I would love to get into language stuff for the ✨️bearimba pokeverse✨️ but the more I look into it the more I confuse myself?? Like. It feels like I've opened a huge can of worms here. Sure, I could be overthinking it, but if I didn't overthink things, then this blog literally wouldn't exist, so.
Quick warning for a long, probably quite boring, and highly speculative rant:
To start out with, I would love for each region to have its own language, more or less---regions that are geographically close are likely to have similar languages possibly due to a common ancestor (like how Spanish and Italian are both Romantic languages that came from Vulgar Latin), but otherwise, each language would be distinct. But then there's the matter of how exactly these languages evolved to be distinct from one another, or even more confoundingly, how these languages had a shared ancestor in the first place. Take Kalos and Paldea, for example: both are based off of Romantic-speaking countries. France and Spain, respectively. In the ✨️bearimba pokeverse ✨️, these regions are nowhere near each other, but somehow, they speak similar languages (assuming the pokeverse languages are like or the same as their real-life equivalents). How does that work exactly?? The only reasonable explanation I can think of is that at one point in time, people from one of these regions emigrated away to go live in the other region. but. if you think about it, the people that moved away would've had to leave long enough ago that the region would have time to develop from nothing into the state it is in modern times. Obviously that's going to take quite a long time---take the USA for example, which from the point of its conception as a collection of colonies (and I am specifically talking about America as it was founded by Europeans and not the collection of Native American cultures) has been around for over 200 years, and American English has changed drastically during that time. Yes, it hasn't quite evolved into a new language, but it is different enough to be distinguished from British English. Keep in mind that 200 years is (to my knowledge) a remarkably short time for a country to be considered developed, not to mention that England and its colonies had constant communication that kept the languages from deviating too far. My point is, two countries that are geographically separated for multiple centuries without regular consistant contact are likely to develop very different languages, but since Kalos and Paldea are based off of countries with similar languages, this doesn't really sit right with me. Theoretically, I could just place them closer together physically, but that would make travel between them much more feasible which would result in more cultural similarities than are present in the games, so then I'd probably have to do an overhaul of both regions' cultures, and I'd like to keep them as unique as possible. Do you see my problem here????
That's not even to mention my issue with multilinguisim. If every single region has their own language, then there has to be some sort of lingua franca so that everyone can actually communicate. However! Believe it or not, this comes with its own set of issues! The first of which being, how did this lingua franca come into existence? The most obvious answer is that it's a pidgin or creole language, but a language made of bits and pieces from 9+ other languages is going to get complicated real quick. The only other origin for a lingua franca I've come across so far is colonial languages. and, uh. that is just not an option I'm going to pick. so.
Besides the origin of this lingua franca, there's also the matter of how it spreads. Lingua francas are created and used to share information between linguistically separated parties, typically during business or academic exchanges. But not everyone is going to talk to people from other regions in that type of circumstance! Someone might specifically learn the lingua franca so that they can communicate while traveling to other regions, but that won't necessarily make it widely user, and this supposed to be a universal language. My solution: have it be taught in schools! It's like how English is taught in many Asian countries in order to enable participation in international circles. However, it's entirely possible that not every school will have the funding (how pokemon schools even get funding is its own separate thing that I have yet to even consider) to teach the lingua franca. There's other ways to learn, of course, like being taught by family/friends or even teaching yourself, but those methods aren't necessarily standardized. Then again, neither is getting taught at school---it's like learning textbook Spanish in class then traveling to Spain and realizing that you're woefully unprepared. Whatever method is used, it's best to start learning at an young age, as the earlier you start, the easier it is to pick up a new language. Again though, that's not going to be accessible to everyone, so it's entirely possible that some people will just be limited to one language unless they take it upon themselves to learn.
Long story short, linguistics is hard. At least to me. And everything I've mentioned is mostly about figuring things out on a practical level---there's still more cultural stuff to consider like code-switching, global/regional slang, and other things that I haven't even thought of. I'm not really linguistics enthusiast, nor am I especially ready and raring to do deep research at the moment, but looking into some of this stuff really has been quite interesting! Anyways, I don't really have a good way to end all this, so I guess if you actually read all this, congrats? And thank you? And that either way, I hope you have a good day? Yep.
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! :)
Anything on this list that does not have a hyperlink is something I plan on covering in the future! please be patient in the meanwhile :)
Characters: Lyra Ethan Kris Silver Lance Elite Four (Will, Koga, Bruno, Karen) Gym Leaders (Falkner, Bugsy, Whitney, Morty, Jasmine, Chuck, Pryce, Clair) Team Rocket
Main Lore: Pokemon/Indigo League Basics Johto Culture Character/Legendary Matchups
Art: Doodle requests (pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3) Mixed character doodles (pt.1, pt. 2 ) Lyra/Silver League uniforms? Lyra/pokemon doodles Silver bust More Lyra doodles Timeskip Kris doodle HatSilver Miku Eye reference chart Valentine's Day 2025
Misc Posts: Mini Headcanons (pt. 1) Voidpunk Sabrina Strength (Giovanni vs Lance) Clair and Silver content?? Linguistics are hard Johto4 body language ref notes Silver/Lance/Clair Alignment charts Dragon Clan aragoto Just for Fun: Character Bingo Pinterest Board (you can infer a lot of stuff here that i haven't covered in posts btw ;)c wink wink)
To celebrate the beginning of the Johto Enjoyer Community (or the JEC), we're starting off strong with a bingo card!
Unlike many other bingos, each square has a task instead of a prompt. The goal here is to encourage everyone to participate in a part of the fandom they might not otherwise---artists can try their hand at writing, fic writers can figure out how to organize moodboards, board creators can practice their drawing skills, and so on! But don't worry, all the minimum requirements (listed at the bottom of this post) are very low, so every task should be accessible to every person regardless of skill level or circumstance!
There's even a prize: a free full-body illustration like styled like Kris above for any pokemon/character (not just within the Pokemon universe) of your choosing, drawn by yours truly! Of course, you can join in without going for the prize, but in order to be eligible, take a look below...
The winner of this event will be chosen by raffle. Every confirmed bingo will earn you one raffle entry. That means that the more bingos you complete, the higher chance you'll have of winning!
To get a bingo, you must complete the tasks of five squares in a row, horizontally or vertically (not diagonally). Each bingo must have five original attempts, even if you've already covered a square in a previous bingo. All task attempts must be centered around Johto in some way, though mentioning other regions is by no means strictly prohibited.
To submit a bingo to the form, you must upload an image of your bingo marked on the card provided below. Then for each task, you can provide either an image (required for the Leave Some Love task) of your attempt or a link to where you've posted it online. You can only submit one bingo per form. Once I've confirmed your bingo, I'll add your entry to the raffle pool!
Not every task attempt has to be posted for the world to see. If you're feeling shy about a particular task, it's perfectly acceptable to submit it directly to the form---remember, you can post privately on Tumblr and no one will be able to see it unless you share the link! However, if you do decide to share it publicly, please use the tag #jec kickoff bingo.
You do not have to be a member of the community to play---This event is open to everyone!
The submission form will close at 2:00 AM CST on March 17th, so you only have two weeks as of posting to participate in the raffle!
(don't worry, all you really need to read here is the colored text. all the plain text is just examples to serve as a jumping-off point!)
Leave Some Love - compliment a blog/piece of work! Try leaving a nice comment under a Tumblr post, other social media posts, or even an AO3 work. Feeling a bit shy? Anonymously message someone who posts regularly about Johto. If you're brave, you might make a public call-out post targeting your some underrated people in the community (as a whole, not just the JEC). There's no one way to do it, but do try to be genuine about your compliments! It's no fun for anyone if you just say is "hey i like your stuff" and leave it at that. Please be mindful of how you submit your compliments---images are required for this task. Also, I can only confirm anon asks before they've been sent.
Draft a Drabble - write a fanfic that is at least 100 words long. For those not in the know, a drabble is a piece of fiction that is exactly 100 words long. Though, it's not a strict definition, as some drabbles may be a little more or a little less. Any subject is allowed as long as it's a creative story---you could write about an event, for example---so don't worry about limiting yourself to characters if that's not your thing!
Dig in the Details - write an analysis on any topic of your choosing. Want to pick apart a character's personality based on their manga dialogue? We'd love to hear it! Got an idea for the best possible competitive team using all Johto pokemon? Go for it! Just really need an excuse to complain about why the level curve is so bad? We've all been there! An essay would likely be the easiest way to do this, but there's no singular best method---you could even make a powerpoint presentation if you wanted!
Pick a Pocket Monster - choose any pokemon to discuss! Whether its your overall favorite, a particular partner you had on one of your playthroughs, or even your most expensive trading card, we want to hear everything that makes this pokemon stand out to you over the rest.
Doodle a Darling - draw a pokemon, character, item, location, or any other subject of your choosing. Drawings do not have to be full illustrations (though they certainly can be), nor is skill/quality a point of judgement here. If you feel like going the extra mile, you could even explain why you chose your particular subject!
Curate a Collection - create a compilation of media based on a certain subject. This might be a moodboard, collage, pinterest board, music playlist, fic rec, or even a gif set! Please keep in mind that as per our community's rules, you may not use any fanworks that you have not created yourself. Make sure to credit the sources of other pieces of media when appropriate.
Fix it with Fanon - share a headcanon/theory/etc. you enjoy! You might know how to fill a plothole from the manga, have an idea on how to fix a weird game mechanic, want to share your favorite AU, or even have a fakemon you designed just for Johto. As long as it's a fandom-original idea, it'll fit the bill!
Convince the Crowd - try to persuade everyone to agree with you on a certain topic! Maybe there's a pokemon type you believe trumps all others, or maybe you're really passionate about which movie it the best. You can also reply to points other people have made if you have an opposing view. Whatever you choose, be respectful when making your argument!
Knicks and Knacks - make an arts-and-crafts project themed around a topic of your choosing. The sky's the limit here---you could try your hand at little accessories like bracelets or pins, cobble together a short zine, make a paper doll, design cool profile icons or web stamps, stitch together an edit or meme, put on some cosplay, and so much more! As long as it's something you made with your own hands (so to speak), anything goes.
Script a Scenario - portray a situation using a medium other than standard illustration/writing. This could include playscripts, comics, texting fics, or even the photo booth feature in Pokemas! If you need to give a short written description to clarify what's going on, that's fine, but it shouldn't be the star of the show.
Free Space - Choose any of the above categories to complete!
Images/GIFs - 500x500 px
Writing - 5-6 sentences or ~75 words
Moodboards/Pinterest Boards - 5 images
Collages - 5 main elements (not including minor decorations)
Playlists - 3 songs with a short explanation each
Fanfiction Recs - 3 works with a short explanation each
Made it through all that and still have questions? Feel free to leave them down in the comments and they'll be answered as soon as possible!
Good luck everyone, and mostly importantly, have fun!
This blog is basically all fandom-related, from headcanons to art to whatever else I feel like sharing in the moment! You can find all my headcanons under the tag #headcanon, and my art under #bearimba art! If you're looking for a specific fandom, posts will also be tagged under that fandom.
Stuff I've posted about: Pokemon HGSS, Phasmophobia (GIGS)
If there's anything specific you'd like to hear about, if you'd like to contribute your own thoughts, or even want to request a lil doodle, please hit up my ask box! I enjoy hearing what people have to say and I especially love encouraging people to talk about their interests, so as long as you're respectful about it then nearly anything goes :)
Finally, a shameless plug:
soulsilvershipping my beloved <3
For the JEC Kickoff Event - Curate a Collection
All images used can be found here!
Sketchy comic except you can tell exactly where I gave up on life:
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.
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
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.
my brain is filled with characters and they live there rent-freepersonal blog @hestiadoesstuffreblogs @bearimba-reblogs
52 posts