Bridgette Lavoie

• Cold Iron Any extremely pure iron. (irritates skin and slows healing, may leave burns. Injuries that break skin require immediate medical attention.)
• Iron Alloy Any type of steel or other impure iron, as well as any other type of iron alloy. Basically akin to rubber and electricity with magic.
• Poison Susceptible due to type advantage.

• Fire Larger the fires, the larger the panic. Fire types only provoke nervousness, but any significantly large sudden flames will make her run.
• Enclosed Spaces Will not willingly enter an area or building if there’s less than two visible, open exits. Will remain nervous if coerced into this type of space.
• Confinement Any sort of grips, binds, confines, ropes, etc - Anything made or used to limit movement will provoke blind panic. 

• paralyzed vocal cords Mute, cannot physically speak - uses a special item to communicate her thoughts
• abdomen Large scar on left side of abdomen - clean cut, iron blade, made by a honedge
• white streak marks Body is riddled with very faded white streak marks - aftermath of being put through ‘confession’
• fleur-de-lis Small brand on right shoulder - also aftermath of ‘confession’

A hermit who prefers to keep to herself, Bridgette is the type who gives respect where respect is due, and who will never leave a favor unpaid. As long as one respects her boundaries and doesn’t go out of their way to provoke her or make her nervous, she can be quite pleasant to be acquainted with. Hell, she can even be helpful, if she so desires! Given her age, she knows all manner of history and tidbits lost to time, and actively enjoys sharing some bits of knowledge without revealing where and why she knows them. For those who humor her curiosities, they will of course receive her gratitude in return.

But don’t let the sweetness of that smile of hers fool you - smart, clever, and most certainly full of wit like any good witch is, Bridgette is self-centered and prideful, mischievous and cunning, cruel and petty - she’s still a witch through and through, and is not afraid to bare her fangs and live up to the reputation her kind has.

Her mindset is more like the wild fey themselves, and she tends to behave like them too - meaning, at the expense of others. She knows what she wants, and she’s not afraid to take it - whether it belongs to her or not. Which unfortunately, comes to the brunt of her reputation. As pleasant as she can be, if she finds someone interesting enough company, she’ll want to keep them by her side. And not as a partner - Bridgette is a kidnapping witch. Many individuals have gone missing after meeting her, after having caught her eye. 

Toys to be played with, collected, admired - all the while trapped in Murkrow form, reduced to no more than a mere pet. She liked them enough to consider keeping them by her side - shouldn’t they be honored? She found them interesting, after all. Is it wrong? Maybe. But she’s a witch, not a human. Human law and moral codes be damned, they do not apply.

Thankfully, for all of her pride and false bravado, she is not brave. Villainous, maybe. Antagonistic certainly. But brave? No. 

Skittish, overcautious, and fearful, in the face of adversary she will inevitably choose to preserve her own life. If she doesn’t think it’s advantageous to strike back, then she won’t - she’ll wait and bide her time, find a time for when the one who slighted her is alone. But she won’t lash out without knowing what she’s up against.

She knows her limits, and she knows what will happen if she gets caught, if her powers become known, if she loses a battle she can’t win. Her freedom is precious to her, she’d rather die than risk giving it up. She’s faced - and lived through - the burning times, she’s faced prosecution, she’s been on death’s door. She knows when to pick her battles, she knows when to run.

Good luck catching her.

Being well… a witch, Bridgette is not the best close-combat fighter. Much less a fighter in general. Without some sort of buffer keeping attacks at bay, or a cushion to lessen the power of any force dealt to her... she’s got the physical defenses of a wet paper bag. If forced into a corner, most of her bite comes from centuries of experience and sheer intelligence, rather than any sort of physical or magical power. Her talents make her inclined for speed and deception, not brute strength.

Of course, if given the opportunity, she will flee instead of fight.

(yes, she’s a ‘runs away first turn’ encounter.)

When it comes to actual fights, she’s underhanded first and foremost. She approaches situations in ways that will let her trick the opponent and then run away mid-battle, meaning she prefers tactics that focus on stalling, tricking, or distracting a foe - just long enough to allow an opening to escape. She does not plan to actually WIN encounters, just to escape from them. She has no tactical or actual training - and this shows. As such, she heavily depends on outsmarting or outgambiting an opponent rather than keeping to a traditional fight. If her usual tricks do not work, then she’ll put that mind of hers to work to find an escape route.

And if escape isn’t available?
Then she’ll make it available.

However, if backed into a corner, she does have one more trick up her sleeve- lure her attacker in close, and then cast a curse while their guard is down. She is a witch of transformation, and is not afraid to use it on others as a last resort, should she fear capture or worse. 

As a Murkrow, she uses the EXACT same tactics. Who would’ve thought? She cannot replicate a Murkrow’s moveset, but she can use the same moves as witnessed in her human form. She comes off as an extremely smart murkrow, though - her behavior is replicated well, but her intelligence still shines through the transformation. Regardless, she almost never fights physically when transformed - rather, she behaves more like a Honchkrow than a murkrow, directing the flock to attack in her stead, while she hangs out from a higher perch to observe the fight.

Having gained a Fairy’s typing thanks to her own soul’s magical inclinations, she retains their weaknesses to steel and poison accordingly. Either of these properties entering the fray can be fight-ending moves. Cold iron, and steel in general, is your friend when subduing this witch.

Aside from that, common sense will also be your friend. 
Simply because she can use magic does not mean she is a miracle-worker.
If she’s being tricky to catch? Outsmart her.

Bridgette’s specialties revolve around the broad flexibility of Transformation, with a minor affinity for wind-based moves. However, due to her age and fae nature, she’s got a few extra tricks up her sleeve that can be used in limited situations.

OVERVIEW. 

• transformation (various)
• creation of fairy rings
• mana absorption (passive, biological)
• flight & wind manipulation (limited, minor)
• communication charm & basic magecraft

POWER SOURCE. Bri’s power sources are the constantly circulating energies in the moving wind and open sky - not internally in her body, though she is capable of storing up a limited degree of that power.

BODY: Her body operates off mana and is fully dependent on being connected to a greater leyline at all times - it keeps her alive, she will not survive long if her connection is severed.

IRRADIATED: Her body is practically irradiated with energy, and has no real way to hide this. She will show up on any radar that is made to detect the presence of pokemon, energy leaks, or other anomalies. The reading will probably spike when she speaks.

HEALING: The magic keeping her body alive actively repairs and maintains it, so she’s prone to healing ever-so-slightly faster than a regular human. Not remarkably so, but a little bit faster. She also doesn’t usually get visibly scarred unless the injury was made by something that clashes with the energy keeping her alive - ie: steel, acid, or poison.

SENSITIVE: Due to being highly attuned to a leyline, she’s able to sense the flow of magic and any major disturbances to it in her immediate area. She’ll generally use this as a forewarning for changes in her environment and react accordingly.

COLOR: When manifesting as raw unfocused energy (or when being discharged), Bridgette’s powers have a whitish-pink glow!

IRON: She is essentially fae. She cannot easily affect Iron and iron alloys with her powers, and iron-based attacks or objects will cut through her - and her magic - like butter. Steel-typed moves, pokemon, or abilities are assumed to be Iron-based unless otherwise noted. Non-iron metals do not interact with her nearly as critically.

PARALYZED VOICE: As her vocal cords were destroyed, she has to use a charm that lets her ‘voice her thoughts’ in order to communicate properly. Also, as there was lasting damage from the event which destroyed it - beyond causing the loss of her voice, the iron weakened her body so she wears out fast.

PSYCHIC: Bridgette is not a psychic and shows no sign of psychic ability - she cannot generate power by using her own self as the power source, use telekinesis, read minds, or anything else like that. However, she will generally view psychics and the like as pre-evolved Mages and consider them kindred, even if they’re not the same. (This does not make them safe from being abducted into birds, though).

Voice Charm (aka: The Red Brooch)

• Ability to understand other languages (granted via enchanted object)

Due to the communication charm attached to her brooch, Bridgette can understand people in her vicinity regardless of the language that they speak, and they can understand the thoughts she wishes to relay, even if she is not able to physically speak them. It does absolute wonders for clearing communication barriers. This also includes Pokemon speech.

Bridgette does actually naturally know some degree of Pokemon-speech, to some degree - she’s able to understand some species better than others, and only because of prolonged exposure and knowledge of how they speak.

Her brooch translates the intent and meaning behind pokemon vocalizations, so she can perfectly understand them so long as she is wearing it. However, she can have incredible difficulty understanding the full intentions of pokemon which do not use verbal communication to speak. She might understand their body language, yes, but not their words, especially of species she’s not previously familiar with.

Without this brooch charm, Bridgette can only understand but not speak the languages she naturally knows (Kalosian, German, Celtic, etc) - and is entirely unable to vocally communicate.

NORMAL APPEARANCE

Bridgette is a small girl, standing roughly 5' or so tall, maybe a couple inches more if her boots have heels. Bright red eyes, feathery shoulder-length black hair (sometimes held back in a low ponytail), and a fair complexion of someone who clearly doesn’t spend much of her time in the sun.

Pinpointing her exact age is difficult - those who have tried have thought her to be anywhere in her mid to late twenties, maybe even early 30s at most.

Clothing depends on season and weather - lighter garb will often consist of shin-length dark cotton skirts, white or gray blouses, and a black porkpie hat with a white ribbon. Brown boots meant for rough travel, and in the event of rain or cold weather, she’ll wear a black, knee-length wool coat to stay warm. A dark brown shoulder bag serves to carry everything else. Outfits picked for comfort and travel, though they hardly seem to get dirty, or perhaps a bit too nice to be chosen for rough forest travel. But all outfits have two items in common: A murkrow-feather shawl or cloak, and a red ruby brooch.

A completely normal girl, at first glance. 

Well, almost.

Further observation reveals some uncanny traits - especially in her face. For as human as she appears, there’s a few noticeable deviations. Bright red eyes which have an uncanny look if one inspects them - the mana within her body turned the pupil white instead of black, making them almost seem as if they’re glowing. Should she be unhealthy or her core of magic hurt, the white will be dull. They also have eyeshine, reflecting light much like an animal - careful pointing flashlights at her, unless you want a scare.

She has fangs as well, though she’s no vampire or loup-garou. They are purely for display, but they’ll send a shiver down the spine none-the-less. A clear, folkloric mark of a shapeshifting witch - who always retains a little bit of a beastly appearance even in human form, whether it be shaggy hair, clawed nails, or fanged teeth.

Her appearance isn’t limited to this though - as Bridgette is a shapeshifter, she can change her appearance and form at will. This appearance is simply what she’s most comfortable with, her closest approximation to what she thinks she’s supposed to look like.

At least she’s pretty sure - her own faulty memory has influenced her own appearance, and that her true form is less natural, and more her own ‘ideal’ design of what she knows she used to look like.

KNOWN FORMS

MURKROW. A Murkrow that looks and acts no different than any other Murkrow at first glance. The feathers, when separated from the form, turn into a wispy black smoke and disappear. Used for stealth and travel.

HALF-TRANSFORMATION. Bridgette is fully capable of transforming select parts of her body into a half-bird state, whether they be talons, feathers, wings, etc. Given the hybrid nature of this type of transformation, it can give her a rather monstrous, harpy-looking appearance - but it’s just as fragile as her human form is, so it’s mainly used utility over combat.

OTHER POKEMON. A replica of a known pokemon, which acts in the same way as her usual Murkrow transformation. If the species is not local to Kalos, Bridgette will not able to mimic it’s natural behavior, as she is not familiar with their behaviors.

MONSTER BIRD. Not an actual transformation, just a mass of smoke and mirrors brought on by a combination of Haze/Smokescreen and Night Shade. It looks looks like a giant, shadowy bird of unknown, corvid origin. As it has no combat ability, it is used entirely to scare people away and make her look much, much bigger than she actually is.

DOPPELGANGER. A mirror image replica of another person. She can turn into anyone or anything, given enough time and observation. Key word: Can. Just because she can, doesn’t mean she will. Despite her broad transformation abilities, she loathes turning into other people, and refuses to stay in their forms any longer than necessary. When she does, she typically only does out of pettiness, like by getting them in trouble for things they didn’t actually do by wearing their face.

• She cannot create a fabricated persona - she has to have seen the person she’s turning into at least once in her life. 
• It’s accuracy is based off memory - the longer she can observe her target, the more accurate the mirror image will be. She cannot replicate fighting prowess, personality, behavior, or anything else that might be indicative of that person beyond mimicking their appearance. 
• She cannot copy their voice, and their eyes will retain the same white pupil. 
• This transformation does not qualify as an actual doppelganger, and retains none of the dangers of running into one. 

NAME. Bridgette’s true name is Brid de la Voye, as far as a name’s use in magic goes. This is on a need-to-know basis. Her ‘middle names’ are self-chosen.

EYES. Eyes are light reflective - she has eye shine, and will reflect light from street lamps, flash lights, cameras, etc. Outside of that, her eyes tend to have a very soft, dull red glow in low lighting.

“KALOSIAN”. Predates modern Kalos, and views herself more as an entity that belongs to the land rather than a true citizen of Kalos. She holds no national pride.

FURTHER INJURIES. Both femurs & shoulder blades show signs of having been broken at one point. These injuries have no outward indicator, but will be revealed by x-ray.

HOUSE. Bridgette’s lair is a proper witch’s house, hidden deep within Route 14. Not a traditional house, though - it’s hidden much like the realm within a fairy ring. If you find the ruins of a century’s old stone cottage, then you’re in the right area.

LANGUAGES. Due to her age, she grew up learning older, now-extinct variants of languages - she still speaks the modern variants out of necessity, but as a result of her age, her known languages are slightly extensive.

• Originally Known: Gaulic (celtic), Frankish (germanic), and older variants of Latin. 
• Current Additions: Old Kalosian (Picard - french variant, fluent), Old/Middle French; Celtic (fluent); Gaulic (textbook fluent); German; Galarian (english); Latin

SPECIES. Bri was born a Mage, to two Mage parents. She has no knowledge of what it is like to live as a normal human.

FANGS. Bridgette has fangs! They’re her shapeshifter tell, and are small in size, meant for display rather than practical use. They will still break skin, though.

RELIGION. Old-world pagan. Pokemon-wise, this means she primarily worships the Xerneas/Yveltal/Zygarde trio, but does hold respect for entities from other regions.

TECH. Man made items won’t be fooled and will register her as an unknown entity regardless of form. However, she’s similar enough to humans that Pokeballs don’t register her as a Pokemon unless modded to do so.

CRIMES. Her worst and most numerous crime is kidnapping, though she is also known to have committed maleficarum and petty theft. She has also committed the rare and occasional murder, though she dislikes resorting to it.

LICH. She has not yet achieved it yet, but Bridgette does have a passing interest in evolving into an Undead existence commonly known as a Lich. This is out of survival rather than any interest in gaining power, and is technically the final evolution of the Witch.

INFO. REALLY likes sweets, and can be bribed! Even more fond of Rawstberries.

FAMILY GDOC
    Hartmut † great grandfather
    Celice grandmother
    Marc father
    Estelle † mother
    Peter † brother
    Marie † sister
    Juan † brother
    Jacqueline sister
    Madeline sister
    Annabelle apprentice

SIBYL/OTHER MAGES. 

• @KNOWLEDGE-AND-SHADOW. Occasional collaborator. Has a very pesky Lampent. Not of this world - from somewhere across ultraspace. Elementalist.
• @NECROMAGICAE. Coven member. Friend, necromancer and  local grave robber. AKA: The concerning skeleton lady. Seriously, stop leaving bones out where they can be found by police!!
• @SPOOKYSCARYPUMPKABOO. Unwanted Friendship. Ghost of a long-deceased witch who occasionally breaks into Bri’s house to decorate for halloween. At any time of the year. Doesn’t notice the irony in this. Has connections to Bridgette that neither of them know about. Pumpkin Spice Hell. 

WEIRDOS.

• @3000YEARMONARCH. Family Friend. Bri’s ancestor worked for the court during her reign, and is currently viewing her as an ‘Elder’ of sorts.
• @HATSUDENKI. Neighbor. Some runaway punk who was squatting for a time within Bri’s woods. Well, at least pestering her is entertaining. Or was. Where did she go?
• @KRUPPUNDSTAHL. Bridgette's Greatest Mistake. Steel-type heiress who has taken a concerning amount of interest in Bridgette, for better or worse. Probably worse. Definitely worse. Save her.

I follow a form of Pokemon Special's take to learning moves: Pokemon can know more than 4 moves, anything up to their appropriate level. However, though they can only keep track of and actually use up to 4 moves consecutively, when used in short order. Furthermore, Pokemon are not limited to one ability - though only one is prominent as their main ability. The other one or two abilities - including their hidden one - are weaker and often do not activate during battle.

What is listed are their most commonly recently seen moves, as well as their primary ability.

These rules also apply to Bri herself.

FLETA  ♀ ~lv.48 (Klefki / Naughty / Prankster / fairy lock ● magic room ● torment ● crafty shield ● switcheroo ● play rough ● toxic)

Small enough to be mistaken for a toy at a glance, this Klefki is Bridgette’s familiar, and is never found far from the witch - often posing as if it were nothing but a normal accessory, and only showing it’s true nature to those it deems personally worthy of such. 

Quite possessive of Bri, it dislikes sharing Bri’s attention - whether that attention be human or pokemon in origin. Despite its haughty and downright frustrating behavior, Bri holds it in high regard, outright refusing to break the contract or bond with a different familiar. Or rather, she doesn’t feel like that’s her call to make, Perhaps there’s a debt being repaid?

Like all object-based pokemon, Klefki is a tsukumogami-type- meaning it is a spirit possessing an object. In this case, a Fae spirit possessing a key ring. But for a witch, this also makes it an agathion - a type of familiar which hides within a household object, and can take either pokemon, human, or object form at will. 

Fleta refers to itself interchangeably as either genderless or female, so correct pronouns are They/She. Bridgette refers to her as female.

• SMALL. Fleta is extremely small for a Klefki, about 4" in diameter rather than 8". She masquerades perfectly as a toy. She is able to easily be carried and can accompany Bri outside of Kalos.
• SILVER. Fleta’s body is made of silver rather than iron, so Bri can handle her without gloves! She has to be careful of her Steel moves, though.
• FAE SPIRIT. Fleta is a tsukumogami-type pokemon, a spirit possessing an object. However, this does not mean she is a ghost - she is not, and has never been, dead. She is simply an incorporeal Fae spirit that manifests physically using a Key ring. Nothing more, nothing less.
• AGATHION. The spirit can leave the keys it is possessing at will, becoming an incorporeal spirit. It is not able to interact with other creatures or solid objects without it’s keyring body. It can only take on human form around midday.
• WILD. Fleta is wild, and thus perfectly capable of being caught in a pokeball. However, she will typically abandon the key ring she’s possessing, and thus her Klefki form, in order to avoid this. If caught in a pokeball, she will be trapped in the Key ring body so long as she remains registered to it.
• SKELETON KEY. The key Fleta is possessing is a skeleton key. Combined with her Prankster ability and bolstered by her Familiar status, she can flat-out open physical locks as long as there’s a keyhole. Comes in handy when Bri is trespassing or locked up. Doesn’t work on electronic or any type of digital lock.

MURKROW (multiple x???) ~lv. 18-22 (peck ● astonish ● taunt ● haze ● assurance)

Wherever the witch goes, the birds will follow, either in number, or just a few. They’re entirely wild - she gives them very few orders, allowing them to roam free and create their own havoc however they please. Upon closer inspection, there’s something odd about these birds…

TYPES OF VICTIMS. Lost travelers & townsfolk, occasional trainers, missing children, tourists, homeless, drifters, punks, swindlers, thieves, team recruiters & grunts, woodsmen, hunters, poachers, trappers. folks who were in the wrong place at the wrong wrong time, attacked her, offended her, or she found interesting.

The birds have a slight, but not drastic, female-to-male  skew.

KNOWN BIRDS.

• Red & the Woodsman. traveller who was tricked by bri, and the tradesman who came to her defense and failed. both greatly dislike bri.
• Marceline & Leonine. pair of siblings who found her house and broke into it. they didn’t get to leave.
• Wolfe. liar liar pants on fire.
• Alice. got lost, still doesn’t know how to fly.

OTHER.

• TRAVEL. The Murkrow are localized, their wings have limits to how far they can travel. They cannot accompany her outside of Kalos. However, this does not mean she is Murkrow-less - Bri may befriend and be accompanied by Murkrow native to the region she is visiting - in this case, the flock will be much smaller in number and cannot be compelled to protect her.
• POKEBALLS. Pokeball tech does not register them properly - they function as true Murkrow, unlike Bridgette herself, but due to Bridgette’s meddling they are protected from being caught in pokeballs. The balls will just spit them back out as a failed catch. This effect can however be overridden if the safety lock is modified ... or if Bridgette rescinds her protection.
• MARKINGS. Birds which were previously human may have very subtle differences between them. These differences typically reflect the individual in their human life - a human with striking blue eyes might keep those eyes as a murkrow, or if they had a bright red cloak when stolen, they might have a reddish tint to their feathers as a bird.
• NAMES. All murkrow have their names from their human lives, however Bri herself doesn’t always know them. She’s generally never asked, and tends to refer to them through nicknames. Whether a bird remembers their own name depends on whether or not that bird’s memory remainsintact.
• LANGUAGE. As Murkrow, they have a limited ability to speak human language. As Bri cannot stop them from speaking, should they choose to do so, they have been jinxed to not tattle or disobey as a preventative measure.

FOUND IN THE VICINITY OF BRI’S LAIR.

AURORA  ♀ ~lv.1 (Galarian Ponyta / Quirky / Anticipation / Likes to fight ● Tackle ● Growl ● Agility ● Psybeam ● Stomp)

An egg gifted to her from Clara’s family, it eventually hatched into a small unicorn. Bridgette is a bit wary of the foal, as per her general distrust of horses - horses are not exactly good omens in kalosian folklore, due to an extinct variant she once knew having a less than stellar reputation. But she has made space for it all the same, giving it a small stable and free reign of the surrounding forest. It has a typical folkloric unicorn build, and hangs out most often with a Morgrem that has come to live in the garden.

• While Galarian Ponyta are known for only showing themselves to pure souls that have no ill intent, it does choose to remain with Bri. From what it can see of her inner self, it knows that while Bridgette can certainly hold malice (as all souls can)... for the most part, she just seems sad.
• It knows a couple egg moves, but otherwise is very low-level as it is newly born.
  

MORDRED  ♂ ~lv.35 (Morgrem / Careful / Pickpocket / Often lost in thought / Fake Tears ● Bite ● Flatter ● Assurance ● False Surrender ● Dark Pulse)

A little gremlin that took interest in Bri during one of her business trips to Galar. Sneaky and conniving, it’s a very mischievous sort that gets along well with Bri’s more malicious tendencies. However, beyond that it’s fairly laid back, and seems most comfortable around the unicorn Aurora. It can often be found around Aurora’s stable, or hanging out in the unicorn’s vicinity.

FLETCHLINDER  ♀ ~lv.-- (Fletchlinder / -- / -- / -- ● -- ● -- ● -- ● -- ● -- ● --)

Shows up in her garden, but refuses to come near. Bri’s not sure why. Looks an awful lot like the Fletchlinder that belonged to her mother. Is the Fletchlinder that belonged to her mother. Does it feel guilty that it couldn’t prevent it’s master’s death?

FORMER POKEMON.

No longer accompanying the witch, but did at one point.

• PUMPKABOO ♂ | SIZE: SMALL. Buuka. A familiar which has been passed down through the family line. His name is Buuka. He technically officially belongs to Bridgette’s grandmother, and serves as a ‘practice familiar’ of sorts for the youngest members of the family. As such, he is no longer in Bri’s care, as he has officially been passed down to the youngest member of the Lavoie family - Bridgette’s apprentice - as per family tradition.
• VAPOREON ♂. A pokemon which served as one of her familiars centuries ago,  who disappeared without warning. Bri figures she simply out lived it. Though she has no idea what happened to it, they were together long enough to let Bri get pretty familiar with the species.

WILD POKEMON ON HER PROPERTY.

Don’t belong to Bri, they just live here now. 

• PARASECT (x1). Comes and goes as it pleases, prefers the dark or damp areas of her house. Implied to have been previously trainer-raised, but Bridgette does not know it’s history. Written by @madharemuses.
• ZUBAT FLOCK (x???). Nesting in her attic. Originally just a set of 12, which eventually evolved into Crobat. It’s likely become a full-blown flock with a stable population now. Obviously, she doesn’t go into her attic anymore.
• STUFFUL (x1). Accidentally picked up in Alola, appears to be an off-color plush toy. It’s not a plush toy. Bri has no idea that it’s actually a pokemon, and it only moves around when no-one is looking at it.
• GARCHOMP ♀. Regina. A pokemon abandoned by Ursula (@heartists), unexpectedly given up in exchange for it’s trainer’s escape. Bridgette has no wish to keep a pokemon against its will, so she’s given the dragon it’s freedom... but it seems it wants to stick around her anyways? How odd...

SHE’S A WITCH? Yep! Specifically, a traditional fairy-tale type witch. The kind you’d see talked about in folklore or legends. She’s not a modern or Hollywood-type witch. 

Why? There’s quite a few unexplained things in Pokemon’s universe, from ghost events to giant, immortality-granting fairy-powered death weapons. Things which… don’t exactly function by the rules of science as we know it. Bri is tailored to explore that side of the Pokemon World. Also there was an actual witch in an episode of the anime, so I’m taking it and running.

DIFFERENCES? Witch, mage, sorcerer, they’re all essentially the same thing in lore in the end - a mystical, magic-using person who can help or hinder the protagonist depending on their role in the story. Different names from different cultures for the same thing. I use the terms interchangeably, as they’re technically referring to the same type of character archetype, and thus the same type of being on this blog.

MEDIA INSPIRATIONS? Though the bulk of my source is from folklore entirely, I have borrowed select concepts from a couple different series! Though, they’re still a pale comparison to how much folklore, history, and general creativity in tying it back into the pokemon world setting influenced this blog. 

• Touhou Project
• The Ancient Magus Bride
• Fate/
• Dungeons & Dragons / Pathfinder
• (Note: none of these are taken as-is from the original source material, they just influenced ideas.)

WHO CAN KNOW SHE’S A WITCH? As long as your character is the observant type, and is able to catch onto her gambit if it’s within their own capabilities, then it’s entirely your call.

If your character is another supernatural creature, has sensitivities to the world around them (psychics/aura users/etc), a fairy type, or fairy type specialist, then feel free to have them know right off the bat or know something’s extremely about her! They have the means for it, so you don’t need my permission for that.

BALANCING? If you see anything which does in fact make Bri seem too powerful or is being portrayed in an unfair way, let me know immediately so I can re-balance and knock her down a peg. I need to know these things so I can improve her character and make sure everything stays fair and enjoyable, so your input is much appreciated.

IS THE MAGIC ON THIS BLOG BASED IN REALITY? You mean modern witchcraft and/or any associated religions? No. She’s not that type of witch. She is very strictly a fairy tale type of witch. I know there’s a very active scene for witchcraft, but it is not something that I am personally involved with, so I'm purposely avoiding it in order to avoid possibly disrespecting current practitioners.

However, if you are a current practitioner and you have ideas, suggestions, or anything else you’d like me to think about, I’m all ears! Just because I'm not using modern witchcraft on this blog doesn’t mean I'm not open to improving how I portray things on this muse.

ORIGINS. Bridgette is based on traditional folklore associated with the concept of witches, as well as their standings in history over the course of time, and the old fairy tales involving them. Bridgette herself takes direct inspiration from the German fairy tale Jorinde and Joringel. Of course, modified to put a Pokemon appropriate spin on things. She is specifically meant to be a fairy-tale type witch.

IS SHE HUMAN? OR POKEMON? Neither or Both. Mages are a borderline existence between humanity and everything else, so they’re an uncanny existence with a foot in both doors - one with humanity, and one with pokemon. She looks like a human at face value, but her biology beyond implies otherwise. As such, she’d be a bit of a scientific curiosity if discovered.

Whether or not she's going to be classified as one or the other - or neither - should be done in-thread, between characters. Is she a pokemon, or is she human? Or is she something else entirely? Enjoy your moral ambiguity.

RUMORS & ASSUMPTIONS? Feel free to assume anything about Bridgette’s nature! I mean it! That’s the whole point of her type of character existing - there should be more rumors flying around about her than fact!  It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not - the idea that someone out there, somewhere, believes it is true is what matters. If you wanna think she may or may not have done something, no matter how silly or serious, go for it! I’ll run to the hills with it.

HOW MUCH DO TABLETOP GAMES ACTUALLY INFLUENCE HER? Personality/plot-wise? Not much. But I have used the Pathfinder Witch class to help me figure out how her abilities work, what all she is capable of, and under what mechanics she operates. Since that system is really nice for that. I’ve actually built a mock-up of her as an end-game or recurring boss NPC, which you can see her build here. As a note though, she should be suffering from quite a few permanent negative levels. I forgot to bake those into the stat sheet.

MURKROW HEADER. l hakase (source deleted, will swap this when i find a more fitting image)

BRIDGETTE.

PRIMARY. Renko Usami (touhou)

SECONDARY. 

• Aya Shameimaru (touhou)
• Nue Houjuu (touhou)
• HISTORICAL. Valkyrie Ortlinde (FGO).

Bridgette’s faceclaims come primarily from Touhou Project. This means all of her icons come from sfw Touhou Project doujin comics - official or parody - sold at events like Comiket and Reitaisai. I do not use fanart from pixiv or other image sourcing sites for any of my icons if I can help it. The authors behind these works will be listed by either their circle or personal name, depending on whichever name was easier to record. 

• Renko. 1569, Airdrop, Akeno, AOI, Conoha, Daruma Kaeru, GP Kids, Hichiko, Hisona, Hota, Kurahashi Shoin, Matsuyama no Ie, Maybe, Minato, Monatsu, Morning Sun, Nuebako, Personal Color, RE Yomawari, Redcap, Red-Sight, Rireba/Nio Nakatani, Scichil, Sekishoku Vanilla, Shirofox (denpa eshidan), S-Syogo, Strange Chameleon, Syuiko, Taiwanjiro, Tsuru, Vivit Grey, Yuuki
• Aya. Abo, Berukko, Hane, Hichiko, Hisona, Kagero, Matsuyama no Ie, NamiNami Restaurant, Rireba/Nio Nakatani, Saku Saku Tei, Spice, Vivet Grey, Zounouse
• Nue. Hisona, Katagiri, NamiNami Restaurant, Zounose
• Ortlinde. Official FGO materials 
• Abigail Williams. Official Fate/Grand Order: Epic of Remnant - Salem manga.

POKEMON.

KLEFKI FC. Abigail Williams (FGO, 1st ascension only)

MURKROW FC. N/A

Pokemon icons are sourced from official materials such as Pokespe, TCG, Screenshots. Some are bases which were provided by and can be found on nationalicondex. Additional Murkrow icons are from the comic author Toufu.