#spheal rolls out

[rotund-spheal]

harvest moon. u agree. reblog.

[front-facing-pokemon]

[pokemonranch]

Snom, Snom snom. (I desire Knowledge on My fellow ice types and which i can ssfely befriend, especially spheals, they look so soft.)

Oh for sure! Spheals are adorable. They're highly social and move in groups, and one very cute fact 'bout them is that they don't really care if the "group" are members of their same species or not. It's common to see 'em hangin' out with Seels and Lapras, especially the latter as they don't do well in the water 'till they evolve; but it doesn't stop there. There's a documentary 'bout an orphaned Spheal that was rolled away from the coast after a blizzard, and was promptly adopted by a group of Snovers. It's extremely cute to watch!

Anyways, I'm digressin'. Snoms are not as social, but they can do well alongside other Ice types that are not predators or have a type disadvantage. Amaura and its line can handle Snoms without problems, thought they don't really interact in the wild because of the... Several million years of difference between ecosystems. But it's possible!

[pokemonshelterstories]

So i live up in a more cold, mountian area with my buddy spheal, and a while back i got some foam bowling pins for my spheal to play with (they love rolling around and i wondered if they would like it) and recently a small abomasnow has been climbing into my yard and playing(?) with my spheal? They set up the pins and then my spheal runs into them. Ive never heard of behavior like this, and so far I havent seen any larger abomasnow come to retrieve them when they are done playing, so i think this is unusual. Any advice? Anything i should do?

hmm. it kind of sounds like this abomasnow has just made friends with your spheal. they're usually solitary pokemon, but they're known to hang around and even protect smaller pokemon like snover.

this is kind of a tough situation because, while abomasnow aren't particularly human aggressive, theyre still large, powerful pokemon that could easily hurt a human unintentionally. they also naturally cause snowstorms by shaking out their needles. it's not a great idea to let one get used to coming onto your property. given that you live in an area where the weather could hinder rescuers from reaching you if you need help, i'd call up your local rangers for advice. they can give you some tips for discouraging the abomasnow from coming into your yard, and if they have to, they can relocate it.

in the meantime, i do recommend getting your spheal a buddy. spheal are social pokemon that live in herds, and they're most comfortable having friends with them, especially a larger pokemon that can protect them. that may be why your spheal was so ready to let an abomasnow hang out!

[leggerefiore]

Oceanic Beauty

cw: milotic Volo, death mentions, volo is basically a siren, mentions of loneliness

pairing: Volo/Reader

summary: Legends of a deadly beauty in the coastlands capture your attention. The beauty himself furthers your interest.

happy mermay!

-------

He was beautiful.

Absolutely eye-catching.

The way his pale skin fed into the scales of his lower half simply hypnotised you as it fell into a glamorous show of gilded colour and contrasting ebony. The shimmering scales, almost the same colour as his long locks that flowed behind him in the water. Fluttering fins of a soft periwinkle broke the golden rim of his hair. It was easy to see how many had lost their lives to his song. His beauty was simply ethereal.

A friendly sort to humans, he was not, however. Hybrids often varied in their behaviours, some being overly kind and helpful, while others took to cruelty and hatred. Sailors around Hisui frequently warned of a beautiful creature that lurked in the waters around the coastlands. They would sing an alluring song and leave you with cruel snickers after you sank far too deep into the ocean to escape. You were a researcher under Laventon, so naturally you found yourself drawn to these legends.

Stories of oceanic beauties driving poor men into the sea were not so uncommon, but this one seemed oddly truthful. Perhaps it was simple boredom with little to do in Hisui, however. You sat on the beach, sighing as the summer heat buzzed heavily around you. The poor Spheals that rolled around on the sand looked simply dreadful from the heavy humidity that had flooded the region. Your careful layering had to be abandoned for a thinner ensemble, too.

Everything was quite blurry, admittedly. You had been here for hours, simply awaiting the beauty, as the legend warned not to. Supposedly, they should appear just as the sun found itself being swallowed by the ocean. You began to wonder if your excitement was misplaced, before the Spheals that had taken to lounging around you rolled away, both into the water and further from you on shore. Eagerness bubbled up with the water as a figure popped out from the depths to gaze at you.

Enchanting.

You swallowed.

“Er, hello,” you waved to the hybrid much as you would a fellow Galaxy member, “I simply wished to confirm your existence!” You realised that they had seemed even more alluring than you had first thought. Iscan's warnings of death suddenly sunk in, much like an anchor to a sea bed. “Nice seeing you! Lovely colouration, by the way,” you began to step back from the lapping waves as the Milotic hybrid grew closer, yet closer. A last ditch effort of covering your ears and running away had come, but his song still reached you.

The deep, calming vocals left you in a trance as you felt yourself called to the ocean. You stepped into the waters, feeling the clothing you wore grow soaked and heavy. Desperately, you wanted to reach out to the beautiful man. You waded deeper and deeper, before growing still as the water lapped at your waist. A voice that called to you from far away broke the trance you had been locked in. Breaking your gaze from the hybrid, you felt a familiar worry settle back in. You rushed back to the shore and refused to give any further attention to the beast that lurked in the waves.

You ran so far from the coast, you crashed to the ground with heavy pants bursting from out your chest. Dizziness consumed your brain. Who had called you? Your brain rushed with questions, yet nothing came as an answer. Rolling on to your back, you gazed up at the darkening sky.

The hybrid still had caught your attention despite the brush with near death.

~

Days pass. You mentioned little of your excursion to the professor and tried to distract yourself with general research. Still, the hybrid laid heavy on your mind.

Was it strange to say he seemed lonely? Probably. Something about how he gazed at you in your moments under his spell screamed both malice and hate, yet something desperate and lonely lingered just there underneath. Somewhere you could not yet touch it, but desperately wished to grasp on to.

Maybe it was just his otherworldly beauty that attracted you back to the shore.

Heavy rain lashed down from above. Few pokemon hung around the sandy beach. You sat down once more and gazed out into the water. It was angry and consuming, much unlike the peaceful sight you had gazed upon days ago.

“Do you take the sailors for fun?” you asked while dragging your fingers to feel the wet, gooey sand, “… You seem to get a kick out of watching people suffer.” Moments pass with no sound, but the falling rain and ocean mixed in a cacophony. Slowly, a feeling to leave and never return settled into your chest.

The rising of golden hair from the raging sea and cold, stormy eyes to pierce your soul left you terrified. “Humans are cruel, too,” he hissed out a reply to your question, “Why have you returned? Do you simply wish to die that much?” You were amazed he appeared to you again. His human torso laid upon the beach as he stared at you intensely.

“I suppose we can be…” you decided to focus on his first portion rather than the latter, “Can I not find you interesting? I simply wished to observe you.” His eyes narrowed at your words. You wondered if he would begin to sing his hypnotising song once more.

“… What broke you from my spell?” he asked unexpectedly, “Never before have I failed to claim someone.” His question made you curious, too. You still were unsure who you heard call out to you. It seemed odd, as no one was in the area. The voice was certainly one that you had heard before somewhere, but from just where and who escaped you. There was an intense feeling of trust toward them, you knew.

“I'm… Not sure as to what it was myself,” you answered him, “I thought someone called out for me.” He hummed, a simply beautiful melody in and of itself. “What's your name?” you questioned him, “Do you have one?”

“… Ah, I see,” he pushed himself up from the sand to allow himself to look you in the eyes at the same level, “It was not a death wish but rather simple stupidity.” You gasped at his words. A chuckle came from him at your expression. He placed himself back out into the water. “Volo,” the answer to your question came as he submerged himself once more. Gone, once again, he was.

You had only just then realised the rain had stopped.

Lingering on the beach for a moment longer, you waited for him to return again.

~

You watched as Volo swam elegantly beside you, tail fluttering like a string might in the wind. Basculegion clearly had little trust for the hybrid, but you had decided to venture out with him into the water.

Over the last few weeks, you had taken to waiting for the hybrid on the beach. He seemed to prefer meeting you under the cover of night or in the heavy rain when he appeared at all. Volo was not overly willing to share much about himself, yet he still entertained your company when he decided to appear. Long conversations about random things were a commonplace. It was mostly you blabbing on about random things from your research and little response from the blond hybrid, but you were happy he remained. There was something oddly nice about speaking with someone away from your duties as a member of the Survey Corps.

The small bits you learnt from him were seemingly unimportant. A mention of a “Mistress Cogita” left you curious, but there was a feeling that you should not push the topic too heavily. Smaller mentions about him not growing up in a colony as many Feebas hybrids did and a complicated relationship with the humans of Hisui. Little information to work with, but you had gathered an understanding that he was isolated and annoyed by humans encroaching on his territory. You pondered asking Cogita about her connection to him, but once again decided to leave that topic alone. The poor woman seemed exhausted enough, telling you about all the legends of the region as it was.

You got from Basculegion and sat on the slippery rock as Volo floated in the water beside you. The moon laid at its glowing full phase tonight. The sounds of the ocean were a peaceful ambience to your small escape with the Milotic hybrid. A daring glance at the man showed him boredly gazing up at the sky. His long hair growing dry where it had not been dipped back into the water.

“… Volo,” you decided to ask him something that had been on your mind, “Are you lonely?” His eyes shifted to you with an immediate glare. The question obviously had made him upset, his tense body language and pure malice completely obvious. “… I'm lonely,” you decided to blab on as you usually did with him, “I can't talk to anyone else like I can you. I always feel like I'm one word away from being kicked out of the village, you know…” You closed your eyes.

Suddenly, everything shifted around you. Water rushed above your head, and the precious air in your lungs had to be conserved immediately. A hand wrapped around your wrist answered as to why, but when you opened your eyes, you could only gaze at the majesty of Volo's long tail curling behind him as his hair bloomed behind his head like a bright sun. You reached your arms around him, clinging on to him. His body was cold, like the water. Closing your eyes, you awaited the next moment.

Arms wrapped around you as you were taken above the water. Gasping for air, you opened your eyes. Volo's face was directly in front of you. Your chest was pressed against his. You could feel your heart pounding in your chest from both the previous event and the sheer proximity to him. “… Humans must be even worse than I thought if I'm who you turn to for company,” his voice was a hiss, much like the first time you conversed.

“… It's not that, it's that I'm an outsider… to… them,” as you finished your sentence, you began to realise how Volo felt. His grip around you tightened. Was that how you caught his attention? Had you seemed as lonely to him as he had to you? “Volo…” you whispered, reaching a hand to press to his cheek. The silvery bead of his necklace caught the moonlight gorgeously.

No more words were said.

His lips pressed against yours as you remained in an embrace for an uncertain amount of time within the water. A mutual feeling was shared and did not need to be spoken to be understood. Love had bloomed somewhere when neither of you had cared to give it any mind.

And yet…

By the time the sun had begun to rise, you were left on the rock as he faded under the lashing waves.

You felt desperate for more of him, but there would be no sign of him during the shine of the sun.

It was certain that you would both meet again, however.

Maybe then you would be packed and ready to vanish from the village altogether and spend your days in some sea cave.

Maybe you would move from the village to settle in a home by the sea.

Either way, the legend of the deadly oceanic beauty of the coastlands would grow lost to time.

[pkmnathlete]

Today I saw a Spheal-rolling race on TV before heading out to work.

I think that’s beautiful. And for the record, I think Tama was ROBBED from her rightful victory.

[quillpokebiology]

Ok terrible terrible idea but hear me out for just a moment: Spheal and Fidough crossbreed called Bread Rolls

Bro I think you might've just made angels cry

[would-this-pokemon-be-a-friend]

How about Spheal? Its cute and small, sure, and not very dangerous (from what i can tell) but its needs may be a bit difficult to meet.

As you point out, spheals are cute, small, and seemingly harmless, but do indeed have a more difficult lifestyle than many will be able to accomodate. Spheals would only make a good pet for someone experienced with caring for ice-type pokémon.

Wild spheals spend most of their time in large groups, often headed by walrein (Shield). They are social creatures, and would make a great companion, likely adapting to being a pet rather easily. They can be noisy at times, given their habit of expressing joy through clapping their flippers together (Ruby), but otherwise are good natured critters.

The trouble comes in their natural habitat. They are often seen rolling around on ice in their freezing polar habitats (Sapphire), and have been observed as preferring spending time on ice and in the water rather than on land in order to avoid predators (Legends: Arceus). They can comfortably live and hunt in these freezing climates due to their fur (Emerald). Recreating a spheal's natural habitat in a home context would be, unfortunately, very difficult. Even if we imagine that a spheal could happily adapt to living on land, their natural insulating fur may make them uncomfortable in warmer climates. Caring for a spheal would mean keeping them cool at all times to prevent them from overheating!

Additionally, despite their adorable appearance, spheals are capable of using many dangerous moves! Moves like Blizzard can allow them to freeze targets completely solid! Sheer Cold is a move that allows the user to generate a wave of cold so frigid that it will cause the target to faint immediately if it hits! These moves carry a huge penalty in our algorithm, even if spheals are unlikely to be violent. Spheals are hunters, which in a pet context usually translates to rougher play. If you take in a spheal, always be aware of how things could get dangerously out of hand!

Due to their natural habitat and abilities, spheals are a pokémon that would be best left up to experienced ice-type pet owners, who know how to keep such pokémon happy and healthy in warmer climates. Unless you live somewhere really cold! Then you might be just fine!

[synthaphone]

my shiny fails:

shiny Bibarel in Diamond, 2007: first shiny ever, i was like 11 and SUPER excited. unfortunately in was in the safari zone and ended up running away

shiny Charmeleon in Emerald, 2008: i'm counting this as a fail even though it was uncatchable- i was at a Quiznos playing the Battle Factory and one of my opponents rolled a shiny charmeleon as a rental. i did end up swapping for it after beating them and using it for the rest of my factory run, but like. nothing you can do there, RIP

shiny Sunkern in GO, 2018 or something idk: it busted out and ran away. rip

shiny Spheal in Legends Arceus, 2022 probably: rolled away... so sad.........

shiny Dragonite in Lets Go Pikachu, 2023: another 'couldn't catch it before it ran away'

shiny Houndstone in Scarlet, yesterday: I saved in front of it so i thought I was safe- it burst out of 3 moon balls and I decided I didn't want to lose that many of such a rare resource on one pokemon. so i reset and all of the spawns refreshed 🙃

[flarekitti]

If we ever get another PMD with a brand new story, what Pokemon would you choose for hero and partner?

*if ur talkin like, options for people in the game, then i think it'd be ok to limit the number of starters (as much as it'd suck), but I'm not sure how so.

*it'd be fun to do like... a random assortment in the style of like, each pkmn gets a nature like the original but it's random as to which u get?

*Obvi i wouldnt want them to get gender split personally

*anyway maybe like, say brave is charmander, pika, machop, rowlet or something. Game rolls a die when you open up a new game and ur option if u get brave is [drum roll] machop! But if you don't get brave that doesn't rlly matter except for partner choosing bc it's whatever u didn't get personality-wise

*any pkmn that didn't get rolled could even have some significant role in some other way, like maybe another personality type could be assigned to a rival team (a team is assigned brave leader timid partner, and since u rolled machop then they have to roll for a dif one and got pika and cynda)

*for non starter options, i think all the ones from previous are obvi good choices! Otherwise, maybe a couple more pika clones (pawmi, marrill, and emolga could work?); fairy types like flabébé, impidimp, and fidough; a few regional birds like fletchling and rookidee; maybe a bug type like dwebble or sizzlipede (though id be worried about balancing issues for bug types i still want them 🥺 ); zorua (why hasnt zorua been added ... seems silly bc how popular it is); maybe another dragon like noibat, dreepy, or applin (or all 3 lol); lechonk could be cute (like munchlax's inclusion); and i also think rolycoly could be a cool twist one

*personally heres what i would assign each of them:

Hardy: Riolu, Grookey, Rolycoly!

Lonely: Cubone, Dwebble, Hisuian Zorua!

Brave: Charmander, Pawmi, Rookidee!

Adamant: Machop, Scorbunny, Larvitar!

Naughty: Alolan Meowth, Zorua!

Bold: Pikachu, Chespin, Tyrunt!

Docile: Bulbasaur, Marrill, Teddiursa!

Relaxed: Squirtle, Sprigatito, Lotad!

Impish: Chimchar, Impidimp, Wattrel!

Lax: Munchlax, Litten, Lechonk!

Timid: Cyndaquil, Rowlet, Sizzlipede!

Hasty: Skitty, Galarian Meowth, Bagon!

Serious: Shinx, Oshawott, Venipede!

Jolly: Totodile, Fuecoco, Applin!

Naïve: Eevee, Emolga, Dreepy!

Modest: Mudkip, Fidough, Ralts!

Mild: Piplup, Sobble, Axew!

Quiet: Vulpix, Flabébé, Cufant!

Bashful: Chikorita, Tepig, Noibat!

Rash: Torchic, Fletchling, Aron!

Calm: Turtwig, Fennekin, Trapinch!

Gentle: Phanpy, Quaxly, Cutiefly!

Sassy: Meowth, Snivy, Amaura!

Careful: Treecko, Froakie, Snorunt!

Quirky: Psyduck, Popplio, Spheal!

*originally i stuck to the list i made but then only some had 3 so i went back and found more i think would fit so all the natures have 3 lol

*anyway im super partial to the personality quiz, i think it's really fun and makes you try out new things (and if u rlly want to stick to ur faves u can still game it / add a "you choose" option lmao)!!!

*so i wouldnt necessarily choose one myself, id try the quiz first and try my best hehe.

*out of just starters/the traditional picks, i would want to be charmander for sure, and whatever partner in the list covers charmanders weaknesses! (Mudkip mostly lol), but out of this entire list I'd be happy with most of em?

*if it was like gates and only the newest gen could be picked id choose fuecoco, if the last 3 gens were picked, I'd have a hard time deciding between litten and fuecoco (probs litten)

*i wish i had more time to sit and balance the list i made, bc on the surface i think i chose a good variety but also i probs am biased bc i love fire and dragon but then also i like little pathetic ones too so it's probs all over the place hehe.

[rotund-spheal]

the beginning of ffviii is so funny dbdhdhdgd you’ve got:

everyone abbreviating the summons (Guardian Forces) as GF so you get lines like “equip your GF!”, “take care of your GF”, or “oh no you don’t have a GF??”

Finding out the youngest you can be accepted into a Garden — the fucking mercenary school — is 5

your rival who thinks he’s so cool using the term “chicken-wuss” to antagonize one of your party members

The headmaster of your school sending you off on a mission and giving you a lamp which he just casually mentions is CURSED (upon using the lamp in the item menu, you’re sent to a nether dimension where you have to fight the Devil and recruit him as your GF)

And the president-for-life reactivating the broadcast tower after 17 years of inactivity to announce his new political partner is The Sorceress

[winged-golden-wanderer]

MEMORY UNLOCKED | No. 2

(( OOC note: These kinds of post will unlock after every gym battle. They are available for IC reactions, however, Goldie is not able to see this post or any replies. You may send asks inquiring them about it, but they will be confused. ))

--- [ATTACHED: Another one of those strange videos, where it looks like you're seeing through the eyes of a creature rather than a camera. Said creature is currently crawling through a bush, rustling through the dense foliage until it's gazing out over a small, crystal clear pond. You see the Latias and Latios parents from last time, the mother relaxing on a nearby slab of rock while the father drinks from the water.

There's a thump, and the creature shakes as though it's been knocked over by something. It turns to let you view the baby Latios from last time, looking down at you with its big, glossy red eyes. It looks a little bigger now, with a few disheveled white and blue tufts of tiny feathers sticking out here and there.

The baby legendary trills and starts to romp away through the bushes, and you follow after it.

Eventually, you come stumbling out of the bushes with the little one, and after rolling through the dirt a few times you land at the bottom of a small slope.

"Isn't this incredible, Annie?"

The creature turns at the sound of a voice, where you see a pair humans crouched down by the ledge of a cliff. An older looking man, maybe somewhere in his late twenties, holding a camera and snapping pictures of something below the edge he kneels on. Beside him, a young girl, who can't be any older than eight or nine. Both have the same shade of honey blonde hair, leading you to believe it's a father and daughter.

"Hardly anyone's been able to get this close to a Latias and Latios," the father marvels. "This is a once in a lifetime experience!"

"They're legendary Pokemon, right?" The girl inquires.

"That's right," the man confirms, lowering his camera to look down at her. "A long time ago, there were two young dragons who bore the duty of protecting the Hoenn region. When those dragons fell in combat, the tears of the humans they watched over created new Latias and Latios- ones that spread out across the world to guard all corners of it, not just Hoenn."

"If they're Legendary Pokemon, does that mean they're gonna live for a really long time?"

"Yep! No one's sure exactly how long they can live yet, but it's expected to at least be over a hundred years. These two will probably be around for much, much longer than you and I."

The baby Latios and the creature you're seeing the perspective of creep closer, warbling softly. The man and his daughter whirl around, and they gasp in unison.

"Dad," the girl reaches to grab her father's arm. "Are those-?"

"Babies," he murmurs, rising up onto his feet and gently tugging his daughter back, but his face has lightened with complete amazement. "I don't believe it- the two we've been tracking, they must be a mating pair!"

He fumbles for his camera, and starts hastily snapping photos. "Oh, this is incredible- we knew they exist, but no one's ever seen Lati hatchlings up close! Oh, and the colors on the Latias- I've never seen anything like it! Is it shiny-?"

"They're so cute!" The daughter gushes, crouching down on her knees to get a better look and coo lovingly at them. "Hi there!"

"Be careful not to touch them," the father reminds her, crouching down again as well and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We don't want to get our scents on them. The parents might reject them if we do."

The baby Latios crawls up in front of you and puffs out his feathers, letting out a squeaky, raspy hiss at the pair of humans. The father just chuckles at the adorable threat display and gently pulls his daughter back a few steps. "They're so young," he muses. "It doesn't even look like they can levitate yet. Do they just flop around like Spheal until their parents teach them how?"

"Dad, can I name them?" The little girl suddenly asks.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I already thought of names for them in my head," she says, then points to the baby Latios. "That one's Sky, cause he's blue like the sky!"

Then, she turns her finger to you. "And that one's Goldie!"

"Lemme guess, cause of the colors of its feathers?" The dad chuckles lightly.

"Yep!"

"Goldie and Sky it is then," he says, before tucking his camera away into a leather bag hanging from his hip. "Okay, let's get out of here before the parents come looking for them, alright? We gotta report this discovery back to the team immediately- they're surely gonna want to hear about this."

"Awe, already? Can't we stay a little longer?" The girl protests, tugging on his arm.

"Don't worry sunshine, we'll see these little guys again next time we come out to do fieldwork in this area." He assures her, playfully ruffling her hair and urging her back up onto her feet. "Maybe not up close like this, but we'll be able to watch them from afar."

"Okay," She slumps a little in disappointment, but manages to beam a smile at you and the baby Latios. "Bye Goldie, bye Sky! Go back to your mama and papa, okay?" The two turn around to leave, and the "footage" ends.] ---

[solacefiles]

*Cabbage, everyone's favorite SPHEAL, has decided to roll on in to flip over quite happily nearby. The tubby beast seems curious as to what it's new parent (?) has been up to.*

"Hello, my sweetheart."

He let out a small sigh, picking the pokemon up and gently patting its head with his third arm. He didn't even know how to take care of this thing - what it ate, how much it slept, anything.

"..What are you needing from me, hm?.."

He was sure it didn't have any idea what he was saying, but he had a responsibility. even with something like.. this.

[generalsnivy]

The land of Kitakami is celebrating a successful apple harvest by holding a festival and, of course, Ogerpon has to join in on the fun as she skips along the apple orchard while holding a balloon and singing a song from her heart, looking as happy as a Spheal rolling down a hill!

If you're wondering where she got the balloon from, she saw it floating in the air at a balloon stall near the apple orchard. Curious, she approached the stall with a look of amazement and wonder in her eyes as she got closer and closer to both the stall and the balloon. There, the human running the balloon stall was handing out a balloon to a child after they purchased one from them when they saw Ogerpon staring at the Applin balloon from the corner of their eye. The balloon was floating high in the air near the stall, blowing around slightly in the wind as the balloon string that's tied to the balloon, keeps it anchored to the ground, preventing it from flying away. After the balloonist finished handing out the balloon to their customer, they went over to Ogerpon and asked her if she liked balloons. Ogerpon responds to the balloonist by jumping up and down happily with a big smile on her face, which indicates to them that she does indeed like balloons very much. Being a nice person, they pull the balloon string attached to the Applin balloon, lowering it down to where Ogerpon could see it better up close, and then offer her the balloon. Her face lights up as brightly as the sun as she happily accepts it and jumps up and down with pure joy. The balloonist then informs her to hold onto it tightly and not let go, otherwise it'll fly away. They then hand over the balloon to Ogerpon and then she goes "Pon Pon, Ogerpon!" as if she is saying "Thank you so much!" as she happily skips along on her merry way with the balloon in hand as the balloonist waves goodbye to her and then returns to work at their stall as a lot of customers begin to line up at the front of the stall.

I finished this drawing 2 days ago, but I just got around to posting it now due to 2 reasons. One) When I finished it, it was getting late, and two) I had some errands to run with Mom the following day, and then we went out later that evening to a local bar.

When it came time to draw Ogerpon, I went to Bulbapedia, as per usual, to download some images of the creature to use as references throughout the entire process. However, Bulbapedia was having problems with their site at the time and I couldn't access their usual image gallery for Ogerpon, or any Pokemon for that matter. So, I had to work with whatever images were available on Ogerpon's front page, which wasn't much. Even so, I was able to work with what I had access to and I love how this turned out! I also wanted to experiment a little bit when it came to the Applin balloon to see how it would look without a black outline, making it look a little more realistic. After sitting on it for a bit, I think it worked out well and it didn't clash with my art style like I originally thought it did when I first drew it. It really started to shine when I drew the environment, making me feel much better about this experiment.

Drawing Ogerpon, herself, wasn't too bad as I broke down each part of her into smaller pieces such as her face, her black-ish hood, the stem on top of her head, her chest, etc, etc. The pose I had for her was envisioned for quite a while, but shortly after I began drawing, I decided to change perspectives and have her face forward towards the camera rather than sideways, like I originally planned. The reason for this change was that I wanted the drawing to focus more on her than the environment she's skipping around in, which turned out a lot better than I expected. I also originally planned to give her a regular, round red balloon, but changed it to an Applin balloon because I thought it'd look cuter, which turned out to be true, in my opinion. As for the apple orchard, it didn't turn out as well as I had hoped as I wanted to keep it in spirit to the one found in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. (At least the branches aren't going out for a nice float here, unlike the ones found in-game.) Regardless, though, it was still fun to put together and make the drawing feel that much more alive and complete. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this drawing and it was quite the challenge to complete as I didn't have access to as many references as I normally would due to technical difficulties on Bulbapedia's end. I haven't had a challenge like this since I drew Koraidon quite a while ago. It was worth the experience, regardless and I had a great time with this one! I am looking forward to drawing Ogerpon again in the future!

[chestnutdex]

WALREIN

Walrein is an Ice- and Water-type Walrus Pokémon. Of all Pokémon, Walrein are the most resistant to cold temperatures and Ice-type attacks, slightly outperforming the closely-related Dewgong.

TAXONOMY

Walrein are Walruses of the Odobenidae family. The name Walrein further derives from the word Reign, implying royalty. The word Walrus may be derived from the words Whale and Horse. Young Walrein are called Spheal, for Sphere, their general shape, and Seal, the clade that includes Walruses. Adolescent Walrein are called Sealeo, a shortened form of Sea Lion. This is taxonomically inaccurate - Sea Lions are a related species distinct from Walruses, and they do not have tusks.

Spheal cannot walk effectively and instead roll when on land or ice

DESCRIPTION

Walrein are quadrupedal marine mammals with considerable bulk and flipper-like feet. Walrein are recognizable by their large tusks and thick, white manes. Walrein are otherwise covered in blue fur, though young have light underbellies and spots to aid in camouflage. Walrein’s thick blubber insulates them, and ice further forms in their fur, providing a sturdy shield and an additional layer of insulation. During cold precipitation, this ice shield reforms rapidly.

Spheal are mostly helpless during their long growth period. Spheal cannot swim well for their first five years, instead floating on the surface of the water and guiding their movements with their flippers. On land, Spheal roll faster than they walk. Spheal’s blubber protects them from impact, but their ice shield can provide a hard impact when they roll into other creatures. Spheal can spit strong streams of water to deter aerial predators and, if attacked, their ice layers may shatter into chilling shards, further discouraging attackers. 

As Spheal grow, they learn to intentionally break off ice shards, temporarily inhale them, and send them out at opponents in a freezing spray. Though functionally similar to other ice attacks, these crystals cause significant, noticeable light refraction and give the appearance of a rainbow or aurora ‘beam.’ 

During adolescence, Sealeo gain the ability to swim properly and begin hunting on their own. They gain increased mobility on land, better able to use their bulk in combat, and increase their mastery over vocalizations and sounds. Sealeo learn complex social behaviors to coordinate other members of its colony as well as to goad and infuriate other Pokémon. This practice allows them to better determine the veracity of taunt and intimidation tactics, even in other species.

Once fully grown, the Walrein’s tusks grow large enough to use as a weapon, enabling devastating bites strong enough to  shatter ice. Ice may form over their tusks, both increasing the durability of the tusks and adding sharp shards to their bite attack. Lost or damaged tusks will regrow over time. 

Due to their increased size and weight, Walrein can intentionally shatter the shards of ice around their body, creating blizzard-like conditions in a 10-20 meter radius around them. In the water, they can use this weight to create powerful, directed waves to bludgeon and disorient opponents.  

Sealeo have thick whiskers but no mane

HABITAT

Walrein are native to the arctic ocean, spending significant time both in water and on ice floes. Walrein migrate with ice floes, and, during colder months, can be found as far south as Unova and Hoenn. 

BEHAVIOR

Walrein are herd animals that form groups of 20-30 members, usually consisting of 1-5 males, 10-15 females, and their children. Walrein herds are led by the strongest male, who is given the duty of battling any potential threats and the opportunity to mate with any females of the herd. Other males may or may not have any opportunity to breed.

Spheal roll around on land and bob in the water with little control, relying on older members of their herd to survive. Spheal vocalize frequently, loudly informing others of threats or prey with barks and claps. A young Spheal typically nurses for two years, after which it transitions to eating aquatic invertebrates such as Shellos and Shellder. These meals must be provided for them, and Spheal will not hunt until they evolve into Sealeo.

Sealeo can hold their breath for over half an hour and will make on average five deep dives a day to hunt for prey and return to the herd with it. When not hunting, Sealeo herd and tend to Spheal, often carrying the Spheal balanced on their noses, and frequently engaging in mock battles. Sealeo have a highly accurate but short range sense of smell and often lift objects onto their noses to learn about them.

Once fully grown, male Walrein leave their old herds, forming herds composed entirely of young adult males. These males regularly battle each other, both as training and to determine who is strongest.  As more males join, the strongest will leave to join female-heavy herds, often challenging the current leaders for dominance.

Walrein destroying part of an ice floe to access the water beneath

NOTABLE WALREIN

On January 18, 2014, Hoenn Champion Wallace’s Walrein bowled a perfect game using only its nose, making it the first and only creature to have been verified doing so without the use of hands or psychic abilities.

[jubilife-aquarium-official]

Hello! Me and some new spheals that are being introduced to the aquarium have been rolling around! I've been playing a lot of Rhythm Tengoku, so I decided to try to teach them to do Flipper Flop! The image above is an annotated image of some of our new little goobers. The popplio is my own little guy (His name is Beensie!)

Pudding cup is my personal favourite of the new little guys, but they're all super cute! Keep an eye out for them soon!