tax evasion

Origin: Biribark is based on a dog, which are commonly featured in children's media as protagonists. Specifically, Biribark is based on a Basset Hound, a breed of dog known for their short legs, floppy ears, and gentle demeanor. Basset Hounds are also known for being naturally stubborn. Biribark draws inspiration from children's toys, such as those produced by Fisher-Price. The Pokémon's stomach pattern resembles a set of buttons, and its tail resembles both a pullstring and a wire. Biribark's design also alludes to retro technology; the two tufts of fur on its head allude to set-top television antennae, and the pattern on its back resembles a cross-shaped directional pad. Biribark's Shiny form alludes to the original Game Boy Advance, which were commonly produced in an indigo color. Most importantly, Biribark is based on the song Static by FLAVOR FOLEY, a track about a children's show host beckoning the viewer to indulge in nostalgia and block out the noise of the modern world. Biribark's design and color scheme mimic that of Vocaloid Hatsune Miku in the music video. Biribark's base stat total of 404 references the length of the song (4 minutes and 4 seconds), though it also references an HTTP 404 status code, which indicates that a web page cannot be found or does not exist.

Name Origin: Biribark comes from ビリビリ biribiri (Japanese onomatopoeia for an electric shock) and bark. It also alludes to Biri-Biri, a song by Japanese duo YOASOBI which was released to commemorate the first anniversary of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet.

Other Notes:

Right off the bat, I knew that I wanted this Pokémon to be small, cute, and mascot-like. I briefly considered drawing inspiration from the ungaikyō (mirror monster from Japanese folklore) with a TV for a head, but I felt that a toy-like dog would better fit the concept.

I specifically wanted Biribark to be a weak single-stage Pokémon. It looks like a Pokémon that should evolve, but it can't. It will forever stay the same and never get stronger, alluding to Static's theme of stagnation and harmful nostalgia.

There are some small things about Biribark that hearken back to older Pokémon. For example, it has equal Special Attack and Special Defense, because in Generation I, those two stats were fused into one stat: Special.

For the Abilities, I had to give Biribark Static because... yeah. However, Retro Power also fits with the concept: it alludes to the pre-chorus lines where Miku sings "the world you know never seems to take it slow". It also references how older tech is sometimes considered to be slow, and at other times more reliable.

Biribark's resemblance to Blue from Blue's Clues was completely coincidental (I didn't watch much Blue's Clues growing up)... At least it fits with the concept.

👉 Biribark's Art Fight page

Origin:

Wilowei is based on a rabbit, specifically the Dwarf Hotot breed, which are known for their small size, white fur, and black markings that look similar to eyeliner. It is also based on a will-o'-wisp and other similar atmospheric ghost lights. Its Fairy typing comes from the legend of the Moon rabbit. Wilowei's ears resemble candle flames when upright, giving it the appearance of a tealight.

Illunawei is based on a mixture of Chinese and Japanese myths and folklore. Conceptually, it draws some inspiration from Yotsuya Kaidan, a Japanese ghost story. Its rabbit-like traits reference the legend of the Moon Rabbit, and its spherical red paper lantern resembles the moon's reddish appearance during a lunar eclipse. The tassel hanging from the lantern resembles a Chinese knot. The evolution method involving said lantern also references the Chinese fairy tale The Magic Lotus Lantern. The moon-related aspects justify the Pokémon's Fairy typing. Most notably, Illunawei is directly based on the song 炜WARD ROMANCE by FLAVOR FOLEY, with the Pokémon's design mimicking that of SynthV Feng Yi in the music video. The lop rabbit ears and hitodama-like fireballs on its head resemble long hair tied up in buns, and the pattern on its torso resembles a qipao. The heart-shaped patterns on Illunawei, along with its signature Ability, reference the romantic subject matter of the song's lyrics. Name Origin:

Wilowei comes from will o' wisp and 炜 wěi (Chinese character roughly meaning "to glow" or "to burn").

Illunawei comes from illuminate, luna (Latin for moon), and 炜 wěi.

Other Notes:

Please, please listen to 炜WARD ROMANCE if you haven't already. [ YouTube // Bandcamp // Spotify ]

These Fakémon went through some drafts. First, I had the idea for a Bug/Fire-type firefly with a lantern-shaped abdomen, but my initial sketches didn't turn out great. I also briefly had the idea for a Ghost-type humanoid based on a jiangshi (undead creature from Chinese folklore), but I scrapped it in favor of the moon rabbit concept.

Those names were brutally difficult to come up with, but I am so happy with them. They roll of the tongue nicely.

I do plan on making Pokémon based on other FLAVOR FOLEY songs, but only when I feel like it. Though, be warned that I will often introduce new concepts or adapt the songs' themes in new ways. (For example, just because I'm making a BUTCHER VANITY Pokémon, that doesn't mean it's going to be a literal cannibal.)

👉 Wilowei's Art Fight page 👉 Illunawei's Art Fight page

Stevonnie's debut is why Alone Together is my favorite episode from Season 1. I loved everyone's reaction to them, especially Garnet's uncharacteristically huge grin. And of course, Mindful Education is a fantastic episode. Rebecca Sugar has stated that Stevonnie represents all the scary-yet-exciting firsts in a relationship, and I think about that often.

Similar thing with Smoky Quartz: they're the reason why Earthlings is one of my favorite episodes from Season 3. Smoky was the perfect way to conclude Amethyst's character arc, and their curb-stomp battle against Jasper was also fun to watch. Yo-yo weapons are also one of my favorite media tropes. It's partially because of Smoky that I often carried a yo-yo with me in high school. (The other influence was the MOTHER series.)

It's also because they're hybrid fusions. The fact that Steven can canonically fuse with humans makes my crossover brain run wild. What if Steven fused with other characters that I like? What would the fusion look like? How would they act? How would others react? (Speaking of which, I really want to go back and revamp my older fusion designs.)