Behind The Writing - 2 - Remnants of the past
I hope you’re all doing well in this grim time of confinement 😓 Meanwhile I’ve been called to the front not too long ago. I’m currently in the testing booths, taking in potentially COVID-19 positive patients. But anyway, before that I’ve had loads of time to keep on working on that godforsaken second chapter. IT THOUGHT I’D NEVER SEE THE END OF IT, BUT HERE IT IS !
Same as before, this post will be dedicated to references and easter eggs you might have missed upon your first read (And I’m not blaming you, this Chapter’s hecking long).
We start off with a quote from Dante’s Divina Commedia. For those who don’t know, Dante Alighieri was a famous italian poet during the 13th Century. He was mostly known for The Divine Comedy from which we established most of our depiction of Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. It tells the story of a man in the afterlife (him) going through the 3 realms I mentioned above. The quote I extracted is from the first “Canto” (Sing) of Hell. Dante describes how he’s arrived in hell, “Midway upon the journey of life”. Zera is 10 in this chapter, can’t get more midway than this. “I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost“. Same as Dante, Zera is abandoned to her fate and is going through a relatively dark period in her life.
I chose yet another track from Penny Dreadful. You’ll see I’ve used many during this Chapter. I can’t help it if they picture so well my vision of Zera’s past life. The first track, “Street.Horse.Smell.Candle” I chose because it gives off some... motion to the narrative. When I first listened to it I thought : that’s it, that’s the one. I could picture quite vividly a young and adventurous rich girl roaming in the Manor
Coming from a privileged family, it made sense that Zera had a high education. Just as passionate as her father, she gave herself to heart in her lessons with a penchant for French (Kalosian) and History. I will come back to this later. This picture i believe represents perfectly how she was “trimmed” to be a beautiful rose, and nothing else.
Emily Thorne; Zera’s mother, plays an important role in her life. If you' re here then you probably already read the chapter and you know that Emily grew up on the streets after her mother OD'd. She learned to survive as best she could and, much like Rose, climbed to a relatively comfortable position. Social ascendancy is a topic that will often come up in my fanfic. As far as Emily is concerned, I'll come back to it in more depth later, for now all you need to know is that she was a real role model for her daughter and that her daughter aspired to be like her one day.
So the game is really shallow on Characters’ backgrounds. We know that Rose used to work in the mines, but there is a huge gap between this proletarian job and becoming the CEO of a multi-national. I, quite shyly, decided to fill in this gap. Rose comes from India (So far that makes sense if we observe him more closely), but India doesn’t exist in Pokemon ! yet... We do know some Pokemon come from whatever that region is named (Copperajah for example). In my mind and opinion, Rose came to Galar with his parents at a young age. I’ve yet to decide why. They lived a relatively difficult life, with everyone pitching in to help the family, but they barely had enough to survive. That's why the candles were so important to him: they reminded him of his past life. Soon Rose had to work in the mines where, one day, an accident happened and he fell several meters into a strange cavity... There he had an encounter that would change his life... many of his colleagues thought he was dead. But then, three days later, he emerged from the mines, changed forever. And guess who came back after 3 days of supposed death? JESUS. I assure you, Rose is not his equivalent, even if I bring up some biblical subject in the Fanfic (Eternatus being the Leviathan yes?). I already have a little idea how I'm going to write this scene, but I don't know where I'm going to put it yet... That’s a puzzler
Rose Manor has had many influences and it took me sometime to properly design it. I based it on Malfoy Manor (Harry Potter), Vanessa Ive’s place (Penny Dreadful) and some other infamous british buildings of the real life (Buckhingham and Kensington palaces). The fact that it’s located beyond a forest is also a metaphorical representation of Zera’s journey. I also thought it would be funny to have her be frightened of ghosts when, ironically, her main Pokémon will be Gengar
The Wall surrounding Motostoke comes, primarly from the game, but also because I wanted to add a little “Attack on Titan” reference. No Colossal Titan this time though... The fact that Zera gazes at it every morning is yet another reminder that she doesn’t feel at her place and needs an escape
So yeah... We get to a dodgy subject I want to clarify from the get-go. This Pokémon World, at least my vision of it, is based on the “Detective Pikachu” movie. I wanted it to be, the world we know from the anime, but also mixed up with parts of our regular world. For exemple in DP, Tim Goodman, the protagonist, wanted to become an insurance worker, not a trainer, not a gym leader, just an insurance worker. There are other things than Trainers in this World. Furthermore, I locate this fic about 100 years after our time. I mentioned real british historical figures at some point, like Churchill and Adam Smith. Now tell me... How cool would it be to picture World War II with Pokémons? Can you already imagine Nazis trying to harness Legendaries’ powers to win the War ? I know I can. So yeah, all of this to say that the Anglican Church exists in this World and Zera was raised in this faith, thus the blessings.
I wanted every part of the Manor to exude wealth and I believe I succeeded at that. I like the idea of grand rooms, each serving a specific purpose. The tapestries of Galar’s story are the same located in Hammerlocke’s vault, no doubt a priceless property Rose got his hands on. Zera always looked on those stories like they were unreal, but make no mistake, she will experience them first-hand
Oh and that maid that seemed in a rush? Yes, she did shag Rose’s colleague. He would often invite them at home, throwing lavish parties in the hopes of getting funds for his evil plans.
Now then, getting to Emily’s first proper introduction. The reason why this Chapter is so long is because I added her backstory into it (The whole Castelia City deal yes?). It wasn’t supposed to be here, or exist at all, but I figured it would be hard to like a character you don’t know. So yeah, I did end up adding that part. She owns a Zoroark, which is uncommon. I’ll later explain how she got to know him. Some may have already understood that Zera’s relationship to Gengar will be much similar to her mother’s with Zoroark.
Zera’s a lonely child, and she’s learned to befriend all Pokemons, Zoroark included. I like the idea of this girl having a rather peculiar friend (human!Zoroark)
I don’t think the next choice of track needs much explaining. Emily is Zera’s guardian angel. She protects her, coddles her and does everything in her power to keep her happy. But the illusion begins to fade, and Zera, just as smart as her mother, can see through it. Emily wishes her daughter could stay a little blind for a while, but her maturity prevents her from doing so.
More and more, Zera witnesses her father grow colder and more distant. That scene she witnessed between her father and the Hammerlocke Mayor ? He was trying to bribe him in the hopes of gaining control of the power-spot there (Dynamax don’t exist yet, but they will soon, Magnolia’s working on it).
The straw that broke the camel's back was this measure of adoption. Only later do we take Emily's point of view and learn that she, too, was a victim of Rose's change in attitude. Learning from her daughter about what was about to happen, Emily realized that she had to go back to her roots and do what she did best: inspect, dig into every nook and cranny until she found the answers she was looking for. And those answers she found, but at a terrible cost...
As the end-of-year festivities approached, found haven in the library where she would read adult books. I mentioned Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” as I feel like Rose is taking the same path as the Doctor in the story, except he’s not looking for everlasting life, but a way to make it better. He’s clumsy at it sure (nearly destroyed the country with Eternatus) but in the end they have the same goal. I also mentioned “King Lear”, a work from Shakespear where a terrible King decides to share his power into 3 Kingdoms for each of his children (daughters). Two of them give flattering answers (represented in this fic as Bede and Oleana), but the 3rd one (Zera) remains silent and is shunned away for it. Rings a bell...?
The hedge maze was important to me as it represented the versatility Zera could prove of. It also symbolizes her path and how sometimes she stumbled into dead ends. I’ve recently commissionned my good friend (っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Nootledootle ♥ and she graced me with this gorgeous piece of art. Follow her on instagram.
Once again I mentioned Rose’s homeland when I described the Dragapult fountain. Chhatarpur granite is known to come from India and it looks like this
A “Sitrusade” is a “Lemonade”, which I believe makes sense
A little world on what neglect truly is. It doesn’t alway imply physical violences, sometimes the lack of affection, regard, or love, could turn a child upside-down. And that’s what I aimed for. Rose never raised his hand on Zera, never raped her, but he ignored her and in some way, this was worse.
“Nocturnal Danger” for Zera’s first encounter with Gastly, I like to think it’s quite fitting. This scene I had a really clear idea of ever since I started the fic. I knew I had plot points that needed to be reshaped, but this wasn’t the case here. I chose Gastly as her first Pokémon and, well, Friend for two reasons. Firstly, I love Gengar and he always finds his way into my teams. Secondly, I liked the idea of having this little lonely girl roaming the maze in the search of her friend. Gastly is a ghost, therefore he can appear and disappear at wish. That’s why at some point later on in the Chapter I mentioned the maids grew wary of Zera as she seemed to be talking on her own, but really she was in the good company of her friend. It’s known in literatures, movies and such that children are more likely to bond with ghosts and this was clearly my intention here. Pokémons are primal beings too. So, upon seeing that a human would harm herself for him, Gastly found it astounding. That’s why he told his mates and kept coming back. What he hadn’t planned though was to befriend this little girl. Also the prospect of Gastly pushing Zera on the swings melts my heart ;_;
I mentioned “bashful” at some point. This was Gastly’s nature in the begining. For the non-strat players here, a Pokémon with a bashful nature has no increased or decreased stats. It’s bland basically, much like Zera at the beginning of her adventure... GOD I’M DRAWING SO MANY PARALLELS
“Dorian Gray” ‘s track was chosened for a few reasons. Firstly if you’ve read my Voice Headcanon post, you’ll see that I used Reeve Carney as Rose’s young voice actor. He conveniently plays the role of Dorian Gray in Penny Dreadful. Now you're going to ask me, but who is Dorian Gray, so I'll tell you that the latter comes from a work of Gothic literature telling the story of a man of almost mystical beauty, but afraid of growing old. So he ends up selling his soul and "trapping" his old age in a portrait. As a result, an immortal Dorian embarks on a luxurious life devoid of morals. The song has an eerie and ominous feeling, and that’s exactly why I chose it.
“Johtoseries” are chinoiseries. Mahogany is yet another furniture that comes from India, it’s a deep and dark red wood that’s extremely costly.
We’re introduced to Oleana through Zera’s eyes and now that I’m reading it again I realized I havent been really nice to our future vice-president of Macro Cosmos... But I believe it was necessary to give her a more interesting narrative. Oleana, as we know her in the game, is very focused on her appearance, and this can be seen in the way she dresses, talks and behaves. But how can one get to such heights if one hasn't experienced something before that has allowed them to define themselves in such way? So that's what I allowed myself to give to our little Olive (Yes, Oleana means Olive). She lived on the streets before being adopted by your father along with her faithful Pokémon, Trubbish. She also owns one, just like Zera and Emily. Now moving on to her appearance, as I’ve said... I wasn’t very kind, but I myself I’m a bit overweight and I’ve had low self-esteem for a long time. Then I fell in with the right people and managed to mature properly. What I'm about to say is a bit spoiler-y, but later on when Zera tackles the Gym Challenge I'll write some short passages between Rose and Oleana and just so you know... She'll become more than just her adopted daughter, if you catch my drift... Yet another proof that Oleana only defines herself by and for her beauty...
What kind of thief mother wouldn’t teach her daughter how to pick a lock?
As I’ve mentioned somewhere I’m sure (There are so many things to reference, I might get lost or repetitive) there will be a lot biblical references in this Fic, thus the Arceus carved in the ceiling of the ceiling of the ballroom. God watching over Men’s sins, yes ?
Sooooo. I think I owe you some explanation. The reason why I took SO LONG to update what this very part with Oleana. I’ve had many ideas of how things would unfurl, but the main issue I had was The choice of track. I wanted to use “Severus and Lily” as it has in the beginning this sweet tone of innocence and childhood, BUT IT DIDNT MATCH WITH THE TIMER I’D SET IN MY WRITING. Thus I had to rework on it over, and over again until I came up with something that would please me. And I did, but it took hecking long and I’m sorry. I hope this Chapter will be worth the wait. I’m aware it’s quite long...
To make Rose more impressive and menacing, I’ve based his character on that of Tywin Lannister with his children, and you can imagine that he was far from being the model father, but at least he knew how to convey strong messages...
Just a little clarification that I might have omitted in those 30 THOUSAND WORDS OF TEXT, but Oleana is older than Zera. She's 5 years older, so in this chapter she's 15 and Zera's only 10. But yet it is Zera who plays the role of the older sister, because Oleana is too frail and not very confident for that.
Oleana and Zera, though having a rocky start, grew fond of each other. But from the day Rose ruthlessly separated them, everything changed. Oleana learned to avoid her sister in order to please her adoptive father, and Zera fell into depression again. It worsened as her mother returned. Even her seemed to ignore her and the pain grew in intensity to a point where Zera thought ending it all would do them a favour. That’s when I was quite proud of my choice of track as it conveyed perfectly the rise in tension as Zera was about to take the leap. *self-pat*
YES. Now finaly getting to some drama, and an explanation I’ve owed you for a while now. Once again, because Sword and Shield was so shallow I’ve allowed myself to grant names to the characters, including Rose whose name is Adam... quite convenient eh? (Told you there would be some biblical references). Now then, I didn’t say this was his real name...
I’VE HAD A BLAST describing Rose as the main baddie. I’ve written a lot in my life, but nothing brought me as much satisfaction as this. and Man, i hope I conveyed how much of a bastard he was! Also this line : “Although right-handed in his everyday life, Rose was actually ambidextrous. Something you were bound to experience in the next few minutes“ was a direct reference to how he was going to choke her life out.
Absinthe. Why Absinthe you may ask? Because it’s a really strong alcohol. It’s emerald green, just like Rose’s eyes. And....... It’s known to cause hallucinations, what better beverage for a delusional man such as him ?
Looking up “Rose”, “Father”, and “Poem” gave me so many works, I had difficulty filtering them, but in the end that quote from “Songs of Innocence” truly struck me and I highly recommend it to go and read it
Ah yes... Castelia City and the crafty girl... did you know that this song was played during Catwoman’s first appearance in “The Dark Knight Rises” ? Coincidence, I THINK NOT. Also “Mr Caine” is a direct reference to Michal Caine, the british actor. If Zera learned to behave like a lady, she learned if from her mother who learned it from this fine gentleman.
The rumours on the orphanage concerned rapes. It seems a lot of children, boy and girls alike, had been struck by it. and Emily didn’t want to be their next victim. Much like Zera later on she'll wallow in solitude until she finds the right people. It's something that I myself have done too
Now getting to the first encounter between Emily and Rose. I believe I’ve been fairly explicit with how out of the world Rose was. He was handsome, smart and witty. He seemed to be the only one able to read our cold and calculating Emily who could only fall in the face of such beauty. However, this was all part of Rose’s plan as we learned later on
Rose’s perfume is Paco Rabanne’s “One Million”
I just loved writing that James Bond-esque scene, and having that silence just before Rose dropped the F bomb on Emily ? Flawless. That “long-term investment” may have semed like he was talking money, but really he was talking her. She was his investment... I mention it later, but Rose was actually quite poor at the time. He just tweaked with his appearance to seem wealthy. Most of his funds came from Emily.
Rose was a ghost at the time: registered nowhere, wheither in Galar or Unova. So finding him was quite the feat for Emily, but eventually she did, or more likely, Rose allowed her to. He knew toying her that way would propel her into his arms. And it worked, didn’t it ?
That “he completed you” is yet another reference to Nolan’s Batman saga, referencing the relationship between the Joker and the cape crusader
Oh and remember that Champion in Pokemon Black and White: Alder ? He’s the one who dethroned Emily.
“Marcella” is roman name which means “warlike”, “martial”, and “strong”. It could also mean “young warrior”. In short, all that Zera would come to be one day...
“Suddenly, he was overcome with anguish and his smile crumbled. He couldn't afford it, or could he? He didn't know what to do.” The reason why Rose was a decent father in the beginning was that he wanted to build a family, and live happily, so he did for 10 years. But then, the voices in his head called back to him and so he returned to his plans, with the devastating outcome of Emily’s death
Both Emily and Zera are strong women, driven to reach their goals by any means necessary. It doesn’t meant they’re heartless, they can show genuine kindness when need be, but their devotion to their goals may end up hurting people around them, and that my friends... you will get to see if you keep reading my fic
Yet another reference to the Joker with Rose’s “You wouldn’t get it”
“Rose knew exactly why Marcella was a threat to him. That was the reason he'd distanced himself from her“ When Rose fell in that crevace when he was younger, something happened... something whispered in the dark and he could make up the words:
The Leviathan's curse must one withstand
And a parent shall perish by his child's hand.
The servants of the Manor were dismissed a few days ago as Rose didn’t want any witness for the tragedy that was about to unfold. He did not plan on your survival however
“I don’t get it! Why wake that godforsaken beast? What’s your endgame? What do you want? Don’t you already have anything your need?”... We’re in the Endgame now...
Oh. My. God. Rose’s battle theme has been stuck in my head for days as I wrote their battle... And I can’t say i’m mad. I’m in love with it! and upon listening to it, over, over and over again i realised it actually had lyrics... IN LATIN! So i went to look it up, and apparently it says “ROSE SEDO CREDO” which roughly translates to “Go Rose, Save us” which I find quite ironic for a megalomanic bastard such as him. Oh well...
Here are Rose and Emily’s teams (images)
Emily was a thief, makes sense that her Starter would be a Snivy, don’t you think ?
I told you I’d put a shit ton of references in this Chapter. That “Commendable, yet futile” comes from Resident Evil 5. Albert Wesker, a man much like Rose, says it as his nemesis tries to thwart his plans.
That Volcarona was the first Pokémon I thought off when I was assembling Emily’s team. I thought if it were to be 100% Unovian, it must have had a strong fire type and I couldn’t just give Reshiram to her. Much like Charizard was Leon’s main, Volcarona was her pride as well. It’s shiny to be in concordance with Emily’s appearance.
The grinding of daggers Perrserker adds to his shriek attack is a direct reference to Baraka from Mortal Kombat
I like to think that Trainers are also in danger during battles, hence Rose dodging the flamethrower at the last second.
Rose is a master manipulator, that’s why he can play his wife so well, using her fear against her
“You're beyond saving.” (You huffed, leaning on your knees) “You and your wretched plans… I will see to it that they fail. And if I don't, someone else will… I promise you this Adam, you can win this fight, but you could never win against life itself. Because life will always find a way”. So... Many things here. A bit of “ooh, you’re the bad guy you will fail”, but most importantly the prophecy Rose was foretold: His child would be his doom. Oh also a Jurrasic Park reference because Jeff Goldblum is always a win
“That said, you noticed that your Pokémon’s left arm was dangling weakly in the air, a sign that he had probably broken something”. Yet another reference, but this time to Dark Souls 1 and its DLC. One of the bosses, Artorias, was known to be a proud Knight who went to face head-on the darkness. Upon fighting Manus, the embodiment of Darkness, he broke his left arm. As the player we can later fight him in an Arena, but let me tell you, broken arm or not he can still sweep the floor with your ass
That battle was all fun and games until I reached Zoroark’s death... Boy, I cried! And I’m hopeful I did the same to you. It was my first time writing with a song’s lyrics and it required some... adjustments, but in the end I’m pretty proud of myself. I hope you all hate me for killing off so brutally this little furry monster...
Any decent thief has knives as hairpins, didn’t you know ?
That bitchslap made me hate Rose so much, but at the same time loving him for the arse he is. And that chasing scene nearly gave me OCD
“You had to survive to tell the nightmare” is YET another reference (Told you I’d put plenty). This one is from Resident Evil 1, as the STARS member enter the manor, whereas here Zera was about to exit it.
Gastly then returns the favour to Zera by saving her from this terrible fate. We don't see it too much in the games, but in Anime the whole evolutionary line of Gengar can use telepathic powers. Gastly can do the same, even if they are diminished at his young age. Wait until you see what I have in store for you in the battle against Bea... oops, spoiler alert...
“House of the night creatures”. How fitting for a Pokémon tower don’t you think? also this whole section is a nod to my all-time favourite episode of the Pokémon anime, well.. “the pokémon tower” quite simply where Ash is killed (eh, he’s fine) and he hangs with ghosts for fun. That’s when i first fell in love with Gengar’s persona.
“Again, you felt a cold wave, this time more intense and you shuddered.” Temperatures are known to drop when Ghosts are around, it’s even mentioned in Gengar’s Pokédex entry.
A Haunter held Zera’s hair as she was puking. I think it was a very touching moment as, in my opinion, Ghosts are feared and hated in the Pokémon world. Often, the ghost gym leaders are belittled or looked down upon. To Zera, who’s been saved by ghosts, it’s completely different.
I loved writing the Gengar of the Tower and I actually sent a few extracts to friend to know what they thought of it, and they all seemed quite pleased. My Gengar was to be a mix of Hades (From Disney’s Hercules, talking fast, sinister and such), the Cheshire cat (From Alice in Wonderland, due to his wide grin and general behaviour with children) and the Joker (cause he’s a prankster after all). He does toy a lot with Zera and it was really fun to write. Also, we know from the Alola pokédex entry that Gengars used to be humans, or some at least... Could this be the case for this one? why does he hate humans so much? and Will Zera’s gengar be able to talk too? KEEP READING AND YOU’LL FIND OUT
“Two Doctors” was the perfect track as it conveyed humour and fun, as well as Zera’s cryptic behaviour. Also it’s a Doctor Who reference and in my Voice Headcanon post, young!Zera is voiced by Caitlyn Blackwood, young Amy Pond, who much like my OC encounters a strange person on a fateful night...
“Modern Age” was a great way for me to portray the influence of Capitalism on our society. And the fact that a little girl could roam the street late at night without anyone stopping by says a lot about this country...
Ah~... “Snape to Malfoy Manor”... SUCH a great song. I can see our beloved Wizard flick his wand to enter the manor, that’s how vivid this scene is for me. You know it’s dark, it’s foreboding and it was perfect to portray the change of heart in Zera.
Ghosts don’t have reflection in mirrors, so they can’t appear in puddles either... Though later on when Zera becomes Champion, they will have to use special feature to photograph her whole team, Gengar included.
“Two guards recounting their latest sexual prowess passed you before walking away, not without you uttering an "ew" to their words.” Ah... children, so innocent aren’t they ?
I like the little comedic moment between Zera and Gastly where she asks him if he can work his mumbo-jumbo, an expression she had heard from her Unovan mother
Crests are important in the UK and I believe it would be great to consider the double Hexagons as a modern-looking Rose. What do you think of it?
Remember Lockhart, Rose’s assistant. He will come back much later on, after the League Tournament...
So the name of the next song is “Mother of Evil”, but I’m sure you read it backwards like me. It’s dark, it’s grim and it’s ominous, exactly the way I wanted to portray Rose’s plan.
That drop of mud on the floor is something that would bother Rose for the years to come and one of the first hint that his daughter was still alive. I did mention his cleanliness was almost disturbing, so why would his office be dirtied. That being said, he would only realise it too late.
Zera does become like her mother as she noticed what was wrong with the desk.
The words written in Gothic caption are quotes from the bible, more specifically the book of Revelation. It describes the Leviathan, the mythical serpent:
Then Another Sign Appeared In Heaven: And Behold A Great Red Dragon Having Seven Heads And Ten Horns, And On His Heads Were Seven Diadems
And He Laid Hold Of The Dragon, The Serpent Of Old, And Bound Him For A Thousand Years
That scene where Rose is lurking on Zera nearly gave me OCD, and I hope it did the same to you. Also, the fact that he’s back to work so soon after the “tragedy” that hit him is yet another sign of how much of a bastard he is.
And now getting to yet another struggle of mine, that part with the Beyond Two Souls song. During this time of confinement, I often went out at night for a stroll in the fields and I kept hearing this song and telling to myself: I have to insert it, I have to find a way to put it in there. And then another voice would ring in my head and tell me : YOU’RE ALREADY AT 20 K WORDS, but I couldn’t help it and here we are... As this poor girl is being chased by a pack of hungry hounds
That quote of Winston Churchill was a way to portray the rocky start at life Zera had, but that it would mark the end of the beginning, the beginning being her mother’s murder.
For those who played the Telltale The Walking Dead games, the “In the pines” choice of track would make perfect sense. For those who didn’t, meet Clementine (on the thumbnail) small girls is saved by a man and grows into a warrior throughout the years of harshness. Rings a bell yet ? Also the lyrics are flawless, aside for the whole dead father thing. Rose is very much alive at the moment.
There are however still good people in this world, and that controller did prove so as he was worried this child would travel alone.
Ah~... Hans Zimmer... My hero... Do I even need to explain why “I Never Woke Up In Handcuffs Before“ is the perfect track for a thieving girl at a market ?
That first encounter with Leon was very important to me and I think I nailed it, but we’ll talk furthermore once we get into the woods.
The fog in the Wealds doesn’t lift up despite Charizard’s wings flap as Zacian is the one controlling it... And it’s observing both of our Champions
I slightly changed the look of the Sanctuary we see in the games, it now has an island in the middle of the water where a few paving stones lead to. Since my depiction of Leon makes him quite clumsy, I thought it’d be funny to have him almost fall into the water.
That gesture Leon gives to his Pokemon to stop him is the same one he’ll give Zera at the top of Hammerlocke’s Gym...
Comparing Rose to a snake was intentional. Except this time Adam IS the Snake
The way Zera sneaks up to Leon is similar to that cat video where it plays peek-a-boo with its owner. You must understand that Zera has spent months in the wild, so she’s a bit primal like this. I mean... She does stay mutic for weeks too.
Here’s Leon’s outfit by the way
“You hadn't had a decent meal for quite some time, and it's not as if the berries kept you from starving to death”. Mistery Dungeon reference. Those fucking apples never appear when you need them the most.
Ever since Chapter 1 I had been looking forward to writing Magnolia’s first encounter with Zera. I hope you’ve all enjoyed it, because i know i did. Bless this old badass woman. The fact that she knew Zera would try to run away is one factor. and her sarcasm is off the charts.
Sonia is currently studying in Wyndon, as I’ve mentioned. That’s how she’ll pick up her cockney accent by the way
“He raised both his hands as a sign of surrender, knowing which fight he couldn't win, then he winked at you before giving you some space.” Here’s our Champion, afraid of battling Magnolia on that field... and also being charismatic as heck
“Ways to go!” is a callback to chapter 1, that’s actually a callback to this moment... huh. I’m losing myself, sorry, it’s already 9 pm and I work tomorrow, but I hope you’ll get what I meant
The fact that Leon introduces himself again, even though she knows his name is his way to say : “Okay, let’s start over”
“You had been in the dark for a few moments, going through a tunnel that seemed very long when suddenly you finally emerged on the other side.“ is yet a metaphore to Zera’s journey up till now
【𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠】【𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠】【𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞, 𝐨𝐡】
The truth being Rose’s crimes to be exposed
The rest of the lyrics are in accordance with Zera’s past life. I don’t think it requires much explaining.
Here I am at the end. It’s 10 pm and I’ve yet to post the new Chapter. I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and wish you to stay safe in those dire times
