#FOUR fossil pokemon

[cael-salad]

Eiland pokemon team moment oh yeah oh yeah

nothing in life has ever been truer moot

[vinlynce]

idk I think im running out of things to vaguely mumble about under these . Paul & Reggie Carno, Rika Coatlus, Nemona Spinax, and Carmine O-Raptor

[mialovespokemon]

College is not fun guys.

[cassi-pkmn]

Pokemon artist on deviantArt?

Check out the About page on my new blog @cassi-pkmn!

[pokeconspiracy]

Cara Liss? More like careless with the way those fossil Pokémon are in pain by literally fucking existing.

Today I had the unfortunate experience of learning who Cara Liss is.

I'm baffled someone like that is still allowed to revive fossil pokemon. I haven't been this upset about something in a while. It's absolutely horrid.

[gracefireheart]

Kinda wanna make pokemon teams for pre-portal incident Mystery Trio just for the hell of it, so here I go.

Stanford: -Slowking *Look, ever since I read this GF x Pokemon fanfic where Stan and Ford had each a Slowpoke, to which the latter's evolved into a Slowking and the former's evolved into a Slowbro, I just couldn't stop thinking how perfect it is. Especially since Slowpoke are often found on the beach. -Noctowl *With all the owl stuff around the Shack, I thought it would be a neat pokemon to have. Especially when he needs eyes in the sky. -Glimmora *Tbh, just feels like a Ford pokemon. -Volcarona *A cool moth that may be ancient?? I actually am not sure?? It's found in such a strange location in it's main game. -Metang *Another "just feels like a Ford pokemon" pokemon. -(Shiny) Wooper *A gift from Fiddleford :) -There's loads of pokemon around Gravity Falls he studies, such as Unown, Sigilyph, Relicanth, fossils of different pokemon he has found, Spiritomb, etc.

Fiddleford: -Pignite *He grew up on a hog farm, so he gets the beefy hog pokemon that becomes an even beefier hog pokemon. It helps carry heavy metals and such, and also heats up anything he needs welded together. -Porygon 2 *For computer stuff and whatnot. Also, when it evolves into Porygon-Z, it's stated in it's pokedex that "Its programming was modified to enable it to operate in other dimensions. This did not work as planned," which ends up making it glitchy af. -Chimecho *It's pokedex entry says "Its cries echo inside its hollow body to emerge as beautiful notes for startling and repelling foes," so it's a helpful lil' pokemon for Fiddleford to have. -Mudsdale *GIVE THAT MAN A HORSE >:( -Sunflora *He seems like he would have a Sunflora. Someone who could help with chores or just relax with. -Beheeyem *"With its psychic powers, it rewrites its opponents’ memories. You, too, may have already had your memories rewritten." :)))

Stanley: -Slowbro *Basically the same as I wrote under Stanford's Slowking. -Garbodor *I remember a lot of people really disliking this pokemon when people first saw it, so I can definitely see Stanley finding a Trubbish alone in an alley and immediately adopting it on the spot. -Vigoroth *Idk, it- along with Slakoth and Slaking- just feels like a Stan pokemon. -Purrloin *A pokemon that would help in swindling / pickpocketing some money. "They steal from people for fun, but their victims can't help but forgive them. Their deceptively cute act is perfect." -Only has four pokemon for now. Costs quite a bit to get pokeballs and some food for them.

Trying to think like-- how this would work for an AU or whatever. 'Cause I can't see these three trying to collect Gym badges or whatever. Maybe Stanley wanted to back when he was younger, but after he got kicked out, there was no way he could do that anymore.

It could go more into all the different weird, ancient pokemon that both are and aren't legendary / mythical. As for Bill, he could be an already existing legendary / mythical pokemon (such as Giratina), or an Ultra Beast (like a mix of Blacephalon and Kartana), or he's just his regular triangle self.

Besides that, idk what else to add to this :')

For a moment tho', I was thinking about giving Ford a Toedscruel and while Stan had a Tentacruel.

[aspens-dragons]

dragon type ask game

dragonite: do you tend to prefer pokemon based on looks or power?

kingdra: what's your ideal vacation spot?

flygon: what's a pokemon you think should have a mega evolution/z-move/gigantamax form?

altaria: do you have a favorite type of weather condition?

salamence: if you had a 4x weakness to a type, what would it be?

garchomp: who's your favorite gym leader/trial captain/elite four/kahuna/champion?

haxorus: do you know how to use a weapon? which one(s)? how did you learn how to use it/them?

druddigon: what's a pokemon you think deserves more attention on this site?

hydreigon: what's something you're tired of being nice about? something that makes you just want to go apeshit? something that makes you unreasonably irate?

dragalge: be toxic. @ another user and start some beef (ROTUMBLR USER @ASPENS-DRAGONS DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY RUINED RELATIONSHIPS AS A RESULT OF THIS QUESTION)

tyrantrum: what's your favorite fossil pokemon?

goodra: what something you tend to get sentimental/sappy over?

noivern: what music have you been listening to lately?

turtonator: how do you feel about fireworks?

drampa: shout out an older person (ie older sibling, mentor, parent, grandparent, friend, literally anybody) in your life you appreciate!

kommo-o: what's the biggest pokemon you've ever seen in real life? (not dynamaxed or gigantamaxed. because fuck you galar (/silly))

flapple: start yapping about the first thing that comes to mind

appletun: what's your favorite dessert?

dracozolt: what's something you don't think people talk enough about on this website?

dracovish: what's something you think people talk too much about on this website?

dragapult: do you like sports? is there any you're particularly good at?

cyclizar: WHOOSH!! have you ever ridden on a pokemon before? what pokemon was it? would you do it again?

tatsugiri: is there anybody you would consider your other half? your comrade in arms? your most trusted companion? the herlock to your sholmes?

baxcalibur: would you rather live somewhere it's hot all year round or cold all year round? why?

roaring moon: what's a place you want to go, even though you're not allowed to be there?

koraidon: what's something from the past you think is really cool?

miraidon: what's something you're excited to see in the future?

archaludon: hi. i spent almost half an hour trying to figure out a good question for this guy. i got nothing. im so sorry archaludon you don't deserve this. what's your favorite steel type?

hydrapple: do you like fairs or carnivals? what's your favorite part?

[areazeromybeloved]

Some more crossover doodles for both the Kaijumorpha au and the Jurassicverse!

Aus here are:

Team buddy au by Mr Buddy

The Pokemon fossil fighters au by @salon-maiden-anabel

Isecarmine au and the Eternatus Gloria by @pokemonblack3white3

Were-Dugga and Warden Drayton (the fact I unintentionally made Drayton a warden is so strange to me lmao) by @laststation2hisui

The kaijumorpha au and the Jurassicverse (Saurian, and the four other Dinos in the bottom right corner of the second image) are by me.

[fallershipping]

Do we know how occupations work in Pokemon? And I mean Pokemon proper, not including manga or anime.

Gym Leaders, Elite Four, and Champions to me do not seem like they hold any sort of typical employee position. Or as is to say, it is a hobby job rather than a primary. Gym Leaders are dedicated to one type, but that type reflects their primary job. ... LIKE. If you are a gardener, you tend to like grass types. If you like fossils or like to work as a teacher's aid, you might be into rocks or fossils. But being a Gym Leader is secondary to someone's personality (I think)

The Pokemon League is cultural, not economical. (Factcheck me on this)

Geeta's league is... Special, but every single person in the league has an actual job outside of being a Gym Leader besides Poppy (And Poppy is implied to not go through any of the office bureaucracy that the others go through lol) Penny is also hired but... More so a volunteer engineer as "punishment" for what she did.

You can be a teenager or kid and be a gym leader, elite four, or champion, but it's not going to give you political or career power. It's a good title to have though since you are a very well trained trainer.

It's like sports, in a sense! Like you have little league players and big leagues. I never played nor got into sports but this might be the case...

Otherwise, unlike other people, I do not believe that kids can get nursing jobs or government or do things a kid should not do. There's a whole section of the Pokemon world we cannot see... Because we play as kids. And I am interested in that world because it's a layer just under the one we play...

[anomalymon]

[Essay] MissingNo Therian: An Exploration in Identity, Labels, and the Fictotherian Experience

We've seen a few posts of people wanting more personal essays in the community, so I thought I would write this and crosspost it to Tumblr. -Rex

I am a MissingNo. My exact form is one that's been fluid throughout my life, with Kabutops and Aerodactyl fossil forms having preference, but occasionally switching to the Lavender Town Ghost. I identify as a Pokemon therian or Poketherian for my species - or fictotherian for a broad term. This identification is one which can confuse people - after all, therianthropy is more traditionally associated with animals, and I identify as Pokemon that isn't real. My species only exists in four games that are well over two decades old and is a failsafe the game spits out. Why should I identify as a therian? Despite how strange it can seem, I still prefer therian over other labels such as otherkin and fictionkin. My therian identity is deeply intertwined with my hyperempathy, created by a bias of my animality, comes from viewing a MissingNo as a type of animal, and from experiencing common therian traits.

Therian over otherkin, fictionkin, or fictive

Some may be saying "why don't you call yourself fictionkin?" or even "Isn't otherkin for mythical species, while therian is for earthen species?" To address the later point, there have been better written essays dispelling this. I would highly recommend Therian: Dispelling the Earthen Animal Myth by The River System for a well written and researched essay.

To address the former point, it is personal preference. I did use "otherkin" for years and still do identify as both otherkin and fictionkin, but the term "therian" is more in alignment to how I experience identity. I am an animal, I experience shifts, and I experience instincts.

I don't perceive MissingNo as sapient on the level of elves or some dragons. For me, being a MissingNo is also a "real" thing, as tangible as a dog, bird, or dragon. I don't consider myself glitchkin despite being a glitch, nor conceptkin. I am like the theriomythics who label themselves for being an animalstic gryphon or phoenix.

When it comes Fictionkin and fictive, to me they can be too focused on identifying yourself in the framework of being a character, which I'm not. I'm not a creepypasta character anymore than one of the Hypno species would be. I still do identify as fictional - I can comfortably identify as "fictherian" or my preference "fictotherian" (Which comes from "fictotype". I believe I started this term usage - since when I started using it, I could find no results to it, but I did use it in forum posts, Discord servers, and other methods).

Fictive falls under a similar problem - but with slightly more alienation. While the term is open to me, my identity history makes me feel out of place in a community of walk-ins and introjects when it was one that developed later in life.

How I became a MissingNo and the grip of hyperempathy

My identity as a MissingNo came later in life. I began existing in my system as a canine pup - which I know from behaviors and mannerisms that I later connected to me in the present, and genuinely expressing feeling like a dog as a child. Years later, I identified this species as a manned wolf.

Then at around the age of ten, my identity shifted to a glitch Pokemon. What at least contributed to it was developing a special interest in Glitch Pokemon around this time. This combined with our natural hyper-empathy and perhaps being conceptum to subconsciously alter my identity over time.

These interpretations can cause me to be out of place. While I still love glitch Pokemon and I am fascinated by them, I rarely find anyone who also has an intense interest and fascination while having this level of hyperempathy - even if I encounter others who have some alterhuman or even gender or sexuality connection to glitch Pokemon. Almost uncontrollably do I see glitch Pokemon as genuine Pokemon. I might grow attached to certain Pokemon in the way I would a pet.

The overall psychological influence means that this identity comes down to personal interpretations and personification. I'm not a natural animal and you cannot read about me in a textbook or find any bits of lore within the games, but rather, I am an animal that came from the mind of a mentally ill person.

MissingNo the animal

What defines "animal" varies. Humans are biologically animals and primates, but not all humans identify with those terms, with some taking offense to it. To someone with hyperempathy, a stuffed animal may be as much of an animal as a living one, or even a car might be a type of animal to certain minds. This connection is what makes me feel a MissingNo can be a type of animal.

Additionally, Pokemon are their world's equivalent of animals, and this is how most of my system views Pokemon due to one of our deepest parallel life connections being a humanlike Mewtwo. This sentiment is also one I've seen many Poketherians have. In the world of our origin, we are animals. For another essay on a similar experience, I'd highly recommend "The Fire Burns Bright" by Jasper, an Alolan Marrowak therian.

Within the contexts of the games and many interpretations - including my own - MissingNo is also a bird. It is one of few Pokemon which use this glitch beta typing. Being a bird can be equally as much a part of it and I'd consider birds as a paralleltype and one where I may confidently call myself a bird. Albeit a very odd bird.

The wolf and animal bias in my core

In addition to the bird of the MissingNo, the manned wolf at my heart is still important to my identity. It's in between otherhearted and therian on a sliding scale, and I identify it more as manned wolf-hearted for convenience, but it's closer to "kinth". I don't know why I am or was a manned wolf, but it doesn't quite matter to me either way. What matters is that there is the manned wolf.

To me it feels as if despite my core being or "soul", my mind became a MissingNo while the core remained the same. To my soul, a MissingNo is a type of dog. Then, to my mind, a manned wolf is a type of Pokemon. Both of these identities came about and exist in harmony rather than opposition.

Another comparison that the heart and soul makes is being "feral". Glitch entities in video games to me are almost like an animal which can't be domesticated. They may act fine, but every so often you'll encounter something that reminds you that at their core, they're wild. MissingNo still scrambles sprites and Hall of Fame data - and you can't have a "normal" experience with it. MissingNo is to Pokemon as a wolf is to a dog.

The instincts that made me tear apart playsets when playing house pretending to be a dog are still present in the instincts that make me want to tear apart meat when I eat it.

The Experience of a MissingNo Animal

I fit into many traditional therianthropy experiences and unto a hybrid canine/avian experience - just perhaps with more twists towards the bizarre.

I am a contherian when it comes to mental shifting and almost always feeling like an animal. However, I do experience phantom shifts. I get the sensations of skeletal fangs, claws, and a body that's far heavier and taller than my tiny, human form. Though the bizarre comes when during these shifts, I don't feel like I have skin and much of my body feels transparent, I feel like I should be able to stick my hand through my lower jaw.

I feel the sense of freedom and flight when I ride a bike downhill. For a few minutes when I bike, I can imagine myself flying. I sit in rivers and ponds among the wading birds feeling like I belong. I treat the chicks and chickens we raise like a part of my flock.

I still want to hunt. Sometimes I need to fight my instincts to recognize chicks as flockmates and not food. I like to eat wildly and I like to taste blood and fat in my food. When I eat, I feel like like the blood should dribble through my skinless jaw bone. Skeletal claws should be typing this essay instead of fleshy human fingers.

Conclusion

I am an animal, and despite doubts, I am a therian.

This label fits my experiences better than the alternatives. I don't feel as much alienation or out of place compared to other communities even though my species isn't an "animal" in the traditional sense. Hyperempathy has created this experience for me in that I feel more comfortable saying I am an animal than I am from fiction.

My center being is animal and always has been, it's just how its presented through my life has shifted. The animal instincts have only developed as my species has.

It is my hope that more unusual therians might come forth and be encouraged to examine their experiences - and for both earthen therians and potential theriomythics or fictotherians to explore what exactly "animal" means to them. I want others to also examine where their mind's biases may lead them, how that can impact their identity, and use it to feel more at peace in what the heart wants.

[daiohficblog]

Wild Kratts/Pokemon AU ideas

So, what would a WK/Pokemon crossover be like? I’m going to answer that question!

- Obviously the Wild Kratts Team would be Pokémon Rangers and helping out wild Pokémon. They also don’t get involved with the big “evil team” plots.

-All of the Wild Kratts Team members are from Unova (which not only is based in New York City, but also parts of New Jersey as a reference to the Kratt Brothers’ homestate), but Aviva is part Paldean.

-The Pokemon Ranger Organization is responsable for providing the team with their tech such as the Tirtouga HQ, though Aviva is still an excellent inventor, so she invents stuff like the Buzz Bikes and Amphisub.

-At first when the team where starting out, they used the capture stylus to help (along with the Kratt Bros’ Pokémon as they competed in Unova’s gym challenge), but then Aviva decided that it would be better if the Kratt Bros used the adaptions of the wild Pokémon to help them with their missions. And thus, the Pokémon Power Suits are born. (More of them later)

-Obviously Martin is a Water Type specialist and Chris is a Grass Type specialist.

And now, time for the villains:

-Zach, Donita, Gourmand and pre-redemption Parsley are very much similar to their canon selves, though they target Pokémon instead of animals. They also see any type of Pokémon, wild or trained, to be tools for their plans, so often they steal Trainers’ Pokémon.

-The villains are funded by Ghetsis, as he sees them as a good way to use the released trained Pokémon and to prevent any Trainer uprising. This means that N hates the Wild Kratt Villains.

-The Team Rocket Trio also hate the villains ever since Meowth was used in one of Zach’s plans, so they’re willing to help out the Wild Kratts Team in any mission. The Gym Leaders, Elite Four, SubMas Twins, and the Champions are also willing to help out the Wild Kratts team if their Pokémon are stolen by the villains.

And now… the big one… the Pokémon Power Suits!!!

-The suits function very similarly to the canon Creature Power Suits, though they transform the user into the final evolved form of that Pokémon. Any Pokémon that has branched evolution like Eevee, a separate disk has to be made for each branched evolution.

-The first PPS disk programmed was the Swellow disc, based on the bros’ Swellow.

- Thankfully, Fossil Pokémon are revived, so PPSs of them are possibly. Also inanimate object Pokémon also get their own PPSs.

-The regional forms get their own PPSs similar to the Arctic Wolf Disc being separate from the Gray Wolf Disc. Any Hisuian Form or Hisuian Evolutions also get separate discs, though those Pokémon are extremely rare.

As for the teams… @spacefinch did really good ones. Also the Wild Kratts Kids are in the AU as Trainers, and the Pokémon Protags are considered Wild Kratts Kids. Also if you’re asking if the “Wild Field Trips” AU can be done in the Pokémon World… Of course it can!

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: platypus

Since I've been designing original Pokemon for a hypothetical Australia-based region I've been doing some research on Australian fauna and one of them (which I made into a starter) is the famous platypus. Join me and we will learn why these animals are so weird I don't blame the European naturalists who thought they were hoaxes until presented with a live specimen. I mean you can blame European scientists of the time for a lot of things, but doubting the platypus isn't one of them.

(image: a platypus at the surface of the water, seen from above. It is a brown, furry mammal. Its legs are very short, with long webbed tows. Its tail is broad, flat, and furry. It has a large duck-like bill at the front)

The first preserved Platypus specimens brought to Europe were thought to be hoaxes made by taxidermists attaching parts of different animals together, like the Fiji mermaid or jackalopes. Its pretty clear why they thought this as platypi (there's not definitive plural of platypus and platypi is the one I refer) look like real-life chimeras. A mole-like body (indeed, they were originally thought by naturalists to be species of mole) with a duck's bill, otter's feet, and beaver's tail. In fact, platypi are none of the above but are instead one of five surviving species of monotremes, the smallest and most basal lineage of extant mammals alongside the marsupials and placentals. Monotremes possess many traits distinct from other mammals and taxonomists currently believe that the monotreme lineage split off from the lineage of live-birth giving mammals prior to marsupials and placentals diverging from each other. Differences that monotremes have from all other mammals include a lower body temperature, lack of external ears, different jaw and inner ear structures, a cloaca (combination of the excretory and reproductive tracts into a single hole), more reptile-like embryo development, and the fact that they lay eggs instead of giving live birth. Many of these traits (especially the cloaca and laying eggs) are believed to be holdovers from pre-mammalian ancestors and thus monotremes are highly valued by scientists studying mammal evolution.

(image: a platyus standing on a person's hand. It is around the same size as the hand. It is seen from the front, with its head turned to the right. Its mouth is slightly open)

Platypi are semi-aquatic animals found in rivers and streams along eastern Australia and Tasmania. They are the only living members of their genus and family, though fossil relatives have been found. Their size varies based on habitat and ranges from 0.7 to 2.4 kg (1.6 to 5.3 lbs). Males average 50 cm (20 in) and females average 43 cm (17 in). Platypi are covered in fur that traps a layer of air to insulate them while swimming. The fur is bioflourescent, producing a blue-green glow when exposed to ultraviolet light. The tail is used to store fat and will glow larger in a well-fed individual. All four feet are webbed, the front feet more so. The style of swimming used by platypi is unlike that of any other amphibious or aquatic mammal. Other mammals use their hind feet and/or tails for propulsion. Platypi instead use their front feed for propulsion. The hind feet and tail are only used for steering. When on land, platypi curl up their front toes and walk on their knuckles to protect the webbing between their toes. The eyes are small and weak and are not used when hunting.

(image: a platypus seen from above and below, fluorescing under black light. Its top looks dark blue with splotches of purple while the underside is a lighter green-blue with purple towards the middle)

The bill is the most important organ for finding prey. All living monotremes are capable of electroreception, the detection of electric fields. These fields are produced when prey contracts its muscles and the platypus is sensitive enough to detect very small prey. The electroreceptor organs are located on the bill and run in lines from front to back. The distribution of the organs in distinct lines allows the platypus to determine the direction of the source of an electric field by sensing which line feels the field most strongly. The bill is also covered uniformly in mechanoreceptors used for touch. Platypi hunt by digging their bills through the sediment at the bottom of the water and detecting prey. This method of hunting and use of electroreception allows platypi to hunt in very murky water. Prey consists primarily of worms, insect larvae, and crustaceans. Platypi are born with teeth in their bills, but they fall out quickly and are not replaced. Some fossil species apparently retained their teeth into adulthood. The insides of the bill are lined with ceratodontes, plates covered in rough, keratinized surfaces that are used to grind up food.

(image: a platypus foraging for food at the bottom of a river. The front of its bill is poking into the sandy river bottom. There is a submerged log in the background and multiple small fish in the foreground)

(image: a scientific diagram showing three drawings of a platypus from three angles and the area it can detect electric fields. source)

As if all that wasn't strange enough, platypi are also one of the few species of venomous mammals. The male platypus has spurs on the hind feet that inject venom. This venom is powerful enough to kill dogs, but is not fatal to humans. Instead, it causes swelling and increases sensitivity to pain. This can last for weeks to months and can be agonizing. Female platypi are born with the spurs, but they never develop venom and fall off by their first birthday. Males use their spurs to fight over territory and mates.

(image: a person showing off a male platypus's spur. The platypus is mostly out of frame, but a hind leg and some fur is visible, wrapped in a sheet. A human hand is gripping the hind leg near the toes and holding it in place. The spur is curved and conical and larger than any of the actual claws. It is located near the heel)

Platypi live in simple burrows dug along the water's edge around 30 cm above the surface of the water. They are often hidden behind roots or plants. Platypi spend most of their time in the burrow sleeping for up to 14 hours a day. When not sleeping, they spend most of theer time in the water hunting. Dives last up to 30 seconds with a 10-20 second surface interval. Platypi will travel up to 7 km (4.3 miles) from their burrows to hunt. They maintain territories and will attempt to chase competitors of the same sex out. Males have larger territories than females and their territories usually overlap with those of 3 or 4 females. Platypi are nocturnal and crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) but have been known to come out on cloudy days. They are typically active for 12 hours per day and spend most of that time hunting. A platypus eats up to 20% of its body weight daily. Platypi are preyed upon by snakes, goannas (monitor lizards), various birds of prey, and possibly crocodiles and invasive foxes.

(image: a drawing of a cross-section of a platypus burrow. The burrow is located in a river bank with the opening right by the water. A long tunnel leads to a round chamber. In the chamber is a platypus with two eggs. Art by David Nockels)

Platypus mating season lasts between June and October every year. During this time, males will compete with each other for mates using their venomous spurs. Some males will maintain territories and force other males out while other males are more transitory and will go looking for mates. Females only mate with a single male every season. Strangely, females have two ovaries but only the left one is functional. After mating, the female will retreat to her burrow. While most egg-laying animals will lay they eggs as soon s they are formed, platypi retain their eggs internally for 28 days before laying them, after which they will continue to develop for 10 days before hatching. Most layings result in 2 eggs. The female curls around her eggs to incubate and protect them. Newborn platypi are called puggles and they are blind, hairless, and defenseless. As with other mammals, they feed on their mother's milk. Platypi do not have nipples and instead, the milk is secreted through the skin and into grooves on the mother's belly, where the puggles lap it up. While the puggles are developing, the mother spends less time out foraging, though she will increase the time foraging as her offspring develop. Weaning happes at 3-4 months, after which the juveniles will leave the burrow and set out on their own. Mothers have been observed laving behind soil plugs at the entrance to their burrows while there are offspring are in them. They are used to squeeze off water as the female returns to her burrow, preventing cold water from reaching the offspring.

(image: a reconstruction of a mother platypus and puggles. They are in a dirt burrow lined with bits of leaves and bark. The mother is on its back and looking toward the camera. There are three puggles, which share the same body plan, but are very small and entirely pink. Tey are sitting on the mother's abdomen)

Platybi are classified as near threatened by the IUCN, though some argeu they should be reclassified as endangered. Their habitat range has decreased since European colonization of Australia and they are threatened by habitat loss, dams, pollution, and bycatch. Aboriginal Australians historically hunted them for food and Europeans also hunted them for fur, which was outlawed in 1912. The platypus was and is culturally relevant to Aboriginal peoples sharing its range, particularly the native peoples of the Murray river. There are multiple Dreamtime stories of the platypus, many dedicated to explaining how it ended up the way it is. In one, originating from the upper Darling river, a female duck named Daroo or was either seduced or kidnapped by a male water rat named Biggoon or Bilargun. After escaping, she laid two eggs that hatched into the first platypi, inheriting their mother's bill and webbed feet and father's body and fur. Another story from the same region says that the land animals, water animals, and birds all wanted the platypus to join their group and tried to convince it to join. The platypus decided that it didn't need to join any of the groups to be special, but still wanted to be friends with all of them and so took on traits from all groups.

(image: the Ironbarks Platypus, an Aboriginal Australian rock carving of a figure typically interpreted as a platypus. It is very simple, with a roughly rectangular shape with one rounded end. From one end is a simple loop usually interpreted as the platypus's bill. Four stick-like linbs emerge from the sides)

[vinlynce]

rahhhhhhhh

[enderhardt]

Let's talk about the 2014 Twitch Plays Pokémon stream!

Generation One was the original run of Twitch Plays Pokemon. Started on February 12, 2014, by an anonymous Australian programmer, this was the first iteration of TPP, originally designed as a "social experiment." Initially, the streamer claimed the game being played was a hack of Pokémon Red, "Pokémon Red 151" by Suicune, which allows all 151 Pokémon to be captured with different methods, however, the streamer later contradicted this, saying that the patch was faulty and that a vanilla version of Pokemon Red was being played. Viewers control the protagonist by inputting commands into the chat. This run was beaten by the TPP community on March 1st, 2014, with the defeat of the Elite Four and rival Blue.  

At E3 2014, Twitch (accepting for the Players and Streamer) was awarded the World Record for "most participants on a Single Player online video game" for TwitchPlaysPokemon Red. Guinness says that 1,165,140 people played the game during its duration.

The Lore of TPP

The lore in Generation 1 revolved heavily around various religions spawned from the game play. 

Red appears to have been chosen by the Hivemind, voices from another world (community players) to embark on a quest to resurrect Lord Helix.  Along his journey, he gathered several 'Mon to join in on the quest, but an apparent (but still debated) betrayal by his Eevee who had recently evolved into a Flareon left his starter, Abby and fan-favorite Jay Leno dead, or released.  After consulting with the at-the-time dormant Helix Fossil, Red decided to release the Flareon and continued on the journey with another faithful 'Mon, Bird Jesus.

Questions still remain as to who the true enemy of Generation 1 was.  Many pointed to the Dome Fossil, due to it being the other fossil a player can choose at Mt. Moon.  Due to the prevalence of Bill lore surrounding his involvement in releases in subsequent generations, there has been some revisioning of generation 1 that centers around Bill being the main villain.  Regardless, soon a strong team was formed with Bird Jesus as its backbone and late-addition AA-j as its powerhouse, and the Helix Fossil was revived into the Omanyte, and later Omastar, Lord Helix. 

After all eight Kanto gyms were conquered and carrying the memories of those lost on the infamous Bloody Sunday, Red entered Victory Road and began the march to the Elite Four.  After conquering the road's boulder puzzles, Red challenged the Elite Four, eventually besting them and defeating Blue to become League Champion. This moment was seen as Lord Helix's victory, either besting the Dome, Bill, or both.  It is believed that after becoming champion, Red traveled to Mt. Silver at the behest of Lord Helix, where he and his 'Mon waited for the rise of a godslayer, to kill Lord Helix and restore balance to the world.

If you stayed this long to read, Thank you!

I just wanted to take a few moments relive this with all of you! 😊

Credit to u/purplemew from reddit for the image.

[raptorfae53]

Whisberd and Iridadze (fairy-ghost)

(Revived with the iridescent feather)

Whisberd dot the trees of Ãrohwas graveyards,flashing the brilliant blue colours of their tail feathers to light up the night.

Iridazde are first and foremost gardeners. Tending to and picking the finest herbs and flowers and leaving them at the doors of the sick to help in healing and around graves in ancient times. Usually they arrived and disappearing without a sound or sight thanks to their powers of invisibility thanks to their iridescent plumage.

Between the rise of modern medicine and the superstitious nature of many kalosian and galarian settlers,thinking these pokemon creepy and some hunting them for the powers in their feathers, after the wake of the great cataclysm these pokemon have become rarer and rarer and are thought extinct. There may be more out there than we know however, as their feathers make them invisible to both the naked eye and cameras. If you can find one yourself however they make excellent companion pokemon,so there's hope yet these pokemons reputation can be repatriated in the future thanks to human efforts...

Welcome back to my fossil pokemon challenge and the second of the four lines of fossil mon (and my first with sexual dimorphism) , I hope you like these gothy guys as much as I do!

Design inspiration down below!

The lazarus species this pokemon (more particularly Iridadze) is based on is the south island takehe, which was thought to be extinct for half a century between the 1890s and 1940s before being rediscovered deep in the hills of south island, the current population of existing across many of the predator free islands and reserves of new Zealand.

Whisberd is based both the new zealand fantail and the will-o-the-wisp

Iridazde meanwhile is based on two extinct birds, the Huia (well known for its drastic beak length between the two species sexes) and the Adzebill (a bird thought to be a scavenger,tying into the morbid theming of this pokemon) alongside the Takehe. It also takes quite a lot of inspiration from plague doctors and medieval herbalists and apothecaries.

[adobe-outdesign]

Thoughts on the Lileep line? They do feel pretty distinct among fossil Pokemon.

I always really liked Lileep. It's based off a crinoid (sea lily), which ironically aren't actually extinct. They do appear in fossils pretty often though, so that's probably the justification behind them being fossil 'mon.

The actual design is really cool. I'm always a sucker for dot eyes on a dark background, and the face combined with the surrounding tentacles really creates a neat look. The body also has a distinct look, with a "cup" on the top half, a thin yellow stem, and four suction-cup legs on the lower half. The yellow markings give it a bit of additional flair and really add to the prehistoric look. Really, I have absolutely no complaints here. Just a very unique monster design all around.

Cradily is also pretty neat—in particular, I find the way the ring markings become a giant pair of false eyespots to be really cool both visually and conceptually. The eyes being inside of the "mouth" also helps it be unique from Lileep without losing any of its main attributes.

I have to admit though, while it's still a very solid design, I don't like it quite as much as Lileep. The thicker neck looks a bit too animal-like; I feel like having it be sectioned off and all yellow would've gotten the plant-ish traits across better.

I also feel like the way the legs are splayed out makes it look like it fell down and now can't get back up. If anything, it having legs it could actually stand up on could've been an interesting progression, or it also might've looked good with no legs at all. Also, I kind of miss the purple (though granted, it might be green to convey its grass-typing). It's still a good evo all around, but those few things make me prefer Lileep just a bit more.

Anyway, overall, this is a very solid line. I love how unique they both feel, especially relative to the amount of dinosaur 'mons we normally get for fossils, and the visuals are very memorable. I definitely wouldn't mind these guys getting some kind of evo in the future—though what else could be done with an already pretty great line is hard to say.