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*dusts blog off*

So, as you can probably tell from the six whole years of complete silence, Frameshift kind of.... fell by the wayside. Despite my best intentions at the time, i simply couldn't keep up the creative momentum for this undertaking. I've had plenty of ideas and concepts for where a few lines could go, but there were so many that I just could not work out (the middle forms of the Oraquill line, in particular, proved elusive in both name and appearance), and my ability to actually generate proper art seems to have wibbled on and off - and while I made several attempts to get back into Frameshift, I never could quite recapture what I've previously done with it, and I think I have to face the facts and admit that I... likely won't, at least in the foreseeable future. Not going to say I'm never going to revisit this little project - but for now, I may as well close the book on this particular endeavor and let it quietly pass into the sea of daily-pokedex-drawing-challenges that never made it.

But before I do, I have two last Frameshift 'mon to share - creatures that I actually succeeded in conceptualizing and drawing years ago, and were simply waiting for their evolutionary predecessors that, unfortunately, never took shape. These are Oraqueen and Oraking, the Psychic/Ice type equivalents of Nidoqueen and Nidoking. Oraqueen, the Seer Pokémon, forms orbs of ice which she can use as a scrying focus in order to divine patterns that can be exploited in her foes' attacks or weak spots in their defense, to better support her allies in combat. This in contrast with Oraking, the Warlock Pokémon, whom uses staves formed of ice as a focus for a channeling the elements and amplifying their power - and is the more offense-oriented of the two.

Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of weirdly-reaspected-angels sing thee to thy rest.

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#029 - Oraquill ♀ Sense Pokémon

Psychic

Using the highly-sensitive, whisker-like sensory quills on its body, Oraquill can read the most subtle changes in its environment, sense incoming danger and avoid potential combat situations. It only opens its eyes when it is about to lash out with a psionic attack.

Etymology: Oraquill - Oracle + Quill

Design notes: Our first Psychic-type! In a world stuffed to the gills with Fighting-types, it was only natural for Psychic-types to start appearing earlier - but I confess that my main reason for applying the psychic type to the Nidos was because I was immensely tired of Ground-types.

I confess - I have absolutely no idea what I am doing with these. I am very fond of the Nidos and their weird synapsid-rabbit-kaiju physiology and I do want to do them some form of justice - but I wasn’t entirely certain how to make them seem psychic and prevent them from being boring as a result of not having poison spines anymore. Thankfully I have some incredibly awesome friends - and RacieB suggested the idea of sensory quills... and the rest sort of rolled out as I drew the thing.

This isn’t the best looking of the bunch but by the time I got around to drawing this thing I was already tired as frell. I have some interesting notions re: the final forms of these lines, but... bear with me on the rest.

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#028 - Succulash Pangolin Pokémon

Grass

The thick, water-retaining scale-like leaves on Succulash’s back grow in whorls that regenerate fairly quickly even if individual leaves are broken off. Over time, these leaves may partially or fully change color due to a variety of environmental factors. Their sharp claws make them adept at both digging and climbing, and also make excellent defensive weapons.

Etymology: Succulash - Succulent + Slash

Design notes: I’ve had a clear image of what this species was going to look like from very early on in this project - the leaf-rosettes of succulent plants such as Echeveria species meshed kind of wonderfully with the scale armor of the pangolins that Sandslash is based on - sticking to the desert plant theme on these former Ground-types. Like with Armactus, I opted to pull the Frameshifted version of Sandslash closer to the source creature and further away from the ‘could be mistaken for a random rodent’ as pangolins are among my favorite animals and I felt that the one pangolin-based Pokémon should represent its rather unique inspiration better.

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We’re back!

Work blindsided me a bit more than I expected it to, but we should be back to our regular updating schedule tonight. ^^

In addition - there’s going to be a minor change to the structure of posts here, with current posts retroactively edited until everything is caught up (this may take several days - the Starters are already done). This change will actually introduce some additional information (name etymology, notes into my design processes for these, etc) for those who are actually interested. These will appear under cuts as to not break the flow of the posts too much with unnecessary walls of text.

Thank you for your support and the encouraging messages while I was away - it means a lot to me - and hopefully this brief pause didn’t make you all wander off and lose interest. We now return to our regularly scheduled pokeymans!

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Pardon recent delays - real life circumstances surrounding my sleep circle, work projects and the lunar phases popped up - and I’m not likely to have the time to draw in the next few days either.

So Pokémon: Frameshift is taking a small break - but we’ll be back as soon as possible - probably on Monday. ^^

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#027 - Armactus Armadillo Pokémon

Grass

Adapted for life in harsh climates, Armactus stores water from whatever meager sources it can find and stores it within the fleshy, thick plates that run along its back. If threatened, it will curl up into a ball and use these plates - the outer layer of which is very hard and covered with small but very sharp spines -  to protect itself.

Etymology: Armactus - Armadillo + Cactus

Design notes: Finally, a Grass-type! Those of you who know me are probably aware that Grass is one of my absolute favorite types and the lack of those in the area - particularly in light of all these blasted Ground-types everywhere - was starting to get to me.

I knew right from the start that Sandshrew and Sandslash would become Grass-types. I toyed with the idea of grass or pine-cone derived permutations before I settled on the idea of succulent plants - which not only fit the general deserty environment of early Frameshift-Kanto routes, but also the original habitats of the original sand-critters.

I couldn’t help but take the Frameshifted Sandshrew closer towards its Aramadillo influence and make its cactus-pad plates more like armadillo-plates, though. Pokémon already has a frellton of genericized ‘Mouse’ creatures, and bringing out the more “exotic” side of these creatures was definitely something i felt necessary.

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#026 - Nezuchi Mouse Pokémon Ground

Spry and light on their feet, Nezuchi cover much ground by running at great speeds and leaping to great heights. If provoked, they are capable of kicking up vicious dust storms and trap their foes within as they make a quick escape. These whirlwinds of dust are often seen from a distance, and sometimes persist for quite a while after the Nezuchi that caused them has left the area.

Etymology: Nezuchi - Nezumi (Japanese for ‘mouse’) + Tsuchi (Japanese for ‘earth’)

Design notes: I’ve encountered similar issues with Nezuchi to the ones I have with Nezuri. Unlike Pikachu, however, I actually like Raichu - and particularly its strange ears and the long tail, and wanted to keep these attributes in Nezuchi as well. What sparked figuring this design out was a thought of “So basically, it’s a dust bunny” - which promptly resulted in a few hare-inspired doodles that weren’t quite it yet - but what clinched it was what happened when I figured out what to do with the tail.

It wasn’t a dust bunny, but a dust devil.

And suddenly everything made sense. Still took me a bit before I managed to draw an outline I liked enough - but I am immensely proud of the result. Putting flow and movement into my creatures is something that I still struggle with at times, and this bugger looks like it’s actually running. Nezuchi is one of these mons that made me actually see progress taking shape as I Do the Frameshift Thing, and that gives it even more points.

(Also caracal ear tufts, because the line’s markings reminded me of Servals).

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#025 - Nezuri Mouse Pokémon Ground

Highly social, Nezuri live in underground colonies with many others of their kind. Using their cheek pouches, foraging Nezuri carry food back to the colony, where it is stored for times of scarcity. Should one spot a predator coming, it will loudly vocalize, warning the rest of the colony to get to safety - and as a result, it is far more likely to hear one than it is to see one.

Etymology: Nezuri - Nezumi (Japanese for ‘mouse’) + Zuri (Japanese for ‘ earth removed from a mine or tunnel’)

Design notes: I actually dreaded the thought of having to frameshift Pikachu - considering how ‘iconic’ the series mascot is and how a frameshifted version would have to still look memorable enough. Plus, with Ground being the only option for an Electric-frameshift, I had a bit of a conundrum on my hands.

Pikachu, you see, takes a very generic pseudo-rodent anime mascot form and simply loads it up with stereotypically energetic elements evoking electricity - all bright yellow and jagged ends and lightning spikes. Compared to Electric, Ground is a fairly subdued type - what defines Ground in terms of appearance in the same way Pikachu’s “electric” traits do?

Not much, honestly.

So I figured that I’d strip Pikachu to its most basic rodent-esque form and see what I can do to give it SOME form of “earthy” attributes that aren’t behavioural ones (those I’ve based on ground squirrels of various sorts). Eventually I attempted to apply markings that evoke the wavy, ripply patterns on sand dunes - which sort of mutated into their own thing that nonetheless worked. I never liked Pikachu, but I actually like the way Nezuri could very feasibly be an actual animal. Somehow managed to make the thing cute for my tastes and that’s an achievement on its own.

I wonder if the Frameshift version of the Anime would have still used Pikachu/Nezuri as its mascot - and if it did, how would it being a Ground-type work in terms of signature moves? Earthquake and Magnitude would be right out with Japan being so incredibly terrified of showing anything vaguely related to those in the anime. But maybe Earth Power, or some brand new attacks, would have been used in its stead?

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#024 - Dragdim

Serpent Pokémon Ground

Dragdim grow continuously throughout their lives, and some fantastically large, ancient individuals in remote deserts have inspired myths of a Dragdim large enough to wrap the entire world in its coils. They are rarely seen above ground, spending most of their time in deep tunnels, only emerging to feed. Finding some of their shed, brightly-colored scales in an area is, generally, a good indication that it’s time to leave said area, and fast.

Etymology: Dragdim - Midgard spelled backwards.

Design notes: With a name and flavor text evoking the Midgard Serpent, Dragdim is the subterran wyrmsnake the old tales warned you about. The stripe patterns and colors on its sandy-coloured body was developed with heavy earth-moving equipment in mind, and its general appearance is based on a number of viper species, including the bush vipers of the Atheris genus (the overlapping, pointed scales) and the horned vipers of the Cerastes and Pseudocerastes genus - mixed with the hood-forming capability of cobras. (Dragdim is a frameshifted Arbok, after all). I picture at least part of its burrowing involving undulating those spines on that ‘hood’, but it’d mostly be Ground-elemental shenanigans, really.

This is another species I imagine having some impressive size variations... and being a VERY good reason to carry a powerful Water or Grass type with you when exploring deserts. Just in case you run into large, sand-eroded scales that still glisten with black and yellow hues and realize that it’s been a while since you’ve seen another Pokémon in the area...

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#023 - Xyre

Sand Snake Pokémon Ground

An ambush predator in sandy habitats, Xyre buries itself slightly below the surface so only its eyes are showing. When a small Pokémon wanders by, it strikes rapidly from its hiding place, coiling around its prey and constricting it. When not on the prowl, they usually remain burrowed, moving through the sand without surfacing.

Etymology: Xyre - Eryx (a genus of snakes commonly referred to as ‘sand boas’), spelled backwards.

Design notes: Ekans is another one of those simple Pokémon who are basically ‘just what it says on the tin’ - a Poison-type generic venomous snake. It seemed to me like something would have to take the ‘Subterranean Serpent-Beast’ niche that Onix would vacate as a result of frameshifting, and thus Ekans acquired a Ground typing.

Problem is, of course, that in real life, most snakes are not burrowing animals. Enter the Arabian sand boa, Eryx jayakari, with its distinctive head shape and its sand-burying habits (note this amazing photo in particular!) which gave a perfect base for frameshifting Ekans into something that is distinctive enough.

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#022 - Volterror Swift Hunter Pokémon Fighting/Electric

Volterror’s agility allows it to evade its opponent while studying its movements, then strike rapidly and decisively at weak points with its sharp-toothed beak or electrically charged claws. Ancient murals have been discovered depicting Volterrors with electrified forms charging ahead, surrounded by sparks - though the significance of this is a subject of debate.

Etymology: Volterror - Volt + Terror

Design notes: I never really liked Fearow - and it was largely because of its broken neck and excess portrayal as this dumb angry big beaky bastard. It was this broken neck (and long face, and ear-shattering cry, and general tendency for being an aggressive bugger) that eventually made me realize that there’s no way around it - Fearow is basically Ridley with feathers. And as I was already on the theme of making Frameshifted!Spearow line a bunch of demented dromaeosaurids (fun fact - ‘Swift Hunter’, the classification for Volterror, is a literal translation of ‘Velociraptor’), I figured I’d inject even a bit more Ridley into the design (you can largely see this in the ‘beak’ shape and the structure of the tail) - along with vestiges of Fujian White Crane Kung Fu, for Fighting-type reasons.

That last bit of flavor text is a reference to a running gag on Pokécharms concerning Shiny, Volt-Tackling Fearows. It kinda had to happen.

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#021 - Sparrel

Tiny Bird Pokémon

Fighting/Electric

While Sparrel cannot fly, its wings allow it to glide short distances as it runs and leaps with its powerful legs. The wicked, curved talons on its feet and hands can be charged with electricity to deliver a shock and paralyze would-be prey. As they are individually fragile, they tend to hunt in small packs.

Etymology: Sparrel - Sparrow + Quarrel

Design notes: Spearow was always the violent aggressive flock-forming asshole-bird compared to the docile Pidgey - and my immediate thought on the notion of frame-shifting it was to turn it into some kind of a Fighting-Electric dromaeosaurid doing zappy kicky nonsense. I still kept some of Spearow’s general characteristics - but added the ‘killer claws’, wing claws and toothed muzzles of dromaeosaurids - with the idea of them charging their claws with electricity as a delivery mechanism. There was the matter of making the thing look electric - but fortunately, bright yellow markings are not uncommon among sparrows species, often in tandem with greys, blacks and browns - and thus was Sparrel born. Insert “Clever girl” jokes here.

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#020 - Sifutria Master Rat Pokémon Fighting

Individual Sifutria often train groups of young Ratrainee in the art of battle - and though very rare, it is not unheard of that one would train Pokémon of other species, or even humans. The saffron-colored, waterproof fur of their coats was once highly valued - but attempts to farm them for their fur proved nonviable due to the difficulty of raising them in captivity - and they were released into the wild, which contributed to the spreading of their kind, their progeny and their martial art to far-off lands.

Etymology: Sifutria - Sifu + Nutria

Design notes: Raticate, in spite of their name, appear to be based on fairly different types of rodents - predominately the semi-aquatic Nutria (also known as the Coypu) and the muskrat (which is not at all a rat, but more closely related to voles and lemmings). Nutrias are infamous for being an invasive species in many ecosystems after they have been brought in from their native South America into various locations to be farmed for their pelts - endeavors that proved nonviable - and either escaped or were released into the wild where they formed new populations - and the idea of Rat-fu (still based on Choy Gar as with its previous form) being propagated across regions through such imported populations felt oddly right.

So I gave them saffron fur-robes akin to Shaolin monks (as Shaolin monks and martial arts tend to go hand in hand in popular culture) and markings similar to moxibustion burns... and ended up with basically a rodent version of Krillin. Now imagine this thing dropping a spirit-bomb esque Focus Blast. xD

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#019 - Ratrainee Mouse Pokémon Fighting

A common sight in the wild, these small opportunistic scavengers protect themselves against their many predators through a combination of low stance, quick legwork and short strikes that are perfectly suited to their diminutive frame. Ratrainee reproduce rapidly, as younger Ratrainee who have yet to master their combat techniques are more susceptible to predation pressures.

Etymology: Ratrainee - Rat + Trainee

Design notes: When approaching the ‘Apply Fighting-Type’ direction to just about anything I try to keep a martial art of some form in style and look up something that would be appropriate for the creature I’m applying it to. As it turns out, there is actually a form of ‘rat-style’ Kung Fu, known as Choy Gar and focused on low stance, quick legwork and rapid strikes. From there on, after looking up references for some Choy Gar stances and applying them to the Rattata line, some minor extensions of fur and changes of color to evoke a very genericized martial artist outfit - and Ratrainee was born.

You can stop with the Master Splinter jokes. We get it.

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#018 - Brawlder Rock Bird Pokémon Fighting/Rock

The flowing crests on Brawlder’s head and tail are made out of shards of natural glass. Though they are dazzling in appearance, Brawlder uses them not only for display but also as weapons, striking its foes with them with a whiplash motion, or shedding individual shards and scattering them around itself, creating injury hazards on the field.

Etymology: Brawlder - Brawl + Boulder

Design notes: The final progression of this line also resulted in a favorite (and another frameshift-mon I’d gladly train). I wasn’t certain as for how to actually apply the suggestion of the long flowing crests on Pidgeot at first, and then inspiration struck as the glass-shard sculptures of Marta Klonowska came to mind - and honestly worked phenomenally well for this purpose. I’ve pictured this particular final member of the line as largely flightless, like the rest of its line - but with wing-arms this broad and the elemental shenanigans that Pokémon are known for - I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them could take to the air, even fairy briefly, and possibly inspire stories of great flying beasts made of rock, light reflected in their flowing bejeweled crests?

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#017 - Roclash Rock Bird Pokémon Fighting/Rock

Roclash roam wildlands, traveling great distances each day. Their armored bodies brim with strength - which they channel into their broad, wing-like arms to crush boulders and prey alike.

Etymology: Roclash - Rock + Clash

Design notes: Yes, there is also a bit of a double pun here about Rocs, but it isn’t entirely the focus.

Pidgeotto is one of those Pokémon that are essentially just bigger versions of their pre-evolved form with not much exciting about it. Its dex entries talk about how they have large territories and they fly around a lot - the latter part of which is a bit irrelevant for a large, ground-bound creature. Somehow, the mental image of one of these things ominously lumbering around across broad stretches of wasteland popped to mind a bit like the Urstrix-type enemies in Final Fantasy 12 came to mind and... the rest was just a matter of drawing it. They are probably smaller than my mental image of them suggests, to be honest - but maybe there are some particular large individuals that haven’t evolved yet?

That perspective/looming pose was NOT easy and required various adjustments before it looked right.

Also the secondary-feather-spikes on this line are almost but not quite armblades and probably add another layer of pain to these limbs.

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#016 - Pebblow Pebble Bird Pokémon Fighting/Rock

It normally prefers to avoid combat, relying on its craggy, armored body for protection and for concealing itself among rocks. Should an attacker persist, it will drive the foe away by turning its own strength against it.

Etymology: Pebblow - Pebble + Blow

Design notes: When I was thinking about future concepts for frameshift-mon I wanted to emphasize the counterpart/contrast thing between mons that were obvious counterparts. Pidgey and Spearow’s line already emphasize defense as opposed to offense, deterring foes as opposed to aggressively engaging them, etc - and this led to the Pidgey line adopting Rock as its secondary type, frameshifted from Flying.

I wanted to keep the general bird shape but make this line very much Fighting-Rock in essence. Figuring out the forelimb structure was the most difficult part of this line - as I wanted to keep a sort of a wing shape to an extent while not putting myself through another blatant avian wing (I have to admit - bird wings are amazing structure from an evolutionary standpoint but good grief, I hate drawing them), particularly on a rock creature - but I daresay I quite like the solution I ended up with - and it carried over nicely to the thing’s evolutions.

I’m not quite sure what sort of martial art would the Pebblow line represent - but probably some form of Karate for defensive stances and knife-hand strikes (commonly known as “karate chops”) which Pebblow’s wing-arms would probably be ideal for.

On a side note, it’s totally a frelling bird Gotsumon.