Links for Story Posts, Memes, Pics, and FAQ all below the cut~!
Alex is an aloof, sarcastic, moody, surly, and sometimes a downright ass of a teenager. He just wants to be left alone, but the universe doesn't seem to get the message. He's come to Paldea on a Student Exchange, his family hoping the time abroad helps him find what he needs.
Max is the polar opposite, an energetic, happy, wholesome young teen with a love for grass type Pokémon and sports. Nailing a sponsorship from the Kalos Tourism Board and then an endorsement from Galar's own Champion to boot, Max has eagerly come to Galar to pursue all his interests at once in the League Challenge.
If you're looking for one specific kiddo, all posts for Alex are tagged with 'AJKS' while everything Max is tagged as 'CMAX'.
OP's BlueSky Account
Notorious for lurking, but once in a blue moon WIPs will get dropped here, among other things~!
Div.Paths Illustration Calendar
Links to all pics themed on holidays, fun days, art prompts, etc, are located in this handy list~
Memes
Old Man Meme
Staaaairs (Kung Fu Panda 2)
No, This is Patrick
Misc Pics
Main Cast Chibis
Terastallized Axel
Tera Raid NPCs
Pkmn Sleep Friend Codes
The Poison Dance
Asks
Max Asks: OPEN
Max Answers #1: Pokemon at Home
Max Answers #2: Uniform Number
Max Answers #3: If Max was a Pokemon…
Max Answers #4: Congrats on Badge!
Alex Asks: OPEN
Alex Answers #1: Pokemon at Home
Alex Answers #2: Food at Home
Alex Answers #3: If Alex was a Pokemon…
Valentines '24 ♡ Val. #2 ♡ White Day '24
Alex Answers #4: Ride Speed
Alex Answers #5: Honorary Rock Type?
Both Asked #1: Choose Between...
Both Asked #2: Hisui Lesson
Both Asked #3: In-Game Avatars
Both Asked #4: Dating Prefs
Both Asked #5: Fave Legends
OP Answers #1: ALEX SUCKS
OP Answers #2: Master Post
OP Answers #3: Other Stories?
OP Answers #4: Foxy Grandpa
OP Answers #5: Family Ties
OP Answers #6: Aurora School Culture
Lato Asks???
Lato Ask #1 -- Lato Ask #2
About the Players:
Pokémon Violet is being played by one-half of a dynamic duo (Taz/Trina of tazsaintsart) while Pokémon Sword is being played by the other half (Hope/Husbando, aka gleaming_hope). Since our respective games were new to us, and we wanted to share our thoughts and quips and feelings on these games through the eyes of our youngest characters, Alex and Max.
Additionally, we have the support of our friends Dia (@diamondphantom), Alyss (@calicowitchling), and Soli (@red-bulbasaur) who are assisting Taz with filling in character tones on story posts~!
FAQ:
Q: Will you include the DLC?
A: Eventually! Gotta' finish the main story first!
Q: Is there a set posting schedule?
A: Hell no. Making a schedule and deadlines is the quickest way to destroy my motivation to draw. The pressure turns into anxiety which turns into guilt which turns into shame and then nobody gets anything fun anymore.
Q: Sword's old! Why would you include it?
A: Because it's new to Hope (OP's husbando) and he has his own quirky sense of humour worth sharing too. Besides, it means more story posts for you and I feel it's a great counterbalance to the story of Violet.
Q: Is it just me, or is the scaling/heights between characters a bit wonky?
A: It's not you! The in-game player charas skewed my perception so it took me a while to figure out character heights that I could use consistently, so Alex might seem shorter than he should be in earlier posts, while Max was a bit bigger than he was meant to be.
Q: What's this 'Lato' thing I keep seeing mentioned?
A: Lato is a fan region based on Poland, created by this blog's art assistant @diamondphantom~ In Alex's canon/backstory, he had a particularly lengthy school trip through the region four years prior to Paldea. It doesn't really affect the current story beyond showing that Alex has had a significant mood shift in the four years since the school trip.
Q: Will you draw '_____'?
A: Maybe, maybe not! Aside from a set motivation for the boys, posts will just be whatever we feel like sharing.
Q: Can I suggest ideas, or submit my own work to this blog?
A: The Ask and Submissions boxes are open for this very reason! If you would like to share a moment where our paths cross, you're very welcome to! We only ask that you keep it SFW and don't post major spoilers for either game; you can see where the boys are at via the badge counts in the blog header.
In my defense, humans from the Pokemon world are built different. I’m 90% sure that even the regular joe in that world has a higher endurance than us. And Pokemon legends Arceus + ZA are strong evidences of my theory.
So even though Max is a teenager, he could absolutely punt me to the dumpster Kobe style
one of these two has thrown hands in the main story and it's not max lmao
got a few asks in the box that i thought would be good to answer at last, since they read well together hehehe
as for the boyo's personalities underneath the facades, anyone's who has ever worked retail/service understands 'emotional labour', aka, putting on a smile and being nice all day long, even in the face of people who think you're beneath them. it is physically exhausting to keep that up, even more so when it's against your nature to maintain it.
alex is usually grumpy/short with people because he's so worn out from the tough guy act. it couldn't be further from the truth of who he is. whilst on the other hand, max really only has to burn that energy in shorter bursts, keeping his cool rather than letting himself say what he really thinks.
and 100+ pages in, we're seeing both of them run out of energy for their facades. :')
May 10th is Maid Day, and we're following a similar layout to last year's pic but with some extra additions, such as a proper cafe and outfit theme, and a bonus 2nd place butler suit (and i suppose we can say a free seat at the cafe went to 3rd place lol)
Arven is still making the food, Alex is still banned from handling the food, and Nemona is doing her best to get some pkmn battles on the clock lol
HBD ....Max? 8U Looks like with this year's bday pic you get a blast from the past with his looks and the bday trivia~!
Max was a total gremlin a few years prior to current story; all that energy with no outlet, a gifted golden-child brother getting all the attention, and hardly any friends of his own, meant any attention was fine regardless of how he got it -- an all-too-familiar concept with many a trouble-maker.
Unlike Alex, whose changes over the last few years are mostly negative, Max has grown and improved himself substantially, through finding ways to use all his energy non-destructively. He's taken up a wide range of hobbies and interests, such as sports (footy and ice hockey~), pkmn care (he has diligently cared for his home trio), cooking, and even helps grampa with chores and DIY around the house too~
Despite all the change, he's still lacking in a number of areas though. He's no slouch with his school work, yet has never reached the same grade range as Alex, and his (lack of) vocab continues to betray him at the worst moments. This has lead quite a few people to assume he's below average or an outright moron, when he's actually fairly smart. He's just unable to express this intelligence in meaningful ways.
And that's another birthday down, hope you liked the little bit of insight into Max's past~!
Landing right between the boyos bdays, Easter this year for us is a cheerleading theme due to choosing to go with the twin bunnies of Plusle and Minun~
If their school had a cheer team option, that may have been the one and only extra-curricular that Alex could have gotten into and enjoyed, but alas, no such luck!
HBD Alex~! We cut it down to the wire this year getting this post ready, but it's out, haha~! And here's the music+vid that was the major inspo for this dance gif ~
And par for the course, here's a bit more trivia about the kiddo too~
As it was revealed with the Poison Dance that Alex has quite the sense of rhythm, even while loopy, one may or may not be surprised to learn that this math and science nerd actually has a secret passion for music and dance~
Despite talents and interests in a wide variety of topics and activities, Alex has never joined anything except Aurora's Math Team, and even then, he was tricked/coerced into joining. He doesn't have much of a competitive sense, so doesn't find sports all that engaging, and for anything else, often cites the time needed to study- much to the chagrin of those who would like to employ his skills as their team ace.
Alex has a bit of a weakness for gambling, however is a bit of a cheat, and usually only makes a bet when he can stack the odds in his favour. The presence of a risk, even if it's minor, can be kinda thrilling in its own way.
And that's another year, and more trivia down~! Hope you liked it~! <3
One of the busiest times for side pics here opens with April Fools this year (Easter's a little later lol), and we look at another 'What If...?' with the kiddos~
What would they become if they were never pressured to become Trainers?
Alex, to no one's surprise, would easily fit into the Ranger lifestyle and venture off into the wilds of Kalos, hoping that he can imbue a little more respect for nature into the world, one Trainer at a time. He already has the talent for listening to and handling wild 'mons, a Styler would just extend his capabilities further~
Max becoming a Breeder was probably not on anyone's bingo card, though lol ~ But summer break is a long time for a kid to do nothing, and Max has spent time at the Baa de Mer Ranch the two summers prior to leaving for Galar. As energetic as he is, Max thrived with the farm work, getting to help care for the Skiddo, and even assisted with Baa de Mer's famous cheesemaking. It's a role he'd happily take on a more permanent basis if he wasn't so sports-focused.
