Artist note: I’m so proud of this :))) I know it’s a lot of dialogue and reading, but dialogue is grueling work for me. I’m glad with the art and for the amount of pages I made in such a relatively short time span -w- page 5 was super fun to work on. A lot of blood, sweat, and hours here... :) The backgrounds were a big bore tbh, but I finished them! Yippie!
One of the most common "rituals" in the nomad community is called (by the anti-nomad media) "wilding".
Wilding is when a group of nomads, usually all youths, venture into static society to "see what it's all about."
It is a fairly new occurence in the nomad community, but has gained an increasing interest among the youth.
Despite the name and media portrayal, most wildings are peaceful and boring. ━ NeoTribes, page 21
Epel has a very special relationship with his Pokémon. In a town with very little youngins to play with, he's learn to appreciate his Pokémon more! Of course he loves the idea of having a traditional, macho-looking Pokémon, but he has a real soft spot for Applin. So much so that he refuses to evolve it, and now it's grown so big!
He could evolve it, but he doesn't need it to be a big dragon to know it can hold its own in battle. Epel raised it, and that's proof enough of what Applin is capable of!
I think this may be my favorite dynamic in the series so far 🥺