#marenie

[kelp-i]

"my otp 🧡" and it's eldritch horror yuri with their pokemon child

they're discussing murder concert plans

[bethanythebogwitch]

You know what Alola has a lot of? Water. And when there’s lots of water you get lots of aquatic Pokémon. Welcome back to the series where I discuss the real-life inspirations of every aquatic, non-fish Pokémon. This time I’m covering gen VII. To see previous entries in this series see gen I part 1, gen I part 2, gen II, gen III, gen IV, gen V, and gen VI. For my previous series where I covered the origins of all fish Pokémon see here. As before, starters and legendary/mythical Pokémon will be covered in a separate series. I’ll also cover ultra beasts separately, so no Nihilego this time.

Starting things off we have Marenie and Toxapex bringing us the first echinoderms since gen I. While Staryu and Starmie were generic starfish, the Marenie line are based specifically on the crown-of-thorns starfish.

(image: a crown-of-thorns)

These are large starfish covered with venomous spines. The spines are used for defense as they (and the starfish’s other tissues) are filed with a chemicals called saponins. While there is no mechanism for injecting venom, any animal punctured by a spine will get the venom in the wound. It is hemolytic, causing destruction of red blood cells, which can lead to the injured animal suffocating or bleeding out.  In addition, the spines are brittle and can break off and get stuck in a wound. In humans, the venom can cause sharp, stinging pains, persistent bleeding, and swelling and nausea for up to a week after the sting. The persistent nature of the pain and hemolysis may be the basis for the line’s signature ability “Merciless”. The other big feature of the crown-of-thorns is its diet. They feed on coral polyps by everting their stomachs onto coral and digesting them externally. This is why the line are specifically stated to prey on Corsola. Too many crown-of-thorns in one coral reef can badly damage it, hence why Toxapex is said to leave a trail of Corsola horns in its wake. Toxapex also takes influence from the hā’uke’uke or helmet urchin, a species found in Hawaii that is shaped very similar to Toxapex’s tentacles when they are all down.

(image: a hā’uke’uke)

Dewpider and Araquanid are based on diving-bell spiders. These spiders spend almost their entire lives underwater, the only species to do so. They do still need to breathe air and so used a coating of water-repelling hairs to carry a bubble of oxygen with them when they are underwater, surfacing occasionally to refresh their supply. The Dewpider line are the inverse of that: a species that can only breathe water and need to bring a bubble of water with them while they live on land. Because of this, they may also be based on sea spiders, a group of marine arthropods that look very similar to spiders. This origin is more noticeable with Araquanid, which has the skinny body and long legs of sea spiders. In both species, the bubble over the head is based on a diving helmet.

(image: a diving bell spider with its air bubble visible)

Wimpod is one of my favorite gen VII mons and its origin is complex. It is based on a variety of aquatic arthropods. Most notably it resembles an isopod while having a head similar to a trilobite.

(image: a terrestrial isopod)

It also looks like a copepod, which are zooplankton that have prominent antennae. Fun fact: Plankton from Spongebob is a copepod.

(image: a copepod)

Wimpod’s behavior of fleeing at the first sign of danger is very similar to silverfish. These are insects with a similar body shape to Wimpod that are famous to coming out in the dark and fleeing once the lights come on.

(image: a silverfish)

Wimpod’s habit of eating almost anything and leading a clean path as it travels makes it effectively a living Roomba. As Golisopod, it is based on the giant isopod, a group of species that are much larger than the average isopod thanks to deep-sea gigantism. This is a phenomenon where animals living in the deep ocean become larger than their shallow-water relatives and has a number of proposed causes. The largest and most famous of the giant isopods reaches a maximum recorded length of 50 cm (19.65 in), which is still quite a bit shorter than Golisopod’s 2 m (6’7”). It is also based on samurai as its shell resembles samurai armor and some of its behavior (such as meditation) comes from samurai stories. Its ability to cleave the air in twain with its claws likely comes from classic exaggerations of a warrior’s ability. Golisopod doesn’t care much for a samurai’s code of honor though, as it will happily fight dirty and run from fights.

(image: preserved specimens of two giant isopod species)

Gen VII was a good one for echinoderms as coming off the hells of the starfish Marenie line we get a sea cucumber in Pyukumuku. Sea cucumbers have a pretty simple body plan, basically looking like tubes. Their most famous ability is a defense strategy some species employ where they can eject part of their guts to deter predators. In real sea cucumbers, the ejected guts will regenerate while in Pyukumuku, they can retract back into the body and even act like a hand. Sea cucumbers also have external gonads that look like strings. The fluffy tail Pyukumuku has is actually its genitals. The spikes on top might be based on sea urchins, which are relatives of sea cucumbers.

(image: a sea cucumber with similar spines to Pyukumuku)

Our final Pokemon for today is Dhelmise and it’s a weird one. An anchor and ship’s wheel bound together and possessed by the ghost of seaweed. What confuses me is that it’s a wooden anchor. It turns out wooden anchors were used at one point in early boats, but were phased out in favor of ones made of iron. Dhelmise being haunted parts of ships is reminiscent of tales of ghost ships, though on a smaller scale. The seaweed on it may be dead man’s fingers, which grows small tendrils and the name is obviously fitting for a ghost-type.

(image: dead man's fingers)

The shiny version having red seaweed could reference red tide, a type of algal bloom that can turn parts of the ocean red. Dhelmise hunts Wailord, meaning it may have been a part of a whaling ship and now the ghosts within it are carrying out their last tasks endlessly, a common trope in ghost stories. It may also reference Moby Dick’s Captain Ahab and his obsessive quest to kill the white whale.

(image: a sunken anchor from a shipwreck in Hawaii's Papahānaumokuākea National Monument)

That’s all for now. Return next time when we go to Galar.

[poketcg]

marenie, illus. Saya Tsuruta

[splashgarden]

u r challenged by!!!!!!

[mp-potions]

Day 3: Poison

[cagemasterfantasy]

Marenie the Brutal Star pokemon a water and poison type

1ft 4inc

17.6lbs

Ability: Merciless or Limber Hidden Ability: Regenarator

Egg Group: Water 1

Highest Base Stat: Defense:62

Lowest Base Stat: Special Attack:43

Base Stat Total: 305

Favorite Spot: Purple parts on head

Least Favorite: Body below head

Note: you will get cut if you touch the yellow spike

It plunges the poison spike on its head into its prey. When the prey has weakened, Mareanie deals the finishing blow with its 10 tentacles. It's found crawling on beaches and seafloors. The coral that grows on Corsola's head is as good as a five-star banquet to this Pokemon.

They eat Corsola branches, so Mareanie are hated by craftsmen who work with Corsola branches that have naturally fallen off. Aside from its head, its body parts regenerate quickly if they're cut off. After a good night's sleep, Mareanie is back to normal.

At level 38 it evolves into Toxapex the Brutal Star pokemon a poison and water type

2ft 4inc

32lbs

Ability: Merciless or Limber HIdden Ability: Regenarator

Egg Group: Water 1

Highest Base Stat: Defense:152

Lowest Base Stat: Speed:35

Base Stat Total: 495

Favorite Spot: Middle of raised tentacles

Least Favorite: Body below head

note: you will get cut if you touch the yellow spikes

Toxapex crawls along the ocean floor on its 12 legs. It leaves a trail of Corsola bits scattered in its wake. Those attacked by Toxapex's poison will suffer intense pain for three days and three nights. Post-recovery, there will be some aftereffects.

To attack, this Pokemon sends toxic spikes flying at its enemies. Ones that come close get mown down by the claws on its feet. With its 12 legs, it creates a dome to shelter within. The flow of the tides doesn't affect Toxapex in there, so it's very comfortable.

[cagemasterfantasy]

Marenie the Brutal Star pokemon a poison and water type

1ft 4inc

17.6lbs

Ability: Merciless or Limber Hidden Ability: Regenerator

Egg Group: Water 1

Highest Base Stat: Defense:61

Lowest Base Stat: Special Attack:43

Base Stat Total: 305

The first symptom of its sting is numbness. The next is an itching sensation so intense that it's impossible to resist the urge to claw at your skin. Unlike their Alolan counterparts, the Mareanie of the Galar region have not yet figured out that the branches of Corsola are delicious.

At level 38 it evolves into Toxapex the Brutal Star pokemon a poison and water

2ft 4inc

32lbs

Ability: Merciless or Limber Hidden Ability: Regenerator

Egg Group: Water 1

Highest Base Stat: Defense:152

Lowest Base Stat: Speed:35

Base Stat Total: 495

To survive in the cold waters of Galar, this Pokemon forms a dome with its legs, enclosing its body so it can capture its own body heat. Within the poison sac in its body is a poison so toxic that Pokemon as large as Wailord will still be suffering three days after it first takes effect.

Toxapex is the only pokemon that can learn the move Baneful Bunker (In addition to protecting the user from attacks, this move also poisons any attacker that makes direct contact.)

Marenie and Toxapex are the only pokemon with the ability merciless (The Pokemon's attacks become critical hits if the target is poisoned.)

[legendarytreasures]

Marenie Sun & Moon: Guardians Rising 39/145 Uncommon