dmxrated

A second person came along yesterday and offered to draw some kind of comic, which I requested in the style of the anime's early seasons.

At some point, though, with certain aspects of the games still relevant to the Battle Frontier in the end, I asked both writers to hold off until I have a chance to buy a new Nintendo DS and play or re-play FireRed or LeafGreen, HeartGold, Ruby or Sapphire (w/ a new battery), Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, in order to mark down what I capture and where, what levels each Pokemon starts at, and how much experience each Pokemon I have accumulates in each area. (That, of course, should begin after I finish recording Earthbound and create my next video already.)

Two days ago, I went with Mom and Aunt Marie to Cathedral Pines. Brian and Emily followed us there in his car, and brought Maris with them.

Upon arriving at the camping grounds after we parked, we noticed that a whole section had been taped off for some kind of construction project that had just gotten started, with the ground all torn up, dirt in piles, and a bulldozer present.

Walked one lap around the still open section before heading home. Brian considered getting a drink out somewhere, which I took him up on, something like hot chocolate, but Mom offered to make that back home.

Managed after we had our drinks, to show Brian some trees that Rohan designed. Also looked with him into buying a player's guide for Pokemon Sword and Shield through Amazon Prime, but it turns out that Prime benefits activate automatically whenever I order something under that. (Still not coming back to the actual games; it's for a reboot I plan to commission for of Unwilling Service, and I feel that those particular games, especially tied in by a remake pair of Diamond and Pearl, could lend themselves in some way to my old plans for the Pal Park.)

Someone has offered $25 for my player's guides for Pokemon Black and White. Expires 16 hours from now.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/174996547002

(The person who won those Newtype magazines never actually paid up. Mom has suggested several times that I send them a reminder in case they forgot, but seeing how they only offered half of what I put them up for, I'll probably just hang onto them to repost whenever I decide to start selling things again.)

Brian has already agreed to fund just May's chapter for the time being. Will be giving that to Michael on Monday, when he said he should be finished working for someone else.

Asked Brian yesterday why he's agreed to fund something he would like not to read, but he said he actually would (presumably after I took some time to censor the explicit parts as per FanFiction's rating policy; I am planning to create an AO3 account specifically to re-host them uncensored). Glad to hear that, but for now, I have told him that it should actually wait until his next visit.

( Reasons involving Christmas )

Drove Mom to Stop & Shop yesterday. Upon arriving, we noticed a bagel place listed on the store board that we assumed either was new or we didn't notice before. I went in to check it out, and it was still being renovated, to open sometime this week.

Went to Cafe Gia instead, and got myself a pepperoni pinwheel, a slice of chocolate/vanilla rum cake, and some chocolate milk. (Shouldn't get anything with alcohol; that cake tasted kinda bitter, and I only ate the top half.)

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Asked Marie if she could look into arranging to have me over at Brian's place soon, whether she takes that class or not. Would like to focus on Lucky Star for a bit after having completed a fourth consecutive chapter of Parasitic Trio yet to be rewritten, and the first thing I want to do with that is watch the anime all the way through with him. (Gonna have him read the fic sometime after that, and I hope to actually get that back off the ground afterwards.)

(Only helps that David has agreed to outline a future arc, in which the party will visit Italy after Nurşen joins them in Greece. If he actually follows through with that, then I'll finally have some new story content to mull over.)

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https://dmxrated.dreamwidth.org/627786.html

Out of curiosity, I actually found a copy of Starcomi on Ebay, but it is clearly not the same game depicted in that screenshot in Nintendo Power. Brought it up on the ROMhacking forum (as well as with the seller, who never got back to me), and one person told me that someone must have slipped up while putting that page together.

It's funny, because writing the above-linked entry is what cued me to watch the original Di Gi Charat anime, stopping just short of the last main episode (which is no longer on YouTube). For all I was able to find out online, though, the actual game depicted might have been a prototype of Digi Communication (whose title ironically would suggest a connection between the games), in which case could explain how someone might've confused them. (Similarly, I do understand that Jester was actually cancelled early in development, despite being advertised on one of those Sega posters I bought three months ago.)

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https://dmxrated.dreamwidth.org/2016/06/07/

Didn't mention this before, but to an extent, I kinda consider Parasitic Trio's version of the Sinnoh Battle Frontier something like Knuckles Chaotix, albeit with different ratios: Three main characters, five other participants that they are acquainted with (or could introduce to eachother), and six different facilities to battle in. (Even though tag battles could only be held canonically in the Battle Tower (the Battle Subway is canonically its own entity altogether), I always thought that it would be a lot more unique make them viable in all facilities (ditto for the Hoenn Frontier, save for the Pyramid and Pike).)

(I did wish even when writing the above-linked entry that I could mention it, but it didn't seem entirely practical at the time. Things were still a bit messy, what with the Subway set to travel between the Hoenn and Sinnoh Frontiers, which would make it a lot harder for Ellen, Jamie, and May specifically to spot Mira, Cheryl, and Riley respectively before introducing them to their fellow protagonists. However, I had since re-decided that it will travel instead to Veilstone City and back via a channel-tunnel.)

Here's something else I should've mentioned then, that I did add to TV Tropes: Hilarious in Hindsight: Video Games (for Battle Arena Toshinden 4):

[Puella's] theme could easily be a Battle Frontier facility theme in Pokémon (the Battle Subway seems arguably suitable). Listen to the bell notes, and then listen to the original Battle Frontier theme from Emerald and its subsequent remixes for the Battle Factory, Arcade, Hall, and Castle in Platinum and HeartGold/SoulSilver.

(And yes, quality differences between game systems (not least of all the Playstation vs the Nintendo DS) is something I'm already much more aware of than before I conceived Starbound, and some way to loop that song as naturally as possible would also help. But then again, I've also watched part of a Sinnoh anime episode that played an upgraded version of the Sandgem Town theme, and if I were to commission for an animation of Parasitic Trio (unlikely as that may be), I would base half its soundtrack on the anime's and commission for upgrades for all game-only songs.)

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Along with all that and the Brain battle theme being one of my favorite songs from the games even in general, are the different poses both the Frontier Brains and the five Stat Trainers (the latter whom you can fight in the Battleground in Platinum) strike when you fight them. This led me to think that maybe the protagonists should have their own poses, but while the Brains' battle animations made sense for who they were, there is no way I would have been able to think up what the stat Trainers do equivalently. Brought it up on the Serebii forum two days ago, but didn't get any replies.

http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?656866-Trainer-poses

(For context there, Blue is the character from Pokemon Adventures whom Jake renamed Ellen for her original story that went unwritten, and I would call the Johto lead Jimmy (as per The Legend of Thunder!) if he hadn't already objected to that. However, he would still assume Kenta, should I write a Japanese-names version (with Ellen also renamed Aoi) on, say, The Fanfiction Forum.)

What's also weird, as I would find out on YouTube, is that none of the Galactic Commanders had animations even in Platinum, and neither did any of the Rocket Executives in HGSS (although Jake did ask me not to incorporate them anyway), even though they were all highly significant to the plots while meeting each of the Stat Trainers is (mostly) optional.

While reading Bulbapedia: Stat Trainers, I read under Trivia that those five Trainers were the only ones prior to BW2 to have both pre-battle animations and the standard Trainer theme. I thought this whole time that Trainer animations were dropped altogether as of the original Black and White, seeing how Pokemon were first animated in Crystal, had that gimmick renewed in Emerald, retained it even through Diamond and Pearl, and went on to sport constant animations in Black/White where Trainers became static again. As it turns out, though, all Trainers strike poses in the sequels, and this has also been renewed as of the full-3D Sun and Moon.

So, all the more reason for either a webcomic or an animation, I guess. But then again, it's not like anyone's animations include sending their Pokemon out (even though even your opponents still get separate animations for that in Sun/Moon).

Just tagged a total of 301 back-entries under "pokemon" under Jake's suggestion to chronicle everything that happened to lead me both through and out of the games. Having done that has rekindled my muse for Parasitic Trio, and I should be able to go over the chapter I left off on tomorrow when Mom's at work, if not today. (Can't believe that I failed to mention Nintendo tech support having told me that my original copy of Sapphire was fake when I had actually sent it out, though.)

Not sure what determines the size of my tags in the margin. I know this one has more uses than "starbound", "cult/mcc", and "parasitic trio" combined, but I seem to recall "crap unread" standing out somewhat despite being used only eight times. Now, only this tag is particularly large, while all the rest are tiny.

Anyway, for anyone who decides to go all the way back, October 15, 2005 wasn't the day I started a new game in Red. I had already reached the Silph Company beforehand, and had put the game down in anticipation to receiving Digimon World 3 upon winning that on eBay just a few days before being notified when that game actually got shipped.

In any case, it's quite possible that I might make tags in the future for Chronicles of 7th Grade and Getter Love!!, considering how important those also were. The latter, however, would be limited to the marathon of '09 and other actual milestones, not times when I randomly decide to play the game just to kill time.

Pulled that Trainer script I wrote when I was playing Pokemon Ruby and Emerald out from one of a dozen bookholders lining the bottom shelf on my bookcase today. Reading the quotes pertaining to Route 104 inspired something to happen when I continue May's third chapter tomorrow.

Looked all around, and even in the attic, for that for FireRed. That one used to be in the bottom-most left drawer in that desk we moved into my room months ago before we cleaned it out before moving it. That particular drawer used to be exclusively for stuff of mine, but Mom and I put all the stuff I decided to keep, along with some books from the bookcase, into a green bin and a cardboard box. Mom eventually found the box when she looked around in the attic by herself, and it was only after that that I remembered some other stuff from my top-middle dresser drawer that I had also stowed away. There was the FRLG script (although I did notice even in the past that the first few pages are missing), but not the one I wrote up while playing Diamond. (I never wrote one while playing SoulSilver, because there already exists one for Crystal on GameFAQs.)

(Before she got involved, I spotted some yellow envelopes in a box, one of which was labeled "DARE" (short for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, a program for 5th graders back in C.E.W. elementary), and took out what turned out to be Marie's DARE book to take back down.)

Right now, the only real leads I have regarding my Diamond/Pearl script are that I played the last of Diamond in the porch (Grandpa was here and occupying my room at the time), and I was using a clipboard to lean on whenever I wrote something. Since I didn't place that one in the same drawer as with my FRLG script, it seems most probable that I had since kept it tucked in my player's guide, which I don't have anymore. It's not even in a folder containing a trial of the second Battle Frontier arc that I wrote months earlier, which I've kept this whole time in a bin under my bed.

I don't remember putting it in some remote pocket of this house, and it's possible that I might have thrown it out by accident. But, what Lady Cindy on Hoenn Route 104 says before and after you battle her is just one of many things that could have inspired anything (not like I ever went out of my way to talk to most regular NPCs), and the scripts are really just a convenient alternative to pulling stuff up on YouTube. (I only dug up that RSE script because there were two Trainers that the player in the video I watched this morning didn't even bother with.)

Only stuff that sounds really suspicious. Here goes:

( Read more... )

In addition to all that, those games made me obsessive-compulsive. I remember only too well during the months after completing SoulSilver, how much of a point I made out of the Ranger trilogy before playing Diamond. It was nothing but a relief not to be checking Bulbapedia every morning for events anymore after I lost it regarding my prize-Leafeon from Pokemon.com, and I've also been spending my time and money so much better ever since. With both Parasitic Trio and Starbound on my plate, reviving a former addiction is the last thing I should ever do. And, even if I did, there wouldn't be any point to everything that goes on, unlike if I had continued past September 2011.

Would've been nice to have kept going with the series and made more lists beyond Diamond, but those in and of themselves aren't something to aim for, and those games aren't the source of my fond memories (which I've made with other games such as the 7th grade lineup, the Earthbound trilogy, and Dragon Warrior II); this blog is.

At this point, I think my muse for Parasitic Trio might be returning after all, what with Starbound and the Cibus project both off the table right now.

Tomorrow, I'll probably take that pedometer I bought a while ago and only opened recently and take a walk once and for all to determine how Jamie's first PokeWalker session unfolds. Upon finishing the chapter, I will look through the player's guide I just re-bought for Pokemon Black and White before starting another chapter (probably for Ellen). All goes well enough, I might very well re-buy those for BW2 and X/Y.

I actually remember back when I started the chapter months ago, discovering the three new berry species introduced in gen VI, and being able to fit them nicely in the story outline's section dealing with berries and Natural Gift, thanks specifically to the new 18th type Fairy. So, that's a good sign right there.

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As for event-only Pokemon and items, there have been a good few from Gen V onward. At this point, the mons in question could be classified between unlocking full-fledged events, unlocking simple gimmicks, and netting items when shown to someone. However, certain individual mons and items alike are still worth noting:

( Read more... )

Sent an email to Brian and Jake yesterday morning, and later to Marie when I happened to spot her on Gchat and bring up this whole issue as the main thing going on right now.

( Read more... )

Last night, I pretty much concluded that, if I really did still see Pokemon as anything special, I would not have made it my backup project in the first place. I remember thinking about it constantly all those years ago, and the following events in particular:

The Pal Park: Even though this was the reason I went back to play the remaining Gen III games between Pearl and Diamond, I would have done away with it if I hadn't learned about an old video game promotion called SwordQuest. Here, the mains would have participated in this after all challenging the Elite Four of Sinnoh, and the event itself would take place as a five-day contest to see who could catch the best six Pokemon each participant had yet to own each within a virtual environment corresponding to the elements of Fire (representing FireRed), Water (Sapphire), Earth (Ruby), Wind (Emerald), and Life (LeafGreen), as well as throughout the event overall.

While everyone scoring below would obtain a regular item of value corresponding to their place, those scoring 2nd or 3rd in each event would be awarded one of twelve items canonically obtainable only through past events (one of which would be absent). Normally, that is not something I would have gone out of my way to implement, but considering what happened to the SwordQuest campaign in real life, those are pretty much justified by those scoring 1st getting the prizes that were held then and, naturally, were never even canon to Pokemon.

-Fire: The chalice would summon a Pikachu-colored Pichu to bring to Ilex Forest in Johto and summon a spiky-eared Pichu.

-Water: The crown would summon Jirachi, who would unlock the PokeWalker route Night Sky's Edge, but more importantly, be able to grant wishes and befriend the wielder for one week before returning to its slumber. (At one time, it was specified on Bulbapedia that only an event Jirachi could unlock that route, but that was cleared up since then.)

-Earth: The philosopher's stone would summon a Regigigas, with which to access three different ruins throughout Sinnoh in which each of the lesser legendary golems reside.

-Wind: The talisman would summon a Shaymin that, unlike the one in Flower Paradise, could assume its Sky forme with a special Gracidea flower from someone residing in Floaroma Town. (Even though both forme and item were introduced only in Platinum, it did turn out at some point that even one caught within Diamond or Pearl could change forme when traded to Platinum, HeartGold, or SoulSilver.)

-Life: A shield (my own invention) would summon a Celebi, with which to go back in time. Should any of the mains receive this, they would travel back to the past where they are to confront Cyrus at Lake Verity and battle him during the events leading up to those that began the story.

-And in the end, whoever scored the most points overall would receive the sword, with which to summon Arceus to bring to Sinjoh Ruins. (In the games, an Arceus obtained from the Hall of Origin from Diamond, Pearl, or Platinum and traded off to HeartGold or SoulSilver was just as viable to unlock certain events at SR as one obtained directly in a real-life promotion, even though the Azure Flute never was distributed to enable legitimate access to the Hall.)

As I had based my former experiences with the games on luck, whatever the mains end up winning would be decided through various algorithms to determine everything that ends up happening.

The Battle Frontiers: Even though I didn't spend much time with the one in Emerald before starting my first playthrough in Diamond, this would become one of my favorite parts of the series between aborting said Diamond run and obtaining SoulSilver for my following birthday, in which I would seek mainly to raise points with which to exchange for stuff to bundle whichever mons I'd migrate from that game to SS and my second playthrough of Diamond with. (And to think that the Pokemon can't hold anything upon being migrated from gen IV onward, leaving my only purpose of the Frontier in SS left being to buy any TMs for which I land a double-5.)

As I sought only to see how far I could get in each facility (along with the Battle Towers in Ruby, Sapphire, and Pearl for a perfect 10 with the seven comprising the gen III Frontier) during only the time that I intended to spend at each Frontier, the mains would only be given a week for each of their Frontier visits before they'd have to pay to continue battling there, and the actual outcomes are not set for them to ultimately win all the gold prints. Originally, while all three mains would take on the gen IV Frontier during the final chapters of the story, only May would have taken on the one from gen III before travelling to Sinnoh. However, then came Black and White to introduce the Battle Subway, which, while much simpler like the standalone Battle Towers in Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond, and Pearl, appealed to me as a nice concept to supplement the gen IV frontier with, but I could only think of to double as a means between both Frontiers, essentially making them into just one. (Isn't the actual purpose of a subway to commute? Wouldn't it have been practical in canon for there to be multiple places at which to access or leave, moving to the next stop after each battle, which I gather it was in the anime?)

More importantly, these were where all the focus would be on battling all manner of other Trainers' Pokemon, to be decided via RandomInteger. Also adding to this would be the potential for the mains to run into and team up with any of the five characters that join you at different points in DPP, and unlike in the games (where they can only aide you in the Battle Tower), the mains could enlist them (as well as eachother) to fight double-battles in any facility of their choice.

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While those two whole things were what I looked forward to the most, they would have been pretty meaningless were they to stand alone, apart from everything else that would have happened throughout the story. Nowadays, though, they seem kinda meaningless anyway, since this whole thing is about material gain and reflecting how I used to play the games. Brian even did once describe such stuff as happens after the Elite Four in each game as anticlimactic (first paragraph in cut).

(And, at this point, I'm feeling a bit burnt out to go on about what actually appealed to me when I read the player's guide for Black/White through and what I proceeded to imagine from there. So, maybe later today, so that I can show Brian both these entries on the same page.)