#swsh opal

[sour-gums-pkmn]

grannayyyy

[ballonleaparadise]

Opal's Language in Pokemon Sword and Shield: What does it mean to be 'pink?'

Ever since I played swsh, one question has stuck with me- what does Opal actually mean when she calls someone 'pink'? She seemingly uses the colour to describe any trainer who she is fond of. However, her favourite colour is actually 'purple', which adds ambiguity to this.

Why pink, not purple??

There's several reasons why pink may be an important colour to Opal. Firstly, the colour pink has connotations of stereotypically feminine qualities, such as love and compassion (emphasis on 'stereotypically'). Why are these qualities important in a pokemon trainer? Because a trainer needs to have love and compassion towards their pokemon, in order to succeed.

Opal is a symbol of royalty (let's face it)

Opal's design loosley resembles the image of Queen Elizabeth II. With Galar being based on the UK, this makes total sense. For example, Opal's blue boater hat looks very similar to the type of hat which the Queen wears. Alongside this, the Queen traditionally wears bright neon colours such as light blue, yellow and pink. Opal's dress mirrors this to an extent, sporting bright blue and pink. Most obviously, Opal is an old lady (like the queen), which ties the whole image together. My point is, pink (in this context) symbolises royalty, so why wouldn't Opal use it as a signiture colour? Also, royalty links to power, which is an important quality in a trainer.

The Symbolism of cherry blossom

Another association with the colour pink is cherry blossom, particuarly in Japan (the home country of the pokemon franchise). Cherry blossom is a symbol of spring, renwewal and flourishing. This arguably links to the qualities of growth and development in pokemon trainers. As Opal states, pink is "what I like to see in other people, but it's not what I like for myself". The second part of this phrase is even more interesting, as it implies that Opal does not see 'pink' in herself. Maybe Opal feels that she has no further to grow as a trainer due to her age: her 'blossoming' season is over, so her goal is to recognise potential in new trainers.

To Conclude:

When Opal sees 'pink' in a trainer, I think she is referring to all the qualities mentioned above. A trainer needs to have compassion for their pokemon, power, and potential for development. Opal sees these qualities in the player, Bede, and any other trainers who impress her.

[swsh-shorts-archive]

Bede, reading a letter Victor sent him: "Dear Bede. Thank you for inserting your unnecessary opinion about Hopscotch's hair yesterday. Unfortunately, you are incorrect. My boyfriend is perfect, hair and all. I demand a written apology to my love and light in the world by the end of the week. This is not optional. I hope this letter finds you before I do. I am not my sister. You will not be put out of your misery. Sincerely, Victor."

Opal: what the fuck

Bede: I'm going to go. Write that letter. Now.

[redrumridinghood]

youngopalyoungopalyoungopalyoungopal

she is a whole ass mood and i love her. she kind of reminds me of my mom :)

[right-wrighte-writes]

Whooo, this one was a doosie. I’ve always liked the brat boy, I’ve just never written him before. I enjoyed writing him, though! And I hope y’all enjoy reading this!

This is one of the transformations described in @lulzyrobot‘s masterpost of their dynamorph au.

“Please, can we just get on with today’s training?” Never before had Bede been looking forward to the bothersome training that the retired Ballonlea Gym Leader subjected him to. After the incident with Eternatus, he just needed a distraction, and Fairy Types and quizzes sounded good enough.

“Bede, I was actually hoping to discuss a new stage of training with you,” Opal said, still blocking the way to the dressing room that his uniform was in. “Let’s go get some tea and talk this over.” She hooked the end of her umbrella around his arm and began dragging him out of the Gym.

“Can’t we do this another day?” he asked, trying to free himself.

“Do you want to slow your advance to be the best?” After a reluctant head shake, she gave a hum and continued on her way to the Pokémon Center.

The two ordered from the cafe and sat at a table outside. An Indeedee poured two cups for them, leaving the pot of tea on the table.

“So, what was this new training you were talking about?” he asked after taking a sip.

“Before we get into that,” Opal began, setting her cup down, “we need to have a little talk.” This caused him to tense slightly. “Last night, you lost someone very important to you.”

“I won’t let that interfere with my training, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he cut in. She sighed.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. What I’m worried about is you.” Bede was taken aback for a moment. ”How are you feeling? If you need some time off of training to grieve, you can have it. Hatterene was your partner; loosing someone that meant a lot to you can take a toll-”

“That doesn’t mean that I need to stop working!” Bede snapped. “Just tell me what I need to work on next and I’ll get it done!” He wasn’t used to being able to focus on his feelings, but that’s what his mentor was trying to get him to do. His eyes started to burn and he felt tears threatening to spill over. He squeezed them shut and scrubbed at his face, getting rid of the ones that slipped through.

“Child, I don’t think burying yourself in training and avoiding your feelings would be healthy for you. Hatterene was-”

“Yes! I know!” he exploded. He stood up, making his chair fall backwards; his eyes snapped open to glare at the retired Gym Leader, somehow leaving her in shocked silence despite him having outbursts before. “I know that Hatterene was important to me! She was the only one to stick with me through everything I’ve gone through. She was the only one who saw me as a person rather than a tool for years, and now I’m pretty sure she died protecting me, but I can’t even be sure that she’s gone because there was nothing of her left!” It felt like something was trying to weigh him down, but he ignored it in favor of continuing his rant. “This is how I deal with my feelings. I dealt with feeling inadequate by working to make something of myself. I dealt with my feeling of being used and being disowned by devoting myself to your training. I dealt... with...” He paused for a moment; a splitting headache had distracted him enough to see the near-horrified look Opal was giving him. “What are you looking at...?”

This was answered when pain burst through his head. He tried to reach up to feel what was causing the stabbing ache, but his hands hit something in the way up. Straining his eyes, he looked up. A pastel blue witch hat was what was blocking his hands from getting to the top of his head.

“What?” Bede started to panic. He realized that out of the corners of his eyes, he could spy the same shade of blue. Looking around, he saw that the color was on a curtain of hair surrounding him, and that it dissolved into a pastel pink before fading to near-white.

He took a step back in shock, stepping on something in the process. He fell back, unable to catch himself around all the hair wrapping around him. Looking to see what he tripped on, he saw his legs completely obstructed by white hair, making it impossible for him to walk.

“Wha- Hatterene?” he quietly asked himself. He felt something move on its own on top of his head.

Suddenly, it felt like a wave crashed over him, making it hard to breathe. Trying to figure out where it came from, he looked up at Opal, who had gotten up to crouch beside him. When he made eye-contact with her, another flood of nothing came at him. He noticed an aura that surround her that had been growing larger the longer he sat there.

His eyes were beginning to glaze over; he felt overwhelmed with every sensation surrounding him.

A sharp ringing cut through the haze that started coating Bede’s mind. He felt his phone buzzing in his coat pocket, but ignored it for what he saw in front of him. Besides, they hung up a moment later.

In front of him, Opal had jumped back, a clawed tentacle stopped just above her head, leading back to the top of his hat.

“I- I’m sorry!” he shouted. He drew the tentacle back towards him, grabbing it and holding it close to himself.

“No, no, it’s fine,” she tried to comfort. He could somehow feel her pushing back on whatever the aura was, trying to make it smaller. “I should’ve known that would overwhelm you.”

He took a moment, focusing on what he was seeing and feeling before he realized.

Tears slipped past eyelids as he looked up at his mentor who was trying to comfort him. Never before could he physically see and feel that someone was concerned about him.

[thaisibir]

My headcanon for why Opal adopted Bede

Because I love bittersweet stories and breaking hearts, including my own. 

Most Galarians might think that Bede is the grandson she never had, but actually she sees him as the son she could’ve had. Shortly after she turned 18 and inherited the Gym from her mother, she had a son (who I’ll call Jasper, in keeping with the gemstone naming pattern). Her son died before he turned 10 to become a Trainer and inherit the Gym as his mother intended. That’s why Opal held her position for so long, spending 70 something years on the fruitless search for a successor. Opal had raised her son in her own quirky way to love theater and Fairy types, and no one else after that had the right amount of pink. Finally she found Bede.

[stardragon68]

Bede: (Exists) 

Opal, immediately:

[salmoone]

Fave old queen from Pokemon swsh. 

Find me on ig  and twitter @/salmoone_ 

dont repost plz plz plz plz