Pokémon Nicknames: Delibird

Delibird (in Japanese: デリバード  or just pronounced “Delibird”) is an ICE and FLYING dual-type introduced in Pokémon Generation II. It does not evolve into or from any other Pokémon.

Delibird is the “Delivery Pokémon” which explains the “deli” part, in case you were thinking the corned-beef sandwiches kind of deli.

This Santa is packing some gifts for sure!

Delibird wears a Santa Clause outfit, and apparently has a feather beard. The beard is problematic for naming, as the male/female ratio is 50-50. There is some gremlin algorithm in my Sord and Shield games where the only Delibirds I encounter are female. When I do encounter a male, it always faints itself.

On the off chance I will encounter a male, I name it “Festivus” – after the made-up pseudo-Christmas holiday introduced in the TV Series Seinfeld.

With that extra bit of challenge, let me proceed with my favorite names for this Christmas bird.

“Santa Baby” is a good name for a female, as the song is best when sung by a woman.

I like to use “JustBearding” if I catch a female, as we can pretend that the beard is a fake. Note the term “beard” or “bearding”.

Thanks to this cosplay, I do not mind a female Delibird. I like to think that maybe I will receive something nice.

“New Deli” as a play on the name of the capital of India (New Delhi).

“Hello Deli” after the New York city delicatessen often featured on the old David Letterman show.

“N.D. Sack” which is a phrase you should always add to the end of ANY Chinese fortune cookie note.

“X-mas Bill” because you are going to be gifted with a lot of bills after Christmas!

Speaking of mail, another user suggested “Going Postal” as a name. You see, working at the US Post Office is so stressful that some workers have been known to freak out. They start shooting random people with automatic weapons instead of just sorting and delivering the mail. Hence the American saying “going postal”.

Here we are between Christmas and New Years … I suppose you could name it “Kwanza” except no one knows what the hell that is.

Sources:

https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/delibird

https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Delibird_(Pok%C3%A9mon)

https://www.deviantart.com/heatheraftercosplay/art/Delibird-Gijinka-04-344524553

Pokémon Nicknames: Phantump and Trevenant

Readers: I wrote this post while listening to Jethro Tull’s 1977 album “Songs from the Wood”. You can listen to the title track on YT linked here.

Phantump (in Japanese: ボクレー “Bokurei”) is the “Stump Pokeman” introduced in the Kalos Region Pokémon X and Y (Generation VI). Phantump is a Ghost and Grass dual-type. Phantump only evolves into Trevenant by trading, where it remains a Ghost/Grass type. Trevenant (in Japanese: オーロット  “Ohrot”) is the “Elder Tree Pokémon”.

This is all set to evolve when traded.

I like to give spooky, ghost, or death-themed names to Phantump. My favorite name is “The Departed” after the Martin Scorsese movie in which so many people joined the departed at the end. You can watch most of the deaths here. Yup, Everybody gets shot in the head … but I digress.

Alternatively, use “Depart Now” … as in a wish, or an order. I like to name a Phantump “Your Death” then send it out on Wondertrade. The other player gets a message “Denny sent over … Your Death”.

The name “Lost Limb” could refer to lonely tree limbs broken off after a storm or clear-cut. There is an actual medical phenomenon where people will feel “phantom pain” where a lost arm or leg used to be. Medical reference here. That’s pretty creepy, I know. Are there any other names for a dead appendage? “Deadwood” works even after evolution.

On a more playful and humorous note, you could name it “Stumpy” or “Peggy Stump” … or maybe just “Peggy” for the situation of … no, no don’t make me describe it!!! It gets worse, of course — so let’s not go there. Too perverted even for Denny’s jokes.

I also like to catch Phantump in a Dusk Ball, especially if I intend to evolve it.

I know what you are thinking: A good name for Trevenant is “TreeBeard” after the famous Lord of the Rings character. True, Tevenant is like those Ent tree herders, especially if you view their in-game description … From X: “It can control trees at will. It will trap people who harm the forest, so they can never leave.” From Y: “Using its roots as a nervous system, it controls the trees in the forest. It’s kind to the Pokémon that reside in its body.”  

A high-school friend of mine once named his green VW Mini-Bus “Treebeard”. Yeah there were a lot of ghosts and grass back then. I initially named Trevenant “Treevert” as a play on the joke name “preevert” which is a joke because that word is how some people read “pervert” … but I’ve lost interest in such things. Enough with the snarky nicknames …

Hmmm …. this tree wants to “frisk” you …

All kinds of “wood” names could be used I suppose — “Morningwood” for example. How about “Dendro” or “MyBro’Dendro“. This tree is not exactly a willow, but I can see this ghost as forever weeping about its wood gone to rot. Catch it in a Timer Ball, and then call it “Dendrology” after the science of tree rings.

Let me suggest a better name theme for Trevenant. My favorite to use is “Absinthe” after the intoxicating, hallucination-inducing alcoholic beverage that is banned in the USA. Absinthe is considered a “spirit” which is appropriate for a part Ghost-type. Another name for Absinthe is “La Fée Verte” — meaning “the green fairy”. A good name would be “Thujone” which is the chemical associated with the effects of the drink. Sometimes the plant is known as “Wormwood” — another suggested name choice.

There is a famous quotation related to the Absinthe drinking experience from Oscar Wilde:

 “After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were.

After the second, you see things as they are not.

Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.”

More of Oscar Wilde’s observations on the drink are linked here:

What is the name for your rotten and scary little woodstump? Please leave a cooment below:

Looks like there could be a stump here …

The usual references:

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

http://www.serebii.net/

http://pkmn.net/?action=rater

Pokémon Nicknames: Mareanie and Toxapex

“Alola cousins! Do you have time for one more walk down to the fishing hole? Just watch where you step.”

Mareanie (in Japanese: ヒドイデ “Hidoide”) is a Poison and Water dual-type Pokémon introduced in the Alola Region (Generation VII). Mareanie was one of the hardest Pokémon to catch in Sun and Moon. You had to fish for Corsola, then wait for the coral Pokémon to call for help.

Mareanie evolves into Toxapex (in Japanese: ドヒドイデ  “Dohidoide” ) starting at level 38, where it remains a Poison and Water dual-type. (Reference: Bulbapedia.)

Mareanie and Toxapex are modeled after poisonous sea urchins or spiny starfish. These echinoderms* are sea animals common in rocky inter-tidal pools.

My favorite name for Mareanie is “Poison Pen” after the phrase “poison pen letter”. Once upon a time (before the Internet) people would write and send letters to each other through the mail. A poison pen letter is a type of malicious hate mail sent to a recipient for the specific purpose of upsetting them. These letters were always sent anonymously. Sometimes a letter would be sent to a third party detailing how terrible another person is. No one writes anonymous poison pen letters anymore — as trolls have the anonymity of the Internet to malicious harass another. On that note, “Malicious” might be a good name for this poison-type.

Some Sea Urchins have venom, and many have sharp, prickly spines. Thus, “Spiny Norman” (after the Monty Python reference) may be a good name for a male.

Other, “prickly” names could be used, such as “Pin Cushion”. “AccuPuncher” after the Chinese “acupuncture” medical technique (which is actually supposed to rid you of toxins).

“Blue-Meanie” after the characters in the Yellow Submarine movie.

“Mean Gene” after the sports name given to anyone named Eugene.

After evolution, then … um … Toxapex?  (Denny scoffs) It sounds like a feminine hygiene product!

(insert cricket noises here)

Aw, come on … Don’t you get it – the name sounds like “Tampax” or “Kotex” … only toxic.

Nice.

You could probably just name it “Kotex” or perhaps “Toxic Shock” after the medical condition linked to super absorbent tampons.

If you want to make a snarky comment on the ongoing “Battle of the Sexes” you could name your male Toxapex “Masculinity” after that “toxic masculinity” phrase that sophomore sociology majors use to blame their own failures on. Conversely, you could name a female Toxapex “Feminism” after the “toxic feminism” encountered so often by frustrated STEM majors.

 

What is the name of your toxic little sticker? Please comment!

*See my post about the other echinoderm Pokemon Pyukumuku is linked here.

Pokémon Nicknames: Stunky and Skuntank

 

Stunky (in Japanese: スカンプー  “Skunpuu”) is a POISON and DARK dual-type introduced in Generation IV (Sinnoh Region). Stunky evolves into Skuntank (in Japanese: スカタンク “Skutank”) at level 34, where it is still a dual Poison and Dark type. Stunky and Stuntank are in the “Skunk Pokémon” category. (Reference: Bulbapedia.)

Skunk nicknames?… You have to think for a moment about “what kind of things stink?” then go from there.

“Pew-Research” is after the Pew Research Center. A well documented source of information.

If you want to name a skunk, then a good name is “Pepé” or “Le Pew” as in “Pepé Le Pew” the famous French skunk from the old Looney Tunes cartoons. I remember watching a number of these shorts when I was eight years old. The storyline was always the same. Pepé would arrive in a town, and at the same time a female black cat would encounter some type of accident involving white paint. The paint would drip or get rubbed down her back, so that the cat would look like a skunk. Then Pepé would see the lady “skunk” … rush over to her and start hugging and kissing her. The cat would resist the unwanted kisses, and then she would get a wiff of Pepé’s skunk-stink cloud. Then she would really, really struggle to get away. Pepé would continue kissing her, and telling her that he wanted to “take her away to the Casbah” with his French accent.  That’s how my generation learned our stereotypes — from Mel Blanc in Warner Bros. cartoons.  When I was eight years old, we didn’t see Pepé as a predator. We just thought it was funny that the cat smelled stinky-stink and wanted to get away. I don’t think they could make these cartoons today, as sexual harassment is not funny. The poor kitty. Hashtag Me Too.

Why the hell did he always want to take her away to the Casbah? I don’t think it would smell any better there.

I used “PooPooPeDoop” as a variant of the old “Betty Boop” phrase. Great in black and white. She sings a song with the “Boop Oop A Doop” line. This has been switched up and covered by many campy singers.

My eight-year old cartoon-watching friends and I always thought that she was signing about poop. That’s the thing about kids. Unlike sophisticated adults, little kids think that fart and poop jokes are hilariously funny. “PooPooPeeDo” is also the name of a kitty litter disposal system. “PullMyFinger” may result in a funny name. I have heard the term “Stinkfinger” — but I had to look what it meant. In The Urban Dictionary, “Stinkfinger” is defined as “The (usually) surreptitious action of savoring the pheromone laden evidence of digital exploration of the magical female orifice.” Ahem … well that led me to think of “Badfinger” — an early 1970s rock group.

What else might stink? I’m not laughing at “Vagisil“. It is an important product, and it is used in the world’s greatest real estate. The cream has inspired a number of funny memes however.

Some ladies like a black and white stripped hair color scheme. Not sure why it is popular — doesn’t it look like a skunk stripe? So maybe a name like “Stripes” or “Lucky Stripe” would fit? A good name for a female Stunky might be “Alexandra”. If you are a fan of “Archie” comics, you may know that Josie (of Josie and The PussyCats”) had a rival named Alexandra Cabot – who had one of those black and white skunk-striped hairdos. She was always stinking up the place for Josie.

My favorite nickname for Stunky is “Lil’Stinker”. If it evolves into Skuntank, then it could be “A-Big-Stink” as in the phrase: “they made a big stink about it”, meaning excessive complaining over something trivial. Unexpectedly smelling something stinky is not trivial however. “P.U.” … as in “StinkyCheese“. “Limburger” might be a good stink name.

When I was eight years old, my classmates and rarely used the word “fart”. It was always “stinker”. We would say “someone let a stinker” when someone passed gas. I never really thought about it too deeply, but a stinker had to be LET … as in it was allowed. The self and the stinker are perhaps one. The stinker has to be contained, and one chooses to “let” it loose. One has to have some understanding of the stinker coexisting, and building inside oneself. Eventually, the stinker surpasses the self, you come to accept the stinker – you let the stinker. Kind of Zen-Like when I think about it that way.

Skuntank could be re-worded to “Stun-Tank” because the little critter will certainly stun anything that gets shot by its stream of smelly spray. On that note I thought “FunkySpunk” would be a good name for Skuntank, after the Sex-and-the-City episode.

Yeah, I would think this was funny when I was eight. This Sinnoh Region skunk can learn “Flamethrower, so it should also be able to light the fart, then burn up the gas. Maybe it could use lighted farts as a special attack? One question: Why would the other Poison-types faint though? Back then you could not poison a poison type.

What do you call your little stinker? Please comment.

Pokémon Nicknames: Combee and Vespiquen

Pokémon Nicknames: Combee and Vespiquen

Combee (in Japanese: ミツハニー “Mitsuhoney”) is a dual-type Bug and Flying Pokémon introduced in the Sinnoh region – Generation IV. (Source: Bulbapedia). Combee is known as the “Tiny Bee Pokémon”.

Dawn told me she was going to “slather some honey” on my Sinnoh Region tree.

Only female Combee are able to evolve into the “Beehive Pokémon” Vespiquen (in Japanese: ビークイン “Beequen”) starting at level 21. It remains a Bug and Flying type. Male Combee do not evolve, or change into any known form.

Male Combee are just useless male drones I suppose. You could still level it up to 100, and give it some cool moves, but they are overall a weak Pokémon.  I like to name the male Combee “Buzz” related names, for example “Buzz Aldrin” or “A Good Buzz“.  I thought that “Son-of-a-Buzz” or “Sons of Buzz” was cool, the later reminding me of the TV show “Sons of Anarchy”. Consider “BuzzBuzzBuzz“,  just because. “DrumBassBone” after Jazz trios that utilize just a snare drum, stand-up bass, and trombone.

Male bees are termed “Drones”, so there are many “drone” variations to play with. “Drone Strike” after the popularity of using flying drones as weapons.

Did you see how the drone recognized the specific dummy by using its facial recognition programming, then only whacked the exact target? What could possibly go wrong? … and I digress. The Pokémon censor will not let you use the word “kill”, so you would have to make a variant, such as “Kilbot Drone“. What a “Buzzkill“. Ha, just use number ones in place of lowercase L. “GameOfDrones” just makes the 12 character limit.

Perhaps use something along the lines of “Bees-Whack” as a play on “Beeswax”. Mind your own beeswax. There are three of them, so names based on threes might be good. “Strike 3” from baseball. No, not “Three-Way” — I would not even want to think about that situation. How about “KingstonTrio” after the Kingston Trio perhaps.

“Aunt Bee” is a straightforward name for Vespiquen, that is if you are old enough to remember the old Andy Griffith Show. If you have seen the “Miraculous Ladybug” show, I suggest “Chloe” after the cartoon character.

The sound of the word “Vespiquen” resonates like “lesbian” so it may be fun to arrange various lesbian names, like “LezBeeQueen“. Which begs the question … “are lesbians fun”?  Well, it depends … do you mean the good kind of lesbians, or the sophomore sociology major type lesbians … and yes, I see that I have digressed once again …

“LezBeeFriend” just makes the 12 character limit. You could also annotate your little Combee trio of “LezBees” with the female symbols. You have to wonder what a “three way” of girl honeybees would look like.

Ha. For Baby-Boomers only: Remember: “The Honey Bees” episode from Gilligan’s Island?

I remember trading the Pokémon with a friend, so that when he received it, the screen would have said “Denny send over LezBeeFriend”. Ha. At least I remember that it was funny. A warning should be made however. It is one thing to make suggestive Pokemon names and share them with your friends. Do not send out such named Pokemon on the WonderTrade. It could be sent to a kid. Kids should not be exposed to such things. There are no kids allowed in the Over21 lounge for my 1962 Las Vegas stand-up comedy act.

Ahem … Queen bees are also known for controlling useless males with their pheromones. Vespiquen’s signature move is “Attack Order“. She calls out her Combee drones to pummel her opponent. The move has a high critical hit rate.

          “Yes, my Queen … I will obey …”

“Bee” advised for more names … You could probably use some of my previously suggested names for Beedrill linked here.

     Beedrill and Vespiquen make a “bee-utiful” couple.

“That might be a queen, but they ain’t no bee.”

What is the name of your honey gatherer? Please comment!

Pokémon Nicknames: Binacle and Barbaracle

Pokémon Nicknames:

Binacle (in Japanese: カメテテ “Kametete”) is a dual-type Rock and Water Pokémon native to the Kalos Region (Generation 6). Binacle is “bi” because it is two barnacles. It is a double headed Pokémon that evolves into Barbaracle at level 39. Barbaracle (in Japanese: ガメノデス “Gamenodes”) remains a Rock and Water dual- type at level 39.  (reference: Bulbapedia) However, the evolved form becomes more “single headed” but still “multi-handed”.

I always like to use the names of famous duos when naming them. “Laurel+Hardy”, “Burt-N-Ernie” or “Bruce+Dick”, etc for males. How about a movie reference like “TheTwoJakes“?

My favorite male Binacle name is “Ford-Dole’76“, after the losers of the 1976 U.S. presidential election.

Since Binacle is either male or female, you will have to choose famous team-ups of the same gender. For females, my favorite is “Patty/Selma” after the characters from The Simpsons.

The name “Salt-N-Peppa” always go together. Maybe the term “Honor+Offer” after my old Las Vegas lounge act. Binacle is also a “Bi” so you can have fun with binary computer code names, like “Zero and One“.

Be creative! You have 12 letters starting in the Kalos Region, thus you have room for combined names. You will have to add a “+” symbol as a substitute for “and” because Pokémon text does not have the “&” symbol. You can also use a “/” symbol to divide the names, especially if the names are nearly identical or opposites.

It might be a hoot to name Binacle “Laurel/Yanni” after the viral internet debate all the rage in early 2018. Some people heard “Laurel”, while others heard “Yanni” on the sound clip.

It was weird how people heard the exact same physical sound, yet interpreted it differently. Kind of like how women often hear things differently than reasonable people … huh heh  … um … er … but I digress …

If you let or make your Binacle Pokémon evolve, then the duo-names no longer fit. Barbaracle has only the one head, which is still shaped like a hand. It has four other hands, the top two of which have eyes, plus two feet which are also barnacle-hand shaped. It is hard to bridge that difference in appearance to a duo name, so you might change it at the Name Rater’s place.

“BarnacleBoy” was a character from from the SpongeBob show, but I don’t care for that name. Maybe “Big Barney” after the sandwich.

The name “High Five” might work, as the Pokémon has five hand appendages. I might suggest “HandyManny” after the kids cartoon program, or “HandJive” after the Johnny Otis 1950s rock and roll song. “All Hands” or “Roman Hands” may fit for an active hands Pokémon, as many women have had to put up with a date who becomes a little too forward with the hands. Perhaps “Tag Team” if you get the wrestling reference. How about “Mr. Shiva” for the multi-armed Hindu Deity? I named one “YeahYeahYeah” because love me do, I wanna hold your hand, she loves you. I finally settled on “Talk-2D-Hand” for my hyper-trained Barbaracle with outstanding stats.

What is the name of your barnacle duo? Do you have a handy nickname? Please comment.

Note: I apologize for the lack of cosplay models for this post. I tried a web search for “sexy barnacles” but all I found were pictures of clams.

Pokémon Nicknames: Ducklett and Swanna

Ducklett (in Japanese: コアルヒー ” Koaruhie”) is a Water and Flying dual type Pokémon. It was introduced in the Unova Region (Pokémon Black and White, or Generation V) in 2011. It evolves into  Swanna (in Japanese: スワンナ “Swanna” ) at level 35 where it remains a Water/Flying dual-type. Reference: Bulbapedia.

I envision that these two Unova waterfowl would like the lake environments of northeastern North America, the Unova Region being New York. I like to give male Ducklett names like “St. Lawrence” or “Hudson Bay”.  Any of the names of the Great Lakes would be a good name.  “Ontario” is my favorite male Ducklett name.  I also like Canadian references, “Toronto” for example.

I’m am not sure if I could ever get down from this duck! 

Ha! Other duck jokes are linked here. “Quebec” or “Quebec Quack” are good sounding duck names. (I can almost hear in my mind’s ear those quacking sounds. Make that — French quacking sounds.) These names are based on “Quebecois” or Québécois — the name for French Canadian nationalists who want Quebec Province to gain independence from Canada. “Le Duc” or “Frenchie” may be interesting names. “Niagara” is named after the famous waterfalls American newlyweds go to. “Adirondack” after the mountain and lake region in upstate New York which is a great source of drinking water for NY.

A Pokémon duck could be named “Duck-Duck-Go“, after the search engine. Users are moving to Duck-Duck-Go because they are tired of Google’s censoring of ideas, and the burying of articles which are counter to Google’s corporate narrative. Just ask James Damore .

You may think of your own “lake” names for these waterfowl.  Famous lake names like “Titicaca” are amusing. I wanted to name one after the “Lady of the Lake” from the King Author legend, but there are not enough spaces.

Everyone know the tale of the “Ugly Duckling” who grew up to be a beautiful swan. So that means the duck in the story was really not a duck. A young Swan somehow got mixed in with duck eggs? Or maybe a mother Swan on somebody’s farm died, and a farmer put the Swan egg in with a mother Duck’s eggs. The poor bird, thought it was abnormal, grew up a troubled youth, when in fact it was actually superior to the other fowl. Lesson learned. Some people do better as adults.

I can see how there is a 50-50 ratio of Male-Female Ducklett, but I think that Swanna looks female by default. I prefer a female Swanna, as it has those two blue breast plates. They look like bra cups … which would not look right on male waterfowl. I like a Swanna to have a high Special Attack stat, and teach it moves like Air Cutter, Scald or   Ice Beam. The animation kinda looks like the beam is coming out of the breast plates. This reminds me that maybe a male could shoot out a beam, if he were using special “Power Pasties”.  What are power pasties you ask? Well obviously you are not familiar with the famous scene from the cult film “Flesh Gordon”. Oh, the seventies … and I digress.

“Swanee” could be a name after the song “Way Down Upon The Swanee River” which was often sung in minstrel shows. You have to take that in a historical context. The actual name of the real river is spelled “Suwanee” after the American Indians who lived there.

Of course, “Swan Lake” is a great name, after the famous Tchaikovsky ballet.

You might think of “Black Swan” after the movie.

The shiny version of Swanna is purple, not black however.

You may also want to consider other “duck” names I have used for waterfowl Pokémon. Please see my links here for Psyduck and Farfetch’d.

What is the name for your lucky-duck-turns-into-swan transformation? Please comment!

Pokémon Nicknames: Crabrawler and Crabominable

Alola cousins! After a hard day of battles and trials, the last thing you would want is to have your dinner fight you back!

Crabrawler (in Japanese: マケンカニ  “Makenkani”) is a FIGHTING-type Pokémon introduced in Alola. (Reference: Bilbapedia) You often encounter a Crabrawler when you try to pick up the cache of berries near certain palm trees. The Crabrawler jumps up, because you are messing with his lunch …

… but the trick is on him, as you can make this crab YOUR lunch!

Crabrawler has a very special evolution. This Gen Seven crab evolves into Crabominable (in Japanese: ケケンカニ  “Kekenkani”) only when leveled up at Mount Lanakila.

It then becomes a FIGHTING and ICE dual type. Ice makes sense – as Snowcrabs are a popular seafood. Crabonimable is likely named after the “abominable snowman” of Yeti legend I guess.

My favorite Crabrawler name is “The Bouncer” after “Benny the Bouncer” a song by Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It is the tale of a fearsome pub bouncer who finally meets his end. A YourTube user has posted a nice annotated version of it here.

The song is a departure from other ELP progressive-rock songs … ahem …  as it is short by prog rocker standards for one thing … plus Greg Lake sings it in a Cockney accent. Here let me ‘ave a go at my Cockney accent:

Denny: “Sidney grabbed a ‘achet … buried it in Benny’s ‘ead”.

I know what you are thinking: “Denny, how did you learn to imitate the British Cockney dialect so well?” My answer: Andy Capp comic strips. ‘

‘ello gov’nah!  Sure. I can see how Crabrawler could be a rough-and-tumble, rugby-playing, Guinness-slurping, pub bloke. Quick to fight, but also likely to have a beer and a game of darts with you after.

I suggest using “punch” based nicknames. Crabrawler has the “Iron Fist” ability which powers up punching moves.

I’ve used “BubblesLaRue” for females. “Crab Roux” makes a good lunch. The unfertilized eggs of a crab are called “roe“, which is considered a delicacy like caviar. So you can name it “Crab Roe“, or even “Roe Wade”, which would always causes a good fight. “Punch-N-Judy” after the famous puppet show “Punch and Judy”. “Punchline” after the good part of a joke. I think that this Alola Pokémon might be asked “How about a Hawaiian Punch”?

“Raging Crab” or some derivation — after the boxing movie “Raging Bull”. “Let’s Dance” after the David Bowie song, and the euphemism for “Let’s fight”.

“Cruisin’” as in the expression “You are Cruising for a bruising!”.

“The Contender” is a classy reference  – after Marlon Brando’s famous line in “Requiem for a Heavyweight” … “I coulda been a CONTENDER! … now I’m just a bum.” Yes, we mediocrities always think about what coulda been – had we lived up to our potential. “Palooka” is another name used there by Brando referring to washed-up boxers.

Some players use “Rocky” movie themed names. Crabrawler has this one beat-up eye, and does looks a little like Sylvester Stallone saying “Yo Adrian”.

You can use other crab or crustacean names I have previously suggested for other Pokémon.  Here is hoping that my names will lead you to create your own crab-like names

… please comment!

Pokémon Nicknames: Pyukumuku

“you can’t beat death  but you can beat death in life, sometimes.”

“Alola cousins!” Have you seen that new Pokémon on the beach?

Pyukumuku (in Japanese: ナマコブシ  “Namakobushi” ) is a Water-type Pokémon of the Alola Region. It has no known evolution. (The Bulbapedia reference page for Pyukumuku is linked here).

Pyukumuku’s name already sounds somewhat Japanese, or even Hawaiian. This new Pokémon is based on real-life “sea cucumbers” a type of echinoderm (which are sea animals related to starfish).

The sound (or “cry”) it makes is “Puke … Muke”.

This is appropriate because one of Pyukumuku’s abilities is “Innards Out”. When Pyukumuku faints in battle, it expels its inner organs. This move will deal damage to the opponent “equal to the amount of HP it had left before last being hit.” (from Bulbapedia)

This defensive strategy is very similar to real sea cucumbers, which when disturbed by a predator, will “spill its guts” out. Now how this would be is an evolutionary adaptation for the echinoderm, I do not quite understand. However, these creatures do have an extreme capacity to regenerate injured or missing parts. It is probably not a big deal for the sea cucumber to (literally) blow guts.  It will just grow more. The expelled filaments are said to be sticky and toxic, so I guess any predator would just get disgusted and leave. See video link here.

One time while out on a college marine biology field trip, our group happened upon a sea cucumber trapped in a rocky inter-tidal pool. This one chick ran over and squealed “I want to do it” … but too late, the Prof had already squeezed it first. She was disappointed and angry that she was not able to squeeze the life juices out of a pulsating cucumber. Looking back, I have to wonder about that chick, and what type of psycho-sexual urges she had … and yes, I see that I digress once again.

Maybe “Joy Explosion” for female Pyukumuku?

Some players might nickname Pyukumuku “puke” type names. I can’t say that  I have many suggestions that would fit this echinoderm. Perhaps “Air Lunch”, “Wolf Cookie”  or “Blow Chuck” are representative examples. How could you not name one “Ralph“? I didn’t think too hard about this, as these are all euphemisms for … well … you know … which reminds me again of my drunken college Biology-majoring years.

Now if we could consider a completely different phylum of animal, you might name a Pyukumuku “Afterbirth” or “Born Again”. When Pyukumuku expels its own innards it does remind us of the afterbirth which comes out of all female mammals after birthing their young. Thus, “Placenta” might be another name on this theme.  

Sometimes a Christian friend of mine would say that they became “Born Again” when they accepted their religion. I always would reply “Wow, you must have left a really big afterbirth!” (You see, I was a very sarcastic …  and troubled young college student.)

Human placenta from just after birth with the umbilical cord in place. “Ye will be born again …”

Ladies … Ahem … something else to consider; all mammals eat their own placenta after giving birth. The afterbirth contains a lot of nutrients which are needed by the young ones, and these minerals and antibodies will be transferred trough your milk of human kindness.  (Cough.) Just sayin’ … who am I to argue with millions of years of mammalian evolutionary adaptation … and yes, I digress once again.

You could try various “Squishy” names. A good name might be “Squanchy” or “Squanching” after the Rick and Morty character and act.

My FAVORITE nickname for Pyukumuku is “Bukowski” after the famous American poet Charles Bukowski.  When asked how to pronounce his name, the late writer would reply “ It is BUKE –owski … it rhymes with PUKE …”.  See time 1:45 on this YT video linked here. 

The late Mr. Bukowski (1920 – 1994) was popular with the American “counterculture” of the 1970s and beyond. He was published in The New Yorker magazine. He was published in Hustler magazine.

From Wikipedia: “Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over 60 books. The FBI kept a file on him as a result of his column, Notes of a Dirty Old Man, in the LA underground newspaper Open City”.

His semi-fictional autobiography “Barfly” was made into a movie starring Mickey Rourke (the trailer is linked here.)

Ahem. (Denny get uncharacteristically serious for a moment): 

Dear friends, I would like to share some of Charles Bukowski’s poetry posted on YouTube linked here … as long as these things might last before being taken down for some reason.  My FAVORITE Bukowski poem is “The Laughing Heart”.  Just to be sure the words last, in case the video is blocked, let me post the original Bukowski-typed page. Just for you, dear heart.

You might also enjoy this version read by singer Tom Waits (linked here).

“Innards Out” my friends … my innards are now out.