Pokémon Nicknames: Bruxish

Alola cousins! (Denny imitating Professor Kukui): “Have you tried the fish tacos?”

Bruxish (in Japanese: ハギギシリ “Hagigishiri” is a Water and Psychic dual type. Thus far, there are no known evolutionary forms. It is given “Gnash Teeth” as its Pokémon category. Gnash teeth? I can hear Mrs. Sinnoh’s teeth gnashing whenever I am playing Pokémon and I’m supposed to be doing chores and home repair.

I was excited and very interested to see this new Alola region Pokémon. It looks weird, and maybe a little unnatural, but that is what I like about it. Some Pokémon resemble their real animal counterparts a little too much. Bruxish is based on a real life Hawaiian Reef Triggerfish. Bruxish’s wild psychedelic coloration also remind me of a real-life Parrotfish as well. Bruxish’s body is more “head-shaped” than fish-shaped it seems. Its mouth reminds me of the Kissing Fish, and and the sharp teeth remind me of a Piranha.

Bruxish has an odd flower-like protuberance on the top of its head. It is this organ which is the source of its psychic power. Bruxish’s full biology is described at the Bulbapedia site linked here.

My old hippie friend thinks that you should catch this fish, dry-cure the protuberance – then SMOKE IT for a really mellow buzz. I disagree. I am anti-drugs for one thing, plus I think that Poké-animals should be treated a little more kosher. They are spiritual beings, and they should not exist merely to be over-harvested, or in order to make us feel good about ourselves… but I digress.

I used my psychic powers to nab this fish.

I nicknamed a female Bruxish with “Outstanding” potential “Kiss-Me-Kate” after the famous musical of the same name. Here is a song from the movie version. My Kiss-Me-Kate is a ladyfish with the “Strong Jaw” ability, which enhances her “biting” moves. “Psychic Fangs” is her signature move.

I named another “RazzleDazzel” because the fish’s coloration may dazzle opponents. It has the “Dazzling” ability, which surprises the enemy and makes the opponents’ “priority moves” useless.

You could name these fish after famous impressionist artists – “Picassofish” after the painter. I think that “Matisse” would be a good arty name, and would work for males or females. You can think of your favorite artist. I named one “ColorMeGone” after the alt-rock group. You may like “ColorMeBad” rather.

Haruka also suggested the name “Fish Taco” I don’t know why.

I named one toothy fish “Britishsmiles” after an episode of “The Simpsons”. Ralph Wiggims was wary of going to a dentist, and lied about brushing his teeth regularly. The dentist pulled out a photo book titled “The Big Book of British Smiles”. The joke being this book would scare children into taking care of their teeth, so that they would not end up looking like a Cockney prostitute. That humorous clip is LINKED HERE.

Also along the British theme, I named a Bruxish “Brexit” because I just thought the fit the fish. It will beat you, then exit. Of course, the real Brexit will never happen, as Britain’s central government does not want the U.K. to leave the EU and will delay the process until it can be voted down in another election. … and yes, I do digress again …

The hippie movement and psychedelia thing could be mined for more “SummerOfLove” and other groovy names.”Love + Peace” for example. If only there were some way to get this HKT48 song piped into the White House and the Kremlin at the same time.

Some other names I might suggest, but have not used yet include:

“Humuhumu” would be a great (shortened) name for the real triggerfish’s Hawaiian name:  “humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa”. 

The song is LINKED HERE.

“Trig” as Bruxish resembles a trigger-fish, although that name sounds a little too macho for such a gay-colored fish.

Um … I think this was a translation error from the original Japanese Sun Moon anime.

“Dragqueen” due to its lip coloration, and arguably the fish resembles a guy wearing makeup. Covered with makeup, but you can still tell it is a guy. They are pretty good about not gnashing there their teeth though. Ahem … you should see what types of images dirty-minded people are posting about Bruxish on Tumblr … and yes, I digress again.

You have to watch how you pet these Snapper-fish.

“Headshop” due to its shape, and its psychedelic coloration. “Bad Acid” as in the quote “remember the time you took that bad acid, and you got up on top of the roof, and said that you were Jesus Christ and that you could fly?”

What … wait … Fish tacos? You mean those are really real, Haruka ? … I always thought “Fish Taco” was just a euphemism.

What is the name of your Psychic Fish? Please comment!

Pokémon Nicknames: Wingull and Pelipper

All photo credit goes to my little buddy.

Wingull (in Japanese: キャモメ “Camome”) is a WATER and FLYING dual-type Pokémon. Wingull evolves into Pelipper (in Japanese: ペリッパー  “Pelipper”) when raised to level 25, where it remains a  WATER and FLYING dual-type.

Credit goes to the artist (Whatshername).

Among my favorite names for Wingull are “Jonathan” or “Livingston” after the philosophical book (and later movie) by Richard Bach called “Jonathan Livingston Seagull.”  Trailer linked here. 

Sure it was thought provoking.  I read it and thought — “What? .. he what? … you wanna what?”

Follow your heart —  link here.

“The gull sees farthest who flies highest” ― Richard Bach, Jonathan Livingston Seagull

I also like to name them “Top Gun” (and also use the star-symbol), after the 1980s movie of the same name. Wingull usually knows “Water Gun” which is one of the cutest Pokémon moves, although I eventually replace it with stronger moves like “Water Pulse” or “Scald”. I put one out on the Wondertrade named “She Squirts”.

I also used the names for coastal places where there are a lot of seabirds. A good name for Wingull is “Nantucket” after the island and the famous dirty limerick.

If you are a student of American comedy history, you can appreciate the names “Gertrude” and “Heathcliff” after the famous comedy bit by the late-great comedy legend Red Skelton.

Another possible Wingull name is “MineMineMine” which was what the seagulls were calling in the movie “Finding Nemo“.

I have named Pelipper “Skipper” after the Skipper from the Giligan’s Island TV show. Once I went on a theme-naming spree, and named Pelipper “Alan Hale”. You could make a Double-Battle team with a Pelipper  and a Wingull named “The Skipper” and “Little Buddy”. Of course, your opponent would have to be familiar with that 1960s TV show.

A good name for a male Pelipper would be “Charleston” after the beautiful South Carolina city. You may want to use other coastal names where pelicans live. Perhaps “Carolina” or “Myrtle” after the staes or the town of Myrtyle Beach.

A name that would work fro female Wingull/Pelipper is “Gullah” the name of the dialect spoken by the African-American residents of the “Sea Islands” region of Georgia. The dialect was preserved due to the island’s relative isolation from the rest of Georgia.

Credit goes to the original Gullah region painter.

The people who speak the dialect are sometimes referred to as “Geechee” – but be careful – the word has been used as derogatory slur. You might use this Pokemon name, but do so only to honor the unique historical culture of the region.

See you in Charleston, Gullah!

Pokémon Nicknames: Swablu and Altaria

Swablu (in Japanese: チルット  “Tyltto”) is a dual Normal-Flying type Pokémon. It is termed the “Cotton-Bird” Pokémon.

Swablu evolves into Altaria (in Japanese: チルタリス  “Tyltalis”) at level 35, where it becomes a Dragon-Flying dual type, and is dubbed the “Humming Pokémon”. (Humming? … What?)

Altaria can Mega Evolve into Mega Altaria using the Altarianite.

Although Swablu is a “cotton” Pokémon, its wings resemble clouds. Fair weather cumulus clouds are often described as having a cotton-ball appearance. This flying-type would appear to be able to mingle amongst the puffy convective clouds. I often give Swablu and/or Altaria  a cloud type name … but more on that later. Enjoy this Swablu cosplay for now …

The “blu” in Sawblu coordinates with its “sky-blue” color. This sky-blu color is sometimes called “Tar Heel blue” as this shade of light blue is the official color of The University of North Carolina. Thus I have named them “Tar Heel” and “Go Blu”.

I sometimes have my head in the clouds.

Female Swablu could be aptly named “Carolina”. Perhaps even “NC” after the famous UNC logo.

Perhaps “Kitty Hawk” would be a good name for a flying type, as it was the North Carolina beach (seen above) where the Wright Brothers first flew!

In general I like to name Swablu and Altaria after cloud types, such as “Cumulus”, “Cirrus”, “Stratus”, “Nimbus”, “Nimbostratus”, etc.

The mega-evolved Altaria looks like an imposing Cumulonimbus (which just makes it in at twelve letters.) Perhaps you could think of other sky/storm related names – “Hailbringer” for example.

Wouldn’t it be cool if Altaria could change its nickname when it mega-evolves? It would be cool if its name could change from cumulus to cumulonimbus as it grew into an intimidating thunderstorm! … what? … oh … you’re not a “weather-geek” you say? Perhaps you will enjoy this Altaria cosplay:

The Japanese-game name Tyltalis is appropriate for a dragon-type. It comes from the old name “Tyl”. This was the traditional name for Epsilon Draconis, a star in the constellation of Draco the Dragon. Thus, you could use the nickname “Epsilon” if you are an “astronomy-geek”!

If you are more of a “computer-geek”, then you might prefer the name “Altair 8800”, which was  released in 1975 as (ahem … cough) … the “first personal computer”.

Yes, it was a personal computer. Even though it did not have a monitor, keyboard, mouse, operating system, or software.  … what good was it for then? Humming?

Maybe try the name “I-Cloud” if you like Apple products.

Names I liked from users on the Name Rater site are Azure, Cloud 9, Cloud Nine, Nubes Arem for Altaria and Q-Tip for Swablu. I also noticed that several cloud names were also submitted … to be insulted …  you know how the name rater is!

What is the name of your Tar-Heel blue-color Pokémon? Please comment!

References:

http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.serebii.net/

KIMONOS ON MONDAY: I am still drawn to Yui Yokoyama!

… and who wouldn’t be? Actually this is a DRAWING of the lovely Yuihan wearing a kimono. The original drawing is by Rodolfo Cortez. You can view more of his drawings — AKB and otherwise — on his web page linked here. Yokoyama-san has very intense eyes. Do you think that he did a good job of capturing their intensity? I also like that little “48” clasp he drew on the kimono.

There are also some great paintings of Yui Yokoyama in kimono in her first photo book released earlier this year. The artist is Japanese painter  Yasunari Ikenaga. The photo books are mostly photographs, but there is this nice little part of about her making this kimono painting.

Here is Yui lying down on the kimono pattern, to see how it looks with her.

This is her kimono (yukata actually) that the painting is based on. Note the floral pattern and the obi-sash pattern below was used in the painting.

Guess what my favorite part of this photo is!

Here is the basic drawing before color painting.

I would have to say that the picture turned out well.

I sure would have to have this Yui panel in my tea room! It looks like Ms. Yokoyama also approves of the art …

I am probably even easier to please than Yuihan.

Even her painting is INTENSE!

The photobook is available from CD Japan linked here.

It only costs $12 … Gulp … so why can’t I have one?. (There is also a DVD-Blu-Ray photobook if you have a Japanese player.)

Starlight: The photobook was released February 2015.

Well, Lewis Carroll is probably doing SOMETHING in his grave …

Image

I am starting to like the HKT48 a lot!. HKT48 stands for “Hakata” 48, as the group performs in their own HKT48 Theater in the Hawks Town Mall located in Hakata ward of Fukuoka, Japan. When I think HKT however, I think GO HAWKSTOWN!  HKT48 is centered/managed by (the somewhat older) Rino Sashihara. Now, why Sashi is in Hawks Town is … ahem … another story, but let’s just say that I am glad that they put this Irishwoman in charge. (What, she’s an O’Hara, right?)

The HKT48 are a lot of fun, and they have a lot of youthful energy! They remind me of AKB48 when the original members were first starting out years ago. They are always so happy and enthusiastic when they do their dances in their pretty outfits. I super-love their single “12 Seconds”. There is a great music video for it, but for right now, let’s view a live performance in 1080 HD!

I think that 12 Byou is a cool, rockin’ power-pop song. I especially love the uniforms that they use for the MV and for this dance. Haruka Kodama is amazingly pretty … and did you see those CUTE SOCKS?

You are killing me with those socks Haruppi!

I hope yourtube does not remove it, because I want to watch this PV all summer. Just in case, I downloaded the MP4 and played it on my PS3 USB, where it looks PDQ on the IT.

The more I watch HKT48, the more I like them! I also like some of those “kick” moves that they put into the dance. See time 2:00 — I actually make those same knee-kicks like that whenever my leg goes to sleep, or if I have a really bad “Charley Horse“! Thanks, young ladies, for showing me how to stay limber.

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Now for the music video: The HKT48 girls go “down the rabbit hole” and become part of Lewis Carroll‘s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland“. It is a lot of fun, and the sets look great. Unfortunately YouTube only has the “preview” version of the official MV, but you can find the full version out there if you know where to look.

I was able to find it on Jpopsuki website, but you have to wait a long time for it to load. Watch in a new window on Jpopsuki linked here.

Alternatively you could watch it in a new window on Voz48.com linked here. Much less loading time.  What a Lolita-styled beauty is the “Alice” here!

If all else fails, you can go with YouTube, but the company will only let me show you the preview. Dag-nabbit wabbit, it still sounds and looks so inspiring I’m interested in both the fine literature AND the pretty skirts!

The “Alice in Wonderland” theme here gives rise to the speculative question:

Was noted British author Lewis Carroll a pedophile? (Note: “Lewis Carroll” was the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson.) It is commonly known that the author based the “Alice” in his books on Alice Liddell, his neighbor, and the daughter of his church leader. It is well documented that he had a friendly relationship with Alice and her family, however the extent of their relationship has given rise to some speculation. (Link here.)

Denny turns his bar stool to face the reader: Look, regarding these famous writers and your English majors, scholarly professors and the like — they all go one of two ways: Either they are 1) a total “fruit salad” and thus are harmless to women, or 2) they are lecherous serial womanizers that think they are above common decency.  … but I digress.

Furthermore, a British documentary produced earlier this year investigates the relationship between Carroll, Alice and her other young sisters. They conclude that although Carroll was obsessed with the young girl, he was too “repressed” by his religion and conscience to act upon it. There is evidence that he took photographs of Alice and her sisters, but they were NOT sexualized images. Researchers uncovered an old photograph of Carroll and Alice in an embrace however. I will NOT show that photograph here, but it is available on a Pinterest page linked here. It is argued that the photo has been faked in order to diminish the author. There is no evidence that the late Mr. Dodgson ever had an inappropriate relationship with any child.

Ok, that being said, I think that Lewis Carroll would have approved of HKT48 and how they bring his concepts to life! I think he would also enjoy these performances.  Here is another PV of the “12 seconds” single: Enjoy the silky pastel colors version in 1080 HD!

Before I go, here is a rockin’ instrumental version with guitar by YouTube user Arif Hadianto.

“Party on Garth!!!” 

Starlight: You would have traveled 2,232,000 miles if you were going at the speed of light!