Line #31 YMMV/LatiasJourney


1	* CondemnedByHistory: The story was originally considered to be one of the best written ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' fanfictions back in the early 2000s to early 2010s. But as time passed, its fans turned against the story citing its TooBleakStoppedCaring nature; copious amounts of {{padding}}; abuse of GenreRoulette leading to a confusing and disjointed narrative; needlessly graphic descriptions of rape, torture and murder; and a {{retcon}} chapter posted ''years'' after the story was completed [[ResetButtonEnding that completely negated the entire story]].
2	* FanNickname: a few notable ones, though they're all spoilers:
3	** [[spoiler: Seraphim Forme Latias (Seraphim Latias) - Latias resurrected after she is killed by the psychotic Red Ranger.]]
4	** [[spoiler: [[Myth/GreekMythology Talos]]cario ([[ComicBook/XMen Colossus]]cario) - Rukario (name used in the story) with his EleventhHourSuperpower. His entire body becomes [[ChromeChampion metal]]]]
5	** [[spoiler: Misty The Seadragon ([[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Waterbender]] Misty) - Misty with her EleventhHourSuperpower, [[MakingASplash hydro]][[KillItWithWater -kinesis]].]]
6	** [[spoiler: Reverse Pokémon Battle - The modified rules of the Battle Palace's that require the ''trainers'' to fight each other with their ''Pokémon'' giving commands to them.]]
7	** [[spoiler: Archangel Charizard ([[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Mithos]] Charizard) - Ash's Charizard resurrected after a crazed Blaziken kills him in an [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath extremely brutal fashion]]. His wings made of [[HardLight light]]]]
8	** [[spoiler:[[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Rocktimus]] [[ThePowerOfRock Prime]] - The [[HumongousMecha giant mech]] used by the Pokerockers.]]
9	** [[spoiler: Guardian Forme Groudon - Groudon's EleventhHourSuperpower, a suit of custom made metal armor.]]
10	** [[spoiler: Guardian Forme Kyogre - Kyogre's EleventhHourSuperpower, a suit of custom made bone armor.]]
11	** [[spoiler: '''Pants Forme Groudon''' - [[MundaneMadeAwesome What?]] Groudon really likes his new pants.]]
12	** [[spoiler: Sandstorm May - May with her EleventhHourSuperpower, ([[DishingOutDirt control over sand]])]]
13	** [[spoiler: Electro-Ash - Ash after he becomes Crimson Lightning Ranger]]
14	* SugarWiki/FunnyMoments: The cast is invited to a ball before the final round of the Pokemon Tournament. Some of them go for more...[[PreClimaxClimax involved]] celebrations than others. After drinking copious amounts of punch, [[ChildrenAreInnocent Phanpy]] goes into the bathroom, only to walk in on [[ItMakesSenseInContext Uncle Brother]] Pikachu going at it with Sadic. Traumatized, he runs to Aunt Corsola for help, and walks in on ''her'' right in the middle of [[LovableSexManiac Crawdaunt's]] ''massive orgy''. You can [[HarmfulToMinors probably]] [[BlankWhiteEyes imagine]] [[HeroicBSOD what]] [[TraumaInducedAmnesia happens next]].
15	* HilariousInHindsight:
16	** The fanfic has the {{Cyberpunk}} region of Silica. Now look at Black City in ''[[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Pokemon Black]]''...
17	** There's also a ghost dragon trapped in a depressing nebulous realm, and an embodiment of evil that lives in a bizarre Hell-world. ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' would later give us Giratina and the Distortion World, which more or less fits both of those.
18	** There's also a {{God}} of the Pokemon universe. ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' would gives us Arceus, who [[spoiler:shows up in the second-to-last chapter]] and was implemented in this fic's sequel.
19	** During the final chapters, a lot of the Chosen would gain super forms. ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' would much later give us Mega Forms
20	* MoralEventHorizon:
21	** Deoxys crosses this when he destroys an entire city, then personally tortures and kills the Pichu Brothers for funsies.
22	** [[spoiler:Ford has his partner Blaziken brutally torture and mutilate Charizard, and then forcefully turns Ash into the Alpha Ranger.]]
23	** Mariah tries to destroy May's will during their battle by curb-stomping and nearly killing her Pokemon, and insulting her every time. After May has been sufficiently traumatized, she tries to steal her soul.
24	** Dark Latios [[spoiler:torments his sister, kills their father Ho-oh, immortalizes Lady Ho-oh so he can torture her repeatedly before eating her, force-feeds Latias her father's genitals(!), and then repeatedly rapes her both physically and mentally until she becomes an emotionless killing machine.]]
25	* {{Narm}}: The concept of a monster made out of knives is way too ridiculous to find scary.
26	* OneTrueThreesome:
27	** A particularly weird HotSkittyOnWailordAction example: [[spoiler:Wobbuffet, Milotic, and Cacturne]]. You may now scrub your brain with peroxide.
28	** If one recalls properly, it becomes fairly obvious that [[spoiler:Groudon[=/=]Kyogre]] is really a case of [[spoiler:Groudon[=/=]Kyogre[=/=]Groudon's awesome pants.]]
29	* {{Squick}}:
30	** The descriptions of the undead and mutilated Legendary Beasts, followed by a [[ColdBloodedTorture graphic demonstration of how they got]] [[GratuitousRape to be that way]]. ''Ugh''.
31	** It gets to the point during the final arc where one of the ghastly settings is actually disregarded as "kind of so-so as far as generic hellscapes go".
32	** The final arc involves {{Eldritch Abomination}}s trying to destroy the world by causing a demon ZombieApocalypse, so it has [[ColdBloodedTorture no]] [[{{Gorn}} short]] [[CruelAndUnusualDeath supply]] of this.
33	* StrangledByTheRedString:
34	** In general, most of the pairings in this fic, [[PairTheSpares especially the ones involving the supporting characters]], pop right out of nowhere and [[TokenRomance contribute little, if anything, to the story]]. For example, Psyduck and Skitty fall in LoveAtFirstSight, and Lombre and Midkip just up and announce to Brock that they're seeing each other out of the blue.
35	** The relationship between Latias and [[spoiler:the Ghost King, and by extension, Rayquaza]] is the most disliked aspect of the story. From the very beginning, Latias [[spoiler:has been dreaming about marrying the Ghost King, even though she didn't even know what he looked like. Later on, she forgives the him for razing her hometown and murdering everyone in it in a childish fit of rage, all because because a hologram of Latios said they should get together. She obeys it without question, the reason given that she "just knew" the hologram was the real Latios. At the same time, the Ghost King shows no real remorse over destroying Alto Mare nor killing everyone in it; the only reason he regrets doing it is because it upset Latias. To add insult to injury, their love for one another is mostly [[ShowDontTell told and not shown]] and Latias even considers marrying the damn guy end of the story!]] Many readers were not at all satisfied with the story's explanation [[spoiler:and especially not the tacked-on revelation that Kyogre secretly made the Ghost King do it at the very end]], and consider it little more than glorified StockholmSyndrome.
36	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The Ghost King[=/=][[spoiler:Rayquaza]] was much better off as a villain. The fact that he's a mysterious unknown entity that holds power over all wild Ghost-type Pokemon and makes them destroy entire cities is sinister to begin with. Then he gets worse when we learn about his revolting [[EntitledToHaveYou entitlement complex]] toward Latias, and that he's been spying on her since she was born. He is also incredibily flippant about his massacre of Alto Mare. He apologizes to Latias about it, but the second she's not around, he dismisses it in the most offhanded manner possible. As Project A.F.T.E.R's defunct forums pointed out, he largely treats it as an obstacle for ''Latias'' to get over. [[spoiler:He later confesses to Dark Latios that destroying the city was for Latias' own good because MiseryBuildsCharacter]]. Finally, his obsession with keeping his promise to kill Ash despite making the situation worse just shows how unreasonable he is. He actually makes a better BigBad than [[spoiler:Deoxys, who is really nothing more than a cartoonish GenericDoomsdayVillain whose only motivation is to destroy everything ForTheEvulz]]. Sadly, the fanfic keeps [[DesignatedHero insisting that the Ghost King is a good guy]].
37	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Besides the sheer amount of over-the-top violence, graphic torture, and GratuitousRape scenes at the hands of {{Eldritch Abomination}}s whose only redeeming feature is that they're shamelessly honest about [[LovesTheSoundOfScreaming liking to do all three of those]], all the crap that our heroes get put through makes it difficult to sympathize with them. This wasn't already difficult enough to do so, no thanks to them being {{Wangst}}y (Latias, May long before anything terrible happens to her), preachy (Sadic and '''Mewtwo'''), pervy (Crawdaunt and Brock), stupid (Jirachi, Max, Phanphy, Misty's Psyduck/Golduck, May's Skitty/Delcatty), or downright villainous (The Ghost King, Molly). Then there is Latias' relationship with the Ghost King, which completely destroys all hope of the main heroine being seen as sympathetic. And there's [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking Ri2's refusal to]] [[ShowDontTell show and not tell]]. The ending tried to do away with this, but then there was that SequelHook...
38	* TrappedByMountainLions: During the Tryranitron arc, a Murkrow steals Latias' Dragon Flute, forcing her and Togetic to go after him. They only find the flute ''after'' the Tyranitron is destroyed.
39	* TheUntwist: [[spoiler:Deoxys]] turns out to be the Cataclysm. Even HE knew in in-universe.
40	* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs: ''Latias' Journey'' is ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' tripping balls on every hallucinogen known. On meth. And PCP. And Rare Candies. While huffing nitrous oxide. And off its mood stabilizers.
41	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: Yes, ''Latias' Journey'' is based on the kid-friendly ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime. But it also contains NightmareFuel, intense violence, intense gore, horror, sexual situations, GratuitousRape, profanity, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking philosophical/religious overtones]].
42	* TheWoobie:
43	** May. First she gets OvershadowedByAwesome and ditched when Ash has to go solo at the beginning. Her crush on him goes [[UnrequitedLove unrequited]] [[note]](we later find her first crush was too -- he was actually going out with another guy!)[[/note]] Then she gets [[CurbstompBattle curbstomped]] and [[BreakThemByTalking insulted]] by a godmodding HumanoidAbomination. [[spoiler:And when the grand finale kicks in, her Munchlax is shot, Drew's [[YourHeadASplode head explodes in her face]] right as she's realizing her feelings for him, and she is led to believe her parents were killed on public TV. Once she gets an EleventhHourSuperpower with the rest of the cast, [[KansasCityShuffle she's tricked into killing her REAL parents thinking THEY were demonic fakes]], and Max disowns her for it. Finally, her and her remaining Pokemon are slaughtered by [[BrainwashedAndCrazy Dark Latias]] in quite possibly one of the most brutal fatalities of the book.]] ''Holy shit.''
44	** To a lesser degree, Wobbuffet. He was abused as a child by his grandfather, and abused as an adult by Jessie. Just when he quits Team Rocket and things are starting look up for him, [[spoiler:Shalor invades Mirage Island and kills almost everyone, including Milotic. Only he and Cacturne make it out alive.]]

Context YMMV / LatiasJourney