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.
While the blog's on slow mode for AF, I thought that this year, it might be nice to post the art I've been doing over on AF for those who mightn't have an account to follow there. :3
So without further ado~
Week One~!
In order of completion, we haveeeee....
Pic 1: 'Salesman Supreme' - Link Here
Pic 2: 'Koi Kitty' - Link here
Pic 3: 'Pastel Moonlight' - Link here
Pic 4: 'Eyes on You' - Link here
Pic 5: 'Pony Sticker Sheet' - Link here
Pic 6: 'Ocean Goddess' - Link here
Pic 7: 'Angel Face' - Link here
All links are directed to the matching post on AF, which contains the correct links and credits for the OCs drawn in the info section under each pic. <3
I'm suuuuper happy with how pics 6 & 7 turned out, but I love all the pics I've down so far~ Events like AF always give me a chance to experiment and try new ideas/styles, or to practise things I'm not so confident in, as well as just getting to see how incredibly creative other people are.
I always feel like I come away from these events with new ideas and a fresh mindset which just improves my work all the more~
w o w that went fast! but so far i've managed to keep up the momentum and create at least one pic a day~! receiving attacks/revenges goes a long way to keeping the motivation up, as does seeing every giftee scream when they've seen my attacks hehee~
without further ado though, here's the second week of art!
Pic 1: 'Sweet Dreams' - Link Here
Pic 2: 'Fly High' - Link Here
Pic 3: 'A Nervous Grin' - Link Here
Pic 4: 'Puppy Playdate' - Link Here
Pic 5: 'So Tasty~!' - Link Here
Pic 6: 'DIVINITY' - Link Here
Pic 7: 'Good Cheer~!' - Link Here
Pic 8: 'Pawprints in the Stars' - Link Here
As with last week's post/prior reblog, all links are directed to the matching post on AF, which contains the correct links and credits for the OCs drawn in the info section under each pic. <3
As it's probably easier to see now with a second week visible, my interests go all over the place, and i really do enjoy experimenting with all kinds of ideas - sometimes i'll go practise a style, such as the sanrio-looking pics 1 & 8, or i'll try working on techniques i'm not entirely comfy with, such as the backlight rendering present on pic 6, and sometimes it's just making sure a pose or expression is nailed.
A special shoutout also goes to the artists featured in pics 3 & 5, as those were both revenge pics for long-time DP fans, @silverops and @brewedfiction ~! it really did make my day to see some familiar names appear alongside your pics, so thank you once again! <33
While the blog's on slow mode for AF, I thought that this year, it might be nice to post the art I've been doing over on AF for those who mightn't have an account to follow there. :3
So without further ado~
Week One~!
In order of completion, we haveeeee....
Pic 1: 'Salesman Supreme' - Link Here
Pic 2: 'Koi Kitty' - Link here
Pic 3: 'Pastel Moonlight' - Link here
Pic 4: 'Eyes on You' - Link here
Pic 5: 'Pony Sticker Sheet' - Link here
Pic 6: 'Ocean Goddess' - Link here
Pic 7: 'Angel Face' - Link here
All links are directed to the matching post on AF, which contains the correct links and credits for the OCs drawn in the info section under each pic. <3
I'm suuuuper happy with how pics 6 & 7 turned out, but I love all the pics I've down so far~ Events like AF always give me a chance to experiment and try new ideas/styles, or to practise things I'm not so confident in, as well as just getting to see how incredibly creative other people are.
I always feel like I come away from these events with new ideas and a fresh mindset which just improves my work all the more~
here's some more answers to asks we've received over the last wee while ~! :3
in regards to random one-off background ocs, i usually try to do people that don't always look completely like generic mobs, and some of them also get more interesting designs such as tutor lady here, mostly because i prefer the idea of the world looking like it's full of people who could all be the main character in their own stories. that said, i don't try to think too deeply about backstories or making every single person interconnected, because if i did, i'd never ever ever EVER get anything done lol
OP/tazsaints on ArtFight~
Taz's Sniping List for those interested~!
Less than a week to go at the time of posting, so this is just a quick post to remind people that the blog will be slow during the month of July as OP/Taz participates ~ And if anyone reading the blog also participates, don't be shy in saying hi -- I'm also a running a variant on the usual HitLists you see around the site, for people who might have/know of an AF friendo in need of some love.
And before we finish up, I have a confession to make.
I caved. :')
After two years of being asked every so often if I'd put Alex and Max up on ArtFight, they're finally there! Anyhow, see you around~!
hehe seem the new babs name piqued the curiosity of a couple of people~! this name is defo a super nerdy one, and tbf i would have been surprised if anyone got it since you don't see chemical formulas made into names like this all that often ~
as for the montageeeeggggghHHAHGHGHHHHH OUGH
i love them for the story, it's so fun to show parallels or similarities occurring like that, and to move time along in a way that doesn't drag, but they are so. MUCH. WORK. and i am a lazy housecat weeeeeh
As Alex's school life is progressing well (for a change lol), Max seems to be in a bit of a slump........
And on a side note...... :D this page marks the first part of the transition into the winter break arc, I can't believe it took so long but I'm still stoked I managed to get here at all~! That's a milestone for me :D
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
