God knows, some parents aren't cut out to be parents. Sometimes, that's all it takes.
Distortion Nuzlocke is a unique entry in the popular Nuzlocke Comics. It's hand-drawn with pencils and crayons, and the story itself is an allegory; the Pokemon world isn't real, but the main character, Johnny, envisions it to cope and interact with his very hard life.
With a gang of bullies picking on him, a no-good father, and a thirst to prove himself, Johnny's fantasies blur the line between sanity and madness... and it isn't long before people start to notice.
It can be found here
. The comic ran from 2012 to 2022.
This comic contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Johnny's dad, who's imagined as Giovanni. He outright tries to kill him at one point.
- Action Survivor: Johnny barely scrapes by in his adventures.
- Allegory Adventure: In-universe. Everyone Johnny encounters is imagined as part of the Pokemon world, and each of his Pokemon represent something about him.
- Big Bad: Mr. Fangen/Giovanni is the main source of conflict in the story, and is responsible for a majority of Johnny's issues.
- Book Ends: The epilogue begins with a new take on the first page of the comic as Johnny's life steadily improves.
- Break the Cutie: Johnny's already pretty messed up, but his fantasies and the trouble he goes through cause him even more pain.
- The Bully: Johnny's nameless bully, who he imagines as Blue Oak.
- Coming of Age Story: The Pokemon and the adventure help Johnny to gain the courage to fight back, the wisdom to fight effectively, and the drive to help those he cares about.
- Cool Old Guy: Mr. Fuji saves Johnny from Mr. Fangen by grabbing his shovel and knocking him senseless, then tells him off.
- Darker and Edgier: Besides the fact that the Pokemon aren't even real, it contains a lot of violence and sanity slippage.
- Domestic Abuse: Mr. Fangen isn't much nicer to his wife than he is to his son. Eventually, she dies by his hand.
- Driven to Suicide: After getting beaten to the point of near-death at St. Blaine's, Bill hangs himself.
- Dying Declaration of Love: Parental variant—Johnny's mother, after being killed by his father, uses her last breath to tell Johnny that she loves him.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After everything he goes through, by the end of the comic Johnny has been adopted by a loving father, his Pokemon will be there if he needs them, and he's made his very first friends in kids who reflect his Pokemon.
- Everyone Has Standards: Erika is both dealing drugs to Mr. Fangen and implicitly involved in sex work, but the moment she meets Johnny and sees what he's dealing with, she is disgusted at the idea that Mr. Fangen may be giving the drugs to his mentally ill son and seems genuinely concerned for Johnny's health.
- Kick the Dog: Blue killing Johnny's pet rat.
- The Mentor: Hitmonchan takes this role after Johnny is sent to St. Blaine's.
- My Greatest Second Chance: In the epilogue, Mr. Fuji is given the chance to atone for losing his son by adopting Johnny.
- Post-Climax Confrontation: The final battle with Giovanni is the climax of the story, while the Elite Four and Rival battle afterward are shown as Johnny proving himself adjusted enough to begin a new life with Mr. Fuji and make his first friends.
- Sanity Slippage: Johnny goes through this more and more as the story goes on.
- Shovel Strike: Johnny's dad goes after him with a shovel.
- Villain with Good Publicity: Mr. Fangen appears to be a respectable chemist and concerned father. He is anything but.
- Wham Episode: Any of the Giovanni encounters, since in reality it's Johnny facing down his dad.
