Prof. Vanad's Pokemon Research @professor-vanad - Tumblr Blog

Hello!

My name Professor Vanad. I study artifical and inorganic pokemon and the effects humans have on them, with Steel and Electric types being my area of expertise.

Many of these pokemon require specific care and I'm happy to answer any trainer questions regarding them.

#pokemon headcanons #professor-vanad #pokemon professor #pokemon oc

Dear Professor, what should I prepare for me newly-evolved Luxray? She just evolves yesterday and I don't know what should be changed since I only have her for a week and I have no experience in raising an Electric type before. Should I keeo an eye on the food, items and everything...?

Oh anon, you have picked quite the introduction to electric types. I've cautioned more than a few young trainers about getting a Shinx as a starter specifically because Luxio and Luxray can be such handfuls.

I'll start with the thing that always causes issues: Electric-type pokemon generate electricity and need to get rid of it. If you're a competing or hobbyist trainer, pokemon battles are perfect for this. If you're not, you'll need to make time for regular exercise. Most electric types get restless once they start to build up too much electricity and this can become destructive if left unchecked.

You haven’t mentioned where you live but if it's a city or large town, an understimulated electric type can cause all kinds of issues not only to your appliances but also power grids. So, very much worth considering your own routine and making sure your Luxray can get plenty of time outside.

Now for the more Luxray-specific advice.

It sounds like you did have a Luxio for few days prior to the evolution so you'll be aware that Luxray is significantly larger and its temperament is far more aggressive. If you've caught it from wild, you have a task ahead of you in earning its trust. This was the case with my own Luxray, Jet. She came to me as a Luxio and she needed a lot of time before she was willing to tolerate more than just my presence in the same room as her. I doubt your Luxray is as extreme a case but it's worth emphasising: They are proud and territorial pokemon, they can be slow to trust and quick to anger, they require time and patience to win over.

You've no doubt heard that Luxray 'see through walls' (that's half-true. They are very keen to electrical pulses, like those found in our bodies, and can sense them even through thick walls) well, your Luxray will be keeping their eye on you even from a distance. At this stage they are still very wary so let them be until they are ready to close some of the distance. Start small. Avoid 'challenging behaviours' i.e. direct eye contact, assertive postures etc. Let them get used to sharing space with you. Once they seem more comfortable, you can start thinking about getting closer though I would hold off on any petting until your Luxray makes physical contact with you first as even a relatively relaxed Luxray can snap if provoked.

(As an aside please take precautions in the beginning and wear sturdy gloves whenever you intend to pet and/or feed from your Luxray from the hand at least initially. Your Luxray probably does not know the amperage a human can handle and even friendly nips can cause bleeding and temporary paralysis. Speciality gear like this can be hard to get but your local Breeder should be able to point you in the right direction.)

Food is a great equaliser here and one of the easier parts to manage. Wild Luxray are pack hunters that kill and eat large prey every 2-3 days but they adapt very easily to the regular daily feeding cycle of most domestic pokemon. They are not fussy eaters and will go through your bins if they think their might be something edible in there. I would recommend disposing of food out of reach where possible and getting a few puzzle feeders for your Luxray, as hunting is still an urge they have and it can help with burning off excess electricity. Chewing and scratching are things they love so it's worth investing in a few large and sturdy chew toys and making sure there are ample ways for them to wear their claws down (on things that are not you or your furniture). Most larger pokemarts will have what you need (just be sure to get strong ones).

If this seems daunting... well... it is but I'll also tell you that Luxray can and do recognise intent. If you take good care of them, they will recognise that and trust will come. Stay consistent, respect your Luxray's boundaries and I promise you will have a very loving and loyal companion in the future.

All the best to both of you and if you have any more questions, please ask!

#[phew its been a...UHHHHH]#[oh lets just say a while lol]#professor-vanad #anonymous #answers #luxray #[i hope you got to read this anon sjnsksks]

Hi love your blog how’ve you been?

Hello! I was playing the tcgp and the current series has a category for 'artificial pokemon' and it made me laugh and think of this old blog.

I know it's been nearly a full year since you sent this but I'm genuinely touched you thought to reach out so recently considering I've not posted in a long time.

Thank you!

#in addition i collect actual pokemon cards now lmfao #[ooc]#my life was like completely subsumed by dnd and then ffxiv and then depression #but we live and eventually we'll thrive lovelies #hope you're doing well too op!

neonheartz

081 / 082

#reblogs #professor-vanad #magnamite #art #q-ranium

poketcg

ampharos, illus. Saya Tsuruta

#reblogs #professor-vanad #art #q-ranium

Hello! It’s Blue Oak again! I’m kinda curious since you live in Motostoke. Have you ever been to one of the dynamax/gigantimax battles in person? I’ve had some videos sent to me by Raihan and they look just as hectic from the field as they do from the stands.

Do you so happen to know the safety measures they’ve got in place seeing as they have moves that quite literally tear the ground apart? I was planning on asking Leon when Red and I head to Galar but my curiosity got the better of me

—

Also! Because neither Red or I specialize in non-organic Pokémon, I’ve actually handed them over to a friend who knows a bit more about the Magnemite line since they’ve cared for one and experienced a few similar cases. I’ll try to keep you updated on the situation

Hello again!

Yes I have. Though probably not as many as you’d think. I live in Motostoke now but most of my time in Galar was spent living in Spikemuth, which has no active Dynamax spots. Though I’m not an official battler and never undertook the Galar League Challenge, I have participated in a few in Dynamax battles too and can absolutely understand how chaotic they must look from the outside!

You should know, for starters, that Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing are partially cognitive in nature. What I mean by that is, while the changes they undergo do make a Dynmaxed pokémon and it’s moves incredibly dangerous, they are affected by the pokémon’s own desires - a pokémon that doesn’t want to do any collateral damage won’t.

That doesn’t mean that there aren’t any safety precautions though. For one, Dynamaxing is limited to stadiums and areas where space is in abundance – such as the Wild Area. Our stadiums are also much, much bigger than those outside of Galar – for obvious reasons. The stadiums are built with the range and strength of G-Max moves in mind. Structurally, they have a lot in common with buildings in areas that regularly experience extreme weather and/or natural disasters. Cross-bracing, shock absorption zones, flexible foundations, adjustable flood gullies – it’s very comprehensive. The exact specifications vary from gym-to-gym in order to accommodate repeated use of certain moves by the gym leader as well as whatever moves they are weak against.

(This is why the fallout between Gordie and Melony was such a huge deal. MacCos had to make major modifications to Circhester Stadium in order to accommodate both Leader’s preferences. If you go now, they have these huge safety warnings that basically explain that, in the event of a Max Quake, the building is supposed to sway and please don’t panic.)

Also, the three turn limit on Dynamax usage and the structure of the League itself play a role here too. Three turns means that only a certain number of Max/G-Max moves can be used per battle. The League only happens at a certain time of year too and ALL of the down-time is spent checking and re-checking the stadiums for damage and implementing new measures.

There are also a lot of safety precautions in place for the audience. Seating areas are very well-shielded, in the event of an attack going astray. There are also systems in place to completely shut down the flow of Dynamax energy – should it be deemed necessary. There are a lot of technicians and medics on the side-lines in the event of an accident too. It’s mostly a joke but stadiums widely considered to be the go-to destination an event of a disaster.

That’s great news about Magnamite! Thanks for letting me know.

#professor-vanad #dynamaxing #galar life #professor blue oak #q-ranium

bro,,, dude,,,, how do i stop my porygon from messing with my computer. this little goblin keeps worming their way in and removes all my spotify playlists. please this is urgent

When they take up residence in a computer, Porygon are wont to do a little maintenance. Though I think most would be considerate enough to avoid deleting anything on a computer that isn’t theirs, it’s not exactly something that’s programmed in. They might be mistaking your playlists for clutter or malware. Maybe they just aren’t familiar with the app and see the space it’s taking up as a drain on your computer’s performance. In that case, I wouldn’t take it too personally. Talking to Porygon is your best bet to finding out what going on.

That being said, if this is a repeat problem, it is unusual that they wouldn’t just tell you outright. If they are perceiving your playlists as an issue that keeps coming back, most Porygon would at the very least alert you to it. This makes me think that it could be completely accidental on their part – as in they don’t even realise they’re doing it. This is, again, very likely if Porygon isn’t too familiar with Spotify.

There is one thing that strikes me from the phrasing of your question though. If Porygon is “worming their way in” that says to me that you are actively trying to keep them out of your computer. If that is the case and there are no other computers or similar devices in your home, I would not rule out the possibility that Porygon is upset with you. And rightfully so.

This is just in Porygon's nature. Lots of us, human and pokémon alike, need a personal space for comfort and calm and most Porygon use cyberspace for that exact purpose. It is extremely rare for a Porygon to not make frequent trips into cyberspace (my own Porygon is one of those rare cases and even she expresses a desire to.) Moving into cyberspace is simply what Porygon do. It is what they were designed for. While not physically harmful on it’s own, denying them this can will make it more difficult for them to run self-diagnostic scans. It can also be very damaging for their mental health and wellbeing, which could be why Porygon’s actions are reading as passive-aggressive and uncommunicative to you.

In this case, you need to open up communication and work out a compromise with Porygon. Sharing a computer isn’t hard. You can set clear boundaries, lock folders and implement passwords if you need to - though I’ve never known a Porygon to be so intrusive as to need those measures.

If you, for whatever reason, cannot share your computer (I know some people have very strict privacy requirements for their jobs for which a Porygon presence would be illegal or dangerous) you have to provide another device for them. Another computer, smartphone, tablet or laptop would be ideal. This is non-negotiable. Porygon need that cyberspace access. If funds are tight for you, taking them to an internet café for a few hours a day is also an option (just make sure you tell the clerk what you’re doing.) If neither of those are an option, you may need to reconsider whether or not Porygon is the right Pokémon for you.

Also, in the case of the latter issue, accept that you might have a lot of work to do to repair your relationship with Porygon. Open communication, apologies and compassion are going to be very important for both of you going forward. It’s not impossible to salvage, but it may take time.

Best of luck to both of you! And thank you for the question!

#professor-vanad #porygon #pkmn-conspiracies #((sorry for the delay))#Ask the Prof #q-ranium

Hi! We got a Bronzong come in with a large crack in one of their arms, and we here are hoping you can help. Is it possible to mend the large crack and if so, how? We want to avoid welding as much as possible as they're skittish around fire types and even open flame makes them uneasy. Any help will be great. I'd ask the boss lady, but she's currently out helping with relaying a pokemon through the area. Thanks for your time! -Aeros Ignus

Hi there!

Cracks and fractures aren't uncommon in Steel-types. I reckon they make up about half of the problems that get sent my way. In a lot of cases, they are usually the result of some underlying issue, rather than just being a problem in of itself.

In a copper heavy metal (such as bronze) the cause is likely season cracking. This happens when copper is exposed to ammonia and produces cupromonium ions. These are water-soluble and will wash out of the affected area, weakening the metal and making it more likely to crack under stress. Your best bet at preventing further damage is through reducing exposure. Ammonia is found in a lot of fertilisers and even in some industrial cleaners, so exposure can happen pretty easily, especially if this guy has been living near farmland.

As for the damage itself, there are a few options! Unsurprisingly, steel-type pokémon can't always be heat-treated safely - it's usually something we use only on pokémon with steel parts or plating (think Aron and Mawile). For small cracks, there are lots of specialised epoxies that can aid natural healing available to buy. They work by essentially creating a scab over the crack which should prevent further damage and give the injury time to sort itself out. Then it’s just a matter of plenty of rest – if they’re a battle Pokémon, I’d recommend keeping them on the bench until they’re all healed up.

Larger or deeper cracks like you’ve described will require cold stitches to fix. Cold stitching involves drilling rows of holes across the crack at various points, joining them and then forging a “stitch” to fill each row of holes. Like so:

Just like the stitches we’d get for a big injury, these stitches will hold everything together until Bronzong’s natural healing can do the rest. It will also quicken recovery, as the amount of metal Bronzong will need to produce to fill in the gaps will be significantly reduced.

Also yes, I am aware of how it sounds. I won’t lie, cold stitching is a long, involved process and the recovery can be uncomfortable. Depending on the size and depth of the crack, it can take upwards of around six weeks to recover completely, during which they really should avoid putting any weight or stress on the affected area. While not always a painful procedure, a more severe crack may require sedation, which is another thing to keep in mind.

On the plus side, we’ve been using cold stitching for hundreds of years and it is a very reliable method of repair. It will also be nearly invisible once it’s healed, as the stitches aren’t going to be removed afterwards – though some excess will have to be filed down.

It’ll take some time but Bronzong are fairly hardy and they’ll be back to their usual self in no time. Thanks for the question!

#professor-vanad #bronzong #Ask the Prof #(needs image descriptions)#pokemonrehabilitation #((sorry for the delay))#q-ranium

((Just a note: this blog is def still active! I’m drafting replies as we speak!

I just wanted to post a little something right now to explain one or two things, especially since I have continued to acquire followers despite not posting all that often. Which I am seriously so grateful for, and I feel absolutely terrible that I am being so sporadic with updates.

Long story short, since going back to work I have been extremely busy! Which is great because I was worried about not having a job there for a bit but also my extremely slow days at work were when I did a fair bit of the drafting for replies here lmao. Finding the time is just kinda hard while also trying to avoid any burnout.

Rest assured, this blog is never too far from my thoughts and I do fully intend on answering all the asks I get. I do love this little blog of mine and I have gotten so many fantastic questions recently that I’m really looking forward to answering.

Thanks so much to everyone for being so patient! Love ye all!!)

#OOC POST

What's the difference between Galarian and Falmish scones?

Nothing??? Scones are scones, they’re all basically the same, right?

#falmi #galar life #ask the prof #nacrene-archaeologist

Am I right in saying people from the Fálmi region are... Falmer?

Nah, it’s Fálmish. Said like f-AWL-mish, with a long a.

... Wait this is from that game, isn’t it?!

#[i legit cracked up]#[dumbass mun has only played oblivion and forgot the falmer existed]#[i did actually put thought into the etnymology of Fálmi]#[Fál is an Old Irish term for Ireland itself]#[-mi is from milesian]#[who were the pseaudo-fictional final settlers of ireland]#[because i was going for a version of ireland that was not colonised by england]#[i wanted to use a older term as a starting point]#[even if it functionally just means ireland-people]#[but Todd got there first apparently XD]#q-ranium #ask the prof

Is Porygon-Z called Porygon-Zed in Galar?

Depends on your age! The name Porygon-Z arose mostly in online coding circles so people tend to pronounce it whatever way makes sense to them. I was around for Porygon-Z’s original mod so I’ve always said “Zed”.

“Zee” is more commonplace in academic circles and so is more the norm now, especially with younger people.

#galar life #porygon-z #ask the prof #Anonymous

[Professor-Blue-Oak] Hey Professor Vanad, I’m currently suffering with an issue that I’m not equipped to deal with. Just recently, we had taken in a scuffed up looking Magnemite and things are kinda... fucky.

I’ve never properly dealt with an inorganic Pokémon but I’m pretty certain Magnemites don’t just go attracting all kinds of metal objects and screwing up computers and any other form of electronics. I’ve had to bound down some knives after they nearly scraped Red.

Do you so happen to know what could be causing this?

Oh wow, THE Professor Blue Oak! Sorry, I did not expect to get a celebrity in my inbox. I’m happy to offer all the insight I have, especially with Magnemite.

I can’t put numbers to it without seeing it first-hand but, yeah, this is very unusual. A single Magnemite on its own doesn’t generate a very strong magnetic field, at least not enough to cause that much trouble.

The Magnemite line are basically just living electromagnets. Unlike the kinds of magnets on your fridge, electromagnets are powered by an electrical current and can be turned on and off by removing the source of electricity. Ordinarily, Magnemite are able to adjust the strength of their magnetic field and do so often to compensate for changes in their colony and their environment. This is what stops the colony from constantly attracting metal and stops its members from sticking to each other. Your Magnemite doesn’t seem to be able to do this, which wouldn’t be a massive cause for concern, particularly if you’re dealing with a very young Magnemite as it’s a skill they have to learn. Simply getting it to discharge any additional electricity it’s storing would fix the problem easily.

However, even a Magnemite with very poor control shouldn’t affect home electronics that much. Modern electronics are well-insulated against this kind of thing. This tells me that this Magnemite also has a quite a naturally strong magnetic field. The strength of electromagnets are effected by the metal used to make them so it’s possible that this Magnemite may have a large amount of iron or an alcino in its core. Either of these could make a magnetic field that is extremely strong. This can be fixed by degaussing, which would reduce Magnemite’s magnetic field to close to nothing. A weak electrical current could then be used to remagnetise them over time. Though not painful, it would be a bit disorientating for Magnemite and would render them unable to float around until their magnetism was sufficiently strong again. This may afford Magnemite an opportunity to get a better handle on their sense of control but I couldn’t guarantee that. It also wouldn’t be a completely permanent solution as any electrical current over a certain amount would increase the strength of the magnetic field again. Meaning that Magnemite would have to stay away from strong currents and avoid storing too much electricity. It would also be possible to adjust the make-up of Magnemite’s alloy but the safety and feasibility of that would take some time to work out. Magnemite don’t eat metal like other steel types so it would require using actual metallurgical extraction techniques, which can get risky.

That’s most of the advice I can offer for now. While you didn’t mention any specifics about how they came into your care… if they were wild beforehand, I suspect that they may have been ejected from their colony. Given that Magnemite is going to need pretty constant care going forward, if you plan on re-homing them, I wouldn’t recommend they go to a trainer. I’m happy to help if you have any difficulty there. I know a lot of people who used to work with Magnemite who may be willing to take them in.

Thanks for the ask and do keep me updated if you can!

#Anonymous #professor-vanad #professor blue oak #magnemite #q-ranium

There are a lot of different methods that electric-type pokémon use to generate electricity... some are more effective than others.

Heliolisk is one of the absolute best, as it has evolved to take advantage of the photovoltaic effect, which allows them to transform energy from the heat and light of the sun into electrical energy – just like a solar panel! So, they can get tonnes of electrical energy stored up just by lying in the sun for a while.

One of the worst, believe it or not, is Magnemite. Though they utilise a very clean and reliable version of an electromagnetic dynamo* their small size means that the volt production is extremely low, so they often cannot produce the electricity needed to justify using their internal generators. This is why they’re drawn to places like power plants and why they can cause so much chaos in them – they have to scavenge A LOT of electrical energy for their colonies.

(*Dynamos were once a mainstay in steam engines and small electrical devices. If you’ve ever had a clock, radio or flashlight that had to be hand cranked, it probably had a dynamo. They’ve been largely surpassed by more energy efficient generators because they are, in scientific terms, a bit crap.)

#professor-vanad #electric-type #Magnemite #heliolisk #q-ranium #[came up with this while answering that great zapdos ask]

How zapdos creates so much electricity biologically

Ah great question! Slight disclaimer: As a Legendary, the studies we’ve conducted on Zapdos have been based solely on careful observation in wild. As such our knowledge of Zapdos could be inaccurate with regards to biological functions and anatomy. I’m doing a bit of guesswork here but it’s based very firmly on what we know about electric-types. I’m also going to get very maths heavy so my apologies if numbers are not your thing.

It’s a slight misconception that electric type pokémon “make” all the electricity they need by themselves. Don’t get me wrong, most of them absolutely can generate a lot of electricity but it would be very inefficient to do so all the time. The majority of electric-types use a combination of internal biological generation and scavenging from external sources to supplement their needs. (You may be familiar with the concept of “energy cannot be created or destroyed, it is only transformed into other types of energy”, it’s the same principle. All electricity is generated by transforming other types of energy into electricity but that just means that “making electricity” requires a different kind of energy in the first place.)

But to get to your question, Zapdos more than likely uses the more commonplace electrochemical method of generation found in our more mammalian electric types, such as Pikachu and the other electric rodents. The method is very similar to a battery in which the pokémon uses two types of specialised electrochemical cells - one to produce electricity and one to store the electricity. These cells host a specific chemical reaction that naturally produces electrical energy. This can be very efficient but has the drawback of being dependant on regular food consumption and usually needing a bit of time to get going. As a result, a lot of these pokémon scavenge any difference from generators and power plants. This is where Zapdos has a unique and terrifying advantage.

We know from repeated observation, Zapdos is capable of storing the electrical energy from multiple lightning strikes. This is a lot of electricity. To give you some perspective, one lightning strike carries around 5 gigajoules of power. Assuming an average of 44 strikes a second (based on global averages) in a 20-30 minute storm, Zapdos can capture up to 52’800 strikes, which is around 264’000 gigajoules. This is about 74’000’000 (74 trillion) kWh. The average Galarian household uses, like, 4000 kWh a year. So a fully charged Zapdos could supply 18’500 Galarian households for a year after 30 minutes of flying. Even if it does not get struck by every bolt or does not linger for the full duration of the storm, this is still an insane amount of electrical energy for one organism to hold.

While it’s unlikely that Zapdos cannot create electricity on its own, by these metrics I simply don’t think it has to. The storage cells required to hold even half that much electricity are almost definitely robust enough to do so for an extended period. Zapdos is only around 5”06, which is big for a bird pokémon but still not massive. There is no way that Zapdos uses even a fraction of it’s minimum to sustain flight. Even 1 gigajoule is the same as 239’006 kcal which is enough to sustain me for 95 days… and I’m 6”0 and do not have as many energy saving methods as a bird.

This does even account for the fact that bird use things like wind currents to reduce their energy usage or that it does, in fact, eat fairly regularly. It’s possible that Zapdos’ ability to hold a massive electrical charge might operate independently from it’s digestive system. This would necessitate regular expulsion of these huge volumes of electrical energy or Zapdos would simply burn up.

There is a lot more I can say on this. There all sorts of theories about Legendaries floating around and I have rambled this much about just one of them.

Thanks so much for the ask!

#Anonymous #professor-vanad #zapdos #ask the prof #q-ranium