#willice rambles

[willicelettuce]

I actually like that N gives his dragon away by the end of BW2,, I like to think that it symbolizes the end of N's whole character arc and him freeing himself from a destiny that had been forced on him,,, (big yap session under the cut)

In my opinion N only became a hero at the tail end of BW2. To me he doesn't become a hero the moment he awakens his dragon, and it's instead a years long journey. He always had the potential to be one, which is what triggered his dragon into awakening, but N needed help, time and healing to achieve it. I think that N is a hero by nature, for his heart is always in the right place, but it takes him two years to find himself after the damages done by Ghetsis.

N gets his legendary dragon following Ghetsis' lies, threatening the balance of the region. His resolve and his pride are so strong that he becomes willing to hurt the creatures he wants to protect in the first place ("I will prove the value of my beliefs even if it means my Pokémon friends get hurt!"). He is willing to use his friends as tools to prove himself right. I think it's the moment where we see that N isn't thinking for himself, but is entirely borrowing his values and morals from Ghetsis.

Once he and Ghetsis are defeated, instead of staying and taking the consequences on his actions, N ditches. He leaves his sisters, the grunts and Rood behind to pick up the pieces. When the people who trusted him needed him most, N fled. In a memory link event, after two grunts throw hands in the Safe House, N appears and notes that the grunts have been redeeming themselves while he fled and did nothing ("I've been worried about the people who believe in me... But it seems they know what they can do for Pokémon in their own ways. Compared to them.... What was I doing ? What I really should have done was tell people how Pokémon feel...!")

To me, the time N becomes the hero is when he stops Ghetsis from freezing a kid to death. I think that's the climax of his story, where he finally decides to face Ghetsis and work to redeem himself. I think that's when his ideal/truth actually shines the brightest. He fights for what he truly believes in after having found his own morals and values.

When Ghetsis is finally defeated and Unova is safe again, N gives away his dragon because he found himself and what he believes in !!! He served his purpose as the hero. He redeemed himself, and worked on himself to be the best version of himself. He can start being a person, free from the burdening destiny that Ghetsis forced on him since his childhood.

Idk I know that a lot of people think of this ending as bittersweet, or even tragic, but I tend to think that it's rather poetic and satisfactory ! N completed his self-discovery journey. He now fights for his own morals and convictions. He stopped running away from his problems. He faced and helped defeat the horrible man who made him. N was freed from Ghetsis' expectations to be the hero who shall serve his father's selfish goals. N can finally make decisions for himself and do what he thinks is right. He can choose his own path ! He dreams of a world were pokémon and humans live in harmony, and with Ghetsis defeated for good, he is a step closer to his ideal. He chooses to give his dragon to someone who might need help fulfilling their dream after he did so much progress on his own

In conclusion N is just a little guy but he works really hard to be a good little guy

[willicelettuce]

Still haunted by how Ghetsis' cane planted in the floor of the Giant Chasm looks like a tombstone

[willicelettuce]

Do you think Pokémon can read human emotions like how dogs and cats can?

- Chicken anon

I interpret that by "reading emotions" you mean non-verbal communication such as limbs movements and facial expressions ? (English isn't my first language so I got a bit confused I'm sorry xnoidfbfvqsdbil)

Pokémon seem to display at the very least child-like intelligence in their early stages, so in my opinion, most of them would be able to understand non-verbal communication !

Pokémon also seem to use facial expressions the same way as humans do ! In later games where we can interact with them, they smile when happy and frown when irritated (Very different from our world where some animals like chimpanzees can "smile" when they feel threatened)

I'd say that even through pokémon might need to learn what some more complex human facial expressions means, it would be a much easier process than for a cat or a dog, as pokémon likely possess a higher intelligence, and already use similar expressions to ours !

This would however be an issue for pokémon who simply.. Don't have facial features (eyes, mouth, eyebrows, moving ears). In "normal" pokémon, that would be Roggenrola and Boldore. Most of pokémon have at least one eye or a mouth, these two only have ears ! Ultra-beasts often lack facial features, with creatures such as Blacephalon, Kartana, Nihilego, Buzzwole and Xurkitree. Without going into the details of how they are even able to perceive the world around them, I think they'd struggle a bit to read human expressions cvndiocqncio

I love ultra-beasts and ultra-people btw they are my favorite thing in USUM yeehaw

Anyway I hope this big yap session answered your question !!!

[willicelettuce]

It makes me so happy whenever people tell me they enjoy my characters or relate to them, it's such a unique heartwarming feeling to know that your art resonates with other people. I just wanted to thank you all for your support and kind words !! It means a lot to me !! :))

[willicelettuce]

I had a dream where I played BW2 but when going down in the abandoned Castle, it had been renovated into an underground nightclub and I remember that in one specific hall I could see N's little sprite boogieing down

[willicelettuce]

I had a dream that Melanthe and N were invited to dine over at someone's house, but N kept whispering to Melanthe "The gratin doesn't have cheese on top of it, can you please add some so it can taste better" and Melanthe kept whispering back "N we are not at home, I can't just go in this person's kitchen and add cheese on top of the food???"

[willicelettuce]

Hi !! I'd like to know, what would you guys like to see more of on this account ? I tend to regularly bounce between focusing on N and Dardanne, Ghetsis and Melanthe, and Orpiment and Leon, but I wondered what you'd like to see more of !

Would you be interested in more text posts and "lore" dump ? More story-focused art or texts ? Seeing some of my other pokémon trainer OCs (they are all wips at the moment sadly,,,) ? AU ideas ? Or simply more art ?

Oh important for people who like to ask me things !! I had to clean up my askbox recently :( However !!! This means I can finally start with a clean slate again and attempt to answer all new asks incoming :)))

[willicelettuce]

Guard Dog as the metaphor for Ultimate Devotion???

An abstract drawing on how Dardanne perceives himself (mostly unconsciously) in most of BW1 ?

A creature that loves its master so much it's ready to maim and maul and kill to be sure they are safe

Lore dump under the cut !

These two are living rent free in my brain. You can send me thousands of asks about them. I will yap for hours

I think I never touched upon how N and Dardanne's relationship is incredibly unbalanced in BW1 ??? N has a god-like status in Plasma. He is that one man who can talk to pokémons and who is going to separate humans and pokémons for the good of everyone. ...Dardanne is a grunt. He is just a cog in the machine, his name holds no value because he is ultimately replaceable. He is a soldier amongst hundreds of similar soldiers.

In BW1, Dar is basically N's guard dog and caretaker. N, as of the beginning of BW1, would never make it by himself in the outside world (My man spent 15 years in a playground). He needed someone to take care of him, feed him, and do all the little things he struggles with, and most importantly, he needed someone to protect him physically.

Ghetsis decided that Dardanne was the best candidate. Dardanne was obedient, soft-spoken, and integrated Plasma young enough to not have any contact with the outside world anymore. No friends, no family to go back to. He was essentially a clean slate who would not stir N away from his mission. He had a powerful pokémon in Politoed, he was excellent at self-defense and fighting. And so it was decided he would travel alongside N.

Dardanne, alongside the other grunts, was trained to worship the Harmonia royalty. Dardanne would kill for N, no questions asked, just give a name. Dardanne would get himself hurt or killed if it could help N in any way.

Dardanne's devotion to N is something that genuinely scares N quite a bit in BW1. By the end of BW1, N knows how dangerous Dardanne could be if N ordered him to do horrible things, because Dar would never question his orders. Like Melony, Dardanne has the potential to cause great harm if stirred in the wrong direction.

BW1 Dardanne is kinda scary. He isn't violent or dangerous in the story, because N never orders him to be, and N is never in direct danger. But Dar has the potential to be violent and dangerous. N would just have to say a few words. That's what Plasma Brainwashing™ does to a man

By the time they reach the League and the Castle, N and Dar's relationship is more than friendship, but their huge difference in rank makes it awkward, so they never actually make it official, or even share their romantic status to anyone else. They actually have absolutely no idea how they are going to deal with their relationship once N rules over Unova.

N's departure at the end of BW1 is something the both of them need. N needs to see the world and make new memories away from Plasma. Dardanne needs to heal from the brainwashing of Plasma and stop seeing N as this godly being he must protect at all cost, and just as the human he is.

After 2 years of self-discovery for N, and 2 years of hardcore therapy for Dar, they are much more healthy when they meet again, and now out of Plasma, they find themselves as equals. They still have massive scars and a lot to unlearn, but progress has been made and keeps being made. They are healing together :)