#galactic commander jupiter

[mierulii]

I've been drawing some shitty cyruses...? cyrusi...? Cyrus.

[goolixsite]

The Corporate Cult

I often see people compare Team Galactic to a cult, which makes some sense. Their leader is secretive, hidden out of the public eye (Looker did not know who he was and had to inform us of basic biographical detail like “he’s 27”), hides the true nature of their organization, and gives a triumph of the will speech with banners to a crowd of enamored grunts. The tiered nature of access to information (grunts know basically nothing – commanders know vaguely there will be a new world – only the boss knows the new world will be spiritless) definitely sounds like a cult.

Most striking is the level of devotion the members of Team Galactic have for their leader. Mars sounds ready to throw herself on a pike if he so much as implies he wants that. Jupiter quits Galactic after Cyrus disappears and Charon fails to match him in evil rizz. His speeches are exciting events that have grunts ecstatically shouting “Master Cyrus is the greatest!” Despite the fact he is entirely emotionally unavailable, he’s capable of inspiring religious fervor in his grunts. The grunt in Pastoria delivering the bomb appears on the verge of rapture as he runs away from you: “The new universe that our boss was talking about… It’s making me giddy thinking about it…” and he’s in awe of his boss’s technical prowess: “It would take a scientific genius to make something like this [bomb]… Therefore, our boss, who made this, is a scientific mechanical genius!”

But Galactic is not just a straight cult. There’s another very important concept they’re exploring – a corporation. Team Rocket was organized crime, Magma/Aqua are ecoterrorists, Plasma is a special interest group, and Flare is a pay-to-play club, but Galactic is treated like a normal workplace. Officially, they're trying to harness cosmic energy. Saturn says they run commercials. Their buildings and labs aren’t hidden underground or behind a different operation. They are apparently flush with cash and able to build or renovate buildings very quickly, as the Team Galactic building in Eterna City went up rapidly enough that the grunts are impressed and the residents of the town are shocked. People are divided on whether they’re good or bad. Some people admire them, like the kid in Eterna who says ‘Team Galactic looks so cool.’ A man in Oreburgh sounds concerned: “Hmmm! What, or who, is this Team Galactic?! They make wonderful claims of a dream energy source on one hand… But rumor has it, they steal Pokémon from others by force.”

The faux legitimacy around them matters because it allows them to get away with things for longer than they might have otherwise. Despite the fact they’re committing crimes like theft in matching uniforms, the buildings and ads and slogans seem to have some people convinced that they’re a legitimate if unfortunate enterprise. People suspect there’s something weird about them, but the Pokemon world is apparently very gullible because the corporation that makes you wear a spacesuit and has visibly branded members committing crimes isn’t investigated until much later.

This brings me to one of my favorite parts of the “legit” aspect of Team Galactic – the corporate structure. Members of Team Galactic are highly concerned about their pay, promotions, and demotions. The Veilstone HQ has a nap room, a flat-screen TV for entertainment, and free drinks (though they’re apparently "murky" and "sinister"). They operate on a brutal perfectionist logic where losing means that you’ll be knocked several pegs down the ladder. One grunt who was apparently “like, this close to getting [his] promotion to Commander” complains that losing to you means he’ll “probably get busted down to the gruntiest of the grunts.” Another grunt cries to you that his partner got fed up with Galactic after they took his Pokemon and he decided to quit Galactic and leave the country.

Combining the mundane monetary motivation of a corporation with the life-changing promise of a cult is an inspired move for an evil team. You’re working for a grandiose near-religious vision that you don’t have permission to fully understand. You’re also concerned about whether your promotion is at risk if you lose in battle.

[banhbeotim]

trying to hype myself up to continue WTSS

was listening to tri stat ost. my boy is never consistent smh

[incorrectsinnohquotes]

[verycorrectpokemon]

Cyrus: my depression has exceeded the sad stage and progressed to the gleeful almost high happiness stage Jupiter: That's called mania Mars: That's called Depression 2 :)

[spittyfishy]

Bee and Puppycat is a crazy ridiculous show with such comfy vibes and I highly recommend! The style’s really cute too, so yesterday during class I randomly thought it would be cool to redraw some screen shots with Team Galactic! (And redo the logo which I was particularly happy with lol)

[halcandrandee]

They have him wear a suit a lot in the anime I think it makes him look kinda silly

[njsg]

So in OHtMF, when Maxie and Archie get kidnapped and forced into working for Team Galactic, Jupiter kind of has a thing for Archie. Obviously, our favorite water loving man ain’t having none of it. I just find their dynamic very entertaining and Maxie’s reaction to her is great.

they went for a swim

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201007/chapters/44351728

@ghostlyfluffster @authorazumarill