The Future... Is In The Past

We're going Pokemon Mode

[tlkdraws]

Catboy Arven doodle for Cat Day haha

[cinnamary]

Crispin character sheet (again, translation courtesy of PokeSuutamie on Twitter/X)

I think the most interesting thing here is the detail that he tries to show off when he gets an order from Lacey and always ends up burning it (implying that this has happened more than once)

[cinnamary]

Amarys character sheet (translation by PokeSuutamie on Twitter/X)

I think the most interesting thing here is the clarification that the "screws" in Amarys' hair are in fact her hair and not ornaments. I've seen several people suggest that Amarys can be considered to have stylized bantu knots, and I think I agree with them.

[saccharinescorpion]

i already liked Amarys and Carmine's relationship (as Drayton says, they click in a weird way) but something that's really interesting is that i think Carmine is, whether she's doing it on purpose or not, trying to emulate Amarys. Carmine gets mad at the player making her wait, Amarys puts a lot of importance on punctuality and time. Carmine always tells you to "get into position" before a battle, Amarys has her "let's assume our battle positions" and "position assumed" lines. even their uniforms... all the other Elite Four members have little additions to their uniforms (even Kieran has his jacket over the school shirt and tie), but Amarys just has the "blue top, blue pants" version of the Blueberry uniform... and so does Carmine.

from Carmine's official art i kind of assumed she'd be a cool stoic character and that turned to be totally offbase, but i wonder if that's in part to her trying to be "cool" like Amarys is

oh, and as for how Carmine has influenced Amarys:

[cinnamary]

Did you know? In the Japanese version of the game, Amarys (Nerine) is a "namaekko," a Japanese character archetype in which a girl uses her name in place of a more typical first-person pronoun (such as "watashi"). Typically this is a trait of young children (a famous example: Anya Forger from SPY x FAMILY), so when an older character does this, it typically implies that she's trying to be "cutesy," or simply has a "cute" or "girlish" personality.

It's not said outright, but I believe the choice to have Amarys speak this way was a deliberate one, made to contrast with her formal and taciturn speech patterns, and to hint at her sensitive and caring side.

[cinnamary]

NGL, it feels a little uncomfortable seeing the fandom's lack of love for Amarys compared to the other DLC characters.

I know that a part of it is that Game Freak had some extremely clear favouritism for certain characters (Drayton, Kieran, lol)... but it's not like fandom has never jumped in for characters who lacked screentime and characterization. That's what happened for a lot of Pokemon characters before Game Freak started going in more character/story heavy with the games... so why isn't fandom doing that for a character that does have notable characterization but a lack of screentime? As I pointed out in her conversation with Carmine, Amarys paints. In my experience fandoms love characters with creative hobbies like painting and drawing, so why is it that I've seen almost no one in the English PKMN fandom point this out?

Why does it seem like no one else knew that?

What makes Amarys different?

[cinnamary]

Here is the League Room conversation that reveals that Amarys paints, for the record.

[cinnamary]

NGL, it feels a little uncomfortable seeing the fandom's lack of love for Amarys compared to the other DLC characters.

I know that a part of it is that Game Freak had some extremely clear favouritism for certain characters (Drayton, Kieran, lol)... but it's not like fandom has never jumped in for characters who lacked screentime and characterization. That's what happened for a lot of Pokemon characters before Game Freak started going in more character/story heavy with the games... so why isn't fandom doing that for a character that does have notable characterization but a lack of screentime? As I pointed out in her conversation with Carmine, Amarys paints. In my experience fandoms love characters with creative hobbies like painting and drawing, so why is it that I've seen almost no one in the English PKMN fandom point this out?

Why does it seem like no one else knew that?

What makes Amarys different?

[cynthiaandsamus]

(I like that these two do this)

[mewmewbakery151]

Amarys and Skarmory (and Carmine because they’re so cute together)

Artist: @suraelis

Challenge: Pokemon Indigo Disk

[cinnamary]

In Amarys and Carmine's League Room Conversation

Carmine gives Amarys some Syrupy Apples from Kitakami

Carmine reveals that Amarys asks for Syrupy Apples every time she goes back home

Amarys states that she likes the taste of the apples, but that she also uses them for still life compostions when she paints

Amarys paints! And Carmines knows about this

Carmine invites Amarys to go to Kitakami, and expresses the desire to personally show her around

Amarys reacts approvingly to this proposal

[cinnamary]

Path of Legends

[cinnamary]

This might be reading too much into things but I think that weird essay might be tied in to a weird trend I see in SV's fanbase where people basically "adultify" Arven. The part about him "running up to scream at a kid with self-esteem issues," as if Arven isn't also a kid. I've seen a lot of people call him a "grown-ass man" when there's nothing in the game that supports that, and considering several lines, his relationships with other characters, and, you know, the fact his story is all about parental abandonment, I think it actively contradicts the story.

[tsumupig]

The lack of reading comprehension in the Pokemon fandom… shitting on a character that you barely even remember basic details to their story 😂😂. Who’s going to take that opinion seriously 😂

[cinnamary]

The whole thing about the Magikarp nearly took me out... a child could figure out that what was happening with Mabosstiff was completely seperate from Pokemon battle stuff.

[saccharinescorpion]

i knew introducing a Category 5 Smol Heckin Sad Boy to Pokemon Scarlet And Violet was always going to send unimaginable shockwaves through the fandom but it’s a shame that Arven has to be. it’s a shame th. tha. hang on. post cancelled. i’m looking at that person’s blog. what the fuck do you mean “an essay on Consanguinamorous Love”

[saccharinescorpion]

you can not be the “yeah that’s right my partner wrote an essay about convincing a girl to date her brother, sorry if you’re OFFENDED” person AND the “when a teenager in a Pokemon game yells at another teenager in a Pokemon game that is LITERALLY ABUSE” person. i think this is one of those things where you have to pick a lane

[redburrowrights]

A second person got mad about my pokemon headcanon, so fuck it, I'm a petty bitch, let me talk about why Arven's story is terrible.

And just for the record, this is all just my thoughts and opinions. You're allowed to like Arven, you're allowed to disagree with my takes. You are free to not read this, or just block me if my takes on Pokemon are really that bad to you. But I really don't feel like getting in fights in the comments, so if you're gonna come at me, I'm probably gonna either ignore you or block you. Be civil please.

First off, Arven is a complete dick. Upon meeting you for the first time, he immediately insults you, then turns around and demands you do chores for him. In the epilogue he runs up to a kid with serious self esteem issues, and literally screams in the kids face that he's your best friend, and that the kid should back off. Asshole behavior.

But let's talk more about why he's a dick. He gets mad at you for being with miraidon (or koraidon but I played violet so I'm just going to say miraidon for this), Because it hurt his dog. Fair enough, but still doesn't make me like him more. The hurt dog play is a shallow way to make him seem sympathetic, especially when he's still a dick to Kieran in the post game, despite him having done nothing wrong.

But more to the point, I simply don't believe that the pokemon center couldn't heal the dog. That's a suspension of disbelief that this game doesn't earn. I've had my pokemon go up against legendaries that can tear holes in the fabric of reality, and guess what? One trip the pokemon center, and they're all good in a matter of seconds. In fact, I fought the exact same miraidon, and afterwards went to the pokemon center, and was fine. I caught that miraidon, maxed out it's stats, boosted it as far as it could go, terastalized it, and used its strongest move on a boosted terrain against a lvl 1 Magikarp, a pokemon known specifically for being weak, as well as being weak to the move, and guess what? Two seconds in the pokemon center and it was fine. And it's not like mabosstiff wasn't a battler, Arven is a master level trainer, meaning he's beaten the league, and it's his ace Pokemon, so he definitely used it.

Arven simply states that he tried everything and it didn't work, and there's never any elaboration. It's not like the paradox machine infected it with a paradox virus that our medicine is incompatible with or something, it's just vaguely hurt. Considering how blatantly this contradicts canon established since Gen 1, with no explanation at all, it leaves me with no other option than to assume he's lying about getting mabosstiff help, hence my head canon that he's an antivaxer who only wants to use "natural cures", and lies to you because if he told you he didn't trust Pokemon centers, he wouldn't help you.

Honestly, id probably find it more compelling that way. Maybe the herbs don't work, and he confesses that he lied about using the pokemon center, because his shitty scientist parents left him with a mistrust of modern science. Then you have to convince him that it's what's best for his Pokemon. I dunno, just spit balling, but it's something.

Moving on from the dog , his other story beat is his daddy (or mommy but I played violet) issues. But honestly? Its not really well integrated into his story. After the reveal of his parents, Arven has very little reaction to anything, outside of some passing exposition. Then you get to the professor, and Arven doesn't even really get to talk to them. He's not there when you learn his parents are dead, he just cheers you on for the final fight. He's a side character in a story he should be central in, so I don't get a proper sense of his emotions. He's a boring character who's along for the ride. It's like the player in SwSh. Yeah, we're there for what's happening, but we don't really need to be for most of it.

All in all, I just don't think Arven is a likeable or well written character, and his story is weak at best, and blatantly contradicts canon at worst. He's mean and entitled, while having all of his development be weak pitty plays. SV weren't particularly amazing games, and Arven is honestly one of the worst parts.

[saccharinescorpion]

i guess i have to admit i do have a bit of admiration towards this person for leading with “Arven was MEAN to Kieran, the saddest scrunkiest baby boy :(” and then hitting the reader with “Arven is an antivaxxer with stolen Hurt Dog Valor, my evidence for this is that gameplay and story segregation exists”. you can say this was a terrible post, but you can’t say it was a boring post

[cinnamary]

There's a lot going on here, including the fact that OP decided to write a character analysis when they had such a poor reading of the game that they thought that Miraidon was the Pokemon that hurt Mabosstiff... but I just want to draw attention to the part about Arven "running up to a kid with serious self esteem issues and literally screaming in the kids face that he's your best friend, and that the kid should back off."

...wow... so much screaming. What a monster. How did this get in an E-rated game?

[cinnamary]

I think it's implied that Arven is physically pretty strong. Besides the fact that he was able to seemingly hoist Juliana/Florian on Miraidon/Koraidon's back very easily, he's always got that huge backpack on... I think more fanwork should use that detail!

[cinnamary]

Lacey introduces herself as a second-year student, and Crispin is confirmed by a line of (extremely easy-to-miss, thank you Game Freak, lol) NPC dialogue to be a first-year.

Uva/Naranja's classrooms follow a number-letter naming scheme, 1-A, 1-D, 2-G, while Blueberry's are number-number, 1-4 and 3-2, showing the schools to use a different organizing system. Uva/Naranja's homerooms are also explictly organized by each student's track, hence why Nemona is in the same homeroom as Juliana/Florian despite having attended the academy longer.

Because of these facts, I believe it is meant to be implied that Blueberry Academy's students are traditionally grouped by school year the way most Japanese schools are (while Unova is based on the United States of America, Game Freak is, of course, a Japanese company, so I don't think it's too much of a leap to suggest that they're following a system that would be most familiar to their writers and main audience, especially considering Blueberry's uniforms seem to be based on Japanese high school uniforms). The year of each class is signified by the first number in their designation: 1-4 would presumably be a first year class, 3-2 would presumably be a third year class.

In Carmine and Crispin's League Club Room conversation, it's revealed that Crispin and Kieran are in the same class. Kieran's classroom is, sure enough, 1-4- therefore, I believe he is meant to be a first-year student.

Likewise, NPC dialogue in Class 3-2 reveals Carmine and Amarys are both in that class- therefore, I believe the two of them are meant to be third-year students.

MY PROPOSAL

First Years: Crispin (confirmed) and Kieran (presumed)

Second Years: Lacey (confirmed)

Third Years: Carmine and Amarys (both presumed)

I literally am not sure because the information is spread between NPC dialogue that uses confusing wording (ThAnKs Game Freak) and a League Club Room conversation and I already spent way too much time trying to figure out where the hell it was confirmed that Crispin was a first-year and if I'm being honest I kind of don't care enough about him to confirm this (which is not to speak to his writing or character! Really! I just am focused more on other characters) so I'm just going to say "on his third attempt at Second-Year": Drayton (lol)

[darkclouds-rainsounds]

Kieran is confirmed to be a first year by an npc in the plaza you can talk to! I had taken the screenshot below before I met with Carmine for reference.

[cinnamary]

Thank you! I had a feeling I had seen something like this but couldn't quite remember. I think this strengthens my "classroom number corresponding to school year" theory even more!