I think the Trainer Card article could use some expansion. For example, it mentions an exam, but not what the exam is.

Made the changes to my article and i'll see if i can think up anything else over the weekend but feel free to post any suggestions here or PM me.

Also i should mention that i put in the part about it being illegal to let Joltik breed with anything larger than 1.2m because to me doing so would fall into animal cruelty areas.

Well the only canon we have is that it consist of a half-a day seminar◊. However additional schooling can be done in exchange for Gym Badges.

edited 1st Dec '11 7:33:19 PM by JusticeMan

I'm gonna suggest not using "The Ultimate Test"'s instant-admission-to-League badge; there may well be mechanisms for entering the yearly tournament without traveling the whole region meanwhile, for the benefit of older trainers tied down by jobs and such, but they'll still require a comparable level of training and battling effort. (Maybe, say, Gym trainers can battle their local Leader for all 8 badge levels.)

Seems like a nice analogy to guys setting officer jobs int the military right out of college. The idea that theoretical learning= combat experience seems to be a real world constant.

Also will we be using G5's 3:1 Game to IRL time for articles? I really liked that about it.

Oh and check this out, we got scooped again. :D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5OGS9_v0nA

edited 1st Dec '11 8:31:36 PM by JusticeMan

Officers aren't expected to physically fight enlisted soldiers, though.

A better analogy might be pro sports teams... then again, I guess those don't really offer any leeway to more casual players...

Hmm. At this hour, I can't think of anything in our world that's really a good parallel to Pokémon Training. The presence of Pokémon really would have significant reverberations throughout human culture.

As for time, at the moment I see no real need to say how long months/years are. It's common knowedge to the in-universe reader, and ambiguous enough across the fourth wall.

edited 1st Dec '11 11:15:32 PM by Tangent128

Still no reply from Pata Hikari on Arceus... gonna reclaim Tornadus now until I get a response.

EDIT: Though I looked up the latest anime episode (BW 059)... It could be a nice reference for the "In Human Culture" sections, since it deals with how superhero-type vigilantes fit in the Pokemon wold. (The whole episode was one big Kamen Rider tribute... despite the lack of Bisharp.)

edited 2nd Dec '11 11:29:04 AM by Umbramatic

If anyone can think of a better description of how the ability Unnerve works than I've got in my Joltik line article I would much appreciate the assistance because personally i think it could be better. Feel free to message me or post it here if you've got something and I'll add what i feel is good.

Considering the japanese name ("Tension") and the fact that eating one's own berry is a voluntary function (GaSS for the gameplay mechanic notwithstanding), I'd say Unnerve is an ability that is both behavioural and physiological and its function (and effectiveness) is based largely on shock value.

Pokémon who have it could have patterns, designs or demeanors that are both eminently predatory but also designed to attract the foe's attention away from their own ability to respond, perhaps even instinctively. It could work like a very advanced trigger of tharnness, actually.

So I'd say the overall way you present the Ability might work. I'd have to read other entries using the ability (one of which I'll have to write myself, for Masquerain) to see how sensible it is in a world of sentient "animals".

Sounds like a good explanation. Also as far as i could see my Joltik line is the first one that can have Unnerve for an ability but i may have missed one.

Tracer's revision of the Larvitar article has a description of Unnerve.

Cant we just say it's weaponized crepiness?

I just looked at the Magikarp article and it is TINY. Does anybody know who wrote it so I could contact them?

In other news, I went back and revised Litwick again to mention Chandelure's huge Sp. Atk and the line's abilities.

Morphs [Oak Catalog #]/[Juniper Catalog #]

• Litwick [607]/[113]
• Lampent [608]/[114]
• Chandelure [609]/[115]

Litwick is a short, half-melted candle with yellow eyes. Despite no presence of a wick, its flame burns with a flickering purple light and consumes energy, emotions, and other sensations from living things near it. Although Litwick are capable of forming mouths, they are primarily used for vocalization. Like other ghost Pokemon, Litwick is capable of manipulating its body, and can be found in many different shapes.

Lampent bears an image similar to that of an old-fashioned lamp. Lampent’s glassy face shields its inner fire from being extinguished, and a small vent in the cover over its head provides it with air. The ghostly arms extending from Lampent’s body allow it to hold itself on objects, leading some communities to employ tame Lampent to act as streetlights.

Chandelure is a medium size chandelier-shaped Pokemon with an appearance similar to Lampent. After evolving, Chandelure retains its globe-shaped glass head, but the covering above it is gone, leaving its flame to rise freely into the air. From the bottom of the globe extend two metallic bands, which curve upwards to about the level of Chandelure’s eyes. From each of these grows two candle holders, from which Chandelure releases flames for offense and protection.

Notable Biology

Litwick’s body appears to be made almost entirely from wax, existing as a massive non-lipid germinal epithelium, with fatty wax cells being stored to power its metabolism. X-ray equipment has been able to take images of Litwick’s body, which seem to show that it does have some form of internal organs made out of other waxy substances. Despite being seen to come into contact with solid surfaces, Litwick have occasionally been sighted floating through walls, which suggests that like other Ghost-type Pokemon, Litwick has some control over its molecules, so it is at least partially formed of umbrate. The Litwick line is notable in being one of the few known carbon-based life forms to have their cellular structure be primarily ester-sterol rather than the lipid based structure of most beings; this is hypothesized to be the result of the evolution of a proto-epilobia like creature (the Common Ancestor of the Indeterminate Pokemon) within a pool of high wax content, akin to the modern development of the Grimer. One of the most notable aspects of the line is that they are psychiphagic; while the Litwick may ingest the occasional raw minerals to build up its silicate shell, the primary chemical reaction that drives its biology must be fueled by the life energy provided by most life forms. Litwick break down local minerals to form a buildup of ore within their bodies in a long internal “wick” with which they digest the ambient electromagnetism of various creatures. The product of this metabolism, a constant purple-blue flame, is one of the hallmarks of the line and its glow has been adapted by years of evolution as a lure and a weapon, and also seems to contain the Litwick’s brain. As it matures, Litwick will develop protective glass shells and metallic arms for self-defense, with its original waxy body hidden inside, causing it to evolve into a Lampent. When significant amounts of certain type of ore, found only in Dusk Stones, have developed within its central spire, a Lampent will process them into a larger external shell made of organic glass and an organic metal system of capillaries, allowing better manipulation of the internal flame.

Habitat

Litwick frequently live in places with large amounts of Psychic Pokemon, as these provide large volumes of food. Due to worldwide hunting efforts due to their negative image the only known stable population of Litwick exist within Celestial Tower in the Unova region. Other Litwick, Lampent, and Chandelure can be occasionally found in the wild, but these lead solitary lives and live in environments inhospitable to most life-forms in order to more easily kill and feed on their prey.

Diet

Although it has a mouth, Litwick does not actually eat physical food. The line is exclusively psychiphagous in the early stages of its life, using the neurological energy of other life forms to feed its eternal combustion, a necessary feature for its unique structure. Although they can absorb energy from living creatures, Litwick are more suited to feeding on the recently dead, as they cannot fend off an attack. Litwick also use their lights to lure people and wild Pokemon to death in order to absorb the energy of the dying souls.

Like Litwick, Lampent absorbs energy from the living. Thus they become scavengers; unlike the juvenile form, Lampent follow those who are about to die, having adapted to absorb larger quantities of energy from them more easily than from healthy individuals. Because of this, Lampent often hang onto buildings pretending to be lamps in order to more easily find prey.

Because Chandelure are rarely sighted in the wild, there have been few opportunities to examine them. Based on the behavior of captive specimens, Chandelure appear to have a diet similar to Litwick and Lampent. However, most Chandelure are capable of draining far more energy than either of its pre-evolutions, and can easily feed on fully healthy hosts. If any living thing becomes immersed a Chandelure’s central flame, almost all of its life force will be transferred to the predator, leaving a barely animate and intelligence lacking body behind. This has lead to many stories of creatures called 'zombies' attacking towns and attempting to eat the inhabitants. Because Chandelure require immense quantities of energy to sustain their abilities, they often also drain energy from nonliving parts of their environments in the form of heat. This is all that makes it feasible for them to expend large amounts of energy for attack and defense, so Chandelure in colder environments eventually become unable to use more powerful abilities.

Behavior

Litwick is known for its habit of leading lost people into dangerous and often deadly situations by imitating human lighting in areas that are not safe for humans. It is commonly theorized that this behavior is due to Litwick not being mature enough to drain enough energy for survival from a living host, and thus attempts to cause deaths for it to feed upon. This may also have led to legends of Litwick leading dead souls to the afterlife, although it is more likely that Litwick actually absorbs the dead souls instead.

Upon evolving into Lampent, it appears to gain the ability to sense when death is about to occur. It will often follow a person whose death it senses is near, siphoning off small volumes of energy from the target until their death. If a Lampent is following you for no apparent reason, don’t panic, but remain alert and seek medical assistance. This trickery has led to widespread mistrust of this Pokemon and many superstitions linking it and misfortune. However, in some cultures Trainers who own a Lampent are considered lucky, as they can save trainers that they like from accidents; but it is a bad idea for trainers to mistreat Lampent as they may intentionally lead those they hate into harm.

Of the few Chandelure observed in the wild, almost all live in rocky, dry areas. Little is known about their patterns of behavior, as it is impossible for researchers to get close without the Chandelure becoming aware of their presence and attacking. The only fact known to be completely true is that wild Chandelure are very territorial and will attempt to feed on anything that enters its area.

Hazards

As the line is inherently psychiphagous, be sure to prevent your Litwick, Lampent, or Chandelure from feeding on other members of your party. As overfeeding is the number one causes of death around Litwick, it is suggested that Trainers purchase a radio-based Artificial Soul Substitute machine instead; foraging for natural silicates is also encouraged. Once it has developed into a Lampent, your Pokémon should feed on energy from wild Pokemon, as it has developed enough to feed efficiently off the living, and will otherwise feed on you and your party. On evolving into Chandelure, it will absorb energy from any living thing it encounters, so make sure that it encounters wild Pokemon daily and does not feed too much on any one living thing to do it harm.

In the wild, the members of the Litwick line are inherently dangerous. Litwick frequently live in dangerous areas and will attempt to lure you into harm’s way so that they may feed off of you. Lampent and Chandelure regard anything nearby as potential prey, so it is wise to stay as far away as possible. All three members of the line also attack anything they see as at all dangerous with their flames, so always carry multiple Burn Heals on you while in their territory. While Litwick can only cause mild injuries, Lampent can cause large burns and Chandelure is capable of deadly injuries, both mental and physical, in addition to the potential for wildfires.

Members of the Litwick line also have one of several dangerous physical defensive capabilities. Some of the morphs convert internal energy to superheat their outside, and anything that comes into contact with them may become burnt quite badly. Others have adapted themselves to absorb large amounts of heat that could otherwise hurt them. These members of the line are able to draw in heat energy from their exterior, which they then use to augment the power and heat of their own flame-based attacks. Examinations of Litwick's DNA has also shown a dormant gene that could theoretically allow them to exert some form of hypnosis over their prey as they drain its life force, preventing the victim from running away, but this has never been observed in nature.

Courting and Childrearing

All members are capable of reproduction, although this is more common with the juvenile stage, due to their larger amounts of fat and energy. Baby Litwick are produced when male Litwick release a spermatozoon glob of molten wax, which melts and mixes with some of the wax on the female, forming into a Litwick embryo. This embryo remains attacked to the female until it reaches full size, then disconnects and begins to live on its own. This method of reproduction generally occurs only where Litwick are swarming, as swarms tend to appear in areas with high amounts of residual life energy, such as graveyards, where infants have a higher chance of survival.

Lampent do not usually reproduce, as they channel their energy towards growing and finding a Dusk Stone to evolve. On the rare occasions when Lampent do reproduce, they do so in a manner similar to Litwick, with the male and female mixing their flames and wax to produce the new Litwick.

Chandelure reproduce very infrequently, but when this occurs it is in a similar fashion to Lampent.

Social Structure

Litwick tend to live in large groups in their preferred habitats of graveyards or dangerous locales. These swarms seem to act at least partially as collective mindss, as the Litwick are apparently capable of exchanging information telepathically, and large groups frequently all act identically for brief periods. These groups ocasionally include a few Lampent, which seem to function as seperate individuals while remaining connected to the group’s hive mind. These Lampent are currently thought to lead their swarms, and may be also capable of in some way influencing the hive mind. As Chandelure are very rare in the wild, it is unknown whether they ever join these groups or how they function in them.

When not part of these groups, the members of the Litwick line are solitary. On occasion two or three Litwick may band together to lure or weaken their prey more effectively, but their evolutions have never been sighted working together, likely because they are strong enough to feed on their own. As the Pokemon of the Litwick line will absorb energy from whatever comes near it, there are few predators capable of safely eating them, so there is little risk for individuals living alone. Because of this, mating rarely occurs outside of large swarms.

edited 5th Dec '11 12:12:58 PM by Swampertrox

That's really good. I probably couldn't do it better myself, and I love the explanations you gave not just for general biological traits and behaviors, but for the line's very physiology as well.

My only problem is with something in Habitat - you say they live in environments inhospitable to most other life to more easily find prey, but wouldn't that mean prey would be harder to find? Maybe change it to "inhospitable to humans" instead.

Other than that, great revision.

Also, I'm putting Darumaka and Swinub on the wiki. No news on Arceus yet...

Damn, I was kinda hoping for a reference to Lumière from Beauty And The Beast.

Well, Litwick is basically a living candle, so surely a parallel could be drawn between it and said certain living candle stick from a children's movie, right?

edited 6th Dec '11 5:07:01 AM by TheHeroHartmut

Thanks we put a lot of work into it. In fact, want to do a colab again?

Sure. I was working on Tympole next, interested?

How?

I meant that they live in inhospitable environments so that when they lure prey there, the victims are more likely to die so the morphs can feed.

edited 5th Dec '11 5:46:11 PM by Swampertrox

Tympole huh? How do you feel about working on the Route 4 Civ?

Looks like it's coming along better, it definitely seems a lot more beefy than the last version that I recalled... Though I'm not sure how one is supposed to make a machine that serves as a substitute for something as metaphysical and difficult to concretely verify as a soul... Also, if Litwick and its evolutions derive sustenance from some form of electromagnetic waves (e.g. Radio waves), does that mean that one could find Litwick clustered around transmission equipment under some circumstances, say a television station's antenna in a [Insert blatant SAW ripoff here] marathon?

edited 5th Dec '11 9:24:12 PM by TracerBullet

Wow...looking at these new articles really makes the kind of things I had in mind seem inferior by comparison.

edited 6th Dec '11 12:44:07 AM by Hobgoblin

They'd need to be especially designed to mimic life force, so it'd be a total accident; could happen though.

X5: Ah, figured. Sort of like Will-O-Wisps. (The mythological ones, not the Pokemon move.)

Exactly.

x5: There isn't that much about the civilization that we know ATM, but I'd be happy to brainstorm a bit.

I'm DTW then. Read my draft and pm your thoughts.

As it turns out, due to RL, I'm gonna be unavailable for a perhaps a day, most likely two, worst case three. In the meantime I'm gonna be collecting the chatroom logs for talk on Totodile to integrate for the revision of the article. I'm gonna try to at least organize the tasks pointed out on the revision proposal so that we can actually write out the revision once I'm back. Luke 924 has been so kind to send some material to research, and I'm checking on Serebii for episodes with 'diles in them to see if there's anything notable beyond being "one of Ash's mons".

Of course would welcome extra commentary, but I likely won't be able to check and answer before Thu.

One thing I'd like to ask is for somemon to help look for decent artwork. Not the "so-called realistic" a.k.a. Horrible Ugly that seems to dominate the intertubes, though... just something... less tooney, more sensible.

Bye~