genuinely i think most of the character criticism of clark and mary backrooms (mostly clark, from what i’ve seen people are muuuch quicker to point out clark’s misogyny but not racism and even denying clark being a black man has any significance) would be resolved if you realized therapy as a theory and therapy as a practice are vastly different and not an inherent system that helps people. even at its best it’s not going to help all people because it is a byproduct of an ableist, racist, transphobic, homophobic, and misogynistic state. it is poking holes in the system of “just go to therapy, it’ll fix you” being a backwards concept because no that really isn’t how it works and just the same it isn’t in whole about “wanting to change” because of the aforementioned society making it critically hard to do that when the people around you and especially those you are trusting to help you get better have already decided there are inherent 'truths' to you. in the same vein it is impossible to be a participant in that system as an entirely “good one” because you will never shed those biases and you will ultimately continuing pedaling that notion of therapy, which is significantly different from rehabilitation (for lack of a better word) in suffering. clark did try. his "we don't have to change" isn't him at the precipice of betterment. he has been trying and the people around him still view him as the captain, and he has no real community or connections to understand him because those he has are his employees and the character that isn’t, his wife (also white), is seen as his impossible standard: a prospecting lawyer and the epitome of ‘lawfulness’ that he believes turned on him. he is interpreted as a one-dimensionally violent man with no good reason for what he does and there is a very real racial bias to that (both in universe and in the common ‘clark is evil’ interpretation). he is literally the only black character in the movie and has a white therapist who doesn't understand that it isn't his own actions alone that keep him trapped but prevalent systemic racism that reinforce that he can't get better when what is seen in him is a racist caricature. at the same time, i'm not saying mary didn't want to help him. mary did but fundamentally wasn't a good therapist for him. additionally she is still a victim of a misogynistic society and clark's own misogyny that dilutes her value in the eyes of others whilst also dehumanizing her, ie his stand in for his anger against his wife. still, in her therapy, she's continuously entrenched him in his traumas expecting him to produce an answer. looping back and back again and expecting something different. having him reenter the roleplay scene when he specifically said he did not like it. it wasn't from a place of overt malice; she has seen the decline of people in her life and she never wanted what happened to clark to happen at all. neither were evil nor virtuous characters. they were flawed and struggling humans who were never viewed that way by the other.
Amphibia as a whole is in many ways a thorough deconstruction of the ideas of the Isekai genre, and one thing that it does very, very well in that regard is to deconstruct the usual trappings of a Hero, and how stupid the usual “neat and “clean” ideas of the “Hero’s Journey” cycle actually is.
Because all 3 of the Calamity Trio could easily fit into the usual origin of an isekai Hero protagonist.
Anne is transported to the rural backwater Valley, for all intents and purposes the Amphibian equivelant to the Shire. Here she meets the locals, an insight into the nitty gritty parts of amphibian life and seem to be as if it was tailored to fit the classic everyman turned grand destined hero background.
Sasha was thrown into jail the moment she got there, but through her resourcefulness, and supernaturally enhanced strenght, she quickly rose to become the de facto boss of her little corner of the land.
Add this, with the fact that she would later go on to rebel against the ruler of the land, who was an evil, cruel tyrant who dreamed of interdimensional conquest, and has set up the current feudal structure to make sure the Toads Sasha is now in charge off is as miserable as possible, this is basically the set up for standard one lone Rebel against an Evil, oppressive Empire story.
Then there is Marcy’s story where she ends up in the fantasy capital, and for all intents and purposes, she gets to live out the life as a classic Isekai protagonist, going from shy, awkward nerd, to superpowered, beloved Badass, in service to the King.
Her story is basically set up as the kind of Hero’s tale that you find in protagonists like the Elder Scrolls various Heroes, where a complete nobody rises from complete obscurity to become big and important. They might not be the guy in charge, but they are the guy the entire plot revolves around, and they are the ones going around and fixing everything, and becoming famous and beloved in the process.
Complete with a hidden power, and a grand destiny.
It is the very image of a fantasy hero origin.
On their own, each of these could have been a big, overarching story telling the tale of a singular hero’s rise to grandness.
However, what Amphibia does instead, is completely deconstruct the very idea of the grand destined few becoming heroes and defeating the great evil, by showcasing the fact that the actual road to being a hero isnt quick, it isnt easy, and it isnt clean and neat.
The thibg about Zane and PIXAL is that they’ve both changed a lot as characters over time, and from a distance they’ve had sort of similar growth, socially at least, but I like PIXAL’s development and I hate Zane’s and here’s why.
But Zane used to be weird and stilted, and saying shit like “I sense this is not a wise thing to do.” And being right and genuinely smart like 99% of the time. And everyone else was like shut up you nerd. And now he’s better at talking to people and he’ll be like “I’m smarter than everyone” and then touch lives wires for no damn reason. Also he really likes PIXAL.
PIXAL also used to be weird and stilted, and got better at talking to people as time when on. But her shtick used to be that she would just do whatever people told her to, and she also really liked Zane. And now she’s putting her head in her hands, sighing and going “This is the last time I’m helping you guys. Please make better choices.” And they all say okay PIXAL and then they never do. And also her boyfriend is so fucking stupid and keeps touching live wires for no reason. She still likes him though.
And idk I just think these change suck for Zane but are awesome for PIXAL.
I think Zane frequently defers to Pixal's judgement because she's better at assessment and has an essential expertise (he very much adores her too).
But there are a lot of exceptions to the trend, to the point where I think there's an implication in the show that he doesn't listen to her enough. The reason why is because there are huge moments where Zane is basically punished for ignoring Pixal's advice (didn't slow down -> falls into a pit, continued to engage Nadakhan -> gets outwitted like the rest of them, doesn't meet Pixal where she's at in the Unagami investigation -> makes a fool of himself and gets captured by the Mechanic).
I do agree that the show often frames Pixal's dynamic with others(even Zane) as 'being surrounded by idiots', but I don't think Zane blindly follows Pixal. There definitely was and still is a degree of codependence on his part (being rattled by their skill gap season 7 + the broom joke DR). The irony is that when she's not there, Zane feels like he needs his other half but when she is, he doesn't always accept her input.
On a lighter note, there's also the pirate larping in the submarine where it seemed like Zane didn't let his roleplaying get in the way of the mission as much and Pixal let it roll off her shoulders to a greater degree.
Nobody’s told me how hard Fairy Types have it in terms of Mega Evolution. Which is to say, not as bad as Electric (rip), but with the story I want to tell in mind it is certainly a struggle. And yes, would not say that ZA will solve this for me either.
Use Mega Audino (only non-mythical not in use) for the Gym
Double up on Mega Mawile (other user being that Mabel lady w/ Korrina's arc)
Let the Mabel lady use Mega Audino and give Mega Mawile to the Gym
Voting ended onMay 11
My arguments for:
Audino has that magical girl aura with her. Also funny bulky mon.
...Two Mawile are better than one? (I still don't like double-ups so I would like some good reasoning for this)
It would be funny for Korrina to think she could beat up an old woman's Normal Type to realise that (a) it's no longer weak to Fighting and (b) it is bulky.
As always, I would love thoughts alongside this! As many as you prefer!
There's also Mega-Clefable(Flying/Fairy) and Mega-Meganium(Grass/Fairy) from the newer games. I assume Mega-Floette is ruled out due to AZ's backstory.
i think the best thing lego could do w dr s4 is to completely abandon all plotlines and just make the whole season filler . No villains or source dragons nonsense .just “we have to walk from point a to point b” and it somehow takes 10 episodes
Like lloyd & arin stuck wandering around that forest for like 6 episodes straight. they start out all sensei we will make it through this☺️☺️☺️☺️and of course we will student☺️☺️☺️☺️ . and slowly devolve into the most passive aggressive road trip ever . lloyd trying to be wise and patient and arin cutting him off like “yeah sensei i’ve heard that one before” while lloyd silently recalculates . And then one ep is them just accidentally eating mushrooms that are most def not safe to eat and tripping absolute balls
meanwhile frak and sora have evolved into an old divorced couple and it’s just non-stop bickering . Wyfy of course doesnt see any of it because her whole b-plot is just her constantly peeling off from the group because she sees Something Interesting and ends up having at least 2 near death experiences while frak and sora are killing each other
and then of courseeee the siblings + jay in the land of monsters . nya starts trying to coax him out of his shell like “hey buddy :) we brought you food :) do u want to rejoin the ninja gang? U do don’t u :)” and he just absolutely doesnt wanna do any of that . Kai is burrowed in some corner having the worst ptsd oat . and then at one point they see jay surrounded by creatures and theyre like don’t worry buddy!!!!!!!! we’ll save u!!!!!! But the monsters have actually made him their king . and hes just made a deal w them to kill the other two and let him reign their lands
and then cut away a few times to ras giggling like a maniac while wu is trapped in that little box of his .i think this is something
Im not going to pretend to know everything about ninjago lore because frankly, not even the writers know everything about the lore, but I've been thinking about how the elemental powers work and you know what? Wu gets a lot of shit for employing a gaggle of teenagers to fight his battles for him, but the thing is... he didn't get a choice in that decision
From the very beginning of season 1, it is explained that 1. the masters of earth, ice, fire and lightning are predestined to be the guardians of the green ninja so that he may one day defeat Garmadon. And 2. Once the green ninja is discovered the countdown for the final battle starts (there is a physical clock for it)
And throughout the series, it is made clear that elemental powers are a bloodline thing, occasionally they skip a generation (as told by Nya in s5), but very rarely do they stray from the family line (see Morro, who didn't live past 15 nor did he have any blood relatives)
So Wu is already working with these arbitrary rules with a ticking clock and must track down all four of these guys so they can find the chosen one. And like he knew the previous elemental masters, so he would already know who the next gen would be except for Jay and Zane for obvious reasons (at least that's what I thought until s8 fucked Zane’s backstory up so much like why did they do that?????)
Speaking of the previous elemental masters, there is nothing to suggest that they keep their powers after they have children. We only really have Kai and Nya's parents to go off of and Maya always refers to herself in the past tense when it comes to having elemental abilities.
But even if the former masters did keep their powers, Kai and Nya's parents had been kidnapped, Cole's mom was dead, Jay's mother abandoned him and went who knows where, and the former master of ice was dead too I'm pretty sure. And Zane wasn't even related to the last guy, and Wu should've had no idea who he was and s8 makes absolutely no sense for making them meet before--
*sigh* This is not the topic for today
So Wu LITERALLY had no other options aside from the gaggle of teenagers and he gets so much shit for it. Like I bet he wishes he had Lilly and Ray to work with. Especially when the chosen one turned out to be an eleven year old child.
And you could say "oh, but he trained Morro and other children in his monastery" and yeah, trained. He may have suspected Morro was the green ninja, but he never sent him out into danger. That was all Morro.
All I'm saying is there are in-universe reasons for why he chose a handful of kids, because that's what they were; kids, to fight and I feel people forget that.
I never thought of it like that before and find the points you bring up to be very interesting.
What's your interpretation for the start of season 11? Do you think Wu was strict out of paranoia, or do you think he considered the majority of them to be adults by that time? It would have also made sense that the ninja's lifestyle was tied to their competence and jeopardized their ability to goof off forever, but I don't know if that's too dark for a kids' show.
Hmm, I'm not really a shipper tbh. There are relationships that I like, but none I like romantically? At least not in the way I see romance be typically depicted.
To me, what I like to see is that unique flavour between people. What do they share and do they have an opinion about it, what do they try to change about each other or themselves, what do they show and what do they hide, etc.? All those intricacies that comes with having repeat exposure, all the ways their behaviours affect the lives of each other. In that case I do severely jam with whatever is up with the Kalos Gang, they are going down such a slippery slope but they're holding hands through it all so at least they're not alone. I also think any relationships they make with others are also very interesting because there is such a specific value to that connection that tints their interactions (see: rivals. why are they like that?).
Additionally I find myself walking around circles thinking about the TSME duo and how much their doomed relationship dooms the timeline. Cycles of abuse under the same roof but in different times? Sign me up. On a lighter note I do enjoy the rivalry between Viola and Grant because we do not get Gym Leader beef enough and it's entirely petty but means a lot between the two of them only. They can get stronger together against each other forever. I also think canon has purposefully not let Miette and Nini meet before the Master Class because they would've been too OP with their rivalry. That actually goes with so many female-female interactions btw; XY(Z) could've been the best like no one ever was if they given me more girl interactions overall (my very first fic for the AU was centered over Korrina and Serena friendship because it would have been so fun and we were robbed). There may not be a label for anyone but as long as there is something between them that can change the game, I'm already listening heh.
Was thinking about Showcases recently and I find myself conflicted at the Freestyle portion. On one hand, I like the showing of creativity (or at least the idea of it), but on another... there isn't much to it.
In Contests, the Appeal round is to show off the individual traits of a Pokemon. The Trainer is alone with their partner and have the stage for a period of time to display how awesome their Pokemon is. Following up with that is the Battle portion where now the Trainer has to go up against others to not only present their battling prowess but to maintain control and poise through continous display of their own Pokemon and/or discredit their opponents. There's a logical flow to it - being alone and having sole attention to then battling it out to show that you've still got it even in the face of competition and chaos.
I really adore the idea of the Theme portion of Showcases; it shows the audience that the Performer in question has got the relevant skills to be Kalos Queen (title TBA for special reasons :P). In this AU I'm gunning for having experts of whatever the theme is as judges for this to really drive the message of the KQ being for the people, but what can link to it? Freestyle feels too sudden for ordinary* Showcases because you go from showing the traits that a KQ should embody to then... showing a distinctive dance. I can sort of see it as the Performer going from showing important skills to then showing their uniqueness, but isn't it too broad? Too much power?
Ig another way to think of it is this: the Appeals round in Contests helps in introduces the Coordinator; you understand their style by the way they come in, and then watch that style go to work in battles later on (if they pass). With Showcases though, the Performer is introduced through their showing of skill (Theme), so how can the next stage build up upon that? I am welcoming all thoughts here!
*Freestyle is perfect for the Master Class because, as a certain inventing twerp has said, the Performers there have already displayed all the skills/traits they need. Now is the time for them to show their own individuality to the max to take the Queen down and establish their own reign.
Showcases were apparently inspired by idol culture (though I see no primary sources confirming this, just conclusions people have made based observations around the aesthetics and format). My best guess is that the two categories are trying to emulate different parts of reality TV competitions.
On the surface Freestyle is about aesthetics and novelty, but the nature of it adds so much to Serena's story. Even though I was never a dancer, as someone who participated in a lot of musical ensembles, I can relate to interactions Serena had with her Pokémon as result of the freestyle challenges. She's the producer, choreographer, director, and fellow performer all in one.
This is relevant because above all things, Serena is an artist and while I think Serena's final 'realization' never felt like a character flaw she had in the first place, the idea of seeking what you can give to others is a very common concept in many forms of performance. The best improvisors set out to make their stage partners look like geniuses. The best trumpet section knows how to play quietly when the flutes are given the main melody. And the pride of a writer is often the way in which their work inspires and challenges audiences.
There could be a reality where the same theme gets explored via different challenges, but doing so would risk diluting the limited screentime Serena had (in the anime at least). The consistent format of Freestyle allows the viewer to more easily draw comparisons between each iterations (as expected of the shonen genre) and because it is stage choreography, it brings a specificity to the bond Serena and her Pokemon have. You can actually draw comparisons to how Ash often recognizes when a Pokemon has a passion for battle, and how much chemistry arises through the frame of that shared passion. I think that's what dancing is for Serena in this season. Pancham and Eevee are very different, yet dancing is what allows Serena to find out who they are and grow with them. Like how band mates improve each other as musicians and become closer as a result.
This then begs the question of why Freestyle needs to feature choreography in the first place and why the showcases even needs to take inspiration from idol culture. The honest answer is that they don't. And there's a strong case that the anime perpetuates outdated ideas about gender and even some other topics by making the showcases so limited. A case that I agree with. But I also think the idol framework makes Serena's arc and her final decision more interesting. If we ignore that the world of Pokemon is not like ours, a lot of young artists feel like they need that one big win that jumpstarts their career. That in order to convince their family that this career path is not just a waste of time and stay afloat financially, they must have an invested audience. Sponsors even. And there's often a truth that very few 'make it'- with the kpop/jpop industry being extremely competitive. (Which is also why I'm a bit wary of the anime, because companies can be predatory towards young people striving to succeed as performers). But it's because of those anxieties that makes Serena's final decision in the end powerful, because instead of taking Palermo's offer and continuing something she's almost guaranteed to excel in- an outcome that would make her almost immune to any possible reservations Grace could have- Serena continues to try new things! After much deliberation she takes that risk of going to Hoenn even though she knows it will likely be challenging and scary. So even if there isn't a lot going on for showcases and freestyle segments in the literal sense, I think it does a very good job at giving the anime a lens to explore what a lot of young adults experience while conforming to its convention of using sports(or in this case, an art form) as a way to externalize the emotional journey a trainer has with their Pokemon.
So even if the Freestyle doesn't make sense as a whole, I think it makes a lot of sense to the story they wanted to tell with Serena as an induvidual.
(Real Answer: I think the Freestyle portion could be repurposed as a second round of the initial theme, and to emphasize the integration of performers and their audience members(i.e. 'giving to the people'), maybe the contestants have to win the vote of the laymen watching or find some way to incorporate them. So for example, if the theme is cooking, maybe the first set of contestants have to win over the panel of judges. And in the next round, they have to make something on a larger scale (hence justifying the participation of an entire team) and give the audience a taste. Or if the theme is performance, the second round could be something like having to take inspiration from a random audience member and their Pokémon.)
Real question: why did the Rival Trio get the Kanto Starters (answers must be Watsonian, thanks— I know the meta reason)? I’ve been pondering this for ages but I can’t find a satisfactory explanation 🤔
The in-universe explanation could be that Syncamore had Kanto starters because their third stage evolutions were capable of mega evolution, which is his area of research. And since Trevor, Shauna, and Tierno were long-time friends, they could've gotten their starters at the same time and maybe wanted ones that were non-native to Kalos.
Let's Talk About XY009 (or, how I can't get over the tinest hints ever)
Okay, turns out no matter how many times I rewatch this ep (must be like 10+ rn....) I still can't get my head out of it all lol. This is one of the few eps that deals with Clemont's past (the only other one being XY048 A Campus Reunion! tbh), so just,,, I want to pick apart every interesting detail that I've stumbled across just to make sense of it all. Or maybe just three for now because wow I've got a lot to say.
(Of course, this is going to go deeply into... erm, AU territory in a way. Since a lot of these questions can't truly be answered just by taking canon at face value.)
> Friendship? Isn't that a game mechanic?
It's something that I've started to just get into with my own fics, but I just find it endlessly fascinating at this scene (and the one at the end, where Meyer talks to them about the importance of having friends) and the very many insinuations it holds. At first glance, it’s an easy enough dig at Clemont: him being holed up with his inventions would have some pretty lasting impacts on his social life. But here’s the thing—Meyer refers to them both when speaking on the topic of friends.
"I'm so happy, Citron, Eureka. Friends are the most important thing in the world."
(Fun fact: He tells then he's happy for them twice! Once at the start, and this one is at the end. Just find it cute, that's all :3c)
And so this is a problem that goes beyond Clemont, but also involves Bonnie as well. Both of them were living in the Gym for however long they were; canon doesn't give us much, but we can assume that once Clemont got the position, Bonnie followed suit. And while Clemont went to battle Trainers or eke out as much time as possible to fiddle with his inventions, Bonnie helped out with the minor chores (telling him when a challenger has arrived, and if I can borrow from the games, setting up a quiz system to whittle down challengers in the first place). And it's a functioning relationship, for the two of them. But it doesn't have much impact on the outside world.
I get the feeling that a lot of people would go on to think that Clemont would be super shy and skittish outside of the Gym, but even in early episodes he seems to have a more inquisitive and analytical mind, preferring to weigh up his companions and other people that he meets. Bonnie, on the other hand, is quick to fill in the gaps that Clemont has when faced with questions that he isn't willing to answer himself or is just too slow to answer overall, but this strength comes with a caveat: her willful acts of care tends to come off as overbearing (hugging Pikachu very tightly despite protests after saving him in XY001, or literally just every sil-vous-plait or 'keeper' scene) with her attitude coming off to similar aged kids as arrogant at times (XY049 Bonnie for the Defense!). This push and pull between them works great in the Gym and their respective roles, but it would make it hard for them to connect with people around them, and that's if they were even willing to leave the Gym in the first place.
For sure, their untimely ejection from Prism Tower has allowed them to eventually meet Ash (and as a result, Serena too), but I feel like it has also went a long way into making them more receptable to others in the first place. If Clemont didn't find Bunnelby, he wouldn't have stayed long enough with Ash to battle (and then meet Froakie, which allowed them to meet the Professor, which etc etc), which leads him to experience different emotions and scenarios that end up expanding his worldview and giving him the experience that he didn't know that he needed. Similarly, if Ash didn't support Bonnie's want to get Dedenne, then she wouldn't have had an outlet for that care (and eventually this leads to her taking care of Squishy in a more knowledgeable and trusting way, adjusting her methods based on past experiences with other Pokemon, which is exactly what the blob needed to assuage their doubts on humanity). Their ability to make friends wasn't something that just popped into existance, but it is a series of events that started with that willingness to do something different than what they were used to.
And let's be honest, Meyer is right in his own way. Friends help ground you, help build up your strengths and cover your weaknesses, guide you when you are unable to see what is wrong, and care for you when things get hard. Sure, the siblings both had each other, but as evident with the Gym Takeback, it took more than two heads to do the task that needed doing. And honestly? Both Clemont and Bonnie grew so much out of this journey. And it all started with being willing to open up and trust in others, rather than keeping to their own devices and the model that they've been used to.
> Pride, prejudice, and parallels
THIS LINE EURGH It's been haunting me since Day 1. First off, can I say I just honestly love this shot so much? Meyer standing tall with some random building's doors reflecting him, and beyond him, Prism Tower standing tall. Everyone feel free to redraw this as canon or for my AU because either way it slaps.
Anyways! This is such a heavy thing to say and it's amazing because he doesn't even say this in dub? He instead says, "You need to be a Gym Leader the Lumiose Gym can be proud of!", which, yeah, still has that expectation that Clemont must perform in such a way that the Gym can be honoured, but sub??? Pls???
I guess what really gets me is that it's Meyer, Clemont's own father, who is putting the pressure on like this. He tells Clemont that he, himself, is waiting on him and on his decisions, expecting them to be the best that they could be. That the Gym Leader itself is the pride of the city. The second notion gives off a lot of pedestal vibes, putting Clemont in such a place that he is watched, is coveted, is honoured based on his achievements. It's usually a phrase that is used for, say, a new building or a landmark - so to say that a singular (1) boy is on that level is quite dramatic to say the least. And I don't want to reach to other episodes as much, but I do see connections with A Campus Reunion, where a whole town/city celebrates Clemont's project to the point of isolating him from his only friend, or XY066 Confronting the Darkness!, where Belmondo (finally remembered his name) snaps over Clemont's success with inventions and so strives to dirty his name.
We see a lot of examples of Clemont's ingenuity with inventing causing him a lot of trouble due to the recognition it brings about, but I think this one example of his Gym Leader status bringing the same shame pride is an amazing thought that should be expanded. Lumiose City is the closest we'll get to a main/capital city of the region, and Prism Tower is a famous landmark of sorts. This would naturally bring attention to the Gym Leader of the city, but when the Gym Leader is a young person? A person who also has other accomplishments too large under his name? And his father, who has in his own way set him upon this path (and promptly let go but we'll get to that in another post) and still holding that same devotion to the image that has been cultivated of his son, of the overachiever who can do no wrong as long as he put his smart mind to it, well, that says a lot about the people who know him. That there's that distance, even with his family (although Bonnie experiencing the Gym Kickout probably would set a lot of things straight that not even Clemont would have been aware of) (and be guilty of holding, himself), and that Clemont cannot let his guard down. Cannot afford to slip up. After all, the pride of a city is a very massive thing, and he has such a long life ahead of him.
In some ways, this does explain why he doesn't just... throw in the towel and leave when it got to stressful for him. Which leads us to our next point:
> Love in feeling, give a meaning
"I became a Gym Leader with the ambition to master Electric Types of all ages and regions. When facing a Gym specialising in Electric Types, challengers will think of countermeasures against them. I thought that, if I could surpass even those, I could grow as an Electric Type Trainer myself."
"I wanted to be an Electric Type Trainer like the world has never seen, so I became the Lumiose Gym Leader. By running an Electric Type Gym, challengers would plan their strategies accordingly. I figured that if I could still win in spite of the stiff competition, perhaps it could make me grow as an Electric Type Trainer." -> Dub (for comparison)
This reasoning is everything to me. Focusing on sub and it's original meaning does give us plenty as it is, but I do want to try to understand the official dub as well (and the reasons why that they've chosen the words that they have). For the original, Clemont has two goals when taking on the mantle of Gym Leader: to become an Electric-Type Master (for the lack of better words) and to be able to battle even when others should have the advantage. It's very much a similar thing in the dub, but I do want to highlight two things: him wanting to be a world-class Electric-Type Trainer (giving himself a boundary, no matter how high it is: e.g. see the difference between being a World Champ vs Pokemon Master in JN) and winning against challengers to become a better Electric-Type Trainer.
What does this all mean? Well, in any case, Clemont strives to be a trainer that has mastered the niche of Electric Types and sees the Gym as a way to reach that goal. It's a very self-serving reason to become a Gym Leader, to be honest, especially since he has no intention of helping other Trainers or educating them. To him, Trainers are the building block in which he can reach greater heights, as he can just wait in place for people to come to battle him (and so that's how he can perfect his strategies and discover more about Electric-Type Pokemon in the field). If he were a bit more active or more travel-inclined, I have a feeling being an Ace Trainer or some other similar class would've been great for him, if not going straight to the League itself.
But battling isn't all there is to him, is there? He loves inventing. And he needs a steady place in order to be able to fulfill that interest. Beyond that, there is no guarantee that he would be able to find Trainers that could give him a challenge, knowingly or unknowingly, let alone find any Trainers at all. Which leads me back to the reasoning that he lends; his focus on surpassing preestablished limits that other Trainers would exploit against his team (or just plain winning in spite of them) sounds like a very familiar refrain, especially in XY proper.
It sounds a lot like Ash (stronger, stronger, stronger!).
And I really, really find that interesting, because now Clemont following Ash's lead doesn't seem so far-fetched. It's no longer just a matter of having no other options or being charmed by the full trust that Ash and his Pokemon exhibit between each other (both options that previous Gym Leaders as travelling companions have had), but it's also in seeing a mirror and wanting to understand it. It's seeing a boy with an Electric Type still standing after effective strategies and too many hits. It's watching a boy clawing his way up to victory, challenging stronger and stronger opponents. And honestly? I do like that idea, as somewhat selfish and wrong as it can be. Because what happens to Clemont when he has that mentality at the Gym?
He burns out. And that fall from grace is from a difference in perspective, it's in seeing his role in a different light than others have treated him. And this does link a lot to how Meyer has also seen it (in a much weighter light, compared to Clemont's more blasé attitude) (just to make clear, it's not the role that he has towards the city that Clemont truly cares about but rather his image as a genius and as a strong Trainer), but in the end it's not about the right answer, is it? It's about what fits for you.
That's why I feel like this flaw can be such a great starting point for him on his road to becoming a better Gym Leader. Sure, he needs to learn to balance both work and play (for the lack of better terms heh), but also he needs to find a better reason to stay as a Gym Leader, because winning battles as a Trainer with a specific Type isn't it. Having that mentality will turn the profession very quickly to a tally board of wins and losses, and as Gym Leaders are walls that challengers must overcome in order to get to the League, he's going to accrue a lot of marks on that board no matter how the match goes. And then it's going to become boring. And then he'll try to raise the bar, tell Trainers to get four badges, wait for the experience jump. And then the thrill will reach the same peak and plateau again.
Becoming stronger was never the answer, not for him. Clemont isn't a person that benefits from hitting the peak, because his mind is always going to be on the next thing. He's going to worry about his pedestal and if he's really earnt it, if there is someone stronger, that statiscally there should always be someone stronger. And more than anything, Clemont loves learning. He loves instilling that love for people and Pokemon into his inventions (and that care is so evident in Clembot), and he holds strength in that belief that the world can be a better place (and that dream is so clear in Luxio, way back then). We can see in XY108 / XYZ15 A Watershed Moment! that gentle instructor as he guided Henny with maintaining Robon and believing in his grandfather's dreams. Maybe some people would assume that being a Gym Leader was never in the cards for Clemont, but I'd like to think that he can still hold that mantle, if it can hold him. Instead of battling with the Electric Type weaknesses in mind, he could show their strengths to challengers. He can inspire challengers to embrace innovation, to come up with their own strategies, and instead of overcoming them as merely an obstacle to himself, he could instead teach others the effectiveness of such an attempt, helping them develop their own style and appreciation for the Pokemon that they have. He can still have his battles and make his inventions and love both at the same time, if he just changes his approach. If he changes his perspective as well.
Being a Gym Leader and being an inventor doesn't have to be mutually exclusive, and if anyone can find the connection, I'm sure Clemont can. And I do believe that he can find joy without shirking one or the other. But finding something is it's own journey, and you have to be receptive to the idea that it's possible before you can make it so. And beyond that, Clemont needs to divorce the idea that success is intrinsically linked and is all about winning as yourself against every possible threat, something that has been drilled into his head since early childhood and has been propagated ever since.
(This is something that doesn't get as much acknowledgement from Clemont's side, but it is a reoccuring theme in XY regarding Ash and Alain. It's another interesting point that Clemont can straddle the line between them two in terms of past experience, as a curious battler and as a researcher in his own right.
In any case, this ep does give Clemont the strength to try something new in his battle against Clembot, a robot that he has programmed with a specific battling style which, while somewhat evolved, still holds dregs of what used to be, so in there alone that lesson can hold some weight. That power does not triumph over all. That sometimes, a little trust and some quick thinking can turn the tides against a machine that has only known battle, and that, on its own, shows the unpredictability of a Trainer and of humans and Pokemon overall. Something that Clemont takes to heart, in the end, when finding Alvin and a new Clembot battling against each other in XY137 / XYZ44 Battling with a Clean Slate!)
titsay
andulkaphoto
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
gracieabrams
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
amandla
dailybridgerton
blakekathryn
