>>31707765Nah, Fennekin --> ? --> Delphox is a good line.
Braixen, however, diverges from the progression. This isn't actually unusual in starter mid-evos--look at Wartortle's ears, for instance--but, in this case, it attracted the furry crowd. A cute, feminine fox!
That pushed away some of the Fennekin fans, because some people always respond negatively to what they see as furbait. So, when Delphox was revealed, the fans of the line were disproportionately there because of Braixen.
And so the autistic screeching began. Delphox was much more gender-neutral than Braixen, focusing more on the "wizard" angle than the "cute" angle. The waifu dream was dead--they had specifically wanted a witch, and they didn't get it.
If Braixen hadn't gone the magical girl route, but Delphox were exactly the same, everything would be better.
