#and two real nice orthworms

[synthaphone]

anybody want a 5iv adamant cetoddle? they’re only missing their spA iv (or are 6IV), i’ve got almost a full box that i’m just gonna wonder trade otherwise

[gmax-centiskorch]

Mainline Pokémon Games Based on How Buggy They Are: A Thread

Red, Blue, & Yellow

Pretty buggy. The Butterfree line set the stage for regional bugs and emotional trauma. Everybody loves Scyther. Inspired use of Cordyceps when designing the Parasect line. Kabuto and Kabutops should have been Bug to honor trilobites for founding Arthropoda. 8/10.

Gold, Silver, & Crystal

Yes, we had Scyther, but what about second Scyther? Scizor, Heracross, and Shuckle are legends. Game Freak decided to invite arachnids (Spinarak and Ariados) to the party, truly redefining what it means to be buggy. 9/10.

Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald

This generation is loaded with bugs! Game Freak realized their mistake in not giving the Kabutops line Bug typing, making up for it with Anorith and Armaldo (who are based on Anomalocaris). They fumble the recovery, however, in not only depriving the Flygon line of Bug typing, but forever making them second fiddle to the Salamence line. The Beautifly, Dustox, and Ninjask lines introduce some interesting approaches to Bug-type evolution. Volbeat and Illumise are there. 7.8/10.

Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum

DELELELELELEWHOOOOOOP! A smaller collection of bugs this gen, but a well-rounded one. Vespiquen slays. Scorpions get some love via Skorupi, Drapion, and Gliscor. Writing this post is making me realize that slugs, snails, and nudibranchs like the Magcargo and Gastrodon lines aren’t bugs. We grew up thinking snails were bugs, right? Anyway, Yanmega rules. 8/10.

Black, White, Black 2, White 2

Game Freak’s magna opera. Truly the buggiest games there are. While you have to wait until Pinwheel Forest to encounter your first bugs, you’re rewarded upon arrival with Sewaddle and Venipede, the larvae of the Leavanny and Scolipede lines. From there, you encounter the Crustle, Galvantula, and Volcarona lines. Game Freak has some more fun with Bug evolutions, having Karrablast steal Shelmet’s armor as they evolve into Escavalier and Accelgor (inspired by the real-world interactions between the ground beetle family Carabidae and the gastropods they feed on). Durant is our first proper ant, and we get our first (and only . . . ) legendary / mythical Bug in Genesect. These games made Bug my favorite type. 10/10.

X & Y

A big step down from the previous generation. This game hardly has any bugs. Do you like butterflies? You get a butterfly. Vivillon is a lovely butterfly that comes in all sorts of colors, but SURELY there are more bugs than that in France. 6/10.

Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon

Giant isopods! Diving bell spiders! Giraffe stag beetles! A true return to form. While the native bugs of Alola are great, we are also introduced to the ultra beasts, two of which (Buzzwole and Pheromosa) are really cool bugs. It seems they were going for wasps and bee flies when designing the Naganadel and Ribombee lines, but they don’t really work for me. Faint blemishes on an otherwise buggy generation. 8.5/10.

Sword & Shield

Centiskorch is the greatest Pokémon ever made. I have them tattooed on my arm. Blipbug is the worst Pokémon ever made. I see them in my nightmares. Interesting that they’re both Bug Pokémon, and that Game Freak really min-maxed with them. Fortunately, Blipbug evolves into Dottler and Orbeetle, who are great. Snom has a place in everyone’s heart, and Frosmoth is elegant as can be. 9.5/10.

Scarlet & Violet

I love Rellor and Rabsca! I . . . don’t really love the rest! Iron Moth and Slither Wing are great, but they’re nepo babies. Tarountula and Nymble are nice, but Spidops and Lokix leave something to be desired. Orthworm is a a big worm. At the end of the day, these games would be alright if they weren’t so wonkily coded and glitchy. Wish there was a better word for that. 7/10.

[elite-amarys]

Orthworm mail!

A likely very recognizable Orthworm leaves two wonderful baskets of candy; one that's free to be shared with everyone in the canyon biome, and one specifically for Amarys herself. The ones that are Amarys specific seem to have been chosen carefully, with some interesting varieties of chocolate and at least a few that seem to be Castelia city specialties! Within the basket for everyone is a note that says "Please enjoy yourselves! - Ren", but in Amarys' basket, she gets the following--

"Hiya, Miss Amarys!

Hopefully this basket's gotten to you well! I went shopping on the mainland and got bunches and bunches of candy for everyone to be able to enjoy, but I couldn't pass up the chance to get someone I consider a real good acquaintance some nice stuff!

Happy Palentine's, and hope your date with Miss Carmine went well! I'm sure I'm gonna hear all about it when we meet up again!

-Ren/@eartheats"

Oh my, Ren this is lovely. I hope it is amusing for you to know that as soon as this showed up I did have to wrestle the Castelia chocolates away from Rollo. She knows the sweets of our hometown quite well, and doesn't much care that many of them are not pokemon safe. She is snacking on one of the ones that is pokemon safe, as am I, and I must admit the wave of nostalgia I am feeling is quite powerful.

I truly could not be more grateful. This is incredibly thoughtful. I'm sure everyone in the League Club and Canyon Biome will appreciate the shared basket as well.

Happy Palentine's Day, Ren. I genuinely appreciate your presence in the Canyon Biome every day, and am incredibly excited to see your Orthworm project flourish. 🫰.

P.S., I hope it is okay, but I simply could not resist giving Lulu a few (healthy) snacks before she left. My resolve seems to fade significantly when I look at a face as adorable as hers.

P.P.S., Our date indeed went quite well. For my part, I did indeed get quite emotional when Carmine presented me with my gift. This locket might as well be welded together, as I never intend on removing it.