Let's Talk About Pokemon - Vulpix and Ninetales

037: Vulpix

This is definitely one of those Pokemon that kinda cheats its way to the top a bit. I've criticized a ton of mammalian Pokemon for being a little too plain, but then we wind up with a Pokemon that I really kin with and how in the hell is a literal Vulpix meant to judge Vulpix fairly?

I suppose that in and of itself is an interesting question. Especially worth bringing up since otherkin/fictionkin is a fairly under-represented and usually joked-about perspective. Because yeah, hi, I'm a Vulpix, in much the same way I saw my masculine body and decided "nah, I'd rather be a woman," I see my human body and think "I'd rather be a Pokemon." Only real difference is one of these things is easily possible thanks to modern medicine and the other's a pipe dream until probably well after my lifetime. But what is my relationship with this thing especially given my kinship with it isn't 100% voluntary? How does one look at the fictional animal that IS also them?

Because for sure, Vulpix hardly has a tantalizing twist, at least apart from its twirled tails. It's like a kitsune pup, a mythical fox said to grow more tails as it grows older and wiser with time. And there's something endearing about the way Pokemon turns the mythical mundane, here. Vulpix isn't really like its older counterpart Ninetales. It's not quite majestic or creepy like Ninetales is, but rather looks like a normal fox. And I feel like that mythical-yet-normallized is part of Vulpix's appeal.

See it's tempting to self-depricate and call myself shallow for finding a favorite that feels out-of-character compared to my festival of favored freaks like Sigilyph, Eelektross, or Barbaracle. And then just had something like Vulpix sitting there. Being Vulpix. But I think my otherkin perspective has at least given me at least a bit of a capability to express Vulpix's very simple appeal. Or at least be able to articulate it better than the older versions of this review where I just gave up and said "it's nice (:". Sure, some of that comes with becoming a better critic, but still.

I think such a thing is also kind of indicative of being a plural system of multiple tastes, too. Sure, Vixi here is being the main filter, but I can certainly name off why I think Sylveon at least looks nice thanks to Zoey, or what makes Suicune neat thanks to Luna. Which, realizing kinship with Vulpix is part of what helped me realize I got more than one of me in here, too. Turns out Vulpix can be a catalyst for many important things.

038: Ninetales

Ninetales is very solid as well! I don't like it as much as Vulpix, but 'tis the risk of making an evolution that's a different flavor from its predecessor. Ninetales goes for being more majestic, which is still a logical conclusion for the line to come to. Its very plainly colored and patterned, even by Gen 1 standards, but the flow of Ninetales is really nice. I wish the orange on the tails went a bit further down the tail, but oh well.

With Pokedex entries talking about it cursing people and having powers it describes as supernatural or mystic, you would think Ninetales would be Fire/Ghost. Or at least Fire/Psychic. But no, it's still just mono-Fire. Which is such a shame, because both would have been such unique typings for the time. But like I said, it's oddly refreshing that this curse concerning Ninetales could actually just be superstition and nothing more. Makes the world of Pokemon feel more fleshed out and cultured when not every legend within it is 100% true.

I'm sure I don't have to explain a nine-tailed fox, since they're VERY common in Japanese media. But they're basically advanced kitsune. I feel like if Ninetales were to be designed today, they'd take their ability to disguise as humans as an opportunity to make it bipedal. I'm not sure how to feel about that, I would rather Ninetales stays on all-fours.

Personal Score: 10/10

And of course, my favorites get my favorite Pokeball as their ranking, the Luxury Ball!!

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