watch your step, the sky, our commands

[kalosian-woods]

ABOUT POST

A blog for my Kalosian Woods AU (AO3), detailing the XY series but with a greater focus on characterisation, lore, plot and basically everything else. Basically me flying on the seat of my pants while trying to make the region of Kalos more vibrant, more terrifying, and more dazzling than what we’ve actually got. #justicetoeverycharacterandpokemon (not a real hashtag but with your help we can make it happen /j)

Based on the anime series, but I do take pieces of the games and try to fit them as best we can because yes, we were robbed of AZ and the most OP flower fairy of all existence itself among other characters and plot points. I know the manga exists but god Adventures really has A Lot and I’m not really into most of its depictions ngl. That might change but as it is, this is what I’ve got (as well as my imagination). Honestly have no idea how long I'll stick around but so far it's given me a lot, this AU, and I want to pay it forward and talk beyond just AO3 so heyo everyone and welcome to the woods of Kalos, where you may never know what you may find (but also please, comments on ao3 give me life so don't skimp out on that too!!).

Some main tags—

#xerneas gossips: my (reasonable) posts

#yveltal listens: no thoughts just canon screenshots

#zygarde calls: fic announcements (if i ever need them)

#diancie delivers: answered asks

#hoopa steals: reblogs

#volcanion rumbles: analysis posts (canon and maybe even this universe)

#magearna records: small snippets on-blog only

#jirachi accepts: fanart/submissions <3

#deoxys arrives: post AU (official name TBA)

Wanna ask questions? Shoot away; I'll try my best to not be too spoilery (I say, having no idea where this AU will take me) but still, I like discussing plot points and ideas from both this AU and the actual canon so please, feel free to talk whatever! Have fun and stay while, we have cookies!! And of course, be nice or otherwise I’ll have the Transformer on top of me use Thousand Arrows on you.

(And yes, this profile pic will change to random Pokemon every month or so. Be prepared heh.) (mons already used so far (that i remember): Greninja, Xerneas, Hawlucha, Spritzee, Braixen, 10% Zygarde, Goomy, Chespin, Diancie, Amaura, Sylveon, Helioptile, Pangoro, Tyrunt, Volcanion, Flabebe)

Snippet prompts / requests are currently OPEN (but my timings may change - also watch me forget this is up when I'm busy lol)

(General Thingy: Spontaneous answers and incredible slowness may occur. I don't control the rate of spoons or time :P)

[kalosian-woods]

y'know what?? i'm slightly bored and tired/cranky lol, so here it goes:

Give me an episode in XY (all seasons inc. Z) and I'll try to write a scene subverting it (e.g. writing it in a different character's perspective, different formats such as text messages, different plot, etc.)

[kalosian-woods]

*respawns* hello, im back and i wanna yap :3

(this is gonna be... *stares at what i had just typed with my own hands* really long i apologize.)

i legit got so fixated over 🫧 that i stopped anoning for a while because i was making art to make physical stuff with it

and while i was at it, i started researching flowers and their meanings so i could insert symbolisms and stuff in there

(i even filled up my whole search history with flowers because i wanted to narrow it down to those that thrive in moist soil/wetlands and symbolize something that fits the AU in general; and i managed to find two top candidates:)

Anemone (specifically the purple variant): Anemones in general symbolize something along the lines of anticipation, and the colors REALLY matter for these flowers. Purple anemones have the added symbolism of protection and safeguarding from negative energy, typically on hand as a talisman to ward off bad spirits in European traditions.

Well, guess what the weed whackers are whacking? The vines that they whack are remnants of the negative energy Team Flare left behind that have taken physical form. Not only are they protecting their homeland by eliminating that negativity, but they're also protected by a wooper magnet friend willing to protect those she holds dear (and they are dear to Goodra, zero questions asked!), with the four of them anticipating many new tomorrows that everyone can live to see.

Blue Flag Iris (aka Iris versicolor): This specific variant of iris stood out to me because it's a really pretty wetland plant, and this AU is quite wetland-centric so it works either way. The purple-blue variant is said to symbolize faith, wisdom, and natural beauty, which really fits them considering how they got to this point in their lives.

They believe in the children they once went on a journey with in the same way said children believe in them, and the takeaways from said journey have given them the wisdom and valor for the next chapters of their stories. In terms of natural beauty, it's more on the context of the natural beauty of Kalos that many other people and Pokémon also call home.

(im genuinely going insane rn this quartet is rooted and filled with so much love that im becoming love-pilled thanks to them 🥹)

(send help bro they're taking over my brain AAAAAAAA- 💥)

-🦋

When the brainworms get it, it's very hard to stop. But also so very happy for your burst of inspiration!! Hope you get to ride it well with all the love that you've garnered from the blobbos <3

Honestly you've got me into a searching spree with these flowers too, especially with where they can be found. Apparently Anemone coronaria (poppy anemone, which can be purple) is usually found in Mediterranean region, with one such location being Southern France. But Eriocapitella hupehensis, also known as the Japanese anemone, can be located along river banks. So having a mix of these can reflect the culture of both Kalos and Kanto. The 'Blue Flag' in the name Blue Flag Iris could also denote the a title given to beaches that are clean and safe, which, you know, is the point of the weed whacking!

Genuinely this was really fun to read and listen to! Horiticulture would play a big role in the whole defender quartet saga, especially as they difereniate between weeds and actual flowering plants. Ngl you remind me of when I was trying to figure out names for the southern Kalos towns/cities and the amount of plant names I was searching up was unreal (I ended up pivoting from fragrant trees / plants to flowers themselves). Research is a lot but it's also fun in its own way! Once again, thanks a lot for sharing this with me, it's definitely given me a lot to think about heh :D

[kalosian-woods]

Okay since I'm back,,, you know I have to do this again. This one is a little long but turst me ok .

So in my break i got into a new Thing, and in this new Thing, there's a song that plays for a boss fight that accompanies with some cutscenes, and it really really reminds me of ash and alain. But mostly of alain.

Ehm. Because this song is for a game, and i dont know if your followers know or even play this game, but just to be safe; Spoilers for canto 7 for Limbus Company I GUESS?

The song is called Hero by Mili, and some of the lyrics for the song are;

After you, I follow After you, I follow The world you show me broaden my horizon Forever my hero Forever my hero I am your biggest fan I am your biggest fan

Excitement that I feel Return them to the shelf 'cause now I understand Heroes cannot be real

Here's a dream for you Here's a dream for me Don't you love the thrill of the chase?

Just let me be your fan, I wanna be your fan I'm still your biggest fan

Why is it that some were given the role of villain? The moment they were released into this system?

Stand up, gallop on Nothing can be done by feeling so sorry for myself

I know successful or not, I am who I am I am my biggest fan I am my enemy and my friend

Hero gonna prove my version of justice Is more just than yours Uno remaining on this stage, I am the only one

Specifically, when i was thinking about this song, i then started to think about this cutscene accompanied by the song in the game (in the link it should send to the time stamp... if not skip to 21:17) and like... waow.... so Ash........

Thanks for showing me this! I feel like this song can be from either Ash or Alain's POV (or even both!) depending on which set of lyrics, which gives that flow and ebb of idolization and doubt at different points of time.

They both follow each other, they both chase after something (the same thing, different things, divergent things). They are both fans and friends and enemies of each other and themselves, so much so. Alain is more dispositioned to believing about the impossibility of 'heros' while Ash could ponder about the unfairness of a system that breeds 'villains', however, it can also go the other way around. If there's one thing that they both embody, it is stubborness, the inability to be swayed from their own moral compass (even if it can be obscured at times), which the cutscene you've linked shows. Very much unstoppable force vs immovable object to each other, or to others, the same force / object. And, of course, their saviour complex preventing them from giving up, giving in, giving an inch to another's viewpoint that contradicts their own. Just the sheer belief of their way winning out in the end no matter what.

(The 'hero' in the lyric 'Hero gonna prove my version of justice' can also stand in for 'here I' to me, which is a fun wordplay heh. The way their identity sticks so much it is a stand in for first-person. So interesting to think about!)

[kalosian-woods]

I see that post about reflection cave and pmd 🫵

Are the gang getting pokemon-ified? If so what would the gang turn into? (ofc. If it's not spoilers lol)

Purr-haps? I actually had it planned for a different section before I started writing the fic, but what I'm getting at now should be fun :3c And perhaps coming out in a week or two.

Maybe-context spoilers:

(I shall say no more on this matter :P)

[kalosian-woods]

Hello its me :D

I took a little break from the pokemon fandom so im just wondering.... What did i miss on while i was gone LOL

HEYYY I MISSED YOU :D How have you been?

Honestly I had to take a small break from writing for a while too, so it's been slow so far. I have posted 3 fics (including one Gym battle :P) and am currently nearly done with two more. I'm speeding through the Diancie arc with the speed of light and it may be because I really like Building The Plot now. I've also been updating my ideas and planning doc, if that means anything! Also analysis. Been really thinking about things. Lots of things. So many things.

I should probably write down those things on the blog, now that I think about it. Thanks for the check in, it's great to see you again! o7

[kalosian-woods]

Why be content with one win when there’s another challenge up ahead? There seems to be a biking competition in Cyllage, and not one to wait, Ash jumps right into it, dragging everyone along for the ride. Well, not his ride, per se. But a ride all the same, such as:

A hot air balloon with one of your colleagues

A tandem bike with a worried friend

A tandem bike with a sad friend

The stands where a greedy presence looms, and then the feel of Psychic pulling you into the air as part of a spectacular heist

The tracks are calling, and the >> wheels are spinning <<, so what is there to lose? Another chance is another chance, and there’s nothing wrong with trying something new (until there is), so join in on the fun and don’t forget to dodge Thunderbolt!

[kalosian-woods]

Reflection Cave sounds like a place where there can be many different AUs intersecting within the anime canon. Why should we settle for personality reversals when we could have Mystery Dungeon instead?

[kalosian-woods]

thinking about gren's partial dark typing being constantly contradicted but also represented in a less outwardly evil way

i've yapped before about him not learning a single dark type move (and theorising in my head that it's because it goes against his compass as a hero/protector *cough cough* night slash in japanese)

like sure, it makes him built for the night, and he's a ninja, but imo the "darkness" in him is typically towards himself rather than others

not to mention the fact that his more personal/vulnerable moments are always at night or in darker lighting

-🦋

I get what you mean, but on the other hand, I don’t think shunning darkness as a whole is the way to view Greninja or his arc. Sure, he does protect and fight for the little guy and embodies justice, but can you call justice in and of itself pure? Can punishment be a good force? Is fighting good if you are a ‘good’ person? What constitutes as a good person?

To me, being good isn’t an intrinsic part of someone or a state or a mindset or anything. There’s nuance to it, and perspective, and ideals thrown into the mix. What’s good for one person can be the worst thing for another. Medicines are also drugs, and they can taste bitter and smell terrible and feel bad, and too much or too little can harm someone. Ones actions and words can be construed in a number of ways, and ignoring that can turn someone into the worst kind of monster — precisely because they think they can do no wrong in the first place.

TLDR I think Greninja embracing his Dark side is a good way for him to understand what makes one, well, alive and conscious of / able to make their own choices and be empathetic to it, equipping him with alternate ways of stopping evil that doesn’t require him to be wielded as a weapon against it. Power is power in the end, same as strength, and as long as he’s using it then it’s always up to him how it manifests (aka he can make Dark Type moves awesome and cool despite naming conventions and / or looks because everyone has a little darkness within and that’s how we connect and grow, by acknowledging it rather than hiding it away something something Snowbelle) (seriously imagine him gathering darkness as a cover, or taking it from the sky making the stars shine brighter, or from the hurt and pain of others to free them from it?).

[kalosian-woods]

Can’t believe I get to work on a fic I’ve imagined up almost two years ago lol.

[greninjaswatershuriken]

post canon shenanigans

[kalosian-woods]

I love how my biggest conundrum in writing right now is figuring out what Pokémon works best to inspire a helmet design.

[kalosian-woods]

Actually the more I think about it the more I just can’t reconcile the idea of Alain having an Unfezant. What do you mean Mr Edgelord doesn’t have a Staraptor? Aka:

Learns Close Combat (powerful move that lowers self-defence)

Known as the Predator Pokémon

When evolving, they leave the nest because they are strong enough to support themselves (Pokédex entry)

Shiny has a blue hairtuff

Abilities include Intimidate / Reckless (as Hidden)

Sinnoh mon (callback to Sycamore’s studies + region of researching evolution)

Parallels with the other Sinnoh mon, Weavile (Ice vs Flying, both of them speedy)

(retroactively has a Mega Evo?)

[kalosian-woods]

I have no idea if I’m alone in this but thinking about Ange gives me such a big headache. We know that:

AZ built it 2000 years ago on the request of some guy to protect Kalos

Its original function was to spread eternal life

It is powered by Mega Eternal Flower Floette

When the Ultimate Weapon went off, it triggered Ange into releasing Mega Power, which caused Rogue Megas

The Ultimate Weapon is powered by the life force of many Pokemon / Xerneas / Yveltal; Mega Power is the life energy of EF Floette

My questions:

Why did AZ agree to make Ange when (a) the Ultimate Weapon can achieve the same result (b) he has already spent 1000 years without EF Floette with no hope of reconciliation for him because he forced eternity on her (+ killed many Pokémon in the process) and (c) he is majorly depressed and turned off from human and Pokémon company for a long time at this point?

How does Ange have Mega Power when EF Floette hasn’t been anywhere near it?

How does the Ultimate Weapon set off Ange when they require different energy sources? (Ig for this one I can say EF Floette lifespan may be similar to Xerneas / Yveltal but still?)

How does Ange’s function go from life-giving to Rogue Megas? Could that have always been the case, considering how giving immortality to others in times of war can lead to bad situations? I feel like there is a something-something here where forcing immortality can lead to madness à la Rogue Megas and getting ghosted for 3000 years but there’s something missing…

And of course, how did nobody notice the throne room at the top of Prism Tower?

[kalosian-woods]

i have a feeling that alain's league team (minus zard and possibly metagross?) were absurdly strong rental pokemon or some secret third thing idk

in the x and y games, not only are all five of them able to be found in the friend safari (which involves connections with 3ds friends duh), but three of the league team's evo lines (weavile, metagross, and unfezant) can ONLY be found via said friend safari, and can NEVER be found outside in regular wild encounters

(but then again, this is the anime, so anything can happen ig)

among his known pokemon, metagross is the only pokemon other than zard that appeared in any episodes before the league, that being in xyz23 as a metang, but even then, where did he get one? (from steven, perhaps? he's known for beldums /j)

considering that he was speedrunning his badges within such a record time of 6-7 episodes + a movie (?), it gave me something to question: where and how did that guy get a full team of six for the league in such a short time?

to think that they were never seen again after the league also says something. maybe lysandre has something to do with those mons? my brain is fried man idk

-🦋

Yeah, I've heard about the 'possibly-friend-safari-rentals' before, BUT I've always thought about the places where some of them can be found somewhat naturally in-games and it also says a lot:

Bisharp: One can trade a Jigglypuff for it in Snowbelle City, (as Pawniard) can be found in Route 15

Tyranitar (as Pupitar): Can be found in Route 18 / Terminus Cave

Weavile (as Sneasel): Can be found in Route 17 / Mamoswine Road

Unfezant (as Pidove) can't actually be found in Kalos normally, but in ORAS it's found near Rustboro (where Devon Corporation is).

At least half of his team can be found near where he meets Ash, and considering how he doubles back to challenge the Gyms, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for him to train them up there since he's headed for the League to battle Ash in his entirety, rather than just Charizard vs Greninja. I really do enjoy the idea of Lysandre handing them to him since Alain thrashing the League would make a good distraction for his evil laser weapon to be built up (+ nepo baby), but I don't think he would like to waste such a powerful guy on the League in the first place. Why indulge in the idea of battling being for fun when the world is going to be remade? However, it does lend credence when considering how it's most likely that he let the Pokemon go after the Crisis to restart again, cutting away all Team Flare influences as soon as he could (possibly donating them to the Friend Safari in the first place??). There are many avenues for Pokémon acquisition, it seems! …It’s the training up part that gets me thinking (then again, Alain is that kind of guy to do army drills I believe. Very precise in training heh).

[kalosian-woods]

(this is... gonna be a whole yapfest i apologize)

thinking of gren's role as protector in the kalos gang, and how it led to him becoming one on a much larger scale, namely Kalos itself

other than battling, protecting was always one of his default settings this whole time, and in his story where he's his own protagonist, ash is essential to what his main agenda was this whole time: becoming stronger with a trainer, so that he can use that strength to protect out of love

(it also becomes some sort of flaw when he becomes self-sacrificial and too protective to a fault, when he becomes rash with himself on the line so the protected doesn't suffer so much, not considering how hurting/sacrificing himself affects others)

that's why i absolutely love xyz ep28 because both gren and ash came to realize that they lost track of their original paths, with the spewpa rescue helping them clear the blizzard that clouded their view and perfect the bond by their shared desire to save said spewpa

to gren, it's some sort of wish come true. after so long, by joining and believing in ash as his trainer, he's finally completed that part of the agenda, choosing a trainer and becoming a greninja that had unlocked and mastered that hidden lock of unforeseen power that will take them to new heights together, through their bond

the crisis hits, and this time, gren was focused on support and defense not only towards alain's mission to save chespie and stop lysandre, but also against the megalith's path to the end of the world

(tbh i always thought that ash-gren in the league was primarily on ash's influence to go all out and not hold back, giant water shuriken and all; meanwhile, the crisis was on gren's influence to protect the world and everyone's tomorrow, unlocking that newfound vision to locate chespie and help alain)

now, with zygarde giving him a job opportunity thanks to his newly unlocked aura vision (or whatever you call it) and the existence of lingering hatred manifested as giant vines, he now opens a new chapter of his story as a fellow of zygarde, helping clear out the red that lingers all over Kalos

(and that strength and vision is what gren carries with him as a souvenir of the journey, which he can truly use to the fullest with his new role)

(and thats when i can also pull out the bubbles emoji! :3c 🫧)

-🦋

Heyy, great minds think alike!!! (source)

I’m also thinking about how early Froakie tended to hold grudges a lot longer, favouring the defeat of the opponent (re: first meeting Fletchling and Dedenne) or disregarding the ‘wrongdoer’ (Hawlucha when they practiced double battles) instead of working with Ash. I think he really does end up mellowing out a lot at some point, enough so that he didn’t hold it against Alain in the Crisis (and even after that), which does kind of relate to the idea of protecting. He’s now desecrating himself to protect despite his own personal feelings, instead opting to look beyond grievances to find a common ground and building up from there.

That probably goes hand in hand with how he perceives himself as a character in the grand scheme of things. He’s always pushed to get stronger in service of others, but doesn’t actually go out of his way to connect with them beyond that. The journey he takes with Ash and the gang goes a long way in opening him up and allowing him to bond with others, thus giving him more love, thus lending him more power when he needed it. If he was truly alone with only his other half in the Crisis, he wouldn’t have been as strong as he actually was— even if it gave him more time to practice, to perfect the form, to be everything that the form needed. It’s his relationships that give him something tangible to protect— him knowing the lives and ambitions and growth of others that give him the faith required to stand up for them in the face of disillusioned and powerful evil. It also gives him a lifeline when he’s getting a bit too sacrificial, as he now knows that isn’t what others want of him, and him being hurt also hurts them (because that’s what love is).  (Something something how love changes you irrevocably both physically and mentally and how it is a journey in and of itself and how it isn’t clear at some points but you’ll eventually end up at home with the people who you care about in the end something.)

[kalosian-woods]

A concerning amount of this AU is me changing locations of key places on the canon Kalos map, I’m starting to realise.