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Author Topic: An Aesthetic Discussion Spanning 17 Years - Andrew vs Pokemon - DAILY UPDATES!  (Read 50225 times)

Lady Door

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Okay, so electric rats have electric juice cheek pouches everywhere in the Pokemon world. Still doesn't mean Pachirisu is dumb for having them. Yellow is a complementary color so it's not weird. Also Pikachu's electric juice pouches are red like Dimple's. Maybe he's just possessed by an evil spirit??

--

So I'm always curious how the transition between evolutions is supposed to work. In this case, Buizel has a soda ring trapped around his neck, and then Floatzel has a giant inner tube he's oh so casually wrapping around himself. Did Floatzel shrink? Did the flotation device ALSO evolve? Did he get the old one cut off and found a new one? Or maybe he stretched it out and when he was finally free his body expanded to its natural proportions? When does a Buizel/Floatzel earn more tails? Is Buizel 200 years old???
<Demedais> Humans look like cars to me.
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AndrewRogue

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The general case is most pokemon accessories are actually part of them. So the flotation device is just rubbery skin neck waddle that expands later on.

AndrewRogue

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Cherubi: Colors are pleasant and look how happy and content they both are. I kinda question the like... feet? though. This thing looks immobile as fuck despite those. Honestly its a simple design without much going on that generally effectively communicates what they are going for, which is a generic fruit. What'd I rate Oddish? This is probably around that. 3/5? Sure. I do kinda dislike the dark red line on its face, just because it really stands out as an obvious attempt to break up the plain-ness, but it doesn't really add anything.


Cherrim: Okay, gonna violate the way I normally do multi-form because I have to address these two together. Individually both designs are kinda cute and their own neat little things with decent color and shape (though uh... poor Cherubi part two apparently gets absorbed in this form). I think the Sunshine form looks a bit worse being more generically fey plant, but it isn't really an awful design or anything. But taken together, they kinda suck because they do not really follow from each other effectively. Like, try to map the two forms. The parts just don't line up well. You can sorta see how the bloom works, but it should not be sort of see. When the gimmick is "you are a blooming flower" you should actually take care to map them super well onto each other. So despite finding both forms to be decent, I feel obligated to smack these down a bit with a 2/5 score for Cherrim in general.

Random Consonant

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2/5 seems a bit kind for that kind of botch.

AndrewRogue

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It mostly slips by because I don't think the individual designs are bad and it isn't like there is no connection between the two. It is just way worse than it should be. You might be right I'm being too soft but eh.

Shellos: Oh my god why so many forms in this gen. Uh... they are both okay designs, honestly. I think the smiley face is a little too much? I like the rest of the look on both of them, but thick lips like that just do not do it for me. I slightly favor the east design since the little wings are really cool (and the highlighting looks great) but west isn't bad. I just wish the spikes had a little more going on. Really the worst part on both of them is just their goofy head ornamentation, neither of which features nodules I particularly like. Good colors and comp though. 3/5

Gastrodon: See? No lips looks better. I do with they'd both kept their back features more true to their pre-evo, as the new stuff is just boring. The head ornamentation looks better though. Colors are still nice. Souless slug faces are cute in a weird way. I like them better than their pre-evos, but not enough to bump the score I think. 3/5

Lady Door

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Shellos definitely reminds me of those sea slugs, nudibranches. But they're adorable in the same way I'm okay with lobsters being a roly poly of the sea - as long as I don't think about it too hard, it's cute.

They're shell-less gastropods. Shellos. Gastrodon.

... you know, Game Freak, I feel a lot less clever when you just go around and steal real words for your Pokemon. LOOKING AT YOU, EKANS.
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<AndrewRogue> That must be confusing in parking lots

AndrewRogue

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Will you ever stop being mad at Ekans, love? What did he ever do to you?

Also, daily is hard when I forgot I haven't done it.

Where were we?

Oh fuck me.

Ambipom: It is Aipom but worse in literally every way. The tail hands look horribly diseased and swollen (not helped by the red), the Moe cuts on its bangs is awful, that nose is just what even. It looks like its face is just some horrible mask covering purple. The oval shape for the eyes is less cute and welcoming. The stupid hair antennae are a lot worse than the little frill. I was about to say the only improvement was the little fluffy fur by its tail which looked neat, but it turns out those are just vestigial horror tails as well so no. Fuck this thing forever. 1/5

Jo'ou Ranbu

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I always thought the tail hands on Ambipom looked like udders, which makes the design all the more perplexing.
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> HEY
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> LAGGY
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> UVIET?!??!?!
[01:08] <Laggy> YA!!!!!!!!!1111111111
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> OMG!!!!
[01:08] <Chulianne> No wonder you're small.
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Cmdr_King

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Honestly two prehensile udders would be a more respectable design choice.
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AndrewRogue

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I ALMOST forgot. But I remembered instead.

Drifloon: I kinda like Drifloon. I mean, it is basically a balloon, but it has just enough going on with the little feelers and the little bandage on its face. I think the biggest weakness is the weird little head cloud which kinda looks a bit like a bad toupee. Purple ghost, too. Never seen that in pokemon. Still, all that said, I actually find myself still liking him even if I struggle to justify it. I think it is mostly just that it hearkans back a bit to Gen 1 design, with a fairly simple structure overall. Whatever. 4/5

Drifblim: Ashley is gonna be mad about that name. It's even dumber than Drifloon, if you ask me. Well, he's definitely an evolution that comes from his previous form. The ideal is solid and the overall shape is good. The hot air balloon lines are good too. I think the colors here are a bit intense though, with dark purple, light purple, red, white, and yellow all competing. Just all too much. Just ends up going down a notch from Drifloon. 3/5

Jo'ou Ranbu

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Ashley is gonna be mad about that name.

Good, Ashley backseat reviewing is part of what we're here for.
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> HEY
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> LAGGY
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> UVIET?!??!?!
[01:08] <Laggy> YA!!!!!!!!!1111111111
[01:08] <Soppy-ReturningToInaba> OMG!!!!
[01:08] <Chulianne> No wonder you're small.
[01:08] <TranceHime> cocks
[01:08] <Laggy> .....

Random Consonant

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A bit late but while Ambipom is completely awful and deserves that 1 it is somehow not the worst evo Gen 4 added to something from a previous gen, at least in my opinion.

Lady Door

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The worst part about Ambipom - no seriously, the worst - is that it has all of those weird details, like the bloated, diseased hand-udders, weird grass-hair, a fluffy purple bottom, are brought together into true horror by that frozen, empty smile and eyes. That thing is fucking creepy.

I like Drifloon because it's so unassuming. I think what I like most about it, though, is its Pokedex entries, which imply that it steals children who mistake it as a balloon. Don't worry about me, I'm just a derpy purple balloon with these bright, heart-shaped yellow tags held at child level!

You are indeed correct that Drifblim is a terrible name. I know what they're going for, but jesus stick another vowel in there or something please? Drifoblim? Drifbloom? It's really uncomfortable to say that name. The Pokedex says it carries people. It doesn't say how or where, though. Makes you think. Try not to think too hard, though, there's only one apparent hole in this thing. Well, two, if you don't assume the X-bandage in its face is concealing a horrific tunnel of pointy teeth.
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<AndrewRogue> That must be confusing in parking lots

AndrewRogue

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Buneary: I don't really like rabbits. It's fine. Honestly the most interesting thing is the asymmetrical ear design. I dunno. Its face looks kind of smushed, honestly. Colors are fine if a bit dull. I actually like the choice to make the feet white as well since it makes the fluff look less like a diaper or something. It is fine. 3/5

Lopunny: Looks a lot better when it isn't sticking its ass out. The floof collection moving to the arms is a bit weird? I do like the look of it on the ears though (with the added addition of looking distinct thanks to the flop). The face is also a bit less flat which is nice. The eyes on Lopunny are a bit weird though, looking like sunken red demon eyes in black abysses. And those eyebrows are kinda nuts. Not sure why the legs/feet avoided the floof. I dunno. Honestly I expected to hate it more, but it honestly seems to be more the posture in the official art that is the annoying bit. It looks better in other pieces with more dynamic poses. *shrugs* 4/5

Random Consonant

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loppuny deserves a 1 for the sole fact that anyone thought that pose was a good idea imo

Dark Holy Elf

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Why is there floof around its arms? How does that even work?

Erwin Schrödinger will kill you like a cat in a box.
Maybe.

Random Consonant

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I think the floof is supposed to be arm muffs for some reason, which just raises the question of why does it have arm muffs.

Though I guess the same could be asked about whatever is going on with those feet.  Does it have knee-high floof boots?
« Last Edit: March 30, 2019, 10:45:55 PM by Random Consonant »

Captain K

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ITT: Andrew hates all new pokemon except the hooker-mon.

Hunter Sopko

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ITT: Andrew hates all new pokemon except the hooker-mon.

AndrewRogue

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Mismagius: Man, Misdreavus had really good art.

Missy G is pretty rad. I dig the hat and the flowing robes. The colors are still good (I forget that Missy D is less purple, though). The banshee to witch transition is pretty cool. But like... why is you neck/torso a tiny football? That's really my biggest bugaboo about the whole design. And it is a big one. Missy D works with the nice fade, but the football neck is just hella clunky. Still, there's some real cool here. 4/5

AndrewRogue

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No pokemon tonight. Another writing project eats my energy.

Random Consonant

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Mismagius is pretty rad and I almost want to give it a 5 for nailing the ghost witch thing but I can't help but feel like part of that is grading it on a curve compared to all the other evos Gen 4 added to assorted idiots from previous generations.

AndrewRogue

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Mismagius would be a definite 5 for me if it weren't for the weird football joint. I just really hate it for some reason.

Anyhow, one more night on other writing project. Updates resume tomorrow unless I forget.

Random Consonant

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I think it's meant to be some kind of robe collar that just looks like a weird football joint because ghost but I can see it looking a little off.

AndrewRogue

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Honchkrow: Pimphat bird, reporting in. What's with the little feather bends on some of these? They look so stupid when the bird is otherwise being hella bird-like. The white chest floof is pretty cool, honestly, and I like the overall puffed up look. The tail feels a bit anemic given how big the rest of the bird is? And the broom aesthetic loses a bit without the more witchy look of Murkrow. Colors are nice though. Honestly, I kinda wish the hat was played up more? It is almost underwhelming given how big Honchkrow's body is. Still, I like this birb overall. 4/5