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In every generation there is a chosen one…

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Kabosu did not deserve to have her image turned into cryptocurrency. She did not deserve to have the meme she was known for across the world to become a code word for a fascist coup.

Her name is Kabosu. Not Doge.

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literally no one asked, but I recently allowed the demons to win and i wrote a really long comment on some YouTube video about Pokémon design, and why some humanistic Pokémon designs work and others just really don't in my opinion, and because the demons are restless, I wanted to post it somewhere more than 1 human will see...

I think something that makes Hitmon line work a lot better than a lot of Pokémon like Cinderace or Incineroar is that Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop are never sold to you as something that really lives in the wilderness like an animal would--Tyrogue is. And the context of Tyrogue really justifies those weirdos, in that it is a Pokémon that has an undying fighting spirit, but lacks a defined style, something it sort of strives for as a species, like an instinct to fight things and try to imitate a fighting style. It's a reasonable assumption that this Pokémon could only have evolved in the context of human intervention (esp. given Hitmons don't show up in the wild), so it's not weird persay that this Pokémon evolved to become like a boxer because only by following the lead of boxers was it able to achieve that form. Hitmons are only presented in the form of a Pokémon you go out of your way to train in a specific style, or as a Pokémon gifted to you that was trained in a specific style. It doesn't come across that weird that this weird critter that looks like a boxer exists when you only find them in a fighting dojo, or as an immature species with endless fighting energy, but no technique.

You can argue that the same is happening with Pokémon like Cinderace or Incineroar but the presentation is so off. Nothing about the pre-evolutions imply anything that this rabbit, cat, or lizard are particularly emblematic of some creature that would always evolve to become what they are--they're fairly believable, if not overly marketable, wild animals. When your exceptionally large housecat suddenly becomes a pro-wrestler, apropos of nothing, believability goes out the window. We have no reason to expect this creature would suddenly shift direction that far, so when it does, it stops feeling like an animal, and more like a specific character.

Another reason why I think things like Decidueye and even kind of Inteleon work a lot better than those two is that their behaviors have a certain believability. I'm not shocked that a bird with great eyesight and the ability to fling sharp leaves might evolve to become something that can launch sharper leaves even further to hunt for food, or a chameleon that can shoot water might evolve to be an ambush predator, a sniper. The creature needs a plausible reason to become the way they are, and Cinderace does the worst job justifying why this creature would evolve this way. Why a rabbit with the ability to light things on fire would become a creature that adopts the precise mannerisms of a soccer player is genuinely inexplicable, there's no logical reason why it wouldn't become a baseball pitcher, or track runner, or a hibachi chef other than the designers wanting it to reflect the UK.

Specific designs work, but they work a lot worse for the first Pokémon a player might choose ever. Their design going in a completely specific direction takes away from them being your partner and puts it all into their designer's intention. That sort of feeling is minimized when you are presented with it from the start; it's not a surprise that hitmonchan is a boxer because that's what you were shown from the jump he would be.

I did also want to just address in a short form way, that this extends beyond just starters, because this is an issue for a lot of Pokémon. Sawk and Throh are homages to the Hitmons, and they work so drastically worse than them because they literally are portrayed as wild animals. Why are these literal, human shaped muppet people in gis running around in the wilderness in the same exact role as a common rodent, wild cat, or pheasant? These are not monsters, and the fact that they just look like men who could theoretically work a 9-5 but are considered wild animals is so rough (and this is coming from someone who does actually have a fondness for those two freaks).

The overall point is that contextualising a Pokémon really matters, and a design that is carefully considered where they appear, and why they appear like that is what makes any given Pokémon more appealing and interesting to me. Your favorite Pokémon is probably your favorite Pokémon in part because you can imagine them in a reality where Pokémon are real, and the things they do not only kick ass, but feel real. Not to be an annoying oldhead, but there was a strong sense of consistency in the early generations of Pokémon starter evolution, where the start to finish was very logically consistent, and the monster you ended with felt like a natural extension of the monster you started with. I feel like that's the primary problem with most of the modern starters, the final evolution feels like a specific character to such an extent that I sometimes struggle to imagine what say, a flock of Quaquaval would even look like or do together. They wouldn't feel like a pack of animals, they would feel like a really weird pride parade. No matter how hard they slay, something fundamental has changed.

I just wanna finish off by saying I like all of the Pokémon I mentioned here, none of these are fundamentally bad designs, and in some contexts I think they're super fun. But I think something fundamental has gone awry in the starter design department, and I would really like to see a shift back, because its been feeling like we get 1 great starter design every other generation, and the rest just kind of feel like my friend's newest fursona. More adventuring buddies, less anthro with a job please... (Somehow this ended up even longer than the comment dear god)

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think i’m gonna call it off,

even if i drink a duff,

i just wanna love someone who calls me ‘homie’

you can have an eldest son named bart,

drink a couple duffs cause you’re homer simpson

you can say that lisa’s very smart

drink another duff cause you’re homer simpson

good luck bart

well good luck bart

you have to stop at moe’s cause you’re homer simpson

good luck bart

well good luck bart

you have a wife called marge cause you’re homer simpson

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um. guys. not to ruin anyone’s christmas or anything but a goblin army is approaching from the west

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WHY ARE YOU MARKED RED ON SHINIGAMI, WTF DID U DO

i cant even post moths anymore. because of woke

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happy holidays all. I won’t be silent about what i saw today, December 8 at 10:06am on I-74 West.

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chuckling indulgently.. oh go on... i suppose a LITTLE bit of monica in my life wouldn't hurt

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rhea fire emblem is the character of all time. she's catholic. she's jesus. she's saint peter. she's fodlan's savior. she's its jailer. she's in the prime of her life. she's unfathomably ancient. she's the beautiful high priestess. she's the monstrous dragon. she's filled with deep compassion for the downtrodden. she'd burn them all away in a heartbeat. she just wants her mother back. she'd destroy an innocent child's life to do so. she's your grandmother. she's your lover (possibly). she is endlessly serene. she's one bad day from completely losing it. she even has a great ass. she's even bisexual.

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fireflies honestly make me cry a little. out of gratitude and wonder. thank goodness we live in a world with bioluminescence. thank goodness we live in a world where it can fly.

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this is literally the sweetest thing ever 🥺

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every day i am plagued by visions (thoughts about a dunmeshi restaurant au)

part 1

bonus

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finally complete the main cast of Delicious In Dungeon (aka Dungeon Meshi in JP and Gloutons et Dragons in FR.) I also have timelapses for all of them, click on the links blow to view them.

Lauis Timelapse

Chilchack Timelapse

Marcille Timelapse

Senshi Timelapse

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