the Butcher from Diablo."
Friend: "AH! What the heck is that?!"
Me: (mimicking Butcher's voice) "FRESH MEAT!!" (everyone was freaking out so no one heard me)
And at one point, we were in a morgue of a haunted hospital, looking for key cards.
Friend: "Ugh, these body bags are so unnerving..."
Me: "If I know my horror games, there's probably a key card in the fridge where bodies are stored, and chances are, that one has a moving body in it."
Friend: "AAHHHH!"
Me: "Yep. There it is. ... Get out of the way, dude."
Friend: "Whoa! Do you see that? There's someone walking around outside this room!"
Me: "Hm? Oh hey, there's a victim moving around. Hey, want to come over and say hi? ... No? ... Fine, f*ck off, then."
And then the lights began to flicker, and each time the room lit up, more and more body bags appeared around us.
Friend: "Oh... oh no..."
Me: "Oh hey, they're multiplying. ... This reminds me of my Hitman massacre playthroughs!"
Friend: "AHHH!"
Me: "Ah, now they're sitting up. ... And now they're spinning! Soon they'll stand up, and... yep, here they come!"
And after it ended...
Me: "You guys look like you've been through a war."
Friend 1: "..."
Friend 2: "There were some scary moments, for sure."
Me: "It was a lot of fun! Let's do it again some time!"
Friend 1: "... Yeah..."
So... yeah! Though to be fair, I think I was completely unfazed because the VR game itself was pretty lackluster, and the in-game models weren't all that high-res. Maybe.
For the first time in MANY years, I'm tackling a run through FRLG. FR, in particular, not that there's any real difference aside from encounter tables. I suppose if I rando-ed into Deoxys, I'd have Atk Forme in FR, and Def in LG. We'll see.
2004, eh? Wow. RS was 2003, if FRLG is 2004, I assume Emerald in 2005, and DP in 2006. ... DP is 20 years old? Wow.
Damn it, no parentheses again. Fine. RANDOM it is. And the rival is going to be the opposite. ... What's the opposite of random? ...
Here we go!
Temporarily taking Bulbasaur as the starter to make life harder for myself since the rival will then end up with a Charizard... Now it's time to run the random number generator. And the results are in!
Um... wow. Okay. Two Legendary Pokemon. Hmm... I see a bit of a problem, though. Not having access to Fly stings, but it's not necessary, so... meh. But... Regice only has Explosion until level 9, so... leveling that thing up is going to be a major pain in the ass. I don't actually like the idea of having rando-ed into a Staryu, though. I've relied on Starmie quite a lot in Generation III, so it doesn't really feel like much of a challenge. But I suppose it's a possibility in random rolls. High rolls happen. And aside from Staryu/Starmie, I don't have access to Surf or Waterfall. I don't remember if Dive is an HM in FRLG, but if it is, I suppose Starmie can handle that too, and become a glorified HM Monkey.
... That Regice is going to be a major pain in the ass. But... well, here goes, I guess.
You gotta do what you gotta do... with base 50 Atk and a Modest nature, at that... well, I'm trying not to look at the stats, so... good enough!
Why does this type of desperate use of Explosion feel so familiar...
Deja vu, I've just been in this place before~ ... Doesn't my Mega Mewtwo X have Selfdestruct in the actual game? When all else fails, BLOW 'EM ALL TO HELL!
Why would a sword master be a captain of a luxury liner? ... And why would said luxury liner have international police agents aboard, on the trail of Team Rocket? The mystery deepens.
Speaking of mysteries... are you telling me that Entei can learn Cut, but Zangoose can't? Look at those huge, sharp claws! Half of Zangoose's moveset is claw related! Crush Claw, Slash, Fury Cutter, False Swipe... And yet, Entei, the thing that gets STOMP instead of Slash, is the one that can use Cut?!
... Um... huh. Well then. For the first time in... I don't even know how long, but I'm going to need Flash for the Rock Tunnel. Amazing.
F*ck. Right, the same requirements. Hmm... You know what? Screw it. I'm going in blind.
Who needs Flash?! Flash is for sissies! (I figured that the layout would be the same as in Generation I, so I just ran Yellow version to scout ahead). I don't know if any of the Sevii Islands areas need Flash, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
Hey, I remembered that in FRLG, I needed an actual key item to bribe the guard that locked Saffron City down.
... So instead of Ice Beam, Tri Attack, and Rock Slide, I now get TMs for Reflect, Safeguard, and Light Screen. ... F*cking what?! I just got robbed, that's what. This is some highway robbery bullsh*t!
There's a big ass rocket behind the receptionists, and a low ranking Rocket grunt is standing in front of a Rocket recruitment poster. Gee, I wonder.
... It's even called Rocket Game Corner...
Well then... time to spend the next... who knows how long, grinding out coins for TMs. Slot machine + save states + time + a whole heaping of patience = $$$. Chances are, I'll lose patience long before I get all the TMs I'd want. But I am getting 777s pretty frequently, so maybe not. And that'll be it for this part, since I have a lot of grinding to do.
Wow, I only made two posts in all of June. Heh. I suppose I've been distracted.
That said, I thought of a few things I wanted to do here, so... note to self! They're all going to be Pokemon games though. It's been a long while.
1: FRLG random team run
I can't remember the last time I played through FRLG. I don't actually have it, after all. I remember I borrowed a friend's FireRed, and tried to RNG a Zapdos for Mimic-Rage glitch abuse, so that in BW2, I'd have a damn good Zapdos with Water Spout and Hurricane, for usage in Drizzle teams. I never accomplished that, because I could not figure out how the RNG worked, and there was minimal research done on that (RNG research was done on Emerald and beyond). So I think it'll be an actually new experience, wandering haplessly around the Sevii Islands... with a team determined by a random number generator.
2: Platinum random team run
In the spirit of randomness, why not venture through a Generation IV game with random teams?
3: HM experiments
Once I complete the random team runs, I want to do a quick, cheat-filled run through the various games for the sole purpose of finding out just how many HMs I can actually avoid picking up, if I had a Pokemon (or two) that had all the HM moves already. I will compare the results for Yellow version, Crystal, FRLG, Emerald, Platinum, HGSS, and maybe BW/BW2. And we will see just how truly "hidden" the HIDDEN Machines are.
4: Archipelago randomizer
Every time I load up the Archipelago randomizer for Starcraft II, I remember that there were options for FRLG and Emerald version on there. And I found that curious, and yet, I never bothered with it. Maybe now...
And who knows? By the time I finish these, I'll be in a Pokemon mood and actually write something, other than <redacted>.
I've been putting a lot of work into the other Thought Dump document (that'll also never see the light of day) in recent weeks. I should probably put in some work to the original Thought Dump document too. But unfortunately, there was a decision I made recently that really sent my mood into the gutter. It's been about a week now so I guess I recovered enough, but damn. I thought I could handle it. ... Nope. I could not. As a result, I'm not in any mood to write anything bright and cheerful. But I also don't really want to write anything gloomy. Hmm...
... No, not the Korean pro gamer legend. ... Wonder what he's up to lately...
I think I brought this up once upon a time, but... what would it be like if I were to write an original fantasy setting stuff? I have no idea why I'm fixated on that idea lately, but the thought just won't leave me alone.
I think when I mentioned this last time, I mused about using Starcraft's Protoss abilities, since they're oddly suitable in a fantasy setting despite being the high tech race in a sci-fi game. Warcraft is fantasy, Starcraft is sci-fi. But same creators means lots of similarities. Warcraft's Lightning Storm, Starcraft's Psionic Storm... whatever, same crap, different name. I'm sure some character in Warcraft can use Mind Control too, like Starcraft's Dark Archons. Sylvanas's story in Warcraft is very noticeably similar as Kerrigan's in Starcraft. Gee. It's almost as if they're made by the same people! (duh) "This is not Warcraft in space! It's... much more sophisticated! I know it's not 3D!"
Fantasy settings like Skyrim have magic spells of various levels, though the names may vary. "Novice" is just a fancy way of saying "Level 1". So there'll be stuff like "Level 1 Fire spell" or "Level 3 Ice spell" and yadda yadda. And it just so happens that in Starcraft, there can be similar tiers of abilities, based on function and scale. Like... taking a simple energy beam attack...
Level 1: Sentry Sanitation Beam. Does minor damage.
Level 2: Oracle Pulsar Beam. Does a lot more damage faster.
Level 3: Colossus Thermal Lance. Does massive damage in a wide area, sets the ground on fire.
Level 4: Void Ray Prismatic Beam. Does catastrophic damage in a huge area, gets stronger as attack continues.
Level 5: Carrier Purifier Beam. For all your planetary incineration needs!
Though this does create a tiny bit of an issue, like... I can't have a whole bunch of people being able to use these spells. That'd be an absolute chaotic disaster that'd be fun, but not in a story setting. There'll be people using Vortex to create temporary black holes (that'll go well on a planet!), using Purifier Beams to erase cities, some jerk using Time Stop to screw with everyone else at the same time, and some prick using Mind Control on every possible target. That world would be doomed within a week of someone discovering those abilities. Maybe it should be limited to just one person, who also has enough restraint to not glass the planet in a fit of rage.
And as for the story itself... I think I'd prefer deliberately copying common events, but then events turn out drastically different. Like... the main character stumbles upon a carriage that's under attack by bandits! But it looks like the bandits picked the wrong carriage to f*ck with, and got wrecked instead! So the main character simply watches the carnage for a bit before moving on with his life! ... Though if this was similar to Skyrim, one of the guards would run up to him and demand why he didn't help. Or maybe the main character did try to help, but then accidentally vaporized the carriage along with everyone else. He quickly leaves the scene, and one day, hears news that the princess has been missing for days! And no one knows what happened! Such tragic news indeed! Maybe that'd be too comical, or too dark, one or the other.
Heh... It's an amusing idea that won't go away, which means... this is what that Thought Dump document is for, I suppose...
Diamond and Pearl continued to wave as their ship left the harbor. From the ground, Platinum waved back, smiling as she sincerely wished for her two friends to have fun in their trip to Galar. She wanted them to leave on high spirits and kept her smile until she could no longer see individual people on the ship in the distance. Her mood worsened the further the ship sailed and she could no longer keep up the bright expression.
Platinum lowered her hand and let out a long sigh as she lowered her head. She slowly rubbed her arm, as she suddenly found herself feeling incredibly lonely. She had left on journeys to other regions without Diamond and Pearl before, and she hadnât felt that lonely then. Perhaps it was because in those cases, she was going to new and unfamiliar places, visiting senior or junior Dex Holders and spending a lot of time with them, so she didnât get to truly feel the void left by her two friendsâ absence. But now, this was the first time Platinum had been left behind in Sinnoh, and she could suddenly feel the lack of Diamond and Pearl in the familiar atmosphere of her home region.
â⊠Sister? ⊠Are you okay?â Moon asked carefully from the side, noticing Platinumâs unusual expression.
â⊠Yes, I am okay. But⊠I cannot help but feel a little bit⊠uneasy,â Platinum answered honestly. She didnât say that she felt lonely, however, since Moon was right there with her, as always.
âDiamond and Pearl will only be gone for a month, and theyâll definitely be in contact,â Moon said, trying to cheer her up.
âI am aware,â Platinum answered quietly. âBut⊠for some reason, I still cannot shake this feelingâŠâ
Moon briefly wondered what could be causing that uneasy feeling, but soon guessed at the truth. Platinum was undoubtedly feeling very lonely all of a sudden. And while it irked Moon a little, knowing that Platinum was lonely despite the fact that she was with her, she understood why. After all, for as long as Moon had known her, Platinum had been with her two friends, Diamond and Pearl. They did not meet every day, of course, but they were not separated for long. And with Twinleaf Town being pretty close to Sandgem, the two friends were never that far away either.
Then the solution to Platinumâs loneliness was pretty clear. Sheâd just have to go to Galar as well. She was only staying behind because of her work. So if Moon was to cover for her, Platinum could find the time to travel to Galar. Of course, covering Platinumâs workload was not an easy task, but for her happinessâŠ
âSister, if youâre feeling that lonely, maybe you should go to Galar too,â Moon suggested. âI know you have a lot of work to do, but I could do them in your stead. Iâll probably manage for a couple of weeks, so youâd have enough time to visit Galar and have fun with Diamond and Pearl.â
Platinum looked mildly surprised at the suggestion, but soon shook her head. âI appreciate your suggestion, but I cannot do that. Diamond and Pearl are traveling to Galar to pursue their goals as comedians. Had I accompanied them, they would undoubtedly make as much time for me as possible, and perhaps even travel to places that they would ordinarily have not. Even if they do not think so, I will be a burden to them.â
âBut surely itâll be okay if youâre with them for just a few days?â Moon asked.
âNo. Even if I am with them for a single day, that is still time they will have to set aside for me, and they will feel guilty about not being able to do more for me afterwards. Their trip to Galar is a rare opportunity for them. They have to focus solely on capitalizing on it. I will not become a distraction for them.â
Moon slowly nodded, as she understood Platinumâs argument. âYouâre right, and I get it. I want them to succeed with their goals too. But⊠youâre too considerate, Sister. Iâm afraid that youâll suffer too much, enduring the loneliness for their sake.â
Platinum smiled and gently patted her on the head. âOf course, I will not be completely alone, so I will manage.â She glanced at the ship in the distance and sighed. â⊠I will certainly miss them, but I suppose I will just have them compensate me upon their return.â She could feel her mood worsening again as she watched the ship become smaller in her view, and forced herself to turn away. âCome, Moon. Let us return to Sandgem Town. We still have work to do.â
âYes, Sister.â Moon glanced at the ship in the distance as well. â⊠Please come back soon, guys⊠And you better bring some good souvenirs!â
holy moly i was a huge fan of your fic back in the day i canât believe youâre still around! itâs always so nostalgic to read your writing. hope youâre doing well!!!
Sometimes, I can't believe I'm still around too! Heh. And yeah, I'm doing just fine nowadays, thank you.
