#cedar's studies

[callingfromkalos]

I've made a horrible lapse in judgement over my free time, apparently I cannot even update a blog while tackling work.

The Munchlax situation was handled more or less two weeks after it started—given that a Pokémon daycare is right up the road, I simply brought her to them when I managed to safely capture her. I mean, if I contacted a ranger, that's what they would have done as well, so I felt like taking out the middle man (I also was admittedly too proud to get help... can't be that rusty from my trainer days...)

Anyway, I've learned a few things from this experience:

other wild Pokémon seem to be much less aggressive towards ones that we consider "baby" Pokémon (eg. Munchlax, Riolu, Smoochum, etc.) and don't put up a fight if their food source is getting stolen from

Munchlax may be fluffier when they're younger? I have no way to verify ages with my technology as it's not conducive to my field of study, but this one was very, very furry

they are very easy to capture without a Pokéball. Actually, no fighting was needed.. or anything. In short: box with a stick, a rope, and a single sitrus berry accomplished this

So... yeah.

[callingfromkalos]

I've just come to realize that I've never put any thought into why in the world shiny Pokèmon glisten.

Is it a light refraction thing? Like how Chatot's blue feathers aren't actually... blue? But that doesn't seem too directly related...

[callingfromkalos]

Hm. As I was doing some minor fieldwork, ai happened across a thought...

"Shiny" Pokémon genetics are still hard to really pin down—I've been working at it for a bit with not amazing results—but Komala and Mimikyu are two I cannot get out of my mind.

Mimikyu is a Pokémon cited to "mimic" Pikachu for various reasons... It's interesting that the Pokémon itself is known to do this somewhat naturally, and that its true form is elusive (or deadly?). But the color variant—or shiny—isn't similar to Pikachu's at all.

Since Mimikyu have never been caught creating its disguise as far as I'm aware, there's no study behind why it may decide to use a grey fabric over a yellow. There also isn't any proof that the being beneath the disguise is a different color in any way as it's... again, deadly to check.

Komala is a similar case in which the fur itself has no variation as far as I'm aware (maybe in pigment? It still has the glistening effect of other shinies), but the log it holds takes on a different color... and an unnatural one. Does this give credence to the thought that the log itself is its own cognizant being separate from Komala?

Much to think about...