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Pahrak Model ZX

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Blog Entries posted by Pahrak Model ZX

  1. Pahrak Model ZX
    I had a weird dream. I don’t remember all the details, but I got the pretty clear impression that Red Joker Mega Man (with some help from Rogue somehow) was fighting Frieza. Weird.
     
    Then I got to thinking “Well, who actually would win?”, and usually I say Jump characters are tough to beat because they’re all OP, but then I thought about it some more. Being OP in Dragon Ball usually boils down to blowing up a planet. That was the whole point of Andromeda, and Geo blew that up in his first game.
     
    So I decided to go ahead and say Frieza, Geo, and Solo were all of comparable power. Then I realized two on one would be too one-sided (and really, how did Geo convince Solo to help him anyway??), so I decided to just go with Red Joker Mega Man (with no time limit) vs “Final Form” Frieza. (I didn’t want to try comparing them to Golden Frieza, I wouldn’t know where to start with that.)
     
    So. If they’re about the same power level, strategy is what’s most important. Let's take a look at what we've got:
     
    -Frieza’s no slouch, but he does tend to rely on flat-out overpowering people. He’s not off to the best start.
    -Geo’s biggest advantage is that his Battle Cards are incredibly versatile, and since he’s using an indefinite Meteor Folder, he’ll have a potentially infinite stock of super powerful ones.
    -As far as I can recall, the Meteor Folder doesn’t include cards like Invis or Recov, so Geo’s support and healing options are essentially non-existent.
    -Red Joker means he probably will be slower than Frieza, which does help Frieza’s chances, but this may also be mitigated by the Mega Attack–even if he’s normally slower, being able to teleport directly in front of Frieza will definitely be a big help.
    -Geo’s packing Super Armor, meaning if Frieza does land a hit, Geo will shrug it off and deliver one of his own.
    -Frieza needs to intentionally prepare for any attack. Geo’s Mega Buster charges on its own when not in use. Another point to Geo.
    -It’s looking pretty likely Geo will win, but I think there are two ways Frieza could turn this around. The first is that, like Goku, if Frieza starts begging for mercy and saying he’ll change his ways, Geo will probably believe him and leave an opening for a cheap shot. It’s an unfair tactic, but worth noting.
    -The other is more of a wild card: Frieza’s homing energy disk. Since Red Joker Mega Man is going to be slower than Frieza, he might have some trouble dodging this and finding time to counter. And, since the technique puts so much into its cutting power, I’m not entirely sure it can be blocked by Geo’s shield. How well Geo is able to deal with this attack could potentially decide the outcome of the match.
     
    So in summary: Geo’s Battle Cards, Mega Attack, and Super Armor give him an edge, plain and simple. Frieza’s best chance at victory is taking a cheap shot, which Geo probably would fall for if the situation presented itself, though alternatively it’s possible his homing energy disk could win him the fight. Geo would probably win, but it’s not entirely clear-cut.
     
    Okay so that’s done. Except now I’m trying to figure out Rogue vs Frieza and that’s a little more difficult…
  2. Pahrak Model ZX
    I tried a randomized Diamond but it didn't go so well: my computer doesn't run the DS emulator so well, and the first Gym was a Dragon Gym with legendaries.
     
    So now I'm doing a randomized Leaf Green. I wasn't sure what to expect when the starters were Squirtle, Torchic, and Nidoran (male), or when Nidoran's ability turned out to be Oblivious. (He does have Sketch, though!) When I went onto Route 1 and caught a Celebi with Wonder Guard, though, I knew this was gonna be great. (Granted Celebi has a ton of weaknesses but STILL.)
     
    I added a cheat for 100% catch to make sure I can get all these weird mons, and I've encountered some interesting ones. Totodiles with Cute Charm and Hydro Cannon, Armaldos who loaf around, Lunatones with a terrifyingly morbid moveset. On the trainer side of things, my rival is Designer Green (my gosh he's so pretentious, it's flipping green), the Bug Catchers are all Swimmers yet seem to prefer Houndour, and Pewter City Gym is a Dark Gym (!!!) housing Champion Liam and Cop Brock. I cannot wait to see what else lies ahead.
     
    Anyway, here are the Pokemon I'm actively training right now:
     
    -Nidoran, Lv 9: Alias "Nido Ran Gogh". Since he has Sketch I figured a pun on the name of a famous artist was in order. Haven't used Sketch yet, though, not sure what I should be looking for. Other moves are Screech, Sludge Bomb, and Poison Fang. My starter.
    -Celebi, Lv 13. Alias to be determined. They are a mythical Pokemon. They have Wonder Guard. I caught one at Level 3 about 20 feet from my house. Moves are Confusion, Psychic, Solarbeam, and Petal Dance.
    -Quilava, Lv 11: Alias "The Quilavatar". All her moves are of different types (Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Twister, Arm Thrust). Ability is Pickup, found on Route 2.
    -Bellsprout, Lv 8: Alias to be determined. Found in Viridian Forest, has Speed Boost ability, attacks are Poison Sting, some other Poison move I don't remember right now, Flame Wheel, and Leaf Blade (her main move right now).
     
    Name suggestions for Celebi and Bellsprout are being accepted.
  4. Pahrak Model ZX

    Real Talk

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    The Lego Movie 2 made me cry and reexamine my life and is easily on par with the original (and The Lego Batman Movie), but
     
    While I completely understand it wouldn’t be all that practical to put focus on a long-dead theme and the scale would be a huge issue, the fact that it's partially driven by a teenager making his Lego sets/stories as edgy as he possibly can
     
    And they didn't make a single joke about Bionicle??
     
    Missed opportunity
  5. Pahrak Model ZX
    I’ve been replaying Pokémon X on and off, but I kept forgetting to post my team up here. It’s important to me that I continue my PokéRecords! Anyway, I’ve beaten Diantha, haven’t decided if I’m going to do the Looker quest or not, here’s the team and their current levels:
     
    -Gawain the Chesnaught, Lv 70
    -Adell the Mega Charizard X, Lv 70
    -Rose the Florges, Lv 71
    -Nocturn the Barbaracle, Lv 69
    -Reidak the Krookodile, Lv 70
    -Pewku the Mega Scizor, Lv 71
     
    I was unsure about trying out Florges, but Rose is an awesome part of my team. I’m also glad I got to try out all three starters, though since Greninja was first it still holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve also tried out the Mega Evolutions of all Kanto starters, so that’s cool. (I mean, I didn’t have a Mega Charizard Y on any of my main teams, but I tested one out. I like X better anyway.) The other three are just Pokémon I’ve been wanting to try out for a while. It was pretty fun!
     
    There are still so many Pokémon I want to try out, though…I already have tentative teams for Omega Ruby and Z (or whatever), but I need to fight off the urge to restart X again…
  6. Pahrak Model ZX
    I know this doesn’t affect many of you, but I’m gonna ramble a bit anyway, so please forgive me.
     
    A quick check of the topic will reveal that Bioni-Lords Book 3: Kako has not been updated in months now. I can also confirm that, in that time, I have done little to no writing for the story, and I feel like I should address this. As I’ve mentioned in a previous entry, I got to thinking more about Bioni-Lords and how I was handling, well…everything…and I became extremely frustrated with it. Frustration led to a lack of motivation, which was only worsened by a tighter schedule between school and work and a complete lack of motivation to do anything at all. I kept trying, kept failing, kept getting more frustrated as I thought about it, and, to be honest, I’m just not convinced Bioni-Lords is worth it. The most logical thing to do is put an end to it.
     
    That being said…I’m sentimental.
     
    My next thought was to declare an “indefinite hiatus”, which is basically the same thing. I typed up a farewell entry and began working on another entry detailing all the plans I had for the rest of Book 3, but as I did so…well, I got invested. I couldn’t quite bring myself to end Bioni-Lords, but I need to seriously improve it if it’s going to stay.
     
    As I mentioned in the blog entry where I first went on about my frustrations, one of my worst ideas was to give tragic ends to several characters for completely stupid reasons. I do not want this to happen. I wondered if maybe working in some weird extra twist would be better, but it made things more confusing, and there were still massive underlying issues. So to karz with it. I already have The Retcon established, so I’ll just expand that to include a reason for why these characters aren’t present in Books 1 and 2. That should make it at least less confusing. Fixing these issues is more important than sticking with a canon I decided on when I was an uninformed preteen, you know?
     
    Of course, I still want it to be sad, so there will still be some death. Don’t let your guard down yet, mwa-ha-ha…
     
    Although the eventual Book 4 is still looking like a mess but that’s something I can address later okay moving on.
     
    I will get back to writing Bioni-Lords. I still have motivation/time concerns, but I’m going to deal with those best I can and get you the next chapter as soon as I can. (That being said, I don’t feel confident with giving a release date, ahaha…)
     
    Time to get to work…
  7. Pahrak Model ZX
    Yeah, the delay's going to be a bit longer.
     
    I was recently approached to collaborate on something for G&T (don't know how much I'm allowed to say right now so I'm leaving it vague), and working on two games at once still sounds like a bit much. I also want to kick myself into writing more Shooting Star Sonia 2 (the posting schedule is about to catch up to where I'm writing and that makes me a little nervous), so between these two projects I think Slizer Dome US would benefit from waiting a while.
     
    Besides, Slizers on Okoto is still fresh in your minds. I don't want that tainting your view of the players who choose Ultrarex planets.
  8. Pahrak Model ZX
    The Time of the Mask Makers, The Second Swing, is live in the Epics forum!
     
    This part shows the reason why two very important masks were created, though one of them might come as a surprise! I’m also pleased to say that I’ve managed to get ahead of schedule and type up a rough draft for nearly the entire epic, so expect to see a new chapter every Saturday in February!
     
    I’m also preparing yet another story, one that I should be able to start posting late February or early March. I can’t say too much yet, but I will say that it is going to be a comedy! My first attempt at one in a while, actually. Still, considering the subject matter, it shouldn’t be too hard to find some stuff to make everyone laugh and/or groan. I have a more official looking announcement scheduled for Monday, so keep your eyes peeled!
  10. Pahrak Model ZX
    The time has come, folks.
     
    With the Judge Slizer’s timeline sinking into the void, the Judge Coronet and the Ice Coronet have met up for one final battle.
     
    The winner will determine the fate of the remaining scraps of the Slizer population. The loser…well, I’m sure you can guess.
     
    Are you ready to do your duty? For Coronet and Cancellation?
     
    (It’s Slizer Mafia 3 yo, come on down for a disk-throwin’ good time)
  11. Pahrak Model ZX
    I made it even simpler this time
     

     
    I was going to go with "Has Lego officially announced it", but then I remembered those BZP articles on stuff found through "guessing URLs" which apparently don't count?
     
    Aside from that one exception though the policy is really, truly, unbelievably, extremely simple.
     
    Feel free to use this handy image when teling people why you're closing their topics or whatever, staff, I won't even ask for anything in return
  12. Pahrak Model ZX
    Okay, if I’m going to rework Divine Strength, the backstory’s probably a good place to start.
     
    Now, the idea had always been that the Queens didn’t always exist. I mean, their goddess forms more or less always did, but they lived in an ethereal realm separate from the material one, and humans knew about them through occasional visions and such. At some point the two realms started to merge, bringing magic to the material realm. Eventually, this process resulted in the goddesses appearing in the material realm, but since they had no material bodies they would have dissipated and died if not for being placed within the Crowns. This is where the age of the Queens began.
     
    I was also going with the idea that the Queens initially waged frequent wars with each other, leaving the land in a very chaotic state and possibly leaving much of the landscape devastated. At some point, they came together and established a truce which has persisted up to the time the story is set to start. But, I guess I never really put much thought into why they made such a huge change…so, combining this with a desire to try out some other non-Queen related magical creatures, I have an idea.
     
    What seems most logical is that there was something so dangerous that the Queens knew they had to work together to defeat it, and the age of peace arose in the wake of that. So, some sort of magical creature was unleashed! The idea right now is that four terrible creatures appeared: one from the north, one from the south, one from the west, and one from the east. (Not entirely sure what kind of creature…my first thought was serpents, but that might be a bit too obvious. Now I’m tossing together weird hybrids and seeing how that goes.) These creatures thrived on the chaos the Queens were engulfing the world in, and so they advanced upon this land and turned chaos into utter ruin. Now, this could range from just destroying things to literally consuming reality as they advanced, I haven’t decided yet. The Queens are unable to stop the creatures on their own, and so decide the only way they can prevail is by working together. Luring the four monsters to one spot at the center of the region ruled by Queens, the monarchs combined their powers in a fateful battle, eventually slaying the creatures!
     
    …But, for a little more intrigue, maybe the Queens weren’t able to totally kill the creatures, probably because they were born from the primal force of destruction that can never be truly destroyed or something. (“You cannot destroy me, for I am nothing” and all that.) So the Queens dragged the fallen creatures back to the four edges of their region and sealed them away—the Queen of the Sea trapped the western creature at the bottom of the ocean; the Queen of Fire plunged the creature from the east into a massive volcano; the Queen of Ice froze the northern creature in a mountain cave so cold that only those born of magic could endure it; and the fourth creature was lost to the southern forests, its location known only by the Queen of Nature. The Queens agreed that they must cease their senseless violence, knowing it would only give new life to the four wretched creatures. (They need a group name…The Ruinous?) A truce was called, symbolized by a neutral meeting place being built on the grounds where the creatures were slain—the Hall of Ether, a place filled with magic that made violence within its walls totally impossible. The Queens began to rebuild the world, and the creatures passed into legend.
     
    Now, a concern of mine here is that, if these super evil creatures are around, I feel like there will be an expectation that they’ll all be revived or something for the plot/climax. And, I don’t want them to totally override the plot, though they’ll probably become relevant somehow. Plus the abomination-sounding names I’m coming up with at the moment might be a little too silly. (Norsklantal, Sojethalat, Esvayila, Wezgyan…it’s hard coming up with something that has few/no Google results…)
     
    I am starting to like the sound of “The Ruinous”, though…
  13. Pahrak Model ZX
    Section XV has just been posted!
     
    Sorry this one took so long. I talked about this over on Twitter, but I decided that since I had three ongoing fanfics, it might be better to put all my focus on finishing one of them to give myself a little less to worry about. But now, I’ve completed my Mega Man ZX fic, so here’s a new chapter of Right of Law to prove that it’s not dead!
     
    …Unfortunately…that’s about all it is…
     
    Y’see, while my plans for where Law is headed aren’t entirely set in stone, there is a lot that I still want to do. On the other hand, Shooting Star Sonia 3 has a more concrete outline and I can actually roughly estimate how many more chapters it might need. So…now I’m going to put all my focus on finishing that one. Apologies if this bums anyone out, but I feel like this approach is better for all stories involved and this is the best way to go about it right now. I’m hoping it won’t take too long, although even after that, I do find myself kicking around the idea of attempting NaNoWriMo in November, so that only further complicates things for Law. Man, I really need to get better organized with these things in the future…
     
    I will finish Right of Law. It just won’t happen super quickly, and I am sorry for that. But for now, I hope you enjoy Section XV!
  14. Pahrak Model ZX
    I’ve just posted Section II of Right of Law! Check it out!
     
    I planned this part to be longer and include a battle at Nynrah, but the draft ended up being 7000 words and that felt like a bit long for one chapter. So, I cut it in two, and now it shouldn’t be much of a wait until Section III is ready to go!
     
    But don’t think that this cut makes Section II any less exciting! We start with Krika elaborating on Zaekura’s nature hinted at with the last line of Section I, and it leads to Antroz finally taking a stand against the Great Beings, if not an entirely committed one. There’s also an explanation of who that mysterious Toa of Earth is—they’re a bit more important than you may have first thought. All this building up to an inevitable confrontation next time which will have lasting repercussions for everyone…
  15. Pahrak Model ZX
    Slizer Dome feels a tiny bit shaky, but I still think it’s a decent entry for fishers’s contest. However, since she is allowing multiple entries, I decided to add another story to my mountain of ideas I need to get to.
     
    You see, for reasons I can’t explain, I still have a special place in my heart for RoboRiders—maybe just because, back when I was entering the world of Lego constraction lines, I was able to find three RoboRiders on store shelves as opposed to one Slizer. (I mean I have all sets from both lines now but RoboRiders still has +2 nostalgia.) I think this is a great opportunity to try giving the line another shot via a more fleshed-out story, so that’s what I’m going to do.
     
    Right now I’m calling it RoboRiders Re:Start to fit with the idea of this being a data-based world, though if I think of a title that feels less…general, I might change it. (RoboRiders Fwd:Motion, maybe?) Since it seems there’s meant to be a focus on speed in the line, I want to keep that, but I think it’s going to be difficult for me to make that work. It’s something I’m going to need to experiment with. But, since I’m always doing pre-release stuff and am always fishing for feedback no matter how early, I figured I’d post my first draft of the story’s opening and see how well I was able to capture the feeling of speed (or not). SO!
     

    Open File  
    Faster.
     
    Eighty. Eighty-five. Ninety. Uphill, sharp turn, leaning—they gripped the handles tightly. The motor revved and the wheels spun even more rapidly.
     
    I can go faster.
     
    Ninety-five, downhill, gravity pressing them into the bike, a truck on the other side of the highway, they ignored it and kept going. One hundred, one hundred five. The highway leveled into a straight shot towards the gunmetal skyscrapers in the distance. One hundred ten.
     
    It can go faster.
     
    Speed was all that mattered. One hundred fifteen, one hundred twenty, pothole—swerve—accelerate, one hundred thirty, one hundred forty. They were in the city now, the skyscrapers blurring past. Streetlights flicked on, one hundred fifty, one hundred seventy, they kept speeding up as the road gently curved. One hundred eighty five.
     
    We’ve built it better than this.
     
    Two hundred. Data had to move as fast as it could. If something in this world was too slow, it would be deleted and replaced. Two hundred twenty. They merged onto a larger highway. Two hundred thirty. Only speed could keep you from becoming obsolete. Two hundred forty. They could barely make out the vehicles on the other side of the road. Two hundred seventy, onto the bridge. It curved into the sky, high over the city square, three hundred, airborne for a split-second at the peak, they could see the whole city.
     
    I want this world to continue forward.
     
    It hit the ground hard, two hundred ninety, it held together, three hundred, off the bridge. Past more skyscrapers, a wrecking ball ahead, was there construction? Three hundred ten. It was cracked, the cracks formed a face on the ball, it swung forward, straight towards the highway, two hundred ninety, two hundred seventy five, too late.
     
    Collision. Zero.
  16. Pahrak Model ZX
    It took a while, but the first chapter of RoboRiders Re:Start is now up in Epics!
     
    Originally I wanted to write the whole thing out before I began serializing it, but with the deadline on fishers’s contest fast-approaching I figured I should just start putting chapters out as soon as I can. I don’t expect it to be a particularly long story, and I will try to be quick about writing it up, but no precise schedule can be given at this time. I apologize.
     
    I hope you enjoy this reimagining of an oft-forgotten classic theme!
  17. Pahrak Model ZX
    Life as a retired theme is actually pretty great! The extensive cast of the Bionicle franchise has spent the last few years relaxing in luxury with not a care in the world, and is having their annual reunion party as the film opens. The scene focuses on big name characters like the Toa and Makuta, with a few condescending references to “the Gen 2 side of the family” and a small appearance from an old drunk Slizer who rants some gibberish about the prophecy of the Slizers’ return. One of the Toa, probably Tahu, off-handedly turns away one of the minor characters near the end of the scene and goes home to resume his easy life.
     
    Soon, however, trouble begins. Numerous major characters are found missing their masks, which has resulted in them losing all their powers and memories! A few of the Toa are called out of retirement to fix this, but all of their combat experience and character development has gone down the drain after being out of the game for so long, and so they’re barely able to do a thing against the various generic enemies they keep bumping into. Eventually they come face to face with the one stealing masks: the minor character Tahu shunned at the reunion, who is fed up with being constantly shoved into the background even so many years later. Their goal is to steal the powers and memories of all the franchise’s major characters and make them their own, so that they will be the only important character ruling over a bunch of nameless nobodies!
     
    The Toa begin to realize how poorly minor characters are treated, and this leads to them visiting their estranged relatives in Gen 2 to ask for their help. Unfortunately, the minor character has become so powerful and amassed enough generic minions that even the combined forces of Generations 1 and 2 aren’t able to claim victory. (Around this time the minor character will transform and rename themselves Voriki Toa of Energy. The Toa will comment that name sounds really fake.) When all seems darkest, the sound of disks flying fills the air…and the Slizers bust in, shouting something along the lines of “TIME TO FULFILL THAT PROPHECY SON!!” The kooky geezers are enough to tip the scales, and the minor character is defeated by a Toa Seal created from the combined powers of major, minor, Gen 1, Gen 2, Slizers, and…some other sixth thing. The masks are returned to their rightful owners, who regain their memories and abilities, and the minor character laments at how they’re now forever doomed to life in the background.
     
    The last scene is a year later at the next reunion, where all the characters are being treated as equals, including the minor character who became the villain. Major or minor, Generation 1 or 2, Bionicle or Slizers—they’ve come to realize they’re all part of the same gigantic family, and that they should be treating each other with love and respect instead of looking down on each other based on silly things like how many sets they’ve gotten or which island they lived on. Tahu excitedly makes an announcement: Generation 3 is in the works, and he was able to convince Lego to include new versions of a whole slew of minor characters! The celebration goes on and the credits begin to roll, accompanied by a new remix of the Piraka Rap.
     
    (I’ve said this before, but you can hire me whenever you want, Lego. I’m free.)
  18. Pahrak Model ZX
    -Later this month we’ll be getting a demo similar to what happened with ORAS, which will give us access to a Greninja with the ability to transform into Ash-Greninja from the anime. Which is great! Except it’s still called Ash-Greninja instead of getting a better name. Oh well.
    -The main draw here is the mid-stage evolutions of the starters! Check ‘em out!
    -Mega Evolution is confirmed to be back! Thank God! Why did they wait so long to mention it? No word on if there are going to be any new ones yet.
    -There’s an area called Festival Plaza that connects to other players and provides several useful facilities.
    -A new system lets you assign your boxed Pokemon to various islands to level up, lure wild Pokemon, and find items. Which is awesome! Now even the Pokemon you’d never even think of using can be super useful!
  19. Pahrak Model ZX

    Roxas

    By Pahrak Model ZX,

    I’ve typed and deleted this a few times over the past few months, I wasn’t sure if I should spend time on it and on occasion worried that it sounded too much like a Tumblr post (my gosh I hope that’s just my imagination), but you know what I’m feeling needy right now so here. Probably not well-organized and contains spoilers for lots of Kingdom Hearts games, you’ve been warned.
     
    You probably already know that Kingdom Hearts fans love Roxas. The thing is, Roxas was created from Sora and, in the same game he was introduced, had to return to Sora, and so many fans want him to become his own separate entity once again. I disagree.
     
    Quick explanation of some KH mechanics: a person is made up of a Heart, a Body, and a Soul. When the Heart is removed, it is consumed by the darkness within and becomes an instinct-driven creature known as a Heartless, while the Body and Soul are transported to a different location and reborn as a Nobody. Nobodies retain their original consciousness and memories, but possess no emotions and are consumed by a desire to find their Heart and become a complete being once again.
     
    Roxas is Sora’s Nobody, but due to a myriad of reasons (and they might add more as the series goes on), Roxas doesn’t have any memories of being Sora. None of the Nobodies can feel anything, but they can remember what it was like and fake it. Roxas? He can’t even remember who he used to be. People keep showing up and claiming they knew who he used to be, and he is pushed into returning to Sora—becoming who he used to be once again, but even then it doesn’t quite feel right. Sora’s emotions are a little more subdued, and he keeps seeing things that make him sad without knowing why. Eventually, Roxas and Sora have a duel within their shared Heart/mind/metaphysical battlefield or whatever, where Roxas demands to know why everyone valued Sora so much more than him.
     
    And he’s right. The prologue of Kingdom Hearts II is a week of Riku and DiZ pushing Roxas back towards Sora, doing whatever they can to reawaken Sora no matter the expense to Roxas. They care about Sora, but Roxas? We need him gone to get Sora back. That’s all there is to it. They care more about who he used to be, making him into that person again no matter what, than about who he is now or what effects that might have on who he is now. And Roxas? He can’t remember who he used to be. They keep saying that person was better, but how can he know for sure? And what’s so wrong about who he is now?
     
    The thing is, lately I’ve started looking at this like it’s a metaphor for depression. Square probably didn’t intend that, and maybe I’m just reading too deep, but it occurred to me and I feel like I need to get it off my chest and see what others think or something. Roxas (and Nobodies in general) can’t feel emotions like a normal person, no matter how hard they try. Roxas can’t remember what he used to be like, much less how to make himself act or feel that way again. Everyone around him just wants him to go back to being who he used to be, and ultimately, he’s forced to become that person again in a flawed, unhealthy way that causes lingering damage that still needs to be properly healed, all because DiZ had plans that he needed Sora for.
     
    Through all that, Roxas finds out that there’s at least one emotion he can feel: anger. Anger at everyone who cares more about who he used to be than who he is. Anger at Sora, for somehow being inherently more important than him. What is it that makes who he used to be so much better than who he is now? Why was he forced into being that person again? “Why did he pick you?”
     
    So the way KHII ends Roxas’s arc is really important to me. After confronting Sora, the two of them are able to understand each other and truly become one. They’re whole again—they’ve healed in a better way—and Roxas finally knows peace. The emptiness and anger and pain and inferiority are all gone. He’s seen for himself that who he was (and is again) is someone he might actually like to be, and more than that, who he was (and is again) has met him, tried to understand him, and validated him. Sora didn’t think any less of Roxas for being his Nobody, and expresses regret and not being able to meet him properly. When Roxas and Namine (Kairi’s Nobody) say that they still want to be together even now that they’ve returned to their original selves, their original selves take their desires seriously and set out to fulfill them. That’s more consideration than Roxas can remember ever being given, and now he has emotions again and can actually enjoy it.
     
    This post is probably terribly written, TL;DR I just really empathize with Roxas in KHII and love that he gets to be at peace in the end and feel like taking that away from him would undercut his arc and be really unfair to him.
  20. Pahrak Model ZX
    As you may or may not know, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are releasing this Friday! I have Omega Ruby all paid off, and once I pick it up (which I may or may not do at a midnight event) I’ll probably start shirking all my responsibilities to blast through it. However, I thought that this time I’d try to keep a constant log on my progress, and maybe expand my character/team outside of what’s given in the plot because I’m a nerd.
     
    And yes, that title is absolutely necessary.
     
    Once ORAS is out, I’ll try to type an entry daily. I make no promises though. I already have a team in mind, but I guess I won’t know for sure what they’ll be like until we start traveling together. Either way, I look forward to meeting them and exploring the Hoenn region!
     
    And, to get things started off, our first Team Profile.
     
    ***
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Omega the Human
    TITLE: The Player Character
    Our Player Character, a boy from Littleroot Town ready to set out across the Hoenn region! As of yet, he hasn’t quite found a real sense of identity, and hopes that this journey will help him discover who he is.
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    I went to a midnight event to pick up Ruby and Smash, though I needed to sleep afterwards. This morning I started Ruby, and Trainer Omega started on his journey! He soon found that Professor Birch was in trouble, and to save him, Omega teamed up with his very first Pokémon.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Gadunka the Mudkip
    TITLES: The Starter, The Meme
    Omega’s very first Pokémon! The two have already formed a close bond, and they are ready to take on the world! When Omega walks around towns, Gadunka will walk behind him and play with the local folks. She is well-liked.
     
    After that, Omega met May and battled and caught a few more Pokémon, learning how to use the very nifty DexNav that he probably won’t rely on a whole lot but still admits is super, super cool. He also used Pokémon Link to get a ton of extra Poke Balls. Turns out that Linking things from the demo only works once a day, which is kind of a bummer, but not really a big deal. As Omega was on his way out, someone stopped him at the Pokémon Center, giving him a new Pokémon.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Beldum
    TITLES: The Shiny Psuedo-Legend, The Other Starter, Chief Recruiting Officer
    An extremely rare Pokémon that someone named Steven Stone had delivered to Omega very early on in his journey. Beldum hasn’t completely warmed up to Omega yet, but they are exceedingly curious and can often be seen hovering over the shoulder of Omega or their teammates.
     
    The Shiny Metagrossite-holding Beldum can be obtained over the Internet via Mystery Gift until mid-January, and it actually knows useful moves (including Hold Back) rather than just Take Down! Hold Back has proved immensely useful in catching Pokémon, with two other important team members being brought on board thanks to it.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Falzar the Nuzleaf
    TITLES: The Dreamer, Gym Slayer
    A young Pokémon Omega met and captured as a Seedot near the beginning of his journey. She has a bashful nature, but despite this, Falzar hides a limitless determination, which is why Omega decided to name her after a ferocious creature of legend. Falzar likes to spar with the rest of the team—her record wasn’t looking so good at first, but now that she’s evolved and learned Razor Leaf, she can usually get the upper hand on Gadunka.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Icarus the Tailow
    TITLE: The Doomed
    A Tailow who encountered Omega early in his journey. Omega knew a Flying type would be useful, but feared that he would not keep a Pokémon like Tailow or Wingull on his team for very long, and so was reluctant to catch one. In battle, Bledum expressed this to Icarus, who decided that, even if he might end up in a PC before too long, he wanted to help Omega and the team for as long as he could. Even if he may not get much time with the team, he is determined to enjoy what time he does have.
     
    Icarus had some training in the Petalburg Woods, and is at a decent level. Beldum’s level is a little low, but that’s because they won’t obey me if they go over Level 20 and I want to use them against Brawly, so…they’re holding back for now. It was difficult to train Falzar at first, since she had no usable moves (Bide, Harden, Growth), but that all changed in Rustboro City. By this point, Omega had received the EXP Share, so the whole team was benefitting while Gadunka was sweeping the Rustboro Gym Trainers and their Geodudes. When the last trainer was defeated, Falzar evolved, learning Razor Leaf in the process, so it was decided that she would lead the battle against Roxanne to prove how much she had grown.
     
    She took the Gym Leader down all on her own. She needed a Potion or two, but she absolutely obliterated Roxanne’s Pokémon, earning her the title of Gym Slayer (subject to change). We celebrated as a team, but it seems that shady organization calling themselves Team Magma is up to something, so I should look into that before too long. But…maybe after taking a break to watch Korra and play Smash.
     
    NEW TITLE ACQUISITION: For Omega, "Bearer of the Stone Badge"
     
    When thinking about Omega’s character in all this, I thought that he might wonder if he was going on a Pokémon journey just to follow in his father’s footsteps, and question whether or not this is really want to do. But then, he’d look over at Gadunka and Falzar sparring with each other, with Beldum floating nearby and Icarus perched on Beldum’s back, and the happy feelings that would fill him would be too genuine to deny. He’s on this journey because it’s what he wants. And there you go, the first piece of his identity falls into place.
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    After dealing with a Team Magma grunt, Omega sails to Dewford Town to deliver a letter from the head of the Devon Corporation. He’s not really sure how he got dragged into that, but, eh, there’s a Gym there. Icarus and Beldum wreaked havoc in Brawly’s Gym, with the latter taking on the Leader single-handedly!
     
    NEW TITLE ACQUISITION: For Omega, “Bearer of the Knuckle Badge”; for Beldum, “Gym Slayer”
     
    After that, Brawly told us to look for Steven in Granite Cave. We headed right there…and then dawdled a bit, just long enough to catch a Makuhita.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Armstrong the Hariyama
    TITLE: The Muscle
    An enthusiastic Pokémon who can go from quiet to loud in an instant. Armstrong takes great pride in his every move, insisting that each of his attacks has been passed down his family for GENERATIONS (including the ones he just learned…). He is energetic but patient, and, despite what setbacks he may encounter, always manages to bounce back.
     
    When Omega met Steven, it was discovered that he was the one who sent Beldum to him. Apparently, Steven has a bunch of shiny Beldum and entrusts them to Trainers he thinks has potential. Weird. Anyway, we delivered the letter and then went on to Slateport to deliver the Devon Parts (I should be getting a paycheck at this point…). Team Magma was occupying the city’s museum. Omega isn’t quite sure what to think about them: one member said they work for the good of mankind, and the very next member he talked to mentioned how excited he was to commit nefarious deeds. Oh, the contradictions. This led to an encounter with Maxie, the Head of Team Magma. He explained his ideals, which Omega thought sounded fairly reasonable…but that sinister look kind of undermines any trust that he may have placed in him.
     
    So, then it was on to Mauville City. By this point, Gadunka, Beldum, and Icarus had all evolved. Omega met Wally, who challenged him to a battle, but the young Trainer only had his Ralts, who was quickly dispatched with a single Iron Head from Metang. Oh well. Then it was on to Watson. Gadunka, now a Marshtomp, did all the heavy lifting—Armstrong tried fighting Watson’s Magneton, but was knocked out, so Gadunka ended up sweeping. Omega was excited at their success, but also had the strangest feeling that, somewhere, an Omastar was weeping…
     
    NEW TITLE ACQUISITION: For Gadunka, “Gym Slayer”; for Omega, “Bearer of the Dynamo Badge”
     
    Omega then picked up a Mach Bike and headed north. After learning about Secret Bases and reaching Fallarbor Town (Armstrong evolving in the process), he learned that Team Magma was up to no good yet again and went to stop them…after catching another new Pokémon. Sadly, this meant the end of Icarus’s time on the time, but at least he was able to have fun and evolve into a Swellow while it lasted. Farewell for now, my friend.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Cygnus the Swablu
    TITLE: The Successor of Icarus
    A Swablu who has taken over after Icarus’s departure. She feels a bit strange joining a team that has already been together for so long, but the others have done their very best to make her feel welcome, and she has a feeling that they will soon become great friends. Loves dancing.
     
    NEW TITLE ACQUISTION: For Icarus, “The Retired”
     
    Omega wanted to keep Icarus on the team, but that last slot was taken by a Mightyena being kept around for Rock Smashing and Secret Power…ing. They pushed on, training Cygnus as much as possible, and fought Magma Admin Tabitha at Meteor Falls. After that some other people showed up claiming to be from Team Aqua, and they also made some thinly veiled threats before walking off. Man, everyone’s got a team these days…
     
    Omega went back to Mauville with May and began planning his next move. While a bit worried about what Teams Magma and Aqua might be up to, he is excited to press on with his Pokémon, because spending time in battle with them makes him feel happier than he ever has.
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    From Mauville, Omega headed to the cable car and rode to the top of Mt. Chimney, where he found Team Aqua and Team Magma engaged in battle. He found and defeated Maxie, but the Team Magma leader then decided to hand over the meteorite and leave. Um…okay? Then he went to Lavaridge Town, where he rode his bike in the hot springs (seriously, you can do this, it’s great) and defeated Flannery thanks to Gadunka.
     
    After that, May took us right back to Petalburg, where Omega defeated his father in battle using only Armstrong. It was a great accomplishment that helped Omega to feel that he had become his own person free from his father’s shadow. Then we met Wally, who took us to Mauville, and went in the general direction of Fortree City.
     
    Before we made it, though, we encountered Steven again, as well as the Legendary Pokémon Latias. Latias took us to see Latios, who was under attack by Team Magma. Omega repelled them, prompting Latios to join his team and Steven to give him a Mega Bracelet. Mega Evolution is now possible! But, Latios probably won’t stay on the team…
     
    Team Magma also messed things up at the Weather Institute, but Omega dealt with them pretty easily there as well. He learned that Team Magma seemed to be after the power of an ancient Pokémon named Groudon, which used something called Primal Reversion…sounds cool. Anyway, we then got the Devon Scope, caught a Keckleon, and defeated Winona thanks to Gadunka knowing Rock Slide.
     
    After that, Omega made it to Lilycove City to defeat May and get Altarianite. Along the way, DexNav helped him catch a wild Absol with a Life Orb(?!), which was rather unexpected. Anyway, looks like Team Magma is still up to something, now at Mt. Pyre. That group of thugs is really starting to get on Omega’s nerves, and now he’s confident that he has the power to stop their nefarious deeds. And, hey, if he has the power, he sees no reason not to use it.
     
    Ah, Evolutions, let’s see…Gadunka is now a (Mega) Swampert, Falzar is now a Shiftry, and Cygnus is now a (Mega) Altaria. All I’m waiting for is Metang to evolve so I can use Shiny Mega Metagross, and then Primal Groudon. I can’t wait!
     
    NEW TITLE AQUISTIONS: For Omega, “Bearer of the Heat Badge”, “Bearer of the Balance Badge”, “Bearer of the Feather Badge”, “Wielder of Mega Evolution”; For Gadunka, “The Kaiju”; For Falzar, “The Tengu”; For Armstrong, “Gym Slayer”
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    Omega made his way to Mt. Pyre, discovering it to be a place where dead Pokémon are laid to rest. For Team Magma to siege such a place…unforgiveable! He made his way to the summit, but was too late: Maxie stole the Red Orb and escaped while Omega battled Courtney. The elders gave Omega the Blue Orb so that he may have a means of countering the Red Orb. He then set off for Slateport, where he failed to stop Team Magma from stealing the newly-made submarine, then back to Lilycove to invade Team Magma’s “secret” hideout.
     
    It was a confusing path through warp panels, but Omega ventured forth. Deep within the base he discovered the Master Ball, something he knew he could not leave in the hands of such villains, so he took it and went onward. Five grunts battled him at once, but one Surf from Mega Gadunka was more than enough to take them out. Unfortunately, Maxie escaped yet again…this is getting ridiculous.
     
    Omega next went to Mossdeep City, where he hoped the Gym Leaders would know of some way to help him. After defeating them with the duo of Falzar and Cygnus (Metang evolving into Metagross somewhere along the way), a massive pillar of light shot into the sky out of the sea, and Steven told Omega that this was bad news. After receiving Dive, Omega went to the Seafloor Cavern to discover the super-ancient Pokémon…Groudon. Maxie fought Omega with the power of Mega Evolution, but though Omega defeated him, he still was able to use the Red Orb to awaken Groudon and send them on a rampage.
     
    The sun in the sky blazed. It was clear that if something was not done, the immense heat would raze the entire world. Omega, Maxie, Archie, and Steven all headed to Sootopolis City, home of the Cave of Origin which was said to contain a substance that would allow Groudon to achieve Primal Regression. Using the Magma Suit and the Blue Orb, Omega and his Pokémon were able to chase Groudon down to the deepest level, a place Gym Leader Wallace called Hoenn’s Core. There, Groudon reverted to their Primal state, and prepared to bring about the end of the world.
     
    Omega and his Pokémon knew that they could not run. No matter how dangerous this might be, they knew that they had the power to stop it, and if they passed up that chance they would never be able to live with themselves. Gadunka Mega Evolved and launched into battle with Primal Groudon…and yet, Omega found he could not ask his starter to defeat the Legendary Pokémon. The entire way here, Groudon seemed confused, as if they were not in their right mind. Perhaps the Red Orb had transferred some of Maxie’s crazed zeal into them, and that combined with the grogginess of being asleep for thousands of years awakened them improperly, forcing them to go berserk against their will. It might be a risk to the world, but…Omega could not bring himself to defeat a Pokémon who seemed so lost in their own mind.
     
    The battle only grew more ferocious. It was no easy task to keep Gadunka from falling before the awesome might of Primal Regression. Omega felt he must keep the Master Ball for something else (a strange feeling he can not explain), so he threw Ultra Ball after Ultra Ball at the Pokémon, watching as they all burst apart and were melted to slag. Just when he was about to give up hope, the unthinkable happened…it worked. An Ultra Ball locked firmly, Primal Groudon inside it. As the Poke Ball teleported to the PC, Omega breathed a sigh of relief.
     
    TEAM PROFILE: Primal Groudon
    TITLE: The Legend, The Kaiju, Gym Slayer
    A super-ancient Pokémon with the power to call down blazing sunlight and expand the land. Once their senses returned and they realized the danger they had posed, they regretted their actions and determined to learn how to better control their Primal power. The team has welcomed them with open arms—Gadunka in particular loves to spar with them in clashes of Primal vs Mega that might cause a little too much collateral damage. Groudon has accepted Omega and the team as their own family, and trusts them to watch over them should Primal Regression overwhelm them.
     
    There was little time to relax, however. Energy spewed upward from the Cave of Origin, bathing the entire region in dazzling light and forcing Omega to quickly escape. Once safely outside, he was congratulated on his efforts and given the Red Orb, being told that, with the Blue Orb to counteract it, he may be able to control Primal Groudon in short bursts. Steven also granted Omega the Eon Flute, allowing him to call Latios to his side whenever needed to soar through the sky. After a short rest, Omega tried this and discovered a Pokémon named Uxie, another difficult capture that he was eventually able to pull off. That was enough catching for one day, he thought. Back to Sootopolis.
     
    Withdrawing Groudon from the PC, Omega experimented with Primal Regression in Sootopolis’s Gym. And, guess what? Having a Pokémon with a 770 base stat total and an ability that renders all Water moves null and void in a Water Gym makes said Water Gym and absolute breeze. Groudon did not suffer a single point of damage as they obliterate Wallace’s Pokémon. When all was said and done, the Gym Leader congratulated Omega, gave him the HM for Waterfall, and informed him that Professor Birch had perfected a new Pokedex. Omega paid the Professor a visit and received the National Pokedex, and then decided to take a nice rest before starting the next phase of his journey.
     
    Omega doesn’t really consider himself a hero: he and his team just did what was in their power, what was right. Now the world is safe, and he can continue to enjoy spending time with his Pokémon. And the best way to do that would seem to be…challenging the Pokémon League, perhaps?
     
    NEW TITLE AQUISTIONS: For Omega, “Tamer of Groudon”, “Master of Gyms”; For Gadunka, “Braver of the Core”; For Metagross, “The Superweapon”; For Falzar, “Gym Slayer”; For Cygnus, “Gym Slayer”, "The Shining Star Cloud"; For Armstrong, "The Mighty Wall"
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    It didn’t take too much effort to get to Ever Grande City. What was a little harder was getting through Victory Road. Omega pressed deeper and deeper into the dark cave, fending off wild Pokémon and powerful Trainers, primarily with Groudon. When at long last he emerged on the other side, he was surprised to see Wally there to greet him. The young Trainer impressed Omega with his newfound resolve, so Omega threw everything he had at the boy. After Wally’s Mega Gallade fell, he congratulated Omega and vowed to get stronger, giving Omega a Dawn Stone as he headed into the Pokémon League.
     
    Though their levels might have seemed a little low, the team fought valiantly against the members of the Elite Four. Sidney, the Dark specialist. Phoebe, the master of Ghost. Glacia, with her command of Ice. All but Gadunka rightfully earned the title of “Elite Slayer” among just these three. Gadunka plans to claim this title in the near future, however. Omega and his team are resting now, but soon they will continue on to the final member of the Elite Four, and beyond that, the Champion. Maybe the world isn’t at stake if they lose, but they still don’t see losing an option. These battles will prove just how close they have become and how much they trust each other, and proving that, to them, is even more important than saving the world.
     
    NEW TITLE AQUISITIONS: For Omega, “Elite Two”; For Metagross, “Elite Slayer”; For Falzar, “Elite Slayer”; For Armstrong, “Elite Slayer”, “Wall Armstrong”; For Cygnus, “Elite Slayer”; For Groudon, “Elite Slayer", "Avatar of the Land”
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