Hello /vp/. This is just an exercise in theming I've taken, and decided it was neat enough to share here.
With all the speculation on what's gonna be new, what could be changed, what could be added and all that crap going on I decided to take a look at what makes the different types in pokemon be themselves.
I decided to not look at the pokemon themselves because, well, they draw inspiration from way too many sources for way too different results. Instead I decided to take a look specifically at the moves available for each type to see if I could pinpoint their main aesthetic, what makes the moves of a certain type be what they are and what are the standards and recurring themes for them. Some are easier than others. The plan is for me to put out one of these daily, or at least try to if there's any interest or discussion. Personally I think theming is interesting beause it's somethign to pay attention to in many sorts of media, from videogames to novels and all.
Also I have way too much free time.
So for starters, I decided to look at the flying type moves.
[cont]
>>25591671
The types are probably just 18 inherent energies that interact differently with each other, so named for the Pokemon that have them.
Charizard is a dragon, but is not Dragon type because it doesn't have the Dragon energy. Bug type is named for most of its possessors being bugs, but not all Bug types are bugs and not all bugs are Bug type.
That's just what I assume, anyway.
Go on.
>>25591671
1 - MANEUVERABILITY
This is the bread and butter of the flying-type moves as far as I can tell. Most of them have a recurring aesthetic of mobility, aerial superiority and high speed movement in order to nail the enemy but not necessarily anything special aside being 2fast4u. It's all about being able to pull the maneveurs.
Aerial Ace, Acrobatics, Bounce, Brave Bird and others all draw from that. Three of these are very wide-spread to even pokemon that don't have wings, so the requirement is clearly not type related - You can pull it off, as long as you can make yourself mobile enough for acrobacies.
Bounce is a funny case. It's flying type when in theory it's pretty much a fancier Body slam, but that's the thing - it works just like Fly. You are not just ramming into the enemy, you are taking to the skies and dive bombing at them just like a bird, even without wings. It takes a lot of control over your own mobility to pull it off, which is why it's classified as a flying type move
Roost is also a funny case. It draws into the "maneveur" aesthetic but it's not nearly as dynamic or fast paced, yet youc an still make a point for it. You land and rest - it might sound kinda paradoxal or even stupid, but completely stopping your own mobility is an advanced maneveur as well. You give it up for the moment and lose the flying type because at that moment you are not doing what it does best - zapping around all over the place.
[cont]
Cool essay.
>>25591767
2 - WIND MANIPULATION
This is where it gets interesting, but it's also the most straightforward one. The sky is the domain of the flying creatures - so anytime you use wind to slash, cut, spin, pummel, clean or blow away something, you are drawing in that power with one exception that I can think of, that being Razor Wind.
I honestly can't figure out exactly why Razor Wind is normal type, but if you allow me some reaching I could say that the fact that it needs to charge has to do with it. It's artificial mastery over the wind, if you will.
Air Cutter, Air Slash, Hurricane, Gust, Defog, Aeroblast, Tailwind, all are wind manipulation moves that a pokemon can doon the fly.Tailwind is a prime example of a flying type move that draws from two aesthetics: it manipulates wind and at the same time heightens your speed, serving as an augmentation for your mobility.
3 - Body parts
This one is actually pretty tricky because it might be a little too vague, but bear with me. At first I thought this was only "beaks", but I decided to expand on it a bit. Basically these moves all have to do with body parts normally associated with birds such as feathers, wings, beaks, talons.
Peck, Pluck, Drill Peck, Wing Attack - all of them are flying type but they don't necessarily fit in the other two bigger themes of wind manipulation or mobility. You could make a point to say that they're supposed to be aerial strikes, and that would be fine, but I personally thought that it was worth giving them their own classification.
4Chan isn't your blog, though.
>>25591885
Most of what OP said is fairly obvious, but I don't see the problem with his posts.
It's certainly better than endless genrals and genwars.
>>25591841
This isn't so bad.
Continue.
>>25591841
And I suppose that's pretty much it. I couldn't think of another sort of niche or theme that would encompass a lot of the moves and I suppose 3 is enough. If we get more moves in the future I'd be willing to bet they're probably going to fit in these one way or the other unless game freak decides to push for a different theme all of a sudden.
I'm one of these autists that enjoys coming up with possible moves and shit like that on his free time, so I thought writing down what sort of aesthetic a possible move should have would help give a little more direction for brainstorming and all. If not, it's just for fun.
Any type I should try to cover next? If there's not a lot of interest I'll just go with fighting.
This is too autistic even for me, and I'm willing to spend time on a pokémon image board.
>>25591965
Where would parrot moves like Chatter and Mirror Move go?
I would add Dragon Ascend to Maneuverability.
No idea about Oblivion Wing, it does have wing in the name but is really just an energy beam.
>>25592022
Well I didn't include every single example so I wouldn't clutter the posts, but Dragon Ascent definitely goes into maneuverability.
Chatter is Chatot's signature move, so it being unique I'm not sure it has to be tied into a particular aesthetic, same thing with Oblivion Wing. I'd say it's a little closer to wind manipulation because sound, but it's really a toss up.
Mirror Move's another weird one, but if it were up to me I'd leave it near the maneveurability theme, at least if it's a physical move. If it's a special attack then I'm gonna admit I've got nothing, it's something actively inspired by parrots and that could be its own niche with only two moves or so.
>>25591965
Most can be fairly easily divided into two-three categories by a quick look, but if you want a harder one go with Psychic.
>>25592167
You're right, psychic does seem to be a trickier one. But I'll do it, sounds like it'll be interesting
>>25591671
I do propose that flying is the sexiest type, myself
Reminder that Areoblast is a massive beam of energy yes a flying type move which breaks your idea of what constitutes as a flying type move.
Also hidden power
>>25592798
Fairly sure he's talking about the games, not the anime.
