Lua

1st Frame

Starring Colin "Latios" Bridgerton and Penelope "Latias" Bridgerton.

Colin is a Latios because it's obvious: the Bridgerton colour is blue 🔵 and Latios is always male. Latios has a gentle nature and would rather yeet from a battle, like Colin who is kind and sensitive, and would leave the Ton to other countries to find a purpose. It also prefers compassionate trainers, which Colin also prefers a compassionate friend, like Pen, who sees his true self.

Penelope is a Latias because it's obvious as well: her red hair 🔴 and Latias is always female. Latias also has a gentle nature and is highly intelligent, like Pen who is friendly and meek, but is also witty and clever. It mostly disappears from people and becomes invisible, similar to Pen as she is a wallflower and no one ever truly sees her. That is until Colin finally sees her for a brave and successful woman that she is.

It's inspired by the movie, Pokemon Heroes: Latias and Latios. Latias and Latios are the unofficial Italian Pokemon. 🤌 The reason for their unofficial title is that the location of the movie, Alto Mare, is Italian for "High Sea". Also, the city is based on Venice, Italy, and is known as the City of Water, which Venice is a city surrounded by water canals. Therefore, the Eon Duo, Latias and Latios, are Italians. 🤌 Bellissimo! 🇮🇹 Additionally, each of them carries a mega stone as an accessory, as both of them can mega evolve.

The reason I draw Colin and Pen as Latios and Latias, respectively, is that it's difficult for me to draw Colin as Umbreon in the same stance as it would look awkward. So, it's easier to draw them as bipedal, and the Eon Duo fits perfectly in this frame. Also, a fellow Bridgerton fan and Pokemon enjoyer mentioned this movie below, which is a childhood movie. And that's how it inspires me to draw Polin as the Eon Duo.

By the way, the title is translated as "Pocket Monsters the Movie - Guardian Gods of the City of Water: Latias and Latios" and that's a mouthful! It's called "Pokemon Heroes: Latios and Latias" or simply "Pokemon Heroes" in English. I'm probably used to the English dub. 😅

The Pokemon in the portrait is Lugia (F). I don't know why I choose it, but I love Lugia and it's a Pokemon most millennials would recognise. :)) Also, based on this other childhood movie below. It's called Pokemon the Movie 2000 as it was released in 2000. It's also known as Pokemon the Movie 2000: The Power of One.

The accessories on the shelf include a flute from the Pokemon 2000 movie and a soul dew from the Pokemon Heroes movie.

2nd Frame

I have no idea why, but I thought I'll explore more by trying photo editing. I used GIMP to attempt to photo edit as the program is free. :))) Thought process is great! But execution... not quite. Like please, my attempts in cleaning up the background is horrible.

So here are the 3D printed toys I purchased from my local shopping centre. Colin is a blue dragon because of Bridgerton Blue, while Penelope is a little red fox because of her hair. It's a coincidence that blue mixed with red is purple, which the blue dragon exhibits from its horns, wings and spikes, representing Polin's friendship.

3rd Frame

This one is a tester and an experiment on using different brushes. It's also one of the themes based on my Australian home: a Bluey AU and Australian Aboriginal artworks.

Colin is a blue heeler while Penelope is a red heeler, similar to Bandit and Chilli Heeler, Bluey's parents! I kept the blue/red theme like my previous artwork as Colin is a Bridgerton (Blue) and Penelope has beautiful red hair, albeit with slight colour differences as I'm reflecting their hair colour. 🤭

I also draw random characters from Bluey. They are based on Mackenzie the Border Collie, Pat the Golden Retriever, Chloe the Dalmatian, and Wendy the Chow Chow. I genuinely have no idea why I chose them. 😅 I also drew the Chatterbox toy and a long dog; they are pretty conspicuous to find.

I also draw the background inspired by the Australian Aboriginal artworks. I wanted to do it to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of Country throughout Australia, as a second gen Vietnamese-Australian living on their land where I reside, and pay my respects to the Elders and the Australian First Nations community past and present. 🙂‍↕️

4th Frame

This one is also a tester and to branch out my drawing abilities that is not Pokemon. It's also one of the themes based on my Vietnamese heritage: Vietnamese zodiac animals and the anime, Fruits Basket.

Colin is a Rooster because Luke Newton is born on the Year of the Rooster, 1993. Luke is no chicken! The Rooster symbolises someone who is highly intelligent of the arts and literature, profound thinkers and are diligent. Their personalities include punctual, trustworthy, interactive, kind and ambitious. But they are sometimes over thinkers and serious. That pretty much sums up Luke's personality. 😅

Penelope is a Tiger because of Nicola Coughlan's birth date on the Year of the Tiger, 1986. The tiger symbolises someone who is active, cautious, never regrets on what they say or do and can overcome difficulties themselves. Their personalities include straightforward, ambitious, reliable and can achieve great accomplishments. But they are sometimes too independent without asking for help and are blunt, which fortunately, Nicola isn't.

(Nicola could've been born on the Year of the Cat 1987 (if following the Vietnamese Zodiac) or Rabbit 1987 (if following the original Chinese Zodiac) since she was born in 1987. However, the Year of the Cat started on 29th Jan 1987, so she is not eligible unfortunately.)

I've also included the rest of the Vietnamese Zodiac animals, including the rabbit, as bystanders. 😉 The Featheringtons are also present, with the Dankworths as Harry Dog and Prudence Cat, while the Finch's are Albion Cow/Ox and Philipa Rat. I also included a jade statue of the Jade Emperor, who announced a race on the order of the animals that were positioned in the 12-year Chinese Zodiac. My background drawings are still horrible, but it's progress. :)))

There's a Chinese legend that the Cat participated in the race. However, the Rat betrayed it, and the Cat was drowned in a river; it never finished the race and was eliminated from the Zodiac. Hence why cats hate mice as of today. The Vietnamese Zodiac fact, however, chose Cat because the names of Rabbit and Cat in Chinese were so similar and the Viets just randomly chose Cat because why not. We Viets are unique. 😅 Also, rabbits are rare in Vietnam, but cats are common.

Final Frame

The Pokemon involved are the following:

Main couple:

- Colin "Umbreon" Bridgerton and Penelope "Jigglypuff" Bridgerton

Known characters:

- John "(Midday) Lycanroc" Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin, and Francesca "Flareon" Bridgerton

- Gregory "Glaceon" Bridgerton, Viscountess Kathani (Kate) "Bayleef" Bridgerton and Hyacinth "Leafeon" Bridgerton

Random bystanders (from left to right), excluding Gregory, Kate and Hyacinth:

- Dragonite (F)*

- Hawlucha (M)*

- Raichu (F)*

- Psyduck (M)

- Gengar (M)*

- Malamar (F)*

- Alolan Vulpix (F)

- Victreebel (M)*

- Swablu (F)

- Pikachu (M - with Ash Ketchum's hat and colour scheme)

*If you're a Pokemon fan and noticed something amusing, I've included the Pokemon that are capable of Mega Evolution! I was so excited to play Pokemon Legends ZA, so I thought I'll share the amusement by adding the Pokemon as the audience/bystanders that are newly introduced with their Mega Evolved form, with their Mega stones as accessories.*

I do have some freedom to be creative and draw the bystanders as I see fit. But I got to keep it consistent for the video.

The reason I decide to share the blurred versions in the video is that my raw one is very distracting, and you may not know which one is Polin in this frame! Therefore, I decide to blur the bystanders and the background so that you'll see Polin clearly front and centre.