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Pokemon GSC/HGSS: The Dragon Clan
No one except the Dragon Clan knows exactly where they came from. Unlike most of historical Johto, the Clan prioritises keeping extensive records regarding their history, including the everyday proceedings of the Clan and the surrounding area. However, these records are highly protected, so no besides record-keepers, the Elder, and individuals with permission from the former are allowed to access them.
Long ago, their community was used as a rest stop for travelers flying between Johto and Sinnoh (no inter-region land routes existed back then). However, the outsiders that wanted to stay were not allowed to take up residence within the clan, so they had to build their own town nearby—this would eventually become Blackthorn. In modern times, commingling between the Dragon Clan and the outside world is much more common, but non-clan members (anyone who hasn’t been born to an existing clan member) still cannot live in the community. Most mixed families will choose to live in Blackthorn or the immediate surrounding area as a result, even though there has recently been pushback against what some believe to be an outdated tradition.
On a similar note, while visitors are welcomed in the community, no non-clan members are allowed to access the Den itself without a special token---a Silver Wing carved out of a Dragon Fang---given out by the Elder or a trusted representative. This is because it houses the dragon egg/hatchling incubation areas, historical records and cultural/religious texts, and the Clan Elder’s living quarters. More importantly, it’s a sacred space dedicated to Lugia, who the clan believes to be the ultimate dragon pokemon.
Roughly a century and a half before GSC/HGSS, the Dragon Clan was forced to integrate into Johto after going through some hardship. It’s legally considered part of Blackthorn and therefore has to follow Blackthorn laws, but otherwise considers itself independent and self-governing.
Additionally, the community is fairly self-sufficient, growing most of its own food and having a generally closed economy that operates mostly through bartering. However, money is still exchanged between the Clan and Blackthorn. Clan members usually buy necessities while Blackthorn residents and tourists often visit to purchase artisanal products, especially jewelry. Dragon Clan jewelry is considered some of the most valuable onm the Sinnoh/Kanto/Johto continent, partly because the Clan is the only group of people who is legally allowed to harvest materials from dragon-type pokemon, and partly because the Clan’s jewelers are some of the best at their craft. The jewelry is even said to exude different properties based on the material used—Dragonair pearls, for example, are said to impart both elegance and power upon the wearer. Silk also used to be popular, though it's now an endangered tradition since the Spinarak populations used for production have largely migrated towards warmer climates.
The community itself is built around the entry lake to the Den, located a couple miles north of Blackthorn. The residential area is built closest to the lake, with businesses and shops found more towards the south of the community. The very outskirts are dedicated to dragon rearing, mostly consisting of pastures and shelters reserved for the pokemon as well as sheds to store necessary resources. The rice fields, which produce the community's main source of food, lay further up the steep slopes of the mountain. More housing is scattered between the community and Blackthorn, where most of the mixed families reside.
Both Blackthorn and the Clan community feature gassho-style architecture. However, while Blackthorn has mostly modernized to resemble Johtonian interiors with features such as sturdier interior walls and full wooden doors, the Clan’s homes are still structured like traditional minka.
The Dragon Clan hierarchy basically works on a system of prestige. The more you contribute to the clan, the more prevalent you are in the community. This doesn’t mean much in terms of actual power, as the only real position of authority is the Dragon Clan Elder, but it does mean you get all the nice benefits that come from being well-respected such. (this might sound weird but the best way I can think to explain it is that it's like raising the most money for your PTA bake sale and getting voted for PTA president in the next election. maybe the school admin gets the last say on what happens in the district, but you still have a ton of sway and people who will listen to you regarding district matters)
Although candidates for the next Clan Elder are traditionally kept within the family, there’s no official rules for the selection process—no birth rights or anything like that—meaning that impressing the current elder is very important if someone is aiming to claim the position next.
Once an elder is chosen, they belong to the entire clan, quite literally. They move away from their family unit to their own special housing from where they are expected to lead the clan with a just, impartial hand. In return, the clan takes care of them—their home is kept tidy and comfortable, their food is prepared and served everyday in a timely manner, and their every possible need is handled by the members of the clan.
Unless the elder assigns a specific task, chores (mostly revolving around clan upkeep and community service) are decided upon collectively by the clan. Everyone except for the youngest of the young and oldest of the old are expected to contribute, as the more hands there are available to help, the more the burden can be shared. Assignments are not permanent, and clan members may reassign work or trabe jobs with each other for the betterment of the community.
Aforementioned public sway comes in handy here, as more esteemed individuals typically delegate themselves the most prestigious jobs (aka whatever gets them closest to the Elder and/or takes the least effort while still making them look good) while everyone else divides the less desirable jobs among themselves. There’s technically nothing stopping anyone from protesting such a system, but making too much of a fuss might mark you as a troublemaker in the community’s eyes.
Unless owned by a specific person or family, most of the dragons of the Dragon Clan are considered wards of the entire community, some more wild and some more domesticated. Whether personally owned or not, all dragons live out in the pastures and/or the lake, free to roam the town as they please (pokeball use is very rare within the clan).
Almost all members of the clan will help take care of the dragons at least once in their lives, usually as children and always under the guidance of the pokemon's official caretakers, called dragon tamers. Although major injuries are somewhat rare among tamers, the possibility always exists, so children and tamers-in-training are always supposed to be watched over very, very closely.
Aragoto is a sacral art, saved for important cultural ceremonies. They most often occur as religious rites, but they may also be performed at festivals as well. Productions always tell the story of a historical event; though contemporary historians may argue that these plays are more akin to fable than real-life events, the Clan views it as completely accurate to their heritage. To be chosen as an actor is an honor of the highest regard, and to make a blunder while performing is the highest disgrace (well that's a little exagerated but still). Therefore, actors will often dedicate most if not all of their free time to perfecting their roles before an upcoming performance.
Kumadori, though an important part of aragoto, is not restricted to the practice. It’s most like a culturally significant face paint, applied at home before attending festivals, ceremonies, and celebrations alike. Most clan members will have their own personalized kumadori, though to choose any decorative colors other than red and black is extremely rare due to the associated meanings.
Although full kumadori is not normally worn in day-to-day fashion, many clan members like to reference it in their own makeup and consider it to be a source of personal pride. The most famous examples include Lance and Clair of the Indigo League, who wear partial kumadori as part of their League uniforms. Additionally, Clair is one of very few clan members in the entire clan's history to purposefully wear blue kumadori outside of aragoto.
The Blackthorn Gym has traditionally been run by the Dragon Clan. Although there are select people who may find this unfair, its historically been one of Johto's most successful gyms, and there's no rules against nominating another clan member as the next gym leader as long as they are approved by the Pokemon League.
Drinking is heavily frowned upon within the clan, so ingrained in their culture that most clan members who move away will continue to abstain long after they leave. Of course, the reason why is obvious: they've willingly surrounded themselves with some of the most notoriously dangerous and unpredictable pokemon, and to accidentally slight one of these beasts could very well end with catastrophic consequences. Most clan members will end up with the occasional knick and scar, sure, and the dragon tamers will often wear their injuries as badges of honor, but no one wants to end up as the next cautionary tale. Unfortunately, accidents still happen with every new generation, even within the Elder's own family…
Sorry in advance if this post doesn't make much sense, but! in my defense, this was all originally going to be left in tags (for this post specifically if you're curious). And then the tags breached containment, and they were pretty off-topic anways, so... here we are! There's no particular point here, I'm just writing whatever comes to mind, so fair warning for lots of aimless rambling that leads into even more aimless rambling:
PLA to me is about perseverance. It's about the initial confusion, and the consequent adaptation that changes you fundamentally as a person. It's about using your strengths in ways you never considered before. It's about ✨Willpower✨ even--- ok that's a reference to personal canon but whatever. More than anything, it's about the lengths someone is willing to go through to get what they want, whether it's summoning Pokemon Satan to restart the world, trying to protect your hoe from mentioned Satan-summoner, or just trying to survive in the midst of chaos.
My Lucas is deaf and loses his hearing aids when he first arrives in Hisui (he has a tiny bit of hearing but like. not enough to be useful for the most part), so instantly he's cut off from everyone who tries to help him. He can write to communicate but the language gap is like modern vs middle english---sure it's kinda possible but it's gonna be a pain in the ass, take forever to decipher, and meaning will be lost in translation. It gets easier to deal with as time goes on, of course, but the pure inconvenience will always be there. And then of course he's shoved right into the Survey Corps because they assume he just speaks a different language instead of Literally Not Being Able To Hear Anything. He ends up communicating mostly through gestures when out in the field (he and Akari work out their own system of signals for long-distance communication methinks), and as per Cyllene's suggestion, he eventually puts together some communication cards for general use. When he gets back to Sinnoh, it definitely makes him think about over-relying on technology, but getting into that would segue into unrelated territory.
And poor Lucas doesn't know how to survive out in the wild!! He's a scholar not a fighter!!! He probably read some relevant stuff back in Sinnoh but also his memory is pretty shot. Akari's there to help too (she has a much more active role in personal canon) but a lot of it is still trial and error, and then so so so much research while he has the luxury of being in town. The first time he encounters an alpha pokemon, it manages to sneak up on him from behind, and he kinda sorta nearly dies! After that, he learns real quick to pay attention to the shadows around him as visual clues, including after he returns to Sinnoh (which does ruin Dawn's/Barry's fun a little but it's probably for the best so they don't end up scaring him and getting suckerpunched out of reflex). He ends up using the environment to his advantage a lot in that way, even after he physically adapts to his new setting---after all, no matter how strong you and your pokemon are, there's always going to be someone stronger. You're much more likely to survive if you know how to work around that strength instead. He'd probably take up foraging as well whenever he runs out of supplies. I can't see him hunting for food because 1.) trying to prepare a pokemon for consumption would be Overstimulating to say the least, and 2.) killing a pokemon might be just a little traumatizing for someone who works so closely with them (both before and during PLA). Like sure he'd probably get used to it, but he's not willing to get that far in the first place, so his diet suffers a bit as a result. There's plenty of other examples but honestly this paragraph is getting too long.
Long story short once he gets exiled it's basically Survival Wilderness Training Pt. 2: Hardcore Mode. Of course, he doesn't especially care about his banishment---Lucas is perfectly fine with rules right until the point they become unfair or unreasonable, after which he'll ignore them at his leisure---but sneaking back into Jubilife tends to be more trouble than its worth anyways. From there, its a matter of figuring out who he can and can't depend on. Akari was the person he trusted most but ultimately chose to stay in Jubilife when he was banished, the clan leaders frankly seemed a little childish at first but they're eager to lend him a hand, the wardens can't do much for fear of offending the Galaxy Team, and Volo's willing to help but sticks his nose in Lucas's business too much for his liking. Then again, he can't really be too picky when he's roughing it out in the wilderness and also trying to stop what feels like the end of the world. It's a matter of principles vs practicality, and unfortunately for Lucas, he has some very strong principles.
Aaaaand from here I'm not sure what else to write. Like I mentioned, I didn't exactly have a specific topic in mind while writing this. I'm also pretty undecided on the story beats overall---I haven't actually. y'know. played or watched PLA yet. But these are my thoughts so far at least!
soulsilvershipping my beloved <3
For the JEC Kickoff Event - Curate a Collection
All images used can be found here!
Thank you so much @invisiblemelonmoose!!! Hope you don't mind me answering your comment with a post, it's just a lot easier to format this way since I have quite a bit to say on the subject >:)c
So right off the bat, none of the kids have an actual connection to the legendaries---no special ✨chosen ones✨ or anything like that. It's more of a thematic thing for characterization purposes. To put it simply, each legendary has a specific word/trait I've associated with it for one reason or another, and so each character exhibits their respective trait in a way that they're supposed to grapple with throughout their game's storyline. Aka, an easy recipe for character growth!
Red -> Moltres (passion) Leaf -> Articuno (composure) Blue -> Zapdos (wit)
Since there's not really much lore for the Legendary Birds (at least not that I can find---there's a bit from the movies but I don't typically work with the animated stuff as source material), I had a very vague starting point, so I decided to go off their elements when selecting traits. Fire is often associated with burning, consuming passion---but Red isn't exactly the most animated guy in canon. Instead of being outwardly enthused, he has a much more mellow but no less intense love for pokemon. Big or small, tough or weak, he has a soft spot for them all. However, he also happens to have a talent for battling that Oak picks up on, for which he encouraged him (to a maddening degree) to pick up battling and eventually the Indigo League. Yet all the nagging and expectations---from nearly everyone around him, not just Oak---wears down on him, and it takes a forfeited match and an extended trip to the coldest, most isolated place in the region to recall that old flame... Blue takes after his grandfather in that he has a lightning-quick intelligence---not that Oak ever seems to be particularly impressed. In a family full of extraordinary people, Blue only ever seems to be extra ordinary. As a result, he goes out of his way to appear confident and cocky, though it's less about having an inferiority complex and more so just wanting to be noticed. He's even compared to Red constantly, who is objectively the better battler and who is the main reason Blue takes on the gym challenge himself. But on his journey, his self-assurance actually causes him to make dumb mistake after dumb mistake that culminates in the loss at the Indigo League. Then Red goes missing all of a sudden, and Blue's left to pick up the pieces of his ego while he and Leaf travel through the Sevii Islands. Out of the trio, Leaf is most definitely the most unfazed. It's not that she's particularly peaceful---watching one of Blue's and hers many arguments will instantly prove otherwise---but overall she's not nearly as passionate as Red or as outspoken as Blue. In fact, she can show an almost icy apathy at times. When Blue returns to Pallet Town without Red and without a Champion title, she's the one to suggest they head out to the Sevii Islands and take a break. But as the situation on the archipelago worsens, Blue digs them into deeper trouble with the remnants of Team Rocket, and they continue to hear nothing but radio silence from Red, Leaf's first instinct is to shove it all down like none of it particularly matters.
Lyra -> Lugia (empathy) Silver -> Ho-Oh (justice)
Ok, this one might need a little explaining since I kind of had to extrapolate here (Lugia's ocean/storm thing is way too close to Kyogre to just go with something water-related, and Ho-Oh is kinda just Moltres But Cooler in a way). In the Tower Duo's legend, the Brass Tower burned down in a rainstorm, during which Lugia tried to quell the fires with the wind. However, that put the rest of Ecruteak in danger, so Lugia had to stand aside and let it burn---its empathy led to its own downfall, so to say. Then Ho-Oh came along and revived the pokemon that had died in the tower (the Legendary Beasts), but fixing the injustice that happened to the Beasts caused the townsfolk to drive them away. Also, we're ignoring the whole blurb about trainers who can "touch the souls of pokemon" or have a "pure heart" bringing the Tower Duo back---I'm regarding that as a legend that's more so about people and pokemon as collectives regaining trust in one another (remember, trying to avoid chosen ones here). Anywaysss, moving on to Lyra and Silver! Lyra is a very empathic person, but she relates to pokemon far more than she does people. She's used to going along with anything and watching the world move on around her, so when she's faced with actual conflict, she struggles to go out of her way to help. Meanwhile, Silver has no problem calling out such infractions when he sees them, but he often fails to consider the fallout when trying to confront it---especially how it'll affect his own pokemon. Their arcs throughout HGSS involve learning from each other (as in their arcs are so intwined it's extremely difficult to discuss them separately) until by the end, Lyra becomes Champion and gains the power and motivation to help everyone, while Silver is... well, he's stuck reevaluating his entire worldview and goes through a teeny tiny itty bitty little existential crisis, but that's a story for another day (aka spoilers that I would like to cover in its own post). Originally, the plan was to pair the johtags to each Legendary Beast with Kris, Ethan, and Lyra relating to Raikou, Entei, and Suicune respectively. However, the fire/water/electric combo felt way too similar to the kantrio kids, and I couldn't really come up with anything original that felt like it would fit. I feel like I can justify it though considering both Kris's and Ethan's journeys have nothing to do with the plot of HGSS (Kris's takes place a few years before during GSC and Ethan's doing his own thing with Eusine during HGSS) sooo......
Brendan -> Groudon (structure?) May -> Kyogre (entropy?) Wally -> Rayquaza (ambition?)
I'll be completely honest here, I've barely fleshed out the Hoenn trio. like. at all. so I won't say much here for fear of writing something that I don't agree with later. But! I can say that while the kanjoh kids all start off with their defining traits, I want Brendan, May, and Wally to work up to theirs. Other than that, I'd have to do way more research into the characters and plotline to come up with a decent semi-faithful interpretation, so this is my formal apology to all the Hoenn fans reading this :( I'll get to it someday I promise!!!!
Dawn -> Mespirit (emotion) Lucas -> Azelf (willpower) Barry -> Uxie (knowledge)
Since I've saved the Creation Trio for PLA, the Sinnoh kids get the Lake Guardians! It's easy pickings, too, since they've already got characteristics practically built into them. I know the matchup here mighttt look off considering the character's in-game personalities, but hear me out on this: Dawn starts out on her pokemon journey purely to spite her mother and becomes Champion mostly because she can. If that's not emotional-led thinking, I don't know what is. She certainly doesn't act emotional half the time---she's level-headed, and clever enough to get herself out of all the trouble she causes---but there is very much a reason why she and Barry get along so well. In addition to that, she does hold a very firm belief that certain things should go certain ways and she will do just about everything to ensure they do. In that respect, she can come across as quite entitled, but it isn't inherently in a mean-spirited fashion. She just needs to figure out what's worth fighting for and what isn't. Lucas is much more stubborn than he typically lets on. He does come off as a little awkward and even bumbling at times, but he's also a trainer nearly on par with Dawn and Barry. Considering he's a dedicated research assistant underneath Rowan and Dawn/Barry are full-time trainers, it'd take a lot of commitment to train his team enough to keep up. Overall, it takes quite a bit of convincing to get him to back down from something once he's set on it. If something's false, he has to correct it (it's not about him being right, it's about getting the facts straight), and if he doesn't agree with a rule, he'll simply ignore it (why should a rule exist if it's stupid anyways?) Though it can be inconvenient at times, it's exactly this attitude that allows him to survive getting blasted back to ancient Hisui. Also a fun fact: Lucas is the only protag to officially have two legendary associations, as his character correlates to Azelf and Dialga in DPPt and PLA respectively (Akari gets Palkia, and you'll never guess who Giratina is left to... >_> ). Barry loves to learn, he just can't focus for the life of him. He's constantly the first to know and the first on the scene, he always uses his losses as a chance to reflect and improve his team, and he even goes out of his way to memorize all he can at the Trainers' School in Jubilife. That's not to say he especially cares about learning subjects outside of his interests, but he absolutely does get sucked deep into whatever catches his eye. Especially after Lucas's disappearance, he devotes all his free time to research just so he can figure out what happened to his friend---and just possibly, with some help, he manages to catch a lead...
As an artist I am not immune to The Ultimate Pastime (drawing eyes)
Fun fact!: nearly all of the protags/rivals have eye colors that correspond to their respective legendaries (according to personal headcanon). So if it looks completely off from canon that's why :)c
casually remembered I have free will and can actually bring my awful ideas to life
Hatsune Miku -> HatSilver Miku.
That is all.
Cooldown doodle featuring the beloved :)
edited bc I decided I didn't actually like the other drawing
behold, ✨️content✨️
Thinkin about aragoto as a (ceremonial?) Dragon Clan tradition, with kumadori as a generally less formal (maybe for celebrations/festivals) but still culturally significant custom....
And then also Clair incorporating it into her gym leader uniform?
Lance would probably also have some, but significantly less dramatic just because of personal preference. Like maybe just some eyeliner, something a little more obscure.
I think the ipponguma would also be a better fit personality-wise, but realistically he'd probably reference the nihonguma style just as part of the more "respectable" image he has to portray as champion.
mmm poffin tasty :)c
Silver doesn't need another father. He's already got one of those, technically, but the man turned out to be a weak, cowardly bastard who couldn't face his own problems let alone raise a child. The way he sees it, there's no need to set himself for more disappointment. He's got a roof over his head and food to eat, and that's far more than he could ever depend on in the last... however many years he'd been living on the streets. Lance and Clair are annoying as hell, but while he's training in the Dragon Den, he doesn't exactly have much room to complain. Not out loud, anyways.
Lance doesn't particularly want to be a dad either. He's already got too much responsibility on his plate as Champion, and this kid clearly needs so much more emotional support than he feels like he can provide. Simply convincing him to move into his guest room was enough of a struggle, and it only really worked because Lance had promised Silver he could "earn" his keep. What the hell is up with that, anyways? He's not sure what Silver's past looks like, and he's not about to go prying, but the bare minimum he can do is make sure he doesn't have to rough it out in the woods anymore. At least Clair seems to be having fun training him...
Clair is more than ready to be an aunt. The other two refuse to admit to caring for each other, but unlike them, she's not afraid of something as stupid as her emotions. The brat's slowly but surely been mellowing out during his training, and her idiot cousin has actually been taking care of himself for once in order to be a "good example." Silver has even caught on to calling Lance "old man" like she does, on account of those ugly-ass reading glasses the all-mighty Champion has to wear, and she couldn't be prouder. Best part is, she doesn't have to spend a dime except to treat the kid every so often! That's a win in her book if ever there was one.
"wow i would really love to work on headcanon stuff---" denied. doodle instead.
Ok wait I have vague GIG(G)S ideas:
Impulse: an Experienced Ghost Hunter(TM)!
He worked for whoever the in-game company is (they don't have a canon name as far as I'm aware?) for a while before going independent.
Accidentally made a pact** with a demon during his early days and is now racing to reverse it before he dies and his soul gets eaten
Something about the pact gives him plot armor so he's lowkey immune to dying (yes this is counterproductive. no I don't know why/how this works yet. probably something happened to make the contract go awry)
Surprise surprise, making deals with a demon goes against company policy, but breaking the pact like they want would also probably kill him. He makes a get-away by stealing their van, and since he's got the equipment and skills for it, he continues ghost-hunting to make a living while on the run.
He also offers services as an electrician on the side just for extra cash, which is great because faulty electronics is often a sign of EMF stuff.
He gets little demon horns? Maybe? It's for the vibe (and maybe a tail too, to hold his lighter with)
The cheat sheet is just a journal (or maybe a collection of journals?) full of notes he's taken over the years
Skizz: a literal and metaphorical angel*!
For backstory and world-building reasons I haven't figured out yet, he forms a sin-eating pact** with Impulse, and that's why they stick together (besides the fact they enjoy each other's company, of course).
He's a tradesman on the side just like Impulse, but he does more home-repair and carpentry stuff.
All his clothes are torn-up because he keeps dying in stupid ways, but he hasn't replaced them yet because he insists it makes him look cool.
He's in charge of taking pictures because his ✨angelic presence✨ counteracts the EMF stuff that messes up the camera. They used to have a much nicer one that wasn't affected by EMF back when Impulse first started, but they managed to break it and haven't been able to afford one like it since.
Honestly I don't have enough headcanons for him yet and it makes me sad :(
Gem: a totally normal… individual!
You heard of not-deer? Yeah, it's kinda like that >:]c Has she been replaced? Was she once Gem but has been transformed into something else? Has she always been this way and no one noticed until now? Who knows!
She and Grian met in middle school while causing trouble in the same arts class and have been buddies ever since.
She liked to spend a lot of time in the woods near her home partially due to a casual interest in botany and partially because she and Grian could get up to shenanigans without getting caught. Even when they moved to a different country for college (it was the only university they could find that offered decent programs for both architecture and medical science, not to mention his cousin offered to let them stay at his place rent-free), she enjoyed driving out to the nearby national park to hang out. That park was also her last-reported location before she went missing.
If you look too close, there's subtle details that hint that something's not quite right---eyes that reflect light, limbs that are a little longer than they used to be, very sparse blinking, and a smile that's a little too wide...
Grian was going to be her first victim. He was an easy target, after all---unlikely be missed under the right circumstances, and scatterbrained enough to fall for her tricks---but there was never a good time to strike without blowing her cover. Eventually, the cravings for human died down completely, and she (mostly) forgot he was supposed to be her meal instead of her best friend.
She likes to study other people and mimic their behavior, and she's gotten a lot better at it than she used to be when she first reappeared.
Imp and Skizz both realize there's something off about her, but she's not exactly aggressive or anything, so they just let her be. It doesn't help that whenever they try to question Grian about it, he insists there's nothing wrong.
She usually stays in the van because for some strange reason, the ghosts don't like to appear when she's around.
Although she didn't get to study anything in-depth, she does have more medical knowledge than the rest of the crew, and getting her to help is cheaper than going to a doctor.
Grian: a blind clairvoyant!
Despite Gem's disappearance, Grian managed to pull himself together enough to continue college in the fall. But about halfway through his degree, Jimmy pulled him along to study in a supposedly haunted part of the library because no one else would bother them there, during which the whole building experienced a blackout. The staff fixed it quickly enough, but when the lights came back on, Jimmy was confronted with a knocked-out Grian. For the rest of the semester, he'd be plagued by headaches, insomnia, sleepwalking outside and sleeptalking about the moon and eyes, paranoia, periods of amnesia, and other symptoms that almost made him drop out of college.
Ever since, he's had has this uncanny intuition for when something's about to go wrong and often suddenly knows things without any explanation as to how. Skizz swears it's like he's got eyes in the back of his head or something.
When Gem popped up right after he graduated and suggested to him that they leave on a long roadtrip, he wasn't really in a state of mind to question it. He just thought it would be a good chance to get his head on straight, and strangely enough, just being near Gem helps him to think much more clearly. He just assumes it's because they're such good friends.
He gets possessed at Point Hope, and although the crew manages to exorcise him, he still occasionally gets the urge to set sail and never come back. He's also noticed a lot more mollusks in strange places since then, though surely that must be unrelated...
Scar: a lovable salesman!
He's also considered an angel*, and he definitely likes to play the part to sell his wares.
The GIGS crew buys their supplies from him since certified sources are rare and trustworthy vendors are even rarer. Scar is still a pretty shifty guy, but he hasn't let them down yet---killing off his customers beloved friends would be bad business, after all!
He lives on the road just like GIGS for his own reasons, so they have to arrange to meet with him way both they run out of supplies.
His previous life is a well-kept secret, but he had an interest in the occult even before he became an angel. He claims it was to contact his old pets from beyond the grave, but unsurprisingly, no one quite believes him.
He loves to make outdated references, but no one knows if it's because he's that old or he's just a nerd.
Sometimes he'll join the crew on an investigation for fun, but he dies more often than not, and recovery is so inconvenient that he doesn't like to be on-site very often.
The crew:
They mostly deal in ghost identification, but they do offer extermination for an extra fee. It's more expensive than companies that specialize in extermination, but that's just the price for convenient/speedy service.
Each person has an unofficial role with Impulse as the ringleader, Skizz as the photographer, Gem as the man in the chair, and Grian as the odd-jobber. Of course, everyone has a little experience with everything, but they're most comfortable like this.
They all live in the van, and will usually stay in a town for anywhere from a few days to a couple months depending on how much work is available.
They tend to stay nights at motels and the like, but when money's short or there's nowhere to stay nearby, Imp and Skizz usually sleep in the cab of the truck while Grain and Gem get to camp in the back with sleeping bags.
Pay is split five ways: each member gets a set stipend for personal stuff, and the rest goes towards "work expenses" such as food, motel fees, gas, and the occasional treat for a job well done.
Other appearances:
Pearl, a mysterious woman with a wolfish grin and strange knack for attracting the supernatural.
Jimmy, Grian's well-meaning cousin who accidentally gets Grian possessed, freaks out when he goes no-contact on a sudden "road trip" with someone who's been presumed dead, and then nearly dies himself after an investigation gone wrong.
Lizzie (Jimmy's cousin on the other side) and her husband Joel, who contact GIGS for help and are surprised to find two old acquaintances among them (which is how Jimmy finds Grian again).
Ze and his new colleague Sneeg, two employees of Imp's old company that they run into at a haunting that got double-booked.
BDubs ("is that even a name?" "shut up. like you can judge, Mr. 'my-name-is-Grian-not-Grain.'" "yeah--- well--- at least I'm not named after some stupid stars!"), a very concerned patron who insists on supervising the investigation and gets roped into helping.
Ghostie-ghoulie stuff:
The supernatural is common enough to be recognized but isn't typically considered a part of everyday life.
"Ghost" refers to any supernatural creature that forms from human souls, which mean their appearences and attributes can vary just as much as human personalities. However, their traits can be greatly affected by the circumstances in which they were created (aka how a person died), so there's enough commonality to classify them.
Just like any other being, ghosts need energy to function. They absorb this energy in the form of heat and expel it and electromagnetic radiation. If they output enough of this radiation, they can create EMFs that can be detected by readers. This is also why haunted areas tend to be cold and events/hunts can be tracked by spikes in EMF levels.
If ghosts aren't formed enough enough energy to subsist right off the bat, they can wither away without intervention.
Most ghosts the GIGS that exist are fairly new, so they aren't strong enough to kill anyone. It usually takes at least a year of residence for enough EMF to gather for them to mess with the environment, and even longer to cause events. However, the older a ghost is, the more its sentience slips away.
The reason ghosts kill can vary wildly and may even depend on the type of ghost. Some ghosts are simply territorial, some hold grudges towards the living (though they aren't always aware enough to realize what/why), and some even want to possess the living.
Possessions are incredibly rare because it takes an immense amount of energy to possess someone, but most ghosts are no longer sentient to want such a thing by the time they've amassed enough power. Possession of a living body is even harder for the exact same reason.
*Angels and demons don't actually have anything to do with Christian mythology. Unlike other ghosts, neither are fully dead. The link between their soul and body is just messed up, though due to the rarity of both entities, how exactly this occurs is severely under-researched. For demons, their soul has been banished from their body (the still-functioning body is called a zombie and can be killed to destroy the demon), and their creation typically happens within an abundance of "bad energy" (ex: violent murder). On the other hand, angels are permanently bonded to their bodies and are created in the presence of "good energy" (ex: heroic sacrifice). They can also be killed by destroying their bodies, but unlike demons, the fact that their soul remains inside the body means they're able to regenerate even though the scars always remain. Both entities can rot (not age) to death within the average human lifespan but can prolong the wait by consuming energy, and both tend to have very clumsy/uncoordinated bodies due to the messed up soul link.
**Also, although it costs demons a lot of energy to form a pact with humans (and again, the manner in which a pact is formed/maintained is unknown), the fulfillment of a contract will grant them much more power than they out into it---it's bascially an investment. Angels can do a similar things called "sin-eating" but it works in reverse: it takes a little energy to make the pact, but the fullfilment will drain them greatly (no I don't exactly know how this works yet either. but it sounds cool so I'm keeping it >:]c )
johto4 body language notes:
Ethan - very loose demeanor, takes up a lot of space (wide stance, manspreading, hands on hips). uses big gestures to include people in conversation such as pointing or waving at people when talking to/about them. Typically very comfortable with entering others' personal space. Can be touchy with friends/family, especially light roughhousing (punching shoulders, ruffling hair, etc.).
Lyra - a lot of hand gestures, especially hand-to-face (covering mouth when surprised, steepling hands when pleased, resting hand on cheek when touched/embarrassed). Usually clasps hands when not using them. Always moving/shifting in place. Almost all facial expressions include a smile regardless of mood.
Kris - hands usually in front of body (crossed arms, holding something, hands in pockets) but keeps a relaxed (but not loose when in a lab/professional setting) stance. Stands upright but not uncomfortably so. Most nonverbal communication occurs with upper body such as exaggerated expressions, pointing with head, shrugging with both head and shoulders. Gets visibly tense when trying to hold her tongue.
Silver - tight stance, may or may not be tense depending on setting/mood. Either arms are crossed or hands are in pockets, not much variance. Very expressive and aware of it, will often attempt to look away or otherwise conceal his face when trying to hide something. Will puff up when angered (set shoulders, lifting face to look down at people, but still keeping arms close to body). Brows are usually furrowed regardless of facial expression.
More doodles :0c
also, in case the text bubbles are hard to read:
Leaf: Do you care if I take the skin off of the Furby
Leaf: I want to make him a God. Once he is free of his sinful flesh he can begin the path towards enlightenment. He will take care of Us.
Leaf: Also I want to softhack his circuits.
Kris: I literally could not care less but never say anything as frightening as that ever again
Lance isn't allowed in the kitchen for a reason :D
Sketchy comic except you can tell exactly where I gave up on life:
Pokemon Mini Headcanons
Realized it's been a solid minute since I've shared anything. so! here's some pokemon headcanon tidbits that have kinda been floating around in my head but I don't have anywhere to put them yet:
Barry is extremely tall. Like, at least six feet. Since he's very visibly the goofy type, it's not super intimidating until suddenly he's barreling down the street and nearly knocking people over in his wake. He's also incredibly clumsy, so it's kind of a bull(tauros?)-in-a-china-shop situation.
Leaf is part of the team that revolutionized and maintains the PSS (not part of the original team though, she's too young for that), which is of course led by Bill. Where Bill came up with the, made the team, and did a bunch of hardware stuff, Leaf is in charge of software stuff and does coding for the different programs. As for the rest of the team. well. I don't know who they are bc I haven't gotten that far.
Also, Red's sign name for Leaf is Green, as in, literally the sign for the color (the same goes for Blue). Blue's often calls her Greenie as a result.
As Hoenn's Champion, Brendan is considered a very down-to-earth and blunt person, which is great and all until you remember he's from the ✨️bearimba pokeverse✨️'s equivalent of Florida and is basically Reigning Florida Man Supreme. He's definitely done some crazy stuff but it kinda gets shoved on the back burner (that definitely isn't partially because the media pushes his more serious side in order to fight the "all Hoennians are unhinged" allegations).
Lucas is legally deaf (deaf but not Deaf, he lost his hearing as a kid) and uses hearing aids. He can kinda sorta understand people without them, but it's less like he understands the words and more like he understands the sounds that are supposed to be word, so it's way more convenient to keep them in. Whenever he doesn't want to deal with Dawn's and Barry's shenanigans, he just turns them off, closes his eyes, and relishes in the relative peace and quiet.
He's also the one who gets transported back to Hisui during the final battle with Dialga/Palkia/Giratina. Long story short (bearimba DPPt/PLA rewrite when?), his hearing aids get destroyed in the process of getting transported and he's forced to go through the events of PLA at a huge disadvantage, mostly relying on his quick wit and vast knowledge of pokemon to survive the game.
Lorelei, Karen, and Clair are all besties, and they meet up regularly to have brunch and share the latest gossip (aka pooling together their resources to gather info on their enemies, discuss the most recent affairs in Kanto/Johto, and more, all under the guise of "girls' time").
Silver and Janine first meet when Silver gets accidentally caught up in a prank meant for the E4, for which Janine very vehemently apologizes (under threat from Koga) and Silver reluctantly forgives her (under threat from Lance). They get along surprisingly well after that, especially after they both get involved in the Kanto League as gym leaders, and they eventually become pretty good friends.
Team Rocket was kinda just a shady family business until Giovanni took over in his twenties. In the 30ish years he presided over the it, he managed to develop it into a massive, multi-level and multi-department organization with their fingers in just about every aspects of the Kanto economy before their collapse. (all things considered, it's kinda funny/pathetic how things ended---he had all this power, then just threw all that and his kid out the window because some teenager happened to beat him in a pokemon battle)
Indigo Plateau (the actual plateau itself, not the League building) is pretty unique in that it's literally a plateau in the middle of a bunch of mountains. which. isn't really how geography works. Story goes, it was originally a mountain that served as the battleground for a pair of ridiculously overpowered trainers, and it got leveled in the middle of all the fighting. In honor of the plateau's legend, there was a regularly held tournament for pokemon trainers to decide who was the best of the best in the region. Eventually, some guy decided to make it an "official" event, and that's how the Pokemon League got its start before it spread and became an international organization!
I see your mtf and ftm Silver headcanons and raise you a Silver who is both masc and fem:
Silver getting taught that being "strong" is the only way to succeed in life,
Silver being surrounded by toxic masculinity in the people around him, in the media he consumes, etc. and learning that men are supposed to be big and strong and while women are passive and weak,
Silver being forced to "look presentable" and "act like a lady" so he can reflect well on Giovanni while his business partners are around,
Silver running away from home and immediately wearing baggy clothes and speaking in a deeper voice and acting like an asshole because that's what guys do, right?,
Silver never completely passing because of his long hair but not being able to cut it short either (and probably hating himself for being so "sentimental"),
Silver finally finding people who support him and figuring out that both being strong and being a guy isn't all it's cracked up to be,
Silver slowly getting back into the "girly" things he spurned as a kid and discovering that it's not nearly as bad as he remembers (and that he might actually enjoy it),
Silver growing and healing and unlearning all the stuff he learned as a kid by embracing both his feminine and masculine sides,
Silver becoming fully comfortable in his skin for the first time ever and finally feeling satisfied with who he is.
Johto Culture/Worldbuilding Headcanons
Since the New Bark Town kids are out of the way, I figured I'd do some basic worldbuilding stuff before we start covering more characters. There's more I'll cover later on, but to start off with, let's go over the general culture of Johto!
As a whole, the people of Johto lean towards more "traditional" values such as putting family first, a sense of obligation towards their communities (national pride/patriotism is very strong in older populations), an emphasis on respect towards elders, etc.
That being said, Johtonians are also very private---typically, what happens behind closed doors stays behind there for better or for worse. That doesn't mean people aren't extremely nosy, just that they wouldn't actively disrupt the public peace with their gossip.
Joint families are the most common form of family unit, though nuclear families have become more prevalent in cities such as Goldenrod due to limited living space. Houses tend to consist of one main living space (usually living room/kitchen/dining room combined) with bedrooms and bathrooms accessed through either a side hallway or a second floor. Sometimes (usually in downtown areas), a family business may be on the first floor while living/private spaces will be located on the second floor.
Similarly to Sinnoh, Johto's history is considered very important and conservation efforts are taken very seriously across the region. However, those efforts are mostly aimed towards preserving current knowledge instead of actively discovering the past, meaning there is still information that gets forgotten and lost to time.
Due to this (and also because of the burning of Brass Tower), Ho-Oh receives much more reverence than Lugia. Before, they were considered the twin guardians of the region and protected the balance between people and pokemon, but now, Ho-Oh has been deified while Lugia is sidelined and nearly forgotten.
Johtonians have a very distinct accent, mostly since they're a bit more secluded compared to other regions. Goldenrod and Saffron City residents have a stronger mix of Johtonian and Kantonian accents mostly due to tourists and commuting workers on the Magnet Train.
Johto exports a large amount of artisanal and handmade goods, especially woodcrafts such as cabinets or other large furniture (it's much more heavily wooded compared to other regions), but the region also has a very successful maritime industry that could almost rival Hoenn's.
Johtonians receive their ID card on their 13th birthday. At that point, they may opt in to take the gym challenge. If they do, they will receive a trainer card that contains information pertinent to the gym challenge on the back, which is then updated with every gym the trainer beats. They will keep the same ID their entire life regardless of whether they complete the challenge.
On a similar note, the age of majority is 20, which is a bit older than most other regions (Sinnoh/Kanto are 18, Hoenn is 17, etc etc.)
Children typically get their first pokemon (also referred to as their starter pokemon) at a very early age. This is to help teach them responsibility and respect for pokemon, and it provides them protection when they're unsupervised.
Public schooling is free up to 13 years age, at which point they can choose to pay to go to secondary school, take a break to go on a pokémon journey and take on the gym challenge, or quit altogether.
Far more often than not, children will take about a year to go on their journey and then go back to school. Upon their return, they generally have the option to skip certain classes (both the ones they missed and future classes) if they're able to put together a decent report detailing their experiences and what they learned on their journey. If not, they may have to catch up and even be forced to graduate a year later than their peers.
Nontraditional scenarios include students returning from their journey earlier or later than a year, students going on their journey and not returning to school, or going on their journey/dropping out of school at older than 13 years (there is technically no upper age limit at which the gym challenge can be started).
Crime rates are pretty low (especially major crimes such as assault, burglary, kidnapping etc.), which is part of the reason why children are allowed to roam the region unsupervised. This is mostly due to heavy restrictions on which/how many pokemon are legal to own, with and without certain permits. Additionally, the maximum number of occupied pokeballs a person is allowed to carry at once is six, although the average person will own at most three pokemon. Such laws are common in other regions, but Johto is more strict about their regulations.
Additionally, since taking care of children is often a community undertaking ("it takes a village to raise a child"), many adults will keep a close eye on nearby kids and keep them out of trouble regardless of whether they're related.
Honorfics are pretty much mandatory, the more so the younger you are. In a casual context, everyone older than the speaker is refered to as Aunt/Uncle no matter their actual age or relation. However, this can be seen as rude if said to someone of a similar age to the speaker. When speaking to strangers and/or people of an unknown age, it's safe to just refer to them as Ma'am/Sir. Grandma/Grandpa is a highly respected honorfic and is reserved for family-use only unless the speaker is invited (the same goes for Mom/Dad, just to a less strict degree). There are other honorfics in common use, but they're usually used in workplace/formal contexts (such as refering to coworkers, public employees, and even hosts if you're staying at someone's home).
Since traveling trainers can’t hold down a steady job, a common way to earn money is just to pop into local businesses and ask if they need help. It’s not guaranteed to work, but most businesses will either find something small for them to do or recommend a different business to ask.
Hospitality is a huge source of pride for most households, especially out in rural areas. It doesn't matter if the visitor is family or a complete stranger, they're to taken care of to the absolute best of a household's abilities. In return, guests treat their hosts with the upmost respect and will often leave tokens of their gratitude. (it's not uncommon for trainers to randomly show up at your door looking to spend the night if you live out in the middle of nowhere)
Live performance tends to be the most popular form of entertainment across the region, including traditional/ceremonial productions, theater, and music. Historical enactments are also very popular during festivals. This is in part because oral storytelling used to be the region's main form of chronicling its history. (There are a few exceptions, such as the Dragon's Den containing extensive records of the Dragon Tamers and the local area, but unfortunately, access to those records is generally very limited.)
Slowpoke tails are somewhat of a local delicacy, but because Slowpoke farms are few and far between (there's strict laws on humane treatment such as how many Slowpoke can be kept on one farm, the space and amenities required to keep them, harvesting methods, etc.), they tend to be quite expensive and typically have to be sourced from the farms themselves. Trying to export them in large enough quantities is even more expensive, especially before the shipping methods are modernized, so for a long time the tails remain purely a Johtonian cuisine.
Headcanons are going slow but I did manage to get my tablet working long enough for some doodles :) I was just going to do a rendered headshot of Lyra and then it got out of hand. so.
I feel like Sabrina would totally be into voidpunk. I mean, I already headcanon her as aroace and agender (and maybe some flavor of neurodivergent? the childhood prodigy cliche is literally right there waiting to be turned into character development---). I think that alongside her psychic powers and her status as a gym leader, it sets her apart from everyone else just enough to be a bit isolating. Maybe people don't see her as "nonhuman" exactly, but she's definitely viewed as "other." Powerful enough to be respected, but off-putting enough to keep at an arm's distance. Finding the voidpunk community would let her know she's not alone in these in her isolation and I can definitely see her embracing the culture wholeheartedly. Like "Yes, I'm otherworldly and unerving. I'm also extremely powerful and could wipe out your entire pokemon team with ease. What of it?"
I've currently got nothing else to share right now. so. take this I guess??
This is just a very rough draft of what Silver and Lyra's gym leader/champion uniforms might look like. It's far from final but idk, I think it looks cool so far! :)
Kris (Pokemon GSC/HGSS) Character Headcanons
And last but certainly not least, it's time for the third of the New Bark Town kids, Kris!
Here's my list of headcanons for her:
Her name is actually Crystal, she just goes by Kris because she likes it better (she spells it with a K because when they were kids, Ethan said it was "cooler" and she thought it was amusing so it stuck)
Her pokemon are Furret, Dunsparce, Slowpoke, and Tauros.
She's four years older than Lyra and Ethan more or less, making her about 20 by the time HGSS rolls around. She's friends with both of them, but because of the age gap and some other stuff I'll cover more in a later post, she becomes more of a tired older sibling figure. This does become a slight point of contention, but once her friends leave on their journeys and mature a bit, they're able to reunite on equal ground and much better terms.
She's super chill most of the time but can be incredibly dry and sarcastic. Despite this she's genuinely and openly supportive of her loved ones a lot and would probably kill for them. (unfortunately for them, she's also not afraid to turn her fury on them too if necessary. Sometimes tough love is valid if your friends are risking their lives by being idiots :D )
She's just a little tiny bit of a know-it-all (like the "erm actually ☝️🤓" kind of know-it-all). She's not afraid to speak up and debate with someone about the subjects she's educated in, and while she always tries to stay civil about it, she can't help the occasional snide comment that slips out. Of course, even though she cares more about being correct than "winning", she can't help but feel a bit smug whenever she's right and sulky when she happens to be wrong.
She's also pretty snarky and even a bit judgemental sometimes, but she was raised to be very polite, so she tries her best to keep it on the down-low. Still, lying to anyone about something shallow always leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, so when she's trying her best not to be rude (usually around strangers---she lets loose more around her friends), she'll get really vague or just refuse to say anything if it's really bad.
She's already been on her own journey when she was around 13-14, during which she managed to get most of the badges and dominated the Battle Tower (which has expanded into the Battle Frontier by the time HGSS rolls around. She likes to visit from time to time when she needs to blow off steam). She probably could've gotten all of the badges if she hadn't gotten tired of it. She's a very family-oriented person, so being away from home for so long wore on her nerves.
She doesn't battle often anymore, mostly just to exercise her pokemon, but she can still hold her own even against ace trainers. This is mostly because she uses a lot more strategy compared to most people, as she's able to come up with plans on how to defeat an opponent even if she's never seen their team before thanks to her extensive knowledge of pokemon. However! if her plans happen to get knocked off track, it's much easier to overpower her team.
She takes over the lab from Elm, though it doesn't happen until he's basically forced to retire (the man loves his work, ok?). He still hangs around though especially since his home is literally on the second floor.
She also specializes in evolution, but instead of focusing on breeding like he did, she's more interested in requirement-based evolution (like why some pokemon will remain in their first stage of evolution despite being old enough/having the experience to evolve. or why some pokemon need certain items to evolve. or why some pokemon evolve with trading. stuff like that. it's definitely a wide field but she enjoys the variety a lot).
She has this habit of flicking people's heads if she's annoyed with them. Light flick? she's being lighthearted. Painful flick? she's actually upset. Oftentimes she'll flick herself if she's particularly stumped on something, usually to do with her research.
She owns a bicycle her parents bought from Goldenrod and takes it absolutely everywhere---girl could probably ride across the entire region if she wanted to.
Her pokegear is horrendously outdated, and the screen is so cracked it's a miracle it still works. Regardless, she refuses to get a new one because "it turns on just fine."
She has the worst handwriting known to mankind, but she still insists on scribbling everything down herself. It's like a rite of passage for every new researcher to try and decipher her notes well enough to transpose them into the lab's computer system.
Her love language is sending pictures to her friends. except. most of the time it'll either be motion-blurred pics of random pokemon with captions like "good find today👍" or the world's most incomprehensible memes.
Despite teasing her friends about talking too much, she can be just as bad when talking about any vein of pokemon science, especially with fellow colleages/researchers. She's much more of a nerd than she likes to let on.
Ethan (HGSS) Character Headcanons
Continuing with the New Bark Town trio headcanons!
Starring Ethan next:
So unlike Lyra, Ethan doesn't really do anything in the main storyline (same as the games, really, if you choose Lyra as the player character).
I thought maybe it would be cool if he had some kind of connection to the legendary beasts? since I associate Silver with Ho-Oh and and Lyra with Lugia. So basically, he experiences the Suicune/Eusine subplot instead of Lyra
I think the way it would go is that while he's out on his journey, he happens to encounter one of (or all of) the legendary beasts but it's scared off by the arrival of Eusine. Ethan asks what in the world just happened and Eusine starts explaining the ✨lore✨. He ends up accompanying Eusine on his quest in the hopes of another legendary encounter (though he doesn't really care about Eusine's reasons. he's used to just nodding along to Lyra's infodumping and Eusine isn't really any different. so). Slowly though, he starts to warm up to Eusine, genuinely getting invested in his efforts to bring back the legendary beasts and learning a bit about maturity/empathy on the way. It ends at Cerulean Cape like in the games, except Ethan doesn't catch Suicune and the event is left on a hopeful note that the beasts can in fact regain their trust in humanity.
His maternal grandmother was very hard on his mom during her child, so he ended up getting raised with much more relaxed rules. Unfortunately, rarely getting in genuine trouble, he kind of got used to getting away with more than he really should've. He ended up a little too confident and even a little self-centered at times as a result, though he's never intentionally mean-spirited.
A huge part of his character arc involves figuring out what he wants to do with his life. Living in a tiny town such as New Bark, he was always convinced that he had to go out and do Big Things™ with his life---and he kind of does while he's out with Eusine and later competing in the Pokelathon. But while doing so, he ends up overlooking what really matters: the people (and pokemon) close to him. And eventually he learns that not only is it fine to have an "average" life, it's actually kinda preferable in some ways.
(unfortunately the exact timeline/story beats are still very much undecided. so. can't elaborate on the specifics for now :/ )
After Lyra chose Totodile and Silver stole Chikorita, he was left with Cyndaquil. He already had a starter pokemon (Marill) but since Cyndaquil was left by itself, Elm decided to offer it to Ethan and he was like "yeah why not." His third pokemon is a Pichu, specifically the spiky-eared Pichu (how'd get it without already having a shiny Pichu? Great question, moving on---).
He was the first person to really bring Lyra out of her shell when they were kids. Back then, she had the impulsive ideas but he was the one to actually go through with them. Some of their antics included climbing the windmills in New Bark Town, sneaking into the pen of a very wild pokemon Elm was studying, and sailing down the river on Route 27 all the way to the ocean on a poorly made raft, none of which were very successful. Kris tried to do damage control when she could, but as a research assistant there was no way to keep an eye on them at all times.
He's actually the weaker battler compared to Lyra and Kris, but what he lacks in skill he makes up for in sheer willpower. by which I mean he likes to act big and cocky and tough when he really isn't. Dude loves his pokemon but just has no idea how to battle, he just does whatever feels right in the moment.
He still loves competition though, so when the chance came to compete in the Pokeathlon he was absolutely pumped. He and his pokemon are later considered one of the best teams, and he kinda becomes a celebrity---not necessarily mobbed on the streets, but definitely a well-known name to anyone who keeps up with the sport.
While he's competing, he lives with his grandparents in Goldenrod and helps out around their daycare. They don't initially approve of his participation, but he gets money for winning and he promotes the daycare every chance he gets so they can't really complain.
Partially due to the advertising, business at the daycare blows up and Ethan eventually "retires" to focus on it. He doesn't bother announcing it or anything, he just kinda stops showing up to the Dome. When interviewed about it, he responds "oh yeah, I'm actually done competing lol. anyways if you need any top-tier daycare services---"
He ends up taking over the daycare for his grandparents once they're older and it's too much for them to handle. He occasionally helps Elm with his research since he deals with pokemon eggs and evolutions so often.
Between the Pokelathon and helping out at the daycare, Ethan gains a decent amount of muscle. It gets to the point where he can just throw his friends over his shoulder without warning and parade them around, and it's his favorite thing ever. Kris will just hang there chilling, Lyra will burst into laughter until she's set down, and Silver will either quietly sulk or cuss Ethan out depending on the mood he's in.
He's cousins with Red on his dad's side! They both know the basics of Kantonian Sign Language because sometimes, it's easier to sign than miming or pulling out their pokegears to communicate when Red goes mute (though it's not their main form of communication). He really looked up to Red as a kid, so when his older cousin goes missing, he takes it as best as he can even though it's still really hard on him.
He cuts his own hair because it "looks cool." Eventually he figures out how to do it well, but for a while his hair just looks like he put it under a weed eater and called it good.
Despite getting flak from his friends for occasionally lacking common sense, he actually grows to be very emotionally intelligent. He's easily able to pick up on what other people are feeling and works around that during conversations, which is part of the reason he gets along with almost everyone (helps that's he's super charismatic---not in an attractive way necessarily, just a big lovable dork kind of way)
He's naturally extremely friendly, but he also returns exactly the attitude he's given. He and Silver's friendship has a very rocky beginning, with the two of them tolerating each other for Lyra's sake until they manage to find common ground (and Silver becomes a little less of an ass)
He's the kind of guy to wear shorts no matter the weather. It's fine when he's living in New Bark Town, but unfortunately for him Goldenrod tends to be a bit more chilly. Not that he'd ever actually admit to being cold, of course---he's too cool for that (pun intended)
He hands out nicknames left and right---Crystal, Lyra, and Silver are Kris, Ly, and Silv respectively. The more he dislikes someone, the more outlandish (and/or insulting) their nickname tends to be.
Lyra (HGSS) Character Headcanons
HGSS character headcanons that no one asked for? Hell yeah let's go!
Starting off strong with Lyra:
Lyra is the "main" protag mostly because she's who I played as a kid. She's the one who collects the badges, fights with Silver, becomes Champion, confronts the legendaries, etc etc.
She ends up choosing Totodile at the beginning of the game, and her final team ends up as Feraligatr, Togekiss, Ampharos, Umbreon, and Skarmory (who's her sixth pokemon? no idea :] but I'm open to suggestions)
She and Ethan are childhood friends, and Kris is kind of like a cool older friend/sibling figure to them both (though this dynamic equalizes as they get older)
I like to think she's around 15-16 years old by the time she goes on her journey?? old enough to be a mostly independent person but young enough to find herself in wacky scenarios and get away with it. It is a bit older than the average age kids on Johto will start their journey though (about 13)
She's not naturally the most outgoing person but is very friendly and even a little overeager sometimes---she tends to leave a very strong impression on the people she meets. She can also be very talkative/loud, especially when she gets excited. She keeps it to a minimum a majority of the time but sometimes she just can't help herself.
Her stubborness and optimism is absolutely relentless. No matter how many times she's knocked down, she'll get up again and wipe the blood from her face with a smile even if she's lowkey dying inside.
She can be a bit of a pushover, but in the sense that she'll put up with way more bull than she really needs to. Not because she's too afraid to stand up for herself or anything, she just has a hard time recognizing when enough is enough sometimes.
She absolutely adores pokemon, and she probably would've become a researcher under Elm or worked for Ethan's grandparents at the daycare (she's basically their adopted granddaughter). When she was younger, she was out of the house a lot, so whatever time wasn't spent with Ethan usually involved her hanging around the lab (even if she wasn't allowed to actually do much).
Combine her love of pokemon with an impulsive nature, general lack of fear, and absolutely no self-preservation, and you get someone who has casually approached actively dangerous pokemon just to check them out and say hi on multiple occasions (this is basically what happened at the Lake of Rage. She just happened to see the red Gyrados and sprinted at it full speed).
Growing up in a small rural town away from any gyms, she didn't get to meet many trainers until she started her journey. As a result, she doesn't understand the concept of actually training her team until she befriends Silver at the Dragon's Den. She's just like "training? oh you mean like when I run around and play with my pokemon and give them treats n stuff?" and Silver responds with "how the hell have you made it this far"
That's not to say she's bad at battling! Quite far from it actually, considering the fact she literally beats the E4/Lance, some of the strongest trainers in Johto and Kanto. It helps that she takes the time to really talk to and understand her team, so their communication skills (both spoken and nonverbal) in battle are almost unmatched. Paired with quick reactions and adaptability, she's a trainer who can still give more experienced opponents a challenge.
Once she becomes Champion she spreads herself all over the place. She can't stand to stay still for too long, so once she's done with one project she'll leap right into the next one. This would be fine if she could actually tell when she's starting to overwork herself, so she often has to be dragged away from her work if she's burning out too bad.
One of her many projects includes the restoration of the Brass Tower (the Burned Tower in HGSS). The idea had originally been an offhand comment from Morty, but she ended up hopping fully on board and it became a joint effort. Once reconstruction is complete, she opens the first floors of both towers to the public---it took a lot to convince the sages of the Tin Tower to allow people in but Morty has a lot of influence as both a gym leader and avid preserver of local culture---and it serves as a way for Johtonians to learn about and connect to their history.
As Champion, her reputation is basically "will crush your entire pokemon team with a smile on her face." She's nowhere near cruel or harsh---if anything, she's actively supportive of her challengers---but she also refuses to go easy on anyone.
She'll keep her team in their balls while traveling or in busy areas, but she loves to let them out at every possible opportunity. Once she gets her own home
She grew up in a lake town (I imagine the river on Route 45 opens up into a small lake east of New Bark Town before continuing down Route 27 to the ocean), so she knows how to swim and loves the water.
On the other hand, she despises flying. She can fly on her pokemon in an emergency, she'll just have her eyes squeezed shut and hold on for dear life the entire time. It's one of the very few things she's genuinely afraid of even if she'd never admit it.
She also hates cold weather, being naturally cold-blooded herself. It wasn't too bad in New Bark Town since the weather there is fairly pleasant, but once she travelled north it became more of a problem. She very rarely complains out loud, but when she does, it's usually about the cold.
She loves warm savory foods, especially anything with rice. Curry is one of her favorites (if she ever visits Galar she'd have the time of her life).
Her knee gets a little messed up from all the dangerous fun stuff she gets herself into (though both knees are already scarred up from her childhood adventures). As it turns out, constantly hurting the same joint isn't very good for you! She gets a knee brace sometime in her twenties but often forgets to wear it until her knee starts to Hurt or her friends nag her about it.
School was Not A Good Time for Lyra. Even if she couldn't tell she was audhd, the people around her definitely could. Combine constant nagging from teachers with alienation from her peers, and by the time primary school rolled to a close, Lyra was almost glad her mom couldn't be bothered to pay for secondary school.