το άλφα

♛✧ Blessed by the Seas & Skies ✧♛

[badbirchenergy]

a nostalgia-fueled indie/selective rp blog for PKMN’s May/Haruka.  heavily hc-based. primarily gameverse-inspired. legendary by design.

mun runs on EST (UTC/GMT -5); current activity fluctuates.✨

rules (carrd) || about + team  ✧affiliates || @dawnedon​ @littlerooted​​​ ✧current!verse May icons courtesy of kou  ʚ♡ɞ

[otiksimr]

Curious visitor

[badbirchenergy]

asides + template below;

princess mononoke/san is definitely the core element of inspo (bc standard all my muses have some ghibli girl coded in their dna)

also asuka soryu langley =/= asuka soryu shikinami, the rebuild characterization is so much more maycoded

it was either mowgli or stitch and the choice was VVV hard to make

blank template:

[badbirchenergy]

Did May hear about Devon's plan to send that one meteor to another world? If so, what is her opinion on that?

She... became aware, thanks to her amazing eavesdropping skills (senses are sharp as a mightyena (rip Mugsy </3)).

Despite being so young (and presumably voiceless against such powerful presences and figures), May's gut told her pretty much immediately that something was not quite right about that whole scenario. Distrust of Devon began during her first brushes with them, early in her journey - and, though Brendan was much closer involved with the Corp. during that initial tour of Hoenn, May still couldn't stomach being around their representatives or even Mr. Stone himself for even a second.

Exploring New Mauville's deeper levels (that the public are still led to believe are untraversable (where there's a will!)), then discovering some surprising findings aboard the ruins of Sea Mauville...? Yea, these certainly didn't help the corporation's reputation to the already-cynical preteen unwilling to make excuses for shit she felt was inherently evil. She had no patience though, nor the bandwidth, to try to delve deeper at that time...

Enter in "infinity energy"/the Delta Episode and, without hesitation, May aligned immediately with her soon-to-become best friend Zinnia and her ideals. Of the many contributing factors to her leaving Hoenn after obtaining the title Champion and thwarting (her beloved) Deoxys, Devon's inexplicable use of infinity energy and their supposed exploitation of pokemon was the straw that broke the numel's back.

Ever since? She's kept her distance from them wherever possible, fearing the things they are capable of... though, upon her return to Hoenn, she finds this method of avoidance more difficult than even before, for the first time actually having to rub elbows with those closely tied to the corporation...

[badbirchenergy]

"thank you for coming, ms. birch. I imagine you must be quite busy, given our repeated attempts to contact you via nav. I hope your travel here wasn't too taxing?"

eris's smile is perfect. devon's headquarters are so pristine. it's almost...unnatural.

"...I'll get right to it, then--since our time here is so precious. devon remains the forefront of innovation within hoenn. I daresay we are the region's pride and joy," she explains, her eyes twinkling. "with so many of our new products due to hit the market soon, we were wondering if we could count on your endorsement? our launch would be so much more...potent if we added your star power into the mix. hoennites supporting each other is a beautiful thing, is it not?"

Unfortunately, along with the best parts of being champion - getting to kick ass, bringing renown to the Hoenn battle scene - also come the worst: public endorsements.

"I might be busy, yea, but you folks are hella persistent..." the sterile atmosphere here feels suffocating, and May is reminded quickly of her disdain for fluorescent lighting. "Figured I had no choice but t'stop by."

The twinkling gaze of the woman across from her, for whatever reason, fills the brunette with apprehension - as did anything involving Devon, really. This tension lifts before settling, May snickering softly to herself.

"Not sure I'll do y'all's image any favors, but... maybe if we talk shop, we can reach some sorta agreement. I wouldn't wanna piss off the Stones, not after just gettin' back to bein' in good graces and all - plus, I can only imagine what kinda shit you gotta put up with on the daily."

"First things first," blue eyes narrow, "I gotta know what exactly it is yer peddling here. Wouldn't wanna potentially promote somethin' that I wouldn't use m'self, you know...?"

[badbirchenergy]

SILLY HC MEME: if you get tagged in this, you must one of your funniest, silliest headcanons regarding your muse(s). just pick as many muses as you want but remember that it must be silly. no angst, no tears, nothing deep. be funny.bonus point if your hc are totally against popular fanon

her mario kart main is bowser (if dawn picks bowser, her 2nd choice is dk)

can't spell worth a damn, her handwriting looks like shit to poor thing

would barf if she consumed mayonnaise (has a general distrust for most condiments)

treats contests like she would an extreme sport, which has almost had her escorted out a time or two too many

cars/road vehicles of any sort scare the shit out of her

is allergic to wearing shoes - anything more than a flipflop, and she's rioting

tagged by @tapuhauko (ilyyy nikki <3) tagging @dawnedon @allthingsglittergold @rankingtwentysix @mtsilvermute @rockheadcd @himineko & anybody interested!

[that1nkyone]

Listen/purchase: Giratina and the Distortion World by Braxton Burks

[dawnedon]

Dawn could feel how fast her mind was racing, body unable to keep up with the raging torrents of thoughts and imagery within. She could feel her sanity slipping through her fingers, that same madness from a decade ago creeping back up her spine. This time, there was no Lake Trio to protect and safeguard her. There was no presence of Emperor to keep her grounded and forging ahead. There was nothing but a strangling dread that silenced any rising words on her throat.

How... How had she done this in the past?

To stand against a goddess like Giratina was to throw yourself away. A tango of the minds, and one misstep would mean to lose yourself forever. A frigid bead of sweat rolled down the side of Dawn's face, eyes cast upwards towards the titanic dragon. Her throat felt unfathomably dry, her tongue thick and heavy.

"Gira-" Words strangled themselves in her throat, a shudder rising up Dawn's back. It gripped her shoulders, weighing her down. Her body felt as if it were plunged in ice, her entire being beyond numb. Part of her almost wished they'd both fallen into the abyss earlier instead - it would have been a mercy compared to this.

Dawn's mind felt increasingly fragile against Giratina, the thoughts of the Renegade pervading her own. It was indiscernible where Dawn's agency began and where Giratina's ended, feeling the two bleed into one, amalgamated mess. Dawn's own mindspace was shoved out violently, Giratina taking an undeniable command with how powerful both she and her emotions were.

The cosmic light that wound its way around Vega was a beautiful respite in the realm of darkness. Smart move, Giratina would think to herself. Bolstering their defenses was the best move they could have done - an effort that still would only go in vain at the sheer brutality of Giratina's power. She hit harder than a thousand trains, but such force would only be wasted on a being such as this.

Shadows rose from all depths of the Distortion World, rising to meet their master. The same red spikes that adorned inky black appendages soon took on a ghastly purple hue, the shadows almost dripping off of the ends like a liquid. Giratina twist, moving serpentine as the shadowy points made their way towards Vega. She wasn't the quickest being due to her considerable size, but the Shadow Claw was daunting combined with her strength.

The coughing next to Dawn drew her away from the horror in motion above her, midnight eyes finally able to tear themselves away. Her body wouldn't stop shaking, like the final leaf of a tree clinging on during a winter storm. She was in entirely above her head - Sinnoh's own Champion, powerless and unable to do anything. How disappointing, she could almost hear everyone say, if you can't protect one person, how do you expect to protect your region?

"May," Dawn manages to choke out, her hands instinctively rising to rest on the other woman's arms. She needs something to ground herself, she selfishly realizes. "are- are you..." The smeared blood on the corner of her companion's lip rattles Dawn, another cold fear gripping her heart.

Her eyes can't help but meander back up to Giratina, the same feeling of ice pervading her soul all over again. Dawn's teeth grit against one another heavily, feeling the battle of wills playing out within her mind again. Her fingers desperately dig into and hold onto pieces of herself, pulling with all of her willpower in order to keep them from being yanked away.

Dawn doesn't realize how hard her fingers were digging into May's skin until she's back to reality with a hard blink, mouth slightly agape as she soon shakes her head. Her stomach turns, pain blossoming across her abdomen as a wave of nausea takes over. She swallows thickly, glazed over eyes painstakingly pulling themselves back to May again.

There was a loud buzzing in the back of her mind. The dread came and went like a quick tide, rising and falling within her. A cold, swelling ocean of despair, one that would drown her if she wasn't careful. Right now, all she could do was hold on against the raging torrent.

She... She wasn't strong enough to reel Giratina in. She wasn't ten years ago, and she wasn't now. Dawn had always thought that if she had ever found herself here again, it would go differently, but she was wrong. She was still weak; she wasn't much different from that same child she was years ago. Maybe her mother was right - maybe she should have relented and done contests as she had wanted instead. Maybe she wasn't fit to be a pillar of support, a leader, a figure of strength for the masses.

The stinging words of the populace dug into her back like a thousand knives. A reminder of the massive shoes she had to fill with Cynthia's defeat, a reminder that her reputation had been soured by being so young, a reminder that, no matter how good she may be, there would always be the same stares directed towards her, the same poisonous words spoken just loudly enough for her to overhear.

"I-I-" Dawn finds herself stammering, eyes wide as her hands finally drop from May's arms. The words don't come. Her gaze frantically moves all over the place, searching. Her body felt paralyzed, as if she were experiencing a bout of sleep paralysis. A rattling breath heaves itself out of her, her ribcage feeling tight.

"I-I-I'm-- I'm n-not-" speaking suddenly felt as laborious as running a mile, her body shaking with effort, "s-strong enough, I... I can't--"

[badbirchenergy]

'...freak.'

Sunlight breaks through sepia-tinted cloud cover, grain festering over the vignette like lost media. Silhouettes surrounding the young girl continue their verbal lashings, while the shadows of migrating flocks cast over the still, sterile landscape.

'...why are you so weird? No wonder nobody likes you...'

An amalgam of past memories, it would appear, though the Littleroot here is far from familiar. May's small frame stumbles when rising to meet her hecklers at eye level. Trembling, pools of sapphire glare daggers through tears, but the taunts of those obscured figures closing in and around her are ceaseless.

'...she can't really talk to pokemon, can she?'

'...thinking she has a chance to become champion?! Please!'

Bottom lip bitten while her balled fist pulls back, it lunges forward split seconds later. But before she can make contact, the shrouded visage of the target disintegrates against bruised knuckles, a swirling haze billowing from where the shade's throat should've been.

The inky mist spewing from the writhing shadow puppet trails up through May's nostrils; panicked, she clutches at her chest, lungs quickly filling with miasma. Legs buckle and drop, May sinking to the feet of her faceless tormentors - before they, each after the other, combust into tar black smoke and flame.

Their demonic voices would then slip into her psyche, unrelenting even when formless. '...she's a fake!' '...she's a fraud!' '...she won't ever amount to anything.'

In mere moments, the nightmarish Littleroot decays into shadow and ruin, a dark wash of energy flooding over a land that's become increasingly uncanny. Rippling skies replace their faded blues with deep indigos and violets, hanging in the air with storm clouds a sense of malevolent dread.

Left alone in the darkness of a decomposing world, the weight of May's body vanishes in an instant. She soon shrieks in agony, looking down only to see her limbs beginning to deteriorate into ash and soot, rotting to her bone and then into dust.

Through the phantom pains and her cries for help, those same voices refuse to relinquish her - before long, the little girl fades into the nothing.

'...nobody's gonna miss you when you're gone, and you know its true.'

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

The bell tolls.

Blood continues running through trembling fingers. Dawn's grasp upon the brunette's skin brings about the once-familiar sensation of touch, though that sensation is soon nullified back into nothingness. Numbness cocoons May's body and soul, the Distortion World reducing a woman who'd conquered titans and terrorists into little more than a rag doll.

She, steeped in an inescapable gloom, reels in and out to that which transpires before her lifeless eyes. Lucidity awakens May but for a moment, however, when the goddess of this dimension first descends upon Vega.

Giratina, sinister as she is divine, unleashes a deafening battle cry, one that reverberates against the very underbelly of her purgatory. Layered choruses of the damned accompany the phantasmic renegade's call, shadows unfurling like sentient ribbons across her gargantuan figure. Against the thunderous quake of the floating platform, the dragon goddess barrels towards Vega at speeds that betray her behemothic size.

Yet, despite yearning to call out in warning, May's voice remains caged in her throat. Soon, it'll dissipate into the void that has laid roots deep in her core - one that roars like a violent maelstrom, swallowing everything that once was in place of an unfathomable madness.

Filled lungs continue to heave up copious amounts of blood, though even these spontaneous fits appear incorporeal - almost as if the blood that coats her palms and clothing belongs to someone else entirely. Painlessly, these could very well be hallucinations conjured by her fragile, fearful mind; after all, it was fear itself that had consumed every other perceivable emotion she'd once harbored.

Her concept of "self" had now been spliced into something completely unrecognizable and, as predicted, her inner voice fades back into the darkest recesses of her deepest horrors.

The smallest shard that remains of her consciousness wishes so badly to turn to Dawn, to call out to her, to feel that anchor of her touch once more - though, it has become quite evident that this distorted world would prefer she watch her pokemon fight until a bitter, gruesome, inevitable end.

A wicked fate they are all likely to suffer, hope fleeting.

Vega shields themself with flattened limbs the instant Giratina's taloned assault lands its thundering force. The cataclysmic blow smashes right through their celestial barrier; glittering cosmic light trails the deoxys' descent, as they are hurdled into the floating landmass below. The impact leaves a crater around the fallen star, gales of shadow continuing to bombard the alien in the attack's aftermath.

It is not long before the interloper can be seen ominously rising from the freshly-created crevice, core blinking in a variety of perplexing colors. Having shouldered the attack as well as they possibly could've under these dire circumstances, Vega is able to confirm now what they had already believed to be abundantly clear: that absolutely no amount of power summoned would result in their victory here, not while in this realm.

Buying time - until the two women below can reclaim ownership of their consciousnesses, in order to devise an escape from this hell - is the only sound option.

But this decision to stall means not a moment can go by without considerable action. So without missing a beat, the deoxys maneuvers through the swathes of darkness that continue to lash at them from all angles, while simultaneously surveying the massive body of their ghostly opponent.

What Giratina evidently possesses in strength, she seems to lack in momentum. And so it is within that next precise window - as Giratina re-animates her surrounding shadows for another, undoubtably fatal, strike - that Vega quickly resonates with one of the meteorites that orbit their abdomen. Metamorphosing in a dazzling instant, their crown extends into a long spike while flattened tentacles combine to form two spindly, whip-like arms.

Shadow Claw soon issues forth, shades of purple smog and shadow blasting across the platform below; though when it goes to land, there is no target where Vega was once lingering. Instead, the blur of Vega's figure weaves away through the murky shadows that snake voraciously towards them, the streamlining of their body elevating their speed to new, frightful levels.

Though her powers are limitless here, and though this could all prove futile in the end, Giratina doesn't yet realize exactly what it is that she's up against - leaving a slight advantage for Vega, however short-lived it may become.

Virtually invisible at such high speeds, the alien interloper wastes no time in detecting for any potential weaknesses along the phantom dragon's body. From black eye sockets peer studied pupils, scanning along each limb, each appendage, for something, anything.

Perhaps by a stroke of luck much needed, the closer Vega draws to the goddess of this realm, the more noticeable the scarring along her many protruding spikes becomes. Thick gashes, seared into her figure in a fashion most malicious.

It'll come with increased risk to act from such a close range, though Vega cannot continue to outspeed the beastly apparition without delivering an attack of their own; they must at least attempt to level the playing field, to the best of the abilities they have in their arsenal.

Its then that their dizzying dance across inky skies comes to an immediate halt, the deoxys positioning themself where they presume a blind spot to be - their target, now up-close and in focus. Particles begin manipulating around Vega's tendrils moments before their entire body emits a brilliant glow, an aurora of crystalline blues and whites glittering in stark contrast to the world warping around the opposing forces.

The frigid molecules multiply expeditiously, rapidly condensing to a fine point that gathers before the alien's blinking core, growing larger and larger with all the force Vega is able to siphon from within. Ice Beam's light is blinding but glorious to behold once unleashed, detonating with ear-piercing ferocity towards a gnarled scar along the goddess's upper left shoulder.

As the blast sears through the surrounding shroud of darkness like a light of hope, diamond dust cascades magnificently in its wake - and May's oceanic eyes, once empty, show signs of regaining their lost luster.

[pokemonarchive]

Deoxys (2015) - Roaring Skies Artwork Illustrator: Ryota Murayama

[badbirchenergy]

soundtrack,  a  muse  playlist  study  !  list  5  songs  that  you  associate  with  your  muse  ...  (  bonus:  include  lyrics  if  you'd  like. ) ♪ ♫ ♬

Forget // MARINA [🎶]; ...ever since i can remember life was like a tipping scale, like an abacus i played with, counting every win and fail...

Rhinestone Eyes // Gorillaz [🎶]; ...so call the mainland from the beach, all parties now washed up in bleach the waves are rising for this time of year...

Gone // Charli xcx, Christine and the Queens [🎶] ...i try real hard, but i'm caught up by my insecurities pour me one more, watch the ice melt in my fist...

Don't Fucking Tell Me What To Do // Robyn [🎶];  ...my phone is killing me, my e-mail's killing me, these hours are killing me, my tour is killing me...

Blue Dream // Jhené Aiko [🎶]; ...we were coastin' on a coast when you opened my eyes, made me notice where the ocean is holdin' the sky...

[reallifesnotgirl]

Visit Original Link

• Purity Ring - Stardew

[badbirchenergy]

May hasn't held a grudge whatsoever against Aqua (or Magma), clocking immediately how asinine and futile their grand schemes were. If anything, she viewed them as inconveniences holding up the completion of her gym challenge. That long crawl, being tasked with foiling their plans at each and every turn, burnt out all the excitement she initially had when dreaming of the day she'd reach Ever Grande.

As expected, by the time she'd made it there, beating the reigning Champions was just another bullet on the to-do list and nothing more. So despite not holding a grudge over it, she fully recognizes how Aqua/Magma ripped any semblance of joy from her many accomplishments way back when.

[badbirchenergy]

"Hey, kiddo. You wanna see somethin' cool?"

Oh no, Zinnia. You're not doing it again, are you?

Zinnia pulled out... a meteorite. "Remember that day I had you come up and dad ate that meteorite out of your bag. Y'know, ever since then, I always kinda was curious of what it would taste like for him. Obviously it's just a rock to us but..."

Zinnia tossed the meteorite high in the air. As it was rising, Zinnia quickly transformed into a Rayquaza and jetted to the meteorite, munching it in a single bite! There was a little bit of a power surge, but nothing too out of line.

"Doesn't taste half bad in this form! Hehe~"

May can't even front, Zinnia's spontaneous transformation was the coolest shit she's seen in forever. She can't keep from beaming in wonder;

"Well hot damn," she's nearly rendered speechless as the surge of energy washes over her, rippling against the cold earth beneath her feet, "when did'ja learn ya could do that??"

Is she a little jealous? Absolutely. But, with May being the 'gourmet maniac' she is, Zinnia's verdict sparks her interests-

"Not half-bad y'say... sounds like there's still some room fer improvement t'me! Maybe we should try sprucin' it up some?" She fishes from her tattered tote bag an unlabeled cannister, shaking it to loosen the spices.

"Whipped up this liechi dry rub, what- a couple weeks ago? Anywho, it hits kinda spicy, but has a sweet li'l aftertaste to it... buuuut if spicy-sweet ain't what we're goin' for here, I got lots of other options to choose from!"

[animepopheart]

★ 【HSIN】 「 夏の気分 」 ☆ ✔ republished w/permission ⊳ ⊳ follow me! insta • x • bsky

[badbirchenergy]

about may's ability to communicate w/ pokemon; part one ⋆˚꩜｡

first, it must be stated that she cannot communicate with every single type of pokemon out there - speech patterns of certain typings, or pokemon of a regional variety still foreign to her, are difficult to decipher without practice.

also of note: there are plenty pokemon that don't wish to converse in the first place, to which she doesn't take offense; this is typical of legendary/mythical 'mon, until she's able to establish a certain level of trust.

she finds steel- and ghost-types hardest to develop symbolic, coherent exchanges with.

she has the easiest time comprehending speech patterns of the dragon-type, with little discrepancy if any at all; May has learned some cool swear words in draconic tongue, granted how... boisterous her crew can get.

there are others who simply struggle to bridge the gap between the translations of human speech to pokemon (including several of May's 'mon).

May will make use of context clues and body language to decipher what is trying to be said - she is incredibly patient and warm in that aspect.

in addition, she and her party have developed a unique form of signing between them, for those that find this more accommodating.

her ability, while partially innate, is also a learned skill; from childhood, she preferred wild pokemon to human friends. Her ancestry is likely another contributing factor.

when she's exhausted or overstimulated, it becomes harder to translate full sentences; this is also true for when she's in a depressive episode.

among those that know of her ability: the immediate Birch fam, Elder Fuji, Brendan & Wally, Wanda, Steven & (likely) Wallace, Dr./Mr./Capt. Briney, Mustard-sensei (and more recently, Dawn and Gold).

rarely does she demonstrate this ability around others in fear of how they might perceive her; those who know, generally only know in a vague sense.

of all the 'mon, Vanhi, Vega, Peaches, and Anya are the clearest communicators. Nancy is capable of understanding May on an intrinsic level, though May finds the Relicanth's dialect (reasonably but bewilderingly) archaic.

[coiledqueen]

RE-INTRODUCING: THE FANGS OF THE FRONTIER!

Feeling lucky? New blog, fresh promo, all because she deserves it! Here's the Battle Frontier's PIKE QUEEN LUCY. 🐍

Promoted from sideblog status by DAN, this portrayal is indie, selective, and game-verse influenced!

Please read this blog’s rules (and check out Lucy's history) before interacting!

Please reblog and/or like this post and I’ll check you out!

[badbirchenergy]

a fun little idea i've always toyed around with, is of ever grande's summit having separate formats for challengers to choose from. singles, doubles, mega-evo, non-gimmick, etc (this post is mainly in reference to double-battles, my beloveds)

typically outside of her 'mon, girl couldn't care less in being a team player (didn't work too well for her in the past!), but the hoennian champions circle are all ppl she respects immensely, enough to say she recognizes them whole-heartedly as peers - this is major, when coming from a woman who once would've claimed herself peerless.

imagine: a roulette system, the double-champ battle tag-team determined by pure chance from the selection of sitting champions (presumably steven wallace brendan may and wally (as a treat)) - each armed with three internationally-acclaimed 'mon, a likely few completely unsurpassable in a competitive sense?? guessing the champs would consult with one another on who would utilize the gimmick (if any, should that have been the format chosen by the challenger) but idk if any of them would actually ever need to utilize one (having set the standard for leagues on a global scale iykyk🙇‍♀️). the synergy between them is otherworldly, a gimmick could simply never!

cut for may's hypothetical team of three, in double battles:

!!! get into ittttt