#pokethrones

@zdbztumble had a great set up for a cross over idea between Game of Thrones and Pokemon that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately. “Pokethrones” (yes, it’s a silly concept because the shows are so very, very different, but it’s a -wonderfully awesome- one. Especially how zdbz has set it up.)

I haven’t semi-finished my traditional art in forever. So I might come back to this. Originally, I wanted to put Pokemon and more stuff from his AU into the backgrounds that pertained specifically to the characters, but drawing..takes…so…long. 

In the end, I was just a really big fan of the idea. (Check it out here: https://zdbztumble.tumblr.com/tagged/pokethrones ) However, I did edit their outfits a little bit, such as giving Ash armor over his hakama because in my head he’s going off to war. I also removed the fur guard on Misty’s left shoulder, mostly because I forgot, that, and the arrow details got lost in translation between sketch and line-art. ( I tried to do your designs justice, I’m sorry!)

DIGITAL SKETCH: “[PokéThrones] - Night King & (Undead) Mega-Charizard X Viserion”

The finale (?) of Pokéthrones!

It was a Doom of ice and fire the broke the line of emperors, the legends say, and that Doom has returned.On the slopes of Mt. Silver, the War of the Five Kingdoms begun by Giovanni wages, consuming the thoughts of all the lords of the known world. In Unova, Ash and his friends struggle to do their part for the Night’s Watch, but the force behind the Wall comes in force. With the strength of the Watch so fallen, and the kingdoms engulfed by their petty squabbles, it may be left to the Pokemon themselves to face the coming storm...

(This may have to be the final entry in this series; I’ve run out of ideas for scenes. I have ideas for basic concepts; for example, the reason that I keep referring to the five kingdoms when there are six is because I imagine Kalos as deliberately excluded from the count by the others, it being a kingdom ruled by lords descended from invaders over the western sea, and more akin in dress and culture to feudal Europe than feudal Japan. But I don’t know what I would do with that concept,or with the few others I’ve got.

Like I said last time - if anyone else finds this crossover as fun as I do, feel free to join in!)

Part 11 of Pokéthrones!

You can’t do a crossover like this without giving Ash and Charizard a “dracarys” moment. And you can’t draw Ash riding Charizard without Misty, because...well, I suppose you can, but what the hell, I was in the mood.

(This may be the last of these for a while; just started a full-time job, and time for dorkiness is now limited. But I’ve got at least one more in me sometime soon, and maybe more. And maybe others find this crossover as fun as I do and want to dip their toes in the water? I’m still really behind the times on everything post-Orange Islands, so I’d love to see what someone more familiar with the later seasons and series would make of the later stars in this world!) 

Part 9 of Pokéthrones!

The emperors descended from Arcaeus itself, and upon rising to rule they harnessed the psychic powers of Mew to forge the indestructible Arcane Throne. Through their divine right and benevolent wisdom (and great martial strength), they ruled over the known world from their palace on Mt. Silver for centuries. But then the Doom came, shattering the last emperor’s realm into five and throwing him from the throne. It was at this time that the Night’s Watch first formed to drive out the cause behind the Doom and make safe the remnants of the realm.

Or so the legends say. That there were emperors seems true enough; the palace and throne still stand on Mt. Silver, and the Arcane Throne itself has never suffered even a scratch. But the Age of Emperors came to an end millennia ago, and what records survive from those days are incomplete and mixed with myth and legend. Even the Doom itself - what it was, and what caused it - is a mystery, even to the Night’s Watch, though tradition holds that it was a Doom of ice and fire.

The fragmented records, and the pretense of divine descent, has made it relatively easy to claim Imperial blood. The Elite Four of every kingdom but Hoenn have done so, as have many daimyo, from lords paramount to such minor vassals as House Oak. But no one holds a strong enough claim to reunite the five kingdoms, and no one has pressed their claim to the Arcane Throne or flown its banners for an age. No one, that is, until Giovanni...

(More Chrysanthemum throne than Iron Throne in looks, but I tried to give it a backstory comparable to the forging of the latter. And there may well be a more suitable location than Mt. Silver for the seat of power in this world that I haven’t heard of; I picked Mt. Silver purely due to the battle with Red you have there in G/S.)

Part 8 of Pokéthrones!

The Orange Islands has had a storied history with the five kingdoms. Well to the southeast of the main continent, the archipelago holds some strategic value. History is filled with accounts of the wars fought by Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn for control over the islands, and there are even records of an attempt by Sinnoh to send a fleet to conquer the chain.

Kanto has held sway over the islands the longest, but the chain is too remote to be effectively controlled. The culture of the islands thus remains distinct from the five kingdoms in notable ways, including the right of the peasantry to catch and train Pokemon. Peasants who travel to the Kanto mainland are expected to leave their Pokemon at home, or else surrender them to local authorities. But Pallet has oft been lax over such restrictions, and Tracey, sworn in service to House Oak, is allowed to keep his Pokemon.

(If Ash’s page of this series is a good example of how inking can take the edge off a drawing, this is a good example of what can go wrong with markers; the flesh tone picked up a lot of the pencil underneath and streaked badly.)

Part 7 of  Pokéthrones!

The region of Pallet is a poor one, looked down upon by the great daimyo of Kanto’s main districts. Nevertheless, House Oak has remained loyal to House Ketchum for many years. With the lord long gone and Ash in the Night’s Watch, they have effectively become rulers of Pallet. It is a responsibility that Lord Oak takes very seriously, making all edicts in the name of his lord. His cocksure grandson, on the other hand, has let the power go to his head. That, and the fact that he’s a better swordsman, and Pokemon trainer, than Ash.

The orb upon the banners of House Oak is an inversion of one of many symbols found upon the Arcane Throne. Some have taken that as a sign that the Oaks may be of imperial descent, but Lord Oak has never investigated or pursued such claims. But his grandson might...

(The inverted pokeball symbol is less good planning and more a stupid mistake in the inking and coloring stage.)

Entry Six in the Pokéthrones series! Unbeknownst to nearly everyone, the district of Viridian has been taken over by a troupe of bandits known as the Rocket Clan. Its head, Giovanni, is known to the world as an extraordinarily wealthy merchant who claims descent from the long-lost line of Emperors. That line has been lost for so long that many can make such claims; the Elite Four of all five kingdoms have done so; but Giovanni is the first in an age to have the ambition, and the ruthlessness, to pursue the throne. His infiltration of Viridian, and ongoing efforts to infiltrate not just the shogunate of Kanto, but all the known kingdoms, has been so well-hidden that the greatest threat to Giovanni's plans may not be from any outside resistance, but from the incompetence of certain members of his troupe... (Giovanni's outfit is modeled after that worn by certain members of the Tokugawa shogunate, but the colors come from his original anime suit. His words come from his song in "Pokemon Live!" - the only good part of that show.)