"Prince" of Paldea!

A Savannah of Adventure! A Sprigatito and his guardians traveling across the beautiful region of Paldea. We welcome more company!

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

Pinned Post! 📍

🌘 Pokémon Ask Blog centering around a Sprigatito named Prince. Please read the Blog info and Rules page before sending any asks!

🌗 [General PG13 Rating] [Mild Plot and Worldbuilding / Focus on writing]

🌖 Blog Info + Rules | Character Profiles | World Page

🌕 Ask Hints (Feel free to use these for a framework to help think of something to ask!)

🌔 List of Plot Posts | The Story So Far

🌓 Asks: Open

🌒 Ongoing Events: "Prince's Game Time!"

[poniquest]

Hello Pokéask community. today, we are gathered here to talk about a rather pervasive issue within the community.

That's right, we are going to talk about:

TRANSMISOGYNY

I don't really need a preamble or anything. Yes, it's true, this community has historically been quite hostile to trans women. I've had a friend targeted with false accusations of being a creepy pervert for the crime of being trans and female. As if that is a crime, somehow.

We had a predator and known drama-monger some couple years ago who was able to get away with it for so long because most of their victims were trans fem, whom no one believed, because they were trans fem.

And of course we have had various incidents of people using any number of gross terms to refer to trans women, gleefully and casually.

So by now you are probably beginning to see the pattern.

Maybe you need some help. In that case I shall enlighten you...

So what is transmisogyny? It is exactly what it says on the tin: the discrimination and mistreatment of trans women. It is an intersection of transphobia and misogyny. As such it is both of those as well.

Why is it bad? Well, the better question to ask would be why *isn't* it bad? It serves no purpose beyond the spread of hatred as well as perpetuating the belief that women are like property that must look and act a certain way.

Who does it affect? Obviously the primary target is trans women, and you should care about the fact that it harms trans women. But in fact, transmisogyny affects everyone.

You might think "I don't hate trans women, so I'm not transmisogynistic!" and you may not be. But, you must also keep in mind that it is so deeply entrenched in society that you might say and do transmisogynistic things without knowing it.

For example:

Do you expect women or female characters to look a certain way? This could be plain old misogyny, but it could also be transmisogyny. If you've ever complained that a female character looks too much like a guy because her boobs are too small or her shoulders are too wide, etc., well yeah ... you are probably suffering from transmisogyny disease. And also general misogyny disease too, seeing as transmisogyny is a subtype of it.

Do you get grossed out by women with certain types of genitalia, insisting they censor themselves as some sort of fetish or otherwise sequester themselves away for the sake of others? It is transmisogyny. Regardless of what you are attracted to, a woman should not be forced to hide herself away as some kind of freak commodity simply because she is not what you personally consider desirable. Also, people are likely forced to interact with you on the regular, so it just makes you a hypocrite.

Do you refer to women by what is between their legs*? It is transmisogyny. It's a way to other women that do not fit the "norm".

Obviously, assuming any given trans woman is a secret pervert is transmisogyny. This may seem obvious but so many people do this! In LGBT focused spaces perhaps most of all!

there are many other examples but most tie back into the ones mentioned here. Please do a little introspection from time to time.

Trans women deserve to feel as safe and as welcome as anyone else here in this community.

Lastly: this post is about trans WOMEN (/trans fems). I am aware that other trans people exist, but there are certain pervasive attitudes that are near exclusively shown towards trans WOMEN, and so that is what this post is about.

*some trans women do refer themselves with such terms. There is a lot of debate about this matter, so try not to overstep if it is a trans woman herself using the term. She may be a victim of internalised transmisogyny but what people are comfortable with varies. But, never use terms like futanari or trap if you are not a transfem individual. Read the room.

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

((A Happy belated Umbreon Day!!))

[ask-boreal]

just some silly little cup noodle friends

------ @askthepaldeanpassenger

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

((DOODLE & UPDATE!!))

((Hiya! I’ wanted to share this post as an update to say: I’m working on asks again! I already have a couple following from [this post], and am still taking some for Cyrus, too. I hope to have some more posts up soon! I’ll also be working on updating some of the behind-the-scenes stuff for the physical blog navigation itself as well.

A lot of my break had to do with personal motivation and the usual ask-blog-break type of stuff. I really want to get back to working with these characters again and interacting with the community! I’m super excited to get back into it!

In the meantime, have this colored sketch I did of an anthro Cyrus & Maria (I think about them all the time).))

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

“Even separate

Our hearts are intertwined

As long as we love.”

((A little doodle I wanted to do for today 💜 Happy Valentine’s Day!))

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

Star Sending 2023 - @askturnipdeerling

"Mx. Cyrus! Lookit this! Doesn't it seem like fun!" The Sprigatito hurries over to their guardian, holding an envelope. "'Star Sending'... Do you think we could meet new people this way? We could make 'em smile, too!"

The Espeon looks over the contents quietly before nodding their head. "Yes, perhaps so, Young Master." Cyrus skims over the list again and tilts their head. "What do you think we should purchase for them?"

"I've got a better idea," Prince exclaims, pulling out a map from Cyrus's bag. "I bet we could make something with the flowers in Artazon!"

Cyrus: "Greetings. An honor to meet you." They bow to both Risa and Turnip.

Prince: "We made these for ya! Hope ya like them. C'mon, open it up, open it up!"

Prince excitedly hands his box to Turnip, Cyrus chuckling and shaking their head before floating their box over to Risa.

Prince: "Ta-da! Some flowers from Artazon! They're- um... G-gaze..."

Cyrus: "Gazanias. And Blue Geraniums, I believe?"

Prince: "Yeah! One means something like 'treasure', and 'loyalty'! That's what they said, right?"

((I'M SO SORRY THAT I PUT THIS OUT SO LATE. I ran into a lot of things and didn't intend to post on the last day of the event, but I wanted to make sure it was special, too!

If you would like to make an interaction out of this, feel free to! Either way, I hope you had a Happy Holidays, that the New Year has treated you well so far, and a thank you for the work you've done with your characters so far!))

[askturnipdeerling]

(Prince@Morpheus) "This must be a pretty big forest! Where... exactly is it? And what is your relationship with the family here!" The Sprigatito bounces with excitement from every question. "Do you enjoy being out here?"

[ask-willowleafeon]

Willow: "Currently, the study that doubles as my room is where I brew my tea and put together my snacks.

sigh...

I'm not the best cook, but if I had a kitchen here, maybe I could practice and put the cookbook section of the library to use." @askthepaldeanpassenger

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

Pokéask Star Sending - Wishlists

The time of year for Star Sending. A time for giving, love and appreciation, and for Pokémon to come together and celebrate their communities.

Somewhere in the Paldea region, a Sprigatito and Espeon read notice about their first Star Sending Celebration. The latter declines making their own list, whereas the young kitten appears ecstatic to write out such a list. Cyrus offers to help him write his Wishlist, but he declines. Prince tries to keep his excited smile, but does a poor job hiding a bit of nervousness.

Prince: "I, um, wanna write it for myself...! Just to keep it a surprise, that's all!"

Prince's list of "gifts" he would like:

To be able to talk with my siblings and cousins more.

To see Mx. Cyrus and Miss Maria smile together again.

Another super special crown I can give to someone important to me.

For my parents to take a break and talk to me more.

To have someone I can play games with whenever I want.

Elsewhere in Paldea, another pair sit down to write a list- an elder Decidueye and a younger Vaporeon...

Decidueye: "Come dear, doesn't this sound like a wonderful idea?"

The Vaporeon peers over at the list of instructions for a moment. She smiles after bit, before finally shaking her head.

Vaporeon: "Grandma...! I do not have time for something like this. We need to make sure everything is in order..."

D: "That's quite alright! We may spend but a few minutes. Surely there is something you would want, or perhaps-"

The Vaporeon shakes her head again, adjusting a pair of glasses on her face.

V: "N-no. Strangers need not spend time finding something for me. Besides, there is not anything I want. Maybe we can ask the others when they arrive. In the meantime, you should just write your own."

She huffs and storms off. The Decidueye sighs. Grabbing a piece of parchment paper, the elder bird begins writing:

"Dear Sending Spirit, I hope this letter finds you well! I was very thrilled to hear about this celebration. My granddaughter seemed excited at first as well, but the idea of writing to you seemed a bit too daunting. I think she would absolutely adore this, though. To whomever receives this letter, please consider this our Wishlist. One thing I think my granddaughter would love is to receive a new tea set (1)! She enjoys serving us tea, but our current set is a bit old. A new set and a few tea samples to go with it for us to try would go a long way in her heart. Another thing that may make my granddaughter happy is a set of Evolutionary Stones (2). She sometimes talks about wanting such a collection. I know that might be a bit of a tall ask, but finding one of every stone that exists (I think there are ten?) would be exciting for her. Or even just a few! I believe she wishes to collect them all! Or study them. I'm not too certain what she would like them for, but she would enjoy them. Finally, I think one of the most important things she would want is a friend she can have whenever she likes (3). I don't mean to ask such a thing from you directly, sender, but something she could have with her and play with like a friend- a plush or similar toy, for example. She would absolutely love such a thing. To the Sending Spirit, thank you so much for this chance of celebration! And to the receiver of this list, all I ask is that you help my granddaughter have a wonderful Star Sending this year. Thank you very much! Sincerely, Madame S."

As the Decidueye sends off the letter with a smile, she glances back at the Vaporeon, who looks between several different selections of tea. She seems to struggle selecting one. As a portal opens to take the letter, the Decidueye joins her granddaughter in selecting their choice of tea.

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

((Some time later…))

((Would you like to play with Prince? Cyrus is still available for asks, too!))

[pokeask-star-sending]

Star Sending Event Info

Welcome to the Pokeask community’s first Star Sending Event. Basically, this is a Holiday Exchange (AKA, Secret Santa) with a little twist: It’s in-character! Write up a wishlist for your characters and in exchange receive another blog’s character’s wishlist - one which you either draw or write your character completing their gift as best they can.

This is not a full fledged event with a location your characters must attend, interact with others, etc. You only need to do three things: Write your character's wishlist, fill the sign-up form, and do your piece for who you get!

Continue reading for info on how to participate!

Important Links

Intro P.1 | Intro P.2 | Info Tag | Contact Info SIGNUP FORM TO PARTICIPATE

Continue reading for rules and other necessary info!

BASIC INFO

These are limited to Pokemon OC blogs or ask blogs!

One entry per PERSON.

The form to apply is found above, just make sure you read the full document first.

Do not expect to send or receive more than one gift (But you can choose to provide more than one should you be inspired)!

As part of your entry, you can submit multiple Wishlists for your characters, with one list each. This gives your Sender multiple options to choose from. More lists does not guarantee more gifts to receive. 

Senders may do as much or as little as they like with their submission, as long as it meets the minimum requirements for the post.

Feel free to reply to your Sender’s submission as well, and use it to kickstart an interaction!

You MUST keep your Recipient a secret.

Do not share with anybody that is also participating in the event. 

This event focuses around character interactions.

Politely, I ask you don’t join with the sole intent of getting free art or writing pieces. While I ask for effort in submissions, the main goal is to spark little interactions between the characters from different blogs!

TIMELINE

Assume all dates are done under the Eastern Standard Time Zone. We do not have exact times because our team is doing this within our availability and have life priorities outside of the event.

Our application period starts from now, and runs until the 3rd of November. 

Wishlists will be distributed on the 4th or the 5th, depending on availability and any extra organisation needed. 

You may start working on your submission as soon as you receive your Wishlist!

We will be checking in on submission progress on two separate WIP dates; the 25th of November and the 15th of December. This will be to make sure you’re on track with your submission.

 A verbal update is sufficient for the first Checkup, but we expect something more substantial by the second Checkup. 

If no update is received a backup entrant will be assigned to your Recipient. We will have one final Checkup on the 10th of January for unsubmitted posts.

As part of the above, PLEASE keep a line of communication open with us! We will be understanding if you find you cannot complete your gift and there is no judgement towards you should that occur. We want the event to be as fun as possible!

WISHLIST INFO

Wishlist Template | Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3 | Example 4

Wishlist Due Date: November 3rd

Five Wishlist items per character, max.

As part of submitting your Wishlist, you MUST make sure to include some kind of visual reference for the characters that you are submitting lists for.

Wishlists may be posted publicly, and posting them is even encouraged! Tag them under #pokestarsending2023. 

Wishlists are allowed to be farfetched, abstract, or even impossible to complete in-canon if it is in-character for your OCs to request such a thing.

If you’re unsure what this qualifies as, check the list examples or confirm with a mod!

In the case something your character would ask for is something you as the blog owner does not want to be completed for plot or story reasons, please leave a note written OOC stating so!

Lists can be written in-character, out-of-character, by a different character on the blog, or just a simple bullet pointed list.

As everything is completed in-character, do not expect the Sender to complete any wishes in a proper manner if it doesn’t seem fit for them! 

SUBMISSION INFO

The period for posting for submissions will start on the 24th of December and ends on the 31st of January.

We ask that you send your submission to be checked over with us to make sure it meets all requirements. Once approved, you may post!

If you require more character info about your Recipient, you may ask us to ask for you while keeping you anonymous!

Remember: It is your character that is completing what is requested on the Wishlist. 

Your character does not need to be able to fully complete a gift item from your Recipient’s list, if it isn’t realistic for them (i.e. their Wishlist asks for Technology and your character is a Wild Pokemon, which may be unrealistic or abstract). HOWEVER, there should still be effort put forth by your character in providing the gift.

Try to keep the tone positive and heartwarming, unless you receive permission from the character owners for your submission to take on a different tone.

Post by @-ing your Recipient, and include the tag #pokestarsending2023! We will be reblogging all submissions.

If you are unavailable to post your piece during the submission period, please let us know! We can post it for you on our blog.

Writing minimum: 600 of words minimum.

600 words is the minimum we ask of a writing submission to make sure enough is put into describing the gift and/or gift giving process. If you find yourself struggling to meet the minimum, please reach out to us with your WIP so we can can help review it with you.

In the case you plan to write the Recipient as part of your submission, we will inform you if the person receiving would prefer you not to write their character in your submission. 

Instead, try focusing on other details: How would your character prepare the gift? What process do they take in doing so? To what lengths do they go? Also, make sure you describe the gift itself and how it’s delivered to its Recipient.

Art Minimum: Either a coloured full-body, or a half-body with a background (at least three props).

Must include the character of the Wishlist. Including your own character is encouraged.

Comic Minimum: Clean sketch, 3 panels.

Must include character of the Wishlist. Including your own character is encouraged.

The minimum requirements may change if we feel they need to be adjusted. We will announce any changes, and by the submissions drawing period, we will have finalised them.

Final Notes.

Questions and constructive feedback are always welcome and never stupid! We are happy to clarify anything. Be it through the messaging system, or ask. You can also contact us on discord for any further communication; please see the contact page on the Star Sending blog for more info!

If you are stumped in any way of participating, you are free to ask for help or feedback from the team!

To make sure you have read everything, I have included a little passcode requirement in the form. What was your first pokemon game? (Non-mainline games are valid)

Make sure to reference examples and templates to aid in your submission!

Thank you for your consideration in participating! I am just one person with some friends, hoping to run something nice for this community, and I sincerely hope I can do my best for you. Every effort to make this as great as can be is hugely and humbly cherished.

[pokeask-star-sending]

The Sending of Stars: An In-Character Holiday Exchange event for the Pokemon Askblog (And adjacent blogs) community.

Signal boosts appreciated and welcome. More information to come.

[ask-shiny-umbreon]

(Prince) The Sprigatito hops with excitement, staring around the boat, ocean, and between the three 'mon, two of which following close by. "WOAH! Do you guys get to go on adventures like this all the time, way out on the water and stuff? Are you just out to explore, or is there something you're after?"

"Need something to decorate your crown? Or maybe something interesting to bring back to your Umbreon friend? I just might have the thing."

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

FANART FRIDAY SATURDAY

((I didn’t end up posting yesterday as I normally plan to, but that’s cause I was working on this! Some long overdue fanart I’ve been wanting to do for a hot minute

When I was on my week break these helped me take some time just to Draw. These were all rly fun to do!!!

Brand “Windie” (She/Him) from @askshinyglaceon

Basil (He/Him) from @harmonia-university

??? the Ninetales (He/they/she) from @askcursedtales

Paige Booker (He/Him) from @ask-enchantingdelights

Destino (They/Them) from @ask-the-royal-absol

Willow (She/Her) from @ask-willowleafeon

If you want a transparent of your character I wouldn’t mind, just send me a message! You should all go check out these blogs if you haven’t already!))

[isle-of-coastanoke]

“Let’s just say… I am two for the price of one.”

For @askthepaldeanpassenger

This blog quickly caught my attention and I love the characters introduced thus far. Maria and Cyrus are supposedly two souls serving one purpose. Though they trade their forms with one another between day and night, it’s almost as if they take turns sharing fate itself hmmmmm. Ah well, enough speculation and theorizing. If anything, stuff like that is what keeps me hooked! Just wanted to show my appreciation for such a delightful new story I can really sink my teeth into. I’m sorta still a beginner when it comes to art. Even so, I hope it makes your day just a bit brighter! 🌟

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

((WOOOOOAAAAH THIS IS SO COOL!!! AWWW, I’m so genuinely touched by this!! I SUPER love the split stuff going on- their bangs being on opposite sides makes stuff like this super cool to have side by side, I think you did a REALLY good job of it!

IM SO GENUINELY GLAD TO HEAR That their little ordeal got you more interested in the blog! In addition to Prince and his own little adventure it’s another big plot piece to explore, with plenty more to find out lol

Thank you again so much, the ask you sent previously helped furthering some character stuff, and I love answering let alone receiving that stuff! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!))

[askthepaldeanpassenger]

So Cyrus, I know the type of “dance” you’re referring to isn’t necessarily correlated with such, but I couldn’t help but wonder, do you have a preference when it comes to music? A genre that’s your personal favorite. (Prince may also answer!)

"You would not be wrong- I am in fact familiar with the more... "traditional" form of a dance, as well. When I would accompany the Matan Family elders to, well... important events, it was a necessary skill for a Head Servant to know, as part of the etiquette."

"Oh, yeah! Mx. Cyrus is great at dancing AND battling. I even heard that they taught Miss Maria how to dance~!"

Cyrus waves their paw and clears their throat, dismissing the Sprigatito's statement, though using the paw to hide their face as well certainly doesn't discredit it.

"Nevertheless... I must say, music is rare to find, for myself. The genre I most prefer would be a more classical variety, or a waltz. The way the sounds make one wish to sway from side-to-side... a pleasure I have not enjoyed for some time. What about yourself, Young Master?"

"Hmm... Miss Maria actually hums to herself a lot when it gets late. I think that's the kinda music I hear most, so I think that's my favorite, the songs she sings! I think it's the song she plays on her music box back home."

@isle-of-coastanoke