iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Shro @shro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I don't remember story interactions, so I guess I must be. I should replay Yellow!

Shro @shro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm not suggesting the two are exactly the same, as the Yellow animations do add a level of connection that just can't be found in HGSS' system. But HGSS' system lets you bond with YOUR favorite, not the game's favorite. The cost of that is the animation. Otherwise, the two systems are identical.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

You just said "spinning something into something it's not", right? I don't think I'm misunderstanding what you mean. You're saying that HGSS' system lost something special by cutting the animations. I agree, but it also added something special. That's not "stripped down", that's reevaluated.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Because the end goal is the same. You have a similar feeling of bonding with your Pokémon, just not as personal as Yellow Pikachu. And I'm contesting the notion that HGSS's following system was "stripped down". That suggests it is lesser in quality or meaning than Yellow's is. That's just not true.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Depending on your perspective, yes. But a fan that would've preferred 151 followers in Yellow instead of Pikachu would feel differently. You still get descriptions of the same kinds of things Yellow had, you just don't get animations.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I agree in some respects, but I also don't know if I'd call 493 (+Spiky-eared Pichu) Pokémon + all their Shiny variants, all with interactions, "stripped down". It's different, no question about that. You don't get the same level of quality as Pikachu in Yellow, but the trade is worth it for most.

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GoliathGastropod [3 SLOTS OPEN] @goliathgastropod.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

HEY! SOME SPRITES TO GET YOUR ATTENTION! You like sprites like this? Rent and bills are coming up and money's pretty tight for me! If you're interested in sprites like these, shoot me a message and we can discuss pricing!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

That sounds low-fi and chill!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I've never seen an official label like this before for Emerald! Do other Pokémon games sometimes have the same kind of listings?

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I think the problem isn't random encounters, but the encounters themselves are boring. I have no idea how you could fix that though. There will always be friction in random encounters, like running into a wall when you're trying to go somewhere. Even if the wall is fun, slight annoyance is innate.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

You don't need to know about the real world cloning craze of the 90s to find Mewtwo's lore rich and interesting. Jurassic Park isn't necessary to understanding Fossil Pokémon. The same should be true of everything else in the lore. Making it all consistent isn't that much more difficult.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I'm just not sure I can agree that trying/wanting to view Pokémon's history as a consistent, uniform timeline should be considered "against the grain". Taking the lore seriously should not necessitate understanding metacontextual circumstances. Those should just be bonus fun facts imo.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Red's presence in SM/USUM only becomes important in a 4th wall sense because he never actually does anything important in that timeline. Which means he has no real substance in the world itself and you, as the viewer, are importing that where you shouldn't be (imo). I prefer characters have meaning.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

The old multiverse lore you're bringing up refers to an explanation for trading, I believe? That's different from having different stories in play at the same time. Identical multiverse timelines aren't a problem, but disjointed timeline stories are because characters don't mean the same thing.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Maybe, but none of this is inherently good even IF possibly true. Do you honestly not see an issue with Ansha potentially being unrelated to the Diantha from XY? How do you even attempt to tell a coherent story with glaring issues like this? Without a consistent timeline, nothing really matters.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

That doesn't exactly refute the point though, does it? The non-canon stories still have value, yes, but there's still a lot, if not more, meaning in "being canon". That's why the non-canon stories were rendered as such in the first place. Deceptive multiverse lore like Red in Gen 7 rings hollow imo.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I think that's backwards. Old games can't account for the the future, but new games can certainly account for the past. It's pretty easy to not create inconsistencies when you adhere to what was written before. Some series even have actual lore master positions in their studios, e.g. Star Wars.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A counterargument could be made that adopting metacontextual understandings muddies the water of what actually exists in the series. I believe both arguments are true, and like you said, it comes down to what you value more. But it is interesting how two "truths" exist when it comes to Pokémon!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

We could ignore MastersEX and disregard what it says about Z-A and XY being in different timelines, but why would MastersEX even suggest this idea in the first place if we're supposed to understand Z-A as a direct sequel? The whole situation is messy and unnecessary multiverse slop imo.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Technically correct, yes, but the multiverse breaks this understanding. For example, MastersEX just informed us that Z-A doesn't take place in the same timeline as XY. We have a metacontextual understanding that these games are sequels, that doesn't mean they're TRULY sequels in a canonical sense.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Legends Arceus COULD be a sequel, absolutely! But it might not be. That's why the idea of the multiverse is bad for Pokémon, at least imo. Maybe the Dawn/Lucas that's transported to the past never went out on an adventure? Or maybe they were the rival of the Platinum experience? Who knows?

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Which QoL improvements would you say you're missing the most?

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I see what you're saying now. I agree! I think the execution is what decides the silliness rather than the presence of the letter. Mega Falinks' X flavoring could've been granted in a more serious way befitting its more serious lore roots, but Game Freak chose to make the flavoring silly instead.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Did you not agree in the past that the X and Y flavors were hints to Mega Evolution's origins in Xerneas and Yveltal? And we know Xerneas and Yveltal partially represent different axis/planes. I don't find this to be "dumb with intent", and I didn't think you did either, so I'm a little confused!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

If a game has "made it" to where it is being used to peddle merch/consoles like the Switch, they're no longer indie. That's really as there is to it imo. They've become an official, identifiable, and potentially LARGE brand that can't fit into the genre of "indie games" anymore.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I think the simple answer is scale and officiality. Every indie title has the opportunity to "make it", but that comes at the cost of no longer being identifiable as "indie". Indie games are self-produced hidden gems by definition, which Undertale at this point is not. But it was, once.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'm sure it was a coincidence, but you just described Elden Ring lol

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Star★Gazaar @stargazaar.com · 23/09/2026

due to Circumstances i'm going to have to open emergency commissions, gonna try Ace Attorney 1-3 style portraits this time i'll do $45USD for a talk/blink set, negotiable for animations beyond that. all i ask is patience due to how sick i am

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Couldn't agree more! I feel as though games with millions of options that allow you to fully customize the experience don't really have a true vision/identity. This hurts the shared experience. But there's something to be said for accessibility. It's impossible for a game to account for everything!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I'm sure other people said the same of Microsoft and Sega in the past as well. The point I was making was that NONE of the decisions we've seen recently in upper management have made any sense from the consumer or developer perspectives. Nintendo cancelling these series would be similarly insane.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Next we'll be hearing about Nintendo wanting to shutter Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokémon. What is going on with upper level management globally? How can basically every category of media/entertainment suffer these sorts of logical blunders so consecutively? It's like they don't want to make money.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The PokéDex should tell you how many and what kind of EVs each Pokémon grants when you beat them. And your Stat page should give you all the actual stats of your Pokémon. Hidden stats that most players have no idea are even there keeps battles unique, but it also just isn't really fair either.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I prefer the idea of EVs to something like IVs, since you actually have the ability to "build" as a player instead of grind RNG. And IVs inherently lead to the idea that anything sub 31 is "trash". But my biggest issue with both systems is that you can't see ANYTHING related to them in-game.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

WOW! Congratulations on the amazing catch! I can't wait to see this Absol's journey!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

In relation to the games industry, I think several of the established series need to stay in their lane and stick to what they've "solved". People in general don't like change, but they do like having options. So established series should stick to their identities instead of suffocating new ideas.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Look at the Pokémon ROM hack community. It's basically just Gen 2 and 3 (soon to be 4), still going strong as ever. Some hacks even appear as though they could be as popular as main series titles. Innovations are still occurring, but it still feels "the same". No massive, sweeping redevelopments.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

I agree that new things are always needed to keep the industry as a whole alive, but I also think there's a separate problem: over innovation. There are plenty of series that don't need to change ANYTHING to stay successful. Changing things only for the sake of it leads to problems.

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GoliathGastropod [3 SLOTS OPEN] @goliathgastropod.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

BILLS ARE DRAWING NEAR, AND THESE ARE STILL OPEN!!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Because their reprint method is so obnoxious, I'm left to assume that they actually want to protect the card market in some way. Why reprint cards in such an annoying way otherwise? The annoyances DEVALUE the reprints. Reprints are supposed to devalue the originals, at least slightly.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

I wish they'd reprint old sets without obnoxious changes. All they need to do is change the little Black set icon in the bottom corner and that would differentiate it for serious collectors and people who just want to own the card. TPCi's reprint method is disappointing and doesn't solve anything.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I've been trying to bite my tongue because I know everyone is excited, but I can't find it in myself to be thrilled about any extra Game Freak project when games like SV and Z-A have so many ridiculous flaws. The Gear Project has damaged Pokémon greatly imo. Good for Game Freak, bad for Pokémon.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

I think you're right, but I also think the reason people are talking about it is because they're trying to decide if it's good or bad. People that like the style want to say its good and they need a reason to cite it as such. But that don't like the style say it looks bad and that's that.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

That Totodile art DESERVED to be on a leg!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I agree with the general sentiment of encouraging people to simply have more experiences in life. However, I'm not sure there's anything inherently wrong with some retreading the same ideas indefinitely. That's what humans do. And while fresh ideas need to be introduced, old ideas can retain value.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

If you are someone who is extremely well read or familiar with many different ideas, series, and experiences, then you will inevitably begin to feel that you've "seen this before". Because you have, as a result of your lived life. Is the Ouroboros REALLY an Ouroboros? Or are you becoming too aware?

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

I think it is tough to judge something by what you assume the inspirations for it may be. You, as the observer, must have sufficient scholarly experience to even recognize the inspirations in the first place. If you do not know Godzilla, then Tyranitar is an entirely unique creature to you.

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Like Pokémon fans going from LGPE to SV!

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Shro @shro.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

They look great! Excited to see what you were talking about!

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