When a Zorua is too stressed, it will react to this in its grooming. Some will aggressively over-groom themselves. Some will instead cease grooming themselves entirely. Either way, their fur will tend to become coarse and unevenly-groomed, prone to looking quite messy.
The large 'puff' of hair on a Zorua's forehead is actually a very good signal of their mental health as a result of these habits. A healthy Zorua will groom itself and use its paws to ensure the puff remains standing up. The puff is used to show health and quality to potential mates in the wild, and is also their point of pride.
A Zorua whose 'crest' is damaged will also become depressed. And similarly, one who is depressed will also stop maintaining that. When too stressed, they often become listless, barely moving, unable to do much. In extreme cases, they may even become uninterested in food.
Zorua have strong pack-bonding instincts. When they bond with someone, that bond is extremely difficult to sever, no matter what. Attacks to the people they have bonded with often hurt them more than attacks on themselves. A Zorua who has lost its 'pack' is often desolate and despondent. Sometimes, they will even become totally unresponsive to outside stimuli.
People are often cruel, thinking that Dark-types are inherently evil. They do not understand the love a Zorua holds in its heart towards the people it has bonded with.
... She doesn't want to move, she isn't even taking treats. She just curls up next to me and shakes. I'm afraid I've truly scarred her this time.
(I have been switched to the weaker painkillers, if it was not obvious. It is still somewhat difficult to think, but I am still not in great amounts of pain.)
Would it help if you tried to brush or comb her fur yourself, do you think? I know Zorua have high grooming standards, but I don’t know if they do social grooming as a pack-bonding thing or not.
I apologize for worrying you all. I am a bit more lucid now, and I thought I should take this moment to explain roughly what happened. The details remain.... somewhat fuzzy, but I believe I can provide an explanation of roughly what happened.
I was called out from an unknown number. I did not recognize the voice on the other end, but the call was asking for my help with an escaped infant Pokemon near the Opelucid Conference Hall- The voice expressed concern that the Pokemon may get hurt by the dragons. I agreed to meet this person to help at the Old Opelucid plaza.
At that point, what awaited me was Admin Blizz of Team Winter. And... I panicked. Beans had followed me. At this point, with Beans at risk, I lost all composure, and... Though I am not proud to admit it, I could only beg. That whatever happened to me was fine, as long as it simply did not hurt Beans.
It was at that point it stabbed me.
I did not see under its mask. Nor do I have any idea why Team Winter might want me dead. My sole guess would be that my lecture about what to do with Kyurem earned their ire.
The nurses tell me Beans saved my life. When I was found, Beans was laying on my wounds as though trying to hold them closed. I do not know if it was instinct, or having watched me handle other injured Pokemon, or simply fortune. But without her applying all the pressure her body could manage, I would have bled out before anyone could have helped.
I do not have any memory of after the stabbing. I assume I must have lost consciousness. My next memory is talking to Professor Amaryllis in the hospital. I do not even remember waking up.
Regardless... That is what happened. And despite everything... Admin Blizz did honor my request. Beans is unharmed. She is... agitated, and does not want to be away from me. I worry the trauma may be more difficult to recover from... But at least she was not hurt.
I’m just so relieved that you and Beans are safe now. If you want any help around the house while you’re recovering, let me know- I’m not flying back to Hoenn for a little while yet, I have time on my hands.
Why do Bryony and Professor Bellamy not know they are married. Neither of them are aware of this and it is strange. What happens when two people are married and neither of them know it???
ok so i need to make sure everybody knows that sophora is on a looooot lot lot of painkillers right now and we have tried to explain that we are not married at least three times now
Well what are the common-law rules where you live then?
I mean where I live all it takes is for two people to declare, before a witness, that they're married. And it's done.
Oh if they HAVE a spouse already that spouse has to give their okay too.
I am all right now. Sort of. I am in the hospital but I am not in danger any more. The painkillers are highly effective and Professor Bellamy brought Beans to me. I love Beans very much. I do not know if she knows how cute she is. Do you think she knows? I hope she does.
I’m bringing over cookies for when you can have solid food again. Does Beans have any dietary restrictions? I’d like to bring some treats for her, too.
(The following is a transcript of Dr. Kaede's lecture on Friday of the 2023 Dragon Specialist Conference.)
The legendary dragons of Unova are a well-known story. However, prior to the events of 2012 here in Opelucid, only the two were known- Reshiram and Zekrom. Kyurem was an obscurity in lore at best, with none who seriously believed in its existence.
Here in this lecture, I intend to cover three primary points- The nature and life cycle of the Original Dragon, Kyurem's classification as a Pokemon, and most importantly, what should ethically be done with Kyurem in the future.
First of all, the Original Dragon.
There are two legends that speak of Zekrom and Reshiram's origins. The first, the most well-known, states that once, there was a single dragon thousands of years ago. It bonded to a pair of brothers, known now only as the Heroes of Truth and Ideals. However, as those brothers could not agree on what was important in life, the dragon split itself in two, with one dragon bonded to each brother, while leftover remains became Kyurem. However, despite their fighting, the two were evenly matched, and no conclusion was able to be reached. With this, the brothers reconciled, until their sons instead waged war to destroy Unova.
The alternative theory tells solely of Kyurem. That thousands of years ago, a great meteor fell from the heavens, theorized to be the same manner of stone Zekrom and Reshiram have been sealed in in the past before. Following that, the stone became Kyurem.
It has been suggested in the past by Mayor Drayden that these two legends may not be contradictory at all. First, the stone fell, and became the Original Dragon. Then, the Original Dragon bonded with the heroes. Splitting, it became Reshiram and Zekrom, and what was left became Kyurem.
If we accept this hypothesis as truth, for the purpose of this lecture, it paints a new picture, bringing to mind a whole new understanding of life itself. It is my belief that the Original Dragon is an extraterrestrial life form whose reproductive cycle involves scattering its offspring to various planets.
If we assume that the original part of the Original Dragon's life cycle went as planned, we can assume it would go something like this:
First, an Original Dragon offspring takes its stone form for travel through space. In this form, it is resilient enough to withstand atmospheric re-entry, but its needs for sustenance or energy are similarly lowered enough that it can continue indefinitely until it finds its way to a planet. Once caught in a planet's gravity, it lands there, in order to feed and reproduce.
The Original Dragon then made contact with life native to the planet on which it lands. It then splits into two forms, which then compete with each other, to determine the form most suitable to live on its new habitat. The two split dragons, leaving behind the empty husk of the original, then fight.
This is where I believe things went awry in our examples of the normal life cycle. On our world, the two dragons met with a draw, unable to prove one or the other as superior, and thus more suited to life in this habitat. However, what if that had not happened? If, as I believe was the original goal, one dragon had triumphed?
Kyurem has a special ability called Absofusion, where it can absorb one of the two Dragons it originally created. However, it can only absorb one. A special item called the DNA Splicers are capable of artificially inducing this state... but an item shouldn't be necessary to induce this naturally.
My hypothesis is that this is the method of its adaptation- First, it splits into two dragons, leaving behind a 'main' body. Second, the two dragons fight, until one remains. The unsuited one perishes, and once one of them is dead, a signal is sent to Kyurem, prompting it to re-absorb the victorious dragon- Thus, the Original Dragon now has adapted into a new form well-suited to dominating its environment in the new planet it has landed on.
As a new apex life form on its planet, it then absorbs and eats as much as it can, before it gives birth to a new life, a new version of its adapted form. Then, that new, infant life is then launched into space in its stone form, to repeat the cycle.
I have here Reshiram, lent to me by the Trainer who it chose almost thirteen years ago. Though we cannot speak, exactly, I was able to somewhat communicate via a Rotom's translation through a phone. Reshiram, by its own admission, has only the vaguest memories of that time. It is my belief that originally, the Dragons were not meant to have egos or wills of their own beyond their initial directive to clash. However, they awakened to their own wills through simply the sheer amount of time they have existed as independent entities. As you can see, Reshiram has clear intelligence and understanding, as befitting of the Dragon who embodies Truth.
Though Reshiram cannot confirm my hypothesis, its own emotional reactions lend credence- It has an inherent dislike of Kyurem, knowing of its potential absorption.
Having covered my hypothesis on the life cycle of the dragon, I will now move into the classification of Kyurem.
Right now, Kyurem is considered to be a Dragon/Ice type. It has a lot in common with Dragon-types, I will admit, but I do not believe that is enough to conclusively declare it that type. Instead, there is another Pokemon who bears a great amount in common with Kyurem... Shedinja.
Shedinja, as is commonly known, is the cast-off husk of a Nincada left behind on evolution that has enough life energy left over to live in its own right. This is similar to Kyurem's situation, the leftover husk becoming an independent entity.
The second thing I wish to address is Kyurem's 'meaning'. Reshiram, is of course the dragon embodying Truth. And Zekrom, the dragon embodying Ideals. Then, what is Kyurem? The answer comes from thinking about Kyurem's nature.
An extraterrestrial being who only has known the void of space, and then lands, and is split, leaving nothing but the cast-off shell that becomes Kyurem. Kyurem is thus the dragon who embodies Nothingness- Void. The void of space, a true emptiness where nothing can exist. Reaching an understanding with Kyurem, controlling Kyurem, or even bonding with it are seemingly impossible tasks, because Kyurem's nature is antithetical to life itself.
Before I address the rest, I would like to ask for a moment of silence. In honor of those who lost their lives to a man's foolish attempt to control Kyurem.
(A moment of silence passes.)
The next point I wish to address is Kyurem's ice, which requires bringing up the data gathered from Team Plasma's attack on Opelucid. It is not frozen water- It has a bizarre toughness. It does not melt, no matter the heat applied, and does not break, no matter the force- Mayor Drayden himself mustered the greatest force his team could, and could not so much as crack the ice.
Thus, what I believe is that it is not true ice, but 'stasis'. Again, it is void- In true nothingness, even movement is impossible. Thus, with motion sealed, all molecular activity is reduced to nothing, appearing as freezing ice. By using its domain of 'nothing' to halt thermal processes, it creates a facsimile of ice that cannot be broken through.
With all of this considered, its most primary characteristic is its lack of true life or activity- It is the cast-off shell, the remains, and it is nothingness embodied. As a result, I believe its proper typing should not be Dragon/Ice, but rather, Ghost/Ice.
The final point I wish to address is what should be done with Kyurem in the future. It is not a being native to Earth.
When a Pokemon is lost and put outside of its native habitat, it is considered the duty of humans who care about life to return it to where it is from, to ensure it can live, and to ensure it doesn't disrupt other ecosystems. Kyurem is not a part of our planet's ecosystem, and cannot said to belong here. It is a being native to space.
While it exists on Earth, it cannot thrive, and humans will inevitably seek to use it for their own ends, causing untold suffering and destruction of nature. Thus, I believe, as a gathering of those who understand Dragon-types the most, you will understand my idea:
Kyurem's habitat and current environments are known. We should gather a team, capture Kyurem, ensure its health, and then return it to its actual home environment... The stars. Where it will no longer be surrounded by life, that which is antithetical to its very being.
This concludes my report. Thank you all for your time and attention.
[A video of an old sea captain, Elite Four Drake, lounging in a cheap plastic chair set out for the con. He doesn't even look at the person recording when he speaks. "You're not paying attention. Your guard is down."
"What the-" The person recording doesn't have time to respond as something big, white, and fluffy (possibly an Altaria) flies at the camera so fast that it registers as a blur on screen. The video ends.]
WHAT THE: Did Elite Four Drake of the Hoenn region just attack an innocent congoer? Comment below!
[OOC: The post includes multiple photos of Phoebe the Hisuian Goodra, who does indeed seem to be a healthy and happy dragon.]
[While mostly focused on the pokemon, Melusine herself does show up in a couple pictures, most prominently the one where she’s letting Phoebe rest her head on Mel’s shoulder while displaying her “horns”, showing off how they’re longer than a modern Goodra’s would be.]
Personally, though, I think this was the most important part:
[OOC: A video clip of Phoebe leaning backwards to use her own shell as a chair, tilting at an angle so she can sit comfortably with her gloopy dragon paws dangling a couple inches off the ground.]
She sits!
Also, one of the restoration team has an interesting theory about how modern Goodra in an environment with strong Fairy-types might eventually re-evolve their Steel typing over the generations. But more importantly: she sits.
also when i went to check the mail the gift from melbel was there but also 😰
[A photo of a goddamn sword. It's bright pink and covered in little glass gems; it's clearly decorative rather than practical and just, so gaudy.]
did someone get this for me?? did i get this for me????? it is just a replica thank goodness, it would be way too dangerous for me to have a real sword around, but it is also made of metal!!! it is really heavy!!!!! i cannot imagine that i bought it and forgot unless i somehow delidashed it in last night. can you even get these sorts of things on delidash????
(The following is a transcription of my Tuesday lecture at the Dragon Conference:)
Dragon-type Pokemon are one of the most vague and misunderstood types in existence. So far, rather than abilities, the Dragon-typing generally refers to physical characteristics, temperament, and predation, along with a weakness to cold, as though they are cold-blooded.
What this means is that Dragon-type Pokemon actually have very few traits in common with each other, and thus there is little that can be done to have a foolproof way of bonding with all of them without fail.
The most often-seen commonalities between Dragon-types is a sense of strong pride, a strong instinct for claiming and defending territory, and longevity that surpasses any other similar Pokemon.
The pride and longevity combine into a problem when unprepared Trainers attempt to capture and use a Dragon-type Pokemon. As a result, many cultures around the world have their own methods of trying to cultivate a bond with these Dragon-types as a village rather than as an individual- While a single Dragon will almost always outlive a single human, by having the Dragons instead bond with the institution of a village or a group of people, a proper bond can be created. Blackthorn City in Johto is a prime example, living in harmony with their Dratini-line Pokemon.
Pokemon who are bonded with a location or settlement in this way are often thought of as guardian Pokemon. They begin to view the people they have bonded to as their territory, and will fiercely defend it. This brings me to my primary points in instruction on bonding.
As a veterinarian, it is my duty to care for Pokemon, and earn their trust as quickly as possible so I may assess their health. Thus, it is vital to be able to assess a Pokemon's personality, individual characteristics, and the like, as quickly as possible. However, you can still supplement this with basic understanding of their species' needs.
A Dragon-type Pokemon in the wild will often have its own territory, and even kept by a Trainer, it will generally have an area that it will be able to call its own. The most important thing is that, for a Dragon-type Pokemon, you must never enter their territory without first gaining its trust. That is considered an act of aggression, and they will try to remove you. While it is possible to bond with a Pokemon in this way, as many of our specialists here will no doubt be thinking, the bond of battle is best attempted by Dragon specialists, and those who are willing to risk harm to their own body to bond in this way.
A clear demarcation of territory is necessary if you are attempting to bond with a dragon. I have here a Dreepy lent to me for purpose of this lecture, but I have not once met this Dreepy before today. As you can see, it is quite curious. However, there is this line on the ground- A mark of territory. A Dreepy is often nervous to venture outside of the territory protected by a Dragapult, for fear of predation or other threats.
As you can see, the way to handle it is simple- First, you approach. Any signs of threat or hostility would be a sign to back away, but the Dreepy seems all right with my presence. Then, I wait here near, but not at, the edge of its territory.
This communicates to the Dragon that I am not a threat. Dragons have immense pride and territorial instincts- Thus, the greatest way to approach is to simply not be a threat to either. By allowing the Dragon to set the pace of the encounter, you allow them to keep their pride. By not invading their territory, you do not trigger those instincts. Thus, a dragon will feel contentedly in control. By leaving the 'territory' you have denoted for the Dragon's use empty, it can also retreat there at any moment if it so desires.
Through this, the Dreepy has, as you see now, felt curious enough to come out and curl up in my arms here. It may leave again at its own will, or choose to stay here. But now it has bonded with me, at least a bit- I have earned enough of its trust that it will stay with me at least for a time.
The key to bonding with Pokemon of any type is to speak with them in their own language. To communicate to their instincts, in ways they can understand. Dragon-types are the most difficult to reach a mutual understanding in this way with, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. The most important thing is that a Dragon-type demands respect- For its boundaries, and for its own self.
Hi! Quick question for the speaker. Do dragon types have the same issue as other territorial pokemon where eye-contact is seen as a sign of aggression? I've seen other vets attempting to work with hostile pokemon by refusing to look them in the eye and simply sit with them from a distance for a bit before running the examination
As a rule, yes, though obviously there are exceptions. Deino, obviously. Noibats are surprisingly fine with eye contact, as well, in my experience.
Trainer-owned Pokemon will also as a rule usually be better about eye contact. Obviously, if they're hostile, do not make eye contact and sit from a distance, as you said, that is the best method as long as they aren't attacking. But if they aren't openly hostile, and their Trainer is there, then usually eye contact is not a major problem.
There are exceptions, however, as there are to every rule. Mayor Drayden has a Haxorus, for example, that is getting quite old. As a result, its vision is starting to go. If you look it in the eyes, it becomes agitated despite how well-trained it is, because it can no longer quite see what you're doing. Though it doesn't attack, eye contact can agitate Pokemon who are having other problems.
Thank you... I was worried that I would mess up and ruin it, but your Morgan is well-trained enough that I feel foolish for even having worried. She's a very sweet creature, too.
You did a wonderful job, I think your speech is really going to help people who are unfamiliar with them understand how to approach Dragon-types better! ^-^
(Morgan also did an excellent job at being sweet and adorable, so cute! <3)
Funnily enough, I actually can explain why Noibats tend not to be as concerned with eye contact: it’s the ears.
For Noibat and Noivern, hearing is their primary sense- they can see things fine, but they can hear them much more acutely. If you get within visual range, usually they’ve already been listening to you approach for a while, so suddenly seeing you isn’t a surprise.
My team and I are all here at Dragoncon! Everything looks really fun- our university’s presentation on the revival of Hisuian Goodra is on the first day, so we should have plenty of time to enjoy ourselves for the rest of the convention.
Anyone else who’s here, what are you all the most excited for? ^-^
There’s a hands-on workshop about how to weatherproof your flying gear and electronics for high altitudes that I’m really looking forward to- my Noivern loves listening to pop music while we fly, and the conditions up there wreak total havoc on anything with speakers. I’ve broken so many phones that way...
chag purim sameach!! there is a festival on the other side of the city nearer to where my synagogue is, starting close to when the holiday actually begins this evening, and since @tomatoberry2 is still here i thought it would be fun if we went together!!!! we managed to throw some costumes together last minute hehe. most of his is made of cardboard and all the rest is stuff i had lying around, except the heart which i crocheted!! i tried to make hamantaschen to share but as happens every year i completely ruined the dough somehow 🙃 but i still managed to make some treats and there will be more cooking to do tomorrow too!!!
purim does not end until sundown tomorrow so you have plenty of time too to share some food with a friend and find a way to help out someone less fortunate than you 😊 we are off to the festival soon so i will see you all tonight!!!
Chag sameach, Bry! ^-^ You two look so cute together, I hope you had a wonderful time.
I don’t know if it’s going to ship fast enough to make it there on time, but I sent you a surprise- hopefully, they’re not stale by the time they get to you.
[OOC: When Bryony next checks her mail, she’ll discover a package with a Mossdeep return address. It contains a batch of Melusine’s own homemade hamantaschen.]
[For a woman who thinks cracking an egg into her instant noodles counts as cooking dinner, she’s a surprisingly excellent baker.]
Photographic proof of the Ducklett Incident from that year, courtesy of my assistant! More specifically, courtesy of my assistant’s Porygon, who loves cell phone photography and not assisting people in bird-related crisis situations.
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