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I was reading some news stories that inspired me to go down a different road, than I had thought of originally , but fakemon content was made nevertheless, and submitted just in the nick of time. I hope this event comes back next year. All of the entries were creative and interesting to see/read, and I really enjoyed the helpful feedback offered.
Any news as to when we'll be able to see the results of this round? At this point I don't really care who wins, I'm excited to see everyone else's entries!
Any news as to when we'll be able to see the results of this round? At this point I don't really care who wins, I'm excited to see everyone else's entries!
Background image done by deviantart user lenaachan
Hey there, today was chaotic and it took a while to get the results out, but we're finally here!
Acknowledgements
First and foremost, thank you all for participating! This was the first time I ran a competition event like this so I was learning as I went along but thank you all for participating and doing gorgeous pieces of art and design, many of which I very much want to see in like a plushie or something.
Regardless of who actually wins I think you've all done great and can be very proud of this fact!
I'd also like to thank Cube who volunteered to co-host! Things would have been very different if I were the only one in the panel and I don't think they'd necessarily be changed for the better - it's nice to have diverging opinions and point of views!
But enough about the gooey stuff, we're all here for ...
The results
If last time we had some close calls, this time they were closer than ever! From last (but certainly not least) place all the way to the winner, the entries for the first prompt were:
10 - Future Basculin by Panda280 (8 / 10)
Spoiler:
Name: Basculin Species Name: The Dead Fish Pokemon Typing: Ghost
Prompt Check: Relate to how Basulegion evolved. Basculegion evolves from White-stipped Basculin who survive the journey upstream. This is the future version of Basculin adapting its past form.
Pokedex Entry:
Normal forms of both red and blue-striped basculin are extinct due to massive drying of lakes and streams. Efforts were made to reproduce the normal forms of basculin, however each generation they develop much paler stripes. Now, all normal basculin are white-stiped. A bite from this Pokemon feels like a hundred basculins are biting you. It lasts for three days. This Pokemon is very dangerous.
This temporal form starts appearing 2 year after the drought incidents. It appears to contain souls trapped within its body. It is argued that the soul in its body is of dying basculin years ago, but some argue that other spirits reside in its decaying body. The later explanation seems to be more accurate because normal basculin is not related to any spirits. This seems to be an evolution forwards for the pokemon. Touching the soul leaking from its body and eyes causes the person to become mad.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
These are cool changes, very reminescent of Basculegion. That said, the design felt a bit confusing to me, apparently new Basculins are white striped or very close to that but the image has very strong red / blue items.
And then you mentioned that this is the future version of a past form? Or the future going back to the past? I also think that if you're going to drop the Water type you could probably make either the whole Pokemon a bit more ethereal or do some redlining and get like a fishbones kinda look.
Also, those Pokedex entries are feeling a bit too big, they could probably use some editing both to make both visual and textual design fit as well as get closer to the standard size.
This is honestly very scary to think about, mostly with that phantom thing coming out of its body. I like how this is pretty much Basculin becoming Basculegion accidentally and also failing miserably at evolving to the point of it going extinct. I don't really quite understand how exactly attempts at saving normal Basculin from going extinct ended up with this zombie fish, though. Another small observation is that the PokéDex entry says the stripes turned white, but the art shows they are still red/blue, but it's not a big issue.
Name: Puriloid Species Name: Virtual Singer Pokémon Typing: Electric / Fairy
Prompt Check: Future virtual/synthetic recreation of Jigglypuff, in the vein of a Vocaloid.
Pokedex Entry:
Some time ago, recordings of Jigglypuff's voice were banned in many regions due to their narcotic effects. Seeking to placate those who appreciated Jigglypuff's voice for its sound and not its sleep-inducing qualities, a Kantonian music company created Puriloid as a virtual replacement to get around this ban.
Codenamed VP-01, Puriloid is as mesmerizing as it is unsettling. It boasts a vocal range even wider than that of a flesh-and-bones Jigglypuff, but its voice does not sound entirely natural. As a result, keen listeners find it much harder to fall asleep listening to its songs than to Jigglypuff's.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
This is a very creative concept, I could see some company doing that and I could definitely see someone like Iono having one of those and I think that speaks a lot about the quality of the idea. My main problem is that the visual design feels a bit more like costume Jigglypuff from Pokemon Go rather than "Jigglypuff variant".
I think the design could have gone a bit further out there and be a bit richer, you know?
This is honestly a really neat idea, and I love Puriloid with my life. Sadly, since this is not a Jigglypuff per se, I don't know how much it fits the prompt. Also I would've liked to know what happened to the actual Jigglypuff aside from its recordings being banned. Still a really cute fakemon, though.
Name: Pikachu Species Name: Wool Mouse Pokemon Typing: Ice/Electric
Prompt Check: The prehistoric era was shattered by an ear shattering roar. The shadow of a gigantic dragon accompanied by volcanic eruptions and massive thunderstorms marshed forward and left behind a cold and bitter wind.
Countless of years later the land is covered by huge masses of ice. Mighty reptile Pokemon who once reigned supreme have long since left and in their place the kings and queens of the biting cold have now taken their turn:
Mighty Mammoswine roam the land, constantly searching for new supplies of food. Articuno color the sky in a crystaline rainbow comprised of the tiniest, most delecate yet undescribably beautiful snowflakes.
The southmost point, which miraculously was still protected from the cold, gave rise the the strangest of civilizations. It's a place so oddly out of place, a big city inhabited by Beheeyem who spend most of their time pondering over questions like "is god a goat?" and "what is a goat, aynway?".
The wild is relentless. Not just the cold presents itself as an enemy of life: countless predators roam the lands, constantly searching for prey that carelessly runs into their trap. From all the predators none is as ferocious as Glalie. In their prime they are cause of many species going extinct. They will go uncontested for many millenia to come and will only way later leave the way for a never seen before species that walks on two legs and coats itself in the furs of other Pokemon.
The existance of Pikachu can be traced back to before humans actively started populating the world. Being easy prey they quickly adapted by forming large families. Their wooly fur provided them with enough heat to resist the biting cold of the outside. Since they stick around each other to keep everyone safe the fur also accumulates static electricity allowing them to shock a potential enemy before making a quick escape. Whenever Pikachu go out to find food they stick to groups large enough to have sufficient electric power to ward of Galie who find Pikachu in particular to be very tasty.
Due to the harsh environment any Pichu that is born has to evolve quickly as any help is needed. Raichu on the other hand does not exist. Once the ice subsides Pikachu will move out into the world and start inhabiting many places in the world. They will grow a liking to places with a somewhat electric atmosphere, places where humans will later find great amounts of Thunder Stones. This atmosphere will allow Pikachu to harness their electric powers and even give rise to a new evolution in Raichu.
Pokedex Entry:
To survive the harsh environment Pikachu stay close together to keep each other warm. Whenever a new Pikachu appears they welcome it with open arms.
Pikachu protect themselves with the electricity stored in their wooly fur. Though, only in a group are they able to successfully ward off predators like the all present Glalie that sees them as an easy target.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
This is a cute Pokémon, but I think choosing Pikachu didn't really help you there because it's a very complicated Pokémon to do variants. Mostly because when I look at something that's vaguely Pikachu shaped it feels like "Oh, a Pikaclone" and not "a Pikachu".
And that was only made stronger by the fact that the design choices that you made took away too much from the traditional silhouette making it feel a bit too distinct. I liked the Pokemon, the visual design just doesn't read as Temporal Form to me though.
You went all out with the explanation here as well, this time centering not only in the world itself but in the Pokémon you represented too, and honestly, really good job, I love that, amazing entry in general. Only problem is that I have a bit of trouble looking at Pikachu in the art, and also don't think there are parts of Pikachu with nearly no fur at all, when this is a Pokémon that lived during the coldest days of Earth.
Name: (Ancient Kantonian) Gurdurr Species Name: Muscular Pokémon Typing: Fighting/Normal
Prompt Check: Writing this just to give more of a background on Timburr and Conkeldurr as well since I can't submit more Fakemon. Wanted to give background on its whole family so you guys could better understand where I was coming from and why I didn't just do Timburr hold a stack of bamboo and why I didn't consider Conkeldurr. Probably will be a bit redundant with Dex Entries.
"In Ancient Kanto when humans first moved onto the land, Timburr and Gurdurr were around to help the humans develop their buildings and civilizations. In those times, Timburr gathered small sticks and stones from nearby while Gurdurr needed to be ready to walk very far to gather thicker grass/hay and bamboo. In those times there was no Conkeldurr (Conkeldurr actually taught humans how to use concrete - too early for concrete plus the ages haven't caught up yet). So the evolution line is just Timburr -> Gurdurr (kinda like Hoennian Zigzagoon line vs Galarian Zigzagoon line)."
Pokedex Entry:
It travels long days under the blazing heat to carry bamboo and thick hay to its home. While it needs upper body strength to carry the materials, the muscles on its lower body are much more refined due to the amount of walking it needs to do.
An extremely gentle Pokémon; it patiently weaves the hat that it wears. However, it grows increasingly destructive if it becomes too far removed from a verdant environment; perhaps elongated separation will cause unimaginable evolution.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
This feels like a natural concept given the very artificial nature of the Timburr line (after well, Timburr) and I appreciate the little hints you gave via Pokedex Entry.
There are few things I think could be tweaked a bit on the current design (the hat feels a bit too glossy and the highlights too defined and it's a bit too small) but those are fairly minor. The main note I have is that feels a bit costume-y, you have a different vein placement and some different proportions but those are relatively small details that often get lost in fan art so if you showed me this and said "Gurdurr is having a Stardew Valley summer in Kanto" my reaction would be "That makes sense" instead of "This is a variant of Gurdurr" you know?
I was also left with a (minor minor) question that is why is it Normal? Generally Normal is generally given as a default type with no strong associations, or when the Pokemon is "Just X, but Pokemon" (there are some exceptions of course, but most of the time is one of these) so I could see Gurdurr losing the Fighting type to become normal, but adding Normal feels a bit strange here.
Once again a very well thought out design. At first I was gonna go "why does it have muscular arms if bamboo and hay isn't as heavy as steel beams" but then I saw the design and entries again, and yea it does have more muscle on its legs it's good.
Name: Frillish Species Name: The Floating Pokémon Typing: Water/Fairy
Prompt Check: This is what the Frillish of the future look like. While climate change and the subsequent warming of the oceans has a disastrous affect on most creatures, the change has been working wonders for Jellyfish. The warmer waters are ideal for them to thrive in and breed, meaning there's a lot more jellyfish out there and they are living the dream. While humanity's actions have been a disaster for most sea life, Jellyfish kind of owe us.
This Future Frillish reflects that. They are larger, more vibrant and regal (as the dominators of the oceans living the high life they should be). They have also lost their Ghost typing for a livelier Fairy typing and adopted a much friendlier disposition... almost like a show of gratitude. These guys are less evil siren luring sailors to their demise in the depths and more the benevolent merfolk of other stories.
Pokedex Entry:
The Frillish of the past were malicious creatures who would drag victims into the depths of the ocean to drown. These days, Frillish have a friendly and relaxed disposition, even using their luminescence to help guide disoriented divers.
When the oceans got warmer, many Pokémon suffered greatly. Frillish thrived in the warmer climate though, becoming the regal rulers of the sea. If they're lucky, sailors and divers may be dazzled by stunning lightshows and dances that light up the ocean at night; a gift from the ocean's benevolent rulers.
Pair: Sapphire Rose
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
I think it's cute, I got the bioluminescence reference but in many ways I think that it'd be more fitting the other way around (if they were dying). Like, the first two things that come to mind for why a species would get bioluminescence would be to warn predators away (similar to how poisonous things usually have very bright neon colors) or to lure prey in.
If the Frillish are thriving it doesn't seem like they'd need bioluminescence for either one of those so while I did enjoy the Pokemon and I very much enjoy the idea of it, the explanation for the change felt a bit weak.
I checked this and Sam's Staryu at the same time, and it's honestly really funny because of the contrast there is between both entries. In a world in which every water-pokémon evolves to die, it's really nice seeing someone having a good time. These Frillish are really cute and I really want to know more about them. If you don't show me the Jellicent you don't get any points.
Name: Spinodile Species Name: The Aqua-Brute Pokémon Typing: Rock / Water
Prompt Check: A prehistoric form of Sandile and the revived remains of the Spino Fossil.
Pokedex Entry:
In ancient times, Spinodile would be found hunting along the shores of large, brackish bodies of water. Due to its large sail and paddle-like tail, it was thought to be an extremely strong swimmer.
An ancient ancestor of Krookodile, Spinodile shares many of its contemporary's traits. However, because of differences in environments and resources, Spinodile remained a largely aquatic Pokémon. It does keep its bad attitude though!
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
I loved the concept and I think it was a very well done reinterpretation and I loved the little details like the uneven crocodilian chompers. My main concern was with the color scheme. I appreciate that the browns are there for the rock type and would help blending with the muddy water but the neon blue felt a bit out of place.
Like I get that it's there to give "water" but I think it could have been a bit darker and less saturated to fit with the overal theme and help with the theme of "predator lurking in the mud".
I don't think I have any observations here, except perhaps that the sail should've been larger, considering it's one of the points mentioned in its PokéDex entry. Other than that, this is a really awesome fakemon.
(Left image is normal Pokémon, right image is Pokémon when distorted as per dex entry below)
Name: Oxymorgon Species Name: Oxymoron Pokémon Typing: Normal/Flying
Prompt Check: This is a temporal form of Porygon-2 from the future - technology is being developed so that not only can Pokémon be recreated from ancient fossils, but they can also be created from cyberspace itself. Oxymorgon is a result of this process, a prototype of trying to take a Pokémon from the digital world and allow it to exist organically, however it currently is a little unstable and still needs some kind of proxy (similar to a QR code) to phase in and out.
Pokedex Entry:
After several years of developments within technology, humans have managed to be able to pull out the digital information of a Pokémon and convert it into an organic lifeform, granting it sentience and the ability to exist within the real world. Oxymorgon is the current result of this - a Pokémon which is comprised entirely of digital information, but organic in form. This process however still needs refining, so Oxymorgon can be somewhat unstable.
Oxymorgon is a Pokémon that was created in cyberspace, but can exist in the real world. The process is still new, so it can be a little unpredictable and still looks fairly outlandish as it has not had time to adjust to its surroundings. As a result, it can sometimes unexpectedly change form if it does not return to cyberspace for a long time. However it is a symbol of the huge technological progress made by humanity.
Pair: Kitty - Design and also some theorymonning.
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
I love the little synthwave duck and I love the scrungly glitched up duck even more. My main note (which is very minor) is that the oxymoron of it all (real life virtual Pokemon) felt a bit weird here of all places considering we have stuff like the Porygon and Rotom lines which blurs the lines between digital and real already.
I still love it and want a plushie / rubber ducky of it though.
A very interesting concept, although a bit confusing to understand, mostly because we don't really know how the entire Porygon line works, but that's exactly what makes Oxymorgon interesting. Visually speaking, I have a few problems with it, though, I don't know if making it look like an irl duck was the idea since it's supposed to be organic or not, but it is very strange to look at its eyes being like that when we have other duck Pokémon like Quaxly or Ducklett. I also have a bit of trouble with the color scheme differing from Porygon's, mostly on the yellow head. Still a solid entry and a very interesting take on the prompt over all, though.
Name: Kernexeed Species Name: Ancient Seed Pokemon Typing: Grass / Ghost
Prompt Check: Kernexeed is obtained by reviving fossils of present day Exeggcute. In that sense it's like an alternate Exeggcute form!
Pokedex Entry:
The resurrection of this Pokémon is hailed as a mind-blowing achievement by most scientists. Others, however, claim that something has gone entirely wrong.
The hard shell surrounding this Pokémon bears some resemblance to the outer coat of some seeds. The nature of the content inside of it is still highly debated.
Kernexeed appears to become unstable under sunlight. Trainers describe it as a hard Pokémon to raise, often lost in thought and seemingly waiting for something.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
The dex entries mention that someone said some things went wrong and I'm inclined to agree. This is a funky little abomination of nature and I love it <3.
I like the little nods to how it misses its ... siblings? clutch? I don't know and I think this is a very interesting design and I very would enjoy seeing this be a paradox form in SV.
One rule on fossil Pokémon is that when revived they always gain the Rock type, the exceptions being the Galar Fossils for not being actually revived, but two Pokémon fused together and its parts being separate from the rest of the body, which I guess is sorta the case here since this is only one seed. I think explaining why it's just one Exeggcute seed on the Prompt Check would've been recomended, because the PokéDex entries just leave it a bit ambiguous and we need a more objective explanation on your design choices to judge properly. With that said, I think this fakemon as a whole is a really interesting take on fossil resurrection as a whole, and it's a concept I really liked.
Name: (Temporal ?) Carbink Species Name: The Jewel Pokemon Typing: Rock / Fairy
Prompt Check: Future form of Carbink after people have began to mine away and polish the crystal inside it to sell for good money.
Pokedex Entry:
Modified through man made means, these Carbink shine like true diamonds. People like to collect them for their jewelry collection, often acquiring them in special auctions.
Recent research on (temporal) Carbink show that their hierarchy depends on the cut they have received. The better the cut, the more likely it is for that Carbink to be the leader.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
It's a fun concept and a very cute Pokemon. I very much enjoyed it, I can see someone doing stuff like that because capitalism will absolutely irrevocably alter a species for a quick buck.
It also reminded me of how birds that are tagged for certain scientific studies will become more attractive to mates because of the tags so I found the leadership thing to be a cute detail.
This is a nice take on a really forgotten Pokémon, which I will always appreciate, but I think its second entry is a bit contradictory and gives me more doubts than answers, given how many PokéDex entries emphasize on Diancie being the Carbink queen or at least leave that up to interpretation. I also don't know if this is an artificial Pokémon or did Carbink start being born like this? I would think Carbink started being born with a harder stone covering its diamond to protect themselves from jewelry people, but who knows. The diamond looks really nice, by the way.
1 - Future Staryu by Vision of Milotic (9.75 / 10)
Spoiler:
Name: Staryu Species Name: The Star Shape Pokemon Typing: Rock/psychic
Prompt Check: It is the future form of Staryu after being driven to extinction from overfishing, and rising sea temperatures. The Star Fossil contains the remains of Staryu, for younger generations to bring back to life in a new form.
Pokedex Entry:
Data shows Staryu once had a ruby center. It was harvested as a jewel until the pokemon went extinct. Newly revived specimens have a hard black stone core instead, an adaptation less suitable for jewelry, and more resilient in battle.
The Farigah Desert where the first Staryu Fossil was found was actually a sea bed a long ago, before the climate crisis. Since it's discovery this century Staryu has shown a remarkable ability to regenerate.
Pair: N/A
Comments:
Shooting Star said:
I like the concept, I think the dulling of colors and the jewel becoming black and matte fits the general theme of the resurrection. But design wise it feels like it could be a shiny version of Staryu.
Perhaps having a more broken form (even more because it could help showcase the regeneration ability) or smaller changes to the silhoutte so it'd have a texture to the arms or more arms or something like that could help making the visual design a bit more unique.
Oh, this made me sad. Personally I think iStaryu losing its red core and it becoming a black core would have some effects on its psychic powers given it still keeps those, but nothing that would really take any points for you. I like everything about this, from Staryu becoming paler to represent it dried, to the way its PokéDex entries explain the reasons behind its extinction and how it affected its evolution. Really good job.
Well done everyone! My favorite has to be oxymorgon.
Regarding my submission, it is confusing. TBH, It doesn't make a lot of sense. However, what I'm trying to say is this is the version of RED and BLUE stripes basculin in the future. They died because they were too aggressive to rescue. However, some people managed to rescue some basculins. Those became white stripes, like in Hisui (They are gentler towards human). Back to the dying basculin, because they die in mass amount, their vengeful soul gathered in the dead body of RED and BLUE basculin. which is why the soul leaks through the head and jaws (decaying body). It's confusing. I should have stress that this is the RED and BLUE stipes basculin.
Glad you still like it! Thanks so much for hosting this event!
PS. A small request, if it's possible to make the post or the letter white in the spoiler? It's a bit difficult to read through.
To be honest, I was expecting to come in at the bottom, but this doesn't feel like a loss at all! I'm glad you loved Puriloid so much despite its shaky connection to the theme of the contest. And as for Shooting Star's comment that Iono could have a Fakémon like this, I did have Iono in mind when I was drawing Puriloid, so I'm glad you caught the reference there.
And to the rest, congratulations! You all did a great job! My favourites of this batch are Future Carbink and Snowchu, but all of them are good!
I like what the others did. Great job, you all! :D
Very disappointed in myself, though. The difference between "I'm under severe time pressure and quickly need to come up with something" from my first entry and "I have a lot of time so I really put in the effort" from my second entry ended up being so negligible. <_<
Ahhh, that one was a CSS interaction. I set the color to black because of the bright background but I forgot that spoilers go back to your theme colors and I use a light theme so I didn't catch the difference.
I can't set the color white because then it'll be unreadable on light themes but I'll try to see if I can get some CSS there to make the background light as well.
Just want to say, before I forget to post, I think everyone's ideas were really cool and it was a lot of fun coming up with fakemon. I have to say though, Puriloid is definitely my favourite concept. I think it's genius.
